Rose Manor: Tycoon's Relentless Chase-Chapter 360 - 338: How Could I Not Hate?
Shen Jianian booked an Italian restaurant, reserving the best spot half a month in advance, on the top floor of the building by the window.
She had imagined it beautifully, waiting for nightfall, sitting by the panoramic glass window, enjoying the night scene and the city lights while savoring delicious food. The restaurant’s lighting focused on dark tones, creating a strong ambiance. But it started raining, and quite heavily, so all she could see by the window was the pouring rain.
Shen Jianian took a seat on the chair Fu Jichen pulled out for her, took off her coat, and draped it over the back of the chair. She was wearing an oatmeal-colored long-sleeve knitted dress.
She glanced at the misty glass window, unable to appreciate any night scene, even the myriad lights turned into a blurry shadow.
Wrinkling her nose, Shen Jianian grumbled discontentedly, "So this is what ’plans can’t keep up with changes’ means."
Fu Jichen sat down across from her, and the round table in front of him was covered with a white tablecloth. The candlelight and flowers complemented each other, and the indoor lighting was so dim that even across the round table, they couldn’t see each other’s features clearly. Everything had an ambiguous and dense air.
"Go with the flow," Fu Jichen said, a four-word phrase.
Shen Jianian withdrew her gaze, looked at the person opposite, silently comforting herself. Having him by her side was enough, everything else was just backdrop.
She called over a waiter, gave a softly spoken instruction, and after a while, a waiter in a suit, looking handsome, brought over a bottle of red wine, confirmed with the customer, and opened it on the spot.
Fu Jichen leaned back on the chair with an elegant and relaxed posture, letting Shen Jianian make all the decisions. Seeing her order red wine, he was slightly surprised, raised his eyebrows, and reminded her, "You can’t drink alcohol."
Shen Jianian rested her chin on her hand and looked at him.
Her expression was a bit blurry, but her eyes were bright. Next, her slightly excited voice sounded, "I’ve stopped the medication, drinking a bit is okay."
Fu Jichen: "Aren’t you afraid of getting drunk?" Her alcohol tolerance was rather average.
"If I get drunk, won’t you be there?"
Upon hearing this, the corner of Fu Jichen’s eyes overflowed with a smile, letting her be.
Tonight’s menu was pre-decided by Shen Jianian, so no need to order. After waiting for around ten minutes, the food was served, all tailored to Fu Jichen’s taste.
He had low culinary desires, rarely showing a preference for any dish. The two had been living together day and night for quite some time, and Shen Jianian had carefully observed to summarize some of his taste preferences.
Fu Jichen’s gaze swept over the dishes on the table, and with just one look, he understood her thoughtfulness.
Shen Jianian used new cutlery to serve the dishes for him, "Try this oxtail and the spicy salmon crispy rice cake. I asked them to lower the spiciness, so it’s not that hot."
Fu Jichen said "okay", smiling slightly, and tasted the food she had placed on his plate.
"How does it taste?" Shen Jianian eagerly asked.
Fu Jichen chewed carefully, waited until he swallowed the food, and then answered her, "Very good." Pausing, he asked, "Have you been here before?"
"Nope," Shen Jianian said, "I selected a few dishes based on the menu they provided, and combined with your tastes, asked them to make some slight adjustments."
Next, Fu Jichen tasted other dishes, and it was evident that she had put a lot of thought into tonight’s meal.
"Cheers." Shen Jianian raised the goblet in front of her, tilting it slightly towards Fu Jichen, her face adorned with a gentle smile, though slightly blurry under the candlelight.
Fu Jichen placed the knife and fork on either side of the plate, picked up the wine glass beside him, and clinked it with hers, producing a light and crisp sound.
Shen Jianian lifted the glass to her lips and took a small sip, squinting her eyes.
Some time ago, she was on medication for health management, needing to avoid certain foods: coffee, tea, and other drinks were all forbidden, and she only occasionally drank some homemade juice. Tonight, after tasting the rich red wine for the first time, even someone who wasn’t fond of alcohol like her found it delicious.
Shen Jianian couldn’t help but drink a few more sips.
Fu Jichen saw her actions fully, just chuckled lightly, and didn’t say anything else.
The meal lasted for more than an hour, and the rain outside had lightened a bit, though the window glass was still foggy with moisture. Shen Jianian tilted her head, looking at the outside, and drew a heart on the glass with her finger.
Fu Jichen had already finished eating, holding a glass of red wine, his third for the night. He tilted his head slightly, his gaze unwaveringly fixed on her. Seeing her draw one heart, then another, enthusiastically filling a small area, he couldn’t help but laugh.
Shen Jianian looked back, just catching him laughing. She felt a bit embarrassed, sat up straight, and picked up a napkin to wipe her fingers, "Let’s go home."
"Alright."
Fu Jichen tilted his neck back, downed the last drop of red wine from his glass in one gulp, put the glass down, stood up, walked over to Shen Jianian, and took the coat from the back of the chair to drape it over her shoulders.
It was already late September, the temperature had turned cool, especially on rainy nights when the chill set in, making it easy to catch a cold. She had to be more careful than others about keeping warm.
Shen Jianian put on the coat, and a waiter brought over a pre-packaged cake, handing it to her with both hands, "Ms. Shen, the cake you ordered. Happy birthday to you." 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖
Fu Jichen was momentarily stunned, his gaze settling on Shen Jianian’s face. She gave a slight smile, thanked the waiter, and then explained, "Today is not my birthday; it’s my husband’s birthday."
As she spoke, she took the cake in one hand and looped her arm through Fu Jichen’s with her other hand.
The waiter paused for a moment, then turned to Fu Jichen and extended his congratulations, "Happy birthday."
Fu Jichen had no reaction; his thoughts were still lingering on the phrase "my husband" that he’d heard from Shen Jianian, unable to clear his mind for quite a while.
As they walked toward the elevator, Shen Jianian said, "The cake from this restaurant is quite famous, so I ordered one. We’ll cut the cake and blow out candles when we get back." She had drunk some wine, and her cheeks were a bit red. After saying this, she gave a small laugh, "There are other people in the restaurant; I’m afraid you’d be embarrassed to blow out the candles."
Once home, it wouldn’t matter, as it would be just the two of them. See how thoughtful she was.
From the top floor to the ground floor, the elevator ride down took a bit long. Shen Jianian tilted her head, leaning her weight on Fu Jichen’s arm. Fu Jichen withdrew his hand, moved behind her, and wrapped his arm around her shoulder to make her more comfortable.
Ever since hearing the phrase "my husband," he had been a bit dazed, still in a state of confusion. He slightly lowered his head, rubbed his side face against the top of her hair, and asked teasingly in a low voice, "Are you drunk?"
"No." Shen Jianian replied.
If she were drunk, she wouldn’t be acting like this.
The elevator reached the first floor, and the two walked out together without noticing that at another elevator, Yin Shuyao was also cuddled in a man’s arms.
The man was about the same age as Yin Chengde, with a belt tightening around a beer belly that looked as if he were five months pregnant. His eyes squinted, and his gaze shamelessly lingered on Yin Shuyao. Before they even entered the elevator, his hand couldn’t help but reach inside her clothes...
Yin Shuyao turned her body to dodge, inadvertently catching sight of the perfect couple not far away. She was suddenly stunned, forgetting to avoid the roving hand reaching out to her.
That was... Fu Jichen and Shen Jianian.
The man was dressed in an exquisite suit, the woman in an elegant long dress, draped in a coat, holding a beautifully packaged cake. As they walked to the door, the doorman respectfully stepped forward to open the door and held up a large black umbrella, escorting them to a luxury car parked at the foot of the stairs before opening the car door for them.
Even until the car drove away, Yin Shuyao hadn’t withdrawn her gaze. The cold touch on her skin made her shiver, bringing her back to reality. Staring at the balding man beside her, she forcibly suppressed the nausea, pushing his hand away with a blank expression.
The middle-aged man, looking disappointed, grumbled unhappily, "Why the restraint? Once we’re up there, you still have to kneel and serve me..."
The lewd words of the man faded as the elevator door closed.
Yin Shuyao’s face turned pale, not from fear, but from disgust.
The two walked into the elevator. As soon as the door shut, the man eagerly pressed against her, his hands roaming over her. As Yin Shuyao watched the face drawing closer to her, the beautiful scene she had just witnessed surfaced in her mind. In comparison, she grew increasingly unbalanced, her inner hatred surging like a towering wave, engulfing her completely.
Why?
Why could Shen Jianian be together with a man like Fu Jichen, enjoying a perfect marriage and worrying about nothing, while she had to submit to a man as old as her father to save her family’s declining factory?
It was all Shen Jianian’s fault. If only she were willing to help the Yin family get through their crisis, she wouldn’t have fallen to such a state.
She was the eldest daughter of the Yin family, and now she had become a pawn at the mercy of others, with no sight of the future or hope.
How could she not hate Shen Jianian? Clearly, helping out was just a matter of saying a few words for her; so effortlessly, yet she heartlessly turned a blind eye.
The elevator dinged, opening on the designated floor.
The middle-aged man tugged Yin Shuyao out of the elevator, her steps lagging behind. She accidentally twisted her ankle, a piercing pain spreading from her ankle, causing her to clench her lips and tears to well up.
The man didn’t notice her injury at all. Seeing her tears, he uttered lewd words while fishing a room card from his pocket, swiping it at the sensor to open the door, eagerly pulling her inside.
