Rose Manor: Tycoon's Relentless Chase-Chapter 309 - 290: Growing Old Together

In the second half of the night, Shen Jianian couldn’t really sleep. From time to time, she would touch the diamond ring on her ring finger under the covers, trying to understand why things had developed in an unexpected direction.

Does this count as a proposal from Fu Jichen?

With the ring on her hand, does that mean she’s agreed?

But she hadn’t expressed her opinion yet.

"Not sleeping yet?" Fu Jichen tightened his arm around her waist on her twentieth touch of the ring, bringing their bodies closer together.

Shen Jianian pressed her lips together tightly, feeling a layer of goosebumps rise on the back of her neck.

He... How could he be so...

She thought he was asleep.

Fu Jichen sighed softly in the dark. Shen Jianian couldn’t see his expression, but she could hear the helplessness in his sigh.

His tone was also soft: "With you moving around, I’m wide awake."

In the pitch-black darkness, Shen Jianian blinked a few times, her eyes sparkling like glass beads: "Sorry, I..." She blushed and stumbled over her words, embarrassed, "I’ll sleep now, right away."

Fu Jichen sighed again, this time with more resignation.

Shen Jianian closed her eyes. Even though her mind was still very active, she was trying to summon sleepiness. She hadn’t been teasing him, she didn’t know why he was so awake...

The two of them embraced, their breaths mingling because of their closeness, and only fell asleep past three in the morning.

When Shen Jianian woke up, she was the only one on the bed. She propped herself up halfway, not finding Fu Jichen in the room, her gaze falling on the pillow, where there was a bulging red envelope.

She opened the red envelope. Inside was a stack of brand-new hundred-dollar bills, packed full, without room for a single more.

No doubt, this was the New Year’s money Fu Jichen had given her.

In the past, her parents used to do the same, secretly placing the New Year’s money by her pillow on New Year’s Eve while she slept, so she’d see it as soon as she woke up the next day.

Holding the red envelope, Shen Jianian sat on the bed in a daze, as if she had returned to her childhood. In the next second, her mom would knock on the door, calling her to breakfast, telling her that there was a coin in the dumplings, and whoever found it would have good luck for the whole year. She’d excitedly put on new clothes, go downstairs to eat dumplings, always feeling she would get the one with the coin, so she’d chew carefully, afraid of hurting her teeth...

Fu Jichen came out of the closet area while tidying his cuffs. When Shen Jianian heard his footsteps, she looked up, startled to find he hadn’t left.

"For you to buy candy." Fu Jichen raised an eyebrow, his tone casual, "There’s more if it’s not enough."

He figured that if he put a bank card in the red envelope, she definitely wouldn’t take it. Cash was more sincere.

Shen Jianian sniffed lightly, her voice low with a hint of nasal tone: "I don’t eat candy anymore."

"Then save it for candied fruit."

"I don’t eat candied fruit either."

"Buy some buns then."

Shen Jianian let out a small laugh, a hint of turning tears into laughter. As she got out of bed, she wiped the corner of her eyes and quickly ran to the bathroom to freshen up.

Fu Jichen stood outside the door, talking to her through the door panel: "Today, shall I take you to Tanfu Temple for incense?"

With a toothbrush in her mouth, her mouth full of toothpaste foam, the fresh scent of mint mixed with jasmine: "Do you have time today?"

Her voice wasn’t very clear, but Fu Jichen heard it.

Yesterday was a full day off, but today he had a work arrangement, with a video conference scheduled at five in the evening.

Overall, there was plenty of free time to go out with her for a walk.

Shen Jianian washed her face, coming out with a fresh and fair face, speaking much more clearly face to face: "Why do you want to go to Tanfu Temple for incense? Do you believe in it?"

Fu Jichen wiped the droplets left from washing her face off her earlobes with his fingers, his voice deep and low: "Didn’t used to believe, but now I think I might start to."

During the three years he had lost touch with her, he had done many good deeds, visiting Tanfu Temple once a month to donate incense money, and contributing to medical centers and schools in remote mountainous areas.

Later, the abbot of Tanfu Temple gave him a four-word saying - "Waiting for good news."

He truly had waited for good news.

He found the one he was looking for, his Jianian.

So he felt he could start to believe.

However, Shen Jianian didn’t understand his thinking. But since he had time, there was no harm in going for a visit. She had also gone to Tanfu Temple for incense with her parents on the first day of the New Year before.

"There will be a lot of people offering incense today." Shen Jianian went to the closet to change clothes, kindly reminding him, "Are you sure your leg is okay?"

Yesterday, his leg hurt intensely, breaking out in cold sweats, his forehead and temples never seemed dry, wiping away one layer only for another to emerge, perhaps he really should rest at home today.

Fu Jichen came to her side, silently, and suddenly picked her up horizontally.

Shen Jianian, who was choosing clothes in front of the wardrobe, was startled and gasped, "What are you doing?"

Fu Jichen was showing her with his actions that his leg was fine. He could accompany her in climbing the seemingly endless stone steps, and also accompany her in squeezing through the crowds to offer incense.

"My leg is healed." Fu Jichen also had the pride of a man, especially in front of the woman he loved, "Don’t bring this up unnecessarily in the future."

"Got it." Shen Jianian hopped down from his arm, touched her ear, and said softly, "Then dress warmly, sometimes if you catch a chill, it will hurt a lot."

Last night, he only explained how the scar on his abdomen came to be and didn’t mention a word about the injury on his leg.

*

After having breakfast at home, they were driven to the foot of the mountain by Qu Mo.

Upon getting off the car and walking a long distance, Shen Jianian noticed Qu Mo was following them, keeping a neither near nor distant space. She asked Fu Jichen softly, "Doesn’t Qu Mo get a day off?"

"There’s no one at his place." Fu Jichen said.

Shen Jianian didn’t ask further, and followed the crowd, climbing the stone steps step by step. Midway, she was tired and out of breath and thought of turning back.

When she looked back down the mountain, the dense crowd blocked the road completely, her desire to return waned, and she gritted her teeth to continue climbing.

"Thinking of giving up?" Fu Jichen asked her with a smile, holding her small hand with his big one, slowly leading her upwards.

He had walked this road alone for three years, witnessing the scenery through all four seasons, but had only seen early summer’s view with her. For the first time, they were together viewing the snowy winter landscape on this path.

Shen Jianian exhaled white breath from her mouth, pointed at the verdant pine trees on the mountain, with tufts of snow piled on the branches, resembling a painting.

"Look, isn’t it beautiful?"

Fu Jichen glanced in the direction she pointed, it was indeed beautiful, but not a fraction as beautiful as she.

Shen Jianian took out her phone from her pocket and snapped a picture of the snow-laden pines, posting it on her social feed without any text.

Bai Changxia, apparently on her phone, was the first to comment, "Where is this? Climbing a mountain on New Year’s Day?"

Shen Jianian replied to her, "Coming to Tanfu Temple to offer incense."

Bai Changxia: "With Boss Fu?" Shen Jianian certainly wouldn’t go to offer incense alone.

Shen Jianian: "Mm."

Bai Changxia: "There must be a lot of people at Tanfu Temple today."

Shen Jianian sent her two photos via private message, one showing the mountain and the other, the base of it, with narrow stone steps crowded with people, all heads blending into a sea of black.

Bai Changxia sent a bunch of thumbs-up emojis: "Truly spectacular."

Shen Jianian played with her phone with one hand, while Fu Jichen held her other hand. With him watching the road, all she had to do was lift her feet. Suddenly, her hand was pulled, and she leaned into his embrace, which was secured by his arm.

"Watch your step and stop looking at your phone," Fu Jichen gently reminded.

Shen Jianian lifted her eyes, only then noticing someone hurriedly descending the mountain, almost colliding with her head-on. She put her phone back in her pocket and focused on the road ahead.

Seeing the outline of Tanfu Temple, still a long way ahead, by the end, Shen Jianian had become like an accessory, hanging onto Fu Jichen, dragging her feet in exhaustion.

She used to run frequently in the summer, but later various trifles occupied her time, causing her to stop exercising for quite a while, her stamina couldn’t keep up.

When they finally reached the peak, Shen Jianian felt no joy but lamented internally, wondering how she would make the way back...

On the first day of the New Year, there were so many people offering incense that a long queue formed outside the Great Hall. Some arrived before dawn just to offer the "first incense" and get a good omen.

Fu Jichen went to buy incense, handing it to Shen Jianian, "Think about what to ask of the Buddha first." So as not to be like on her birthday, where she couldn’t decide on what wish to make after much deliberation.

Shen Jianian was indeed troubled, "I don’t know what I want."

Fu Jichen suggested, "Then ask Buddha to bless us to be united at heart and live a long life together."

What Shen Jianian wanted to say was written all over her face: How can you say such things with a straight face?

Fu Jichen: "Can’t I?"

Shen Jianian didn’t say if it was okay or not, and just asked him, "If I wish for this, what will you wish for?"

Fu Jichen maintained that serious expression, "I’ll wish for the same."

"..."

It wasn’t until after two in the afternoon that it was their turn. Shen Jianian held up the incense, silently reciting her wish to Buddha. She didn’t follow Fu Jichen’s suggestion and instead asked for the Buddha’s blessing for them both to live to a ripe old age.

She secretly opened one eye; the man standing tall and straight beside her was in black, solemn and aloof, as if detached from the mundane world, untainted by its affairs. Yet, his expression in offering the incense was unprecedentedly devout, making one realize he was still a mortal troubled by worldly matters.

Otherwise, why would he come to offer incense and pray?

It is only mortals who have desires to be fulfilled.