Distorted Fairy Tale - Chapter 19

Seeing the lingering anxiety on Zhou Ning’s face throughout the journey, Song Zhen realised that Zhou Zhiran had truly left a deep, dark shadow over his friend’s heart.

Before stepping out of the car, Song Zhen offered a gentle word of comfort. “Don’t worry so much. I don’t go out much anyway. Besides, Fu Yuhang is there; he won’t let Zhou Zhiran cross the line. Everything will be fine.”

Still deeply uneasy, Zhou Ning urged him once more, “Zhenzhen, you really must be careful. Whatever you do, never stay in a room alone with Zhou Zhiran.”

“I won’t.”

When Fu Yuhang arrived home, he found Song Zhen sitting on the living room sofa, busy with a ball of white yarn. He was knitting something that hadn’t quite taken shape yet.

Hearing the sound at the door, Song Zhen didn’t even look up. He simply said softly, “You’re back.”

When no reply came, Song Zhen glanced up and realized that Fu Yuhang wasn’t alone; Ji Xiuyuan had come along too.

Startled for a moment, Song Zhen instinctively nodded at Ji Xiuyuan. “Hello,” he said, offering a polite greeting.

Ji Xiuyuan gave him a lukewarm glance before heading straight for the study. He clearly had business to discuss with Fu Yuhang.

Fu Yuhang handed a bag to Song Zhen. “Zhou Ning sent this for you.”

“Thanks.” Song Zhen took it, guessing it was likely the painting Zhou Ning had mentioned.

“What are you knitting?” Fu Yuhang asked.

“I wanted to make a little hat for the baby,” Song Zhen said with a faint smile.

Fu Yuhang didn’t comment, but before heading upstairs, he looked at Song Zhen and muttered, “Put some socks on.”

Song Zhen looked down at his bare feet and gave an embarrassed “Oh.” A strange, fleeting sense of sweetness bubbled up in his chest.

Since that night in F City, Song Zhen realized he had rather pathetically started giving Fu Yuhang “points” again.

Song Zhen kept a tally in his mind. If the original “Song Heng” had a score of one hundred, then Fu Yuhang had probably started at negative one hundred. But occasionally, Fu Yuhang would do something that made Song Zhen’s heart soften, forcing him to add a point or two back.

Currently, Fu Yuhang had finally clawed his way out of the negatives to a solid zero.

That one sentence“Put some socks on” earned him another two points. Song Zhen thought that when Fu Yuhang actually spoke like a human being, he almost seemed like one.

He still.. cares about me, doesn’t he?

Song Zhen couldn’t lie to himself; there was still a place in his heart for Fu Yuhang. That face was his greatest weakness. Every time their eyes met, Song Zhen’s heart would tremble, and memories of the past would rush back like a rising tide.

“Song Heng” was the ultimate weapon Fu Yuhang held over him. No matter how many terrible things the man did or how cruel his words were, Song Zhen couldn’t stop the ripples of emotion that stirred whenever they locked eyes.

Besides, Zhou Ning had mentioned today that Fu Yuhang was only using him as an excuse and didn’t actually like him. Song Zhen couldn’t help but wonder: If he doesn’t like Zhou Ning, could it be that he actually likes me?

Recalling the intimacy of that night the skin-to-skin contact and the breathless moments of passion Song Zhen’s face flushed. You wouldn’t do something that intimate with someone you didn’t like, would you?

He looked at the yarn in his hands. He decided that if there was enough left after finishing the baby’s hat, he would knit a scarf for the baby’s father.

As the servants finished preparing dinner, Song Zhen headed upstairs to call the two men down. Just as he reached the study door to knock, he noticed it was slightly ajar. Ji Xiuyuan’s voice drifted out:

“Zhou Zhiran’s proposal is basically just hand-delivering money to you. If you ask me, marrying him wouldn’t be a bad move,” Ji Xiuyuan said.

“Heh,” Fu Yuhang sneered. “Why don’t you marry him then?”

“He’s not the one in love with me,” Ji Xiuyuan replied snidely. “Didn’t he say he doesn’t mind if you have someone else? If you’re not tired of that Beta downstairs yet, just keep him around.”

Fu Yuhang remained silent.

Ji Xiuyuan continued, “That marriage registration you did in the slums—that lawless ‘no man’s land’—isn’t even legally binding. You didn’t actually take it seriously, did you? I have to remind you, Fu Yuhang: neither the old man nor your father will ever let a Beta through the front door. Besides, didn’t you used to tell me that Betas from the slums are just trash?”

Fu Yuhang gave a dissatisfied click of his tongue. “Ji Xiuyuan, you’ve got a lot to say today.” He followed it with a cold sarcasm of his own. “Didn’t you say you wanted to make your dear little brother’s life a living hell? Oh, I see you’re planning to crush him under a mountain of resources. Truly a masterstroke.”

“Look at you getting defensive over a few words,” Ji Xiuyuan chuckled. “So, what’s the plan for this Beta? Are you just going to let him live here forever? You think you can keep him hidden indefinitely?”

“We’ll talk after the child is born,” Fu Yuhang said flatly. “He’s just a Beta. Once I’m bored, I’ll just pay him off and send him on his way. Naturally, the person I marry will only ever be an Omega.”

“As long as you’re still thinking straight.”

Snap.

On the other side of the door, Fu Yuhang’s score plummeted to negative one thousand, and he lost a very warm, very beautiful scarf.

***

At 11:00 PM, Fu Yuhang finished his shower and realized Song Zhen wasn’t in the room. He walked down to the first floor and saw Song Zhen still sitting on the sofa, knitting that hat. He frowned. “Go up and sleep.”

Song Zhen didn’t even look up. His hands kept moving, as if he hadn’t heard a word.

Fu Yuhang’s voice dropped an octave. “Song Zhen.”

Still no response.

Finally losing his patience, Fu Yuhang snatched the knitting out of Song Zhen’s hands and tossed it onto the floor. His voice was ice-cold. “Go upstairs to bed. Don’t make me say it a third time.”

Song Zhen leaned over to pick up the ball of yarn that had rolled away. Throughout the entire process, he didn’t give Fu Yuhang a single glance. Simmering with sudden rage, Fu Yuhang scooped Song Zhen up in his arms and carried him straight to the bedroom.

When he was dropped onto the middle of the bed, Song Zhen immediately tried to get back up to leave.

Fu Yuhang seized his wrist and hauled him onto his lap. His tone was terrifyingly cold. “What is this act supposed to be? What are you throwing a tantrum about now?”

Song Zhen still wouldn’t look at him. Fu Yuhang pinched his chin, forcing their eyes to meet. “I’m talking to you! Have you gone mute?”

Song Zhen stared into Fu Yuhang’s eyes. They were beautiful sharp, slightly upturned at the corners, framed by thick, long lashes that cast a natural shadow like eyeliner. His eyelids were thin, the double eyelid crease perfectly defined, and his pupils looked like polished obsidian. When he glared, it felt like a physical chill.

But once upon a time, these eyes used to crinkle with laughter. Back then, they were filled with nothing but him.

“Fu Yuhang, do you like me?” Song Zhen asked suddenly.

His voice was so soft it didn’t sound like a question. It sounded like a sigh.

Fu Yuhang frowned. The question actually stumped him.

Like? What is ‘like’? How do you even measure it?

Fu Yuhang had been “liked” by many people in the past, but he never understood the sentiment. Why did they like him? He didn’t even know some of them. Was it his family background? His looks? His high-level pheromones or his grades?

He didn’t know, and he didn’t care to find out. He had more important things to do. From the moment his mother passed away, he had sworn to take control of the Fu Group, the company she had poured her life into. He wouldn’t let anyone else touch it.

Fu Yuhang had never “liked” anyone. He looked at Song Zhen. Did he like him?

He asked himself honestly: if it weren’t for the child in Song Zhen’s belly, he would have found a way to send him back to the slums long ago, ensuring they never crossed paths again.

Fu Yuhang’s life plan was crystal clear. His future wife had to be an exceptional Omega from a matching social background. That was the partner he needed.

And the Beta before him? Firstly, his gender was a Beta the classification Fu Yuhang disliked most. He was from the slums, a high school dropout, and honestly… a bit dim. He didn’t have a proper job and was nowhere near the standard of “excellence.”

He was also too thin, didn’t eat properly, didn’t sleep on time, and refused to wear socks. He was a million miles away from the criteria Fu Yuhang held for a wife.

Fu Yuhang looked into Song Zhen’s eyes and frowned, seemingly unable to comprehend the inquiry. “Does it matter?”

Watching the indifference and confusion in those eyes, Song Zhen suddenly felt incredibly foolish.

He understood instantly. A man like Fu Yuhang didn’t need something as fragile and ethereal as “love.” Fu Yuhang’s life was nourished by power, status, and wealth; he could live a grand, successful life without ever needing affection.

But Song Zhen? Song Zhen had nothing.

He only had a warmth he had accidentally stumbled upon a “Utopia” that never truly belonged to his life. The lover he cherished and the home they shared were nothing more than illusions created by two world lines briefly colliding.

One tiny prick, and the bubble had burst.

Now there was nothing. Fu Yuhang would return to his glorious path, while Song Zhen was the only one left trying to cling to the dream.

A Beta abandoned at birth, he had spent his whole life craving just one flickering lamp in the windows of a thousand homes. “Abandonment” was the thread that ran through his entire life; it seemed any application for a bit of warmth would always be heartlessly rejected by fate.

The word “Home” felt like a curse. The more he wanted it, the further it drifted away.

Song Zhen suddenly felt exhausted.

“It doesn’t matter.” Song Zhen shook his head. He pulled his lips into a smile, whether he was mocking the cruelty of fate or his own wishful thinking, he didn’t know. He spoke with a deep weariness. “Let’s just sleep.”

Fu Yuhang looked at that smile, which looked more painful than crying and his brow furrowed.

The moment the bedroom light clicked off, Fu Yuhang heard Song Zhen repeat the words of their original agreement. They were Fu Yuhang’s own words:

“Once the child is born, we’ll get a divorce.”

“Fu Yuhang. let’s just treat this marriage as an accident.”

In the dead of night, when dreams are supposed to begin, Song Zhen’s dream had finally ended.

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