Chapter 21: Concealing All the Amazement in Her Eyes

"I'm really not drunk, help me up, I can still down three more cups." Ying Jing waved her little hand, brushing away Wen Fu Cheng's hand which was loosely holding hers.

She fumbled on the table for a long time but couldn't find the wine, not knowing that Wen Fu Cheng had already put it away long ago.

"Huh? It's gone."

"Mhm, you can't drink anymore."

Ying Jing smacked her lips, her expression showing she wasn't quite satisfied.

What a pity!

"Want to drink? I'll let you drink next time."

"Next time? When will 'next time' be!" Ying Jing's little face was red as she counted on her fingers, but by the end, she couldn't even tell the numbers apart herself. "It's been so long... so long since I saw you, I can't bear to let you go. Wen Fu Cheng, do you know how much I can't bear it." Not wanting to part with every single minute and second spent with you.

The next moment, she buried her face in his shoulder, her eyes red.

She looked exactly like a silly child who had lost their favorite toy, aggrieved beyond words.

He patiently stroked the girl's back over and over again.

"Never again. I won't be far from you." What he wanted in this life was the absolute certainty that he could protect her. "So, don't foolishly push me away again, pushing me thousands of miles away."

Ying Jing wiped her tears haphazardly.

Immersed in her own emotions, she didn't hear Wen Fu Cheng's words clearly at all.

But she clung to his sleeve, insisting he repeat it.

Wen Fu Cheng leaned close to her ear and whispered a few words. After hearing them, Ying Jing was very happy.

"Is what you said all true?"

"When have I ever lied to you?"

"Then can I come find you anytime, anywhere from now on! No matter how busy you are, you'll contact me."

……

Of course.

Wen Fu Cheng carried Ying Jing out of the restaurant. Assistant Zhang, who had been waiting nearby, drove the car over.

After parking, he thoughtfully opened the car door for his boss.

Even after getting in the car, Wen Fu Cheng didn't put her down, letting the girl in his arms sit on his lap.

Zhang Yang tactfully raised the partition.

Ying Jing nestled comfortably in his arms.

The man's fingers played with her beautiful hair.

Her exhaled breath sprayed onto the skin of his neck, bringing a numbing itch.

Ying Jing tilted her head back slightly, her nose brushing against his chin.

Wen Fu Cheng lowered his eyes to look; his lips happened to land near her eye.

If it weren't for not knowing which way to go, Zhang Yang would absolutely not have disturbed the boss's intimate moment.

Which residence should he send Miss Ying to?

"Go to the Ying Family Main Residence!"

The little drunkard would definitely get an earful from Ying Ze Nan if she went back to the villa.

Wen Fu Cheng sent her back to the main residence, where her mother could also look after her.

"Let's see if you dare drink recklessly next time."

He poked a small red dot onto Ying Jing's forehead. The little girl's skin was fair, tender, and smooth; the slightest touch left a mark.

Wen Fu Cheng blew on it gently.

Who knew Ying Jing would actually hug his neck and refuse to let go.

"Wen Fu Cheng, you don't have to send me home, okay? I want to go with you."

"No."

Ying Jing's words when drunk were clearly unreliable; he knew this from deep experience.

By the time she woke up tomorrow, she probably wouldn't remember anything.

Zhang Yang parked the car near the Ying Family ancestral home, but the compound was brightly lit, and a few unfamiliar cars were parked at the entrance. "Boss, looks like the Ying family has guests."

The assistant turned off the headlights and used the excuse of getting out to smoke a cigarette.

The Ying family's guest was Ye Qing Yu, who had come specifically to deliver an invitation. In a few days, it would be Grandpa's birthday.

The Ying and Ye families had always been on good terms; a few years ago, they were even neighbors.

Later, the Ye family moved to another city to develop, and only returned in the last two years.

This never-broken connection gradually became frequent again.

Plus, the Ye family had always intended to form a marriage alliance with the Ying family, so their visits naturally increased.

When leaving, Ye Qing Yu specifically asked about Ying Jing.

"Her? Recently she's been living at her brother's place, saying I nag too much. She's just hiding out."

Not seeing Ying Jing, Ye Qing Yu was a bit disappointed. Since that embarrassing incident at Ying Ze Nan's birthday gathering, he and Ying Jing hadn't been in contact.

Ye Qing Yu got in his car and left, brushing past Wen Fu Cheng and the others parked not far away. At that moment, he didn't know that the person he longed for had been so close to him for a brief moment.

But Wen Fu Cheng saw that person clearly.

Ye Qing Yu, so it was him.

Ye Qing Yu had secretly loved Ying Jing since childhood, and as an adult, he even wanted to use family ties to form a marriage alliance with the Ying family. The Ying elders had a very good impression of him. In the previous life, he had almost succeeded.

If it weren't for Ying Jing liking Lu Zi Shu, insisting on being with Lu Zi Shu, even disregarding her own safety to rush to Lu Zi Shu's side, making a scene known to everyone.

Ye Qing Yu wouldn't have finally given up and married another woman from a matching aristocratic family. After marriage, they each played their own games; everyone in the circle knew that aristocratic marriage alliances for power rarely involved true love. It was merely to consolidate their own interests.

Even married, Ye Qing Yu didn't give up on Ying Jing; news of him visiting her on set surfaced from time to time.

Thinking of the other man's shamelessness, he silently tightened his hand on Ying Jing's waist.

So many people coveting his little one.

After Zhang Yang finished a cigarette and returned, Wen Fu Cheng changed his mind.

He took Ying Jing back to the hotel, booking a room next door, not wronging his princess in the slightest.

Falling onto the soft big bed, Ying Jing rolled around comfortably a few times and buried her face in the quilt.

Zhang Yang brought over the toiletries.

"Boss, do you need to remove Miss Ying's makeup?"

"Mhm, put the things down. You've worked hard today, go back and rest early."

To see him, Ying Jing had put on beautiful makeup. She had been clingy until now, and some of it had rubbed off.

"Little tabby cat." He smiled, turning her over and pinching her pretty face with two fingers, meticulously removing her makeup and washing her face.

In a short while, Ying Jing's face was like a peeled egg, dewy and smooth.

He just sat by the bed and watched her for a few minutes before getting up and walking to the bathroom, putting away all those bottles and jars.

The turned-on faucet gushed water, washing away the grease on his palms.

The warm, smooth sensation of her skin still lingered on his hands, not yet faded.

He lowered his head to look a few times. Before he could turn around at the sound of movement behind him, a pair of soft, boneless little hands had already encircled his waist.

"Wen Fu Cheng, why are you so slow! I've been waiting for you for so long."

The person plastered to his back muttered. He chuckled for a few seconds before asking her: "How long did you wait?"

"Ten years!" she answered lightly.

He held the hands crossed at his waist, looking at him and her in the mirror.

His deep affection could no longer be contained.

"Then I've waited a little longer than you."

After all, he had lived a few more years. He had arranged all her affairs, fulfilled her unfulfilled wishes.

And then he could no longer bear the lonely life without her. In the few years after she left, he hadn't lived on alone either.

Ying Jing fell asleep holding him, not even knowing when she got back into bed.

After tucking her in, he turned and walked out of the room.

In the morning, a floor full of cigarette butts was cleaned up by him.

He showered and changed into a set of clean, fresh clothes.

Ying Jing rubbed her eyes and walked out of the room. The instant she lowered her hands, through her half-squinted eyes, she saw the person standing on the balcony.

Leaning sideways against the railing, head lowered, flipping through a book in his hand.

A morning breeze brushed past Ying Jing, fluttering the book in his hand.

Wen Fu Cheng seemed to sense something and looked up.

Ying Jing's mind went blank.

The turning of pages under his fingertips was just like her wildly beating heart.

His gaze gathered all the astonishment in her eyes.

(End of Chapter)