Chapter 6: Video

Ji Fanling opened her mouth but didn’t say anything.

Even though Fu Yingcheng added her fingerprint to the door lock, it was probably just to avoid hearing her knock.

But she still felt a subtle sense of happiness.

Ji Fanling looked up at Fu Yingcheng… and suddenly realized he was even taller than she remembered. Standing in front of him, the top of her head didn’t even reach his shoulders.

Back in senior year, he was already tall and slim, standing out among the crowd with a cold, elegant demeanor—like a crane among chickens. However, they had never been this close. Even during the flag-raising ceremony, one stood at the front of the line, while the other stood at the back.

Could it be that he grew taller during university?

In the brief moment the girl was lost in thought, the man silently lowered his eyes. However, Ji Fanling quickly took two steps back, creating some distance.

Fu Yingcheng raised his chin slightly without expression, motioning her to look at the clock, and said with a cold voice: “This is what you meant by coming back quickly?”

Ji Fanling followed his gaze and looked over: “…” It did take her a bit of time to walk back.

Fu Yingcheng: “If I had already been asleep, would I have had to get up to open the door for you?”

“You know, Zhou Sui… she just really missed me too much.”

The girl slowly scratched at her fingers and quickly glanced at him, “I wanted to leave a long time ago, but she kept holding on to me, not willing to let go.”

“And you,” Fu Yingcheng’s tone was indifferent, “you didn’t think to tell me if you weren’t staying, and you didn’t think to inform me when you decided to continue staying?”

“Sorry, I got too caught up in the conversation…”

Ji Fanling touched her cold nose. “I accidentally forgot about you.”

“…”

Ji Fanling paused for a moment, lowered her eyes, and softly said, “From now on, I’ll open the door myself. I walk very quietly, so I won’t wake you up.”

Fu Yingcheng’s eyelashes fluttered slightly, and a dark, unreadable expression flashed in his eyes.

After a moment, he spoke, as if letting her off the hook: “Go take a shower first.”

Ji Fanling: “Oh.”

It seemed like the hospital germs on her were bothering the cleanliness-obsessed young master.

Ji Fanling usually showered as quickly as going into battle, but this time, to prove she was thoroughly clean, she deliberately covered herself in a thick layer of bubbles and took a much longer time. By the time she was done, she felt a little dizzy.

When she finished showering, Fu Yingcheng seemed to have wrapped up his meeting as well. He walked out of the study and saw the girl heading towards the guest bedroom with her wet hair. He called out to her.

Ji Fanling stopped in her tracks and turned back: “What is it?”

Fu Yingcheng frowned: “Why didn’t you dry your hair?”

Ji Fanling tried to reason with him: “Look, the water from my hair will only drip onto my pajamas, it won’t get on the floor.”

“Whose pajamas are those?” Fu Yingcheng glanced at her indifferently. “Yours?”

Ji Fanling: “…”

Fine, fine, they’re yours, everything is yours.

Suppressing her annoyance, Ji Fanling went to dry her hair.

Halfway through, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Fu Yingcheng passing by in the hallway. When he reached her, he stopped and stood there for a moment, watching her.

After a moment, as if he saw something amusing, Fu Yingcheng’s brow arched slightly.

Ji Fanling turned off the hair dryer with a blank expression: “Do you need something again?”

Fu Yingcheng: “What did you wash your hair with?”

“…”

Guilt flashed across her face for a brief second.

“Shampoo, of course, shampoo. What else would I use?” Ji Fanling replied expressionlessly.

“Is that so?” Fu Yingcheng responded ambiguously.

Just when Ji Fanling thought she had gotten away with it, the man leaned forward, closing the distance a bit more.

Up close, his features became even more distinct and defined—his sharply sculpted nose, thin lips, and long, dark eyelashes casting shadows. She could even see a small mole at the corner of his eye.

A mole in that spot usually had a seductive quality, but on his face, it only intensified the cold and aloof aura of his sharp, ice-like features—naturally distant and unapproachable.

“Then why do you smell,” Fu Yingcheng paused briefly, and his gaze falling onto her face, “like my shaving foam?”

…

What?

Who smells like shaving foam?

Who are you saying smells like shaving foam?

Ji Fanling was stunned, but her tone remained calm: “You must have smelled wrong. I checked the English on the bottle.”

“That’s quite impressive,”

Fu Yingcheng paused and straightened up, “because the labels on this batch of toiletries are only in French.”

Ji Fanling: “…”

At this point, bolting out the door, rushing back to the hospital, and forcing Zhou Sui to take her in… might not be entirely out of the question, right?

Seeing that the girl was about to lose her temper, Fu Yingcheng seemed to rein in his teasing and lifted his chin slightly: “The one on the far right on the counter is body wash, and the second from the left is shampoo.”

“…”

“If you have any questions, just ask.” Fu Yingcheng withdrew his gaze indifferently, as if he had said it casually.

“…Do you think I’m mute?”

*

The next morning, Ji Fanling slept until eleven o’clock. Not being woken up by the sound of mahjong or street quarrels and instead waking up naturally made her feel refreshed.

Death, after all, wasn’t without its perks.

At least she didn’t have to get up early or go to school.

Even though it was Sunday, Fu Yingcheng was already out of the house, having left at some point without her noticing.

Ji Fanling didn’t have the face to consider herself a guest. She hadn’t closed her door before sleeping last night, but in the morning, Fu Yingcheng had closed it for her and left a phone on the floor outside her room.

Ji Fanling picked up the phone.

The screen lit up, revealing a WeChat message.

Sent at 9 a.m., it contained just three words, as if it carried Fu Yingcheng’s mocking tone:

【Still not up?】

Ji Fanling: “…”

The phone had no lock screen password. A simple swipe unlocked it, displaying the WeChat chat window.

It seemed like this WeChat account had just been registered, with a randomly generated username, and the contact list only had Fu Yingcheng.

Ji Fanling: 【I’m up. Are you not home today?】

Soon, Fu Yingcheng replied:

c: 【Handling some things at the office.】

c: 【Keep the phone with you. Let me know if you go out.】

Ji Fanling was a bit stunned: 【This phone is for me to use?】

Fu Yingcheng sent a voice message.

c: “It’s an old phone I replaced. If I threw it out, it would still be a waste. No need to return it.”

The male voice coming from the receiver was casual, yet coated with a magnetic quality by the electric current, making it particularly deep and clear.

Even though he called it a discarded phone, it was so new that it showed no signs of use. Like everything he owned, it had a kind of pristine cleanliness that bordered on obsessive neatness.

Ji Fanling hadn’t even sent her “thank you” before Fu Yingcheng sent another voice message:

“After all, with you alone in my house, it makes me a bit uneasy… about my house.”

…

Uneasy… about… my house.

Is that something a person would actually say?

Ji Fanling was silent for a moment: 【If you’re that uneasy, why don’t you come back and inspect it yourself?】

Immediately, a pop-up appeared: 【c is inviting you to a video call…】

Ji Fanling scratched her messy, bedhead hair.

Ah, does he really need to see for himself?

*

At Jiuzhou Medical Group Headquarters.

Fu Yingcheng’s assistant, Gao Yi, quickly walked through the corridor to the door of the CEO’s office. Unable to resist, he once again reviewed the materials for the investment project meeting and the due diligence report on the target project, making sure there were no issues. Only then did he straighten his appearance and raise his hand to knock on the door.

He had worked under Mr. Fu for seven years, making him a senior employee. He wasn’t the type to be overly nervous just because the boss was in a bad mood. After all, it wasn’t like Mr. Fu had many good days throughout the year.

But today was truly unusual.

Gao Yi felt that instead of being merely unhappy, Mr. Fu seemed more… distracted.

During the short half-hour morning meeting, he had unconsciously checked his phone seven or eight times, startling the CFO, who thought he was talking too much and had made Mr. Fu impatient, speeding through his report at lightning speed.

A faint voice from inside the office called out, “Come in.”

Assistant Gao pushed open the door and was greeted by the sight of a large floor-to-ceiling window, with the noon sunlight streaming through the glass and filling the office.

The man was seated behind his desk, his brows relaxed, looking down at his phone.

Assistant Gao keenly sensed that Mr. Fu was in a good mood—exceptionally so, in fact. The usually cold and heavy atmosphere of the office even seemed to have taken on a warm air.

Assistant Gao quickly approached: “Mr. Fu, here is the data you need to review for this afternoon’s investment project meeting, as well as the investigation into Fried Company’s business over the last ten years.”

“Alright,” Fu Yingcheng glanced at him, then at the message, “wait a moment.”

He then made a video call.

Assistant Gao instinctively stepped back a few paces. After a few minutes, he watched as Mr. Fu’s expression grew colder and colder, before he raised his hand and tossed the phone onto the desk.

Only then did Assistant Gao see the video screen, which was enthusiastically showcasing each room.

The camera was shaky, and the house was empty, slightly echoing with its emptiness. The person filming remained hidden behind the lens—not a single finger or strand of hair was visible.

What is this?

Is this a video from a real estate agent?

Seeing that Mr. Fu had been silent for a while, Assistant Gao couldn’t help but ask, “Are you looking at properties?”

Fu Yingcheng lifted his eyelids and responded coolly, “You also think this is a house tour?”

“Looking at the bed? You still want to see the bed?” A faint female voice came from the phone.

Accompanied by the shaky camera movement, the phone quickly rushed into the guest bedroom, zooming in fast to give a close-up of the bed.

The neatly made, hotel-like plain-colored bed sheets, the perfectly arranged pillows, and the meticulously folded corners…

Fu Yingcheng’s brow twitched. He raised his hand and ended the video call.

Assistant Gao: “…”

This was… delicate.

It felt like Mr. Fu was genuinely in a bad mood this time.

He tentatively asked, “Is the house not good?”

“It’s fine, just…”

Fu Yingcheng raised his hand to take the documents Gao Yi handed over, flipping through them absentmindedly without really paying attention. He let out a slight, amused scoff as if laughing at the absurdity:

“Who would be bored enough to tour their own house?”

*

Ji Fanling saw that Fu Yingcheng had ended the video call, assuming he must be very satisfied.

She even thoughtfully added a message:

【If you’re still uneasy.】

【I can send you a video every day.】

Fu Yingcheng didn’t reply.

Ji Fanling didn’t take it to heart either.

She had never had her own phone before, so she spent half the day excitedly exploring it. First, she used the phone number to find Zhou Sui’s WeChat and sent a friend request. Then, she downloaded several top-ranked apps from the app store—food delivery, online shopping, streaming dramas, watching videos, and reading news, exploring each one in turn. She even remembered to register a new QQ account using her new phone number.

This time, Zhou Sui quickly accepted Ji Fanling’s friend request.

Sui Sui Ping An: 【Sorry, I was busy taking care of Hanhan yesterday, and made you wait so long.】

None of My Business: 【Didn’t wait.】

None of My Business: 【I left shortly after.】

Sui Sui Ping An: 【That’s good. Once Hanhan gets better, I definitely owe you a meal.】

Sui Sui Ping An: 【By the way, how did you end up at Fu Yingcheng’s place?】

None of My Business: 【?】

None of My Business: 【How do you know?】

Sui Sui Ping An: 【Not long after you arrived yesterday, he messaged me asking if I’d seen you. I chatted with him for a bit.】

None of My Business: 【…】

None of My Business: 【Is it possible that you told him you saw me, and that you were holding onto me, chatting like crazy, not letting me leave?】

Sui Sui Ping An: 【Uh, I don’t think that’s exactly how I answered…】

Ji Fanling’s face turned ashen.

No wonder Fu Yingcheng had that strange expression yesterday—it turned out he already knew that Zhou Sui was busy taking care of her child and didn’t have time for her.

Now, thinking back on the man’s dark gaze, it seemed to carry a hint of “I’ll see how you spin this story.”

Zhou Sui was still busy, replying to messages intermittently.

She mentioned that she had been accepted into the accounting program at Hai University after the college entrance exam, then worked in private enterprise doing finance after graduation, where she met her current husband, He Jinpeng.

Both Zhou Sui and her husband often worked overtime and didn’t have time to take care of their child. Now, her in-laws had come from the countryside to live with them and would stay until Hanhan started kindergarten next year.

Ji Fanling could imagine that in Zhou Sui’s house, her in-laws probably slept in one room, while the couple and their child shared another.

If she were to go there, there wouldn’t even be a place for her to sleep.

Unlike Fu Yingcheng.

Despite his age, he was still a lone bachelor.

Zhou Sui: 【Can you stay at Fu Yingcheng’s place?】

Zhou Sui: 【You two actually know each other?】

Ji Fanling: “…”

She had just been asked this same question by Chen Jun the day before.

Why did it seem like she and Fu Yingcheng were from completely different worlds?

Indeed, back in school, they had no interaction whatsoever—they were the kind of classmates who wouldn’t even greet each other if they passed in the hallway.

After all, one was the top student in the grade, while the other was at the bottom. What could they possibly have to talk about?

But Zhou Sui’s words were like a hook, drawing out one of Ji Fanling’s rare memories of Fu Yingcheng.

It was a night during their first year of high school. Ji Guoliang had lost money betting on soccer and was storming around the house in a fit of rage, smashing things. Unable to bear it any longer, Ji Fanling ran out, hands in her pockets, aimlessly wandering the streets.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed her arm.

Ji Fanling turned around.

Backlit by the streetlight stood a slender young man holding a newly purchased study guide from the bookstore. He was wearing a black windbreaker, his skin cold and pale, with dark hair and black eyes. His brows were furrowed as he stared at her: “You’re bleeding.”

He extended his hand, gently touching the back of her neck, then showed his fingers to her.

“…Ah.”

Ji Fanling glanced at the blood on his fingertips and replied nonchalantly, “I fell off my bike. It’s nothing.”

Knowing he was a clean freak, Ji Fanling, in an attempt to be considerate, grabbed her sleeve and wiped his fingertips.

Only after she had wiped did she remember that her clothes were also dirty, covered in dust from her fall.

No wonder Fu Yingcheng’s fingers stiffened slightly, and the veins on the back of his hand strained in a visible effort to endure.

Ji Fanling, realizing she couldn’t clean his hand properly, simply withdrew her hand and turned to leave, but Fu Yingcheng stopped her: “The hospital isn’t in that direction.”

Ji Fanling responded in confusion, “Why go to the hospital?”

Fu Yingcheng: “Then where are you going?”

For Ji Fanling, this small injury didn’t warrant a hospital visit. With Ji Guoliang losing it tonight, she wasn’t going back home no matter what, even if she died out here. She was planning to find a random sofa in an underground internet cafe and make it through the night.

The girl glanced at a distant storefront and said dismissively, “Just wandering around.”

“Come with me.” Fu Yingcheng grabbed her and started walking.

Ji Fanling didn’t know where he got the strength, but she couldn’t break free, stumbling as she followed along. Frustrated, she flared up: “Fu Yingcheng, what’s your problem? Let me go!”

Fu Yingcheng’s pace wasn’t fast, but he held tightly onto her sleeve. Even after taking a few punches from her, he didn’t let go. With a cold expression, he dragged her all the way to the seats under a sun umbrella outside a nearby convenience store: “Sit here and wait for me.”

“Who do you think you are? Why should I listen to you?” Ji Fanling glared at him.

The two stared at each other, one standing tall, the other seated.

The cold light from the convenience store above cast down, illuminating the boy’s dark, beautiful eyes.

He looked down at her, his slightly lifted eyelids forming a faint crease, with his long, narrow eyes slightly raised at the corners, sharp and fierce.

But his eyes were subtly red.

It was as if they held a thin layer of anger mixed with suppressed sadness, barely detectable but present.

It seemed like it wasn’t Ji Fanling who was hurt.

Rather, it felt as though Ji Fanling had stabbed him deeply, leaving him wounded.

Ji Fanling blinked slowly, and for some reason, her anger dissipated.

“Up to you whether you listen or not.”

Fu Yingcheng turned and walked into the convenience store, as if it didn’t matter to him whether she chose to stay or leave.

Soon, the boy came out of the convenience store carrying a plastic bag filled with cotton swabs, gauze, iodine, band-aids, and erythromycin ointment.

He walked straight up to Ji Fanling, quickly unpacking the medical supplies. His slender fingers picked up a cotton swab, dipped it in iodine, and he asked in a calm tone, “Where’s the injury?”

Ji Fanling hadn’t expected him to go buy medicine, and hesitated, staying still, unsure of how to respond.

Two people who had never cared for anyone, and never been cared for themselves, stood facing each other in an awkward standoff, neither making a move.

It seemed as if he had interpreted her hesitation as unwillingness.

After a moment, the boy lowered his lashes, hiding the dim light in his eyes. “Ji Fanling, let me take a look.”

The night wind blurred the typically cold and aloof tone of his voice, making it sound almost like a soft, pleading request.

“…Is that okay?”

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Author’s Note:

Someone is heartbroken to death.

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