CFHE Chapter 99.2

“It’s fine,” Wen Yu interrupted her. “I have enough money. I’m helping a friend learn business from him—there’s a salary. Besides… Wen Ziming wants an ‘excellent son’ to bring him face, so he should bleed a little, right? Why should I help him save money?”

Fang Wanjing laughed: “Then spend more. He has plenty of money.”

Some people are so poor all they have left is money and the face they refuse to give up even unto death. As his biological son, Wen Yu naturally had to help his father “share his worries.”

What’s wrong with spending money?

Just as they were talking, Wen Yu’s phone on the table suddenly rang—a WeChat message.

The secretary sent a message saying the Chairman needed that acceptance letter for “collection” purposes.

What collection—clearly for display.

Wen Yu frowned.

Tonight’s table had fresh “June yellows” (soft-shell crabs). When the message came, Wen Yu was helping Fu Yuhan peel crab shells, his hands full of juice. So Fu Yuhan naturally leaned over to help him reply and saw the content clearly.

His eyes flickered. He looked up and asked Wen Yu: “Should I reply?”

“Reply.” Wen Yu lifted his chin. “Help me press voice message.”

Fu Yuhan pressed it for him and held it over. Wen Yu spoke coldly into the phone: “Is he awake yet? He wants the acceptance letter now? Does he want to go register for me too? Tell him I’ll mail it back to him after I finish registering. What a pain.”

Fu Yuhan released his hand and started laughing. Fang Wanjing looked over with concern: “What’s wrong?”

“Wants me to give him the acceptance letter for his ‘exhibition.'” Wen Yu lifted his chin dismissively. “Did his brain flood with water?”

Fang Wanjing made an “oh” sound: “The company’s second-quarter performance wasn’t good. He’s probably quite busy, and recently he has to be distracted fighting the divorce lawsuit with me… Plus, people at the company still don’t know we’re getting divorced. I’m guessing he’s overwhelmed right now.”

Overwhelmed aside, when he got home there probably wasn’t anyone making dinner and waiting for him anymore either.

When Fang Wanjing was home before, Wen Ziming hadn’t hired his own housekeeper for many years.

Thinking of this, Fang Wanjing couldn’t help… really wanting to laugh.

“How normal—he’s such a face-conscious person.” Wen Yu pursed his lips, snapped the crab claw in his hand, rolled the exposed crab meat in rice vinegar with minced ginger, and casually brought it to Fu Yuhan’s mouth, while saying to Fang Wanjing, “Maybe even when you win the case, he won’t let people at the company know about it.”

“That’s good.” Fang Wanjing smiled. “He’s afraid I’ll go to the company and make a scene, so he doesn’t dare push too hard on many conditions.”

Fu Yuhan lowered his head to take that piece of crab meat, eating while saying: “Yu-ge is the same—taking advantage of this to gain a lot of benefits.”

“How can a cultured person’s business be called taking advantage?” Wen Yu raised an eyebrow.

The more he used to hate Wen Ziming’s “obsession with face,” the more he liked it now.

A person’s greatest vulnerability is what they care about most—as long as you know how to leverage it.

“So, for registration you need to bring your own things, right? Bedding, mosquito nets, and such? I heard some colleges send registration checklists. Do you want me to help you prepare?” Fang Wanjing asked again.

“Is it okay?” Wen Yu was a bit uncertain. “I think I can figure it out…”

“Boys are careless about these things. I’m a bit worried about you two.” Fang Wanjing thought about it. “How about I go to the capital with you, and also help look at the rental place? I’ll come back once you’re settled?”

“Um…”

“If you two think I’m being too intrusive, then forget it.” Fang Wanjing smiled.

“It’s not that.” Wen Yu sniffled, his face showing some embarrassment.

Fu Yuhan finished eating a shell and looked up: “Mom, don’t pay attention to him. He definitely just thinks it’s too lame to have parents following along to college at eighteen.”

Wen Yu glanced at him and stepped on his foot under the table.

“Tss,” Fu Yuhan dramatically sucked in a breath. “Mom, look, this person is embarrassed into anger.”

“Fu Yuhan, what’s wrong with you?” Wen Yu was stunned. “I’m not peeling for you anymore.”

“It’s fine, I’m full.” Fu Yuhan wiped his mouth and smiled at Fang Wanjing. “Mom, why don’t you come with us?”

Fang Wanjing also smiled. She nodded: “Okay.”

Because of that undermining, Wen Yu stubbornly held back from saying a word to Fu Yuhan the whole way home.

“Yu-ge,” Fu Yuhan called from behind him repeatedly. “Yu-ge.”

Stop calling.

Wen Yu rolled his eyes, thinking to himself that he absolutely had to give Fu Yuhan the cold shoulder for the whole evening.

However, plans couldn’t keep up with changes. The enemy’s sugar-coated bullets were truly too sweet—after getting out of the car and entering the complex, Fu Yuhan caught up in two steps, held Wen Yu’s hand from behind, jumped up, and kissed him on the cheek.

“Yu-ge.” Those pitch-black eyes glistened under the moonlight. Fu Yuhan looked at him seriously. “I didn’t undermine you on purpose.”

Wen Yu pressed his lips together, almost unable to maintain his angry expression. He deliberately said fiercely: “How can undermining be unintentional?”

“I was giving Mom a way out.” Fu Yuhan’s lips held a slight smile, his eyes carrying a teasing laugh. “Didn’t you notice she really wanted to go? She brought it up after dinner too. She hasn’t left this city in eight years. Just treat it as giving her an excuse, a chance to go out and relax.”

Every girl before marriage has a different life, different preferences, different dreams.

Marriage and reality grind them all into the same mold.

But since she’s getting divorced, since after all these years she finally has a chance to go out and see the world—

Why not make it happen for her?

Wen Yu stared at Fu Yuhan for a while.

They stood under a tree at a corner. The streetlight nearby had been broken for a couple days—it was especially dark.

For a moment, only the moonlight and a bit of light escaping from nearby residential building windows outlined the other’s silhouette.

Wen Yu felt he must have encountered some reincarnation of a “dynasty-toppling seductress.” Otherwise, when did that grievance he’d held onto the whole way disappear?

He sighed deeply: “Xiao Han.”

“Mm?”

“Why are you so perceptive,” he opened his arms and easily gathered the person who had no defenses against him into his embrace, saying by that person’s ear like a sigh, “and why are you so gentle?”

Wen Yu was just sighing, but after Fu Yuhan hugged him back, he actually seriously pondered the answer to this question.

“She’s very good,” he said. “Good to me, good to you. I want to… make her a little happy, and make you a little happy too.”

Wen Yu nuzzled his neck hollow: “I want you. Shall we go home?”

Fu Yuhan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry: “I wasn’t trying to seduce you.”

“Now I’m the one trying to seduce you,” Wen Yu’s voice became very low, carrying some indescribable tenderness. “…I miss you.”

“Okay.” Fu Yuhan kissed Wen Yu’s neck.

It was a sweltering summer night, yet the two walking home hand in hand tasted a gentle warmth similar to hot soup on a winter night.

This was probably the temperature called “love” behind the words “I’m willing to do this for you.”

–

However, although that was the plan, they ended up leaving home a week earlier.

Because Fu Yuhan received a phone call from Qin Xiaolu midway through.

It was late at night. The little girl’s crisp voice sounded on the other end of the phone: “Gege, I feel a bit better. When are you coming to see me?”

Around the end of March or beginning of April, Uncle Qin had used the money from selling the house to take He Yan and Qin Xiaolu north to the capital. Medical resources in first-tier cities were tight—even registering for appointments was a battle. But whether because he didn’t want to disturb Fu Yuhan’s college entrance exam or for other reasons, in any case, when Old Qin occasionally sent Fu Yuhan messages to report they were safe, he never mentioned how hard things were.

Xiao Lu was admitted to a hospital in the capital. The couple rented a cheap small place 20 kilometers from the hospital. Every day they could only avoid rush hour and squeeze onto the subway to get to the hospital. If they encountered the late-night subway closure, they’d find some random spot in the hospital lobby or by the roadside to spend the night.

However, Qin Xiaolu’s illness stemmed from congenital deficiency. Transferring hospitals didn’t have much effect—it was basically just a last-ditch struggle.

Without suitable organs, they could only do a bypass to “increase blood supply.”

Before, she was too young and her constitution couldn’t withstand surgery, so she’d never had one. This time, treating a dead horse as if it were alive, she took a turn at death’s door and actually seemed healthier than before.

Hospital beds in the capital were even more scarce. Once she recovered somewhat, she was temporarily discharged. Qin Xiaolu took the opportunity to make a request, saying she wanted to go around and have fun in the capital.

She’d never been so far from home before. She was completely excited.

He Yan needed medication to barely control her emotions and wasn’t very rational. Recently, household matters were almost entirely decided by Old Qin. Dad felt sorry for his daughter, so he secretly took Qin Xiaolu out without telling He Yan.

At first they just wandered near home. Later, finding nothing went wrong, they went farther.

But despite all precautions, He Yan discovered it a while ago.

That day He Yan hadn’t taken her medicine in time and had a huge fight with Old Qin on the spot. Old Qin was fine, but it scared Qin Xiaolu to tears. One thing led to another and she ended up in the hospital again.

Hearing this over the phone, Fu Yuhan was simply speechless.

“I’m a bit better these past couple days.” Qin Xiaolu said. “Dad said Mom knows she was wrong. Recently she’s been staying home obediently, saying she’ll come see me when her own condition improves.”

“Then why do you want me to come so early?” Fu Yuhan yawned, tilted his head to lean into Wen Yu’s embrace. “Gege doesn’t need to go to college to register until August 31st.”

“I want to go out and play…” Qin Xiaolu pouted. “The capital has so many attractions. There are so many people on the streets, but Dad won’t take me to especially crowded places.”

“The air quality isn’t good in crowded places, and your lung capacity already isn’t great.” Fu Yuhan patiently tried to persuade her.

“But…” Qin Xiaolu felt aggrieved for a while. “I miss you.”

Wen Yu pinched the back of Fu Yuhan’s neck and cleared his throat from the side: “Watch it.”

Fu Yuhan pushed his head away in disdain: “Aren’t you tired of being jealous even of a little kid?”

Wen Yu also pouted at him, pretending to be very aggrieved.

“Was that sister-in-law talking just now?”

“…” Hearing this form of address for the first time, Fu Yuhan nearly choked on his own saliva. “Cough, cough cough… Where did you learn that word?”

“Big brother’s wife is called sister-in-law. The books didn’t tell me what to call big brother’s boyfriend.”

“Call him gege, just call him gege. That’s your Wen Yu gege.” Fu Yuhan caught his breath. “Alright, alright, I’ll go, okay? Let me check tickets tomorrow morning. I can’t buy them now.”

Qin Xiaolu laughed: “Thank you, gege! Thank you too, Wen Yu gege!”

The time to go to the capital had to be moved up, but fortunately both of them could barely be considered “freelancers.” Their part-time work wouldn’t block their steps.

Fang Wanjing seemed to have been waiting for this day for a long time. After receiving the call, she happily made a list, categorizing what needed to be brought and what needed to be purchased locally. That afternoon she swept through the supermarket.

Two days later, the three of them dragged four suitcases, turned off the water and electricity, locked the doors and windows, and boarded the high-speed train to the capital together.

***

Author’s Notes: The last day of 2019~

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year~

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