[So no one's figured out who Su Huaiming's mysterious husband is yet?]
[I want to know too. I don't have the whole story, and I'm so anxious I could bang my head against a wall.]
The tone in the comments gradually shifted. Everyone was dying to know who Su Huaiming's husband was.
The keywords #Su Huaiming's endorsement#, #Su Huaiming's livestream#, and #Su Huaiming's partner# all shot up the trending searches.
Although it was only a fleeting sensation and Su Huaiming didn't have many genuine fans, the attention was real enough to rival that of a second- or third-tier young actor.
Any other eighteenth-tier celebrity would probably have been overjoyed, but Su Huaiming's mood barely changed.
His only goal in life was to eat well, have fun, sleep well, stay healthy, and enjoy life. As long as he had enough money, that was fine. Any more, and he'd have to worry about not being able to spend it all, which wouldn't be worth it.
Su Huaiming brought Fu Jingfan late-night snacks for another two days. The snacks ultimately ended up in his own stomach, and Su Huaiming enjoyed them so much that he looked forward to snack time every day.
Perhaps Fu Jingfan was moved by him. The next day, Fu Jingfan was going back to the office and offered to give Su Huaiming a ride.
Su Huaiming was craving that restaurant's hot pot again, so he nodded and took Fu Jingfan's car downtown.
Fu Jingfan happened to have a business engagement at the Club, the same place Su Huaiming was going, so Su Huaiming wouldn't have to walk a single extra step.
Before they reached the elevators, Su Huaiming spotted Secretary Zhou standing nearby.
He knew Secretary Zhou reasonably well, so he smiled and waved at her.
Seeing Su Huaiming's shimmering eyes, Secretary Zhou couldn't help breaking into an adoring smile.
He's an angel, right? He has to be an angel!!
Sometimes Su Huaiming said things that made people's jaws drop and left them with mixed feelings, but when he kept his mouth shut and played mute, his beauty was truly enchanting.
On top of that, Su Huaiming had a strange quality: people couldn't stay on guard around him and easily relaxed, becoming friendly with him before they even realized it. Although their statuses were different, Secretary Zhou felt an indescribable closeness to him.
Su Huaiming was also very fond of Secretary Zhou and admired her greatly.
After all, anyone who could keep up with Fu Jingfan's work pace was no ordinary person.
Secretary Zhou had wanted to chat with Su Huaiming, but when she noticed Fu Jingfan standing nearby with his intimidating presence, she promptly shut her mouth.
While they waited for the elevator, Su Huaiming asked, "When are you going back?"
Although he didn't address anyone by name, everyone knew who he was talking to.
Fu Jingfan said, "In about four hours."
Su Huaiming calculated the time. He could have hot pot and still wander around, so he nodded. "Okay."
When the elevator doors opened, Su Huaiming recalled the overbearing CEO scenes on television. Wanting to let Fu Jingfan make a grand entrance, he thoughtfully stayed where he was and waited for Fu Jingfan to go in first.
Unexpectedly, Fu Jingfan didn't move either. Instead, he turned to look at him.
Seeing that Fu Jingfan didn't appreciate the gesture, Su Huaiming went into the elevator first.
Only then did Fu Jingfan follow.
Su Huaiming pressed the button for the third floor.
Fu Jingfan paused and asked, "Are you going for hot pot again?"
"Yeah, that place has really good hot pot. You should sometime..." Su Huaiming suddenly realized something was off. He looked at Fu Jingfan suspiciously. "How did you know I was going for hot pot? And what do you mean, again?"
Fu Jingfan said nothing and looked down at him. For some reason, Su Huaiming thought his expression was complicated. Though it was a bit beneath his image, it looked a lot like he was saying, "Don't you have a damn clue?"
Su Huaiming: "..."
Secretary Zhou was the only person he had told about having hot pot before, so Su Huaiming instinctively turned to look at her.
Secretary Zhou's scalp was tingling. She stared straight ahead, wishing she could turn invisible in the middle of this Asura field.
Su Huaiming still didn't know that the call had been on speaker and that Fu Jingfan had been right there, hearing every word.
Su Huaiming had a feeling that pursuing the matter would work against him, so, his survival instincts kicking in, he shut his mouth and pretended nothing had happened.
Fortunately, the elevator soon stopped on the third floor. Su Huaiming said goodbye and hurried out as though fleeing, looking thoroughly flustered from behind.
Only after the elevator doors closed completely did Fu Jingfan look away.
Secretary Zhou kept her mouth shut and played mute, wishing she could close her ears too so she wouldn't hear anything.
After entering the Club, Secretary Zhou's time was taken up by social engagements and work, driving all those miscellaneous thoughts from her mind.
After two hours of work, Secretary Zhou finally got a little free time. In an empty stairwell, she stretched her joints without a care for appearances and let out a long breath.
Thinking back to how flustered she had been, she admired Fu Jingfan even more.
No matter what situation he faced, Fu Jingfan remained relaxed and composed, handling everything with ease. He was a king who held every situation in his grasp and the focus of every gaze. Yet those abilities and that presence were not innate; they had been honed through one trial after another.
Fu Jingfan's work pace was indeed suffocating, but under his leadership, she could gain unprecedented success and experience. Though Secretary Zhou sometimes complained about the hardship and exhaustion, she had never wavered in her determination to stay at the Fu Group.
After resting a little longer, she pulled herself together, straightened her appearance, and walked back into the Club in her high heels.
Song Hanyu turned and saw this. He couldn't help clicking his tongue twice before turning to tease Fu Jingfan. "You've really trained a good subordinate. She's exceptionally capable. Let me have her, and I'll put her in charge of the branch company."
Fu Jingfan was pouring tea. Its fresh, bitter fragrance drifted through the air, and the curling white steam softened his cold features.
"I don't mind." Fu Jingfan lifted his eyes slightly, his gaze deep, and added calmly, "If she's willing."
Song Hanyu: "..."
Wasn't he just showing off that she'd rather be his secretary than a branch company manager for Song Hanyu?!
What angered Song Hanyu most was that it was true. If he actually asked Secretary Zhou, she would definitely refuse.
Song Hanyu felt he had lost face. A mischievous idea sprang to mind, and he decided to even the score another way.
"I heard you came with your little wife today. Where is he?" Song Hanyu looked eager for gossip.
At the words "little wife," Fu Jingfan gave him an indifferent glance.
Song Hanyu, who had been grinning a moment ago, was instantly shaken by that look. He hurriedly raised his hands in surrender. "I didn't mean any disrespect. It's just a popular term online, no different from calling someone 'wife.'"
"Wife?" Fu Jingfan frowned slightly and zeroed straight in on the point. "Someone calls him wife?"
Song Hanyu stared for a moment, then seemed to think of something and suddenly laughed.
"I watched the variety show. Your husband is really fascinating, and he's unusually good-looking too." Song Hanyu paused, rubbed his chin, and offered what he considered a very fitting assessment. "Su Huaiming is already extremely handsome when he's not being serious. If he were serious, he might very well outshine you in an instant."
At the word "not serious," Fu Jingfan pictured Su Huaiming's lazy, casual manner. He didn't care about anything, yet he was quick-witted and sly, and his words and actions were especially uninhibited... He did seem a little unserious.
Fu Jingfan gave a low hum, picked up the white jade teapot, and elegantly poured Song Hanyu a cup of tea.
Song Hanyu thanked him offhandedly and went on, "A little beauty like him has plenty of admirers. The bullet comments used to be full of people calling him 'wife,' but they've toned it down lately, mostly because they're afraid you'll get jealous and take revenge."
With that, Song Hanyu picked up his teacup and shrugged. "But I know you'd never be thinking about that."
Fu Jingfan said nothing. Instead, he watched Song Hanyu's movements, satisfied to see him take a distracted sip of tea, grimace from the heat, and cough repeatedly.
Fu Jingfan sat upright in his chair, his presence intimidating as he tapped his fingers lightly on his knee. Aloof and indifferent, he looked as though nothing could catch his interest. "Little beauty?"
Song Hanyu gulped down some cold water before his throat felt a little better, though his voice was still hoarse when he spoke. "It's a compliment. You should spend more time online. If this goes on, there'll be a generation gap between you and your husband, and you won't be able to get along."
Fu Jingfan didn't deny it. He now had a general idea of how the outside world regarded Su Huaiming.
Song Hanyu thought Fu Jingfan's reaction was a little strange, but he couldn't say exactly what was strange about it, so he asked tentatively, "You're not actually jealous, are you?"
Fu Jingfan paused for three seconds and took a sip of tea before saying, "No."
"I didn't think so either." Song Hanyu seemed to remember something and continued, "The two of you didn't marry for love. No, Su Huaiming is deeply in love with you, but..."
At that point, Song Hanyu shuddered uncontrollably. "D-did I say something wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?!"
Fu Jingfan was thinking about Su Huaiming's perfunctory acting. He was so absorbed that he didn't even hear Song Hanyu call him.
Song Hanyu frowned, puzzled.
They had only been apart for a few days. How had his inhuman friend become a little strange?
But Fu Jingfan was already inhuman, so it was unreasonable to speculate about him using human notions. Song Hanyu didn't dwell on it and asked instead, "You left Su Huaiming behind to come to a business engagement by yourself. Aren't you afraid he'll be upset?"
Upset?
Fu Jingfan raised an eyebrow, picturing how especially happy Su Huaiming looked when he ate, like a little hamster.
Su Huaiming could go eat hot pot without anyone competing with him for food. Why would he be upset?
Besides, strictly speaking, the one who had been left behind wasn't Su Huaiming, but him.
Su Huaiming was completely captivated by the duck intestines, cooked until they were crisp. His eyes lit up, and he was just about to take another bite when he suddenly felt a chill down his back and couldn't help sneezing.
?? Is someone talking about me?
Su Huaiming reflected on his recent words and actions. He didn't think he had done anything unconscionable, so no one should be thinking about him behind his back.
He quickly put the matter out of his mind and happily continued cooking his hot pot, but he forgot to watch how much he ate and accidentally overate.
After sitting in his chair for a while, Su Huaiming covered himself up from head to toe and left the hot pot restaurant.
It was still early, and it wasn't time to go back yet. Su Huaiming planned to wander around and perhaps buy Fu Xiaoxiao a present.
He was just about to enter a store when he saw a young woman in the distance pointing at him, looking quite surprised. "Isn't that..."
Su Huaiming's eyes widened in surprise, his pupils trembling slightly as he instinctively looked down at himself.
He was dressed in inconspicuous black clothes, and his face was covered so thoroughly that barely an inch of skin showed... How had the young woman recognized him?!!
It was Su Huaiming's first time being a celebrity, and he had no idea how to handle a situation like this. He couldn't help feeling a little flustered.
He pulled down the brim of his hat and was just about to hurry away when he heard her say,
"Isn't that... a dog?"
Su Huaiming: ??? A dog?!!
The shock was so great that Su Huaiming's mind went blank. Before he could react, he saw the young woman call to her companion. "Look, why is there a black dog in the mall?"
Hearing "black," Su Huaiming thought of his all-black outfit and became utterly certain that the young woman was talking about him.
He was silent for a second or two, unable to help feeling a little aggrieved.
He had been walking along minding his own business and hadn't done anything wrong, so why had someone suddenly called him a dog?!!
That wasn't all. The young woman bent down slightly, beckoned to him, and said gently, "Little doggy, why are you all alone in the mall? Where's your owner?"
Su Huaiming had originally intended to swallow his anger, but the more the young woman said, the more outrageous she became. Feeling terribly aggrieved, he wanted to go over and ask why.
But before he could act, he saw the young woman's companion frowning at him too, looking quite puzzled.