Chapter 24
1258 Words
There wasn’t much food in Fu Shuyang’s house, but the pantry was surprisingly well-stocked with seasonings—clearly leftovers from Chu Yeran.
She doubted he even knew how to cook. What was the point of buying all these?
Half an hour later, Xu Mei finished cooking the steak and called Fu Shuyang over for dinner.
When he saw the mountain of meat on the plate, the corner of his mouth twitched.
Xu Mei had assumed that, being a man, Fu Shuyang would have a big appetite, so she’d used all the meat.
Looking at the finished plate, even she had to admit—she might have gone a bit overboard.
“I’ve never made this before, so it’s probably... no, definitely not great. Just eat what you can so you don’t starve,” she muttered, second-guessing herself.
Usually, in a situation like this, the person who didn’t cook would at least offer some polite praise.
Xu Mei wasn’t hoping for compliments—she just hoped he wouldn’t criticize it.
In the original book, Fu Shuyang had a razor-sharp tongue that could verbally shred anyone.
So far, she hadn’t witnessed that side of him.
He cut a piece of steak and put it into his mouth. Xu Mei peeked at him anxiously.
Noticing her gaze, Fu Shuyang wiped his mouth and said calmly, “Not bad.”
Just as Xu Mei let out a breath of relief, he added, “A bit rough on the teeth though.”
Xu Mei: “…”
She stubbornly took a bite herself—yeah, it was kind of tough.
Even with her basic cooking skills, she hadn’t mastered the timing.
Did he really have to be that blunt?
Annoyed, Xu Mei focused on eating and ignored him.
Pure meat meals get greasy fast—after one piece, she was already full.
But at least she wasn’t hungry anymore.
When she looked up again, she froze in shock.
Fu Shuyang had just put down his knife and fork—the entire plate was empty!
Didn’t he say it was hard to chew?
“What?” he asked, noticing her stunned expression.
“Are your teeth okay?” she blurted out.
Fu Shuyang: “…”
Expressionless, he reached to collect her plate. Xu Mei hadn’t snapped out of it yet and held on tight.
His eyes dropped to her hands, and his gaze darkened.
Slender, soft, and perfectly manicured—those were hands raised in luxury.
So where did her cooking skills come from?
Even if she had talent, someone of her background shouldn’t be unfamiliar with steak.
“Want more?” he asked coolly.
“Oh—no, I’m good,” she quickly let go. “Sorry for wasting food.”
Fu Shuyang paused slightly, but replied evenly, “It’s fine.”
After cleaning the kitchen, he handed her a new package. “Fresh clothes. You can use them as pajamas.”
Then pointed to the right. “Your room’s there. It has a private bathroom, disposable toiletries, and a charger inside.”
“Thank you, senior!” Xu Mei was genuinely touched. She didn’t expect him to be this considerate.
Since chatting with him was always a dead end, she returned to her room early.
The moment she opened the door, she paused—the room was pink.
Definitely not Fu Shuyang’s taste.
He’d only moved in a month ago, so this must’ve been decorated by Jin Mu.
Living here must feel like t*****e for Fu Shuyang.
The room was spacious and well-lit, with carefully curated details—clearly meant for a daughter Jin Mu cherished.
Xu Mei felt a mix of emotions and stood there zoning out before finally heading to the bathroom.
Afterward, she called Chu Yeran to report on Fu Shuyang’s situation.
When Chu Yeran heard she had convinced him to give her a month, she praised Xu Mei to the skies.
They agreed to discuss the investigative details in person the next day.
Xu Mei didn’t go to bed right away. She found some paper and began jotting down everything she could remember from the original novel.
Once done, she photographed the notes and saved them in an encrypted folder on her phone.
In the original book, Jin Mu barely had any scenes—his only purpose was to highlight how ruthless and cold-blooded Fu Shuyang was.
So Xu Mei couldn’t rely on the original plot to solve the mystery. Still, the more information she had, the better—who knew when it might come in handy?
Once she finished taking photos, Xu Mei considered tearing the notes up.
Even though others probably wouldn’t understand them, there was still a risk.
If someone clever came across them, they might actually piece together her secret.
Just ripping them didn’t feel secure enough.
What if—just what if—Fu Shuyang got curious and tried to reconstruct them?
She searched the room for something to start a fire but found nothing.
It was already past midnight—Fu Shuyang was probably asleep by now.
Xu Mei peeked out of her room. The hallway was silent and empty.
Clutching the papers, she tiptoed barefoot to the kitchen, lit the pages on fire, and flushed the ashes away.
Proper cleanup—no trace left.
She sighed in relief and patted her hands clean as she walked back out.
Using her phone’s flashlight to light the way, she paused when she reached the living room.
From around the corner, where the bathroom was, a light was on—and there was a faint rustling sound.
Something was dragging on the floor... or maybe gnawing... or scraping.
Cold sweat broke out across her back.
Logically, it was most likely just Fu Shuyang.
But he had no reason to make such creepy noises.
And this place had ghost rumors!
Xu Mei didn’t even know which room was his. What if something strange was already attacking him?
She clenched her jaw, grabbed a vase, and crept toward the bathroom in the dark.
Since she wasn’t wearing shoes, her steps were silent.
The weird noises continued—getting louder.
Shhhk shhhk shhhk…
Rough, repetitive sounds.
The door wasn’t fully closed. He couldn’t possibly be using the toilet.
Xu Mei reached the doorway, took a deep breath, and kicked the door open.
A figure was squatting in the corner, back to the door. At the noise, he turned his head.
Crash!
The vase slipped from Xu Mei’s hand and shattered on the floor.
Fu Shuyang.
He was... scrubbing the toilet.
Author's Note:
A quick rec for my bestie’s upcoming fantasy romance “After Transmigrating Into a Book, Everyone’s Fighting for My Kids” by She Mi!
Jin Yu transmigrates into a novel as a villainous side character who gives away her twins to her sister as bargaining chips for social climbing—ending in tragedy.
Now stuck with the mess, Jin Yu has two goals:
Get her babies back and raise them right.
Find their father and demand child support.
Not long after, a CEO gets blocked by two tiny kids:
“Give us money, and we’ll let you go!”
CEO: “???”
Watching from surveillance, Jin Yu calls him:
“I’m the sniper. Your life’s in my hands. If you want to live, give them the money.”
CEO: “…”
What kind of idiocy is this?
Later, with a kid in each arm, the CEO says:
“Who’s the i***t now?”
Jin Yu: “You.”
CEO: “…Yeah.”
- Writer
