Rose Manor: Tycoon's Relentless Chase-Chapter 293 - 274: Suggestive

Fu Jichen heard a sound and turned around, not recognizing the person at all, so there was no question of remembering or not remembering.

He showed no expression. The woman felt a bit awkward, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and tried to jog his memory: "I’m a resident of the 20th floor. We ran into each other in the elevator that night, you probably don’t remember." She took the opportunity to introduce herself, also wanting to know his name, "Hello, I’m Ni Yiqiong."

The man’s response was beyond her expectations. He did not follow up by introducing himself, he simply glanced at her indifferently, "Anything?"

Ni Yiqiong was momentarily stunned, unsure of how to respond.

If it were previous times, she could have said she made too many pastries and came to give them to him, using it as a topic starter, but she hadn’t made any pastries today.

The pastries at home were piling up like a mountain.

The atmosphere was awkwardly tense when the door of Shen Jianian’s house opened, and Zhao Shunyi, with a strawberry in her mouth, stared blankly at the man and woman outside.

"Uh, hello there." Zhao Shunyi swallowed the strawberry, enthusiastically helping Shen Jianian entertain the guests, "You’re here to celebrate Jianian’s birthday, right? Come in and sit!"

Bai Changxia was making roasted chicken, both hands covered in marinade, Shen Jianian had gone to the restroom, so the task of answering the door fell to her.

"Who’s here?"

Shen Jianian, coming out from the restroom, heard voices at the doorway.

Zhao Shunyi quickly abandoned her task, shouting to her, "I don’t know, it must be your friend!"

Shen Jianian already guessed who it was, shuffled over in her slippers, noticed Fu Jichen, and was not surprised. What surprised her was the other person.

The woman from the 20th floor.

Their eyes met, and various emotions surged. Previously, she had talked with Shen Jianian, hearing her say she hadn’t seen the neighbor next door, asking if the neighbor had gone on a business trip, which she didn’t know.

Only to find the neighbor here, knocking at Shen Jianian’s door; is this what she meant by never seen?

Ni Yiqiong held back and managed to pull out a decent smile in a short time: "It’s your birthday today, isn’t it? I was wondering if I could have the honor of celebrating it with you and also ring in the New Year together, since I’m alone at home."

As she said this, Ni Yiqiong glanced at the man beside her.

He showed no reaction.

Receiving kindness makes one soft-hearted; last time she brought over a plate of pastries or cookies, and the plate is still at home, Shen Jianian couldn’t directly tell her to leave, especially since she claimed to be here to help celebrate her birthday. She could only awkwardly return with a smile, "Welcome."

Zhao Shunyi sensed something was off but didn’t know what, scratching her head.

Fu Jichen swapped into the only pair of men’s slippers from the shoe cabinet, and walked in effortlessly.

While he was changing shoes, Ni Yiqiong looked at him a couple more times.

Having men’s slippers at a single woman’s home isn’t unusual; they could be for when her father visits, or for a male friend, or if neither, perhaps bought as a "self-defense weapon" to make it seem like a man lives there, adding a layer of deterrence. However, the size of the slippers perfectly matched that man’s feet.

Isn’t this coincidence too thought-provoking?

Shen Jianian wasn’t aware of Ni Yiqiong’s swirling thoughts and found her a pair of slippers worn by Aunt Cheng.

"I still don’t know your name." Ni Yiqiong had changed into slippers, lifted her face, and smiled impeccably.

"Shen Jianian, ’Jia’ as in commendation, ’Nian’ as in longing."

"Oh. I’m Ni Yiqiong, ’Yi’ as in one two three, ’Qiong’ as in Jade Palace." Ni Yiqiong flipped her curly hair to one side of her neck, her eyes occasionally glancing at the man inside, "Since we’re all living in the same building, let’s look out for each other in the future."

Shen Jianian pursed her lips and smiled, then turned back to see the highly conspicuous man; he was making tea.

Compared to coffee or plain water, he seemed to prefer tea.

"Where’s that box of tea leaves you left here last time?" Fu Jichen washed the teapot, fairness cup, and tea cups but couldn’t find the tea leaves, turned to ask Shen Jianian.

Shen Jianian looked baffled, "You put it away yourself, how would I know?"

"I’ll look for it."

Fu Jichen said this and rummaged through cabinets, eventually finding the box of tea leaves he had brought over last time on the second shelf of the sideboard, brewed a pot of tea, and poured a cup for Shen Jianian.

"I don’t drink it, I’ll go help in the kitchen." Shen Jianian lifted her foot to head to the kitchen, suddenly realizing that leaving Ni Yiqiong alone was inappropriate, added a line, "Miss Ni, make yourself at home, I’ll go prepare dinner."

Ni Yiqiong couldn’t describe her feelings, sat in the couch, and gave her a dry smile.

"You? Prepare dinner?" Fu Jichen’s tone slightly raised, hinting at two parts skepticism.

"Xiaxia’s cooking, and I’m just helping out, what’s wrong with that?" Shen Jianian said confidently.

Fu Jichen chuckled softly.

Zhao Shunyi had been secretly observing from the kitchen door frame for a long time, her eyes never leaving Fu Jichen. She felt he looked familiar when she was at the door and finally remembered now. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

When Shen Jianian walked over, Zhao Shunyi quickly grabbed her, secretly pointing in Fu Jichen’s direction, her eyes gleaming: "Isn’t that the boss of Junshan Group, Fu Jichen?"

Bai Changxia was stuffing apples, pears, lemons, and basil into the chicken’s cavity. Hearing their conversation, she raised an eyebrow and said, "Fu Jichen is here?"

As she expected, today is Shen Jianian’s birthday, and Fu Jichen lives next door. Nothing could stop him from coming over to celebrate her birthday, even if the sky fell.

"Yeah," Shen Jianian was washing a carrot, unable to resist taking a bite.

"It really is Fu Jichen!"

Zhao Shunyi had an expression like she’d just gotten a juicy scoop.

Bai Changxia saw her dramatic expression and burst into laughter: "If you knew he’s chasing Jianian, you’d probably drop your jaw."

"Really!" Zhao Shunyi’s mouth was wide open, practically dropping her jaw, "Fu Jichen is currently blowing up in the fan circles, I never thought I’d see him in person in my lifetime!"

Bai Changxia was puzzled: "What does Fu Jichen have to do with fan circles? Does he have a fan club or something?"

Then she thought about it, with that man’s looks, having fans wouldn’t be surprising.

"You don’t get it," Zhao Shunyi educated her, "The reason is that several domineering president dramas started airing recently, overlapping schedules, turning streaming sites into battlegrounds. Fans started clashing too, with harsh critiques on Douban groups, saying the leads played by the actors were like kids playing house, then they brought out Fu Jichen as a comparison, saying that’s a real domineering president. That’s how Fu Jichen became famous in the fan circles."

Bai Changxia understood, glanced at Shen Jianian munching on the carrot, and laughed until her eyes squinted: "If they saw Fu Jichen cooking and serving tea for Jianian in private, their impression of a domineering president would probably collapse."

That short sentence carried a lot of information, Zhao Shunyi blinked several times, looking at Shen Jianian: "Fu Jichen cooks for you? Serves you tea?"

Shen Jianian remained silent throughout.

Bai Changxia shrugged: "See, I’m not the only one surprised."

Zhao Shunyi looked at Shen Jianian again, her eyes full of admiration: "You’re amazing, sister, how did you turn the esteemed head of Junshan into such a devoted admirer?"

Shen Jianian: "..."

So that’s what being a devoted admirer is like?

Shen Jianian rinsed a carrot and handed it to her: "Want some? It’s pretty sweet."

Zhao Shunyi got the hint, this was a subtle way of telling her to zip it, making a motion of zipping her lips and concentrating on helping Bai Changxia with the vegetables.

"Hey, is there anything I can help with?" Ni Yiqiong came over, standing softly at the kitchen door.

It was rare to have a chance to be alone with that man in the living room. She should have been happy, but the other party said nothing, just focused on his tea. She tried to start a conversation several times but was shut down by his cold expression. Hearing the laughter coming from the kitchen, she couldn’t sit still and actively joined in.

"You’re a guest, we can’t let you help," Shen Jianian replied politely, carrying a plate of strawberries and cherries she washed earlier but forgot to bring out, "Go sit in the living room and have some fruit."

Bai Changxia, who had been busy in the kitchen, hadn’t seen this person before and whispered to Zhao Shunyi: "Who is she?"

Zhao Shunyi mouthed back: Don’t know.

"I’m good at cooking. My friends always compliment me. Don’t be a stranger," Ni Yiqiong said, rolling up her sleeves, "Didn’t we agree to look out for each other?"

Shen Jianian: "Alright, thank you then."

"It’s not a bother, I enjoy cooking," Ni Yiqiong said, "Did you try the cookies and pastries I gave you last time? How were they?"

Talking about those pastries, Shen Jianian recalled how Fu Jichen happened to be at her place then. She gave him the plate of pastries, he didn’t take it, and she ended up eating it all herself.

"They were delicious," Shen Jianian said sincerely.

Ni Yiqiong had a bright idea: "How about I bake pastries now? As dessert, and I’ll also make you a birthday cake."

The last few times, that man never tried her food. This time, she finally had a chance, even though it was at someone else’s place, she wanted him to taste her skills.

Bai Changxia interrupted: "I ordered a cake online."

Ni Yiqiong: "Those store-bought cakes have all sorts of unnecessary additives, and the sweetness is off the charts. Homemade ones are much healthier, tastier, and low-calorie."

Bai Changxia had nothing left to say, glanced at Shen Jianian; what’s this sister’s angle, she wondered.