Wen Baozhu naturally nestled in his embrace, feeling the warmth radiating from the man's body.
It was a real, tangible warmth.
"Fu Sheng, you shouldn't have come to protect me just now," she said, her eyes glistening like a fawn's. "Your hands are too precious, Fu Sheng."
"Then should I have just let you hit your head?"
Fu Lian twitched the corner of his lips. "If that happened and you were sent to the hospital, the paparazzi would start speculating that there's more to your presence in the Fu family than just being a rich man's wife. They'd say you're like a caged bird."
Wen Baozhu stuck out her tongue. "Isn't it about the same?"
Her current situation was no different from that of a caged bird.
Even if she managed to fly out, there were still predators waiting outside, ready to tear her to pieces.
But as long as she pleased the man in front of her, she could stay alive.
She really had no reason to hesitate.
Fu Lian cast an exasperated glance at her. "You're so spineless."
But Wen Baozhu could tell that there was only fondness in his eyes, no criticism or blame.
Although lunch was simple, the relationship between the two of them had quietly eased.
They had both been on edge all morning.
One had been exposed to the wind on the mountaintop for several hours; the other had listened to a meaningless voice message.
At this moment, their nerves finally relaxed, and drowsiness began to creep into their minds.
Wen Baozhu suggested taking a nap.
Fu Lian readily agreed and scooped her up in his arms, carrying her into the bedroom.
But once they were in bed, Wen Baozhu wasn't as sleepy anymore.
The man beside her had already closed his eyes. He looked exhausted.
He was right. He rarely got a chance to rest properly.
Remembering what he had said before, "Only Baozhu can help me sleep well," her ears suddenly grew warm.
"Are you asleep, Fu Sheng?" she whispered.
Fu Lian kept his eyes closed. "No."
Wen Baozhu rested her head on his arm and snuggled closer to him. "Were you angry when you came back today?"
"No."
"Do you blame me for being so clumsy that I almost hit my head, Fu Sheng?"
"No."
"Then, Fu Sheng..."
Fu Lian opened his eyes. There were bloodshot eyes in them. He was starting to get impatient, but he still sighed and planted a gentle kiss on her forehead.
"Baozhu, I want to take a nap. I'll answer your questions when I wake up, okay?"
Wen Baozhu started to feel flustered again. "Are my questions too boring?"
Fu Lian pinched her upper and lower lips between his index finger and thumb, making her look like a clumsy little duck. "No, I'm just too tired."
Although he was impatient, he still answered her every time.
Wen Baozhu finally closed her eyes contentedly.
On the verge of sleep and wakefulness, Wen Baozhu suddenly remembered that she hadn't asked him if he wanted this child.
Before, when Li Wenshu had been pressuring her to get pregnant quickly, Fu Lian had been rather nonchalant.
Even now, with her almost three months pregnant, Fu Lian had never talked about the future of this child.
Maybe he was just bad at expressing himself.
Wen Baozhu fell asleep even faster than Fu Lian.
Hearing her breathing even out, Fu Lian found himself becoming less and less sleepy.
Before lunch today, he had indeed considered discarding Wen Baozhu as a pawn.
But now he thought it wasn't really necessary.
Even if a bird rebelled, how far could it go?
It would only end up with a scratch or a bruise, just like today.
The purpose of a pawn was to be useful.
He had to admit that he still had some interest in Wen Baozhu.
But...
His gaze shifted down to her slightly protruding but not very obvious belly.
This child had come at a really bad time.
A Wen Baozhu who might turn against him at any moment was already an unexpected variable in his plan.
An extra child?
It was out of the question.
Fu Lian's eyes darkened.
...
The two of them slept in each other's arms until 2 p.m. when the bedside phone suddenly rang incessantly.
Wen Baozhu immediately opened her eyes. She didn't want to disturb Fu Lian's rest, so she reached out to answer the phone.
But the man beside her had already been woken up. He reached over her and picked up the receiver.
The man was still sleepy, his voice hoarse and deep. "Yeah, okay, got it."
After hanging up the phone, he tightened his arms around Wen Baozhu and didn't say a word for a while.
Wen Baozhu asked, "Who was it?"
"The hospital. They reminded you to go for a prenatal check - up this week," Fu Lian's voice was still lazy.
Wen Baozhu then remembered that she had been pregnant for almost two months.
The doctor had said that the first three months were the most critical period for miscarriage, and she needed to be extra careful.
The sun was shining brightly outside. The sunlight streaming in through the window had warmed the floor. Everything seemed peaceful.
Wen Baozhu quietly nestled in the man's arms. "Okay, I remember."
"Our Baozhu has it tough. You still have to run around while pregnant."
She thought he was blaming her for showing up in public, so she whispered, "The doctor said that after three months, the fetus will be more stable, and I won't have to go for check - ups so often."
Fu Lian didn't say a word.
She wondered if it was just her imagination, but whenever the topic of the child came up, Fu Lian always seemed uninterested.
She had wanted to ask him if they should pick a name for the child.
But the words got stuck in her throat, and she didn't dare to say them.
For a moment, she was afraid of his answer.
She was afraid that he would be disgusted by the topic, or that he would just casually say, "Whatever."
She was afraid of getting hurt, so she changed the question instead. "Why is your name Fu Lian?"
Maybe she could find some clues about his attitude towards naming from his own name.
The two brothers were named Fu Lian and Fu Nian.
The gossip tabloids in Hong Kong had once reported that the two brothers looked alike but had very different personalities.
As descendants of a wealthy family, clear photos of them rarely appeared in the newspapers.
For their own safety and to avoid kidnapping and other serious crimes, the descendants of the rich were very low - key and rarely showed their faces in public.
Moreover, since Fu Lian had been in charge of the Fu Group for most of the time in recent years, and his younger brother had stayed behind the scenes, the public knew even less about his appearance.
The more mysterious they were, the more people wanted to know about them.
The rumors and gossips about the two brothers could fill an entire street if written down.
Some even said that Fu Lian and Fu Nian often switched places. Because they looked so alike, no one could tell them apart, and there were often mix - ups within the Fu Group.
But these were just speculations for entertainment and had no real value.
On the first day Wen Baozhu arrived in Hong Kong, she had caught a glimpse of Fu Nian from across a table.
He did have a similar build to Fu Lian, but his cynical personality was quite obvious.
That day, he had worn a pair of very cool sunglasses that covered his face completely.
So even now, Wen Baozhu's impression of Fu Nian was still hazy.
She often wondered how similar they were. Their names were even easy to mispronounce because of the similar pronunciation.
Fu Lian's voice was flat. "It's just what it means literally."
Lian meant that he should be self - disciplined and modest.
Nian meant that he hoped his younger brother would have a long and prosperous life.