Chapter 64

Chapter 64

Even so, Fu Xie still declined Lin Yubin's invitation.

What could he possibly achieve by going? After things ended so badly, even if he could swallow his pride and beg for reconciliation, would Xi Wenlun even be willing?

So maintaining the status quo was for the best.

Fu Xie treated the matter as a minor episode in his daily life, forcing down any reckless thoughts.

Upon learning that Fu Xie had cut ties with his parents and was now attending university alone, Lin Yubin was really worried and kept calling to check up on him.

Fu Xie was a little overwhelmed by his concern. "I'm fine. Don't you have a wedding coming up? Shouldn’t you be busy with wedding preparations?"

"As your family, of course I’d prioritize you. I was worried before that butting into your family matters might be overstepping, but seeing you like this, how can I not be concerned?"

Fu Xie had nothing to say.

"By the way, I had someone investigate the information you gave me about your parents. None of them have any connection to the Lin family—they don't appear to be distant relatives."

"...So, if we want a more detailed analysis, we’ll need DNA samples."

Lin Yubin said haltingly, and Fu Xie understood the implication.

The Fu couple might not be his biological parents.

Truthfully, Fu Xie had suspected as much. Their attitude toward him was strange, completely different from how they treated his younger brother.

It didn't seem like they were treating their own son.

Now, Lin Yubin’s hypothesis aligned almost perfectly with his own speculations.

Fu Xie couldn’t quite describe how he felt. He thought he should be sad, yet at the same time, he felt oddly relieved.

In reality, the matter barely made a ripple before settling back into stillness.

Years of numbing his emotions had left him unable to discern his own emotions.

"If you’re not comfortable with it, you don’t have to go through with it. No pressure..."

"No, I want to do it. I’ll collect the samples. I appreciate it."

"Don’t mention it. We’re family. Your parents might even be connected to me in some way, so of course I’d take it seriously."

Lin Yubin seemed to treat everyone within his circle of care with great kindness—the type who'd give you the shirt off his back, to the point where his past infatuation with a scumbag had made him a pushover.

"Oh, I sent you some things. They should arrive in the next few days, so remember to pick them up."

Fu Xie agreed, and after exchanging a few more pleasantries, they ended the call as Lin Yubin’s fiancé sounded jealous in the background.

Regarding the matter of obtaining samples from the Fu couple, Fu Xie remembered how guilty his childhood friend had felt after stirring up trouble in his family, promising that if Fu Xie ever needed help, he should come to him.

Fu Xie had no intention of returning to what they call home, so this was a chance for his friend to make it up to him.

After pausing, his friend agreed. Not wanting the matter to leak before it was resolved, Fu Xie made him promise not to tell anyone else.

A few days later, the package reached Fu Xie.

The delivery guy had called too the day before to let him know about a delivery. He figured he could pick up the delivery and mail the samples at the same time.

Lin Yubin likely wanted to investigate family matters, while Fu Xie was even more determined to uncover his own origins.

No matter how solid the theory, it remains just that—a theory. It still needs to be proven by facts.

The university had several package delivery spots, with one located at a nearby off-campus station, just a quick walk across the street.

Unfortunately, Fu Xie’s two items got split up between two different spots—one off-campus and the other on-campus.

Fortunately, one of the pickup points was along Fu Xie’s route as he left campus to collect his package, letting him mail the samples on the way without making extra trips.

The blazing sun made people lightheaded, and even their hair felt scorching to the touch.

Fu Xie stepped out of the school gate, walking behind two female classmates sharing an umbrella.

"It’s so hot! The weather's been all over the place lately. I needed a jacket this morning, and now I’m getting roasted."

"Tell me about it! This place is such a hassle to get to, plus there’s so much traffic. I don’t get why they always send stuff here."

"Ugh, let’s grab an ice cream after picking up the package. I’m so thirsty~"

As they chatted, a large truck roared past, churning up dust and exhaust fumes.

Fu Xie covered his nose and mouth.

The girls were coughing their lungs out.

"Let’s go, let’s go!"

They quickly crossed the road during a gap in traffic.

Fu Xie followed behind them, intending to do the same, but the cars kept coming one after another without pause. Before he knew it, the two girls had already reached the other side.

Meanwhile, Fu Xie was still in the middle of the road.

Without an umbrella, the glare forced him to squint as he walked forward.

First came the screech of brakes, then the screams of the girls.

Before Fu Xie could react, everything went spinning, and he fell heavily to the ground.

His thoughts slowed, his brain moving in slow motion.

Blood ran down, yet he felt nothing at all.

Not even fear in the face of death.

The next second, Fu Xie lost consciousness.

……

When he woke again, the first thing he noticed was the sharp sting of antiseptic.

A familiar teacher stood by his side and immediately pressed the call button for medical staff upon seeing him awake.

"Hmm, his condition is stable for now—no major issues, just a fractured arm that’ll need some time to heal."

After examining Fu Xie’s injuries, the doctor left. The teacher, representing the school, asked how he was doing and filled him in on what happened after he blacked out.

The small car had been in a hurry and speeding, weaving through traffic and swerving into another lane. The driver couldn't stop in time, sending Fu Xie sprawling.

The teacher said with concern, "Luckily, there were many cars at that time, otherwise the speed would have been even faster, and you'd have more than just a broken bone."

Fu Xie opened his mouth to speak but accidentally tugged at his wound, letting out a pained "hiss."

"Hey, hey, hey, don't move until you're healed. Don't worry, some bystanders already called the police for you. Your lawyer is taking care of everything, so just lie down and rest."

Fu Xie: "?"

He didn’t even know he had a lawyer.

The teacher chuckled and continued, "People nowadays are quite kind-hearted. I heard from the two girls who sent you to the hospital that as soon as you fell, people came out of the woodwork to help. They even called what looked like a high-powered lawyer to negotiate with the police."

"When I arrived and offered to pay the lawyer’s fee, he refused, saying it was just helping out."

After listening to the teacher, Fu Xie silently looked around the room.

Hmm, yep, definitely a private VIP suite.

It was really hard to tell who was behind this.

The teacher hurriedly left after receiving a call from the school administration, asking Fu Xie if he needed someone to stay with him. Fu Xie shook his head in refusal.

Fu Xie tried moving his other arm—just some scrapes, but otherwise fine.

Not bad - still works.

Fu Xie felt completely torn. He had no idea what Xi Wenlun was thinking.

Even after being so decisively pushed away, Xi Wenlun was still quietly helping him.

It's not like he was hurting for money—on the contrary, he might even be considered pretty well-off.

What if… he wanted to see Xi Wenlun?

Fu Xie fumbled for his phone. Thanks to his body acting as a cushion, it just got banged up a little.

His fingers slid over the contacts list as he recalled deleting Xi Wenlun and all related staff members back when he left the villa.

Fu Xie: "..."

Whatever. He still had that lawyer's contact.

When the lawyer returned from the police station and came to visit him in the hospital room.

"Mr. Fu, what are you talking about? I don’t know this Mr. Xi you mentioned."

Fu Xie gave the lawyer a hard stare, making the man feel as if he were squirming in his seat.

Out of the corner of his eye, Fu Xie had glimpsed the name of the law firm—a very prestigious one, even featured in local news reports.

The lawyer maintained his professional smile. "I was merely entrusted to handle your case. Attorney-client privilege, I’m sorry, but I can’t disclose any details."

Fu Xie leaned back with a sigh. He didn’t want to pressure the lawyer, so he eventually relented and let him leave.

You could practically hear the lawyer's sigh of relief even through the hospital door.

Fu Xie was in a real bind now—he wanted to contact Xi Wenlun but had no way to reach him.

Besides, as just some random college guy, how was he supposed to get to China's richest man?

Fu Xie leaned back against the hospital bed again, staring blankly at the fluorescent light overhead.

Every inch of his body ached, his bones creaking.

He’d let his future, healthier self figure it out; right now, Fu Xie was exhausted and needed rest.

He slept straight through until the next morning’s rounds. After the doctor’s examination, a nurse came to draw blood for routine tests.

Stuck in bed with nothing to do all day, he occasionally scrolled through Weibo, but he couldn’t help searching for news about Xi Wenlun.

As a businessman, Xi Wenlun rarely made headlines, but the search results were cluttered with ads for self-help books like *100 Habits of Xi Wenlun’s Success*.

Fu Xie wondered—didn’t Xi Wenlun only become CEO thanks to his family? Who would even buy this stuff?

Though only his arm was fractured, there wasn’t much for him to do in the hospital, and playing games one-handed was a pain.

Thankfully, his legs were fine—he could still move freely, getting in and out of bed without being stuck in bed.

Otherwise, he just wandered around the hospital or chatted with nurses.

Ugh. Small talk with strangers? For a guy with social anxiety, that was torture.

Just as Fu Xie felt he was about to grow mold from boredom, he noticed the hospital buzzing with activity.

His nurse made an extra round, straightening up his mess before hurrying out.

This piqued Fu Xie’s curiosity. Holding his injured arm, he slowly got out of bed and loitered by the door, spying on the situation.

The head nurse, a middle-aged woman, was directing a group of younger nurses to clean and organize the ward.

“Listen up! Double-check expiration dates, throw away any empty packaging—there’s an inspection later!”

Fu Xie propped himself against the hallway railing, pretending to stare off into space.

Not far from him, two young nurses were scrubbing the windows, their chatter reached him.

“Ugh, another inspection? When are they coming to our department? The sooner they finish, the sooner I can get back to work.”

“No idea. I heard it’s some VIP visit—even the director went out to greet them. No clue if they’ll even stop by.”

“So annoying!” The nurse squeezed her rag in frustration, then suddenly gasped and nudged her companion.

“Look! Are they coming? Wow, that’s a whole entourage!”

Her friend followed her gaze. “Oh wow, check out those cars—so long, must cost a fortune.”

“Our hospital’s part of a big private healthcare group. They’ve always had money. Rich patients are nothing new here.”

Fu Xie also noticed the commotion downstairs. Leaning over the railing—the floor wasn’t too high, and their spot faced the main entrance—he had a clear view of the scene below.

A group of people in white coats stood by a stretch limousine, seemingly waiting to greet someone.

Then the car door slowly opened, and a figure stepped out, immediately surrounded by the crowd.

Fu Xie’s breath caught.

“Whoa, did you see that VIP in the car? He’s so handsome!”

“You could make out his face from here? I couldn’t even make it out!”

"Of course not, but his figure is so handsome—his face gotta be gorgeous too!"

The young nurses' squeals drew the attention of most nearby nurses, who craned their necks eagerly for a better look, like curious meerkats.

Fu Xie stood frozen, watching the group disappear into the distance. Even after the nurses had scattered to their duties, he stood transfixed.

That fleeting glimpse was enough—memories, fragile as bursting bubble wrap, burst instantly in his mind.

The man who stepped out of the car was unmistakably Xi Wenlun.

He couldn’t be mistaken… He would never forget the man etched so permanently in his life.