Chapter 69
Fu Chengyan smiled and shook his head. He stroked her head gently and said, "Even if you do nothing, she'll hate you anyhow."
Shi Nuan sighed. She had to admit what Fu Chengyan said was true but decided to keep a distance from Shi Wei anyhow. "You don't get it. Shi Wei will not let this rest. She-"
Fu Chengyan shook his head. "Looks like she bullied you frequently back then, huh?"
Shi Nuan smiled bitterly. "Yes."
No matter what happened, she was always on the losing side. She had already gotten used to it. Back then, Shi Nuan would try to stay away from Shi Wei. She even moved out at a young age just to avoid running into Shi Wei. She'd only return home for the occasional family gatherings to visit her grandfather, Shi Yunsheng.
Fu Chengyan gazed at the woman who seemed helpless. It was obvious she had been giving in for years. "She is something."
Shi Nuan raised her brows. "I can't believe you're praising her." Right then, the salesperson had already wrapped up the shoes and the general manager walked up to them. "Mr. Fu, the shoes..." "Give them to me!" Fu Chengyan frowned and took the shoes from him before asking, "Where are the flats?"
"Here!" The salesperson was smart as she had guessed what was going on when Fu Chengyan and Shi Nuan came in earlier to look at the flats section. She gave the flats to Shi Nuan. "Ms. Shi, put them on!" Shi Nuan arched her brows and shot a look at Fu Chengyan. Fu Chengyan nodded and told her. "Put them on. Don't wear high heels next time." He then added with a laugh, "But you can wear them at home though!"
Shi Nuan's cheeks puffed up at the strange comment from Fu Chengyan. After realizing what Fu Chengyan meant, she glanced at the general manager.
When the general manager heard their conversation, he reminded himself to serve Ms. Shi well the next time she visited their shopping mall. He hinted at the salesperson before turning to Fu Chengyan, "Mr. Fu, I'll go back to work then."
Fu Chengyan nodded. After the general manager left, he looked at Shi Nuan. "Do they fit well?" Shi Nuan nodded. She felt herself relax the moment she put the flats on.
Shi Nuan told the salesperson to pack her own shoes up before walking up to Fu Chengyan. Without the high heels, Shi Nuan seemed small in front of Fu Chengyan.
Shi Nuan wasn't short as her height was 165cm. She was considered tall among girls. But she was obviously petite to Fu Chengyan who was 185cm tall.
A smile flashed across Shi Nuan's face as she took the shopping bag from the salesperson and thanked her. Turning to face Fu Chengyan, she said, "Let's go!" "Okay." Fu Chengyan walked behind Shi Nuan and shot the salesperson a look. The salesperson immediately bowed. "Mr. Fu, have a good day!"
After Fu Chengyan and Shi Nuan left, the store manager went to the salesperson and scrutinized her. "You did well today!"
"Thank you, sir!"
After changing into flats, Shi Nuan seemed more relaxed. Shi Nuan walked ahead of Fu Chengyan for some time before turning back to the man who lagged behind her. "Thank you for today!"
She knew well if Fu Chengyan wasn't there to help her, she'd get bullied by Shi Wei again. Shi Wei knew she would avoid creating a scene. Plus, Shi Wei had Anna and Su Su with her today. No matter what, she'd be on the losing side again.
Fu Chengyan's lips curved up. "Will thank you suffice?"
"Well, I said thank you." Shi Nuan said while smiling, "What else do you want?"
Fu Chengyan raised his brows. "No wonder you're no match for her." Fu Chengyan strode up to her and took the shopping bag from her. His other hand reached out to hold her hand.
Shi Nuan was taken aback and she blushed. "What are you doing? People are staring. Let go!" Shi Nuan struggled but failed to free her hand. She glanced around nervously.
Fu Chengyan's gaze swept over Shi Nuan. When he saw Shi Nuan acting this way, his eyes crinkled up in delight. "Are you ashamed of me?" Many women would die to be with him. She was the only woman who gave him the cold shoulder.
Shi Nuan chuckled, "No. Shi Wei has just left. If she finds out about us, I'm afraid-"
"Afraid of what?"
Fu Chengyan snorted, "I didn't expect you'd be this afraid of your sister. She's merely a wolf in a sheep's skin." Fu Chengyan couldn't be bothered about Shi Wei, so he didn't understand Shi Nuan's reaction. Shi Nuan was dumbfounded. She pursed her lips as her gaze darkened. "I've been Shi Wei's sister for over two decades. I know her well. She is dead set in stealing everything I like or own. Back then, she took my dolls and toys. Later on, my boyfriend, my parents' love. In the future, she might—"
"You're afraid she'll take me away from you?" There was a hint of amusement in Fu Chengyan's icy voice.
Shi Nuan paused, obviously stunned. "No. Why would you think that way?" She denied it instinctively before realizing she must've said something wrong because Fu Chengyan's face became dark.
Shi Nuan laughed dryly, "Well, that isn't what I meant. You won't be seduced by Shi Wei. I know your character well." Shi Nuan continued, "But you don't know my family well. Even I don't know them well. If Shi Wei finds out about us being together, we won't be able to hide our marriage from them. If she can't get the best, she'll destroy it for sure."
"You think she can destroy me?" Fu Chengyan chuckled. He felt better after hearing what Shi Nuan said. "Don't worry. Your husband isn't that easy to be destroyed."
"She isn't that capable." Shi Nuan knew that well. "But she'll keep on coming for you. Even if you get annoyed, she won't give up. If my father knows about us, what do you think he'll do?" Shi Nuan smiled bitterly and shook her head. "He'd do anything for money. You should know that too."
Shi Nuan followed Fu Chengyan to his car. After buckling herself up, she noticed Fu Chengyan was still staring at her. Confused, she asked, "Why are you staring at me?"
Fu Chengyan shook his head and played with her hair.
His eyes expressed fountains of emotions in a single glance. Shi Nuan wasn't sure whether it was reality or her fantasy. Her lips pursed while Fu Chengyan's right arm moved over to hold her hand. His warm and wide palm was against the back of her hand, making her feel safe.
"I'm not joking. Look, he sold me to a man with a terrible reputation for a mere two billion. He doesn't care about my feelings. If he knows we are married, he'll use your status and position to get what he wants. You'll be dragged into their mess forever."
Fu Chengyan burst out into laughter upon hearing her words. "You silly!"
Shi Nuan's lips thinned. "I'm being serious. Why did you scold me?"
"I'm not scolding you!" Fu Chengyan gently pinched her fingers. "I've thought about that since I made up my mind to marry you. We're a married couple now. For better or worse, remember?"
Fu Chengyan tousled her hair again when he saw her blank expression. Shi Nuan hated it when he did that. She pushed his hand away. "Do you have ADHD? Why do you keep touching my hair? My hair is all messy now." She leaned her head against the window and stared at the passing buildings outside. "I keep thinking, why can't we live a simple life?"
Fu Chengyan arched his brows as a tiny smile appeared on his lips. Then, he heard his phone ringing. "Answer the call for me."
Shi Nuan took Fu Chengyan's phone and pointed at the caller's name. "It's from your assistant, Zhou."
"Answer it." Fu Chengyan was busy driving. "Put him on speaker."
"Okay." Shi Nuan clicked on the speaker icon. Zhou Zheng's voice rang out. "Mr. Fu, I've got news."
Shi Nuan was slightly taken aback. She looked at Fu Chengyan and asked, "Do you want me to turn off the speaker?" But Fu Chengyan continued speaking, "What did he say?"
"They had started an investigation. But Fu Renjiang insisted that someone had forced him do it and wouldn't reveal the culprit's name."
Fu Chengyan knitted his brows together. "Tell them to continue monitoring him." He continued, "Anything else?"
Zhou Zheng paused. "I've just received a video." He hesitated before saying, "It's about your wife."
Shi Nuan raised her brows. She shot a confused look at Fu Chengyan and mouthed, "Me?"
Fu Chengyan's brows were still knitted together. "Make it clear!"
Zhou Zheng swallowed and hesitated. His pause made Shi Nuan feel uneasy as she tightened her grip on the phone. Fu Chengyan noticed her getting nervous. He gave Shi Nuan a reassuring look. Shi Nuan's smiled a little to show she was alright. She spoke to Zhou Zheng, "Mr. Zhou, it's me. The video is about me? What is it about?"
"Yes, it's about you. It's about what happened upstairs on the day of your grandfather's birthday party."
Thud! The phone in Shi Nuan's hand dropped to the ground. She stayed stunned for a while before regaining her senses to pick it up. "What video? I was unconscious back then. Who was the one that recorded this video?"