I Just Want to Freeload on Your Luck - Chapter 62

Mingxi walked in and saw an old man in a vest and jacket, sitting cross-legged as he blew on the cup of tea in front of him intently. He looked like the old man who taught the Turtle Style in a Japanese manga.

Hearing footsteps, he raised his head and glanced at Mingxi.

That look was quite unfathomable.

“Zhao Mingxi? Come, take a seat.”

There was a sense of an old man’s majesty in his voice.

Mingxi hurriedly cheered herself up, walked over to sit down and carefully approached him. “Hello, Grandfather.”

“Who’s your grandfather?” The old man took a glance at her and sneered.

The wrinkles and ravines on his face were filled with dissatisfaction.

Mingxi: “…”

To be honest, it was really scary.

The mental preparation that Mingxi did before coming here suddenly collapsed.

Although this old man was dressed casually, he had the aura of a superior person which gave people a very strong sense of oppression. When he was staring at her, her shoulders felt as if 1000 kilos were stacked on them. A young girl such as Mingxi appeared really tender in front of him.

Mingxi lowered her head and thought to herself, oh no, is he going to dump money next?

How should I deal with it? Should I cry and say that I would rather die or take the money first, and then talk to Fu Yangxi when I get back?

Then she heard the old man say, “You can only call me Grandfather after you get married. Now you can only call me Grandpa Fu. You and Fu Yangxi are both ignorant of common etiquette!”

“…”

Mingxi: ??? Wait a minute? Get married?

—Who’s getting married?

Married to who?

Isn’t this progressing a little too fast?

The old man said again, “I haven’t seen you before, but I have always been curious about you. When you came back from Tongcheng, Fu Yangxi climbed up the fake boulder and said that he liked you. He also said that if I dared to touch you, he would immediately jump off a building.”

Mingxi couldn’t help raising the corners of her lips. Turns out that at that time Fu Yangxi had already…

Before she had time to think about it, she heard the old man say a lot again, “I thought there was a hole in his head at the time that he got into an unrequited love. He simply didn’t deserve to be part of the Fu family! I was so mad! Fortunately, he finally locked you down, otherwise where will my pride go?! Hey, I think I didn’t lose to him back then. If I tried to pursue someone, the whole city would fall for me—”

As the old man spoke, he looked at the window and began to reminisce on his style in the past with a bit of pride between his eyebrows.

Mingxi: “…”

Wait, is there something wrong with the brain circuits of people with the surname Fu?

What about money? Is he not going to toss me a sum of cash?

The 90 million I imagined went to waste?

Half an hour later.

Mingxi was still listening to the old man’s chatter with a blank face. She only hoped that Fu Yangxi would come to rescue her sooner.

Finally, the old man was a little thirsty and asked someone to change his tea. Taking advantage of his break, Mingxi hurriedly said, “I thought you came to drive me away from Fu Yangxi.”

The old man took a sip of tea and thought it was too hot, so he hissed and looked at her with a confused expression. “You young people have watched too many dramas. We Fus are involved in business, we’re not a mafia. Did you think that I was going to give you a few million to leave my grandson? A few million is hard to earn, okay? Why should I give it to you for free, little girl?”

Mingxi: “…”

She thought too much. She thought there would be at least 90 million, but it turned out that the old man didn’t plan to even spend several million.

He is indeed a prudent businessman.

I’m impressed.

The old man’s mental abacus rattled. “If I force you to break up with Fu Yangxi, the kid will definitely make a fuss again. If that happens, I don’t know how many millions will be lost, and I will still have to give you several millions. In the end, when I round them all up, I will lose a granddaughter-in-law and about a hundred million. It’s a loss-making business! Besides, he acts like there’s a hole in his brain all day long, who would want him?”

Mingxi: “…”

“However, if you marry him, with your intelligence, you should be able to create more wealth for the Fu family. I’ll be earning then!” The old man continued to ponder. “I have seen your results. It was really bad at first, but since you are now the 35th in the province, it means that your brain is still good, at least better than that brat Fu Yangxi — How about this, if you can win the gold medal in the national competition after the final, I will send you overseas to study. I will pay for all the tuition and living expenses!”

Mingxi: “…Overseas?”

Oh no, he’s finally reaching the main point. Which developing country am I going to be sent off to?

“Yes, you can go with Fu Yangxi. You can also study at a university in China. I think it’s better for you to study in China for two years and then study abroad for two years.”

Mingxi: “…”

You’re thinking too far ahead!

After the old man finished his mental calculation, he stared at Mingxi’s face carefully.

His stare sent shivers all over Mingxi. “Wh-What’s wrong?”

The old man said, “When you came in with your shoes on just now, you were 1.7 meters in height. That’s enough for a girl. Your facial features are also pretty good, and your genes are acceptable— you haven’t had plastic surgery, have you?”

Mingxi: “…”

Mingxi felt as if she didn’t come to see an elder today. Instead, she was the fish on a chopping board, evaluated in an all-round way by old man Fu’s X-ray-like businessman’s eyes.

Mingxi couldn’t help but ask, “Won’t the Fu family need a marriage alliance or something?”

Isn’t that what it’s all about on TV?

At this point, it’s about time for a fiancée to pop out to adjust the plot.

The old man sneered and said, “Do you think that with the Fu’s position today we would still need a marriage alliance?”

The old man seemed to think that Mingxi looked down on their Fu family’s huge foundation, so he began to give Mingxi a general knowledge of the Fu family’s industries and the assets could not be finished spending in dozens of lifetimes.

Mingxi was now a little suspicious that the old man didn’t have someone to chat with him often, so he really went all out when he caught her.

“It’s not impossible to arrange a marriage, but my grandson broke his leg after hearing your confession. If he breaks up with you, he will definitely jump off a building. If he jumps off the building, the stock price will collapse. I asked someone to calculate the property damage, and it was better not to have a marriage alliance. The value you can bring is actually not much less than an arranged marriage.”

Mingxi: “…”

I’m done confirming. He really has a great sense of imagination.

Mingxi was forced to stay by the old man and they talked for two hours.

Japanese food was eaten and three or four pots of tea were drunk.

Seeing that there was no sign of it ever ending, Mingxi was about to collapse in exhaustion.

But she couldn’t show it in front of the old man. She changed her position from sitting to kneeling and quietly beat her calf with her fist, trying to relax.

Fu Yangxi rushed in against the cold wind with a pale face, and this was what he saw.

The old man looked aggressive. He didn’t know what he was talking about.

And Little Mask knelt in front of him with a pale face.

The special assistant said that Little Mask had been in there for two hours.

The old man forced her to kneel for two hours??

F*ck!

What’s the difference between this and Wet-Nurse Rong’s* needle?!

*Wet-Nurse Rong is a character in the famous TV series ‘My Fair Princess’ who is renowned for the scene where the she tortured the princess with a needle.

Fu Yangxi’s face changed, his expression frosty. He immediately rushed over and carried Zhao Mingxi away. “How are you? Are you okay?”

The old man: ?

Mingxi: ?

Fu Yangxi made Zhao Mingxi stand still and touched her face. After confirming that there were no pinholes in her body, he pulled her behind him to protect her. He turned his head to stare at the old man and said angrily, “Come at me if you dare. What’s the point of playing tricks behind my back? Didn’t I say that if you dare to touch her, I will—”

“You will jump off the building?” Mingxi smiled behind him.

“How did you know? Little Mask, don’t be afraid.” Fu Yangxi continued to confront the old man and gritted his teeth. “This is the first and last time. I hope you don’t appear in front of Zhao Mingxi again in the future.”

The old man was so angry that his blood pressure skyrocketed. He slammed the table and stood up. “Are you threatening me? Huh? Do you want to see if I am threatened by you? I’ll beat you to death today, little bastard!!”

As he said that, the old man went everywhere to find guys who could beat him up.

Mingxi was stunned. Is he really going to hit him?

She quickly stopped him and said to Fu Yangxi, “I’m really alright.”

Fu Yangxi’s eyes were flushed red with anger. “He made you kneel for two hours and yet you say you’re alright? Come with me.”

As he said that, Fu Yangxi took Mingxi, turned around and left.

The scene was chaotic.

Behind them, the old man threw a cup.

Mingxi was dizzy as she got pulled out of the Japanese restaurant by Fu Yangxi. She didn’t forget to explain, “I’m fine, really. Your grandfather did nothing to me. I just sat till my legs were sore and got up on my knees to rest for a while. You can check the surveillance cameras if you don’t believe me.”

Fu Yangxi didn’t quite believe her. “I know how my grandfather is. He’s always either scolding or hitting me, so how can he not bully you? What else was he trying to do if not force you to break up with me?”

Mingxi said with a strange expression, “He asked me if I had plastic surgery. I think he was predicting the genes of our children.”

Fu Yangxi: “…”

After a long round of convincing, Fu Yangxi finally believed that the old man did nothing to Mingxi. Under Mingxi’s advice, he went back to apologize to the old man with a sullen face, but the old man had already shivered with anger and went back in his car to drive to the highway.

Mingxi has now seen what kind of person Fu Yangxi’s grandfather is.

…This is not someone who can be summed up in a few words at all.

The two came out of the Japanese restaurant and walked down the street.

Mingxi asked, “You said just now that the old man would always either scold you or hit you, why?”

Only then did Fu Yangxi realize that he had accidentally revealed a secret. He looked visibly uncomfortable as he said, “It’s nothing, it’s just how it is when you’re a boy. I’m a little more mischievous, so I’ll inevitably receive a scolding from my grandpa.”

His mentality towards the old man was very complicated.

He could say that the old man was good to him, but sometimes the way he looked at him was as if he was really gnashing his teeth. Also, when he saw that he did something wrong, he would beat him to death.

But he couldn’t bring himself to say that he hated him. At the age of 13, the old man wanted to send him out of the country at first. To a certain extent, he was protected. In this case, he would not have to face the mess that remained.

And he was also certain that the old man had never thought about Fu Zhiyi. He was always sure that he would be the heir.

The only reason why he mentioned the old man to Little Mask was because after the age of 13, he grew up beside the old man, so he was only familiar with the old man.

Mingxi asked again, “Your leg is completely healed?”

“Yes, it’s completely healed. Isn’t it quick?” Fu Yangxi stretched out his arms, held Mingxi up and took two steps forward.

All the passers-by turned to look at them. Mingxi’s cheeks were hot. She gave him a light punch.

Only then did he put Mingxi down and said proudly, “What is this called again? Oh yes, a hero’s medal, showing proof of physical strength and courage.”

Mingxi: “…Thanks but these words really don’t match you.”

With the face of a beautiful young man, all he thinks about is the rough man who marches and fights.

Is this what it means to be a boy?

It’s been a long time since they’ve seen each other, so the two of them couldn’t hide how much they missed each other.

But after being separated for a while, they were a little shy.

Fu Yangxi took Mingxi’s hand, brought her to the place where he parked his car and opened the trunk to show her what he brought her.

“These are several pieces of clothes I brought from home. I also bought new wool socks and snow boots. These are two woolen hats. It’s been too cold recently. Take care of yourself and don’t catch a cold, my Little Mask.”

As Fu Yangxi spoke, he violently pulled the label, threw it into the trunk and put the wool cap on Zhao Mingxi’s head.

He held her head with both hands and pulled down, wrapping her delicate ears.

It feels right.

He smiled. “It seems that my estimation of your head circumference is accurate.”

Mingxi felt a burst of warmth in her heart, but when she heard the word “head circumference”, she couldn’t help but angrily say, “What do you mean? Do you think my head is big?”

Fu Yangxi rubbed the top of Zhao Mingxi’s head. With a “hmm”, he said proudly, “It’s not really small.”

Mingxi kicked him.

Fu Yangxi pulled out more things from the car. “And there’s warming patches, brown sugar—”

He couldn’t go on after that. The roots of his ears turned red with a “swoosh”.

Mingxi’s cheeks were hot. “Fu Yangxi, you must be counting my menstruation cycle on the calendar, or else how would you know when my period is coming?”

Fu Yangxi said angrily, “You think I want to know that? Didn’t you soil the sheets yourself, then sneak up to wash it the next morning?!”

It made Fu Yangxi blush for a long time.

Before he came, he warned himself a hundred times to be cool, cold and handsome,, but he still couldn’t control himself and said angrily, “I didn’t mean to spy on you!”

Mingxi was about to laugh to death. “I thought you were a cool boyfriend, yet why do you feel like a father now? I also remember that you gave me two big quilts and underwear not long after we knew each other. They fell into the library the moment I opened it. Those who didn’t know would have thought you liked to cross-”

Before Mingxi could finish speaking, Fu Yangxi’s palm gently covered her mouth.

Time suddenly stopped.

Fu Yangxi abruptly pulled her into his arms.

He lowered his head, resting his chin on her neck, and hugged her tightly.

He put one hand on the back of her head, as if he wanted to rub her into his bones.

His voice was a little hoarse in the cold wind.

“Little Mask, I really missed you.”

As Fu Yangxi’s down jacket was open, Mingxi’s cheek was pressed against his black sweater. She could feel the itch of the sweater, and at the same time, the madly beating heart of this young man.

A rush of warmth.

The overwhelming joy.

It was dusk and there was a lot of traffic. Mingxi’s face was buried in Fu Yangxi’s collarbone. She couldn’t see any of the twilight. The only thing she saw was his blood flowing down his veins toward his heart.

“Me too. I missed you.”

“Very, very much.”

Mingxi closed her eyes and hugged him back.

*

After returning the things to the hotel, the two were hungry.

Mingxi didn’t like to eat Japanese food, and the old man had too strong of a presence which put too much pressure on her, so she didn’t eat at all in the Japanese restaurant.

It just so happened that Fu Yangxi had not eaten anything while driving all the way.

The two searched on Dianping and found a noodle restaurant to have their meal.

As soon as they sat down, a little boy came to force the two of them to give way. He wrapped himself around Mingxi’s legs and refused to let go.

Fu Yangxi’s fist was hard. He didn’t care about age or gender.

His face suddenly fell and his dark eyebrows were raised in warning. “What are you doing, little brat? There are so many places next to you yet you have to come and snatch our table?”

“Your seats are by the window!” the child yelled. “I want to sit by the window!”

Fu Yangxi’s face was indifferent. He continued to scare the kid with the look of a school bully. “That’s too bad. We’re the ones who came first.”

A fat middle-aged man walked beside him and said angrily, “What’s the matter with you high school students? I have a child, so why can’t you give way to us?”

“Only your family has a child?” Fu Yangxi snorted coldly. He stood up and raised his chin at Zhao Mingxi who was opposite him. “Let me introduce you to my child.”

Mingxi: “…”

The middle-aged man: “…”

He is so shameless.

The middle-aged man saw that Fu Yangxi had long legs and stood out from the crowd. When he saw that he could fight, his aura weakened a bit and he muttered a few words, “Come, let’s go to another seat.”

The little boy burst into tears and was carried away by the middle-aged man.

Fu Yangxi continued to rinse the chopsticks when Mingxi suddenly thought of something. She and Fu Yangxi hadn’t taken a photo together. Thus, she turned around and said, “Look up.”

Fu Yangxi looked up blankly.

Mingxi raised her phone, captured the moment, and photographed the two of them in the same frame.

She originally thought that Fu Yangxi would mind being photographed so casually.

Unexpectedly, Fu Yangxi’s ears could not be restrained from reddening. He was even a little smug. “Don’t take pictures secretly, I allow you to take pictures publicly.”

Mingxi: “…” I was taking the photo publicly, okay?!

I refuse the imagination of an arrogant brain.

Mingxi saw a name in the training camp a few days ago: Fu Zhiyi.

If it wasn’t for the sudden appearance of this name, Mingxi would have almost forgotten about the person on the 3rd place of the ranking list.

Mingxi asked the training teacher, and only then did he know that Fu Zhiyi was a contestant from a school in another city.

He returned from abroad some time ago. It seems that he planned to transfer to A High at first, but he later transferred to another school for some unknown reason.

When talking to Fu Yangxi, Mingxi mentioned this person.

Fu Yangxi frowned immediately.

Mingxi’s heart skipped a beat. She thought to herself, is this a secret from a wealthy family? She asked him, “Are you at odds with him?”

“We’re not exactly at odds with each other.” Fu Yangxi took a piece of beef and put it in the Mingxi bowl. He continued, “In fact, we rarely ever saw each other. I think he’s— disgusting and pitiful. In short, it’s something of an ugly family affair. Little Mask, you wouldn’t want to know.”

Fu Zhiyi was an illegitimate child with an indescribably strange personality. To Fu Yangxi, he was still a fake.

But it seemed that he couldn’t be blamed for this, so Fu Yangxi never sought trouble with him.

Moreover, because Fu Zhiyi was always staying abroad, the number of encounters between the two was rare.

Mingxi didn’t ask any more. She felt that she would find out slowly, and one day, Fu Yangxi might be willing to tell her.

After the two finished eating, it was already 8pm.

Mingxi had been out for a full four hours. There were still a lot of exam papers to do. She had to go back to self-study. There was no more time to accompany Fu Yangxi.

Although Fu Yangxi looked arrogant and domineering, he always accommodated Mingxi in these matters.

He sent Mingxi back.

After being separated for a long time, they only got together for two hours and then they were separated again. Both of them felt endless loss in their hearts. After a hug and a kiss, Fu Yangxi watched Mingxi go upstairs.

A long time after Mingxi went upstairs, Fu Yangxi still had his head raised. After some time, he turned around and disappeared into the night.

Fu Yangxi felt that he had already started to miss her although they had just parted. It was said that men rarely felt any sense of longing— What happened to him? He could feel that his eyes were red!

This doesn’t make sense!

It must be a misperception!

*

The following days of training.

Mingxi continued to be very busy.

Occasionally, she would go on video calls with Fu Yangxi at night.

At the beginning, Mingxi and Fu Yangxi would wash their hair on purpose when they were going to be on a video call, but then she got too tired after her studies and it was impossible to wash them every day. So they got used to it after being together for a long time.

They just didn’t bother to wash it.

Anyway, Fu Yangxi seemed to be very devoted to her and would not dislike her for not washing her hair.

One day during the training camp, Mingxi was playing in the corridor when she suddenly saw Fu Zhiyi walking out of the next class. Fu Zhiyi didn’t look like Fu Yangxi. He looked more restrained and more refined than Fu Yangxi.

He went downstairs.

Mingxi suddenly found that the beautiful woman with delicate makeup who was waiting for him in front of the car downstairs was a little familiar. More than that…

Wait, isn’t that—?

Mingxi searched through her memories quickly.

She was shocked.

She found that she was right, that was Fu Yangxi’s mother.

When Fu Zhiyi walked towards Yu Jiarong, Yu Jiarong immediately became happy and looked at Fu Zhiyi with great concern. She patted Fu Zhiyi on the head, handed him something to eat, put a coat on him and pulled him into the car.

Mingxi suddenly felt a little weird. Fu Yangxi’s mother and Fu Zhiyi should not be too close, but she treated Fu Zhiyi like her own son.

Mingxi was standing on the second floor. Fu Zhiyi, who was downstairs, seemed to have noticed her. He raised his head to look at her.

*

Mingxi was waiting to learn a little bit about the secrets of the rich and powerful from Fu Yangxi.

Fu Yangxi must have a reason for not saying what he didn’t want to say.

But she was really curious.

This matter was like a fishbone, choking Mingxi in the throat.

Jiang Xiuqiu wasn’t going to tell her anyway, so Mingxi planned to ask Fu Zhiyi.

At first she thought that Fu Zhiyi was difficult to approach, but she did not expect Fu Zhiyi and Fu Yangxi to be complete opposites.

Fu Zhiyi looked a little depressed, as if there were a lot of things hidden in his heart.

Yu Jiarong came to pick him up three times in total, and he looked to be in a bad mood every time he came back.

During the more than 20 days of training, Mingxi occasionally asked Fu Zhiyi a few things about Fu Yangxi’s past.

At first, Fu Zhiyi didn’t pay much attention to her at all— Maybe he thought she was Fu Yangxi’s girlfriend, and since he had a very basic relationship with Fu Yangxi, he had no obligation to answer her questions.

But after Yu Jiarong sent him back for the third time, Fu Zhiyi’s mouth was finally pried open by Mingxi.

Seeing that he bought a bunch of drinks and went back to the classroom to drink beer by himself, Mingxi asked strangely, “Don’t you want to go out with Xi ge’s mother? If you don’t want to, can’t you just refuse?”

Fu Zhiyi rolled her eyes at her. “You think I want to?”

Fu Zhiyi may have been too depressed tonight, so after drinking quite a lot, he shared some bitter stories.

What Mingxi heard was the story from his perspective.

It was absurd that he looked very similar to the dead Fu Zhihong when he was 18 years old. So for many years, Fu Yangxi’s mother had been living in a dream through him.

Thus, Mingxi had a glimpse of the 13 year old little Fu Yangxi from Fu Zhiyi’s few sentences.

She saw how the young Fu Yangxi struggled to get out of the pile of wild dogs, was hurriedly pushed around in the cordon, and was grabbed and asked about her brother and father. How he had to watch his mother take another person as the shadow of a deceased person and completely abandon him.

She also saw this: amidst the heavy rain, Fu Yangxi, who had not yet broken free from the shadows, went to the police station to give his testimony, recalling his nightmares over and over again under the dazzling lights.

…

Scenes of cold and depressing pictures passed by like a revolving lantern.

Fu Zhiyi’s words were a simple narration without any direct vocabulary description.

But Mingxi couldn’t sleep that night.

The part of her chest where Fu Yangxi lived seemed to hum slightly.

All the details she saw since she met Fu Yangxi flashed through Mingxi’s mind from beginning to end. Every detail was vivid and bright, showing the boy laughing and cursing in the wind. She thought she knew enough about Fu Yangxi, but turns out there were still many things she didn’t know.

But now that she thought about it, a lot of things became clear.

Why he looked like a different person when he saw a dog and the way his eyes looked as if he fell into a nightmare in an instant.

Why he always had trouble falling asleep.

Why he was always hurt.

Mingxi tossed and turned, recalling the wound on his neck that time. The glass left a scratch which was about several centimeters in length. Although it was subtle and not deep, it must have been painful the moment he got cut.

The scar on his body had healed, but at this moment, it was uprooted in Mingxi’s heart.

Mingxi’s heart ached.

Mingxi had no way to ease his sadness.

That night, Mingxi cried incessantly in the middle of the night.

She didn’t answer Fu Yangxi’s video call. She couldn’t answer it at all in her current state. She was afraid that she would cry a lot if she picked up and Fu Yangxi might come over within an hour.

She only sent back a message with tears in her eyes, saying that she was asleep and that she would see him at school tomorrow.

The saddest thing was that all these wounds have passed. Now, standing in front of her was Fu Yangxi, an 18-year-old who had recovered from his wounds with his self-healing ability.

However, no one would ever be able to comfort the 13-year-old little Fu Yangxi who fled in fear that winter night.

Zhao Mingxi couldn’t travel back to the past. She couldn’t hold Fu Yangxi’s hand at that time.

Mingxi’s heart was in pain.

She opened her eyes and looked at the ceiling. The sky outside was lit up little by little. She just wanted to see Fu Yangxi as soon as possible.

*

The next day was the weekend. Sure enough, Mingxi’s eyes were swollen into walnuts. She applied cold water for a long time but it was to no avail, so she could only take the bus back like this.

Fu Yangxi was tall and slender. In the cold wind, she saw Fu Yangxi waiting for her at the school gate at a glance.

As soon as Fu Yangxi saw her coming down, he carried her luggage and noticed that her expression was unusual.

“You cried?” Fu Yangxi said sharply, subconsciously looking at Shen Liyao not far away.

Carrying the luggage, Shen Liyao came down with a cold face and looked back at him.

Fu Yangxi exploded, his eyebrows suddenly rose.

Mingxi quickly pulled him aside and said, “I didn’t cry. I just ate some Mala yesterday and it was so hot that I shed tears. My spice tolerance is quite weak. That’s why my eyes were swollen when I woke up this morning.”

Fu Yangxi was doubtful, but there were people he knew in the training camp, and he did not hear of anyone bullying Little Mask like the last training camp. Is it really the tears from eating spicy food?

Mingxi said, “Let’s not talk about this. Didn’t you say that you’ll be going to your grandfather’s house for dinner today?”

The two spoke about this when they were on a video call a few days ago. The last time Fu Yangxi’s grandfather came, he had a fight with Fu Yangxi and the meeting ended on bad terms. Only afterwards did Fu Yangxi know that the old man had no ill will towards Mingxi.

Although Fu Yangxi was stubborn, he was brave enough to own up to his mistakes, so he apologized to the old man.

The old man’s anger had finally dissipated. He asked the two of them out for a meal.

Thus, Mingxi followed Fu Yangxi there.

Xiao Li drove the car.

On the way, Fu Yangxi noticed that there was something off about Mingxi today. “Today you’re quite—”

“What is it?”

Fu Yangxi glanced at Little Mask. Her hands wanted to hug him all the time, her eyes fell on his face all the time and her whole body was stuck to him all the time. It made his handsome face turn a little red. “Quite clingy.”

Mingxi: “…”

Mingxi didn’t want to say anything at this moment. She continued to bury her head in his arms, hugging him quietly.

The Fu family’s house was very large. It was practically the kind of house Mingxi had only seen on TV. It was comparable to some old garden sites in Suzhou.

Originally, Mingxi would be in a good mood to tour the place, but today she just wanted to go back with Fu Yangxi and curl up in a warm bed to sleep.

It was too cold, and the breaths that came out had turned into ice.

Mingxi was led by Fu Yangxi into the old man’s study. After sitting for a while, the cook prepared the meal and the three of them went to eat.

It may be because Mingxi was there today, but Fu Yangxi had actually gotten along with the old man calmly for once and played a few games of chess.

However, before they could take a few bites, an uninvited guest came.

The beautiful woman Mingxi saw outside the training camp last time, that is, Fu Yangxi’s mother, Yu Jiarong came.

As soon as Yu Jiarong came, the atmosphere visibly stiffened. The old man and Fu Yangxi were both easily triggered, so they had to rely on Mingxi to be the middleman. Now the atmosphere was even more dire.

The old man didn’t seem to like Yu Jiarong very much. He muttered with a cold face, “Why are you here?”

Yu Jiarong sneered and glanced at Mingxi. “I came to see what Yang Yang’s girlfriend looks like. I remember that his brother didn’t even have a girlfriend before he died, but he sure is quick to get one.”

Fu Yangxi’s face darkened.

“Do you have to come to disrupt the situation at this time?”

“I’m here to visit you, yet you think I’m being disruptive? Would you prefer it if I’m dead?” Yu Jiarong said in disbelief. After she finished speaking, she looked at Zhao Mingxi who was next to her and asked in a weird tone, “You. What’s your name?”

Fu Yangxi stared at her, his whole body tense.

Usually he could tolerate her blatant cynicism, but it was absolutely impossible for him to tolerate her dragging Zhao Mingxi into these muddy waters.

He threw the bowl and chopsticks coldly on the table, his handsome face seemingly soaked in cold air.

His face was mixed with a darkness and anger that was completely different from usual. He stared at Yu Jiarong. “What do you want?”

Mingxi glanced at Fu Yangxi subconsciously.

Fu Yangxi stretched out his palm and held her hand tightly under the table.

Fu Yangxi didn’t look at her, but what his actions meant was— Little Mask, don’t be afraid.

The two clasped their fingers together.

Mingxi’s heart seemed to be pinched by something. It seemed to be held up carefully by something and it felt too sore.

She suddenly understood why Fu Yangxi never talked about his family.

Because it was like a swamp.

He was afraid of being despised by her.

In other words, he was afraid that after she found out, he would be blamed and discarded by her.

“What could I possibly want? Didn’t I say that I came to see your girlfriend?” Yu Jiarong gritted her teeth in hatred for Fu Yangxi’s act of protecting the girl.

She had been living in the past, but why could Fu Yangxi and the old man continue to move forward?

How dare they?

Without saying a word, Fu Yangxi took Mingxi’s hand and turned to leave. He said to the old man, “We’re leaving.”

Yu Jiarong was immediately provoked. She suddenly became angry: “Stop right there—”

However, before Mingxi could hear the following words, Fu Yangxi suddenly pulled up the hat of her down jacket.

Fu Yangxi pulled the hat onto her head and covered her ears with warm hands in the cold wind.

He looked her in the eyes. He didn’t want her to hear anything at all.

He was even more afraid that she would hear those malicious words.

He covered Zhao Mingxi’s ears. After Yu Jiarong finished scolding, he pulled Zhao Mingxi away with a cold face and left quickly.

Fu Yangxi pulled Mingxi towards the gate of the courtyard, but Mingxi suddenly stopped and pushed away his hand which was holding her.

At this moment, Fu Yangxi’s breathing almost stopped. He looked at Zhao Mingxi in disbelief, as if he fell into an ice cellar in an instant.

He almost thought that Mingxi was affected by Yu Jiarong’s words.

However, in the next second, he saw Zhao Mingxi turn around.

Mingxi fixed her eyes at Yu Jiarong. Yu Jiarong didn’t know what she was doing so she frowned.

Zhao Mingxi said word by word, “Auntie, you are manipulating his emotions.”

Yu Jiarong said angrily, “How dare you—”

“It’s because of too many emotional manipulations that Fu Yangxi has no sense of belonging in this world. You don’t love him anymore, but he hasn’t stopped loving you. So even if you’re sick, he wouldn’t force you to go to a sanitarium. Instead, he allowed you to take it out on him for the past five years.”

The old man, Yu Jiarong and Lawyer Zhang who were next to him looked at Zhao Mingxi in shock.

“But have you forgotten something?” Mingxi’s eyes gradually turned red, and her tears fell one by one.

She felt sad for Fu Yangxi. She really wanted to cry at this moment.

But she was holding back, she must finish what she wanted to say.

“Have you forgotten that even if he could bear it, he was just a child. When he felt so pressured, you couldn’t see it, and when he couldn’t sleep all night, did you ever notice it? You think he looks heartless and unaffected, so you want to force him to reminisce about the past with you and immerse yourself in grief, but how do you know that he’s not sad?”

“Fu Yangxi is such a person: even if you don’t love him anymore, he would never hate you. He just won’t love himself.”

Dead silence.

The cold air froze Mingxi’s tears.

Perhaps it was because they were shocked by Mingxi’s tears, or perhaps because of her words, complex expressions appeared on the faces of Yu Jiarong and the old man.

“If you don’t want him, I want him.”

Mingxi pulled Fu Yangxi by the hand and walked out.

She rarely felt so sad. After her grandmother died, on the day she knelt in the mourning hall, she thought it was the last moment of sadness in her life. But she was completely heartbroken now. While she regretted not hugging and running towards Fu Yangxi in the crowd earlier, she was also thankful that it was not too late.

Fu Yangxi didn’t react for a few minutes. He choked on his breath and stared blankly at the back of Zhao Mingxi as she pulled him away.

His head was blank and his heart was beating wildly.

He knew that Little Mask was crying now because she kept raising her hand to wipe her tears. He rarely saw Zhao Mingxi cry, only once when he was drunk and once now.

Fu Yangxi’s throat was sore and his heart felt as if it was embraced by a warm current.

Many times, this place, home, meant disordered darkness to Fu Yangxi.

He didn’t know what would be coming next or if he would be lucky enough to fall asleep the next night.

He walked alone until he met Little Mask. Little Mask pulled him, rescued him, slapped him until he became fluffy and gave him sunshine.

She was the only one who defended him.

In fact, sometimes she didn’t need to do anything, just standing by his side could already give him enough warmth.

The two kept walking out of the house.

Mingxi wiped her tears again. It wasn’t that she wanted to wipe them, but the tears were so turbulent that they ran into her neck and made her shiver.

“So this was why you were crying.” Fu Yangxi’s hoarse voice could be heard from behind her.

“Come here.” Fu Yangxi turned her body back. His eyes were red as he wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes with his thumb.

“Your eyes are red,” Mingxi said.

Fu Yangxi smiled. An expression which was both arrogant and deserving of a slap appeared on his face. As always, he refused to admit it. “It’s because I got too cold. Let’s quickly get in the car and go home.”

Mingxi forcefully pulled the corners of her mouth up and smiled, but in the next second she couldn’t help crying in his arms.