Chapter 110: Childish Fool

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Zhong Huayan had practically seized every vital point of the man. Her voice was as gentle as a spring breeze, and she even looked as though she meant to lift the fish with her chopsticks and place it directly into his mouth. She thoughtfully blew on it as well, afraid it might be too hot.

The gesture pleased him immensely, and he opened his mouth to bite down on the piece of fish.

Though the taste was far from perfect—indeed, it was somewhat salty—he ate it with great relish. His brows and eyes seemed to relax, while his hand continued to gently stroke the fingers she had burned.

“A-Hua, the fish you made is delicious.”

“Then we won’t dismiss the housekeeper.”

“Mm. I’ll listen to you, A-Hua.”

After witnessing the scene, the servants were thrown into a state of unease. Once they exchanged glances, they hurried behind the sitting room, toward the garden, their faces filled with disbelief as they began whispering among themselves.

“Good heavens. When have we ever seen the boss like this? It’s as if he’s been bewitched. No, that smile—so gentle and soft—actually appearing on his face is downright frightening.”

“That’s not all. Didn’t you notice how, for nearly a month, he secretly watched that woman every single day, like a man possessed?”

“I heard the boss used to be secretly in love with the eldest daughter of the Zhong family. Could this woman be her substitute?”

“Goodness, she’s incredibly fortunate to have a face like that. It’s practically a death-forbidding pass, a retirement pension, and a road to riches all rolled into one. And that Sweet Potato is lucky too. I heard she’s no longer a servant and has been promoted to become an assistant.”

Only then did the several housekeepers in the kitchen breathe a sigh of relief. Just moments ago, they had all thought they were finished and certain to be dismissed. Who could have imagined that the situation would take such a turn?

Zhong Huayan merely felt that the man worked too hard. Coupled with her guilt over making him kneel as punishment that day, she had decided to do something for him.

When he drew close to her ear and sought an answer, she continued preparing the braised pork while speaking gently.

“A-Yan, you’ve been working constantly all this time. Your assistant told me that you often forget to eat when you’re working. When I heard that, I felt sorry for you. You were never very healthy as a child, and you were too thin. Although you made up for some of it later, you’re still lacking nourishment. From now on, whenever I have time, I’ll cook for you. Your health is more important than your work, and integrity is more important than profit. You have to learn to love yourself.”

She was afraid she had said too much and begun to sound nagging, so she fell silent.

Fu Yanyan’s heart, however, began to race.

All these years, he had buried himself in work simply to forget the pain of the past. It was as though Heaven had deliberately tempered his mind, until, through countless tortured nights and with a reckless devotion that feared nothing, he had built the Fu Corporation of today.

She was the hope swaying amid his suffering, the lamp that had continued to burn through the countless moments when he could no longer endure and wanted to give up on life. He admitted the cruelty of Heaven. Heaven had insisted that he remain alive, forcing him to cling to a sliver of hope through endless torment.

Sometimes, he would rather devote himself entirely to work than be left alone in solitude.

The higher one climbs, the colder it becomes.

Besides, he had no home—not even endless money could buy back the home he could never return to.

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Sometimes, Fu Yanyan would light a cigarette and stand motionless on the balcony for a long time, utterly unaware of what earning money was supposed to mean.

Because A-Hua was already dead.

Whenever he thought of it, his heart was torn apart. Countless times, he had wanted to follow her into death, rejecting this world with the finality of a man who no longer wanted anything from it.

To hell with those damned lies.

Life was nothing but a deception. It had tricked him into surviving his suffering, only to strip away the thing he wanted most. It was no different from carving his heart out piece by piece.

The pain reached to the very depths of his soul.

Now, hearing her words, his eyes were filled with fear. The insecurity buried deep within him nearly swallowed him whole. Fu Yanyan was afraid—afraid that all of this would vanish in the blink of an eye, like fireworks blooming for a single instant before the darkness of their ending descended. He feared that Heaven was toying with him once again, afraid that it had not yet tormented his fragile, fervent heart enough.

“Learn to love yourself? Can’t A-Hua love me?”

His low voice sounded stiff and almost childish in that setting.

Fu Yanyan seemed to realize it himself. He stepped forward, his Adam’s apple rolling, and after a brief pause, he said, “A-Hua, I want you to love me. I crave your love.”

Even his confession was timid. He did not charge forward recklessly; instead, there was something tentative, sincere, and dependent in it—a complicated tangle of emotions.

Zhong Huayan thought the man before her was adorable. After letting out a soft laugh, she gently patted his arm.

“You fool. There are many ways to show love. I’m loving you in my own way.”

“A-Hua loves me?”

“Then, A-Yan, what do you think counts as love?”

Men in love were all fools.

Zhong Huayan had always thought that a man capable of being ruthless, of climbing upward over so much blood, striking without hesitation, and facing the cruelty of reality would naturally be blinded by ambition, indifferent to old affections, utterly rational, and concerned with nothing but business—not even bothering to pretend to be human.

But she felt she might have misjudged him. A man like this was extraordinarily rare. All his striving and effort had been for the sake of loyalty and affection. He was divided and contradictory, and also terribly dangerous.

In the martial world, one could not afford to act on emotion after rising to a position of power. Nor could one possess weaknesses or vulnerabilities, or one would not live long.

She herself had once been a perfect example. Because she valued loyalty and affection too deeply, she had ended up in such a wretched state.

She merely gazed at him, a nameless worry rising in her heart.

Then, softly, she breathed out two words.

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“Fool.”

Fu Yanyan was still puzzling over it. He found himself understanding love less and less.

He could not answer. To be honest, when he was in school, he had devoted himself to physics, chemistry, and mathematics. After growing up, he had studied human relationships, calculated gains and losses, mastered the art of business, and examined the weaknesses of human nature—things of that sort. He had never carefully considered questions like these.

He knew only that love began without one knowing how and then deepened until it became absolute. He knew only that, from childhood, he had imagined every aspect of this woman. He knew only that he could risk everything for a woman with whom he had barely spoken a few times, fight his way recklessly to the summit for her, and live or die for her, crushed by grief and despair.

But love had different methods and approaches as well?

Fu Yanyan turned around and directed his gaze toward the assistants, secretary, and butler gathered nearby.

“Is love really this troublesome?”

He murmured the words softly.

Zhong Huayan was perhaps too busy stir-frying to hear him.

Fu Yanyan suddenly panicked. He had to obtain an answer. He could not disappoint her.

Fingering the Buddhist prayer beads in his hand, he slowly left the kitchen and walked to a secluded corner, a dark shadow emerging in his eyes.

He had already changed into a suit. The black suit was a relaxed, everyday style, yet on him it resembled the mysterious, formidable wind of Tibet, striking with overwhelming force.

The blend of refinement and dominance about him was especially compelling, its sense of fracture surging toward anyone who looked at him.

With a hint of threat and temptation, he questioned his assistant.

The assistant wanted nothing more than to flee.

The boss was simply too handsome. How could a man possess such a face? If he were not so merciless in his dealings, rumors would have been flying everywhere long ago.

Fu Yanyan gave a wicked smile and threw out a question.

“Assistant Li, tell me—what is love? I’m sure Assistant Li must know. Otherwise, how could you be qualified for this position?”

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