On the 29th, the night before Qin Nianwan's return, Su Mu had his first meal downstairs since he was injured. He still hadn't seen Fu Shinian, so he had dinner alone, watched a boring comedy variety show by himself, and watched as the time slowly passed 10 PM.
Auntie Lin came over to persuade him:
"Mrs. Fu, your health has just recovered. Go upstairs and rest first. When Mr. Fu returns, I will inform him."
Su Mu shook his head:
"It's okay, I'll wait a little longer."
Auntie Lin looked at Su Mu and sighed helplessly. Their madam was good in every way, but she was just too blindly devoted to Mr. Fu. Sometimes, it exhausted Auntie Lin just watching her.
While Su Mu was waiting for Fu Shinian, Fu Shinian was playing cards with Ji Nanfeng and Qiao Yu. His luck was quite good that evening, winning a lot, which made Ji Nanfeng itch with irritation:
"They say, 'Unlucky in love, lucky at cards.' How come you're lucky in both?"
Fu Shinian gave him a cool glance and asked Qiao Yu:
"Is there a good ophthalmologist in the hospital? Schedule an appointment for him tomorrow."
Ji Nanfeng: "..."
Qiao Yu fearlessly said, "Can I take that remark to mean you've been having recent troubles in your love life?"
Fu Shinian played his last card and leaned back into the couch:
"Have you two been a bit too concerned about my love life lately?"
"Can't help it, none of us are married or have any close female friends," Ji Nanfeng had a schadenfreude tone: "Don't keep things bottled up. Spit it out and let us have some fun?"
Fu Shinian kicked out:
"Have you completed the investigation I asked for?"
Ji Nanfeng slapped his forehead: "I knew I forgot something today, it was this."
As he spoke, he began manipulating his smartphone. Fu Shinian looked at him as if he were looking at an imbecile, quite helplessly.
"Alright, all the data has been sent to your email. You can check it out, but I've already reviewed it all. Nothing special. After she left you, she went to 'h' country and has been an intern at a company up until now."
Qiao Yu ate a grape, wincing from its sourness:
"Is she intending to enter the entertainment industry?"
"Hasn't she always had that intention?
The star-making system in 'h' country is much more streamlined than domestically, it was a good choice for her." Ji Nanfeng looked at Fu Shinian: "It seems you're not that important in Qin Nianwan's heart, are we right? At least she left you and still pursued her dreams instead of falling apart."
Fu Shinian was continuously scrolling through the documents in his email, paying no attention to Ji Nanfeng's teasing.
Qiao Yu: "Tomorrow is the 30th, isn't it? Are you going to pick her up at the airport?"
Fu Shinian put down his phone and was silent for a few seconds: "What? You want to go in my place?"
Indeed, he had let down Qin Nianwan years ago. Now, after not seeing each other for two years, and her suggesting that he pick her up at the airport, Fu Shinian couldn't refuse.
Qiao Yu glanced at Ji Nanfeng:
"Don't forget, you are a married man now, and you have a wife who has been waiting for you at home."
Fu Shinian chuckled softly, rising from the couch:
"You're not wrong. It's getting late, let's call it a day."
Ji Nanfeng cursed under his breath:
"What time is it? The night life is just beginning."
"That's the night life for you singles without wives, not mine."
Ji Nanfeng and Qiao Yu looked at each other and said in unison: "Cut him off!"
...
When Fu Shinian returned to Bishui Yuntian, he was surprised to see Su Mu waiting in the living room. They hadn't seen each other for almost a week, even though they lived under the same roof.
Auntie Lin had been keeping Su Mu company. Seeing Fu Shinian appear, she stepped forward to take his coat:
"Mr. Fu, you're back? Mrs. Fu has been waiting for you for a long time."
Su Mu stood up from the sofa, quietly watching him, her seaweed-like long hair gently framing her, dressed in a white cotton linen long dress, making her appear as gentle as the moonlight. But Fu Shinian had no intention of chatting with her and averted his gaze, heading upstairs.
Su Mu wanted to say something, but ultimately didn't utter a sound, smiling meekly at Auntie Lin who stood by:
"Auntie Lin, you've been with me all night; go get some rest early," Su Mu suggested.
"Mrs. Fu, your foot injury hasn't healed well; let me help you upstairs," Auntie Lin insisted.
Su Mu shook her head: "No need, I'll walk slowly by myself."
After Auntie Lin left, the empty living room was left with only Su Mu. She turned off the TV that had been noisy all night, switched off the lights, and limped slowly upstairs. However, she did not return to the master bedroom but instead headed towards the guest room. Standing at the door for a moment, she chose to enter without knocking.
Fu Shinian was standing by the bed, removing his watch. Hearing the noise, he turned around and saw Su Mu at the doorway and chuckled lightly:
"Mrs. Fu has something to say to me?"
Su Mu walked in and quietly shut the door behind her. She had guessed that Fu Shinian would ridicule her, and sure enough, she heard his voice the next second:
"Mrs. Fu, what is this? Don't tell me it's what I think it is? I'm really not interested in doing anything with someone who just had a miscarriage and is injured."
"Must you speak like this to humiliate me?"
Fu Shinian didn't even bother with sarcasm anymore, didn't look at her, and coldly spoke as he put his watch on the nightstand:
"Get out!"
There was no sound from behind for a long time, so quiet it was as if there wasn't another person there. Fu Shinian frowned slightly, even slowing down his action of unbuttoning his shirt. He eventually couldn't resist turning around to glance, just a glance, and then he froze.
In their two years of marriage, Fu Shinian had never seen Su Mu take such an initiative. At that moment, a long dress she had removed was piled at her feet, her entire body was uncovered, and perhaps in an effort to forcefully keep herself from covering her private parts, her hands were clenched into fists at her sides.
Fu Shinian raised an eyebrow, suddenly feeling that the night might yet be interesting. He stopped fiddling with his buttons, unhurriedly sat down on the sofa by the window, and kept his gaze firmly on Su Mu:
"Mrs. Fu, what are you trying to do? I must say, I'm a bit puzzled."
Su Mu didn't speak; she just started walking towards Fu Shinian after he spoke.
She walked very slowly; her foot was injured, and her posture wasn't graceful, especially feeling Fu Shinian's gaze constantly on her, burning like a brand. Being in the same room, she would eventually reach him no matter how slow she walked. Su Mu stood in front of Fu Shinian and slowly squatted down.
At that moment, Su Mu hesitated, but things had developed to this point. Buffeting her urge to turn away, she walked up to him, and doing or not doing in his eyes really made no difference. She gritted her teeth and began to undo his belt.
Fu Shinian did not stop her but instead lifted her chin with his finger, asking:
"Is your body healed?"
Su Mu forced herself to meet his gaze, shook her head: "Not yet… but I can use another way."
Fu Shinian narrowed his eyes slightly. He could hardly believe his ears, hardly believe that these words were coming from Su Mu's mouth. Usually, in bed, she was passive, and due to her physical condition, she needed medication to not be in pain. Fu Shinian thought she was resistant to this aspect and only obliged to fulfill the duties between husband and wife, but now it seemed not entirely the case.
Her actions were somewhat decisive, as if to prevent herself from backing off. At a critical moment, Fu Shinian grabbed her wrist, looking at her intently:
"Is this a new tactic you've come up with these past few days? What do you hope to get from me?"
No matter what she did, whether degrading or trying to please, in Fu Shinian's eyes, there was always an ulterior motive.
After a few seconds of silence, Su Mu slowly smiled, her eyes seductively narrow:
"Besides money, what else can Mr. Fu offer me?"
"Short of cash? You really think of yourself as a prostitute?"
"I thought that's what I've always been in your heart. Turns out, Mr. Fu actually overestimated me, what a cherished surprise."
Fu Shinian released her wrist, comfortably leaning back in the chair, watching her coldly:
"Since you've long known what you are in my heart, then show your skill. Who knows, if I'm pleased, you might get more than you expect."
He indeed knew how to truly humiliate her, but who could she blame? It was she who insisted on presenting her bleeding heart to him; he never forced her.
Enough, enough.
Her debasing herself was merely to remind him amid Qin Nianwan's return that she was still his wife, even in such a posture.
When everything was over, Su Mu collapsed on the floor, unable to stop the nausea. The deed was more unbearable than she had imagined, but Fu Shinian, sitting on the sofa maintaining his superior posture, watched her coldly. His eyes seemed to truly see her as a prostitute, and his words dripped with sarcasm:
"Since you're selling, sell it thoroughly, or you might not get what you want."
"What you give, might not be what I want." He could give her money, but she was doing this for reasons Fu Shinian would never know, nor care to know.
Fu Shinian got up and walked towards the bathroom, his words dripping with sarcasm as he went:
"You want money, right? Tomorrow I'll have Song Yi transfer the money to you."
Su Mu lay on the ground for a long time, unable to rise, her stomach relentlessly nauseous, yet unable to vomit. Perhaps because of his earlier grip, her facial muscles ached severely. In such a state, anyone would think she was a pitiful woman, wouldn't they?
Indeed, there was a moment when even Su Mu thought she was.
For a man, she had degraded herself to the dirt.