Chapter 72 - Away For Work

On May 31st, Fu Jinglin was forcibly sent back home.

In the evening, when Lin Qiong noticed that Fu Jinglin hadn't returned, he decided to give him a call.

The call was answered after a few rings.

"Nephew, did you run away from home?" Lin Qiong asked.

Fu Jinglin replied, "I'm on my way back to my house."

"Changed your mind?" Lin Qiong inquired.

"I was forcefully sent back," Fu Jinglin explained.

"..."

After learning that Fu Jinglin had been sent back home, Lin Qiong thought it might be time for him to leave. In two weeks, he would also be going out for work.

During dinner, he brought up the matter with Fu Xingyun.

Fu Xingyun raised his eyes and asked, "How long will you be gone?"

Lin Qiong, with a mouthful of food, said, "Wang Cheng said two months, but it probably won't be that long."

Fu Xingyun remained silent for a while, not saying anything. If Lin Qiong wanted to go out to work, he wouldn't restrict him.

Seeing the silent response, Lin Qiong, with food in his mouth, reassured him, "Don't worry, I'll think of you every day."

---

Two weeks passed quickly, and shortly after New Year's Day, Lin Qiong received a call from Wang Cheng.

Still groggy, Lin Qiong picked up his phone, "What's up?"

"Pack your things today. Tomorrow you need to rush to the publicity department for a meeting," Wang Cheng informed.

Surprised, Lin Qiong exclaimed, "So soon!"

Wang Cheng replied, "You've been lazing around at home for almost half a year."

"..."

After getting up, Lin Qiong began to pack his belongings. While he was at it, the doorbell rang, and he shuffled over in slippers to answer the door.

The familiar face of the doctor appeared before him. Lin Qiong's words rushed out faster than his brain, "I'm going away for some time."

The doctor was momentarily stunned, "Relationship trouble?"

"I'm going out for work."

The doctor, hearing this, breathed a sigh of relief.

Lin Qiong politely said, "During the time I'm away, I appreciate your taking care of Xingyun."

The doctor waved his hand, "No trouble, no trouble."

Lin Qiong, feeling a bit embarrassed, slightly bent over, "Thank you, thank you."

The nurse standing behind him watched as the doctor's posture also lowered a bit, "No trouble, no trouble."

Lin Qiong said, "I'm really sorry. You must be working hard."

The doctor directly bowed to him, "It's not difficult. We are getting paid."

"..."

After a day of rehabilitation, Lin Qiong finally told Fu Xingyun about his departure the next day.

The man's broad back visibly stiffened. After giving a faint nod, he said nothing more and turned into the room.

Lin Qiong didn't pay much attention to it, turning back to his room to continue packing.

After closing the door, Fu Xingyun, in a bit of chaos, pulled out the "Love Manual" he had previously studied, losing his usual composure.

Rule 35: When forced to separate during the relationship, pay attention, your test has come. First, test the other person's attitude towards you leaving. You can play a little trick and be a bit cold to the other person. If they care, they will send you a message or come back to confirm promptly (but don't be unreasonable). Express your attitude, let the other person know that you are important!

Fu Xingyun stared at the regulations in the book in silence for a long time.

The next morning, Lin Qiong planned to leave after the doctor and nurse arrived.

Lin Qiong stood at the door with his suitcase, "Thank you, Doctor."

The doctor bowed again, "You're welcome."

Lin Qiong held a long conversation with the doctor as if entrusting to him an orphan.

Fu Xingyun approached with a sullen face.

Upon seeing him, the doctor said, "It's warm outside today, a rare occurrence in winter. I planned to take him out for some exercise."

Lin Qiong nodded after hearing this, then glanced at Fu Xingyun, "Xingyun, I'm leaving."

Fu Xingyun looked at him.

Lin Qiong, holding his suitcase, asked, "Don't you have anything to say?"

After a while, Fu Xingyun finally squeezed out a sentence, "Come back home soon."

"We'll take good care of Mr. Fu." The doctor, seeing Lin Qiong's reluctant expression, said solemnly, "Mr. Lin, you can leave with peace of mind."

Lin Qiong: ...

Why does that sound strange?

To improve his relationship with Lin Qiong, Fu Xingyun followed the instructions in the book and remained cold towards him the entire morning. However, Lin Qiong, without any expression, just picked up his suitcase and left.

Staring at the closed door, Fu Xingyun questioned the validity of the book for the first time.

Without this book, maybe he could have gotten closer to Lin Qiong this morning.

The doctor pushed Fu Xingyun to the third floor, planning to wear some clothes before going out.

Just as the nurse opened the wardrobe, they suddenly heard footsteps outside.

Not only did the nurse hear it, but the doctor and Fu Xingyun also heard it.

Their eyes met.

When the nurse was about to check who it was, the room door suddenly burst open.

"Xingyun!"

Fu Xingyun's eyes slightly widened. For a moment, everyone's gaze converged at the door, and they saw Lin Qiong, who had left more than twenty minutes ago, returning in a dusty hurry.

The surprise and excitement in Fu Xingyun's eyes were hard to conceal. Although he didn't show much expression on his face, he spoke first, highlighting his emotional fluctuations, "Why are you back?"

Joy and astonishment mingled in his heart. It turned out that the book did have some truth. Despite his coldness towards Lin Qiong this morning, the other party had noticed.

Lin Qiong cared about him!

Lin Qiong cared about him...

Lin Qiong, panting heavily, suddenly felt the same excitement as when they had gotten married and he had to run to make it to the ceremony in time. Then, he quickly walked into the room.

Fu Xingyun looked at him, intending to say something.

"You..."

The other party walked past as if in a hurry.

?

Lin Qiong bypassed a few people and went straight to the wardrobe. He pouted and rummaged through the bottom of the wardrobe, pulling out a pair of thick fleece-lined thermal pants.

Then, he shook them in front of everyone, "It's cold; put on these thermal pants."

Fu Xingyun: ...

Looking at the thick thermal pants, the man took a deep breath. After a while, he said, "Did you come back because of this?"

Lin Qiong was stunned for a moment, then nodded. Thinking that the other party didn't want to put them on, he said, "The doctor just said we're going out today. Although the weather has warmed up a bit, it's still winter. Put on the thermal pants before going out."

Speaking softly by his ear, "Otherwise, wearing too little might make you sick. Put on the thermal pants. When you recover, we can get a divorce."

The last sentence was completely unnecessary.

Fu Xingyun clenched his teeth so hard that he almost broke a tooth.

Lin Qiong handed the thermal pants to Fu Xingyun, then turned and left, waving to them before going out.

Fu Xingyun looked at the thick thermal pants in his hands and took a deep breath.

Although the other party came back, showing concern for him, he couldn't feel happy about it.

Lin Qiong had a good memory; he remembered that divorce remark.

The doctor, noticing Fu Xingyun's hesitation, asked tentatively, "Mr. Fu, are you going out today?"

Looking at the thermal pants in his hands, Fu Xingyun gritted his teeth, "Yes."

At this moment, his rationality told him clearly that only by standing up and reclaiming everything could he keep the person by his side.

----

Wang Cheng looked at Lin Qiong coming out of the villa area, "Why did you go back?"

Lin Qiong smiled and touched his head, "Nothing, just wanted to go back and take a look."

"You've only been gone for twenty minutes. What's there to see?"

Lin Qiong pursed his lips, "You don't understand; I was doing an act of kindness."

"Caring for the elderly?"

"..."

The two of them arrived at the airport. This was the first time Lin Qiong had taken a plane in his two lifetimes.

Lin Qiong sat uneasily in his seat. "Where are we going?"

Wang Cheng provided a nationwide promotional tour route.

One of the stops was in their city, and Lin Qiong's eyes lit up. "We will have time to visit home then."

Wang Cheng nodded, observing Lin Qiong's eager expression.

Wang Cheng advised, "Work starts tomorrow. Remember to be cautious in everything you say and do. If you can't avoid talking, then just stay silent."

Lin Qiong patted his chest, "You can trust me."

Wang Cheng: ...

It was precisely because he couldn't trust him that he said that.

With his eyes closed, Lin Qiong asked, "Is everyone going on this nationwide promotional tour for the next two months?"

"Not everyone."

Lin Qiong turned his head to look at him after hearing that.

Wang Cheng explained, "You'll be touring for two months. The main cast will start their promotional activities next month."

Lin Qiong was surprised, "Why?"

Wang Cheng glanced at him, "Don't you have any idea?"

Lin Qiong shook his head quickly.

Wang Cheng comforted him, "Having you accompany the tour is to give you more exposure. The lead actor's film promotion is much more effective in gaining fans than yours will be."

Lin Qiong nodded; it made sense. After landing, they reached the hotel and saw a familiar figure.

"Brother~~"

Lin Qiong waved at him with a smile, "Sister."

The burly photographer said, "Brother, it's been a long time."

Since the film shooting ended, they hadn't met, but they occasionally stayed in touch through WeChat. It had been about half a year.

Lin Qiong looked at him, "Are you also accompanying the tour?"

The burly photographer nodded, "Taking promotional photos for the crew."

After putting their luggage in the hotel, Lin Qiong was pulled away for a meeting. By the time the meeting was over, it was already dark outside.

Looking out the window, snow was falling from the sky.

After having dinner, someone knocked on his hotel room door.

"Brother, do you want to go out and play in the snow?!"

 Lin Qiong opened the door and saw the burly photographer and several staff members outside.

Considering it was a good time for exercise after dinner, Lin Qiong picked up his coat. "Let's go."

Before going out, he also pulled Wang Cheng along.

With the light from the street lamps and the hotel, it wasn't dark outside. The first thing Lin Qiong did when he came out was to make a small snowman.

"Wang Cheng, Wang Cheng!"

Wang Cheng looked at the shapeless snow in Lin Qiong's hands. "Abstract art?"

Lin Qiong: "A cute snowman."

Wang Cheng: "..."

Lin Qiong lifted the small snowman. "Help me take a picture."

Wang Cheng took out his phone as it had become a routine. "Sending it to your elderly baby."

Lin Qiong nodded, a smile appearing on his face.

Just as they were about to take a picture, a snowball came flying towards them.

Lin Qiong was stunned, then his instincts automatically kicked in.

After retaliating, he realized he had thrown the small snowman in his hand.

Lin Qiong: ...

The burly photographer said, "Brother, want to join in?"

Lin Qiong didn't hesitate. "Sure."

Wang Cheng was surprised. "Aren't you taking pictures?"

Lin Qiong: "We'll do that later."

At the mention of a snowball fight, the idea of taking a picture for Fu Xingyun was thrown out of his mind.

Lin Qiong did some stretches. Seeing the serious stance of the burly photographer, Wang Cheng swallowed nervously. "Aren't you taking this too seriously?"

Lin Qiong looked at Wang Cheng in confusion. "Are you too naive? Haven't you heard a saying?"

Wang Cheng was puzzled. "What saying?"

"In the snow, it is better to do a split than to fall down."

  1. The saying "宁在雪中劈叉,不在雪中倒下" (Nìng zài xuě zhōng pī chā, bù zài xuě zhōng dǎo xià) literally translates to "Better to do a split in the snow than to fall down in the snow."
    This saying is a playful and metaphorical expression, suggesting that it's better to take a more flexible or unconventional approach, like doing a split, than facing a more straightforward or challenging situation, represented by falling down in the snow. It implies a preference for creative problem-solving or adaptability rather than succumbing to difficulties. The saying is often used in a light-hearted manner to encourage a positive and resilient attitude in the face of challenges.