Chapter 19
Fu Jingyuan has been quite free lately.
Fu Yangshan was busy fighting the Hui people for territory. The two sides had been fighting for half a month without a clear winner. Fu Jingyuan wasn't worried about this at all. His elder brother would go to war every few days, and the war with the Hui people was an annual event that took place every autumn. It had become so stale that even the newspapers didn't give it a big cover, just mentioning it briefly at the bottom of the front page.
Fu Yangshan now lives at the military headquarters every day and has no time to go home, which gives Fu Jingyuan a feeling of regaining his freedom. But what good is freedom? It's nothing more than driving his newly bought car to invite Yan Guanglin to go horseback riding with him at the riding stables on the outskirts of the city.
Before setting off, he happily dressed himself up. He envisioned spending a joyful afternoon with Yan Guanglin, then having dinner together at Fengming Pavilion in the evening, and finally watching a movie at the cinema. After the movie, if it wasn't too late, the two of them could take a walk in the park. Thinking of the walk, he couldn't help but silently recite those passionate love words in his mind once more.
However, when he arrived at the Yan family home, he was surprised to find that the house was empty. When he asked where Miss Yan had gone, his eldest daughter-in-law replied very kindly, "She went to the girls' university early this morning to visit her classmates. If there is anything you need, Mr. Fu, I can pass on your message."
Fu Jingyuan said awkwardly, "Oh, I'm fine. Thank you. I'll be going now. Goodbye."
Leaving the Yan family home, he climbed into his gleaming new car, regretting that he had gotten up too late and wasted the day. But in this vast sea of people, even if he went to the women's university, he might not be able to find Yan Guanglin. He had no choice but to give up in frustration, dejectedly starting the car and preparing to go home.
Bored until evening, he decided to go to the movies by himself.
There were no new movies showing at the cinema, and as he sat alone in the VIP section, he suddenly wondered if he had been a little too self-disciplined.
The second master of the Fu family actually came to watch a movie all by himself.
The thought flashed through his mind and then vanished. After all, he was a civilized person, and he still held some pure and sacred longing for love and marriage. At the same time, he would never be like Rongxiang, flaunting himself with actors and gaining a reputation as a playboy.
Thinking of Rongxiang, he snorted heavily, as if Rongxiang were right in front of him, and angrily turned his head away.
Then, he actually saw Rongxiang.
The scene before him was truly dramatic. Rong Xiang sat there with his head down, three empty seats away, while a girl next to him was looking around and turning her head randomly—who else could it be but Yan Guanglin?
Fu Jingyuan thought he was hallucinating. He took off his glasses, which were not very strong, and squinted to look at himself carefully: That's right, even if the lights were dim, he couldn't possibly not recognize Rong Xiang, could he?
How could Yan Guanglin be with him?
Fu Jingyuan felt a sudden buzzing in his head, as if all the blood in his body had rushed to his head. He hastily put on his glasses, his face flushed and neck bulging as he abruptly stood up: "Guanglin, how come you're with him?"
His shout startled the two people opposite him. Yan Guanglin panicked for a moment, then regained her composure: "Jingyuan, what a coincidence that you're here too."
Rongxiang only glanced at him indifferently before turning his face away again.
Fu Jingyuan realized his lapse in composure and slumped back into his chair. This time, he turned his questioning towards Rong Xiang: "Hey, instead of supporting Wen Tingxiang, why are you interested in watching a movie?"
Rong Xiang turned his head to him and replied casually, "Today, I'm accompanying Miss Yan to come here."
Fu Jingyuan gritted his teeth in hatred. The focus of his question was on Wen Tingxiang, but Rong Xiang deliberately ignored it.
"Oh, I didn't know. When did you become so familiar with Guanglin?" Fu Jingyuan said, feeling as if he were sinking—his question was too naive and ridiculous. He realized that compared to Rong Xiang, he was like a frustrated clown.
Rong Xiang did not answer this time. He leaned close to Yan Guanglin's ear and whispered a few words. Then the two stood up, and Rong Xiang bowed slightly to Fu Jingyuan: "We'll be leaving now. See you another day."
Fu Jingyuan had no chance to speak again and could only watch helplessly as they left.
In fact, the reality is quite different from what Fu Jingyuan sees.
However, since Yan Guanglin had no intention of actually dating Fu Jingyuan, she felt there was no need to explain to him in the current situation, lest Rongxiang think that she had some special relationship with this person. Unexpectedly, he became increasingly irrelevant, so when Rongxiang suggested leaving, she did not object.
She met Rongxiang in the small park near the women's university gate in the afternoon. He was sitting on a long stone bench under a tree, lost in thought. The intense afternoon sunlight filtered through the dense foliage of the towering ancient tree, casting dappled shadows on him. It was hot, and he was only wearing a white shirt. His short, dark hair was slightly damp with sweat, which only made him look more vibrant.
Rongxiang, in this way, has an unusually pure scholarly air about him, almost like a college student.
So, she couldn't resist and walked up to him:
"Mr. Rong, why are you sitting here in this sweltering heat?"
Rong Xiang looked up at her in surprise, paused for two seconds, and then stood up: "Oh, Miss Yan. Hello."
His two-second pause led Yan Guanglin to a misunderstanding. She thought Rong Xiang had forgotten what she looked like, which was why he hadn't recognized her upon seeing her again and had acted so slowly. This thought, once it surfaced, immediately ignited her fighting spirit. She, Yan Guanglin, the undisputed beauty queen of Fenghua Girls' High School, could be ignored to such an extent? It was simply unbelievable!
Driven by this fighting spirit, she deliberately smiled, revealing two dimples: "Mr. Rong, thank you for the gift."
Rong Xiang sat down again: "No need to thank me, I'm the one who's causing you trouble. I feel very bad." After saying this, he looked up at Yan Guanglin again, because he suddenly realized that her smile was really sweet.
"You're so thoughtful. Thank you for the novel. I've always loved Emily's work."
"I'm glad you like it."
"Hehe, you're really talking in a rather... old-fashioned way." She simply sat down next to Rong Xiang, though at a considerable distance. But for a young lady from a wealthy family, this was quite a bold move.
Upon hearing this comment, Rongxiang couldn't help but ask, "Then how do you think I should respond?"
Yan Guanglin thought about it seriously: "You should say, 'What a coincidence, I like it too,' that would be more appropriate."
Rong Xiang smiled. He had no idea who Emily was, and he had absolutely no interest in flirting with these rich young ladies. It was troublesome; not only would it be a huge hassle to begin with, but the cleanup afterwards was far more complicated than could be done with a few coins. Therefore, he always sought out clean and pretty young men and women—actors and singers were fine with him, as long as they could satisfy his momentary interest. He hadn't expected this Miss Yan to act as if she wanted a long talk with him, which made him regret giving her clothes and books; last night, simply taking her home would have been enough.
That thought suddenly popped into his head just as he was preparing to make an excuse to leave.
She was Fu Jingyuan's lover. He thought.
Perhaps they aren't lovers yet; it's just Fu Jingyuan's unrequited love. He doesn't understand what's so special about Yan Guanglin that makes him pursue her so devotedly. His fawning face at the ball is truly laughable.
If one day he finds out that Yan Guanglin has become mine, I imagine his behavior will be even more appalling.
With that thought, he sat back down, feeling reassured. Conversation wasn't his forte, but he was a great listener—gentle, sincere, and attentive. In fact, for girls, a listening attitude is often far more captivating than eloquent speech.
They met around 1 p.m. and got into a car together at 4 p.m. Rongxiang made an excuse to go home to get some clothes, and then the two went to a Western restaurant for dinner. After dinner, seeing that it was still early, they went to the movie theater together, and then they ran into Fu Jingyuan.
Because of Fu Jingyuan's terrible behavior, both sides felt a sense of shared hatred, so they became unusually closer after leaving the movie theater. At this time, it was getting dark, and Rong Xiang drove Yan Guanglin back to the corner they had visited before. He had been busy from afternoon until evening, which was unusual for him. After watching Yan Guanglin's figure disappear, he collapsed wearily in the back seat of the car.
He told himself that he would take a good rest tomorrow and ignore everyone.
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