Rose Manor: Tycoon's Relentless Chase-Chapter 300 - 281: Together

On January 31st, it was New Year’s Eve. Bai Changxia called Shen Jianian three days in advance, earnestly inviting her to his home for the New Year, where it would be lively with many people.

On a family reunion day, being alone is too quiet, and Bai Changxia didn’t want her to be solitary.

Shen Jianian refused.

Bai Changxia initially wanted to continue persuading, but suddenly thought of something and asked, "Do you have other plans?"

"No." Shen Jianian was flipping through a magazine, answering absentmindedly.

"That’s not right." Bai Changxia’s voice was wrapped in a tone of inquiry, "Didn’t Boss Fu mention wanting to spend New Year’s with you?"

Shen Jianian pinched the magazine corner, her fingertip paused for a moment without turning the page: "He went abroad on a business trip last week and hasn’t returned yet, with a flight the afternoon before New Year’s Eve. Besides, unlike New Year’s Day, on a day like New Year’s Eve, he should be returning to the old house to be with his elders."

Bai Changxia couldn’t detect her emotions but got different information from her words: "You even know his schedule, are you two... reconciled?"

The last time she saw Fu Jichen was on Shen Jianian’s birthday night, when they weren’t that close. Did they have new developments in this past month?

Shen Jianian lowered her volume slightly, speaking vaguely, "What do you mean by reconciled?"

An ugly cow-patterned cat jumped onto the sofa, raising its fluffy tail, placing a paw on Shen Jianian’s leg, meowing at her, showing no trace of its former fierce stray appearance.

Shen Jianian petted the cow cat’s head, and Bai Changxia laughed through the phone, correcting her wording: "That was a poor choice of words from me. You two neither fought nor broke up, thus the term ’reconcile’ doesn’t apply. So, what’s the situation now? You two are together."

The cow cat tilted its head, nudging Shen Jianian’s hand, extending its pink tongue to lick her sleeve, grooming the sweater, one lick at a time, combing the fur in one direction.

Shen Jianian smiled softly, her expression tender.

After more than a month, this fierce cat finally allowed her to touch it, so she bought a cage and put it inside, took it to the pet hospital for vaccinations and deworming, and officially brought it home for adoption.

Initially, it always hid under the sofa or bed, or found a box or trash can to crawl into. Once she hid the trash can and boxes, it would hide in plastic bags.

As days went by, living together for so long, the cat no longer hid from her. It would now, as it did today, jump into her lap, nuzzle into her palm, and help groom her sweaters.

Wasn’t she like this cat too, from being guarded initially, to acceptance, and then closeness and trust.

Time can change many things.

On the other end of the phone, Bai Changxia waited a long time without hearing Shen Jianian’s voice, thinking she wouldn’t answer. Just as she was about to change the topic, Shen Jianian suddenly said "Um."

On New Year’s Day morning, Fu Jichen shattered all her defenses, forcing her to face his feelings. He kissed her while she was conscious, and she did not resist.

Perhaps she had long stopped resisting him; it was just that she was unwilling to admit it.

Bai Changxia covered her mouth, too shocked to make a sound. Shen Jianian kept it so tightly locked, not revealing anything. If she hadn’t asked today, did Shen Jianian plan to say nothing?

"We’re together," Shen Jianian said, "Maybe I used to really like him."

So even if she lost all memories relating to him, she couldn’t resist him.

"It’s not maybe; it’s a fact!" Bai Changxia’s tone was excited, "Fu Jichen moves faster than I imagined. I thought there would still be some hurdles between you two." 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

"Is it not good for me to be with him?"

"You used to like him, and after going through so much and still being together, it’s great." For some reason, saying this made Bai Changxia’s eyes a little warm, almost bringing her to tears.

She hoped there would be someone to stay by Jianian’s side, to take care of her, to be her support, so she wouldn’t be alone anymore.

That person being Fu Jichen felt just right.

Shen Jianian smiled, ended the call, and hugged the visibly chubbier cat, "Who said I’m spending New Year’s Eve alone when I have you here? We’ll spend it together."

The phone rang again, another call coming through. Shen Jianian glanced at it. It was from Pei Che.

Shen Jianian picked it up, Pei Che’s voice was as gentle as ever, "Little Nian, I’m back in the country."

*

The afternoon before New Year’s Eve, around five o’clock, Pei Che drove into Shen Jianian’s community based on the address she provided.

Before heading out, Shen Jianian had fed the cat, taken her hat and scarf, and while going down encountered Ni Yiqiong, whom she hadn’t seen for a while, wearing a black form-fitting wool dress with a gray fur coat on top, her wavy curls pulled up with a shark clip.

Shen Jianian had already pressed the button for the first floor, so Ni Yiqiong didn’t press any, folding her arms with a brown leather bag in her arm, casting a faint glance at her without greeting.

The last time she saw Shen Jianian get into Fu Jichen’s car, the man turned to fasten her seatbelt and kissed her in that posture before she pushed his face away.

Recalling that scene, Ni Yiqiong clenched her fists, thinking back to her own presence on Shen Jianian’s birthday, realizing she was a complete fool led around by Shen Jianian.

With a "ding," the elevator door opened.

Ni Yiqiong stepped out first in her heeled ankle boots.

Following her, Shen Jianian walked out, calling Pei Che to ask where he was.

Pei Che said he was at the community entrance, making a visitor registration.

Shen Jianian quickened her pace, telling him not to register since she was already out.

Pei Che waited outside the community for her. Minutes later, he saw Shen Jianian jogging towards him, dressed in a white down jacket wrapped with a gray-pink plaid scarf around her neck. In her hurry, her knitted hat tilted to one side.

Pei Che went to her, observing her. After being apart for more than three months, seeing her again felt slightly unfamiliar.

He reached out to adjust her crooked hat, his thin face filled with smiles. He had prepared many words on the way but didn’t know how to begin when face-to-face.

After some contemplating, Pei Che’s first words were, "How’s your health?" After her car accident, her constitution wasn’t good, and she would get sick easily in the cold, recovering slower than average.

Shen Jianian came running, breath uneven, cheeks flushed, "Quite fine."

Other than catching a cold shortly after moving, everything else was fine. She weighed herself two days ago and had gained four pounds.

Pei Che opened the car door, "Let’s talk in the car. My mom is waiting for us at the restaurant."

Zhou Ruoxiang was back in the country for the New Year. Though her time abroad was serene and peaceful, she still longed for home and planned to find some time for travel after the New Year.

"Alright." Shen Jianian got into the car.

Meanwhile, Fu Jichen’s plane landed, and he only saw Qu Mo at the airport exit, with no sign of the other person he expected.

"Where’s Shen Jianian?" Fu Jichen asked.

Qu Mo was baffled, "Did Miss Shen also come?"

Song Fang, following behind Fu Jichen, kept silent. It turned out the boss expected Shen Jianian to pick him up, explaining his cheerful demeanor after disembarking. He noticed the clear uplift in his boss’s lips, a man who rarely showed emotions.

In the end, hopes turned to disappointment.

Fu Jichen took out his phone, turned it on, and looked it over repeatedly, finding no missed calls or messages from Shen Jianian.

Having previously sent her his flight details, did she not understand what that meant?

Fu Jichen put the phone back into his pocket, expressionless, speaking in a flat voice, "Let’s go."

Qu Mo and Song Fang exchanged knowing glances.

Without asking where Fu Jichen was headed, Qu Mo drove straight to Shen Jianian’s community. Along the way, Fu Jichen’s face remained expressionless, as if frozen.

The car parked in the garage, Fu Jichen carried his suitcase into the elevator, directly to the twenty-sixth floor.

Calculating, it had been eight days since he left, over a week; though they stayed in touch by phone, it did not alleviate his longing.

Perhaps he suffered from separation anxiety. Leaving Shen Jianian for over a day led him into wild thoughts, worried about her facing any mishaps.

While on the trip, he not only called Shen Jianian but also checked with Zheng Yi, ensuring that she was home for his peace of mind. However, such peace was short-lived; not receiving her messages for a while would plunge him into a new bout of worry.

This cycle repeated itself.

The elevator door opened, and Fu Jichen stepped out, knocking on Shen Jianian’s door. The longing emotion overflowed from his chest at this moment, anticipating her expression when she opened the door.

Yet, there was no response from inside.

Fu Jichen found the spare key he had previously asked Shen Jianian for, opened the door, and saw no one in the living room. The ugly cat sprawled on the sofa, baring its teeth at this intruding stranger.

"Shen Jianian?"

Fu Jichen called out, pushing open the bedroom door, but didn’t find her there either.

He searched through the guest room, kitchen, and dining area and finally concluded—Shen Jianian was not home.