Chapter 133: Chapter 133

Early the next morning, Shen Jianian woke up before the alarm clock went off. As expected, Fu Jichen was not in bed. He always got up earlier than she did.

She heard scratching at the door from outside, probably the dogs sneaking upstairs.

Shen Jianian rubbed her hair, got out of bed, put on her slippers, and went to open the door.

The two dogs squeezed through the door crack, one after the other, excitedly barking around Shen Jianian, lifting their forelegs to paw at her legs, their tails wagging like propellers.

Since she didn’t have to rush to the suburban villa for piano practice today, time was more flexible, and Shen Jianian squatted down to play with the dogs.

The elevator on the third floor gave a "ding", and Shen Jianian, squatting by the door, glanced over. A man in dark grey sportswear walked out. His black hair was damp with sweat, a dry towel hung around his neck, his sleeves were rolled up, revealing strong forearms, and one hand was adjusting the standing collar.

Upon seeing her, Fu Jichen’s steps paused slightly: "Just got up?"

Shen Jianian stood up and yawned timely: "Mm-hmm."

"You’re going out this morning, right?" Fu Jichen pulled the towel off his neck and held it in his hand, "The weather outside is nice, perfect for a trip. I’ll take you after breakfast."

"Don’t you have to go to the company?"

Even though it’s Sunday, he already had half a day off yesterday and answered several work calls from home and abroad during that time, probably not having much free time.

Fu Jichen didn’t answer directly, just said: "I left things to the people under me to handle. I’ll spend more time with you before going abroad."

"I don’t mind," Shen Jianian pursed her lips. It would be self-deceiving to say she wasn’t touched, but she didn’t want to delay his work because of herself.

Fu Jichen changed the subject: "Have you freshened up? When I came in, Aunt Cheng had already made breakfast."

Shen Jianian closed her mouth, obediently went to brush her teeth and wash her face, and changed into a mountain-suitable outfit—a dark blue hooded sweatshirt and loose black casual pants.

When she got to the dining room, Fu Jichen was already sitting in his usual seat, reading the day’s newspaper.

Shen Jianian pulled out the chair opposite him and sat down quietly.

Cheng Jin brought her a bowl of cooked wontons, and knowing she was going to Tanfu Temple this morning, she specially steamed buns for her so she wouldn’t get hungry on the way.

"Tanfu Temple is bustling with incense. Today is a rest day, so you have to leave early; if you’re late, you’ll have to queue to burn incense," said Cheng Jin, who had been there many times, reminding Shen Jianian.

Shen Jianian nodded and agreed: "I went once on the first day of the Lunar New Year with my parents, and it took hours to queue. I heard some people went to queue the night before."

Cheng Jin laughed and said: "Indeed, there are many people on the first day of the Lunar New Year. Many people believe in offering the first incense."

Fu Jichen folded the newspaper, looked at Shen Jianian sipping wonton soup, and became interested, asking: "What do you want to ask the Buddha for?"

Shen Jianian picked up a wonton with her spoon, paused before eating, and said: "I don’t have any requests; I’m mainly accompanying Xiaxia today."

Last night, Bai Changxia called her, asking if she was free to go to Tanfu Temple to pray for her mother.

When people are in despair, they seek a shred of solace. Even if a voice within tells them some things are unreliable, they still want to try.

Shen Jianian happened to be free and agreed without hesitation.

Fu Jichen picked up a bun from the plate, dipped it in vinegar, and casually smiled: "Nobody is without desire or want."

"How about you, would you pin your hopes on the divine?" Shen Jianian countered.

Fu Jichen didn’t respond, but the answer was no—what he wanted, he would obtain himself, by any means necessary.

Shen Jianian watched him, waiting for an answer; when he remained silent for a while, she understood his thoughts, smiled faintly, and ate the small wonton from her spoon.

Fu Jichen’s mention of giving her a ride meant he would personally drive.

He didn’t call Qu Mo over but drove his usual Bentley himself, asking her for the address.

Shen Jianian sat in the passenger seat, too stunned to recover for a while.

Fu Jichen glanced at her, amusement in his eyes, and teased: "Is there something dirty on my face? I’m asking for an address, why are you just staring?"

Shen Jianian gave him the name of Bai Changxia’s residential area.

Fu Jichen wasn’t familiar with that part of town and opened the in-car navigation while waiting at a red light.

Watching his fingers slide over the screen, Shen Jianian still felt surprised, and had to warn him in advance: "Tanfu Temple is far from the city, driving there and back will be tiring."

"Isn’t it good to be your driver?"

Fu Jichen entered the destination, and as the red light countdown ended, he followed the navigation instructions to make a turn ahead.

Shen Jianian said nothing, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

More than half an hour later, the car stopped outside Bai Changxia’s neighborhood. It was inconvenient to drive in without registering as a visitor. Shen Jianian took out her phone from her bag, called Bai Changxia, and informed her that she had arrived and was waiting at the gate.

Over the phone, Bai Changxia was panting heavily from running, and her sense of urgency could be felt even through the screen: "Sorry, sorry, last night I... I got home at dawn and was too sleepy... couldn’t wake up to the alarm this morning."

"No rush, take your time," Shen Jianian said softly, knowing that her building was deep inside the neighborhood, quite a distance from the gate.

"Ugh, I..." Bai Changxia swallowed, saying, "Ask the driver to wait a bit longer, my shoelaces came undone."

Shen Jianian glanced at the "driver" beside her, nodded, and reminded again: "Take your time."

After about five minutes, Bai Changxia came running out, wearing a knitted jacket and wide-legged jeans, supporting her waist as she looked around the entrance.

She didn’t see a taxi, but a luxurious Bentley was parked there instead.

She was about to call Shen Jianian to ask where she was when the Bentley’s window rolled down, and Shen Jianian waved at her from inside the car.

The wind had made a mess of Bai Changxia’s hair as she ran, and as she used one hand to fix it, she walked toward the Bentley with suspicion: "Fu Jichen sent you a..."

She swallowed the word "car" as she saw the man in the driver’s seat through the open window, with his distinct and familiar profile.

As she opened her mouth to speak, Fu Jichen turned his head and looked over, confirming her guess—it really was Fu Jichen!

Before this, Bai Changxia had never met Fu Jichen in person. Only because of Shen Jianian’s relationship with him, she had secretly searched a lot about him to know more about this person.

Thus, she had a very strong impression of his appearance and recognized him immediately.

The car door on the passenger side swung open, and Shen Jianian stepped out with a canvas bag, casually closing the door, then opened the back door: "Get in."

Bai Changxia withdrew her gaze from Fu Jichen’s face and sat in the back seat, Shen Jianian followed her in.

"Aren’t you going to introduce me?" Bai Changxia, having calmed down, looked at Shen Jianian and asked.

Shen Jianian started with a name but then got stuck, unsure of how to introduce his identity.

Fu Jichen glanced at the rearview mirror, turned around, and continued the conversation, introducing himself: "Hello, I’m Fu Jichen, Jianian’s boyfriend."

Bai Changxia’s eyebrows slightly arched, satisfied with his declaration of ownership.

She was well aware of how Fu Jichen and Jianian got together, hence, she was particularly concerned about the man’s attitude. Some men, especially those with high status and power, have an aura of arrogance, but she didn’t feel that in Fu Jichen. So her first impression of him was quite good.

Previously, she had been to Rose Manor and knew that he hadn’t shortchanged Jianian materially, and she had even speculated that he might have genuine feelings for Jianian.

Now it seemed, there indeed was some sincerity.

Bai Changxia returned a polite smile, said "Hello," and said no more, leaving the rest to Jianian to explain. She was still assessing Fu Jichen and didn’t want to appear overly warm.

Shen Jianian introduced Bai Changxia to Fu Jichen: "This is Bai Changxia, my college classmate and my best friend."

After saying that, she opened her canvas bag and took out a box of buns: "I knew you hadn’t had breakfast, so I specially brought this for you, it’s still warm."

Bai Changxia squinted slightly, signaling with her eyes that it might not be appropriate to eat buns in the car due to the smell.

Shen Jianian also just remembered that Fu Jichen had a cleanliness obsession, and she usually wouldn’t eat in the car.

Fu Jichen seemed to guess her concern and as he started the car, he said gently, "It’s okay."

Receiving his permission, Shen Jianian handed the insulated lunch box filled with buns to Bai Changxia, whispering: "These are homemade by the family chef, eat them while they’re hot."

Even with the car owner’s assurance, Bai Changxia couldn’t feel entirely at ease, so as she ate, she opened a window to keep the air circulating in the car.

While eating, she conversed quietly with Shen Jianian: "Why is Fu Jichen giving you a ride over?"

Shen Jianian also whispered: "He offered himself, I didn’t ask for it."

Bai Changxia discreetly gave her a thumbs up—you’ve got skills, getting the president of Junshan Group to willingly be your driver.