Qin Huaichen didn't want to leave a weird impression on Fu Xiaoya, nor did he want her to have any negative opinions of him. But tonight, it seemed like he was messing up in every way.
Fu Xiaoya couldn't help but burst into laughter when she saw Qin Huaichen looking so nervous. Was this still the arrogant Heavenly King Qin?
"I think it's drawn beautifully. If you hadn't pursued a singing career, you might have become an excellent painter." Fu Xiaoya praised him.
Qin Huaichen relaxed. "I only paint for one person."
Fu Xiaoya smiled and turned her face away.
Qin Huaichen's eyes twinkled with affectionate smiles, and he cautiously asked, "It's getting late now. Shall I escort you home?"
Fu Xiaoya was about to nod but then shook her head abruptly. She couldn't go back to Anning Village. She was afraid that Shen Nanhai would harm her family.
"Can you do me a favor and assist me in creating a diversion? Help me out a bit?"
"What's wrong?" Qin Huaichen asked, puzzled,
Fu Xiaoya didn't know how to explain, but the bottom line was that she couldn't go home now.
"When I call my mom later, can you answer the phone for me? Just say you're a friend of mine in Hai City. Got it?"
Friend? Qin Huaichen nodded. He wondered if they could be considered friends now. It was a step further than being strangers.
Fu Xiaoya dialed Fu Hua's number, and after just one ring, the call connected.
Fu Hua answered the call. "My good daughter, have you had dinner? You must be exhausted today. When are you coming back? Mom has made soup for you."
Fu Xiaoya's nose felt a bit tingly, and she couldn't bring herself to say the words "I'm not coming back tonight."
"My good daughter, have you been bullied outside?" Fu Hua became extremely worried when Fu Xiaoya remained silent.
"No, Mom, I'm fine. I want to tell you some good news." Fu Xiaoya pretended to be excited. "I bought a lottery ticket today and won a million yuan!"
"Really? That's great news! We should celebrate tomorrow," Fu Huai naturally knew that winning the lottery was not true, but she believed whatever her daughter said.
"Oh, there's some bad news, Mom..." Fu Xiaoya's voice lowered, "My friend is seriously ill, so I won't be coming home for now. But I'll video call you every day, okay?"
Helplessly, Qin Huaichen shook his head as Fu Xiaoya raised her eyebrows and gestured towards the phone, indicating that he should cooperate. "My mom wants to talk to you."
Qin Huaichen used his eyes to reassure Fu Xiaoya before taking the phone, respectfully saying, "Hello Auntie, I am Qin Huaichen."
Hearing Qin Huaichen's confident tone, Fu Xiaoya gestured towards her throat, signaling him to pretend to cough.
"Cough, cough." Qin Huaichen followed her instructions, but no matter how hard he tried, he didn't sound like someone seriously ill.
Fu Xiaoya pouted. She had forgotten that Qin Huaichen was great at singing but not at acting!
On the other end of the phone, Fu Huai didn't dwell on whether Qin Huaichen was truly sick or not. She knew who Qin Huaichen was. When her daughter was young, she liked to stick to Qin Huaichen, which made her jealous as a mother. She never expected that they would still be together after growing up and going through twists and turns. Having her daughter by Qin Huaichen's side made her feel completely at ease.
Since Fu Xiaoya went missing, Qin Huaichen had frequently come to their house and could be considered as a half-son. Fu Huai trusted Qin Huaichen's character.
Therefore, after a few reminders, Fu Huai hung up the phone. The sadness that Fu Xiaoya didn't come home was swept away.
Fu Yuanjiang came in holding a fruit tray and glanced at the variety show playing on the TV. He asked, "Can you still date on this kind of show?"
Fu Hua rested her legs on Fu Yuanjiang's lap, took a bite of the fruit he handed her, and smiled, "Even though it's autumn now, it doesn't stop people from dating, right?"
Although Fu Yuanjiang didn't understand, he nodded in agreement. His wife always said the right things, so he continued to feed her fruits.
After finishing the tray of fruit, Fu Yuanjiang checked the time. It was already half-past ten in the evening. He opened the surveillance app on his phone and saw that it was quiet outside. Worried, he stood up and said, "I'll call Fu Song. It's so late, why hasn't he brought Xiaoya back yet?"
"Xiaoya is with Qin Huaichen, don't worry," Fu Huai noticed that Fu Xiaoya had changed her WeChat profile picture, and it matched Qin Huaichen's one like they were a couple. Her smile grew wider.