Blossom through the Cloud - Chapter 39

Chapter 39

Ruan Sixian leaned against the kitchen doorway, and since Fu Mingyu had his back turned to her, she uninhibitedly looked him up and down.

The moment he turned around to grab bowls and chopsticks, she immediately averted her gaze.

"How did you know today is my birthday?"

"I've read your resume," Fu Mingyu said casually. "My memory is decent."

Decent memory—who knew what he was showing off for.

Ruan Sixian let out a soft hrumph through her nose. "Oh, is that so? Then are you always this considerate with all your employees?"

Actually, Ruan Sixian had already received a blessing text message from Century Airlines' human resources department that very noon, along with a notice informing her that she was free to swing by HR to pick up her birthday gift.

This was a Century Airlines tradition, a perk granted to every single employee on their birthday.

"Are you asking something you already know the answer to?" Fu Mingyu didn't look up as he turned on the faucet to rinse the greens. The soft sound of running water accompanied his reply. "If I cooked longevity noodles for every employee, would I be the director or the head chef?"

Oh, so she was getting special treatment.

Ruan Sixian raised her chin slightly, the corners of her lips curling up. "Then I want to add an egg."

Without even lifting his head, Fu Mingyu let out an affirmative "mhm," picked up the two prepped eggs by his side, and cracked them open. The glistening egg whites and yolks slid into the frying pan, instantly sizzling away.

A small pot on the stove was boiling water, the frying pan was frying eggs, and a bunch of leafy greens sat piled in the sink. He handled all of these tasks with effortless ease, looking unhurried yet clean and efficient.

She hadn't expected his claim about knowing how to cook to be anything other than bragging.

It wasn't until Fu Mingyu turned around to glance at her that Ruan Sixian realized she had been standing in the doorway watching for quite a while.

Yet since their eyes had already met, failing to say something felt a bit awkward.

She took a tentative step forward. "Do you need any help?"

"No, go sit in the living room and stop watching me here."

Ruan Sixian's steps halted. She rolled her eyes and immediately turned on her heel.

Hah, as if anyone was dying to watch you.

The living room, however, was genuinely boring.

Fu Mingyu himself was quite boring, too.

In such a massive living room, aside from the absolute necessary furniture, there was nothing else—not even a single houseplant. The only living creature present was probably Ruan Sixian herself.

That floor-to-ceiling window wasn't bad, though. If it weren't pouring rain outside, standing here to watch the sunset normally would probably be quite pleasant.

There was even a lounge chair and a glass table nearby; with some fruit in the evening, watching the stars in the summer would be nice, too.

She peered around at the other areas, but the doors to all the rooms were closed, leaving nothing to see.

After wandering aimlessly around the living room for a bit, Ruan Sixian found herself drifting back toward the kitchen before she even realized it.

She poked her head in. "Is it not ready yet? Why are you so slow?"

"It's done. Go sit at the dining table."

When Fu Mingyu carried the bowls out, Ruan Sixian was busy using a tissue to wipe off her lipstick.

"What are you wiping that for?"

Ruan Sixian glanced sideways at him, hardly in the mood to explain herself to a straight-laced guy like him.

"Do you eat lipstick for a side dish or something?"

Fu Mingyu: "It looked pretty."

Ruan Sixian: "..."

What was wrong with Fu Mingyu today?

Was he in estrus or something?

Why was he complimenting her so simply and brutally over and over again?

She continued haphazardly wiping her lips.

"Even if it looks pretty, I'm not doing it for you to see."

Fu Mingyu chuckled and handed her the chopsticks. "Hurry up and eat."

The bowl before her radiated a delicate fragrance, the golden-yellow egg paired with a few vibrant greens steaming gently. Ruan Sixian's stomach began clamoring in hunger, though her mouth couldn't help muttering: "There's so much, I might not be able to finish all this."

Fu Mingyu: "If you can't finish it, I'll dock your year-end bonus."

His expression made it abundantly clear to Ruan Sixian: Don't pretend.

Pouting her lips, Ruan Sixian raised an eyebrow and nodded.

One second he called her pretty, the next he treated her like a pig.

"Fine, the boss makes the rules." -

Ten minutes later, the entire bowl of noodles was gone.

Facing the empty bowl and Fu Mingyu's gaze, Ruan Sixian didn't know what to say.

Perhaps she was simply too hungry, or perhaps the noodles genuinely tasted good, but she had just thoroughly slapped herself in the face.

Fortunately, right as awkwardness threatened to overwhelm her, her phone rang.

Yet the moment she answered the call, Ruan Sixian's expression changed visibly.

Her tone turned rigid as well.

"How did you know I live here?"

"No need, I've already eaten."

"It's already dark and pouring rain, you should head back."

Whoever was on the other end said something else, causing Ruan Sixian to sigh. Glancing sideways at the heavy downpour outside the window, she frowned and said, "Fine, just wait a moment."

After hanging up, her brows remained tightly furrowed.

She didn't want to go downstairs to pick it up, but Dong Xian's implication was clear: if Ruan Sixian didn't come down, she wasn't leaving tonight.

This was entirely too annoying.

Ruan Sixian's gaze finally landed on Fu Mingyu, sizing him up for a couple of seconds before she asked in a low voice, "Boss, do you have an umbrella?"

"What are you planning to do?"

"Go downstairs to grab something."

Fu Mingyu looked out the window.

The sky was pitch black and heavy with storm clouds. Giant raindrops beat mercilessly against the glass, driven wild by the howling wind.

"You can go out in rain like this?"

"Mhm, so I was hoping you could help me go grab it."

"..."

After two seconds of silence, Fu Mingyu stood up with a rather helpless air. "Go wash the dishes."

"You got it." Ruan Sixian agreed almost without hesitation, but looking at the rain outside, a twinge of guilt hit her. "Take your time walking, Boss."

With that, the two split up to handle their respective tasks.

Aside from the two bowls and pairs of chopsticks they had just used, Fu Mingyu had already washed everything else earlier, so Ruan Sixian finished up in less than three minutes.

She walked over to the floor-to-ceiling window to look down, but the floor was too high, and combined with the torrential rain, the ground was virtually invisible.

She had no idea how much time passed before Fu Mingyu finally returned.

His white shirt was practically soaked through, clinging tightly to his frame and outlining the faint contours of his muscles beneath.

He stowed the umbrella, placed the cake box on a nearby table, and fixed his pitch-black eyes on Ruan Sixian, water droplets clinging to his eyelashes as he stared directly at her.

"You really know how to torture people."

Standing before him with her hands clasped behind her back, Ruan Sixian felt a bit flustered under his gaze and immediately tossed the towel she had hidden behind her right at him.

"Dry yourself off already."

Catching the towel, Fu Mingyu wiped his arms and spoke with a casual, offhand tone: "I saw her when I came back today. You two know each other?"

"Oh, my mom." Ruan Sixian paused. "You know her too, right?"

"Mhm."

Ruan Sixian wasn't surprised. Since Fu Mingyu knew Zheng You'an, it made sense that he was acquainted with Dong Xian as well.

She didn't press the matter further.

Fu Mingyu spoke again: "She asked me what our relationship is just now."

Ruan Sixian paused, suddenly growing a bit tense. "What did you say?"

Even if it weren't Dong Xian, anyone else seeing Fu Mingyu help retrieve a cake for her would naturally be curious about their dynamic.

"I said we are..." He tilted his head slightly, seeming to hesitate on purpose. "Friends?"

"Right." Ruan Sixian nodded along with his words, as much to convince herself as anything. "We're friends."

Tossing the towel aside, Fu Mingyu walked over to a room door, gripped the doorknob, and jerked his head toward Ruan Sixian. "Come here."

With him standing there dripping wet and speaking in that low, deep voice, it carried an inexplicable vibe of being invited into a walk-in freezer.

Ruan Sixian stayed put.

"What?"

Fu Mingyu: "Well, since we're friends, if I give you a birthday gift, you'll accept it, right?"

Ruan Sixian felt that Fu Mingyu was acting rather strange today.

First, he silently threw her a birthday celebration, then he straightforwardly complimented her looks, and now he wanted to give her a birthday present.

Giving a gift was fine, but why make her go inside a room for it?

Knowing his usual antics, was he planning to offer himself as the gift?

Slowly shuffling toward him, Ruan Sixian asked, "What is it? An airplane?"

Without answering, Fu Mingyu pushed the door open. Ruan Sixian's eyes lit up, her breathing halting for a good second or two.

Inside a study spanning over fifty square meters sat four two-meter-tall display racks, neatly showcasing at least two hundred aviation models.

Full Boeing lineup, full Airbus lineup, Bombardier Aerospace Challenger series, Dassault Aviation Falcon series, Hawker Siddeley Trident...

They were all there!

Furthermore, as Ruan Sixian stepped closer, she could tell that these weren't standard commercial models bought off the shelf; every single one was an exclusive, high-end custom creation featuring ultra-high precision restoration. Through the glass, even the instrument panels inside the cockpits were clearly visible.

Tremingly reaching out, Ruan Sixian brushed a finger against the material. The texture, the feel, the level of intricate detail... the lifespan of these models probably rivaled a turtle's.

"Do you like them?"

Fu Mingyu's voice echoed beside her ear.

Ruan Sixian shuddered all over.

He did that on purpose—he was definitely doing it on purpose!

Still, she loved them! She loved them, she loved them so much!

The little person inside Ruan Sixian's heart was already spinning and leaping wildly, but she had to restrain herself; she couldn't act like someone who had never seen the world in front of Fu Mingyu.

"And here I thought you were buying me a real plane."

"That's not out of the question," Fu Mingyu lowered his gaze, a half-smile playing on his lips. "Though it comes with conditions."

The man's eyes looked as though they could speak, and when Ruan Sixian locked eyes with him, her heart gave a violent leap, sensing hidden meaning in his words.

No, he definitely had hidden meaning.

Turning around to face away from him, Ruan Sixian looked at a different display rack.

"Are these all your personal collection?"

"Mhm."

"You're really giving them to me?"

"Pick whatever you want."

Well then, she wouldn't hold back.

Ruan Sixian ran her fingers over this model and poked at that one, lingering undecided for a long time.

Fu Mingyu had been watching her from the doorway the entire time. Seeing her struggle after waiting a while, he added, "I didn't say you could only pick one."

Turning her head back to look at him, Ruan Sixian asked, "Really?"

Fu Mingyu: "Anything you like in this room, you can take."

She liked all of them! She liked every single thing in this room!

This jerk of a man was acting like an absolute saint today!

He asked: "You like all of them?"

Gazing at him with starry eyes, Ruan Sixian wanted to maintain her aloof composure, but honesty won out, causing her to nod slightly.

Fu Mingyu: "Except for me."

It took Ruan Sixian two full seconds to process what he meant.

• ​Anything you like in this room, you can take. 
• ​Except for me. 
• ​I cannot be given to you.

 Seeing Ruan Sixian instantly drop her expression back to chilling indifference, Fu Mingyu kept quiet for two seconds before letting out a laugh.

Still laughing?

Asking for a beating.

Unable to hold back, Ruan Sixian threw a light smack at his shoulder.

Though irritated, she hadn't actually used any real force. The moment her hand made contact, he caught her wrist and pulled her right against his chest.

"Want to hit someone again?"

Choosing not to speak, Ruan Sixian struggled for a moment. When she couldn't pull her hand free, she resorted to her legs.

She intended to kick him, but he anticipated the move and preemptively intercepted her, stretching out his leg to block her shin in place.

"Want to kick someone, too?"

Ruan Sixian was the type of person who responded well to softness but bristled at force; the more Fu Mingyu resisted, the more she wanted to lash out physically.

Yet trapped in a dress and high heels, she was effortlessly suppressed by this man.

With both wrists captured and her thigh pinned by his leg, he leaned forward and pressed down, completely trapping Ruan Sixian in place.

At that exact moment, the two of them abruptly fell into an eerie silence, locking gazes in this bizarre posture without moving an inch.

Outside the window, the torrential rain lashed down relentlessly, loud, crisp, and fierce.

Inside the room, the lighting was soft, the air tranquil, and the sound of their breathing and heartbeats intertwined to drown out the noise of the rain outside.

She watched as Fu Mingyu's gaze deepened, looking even darker and more profound under the lights.

And his presence was drawing closer by the inch.

Frowning slightly, Ruan Sixian felt her breathing tighten and her palms grow warm.

Unwilling to look awkward or flustered, she met his gaze without blinking, until Fu Mingyu tilted his head slightly, leaned right beside her ear, and whispered a few words.

His voice was extremely soft, practically a breathy whisper; if anyone else had been standing nearby, they wouldn't have caught a single word.

"You really are very pretty today."

With the storm raging violently outside and the room falling utterly still, such direct words paired with his deep voice made the atmosphere grow infinitely more bizarre.

Suddenly, a sharp crack of thunder accompanied by a blinding flash of lightning pierced the night sky, instantly illuminating the interior of the room.

As if jolted back to their senses, both of them simultaneously released their grip. At the same time, Fu Mingyu stepped back and raised his eyes to look out the window.

Reaching out, Ruan Sixian scooped up a De Havilland Comet model from a nearby shelf, clutching it tight against her chest to steady her racing heartbeat.

"I'm heading back.”