Chapter 315: Collect what is mine
Hua Jing snapped her fingers twice in front of the girl’s face. Snap! Snap!
"Hey, hey. Are you okay? Are you breathing? Don’t tell me I scared you to death?" she asked, her tone half-amused, half-serious.
Lin Qian jolted, her senses rushing back into her body. She immediately clutched her hand over her mouth, muffling the sound of her disbelief. Her big eyes widened again as she pointed a trembling finger at Hua Jing.
"You... you’re serious?!"
Hua Jing’s smile faltered ever so slightly. For the first time, her brows knitted in mild frustration.
"Of course I’m serious," she said, her voice low but firm, laced with a trace of annoyance that the girl still didn’t believe her. "We’ve been married for a few days now."
"..."
The words were like a final thunderbolt striking Lin Qian’s world.
Her hand dropped from her mouth, her jaw hanging loose. But instead of pure shock, this time her expression shifted. The panic ebbed, replaced by something steadier, something that simmered like realization.
She slowly nodded, eyes narrowing thoughtfully. "I knew it."
Hua Jing blinked. "Knew what?"
Lin Qian crossed her arms dramatically, her voice rising with confidence. "I knew the two of you must have been hiding something back then! It all makes sense now! With how much the two of you hated each other — it’s a no-brainer! Enemies like you always end up turning into lovers in the end!"
Hua Jing: "..."
Fu Jingrong: "..."
Lin Qian’s conviction only grew. She pointed at them with great seriousness, her voice becoming even more animated. "Think about it! You two used to act like seeing each other was poison. Don’t you remember?!"
Hua Jing raised a brow, but Lin Qian was already on a roll.
"Back then, if you both entered the same building, one of you would storm out immediately just to avoid the other. Rumors said you once turned back down a ten-story stairwell just so you wouldn’t ride the elevator together!"
Hua Jing: "..."
"And don’t even get me started on the award shows!" Lin Qian’s voice rose dramatically. "If the seats placed you anywhere within three rows of each other, the organizers had to scramble to rearrange everything, otherwise sparks would fly! And not the romantic kind, I mean the kind that sets the curtains on fire!"
Hua Jing pinched the bridge of her nose. Was it really that exaggerated?
But Lin Qian was unstoppable now, listing example after example, her eyes glittering with the thrill of uncovering the truth.
"There was even that one time at the music festival! Do you remember? You both came on stage for the finale, and instead of standing side by side, Fu Jingrong walked all the way around the back just so he wouldn’t have to share the same spotlight with you!"
Hua Jing pressed her lips together, an expression flickering across her face. Was it annoyance? Amusement? Regret?
For just a fleeting second, a shadow passed through her eyes — regret so sharp and raw it almost cut through her smile.
Yes. Back then... if they had only spoken honestly, if they had cleared the endless misunderstandings and prideful silences, perhaps this ship of theirs would have sailed a long, long time ago.
But that moment passed, replaced quickly by her usual teasing charm.
She tilted her head and smiled sweetly, looking Lin Qian straight in the eye. "Enemies turned lovers, you say? Hm... I like the sound of that."
Lin Qian: "!!!"
Her face turned scarlet, her arms flailing as she sputtered, "I-I didn’t mean it like that!"
But Hua Jing only laughed, her eyes glimmering with a mix of mischief and something deeper that neither Lin Qian nor Fu Jingrong could decipher.
Thinking about it, Hua Jing felt that the phrase enemies-to-lovers really did suit her relationship with Fu Jingrong far too perfectly. The two of them had once loathed each other so bitterly that even standing in the same room had been unbearable. Back then, every glare, every word, every step closer had felt like a battle waiting to erupt.
And yet now...
Now she had spent several days wrapped in the kind of bliss she never thought possible. His warmth, his quiet gestures, the way he looked at her when he thought she wasn’t paying attention—it was all enough to make her forget those turbulent beginnings. Almost.
Hearing Lin Qian recount the past, Hua Jing realized how easy it was to push those memories aside when the present felt so sweet. Lin Qian’s words, though exaggerated in their dramatics, still carried the sting of truth. The venomous arguments, the burning hatred, the cutting insults—they had happened.
Hua Jing let out a small laugh, soft and resigned, before saying with a smile,
"Anyways, things have already happened like this."
Her tone carried both dismissal and a quiet acceptance, as though she no longer wished to dwell on what could not be changed.
Lin Qian leaned forward, her eyes gleaming with a rare sincerity as she replied,
"Good choice. I’ve always felt that there is no one else more deserving of him than you. And I’ve also felt that there is no one else deserving of you than him. This is truly a perfect match indeed."
For a moment, Hua Jing froze.
The words were simple, but they landed with a force that struck her heart deeply. Warmth spread slowly through her chest, tugging at something buried deep inside. This... this was the first time she had ever heard someone say such words with conviction, without doubt, without hesitation.
Back in the other world—the one they had been dragged into when fate twisted their paths—things had been so very different. There, Fu Jingrong had been Prince Zhao Yan, feared and revered, towering above all with his authority. And she, the daughter of a mistress, was regarded as unworthy. Whispers had followed her wherever she went: Why would such an imposing man marry her? What could he possibly see in her?
She had carried that scorn, those doubts, for so long that they had etched themselves into her bones.
But now—Lin Qian’s words washed over those scars like warm sunlight breaking through storm clouds. For the first time, Hua Jing felt that maybe, just maybe, she wasn’t the only one who saw the bond between herself and Fu Jingrong as something real.
Her gaze softened, and she looked at Lin Qian with gratitude brimming in her eyes.
Lin Qian, noticing that gentle look, quickly straightened and gave a small, awkward cough. Then, with a kind smile, she said,
"Anyway, I won’t stay any longer. I just wanted to thank you once again, Hua Jing, for what you did for me today. I am sincerely thankful. If you ever need anything—anything at all—do not hesitate to contact me. I will definitely be of aid."
Her voice rang with the directness that Hua Jing had always admired in her.
Hua Jing nodded lightly. She knew Lin Qian was not the kind of person who played tricks or made promises she couldn’t keep. Straightforward and sharp—that was who she was. Their relationship, though new, felt solid enough for Hua Jing to trust that Lin Qian’s words were not empty.
With that, Lin Qian excused herself.
The moment the door clicked shut behind Lin Qian, the atmosphere shifted.
Fu Jingrong’s tall frame moved, slow yet deliberate, until his shadow fell over her. Before Hua Jing could even take a step back, a strong arm slipped around her slender waist. The sudden contact made her body stiffen, but his palm lingered, his fingers spreading with a kind of dangerous possession.
Her breath caught.
His hand roamed lightly along the curve of her waist, and her face immediately flushed a brilliant red. The meaning behind his touch was unmistakable—bold, unrestrained, and filled with intent.
Hua Jing’s lips parted slightly, a protest on the tip of her tongue, but before she could speak, the man lowered his head. His lips brushed close to her ear, his breath hot, his tone low and dangerous.
"Husband," he murmured.
Her heart skipped a beat.
The word—so simple, yet so heavy—stabbed straight into her mind. She immediately recalled that she had indeed used that word earlier, right in front of Lin Qian. Her cheeks grew hotter as she stammered,
"Isn’t it true? We... we have already been married for two days. Doesn’t that make you my husband?"
Fu Jingrong chuckled, a deep, rich sound that rolled through his chest and sent shivers up her spine. His arm tightened, pulling her even closer against him, until her softness pressed firmly against the hard lines of his body.
"Mm," he hummed, his lips curving with wicked amusement. "Then as your husband, I should collect what’s mine."
The ambiguous weight in his words left Hua Jing speechless. She could feel the heat rising from his body, his every movement filled with unspoken hunger. His hand traced her side with deliberate slowness, leaving trails of fire wherever he touched.
Her lashes trembled as she whispered, voice barely audible,
"Shameless..."
But her protest only seemed to fuel him. His smile deepened, his eyes glinting with a dangerous charm. In one swift, effortless motion, Fu Jingrong bent down and scooped her up into his arms.
"Ah—!"
