After Transmigrating into an ABO World with My Rival - Chapter 7

Chen Yanzhi officially settled into Fu Tingyue’s villa, but he suffered from nightmares every night. He either dreamed that he and Fu Tingyue were dead, or that people in this world discovered their true identities and captured them for blood experiments.

Initially, sleeping in the same room as Fu Tingyue provided some comfort, allowing him to barely manage some rest. Eventually, even that failed. After several consecutive nights of insomnia, Chen Yanzhi felt like he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

At that moment, he was lying on the sofa in Fu Tingyue’s office, staring wide-eyed at the ceiling. There were deep dark circles under his eyes, and his already pale face looked even more bloodless.

He let out a yawn and turned his head to look at Fu Tingyue. With watery, frustrated eyes, he said, “Fu Tingyue, if this keeps up, I’m going to die of exhaustion.”

Fu Tingyue stood up, brought a blanket, and covered Chen Yanzhi. He looked at his haggard face with heartache. “We’ll go to the hospital later. You’re under too much psychological stress.”

Chen Yanzhi sighed, his small face scrunched up. “What if I say something I shouldn’t?”

Fu Tingyue gently patted his shoulder to comfort him. “It’s okay. Just tell the psychologist it’s a dream; they won’t suspect anything.”

Chen Yanzhi wrapped the blanket tighter. Smelling the scent unique to Fu Tingyue on the fabric, his eyelids grew heavy. “Oh, right. You’re so smart.”

Seeing how exhausted he was, Fu Tingyue’s tone became even softer, for fear of startling Chen Yanzhi’s sleepiness away. “Sleep for a while. We’ll go to the hospital when you wake up.”

Chen Yanzhi gave a muffled “Mm,” pulled the blanket over his head, and turned his back to Fu Tingyue, curling his body up like a child.

Looking at his insecure sleeping posture, the distress in Fu Tingyue’s eyes deepened. Before their reunion, Chen Yanzhi had lived a hard life, eating only one meal a day until he was nothing but skin and bones. Now that they were reunited and he could finally care for him, Chen Yanzhi’s body was too weak to handle rich food. Combined with the recent lack of sleep, he had even less of an appetite during the day and had become thinner than before.

Perhaps because he was utterly exhausted, Chen Yanzhi managed to sleep peacefully for once. Even when Fu Tingyue pulled the blanket down slightly, he didn’t wake up.

Looking at his sharp chin, Fu Tingyue felt both guilty and pained. After adjusting the air conditioning temperature, he tiptoed back to his desk to continue working. He instructed his assistant to contact the private hospital under the Fu family; he would take Chen Yanzhi for a check-up and psychological treatment as soon as he woke.

Chen Yanzhi slept for a short while before the nightmares started again. He woke with a start, sitting on the sofa drenched in sweat. His eyes were hollow and glazed. His pale face was now even whiter, like a startled little rabbit.

Fu Tingyue was not in the office, but he had sent a message saying he had a meeting and would be back shortly. Chen Yanzhi tossed his phone aside, folded the messy blanket, and went to the bathroom to wash his face.

As he washed, his thoughts cleared. He leaned his hands on the edge of the sink, looking at his haggard reflection in the mirror, and couldn’t help but frown.

You’re doing a terrible job, Chen Yanzhi. How could you let yourself look so pathetic?

It was just a dream. What was there to worry about? If they died, they died. Falling from such a height, they shouldn’t have survived anyway. To be here now was already a blessing from their ancestors.

Pull yourself together. Stop making Fu Tingyue worry.

Chen Yanzhi let out a long breath, quickly adjusted his mood, and turned to walk out.

That afternoon, Chen Yanzhi and Fu Tingyue went to the hospital together. As expected, the results showed severe malnutrition and stomach issues. Combined with the recent nightmares, his condition was poor.

After the psychological treatment, Chen Yanzhi felt much better, and a hint of color returned to his face. Honestly, he felt he could have regulated his emotions himself, but fearing Fu Tingyue’s worry, he had obediently followed the arrangement.

Although the doctor said it was nothing serious and he just needed to recover slowly, Fu Tingyue remained uneasy. He had a course of traditional Chinese medicine prepared for Chen Yanzhi.

Chen Yanzhi tsked twice. “Listen, man, I’m so young and I’m already drinking Chinese medicine? Is this right?”

Fu Tingyue spoke in a mature tone. “Chinese medicine is gentle and doesn’t harm the body. It’s hard to recover through diet alone; the medicine will help you heal faster.”

Chen Yanzhi burst out laughing. “Don’t talk like that. It’s too funny.”

Mainly, Fu Tingyue’s physical body was two years older than his, but the soul inside was exactly his age. When he suddenly used that parental tone, Chen Yanzhi couldn’t help but laugh.

Fu Tingyue shook his head helplessly. “You… we were only apart for a month and you almost ruined yourself.”

Chen Yanzhi immediately retorted, “You can’t put it like that. If I had the means, would I have lived so miserably? The conditions just didn’t allow it. I’ve worked very hard. Besides, your wording is ambiguous; if others heard you, they’d think we used to be very close.”

In the past, he and Fu Tingyue had basically been estranged. Now, they were forced together by fate. Moreover, he had recently discovered that Fu Tingyue was actually a decent person; the man had even used his own body to shield him right before they died. Chen Yanzhi could forgive even the greatest grudge for that, let alone the fact that they didn’t actually have a grudge. Chen Yanzhi just simply couldn’t stand him back then.

Actually, they had been very close as children. He wasn’t sure when it had suddenly turned sour. Chen Yanzhi thought back carefully; it seemed he was the one who first distanced himself from Fu Tingyue, but he had forgotten exactly why.

He was forgetful. He might say one day that he’d never play with Fu Tingyue again, but when Fu Tingyue came to pick him up for school the next morning, Chen Yanzhi would still obediently get in the car.

Fu Tingyue looked down at Chen Yanzhi’s shifting eyes, a faint smile touching his lips. “Is it bad? We’ve always been good.”

Hearing this, Chen Yanzhi couldn’t help but say, “I think your memory is getting mixed up.”

Fu Tingyue shook his head, looking at Chen Yanzhi with a serious expression. “No. In my memory, we’ve always been very good. Does Zhizhi not feel the same?”

Chen Yanzhi would occasionally throw small tantrums, but Fu Tingyue found it cute. Except for the times Chen Yanzhi would ditch him to play with others—which was infuriating—Chen Yanzhi had always been the most adorable existence in Fu Tingyue’s eyes.

“Really?” Chen Yanzhi scratched his head, suddenly unsure if his own memory was flawed or if it was Fu Tingyue’s.

Fu Tingyue nodded. “Yes.”

In his heart, he and Chen Yanzhi had always been the best of friends. Chen Yanzhi was his only friend, from childhood to adulthood. But Chen Yanzhi had many friends, so many that there was almost no room for Fu Tingyue.

Arriving in this world had brought Fu Tingyue a sense of panic, but the thought that Chen Yanzhi only knew him here—and could only be close to him—gave rise to a secret sense of excitement. Here, Chen Yanzhi belonged to him alone. No one could take him away.

However, Fu Tingyue had underestimated Chen Yanzhi’s social skills. In just a few days at the villa, Chen Yanzhi had become well-acquainted with all the nannies and servants. He even knew all of Fu Tingyue’s bodyguards and drivers by name.

Fu Tingyue only realized this on the way home, and his good mood vanished instantly, replaced by an intense, stifling frustration.

Unaware of this, Chen Yanzhi was leaning against the back of the front passenger seat, chatting with the driver. “Chen Qi, where is your home? Are you also from the Imperial Capital?”

In the past two days, he had extracted a lot of useful information from these people. He had even managed to find out that they were sent by the Fu family to monitor Fu Tingyue. He really was impressive.

Chen Qi smiled bashfully. “Yes, my home is in the Imperial Capital, but I grew up in the East District.”

The East District was the commoner area where Chen Yanzhi had lived previously.

Chen Yanzhi nodded to show he understood, then turned to the bodyguard in the passenger seat. “What about you, Wang Xu? Where is your home?”

Wang Xu lowered his head slightly as he answered, “Replying to Young Master Chen, I also grew up in the East District, though my ancestral home isn’t in the capital.”

Chen Yanzhi asked again, “Are you both Alphas?”

Wang Xu and Chen Qi exchanged a glance, peeked at Fu Tingyue through the rearview mirror, and said, “The Fu family’s selection for drivers and bodyguards is very strict. You must be an Alpha.”

For some reason, the back of their necks felt chilly.

Chen Yanzhi didn’t notice Fu Tingyue’s darkening expression and continued chatting. “If Alphas can only be bodyguards and drivers, what about Betas?”

Chen Qi took up the conversation with a smile. “Betas can hold many professions. We were born into poverty; being able to come to the Fu family as bodyguards is already our greatest honor.”

Chen Yanzhi understood now. It turned out not all Alphas possessed high status and power; it depended on one’s background. He asked curiously, “Then, are there Betas who stand in high positions?”

If there weren’t, he would be the first.

Both men knew Chen Yanzhi was a Beta. Hearing his question, Wang Xu quickly replied, “Of course. Many doctors and actors are Betas, as are many company executives. Betas are actually the group that dominates society.”

Although they didn’t know how this commoner Beta from the East District knew the eldest Young Master, their relationship clearly wasn’t ordinary. Given that Chen Yanzhi had been sleeping in the Young Master’s room lately, they suspected they might be in that kind of relationship. As long as they kept Chen Yanzhi happy, their lives under Fu Tingyue would be easier.

Chen Yanzhi chatted with them the entire way and didn’t say a single word to Fu Tingyue. Initially, Fu Tingyue was just slightly unhappy, but it gradually evolved into anger. Upon arriving home, he didn’t wait for Chen Yanzhi; he got out of the car and walked off alone.

Chen Yanzhi cheerfully said goodbye to the others, then noticed Fu Tingyue had left and hurried to catch up.

Fu Tingyue was displeased, but seeing Chen Yanzhi jogging to catch him, his mood improved slightly. He unconsciously slowed his pace to wait.

Chen Yanzhi arrived slightly out of breath and whispered a complaint, “Why are you walking so fast? I can’t keep up with you.”

Fu Tingyue said sourly, “I thought you wanted to chat with them for a while longer.”

Chen Yanzhi didn’t pick up on his annoyance and said heartlessly, “I’ll talk to them later. I’m hungry; I want to eat.”

Fu Tingyue suddenly stopped. After walking a few more steps, Chen Yanzhi realized he wasn’t following. He hurried back and asked, “Why did you stop? Hurry up; I’m starving.”

Fu Tingyue’s gaze fixed intently on Chen Yanzhi’s face, the words jumping out from between his teeth one by one: “Chen Yanzhi, how can you talk to just anyone? Didn’t we say we were each other’s only one?”

“Huh?” Chen Yanzhi was stunned. He stared blankly at Fu Tingyue’s dark expression, finally realizing the man was upset. He asked in confusion, “Why are you angry?”

Fu Tingyue stared into Chen Yanzhi’s eyes, trying to determine if he was genuinely oblivious or just pretending. It turned out Chen Yanzhi wasn’t pretending; he truly didn’t understand. He didn’t seem to think he had done anything wrong and indeed, he hadn’t. It was Fu Tingyue who was being petty. He didn’t want Chen Yanzhi to be close to anyone but him.

He relaxed his clenched fists, exhaled a long breath, and walked away.

“???”

Chen Yanzhi was even more bewildered. He stood there looking around like a dazed kitten. Once he recovered, he pointed at Fu Tingyue’s receding back and shouted, “Fu Tingyue, you stop right there!”

Fu Tingyue didn’t stop; instead, he walked faster. Chen Yanzhi followed while grumbling to himself, thinking that Fu Tingyue was having another “episode.”

He remembered why he hadn’t wanted to play with Fu Tingyue before: it was because the guy always got angry for no reason. How could he still be like this even after coming here?

Support After Transmigrating into an ABO World with My Rival