Chapter 112: Chapter 112

Shen Jianian returned home in the evening, but Fu Jichen was still at the company.

Cheng Jin was just about to say something to her when several fluffy little creatures darted down from upstairs, excitedly circling around Shen Jianian and making "woof woof" noises.

Shen Jianian was drinking water and choked, almost dropping the glass. She looked in bewilderment at the three dogs bouncing up against her legs and the cat pushed to the side.

She placed the glass on the table and crouched down to pet each of their heads, surprised and delighted: "How are you here?!"

"I was just about to tell you this." Cheng Jin couldn’t help but laugh at the scene of the cats and dogs playing with Shen Jianian, "The driver who delivered them home said they were transported from Yicheng by special car. The car had the heat on all the way, had blankets, and prepared food and water, so they came here comfortably."

Shen Jianian placed a hand on the most excited Lai Fu, nibbling thoughtfully at her lip corner.

It must have been arranged by Fu Jichen, but he hadn’t told her in advance.

"I haven’t kept pets before and don’t know where to place them. They were running around the house all afternoon, driving me crazy." Cheng Jin recalled the scene of the cats and dogs scurrying around, helpless and amused.

"They are all stray animals we’ve taken in, very easy to care for. Just give them food and water, and they’ll find places to play on their own." Shen Jianian sat on the sofa, and the cats and dogs jumped up and curled up beside her.

Cheng Jin: "They seem close to you."

"I feed them often, so we’re familiar with each other." Shen Jianian petted the coal ball that jumped into her arms, "When will Fu Jichen come back?"

"Not sure." Cheng Jin glanced at the clock on the wall; it was past seven, "He hasn’t called me. Why don’t you give him a call and ask?"

Shen Jianian hesitated a bit, but seeing Cheng Jin waiting by the side, she reluctantly took out her phone and dialed Fu Jichen’s number.

The ringtone hardly rang for a few seconds before being answered, and the man’s deep, mellow voice came through: "What made you think to call me voluntarily?"

Shen Jianian was momentarily speechless; she indeed seldom took the initiative to call Fu Jichen, so to him, this was quite extraordinary.

Not hearing her voice, Fu Jichen teased, "Miss me?"

Shen Jianian cleared her throat to cover up, not wanting Cheng Jin to hear the words from the earpiece, she quickly said: "Aunt Cheng asked me to call and ask when you would be back so she could prepare dinner."

"Oh." Fu Jichen’s voice lowered a bit as if disappointed, "On my way, about ten minutes away."

Shen Jianian looked toward Cheng Jin waiting beside her and relayed Fu Jichen’s words: "He said about ten minutes."

"Then I better hurry to prepare." Cheng Jin said as she walked toward the kitchen.

The call hadn’t ended, Shen Jianian remained silent, and the person on the other end didn’t speak either. Shen Jianian heard the sound of a horn in the distance from the phone, faint yet seemingly close.

"So... should I hang up?" Shen Jianian unconsciously drew out the final sound, bowing her head, fingering the edge of the sofa.

Fu Jichen waited, then slowly said, "Mm, hang up."

Shen Jianian held the phone to her chest, fingers hovering above the end call button for a few seconds before pressing it, ending the brief call.

She pressed the phone against her chest, as if doing so would calm her racing heart.

But, his voice kept echoing in her ears, unsettling her emotions.

After more than ten minutes, the car drove into the villa, and Fu Jichen returned. Upon opening the door, he saw Shen Jianian sprawled on the sofa, with Lai Fu, the dog, pawing at her and licking her face.

"Lai Fu, down, stop messing around..." Shen Jianian laughed and shook her head to dodge, and the dog, thinking its owner was playing, only got more excited.

Fu Jichen frowned, a slight twitch at his temple, standing still, and for once, when facing Shen Jianian, his voice bore authority: "Shen Jianian."

Shen Jianian was immersed in reuniting with the long-lost cats and dogs, oblivious to when he had come in. Hearing the voice, she quickly got up from the sofa, straightening her slightly wrinkled clothes.

Her long hair was tousled, her face flushed, eyes shimmering with a moist glow, breathing lightly, like a little madcap, with an endearing innocence.

Even with a belly full of grievances, seeing her , Fu Jichen couldn’t bring himself to voice them.

"You’re back." Shen Jianian smoothed out her tangled hair with her fingers, walked over, took his coat off, and hung it on the hanger.

Fu Jichen’s gaze followed her face, wearing a slight, knowing smile.

"Did you send someone to bring the kittens and puppies from Yicheng?" Shen Jianian already knew the answer before asking, but she still wanted to ask.

Fu Jichen raised his hand, his fingertip brushing over her white cheek, where there was a trace of dog’s drool. He truly despised it, his brow barely furrowing.

"Don’t you really like them?" he said.

During the time living at Rose Manor, sometimes she couldn’t bear to put down the kittens even while eating, insisting on holding them in her arms.

"Bring them over to make you happy." Fu Jichen’s voice was very low, as if meant only for her, with undisguised indulgence in his words, clearly showing his affection towards her.

Cheng Jin brought the dishes to the dining room and inadvertently turned her head, seeing a man and woman sitting very close in the living room, the man’s hand gently stroking the other’s face, his eyes infinitely tender.

There was a silent affection flowing between the two.

After the initial shock, Cheng Jin had grown accustomed to their intimate gestures, quietly withdrawing her gaze and placing the dishes one by one on the dining table before calling them to eat.

Shen Jianian practiced the piano intensely that afternoon, leaving her body somewhat exhausted, and she fell asleep as soon as she hit the pillow, but she didn’t sleep peacefully and had a dream.

The scene in the dream was very familiar; she had seen it before, yet was unsure.

The wind was blowing hard, Pei Che stood on the edge of a cliff in a thin white shirt, teetering, the wind making his clothes flap loudly. His face was covered in wounds, and his eyes gazed at her with such sadness.

She kept running towards him, shouting his name loudly, but the distance which seemed so close, she ran for a long time and still couldn’t touch the hem of his coat.

She seemed to know what he was going to do, desperately shaking her head at him, urging him not to do it.

Pei Che gave her a deep look in the end, closed his eyes, and fell backward, like a seagull with broken wings, plummeting straight down.

She finally reached the edge of the cliff, fell to her knees, but could only watch helplessly as Pei Che fell into the sea, swallowed, engulfed, and eventually disappeared into the waves before her eyes.

Shen Jianian struggled to wake up from the dream, it was so real that she lay there in a daze for a long while, trembling fingers fumbling in the dark to twist on the bedside lamp.

The soft light came on, she glanced around, saw the layout of the room clearly, and realized it was a dream.

Shen Jianian raised one hand to cover her forehead, finding it cool and wet—it turned out she’d broken out in a cold sweat. She hugged the quilt, sat curled on the bed, recollecting the details of the dream.

That familiarity wasn’t because she had experienced it, but because she had had an identical dream before.

Dreaming of Pei Che falling into the ocean, being submerged, continually sinking, and her powerless feeling when she couldn’t save him, terrifying her.

Shen Jianian clenched the fabric over her chest, her head a little dizzy, feeling as if the sensation of weightlessness lingered in her body, as if she herself were falling from a great cliff.

Her mouth was slightly parched, Shen Jianian licked her lips, got out of bed, and took a cup to the water dispenser for some water.

In the quiet room, the sudden ringing of the phone startled her, causing a shiver in her shoulders. She returned to the bedside with half a cup of water, picked up the phone charging on the nightstand.

The screen flashed with a familiar series of numbers—it was a call from Pei Che.

Having just dreamed about him, seeing the number now, Shen Jianian felt her heart race. Without hesitating long, she answered it.

She didn’t speak, waiting for the person on the other end to start.

The sound of a roaring wind came through the receiver, formidable, unsettling Shen Jianian, her mind constantly replaying those dream fragments.

"Hello?" Shen Jianian couldn’t withstand the prolonged silence, swallowed her parched throat, opened her lips, and asked, "Pei Che, is that you?"

Perhaps the signal was poor on the other side, even the wind sound was intermittent, such choppiness reminded her of the static on an old television set.

Finally, Pei Che’s voice came through the phone, so ethereal, as if it might dissipate at any moment into the howling wind: "Little Nian, I love you..."

Shen Jianian felt a stabbing pain in her heart, her lips trembling, unable to speak, and tears fell first.

Before she could wait for a response, the call was disconnected from the other side.

Shen Jianian sensed something wrong in his voice, hurriedly redialed, but in less than half a minute, the call could no longer connect.

The cold mechanical voice reminded her: "Sorry, the number you have dialed is powered off."