After Failing to Reverse the Plot, I Made My Escape - Chapter 13

Soft, fragrant warmth fell unexpectedly into his arms, and he stiffened instantly.

“Brother Yu.”

Tan Ling knocked on the door, startling Yu Fuqiu, whose head was bowed low.

He rubbed his eyes, appearing bleary-eyed and drowsy. During this period, he had canceled all his public appearances to stay by Chang Tingzhi’s side day and night. The panic brought on by the start of the plot tormented his nerves incessantly. Furthermore, he had to deal with external speculation, hiding the fact that Chang Tingzhi had been in a car accident, that his personality had swapped, and the crushing reality that Chang Tingzhi no longer loved him.

After that specific fireworks livestream, Chang Tingzhi’s Weibo had gone completely silent. There were no more photos or videos of Yu Fuqiu watching the fireworks, nor were there any further updates regarding him.

Since that day, Chang Tingzhi had not returned home. Yet, no matter how busy Yu Fuqiu was, he continued to send reminders to their chat interface, telling him to wear more clothes and watch the weather. He reminded him that he had a stomach ailment and that his medicine was in the first cabinet on the left side of his office.

The entire interface was a sea of his own green chat bubbles, but Yu Fuqiu did not dare stop, fearing that the silence from the other end would shatter his last remaining illusion.

Upon returning home, there was no longer a small light left for him in the entryway, nor were there warmed slippers or a pre-heated bed.

Yu Fuqiu was in poor health. Between raising Chang Tingzhi and taking on a heavy workload, he had developed chronic ailments early on. His body was always cold, especially in winter; even the air conditioning could barely warm him. During those times, Chang Tingzhi would place Yu Fuqiu’s feet against his stomach and tuck Yu Fuqiu’s hands into his own.

Chang Tingzhi’s hands were large enough to completely envelop his.

Chang Tingzhi’s body was like a furnace. Yu Fuqiu loved burrowing into his embrace, poking a fluffy head out to gaze earnestly at him for a long while. Meeting those smiling eyes would invariably brighten his mood. Whenever that happened, he would slowly start kissing upward from Chang Tingzhi’s neck.

In that warm room, the intimate atmosphere would steadily climb, making the winter outside seem far less frightening.

“I asked Teacher Qin for a hand warmer. Please warm yourself up,” Tan Ling said.

Looking at Yu Fuqiu’s fingers, which were frozen a bruised purple, she frowned. “In the past, Teacher Chang would have prepared his herbal patches for us in advance. Those patches were incredibly effective. If you applied them, even your wrists would stay warm; you would not be suffering from frostbite this severe.”

“Sigh, but I have searched all over H City and could not find where to buy them. I only found out after asking Teacher Chang’s assistant that he used to make them himself. There is actually a cabinet in his office specifically for your things, but that cabinet,” she paused.

She stopped halfway through the sentence, realizing she had let something slip. However, her brain could not keep up with the speed of her mouth, and the second half escaped: “I mentioned your situation to Teacher Chang earlier, saying your frostbite is very serious, but Teacher Chang,” her voice trailed off.

Tan Ling’s voice suddenly lowered. Her face was etched with embarrassment as she pursed her lips, seemingly unsure how to describe Chang Tingzhi’s response.

Yu Fuqiu held the hand warmer with stiff fingers. He had just finished filming a scene where he fell into water from a wire rig. The director was extremely strict, requiring him to unbuckle the harness mid-air and fall directly into the water to ensure the most realistic expression.

When he was fished out of the water, he was shivering uncontrollably. His long hair hung limp, his skin was as pale as snow, and his lower lip was pressed tight, glistening with moisture. For this historical drama, he had a red mark between his brows. Against his bloodless skin, it was strikingly vivid, much like a red plum blossom meeting winter on a snowy mountain. Though on the verge of falling, it held a stubborn yet fragile beauty. His half-closed lashes were damp, and even the corners of his eyes were stained a light red, radiating a sense of brokenness.

He tried to force a smile, but the moment he reached the shore, he fainted.

The heat from the hand warmer slowly dissipated the stiffness and numbness in his fingertips. Tan Ling’s words made him cast his eyes down toward the small device.

In truth, he did not need to ask to know what Chang Tingzhi’s reaction had been.

How could the current Chang Tingzhi care if he was cold? In his eyes, Tan Ling’s concerned message was likely viewed as nothing more than a clumsy ploy to get his attention, or perhaps just an annoyance.

Sure enough, as Tan Ling looked at him hesitantly, Yu Fuqiu managed a faint smile. His long hair was draped softly behind him. He looked down at a photo on his phone of Chang Tingzhi’s quiet, sleeping face and said, “Go ahead, tell me.”

“Teacher Chang said that in the future, there is no need to report your matters to him. That it has nothing to do with him.”

Tan Ling put it delicately. Chang Tingzhi had first replied with a question mark, then followed up as if suddenly understanding: “What does that have to do with me?”

What does it matter?

Yu Fuqiu thought of the items Chu Baoli had given him earlier. His heart, riddled with a thousand holes, felt a quiet throb of hope at this moment.

Chang Tingzhi was still his Chang Tingzhi; he had simply lost his memory temporarily.

All he could do was keep Chang Tingzhi by his side, at least until his version of Chang Tingzhi returned.

So what if the plot had begun?

He had possessed Chang Tingzhi exclusively for fifteen years. Why should he fear the next fifteen?

As long as they did not encounter the protagonist, perhaps the plot would not progress so quickly.

His fingertips brushed against the hand warmer. “It is fine. Thank Teacher Qin for me. A-Ling, why were you looking for me? What is the next appointment?”

“Oh, the director of Small Town Doctor wants you to look over the casting for the second male lead.” Tan Ling shifted the topic and handed the documents to Yu Fuqiu.

Small Town Doctor was a modern drama. It told the story of a young man, a small-town student, who fought his way out of poverty to a major hospital in the capital, only to be framed, suspended, and reassigned to a remote town. For the youth, everything returned to zero, but he eventually rediscovered his faith and cleared his name.

The drama was based on an original novel and had not yet started filming; currently, only Yu Fuqiu was confirmed as the lead.

The director enjoyed casting newcomers to discover hidden gems and wanted Yu Fuqiu to help scout talent.

“The director is right behind us. He said he wanted to see you.”

Tan Ling hesitated. Given Yu Fuqiu’s current physical state, he really was not fit for long-distance travel. The casting location was Yu Fuqiu’s alma mater, which was at least a three-hour drive from his current location, and Yu Fuqiu suffered from motion sickness.

“Hello, Teacher Yu.”

Director Hu rubbed his hands together and said, “I really did not expect you to take on such a small project of mine, let alone agree to such a willful request.”

Director Hu’s previous works were mostly web dramas. This was his first time directing a serious drama. To his surprise, after announcing Yu Fuqiu’s involvement, the Weibo trending searches exploded. His follower count jumped from a few hundred to several hundred thousand, soon breaking a million. He had previously struggled with funding, but once investors heard Yu Fuqiu had joined, they all began reaching out.

It was the first time the director truly recognized Yu Fuqiu’s commercial value and popularity.

“There is no need to be so formal with me.”

Yu Fuqiu smiled. The corners of his beautiful eyes were still tinged with red, and the glimmer in them was like a flower or a star in the sky.

He was in his thirties and had been in the industry for over a decade, working his way up from an extra. His seniority was well-established. Though he was still younger than many veterans, his kind personality earned him great respect, and many in the industry addressed him as Teacher.

However, Yu Fuqiu had actually body-transmigrated here. When he first arrived in this world, he was completely undocumented, with no household registration and no educational background. He had to work as a waiter at night and haunt film sets during the day to see if there were any extra roles. He had picked up Chang Tingzhi when he could barely even support himself.

He did not have a university degree in this world; he had merely earned an amateur degree in his spare time after becoming famous, using the school’s name as a formality.

“Uncle Hu told me about your situation. I was very interested, which is why I chose your script. I have high hopes for it, so naturally, I want it to be perfect.” Yu Fuqiu tilted his head, his eyes curving into crescents as his long lashes cast soft shadows.

“Let us go now. I have finished my scenes for today.”

“Brother Yu, your health,” Tan Ling said disapprovingly, “You should go to the hospital first.”

Yu Fuqiu shook his head and gave her a reassuring smile. “It is fine. I can manage.”

At this critical juncture, he had to use work to numb his frayed nerves. Only then could he endure those heart-wrenching nights and forget the pain of curling up alone in the cold. Only then could he continue.

Just as Yu Fuqiu stood up, a violent wave of dizziness struck. Everything before him suddenly distorted and turned black. A sharp ringing pierced his ears, and his legs felt like cotton, unable to support his weight.

Instinctively, he tried to grab the edge of the table, but his hand was too weak to even hold the hand warmer. It hit the floor with a heavy thud, and he fell forward uncontrollably.

“Teacher Yu!” “Brother Yu!”

Director Hu reacted quickly. He instinctively opened his arms and caught the staggering Yu Fuqiu in a full embrace!

Soft, fragrant warmth fell unexpectedly into his arms, and Director Hu’s arms stiffened instantly.

He was almost immediately enveloped by a crisp, indescribable, and seemingly innate elegant fragrance emanating from the man in his arms.

The scent was not heavy, but it lingered, permeating his senses and causing his heart to flutter slightly.

What made his heart skip a beat even more was the sensation against his arms and chest.

Yu Fuqiu looked lean, but in his arms, he felt exceptionally soft. His waist was so slender it felt as though it might break with the slightest pressure. Through the relatively thin clothing, Hu could clearly feel the slightly low body temperature and the fragile outline of his bones.

He felt light as a feather or a handful of fresh snow, as if he might melt or shatter if touched too firmly.

With his eyes closed, his long, thick lashes looked like the wings of a broken butterfly, resting vulnerably against his pale cheeks. He had lost his usual composure, leaving only a state of total, defenseless frailty.

This combination of extreme beauty and fragility created a breathtaking allure.

Director Hu was no wide-eyed novice; he had seen all kinds of beauties in the entertainment industry. Yet, even he could not help but daze for a moment at the soft warmth in his arms. His arms tightened unconsciously, finding himself somewhat reluctant to let go.

“Brother Yu!” Tan Ling’s anxious voice broke the brief, subtle silence.

Director Hu snapped back to his senses. Realizing his lack of decorum, he quickly composed himself, shifting his grip to a more stable, supportive hold. “Teacher Yu, my name is Hu Daoyuan.”

“Please remember my name. Are you alright?”

The darkness before Yu Fuqiu’s eyes slowly receded, though the dizziness remained strong. He leaned weakly against Director Hu, lacking even the strength to stand upright for a moment. He could only pant slightly as fine beads of cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

This unexpected scene, caught by the few staff members who had not yet left, had already stirred a silent ripple of gossip.

“I am, I am okay.”

His voice was thin as a thread as he slowly opened his eyes.

There, he saw the documents Hu Daoyuan had accidentally dropped on the floor in the chaos.

And among those papers, there was a face that was strikingly familiar.