Chapter 49: Shelter [Extra Update Included]

“Do you want me to take you to work? I’m headed that way anyway.”

Before the words had even fully faded, Fu Chaoying turned to look at Ye Jiayuan. After a two-second silence, she said, “Thank you for the kind offer, Sister Jiayuan, but I still have to drop my sister off at school.”

“Together?” A faint, almost imperceptible smile flickered through Ye Jiayuan’s brows and eyes as her gaze shifted to Fu Chaohua.

Sensing the subtle tension between the two, Fu Chaohua instinctively rubbed the bridge of her nose and gave an awkward laugh. “Uh, I can take the subway. You don’t need to worry about me.”

Ye Jiayuan smiled lightly. “I happen to be heading back to Nanda for something.”

Fu Chaohua couldn’t really refuse. She looked back at Fu Chaoying, only to see her sister smiling faintly as well. “Then thanks, Sister Jiayuan.”

Fu Chaoying walked to the passenger seat and was just about to open the door when she saw Ye Jiayuan stride straight toward the driver’s side.

Fu Chaoying was slightly startled and blurted out, “What about Liu Xin?”

Ye Jiayuan turned to look at her, the corners of her lips lifting. “She’s gone back to Hong Kong.”

Flustered, Fu Chaoying quickly looked away and lifted a hand to open the front passenger door.

If Ye Jiayuan was driving and they all sat in the back, that would be far too rude. Fu Chaoying thought.

Fu Chaohua sat in the back seat, glancing back and forth between their side profiles, her lips tugging upward despite herself. How had she never noticed before that these two were so well matched?

When Ye Jiayuan still hadn’t started the car, Fu Chaoying glanced back as if it were nothing. Their eyes met, and Ye Jiayuan’s seemed gentler than usual.

Before Fu Chaoying could look away, Ye Jiayuan asked, “Did you bring an umbrella? It looks like it might rain today.”

Fu Chaoying had just been about to say there was an umbrella in her car when, with lightning speed, Ye Jiayuan smoothly backed out of the parking space. Then came a casual remark: “It’s fine. I’ll pick you up after work this afternoon. You won’t need an umbrella.”

?

She did that on purpose!! Fu Chaoying turned her head, but the corners of her lips still curved up in secret.

Fu Chaohua couldn’t help letting out a soft laugh at the exchange.

Fu Chaoying pressed her lips together, took a deep breath, then shifted her gaze and asked, “Sister Jiayuan, you don’t have any work in Hong Kong?”

“There’s Qu Jingyuan over there.” Ye Jiayuan turned her head to look at her, amusement faintly gathering at the corners of her brows.

Fu Chaoying noticed it out of the corner of her eye but didn’t look back. Then she saw Ye Jiayuan raise a hand and start playing music.

This time it wasn’t “Love-ing,” but a gentle, soothing melody.

Fu Chaoying listened to the music, but the occasional sideways glances from the person beside her made it impossible for her to close her eyes.

Ye Jiayuan dropped Fu Chaohua off at the Nanda gate. Fu Chaohua got out cheerfully and said, “If there’s any event, just call me anytime, okay? I’m very free.”

Ye Jiayuan gave a slight nod. “Of course.”

Fu Chaoying looked away, assuming her cousin was trying to spare the two of them some awkwardness by taking the initiative.

Less than two seconds later, she received a WeChat message from Fu Chaohua: 【Don’t you think Sister Jiayuan seems a little different today?】

Fu Chaoying sent back an emoji, put her phone away, and kept looking out the window. Then she heard Ye Jiayuan ask, “Has your sister gotten together with Dong Muyu?”

Fu Chaoying gave a soft “Mm.” “Almost, I think.”

Before the words had even faded, she heard Ye Jiayuan let out a quiet sigh.

This was the first time Fu Chaoying had heard her sigh so clearly. She instinctively turned to look at her.

Ye Jiayuan seemed to be frowning slightly, but her expression as she looked ahead was serious and focused.

Fu Chaoying looked away again before turning back, lowering her eyes as she said, “You don’t need to stay in Nanyan just because of this.”

Ye Jiayuan gave a low “Mm.” “We happened to be discussing this project yesterday. Coming back to inspect it is work-related.”

“Oh.” Fu Chaoying answered softly.

Ye Jiayuan’s brows and eyes curved with a hint of a smile. “It was supposed to be Qu Jingyuan’s job; I took it from her.”

“Oh.” Fu Chaoying turned her head away, only to have her hair gently patted.

Before Fu Chaoying could react, Ye Jiayuan had already withdrawn her hand without leaving a trace.

Fu Chaoying had no way to deal with her; she only glanced sideways at her once, then looked away again.

Everything about her seemed to burn to ashes whenever she faced Ye Jiayuan.

Fu Chaoying pressed her lips together, feeling an inexplicable unease.

She had a natural filter when it came to Ye Jiayuan; after truly being with her as a girlfriend, it was anything but easy to stop. She couldn’t refuse Ye Jiayuan, nor could she resist her touch.

Fu Chaoying let out a nearly imperceptible sigh and said nothing more, only to see Ye Jiayuan pull over by the roadside.

“Wait for me two minutes,” Ye Jiayuan said in a low voice, then got out briskly.

Fu Chaoying’s gaze followed her involuntarily and saw her walk into a flower shop on the street. A few seconds later, she came out holding a bouquet of roses and headed back toward the car.

Fu Chaoying quickly looked away, only to see Ye Jiayuan get back in and hand the bouquet over. “Miss Fu, good morning.”

Fu Chaoying couldn’t help turning to look at her, only to find that Ye Jiayuan’s eyes seemed to hold endless tenderness, attachment, and warmth. “Love should begin with a bouquet of flowers. Sorry, I overlooked that before.”

Fu Chaoying felt, inexplicably, a sting in her nose. She took the flowers from her. “Thank you.”

Ye Jiayuan’s gaze swept over the faint redness at the corners of her eyes; a trace of heartache flashed in her own eyes, and then she drove toward Fu Chaoying’s company.

Fu Chaoying inhaled the scent of the roses in her arms. Ye Jiayuan must have ordered them in advance; otherwise, those few seconds she stopped wouldn’t even have been enough time to scan and pay.

Ye Jiayuan had already calculated that Fu Chaoying wouldn’t refuse her.

And indeed, she truly couldn’t refuse her; she couldn’t refuse the ride, and she couldn’t refuse the flowers handed to her.

By the time they reached the company building, Fu Chaoying was momentarily lost in thought. She turned back to look at her. “Thank you, Sister Jiayuan, and thank you for the flowers.”

Ye Jiayuan gave a slight nod. “See you this afternoon.”

Fu Chaoying said softly, “I’m going to a meeting at Dong Muyu’s company this afternoon. I’m not sure when I’ll get off work.”

“Okay.” Ye Jiayuan drove away.

Fu Chaoying carried the flowers into the elevator and ran into a colleague there.

“Good morning, Teacher Fu. Are those flowers from a suitor? I’m so happy for you!”

A shallow smile rose at the corners of Fu Chaoying’s lips, but she shook her head. “They’re from my sister.”

“Wow, your sister is so romantic!” The other woman assumed it was her biological sister and immediately sighed in admiration.

Fu Chaoying only smiled and didn’t explain further.

But as soon as she sat down at her desk, she received a WeChat message from Ye Jiayuan: 【Good morning. I like you.】

Seeing the last three words, Fu Chaoying’s heart quivered. She found a vase and arranged the roses, then picked up her phone again. Her fingertips hovered above the screen for a long time before she finally replied; just then, another message came in, along with a picture.

Then the text: 【Already at the office.】

Ye Jiayuan had never shared her workday routine with her before. It had always been Fu Chaoying who sent her pictures: coffee, lunch, magnolia trees, and all kinds of little things she wanted to share.

Fu Chaoying’s heart stirred. She replied: 【Morning, have a good day at work.】

After sending it, she put the phone away and started working.

It wasn’t until after eleven that Fu Chaoying finally had a free moment. She opened a browser and searched for the “Sunrise Project.”

The Sunrise Project was a charity initiative funded by Xingye International Group, aimed at supporting age-appropriate girls in Guangnan Province. It covered both basic education and higher education; the first batch was for orphaned girls, and the second expanded to large families with many children. It was all directed toward women.

There weren’t many reports online about the Sunrise Project, so Fu Chaoying also searched the charity association and discovered that Qin Zhaodi was one of its staff members. No wonder... no wonder she could get Ye Jiayuan’s contact information.

As Fu Chaoying was thinking, she saw a number next to the WeChat icon in the status bar. She clicked it and found a message from Ye Jiayuan: 【This restaurant is pretty good. I’ll bring you here next time.】

Fu Chaoying searched up the restaurant, looked at the food and environment reviews, bookmarked it, then replied: 【Bookmarked.】

When Ye Jiayuan saw those three words, her brows and eyes curved slightly, and the chairman across from her noticed. “What’s this? Got a message from your girlfriend? It’s rare to see you smiling like that.”

Ye Jiayuan turned off her phone and said lightly, “She’s giving me the cold shoulder.”

The chairman immediately laughed helplessly. “Goodness, and you’re still that happy when she’s giving you the cold shoulder? Looks like even our Ye CEO has fallen in love.”

A barely visible curve touched Ye Jiayuan’s lips. “If she were completely unmoved, that’s when I’d have a headache.”

“Oh, that’s true.” The chairman cheerfully shared his experience with her. “But Ye CEO doesn’t look like the type who knows how to coax a wife.”

Ye Jiayuan shook her head. “I’m feeling my way across the river by touching the stones, but for now, it seems to be working pretty well.”

Fu Chaoying was eating lunch in the company cafeteria when she suddenly sneezed twice.

Li Bingzhi across from her let out a soft laugh. “Who’s thinking about our Teacher Fu? Could it be... the sister who sent you flowers this morning?”

...She knew it; word would spread inside the company.

Fu Chaoying couldn’t help smiling. “What else have you all been saying?”

“Ahem.” Li Bingzhi cleared her throat twice. “Well... everyone’s split into two camps. One group thinks the flowers really were from your cousin or sister, and the other thinks they were from a suitor.”

Fu Chaoying looked up at her, then heard her continue with a grin, “Xiao Lan and I just keep smiling and saying nothing... but why did Ye CEO suddenly send flowers?”

Xiao Lan was the company’s legal counsel.

Letting Li Bingzhi gossip away, Fu Chaoying said softly, “You think so too; she doesn’t seem like the kind of person who’d send flowers.”

Li Bingzhi was laughing too hard to continue. “We all agree that Ye CEO is the kind of woman who wouldn’t send flowers to others, and who wouldn’t let anyone dare send flowers to her.”

Ye Jiayuan’s aura was too strong, and she was never frivolous or smiley; she really did look like the classic kind of woman who was allergic to romance.

Fu Chaoying shook her head and declined to comment.

Then she suddenly remembered that in Hong Kong, Ye Jiayuan had also given her a bouquet of roses.

When she went upstairs for her lunch break, Fu Chaoying received a message from Ye Jiayuan saying she had a meeting with the chairman and asked her to message her when she was done.

Fu Chaoying noticed the full company name on the chairman’s side, opened a blue app, and then went with the team to Dong Muyu’s company.

The project moved forward steadily, and Dong Muyu’s team was extremely cooperative as well.

During tea break, Dong Muyu leaned over to gossip. “I heard Ye CEO has come back to Nanyan.”

Fu Chaoying nodded lightly and played dumb. “So even Sister Dong heard about it.”

“Yeah. Ye CEO said she’d be coming to our company this afternoon for an inspection, and our team even prepared a short report. What do you think would be a suitable length?”

It was such an obvious probe that Fu Chaoying looked at her helplessly. “My guess is you don’t need to prepare a PPT.”

Dong Muyu laughed heartily and patted her shoulder. “Fine, with that sentence, I’m relieved.”

Fu Chaoying smoothly changed the subject. “And you? How are things on my aunt’s side...?”

Dong Muyu shook her head helplessly. “All I can say is that we’re moving forward in a roundabout way; victory is right ahead.”

Fu Chaoying smiled. “Could you say that in terms I can actually understand?”

Dong Muyu sighed. “It means tomorrow night I’m going to try out my cooking, so tonight I’m preparing to stay up all night researching recipes.”

Fu Chaoying burst out laughing. “Then I’ll look forward to it.”

Dong Muyu shook her head.

After she left, Fu Chaoying picked up her phone and discovered that Ye Jiayuan had sent a message twenty minutes earlier: 【Thanks for the flowers, little darling.】

Fu Chaoying pressed her lips together and tapped back: 【Returning your flowers from this morning.】

【Then should I return the words “I like you” to you as well?】

Fu Chaoying immediately turned off the screen. Her heartbeat suddenly sped up.

Two seconds later, the phone vibrated again; it was still Ye Jiayuan: 【Why isn’t little darling answering me /[wronged]】

Fu Chaoying couldn’t help but curve her brows, and she typed back two words gently: 【Not returning it!】

Ye Jiayuan: 【Fine.】

Ye Jiayuan: 【Good afternoon. I like you.】

With those two consecutive messages, and seeing those three words again, it felt as though something deep in Fu Chaoying’s heart had sunk even further.

When the mid-session break ended, the meeting continued.

By five in the afternoon, Fu Chaoying’s side of the meeting was wrapping up when she saw Dong Muyu answer a call and then give her a look.

Ye Jiayuan had arrived; she was going out to meet her.

Fu Chaoying gave a slight nod and continued with the meeting, though her gaze kept drifting outside from time to time.

Not long after, a familiar figure appeared in the corner of the conference room.

Dong Muyu also shot her a gossiping look, then cleared her throat. “Ye CEO has arrived for the inspection. Everyone, let’s welcome her.”

Amid the standing crowd, Fu Chaoying met Ye Jiayuan’s eyes from afar, and her heart suddenly quivered.

Dong Muyu led Ye Jiayuan to her seat.

Fu Chaoying was in the middle of summarizing the final points when she noticed the movement as Ye Jiayuan sat down; her chest tightened, and her voice unexpectedly trembled a little.

Ye Jiayuan’s gaze was already fixed on her. Fu Chaoying glanced at her from the corner of her eye, then swallowed softly.

This was the first time she had ever shown her work mode in front of Ye Jiayuan, and Fu Chaoying couldn’t help feeling nervous. But a few seconds later, she found her rhythm again.

After finishing her summary, Fu Chaoying gave everyone a slight nod. The moment the applause broke out, she saw Ye Jiayuan, seated at the very end, applauding as well.

Fu Chaoying looked at her subtly, only to find what seemed like a smile hidden in Ye Jiayuan’s brows and eyes.

After the meeting ended, Fu Chaoying and her team left.

Ye Jiayuan exchanged a few hurried words with Dong Muyu, then headed to the parking lot, only to see Fu Chaoying’s company car driving away.

Ye Jiayuan frowned slightly and sent Fu Chaoying a message: 【Didn’t wait for me.】

Just after sending it, she suddenly felt a light tap on her shoulder. Ye Jiayuan turned around abruptly and met Fu Chaoying’s calm eyes.

“Let’s go,” Fu Chaoying said softly, only to be pulled by the wrist.

Fu Chaoying lowered her gaze slightly and struggled in vain for a moment; then Ye Jiayuan let go on her own.

“I thought you’d left,” Ye Jiayuan said, looking at her intently.

Fu Chaoying blinked. “We agreed this morning.”

Before the words had faded, Ye Jiayuan lightly patted her head again. Fu Chaoying looked up at her at once, only to fall into those smiling eyes.

“Little darling,” Ye Jiayuan called her softly.

Fu Chaoying avoided her gaze and walked ahead of her to the car. “Let’s go.”

They got in together. Fu Chaoying caught the scent of roses and instantly turned her head; sure enough, there was a bouquet sitting in the back seat. It was the same style she had picked out for Ye Jiayuan at noon.

“This is actually the first time I’ve received flowers.” Ye Jiayuan’s brows and eyes curved. “Thank you, little darling.”

Fu Chaoying turned to look at her in surprise. “How could that be? Didn’t you have tons of pursuers before?”

Ye Jiayuan shook her head. “I threw them all away.”

...So it wasn’t her first time receiving flowers; it was her first time accepting them. Fu Chaoying’s lips lifted slightly, but she said nothing.

Ye Jiayuan backed out of the parking spot and soon drove into the drizzling rain.

Only then did Fu Chaoying remember to ask, “Where are we going?”

“Nanda. Your sister made the reservation.”

Fu Chaoying gave a small “Mm” and opened her phone; sure enough, she found a message from Fu Chaohua earlier: 【I booked the restaurant. Your sister has also made every effort for your love!】

Fu Chaoying: 【Is Sister Dong coming too?】

Fu Chaohua: 【Mm-hmm.】

Fu Chaoying suddenly felt relieved.

After reaching the restaurant parking lot, Fu Chaoying got out, only to see Ye Jiayuan open the back door and pick up the bouquet of flowers.

“What are you taking it for?” Fu Chaoying asked softly.

“To show it off a little.” There was a hint of amusement in Ye Jiayuan’s brows and eyes.

Fu Chaoying looked away, but out of the corner of her eye she saw the roses blooming in her arms; her heart beat faster despite herself.

As they walked side by side toward the restaurant, Fu Chaoying suddenly received a call from her aunt.

She stopped at the restaurant entrance, with Ye Jiayuan waiting beside her.

“Aunt?” Fu Chaoying said softly, and then heard her ask, “Muyu’s coming over tomorrow night; do you have time to come home?”

Fu Chaoying answered obediently, “I do.”

“Good, then come over after work.”

“Mm.” Fu Chaoying was just about to hang up when she heard her aunt ask, “You know Xiao Yuan’s back in Nanyan, right?”

Fu Chaoying’s brow twitched. “I know. What’s wrong, Aunt?”

“Your Aunt Chu said she had a fight with her yesterday, and this morning she couldn’t find her suitcase anymore. Did she go to your place?”

Fu Chaoying looked at Ye Jiayuan and then said softly, “Sister Jiayuan came to see me about something this morning and did stop by once, but I didn’t see any suitcase.”

Ye Jiayuan’s brows and eyes flashed with a faint smile.

A familiar female voice faintly came through from the other end of the call. Fu Chaoying blinked, then heard a voice say—

“Xiaoying.” It was Chu Yiyun.

“Hello, Aunt Chu. You’re there too.” Fu Chaoying greeted her obediently, then heard her say, “If you see her, help me persuade her.”

Fu Chaoying’s heart stirred. She replied softly, “But Sister Jiayuan may not necessarily listen to me.”

“It’s fine; I told Xiaohua too. You all try to talk to her.”

“Okay. Goodbye, Aunt Chu.”

Fu Chaoying hung up and instinctively looked up at Ye Jiayuan, only to fall into her gentle eyes.

“I’ll listen to you.” Ye Jiayuan’s lips curved slightly, then she asked with a hint of grievance, “I’m homeless now; does little darling want to take me in for a few nights?”

Fu Chaoying pressed her lips together. “How is that homeless? You’re clearly just refusing to go home.”

Ye Jiayuan seemed to freeze for a moment, then said lightly, “You saw through me.”

Fu Chaoying: ?

Her expression grew increasingly complicated. “Aunt Chu asked me to persuade you. Sister Jiayuan, why don’t you go home and stay there?”

Ye Jiayuan shook her head helplessly and let out another sigh. “Then I’ll go stay at a hotel.”

Fu Chaoying pressed her lips together again and reached out to tug gently at her sleeve.

Ye Jiayuan lowered her eyes to the slender fingers on her left sleeve, and a trace of amusement flashed through her features.

“Let’s eat first,” Fu Chaoying said softly.

The implication was that there was still room to negotiate.

Ye Jiayuan, bouquet in hand, followed behind her in a calm, unhurried manner.

Inside the private room, Fu Chaohua and Dong Muyu were already seated. When they saw Ye Jiayuan behind Fu Chaoying, they instantly grinned teasingly. “Huh? Who gave Sister Jiayuan those flowers?”

Ye Jiayuan glanced at Fu Chaoying almost imperceptibly, then coughed twice and said in a low voice, “My girlfriend gave them to me.”

A smile flashed in Fu Chaoying’s brows and eyes, and then she heard Fu Chaohua tease, “Ugh, enough with the PDA; you’re going to ruin everyone’s appetite.”

Ye Jiayuan looked indifferent. “Order whatever you want.”

Dong Muyu smiled. “Sure, sure. Ye CEO is rich and generous, so we won’t stand on ceremony.”

Fu Chaoying sat down beside her cousin, and Ye Jiayuan immediately sat down next to her, carefully propping the roses against the back of a nearby chair.

Once she had arranged them and turned back, Fu Chaoying quietly looked away and began going through the menu with her cousin.

Fu Chaohua pointed at the menu. “This pepper fish fillet looks pretty good.”

Fu Chaoying said softly, “It looks like it has a lot of bones.”

Fu Chaohua: “Then steamed sea bass.”

Fu Chaoying added softly, “Too bland.”

Listening to her, Ye Jiayuan’s brows curved slightly, but then she noticed Dong Muyu looking at her and immediately lifted her eyes.

“What’s got Ye CEO so happy? Share it with everyone so we can all be happy too.”

Ye Jiayuan said leisurely, “Your company’s KPI completion looks pretty good.”

Dong Muyu had just been reminded by her that one of their metrics was lagging behind. This time, she immediately shut her mouth.

Fu Chaohua concentrated on ordering, then turned her head to ask her sister, “Are you just not in the mood for fish today?”

Fu Chaoying’s eyes flickered uncertainly. “No, why don’t we look at other fish dishes?”

Ye Jiayuan said in a low voice, “It’s fine. Order whatever you like; I can eat other dishes.”

Fu Chaohua only then remembered. “Oh right, Sister Jiayuan’s allergic to fish.”

As she spoke, she turned her gaze toward Fu Chaoying, her eyes full of gossip, though she still spared her sister’s feelings and didn’t call her out.

Fu Chaoying pressed her lips together. “This strip steak looks pretty good.”

“Fine, fine, let’s order it.”

After the dishes were ordered, Ye Jiayuan was visibly in a good mood and even ordered a dozen bottles of beer.

Dong Muyu naturally had to drink with her; after all, she was the client’s “mom.”

Fu Chaoying and Fu Chaohua exchanged a look.

“We already drank a lot yesterday, and drinking makes it inconvenient to drive.”

“Juice it is.” Ye Jiayuan opened a bottle of orange juice and poured some for her.

Dong Muyu took it at just the right moment and poured a glass for Fu Chaohua as well.

After the four of them clinked glasses, Ye Jiayuan and Dong Muyu began toasting and drinking.

Fu Chaohua whispered to Fu Chaoying, “Sister Jiayuan seems like a completely different person.”

Fu Chaoying shook her head and took two small sips of juice. Where exactly had she learned all this?

When she heard Ye Jiayuan speak, Fu Chaoying instinctively turned to look at her and heard her talking work with Dong Muyu.

Most of the time, Ye Jiayuan was listening to Dong Muyu’s report and didn’t say much. But whenever she did speak, it was a killer blow; she always went straight to the heart of the matter.

Fu Chaoying couldn’t help being drawn to her, only to see Ye Jiayuan suddenly turn her eyes toward her. “Xiaoying did very well today.”

“Whether you’re putting your heart into it or not; the players and the clients can feel it.”

Fu Chaoying sank into that focused, serious, appreciative gaze of hers; only after a few seconds did she force herself to look away.

Dong Muyu laughed. “Our whole team really admires Teacher Fu.”

Fu Chaoying raised her juice to clink glasses with her, then turned to Ye Jiayuan and lightly touched her cup against hers. “Ye CEO is the real expert.”

Ye Jiayuan gazed into her eyes and, without warning, smiled.

Hearing that smile, Fu Chaoying casually lifted her glass and took a sip of juice.

Ye Jiayuan really had been listening carefully to her summary, just as she had seriously listened to her speech at the shareholders’ meeting for the first time.

After finishing her juice, Fu Chaoying heard her cousin whisper in her ear, “Is Sister Jiayuan hinting at something?”

Fu Chaoying blinked and instantly understood.

Ye Jiayuan and Dong Muyu went back and forth over drinks; before long, six bottles were already gone.

Dong Muyu started talking more and more, while Ye Jiayuan remained as composed as ever, her expression unreadable, showing no sign of emotion and no sign of drunkenness—except for the faint pink flush on her cheeks.

Fu Chaoying and Fu Chaohua had already moved on to talking about the struggle between Dong Muyu and Fu Anyun.

“My mom deliberately wanted to see her cooking skills, but she’s never had to lift a finger since she was young. I’m honestly worried she’ll burn down the kitchen.”

Fu Chaoying laughed helplessly. “You’re underestimating Sister Dong. If she follows a recipe, she’ll be fine.”

Fu Chaohua shook her head helplessly. “I want to help her, but I can’t.”

She couldn’t cook either; the only thing remotely related to cooking she knew was mixing cocktails.

Fu Chaoying noticed the gaze beside her and turned in surprise, only to hear Ye Jiayuan say, “I can cook.”

Fu Chaoying was startled for a moment, then remembered something. “Your kitchen at home looks so clean it’s like it’s never been used.”

“I can follow a recipe.”

So she had heard all of that. A touch of interest appeared in Fu Chaoying’s eyes. “Then when is Sister Jiayuan going to let us taste your cooking?”

Fu Chaohua echoed, “If Aunt Chu knew, she’d brag about it for three days and three nights!”

Chu Yiyun had always been like that; she argued with her daughter all the time, but in front of others she was endlessly proud.

Ye Jiayuan gave a slight nod and turned to look at Fu Chaoying.

Fu Chaoying seemed to understand what she meant. “Take me in, and I’ll cook for you.”

Fu Chaoying pouted. “The future is long.”

Ye Jiayuan smiled faintly. “There’s a lifetime.”

Those words sent a strange tremor through Fu Chaoying’s heart, with almost the same effect as when Ye Jiayuan had asked, “Are you going to abandon me?”

Fu Chaoying felt the tip of her nose go a little sour and turned to talk to Fu Chaohua about something else to distract herself.

“Actually, I feel like my mom quite likes her. After all, Grandma Bai and my grandmother are friends, and my mom gets along well with Grandma Bai too.”

Fu Chaoying nodded slightly. “What if Aunt doesn’t like her?”

Fu Chaohua chuckled. “Then she’ll just worry I can’t get married, anyway. It’s not like I like anyone else.”

Dong Muyu leaned over and rested her head in the crook of her arm. “Sister only likes me.”

The line felt strangely familiar. Fu Chaoying was caught off guard and met Ye Jiayuan’s gaze. Not long ago, when the matter of Qin Zhaodi had just begun to surface, Fu Chaoying had asked her the same thing: “Does sister like me? Only like me?”

Ye Jiayuan had said yes.

Fu Chaoying’s heart moved. She said softly, “Don’t drink too much.”

Ye Jiayuan gave a slight nod. “I won’t.”

Fu Chaoying believed her, only to see her continue clinking glasses with Dong Muyu.

Before long, Fu Chaoying could already see a tipsy, hazy-eyed Ye Jiayuan. Didn’t she say she wouldn’t drink too much?

Dong Muyu laughed while holding the bottle. “Ye CEO’s liquor capacity isn’t all that great, huh.”

Fu Chaoying moved closer without making a sound. “Drunk?”

Then she gently patted Ye Jiayuan’s face, only to have her wrist caught. “Little darling.”

Seeing that, Fu Chaohua immediately coughed twice and tugged Dong Muyu to her feet. “We’ve got a few things to take care of, so we’ll head out first!”

Fu Chaoying turned back to look at them, only to see the two of them practically fleeing the private room in three quick strides.

At that moment, only she and Ye Jiayuan remained in the room.

Ye Jiayuan’s face rested in her hand, looking utterly different from her usual cold, restrained self.

Fu Chaoying’s heart stirred. She gently stroked her face, interest flashing in her eyes as she coaxed her softly, “Be good; call me sister.”

“Sister.”

Ye Jiayuan’s cool, magnetic voice reached Fu Chaoying’s ears and inexplicably made her cheeks heat up.

Fu Chaoying took two deep breaths. “Ye Jiayuan.”

“Sister.” Ye Jiayuan nuzzled lightly into her palm.

Fu Chaoying: ?

There was suddenly a strange sense of the world turning upside down. Testing the waters, she asked softly, “Then do you want to call me mom?”

Ye Jiayuan seemed to freeze slightly, then asked in confusion, “Why would I call you mom?”

Naturally, as a kind of flirtation.

Fu Chaoying somehow found it embarrassing, and as if shocked by an electric current, she withdrew her hand. “I’m going to pay the bill.”

Before the words had even faded and Fu Chaoying had just gotten to her feet, Ye Jiayuan grabbed her wrist, then leaned in close.

Her abdomen was too soft; Fu Chaoying shivered slightly, then heard her say, “Little darling, take me home...”

Fu Chaoying froze slightly and looked down, meeting her blurred, dazed eyes.

“Can little darling bear to leave me behind..."

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Does everyone want to see the extra update? [heart]

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Second edit: the extra update is done! Good night, everyone! [head pat]