Fu Jinglin's hand, which was originally patting his stomach, froze for a moment. "Then I'll have some more."
Saying that he intended to take his bowl and ask Lin Qiong for more food.
Fu Xingyun pushed him back into his seat with one hand. "There's no more food."
Fu Jinglin said, "Yes, there is."
Fu Xingyun looked at him, his gaze oppressive as if brainwashing him. "There isn't."
Fu Jinglin: ...
But after all, he was his nephew, and Fu Xingyun didn't want to be too harsh. He raised his hand and gave him a wallet with a lot of cash inside.
Fu Jinglin made a struggling sound, pretending not to understand. "Uncle, what's this for?"
"Take it and stay at a hotel."
Hotels are not as comfortable as Fu Xingyun's home. He got tired of staying in hotels before, and besides, he still had some personal issues to discuss with Lin Qiong.
Since Lin Qiong had arrived in his life, Fu Jinglin almost always discussed things with him whenever he had something to talk about. Although Lin Qiong was also older than Fu Jinglin, he wasn't as strict as his uncle and mother.
Fu Jinglin looked at the wallet, swallowed, and said, "Nowadays, everyone uses mobile payments, and they usually don't accept cash."
Saying this, he took out his phone. "Oh no!"
Fu Xingyun: ...
Facing Fu Xingyun's deadly glare, Fu Jinglin gritted his teeth and said, "The phone's dead."
Pushing the wallet back, he added, "I might not be able to pay for the hotel."
Fu Xingyun remained cold-faced and pushed the wallet back with his hand.
Seeing Fu Xingyun's insistence, Fu Jinglin could only slink away with his bag, looking pitiful despite being a tall figure of 1.9 meters.
Fu Xingyun said nothing. Fu Jinglin was already an adult this year and in college. It was no longer appropriate for him to behave like a child by running away from home. It was time for him to face the consequences of his actions and grow up.
As for why Fu Xingyun had been so indulgent before, it was simply because, in his eyes, anyone under the drinking age was just a child.
Fu Jinglin looked back with each step he took towards the door.
Fu Xingyun remained silent.
Fu Jinglin couldn't help but say, "Uncle, it's already dark outside."
The next moment, Fu Xingyun stood up. Fu Jinglin was momentarily pleased, thinking that he was going to be allowed to stay.
"Uncle, I'll sleep on the..."
"Take this flashlight."
Fu Jinglin: ???
Looking down, he saw a flashlight in his hand.
"..."
Fu Jinglin looked at the flashlight in his hand as he walked to the entrance. It seemed hopeless to stay here, but getting a meal wasn't a loss. What surprised him was that his uncle had actually come to see him off.
Fu Xingyun stood there watching as Fu Jinglin put on his shoes. His deep black eyes showed little emotion, but it seemed as though his gaze was piercing through Fu Jinglin.
It wasn't until Fu Jinglin stood up that Fu Xingyun spoke. "Jinglin, you're already an adult."
Fu Jinglin, who had been carrying his bag, paused at these words. The phrase "you're already an adult" seemed to suddenly burden his shoulders with a lot of responsibility, and for a moment, he didn't know how to respond.
Fu Xingyun reached out and lightly patted Fu Jinglin's head a few times. "You need to learn to be independent. I'll always be there for you, but I hope you can stand on your own. I believe in your strength and abilities, so..."
Fu Jinglin was moved for a moment. "Uncle..."
Fu Xingyun continued, "From now on, don't come to my house unless necessary."
Fu Jinglin: ...
The warmth lasted only three seconds.
Fu Jinglin went out the door into the night to find a hotel. It wasn't until Fu Jinglin's figure disappeared that Fu Xingyun left the window on the second floor.
He then went downstairs to find Lin Qiong.
Seeing only him, Lin Qiong asked, "Where's your nephew?"
Fu Jinglin: "He left."
Lin Qiong was puzzled. He had thought that Fu Jinglin would stay here to sleep. "Where did he go?"
"Who knows."
"..."
Lin Qiong placed the dishes in the dishwasher and Fu Xingyun helped finish putting food away. After everything was cleaned up, Lin Qiong suddenly realized that something seemed off.
Then he lowered his head, looked at the hand wrapped around his waist, then looked up at Fu Xingyun.
The man had a handsome face, and his eyes were like a beast about to capture its prey, staring at him intently.
Lin Qiong swallowed nervously, pretending not to understand the look in Fu Xingyun's eyes. "How about we go for a night run to digest our food?"
"No need." With a movement like plucking a mushroom, Fu Xingyun yanked Lin Qiong up from the ground. "There are other ways to exercise."
Lin Qiong was stunned for a moment, quickly pushing against him in fear. "Don't... don't..."
Fu Xingyun carried him up to the bedroom, placing him on the bed before kneeling in front of him. "Don't you want to?"
The man's features were exquisite, and his eyes seemed to contain nothing but Lin Qiong.
Lin Qiong was momentarily mesmerized by the beauty before him, his face flushing slightly as he dared not look directly at him. "I didn't say I didn't want to..."
Seeing the man unmoving, Lin Qiong lifted his leg and placed it on Fu Xingyun's knee. "Be... be gentle..."
Fu Xingyun's lips curled up. "Alright."
---
Since the movie promotion ended, Lin Qiong has been living a comfortable life.
Except for being tossed around at night, for over a month now, he had spent each day either sleeping or eating. His cheeks had even gained a little flesh, and Fu Xingyun always seemed to enjoy lightly biting them.
His biggest exercise was going out to buy groceries.
Lin Qiong woke up in bed, seeing the empty space next to him, he knew that the man had already gone to work.
He walked into the bathroom in slippers and glanced up, noticing a red mark on his left cheek. Lin Qiong was surprised; the man hadn't bitten him during last night's activity, so it must have been done when he left early today.
Lin Qiong blushed and rubbed the spot with embarrassment; he still had to go out to buy groceries.
Lin Qiong had just stepped out of the house when he ran into the ragged old man.
"Little Lin, what happened to your face?"
Lin Qiong's face reddened. "It's nothing, I was bitten by a dog."
"A dog can jump that high?!"
"... "
The ragged old man scrutinized him and then sighed in relief. "It's okay, don't worry. As long as it didn't break the skin, you don't need a rabies shot."
"Thank you, Grandpa."
The old man waved his hand. "Don't mention it."
"Is your leg getting worse? I've noticed for a month and you still walk shakily every day. Did you not use medicine? I have some plasters at home; you can take them and apply them for relief."
Lin Qiong blushed like a big red apple. "No need, Grandpa."
"I heard you say before that your husband's legs are also not good. Now you're like this, too. What happened?"
"I got infected by him."
"... "
It was true, Fu Xingyun did it; now he's limping.
After chatting for a while, Lin Qiong finally set off to buy groceries.
In the meantime, he made a phone call to Fu Xingyun.
"What do you want to eat tonight?"
Fu Xingyun held the phone to his ear, listening to Lin Qiong's voice. "Anything is fine."
Lin Qiong hummed a few times.
"What's wrong?" Fu Xingyun asked.
"Why are you asking!" Lin Qiong was annoyed but afraid of being overheard, so he spoke softly like a thief. "Why did you bite my face?"
"I let you bite me, but I'm not allowed to bite you?"
Lin Qiong was momentarily speechless. After all, there were indeed many bite marks on Fu Xingyun's chest.
Seeing that he couldn't argue with the other party, Lin Qiong changed his approach. "You weren't like this before."
Fu Xingyun smiled, leaning back in his chair without saying a word, allowing Lin Qiong to complain to his heart's content.
The secretary on the side glanced at them and quickly looked away, realizing that this wasn't their boss, it was a man in love.
After hanging up the phone and returning to his usual cold demeanor, Fu Xingyun exuded an overwhelming sense of familiarity.
At the market, Lin Qiong bought some fish and vegetables before heading home. He walked briskly in the direction of his house.
Suddenly, his coat was tugged from behind. Turning around, he saw a child, around six or seven years old, holding onto him.
"Big brother."
Lin Qiong bent down slightly. "What's wrong, little friend?"
"Big brother, I can't find my mommy and daddy. Can you help me find them?"
The little boy looked anxious.
Lin Qiong comforted him, "Of course, don't cry. Big brother will help you find your mommy and daddy."
He took out his phone to call the police.
The boy grabbed Lin Qiong's hand before he could dial. "Big brother, can you come with me to look over there first?"
He pointed in a direction that led to the police station if they kept walking.
Lin Qiong held his phone. "Sure, I'll go with you to take a look. If we can't find them, I'll take you to find the police officer."
The boy nodded politely. "Thank you, big brother."
As they walked, the boy explained, "I was playing here. But when my ball rolled into this alley, I went to get it, and when I came out, mommy and daddy were gone."
Lin Qiong feared the boy might get lost again, so he followed him into the alley. However, as soon as he stepped in, someone moved out from the shadows right in front of him.
Staring at the large man in front of him, Lin Qiong's eyes widened in shock.
"You..."
The man skillfully covered Lin Qiong's mouth with a cloth soaked in chloroform. Lin Qiong struggled desperately, managing to dial the emergency number he had previously set. Before losing consciousness, he saw the child receiving a sum of money from a man.
---
"Wake up! Lin Qiong, wake up!"
Lin Qiong forced his eyelids open and saw a familiar face. "Jinglin?!"
Fu Jinglin breathed a sigh of relief as he saw Lin Qiong awake.
Feeling dizzy, Lin Qiong looked down and realized that his hands and feet were bound. Glancing sideways at Fu Jinglin, he saw that he was in the same predicament.
He looked around and saw that the place was spacious and dimly lit, filled with rusty tools, like an abandoned factory.
Looking at Fu Jinglin, Lin Qiong asked, "Didn't you go wandering around? How did you end up here?"
"I saw someone bullying an old person yesterday and wanted to step in. But the old lady punched me in the face before I could do anything."
Lin Qiong: "You got beaten?"
Fu Jinglin: "Of course not."
"Then how did you end up here?"
"The thugs also teamed up to beat me."
"... "
Lin Qiong sighed and then began to observe his nephew. "Are you injured anywhere?"
"No," Fu Jinglin shook his head, then asked, "Are you?"
"I am."
Fu Jinglin was surprised. He then looked Lin Qiong up and down, asking, "Where?"
"In my innocent heart."
"... "
Fu Jinghong walked over, looking at the guards at the door. "Have you brought everyone?"
Guard: "Everyone is here."
Fu Jinghong's mouth curled into a malicious smile. He ordered the few men in black behind him, "Wait outside for me. I'll let you in when it's time."
"Yes."
Fu Jinghong walked inside with a pleasant stride. Fu Xingyun had destroyed what he cared about, so he wouldn't let Fu Xingyun keep what he cared about either.
Typically, bad people would notify their opponents and threaten them before doing something like this. But not him. His big brother was incredibly powerful, and if he found out, it would mean trouble.
What he wanted was for his opponent to see the pitiful state after the people that Fu Xingyun loved had been tortured and destroyed.
However, as soon as he walked in, he saw the two chatting happily.
"Do you know, that old lady punched..."
Fu Jinglin paused when he saw Fu Jinghong, then discreetly hid the piece of iron he was holding and frowned in disgust, turning his head away.
That look of disdain deeply hurt Fu Jinghong.
Anger surged through his chest, and he stepped forward to viciously kick Fu Jinglin's head.
Fu Jinglin, who was originally sitting, instantly fell to the ground, blood gushing from his ear.
Seeing this, Lin Qiong rolled over to shield him. "What are you doing?!"
Fu Jinglin roared, "You damn bastard if you have the guts, loosen the rope and fight!"
Seeing him about to strike again, Lin Qiong launched at him, grabbing onto his legs. "Are you even human? How can you lay a hand on a child?"
"Fine," Fu Jinghong glared furiously, "I won't hit him. I'll hit you."
With that, he grabbed Lin Qiong's hair and lifted him up. Lin Qiong grimaced in pain, struggling quickly with the rope around his hands. Fu Jinglin looked at him and said, "Lin Qiong, to be honest, I didn't realize you had feelings for my big brother."
He lightly patted Lin Qiong's face. "I didn't expect you to lie to me right from the start."
He then raised his hand and punched Lin Qiong to the ground.
Fu Jinghong, filled with resentment, kicked Lin Qiong a few times in the stomach.
Lin Qiong retched from the pain.
Fu Jinglin roared, "If you dare touch him again, I'll fight you!"
Fu Jinghong glanced at him. "You?"
Then came a ruthless mocking laugh. "Aren't you still a child who needs protection?"
This mocking remark completely enraged Fu Jinglin. "Damn you..."
He tried to get up but lost balance due to the rope on his feet and fell back to the ground.
"If you dare touch him today, you'll never have peace again."
Fu Jinghong grabbed Lin Qiong's hair and lifted him up. "Peace? When has Fu Xingyun ever let me have peace! If I can't have peace, neither can you!"
Lin Qiong winced in pain, but his eyes were locked onto Fu Jinghong's.
"You will never be as good as Fu Xingyun."
"What did you say?"
"I said you will never be as good as Fu Xingyun."
Fu Jinghong's eyes widened to the limit, and then he chuckled. "Yes, I am not as good as him. But so what? Wasn't it him who made me break my leg in the first place?"
"Lin Qiong, let me tell you, if I can break his legs once, I can do a second time and a third time!"
In an instant, Lin Qiong recalled the image of Fu Xingyun falling from his wheelchair and crawling on the ground in pain and humiliation.
That image turned the once proud Fu Xingyun into a lunatic, tormented by countless days and nights of nightmares. And it was the man before him who had caused it.
Lin Qiong's eyes turned red in an instant. "You did this?"
Fu Jinghong replied, "Who else could it be but me?"
"You damn animal!" Lin Qiong struggled in the man's grip as if he had gone mad.
Fu Jinghong kicked him to the side.
Unexpectedly, Lin Qiong fell to the ground, and the rope behind him suddenly tore from all of the moving around. He quickly untied the ropes on his legs and then lunged fiercely at Fu Jinghong.
"Help..."
Before Fu Jinghong could finish his sentence, he was tackled to the ground.
Lin Qiong's eyes were bloodshot, and he was like a madman, swinging his fists wildly. "How dare you! How dare you?!!!"
Fu Jinghong began to fight back, landing a punch on Lin Qiong's face, but it seemed like he didn't feel any pain.
Fu Jinglin watched helplessly as the two wrestled with each other. He tried to stand up to help but couldn't. Then he quickly grabbed the iron piece to cut the ropes.
Lin Qiong's face was covered in bruises, his nose was bleeding, and the right side of his face was swollen, but he seemed not to feel any pain, continuously swinging his fists.
Tears streamed down his face as memories of Fu Xingyun's agonized expression flashed before him.
Thrown to the ground, he immediately sprang back, repeatedly punching again and again.
Fu Jinghong was enraged. "You're fucking crazy!!!"