Warm Water Burns, Chapter 12

“Mm.” Fu Lanzhuo gave a low, quiet acknowledgment.

The car had already driven some distance, yet his jaw remained tight, not a trace of relaxation in it, and he seemed unusually taciturn.

Because he was thinking about what might have happened to Wen Yan if he hadn’t been waiting outside for so long tonight.

“I went to the Ruihengli Hotel tonight for a gathering with our student council. It ended pretty late, so I was just waiting there for the bus.”

He hadn’t asked, but Wen Yan offered the explanation anyway, as if searching for something to fill the silence.

“I know.”

“Huh?”

The air went still for a moment.

Fu Lanzhuo didn’t hide it. He explained, “I saw a post my niece shared on her Moments. Jiang Lu’er—your school’s student council president.”

“You were in the photo.”

“…”

Wen Yan turned to look at him, wondering if he hadn’t been “staking out” the hotel the whole time…

Then she decided that was unlikely.

It must have just been a coincidence.

“Well, what a coincidence that Senior Jiang is your niece.” Wen Yan’s voice stayed relatively even, since she’d already known about the connection between Jiang Lu’er and Fu Lanzhuo.

“Why didn’t you head back with your classmates?” Fu Lanzhuo asked.

“I… got my period.” Wen Yan pinched the hem of her skirt. “My stomach wasn’t feeling great.”

“Is it any better now?” he asked.

“…Mm, much better.”

Outside the car window, streetlights swept past one after another, their glow filtering into the cabin in a rhythmic pulse of brightness and shadow. Fu Lanzhuo’s arms rested on the steering wheel, emerging and disappearing in alternating waves of light and dark.

He frowned slightly and said to her, “Don’t stay out this late again. You’re a girl on your own. It’s not safe.”

Wen Yan truly had never been out this late before. Everyone at the party had been so hyped up—it was supposed to end at nine, but they didn’t wind down until ten.

Her lashes dipped, then lifted again. She turned to face Fu Lanzhuo. “Are you worried about me?”

The line of his jaw was cold and hard, even tenser than before. His voice came out low. “Yes.”

Wen Yan gently bit her lip.

…

The black Bentley climbed onto the overpass. Below them, a river of cars flowed endlessly, taillights stringing together into a mottled ribbon of light that stretched toward the infinite distance ahead.

Buzz buzz buzz—

A vibration came from Wen Yan’s lap. She reached into her canvas bag and pulled out her phone. It was Xiao Xinrui calling.

Wen Yan answered.

“Hello?”

“Yan Yan, why aren’t you back yet? Curfew’s almost here!” Xiao Xinrui asked.

“I’m on my way back. Still in… a car. I should be back at campus around ten-thirty.” Wen Yan said.

On weekends, the dorm curfew was eleven.

“Okay, good. Oh, Yan Yan, could you swing by the convenience store downstairs on your way back and grab me a cup of instant noodles? I’ve already showered and I’m too lazy to change and go back downstairs. I didn’t eat enough at dinner and now I’m starving.”

Wen Yan remembered that Xiao Xinrui had been dieting these past few days. She’d probably skipped eating properly on purpose this afternoon, but in the end, hunger had won.

“Sure,” Wen Yan agreed. “No problem.”

“You’re the best, Yan Yan! Love you, mwah mwah mwah. Get me the Golden Broth Beef flavor, hehe.”

“Okay.”

“Oh, and Yan Yan, let me tell you something. Some guy added me on WeChat today. He came through the year group chat, so I accepted. But the first thing he asked was, ‘Are you Wen Yan’s roommate?’ I said yes, and we chatted for a bit, and then guess what—he wanted me to help him pursue you. I checked his Moments, and honestly, he’s pretty average-looking, so I said no. But I figured I should let you know, Yan Yan. Ugh, next time I won’t just accept random friend requests anymore.”

The car was quiet. Wen Yan tightened her grip on the phone pressed against her ear, unsure whether Fu Lanzhuo could hear Xiao Xinrui’s voice on the other end.

“I understand,” Wen Yan replied, her lashes fluttering softly. “You did the right thing, Ruirui.”

The engine hummed low and steady. Outside the windows, the night scenery was stretched into a flowing scroll by the speed, everything left behind in a blur.

The tension in Fu Lanzhuo’s face loosened, just a fraction.

He glanced at Wen Yan.

…

Streetlights bled rings of warm orange glow into the night. The cluster of dormitory buildings at Yanqing University’s Lanxuan Apartments sat steeped beneath the ink-dark sky.

The Bentley pulled into the dorm area and came to a stop.

Fu Lanzhuo unbuckled his seatbelt. In the faint glow of the dashboard, the angles of his profile looked sharp and defined.

“Here we are.”

His voice was low.

Wen Yan reached down to undo her seatbelt, but the metal clasp jammed unexpectedly. She studied it carefully, found where it was stuck, and pressed down firmly. It released. When she looked up, she caught the crisp, cool scent of pine. Fu Lanzhuo was leaning toward her.

Her cheeks burned in that instant.

“Got it undone?” he asked.

“Mm…”

Wen Yan stared at him.

Fu Lanzhuo said nothing more. He settled back into the driver’s seat and reached over to push open his door.

Wen Yan grabbed her bag and got out too.

“Thank you, gege. You should head back.” Standing outside the car, Wen Yan held her canvas bag half against her chest. The night wind caught the ponytail at the back of her head, lifting it.

Fu Lanzhuo rounded the car from the other side and walked up to her. “Don’t you still need to buy instant noodles for your roommate?”

“…”

He’d heard.

“Right… There’s a convenience store open not far from here. It’s close. I’ll be quick.” Wen Yan said.

“Let’s go together. I happen to want to grab a pack of cigarettes.” Fu Lanzhuo’s voice was deep and low.

Wen Yan’s imagination began to run again, wondering if maybe he just wanted to spend a little more time with her.

She found herself hoping that was the case.

“Okay.”

Wen Yan agreed, and the two of them walked toward the convenience store together.

It was the weekend, but at this hour, very few students were still moving around the dorm area. Inside the convenience store, aside from the cashier, only a scattered handful of people were browsing.

Wen Yan had become well-known on campus during military training. She might only recognize a few classmates from her own department and her roommates, but plenty of people across the university knew her. A girl shopping in the store spotted Wen Yan walking in and turned to stare at her several times.

The man beside Wen Yan carried a very mature air about him and was strikingly handsome, so the girl’s gaze naturally fell on Fu Lanzhuo as well.

Wen Yan walked to the shelf dedicated to instant noodles, scanning for the Golden Broth Beef flavor Xiao Xinrui wanted. Noticing Fu Lanzhuo following behind her, she turned back. “Gege, didn’t you say you wanted cigarettes?”

Fu Lanzhuo stood in front of the snack aisle, his black jacket making his shoulder line look perfectly straight. He seemed subtly set apart from the surroundings here, yet the row of pink strawberry-bread packages behind him softened his sharp edges. He said, “No rush. I’ll wait until you’ve got your noodles.”

Wen Yan’s lashes trembled faintly. Her gaze met the deep, dark pool of Fu Lanzhuo’s eyes. “Why do you want to wait with me?”

The question clearly caught Fu Lanzhuo off guard. His expression even stiffened slightly.

Wen Yan kept her eyes fixed on him.

After a stretch of silence with no answer, she curled her fingertips and turned to walk to the far end of the shelf, picking up a box of biscuits.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Fu Lanzhuo follow. And then he answered her question. “Why?”

“Because I want to be with you.”

Wen Yan’s cheeks flamed red.

The convenience store had emptied out. There had been two other girls earlier, but they were gone now. Wen Yan squeezed the biscuit packaging tighter and tighter in her hands.

Fu Lanzhuo noticed the red tips of her ears. He frowned slightly, reached up, and grabbed a pack of biscuits from the shelf too.

“Weren’t you here for instant noodles? You want biscuits instead?”

Wen Yan nodded and turned to face him.

“I couldn’t find the Golden Broth Beef flavor my roommate wanted.”

She’d looked everywhere, but the store was small and didn’t carry many varieties.

Fu Lanzhuo looked at her. “Then ask your roommate if a different flavor is okay.”

Wen Yan hummed in agreement, fished her phone out of her canvas bag, and called Xiao Xinrui.

“Oh!! It’s fine, Yan Yan, whatever you get me I’ll eat! It’s so late already, just hurry and get back!” Xiao Xinrui said over the phone. She clearly felt bad for putting Wen Yan through the trouble and was worried she’d miss curfew.

After hanging up, Wen Yan walked back to the instant noodle section and picked a box at random.

“How about this one? I’ve had it before. It’s pretty good.” Fu Lanzhuo held out a box of Shrimp Fish Cake Noodles.

Wen Yan paused. She hadn’t expected Fu Lanzhuo to eat instant noodles. She’d assumed a chairman like him ate Western cuisine every day.

“It does look good.” Wen Yan took the box and tucked it against her arm. She still had the bag of biscuits in hand. “Do you want to get anything?”

Fu Lanzhuo glanced around the convenience store. “I’ll grab a drink.”

Wen Yan nodded and headed toward the beverage cooler.

Fu Lanzhuo watched her, then followed.

Wen Yan had just pulled open the refrigerator door when a blast of cold air hit her face. She balanced the noodles and biscuits on one arm and reached into the cooler with the other, about to grab a bottle of yogurt. But a hand with clearly defined knuckles pressed against the glass shelf a beat before hers.

“You’re on your period, and you’re still drinking something cold?” Fu Lanzhuo’s voice was low and heavy.

“I’ll save it for tomorrow morning…” Wen Yan said.