Blossom through the Cloud - Chapter 74

Chapter 74

Fu Mingyu turned around to look at the hotel room door, seemingly in sheer disbelief.

"What did you say?"

"It seems my boyfriend isn't just exhausted, he's also gone deaf."

On the other end of the phone, the moment Ruan Suxian finished speaking, the doorbell rang immediately.

The cigarette ash on his fingertip suddenly dropped, stray sparks cascading down onto the back of his hand—

Ruan Suxian stood at the doorway, leaning against her luggage case to give her aching legs a moment of relief.

Had she known his hotel suite was this massive—requiring three elevator rides and the passage through countless long corridors just to get from the main entrance to here—she never would have worn high heels.

Yet the person inside still refused to come open the door.

"Is he hiding another woman in there?" Ruan Suxian raised her hand, preparing to knock directly. "I'll give you five seconds. One, two, three—"

The door in front of her suddenly swung open. Ruan Suxian's hand froze suspended in mid-air as she locked eyes with Fu Mingyu.

Huh?

Where was the imagined ecstatic joy?

Where was the anticipated overwhelming delight?

Why was there not a single trace of expression on his face?

Was he not happy?

Was he not surprised?

Fu Mingyu simply stared at her, his gaze obscure and unreadable, his lips pressed tightly together.

Ruan Suxian frowned, just about to speak, when her arm was suddenly seized in a tight grip and she was yanked inside the room. With her other hand clinging desperately to her luggage case, she collided against the wall with a dull thud. Amidst a few rapid, heavy bangs and the sound of the door slamming shut with tremendous force, everything happened in the blink of an eye. Before she could even steady her footing, Fu Mingyu had already pinned her against the door, crashing down upon her in a fierce kiss.

Today, he wasn't gentle in the slightest. He was intense and overbearing, holding her waist with a grip that felt as though he might snap her in half.

Her breath was stolen away bit by bit. Her limbs could not relax at all, growing increasingly tense instead.

Ruan Suxian gripped his shirt tightly with both hands. Every single gasp was swallowed up, leaving only muffled moans escaping from deep within her throat to echo in the surrounding air—ambiguous, heavy, and drenched in heat.

"Mhm..." Her fingertips dug into Fu Mingyu's shoulders with a bit of force, allowing her voice to finally squeeze thinly through their intertwined lips. "My feet hurt."

The moment she finished speaking, her entire body suddenly lifted into the air. Fu Mingyu supported her by the waist, picked her up, turned, and set her down on the desk.

Before she had a chance to catch her breath, he braced his hands against the desk on either side of her and leaned down once more, pressing heavily against her.

The room's air conditioning was set very low, and the desk felt ice-cold. That chill crept up along the back of Ruan Suxian's thighs, intertwining with Fu Mingyu's scorching, lingering breath, quickly draining the last vestiges of strength from her body.

The shadows of the setting sun quietly slipped away from the room. Just as Ruan Suxian's consciousness was about to sink into oblivion, she suddenly felt Fu Mingyu's hand slide down her calf and pull off her shoes.

A pair of exquisite, slender high heels were tossed casually onto the carpet, infusing the entire room's romantic atmosphere with a distinct tinge of raw desire.

How much time had passed, no one knew. The daylight had completely dissolved, and a dim, twilight glow half-hidden itself as it spilled across the room, finally bringing a sense of tranquil steadiness.

Fu Mingyu gave Ruan Suxian's lips one final, lingering nibble, slipped his arm beneath the bend of her knees, and carried her over to sit on the sofa.

Yet Ruan Suxian wanted to curse.

She lay half-reclined in Fu Mingyu's embrace, barefoot, her dress splayed out in a mess. The hair she had meticulously styled before entering the room was completely unraveled, and even her newly purchased lipstick had been thoroughly kissed away.

As for Fu Mingyu, he was methodically wiping the smudged lipstick from his mouth with the pad of his thumb.

Anyone witnessing this sight would know she had come to visit her boyfriend; someone unaware would think she had just been utterly ravaged in a foreign land.

She raised her eyes to look at Fu Mingyu, a hazy layer of moisture still shimmering within her pupils.

"Hey."

Fu Mingyu reached out to rub her ankle, offering a low, affirmative "Mhm."

Ruan Suxian kicked her legs slightly. "Is this how you welcome me?"

"Mhm?" Fu Mingyu lowered his gaze to look at her. "I thought you were enjoying yourself quite a bit."

Enjoying...

My foot.

Ruan Suxian let out a muffled groan.

In her imagination, when she suddenly appeared after traveling thousands of miles, he should have opened his arms to catch her as she came running toward him, embracing her in the setting sun while her skirt fluttered like a soaring butterfly.

—A proper, artistic romance film.

Yet he had brutally shoved her against the door without a single word of warning, staging an entirely different kind of adult film.

—Or at least the prelude to one.

"Why did you suddenly come here?"

While continuing to massage her ankle, Fu Mingyu asked in a low voice.

Because I missed you, obviously.

That sentence was right on the tip of her tongue, but upon second thought, she turned her head away, twirled a lock of her hair around her finger, and said offhandedly, "I was just passing by."

"Passing by?"

Fu Mingyu tilted his head, leaning down to look at her as his hand slid upward from her ankle. "Then would you like to leave something behind?"

"You—" Ruan Suxian felt a jolt run through her entire body and kicked out to shove him away. "Are you even human?!"

Fu Mingyu restrained her thrashing movements, buried his face against her, and chuckled softly. "Have you eaten?"

Ruan Suxian snapped back irritably, "What do you think? I literally just stepped off a plane."

"Then should I take you out to eat?"

"No, I don't want to move."

"Alright." Fu Mingyu reached out and picked up his phone from the desk. "I'll have room service send something up."

"Then I'm going to get up and take a shower." Ruan Suxian struggled to sit up. "Singapore is so hot; I worked up a sweat the moment I got off the plane."

"Don't move." Fu Mingyu pulled her back down into his arms. "Let me hold you a little longer."

The beams of the streetlights, mingled with the colorful hues of neon signs, flowed quietly through the room, casting dancing, flickering shadows across Ruan Suxian's face like phantoms.

Fu Mingyu didn't speak. He rested his chin on her forehead, his palm gently stroking Ruan Suxian's back.

How many times had he wished to hold her like this, only to be reduced to hearing her voice through a phone screen? She always felt so close yet so far away, leaving his embrace agonizingly empty.

It was only at this very moment that Ruan Suxian felt, through the warmth of his aura, the true and overwhelming intensity of his attachment.

"Did you..." Ruan Suxian reached out to touch his chin. "...miss me a lot?"

Her tone was breezy, sounding like a casual passing question.

Fu Mingyu didn't deny it. "Mhm."

"How much?"

Fu Mingyu lowered his gaze to look at her eyelashes, which were thick enough to cast a shadow across her lower eyelids.

The person in his arms was a very tangible, undeniable reality right now.

"Every waking thought and dream."

Ruan Suxian suddenly bit her lip and pinched his chin with a bit of force.

"I suspect this is a wet dream."

Fu Mingyu paused for a second before letting out a low laugh.

"You can interpret it that way if you like."

He tightened his grip around her. "After all, in dreams, there's no need to exercise any restraint."

"..."

The doorbell rang at that exact moment. Ruan Suxian broke free from his hold, moved to the other side of the sofa, and kicked him with her foot.

"Go get the food."

Fu Mingyu glanced at her, propped his leg up, and unlocked the door using the remote control.

The hotel butler, accompanied by a waiter pushing a cart, walked inside and arranged the dinner dishes one by one on the table.

Once they stepped back outside, Fu Mingyu stood up and crooked his finger at Ruan Suxian.

"Time to eat."

Ruan Suxian hopped down from the sofa barefoot. Catching the scent of food, a sudden surge of energy hit her, and she skipped over eagerly.

As she passed the desk, something caught her eye. She glanced over and stopped dead in her tracks.

"What is this?" Ruan Suxian picked up a medicine bottle. "Are you sick?"

The label was covered in specialized English medical terminology, none of which she could decipher.

"Mhm." Fu Mingyu sat down at the dining table. "A cold."

Ruan Suxian walked over and pressed the back of her hand against his forehead. "No wonder I thought you felt burning hot today. Are you running a fever?"

Fu Mingyu caught her hand and pulled her down to sit beside him. "It's not that serious, just a minor issue."

Just a bit of a headache and a lack of appetite.

As for feeling burning hot, though—

Which man kissing his girlfriend wouldn't run hot?

Fu Mingyu scooped a bowl of rice and handed it to Ruan Suxian. "When are you flying back?"

"Tomorrow noon flight."

Ruan Suxian bit down on her chopsticks and glanced at him. "By the way, who sent you that photo today?"

Fu Mingyu tossed his phone over to her.

"Yan An?" Ruan Suxian blinked. "He's quite cultured, going to the movies bright and early in the morning."

"Weren't you quite cultured yourself?" Fu Mingyu sneered.

Ruan Suxian pouted and said defensively, "I... I had booked a noon flight anyway, and since I was bored in the morning, I figured I'd go catch a movie to pass the time."

"Mhm." Fu Mingyu simply poured himself a bowl of soup, acknowledged her remark, and said nothing more.

Seeing that he hadn't even picked up his chopsticks, Ruan Suxian asked, "Aren't you eating?"

"Just soup is fine," Fu Mingyu said. "I have no appetite."

Ruan Suxian paused. "Is your stomach acting up again?"

"A little."

Ruan Suxian put down her chopsticks, stared at the spread of food, and pondered for a moment before suggesting, "Should I have some porridge sent up for you?"

Fu Mingyu set down his soup bowl and replied calmly, "No need, I can't eat. Stop talking and just eat your meal."

His expression was composed, one hand propping up his chin, looking somewhat sickly.

Ruan Suxian got up, poured a glass of warm water, and said, "Then take your medicine."

Complying as if completing a chore, Fu Mingyu took the medicine and even raised an eyebrow at her—

After finishing her meal, Ruan Suxian set down her chopsticks, wiped her mouth with quiet elegance, and announced, "I'm stuffed."

Fu Mingyu stood up, straightened his cuffs, and said, "I'll take you out for a walk."

"I didn't bring flat shoes." Ruan Suxian dangled her legs back and forth beneath the table. "My feet hurt."

Without a word, Fu Mingyu simply picked up his phone and made a call.

Shortly after, someone delivered a brand-new pair of women's flat shoes.

Ruan Suxian looked at the shoes and sighed.

"It really is nice to be rich."

Walking down the street in those shoes, she felt as though every single step she took was being ceremoniously supported by an entourage of royal attendants.

As the evening heat dissipated, occasional gusts of cool breeze swept through.

The hotel where Fu Mingyu stayed was located in the Central Business District, surrounded by towering skyscrapers. Finding the world of steel and concrete rather uninspiring, they decided to take a stroll around Merlion Park instead.

Ruan Suxian linked her arm through Fu Mingyu's, dragging her steps out as slowly as possible in a futile attempt to stretch time.

"Once I finish my F3 exams next week, I'll be training for plateau route qualifications." A child ran past them, nearly tripping, and Ruan Suxian instinctively reached out to steady them. "I want to fly longer routes."

However, to qualify for plateau routes, one had to undergo theoretical training, simulator checks, and route checks—it was by no means easier than a rating exam.

"You certainly stay busy," Fu Mingyu remarked. "Never a single day of rest."

"Well, I want a pay raise, obviously."

"Did you already spend the bonus I gave you last time?"

"As if, it's sitting in savings." Ruan Suxian twitched her brow ever so slightly. "The longer the digits in my bank account grow, the safer I feel."

Fu Mingyu let out a soft hmph.

Though the evening breeze in the park was pleasant, it was still summer after all, and Ruan Suxian soon felt sticky all over again.

Back at the hotel, she prepared to take a shower, but needed to remove her makeup first.

"Why don't you shower first?" Ruan Suxian pulled her jars and bottles out of her luggage case without looking back. "I'll need to shower too after I take my makeup off."

Fu Mingyu acknowledged the suggestion and went ahead.

Half an hour later, he emerged from the bathroom to find Ruan Suxian sitting on the sofa, bare-faced, with a thoroughly disgruntled expression.

"What's wrong?"

Ruan Suxian coughed in embarrassment. "I forgot to pack my pajamas."

Fu Mingyu raised an eyebrow. "And?"

And?

And what?!

Ruan Suxian lowered her voice and emphasized every word: "I forgot to pack my pajamas!"

He tossed back an unbothered reply: "Then don't wear any."

"Fu Mingyu, do you hear yourself? Are you speaking human words?"

Ruan Suxian crossed her arms. "Fine, then I won't sleep at all. You can just watch me die of exhaustion right here."

As Fu Mingyu walked toward the sofa, something seemed to click in his mind. He turned around and headed back toward the bedroom. "I'll go find you something."

Huh?

Ruan Suxian turned around, leaning over the back of the sofa to watch him.

"You have women's pajamas in here? Fu Mingyu, did you do something behind my back? Confess right now and I'll grant you a clean corpse, otherwise tomorrow you'll make the local Singapore news: 'Chinese Man Murdered in Hotel, Horrific Crime Scene, Dies With Eyes Wide O—'"

Before she could finish, a crisp white shirt was tossed right in front of her.

"Put it on."

"..."

Ruan Suxian stared blankly at Fu Mingyu, disbelief written all over her face.

"Fu Mingyu, I think you're genuinely a bit perverted."

"How am I perverted?" Fu Mingyu chuckled. "This shirt is big enough to double as a dress for you; it's loose and comfortable. How is it not suitable as pajamas?"

"I'm not wearing it."

"Then there's nothing else."

"Call someone and have them deliver a set for me, just like they did earlier."

"My dear girl, look at what time it is. Aren't people allowed to clock out and go home?"

"You—"

Fu Mingyu walked over to the desk, checked the time, and took his medication again as prescribed by the doctor.

After washing it down with water, he tilted his head back, closed his eyes, and pinched the bridge of his nose.

Watching his frail, sickly appearance, Ruan Suxian couldn't help curving her lips into a smile.

Stinky man, all bark and no bite, lacking strength, yet full of dirty tricks.

"Fine then."

She grabbed the shirt and walked into the bathroom.

When the sound of running water started up inside, Fu Mingyu glanced back. Through the frosted glass, a slender, graceful silhouette was vaguely cast.

He lowered his gaze. Resting on the desk before him was a route maintenance support proposal from the Singapore operation's mechanical engineering department.

By the time he finished carefully reviewing the proposal, Ruan Suxian emerged from the bathroom.

The white shirt was oversized, hanging loosely over her frame. The curves of her upper body were faintly discernible, and the hem fell just low enough to barely graze the top of her thighs.

Keeping her hands behind her back, she tiptoed quietly over to Fu Mingyu's desk, leaned down, and propped her chin on her hands.

"Director Fu."

Fu Mingyu glanced at her with a cool, indifferent gaze and didn't respond.

"Darling." Ruan Suxian reached out to tug at his sleeve. "Are we going to sleep or what?"

Fu Mingyu turned a page of his document and still ignored her.

Ruan Suxian smiled brightly, tilting her head. "Still working?"

"What is it you want?" Fu Mingyu cast a breezy, detached glance down at her.

"I saw that you didn't eat much, haven't rested properly, and even took medicine, so I wanted to invite you to go to bed early."

Though she smiled sweetly with her face, her bare foot under the table gently brushed against his shin.

Yet Fu Mingyu showed no reaction whatsoever, simply turning his head to look at her. Under the floor lamp beside the desk, his dark gaze was heavy and inscrutable.

Ruan Suxian scoffed inwardly.

So much for all that bravado when he was actually running on empty. Why try to act tough?

She took two steps back, leaned back against the sofa, stretched one leg out straight while bending the other halfway.

"Such a hard worker, burning the midnight oil like this."

With that, she flipped her hem up slightly, struck an exaggerated pose, and turned toward the bedroom. "I'm going to sleep then."

"Wait."

A deep, hoarse voice suddenly echoed from behind.

Hearing that tone, Ruan Suxian's heart sank a beat.

Before she could turn around, she was scooped up horizontally and placed right onto the office desk.

The pens and papers scattered across the desk were swept away, hitting the carpet with a dull thud.

Catching the burning intensity in his eyes, Ruan Suxian instinctively leaned back.

Fu Mingyu braced his hands on the desk on either side of her, leaning in close.

Ruan Suxian swallowed hard, her ears starting to burn.

Fu Mingyu's eyes burned with a profound depth as he stared fixedly at her, his Adam's apple bobbing.

Ruan Suxian's breathing grew ragged, and her fingers gripped the edge of the desk for dear life.

Damn it!

Wasn't he supposed to be out of commission?!-

That night, Ruan Suxian fully understood the meaning of shooting oneself in the foot.

And never, ever judge a man's explosive drive when his primal instincts are triggered based on a simple illness.

The documents scattered beneath the desk, the messy clothes strewn across the sofa, the handprints smudged on the bathroom mirror...

In the end, Ruan Suxian lay curled up in bed like a dried shrimp.

Her hair was damp with sweat, clinging uncomfortably to her cheeks, yet she lacked the energy to even twitch.

Fu Mingyu intended to carry her to the bathroom for a shower. He leaned down, lifting the edge of the duvet, but the moment his hand brushed against Ruan Suxian's shoulder, she frowned and hissed: "Get lost!"

"..."

"What's wrong with you?"

Fu Mingyu paused for a moment, keeping his hand on her shoulder as a hint of amusement crept into his voice. "Weren't you the one asking for it beforehand, and now you're telling me to get lost?"