Fu Huai'an was rendered speechless.
Why did these words sound so much like an insult coming from Lin Nuan's mouth?
Fu Huai'an wasn't calculative with Lin Nuan, and there was a visible smile in his eyes.
Lin Nuan lowered her head and took a serious look at the cup in Fu Huai'an's hands. She blinked several times, then woodenly took the cup and grabbed Fu Huai'an's hand. She extended her arm and wanted to put the cup back onto the coffee table, but she couldn't reach it. Her head was spinning, and her body felt so heavy that she couldn't get up…
Fu Huai'an sighed, taking the cup from Lin Nuan's hand and casually placing it next to him on the coffee table. When he turned his head around, Lin Nuan had pressed her petite face against his palm.
She rubbed her face against Fu Huai'an's palm, giving him the urge to pinch her firm and tender skin.
"You're mine!" Lin Nuan sounded childish but serious. "No one is snatching you from me!"
Fu Huai'an pulled Lin Nuan into his embrace and let her sit on his lap as he nodded. "En, no one is snatching me away from you…"
Lin Nuan cupped Fu Huai'an's well-chiseled face in her hands, her bright eyes gazing at Fu Huai'an as she took the initiative to kiss him.
After a momentary pause, Fu Huai'an cupped his large hand behind Lin Nuan's head and took over the initiative, intensifying this kiss.
Later, as they kissed… Fu Huai'an's large hand somehow made its way under Lin Nuan's dress. It wasn't long before the dizzy Lin Nuan was abducted onto the bed by Fu Huai'an…
…
Fu Huai'an watched as his satisfied little bride fell asleep. Even though his desires weren't quenched, he didn't have the heart to disrupt her sleep.
He got up and put on his pajama pants, revealing his muscular upper body as he picked up a pack of cigarettes that were on the bedside table. He drew a cigarette, then looked up to check that Lin Nuan was still soundly asleep. Biting the cigarette at the corner of his lips, he quietly picked up his pajama top and headed to the living room in search of a lighter.
News of the Kaide Corporation kept reaching Venice. Actually, it wasn't just Old Madam Fu and the Chus who wished to test Fu Huai'an's attitude. Lu Jinnan received countless calls with the same motive.
Fu Huai'an narrowed his eyes and walked to the French windows with a lighter in hand…
Pulling apart the curtains, he saw a night view far different from Haicheng's. Although it was bright out there, it was bright because of the countless stars, not because of lights like those that shone in the bustling and lively Haicheng.
Fu Huai'an's deep features were reflected in the French windows.
Fu Huai'an had long regarded the Kaide Corporation as his own, and there was no reason for him to give up on something that belonged to him.
No matter how well his business in the dark was doing, Fu Huai'an needed a status and identity that he could take to the surface to establish himself.
President… and owner of the Kaide Corporation served this purpose well.
Fu Huai'an frowned as he pressed on the lighter and lit his cigarette with the flicker of flame.
Fu Huai'an exhaled white smoke from the corners of his mouth, blurring his unfathomable, reflected expression in the French windows.
With one hand wielding his cigarette, he turned around and walked to the coffee table, bending over to pick up an ashtray to tap the cigarette ashes into it.
Before that meal with Li Muyang, Fu Huai'an had received a rather interesting piece of news.
Lu Qingmei had roped her eldest brother, second older brother and other relatives, such as her cousins and uncles, into the Kaide Corporation.
Although the positions she arranged for them weren't too striking, one had to admit that Lu Qingmei had good foresight, for those positions had the potential for great advancement.
Lu Qingmei was roping in people that she could use…
But Lu Qingmei had been away from the business world for too long, and she had been too anxious.
It hadn't occurred to her that after all these years of being in Fu Huai'an's control, it had long become Fu Huai'an's empire. Even Fu Qingquan had to be wary of Fu Huai'an. Lu Qingmei had just obtained a little bit of power, and she was already trying to groom her own influence and shake the foundation that Fu Huai'an had built up within the Kaide Corporation. Was she not kidding herself?
Never mind a few months, even if Fu Huai'an were to give Lu Qingmei a year, she might not be able to accomplish her goal.
Lu Qingmei wasn't someone to be feared in Fu Huai'an's eyes.
All these years, the reason that Fu Huai'an had been using a low-paced and draggy method was that he felt the Kaide Corporation was already in the bag—he didn't need to be so anxious and use more blatant methods.
Perhaps his methods were too gentle, giving Fu Qingquan and his gang the wrong impression and making them think he was having a hard time taking the Kaide Corporation for himself.
They had likely forgotten the impact Fu Huai'an once caused on Wall Street.
Fu Huai'an had already given Tang Zheng instructions, and he was relaxed about the matter. Now, he just had to focus on keeping Lin Nuan company. When everything was ready in Haicheng, he would take Lin Nuan back to propose to her and hold their wedding.
Qin Zhe had been successfully rescued…
It was perfectly normal for Fu Huai'an, who rescued Qin Zhe in Dubai, to be targeted.
But what was abnormal was that another group of people was eyeing him now as well. This made Fu Huai'an vaguely smell danger.
He didn't know if something had happened on Gu Qingcheng's end…
Gu Qingcheng had always been one to report good news but not bad news, so Fu Huai'an couldn't help but worry.
It wasn't that Fu Huai'an didn't think of sending Lin Nuan back home, but he didn't have a suitable excuse that would prevent her from sensing that something was amiss and panicking.
He didn't want Lin Nuan to find out about that filth, nor did he want her to worry. The only way to accomplish that was to continue their vacation as if nothing had happened; everything would be fine so long as he kept her by his side.
Before Fu Huai'an could finish his cigarette, there was a "dong dong dong" sound at the door.
Fu Huai'an glanced at his watch—it was 3:15 am.
He exhaled a puff of thin smoke and extinguished the remaining half of the cigarette in the ashtray. Afterward, he put on the pajama top that he had casually tossed over the back of the sofa just now before walking to the door.
When he opened the door, he saw Lu Jinnan standing sideways outside.
He was biting onto an unlit cigarette, the sleeves of his long-sleeved black T-shirt were rolled up, and he was looking down and fidgeting with his phone.
Seeing the door suddenly open, Lu Jinnan turned around, and when he did, Fu Huai'an saw two visible claw marks on the right side of his face.
Lu Jinnan was visibly surprised to see Fu Huai'an open the door so swiftly.
Then, noticing Fu Huai'an's deep gaze fixated upon the right side of his face, Lu Jinnan awkwardly removed the cigarette from his lips and feigned casualness as he asked, "Insomnia again?"
Fu Huai'an didn't need to question Lu Jinnan about his disheveled appearance. Anyone could tell that he was chased out after a fight with Bai Xiaonian…
Even under the dim lighting of the hotel corridor, Lu Jinnan could clearly see the hint of a smile on Fu Huai'an's face.
Their gazes met, and Lu Jinnan's expression grew increasingly awkward, his brows furrowing in frustration. "Since you're awake, why don't we go out for a drink?"
"Chased out?" Fu Huai'an asked.
"Got a light? I want to smoke a cigarette."
When Lu Jinnan avoided his question, Fu Huai'an was all the more sure that Lu Jinnan and Bai Xiaonian had quarreled…
But, Fu Huai'an wasn't nosy enough to probe into his good friend's relationship problems.
Fu Huai'an turned his body sideways and let Lu Jinnan into the room.
Lu Jinnan remained standing at the door and didn't move, his vision sweeping past Fu Huai'an and peeking into the room.