Chapter 81 Kinda Like You

Chapter 81: A Little Fond of You

The three-day recording session flew by. Lu Jingtang had initially been anxious about returning home to face Fu Nanyu, wondering how she would respond if he pressed her for an answer.

Unexpectedly, a project for the Fu Corporation in Hong Kong ran into some trouble, requiring Fu Nanyu to fly there personally to handle it. Consequently, not only could he not pick her up from the airport, but he would also be two days later than her in returning home.

After Fu Nanyu explained the situation, he noticed a fleeting look of disappointment in her eyes. She then lifted her glistening gaze, cupped her face, and said with a troubled tone, "Big Brother, you’re still leaving home to work even though you're sick. That must be so hard."

Not expecting her concern to be about this, Fu Nanyu paused briefly, then smiled softly, his eyes full of tenderness. He reassured her, "It’s alright, just a slight cough. I’ve already taken medicine."

Lu Jingtang reminded him, "Big Brother, remember to drink more water."

She pulled out her tablet and searched for ways to alleviate a cough besides taking medicine—drink more water, rest more. These were things Fu Nanyu couldn’t do since he still had to work. She read that eating rock sugar and pear soup could moisten the lungs and relieve coughs, something Special Assistant Qin could help purchase...

As Fu Nanyu worked, he listened to her muttering to herself without showing the slightest impatience. His gaze toward the person on the screen was filled with intense possessiveness, but unfortunately, Lu Jingtang was too engrossed in her search to notice.

Lu Jingtang came across a suggestion: those with a cough should speak less to avoid hoarseness. In a fluster, she said to Fu Nanyu, "Big Brother, you shouldn’t talk to me anymore. You need more rest." Without waiting for his response, she ended the video call with a click.

Fu Nanyu sighed helplessly, a low chuckle escaping him. Lu Jingtang must have been born as his missing half; why else would everything she do seem utterly adorable to him?

After the recording, all the guests returned to the capital, conveniently booking the same flight for the journey back, making it easier to look out for one another.

However, Lu Jingtang seemed distracted. On the way to the airport, her mind was filled with images of Fu Nanyu—dark circles under his eyes, pale complexion, coughing incessantly, scribbling furiously at his desk, yet the pile of documents awaiting approval remained mountain-high.

So pitiful.

Fu Nanyu knew her flight details and roughly what time she would arrive home.

In the middle of a dinner meeting, seeing that it was about time, Fu Nanyu excused himself to make a call outside the private room. However, when he dialed, Lu Jingtang’s phone was still switched off.

Frowning slightly, Fu Nanyu checked the flight status. The flight Lu Jingtang had taken had arrived on time. He had deliberately waited half an hour before calling, so she should have been home by then. It was unlikely her phone would still be off.

He then called home, but Ye Xixi also said Lu Jingtang hadn’t answered her phone and hadn’t been seen.

Fu Nanyu had no choice but to disturb Jiang Cheng. The two should have been on the same flight. Yet when he called, Jiang Cheng’s phone was also switched off.

Unable to reach anyone, Fu Nanyu grew increasingly worried. Fearing that something might have happened to Lu Jingtang, he lost all interest in socializing. He returned to the private room, apologized to his business partners, and left early.

As his car pulled up to the hotel where he was staying, Jiang Cheng’s call finally came through. Jiang Cheng said that after arriving at the airport, Lu Jingtang had suddenly mentioned having something to attend to and didn’t board the flight. She told them to go ahead and left.

Jiang Cheng’s phone had died after he landed, and he had to borrow a stranger’s phone to call a friend to pick him up. After returning home, he hadn't checked his phone immediately.

Hearing that Lu Jingtang was unreachable, Jiang Cheng also grew anxious. The girl had told him her family knew and not to worry, promising to contact him once she got home.

Getting no useful information from him, Fu Nanyu quickly hung up. He quickened his pace into the hotel lobby and said to Qin Xianzhao beside him, "Get me the next flight to Nan City."

Then, as he lifted his gaze and casually scanned the hotel lobby’s reception area, he froze in place. His steps halted abruptly, his eyes widened suddenly, and his heart pounded like thunder. He stared fixedly in one direction.

Qin Xianzhao followed his gaze and spotted a figure on the sofa. Lu Jingtang was wearing a light blue short-sleeved shirt and a gray skirt, her black hair cascading over her shoulders. A plastic bag hung from her suitcase handle and held two plump, round snow pears.

She seemed truly exhausted. With her suitcase placed in front of her, she was leaning over it, her chin resting on her arms, eyes closed in sleep. The young woman’s fair skin and cute sleeping face, with her long, thick eyelashes, drew frequent glances from passersby.

Fu Nanyu’s heart instantly melted with tenderness. He said quietly, "No need to book the ticket."

Qin Xianzhao acknowledged and discreetly stepped away.

Fu Nanyu walked over, looking down at her face, his gaze unabashedly drinking in the sight of her. As her suitcase shifted slightly forward, Lu Jingtang’s body moved along with it. Her eyelashes fluttered lightly, and just as she was about to open her eyes, she felt something steadying the sliding suitcase.

She paused, opened her eyes, and looked up to see Fu Nanyu standing before her, his leg blocking her suitcase. He was watching her quietly, his eyes deep and unreadable yet unmistakably intense.

He knelt down in front of her, meeting her gaze, his voice low and pleasant, "Lu Jingtang, why did you come?"

Lu Jingtang’s eyelashes trembled, her voice slightly sleepy, "I wanted to make you rock sugar and pear soup." A man in his position could have any kind of rock sugar and pear soup he wanted—why would he need her to rush over like this?

Fu Nanyu looked at her, his eyes deep and unreadable, as if dissatisfied with her answer.

"And... and also..." Lu Jingtang nervously clutched her skirt, stumbling over her words, "I’m a little fond of you."

No matter how many times she warned herself not to fall for him, her heart gave her away.