Chapter 79 – Extra: Shen Ning × Lu Fengge
The sudden pain of stubbing a toe was enough to force tears out in an instant.
Shen Ning tried to walk it off as if nothing had happened, but Lu Fengge crossed over in two strides, pressed him down onto a chair, lifted his ankle, and vigorously kneaded his toes a few times to distract from the pain.
Lu Fengge said, “You can even kick the corner of a table when everything’s fine. From now on, wear shoes at home.”
Shen Ning’s gaze dropped to Lu Fengge’s house slippers, and he couldn’t help thinking pessimistically that his barefoot calligraphy would probably never surpass writing while wearing shoes.
“I kicked it on purpose,” Shen Ning said. He wasn’t the kind of idiot who didn’t watch where he was going.
Lu Fengge asked, “Motive?”
Shen Ning pressed his lips together. He couldn’t very well say it was because he wanted to have three children for him.
He tried to pull his calf back, but in that instant felt Lu Fengge tighten his grip. Five fingers, like the toughest vines, wrapped firmly around his ankle.
Shen Ning’s first thought was that no one could ever break free from Lu Fengge’s embrace. Tenacious vines—even when winter came and their leaves withered—would still tightly bind their prey, waiting for spring.
His ankle slowly reddened from being held too tightly. Shen Ning protested, “Let go. It’s congested.”
Lu Fengge released him, flexed his fingers, and said, “Go to sleep. Nothing changes. You sleep your way.”
Shen Ning lifted his eyelids. “So you’ve changed your mind and want to be a couple who looks harmonious but isn’t?”
It was just an idiom—he could use them too.
He could also say sleeping in the same bed but dreaming different dreams, mutual respect like guests, one thing on the outside, another on the inside.
Lu Fengge’s brow twitched at that. He bent down, scooped up the chattering peony, kicked the study door open to the side, and walked straight into the bedroom.
He put Shen Ning on the bed, pulled the blanket over him, then hugged him tightly from outside the covers and turned off the light. “Sleeping like this helps cultivate feelings.”
Inside Lu Fengge’s arms, Shen Ning struggled to turn around and give him his back. Just that simple movement almost made him break out in sweat.
He didn’t lose sleep because Lu Fengge had come back. On the contrary, lying beside another inheritor of spiritual energy gave him a lazy, comfortable feeling.
In the second half of the night, Shen Ning unconsciously hugged back, burying his face in Lu Fengge’s chest as if drawing in spiritual energy.
Shen Ning slept sweetly. When he woke up, he immediately turned hostile and shoved Lu Fengge away hard. Lu Fengge dared to have morning reactions on his very first night—would he dare have bedtime reactions tomorrow too?
Lu Fengge, half-asleep, was shoved in complete confusion. The nature of vines was to cling to things that let them grow upward. The more Shen Ning pushed, the tighter Lu Fengge’s subconscious grip became, desperately finding support and fixing himself in place—unmoved by wind or rain.
Even that part joined in, finding a suitable place to wedge itself.
Shen Ning was locked onto the bed by Lu Fengge in a full “?” shape. His face red to the ears, he cried out, “Lu Fengge! Get up!”
Lu Fengge’s sleeping posture was too bad—too rogue. Shen Ning would never sleep with him again!
Lu Fengge was completely awakened by the shout. After two seconds of reacting, he slowly withdrew.
Those two seconds felt endlessly long to Shen Ning’s thighs.
Once Lu Fengge went into the bathroom, Shen Ning scrambled up, changed clothes, skipped breakfast, and rushed out of the house.
The housekeeper stared in surprise at Shen Ning, who looked like his pants were on fire. Another fight again?
Shen Ning ran all the way out. It was too early, and he was wondering where to go when he heard a bespectacled intellectual youth walking beside him, indignantly telling his companion, “That whole stretch of Republican-era buildings on Fenglin Road is going to be demolished! What a waste! Lu Fengge, that out-and-out real estate businessman—not even willing to keep a single building!”
“The original residents have all moved out. Let’s hurry and record these buildings.”
Shen Ning first caught Lu Fengge’s name, then looked at the youth. He really did look like a university professor, spoke logically, and used two idioms in one sentence.
Republican-era buildings? Back then, the Shen family had been exiled overseas—what would the architecture have looked like?
Shen Ning grew interested and followed the two of them, turning left and right until they reached two quiet alleys. The former residents had taken high compensation and left. Now the place was deserted, facing two bulldozers.
The two youths kept cursing Lu Fengge.
Shen Ning felt they were right to curse him as a businessman, yet he was also a little disappointed by the buildings in front of him.
He’d imagined Republican-era architecture as pavilions and waterside terraces. Instead, it looked much like the buildings he’d seen everywhere in France—dirty, messy, sewage flowing everywhere, with no distinctive or striking style.
The government’s decision to demolish and rebuild must have fully considered urban development plans. Nostalgia mattered—but so did moving forward.
Nan Cheng also had a more upscale cluster of Republican-era buildings that had already been well preserved and listed as protected.
Seeing Shen Ning looking around nostalgically, the bespectacled youth said, “You also think Lu Fengge is a sinner for all eternity?”
Shen Ning replied, “Oh, isn’t he just the developer who won the bid?”
The bespectacled youth choked, then suddenly spotted something and raised his voice. “He’s the one stirring things up behind the scenes, turning this into the most prosperous commercial street!”
Out of respect for his skillful use of idioms, Shen Ning agreed. “Yes. Lu Fengge is a bastard.”
If the place had enough historical value, no amount of pushing would’ve worked. The fact that there wasn’t even a single holdout meant everyone wanted the demolition money.
The bespectacled youth’s spirit soared. The pleasure of being agreed with by a beauty was better than cursing Lu Fengge a hundred times. He wanted Shen Ning’s phone number—maybe they could develop feelings; he’d go through fire and water for him.
“You—”
Shen Ning was about to leave when he turned and suddenly met Lu Fengge’s gaze.
Demolition was scheduled for the next day. Lu Fengge and his group were there for a final inspection—leaders, engineering heads, secretaries.
In front of everyone, Lu Fengge had just been called a “bastard” to his face.
Shen Ning startled, then thought that no one here knew him anyway. No one knew he was Lu Fengge’s wife.
Lu Fengge did demolition everywhere—he must’ve been cursed to his face plenty of times over the years. One more didn’t matter. But if people knew it was his wife who’d said it, that would be different.
Shen Ning decisively pretended not to know him and leaned toward the bespectacled youth. “Brother, keep filming. I’ll go take a look inside.”
The bespectacled youth glared hatefully at Lu Fengge. “Mm.”
Shen Ning chose a narrow path between two buildings and slipped in. He raised a hand to cover his face, feeling Lu Fengge’s scorching gaze still burning into his back.
Lu Fengge looked expressionlessly at the bespectacled youth.
The youth and his companion exchanged looks. Just now they’d been calling Lu Fengge old-fashioned and out of touch with youth—turns out he was even younger than they were?
At that moment, someone beside Lu Fengge took a phone call, his face changing. He urgently said, “A suspect in a family annihilation case has fled into this area and stabbed a passerby. Witnesses say he’s been coming and going here for the past three days. The police are on their way—we should leave first.”
With residents moved out and doors left open everywhere, it was easy to pick a fourth or fifth floor to hide—safe and concealed.
“What?” Everyone was unsettled, but with numbers on their side, they didn’t panic, saying calmly, “Then let’s go. Don’t make trouble for the police.”
The bespectacled youth was the first to bolt.
Someone reminded him, “Your brother just went into the alley—”
The youth acted as if he hadn’t heard.
And in a blur, Lu Fengge’s tall, long-legged figure vanished into the alley.
“Mr. Lu!”
“Danger!”
Lu Fengge’s bodyguards followed close behind. The others hesitated—should they retreat to safety, or go in?
Lu Fengge had never felt so panicked in his life. Shen Ning had only gone in for a minute—why couldn’t he find him?
“Shen Ning!” he called once. The second time, the name stuck in his throat. He didn’t dare call—afraid Shen Ning might answer and expose himself, and afraid he wouldn’t answer at all.
The criminal had already committed mass murder—death penalty was a given. Taking one more life meant nothing.
Shen Ning was beautiful and alone. Cold sweat soaked Lu Fengge’s back. His steps remained steady as he advanced, eyes sharp as he scanned his surroundings.
It shouldn’t be like this. He should be very close to Shen Ning. He couldn’t go any farther.
In turmoil, Lu Fengge pulled out his phone. He didn’t dare call—if Shen Ning was near the criminal, a ringtone would be fatal. He typed a message: Don’t move. Hide well. Even if you see me, don’t make a sound. Only come out when I’m within three meters.
As he sent it, he was also gambling on whether Shen Ning’s phone made a notification sound.
Shen Ning had gone up into a building and stood on its dilapidated balcony, looking out at the street. He heard Lu Fengge’s voice—but didn’t respond.
He didn’t want to appear as “Mrs. Lu.” He’d just called Lu Fengge a bastard. Both of them would lose face.
Lu Fengge probably wanted to introduce him to the people around him.
Seeing Lu Fengge approaching, Shen Ning suddenly squatted down. From that angle, he couldn’t be seen.
“Shen Ning,” Lu Fengge called again. He didn’t show his panic, so as not to alert the criminal to the hiding place.
He forced calm into his voice. “Stop playing hide-and-seek. Come home with me and eat breakfast.”
Shen Ning clutched his stomach. How did Lu Fengge know he was hungry?
Lu Fengge added, “I’m in a hurry to go back. If you don’t come out, I’ll pull out all the flowerbeds at the door.”
Shen Ning immediately popped his head out angrily. “Lu Fengge! Don’t go too far.”
Ruining his flowerbeds was no different from ruining him.
He was the Flower Deity—those were all his little followers.
If he couldn’t protect his followers, he’d divorce.
Shen Ning swept his gaze downward, but didn’t see Lu Fengge. Two heavy thumps sounded behind him—he turned, and Lu Fengge was already charging toward him.
Did he fly up here?!
“Lu—”
“Mmph—” Shen Ning’s mouth was covered like he’d been kidnapped.
Lu Fengge warned him, “Don’t make a sound.”
Then Shen Ning was dragged down from the second floor and hustled out of the alley, shoved into the passenger seat.
Lu Fengge got into the driver’s seat, fastened his seatbelt, floored the accelerator, and drove straight home.
Shen Ning felt murderous energy radiating off him.
“What’s wrong with you?”
Lu Fengge asked, “Did you bring your phone?”
Shen Ning patted his pocket. “No.”
A vein jumped on Lu Fengge’s forehead. After all that worrying—this and that—and Shen Ning hadn’t even brought his phone.
“From now on, without three bodyguards, you’re not allowed to step outside.”
“So I have no freedom to go out?” Shen Ning asked.
“I’m telling you to bring bodyguards.”
“Unnecessary. One car can’t even fit them.”
“Then take two cars.”
Shen Ning hated Lu Fengge’s tone right now. Rogue in the morning, cold lecturing now—was his mouth that cultured?
“No,” Shen Ning said. “Did you see the guy who cursed you earlier? He studies literature. If you could be as cultured as him, I’d be willing to listen to you.”
Consider it improving his Chinese.
The brakes screeched.
Lu Fengge pulled over with a cold laugh, unbuckled his seatbelt, grabbed Shen Ning’s chin, and kissed him.
“Didn’t you want to repay me? I’m giving you the chance.”
