Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Ji Qingyu listened quietly as the assistant delivered the report.

That fan was an obsessive stalker of Ji Ran, who had even secretly staked out Ji Ran's home several times and was rumored to have attempted to break in and steal items.

A complete social menace.

For Ji Ran to encounter him was nothing but a clash between two lowlifes.

Ji Qingyu’s wrist throbbed slightly as he listened to the assistant recount the fan’s past actions—not only had the fan sent him harassing messages, but also targeted multiple people associated with Ji Ran.

Ji Qingyu glanced at the graphic and cutting language in the materials and found it somewhat laughable; the fan could only fill the emptiness of their existence through such means.

The wrist holding the spoon throbbed faintly again—the image of the knife wielded by that person flashed before his eyes, its cold gleam nearly cost him his life.

"We’ve already started legal proceedings, and we’ve backed up all the footage from the scene to provide to the police," the assistant said. "Should we discuss with Ji Ran’s team to sound out their position?"

"Discuss what?" Fu Han raised an eyebrow. "His own fan nearly injured someone—how can he wash his hands of it? Once the matter is settled, issue a statement on social media demanding an apology. If they refuse, we’ll release the footage."

Ruthless, absolutely ruthless.

Ji Qingyu silently reached out to intervene but was shot down with a glare by Fu Han.

"The fan’s wrist was broken, and there’s internal bleeding and soft tissue damage," the assistant continued. "They’re still hospitalized."

"Got off too easy," Fu Han said, propping his chin lazily as he smiled and glanced sideways at Ji Qingyu. "If you hadn’t stopped me, they’d be fighting for their life in the ICU right now."

"If they were in critical condition, wouldn’t you be in trouble?" Ji Qingyu said softly. "What if they tried to sue you?"

Fu Han teased, "So you were looking out for me? You care that much?"

The words transported Ji Qingyu back to the eighteen-year-old Fu Han. His fingers curled slightly as he turned away.

Pain lingered everywhere, especially in his wrist. Fu Han was always so flippant and careless, yet each time, it felt like a repeated injury to Ji Qingyu. Talk of caring—but back when Ji Qingyu needed him most, it was Fu Han who threw him to the wolves.

And now, here he was, flirting casually and speaking ambiguously. Fu Han was a smooth operator in matters of the heart, unlike Ji Qingyu, always skilled at stirring emotions with technique.

He wouldn’t fall for it.

"You too," Fu Han said, flipping through the materials, "you casually let shady characters get close, always hide things from me when trouble arises, and can't tell what matters."

The eighteen-year-old version of me wouldn’t have hidden things from you.

Ji Qingyu thought to himself.

"Your voice damage was also man-made, right?" The assistant handed over a diagnostic report, even pinpointing the time of injury. Fu Han let out a scornful laugh, as if recalling something profoundly unpleasant. He looked down on Ji Qingyu, as though holding Ji Qingyu’s weakness meant he could keep him under control forever. "Six years ago, not long after you dropped out, you were injured. What, some kind of karma?"

Ji Qingyu had no reaction to these words anymore; he accepted them entirely. "Yes, it was karma. I’m sorry."

Fu Han was visibly thrown off by Ji Qingyu’s soft yet cutting attitude. He frowned, remained silent for a long moment, then launched another attack: "What really happened?"

"I was forced to drink while working, and the alcohol was spiked."

Fu Han completely waved off this nonsense, staring into Ji Qingyu’s eyes for a few more seconds. "Back then, you ran off without any explanation, even quit school just to ditch me. Didn’t you get what you wanted? Speaking of which, after ruining my plans and making me miss my grandfather’s funeral, you must have came out ahead, right?"

"I thought you were just spellbound, overly obsessed with me, but I never imagined you’d go this far for money." After this long speech, Fu Han’s gaze fixed intently on Ji Qingyu in the dim light.

Ji Qingyu didn’t speak, remaining unnervingly quiet for a moment. "So that’s why you didn’t answer my calls back then?"

"You needed to learn your lesson," Fu Han said with a scornful laugh. "But even now, you refuse to tell me the truth. You’d better not let me find out you’re still lying. I doubt you want to go through another six-year ordeal."

Yes, who could endure another six years like that?

With a casual remark, Fu Han almost dismissed all of Ji Qingyu’s suffering.

Ji Qingyu’s heart trembled instinctively. He didn’t know if Fu Han would believe the made-up excuse he’d just fabricated, but Fu Han’s words had left him feeling hurt. He always forgot that Fu Han was heartless and detached—in the end, only Ji Qingyu was left choking on unspoken words, bearing the pain alone.

After the assistant finished explaining the situation with the obsessive fan, they left. Ji Qingyu was totally wiped out and lay down with his back to Fu Han.

That cold gaze lingered behind him for who knows how long before finally rising and departing.

Ji Qingyu slowly opened his eyes, in a drowsy haze. It took great effort to suppress thoughts of those unhappy memories before he finally closed his eyes heavily and fell into sleep.

Lately, his relationship with Fu Han had eased somewhat. The number of times Fu Han held him while sleeping had gradually increased, but Ji Qingyu always worried Fu Han might suddenly bite his neck, so each time he had to turn and nestle in Fu Han’s arms to sleep.

He often dreamed these days—dreams of calling Fu Han repeatedly with no answer, or trying to find Fu Han only to always get the door shut in his face.

Left with no choice, he waited specifically for the last day students came back to school—the day for graduation photos.

That summer in Jing City was always rainy, and the day students returned after the college entrance exams was gray and drizzly. Students scattered across the city to celebrate after exams, but someone recognized him waiting at the school gate—the same alpha who had once led the bullying against him.

"Ji Qingyu, how do you still have the nerve to show up here?" The alpha held an umbrella, a jacket slung over his shoulder. He grabbed Ji Qingyu’s collar, looking him up and down several times. "Look at you—how far you've fallen."

Ji Qingyu didn’t respond, pushing the alpha’s hand away to head into the campus. The alpha stood rigid, furious and annoyed, rushing over to hit him.

"I’m here to find someone," Ji Qingyu said, pushed against the security shack, his body pressed against the metal wall. "Let me go!"

"Let you go? Looking for Fu Han, huh? You think he’d still acknowledge you? Honestly, someone like you—he was just playing around. Did you really think he’d take you seriously?" The alpha tugged at Ji Qingyu’s collar. "Truth be told, you’d be better off with me. At least it’s better than being used by him."

That day, Ji Qingyu never found Fu Han. Maybe Fu Han had left early, or maybe he never came at all. No matter how many ways Ji Qingyu tried, he couldn’t get through. Fu Han was too cruel, not even leaving him a chance to explain.

All he could see was Fu Han’s cold, arrogant face behind an electronic screen—noble, proud, and domineering, clawing his way up in a brutal world. Those school days felt increasingly distant, long gone.

When he opened his eyes, he realized the vast gap between them.

The stage production director had gone over the progress with him online several times but finally decided to meet in person one afternoon to discuss.

They arrived when Fu Han happened to be out. Ji Qingyu invited everyone in—the director brought several actors, and a familiar figure emerged from behind.

Ji Qingyu’s eyes lit up. "Brother Ma, what are you doing here?"

"Just worried about you," Ma Yu said with a smile. He wore a white shirt, simple jeans, a jacket, and a gold chain. He slung an arm around Ji Qingyu’s shoulder, joking lightheartedly. "You like freshly roasted chestnuts, right? I brought some just for you."

Ji Qingyu’s eyes sparkled.

They went over the details on the tatami in one corner of the living room. While the actors read their lines, Ji Qingyu and Ma Yu cracked chestnuts nearby. Seeing the bandage still on Ji Qingyu’s wrist, Ma Yu quickly took the chestnuts from him.

"Go on, this isn’t your job. You think you’re still a beta, careless about everything? You’re married now, presented as an omega, a proper spouse." Not wanting Ji Qingyu to strain himself, Ma Yu shelled all the chestnuts for him.

The script review went smoothly. Ji Qingyu matched the rhythm and emotions with the plot, revising awkward parts repeatedly with the director until everything was finalized by dusk.

Everyone slumped down exhausted on the tatami. Ji Qingyu laughed as he wrote with a pen, and the director chuckled heartily, saying they’d chosen the right person—Ji Qingyu was truly gifted in music.

Brother Ma stood up and stretched. "Qingyu, let me throw together a couple home-cooked dishes for you. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?"

It really had been a long time.

After everyone left, only Ma Yu remained. Ji Qingyu wanted to help, but Ma Yu wouldn’t allow it. He sliced green peppers into shreds, deftly preparing stir-fried pork with peppers, followed by shiitake mushrooms and bok choy, and even made a fish ball soup.

When the dishes were served, the aroma was irresistible. Ji Qingyu's mouth was watering, and he picked up his chopsticks to feast heartily. Ma Yu watched from the side and sighed, "Xiaoyu, since when did you become someone with such big ambitions? How did you get tangled up with that person? I’ve seen it all over the internet—that whole messy love triangle drama. So many people are cursing you because of this. You’ve even been threatened by Ji Ran’s fans so badly that your life is in danger! Your safety—your life—is on the line!"

"And what’s more..." Ma Yu frowned, "Aren’t you two enemies? I remember you used to rant to me about him, saying he was violent, threatening you, and scaring you."

Ji Qingyu lowered his head and continued eating the green peppers from the plate. He had already finished all the meat and wasn't about to let the peppers go to waste either. "That was when we first met. Actually, he’s been pretty decent later on."

"Decent?" Ma Yu looked worried, sighing as he glanced at the scars on Ji Qingyu’s wrist and the back of his neck. His heart really went out to him. "I never told you this, but I’ve seen him several times. He came looking for you near your place and even around our market back then. The way he carried himself, I thought he was there for revenge. Don’t assume he’s a good person."

Ji Qingyu froze, frowned, and looked at Ma Yu with confusion and unease. "He came looking for me? When?"

"It was around the time your family was going through all that trouble—during that whole mess. I was worried about you and often brought you food, remember? I ran into him several times. He never came inside, just hung around like a ghost. I even thought he might have been behind all those incidents..." Ma Yu wanted to say more but noticed Ji Qingyu’s expression had clearly shifted.

He seemed puzzled, almost as if he found it hard to believe.

Just as Ma Yu was about to add another word, a light chuckle came from behind them.

Fu Han had returned at some point, leaning casually against the entranceway, watching them with an air of relaxed indifference, his mood unreadable.