Chapter 69

Hospital, emergency center.

Xiao Yuanyan and Ye Yunshen rushed to the scene after receiving the news. At a glance, they saw Bai Wuluo sitting on the floor by the corridor, covered in bloodstains, his expression pale.

“You bastard!” Xiao Yuanyan erupted in anger, striding forward to grab him and delivering a vicious punch to his face.

Bai Wuluo staggered back, hitting the wall behind him before falling to the ground again. The force of Xiao Yuanyan’s blow quickly caused his cheek to swell, and blood began to trickle from his lips.

But his expression was vacant, as if his soul had been sucked away.

Xiao Yuanyan landed several more punches to his abdomen, clutching his collar tightly. “What did you do to him? To drive him to…” suicide…

He trembled, unable to bring himself to say those two words, his hand veins bulging with the force.

These words seemed to strike a nerve with Bai Wuluo. The pain he had suppressed for so long found an outlet, and he suddenly punched Xiao Yuanyan back with force, roaring, “Who are you to accuse me? Weren’t those disgraceful photos of you and him?”

Xiao Yuanyan paid no attention to the pain in his cheek, his movements stiffening. He slowly withdrew his clenched fist, his fingers turning white with force, knuckles cracking loudly.

“It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have pressured him at the banquet that day…” Regret surfaced on his face, his hoarse voice filled with remorse, “But didn’t I already tell him not to worry? I’ll handle these things.”

The pain of his fingers deeply embedded in his palm kept Ye Yunshen sane, maintaining his only shred of rationality. His deep black eyes were fixed tightly on Bai Wuluo, his voice cold, “These things might upset him, but they wouldn’t drive him to the brink. Something must have happened last night, and the only person who could matter to him so much is you.”

Bai Wuluo was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter, tears streaming down his face. His laughter carried a hint of mockery as he spoke, “Me? Is he really so concerned about me? He’s willing to live with you on set for the sake of his role, and he’s involved with Xiao Yuanyan. What am I to him?”

“You actually think that’s how he feels?” Ye Yunshen’s icy face twisted with anger. He strode up to Bai Wuluo, gripping his collar tightly and tightening his grip around his neck, his eyes icy, “Do you know why he’s living with me?”

“I wanted to keep him under my wing. I tried to lure him with fame and fortune, but he remained unmoved.”

“Until I used you to threaten him.”

“He was afraid that I would harm you, so he agreed to be kept by me.”

Ye Yunshen spoke each word slowly, but his words cut deeper than any sword.

“What are you saying?” Bai Wuluo’s pupils dilated, his expression filled with disbelief. “He was threatened by you because of me, not willingly?”

The cold, mocking expression on Ye Yunshen’s face was undoubtedly the best answer.

Bai Wuluo retreated and fell to the ground, covering his head. “So, what did I say to him in the end?”

No wonder, knowing his identity, knowing what he had done, would make him so heartbroken and miserable…

Just the thought of how his brother felt after learning all of this last night, what kind of feelings he must have had?

Using everything he had to protect him, only to find out that the person he was protecting was a deceitful beast!

No wonder he felt so hopeless.

“I was wrong, I was so wrong, I’m sorry… Brother… I’m sorry…” Bai Wuluo was at a loss, his mind in turmoil, feeling only intense pain and regret.

His eyes filled with urgency and remorse, his thoughts swirling. Finally, he felt a sharp pain in his chest, and a mouthful of blood sprayed out, splattering onto the hospital’s white walls. The contrast between the two was like a poignant red plum blossoming in a snowy field.

He was the one who made the mistake. He shouldn’t have hidden his identity from the start to tease the other person, nor should he have made excuses after the incident, or even said those hurtful words… Clearly, the other person endured humiliation because of him.

Xiao Yuanyan also realized this. He had mocked Xie Fuyi at the banquet for selling himself out for the sake of his role, when in fact, Xie Fuyi was being coerced… No wonder Xie Fuyi had been so angry at the time.

Filled with regret and hatred, Xiao Yuanyan glared at Ye Yunshen’s enraged face and suddenly stepped forward, delivering a punch to Ye Yunshen’s abdomen. “You son of a bitch! You knew what Bai Wuluo was, yet you used this to threaten and deceive him?”

Ye Yunshen winced in pain as his abdomen throbbed. He struggled to maintain his balance, feeling a mixture of pain and regret. Bai Wuluo was at fault, but did that mean he wasn’t? If he had told the truth to Xie Fuyi earlier, if he hadn’t used this incident to threaten him…

“Who has the right to blame others?” Ye Yunshen closed his eyes, his voice hoarse. “The three of us are the main culprits.”

In an instant, the air fell into silence.

Each person was engulfed in remorseful hatred.

At that moment, the lights in the emergency room went out.

The three of them felt their hearts leap into their throats, nervously watching the doctor emerge.

Time seemed to slow down, and every movement of the doctor’s was scrutinized.

But the doctor merely shook his head with regret. Behind him was Xie Fuyi, covered in a white sheet and being wheeled out.

In that moment, the world seemed to spin.

They realized then, how much pain a person’s heart could hold.

The pristine white was blindingly bright, painfully dazzling—the agony was overwhelming, the despair bone-deep.

…

The headline news today had been dominated by one person since early morning—

Xie Fuyi committed suicide and passed away despite medical efforts!

The anonymous whistleblower of Xie Fuyi’s photos turned out to be Mu Ziming!

Two top-tier figures, Ye Yunshen and Xiao Yuanyan, directly admitted to having pursued and coerced Xie Fuyi, with the latter being the victim…

In just one day, everything had changed.

Public opinion was in an uproar, and the truth was revealed.

Mu Ziming, upon learning of Xie Fuyi’s suicide, rushed to his funeral like a madman. He apologized and said he wanted to take him away.

In the end, they had to call in doctors from a mental hospital to take him away. The doctors said he was mentally unstable and would require treatment in the hospital for the foreseeable future.

He would forever stay there, reminiscing about Xie Fuyi.

At Xie Fuyi’s grand funeral, countless people came to mourn him.

But he was already gone.

If innocence had to be proven through death, what use was that “innocence”?

…

Half a year passed in the blink of an eye.

During this half-year, Xiao Yuanyan hardly slept.

He stood up, put on a coat, and stood by the window. His once tall figure now seemed somewhat oversized with the coat draped over his shoulders. The coat swayed emptily in the wind as if it were a thin mist that could dissipate at any moment.

His once vibrant eyes now seemed dim, as if their light could fade at any moment. His tightly pursed lips formed a pale line against his already pallid complexion.

Xiao Yuanyan stood stiffly until dawn, staring into the distance, his eyes seeming somewhat dazed.

Suddenly, as if seeing something, he reached out hurriedly, and a hint of anxiety appeared in his dim eyes.

“I won’t force you anymore. Do whatever you want.” He cautiously touched the emptiness in front of him, but froze for a moment, a pained and bitter smile appearing on his face, tinged with self-mockery and regret.

He knew very well that the person had long disappeared.

…

Ye Yunshen sat on the balcony, caressing the wedding ring on his ring finger, along with another identical ring buried with that person.

Over the past six months, Ye Yunshen has already retreated into the background, gradually handing over the Ye family to his younger sister.

If someone were to see him now, they probably wouldn’t recognize him. In just half a year, his hair has turned half-white, and the weary look on his face makes him seem ten years older. Is this still the same Ye Yunshen who was once proud, elegant, and powerful as the leader of the Ye family?

At this moment, he sits on the balcony, clearly in the prime of his life, yet he resembles an elderly man in twilight.

Gazing at the sinking sun, Ye Yunshen raises his eyes slightly to the empty air and murmurs softly, “I’ve made arrangements. It’s time to come find you.”

The room is silent, with only the slightly chilly autumn wind stirring up a pile of fallen leaves.

…

Since that incident, Bai Wuluo has never stepped out of the house that belongs to him and Xie Fuyi.

Every time he closes his eyes, all he sees is the image of the other person in the bathtub stained red with blood.

But no matter how carefully he preserves this place, Xie Fuyi’s presence diminishes day by day until it completely fades away.

Bai Wuluo buries his head in Xie Fuyi’s pillow and takes a deep breath—his scent, now only faint.

He tightly clutches the pillow, leaving no space, as if afraid the scent might dissipate into the air.

A low, hoarse voice emerges from the pillow—

“Brother, I was wrong… It’s my fault… I promise I’ll never lie to you again. Please don’t be angry with me, okay?

“Brother, why are you so quiet? Have I ever told you how much I love your eyes? When you look at me, it’s warm like they emit light.”

“Brother, I haven’t confessed everything to you yet. I haven’t received your forgiveness. Can you wake up, please?”

“Brother, why are you so cold? I’ve been holding you for so long and you’re still not getting warm.”

“Brother, we promised to be together forever, didn’t we? I won’t allow you to break that promise.”

Bai Wuluo clutches Xie Fuyi’s pillow tightly, his hoarse voice trembling with suppressed sobs, his tall figure hunched over like a lost and bewildered stray dog.

…

“As You Are in the Moonlight,” as Xie Fuyi’s final work, premiered as scheduled six months later.

Meanwhile, the leaders of the three major wealthy families all committed suicide, turning it into a bizarre case. Rumors from the underground suggest that they succumbed to illness due to missing Xie Fuyi and finally couldn’t bear it, choosing to accompany him in the end.

Countless viewers flocked to the cinemas because of this sensation, only to be captivated by Xie Fuyi’s acting prowess in the end.

At the conclusion of the film, there was a small Easter egg featuring Xie Fuyi.

It showed him earnestly taking notes and memorizing lines on set.

Though he appeared to be a mature and gentle elder brother, he had an extraordinary fondness for sweets, cheeks bulging as he chewed. When someone called out to him from behind, he lifted his head with a smile, capturing his final expression.

In the end, Xie Fuyi won the Best Actor award for this film, becoming the youngest ever recipient of the title.

Turns out, he was still so young.

But his life had already been frozen forever in that moment.