After Failing to Reverse the Plot, I Made My Escape - Chapter 23

[Chang Tingzhi: We have not split, we are not divorced, and our relationship is excellent. {Image}]

Skyscrapers stood like cold, giant swords piercing the clouds, their glass surfaces reflecting the golden sunlight. On the highest floor, in the center of the room, a figure sat lazily on a sofa. He scrolled through his phone, and as he read the messages on the screen, his beautiful brows furrowed slightly.

“Tch.”

“What is it? Did the plan fail?”

Sitting beside him was a man wearing gold-rimmed glasses and a business suit, exuding the aura of a high-ranking authority. Seeing the other’s expression, he let out a scoff. “You did not get to see Yu Fuqiu get into trouble, so your hopes were dashed, weren’t they?”

“Chang Tingzhi does not even remember him anymore. Why is he still shamelessly clinging to his side?”

Ke Qi’an crossed his long legs.

Following the memories from his dream, he had been heading to Chang Tingzhi’s company that day for business. As soon as he looked up, he saw Yu Fuqiu waiting downstairs at the company building. Looking at the access card in his hand, he curled his lips into a smirk. He intercepted the soup that Yu Fuqiu had asked the receptionist to send up. Initially, the receptionist tried to stop him, saying the soup was for the CEO’s office, but the CEO was currently in a meeting.

Ke Qi’an’s face appeared harmless. He lowered his eyes, flashing an innocent smile as he pointed to the card in his hand. “Sister, I am heading up for the meeting anyway. I will just bring it to Brother Tingzhi for him.”

Seeing the card, the receptionist assumed it was per the CEO’s orders and did not stop him. Once Ke Qi’an made off with the thermos, his smiling face instantly turned cold. He went to the kitchen’s disposal area and, with a flick of his wrist, tossed the thermos into the trash with a loud clatter.

“Garbage.”

He lifted his eyes, coldly watching the thermos lying among the trash.

“I just did not expect those men to be so useless. Three grown men could not even pin down one Yu Fuqiu.”

“You spent so much money, went through all that effort to erase the traces, and even prepared the paparazzi. As long as the news broke that Yu Fuqiu was defiled by three vagrants, his reputation would have been utterly ruined.”

The man put down the documents in his hand and looked at Ke Qi’an with interest. Ke Qi’an looked about thirty to forty percent like Yu Fuqiu, as beautiful as a collectible doll. “Yu Fuqiu has no grievance with you. Why are you so bent on destroying him?”

Yu Fuqiu only acted in films and rarely even appeared on variety shows. His private social circle with other celebrities was even smaller. In the industry, he was famous for his good temper and popularity. As far as he knew, Ke Qi’an and Yu Fuqiu had no prior interaction at all. In fact, Ke Qi’an was supposed to be Yu Fuqiu’s fan.

“Brother,” Ke Qi’an took a sip of coffee, his round eyes curving into a smile. “I am just taking back what originally belonged to me.”

What originally belonged to him?

Ke Qibei suddenly found himself unable to understand his younger brother. Ke Qi’an was the youngest child in their family, pampered since birth and raised to be innocent and romantic. He did not need to inherit the family business or worry about anything; he only needed to pursue what he liked. For some reason, after waking up from an unexplained coma, this once soft-natured brother seemed to have become a different person. His eyes were now filled with nothing but calculation.

It made him very uncomfortable. However, Ke Qi’an was undoubtedly his brother.

He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Whatever you want, I will satisfy you. Why use such underhanded methods? He is, after all, the spouse of the President of the Changqiu Group. The cooperation between the Ke family and the Changqiu Group has not expired yet. If something happens to him, who will take responsibility?”

“Who can say for sure about the ‘what-ifs’ of the future, Brother?”

“Besides, even if Chang Tingzhi has amnesia and does not remember Yu Fuqiu, that is their family matter. Does it have anything to do with us?” Ke Qibei asked with a frown.

He felt his brother was acting strangely ever since he caught Ke Qi’an burning everything related to Yu Fuqiu. He had even unintentionally seen Ke Qi’an cutting out Yu Fuqiu’s photos, slashing them repeatedly with a knife, and drawing a large “X” over them with bright red ink.

“Do you not want more things?” Ke Qi’an picked up a mirror, smiling with satisfaction at his reflection. “For example, the Changqiu Group.”

“So, Brother, I need you to help me.”

Ke Qi’an smiled brightly, his eyes shining like stars. He believed he was the protagonist of this world. From the first moment he saw Chang Tingzhi, his heart had raced uncontrollably. But at that time, Chang Tingzhi was already married to Yu Fuqiu. However, ever since he had that dream, everything in reality had been following the story of the dream as if by fate. He believed that Chang Tingzhi was meant to belong to him.

Yu Fuqiu was a thief. He had dared to steal his place, causing him and Chang Tingzhi to meet nearly fifteen years late. Since it was his to begin with, he felt he had every right to take it back. Anyone who stood in his way should just be destroyed. He was the destined protagonist of Chang Tingzhi’s life. Only by them being together would everything be set back on the right track. What he was doing now was merely correcting a wrong. How could that be called murderous intent? He was just taking back what belonged to him.

“Brother Yu, the casting results for the upcoming crew are out.”

Tan Ling handed the results to him. Yu Fuqiu had just finished a scene and was currently having his makeup touched up. The bruises on his face were mostly covered by foundation, but it was still difficult to hide all the injuries on his body.

“Director Hu is calling you.”

Yu Fuqiu took the casting list. His eyes narrowed, and when he saw Ke Qi’an’s name on it, his body stiffened for an imperceptible moment. He had clearly asked people to remove Ke Qi’an’s name; why was he still on the candidate list?

“Daoyuan,” Yu Fuqiu answered the phone. Because he had been filming late into the night, his voice was somewhat dry.

“I have discovered a very strange phenomenon,” Hu Daoyuan said, looking at the finalized list. “I clearly told my assistant to throw these people’s forms out, but Qin Shu strongly recommended Ke Qi’an. They clearly have no intersection, and Ke Qi’an is just a student in the acting department.”

“It is not just Qin Shu. There is also Dave and Wu Jing. Therefore, I had no choice but to finalize him.”

The people Hu Daoyuan mentioned were all influential figures in the industry. One was even the producer investing in the drama Yu Fuqiu was currently filming. As the protagonist of this book, Ke Qi’an was characterized as a “Little Sun,” a pampered young master from a great background. His path with Chang Tingzhi was a redemption arc: a sunny boy redeeming a dark, crazed, and self-destructive man.

In contrast, there was Yu Fuqiu. His very birth was considered a sin, and he was even sent to a mental asylum later on. After transmigrating into this world, he had no status. Even his household registration was only resolved after he saved up money from working for a long time and found someone to fix it. If Chang Tingzhi had not protected him later, Yu Fuqiu would be an undocumented person under today’s strict registration checks. Not only would his acting career be over, but he would also spend a few years in prison.

“I understand. Thank you for your hard work, Daoyuan.”

Yu Fuqiu sighed and cast his eyes downward. His fingers unconsciously scrolled through his phone until the screen settled on the last Weibo post Chang Tingzhi had made.

[Chang Tingzhi: Hehe, I am about to get off the plane. Guess what gift I brought back for my wife? You guys will definitely be jealous. Wait for me for our fifth anniversary!]

[@eeeeeee: So, what exactly is it? It has been half a month; why is there no news at all?]

[Emerald Gemstone: If it were the old Chang Tingzhi, he would have posted several vlogs a day by now. Last time Qiuqiu gave him a tie, he posted ten Weibo updates, five videos, and five photo posts. He filmed that tie from 360 degrees without a blind spot. Seriously, what is so special about that tie?]

[Pure-Hearted Female Cockroach: Exactly. Qiuqiu’s new drama has been officially announced, and he is actually indifferent? In the past, he would have the announcement rolling on LED screens across the city and charter private jets to fly over H-City hundreds of times without getting bored, terrified that someone might not know his wife was filming.]

[Still Water: I feel this deeply. Although I am not a fan of their couple, when our favorite celebrity had his birthday last time and we wanted to buy screen time, we happened to run into Chang Tingzhi booking the screens. He paid five times the market price. He is so rich! Is this how rich people play?]

[Thirty Song Shu: Something is wrong. Something is very wrong. Could it be a marriage crisis?]

[Chang Tingzhi is Yu Fuqiu’s Dog: Crisis my foot! Even if the world ends, it is impossible for those two to divorce. Their child is seven years old already. They protect the child so well that every time they go out, the child’s face is blurred. Looking at Chang Tingzhi’s obsessed behavior, do you think a divorce is possible?]

[Qiu Qiu Qiu Qiu Qiu Qiu Qiu: With a wife as beautiful as Yu Fuqiu, who would be willing to divorce after finally marrying him? Just looking at his face, I could eat three bowls of rice.]

[I Want to Pass the Post-Grad Exam!!!: But there really is a hint of that. I have shipped countless couples and followed celebrity couples married for decades. If one party who used to be very loving and constantly showing off suddenly stops, there is a high probability that they might have divorced. They just have not notified the fans yet.]

[Ahhhhhh: Ahhhhhh, please no! I have shipped them for so long. The gentle, beautiful big beauty and the devoted younger husband. If this is gone, what else is there to live for!]

“Brother Yu, Brother Chang probably just has something going on,” Tan Ling said, not daring to speak too much in front of Yu Fuqiu.

She was the head of the Yu Fuqiu and Chang Tingzhi fan club. She was active in the community daily and had also vaguely sensed an unusual atmosphere. Thinking of the thermos from earlier and the terror of being dragged into the alley again, Yu Fuqiu’s hands trembled so much he could not even hold his phone steadily.

He instinctively reached down to pick up the dropped phone, but in the next second, his fingertips touched soft skin. He froze and looked up slightly. He saw the face he had been dreaming of. Chang Tingzhi was half-crouched, his palm steadily catching the falling phone. Yu Fuqiu’s fingertips rested on Chang Tingzhi’s palm, as if he were inviting him to dance.

Chang Tingzhi glanced at the interface the phone was stuck on. He suddenly picked up the phone, flipped the camera, and pointed it at Yu Fuqiu. Before Yu Fuqiu could snap out of it, he was pulled into a hug by a force that was irresistible yet gentle. A crisp, cool scent instantly enveloped him. Through the fabric of the shirt, he heard Chang Tingzhi’s strong, rhythmic heartbeat against his ear, causing his own heart to skip a beat.

Chang Tingzhi’s fingers ran through his soft, long hair, pressing him more tightly against his chest. He tilted his head slightly. His handsome face still bore no expression, but he precisely pressed the shutter button.

A second later, Tan Ling received a vibrating notification from her special follows.

[Chang Tingzhi: We have not split, we are not divorced, and our relationship is excellent. {Image}]

In the warm golden backlight, Yu Fuqiu’s slightly widened eyes held a trace of daze. His cheeks flushed faint red as he was held tightly in Chang Tingzhi’s arms. As for Chang Tingzhi, although he remained expressionless, his possessive hugging posture and the faint line of his jaw resting against Yu Fuqiu’s hair spoke of a silent, overwhelming intimacy.