Blossom through the Cloud - Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Fu Mingyu had never been in the habit of browsing his Moments feed; to him, a phone was simply a communication tool rather than a social platform.

However, tonight, as he lay in bed already prepared for sleep, a sudden whim seized him, and he tapped into his Moments.

The very first post was from Ruan Suxian.

It was rather bland content, so Fu Mingyu casually swiped past it.

Two or three seconds later, his finger paused, and he scrolled the page back down.

A stray dog?

The property management of this apartment complex was the finest in the country; it was practically impossible for a stray dog to dash in here.

No matter how he looked at it, Ruan Suxian seemed to be subtly and indirectly cursing him.

Sometimes, once a person gave themselves a suggestion, it became remarkably easy to get sucked into it. A sudden wave of restlessness welled up inside Fu Mingyu, an unsettled feeling hanging heavily in his chest.

He walked over to the window and pulled back the curtains; a light drizzle had unexpectedly started outside.

Fu Mingyu turned around, picked up his phone, and made a call to his assistant.

"Tomorrow morning, pull up all my travel schedules from the past year."

He paused for a moment, then added, "Two years."

After sending out that Moments post, she received plenty of likes and comments, and even a few people reaching out to ask if Ruan Suxian was living in a poorly managed environment.

At that moment, Ruan Suxian felt a bit awkward. Had she known, she would have just made the post visible to Fu Mingyu alone; now, she had to go out of her way to reply to her friends' concerns.

As for Fu Mingyu, he seemed to be in a rather good mood and even left a comment for her: "Is that so? Show me another day."

Si Xiaozhen had finished her shower, and it was Ruan Suxian's turn to go. Before putting her phone down, Ruan Suxian replied: "Sure [blushing]."

Show it to you, my foot.

Should I hand you a mirror so you can go look at yourself instead?

After finishing her shower and coming out, she saw that Fu Mingyu had replied to her again: "Then tomorrow morning?"

Holy cow.

Is this scumbag asking me out on a date?

Ruan Suxian didn't reply anymore. She tossed her phone aside like a hot potato and leaped straight onto the bed, diving under the covers.

Relying on the fact that she didn't have to go to work the next day, Si Xiaozhen stubbornly resisted the urge to sleep.

"Ruanruan, my heart is still pounding from lingering fear. I'm really so useless; whenever something happens, I just panic, unlike you, who is always so calm. If only we could average out our traits."

When she finished speaking and got no response, she propped herself up on one elbow to take a look, only to find that Ruan Suxian's breathing was even and deep—she had already fallen asleep.

Si Xiaozhen tucked the blanket around Ruan Suxian and drifted off to sleep leaning against her shoulder.

Ruan Suxian did not sleep peacefully that night.

She had a string of disjointed dreams, and later, for some reason, she dreamed of a dog. It wasn't even a vicious dog—it was a Poodle with its fur neatly trimmed—but the moment it barked at her, her legs turned to jelly with fright.

Being terrifying was one thing, but the person holding the leash of this dog turned out to be none of all people, Fu Mingyu.

Ruan Suxian was genuinely terrified of dogs.

When she was a child and went to play in the countryside, farm dogs were all left to roam freely. Although most of them were quite docile, there was always that one rabid one that chased her for half a street and ultimately scared her into falling to the ground. The dog then came up and bit the hem of her pants. Ruan Suxian had snot and tears smeared all over her face, and when she kicked out with her other foot, the dog seemed provoked and bit her without hesitation.

Fortunately, the villagers rushed over in time to drag the dog away. Ruan Suxian was taken to the hospital by her parents to get a series of shots, and since she was already afraid of dogs, she harbored a deep psychological trauma from that day onward.

Whenever a dog came anywhere near her, her scalp would immediately go numb, and even her breathing rhythm would fall into disarray.

When she was startled awake by that dog from her dream, dawn was just breaking.

Ruan Suxian leaned against the headboard for a moment. Si Xiaozhen was still snoring lightly beside her. She slowly climbed out of bed, tiptoed outside, went downstairs, and ran for an hour. After returning, she took a shower, changed her clothes, grabbed a quick bite to eat, picked up her bag, and headed out.

She wasn't too busy these days and had been attending online onboarding training at home. Today was the weekend, but she still needed to make a trip to World Aviation to meet the flight crew in advance for tomorrow's inaugural ACJ31 flight.

When she reached the elevator lobby, she deliberately checked the time.

It was exactly eight o'clock. This residential complex was not something an ordinary office worker could afford, so there shouldn't be many people around at this hour.

However, the moment the elevator doors opened, she instantly negated her previous thought.

She had thought she was getting up early enough, but she hadn't expected Fu Mingyu to be even earlier. At this hour, he was already standing inside the elevator, looking sharp and well-dressed.

Although she had known since last night—when she found out that Fu Mingyu lived in the same building—that they would eventually cross paths in the elevator, she simply hadn't expected this day to arrive so soon.

Fu Mingyu had originally been looking down to adjust his cuffs, but when he raised his eyes and saw Ruan Suxian, he didn't seem surprised in the least. He stretched out a hand to block the elevator door and tilted his head, signaling for her to come in.

The moment Ruan Suxian saw him now, she was reminded of the Poodle from her dream. Her lingering heart palpitations flared up again, and after stepping inside, she automatically positioned herself on the other side, as if separated by a distance of ten thousand miles.

"Morning, President Fu."

Fu Mingyu was just about to acknowledge her when he heard her add, "Up this early to walk the dog?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, Ruan Suxian noticed that Fu Mingyu was looking straight at her, those deep eyes brimming with an inexplicable amusement.

"..."

Ruan Suxian wished she could give herself a slap on the cheek. She figured that the lingering aftereffects of last night's dream must have been far too strong to cause her to tongue-tie herself like this.

She let out a soft hrumph through her nose, put on her earphones, and stopped looking at Fu Mingyu.

Just as the music began to play, the earphone on one side was plucked right out by someone.

Ruan Suxian turned her head. "What are you doing?"

"Let's talk." Fu Mingyu held the earphone. "I feel like you always hold a sense of hostility toward me. Is that my imagination?"

He looked at Ruan Suxian, paying close attention to every minute change in her expression.

The person before him was still wearing a bare face with her hair tied back into a short ponytail. Her eyes were slender, and the corners of her eyes tilted upward when a faint smile played across her face.

"Ah, I hate the rich."

"..."

Precisely because there was a hint of a smile on her face, it was impossible to tell whether she was speaking the truth or just joking.

Perhaps it was mostly meant as a joke.

Regardless, Fu Mingyu lost any desire to continue the conversation.

The earphone was dropped, dangling and swaying against his chest.

Catching sight of Fu Mingyu's colorful expression, Ruan Suxian lowered her head and bit her lip to suppress a smile.

Yet this smile didn't even last for two seconds before it was interrupted by the scene unfolding before her.

The elevator stopped on the 10th floor, and an elderly woman walked in pulling a Labrador.

A flesh-colored Labrador... sticking out its tongue... panting... bounding and hopping around...

No, this was impossible; Ruan Suxian felt as though she couldn't breathe. Her face turned ashen, and she retreated into the corner of the elevator, tightly gripping the hem of her shirt.

Although the owner was holding the leash, the dog seemed overly energetic and kept trying to lunge toward Ruan Suxian, pulled back by its owner every single time it was on the verge of pouncing.

Even so, Ruan Suxian remained rigid all over, unable to move a muscle as a cold sweat quickly broke out on her forehead.

...

Every single second in the elevator felt infinitely prolonged.

Ruan Suxian clenched her teeth tightly, and just as she felt a chill run down her spine, Fu Mingyu suddenly took a stride directly in front of her.

Everything in front of her vision was abruptly and thoroughly blocked off, and a faint scent of cool fir wood drifted into her nostrils.

Ruan Suxian's body slowly relaxed as she raised her eyes upward.

She discovered that Fu Mingyu was genuinely tall—a whole head taller than her own height of one hundred and seventy centimeters—with broad shoulders that supported his suit to perfection.

With Fu Mingyu standing in front, the dog easily bounded forward and slammed its paws against his legs.

Two muddy paw prints were left behind on his dark trousers.

Fu Mingyu was the type of person who always looked immaculate from head to toe, making these two paw prints particularly conspicuous. The dog's owner felt a drum beating in her heart, so she yanked the dog toward herself and tightened the leash.

Half a minute later, the elevator reached the ground floor, and the dog owner hurriedly muttered an apology before pulling the dog outside.

Fu Mingyu didn't react much; he just glanced back at Ruan Suxian.

"Heading to World Aviation?"

With the scent of the dog finally cleared from the air, Ruan Suxian let out a long breath and nodded.

Fu Mingyu took two steps out, and Ruan Suxian followed right behind him.

"Are you really that afraid of dogs?"

"Mhm," Ruan Suxian said softly. "I was bitten when I was a kid."

Fu Mingyu slowed his pace and the corners of his lips curved upward.

Ruan Suxian didn't see his smile; her attention was entirely focused on his trousers.

She paused, pulled a tissue out of her bag, and handed it to Fu Mingyu.

Fu Mingyu took the tissue, bent down to wipe his pants, and asked as he stood back up, "Want a ride on the way?"

A gentle breeze swept through the lobby between the two of them. The heavy rain had just stopped, leaving the air still damp, and the breeze carried the refreshing scent of grass.

Ruan Suxian nodded. "Then thanks a lot."

Bai Yang was pacing back and forth along the landscaped lawn with his head down, as if searching for something.

The apartment complex was quiet, with elderly people occasionally out for a stroll. At this hour, not many commuting young people were around, though there were quite a few people out for morning jogs.

Turning his head, Bai Yang saw Fu Mingyu and Ruan Suxian approaching. Although surprise flickered in his eyes, he immediately stepped out and stood at attention respectfully.

"What are you doing?"

Fu Mingyu asked.

"Oh, looking for a dog."

The naive Bai Yang said, "Didn't Miss Ruan say last night that there were stray dogs here? I actually saw a dark shadow dash into the bushes just now, so I wanted to see if there really are any strays. If so, we'll need to mention it to the property management."

Fu Mingyu's expression turned subtly dark, while Ruan Suxian kept her head up, looking at the scenery.

Bai Yang turned his head back to Ruan Suxian. "Miss Ruan, where did you see the stray dog last night? Was it dirty?"

Maintaining a completely straight face without missing a beat, Ruan Suxian pointed ahead. "Over there. It's probably already been caught."

Fu Mingyu glanced at her and said in a deep voice, "Get in the car."

The driver had already parked the car to the side, waiting.

The atmosphere inside the vehicle remained rather subtle.

Fu Mingyu and Ruan Suxian sat at opposite ends of the back seat, neither of them speaking. Bai Yang naturally sensed this strange atmosphere and didn't dare ask anything.

Until he flipped through his iPad and remembered something.

"Oh right, President Fu, yesterday afternoon Mr. Qin sent an invitation card to the office for his wedding on the seventh of next month. Will you be attending?"

"Mr. Qin?"

"The son of the chairman of Zhengxi Steel, Qin Jiamu."

Fu Mingyu closed his eyes and thought for a moment. "The one who had coffee thrown on him by a flight attendant from our company that year?"

"Mhm," Bai Yang nodded. "They're getting married."

That person... Ruan Suxian remembered it too. She had previously worked a few shifts with that flight attendant—a gentle and lovely girl with two dimples when she smiled, leaving a deep impression on her.

To think they were actually getting married... She should only be twenty-six years old this year.

Just as Ruan Suxian was reminiscing, Fu Mingyu beside her suddenly uttered, "Such clever schemes."

Huh?

Ruan Suxian turned her head to look. He still had his eyes closed, with a trace of an elusive, mocking sneer at the corner of his mouth.

Here it came again!

Memories from three years ago came flooding back; it was this exact smile, this exact tone of voice.

Ruan Suxian's chest instantly swelled with irritation.

This person was truly something else.

What a "clever scheme"—it was identical to the way he had said, "You might as well be dreaming," back then!

Since he had nothing better to do than chat idly in the morning, Bai Yang grew a bit curious as well. "Because Chairman Qin doesn't seem very satisfied, the wedding didn't go through his approval either. So as for your side..."

"Not going," Fu Mingyu said. "There's no need to give him that face. You can decline it on my behalf."

Bai Yang acknowledged the order, turned back around, and catching sight of a bottle of mineral water close at hand, casually passed it over to Ruan Suxian.

"Miss Ruan, would you like some water?"

It was a bottle of Laku Andean mineral water, made of glass with an iron cap.

Ruan Suxian didn't really want to take it, but Bai Yang added, "Oh, this one's a bit hard to open. Hold on, I'll..."

"I'll take care of it."

Fu Mingyu took the water bottle from his hand and was about to twist it open when Ruan Suxian snatched it away.

"I can do it myself."

Seeing her stare right into his eyes—bright and clear, carrying an inexplicable stubborn drive—Fu Mingyu paused.

Just as he wanted to ponder that gaze, a soft "pop" sounded by his ear. Holding the bottle body in one hand, Ruan Suxian flicked her thumb, and the cap came off.

"Whoa..." Bai Yang couldn't help letting out a soft exclamation. "Such strength..."

Seeing this, Fu Mingyu chuckled instead. "As expected of a woman who can send people up to the heavens."

Ruan Suxian looked at him and twitched the corner of her mouth. "I can also send people six feet under."

...

The atmosphere inside the car abruptly froze.