Chapter 35: I’m Sorry
“It’s okay now, Shen Zhuying.”
Fu Sizhuo cupped her cheeks gently, trying to comfort her, not realizing his own voice was trembling.
Only then did Shen Zhuying dare to gasp for air, clutching tightly at the man’s tie as she looked up at him. “Quick, go give him a few more punches.”
Even if they called the police, it would at most end in mediation.
She certainly wasn’t willing to just let it go like that.
Not far away, Zhou Qinqin watched as a man in a black coat, with impossibly perfect proportions, cold-faced, lifted He Yiming with one hand and pounded him like a sandbag.
“He won’t kill him… will he?” Zhou Qinqin swallowed hard, unable to stop recalling all the excessive things she had done to Shen Zhuying before.
Secretly telling others she was fake.
Rolling her eyes and ignoring her every time she greeted her warmly.
Throwing away that pomegranate flower Shen Zhuying had brought to her, smiling and breathless on a midsummer night, straight into the trash can.
She really had been the textbook definition of a little villainess. Zhou Qinqin picked up her battered purse, intending to leave.
But Shen Zhuying stood in front of her, showing what—in Zhou Qinqin’s eyes at least—was an exceedingly “kind and virtuous” smile.
“Anything else…?” Zhou Qinqin held her purse, forcing herself to appear calm, struggling to maintain her dignity as the archetypal vicious supporting character.
“Thank you,” Shen Zhuying said, her tone a little awkward.
Zhou Qinqin averted her gaze, silently picking at her purse strap. “…No need. It had nothing to do with you. If it were someone else, I would’ve stepped in too. Besides… I didn’t even help much.”
“…”
“No matter what, I still have to say thank you.” Shen Zhuying smiled softly.
“Mm.” Zhou Qinqin gave a cold, haughty nod, then turned and walked away.
The hotel corridor was dark and deep, her high heels tapping crisply against the marble tiles.
After a long while, the sound slowed… then stopped.
“Shen Zhuying, I’m sorry. Back then I was immature. I shouldn’t have thrown away the flower you gave me.”
In truth, she had always carried guilt for trampling on such gentle and sincere kindness, even years later.
“It’s fine,” Shen Zhuying said.
“I forgot about it long ago.”
Meanwhile, Fu Sizhuo casually tossed aside the unconscious He Yiming.
With a heavy “thud—”, he landed right at the feet of a boy just coming out of the restroom.
Startled, the boy jumped back. “Holy shit… m-murder… murder!”
“He won’t die.” Fu Sizhuo turned and draped his black coat over Shen Zhuying’s shoulders, lowered his head, patiently fastening the buttons for her. “If you’re feeling kind, you can call a pet hospital for him.”
The boy looked at Shen Zhuying and froze. “Zhu Zhu?”
Then he lowered his head, staring carefully at the face—already bruised and unrecognizable—yet vaguely made out the person. “Class monitor?”
“What on earth happened here?”
“Class monitor?” Fu Sizhuo’s tone was slow. He smoothly clasped Shen Zhuying’s hand back into his own. The glance he cast over was weightless, as if looking at trash.
“Sorry, I thought it was a stray mad dog. It’s already been neutralized.”
Sensing his mood wasn’t quite right, Shen Zhuying used her other hand to hold his too, gently soothing him, while explaining the incident to the classmate.
“Never would’ve thought, the class monitor’s actually a beast.” The boy was shocked beyond words and even snuck in another kick.
After asking him to let the others know she was leaving early, Shen Zhuying led Fu Sizhuo out of the hotel, hand in hand.
The boy stared at their inseparable figures, then suddenly slapped his forehead as realization hit. “No way, Fu Sizhuo and Shen Zhuying are really together?!!”
There’d never been any word of them having ties before!!!
He had to spread this to the whole class!!!
The whole class!!!
“Fu Sizhuo.”
“Mm.”
“Today’s incident won’t cause you any negative trouble, will it?” Shen Zhuying belatedly felt worried.
After all, Fu Sizhuo was still a civil servant to some extent. If He Yiming reported it to the police, things could get messy.
“Don’t worry.” Fu Sizhuo squeezed her hand, his voice still carrying a trace of coldness. “I know my limits.”
“Okay.”
There was a quiet pause.
“Fu Sizhuo.”
“Mm.”
“How did you know I had a class reunion today?” She swayed his hand back and forth, her mood suddenly soaring.
Of course, Shen Zhuying had completely forgotten that last night Fu Sizhuo had quietly entered her room.
Or perhaps, she still thought it had only been a dream.
She remembered, in that dream, Fu Sizhuo had gently kissed her forehead.
“Maybe you sent me a dream last night.”
Fu Sizhuo’s voice, tinged with laughter, blended softly into the night.
“Did I appear in your dream too?” Her voice leapt with excitement.
“Why wouldn’t you?” Fu Sizhuo said. “You’re my wife.”
“Then you’ll have a sweet dream, where everything goes as you wish—and so it will in reality, too.” Shen Zhuying smiled, stars shining in her eyes.
“Mm.”
Fu Sizhuo tightened his hold on her hand, tilting his head back to watch the stars winking in the sky.
He said, “Everything will go as wished.”
Meanwhile, inside the private room, Class Three was still having fun, but soon they realized something was wrong.
“Didn’t the class monitor say he was treating us? Now that he’s gone, who’s paying the bill?”
“Did Class Monitor suddenly stop being human just to dodge the bill? Hahahaha.”
“Was Class Monitor crazy just now? How could he say those things about our Zhuzhu baby?”
“No way, if Class Monitor’s gone, we can’t afford to split this bill.”
“Class Monitor… is here…” The private room door opened. A classmate staggered in, panting heavily as he dragged someone on his back.
“He… he got beaten up by Fu Sizhuo.”
“…”
Once they roughly understood the situation, a few of He Yiming’s closer buddies sent him to the hospital, while the rest called over the waiter, preparing to split the bill bitterly.
Unexpectedly, they heard the waiter say,
“Apologies, your table’s bill has already been paid by Mr. Fu.”
“In addition, aside from one Mr. He, Mr. Fu has also ordered a bottle of Feitian Moutai for each of you present, which will be delivered later.”
“He said, he’s very grateful for the care you gave his wife during high school.”
——
On the way back, Shen Zhuying opened the car window, letting the cold wind brush against her hand.
Fu Sizhuo frowned, pressed the button to close the window, and turned the heater up by two degrees.
“It’s cold, be careful not to catch a cold.” His thin lips pressed together, finally showing a trace of displeasure.
“Going to a class reunion today, you wore too little.”
It was already the season for padded coats, and her outfit looked especially thin.
“I know.” Shen Zhuying admitted guiltily, her face pitiful. “I secretly wore thick leggings under my dress, I’m not cold.”
“Next time wear two pairs, and add a padded coat over the top.”
“What? That won’t look pretty. You’re also just wearing a suit in this freezing weather.”
“That’s for work.” Fu Sizhuo’s tone was helpless.
“Alright, alright. Fu Sizhuo, whose work needs will give him rheumatism in the future.”
“Fu Sizhuo with rheumatism will only be able to get around in a wheelchair one day.”
Shen Zhuying didn’t care in the least, she sat in the passenger seat acting shameless.
