Blossom through the Cloud - Chapter 72

Chapter 72

Initially, she only wanted a light kiss just to go through the motions, but Fu Mingyu seemed determined to complete the kiss that had been cut short by the slap earlier. Leveraging his momentum, he pressed the back of her head, kissing her deeply and passionately.

Her breath gradually grew moist and heavy, and Ruan Suxian was slowly pressed against the head of the bed, finding it somewhat difficult to breathe. One sob after another spilled to her lips only to be swallowed back down by him, making even breathing somewhat difficult.

Yet she did not want to call a halt.

Ruan Suxian wrapped her arms around his neck, actively seeking it out again and again, wanting to pull the missing intimacy of the coming months forward and take it all at once.

Under a passionate kiss, a fire is bound to be ignited.

Sensing his breath growing hotter and hotter, Ruan Suxian suddenly turned her face away and gasped for air.

The tip of Fu Mingyu's nose brushed against her cheek, his breathing heavy and rough, but he said nothing.

"Aren't you getting on a plane shortly?"

Ruan Suxian slowly lowered her hands, turning instead to embrace his waist. "There are still over two hours left. Is there anything else you want to do?"

Fu Mingyu took a heavy breath, closing his eyes to steady his breathing.

"Can't I?"

Originally, he hadn't intended to do anything and had planned to leave; it was she who pulled his tie and ignited the fire.

As they spoke, Ruan Suxian felt the quilt covering her being lifted, and his scent along with his kisses swept over her once more.

The rustling sound of clothing friction drifted through the room alongside an ambiguous atmosphere.

Amidst the haze of passion, Ruan Suxian mumbled hazily, "Didn't someone call you just a moment ago?"

Fu Mingyu gave a vague hum.

"Bai Yang. He's at the airport right now."

Ruan Suxian suddenly pressed down on his hand. "Won't we run out of time then?"

"We won't," he said while continuing his movements. "It's my own plane."

"Oh..."

Fine then. In the world of the wealthy, missing a commercial flight simply does not exist.

Ruan Suxian closed her eyes, gritting her teeth and trying her best to prevent any shameful sounds from escaping her.

Yet Fu Mingyu stroked her lower lip with his finger, half-coaxing and half-tempting her to make a sound.

A long while later, the palms of Ruan Suxian's hands were covered in sweat as she tightly gripped his clothes, low whimpers carrying a hint of crying spilling from her throat.

The restriction of time forced him to exercise restraint, but the reality of their impending separation made it hard for either of them to keep self-control.

The moon quietly hid behind the clouds at some unknown point, leaving less and less light to filter through.

In the darkness, Ruan Suxian did not refuse a single one of his unbridled actions.

However, as time dragged on, Ruan Suxian still found it a bit too much to bear.

Usually, Fu Mingyu granted her every request, but this time, when she whimpered and begged him to stop, he acted as if he hadn't heard her at all.

It wasn't until Ruan Suxian made a promise that he showed any intention of stopping.

"Really?" His voice was low and hoarse, tinged with a scorching ambiguity. "Anything?"

He made a few more demands right beside her ear, making Ruan Suxian blush furiously, but under the circumstances, she could only grit her teeth and murmur an agreement.

When it was finally over, Ruan Suxian leaned in his embrace, thinking hazily that a man's words in bed cannot be trusted, and neither can a woman's.

Just as she was drifting off to sleep, Fu Mingyu prepared to leave.

He got out of bed, leaned down to tuck the quilt around her properly, and kissed her forehead.

"After I leave, take your time moving your things upstairs."

Ruan Suxian instinctively murmured an assent, but a few seconds later, her eyes snapped open.

"Why?"

Fu Mingyu sat on the edge of the bed and chuckled. "Get used to it and lower your guard a bit, otherwise I don't know how many more slaps I'll have to take from you in the future."

After a long silence, Ruan Suxian buried herself in the quilt and let out a soft "oh."

If he wanted to cohabitate, he could have just said so directly instead of beating around the bush.

"I'll try to control myself from now on. If I can use my mouth, I won't use my hands."

Fu Mingyu let out a soft scoff, pinching her chin. "With that mouth of yours, I'd rather you use your hands."

He stood up. "I'm leaving?"

"Mhm."

Ruan Suxian remained facing away from him until she heard the door click shut, at which point she turned back, looked at the tightly closed door, and let out a soft sigh.

Ruan Suxian had always felt that she wouldn't miss Fu Mingyu all that much. After all, they were both adults; nobody was inseparable from anyone else, and they were only temporarily separated geographically, not breaking up. What was there to miss?

At least on the following morning, she hadn't felt any particular way. She ate what she should, drank what she should, went to the aviation medical center for her check-up, and conveniently had lunch at the cafeteria.

Yet after sitting down with her food tray, she found herself somewhat lacking an appetite.

Holding her chopsticks, she stared blankly at the food on the tray, drifting off into a daze.

Fu Mingyu's figure kept popping up uninvited in her mind.

This feeling was different from when Dong Xian had left years ago.

Back then, Ruan Suxian felt that her mother wouldn't be coming back, so her heart always felt heavy and agonizing. She would do her homework two or three times over just to avoid thinking about those things, and occasionally she would hide under the covers and cry.

But now, she knew Fu Mingyu would return. She had thought she wouldn't dwell on it too much, but her heart felt like it was being scratched by a kitten—empty and hollow, as if missing a piece of herself simply because she couldn't see him.

"Sigh," she let out a breath, propping her chin with her other hand and using her left hand to pick the scallions out of her vegetables.

Great. This man really had cast a spell on her.

Suddenly, someone sat down across from her.

Ruan Suxian instinctively thought of some idol drama plotline, raising her head without processing the logic, only to see Ni Tong staring at her with wide eyes.

No idol dramas here, only soap operas.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

Ruan Suxian poked at her food and asked listlessly.

"Are you worried sick?" Ni Tong said. "I just heard people say that Chairman Fu was exceptionally angry this time."

How could he not be angry? He had pulled someone away right in the middle of a meal.

Ruan Suxian let out an "oh," showing zero interest in the topic.

But Ni Tong was interested. She blinked her eyes and lowered her voice: "It's inside information, make sure you don't spread it."

She glanced around, stretched out her neck, and blocked her mouth with the back of her hand. "When President Fu went to the airport early this morning, it looked like there was a palm print on his face. Heavens, with Chairman Fu getting that furious, do you think he won't let him return to the country?"

Ruan Suxian's hand froze, and she offered an awkward smile.

"Don't brush this off, you need to have some sense of crisis," Ni Tong said. "Didn't you know? President Fu's older brother is coming back to the country soon. Do you think he's coming back to seize power?"

Finished speaking, she tapped the table with her chopsticks.

"This is what you call taking advantage of an empty house."

"Have you watched too many TVB soap operas?" Ruan Suxian twitched the corner of her mouth as she looked at her. "Seizing power, my foot. Chinese conglomerate-themed scriptwriters need you."

Yet, thinking about it in hindsight, what Ni Tong said actually made a bit of sense.

With such a massive airline entirely monopolized by Fu Mingyu alone, that "older brother" of his had always lived purely in other people's rumors. Was he really going to come back and carve up the cake or something?

On the way home that evening, when Ruan Suxian and Fu Mingyu were on the phone, she specifically brought it up.

"I heard your older brother is coming back to the country?"

"Mhm," Fu Mingyu said. "You heard about it too?"

"I heard it from someone else."

"Their news travels fast." Fu Mingyu paused. "What else did they say?"

"They said... he's coming back to wrestle power away from you."

On the other end of the line, Fu Mingyu chuckled.

"They certainly have active imaginations."

What Ruan Suxian didn't say was that her brain had already conjured up a scene where Fu Mingyu lost the power struggle and was ousted in disgrace—a scenario where not only did she fail to move upstairs, but she even had to clear out her own place for him to live in. In the end, complaining that it was too cramped, the two of them would have a huge argument, he would rush downstairs to run in the rain, and she would chase after him, hugging him while promising to stay by his side and help him make a comeback.

Just thinking about it made it feel extremely dramatic.

"By the way, you've never met my older brother, have you?" Fu Mingyu asked.

"I don't think so," Ruan Suxian said. "I think I caught a glimpse of him from afar at the airport a few years ago."

Fu Mingyu didn't say anything else. Voices of people talking came from his end, and Ruan Suxian quickly said, "Are you busy right now?"

"It's alright."

"Oh, then I'll hang up." A thought suddenly striking her, Ruan Suxian added, "By the way, I'm going to my university class reunion next week."

"Mhm, what is it? Reporting your schedule so promptly this time?"

"It's nothing," Ruan Suxian said, covering her phone as she walked toward her building. "Just letting you know to keep our connection strong, otherwise I'm afraid that before my red flag even arrives, the colored flags outside your door will start fluttering."

Fu Mingyu touched his cheek, wearing a half-smile expression that Ruan Suxian couldn't see.

"Which woman would dare."

Ruan Suxian felt that there was no need to report her schedule to Fu Mingyu. Although he was in Singapore, there wasn't even a time difference, and under these circumstances, apart from work, he hardly had any other activities—while her own social life was already quite dull to begin with.

However, the main reason she specifically brought up the class reunion to Fu Mingyu was that Xie Yu had called to invite her.

She wondered if Fu Mingyu still remembered Xie Yu.

Judging by his tone, though, the probability was close to zero.

During university, student interactions weren't limited to classmates within the same major; for instance, Ruan Suxian used to hang out closely with a few senior students who were a year or two above her. This upcoming reunion was more of a departmental reunion, with students spanning three grades above and below attending.

They had held a gathering a few years ago as well and had contacted Ruan Suxian, but she was right in the middle of a busy work schedule during that holiday and couldn't make it. This time, however, it happened to coincide with her days off.

This time, there was a single table of ten people. Aside from one or two senior students two years her senior whom she wasn't very familiar with, the rest were classmates and seniors she used to hang out with frequently back on campus.

Yet after so many years apart, a sense of distance was inevitable.

Only Xie Yu remained somewhat normal; they had even run into each other once last year.

At this gathering, Ruan Suxian once again found herself the center of attention.

The gossipy antennae of a few girls chatting together were exceptionally sharp; the moment Ruan Suxian pushed open the door, they all turned to look at her simultaneously.

"You're finally here, we were waiting just for you!"

Ruan Suxian glanced at her wristwatch; she was ten minutes past the agreed time.

"Sorry about that, traffic on the road was a bit jammed."

Who cared about such a trivial matter? Before she even managed to sit down, they crowded around her, talking all at once.

The topics revolved around the events of the recent period, and a couple of male classmates even vied to take photos with her.

Only Xie Yu sat quietly as usual, speaking very little and chiming in with agreement every now and then.

After three rounds of drinks, a few of the men became tipsy, unbuttoning their jackets and leaning back in their chairs to wax philosophical about life.

"I still remember when we used to sit and chat on the sports field. Someone said they wanted to be the next Yang振宁 [note: omitted Hanzi in thought process, use Yang Chen-ning], someone said they wanted to dedicate their whole life to academia, and someone else said they wanted to switch majors to study philosophy. Little Ruan also said back then that she wanted to be a pilot, right? To be honest, I secretly laughed at you back then. What on earth was a little girl thinking? You looked so pretty, wouldn't it be better to do anything else?"

The man turned his head and smiled. "Never thought you'd be the only one who actually followed through in the end."

A female classmate corrected him: "That's not true, Xie Yu followed through too."

Xie Yu was in the midst of pouring fruit juice for Ruan Suxian. When his name was brought up, he shook his head and said modestly, "Isn't it because the narrower your field of study, the harder it is to find a job? I had no choice but to keep lingering in academia, and I don't even have a girlfriend. Little Ruan is much more impressive."

Quite a few girls had noticed him tending to Ruan Suxian's tea and pouring water for her that evening, showing an attentiveness unlike ordinary classmates, so they exchanged glances and coughed a couple of times to remind him.

During the meal, they hadn't asked about Ruan Suxian's romantic status because they felt it would be too gossipy, but Xie Yu was truly so absorbed in scientific research that he turned a blind eye to the outside world, completely unaware that she already had a boyfriend.

Hearing the coughs, Xie Yu assumed his female classmates were just teasing him, so he didn't mind it, though his face flushed a bit redder.

Naturally, Ruan Suxian also sensed Xie Yu's unusual behavior tonight.

Moreover, every time their eyes met, she noticed that the way he looked at her was different from the past.

There was a hint of admiration, a trace of affection, and the corners of his mouth remained curved in a soft smile as he stared at her without blinking.

Ruan Suxian took the cup he handed her, said thank you, and then asked in a low voice, "Senior, is your phone still on a 2G network?"

"Huh?" Xie Yu was stunned. "What?"

Ruan Suxian shook her head. "Nothing."

After the meal, several of the guys proposed heading to a KTV to sing.

Ruan Suxian glanced at the time—it was already nine o'clock, and she had matters to attend to the next morning, so she declined.

No one pushed her too hard, and Xie Yu volunteered to walk her to her ride.

Walking downstairs, Ruan Suxian saw the car arranged by Fu Mingyu parked across the street, making a U-turn over the pedestrian overpass to head over.

However, his car was far too flashy, and Ruan Suxian didn't really want her classmates to see it, so she said, "Senior, my ride is about to arrive. You should head back up first."

Xie Yu nodded, but didn't leave.

"When is your next day off?"

Ruan Suxian: "Why do you ask?"

"Oh..." Xie Yu said. "The New Year is coming up soon, and there are a lot of holiday movies. I was thinking of asking you out to see one."

The moment his voice trailed off, Ruan Suxian's phone happened to ring.

She took out her phone, glanced at the caller ID, and said, "Do you mind if I take my boyfriend's call first?"

"..."

Xie Yu's face instantly turned beet red.

Awkward as it was, fortunately Ruan Suxian didn't directly expose the situation and even gave him a graceful way out.

"O-okay, go ahead and answer it. I won't disturb you, I'll head back up."

After Xie Yu left, Ruan Suxian answered Fu Mingyu's call.

"Over?"

Recalling Xie Yu's invitation just moments ago, Ruan Suxian smiled. "Yeah. What's up, couldn't wait to check in on me?"

Fu Mingyu: "Are you implying that something worth checking up on happened today?"

Ruan Suxian let out a soft hmph. "Someone invited me to the movies."

"Is that so?"

Far away in the World Aviation branch office in Singapore, Fu Mingyu flicked the globe on his desk with his finger and said indifferently, "Is it that campus crush who once harvested your youthful heart?"

Ruan Suxian almost blurted out a "yes."

Luckily, she reacted in time.

The scoundrel was setting a trap for her.

What was that about "the campus crush who harvested your youthful heart"? When had she ever admitted to any such thing?

The car slowly pulled up in front of Ruan Suxian, and the driver got out to open the door for her.

"Hah," Ruan Suxian got in, leaned against the car window, and looked at the bustling traffic outside. "The first time my youthful heart beat fast was when I saw the digits of my annual salary."

The person on the other end of the line chuckled in a low voice.

"Is it that simple? Then I can make your youthful heart beat fast for the rest of your life."

Ruan Suxian looked at her own smiling reflection in the car window.

"Then you'd better make good on your words."