I Just Want to Freeload on Your Luck - Chapter 31

Despite his lack of great popularity, Zhao Mo was still considered a celebrity. Therefore, it was no surprise that some news agencies posted about him entering the police station. But before Zhao Mo’s manager could finish preparing the emergency measures, the news was suppressed by the Fu family.

After all, the matter involved the Young Master of the Fu family. Although they looked down on a D-list celebrity, they did not want this matter to blow up.

Either way, a huge weight was lifted off Zhao Mo’s manager’s shoulders.

At the hospital, Zhao Mo belatedly realized that he had been blocked by Zhao Mingxi. He was in disbelief. His fox eyes were blown wide, his fingers poking at the phone. He looked at Zhao Zhanhuai in shock. “She blocked me?! What the hell? She blocked me?!”

Zhao Zhanhuai saw that Zhao Mo was still unclear about the situation, but he was too lazy to deal with him, so he asked his assistant to help him clean up Zhao Mo’s things and prepared to leave the hospital.

Zhao Mo softened his look of arrogance. He couldn’t help but say, “Could it be that Zhao Mingxi broke off with our family because of me…? Because I’ve always been bullying her?”

Zhao Zhanhuai thought: You were definitely part of the reason.

Zhao Yuning, who was sitting aside, crossed his arms. When he saw how Zhao Mo was acting, he felt a little relieved. At least Zhao Mingxi hated him more.

Zhao Yuning deliberately said, “Er ge, who else could it be if not you? I’ve always gotten along very well with Mingxi. Da ge and dad are always in the company, so you bullied Mingxi all day when you were at home— Oh, and mom—”

When Zhao Yuning thought of Madam Zhao, he closed his mouth. There was a slightly dejected expression on his face.

As Zhao Zhanhuai listened to Zhao Yuning’s words, he was oddly amused by it. He added with a bitter tone, “Also, Yuning and I were the first to know that Mingxi had severed all ties with our family. You were the last to know. Just by this, you’ll know who Mingxi regards as more important in her heart.”

The expression on Zhao Mo’s face was one of extreme gloom. “Zhao Mingxi doesn’t know what’s good for her.”

The nurse who was watching all this: “…”

What’s there to be compared?!

Zhao Mo was helped out of the bed. As soon as his right foot touched the ground, he hissed in pain, “Slowly! Slowly!”

He touched his earrings that had come off during the fight and couldn’t help but to be annoyed. “If I ever meet those stinky brats led by the red-haired guy again, I’ll beat them to death. As for Zhao Mingxi, if she doesn’t want to come home, let her be. Her attempt to try to cut off contact with our family was probably instigated by that red-haired guy! After a while, her thoughts will be cleared up and she’ll know to return to us!”

“I refuse to believe that a 17 or 18-year-old can pull off such a stunt!”

However, the moment he finished speaking, no one continued the conversation.

Zhao Mo raised his head. He saw how deep in thought and worried Zhao Zhanhuai and Zhao Yuning were.

He remembered the indifferent look in Zhao Mingxi’s eyes at the library that day. He felt his heart drop to his stomach and couldn’t help but ask, “—It can’t be true, right? Has she really severed all ties with us? Is she this rebellious now?”

“What do you think?” Zhao Zhanhuai raised his eyebrows and said, “Dad was furious with me last night because of this incident. I still don’t know how to deal with it.”

Only then did Zhao Mo’s expression change.

He gave it some thought and sneered, “Hey, this is a big deal. I’m not leaving anymore, I’ll stay and settle this matter.”

Zhao Yuning couldn’t help but say, “Er ge, what can you possibly do? I’m already thankful if you don’t make things worse.”

Zhao Yuning originally wanted to go back to the hotel, but Zhao Zhanhuai said that the family was going to have a meeting because of Zhao Mingxi’s matter.

Hence why he reluctantly got into Zhao Zhanhuai’s car.

As soon as they entered the house, the three brothers felt that the atmosphere at home was particularly solemn.

“What’s wrong?” Zhao Zhanhuai walked over and asked.

Madam Zhao’s eyes were red and swollen, and Mr. Zhao’s face was pale. Zhao Yuan came over and handed him a piece of paper.

Zhao Zhanhuai took a glance at it. His eyelids suddenly twitched. This was a letter from a lawyer asking them to return Miss Zhao Mingxi’s personal belongings— including photos, the household registration book and other items as soon as possible.

It also emphasized that the portrait of Miss Zhao Mingxi was to be removed from group photos.

The inscription was Zhang Yize. He was the lawyer who was next to Young Master Fu when they met at the police station that day.

This lawyer’s letter was like a slap in the face. It hit every single one of them who thought that Zhao Mingxi would not really leave.

“I really didn’t think that Mingxi would actually do this…” Madam Zhao covered her face and cried again. “At that time, when she ran away from home, I scolded her and called her a brat. I thought she was a kid throwing tantrums again. I even felt that she was terribly annoying… but I didn’t think that she would really cut off relations with me. Why is she so decisive? I carried her in my womb for 10 months…”

“Stop crying!” Mr. Zhao could feel an incoming headache after hearing Madam Zhao’s muttering all morning.

Zhao Mo and Zhao Yuning took a look at the lawyer’s letter, their expressions solemn and worried.

After Madam Zhao stopped sobbing, the living room was silent for a while.

Everyone found it difficult to breathe.

Zhao Mo grabbed his silver hair, turned around and sat down on the sofa. “I think all this happened because of that brat with the surname Fu! It’s fine if Zhao Mingxi won’t return now, she will definitely come back one day—”

“Shut up!” Mr. Zhao stopped him. “Don’t you understand the current situation? Your sister, your biological sister, was bullied by you so much that she left!”

“Why are you blaming me for this?” Zhao Mo also got angry. “I just came back, how would I know—”

Mr. Zhao reprimanded, “If you didn’t go to school and ridicule your sister again, would your sister act like this?!”

Zhao Mo got upset and wanted to rebut him, but Zhao Zhanhuai frowned and said, “Enough.”

The Zhao family was practically in shambles.

Instead, Zhao Yuan seemed to be ignored by them.

Zhao Yuan stood in the corner, biting her lower lip. She gradually pinched her nails into the palms of her hands.

She never thought that Zhao Mingxi’s departure would have such a huge impact on the Zhao family.

Yet before Zhao Mingxi came, they belonged to her alone.

She didn’t know when Zhao Mingxi began to occupy the spaces in their hearts.

…

Even for Zhao Mo, he found teasing Zhao Mingxi, who had a bad temper, much more fun than teasing her.

Mingxi left home completely last night. When Zhao Yuan got up this morning, she saw Madam Zhao telling people to move some things.

She thought she was going to empty Zhao Mingxi’s room and restore their life back to how it used to be.

But she didn’t expect Madam Zhao to keep all of Mingxi’s things. She made people put dust-proof cloth on her things, so that when Mingxi came back, these things would not be dusty.

—Even if Zhao Mingxi has made it clear, everyone is still waiting for her to come back.

Madam Zhao also told her to avoid contact with Zhao Mingxi at school so as not to trigger Mingxi.

Zhao Yuan felt as if her heart was being stuffed with something.

She carefully brought up Aunt Zhang, the nanny who had been driven away, to Madam Zhao.

This time, Madam Zhao’s answer was very firm. In fact, she was very annoyed when she mentioned this person. “She bullied Mingxi, so she definitely can’t come back here. Don’t say anything on her behalf anymore.”

…

Zhao Yuan could feel that everything in the family was changing.

And because of the break between Mingxi and Zhao family in front of the police station last night, this change was rapidly exacerbated.

The balance suddenly tilted towards Zhao Mingxi.

…

“Maybe I should leave,” Zhao Yuan suddenly said. Her words broke the deadlock. “It might be because Mingxi hates me, that’s why she doesn’t want to come home.”

She stood there, her tears falling down in huge droplets. She was obviously overwhelmed by their argument.

The Zhao family turned to look at her at the same time.

Mr. Zhao stopped her immediately. “What are you talking about? What are you leaving for? This is none of your business. I promised a long time ago that the Zhao family is not so poor that we can’t even raise another child.”

Madam Zhao looked at Zhao Yuan’s red-rimmed eyes, and she felt a little sad.

…Under normal circumstances, she would have immediately gone and hugged Zhao Yuan.

But last night, Madam Zhao’s mind was filled with all the memories of Zhao Mingxi spending time with her. Somehow, she felt as if she would be sorry to her biological daughter, Zhao Mingxi, if she did so. Suddenly, her heart made a painful squeeze.

So Madam Zhao merely moved her fingertips and did nothing. She just verbally assured her, “Yes, don’t talk such nonsense.”

Zhao Yuan covered her face, tears dripping from her fingers.

Zhao Mo was accustomed to seeing women cry in the entertainment industry, so his eyes suddenly caught something curious when he saw Zhao Yuan.

Saying such things at this time would make her sound very kind, but why—

Why does it feel like something’s not right?

Zhao Mo hadn’t seen Zhao Yuan for a long time. He felt that Zhao Yuan seemed to have changed from what he remembered.

But quickly he wondered if he was being too sensitive. He actually used the way he would look at people in the entertainment industry to look at his sister.

Zhao Yuning’s expression was more obvious. He used to think that Zhao Yuan was always the wronged party, that it was Zhao Mingxi who took her things. But since the last conflict in the Literature Department, he felt that he couldn’t understand Zhao Yuan anymore.

Zhao Yuan might be crying now, but her tears may not necessarily be true.

Maybe she’s pulling some tricks out of her sleeve again.

Zhao Yuning suddenly let out a cold snort of disdain.

Zhao Yuan: “…”

The whole family: “…”

Madam Zhao explained, “Yuning and Yuanyuan had a fight, and they haven’t resolved it yet.”

But at this moment, no one had the mind to care about the conflict between Zhao Yuning and Zhao Yuan.

Everyone was silent in this gloomy atmosphere.

Zhao Zhanhuai was called to the study by Mr. Zhao. Naturally, he wanted to talk about Zhao Mingxi’s matter.

Only Zhao Mo with his legs crossed, observed Madam Zhao and Zhao Yuan as they went upstairs. He felt around his chin for a moment, and beckoned to Zhao Yuning, “Come here, tell me what happened between you and Zhao Yuan?”

*

As for E Xiaoxia, she spent the whole weekend thinking about what she heard last Friday.

She was puzzled.

She made a special trip to the school information department after school on Friday. She logged into the main website, and checked the student status information of Zhao Mingxi and Zhao Yuan. She saw that it was clearly October 14th.

——So why did Zhao Mingxi tell Fu Yangxi that her birthday was on the 24th of October?

A slip of the tongue?

She didn’t want to receive gifts, so she gave out a random date?

But E Xiaoxia intuitively felt that this matter was not that simple.

She faintly wondered if Zhao Mingxi was actually the adopted or illegitimate daughter of the Zhao family.

But she was not sure.

So on Saturday morning, she couldn’t help but to go to the villa complex where the Zhao family was located.

She used to come here often. After she arrived, she would go to Zhao Yuan’s room to play. The Zhao family’s driver and others knew her. In addition, the nanny of the Zhao family didn’t know what happened between her and Zhao Yuan. She thought that they were still friends, so she let her change her shoes and enter.

As soon as E Xiaoxia entered the Zhao family’s home, she noticed that Madam Zhao was ordering people to cover the things in Zhao Mingxi’s room with dust-proof cloth.

And Madam Zhao was staring at a photo frame of Zhao Mingxi in the corridor in a daze. Then, she covered her face and weeped.

What’s going on?

Is she sad because Zhao Mingxi ran away from home?

E Xiaoxia was a little confused.

Zhao Yuan came downstairs and immediately saw E Xiaoxia sitting in the living room with a glass of water. Her expression changed immediately and she hurriedly walked down. “Who let you in?”

The nanny who was at the side panicked and said quickly, “Miss, I thought she’s your friend.”

Zhao Yuan said, “I don’t have such a snake as a friend. Don’t let her in in the future.”

E Xiaoxia was kicked out just two minutes after she sat down.

But she was not surprised. After all, the original intention of her visit was to assess the situation.

While E Xiaoxia walked out, she turned her head to look inside. She saw Zhao Yuan go up to comfort Madam Zhao, but Madam Zhao gently flicked her hand away. Then, Madam Zhao entered the room, and Zhao Yuan stood outside with an ugly expression.

Seeing that E Xiaoxia was still looking around outside the door, the nanny rushed over to drive her away. “Miss Zhao wants you to leave immediately!”

“Why so fierce?” E Xiaoxia mumbled. She carried her school bag and quickly left.

In her mind, she had a feeling that things in the Zhao family were very messed up.

Zhao Mingxi was only picked up from the country two years ago. If her birthday is not the same as Zhao Yuan’s birthday, it means that one of them must be an illegitimate or adopted daughter.

And judging by Madam Zhao’s attitude—

Madam Zhao’s sudden reluctance to part with Zhao Mingxi; Zhao Zhanhuai’s repeated visits to our school to find Zhao Mingxi; the Zhao family still caring about Zhao Mingxi— This shows that Zhao Mingxi is not the illegitimate daughter.

But Madam Zhao’s attitude towards Zhao Yuan is a little too much, it changed from loving to slight indifference. The same goes to Zhao Zhanhuai, who stopped picking up Zhao Yuan after school during this period— This means that the event that may have led to such a turning point is that the Zhao family discovered that Zhao Yuan is not their biological daughter.

Could it be that Zhao Yuan is the illegitimate daughter of Mr. Zhao?

E Xiaoxia made a lot of speculation. Her instincts told her that she must have guessed something correctly.

It’s just that there was currently no evidence to back her up.

…

She grit her teeth and felt that she shouldn’t just let go of this opportunity. She had to get some information from Zhao Yuan or Zhao Mingxi.

*

Over at Tongcheng.

After they got down from the mountain, the sky turned dark in the blink of an eye.

During dinner, Fu Yangxi kept interrupting them, so Mingxi couldn’t find out anything from Jiang Xiuqiu.

Everyone was extremely curious, especially Ke Chengwen as he stretched out his head to listen to the story of how they were so frightened by the Tibetan mastiff.

Fu Yangxi slammed his chopsticks on the porcelain bowl, his face flushed. He was really annoyed. “I admit that I’m afraid of dogs, okay?!”

“F*ck!” Ke Chengwen laughed out loud. He said in surprise, “Xi ge, you also have something you’re afraid of?! What’s so scary about dogs? They’re such cute creatures! No wonder you never come to my house, it’s because I have a pet husky. Next time I will take it to school so you guys can take a look at him. He’s very well-behaved, and he isn’t fierce at all.”

Fu Yangxi was all jittery. He stood up and grabbed Ke Chengwen by the back of his collar. He warned in a dark tone, “You’re dead if you dare to bring it to school!”

Ke Chengwen fled the room in fear.

He Yang and Aunt Li who had their bowls in their hands smiled at the conversation. They turned their heads to look at the two of them.

All of a sudden, the air was filled with cheerfulness.

But Mingxi thought of Fu Yangxi’s abnormal reaction at that time and couldn’t laugh.

She was very worried, but she didn’t know whether to ask about it or not.

She turned her head and stared at Fu Yangxi for a while. She couldn’t help but say to Ke Chengwen who was running around, “A fear of dogs is nothing to be ashamed of. I’m also afraid of them. Sit down and eat. The food will get cold later.”

Upon seeing this, Aunt Li gave Fu Yangxi, who she thought was the most handsome among the boys, a piece of bamboo shoot. “This is a specialty of ours. You young people from the city must have never eaten it. Give it a try.”

Fu Yangxi looked at the black bamboo shoots and tried not to show his disgust. “No thanks.”

“At least have a bite.” Aunt Li stretched out her chopsticks, reluctant to give up.

Fu Yangxi simply withdrew his bowl. “Auntie, I never eat this.”

Mingxi broke the deadlock by placing a small piece into Fu Yangxi’s bowl. She whispered, “Take it as a token of kindness from Aunt Li. If you’re not allergic to it, you should at least try it.”

It was the first time for Fu Yangxi to receive a dish given by Zhao Mingxi, and it was by leaning her small head over, whispering gently as she did so. He glanced at Zhao Mingxi, and the tips of his ears suddenly became hot. He pretended to reluctantly pick up the bamboo shoot. He put it into his mouth and chewed slowly. “Fine, then I guess I have no choice but to take a bite.”

Aunt Li who still had her chopsticks stretched out. “…”

Their supper was finished in the midst of such chaos.

Mingxi and He Yang shared a room.

The trip took a lot of their energy, and having been too tired during the day, so all of them quickly fell asleep.

He Yang was so tired that she even snored slightly.

Mingxi couldn’t fall asleep, so she went out with a jacket on and gently packed up the sewing box and other things that her grandmother had used before.

The moon was shining brightly and the night was silent. It gave Mingxi some time to process her emotions.

She missed her grandmother very much. She thought, don’t worry grandma, I will live a good life this time.

…

On the next day, the sun came through the mist and shone on the earth. It was a new day.

They all skipped class and took the train back to City A.

It was a 14 hour train journey. By the time they left the train station sleepily, it was already 9 p.m., and the lights around the train station were bright.

Mingxi glanced at the time, and was suddenly shocked awake. She almost forgot about Uncle Dong’s family’s return to China!

The flight the Dong family took happened to land at around 10 p.m.. There was still an hour for her to get to the airport.

Mingxi hurriedly took her schoolbag from Fu Yangxi. “I almost forgot, I have to go to the airport to pick up a friend!”

Ke Chengwen drove the car from the parking lot and stopped in front of them. “Come on, Zhao Mingxi. I just happened to have someone park the car here. I’ll take you to the airport, and then I’ll take He Yang and Jiang Xiuqiu home.”

He looked at He Yang and Jiang Xiuqiu. “You guys aren’t in a hurry, right? Just sleep in the car if you’re not in a hurry.”

He Yang yawned and climbed into the car. “I’m so tired. I’ll get in the car first.”

Mingxi felt it was too troublesome for Ke Chengwen, and he didn’t have much rest after taking the train for more than 10 hours. She hurriedly said, “It will be a long way around to the airport, you don’t have to do this! I can just go by myself—”

“What can you do on your own?! You want to be dragged into a ravine by a black car and sold off in the middle of the night?”

Fu Yangxi interrupted Zhao Mingxi.

He raised his hand to tighten Mingxi’s scarf, then took her by the shoulder and turned her around.

Mingxi felt dizzy. By the time she reacted, Fu Yangxi had already opened the car door and pushed her in.

Mingxi: “…”

Jiang Xiuqiu glanced at Fu Yangxi. He patted him on the shoulder and said in a low voice, “You’re on your own, buddy.”

After that, he turned back and got into the passenger seat without hesitation.

As soon as Fu Yangxi was about to close the car door, Mingxi hurriedly blocked him. Fearing that he would close the door, she stretched out her feet to stop him. She quickly raised her head and asked, “What about you?”

“Of course this young master has to wait for his family members to pick him up. How can I squeeze into a small broken car with you? Look at Ke Chengwen’s car. It’s all covered in dust having been out in the open all night.”

Fu Yangxi stuffed his hands in his pockets, his face full of disgust. He stared at Zhao Mingxi. “What are you doing? You can’t be worried about me——”

Before he could finish speaking, he heard Mingxi say, “I am worried about you.”

“…”

Fu Yangxi couldn’t help but swallow hard. His heart was pounding and his eyes fell on Zhao Mingxi’s face.

She was worried for him.

Fu Yangxi wanted to smile, but he was afraid of being discovered.

He licked his back molars quickly, looked away, and tried to look cool for a second. “Please, what is there to worry about?”

Mingxi asked, “You mobilized a private jet privately and skipped class. Your parents won’t scold you, right?”

Fu Yangxi swallowed.

He stretched out his hand, ruffled Mingxi’s hair, and said proudly, “Hey, what’s the big deal? I’m the only child of the family, okay? How can they blame me for such minor things?”

“Little Mask, just go or you’ll miss your schedule later.”

Mingxi looked at him for a while before she retracted her foot. “Okay, you have to take care of yourself, alright?”

“I will.” Fu Yangxi smiled, trying his best not to hide his embarrassment.

Fu Yangxi closed the door lightly.

Mingxi looked back.

The night lights shone brightly behind Fu Yangxi. The young man who was tall and slender waved at her.

As soon as they left, a black limousine slowly drove over.

*

Half an hour later, in the Fu family’s old mansion.

The lights under the eaves were all on.

A well-dressed old man was playing chess as a few people chased after the already beaten up Fu Yangxi.

The mouths of Lawyer Zhang and the housekeeper twitched as they looked at Fu Yangxi’s flame-like red hair getting kicked out of the room in the middle of the night. He ran for his life before he was ushered into the courtyard.

Finally, he had no choice but to jump on a decorative small mountain.

Fu Yangxi grabbed the fake mountain, turned his head and glared at the old man. He furiously yelled, “I don’t care, I like her! If you dare touch her, I’ll jump off right now! I’ll jump from here— no, I’ll jump from the building we own! I’ll crash our company’s stock!”

The old man was so angry that his blood pressure went straight up.

He didn’t know about this before. After all, although Fu Yangxi always got into fights and troubles in school, he never did anything on a huge scale.

That was until Fu Yangxi was sent to the police station the night before. The news couldn’t be kept secret anymore and finally reached his ears.

He immediately asked Fu Yangxi to be brought back. However, this kid became more rampant and even utilized a private jet!

Just to go on a date with a little girl?!

“Why would I want to touch her? I can just put my hands on you! I will definitely beat you to death, you little bastard!”

The old man rolled up his sleeves and angrily moved his old arms and legs to climb up the fake mountain. “Even if you like her, you still have to see whether she likes you or not! I can’t believe you’re experiencing unrequited love. You are not worthy of being a member of the Fu family!”

Lawyer Zhang and the housekeeper hurriedly helped the old man down. “Please don’t do this, Sir. You might fall.”

The old man was panting as he held the chessboard underneath the fake mountain.

“It’s not an unrequited love. We’re both in love with each other!”

The old man scolded, “‘In love with each other’, my ass!”

Fu Yangxi yelled from the top of the fake mountain, “If I am killed, no one will inherit the family estate.”

He knew very well that the old man didn’t like Fu Zhiyi.

The old man trembled with anger. He held the chessboard and pointed at Fu Yangxi. “If it wasn’t because your elder brother died, you bastard would never inherit this! You killed your father and brother, yet you still have the audacity to bring this up! If it wasn’t because of you, your brother may still be living well in this world. He was my favourite and most outstanding grandson. If he was still around, do you think you would even get half a dime?”

Fu Yangxi went stiff, but he quickly recovered. “My brother is no longer here. You only have me. You have no choice.”

The old man was furious. He threw away the chessboard and took a pile of kraft paper with photos from Lawyer Zhang. He tossed it under the fake mountain. “I don’t care about you, you should figure this out by yourself. Don’t be stupid enough to be taken advantage of. You just might find yourself counting money for others.”

Fu Yangxi jumped off the fake mountain. He picked up what the old man had thrown at him, but he didn’t even bother to open it.

He threw it back to Lawyer Zhang nonchalantly. “What’s this? I don’t want to look at it. I’m 80% sure that they are probably things used to cause misunderstandings between Zhao Mingxi and I. I don’t believe it, I only believe what I see.”

The old man’s complexion was pale. “Get out of my sight! I want you out within a minute and go back to your own home. Don’t let me see your face anymore!”

Lawyer Zhang hurriedly glanced at Fu Yangxi’s limping leg as he got down the fake mountain. He couldn’t help but say, “The young master has suffered several beatings just now, and his back and legs are probably bruised. Should we call the doctor to get some medicine?”

“He deserved it,” the old man scolded Fu Yangxi. “Your brother is dead. What’s wrong with suffering just a little injury?”

After he finished speaking, the old man turned around and left.

Lawyer Zhang turned to look at Fu Yangxi.

Fu Yangxi stood there quietly with his head down, a layer of frost condensed on his short hair. He looked extremely tired.

He was about to turn and leave in silence.

But when he turned around, perhaps it was because he accidentally moved the spot where he was beaten, he couldn’t help hissing and his face was all scrunched up in pain.

Lawyer Zhang hurriedly said, “Don’t move, I’ll send you back. Go back in and lie down for a while.”

“Okay.” Fu Yangxi wiped his face. With a relaxed tone, he said, “Thank you, Lawyer Zhang.”

Lawyer Zhang shook his head. He sighed and said, “I’ll bring the car over.”

Lawyer Zhang went off to get the car.

It was the first time for Lawyer Zhang’s long-time assistant to come to the Fu family’s old mansion. It was also his first time witnessing such a scene. He couldn’t help but swallow hard before asking in a low voice, “I thought the grandfather and grandson were having fun, what with all that jumping— Why did the old man hit him for real? If I were at the receiving end of those hits, my bones would have shattered. Also, he purposely avoided hitting his face, picking only places where clothes could cover.”

Lawyer Zhang replied, “How could he possibly hit his face? If the Fu family’s Young Master is seen leaving the Fu family’s old mansion with an injury on his face, wouldn’t it be all over the news tomorrow?”

The assistant asked again, “But that still doesn’t warrant him hitting him as if he is his enemy, right? Young Master Fu can’t even walk properly anymore.”

“Maybe not to the extent of an enemy. The old man still treats him like a grandson, but there is simply a hurdle that can’t be overlooked despite it having been so many years since then. Anyway—” Lawyer Zhang shook his head. “Anyway, just don’t ask about this anymore. You understand the saying ‘curiosity kills the cat’, right?”

The assistant closed his mouth quickly, and dared not ask any more.

Lawyer Zhang drove Fu Yangxi back in his car. He couldn’t help but glance at Fu Yangxi, who had closed his eyes and calmed down, from his rearview mirror.

This young man changed a lot.

He still remembered the first time he met him. He was still a newcomer in the legal profession, and he followed his boss to deal with the Fu family’s affairs.

At that time, Fu Yangxi was only 13 years old, and his elder brother Fu Zhihong was 18 years old.

The two brothers were well-taught. They treated others with modesty and politeness. Anyone in contact with them would feel like a spring breeze had blown through them.

The 13-year-old Fu Yangxi was still a child. His clear eyes were especially clean and innocent. When he ran into a caddie on the golf course he would quickly help him up to apologize. At that time, he was still like Fu Zhihong, with pitch-black short hair, looking like a clean little white poplar, tall and slender.

Then, that incident happened.

The incident was a hot topic at the time. After all, the kidnappers dared to kidnap the two young masters of the Fu family and publicly demanded that Fu Chao personally bring the ransom to redeem his two sons.

It almost appeared in the newspapers at that time, but since it would be a bad influence to their business, the Fu family managed to suppress it with a little money. Only some small gossip circulated in private.

As for what happened to the kidnapping case, even though Lawyer Zhang was already regarded as a trusted friend of the Fu family, he was still not clear about it.

All he knew was that Fu Chao, who had gone to redeem his sons, didn’t come back, and neither did Fu Zhihong. They all died there, and the appearance of their corpses was rather gruesome. Because one person escaped, both of them were harshly punished when they were re-captured by the kidnappers.

Only Fu Yangxi returned.

Something must have happened during the kidnapping. Because after his return, not only did Fu Yangxi not receive any comfort or hugs, he was also not forgiven by his grandfather and mother.

At that time, the old man gave him two options: either leave with the money or stay and clean up the mess. Fu Yangxi probably chose the latter.

Then when Lawyer Zhang saw Fu Yangxi again, it was already the beginning of this year.

Fu Yangxi was already 18 years old, and he grew up to be completely different from his brother back then.

Dyed red hair, a lackluster spirit in studying.

There was no trace of that 13-year-old boy anymore.

…

Fu Yangxi opened his eyes abruptly. It gave Lawyer Zhang a shock but he managed to quickly withdraw his gaze.

In the night, the car drove into an exorbitant villa.

There were several cars parked outside the villa, one of which had the license plate of Fu Yangxi’s mother.

“Madam is back?” Lawyer Zhang frowned when he saw her car.

“Everything that should come will eventually arrive.” Fu Yangxi cheered up and exercised his arms a little. He pushed the door and quickly stepped out of the car.

After taking two steps, he sucked in a deep breath and made larger steps so that he would touch his wounds less often.

The villa was cold. There was not a single photo or frame.

The lights were also frigid.

There was only a lamp in the living room, and a woman with delicate makeup was sitting on the sofa. She held her arms, heard the footsteps, and glanced at him coldly. “I’m surprised that you know how to come home. I heard that you went to the police station. You’re really capable now, aren’t you?”

Fu Yangxi said nothing. He turned and walked upstairs.

In the next second, a glass crashed and shattered on the floor in front of him with a ‘bang’.

The glass shards exploded and cut across the back of Fu Yangxi’s hand.

Fu Yangxi’s eyelids twitched. The two servants in the corner were almost innocently injured. They hurriedly avoided it.

Fu Yangxi said, “You can leave.”

“Thank, thank you, Young Master.” The two quickly hid in the kitchen.

“What the hell are you doing?” Fu Yangxi turned around and said in an annoyed manner. “Yes, I went to the police station, but it was Lawyer Zhang who got me out. I didn’t bother you to go. What’s it got to do with you anyways? And I used the private jet under my own name, so what does it matter to you?”

“You caused your father and brother’s death and yet you still dare to talk back! You still have the audacity to be so happy?!” Yu Jiarong gritted her teeth and asked. “You still have the audacity to fall in love? Are you so happy that you have forgotten what you’ve done to them?!”

Fu Yangxi tightly clenched his fists.

As Yu Jiarong got closer, she stared at the young man before her who looked very similar to Fu Chao. She asked with a tone as if she was weeping blood, “Why were you the only one who survived?”

“Are you happy to be the only one who survived?”

“That road had no ditches and no obstructions, so why did you run so slowly?”

“Did you know that it was because of you that your father and brother died? Your father loved you so much, but he died because of you. Is your one life worth both of theirs?”

“…”

Fu Yangxi’s temples began to throb suddenly. “Have you taken your medicine?”

“I won’t eat them! If you send me to the hospital, won’t you forget these things? You have to remember your faults forever!”

When she saw how pale he looked and how he was about to turn and leave, Yu Jiarong stopped him angrily, “You can’t stand it after just a few words? Your brother and father are dead. Have you ever thought of how cold they would be underground?”

Silence. A while later, Fu Yangxi suppressed his anger and turned upstairs without saying a word.

Yu Jiarong was still yelling behind him, but he chose to ignore it.

…

After tossing and turning on the train all night, Fu Yangxi was so exhausted that he fell asleep on the bed.

He began to lose the distinction between dreams and reality.

…

He kept on running.

The sound of the wind brushed past his ears. Half of his ears were about to be cut off.

In the dark night, the moon was large and round, its distance from the ground very low, as if it could swallow everything. It was cold. His fingers were cracked, the corners of his mouth were swollen, and his face was splattered with blood. He ran forward with all his might.

The sense of rush and panic in the dream spread from within him, and his whole body was covered in sweat.

Suddenly, there was the sound of a dog barking, one after another. It wasn’t just one dog, it was a whole group of them.

In the dark night, the group of hungry and vicious dogs kept chasing him. He could practically feel the stench and heat coming from their mouths, lingering by his ears.

Fu Yangxi didn’t want his legs to go weak, but his ankle was severely bitten, and the piercing pain soon came.

He fell to the ground abruptly, his hands and elbows fractured in every single place.

The tingling sensation spread all over the body. It was incredibly painful.

His father desperately tried untie the rope around his hands. He wanted to drag out some time so he could escape along the ventilation duct and find help as soon as possible.

He ran for a long time, so long that his lungs felt like they were about to burst.

Suddenly, he was dragged back by the group of hungry dogs.

Little Fu Yangxi cried. He was out of breath, his heart in absolute despair. He tried to snatch his leg back and desperately tried to run forward——

But there was no way for him to make it in time.

He was too late.

He couldn’t do anything in time.

In the end, there were only two corpses waiting for him.

Fu Yangxi woke up in cold sweat. He sat up instantly, panting wildly as he did so.

Huge beads of sweat fell drop by drop from that head of short red hair.

After realizing that this was just another nightmare, Fu Yangxi wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, swallowed, and calmed down a little.

He sat there for a while. Then, he forced himself up, went to the bedside table to pull out two white bottles and unscrewed the caps.

He poured out a few pills and swallowed them without any water.

However, sleep still did not come to him.

It was always difficult for him to fall asleep at night. He would have nightmares as soon as he slept.

The intermittent crying rang in his ears once more. Fu Yangxi thought he was dreaming again.

But that was not the case.

The cries came from Yu Jiarong’s room.

Yu Jiarong often cried in the middle of the night. She had a mild bipolar disorder, but she would never let herself stay in the hospital for long.

After crying for a while, she came over and knocked on Fu Yangxi’s door.

The voice of hopelessness and despair came from outside Fu Yangxi’s room. It was still the repeated interrogations. “Why were you the only one who survived?”

“Why were you so slow when your father asked you to get help?”

…

Fu Yangxi listened quietly.

A short while later, Yu Jiarong slowly squatted down outside his room. She hid her face as she cried. “I’m sorry, Yangyang, I’m really sorry. It just hurts so much. You’ll make me feel better, right? Don’t forget your brother— They’ve all forgotten, no one remembers your brother anymore, but you can’t forget.”

Fu Yangxi remained silent.

After a while, Yu Jiarong seemed to be a little more sober. She fumbled around and left, sobbing as she went.

Fu Yangxi glanced out the window. The morning fog was hazy.

Another night had passed. The sky was about to be bright again.

His mother had been blaming him for so many years, thinking that he was the only one who escaped.

But sometimes Fu Yangxi would also wonder if he ran faster; if he was stronger and braver; if he didn’t have to take a detour because of that group of vicious dogs, even if they pulled his whole leg off— would the outcome be different?

Everyone in the family felt that he and his brother looked too similar. The same face, the same black hair, and the same personality. Whenever they saw him, he reminded them that both Fu Zhihong and Fu Chao were dead. Only Fu Yangxi with the weakest body survived.

So no one wanted to look at him anymore.

After the age of 13, Yu Jiarong always stared at him with hatred in her eyes, hating him for being too similar to Fu Zhihong.

So he dyed his hair red.

Then Yu Jiarong hated him because he no longer looked like Fu Zhihong.

Yu Jiarong hated that Fu Zhihong and Fu Chao were no longer found in him, so she went to pick up Fu Zhiyi.

…

Fu Yangxi lay down again, resting his head on his hands. He stared at the ceiling for a long time in cold sweat.

He tried to make Zhao Mingxi’s face appear in his mind.

—Those eyes that were shining, clean and clear when they saw him.

He tried to make her smile fill his mind, and let her voice linger in his ears with the words she said.

—”My name is Zhao Mingxi. I just transferred here from Normal Class Six.”

—”Can I run on his behalf?”

…

Little Mask likes me.

Little Mask cares for me.

At least I have Little Mask.

…

After chanting it many times, his anxious mood slowly began to calm down.

Suddenly, there was a madness in Fu Yangxi’s heart. He had a mad desire to see Zhao Mingxi. That desire burned hot every night, and it was even more turbulent tonight. If it was Zhao Mingxi, would she blame him if she knew about this? Would she still say ‘I’m worried about you’ to him?

Fu Yangxi was uncertain.

He couldn’t help but get up and put on his shoes and jacket. Then, he jumped out of the window. When he did this, his mind was blank, just like a person who was about to freeze to death, eagerly trying to head towards the scorching fire.

He took off in one of his family’s cars.

In the early hours of the morning, the sky was still dark, and the whole world had yet to wake up.

Fu Yangxi rushed all the way to the school dormitory. His cheeks were pale due to the cold. He panted wildly. When he saw the iron gate, he realized that the dormitory where Zhao Mingxi lived had a guard stationed at the entrance.

He stopped running.

A warm yellow light outside the guard’s booth dragged his figure long.

White puffs came out of his mouth, and his eyelashes seemed to be condensed with hoarfrost.

After standing blankly for a while, Fu Yangxi collapsed and sat down on the flowerbed next to him in exhaustion.

He wanted to wait for Zhao Mingxi to wake up. He wanted him to be the first person Zhao Mingxi sees when she comes downstairs. He wanted to see her earlier.

No one likes him, they all hate him.

But as long as Zhao Mingxi likes him, he is not afraid.