Fu Sheng closed his eyes briefly before letting out a long breath.
The look on his face made it clear that he hated every part of this plan.
Unfortunately, before he could say anything else, An Yu suddenly spoke.
"Speaking of weddings..."
Everyone turned toward him.
An Yu leaned back lazily in his chair and picked up his teacup.
"I will be getting married soon as well."
The courtyard beca quiet.
Han Fuji blinked.
"Again?"
An Yu imdiately threw a peanut at him.
"Not again. I have never been married before."
Han Fuji rubbed his forehead dramatically.
"Right. My mistake."
An Li sighed.
"Please ignore him."
An Yu rolled his eyes before looking back at everyone.
"The wedding will be held the day after the grand opening of my pavilion."
That imdiately caught everyone’s attention.
"The pavilion is finally opening?" Fu Sheng asked.
An Yu nodded.
"It is almost finished."
A trace of pride appeared on his face.
"I have spent too much money on it already. If it doesn’t open soon, I might cry."
Han Fuji laughed.
"You? Cry?"
"I can cry."
"No, you can’t."
"I absolutely can."
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
An Li calmly interrupted them before they could continue.
"The pavilion opens in six days."
An Yu pointed at him.
"See? My brother actually listens when I speak."
An Li ignored him completely.
"The wedding will be held the following day."
Madam Fu and the others were still in the kitchen, but the people in the courtyard exchanged surprised looks.
"That soon?" Fu Sheng asked.
An Yu nodded.
"My mother has already decided everything."
The corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
"I discovered that once mothers start planning weddings, nobody is allowed to have opinions anymore."
Han Fuji imdiately nodded in agreent.
"Very true."
"Have you experienced it?"
"No."
"Then why are you agreeing?"
"Because it sounds accurate."
An Yu laughed.
For a brief mont, the heavy atmosphere surrounding Tiger Alley disappeared.
Even Su Long found herself smiling slightly.
Then Han Fuji suddenly leaned forward.
"Wait."
His eyes narrowed.
"Are you happy about this marriage?"
The courtyard beca quiet again.
An Yu paused.
For once, the usual teasing smile on his face faded slightly.
He lowered his gaze toward the teacup in his hand.
After a mont, he shrugged.
"I don’t know."
The honest answer surprised everyone.
An Li glanced at his younger brother but remained silent.
An Yu smiled faintly.
"I don’t dislike her."
"But I don’t know her very well either."
He looked up at the night sky.
"Perhaps that is how most marriages begin."
Nobody imdiately responded.
Because there was truth in his words.
Especially in the barren lands.
Many marriages were arranged long before feelings ever had a chance to develop.
Fu Sheng looked thoughtful.
"Maybe."
An Yu laughed softly.
"Well, whether I am ready or not, it is happening."
Then he suddenly grinned again.
"Besides, if everything goes well, you are all invited."
Han Fuji imdiately sat up straighter.
"There will be food?"
"Of course."
"I’ll be there."
"You weren’t invited yet."
"I’ll still be there."
Everyone laughed.
Even Su Long couldn’t help shaking her head.
Only Fu Sheng looked completely unsurprised.
It was obvious he had expected that answer from Han Fuji.
As the laughter gradually died down, An Yu placed his cup back on the table.
Then his expression beca serious once more.
"Anyway, back to the important matter."
His eyes settled on Su Long.
"Tiger Alley won’t wait for my wedding."
The atmosphere imdiately shifted again.
The smiles disappeared.
Everyone knew he was right.
The problem facing Unit Fifty was far more urgent.
An Yu leaned forward.
"If we are going to do this, then we need information before they arrive."
His gaze moved toward Fu Sheng.
"And unfortunately, your wife may actually be right."
Fu Sheng groaned.
"I was hoping nobody would say that."
An Yu smirked.
"Sorry."
Then he pointed toward him.
"If anyone can get close enough to Wei ilan to learn sothing useful, it is you.. since you know her and all."
Fu Sheng imdiately looked annoyed.
Su Long, however, smiled innocently.
An Li watched the two of them before shaking his head.
For so reason, he suddenly felt sorry for Fu Sheng.
Because judging from the look in Su Long’s eyes...
This discussion was far from over.
After a long period of arguing, Fu Sheng finally rubbed his forehead and surrendered.
"Fine."
The single word imdiately made Su Long smile.
Across the table, Han Fuji burst out laughing.
Fu Sheng looked ready to throw sothing at him.
An Li hid a smile behind his teacup while An Yu openly laughed.
Su Long, however, looked pleased.
"Then it’s settled."
Fu Sheng sighed.
"I’ll go see Wei ilan tonight."
The mont those words left his mouth, the courtyard beca quiet again.
Even though everyone knew it was necessary, nobody liked the idea.
Especially Fu Sheng.
"I’ll only ask about Tiger Alley and Bao Li’s wedding," he said firmly.
"Nothing else."
Su Long nodded.
"That’s all we need."
Fu Sheng looked at her suspiciously.
"That’s all?"
"That’s all."
He didn’t look convinced.
Not one bit.
But before the discussion could continue, voices drifted from the kitchen.
Madam Fu was calling for more vegetables.
Fu Fei was arguing with Bai Ming about whether the soup needed more salt.
The twins were loudly insisting they could help.
The lively sounds quickly filled the residence.
For now, the matter was settled.
The rest would be dealt with later.
⸻
anwhile, inside the eastern wing of the residence, things were much quieter.
Zhao Yin was helping in the kitchen with Madam Fu, Bai Ming, Fu Fei, and Fu Li.
As a result, only two people remained inside the room.
Fu Tong.
And An Nuan.
The atmosphere was strangely awkward.
Fu Tong sat near the table, pretending to read an old book.
Unfortunately, he had been staring at the sa page for almost ten minutes.
Not a single word had entered his head.
Across from him, An Nuan sat comfortably on a stool.
Unlike him, she seed completely relaxed.
She rested her chin on one hand and openly watched him.
The longer she watched, the more uncomfortable Fu Tong beca.
Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore.
"You keep staring at ."
An Nuan nodded imdiately.
"I know."
Fu Tong blinked.
That wasn’t the answer he expected.
"Then stop."
"No."
Fu Tong looked up from the book.
"Why?"
An Nuan smiled.
"Because it’s funny."
"What’s funny?"
"You."
Fu Tong nearly choked.
"?"
"Yes."
An Nuan pointed at him.
"You’ve been avoiding looking at since I arrived."
Fu Tong imdiately denied it.
"I have not."
"You have."
"I haven’t."
"You definitely have."
Fu Tong opened his mouth.
Then closed it again.
Because he knew she was right.
An Nuan laughed softly.
"See?"
Fu Tong looked away.
That only made her smile wider.
For so reason, being around An Nuan always made him feel strangely nervous.
It wasn’t fear.
And it wasn’t dislike.
It was simply...
Complicated.
An Nuan tilted her head.
"Are you angry with ?"
Fu Tong frowned.
"No."
"Then why won’t you look at ?"
"I am looking at you."
"You looked for one second."
Fu Tong sighed.
Talking to her was exhausting.
An Nuan suddenly beca quieter.
The teasing expression on her face softened slightly.
"Fu Tong."
He finally looked at her properly.
"What?"
An Nuan hesitated.
Then she smiled.
"I was happy when I heard you were safe."
The room beca silent.
Fu Tong wasn’t expecting that.
An Nuan looked down at her hands.
"When my brother told soldiers were taking people away, I was worried."
Her voice was softer than before.
"Really worried."
For a mont, neither of them spoke.
Fu Tong stared at her.
Then, unexpectedly, the nervousness in his chest eased a little.
A small smile appeared on his face.
"I’m fine."
An Nuan looked up again.
Their eyes t.
For the first ti that evening, neither looked away.
"Good," she said quietly.
"Because I would have been very angry if sothing happened to you."
Fu Tong laughed softly.
"Angry at who?"
"The soldiers."
"The entire army?"
"Yes."
"You can’t fight an entire army."
An Nuan folded her arms confidently.
"Maybe not."
Then she grinned.
"But I can certainly try."
Fu Tong couldn’t help laughing again.
The room beca quiet again.
This ti, however, An Nuan’s expression gradually turned serious.
The smile on her face slowly disappeared.
She lowered her head slightly before speaking.
"Fu Tong."
The change in her tone imdiately caught his attention.
He finally turned around.
"What is it?"
An Nuan looked at him.
For a mont, she seed to hesitate.
Then she clenched her fists.
As if gathering courage.
Finally—
"I like you."
The words fell heavily into the room.
Fu Tong froze.
His entire body went rigid.
For several seconds, he genuinely thought he had heard wrong.
"What?"
An Nuan swallowed.
Her cheeks had beco slightly red, but she forced herself to continue.
"I said I like you."
The room instantly beca silent.
User Comments
0 comments from readers