Chapter 563: Episode 20. The Arrogant yet Thoughtful Young Master Fu

Lin Jing returned home to find Jiandan had finished writing and was practicing yoga. Surprised to see her, Jiandan asked, "Didn’t you go to see Fu Chenxuan? Why are you back so early?" She had thought Lin Jing would stay out until after dinner.

"He was busy, so I came back first," Lin Jing said tiredly, sitting down on the sofa.

"You didn’t ask what he was busy with?" Jiandan frowned.

Lin Jing shook her head, "Jiandan, I’m feeling a bit anxious. I always feel like things are happening that I can’t predict, and it makes me feel lost."

"You’re just worrying too much. What could possibly happen? Don’t think so much. You should find a chance to confess your feelings to him soon, otherwise, when will you stop dragging this out?" Jiandan said, standing up to wipe off her sweat. "Honestly, Fu Chenxuan might look smart, but his emotional intelligence is so low. He hasn’t even noticed that you like him."

Lin Jing’s gaze darkened slightly, "Maybe he never thought about it that way. After all, he has always seen me as a friend."

"In that case, you need to express your feelings sooner. At this rate, by the time he realizes it himself, it’ll be too late," Jiandan said, genuinely worried for Lin Jing. She wished she could confess on Lin Jing’s behalf.

Lin Jing gave a bitter smile. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to confess; she just never found the right opportunity. Every time she thought about confessing to Fu Chenxuan, something or someone always interrupted.

"Jiandan, do you think maybe it’s just not meant to be between us?" Why else would it never work out?

"Definitely not. Think about it, you both reconnected after twenty years; that’s fate. Now that both of you are single, it’s clearly destined. You’re just overthinking," Jiandan said nonchalantly. Lin Jing was indeed lucky to have encountered a catch like Fu Chenxuan again, especially since he was still single, which was incredible.

Yet Lin Jing wasn’t as optimistic as her; she didn’t share Jiandan’s view. She had a bad feeling deep inside, an inexplicable yet very real sensation.

"Jingjing, still, you need to hurry. Don’t wait until he falls for someone else to confess. By then, whether you’re childhood sweethearts or deep in his heart, it will be too late," Jiandan cautioned.

Lin Jing nodded, "Jiandan, I’m a bit tired. I’m going to rest now, and I won’t have dinner tonight."

"Okay, then I won’t make your portion. You rest," Jiandan said, noticing Lin Jing’s exhaustion. Sometimes she cooked, and if Lin Jing was home, she would make enough for her too.

Lin Jing threw herself into the big bed and closed her eyes, pushing all the chaotic thoughts from her mind. She just wanted to rest. Her phone began to ring as she was about to fall asleep.

She picked it up and glanced at it, her expression dimming. She didn’t answer, letting the ringtone sound by her ear. The phone rang once, twice, and her expression grew darker. On the fourth ring, she finally answered.

"Mom."

"Jingjing, it’s me, Daddy," came the gentle voice of a middle-aged man from the other end.

Lin Jing’s tense body instantly relaxed, "Daddy."

"Daddy’s phone broke, and I haven’t bought a new one yet, so I’m using your mom’s phone to call you. How have you been recently?"

"I’m fine, Daddy. How about you?"

"I’m doing well, and so is your mom. Don’t worry about home. Take good care of yourself. If there’s anything you want to eat or buy, don’t hold back. If you need money, Daddy will send you some," Mr. Lin said, caring deeply about his daughter.

Lin Jing had left home in tears, boarding a train. Over the years, her husband had seen how his wife treated their daughter. Stuck between his wife and daughter, it was a tough situation. He had been trying to change his wife’s mindset, hoping she could let go of that incident. After all, it wasn’t their daughter’s fault, yet his efforts were mostly fruitless.

Listening to her father’s caring words, Lin Jing’s eyes reddened slightly, "Dad, I have enough money. My salary is pretty decent. Don’t worry about me. Take care of yourself."

"Don’t worry about me. As long as you’re doing well, I’ll be at peace. By the way, how are things going with Chenxuan?" Mr. Lin remembered the purpose of his call.

"We’re doing well," Lin Jing hesitated.

Mr. Lin, relieved, said, "That’s good. When you have time, bring him over to meet your mom and me, or we can visit you in Beijing."

"Daddy, there’s no rush for that. Both our jobs are busy, and we don’t have any vacations coming up. Let’s wait a while."

Mr. Lin thought his daughter was still upset by his wife’s words and sighed internally, "Okay, we can wait. You’re both young, no need to rush. Jingjing, don’t blame your mother. Daddy knows you’ve endured a lot. I’ll try to talk to her."

Lin Jing’s voice trembled slightly, "Daddy, I don’t blame Mom. I’ll try to understand her."

Mr. Lin sighed. The conflict between his wife and daughter wasn’t about who was right or wrong. The incident was an accident, one that nobody wanted to happen. His wife blaming their daughter was somewhat unfair.

"Jingjing, take good care of yourself, call Daddy if anything comes up." Mr. Lin found it hard to say anything else and could only give this gentle reminder.

Lin Jing replied with a soft okay, then hung up the phone. Tears dropped onto her quilt. Every time she thought about her mother and her brother’s death, her heart ached deeply.

She harbored no hatred in her heart; if anything, she despised the cruelty of fate for taking her brother’s life and robbing her of the happiness of a family. If she could turn back time, she truly wished that she had been the one involved in the accident. That way, her mother wouldn’t have to suffer, and she would be freed from the pain.

**

At the Lin Family home, Mrs. Lin leaned against the bedroom doorway, silently watching as the phone call ended. As Mr. Lin turned his head, he was met with his wife’s cold expression. Frowning, he asked, "Why are you standing at the door?"

"Hmm, really deep father and daughter affection. She’s living carefree after leaving this home, what’s there to worry about?"

"Jingyi, she is our daughter. The incident has been over for nearly twenty years now. It’s time to let go. How long do you intend to punish yourself and Jingjing for past mistakes? Jingjing is innocent." Mr. Lin was displeased with his wife’s attitude. It wasn’t the first time she had reacted sarcastically whenever he showed concern for their daughter.

"Innocent?" Mrs. Lin exploded upon hearing this, "If it weren’t for her, my son wouldn’t have died. She deliberately watched my son get crushed by a car. The one who should have died isn’t my son."

"Fang Jingyi, that’s enough. Jingjing isn’t that cruel, and she’s the child you carried for ten months. Haven’t you tormented her enough over these years to feel any remorse?"

"I’m tormenting her? It’s clear she’s been torturing me. Every time I see her, I remember my innocent son." Mrs. Lin was emotional, the vivid scenes of that day still fresh in her mind.

Mr. Lin wasn’t home on the tragic day and didn’t witness the accident firsthand, but he understood his wife’s pain, which was also his pain as the father. "Jingyi, if we really want to get into details, you were there that day. You blame Jingjing for not watching over her brother, but what were you doing at that moment?" He didn’t want to say these words knowing they’d hurt his wife, but thinking of his innocent daughter, he couldn’t help but feel angry.

The cheerful child that Lin Jing once was had become what? These years of repression had transformed her, and he could hardly remember the last time he had seen a genuine smile on his daughter’s face.

He always hoped his daughter would grow up happily, yet now she carried too much burden. Reflecting upon this, he realized he hadn’t been a good father.

Mrs. Lin’s face turned pale, disbelieving, as if she never expected her husband to say such words. Mr. Lin, regretting his harsh words, reached to comfort her, but she dodged away.

"These years, I also hate myself for not watching over our son, wishing it had been me who died, not him." She clutched her hair, screaming.

Mr. Lin’s expression slightly changed. He firmly embraced his wife, "Jingyi, calm down, please calm down. Don’t do this. This tragedy isn’t anyone’s fault. Don’t torture yourself, and don’t torment Jingjing anymore. It’s been so many years, enough. Let the past go, please?"

"How can I let it go? How? My son is gone, and he’s never coming back. A perfectly alive being just vanished before my eyes. How do you expect me to move on? Why did I follow you and leave Beijing? If we hadn’t left Beijing, my son wouldn’t have died."

Mrs. Lin was heartbroken.

Mr. Lin’s eyes reddened, feeling an overwhelming pain that left him breathless, yet he had no one to confide in. This matter remained an irrevocable cycle; time could not reverse and the tragedy could not be undone. There were no answers. Their entire family was stuck in a nightmare of the past with no redemption.

He fully understood Lin Jing’s desire to leave their home and supported her decision. Staying in such a family atmosphere could drive anyone insane. He had only this one daughter left, and he hoped she could find happiness in the remaining years of her life; as for himself...

He glanced at his wife, whose emotions had collapsed in his arms. He would accompany his wife through this ordeal. If she couldn’t move on, then he would stay by her side for life, never letting her suffer alone.

He gently patted her back, "Jingyi, stop thinking about it, don’t think about it anymore. You still have me. I will always be by your side, never leaving you." I’m with you, and together we’ll remember our son, so let our daughter go and give her freedom.

**

"Fu Chenxuan, are you planning to continue giving me the cold shoulder until you’re discharged?" Gu Qingzhu spoke to the man sitting silently beside her, who didn’t utter a word. She had never realized before how small-minded Fu Chenxuan could be. He had been sulking for so many days and still hadn’t calmed down.

Fu Chenxuan glanced at her indifferently, his gaze cool, "When did I ever get angry?" Was he really such a petty person?

From Gu Qingzhu’s expression, it was clear that in her eyes, he was.

Fu Chenxuan felt justified in his anger. Remembering the events from a few days ago still frustrated him deeply.

He had rushed to the hospital non-stop after receiving a call from Fu Hengyi, learning that Gu Qingzhu was there. Despite being severely injured, she didn’t forget to send him away, claiming it was too dangerous.

How ironic, she wanted to drive him away because it was dangerous, so she could face the danger alone? He really wanted to crack her head open to see what she was thinking. What did she consider him to be, or did she see him as a coward who would flee at the first sign of danger?

Didn’t Gu Qingzhu know why Fu Chenxuan was angry? Of course she did, but she truly did not want to involve Fu Chenxuan in this matter. She was confident that if those people came, they would have a no-return fate, given the police force’s serious deployment. But what if? What if he got hurt by accident?

Gu Qingzhu looked at Fu Chenxuan’s cold face and withdrew her gaze, thinking, "Fine, if you want to stay angry, keep on being angry. I am not going to coax you anymore. I’m going to lie down and sleep."

Fu Chenxuan looked at the person who had fallen asleep peacefully, feeling an itch in his teeth from irritation, knowing that she didn’t bother to coax him when he was angry was one thing, but she was actually sleeping!

Fu Chenxuan stared at her grumpily. It was rare for him to show his emotions, let alone sulk like a child as he was doing now.

Gu Qingzhu hadn’t initially planned to sleep, but once she lay down, she really did fall asleep. Fu Chenxuan watched her sleeping face, and his heart suddenly calmed down, bringing a gentle smile to his lips.

—Fu Chenxuan, you need to coax me when I get angry in the future.

—What if you make me angry?

—Gender equality dictates that I should coax you. If I really make you angry, I’ll definitely find a way to cheer you up, by all means necessary.

"You forgot what you said yourself, I’m still angry, yet you don’t bother to coax me," Fu Chenxuan murmured softly, pulling the curtains to let Gu Qingzhu sleep more comfortably.

Gu Qingzhu didn’t sleep for long before she opened her eyes and saw Fu Chenxuan sitting on the sofa, with a laptop on his lap, seemingly in a video conference. He glanced at her as she woke up and then immediately turned back to his computer screen.

Gu Qingzhu listened for a few moments; it appeared he was video conferencing with people from his company. She shifted her gaze and casually picked up a book from the bedside table, flipping through it.

She was staying in a VIP ward, which was originally a single room. However, Fu Chenxuan insisted on moving her to this VIP room. Gu Qingzhu knew he was angry, so she did not argue with him about this and let him bring her here.

The VIP ward was indeed nice, equipped with everything one needed and was absolutely quiet. Her quality of sleep had noticeably improved over the past few days.

Having been undercover for four years, she had hardly slept peacefully; even when she did sleep, she remained slightly alert. If not for this vigilance, she wouldn’t have known how many times she could have died during those four years.

Fu Chenxuan’s video conference didn’t last long and ended soon, while Gu Qingzhu had read less than two pages of her book.

He put the laptop aside and looked at Gu Qingzhu, "What would you like to eat? I’ll go down and buy something for you."

Gu Qingzhu raised an eyebrow, "Why don’t you make something for me to eat?"

Fu Chenxuan gave a half-smile, "Wishful thinking." Making him angry, not even bothering to coax him, and still expecting him to cook, why don’t you just shoot for the moon?

Understanding the meaning in his eyes, Gu Qingzhu chuckled, finding him really... childish.

Fu Chenxuan left and took much longer than usual to return, just when Gu Qingzhu’s stomach started growling as if to play a concerto and she seriously wondered if he had gone to Mars to buy food, Fu Chenxuan came back.

Gu Qingzhu tasted the food of the day, her eyebrows knitting lightly, "Where did you buy today’s meals from? They don’t taste as good as yesterday’s," she commented casually.

"If you don’t like it, don’t eat it," Fu Chenxuan responded bluntly.

Gu Qingzhu belatedly realized that Fu Chenxuan had cooked the meal himself, sweat.

She quickly corrected herself, "Actually, it’s not that bad. If you taste carefully, it’s quite flavorful, and it gets better the more you eat."

Fu Chenxuan snorted coldly, summarizing her response in two words, "Bootlicker."

Gu Qingzhu stayed calm; fine, let it be bootlicking then. He’s just someone whose actions contradict his words. Even though he said he wouldn’t cook, he ended up cooking anyway. Even though the food was not extremely tasty, it was the flavor she had longed for four years.

Her eyes filled with a smile, Gu Qingzhu ate half a bowl more of rice than she usually did. Fu Chenxuan, seeing this, felt very satisfied; it was worth running home to cook after all.

Unlike Fu Hengyi’s excellent culinary skills, Fu Chenxuan’s cooking was a mix of his parents’, merely mediocre at best—definitely much better than his mother’s, but utterly incomparable to his father’s. He didn’t particularly like cooking, so naturally, his skills didn’t improve much.

The two of them finished the three dishes and soup cleanly. Fu Chenxuan cleaned up the dishes and utensils. After dinner, they returned to their usual ways of interacting, with Fu Chenxuan doing his own things while Gu Qingzhu continued reading a book.

The ward was very quiet but not suffocating. Fu Chenxuan was doing his work but kept part of his attention on Gu Qingzhu, ready to attend to any of her needs promptly.

Gu Qingzhu’s right foot was injured, and it was difficult for her to walk; she even needed support to go to the restroom.

"Do you need to use the restroom?" Fu Chenxuan asked as he saw Gu Qingzhu lifting the blanket, lifting his head from the computer screen. Gu Qingzhu nodded, and Fu Chenxuan stood up and directly picked her up.

During their first time, Gu Qingzhu felt quite embarrassed, considering that she and Fu Chenxuan used to be lovers. Although their relationship was pure, being carried to the restroom by a man, especially by the man she liked, felt awkward. However, after spending some time together and being carried multiple times, she had become more composed.

Fu Chenxuan just stood at the door, waiting for her. But this time, he waited for a long time without seeing Gu Qingzhu come out, and he frowned, "Qingzhu, are you done yet?"

Inside the restroom, Gu Qingzhu was looking at her underwear, feeling troubled. Who would have thought her period would start now? "Just a moment," she called out to him through the door.

Her pants were already dirty and needed changing, but there were no new ones in the bathroom, although there were some in the ward. She surely couldn’t ask Fu Chenxuan to fetch them, could she?

Regretting her decision, she wondered why she hadn’t hired a caretaker. Wouldn’t the presence of a caretaker have spared her this embarrassment? What was she supposed to do now? Just walk out like this?

Fu Chenxuan waited a bit longer, but Gu Qingzhu still didn’t come out. He even heard the sound of the toilet flushing, "Qingzhu, what happened?"

"Nothing," Gu Qingzhu raised her voice, terrified that he might barge in at that moment.

Fu Chenxuan looked worried, "Qingzhu, you didn’t fall, did you?" Why else wouldn’t she come out?

Gu Qingzhu had a deadpan expression. She glanced at her dirty pants and was about to grit her teeth, put them on, and then leave the restroom, planning to make up an excuse to send Fu Chenxuan away and then ask the nurse to help her buy some things later.

However, Fu Chenxuan, seemingly having a sudden realization, spoke hesitantly, "Qingzhu, did you start your period?" He asked naturally, his ears turning red.

In the restroom, Gu Qingzhu’s face turned red. Whether to answer or not, she hesitated until she heard Fu Chenxuan say, "Wait here for me, I’ll be right back."

Then she heard his footsteps gradually fading away, and she sat on the toilet, contemplating.

There was a large supermarket right across from the hospital. Fu Chenxuan directly headed for the personal care section upon entering and, looking at the variety of products on the shelves, he didn’t hesitate and bought several different packs of a brand he faintly remembered Gu Qingzhu preferred.

He then went to the lingerie section to buy new underwear before heading to the cashier.

A handsome young man buying female products wouldn’t raise suspicions of him being a pervert; instead, everyone would think he was a considerate boyfriend.

Fu Chenxuan walked out of the supermarket under the admiring and envious glances of the onlookers, his pace slightly quicker than usual revealing his current nervousness.

Back at the hospital, he knocked on the restroom door, "Qingzhu, open the door."

The door cracked open slightly, and Fu Chenxuan handed her the items.

Seeing all the things he had prepared, Gu Qingzhu’s blush deepened instead of fading. She wiped her burning face and her lips slightly curled up.

When the door opened, Fu Chenxuan stood not far from it, and as she came out, he carried her back to the bed, then handed her a cup of red sugar ginger water he had bought on the way, "Drink this."

Gu Qingzhu twitched her mouth as she disliked the taste of red sugar ginger water, but since he was so thoughtful, she couldn’t refuse. She frowned and downed the cup of the red sugar ginger water in a dramatic gulp.

Fu Chenxuan watched from the side, his lips curving into a proud smile, thinking how cute she was.

"Not mad anymore?" Gu Qingzhu asked after finishing the red sugar ginger water as she looked at Fu Chenxuan.

Fu Chenxuan glanced at her, his look conveying a ’you expect me not to be mad when you’re not pampering me, what kind of dream is that?’ expression.

Gu Qingzhu laughed, waved him over, and Fu Chenxuan gruffly responded, "What?"

"Come here," Gu Qingzhu urged.

Fu Chenxuan sat at the edge of the bed, and Gu Qingzhu grabbed the front of his shirt, pulling him toward her. Her soft lips touched his in a brief kiss, "Still mad?" Her breath brushed against Fu Chenxuan’s face. She had taken the initiative to kiss him; if this man was still angry, she decided she wouldn’t bother, letting him sulk on his own.

Fu Chenxuan’s gaze darkened, he clasped the back of her neck and deepened their kiss, filling the ward with the sound of an intimate lip-lock.