Chapter 53

Chapter 53

His voice could be treated—this was a possibility Ji Qingyu genuinely hadn't considered. Unable to sleep in the middle of the night, he sat up in bed, softly cleared his throat, and attempted to hum a few notes.

His hoarse voice seemed to malfunction, producing uncontrollable, unpleasant sounds. He gently touched his throat before lying back down, wrapping the blanket tightly around himself. He spent the entire night tossing and turning.

He always felt he should be content—he could write songs, had people who appreciated his work, and now even had a child. He no longer had to struggle to make ends meet or live hand-to-mouth. Yet, why did he feel more fragile and sentimental now than ever before?

In the past, he had never demanded anything from Fu Han, but now he found himself constantly nitpicking, always fixating on Fu Han's flaws. Was he being too willful?

Ji Qingyu didn’t understand it either. Why was it that he could easily let go of others’ shortcomings and forgive them without a second thought, yet when it came to Fu Han, he dissected every fault into tiny pieces and held onto them?

In the dead of night, Ji Qingyu got up and opened the photo album gathering dust in his cabinet. He flipped through the pictures of him and Fu Han together. By the time dawn broke, he peered down from his bedroom window and spotted an expensive car that stood out starkly against the gray, dilapidated street, parked quietly by the roadside.

A thin layer of accumulated snow rested on the holly tree. A hand brushed past the red berries, revealing a cold, detached face through the gaps in the branches.

Fu Han’s tall figure was wrapped in a trench coat. He carried several large bags, and behind him stood two others, each holding heavy daily necessities.

Ji Qingyu carefully examined the packaging and recognized the brands—which was quite unusual, given that he knew very few brand names.

Fu Han frowned as he directed the two to carry the items upstairs. Realizing what was happening, Ji Qingyu quickly stepped back from the small balcony by the window, threw on a down jacket, and hurried to the door just as he heard footsteps approaching.

Ji Qingyu sat by the door, listening to the voices outside: "Alright, leave them here. You have the documents, right? He’s probably still asleep at this hour. We’ll wait here."

"Wait until when, Mr. Fu? It’s quite cold out here," one of them said.

"Then go back by yourself," Fu Han replied, his tone icy. Then came the sound of fabric scraping against the ground, as if someone had sat down on the stone steps in the hallway.

Ji Qingyu hurriedly opened the door and saw Fu Han’s face, along with the lawyer who was about to turn away with documents in hand, and Dr. Lin Shui standing there holding bags of daily supplies.

"Please, come in," Ji Qingyu said awkwardly, smiling as he let the three inside. The daily necessities piled up in the living room, nearly filling half the space. Fu Han frowned, his eyes fixed on Ji Qingyu’s ankles. Only then did Ji Qingyu realize he had forgotten to wear his cotton socks.

Fu Han walked familiarly into Ji Qingyu’s bedroom, found the cotton socks by the bedside, and in the next moment, lifted Ji Qingyu’s foot. Embarrassed and reacting instinctively, Ji Qingyu kicked Fu Han on the side of his face. Fu Han turned his head slightly, paused for a moment, then continued pulling the sock up to Ji Qingyu’s ankle.

Just that simple action made Ji Qingyu’s face flush red. There were people watching—what was Fu Han doing? If Fu Han had no shame, Ji Qingyu certainly did.

"Um, thank you for your hard work. What did you want to discuss? Let’s finish quickly so we don’t take up too much of your time," Ji Qingyu said with an apologetic smile.

"No rush. Eat first—I made this. See if it suits your taste," Fu Han said, pulling out a lunchbox and placing chopsticks in front of Ji Qingyu.

It seemed Fu Han had realized that being unreasonable wouldn’t work, so he switched to a gentler approach. Ji Qingyu looked down at the familiar lunchbox, opened it, and understood immediately—this was meant to remind him that those lunchboxes from high school had been made by Fu Han.

He paused, looking at Fu Han in surprise. He wanted to ask something but couldn’t find the words. In the end, he silently finished the udon noodles and the heart-shaped omelet rice, leaving not a single bite.

Lin Shui sat on the sofa, seemingly unafraid of Fu Han, and even joked with Ji Qingyu: "Long time no see. You’re quite the celebrity now, a real trending topic."

Indeed, he was quite the topic. Ji Qingyu replied quietly, "Do you want an autograph?"

Lin Shui laughed and actually asked Ji Qingyu to sign one for him, then picked up his iPad. "Let me explain—your vocal cords were damaged by medication. The harm was initially considered irreversible, but since your gland has recovered and your hormone levels are back to normal, combined with new treatments, there’s a real chance your voice could recover."

"Recover to what extent?" Ji Qingyu asked.

"To how it was before, of course," Lin Shui said confidently.

Ji Qingyu widened his eyes in disbelief. "Really? But I always thought it could never be restored."

"Anything is possible. Maybe someone’s silently watching over you," Lin Shui said. "Madam, life isn’t all bad. You have to believe good things can happen too."

Ji Qingyu listened to Lin Shui’s detailed explanation in a daze, still feeling somewhat unreal. Lin Shui then discussed the treatment process with him—within three months, his voice could be almost fully recovered. Lin Shui patted Ji Qingyu’s shoulder, smiled, and stood up to leave.

Next, it was the lawyer’s turn.

The lawyer placed the share transfer agreement in front of him, but Ji Qingyu refused. The astronomical number made his eyes ache. He felt that if he accepted these shares, he would no longer be able to face Fu Han with composure. He even considered sharing the royalties from his songs with Fu Han to repay the enormous cost of his surgery.

The lawyer seemed to want to persuade him: "Madam, actually, after marriage, you’re already entitled to half of Mr. Fu’s assets. Your prenuptial agreement didn't specify asset ratios, and these shares are a separate gift from Mr. Fu. That means, even if your relationship undergoes changes in the future—"

"There won’t be any changes," Fu Han interrupted sharply, slamming his cup down with force. The lawyer was taken aback—the dynamic between these two was completely different from what he had expected.

Such a huge share transfer, such an incredible windfall—most omegas would be falling over themselves with gratitude, eager to please their alpha. Why was Ji Qingyu pushing it away? Worried that Ji Qingyu might regret it later, the lawyer was about to say more when he saw Ji Qingyu glance disapprovingly at Fu Han and speak in a soft, measured tone.

"This cup is expensive. If you break it, what will I drink from?" Ji Qingyu frowned.

The lawyer’s words caught in his throat, leaving him speechless. Wait, was this how it was supposed to go? A cup? What did a cup matter?

The lawyer recalled his interactions with Fu Han. This alpha at the top of the food chain exhibited nearly all the quirks of the privileged class—picky, arrogant, dictatorial, and utterly unreasonable.

He had expected Fu Han to explode in anger and was about to step in and mediate when he heard a familiar voice say, somewhat pitifully, "Sorry, it won’t happen again."

"There won’t be a next time," Ji Qingyu said slowly.

"I’ll buy you several more. You can break them for fun," Fu Han said, reaching for Ji Qingyu’s hand but being pushed away.

"Why would I break cups for no reason?" Ji Qingyu avoided the topic.

"Then will you accept the shares?" Fu Han pressed, holding back his frustration.

"I don’t need that much money," Ji Qingyu said helplessly.

"Then don’t share your copyright fees with me. Can’t you owe me something? Stop pushing me away," Fu Han said quickly, his voice low and plaintive, as if he were pleading.

Caught between the two, the lawyer found the tea in his hand particularly bitter. The omega sitting on the sofa seemed to realize this and smiled gently, apologetically. "Sorry, you had to see that."

"Why do you care about him? Can’t you smile at me more?" Fu Han’s tone turned harsh.

"Fu Han, even if you’re paying him, you should show respect."

"How am I not respecting him? This is just how I talk," Fu Han retorted.

"Then if one day you don’t like me anymore, will you treat me the same way?"

Fu Han paused, choked up, then looked at Ji Qingyu in disbelief. But Ji Qingyu didn’t meet his gaze, instead lowering his head to stare at the wooden floor.

"Me? You mean me? How could I not like you? Who’s the one not liking who here?" Fu Han’s voice rose again. The somewhat frail omega frowned and said softly, "Can you please not speak so loudly?"

Fu Han slumped back onto the sofa plaintively, muttering under his breath, "It’s always my fault. You won’t come back with me, won’t let me mark you, won’t take my money. If you won’t take my money, does that mean you won’t take my love either? Why don’t you want me..."

"I’ve already said my mind is a mess. Can you stop pressuring me?" The omega sighed slowly.

The lawyer genuinely wished he could disappear. He wasn’t sure if he was handling a share transfer or mediating a divorce.

After further discussion, Ji Qingyu still refused the enormous sum. Aside from his reasons related to Fu Han, more importantly, he didn’t want to be associated with the Ji family anymore.

After failed negotiations with Fu Han, Ji Deyong had packed up and disappeared somewhere. The Ji family’s funding chain had broken, shareholders fled, and Fu Han bought up the shares at low prices.

He had even pressured staff at the Ji family’s hotel into revealing the deleted surveillance footage from back then, along with records of Ji Ran and Fu Yunsheng’s repeated hotel stays. Fu Han released everything online, sparking intense discussion among netizens. Ji Qingyu’s phone was flooded with notifications, and he grew weary of it. He didn’t want the hard-won peace he had to be shattered again.

"Ugh, what kind of May-December romance is this? So tacky."

"Fu Yunsheng and Ji Ran?? They're in that kind of relationship?"

"I thought my former idol had hit rock bottom, but I never expected his taste to be so low. Is he really that insecure, going after this broke older man?!"

"Plagiarism, gold-digging, terrible taste and poor character... Why would anyone like him?"

"Who actually likes him? Isn't it just his music people are into?"

Ji Qingyu got a headache just thinking about these comments. He made it clear that his mind was made up and firmly showed his guest out. Fu Han, however, refused to leave, stubbornly staying curled up on one side of the sofa. In the end, only the lawyer, wiping sweat from his forehead, said his goodbyes.

Ji Qingyu repeated several times for the alpha to leave, but the alpha acted as if he were deaf, turning his head away and ignoring him. After taking a couple of frustrated breaths, Ji Qingyu shot Fu Han an exasperated glare and decided to leave him be.

He returned to his bedroom, left the door ajar, picked up his phone, and made a call. As soon as the call connected, he couldn’t help but break into a smile. With an excitement he hadn't felt in ages in his voice, he said, "Uncle Luo, would you like to perform on stage again? I’m planning a new stage play—I’ll be the main producer, and I want you to play the male lead. How about it? Also, I might… be able to sing again. I want to try a couple of songs. What… what do you think?"