I Just Want to Freeload on Your Luck - Chapter 35

Fu Yangxi reached out his hand and hung up the call.

He didn’t know what he would do if he continued listening.

…

Everything is clear now.

Little Mask never liked me at all.

Fu Yangxi didn’t know what he was thinking, or maybe he wasn’t thinking about anything at all. His mind was buzzing, and there seemed to be a big hand coming out of his stomach, squeezing his internal organs. For a moment, he felt empty everywhere and had absolutely no energy. He sat down on the sofa and looked at the ground blankly without saying a word.

Ke Chengwen’s heart was beating like a drum as he looked at Fu Yangxi at a loss. “Xi ge—”

Ke Chengwen felt that he was also responsible for this. If he told Fu Yangxi when Zhao Mingxi first transferred that Zhao Mingxi used to pursue Shen Liyao before, then he wouldn’t let Xi ge’s feelings develop to this point. But he didn’t think so much at that time just because he was afraid that Xi ge’s temper would explode.

“You can leave first.” Fu Yangxi interrupted him. “Let me be for a while.”

Ke Chengwen still couldn’t help but say, “If you feel deceived and angered and you don’t want to see Zhao Mingxi, why not get Lawyer Zhang to negotiate with the dean and transfer Zhao Mingxi to another class?”

Although Zhao Mingxi was also his friend, Ke Chengwen only got to know her because of Fu Yangxi.

Ke Chengwen still subconsciously stood on Fu Yangxi’s side.

“‘Deceive’? When did Zhao Mingxi deceive me? If you’re referring to those comments in the posts saying she was kind to me because she wanted to make Shen Liyao jealous, I don’t believe a single word of it.”

“She’s not that kind of person. You’re not allowed to believe it or even talk about it. Next time you hear someone gossiping about this, just beat them up.”

Fu Yangxi’s tone was flat and emotionless.

The light in the room is dim, making it difficult to see his expression.

“When I do things, I only care about what I want and don’t want. Even if you force me to do something by putting a knife to my neck, I won’t do it.”

Fu Yangxi said.

He would not like a person just because that person likes him. It started a long time ago, maybe it was the moment she took off the mask; maybe it was that night in the library; maybe even earlier, the moment his fingers touched hers when he realized that he liked Zhao Mingxi.

Therefore, there was no deception, and there was no misunderstanding.

He also didn’t care if Zhao Mingxi used to like others. He only wanted to know if Zhao Mingxi liked him now.

And now he knows.

She doesn’t like him.

She just treated him as a boss, and the series of good actions done on his behalf after her transfer was maybe just so she could integrate into the class more quickly.

It was because he had never received this before, so after getting a small match, he thought she had a whole pit of warm fire waiting for him.

He thought too much, way too much.

Fu Yangxi felt embarrassed.

After being silent for a long time, he tugged at the corner of his mouth. “You are not allowed to tell anyone about what happened today.”

No one had yet to know that he had turned himself into such a big joke. After today, he could still pretend that nothing had happened.

Ke Chengwen looked at him and said, “Okay.”

But no matter how Fu Yangxi tried to cheer himself up, he was still shaking with emptiness.

A flash of lightning struck, illuminating Fu Yangxi’s pale face.

Then, the pouring rain started to fall outside the room.

*

…

Mingxi hung up the phone, feeling puzzled. Why did Ke Chengwen make such a weird call? Why can’t he just tell me this in school tomorrow?

But she still wrote down Fu Yangxi’s birthday on her phone’s memo.

The last time they made a fuss about it, she was thinking about her own affairs, so she didn’t catch it.

Fortunately, Ke Chengwen reminded her again, so she remembered it this time.

Mingxi wrote a lot in her memo, all of which were important dates for important people. He Yang, Aunt Dong and Dong Shen.

After giving it some thought, she circled November 5th and pinned it at the top so she wouldn’t forget it again.

“Mingxi, the dishes are getting cold.” Dong Shen called out to her.

Mingxi hurried back.

Dong Hui placed Mingxi’s favorite food in front of her and asked carefully, “Do you want to move in with us? Though we have yet to receive the title for our house. I just paid the deposit when I was abroad two months ago and it’s estimated that there’ll be another month left before we can move in. It’s in a very good community, second-hand villa—”

“It’s okay, Aunt Dong. I want to live in school. It’s more convenient.”

Dong Hui hurriedly asked again, “What about during the winter and summer vacations? Xixi, you must have a place to call home, right? Otherwise, how scared will you be when the school is empty? Come to our house! Just nod your head and we will allocate a room to you immediately after the house is delivered.”

When Dong Hui saw Mingxi hesitating, she quickly said, “Why are you so hesitant? Uncle Dong and I watched you grow up. You are smart and hardworking, and we have always treated you as our daughter. Now that we are able to help you financially, why are you hesitating? Your grandma asked us to take care of you before she died. If we knew that the Zhao family would act like this, we would not have gone abroad in the first place.”

Dong Shen also said, “Exactly. Besides, Mingxi, didn’t you say you want to take me shopping for new clothes? In a few days, I will have to trouble you with all kinds of transfer procedures.”

Mingxi lowered her head and held her chopsticks tightly. The tip of her nose felt slightly sour. Finally, she nodded and agreed, “Okay.”

Seeing that Mingxi had agreed, the Dong family was very happy. But this time the Dong family had just returned to China and was also staying in a hotel. Many things have not been arranged yet, so Mingxi could only live in school first. Then when it’s time for winter vacation, she can move to the Dong family’s newly bought house.

Mingxi and Dong Hui’s family had a lively meal. After dinner, the four of them came down from the second floor of the restaurant.

Seeing as it was an absolute downpour outside, Dong Hui said, “We’ll send you back to school first, then we’ll head back to the hotel.”

Mingxi stopped being overly-polite with them and said directly, “Okay. Thank you, auntie.”

Mingxi, Dong Hui and Dong Shen waited under the eaves of the hotel for Uncle Dong to drive his car over.

A familiar car was also slowly driving over.

The driver was holding an umbrella. Madam Zhao, Zhao Yuan, and Zhao Yuning got out of the car.

Madam Zhao and Zhao Yuning have been in a stalemate, making Zhao Yuan anxious. She was worried that if the stalemate goes on for a long time, Zhao Yuning will not go home and Madam Zhao will blame herself.

So she thought of a way, which was to ask both of them out to have a meal together.

Madam Zhao was still depressed about Zhao Mingxi’s affairs and had no appetite, but when she heard that Zhao Yuning was also eating together with them, she hurried out, thinking that she had already lost a daughter so she could not afford to risk her relationship with Zhao Yuning anymore.

As for Zhao Yuning, he didn’t want to come at all. The reason why he came was because after talking to Zhao Mo that day about what Zhao Yuan did in the Department of Literature, his second eldest brother gave it some thought and asked him to pay more attention to Zhao Yuan.

He wanted to see what Zhao Yuan wanted to do, hence why he came.

But the three of them didn’t expect to see Mingxi standing under the eaves before they got out of the car.

In reality, A City was not that big. Moreover, there were only so many famous five-star hotels. As long as you live in this city, you will definitely bump into someone familiar some day.

Zhao Mingxi looked thinner and her clothes were a little thicker. Maybe she just came out of school. Her school uniform was covered by a long coat, but she didn’t look bloated at all. On the contrary, she looked slim because of her tall stature. She had fair skin and she still had on the long-life charm that her grandmother got for her.

She was a beautiful young girl that could be easily identified even from afar.

Madam Zhao’s heart felt congested. The children in her family were all very excellent in terms of appearance, but Mingxi was undoubtedly the most outstanding one. When she first brought Mingxi home, she was shocked to see how beautiful Mingxi was. At that time, she really wanted to pull her close and take more looks at her.

But because she was worried about Zhao Yuan’s feelings, she never dared to take more glances.

And now, such a beautiful child belongs to someone else’s family.

Both Madam Zhao and Zhao Yuning noticed Dong Hui and Dong Shen who were next to her.

They never expected that the first thing the Dong family did when they returned to China was to find Mingxi.

The expressions of the two were exactly the same as if they had been hit with a bat. They immediately walked over with their umbrellas.

Originally, Madam Zhao thought that even if their relationship had been severed, Mingxi would at least say hello to them if she encountered them in the crowd, right?

But unexpectedly…

No.

Mingxi did see them, but she immediately withdrew her gaze and got into the Dong family’s car.

“…”

Madam Zhao felt suffocated. Her heart suddenly felt as though it had been pierced by a needle.

Without giving it any further thought, she rushed to block the door and the driver hurriedly followed with the umbrella.

Zhao Yuan stood alone on the steps of the hotel, but when she turned around, she saw that both Madam Zhao and Zhao Yuning hadn’t followed. Instead, they braved the heavy rain to stop the car. There was an instant change in her expression.

“Zhao Mingxi!” Madam Zhao felt a pain in her heart. “You won’t even say hello anymore when we meet?!”

Mingxi got into the car, but Madam Zhao pulled the door to prevent her from closing it. Mingxi frowned. “Let go.”

Dong Shen was sitting on Mingxi’s right. When he saw Madam Zhao and Zhao Yuning, he became angry and said, “What’s wrong with you guys? Can’t you just let her go? Stop pestering her. What were you doing before this? Why should she say hello? Why should she greet you guys after she severed her relationship with you?”

Zhao Yuning held the umbrella and looked at Zhao Mingxi sadly. He couldn’t help saying, “Jie*—”

*jie = elder sister

“‘Jie’? What ‘jie’? She’s my elder sister now!” Dong Shen deliberately said this to trigger Zhao Yuning. He hugged Mingxi’s arm and leaned his head on her shoulder.

Zhao Yuning was anxious and desperate. He wanted nothing but to rush in and fight Dong Shen. “Let go of Zhao Mingxi, you fatty.”

Two years ago, Dong Shen was very fat and was laughed at by Zhao Yuning several times, but two years later, Dong Shen had become a handsome young man.

“I don’t wanna!” Dong Shen said angrily. “Your whole family are the real fatties.”

Seeing that it became a small battle between two children, Dong Hui, who was sitting in the passenger seat, turned around and said to Madam Zhao, “Honestly, Zhao jie, you lost a great treasure. Mingxi is kind and hardworking, precisely the kind of daughter I want. Since you don’t want her, you should have said so earlier. It would have been better if you let her come to us. Our whole family will buy her beautiful clothes and let her live in a beautiful room. She won’t have to live so pitifully at your place.”

Madam Zhao simply wanted to slap Dong Hui in spite of her family education and shut her up, but the pain in her heart was too overwhelming— It seems like she truly did not fulfill her responsibility as a mother, that even outsiders treated Zhao Mingxi better than her.

She couldn’t help but say to Zhao Mingxi who was silent, “Mingxi, let’s have a chat, alright? Mom has reflected a lot in the past two days, I apologize to you—”

“What kind of apology is this? You will just talk about it, but will your family take any action? You already have your biological daughter Zhao Yuan, so why are you still looking for Mingxi?!”

Dong Shen was the most uncomfortable about this scene. He said angrily, “It’s all because of you guys that Mingxi can’t even have her birthday on the proper date. Until now she is still using Zhao Yuan’s birthday! Let me tell you this, just wait a few days. As soon as Mingxi turns eighteen, my mother will bring her to change the date on her ID card! She won’t need you guys anymore.”

After Dong Shen finished speaking, he reached over Zhao Mingxi and forcibly pulled off Madam Zhao’s fingers.

Madam Zhao’s blood surged to the top of her head.

She couldn’t refute what Dong Shen said.

Yes, they did wrong Mingxi in this matter.

About three years ago, Zhao Yuan was injured during her school’s Sports Day. After she was sent to the hospital, they discovered that Zhao Yuan was not their biological daughter because her DNA was different from theirs.

Afterwards, they figured out that there had been an incident in the hospital that year whereby they took home the wrong child.

They didn’t know if it was the work of Zhao Yuan’s biological mother or someone else, but the two children were swapped while they were still in the incubator.

So afterwards they started looking for their biological daughter Zhao Mingxi.

At that time, they thought that they would never be able to find her, so in the midst of the whole family’s despair, they decided to treat Zhao Yuan as their biological daughter. They changed Zhao Yuan’s birthday from October 24 to her own real birth date, October 14.

But to their surprise, after the change, they found Mingxi.

They faced a problem then, whether to change the date of Zhao Yuan’s ID card again to Mingxi, or to ask the newcomer Mingxi to compromise and change the date according to Zhao Yuan’s real birthday.

Back then, Zhao Yuan was only 15 years old, and she was about to change the date for the second time. She thought that the Zhao family didn’t want her anymore, so she cried really hard that day. Madam Zhao felt sorry for her, so she begged Mr. Zhao to change Zhao Mingxi’s date…

At that time, Madam Zhao thought that Mingxi wouldn’t mind. After all, the family would celebrate her true birthday again on the 24th. The ID was just a number.

But now, Madam Zhao regrets that decision.

She could clearly see what she was like. Because she didn’t want to push Zhao Yuan away, she chose to push Mingxi further away bit by bit.

…

Half of Madam Zhao’s body was exposed to the rain outside. She was so sad that her internal organs hurt. She subconsciously looked at Mingxi, who had been silent, and pleaded, “Mingxi, have I completely lost you?”

She still had a flicker of hope that Mingxi would come back to her.

But what she didn’t expect was for Mingxi to look up at her and calmly say, “Yes, you have lost me.”

Zhao Mingxi seemed to have really let go of them completely.

She no longer worried about them, nor would she ever beg for the love of their family again.

At that moment, Madam Zhao could see darkness tunneling her vision. Dong Shen took this opportunity to tear her fingers away from the door.

The Dong family’s car drove away.

Madam Zhao’s legs went soft and she almost sat on her knees in the rain but was quickly helped up by the driver and Zhao Yuning.

Madam Zhao cried so much as she recalled what just happened. “Why is this happening?”

However, she clearly knew the reason why this was happening.

She realized that she was the executioner who caused all this.

“If- if we change Mingxi’s birthday, will that make everything better?” Madam Zhao asked Zhao Yuning in tears.

Zhao Yuan’s face changed when she heard her under the eaves of the restaurant.

…

*

The Dong family’s return to China gave Mingxi a little bit of confidence. At least someone will attend the parent-teacher meetings in the future.

There will no longer be anyone secretly taunting whether she was the adopted daughter of the Zhao family, or why the handsome eldest brother of the Zhao family always only picked Zhao Yuan up from school and not her.

Aunt Dong will come to pick her up in the future.

God knows how grateful Mingxi was that in this life, the Dong family is still there.

Because she took some time out to have dinner with them after school, after returning to school in the evening, Mingxi forced herself to do a few more test papers and didn’t go to bed until midnight.

The next morning, Mingxi was still the first to wake up in the entire dormitory.

As soon as she entered the classroom, she saw that Jiang Xiuqiu had already returned to school. His seat was on the other side, surrounded by several girls. When he saw Mingxi coming in, he raised his peach eyes and glanced at Mingxi.

Mingxi raised her hand to say hello and walked to her seat.

Since Fu Yangxi was not happy that she was trying to freeload on Jiang Xiuqiu’s luck, she simply won’t do it. 2% was dispensable for her anyways.

However, Mingxi could feel that something was wrong. Fu Yangxi didn’t come to class today. On the other hand, Ke Chengwen lay on the table lazily as he read some comic books. When he saw her, his expression was a little strange, and after a hurried greeting, he lowered his head to continue reading his comic books.

But what’s strange was not this, it was the fact that Fu Yangxi’s table— Why is it empty?

The noise-canceling headphones were gone, and the jacket that was messily thrown was gone as well.

His favorite Pikachu pillow that he always carried around for the past few months ever since she bought it for him had also disappeared.

She heard that Fu Yangxi used to be absent from school frequently, skipping for two or three days at a time. However, he came to school every day for the past month. That’s why Mingxi was a little startled when she saw that his table was empty.

“Where is Fu Yangxi?” Mingxi couldn’t help asking. “It’s not the weekend, so why is his stuff missing?”

Ke Chengwen said, “He took two days off. I think he’ll come back the day after tomorrow. Don’t worry.”

“Why did he suddenly ask for leave?” Mingxi thought of the sudden rainstorm and cold current last night, and was inevitably a little worried. “Is he sick?”

Ke Chengwen looked at Mingxi, feeling a mix of emotions. He said vaguely, “He got caught in the rain after school yesterday.”

“Does he have a fever? Is it serious?” Mingxi asked.

“Nah, he’s okay. It’s just a little cold,” Ke Chengwen said.

Mingxi had no choice but to sit down first. In the end, Fu Yangxi didn’t come to class at all today.

As Mingxi had to prepare for the Hundred School Tournament, she didn’t think too much about it.

But once she started doing the questions, she raised her head, and when she saw the empty seat beside her, she felt a little uncomfortable.

This was the first time that Fu Yangxi didn’t give her a heads up before he decided to not come to school.

Without his voice around her, everything seemed much quieter.

Finally, when school was about to end, Mingxi couldn’t hold back anymore and texted him.

“Xi ge, Ke Chengwen told me that you caught a cold.”

“Do you have a fever? There should be a private doctor at home, right? Have you seen the doctor yet?”

“What’s your body temperature?”

“Is there anything you need? I can send it over to you.”

Mingxi kept holding the phone. She was restless. When she saw that Fu Yangxi never answered, she couldn’t help but send another one: “Was it so uncomfortable that you fell asleep? If you can see my message, please reply me QAQ*.”

*QAQ is a crying emoticon

Even after she was done with her messages, there was still no reply from him.

…

Mingxi subconsciously began to look through the chat records between her and Fu Yangxi. In the past, in order to improve her luck, she only sent three messages to Fu Yangxi every day, and almost all of them were three periods.

This was the first time that she had sent Fu Yangxi five messages with actual content in them.

Mingxi felt uneasy.

It was mainly because of the fact that she had recently discovered Fu Yangxi’s fear of dogs, and she often found scratches from glass explosions on his body. Although he said that he got those scratches when the glass bowl exploded after being filled with overly hot instant noodles, Mingxi always felt that something wasn’t quite right with his story.

She started packing her school bag the moment the final school bell rang. She was planning to visit Fu Yangxi’s house.

She turned around and asked Ke Chengwen, “Do you know the address to Fu Yangxi’s home? Can you send it to me?”

Ke Chengwen was stunned. “Didn’t you not want it before?!”

Mingxi said, “I’m scared that he can’t take care of himself. Didn’t you say that there are no adults in his home and that he lives by himself most of the time?”

…

After getting the address from Ke Chengwen, Mingxi carried her schoolbag, bought some anti-fever medicine and anti-fever stickers, and hurried to Fu Yangxi’s address with an umbrella.

Over at this side, after she left, Ke Chengwen quickly sent a text message to Fu Yangxi: “Crap. Xi ge, I couldn’t stand the temptation of a beautiful girl and told Zhao Mingxi your address. It’s the address of your own apartment, not your mother’s villa.”

After falling out of love, Fu Yangxi, who was curled up in the bed decadently, continued to stare at the WeChat messages sent by Zhao Mingxi. His mood was complicated and sad. A hundred episodes of life and death in TV dramas had already been staged in his mind.

When he saw the message from Ke Chengwen pop up, he withdrew from the chatroom and took a look. Then he immediately sat up.

What the hell? Little Mask is coming? But I haven’t even washed my hair yet!

Fu Yangxi was in absolute despair. She said that she didn’t like me, so why does she still care about me?

Just let me die!