Rose Manor: Tycoon's Relentless Chase
Chapter 33 - 30: Be Yours

Chapter 33: Chapter 30: Be Yours

The atmosphere in the room suddenly changed, and Shen Jianian was puzzled. Xiao Ai respectfully stepped aside, nodded at the man who had just entered, and left.

Once Xiao Ai left, Shen Jianian’s view was unobstructed, and she naturally saw the man. He was dressed in simple casual attire, with handsome, distant features, and had an indifferent air about him. But Shen Jianian hadn’t forgotten the look of desire that covered his face when he possessed her in bed the other night.

Shutting her eyes, Shen Jianian cleared her mind of those ambiguous and shameful images.

Fu Jichen sat down on the sofa chair next to her, reached out to hold her slender white wrist. She reflexively flinched, then remembered what their current relationship was, gave up resisting, and let him hold her hand.

"How are you feeling today?" Fu Jichen’s tone was light, barely hinting at a touch of gentleness, "Tell me the truth."

"I’m fine."

Shen Jianian kept her gaze lowered, focusing on the pattern on the blanket covering her legs, on every line of the design, just avoiding looking at him.

"You don’t like any of the things I sent you?" Fu Jichen could only see her profile, looking as pale as yesterday when they went to the hospital, with no color to her face, like someone in the grip of illness.

Unwilling to say more, Shen Jianian answered indifferently, "No."

Last night’s cookies, today’s clothes and jewelry, what did they mean? Was it compensation for her? She didn’t need it.

Fu Jichen was quite right in saying that the transaction was initiated by her, and the events of the other night were something she agreed to. So, she deserved to bear such an unexpected outcome.

Fu Jichen’s fingers caressed the back of her hand: "Still blaming me?"

"No." It was still those two words, still in that cold tone, Shen Jianian’s expression unchanged.

Her unyielding attitude really left Fu Jichen at his wits’ end, plus he had decided not to argue with her while accompanying her in the hospital yesterday, so his anger could only simmer inside.

"I’m going overseas for business tomorrow, not sure when I’ll return. Take good care of yourself." After saying this, Fu Jichen stood up.

Shen Jianian finally raised her face to glance at him: "You haven’t forgotten what you promised me, have you?"

Fu Jichen paused, deliberately teasing her: "What promise?"

"You!" Shen Jianian glared at him with annoyance, her emotions overly agitated, bringing a faint red tint to her cheeks, "You promised me to help take back Lingyue Group! Are you trying to renege?"

She was so angry she wanted to pounce and tear him apart because she realized that even if he wanted to renege, she had no other option but to admit defeat and deal with it.

Fu Jichen found her fiery demeanor quite amusing, much more lively than her usual cold and dreary self. He ruffled her hair as if smoothing the fur of an angry cat: "I haven’t forgotten."

Shen Jianian turned her face away.

Fu Jichen retracted his hand from her head, replaced it with a serious expression, and said, "This isn’t something that can be accomplished overnight; it needs careful planning, so be patient."

Shen Jianian’s hand on the blanket subconsciously clenched into a fist. She knew it wouldn’t be easy to get the company back, otherwise, she wouldn’t have chosen to make a deal with him.

The Pei family had been plotting to take everything from the Shen family, laying dormant for who knows how many years.

"As long as you remember." Shen Jianian steadied herself.

It’s only a matter of time; she can afford to wait.

*

At nine o’clock in the evening, after Fu Jichen finished dealing with the work left before his business trip in the study, he poured out the remaining half cup of coffee, intending to return to his room, when his phone vibrated in his hand.

He paused slightly when he saw the caller ID was Zhu Yilan, hesitated for a moment, and pressed the answer button.

"I’m sorry to disturb you at this hour, Mr. Chen." Zhu Yilan spoke apologetically.

"What is it?"

"The contract we agreed with the Wanjie Group, I forgot to have you sign it during the day." Zhu Yilan hesitated to speak, "You have to fly to New Zealand early tomorrow and the return date is uncertain, so—"

The person accompanying the boss on the business trip this time is Song Fang, so it’s best to complete the contract process before departure, otherwise, it would delay the subsequent progress of the project.

Fu Jichen raised his hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. Zhu Yilan usually didn’t make such mistakes.

"I’m sorry, it’s my fault." Sensing his displeasure from his silence, Zhu Yilan’s attitude became even more respectful, "How about I bring it to the airport for you tomorrow morning?"

"Come now." Fu Jichen’s voice was slightly cold.

"Okay, I’ll come right away."

As the call ended, determination flickered in Zhu Yilan’s eyes.

This was the opportunity she had fought for herself.

At her home in Huajing Garden, Zhu Yilan stood by the window looking out at the night sky, silently cheering herself on. She turned around and walked to the full-length mirror, where a person wearing a champagne-colored long dress stood, the drape neckline revealing just the right hint of allure. Her black curls were all pinned up with a metal hair clip at the back of her head.

Zhu Yilan picked up a bottle of perfume from the dressing table beside her, a light rose scent, spraying it on the inner wrist, then rubbed it against the other wrist, and dabbed it behind her ears.

The entire room was filled with the scent of roses, as if she were in the middle of a rose garden.

Having groomed herself to perfection, Zhu Yilan picked up the document and headed out the door.

She drove herself to Rose Manor, made a brief stop at the guard booth, rolled down the car window to complete the visitor registration. The iron gate ahead slowly opened in the night, and her car was allowed through.

The late-night Rose Manor was still breathtakingly beautiful, with pavilions and rock gardens, stone bridges over lakes, and the distant castle-like elegant white buildings, all stirring a longing in the heart.

She was willing to pay any price to live here.

Zhou Rongzhen had received a call from the guard booth in advance. Hearing the doorbell, she quickly came to open the door: "Secretary Zhu? Please come in."

"I apologize for disturbing you so late." Zhu Yilan tucked a stray lock of hair back behind her ear, smiling as she explained, "There’s an urgent contract that needs the boss’s review and signature."

"It’s no trouble; I’m just making some snacks."

Zhou Rongzhen invited her to make herself at home and went to the kitchen herself.

During dinnertime, Jianian had slept through, and she didn’t go up to wake her. Now that she felt hungry, she went to the kitchen to find something to eat. She didn’t let her eat unhealthy instant noodles, saying she should wait a bit for a bowl of wontons.

Zhu Yilan walked towards the elevator, her heartbeat quickening to an irregular rhythm, as if someone were beating drums chaotically over her heart.

Inside the closed elevator car, the lighting wasn’t very bright, casting a layer of soft, hazy light over her delicate face. She raised her hand to her chest, taking a calming breath as she stepped out of the elevator.

It was silent all around, her soft-soled cloth slippers making no sound on the floor.

She had been to Fu Jichen’s bedroom before, having accompanied Qu Mo to escort a drunken Fu Jichen home the other night.

Zhu Yilan easily found her way there, held her breath, and knocked on the door.

"Come in."

The man’s deep, magnetic voice resonated through the door, making Zhu Yilan’s heart skip a beat, disrupting her previously steady breathing.

Zhu Yilan pushed the door open, took a moment to compose herself, and looked up. Under the bright white light, he was sitting in a black leather sofa. On the coffee table in front of him, a bottle of red wine had been opened, and there was only one sip left in the wine glass.

Fu Jichen picked up the wine glass and drank the last sip, his sharp Adam’s apple moving up and down as he swallowed, exuding an inexplicable aura of sensuality and allure, like a demon in human form.

"I truly apologize, Mr. Chen." Zhu Yilan apologized again, handing over the document for him to sign.

Fu Jichen casually set down the wine glass, held the document, flipping through it with no obvious emotion on his face. Upon reaching the last page, confirming no issues, he picked up the pen on the table and signed his name.

After capping the pen, Fu Jichen returned the document to her: "Don’t make such low-level mistakes again."

As he lifted his gaze, the woman in front of him bit her lip, her eyes filled with delicate charm, shedding the white long coat over her dress, revealing a large expanse of ivory skin across her shoulders and bosom.

Zhu Yilan gathered her courage and said, "Mr. Chen, I don’t just want to be your assistant, I want to be your woman. I want to stay by your side."

She wanted to stand by him, to be the woman at his side, no matter what it would cost her, even if it meant giving up everything.