Chapter 14 His hands, like vines, held her firmly...
Chapter 14
Peng Qingshi stared in astonishment, and Rong Weiyue also looked at Fu Linzheng in shock.
Wait, why is this person talking like a couple living together?!
She immediately explained, "I'm currently sharing an apartment with him, but we're just roommates."
Peng Qingshi's gaze darted between the two of them, still incredulous: "Weiyue, how could you share an apartment with him..."
Fu Linzheng's cold eyes flashed with amusement: "What's it to you? Mr. Peng lives in the Pacific Ocean, why are you meddling in other people's business?"
Peng Qingshi: "..."
Huhu seemed to have spotted an enemy, barking fiercely at Peng Qingshi, its fluffy white and brown ears fluttering like cotton.
Fu Linzheng grabbed it and lazily scolded, "Hmph, this is your mother's friend. Don't be so rude to outsiders."
Peng Qingshi: "..."
The atmosphere was so strange that Rong Weiyue was about to explode. She quickly said to Peng Qingshi, "I'm leaving. You should go back too."
Peng Qingshi moved his lips, but then swallowed the words and said in a hoarse voice, "Okay, get some rest tonight."
After he left, Rong Weiyue looked at the lazy Crown Prince beside her, her cheeks slightly flushed: "Fu Linzheng, can you please stop talking nonsense to outsiders?"
"What, am I wrong?"
Fu Linzheng adopted a serious demeanor, presenting facts and reasoning: "Weren't we eating at the same table? Didn't we all live in apartment 3401 of building 3? Didn't we each have a key to our apartment?"
Rong Weiyue: "..."
The man lowered his eyelids to look at her, his lazy tone enveloping her ear: "Didn't you say it yourself, that it's just a simple roommate relationship? Or are you overthinking things? Then you'd better reflect on your own problems."
"..."
Why is this guy so annoying?
Rong Weiyue didn't want to pay attention to him, but suddenly felt an itch on her trouser leg. She looked down and saw that Hu Hu had walked over and was carefully sniffing her body.
Tonight it was wearing a plush cow costume, looking like an Oreo daifuku with a bite taken out of it. The fur on its forehead was held back by a panda hair clip, and its eyes blinked like stars.
I must say, Fu Linzheng is quite good at dressing it up.
Rong Weiyue's heart melted instantly, and she smiled. Fu Linzheng put his hands in his pockets and walked towards the car, saying, "Let's go, let's go back."
"Oh, weren't we supposed to be taking Huhu for a walk?"
"Rong Weiyue, can't you have a conscience? We've been waiting for you downstairs for half an hour, and the neighborhood has been patrolled three times. Even the security guards aren't as diligent as us. Are you going to freeze to death if we keep taking you out in this freezing weather?"
"..."
She almost laughed: "Didn't you forget your keys?"
Can you blame her?
"Yes, we have to thank you for coming back to rescue us. If you had come any later, you would have gotten two ice sculptures, one of us and one of us."
A slight smile curved her lips as she knelt down and touched Huhu: "Huhu, are you cold? Shall I hug you?"
Fu Linzheng scoffed lightly.
Fine, he's a grown man standing there and doesn't ask a single question.
Fu Linzheng went to park his car, came over to her, took her car keys, and let her carry Hu Hu to the passenger seat: "We'll take him for a walk another day. There will be plenty of opportunities in the future."
The car stopped in the underground parking lot. Rong Weiyue led the dog and went upstairs with him. When they got home, Rong Weiyue saw the keys on the entryway cabinet as soon as she entered: "Didn't you see the keys here when you left?"
Fu Linzheng glanced at the keys lying there and suddenly realized, "I'm getting old, my eyesight isn't good, there's nothing I can do."
"..."
He wiped Hu Hu's feet, and Rong Weiyue suggested, "How about we install a combination lock? It's troublesome to forget the key, and I don't always have time to come back."
Fu Linzheng: "I have no money."
...Where did this person run out of money?
"Or we can split the bill? I'll use that to pay for this month's utilities."
The man opened his phone, searched for something, and handed it to her: "Okay, buy this."
Looking down, I saw a combination lock worth 14,000.
What kind of lock is this that's so expensive?!
She paused for a moment, then handed the phone back: "I've thought about it, and using a key is quite convenient; a combination lock is unnecessary."
Fu Linzheng silently smiled and walked to the kitchen. Rong Weiyue followed with strawberries and found that the kitchen was suddenly filled with pots, pans, and appliances, a dazzling array of tools.
"Where did these things come from?" she asked in surprise. When she returned home in the evening, the kitchen was still empty.
Fu Linzheng washed his hands and fed Hu Hu a piece of dried cod. "I bought this today. I'm making muscle-building meals soon."
Do I need so many ingredients to make a muscle-building meal?
Fu Linzheng closed the jar of dried fish, glanced at her, and said in a drawn-out tone, "I'm quite generous; you can use these whenever you want."
"OK, thanks."
She suddenly had a strong urge to cook; the kitchen in her previous house was too small to even fit multiple ovens.
Rong Weiyue took the strawberries to wash and looked at him in front of the central island, "Do you want to eat strawberries?"
He raised an eyebrow at her, and heard her say, "Qingshi gave me a basket, but I have too much to finish."
"..."
His gaze paused slightly. "Given by Peng Qingshi?"
"Yes, the strawberries were picked from his relative's strawberry farm."
Fu Linzheng's eyes were deep and unfathomable: "Did you give him the money?"
Rong Weiyue was taken aback: "No, what's wrong?"
Fu Linzheng sneered.
Okay, she insisted on paying for the cherries he gave her, but she didn't pay when Peng Qingshi gave her strawberries.
Rong Weiyue was puzzled and politely asked him, "It's all-natural and pesticide-free. Want some? I can't finish it all."
Fu Linzheng scoffed: "Not interested? Would I eat food offered with contempt?"
"..." Fine, I won't eat it then.
She continued washing, while Fu Linzheng watched as her face grew darker and darker. He then went to open the refrigerator, took out the strawberries and cherries he had brought back that evening, and went to another sink next to it.
Rong Weiyue turned her head and saw that he had also bought it.
Fu Linzheng slowly washed a plate, leaned against the island counter, tasted a strawberry, and clicked his tongue lightly: "So sweet, the ones I buy myself are always the best."
She silently looked away, ate a small strawberry Peng Qingshi had given her. It was fragrant but a little sour. She had never liked sour fruits. Seeing this, Fu Linzheng smiled faintly and handed her his plate: "Try it?"
The bright red Dandong strawberries were so tempting that she thanked them softly and couldn't resist taking one. She took a bite and said, "Mmm, they're pretty good, but mine is a bit sour."
Then the plate in her hand was taken away, and Fu Linzheng pushed his plate over.
She was stunned. He said lazily, "Change it. I like sour food."
Hmm? Didn't he used to be unable to tolerate even the slightest bit of sourness in fruit...?
Fu Linzheng took Peng Qingshi's basket again, saying, "Give it all to me. You can help me finish what I bought."
She responded absentmindedly, just then her phone vibrated. It was a voice message from Peng Qingshi. She opened it, and a gentle voice came through: "Weiyue, I'm almost home. I still wanted to ask you, are you free on Saturday? Let's go to the concert together."
Fu Linzheng looked up.
Rong Weiyue met his gaze, locked the screen, and picked up his fruit plate: "Thank you, then I'll go back to my room first."
As she left, Fu Linzheng withdrew his gaze, his face tense. He picked up a small strawberry, chewed it twice, and then spat it out.
How can you even give something this sour as a gift?
He went to the balcony and made a phone call. The call was answered a dozen seconds later, and Xia Sili's smiling voice came through:
"It's rare to hear from you, Young Master Fu, that you'd call me at this hour. Didn't you say you're busy at night and have to stay home? Shouldn't you be enjoying your sweet cohabitation with Wei Yue right now?"
"..."
Fu Linzheng leaned against the railing, took out a cigarette, fiddled with the lighter, the bluish-green flame leaping and licking the cigarette butt, white smoke billowing from his mouth, his brown windbreaker fluttering slightly in the wind, his shoulders straight, his whole aura extremely cold.
Xia Sili teased, "What's wrong? It seems your ideals are lofty but reality is harsh. Did they pay attention to Huhu but not you? You're less charming than a dog."
"Shut up, why do you talk so much nonsense?"
It was rare for Xia Sili to see the young master, who had always had everything go his way, suffer a setback. After laughing for a while, he asked him seriously, "What's wrong? What happened this time?"
Fu Linzheng looked at the night view in the distance and said calmly, "What day is this Saturday? You're going to host a dinner party."
"Huh? No days off?"
"You have."
"What day is it?"
"I don't know, but you definitely do."
“…Okay, okay, I got it!” Xia Sili cursed him, racking his brains before finally coming up with an idea. “I really admire you. I’m celebrating my birthday two months early, okay?”
Fu Linzheng lazily replied, "Okay."
He hung up the phone, and Xia Sili started cursing on the other end.
Meanwhile, Rong Weiyue returned to her room, munching on a strawberry, and replied to Peng Qingshi: 【Sorry, I'm rushing to finish a design draft. You can go take a look with someone else.】
She understood what Peng Qingshi meant, but she didn't like him and couldn't cross the line between friends.
After a long silence, the other end replied: 【Okay.】
[But I'm still curious, how come you're living with Fu Linzheng? Didn't you say your relationship was strained? You're not thinking of getting back together with him, are you?]
She paused for a moment, then replied: "It's just a simple shared apartment; there's nothing else."
Peng Qingshi: [If you don't, what about him? Men understand men best. Don't you think he cares about you a lot?]
She fluttered her eyelashes and tapped the screen:
No, you're overthinking it.
She locked her phone, looked up at the cherries in the fruit plate, and thought again of the box of cherries that Fu Linzheng gave her before leaving two weeks ago when he drove her home.
She loved cherries. During the winter of her senior year of high school, he would pick her up at night from her off-campus art exam training. He would often bring her a piece of green tangerine cake, a hand warmer, and a box of cherries. Seeing her bright eyes, he would smile and take her hand, saying, "Let's go, princess, I'll take you home."
Many things, once missed, are hard to get back.
She dared not hope for anything more.
Suppressing her thoughts, she prepared to take a shower when her phone rang again; it was Xia Sili.
When asked if she was free to come to his birthday party on Saturday, he replied, "Just you, Fu Linzheng, Tangtang, and a few other friends."
Xia Qiantang's enthusiastic voice came from the other end: "Yueyue, you have to come! It's been so long since we played together."
Rong Weiyue thought of the times they played together in high school, which she missed very much. But after breaking up with Fu Linzheng, she didn't know how to face them.
Unexpectedly, Xia Sili invited her. Rong Weiyue hesitated for a moment before agreeing, "Sure, I'm free."
"See you on Saturday then. Could you ask Yin Lu to come along? I haven't added her yet."
"good."
The next day, Rong Weiyue told Yin Lu that she had made plans with her boyfriend, but he had to work overtime and canceled. Yin Lu readily agreed, as she also wanted to see her old classmate.
A few days later, on Saturday, the dappled warm afternoon sunlight shone into the room. In the kitchen, Fu Linzheng was preparing dinner for Hu Hu when he looked up and saw Rong Weiyue walking out of the bedroom. She was wearing a milky white embroidered classic woolen dress, with a thin fleece coat draped over her shoulders. Her long hair was held up with a pear blossom jade hairpin, and her cat-like eyes were as clear as water. She had red lips and white teeth.
No one can deny Rong Weiyue's beauty.
She has a cool and aloof personality, but her striking features are very attractive. She's stunning at first glance, and even after a thousand looks, she's still beautiful. When she first came to Lan Gao, all the boys in her grade knew about her, and many of them were pursuing her.
Fu Linzheng stared straight at her. When Rong Weiyue met his gaze, he looked away awkwardly and said, "It's just Xia Sili's birthday party, why all the fuss?"
"?"
She just threw on whatever she wanted.
She looked at him, the soft light and shadow from the window brushing across his shoulders. He was wearing a gray stand-up collar windbreaker, which covered his tall and sturdy frame. His long legs under his work pants were incredibly long, exuding hormones. She complimented him, "Likewise."
"..."
She went to get water for Hu Hu, asking, "Is Hu Hu alright at home all by himself?" because Xia Sili had said they would be staying overnight.
"I've prepared the food."
After everything was done, Rong Weiyue went downstairs to get the car, but Fu Linzheng grabbed her: "Take my car. Why do you need two cars to go to the same place?"
She hesitated for a moment, then got into the passenger seat.
The silver-black supercar drove out of the parking lot. On the way, she thought of something and said, "Fu Linzheng, if anyone asks us why we came together, we'll just say we met on the way, okay?"
He looked over. "Why?"
"Let's not tell anyone that we're living together. I'm afraid people will misunderstand and it will be hard to explain."
Fu Linzheng put on sunglasses, rested one hand on the steering wheel, and retorted with a half-smile, "Rong Weiyue, get this straight, living with someone as handsome as me, you're the one who'd feel more proud, right? Who's more likely to gossip?"
Rong Weiyue: "..."
"Of course, if you can't help but tell others, I won't blame you. Just explain clearly and don't let people misunderstand my innocence."
"..."
She turned her head away and closed her eyes.
Midway through the journey, the two picked up Yin Lu near Dongsi Shitiao. Yin Lu got into the car and sat in the back seat, smiling and greeting Fu Linzheng. Fu Linzheng responded and said to Rong Weiyue, "The drinks are in the storage compartment. Take them to your best friend."
Rong Weiyue took it and handed it to Yin Lu: "Would you like some cherries?"
"No need, I'll just have water."
"If you feel cold, there are blankets nearby."
Yin Lu grinned: "Okay, don't worry about me."
Rong Weiyue yawned, and Fu Linzheng turned up the heat a little, saying in a low voice, "If you're sleepy, lie down and take a nap."
"It's alright, you're all right..."
After a while, Rong Weiyue's phone vibrated. It was a message from Yin Lu: "Fu Linzheng is so concerned about you. You two look like a young couple going out together. I feel like a third wheel [doge emoji]"
Rong Weiyue: 【…You're hallucinating from drinking so much water.】
Yin Lu: [To be honest, Fu Linzheng is so handsome!!! Holy crap, he's even more handsome than in high school! If I had an ex-boyfriend this handsome, I'd pounce on him!!! You're living the dream and don't know it!]
"..."
Where did he go? This person is an exceptionally handsome narcissist.
An hour later, they arrived at the foot of a mountain in a neighboring city, where there was a manor that was packed with people in winter. The Xia family was familiar with the manor and had investments there.
The Xia siblings had already arrived. When Xia Qiantang saw Rong Weiyue, he excitedly hugged her, saying, "Yueyue, it's been half a year since we last saw each other!! I missed you so much!"
Rong Weiyue smiled and said, "Me too."
Xia Qiantang looked at her and Fu Linzheng and teased them deliberately, "What's going on? Why did you two come in the same car?"
Fu Linzheng leaned against the car: "I don't know, she said we met on the way."
Rong Weiyue: "..."
The Xia siblings both laughed, and Yin Lu also got out of the car. "It's not just the two of them, there's me too."
"Green Jewel!"
Xia Qiantang happily went over to hug her, took the luggage out of the car, and Xia Sili put his arm around Fu Linzheng's shoulder, teasing, "Weiyue, it's a good thing I managed to get a date with you, otherwise I might not have been able to celebrate my birthday, right, Azheng?"
Rong Weiyue: "Huh?"
Xia Sili felt a certain gaze and suppressed a laugh: "No, what I meant was that I really miss Weiyue. My birthday wouldn't be perfect without you coming."
Rong Weiyue smiled and handed him the gift: "Happy birthday, Sili. We didn't know what you liked, so Yinlu and I bought you a figurine together."
Yin Lu: "This was Wei Yue's idea. She remembers that you used to really like Gojo Satoru."
Xia Sili saw that it was a limited edition: "Wow, Wei Yue, you're so thoughtful! Who would treat me like a child if I left you?"
Rong Weiyue shyly pointed to her dimples, and Xia Sili boasted to Fu Linzheng, "Look, look, how much she cares for me. Oh, I couldn't be happier."
"..." Fu Linzheng's face darkened several shades.
Xia Sili thanked the two ladies, put the gifts in the car, glanced at his phone and said, "We have a few more friends who said they'll be late. Let's go into the scenic area first and meet up with them later."
Let's go!
The five of them headed to the entrance of the scenic area. Rong Weiyue was carrying a tote bag of clothes for the evening, and Fu Linzheng took it from her, saying, "Go and help Yin Lu carry this."
"...Okay, thank you."
Rong Weiyue went to find Yin Lu to help her with the load. Yin Lu smiled mischievously and said, "Just like before, Fu Linzheng can't bear to let you carry heavy things."
In the past, when the group of them went out to play, Rong Weiyue never carried anything heavy. Fu Linzheng carried everything, big and small. He was strong enough that he wished he could carry Rong Weiyue on his body again.
Rong Weiyue pinched her lightly: "Don't talk nonsense..."
"Okay, okay, I won't say anything."
After entering the park, the other three went to the restroom, while Rong Weiyue sat on a stone bench under a tree watching her bag. She saw Fu Linzheng buy his ticket and then go to a nearby shop to buy some things.
The man walked back. Rong Weiyue had just put on her sun hat when she looked up and met his gaze. He casually asked, "Do you need a hiking stick?"
"Huh? Are we going hiking today?" Didn't you say we weren't going?
"We'll have to walk a little bit later."
She hadn't known beforehand and was even wearing a skirt, but thinking it was just a hike, she politely said, "It's alright, you don't need to. You can keep it."
He said indifferently, "Whatever."
After the five of them gathered, they had to take a sightseeing bus. It was the weekend, so there were many tourists and the surroundings were noisy. Fu Linzheng looked at the weather forecast on his phone and asked Rong Weiyue a question. She didn't hear him, so he repeated it, but she still didn't hear him clearly: "Speak louder."
"I told you it was raining in Beijing. Did you close the balcony door when you left?"
Fu Linzheng's high-pitched, lazy voice clearly reached the ears of several friends around him.
Rong Weiyue: "..."
The other three turned around in unison and laughed for no apparent reason. Rong Weiyue awkwardly forced a smile and replied, "It's off."
Xia Sili, biting into a grilled sausage, exclaimed, "How wonderful! Even on rainy days, someone helps me check if the door is locked."
Rong Weiyue: "..."
Well, it's normal for the Xia siblings to know since they posted the rental information back then. Xia Qiantang put her arm around Rong Weiyue's shoulder and asked gossipily, "Weiyue, how are you and Fu Linzheng doing now? How do you feel?"
Meeting Fu Linzheng's gaze, she felt a slight ripple in her heart and said calmly, "I don't feel anything, just... an ordinary roommate."
Fu Linzheng licked his back teeth and turned his eyes away.
The five of them took a sightseeing bus to a place where they needed to climb a mountain for a while before they could take the cable car. At the intersection, most people went west, while a few went east. Xia Sili led them east: "I've checked, this road is 600 meters shorter! It's faster. How could those people be so stupid?"
The group followed Xia Sili and then understood why there weren't many people on this road.
Because the road was really rugged and dangerous, with several hills to climb, it was like a jungle adventure.
Xia Qiantang complained, "How could I have such a stupid brother? I was 600 meters short, but I almost lost my life. The public's choice was definitely right."
Yin Lu: "Oh no, oh no, will we be at the foot of the mountain in the next second?"
"Is it really necessary for you guys? It's just that the stairs are a little steep."
"Is this what you call a little steep?" Yin Lusheng looked up dejectedly. "It's almost sixty degrees!"
Xia Sili handed her the trekking poles he had prepared: "You hold onto these trekking poles for leverage, and Tangtang can hold onto them too."
"Okay, walk slowly..."
The group slowly walked up the stairs, with Rong Weiyue at the back. The stairs were quite narrow, and they had to turn their feet slightly to the side to keep a firm footing, making each step a perilous one.
She has had a fear of heights since she was a child, and she is not good at sports.
Fu Linzheng, carrying his bag, strolled along as if taking a walk. Xia Sili asked, "Zheng, aren't you going to clear the way?"
He was always the first to climb the mountain.
Fu Linzheng said slowly, "I want to rest today, so walk slowly."
Rong Weiyue looked at him diagonally in front of her, hesitated for a long time, and couldn't help but call out: "Fu Linzheng".
"what."
"Do you need hiking poles?"
The man looked at her, a smirk playing on his lips: "What, didn't you just say you didn't need it? Now you're backing down?"
"..."
She hated this person. She didn't say anything more. Two seconds later, Fu Linzheng brought her the hiking poles: "Take them."
"No need, I can walk by myself."
She got angry.
The man chuckled softly, "Never mind."
At this moment, Yin Lu turned her head and looked over, reaching out her hand: "Baby, hold onto me."
Rong Weiyue quickly grabbed her tightly: "Mmm..."
As she walked uphill, her palms kept sweating, but she didn't dare slow down so as not to hold everyone back.
There were many hikers passing by. The five of them reached a small platform. Before they could catch their breath, they faced an even steeper slope. Rong Weiyue stepped onto the steps and called out to Yin Lu in front of her with some fear, "Hold my hand."
Unfortunately, her voice was too soft and Yin Lu didn't hear it. Suddenly, her foot slipped, and a hand appeared in her blurry vision. She thought it was Yin Lu reaching out and grabbed it without hesitation.
These hands were exceptionally large, with calluses on the fingertips that could completely envelop her hand. The knuckles were long and the bones were distinct. The warmth carried a powerful sense of strength, as if one hand could grip her entire waist.
It was clearly not a bright green hand.
But a familiar sensation suddenly rushed towards me.
Almost instantly, the other person firmly grasped her hand, preventing her from falling.
Rong Weiyue steadied herself and suddenly looked up to see Fu Linzheng.
Embarrassed, she immediately loosened her grip, but Fu Linzheng only tightened his hold on her: "Your legs are trembling. How can you walk this far by yourself? If you fall, no one will care about you."
"..."
They were at the back of the line. She looked up at the stairs ahead and, feeling helpless, had no choice but to hold her hand.
Fu Linzheng's arms were covered in bulging veins, and he was incredibly strong, a hundred times more effective than a hiking stick. He gripped her tightly like a vine, and with his help, she instantly became light on her feet, as if she were walking on water.
They once went hiking, and he held her hand like this.
Later, when she got lazy, she would ask him to carry her. He could even carry her to the top of the mountain with one hand. Everything she did was so easy for her.
The journey was bumpy, and Rong Weiyue wanted to look back when Fu Linzheng's deep voice came from above her head:
Keep moving forward, don't look back.
His voice was melted by the breeze.
She paused for a moment, straightened her gaze, and focused on her feet. The tension and fear in her heart slowly dissipated, leaving only a slightly erratic heartbeat.
Three minutes later, after climbing the last step and reaching the large platform, Rong Weiyue gasped for breath, finally completely relaxing. She looked back:
"This is so steep, how did I even make it..."
She was overjoyed, as if she had survived a disaster, and was catching her breath when she heard a man's drawn-out voice beside her—
"Hey, Rong Weiyue, haven't you held my hand enough yet?"
She looked down.
She held Fu Linzheng's hand tightly.
Her mind went blank. The arrogant man casually curled his lips, his lazy voice particularly irritating:
"I let you hold my hand for a bit earlier, but now you won't let go. There are people around, and I'm easily embarrassed. It's not right for you to take advantage of me like this, after all, we're just ordinary roommates."
Rong Weiyue: "..."
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