Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Fu Yunzheng was undoubtedly a perfect partner.

Mature, formidable, yet indulgently lenient, Fu Yunzheng maintains emotional stability without displacing his anger onto others, even from his high position. He is capable of withstanding storms and setbacks, navigating through them with ease.

Being with Fu Yunzheng, Yu He's most immediate feeling is a sense of peace, as if he has found a grand harbor. Staying by Fu Yunzheng’s side brings an end to the perpetual feeling of drifting that Yu He has long experienced.

Even when he was still with the Yu family, Yu He’s nerves were constantly on edge.

In addition to physical violence, Yu Shiqian also had a psychological impact on Yu He.

Yu Shiqian's mood was extremely unstable. One moment he could be praising Yu He’s academic achievements, and the next he might flip the table over because he thought the food was too salty or the porridge was too hot. After dishes and bowls clattered to the floor, his large hands would turn to Yu He. Yu Shiqian was cunning; he never hit the face, to prevent outsiders from noticing anything amiss.

The Yu family did not have a sprawling estate like Fu Yunzheng’s private residence; their villa was located in the center of the expensive city of Fengcheng, with not a particularly great distance between neighboring villas.

Therefore, Yu He could neither run nor cry.

Otherwise, the beating would be even worse.

For a long time, Yu He thought it was because he wasn't trying hard enough or wasn't useful enough, and that was why his father would discipline him. After all, before the end of term exams or competitions, Yu Shiqian would not hit him, needing Yu He’s good grades as a topic of conversation.

Yu He studied as hard as he could, coming first in his class, but then there was still first in the whole school, first in the district, first in the city, and first in the country. There were too many "firsts" in the world, and no matter how hard Yu He tried, he could never meet Yu Shiqian’s demands.

Later, as Yu He grew up and attended banquets, he realized it wasn’t that he wasn’t excellent enough, but that some middle-aged men are just naturally argumentative. If you just mentioned your child could play the piano, they would surely bring up someone else's child who has passed Grade 10 in piano, determined to outdo you.

Before he started junior high, Yu He never thought of resisting; after all, which child hasn't been beaten by their parents?

That changed the day Yu He saw Yu Shiqian hitting Zhang Wan.

At that time, no one knew that Yu He was not the biological child of Yu Shiqian and Zhang Wan. Yu He truly regarded Zhang Wan as his biological mother, and seeing his mother being beaten by his father, he lifted a chair and smashed it onto Yu Shiqian’s back.

Yu He was extremely scared, but he was tall for his age, already 176 cm at thirteen, not much shorter than Yu Shiqian. He mustered all his courage, raised a fruit knife towards Yu Shiqian, and tremblingly said, "Dare to hit my mom again, and I'll kill you."

He was like a young beast, confronting the once unreachable patriarchal authority for the first time.

Yu He thought that Yu Shiqian would rush over and beat him, but he didn’t. Moreover, from that day on, Yu Shiqian almost stopped beating Yu He.

Yu Shiqian's mood was still extremely unstable; he would get angry if pressing the remote control didn’t change the TV channel, and he would get angry if the news didn’t report what he wanted to hear.

He would get angry if the food was too salty, and he would also get angry if the food was too bland.

As Yu He was eating, the dining table could still suddenly be flipped over by Yu Shiqian. Only now, the hand that flipped the table never fell on Yu He again. Even when Yu Shiqian was at his angriest, he would at most dare to throw something at Yu He from his hand.

Yu Shiquan was truly terrified of death. Ever since Yu He wielded a knife, he dared not lay a finger on Zhang Wan again, even going to the extent of sleeping in separate rooms and locking the door at night.

Holding Yu He in her arms, Zhang Wan said, “Xiao He has grown up; he can protect mommy now.”

At the age of thirteen, Yu He had a clear understanding of his father, hence, fear arose in his heart. He dreaded the possibility of Yu Shiquan’s retaliation, yet he had to pretend to be calm and strong. Yu Shiquan was constantly scrutinizing Yu He for any signs of weakness, aware that if any timidity was discovered, the consequences would be more severe than before.

He must protect himself and his mother.

Yu He was like a young beast whose claws and teeth were not sharp enough yet, forcibly trying to appear fearless and strong. This caused him anxiety, insomnia, and his academic performance plummeted. Fortunately, his acting skills were quite exquisite. Yu Shiquan mistook Yu He's behavior as a sign of adolescence – a time when teenagers are known to be sensitive, irritable, and unpredictable, capable of anything, yet not held accountable by the law. The whole world knows how troublesome teenagers can be during their rebellious phase, so Yu Shiquan dared not trouble Yu He carelessly.

While at the Yu residence, Yu He was always on high alert. However, after arriving at Yun Su, Fu Yunzhe quickly established a sense of security for Yu He. Lying beside Fu Yunzhe, Yu He could sleep very, very, soundly.

This was a kind of relaxation that was hard to describe in words. If he had to explain it, it was as if in a certain moment, Yu He suddenly realized:

Oh, so this is another way to live —

Without constantly being on edge, without worrying about someone suddenly getting angry near him, without always having to defend and protect himself.

Yu He stretched out his arms, pulling Fu Yunzhe into his embrace, rubbing his face gently against the back of Fu Yunzhe's pajamas, like a small animal.

People often describe Fu Yunzhe as capricious, but Yu He didn’t think so. He believed Fu Yunzhe’s emotional management was far better than that of normal people.

If someone made Fu Yunzhe angry, it was definitely that person’s fault.

There were rustling sounds behind him, and Fu Yunzhe woke up soon after. He had gone to bed late the previous night, and Yu He had persuaded him to work overtime before sleeping. The consequences of overindulgence were evident, and his body still felt tired.

Fu Yunzhe opened his eyes for a moment and then quickly closed them again, his voice slightly hoarse and lazy: “Xiao He, stop it, let’s sleep a bit longer.”

Yu He made a sound of agreement, his strong arms tightly wrapped around Fu Yunzhe's waist. Fu Yunzhe lifted his hand and patted Yu He's arm, conveying a soothing sentiment, as if comforting a lover who had just woken up from a nightmare or coaxing a child who had woken up too early to sleep a bit longer.

“Mr. Fu…” Yu He called out softly, but then he didn’t know what to say. He felt a strange and incredibly sentimental feeling. Even though Fu Yunzhe was in his arms, Yu He still missed him.

Yu He felt a bit bashful yet missed him intensely, so he confessed in a soft voice, “I really miss you.”

“I’m here, Xiao He.” Fu Yunzhe’s head slowly sank, sleepiness overwhelming his senses. He responded in a drowsy voice, “I’m here.”

The two embraced and fell back asleep, not waking up until noon.

When lunchtime arrived, the servants waited for Fu Yunzhe and Yu He to come downstairs, but no one dared to go upstairs rashly. When Young Master Yu He first arrived, their supervisor at the time, Li Jing, had woken him up while he was sleeping, and since then, Mr. Fu had forbidden any servant from going upstairs without permission.

Mr. Fu was very particular about cleanliness; the ornaments in the house needed to be cleaned twice a day, and even before Young Master Yu moved in, every hidden corner was spotless and tidy.

After Young Master Yu arrived, the workload of the helpers significantly decreased, as Yu He spent most of his initial days staying in his room.

As long as Yu He was on the second floor, there was no need to clean that area.

Young Master Yu He didn’t have a set time for sleeping. Mr. Fu did not allow them to go upstairs and disturb Young Master Yu, and they had to wait until Yu He came downstairs for a meal before they could quickly tidy up all the rooms on the second floor.

“What if Young Master Yu doesn't come downstairs at all?” Team Leader Li Jing asked.

Mr. Fu answered indifferently, “Then, don’t clean it.”

The helpers heard that it was because Team Leader Li Jing did not follow this rule that she was sent back to the property company!

Under these circumstances, who would dare to go upstairs to see what was happening? They hurriedly called back Housekeeper Zhang Shan, who was at the company settling accounts.

Zhang Shan rushed back, fearing that something might have happened. He didn't even change his shoes before dashing upstairs, knocking on the door for a long time. Just as he was about to break in, Yu He, rubbing his eyes, opened the door.

“What’s the matter, Uncle Zhang?” Yu He asked innocently.

Zhang Shan took a deep breath, trying to suppress his anxiety as he asked, “Where is Mr. Fu?”

Yu He yawned, “He hasn’t gotten up yet.”

Zhang Shan: “???”

How could that be possible? Fu Yunzhou was extremely disciplined. Before his legs were injured, he would jog 5-10 kilometers every morning. Even after the injury, he made it a point to sit at the dining table by 7 a.m. every day to listen to financial news.

Now... it’s already 12:30 in the afternoon. How could he still be asleep?

Zhang Shan didn’t think much, lifting his hand, he was about to push Yu He aside and barge into the bedroom.

Yu He frowned, blocking Zhang Shan, “Uncle Zhang?”

Fu Yunzhou’s voice came from inside the bedroom, “Uncle Zhang, go downstairs first. We’ll be down in a moment.”

Hearing Fu Yunzhou’s voice, Zhang Shan finally breathed a sigh of relief and quickly asked, “Mr. Fu, are you feeling unwell? Should I call the family doctor to have a look?”

Fu Yunzhou replied, “No need, we just woke up late.”

Zhang Shan’s face was full of confusion: Woke up late?

As Yu He closed the bedroom door, he caught a glimpse of Zhang Shan's shoes that he hadn’t had time to change. He couldn’t help but chuckle to himself before entering the bedroom.

Fu Yunzhang was sitting up in bed, his pajama neckline accidentally undone, revealing two buttons undone which he hadn’t noticed.

Oversleeping often leaves one in a kind of lethargic fatigue, simply put: too lazy to move.

This was indeed a rare sight.

Every morning, when Yu He would linger in bed, he would see Fu Yunzhang, as if programmed like a robot, opening his eyes to clarity and swiftly getting out of bed, getting dressed, sitting in his wheelchair to wash up and shave. Then he would return to the bedside, pick out a wristwatch to wear, and neatly leave the room.

Every time after washing up, Fu Yunzhang would carry a special refreshing scent on him. Yu He, nestled in the quilts, would take the opportunity while Fu Yunzhang was choosing his wristwatch to playfully tug at him.

Sometimes Fu Yunzhang would stop his action of putting on his watch, lean down for a kiss from Yu He, and sometimes he would turn a blind eye to Yu He’s coquettish behavior.

If every time Yu He tugged at him, he responded, he would have no time to do anything else all day long. Yu He has an unusually strong attachment to physical contact, far beyond Fu Yunzhang’s imagination.

Fu Yunzhang consulted a related adolescent psychological expert, who explained that this behavior was a manifestation of insecurity. A teenager who did not receive attention or feel valued in the family would use this method to attract their partner's attention when they grew up.

The expert said: "Especially since he experienced domestic violence as a child, he is using this method to confirm ‘safety’. Essentially, it is a test of your emotions. Physical contact helps him confirm your emotions. In severe cases, it can be pathological, but from your description, the situation is still manageable. However, I still advise against complying too much with his tests, as this kind of probing is not healthy... Continuing to build his sense of trust is necessary to help him completely move on from the shadows of his past."

Fu Yunzhang had been trying his best to restrain himself from initiating physical contact with Yu He. Apart from the reasons mentioned by the psychologist, he himself did not want to create an atmosphere for Yu He where he felt harassed all the time.

There was a transactional nature to their relationship, which made Fu Yunzhang even more self-disciplined. He always felt that in such a relationship, touching, hugging, and kissing Yu He could easily become tainted with a sense of playfulness.

It's like when a couple hugs on the street, no one thinks much of it. But if people knew that one of them was being kept by the other, the looks from others would become strange.

Fu Yunzhang meticulously maintained a boundary that only he could see, including not initiating physical contact, not casually entering Yu He’s room, not prying into Yu He’s private matters, and not checking Yu He’s phone.

It was like raising a real crane, a bird free to come and go as it pleases.

When the little crane was first brought home, it could not be touched. At first, it would hide in the corner. Forcing it out would only scare and stress it out. You had to wait until it felt safe and came out on its own.

This restraint brought Fu Yunzhang surprising rewards. The little crane quickly felt that this mansion was a suitable habitat, easily agreeing to stay for one year, two years, three years.

Three years, more than a thousand days and nights, was already quite a long time for Fu Yunzhang.

Fortunately, Yu He was young enough. Even after three years, he would only be 22, with plenty of time for everything. By then, sending Yu He abroad to study, spending four or five years before returning to the country, no one would talk about this unpleasant past anymore, as people’s memories are short.

He wasn’t noble enough to completely control his desires, and still dragged Yu He into this tumultuous world, but he couldn’t be too selfish. He had to let go eventually, giving Yu He a chance for a bright future.

Fu Yunzhang felt a mix of joy and melancholy in his heart. Waking up feeling lethargic, his body sore and unwilling to move, he just sat on the bed, spacing out and letting his mind wander.

Yu He sat beside Fu Yunzheng, stretching out his hand to touch Fu Yunzheng's forehead, feeling a cool temperature under his fingertips.

Yu He said, “You don’t have a fever. You scared me to death; I thought I made you sick again.”

Fu Yunzheng’s pupils shifted, his gaze gentle: “I’m not so frail as to fall ill that easily.”

Suddenly, Yu He remembered their first time together.

My God, he actually realized it only after almost four months, that not only was it his first time, but it was also Fu Yunzheng's first time!

No wonder Fu Yunzheng had a fever the following night.

Regrettably, Yu He didn’t know at that time. He left when Fu Yunzheng told him coldly to leave.

The guilt tightly wrapped around Yu He’s heart, and the matter of leaving Fu Yunzheng alone in the room became a venomous snake. It had been lurking in Yu He's heart since the morning, and today, it finally bared its fangs and struck.

“I am such a jerk,” Yu He said.

Fu Yunzheng was unaware of Yu He’s trip down memory lane to their first night together. Completely misunderstanding Yu He’s emotional process, he thought Yu He was bringing up the topic of being ‘bed partners’ again.

That night, after Fu Yunzheng returned to his room alone, he thought for a long time and felt that he might have misunderstood Yu He. What Yu He meant by ‘bed partner’... might be different from what most people understood.

After all, Yu He has a unique understanding of many things.

This is a little foolish crane.

A smart person shouldn't be angry with a foolish crane.

Fu Yunzheng turned his head, looking somewhat perplexed at Yu He: “It’s okay, I’m just worried that others might disrespect you because of your relationship with me. If you... think the title ‘bed partner’ sounds better, you can claim to others that I am your bed partner.”

Yu He’s heart skipped a beat, and he suddenly stood up, crouching in front of Fu Yunzheng. Holding Fu Yunzheng’s hands, he said, “Fu Yunzheng, I truly want to be with you. I swear it has nothing to do with carnal desires, and it’s definitely not as crude as you imagine. As long as I am with you, I am happy, regardless of whether we share a bed. If you don't believe me, I can stop sharing your bed altogether...”

Fu Yunzheng raised a finger to touch Yu He’s lips, quickly realizing he had crossed a line and hastily withdrew his hand, gently rubbing his thumb against the knuckle of his index finger. However, the soft, warm feel of Yu He’s lips lingered on his fingertips, impossible to rub away.

Fu Yunzheng cleared his throat and said, “Two million a year, and you are still willing to be with me without sharing my bed. Little Crane, you’re wasting your talent by not going into business.”

Yu He couldn’t help but laugh and cry at the same time, “I really don’t want your money. I never thought about wanting money in the first place…”

“Take it,” Fu Yunzheng said. “You might not always want to be with me, but money is always useful.”

Yu He felt helpless, believing that Fu Yunzhang would still prefer to maintain a simple sugar daddy relationship.

Forget it, just do as Sean suggested, shift the narrative towards gratitude. Otherwise, it’s too degrading. It's better to appear grateful than to let Fu Yunzhang think that money is the motivator here—at least that’s cleaner.

Perhaps Yu He’s feelings towards Fu Yunzhang are not entirely pure, but they are sincere and devoted. If even Fu Yunzhang believes he is motivated by money, it would be a real shame.

Seeing that Fu Yunzhang remained silent for a long time, Yu He sighed in his heart.

The midday sunlight was bright and dazzling, leaving no room for the tiniest speck of dust to hide.

After a prolonged silence, Yu He heard himself say, “You have been very good to me, and I am truly grateful.”

Gratitude.

The chime in his heart struck, resounding with a ‘ding’.

Turn chaos into order, everything has come full circle.

Perhaps this is for the best.

Fu Yunzhang’s breathing and expression remained unchanged, as calm and indifferent as ever. It was uncertain whether he felt more relieved or disappointed inside.

*

Although they were like chalk and cheese emotionally, Yu He’s live streaming career was progressing smoothly.

Screenshots from his live streams were shared by fans on social media platforms, reaching over ten million views and over a million likes. In an instant, his followers on the Douya platform skyrocketed from three digits to five.

Douya Live is a new platform that gained traction by signing several eSports players as its main attractions. Focusing on online and mobile games, the fitness channel was originally a niche, but having hundreds of thousands of followers made it quite famous in that field. At one point, a rich lady spent twenty to thirty thousand on gifts during one of Yu He’s live streams.

After his live stream channel gained popularity, the platform assigned a channel manager to Yu He, with the username JS17, who asked Yu He to call him ‘Brother Seven’.

With Brother Seven managing the channel, Yu He’s live streams became much more regulated. Brother Seven had a lot of connections and often arranged co-streams with popular streamers to boost Yu He’s channel.

Soon, Yu He’s channel was featured on the platform’s recommended list, and during a 15-minute live stream PK (Player Kill/Player Knockout), the gifts from fans could range from a few hundred to thousands or even tens of thousands.

In just half a month, the achievement points in Yu He’s live streaming account had reached six digits. As the gifts poured in continuously, the money he earned became just a number.

When he first started live streaming, Yu He was happy even with gifts worth one yuan, and he would check the backend data multiple times a day. Now, he only opens it when Brother Seven reminds him to cash out at the beginning of the month.

Yu He transferred the whole numbers to a special card, saving up to repay Yu Shiqian. He also transferred an equal amount from the black card Fu Yunzhang gave him to donate to left-behind children in the mountainous areas.

On this particular afternoon, Yu He randomly connected with another broadcaster for a co-streaming session, and matched with a female anchor specializing in Atong aerobic fitness.

[Atong Aerobic Fitness has initiated a PK challenge with you]

The moment Yu He clicked accept, a private message from Brother Seven popped up in the lower-left corner of the screen.

[Private message from Brother Seven: Don’t accept it.]

Yu He: "......"

The female broadcaster’s video feed appeared on Yu He’s screen; she was a short-haired girl, very slim and tall.

Upon seeing Yu He, the female anchor sneered and said, “Another pretty boy with a baby face. Your Sister Tong here must make him cry.”

Yu He: “???”

[Private message from Brother Seven: This lady follows the domineering queen sister style, and she’s considered the top broadcaster in the fitness category. She has a big brother and a company behind her, she pulls in a lot of votes, rarely loses, and her penalties are harsh—she punishes others with what they’re bad at.]

[Yu He: I don’t have any weaknesses.]

[Private message from Brother Seven: You get nauseous when doing handstands; the whole fitness channel knows there’s a handsome guy who gets sick from handstands, and you even stubbornly claimed you were pregnant.]

Brother Seven sent a screenshot to Yu He.

[Yu He: ......]

Last time, he PK’d with another blogger for 45 minutes across three rounds. Yu He spent 30 minutes doing handstands. After that match, Yu He was about to end his stream; when his fans asked if he was feeling unwell, he lay half-dead on the table, babbling nonsense, saying he was pregnant.

Claiming he could get pregnant made Yu He famous across platforms; that video clip was shared on several other platforms.

In the video, the handsome young man lay listlessly in front of the camera, his eyes red and bloodshot from the prolonged handstand, speaking with a slightly nasal voice: “I’m not feeling unwell…”

The young man sat up, picked up a cup of water, then suddenly covered his face with his mask and retched a few times, before turning his gaming chair away from the camera to take a sip of water.

When he turned the chair back around, the live chat was filled with messages from concerned fans asking if he was dizzy from the handstand for too long, suggesting he should visit a hospital, cursing the opposing broadcaster for being inhumane. The young man, supporting his head, closed his eyes and responded to the live chat: “It has nothing to do with the handstand. Don’t go stirring up trouble in the other broadcaster’s live stream. I feel nauseous because... because I’m pregnant.”

From just that 30-second clip, Yu He gained nearly 50,000 followers.

Many netizens migrated from other platforms, leaving comments saying they were the father of the child in the broadcaster's belly.

As soon as I entered, it was all female characters.

What kind of people are on the internet every day?

The opposing broadcaster, Atong, was also educated by the live chat about Yu He's inability to do handstands.

Atong has 20.34 million followers. When she clicked on Yu He’s profile, she found that he only had 160,000 followers, not even close to a fraction of hers.

Now in the afternoon, the user activity is not that high; Atong’s live room still has 20,000 viewers, while Yu He’s room has just over a thousand.

Another guaranteed win.

Atong, looking at the health bar on the screen, said, “Handsome boy, let’s do handstands.”