PTBLSI chapter 65

 

By May, the weather in Huo City already showed signs of early summer. The sun leapt through the window early in the morning, seeping through the heavy curtains with its warm, dizzying light. It cut across the corner of the wall, lighting up the dimness inside the room.

Qi Xi was already awake but lay with his back to Fu Yanchuan, pretending to still be asleep.

“Xixi.”

Finally unable to hold back, Fu Yanchuan leaned over and tightly hugged Qi Xi from behind. He knew the moment Qi Xi woke up—the body in his arms suddenly tensed; there was no way he wouldn’t have noticed.

He hoped Qi Xi would say something, but after waiting a long time, Qi Xi didn’t move. He wasn’t sure if he had been disliked again. For the first time, he resented his own body. If he could choose, he wouldn’t want to grow like that either.

Qi Xi still didn’t make a sound. He tightened his arms around Qi Xi, making sure he couldn’t escape. Then, he leaned over and lightly kissed the back of Qi Xi’s neck. “Talk to me, okay?”

“What did you say?”

Qi Xi pretended to have just woken up. He deliberately rubbed his eyes and turned his head toward Fu Yanchuan. However, he couldn’t hide the instant redness on his face. He subconsciously wanted to move farther away, but didn’t. Last night’s events replayed in his mind.

After he nodded, Fu Yanchuan leaned down to kiss him and removed his sleepwear. When the final covering was about to be pulled away, Qi Xi grabbed it tightly and looked at Fu Yanchuan.

“Don’t be afraid. I’ll be very careful.”

Hearing Fu Yanchuan’s extremely gentle voice, he loosened his grip. Fu Yanchuan leaned back down and kissed him while reaching to the bedside drawer with one hand and taking out a lubricating tool.

He had no idea that Fu Yanchuan kept something like that in his room. Fu Yanchuan pressed his lips together and asked, “What did you use just now?”

He turned his face away, too embarrassed to answer. Fu Yanchuan stared at him, not moving, as if insisting on an answer. He could only turn back and reply, “Saliva.”

Fu Yanchuan’s Adam’s apple bobbed hard. He pressed his lips together and stirred deeply inside, mixing the moisture thoroughly until a thin silver line stretched between them. Fu Yanchuan wiped it away with his finger, leaving it on his fingertip. Then he opened the tool.

“Brother Yan.”

He called out to Fu Yanchuan instinctively, but then he didn’t know what to say. Only his eyelashes kept trembling. Suddenly, Fu Yanchuan lifted him up, switched their positions, and had him sit on top facing the headboard. He quietly looked at him and asked, “Is it okay now?”

He felt that Fu Yanchuan looked too calm. He was the only one blushing, which made him a little unhappy. But he really didn’t know what to do. After standing there for a long time, he could only nod.

Fu Yanchuan immediately leaned in to kiss him. His hand slid along Qi Xi’s skin. His fingers found the target and slowly moved forward until they sank deeply in. Fu Yanchuan let out a burning breath and asked in a voice full of lip sounds, “Xixi, is it uncomfortable?

He couldn’t answer. His eyes were like boiling water as he looked at Fu Yanchuan. Suddenly stimulated by something, Fu Yanchuan stopped restraining himself and became unrestrained.

“Brother Yan… brother—”

He couldn’t help but tremble. Fu Yanchuan held him tightly and soothed him with kisses. Then, he collapsed onto Fu Yanchuan weakly. His soiled clothes stained him as well.

Leaning into his ear, Fu Yanchuan whispered, “Xixi, was it comfortable?”

How could he answer? He continued until he felt Fu Yanchuan’s hand on his ear. Nervously, he arched his back and looked at him.

“Xixi—”

Fu Yanchuan called out to him hoarsely. “Don’t be nervous, Relax, okay?”

Qi Xi didn’t know how to relax. All his nerves were tense. Fu Yanchuan gently licked his Adam’s apple and coaxed him as if he were a child: “Be good. Don’t be afraid.”

He finally nodded lightly. Then, bit by bit, unprecedented sensory feedback crept into his brain, and instantly, his limbs stiffened.

“Xixi!”

Fu Yanchuan felt the person in his arms tense up more and hurried to comfort him. Last night, he had barely gone in before Qi Xi started crying, tears filling his eyes. He immediately gave up and held him, coaxing him for a long time.

Qi Xi refused to say anything, burying his face in Fu Yanchuan’s neck and crying so sadly that it made his heart ache. Fu Yanchuan could guess that Qi Xi might not inherently like men. Even if he accepted him emotionally, there was still a physiological barrier.

But he didn’t dare ask. He was afraid that asking would elicit an instinctive rejection from Qi Xi, so he just held him all night.

After a whole night, Qi Xi still reacted this way. Panicking, he carefully turned Qi Xi over, pressed closely against him, and said, “You said last night you wouldn’t ignore me.”

“I didn’t—”

Qi Xi finally raised his eyes to meet his gaze. “I didn’t ignore you. It’s just that when I see you, I feel like there’s still something there—there—”

Fu Yanchuan looked at him for a long while before cautiously asking, “You hate it a lot?”

Qi Xi immediately turned his gaze away again. “No, it’s—it’s just really strange!”

Fu Yanchuan finally got an answer that made him feel slightly relieved. He leaned in and asked, “So you don’t hate it, right?”

Qi Xi nodded. Only then did he dare to ask, “Can we try again next time?”

“Will it work if we try a few more times? Because yours is so—so—”

Qi Xi was too embarrassed to continue. Leaning to his ear, Fu Yanchuan whispered, “The doctor said that as long as you get used to the feeling, it’s fine. Size compatibility is relatively flexible. Let’s get used to fingers first, okay?”

“When did you go ask the doctor?”

“When you were asleep.”

Qi Xi’s voice suddenly got smaller. “Did the doctor say how long it takes to get used to it?”

Looking at Qi Xi’s flushed ears, Fu Yanchuan finally relaxed, confirming that Qi Xi didn’t hate him. The corner of his mouth lifted unconsciously. “The doctor said you’ll get used to it after doing it a few more times.”

“Oh, okay.”

Qi Xi answered as if he were just going along with it. Fu Yanchuan felt heartache again. “Xixi, don’t just say ‘okay.’ If you don’t like it, tell me.”

“I like it!”

Qi Xi suddenly hugged his neck and poured out his feelings. “Brother Yan, I like you. I want to treat you well, make you happy, and do things you like. I’ll take responsibility for making you happy.”

He couldn’t say anything for a moment. After a long while, he asked, “Did Uncle Quan say something to you?”

“No.”

Qi Xi was faithful to his promise and answered without hesitation. But he was terrible at lying—Fu Yanchuan could tell at a glance. He didn’t want Qi Xi to pity him because of his past. He only wanted Qi Xi to be obsessed with him, emotionally and physically.

In the end, Fu Yanchuan skipped over the topic. “Hungry?”

Qi Xi had been pretending to sleep for a long time, and his stomach had already growled. He nodded, and Fu Yanchuan carried him to the bathroom.

Today, Fu Yanchuan finally didn’t work overtime. After breakfast, they found a movie to watch together.

Qi Xi thought Fu Yanchuan was just resting that day, but over the next two weeks, he stayed idle. He would drop Qi Xi off at work in the morning and then come find him for lunch at noon, making his coworkers worry that the free lunches were about to end.

Half a month later, the internal struggle within the Fu family finally ended. The news spread so widely that even Qi Xi, who didn’t usually follow this kind of news, saw it immediately.

Due to funding issues, Fu Zhenrong was detained for investigation, resigned from his position as chairman of the group, and had his shares auctioned off.

Meanwhile, the board of directors removed Fu Yanchuan from his position as CEO for causing losses and turmoil to the group. Fu Yanchuan’s sixth uncle, Fu Jinshen, was appointed chairman.

This outcome was unexpected yet not surprising to many people.

During this period, Fu Yanchuan had shown an attitude of bringing the entire group down with him. It was reasonable for the board to lose trust in him. However, based on Fu Yanchuan’s usual way of doing things, he should have kicked out the shareholders who didn’t trust him. Instead, he didn’t object at all to being removed from his post and left very decisively.

However, some people analyzed that Fu Yanchuan and Fu Jinshen had been using each other all along. Fu Jinshen was wary of Fu Yanchuan, so he used the board’s name to drive him away.

Fu Yanchuan left so decisively because he knew that if he stayed, Fu Jinshen would also deal with him. Moreover, the drop in stock prices caused the group’s assets to shrink severely. Letting go of the hot potato was the better choice.

In fact, resigning was also part of Fu Yanchuan’s plan. As many people knew, even if he had stayed, Fu Jinshen would have found ways to drive him out. The logic of killing the dog after the rabbit is dead was obvious.

He returned to his office to pack his things and realized that, after so many years, very few items actually belonged to him.

In the bottom drawer of his desk, he found the photo of Qiao Ye. He picked it up, glanced at it twice, and threw it in the trash.

In the end, he only took the two paintings Qi Xi had drawn.

The people in the president’s office had been working with Fu Yanchuan for several years. They didn’t particularly like him as a leader, but he treated subordinates fairly and objectively precisely because he worked like an emotionless machine. Those with ability naturally received more opportunities without having to engage in office politics. If it were someone else, that wouldn’t necessarily be the case.

Many people didn’t want Fu Yanchuan to leave. Zhou Zhiwei least wanted him to go. She hadn’t expected Fu Yanchuan to choose mutual destruction with his father. She didn’t know who the next president would be or how they would treat her, a remnant of the previous regime.

When Fu Yanchuan reached the parking garage, his phone rang. He put the paintings in the trunk first, got in the car, closed the door, and then answered the call.

“President Fu, did everything go smoothly?”

Up until today, he had never felt so relaxed. His voice sounded lighter as he replied, “What’s not smooth about being driven out? It’s President Shao who seems to be in a good mood.”

“Of course. The joy of being newly married—you’ll understand once you get married yourself someday.”

Fu Yanchuan thought for two seconds. “I really do want to try.”

That shocked President Shao on the other end. “You’re serious? What kind of person could abduct you? I don’t really believe it.”

“When the time comes, I’ll invite you to drink wedding wine, and then you’ll know.”

“Let’s wait on the wedding wine. Just don’t forget what you promised me.”

Fu Yanchuan lifted his lips in a smile. “Soon. But before that, I’m going to take some time off.”

“With such a huge chessboard laid out in front of you, what kind of vacation are you taking?”

“To keep my Xixi company. Besides, the chess pieces aren’t going to run away on their own.”

“You’re really confident.”

“Same to you.”

Qi Xi didn’t know what kind of game Fu Yanchuan was playing. After seeing the news online, he thought that Fu Yanchuan had lost his job and gone bankrupt. While drawing, he suddenly spaced out and started thinking about whether the money he earned would be enough to support him, Fu Yanchuan, and Dasheng if Fu Yanchuan really went bankrupt.

It seemed difficult. Just the monthly salary of their family’s chef alone was tens of thousands. He could eat anything casually, but Fu Yanchuan couldn’t.

He slumped onto the easel and sighed. Supporting Fu Yanchuan was so expensive!

“Teacher Qixi, would you like something to drink?”

After reading the online gossip, Huang Shilin came over to comfort Qi Xi. Seeing him looking so dispirited, she asked again, “Do you want some snacks? Should I grab Ermao for you?”

“No.”

Qi Xi replied. “I want to make money!”

“Huh?” Huang Shilin didn’t understand. Qi Xi explained, “Brother Yan doesn’t have a job anymore. I need to earn more money, or else I won’t be able to afford a chef.”

Huang Shilin understood even less. As an ordinary person, she didn’t see the necessity of having a chef.

But, seeing how listless Qi Xi looked, she comforted him anyway. “Don’t worry too much. At least President Fu wasn’t arrested. You don’t need to visit him in jail.”

“He could still be arrested?”

Qi Xi jumped up at once. Cheng Shu walked in just in time to hear this and kicked Huang Shilin aside.

“Is that how you comfort someone?”

Huang Shilin retorted, “What did I do?”

Cheng Shu shut her out of the room and looked at Qi Xi.

“Director Cheng, Brother Yan won’t really be arrested, will he?”

Looking at Qi Xi’s expression, Cheng Shu felt as if he were about to be drowned by his anxiety. From a selfish point of view, Cheng Shu hoped Qi Xi would stay far away from Fu Yanchuan. Fu Yanchuan’s circle was too complicated for Qi Xi and inextricably linked to exploitation and self-interest.

Although he didn’t know what had happened between Fu Yanchuan and his father, he could tell that, during the Fu family’s months-long struggle, there wasn’t a single good person. It was all just calculations of interest.

He didn’t want Qi Xi to be tainted by those struggles, so he comforted him. “Don’t worry. How could he let something happen to himself? Maybe in a few months, he’ll make a comeback, and the entire Fu family will end up in his hands.”

He hadn’t seen through some hidden truth; he just felt that, given how Fu Yanchuan considered Qi Xi, he wouldn’t drive himself to having nothing.

However, Qi Xi didn’t believe Cheng Shu. Seeing him like this, Cheng Shu couldn’t help saying, “Go home early today.”

Qi Xi immediately bowed to thank him, then ran off without straightening his back.

Watching his anxious back, Cheng Shu sincerely hoped that Fu Yanchuan wasn’t acting on a whim. Otherwise, with Qi Xi’s single-mindedness, he might never get over it for the rest of his life. If Qi Xi’s spark were worn away because of heartbreak, it would truly be a regret for countless people.

Qi Xi went downstairs and called Fu Yanchuan. He had wanted to ask where Fu Yanchuan was, but Fu Yanchuan told him to wait where he was.

Less than ten minutes later, Fu Yanchuan’s car drove up in front of him.

He thought that Fu Yanchuan must be very upset right now. He wanted to comfort him after getting in, but just as he closed the car door, Fu Yanchuan pushed the seat back and pulled him onto the driver’s seat.

“Brother Yan, what are you doing?”

Qi Xi was afraid someone would see them. He nervously looked outside the car, but Fu Yanchuan forcefully turned his face back. Only then did Qi Xi clearly see Fu Yanchuan’s expression.

“Why are you so happy?”

Fu Yanchuan couldn’t explain to Qi Xi why he was so happy. Perhaps it was because the shackles that had bound him for so long had finally been unlocked. Maybe it was because he had finally seen Fu Zhenrong’s panicked, regretful expression. Or maybe it was because he had finally experienced the freedom that Qi Xi had talked about.

From now on, nothing would bind him anymore. He no longer needed to become what others expected him to be. He was just himself.

“Xixi.”

Fu Yanchuan told Qi Xi, “Meeting you is the luckiest thing in my life.”

 

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