Atlas Studios

  Atlas Studios

  “Would I be disrupting your and Lin Nuan’s rest?”


  “Xiao Nuan is already asleep, so just keep it down…”


  Nodding, Lu Jinnan entered the room.

  “The lighter’s on the table,” Fu Huai’an said as he closed the door.

  Only a floor lamp was on in the living room. Fu Huai’an saw Lu Jinnan frowning as he lit up his cigarette, so he asked, “Made Bai Xiaonian angry?”


  Lu Jinnan frowned even harder. He took a long drag on his cigarette, then shook his head amidst the swirling white smoke. “Not that serious…”


  Although Lu Jinnan spoke casually, his temples were throbbing. He rubbed his temples with the cigarette in hand, but that didn’t relieve his headache.

  Fu Huai’an only said that Bai Xiaonian was a good lady. Although her temper wasn’t fantastic, that flaw didn’t negate all of her good points…


  The minute Fu Huai’an finished his words, the door to the bedroom opened. Seeing that there was a man in the living room other than Fu Huai’an, Lin Nuan got a shock.

  Hearing the door open, Lu Jinnan turned his head and saw Lin Nuan standing under the faint and warm lighting, the shock in her eyes evident.

  Lin Nuan had suddenly woken up and didn’t see Fu Huai’an. Through the crack in the door, she could see the light coming from the living room, so she got up and walked out. Unexpectedly, Lu Jinnan was there as well…


  She was wearing a peach-colored sleeping gown, making her look all the more slim and tall. Because of the alcohol, her head was aching a little, and she was spaced out. Thankfully, however, her mind was clear.

  Perhaps out of awkwardness, or due to him being mindful of the fact that she was his friend’s wife, Lu Jinnan retracted his gaze and lowered his eyes to look at the flickering sparks on his cigarette. He said apologetically, “Sorry to have woken you…”


  Since the lights in the living room were dim, and because Lu Jinnan turned his head around quickly, Lin Nuan didn’t see the scratches on his face. She merely said in surprise, “It’s already so late, are you guys talking about business?”


  Lin Nuan and Lu Jinnan were no longer antagonistic like they once were. Although they couldn’t be considered friends, they were, after all, the significant others of one another’s good friends.

  Furthermore, since coming to know of Lin Nuan’s trip to Iraq, Lu Jinnan had changed his opinion of her, even admiring this brave lady from the bottom of his heart.

  When one changed their opinion of another person, it would manifest in their actions…


  It was that way for Lu Jinnan towards Lin Nuan.

  Fu Huai’an understood the reason Lu Jinnan and Lin Nuan changed their attitudes towards each other.

  “We’ve got something to discuss, so you can sleep first…” Fu Huai’an said to Lin Nuan.

  Lin Nuan wasn’t someone who didn’t know where to draw the line. It was just that Lu Jinnan had come to look for Fu Huai’an at midnight, so it was inevitable that Lin Nuan would overthink things and worry that it was something major.

  “Then, why don’t I go look for Xiaonian? That way, you guys won’t be disrupted when you discuss matters,” Lin Nuan asked testingly.

  “No need, I’ll be going back now…” Lu Jinnan took another deep drag on his cigarette before bending over to extinguish it in the ashtray.

  Lu Jinnan spoke with his back facing Lin Nuan and didn’t once turn around, fearing that Lin Nuan might spot the embarrassing scratch marks on his face.

  “Aren’t you afraid of disrupting Bai Xiaonian’s rest going back at this hour?” Fu Huai’an asked.

  “It’s okay, I’ll just sleep in another room and won’t affect her.” Lu Jinnan then said, “You guys rest…”


  Actually, Lu Jinnan knew in his heart that even if he hid the marks from Lin Nuan now, it would still be discovered come tomorrow.

  The thing was, if Lin Nuan started questioning him in the middle of the night, he couldn’t very well tell her that he was scratched in the face because he didn’t follow Bai Xiaonian’s instructions when they were getting intimate just now, which was why he slammed the door and left.

  Lu Jinnan felt moody. Clearly, he was a man and should be the one in control in such matters, so why should an inexperienced lady like Bai Xiaonian pretend to be experienced and make him submit to her…


  The moment Lu Jinnan left, Lin Nuan gazed at Fu Huai’an, her worry apparent. “For Lu Jinnan to come to find you at such a late hour, has something happened?”


  Fu Huai’an couldn’t resist laughing out loud. “Lu Jinnan just came by, only managing to light his cigarette before you came out, so stop worrying for no reason… Lu Jinnan probably got into a fight with Bai Xiaonian and was chased out by her…”


  Chased out by Bai Xiaonian?

  Lin Nuan wore a look of disbelief.

  Fu Huai’an put both hands on Lin Nuan’s shoulders and turned her to face the bedroom, moving her in that direction and closing the bedroom door with the back of his hand.

  “If you don’t believe me, see if there’s a scratch mark on Lu Jinnan’s face—courtesy of Bai Xiaonian!”


  “So serious?” Lin Nuan turned her head to look at Fu Huai’an. “They came to blows?”


  “From what I saw, Lu Jinnan was solely on the receiving end of the punches…”


  Lin Nuan was rendered speechless.

  Fu Huai’an was clear about the sort of person Lu Jinnan was. He wouldn’t normally let himself be on the losing end, so suffering those scratches must have angered him and led to him showing up to smoke.

  It seemed like he was serious about Bai Xiaonian.

  Smelling a faint peppermint scent on Fu Huai’an, Lin Nuan, who had been led to the bed, turned around and stood on her tiptoes to sniff beside his mouth. “You smoked too?”


  “I accompanied Lu Jinnan and smoked one…”


  Fu Huai’an then saw Lin Nuan’s suspicious gaze…


  Just a moment ago, Fu Huai’an had said that Lu Jinnan had only just arrived and didn’t get to finish his first cigarette before Lin Nuan came out.

  If he had smoked to accompany Lu Jinnan, surely she would have seen it.

  “I had a bit of insomnia, so I got up and smoked a cigarette. Lu Jinnan came shortly after…” Fu Huai’an had no choice but to come clean. “We’ve been together these past few days, and I’ve smoked no more than three cigarettes a day.”


  Lin Nuan was more concerned about what was on his mind than the fact that Fu Huai’an smoked.

  “How about…” Fu Huai’an’s large hand squirmed under Lin Nuan’s pajamas. “You accompany me to do some exercise? Perhaps I’ll fall asleep when I’m tired, hmm?”


  Lin Nuan’s ears flushed, and her petite hand grabbed Fu Huai’an’s wrist. “Stop trying to fool me!”


  Lin Nuan knew what Fu Huai’an was doing. He was making use of the fact that she easily became shy and deliberately playing the gangster in order to shift her focus.

  “Try it, and then you’ll know if I’m trying to fool you!”


  Fu Huai’an then pinned her onto the large, soft bed and ferociously kissed her mouth, which was becoming more and more eloquent…


  Lin Nuan pushed against Fu Huai’an’s chest. When her lips finally had the chance to break away and take a breather, she cocked her head sideways. Fu Huai’an took advantage of the opening and sucked on her neck, his tongue grazing over her tender skin.

  Lin Nuan sounded delicate and soft with her slightly panting voice, and she couldn’t keep herself from laughing. “So ticklish! Stop fooling around, my head is still dizzy!”


  Fu Huai’an gently bit her on the collarbone, which hurt a little, causing Lin Nuan to let out a soft gasp. It didn’t take long before he undid the buttons on the front of her pajamas…


  The fiery man was on top of her, pinning both of her hands above her head. Lin Nuan looked at the top of Fu Huai’an’s black hair, her eyes out of focus as she closed up her legs. Perhaps because the effects of the alcohol had yet to wear off, her desire was stirred once more. The passion burning inside of her was a desire that made one so bashful that their toes curled.