Mrs. Fu, please be mindful of the appropriate boundaries.

He tightened his arms and sighed softly, "It's hard to bear."

She beamed, looking like she knew it, and pinched his cheek with her fingers. "Unless you don't like me. I know you like me, even if only a little."

She held up her little finger and pinched a tiny bit of the tip of her finger with her thumb to show him.

With a hint of regret, he slid his thumb down and down until his entire little finger was down, then hesitantly moved his thumb up until only the very top of his little finger remained. "Please like me a little more. Here, this is enough."

She actually longs for someone to genuinely like her.

"Okay," he agreed, moving her thumb to the base of her little finger. "I like you a lot, right here."

Xu Qingcheng laughed, a hearty laugh, burying her face in his chest, her voice soft and gentle, "It's good as it is now. I can't be too greedy. I know you like me because I'm pretty. But I won't be pretty when I'm old."

He won't like it then.

She will never be his wife again.

But the people who promised to love her for a lifetime have all left her. How can she possibly expect to be loved for a lifetime again?!

For a while, that's fine too.

Even when drunk, she dared not revel in this matter, yet even so, she never imagined that she hadn't even had a moment of pleasure.

She was nothing more than a shadow, a beautiful shadow.

But now, lying in his arms, listening to his strong heartbeat, she felt completely content.

Fu Jingting tightened his arms around her, and she slept soundly in his arms, completely unguarded, with a satisfied smile on her lips.

When they arrived at Jingshan No. 1, Fu Jingting picked her up. The alcohol had taken effect, and she was fast asleep. She didn't wake up until he put her on the bed, but her arms were wrapped around his neck and she wouldn't let go.

The man chuckled, then casually grabbed a cushion and shoved it into her arms. She hugged the cushion and fell asleep obediently, no longer bothering him.

The phone rang; it was Zhou Qian calling. Fu Jingting went into his study to answer the call. "You need to hurry. Tang Kejia will be coming over next week."

"She's already in Ancheng. I just got a call from her, and she wants to meet tomorrow to talk." Fu Jingting took a cigarette from his pack and lit it. "I can't rush things here. I have to take my time and handle this carefully."

There was a moment of silence on the other end, then the phone was handed to Fu Pingxiu. His characteristically cold voice said, "I brought up the Jincheng project at the board meeting today. If it drags on any longer, it will be bad for us. If you find it difficult, I'll have Zhou Qian go over and help you."

Fu Jingting stubbed out the cigarette in the ashtray after smoking halfway through.

After a long pause, he finally spoke, "I'm taking wedding photos tomorrow, and I don't want my wedding on March 6th to be affected. You handle your own affairs, and I'll proceed with my own plans."

Fu Pingxiu kept his eyes calm as he looked out the window. Outside, the shadows were heavy, and the wind seemed to be blowing right at him.

"You've always known what you're doing. Do things your way." Fu Pingxiu left those words and hung up.

Zhou Qian looked at the man in the wheelchair and asked, "What about the second young master...?"

Fu Pingxiu gestured with his finger to stop Zhou Qian from speaking, "It's alright, it's normal for him to have doubts. I didn't expect him to marry her either."

"So, is there something I need to do?"

"No need." Fu Pingxiu sighed. "Zhou Qian, if I don't even trust him, then there's no one in this world I can trust."

Zhou Qian smiled, as if relieved, "He's changed a lot."

"If it weren't for me, he wouldn't have joined the Fu family in the first place. How can things not change?" Fu Pingxiu pressed his fingers lightly on his temples. "Even if things change, he's still my brother."

"I understand." Zhou Qian pushed him into the bedroom. "I've asked Xu Qingyao about it. There are many suspicious points in his case, but it's unrealistic to overturn it now. However, there is a way to reduce his sentence. The second young master wants to reduce it to at least two and a half years. It's not impossible, but it's also difficult. I'm afraid that if I get too involved there, you won't be able to take care of things here."

"Do as Jingting says. I don't need to worry about this for now." Fu Pingxiu took the crutches, and with a push of his arms, he stood up.

The man's cold and stern aura emanated from him. He slightly curled the corners of his lips and said, "I won't give them a second chance."

……

Fu Jingting hung up the phone and returned to the bedroom. Standing by the bed, he saw Xu Qingcheng hugging a pillow, her body curled up like a shrimp, looking inexplicably pitiful.

He walked over and took away her pillow. The person who had been sleeping soundly suddenly opened her eyes, looking at him with sleepy eyes, still in a state of half-dreaming and half-awake.

Fu Jingting reached out and picked him up. "Take a shower before you sleep."

"Will you wash me?" she asked, her face slumped on his shoulder, as lazy as a boneless little fairy.

He said, "Okay, I'll help you wash it."

When Xu Qingcheng woke up in the morning, the person beside her was not there.

She was wearing a clean nightgown.

I've taken a shower and changed my clothes.

Last night's events kept replaying in her mind, making her blush deeply and feel as if she were on fire. She pulled the blanket up to cover herself and rolled around on the bed, feeling frustrated and embarrassed.

As soon as Fu Jingting entered the bedroom, he saw a silkworm cocoon rolling around and wailing. He went over and pulled the person out from under the covers. "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

"I don't feel uncomfortable."

Her face was still red, but she pretended to be serious, "I drank too much last night, I forgot what happened."

Fu Jingting looked at her and suddenly wanted to laugh.

"Have you ever heard of the saying 'to hide three hundred taels of silver here'?" he asked her.

Xu Qingcheng rolled over and tried to get out of bed, but the man grabbed her ankle and dragged her back. She kicked him, but he just laughed and picked her up. "You can't drink when I'm not around. If you get drunk, you'll kill me."

"What do you mean, what do you mean, 'life'... What would I do with your life?" Xu Qingcheng ignored his words, reached out to push him away to escape, but he held her tightly.

The man's eyes were full of mockery as he touched her lips with his finger. "You're drunk. They really dare to say that here."

"Tell me, tell me, what did I say?" Xu Qingcheng's scalp tingled; she didn't have much of an impression of what happened last night.

What she remembered most was when he helped her take a bath in the shower, and the memory of their lovemaking was so vivid that she wanted to unload her brain.

"Stop torturing me! Be a little rougher, I like it when you're like this!"

That seductive voice and pleading made Xu Qingcheng want to die.

Seeing that she was so agitated she could barely lift her head, Fu Jingting stopped teasing her and patted her bottom. "Go change your clothes. Didn't we say we're taking wedding photos today?"

"Ah, right." Xu Qingcheng hurriedly got up, checked the time, and asked, "Were the outdoor scenes filmed today as well?"

"Otherwise, do you have any other time?"