Chapter 295 - I Don't Mind Changing Someone
"She seemed to have something urgent to attend to," Liu Ning said. "But she didn't say what it was."
"I'll go take a look then."
"Alright, the press conference is coming to an end anyway. Let me know when you find her."
Li Juekai immediately got off the stage.
Shi Jin was wearing a gown and couldn't walk very fast, so Li Juekai caught up with her very quickly.
"Shi Jin!" Li Juekai followed her quickly. "What's wrong? What's up?"
"I'm fine." Shi Jin didn't want her father to worry. "I just don't want to stay in a place with so many people."
"It's indeed boring there." Li Juekai also admitted that the environment of this press conference was different from before.
Shi Jin called Fu Xiuyuan, but no one picked up.
Li Juekai could see her abject worry. "What happened between you and Fu Xiuyuan?"
"Nothing. I just made an appointment with him. I'm only supposed to be on stage for a little while, but I'll be home with him soon. Between family and career, there's always a compromise."
"Nothing will happen to the man. He must be in the parking lot. I'll go down with you."
Li Juekai didn't waste Shi Jin's time and quickly went to the parking lot with her. However, it was empty there. Although Fu Xiuyuan's car was there, the car lights were not on, so there was obviously no one inside.
Shi Jin smiled and said, "Dad, you can go back first. I forgot that he told me to wait for him at the entrance."
When she said this, she revealed a relaxed expression, as if she had been relieved of a heavy burden, making Li Juekai unable to doubt her.
Li Juekai could not detect any other emotions on her face and could only believe her. "Give me a call after you meet up."
He didn't want to be a third wheel either.
The entrance was not far away. He just needed to see his daughter off.
Under his gaze, Shi Jin walked towards the entrance. When she reached it, she waved at him, indicating that she had arrived.
Li Juekai then turned around and returned to the press conference.
Fu Xiuyuan was not there. Seeing that Li Juekai's figure had disappeared, Shi Jin followed him back to the seats below the stage.
She searched around, but there was no sign of Fu Xiuyuan anywhere.
The uneasiness in her heart grew. Suddenly, she felt a tight embrace from behind.
"Fu Xiuyuan." Shi Jin sighed in relief when he smelled his unique scent.
"Were you looking for me?" Fu Xiuyuan asked with a smile when he was recognized by Shi Jin.
Shi Jin turned around and looked at the man in front of him. She said seriously, "Yes. I couldn't see you from the stage just now."
"Well, I've been here all along." Fu Xiuyuan did not tell the truth. He had left halfway and gone out to smoke a few cigarettes.
Shi Jin had already smelled the tobacco scent on him.
She had always disliked the smell of cigarettes, but when Fu Xiuyuan smoked, it was different.
She also saw the obvious haggardness on Fu Xiuyuan's face.
In just half an hour, what had he done to make himself like this?
Shi Jin said, "I'm done here. Let's go back to the car."
Fu Xiuyuan did not object and followed after her.
When they got into the car, Shi Jin realized that his eyes were gradually coming back to life. From the lifeless look he had just now, he had become vibrant again.
Her eyes narrowed. "How many cigarettes did you smoke?"
"Six." Fu Xiuyuan did not hide it from her. In fact, he could not hide it from her.
He opened the window and also turned on the AC system in the car. "I'll try not to smoke in the future."
In passing, he pulled off his crumpled tie and took off his jacket, stuffing them into the trunk.
Shi Jin grabbed his arm. "Fu Xiuyuan."
"I'll go put on my clothes first, okay?"
If not for the fact that these clothes were from Shi Jin, he would have thrown them into the rubbish bin.
Shi Jin released his fingers. After placing the things down, he sat back down. The smell on his body had already dissipated a lot.
"Were you smoking because I was on stage?" Shi Jin asked calmly. She had sensed Fu Xiuyuan's resistance to letting her go on stage at the start.
"No, it's my fault," Fu Xiuyuan said after a moment of silence.
Shi Jin understood what he meant. It wasn't because Shi Jin was on stage. He could accept her profession. However, there were times when he could not control his inner demons and was unwilling to see her appear in front of others dressed beautifully.
He could not accept it, but he knew that he should respect her. So he was only torturing himself.
When he saw Shi Jin come back to look for him, he had come back to life because he knew that she truly cared about him. No matter how far she went, she would return.
Shi Jin's heart ached a little. She reached out and placed her hand in his. "Mr. Fu, it's normal to be looked at, isn't it?"
"I know that you belong to me, and you also belong to yourself." It was precisely because he knew that he no longer wanted to dwell on this issue or confine her, but she was dressed too beautifully tonight.
Even though the hairdresser had tried her best to dress Shi Jin in the most conservative way, she couldn't possibly let her wear a shirt and jeans all the time, right?
"On the stage, I belong to the public. Below the stage, I belong to Mr. Fu alone. Unless I give up this job…"
Fu Xiuyuan placed a finger on her lips. "No, there's no need."
There was no need for her to give it up. When she was imprisoned by him, she was a soulless rose, but now, she was a wild and lively bamboo seedling, trying her best to absorb all the nutrients around her and grow into a better person. Although to him, Shi Jin was already the best no matter what.
However, he knew that Shi Jin wanted an environment to grow freely in.
"I can't limit your growth." Fu Xiuyuan's voice was a little low, but it was unusually pleasant. "I will adjust my own mentality. I will work hard."
Shi Jin looked into his deep eyes. "I know that if you wanted me to give up, you wouldn't just be smoking. You're waiting for me, and you're trying to change your thought patterns. But smoking… is harmful."
"I'll try not to smoke too much." After Fu Xiuyuan and Shi Jin registered their marriage, he hadn't smoked for a long time.
"Mr. Fu, do you know why I insist on my career? It's because I have people I care about, family, you, and friends. In the past, everyone loved me very much, but I selfishly lived according to my own wishes and didn't give anyone any respect. Now, I want to be a better person, and I also want to use my better self to love everyone."
She moved toward Fu Xiuyuan. She breathed over his lips. "Mr. Fu, no matter where I go, no matter how far I go, I will remember that you are still waiting for me. So you have to be well and wait for me. Otherwise, I won't mind swapping for someone else…"