After Failing to Reverse the Plot, I Made My Escape - Chapter 20

“You cannot, Tingzhi. We cannot. We cannot get a divorce!”

Yu Fuqiu stood frozen. He stared with wide, incredulous eyes. The air seemed to solidify, leaving only the faint sound of traffic outside the window and the pleasant aroma lingering in the kitchen.

At this moment, Yu Fuqiu could hear nothing but a buzzing roar in his ears.

The distinct imprint of a slap on his left cheek stung like a hot iron, burning with a sharp pain. Even more shocking was the ring of purple bruises around his slender neck, a silent testimony to the violence of the previous night.

“Sign it.”

Chang Tingzhi spoke the words coldly, tossing a thick agreement in front of him.

“What is this?”

Was it a divorce agreement?

Had they not agreed? For the sake of the company’s interests, they would reluctantly pretend to be a couple. As long as they remained a legally married couple in name, it was enough for the current Yu Fuqiu.

Was even this last shred of their relationship, a connection maintained through memories and self-deception, about to be severed by the man’s own hand?

“No.”

Yu Fuqiu shook his head violently. “You cannot, Tingzhi. We cannot. We cannot get a divorce!”

“Right! That is right!”

Yu Fuqiu acted as if he had caught a final lifeline. He turned and stumbled back into the bedroom, his hands trembling as he pressed the code for the safe. His palms were slick with sweat, and his knuckles were white and weak. He entered the wrong password several times.

He tried to steady himself, but the more he tried, the harder he shook. Holding his breath, he finally pulled out the treasures he valued as much as his own life: a thick stack of photo albums, two bright red marriage certificates, and a household registration booklet with one corner clipped off.

He stumbled back, clutching these treasures like a final hope, and threw himself before Chang Tingzhi, showing them off urgently and incoherently.

“Tingzhi! Look! These are the photos I took of you from elementary school to university. This is a photo of you on a field trip. Oh, and this is your graduation photo in your academic gown! So many people wanted to take photos with you that day. I waited in the corner for a long, long time. I thought you would not come find me, but then you ran through the sunlight holding the doll I gave you, hugged me, and told me you could finally be my pride.”

“And this one. This was when you said you wanted to marry me. I rejected you, and you cried in my arms like a child.” Thinking of that scene, the corners of Yu Fuqiu’s mouth involuntarily curled upward, though his body continued to tremble instinctively. He moved his steps slowly and gently, trying to get closer to the expressionless Chang Tingzhi.

“The next morning, I saw this photo on my phone. You were pinching my face and making a peace sign while I was asleep. You even posted it on Weibo! Many fans said they had never seen me like that. They even begged you to post more.”

Yu Fuqiu laughed softly, his pale fingers pointing to the next photo. “This was your fifth proposal to me in Iceland. You said the Northern Lights looked like my colors. You said you would take me to every corner of the world. We endured so much bitterness, and now…”

His throat choked up, but he did not dare look up at Chang Tingzhi. He could not face those cold, stranger’s eyes. He took a deep breath, suppressing the bitterness in his throat. “And this one, it is from our wedding. You invited all your friends from elementary school to university. You held me and spun me around at the wedding. You said you had finally married me.”

“This is our marriage certificate. I sealed it and kept it very well. Take a look.”

His fingertips shook violently from fear, making it nearly impossible to hold the album steady.

Chang Tingzhi watched this performance coldly. There was no trace of emotion in his eyes, only a thickening sense of irony and impatience. He did not even reach for the items; he simply used his fingertip to push away the marriage certificate held out to him.

“You are well prepared,” he said calmly, as if a businessman were evaluating a product. “Even I, in the business world, might not have been able to make it so seamless. To solidify this identity, you have truly put in a lot of effort.”

“I have checked your background.”

Chang Tingzhi sat on a kitchen chair, his long legs crossed. “All information before you were eighteen is a blank. It shows you were an undocumented person without even a junior high school education. Your home address and your parents’ origin are unknown. It is as if you appeared in this world out of thin air.”

“And you happened to pick me up that night.” He paused, his eyebrows arching slightly. “You picked him up.”

“You raised him with great hardship. It is as if you knew he would be successful later. Under circumstances where you could not even feed yourself, why would you pick up a seven or eight-year-old child?”

“Was there not some other motive?”

Chang Tingzhi frowned slightly. He found it difficult to imagine. At that time, Chang Tingzhi was just an orphan who had escaped from a circus, and Yu Fuqiu was an undocumented person. What was the purpose of taking Chang Tingzhi back in such a desperate situation?

He could not think of a more direct motive than profit that would make someone save another person at all costs.

For love? Such an ethereal thing? It was sickening.

He frowned and rubbed his chest. Why did his heart hurt so much?

He had just had a physical examination, and there were no organic diseases. Why was it that every time he saw this person in this state, his heart felt as if it were being squeezed by a hand, making even breathing painful?

He still needed to see a heart specialist. He pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a long sigh.

“I do not have much time to waste with you. I do not care what your purpose is. Using this forged identity can let you continue to reap benefits in the entertainment industry. After all, our interests have always been mutual. A businessman never makes a losing deal.”

“However, if this deal costs me too much time, I will choose to end it directly.”

All of Yu Fuqiu’s urgent words were caught in his throat. His arms, which were holding the album and marriage certificate, fell limply. The things he cherished had become incredibly heavy and incredibly ridiculous.

It turned out that all the evidence of deep love had become evidence of a calculated crime in the eyes of the current Chang Tingzhi.

He did not dare look at Chang Tingzhi’s cold and suspicious expression again. He simply dragged his heavy steps, his eyes downcast and his lips pressed together.

“But you promised me that you would at least maintain a persona with me in public. As a businessman, how can you go back on your word?”

“If we get a divorce, the shares of the Changqiu Group will definitely fluctuate. Many of my endorsement contracts are with the Changqiu Group.”

“Stop.”

Chang Tingzhi frowned, not knowing what Yu Fuqiu was talking about. “What divorce?”

“Is this not a divorce agreement?”

Yu Fuqiu froze for a moment, tears still hanging on his eyelashes. He pointed to the thick stack of papers printed with the word “Agreement,” his voice still carrying a lingering sob and confusion. “Are you not going to divorce me?”

“Ha?”

Chang Tingzhi let out a short sound of confusion. He finally understood where this series of reactions from Yu Fuqiu had come from.

“Yu Fuqiu.”

For the first time since waking up with amnesia, Chang Tingzhi addressed Yu Fuqiu by name. “Can your brain hold something other than those life and death romantic dramas? For example, business.”

He impatiently flipped through the agreement. “Look closely!”

Yu Fuqiu was startled by his movement and widened his eyes. He realized it was a cooperation agreement, not a divorce agreement.

Yu Fuqiu froze completely, his mind a blank.

Chang Tingzhi did not intend to let him off. He quickly flipped the agreement to the later pages, pointing at the additional clauses. He explained in a cold tone, each word striking Yu Fuqiu’s nerves. “And this. This is an attachment for the clear separation and notarization of pre-marital and post-marital property, based on your previous insistence that a marital relationship exists! The purpose is to avoid future disputes and unnecessary trouble regarding property issues.”

He withdrew his hand, crossed his arms, and looked down at the completely stunned Yu Fuqiu. The ironic curve of his lips became more pronounced. “I am simply asking you to sign a normal business cooperation document and a risk avoidance property notarization agreement. And you…”

His gaze swept over the wet tear stains on Yu Fuqiu’s face and the scattered wedding photos and marriage certificates. The disdain in his eyes was almost tangible.

“…instead performed a melodrama of a suffering original wife refusing to sign a divorce agreement?”

“Yu Fuqiu,” he spoke the final sentence coldly, like a final judgment. “Stop bringing your unrequited affection and fantasies into work. It wastes time and is quite ridiculous.”

He had thought Yu Fuqiu would make a scene or cry and refuse to sign the agreement. After all, if one looked closely, the agreement was almost entirely in his own favor.

But Yu Fuqiu was only dazed for a moment before asking, “You are not going to divorce me?”

Chang Tingzhi frowned and nodded coldly.

In the next second, something unexpected happened.

The hesitation on Yu Fuqiu’s face vanished instantly, replaced by a brilliant smile. His eyes curved as if they held all the starlight in the world, pure and dazzling. Chang Tingzhi was momentarily dazed.

Yu Fuqiu suddenly threw himself into Chang Tingzhi’s arms. Chang Tingzhi’s body acted faster than his brain, catching the person who had lunged into his embrace and holding him tightly, for fear he might accidentally fall.

Yu Fuqiu’s arms wrapped tightly around his neck, and he buried his face in the crook of the man’s neck, rubbing against it forcefully. Then he obediently looked up, his eyes filled entirely with Chang Tingzhi’s reflection. His smile spread across his face like blooming flowers. He tilted his head up and quickly placed a kiss on the corner of Chang Tingzhi’s lips, making a crisp sound.

“It does not matter! I will accept everything!”

As long as you do not throw me away first. As long as it is not a divorce, I can accept anything. I will wait for my Tingzhi to come back. Since I could raise him well once, what does it matter if I raise him all over again?

Yu Fuqiu’s voice was full of joy and peace, as if he possessed the most precious treasure in the world.

Chang Tingzhi’s body froze suddenly.

The spot on his face where he had been kissed felt soft and moist. In his arms was a warm and fragrant person, and the scent of the other person was faint and pleasant. He could clearly feel the defenseless reliance of the person in his arms and the heartfelt happiness that was almost overflowing.

According to his usual principles of conduct, he should immediately push away this person who lacked boundaries and acted inappropriately. He should turn cold and reprimand him for the offense, reminding him that there was only a cold agreement between them.

But…

It felt as if something had lightly bumped into his heart, sending a strange and unfamiliar throb through him. That feeling came abruptly and forcefully, completely beyond the control of his reason. It was as if something sleeping under the ice had been quietly pried open by this reckless kiss and pure smile.

He had always taken profit and logical analysis as his highest principles. But at this moment, this emotional reaction, which did not fit any profit calculation and even disrupted his rhythm, made him feel a bit lost for the first time.

He did not understand. He did not understand why Yu Fuqiu was so happy in the face of an agreement that clearly put him at a disadvantage. He understood even less why his heart, which had always been calm and self-controlled, would skip a beat because of a simple, even impulsive, kiss.

It was just like when he woke up this morning and saw Yu Fuqiu sleeping peacefully in his arms. He had uncontrollably placed a kiss on the other man’s temple and subconsciously gone to the kitchen to take out ingredients and make beef brisket with tomato stew.

He did not remember being able to cook this dish, but his movements were fluid, as if they were carved into his bones.

What exactly was this emotion?

It had nothing to do with profit; it was of his own will. When he was cooking, what he thought of was not the billion dollar orders he signed yesterday, but Yu Fuqiu’s face, a face full of smiles.

Whenever he thought of that face, a strange feeling, as hot as the winter sun, would quietly emerge from the deepest part of his heart and flow slowly through his limbs.

It made him feel very comfortable, very calm, and even gave him an unspeakable sense of satisfaction.

Chang Tingzhi frowned, looking down at Yu Fuqiu in his arms, who was smiling like a child. His hand, which was prepared to push the man away, hung in mid-air and finally, landed somewhat stiffly on the other person’s back.

He let out a soft “Mm.”