After Failing to Reverse the Plot, I Made My Escape - Chapter 6

“He is my wife.”

“Right.” The doctor suppressed a smile. “You still cannot remember?”

“Then you should at least remember how you pursued Mr. Yu, should you not?”

“Back then, he climbed to the peak of the entertainment industry step by step. To pursue him, you rented out every commercial screen. At every stop of his world tour, you brought giant displays of affection. It caused such a stir that the entire internet knew the crown prince of the Chang Qiu Group was courting Yu Fuqiu.”

“The most sensational part was that livestreamed proposal!” A young nurse nearby could not help but chime in, her eyes shining. “During the encore of Mr. Yu’s concert, you suddenly walked onto the stage holding 999 roses. In front of tens of thousands of fans and the live cameras, you dropped to one knee. You did not even say ‘Marry me.’ Instead, you said, ‘I beg you, please give me a formal status!’ Heavens, the trending searches exploded at that moment!”

The doctor took over the conversation, shaking his head with a laugh. “When you got married, it shocked the entire country. It was the wedding of the century. After the wedding, you were famous for being… well, henpecked.”

He carefully chose a more diplomatic term. “Financial magazines interviewed you and asked for the secret to your success. You said, ‘Go home and listen to my wife.’ You left business banquets early because ‘Fuqiu’s curfew is ten o’clock.’ There was even a time when you were locked out and slept on the sofa for a night because you drank at a social event. The next day, paparazzi caught you, and it made the entertainment headlines. Do you truly not remember any of this?”

As Chang Tingzhi listened to these completely unfamiliar and absurd stories, his expression shifted from initial doubt to shock, and finally to a mix of humiliation and utter confusion.

He… he used to be such a person? A man who lost his head over emotions and had no principles? To do so many shocking things that damaged his image for the sake of one man?

How was that possible?

Seeing Chang Tingzhi’s expression, the doctor finally stopped smiling. His tone became serious and gentle. “So you see, Mr. Chang, it is not that we are revolving around Mr. Yu. It is that you, in the past, personally and eagerly handed over the right to your own life to him. And he has indeed taken care of you meticulously.”

“As for that handprint on your face,” the doctor’s gaze fell on the red mark again, his tone certain with a hint of subtle teasing. “Given Mr. Yu’s temperament and how much he worries about you, if he actually struck you, there is only one possibility.”

The doctor paused and said each word clearly. “You must have said or done something that broke his heart and pushed him to his absolute limit. After all, everyone knows that Chang Tingzhi of the Chang Qiu Group fears nothing except for Yu Fuqiu being unhappy or shedding tears.”

“We all know how much you loved Mr. Yu.”

The little nurse found many of Chang Tingzhi’s interviews in her bookmarks. As a rising star in the business world who married a famous actor like Yu Fuqiu, he was often in the spotlight. Yu Fuqiu rarely revealed details of their private life, skillfully redirecting any personal questions.

Chang Tingzhi was the opposite. He wanted the whole world to know how much Yu Fuqiu loved him. Even in interviews for financial channels, he would find a way to say things like, “How did you know my wife was bringing me lunch today?”

“Alright, Mr. Chang, your body is recovering very well. Mr. Yu has been massaging you constantly, so there are no signs of muscle atrophy.” The doctor wrote some values on the data recording tablet. “Now you just need to rest quietly.”

“Doctor.” Chu Baoli stopped him. She pointed to Chang Tingzhi’s head. “My brother…”

The door was knocked. Yu Fuqiu had finally signed the last document. He looked up and met those eyes, and his body subconsciously relaxed.

During this time, if it were not for the help of Zuo Chenshuang, he probably would not have survived. He had worked day and night by Chang Tingzhi’s side and had not received any mental rest. Faced with complex medical terms and data, he could only search for them one by one, not wanting to trouble the doctors or nurses.

Zuo Chenshuang would come to help him during his shifts. To help him relax, Zuo Chenshuang gave him massages and sleep medication, which greatly relieved Yu Fuqiu’s fatigue.

Yu Fuqiu had not yet processed the appearance of the original Chang Tingzhi. Facing those insulting words earlier, he had only barely managed to keep himself from collapsing.

“Fuqiu.” Zuo Chenshuang pushed open the door.

“I wondered why the office was so empty. It turns out you are all here disturbing the patient, are you not?” Zuo Chenshuang was their master’s supervisor and pretended to be angry.

“Heh,” one of the boys teased. “I wonder who heard that Brother Qiu was at the hospital and treated the whole staff to pearl milk tea despite being a stingy person!”

“Go on, get out.” Zuo Chenshuang coughed lightly and ushered the students out. “He needs to rest. Do not disturb him.”

The students reluctantly said goodbye to Yu Fuqiu, not forgetting to make a face at Zuo Chenshuang.

The ward finally became quiet again, leaving only the regular beeping of the monitors.

Zuo Chenshuang turned to Yu Fuqiu, his tone natural and filled with obvious concern. “Fuqiu, let me check on him first. You sit down for a while.”

He seemed to remember something and pulled a small thermos from his pocket. “This… my mother made it. I could not finish it. It is a calming soup with lily and sour jujube seeds to help you sleep tonight. The temperature is low today and your hands are cold. Drink this to warm up.”

The outside of the thermos was cool, but when Yu Fuqiu opened the lid, a hot mist with a herbal fragrance rushed out. It blurred his pale face and red eyes. His heart stirred as he held the thermos. In a raspy voice, he said, “Okay. Thank you, Chenshuang.”

These brief but intimate words, along with the soup that was clearly prepared specifically for him, hit a nerve.

Chang Tingzhi held his stomach. His stomach was churning violently, and cold sweat dripped from his face. He stared expressionlessly at the thermos, and his pulse throbbed in his temples.

Just as Yu Fuqiu was about to drink, Chang Tingzhi interrupted him abruptly. “I want to drink.”

Yu Fuqiu paused. This was the first sentence Chang Tingzhi had said to him since waking up, but to Chang Tingzhi, his pause looked like hesitation.

“Hey, did you not hear me? I said I want to drink.”

Zuo Chenshuang frowned at the tone, but his hands did not stop moving. “Tingzhi, this is to warm Fuqiu’s body. You just woke up, so it will not be as effective for you.”

“…”

Chang Tingzhi looked up, a cold light flickering in his eyes. “He is my wife.”

Chang Tingzhi interrupted him and raised an eyebrow. “I am his husband. So, what my wife drinks and whether she gives it to me has nothing to do with an outsider like you, does it?”

Zuo Chenshuang was stunned. He stopped what he was doing and looked in disbelief at the pale man on the bed who was bristling like a porcupine. The air became thick with tension, as if a single spark could cause an explosion.

Yu Fuqiu’s heart tightened. Instinctively, he stepped forward to stand in front of Zuo Chenshuang, shielding him. He handed the cup to Chang Tingzhi and turned to apologize to Zuo Chenshuang. “I am sorry, Chenshuang. Tingzhi… he just woke up. He did not mean it.”

Watching Yu Fuqiu instinctively protect Zuo Chenshuang as if Chang Tingzhi were the outsider, the anger in Chang Tingzhi’s chest almost consumed his reason. He let out a cold laugh and took the cup.

He brought the cup to his lips, staring coldly at Zuo Chenshuang. Just as Yu Fuqiu relaxed slightly because he had taken the cup, Chang Tingzhi’s wrist suddenly flipped.

Clang!

The thermos was slammed onto the ground, making a piercing sound. The hot soup splashed instantly. Most of it hit the floor, but some of it splashed onto the back of Yu Fuqiu’s hand before he could pull it away.

Yu Fuqiu already had red burn marks on his hand that had not been treated, and small blisters had started to form. They were very noticeable on his fair skin.

“Sss—”

A sharp, burning pain hit him. Yu Fuqiu groaned and looked at Chang Tingzhi in shock.

Chang Tingzhi only looked down at him with a mocking and cold smile, watching his expression of pain and disbelief.

“I am sorry. My hand slipped.”

“Or should I say,” Chang Tingzhi drawled, his eyes moving between Zuo Chenshuang and Yu Fuqiu. “Or should I say this is a new scheme between you and this man? One of you plays the villain and the other plays the hero? You pretend to care for me while actually wanting to carry on right in front of me to maintain your self-sacrificing image and get more benefits?”

His words were extremely cruel, each one like a blade. “To get my trust and keep your status as Mrs. Chang, you really leave no stone unturned. You deliberately spread the news of my injury so people would see how hard you work to take care of me, just to maintain your loyal image.”

Yu Fuqiu’s face turned deathly pale. He looked at Chang Tingzhi, his eyelashes trembling. The last bit of color vanished from his face, leaving him transparently white. This formed a sharp contrast with his dark eyes. He looked like a white jade statue about to shatter, radiating a beauty that was on the verge of destruction.

Seeing him like this, the annoyance in Chang Tingzhi’s heart mixed with a twisted sense of pleasure. The violence buried deep in his soul took over, making him speak without thinking. “Fine.”

He smiled slightly, his eyes sharp. “I agree to your proposal.”