“Good, good.”


  Fu Tingyu repeated these two words and walked away with Qin Shu’s hand in his.

  Qin Shu followed Fu Tingyu’s lead and put the pretty girl out of her mind.

  As they strolled away from the Ferris wheel, Fu Tingyu reached into his pocket and sent Ye Luo a message through his phone.

  The pretty girl stared at the man’s stalwart back with hearts in her eyes. She could not suppress the joy that bubbled in her chest. Grabbing her good friend’s hand, she inquired breathlessly, “Did you hear that? He asked for my name!”


  A chill ran down her friend’s spine. “But why do I feel like he’s very angry?”


  The pretty girl was still immersed in her love-sick fantasy that she failed to consider the circumstances objectively, “Was he, now? He could not have been. He asked for my name.”


  “His wife is not just beautiful, she’s awe-inspiringly so. This is my first time seeing such a beautiful woman. I know of many actresses who fall short when compared to her beauty.”


  The pretty girl pursed her lips when she heard that.

  “It’s our turn,” said the pretty girl’s good friend as she pulled her in the direction of the Ferris wheel.

  It only took a few seconds for Ye Luo to finish reading the contents of the message he had been sent. Being a man of action, he did not hesitate in the slightest as he made his way towards the Ferris wheel.

  At this moment, the pretty girl and her good friend disembarked from the passenger car and departed from the Ferris wheel.

  “I’m going to buy a cup of iced milk tea. Wait for me here, I’ll be right back.” the pretty girl’s good friend called as she made a beeline for a stand selling milk tea.

  While waiting for her friend to return, the pretty girl took shelter beneath the shade of a large tree. Her mind was caught in a loop, endlessly replaying the brief exchange between the handsome man and herself. Her heart trembled with excitement. If he had taken the initiative to ask for her name, perhaps there was a chance he would come looking for her after all?

  So caught up in her fantasy was she, that she failed to react in time to an assault against her person. Her vision blurred and a sharp pain lanced through her abdomen. Someone had kneed her in the stomach, causing her to collapse in on herself like a shrivelled shrimp.

  She cried in shock as pain filled her senses. Beads of perspiration slid down the sides of her face, contorting her pale skin into a picture of agony.

  Before she could recover, the pretty girl felt a force knocking her sideways; sending her rolling down the sloped lawn and towards the stone steps below.

  From start to finish, the pretty girl never had an opportunity to see who her aggressor was.

  Ye Luo stared on dispassionately as the pretty girl was furled down the slope and crashed into a heap of misshapen limbs.

  Had she not been a woman but a man, Ye Luo would have let his fists do the talking instead.

  Ye Luo spun on his heel and left without looking back.

  The pretty girl ought to be glad that Qin Shu had not fallen down the stone steps and suffered any debilitating injuries or else her punishment would not have been as simple as that.

  Fu Tingyu would not have let her off so easily.

  The pretty girl tumbled down the slope, bouncing up each time she landed on one of the stone steps. Six steps later, she collapsed in on herself as immeasurable pain scoured the scrapes and bloody marks riddling her body.

  Onlookers were left aghast, unsure of how to respond.

  Panicked voices filled the air and someone dialled 120 for an ambulance which carted her off to a hospital for treatment.

  –


  –


  Typing furiously into his phone, Fu Tingyu sent off a message covertly. He did not want Qin Shu to know this side of him. He did not want her to think less of him just because of his ruthlessness.

  Whether it was business or matters of life, he had always been cold-blooded and merciless. He used any means necessary to accomplish his goals – even if he had to resort to violence.

  Whoever dared to hurt what was his would be punished with extreme prejudice.

  The only caveat being his wish not to allow Bao’er any chance to perceive this side of him.

  Qin Shu chewed on her lips as she studied her right leg. She had twisted it when she tried to break her fall on the stone steps. Now, not only was it painful, but it was also a little numb.

  She had not felt the pain earlier but, having walked some distance since then, her right leg was now swollen and numb.

  She had not said a word to Fu Tingyu because she did not want him to worry.

  If he had known that she had been injured by the pretty girl, Fu Tingyu would not have let the obnoxious girl off so easily.

  He wasn’t someone who would allow her to be bullied without exacting retribution on her wrongdoer.

  Fu Tingyu stole a glance, admiring Qin Shu’s delicate features. Without those tacky glasses marring her beauty, Qin Shu was simply breathtaking. Not even the heat of the sun or the faint beads of perspiration lining her forehead could detract from her exquisite looks.

  “Let’s find a place to rest.”


  “Okay.” Qin Shu nodded. The temperature had risen with the midday sun and it was getting quite hot.

  Her legs were starting to feel heavy. She needed to rest or her legs would give way under her pain and exhaustion.

  Fu Tingyu led her to a shaded bench. It sat in the shadow of a large tree. Its wooden exterior was worn and battered from its frequent use by park-goers.

  Turning his gentle eyes on Qin Shu’s fatigued form, he spoke lightly, “Sit down and rest for a while.” His ruthless countenance had disappeared as if it never existed.

  Qin Shu sat on the wooden bench, grateful for the short respite. She tugged at the hand that held her own and said, “You should sit down too. There is a breeze here. It’s pretty cool.”


  Fu Tingyu did not respond. He scanned their surroundings like a hawk, settling his sights on an ice-cream truck not far away.

  Lowering his eyes to meet hers, he took in her flushed cheeks and laboured breaths, murmuring, “Bao’er, wait for me here. I’ll go and get you some ice cream.”


  When she heard the word “Ice-cream,” Qin Shu’s eyes lit up in appreciation. “Okay.”


  Fu Tingyu looked at her sparkling eyes that shimmered with childish wonder. The corners of his mouth curled up into a smirk. He straightened his back and made his way over to the ice-cream truck.

  Qin Shu crossed her legs, bending down to massage her calves. Her legs were feeling a little numb and ached from exertion.

  Suddenly, a cat ran over and meowed happily at her. “Meow!”


  She was taken aback. Wasn’t this President Ba? How did he get here?

  “Meow!” President Ba purred proudly as if saying, “I’ve found you.”


  “What are you doing here?”


  Qin Shu’s surprise was cut short by the sound of a man’s voice ringing from above her bent form. She looked up and realized Jun Li was hovering over her. Astonished by his abrupt appearance, Qin Shu asked, “Why are you here? And you’ve even brought President Ba with you?”


  “President Ba wanted to go out for a walk, so I took him to the park.” A faint smile tugged at Jun Li’s lips. He paused while giving President Ba a look of consideration before continuing, “When we arrived, President Ba would not let me carry him and ran off by himself. I chased him here. He probably ran off because he was looking for you.”


  “Meow” President Ba twirled in between Qin Shu’s legs and sat in a half-squat with his eyes trained firmly on hers. His dark green eyes twinkled with mirth.

  President Ba’s feline features were drawn into a smug line that etched itself on its face. Learning of her cat’s antics drew out a belly full of laughter that left her gasping for breath. “P-president Ba’s n-nose is even sharper than a dog’s.”


  Jun Li’s gaze wandered to the hand pressing on her calf. He frowned and asked, “Does your leg hurt?”


  “No,” she said as she released her aching foot as if it had not been throbbing at all.

  Abashed, Jun Li averted his eyes. “When I saw you rubbing your leg, I thought you had hurt yourself.”


  Qin Shu noticed Jun Li’s pale complexion and thought of how unruly President Ba usually was with Ye Luo.

  Considering Jun Li’s sickly disposition, how much energy could he have to put up with President Ba’s mischief?

  “President Ba really is quite naughty and entertaining him requires a lot of energy. You should rest for a bit.

  “Okay.” Jun Li sat next to her.

  Sensing that neither Qin Shu nor Jun Li intended to help it up onto the bench, President Ba sniffed haughtily and hopped up himself. His flicking tail swished from side to side, showing off his great magnanimity despite not having received any help from either of them.

  Meanwhile, Fu Tingyu had gone to buy some ice cream. With his supernaturally good looks and aristocratic bearing, he garnered more than a few adoring sighs from the crowds of women flocking to his side.

  Even the female ice-cream vendor couldn’t help but sneak a second peek at the attractive man buying the milky, frozen dessert from her.

  When Fu Tingyu asked for some strawberry flavoured ice cream, the female ice-cream seller threw in a few more freshly cut strawberries for free.