Chapter 4 Addiction "Then let's get married, okay?"
"..."
Memory strikes like a sudden bolt of lightning.
Song Luoyun suddenly felt a chill on the back of her neck.
That night, they discussed the topic of "marriage".
She was eager to explore him, but he was slow and unhurried, teasing her little by little.
He told her, "My principle is very simple: any physical contact that is not based on marriage is blasphemy. What do you think?"
She was completely lost in the moment, her body language and thoughts were completely separate, and she only felt that his thoughts were in harmony with hers. She answered with a dizzy "hmm".
He seemed quite pleased, and picked her up, placing her against his lap.
He asked her, "Then let's get married, okay?"
She lifted her trembling eyelashes, her first instinct being to ask him, "Do you need a marriage partner?"
He smiled warmly and told her without any attempt to hide his feelings, "Yes, but not entirely."
At that time, Song Luoyun had been worn down by him and was eager to get rid of him, so she responded haphazardly: "Okay, okay."
—So this wasn't his flirting tactic after all.
They've even spread the news of their marriage within the company.
If she falls into his hands, will she become a pawn in his game, to be used by him?
"You didn't know?" Cai Nian thought Song Luoyun's expression was one of confusion, and explained enthusiastically, "The Fu family had some good news a couple of days ago. I heard that the old man couldn't hide his excitement, and he's telling everyone that good things are coming soon. Didn't you see? Does President Fu have a good relationship with any of his daughters?"
"How should I know?" Song Luoyun turned her head away, showing no patience for negotiation.
Cai Nian had no choice but to say, "Alright then, I thought you knew a little bit about this, but only prestigious families could be paired with such a family... I was just talking about President Fu, not your rich second-generation friend."
Cai Nian is a person that most people who have come into contact with don't like. She is too goal-oriented, has low emotional intelligence, and always reveals her true thoughts.
She had always disliked Song Luoyun. Born in a small city, he only got into university in Beijing and met rich second-generation friends, which allowed him to come into contact with people in high society. In her eyes, this job was even obtained through connections.
But ordinary citizens are just ordinary citizens; how could they possibly dream of marrying into a wealthy family and becoming a phoenix on a branch of a tree?
Song Luoyun didn't give her a friendly look.
He ate a few mouthfuls of food, picked up the takeout box, and walked out, unwilling to pay attention to the sour-tongued people.
Cai Nian rolled her eyes behind her back.
...
On the other side, at the Fu family's old residence.
The car drove in, and the butler stepped forward to greet him. A pair of red-soled Oxford shoes stepped onto the ground, and his long legs strode out. The gilded relief door opened automatically, and the man entered.
An elder sat on the central rosewood throne, his long robe trailing to the ground, slowly pouring tea over his golden toad tea pet. He didn't look up, and even as the man approached, he continued to leisurely scrape away the tea dust with the lid.
The Fu family is a prominent clan that still retains some of the royal etiquette from the last century. The main hall is 12 meters high and is decorated with endless vermilion red and imperial gold. The head of the Fu family is particularly obsessed with antiques, and the furnishings from the entrance hall to the private bedroom are all exquisitely crafted.
“Grandpa.” Fu Huaizhi sat down, casually crossing his legs, his shoes slightly upturned.
"You came back alone?" Fu Huaihe glanced at the doorway.
“I can’t just show up halfway alone,” Fu Huaizhi said with a smile, sounding somewhat absurd in front of the elder.
The atmosphere at the Fu family manor has always been like this, with the vast territory always remaining quiet. The people here are used to this environment, but Fu Qiaoying especially hates it. In her words, there is no trace of human life here.
The old man's expression softened somewhat, but the lingering pressure left only a solemn atmosphere in the air.
He took a sip of tea: "Tell me, who is that woman?"
Because of a single sentence from Fu Huaizhi, the Fu family has experienced quite a few ups and downs in the past two days. The man who has never been seen with a woman by his side has actually proposed marriage.
The elder's sharp gaze pierced him, as if expecting him to give a reasonable answer.
"Grandpa, why ask such a redundant question? With your intelligence network, how could you not find out her background?" Fu Huaizhi said calmly.
“I thought you would know something I didn’t.” Fu Huaihe smiled, but his eyes were already filled with displeasure. “A Peking University student, father deceased, mother remarried—do you think such a disgraceful resume can be allowed to taint the Fu family bloodline?”
The Fu family has been able to maintain its business for over a century not only because of its control over resources, but also because of its strict bloodline and inheritance system. As the head of the Fu family, Fu Huaihe doesn't care about others, but he will never allow Fu Huaizhi to escape his control.
However, this kind of thing has happened more than once.
The Fu family had arranged a marriage for Fu Huaizhi with the Shu family as his bride. The Shu family was also a prominent family with a long history, and their strength was comparable to that of the Fu family. However, the Shu family's daughter was busy with her studies, and the marriage was initially scheduled to take place after she graduated.
Fu Huaizhi had never expressed any objection over the years, but suddenly broke off the engagement on the eve of the engagement.
This incident caused a huge uproar in the Fu family. Even when Fu Huaihe resorted to family discipline, he could not force him to submit, yet he never offered an explanation. After that, he ignored any attempts to arrange marriages for him.
This time, however, he suddenly started fooling around with a lowly person. It seems that this series of abnormal behaviors can only point to some kind of rebellion.
Having been in a high position for so long, Fu Huaihe couldn't possibly be unaware of the thoughts of those below him. Since that was the case, he simply released the information to see how they would handle it.
The celadon covered bowl slowly scraped against the rim of the cup, producing a series of sharp sounds. Fu Huaihe lifted his eyelids and looked at the person in the next seat with the kindness of an elder.
“You’ve never been this impulsive before, which means that girl has a deep influence on you. Fine, if you like her, that’s fine. I’ve already ordered my men to start preparing for the wedding. At the Fu family banquet two months from now, bring that girl to my side and let me get to know her.”
...
As Fu Huaizhi left the Fu family manor, dusk had fallen, and a sudden downpour began.
The butler came to meet him with an umbrella. He stepped forward, and the pouring rain still soaked half of his arm. The plain-colored shirt clung to his skin, perfectly outlining his strong muscle lines, with the winding curves running upwards from his wrist.
Once in the car, he loosened his taut tie, unbuttoned his soaked shirt, and rolled up his sleeve with one hand, revealing several marks from pinching that had faded but still remained.
He lowered his head, his gaze fixed on that spot for a long time.
He could hear the girl's involuntary moaning from that night; her fair and soft hands pushed him away, yet as he retreated, she clung to his hand with reluctance.
She had a captivating aura about her, her waist was so warm that he wanted to gently nibble on her, and her lips were so sweet that he wanted to possess her immediately.
For no apparent reason, my throat felt like it was burning with sand, and my chest felt like it was burning with an unnamed fire.
I simply rolled down the car window, lit a lighter, and the smoke obscured my vision, filling the rainy night.
But cigarettes cannot relieve certain addictions.
His Adam's apple bobbed up and down with each breath. He licked his dry lips and drove towards a certain part of the city.
...
Song Luoyun stood by the roadside, feeling like she was going crazy.
I actually saw Fu Huaizhi's car near my home.
How did he know this place? Didn't she only give a fake address? Did he investigate her behind her back? Is there any other information he doesn't know?
Numerous questions flashed through her mind, leaving her feeling confused. She should have taken a step forward, but after a moment's hesitation, she finally braved the rain and ran in the opposite direction.
She had just gotten off work. She had been delayed by a meeting that evening and hadn't had time for dinner. She was so hungry that she felt dizzy. To make matters worse, it started raining and she didn't have an umbrella. She had planned to eat something while waiting for the weather to clear up, but she didn't get to. She even gave up on the idea of eating dinner because of a 40-yuan fast food meal.
Having already had so much bad luck, running into the person I least wanted to see brought my despair to its peak.
After all that, she was basically soaked to the bone and sneezed several times. She could only find a random milk tea shop, order a hot milk, and sit down to warm up.
Song Luoyun looked around warily, but the car didn't follow.
But she couldn't relax; she realized that this period of anxiety would last for a long time.
I sat there for half an hour when my phone suddenly rang. After seeing the caller ID, I thought for a moment and then answered it.
"Luo Yun." It was Fu Zeming's voice on the other end. "Are you home?"
"What's wrong?" Song Luoyun asked.
“I heard from Eva that you just got off work, and you probably haven’t eaten yet, so I brought you something to eat,” Fu Zeming said.
Eva is Fu Zeming's friend and also Song Luoyun's senior in the department. Song Luoyun is usually too busy with work to reply to messages, so Fu Zeming often has to follow her updates through Eva. Sometimes when he gets off work late, he'll bring her various things without ever asking if she needs them.
Thinking about her messy entanglements with the Fu family, Song Luoyun had a headache: "I'm not home, you don't need to bring it for me."
"Where have you been so late? Do you need me to pick you up?" Fu Zeming asked again.
Song Luoyun declined: "No need, I'm with my friends."
Fu Zeming said, "Okay, let me know when you get home. I'll see you in a few days... Big Brother?"
As the last two notes faded, Song Luoyun straightened up instantly, gripping her phone tightly and focusing on the voice on the other end.
But Fu Zeming had already hung up the phone.
She dared not call back, afraid that the other end would hear her voice, nor did she dare to ask any questions; she could only worry anxiously.
Countless thoughts flashed through my mind.
Unable to fathom Fu Huaizhi's thoughts, she was tormented both physically and mentally. Glancing at the increasingly torrential rain outside, she pushed open the door and ran out.
...
Fu Zeming never expected to see Fu Huaizhi downstairs at Song Luoyun's house.
Although her location wasn't remote or hard to find, it wasn't central either; the surrounding area was mostly under construction, clearly not a place he would frequent.
He walked over and asked, "Brother? What brings you here?"
"Waiting for someone." Fu Huaizhi stood outside the car, holding a transparent umbrella. He stood straight, maintaining his composure even with his clothes wet.
Fu Zeming was surprised. In his memory, his elder brother valued time above all else. Even when his mother passed away when he was young, he only took time to attend the funeral. He had never seen him shed a single tear during those dark and unbearable days.
He is the least sentimental of all. What kind of friend would make him stand here in the rain and wait?
"Does he live here?" Fu Zeming asked.
Fu Huaizhi said slowly, "Perhaps."
Fu Zeming had heard about this place from Song Luoyun. Although it was a mixed-use building with a nice surrounding environment and a mature security system, it was about four kilometers away from the nearest subway station. It was probably only people with limited budgets who would choose to live here.
Then I recalled his seemingly unintentional remark that he had "gotten dumped."
He thought it was just a joke.
But if that's the case.
His heart, which had been at ease, was now on edge again.
This is not good news.
Fu Huaizhi looked at him and asked, "Shouldn't you be at school at this time?"
"I don't have class tonight." Fu Zeming wasn't very confident; he had skipped class to come out. "I was just passing by and happened to be bringing food to a friend."
"Is that so? Where is she?" Fu Huaizhi looked at the bag he was tightly protecting.
A bowl of hot porridge, two steamed buns, and a few boxes of cold medicine.
Despite the heavy rain, even his coat was soaked, but there wasn't a single drop of water on the transparent bag.
“She’s not home,” Fu Zeming said. “She went out.”
"That's a bit unfortunate," Fu Huaizhi said with a light laugh. "I should have met her to see what kind of person could make you treat her with such care."
Fu Zeming also forced a smile, gripping the thing in his hand tightly.
For some reason, I didn't see the concern that should have been in my brother's smile, and instead felt inexplicably shrouded in a dark fog. He seemed to... have another meaning.
"Over there," Fu Huaizhi suddenly raised an eyebrow, hinting, "Is that your friend?"
Fu Zeming was stunned and looked back sharply. Song Luoyun was standing at the corner, panting heavily, covered in dirt and looking disheveled, but she just stood there dumbly without moving.
"It's her." Seeing that she didn't even have an umbrella, he quickly walked in her direction.
Song Luoyun instinctively stepped back.
She lost her composure the moment she heard the phone ring, and slipped on the wet ground as soon as she stepped outside. Her knee was probably bruised and burning with pain. She had forced herself to walk this long way, only to run into them after turning a corner.
Fu Zeming quickly ran to her, held the umbrella high over her, and exposed himself completely to the rain.
He was terrified: "Why didn't you use an umbrella? Weren't you outside? How did you get so soaked?"
"I didn't bring an umbrella," Song Luoyun said, and as soon as she looked up, she met Fu Huaizhi's sharp gaze, and the light in her eyes dimmed slightly.
"Then don't run around outside like that. Why are you getting soaked in the rain?" Fu Zeming was a little anxious. He reached out to try to wipe the rain off her cheeks, but she instinctively stepped back, and his hand froze in mid-air.
Song Luoyun realized the inappropriateness of her behavior and deliberately wiped her cheeks clean. She then noticed that Fu Zeming was still getting wet in the rain, so she could only move closer to him and let the two of them stand under the not-so-large umbrella.
“My older brother is over there,” Fu Zeming said to Song Luoyun, gesturing for her to come over.
Song Luoyun remained silent as he led her closer to Fu Huaizhi. Fu Zeming, worried that the rain would get her wet, kept one hand behind his back, slightly protecting her. From the front, it looked like he was embracing her, and their contact appeared somewhat intimate.
"Brother, hasn't the person you're waiting for arrived yet?" Fu Zemin asked, looking at Fu Huaizhi.
Fu Huaizhi's gaze was fixed on Song Luoyun. Looking down from her wet hair, he saw that her clothes were also wet. Her light pink thin shirt almost revealed her skin tone, showing the outline of her white underwear.
It was a very embarrassing situation.
But she is still captivating.
It reminded him of that night when she reached out and hugged him, their chests pressed together, their heartbeats almost in sync.
“This lady seems to be injured.” His gaze slowly fell on her legs; there was a large stain on the knee of her jeans, and bruises on her bare ankles.
She suddenly smiled: "Were you in such a hurry to get here?"
Fu Zeming noticed Song Luoyun's discomfort and quickly asked her, "Does it hurt? Why don't you go up first?"
“…Okay.” Song Luoyun didn’t look at Fu Huaizhi, nor did she look at his question.
She didn't want to stay here any longer and couldn't wait to go back, but at the same time, she had to take Fu Zeming with her.
Before she could even come up with an excuse, Fu Huaizhi took a box of ointment out of the car and handed it to her: "I happen to have some ointment for scrapes, you might as well take it and use it."
"..."
Song Luoyun stood quietly, feeling as if she had a thorn in her side.
Fortunately, Fu Zeming was there. He took the medicine for her and glanced at the name of the medication: "Thank you, brother, but why do you carry medication with you?"
"I was scratched by a wild deer. But don't worry, the medicine hasn't been used yet." He spoke very slowly.
Shot by a wild deer?
But this is a city, where would wild deer come from?
Fu Zemin sensed something was wrong, but he could only put the ointment away for now, saying, "Then you should be careful. If there's bleeding, it's best to go to the hospital to get it checked out. Also..."
He looked at Fu Huaizhi's sleeve and could see several marks under the clothes, but the light was too dim to see them clearly.
He said, "You bought the wrong medicine; it's for human scratches."
Song Luoyun kept her head down the whole time, unable to meet anyone's gaze.
"Is that so?" Fu Huaizhi took out a pack of cigarettes, pulled one out with one hand, put it in his mouth, and smiled slightly. "Then I'll be more careful next time."
Fu Zeming sensed that his elder brother's mood was off that night, and that his words were loaded with meaning.
Her arm was suddenly touched, a hint from Song Luoyun that she really wanted to leave.
The doubt was instantly overshadowed by the joy of being touched, and Fu Zeming said, "Big brother, Luo Yun is not feeling well. I'll take her upstairs to change her clothes first."
Fu Huaizhi stared at the sleeve she had touched, his smile fading slightly, but he politely left with a single murmur: "Mm."
The moment she turned around, Song Luoyun almost breathed a sigh of relief and walked side by side with Fu Zeming.
Two figures pushed open the glass door together, the hallway lights came on, and they appeared in the elevator. The boy gently draped his coat over the girl's back. The elevator doors opened, and the two stepped in together, heading upwards.
The lighter was damp, and Fu Huaizhi couldn't light the cigarette no matter what he tried.
The dryness in my throat intensified, and the taste of tobacco spread directly into my mouth, but I couldn't stop it no matter how much I ate.
He squinted at the elevator lobby that had been lit up and then turned off, even though there was no one there anymore.
In the quiet night, the light in one of the cubicles suddenly came on, revealing two figures: one graceful and alluring, the other strong and composed. They moved from the left to the right, and the boy followed wherever the girl went.
The rain was still falling outside, and the streets were sparsely populated. A figure stood there straight, lonely and silent.
...
Looking at herself in the mirror, Song Luoyun realized just how pathetic she looked.
His white pants were covered in mud, his coat was almost completely soaked, his hair was even dripping water, his eyelids were red from the cold, and his lips were deathly pale.
Fu Zeming put down what he was carrying and said to her, "Go take a hot shower, you'll definitely catch a cold tomorrow if you keep doing this."
Watching the person enter her home without any burden, as naturally as if they were returning to their own home, Song Luoyun sighed, wondering if she had done the right thing.
She hesitated for a moment before opening the door.
But thinking of the person who was always waiting downstairs, she could only invite Fu Zeming into her home first.
Fu Zeming looked at the person who hadn't reacted for a while, guessed her concerns, and said, "Don't worry, I'm a gentleman, I won't peep at you while you're taking a bath."
Song Luoyun didn't say anything, turned around and went into the bathroom.
After taking a hot shower, she finally felt better. As she dried her hair, she walked out. In the living room, Fu Zeming had already reheated the cold porridge for her and poured her a glass of hot milk, waiting for her to come out.
Song Luoyun was somewhat dazed.
She met Fu Zeming during their freshman year of college. They applied for the student union together. She went through three rounds of interviews before being selected, while he only showed his face briefly in the initial interview and easily entered the organization. It was then that she realized that those so-called rules were actually only made for ordinary people, and there would always be someone who could easily get what they wanted by overcoming all obstacles.
So she didn't have a good impression of him at first. It wasn't until the second semester of her freshman year, when she planned to run for student council president, that she unexpectedly lost the opportunity to participate. It was Fu Zeming who stepped forward to criticize the bureaucratic phenomena in the student council and brought the matter to the school leaders, which successfully gave her the right to run.
Later, she was elected chairman, and Fu Zeming chose to stay on. During that year, he practically became her assistant, doing whatever she said, and their relationship progressed rapidly.
Fu Zeming is an exceptionally loyal person. In the years they've known each other, he always gives Song Luoyun whatever she likes. But Song Luoyun knows clearly that he can only be a very good friend, not a lover.
Because he is very extreme, especially in matters of the heart.
Having known each other for so many years, he didn't like her having other male friends around her. He would buy her many items engraved with their names and have her wear them in public, trying to let all their friends know that they were lovers, even though they weren't.
The real outburst came last week, on his birthday.
He meticulously planned a confession, but instead she received a phone call claiming that Fu Zeming had been kidnapped and that she had to go alone to an abandoned building on campus.
She hurried past, passing through one dark corridor after another, her cold hands gripping the doorknob, and nervously and anxiously pushing it open.
Fu Zeming was in the middle, his limbs bound, with another person beside him, gloating as he waited for her to approach.
Song Luoyun mustered her courage to negotiate, but the next second she heard a loud bang. She instinctively covered her head and squatted down. In her confusion, she realized that the lights around her had come on, and a group of people appeared around her, holding cannons, flowers and balloons, shouting, "Say yes! Say yes!"
Fu Zeming was kneeling on one knee in front of her, and someone was recording the scene. She was the only one who looked particularly disheveled, and her hands were still trembling.
Song Luoyun particularly disliked this kind of joke.
After she sent everyone away, she bluntly rejected him, but he grabbed her hand and wouldn't let her leave.
He admitted, "Everyone at school knows I'm going to confess my feelings to you today. Do you want me to be laughed at by them?"
With red eyes, Song Luoyun struggled to shake off his hand: "That was your own plan, what does it have to do with me? Do you really think you can get me to be with you by using moral blackmail?"
Fu Zeming still wouldn't let go of her, but with a hint of pleading, he said, "I was wrong, I was wrong, but please give me another chance, and I will treat you well."
"..."
Song Luoyun was still standing on the balcony, looking down at the luxury car that seemed out of place.
He was persistent, obsessed, and his intentions were unfathomable.
Her frustration reached its peak. She locked the balcony door and returned to the living room, where Fu Zeming was already lounging on the sofa playing on his phone.
"Come and eat something, I'm about to go back," Fu Zeming called to her.
She walked over and asked, "Are you going back to school?"
“Yes, it’s almost curfew,” Fu Zeming said.
Fu Zeming's major is medicine, a five-year undergraduate program. After completing his undergraduate studies, he will need to pursue a master's degree, followed by residency training, making graduation seem like a distant prospect.
Last year, when Song Luoyun finished her studies and started her internship, they joked that by the time she was settled in her career and promoted to a leadership position, he might still be in school.
"Is it possible to climb over into your dormitory building?" Song Luoyun sat cross-legged on the floor and opened the lid of the hot porridge.
Fu Zeming suddenly turned over and raised an eyebrow at her: "You don't want me to go back? Then I'll stay and sleep with you..."
"No," Song Luoyun quickly interrupted him, "I'm just worried that it's not safe for you to rush back." She gestured to the clock on the wall; there was less than half an hour left before curfew.
“Okay.” Fu Zeming propped himself up to look at her, his brows furrowed with impatience, but he told himself he couldn’t be too hasty or he would scare her away.
He watched her eat with satisfaction. He knew her tastes very well; he knew that when she wasn't feeling well, she only liked light, soupy foods. As long as she liked it, it wasn't too much trouble for him to run to several stores and brave the rain to bring the food over, carrying it protectively in his arms.
Remembering something, he asked, "By the way, how much is your rent?"
“2300,” Song Luoyun said.
In Beijing, renting a place like this for this price is considered very cost-effective.
"Are there many people living here?" he asked.
"Not many people like to live here because there's no subway station nearby."
"That's strange. My older brother just said he was waiting for someone. Who could be worth waiting for?" Fu Zemin fiddled with his phone, staring at the ceiling in thought.
"I don't know," Song Luoyun said.
Although Fu Zeming was curious, he usually didn't ask his other siblings too much. That's how the people in the Fu family were; they looked close and united, but in reality, they were quite distant.
Especially for Fu Huaizhi, everyone in the Fu family needs him, yet he is the most unpopular among his brothers.
The conversation had just ended when my phone rang.
Fu Zeming looked down, a hint of surprise in his eyes: "Hello? Big brother."
Song Luoyun scalded herself with the porridge.
After a moment of silence, Fu Zeming suddenly looked at Song Luoyun, his expression unreadable.
You mean Luo Yun?
"You want to... get to know her?"
A note from the author:
----------------------
Brother Fu: He tried to sleep with my woman and then ended up in a room with another man :)
20% blackening
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