Upon seeing Fu's secretary's office, He Qingqing was chatting and laughing on the phone with a friend, her face beaming with smiles.
'I'm totally shipping them! The CEO's off chasing after his wife again, hahaha!'
Inside a private room at the bar, Ye Misheng, disheveled, dodged a punch, pinned the person in the shadows against the wall, and chuckled as he approached.
"What a coincidence, Young Master Wang! What a coincidence that we've met again at a bar."
Countless scrolling images appeared around him, the numbers on them resembling today's date, accurate to the second. The grayed-out images interspersed among them stood out. Looking into the distance, Fu Hengzhi saw that familiar person.
It was Zhou Zhou, but something about him didn't quite feel like him. In the clip, Zhou Zhou received the diagnosis slip from the hospital. The other person looked at the back of the slip without expression, then punched the cold wall and laughed miserably in a deserted corner. He then squandered his remaining money, signed a contract with a donation organization regarding the Zhou family's property, and walked alone on the street as the sun set, his shadow stretched long in the afterglow. Then, the owner of the shadow collapsed.
Fu Hengzhi's breathing stopped the instant Zhou Zhou collapsed. His gaze followed her upwards, noticing the date was the first one within three months of the present—
Time in the void was distorted, the world spun around, and after a moment of dizziness, Fu Hengzhi opened his eyes and saw Zhou Zhou lying on the ground in front of him, and Fu Xiaofan, who had somehow walked up to him and was standing motionless like a puppet doll looking at him.
[Author's Note: One more chapter! One more chapter! The angst is almost over! QWQ]
Chapter 127 This is not the end. This is not the end.
Chapter 127 This is not the end! This is not the end!
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Living in such a large villa every day, even though it has everything, it sometimes feels empty with only a few people living there.
The Zhou family's house is a total of over 100 square meters. It was cleaned spotlessly by the housekeeper. The floor was waxed and looked brand new. The dust in every corner of the house was also cleaned properly. After entering the house, Zhou Zhou even touched the inner door frame and his hand was not covered in dust.
They must have hired a lot of people to clean it.
Zhou Zhou walked straight into the living room, where several blooming sunflowers were arranged in an artistic floral arrangement in a vase on the coffee table.
I remember when I woke up in the hospital, the ward was decorated with sunflowers, full of vitality. Zhou Zhou reached out and unconsciously picked up a yellow sunflower leaf.
“I didn’t let them change the layout of the house.” Fu Hengzhi placed the purchased space in the entryway, then walked over and hugged him from behind.
She whispered in his ear, "From now on, this will be our second home."
"I'm so happy." Zhou Zhou turned around, reached out and wrapped his arms around the other person's neck, and tiptoed to give the other person a light kiss on the corner of their mouth.
This was the first time Zhou Zhou had kissed him in a long time.
Fu Hengzhi wanted to press the other person's head down onto the sofa and deepen the kiss, but he couldn't. Reason told him that the other person's body wouldn't allow him to do that.
“I’m happy to see you like this.” Fu Hengzhi kissed the other man on the cheek, then let go of him. “I’ll go pack up the things I bought.”
"I'll go with you." The two, like a couple deeply in love, walked hand in hand to the entrance after a few steps.
In the following days, Zhou Zhou went out more often, going downstairs to throw out the trash, and taking a walk with his family after dinner. They could often be seen in the neighborhood. Perhaps it was because he was breathing fresh air more often, but Zhou Zhou's complexion seemed to have improved a lot.
If one could ignore the other person's still-thin body and forced mental state, Fu Hengzhi would really have the illusion that everything was slowly getting better.
Fu Xiaofan, whose presence was almost invisible, frowned from time to time as he watched the two who were always together.
He doesn't know whether this trend is good or bad.
'Buzz—'
After the meal, my phone beeped.
In the past, Fu Hengzhi would glance at the phone and answer it in front of Zhou Zhou, but this time he didn't. He took his phone and went to the balcony alone, closing the glass door tightly.
"..." Fu Xiaofan glanced cautiously at Zhou Zhou, who was still sitting at the table.
Looking over, the other person instantly stood up, stacked the empty bowls together, and took them to the kitchen sink. The kitchen was far from the balcony, and Zhou Zhou had specially reserved a private space for the other person to make a phone call.
"Hey, Xiao Heng." If you listen closely, you can hear that the voice on the other end is trembling slightly.
"Grandpa, what's wrong?" Fu Hengzhi asked in a flat tone, his gaze fixed on the scenery outside the window, trying to create the impression that they were discussing work.
“I heard from your mother…” Old Master Fu couldn’t understand how his perfectly healthy child could suddenly develop brain failure. “…There are so many doctors in China, have they all been consulted? Your aunt knows a few overseas experts in this field, if all else fails, we can go abroad for treatment! Conditions are good both domestically and internationally now, and we’re not short of money, let’s not delay any longer…”
"Grandpa." The person on the other end of the phone became increasingly agitated, but Fu Hengzhi calmly interrupted their urge to continue.
He knew it was useless, because this was not just a simple illness. Putting aside these scientific considerations, he had secretly contacted doctors of all levels, but almost all of them were surprised by the speed at which Zhou Zhou's condition was deteriorating. They didn't even give him a chance to try, only telling him to start with his diet and lifestyle habits and carry out the most basic home conservative treatment. They said that if there was any improvement, he could be hospitalized for observation.
Fu Hengzhi has yet to see any hope of improvement.
Moreover, the patient himself has no intention of receiving treatment.
“Xiao Heng…” Fu Xiong was silent for a moment, as if he had made up his mind. At this moment, he didn’t seem like the imposing patriarch of the Fu family, but rather like a kind and caring old man. “I was so angry that day. Did that make my condition worse? That child… Is Xiao Zhou with you? I want to talk to him. And Xiao Fan, does Xiao Fan know his father…”
"..." Fu Hengzhi took his phone away and subconsciously glanced into the house. The balcony led directly into the living room and dining room, but he couldn't see the kitchen in its entirety. He could only see a faint corner of clothing next to the sink. He picked up the phone again and said, "Grandpa, the doctor said we can't agitate him, and Xiao Fan won't be going back for the time being."
"No, let's just have a meal together when we get back. I'm not comfortable with the atmosphere being too heavy."
"I wouldn't feel at ease with my aunt around."
"That's all for now, I'll hang up."
The hand holding the phone suddenly dropped to his side. Fu Hengzhi stared calmly at the ground, his eyes devoid of any expression.
Isn't he being too selfish?
But he didn't want the other person to experience anything beyond his control before leaving, as there were too many uncertainties once they got home.
Please forgive him this once.
After Zhou Zhou finished washing the dishes and wiping the table, she went to the living room and happened to meet Fu Hengzhi, who was walking in through the glass door.
"Whose call was that?" Zhou Zhou felt he should ask, at least not appear indifferent.
“Grandpa,” Fu Hengzhi continued, “he called to apologize to you and wanted us to come back to the old house for a meal together.”
"I accept the apology. It's all in the past, and I've already forgotten about it." Zhou Zhou tilted his head, then smiled helplessly, "Let's just go back to dinner."
Without explaining why, Fu Hengzhi nodded, and both sides tacitly avoided the topic.
Another ten days or so passed, and summer was coming to an end. During this time, no one else came to disturb this little family.
His health was deteriorating day by day, and his memory was also declining day by day. Even though he tried to create a more relaxed atmosphere at home these past few days, the atmosphere at home was becoming more and more heavy. Fu Xiaofan could feel that the two people in front of him were on edge.
Fu Hengzhi became impatient yet cautious, which led to him failing at many things.
Zhou Zhou became very sensitive, and every move Fu Hengzhi made would become the trigger for his emotional breakdown. Coupled with memory loss, the worst time was when Fu Xiaofan and Fu Hengzhi were outside the bedroom begging the person inside who was crying and shouting to open the door.
Now, Fu Hengzhi always carries a spare key with him whenever there is a locked room, to prevent such a situation from happening again.
Despite this, they still couldn't avoid sleeping in separate rooms.
The company was very busy at this time, and under the dual pressure of family and career, Fu Hengzhi's sleep quality was extremely poor. However, he could not take sleeping pills because he was worried that if he slept too deeply, he would not notice Zhou Zhou's movements in the next room. As a result, his mental state deteriorated day by day.
Fortunately, He Qingqing, who realized the situation but was unaware of the truth, boldly contacted Fu Hongjiang. Chairman Fu personally came to the company to guide the work of all parties and relieved the pressure on his son.
Fu Hengzhi cooked meals as usual during the day, but Zhou Zhou was eating less and less; he couldn't even finish half a small bowl of rice.
Despicable complications.
Fu Hengzhi tried to suggest serving the other person some soup, and fortunately, the other person did not refuse.
The soup was simmered in a clay pot. When Fu Hengzhi took the bowl to the kitchen, his phone rang. Zhou Zhou glanced at it with his listless eyes.
“The oil has been skimmed off, there’s no meaty smell. I only added a little salt, and the temperature is just right. Baby, would you like to try it?” Fu Hengzhi carefully placed the bowl in front of the other person. Zhou Zhou looked up along the hand holding the bowl and just stared at the owner of the hand without saying a word.
His presence made both of them freeze instantly. Fu Xiaofan secretly put down his chopsticks and watched the other's every move, while Fu Hengzhi remained in the position of putting down the soup, not daring to move.
'Gurgle'
Zhou Zhou lowered her head, and following Fu Hengzhi's posture as he held the soup bowl, she sipped the soup from the rim of the bowl, smacked her lips, and said, "Delicious."
"Phew—" Fu Xiaofan breathed a sigh of relief.
Fu Hengzhi was so moved by the words "it tastes so good" that he almost cried. His eyes reddened as he said, "I'll change the ingredients tomorrow and make it for you again."
"Okay, good." Zhou Zhou picked up the soup bowl himself and sipped the soup spoonful by spoonful. In fact, this kind of soup was served every day, but Zhou Zhou would forget about it.
During their time at home, the three of them went to bed earlier; instead of 11 p.m., the lights in the room were all turned off around 9 p.m.
"Good night." Zhou Zhou said and turned to enter the master bedroom, leaving Fu Hengzhi and Fu Xiaofan, who were still in their pajamas, looking at each other in bewilderment.
“You…” Fu Xiaofan stared at Fu Hengzhi, hesitant to speak.
"Um?"
"Why don't you go in and give it a try? You never know, you might end up in bed with her." Something about these words coming from Fu Xiaofan's mouth felt off. Fu Hengzhi's heart skipped a beat, his expression shifted slightly, and a bad premonition welled up in his heart. Before he could react, he heard the other party continue.
"The single bed in the second bedroom is too small. It's too cramped for me to sleep with you."
"..." Fu Hengzhi looked at him with a complicated expression, remained silent for a moment, and then walked straight to the master bedroom door.
Fu Xiaofan counted to twenty at the door of the second bedroom. Seeing that it was very quiet inside, she turned around, went into the second bedroom, and locked the door.
Zhou Zhou sat on the edge of the bed in a daze. Hearing the door being pushed open, he was slightly startled and stared at the person who came in for a while.
Fu Hengzhi's palms sweated under her gaze. He took two steps forward and tentatively asked, "Will you stay with me tonight?"
You can't say "I'll be with you," because that would automatically categorize the other person as a vulnerable group, and Zhou Zhou has been very averse to that lately.
Fu Hengzhi carefully observed the other party's every move, preparing to deal with any situation.
A moment later, the person on the bed slowly nodded and shifted their body slightly inward as they lay down.
"call......"
Fu Hengzhi breathed a sigh of relief, went over and lay down beside the other person, gently placing his hand on the other person's waist. He was not rejected, so he gently moved closer.
The hot, humid breath sprayed on her face, and Zhou Zhou turned her head away, her attitude of rejection obvious.
Fu Hengzhi gently embraced him, savoring this hard-won tenderness.
"Tomorrow morning..."
The voice was very faint, almost nonexistent. Fu Hengzhi wasn't sure if he was hallucinating or if he hadn't heard clearly. He gently stroked the other person's back, asking cautiously, "Did you say anything just now?"
He was met with silence from the person in his arms. Fu Hengzhi panicked, his nerves instantly tensing up, ready to face the other's negative emotions at any moment.
The person in his arms had no such intention. The only sound in the quiet room was the even and rhythmic breathing. Zhou Zhou thought about what he had seen in the text message for a long time, but the more anxious he became, the less he could remember. A surge of inexplicable irritation rushed to his head, but he forced it down.
He knew that his emotions had been too unstable these past few days, putting a lot of pressure on Fu Hengzhi. The other person was very tired, and had no obligation to bear his negative emotions, but the other person was his lover.
They were clearly lovers, so why couldn't they stay together forever? A bitter feeling stuck to his throat like glue, choking his voice, disturbing his breathing, and blurring his consciousness.
"Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—"
The person in my arms was breathing like a blower with a faulty power connection, flapping and whirring, with more air coming in than coming out.
"Zhou Zhou!" The thread that had been holding his heart was suddenly severed, and a sudden feeling of weightlessness enveloped Fu Hengzhi.