Chapter 39: CH 39

Catmeme612-15 minutes 19.05.2022

Chapter 39 – Tao Xun

“When have I ever reprimanded you?”

A great question.

Wen Ruan stood there and after thinking about it for a while, she replied solemnly.

“Yes, you have.”

Fu Zhihuan:  “…?…”

“The morning before yesterday, you reprimanded me and told me not to put blueberry jam and Lao Ganma* on a single slice of bread as the taste would clash.  Five days ago, you chided me for a whole minute because I didn’t place my high-heeled shoes into the cabinet after coming home and changing into slippers.  Oh right, a week ago, you also lectured me the whole journey from the district entrance to the company for leaving the house ten minutes late because I had to put on makeup.”

(Lao Ganma is a popular brand of oil-based chili sauce and is one of the traditional foods in Guizhou that is usually eaten with noodles or for stir-frying.)

After she had recited all the ‘criminal records’, Wen Ruan added confidently.

“Therefore, you had reprimanded me many times.  Just now when you suddenly spoke and showed that nasty expression of yours, I thought you were getting fierce with me, so it’s completely reasonable!”

At this moment, she showed a proud posture with her chest out, her head held up, and her hands on her hips.  It seemed she took Fu Zhihuan’s words as questioning her and was replying seriously to them.  At the same time, she even showed a proud expression that said – ‘I have a good memory’.

Fu Zhihuan was silent.

“……”

Really extreme!

However, Wen Ruan is not someone who holds grudges.

Therefore, after the misunderstanding was resolved, she turned back to her normal self as if nothing had happened.

It was until Earl sneezed again that she remembered the reason she came upstairs to look for him.  So she squatted down and rubbed Earl’s head.

“Oh right, Earl seems to be having a slight cold and its nose is blocked.”

Perhaps it was not feeling well because when Wen Ruan touched Earl, it brushed past beside her and fled with its tail standing upright.

Instantly, Wen Ruan’s hands became empty and because of inertia, her palm pressed downwards………and landed right on top of a jagged piece of tile.

“Hiss!……”

The sharp edge of the tile made a small cut on her palm and a part of the sharp edge pieced into the flesh which caused blood to ooze from the wound.

“What’s the matter?”

“It’s alright.”  Wen Ruan frowned and reached out her hand to pull out a shard of broken tile.  “It’s just a small wound.”

With a frown, Fu Zhihuan walked over to her and squatted down.

“Let me have a look.”

After speaking, he reached out to hold her wrist and gently pulled it in front of his eyes.

She was stunned but did not react to his action.

The slender knuckles wrapped around the fair skin and made the originally slender wrist look even more slender.

Initially, Fu Zhihuan’s palm was a little cold but perhaps it was due to her misconception, Wen Ruan could distinctly feel the heat on his palm rise a little while later.

Immediately, her heart started to pound uncontrollably and her eyes darted around as she tried hard to make herself look calm.

“Come inside the study with me.”

After checking her wound, Fu Zhihuan’s frown did not relax and he pulled her into the study.

It was the first time Wen Ruan entered Fu Zhihuan’s study.

The study had the scent of sandalwood and two rows of bookcases stood straight up to the ceiling.  Everything inside was arranged in proper order and packed to the brim without any empty spaces.  The study was decorated in an elegant classical style and it gave out an impressive feeling.

Wen Ruan sat on the chair in front of the desk.  While swaying her legs, she watched as Fu Zhihuan took something out of a cabinet and squatted in front of her on one knee.

She was startled by Fu Zhihuan’s smooth-flowing actions and her swaying legs suddenly stopped while her whole body shrank back with agility.

“Stretch out your hand……..to treat your wound.”

He looked up at her and asked with a slight smile.  “Why are you so nervous?”

“…….Oh…..”  Wen Ruan obediently held out her hand.  “I’m not nervous, it’s just a reflex action.”

“Reflex action?”

“That’s right…….you suddenly knelt…….”  Wen Ruan thought for a while and then said.  “I thought you were going to kneel on behalf of Earl to admit its mistake and that would be reducing my lifespan*!”

(Reducing one’s lifespan – In Chinese culture, only the young will kneel to the elders as a show of respect or favor but the reverse is not acceptable.  It is believed that when the old kneel to the young, such an action would reduce the natural lifespan of the young as they are unable to shoulder the heavy burden of favor or they are not qualified to receive such respect from the elders.)

Silence……..

A long while later, Fu Zhihuan said.  “I suggest that you don’t talk.”

“Uh?”

“Otherwise I can’t guarantee that I won’t kick you out tonight and make you sleep on the street.”

“……”

The cotton swab rubbed gently against her palm causing an itch but she only moved her fingertips to hold back the discomfort.

Lowering her head, she could only see the soft black hair on Fu Zhihuan’s head and had an urge to rub it.

The light in the study was dim and the clock on the wall kept on ticking.  Everything seemed to be moving slowly with a feeling of warmth.

Feeling an itch in her throat, she suddenly called out.  “Fu Zhihuan!”

However, he did not look up, and instead, he took out a band-aid and asked casually.

“What’s the matter?”

When she heard this question, she suddenly hesitated.

Perhaps the scene and atmosphere were too ambiguous at that moment because she had the thought of ‘confessing’ and almost shouted it aloud.

But the thought grounded to a halt in her mind.

No…….

She must first deal with that fiancé of hers whom she has no news of, otherwise, if the Fu Family comes to find fault, the weak and poor Prosecutor Fu Zhihuan would defnintely suffer a lot of grievances.

And, what if she gets rejected?……..

Wen Ruan sniffled.

Then she definitely won’t have the face to continue to stay in his house or refuse to leave.

When Fu Zhihuan noticed that the person in front of him did not respond for a long time, he raised his head and narrowed his eyes.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

Wen Ruan glanced at the thing in the glass case next to her and tried to change the subject.

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“Ai, what is that thing in the glass case that looks like a black egg?”

When Fu Zhihuan heard her question, his hands stopped moving and he replied.

“A kind of musical instrument.”

“Musical instrument?”

Wen Ruan was stunned for a moment.  Then she took a closer look and her eyes lit up.

“This is a Tao Xun, right?  You can even play this!”

(Tao Xun is a musical instrument that is made from clay and is one of the most primitive wind instruments used in ancient times.  The following link is a picture of a Tao Xun.)

Picture of Tao Xun

Fu Zhihuan was startled.  “You know what that is?”

Tao Xun is not a well-known musical instrument.  It is not easy to learn to play it and the appearance is not particularly exquisite, therefore most people who come to his house would only assume it is an ornament when they see it.

She nodded and said with a smile.  “Uh, when I was very young, I learned to play a little bit from an uncle together with a friend but couldn’t persist in learning since I don’t have any artistic talent.”

After she finished speaking, she narrowed her eyes and studied the thing in detail.

The drawing on it was beautifully carved.  It showed a girl blowing a Xun while sitting under a cluster of flowers and surrounded by a flock of birds.  With a glance, it can be seen that it was a customized design and every detail was lifelike.

She asked casually.  “Do you know how to play it?”

After asking the question, she felt like she had just asked a nonsensical question.

If he did not know then why did he put it inside the glass case and place it in such a special spot on top of his desk?

“I don’t know.”

After putting on the band-aid, Fu Zhihuan stood up and turned around to look at the Tao Xun.

“This is actually a gift from me.  That person likes this kind of thing very much.”

Wen Ruan was stunned for a moment when she heard him.  She slowly straightened up, withdrew her injured hand, and while stroking the band-aid with her thumb, she asked casually.

“Then why didn’t you gift it?”

He did not answer immediately.

He just lowered his eyes and looked away from the Tao Xun.  A long time later, he let out a self-deprecating laugh.

“There’s no way I can gift it to that person anymore.”

“Why?”

“Uh, because I lost that person.”

His eyelids drooped and although the lamp on the desk was turned to the brightest, his eyes still seemed gloomy.

It was the first time that Wen Ruan could sense this kind of sadness in his tone.

And she even started to feel a little sad at the same time.

She stared at her toes.  “That person must be someone very important.”

“Mm…….”  He did not deny it.

Wen Ruan lowered her eyes and felt her heart was in a chaotic mess.  Instantly, she started to feel even sadder.  Putting the thing in this special position on the desk, it is clear that at present, this person must still be extremely important to Fu Zhihuan.

And based on the drawing, that person is a girl.

Wen Ruan’s mood suddenly fell to the bottom of the abyss.

It was as if she had finally managed to get close and remain beside the person she likes………but suddenly she was told that this man has a dream-soul ‘white moonlight’ that he yearns for.

What if this ‘white moonlight’ comes back one day, then wouldn’t she be relegated to a perfect vicious supporting actress?

With this thought, Wen Ruan’s mood became worse so she stood up suddenly.

“I’m going back to my room.  Remember to feed Earl some medicine.”

Fu Zhihuan could sense the sudden dip in Wen Ruan’s mood and his brows knotted slightly.  Before he could ask her, Wen Ruan had put on her slippers and walked straight out of the study.

He pinched his brow bone helplessly and was about to move forward when the phone on the table suddenly vibrated…….

It was a call from Fu Mingheng.

“What the heck is the matter with you?!  I’ve been busy for the past few days and didn’t watch the news.  Just now when I got home I found out you’ve gotten together with that little girl from the Wen Familly!”

“Correction, she is not the little girl from the Wen Family.”

Fu Zhihuan leaned against the table and laughed lazily.  ‘That’s my fiancée.”

Fu Mingheng took a deep breath and jumped up furiously on the other end of the line.

“Do I need you to remind me?!  Damn it, are you playing with me?!”

After saying this, he suddenly seemed to have thought of something and after staying silent for a while, he suddenly asked.

“What’s the matter?  From your words, it looks like you’ve fallen for that little girl.”

Confronted with this sudden question, Fu Zhihuan did not answer immediately.  Instead, he raised his eyes to look at the quiet moonlight outside the window in silence.

“Let me make it clear to you……..if you don’t like the little girl, don’t be a hindrance to her.  Wen Ruan is a good girl and has a one-track mind.  I think she is not aware of your identity and if she really falls for you, then the person who is going to be hurt will only be her.”

“I suggest that you……..”

“Yes.”  At this moment, Fu Zhihuan suddenly said.

Fu Mingheng was momentarily stunned and did not seem to catch his meaning.

“What did you say?”

Fu Zhihuan straightened up with a slight smile and turned away from the window.  Although there was a hint of a smile in his voice, he was very serious.

“I’m answering the question you asked just now.”

Actually, whether one has feelings for another, one doesn’t need to be reminded by others.

For example, one would pay special attention to her every move.

Would worry about her when she is in a low mood or…….worry about a minor wound that is not worth mentioning.

Fu Zhihuan could not give himself a reason not to like Wen Ruan.

“……”

Fu Mingheng really did not expect that his younger brother who has always been indifferent and cold towards this kind of feeling, would so generously admit his love for a girl one day.

As an elder brother, Fu Mingheng was very moved, and then…….

“So you’re f**king playing with me, are you?  Back then when I tried so hard to persuade you to try getting into a relationship with her, you refused.  But now, are you trying to develop an ambiguous relationship with her?”

After scolding Fu Zhihuan for a long time, Fu Mingheng suddenly had a thought.

“Fu Zhihuan, have the thought ever crossed your mind that if Wen Ruan finds out about your identity later, this problem couldn’t be easily solved by just coaxing with a few words.”

“……I think she’ll dismember you!…….”

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