Chapter 14: Life-Saving Grace

Chapter 14: A Life-Saving Debt

"What did you say?"

Stunned into uncharacteristic discomposure, Chu Yi, usually so composed, for the first time betrayed his shock in front of Chu Yan. He simply couldn't believe the words "break off the engagement" were coming from Chu Yan's mouth. After all, no one had ever valued this engagement more than Chu Yan.

"Do you even know what you're saying?"

Was this some elaborate game of playing hard to get? But Fu Hongan would be thrilled if Chu Yan called off the engagement. Such a ploy would only backfire spectacularly.

Yet, Chu Yan repeated with unwavering conviction, "You heard me right, Big Brother. I want to break off the engagement with Fu Hongan. It's not him breaking it off with me; it's me taking the initiative to end it."

Chu Yi was momentarily taken aback by the resolute glint in Chu Yan's eyes. He couldn't quite fathom what scheme Chu Yan was concocting, so he merely pressed his lips together, silently observing Chu Yan, awaiting an explanation.

"It's common knowledge that Fu Hongan doesn't like me—not just dislike, but outright detests me. And the fuse for that intense hatred? This very engagement."

Chu Yi's heart stirred faintly. "But didn't you love him deeply?"

Chu Yan gave a self-deprecating shrug. "Big Brother, a forced melon isn't sweet. What's more, Fu Hongan is a melon I can't even begin to force. Why should I invite further humiliation upon myself?"

"Do you understand what abandoning this engagement means for you?"

Chu Yan's current predicament was dire. That ten million wasn't merely a directive to keep him away from Xiao Yi; it was, in essence, a severance of his nineteen-year bond with the Chu family. No one in the Chu family held any affection for Chu Yan, and without their backing, this once-privileged but now-disgraced young man, with his tarnished reputation, would instantly plummet into the abyss.

Though his engagement to Fu Hongan had been a source of ridicule for years, the Fu family had never publicly disavowed it. This engagement had become Chu Yan's sole lifeline, the only thing capable of pulling him from the mire. Chu Yi simply couldn't comprehend why Chu Yan, who had clung to it even with the Chu family's support, would now, stripped of everything, choose to relinquish this last opportunity.

Moreover, the entire world knew of Chu Yan's profound affection for Fu Hongan—an obsession so deep it defied all reason, stripping him of dignity and self.

He could find no logical reason for Chu Yan to abandon this engagement.

"Of course I know."

Chu Yan's voice was resolute. "No one understands it better than I do."

"You will lose everything. You might even be utterly ruined."

If even this tenuous connection to the Fu family were severed, anyone could trample over Chu Yan in the future, especially given the considerable number of enemies he had made in the past.

"That's precisely why, Big Brother, Fu Hongan cannot be the one to propose breaking off the engagement. Our Chu family must take the initiative."

If the Fu family initiated the breakup, not only would Chu Yan lose face, but the Chu family would too. However, if the Chu family took the lead, they could salvage their dignity.

Chu Yi raised an eyebrow. It seemed this younger brother had gained a modicum of sense—but not much. Because this engagement was never a simple marital arrangement. It was a strategic alliance between the Chu and Fu conglomerates, a union of two prominent families, a complex web of intertwined interests. How could it ever be merely a simple engagement?

From the very beginning, this engagement was never something Chu Yan had the power to decide. And now was no different; it wasn't something Chu Yan could simply walk away from at will.

"Xiao Yan, you know our family has always supported your marriage to Fu Hongan. The Fu Group is paramount in Nation C. What possible reason could the Chu family have to sever this engagement with the Fu family?"

Chu Yan noticed the sudden shift in his brother's demeanor. The commanding presence of a true leader instantly enveloped the confined space, the oppressive weight particularly palpable. Yet, he showed no sign of retreat. Instead, he straightened slightly, meeting Chu Yi's gaze with unwavering resolve.

"Do you know how many people yearn for a connection with the Fu family? Do you know how much profit this verbal engagement of yours has brought the Chu Group over the years?"

Ah, there it was—the true face of those in power. Chu Yan realized that the original Chu Yan's shameless, desperate clinging to Fu Hongan all these years was largely due to the Chu family's manipulation. But no matter how much benefit the Chu family reaped, it was the original Chu Yan—the mere pawn—who bore the brunt of the criticism. Meanwhile, the Chu family, the true beneficiaries, remained untainted.

How utterly ironic.

"So, Xiao Yan, give me a compelling reason why the Chu family should take the initiative to break off this engagement."

Chu Yi's piercing gaze bore directly into Chu Yan. His calm scrutiny alone exerted an inexplicable pressure, an innate authority possessed only by those born into elite families. It was not something a minor actor like Chu Yan could possibly withstand.

But he chose to confront it head-on.

"Big Brother, was it truly me who saved Fu Hongan back then?"

The moment Chu Yan uttered those words, the temperature in the car plummeted. The atmosphere instantly froze. Chu Yi's composed expression darkened, becoming cold and menacing.

"What did you just say?" Chu Yi's eyes turned somber, his voice chillingly low. "Do you have any idea what you're implying?"

The overwhelming pressure made it difficult for Chu Yan to breathe. Chu Yi, who was slightly nearsighted and usually wore gold-rimmed glasses that lent him an air of refined elegance, now seemed to magnify his icy stare through those very lenses, giving Chu Yan an inexplicable sense of suffocation.

"I know. Of course I know."

The world only ever mocked Chu Yan for leveraging his supposed rescue to secure a ridiculous engagement, for shamelessly clinging to Fu Hongan for fifteen years like a persistent parasite, relentlessly pursuing someone who despised him, ridiculing Chu Yan for being Fu Hongan's "lickspittle" for a decade and a half.

But no one ever mentioned that Chu Yan was only four years old when he supposedly saved Fu Hongan. No one mentioned how much the Chu family had profited from this engagement over the past fifteen years. No one mentioned the countless collaborations and benefits the Chu and Fu families had reaped from this alliance.

So how could a four-year-old child have demanded an engagement from the formidable Fu Group? At four, did he even comprehend what an engagement was?

Chu Yan realized that the original Chu Yan likely harbored little love for Fu Hongan. He probably didn't even understand what love was. He had simply been conditioned by the Chu family since childhood, bound by this engagement, leading him to believe he loved Fu Hongan and that Fu Hongan was his fiancé. In reality, his entire purpose within the Chu family was to marry Fu Hongan.

How tragic. He was clearly the victim here.

Yet, the cruelest irony was that this engagement had been a deception from the very beginning—a meticulously crafted lie by the Chu family to elevate their status by associating with the Fu family.

Fifteen years ago, the Fu Group was already a globally recognized entity, with countless eyes scrutinizing its every move. Fu Hongan, as the eldest grandson and designated heir of the Fu family, naturally faced various dangers. When he was ten, a servant's betrayal led to his abduction.

The kidnappers sped away with him in their car.

The Fu family was enraged. Though they swiftly mobilized personnel for the rescue, the kidnappers had meticulously planned their operation, choosing a treacherous, winding road on a stormy night, making pursuit nearly impossible. Consequently, the Fu family couldn't locate Fu Hongan in time.

That night, amidst thunder and heavy rain, the mountainous terrain was steep and rugged. The winding road stretched endlessly. In their panicked flight, the kidnappers lost control. An accident occurred on a sharp turn; the car skidded, flipped, and plunged over the guardrail, rolling down the mountainside.

Three kidnappers died instantly. Only ten-year-old Fu Hongan survived, but when he regained consciousness, his legs were trapped. No matter how desperately he struggled, he couldn't free himself.

The area was remote, with scarce human presence and even fewer passing vehicles. His legs were painfully pinned, and he was numb with agony. The mountain at night was cold and damp. Fu Hongan, consumed by despair, eventually lost consciousness.

When he next opened his eyes, Fu Hongan was extremely weak. Just as he believed death was certain, a small boy, seemingly out of nowhere, clumsily crawled into the wreckage, feeding him wild berries he had found. The boy, no more than four or five years old, was small and thin. He awkwardly fed Fu Hongan the wild fruit while continuously talking to him, encouraging him, comforting him, and promising to find his family to rescue him.

At that time, Fu Hongan was on the verge of death, too weak to even speak. He couldn't even ask the boy's name, and the boy's face seemed blurred, as if shrouded in a halo of light. Yet, the boy's words of encouragement and comfort ignited his will to survive to its fullest, allowing him to hold on until the Fu family arrived.

When the Fu family reached the scene, they didn't see the small boy Fu Hongan had described. A week later, after Fu Hongan recovered, he immediately sent people back to search for the boy, but he was nowhere to be found. The Fu family began to suspect that the child was a hallucination, a product of Fu Hongan's extreme weakness and his powerful will to survive, as no one could be found.

The Fu family secretly searched for several months, and even Fu Hongan himself began to believe it was a hallucination. But then, Old Master Chu appeared before them with four-year-old Chu Yan.

Four-year-old Xiao Chu Yan was adorable, like a delicate porcelain doll, with a soft, sweet voice. Fu Hongan almost immediately superimposed Xiao Chu Yan's image onto the hazy figure of the small boy, and he became incredibly excited.

He believed that the small boy who saved him was Xiao Chu Yan. However, Fu Hongan had been groomed as an heir since childhood, and even at ten, he possessed a certain shrewdness. His kidnapping might have alarmed other prominent families, but the details of that night were kept strictly confidential. Even the Fu family's months-long search had been conducted discreetly to prevent opportunistic individuals from exploiting the situation. Therefore, Fu Hongan did not immediately announce his discovery. Instead, he first had people investigate Xiao Chu Yan's whereabouts during the days of his abduction. To be absolutely certain, he even had every member of the Chu family investigated.

Coincidentally, on the night Fu Hongan was abducted, the Chu couple happened to be vacationing with Xiao Chu Yan at a resort not far from the crash site. And, coincidentally, on the morning after the accident, Xiao Chu Yan, due to his playful nature, supposedly wandered out of the resort. This greatly alarmed Chu Hongrun and his wife, who mobilized the entire resort staff to search for him for a whole morning. When Xiao Chu Yan was found, he was muttering about an "older brother" or something similar. However, Chu Hongrun and his wife dismissed it, thinking Xiao Chu Yan had encountered something unsettling.

Now, Old Master Chu brought Xiao Chu Yan to the Fu family merely to pay a visit to Old Master Fu. As for bringing Chu Yan along, it was simply because there were many children of similar age in the Fu family, and it was perfectly normal for children from prominent families to foster relationships.

After eliminating all doubts, Fu Hongan finally confirmed that the small boy who saved him was indeed four-year-old Xiao Chu Yan.

The Fu family, after discreetly verifying everything, then confessed the truth to the Chu family. Out of gratitude, and because the four-year-old Xiao Chu Yan was so adorably charming, and ten-year-old Fu Hongan viewed Xiao Chu Yan through a thick "savior" filter, their engagement was arranged at that time.

However, the Fu family was unaware that Old Master Chu had only deliberately brought Xiao Chu Yan after learning that the Fu family was searching for a four- or five-year-old boy. They also didn't know that the Chu family, upon learning of the incident, had privately investigated Fu Hongan's kidnapping. Although the specific details were unclear, they had a general idea of the entire event. Crucially, it was a remarkable coincidence that the Chu Hongrun couple had indeed stayed at that resort with Xiao Chu Yan for those two days. However, there was no incident of Xiao Chu Yan wandering out of the resort for an entire morning, nor did Xiao Chu Yan ever mention an "older brother."

Yet, it was precisely these two fabrications that convinced the Fu family that Xiao Chu Yan was Fu Hongan's little savior.

The Chu family never explicitly stated that Xiao Chu Yan was the one who saved him, but...

How could this not be considered a deception?

This was a monumental deception.

If the Fu family were to discover the truth, what would the consequences be? Would the Chu family be driven to ruin in retaliation?