Chapter 10

Chapter 10

When Yu He was brought to the Fu residence, he hadn’t thought of bringing anything with him.

After staying in the manor for a few nights, he realized that he truly couldn’t sleep without listening to live streams through his headphones.

This morning, Yu He stayed up all night again, and the dark circles under his eyes got worse by the day. He sat at the dining table, listless, looking even worse than Fu Yunzheng. The resentment arising from his insomnia was extremely heavy.

To put it in the most popular online terms, the resentment around him right now could sustain ten demonic sword immortals.

Even Fu Yunzheng noticed that Yu He was out of sorts. He gestured to the auntie serving the food to bring a bowl of pigeon soup for Qi replenishment to Yu He, put down his chopsticks, and asked, “Are you feeling unwell? Why does your complexion look so poor?”

If no one asked, Yu He wouldn’t say anything, but once asked, he couldn’t help but complain. He also put down his chopsticks, lay his head on the table, and reluctantly spat out a word: “Sleepy.”

“If you’re sleepy, go upstairs and sleep. I got up early; you don’t have to accompany me for breakfast.” Fu Yunzheng wiped the corners of his mouth with a napkin, his actions exuding elegance, and his words mature enough to take into account Yu He’s feelings and concerns: “Make yourself at home, feel free; no one will pick on you.”

From a young age, there have been many people who made demands of Yu He—

You must do this; you can’t do that; a whole bunch of rules and regulations. It’s the first time someone has explicitly told Yu He, “Feel free, no one will pick on you.”

Before this, Yu He always felt that, no matter who it was, from the moment they were born, they were destined to be criticized and pointed at by others.

People always have a lot of opinions and insights about others’ lives:

You should do this, you shouldn’t do that; I’ve crossed more bridges than you’ve walked roads, all of this is experience; those who didn’t do so have regretted it, you'll suffer if you don’t listen, and so on.

Yu He couldn’t help but think: Can Fu Yunzheng really practice what he preaches?

Or is he just treating me like a child, not picking on me because he finds me pleasing to the eye now, but will start finding faults everywhere once he doesn’t like me one day?

Fu Yunzheng has always been adept at discerning people's hearts, almost as if he has the ability to read minds, able to understand Yu He’s thoughts through those dark and shiny eyes of his.

"I have no reason to lie to you," Fu Yunzheng said.

That does make sense; lies always have their origins.

In a position of powerlessness, with Fu Yunzheng in a significantly higher status than Yu He, even when Yu He was still with the Yu family, it was difficult for him to refuse anything Fu Yunzheng asked of him, let alone now.

Resting his head on his hand, elbow on the dining table, Yu He reached out to grab a custard bun and held it in his hand, "Can I eat like this?"

Before this, he always maintained a straight posture while eating, adhering strictly to dining etiquette—using the knife when it was time for the knife, the fork when it was time for the fork. Later, he noticed that Fu Yunzheng also used chopsticks to eat Western food, so he switched to chopsticks as well.

But when it comes to eating custard buns or deep-fried dough sticks, using chopsticks just doesn't do the trick.

Fu Yunzheng has a three-year-old nephew who also likes to slouch over the table while eating. His sister would always tap the nephew's hand with her chopsticks whenever she saw it. However, Fu Yunzheng felt that it wasn't necessary. Home isn’t a place for strict rules. When he takes his nephew out, the little boy is extremely gentlemanly, even proactively helping ladies lift the curtain.

You might see Yu He listlessly slouching in his chair, munching on a steamed bun now, but a year ago, Fu Yunzheng saw him at a charity gala.

In formal occasions, Yu He was nothing like this.

At that time, while Fu Yunzheng was giving a speech on the stage, Yu He, dressed in a casual suit, stood below, outshining dozens of others in the room. Although everyone was standing together, it seemed as if a spotlight was shining on Yu He's head.

His posture was as straight as a pine or bamboo, filled with pride and transcendence; when he lifted his wine glass, his eyebrows raised slightly, showing he didn’t regard anyone else in the room.

It was a breathtaking glimpse, and Fu Yunzheng remembers it vividly.

Indeed, he didn't regard anyone in his eyes; otherwise, Yu He wouldn't have failed to recognize Fu Yunzheng.

For Yu He, he didn't care who was giving the speech at the gala. While others saw it as an opportunity to get close to Fu Yunzheng, Yu He found it lengthy and boring.

Yu He was like a fleeting breeze or snow for Fu Yunzheng, a stunning and astonishing presence.

Yet for Yu He, Fu Yunzheng was nothing more than an extremely boring stranger, and a talkative one at that.

Times change, and Yu He has fallen from the clouds, like a stunned crane falling into the palm of a hand.

Fu Yunzheng finally caught that little crane.

Nowadays, Fu Yunzheng prefers to stay out of the public eye, rarely attending social events. It's uncertain when he could see such a stunning and eye-catching young crane again. The little crane at present is not yet fully accustomed to him. Not to mention Fu Yunzheng's own reluctance to attend banquets, even if he brings Yu He out, it would be difficult for Yu He to be as spirited and proud as he was back then.

A young person, smooth-sailing in the first half of his life, may lie down at the spot where he stumbled. Once frustrated, it's easy to become timid.

It still requires nurturing and loosening up, spending more time together. Eventually, all the pride and aloofness in Yu He can be cultivated back.

Yu He finished his custard bun while lying on the table, and Fu Yunzheong was also done eating. His phoenix eyes rested on Yu He, observing him as he lay drowsy on the dining table.

Fu Yunzheong asked, “What’s the matter, not sleeping well at night?”

Yu He responded, “I’ve gotten used to being nocturnal, and it’s so quiet at night that I actually find it hard to fall asleep.”

It was the first time Fu Yunzheong had heard of someone unable to sleep because of the quietness. He found it quite refreshing and half-jokingly, half-seriously said, “What should I do, hire a troupe for you?”

Yu He laughed, feeling that Fu Yunzheong was teasing him, “Listening to operas at night is creepy, plus you need to sleep too.”

Fu Yunzheong said, “The Fu estate doesn’t lack anything else, just that it has many detached buildings. The nearest one is 300 meters away from the main mansion, and the farthest is two kilometers away. You can live wherever you want; it won’t disturb me.”

Only then did Yu He realize that Fu Yunzheong thought he was hinting at wanting to move out, as if he didn’t want to live with him.

Talking to a big shot really takes some twists and turns; without using your brain, it's truly hard to understand. If this matter isn’t cleared up, it would seem like hidden criticism in the future, making it seem like Yu He is reluctant to stay with him.

But Yu He really didn’t mean that. He lay his face on the table and looked at Fu Yunzheong with a meaningful expression, “Are you finding me noisy?”

Fu Yunzheong also looked at Yu He and said in a neutral tone, “Speak properly.”

“You were the first to not speak properly,” Yu He muttered, “I don’t want to live by myself, that’s even creepier. I really don’t mean that I don’t want to live with you.”

Fu Yunzheong knew when to stop. Since Yu He had said so, he didn’t press further, only asking, “So, how can you fall asleep?”

Yu He answered, “I like to hear some noise when I sleep. I left a pair of earphones at the Jinse Platform; I want to go get them back.”

Retrieving earphones wasn’t a proper reason. Yu He initially thought that Fu Yunzheong would suggest buying a new pair, since earphones aren’t expensive and aren’t worth the trouble.

Unexpectedly, Fu Yunzheong just nodded slightly and turned to speak to Zhang Shan, “Uncle Zhang, give Wang Wuchuan a call and ask him to come pick up Yu He.”

Yu He was stunned!

After the meal, Fu Yunzheong wheeled himself back to the living room.

The LCD TV was broadcasting early morning financial news. Fu Yunzheong had a paper notebook at hand, occasionally glancing down to jot a few lines with his fountain pen.

Fu Yunzheong’s hands were beautiful, with strong and powerful knuckles. His way of holding the pen and writing was smooth and graceful, exuding a clear and elegant charm, like a graceful and noble young master standing tall amidst the wind.

Seeing that Fu Yunzheong was not in the mood to pay attention to him, Yu He simply lay on the dining table, lost in his thoughts.

The news anchor read the script with precise pronunciation and rounded tones, spouting financial jargon that seemed understandable yet obscure, going in one ear and out the other. Such background noise was most conducive to hypnosis.

Yu He felt as if he had returned to his high school's early morning self-study session, burying his head in his arms, and soon fell asleep.

In his half-asleep, half-awake state, Yu He silently prayed to the god of sleep: hoping no well-intentioned person would call him back to his room to sleep. If anyone woke him up at this moment, his hard-won drowsiness would completely disappear, and he might not be able to suppress his grumpiness.

He still wanted to play the good child for a few more days, to give it a chance.

Please, he begged.

Perhaps the god of sleep was showing mercy, for Yu He slept until noon before waking up.

The first thing he sensed was the faint aroma of food, and he could vaguely hear Fu Yunzheong saying softly, “Set up lunch in the living room, no need to wake him. He’ll come to eat when he’s hungry.”

Zhang Shan didn’t quite agree with Fu Yunzheong’s laissez-faire approach to caregiving and said in a low voice, “How can he sleep like that somewhere? He’ll have a sore back when he wakes up.”

“Leave him be,” Fu Yunzheong said, “His back is fine.”

Maybe not that fine, Yu He countered in his mind.

As his consciousness gradually returned, every bone in Yu He's body felt weak, sore and swollen, with a backache so intense he wished he could pull out his spine, straighten it, and then put it back.

His legs were also numb.

Very, very numb.

His neck hurt, and so did his back.

He groaned, telling himself to face it bravely.

Yu He opened his eyes with determination; he was still lying on the dining table. The breakfast on the table had been cleared away, and a velvet blanket was draped over his back, which fell off as he moved.

Aunt Zhou was the first to see him, saying, “Young Master is awake.”

She brought him a glass of iced Coke, saying, “Time to wake up; it’s just in time for lunch.”

Yu He, feeling parched, took the Coke and drained it in one go. The quick replenishment of sugar helped Yu He muster the courage to fight the numbness in his legs.

He stood up, supporting himself on the dining table.

No sooner had his feet touched the ground than a pain as sharp as a needle’s prick spread upwards. Yu He repeatedly exclaimed, “No, no, no, no.”

Amidst the numbness and pain, his legs gave way, and he fell off the chair with a ‘clang’.

The fall was hard and noisy, attracting the attention of Fu Yunzheng, who came over from the living room to check on him.

Seeing this, Aunt Zhou let out a cry of alarm and hurriedly circled around the dining table to help Yu He, asking, “What happened?”

Yu He moaned, “My leg is numb.”

Aunt Zhou, in her fifties and kind-hearted, looked at Yu He as if he were a younger relative, saying, “Oh dear, you’re always so clumsy. If your leg is numb, just move it around a bit, it’ll get better soon.”

Yu He no longer had the courage to move his leg. He sighed and rubbed his waist, saying, “I can’t move it anymore; it’s done for now.”

As soon as these words were uttered, the dining room fell abruptly silent, descending into a deathly stillness.

Realizing that Aunt Zhou had suddenly stopped speaking, Yu He turned to look at her, only to find her cautiously watching Fu Yunzheng.

There were about a dozen servants in the villa, and at this moment, they all stopped what they were doing to gauge Fu Yunzheng’s mood.

The previously warm and composed atmosphere in the villa vanished in an instant, and the air became tense and oppressive.

Although the midday sun of autumn shone through the floor-to-ceiling windows, no one felt its warmth.

“I’m done for,” Yu He lamented in his heart.

His leg might really be beyond saving this time. Saying the word “done for” in front of Fu Yunzheng was like stabbing a knife straight into his heart, wasn’t it?

It was said that Fu Yunzheng had once driven a supplier’s business to bankruptcy in just a few days, simply because they called him disabled!

At this moment, Fu Yunzheng’s face was unreadable, his icy gaze seemed to fall on Yu He’s face and his leg at the same time.

It was really bizarre. Could a tycoon’s gaze be encrypted? Why was it so hard to interpret?

The wheelchair rolled over the ceramic tiles, the sound of the wheels friction against the ground was exceptionally clear.

The electric wheelchair moved straight towards Yu He. He held his breath, feeling as if the wheelchair was about to roll over his legs. It didn’t matter whether it was a wheelchair or a truck; Yu He couldn’t avoid it.

The wheelchair stopped just beside Yu He’s leg.

Fu Yunzheng looked down at Yu He from his elevated position, exuding an oppressive aura that took one’s breath away.

Under the heavy weight of this oppressive feeling, Fu Yunzhe lifted his hand.

Yu He’s heart pounded furiously; he remained still and closed his eyes.