Chapter 84 Anxiety and insecurity will only intensify…

After Fang Chuning finished her breakfast, Xu Muzhou finally came out of the room. She casually glanced at him and nearly choked.

The young man was wearing the slightly tattered shirt from last night on top, while below he only wore a pair of shorts. His long, slender, fair legs were exposed to the air, still bearing traces from the previous night.

“Ahem,” Fang Chuning looked at him with a strange expression, “Why aren’t you properly dressed?”

Xu Muzhou blushed and tugged at his clothes, “I don’t have any other clothes to change into.”

“You can wear some of mine for now.”

Xu Muzhou slightly pursed his lips, turned and went back to the room. Soon, he came out wearing one of her loose long-sleeved home clothes. The shirt was long enough to cover his round, perky bottom, but he still wasn’t wearing pants.

The reason was: “Your pants are too tight… they’ll get stuck.”

Where they would get stuck was obvious. Perhaps still feeling shy from last night, he clutched the shirt with both hands, trying to cover himself, his gaze repeatedly avoiding hers.

Fang Chuning shifted her gaze from him back to the international daily newspaper, “Have some breakfast.”

Xu Muzhou moved to the seat next to her, bending over to reach for the breakfast in the middle of the table. His shirt rode up due to the large movement, revealing a seductive curve.

Fang Chuning suspected he was doing it on purpose. Her posture while reading the newspaper allowed her to see everything, instantly reminding her of how he had cried when being ravished last night.

The young man quietly ate his breakfast. Sunlight streaming through the window fell on his face, making his hair appear much lighter, accentuating the snow-white of his skin. His side profile was beautifully contoured, with gentle brows and eyes, and light-colored pupils, beautiful to the point of being unreal.

Her gaze slid down to his swan-like neck, covered in a dense array of red marks, forming a stark contrast with his otherworldly face.

It made him look even more desirable.

Fang Chuning’s mind was filled with images from last night – him crying and begging her to stop… and herself covering his mouth, his tears falling nonstop even though he couldn’t speak… Yet despite crying constantly, his body still honestly responded to her.

As she thought about it, Fang Chuning suddenly wanted him again.

Xu Muzhou seemed not to notice her gaze, slowly chewing his sandwich, finally licking his slightly swollen lips with the tip of his tongue.

Fang Chuning watched for a while, then averted her gaze.

“Aren’t you going to the company today?”

Fang Chuning gave a noncommittal “Mm.”

Xu Muzhou felt a surge of secret joy in his heart. Pursing his lips slightly, he held a cup of milk and carefully probed, “Then… should I go home and bring some clothes over?”

“Why bring clothes over?”

He didn’t know if the woman was pretending not to understand or genuinely didn’t, or if she had never thought about taking things further with him. That anxious, uneasy feeling once again gripped his heart.

His fingers tightened slightly on the glass, and Xu Muzhou looked at her pitifully, “Last night we…”

Fang Chuning turned a page of the newspaper, her tone flat, “I didn’t say I wouldn’t take responsibility for you.”

But she also didn’t express any intention of living together.

Xu Muzhou lowered his head dejectedly, the remaining half of his breakfast becoming tasteless.

The young man was reluctant to leave, determined to stay here. If not watching TV, then voluntarily cleaning, even though he wasn’t the type to do such work, still insisting on wiping everything with a cloth.

Fang Chuning of course knew what he was thinking, but she just didn’t want to give in to his every wish. That way he would become increasingly presumptuous, just like before.

Working from home was different from working in the office. Even though she stayed in the study, she would occasionally get distracted, finding it hard to concentrate.

Not to mention there was someone constantly coming in and out to feed her.

“I made this pudding according to a recipe book. I just tried one, it’s not bad, want to try?”

Fang Chuning rested her chin on her hand, her expression unchanged, “I’m already very full, I don’t want to eat.”

She had just eaten a piece of strawberry cake, then felt it was too sweet. Thinking she hadn’t had instant noodles in a long time and craving it, she cooked some. She also ate a few pieces of chilled Hami melon and an ice cream. Even before lunch, she was already satiated, how could she eat anything more?

The corners of Xu Muzhou’s upturned mouth fell, his eyelashes lowered, “Oh…”

Looking aggrieved but not daring to say more, he turned away with the pudding, his departing figure very dejected, moving slowly towards the door.

Fang Chuning poked at the draft paper on the desk with her pen, glanced at him, and finally relented, “Leave it here, I’ll eat it later when I have time.”

He immediately turned back, smiling brightly as he placed the pudding in front of her, “Tell me when you’re done, I’ll take the plate out.”

Fang Chuning nodded, then after a pause said: “If you’re very free, you can make lunch, so we don’t have to go out to eat.”

Xu Muzhou was very happy, “What would you like to eat?”

Fang Chuning listed a few dishes for him.

After noting them down, Xu Muzhou went out to buy groceries. It was rare to see someone so enthusiastic about housework and enjoying it. Fang Chuning shook her head and refocused on her work.

Soon, the sudden sound of the doorbell disturbed her thoughts.

She looked at the time, thinking Xu Muzhou shouldn’t be back so soon from grocery shopping. Fang Chuning stretched lazily, got up from the study and walked towards the entrance. When she opened the video intercom, a magnified eye startled her.

The eyeball rolled around, and finally, as if curiosity was satisfied, stepped back two paces. Fang Chuning could now see his face clearly.

It was actually Erik, whom she hadn’t seen in a long time.

She opened the door. The person outside was still curiously poking at the intercom lens, slowly turning his head to look at her. His eyes instantly brightened, “Ning!”

Fang Chuning looked him over and saw he was alone, “How did you know I live here?”

“I asked her to help me find you!” Erik followed her inside, his light green eyes curiously surveying the surroundings.

The “her” he referred to was his mother. Fang Chuning didn’t ask how she found out, but took a carton of milk from the refrigerator. When she turned around, she saw him sprawled against the floor-to-ceiling window, his fascinated expression looking rather silly.

“The sun is too strong there, come sit over here.” Fang Chuning put the milk on the table and asked him curiously, “Why did you come to see me?”

The blonde hair on the young man’s head was a bit messy, obviously having just finished gallivanting with Fang Tianli before coming over. She just didn’t know why Fang Tianli wasn’t with him.

“I came to say goodbye to Ning.” These words that should have been sad sounded no different from usual coming from his mouth, just as carefree.

“You’re going back to D country?”

“Mm!”

Fang Chuning, “Then stay and have lunch together.”

“Okay~” Erik drawled in his newly learned Chinese.

He didn’t ask about what had happened to her recently. For him, as long as they were friends, he was satisfied and didn’t care about anything else.

When Xu Muzhou returned with groceries, he saw an extra man in the living room. His expression changed as he put away the groceries, glanced at the closed study door, walked to the living room, and looked unpleasantly at the person lounging on the sofa reading comics, “Who are you?”

The golden hair looked extremely glaring.

The blonde, green-eyed young man had an air of unworldly innocence about him. He looked up at Xu Muzhou blankly, blinked, and said, “I’m Ning’s friend.”

Friend?

Just hearing it made him feel uncomfortable, but Xu Muzhou had no right to drive him away. His previously elated mood instantly turned gloomy. He returned to the kitchen, feeling that even the vegetables had become an eyesore.

In the end, unable to control the jealousy about to erupt, he knocked on the study door. After getting permission, he slowly walked in, closed the door, but then didn’t know what to say.

“You’re back.” Fang Chuning looked up at him, noticing his unusual expression, “What’s wrong?”

The woman’s voice made Xu Muzhou feel a lump in his throat. His nose tingled, and a hint of moisture appeared in his eyes. He looked at her as if making an accusation, “Who is he?”

He pointed towards the outside.

Fang Chuning twirled the pen in her fingers, looking at him as she said: “A friend I met in D country.”

Xu Muzhou bit his lower lip, lowering his head and fidgeting with his fingers dejectedly.

Fang Chuning leaned back in her chair and continued, “He came to say goodbye, seems like he’s going back tomorrow.”

Xu Muzhou’s movements paused, and he looked up.

“He might even be leaving tonight, so I invited him to stay for lunch.”

Xu Muzhou’s mood lightened, and he pursed his lips into a smile, “Oh, I see. Should I go buy more groceries then? What does he like to eat?”

“I don’t think he’s picky about food.” Fang Chuning’s eyes subtly observed him, “If he’s not leaving until tomorrow, I’m thinking of letting him stay the night here. What do you think?”

The smile on the young man’s face instantly vanished, his complexion paling a bit. His eyelashes trembled before lowering, and he said softly, “If you want him to stay, then let him stay.”

The pen spun rapidly between the woman’s slender fingers. She stared at him for a good while before Fang Chuning curved her lips, “Never mind, it’s not appropriate for a man and woman to be alone together.”

She found it very interesting how the young man’s eyes brightened again. His mood seemed easily swayed by her, and more expressive than before, every frown and smile more vivid.

Xu Muzhou’s mood indeed fluctuated because of her words. Even knowing she was teasing him, he wasn’t upset, but still couldn’t help saying coyly, “Wouldn’t that be inappropriate? After all, he’s your friend.”

The study suddenly fell silent.

Just as he wondered if he had said something wrong, he heard the woman say, “Alright then, let him stay here for the night.”

After saying this, she ignored him.

Xu Muzhou stood there stiffly, his eyes instantly reddening.

He had thought that after they were truly together, there wouldn’t be any more misunderstandings. But he discovered that after last night, those feelings of anxiety and insecurity had intensified. He was always afraid that she might get tired of him and abandon him.

By the time Fang Chuning finished a video conference, the young man was still standing there, his whole being shrouded in gloom, in low spirits.

She tapped her fingers on the desk, making a crisp sound. Xu Muzhou slowly raised his eyes. Fang Chuning extended a hand towards him. He hesitated, then tentatively stepped closer, his heart pounding, suddenly reviving from his dejected state.

He sat on her lap, his whole body melting into her embrace like water. He nuzzled her jaw as if coquettishly, then buried his face in her chest, his long arms tightly encircling her waist.

Fang Chuning ruffled his hair, a trace of gentleness flashing in her eyes, “You clearly don’t like it, yet you still had to say that. Is it so hard to express your feelings directly?”

Her response was a dissatisfied mumble from the person in her arms, the voice too soft to hear clearly.