Chapter 58

Chapter 58

Fu Xie wasn’t completely heartless. He could tell Xi Wenlun genuinely adored him—even to the point of doting on him.

But his hesitation toward this relationship stemmed from uncertainty: Did Xi Wenlun love him as a person, or just as a pet?

Fu Xie had always kept his heart locked away. On the rare occasions he dared to show vulnerability, the outside world's harshness would send him scurrying back into his shell.

Circling back to the initial question—

Fu Xie didn’t believe Xi Wenlun would ever agree to let him leave.

Put another way, as the head of a financial empire, couldn’t Xi Wenlun simply enjoy keeping his options open?

After crying for most of yesterday, he finally accepted the truth. Rather than being outright discarded, he’d merely be stepping aside for the real protagonist.

He had no interest in guessing whether the idealized first love or the main romantic interest would emerge victorious. Either way, it had nothing to do with him.

Fu Xie fingered the choker at his neck and smirked.

Living under the same roof as Xi Wenlun, he’d long since learned the man’s boundaries. He rarely crossed the line—even his occasional willful or flirtatious moods stayed within Xi Wenlun’s tolerance.

It was all part of the game, a way to provide emotional value rather than genuine tantrums.

Escape had become urgent.

With only days left before the agreement expired, Fu Xie had to start planning immediately.

Otherwise, he’d either fail and be thrown out, or worse—made to share.

Neither outcome was acceptable.

Fu Xie quickly jumped out of bed, already plotting his next move.

…

Xi Wenlun noticed that Fu Xie had become oddly clingy these past few days.

Especially during their private moments.

With the Xi Corporation’s work and formal preparations nearing completion, he could return home every night now.

Their intimacy had always been Xi Wenlun's domain—Fu Xie rarely shown such desperate eagerness before.

Because whenever Fu Xie had shown even the slightest hint of invitation in the past, Xi Wenlun would take it as license to be rougher.

Accustomed to a life of luxury, Fu Xie was high-strung—the least bit of roughness made him tear up.

But these days, he behaved like a hungry fox spirit draining his energy. Even when his entire body flushed pink, he clung to Xi Wenlun desperately, begging for more—

Until he passed out from exhaustion.

Xi Wenlun sometimes tried to go easy on Fu Xie, but Fu Xie wouldn't have it. Combined with their recent lack of contact, it felt like making up for lost time.

So he dismissed it as Fu Xie’s way of compensating—or perhaps last-minute jitters about their contract.

Xi Wenlun had wanted to speak up several times, but with only days left before the deadline, doing so now would spoil the surprise he'd planned.

So he guiltily ignored Fu Xie’s recent suspicious behavior.

For instance, suddenly taking interest in Xi Wenlun’s daily schedule and grilling employees about things Fu Xie had never cared about before.

Given Fu Xie’s evasive attitude, it was clear he didn’t want Xi Wenlun to find out.

Then, the day before their agreement ended.

Xi Wenlun suddenly got a message from the event organizers—an emergency came up.

He’d planned to lure Fu Xie to a private island under the guise of a fun outing, but with the change of plans, he had to go ahead alone.

After arranging everything, he assumed persuading Fu Xie to separate would be tough, given how attached he’d been acting lately.

To his surprise, Fu Xie readily agreed, leaving Xi Wenlun momentarily stunned.

Fu Xie seemed a little embarrassed. "Well, I don’t want to be a burden. If you’re really busy, I can go alone."

He stood on tiptoe and gave Xi Wenlun’s lips a peck.

Xi Wenlun chuckled, brushing aside a loose strand of Fu Xie’s hair. "You’ll miss me, won’t you?"

Fu Xie pressed closer, rubbing his cheek against Xi Wenlun’s shirt, and shook his head.

Luckily, the event issue wasn’t serious, and Xi Wenlun wrapped it up quickly, waiting for Fu Xie to join him.

But on the island, he ran into Ji Ruisi, who’d stopped by to say hi.

"Hey, man!" Ji Ruisi looked around as soon as he stepped off the plane, waving at Xi Wenlun on the ground.

The entire island was decked out with the latest virtual reality tech. At first glance, you’d think you’d wandered into a video game.

Ji Ruisi whistled in amazement, lingering on the plane. "Damn, you really pulled out all the stops."

Xi Wenlun cleared his throat. "It’s all stuff he’s into."

Ji Ruisi clapped Xi Wenlun’s shoulder like an old friend. "Your pretty boy’s got unique tastes, huh? I figured you’d go for the classic romantic setup—pulling out every romantic trope."

"Xiao Xie doesn’t like that stuff," Xi Wenlun said, a faint smile on his lips.

Contrary to appearances, Fu Xie was kinda allergic to romance.

He had zero interest in lovey-dovey games, leaning toward adrenaline-pumping or offbeat genres instead.

After planning Fu Xie’s last birthday around his likes, Xi Wenlun got the idea to design a personalized game world for him this time.

Xi Wenlun knew Fu Xie wasn’t big on real life—not just due to his social anxiety, but how he tuned out everyday details.

Like how he could never remember if the maids’ dresses had bows, but that wasn’t because he couldn’t notice.

Fu Xie chose to focus on Xi Wenlun’s habits—after one meal, he’d memorized his taste preferences and dining quirks.

But with real life, Fu Xie just checked out.

Xi Wenlun understood this but didn’t know why.

Fu Xie wouldn’t explain, and Xi Wenlun wasn’t about to push him.

Yet Fu Xie lived in the real world—that couldn’t be changed.

So Xi Wenlun thought: if he brought Fu Xie’s favorite elements into reality, maybe he’d start caring more about the world he lived in.

Here’s the refined translation incorporating the expert suggestions:

If it could just produce a tiny bit, enough to loosen Fu Xie's emotional burdens.

That alone would be enough to make Xi Wenlun truly happy.

Seeing Xi Wenlun lost in thought again without speaking, Ji Ruisi gave him a playful jab with his elbow.

"Hey, could you at least pay attention to your friend who came all this way for you?"

Still in good spirits, Xi Wenlun responded with a simple, "Hmm."

"Wait, am I the only one here? Why didn’t you invite more people? I thought you were going public with this?"

"No. He doesn’t do well in crowds."

Ji Ruisi suddenly recalled their first meeting—Fu Xie had seemed like a spooked deer that stumbled into a hunting ground.

"Oh, my bad." Ji Ruisi scratched his cheek awkwardly. "But he can’t avoid people forever, you know."

Xi Wenlun shot him a disapproving glance. "Give it time."

Ji Ruisi was just shooting the breeze about their relationship, not taking it too seriously.

"Fine, you do you."

"But at least let me help set up a post-yes party. Keep it small, just let your partner make a quick cameo! Doesn’t even have to be a proper meet-and-greet—just let us get a peek from across the room."

"And if things don’t work out, we’ll just treat it as a fun night out to patch up your broken heart."

Xi Wenlun rolled his eyes so hard. "Not happening. Don’t put that out there."

Ji Ruisi wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Wow, already acting like this before marriage—gonna be henpecked already?"

"He doesn’t care about these things..."

Their banter trailed off into the distance.

After seeing Ji Ruisi off, Xi Wenlun received a call from Fu Xie late at night.

Xi Wenlun had planned to call Fu Xie first but was unexpectedly beaten to it.

Yesterday, he had talked at length with Ji Ruisi, playing out the possible scenarios for today in his mind.

Would Fu Xie cry from happiness? Or be so overwhelmed he’d be speechless? What if he had already guessed the plan—would that kill the surprise?

Worse yet, what if Fu Xie flat-out said no...

Xi Wenlun’s face fell.

Then, Fu Xie’s voice, faintly crackling with static, reached his ears.

"Mr. Xi."

"Yes, it’s me. What’s wrong?"

Xi Wenlun’s voice carried the roughness of someone just awakened.

Fu Xie quickly noticed. "Ah, bad timing? I forgot about the time difference." "It’s fine. If it’s you, anytime works."

Here's the edited translation incorporating the expert suggestions:

There was a sudden silence on the other end.

"What? I was just calling for no reason."

Fu Xie confirmed a few itinerary-related matters with Xi Wenlun, all of which they had previously discussed.

Midway through the questions, Fu Xie abruptly said, "Mr. Xi, do I really have to take the flight alone?"

"Sorry, there just isn't enough time for me to come and go."

"No, I'm not asking you to come back and accompany me. I'm already an adult."

"Mm." Xi Wenlun imagined the tone Fu Xie used to say this and found his attempt to sound grown-up secretly adorable. "Little Xie's all grown up now, an independent adult."

"Come on, are you teasing me? Let me tell you, I did make my debut by myself, you know."

Fu Xie's voice trailed off, as if he lacked confidence.

"Not at all. I just think you're impressive." Xi Wenlun couldn't help but let a hint of laughter seep into his tone.

"Alright, actually..."

"Hmm?"

"I miss you. I really wanna see you."

Unconsciously relaxing his posture, Xi Wenlun smiled. "We'll see each other in about ten hours. Just hang in there, okay? I believe you can manage the flight alone."

"Yeah... just ten more hours."

Fu Xie's voice sounded wistful.

Before Xi Wenlun could ask more, Fu Xie spoke again.

"I can handle this alone! Mr. Xi, you don't need to worry too much!"

"And... I'll be missing you."

"Bye."

He hung up before Xi Wenlun could even say goodbye, leaving only the dial tone.

Xi Wenlun's instincts told him something was off and immediately contacted the team seeing Fu Xie off in the country.

At that moment, they seemed to be making pre-flight preparations, with busy sounds in the background.

Surprised by the CEO's sudden check-in, the person in charge was bewildered.

"Huh? There aren't any issues at the moment. Oh, Mr. Fu has been picked up. He's got a bit extra luggage, but we're about to leave for the airport."

Xi Wenlun's furrowed brows relaxed slightly.

"If everything's normal, that's good."

"Understood. If that's all you needed, I'll get back to work now?"

After hanging up, Xi Wenlun couldn't get back to sleep. His intuition told him something was off, but he was overseas at the moment.

Here's the edited translation incorporating the expert suggestions:

He questioned everyone available, and they all told him there was no problem.

Perhaps he was being paranoid.

Ten hours was no short time, and under these circumstances, it was even more agonizing.

Xi Wenlun couldn't keep still, constantly confirming various details with the ceremony staff.

Until the clear sky suddenly darkened with clouds, and a bolt of lightning flashed outside the window.

Xi Wenlun, mid-conversation, glanced outside.

"Damn, the weather changed so suddenly," an employee of the Xi family wiped his sweat. "Do you think Mr. Fu Xie's flight will be delayed?"

The moment he finished speaking, thunder rumbled. Xi Wenlun gave the man an icy glare.

The man ducked his head.

Sure enough, they soon received news that Fu Xie would be delayed by several hours.

"Xiao Xie, let me speak to him," Xi Wenlun said without expressing his stance, cutting to the chase.

"Sorry, but Mr. Fu Xie seems to have fallen asleep as soon as he boarded the plane. Should we wake him?"

Xi Wenlun paused. "Forget it, let him sleep."

The plan was delayed, and the island was pounded by heavy rain.

Despite waterproof preparations, the effect was nothing like it would've been on a sunny day.

Xi Wenlun remained silent, but those around him could feel the palpable tension, giving him a wide berth.

Even so, Xi Wenlun changed into his planned outfit and waited near the runway.

Several more hours passed before the plane finally arrived at its destination.

The moment the boarding stairs were lowered, Xi Wenlun didn't wait for anyone to descend—instead, he charged up the stairs himself, with someone chasing after him with an umbrella.

"Where is Fu Xie?"

Xi Wenlun stared at the flight crew, who wouldn't meet his eyes.

"Maybe he's still asleep? I'll go wake him."

"Asleep for over ten hours?" Xi Wenlun frowned.

The crew member's knees buckled.

Xi Wenlun strode straight to the rest area where the bed was placed and yanked open the curtain.

There was a shape in the center of the bed. He hesitated for a moment before pulling back the blanket.

Inside lay just a life-sized teddy bear. Fu Xie had vanished.