After Failing to Reverse the Plot, I Made My Escape - Chapter 42

 

“So, Daddy, between Chun Chun and Mommy, who do you like more?”

 

“Mommy, Mommy.”

 

In the endless dark night, a tiny voice was calling out to Yu Fuqiu. Like a small boat drifting in the deep sea, Yu Fuqiu finally found his direction. In the darkness, that beam of light grew brighter and brighter, drawing him toward it.

 

Who is it? Is it Chun Chun?

 

Chun Chun was leaning over the hospital bed of Yu Fuqiu. His eyes were red, yet he forced himself to hold back his tears.

 

Since the incident at the Ferris wheel, a fierce fire had broken out. Rescuers had pulled Chang Tingzhi and Yu Fuqiu from the wreckage. Streams of blood had stained the ground red, reflecting in the eyes of Chun Chun.

 

Because of this, his aunt had flown back from overseas. She held him tightly and covered his eyes, telling him not to look at the bloody scenes.

 

However, how could he not look? Those were his parents, the people closest to him in the entire world.

 

There was dirt under his fingernails, and his nails were cracked from crawling too much. Chun Chun wanted to grab his parents. He wanted to curl up in their arms. They should have been vibrant and alive, not lying here in a cold hospital with their eyes tightly shut and covered in blood.

 

The media had received the news and blocked the hospital entrances. Those camera lenses were like spears and cannons surrounding Chun Chun. The reporters did not care about his feelings. They only sought to tear open his scars over and over again.

 

Microphones were nearly shoved into the face of Chun Chun. No one knelt to meet his eyes. No one considered his terror or the despair of his parents still being in danger.

 

“Are you the child of Chang Tingzhi and Yu Fuqiu?” Someone questioned his identity.

 

“How do you feel about your parents falling from the Ferris wheel?” The words seemed to carry a deliberate leading tone.

 

“Why did you not go up with them at the time? Was it because you did not want to, or because they would not let you?”

 

“A witness says that before the accident, you were staring at the Ferris wheel with a strange expression. Little boy, tell us honestly, did you know something beforehand?”

 

“Are the rumors about the marriage problems of your parents true? Do you often see them arguing at home? Was this incident truly not intentional?” a reporter asked. “After all, the assets of either party are enormous.”

 

“Also, are you aware of the infidelity of your father and him entering hotels with others?”

 

“What exactly is the relationship between Yu Fuqiu and Director Hu?”

 

Every question stabbed sharply into his nerves. They only wanted traffic. They only wanted this explosive engagement.

 

Chun Chun had been protected too well. He had never been exposed to so many cameras before. He shrank back into his wheelchair, his small body trembling uncontrollably.

 

Did Daddy cheat? Was he going into hotels with someone else? Would the Daddy who loved Mommy so much cheat? Are they getting a divorce?

 

Chun Chun could not move. His face was as pale as paper. He wanted to cover his ears and scream for them to stop asking, but his throat was blocked and he could only let out broken, airy sounds. Tears rolled down silently.

 

In the emergency, he was picked up by Tan Ling and taken to a quiet environment. Since then, he had been sitting quietly by the bed of Yu Fuqiu, his face pale, calling out the name of Yu Fuqiu in a low voice like a small, wounded animal.

 

“Mommy, Daddy is awake, but an unknown brother has come to take care of him. He has become so strange.” Chun Chun held the hand of Yu Fuqiu, his voice choked with emotion.

 

Before sitting in the room of Yu Fuqiu, Chun Chun had heard that his father was awake. Sitting in his wheelchair, he was pushed to the door of the ward by a nurse. In his arms, he tightly clutched a slightly worn teddy bear.

 

That bear was made for him by Chang Tingzhi on his birthday a long time ago. Chang Tingzhi had followed a tutorial and sewn it stitch by stitch. The stitches were messy and even the eyes of the bear were sewn crookedly, but Chun Chun loved it dearly. He had to hold this bear to sleep every night.

 

He heard his father was awake, feeling like a lost child who had found his way home. He did not see the pitying glances from the nurses and doctors. His eyes were somewhat swollen, but they held a timid and incredibly expectant glimmer of light.

 

He would not have to face all this alone anymore, Chun Chun thought. He had to apologize to Daddy and then throw himself into the arms of Daddy.

 

When the door opened, he saw his father. Chang Tingzhi was leaning against the headboard. Gauze was wrapped around his forehead and his face was somewhat pale, but his spirit seemed decent. He was tilting his head slightly, listening to the person by his bed.

 

Chun Chun had seen the person sitting by the bed in the photos the reporters showed him. It was the person who entered the hotel with Daddy.

 

That person was wearing a soft, beige knit sweater. He was looking down, meticulously peeling an apple. The peel fell in a long, continuous strip, his movements skillful and gentle.

 

“The doctor said you need to supplement your vitamins. Apples are good, but you cannot eat too many at once or your stomach will be uncomfortable.”

 

The voice of the person was gentle, carrying the right amount of concern, like a stream flowing over pebbles.

 

Chang Tingzhi listened, his gaze resting on the profile of the person. He nodded almost imperceptibly. His eyes were slightly unfocused from just waking up after the injury, but when he looked at Ke Qi’an, there was a natural, nearly dependent calmness.

 

He even raised his hand slightly, his fingertips unconsciously touching his dry lips. Ke Qi’an noticed this small movement immediately. He stopped peeling the apple, picked up the water glass nearby, tested the temperature with the tip of his tongue, and then held it to the lips of Chang Tingzhi. His movements were so natural, as if he had done them countless times.

 

“Drink slowly.”

 

Chun Chun heard the gentle reminder of that person as his other hand supported the bottom of the glass for stability. He saw the movements of his father pause for a moment. Then, his father placed his hand over the hand Ke Qi’an used to support the glass, lowered his head, and took a sip from the spot Ke Qi’an had just touched.

 

After his father finished the water, he raised his eyes and they were filled entirely with the reflection of that person. At that moment, the slight sound of the wheelchair broke the silence. Chang Tingzhi and Ke Qi’an turned back at the same time to look at the door.

 

The heart of Chun Chun instantly leaped into his throat. His father hated eating apples the most and disliked being touched by others. Why was this happening?

 

Clutching his teddy bear, he tried to straighten his small back. His large eyes stared at Chang Tingzhi without blinking. His body carried a tremor he was not even aware of. He opened his mouth and the name he had called out thousands of times in his heart spilled out softly with a tremble.

 

“Daddy.”

 

The gaze of Chang Tingzhi landed on Chun Chun. In that instant, Chun Chun felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar. The gaze of his father shifted, just like a camera lens refocusing, from the calmness and softness he had shown that person to a different mode: scrutiny and an alert wariness toward a stranger.

 

Chang Tingzhi looked at him, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly as if he were trying to identify him or perhaps feeling that this scene was too abrupt. He did not respond to that call of Daddy. His gaze did not even linger for an extra second on those red, swollen eyes before he turned to Ke Qi’an and asked calmly, “Who is this child?”

 

The gentle smile on the face of Ke Qi’an did not fade. He glanced at Chun Chun and then looked at Chang Tingzhi, his tone deliberate and cautious. “Mmm, he is the child of Mr. Yu Fuqiu, Chang Qi Chun.”

 

“Yu Fuqiu?” Hearing this name, Chang Tingzhi furrowed his brows slightly. “Your rival?”

 

Ke Qi’an coughed lightly and gave the arm of Chang Tingzhi a flirtatious, gentle punch, saying softly, “What are you saying? He is a teacher I like and a respected senior.”

 

Having received his answer, Chang Tingzhi lost interest. He gave the doctor a faint response and let his gaze fall back onto the peeled apple in the hand of Ke Qi’an, as if the previous interlude was over.

 

Ke Qi’an considerately cut the apple into smaller pieces, pricked one with a fruit toothpick, and held it to the mouth of Chang Tingzhi. “Try it. It is not the mealy kind. It is crisp.”

 

Chang Tingzhi lowered his head and, from the hand of Ke Qi’an, bit into the piece of apple and chewed slowly. The lines of his profile were exceptionally clear in the sunlight.

 

“Is it sweet?” Ke Qi’an leaned his head forward, blinking his eyes and looking at Chang Tingzhi expectantly.

 

Chang Tingzhi dropped his earlier coldness and forced a helpless smile. “Anything you feed me is sweet.”

 

Chun Chun felt like an outsider. His father did not look at him once. He did not see the teddy bear in his arms.

 

He sniffled, placed the teddy bear on his lap with trembling hands, and then carefully pulled a small, transparent bottle from his pocket. The bottle was not large. Inside was fine sand and a small, colorful shell.

 

It was not a shell. It was a hermit crab, shyly shrinking into its house. Perhaps sensing the gaze of Chun Chun, it carefully poked out a tiny claw.

 

He had found this at the seaside in Country X. It took him a long time to catch this little fellow. When his father sent him abroad, he had rubbed his head and told him he looked forward to the hermit crab of Chun Chun.

 

He held the small bottle in both hands, his knuckles turning white from the force. He mustered all his courage, raised the bottle slightly, and spoke in a voice as faint as a mosquito, yet filled with desperate hope. “Daddy, Chun Chun brought this hermit crab for you from Country X. It is very well behaved. It walks around carrying its little house.”

 

“Chun Chun kept the promise and brought a little hermit crab for Daddy.” He sniffled. “Chun Chun originally had two, but when the car flew over last time, Chun Chun could not protect the other. However, I raised this one very well.”

 

His eyes were large, staring at Chang Tingzhi without blinking. They were filled with expectation, hoping this novel little life could pique even a sliver of the interest of his father. Then, his father would hold him in his arms as usual, flick the tip of his nose, and tease him until he laughed.

 

Interrupted in his thoughts, the brow of Chang Tingzhi furrowed slightly. He glanced at the glass bottle with a calm expression. Ke Qi’an followed the gaze of Chang Tingzhi to the bottle in the hand of Chun Chun. His face still held a gentle smile. Seeming to want to be kind, he put down his things, stood up, and walked toward Chun Chun, asking curiously, “Little boy, what is this? Let me see, okay?”

 

He reached out his hand, appearing to want to take the bottle for a closer look. At the exact moment of the handoff, there was a cry of “Oh!”

 

It was unclear whether Ke Qi’an failed to grip it properly or if the nervous hands of Chun Chun slipped. The tiny glass bottle slid from their hands and fell onto the smooth, hard floor tiles.

 

The body of the glass bottle shattered instantly. Fine sand scattered everywhere, and the tiny hermit crab was thrown from its broken shell, its small legs moving frantically in a panic.

 

“Ah, I am sorry. I am sorry.”

Ke Qi’an lowered his head to apologize. He took a step forward, appearing to want to check on the situation or help clean up. However, the moment he brought his foot down, he stepped squarely on the hermit crab that had escaped its shell and was now completely exposed.

There was a tiny, sickening crunching sound.

 

The hermit crab was crushed and shattered. All that remained was a small, nearly invisible wet stain mixed with the sand. Even the beautiful empty shell nearby had been stepped on, leaving a jagged crack.

 

Time froze for a second.

 

The pupils of Chun Chun contracted. His hands trembled as he watched the hermit crab he had raised for so long, the gift he had been so excited to give to his father, vanish into nothingness in an instant.

 

Chun Chun could no longer restrain himself. He grabbed the nearest object and, with all the strength in his small body, hurled it violently at Ke Qi’an.

 

“You bad person!”

 

“You did that on purpose!”

 

“You stepped on the hermit crab I gave to Daddy! You are a villain!”

 

“You are the mistress who breaks up families!”

 

“Disgusting! You are a bad person!”

 

“Die! Just go die!”

 

His cries were hoarse and piercing, his vocabulary limited but filled with the most direct malice.

 

The object he threw grazed the arm of Ke Qi’an. Although it did not strike him directly, the flying fragments from the earlier impact carried a heavy force, cutting a bloody gash across the face and arm of Ke Qi’an.

 

“Why do you want to steal Daddy? Do you not know”

 

Chun Chun choked on his sobs, his eyes fixed on Ke Qi’an like a small, biting animal.

 

“Chang Qi Chun.”

 

A cold voice rang out like a clap of thunder.

 

Chang Tingzhi moved.

 

He did not look at the crushed gift on the floor that Chun Chun had spent so much effort to bring him. He did not look at Chun Chun, who was slumped on the floor, trembling with extreme anger and grievance, his face flushed and covered in tears.

 

It was as if the noisy crying had disturbed him. He first patted the back of Ke Qi’an and pulled him into a protective embrace, putting distance between them and Chun Chun. Only then did his gaze slowly and indifferently land on the wailing child.

 

Those eyes were filled with impatience and scrutiny.

 

“First,” he said in a flat voice, as if stating a clause that had nothing to do with him. “I do not know you. You called me Daddy, but I did not respond.”

 

He paused. There was no ripple of emotion in his eyes, only pure strangeness and judgment.

 

“I do not know whose child you are. I have no memory of having a child.”

 

He even “kindly” offered another possibility, his tone carrying a trace of imperceptible mockery.

 

“Of course, if you came into this world through some illegal means and now want to use this non-existent blood relation to move me”

 

His gaze finally flickered briefly toward the crushed remains of the hermit crab on the floor. The corner of his mouth twitched almost imperceptibly, as if he were looking at a clumsy joke.

 

“Then it is quite unrealistic.”

 

“Second.” His voice grew colder. He raised his hand and used his thumb to firmly turn the face of Ke Qi’an, exposing the fine red mark on his cheek and the scratch on his arm. Ke Qi’an bit his lip, his eyes red and downcast, looking utterly wronged.

 

The red mark was exceptionally clear.

 

“What are you doing?”

 

It was not a question; it was a conviction.

 

“You are so young, yet your mind is so vicious.”

 

“Qi’an is an actor,” he stated as a fact. “Do you not know how important his face is?”

 

“He was only kind enough to stay here and take care of me, yet you broke in without explanation, deliberately shattered the bottle, and cut his face and arm with the fragments.”

 

“Not only that,” the voice of Chang Tingzhi grew lower, carrying a condescending weight. “You even spoke slandering words against his reputation. I heard those ugly words very clearly.”

 

“I could completely sue you on the grounds of infringement of reputation rights. Of course, given your age, your legal guardian the parent you spoke of, would have to step forward to accept the lawsuit and pay compensation.”

 

“Next time, if you want to find someone to claim as your father, at least”

 

His gaze swept over the mess again, his sarcasm undisguised.

 

“Bring something decent, something presentable.”

 

“Not this trash.”

 

After speaking, he no longer looked at the face of Chun Chun, which was as pale as paper. The child had even forgotten to cry.

 

He lowered his head and carefully examined the red mark on Ke Qi’an. His fingertips brushed over it lightly, his brow furrowed. He leaned down and blew gently on the wound twice, his voice carrying a tenderness he had never shown before. “The skin is broken. Does it hurt?”

 

“I will call a doctor to treat it. We cannot let it leave a scar.”

 

The indifferent attitude of the father was displayed starkly before Chun Chun. In the same moment and space, the treatment for the two different people was divided with absolute clarity.

 

Just as he turned to step away, a small, cold, trembling hand cautiously grabbed the hem of his coat.

 

The grip was not heavy, yet it carried a strange persistence.

 

It was Chun Chun.

 

Sitting in his wheelchair, he used every ounce of his strength to hold onto the coat of Chang Tingzhi.

 

He looked up, his small face which looked thirty or forty percent like that of Chang Tingzhi—covered in tear tracks. His lips trembled. “Daddy, do not go.”

 

He tried to steady his voice. His other hand hurriedly held up the worn teddy bear he had been clutching tightly. The bear was old, but it had been well protected.

 

“This is Daddy.” The tears of Chun Chun fell in large drops onto the bear. He tried to speak clearly, but his voice was choked with emotion. “It is the bear Daddy sewed for Chun Chun. You said that the bear would protect Chun Chun.”

 

He held the bear out toward Chang Tingzhi. Looking at the face that used to always show him a gentle smile, the nose of Chun Chun grew sour again.

 

“This time, when we went to the amusement park, Daddy also said you would listen to the stories of Chun Chun and the bear. Daddy promised Chun Chun that you would come home at night to tell”

 

“To tell the story of the little goat.”

 

This bear had accompanied him through many days and nights. When Mommy was not around, Daddy would hold him in his arms. They would squeeze together on a tiny bed. Daddy would rub his head while he held this bear, and Daddy would tell him many strange stories. There were stories about the beer festival in Country D and stories about paddling kayaks under the arctic icebergs with Mommy. However, the story Chun Chun loved most was the one about when Daddy and Mommy were watching the aurora and learned about the existence of Chun Chun.

 

Daddy once told him that his existence was unexpected and a miracle.

 

On that day, under the sky full of the aurora, Daddy and Mommy learned that he had taken root in the belly of Mommy.

 

Daddy said he was very good and did not bother Mommy. Although the morning sickness was severe at the beginning, he was a very good baby later on. He only cried for a long time when he was born, but other times he would stay obediently in the arms of Mommy.

 

But Daddy also said that Mommy had carried him for ten months and giving birth was truly not easy. His fetal position was wrong, and Mommy suffered from a difficult labor and bleeding. She had to have a cesarean section, which left a long scar on her belly.

 

Daddy held him and said that he must protect Mommy and love Mommy very much.

 

At that time, Chun Chun held the teddy bear and asked Daddy, “So Daddy, between Chun Chun and Mommy, who do you like more?”

 

Daddy did not hesitate for a second. He pinched the face of Chun Chun and said, “I love your Mommy the most. It is because I love Mommy that I love you.”

 

He was the fusion of their genes and blood, their deepest bond in this world.

 

Chun Chun looked up, holding the bear in his arms, and looked earnestly at Chang Tingzhi.

 

The footsteps of Chang Tingzhi stopped.

 

He looked down, his gaze falling on the tear stained doll being held out before him.

 

There was no feeling.

 

He could not remember anything.

 

The more he looked at this bear, the more his head ached. A clear and strong sense of disgust welled up in his heart, and he furrowed his brows in loathing.

 

Without any hesitation, he raised his hand.

 

The teddy bear that Chun Chun treated as a precious treasure was violently pushed away by the hand of Chang Tingzhi. it fell heavily onto the floor a few paces away, rolling twice and picking up more dust and sand.

 

Chun Chun let out a startled cry and tried to grab the bear. However, his center of gravity was unstable, and he lost his balance. With a thud, he fell onto the floor, and the old injury in his leg flared with sharp pain.

 

His vision went dark. Yet, his first instinct was not to check his own injury. Instead, he subconsciously struggled and reached out a small hand to grab the hem of the trousers or coat of Chang Tingzhi once more, as if it were his last bit of oxygen.

 

“Daddy.”

 

He tried desperately to grab the trousers of Chang Tingzhi.

 

The brow of Chang Tingzhi furrowed deeply, as if he had touched something filthy.

 

“Get out.”

 

One word.

 

Cold, short, and filled with impatience and expulsion.

 

He did not even look down at Chun Chun, who was curled up in pain.

 

His footsteps did not stop. Supporting Ke Qi’an, his movements were gentle as he whispered, “Be careful.”

 

He walked toward the door.

 

From beginning to end, he never looked back.

 

The door was closed heavily. That muffled sound echoed in the silent corridor, completely severing the two worlds inside and outside the room.

 

The face of Chun Chun lay on the floor, only a fingertip away from the teddy bear, but he had no strength and could not move at all.

 

Watching that receding figure, Chun Chun suddenly thought of his Mommy, who always sat in the entryway even late at night.

 

The dim light would stretch the silhouette of his Mommy very long.

 

Chun Chun thought.

 

Mommy, at that time, what were you thinking?