Sweet Gardenia - Chapter 25

She blinked, only realizing something belatedly.

The two foxes were happily chasing each other around, having knocked over the entire cat tree. The small balls on it had scattered and rolled all over the floor, accompanied by the sounds of various cat teasers being kicked around and the jingling of bells echoing throughout the room.

The entire villa was unusually quiet. It wasn’t even raining today, and the wind was gentle. Hidden in the darkness, her senses became exceptionally sharp. She tilted her head back slightly. His palm cupped her face perfectly, as if it were designed for this very purpose, seamless and snug. His warm lips and tongue enveloped hers, his tongue moving skillfully. At the same time, the sound of bells rang softly in her ears. She tilted her head back further, beginning to wonder if she herself was that bell, whether the sound was real or merely a shared illusion born of synchronized rhythms.

It was as if a bell tied around one fox’s neck had been jingled, ringing for a while before another took its turn, back and forth, as if competing to see who could shake faster. For a moment, she lost herself in the sensation, noticing the warmth of his palm. Every part of him was warm, including the misty breath and the air inside his mouth. The ringing of the bells lingered faintly in her ears, becoming almost unbearable. He paused briefly before leaning in again, nibbling her lower lip and teasing her tongue in the same way. The showerhead continued to run, and she began to lose track of the damp heat in her mouth.

The kiss finally came to a stop.

He leaned close to her ear, breathing unsteadily, as if laughing, with a tone of satisfied fulfillment: “So noisy.”

He was referring to the foxes outside.

Her wrists were still held by him as she mumbled, “You’re the one who raised them…”

But just then, the bell sounds ceased.

She whispered, “My hands are useless now, and there’s no one else at home. You’ll have to clean up later.”

He put down the showerhead: “Let’s not talk about such a buzzkill topic right now.”

“…”

–

When they stepped out, the place was indeed a mess. Along the way back to the living room, the floor was littered with the foxes’ toys, and the cat tree lay toppled on its side.

Still, she couldn’t help but admire his efforts. Few people kept foxes as pets, so there weren’t many specialized pet products for them. Yet, he hadn’t cut corners.  He’d bought plenty of toys meant for cats and dogs, and the foxes could use them just fine.

The two little ones were clearly well cared for, their fur sleek and their cheeks plump.

Lu Zhi bent down to check if they had injured each other during their play. Noticing there were no bells around their necks, she wondered about the earlier sounds…

Suspecting she might have imagined it, she turned to Fu Yanshang and asked, “Did you hear the bells earlier?”

He raised an eyebrow, neither confirming nor denying. “What do you think?”

“…”

Images and sensations flooded her mind. At one point, he had even matched the rhythm of the bell’s ringing…

Suppressing the heat rising to her cheeks, Lu Zhi coughed lightly and said, “Then why didn’t I see any bells?”

“They push them under the bed with their paws after playing. They’ve always done that,” he replied. “Next time we have someone clean, you’ll see how many toys are under the bed.”

She let out an “oh” and sat down at the vanity. Fu Yanshang came over to help her apply toner and moisturizer.

He gently held her cheeks, his thumb and index finger framing her chin. Even such an ordinary gesture felt as intimate as a kiss. Lost in her wandering thoughts, Lu Zhi felt him finish applying lip balm before he tilted her chin upward with his palm and pressed a soft kiss to her lips.

She shifted uncomfortably, shrinking her neck back. “Stop kissing me…”

He remained perfectly calm. “What’s wrong? I’m not doing anything.”

“…”

After he straightened the cat tree, Lu Zhi sat down against the headboard. Fu Yanshang adjusted the projector across from her and asked, “What do you want to watch?”

“Watching movies all the time is so boring.”

He parted his lips to speak, but Lu Zhi, afraid he might suggest some shocking new activity, quickly interjected, “Can you video call Li Siyi for me?”

The video call with Li Siyi connected quickly. Li Siyi soon came up with an idea: “Then just watch my phone screen. I’ll scroll through Weibo for a bit.  We follow similar accounts anyway.”

Lu Zhi thought it was a good idea. “Then switch to your tablet for the call and use it to film your phone screen.”

Li Siyi first showed her the trending topics, clicking into ones she thought Lu Zhi would find interesting. Naturally, they soon fell into an immersive video-watching session.

Fu Yanshang was working nearby. Lu Zhi glanced at him out of the corner of her eye.  He was still swamped with investment documents, his gaze as calm and steady as ever, fingers gliding across the touchscreen.

It was then that Li Siyi suddenly exclaimed, “Oh right! I follow a bunch of hot muscular guys. Let me show you… they’re amazing.”

Li Siyi’s voice was far from quiet, and with the speaker on, Fu Yanshang naturally looked up. Lu Zhi hadn’t had time to look away, and their eyes met.

It made her seem guilty, as if she’d been secretly stealing glances at him.

…

He wore glasses while working, and often, Lu Zhi wanted to tell him to take them off. But saying so would contradict her earlier excuses, so she could only watch helplessly as he sat by her pillow every night, typing away like a refined scoundrel. Now, with his movement, the metal chain of his glasses swayed again, casting shifting reflections under his eyes.

Fu Yanshang asked, “Am I interrupting you two?”

“…”

He said expressionlessly, “Do you need me to leave?”

“No, no,” she replied, wishing she could cover Li Siyi’s mouth at that moment. “Just give me a pair of earphones.”

He didn’t move. Lu Zhi added, “The earphones should be in my nightstand…”

Before she could finish, he calmly averted his gaze. “If I’m not interrupting, why do you need earphones?”

She paused, unable to form a response, when Li Siyi’s burst of laughter echoed through their now-silent bedroom.

Li Siyi had clearly misunderstood. “Your husband is so understanding.”

Fu Yanshang replied flatly, “I try.”

Li Siyi: ?

Under Fu Yanshang’s unspoken pressure, the videos Li Siyi had recommended never made it to the screen. After a moment, Li Siyi said, “Well, I guess content that boosts estrogen is better suited for single people like me. You have a husband, no need for extra estrogen intake.”

Lu Zhi leaned closer, gritting her teeth and whispering, “Do you even know what you’re saying?”

“Alright, I’m going to enjoy my estrogen boost alone. I’m hanging up now.”

“…”

She had just lain down when the doorbell rang. Security informed them that a delivery had arrived.

As he got out of bed, Lu Zhi asked drowsily, “What delivery?”

“The bones you kept talking about,” he said. “For making soup.”

Back then, she had just been nervously making conversation, never expecting that he, even in that state, had actually been listening to her.

The mental image of “estrogen-boosting content” resurfaced in her mind, and she quickly shook it away, closing her eyes.

–

The faint aroma of bone broth lingered around her all night.

She woke up at nine to find Fu Yanshang working at the desk.

This seemed to be the first time she’d woken up at home while he was still there.

He was facing his computer, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the desk as if lost in thought.

Lu Zhi walked over and tilted her head. “Comb my hair and tie it up for me.”

She was pulled onto his lap. His fingers combed through her hair once before he picked up a cushion brush to smooth it out, then leisurely tied it up.

As a man, he wasn’t particularly skilled at styling hair, so it took a while. She lowered her head and asked, “Is the broth ready? I don’t think there are any wontons, right?”

“There are,” he said. “When do you want to eat?”

“Whenever you’re free,” she turned to look at him. “You’re probably not busy right now.”

The next second, she locked eyes with eight screens in an online meeting.

…

Coincidentally, her face appeared right in the center of the screen.

The moment she realized what was happening, she tried to get up and flee, but her hair wasn’t fully tied yet, and he pressed her back down. “It’s an internal meeting. Don’t worry.”

She hadn’t noticed from a distance earlier, but he was wearing a Bluetooth earpiece. He just hadn’t been speaking, only listening to the reports.

The moment Lu Zhi looked at the screen, the eight pairs of eyes staring at her simultaneously lowered, as if they were just organizing documents during a meeting break. But Lu Zhi could already imagine how her reputation in the company group chat would shift.

A…helpless woman who couldn’t manage on her own in the morning, clinging to her husband during a meeting, making him tie her hair and cook breakfast…a spoiled princess.

She completed her morning routine in despair, feeling utterly incapable.

When breakfast began, she stared at the bowl of soup, wondering if she could manage to eat on her own with her arms in casts. The answer was no.

He stirred the spoon while listening to the planning and discussions on the other end of the call.

Lu Zhi said, “You should focus on the meeting. I can eat later.”

“The texture won’t be as good if you wait,” the spoon continued to clink deliberately against the bowl. “I’ve lost count of how many people use their wives as an excuse to avoid drinking. Finally, my wife needs me too,” he drawled, his tone ambiguous, “…let me show off a little.”

“…”

Lu Zhi: “Are you saying you’re upset I never called you during a dinner to tell you to drink less or I’d get mad?”

He fed her a spoonful of wontons. “Very clever.”

Lu Zhi didn’t say anything else, letting him focus on the work meeting. After he finished, she finally looked up from the documents beside her. “Are you building a theme park?”

He nodded. “Construction will probably start by the end of the year.”

“Usually, before a park officially opens, they invite people for trial experiences, right?” she said. “You can call me. I’ll definitely give you the most precise feedback on every ride.  I’ve been on plenty.”

“Mm, I’ll have them build a few shorter ones.”

“No!” Lu Zhi was the first to object. “I want to ride the tall ones.”

“…”

With an investment of over five billion, she couldn’t help but recall what Li Siyi had said, that a game project like hers would have a hard time making it through all the hurdles to reach him.

Speaking of games…

Lu Zhi: “When are you finally giving me the contract? Are you trying to back out?”

Fu Yanshang gave her a puzzled look. “Didn’t I leave it by your pillow a long time ago?”

“…”

“I thought that was your thing,” she said, standing up. “You didn’t even tell me.”

She hurried to the bedside, but given her current limited mobility, it was difficult for her to reach anything. Fu Yan-shang picked it up for her and placed it right in front of her eyes.

Lu Zhi ordered him around imperiously, “Put it on that table, and give me a pen.”

“…Fine, Your Highness,” he said, placing the pen between her fingers. “And then?”

“Flip to the last page of the contract. I’ll sign it, just in case a boss like you decides to go back on your word someday.”

“Aren’t you going to review it first?” He raised an eyebrow, seemingly genuinely surprised. “Aren’t you afraid I might trick you?”

“You probably wouldn’t. You’d look down on such a small amount of money,” she said, the 5 billion from the contract reaffirming her thoughts. “Besides, if you’d even cheat your own wife out of money, then you’d have no conscience at all.”

He tilted his head slightly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

Unable to move her elbow, she relied on her wrist to sign a crooked signature. After finishing, Lu Zhi used her face to unlock her phone, only to find a whole page densely packed with messages from Li Siyi.

“Li Siyi said she’ll pick me up later to hang out at her place and bring me back tonight,” she said, rubbing her hands together eagerly. “Since I can’t move much at home anyway, I’ll go over, okay?”

“Going over to watch men dance?”

“…”

Lu Zhi straightened up and clarified seriously, “We have so much gossip to catch up on, we won’t have time for that.”

Sure enough, half an hour later, Li Siyi’s car pulled up downstairs.

Lu Zhi turned to leave but then noticed how empty the house seemed with him alone. “Do you want to go to the office? I’d feel a bit guilty leaving you here by yourself.”

“If you feel guilty, then stop staring at strange men’s muscles.”

“I don’t look at that!!” she emphasized again. “Then you go to the office, and I’ll leave early to pick you up after work, okay?”

The furrow in his brow finally relaxed.

“Okay.”

She nodded. “Do you want me to bring you anything? Food? Drinks?”

“You don’t like sweets… There’s a really good drink shop near her place. Do you want anything?”

While he was thinking, Lu Zhi lowered her head to take a sip of water from a cup with a straw. In those blank two or three seconds, a flash of last night’s scene suddenly reappeared in her mind.

People always can’t help but recall certain images when their minds go idle.

Biting the straw, and taking advantage of the fact that he couldn’t read her thoughts, she let her mind wander. Well… at that time… he kind of looked like he was sipping bubble tea.

Fu Yan-shang: “Bubble tea. I’m not used to anything else.”

Lu Zhi choked on her water, coughing two or three times. It wasn’t severe, but her entire face flushed bright red.

He pulled out a tissue and, as he brought it to her lips, lowered his gaze. “What’s wrong?”