Nyoi-Bo Studio

  Nyoi-Bo Studio

  Back at the hotel……

  Qin Shu took the elevator to the guest room with President Ba curled in her arms. Just as she raised her hand to knock on the door, it opened from the inside. Fu Tingyu’s form greeted her at the entrance. Had he been standing there waiting for her all this while?

  He was wearing the nightgown he wore before she left. His hair was dry.

  Startled, Qin Shu failed to react.

  Since she got off the plane, she had not had any time to rest. It was just one thing after another. Seeing Xu Qianjin and then going to the police station…… Fu Tingyu saw how tired his wife was and felt sorry for her. “I’ve called room service and asked them to prepare a midnight snack. You should eat something before taking a shower and going to bed.”


  “I’ll go for a shower first.” Qin Shu was rather hungry now that she had the time to consider the state of her affairs. She was so hungry she could have sworn her stomach had pressed itself against her spine.

  Nevertheless, she did not feel comfortable eating before taking a shower. Call it a force of habit, but she did not feel right partaking in the former having not completed the latter.

  Qin Shu side-stepped her husband and settled President Ba on the couch. The living room smelled much better than she remembered; no longer was the stale smell of cigarette smoke clinging to the room’s walls.

  She did not think too much about it. She fumbled through her luggage, pulled out a set of pyjamas, and headed to the bathroom.

  The guest room was an en suite with a translucent glass panel separating it from the rest of the room. It was designed in such a way as to arouse romantic feelings between couples staying in the room.

  Qin Shu was so tired she did not notice this design flaw and continued showering; her silhouette painted a dark shadow on the glass.

  Outside, Fu Tingyu could see the outline of his wife’s figure.

  Qin Shu’s figure was an image branded in his mind. Even with his eyes closed, he did not doubt that he could describe it in perfect detail.

  He had been eyeing Qin Shu from the moment she entered the room. He could tell she was nervous.

  Shi Yan had called earlier. He was anxious to know what was going through Qin Shu’s mind now that she had reviewed the so-called evidence.

  The opening of the bathroom door scattered his thoughts. Qin Shu stepped out dressed in her pyjamas, a towel bundling her dripping hair; her tangled strands peeked out of the fluffy white mass without a drop of water wetting her shoulders.

  Qin Shu took her seat at the dining table and sipped some warm water from her cup. After which, she tucked in, devouring the food laid out. Yet, it was not long before she felt…… full. No. She was not so much full as she was no longer hungry.

  Fu Tingyu sat across from her. His gaze seemed fixed on her. He did not dare pry into her thoughts while she was busy eating.

  Feeling the heated gaze trained in her direction, Qin Shu looked up. Fu Tingyu was staring at her nervously, fidgeting in his seat. Immediately, her expression darkened. “I’ve met Xu Qianjin. She’s on the verge of an emotional breakdown. I’ve also seen the results of the doctor’s examination. Someone violated Xu Qianjin.”


  “Whether she was violated or not, it has nothing to do with me.” Fu Tingyu unconsciously raised his voice – no doubt stemming from his agitation.

  Qin Shu remained unperturbed by his outburst, which only seemed to highlight how jejune his reaction had been. Quickly, he made an about-turn, “Babe, I didn’t do anything to her; we weren’t remotely close to each other at the banquet! Whenever I catch a whiff of a woman’s perfume, I get a runny nose for the rest of the day. Even if I happened to be drunk last night, I would have known to push a foreign woman away.”


  As he spoke, he stared her in the eyes unflinchingly, “An average man might act recklessly while drunk, but I’m different. You can ask Shi Yan if you don’t believe me. No woman has ever gotten close to me even in my most inebriated of states.”


  No sooner had Fu Tingyu made this declaration than Shi Yan entered with President Ba’s fish.

  Shi Yan just so happened to hear his Master’s words. Being the loyal servant he was, he felt he needed to say something. “Young Madam, even if the Fourth Young Master were drunk, he wouldn’t let some woman touch him. Last year, Young Master Mo invited the Young Master for a drink. Women surrounded him; every one of them tried to seduce him in his drunken state……”


  Shi Yan coughed twice before continuing, “The Fourth Young Master beat them all up. He did not spare any of them.”


  Being a germaphobe, Fu Tingy hated being touched by strangers the most, especially when they wore perfume. What it made worse was the way those women had flirted with him. When he could not take it anymore, and he lashed out against them, his strikes had been enough to punish but not to injure seriously.

  Qin Shu quirked a brow as she listened to Shi Yan. Once Shi Yan’s recount ended, she glanced at Fu Tingyu.

  Fu Tingyu looked at her expectantly, hoping she would believe him. “Babe, if you don’t believe me, you should believe Shi Yan’s words. If that’s not enough, you can even check the records of the surveillance cameras kept by the bar. He’s not lying to save my face.”


  Qin Shu stared at Fu Tingyu for an indeterminate length of time. “When did you go to the bar, and why did you get yourself drunk?”


  Fu Tingyu pursed his lips, not knowing how to respond. No matter what he said or did, he could not shake the feeling that Qin Shu was still angry with him. It would probably take a miracle for her to believe his innocence or the veracity of the explanation he gave just now.

  Shi Yan turned from one person to the other. Last year and the year before last, the Young Master had gone to that bar several times. Most of the time, it was because he was in a bad mood. Young Master Mo invited the Young Master out for a drink whenever he was down, and the Young Master agreed.

  As for his poor mood, it usually had something to do with Qin Shu.

  The Young Master would get himself drunk every time he went.

  What kind of place is a bar?

  It’s a place people go to have fun or drown out their sorrows.

  The Young Master would always run out of the private room booked by Young Master Mo whenever he got drunk. It was fine if he met a man, but if he met a woman, with the Young Master’s looks, figure, and noble temperament he was born with, even a woman would not be able to resist him.

  All those women who wanted to hit on him could line up and wait a very, very long time.

  Fu Tingyu chewed on his lip, silent. Qin Shu stared at him for a while and did not press him for more answers. She went back to her before her, drinking some water now and then.

  Seeing this, Fu Tingyu reminded her, “You shouldn’t drink while eating. You’ll get indigestion.”


  Qin Shu lost her appetite. Downing a mouthful of water in one gulp, she slammed the empty cup on the dining table. She checked the time with her phone. It was already past midnight.

  Coldly, she said, “Get someone to clear the dishes.”


  She washed her hands in the bathroom and prepared to sleep.

  Fu Tingyu thought she was still unhappy with him. He hurriedly stood up and grabbed her wrist. “Are you full?”


  The hand on her wrist forced her to a standstill. She turned around and looked at Fu Tingyu in confusion. “I’m full.”


  Fu Tingyu knew she was still angry, so he explained, “I only wanted to make sure you’d be alright. I didn’t mean to make you lose your appetite.”


  Shi Yan carried President Ba and darted out of the dining room and into the living room. Shi Yan was afraid he would become cannon fodder without Ye Luo there to bear the brunt, so he ran for the hills while he still could.

  Qin Shu sighed helplessly. “I know. I’ll go wash up.”


  Fu Tingyu stared at her for a while before saying, “Okay.” Letting go of her hand in the process.

  Qin Shu headed for the bathroom.

  Fu Tingyu stood there like a broken mannequin for some time. When he came to his senses, he instructed Shi Yan to have someone take away the dishes.

  Fu Tingyu followed her into the room. He sat on the bed and waited for her to come out of the bathroom. In the meantime, he picked up a book and started reading.

  Qin Shu came out after washing up. When she saw the man sitting on the bed, she yawned and padded to the other side. She lifted the blanket and climbed into bed with her slippers.

  The hotel boasted king-sized beds in each of their rooms. It would not be a problem even if Qin Shu rolled around on it.

  She sank into the soft velvety sheets and felt herself melting in the bed’s warm embrace.

  She was exhausted. As soon as her head touched the pillow, she felt the sweet call of sleep.

  Fu Tingyu’s gaze followed her from the moment Qin Shu came out, watching as she lay down, tucked herself in and surrendered herself to sleep. Even now, she could not have been more than 15 centimetres away from him.

  She kept a distance from him even while she slept. She did not spare him so much as a second glance. Was she looking down on him?

  He put down the book he was reading. He did not care if Qin Shu was still angry.

  He turned over and hugged her.