Blossom through the Cloud - Chapter 73

Chapter 73

With the New Year approaching, flight schedules became increasingly hectic. It was not until the night before Chinese New Year's Eve that Ruan Suxian finally had time to move.

Actually, there wasn't much to pack. Fu Mingyu's place upstairs already had everything; she only needed to bring over her own clothes and daily necessities.

When she opened Fu Mingyu's closet and saw two full cabinets of white shirts, she almost thought she had walked into a men's clothing store.

"No, why did you buy so many identical shirts?"

With the phone wedged between her shoulder and cheek, Ruan Suxian flipped through them, utterly unable to tell the difference between these clothes. "Can you possibly wear all of these by yourself?"

On the other end of the line, Fu Mingyu was flipping through the documents in his hands, staring at the convoluted data with a deep frown, yet speaking in an indifferent tone: "Don't I have you?"

"Do I lack clothes of my own, or—"

Before Ruan Suxian finished her sentence, she suddenly realized what he meant. Her face flushed red, and she said through clenched teeth, "Fu Mingyu, I am not like you; I don't have all these weird fetishes."

A trace of a smile carried in Fu Mingyu's voice, "Then will you indulge my fetishes?"

"Haven't you woken up yet in the middle of the day? You certainly harbor quite the beautiful daydreams."

Ruan Suxian casually tossed a couple of hangers aside and changed the subject. "With so many clothes of yours here, where am I supposed to put mine?"

Someone walked into the office, causing Fu Mingyu to收起 (pull back) his smile and speak with a serious expression: "There is a walk-in closet next to the study, and it's empty."

Fu Mingyu swiftly signed his name and pushed the document toward the front of the desk, speaking at the same time, "Have the marketing department compile the seat allocation plan for all spring routes."

"Understood."

After the person walked out, Fu Mingyu put down his fountain pen, loosened his cuffs, and leaned back in his chair with his phone. Idly flipping through the schedule on his desk, he saw the densely packed meeting arrangements and the mountain of work plans before him, a helpless look of fatigue surfacing between his brows.

Sometimes he really envied someone like Yan An.

After hanging up the phone, Ruan Suxian spent less than an hour organizing her clothes.

Such a massive walk-in closet was only commandeered halfway by her, making the entire apartment feel somewhat empty.

Walking out to the living room, she flopped face-up onto the large sofa, staring blankly at the chandelier on the ceiling. Suddenly remembering something, she got up, ran to the study, pushed the door open, and stood there in a daze for a while upon seeing the room completely filled with airplane models.

Sigh, this won't do. Before Fu Mingyu came back, she couldn't live here.

His presence was everywhere, especially in this study. The moment she stepped inside, even the air seemed to carry his scent.

How could anyone live a normal life like this?

Half an hour later, the walk-in closet she had just organized was instantly emptied by half again.

She moved all her frequently used clothes right back.

That evening, over half of the street-side storefronts had already closed, and quite a few companies had started their holidays early, leaving very few food delivery options available.

Instead, the only places reaching a peak of bustling activity at this time were probably the train stations and the airport.

Si Xiaozhen was on the evening shift and hurried over to Ruan Suxian's place, the two of them planning to share an early New Year's Eve dinner.

"How can there be so few dishes?"

Si Xiaozhen opened the refrigerator, took one look at the pitifully scarce variety inside, and instantly lost any desire to cook. "Even the baby cabbage isn't fresh."

"Stop being picky." Ruan Suxian opened the freezer compartment and pulled out two boxes of frozen dumplings. "Do farmers not celebrate the New Year? The vegetables in the supermarket are all sold out."

Tomorrow being New Year's Eve, Si Xiaozhen had the night shift and had zero chance of going home for New Year's Eve dinner, while Ruan Suxian was accustomed to spending the holiday alone.

"It's one thing for a single dog like me," Si Xiaozhen said as she dropped the dumplings into the pot, "but for someone with a boyfriend like you to also spend New Year's Eve alone, that's just too pitiful."

"Make a fuss over nothing. Go look at how many non-single flight crew members across the country aren't spending New Year's Eve at home; you make it sound like I'm the only one."

Ruan Suxian stood on tiptoe to reach the bowls and chopsticks, speaking in a stern yet helpless tone: "Which year isn't like this? Every New Year's Eve night is spent sending other people home. If you're lucky, you fly a round trip on the home route and can still make it home for the Spring Festival Gala countdown; if you're unlucky, you're stuck eating instant noodles in an out-of-town hotel."

She placed the tableware by the stove and muttered softly: "Besides, I actually quite like spending the New Year with colleagues in a hotel."

Otherwise, it would just be watching the Spring Festival Gala alone at home.

Si Xiaozhen turned back to look at her, "But you..."

Before she could finish, Ruan Suxian's phone suddenly rang. Her eyes lit up instantly, and she wiped her hands and ran out.

The phone vibrated on the living room coffee table. Her hand moved faster than her eyes, and her finger had already swiped the answer button before she noticed that the caller ID wasn't Fu Mingyu.

The breath in her chest suddenly sank.

"Ruanruan, Auntie is coming over tomorrow night to have New Year's Eve dinner together. Will you come?"

Before Ruan Suxian could answer, Dong Xian added, "I heard Fu Mingyu is currently in Singapore."

"I won't be coming." Ruan Suxian walked over to the window, answering the phone while reaching up to press down a poorly affixed window decal. "I won't be in Jiangcheng tomorrow."

On the other end of the line, Dong Xian sighed.

"Alright, then take care of yourself."

"Who is it?"

Si Xiaozhen poked her head out of the kitchen. "Your President Fu?"

Ruan Suxian raised an eyebrow. Si Xiaozhen withdrew her head with a scrunched-up face. "Ew... so sappy and sour. It looks like tomorrow I'll be the only person in the entire world spending the New Year all by myself."

"You'll get used to it."

Ruan Suxian walked into the kitchen with a forced smile, carried the dumplings out, yet felt a spark of anticipation in her heart because of Si Xiaozhen's words.

Just maybe.

What if!

The next morning, when Ruan Suxian headed out, the doors along the street were shut tight, and even the traffic flow had dropped by more than half. It wasn't until she reached the airport expressway that the volume of cars visibly increased once more.

The terminal building was bustling with people coming and going, their footsteps rushing toward their hometowns.

Just like every routine flight, the airplane landed in Lincheng precisely around two o'clock.

Two hours later, it took off again for the return flight to Jiangcheng.

When Ruan Suxian walked out of the cockpit, Ni Tong was right in the middle of sending off the last passenger.

"Have a safe trip, please take your belongings with you, and I wish you a Happy New Year."

As that passenger's figure faded into the distance, Ni Tong instantly dropped her professional expression and scrambled busily to grab her things.

"Going home, going home! If we don't go back now, we won't even be able to grab Spring Festival Gala red packets!"

Ruan Suxian looked up outside. It was already dark, but snow was fittingly beginning to fall, fluttering and dancing in the beams of the navigation lights.

Even the snow had come to add atmosphere to New Year's Eve.

The captain, flight attendants, and security officers beside her rubbed their hands together, practically taking three steps in two as they hurried down the stairs to get home quickly.

"Captain, Captain, hand out red packets!"

Ni Tong dragged her flight case with an expression full of elation. "The last flight of the year, gotta bring some good luck!"

As soon as she finished speaking, the others joined in the teasing.

The captain laughed and pulled out his phone. "Sending, sending, sending! Sending good fortune for the New Year!"

A few minutes later, the phones of every single crew member chimed.

Ruan Suxian snapped back to her senses, immediately pulled out her phone to check, only to find that the captain had set up a small chat group and sent out two large red packets within it.

"Sigh..."

She claimed her red packet, exited the chat group, and looked at Fu Mingyu's chat box.

Their last exchange of messages still remained on the one she sent him when she landed at noon.

Ruan Suxian forcefully poked the screen.

Can he really be this busy?!

She opened her Moments next. Everyone was exceptionally active today, and scrolling down a continuous string yielded nothing but posts showing off New Year's Eve dinners.

Among them, she even spotted the New Year's Eve spread posted by Zheng You'an.

No one appeared in the photo, but the long European-style dining table was fully laden with delicacies from land and sea, and the colors alone were enough to make one's mouth water.

It seemed the whole world was joyfully reunited, while she was the only one going home to eat frozen dumplings.

Stepping off the crew bus, the short walk into the terminal building was bitterly cold as snow drifted onto her face. The group hurried along, dragging their flight cases behind them.

Ruan Suxian bundled herself tightly into her scarf, leaving only the lower half of her face exposed.

Perhaps because she felt disconnected from the jubilant moods of the people around her, she still had a lingering sensation of floating feet, feeling as though she never quite stepped onto solid ground.

Along the way, Ruan Suxian checked her phone a few more times.

The continuously flooding New Year blessings had pushed Fu Mingyu's chat window quite far down.

She had originally planned to pin him to the top, but after thinking about it, she decided against it.

After walking a few more steps, her phone chimed a few times.

Ruan Suxian took a deep breath.

Fine, Fu Mingyu, I'll give you one last chance.

If you don't message me now, go date your work instead.

Pulling out her phone to look.

Splendid, it was actually a message from Zheng You'an.

[Zheng You'an]: Are you really not coming over for dinner?

[Zheng You'an]: Besides, Fu Mingyu isn't even in the country, what kind of New Year are you spending all by yourself? Come on over.

[Ruan Suxian]: Wishing you a Happy New Year, hope you grab a giant red packet.

Boarding announcements echoed one after another throughout the terminal. The ambient noise included the clamor of children, while a few people running late for their flights sprinted past dragging luggage, their wheels grinding harshly against the floor.

Noisy though it was, it radiated the excitement of heading home.

The phone chimed a few more times, but Ruan Suxian didn't pull it out to look anymore; she just wanted to hurry home, eat, and watch the Spring Festival Gala.

The sounds around her faded in and out as Ruan Suxian walked forward quickly, step by step.

Suddenly, she spotted a very familiar back figure at the exit ahead.

She stopped, blinking to confirm she wasn't seeing things.

No way.

She knew that back figure far too well.

Ruan Suxian felt a lump in her throat as she grabbed her flight case and ran forward.

The distance closed rapidly, and the figure grew clearer.

Her heart pounded, and her pace accelerated.

You stinky man, not a single word all afternoon, and it turns out you quietly came back.

Yet at a distance of less than two meters from that figure, Ruan Suxian slammed on the emergency brakes, stumbled a few steps, and nearly lost her footing.

—Because that man had turned around.

The instant she saw his face clearly, her suspended heart plummeted straight to the bottom.

She stood frozen in place.

Wait, how on earth could anyone have a back that looked this similar?

You could place your back side-by-side with Fu Mingyu's and directly merge them out of existence.

That man also noticed Ruan Suxian, and seeing her bizarre expression, he lowered his gaze to look her over.

Feeling extremely awkward, Ruan Suxian touched her hair, pretended nothing had happened, and continued walking forward with a blank expression.

Yet as she brushed past him, she suddenly heard him speak: "Miss Ruan?"

Ruan Suxian's steps paused, confusion written in her eyes.

"You..."

The man suddenly chuckled, tilted his head toward her, and motioned for her to look behind.

Ruan Suxian's heartbeat traitorously accelerated once more. Her fingers tightened around the handle as she turned around sluggishly.

The terminal was brightly lit. He wore a white shirt without a tie, his jacket draped casually over his arm, while his hand was tucked into his pocket as he stood straight right there. The travelers hurrying past seemed to blur into the background, leaving only his figure exceptionally clear.

Ruan Suxian stared without blinking, her heartbeat magnified and resounding like a battle drum in her ears.

Fu Mingyu tilted his head slightly. "What, seeing things? Don't even recognize your own boyfriend anymore?"

Hearing his voice, Ruan Suxian finally felt solid ground beneath her feet, as if she had truly touched down at this very moment.

"How did you get back?"

Fu Mingyu stepped forward a few paces and handed his jacket over. Ruan Suxian instinctively caught it, and shortly after, her other hand was taken in his.

He took hold of Ruan Suxian's flight case and said, "If I didn't come back, would I leave you to spend New Year's Eve alone?"

At the same time, Fu Mingyu turned Ruan Suxian around, lifted his chin toward the front, and gave her a look.

"Say hello to your older brother."

Ruan Suxian: "Older brother?"

Fu Chengju strolled over leisurely, looking at Ruan Suxian and Fu Mingyu with a smile, "You picked quite the time to come back."

Before Ruan Suxian could collect her thoughts, Fu Mingyu had already glanced at his wristwatch and said, "We don't have much time, I'm going to grab New Year's Eve dinner first. What about you?"

Fu Chengju gestured toward the back, where a few middle-aged foreign men were still standing, and then looked back at Ruan Suxian, "We'll get acquainted next time; I won't disturb the two of you today."

Not until she was back home did Ruan Suxian still feel a sense of unreality.

Fu Mingyu walked straight into the kitchen, and Ruan Suxian followed right behind him without even changing out of her clothes.

"Why didn't you move your things upstairs?"

Without answering, Ruan Suxian stood behind Fu Mingyu and poked him in the back.

"Were you on a plane this entire day?"

Fu Mingyu opened the refrigerator, scanned the contents, and attempted to salvage some fresh ingredients from within.

"Otherwise? There's nothing in the fridge, what are we eating tonight?"

Ruan Suxian stared at his back. "There are dumplings. When are you heading back? Don't you need to keep your parents company? Plus, your older brother is back too."

"My dad is in the States, and my mom went to keep him company. As for my brother, do you think he wants to have dinner with us?" He bent down, opened the freezer compartment, and frowned. "We're just eating this?"

Having said that, a relieved smile broke across his face.

The variety was actually quite plentiful.

Fine too; convenient and quick.

Ruan Suxian: "The supermarkets are completely empty. You still haven't answered when you're heading back to Singapore."

Fu Mingyu casually grabbed a box of dumplings and walked toward the cabinet.

"In a bit."

An answer like that made Ruan Suxian's heart grow somewhat anxious, prompting her to chase after him and ask, "When is 'in a bit'?"

Fu Mingyu rolled up his sleeves unhurriedly, making preparations.

"Two hours from now."

Ruan Suxian parted her lips as the blood throughout her entire body heated up, while a bittersweet pang flooded her chest at the same time.

After a prolonged silence, she finally wrapped her arms around Fu Mingyu from behind.

During the Spring Festivals of her college years, classmates would invite her to their homes for the holiday every time, but she refused because she didn't want to be a burden to anyone. Later, after starting work, she spent almost every New Year's Eve in a hotel.

"Actually, you didn't have to push yourself so hard, I'm used to it by now."

The water was boiling. Fu Mingyu dropped the dumplings in and spoke indifferently: "Then you can just break that habit."

As the Spring Festival Gala's magic segment played on, Ruan Suxian sat cross-legged on the sofa, clutching her phone and waiting to grab red packets, not even noticing when Fu Mingyu sat down beside her.

"Ah!"

She immediately snatched Fu Mingyu's hand. "Give me your phone!"

Fu Mingyu glanced sideways at her and handed his phone over.

"What's the password?"

"0921"

Seconds later, Ruan Suxian stared at both phone screens with a frozen expression, at a loss for words.

"Three yuan and twenty fen?"

Fu Mingyu turned his head toward her. "Your luck—"

A glare from Ruan Suxian cut him off. Fu Mingyu curved his lips and swallowed the words he was about to say.

"Eat."

She leaned down to pick up her bowl, glanced at the dumplings before her, and asked, "Am I wronging you a bit here?"

Fu Mingyu picked up a dumpling and fed it to her lips.

"If you don't eat now, you're about to be wronged yourself."

Ruan Suxian instinctively opened her mouth, holding the dumpling inside as she stared blankly at Fu Mingyu.

After a moment, she chewed and mumbled indistinctly: "Are you even human?"

New Year's Eve!

Two hours!

She thought he came back specially to spend New Year's Eve with her, only for it to be about satisfying physiological needs?!

Ruan Suxian swallowed her dumpling, scooted toward the other end of the sofa, and glared at the television. "Fu Mingyu, I suspect you don't love me at all; you're simply coveting my body."

"If I didn't even covet your body, could that still be called love?"

"...?"

Entirely unanswerable.

With a sweep of his arm, Fu Mingyu hooked her right back over.

"Eat up quickly, it'll get cold in a minute."

After finishing, Ruan Suxian leaned into Fu Mingyu's embrace, her eyes fixed on the television while her mind was miles away from the program.

She glanced up from time to time, her gaze meeting Fu Mingyu's jawline.

"What are you looking at?"

Ruan Suxian reached out to touch his chin; it was slightly prickly to the touch.

"It just doesn't feel real."

"You." Fu Mingyu tightened his arm around her and leaned in close. "Do you need some substantive physical action to feel a sense of reality?"

"You—"

The rest of her words were cut off. Fu Mingyu kissed her lightly, his palm gently stroking her back as he murmured softly: "It's real, I'm right here."

Ruan Suxian said nothing, simply staring at him like that for a long while until her eyes began to smart, before she spoke in a low voice: "I think you treat me better than my mom treats me."

"Is that so? Then you can stick with me from now on." Fu Mingyu spoke indifferently, though his gaze remained fixed on her face. "Sound good?"

Ruan Suxian lowered her head, burrowed into his embrace, slid her hands around his waist, and gripped his clothes tightly until her fingertips turned white.

The television broadcast bustled with lively noise while snow rustled down outside the window.

Among the countless lights illuminating thousands of households tonight, finally one of them was lit for her.

Two hours felt like barely two seconds, passing in the blink of an eye.

The familiar melody sounded from the television, and fireworks bloomed outside the window.

Fu Mingyu stood up, picked up his jacket, and said, "I'm heading out?"

Ruan Suxian still seemed somewhat dazed. Not until she saw him all the way downstairs did she realize she was still wearing slippers, with her heels exposed to the air.

"Go on back up."

Fu Mingyu said, "It's not like I'm never coming back, stop looking so reluctant to part."

"Who's reluctant?" Ruan Suxian waved at him. "Hurry up and go. I only came down to go through the motions anyway, I'm heading up too."

Fu Mingyu gave her a deep look before getting into the car. At the same time, Ruan Suxian stepped into the elevator.

Returning to the apartment and looking at the empty rooms once more, a sudden wave of melancholy washed over her.

Tonight felt like a dream.

The next morning.

[Si Xiaozhen]: Holy crap? He actually came back?

[Bian Xuan]: Are you hallucinating or what?

[Ruan Suxian]: Yeah, I'm hallucinating, so why don't you come over and wash the unwashed dishes in my house.

[Si Xiaozhen]: Crying over the romance of the wealthy. I also want someone to fly a dozen-plus hours just to come back and eat New Year's Eve dinner with me.

[Si Xiaozhen]: And it's a private jet, wuwuwu.

[Bian Xuan]: Alright already, this round was a total win.

[Si Xiaozhen]: Xuan, do you know how to choose now?

[Bian Xuan]: What?

[Si Xiaozhen]: Didn't you say you had a college student and a financial firm boss both pursuing you at the same time, and it was hard to choose?

[Si Xiaozhen]: A 20-year-old naive college student who can bike you around for a spin, versus a 35-year-old CEO who lives in a villa, drives a luxury car, is usually super busy, but can occasionally take a private jet to spend the holidays with you—which one do you pick? Do you know now?

[Bian Xuan]: Sigh, it's not like I'm obsessed with villas and luxury cars; I just think the number 35 looks a lot more pleasing to the eye.

Ruan Suxian chuckled twice reading their exchange, left it without a reply, and boarded her plane.

She knew Fu Mingyu was genuinely busy; even after eating last night, his phone kept ringing nonstop as he sat on the sofa.

She couldn't blame Bian Xuan and Si Xiaozhen for being astonished; she herself had opened her eyes this morning still half-believing last night was a dream.

—If she hadn't discovered a red packet under her pillow.

She clutched that red packet for a long time, figuring there was only one possibility.

[Ruan Suxian]: Did you put a red packet under my pillow?

[Fu Mingyu]: You're only noticing now?

[Ruan Suxian]:?

[Ruan Suxian]: What is the meaning of this?

[Fu Mingyu]: New Year's money.

[Ruan Suxian]: Do you take me for a child?

[Fu Mingyu]: Pretty much.

[Ruan Suxian]: Then the things you did to me are offenses punishable by prison time.

[Fu Mingyu]:...

At the time, Ruan Suxian had held that red packet and grinned like a fool.

Yet after that, it genuinely became difficult for Fu Mingyu to squeeze out the time to return to the country; he even spent the entirety of Valentine's Day in meetings.

Still, a diamond bracelet was personally delivered to her hands by his assistant.

Apart from work, Ruan Suxian also had to prepare for the F3 (Phase 3 Copilot) examination coming up in three months. The complex theoretical written exam and the brutal simulator operations were more than enough to consume all her rest time.

Seeing them like this, Bian Xuan had once asked her tentatively: "You and your boyfriend haven't seen each other in so long, aren't you worried leaving him alone abroad?"

"Is he incapable of taking care of himself or something?"

Ruan Suxian said offhandedly, "Even his mom isn't worried, what do I have to worry about?"

"You know that's not what I mean." Bian Xuan bumped her shoulder. "Don't you know whether your boyfriend is a magnet for attention?"

Ruan Suxian chewed her food twice and suddenly burst out laughing.

"Given his current state, if he has any free time, he'd rather sleep in bed for three days straight. If he actually still has the energy to pull something behind my back, I'd genuinely admire him."

She gave a thumbs-up. "With physical endurance like that, he could rival a turtle in longevity and have zero issues."

Since the main person involved was cracking jokes, Bian Xuan naturally dropped the subject. Glancing at the neighboring table of guys who kept peeking in their direction, she lowered her head and smiled. "You're no saint either. Is your guy not worried about you?"

Ruan Suxian glanced at the young man across the room wearing athletic wear who practically screamed 'college student,' gave a soft hmph, and replied, "President Fu is awfully confident these days."

Having said that, she lowered her head and let out a silent sigh.

Time really crawled painfully slow.

During the May Day holiday, flights were packed. She flew four days consecutively until her flight hours hit the maximum limit, yet her ensuing two days off were wedged tightly with the rescheduled F3 examination.

However, on the morning of the exam, she was informed that due to a shortage of available instructors, the test had to be postponed.

With her plans abruptly disrupted, Ruan Suxian still felt a bit dazed on her way home.

Yet amidst the daze came a trace of happiness.

Since she still had time that morning, she headed home to tidy up briefly, checked the time, and realized it fit perfectly to go watch a newly released movie she had been dying to see but lacked the time for.

It wasn't even nine o'clock yet. That film was only screening in the VIP hall, and moreover, it was the very first showing of the entire cinema. When she clicked in, a little under half the seats were already sold out.

May weather had already grown quite warm, and the spring clothes in her closet had been pared down to just a few long-sleeve items.

Ruan Suxian rarely wore a dress out, and by the time she reached the cinema entrance, the doors had just opened.

After collecting her tickets, with some time to spare, she bought a bucket of popcorn and sat outside to wait.

Since the theater was practically empty, sitting there all by herself made her stand out rather clearly.

Within a few minutes, a pair of sneakers appeared in her line of sight.

Ruan Suxian looked up, startled.

"Senior, what a coincidence."

Holding his movie ticket, Xie Yu looked around. Finding only Ruan Suxian sitting alone, he looked slightly surprised, checked his ticket again, and asked, "Are you watching this movie too?"

"Yeah." Ruan Suxian nodded. "You're by yourself?"

"Mhm, just came out of the lab, um..." Holding a bottle of mineral water, he reconfirmed that no one else was beside Ruan Suxian. "How come you're alone too?"

For a young woman—and a non-single one at that—to come to the movies all by herself early in the morning was indeed rather strange.

Could it be that they broke up??

Just then, the ticket checker announced that the screening was about to begin. Ruan Suxian stood up, heading toward the screening hall while saying, "My boyfriend is overseas."

Xie Yu nodded, walking into the hall alongside Ruan Suxian without saying anything further along the way.

Commercials played inside the auditorium. Although empty, Ruan Suxian instinctively ducked her head as she searched for her seat.

Once seated, the moment she looked up, she locked eyes with Xie Yu right next to her.

"You're sitting here too?"

Half-bent over and yet to sit down, Xie Yu checked the ticket in his hand to confirm he hadn't picked the wrong spot.

"This really is a coincidence."

Ruan Suxian nodded and said nothing more.

Halfway through the film, Xie Yu suddenly recalled something: "Are you heading back to school for the anniversary in September?"

"Huh?" Ruan Suxian swallowed the popcorn in her mouth. "What did you say?"

Xie Yu leaned in closer. "The anniversary in September, did you forget? This year marks the hundred and tenth."

"I genuinely forgot about it amid all the busywork." Ruan Suxian asked, "What about it?"

"Nothing, just asking if you're going. Though you probably won't have the time."

Ruan Suxian smiled and murmured softly, "I don't even know if I'll have free time myself, seeing as I don't exactly work a fixed nine-to-five."

In the back row of the theater, Yan An adjusted his seatback upright, twisted his neck, and suddenly froze in place.

He tapped the drowsy Zheng You'an beside him.

"Wake up."

Zheng You'an brushed his hand away and scooted slightly to the side.

Yan An patted her twice more. "Take a look up front, is that Ruan Suxian?"

Half-asleep, Zheng You'an only registered the name "Ruan Suxian." She opened her eyes lazily and said, "Brother Yan An, bringing up Ruan Suxian right in front of me at a time like this isn't very appropriate, is it?"

"No." Yan An pointed forward. "Look and see if that's her."

Zheng You'an sat up sluggishly and looked in the direction of his finger.

"Huh?"

Approaching noon, Fu Mingyu finally found the time to pull out his phone and check it.

A couple of hours ago, Yan An had sent him a few messages.

One of them was a dark photo taken inside a movie theater.

[Yan An]: Is this your girlfriend?

[Yan An]: Bro, I'm thinking maybe you should go wash your hair and check if the water is running a little colorful?

Fu Mingyu opened the photo for a quick glance, then tossed his phone aside again.

Singapore lay close to the equator, featuring a tropical rainforest climate with endless summer and no winter year-round. May through July were the hottest months of the year—humid, sweltering, and exasperating.

After lunch, Fu Mingyu picked up his phone again, scanned it, and raised an eyebrow.

If his memory served correctly, Ruan Suxian should have been taking her exam this morning.

Yet the person in the photo was indeed her, and as for the guy beside her, his impression of him wasn't particularly faint either.

Yet by this time of day, his girlfriend still hadn't sent him a single message.

Fu Mingyu returned to his office, leaned back in his chair, and forwarded the photo to Ruan Suxian.

[Fu Mingyu]: Little sister, you swap out your company pretty fast.

Two minutes later.

[Ruan Suxian]: ???

[Ruan Suxian]: !!!

[Ruan Suxian]: The ways of heaven really do come full circle!

Fu Mingyu raised an eyebrow slightly, spinning his fountain pen between his fingers.

[Fu Mingyu]: Oh?

[Ruan Suxian]: I said it was pure coincidence that I ended up in the adjacent seat to him when buying tickets, do you believe me?

At that exact moment, Bai Yang walked in carrying two boxes of medicine.

"President Fu." Bai Yang looked down at the instruction sheet and said, "Dr. Leonard changed your prescription; this dosage is a bit stronger."

He placed the medicine on Fu Mingyu's desk. "Will you take it now?"

Fu Mingyu raised his chin. "Leave it there first."

[Fu Mingyu]: Quite a coincidence indeed. Neither you nor I have ever experienced such a coincidence together.

[Ruan Suxian]:...

[Ruan Suxian]: Are you certain there's never been a greater coincidence than this?

[Ruan Suxian]: Do you need me to help refresh your memory?

[Ruan Suxian]: Hmm?

Ruan Suxian was clearly mimicking his usual tone of speech.

Memories of London from several years ago were practically on the verge of blurring entirely. Prompted like this by her, Fu Mingyu let out a soft hmph.

[Fu Mingyu]: I don't care to remember.

He glanced at the medicine on the desk.

[Fu Mingyu]: I feel a bit unwell right now, my head hurts a little.

Ten minutes passed without a reply, and Fu Mingyu had already taken his seat inside the meeting room.

After an entire afternoon of lengthy and dreary meetings, the clock pointed to seven o'clock, while the blazing sun showed no intention of clocking out, still aggressively baking the city.

"President Fu, you haven't taken your medicine yet?"

Bai Yang asked, looking at the unopened box of medicine.

Fu Mingyu opened his eyes, casually picked up the medicine box, tapped out two pills, and swallowed them down with water.

At the same time, he checked his phone; Ruan Suxian still hadn't replied.

Fu Mingyu put down his cup, frowned, and said, "Ask the domestic office what's going on with today's F3 examination."

Bai Yang acknowledged the order, but right as he was about to step out, he turned back to ask, "Are you asking about the overall situation, or the individual situation?"

Fu Mingyu raised an eyebrow.

Bai Yang: "Oh, got it."

After Bai Yang left, Fu Mingyu stood up, picked up his jacket, and stepped out of the office.

Back at the hotel, Bai Yang placed the call.

"This morning, due to a shortage of instructors, some of the copilots' F3 exams were postponed to next week."

"Mhm."

Fu Mingyu hung up, loosened his tie, and looked down at his phone once more.

Miraculously, there was still no reply.

Staring at the screen for a few seconds, Fu Mingyu abruptly ripped off his tie in irritation and tossed it onto the sofa.

He sat down on the sofa, closed his eyes to rest for a moment, only to find his mood growing increasingly foul.

The moment he closed his eyes, her face appeared before him.

Flitting back and forth inside his mind, yet impossible to catch or touch.

He opened his eyes, lit a cigarette, and dialed her number.

Ruan Suxian answered rather quickly.

Fu Mingyu crossed his legs, staring at the slanted sunset outside the window. "You pick up the phone, but you don't reply to messages?"

"Oh," Ruan Suxian said on the other end, "that's because I'm illiterate."

Fu Mingyu fell silent for a moment, narrowing his eyes as his voice turned somewhat heavy and deep: "Ruan—"

"Open the door."

The voice on the other end of the line abruptly cut him off.