Blossom through the Cloud - Chapter 53

Chapter 53

It had been nearly ten years since high school graduation, after which everyone scattered to the four corners, so when totaling it up, it had been a very long time since they last met.

Fu Mingyu recalled that the last time he bumped into Li Zhihuai was last year when their high school head teacher—who happened to be her father—was critically ill. He had carved out time to pay a visit, catching a fleeting glimpse of each other in the hospital room.

Fu Mingyu was not someone keen on maintaining social connections. Having attended university abroad, he had minimal contact with his high school classmates. After returning to China following graduation, everyone got word of it and invited him to gatherings every few days. Whether he genuinely had matters to attend to or simply used trivial excuses to decline, he had never appeared at those large or small alumni reunions.

His work was simply too demanding during normal days, and he had no desire to waste further time on such meaningless socializing.

To be realistic, that group of high school classmates no longer belonged to the same social circle, making it unnecessary for him to spend time maintaining ties.

He did, however, retain some impression of Li Zhihuai.

For one, Li Zhihuai was the daughter of their high school head teacher, so because of the teacher, they had a moderate amount of connection.

Secondly, Li Zhihuai's presence had been far too strong this year, frequently dominating screens and trending on searches. Even though Fu Mingyu was completely preoccupied with work, he had still heard her name mentioned quite a few times by friends.

Come to think of it, Li Zhihuai hadn't stood out particularly back in high school. If not for her head teacher father, Fu Mingyu wouldn't have noticed her at all.

The aesthetic preferences of those days didn't favor her type of looks—she was overly bold and heroic with insufficient feminine softness, and since she didn't know how to style herself, she wore a cropped haircut and a school uniform, looking just like a tomboy.

Later on, when she was admitted to the film academy, quite a few people were unimpressed and predicted a bumpy road for her future star career.

Reality proved them right. From participating in her first play up until last year, six or seven years had already passed. She had reached the age of twenty-seven or twenty-eight without gaining any name recognition, leaving even her manager in a state of near abandonment.

Who could have known that this year she would rebound as if hitting rock bottom? From that small-budget romance film at the beginning of the year becoming a box-office dark horse, to the critically acclaimed comedy during the summer box office, and finally her literary film winning an award not long ago, she leaped straight from a third-tier nobody to an A-list actress.

They always said that "fame" nurtures a person. Perhaps because her popularity had risen and resources across all fronts had improved, Li Zhihuai seemed utterly reborn, exuding a distinct and captivating charm.

"I heard you came to attend the aviation exhibition. How come I didn't see Yan'an around?" Li Zhihuai wore her long, wavy hair draped over her shoulders, threaded with delicate gold threads that faintly caught the light under the banquet hall illumination.

"His sister attended on his behalf this exhibition." Fu Mingyu raised his glass in a toast. "Congratulations, I heard you won an award last month."

Li Zhihuai laughed. "I merely basked in the reflected glory of our director and screenwriter."

She tilted her head back to take a sip of wine, her finger lightly tapping the base of her glass as she pondered what to say next, only to notice Fu Mingyu's gaze had dropped back to his phone.

He looked down at his screen, catching Ruan Suxian's message—As long as you swap out oppas fast enough, sadness doesn't exist, only love :)—which made his teeth itch slightly.

[Fu Mingyu]: Asking for a disciplinary lesson?

While Fu Mingyu was replying to the message, Li Zhihuai held her wine glass against her lips, observing him half-hidden behind it.

When they met in the hospital room last year, she had been rushing between schedules and barely managed a couple of words, but the man remained just as dazzling as he had been in their youth. The only difference was that his temperament had grown increasingly steady and composed.

Today, under the brilliant lights of the banquet hall, observing his brow and expression closely, she felt he looked even more resolute and masculine than during his school days.

"Are you busy?"

"Not too bad." Putting away his phone, Fu Mingyu said, "A message from my girlfriend."

"Oh, is that so?" A subtle weight sank into her chest, though the unusual flash in her eyes vanished the moment her eyelids blinked shut. Li Zhihuai spun the stem of her wine glass and spoke again, "By the way, did you know Wu Yin is getting married next month?"

The name sounded somewhat familiar. Prompted by Li Zhihuai, Fu Mingyu recalled who it was.

Wu Yin—wasn't she that campus belle who caused a major fracture in the fragile friendship between Fu Mingyu and Yan'an?

They hadn't kept in touch after graduation. If he didn't constantly have to look at Yan'an's sour face, Fu Mingyu really wouldn't have remembered this person.

"Not quite sure."

Li Zhihuai nodded and said nothing more.

Yet a sliver of indescribable, secret joy crept into her heart.

Back in high school, she and Wu Yin had been inseparable best friends, yet the entire school only had eyes for Wu Yin, who possessed a pretty face, sweet vocals, and a first-love look, while completely overlooking the guitar-playing Li Zhihuai standing beside her.

Even at the graduation prom when Wu Yin confessed her feelings to Fu Mingyu, Li Zhihuai had been up on stage playing the accompaniment as mere background support.

"Her husband is also from our school, that guy from the next-door class who was great at basketball, and now he's an engineer. I honestly never expected that she, who once claimed she wanted to become a singer, is now preparing to become a full-time housewife out of love. Sometimes I quite envy her..."

Fu Mingyu listened politely until she finished. Meanwhile, Boyang was already pointing at his watch to signal him, prompting Fu Mingyu to say, "It's getting late, and I have matters to attend to tomorrow, so please excuse me."

He set down his wine glass, turned to exchange pleasantries with the host of today's banquet, and had only taken a few steps—

"Wait!"

Li Zhihuai suddenly called out, holding her drink as she walked toward him.

Ruan Suxian had fallen asleep while watching a variety show.

Sleeping early meant waking up early naturally.

She spent two hours at the gym, then came back to shower, do laundry, and clean the apartment thoroughly. By the time she finished everything, it was only eleven o'clock.

Taking advantage of her rare day off, Ruan Suxian checked a food delivery app for a moment before ultimately deciding to cook something herself.

The weather had turned quite cold. Donning a trench coat, wrapping a scarf around her neck, and pulling the door open, a gust of chilly wind rushed inside, instantly making her regret stepping out.

Forget it, food delivery was the true meaning of life.

She turned around, kicking off her shoes while pulling the door shut.

Just as it was about to click closed, she felt resistance.

Finding it strange, she pulled harder, but the door was yanked forcefully outward instead.

What was going on?

Torn between "pulling the door firmly shut" and "stepping outside to investigate," Ruan Suxian instinctively chose the former. She grabbed the handle with her other hand and hauled back with all her might—the opposing force was too strong to overcome, and the door was yanked wide open.

Peering outside, Ruan Suxian almost thought she was hallucinating.

Fu Mingyu stood there in a sharp black suit, layered with a matching long wool coat of simple, exquisite tailoring. He looked unrealistically and perfectly put together—except for the mischievous trace of amusement lingering in his eyes.

"You're a young woman, how can you be this strong?"

Ruan Suxian stood at the threshold, taking a good moment to recover her wits. "Aren't you supposed to come back tomorrow?"

"Judging by your tone, you don't seem very excited for my return?"

Doing her absolute best to ensure her expression conveyed zero sense of pleasant surprise, Ruan Suxian raised an eyebrow. "Indeed."

Standing right in the doorway with barely any room to spare, there was no space for two people.

Fu Mingyu suddenly stepped forward, pressing his body flush against hers. One arm wrapped securely around her waist while the other pulled the door shut behind him. With a forward step, he pinned her back against the entryway wall.

"If I hadn't come back now, heaven knows how many different oppas someone would have collected."

As he spoke, his warm breath brushed across Ruan Suxian's face, carrying a faint trace of peppermint freshness that tickled her skin.

Ruan Suxian placed a hand against his chest and gave a light shove. "Hey, that's quite enough of that."

Releasing her, Fu Mingyu surveyed her outfit and asked, "Going out?"

"Yeah, to buy some groceries." Pulling her scarf tighter around herself and noticing his dusty, travel-worn appearance, she asked, "Have you eaten?"

"No." Fu Mingyu had originally intended to take off his coat, but hearing her question, he withdrew his hands. "Are you going to cook?"

Ruan Suxian nodded, her chin buried inside her scarf.

"Let's go, to the supermarket then."

Ruan Suxian rarely visited supermarkets, but judging by Fu Mingyu's demeanor, he acted as though he frequented them far more often than she did.

Passing the entrance, he casually grabbed a shopping cart, glanced at the overhead directory signs, and headed straight for the fresh produce section.

The supermarket was uncrowded in the morning, mostly populated by people buying groceries, including a fair share of young married couples.

Even now, Fu Mingyu seemed to have an endless stream of matters to attend to. One hand pushed the shopping cart while the other held his phone to his ear.

Ruan Suxian followed right behind him, walking at a leisurely pace and occasionally picking up ingredients from the displays to toss into the cart.

A few minutes passed before Fu Mingyu hung up, slipping his phone into his pocket. Naturally, Ruan Suxian noticed his newly freed hand.

Gazing casually at the display shelves, her right hand stealthily and smoothly slid through the crook of his arm, linking her arm with his.

Compared to holding hands, Ruan Suxian actually preferred linking arms; it provided a much stronger sense of security.

Fu Mingyu looked down at her with mild surprise, glancing back over his shoulder.

Ruan Suxian averted her gaze to pretend she was inspecting the produce. Seconds later, feeling that he was still staring at her, she turned back to glare at him.

"What are you looking at?"

Her hand just hadn't wanted to listen to instructions, that was all.

Fu Mingyu chuckled. "Nothing, just admiring how pretty you are."

Well, that statement at least sounded like something a human would say.

Only, she noticed that the moment Fu Mingyu entered the supermarket, even the middle-aged sales associates kept casting glances his way. Ruan Suxian pouted and muttered quietly, "I'm not doing great, I'm not as good-looking as you."

Fu Mingyu replied, "Don't sell yourself short."

Who was selling themselves short?

Was this man planning to enter the textile industry and open a massive dyeing vat?

Ruan Suxian sneered. "Oh, absolutely. If I didn't sell myself short, I'd have a whole battalion of husbands by now."

As the words left her mouth, the man beside her stopped walking.

She looked up, and before she could process what was happening, her lips were gently nipped.

"......?"

Fu Mingyu slowly straightened back up, licking the corner of his lower lip.

"That mouth of yours is asking for some discipline."

Blindsided right out in public by his sudden flirtatious ambush, Ruan Suxian's reflexes slowed down, and she blinked blankly for a long moment.

Under the gaze of several sales aunts who were trying hard not to look while peeking anyway, her face uncooperatively flushed red, causing her to shut her mouth voluntarily.

The morning produce selection was still abundant, but Ruan Suxian dithered back and forth for ages without making up her mind. The man beside her was even worse; he didn't even cast a single glance at the vegetables, acting as though he was just walking through to rack up WeChat step counts.

"What do you want to eat?"

"Anything's fine."

Ruan Suxian felt she could detect a faint hint of distrust toward her culinary skills hidden within Fu Mingyu's casual "anything's fine."

"There is no dish called 'anything'. I'll give you three seconds to think of what you want, or else we're heading right back home."

With that, she immediately started counting down: "One, two, three—"

Looking down at her with a half-smile playing on his lips, Fu Mingyu asked, "Anything I want?"

"......"

Ruan Suxian took a deep breath, grabbed a pack of beef at random, tossed it into the cart, and said expressionlessly, "Eat if you want, lump it if you don't."

Since her culinary skills weren't particularly stellar, Ruan Suxian ultimately picked up only some fresh vegetables and called it a day.

The two walked over to the self-checkout counter. Fu Mingyu unloaded the items to scan them while Ruan Suxian waited off to the side.

With Christmas fast approaching, the supermarket had already begun playing festive seasonal music, decorating its surroundings with small red and green ornaments.

With her hands tucked into her pockets and staring at the sticker of a little Santa Claus pasted on the display shelf, Ruan Suxian found her thoughts drifting as she thought about the upcoming holidays.

New Year's Day, Chinese New Year... the busiest period for the aviation industry was about to begin. Just glancing at the upcoming flight roster was enough to induce a headache.

Suddenly, Fu Mingyu finished paying and stepped up beside her. Following her line of sight, he paused briefly and said, "I have matters to attend to today, so I won't have time."

?

Ruan Suxian glanced at him, then back at the display shelf.

—A whole rack of condoms.

What the hell do you mean?

Feeling as though her chest was an overinflated balloon on the verge of popping, Ruan Suxian felt her scalp tingle and slapped him right across the arm.

"Fu Mingyu, you really ought to thank the legal system for protecting your life!"

Seeing her flushed face blazing with absolute fury, Fu Mingyu tilted his head with a smile. "At it again? Begging for a kiss?"

"......"

They arrived back home right at twelve noon.

Nursing her anger the entire way back, Ruan Suxian had zero intention of treating Fu Mingyu to a homemade meal. The moment they stepped inside, she dumped the groceries into the kitchen and walked out wearing her apron.

However, seeing the scene unfolding in the living room made her reconsider that plan.

While she had been in the kitchen, Fu Mingyu had already stripped off his coat and suit jacket, leaning back against the sofa with his brow furrowed and eyes closed, though it was clear he wasn't asleep.

"Are you exhausted?"

"Mmm." Fu Mingyu took a deep breath, loosening his tie as he spoke. "Tossed and turned all night without sleeping, then ran to two different places this morning rushing back."

"Then why did you rush back today?"

Fu Mingyu opened his eyes, his deep gaze locking straight onto her.

"Wanted to see you. Couldn't wait until tomorrow."

Ruan Suxian didn't reply, tying her apron strings back tighter as she turned and walked into the kitchen.

Though such words carried no practical utility, hearing them still felt strangely comforting.

With all the ingredients prepared, Ruan Suxian stared at the pile of items, quietly pulled out her phone to pull up a recipe tutorial, and shut the kitchen door.

She wanted to finish cooking this meal quickly, but her cooking skills begged to differ—whipping up three homestyle dishes took her a solid hour.

Moreover, she felt entirely unconfident when plating the food.

Compared to Fu Mingyu's bowl of noodles, she suspected her cooking might not pass muster.

Fortunately, Fu Mingyu was exceptionally cooperative. When he sat down to eat and Ruan Suxian asked how it tasted, he nodded and said, "Not bad."

Seeing him look so genuine, Ruan Suxian immediately picked up her chopsticks to sample a few pieces of beef herself.

"......"

She honestly wasn't sure whether his taste buds were malfunctioning or his acting skills were simply too world-class.

"Let's just go out to eat next time."

Upon hearing the words "go out to eat," Fu Mingyu seemed to exhibit a slight aversion reflex, frowning as he said, "No need, it's quite good."

Perhaps compared to spicy clams with vermicelli noodles, he preferred dishes that were either overwhelmingly salty or entirely bland.

"Should I open a jar of preserved side dishes?"

Fu Mingyu glanced at her and picked up a piece of shiitake mushroom with his chopsticks.

"This flavor is genuinely good, want to try a bite?"

Hesitantly, Ruan Suxian opened her mouth, and Fu Mingyu fed that piece of mushroom straight to her.

"How is it?"

Chewing slowly, Ruan Suxian tried hard to perceive the "goodness" he had spoken of.

"Where's the 'goodness' coming from?"

"You probably didn't add much seasoning, allowing the mushroom's original natural flavor to shine through."

"......" Ruan Suxian lowered her eyes. "One does not speak while eating, nor chat while resting."

Half an hour later, Ruan Suxian finally managed to finish a bowl of rice, while Fu Mingyu received a phone call from Boyang.

He set down his chopsticks, murmured a low response to a few instructions, hung up, and stood to put on his coat.

"I have some business to attend to, heading back to the office first."

Ruan Suxian nodded at him.

"Go on then."

Reaching the doorway, as if suddenly remembering something, he turned back and said, "I'm free tomorrow, get ready—"

Ruan Suxian: "Get lost!"

Fu Mingyu paused for a second. Catching sight of her blushing expression, it finally clicked.

"What are your thoughts wandering off to?" he said with a smile. "I meant I'm taking you somewhere tomorrow."

"......"

After Fu Mingyu left, Ruan Suxian cleaned up the dishes and sat on the sofa to rest.

This afternoon had truly been chaotic.

She used to think Fu Mingyu possessed a strong sense of tact and boundaries, but now he seemed like a completely different person, acting as though he deliberately wanted to rile her up at every turn.

Spotting the black patterned silk tie he had left behind on the sofa, Ruan Suxian picked it up and played with it for a moment.

He was the boyfriend she chose herself; what else could she do besides put up with it?

Her phone on the coffee table chimed twice.

[Si Xiaozhen]: Ruanruan...

[Ruan Suxian]: What's up?

[Si Xiaozhen]: You know, when it comes to romance, you shouldn't take it too seriously.

[Ruan Suxian]: ?

[Si Xiaozhen]: Look at that big tree outside the window. Romance is just like it—either it turns yellow or it turns green.

[Ruan Suxian]: ?

[Si Xiaozhen]: There are plenty of wonderful things in life. Romance is the least worth mentioning.

[Ruan Suxian]: Did you drink wind-oil balm or something? Why is your mouth full of cynical breeze?

[Si Xiaozhen]: Take a look for yourself. I'm stuck at work and can't get away. If you're in a bad mood, go find Bian Xuan, but remember: absolutely don't do anything rash! This is a society governed by law!

Simultaneously, she sent over a link to a post on a major gossip forum.

Opening the link, Ruan Suxian saw an eye-catching thread title.

“Did I just accidentally snap a photo of Li Zhihuai?!”

Clicking inside, the original poster gave a concise description of the content.

"Just woke up around seven o'clock this morning and opened my curtains to see a man and a woman walking out of the building across the street. Am I seeing things, or is that Li Zhihuai?"

"Adding a detail: I live on the second floor of an old residential complex, and the distance between buildings is pretty close."

Attached were three photographs.

Ruan Suxian didn't even need to zoom in to recognize that the man in the pictures was none other than her boyfriend.

Even his outfit was identical.

"Holy shit! That really is Li Zhihuai! She was wearing that exact coat in street-style photos just last week."

"Who's the guy behind her? He looks extremely handsome, is he someone in the industry? Don't recognize him at all."

Ruan Suxian didn't bother reading the subsequent replies.

She picked up the tie resting beside her hand, her expression slowly turning frosty.

No wonder he had been able to instantly name that female celebrity.

So tossing and turning all night meant this was what he was up to?

Turns out the reason he dodged away and changed the subject when she stood in front of that display shelf was because his energy had already been spent elsewhere.

Stepping out of the residential building with that woman early in the morning—had they spent the whole night discussing cinematic art?

Half an hour later, on the 16th floor of Shihang Aviation.

The administrative lobby remained as bustling as ever. Employees shuttled back and forth clutching files, while those with a moment to spare whispered and murmured among themselves.

The moment the elevator doors slid open, Ruan Suxian strode out with long strides, clutching a tie in her grip, causing the entire lobby to fall instantly silent.

It was as though two invisible warning tape lines had been snapped across the paths of the rushing staff, who collectively stepped back in uniform synchronization to the sides, freezing in place and staring dead at Ruan Suxian.

Though dead silent, the atmosphere hummed with the sound of imaginary alarm sirens.

Everyone in the hall watched as Ruan Suxian marched step by step toward Fu Mingyu's office. The tie clutched in her hand looked remarkably like a executioner's noose, while her expression spelled out six crystal-clear words.

—Fu Mingyu, you're a dead man.