Rose Manor: Tycoon's Relentless Chase-Chapter 310 - 291: Handmade

Coming out of the Great Hall, Fu Jichen went somewhere alone, leaving Shen Jianian outside the hall with Qu Mo following her, surrounded by people. She looked at the crowd coming and going, and turned to ask Qu Mo, who stood like a wooden post, "Where did he go?"

Qu Mo stood with his hands behind his back, answering properly, "To donate incense money. The boss makes a donation every month."

"Every month?" Shen Jianian raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Every month," Qu Mo confirmed to her.

Shen Jianian silently looked in the direction where Fu Jichen had left. Is he really that kind-hearted? Going up the mountain every month to worship Buddha and donate incense money? It’s really not obvious.

After waiting for about ten minutes, Fu Jichen’s figure appeared, the hem of his black coat brushing past the low shrubs by the roadside, with a few patches of remaining snow clinging to them.

He held a small blue blessing bag in his hand and pushed it into Shen Jianian’s palm, "Keep it safe."

Shen Jianian opened her palm. The bag was embroidered with the word "Peace," and she pulled open the drawstring at the bag’s mouth to reveal a peace charm folded into a triangle inside.

"Is this for me?" Shen Jianian had been shocked since just now. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Fu Jichen: "Yes."

Shen Jianian put the peace charm back into the blessing bag, and with her right hand, placed it in her pocket, then looked up at Fu Jichen’s face. His expression was very calm, calm to the point of being gentle.

"Let’s go down the mountain."

Fu Jichen saw the confusion in her eyes. She probably wondered why someone like him would seek a peace charm. He smiled slightly without explaining, holding her left hand and putting it into his coat pocket, walking against the flow of people going up the mountain.

He didn’t see the abbot of the temple today. When donating incense money, a familiar little monk gave him a peace blessing bag, saying he was a great benefactor who would surely receive blessings.

He didn’t consider himself much of a benefactor, but he really liked the word "blessing."

He gave the peace charm to Shen Jianian, hoping that the blessing would fall upon her.

*

On the sixth day of the New Year, Shen Jianian paid a visit to Yan Qiusheng.

This was, as she remembered, her first visit to Yan Qiusheng’s Half Mountain Villa, although according to Yan Qiusheng, she had been there many times before. The villa was warm, and from the balcony, one could see the snowy scenery of the mountains, comparable to the scenery seen on the way to Tanfu Temple that day.

Yan Qiusheng lived there alone, without any servants, making it feel quiet.

But he didn’t feel lonely. During small talk with Shen Jianian, he said he could spend most of the day in the piano room, occasionally reading or taking a walk in the mountains, living quite comfortably.

He was used to a free-spirited lifestyle, and sometimes going to the bustling and noisy city made him uncomfortable.

He gradually returned to a normal work state, with the rest of his time still under his control outside working hours.

Shen Jianian stayed for a meal and talked with him for a long time, returning home after four o’clock in the afternoon.

Jixiang was curled up sleeping soundly in the cat bed. Shen Jianian put the groceries just delivered into the fridge and received a call from Fu Jichen.

"Do you have any plans for tonight?" he asked on the phone.

"No," Shen Jianian replied, washing a strawberry with one hand and popping it into her mouth. "What’s up?"

"A few friends are getting together for dinner tonight and are asked to bring their family. Do you want to come?" Fu Jichen’s tone was slow, giving her enough time to consider. "If you agree, I’ll finish at five-thirty and pick you up at home by about six."

The house next door had become just a decoration. Fu Jichen would finish work and go directly to her house to stay overnight, with more and more of his things invading her space, reaching the point where they were everywhere.

For instance, in the shoe cabinet at the entrance, apart from the indoor slippers he previously brought over, there were now several pairs of handmade leather shoes. On the coffee table, besides his ashtray, were also a metal lighter and a pen—things he put there casually after use. His clothes in the walk-in closet initially occupied only a small part, now a third of the space was filled with his shirts and suits. On the sofa in her bedroom were his ties and pajamas.

One morning, she opened the drawer of the bedside table looking for a hair tie, only to see neatly stacked boxes of protection measures of different brands...

Those were brought back by Fu Jichen from his last business trip.

She thought he had taken them, but who knew he stored them in the drawer, seemingly waiting for the day she was ready, so he could easily pull out a box and unwrap the cellophane.

Shen Jianian was distracted until Fu Jichen’s deep voice on the phone brought her back to reality: "You don’t have to worry too much. If you don’t want to go then..."

"No," Shen Jianian took a bite of the strawberry, filling her mouth with a sweet taste. "Come pick me up."

"Hmm?"

"Didn’t hear clearly?"

The amusement in Fu Jichen’s voice was evident, "I heard clearly."

Shen Jianian tossed the strawberry tops into the kitchen garbage bin, hung up the phone, quickly organized the ingredients, and went to the bedroom to change clothes and do her makeup.

According to Fu Jichen, tonight was a private dinner party, so she didn’t dress up too elaborately, just presentable enough to go out.

At a quarter past six, Fu Jichen arrived home, using his key to let himself in.

Seeing Shen Jianian, he explained, "There was traffic on the road, you must have waited a long time."

Just fifteen minutes, not too long, Shen Jianian put on her coat, "No. Let’s go."

The dining place was chosen by Zhou Zhizhen, a private restaurant not open to the public, only serving important customers. The environment was remote but quiet, with dim yellow lighting.

The attendees were all childhood friends of Fu Jichen, each with their partner, and an additional guest, Lu Yanzhi, from afar. Fu Jichen introduced them to Shen Jianian. She had met them before but had forgotten, so Fu Jichen introduced them as if it were the first meeting, in detail.

Zhou Zhizhen, with a cigarette between his fingers, squinted and teased, "It’s rare to hear Fu Da talk so much at once."

Chen Jinhui chimed in, "Isn’t it? It’s been years since there’s been a woman around Fu Da, right."

Ye Xu was a bit more precise, "Over three years."

As he finished speaking, Ye Xu suddenly coughed, realizing he had misspoken in haste. Why bring up the past in front of the newcomer? If he upset this girl, Fu Da would certainly hold them accountable.

He glanced at Fu Jichen and, luckily, his expression remained unchanged.

After introducing them, Fu Jichen put an arm around Shen Jianian’s shoulder and told the others, "This is Shen Jianian, my... girlfriend." He intended to say fiancée, but under Shen Jianian’s gaze, he paused and opted for a more reserved term.

Zhou Zhizhen was in the know, having been involved in Fu Jichen’s surveillance check at the airport, so he wasn’t surprised. The others thought Fu Jichen had gone crazy, finding someone with the same name.

Moreover, the woman wore a diamond ring on her ring finger, indicating that Fu Da was serious.

From their reactions, Shen Jianian guessed a bit and quietly asked Fu Jichen, "Did they know me before?"

"We had dinner together twice." Fu Jichen leaned over to answer by her ear.

The conversation at the dinner was casual, with everyone consciously avoiding business topics. Midway, Fu Jichen stepped out to take a call, leaving Shen Jianian alone. The man opposite, named Chen Jinhui, called out, seeing Shen Jianian focused on removing fish bones without looking up, "Shen Jianian?"

She raised her eyes at the sound, giving him a questioning look, "What’s up?"

"A couple of months ago—" Chen Jinhui began, recalling, he should not be mistaken about the date, it happened in December, "Did Fu Da burn a pair of cups for you?"

Zhou Zhizhen asked curiously, "What cups?"

Not only him, but Lu Yanzhi, Ye Xu, and the women present all looked at Chen Jinhui for an explanation.

What Shen Jianian could connect with "cups" was on her birthday when Fu Jichen gifted her a pair of cups, one blue and one pink, delicately adorned with intricate floral designs like artworks. She couldn’t bear to use them as mere drinking cups.

Chen Jinhui leaned back in his chair, swirling the wine in his glass, and leisurely explained, "Fu Da contacted one of my friends through my connections. My friend runs a pottery studio. Fu Da asked for guidance and personally crafted a pair of cups. I heard that before the final products were complete, he destroyed dozens, with only one pair being somewhat presentable."

For a brief moment, the tip of the chopsticks in Shen Jianian’s fish paused, her eyes shifting from confusion to astonishment. The two cups gifted to her were crafted personally by Fu Jichen?

Because of the stamp on the bottom of the cups, she had guessed they weren’t purchased products and were likely custom-made by Fu Jichen, but she hadn’t imagined they came from his own hands.

The room was quiet for a while, and Zhou Zhizhen’s wife sighed enviously, "I really couldn’t tell, Mr. Fu was so thoughtful, personally crafting cups for someone."

As she spoke, her gaze flitted towards her husband, who sat with courteous propriety.

Fu Jichen was indeed thoughtful, but he’s not like this for just anyone.

Noticing Miss Shen’s surprised expression, it was clear she didn’t know about this, making it even more special—thoughtfulness without ostentation implies that he wasn’t looking for an equivalent reward in return.

No one else spoke, and it was at this moment that Fu Jichen re-entered, bringing in the coolness of the outdoors. After settling in, noticing several pairs of eyes on him, he picked up his tea cup and took a sip, smiling as he asked, "What are you talking about?"

While speaking, he picked up a pair of shrimp with his chopsticks, put on disposable gloves, and started peeling the shrimp.

Lu Yanzhi knocked his chopsticks, also picking a shrimp for himself, chuckling, "Talking about some kind of romantic fool."