Chapter 4

Rose No. 4: Last Night’s Tenderness.

Last night’s torrential rain seemed to have brought the long winter to an end. Tulips were blooming outside the window; spring had truly arrived.

Fu Chaoying sat by the floor-to-ceiling window drinking congee, her composed expression carrying the faintest hint of pleasure.

Aunt Wu was afraid of saying anything that might upset her, so she swallowed the comforting words she had been about to offer and instead smiled. “I haven’t seen Miss Jiayuan in so many years. She’s still so beautiful.”

“How many years has it been?” Fu Chaoying turned to look at her.

“Three years.”

Fu Chaoying thought about it. Ever since she and Ye Yian got together, it seemed Ye Jiayuan had never once set foot in the Fu family home.

Not only Aunt Wu; even the number of times she herself had seen Ye Jiayuan could be counted on one hand.

That made sense. After the elders of the Ye family passed away one after another, she had moved out of the old residence, leaving only Auntie’s family there.

Besides, Ye Jiayuan had always been busy.

Aunt Wu chattered on and on about how attentive and gentle Ye Jiayuan had been last night, and kept hinting that she should spend more time with her.

A mischievous glint passed through Fu Chaoying’s eyes. Of course she would spend more time with Ye Jiayuan; after all, she still had to do some interesting things with her.

Otherwise, life would be far too dull.

After breakfast, Fu Chaoying went out to negotiate with Ye Yian.

She got straight to the point and produced the financial documents related to Chaoying Art Museum.

Ye Yian’s eyes lifted at once, surprise and shock flashing across them. “When did you investigate this?”

“Ye Yian, I suspected a long time ago that you were cheating on me,” Fu Chaoying said calmly, as if stating a fact that had nothing to do with her.

She didn’t look at Ye Yian’s reaction. Instead, she handed the relevant matters over to Shen Guannan to discuss with her.

With the evidence laid out in front of her, Ye Yian naturally softened. She promised to make up the unpaid taxes in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Fu Chaoying then discussed the follow-up arrangements with her, including that once the taxes were made up and the accounts cleared, Ye Yian would be removed as the legal representative of Chaoying Art Museum; naturally, this also included the change in equity.

This was what she cared about most.

She did not want the rights to manage her own work to remain in someone else’s hands.

The negotiation went unusually smoothly.

“Also,” Fu Chaoying said slowly, her tone calm, “you won’t be allowed to take any new endorsements in the clothing category in the future, and you’re not to renew any contracts either.”

The smile on Ye Yian’s lips froze instantly.

She thought of how Ah Ying had recently been discussing a collaboration with a high-end formalwear brand, and suddenly understood—

Was Ah Ying even going to take away the slim chance that she might wear a gown designed by her?

Ye Yian took a deep breath. “All right.”

Fu Chaoying didn’t need to look to know how awful Ye Yian’s expression must be now; among all her endorsements, clothing made up the largest share, and it was also the main source of her endorsement income.

Once the terms were set, the lawyers from both sides went to another private room to finalize the agreement.

Fu Chaoying stood up, intending to go to the public area to read, when a low voice came from behind her. “Ah Ying.”

Ye Yian’s voice had always been bright and easygoing, but at that moment it was wrapped in an unmistakable bitterness.

Fu Chaoying did not turn around, only left behind one sentence: “My name is Fu Chaoying. Please call me by my full name from now on.”

Ye Yian’s gaze darkened sharply, her voice trembling slightly. “I hold 5% of Xingye International’s shares.”

Based on the average stock price over the past year, those 5% were no small amount.

Fu Chaoying stopped walking and waited for her to continue.

“I’ll give you half of my shares.” Ye Yian stared at her back, her tone carrying an unprecedented seriousness.

Ye Yian owned 5%; half of that was 2.5%.

Fu Chaoying had not expected her to be this generous, and Ye Yian had not expected Fu Chaoying to actually agree—

“Fine. What are the conditions?”

Ye Yian lowered her eyes, her voice hoarse. “Let’s find a suitable time to tell my family and the outside world that we broke up peacefully.”

Ye Yian knew Fu Chaoying too well. She knew Fu Chaoying valued dignity above all and would not say a single extra word in public.

But if her family found out that she had treated Fu Chaoying badly, she would be finished.

“All right.” Fu Chaoying answered lightly, as if agreeing to a trivial condition.

Pain shot through Ye Yian’s heart. With how calm and untroubled she seemed now, she must have gone through a long period of struggle and self-restraint, hadn’t she?

Her nose suddenly stung; guilt flooded her chest.

Ye Yian wanted to look at her again, but Fu Chaoying had already turned and headed toward the small courtyard outside the café.

Fu Chaoying had almost reached the door when her wrist was suddenly seized.

“Ah Ying, if you’re willing to give me one more chance, I definitely won’t let you down.” Ye Yian’s voice was filled with a seriousness and pleading she had never shown before.

“But I don’t want you anymore,” Fu Chaoying said softly, her tone so calm it was as if she were speaking to a stranger.

In the years Ye Yian had never noticed, she had already given her too many chances. It was Ye Yian who had failed to treasure them.

Fu Chaoying shook off her hand, only to be grabbed again.

Ye Yian knew that if she let go this time, she would lose Ah Ying forever.

Maybe in the not-too-distant future, Ah Ying would belong to someone else, completely and utterly.

At that moment, overwhelming regret and guilt surged through her heart.

In fact, from the moment Ah Ying had told her to “get lost” last night, she had already regretted it.

“Let go.” Fu Chaoying yanked free with force and turned to walk out.

She kept walking without stopping, leaving Ye Yian’s sobbing trapped behind the door.

Her gaze fell on the lush greenery and the leaves whipping wildly in the wind outside the glass door.

Early spring was bright and clear. Suddenly, she felt that her life should be like this weather; radiant and brilliant.

It was time to step into the sunlight and go see those blossoms.

*

Breaking up with Ye Yian felt like cutting out a malignant tumor.

After signing the agreement, Fu Chaoying spent an entire peaceful afternoon at home.

She stared blankly at the sunset and the tulips outside the window, suddenly wanting to paint a picture. But just as she was about to begin, she received a call from Auntie.

“Xiao Ying, tomorrow is your Aunt Chu’s birthday. Don’t forget, okay?”

Chu Yiyun was Ye Jiayuan and Ye Yian’s mother.

Fu Chaoying obediently agreed, but she didn’t start choosing a gift.

She and Ye Yian had “peacefully” broken up on their anniversary yesterday; the elders in both families still didn’t know.

Naturally, she didn’t want to show up at that kind of occasion and play along with Ye Yian in that embarrassing performance.

After hanging up, Fu Chaoying returned to her desk. By then, the last light of sunset had almost faded, and the deep blue of night was spread before her eyes.

Her creative mood and inspiration were still intact, untouched in the slightest.

Fu Chaoying turned the sign outside the studio door to the side marked “In Session,” then returned to her desk and immersed herself in painting.

When she finished, she placed the piece under a warm lamp and studied it carefully, nodding in satisfaction. Just as she lifted her hand to post on Moments, she suddenly remembered she still hadn’t blocked Ye Yian.

Fu Chaoying set Ye Yian to “chat only,” then posted a photo and some text.

She rarely posted on Moments, so when she did, quite a few friends, classmates, and teachers messaged her, asking when she had learned oil painting and praising how well she painted in oils.

Fu Chaoying didn’t reply. She just opened the little red circle showing “99+” on Moments and went straight into the post details page, scanning the densely packed avatars at a glance—

No Ye Jiayuan.

Fu Chaoying opened the comments, but there was even less chance of finding her there.

Unconsciously, Fu Chaoying brushed her lips, then suddenly thought of last night’s kiss.

And then she thought it was funny; it had only been a drunken kiss.

She had been out of her mind, and the other party had been caught off guard.

Most likely, there was no romance in it at all.

But that almost dazed look in her eyes...

Had she seen it wrong?

Fu Chaoying shook her head lightly.

The next day was the birthday banquet for Ye Jiayuan’s mother, Chu Yiyun.

At four in the afternoon, Fu Chaoying called Chu Yiyun to apologize, saying she had suddenly felt dizzy and had asked a doctor to come to the house.

To avoid giving herself away, she really did call a family doctor.

Chu Yiyun was uneasy and even video-called the doctor to ask about her condition.

The doctor had worked with the Fu family for many years, so naturally his answers were flawless.

Chu Yiyun said she wanted to send Ye Yian over to take care of her. Fu Chaoying repeatedly declined, her tone obedient yet firm.

After finally getting through that, Fu Chaoying was at last free and looked out the window.

The sunlight was just right now—not too bright, but enough for her to clearly see the words in her book.

Fu Chaoying sat quietly by the floor-to-ceiling window reading.

“Xiao Ying, what do you want to eat tonight?”

Every day, Aunt Wu’s most important task was making sure she had her three meals.

Fu Chaoying smiled. “I want McDonald’s.”

Aunt Wu looked at her smiling face and agreed over and over. “Sure, sure. What do you want to order?”

Fu Chaoying blinked and deliberately acted cute. “A kids’ meal.”

Aunt Wu choked for a moment, but still answered gently, “All right.”

Half an hour later, the doorbell rang in the courtyard. Fu Chaoying thought the delivery had arrived and got up to meet it.

But in the layered sunset, she saw Ye Jiayuan.

She was wearing a blue casual outfit, which made her seem a little warmer than the black business suits she wore on ordinary days.

But when she looked over, her gaze was still cool and restrained, as if everything from last night had been nothing more than an accident.

Fu Chaoying’s breath caught. Shouldn’t she be at her mother’s birthday banquet right now?

“Xiao Ying.”

The moment Ye Jiayuan spoke, Fu Chaoying was already pressing a hand to her forehead, pretending to feel hot and dizzy. Then she said, “Sister Jiayuan, why are you here?”

Before she could finish, Ye Jiayuan had reached out to touch her.

Fu Chaoying instinctively shrank back, but Ye Jiayuan still felt her temperature.

The instant her fingers brushed hers, Fu Chaoying’s heartbeat quickened slightly.

“If you’re not feeling well, come back to the old residence with me.” Ye Jiayuan’s voice remained cool, carrying an unmistakable note of refusal.

Fu Chaoying immediately understood that there was only one possibility for Ye Jiayuan’s sudden visit—

The elders of both families had found out she had broken up with Ye Yian, and naturally guessed the real reason she had missed today’s banquet.

So sending Ye Jiayuan to pick her up wasn’t unreasonable at all.

After hearing her guess, Ye Jiayuan nodded slightly, a trace of barely visible amusement flashing in her eyes.

Wasn’t Ye Yian a professional actress? How could her acting be this bad... Fu Chaoying grumbled inwardly.

She was about to turn around and tell Aunt Wu, when she heard from behind her—

“The kids’ meal is here?”

Fu Chaoying kept a straight face. “It’s Sister Jiayuan. I’m going to the Ye family house with her for a while.”

Ye Jiayuan gave Aunt Wu a slight nod, then turned and got into the car.

The same Bentley, the one equipped with aviation seats.

Ye Jiayuan seemed very busy; once she got in, she kept reading documents and replying to messages.

That reminded Fu Chaoying of when she had stayed at the Ye family home as a child. Ye Jiayuan had always been reading then too, and had never liked playing with them.

But they had only shared such intimate contact last night.

And yet the Ye Jiayuan before her now was completely different from the one from the previous night. She was composed and at ease; she acted as if no one else existed.

As if the tenderness of last night had been nothing but a dream.

Fu Chaoying pressed her lips together and closed her eyes to rest.

Barely two seconds later, she heard Ye Jiayuan ask, “You still like kids’ meals?”

Fu Chaoying’s eyes flew open. A little embarrassed, but not trying to hide it, she said, “I want to try going back to childhood.”

She tilted her head to look at the setting sun outside the window.

She understood that life was a journey of constant westward travel; the final result was “After crossing Yang Pass, no old friend remains.”[1]

So she kept stopping; stopping at the house she had lived in as a child, stopping at the tastes she had loved as a child. As if doing that would let her stay in childhood.[2]

Ye Jiayuan was silent for a long moment. Fu Chaoying thought she probably found such a childish idea hard to understand.

Fu Chaoying curved her lips without much expectation, only to hear her say softly, “I remember you liked Pizza Hut when you were little.”

Not McDonald’s.

Fu Chaoying froze for a moment, then laughed softly. “Sister Jiayuan really has a good memory.”

She even remembered such a tiny detail.

“Pizza Hut was too far away.”

Fu Chaoying’s voice was soft, touched with a hint of nostalgia.

Ye Jiayuan said nothing after that.

But Fu Chaoying couldn’t help turning to look at her; her gaze brushed over her lips, and for no reason at all, she thought of last night’s kiss.

Ye Jiayuan suddenly turned her head. Before Fu Chaoying could look away, she saw those red lips part and close.

“How did you end up painting oils?”

So she had seen the post.

A strange joy rose in Fu Chaoying’s chest, followed by confusion—

If she saw it, why didn’t she like it?!

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[1] Quoted from Bilibili creator “Jiaosha_Fishdog” in Summer, Death, and a Chaotic Daydream: “Life is a journey of constant westward travel; the final result is ‘After crossing Yang Pass, no old friend remains.’”

[2] Adapted from Bilibili creator “Jiaosha_Fishdog” in Summer, Death, and a Chaotic Daydream: “So I really want to stay, stay beside Grandma and give her a hug, stay at Grandma’s house. It feels like that would let me stay in childhood.”

———

Author’s Note:

I really love the way this creator speaks; they sound like an immortal sister (not really).

Also: there may be an extra update tomorrow [hug][hug]