Does An Inferior Omega Also Have To Marry First, Then Fall In Love? - Chapter 55

Chapter 55: After Finishing The Discussion With The Manager, …

After finishing the discussion with the manager and leaving the theater, Ji Qingyu checked the time. It had quietly passed midnight.

The winter night wind carried a chill, swirling up a few dry, yellow fallen leaves that disappeared into the dim light. He subconsciously tightened his jacket.

Fu Han’s car was indeed still there. The headlights were on, and Fu Han was leaning against the driver’s seat, his head tilted and his eyes closed. He was asleep.

Ji Qingyu walked over softly. Closer now, he could clearly see the two faint dark circles under Fu Han’s eyes, like diluted ink smudges. He reached out, his fingertips tracing the shadow lightly.

Fu Han’s eyelids still fluttered, and he slowly opened his eyes.

Those eyes, usually cold, looked somewhat soft upon waking. As they focused on Ji Qingyu’s face, he instinctively broke into a gentle smile. That smile dispelled the harshness between Fu Han’s brows and was filled with complete dependence.

“Done talking?” Fu Han’s voice was hoarse from sleep.

“Mhm,” Ji Qingyu responded, his voice feeling tight.

Fu Han stood up, naturally reached out, and pulled Ji Qingyu into an embrace. His hug was forceful, as if he wanted to meld the person into his body.

He buried his face in Ji Qingyu’s neck, deeply, almost greedily, inhaling the scent of the other’s pheromones. The damp rain scent enveloped the car, a fragrance unique to Ji Qingyu.

Sensing the barely noticeable agitation and anxiety in Fu Han’s emotions, Ji Qingyu did not struggle, instead releasing more pheromones.

Inside the car, the radio softly played the night news. The female announcer reported the latest developments: “…It is reported that the assets under Fu Yunsheng’s name are facing comprehensive seizure. Recently, witnesses claim to have seen him near the perimeter of Songshan Prison.”

“Reviewing Fu Yunsheng’s attempts to climb the ranks, he seems to always be a step behind… Moreover, netizens have dug up old photos, having seen Fu Yunsheng intimately kissing a man on the street. Upon comparison, the silhouette is highly similar to that of the recently investigated former singer and performer, Ji Ran. Additionally, some assets under Fu Yunsheng’s name were transferred to Ji Ran’s name long ago, and the two jointly hold shell companies used to transfer illicit income. Outsiders speculate that the relationship between the two might be more than a simple exchange of interests…”

Fu Han frowned slightly and reached out to turn off the radio. The car instantly fell into silence, leaving only the shallow breathing of the two men.

The car eventually came to a smooth stop outside Ji Qingyu’s apartment building.

Fu Han seemed reluctant to let go. After parking, he still held Ji Qingyu’s hand, his fingertips rubbing the other’s slightly cool knuckles, his gaze glued to Ji Qingyu’s face, as if he couldn’t see enough.

“Alright, it’s very late. You should go back and rest,” Ji Qingyu shifted his gaze away awkwardly and withdrew his hand.

Fu Han looked at him, a trace of almost imperceptible disappointment flashing in his eyes, but he still nodded, hooking his finger around Ji Qingyu’s and shaking it twice.

Ji Qingyu’s ears were getting redder.

Fu Han was always skilled at these tricks.

Ji Qingyu opened the door, got out, waved at him, and turned to walk into the narrow alley leading to the apartment building. Fu Han watched Ji Qingyu’s retreating figure until it completely merged into the shadows of the alley before slowly withdrawing his gaze and wearily rubbing his temples.

Ji Qingyu walked alone down the alley. The streetlights, being old and poorly maintained, only faintly illuminated the uneven flagstones beneath his feet.

It was very quiet around him. His thoughts were still immersed in the conversation with the manager, contemplating the stage play’s plot, trying to dispel the surge of inexplicable anxiety in his heart.

Fu Yunsheng had escaped—he had heard about it. He had only met Fu Yunsheng briefly, but he knew this kind of person would never accept failure so easily.

Just as he was thinking, his thoughts came to an abrupt halt.

In front of him, a tall figure unexpectedly blocked the path in the alley. Ji Qingyu’s heart tightened. He stopped abruptly and subconsciously looked back, finding that two burly men of similar build had appeared behind him at some point, sealing off his retreat.

Following them, a figure he absolutely did not want to see at this moment appeared.

Fu Yunsheng.

Ji Qingyu’s heart instantly sank to the bottom. His body reacted faster than his mind. He silently slipped his hand into his pocket and, relying on muscle memory, quickly pressed the emergency call button on the side of his phone.

“What do you want to do?” Ji Qingyu forced himself to stay calm, his voice remarkably clear in the silent alley.

Fu Yunsheng stretched the corner of his mouth into a smile that held no warmth, only long-suppressed malice and madness. “Nothing, just want to chat with you.”

“We have nothing to talk about,” Ji Qingyu said, while using his peripheral vision to search for any gap for escape. The alley was too narrow, blocked front and back—it was practically a dead end.

“That’s not up to you,” Fu Yunsheng sneered, his eyes filled only with the desperate resolve of a cornered animal. “Take him.”

Two burly men immediately rushed forward, roughly grabbing Ji Qingyu’s arms from the left and right. Resistance was futile; the disparity in strength was too great. Ji Qingyu felt a faint vibration in the phone in his pocket—the emergency call had connected.

“Fu Yunsheng, you…” Ji Qingyu tried to say more, attempting to stall for time, but a black hood was violently placed over his head, instantly taking away his vision. He was forcefully shoved, stumbling, into a car. The door slammed shut with a “bang,” cutting off the outside world.

“Don’t blame me,” Fu Yunsheng’s icy voice sounded in his ear, carrying bone-deep hatred. “Blame Fu Han for pushing too hard.”

The vehicle started, driving along a bumpy road. Ji Qingyu forced himself to remain composed, analyzing his current situation. “You kidnapped me—what do you plan to exchange with him?”

“Exchange what?” Fu Yunsheng sounded as if he had heard the most ridiculous joke. His voice suddenly escalated, then turned sharply cold, like it was laced with venom. “When he arrives, I want him to witness with his own eyes how you die right in front of him. I want him to taste what it means to wish for death.”

“Why?” Ji Qingyu continued to ask, his tone still calm. “You finally managed to escape. Why not flee far away instead of returning to walk into a trap?”

“Walk into a trap?” Fu Yunsheng lunged close, violently ripped off Ji Qingyu’s hood, and roughly grabbed his collar, choking him until he could barely breathe. “If it weren’t for you, our plan would have succeeded long ago, and those documents would have been in our hands! Fu Han and Fu Yunbai should have gone to meet the King of Hell together already! You ask why? You’re the one who ruined everything for me!”

At extremely close range, Ji Qingyu could clearly see the bloodshot eyes of Fu Yunsheng and the madness that was nearly overflowing.

“I thought,” Ji Qingyu’s face was pale from lack of oxygen, but his voice remained strangely soft and flat, “you were doing this for Ji Ran.”

He distinctly felt the hand gripping his collar tighten suddenly. “He was ruined by Fu Han’s retaliation because of you, his reputation destroyed. He did so many illicit things for you… Aren’t you trying to avenge him?”

“Shut up.” Ji Qingyu’s words were like a needle, precisely striking Fu Yunsheng’s most sensitive, fragile nerve. Like a provoked wild animal, he violently slammed Ji Qingyu against the seat back, then heavily punched him on the cheek.

Intense pain hit. Ji Qingyu’s vision went black. His ears rang, and a coppery, sweet taste spread in his mouth. The back of his head also hit the hard seat back from the inertia, causing a dizzy spell. He tilted his head, panting heavily, blood oozing from the corner of his mouth, yet the eyes he turned toward Fu Yunsheng remained clear and calm.

The car finally stopped in front of a derelict warehouse. Ji Qingyu was roughly dragged out and shoved inside. It was piled high with junk, and the air was thick with the smell of rust and dust.

Fu Yunsheng seemed in no rush to act. He was like someone conducting a ceremony, waiting for the most important audience to arrive. He ordered his men to tie Ji Qingyu to a chair while he himself paced restlessly, occasionally glancing toward the warehouse door.

Time passed second by second. Every moment felt like an agonizing delay.

He didn’t know how much time had passed—perhaps not very long—but under the extreme tension, the sense of time had blurred. Outside the warehouse, engine sounds finally arrived, followed by rapid and determined footsteps, moving from far away to near.

“Clang—”

The rusty iron door was shoved open with great force from the outside. Blinding light poured in, likely from headlights. Fu Han appeared alone at the entrance.

His gaze instantly locked onto Ji Qingyu tied to the chair, especially when he saw the blood and swelling at the corner of his mouth, his eyes immediately turning icy cold.

“How did you get here so fast?” Fu Yunsheng was stunned by his speed. He quickly realized and violently turned his head toward Ji Qingyu. “Was it you?”

“You dared to hit him?” Fu Han’s voice contained intense fury. The palpable pressure spread, and for a moment, even the few burly men Fu Yunsheng had brought did not dare to easily step forward.

Fu Yunsheng felt a chill in his heart from Fu Han’s gaze, but having come this far, he had no retreat. As if to psych himself up, he violently grabbed Ji Qingyu’s hair, forcing him to face Fu Han, while his other hand pulled out a gleaming switchblade. The blade sprang out with a “snap” and was pressed tightly against Ji Qingyu’s neck.

The cold blade touched the skin. The edge easily cut the surface, and beads of blood instantly seeped out, looking particularly striking on Ji Qingyu’s pale skin.

Fu Han was instantly frozen, all his movements rigid. He stared fixedly at the blood, his pupils contracted, his tightly clenched fists white at the knuckles, veins bulging. He dared not move an inch.

In this moment of life-and-death silence, Ji Qingyu stared at Fu Han, rapidly blinking twice—an extremely subtle signal.

Then, to everyone’s surprise, Ji Qingyu suddenly snapped his head backward, the back of his head hitting Fu Yunsheng’s nose bridge hard. He immediately followed up by using his elbow, striking with all his might against Fu Yunsheng’s knife-wielding arm.

Fu Yunsheng was caught off guard. Excruciating pain shot through his nose, and his knife-hand was knocked sideways. He never expected Ji Qingyu to initiate the move.

With a clatter, the small knife slipped from his grip and fell onto the concrete floor.

Fu Han violently flung aside the person trying to restrain him, rushed a few steps toward Fu Yunsheng, and slammed a punch into his face. Fu Yunsheng screamed, staggering backward.

Fu Han didn’t even look at him. He grabbed the wrist of Ji Qingyu, who had just broken free from the ropes, and turned to bolt toward the warehouse entrance.

“Get them! Don’t let them escape!” Fu Yunsheng roared incoherently, clutching his face.

The henchmen, as if waking from a dream, grabbed nearby clubs and charged. Ji Qingyu felt a sharp sting on his cheek. In the fierce resistance just now, he seemed to have been grazed by the blade’s edge. But he ignored it, desperately running out with Fu Han.

A rushing sound came from behind. A thug armed with a baseball bat had caught up and swung the club down toward the back of Ji Qingyu’s head.

“Watch out!” Without a second thought, Fu Han abruptly pulled Ji Qingyu into his arms, taking the heavy blow squarely on his own broad back.

“Thud!” A muffled sound rang out. Fu Han’s body convulsed. He let out a suppressed groan, his face instantly turning white.

“Fu Han!” Ji Qingyu cried out in shock, his heart nearly stopping.

“I’m fine!” Fu Han clenched his jaw, cold sweat beading on his forehead, but he forced himself to stand, turning back to kick the thug flying away. He pulled Ji Qingyu and kept running. “Hurry!”

The two dashed out of the warehouse. Fu Han’s car was waiting outside. They quickly yanked open the doors and got in. Enduring the burning pain in his back, Fu Han violently started the engine, and the car shot out like an arrow.

However, Fu Yunsheng had clearly prepared thoroughly. The area outside the warehouse was not empty. Several battered-looking vans started simultaneously, converging from different directions, clearly aiming to corner and kill them there.

Fu Han’s expression was grim. He gripped the steering wheel with both hands, weaving back and forth on the narrow, dilapidated factory roads, trying to shake off the pursuers. But there were too many enemy vehicles, and they relentlessly clung to his tail.

“He’s insane…” Ji Qingyu’s voice was tight, watching the headlights growing closer in the rearview mirror.

Fu Yunsheng was indeed insane. The car behind them accelerated recklessly, violently slamming into the rear-side of Fu Han’s car. The move was clearly intended to kill them both.

In the critical moment, Fu Han slammed the steering wheel without hesitation, simultaneously shouting at Ji Qingyu, “Hold on!”

The tires screeched against the ground. In a flash of lightning, Fu Han forcibly swung the car body sideways, aiming the driver’s side door—where he was sitting—at the front of the oncoming van in a near-suicidal maneuver.

“Fu Han!” Ji Qingyu tried to stop him, but it was too late. Everything happened in an instant.

A massive crash sounded. Ji Qingyu’s body lurched, his vision blurred, and darkness swallowed him. The last thing he registered was an alarm sound and the coppery smell of blood.

He couldn’t feel anything, only managing to instinctively reach out and grasp Fu Han’s hand beside him.