Chapter 8 The Distressed Princess

"Aunt Lan, this is for you. The clerk said it has a heating feature when you use the massage function, try it in a bit!... This one's for Sister Xiao Cao, just put it aside for now, and give it to her when she comes back."

Ye Li returned to Lishan Mansion as evening approached.

She had kept her marriage to Fu Yanci a secret from the school because she didn't want to stir up any trouble.

She hid it from her mother, not wanting to overexcite her at this time.

But Ye Li didn't intend to keep it from Aunt Lan.

Seeing Aunt Lan's eyes redden, about to cry, Ye Li extended her arms with a beaming smile to hug her, "Aunt Lan, don't worry about me. In this world, there are countless couples who live a lifetime without love. Maybe Uncle Fu and I will get along just fine!"

She wanted to say that Zhou Hecchen was a damned jerk, that sooner or later, he would be struck down by lightning from heaven.

She also wanted to say how sad the Lady would be if she knew.

Aunt Lan didn't say a word, just nodded incessantly.

Then Aunt Lan thought of Uncle Fu, and her heart stirred slightly.

Lacking love, there must be at least a bit of concern, right?

In her mind was the image of Fu Yanci carrying Ye Li through the door that day, his expression icy, his gaze intense, looking like he wanted to destroy the world.

Aunt Lan moved her lips but still said nothing.

"Even if we don't have a wedding ceremony or a banquet, today is still a good day, we should celebrate properly!"

After patting Ye Li's hand, signaling her to take a rest, Aunt Lan turned to instruct the kitchen to prepare a lavish candlelight dinner.

As night fell, Aunt Lan left with the servants.

Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the world was draped in silvery white, the falling snow adding an exceptionally beautiful and romantic touch to the snowscape.

In the fireplace, the fruitwood snapped and crackled, filling the air with a faint scent of pine.

All was quiet between heaven and earth.

Standing at the top of the stairs on the second floor, staring at the warm and pleasant living room, Ye Li had a moment of daze.

Fu Yanci kept his word.

He had promptly given her everything that Mrs. Fu deserved: the previously empty dressing room and jewelry boxes in the master bedroom were now filled with new items, all from her favorite brands.

A global, unlimited black card.

The disappearing debt collection calls.

And a customized treatment plan for her mother, along with meticulous care in the hospital room.

Before yesterday, she was still worried about a debt of a billion and her mother's illness.

Overnight, she seemed to have returned to the carefree Miss Ye of the Ye Family.

Only now, she had an additional identity.

Mrs. Fu.

Fu Yanci had given her so much, and yet she had little to offer in return.

This deal, no matter how you looked at it, was a huge loss for Fu Yanci!

Feeling somewhat guilty, a comical phrase popped into Ye Li's mind that was out of place: "I have nothing to offer in return, I can only pledge myself to you!"

They were already married, so that counted as pledging herself to him, right?

Then she would do her best to excel as Mrs. Fu!

Picking up the hem of her dress, she sat down at the dining table. Seeing the dishes almost cold, Ye Li made a call to Fu Yanci.

"Fu Yanci..."

The voice on the other end of the phone was crisp and clear, like the icicles hanging from the eaves outside the window.

Her head, heated from drinking alcohol, instantly cleared.

Looking around, the few people in the banquet hall stopped their chatter and fell silent.

Fu Yanci rose and went to the window, "What's up?"

"When... will you be coming home?"

The girl's voice was pitiful, "I'm so hungry. I only had a steak at Meet for lunch, and I'm getting hungry fast because it's cold. If you're going to be late, can I start eating first?"

Was she... waiting for him to come home for dinner?

Fu Yanci's gaze paused.

He could almost see the image of Ye Li propping up her cheek, sitting at the dining table waiting for him to get home.

"About... 15 minutes."

Fu Yanci said with a heavy tone, "If you're hungry, start eating. I'll be home soon."

Turning to the banquet table, Fu Yanci raised his glass towards the guest of honor, "Let's call it a day for now. Tomorrow... no, at noon tomorrow, I will host all of you again."

As his words fell, he drained the glass of wine and turned to leave.

Behind him, the others exchanged glances, unsure of what had just transpired.

Billion-dollar cooperation, appointments made weeks in advance, and finally, this dinner came about.

The collaboration hadn't even started, yet she left just like that?

Everyone: ...

The Maybach sped towards Lishan Mansion, didn't even enter the underground garage, stopping directly in front of the villa's door.

As soon as Fu Yanci got out of the car, he marched over with a cold expression on his face.

"Ye Li, have you lost your mind?"

He quickly took off his coat and draped it over her, then pulled her forward to open the door.

Seeing Ye Li shivering from the cold, Fu Yanci was in a fierce mood, as if he were about to eat someone alive.

"I, I… Achoo!"

She rubbed her nose, took a few steps forward, grabbed the wool blanket from the sofa to wrap around herself, and then huddled beside the fireplace, "You said you'd be home in 15 minutes, so I decided to step outside to see if you'd arrived."

"I didn't expect that, with just a light pull like that, the door would close. It's all because of your door and that..." wind.

The more she spoke, the quieter her voice became, and Ye Li looked at Fu Yanci's stern eyes and decided to shut her mouth.

The girl was clad in a wine-red strapless long dress.

Her hair, like seaweed, lazily draped over her.

Her complexion was so pale from the cold that it was almost white, and her nose was also turned red from rubbing due to the frequent sneezing.

Like a distressed princess, pitiable yet adorable.

Thinking of how she ran out barefoot, without even caring to put on her shoes when she heard the sound of the car passing by.

Fu Yanci's expression softened slightly.

"Fu…"

Just as she saw him turn to leave, Ye Li's call hesitated and stopped.

Before she could figure out what Fu Yanci was doing, she saw him coming out of the restroom with a steaming hot white towel in hand.

The blanket was pulled over and tossed beside the fireplace.

He picked up Ye Li and placed her on the blanket.

Fu Yanci grabbed the girl's feet and wiped the dirt from the soles clean.

It was a bit ticklish.

But Ye Li dared not laugh.

She stared blankly as the man returned and kneeled down to take out a pair of slippers from the shoe cabinet at the entrance, placing them in front of her feet.

Thump!

Thump, thump!

Her heartbeat returned to normal, and Ye Li sighed in relief inwardly.

The Fu Yanci just now had been... really terrifying!!!

Fortunately, he wasn't being completely unreasonable…

Before Ye Li could finish her thought, Fu Yanci pulled her up from the ground and led her to the entrance.

Inputting biometric data.

Entering a fingerprint.

Seeing the man's serious face, as though he was still angry, Ye Li tried to smile reassuringly: "I wasn't frozen for long, really! Just as the door locked, I saw your car come by, really!"

"Fu Yanci…"

Just as she saw him turn to leave, Ye Li casually asked, "What's the front door's password?"

Both biometric and fingerprint data had been entered.

He must tell her the password, right?

Just in case one day the biometric recognition fails to recognize her with makeup on, or there's a problem with the fingerprint recognition.

Fu Yanci's stride faltered.

Under the bright chandelier, the man's features were deep and attractive, his handsome visage like that of an award-winning actor just back from a gala.

Yet his expression was somewhat inscrutably dark.

Subconsciously knowing she shouldn't have asked that question, Ye Li's intended response, "Never mind, never mind, I don't want to know," couldn't make it out.

She then saw Fu Yanci leading her forward.

His demeanor returned to normal as if he hadn't been distracted moments ago.

Only his voice carried a slightly unnatural edge, "The password, 1028."

Her heartbeat skipped a beat.

Ye Li was startled.