Rose Manor: Tycoon's Relentless Chase-Chapter 296 - 277: About to Lose Control

Fu Jichen looked at her for a long time, finally realizing that he was out of line. She hadn’t remembered anything. The emotions in his eyes gradually faded, returning to his usual calm demeanor.

"I’m not angry, you don’t need to apologize." He explained, "I accidentally knocked over the cup."

Ni Yiqiong opened her mouth but said nothing. His words made her earlier reaction seem like a joke.

Fu Jichen left the table: "I’m going to change my clothes."

As he left, his steps were slow, and his silhouette looked somewhat desolate.

Shen Jianian watched his departing figure, recalling his words. He asked her if she had remembered anything; did he think she had regained her memory?

Why would he think so?

If Shen Jianian couldn’t figure it out, others understood even less.

Bai Changxia glanced at the woman across from her, feeling more than a little prickle of irritation. She gulped down some red wine, unable to hold back: "Miss Ni, just because Jianian is gentle doesn’t mean everyone has a good temper. She was just kidding, and the person involved didn’t mind. Miss Ni, you’re making too much of it."

Ni Yiqiong didn’t expect Bai Changxia to point it out in public. Her face couldn’t hold it, turning red and then white: "I spoke too quickly, I didn’t mean to blame her."

She looked at Shen Jianian, apologetic: "Sorry, Jianian, I was a bit impatient just now."

Shen Jianian shook her head and said nothing.

Bai Changxia hadn’t finished what she wanted to say and was about to continue when Shen Jianian gave her a look, so she held back. She originally intended to say that everyone could see Miss Ni’s intentions, but after all, today was Jianian’s birthday; stealing the spotlight would be too inconsiderate.

Fu Jichen went next door to change his clothes and smoked a cigarette before coming back.

At that moment, he really thought Shen Jianian had remembered.

Returning to the dining table, Fu Jichen noticed a chicken wing had been placed in his bowl, along with the wing base, filling the whole bowl.

He glanced at Shen Jianian. She was focused on gnawing a chicken wing and not looking at him.

After being pointed out by Bai Changxia, Ni Yiqiong didn’t say much and didn’t eat much either.

The cake ordered online arrived. Shen Jianian received the phone call and went to open the door.

The cake was one that Bai Changxia had ordered half a month in advance from a private pastry shop.

A space was cleared in the middle of the dining table. Shen Jianian put the cake on it and opened the outer packaging. It was a white two-layer cake, adorned with various pink and blue flowers. The flowers were made to look realistic, with intricately layered petals, beautifully detailed, embellished with pearls.

Zhao Shunyi took out her phone: "It looks so good, let me take a picture first."

With a "click," she finished taking the picture and helped insert the candles.

Bai Changxia placed a pointy little red hat on Shen Jianian, the edge decorated with colorful sequins. Today, she was wearing a light pink fluffy sweater and white knit pants, looking unbelievably soft, and with the cartoonish hat, she seemed very cute.

"I’ll turn off the lights!" Bai Changxia jumped off her chair.

"I’ll do it." Fu Jichen, with his long legs, beat her to it and turned off the dining room lights.

The room instantly dimmed, leaving only the warm, beautiful glow of the candle flames on the cake.

Fu Jichen took an ornate box from the console; it was the birthday gift he had brought for Shen Jianian earlier, left there unnoticed by anyone.

"Make a wish," Zhao Shunyi said with excitement, more excited than if it were her birthday, shaking her phone, "I’ll take a photo for you."

Shen Jianian felt a bit shy: "I don’t need to make a wish; I don’t really have any wishes."

"How can you not make a wish on your birthday? Just come up with some." Bai Changxia suggested with a raised eyebrow, "Like becoming wealthy, never getting fat, or finding a boyfriend."

Encouraged, Shen Jianian closed her eyes and clasped her hands together. After thinking for a moment, she made a single wish: that she and her friends would always be healthy and happy.

She thought it was a good wish—health is more important than anything, and happiness is important too. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

When she opened her eyes, a box was handed to her, and she paused for a moment, looking from the box to the long fingers, and then to the owner of the hand.

"A birthday gift," Fu Jichen said.

Shen Jianian wanted to refuse, fearing what he gave would be too valuable and accepting it would weigh on her. But she couldn’t find the right words.

As if seeing through her thoughts, Fu Jichen smiled nonchalantly: "Take it, it’s a cup." He directly told her what was in the box.

Shen Jianian then didn’t refuse and accepted it: "Thank you."

Fu Jichen replied with a simple "Mm," "Blow out the candles."

Shen Jianian leaned over and blew out the candles, and Fu Jichen went to turn the lights back on, returning the dining room to its previous brightness. Shen Jianian cut the cake and first served Ni Yiqiong. Suddenly, remembering that she previously mentioned being on a diet, she hesitated and asked first: "Miss Ni, would you like to try some?"

Ni Yiqiong’s expression wasn’t good: "I’m full, I can’t eat anymore."

Shen Jianian nodded and served Bai Changxia and Zhao Shunyi. Since she assumed Fu Jichen might not like it, she didn’t even ask him and cut a piece for herself.

Fu Jichen leaned back in his chair, looking up at her as she stood: "What about mine?"

Shen Jianian: "Do you want some?"

Fu Jichen: "Won’t you give me a bite?"

Shen Jianian gave him her untouched slice of cake, mumbling, "I thought you didn’t eat sweets." Before, when Ni Yiqiong asked him, he said he didn’t eat pastries.

Ni Yiqiong clenched her hand under the table in frustration. It seemed there was no point in bringing out the pastries she made.

Unwilling to give up, she silently fumed for a while, then got up to bring the pastries and cake she had baked earlier, putting on a generous smile: "Try mine too, see how it compares to the cake shop’s, and how it tastes."

Ni Yiqiong pushed the pastries closer to Fu Jichen, her eyes filled with hidden expectations.

Fu Jichen acted as if he hadn’t heard, eating the cake Shen Jianian had given him. It was overly sweet.

Across the table, Zhao Shunyi shrank her neck. She had sensed several undercurrents tonight, so she bowed her head, took out her phone, and edited photos while eating cake. She posted pictures of the feast, a close-up of the cake, and a photo of Shen Jianian making a wish with closed eyes on her social media.

Afterwards, she sent the photo of Jianian making a wish to her alone.

Shen Jianian’s phone dinged. She picked it up, looking dumbfounded at the photo Zhao Shunyi sent. In the dim candlelight, she was making a wish with her eyes closed, while beside her, Fu Jichen was... gazing at her affectionately.

She also saw Zhao Shunyi’s social media post, which had the same picture, but it was cropped to remove Fu Jichen, as if trying to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings.

*

As it neared nine, the table was cleared into the kitchen. Shen Jianian turned on the TV, selecting a variety show suitable for everyone to watch together.

The aftereffects of the wine surfaced, her cheeks flushed and hot, with most of her body slumped in the corner of the sofa armrest and backrest.

Ni Yiqiong stayed to celebrate New Year’s Eve with them, and Shen Jianian found it hard to refuse.

Fu Jichen didn’t leave either, but he didn’t join the group of girls. He sat alone on a single sofa chair by the floor-to-ceiling window, crossing his legs while talking on the phone.

He wore a black turtleneck wool sweater, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, along with ash-grey casual trousers, exuding a lazy, homey vibe.

Zhao Shunyi raised her hand, saying she wanted to drink mulled wine. Luckily, Fu Jichen had brought an extra bottle of red wine, so Shen Jianian offered to cook it, as she wanted some too.

Bai Changxia wasn’t assured: "Are you okay?"

Shen Jianian slowly nodded, gesturing an OK sign to her, and walked to the kitchen with small steps, feeling a little dizzy but unusually excited.

She took out ingredients needed for mulled wine from the fridge—orange, apple, lemon, cloves, cinnamon, etc., washing them all clean. Then she halved the orange, sticking cloves into the peel, turning the orange into a hedgehog.

A shadow suddenly loomed, blocking the light. Shen Jianian looked up, and Fu Jichen’s face was very close. He asked her, "What are you doing?"

Shen Jianian held up the half of the orange turned hedgehog to show him: "Making mulled wine."

This state of hers...

Fu Jichen moved his eyebrows; this state of hers was like when she was drunk. In the past, when she got drunk, she would speak and act slowly before eventually falling asleep.

"You know how to make it?" Fu Jichen unconsciously slowed his speech, asking her leisurely.

"What’s so hard about it?" Shen Jianian almost bit her tongue, "Just throw all these into the pot, pour in some red wine, and cook for a while, that’s all."

Her words started to slur. Fu Jichen’s lips curled up: "You’re drunk."

"No, I’m not." Shen Jianian thoroughly denied it.

She tried to cut a lemon, but the knife slipped, almost cutting her finger. Fu Jichen’s heart tightened at the sight, and he took the fruit knife from her hands.

"Slices?"

Having never made mulled wine before, he was unsure of the steps.

Shen Jianian frowned, her expression saying he was stupid, she gestured on the lemon: "Cut it open, squeeze out the juice from one half, slice the other half to decorate. If you just throw it in to cook, it’ll turn bitter."

"Got it," Fu Jichen chuckled, doing as she instructed.

"Oh right," Shen Jianian remembered she had something to ask him, her brain working slowly, struggling to form words for a while, gulping several times in frustration, "Why did... why did you just ask me if I remembered anything?"

Fu Jichen put down the fruit knife: "You used to say that exact same sentence."

"Which one?"

"..." Fu Jichen didn’t want to repeat it.

Shen Jianian clicked her tongue discontentedly: "Which one?"

Fu Jichen remained silent.

Shen Jianian wouldn’t give up, clutching at his soft sweater like a little bully: "Are you gonna say it?"

"Even if I tell you, you won’t remember, don’t want to say." Fu Jichen lifted a hand, gently brushing her face, placing the pad of his thumb against her lips.

He had just sliced lemon, and the juice remained on his fingers. Shen Jianian unconsciously licked it, the sourness scrunching up her facial features: "Why is it so sour..."

The feeling of a tongue swiping across the pad lingered, Fu Jichen’s throat itched, he let out a low cough, which didn’t ease the itch. He felt like he was about to lose control.