After Failing to Reverse the Plot, I Made My Escape - Chapter 34

“I want to know, have you fallen for him?”

Yu Fuqiu now had a pillar of support for his spirit. He went from refusing to eat at the beginning to slowly taking small sips of porridge.

“Drink slowly, no one is going to take it from you.”

Chu Baoli had set aside her work and flown to S City to take care of him.

Logically and emotionally, she was Yu Fuqiu’s sister-in-law and the closest person to him besides Chang Tingzhi. If anyone else stayed here, there was a risk that paparazzi would take photos and spread rumors.

“I still need to go see Chun Chun.”

Yu Fuqiu ate urgently. The tip of his nose was red, and he panted as he stuck out the tip of his tongue to cool his mouth. During the few days he had been hospitalized, Chun Chun’s condition had improved slightly.

“Brother Yu, the public opinion online is honestly a bit difficult to control.”

Tan Ling knocked on the door and entered. Her expression was solemn as she looked at the trending topics on Weibo. It was no longer just about the Yu Fuqiu car accident, but also Chang Tingzhi and Ke Qi’an.

Seeing those two names listed together, Yu Fuqiu’s heart still could not help but tremble. He took a deep breath. After he woke up, Chu Baoli had not told him any news regarding Chang Tingzhi. He had been in the hospital for a week, and Chang Tingzhi had not visited once.

Not even once.

“What did they do?” Yu Fuqiu asked softly. His phone had been in Chu Baoli’s hands and had only just been returned to him, so he naturally did not know what was happening outside.

“While you were hospitalized, President Chang, for some unknown reason, attended an event with a minor star whose name we had never even heard before.”

Yu Fuqiu’s hand paused, but his expression remained calm. “Give me the phone.”

“President Chang’s phone will not go through. He has blocked all of us,” Tan Ling said hesitantly, assuming Yu Fuqiu wanted to call and confront him.

“Give it to me.” Yu Fuqiu did not offer much explanation and took the phone.

“Yu Xu.”

He had memorized Yu Xu’s number previously. As Chang Tingzhi’s private secretary, it was impossible for him not to know Chang Tingzhi’s whereabouts. Whether the rumors were true or false, he would know with one question.

“Mr. Yu!” The moment Yu Xu answered the phone, his voice rose slightly, but he quickly regained his composure.

“Where is Chang Tingzhi? Are those reports true?” Yu Fuqiu asked calmly. He held his breath, waiting for the answer.

“Yes.” Yu Xu paused for two seconds as if weighing how to speak, but eventually decided that no matter how he framed it, the truth was best. “They are true.”

“Yu Xu,” Chang Tingzhi’s voice came from the other end of the line, seemingly carrying a gentle smile. He was loosening his tie, his slender fingers appearing even longer under the golden sunlight. “Push back the meeting with Country R. Xiao An mentioned there is a flower festival in S City. I am going to accompany him to see it.”

Chang Tingzhi’s voice gradually faded into the distance.

Xiao An? S City? They are still together right now?

Chu Baoli could not help but snatch the phone and shout a confrontation at the other end.

“Your wife and child were in a car accident and have been lying in the hospital for a whole week! They walked the line between life and death! Where are you?!”

Her chest heaved violently. The image of Yu Fuqiu’s helpless eyes and the jarring bandage on Chun Chun’s head flashed before her. Her anger made her voice shake. “Not only did you not come to look even once or ask a single question, but now look at you! You are parading around with that little star named Ke, smiling so happily? Where is your conscience? Was it eaten by a dog? Or do you think that because you have money and power, you can abandon basic human decency?!”

There was only heavy breathing on the other end. Yu Xu was breaking into a cold sweat from being scolded. He intentionally turned on the speakerphone. Sure enough, the figure that was about to walk away paused and slowly turned back.

“President Chang.”

By the time Chang Tingzhi took the phone, the other end had already hung up with a loud click.

Meanwhile, in the comments under the trending topics:

User 1: This is chilling. I think Chang Tingzhi is terrifying. I was scared just watching the video of the scene, especially when I saw Yu Fuqiu crying. My heart was wrenched.

User 2: True. It proves Yu Fuqiu’s judgment of people is really bad. This man is a hypocrite.

User 3: His wife and child were in an accident a week ago, yet he is acting like nothing happened. At the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Ke Qi’an was practically hanging off him, and he could still smile.

User 4: Is this Yu Fuqiu’s hype? Maybe he saw his husband’s heart changing and panicked, wanting to win him back. Maybe nothing happened at all, and Chang Tingzhi saw through it, which is why he ignored him.

User 5: [Attachment x9] High-definition photos of Chang Tingzhi’s cheating. Look at the clothes; it is still the haute couture from the Starlight Gala. As soon as the gala ended, he took someone to a hotel. Please let our Qiuqiu go. Let him be beautiful alone.

Tan Ling used to be very active in their CP Super Topic, but she had gone quiet now. It was true; they had not been in the same frame for a long time. At the gala a few days ago, Chang Tingzhi had dominantly protected his wife, saying, “The relationship between me and my wife is very good.”

Now, after his wife and child had been in the hospital for a week, he had not only failed to visit or offer condolences, but he was also showing his face everywhere with a new lover. It was truly inconsistent with Chang Tingzhi’s usual style. Even for an amnesiac Chang Tingzhi, how could he be so cold to a partner of fifteen years who shared a child, yet be so fervent toward someone he had never met?

Could it be?

“It is okay, Sister.” Yu Fuqiu sighed softly. Zuo Chenshuang’s recording echoed in his ears again. Suddenly, he was filled with strength. “I will go and ask him myself.”

Yu Fuqiu knew the meeting between the protagonist and the love interest had begun, and the plot would use any means necessary to return to its regular track. He took a deep breath, his pale knuckles tightly gripping the corner of the blanket.

If his Chang Tingzhi had appeared once before, did that not prove his lover was also trying hard to come back?

Then what reason did he have not to work hard? At the very least, he would keep this Chang Tingzhi by his side and ensure he only had Yu Fuqiu. Even if he fell for someone else, Yu Fuqiu would fight for him. He needed to know if Chang Tingzhi had actually slept with Ke Qi’an.

In the novel’s plot, it was because they slept together that Ke Qi’an fell for Chang Tingzhi. However, Yu Fuqiu had met Ke Qi’an before and felt he was a bit different from the Little Sun protagonist in the novel. Furthermore, Ke Qi’an seemed to know that Yu Fuqiu was Chang Tingzhi’s fated lover.

“President Chang is calling back!” Tan Ling’s phone rang again, and this time, the name Chang Tingzhi was displayed clearly.

Chu Baoli’s expression was dark. She prepared to take the phone and give him a piece of her mind, but Yu Fuqiu stopped her.

“Fuqiu?” Chu Baoli froze, not understanding.

Yu Fuqiu’s face was pale, appearing almost transparent in the sunlight. He gently tugged at Chu Baoli’s sleeve and forced a smile with all his strength. “Sister, let me do it. This is a matter between the two of us. I will resolve it.”

Yu Fuqiu’s voice was gentle, like a trickling spring. He sat on the bed against the light, looking incredibly soft. Chu Baoli paused and rubbed his head. “Fuqiu, no matter what, remember you have us. Chun Chun’s condition is improving, and he is waiting for you. There are so many fans too. We are all behind you.”

The thin sheets of the critical condition notices had felt so heavy. Chu Baoli did not dare to look back on how desperate that moment was.

“I will,” Yu Fuqiu said, his mouth revealing two shallow dimples. He answered the video call.

Neither of them spoke over the phone. Only the sound of heavy breathing could be heard from the other end.

“Xiao Shu.”

Yu Fuqiu looked up, staring almost greedily at the face on the phone. He reached out his fingertips, tremblingly tracing Chang Tingzhi’s features. But the spark of hope in his heart was quickly extinguished because the current Chang Tingzhi was not his Xiao Shu.

Chang Tingzhi’s expression went blank for a moment. He stared fixedly at the pale Yu Fuqiu leaning quietly against the hospital bed.

“Chun Chun had a car accident.”

Yu Fuqiu did not call him by that name again. He lowered his gaze and said softly, “It was only the distance of a hug. He was thrown through the air right in front of me. I was so scared. Blood was splattered everywhere.”

Yu Fuqiu calmly described the heart-stopping scene from that night, yet his expression remained peaceful and harmonious.

The distance of a hug. That was also the distance between him and Chang Tingzhi. Strangely, they were so close, yet so far apart.

He looked at Chang Tingzhi’s tie. It was an adult gift he had bought for Chang Tingzhi. No matter what the grand occasion was, it was a very cheap tie. Paired with an expensive suit, it looked a bit out of place.

However, Chang Tingzhi had once said it was his favorite tie. The meaning was different; wearing it felt as if Yu Fuqiu was by his side.

“Why was he in S City?” Chang Tingzhi’s voice was strained. He felt an impulse to hold the person in front of him tightly. How did he get so thin? He suddenly really wanted to hug him.

“You gave me a fifth-anniversary wedding gift. It was our home.” Yu Fuqiu took an old key from under his pillow. The moment Chang Tingzhi saw that key, his entire body shuddered, and his breathing grew rapid.

“I went to see our home. You still, as always, like to put green plants under the left side of the sofa.” Yu Fuqiu suddenly smiled. “Do you know what I was thinking then?”

“I was very happy because you said you would come home at night.”

“I am very afraid of the dark, Tingzhi.”

“My health is not good, and I get cold easily, so I slept curled up in your arms every night.” Yu Fuqiu shivered slightly. He put on a jacket and spoke to Chang Tingzhi. “So I was looking forward to it so much that night. I thought maybe I would not have to be so cold anymore. I would not have to fear the lonely night because you would sing to me, tell me stories, and tell me about your university days.”

He had never gone to university, so he loved hearing Chang Tingzhi’s stories the most.

“But” Yu Fuqiu suddenly laughed until tears came. The corners of his eyes were red as he looked at his lover and asked softly, “Whom did you hold in your arms that night?”

To whom did you give your hug?

Time seemed to freeze at this moment. Even though the face he thought of day and night was right in front of him, all Yu Fuqiu could do was stretch out his fingers and trace the contours of his lover’s face over and over through the cold phone screen. Even if the soul inside was not his lover, the body was.

He would come back. He said he would make me wait for him.

“I” Any words of denial were stuck in his throat.

Chang Tingzhi was skilled at business negotiations. He knew how to achieve his goals in the sharpest way, eventually reaching his target with the smallest cost. His decisions were swift, and his methods were decisive and ruthless; even political figures gave him a wide berth. He was used to controlling everything, using data and logic to build an impregnable defense and offense. He would stop at nothing to achieve his goals.

It should have been that way. It should have been that way.

Chang Tingzhi’s hands were trembling. He clearly realized his body was shaking. Facing that pale, downcast face and calm expression, Chang Tingzhi felt a wave of panic for no reason.

The sharp words that were invincible in the business world, the carefully calculated negotiation tactics, and even the commands used to soothe or intimidate subordinates all felt pale and powerless now.

Chang Tingzhi could not say a single word. He felt choked.

Does it hurt? Are you afraid?

Saying such things felt far too hollow. It was not as if he had not seen the video. The one lying in a pool of blood was his child. His wife was holding the child, piteously begging the people around for help, yet the onlookers were indifferent. In the video, one could even hear trickles of laughter.

What was he doing?

He had gone to a hotel with someone else. While his wife and child were in critical condition, he was engaged in intimacy with another, taking them to those so-called “ceremonies.”

He wanted to explain that it was not intentional, but Chu Baoli’s accusation overlapped and intertwined with fragments of his memory, leaving him unable to defend himself. It birthed a sense of near-absurd self-doubt.

Would it not happen again?

Again?

Who was he even now? He was often in a daze. What meaning did such a promise have? It only served to make him look more hypocritical.

Ultimately, he simply stood there like a silent statue.

All his calculated depth, his sharp insight into the human heart, and his confidence in controlling the situation collapsed in the face of this stiff atmosphere and Yu Fuqiu’s silent fragility. Only a vast emptiness remained, an unfamiliar helplessness that even he found strange.

He suddenly understood a little. Some negotiations in this world have no chips to play.

Some motives were things even he could not explain.

He was truly ridiculous.

“Chun Chun was in a car accident. As his biological father, come and see him.”

Yu Fuqiu said nothing more.

“Wait!”

Chang Tingzhi called out instinctively. Yu Fuqiu’s hand, poised to press the end-call button, paused. He raised his eyes to meet Chang Tingzhi’s gaze.

In Chang Tingzhi’s eyes, Yu Fuqiu clearly saw his own reflection. It was not the Chang Tingzhi that Yu Fuqiu spoke of, but him, the man himself.

This was his wife.

Yet, since waking up, he had carried nothing but immense malice toward him.

“I, I do not remember,” Chang Tingzhi stammered. “I promised you I would come home that night.”

“However, I do not know when I was drugged. My mind was not clear. When I woke up, I was in a hotel bed.”

“But I, I really did not touch him.”

Chang Tingzhi seemed desperate to explain, yet feared Yu Fuqiu would not believe him. “I, I have only done it with you. I know that feeling, so I am certain I did not touch him.”

“You must believe me.”

The mouth that was usually the most silver-tongued in the room now failed to organize a single sentence.

Yu Fuqiu’s expression remained calm. He showed no sign of being moved by these words, simply waiting for what he would say next.

“He said he is Ke Qi’an, the youngest child of the Ke family in the capital. He made a deal with me. If I accompanied him to the ceremony, he would give Changqiu Group a new project.”

“So you felt that just by going through the motions with him, you could get what you wanted? That it was so simple, that you could gain massive benefits without paying any price?” Yu Fuqiu asked softly, his eyes fixed on Chang Tingzhi.

“Yes,” Chang Tingzhi whispered.

“But did you consider the consequences?”

Chang Tingzhi froze, his breath hitching.

“I am your wife in name. You also have a child. Although you have never met him, you are his father. Half of your genes are in his blood.” Yu Fuqiu’s voice gradually turned cold. “At such a critical moment, you did not just abandon us; you went to accompany someone else.”

“While you were with him watching the stars at the campsite, do you know what Chun Chun went through?” Yu Fuqiu showed the medical report to the camera. It was filled with notes about multiple fractures and medical terms Chang Tingzhi did not understand, but every line screamed that the child had nearly lost his life.

“I am human too, Chang Tingzhi.” Yu Fuqiu’s throat choked with emotion. He gripped the corner of the blanket, his breathing ragged. “You do not know what it felt like to be alone out there, watching him lie in the ICU and signing one critical condition notice after another. I could not do anything.”

“I could not do anything!” Yu Fuqiu began to sob, curling into himself.

“You asked if I cannot tell you two apart. Actually, I could distinguish you long ago.” Yu Fuqiu said, “At least he would never have left me there alone.”

His heart hurt.

Chang Tingzhi clutched his chest. He went for a physical every month, and all his indicators were perfectly normal. So why did his heart hurt so much?

He wanted to reach out and embrace the person in front of him.

“I, the moment I got the news, I wanted to come find you,” Chang Tingzhi said with difficulty. “But the moment I saw Ke Qi’an, I forgot everything. My eyes were only on him. I forgot everything else. He stayed by my side and occupied my mind until Yu Xu received your call. Only then did I”

It was truly strange.

No matter what, he should not have forgotten his fundamental principles as a businessman. He had reached an agreement with Yu Fuqiu, so he should have fulfilled his promise. Even if he truly wanted to see someone else, he would not have done it so publicly. He would have maintained the facade of a harmonious marriage.

“I want to know, have you fallen for him?” Yu Fuqiu’s breath hitched for a nearly imperceptible second. His heart was racing.

No wonder.

No wonder. He had done his best to keep Chang Tingzhi and Ke Qi’an apart. Their identities were worlds apart; one was a university student and the other was a married CEO. There was no reason for them to interact.

Thinking back on everything, it only proved one thing.

Ke Qi’an knew he was the protagonist of a novel.

His fated lover was Chang Tingzhi, but his position had been taken by Yu Fuqiu. What he wanted to do, naturally, was return everything to the right track. The first step, of course, was to eliminate this outside bug.

So Chun Chun’s accident was not an accident. It was highly likely to be intentional.

A cold sweat broke out across Yu Fuqiu’s back.

Chang Tingzhi suffered from emotional cognitive disorder, and the only one who could cure him was his fated protagonist.

On the other side of the phone, Chang Tingzhi pursed his lips. His eyes were slightly dazed. “I do not know.”

“I am almost incapable of perceiving emotional changes, but”

He was stating an objective fact. His world had once been black and white, composed of precise data, clear logical chains, and calculated gains and losses.

Furthermore, the environment he grew up in never taught him what kind of person he should be. He did not know how to perceive love. It was something ethereal and meaningless to him, even difficult to comprehend.

In his cognitive system, only the money held in his hand was real, a hard currency that could be relied upon and manipulated.

And the facts supported this. When he used near-cruel methods and a shrewd mind to accumulate wealth and power to a staggering degree, the people who once looked down on him, marginalized him, and opposed him all without exception donned fawning masks, trying to please him in every way.

He did not need love to obtain loyalty or obedience. He only needed sufficiently strong control.

Therefore, when he witnessed others expressing emotion, his heart was only filled with indifference, even confusion and annoyance.

He once saw a middle-aged man at a cocktail party receive a call. The man’s face turned pale instantly, and the wine glass in his hand shattered on the floor. He ignored his image and crouched on the ground, covering his face and wailing loudly. Others said his wife had suddenly passed away in a car accident.

People around him showed looks of sympathy while someone sighed softly.

Chang Tingzhi simply looked away without expression. He even felt the wailing was a bit noisy. He knit his brows, annoyed that this person was affecting his networking.

He knew that man. The man clearly kept many women behind his wife’s back and had impregnated several. He had told others countless times how talkative and annoying his wife was, even claiming he would be happy if she died. Now that she was actually dead, he was acting hypocritically.

He heard someone say, “He did not cherish her when he had her, and only now that he has lost her does he know regret. Truly pathetic.”

He did not understand how a person could have such a violent and clearly meaningless physiological reaction to the disappearance of another.

It could not recover the loss, nor could it bring any benefit. Aside from wasting time, what was the point?

Even when attending the funeral later, he simply said, “My condolences,” mechanically and without expression.

Death is an inevitable biological process. Crying cannot change the outcome. Instead of wasting time, it is better to handle the inheritance and follow-up matters as quickly as possible. That is the pragmatic move.

These scenes, which appeared human or even deeply moving to others, were to him nothing more than irrelevant background noise. They were no different from a messy string of code.

It should have been that way.

Until he woke up and someone appeared, claiming to be his lover.

This person would look at him with warm eyes and show unreserved affection.

He said, “I have been waiting for you to come back.”

But that was not him.

That was not him!

Through his eyes, that person was looking at someone else.

The thought disgusted Chang Tingzhi.

He used his habitual attitude to face this person, assuming anyone would have retreated by now.

But Yu Fuqiu was different.

Even when covered in wounds, he still moved forward without hesitation.

In the car, he said, “I have never confused you two.”

Chang Tingzhi had simply agreed casually to come home that night, and Yu Fuqiu was so happy. His joy was more brilliant than the starlight that evening.

What was this?

What exactly was this?

“But he made you feel a long-lost emotion again, did he not?” Yu Fuqiu did not hear the rest of Chang Tingzhi’s unfinished sentence.

His face was pale and his lips were gray. He looked nearly transparent in the sunlight, as if he would drift away with the wind.

This caused an unprompted panic in Chang Tingzhi’s heart.

He reached out his fingertips, wanting to grab Yu Fuqiu, but in the end, he could only catch the endless void.

Yu Fuqiu sighed, looking at Chang Tingzhi with red-rimmed eyes. His beautiful eyes were filled with endless sorrow. “I understand.”

“No!”

As soon as the words left Chang Tingzhi’s mouth, the fragile face disappeared. The black screen reflected Chang Tingzhi’s panicked face.

A warm tear slid from the corner of his eye. He froze, wiping it away with his fingertip in disbelief.

What was this?

Could he make such an expression?

He suddenly wanted to see Yu Fuqiu very much.

Right now. Immediately.

If he did not go, he would regret it for the rest of his life.

“President Chang?” Yu Xu, holding a folder, bumped into Chang Tingzhi as he ran out in a panic. “Where are you going? Mr. Ke said he is coming over soon. He wants to take the gray car from before”

“Get out.”

The veins on Chang Tingzhi’s arm bulged. He turned back coldly.

“What?”

Yu Xu froze, seemingly not hearing him clearly.

“I said.”

“Tell him to get out.”