Su Mu finished work and decided to walk to the subway station, but halfway there, her path was blocked by an ostentatiously flashy red sports car. She looked at the person in the driver's seat without the slightest hint of annoyance:
"Junior President Wei."
"Didn't drive? Get in, I'll take you."
"No need to trouble Junior President Wei, I can quickly get there by subway."
Su Mu didn't give Wei Shaoqin a chance to say more and walked away directly, but Wei Shaoqin was not easily deterred. He parked his car by the roadside and followed Su Mu on foot. Unfortunately, he had never taken the subway before and was stopped at the ticket gate. He could only watch as Su Mu walked away, shouting:
"Su Mu!"
To Su Mu's surprise, Wei Shaoqin had followed her. She turned back and saw him being stopped at the gate, frowning slightly, but she still approached him:
"Does Junior President Wei have something else to say?"
Wei Shaoqin looked at her with a slight smile:
"I checked your information in the HR records. You're unmarried, and your colleagues also mentioned they haven't seen you being close with any man. That proves you're single, so are you playing hard to get by rejecting me?"
Su Mu couldn't help but laugh:
"Has your life always been free of failure, or being rejected by anyone?"
"I've got looks and wealth, and I'm great in bed. Who would ever reject me?"
"I would." Su Mu looked straight at him, without hesitation: "I admit your conditions are excellent and you'd be the ideal partner for many, but people have different tastes, and unfortunately, you're not to my liking. Besides, I'm short on time and not interested in playing hard to get with you."
As Su Mu turned to leave, she suddenly remembered something and added:
"I know you've just arrived in Shen City and everything is unfamiliar to you, you must be feeling bored and lonely. You can seek out some fun, as Shen City has always been a playground for the wealthy like you, but don't include me in your options for entertainment, or you'll be very disappointed."
"You don't believe I'm interested in you?"
"So-called love at first sight is just judging by appearances. Junior President Wei, your interest in me is nothing more than wanting me to be your bed partner, or a warm-up act in your bed. The moment you find someone else who interests you, I'm supposed to vanish from your world. If not, I'd be seen as greedy and presumptuous, right? Sorry, I've never had any respect for such fleeting relationships." Su Mu glanced at her watch: "I'm in a hurry, Junior President Wei. Goodbye."
It's a one-hour walk from the subway station to Bishui Yuntian. Su Mu usually took a taxi but decided to walk back this day because the weather was nice and she wasn't too tired. However, she hadn't considered how Bishui Yuntian's prime location, being far from the city center, meant few pedestrians and vehicles around. As she walked halfway and the sky gradually darkened, Su Mu began to feel afraid looking at the dark grove of trees beside her.
Perhaps it was her fear, but Su Mu started to sense someone following her. As she quickened her pace, so did the person behind her. She wanted to look back but lacked the courage. Gritting her teeth, Su Mu stopped and held her breath, listening carefully, and then she was absolutely certain there was someone else not far behind her—she could hear their slightly heavy breathing.
Trying to appear calm, Su Mu started walking again and without a second thought sent her location to Fu Shinian. She also composed a WeChat message, 'Someone is following me,' but hesitated when it came to sending it. The person behind her, however, didn't afford her any more time to hesitate and swiftly covered her mouth with one hand while restraining her waist with the other, dragging her towards the nearby grove of trees.
When Fu Shinian received Su Mu's WeChat message, he was about to attend a banquet. The driver had just pulled the car out of the Fu Corporation parking lot when he heard the ice-cold command from the back seat:
"Get to Bishui Yuntian as fast as you can."
Under the chilling pressure of Fu Shinian, the driver reached his lifetime record speed. But before they could reach Bishui Yuntian, Fu Shinian ordered coldly:
"Stop the car!"
The already tense driver forgot to slow down and hit the brakes immediately, but as he realized and started to apologize, the Fu Shinian in the back had already pushed the car door open and stepped out, walking briskly towards the grove of trees.
Su Mu never knew the disparity of strength between a man and a woman could be so great. No matter how hard she struggled, the man easily overpowered her, slapping her face several times, almost knocking her unconscious. Fortunately, the man used to tie her up tied a knot, allowing Su Mu to seize the opportunity to escape. Yet, in her panic and unsure of the direction, she played hide-and-seek with the man in the grove.
She didn't know when she lost one of her shoes, and the forest floor was littered with broken branches and various small stones. The unshod foot was already bleeding profusely, yet she didn't dare to stop—the footsteps behind her drawing ever nearer. She felt she wouldn't escape this predicament.
She wondered if Fu Shinian saw her WeChat message... Su Mu was surprised that at a time like this, she was thinking about him. Given their recent relations, even if he saw the message, he probably wouldn't care, right? But she desperately wished for his presence at this moment... If only he were here, she thought, even if she were to die now, she would have no regrets...
Accidentally stepping into a pit covered with leaves, she lost her balance and was about to fall. Drained and resigned, Su Mu thought, so be it, let come what may...
But the anticipated pain didn't come. Instead, she was caught in a firm embrace. Smelling that familiar scent, Su Mu opened her eyes and only saw his silhouette against the scant moonlight filtering through the layers of leaves, but she knew it was him.
He had come.
"Shinian..."
Fu Shinian responded softly, not saying much else, but on high alert as he watched the direction from which Su Mu had come. He heard the man's rapid footsteps stop when Su Mu called out his name, as if waiting for something. Fu Shinian pulled out his phone and called Ji Nanfeng:
"There's a robber in the grove one kilometer from Bishui Yuntian; catch him."
After hanging up, both Su Mu and Fu Shinian heard the desperate fleeing footsteps of the man.
Fu Shinian no longer paid attention to that man, instead, he bent down, lifted Su Mu into a princess carry, and swiftly made his way to the roadside.
Su Mu was in pain all over her body, but at this moment, being held in Fu Shinian's arms, she felt the pain was not so bad. She gazed at him unblinkingly and asked,
"How did you come here?"
Fu Shinian replied indifferently, "Wasn't it you who sent me a WeChat message?"
"I thought you hadn't seen it."
"Hmm, next time I might not see it, so don't send them to me again."
The driver was anxiously waiting by the car. He didn't know what Fu Shinian had gone to do in the grove. Without his orders, he didn't know whether to follow or not. When he finally heard some movement, he saw Fu Shinian carrying out a disheveled Mrs. Fu, which startled him. He hurriedly opened the car door.
Fu Shinian carefully placed Su Mu on the back seat. The light was on in the car, and it was then he saw the clear finger marks on Su Mu's face, swollen and battered. Her clothes were torn and ragged, barely enough to cover the essentials. Her one bare foot, bloody and stained—it was needless to mention, and her smooth, jade-like legs were also covered in injuries. He frowned but still said nothing.
When the car was back on the road, Fu Shinian called Qiao Yu:
"Come to my house."
"Are you inviting me over for dinner? Too bad, I've already made plans with someone else. Better luck next time."
"Su Mu is injured. She didn't make a fuss with you, so hurry over here."
Fu Shinian's tone was serious and even had a hint of urgency, which made Su Mu want to comfort him. She carefully tugged at his sleeve and said,
"Don't worry, I am fine."
Fu Shinian was tiredly pinching the bridge of his nose. Hearing her words, he turned his head to look at her:
"Worry? Which eye of yours saw me worrying about you?"
Su Mu's smile gradually stiffened on her face and she fell silent. Fu Shinian, seeing this, changed the subject:
"What happened just now?"
"I got off the subway and wanted to take a walk, so I was walking back. Halfway through, I felt someone following me. I got scared and sent you a WeChat message. He probably noticed my action, and then he attacked."
"Was he after money or something else? Did you hear him say anything?"
Su Mu thought for a moment:
"It seems he said something like, 'Even prettier than in the photos.'
Fu Shinian was silent for a few seconds, his gaze gradually shifted to Su Mu's face, and he couldn't help but laugh:
"Now, it's really hard to tell where the beauty is, just like a little beggar."
Su Mu gave him a resentful glance and then turned her gaze back to the window, not speaking anymore, so she didn't see Fu Shinian's expression slowly turning grim.
Qiao Yu arrived quickly; just as Auntie Lin finished helping Su Mu clean up and change her clothes in the bathroom, Qiao Yu was already there. Seeing the bruises covering Su Mu's body, he directed a stare at Fu Shinian and cursed:
"You beast!"
Fu Shinian retorted, "Are you tired of living?"
Su Mu also hurriedly explained:
"Qiao Yu, it has nothing to do with Shinian. I was robbed on my way back, and that's why I got hurt."
Qiao Yu came to his senses and casually acknowledged, yet his look at Fu Shinian did not carry the slightest bit of apology:
"Then, I really misunderstood you this time."
He emphasized the words 'this time,' merely to remind Fu Shinian of his troubled past, but Fu Shinian was too lazy to respond:
"Are you going to check or not? With this lazy attitude of yours, the patient would have died several times over. The Qiao Family's wealth isn't so vast that you can afford to be this negligent."
"Screw off!" Qiao Yu cursed at him and walked straight over to Su Mu, inspecting every exposed part of her skin, front and back. When he raised his hand to lift her nightgown, Fu Shinian spoke up to stop him:
"What are you doing?"
"Checking the wounds, what else? Don't tell me you think I'm taking advantage of your wife?" Qiao Yu looked at him incredulously.