Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Ji Qingyu shook his head, attempting to rise, but his legs had gone numb. Ignoring the discomfort, he frantically reached for his phone.

Fu Han approached Ji Qingyu, scooping him into his arms. Ji Qingyu had no choice but to wrap his arms around Fu Han’s back, whispering nervously, "I can walk, I can walk on my own."

Fu Han paid him no mind, carrying him out. Ji Qingyu clung to him like a sloth until Fu Han gently placed him on the sofa.

Before Ji Qingyu could fully collect himself, someone approached with a medical case—it was a doctor. Ji Qingyu looked uneasily at Fu Han, uncertain of his intentions.

Had he discovered something? Was that why he was so angry? Had he found out about the abortion? How could that be? That would be an extraordinary perception…

"Examine both his throat and the back of his neck, and be thorough," Fu Han instructed.

The examination didn’t take long. The doctor removed his gloves and then inspected the injury on the back of his neck: "The wound on the neck has already scabbed over. It’s quite deep. Once the scab falls off, apply some scar-reduction ointment. But unfortunately, the vocal cords are beyond repair."

Ji Qingyu sat there, feeling rather numb. He had inquired about it right after the injury and had consulted various doctors since, gradually losing hope. Still, hearing the conclusion again left him with a lingering sense of melancholy. After a moment, it felt as if a small awl had tapped against his heart.

The doctor produced imaging equipment: "Mr. Fu, please take a look. The vocal cords are severely damaged. The fact that your husband is standing before you in good health and can still speak is truly the best possible outcome."

"Is there any way to improve it?" Fu Han asked.

"...Drink more throat-soothing remedies. I’ll prescribe some medicine," the doctor said. "But don’t hold out too much hope… Maintaining the current condition is already a success."

"I pay you substantial sums not to be incompetent," Fu Han stated, utterly unreasonable. His fingers tapped rhythmically, his expression unreadable. "If all you can do is maintain the status quo, you can pack your bags and leave."

The doctor wiped his brow and quietly said, "But Mr. Fu, some damage is simply irreversible. Once it’s there, it’s there… No matter how much power or influence you wield, you can’t turn back time."

After the doctor finished writing the prescription and left with instructions for Ji Qingyu, Fu Han’s scrutinizing gaze settled on him: "What happened to your voice?"

Ji Qingyu sat there, hands clasped together, silent.

"Why did your brother sing your songs at his concert?" Fu Han continued. Ji Qingyu sat on the sofa, his back breaking out in a cold sweat. He realized Fu Han must have seen Ji Ran’s call that morning, and given Fu Han’s fondness for Ji Ran’s songs, it wasn't surprising he could connect the dots.

He wanted to make an excuse, but Fu Han was too close. Ji Qingyu’s mind went blank.

"Even if you don’t tell me, I can find out on my own. Be obedient." Ji Qingyu flinched backward in surprise but was pulled back. Fu Han lowered his gaze and commanded, "Speak."

Ji Qingyu’s heartbeat quickened. In this standoff between the two, he quickly found himself at a disadvantage. He knew it would be hard to keep things hidden, but if Ji Ran couldn’t be trusted, was Fu Han any more reliable? They were both the type to hold grudges; offending either would spell trouble.

"I injured my voice accidentally after dropping out of school. I sold the songs to Ji Ran for money," Ji Qingyu said, his voice trembling as he struggled to maintain composure. "That’s all."

Fu Han didn’t respond, instead tracing Ji Qingyu’s earlobe and then moving to the delicate ear cartilage. He squeezed it rhythmically, as if pondering the truthfulness of Ji Qingyu’s words.

Ji Qingyu sighed to himself, leaning his face into Fu Han’s hand. His voice tight, he uttered words even he couldn’t believe: "I love you. I wouldn't dare lie to you."

Whether repulsed by these words or not, Fu Han abruptly released him. "If there are any disputes over those songs later, do you want to drag the entire Fu family down with you?"

He’s probably just worried Ji Ran’s reputation might suffer because of this, Ji Qingyu thought. "I’m sorry. I didn’t know I would marry you. Besides, Ji Ran hasn't suffered any consequences. Please calm down."

Fu Han paused, his tone inexplicably worsening. "How much did he pay for them?"

"...Forty thousand."

"The sofa you’re sitting on is worth more than forty thousand." Fu Han exhaled heavily and suddenly shattered an ivory porcelain cup on the kitchen island. "Are those songs worth so little in your eyes?"

Ji Qingyu fell silent.

"You don’t need to worry about this anymore," Fu Han stood up. Ji Qingyu looked up and saw him frowning, his disdain unconcealed. "To possess the cunning to scheme against me yet still end up like this—you truly are one of a kind."

Ji Qingyu pressed his lips together, feeling no pain, only numbness. A ringing filled his ears, and his attention began to drift.

Fu Han’s voice reached him as he instructed Aunt Wang to prepare some pear paste, meticulously reviewing the doctor’s prescriptions with her.

Then Fu Han put his phone to his ear, seemingly contacting someone. His footsteps grew distant. Ji Qingyu watched his tall, straight-backed form and was briefly reminded of the past.

Back in their second year of high school, the talent show had gone smoothly. Fu Han didn’t perform; the program was changed to a piano solo and singing performance by Ji Qingyu alone.

The change was last-minute. Rumor had it something had happened in Fu Han’s family, and he had to rush back to deal with it, leaving the teacher and everyone else in the lurch.

Ji Qingyu was pressed into service. Though he had worked at a livehouse and regularly played piano on stage, he had never sung before.

He was extremely nervous. The moment he started singing, the entire audience fell silent, then erupted.

His eyes were fixed only on the microphone and piano keys. That one performance created a storm of excitement throughout the school.

During the curtain call, Ji Qingyu spotted Fu Han standing in the farthest corner of the auditorium.

Amid so many people, Ji Qingyu could only see him—like a soul-stealing spirit from a horror story, tilting his head in the darkness and smiling at Ji Qingyu. Then he vanished, hidden in the shadows, as if he had never been there.

Ji Qingyu stood on stage, dazed.

His fan club spread from the livehouse to the school, but Ji Qingyu wasn’t comfortable with it, nor did he particularly like it.

Gifts continuously appeared in his desk. Once, he opened one and a pornographic book fell out—bodies of alphas and omegas intertwined. He let go as if stung by a hornet, shoved the book to the very back of his desk, and later asked the fan club president to stop people from sending him gifts.

He remained the same—keeping to himself, avoiding crowds.

Gradually, his name disappeared from the school’s confession wall, and life seemed to calm down. He finally breathed a sigh of relief.

High schoolers’ excitement was fleeting, especially since his personality wasn’t particularly likable. The matter soon died down, and another more important event arrived—the sports meet, which ended right before summer vacation.

Ji Qingyu wasn’t good at sports. During such group activities, he usually found a place to sit alone or went for a walk. But somehow, he remembered that pornographic book collecting dust in his desk.

While no one was around, he returned to the classroom and hid in the most remote corner of the school’s small park to read it.

He had seen such things before. It was embarrassing—before he presented his secondary gender, the neighboring fruit stall's Brother Ma had shown him a pornographic film featuring two betas. He put himself in their place but found it uninteresting. The two in the film moaned intensely, reaching climax, and Brother Ma, seeing him stand up to leave, yelled asking if something was wrong with him.

But this book fascinated him more and more.

He never knew alphas and omegas had to do things like this. An alpha’s teeth were so sharp—wouldn’t it hurt? The omega looked like they were in agony.

He unconsciously bit his finger, feeling both scared and intensely focused as he turned the pages.

But luck was against him that day. A shadow fell over the book. Thinking it was about to rain, Ji Qingyu looked up and saw Fu Han’s face. So close, the impact was overwhelming.

He froze, reacting slowly, then blushed and hurriedly tried to grab the book, but Fu Han snatched it away first.

Ji Qingyu jumped up to retrieve it, shouting, "That’s mine!"

Fu Han held it high, swaying it teasingly in front of Ji Qingyu. His mind in chaos, Ji Qingyu tugged at Fu Han’s uniform sleeve, flushed and panting like a rabbit.

"You want it that badly?" Fu Han seemed in high spirits.

Ji Qingyu, flustered and agitated, couldn’t get a word out. He jumped until he was out of breath, on the verge of tears from Fu Han’s teasing. Heat, embarrassment, anger—he couldn’t tell which emotion was stronger. In the end, all he heard was Fu Han’s laughter.

Ji Qingyu’s face burned. Fu Han placed one hand on Ji Qingyu’s hair while holding the book with the other, flipping through a few more pages one-handed. The sensory stimulation was raw; Fu Han could even faintly smell the subtle scent of rain in the air—Ji Qingyu’s pheromones.

"Didn’t expect you to be into this kind of thing," Fu Han remarked, appraising it leisurely. "I thought you were a good kid."

Ji Qingyu stood rooted to the spot, finally getting annoyed. He didn’t even want the book anymore—he just wanted to leave. But Fu Han grabbed him by the collar and pulled him back. “Now that I’ve discovered this kind of secret, shouldn’t you offer me something to keep my mouth shut?”

“You… you…” Ji Qingyu stammered, his hands clenched into fists, his eyes red with distress. He was so upset he felt like crying. He knew it was wrong to sneak a peek at such things, but what Fu Han was doing felt even worse. He wanted to punch Fu Han in the face, but he didn’t dare actually do it.

“Me what? ‘You’re so annoying, you’re such a nuisance, how could you be like this?’” Fu Han mimicked Ji Qingyu’s tone, his voice light and unhurried, a teasing smile curling at the corners of his mouth.

“What do you want?” Ji Qingyu relented, lowering his head and cursing quietly in his heart. “I don’t have any money…”

“It’s nothing really,” Fu Han said, stroking his chin thoughtfully. “Sing me a song?”

“The one you sang on stage. I arrived just as you were about to finish. Sing it again for me from the beginning.” Fu Han spun the book in his hand before tossing it back into Ji Qingyu’s arms. “I want to hear the full version.”

He found a clean spot against a tree trunk, leaned back, and crossed his arms, looking like a leisurely magnolia tree. His fair, porcelain skin was dappled with shadows, and patches of light fell across his face.

Ji Qingyu stared at him blankly, taking a long moment to snap out of it. He began singing nervously, and Fu Han slowly closed his eyes, listening to the entire song with a relaxed demeanor.

“Not bad,” Fu Han commented.

Ji Qingyu swallowed nervously and didn’t respond.

Light and shadow folded into a transparent, prism-like glass, encasing the two of them. Ji Qingyu felt awkward and didn’t know what to say, so he turned to leave. This time, Fu Han didn’t stop him. His mind was a mess, and he walked a long way without stopping.

Mingde’s summer was sweltering, the heat rising in waves. Before Ji Qingyu’s eyes floated hazy, steam-like illusions, making everything feel surreal.

Around the corner of the teaching building, Ji Qingyu bumped into a female omega. She seemed even more flustered than he was, hurriedly apologizing before heading off in the direction of the park.

Ji Qingyu replied belatedly, “It’s fine.”

He stood there for a moment, then suddenly sensed something was wrong and turned to run back.

The wind lifted the hem of his clothes as Ji Qingyu picked up speed. Only when he saw the omega remove her collar and approach Fu Han, who was dozing on a stone bench, did he snap out of his daze, freezing in place as if someone had hit pause.

He hesitated, watching helplessly as the omega leaned down to kiss Fu Han’s cheek. His chest felt as if it had been injected with a powerful dose of strong acid. Once again, Ji Qingyu realized he had been presumptuous again.

Author's Note: