Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Yu He didn't mention the two hundred thousand prize money, only saying that participating in the challenge would give him a chance to connect with Master Meng during a live stream.

Fu Yunzhang was disinfecting a phone stand with an alcohol wipe, sighing, "You really are a loyal fan of Master Meng."

Yu He used a wallpaper knife to cut the yellow tape on the parcel, taking out a box of black masks. He tried one on and looked in the mirror, "Master Meng is really amazing. Ever since I started soaking my feet in his foot bath every day, your feet aren't as cold at night."

What does this have to do with the foot bath?

Not wanting to dampen Yu He's enthusiasm, Fu Yunzhang agreed, "Indeed."

Yu He commented, "Master Meng is actually an external disciple of the TCM practitioner Shen Sanzhen, Shen Han. Do you know of him? He's a visiting professor at Fengcheng University, specializing in acupuncture and tuina massage."

Fu Yunzhen was a bit surprised, "He's a disciple of Shen Han?"

After Fu Yunzhen became paralyzed, Shen Han had treated him. A few days of acupuncture had brought about a noticeable improvement, boosting Fu Yunzhen's confidence to undergo a third surgery. However, the results of that third surgery were not as desired.

When he returned, Shen Han no longer treated Fu Yunzhen, stating that he was too impatient, and that impatience was counterproductive when it came to Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Now, old Mr. Shen is eighty-four years old, having spent his life helping the world and enjoying an extremely prestigious status in the medical field. He is quite temperamental—when he decides not to treat someone, nobody can persuade him otherwise.

Even though the stories of reviving the dead and healing the bones are fascinating, Yu He knows about Shen Han not because of old Mr. Shen's medical skills, but because of the story about Shen Sanzhen's nickname, told by Master Meng.

This story has a somewhat fantastical element, and whether it's true or not is unclear. Regardless, Yu He always listens with great interest.

The story goes back to the time of the "Four Olds" campaign, when many temples and shrines were destroyed, resulting in an unusually high number of people being possessed. The old saying didn’t call it possession, but rather ‘being bewitched’.

The milder symptoms included catching colds, falling ill, vomiting, and diarrhea. More severe cases involved incoherent speech, and violent and abusive behavior. The worst cases were those where people lost control over their own words and actions, as if they had become someone else entirely.

In the realm of Traditional Chinese Medicine, possession was not referred to as possession but rather as hysteria. Since it was considered a medical condition, it could be treated. Legend has it that in his youth, Shen Sanzhen was best at treating hysteria with acupuncture. Regardless of how severe the possession was, two needles were all that was needed for a cure.

"No one has ever seen him use the third needle," Yu He said solemnly, "because the third needle would take the life of the ghost or demon. That would be too damaging to one's moral integrity. Generally, by the time he’s inserted the second needle, the ghosts or demons know not to mess with Shen Sanzhen and they leave on their own."

Yu He recounted a story he had heard from Master Meng.

About sixty years ago, a woman in a village claimed she was possessed by a fox spirit. Shen Sanzhen happened to be there, and was invited to help. At that time, he was young and went straight to work without asking questions. The first needle was inserted right at the Renzhong acupoint, between the woman’s nose and upper lip.

This fox spirit was incredibly powerful and instead of being afraid, it revealed its identity and threatened Shen Sanzhen. However, as soon as the second needle was inserted into the woman’s chest, the fox spirit immediately submitted, kowtowing and begging for mercy, saying repeatedly, "I’ll leave, I’ll leave right away."

Seeing this, Shen Sanzhen withdrew the needles, and the woman returned to normal.

Yu He narrated the story with great enthusiasm, "But here's the twist. After Shen Sanzhen left, the fox spirit came back, even more aggressively than before. The family had no choice but to invite Shen Sanzhen again. This time, he didn’t say a word. He just slapped his needle case onto the table, and the fox spirit, recognizing him, said, ‘It’s you again?’ and then, without waiting for Shen Sanzhen to start with the needles, it fled. The woman’s hysteria was cured on the spot."

Fu Yunzhen was a bit chilled by the story, "You actually believe this?"

Yu He nodded, "I love hearing these mysterious and supernatural stories. It feels like there are things in this world that can’t be explained by science. Although he never used the third needle, he offended too many spirits in his early years, and that’s why he lost sight in one eye when he was in his forties."

Fu Yunzhen, still feeling a chill down his spine, said, "But I heard that he lost his eyesight due to cataracts."

Yu He paused for a moment, then replied, "Master Meng said it was because he offended the spirits."

Fu Yunzhen threw the now dry alcohol wipe into the trash and held Yu He’s wrist, saying, "The Master said, ‘A wise man does not believe in superstitions.’ Let’s stop setting up the live streaming equipment for now and go downstairs to copy some scriptures together."

Yu He: "???"

A refreshing fragrance fills the study, rising straight up in the air, creating gentle waves around the incense burner and ascending to the sky.

Sitting to one side, Yu He watches as Fu Yunzheng unfolds a piece of gold-sprinkled rice paper, grinding the ink with one hand.

Fu Yunzheng's movements are graceful, reminiscent of a noble young master from a painting. He lifts his eyes and gives Yu He a glance, both poised and charming.

Yu He puts down the "Tao Te Ching" in his hands: "Isn’t the 'Tao Te Ching' a bit too orthodox? Is it powerful enough to stabilize the situation?"

"Copying scriptures is for calming the mind, not for making talismans," Fu Yunzheng finishes grinding the ink, lifts his wrist, and effortlessly writes down a line of characters.

Yu He praises, "Are you imitating the 'Kuai Xue Shi Qing Tie'?"

Dipping his brush in ink, Fu Yunzheng turns his head and replies, "Yes, I admire Wang Xizhi's calligraphy."

Yu He also becomes interested. He picks up a brush, dips it in ink, and writes down two characters: "I've been learning Zhao Ji’s thin gold script."

He adds the character 'He' (Crane) after the previously written 'Yunzheng'.

Yu He comments, “The character 'He' looks beautiful in thin gold script."

The character 'He' in traditional script has many strokes, and the structure of thin gold script is extremely difficult to master. However, Yu He’s brushwork is nimble and swift, his strokes are thin and vigorous, perfectly embodying the ‘extremely thin yet not lacking in substance’ characteristic of thin gold script, with hidden sharp turns clearly visible.

Thin gold script is also known as 'Crane Script'. Without real skill, who would dare to use thin gold script to write the character 'He'? The character before us has a tight internal structure and flowing external strokes, reminiscent of bending and twisting metal, imbued with a noble spirit and subtle charm.

Such brushwork cannot be achieved without over a decade of practice.

Fu Yunzheng is somewhat surprised: "Your soft brush calligraphy is this good?"

"Don’t underestimate me. My skills come from meticulous study," Yu He confidently adds a touch to the paper, swiftly painting a vivid ink rabbit. The young man, his feelings just beginning to blossom, wishes he could show all his skills to his beloved: "I also learned painting from Master Lin Wen-shui for a few days."

Hearing the name Lin Wen-shui, Fu Yunzheng pauses slightly: "The master of Chinese painting, Lin Wen-shui?"

"Mhm." Yu He paints another rabbit, making a pair. Satisfied, he puts down the brush and proudly taps on the rice paper: "The old blade is still sharp."

After a moment of silence, Fu Yunzheng asks, "You have a lot of talent in calligraphy and painting. Why didn’t you continue to learn?"

Hearing Fu Yunzheng praise his talent, Yu He slightly raises his eyebrows. He can't hide his pride, saying, "Learning Chinese painting means becoming an apprentice and serving the master at his home. I was very young at the time, only eight or nine years old. My mother... my foster mother thought I wasn't capable of taking care of myself, so she didn’t let me go."

At this point, Yu He grabbed Fu Yunzheng's sleeve and said, "I just remembered, back then I had a fever every day, and the temperature wouldn't go down even after taking fever-reducing medicine. I must have been burning up and delirious. It must have been some kind of possession. Our cleaning lady carried me around the villa, cursing all the way, and after that, I got better. What a coincidence. Have you ever heard that ghosts are afraid of malicious people?"

Fu Yunzheng was writing when Yu He grabbed him, causing the ink on the tip of his brush to suddenly drop, leaving a large ink spot on the rice paper. He wasn’t annoyed; he simply lifted the ruined sheet and replaced it with a new one.

Fu Yunzheng spoke with profound meaning: "People are also afraid of malicious individuals."

Yu He was stunned for a moment, somewhat bewildered: "What do you mean?"

Putting down his brush, Fu Yunzheng said, "I rarely speak without basis... but do you know why I insisted on taking you out of Jinse Terrace?"

Yu He looked at Fu Yunzheng, his eyes revealing an untainted sincerity and simplicity: "Isn’t it because I’m good-looking?"

"Good-looking," Fu Yunzheng affirmed, dotting an ink spot at the corner of Yu He's eye. "I set my sights on you because you are good-looking..." He then smeared the ink spot on Yu He’s face with his thumb, greedily observing the stain on his cheek: "Others set their sights on you, naturally, also because you are good-looking."

Only then did Yu He remember what Wang Wuchuan had told him before—that someone had been inquiring about him, someone wanted to harm him, and someone wanted to take advantage of him.

Staying by Fu Yunzheng's side, Yu He had almost forgotten all about these crises. Clearly, Fu Yunzheng was the one wanting to take advantage of him, but as for the one wanting to harm him...

Yu He slowly widened his eyes.

"Lin Wenshui is among them," Fu Yunzheng stated with certainty. "Considering your close call with becoming his apprentice at the age of eight, I can’t help but suspect that you narrowly escaped a disaster back then."

A hard-to-accept expression appeared on Yu He’s face: "That can't be... Master Lin..."

He suddenly recalled the words Lin Wenshui had once said:

"In ancient times, the white crane was recognized as a top-grade bird of elegance, symbolizing 'loyalty, integrity, and noble character.'"

"You are worthy of the name 'He' (crane)."

"Proud and crystal-clear, not tainted by the mundane world, I really like this child. Since we are fated to meet, I will teach him for a few days. If he shows talent, I will take him back with me and personally teach him how to paint."

......

"Yu He, hold the brush properly. I’ll hold your hand..."

.......

"The child has been having a fever continuously, and his parents are not at home. Otherwise, I would take him to the hospital."

The robust figure of the cleaning lady stood in front of Yu He, her loud voice refusing firmly: "I can't explain to Mrs. Yu when she gets back. I think the child has been bewitched by something dirty. Young Master Yu is so handsome, like a little golden boy. It must be some restless ghost or stray spirit..."

Having said that, the cleaning lady picked up Yu He and started walking around the villa, scolding as she went. It didn’t take long before Lin Wen Shui left.

Recalling the scattered details of his interactions with Lin Wen Shui, Yu He realized in hindsight that the cleaning lady wasn’t really scolding ghosts; she was clearly making veiled references and cursing by implication!

She made Lin Wen Shui feel guilty as if he were a thief, and that’s why he left.

Yu He: "......"

Fu Yun Zheng watched Yu He intently. Seeing the look of sudden realization on Yu He's face, he clenched his fist a bit nervously, his thumb unconsciously pressing against his knuckles. He asked tentatively, “You... nothing happened, right?”

Yu He shook his head, getting more and more angry as he spoke: “I almost got taken away when I had a fever! It was my cleaning lady; she carried me around the house, cursing and saying stuff about dirty things and nonsense, scaring him away! Damn it, he probably didn’t come back because he was afraid she would tell my family or something. That old pervert.”

Yu He looked at the pair of ink rabbits he had just drawn, furious, and ripped the drawing.

Hearing that Yu He was okay, Fu Yun Zheng visibly relaxed, patting Yu He on the back: “Don’t be angry, it's good that you're okay.”

Yu He was still shaken. He had always thought that such things happened only in the news and were far from him. He didn’t spend much time with Lin Wen Shui, and most of their interactions consisted of Lin praising him. Yu He rarely received compliments as a child, and being praised for his talent and taught how to draw ink rabbits by a master of traditional Chinese painting left a deep impression. But now, those compliments all seemed tainted with ulterior motives, insincere, and impure.

“That's so disgusting,” Yu He took out his phone, “I'm going to curse him out in the comments on his Weibo.”

Fu Yun Zheng coughed lightly and turned Yu He’s phone upside down on the table: “What’s the point of cursing him out online? I’ll take you to him someday, and you can scold him to his face. That would be more satisfying.”

Yu He looked at Fu Yun Zheng as if to say ‘Are you kidding me?’

Fu Yun Zheng handed the landline’s handset to Yu He, flipped through the phone book, and dialed a number: “You can also call and curse him out right now.”

Yu He: "......"

He was skeptical but placed the handset to his ear.

After a few rings, an old and hoarse male voice came through the other end: “Hello, is that Mr. Fu?”

Yu He: “!!!”

He hastily hung up the handset and unplugged the phone line.

Fu Yun Zheng couldn’t help but chuckle: “What are you panicking for?”

“You know him?” Yu He crossed his arms. His worldview had been completely overturned that evening, and he felt a subtle doubt about the entire world. Staring at Fu Yun Zheng, he asked, “You won’t get tired of me one day and send me to him, will you?”

Fu Yunzhen nodded, “Three months ago, Lin Wenshui reached out to me through someone, conveying pretty much the same message.”

Yu He couldn’t help but raise his voice, letting out an exclamation, “What? You agreed?”

Fu Yunzhen covered his ears, shaken by the volume, “How could I possibly agree?”

Yu He grabbed Fu Yunzhen’s shoulders, shaking them frantically, “You can’t abandon me, and you definitely can’t give me away, understand?!”

Caught off guard, Fu Yunzhen was shaken until he felt dizzy, “I know, I know.”

“If you give me away, I’ll never speak to you again.” Yu He finally released Fu Yunzhen’s shoulders, but, still worried, he grasped and shook them again as if to firmly implant this thought into Fu Yunzhen’s mind, “We are already, already the best of friends, you know.”

Fu Yunzhen repeated with confusion, “Friends?”

Yu He nodded and left a kiss on the corner of Fu Yunzhen’s lips, “The best of friends, just a little bit less than boyfriends.”

The cobwebs of old times were being unraveled, causing a momentary collapse in Yu He’s worldview, placing him in an abnormally excited state.

If it wasn't for this accidental mention, given Yu He's obtuseness, he probably would have never known about Lin Wenshui's feelings towards him in this lifetime.

Fu Yunzhen had long known that Lin Wenshui was waiting for Yu He to fall on hard times, which is why he took the initiative to bring Yu He out of Jinse Tai. However, he had never taken the initiative to talk about who else had been inquiring about Yu He at that time. Thinking about it, even if he did mention those people, Yu He wouldn't recognize them.

It was only today, when Yu He happened to bring up old times from his childhood, that Fu Yunzhen’s suspicions and fears arose. Lin Wenshui and Yu He had crossed paths before and even had a connection through painting and calligraphy. Fu Yunzhen was worried that Yu He would let his guard down. If it weren't for this, Fu Yunzhen would not have taken the initiative to uncover these dirty secrets for Yu He.

When did this world become so dangerous?

If Yu He were truly a little crane at this moment, probably all of its feathers would be fluffed up, turning into a ball of crane.

But Yu He is in such a panic, while Fu Yunzhen, acting like nothing happened, is calm and composed. Can’t he see that he is all fluffed up? Shouldn't he hold him and soothe him?

It's fine if Fu Yunzhen doesn't hold him and soothe him, but when Yu He went to kiss Fu Yunzhen, he even dodged backward!

Yu He immediately grabbed the back of Fu Yunzhen’s neck, turning a kiss on the corner of the mouth into a kiss on the lips, even attempting to gently lick with his tongue.

Fu Yunzhen shifted uneasily, tilting his head to avoid the soft lips, softly calling out, “Xiao He...”

Yu He pursued, looking reproachfully at Fu Yunzhen, his index finger playing with the pattern on Fu Yunzhen’s trousers, “What are you dodging for? Aren’t we the best of friends?”

Fu Yunzhen took a shallow, rapid breath, “I generally... don't kiss my good friends.”

Yu He pecked a kiss on Fu Yunzhen’s Adam's apple, “But we’ve been in bed together many, many times.”

Fu Yunzheng's eyes slightly wavered, finding himself unable to refute Yu He's emphatic 'very many'.

Because it indeed happened very many times.

“Don’t you find it disgusting?” Fu Yunzheng clenched his fist, the blunt pain as his fingernails dug into his palm clearing the haze in his mind: “You know you’re being coveted by men, and you’re clearly so angry about it... I’m no different from them.”

Yu He then leaned in again to kiss Fu Yunzheng: “How can that be? How are you in any way similar to them?”

Fu Yunzheng pushed Yu He away, turning his head to stare at a patch of light on the floor: “It’s all about lust, using money, using means to keep you by my side, to become intimate with you.”

Yu He lowered his head, placing his hands on Fu Yunzheng’s knees: “I’ve always wanted to find the right moment to say, perhaps our relationship could appropriately escalate.”

Perhaps it was the experience of being driven out of the Yu family by his foster parents that made Yu He distrustful of simple intimate relationships. The familial bonds built over nineteen years proved so fragile; now Fu Yunzheng was his financial supporter, and theoretically, there was a transactional element to their relationship, making it in a way simpler and more solid, just like his foster father Yu Shiqin always said, ‘People need to be useful to avoid being discarded.’

Perhaps to Fu Yunzheng, supporting him financially was also because he found him useful.

If he became Fu Yunzheng’s boyfriend, his compensated labor would turn into uncompensated labor. Would Fu Yunzheng still find him useful then?

But if not as a boyfriend, what other role could be a bit closer than a financial supporter but still a bit more distant than a boyfriend?

Yu He racked his brains and cleverly came up with an answer: a bed partner.

Yu He stammered, somewhat embarrassed: “Just a personal thought.”

Fu Yunzheng: “Go ahead and speak.”

Yu He: “If you think it’s inappropriate, just pretend I never said it.”

Fu Yunzheng, who has never been this nervous even when waiting for a bid result, found himself at a loss for words at this moment, unable to say anything other than “Go ahead and speak.”

Fu Yunzheng used his eyes to urge, signaling Yu He to speak quickly.

And so, Yu He spoke. His voice was incredibly clear, his eyes like blooming peach blossoms, filled with deep affection as he looked at Fu Yunzheng.

Yu He said to Fu Yunzheng: “You’re different from them.”

In that moment, Fu Yunzheng's world went silent.

His narrow eyes slightly widened, and although Fu Yunzheng could hear many sounds, it seemed like he could only hear his own heartbeat.

He was just about to say something when he heard Yu He say, “I think you’re a great bedmate, I really like you, we could give it a try together.”

The air froze in an instant.

The light that hadn’t yet shone in Fu Yunzhen’s eyes suddenly extinguished. His gaze deepened, and he couldn’t help but laugh out of irritation, “Bedmate, give it a try?”

I’ve long known that the young people of today have very avant-garde thoughts. A little bit of mutual attraction and they can end up in bed together, without defining the relationship or getting married, even engaging in open marriages, or partner swapping.

Young people like to play, but he’s not up for that game.

Fu Yunzhen’s tone was indifferent, as if it didn’t matter to him, “What kind of liking is this?”

Yu He was not convinced, and he retorted, “How is this not liking?”

“We’ve only been together for a few months, been to bed a few times, you think I’m pretty good, nice to sleep with, that’s lust, not liking.” Fu Yunzhen, with his back to Yu He, spoke calmly, almost cruelly, “Wait until you meet someone you truly like, then you’ll know how coarse these feelings born out of lust really are.”

Yu He stood up from the chair, hesitantly looking at Fu Yunzhen’s back.

He didn’t like that Fu Yunzhen described their relationship as coarse.

Yu He took a deep breath and asked in a heavy voice, “Coarse?”

Fu Yunzhen, with his back to Yu He, spoke emotionlessly, “Xiao He, liking someone shouldn’t start with lust.”

“Fine, so in Mr. Fu’s eyes, there are high and low, noble and humble kinds of liking,” Yu He’s eyes turned slightly cold, and he sneered, “Alright, it seems I’m just selling myself short.”

Fu Yunzhen’s breath hitched, his face as calm as still water, unfathomable. He said nothing more; his electric wheelchair emitted a soft sound as it slowly left the study.

Watching Fu Yunzhen’s back, Yu He’s rosy lips pressed together. Just seeing the name written on the Xuan paper made him angry.

Why is Fu Yunzhen like this?

They were just writing and talking together, and now Yu He is so irritated he wants to leave home. But it’s only 2 degrees Celsius outside. If he rides his motorcycle now, the cold wind would almost blow his skull open.

I’m so angry, so angry, so angry, so angry, so angry!

Yu He sat in the study, started a live stream, and calmed his mind by writing with a brush.

He dipped the brush in ink ground by Fu Yunzhen, and wrote a character on the paper.

The ink was a bit dry, making his strokes seem a bit stiff. Yu He put down the brush to dilute the ink, and the rich black ink gently diffused in the inkstone.

By the time he copied down the 23rd chapter of the Tao Te Ching, Yu He’s heart finally settled down.

The Tao Te Ching states, "Even the universe cannot endure forever; how much less can man?” Harmony brings union, while discord leads to separation. Fu Yunzhen is now talking about how feelings borne out of desire are crude. But when he was the one stirring up my emotions, why didn’t he say it was crude? He only made me take it slow.

Yu He was so angry that he was gritting his teeth.

He dialed a number, seeking help from his technical guide and emotional mentor—

Jinse Terrace's Xiao En.

Jinse Terrace is busiest at night, but Xiao En still took the time to answer Yu He’s call.

Xiao En’s voice came through the receiver: “Yu He?”

Yu He didn’t waste any words, getting straight to the point: “Send me some more videos.”

Xiao En was surprised: “You’ve finished the 2GB I sent last time?”

Yu He lowered his eyes, a fierce gleam in his beautiful, peach blossom-shaped eyes: “I’ve pretty much absorbed all of that. I want to learn something new and trendy, something that can make someone… you know?”

Xiao En paused, thinking: My god, what’s gotten into Yu He?

He gestured for his colleagues, who were partying around him, to quiet down, took a sip of his drink to calm his nerves, and said, “Got it. So you want it to be irresistible, to make them unable to leave you, right?”

Yu He hummed in affirmation.

There was silence on Xiao En’s end for a while, and it sounded like he had moved to a quieter place: “Yu He, listen, money should be earned gradually. Don’t be too hasty. Using normal methods, how can there be instant results?”

Yu He’s words carried a hint of madness: “Then give me something abnormal!”