After Failing to Reverse the Plot, I Made My Escape - Chapter 24

“Qiuqiu, you can only be mine. You cannot love anyone else.”

Less than a few minutes after Chang Tingzhi posted that, it went straight to the trending searches, quickly followed by the “Explosive” tag.

Chang Tingzhi Breaks Rumors of Marital Strife. Not Broken Up, Relationship is Great. My Wife is the Best Wife in the World. A Deep Dive into the Love History of Chang Tingzhi and Yu Fuqiu. Yu Fuqiu’s Affair. Director Hu. Small Town Doctor.

“Chang, Brother Chang.”

Tan Ling’s eyes widened as if she were seeing something unbelievable. Even her voice carried a slight tremor.

Ever since Chang Tingzhi lost his memory, he had blacklisted all phone numbers belonging to Yu Fuqiu’s staff, claiming that irrelevant personnel would only waste his precious time. When Yu Fuqiu found out, he simply smiled and said it was fine. He felt it was already bad enough to trouble Chang Tingzhi, and he could handle things himself.

Tan Ling had desperately wanted to say, “You are a legal couple; do you really need to draw such a clear line now?”

She had already given up hope and was even prepared for news of a divorce. While it would affect Yu Fuqiu’s reputation and resources, since he was nominally the President’s Wife of the Changqiu Group and a bridge for many to secure collaborations, with a face like his, even acting as a “vase” in the entertainment industry would at least keep him from starving.

Watching the scene of Chang Tingzhi holding Yu Fuqiu tightly in his arms, Tan Ling felt as though an eternity had passed. Had the old Brother Chang returned?

“Get out.”

Chang Tingzhi’s cold voice disrupted the hope rising in Tan Ling’s heart.

Yu Fuqiu froze and looked up from his chest, thinking the order was for him. “Then, let go first.”

“You. Get out.”

Chang Tingzhi glanced sideways, staring expressionlessly at Tan Ling standing beside them.

Tan Ling’s body could not stop shaking. Her physical reaction outpaced her brain. The moment Chang Tingzhi finished speaking, she slipped away like grease on a pan and closed the door behind her.

Yu Fuqiu remained in his upward-looking posture. He was backlit, the warm yellow sunlight spilling through the gaps in the window and scattering fine golden specks across his face. His eyes were dazed, and his hands were frozen mid-air.

His fingertips trembled slightly, yet he never dared to actually let them land. He did not dare embrace Chang Tingzhi, terrified that all of this was just another dream. He did not know who the person holding him right now actually was.

Had his Chang Tingzhi come back?

But if he had, he would not be so harsh toward the staff. Yet, the memory-loss version of Chang Tingzhi would never be this kind to him.

Despite this, within Chang Tingzhi’s increasingly forceful embrace and his powerful arms, Yu Fuqiu could not help but feel a sudden spark of hope from the bottom of his heart.

If, what if?

Then, he sensed Chang Tingzhi’s body shaking.

“Tingzhi?”

Yu Fuqiu called out his name cautiously.

Chang Tingzhi seemed as panicked as a child who had lost a treasure. He clung desperately to Yu Fuqiu, his fluffy head nuzzling into the crook of Yu Fuqiu’s neck. His warm, rapid breath sprayed against the skin, sending shivers through him.

Suddenly, Yu Fuqiu’s body stiffened.

A few drops of warm liquid landed on his shoulder. The sensation was so real it felt like it might burn him.

Chang Tingzhi was crying.

The moment this thought appeared, Yu Fuqiu’s breath hitched. Before he could react, his chin was seized by a firm force. He was forced to look up, his slightly parted lips were pried open, and a familiar scent permeated from his skin into his pores.

It was the scent Yu Fuqiu knew best.

“Qiuqiu, Qiuqiu.”

The back of Yu Fuqiu’s head was held tightly, forcing him to keep his mouth open. Chang Tingzhi frowned, his fingertips lifting the hem of the clothing to rub against the small of the back. A thrill like an electric current surged from the tailbone up to the nerve endings. Yu Fuqiu’s pupils lost focus for a moment. His legs went weak, and even though he was sitting, his body slumped like water.

This played right into Chang Tingzhi’s hands. The corner of his mouth curled up as he picked Yu Fuqiu up with one hand, pressed him onto the sofa, and pushed his knees apart. He captured the tip of Yu Fuqiu’s tongue, intertwining with it, slowly twisting and sucking, licking and biting.

The sound of wet kissing filled the air, and Yu Fuqiu’s face flushed. The root of his tongue ached, and he whimpered while trying to push back, but he was pinned between the sofa and Chang Tingzhi. His last path of retreat was blocked, forcing him to open his lips again to welcome the culprit who was suffocating him.

“Woo, don’t.”

Slight whimpers escaped Yu Fuqiu’s throat, tears blurred his eyes, and his long hair was a mess. His fingertips, gripping the edge of Chang Tingzhi’s clothes, turned white from the strain.

“Qiuqiu, my Qiuqiu.”

Chang Tingzhi acted as if he wanted to swallow him whole, merging him into his very bones and blood.

He did not let go until Yu Fuqiu was gasping for air. His knuckles stroked the swollen lips, his eyes dark and unreadable. He took a deep breath, seemingly suppressing something. He closed his eyes tightly and buried his face back into the crook of Yu Fuqiu’s neck.

Yu Fuqiu clearly heard a suppressed, sobbing sigh. It was a voice that was hoarse and broken, yet it crashed heavily upon him.

“Thank God.”

“It is so good that you are still here.”

“Qiuqiu, you can only be mine. You cannot fall in love with anyone else.”

“Do you understand? You cannot love anyone else.”

“Even if it is ‘me,’ you are not allowed to love him.”

Chang Tingzhi’s voice suddenly grew smaller as if his energy had abruptly depleted. He collapsed onto Yu Fuqiu, his breathing becoming steady as he fell into a deep sleep.

Yu Fuqiu blinked in confusion. He reached out and gently patted his back, just as he had done countless times when they were younger. The familiar scent was in his ear, and he could feel the strong, rhythmic heartbeat.

This brought Yu Fuqiu a sense of peace.

This is my Tingzhi, isn’t it? My Tingzhi is back? Even if it is only for a brief moment, it is enough. At least let me know that I can wait for his return.

The body in his arms twitched.

Chang Tingzhi slowly opened his eyes. When he realized he and Yu Fuqiu were pressed together in such an intimate physical posture, his mind went blank for a moment. He wanted to get up immediately and push himself out of this embrace.

He clearly detested contact with others. Even in the height of summer, he wore long sleeves to cover every inch of exposed skin. Once he touched someone, it triggered a physiological revulsion that made him want to wash himself multiple times.

How could he have proactively embraced someone, especially in such an intimate way?

Reason told him he must get up. This was something he hated. Yet, a strange emotion weighed on his heart, making it impossible for him to move even half a step away from this embrace.

What is this feeling?

Chang Tingzhi showed a rare moment of confusion, especially when Yu Fuqiu held him, one hand lightly patting his back while humming a familiar, soothing tune.

A tune?

Shouldn’t he be handling company business? Why was he here? It seemed someone had reported that Yu Fuqiu went to the hospital last night.

Chang Tingzhi’s expression instantly turned cold, and he pushed Yu Fuqiu away.

The tender atmosphere vanished instantly. Yu Fuqiu’s hand froze in mid-air as the warmth was stripped away, replaced by the freezing air. He looked up into those icy eyes, feeling as though he had been fished out of cold water. A chill saturated his entire being.

“What new tactic is this?”

Chang Tingzhi leaned against the dressing table and asked coldly, “You played yourself right into the hospital. Although I do not know what trick you used to make me drop a ten-billion-dollar deal to come to this remote place to find you, I advise you not to waste your efforts. Fake is fake.”

“I have seen plenty of calculating people like you.”

The warmth that had previously filled Yu Fuqiu’s heart froze over. Suppressing the bitterness rising within him, he tried his best to keep his voice steady. “I didn’t.”

“You came to find me on your own. I was not ‘playing’ anything. I really did go to the hospital last night.”

He brushed his hair aside, revealing his fair neck. When Chang Tingzhi had pressed him onto the sofa to kiss him, a lot of the makeup had been rubbed off, and it could no longer hide the shocking marks.

Yu Fuqiu looked up into Chang Tingzhi’s dark eyes. “They were all hitting me. When they tore my clothes open, do you know what I was thinking?”

Chang Tingzhi froze, stunned.

Thinking what?

Yu Fuqiu is an actor. He must have been thinking that if this got leaked, his career would be over, his reputation ruined, his position as Mrs. Chang would be unstable, and he would not get any benefits.

That is what he should have been thinking.

But at this moment, only one thought crossed Chang Tingzhi’s mind. His lips moved slightly. He wanted to ask, “Does it hurt?”

Just at the rise of that thought, countless needles seemed to prick his heart. Chang Tingzhi frowned. He did not even dare to breathe deeply, as any movement of his chest made the pain worse.

“I was thinking, luckily, it was not you who got hurt,” Yu Fuqiu said softly.

The air solidified. Chang Tingzhi’s pupils contracted, and his breath hitched for a moment. He had many questions he wanted to snap at Yu Fuqiu, but when they reached his lips, they vanished.

“When you were eighteen, you were badly injured trying to save me. You even had several broken ribs that pierced your lungs.”

Yu Fuqiu stood up slowly. Dressed in his white stage costume with a touch of rose-red between his brows, the red ribbon tying his long hair fluttered in the breeze. Bathed in light, he walked toward Chang Tingzhi.

“At that moment, I wished so much that the person lying in the ICU was me, so I could bear all that pain for you.”

He was just a “cannon fodder” character, someone who did not even exist in the original novel—just an undocumented person. But Chang Tingzhi was different. He was the protagonist of this novel. The world revolved around him. He should have a bright future and should not stop there. At that moment, Yu Fuqiu had regretted his greed in keeping Chang Tingzhi by his side.

“I prayed to the hospital walls for a long, long time.”

Fortunately, heaven heard his plea. Chang Tingzhi woke up. The first thing he did upon waking, before his oxygen mask was even removed, was hold up a ring he had saved for three months by working part-time jobs and say arrogantly to Yu Fuqiu, “Marry me, Qiuqiu.”

Yu Fuqiu’s eyes were full of tenderness. He reached out, slowly caressed the corner of Chang Tingzhi’s mouth, stood on his tiptoes, and left a gentle kiss on his lips.

“So, I will not regret it. No matter what you become, you are my lover.”