She just wanted to let Su Ruoyan know that she was not the only one capable of playing mind games.
She hadn't expected there would be an unexpected gain.
This was the first time Fu Yuxiu had asked her to stay in the presence of Su Ruoyan.
In the past, he had always been worried that Qiao Zhaoyue's status as his fiancée might pressure Su Ruoyan, so he avoided such situations when possible.
Had he changed his ways today?
Su Ruoyan also realized the unusualness of tonight, her eyes reddening further. Out of respect for what Fu Yuxiu had said, she couldn't protest but watched helplessly as Fu Yuxiu went to fetch the car, both of them standing in the night air, waiting.
"Sister Zhaoyue, you must feel quite pleased with yourself now, don't you?" Su Ruoyan blurted out unexpectedly.
"I know you are Axiu's fiancée, and in terms of talents, looks, and family background, I cannot compare to you. Sister Zhaoyue, you have everything now, can you please not fight with me over Axiu?"
Qiao Zhaoyue didn't know where Su Ruoyan got the impression that she had it all.
Everyone knew that within the Qiao Family, she was a person who could easily be dispensed with, having suffered much bullying and neglect.
Seeing that Qiao Zhaoyue didn't speak up and didn't react in anger as she had expected, Su Ruoyan felt disappointed.
Her plan was to enrage Qiao Zhaoyue before Fu Yuxiu arrived, hopefully making Fu Yuxiu feel repulsed by her.
But seeing the situation, she changed her tactics.
"Sister Zhaoyue, after all, you are Axiu's fiancée. If Axiu hadn't fancied me, I would probably never have had the chance to stand alongside you," she sniffled, "Sister Zhaoyue, actually, if you truly liked Axiu, I wouldn't compete with you, for I truly see you as a sister."
Qiao Zhaoyue's mood for the evening was completely soured.
Unable to tolerate Su Ruoyan's continuous provocation, she cut her off irritably, "Su Ruoyan."
Su Ruoyan looked up, her eyes blurred with tears.
Qiao Zhaoyue gazed at her coldly and spoke slowly and deliberately, "If I liked Fu Yuxiu, I would certainly fight you for him."
Su Ruoyan's expression turned stiff.
"So, if I were you, knowing I had no chance of winning, I wouldn't keep being clever. Put away your petty schemes; I don't want to waste my time on this."
She didn't want to continue the discussion with Su Ruoyan anymore.
She took off her jacket and handed it to Su Ruoyan, "Please tell President Fu, there's no need for him to bother dropping me off."
She feared she would feel sick if she stayed any longer with Su Ruoyan.
If she truly were an innocent and harmless little white flower, Qiao Zhaoyue might understand why Fu Yuxiu blindly spent time with her.
But from what she could see now, Fu Yuxiu must have really been blind.
When Fu Yuxiu arrived with the car, only Su Ruoyan was standing at the door.
His jacket was still in Su Ruoyan's arms.
The night breeze was gentle, and with so little clothing on, was she planning to freeze to death?
Fu Yuxiu's brows and eyes instantly turned frosty.
"What happened?" he asked nonchalantly, leaning on the car window, his voice tinged with coolness.
Su Ruoyan keenly sensed his foul mood.
She pouted playfully, "Axiu, Sister Zhaoyue said it would be too late for three people to ride back together, so she left on her own. Don't be angry."
Fu Yuxiu had known Qiao Zhaoyue for over a decade and worked with her for years; he knew exactly what kind of person she was.
He looked at Su Ruoyan with a smile that wasn't quite a smile. She tried to open the car door, pulling unsuccessfully, confusedly looking towards Fu Yuxiu.
Fu Yuxiu's expression, unprecedently, made her feel like a stranger.
"Yanyan, have I been too agreeable, giving you some sort of misunderstanding?" Fu Yuxiu's expression remained unchanged, and his voice was as calm as ever, sending chills down Su Ruoyan's spine with ease.
He exhaled a puff of smoke, his handsome features still distinct against the night sky.
"You know, I don't like people who don't listen. I'll have someone send you back to school later. As for the rest, you've made many mistakes, take some time to reflect and understand."
Su Ruoyan knew Fu Yuxiu doted on her, but that was only when she didn't cross his boundaries.
No one knew where his limit was, and Su Ruoyan, having tested it many times, had also affirmed her place in Fu Yuxiu's heart.
She thought it was because of the report, "Axiu, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have carelessly dropped the report into the water and tried to hide it from you..."
"Yanyan, you still don't understand what you did wrong."
Su Ruoyan bit her lip innocently, stubbornly refusing to back down.
Just because of Qiao Zhaoyue, he was actually going to blame her.
What on earth was so good about Qiao Zhaoyue!
Clearly... clearly, she was the one Fu Yuxiu truly loved!
"Axiu..."
Fu Yuxiu no longer looked at her. After closing the car window, he drove away for some distance before suddenly reversing.
Su Ruoyan watched excitedly as the car window rolled down to reveal his noble face.
Then, with his casually spoken words, she collapsed.
"Which way did Qiao Zhaoyue go?"
For the tenth time, Qiao Zhaoyue backed out of the taxi-hailing app, hugging her arms as she froze in the breath she exhaled, starting to regret her stubbornness in returning Fu Yuxiu's clothes.
If she had known it would be this cold, she would rather endure sharing a room with Su Ruoyan than not be able to hail a taxi and have to ruggedly walk back on her own legs.
The pain tugged at her lower abdomen, the further she walked, the colder her heart felt.
Until the sound of a horn beeping came from behind her.
Fu Yuxiu's noble face appeared, emotionlessly saying, "Get in."
As Qiao Zhaoyue glanced to the side, she noticed Su Ruoyan was not in the car.
In such a short time, Fu Yuxiu couldn't have split himself to send Su Ruoyan back to school and find time to look for her.
So there was only one possibility.
Fu Yuxiu left Su Ruoyan behind to take her back.
Could that be?
Qiao Zhaoyue raised an eyebrow, not dismissing the possibility.
Before she could speak, Fu Yuxiu took a call. After hanging up, his tone was much more somber.
"The old master was admitted to the hospital tonight. Get in, I'll take you back to the old house."
Qiao Zhaoyue knew the old master's health was not good; otherwise, Fu Yuxiu wouldn't be in such a rush to get engaged to soothe the old master.
This was his third hospital visit this month. Apart from Fu Yuxiu, the old master was the only one from the Fu Family who showed Qiao Zhaoyue kindness.
"How is Grandfather doing now?" She fastened her seat belt, the concern in her eyes not feigned.
She had hesitated when he asked her to get in the car but fastened the seat belt faster than anyone as soon as she heard the old master was ill.
Fu Yuxiu gripped the steering wheel and turned the car around, "The same old problem, it shouldn't be anything serious."
He's been admitted to the hospital and it's not serious?
Qiao Zhaoyue could only say that Fu Yuxiu was being nonchalant.
She couldn't rightly judge Fu Yuxiu's coldbloodedness; the Fu Family's private affairs were no better than those of the Qiao Family.
This kind of wealthy family often had more unsightly dealings.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have resulted in Fu Yuxiu's current temperament.
Seeing her sitting beside him, Fu Yuxiu didn't relax much either. He grabbed something from the side and threw it over her, "Make do with this; I don't know if it's expired."
Qiao Zhaoyue saw clearly that what she held was a heat pack.
This familiar packaging made Qiao Zhaoyue pause briefly; it was something she had left in Fu Yuxiu's car a long time ago.
She had thought he would have disposed of it by now but didn't expect it to still be there.
A flood of emotions washed over her.
Obviously, Fu Yuxiu was not practiced in showing care for her. Seeing that Qiao Zhaoyue didn't react for a while, he quickly realized to whom the heat pack belonged.