After Failing to Reverse the Plot, I Made My Escape - Chapter 32

“Azhi, be gentler, you are hurting me.”

“Who are you!”

From an outsider’s perspective, Yu Fuqiu was held in Yu Zhuo’s arms, his head resting against Yu Zhuo’s neck. With Yu Zhuo’s head lowered, it looked to anyone else as if they were kissing. It looked like a kiss between lovers.

Yu Fuqiu froze, staring blankly toward the end of the hallway.

Chu Chu’s usually exquisite makeup was ruined. J City was a port city with strong night winds, and her long hair was a mess. She had thrown a trench coat over her pajamas. The drive from J City to H City took at least two hours. Clearly, Chu Chu had been jolted awake from her sleep, received the news, and rushed to the hospital in a panic.

Wearing plush slippers, she marched with the heavy force of someone in high heels. She reached Yu Fuqiu and, without waiting for an explanation, raised her hand and struck.

The sound of the slap echoed through the silent hospital corridor.

Yu Fuqiu thought she was hitting him. He instinctively closed his eyes and did not dodge. It was all his fault anyway. If Chu Chu wanted to terminate his contract, she had every reason to do so. Ever since Chang Tingzhi’s car accident and memory loss, Yu Fuqiu’s life had become a shambles. His work was pushed back repeatedly, and he had paid a fortune in liquidated damages.

Chu Chu was the one cleaning up his mess, yet she never complained. She would simply say over the phone, “Understood. I will handle the rest.”

He could understand her anger. He was a foolish person who could not do anything right. His lover had left him, his trusted companion was leaving him, and even his child was now lying in the intensive care unit, hovering between life and death.

Perhaps he should never have been born, or perhaps he should have died back in the mental hospital. What value did he have? He opened his mouth to tell Chu Chu that he could introduce her to other artists who were better than him.

But in the next second, he felt a slight breeze against his cheek. The expected pain did not come. Instead, a sharp sound rang out right next to his ear. Yu Fuqiu opened his eyes in confusion and saw Chu Chu, her face darkened with rage, slapping Yu Zhuo.

“What do you mean, ‘look at you’?”

“Do you have any idea that everything you are doing right now will kill Qiuqiu?”

Chu Chu’s voice was piercing. She had entered society early and always presented an image of a shrewd, calm professional. In all the time Yu Fuqiu had worked with her, the only times he had seen her lose her composure were when he married Chang Tingzhi and right now.

Chu Chu’s eyes were bloodshot, and her wavy hair hung wildly behind her. She snatched Yu Fuqiu away from Yu Zhuo’s arms. Yu Fuqiu’s body stiffened, but he could clearly feel Chu Chu’s body trembling. He was dazed for a moment. He wondered since when was Chu Chu slightly taller than him.

“Do you not know Yu Fuqiu’s status? His advertisements are still hanging outside! He is wearing high fashion from the Changqiu Group! Not to mention,” Chu Chu’s voice choked for a moment, “not to mention he is still Chang Tingzhi’s legal wife.”

“Do you know what will happen to Qiuqiu if this gesture is photographed? How is he supposed to face those baseless rumors?”

“I was just offering comfort between friends.” Yu Zhuo had not reacted in time. His mind went blank from the interrogation, and the palm print on his face slowly brought him back to his senses.

“The child had an accident. Chang Tingzhi, the father, did not come. And you, a friend, came to offer comfort? By holding your friend’s wife in your arms and telling him to ‘look at you’?” Chu Chu’s voice suddenly peaked. “You are truly selfish.”

Yu Fuqiu froze, looking at Yu Zhuo in disbelief.

Yu Zhuo sneered, watching Chu Chu hold Yu Fuqiu tightly, wrapping his body in her coat.

“What about you?” he questioned coldly. “Your intentions are obvious. For all these years, have you not been deceiving yourself as well? Now that Chang Tingzhi has become like this, do you dare say you do not feel a spark of joy in your heart?”

Yu Fuqiu suddenly could not understand what they were talking about. Chu Chu’s expression became unnatural, but she only held Yu Fuqiu with more force.

“Chu Chu, why are you here?” Yu Fuqiu turned around and patted Chu Chu’s trembling body to comfort her. His slender fingers reached up to tidy her messy hair.

“I received word.” Chu Chu held Yu Fuqiu silently for a while before slowly pulling away. She reached into the inner side of her bulky pajamas and pulled out a thick coat. It was the one Yu Fuqiu had lost earlier.

Why was it with Chu Chu? Yu Fuqiu did not think much of it and whispered a thank you.

“Chun Chun had a car accident. The photo of you holding him has already gone viral online. I am sorry, Fuqiu. I could not suppress it.”

Chu Chu felt a deep sense of powerlessness. Previously, any unfixable scandals were handled by Chang Tingzhi. Even the trending searches were suppressed by people Chang Tingzhi paid heavily to find. But now, things were different.

“I asked Chang Tingzhi. He,” Chu Chu fell silent, suddenly mentioning that name. Yu Fuqiu snapped his head up, his voice trembling. “Did he, did he say anything?”

The video flashed before his eyes again. No, it must be fake. How could it be real?

Chu Chu took out her phone. It was clearly a recording of a call.

“Chang Tingzhi? You finally picked up. Where are you? Have you seen the trending searches?”

In the recording, Chu Chu’s voice was clearly anxious. On the other end of the phone, there was no voice from Chang Tingzhi. Instead, there was the sound of trickling water and a stranger’s delicate cry.

“Azhi, be gentler. You are hurting me. It tickles! Oh, be gentler.”

What was happening on the other end was left unsaid, but it was followed by Chang Tingzhi’s low chuckle, which seemed to contain endless tenderness. “Alright, alright. You are not allowed to run around anymore. Your skin is so delicate. How did it turn so red after just a few touches?”

“It is because you were too forceful. Wow, it is so big.”

“But there seems to be a phone call. Won’t you, won’t you go check it?”

“Nothing is as important as you.”

The recording cut off there. Chu Chu moved a step to the side and put away her phone. Seeing Yu Fuqiu’s face turn deathly pale, a twisted sense of tyranny flashed in her heart.

“He, he touched him?” Yu Fuqiu felt as if he had been struck by lightning. His gaze was vacant. He looked through the glass at Chun Chun, who lay quietly on the hospital bed with almost no vital signs.

“No, Fuqiu, do not overthink it.” Chu Chu opened her arms and caught Yu Fuqiu as his strength left him and he began to collapse. “It would be better to ask him these things in person. For now, just rest, alright? Leave the rest to me.”

Exhaustion crashed over Yu Fuqiu like a tidal wave. He had no strength left. He had coughed up a large amount of blood earlier, and his lover had likely committed infidelity. He lost consciousness completely.

“Tsk, what are you planning?” Yu Zhuo looked at Chu Chu coldly. “Creating a fake recording to deceive him and drive a wedge between him and Chang Tingzhi. Are you happy now?”

In truth, there was no recording. Chang Tingzhi had not answered her call at all. After Chu Chu called several times, the other end simply hung up.

“Even if I had not done this, once those photos were leaked, it was only a matter of time.” Chu Chu threw a photo from her bag in front of Yu Zhuo. It showed Chang Tingzhi from behind. In the photo, his head was lowered as someone supported his arm, walking step by step into a hotel. Even the room number was clearly visible. The person seemed to have done it on purpose, exposing Chang Tingzhi’s profile clearly in the shot.

“Netizens do not care about the essence of the matter. They only want results.” Chu Chu narrowed her eyes, carefully picking up the unconscious Yu Fuqiu. “How pitiful. But why has he become so thin?”

Chu Chu rested her chin on Yu Fuqiu’s hair and narrowed her eyes with satisfaction. If something is bad, then destroying it is fine.

“You must be thirsty.”

The man in front of him had changed his appearance. A greasy hand gently stroked his face. “As long as you are good, there will be food and water.”

Yu Fuqiu looked up blankly. He was dressed in pure white clothes and had been groomed very cleanly, revealing his beautiful, delicate features. Why was he back here? He was back in the room where his nightmare began.

Huge fear and overwhelming hatred instantly crushed the remaining daze. Like a wounded, cornered young beast, he exploded with incredible strength. He violently slapped the disgusting hand away and used all his strength to strike the man’s face.

“Get out! Do not touch me!” Yu Fuqiu’s voice was hoarse and broken. He struggled to get up from the foul-smelling bed to escape this demon’s den.

The man’s head was knocked to the side, and a red palm print appeared on his face. He touched his cheek, but instead of getting angry, a more twisted and excited light ignited in his murky eyes.

“Oh, a feisty one.” The man licked the corner of his mouth, his lecherous eyes scanning Yu Fuqiu’s slender neck and collarbone revealed by the struggle. “I like this style! The feistier you are, the more fun it is!”

As he spoke, he lunged forward. His obese body, carrying a suffocating weight, slammed Yu Fuqiu back onto the bed.

“Let me go! You beast! Get away!” Yu Fuqiu fought desperately, kicking, biting, and scratching, leaving bloody marks on the man’s thick arms. Tears of despair mixed with the sweat of anger.

“I bought you as a ‘One-Night Bride’ for a high price! Who knows how many people have used this body? Stop pretending to be a virtuous person!” He struck Yu Fuqiu heavily across the face. “You bitch!”

After several consecutive slaps, the force was so heavy that Yu Fuqiu’s vision went dark and his ears rang. The corner of his mouth split immediately, oozing blood. The intense pain and dizziness caused his struggles to weaken instantly.

The man took the opportunity to pin him down even harder, his hand crudely tearing at the white clothes. The sound of fabric ripping was exceptionally sharp in the silent room. The cold air touching his skin brought even deeper tremors and despair.

Yu Fuqiu lay on the filthy bed, staring at the stained ceiling. His vision blurred with tears and the fear of his future fate. His consciousness began to fade. Who could save him?

Just as the man pulled out something dark and aimed it at that beautiful face, a sharp, silver-glinting knife suddenly pierced through the air.

The dark object hit the floor instantly, and blood splattered everywhere. The man clutched his mutilated groin, rolling on the ground in agony. But in the next second, he was stepped on heavily. A red-soled leather shoe ground into his mouth, nearly tearing it open.

The man looked up with murky eyes to see which brave person had come to interfere. The price for a One-Night Bride was very expensive, and he had spent all his money for this one night! He had intended to torture him thoroughly to get his money’s worth, only to be interrupted by this person.

The figure stood against the dim light coming through the broken window, looking down at him. It was Chang Tingzhi.

He wore a well-tailored black overcoat, which was now covered in dust and night dew. There was even a faint scent of gunpowder lingering on the hem. His face was expressionless, and his eyes were covered in frost.

“How dare you even think about touching what belongs to me.”

He heavily crushed the man’s jaw before slowly standing up and walking straight toward Yu Fuqiu. His pace was steady but carried a suffocating pressure. He took off his cold coat and, with a movement that seemed rough but was actually careful, wrapped Yu Fuqiu from head to toe, isolating him from the filth and blood.

Then, he bent down, gently sliding one arm under Yu Fuqiu’s knees and the other behind his back. With a slight effort, he picked him up in a horizontal carry.

The unconscious Yu Fuqiu seemed to sense the familiar embrace and scent, instinctively shrinking into his arms with a weak, pained whimper. Chang Tingzhi’s arms tightened almost imperceptibly. He looked down at the pale face and closed eyelashes, his thin lips pressed into a cold, straight line.

As he passed the man on the floor, he glanced sideways and ordered his subordinate, “Clean this up. Do not let him die too easily.”

He looked at the unconscious person in his arms, his eyes cold. “I have to teach you a lesson so you can finally remember exactly who you belong to.”