Chapter 8

It felt as if Fu Tingshen’s footsteps were treading on my heart.

The sound of my heartbeat was deafening.

He walked to our table, his somber gaze sweeping past me before settling on Lin Zizhou.

“Something at work held me up, so I’m late. I assume this gentleman is finished?”

Although his tone was mild, it sent an involuntary shiver down one’s spine.

I looked up at Lin Zizhou.

He smiled and met Fu Tingshen’s gaze. “If Miss Chu is willing, then we are not finished.”

Only then did Fu Tingshen look at me.

“Are you willing?” he asked me in a low voice. “Chu Ning.”

He rarely used my name before.

I had once thought he had forgotten it entirely.

“I…” I looked at Lin Zizhou and sighed. “Dr. Lin, let’s exchange contact information. We can meet again when we have time.”

He was just a doctor; going head-to-head with Fu Tingshen would not end well for him.

There was no need to drag him into the mess between Fu Tingshen and me.

Lin Zizhou seemed happy with my suggestion, picking up his phone to show me his QR code.

“Don’t you dare scan it.” Fu Tingshen grabbed my hand.

This time, his voice was no longer mild.

He held my hand tightly, his gaze fixed on me as he repeated through gritted teeth, “Don’t you dare.”

Beep.

The scan was successful.

I looked at him and blinked.

Having received my friend request, Lin Zizhou smiled and stood up from his seat. He walked over to Fu Tingshen and said, “Sir, let’s compete fairly.”

After Lin Zizhou left, Fu Tingshen finally sat down across from me.

I didn’t look at him, taking a small sip of my coffee.

“Come back with me,” Fu Tingshen said after a long silence.

I looked up at him.

It was dark outside now. The dim yellow light above his head cast a glow on him, giving him a rare softness.

“Back where?” I asked him.

“Back to where you were before.”

“Mr. Fu,” I said, taking a deep breath, “you’re married.”

Although I had been a golden canary for a while, I was a golden canary with morals.

I would never be a third party.

Fu Tingshen hadn’t expected me to say this. He raised an eyebrow slightly.

“So what? What does my being married or not have to do with you coming back with me?”

Oh, my god.

How shameless.

“I never thought you were this kind of person.” I stood up from my seat in anger.

But as I turned to leave, he grabbed me. He seemed furious.

“Chu Ning, what kind of person am I? Have you ever cared?”

I had rarely seen him angry before.

It was terrifying.

But I was also furious now, and I wrenched my hand free. “I don’t care!”

He froze for a moment.

It made sense.

I had always pretended to be a harmless little white rabbit in front of him. He probably never expected me to dare argue with him.

“Mr. Fu.”

I tried to calm myself down.

“We did have a relationship in the past, but even you said back then that it was mutual. Now, I am no longer willing. Besides, Miss Gu is not like me. You have no right to treat her this way.”