Chapter 47

Chapter 47

The celebration banquet was held at the orchard Ma Yu had recently leased.

The trees were laden with persimmons.

Ji Qingyu reached out to pick one, but it was just out of reach. In the end, Fu Han plucked the persimmon and placed it in his hand. Ji Qingyu promptly returned it to Fu Han, ignoring the strained smile that flickered across Fu Han's face.

Unable to blend in, Fu Han retreated to the side, silently picking persimmons alone, while Ji Qingyu paid him no mind. All Fu Han could do was watch Ji Qingyu's back, surrounded and celebrated by the crowd.

Fu Han's gaze lingered on Ji Qingyu. In truth, Ji Qingyu had been just like this in high school—only to wither rapidly afterward, a process in which Fu Han himself had been an accomplice.

Fu Han lowered his head, looking at the pleading call from Ji Deyong on his phone. He intended to dismantle the Ji family—not just Ji Ran, but all of them. He wanted them all to experience the bitterness Ji Qingyu had endured back then.

His hand trembled slightly as he held the phone. He wondered, *But what about me? Why should I be the exception, the one to be pardoned?*

That evening, the crew picked over ten pounds of persimmons, planning a persimmon feast.

Fu Han volunteered to cook. Ma Yu looked at him skeptically. "You? Can *you* cook? A pampered young master who's never lifted a finger?"

The two were far from the main group, having moved away to carry the persimmons, and even farther from Ji Qingyu. Fu Han let out a cold, dismissive scoff. "Then don't eat it, you insignificant thing."

"Me? Insignificant?" Ma Yu was momentarily stunned by the retort. Fu Han had already taken a step, moving swiftly to Ji Qingyu's side.

Ma Yu followed, seething with anger, and began shouting at Fu Han, "Who are you calling insignificant? This is *my* orchard, *my* land. What are you, an outsider, trying to pull here? You—"

He ranted on, but received no reply from Fu Han. He looked over to find Fu Han standing beside Ji Qingyu, holding a small bamboo basket of persimmons, his gaze softly lowered towards Ji Qingyu, utterly silent.

Ji Qingyu gave Ma Yu a pointed look. "Alright, Brother Ma, let's drop it for today. He's been busy all day and still has to cook. He hasn't bothered us today, so let's not say any more."

A few crew members, unaware of the full story and likely eager to curry favor with the investor, chimed in: "Yes, yes, cool down."

"Keeping on like this is a bit aggressive."

"Me, aggressive? No, didn't you see what this person just—" Ma Yu pointed at Fu Han, looking genuinely wronged.

"I think I accidentally got scratched," Fu Han suddenly said to Ji Qingyu. He pulled up his sweatshirt sleeve, revealing a long, thin cut on his beautifully muscled forearm, with beads of blood slowly welling up. "But it's fine. It happened earlier when I was with your Brother Ma—he insisted I pick the persimmons from the higher branches…"

"What do you mean 'my Brother Ma'?" Ji Qingyu said, exasperated. The cut looked quite deep, so he hurried off to find bandages. It was then that Fu Han shot a provocative smile at Ma Yu.

"You motherfucker—" Ma Yu tried to lunge forward again but was held back by two people nearby. Ji Qingyu returned—he hadn't found bandages, but he had iodine and cotton swabs. He began dabbing at Fu Han's wound little by little.

With each dab, Fu Han's arm gave a slight tremor.

After a few moments, Ji Qingyu paused and looked up, puzzled. "Does it really hurt that much?"

This was the same person who, in high school, could take on a dozen people in a fight without even blinking. For a cut this small, he wouldn't have even bothered with a bandage back then.

"A little," Fu Han replied without a change in expression, his gaze calmly fixed on Ji Qingyu. The way he looked at people was intensely focused and remarkably handsome. Ji Qingyu froze for a few seconds, and Fu Han seized the moment to lean in closer, slowly approaching.

His voice carried a playful, suggestive tone: "If you kiss me, it won't hurt anymore."

*Not this again.*

Ji Qingyu pressed his lips together, lowered his gaze, shoved the cotton swabs and iodine into Fu Han's arms, turned away without hesitation, and tossed back:

"When you're done, go cook. Everyone's waiting. You hurt your left arm—that shouldn't stop you from cooking, should it?"

Ma Yu let out a mocking snort. Seeing that Ji Qingyu had truly walked away, leaving only a cold back, Fu Han quickly applied the iodine himself, as if nothing had happened, and went off to cook.

During the meal, Ma Yu was still hoping to see Fu Han embarrass himself.

He thought if Fu Han brought out some messy, unpresentable dishes, he’d have a reason to criticize. He had his lines ready, just waiting for Fu Han’s dishes to arrive. But as each dish was served, the group let out soft exclamations of awe.

One dish after another, each eliciting a louder gasp than the last.

Ma Yu stared darkly at the beautifully colored, exquisitely plated dishes, completely defeated. He picked up his chopsticks, trying a bite—and after tasting it, fell completely silent. Disbelieving, he took another bite.

Fu Han chose that moment to let out a cold laugh nearby.

Ma Yu’s face flushed bright red. He jumped up to glare at Fu Han, but Fu Han paid him no mind, his attention entirely on Ji Qingyu, who was pulling Fu Han aside and speaking quietly to him. Finding himself ignored, Ma Yu gritted his teeth and sat back down.

Ma Yu watched as the two drew closer—Fu Han tilting his head, listening quietly to Ji Qingyu, even casually adding food to Ji Qingyu’s plate, which never stayed empty for long.

Everyone was tired after the long day and dug into the food heartily. With full stomachs, some began complimenting Fu Han at the table. Ma Yu felt disdainful but lowered his head and finished an entire plate of crispy persimmon stir-fry with meat.

As everyone dispersed that night, Yu Yue and Ma Yu tried to pull Ji Qingyu away. They had barely taken two steps when Fu Han lowered his head and let out a soft hiss, as if in significant discomfort.

"What now? What’s wrong now? Are you going to keep pulling this trick endlessly?" Ma Yu was furious. He admitted Fu Han’s cooking was delicious, but so what? This kind of behavior was disgusting, nauseating!

Fu Han didn’t respond, staying silently in place. Ma Yu really wanted to start a fight with him. Ji Qingyu hesitated but still asked, "Are you okay?"

"I’m fine," Fu Han said after a pause.

"Of course he’s fine! What could possibly be wrong with him? He’s just putting on an act!" Ma Yu kept going, but Ji Qingyu tried to smooth things over, pushing Ma Yu’s back. Originally, he had planned to ignore Fu Han and leave with Ma Yu and Yu Yue, but Fu Han directly grabbed Ji Qingyu’s wrist and whispered, "I really might be a bit unwell…"

Ji Qingyu paused and ultimately decided to take Fu Han back first.

In the car, Ji Qingyu looked out the window as usual. The next moment, he felt something soft and furry lean against his shoulder.

Such a tall person—his shoulder could barely support the weight. He reached out to push him away but ended up stroking Fu Han’s hair a couple of times. Then he heard Fu Han whisper in his ear, "Did you really never hate me?"

"What?" Ji Qingyu didn’t catch it at first.

"I yelled at you back then, said terrible things to you, never came looking for you… Lately, I’ve been having nightmares, dreaming of you alone during your heat… I’m afraid you hate me." Fu Han’s voice grew softer as he tried to embrace Ji Qingyu. But after hearing him out, Ji Qingyu only laughed lightly.

"It was alright. I was a bit upset at first, but later I was busy making money and didn’t have time to dwell on it." Ji Qingyu spoke while gently pushing Fu Han away. "Can you not be like this? Where exactly are you unwell? You seem perfectly fine to me. Let go, okay?"

"I’m afraid you’ll abandon me. Please don’t leave me." Fu Han showed no intention of releasing him. "In Jing City, my mother told me why you were with me, and I panicked. I was so scared… I searched for you like a madman. If it weren’t for that idiot Ma Yu not changing his license plate, I don’t know how much longer it would have taken…"

The car window was cracked open, letting in the night breeze. Ji Qingyu sighed, feeling almost at a loss.

If Fu Han had threatened him harshly, he might have been able to handle it calmly—after all, that was how he had always lived, and he was used to it.

But facing a proud, arrogant person like Fu Han begging so earnestly—he really didn’t know how to respond.

"Brother, let me make it up to you. Please, let me do something for you."

Ji Qingyu was stunned, his eyes widening. He thought, *Honestly, I've suffered enough. After struggling for so long, just as I began to taste a hint of relief, I can’t help doubting—is it just another illusion?*

"But before, you said you didn’t want me to have your child," Ji Qingyu said slowly.

"Who else would you have a child for if not me?"

"But you told me not to come home anymore."

"That was said in anger. I’ll never say it again. If I do, you can kick me out."

"Are you saying these things to deceive me too?" Ji Qingyu stared into the vast, empty night outside. The driver had stepped out to smoke when Fu Han embraced Ji Qingyu, leaving only the two of them in the car. The cramped, quiet space felt suffocating, making it hard to breathe.

"Will you still say harsh words to me, scold me, fall back into old habits, and bite me whenever you feel like it? Do you even know how sharp your teeth are? It really hurts when you bite anywhere other than the scent gland." Ji Qingyu's voice was very soft. He hadn’t cried in a long time, but today he couldn’t hold back. "I hate you. I'd explained myself back then, but you told me to leave. You abandoned me, Fu Han. I really..."

*How pathetic.* He thought he had truly moved on, that he had let go, but in reality, he wasn't indifferent at all. It was just that he knew some people would care about his tears, while others wouldn’t.

So, he had hidden his heart away for six years, only daring to reveal a tiny corner of it now.

He said he felt wronged.

"I’ll never do it again. From now on, I’ll only bite your scent gland," Fu Han’s voice became even more ingratiating and careful.

"Fu Han, why have you never marked me?" Ji Qingyu asked again. "I thought it was because you hated me so much, found me so disgusting that you wouldn’t even mark me. But that's actually not it, is it?"

*Am I still worthy of being loved?*

His voice trembled, but he suddenly realized that Fu Han’s voice was shaking even more than his, and the hand gripping his back was tight, refusing to let go.

"I was afraid. Afraid you’d end up like my mother—wanting to leave but unable to. So I waited, waiting until you truly wanted it of your own will."

Ji Qingyu gave a soft laugh and said with a sigh, "Well then, you'll just have to wait a bit longer."