Nyoi-Bo Studio

  Nyoi-Bo Studio

  “Of course, I have my methods.” A faint smile drew an arc over Jun Li’s thin lips as he looked up at Han Xiao. “You are regretting that you recognized her too late, aren’t you?”


  Han Xiao neither admitted nor denied Jun Li’s words. Instead, he stared at him in puzzlement.

  Jun Li was the first to break the silence and continued, “You’re more than three years late. No. To be more precise, it’s been more than three years.”


  There was a subtext to Jun Li’s words; of that, Han Xiao was certain. “What do you mean?”


  “My meaning is clear.” Jun Li stood up and walked out of the pavilion.

  Before they parted, however, he offered Han Xiao a few words, “Although it’s autumn, there are still mosquitoes.”


  How was he more than three years late?

  Han Xiao looked over his shoulder, his eyes trailing Jun Li’s departing figure. No matter how he rolled the words in his mind, Han Xiao could not understand what Jun Li was trying to say.

  …


  …


  Qin Shu’s son woke again after his short nap. Seeing that Fu Tingyu had yet to return, she carried her son out of his cot and played with him.

  Qin Shu knelt in front of the bed, peering at her son with her hands drawing circles in the linen. “Son, if your father dares leave your mother behind, shed a tear or two for him to see, won’t you?”


  Naturally, the little tyke did not understand a word his mother had said to him. His pair of obsidian eyes stared at her innocently. Now and then, he would squeal. “Yiya!”


  Qin Shu’s heart turned into putty. Her son was the cutest little creature in the whole wide world. “No, no. Ignore what your mother just said. How could I bear to see you cry?”


  At this moment, she heard the door creak open. The man who entered was tall and straight-backed. It was Fu Tingyu.

  It had been noon when he left; now, it was nine o’clock.

  Fu Tingyu hung up his coat on the clothes rack by the door. The first thing he noticed upon his return was the sight of his son lying on the bed. Indulgently, he asked, “Is our son still awake?”


  “I’ve been waiting for you to come back and coax him to sleep.” Qin Shu supported her head with one hand as she glanced at Fu Tingyu.

  Fu Tingyu knelt beside his wife. He traced her every contour with his eyes. When that was not enough, he hooked an arm around her, drawing her into his embrace. With his free hand, he tickled his infant son, who was still awake. Life had never felt as complete as it did, then and there.

  Qin Shu inclined her head and looked at him. Fu Tingyu had changed; he was not the man he once was. In the past, there was a certain sharpness to his eyes, a glint promising violence. Now? Now, had mellowed.

  A smile bloomed on her delicate lips, “How’s the progress in breaking the array? Is it working?”


  Fu Tingyu was the sunflower to the incandescent rays of Qin Shu’s sun. “We’ve made some progress, but it is merely the tip of the iceberg; there’s more we still need to do if we want to break the array.”


  He was not downplaying his abilities or trying to act humbly. He had barely scratched the surface of the art and was nowhere close to fully comprehending its intricacies. Learning how to break an array in a short time was a fool’s errand.

  Qin Shu stared at Fu Tingyu for a while, her slender fingers caressing his handsome face. Softly, she called out to him, “Hubby.”


  Fu Tingyu stiffened. He could feel his blood surging through his veins like a wild horse running rampant in a field. Mustering every ounce of his self-control, he asked, ” My wife, dearest, is there something you’d like to say?”


  Qin Shu wrapped her arms around Fu Tingyu’s neck, closing the distance to plant a kiss on his lips.

  “Hubby, let’s go for a bath together. What do you think?”


  Fu Tingyu… who could resist such temptation?

  Before he followed his temptress of a wife into the bathroom, Fu Tingyu prepared a bottle of milk for his son and gently coaxed him to sleep.

  “Promise me you’ll take me with you tomorrow, please?” Qin Shu’s wheedling voice sounded so pitiful that any man would have found it difficult to refuse her.

  Fu Tingyu…


  “Yes!”


  …


  …


  …


  Qin Shu nestled in Fu Tingyu’s arms, drifting off into a peaceful sleep.

  On the other hand, Fu Tingyu was still trying to process what had just transpired. Staring at his wife, who was sleeping so soundly in his arms, he shuddered. If things continued the way they were, his wife would become a witch before long. Not even he would have the power to shake off her bewitching charm.

  –


  The next day…


  Qin Shu eyed her son, who was crawling within the confines of his crib, and back again at Fu Tingyu. “Are we bringing our son along?”


  “It’s not convenient to go to Mount Qi with him. I’ll bring him home.” Fu Tingyu shook his head helplessly as he noted the sleeping form of his son.

  Qin Shu was a little reluctant to leave her son at home, but she had to go back to Mount Qi; there was no question about that. There were too many secrets buried in the mountain – secrets she needed to uncover.

  Fu Tingyu saw how reluctant his wife was at the thought of leaving her son by himself. Reassuring her, he said, “We’ll be back in a few days.”


  Qin Shu nodded. “Your right.”


  Once he had settled all the fine details regarding his trip, Fu Tingyu instructed Ning Meng to take care of Zhiheng before leaving with his wife.

  Han Xiao, Hua Wuyan, Qin Feng, and Yan Shuang were waiting at the door.

  Jun Li and Lan Qi stood to one side. When they saw Qin Shu exit, Jun Li stepped forward and stood in front of Qin Shu. “I’m heading back. If there’s anything you need, give me a call.”


  Jun Li’s sudden action startled her. For a second, Qin Shu did not know how she ought to react. Then it hit her. Jun Li was leaving. She had thought that he would follow her to Mount Qi.

  Sending the man behind Qin Shu a penetrating look, he said, “Take good care of her.”


  Fu Tingyu smiled in response. “That’s not something you have to tell me. Of course, I’d take care of my wife.”


  “That’s good.” Jun Li turned to Qin Shu, stroking her soft, black tresses.

  Qin Shu looked up at Jun Li. Her throat seemed to be blocked, and she could not say a word.

  Suddenly, Jun Li leaned over and whispered something into Qin Shu’s ear.

  Qin Shu gasped.

  Fu Tingyu’s face darkened.

  After saying his piece, Jun Li stood straight and said with a smile, “I’m leaving.”


  He withdrew his hand and got into the car.

  Lan Qi’s eyes lingered on Qin Shu. “Remember to visit Jun Li.” His muted words hung in the air, leaving much unsaid. Without giving Qin Shu a chance to respond, Lan Qi hopped into the car with Jun Li, the door snapping shut behind him.

  Qin Shu stared at the white car as it drove further and further away. Her mind replayed the scene of their parting like a record stuck on repeat.

  Fu Tingyu walked up to Qin Shu’s side and squeezed her shoulder. “What did he say to you?”


  Qin Shu jolted at the sound of Fu Tingyu’s voice. She saw Yan Shuang staring in their direction and noticed the bewildered look in his eyes. “You already have a wife and children… Stay away from other women…” Qin Shu parroted uncertainly.

  Fu Tingyu burst into laughter when he heard the nonsense Qin Shu spouted. Grinning, he playfully tickled Qin Shu’s nose. “Have you ever seen me with other women? You are my one and only.”


  Qin Shu seriously considered Fu Tingyu’s words. It was true that there were not many women around him. He hardly spoke to any member of the opposite sex outside of her.

  “No matter how good a woman is, no woman is even one in ten-thousandth as good as you.” Fu Tingyu spoke with such unwavering confidence that it was hard to doubt him.

  Blushing, Qin Shu smacked his arm lightly. Fu Tingyu was sometimes quite the flirt. If he had always spoken so nicely in the past, she would have surrendered long ago; a victim of his glib tongue.

  The four others, standing a few feet away, witnessed the intimate interaction between the two lovebirds with varying degrees of hostility.

  Qin Feng smiled and said, “From the looks of it, Ling Bao and Ling Yan are quite a good match. Moreover, Ling Yan seems to have changed quite a bit since we knew him. In the past, his mouth always got him into trouble because of how caustic it used to be. The difference is that of night and day.”


  “He’s just a black-bellied young master. Completely and utterly shameless. Otherwise, how could he have abducted Ling Bao and brought her home with him?” Hua Wuyan snorted.

  Yan Shuang looked at Hua Wuyan in confusion, “What do you mean? How did he abduct Ling Bao?”


  “Ling Bao doesn’t remember her past. Ling Yan took the opportunity her amnesia presented to seize and make her his wife.” Hua Wuyan ground his teeth in frustration but forged on, “Ling Bao is such an innocent woman… This pig of a man cheated her.”


  Yan Shuang’s mouth twitched.

  “As long as Ling Yan treats Ling Bao sincerely, I shall refrain from making comments. However, if he dares bully Ling Bao, I won’t let him off.” Qin Feng emphasized his position regarding the matter with some vehemence.

  Hua Wuyan echoed his counterpart’s sentiments. “Neither will I!”


  Han Xiao glared at Fu Tingyu coldly. Although he did not make an overt proclamation like the others, his eyes conveyed his thoughts. If Fu Tingyu harmed her in any way, he would face a reckoning beyond his wildest imagination.

  Seeing the uncertainty in Qin Shu’s eyes, Fu Tingyu quickly cut in, “Babe, you have to believe me…… I guarantee that I have no eyes for any woman but you!”