Chapter 12. I met Ji Ran during the summer...
I met Ji Ran during the summer vacation.
During the summer between the second and third years of high school, the bank card was not given away, but Fu Han was not angry. It was just that Ji Qingyu was constantly bothered by him.
Fu Han invited a group of friends to the livehouse for drinks, and he was frequently seen there.
Whenever Fu Han sat in the audience, chin in hand, staring at him expressionlessly, Ji Qingyu felt a chill run down his spine. Yet, he didn't do anything; he simply sat and listened to the music.
Fu Han was like an uninvited jinx. Perhaps he found Ji Qingyu interesting, or maybe he just wanted to find a nearby place to drink.
One time, there were an unusually large number of people who came to support him; that was the first time Ji Qingyu met Ji Ran.
Ji Ran stood out in the crowd, wearing an anti-bite collar around his neck. Collars were something only the upper class would use. He wore that polite and courteous facade, tilted his head back and drank a whole glass of dry martini, then drank a whole row of shots in front of him, and surprisingly, he was sober and not drunk at all.
Fu Han sat in the center of the crowd, arrogant and indifferent, with a kind of listless boredom. He leaned back on the sofa, looking uninterested.
The badges on his clothes reflected a cool metallic sheen. He was completely hidden in the darkness, his shirt and tie nowhere to be found, and his chest was wide open, revealing his muscular abs.
A group of people seemed to have just finished a formal occasion and came to relax with drinks.
Seemingly noticing Ji Qingyu's gaze, Fu Han turned his head, his eyes piercing through the crowd and locking onto her.
Ji Qingyu's breath hitched.
Fu Han's gaze was cold and deep. His heart pounded wildly in his chest, and he could only try to concentrate on the guitar, lowering his head as he played the first ballad of the day.
"Fu Han." Someone called his name loudly enough for Ji Qingyu to hear. "He's the one on stage from our school."
"A full scholarship, funded by a grant, it's no big deal to have some fun." The man continued, his expression obsequious. Ji Qingyu remembered him; he was Xu Sheng, the son of a leading company in Beijing. "If you like, I can get him for you?"
He was the most flamboyant person in school, and he was surrounded by a variety of omegas.
In fact, Fu Han's style is not the same as others.
Ji Qingyu thought that they were the same kind of people, born with everything, while ordinary people who got involved with even a little bit would face annihilation.
Ji Qingyu was filled with anxiety, her fingers stiff, wondering whether she should run away early.
Fu Han listened to Xu Sheng's flattery, tilted his head and smiled, resting his fingers on the side of his face as if he had heard a joke: "I like her? Why would I like a Cinderella from the slums?"
"If you really don't like it, then I'll go for it?" Xu Sheng first consulted the alpha wolf, and only dared to make a move when he saw that Fu Han was not interested. He really stood up, staring at Ji Qingyu, this plump prey, and said with some curiosity, "Why is this little thing wearing a silk scarf on such a hot day? Is she in heat?"
“If he’s not in heat, I don’t mind helping him.”
A burst of laughter erupted from the surrounding area.
Xu Sheng was also very pleased with himself; he was determined to get his hands on this trinket that he had no power or influence over.
Ji Qingyu's eyes are curved and smiling, but her temperament is cold, indifferent and aloof, with a kind of gloom, like the monsoon rain in March, making people's hearts itch with longing.
"Speaking of which, I've never played with someone like him before. He comes from the slums. I hope he can't get rid of him," Xu Sheng said with a smile. "But if you're tired of the mundane stuff, you need some light porridge and side dishes to cleanse your palate."
Halfway through the lyrical song, Ji Qingyu stopped and turned to leave.
Xu Sheng rushed over and grabbed him, holding a bottle of beer in his hand, trying to force it down Ji Qingyu's throat. None of the bartenders around dared to step in; they couldn't afford to offend any of these arrogant, privileged individuals.
Ji Qingyu was being held by the hair, the bottle hitting his teeth, and the irritating liquid was too much for him to handle. He struggled desperately, but forgot that he was no longer a beta, but a naturally weak omega.
The crowd whistled, cheered, and screamed.
Fu Han lit a cigarette, his face obscured by the smoke. Half a bottle of alcohol had been poured in. Xu Sheng was about to go even further. He reached for the scarf around Ji Qingyu's neck, uttering filthy words.
Fu Han stood up at that moment. In the pitch-black light, the cigarette in his hand was blindingly hot. He pulled Xu Sheng's arm away and punched him.
Xu Sheng's usually carefree and frivolous face was filled with disbelief, his lips were bruised, and he didn't realize what had happened. He asked somewhat blankly, "Didn't you say you weren't going to play?"
Fu Han didn't say anything. He stretched his neck, took two slow steps, picked up an unopened bottle of wine from the table, and smashed it down on Xu Sheng.
The glass shattered, and Xu Sheng screamed, clutching his forehead as blood streamed down half his face. He dared not dodge or curse. Several screams also rang out around him. Fu Han remained unhurried, taking another drag of his cigarette. As the smoke filled the air, he picked up a new bottle of liquor and smashed it again in the same spot.
After smashing three bottles in a row, the surroundings were deathly silent, as if the air had stopped. Only then did Ji Qingyu come to her senses, standing there stunned with her guitar in hand, sweat sliding down her forehead and neck.
"I'm tired," Fu Han said slowly, gesturing with his chin to the bottles on the table. "You can handle the rest yourself."
The beautiful omega who was close to Fu Han trembled with fear and shrank back uncontrollably.
Ji Qingyu was also terrified.
Of the entire room, only Ji Ran remained calm, picking up his glass and drinking another glass of iced wine, his eyes coolly fixed on Ji Qingyu.
Xu Sheng could barely stand. He wanted to beg for mercy, but he saw the cold smile on Fu Han's lips and the black tattoo peeking out from Fu Han's chest. He picked up the bottle shakily, and Ji Qingyu suddenly whispered, "That's enough."
"Stop smashing it."
Fu Han's appearance that day instilled deep fear in Ji Qingyu. He had almost forgotten that Fu Han had always been this kind of person. Xu Sheng never appeared again after that.
Since then, Ji Qingyu and Ji Ran have gradually started to interact. Ji Ran sends flowers to Ji Qingyu every day, saying that he is a fan.
Fu Hanzai rarely came. Ji Qingyu wore that silk scarf all summer. When the temporary mark finally disappeared, Ji Qingyu breathed a sigh of relief, unaware that it was just the beginning.
The taxi arrived at the station. Ji Qingyu snapped out of her daze and got out of the car with her daughter, who had just woken up. Fu Han leaned against the door, dressed casually, raising an eyebrow as he watched them.
"Come in and eat," Fu Han said, then went back inside first.
Nannan was probably frightened, and remained quiet, sitting in her seat with her head down eating. Ji Qingyu, afraid that she would feel embarrassed, kept putting food into her bowl.
Fu Han said, "You've already put almost half a bowl on her plate, aren't you going to eat any yourself?"
Ji Qingyu silently put a few pieces of braised pork into Fu Han's bowl as well.
Fu Han remained silent.
After the meal, Ji Qingyu contacted Nannan's mother, who apologized profusely, saying she had just finished working overtime and it would take another half hour for her to drive over.
Ji Qingyu then let Nannan wander around as she pleased, while she went to discuss the final touches with the lawyer.
It was just some supplementary contracts and terms. As an amateur, he just listened to the lawyer's instructions. After he finished, he saw the lawyer off, went to get some juice from Aunt Wang, and then turned around to find that Nannan and Fu Han were gone.
He searched around and finally found them in the piano room.
The piano room door was only slightly ajar. Fu Han sat next to Nannan, who was muttering something vividly. Fu Han propped his head up and responded half-heartedly, seemingly listening intently. Ji Qingyu had a bad feeling.
“When Teacher Ji first came, he was much thinner than he is now, and he didn’t seem to be in good spirits. My mother almost stopped him from continuing to teach, but after one class, she insisted on keeping him.” Nannan recalled, “Teacher Ji taught me for a long time. He had a very good temper, but he seemed to be in poor health and always looked preoccupied.”
"Was he the same as he was a few years ago? Has he not changed at all?" Fu Han asked, fiddling with an orange in his hand, seemingly just chatting casually and not caring at all. "Was he also this half-dead, barely scraping by?"
"Teacher Ji's condition was much worse back then. He had to teach many students and also work other jobs." Nannan was probably bewitched by Fu Han's good looks and told him everything without any precautions. "You have no idea how miserable he was back then!"
Fu Han stopped tossing the orange in his hand and frowned. "How could someone like him not be doing well?"
"Of course, he's not some superhero. When I asked him why he was doing so many jobs, he wouldn't tell me. He just said I was a kid and I shouldn't interfere. Isn't that discrimination against children?" Nannan muttered softly.
Fu Han asked something else, but Ji Qingyu couldn't hear it. Their voices grew softer and softer, as if they were whispering to each other. They talked for a full ten minutes and still weren't finished. Ji Qingyu became more and more anxious as she listened, and accidentally pushed the door open.
With a creak, the two, one big and one small, immediately stopped talking.
"The juice is here!" Ji Qingyu hurriedly pretended to have just arrived, pushed open the door, and gave an awkward smile.
Fu Han raised an eyebrow at him, took the juice, and looked him up and down. "You're too thin. You feel rough to the touch."
Ji Qingyu gently pulled her hand out of Fu Han's palm.
He pulled Nannan over and walked towards the door.
“What were you two talking about just now?” Ji Qingyu asked. “Don’t be fooled by his good looks; you might easily be deceived by him.”
Nannan held his hand in her little hand, still holding the unfinished juice. She took another sip, blinking her eyes: "He just asked me if your throat looked painful back then? Did you need to take painkillers? Were you unhappy because of your throat? I told him no. He also asked me how I felt when you first came to teach me, whether I was happier or sadder. I said I wasn't sad."
"Well done," Ji Qingyu paused for a moment, thinking that Fu Han really cared about his voice. He probably regretted that he couldn't sing him a song whenever he wanted.
"Teacher, I don't think he's a bad person, right?" Nannan asked.
Everyone has different sides. Fu Han may appear quite friendly in front of Nannan, but that might not be the case for others.
But Ji Qingyu still said, "Yes, he is a good person."
"Can we invite him to the official performance?" Nannan asked. "I think if a husband loves his wife, he will be proud of his work. That's what they say in books."
"Forget it," Ji Qingyu smiled and smoothed Nannan's hair. "He wouldn't like it. He wouldn't even look at something as trivial as this."
"Who said I look down on him?" A cold voice rang out from behind. Fu Han leaned against the wall, bent his knees and hugged his arms, looking at him casually. He didn't know how long he had been listening, and he didn't even feel guilty about eavesdropping.
"Then I'll save a seat for you?" Ji Qingyu was startled, and his tone was a little reluctant. Although he was busy with the stage play, he didn't feel any pressure. But he became nervous at the thought of Fu Han coming. "Actually, you don't have to force yourself. I know you have a lot of things to do."
"Make room for me." Fu Han said without leaving. Nannan's mother also arrived, and Wang Sao said she was already at the door.
Ji Qingyu led Nannan outside, but Nannan still asked one last question: "Brother Fu, who's in charge at home, you or the teacher?"
Fu Han stood next to Ji Qingyu, and he and Nannan looked at him, seemingly intending to hear his answer.
Ji Qingyu gritted her teeth, not wanting to lose face in front of Nannan, and said with a forced smile, "Of course, it's my decision."
"Brother Fu, is that so?" Nannan looked at Fu Han, but before she could finish speaking, her mother, who was thanking her repeatedly, took her away.
Ji Qingyu breathed a sigh of relief, leaning against the door and waving to Nannan. Turning around, he saw Fu Han scrutinizing him with deep eyes, leaning down aggressively, his tone harsh, "Say it again?"
Ji Qingyu curled her fingers slightly and immediately said, "You decide."
Fu Han's eyes deepened even further.
Ji Qingyu quickly added, "Whatever you say goes."
"Of course it's my decision, you'd better remember it carefully," Fu Han seemed pleased with his obedient attitude.
Before Ji Qingyu could even breathe a sigh of relief, his next words made his heart clench again: "Since you suffered so much those years, why not lie to me again? You know, considering how close we are, I wouldn't just stand by and watch you die."
A note from the author:
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