Rose Manor: Tycoon's Relentless Chase
Chapter 28 - 25: A Long Night

Chapter 28: Chapter 25: A Long Night

Living on the same floor, Shen Jianian had never set foot in Fu Jichen’s bedroom. She stood outside the door with a tray, freeing one hand to knock.

Two soft knocks echoed distinctly in the silent hallway of the deep night.

Retracting her hand, she grasped the end of the tray with both hands, waited silently for a second or two, but no response came from within.

Shen Jianian couldn’t help but wonder, was Fu Jichen so drunk that he was unconscious?

It always felt like someone of his distinguished status, with such unfathomable thoughts, wouldn’t let himself fall into a passive state at social events. One of Beicheng Fu Family, potentially the future leader of the Junshan Group, who would dare to trouble him?

Shen Jianian knocked again, her knuckles tapping several times on the door panel, accompanied by a tentative call: "Mr. Fu? Mr. Fu?"

There was still no response from inside.

The door was ajar, Shen Jianian took a deep breath and pushed it open.

The large bedroom was only lit by two wall lamps above the bed, casting a dim, hazy light over the dark bed. The man lay on the bed fully dressed, a corner of the quilt covering his waist, his removed suit jacket draped over the back of the sofa at the end of the bed, a tie hanging at his wrist, possibly pulled off when he was half asleep and forgot to discard it.

As she approached, Shen Jianian heard the man’s slightly heavy breathing and saw deep wrinkles on his brow, indicating some discomfort.

Shen Jianian set down the tray in her hand, hesitated for a moment, silently reciting a debt of gratitude for his many past helps, leaned closer and tried to wake him up to drink the soup: "Mr. Fu?"

Despite the close proximity and her persistent calling, the person on the bed showed no signs of waking, as if in a deep coma.

Shen Jianian was helpless, somewhat frustrated. Seeing the soup no longer steaming, she panicked a little and pushed his shoulder: "Fu..."

Just as the word left her mouth, someone tightly gripped her wrist, the force so strong that the area started to ache.

Shen Jianian’s shoulders shrank in shock, she didn’t catch when he opened his eyes or when he moved. She opened her mouth but no sound came out.

Fu Jichen’s eyes were dark as a vortex, staring at her for a long time, as if discerning something, then loosened his grip and spoke with a hoarse voice: "What is it?"

Shen Jianian’s heartbeat skipped several beats, it took a moment for her to recall her scattered soul: "Aunt Rong asked me to bring you sobering soup."

Fu Jichen closed his eyes to regain composure, half propped himself against the headboard and picked up the sobering soup on the bedside table, drinking it in gulps, his brow was always furrowed.

"I’ll head back to my room first, you rest early."

Shen Jianian spoke a bit quickly, intending to leave, but a hand gripped the same spot on her wrist, she paused to look at the owner of the hand.

While setting down the porcelain cup, Fu Jichen applied a subtle force, pulling her back, her calf hitting the bed edge, losing her balance and tumbling onto the wide bed.

She felt a swirl of dizziness, a heavy shadow covering her sight, her nose was filled with the man’s scent, a faint tobacco smell mixed with alcohol, as well as an intangible sense of invasion.

Shen Jianian’s hands pressed against his chest to resist, her eyes filled with fear and panic: "Fu Jichen, what are you doing?"

The current situation easily recalled Shen Jianian’s unbearable memories of that rainy night.

Fu Jichen clamped her jaw with the crook of his hand, beneath his palm was the woman’s gleaming white skin, smooth and tender like lychee flesh, trembling slightly. She had bathed, her long hair was silky like satin, her body exuded the fragrance of gardenia, wearing only a soft misty pink nightgown, the fabric slick as water, warmed only by her body heat walking.

"Stick with me, and I’ll help you regain Lingyue Group." Fu Jichen lowered his neck, his thin lips touching her burning earlobe, his voice low like a ghost, "How about it?"

All of Shen Jianian’s struggles halted in an instant, she stared at him in shock and uncertainty: "What do you mean?"

The slight drunkenness in Fu Jichen’s eyes didn’t seem like intoxicated nonsense, he was more composed than most people were sober. Such composure, inexplicably terrifying.

"Don’t understand?" Fu Jichen’s lips curled into a low laugh, a laugh both affectionate and indifferent, "Miss Shen, you don’t really think this transaction could be that easy, do you?"

Of course Shen Jianian understood, he wanted more than just her being his assistant, he wanted... her. To be precise, her body.

She was naive once again, thinking that because he loved to tend to plants and adopt stray cats and dogs, he must be kind-hearted.

Fu Jichen rolled off her, heading to the bathroom.

He wasn’t in a hurry, waiting for her to think it through,

The sound of a gentle shower brushed against her ears, Shen Jianian stared at the ceiling in a daze, her eyes gradually misting over, like the frosted glass in the bathroom blurred by steam.

Shen Jianian felt despair, helplessness, but vaguely as if she clung to a lifeline. She raised her hand to cover her eyes, Fu Jichen’s words from that day rang in her ear: I told you, talk to me about this deal when you’ve made up your mind.

It turned out, this was his plan all along, and she misunderstood. She thought, besides her body, there was nothing else about her to linger on.

Soon after, Fu Jichen emerged wrapped in a bathrobe, his short hair towel-dried but still slightly damp, the smell of smoke and alcohol washed away, replaced by the fragrance of refreshing bath soap. A scent of herbal plants that initially seemed unappealing but became addictive over time.

"Have you decided?" He sat at the edge of the bed, holding her hand.

His tone was not questioning, but affirming.

Remaining in his bed was the clearest answer. She could have returned to her own room while he bathed, but she didn’t. Ten minutes or so, was the time he gave her as the final decision period.

The time had passed, no chance to turn back anymore.

Shen Jianian removed the hand covering her eyes, the moment she met his gaze, her body, which barely calmed down, couldn’t help but tremble.

Fu Jichen turned off the lights, leaned down and covered her as before. His palm gently traced her face, trying to ease her tension.

How could Shen Jianian relax, her teeth clenched tighter, her body rigid and shivering, soon breaking into a cold sweat, moistening the sheets beneath her.

In the darkness, Shen Jianian closed her eyes, tears rolling from the corners into the sheets.

Should she feel fortunate? Fu Jichen was considered gentle, and it wasn’t as excruciating as she imagined.

She heard him call her name: "Shen Jianian..."

Tears welled up fiercely, wishing she wasn’t Shen Jianian.

*

Shen Jianian didn’t know when she fell asleep. Upon waking, the spot beside her was empty, the sheets cool, indicating he had been up for quite some time.

At least she didn’t need to face him now, which was good.

Awakening left her entire body sore and soft, a subtle ache running through her bones, as if her entire skeletal frame had been disassembled and reassembled.

There was no sticky discomfort on her body; someone must have cleaned her while she slept. Who it was, she couldn’t spare the energy to question.

Shen Jianian lay quietly like a fish stranded on the beach, ignoring the hour, unphased by the thought of being late for work or who would handle her piled tasks... she abandoned all those concerns.

She lay still for a long while, then moved her arms and legs, pain doubling within her body as she did so. She frowned, enduring discomfort, put on her nightgown, and walked barefoot back to her room.

She didn’t go anywhere else, simply hiding in the bathroom.

She needed to shower once more, to wash away the man’s remaining scent and marks on her body.

*

Fu Jichen didn’t rise particularly early. After breakfast, he went upstairs, not finding Shen Jianian sleeping on the bed as expected, checked the closet and bathroom, but didn’t find her.

Turning to the guest room, as he entered, the sound of the shower from the bathroom reached him, and Fu Jichen’s expression turned somewhat grim. He had clearly bathed her while she was asleep.