PTBLSI chapter 22

 

Qiu Yizhou had originally been leaning back against the chair, relaxed, and watching the show. But when he suddenly caught sight of Fu Yanchuan’s movement, the phone in his hand almost fell.

He looked over, narrowing his gaze. Fu Yanchuan glanced at him coldly but did not let go of Qi Xi’s hand. If he had always been this kind of considerate character, he felt he had really seen a ghost.

Only Brother Zha failed to notice the ambiguous atmosphere in front of him. He had already figured out what was going on and began to panic unconsciously.

He had gotten to know Qi Xi on a domestic interest platform. He was scrolling through the platform randomly when he came across Qi Xi’s drawings and was amazed at first sight. Then, he discovered that Qi Xi didn’t know how to add tags, so his drawings didn’t receive much traffic.

Initially, he only wanted to use telling Qi Xi how adding tags as an excuse to get to know him. However, after chatting for a while, he realized that Qi Xi was young and had a poor self-perception. He didn’t add tags not because he didn’t know how, but because he was afraid that people would laugh at his drawings if they weren’t good.

At the time, he didn’t think much of it, but he instinctively didn’t mention it. He even encouraged Qi Xi, saying that he would improve with practice. When Qi Xi heard that he had graduated from an art academy, he instantly became his admirer and added him as a friend.

Later, someone approached him about a commission. He couldn’t draw it, and he also felt that the 500 fee was too low. He originally wanted to refuse, but then he thought of Qi Xi. He asked Qi Xi if he wanted to take the commission for one hundred. Unexpectedly, Qi Xi readily agreed. He resold it immediately and made a net profit of 400.

There were quite a few resold commissions like this in the circle. He didn’t feel much psychological pressure. However, Qi Xi’s drawings kept improving. Commissions started coming specifically for him, and the prices got higher and higher until they were almost all high-priced commercial commissions.

At that time, he had actually considered telling Qi Xi directly. However, after knowing him for a long time, he discovered that, apart from drawing, he wasn’t very sharp. He couldn’t resist the temptation and didn’t tell Qi Xi. On the one hand, he was afraid that Qi Xi would discover how good his drawings were, so he harshly suppressed him. On the other hand, he secretly registered an account on YI under Qi Xi’s name and publicly took commercial commissions under Qi Xi’s name.

He thought that even if Qi Xi found out, he wouldn’t be able to do anything about it. At worst, he could give Qi Xi tens of thousands of yuan. Perhaps Qi Xi would even thank him.

However, at that moment, when facing Fu Yanchuan, his limbs began to tremble uncontrollably. He lowered his head and apologized, “I’m sorry. I’ll return all the money to him!”

Finally, Fu Yanchuan put Qi Xi’s hand back on his leg and glanced at Brother Zha. “What money do you owe him?”

“The commission money. I’ll return all the money I underpaid him before.”

“Underpaid?” Fu Yanchuan took out the contract that Qi Xi had given him and lightly tapped it on the table. “What about the fee written on the contract?”

Brother Zha quickly glanced at the contract and immediately understood its purpose. He looked up at Fu Yanchuan but quickly averted his gaze and blurted out, “I’m sorry. The fees written here don’t count. The contract can be re-signed. I won’t deduct his fees anymore. We can split it according to the normal proportion.”

Fu Yanchuan let out a soft laugh, but his voice sank. “For more than two years, you belittled and suppressed him to take fees that should have been given to him?”

“No! It’s not that I didn’t want to give him more. I was afraid that if I gave him too much, he would realize that his drawings are actually very good. Then, he would take commissions himself and stop looking for me.”

“So you deceived him, belittled him, and hid the real commission situation all to gain profit under the guise of helping him get commissions?”

Brother Zha vaguely realized that Fu Yanchuan’s words were dangerous. He only stared at Fu Yanchuan’s shoes, already feeling a powerful pressure. He nodded repeatedly. “I won’t do it again. I really didn’t do it on purpose.”

Fu Yanchuan’s voice suddenly returned to normal and carried a hint of a smile. “That bit of money isn’t worth mentioning to me, but the psychological harm you caused Qi Xi over such a long time—I don’t want him to lose confidence in the future because of what you said.”

He paused here. “Can you sincerely explain the situation to him and apologize?”

Brother Zha felt as if he had received a pardon from Fu Yanchuan’s overwhelming pressure after hearing that last sentence. His gaze quietly climbed up along Fu Yanchuan’s shoes. Fu Yanchuan’s clothes weren’t branded, but you could tell they were expensive.

Most importantly, Fu Yanchuan sitting there looked like a golden Buddha inlaid with diamonds. He really looked like someone who wouldn’t consider a hundred or two hundred thousand as money.

Subconsciously believing Fu Yanchuan’s words, he formally looked at Qi Xi.

“I’m sorry, Qi Xi. Everything I said was to belittle you and make you think your drawings weren’t valuable, so you would keep looking for my help with commissions. Actually, your drawings are really good. I was amazed the first time I saw them. When I found out that you had never studied art, I was jealous, so I kept saying that your drawings were bad to make you afraid to post them online yourself. In reality, I was afraid you would discover the truth and expose me.”

Qi Xi wrinkled his nose and stared at Brother Zha. When Fu Yanchuan said his drawings could sell for more, he was only happy the money and didn’t connect it with what Brother Zha had said.

At that moment, hearing Brother Zha’s words, the filter he had placed on Brother Zha disappeared. The malicious words repeated to him for over two years finally dissolved in his mind, belatedly causing harm.

He sniffed, tears falling. “I trusted you so much. How could you lie to me like this?”

When Brother Zha saw Qi Xi crying, he lowered his head.

Qi Xi wiped away the tears at the corners of his eyes and asked Brother Zha seriously, “Am I really not good at drawing? Is it because no one admires my drawings, and they only come to me for commissions when I beg them?”

Brother Zha froze for a moment, not daring to look at Qi Xi. He just lowered his head and nodded. “It’s true. Many people like your drawings and your unique style. You really draw very well!”

Qi Xi suddenly laughed. The gloom in his eyes dispersed instantly, and his gaze became clear and bright again. Then he slapped the table and said, “Don’t think that just because you praised me, I won’t make you pay it back! Pay it back!”

This time, he switched hands and slapped it. He didn’t control his strength, either. It hurt so much that the corner of his mouth twitched. This time, however, Qiu Yizhou was sitting next to him. He subconsciously stretched his hand over, then noticed Qiu Yizhou frozen there.

Qiu Yizhou instantly understood. He leaned over and caught Qi Xi’s hand. He even said, “Don’t you know how to slap a bit lighter?”

But before he could touch Qi Xi’s hand, he felt Fu Yanchuan’s gaze on him. He raised his brows in surprise, pushed Qi Xi’s hand toward Fu Yanchuan, and said, “Go find your Boss Fu!”

Qi Xi was still glaring at Brother Zha. Embarrassed, he snorted to save face, slapping the table again with his still-hurting hand and saying to Brother Zha once more, “Pay it back!”

Then, he scrunched up his whole face. He pulled his hand back, held it against his stomach, bent over, and tried to hid the pain.

At that moment, the milk tea that Qi Xi had ordered was ready. The server brought it over. Not understanding what was going on but sensing that the atmosphere was scary, the server hurriedly put down the tea and ran off.

Fu Yanchuan leaned over, took the hand Qi Xi had used to slap the table, put a cup of milk tea in it, and asked, “Feeling better?”

Qi Xi took the straw with his other hand, inserted it, took a sip, and said, “Better.”

Qiu Yizhou suddenly understood why Fu Yanchuan had become considerate. At first glance, Qi Xi and Qiao Ye looked similar, but after observing them for a while, it was difficult to find any resemblance between the two. Qi Xi’s expressions, mannerisms, and gaze were worlds apart from Qiao Ye’s.

He thought Qi Xi was like an extremely beautiful, clingy, and silly ragdoll cat. There really weren’t many people who could resist being more considerate.

However, Fu Yanchuan’s behavior still left Qiu Yizhou unconvinced.

Brother Zha didn’t understand what had just happened. He sat anxiously in his seat and looked at the three people sitting across from him.

Suddenly, Fu Yanchuan stood up, picked up the three remaining cups of milk tea on the table, and asked Qi Xi, “Is there anything else you want him to say?”

Qi Xi stared at Brother Zha and glared hard. “Pay it back.”

Holding the three cups of milk tea that Qi Xi had ordered in one hand, Fu Yanchuan pulled him up and said, “This doesn’t need to be rushed. Let’s go.”

“But the money hasn’t been returned to me yet!”

Qi Xi refused to give up his money so easily. Fu Yanchuan put an arm around his shoulders and led him out, saying, “Relax. Everything that should be returned will be returned to you.”

Qi Xi didn’t understand, but Fu Yanchuan had already taken him out of the shop.

Qiu Yizhou, who was still sitting on the chair, saw Qi Xi leave and showed Brother Zha his phone. Smiling, he said, “Mr. Huang Yujian, everything you just said has been recorded by me. Please wait patiently for the court summons!”

Brother Zha froze in shock. Qiu Yizhou stood up and walked out. Only then did Brother Zha react, hurriedly chasing after him. “Didn’t you say that as long as I apologized, it would be fine?”

Qiu Yizhou stopped. Brother Zha rushed forward and grabbed his arm. “I can return all the money to him! I admit that what I did was immoral, but the contract is legal. There’s no need to take it to court. We can settle it privately, and I can compensate him with more money.”

Qiu Yizhou shook off Brother Zha’s hand and said, “Mr. Huang Yujian, you seem to have misunderstood. What you did is a criminal offense.”

Brother Zha was stunned on the spot. Qiu Yizhou continued, “According to Article two hundred sixty six of our country’s Criminal Law, using fabricated facts or concealing the truth to illegally occupy public or private property constitutes fraud. If the amount exceeds five hundred thousand yuan, the penalty is at least ten years. Do you remember how much you embezzled?”

After Qiu Yizhou finished speaking, Brother Zha involuntarily knelt down. After two seconds, he remembered to speak. “No, I didn’t know. I really didn’t do it on purpose. I didn’t commit fraud! Call Qi Xi over to explain it to me clearly!”

“I advise you not to go looking for Qi Xi again; otherwise, it won’t just be ten years.”

After saying that, Qiu Yizhou turned around, waved at Brother Zha, and said, “See you in court!”

Brother Zha watched Qiu Yizhou walk away and hurriedly chased after him, forgetting about the steps ahead. He stumble and fell, landing half lying on the ground. As he stepped down, his whole body lurched forward off the steps. His face smashed into the steps, opening a cut, and blood instantly flowed all over the ground. The few customers in the shop retreated in fear.

The staff behind them whispered among themselves.

“Who were those people? Did the boss commit some kind of crime?”

“I just heard them talking about fraud. Could he have committed fraud?”

“No way. If that’s true, what should we do? Will we get implicated?”

“Probably not, but it’s better to resign early so they don’t withhold your wages when the time comes!”

Brother Zha lay on the ground and listened to the conversation. Embarrassed, he crawled up, covering his bloody face, and cursed at the employees who were talking. “If you want to resign, then get lost!”

After cursing them out, he left. As a result, he stepped in his own blood, slipped, and fell again, smashing his head against the bookshelf beside him. He immediately stopped moving.

Qiu Yizhou walked out of the bookstore and saw Qi Xi leaning against the car door from afar, with Fu Yanchuan standing in front of him like a wall. As he walked closer, he heard Fu Yanchuan speaking in a gentle voice. “Still feeling bad? Forget what the bad guy said. In the future, whatever kind of commissions you want to draw, I’ll help you find buyers.”

Bad guy? Was he coaxing a little kid? Qiu Yizhou thought Fu Yanchuan was not quite normal.

Qi Xi wasn’t sure how sad he was either. Thinking about everything Brother Zha had said to him, he realized that he didn’t like hearing it. But he never knew how to refute it.

He looked up and asked Fu Yanchuan, “Brother Yan, do you think I’m stupid, too?”

“Mm.”

Fu Yanchuan responded without hesitation. Qi Xi became angry and glared at him.

The next moment, he was really sad. Tears welled up in his eyes as he asked, “Then do you dislike me too? Don’t you want me as your stand-in anymore?”

“I don’t like people who are too smart.”

Suddenly, Fu Yanchuan wrapped an arm around Qi Xi’s waist, moved him away from the car door, opened it, and pushed him inside.

Qi Xi sat in the car and stared straight at Fu Yanchuan, who sat down beside him. He was still thinking about what Fu Yanchuan had just said. After a long while, he suddenly realized something and said suspiciously, “Do you actually like stupid ones? Why are you so weird? Who would like an idiot? I don’t even like that. I like smart ones like you: handsome and smart.”

Facing Qi Xi’s pure gaze, devoid of any ulterior motives, Fu Yanchuan silently rolled down the car window and called out to Qiu Yizhou, who was eavesdropping outside: “Come drive.”

Qiu Yizhou twirled his phone in his hand, still relishing what he had just heard. Was Fu Yanchuan treating Qi Xi as Qiao Ye’s stand-in?

Qiao Ye hadn’t gone to another planet. If he really couldn’t forget Qiao Ye, why didn’t he just go find him? Why wait seven or eight years to suddenly find someone who looks like Qiao Ye to be a stand-in? This didn’t seem like something Fu Yanchuan would do.

From what he knew, Fu Yanchuan was the kind of person who would do whatever it took to get what he wanted. He wouldn’t beat around the bush to find a replacement.

Was he afraid Qiao Ye wouldn’t accept him? Whether Qiao Ye accepted him or not was Qiao Ye’s problem. Fu Yanchuan could just take Qiao Ye back, lock him up, and tame him until he accepted him.

That was the kind of thing Fu Yanchuan would do. This kind of consideration and coaxing—what kind of Fu Yanchuan was this?

Qiu Yizhou drove with curiosity, and after having a meal with Qi Xi, he finally understood a bit of the fun in being considerate to Qi Xi.

Qi Xi might be the type of person who was best at giving emotional feedback. As long as you treated him a little better, he would show ten times the enthusiasm in return.

During the meal, Qiu Yizhou had casually helped Qi Xi get water, and Qi Xi immediately became familiar with him, chattering enthusiastically. One moment he asked if Qiu Yizhou wanted to eat a certain dish; the next, he asked if Qiu Yizhou wanted to drink a certain soup. Even after Qiu Yizhou refused, Qi Xi came over to ask what he liked and helped him pick food.

Fu Yanchuan, sitting beside them, said in a sour tone, “Don’t talk while eating.”

Qi Xi retorted, “This isn’t your house right now. Everyone here is talking. Don’t be so domineering.”

However, Qi Xi was good at coaxing people. Before Fu Yanchuan could respond, Qi Xi immediately complied, though only halfway. He silently asked with his eyes what he wanted to eat.

Seeing Fu Yanchuan, who was usually so particular about eating that he even fixed where the chopsticks were placed, frown, Qiu Yizhou slapped the table in amusement.

After finishing the meal, they went to the hotel. This was a tourist city with many hotels. Qiu Yizhou booked the only five-star hotel in the city and its only suite for Fu Yanchuan and Qi Xi.

The suite was on the top floor of the hotel and had a fairly good view of the scenic area in the distance.

However, Fu Yanchuan wasn’t interested in the scenery. Despite it being the weekend, he remained seated on the single sofa by the window, working remotely.

As soon as Qi Xi entered the room, he explored every corner. The suite had a living room, a kitchen, and a large bathroom, but only one bedroom and one bed.

Qi Xi suddenly understood something and immediately went to find Fu Yanchuan.

Fu Yanchuan was now sitting on a fold-out sofa in the bedroom. Qi Xi ran behind him, lay on the back of the sofa, leaned over, and looked at Fu Yanchuan’s computer, but he didn’t understand anything.

“You can go out and play. I’ll have Qiu Yizhou accompany you.”

Fu Yanchuan said this without taking his eyes off the computer. As expected, Qi Xi refused. “I’m not going.”

Afterwards, he climbed onto the back of the sofa. He slipped down and landed between Fu Yanchuan and the backrest. Reaching both arms through, he hugged Fu Yanchuan’s waist. Pressing his face against Fu Yanchuan’s broad back, he said, “Brother Yan, thank you.”

Fu Yanchuan stopped typing. He paused and asked Qi Xi, “Thank me for what?”

Qi Xi tightened his arms around Fu Yanchuan’s waist and replied, “Thank you for bringing me here. Thank you for making Brother Zha say those things to me. Thank you for being so good to me. No one has ever been this good to me, especially not after knowing me for such a short time. No—except for Xie Hui, no one has ever been this good to me.”

Fu Yanchuan was silent for a moment, then asked, “Xie Hui—was he very good to you?”

Qi Xi nodded, rubbing his chin against Fu Yanchuan’s back. “We met when we had just entered middle school. He was my first deskmate. At first, he didn’t like me. When I copied his homework, he told the teacher. Too petty!”

He quietly laughed when he said this. “But later, I cried and told him that my mom had died and that my dad, stepmom, and younger brother had all bullied me. Some of it was true, but I cried to trick him. He fell for it, took the initiative to let me copy his homework, and even became my friend.”

After a while, Fu Yanchuan asked again, “Do you have any other friends?”

“No, actually I did have some friends before, but they disliked that I wasn’t good at playing ball or doing anything when we went out. They thought I was stupid and always got sick or injured. I wasn’t like a boy at all, so they ignored me.”

After Qi Xi finished speaking, Fu Yanchuan didn’t speak again for a long time. Qi Xi took the initiative to ask, “What about you? Do you have any friends?”

“I don’t have friends.”

Qi Xi lifted his face in surprise and stared at the back of Fu Yanchuan’s head. “Isn’t Qiu Yizhou your friend?”

“No, we’re just business partners.”

Fu Yanchuan said this emotionlessly. Qi Xi rested his chin on his hand and thought seriously for a moment. Then he sincerely suggested, “I think Qiu Yizhou is pretty good. He’s also quite handsome—though not as handsome as you—and he’s a lawyer. You can treat him as a friend. Otherwise, not having even one friend is too miserable.”

“Qi Xi.”

Fu Yanchuan called his name, reached back suddenly, and pulled Qi Xi out. Qi Xi fell onto his lap, hugged him hurriedly, and pressed his face against his neck. His lips accidentally brushed over it.

Fu Yanchuan lowered his gaze, meeting Qi Xi’s startled eyes. They were beautiful, like peach blossoms in full bloom. Qi Xi stared at Fu Yanchuan without moving.

Fu Yanchuan’s Adam’s apple rolled. He grabbed Qi Xi’s shoulders tightly and pushed him down. Qi Xi stood in front of him. Only then did Fu Yanchuan raise his head and say seriously, “Go sit properly over there.”

Qi Xi was very good at judging whether someone was really angry with him. Seeing that Fu Yanchuan wasn’t angry, he climbed back onto the sofa.

However, the sofa was too small for both of them. Fu Yanchuan had already taken up most of the space. Qi Xi knelt with both knees on either side of Fu Yanchuan’s legs and straddled him. Then he reached up, wrapped his arms around Fu Yanchuan’s neck, and said, “Brother Yan, let’s go to bed.”

Fu Yanchuan didn’t respond. Qi Xi moved closer and pressed his chest against Fu Yanchuan’s. He said, “I thought you brought me here so I could accompany you on your business trips and keep you from being lonely.”

Hearing words equivalent to obscenity, Fu Yanchuan’s throat went dry as he asked, “Who told you this kind of thing?”

“That’s how it is in comics. The CEO brings the stand-in on a business trip, and then they can sleep around freely in a place where no one knows them!”

“This isn’t a comic.”

Qi Xi felt that Fu Yanchuan was doing it on purpose. He knew Qi Xi wasn’t talking about comics, so he asked, “Then are you planning to go to bed with me?”

Fu Yanchuan’s hand slowly climbed onto Qi Xi’s leg. Through the fabric, he felt Qi Xi’s body heat. He gazed at Qi Xi. “To you, what does going to bed mean?”

Qi Xi tilted his head. “Does it have to mean something to go in?”

Fu Yanchuan didn’t speak again. The hand on his leg moved two inches upward. It tickled, and Qi Xi moved unconsciously, but Fu Yanchuan pressed him down forcefully. Qi Xi had no choice but to endure it and answer, “Does it mean I’m your stand-in?”

Finally, Fu Yanchuan moved his hand to Qi Xi’s waist, fastening it tightly and pulling him closer until they were pressed together, their lower abdomens touching. He told Qi Xi seriously, “No.”

“Then what is it?”

He didn’t answer. Suddenly, Qi Xi started acting shamelessly. He hugged his neck tightly, pressed his lips to the side of his face, and said, “What it is doesn’t matter. I just want to go to bed with you right now. Don’t you want to? Even Boss Bai wanted to. He tricked me into drinking just because he wanted to—”

“Qi Xi.”

Fu Yanchuan interrupted him, tightening his grip on Qi Xi’s waist. “Ignore him.”

“Then do you want to sleep with me or not?”

He finally freed one hand, sliding it from Qi Xi’s chest to his neck and resting it there. Leaning over, he brushed his lips lightly against Qi Xi’s lips and said in a low voice, “Once you do it, you can’t regret it. Do you understand?”

Qi Xi was a little dizzy from Fu Yanchuan’s breath. Instead, he was afraid that Fu Yanchuan would regret it and nodded hurriedly.

Holding his breath, Fu Yanchuan tentatively leaned forward and pressed his lips to Qi Xi’s. Then he pulled away and softly asked, “Nervous?”

Qi Xi answered stiffly, “A little.”

“Don’t be afraid. Close your eyes.”

Qi Xi obediently closed his eyes, but Fu Yanchuan’s gaze traced his body inch by inch, like invisible tentacles licking over his outline. His hand gently caressed Qi Xi’s neck, the pad of his thumb sliding along the jaw to the Adam’s apple, then upward, flipping over the chin and wiping across Qi Xi’s lips. In a low, hoarse voice, he softly gave an order.

“Open your mouth.”

Qi Xi parted his lips obediently. The fingers on his lips pressed into the gap between them, parting them lightly. Qi Xi trembled slightly. Finally, Fu Yanchuan clasped the back of his neck, pressed his moist lips against Qi Xi’s, and kissed him.

 

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