A Fit of Rage

Walk the night road long enough, and you're bound to run into a ghost.

That saying didn't quite fit here, but Fu Liangxia inexplicably felt it had a strange resonance with her current predicament.

How could you farm Affinity Points without the occasional crash-and-burn?

"Bro!"

The Fu Haoyao before her looked like he was about to shatter into pieces.

Fu Liangxia had no idea where his anger came from, but her current situation was clearly far from ideal.

Not far ahead was her mandatory target, the one in her hand right now was an optional target, and behind her was a potential partner who was staring at them.

Fu Liangxia told herself to stay calm. This was nothing. Though it looked like she was about to become her own tutee's sister-in-law, it was just a friendly hand-hold—all part of playing a role.

As long as Fu Langshu explained things afterward, they could go back to being pure partners.

Of course, now was definitely not the right time for that.

Fu Liangxia closed the door behind her, cutting off that gaze that wanted to watch the show, and released the man's hand at lightning speed.

But because she moved too fast, it seemed anything but ordinary to onlookers—as if she'd been caught and was feeling guilty.

The platinum-blond youth stood in the hallway, and perhaps because of his mood, his whole presence seemed dimmed, even his rebellious locks drooping.

His gaze still lingered where their hands had been joined, fixed on some point in the air, and it took him a long while to find his voice: "You two... what's going on?"

His voice was rough from shock.

At eighteen, Fu Haoyao had never so much as held a girl's hand. Though he'd finally understood in the past couple of years that "holding hands gets you pregnant" was just a rumor, he still believed holding hands was something only couples did.

After all, it was holding hands.

Fu Liangxia didn't answer—she was just there to help; the question was directed at Fu Langshu anyway.

Fu Langshu let the hand the girl had pulled away fall to his side, the delicate sensation of her skin seemingly still lingering on his fingertips.

At the question, he looked up and cast a calm glance at Fu Haoyao. "Go back first."

His expression was composed, with not a trace of embarrassment—not at all like a man who'd just been caught by his little brother with his brother's tutor and classmate.

If she hadn't seen Fu Langshu's fingertips tremble slightly, Fu Liangxia would've really believed he was as calm and unmoved as he appeared.

What an act.

Was this the thickness of face that came with the business world?

Fu Liangxia suddenly felt she still had room to grow. The moment she'd caught sight of Fu Haoyao, even though nothing had happened between her and Fu Langshu, she'd inexplicably felt like she'd been caught in the act.

Hearing Fu Langshu's words, Fu Haoyao stood rooted to the spot. It was only when Feng Qian patted his shoulder that he snapped back to his senses.

The youth averted his gaze, hung his head slightly, and silently turned to walk back toward the private room.

Behind him, Fu Liangxia and Fu Langshu exchanged a silent look.

The corner of his mouth lifted slightly—a gesture that seemed both a praise for her and a reassurance.

"So, what exactly is going on?" The moment they were back in the private room, Fu Haoyao's question came crashing down. "When did you two get so close? Wasn't yesterday the first time you met?"

Fu Haoyao wasn't sure where this restless anger came from, but seeing them holding hands somehow made him deeply uncomfortable.

It was like a movie made for three, yet he, the linking middleman, didn't even have a name in the credits.

It felt awful.

Frowning, Fu Haoyao sat back in his chair with his legs crossed, staring discontentedly at his brother.

His brother wasn't young anymore—six years older than them—and still pulling this cradle-robbing nonsense. Shameless.

Fu Liangxia sat down in the seat beside him as if nothing had happened and asked, "What did you order?"

Fu Haoyao instinctively handed over the printed receipt.

Then he remembered Fu Langshu hadn't answered him yet, and his eyes snapped back over.

After entering, Fu Langshu hung his coat on the rack by the door, then took the host's seat at a leisurely pace. Receiving his little brother's fierce glare, he chuckled. "Why so worked up?"

He made no move to clarify.

Fu Liangxia: "..."

Easy for you to say—it's not your Affinity Points on the line.

She frowned slightly, unsure what game he was playing.

Fu Haoyao snorted. "Who's worked up? Just asking."

But the System's Affinity Points fluctuation said otherwise—jumping up one, down one, back and forth—a clear sign of the turbulence inside its owner.

"Since it's just asking, let's eat first." Fu Langshu shot him a knowing smile and said lightly.

Fu Liangxia felt the boy beside her go completely stiff, like a volcano on the verge of erupting that had been forcibly capped. His expression was as colorful as a spilled paint palette.

So many emotions could indeed appear on one face at the same time.

Fu Liangxia watched with great amusement.

What a sight to behold.

A man who could be a novel's male lead was truly something special.

At least his expressiveness was worthy of being written about—so rich.

She didn't notice the subtle undercurrent in the room, but Feng Qian silently lowered his head, minding his own business.

The room fell silent, broken only by the soft hum of the central air conditioning.

Cold air blew in from the vent, chilling Fu Liangxia's shoulders.

She couldn't help but shiver slightly, and her entertained expression stiffened.

Who in their right mind keeps the AC on in early autumn?

And on cooling mode, no less?

She cursed inwardly, but just then the door opened and waiters filed in carrying dishes.

And the man at the head of the table had vanished at some point. In the next instant, a broad suit jacket was draped over her shoulders.

It carried no hint of tobacco, only a clean scent of black pepper mingled with sea salt.

A distinctive cologne, much like the man himself—mild and harmless on the surface, but sharp beneath.

Fu Liangxia turned her head to see the man above her arc his dark eyes, the corner of his mouth curving gently as he said, "Wear this for now. I'll have someone turn off the AC."

Listen to that—classic CEO talk. Usually, a club's central AC couldn't be adjusted, and there was no reason to make an exception for one room's guests, let alone turn it off entirely.

Yet the moment Fu Langshu opened his mouth, he simply told them to shut it down.

Gentle, thoughtful, considerate—it almost gave her the illusion that the two of them were truly close.

"BANG—!"

A chair was dragged out with a loud crash, then slammed heavily against the wall.

Startled, Fu Liangxia instinctively looked toward the source of the noise, only to see the youth staring blankly at her and Fu Langshu, his face expressionless.

"..."

What?

She blinked in confusion, then another gust of cold air swept over her, covering her legs—which were bare beneath her skirt—in goosebumps.

Fu Liangxia couldn't suppress a sneeze.

The stare fixed on her faltered, and then the cold-faced youth turned on his heel, threw open the door, and stormed out in long strides.

His back looked both hasty and furious.

He slammed the door with such force that it ricocheted off the wall and swung back before slowly settling in place. The slightly warmer air from the corridor rushed in, and Fu Liangxia felt the chill on her skin lessen by two degrees, prompting a soft sigh of relief.

Then, remembering Fu Haoyao's furious exit, she looked up at Fu Langshu and asked, "Should we go after him? He didn't drive, and this place is pretty remote—there's barely any taxis passing by..."

At her words, the man smiled, resumed his seat, and slipped back into that aloof, distant demeanor: "No need. He'll be back in a moment."

Fu Langshu understood his little brother all too well. At previous banquets, when Fu Haoyao had seen him with his female companions, he'd never once frowned or asked about their relationship.

—Of course, partly because he hadn't done anything intimate with them.

But as a fellow man, Fu Langshu understood all too well what lay behind his brother's anger today.

With Fu Haoyao's emotional intelligence, he probably hadn't even realized he was already developing feelings for Fu Liangxia.

Otherwise, why would he lose his composure so badly as to openly ask what the two of them were to each other?

So young, so easily smitten by a pretty, clever girl.

Fu Langshu let out a quiet laugh inwardly.

"These dishes were all carefully ordered by Xiaoyao today. Have a taste and see if they suit you." At this moment, Fu Langshu sounded like an elder again.

"Alright." Though Fu Liangxia didn't understand why he was so calm, he was his brother, not hers—so she decided to let it go.

But how did Fu Langshu know Fu Haoyao would come back? Did he guess what his brother went out to do?

The thought flickered through her mind, and the next second, she heard the central AC's faint hum abruptly stop, the streams of cold air ceasing.

The central AC had been turned off.

Fu Liangxia thought she knew what Fu Haoyao had gone to do.

She looked up at the now-silent AC, then met Fu Langshu's eyes across the table, receiving a slight nod of confirmation.

Fu Liangxia: "..."

She'd thought he was making a grand rebellious statement with all that racket, but all he'd done was turn off the AC?

Fu Liangxia was speechless. She began to suspect the arrogant, untouchable person she'd met at the start of the semester was a fake Fu Haoyao.

The real him was just a coward who dared not speak his mind and could only punch the air, wasn't he...

Sure enough, before long, the grim-faced youth returned.

Hands in his pockets, scowling, he saw her and declared with full force—

"Still cold?!"

Fu Liangxia: "...Thanks, I'm not cold anymore."

She spoke softly, like soothing a clueless little kid, and at the end, curved her lips into a smile.

She thought she looked like a gentle kindergarten teacher.

But Fu Haoyao just stared at her face, frozen. After a long moment, he seemed to realize something, hastily averted his gaze, and plopped down in a seat as far from her as possible, huffing, "Don't thank me. It's only because you're too weak."

Fu Liangxia fell silent.

She didn't ask for it.

But then, as if remembering the rumor that she'd taken half a year off school due to poor health, Fu Haoyao added awkwardly, "But don't get discouraged. It's not beyond saving—you just need more exercise. A five-kilometer morning run every day..."