"I acknowledge your past methods and talents, but you are no longer the same Fu Xingyun as before."
The man lowered his head slightly, shadows covering his eyes, making his expression unclear. His tone was cold, "What do you want to say?"
"You can't keep people," Qin Weichu said, a thin layer of sweat appearing on his forehead. "Besides, there was never any emotional connection between you two, just a marriage of convenience based on interests."
Fu Xingyun looked at him coldly, "Who told you that?"
"No one needs to tell me; it's obvious that you have no feelings for Lin Qiong."
"So what?"
"Then why don't you let him go?" Qin Weichu took a deep breath, feeling an increasing sense of guilt. "He would have a better life without you."
Fu Xingyun's eyes were chilling black, his fingers tapping lightly one after another. "What if I don't?"
"In that case, you're being too selfish, and it's unfair to Lin Qiong."
Fu Xingyun raised his head, his deep voice carrying a hint of mockery. "Who told you that we were ever fair to each other?"
Qin Weichu's eyes widened slightly, "You..."
Fu Xingyun looked at him, "I won't let him go."
Qin Weichu swallowed hard, "If Lin Qiong decides to leave on his own, would you let him go?"
Fu Xingyun looked at him, and the answer was evident in the silence.
Qin Weichu was somewhat frustrated, "Then what's the difference between you and controlling someone's freedom?"
"What does it matter?" Fu Xingyun's eyes were sinister, and his thin lips moved like knives in the cold wind. "If he dares to leave, I'll break his legs, strip him naked, and imprison him in the house. Even if he writhes on the ground like a twisted insect, he won't get out."
Qin Weichu's hands trembled slightly, and he seemed to be nailed to the spot.
"You... you..."
Listening to the man's insanely cruel response, Qin Weichu was momentarily at a loss for words.
Fu Xingyun said, "Even if he dies, he'll die in my hands."
The man's gaze seemed to strangle his throat, a stifling oppression that made Qin Weichu's legs feel weak, as if he might collapse to the ground at any moment.
Fu Xingyun looked at him, as if he could see through whatever was going on in his mind. "Put away all your thoughts. As long as I don't release Lin Qiong, he won't leave for the rest of his life."
Qin Weichu clenched his teeth for a moment, about to say something when a familiar voice came from a distance.
"Qin Weichu!!!"
Qin Weichu instantly snapped back to reality. The courage he had just displayed seemed to deflate like a punctured balloon in this moment. He looked at Qin Heng standing not far away, "Big brother."
Qin Heng approached with a stern face, glancing at the two of them. "What are you doing here?"
Fu Xingyun replied, "Just chatting."
"Really?"
Qin Heng gave Qin Weichu a warning look, "You didn't say anything you shouldn't have, did you?"
Cold sweat broke out on Qin Weichu's forehead, and he lowered his head without saying anything.
Qin Heng walked over to Fu Xingyun, "Enough, go back."
With that, he pushed Fu Xingyun away, and Qin Weichu quickly followed.
After settling Fu Xingyun in the camp, Qin Heng turned to Qin Weichu, "Come with me."
Qin Weichu trembled, "What's the matter?"
Impatiently, Qin Heng said, "Just come. No need for so many words."
Qin Weichu nervously followed his elder brother to a less conspicuous place nearby.
"Speak up. What did you say to him just now?"
Qin Weichu hurriedly responded, "Big brother, we were just chatting."
Qin Heng's face darkened, "Do you think I'll believe that?"
Qin Weichu felt a chill down his spine, "But Fu Xingyun said the same thing, didn't he?"
"Qin Weichu!"
Startled, Qin Weichu shivered and lowered his head, "I-I didn't say anything..."
"Speak!"
"I just told him to let Lin Qiong go! Lin Qiong would be better off with me than with him!"
As soon as Qin Weichu finished speaking, he felt a sharp pain in his abdomen. Cold sweat almost instantly poured down his forehead, and he doubled over in pain, collapsing to the ground.
"Qin Weichu, how many times have I told you before! I fucking told you to have some boundaries!" Qin Heng shouted angrily.
"Even if you like Lin Qiong, what can you do? He's married, married to my brother! What the hell are you thinking?"
Struggling to get up, Qin Weichu said, "What can he do? Fu Xingyun doesn't even like him, yet he won't let him go. Isn't that more shameful than me?"
"What can he offer Lin Qiong? He's disabled now, can't even stand up. He needs help everywhere he goes," Qin Heng said, his eyes reddening with anger. "Did you say that to him too?"
Qin Weichu was momentarily stunned.
Qin Heng, furious, kicked Qin Weichu hard. "I'm fucking asking you a question!"
Qin Weichu winced in pain from the shoulder where he was kicked but retorted, "Yes! I told him everything. Did I say anything wrong? What's wrong with calling him disabled?!"
As Qin Weichu thought about the filthy thoughts Fu Xingyun had regarding Lin Qiong, he became increasingly horrified by Fu Xingyun.
He realized that Fu Xingyun was not a normal person.
Qin Weichu forcefully lifted him up from the ground. "Do you know how Fu Xingyun's legs got crippled? You mock him for that, but do you have any conscience? Fu Xingyun became disabled because he went to save someone trapped under the rubble! I'm asking you, if there was a big fire around you, would you run away? Would you run? Fu Xingyun wasn't unable to run away, he had the chance to escape, but he chose to go back. Why? Because he fucking heard a child crying!"
"If it were you, could you do it?!"
"If it were you, would you go back?!"
Qin Weichu looked at Qin Heng, frightened and trembling in his speech. "Big brother..."
"You dare call me big brother when you treat my brother like that?!"
"Is your love the only true love, and others' isn't?!"
Tears welled up in Qin Weichu's eyes as he realized how absurd and ridiculous his confrontation with Fu Xingyun had been. "Big brother, I can't help it. I love Lin Qiong. I really love him..."
As if a drowning person clutching at a straw, Qin Weichu grabbed onto Qin Heng's arm. "If I don't do this, I won't have a chance. I... I know I'm a jerk, big brother..."
Seeing Qin Weichu crying uncontrollably, Qin Heng felt a mix of emotions. After a while, he reluctantly released his grip on Qin Weichu's collar. "Your current state is partly my responsibility. If I hadn't indulged you less, it wouldn't have come to this."
Qin Heng looked helplessly at the collapsed Qin Weichu on the ground and said with a stern face, "Later, you'll come with me to apologize."
After saying this, he walked away, leaving Qin Weichu sitting on the ground, still dazed.
When the people who had gone to gather dry branches returned from the back of the mountain, the golden sun was ready to go home.
Lin Qiong placed the collected dry branches by the stove and then happily went back to the tent with the bouquet of wildflowers he had picked.
"Xingyun~"
However, when he lifted the tent flap, he found three heads inside.
Lin Qiong: ???
Did he open it the wrong way?
He put it down and lifted it again, still three heads.
Qin Heng, seeing Lin Qiong's return, spoke, "You came back at just the right time."
Lin Qiong: "Are you short one player for cards?"
"..."
Lin Qiong took off his shoes and sat down next to Fu Xingyun, handing the wildflowers in his hand to him. "No gambling with money, stay away from illegal activities."
Qin Heng: ...
Fu Xingyun: ...
Qin Weichu: ...
Qin Heng: "We're not playing cards."
Lin Qiong looked puzzled. "Then why are you all gathered here?"
Qin Heng glanced at Qin Weichu and was about to answer when Fu Xingyun spoke, "They're leaving now."
Qin Weichu looked at Fu Xingyun with surprise.
Qin Heng had already apologized and understood the meaning in Fu Xingyun's eyes. He stood up and led Qin Weichu out of the tent.
Fu Xingyun didn't want Lin Qiong to know.
Because he found it embarrassing.
Qin Heng, frustrated, kicked Qin Weichu in the leg. "Be more honest in the future."
Qin Weichu rubbed his sore leg and remained silent.
Inside the tent, Lin Qiong proudly showed the flowers he had picked. "How is it? Do they look good?"
Fu Xingyun glanced and replied nonchalantly, "Hmm."
"Are they beautiful?"
"Beautiful."
After hearing this, Lin Qiong took a larger red flower and gently placed it near Fu Xingyun's ear. Then, he smiled affectionately, "Now it looks even more beautiful."
"Do you like it?" Lin Qiong asked.
Fu Xingyun looked at him and asked again, "Do you like it?"
Lin Qiong was momentarily stunned and quickly said, "Of course, I like it."
The man's gaze was difficult to read. "Do you like me, or do you like my money?"
Lin Qiong was surprised, "Why are you asking that?"
Fu Xingyun said, "Just answer."
Lin Qiong hesitated for a moment and replied without hesitation, "I like both."
"You can only choose one."
"I can't choose."
Fu Xingyun's gaze darkened for a moment, and the next moment, he saw Lin Qiong shyly lowering his head, saying, "I like everything about you, including your money."
"..."
Fu Xingyun looked at the person in front of him, and for a moment, he wasn't sure what he had been hoping for just now.
After collecting dry branches all afternoon, Lin Qiong was also a bit tired. He leaned against Fu Xingyun, saying, "Let me lean on you for a bit."
The man didn't say anything or move.
Lin Qiong looked at the red flowers near his ear and chuckled, "You look quite good like this."
The young man squinted at him, but he also knew that Fu Xingyun was already quite good-looking.
Then, he suddenly thought of something. "When I was collecting dry branches today, I found a place where we can watch the sunrise."
Fu Xingyun glanced at him, almost instantly understanding his thoughts. "You want to go."
Lin Qiong nodded with anticipation.
Fu Xingyun said, "Then, you go."
"But I want to go with you." Lin Qiong's face showed a regretful expression. "It's just a bit difficult."
Fu Xingyun glanced at his own legs, about to suggest that he could find someone else, but then Lin Qiong continued, "I can't wake up at three."
Fu Xingyun: ...
"Just because of that?" Fu Xingyun asked.
Lin Qiong nodded, "At that time, it's still dark outside."
Then he looked at Fu Xingyun. "Wake me up."
Fu Xingyun: "Did I say I'm going?"
Lin Qiong looked at him expectantly, "Aren't you going?"
"...I'll go."
The night on the mountain was slightly cooler. Lin Qiong wrapped up Fu Xingyun's legs before taking him out for dinner.
A few people sat by the fire. Before the meal was ready, they decided to roast some marshmallows to fill their stomachs.
Lin Qiong held a skewer and roasted marshmallows like a little old man. Then he glanced at Qin Weichu and asked, "What happened to your shoulder?"
Qin Weichu was startled. "It's nothing."
Lin Qiong looked at his left shoulder. "Injured?"
Qin Weichu tried to conceal it. "Just slipped and fell."
Lin Qiong understood, "That sounds like you."
"..."
After Lin Qiong finished speaking, he turned his head and found that the marshmallow was starting to burn. He quickly pulled it back and blew on it to salvage the situation. Fortunately, he managed to rescue it, but one part was a bit crispy.
Lin Qiong looked at the slightly burnt marshmallow and then smiled.
He decided to give this piece to Fu Xingyun.
Then, holding the freshly roasted marshmallow, he bounced over to Fu Xingyun. "Here, eat it."
Fu Xingyun: ...
Lin Qiong's eyes sparkled. "Eat it?"
The man opened his mouth and took a bite. However, while the surface of the marshmallow seemed fine, the inside was already melted and scalding. Fu Xingyun instantly took a sharp breath.
"Hiss..."
Lin Qiong was alarmed. "What's wrong, did you burn yourself?!"
Saying that, he quickly hugged his man's head and blew air onto his lips.
Fu Xingyun, seeing Lin Qiong getting closer, was about to turn his head away. However, he glanced and saw Qin Weichu looking in their direction.
He stopped his movement and let Lin Qiong blow air onto his lips.