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nOver at Tongcheng.

nAfter they got down from the mountain, the sky turned dark in the blink of an eye.

nDuring dinner, Fu Yangxi kept interrupting them, so Mingxi couldn’t find out anything from Jiang Xiuqiu.

nEveryone was extremely curious, especially Ke Chengwen as he stretched out his head to listen to the story of how they were so frightened by the Tibetan mastiff.

nFu Yangxi slammed his chopsticks on the porcelain bowl, his face flushed. He was really annoyed. “I admit that I’m afraid of dogs, okay?!”

n“F*ck!” Ke Chengwen laughed out loud. He said in surprise, “Xi ge, you also have something you’re afraid of?! What’s so scary about dogs? They’re such cute creatures! No wonder you never come to my house, it’s because I have a pet husky. Next time I will take it to school so you guys can take a look at him. He’s very well-behaved, and he isn’t fierce at all.”

nFu Yangxi was all jittery. He stood up and grabbed Ke Chengwen by the back of his collar. He warned in a dark tone, “You’re dead if you dare to bring it to school!”

nKe Chengwen fled the room in fear.

nHe Yang and Aunt Li who had their bowls in their hands smiled at the conversation. They turned their heads to look at the two of them.

nAll of a sudden, the air was filled with cheerfulness.

n

n

nBut Mingxi thought of Fu Yangxi’s abnormal reaction at that time and couldn’t laugh.

nShe was very worried, but she didn’t know whether to ask about it or not.

nShe turned her head and stared at Fu Yangxi for a while. She couldn’t help but say to Ke Chengwen who was running around, “A fear of dogs is nothing to be ashamed of. I’m also afraid of them. Sit down and eat. The food will get cold later.”

nUpon seeing this, Aunt Li gave Fu Yangxi, who she thought was the most handsome among the boys, a piece of bamboo shoot. “This is a specialty of ours. You young people from the city must have never eaten it. Give it a try.”

nFu Yangxi looked at the black bamboo shoots and tried not to show his disgust. “No thanks.”

n“At least have a bite.” Aunt Li stretched out her chopsticks, reluctant to give up.

nFu Yangxi simply withdrew his bowl. “Auntie, I never eat this.”

nMingxi broke the deadlock by placing a small piece into Fu Yangxi’s bowl. She whispered, “Take it as a token of kindness from Aunt Li. If you’re not allergic to it, you should at least try it.”

nIt was the first time for Fu Yangxi to receive a dish given by Zhao Mingxi, and it was by leaning her small head over, whispering gently as she did so. He glanced at Zhao Mingxi, and the tips of his ears suddenly became hot. He pretended to reluctantly pick up the bamboo shoot. He put it into his mouth and chewed slowly. “Fine, then I guess I have no choice but to take a bite.”

nAunt Li who still had her chopsticks stretched out. “…”

nTheir supper was finished in the midst of such chaos.

nMingxi and He Yang shared a room.

nThe trip took a lot of their energy, and having been too tired during the day, so all of them quickly fell asleep.

nHe Yang was so tired that she even snored slightly.

nMingxi couldn’t fall asleep, so she went out with a jacket on and gently packed up the sewing box and other things that her grandmother had used before.

nThe moon was shining brightly and the night was silent. It gave Mingxi some time to process her emotions.

nShe missed her grandmother very much. She thought, don’t worry grandma, I will live a good life this time.

n…

nOn the next day, the sun came through the mist and shone on the earth. It was a new day.

nThey all skipped class and took the train back to City A.

nIt was a 14 hour train journey. By the time they left the train station sleepily, it was already 9 p.m., and the lights around the train station were bright.

nMingxi glanced at the time, and was suddenly shocked awake. She almost forgot about Uncle Dong’s family’s return to China!

nThe flight the Dong family took happened to land at around 10 p.m.. There was still an hour for her to get to the airport.

nMingxi hurriedly took her schoolbag from Fu Yangxi. “I almost forgot, I have to go to the airport to pick up a friend!”

nKe Chengwen drove the car from the parking lot and stopped in front of them. “Come on, Zhao Mingxi. I just happened to have someone park the car here. I’ll take you to the airport, and then I’ll take He Yang and Jiang Xiuqiu home.”

nHe looked at He Yang and Jiang Xiuqiu. “You guys aren’t in a hurry, right? Just sleep in the car if you’re not in a hurry.”

nHe Yang yawned and climbed into the car. “I’m so tired. I’ll get in the car first.”

nMingxi felt it was too troublesome for Ke Chengwen, and he didn’t have much rest after taking the train for more than 10 hours. She hurriedly said, “It will be a long way around to the airport, you don’t have to do this! I can just go by myself—”

n“What can you do on your own?! You want to be dragged into a ravine by a black car and sold off in the middle of the night?”

nFu Yangxi interrupted Zhao Mingxi.

nHe raised his hand to tighten Mingxi’s scarf, then took her by the shoulder and turned her around.

nMingxi felt dizzy. By the time she reacted, Fu Yangxi had already opened the car door and pushed her in.

nMingxi: “…”

nJiang Xiuqiu glanced at Fu Yangxi. He patted him on the shoulder and said in a low voice, “You’re on your own, buddy.”

nAfter that, he turned back and got into the passenger seat without hesitation.

nAs soon as Fu Yangxi was about to close the car door, Mingxi hurriedly blocked him. Fearing that he would close the door, she stretched out her feet to stop him. She quickly raised her head and asked, “What about you?”

n“Of course this young master has to wait for his family members to pick him up. How can I squeeze into a small broken car with you? Look at Ke Chengwen’s car. It’s all covered in dust having been out in the open all night.”

nFu Yangxi stuffed his hands in his pockets, his face full of disgust. He stared at Zhao Mingxi. “What are you doing? You can’t be worried about me——”

nBefore he could finish speaking, he heard Mingxi say, “I am worried about you.”

n“…”

nFu Yangxi couldn’t help but swallow hard. His heart was pounding and his eyes fell on Zhao Mingxi’s face.

nShe was worried for him.

nFu Yangxi wanted to smile, but he was afraid of being discovered.

nHe licked his back molars quickly, looked away, and tried to look cool for a second. “Please, what is there to worry about?”

nMingxi asked, “You mobilized a private jet privately and skipped class. Your parents won’t scold you, right?”

nFu Yangxi swallowed.

nHe stretched out his hand, ruffled Mingxi’s hair, and said proudly, “Hey, what’s the big deal? I’m the only child of the family, okay? How can they blame me for such minor things?”

n“Little Mask, just go or you’ll miss your schedule later.”

nMingxi looked at him for a while before she retracted her foot. “Okay, you have to take care of yourself, alright?”

n“I will.” Fu Yangxi smiled, trying his best not to hide his embarrassment.

nFu Yangxi closed the door lightly.

nMingxi looked back.

nThe night lights shone brightly behind Fu Yangxi. The young man who was tall and slender waved at her.

nAs soon as they left, a black limousine slowly drove over.

n*

nHalf an hour later, in the Fu family’s old mansion.

nThe lights under the eaves were all on.

nA well-dressed old man was playing chess as a few people chased after the already beaten up Fu Yangxi.

nThe mouths of Lawyer Zhang and the housekeeper twitched as they looked at Fu Yangxi’s flame-like red hair getting kicked out of the room in the middle of the night. He ran for his life before he was ushered into the courtyard.

nFinally, he had no choice but to jump on a decorative small mountain.

nFu Yangxi grabbed the fake mountain, turned his head and glared at the old man. He furiously yelled, “I don’t care, I like her! If you dare touch her, I’ll jump off right now! I’ll jump from here— no, I’ll jump from the building we own! I’ll crash our company’s stock!”

nThe old man was so angry that his blood pressure went straight up.

nHe didn’t know about this before. After all, although Fu Yangxi always got into fights and troubles in school, he never did anything on a huge scale.

nThat was until Fu Yangxi was sent to the police station the night before. The news couldn’t be kept secret anymore and finally reached his ears.

nHe immediately asked Fu Yangxi to be brought back. However, this kid became more rampant and even utilized a private jet!

nJust to go on a date with a little girl?!

n“Why would I want to touch her? I can just put my hands on you! I will definitely beat you to death, you little bastard!”

nThe old man rolled up his sleeves and angrily moved his old arms and legs to climb up the fake mountain. “Even if you like her, you still have to see whether she likes you or not! I can’t believe you’re experiencing unrequited love. You are not worthy of being a member of the Fu family!”

nLawyer Zhang and the housekeeper hurriedly helped the old man down. “Please don’t do this, Sir. You might fall.”

nThe old man was panting as he held the chessboard underneath the fake mountain.

n“It’s not an unrequited love. We’re both in love with each other!”

nThe old man scolded, “‘In love with each other’, my ass!”

nFu Yangxi yelled from the top of the fake mountain, “If I am killed, no one will inherit the family estate.”

nHe knew very well that the old man didn’t like Fu Zhiyi.

nThe old man trembled with anger. He held the chessboard and pointed at Fu Yangxi. “If it wasn’t because your elder brother died, you bastard would never inherit this! You killed your father and brother, yet you still have the audacity to bring this up! If it wasn’t because of you, your brother may still be living well in this world. He was my favourite and most outstanding grandson. If he was still around, do you think you would even get half a dime?”

nFu Yangxi went stiff, but he quickly recovered. “My brother is no longer here. You only have me. You have no choice.”

nThe old man was furious. He threw away the chessboard and took a pile of kraft paper with photos from Lawyer Zhang. He tossed it under the fake mountain. “I don’t care about you, you should figure this out by yourself. Don’t be stupid enough to be taken advantage of. You just might find yourself counting money for others.”

nFu Yangxi jumped off the fake mountain. He picked up what the old man had thrown at him, but he didn’t even bother to open it.

nHe threw it back to Lawyer Zhang nonchalantly. “What’s this? I don’t want to look at it. I’m 80% sure that they are probably things used to cause misunderstandings between Zhao Mingxi and I. I don’t believe it, I only believe what I see.”

nThe old man’s complexion was pale. “Get out of my sight! I want you out within a minute and go back to your own home. Don’t let me see your face anymore!”

nLawyer Zhang hurriedly glanced at Fu Yangxi’s limping leg as he got down the fake mountain. He couldn’t help but say, “The young master has suffered several beatings just now, and his back and legs are probably bruised. Should we call the doctor to get some medicine?”

n“He deserved it,” the old man scolded Fu Yangxi. “Your brother is dead. What’s wrong with suffering just a little injury?”

nAfter he finished speaking, the old man turned around and left.

nLawyer Zhang turned to look at Fu Yangxi.

nFu Yangxi stood there quietly with his head down, a layer of frost condensed on his short hair. He looked extremely tired.

nHe was about to turn and leave in silence.

nBut when he turned around, perhaps it was because he accidentally moved the spot where he was beaten, he couldn’t help hissing and his face was all scrunched up in pain.

nLawyer Zhang hurriedly said, “Don’t move, I’ll send you back. Go back in and lie down for a while.”

n“Okay.” Fu Yangxi wiped his face. With a relaxed tone, he said, “Thank you, Lawyer Zhang.”

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nLawyer Zhang shook his head. He sighed and said, “I’ll bring the car over.”

nLawyer Zhang went off to get the car.

nIt was the first time for Lawyer Zhang’s long-time assistant to come to the Fu family’s old mansion. It was also his first time witnessing such a scene. He couldn’t help but swallow hard before asking in a low voice, “I thought the grandfather and grandson were having fun, what with all that jumping— Why did the old man hit him for real? If I were at the receiving end of those hits, my bones would have shattered. Also, he purposely avoided hitting his face, picking only places where clothes could cover.”

nLawyer Zhang replied, “How could he possibly hit his face? If the Fu family’s Young Master is seen leaving the Fu family’s old mansion with an injury on his face, wouldn’t it be all over the news tomorrow?”

nThe assistant asked again, “But that still doesn’t warrant him hitting him as if he is his enemy, right? Young Master Fu can’t even walk properly anymore.”

n“Maybe not to the extent of an enemy. The old man still treats him like a grandson, but there is simply a hurdle that can’t be overlooked despite it having been so many years since then. Anyway—” Lawyer Zhang shook his head. “Anyway, just don’t ask about this anymore. You understand the saying ‘curiosity kills the cat’, right?”

nThe assistant closed his mouth quickly, and dared not question any further.

nray’s note: hey everyone! hope you’re all doing well. as for me, i have a huge announcement to make: i’ll be translating a new novel entitled 琉璃般若花 (Flower of Azure) written by Fresh 果果. you can find the link to the story HERE.

nthis author is the same person who wrote the novel

/ drama 花千骨 (The Journey of Flower). for those who have watched or read The Journey of Flower, you will notice that Flower of Azure is quite similar in the sense of its setting and character backgrounds. i’m really excited for this new project. it’s definitely different from this book, but i hope you guys can give it a try!

nand don’t worry, i’ll still be working on this story, nothing will change. updates for both novels will be at the same time each Sunday. thanks again for all the support you guys have given me and the story so far. i would describe chapter 31 as the chapter that introduces the new arc which is Fu Yangxi’s background. spoiler alert: prepare your tissues!

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