Chapter 57

Feng Yu wasn’t unable to accept the outcome of the breakup. He acknowledged it; it was his own doing and the price he had to pay. He wasn’t an unreasonable person. After breaking up with Ji Qingyu, he had thought more than once that it wouldn’t be long before someone else appeared in her life. Maybe it would be that senior who had always been very good to her even before he came along. Or perhaps it would be a stranger she met by chance one day. She was so wonderful; he liked her, and others would, too. All he could do was return to the role of a pursuer, nothing more.

No one could understand the shock, disbelief, confusion, and emptiness he felt when the door opened, and he saw that the person inside was his own brother. How could he accept it? His brother knew how much he loved her, yet during those days of regret and torment, his brother quietly watched while secretly having a relationship with her?

He had questioned, why? Why did it have to be you? And why treat him like a fool?

His brother calmly told him, “I took advantage of the situation and insisted on being with her. A Yu, you two have already broken up. Don’t look for her anymore.”

He stood outside the door, watching as she, in her pajamas, came to his brother’s side. Inside the door, she was stunned for a moment, seemingly flustered by the absurdity of the situation, but his brother firmly held her hand, protectively keeping her behind him, refusing to let go. He thought the world was too ridiculous, utterly absurd.

After that day, Qingyu moved out of the apartment, but his brother bought it. He knew Qingyu wouldn’t look back, but she also wouldn’t be with his brother; she didn’t like trouble.

Days passed in a daze, and he was like a walking corpse. His parents each came to talk to him, but he didn’t say a word. What could he say?

Say that the brother he had admired and respected for over twenty years also loved the person he loved? Or say that he hated his brother for stealing his love, and his brother hated him for shattering his dream?

…

Feng Yu’s wound had reopened, blood seeping through the bandage, looking grim, his eyes full of pain.

“Brother, how can you say I’m lucky?” He tugged at the corner of his mouth, “No matter who Qingyu is with, I will bless her. She deserves to be happy, but you, do you deserve it?”

Feng Chengze’s breathing slowed. Living to this age, he had forgotten the last time he was this angry. Maybe it was when he was as old as Yuan Bao now. He hated arguing with people. What Feng Yu said didn’t matter to him; it was expected. He had no memory of the past five years. When he woke up on the plane, he was already Ji Qingyu’s husband. Hadn’t he initially accepted that their marriage was because of the child? Why, then, was he struggling to suppress his rising anger after hearing these words?

Was it his anger or this body’s?

Or perhaps, both.

“So what?” Feng Chengze remained calmly seated on the sofa, moving his hands from his knees to rest casually on the armrest, and looked at him coolly, “How many times do I have to teach you the same lesson before you understand? The process doesn’t matter; the result does.” He stood up, and even though Feng Yu had confronted him from a higher position earlier, he hadn’t been at a disadvantage, “Whether I deserve it or not doesn’t change the fact that I got the result I wanted.”

Feng Yu looked at him expressionlessly, not hiding the mockery in his eyes, “Really? Then why are you so angry?”

It was just another time he had hit a sore spot.

“This is the second time. Every time we talk, you bring up my wife.”

Despite their similar features and identical hospital gowns, the brothers’ presence was entirely different, “You don’t understand the reason, but you should understand the three rules.”

Feng Chengze was truly tired of this drama, “Listen, before you return to Mexico, get to the bottom of the Luo family’s matter. This task must be done by you.”

If Feng Yu had been more forceful five years ago, he believed that today, no matter how bold Luo Chong was, he wouldn’t dare to repeat the past.
In the end, it was because things weren’t wrapped up cleanly, feeding others’ ambitions and making them mistakenly believe they could get away with it a second time.

Feng Yu understood the implication of his words, his face darkening, but he didn’t retort this time.

At that moment, Feng Chengze’s phone vibrated in his pocket. He knew who had sent the message without needing to check, and his expression softened slightly. His gaze swept over the bandage on Feng Yu’s head, and he paused for a few seconds. Unwilling to waste more time on a verbal spar, he turned and walked towards the door, ending this confrontation.

When the room was once again empty, Feng Yu seemed to deflate, bending his back. He lowered his head, appearing to be in unbearable pain. Even he didn’t understand why he hated Feng Chengze so much. The brotherly bond of over twenty years had vanished that morning, but in the car, he hadn’t thought of anything, his body reacting faster than his mind. Why?
…

After leaving the room, Feng Chengze took out his phone and saw that “Wife” had retracted a message on WeChat.

Multitasking, he replied to her message while walking: [ ? ]

Ji Qingyu replied instantly: [ ? ]

He should have smiled. In his eyes, even her little thoughts were interesting, straightforward, simple, and innocent—until the phone screen dimmed, turning into a mirror that reflected his suppressed emotions.

It’s hard to go from luxury to frugality. Ji Qingyu sighed as she emerged from the hospital bathroom. This was the best-equipped suite in the entire hospital. If it weren’t predominantly white and if there weren’t medical instruments by the bed, it could easily be mistaken for a hotel room. The bathroom wasn’t small, but she had grown unaccustomed to it. She had washed her hair, which was now wrapped in a drying cap, but small droplets of water still slid down her neck, soaking her pajamas.

Hearing the door open, she turned and peeked out, seeing Feng Chengze walk in calmly. She asked with concern, “Is the driver okay?”

“He’s fine.”

Someone had already brought a hairdryer. Feng Chengze came to her side, took the hairdryer from her hand, and said, “Let me.”

Ji Qingyu didn’t refuse. She sat on the sofa, took off the drying cap, and let her damp hair fall over her shoulders, a faint fragrance spreading.

Feng Chengze turned on the hairdryer, the wind gentle and the noise low. He liked her hair, fluffy and soft yet resilient, much like her. His long, slender fingers with a sense of structure ran through her hair as he carefully dried it, something he had never done for anyone else before.

“What was the retracted message?” After drying her hair, Feng Chengze asked unhurriedly. He was always patient, never forgetting what he wanted to know.

Ji Qingyu chuckled, “It was nonsense.”

“Even nonsense, tell me.” He put away the hairdryer, placing it casually on the coffee table. Although the sofa could seat two or three people, he sat down and pulled her onto his lap.

Ji Qingyu had no choice but to play with the buttons on his hospital gown. She hadn’t had the chance to convey the “come home early” signal to him all day. Standing under the shower, she felt regretful, wanting Feng Chengze to do something for her that he had never done for anyone else. What could it be? Because she couldn’t think of anything, she was very curious and expectant.

Sending him those words was to tell him, as a patient, not to wander around and to come back quickly. So, it could be considered a signal, right?

She raised her hand, wrapped it around his neck, leaned close, and whispered in his ear. ‘Some things become familiar with repetition, including terms of address.’

Feng Chengze’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and his hand on her waist tightened.

She leaned into his embrace, hiding her uncertainties. Some things couldn’t be ignored, so she chose not to overthink them. Without siblings, she didn’t understand the depth of such bonds. This accident might thaw the relationship between the brothers, and she couldn’t imagine what expression to wear when they reconciled and stood together.

It hadn’t been long, but she could no longer say, “If you feel guilty towards him, I don’t know what to do.”

Being held by him, surrounded by his scent, she gradually calmed down. She decided not to trouble herself or him with things that hadn’t happened yet.

“Will you keep your promise?” she asked with a light laugh.

Feng Chengze wanted to say he already had, but knowing she wouldn’t be satisfied with that answer, he said, “I will.”

Ji Qingyu contentedly nuzzled his shoulder, “One week, okay?”

He stroked her hair and responded with a hum. In moments like these, he just wanted to hold her, not talk. Time passed, and Ji Qingyu’s phone rang. It was a video call from Yuan Bao. She instinctively got off Feng Chengze’s lap, tidied her hair and pajamas, and glanced at him, momentarily speechless. Though she had sensed it, seeing it was different. Her gaze slowly moved up to his calm face.

Ji Qingyu pointed to the bed and commanded, “Lie down and cover yourself with the blanket.”

Feng Chengze showed no embarrassment, calmly getting up and walking to the bed like a robot following orders. He lay down and covered himself. Ji Qingyu, still not reassured, checked the blanket before answering the call. A few seconds later, Yuan Bao’s chubby face filled the screen. She puckered her lips and gave a loud kiss, “Mommy, I miss you so much!”

“Mommy misses you too!” Ji Qingyu pressed her face to the screen, accepted the kiss, and asked, “Sweetie, has Grandma arrived home?”

“Yes!”

Surrounded by her things at the old house, Yuan Bao had bathed and changed into pajamas. She was sitting on her grandparents’ bed, “Grandma went to take a bath. She said I could call you and Daddy.”

“Do you want to talk to Daddy now?”

“Yes!”

Ji Qingyu handed the phone to the “weak” Feng Chengze in bed. Father and daughter chatted. Thinking her dad was hospitalized, Yuan Bao shared a tip: “Daddy, if you don’t want to take medicine, just hold it in your mouth and spit it out when the nurse leaves. No one will notice.”

“Hmm??” Ji Qingyu leaned in, pushing Feng Chengze aside, “Who taught you that?”

Yuan Bao covered her mouth and quickly blamed her friend, “Xu Yichuan!” She hadn’t tried it herself because she hadn’t been sick in a long time.

“From now on, Mommy is the nurse! For both you and Daddy. If I catch anyone spitting out medicine, they’ll face the consequences!” Ji Qingyu said dangerously.

Yuan Bao, feeling guilty, said, “Daddy, you better take your medicine and listen to Mommy.”

Feeling she had implicated her dad, Yuan Bao quickly said goodnight and ended the call.

Ji Qingyu chuckled, stood up, and reached for her phone, but Feng Chengze pulled her back into his arms. She looked up, puzzled, “What are you doing?”

She thought he was teasing her, but his eyes held no humor, only a dark calmness that almost swallowed her. Before she could think further, her cheek pressed against his chest, and she heard him say softly, “It seems I want both the process and the result.”