Sweet Gardenia - Chapter 33

Summer nights were inevitably sweltering.

The air conditioning hummed in the room, yet it did little to relieve the heat.

Lu Zhi was seated on his lap, her wrists trembling.

The retractable tape measure clicked with each extension, the sound growing sharper in the quiet atmosphere. She held the end of the tape, but he pressed her hand down, his voice a soft reminder, “Where are you measuring from and to?”

“…”

“Don’t brush me off,” he played the victim with practiced ease. “Find the zero mark, start from zero, baby.”

He actually wanted her to measure an exact figure.

…If only she hadn’t agreed to this earlier, this pushy old man who kept pushing his luck.

Pursing her lips, she felt like a gardenia petal trembling under the air conditioner vent, though her flushed cheeks were far more captivating. He tilted his head, watching her, occasionally offering a quiet prompt.

After a long moment, his tone was leisurely. “Are you slacking off?”

…

A clever double entendre, she couldn’t tell if it was meant as an adjective or a verb.

“Working for a boss like you, who only acts when there’s something in it… isn’t slacking off just part of the job?”

“Others can’t slack off,” he said. “But you can.”

Lu Zhi fumbled to pinch the other end of the tape, then paused. Fu Yanshang leaned lazily against the headboard, suddenly remarking, “Did my baby buy an electronic tape? Does it count down on its own when you leave it there? Hmm?”

“…”

She hesitated. “You can see it yourself…”

“I told you, I’ve been staring at the screen too long. My vision’s blurry.”

If only she’d known, she should’ve tidied the entire bedroom spotless the day he returned from abroad, so he wouldn’t have this to hold over her now.

Lu Zhi blurted out a number, her voice barely a whisper. He leaned close to her ear, his tone deceptively light. “Hmm? What was that?”

…

Even her lower eyelids felt hot. Finally, she forced the words out, as if discarding a hot potato.

“It’s… 17.6…”

The man in question voiced his dissatisfaction.

“17? Look carefully.”

“…”

She took a sharp breath, her gaze sweeping over it once before her spine burned with embarrassment. She agonized for half a minute before slowly, syllable by syllable, she uttered, “1… 19.6.”

“Now that’s right,” he kissed her jawline. “You measured it perfectly, baby.”

She felt like she’d regressed into a pile of machinery, her joints stiff and uncooperative, requiring immense effort to move. Frozen in place, she muttered, “You knew the answer all along. Why make me measure it?”

He showed no hint of shame, replying frankly, “It’s all in the fun and games.”

“…”

She wanted to say more, but as she lowered her head, she closed her eyes. He pinched her cheeks and kissed her from below, swallowing her whimpers into muffled nasal sounds. The wet sounds of their kisses replaced the hum of the air conditioner, tangling in her ears. Her tongue was caught, drawn out, and Fu Yanshang’s thumb stroked the base of her neck, sending shivers of ticklish sensation through her. When he pulled away, half her tongue remained exposed, glistening and faintly red, nestled between lips reddened from his kisses.

He retreated for a moment, his eyes darkening, then kissed her again.

They kissed intermittently for a while, her fingers losing their strength, her waist encircled by his arm, pulling her closer.

“Wrap it around,” his voice was a low, seductive murmur. “Shouldn’t we measure the circumference too?”

…

The final outcome ended with Lu Zhi throwing the tape measure into his lap.

“Measure it yourself!”

–

When he came out of the shower, Lu Zhi was curled up in the blanket, the blush on her cheeks had faded by half, but the tips of her ears were still bright red. He felt an urge to bite them, wondering what the scalding curve of her ear would taste like.

But he reined in his thoughts. She was staring blankly at the ceiling.

Fu Yanshang: “What are you thinking about?”

Wrapped in the blanket, she voiced a new worry: “I have to negotiate a collaboration tomorrow. It’s my first time doing such a formal face-to-face meeting… I’m a little nervous.”

He wiped his fingers: “What time tomorrow?”

“In the afternoon, around three.”

“My meeting is in the morning. I can go with you.”

She had assumed that by “going with her,” he meant dropping her off at the door and offering some moral support.

She never expected that Fu Yanshang would sit down right beside her. Under her astonished gaze, he calmly and professionally handed over a business card and simply stated, “Assistant to Ms. Lu Zhi.”

Lu Zhi’s emotions twisted into a labyrinth of complexity, and amid his nonsense, she began the day’s negotiations.

He sat silently beside her the entire time, occasionally typing on his laptop. She had no idea what he was writing, but his presence did make her feel much more at ease. She clearly and logically discussed resources, pricing, and the duration of the collaboration.

Lu Zhi thought to herself, It really wasn’t that hard after all.

The agreement was signed amicably. As the two walked out, the person in charge watched their retreating figures, puzzled by the unexpectedly handsome assistant who hadn’t been announced beforehand. Have game companies started bringing assistants to meetings now?

Curious, he naturally picked up the business card left on the table. It was a textured, creamy white cardstock, elegant and understated, with only three words printed on it. The title read: Rongsheng, CEO.

The man’s fingers froze, his mind racing through countless related keywords. Is there a second Rongsheng in the world? Would any other company dare call itself Rongsheng?

Holding the card up to the bright sunlight, even with its muted gold foil, it seemed to shimmer brilliantly, dazzling beyond compare.

He pinched himself hard, as if in a daze, and opened his phone to send a bewildered voice message to a nearby friend.

“I think my eyes are fucking broken.”

–

After leaving the teahouse, Lu Zhi tilted her head to look at him and repeated with a hint of amusement, “My assistant?”

“What?” he said. “Wasn’t I supposed to back you up?”

She could hardly imagine what the person in charge would feel if, on a whim, he later took out the business card, scanned it, and saw the title that had absolutely nothing to do with her.

“Next time, change the suffix,” she said with a grin, patting his cheek. “Just write ‘my little darling husband.'”

He raised an eyebrow. “You really know how to push your luck.”

Remembering last night, Lu Zhi conceded sincerely, “Not as much as you.”

“…”

Across the street was SKP. Since they still had some time, Lu Zhi dragged him to the supermarket for a stroll and casually asked, “You were typing the whole time earlier.  What were you writing? Notes for our meeting?”

“No, I was revising their documents.”

She was taken aback. “You didn’t listen to a word I said?”

“I listened, but I didn’t need to take notes,” he replied. “I think your work skills aren’t at a level where I need to worry.”

People always love hearing praise they rarely receive.

Lu Zhi instantly felt elated and nodded with great certainty. “To be honest, the boss is very satisfied. Starting tomorrow, you won’t be an assistant anymore.  You’re getting a promotion.”

“Promoted to what?” he said. “Warming the boss’s bed? I don’t want to do anything else.”

“…”

By chance, they ended up in front of an entire shelf of contraceptive products. Just as Lu Zhi was about to pretend she hadn’t seen it and walk past, he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her back.

“We need to buy some,” he said.

Lu Zhi: “Buy them yourself!”

“That’s not entirely out of the question,” he replied smoothly. “But I’m the kind of person who likes to experiment. If you leave it to me, I’ll buy one box of every type.”

Recalling his previous feat of sweeping through 360 sets at Victoria’s Secret, Lu Zhi hesitated for a moment.

But so many condoms… She usually couldn’t even bring herself to glance at them when passing by the supermarket. How was she supposed to choose? She had no idea.

In the end, she had no choice but to consult him.

Lu Zhi started by looking at the expensive ones, thinking they were less likely to be disappointing. Being naturally meticulous, she leaned close to his ear after a while and hesitantly asked, “Hyaluronic acid? Isn’t that for applying on your face?”

As she spoke, he casually picked up a box as if no one else was around.

Lu Zhi couldn’t help but ask, “What if it doesn’t work well?”

She’d never even heard of it.

He reached out and swept an entire row of classic styles, ultra-thin, ribbed, and the like… into the cart. “Then we’ll buy some backups.”

“…”

Finally done with the shopping, she charged ahead with her head down, only cooling off a little when she reached the freezer section. She lowered her head to examine the new ice cream flavors.

Fu Yanshang followed leisurely behind her, pushing the cart.

Besides ice cream, she also picked out quite a few snacks. As they left the supermarket, she tore open the plastic wrapper, while the man beside her carried a full bag, packed with little boxes.

She averted her eyes as if they were on fire, pretending it had nothing to do with her.

Just before the car started, his phone rang twice. Lu Zhi usually had no interest in his calls, but this time, the caller ID showed “Fu Wang.”

She was eager to know how he was doing, knowing he was miserable would make her happy.

If the Fu family hadn’t kept it under wraps back then, and if the news of Fu Wang’s infidelity during their engagement had spread throughout their social circle, given her pride, she probably would have hired someone to beat him up first. So, Fu Wang really ought to be grateful.

Pretending to be engrossed in eating her ice cream, she subtly leaned toward the center console to eavesdrop on his call.

Fu Wang seemed to be calling to complain. After rambling for a long time, he pitifully got to the point: “Brother, when can I come back to the country?”

Fu Yanshang: “That’s not up to me.”

Lu Zhi glanced at him in the rearview mirror.

This guy is so heartless. He’s still your cousin.

Fu Wang was on the verge of tears. “Grandpa doesn’t seem to have much to worry about lately. Every few days, he makes me exercise and learn Muay Thai. I’m about to be beaten to death by the coach. Am I even his real grandson? Punishment should have its limits.  I’m only twenty-three! I don’t want to die here!!”

“Can you talk to Grandpa for me? I want to come back. Please?”

“It’s only been a few months,” he said. “When you were acting recklessly, why didn’t you think about the Fu family’s reputation?”

“I know I was wrong, bro, I really do. I used to think our relationship was really distant, and you were especially unapproachable, but if you hadn’t stepped in to save me back then, I might have really lost my life.” Fu Wang pounded his chest. “I’ll never forget this great kindness of yours, truly. As a token of my gratitude, I’ve decided that even if I return to the country, I absolutely won’t compete with you for Rongsheng.”

Fu Yanshang: “You wouldn’t win anyway.”

“I know you’re tough on the outside but soft on the inside. At that time, I was really cornered. If you hadn’t stepped in and married her for me, I wouldn’t have known what to do. You helped me once back then, so you can definitely help me this time too, right?”

Fu Yanshang glanced sideways at the ear practically pressed against his phone and his tone inexplicably turned a few degrees colder: “Next time, don’t fight back. After the coach beats you into the hospital, send me the medical report.”

Lu Zhi: “…”

The Fu Yanshang that Fu Wang described was clearly a perfect, self-sacrificing, and devoted elder brother. But from Fu Yanshang’s tone, it was obvious he didn’t like Fu Wang at all.

Moreover, the big boss beside her had absolutely nothing to do with the words “self-sacrificing” and “devoted.”

And the brainless, naive fool on the other end actually agreed without hesitation: “Okay, bro! Love you, bro!”

Lu Zhi: ?

Meanwhile, on the other side of the ocean in Los Angeles.

A friend leaned close to Fu Wang, full of confusion, and asked, “What did your brother even do to deserve you worshiping him like some kind of lapdog?”

Fu Wang shook his head mysteriously: “You have no idea how great he is. Back then, my family was forcing me into an arranged marriage. I hadn’t even seen a photo of the girl. Later, I got caught fooling around at a club by her. My grandfather is someone who takes contracts very seriously, and you know how it is with big families, they care a lot about face.”

“By then, the intended fiancée was no longer willing to marry me, but the cooperation agreement between the two families had already been signed. If the engagement had been called off suddenly, it would’ve made our entire social circle laugh at us.”

“And my brother, you know what? My incredibly handsome brother, I admit I used to misunderstand him as cold and heartless.  He’s stayed pure and principled for most of his life, yet he was willing to marry that plain, unremarkable fiancée in my place so I could keep living freely. If that’s not godlike, then what is?”

…

The friend took a minute to process this, then said, “If you’ve never seen a photo of the fiancée, how do you know she’s plain and unremarkable?”

“Are you stupid? She has an older sister who’s actually quite good-looking.  She often represents the family at various banquets, and it’s talked about in our circles. There’s an unspoken rule in our circle: at banquets, people either boast about their wives or their daughters. If she were pretty too, she would’ve appeared at events before.”

Fu Wang clicked his tongue and suddenly said, “She might even be an illegitimate child, the kind that can’t be shown in public.”

“Besides, I once subtly asked my brother about her, asked if she was pretty or if she was the complete opposite. Otherwise, why would there be no rumors about her in our circle.”

The friend asked, “What did your brother say?”

“I forget, he didn’t say anything, I think. Probably just tacitly agreed.”

Fu Wang, impassioned and still feeling the ache in his chest from being beaten up by the coach earlier, said excitedly, “Just tell me, isn’t my brother tough on the outside but soft on the inside? Isn’t he truly great?”

The friend thought for a moment: “Is it possible that she’s actually very pretty and your brother took a liking to her?”

Fu Wang couldn’t stand anyone speaking a single word against him and immediately flew into a rage: “Cut the crap! No way! My brother isn’t that kind of person!”

“Besides, is there any beauty who could slip past my network? If she were truly stunning beyond compare, wouldn’t I know about it?! I’d be slapping myself awake in the middle of the night if that were the case!”

Fu Wang straightened up and said sternly, “Next time, don’t spout such nonsense that goes against the facts.”

“…”

After hanging up the phone, Lu Zhi silently moved from the center console back to the passenger seat, pretending nothing had happened as she gazed out the window, earnestly eating the ice cream that was about to melt in her hand.

Muay Thai wasn’t all that brutal, just that you might end up vomiting more than you ate.

Fu Yanshang didn’t seem to notice she’d been eavesdropping either, as he didn’t bring up the topic the entire way back. Upon returning to the hotel, he was called into the study by several phone calls, the sounds of continuous meetings drifting through the crack in the door.

Fu Wang probably had no idea that the only reason Fu Yanshang had taken on this marriage arrangement for him was due to family pressure, and their grandfather’s threats of suicide.

For someone like Fu Yanshang, not marrying was simply because he saw no need for it. But if circumstances demanded it, marriage was just another option for him.

In other words, if Fu Yanshang were truly the type of man who would only marry for love, the Lu family, and she… would have had a hard time saving face back then.

She was someone who valued results over the process. Since the outcome was already set, there was no need to dwell on how it had come about.

By the time Fu Yanshang finished his work, it was already evening again.

Lu Zhi hummed a tune as she stepped out of the shower, her mind filled with the delightful thought of Fu Wang getting beaten to a pulp. She checked her recent work updates with Li Siyi on her phone and noticed him organizing the shopping bags from the supermarket nearby.

One large bag was filled with her snacks. She grabbed a pack of chips and was finishing the last one when she felt his gaze on her.

Assuming he wanted some too, but the last chip was already in her mouth, she cleared her throat, ready to dissuade him: “It’s midnight already. You’re so picky.  I wouldn’t recommend eating this.”

Lu Zhi reasoned logically, “This isn’t healthy. Eating too much is bad for you.”

After a brief pause, he said, “The night before last, I even ate…”

The middle part was muffled by her chewing, but the memory of that birthday night instantly flooded her mind. How was she supposed to know he’d… swallow it.

Lu Zhi reacted instantly, springing up like a startled rabbit, her free hand clamping over his mouth. In her disbelief, she even bumped her head against the bed frame, tears welling up as she loudly cut him off: “Don’t say it!”

Fu Yanshang looked at her for a few seconds, then suddenly curved his lips into a smirk, leisurely replying, “I was talking about the cream cake. What were you thinking of?”