I'm Done with the Elite Marriage - Chapter 46

Fu Xunzhou’s icy hand startled Zhou Youling.

Fu Hexu was truly ruthless, leaving him here, knowing Zhou Youling wouldn’t just ignore him. In truth, she couldn’t bring herself to be that heartless.

Fu Xunzhou wasn’t really conscious; he just instinctively grabbed Zhou Youling’s hand. He was genuinely freezing, desperately craving any bit of warmth.

In Zhou Youling’s memory, he never seemed to fear the cold. In the dead of winter, when her hands and feet were icy, his hands were always warm. She remembered once when she left her foot outside the blanket, and Fu Xunzhou used his warm hands to cover it.

Zhou Youling forcefully pulled her hand away and then pinched Fu Xunzhou’s cheek hard.

To be honest, Zhou Youling had always wanted to try this. Every time she saw Fu Xunzhou’s face, which was smoother than a girl’s even without skincare, she had the urge to pinch it.

Today, fueled by a bit of anger, Zhou Youling pinched a little harder.

Perhaps knowing he was drunk, she felt less of a barrier between them. She even watched him with a sense of amusement.

Fu Xunzhou winced from the pain, slowly waking up, and stared blankly at her.

He thought he was dreaming again.

Zhou Youling, with patience, asked, “What exactly do you want?”

Fu Xunzhou’s mind was foggy, and he didn’t quite catch what Zhou Youling said.

He struggled to sit up, but it was difficult.

He couldn’t even quite grasp what he was doing.

Zhou Youling could tell Fu Xunzhou wasn’t faking it; he wasn’t that kind of person.

Earlier in the car, seeing him had stirred a ripple in her heart.

Now, seeing him so vulnerable, Zhou Youling felt even more conflicted.

This was probably the first time Fu Xunzhou had ever gotten drunk. He was a man of extreme self-discipline, and no one could force him to do anything.

“Can you get up?” Zhou Youling asked.

Fu Xunzhou soon realized he was lying on the cold floor and struggled to sit up.

With this movement, he found he had no strength at all, and his body didn’t seem to obey him.

This 1.85-meter man, falling like this, was quite alarming.

He barely managed to sit up before collapsing back down.

Last time, Fu Xunzhou had been lightly pushed by Zhou Youling and fell to the ground. She still felt a bit guilty, as if she had done something terribly wrong.

Zhou Youling couldn’t bear such a scare and immediately leaned down to help Fu Xunzhou.

With a support point, Fu Xunzhou managed to get up more easily. But at that moment, a small gift box fell from his pocket.

Fu Xunzhou seemed very concerned about the gift box, hurriedly bending down to pick it up. This action nearly sent him tumbling back to the floor.

Zhou Youling sighed helplessly, too tired to deal with Fu Xunzhou. Yet she watched as he picked up the box and opened it.

His hands trembled as he slowly took out a delicate collarbone chain from the box and held it out to Zhou Youling.

“What for?” Zhou Youling didn’t take it, a hint of wariness in her eyes.

Fu Xunzhou stammered, his words slurred, “Snow…flake…for…you.”

“Snowflake for me?” Zhou Youling managed to grasp what Fu Xunzhou was trying to convey.

Fu Xunzhou took Zhou Youling’s hand and placed the collarbone chain into it. His hand was alarmingly cold, yet his grip was firm.

Zhou Youling found herself accepting the chain he had thrust into her hand. Upon closer inspection, it did indeed resemble a snowflake.

“You like snow,” Fu Xunzhou stated clearly.

His gaze was sincere, and Zhou Youling was caught off guard, surprised that he knew about her fondness for snow.

The second winter after marrying Fu Xunzhou, Nanzhou City experienced a rare heavy snowfall, a delight for Zhou Youling, who had grown up in the south where snow was scarce.

In her memory, winters in Nanzhou City never brought snow. As a newlywed, she was as thrilled as a child, waking up early to play with the snow in the garden. That morning, Fu Xunzhou had drawn the curtains and watched her from the window, a smile unknowingly spreading across his face.

Since then, Fu Xunzhou had always wanted to take her somewhere snowy, but his busy schedule never allowed it.

Some shared memories were etched clearly in both their minds.

Zhou Youling hastily shoved the collarbone chain back into Fu Xunzhou’s pocket, fearing her emotional defenses might crumble.

Fu Xunzhou reached for Zhou Youling’s hand again, his eyes clouded with confusion as he looked at her.

Zhou Youling pulled her hand away once more, and with that force, Fu Xunzhou, unguarded, fell back onto the floor.

A loud “thud” echoed as his head hit the ground.

Startled, Zhou Youling quickly helped Fu Xunzhou up, worried he might have hurt his head.

Fu Xunzhou rubbed his head, wincing slightly as if it genuinely hurt.

Feeling a bit guilty, Zhou Youling finally gave in. It was cold outside, and her thin clothing left her hands chilly. She decided to bring him inside.

As she got closer, the smell of alcohol from Fu Xunzhou enveloped her.

Zhou Youling covered her nose, “Why did you drink so much?”

Fu Xunzhou looked at her with an innocent expression, “Fu Hexu made me drink.”

“And you just drank because he told you to? Are you stupid?” Zhou Youling retorted, giving Fu Xunzhou a sharp look. Realizing she was meddling, she added coldly, “It’s none of my business.”

“You asked…”

Zhou Youling shot Fu Xunzhou another glare, and he promptly fell silent.

This was almost the first time Zhou Youling had seen Fu Xunzhou drunk. He was so different. His usual guard was down, and he didn’t seem as cold and distant.

In fact, he appeared somewhat endearingly childish.

After getting Fu Xunzhou into the house and seated on the sofa, Zhou Youling called Fu Hexu, hoping he would come and take Fu Xunzhou away.

But clearly, Zhou Youling was expecting too much. Fu Hexu simply ignored her call. Instead, he sent her a message: [Haha, deal with it yourself, I’m off to my romantic escapade. Hey, be nicer to your savior.]

Zhou Youling: “…”

Really felt like giving this guy a judo throw.

Fu Hexu replied to Zhou Youling’s message, silently praying that Fu Xunzhou would pull himself together a little.

When Fu Xunzhou was drunk, he couldn’t stop talking about Zhou Youling, almost making Fu Hexu’s ears grow calluses. If he continued to ignore it, he might feel guilty towards his brother.

…

In the middle of the night, Zhou Youling didn’t know who to call to take Fu Xunzhou away from her home.

With a sigh, she turned her head and saw Fu Xunzhou sitting on the sofa, watching her.

Fu Xunzhou seemed a bit cold, hugging a pillow with a pair of eyes looking at her pitifully.

Zhou Youling decided to take back what she had said before; his eyes were nothing like ice cubes, they were more like blazing fires.

“What are you staring at me for?” Zhou Youling said, not in the best mood.

Fu Xunzhou gave a shy smile and said, “You’re really beautiful.”

Caught off guard by the compliment, Zhou Youling was momentarily at a loss.

In the years they’d been married, no matter how Zhou Youling dressed up, Fu Xunzhou never complimented her appearance. Even when others praised her to the skies, the most he would do was stare at her a little longer. Hearing a compliment from him was as difficult as climbing a mountain.

Zhou Youling sat down on the sofa diagonally opposite Fu Xunzhou and picked up her phone again.

After some thought, she sent a message to Fu Ruxuan: [Your cousin is at my place, come and take him away.]

Fu Ruxuan replied almost instantly, even sending an excited voice message: [Sister-in-law! You and my cousin have made up! I knew you two would reconcile!]

Zhou Youling frowned and coldly replied: [No, you’re overthinking it.]

After that, Fu Ruxuan simply played dead.

It was almost midnight, and Zhou Youling was yawning with fatigue. She simply tossed a blanket over to Fu Xunzhou: “You sleep here obediently, and leave first thing in the morning!”

Fu Xunzhou caught the blanket and silently watched Zhou Youling.

Seeing his hesitant expression, Zhou Youling asked impatiently, “What else do you want?”

“Dirty,” Fu Xunzhou said, “I want to shower.”

Zhou Youling laughed in exasperation: “You still have the nerve to ask for a shower?”

Fu Xunzhou ignored her, got up, and headed straight for the bathroom.

This single apartment was so tiny that with Fu Xunzhou inside, the space seemed to shrink instantly. Once he found the bathroom, he intended to go in without a second thought, ignoring Zhou Youling’s protests behind him.

“No way! You don’t have any of your things! You can’t shower,” Zhou Youling said, blocking his way.

Fu Xunzhou frowned, repeating, “I want to shower.”

“No! Way!” Zhou Youling pushed him back towards the sofa, “You’re such a hassle. If you shower, I’ll have to wash your clothes too. Besides, I don’t have any men’s clothes here. Are you planning to come out naked?”

Fu Xunzhou tilted his head, seemingly deep in thought.

His boyish demeanor made Zhou Youling’s heart soften.

As she pushed him back to the sofa, she accidentally tripped, nearly falling. Fu Xunzhou, quick on his feet, instinctively wrapped an arm around her waist.