Chapter 89 Cousins With Him, But Close With You

Chapter 89: He’s Like a Cousin; You’re Like Family

Most people would be too embarrassed to ask for contact details after making such a fool of themselves in front of a pretty lady, but Qi Heng was audacious. "She wished me well—how kind of her," he thought, his face flushed as he stammered, "Then… would you be willing to co-parent my child?"

"What!?" Zhang Wanqing’s cool, aloof face was filled with confusion, as if she couldn’t believe her ears.

Their voices were too soft to be heard clearly from the second floor. Lu Jingtang was bouncing eagerly like a rabbit until Fu Nanyu scooped her into his arms, holding her from behind. He pressed his cheek against hers and whispered in her ear, "Qi Heng will tell us everything when he comes back."

Lu Jingtang tilted her head to look at him, somewhat skeptical. "Is Young Master Qi really that outgoing?"

Fu Nanyu’s expression softened. "No embarrassment is too big for Qi Heng."

"Are you really good friends?" Lu Jingtang asked with a teasing smile, her eyes curved.

Fu Nanyu played with her hand in his, the Buddhist beads on his wrist pressing gently against hers. A faint smile tugged at his lips. "He’s like a cousin; you’re like family."

Under the onlookers’ curious stares, Lu Jingtang’s ears turned red, but she didn’t pull her hand away. Instead, she whispered softly in his ear, "I’m closest to you too, Big Brother."

Fu Nanyu lowered his gaze to her lips, his Adam’s apple bobbing as a clear smile lit up his eyes. Suddenly raising his voice, he exclaimed, "What? You adore me the most!"

Qi Yao and the others’ teeth were aching from the sweetness. Embarrassed, Lu Jingtang turned to cover his mouth. "You’re making things up!"

Though his mouth was covered, Fu Nanyu’s eyes were smiling as he stared intently at her face. He kissed her palm and said, "I’ll let you kiss me when we get back."

Lu Jingtang had no control over his highly evolved smooth talk and could only resignedly use his hand to cover her flushed face.

Fu Nanyu looked down at the person in his arms, his gaze incredibly soft.

Qi Heng returned radiant, his face glowing with excitement as he announced to everyone, "I’m going to fall in love!"

What? Qi Heng’s got something going on too? Some were displeased. They were still single, and Qi Heng had such luck? Just doing a punishment struck him romance?

Li Chen laughed and asked, "It’s not just one-sided, is it?"

Qi Heng felt insulted and scoffed, "Of course not! Although she hasn’t agreed yet, she gave me her phone number. If she wasn’t interested, why would she give me her number?"

Fine, at least he got the phone number—that was halfway there. The others had to concede, even if reluctantly.

At 10:30 p.m., fireworks went off on time downstairs in the bar. The lights inside shifted to a sultry hue as the host announced the "Crush Numbers of the Day"—a signature feature of Calling Bar.

Everyone who entered received a number card—even numbers for men, odd for women. The game’s rule was to randomly select one man and one woman to dance together on the spot, with the prize being a bottle of Romanée-Conti worth over a hundred thousand.

Through this game, Meise made quite a bit of money behind the scenes. Those who could enter and play had some influence. If someone took a liking to another, they could pay the bar to rig the draw and switch the number cards to their own.

But no one dared to switch Fu Nanyu’s. Some circles were out of reach for a lifetime. If everyone could switch, Fu Nanyu would probably have to dance until he drops.

It was Lu Jingtang’s first time seeing this, and she was quite curious, watching from the second-floor railing.

The host first announced the woman’s number. The spotlight focused on a certain spot in the venue, and Lu Jingtang saw Ji Yunyin, wearing a black sequined mermaid dress, her figure graceful and her face radiant. She was holding the number card just called by the host.

Wow!

Seeing Ji Yunyin, the others instinctively glanced at Lu Jingtang. Qi Yao nudged her shoulder and asked, "You okay?"

Lu Jingtang’s mouth was stuffed with preserved plum, her cheeks puffed out. Her eyes were innocent and calm. "I’m fine."

Lu Jingtang wasn’t one to overthink. The male and female leads were destined to cross paths—even if fate didn’t bring them together, the plot would force it. If Fu Nanyu’s heart wavered because of this, it would prove he wasn’t the right one.

She turned to look at Fu Nanyu behind her, frowning slightly and glaring at him with a mix of fierceness and coquettishness, like a little tiger.

Fu Nanyu hadn’t looked away the entire time. The dim light, like a brush in God’s hand, meticulously outlined his sharp features. His eyes, dark as ink, held a faint smile, capturing her reflection.

Her heart suddenly raced like a startled deer.

Damn, he’s drop-dead gorgeous. Lu Jingtang stared at him for a few moments, then turned away and instinctively touched the corner of her mouth—thankfully, she hadn’t drooled.

The host called the man’s number several times, but no one stepped forward. The atmosphere grew awkward.

"Who is it? So rude, making the lady wait. If you don’t want to dance, let me take your place!" someone complained loudly.

Lu Jingtang suddenly had a premonition. She walked over to Fu Nanyu and naturally reached into his suit pants pocket. She remembered stuffing both number cards into his pocket when they entered.

Fu Nanyu initially let her search freely, but her hand grew too bold. He gasped, grabbed her wrist, leaned down slightly, and whispered in a low, mesmerizing voice, "Stop fidgeting."

The lingering touch of his fingertips left an indescribable sensation. Lu Jingtang’s cheeks burned as she mumbled, "Then you take it out yourself."

Fu Nanyu chuckled softly and took the items out of his pocket, handing them to her.

Lu Jingtang looked—sure enough, it was Fu Nanyu’s number. Well, the male and female leads were just fated like that.

Qi Heng and the others crowded around to look and fell silent. What an awkward love scene!

"Nanyu, it’s your number."

Fu Nanyu replied calmly, "Is it?" He gently brushed Lu Jingtang’s hair, his eyes reassuring. "Don’t worry, I have a solution."

His upbringing wouldn’t allow him to make someone lose face, but he loved Lu Jingtang and cared about her too much to do anything that would hurt her.

If no one came forward, the host would change the number. Fu Nanyu would send a few bottles of wine over and explain the situation. Naturally, no one would laugh at Ji Yunyin.

A friend suggested that Fu Nanyu swap number cards with someone else.

But Lu Jingtang thought that wouldn’t be fair to Ji Yunyin—she might not want to dance with a substitute.

An idea suddenly struck her. Her eyes lit up as she took the number card and pinned it to her chest. She deftly tied her hair into a bun and said to Fu Nanyu, "Wait for me, I’ll be right back." Then she turned and ran downstairs.

Seeing her go downstairs, Qi Heng thought she was acting up again and was about to rush down and start a fight. Wide-eyed, he said to Fu Nanyu, "Holy shit, aren’t you going to stop her? We don’t need another trending topic tomorrow!"

But Fu Nanyu remained motionless, not attempting to stop her at all. A faint smile spread in his eyes, his chin slightly raised with a warmth and pride that was unmistakable.