Sweet Gardenia - Chapter 9.1

The warm light from the supermarket shone down, casting a translucent glow over the packaging boxes on the shelves.

“Huh?” She took a moment to react. Preoccupied with her thoughts, she didn’t even turn to look. “Well, I’ve never played before, so I just bought it to try.”

Bought it to try.

She wasn’t sure which word had triggered him, but she noticed Fu Yanshang pausing thoughtfully for a moment, as if pondering something, though he ultimately remained silent.

The two of them walked forward, each lost in their own thoughts. Lu Zhi glanced sideways at him before looking away again.

Fu Yanshang asked, “Did you just notice me now?”

She shook her head slowly.

“No, I was just thinking about something.”

He pushed the shopping cart, his tone casual. “Thinking about what?”

“I wanted to ask,” she said, “are you planning to acquire Huaya?”

He seemed taken aback by her sudden question, but since the news would be made public later anyway, it wasn’t exactly confidential. He hummed in agreement. “It’s in progress.”

“Huaya has many smaller subsidiaries. Will they all be merged into Rongsheng?” she asked. “For example, did you know they have a newly established gaming studio?”

He paused. “Major decisions are under my purview, but minor details like that don’t reach my level.”

Well, asking was pointless.

So, Huaya was indeed being acquired, and the arrangements for its subsidiaries would be handled by lower-level management. The CEO was far too busy to deal with such trivial matters. That was essentially what he meant.

She let out an uninterested “Oh,” her tone making her boredom evident. She didn’t speak again until they got into the car.

Halfway through the drive, Uncle Zong, who was in the driver’s seat, sensed the tense atmosphere. While waiting at a red light, he glanced back and exchanged a look with Fu Yanshang.

After a moment, Fu Yanshang closed his laptop and asked her, “It’s only been ten minutes since I last saw you. Who upset you this time?”

She had already opened her drink. Lu Zhi turned to look out the window, sipping through the straw, and muttered, “Couldn’t it just be that I’m unhappy to see you?”

“…”

–

This time, when they arrived at the ancestral home, Fu Cheng didn’t come out to greet them personally. Instead, as soon as they pushed the door open, they saw someone rummaging for snacks by the table.

Hearing the noise, the person’s eyes lit up as they turned to look at them.

She studied him for a moment. “…Jing Chi?”

Jing Chi, who had been struggling to utter a stiff “sister-in-law,” froze in surprise when she spoke. He pointed at himself, astonished. “You know me?”

She said, “I’ve seen your account.”

If she remembered correctly, the latest update to his and his wife’s story last night was the chapter titled: “After a fight, my wife made me sleep in the study. I’ve decided to run away from home tomorrow.”

“Oh,” Jing Chi said, suddenly understanding. “Then I don’t need to introduce myself! And I don’t have to explain why I’m here today, right?”

Lu Zhi guessed, “Are you trying to make a statement to your wife?”

“How would I dare!” Jing Chi corrected her. “I’m just appropriately playing the victim so she’ll cherish me more. You know, men need a few tricks to keep a marriage going.”

“…”

She’d heard people say before that his account was probably all made up.  How could the second young master of the Fangtang family be so henpecked? But seeing him today made her realize that the content on Weibo was actually toned down, as Jing Chi still had some sense of image to maintain.

A series of clattering noises came from the kitchen, accompanied by Grandpa’s shout: “A Yan! Come in and help!”

Fu Yanshang set down the bags and went into the kitchen. Shortly after, the housekeeper brought out washed fruit and placed it on the table. Lu Zhi’s gaze drifted subtly toward the kitchen. Could he actually cook?

“Since both of us are here today, Grandpa insisted on cooking himself,” Jing Chi chattered away, saying whatever came to mind. “By the way, when did you start following my account?”

Lu Zhi thought for a moment. “Last year or the year before, a teacher mentioned it in class. I looked it up and found it interesting, so I followed.”

Jing Chi had a sudden realization. “I thought Fu Yanshang asked you to check it out.”

“We usually talk more about everyday topics,” she said. “We rarely discuss these things.”

After a brief silence, Jing Chi suddenly lowered his voice mysteriously. “Then you probably don’t know either.  He was the one who asked me to start that account.”

Lu Zhi was taken aback.

He had never mentioned it.

Seeing her expression, Jing Chi laughed. “He’s really impressive in market intuition and many other areas. Without that account, Fangtang might not be where it is today. After all, he ranked in the top three at a top-tier university. You can’t help but admire him.”

“The account went viral within a month of verification, without any paid promotion.”

Jing Chi gestured toward the kitchen. “Even his cooking skills, I had a hand in that too.”

Lu Zhi paused. “Did you teach him?”

“No, when we studied abroad, we lived together. My cooking was so bad he couldn’t stand it.”

“…”

She remembered something. “But couldn’t you have hired a housekeeper?”

“He wouldn’t.” Jing Chi kept glancing at his phone, only continuing when he saw no new messages. “He can be really stubborn sometimes, you know? To achieve things others can’t, you need a determination others don’t have, and he applies that to himself too.”

“If he needs to be a tree, he won’t let himself be a vine that relies on a bamboo pole to grow. He needs to be strong enough to stand on his own, in every way, including the things you mentioned.”

As he spoke, Jing Chi’s phone rang. He answered it immediately, not even letting it vibrate three times, and whined, “Honey!”

“…”

Jing Chi went to the balcony to take the call. Lu Zhi stayed seated, processing what he’d said. Grandpa’s cooking demonstration seemed to have been nearing its end earlier, and now dishes were being brought out one after another.

Apart from a few elaborate dishes prepared by the chef, the rest of the side dishes were made by the old man himself. Of course, she had to show her appreciation. Soon, a large serving of bitter melon was placed in her bowl with the communal chopsticks.

Fu Cheng said, “Xiao Zhi, try this quickly. Yanshang stir-fried this vegetable. See if it suits your taste.”

She pursed her lips.

To put it plainly, her taste buds, much like herself, couldn’t handle even a hint of bitterness.

But this was the first bite at the table, the first dish Grandpa had served her. She had no choice but to brace herself and finish it, holding her breath before saying, “It’s delicious.”

Another serving came her way. Fu Cheng beamed, “If it’s delicious, have more! No problem!”

…

Luckily, Jing Chi soon steered the conversation elsewhere. She quietly pushed the bitter melon to the side of her bowl and listened as Jing Chi asked him, “Where’s your fox?”

She froze, then turned to Fu Yanshang. “What fox?”

“The fox he kept a couple of years ago,” he said. “He usually lets it out.”

She blinked, making sure she hadn’t forgotten. “How come I’ve never seen it?”

“It’s very mischievous and disobedient. He was worried you girls might be prone to fur allergies, so he keeps it on the fifth floor when you’re here.”

Having lived this long without ever seeing a fox, let alone someone keeping one as a pet, her curiosity was instantly piqued. She even forgot what she had been upset about earlier and said, “Let them out.”

Fu Yanshang glanced at her, hesitating before speaking. “They’re really rowdy.”

“It’s fine.”

How rowdy could a pet possibly be? She didn’t believe him.

Fu Yanshang went upstairs to let the foxes out, and she followed along. Standing at the doorway on the fifth floor, she asked, “Do the foxes have names?”

“Yes, the white one is called Hurry Up, and the brown one is called Slow Down.”

“……” ?

She was confused. “So, are they supposed to hurry up or slow down?”

Fu Yanshang opened the door and glanced back at her.

“Hurry when it’s time to hurry, slow down when it’s time to slow down.”

“……”