Chapter 41

The bedroom door slowly swung open, and a tall figure walked in. Shen Qinglan’s eyes dimmed, lifted her leg and kicked at the figure, targeting a man’s most painful and sensitive spot.

Startled, the visitor leaped a step back like lightning. Shen Qinglan shot forward and made a move, aiming at his face, but the visitor was not a weak one and managed to evade her attack. The two exchanged several blows in the dark. Shen Qinglan’s eyes dimmed even more. It had been a while since she came across such a formidable opponent.

Shen Qinglan clenched her fist and, just as she was about to punch the man’s lower abdomen, he managed to get a hold of her hand hand. With one tug, she fell into his lap.

Her back hit a hard chest. Shen Qinglan’s face turned cold. She raised a hand in an attempt to hit him with her elbow, when the man restrained her arm.

“It’s me.” A low, husky voice sounded in the dark. For a moment, Shen Qinglan was stunned.

The lights turned on. Fu Hengyi’s face appeared in front of her. She looked at him, startled. She did not expect he would return.

“We haven’t seen each other in a month, and you’re already planning to murder your husband, huh?” he ended with a rising note.

Shen Qinglan’s usually cold expression turned scornful. If she had managed to land a kick just now, she would have personally put an end to the lineage of the Fu family.

“You were the one creeping around at night,” Shen Qinglan murmured, displaying a rare, feminine gesture.

Fu Hengyi chuckled, “It’s my fault. I should have given you a call first. I apologize for scaring you.”

Shen Qinglan did not know how to respond to such a serious apology. This was his home. He did not have to inform her that he was coming back.

“D-D-Do you want to hit the shower?” Shen Qinglan pointed at the bathroom. There was a blackened spot under his eye and remains of a stubble on his chin, as well as dotted mud prints on his clothes.

Fu Hengyi was indeed tired. He had not taken any rest in five days or so. Even though he was healthy, there was only so much he could bear. He nodded and opened the wardrobe to get his pajamas.

Instead, what he found in the wardrobe was rows upon rows of neatly folded clothes. Half of it were men’s, the other half women’s. Half of it was his, the other half hers. The distinction was clear.

The corners of his mouth curled up. He was in a delightful mood. He fetched his pajamas and headed to the bathroom.

In the bathroom, Fu Hengyi spotted the newly added daily essentials at the sink. There was a woman’s facial cleanser, toothbrush, cup, his razor… Even his toothbrush in his old cup was replaced.

A potted plants was placed on the shelf next to it. The monotonous space immediately became more vibrant. A touch of tenderness flashed in Fu Hengyi’s eyes, and suddenly he felt that marital life did not seem so bad.

After he entered the bathroom, Shen Qinglan’s face fell. She stared at the two-meter long bed. For a moment, her beautiful brows seemed to have tied into a knot.

What should be done about the sleeping arrangements? Shen Qinglan had never thought about it while Fu Hengyi was away, and now that he was back she realized there was only one bed in the room. How were they going to sleep? She could not possibly expect Fu Hengyi to sleep on the floor!

Or perhaps she could spend the night in the living room?

In the twenty-one years of her life, for the first time ever she felt torn.

Just when she was contemplating what to do, Fu Hengyi finished his shower and came out of the bathroom. She was relieved to see him dressed neatly in pajamas.

Fu Hengyi looked at her standing beside the bed. Confused, he asked, “Why aren’t you sleeping yet? Have I kept you awake because of the noise?”

Failing to arrive at a conclusion, Shen Qinglan confronted him straightaway, “Where are you sleeping tonight?”

Just like that, she directed the problem to him.

“The bed, of course!” Fu Hengyi gave a straightforward reply, as a matter of fact.

Shen Qinglan gulped. “Then I’ll take the living room,” she said, and proceeded to get the spare blanket and pillow from the wardrobe.

“Wait,” Fu Hengyi called out to her. “Qinglan, we’re married. We’re officially husband and wife.”

Shen Qinglan froze. That was true. They were officially husband and wife indeed. Even if Fu Hengyi requested her to perform her wifely duties, that was expected. She acknowledged that on the day she chose to marry him, right?

Shen Qinglan did not leave. Instead, she climbed onto bed without a word and lay still.

Fu Hengyi figured she must have misunderstood, but he gave no explanation. He lay down on the other side of the bed. Shen Qinglan tensed when she felt the mattress sink.

Then Fu Hengyi turned off the lights and darkness descended in the bedroom. The room was so quiet that only their breaths could be heard.

Shen Qinglan was lying with her back to Fu Hengyi. He could not see her expression clearly, but he could tell from the tension of her body that she was nervous.

For the first time, he began to have doubts about his charms. Did he look like a sex-hungry pervert?

After some time had passed and Fu Hengyi had yet to take any action, Shen Qinglan felt relieved. Just when she thought he must have fallen asleep, a hand wrapped itself around her waist. It was a man’s hand.

Shen Qinglan’s body went extremely stiff. Her eyes fell on the wardrobe, her vision pale.

Fu Hengyi embraced Shen Qinglan entirely in his arms. Feeling the stiffness of her delicate body, he smiled silently. He wanted Shen Qinglan to get used to his presence.

“Relax, I swear I won’t touch you if you don’t want me too,” Fu Hengyi whispered in her ear, his voice soft and husky.

Shen Qinglan said nothing.

After that, sure enough, Fu Hengyi did not take further action. He merely had his hands circled around her waist and did not move a muscle.

For a long while, Shen Qinglan could not relax until she was sure that the person behind her was breathing evenly and had fallen asleep. She closed her eyes and drifted into sleep soon after.

Fu Hengyi opened his eyes. Although he could not see it, he could feel that Shen Qinglan was indeed sleeping. Gently, he whispered goodnight in her ear and wearily shut his eyes.

He was very tired. Even if Shen Qinglan gave her consent, he hardly had the energy to do anything.

He was not made of steel. His mission for the past five days had totally exhausted his physical and mental energy. He should not have returned at this hour but his mind just could not shake off his longing for Shen Qinglan, especially after seeing the photos she sent to him via mobile phone. He felt the urgent need to return home, and so he drove back in the middle of the night.

When he got home, he was sure Shen Qinglan must have fallen asleep by then. He did not intend to wake her up. He just wanted to grab a change of clothes from the bedroom and spend the night on the sofa in the living room. Who knew Shen Qinglan had a sharp sense of hearing? He tread lightly on purpose, and yet she still noticed.

Although they had only exchanged several blows, Fu Hengyi could tell that Shen Qinglan was quite skilled. He recalled Grandpa Shen and what the old man had been through, and figured it made sense for the old man’s descendants to pack a mean punch as well.