"Where's the person picking you up?" Fu Jingfan suddenly asked.
Su Huaiming instinctively looked at him and said, "I didn't ask anyone to pick me up. I'm planning to go back on my own."
Fu Jingfan nodded slightly and asked, "Do you have a driver's license?"
"No." Su Huaiming shook his head and said without thinking, "You can still go on the road without a driver's license."
Hearing that, Secretary Zhou gave Su Huaiming a surprised look.
Should I explain some basic traffic laws to Su Huaiming?
She didn't want to wait until Su Huaiming was locked up, only to have to bail him out under her boss's murderous gaze.
Su Huaiming, however, saw nothing wrong with what he had said and casually asked, "Where are you going next?"
"I have another meeting, so I'm going back to the office," Fu Jingfan said concisely.
Su Huaiming nodded, understanding how busy Fu Jingfan was with work. "Thanks for all your hard work," he said casually.
The driver soon brought the car around and stopped in front of Fu Jingfan.
But Fu Jingfan didn't move. He turned to look at Su Huaiming.
After a few seconds at an impasse, Su Huaiming finally realized what Fu Jingfan meant and explained, "My ride is right over there."
Secretary Zhou and the driver were both stunned.
The parking lot was in a designated area, and there were attendants managing the area nearby. Not a single car was parked there.
To put Fu Jingfan at ease, Su Huaiming walked over to an electric scooter, patted the seat, and said quite naturally, "I'm riding this back."
The electric scooter was a pale yellow and compact, a striking contrast to the understated luxury car parked in front of them. The sight was a little too much for the eyes.
Su Huaiming was afraid that someone like Fu Jingfan, who had never experienced ordinary people's lives, wouldn't know what it was, so he volunteered an explanation. "This is an electric scooter. You can scan a code to pay, and it only costs three yuan for half an hour. It's a great deal."
The atmosphere grew even more awkward at his words.
Secretary Zhou and the driver couldn't help giving Fu Jingfan strange looks.
The dignified wife of President Fu was actually riding an electric scooter!
And a shared one at that!!
If word got out, everyone would think President Fu was mistreating his wife!!
Su Huaiming, however, hadn't seen a problem from beginning to end. Seeing Fu Jingfan still standing there, he naturally urged him, "Don't you have a meeting to get to? Hurry up and leave, or you'll be late."
As he spoke, Su Huaiming got on the electric scooter. His long legs had nowhere to go and looked particularly cramped.
Watching Su Huaiming, Fu Jingfan said nothing more and walked toward the car.
The driver knew what to do and immediately opened the door for Fu Jingfan.
Just as Fu Jingfan was about to get in, Secretary Zhou's phone suddenly chimed. She looked down at it, and her expression changed.
She hurried over and said, "President Fu, there's a traffic jam up ahead, and it won't clear anytime soon. We'll have to take a long detour back to the office, but as for the time..."
Fu Jingfan had always valued efficiency and hated being late above all else. This was a very serious problem for him.
Seeing that Secretary Zhou was so troubled she was almost in tears, Su Huaiming, ever sympathetic to a lady, sighed.
Sure enough, in a congested city, an electric scooter was the best and most versatile ride.
Su Huaiming rode his electric scooter over to Fu Jingfan, wobbling along, and asked in a show of solidarity, "Do you need me to give you a ride?"
For a moment, everyone present looked at the cramped back seat.
Fu Jingfan would probably have to hang his butt off the seat, brace his hands on Su Huaiming's shoulders, and squat in a horse stance just to squeeze in.
The picture is too beautiful to imagine.jpg.
Chapter 20: 020
A full half minute passed before Su Huaiming belatedly noticed everyone's strange expressions.
He looked at the electric scooter's narrow back seat and belatedly realized that Fu Jingfan was too big to fit.
Su Huaiming thought for a moment, then said considerately, "It's fine if you can't fit. How about I scan another one for you?"
At those words, Secretary Zhou's breath caught, and her vision went black.
If Fu Jingfan went speeding through the streets and alleys on a little electric scooter, he would surely top the headlines everywhere tomorrow...
She could already imagine the headline: "Men fall silent and women weep: a famous domineering CEO has been reduced to riding a little electric scooter! Is his company going bankrupt?!!"
As Fu Jingfan's secretary, she had to fulfill her duties and get him out of this predicament. "I just checked. If we leave now and drive fast enough, we can get to the office on time. The second option is to take a helicopter back to the office. The mall's rooftop has the necessary conditions for a helicopter to take off."
A helicopter... isn't that a bit too extravagant?!
Su Huaiming suddenly felt that he and Fu Jingfan's group were in completely different worlds.
Seeing that the matter had been resolved, Su Huaiming waved to Fu Jingfan and the others. "I'll be going, then. Be careful on your way."
Fu Jingfan nodded slightly.
Su Huaiming rode the pale yellow shared electric scooter onto the road.
The cars beside him were crawling along at a snail's pace, with no telling when they would make it to the next intersection. Su Huaiming cut a particularly carefree figure, darting nimbly between the vehicles like a fish. In just one minute, he passed several cars, with no risk of being stuck in traffic at all.
Watching Su Huaiming's dashing figure from behind, Secretary Zhou couldn't help reflecting that an electric scooter really was the most convenient ride in the city, much better than a car.
Fu Jingfan wasted no time. During the brief half minute Secretary Zhou spent in a daze, he had already gotten into the car.
After the driver reminded her, Secretary Zhou immediately got into the front passenger seat and began preparing for the upcoming meeting, immersing herself completely in her demanding work.
Meanwhile, Su Huaiming was riding his electric scooter leisurely toward the apartment.
The weather was neither cold nor hot, and the breeze felt especially comfortable on his face. The evening glow spread across the horizon, several colors intertwining in a display of natural beauty no painter could imitate.
He had no sense of urgency at all. In stark contrast to the hurried pedestrians beside him, he looked particularly at ease.
Su Huaiming soon returned to the apartment.
The apartment was quiet and empty, and Fu Xiaoxiao was nowhere to be seen.
Hearing him arrive, the butler immediately came over and looked at Su Huaiming with a troubled expression.
Su Huaiming knew he had something to say and asked, "What happened?"
The butler sighed, at a complete loss as to what to do with Fu Xiaoxiao. "The young master made a terrible fuss about going back to the villa. I coaxed him for ages, but he refused to stay here any longer. He just threw a tantrum and locked himself in his room. He won't let anyone disturb him, and he says he'll go on a hunger strike if we don't let him go back to the villa."
Su Huaiming raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected Fu Xiaoxiao to have so many tricks up his sleeve at such a young age.
He even dares go on a hunger strike?!
Su Huaiming knew the little glutton Fu Xiaoxiao all too well. There was no need to coax him. Once he got hungry, he would reluctantly come out of his room and go trotting off in search of food.
"Don't mind him," Su Huaiming said casually. "The more you coax him, the worse his temper gets. Leave him alone a little longer, and he'll come out on his own."
In this household, only Su Huaiming could discipline Fu Xiaoxiao. Hearing him say that, the butler finally breathed a sigh of relief. "Mr. Su, if you hadn't come back soon, I really wouldn't have known what to do."
Knowing how hard the butler had worked, Su Huaiming patted him comfortingly on the shoulder.
Moved by Su Huaiming's concern, the butler said, "Now that you're living in the apartment, Mr. Fu will probably come back here to rest after work, too. You and Mr. Fu haven't seen each other in a long time, so your reunion will surely be as sweet as a honeymoon. When the time comes, I'll take the young master out to play and leave you two alone."
Su Huaiming's heart stirred at that.
They had just met for the first time. He was a complete stranger to Fu Jingfan and knew nothing about him. What was more, Fu Jingfan had an intimidating presence and looked cold and difficult to get along with. Su Huaiming wasn't mentally prepared to pretend to be newlyweds with him.
He had already rested for three days, and in another week he would have to film the variety show. Su Huaiming didn't think there was any need to force himself to spend time with Fu Jingfan now.
Avoidance was shameful, but it worked.
Su Huaiming paused, putting on a worried expression. "That's not the important thing right now. How long has Xiao Xiao been in there? Why isn't there a sound from the room?"
The subject had changed so quickly that the butler was momentarily taken aback. Then he said, "He's been in there for a little over half an hour, I think. At first, I could hear the young master throwing a tantrum, but there hasn't been a sound for the past fifteen minutes."
Looking utterly heartbroken, Su Huaiming said anxiously, "How much did he eat? He must be starving."
The butler said worriedly, "The young master threw his tantrum at dinner. He only ate a little before storming back to his room."
"Xiao Xiao is still so young. His body can't take going without food." With that, Su Huaiming hurried to the door and knocked gently. "We'll go back to the villa tomorrow. Xiao Xiao, come out and eat."
A full half minute passed before the door opened from the inside.
Fu Xiaoxiao stared at Su Huaiming suspiciously, unable to believe he had become so agreeable. "You, what's wong with you?"
With a loving expression, Su Huaiming gently stroked Fu Xiaoxiao's head. "I was worried about you. I didn't want you to go hungry."
Fu Xiaoxiao's eyes went round, and he took a frightened step back, strongly suspecting that the person in front of him wasn't his stepfather but some monster in disguise.
Su Huaiming paid no attention to Fu Xiaoxiao's reaction and told the nanny to take him to eat.
Fu Xiaoxiao kept looking back every few steps, still unable to believe Su Huaiming had given in to him.
When he turned back to the butler, Su Huaiming looked regretful and helpless. "I've already promised Fu Xiao. Let's go back to the villa tomorrow."
The butler paused, then said hesitantly, "But Mr. Fu..."
Su Huaiming sighed and interrupted him. "Xiao Xiao is still young. We should take extra care of him. Isn't it only natural for parents to make sacrifices for their children? As for Fu Jingfan and me, we can see each other another time. There's no need to rush."
Su Huaiming's manner was so completely different from before that even he felt guilty.
Isn't this a little too abrupt? The butler will probably suspect me...
Just as Su Huaiming's heart was pounding, he suddenly heard the butler let out a long sigh.
He looked up blankly and saw the butler looking at him with sympathy, as though he were almost in tears. "Mr. Su, you've really put so much thought into this. I'm afraid you'll have to put up with it for now."
A stepfather's position was a particularly sensitive one, and his every action would be magnified. If he treated Fu Xiaoxiao poorly, he could easily be accused of mistreating his stepson.
Su Huaiming wanted to leave a good impression on Fu Jingfan and was also afraid his words and actions would cause Fu Jingfan trouble. That was why he endured the unfairness and gave in to Fu Xiaoxiao at every turn.
Mr. Su truly wanted to be part of this family and truly loved Mr. Fu and the young master.
Deeply moved, the butler was eager to make it up to Su Huaiming. "Mr. Su, you've been busy outside for hours. You must be tired. Please go and rest. Leave all the packing to me, and don't worry about a thing."
Su Huaiming, who had gone out, enjoyed a lovely hot pot meal, and done no actual work: "..."
Although he didn't know what the butler was thinking, he was grateful that the butler had filled in the rest of his reasoning for him. He continued the act. "All right. Thanks for your hard work."
The butler called the others over to help pack their luggage, preparing to move back to the villa first thing the next morning.