PTBLSI chapter 71

 

When they walked out of the cemetery, Qi Xi suddenly stopped and looked back. The tall cypress trees blocked his line of sight, so he could no longer see the gravestones on the mountain. Naturally, he was also unable to see Fu Yuejiang.

After getting into the car, he finally asked curiously, “Brother Yan, who was that person?”

Fu Yanchuan had never had the chance to ask before and didn’t quite dare to. He was afraid that Fu Yuejiang had said something to Qi Xi that he didn’t want him to know.

He gripped the steering wheel, waiting until he had driven the car out before replying, “What did he say to you?”

Qi Xi answered honestly, “He said that without him, Qin Hui wouldn’t have died. He also told me what it feels like to love someone, but I felt like he wasn’t really talking to me.”

Only then did he react, “Did he do something to Qin Hui?”

Fu Yanchuan’s fingers rubbed against the steering wheel. He didn’t want to tell Qi Xi the truth, so he softened his words. “He and Qin Hui were together before, but it wasn’t mutual. He forced Qin Hui to be with him. Later, Qin Hui left him, but he found Qin Hui again. Qin Hui didn’t want to be with someone who forced him, so he chose to jump into the sea.”

This summary was too vague. Qi Xi’s mind turned several times before finally stopping on the image of Fu Yuejiang kneeling painfully in the empty passageway and shouting hoarsely. Then, he thought about what Fu Yuejiang had said about love and suddenly asked Fu Yanchuan, “Did he love Qin Hui?”

Fu Yanchuan didn’t answer. In his view, Fu Yuejiang wasn’t qualified to talk about loving Qin Hui in this lifetime. Qi Xi thought it through and came to his own conclusion. He looked at Fu Yanchuan with a sigh and sadness in his eyes. “Can loving someone be this painful?”

“Of course not!”

Hurriedly, Fu Yanchuan found a place to stop the car. He unfastened his seatbelt, leaned over to the passenger seat, and told Qi Xi, “Loving someone should bring happiness and joy. His pain comes from hurting the person he loves.”

“Brother Yan.”

Qi Xi’s gaze met Fu Yanchuan’s. It was as if something burrowed from Fu Yanchuan’s eyes into Qi Xi’s heart. Finally, what he hadn’t figured out all this time broke through the soil.

In an instant, emotions that were both sweet and sour and warm surged in his chest. He turned and hugged Fu Yanchuan tightly. “Don’t die! While I’m alive, you must also live, okay?”

Fu Yanchuan didn’t know how the topic had suddenly turned this way. He hugged him back and promised, “I won’t die before you. Naver”

Qi Xi wasn’t comforted; he felt even sadder. He hugged Fu Yanchuan tighter and said, “But if I die first, what will you do when you’re sad? There won’t be anyone to comfort you.”

“Qi Xi.”

Fu Yanchuan felt as if an earthquake were shaking inside his heart. What he told Fu Yuejiang was true—his ability to get what he wanted relied entirely on the fact that the person he met was Qi Xi.

If it weren’t for Qi Xi, he would probably never find what he wanted in his life. Or if Qi Xi didn’t have this kind of personality, even if he fell in love with him, the ending might not be any different from that of Fu Yuejiang and Qin Hui or Fu Zhenrong and his mother.

He gently pushed Qi Xi up and wiped away the tears that had suddenly fallen from the corners of his eyes. “Qi Xi, don’t think about it. We won’t die. We’ll live well, and we’ll always be together, growing old slowly.”

“Mm. You promised me. Don’t lie to me.”

“I won’t lie to you.”

Qi Xi looked at Fu Yanchuan and blinked. Tears rolled down his face again. Not caring, he cupped Fu Yanchuan’s face and kissed him, as if to confirm that Fu Yanchuan was really there.

At that moment, he finally understood what made his feelings for Fu Yanchuan different. He understood what Fu Yuejiang said about loving someone—when you see them smile, you want to smile; when you see them sad, you feel sad—and he also understood what Xie Hui said: once you fall in love, you lose.

“Qi Xi?”

Fu Yanchuan felt that Qi Xi wasn’t trying to kiss him but rather fish something out of his mouth. He pushed him away and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Qi Xi moved his lips, but he didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know how to tell Fu Yanchuan that he seemed to understand everything at that moment, yet he felt no different from before. He looked at Fu Yanchuan, feeling wronged and anxious. “I can’t say it! I just feel happy and sad at the same time.”

“It’s okay. Then don’t say it. Let’s go home.”

After returning home, Qi Xi never saw Fu Yuejiang again, nor did Fu Yanchuan ever mention him.

Qi Xi didn’t go to work for several days. The people at the studio were all wailing, waiting for him to come back. Since he was the starting point of the workflow, many tasks couldn’t move forward without him, and the previous stockpile of drawings had been used up in the past few days.

Just like that, another week passed. News about the Fu Group once again occupied the front pages of major websites. Due to funding issues, the group was acquired, and the Fu family was about to lose control of the company.

Qi Xi couldn’t understand the professional analyses and could only read the gossip. This time, however, there weren’t any insider rumors leaking out.

While the outside world knew nothing, a shareholders’ meeting was being held in the top-floor conference room of Rongchuan Tower. After many twists and turns, Fu Yanchuan appeared in the conference room. Everyone was shocked, though not entirely surprised.

When Fu Yanchuan left before, no one believed that he had given up that easily. Sure enough, he had been waiting here.

Fu Jinshen felt this the most. He had never trusted Fu Yanchuan, yet he thought he had won. It was only after he became chairman that he realized Fu Yanchuan had set a trap for him from the beginning, leaving him powerless in the end.

Today’s shareholders’ meeting was to elect a new chairman and appoint a new president.

Fu Jinshen slammed the table and stormed out, but the outcome had already been decided. Fu Yanchuan was now the largest shareholder. Even those who were dissatisfied didn’t dare say no.

Ultimately, Fu Yanchuan returned to his position as president, while also serving as chairman. As he had once told Fu Zhenrong, he turned the Fu family into his Fu family.

After the shareholders’ meeting ended, he returned to the “home” he hadn’t been back to in a long time.

Fu Zhenrong was investigated and paid the required fines. He seemed to age rapidly overnight. He has withdrawn from public affairs over the past few months and rarely ventures outside.

When Fu Yanchuan entered, the first person he saw was Uncle Quan. Before Fu Yanchuan could ask anything, Uncle Quan told him, “The chairman is on the second floor. You should talk things through with him properly. He hasn’t had an easy time lately either.”

He didn’t respond and went upstairs. Fu Zhenrong wasn’t in the study; instead, piano music drifted up from the piano room downstairs.

When he was young, Fu Zhenrong had wanted him to learn the piano, but Lin Xianjing had persuaded him to choose the cello. Fu Zhenrong didn’t show him anything at the time. It wasn’t until he grew older that he learned Fu Zhenrong had used his piano skills to win Lin Xianjing over back then.

He went back downstairs to the piano room. When he pushed the door open, it made a dull sound, but Fu Zhenrong didn’t seem to hear it and kept playing. He was still playing “Love Concerto.”[mfn]“Love Concerto” refers to the well-known 1965 song performed by The Toys, which was adapted from Bach’s Minuet in G major.[/mfn]

Only after finishing did Fu Zhenrong stop. He turned around to look at Fu Yanchuan. His gaze was calm and unmoving, like an old well. He asked, “Are you satisfied now?”

“No matter how you are, my mom will never go back to how she used to be. In this lifetime, you and I both owe her.”

As soon as Fu Yanchuan finished speaking, Fu Zhenrong suddenly kicked the piano hard and roared, “What do I owe her?”

He remained calm and silent. Fu Zhenrong stood up and faced him directly. “I made her Madam Fu. She had whatever she wanted. I never betrayed her. She’s the one who imagined things and drove herself crazy! What do you think I owe her?”

The more Fu Zhenrong spoke, the less he could understand. Despite having spent more than twenty years on it, he still couldn’t comprehend it. “Did you forget? Back then, she planned to take you with her to die. You don’t hate her, but you hate me? What exactly have I done to wrong you?”

As he spoke, his gaze stabbed at Fu Yanchuan like a blade. “You used everything I taught you against me, and I accept that. Without me, would you be where you are today? Which part of me has wronged you, mother and son?”

Hearing these words from Fu Zhenrong, Fu Yanchuan remained so calm that he didn’t react at all. He even smiled. He knew it—Fu Zhenrong would never regret anything. In the end, he said, “I shouldn’t have come. I knew you would never reflect on yourself, yet I still hoped you might feel even a trace of regret.”

Fu Zhenrong was so angry that he slammed his fist onto the piano, causing the keys to buzz harshly.

Fu Yanchuan left as soon as he finished speaking. Fu Zhenrong shouted, “Are you with a man because you’re afraid you’ll end up like me, with a rebellious, unfilial son?”

Fu Yanchuan paused for only a moment. Fu Zhenrong grew angrier. “You’re with a man. Fine. I won’t interfere anymore. But at the very least, you need an heir. Do you have any idea how hard I worked to make the Fu family what it is today? You—”

Fu Yanchuan didn’t listen to anything else Fu Zhenrong said. In Fu Zhenrong’s eyes, there were probably only interests and power.

Outside, he saw Uncle Quan. He looked like he wanted to speak, but hesitated. Fu Yanchuan said indifferently, “Tell him to get angry less often, or he won’t live many more years.”

Uncle Quan couldn’t help but say to him, “That’s your father!”

He didn’t respond at all. He left the home he would probably never return to again and drove to pick up Qi Xi.

The news of Fu Yanchuan’s return to the Rongchuan Group spread across the internet in less than a day. However, Qi Xi didn’t know anything about it. He had wanted to work a little overtime because of the time he’d taken off earlier. When Fu Yanchuan arrived to pick him up, he still didn’t want to leave.

“Brother Yan, wait a bit, okay? I’ll finish this painting soon.”

“Okay.”

Fu Yanchuan stood at the doorway without moving. Qi Xi, who had said he was going to finish painting, suddenly froze and turned to look at him.

“Brother Yan, what’s wrong?”

Under normal circumstances, Fu Yanchuan definitely wouldn’t just stand there. As soon as Qi Xi met his gaze, he took a step forward, closed the door, wrapped an arm around Qi Xi, and pushed him onto the sofa.

Qi Xi was still holding a paintbrush stained with paint. Afraid of getting paint on him, Qi Xi pulled his left hand back and gently patted Fu Yanchuan’s back as he asked, “Did something happen again?”

Fu Yanchuan didn’t answer. Instead, he kissed his way down from his ear to his neck. Qi Xi shrank his shoulders from the ticklish feeling but still tilted his head to the side to make it easier, coaxing him, “Yanyan, you’re being naughty again. Brother Xixi already told you—no matter what happens, you have to say it out loud.”

Fu Yanchuan especially liked it when Qi Xi talked to him like this. It was so cute that it made people want to tease him. In an instant, all the emotions in his heart scattered. He let out a soft laugh and looked at Brother Xixi. “I officially got a new job today. There’ll be a celebration banquet in a couple of days. Would you like to go with me?”

Qi Xi blinked innocently and asked, “Is it your colleagues celebrating for you?”

Fu Yanchuan thought about it and decided it was, so he nodded.

Qi Xi suddenly frowned. Although he had learned how to chat politely with strangers, it would definitely be awkward for him to go if they were Fu Yanchuan’s colleagues.

Fu Yanchuan’s eyes dimmed immediately. “Don’t want to go?”

“No! Do your colleagues know you’re with a man? Won’t they think it’s strange?What if they talk badly about you behind your back later?”

Fu Yanchuan was satisfied that Qi Xi was implicitly acknowledging that they would attend the event together. Unable to suppress his smile, he said, “They wouldn’t dare.”

“How do you know they wouldn’t dare?”

“Because I’m their biggest boss.”

Qi Xi finally grew curious about what kind of job Fu Yanchuan had found. After thinking for a moment, he added, “They just won’t say it to your face!”

“Then they already knew long ago. If they were going to talk, they would have done so already.”

“They’re not new colleagues?”

Fu Yanchuan didn’t want Qi Xi to keep getting tangled up in this unnecessary issue. He leaned down and lightly bit his lip. “Xixi, they’re not important. Just come with me. You don’t need to worry about anyone.”

“Then what am I going to do there?”

“Accompany me.”

Qi Xi couldn’t think of any other reasons. “All right then. Xixi agrees to go with you and show off our love.”

Fu Yanchuan couldn’t help but laugh out loud. “Xixi knows exactly why I’m doing this and still came up with so many reasons. Have you learned to be bad?”

Qi Xi lifted his chin proudly, hooked his arms around Fu Yanchuan’s neck, and said, “I didn’t. Don’t misjudge me.”

“Then I’m the bad one.”

“Mm, bad Brother Yan, don’t rub against me!”

 

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