Chapter 10: Half

Jiang Baixing heard this and couldn’t help but have the same thought pop into his mind, only for his rationality to dismiss it. He stood there in a daze for a moment.

Ji Fanling glanced at him curiously, thinking that this kid seemed a bit slow, when he heard Fu Yingcheng’s calm voice urging, “Not going?”

The man stood in front of the shop door, glancing sideways. Ji Fanling quickly caught up, “Where to now?”

“To buy plates.”

On the basement level of Yuetong Plaza, there was a large supermarket.

After entering the supermarket, Fu Yingcheng pushed a shopping cart and followed behind Ji Fanling.

However, the girl walked around with her hands in her pockets, just looking without buying anything, like an old man taking a leisurely stroll. After a while, Fu Yingcheng dismissed her from that role, making her the one to push the cart, following behind him.

The man shopped swiftly and decisively, rarely hesitating, as if he had already made a mental shopping list beforehand, now just checking off items one by one… Surprisingly, the list even included quite a few snacks—freeze-dried fruit cereal, large jars of nuts, and chocolate.

Ji Fanling was quite happy pushing the cart. In fact, the gloom she felt last night had completely disappeared the moment she saw Jiang Baixing.

Fu Yingcheng casually tossed a bag of walnuts into the cart and, seeing the smile at the corner of the girl’s lips, teased, “Were the noodles really that good?”

“It wasn’t because of the noodles.”

Ji Fanling lifted her chin with a hint of pride, “It’s because I suddenly realized just how wise I am.”

“Because you saved him?”

Ji Fanling was surprised that he knew, but then she thought about it. Back then, when she died, her classmates would have surely gossiped a lot, with rumors flying everywhere. It would have been hard for him not to know.

“It can’t really be considered saving,” Ji Fanling gestured with her hands, “I just gave him a little push.”

“Think about it, I didn’t die, and Little Xingxing survived too. Isn’t that like getting something for nothing?”

Under the fluorescent lights, the girl’s eyes shone brightly. “It had to be me.”

Fu Yingcheng silently watched the corners of her lips curl up.

The girl spoke casually, as if it didn’t matter to her at all.

It was as though she truly believed she had made a deal that was all profit and no loss, leaving her completely satisfied.

She seemed to have completely forgotten about the ten years she lost and the fact that she now had nothing.

It was as if everything she had endured was just a small, insignificant matter.

The man’s expression darkened slightly, his pitch-black eyes fixed on her, holding emotions so deep that they seemed capable of engulfing her entirely.

The emotions that had built up day and night over the past few days suddenly seemed to surge beyond his control.

Almost as if guided by some unseen force, Fu Yingcheng reached out, wanting to touch her face, so real and vibrant in that moment.

Seeing the man’s approaching hand, the girl instinctively shrank back a little.

Fu Yingcheng’s phone suddenly rang.

It was as if he had been abruptly awakened, and his fingertips stopped just short of touching her.

His Adam’s apple bobbed, and he withdrew his hand.

His lowered fingers clenched tightly, the knuckles turning slightly pale from the force, digging deeply into his palm.

Ji Fanling’s eyelashes fluttered. “What’s wrong?”

“You’ve got noodles on your face.”

Fu Yingcheng paused, then took out his phone and turned away, walking off without looking at her again.

“…Really?”

Ji Fanling touched the corner of her lips and quickly pulled up her sleeve to wipe her face.

*

On the other side, Fu Yingcheng answered the phone.

“Mr. Fu, did you not see the message I sent you this morning? Is your work not finished yet? Do you have time to meet?”

The voice of the psychologist was sincere and concerned.

Yet it felt like a bucket of ice-cold water, forcibly waking him up from the dream.

Fu Yingcheng closed his eyes briefly, his voice slightly hoarse, “I’m at the office. There’s been a lot going on these past few days. Let’s meet in a couple of days.”

Yang Mingzhe replied, “That’s what you said two days ago.”

Fu Yingcheng fell silent, his gaze silently drifting over the shelves toward the distance.

On the other side of the shelves, the girl was pushing the cart, waiting in line for a bread sample.

When it was her turn, she pointed in Fu Yingcheng’s direction, asking for an extra piece. She took it and held it tightly in her hand.

Fu Yingcheng lowered his eyes, unable to identify what he was feeling.

It was as if he were a person sinking into a mire, watching himself calmly, clearly, and indifferently, as he slowly descended.

“I know that Kyushu went public last year, and this year is a critical time for expanding into the European market.”

Yang Mingzhe urged, “But you also understand that memory confusion is a very serious symptom, and the situation is not looking good. I have no need to sugarcoat things with you. Can I see you tonight?”

“No, I have a project meeting tonight…”

Fu Yingcheng had just started speaking when the nearby promotional speaker suddenly blared:

“Good news, good news! Freshly arrived JJJ-grade cherries from Chile! One box for 49.9! 49.9! Buy three boxes and get 20 off!!!”

“…What is that noise on your end?”

Yang Mingzhe’s usually gentle and refined voice suddenly broke, sounding like a neglected wife who just overheard a lover’s voice on the line of her supposedly overtime-working husband, and he issued a thunderous accusation:

“Didn’t you say you were at the office?!”

“Are you at a supermarket?! Mr. Fu?!”

Fu Yingcheng: “…”

Fu Yingcheng took a few steps away and replied coolly, “I have another call coming in. I’m hanging up. Let’s talk next week.”

“Not next week, Mr. Fu! Mr. Fu! We agreed to be honest with each oth—hello, hello?”

Yang Mingzhe stared at the disconnected call screen, feeling both frustrated and distressed. “This is just maddening…”

The fact that Fu Yingcheng was even willing to stroll around a supermarket suggested that he was in better shape than he had imagined.

After all, during those most repressive years, it seemed like his life consisted solely of work, like an emotionless machine, barely keeping up with life only thanks to his assistant’s constant supervision.

But his current self-deception was just another form of drinking poison to quench his thirst.

When the tension inside him finally snapped…

Would he end up doing something terrible to that fake “Miss Ji”?

*

In the supermarket, Ji Fanling noticed that Fu Yingcheng had finished his call. She pushed the shopping cart over and handed him the sample bread.

The man seemed as if he had just taken a routine work call; his expression was unchanged. He simply told her to pick out a pair of cotton slippers before heading to the dinnerware section.

Although Ji Fanling had only broken a few bowls and plates, Fu Yingcheng still decided to buy two complete sets of dinnerware.

Ji Fanling agreed with the decision. He already had few dishes at home, and if even a couple more guests came over, there wouldn’t be enough to go around. It made sense to buy more.

Fu Yingcheng still had other household items to buy, so Ji Fanling didn’t follow him the entire time. She wandered around for a while before leisurely heading back to meet up with him.

The man, tall and imposing in a refined black coat, stood out among the crowd, his height making him visible even from a distance, with the top of the shelves barely reaching his shoulders.

As Ji Fanling approached, she saw him looking down, selecting shampoo—scents like cherry blossom, daisy, and strawberry.

Ji Fanling: “…”

The girl awkwardly averted her gaze. “There’s no need to buy new ones, is there?”

“Why not?”

Fu Yingcheng straightened up, his deep black eyes glancing at her. “I’m not the kind of person who likes to share shaving foam with others.”

After he said this, he seemed to realize something and casually added, “Oh, I misspoke, I meant shampoo.”

Ji Fanling: “…”

Her face turned grim. She snatched the shampoo from his hand, threw it into the cart, and gritted her teeth, “Fine, get the big bottle!”

At checkout, Ji Fanling quickly stepped in front of Fu Yingcheng and pulled out a few items, including the shampoo and slippers. “I’ll pay for these myself.”

Since she had already borrowed 500 yuan from Zhou Sui, she felt there was no need to spend Fu Yingcheng’s money.

Seeing her actions, Fu Yingcheng raised his eyebrow slightly, his expression a mix of surprise and curiosity, but he simply said, “Suit yourself.”

After leaving the supermarket, Ji Fanling mentioned that she wanted to use the restroom, and Fu Yingcheng waited outside, carrying the shopping bags.

……