Rose Manor: Tycoon's Relentless Chase-Chapter 301 - 282: Not Ready

Shen Jianian was just retrieving a piece of boiled beef from the bubbling pot when her phone rang; she placed the meat into a bowl.

The name "Fu Jichen" flickered on the screen, and Pei Che also saw it, his eyelashes lowering slightly.

Shen Jianian answered the call while seated, not avoiding the presence of Pei Che and Zhou Ruo at the table, she turned slightly towards the wall, lowering her voice: "Have you landed?"

Fu Jichen laughed, but it wasn’t a joyful laugh; it was speechless, "Where have you gone?" It’s not like she didn’t know what time his flight was.

After about three seconds of silence, Shen Jianian understood the meaning behind his question: "Are you at my house now?"

Tomorrow is New Year’s Eve, it was after six o’clock, almost dinner time. She thought Fu Jichen would return directly to the old house after landing in Beicheng, then spend the New Year with his family tomorrow.

"I’m eating out." Shen Jianian replied honestly.

"Alone?"

"No." Shen Jianian’s tone was slow, and after a two-second pause, she opted to tell the truth, "With Pei Che and Aunt Zhou. I’ll go back after dinner."

Fu Jichen said nothing.

"Then I’ll hang up now," Shen Jianian said, intentionally waiting a few seconds without hearing a response from Fu Jichen, she concluded the call.

She placed the phone back on the table and sat up straight; Zhou Ruo across from her was looking at her inquisitively. Zhou Ruo didn’t ask who called her: "Little Nian, spend the New Year with us tomorrow."

Shen Jianian was momentarily dazed, recalling the past, when the two families would spend New Year’s Eve together, with adults discussing business at the table. She and Pei Che would always leave early to watch anime in another room and talk about fantastical topics.

"Little Nian?"

Zhou Ruo’s voice brought Shen Jianian back from her thoughts.

"Mom, perhaps Jianian has her own plans," Pei Che interjected to decline on behalf of Shen Jianian, having noticed her hesitation.

"Does Little Nian have any plans?" Zhou Ruo didn’t look at her own son but asked Shen Jianian instead.

Zhou Ruo always felt their family owed Little Nian, and even if she couldn’t end up with Ah Che, she wanted to make amends as much as possible. Without family around, spending New Year’s Eve alone in a rented place seemed far too lonely.

"Not currently," Shen Jianian said, "But I bought some ingredients today, planning to cook dinner for New Year’s Eve myself."

Zhou Ruo: "Then spend it with us, it’ll be livelier."

After dinner, it was just seven-thirty, Pei Che drove Shen Jianian home.

The car drove into the community, temporarily parked downstairs. Shen Jianian unbuckled her seatbelt, waved at him, "I’m getting off, drive safe on your way back."

Pei Che turned his head, "Little Nian."

Shen Jianian pushed open the car door, as the cold wind blew, she shivered slightly, turned back upon hearing him, her gaze landing on his face, waiting for his next words.

But Pei Che said nothing more, only smiled, "Nothing, go in."

Shen Jianian got out of the car, glancing back before heading inside; the car was still there, through the window, Pei Che waved her in.

In the lobby, she encountered the property staff and was handed a New Year gift box.

While waiting for the elevator, she opened the gift box, revealing towels, candies, snacks, and a Jixiang doll.

On reaching the twenty-sixth floor, Shen Jianian took the keys from her bag, inserted them into the lock, and realized the door wasn’t locked, she held the doorknob and pushed it open.

The room was pitch black; she reached for the wall to turn on the living room’s light.

"Jixiang."

Shen Jianian placed the gift box on the cabinet in the entryway, leaned against the cabinet to change shoes, and called out to the cow-patterned cat.

The cat didn’t respond to her.

Shen Jianian shuffled inside in her slippers, unexpectedly saw a figure in the living room, and was startled, her voice changing tone: "Why are you still at my house?"

Fu Jichen was sitting on the single armchair by the floor-to-ceiling window, that cat was curled on the backrest of the long sofa, squinting at him. Both man and cat seemed incompatible, occupying their own spaces.

Beside the armchair, there was a small wooden round table with an ashtray that Fu Jichen had brought from his own home, with cigarette butts inside.

After he went on a business trip, Shen Jianian had cleared the ashtray, suggesting the cigarette butts were newly added today.

However, the room didn’t carry much tobacco smell; as Shen Jianian approached closer, she noticed a window was open, letting the cool air in, which had swept away the smoke.

Seeing her approach, Fu Jichen stood up to close the window.

"Have you had dinner?"

His mood seemed off; Shen Jianian’s voice unconsciously became cautious as she spoke.

Fu Jichen fixed his gaze on her, sighed inwardly after a long pause; her willingness to accept him again was something he had long wished for, so he couldn’t demand too much from her.

He clasped her hand, pulling her into his arms, his arms tightly wrapping around her.

Shen Jianian’s chin pressed against his shoulder; when he had just grabbed her hand, she could feel a chill, unsure how long he had been in the cold wind here, his hands used to be dry and warm.

She considered for a moment, then stretched her arms to hug his waist; his waist was slim, her hands crossing at his back, "What’s wrong?"

What could be wrong? He was disappointed not to see her at the airport, called to hear she was dining with Pei Che, he became jealous.

Fu Jichen was holding her very tightly, and kept tightening his grip, wanting to embed her into his body: "I missed you." His tone revealed a hint of grievance, "It’s been so many days without seeing each other, you didn’t miss me?"

Shen Jianian felt she was nearly suffocating, unable to think, she patted his back: "Loosen up a bit, I’m about to suffocate."

"..." Fu Jichen loosened his hold slightly but still didn’t let go of her.

Shen Jianian let out a breath.

"I’m asking you, did you miss me." Fu Jichen was stubborn, unlike his usual self.

Shen Jianian blinked as she lay against his shoulder, it hasn’t been that many days, has it? Maybe seven or eight days?

The person in his arms remained silent, Fu Jichen’s eyes darkened, he felt both love and hate for her personality, hated her for not even lying to placate him, yet truly loved her as well.

Shen Jianian scratched his firm arm, when he looked down at her, she stood on tiptoe to kiss the corner of his lips.

Some words she couldn’t say out loud, but could express in other ways.

Fu Jichen’s eyes were still open, when her lips touched his, his pupils contracted, and his eyebrows raised, showing how surprised and delighted he was.

The most Shen Jianian could do was initiate a kiss like this.

Any more moves and she’d be embarrassed.

Sensing she wanted to retreat, Fu Jichen snapped out of his shock, cupped her nape, and didn’t give her a chance to pull away, deepening the kiss.

In the end, Shen Jianian really couldn’t catch her breath, her hand formed a fist and she hammered Fu Jichen’s shoulder. Fu Jichen’s rationale was on the verge of collapse, the soft fists hitting him didn’t hurt at all, rather it ignited a fire.

Shen Jianian resorted to her old trick, biting his lip, only then did he calm down a little and let her go.

"Shen Jianian, you’re here just to torment me." Fu Jichen rested his forehead against hers, his voice so low it was like a whisper, mingled with slightly heavy breathing.

Shen Jianian listened, her face turning red, when she noticed several buttons on her cotton shirt were undone, her face flushed even more, she was so dazed from his kiss she had no idea when they got undone...

She lifted her eyes to look at the culprit.

The culprit covered her eyes with his hand, her beautiful, misty eyes, looking at him one more time might make him undo more buttons.

Shen Jianian pulled his hand away: "Why are you covering my eyes?"

Fu Jichen fastened her buttons properly, pulled her back into his embrace, sat down in the armchair with her on his lap, she felt something, and stayed still.

"Is it okay?" he asked.

Shen Jianian’s head buzzed, she knew what he was asking about, she felt it was too soon, they had only been officially together for a month, during which he was on two business trips.

Not wanting to outright reject him, she mumbled, "I don’t have... any protection measures here."

Fu Jichen picked her up, placed her in the armchair, opened a suitcase he brought back from a business trip, took out a few boxes from the compartment, and tossed them to Shen Jianian.

Shen Jianian was dumbfounded.

Why would he pack this sort of thing in his suitcase?

Her gaze at him gradually changed, did he... in a foreign country...

"Don’t overthink it." Her eyes shifted, Fu Jichen guessed what she was thinking, probably maligning his character, "I didn’t do it with anyone else."

He said it lightly, but Shen Jianian believed him. Earlier, she used not having protection measures at home as an excuse, now with the measures, what else could she say?

Fu Jichen closed the suitcase, gazing at her without blinking, waiting for her to speak.

Shen Jianian’s ears reddened, covering her face, she muffled and told him the truth: "I... I’m not ready."

Fu Jichen smiled, though he wanted to, he didn’t want to go against her wishes, seeing her like this, he felt even more tender, gently sighed: "Before we..."

Knowing what he was about to say, Shen Jianian hurriedly interrupted: "Before is before, now is now. I’m just not ready right now."

According to what he had described before, they should have done such things before, more than once.

*

Both calmed down, Fu Jichen hadn’t eaten, Shen Jianian went to the kitchen to cook dinner for him, her fridge was well-stocked with ingredients.

Watching her cut tomatoes awkwardly, Fu Jichen frowned, pulled her aside, and took over.

He was gentle now, giving Shen Jianian the courage to ask: "Were you mad just now?"

Fu Jichen: "Mad about what?"

"Weren’t you?" Shen Jianian tilted her head, "When I came back, you were sitting there alone in the wind, and smoked so many cigarettes, if it wasn’t anger, what was it?"

Fu Jichen didn’t want to answer, picked a piece of tomato from the cutting board and stuffed it in her mouth: "Say another word and I’ll use another way to shut your mouth."

Shen Jianian’s mouth was full of the sweet and sour taste of tomatoes, reminding her of that night’s sour lemon.

Sour?

"Fu Jichen, were you jealous?"

Shen Jianian found it funny, that someone like Fu Jichen could get jealous, and act so awkward, unlike the Fu Jichen she imagined.