After Failing to Reverse the Plot, I Made My Escape - Chapter 28

Infidelity.

Beep, beep.

The vibration of the phone broke the heavy yet tender silence of the room, pulling Yu Fuqiu away from his surging memories. He fumbled to take out the phone, his heart racing wildly against his chest due to the specific notification tone.

This ringtone was unique. It was the one he had set specifically for Chang Tingzhi. It was a secret known only to the two of them, something the amnesiac Chang Tingzhi would never know.

Had his Chang Tingzhi returned? In this place filled with their shared history, had the personality that loved him finally awakened tonight? Was the protection he showed earlier in front of the cameras not out of interest, but because he remembered?

A massive wave of joy blossomed in his mind like fireworks, clearing the gloom from his heart. His fingers trembled with a near-pious anticipation as he swiped across the screen.

Little Tree: Beep beep beep! Where is my Qiuqiu? Little Tree: I am almost home! I am ready to give you a big hug. Please wait for the good news.

Yu Fuqiu had given Chang Tingzhi a nickname. In Chinese, “Tingzhi” sounds like the word for “upright.” He hoped Chang Tingzhi would grow tall and straight like a tree, becoming a healthy and safe ordinary person.

Was Chang Tingzhi coming back? Was he already back?

Yu Fuqiu’s hands shook as he prepared to call him, but he quickly realized that Chang Tingzhi must be driving. He could not let him get distracted. He needed Chang Tingzhi to return safely and healthily to his side.

He turned off the screen and pressed the phone against his palm, feeling the phantom pulse of the message. He let out a long, shaky breath.

“Chun Chun!”

He gasped as his relaxed nerves tightened again.

“Mommy?”

The number that had been busy and unreachable was suddenly picked up.

“Chun Chun!” Yu Fuqiu sighed in relief. Hearing the sound of the wind on the other end, his heart skipped a beat. “Where are you? How could you run away from your aunt’s house without permission? Do you know how worried she is? Why did you leave without telling Mommy?”

“Because Chun Chun missed Mommy,” the boy answered obediently.

Yu Fuqiu’s mind drifted back to the night Chang Tingzhi found out he was accepted into university. Yu Fuqiu had cleared his schedule and canceled all his appointments just to celebrate alone with him. However, he had waited for a long time, and Chang Tingzhi never appeared. He had felt the same panic back then, sitting alone in a dark, empty room while the phone only gave a busy signal.

Just as he was about to call the police, the call finally connected. He had anxiously questioned where Chang Tingzhi had gone, worried about the poor safety of the neighborhood and the fact that he had only recently turned eighteen.

Chang Tingzhi’s voice came through the receiver, but it also came from behind him. A rainstorm had started outside, and water dripped from Chang Tingzhi’s clothes, forming a small puddle at the entryway. He was out of breath and his hair was a mess, but his eyes were exceptionally bright.

Chang Tingzhi carefully pulled a beautiful jasmine flower from his coat. He said, “I saw this flower by the road and wanted to pick it for you.”

The light in the hallway fell across Chang Tingzhi’s face, coating him in a soft glow. Even the wind outside seemed to turn gentle. The moonlight thickened, spilling into Yu Fuqiu’s heart through the cracks in the window. At that moment, Yu Fuqiu knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Chang Tingzhi.

“I am sorry, Mommy. Chun Chun just suddenly missed you.”

In reality, the panic in Chun Chun’s heart could no longer be hidden. He could not wait until tomorrow. Since he was only seven years old, Chu Baoli would never let him go out alone, so he had to find a way to sneak out.

Yu Fuqiu’s heart softened. “Where are you? Mommy will come get you.”

“It is okay, Mommy. A nice uncle is taking me there. I told him the address. Just wait for me.”

Hearing this, Yu Fuqiu relaxed slightly. Chun Chun had not been exposed to the public, and very few people knew what he looked like. At the very least, no one would target the child to get to him or Chang Tingzhi.

“Chun Chun, keep your GPS on. Mommy will keep talking to you.”

Chun Chun obeyed. Yu Fuqiu had him repeat the address to confirm it was their home. He took one last look at the small house, a faint smile touching his lips, before gently closing and locking the door.

“Mommy, is Daddy waiting for us at home?” Chun Chun swung his legs in the car seat, his eyes bright as he watched the scenery flash by. “I have to bring the hermit crab to Daddy. He will be so happy.”

Thinking of the text message, Yu Fuqiu’s heart fluttered. He smiled and said, “Daddy is definitely waiting for us to come home.”

“Mommy, I want to eat sweet and sour pork ribs. You do not know how it is abroad. I ate salad and noodles every day. I am getting so thin. Daddy said last time he would take us to S Province for the Kite Festival. I have been looking forward to it for so long. My primary school homework is about kites. I am waiting for Daddy to come home and make a big Minion kite with me!”

Yu Fuqiu chatted with Chun Chun as he drove.

Suddenly, his navigation phone received an encrypted message. There was no text, only an auto-play video file. Driven by a strange impulse, he tapped it.

The footage was shaky. The lighting was an intimate, warm yellow. The background appeared to be the interior of a luxury hotel, both extravagant and private. Yu Fuqiu frowned, thinking his phone had been infected by a virus. Just as he went to close it, a figure he dreamed of appeared on the screen.

Chang Tingzhi stood there with his profile to the camera, his silhouette as cold and sharp as ever. His slender fingers held a black room card. He swiped it, and the click of the door opening sounded like a death sentence to Yu Fuqiu’s nerves.

Why was Chang Tingzhi at a hotel?

Suddenly, another figure entered the frame. Yu Fuqiu’s pupils contracted instantly. He clearly saw that when Chang Tingzhi turned his head to look at Ke Qian standing before him, his usually cold expression softened in a nearly tender way. In those eyes, Yu Fuqiu saw a familiar emotion.

It was the look Chang Tingzhi used to give him before the memory loss. It was the treasure Yu Fuqiu had spent months missing in the middle of the night, desperately trying to find but failing to recover.

“How could you be so careless?”

Chang Tingzhi’s voice came through the lens, carrying the intimate reproach found only between lovers. Then, he moved closer to the camera, his figure enlarging in the frame as he picked Ke Qian up in his arms.

The camera angle shifted. From this perspective, one could clearly see the smooth line of Chang Tingzhi’s jaw and the natural, gentle smile on his face as he looked down.

Yu Fuqiu was all too familiar with this angle. He was very insecure, so he loved nestling in Chang Tingzhi’s arms, pressing his face against his chest to listen to that steady, powerful heartbeat. Then, like a small animal seeking reassurance, he would look up and use his soft lips to kiss Chang Tingzhi’s defined jawline, following the sharp lines down to his sexy Adam’s apple.

Every time he did this, Chang Tingzhi would let out a low, indulgent laugh and tighten his arms, pulling him deeper into his embrace as if to merge him into his own blood.

Ke Qian’s face appeared in the shot. His cheeks were slightly flushed, and the mole at the corner of his eye was stunningly beautiful. His head rested gently against Chang Tingzhi’s heart, listening to the heartbeat that used to belong only to Yu Fuqiu. The embrace was so natural, filled with protectiveness and intimacy.

Yu Fuqiu suddenly thought of the time he spent taking care of Chang Tingzhi recently. One night, he had wanted to touch the sleeping, Chang Tingzhi. He craved the embrace and the familiar warmth so much. His lover was right in front of him. He told himself it would be fine just to touch him once. He carefully reached out, his fingertips trembling, wanting to brush against Chang Tingzhi’s cheek.

The moment his fingers were about to touch that cool skin, his wrist was violently seized. The man on the bed opened his eyes, which were filled with nothing but coldness and undisguised disgust.

“What do you think you are doing?” Chang Tingzhi’s grip tightened, twisting his wrist into a painful, awkward angle.

Yu Fuqiu did not dare to make a sound. He could only bite his lip as hard as possible to endure the pain.

“Do not touch me with your dirty hands.” Chang Tingzhi flung his hand away as if he had touched something revolting and filthy. He grabbed an alcohol spray and doused his hands over a dozen times before slamming the bottle onto the ground. Glass shattered everywhere. “Put away your lowly schemes and get out.”

Dragging his fractured wrist, Yu Fuqiu stood alone in the deep autumn night, staring at the tightly closed door. In the end, he never managed to touch the warmth of his dreams.

Reality and memory intertwined.

In the video, Chang Tingzhi carefully held Ke Qian in his arms, his movements as gentle as if he were holding a fragile treasure. He placed Ke Qian on the bed. This man, who was usually so dignified and obsessed with cleanliness, completely ignored the dust on the floor. His expensive suit trousers brushed against the carpet as he knelt on one knee, looking up at Ke Qian who was sitting on the edge of the bed.

This posture was full of devotion and submission.

He reached out his well-defined fingers and extremely gently lifted Ke Qian’s ankle as if it were a piece of delicate jade. Then, bit by bit, he removed Ke Qian’s shoes and socks.

The camera looked down from above, showing a small, faint red mark on Ke Qian’s ankle. Perhaps it was a slight sprain or just an accidental bump. Chang Tingzhi’s brow furrowed immediately, his eyes overflowing with heartache. He picked up the ointment nearby.

That was the ointment Yu Fuqiu always carried specifically for Chang Tingzhi.

Now, that ointment was in Chang Tingzhi’s hands. He applied it to the red mark and even lowered his head to blow gently on the skin, as if that could dispel all the pain.

“Qiuqiu, it will not hurt if I blow on it.” “Qiuqiu, you are not allowed to get hurt again. It breaks my heart.” “Qiuqiu, my Qiuqiu.” “Qiuqiu, we will only have one child. No more, truly no more.” “Qiuqiu, I love you so much. I finally married you. I want to tell the whole world that I married the best wife in the world!”

“Oh? You are the mistress I am keeping?” “Yu Fuqiu, are you that desperate for a man? Is it not enough to seduce others that you have to shove yourself in front of me?” “Save it. Seeing you like this only makes me feel disgusted.” “How much longer are you going to play this self-sacrificing drama?” “You truly disgust me.”

“An An, does it hurt?” Chang Tingzhi’s voice came through the screen. “Yu Fuqiu, if you want to die, go die somewhere else. Do not dirty my eyes.”

The two voices overlapped, making Yu Fuqiu’s ears ring. He tremblingly dialed a number while his eyes remained fixed on Chang Tingzhi in the video.

Don’t, don’t treat me like this.

Yu Fuqiu prayed that this was all fake. That it was all his hallucination. But in the video, Chang Tingzhi pulled out his phone, and the screen clearly displayed Yu Fuqiu’s name.

Ke Qian tugged at his hand, muttering like a spoiled child. Chang Tingzhi affectionately rubbed his hair and declined the call. Yu Fuqiu’s phone emitted a series of busy tones. Yu Fuqiu refused to give up and wanted to call again. Right then, he heard Ke Qian speak.

“Azhi, kiss me.”

Yu Fuqiu saw it clearly. Chang Tingzhi showed a tender smile and looked up. At the moment he was about to kiss Ke Qian, Yu Fuqiu could no longer take it and turned off the video.

Why did it hurt so much? This was more painful than when he had the cesarean section to give birth to Chun Chun. He should have known the outcome long ago, shouldn’t he?

But the tears would not stop. He did not want to cry. Why treat him like this?

Chun Chun was still chattering about something, but Yu Fuqiu no longer had the strength to respond. He felt as though his soul had been hollowed out. Perhaps he should not have been greedy? Perhaps he should not have taken Chang Tingzhi home from that rainy alleyway, but instead returned him to his destined protagonist?

Actually, there had been signs for a long time, hadn’t there? When he called Chang Tingzhi and Ke Qian answered, the sound of running water in the background. When his messages were all deleted by Chang Tingzhi. When he waited in the cold wind for a long time and could no longer open the door to his own home. Did he not already know?

What was he still struggling for? But, but… that was his Chang Tingzhi. That was the man he had raised with his own hands. That was his lover. How could he let go and watch Chang Tingzhi love someone else?

Why treat me like this? I only wanted a home of my own.

Yu Fuqiu stared blankly at the river. Just then, Chun Chun’s voice pierced through his eardrums.

“Mommy!”

Yu Fuqiu snapped back to reality and turned his head. He saw Chun Chun’s eyes shining brilliantly as the boy ran toward him. In the instant before he could touch Yu Fuqiu, he saw that small figure thrown into the air like a parabola. With a heavy thud, the child fell not far away.

Time seemed to stretch infinitely in that moment.

“No!”

The child who was like a little shadow, following him all day and calling “Mommy” in a soft voice; who would sneak into bed in the morning to tuck cold little feet into his arms before giggling and kissing him; who would clumsily wipe away his tears with chubby hands and say “Mommy don’t cry, Chun Chun will make it better”; who would grab his hem and beg for one more story with sparkling eyes…

That child fell to the ground, appearing both light and impossibly heavy. Bright, piercing red blood began to spread from beneath Chun Chun, staining the grey pavement and Yu Fuqiu’s entire world.

When Chun Chun left the house, he had brought nothing except the hermit crab he wanted to give to his father. And the peace charm he had tied around Yu Fuqiu’s wrist fell to the ground at that same instant.

It hurts so much, Chun Chun thought.

But it was okay. He had protected the hermit crab well. Daddy would like it. If Daddy was happy, he would not leave Mommy. He did not want to see Mommy sad.

But Mommy, it hurts too much. Chun Chun will just sleep for a little while. When Chun Chun wakes up, please tell me another story.