Chapter 28: Stumbling Upon His Sensuality

At eight o’clock the next morning, Tang Yuan arrived punctually at the place where Fu Yansheng was staying to pick him up. Since she had already registered her fingerprint, she let herself in. She set the breakfast she had brought on the counter downstairs, thinking to herself that they were supposed to leave for the film set at ten.

She knocked on the door of the master bedroom. "Yansheng?"

To her surprise, the door wasn't latched; a light tap was enough to push it open. The bathroom was right next to the entrance, and its sliding door was wide open. The sound of rushing water was accompanied by the man’s muffled groans.

Tang Yuan froze as if paralyzed. Before her eyes was the sight of a breathtakingly sexy male body, a neck tilted slightly upward, and a hand hard at work. She stumbled backward with a thud, the impact stinging her back.

Fu Yansheng had been standing with his eyes half-closed and his head tilted back, the hot water from above creating a hazy, chaotic world around him. Hearing the noise, he instinctively shifted his gaze and caught sight of Tang Yuan leaning against the bedroom door.

Tang Yuan’s face turned bright red in an instant. She bowed her head, turned, and fled.

The sound of rushing water continued.

Fu Yansheng’s arm tensed slightly. He lowered his eyelashes, his hair dripping with water. He grabbed a bath towel to dry off, staring at his own reflection in the mirror with pressed lips. A flicker of something crossed his eyes.

Tang Yuan sat downstairs, her mind buzzing. In her twenty-five years, this was the first time she had ever stumbled upon a man doing such a thing. Her whole body felt scorching, as if the heat were about to burn away all the moisture in her system. She had always treated Fu Yansheng like a younger brother, completely forgetting that he was, in fact, a man—and to the outside world, a very alluring one at that. Remembering the sight of his body, she couldn't help but tap her forehead.

Catching sight of him coming down the stairs, she noticed he looked rather silent. The boy was never much of a talker, and after being caught in such a compromising position, she worried he might be...

Tang Yuan awkwardly looked away, scratching her cheek with one finger. "Yansheng, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. I was just worried you’d oversleep. Weren't you supposed to leave for the set at ten? I planned to drive you over."

Fu Yansheng, his body still tense, sat at the dining table and silently opened the breakfast she had brought.

Tang Yuan took a deep breath, quickly steadying her emotions. "It’s perfectly normal for a man to have morning energy. You don’t need to feel weird about it; it was my fault. Next time, I’ll be sure to call you before I come over."

As soon as she finished, he looked up. "It’s fine."

Tang Yuan let out a sigh of relief, though her back still felt warm. Twenty-three was the prime of a man's vitality, and this boy worked out regularly. With such a stunning face and such a fine physique, she wondered who he would eventually end up with.

Tang Yuan found it amusing. She was dressed in her usual gentle yet professional attire, her hair swept up. As the blush faded from her face, she returned to her normal self. She sat nearby, watching him eat his breakfast in a leisurely manner, and the corners of her mouth curved up. "I’ll drive you to the set."

His fingers paused. He looked at her as if he wanted to say something, but eventually, he just pressed his lips together.

It wasn't until Tang Yuan got into the car that she understood why he had hesitated. The film set was in the county seat. Because it was a fantasy drama, they would be spending nearly the first month in the mountains there. It was at least a four-hour drive. She massaged her temples; when she’d asked him about it last night, he hadn't made that clear, leading her to make the promise.

Fu Yansheng sat in the passenger seat, his tone calm. "If it's too much trouble for you..."

Since things had already reached this point, even if Tang Yuan did find it troublesome, she couldn't back out now. "It's no trouble. Go ahead and pack whatever you need. I’m your manager and assistant now; taking care of you is my job."

The corners of his mouth lifted slightly. "Mm."

Tang Yuan stood by the car, watching him head back inside to grab his suitcase and backpack. He really did look like a college student. Fu Yansheng put his things in the back seat and returned to the passenger side.

They would be in the car for over four hours. When Tang Yuan passed a small convenience store, she stopped to buy some snacks. She hadn't gone out much over the last two years, and now that it was March, the flowers along the roadside were in full bloom.

She couldn't help but remark, "When did the landscaping around here change? I don't remember these flowers being here before."

"Two years ago."

Tang Yuan curled her lips. Her phone rang at that moment, so she pulled over to the side of the road to answer it, catching a glimpse of Fu Yansheng opening the door to step out.

It was the housekeeper from Shuiyue Bay. "Ma'am, the day after tomorrow is your wedding anniversary. Shall I decorate it just like last time?"

For last year’s anniversary, Tang Yuan had decorated the villa beautifully, arranging a candlelight dinner and fresh flowers. But Shen Zhou hadn't come home, claiming he had an urgent business trip, and had only given her that jade pendant.

She had thought he was truly busy, but in hindsight, he must have been with Song Qianqian. He hadn't mentioned the anniversary this year, so he had surely forgotten, and she couldn't be bothered to go through the trouble.

"No need."

"What about the ingredients for the cake? Should I prepare them?"

Last year, Tang Yuan had baked a cake herself, even learning how to pipe frosting from a pastry chef, but the cake had gone to waste in the end. For Shen Zhou’s sake, she had learned to do so many things—massages, making creams, baking, cooking—she was proficient in all of them, yet Shen Zhou had rarely come home.

"No need for any of it. I have things to take care of recently. We’ll talk about it later."

The housekeeper was puzzled. Last year, the mistress had started decorating a month in advance. She hadn't expected her to not even mention it this year; what could possibly be more important than the master?

Tang Yuan hung up the phone, feeling a strange ache in her heart. She leaned back in her seat. A blink of an eye, and it had indeed been two years. She had been in love for fifteen years and had thought she would never leave Shen Zhou in this lifetime, but it turned out that when she truly decided to let go, it wasn't as difficult as she’d imagined. At the very least, she no longer lay awake at night tossing and turning because he didn't come home, and she no longer craved his embrace.

She sighed, and in her peripheral vision, she saw a bunch of flowers being held out toward her.

They were vibrant and fresh, as if holding the entire spring in his hands. She was stunned for a few seconds, then saw Fu Yansheng’s head peeking out from behind the bouquet. "There was an old woman selling flowers nearby. She said they were grown in her own garden. I saw it was getting late and wanted to help her finish early so she could head home."

The gesture effectively scattered her lingering thoughts. She took the flowers, feeling a sense of amusement. "This is the first time you’ve said so many words to me."

Fu Yansheng sat back in his seat and fastened his seatbelt.

Tang Yuan bowed her head to smell the flowers. She saw him lean back, his prominent Adam's apple looking incredibly sexy. The scene she had witnessed earlier flashed violently through her mind. Her hands faltered; she quickly placed the flowers aside and pressed down on the accelerator.