Chapter 16

When Fu Yu was awakened by Ling Tian, the car had already reached his doorstep. After a short rest, his headache had lessened, and he was much more alert. Fu Yu thanked his cousin and got out of the car, preparing to go home.

However, Ling Tian stopped him, saying, “Bro, you received a call just now, and it was from someone quite strange.”

Fu Yu’s body tensed. “What did he say?”

“He said, ‘Who allowed you to go? Come back!'” Ling Tian was quite curious. “Who is he? Where did he want you to return to?”

Fu Yu felt his headache, which had just eased, intensify once again. “It’s someone unimportant. Don’t worry about it.”

Seeing that Fu Yu didn’t want to discuss it further, Ling Tian didn’t press the matter and signaled the driver to continue.

Fu Yu checked his phone and realized that Ling Tian had turned it off. He wondered what transpired between them during their conversation. Ling Tian didn’t seem to recognize Xiao Yi’s voice. In the past, when they went out together, they sometimes brought Ling Tian, who had returned from abroad during his vacations. However, Ling Tian was still young at the time, and he probably forgot.

As soon as his phone powered on, Xiao Yi called again. Fu Yu had just dealt with his older brother and now had to deal with his younger brother. These two brothers were really taking turns tormenting him.

Fu Yu answered, “What is it?”

“Who is the person you’re with?” Xiao Yi’s tone was quite displeased.

“It’s none of your business. I’m busy; I’ll hang up.” Fu Yu had originally planned to return to the office to handle work, but given his previous experience with overworking and falling ill, he decided to rest at home for now. He had no energy to deal with Xiao Yi’s questions.

“Wait!” Xiao Yi hurriedly stopped him. “I called your office earlier, and your secretary said you were having dinner with my brother?”

“Yes,” Fu Yu replied as he entered his bedroom, feeling drained and sitting on the edge of the bed.

Xiao Yi exploded on the phone, “Didn’t I tell you not to meet him?”

“Meeting clients is my prerogative and my duty.”

“Why won’t you listen to me? I’m doing this for your own good!”

Perhaps it was the effect of the alcohol or the accumulated stress, but Fu Yu suddenly felt a surge of intense and agitating emotions. “For my own good? Can’t you and your brother stop being so self-righteous? One of you thinks that being nice to me will make me change my mind, and the other thinks I care so much about his brother. Why should I care about either of you?”

“What? I don’t understand…”

“Of course, you don’t understand because you never care about other people’s feelings. You’re selfish and arrogant.”

After venting his pent-up frustration, Fu Yu rubbed his temples wearily. “If you don’t see your mistakes and realize that your feelings are abnormal, we can never come to an agreement, Xiao Yi. I have my own life to live, and I don’t want to continue this with you. Stop wasting your time on me. There will be no outcome. I can’t like you, no matter who I like.”

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone, so long that Fu Yu thought Xiao Yi might have hung up. But then he heard Xiao Yi say, “Is my affection really that repulsive to you?”

Fu Yu thought he detected a hint of trembling in Xiao Yi’s voice, but before he could grasp the full meaning, Xiao Yi abruptly hung up the phone.

Fu Yu was taken aback.

Why?

After all, it was this person who had initially stabbed him in the heart, leaving him to heal his own wounds, abandoned for six years. So why did this person always act as if he had been deeply hurt by Fu Yu?

Fu Yu’s thoughts only intensified his headache. The combination of alcohol and exhaustion made it difficult to think clearly. He decided to shut his eyes and rest, not wanting to dwell on these thoughts any longer.

However, even in his dreams, he couldn’t find peace. Memories from the past, the ones he least wanted to recall, resurfaced due to recent events.

It was a late afternoon during his senior year of high school.

The remaining glow of the setting sun cast long shadows through the classroom window. The classroom was nearly empty after school, with only a few students remaining. Fu Yu was getting ready to pack up and head home when his desk mate called him.

Xiao Yi pulled out a thin envelope from his school bag and handed it to Fu Yu. The usually cheeky and unruly Xiao Yi wore a hesitant and shy expression, dropped a simple “Read it and give me an answer,” and then rushed out of the classroom.

Fu Yu was puzzled and opened the envelope when he got home. What he saw left him stunned.

The letter was filled with explicit descriptions and vulgar language about him, making it unbearable to read.

Xiao Yi had always enjoyed teasing him with light-hearted jokes and had shown various forms of intimacy, so Fu Yu had never taken it seriously before. However, this time, it had gone too far.

The next day, Fu Yu arrived at school early and found Xiao Yi, who usually arrived with the first bell, already there. When Xiao Yi saw him, he stood up, cleared his throat, and said hesitantly, “What do you think of the letter?”

Fu Yu, who had been quite angry, replied with a stern expression, “I felt very uncomfortable reading it. Please don’t make such jokes again. I threw away the letter, so let’s forget about it.”

Xiao Yi’s face froze instantly, as if struck by lightning. He spent the whole day looking dejected, not even going for lunch.

Fu Yu had been a bit angry at first, especially considering his past experiences with such matters that had left some psychological scars. Xiao Yi should have known better, but Fu Yu was more concerned about Xiao Yi’s well-being. So, by the end of the day, Fu Yu approached him to end their silent treatment.

“I might have been too harsh in the morning,” Fu Yu admitted. “I was uncomfortable with the letter, but I don’t want to let it come between us. I’ve thrown the letter away, so let’s just forget about it.”

Xiao Yi’s face showed a mixture of relief and sorrow, and suddenly, he grabbed Fu Yu’s hand and led him away. Ignoring Fu Yu’s attempts to question him, Xiao Yi pulled him to a secluded spot behind the school gymnasium before finally letting go.

“What’s going on?” Fu Yu asked.

“I like you,” Xiao Yi said.

Fu Yu was stunned.

After a long pause, he finally found his voice. “But… I probably can’t accept this kind of affection.”

When Fu Yu heard Xiao Yi’s confession, he assumed that the letter contained some explicit and inappropriate content. Xiao Yi might be more experienced and open-minded about relationships, but Fu Yu was a complete novice in the realm of love. He found the content of the letter disrespectful and, at that moment, difficult to accept.

Xiao Yi listened to Fu Yu’s response without saying a word and then suddenly hugged him tightly, his expression more serious than Fu Yu had ever seen. Xiao Yi’s forehead creased deeply, and his grip on Fu Yu’s hand tightened.

“Do you dislike me hugging you like this?” Xiao Yi’s voice was strained.

“It’s fine,” Fu Yu said honestly. He was used to Xiao Yi’s affectionate gestures, considering them a form of friendship. He hadn’t thought there was anything inappropriate about them.

Xiao Yi chuckled somewhat sadly, released Fu Yu, and his face showed a glimmer of hope. “I was too impulsive earlier. Please reconsider. I’ll be here tomorrow at the same time. If you still can’t accept it, I won’t bring it up again. We can go back to being friends, okay?”

Fu Yu looked at Xiao Yi, his eyes filled with earnest loneliness. In the end, he nodded.

“Okay, I promise.”

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