Chapter 31 After returning home, Ji Qing...
After returning home, Ji Qingyu was restless.
He didn't know what these documents meant to Fu Han. Fu Han had been very busy lately, and the number of times his subordinates were being scolded had increased exponentially. Perhaps he really was working on a very important project.
Ji Qingyu frowned, holding the phone. After hesitating for a long time, she finally threw the phone into the deepest cabinet in the second bedroom.
In the days that followed, he felt somewhat guilty in front of Fu Han.
However, he soon had no time to worry about it. The stage play was given extra performances and a promotional tour by the main creators, and it was a great success.
He specially invited his daughter to watch the encore performance. Standing on the stage, he was surrounded by countless flashes of light. During the Q&A session, the questions thrown at him were varied: "Hello, Mr. Ji, what are the sources of inspiration for your creations?"
"We've polished the script many times. Everyone involved in this project, including the director and actors, has poured their hearts and souls into it." Ji Qingyu wasn't used to so many spotlights on him, so he tried his best to keep his hands from trembling and spoke in a calm and gentle voice.
The scene was filled with the clicks of camera shutters. The young reporter was not satisfied with his answer. "I heard that your own emotional experiences are quite complicated. This work involves love triangles and marriage. Was the creation based on your own experiences?"
Everyone in the team liked Ji Qingyu. Stage actors are more direct than big-screen actors. The girl playing the student omega immediately frowned, picked up the microphone, and asked, "What do you mean by that?"
The reporter wasn't wearing a media badge; he was there specifically for Ji Qingyu. The scene was being broadcast live, and the atmosphere became tense.
Ji Qingyu also felt uncomfortable. He was very anxious and hesitated for a long time before speaking.
"It has nothing to do with reality. The song I wrote is based on the story of the two protagonists." Ji Qingyu stopped the actor who was about to stand up for him and looked at the reporter.
The reporter, still unwilling to give up after failing to uncover any juicy details, said, "Professor Ji, I haven't finished asking my questions yet."
"What else do you want to ask? Are you here to ask questions or to make things difficult for people?" the actress retorted.
Ji Qingyu stepped in front of the actress, gently shaking his head. He didn't want his affairs to affect others.
"The ending of the two main characters in the work is not good. Do you feel sorry for them? Did you choose to take on this stage play with a low production cost and a relatively unknown director because the story itself resonated with you?" The reporter stared intently at Ji Qingyu, as if trying to tear a piece of flesh from her body.
The scene was quiet, and most of the invited people were industry professionals. The play has a relatively niche subject matter, but it has received a good response and has been submitted for awards. Therefore, many professional theater critics and mainstream media also came today.
Several powerful lights shone down, and Ji Qingyu couldn't see any of the people below the stage.
He narrowed his eyes and said slowly, "The two protagonists have done their best, there's nothing to regret. I also envy the pure feelings between them."
Security guards rushed up and took the reporter away from the scene.
This was the first time Ji Qingyu had encountered such a situation. Someone actually said such offensive things to him in public just for the sake of creating a buzz or sensation. He broke out in a cold sweat and took another step back.
As the security guard approached, the reporter continued to shout, "Recently, there have been many posts online about Fu Han and Ji Ran. Have you ever thought that you might face the same real-life problems as the protagonists?"
A commotion erupted from the audience. Ji Qingyu was stunned for a moment, unsure how to respond, when a staff member immediately interrupted her. The director, however, reacted quickly and changed the subject.
Ji Qingyu stood quietly on the stage until she stepped off.
After the interview, Nannan peeked around backstage with a worried look on her face. Ji Qingyu saw her and waved, and she hurriedly ran over: "Teacher... Brother Fu Han just video-called me. He said he wanted to see your interview, so I filmed it for him. He should have heard all the questions."
Ji Qingyu was stunned, his heart sank, and he stood frozen in place for a long time, barely managing to maintain his expression. He sighed inwardly, praying that Fu Han would be working overtime at the company that night.
"Teacher Ji, how are you and Brother Fu?" Nannan looked at him with her big eyes.
A little girl like her wouldn't understand any of this. Ji Qingyu wasn't so fragile as to share his worries with Nannan. He simply patted Nannan's head, greeted the production team, and said, "Don't worry too much, little girl. Come on, teacher will take you to eat something delicious."
Ji Qingyu and Nannan played at a nearby shopping mall until very late before taking her home.
The weather in Beijing has been terrible lately, with torrential rain for days on end. The road home was completely jammed, and a feeling of frustration weighed on Ji Qingyu's heart.
It was already past nine o'clock when Ji Qingyu entered the room. He didn't expect the restaurant lights to be on and Fu Han to be waiting for him to eat. He forgot to tell Fu Han that he had already eaten dinner. Afraid of upsetting Fu Han, he could only reluctantly sit down at the table.
Alpha looked terrible. There was a computer on the dining table, and the food was already cold, indicating that he had been waiting for him for a long time.
Seeing Ji Qingyu sit down, Fu Han didn't even look up. After a long silence, he spoke in a cold voice: "During the interview today, someone asked you if you had any other options. What were you hesitating about? You envy their relationship. You also know that our relationship isn't pure?"
"..." Ji Qingyu was still afraid of Fu Han. He had just picked up a small cabbage, but it fell back into the bowl after shaking it twice. He didn't dare to eat it and looked up to steal a glance at the other person.
Fu Han's eyes held a scrutinizing look; he didn't know where to put his hands.
"Your nonsense today won't make it to the newspapers. We've already sent people to suppress the online opinions. Don't answer these sensitive questions casually in the future." Fu Han said expressionlessly. There was some easily digestible porridge on the table—plum porridge. Ji Qingyu had recently become nauseous at the sight of plums.
“I didn’t answer…” Ji Qingyu couldn’t eat anymore.
“I have never restricted your activities or work, but if you continue to take on these disreputable topics, causing outsiders to doubt our relationship and damaging the Fu family’s image, you won’t be allowed to leave the house anymore.” Fu Han put a few pieces of meat into Ji Qingyu’s bowl. The meat was boiled in salt water with no seasoning and had no taste at all.
Ji Qingyu had heard these kinds of words from Fu Han so many times that she was immune to them, but today she suddenly felt very wronged for some reason.
Perhaps it was also because of the heavy rain; the pattering rain made him particularly annoyed.
He ate the tasteless salted duck silently with his head down, thinking that he couldn't tell Fu Han anything. Fu Han was always cold and sarcastic to him, saying things that were baseless and unjust. The more he thought about it, the more aggrieved he felt, and he couldn't control his tears, which fell into his bowl with a pattering sound.
Fu Han continued his long-winded speech. The rain stopped for a few minutes, and Ji Qingyu's emotions had just calmed down when another rumble of thunder sounded, and the rain intensified.
Fu Han didn't hear Ji Qingyu's response. After a while, he paused and found that Ji Qingyu's head was almost buried in the bowl. So he grabbed Ji Qingyu's chin and forced him to look up.
Seeing Ji Qingyu's expression, he suddenly paused.
"Why are you crying? Did I say anything to you?" Fu Han frowned. Indeed, his tone was much better than when they had just gotten married. These two threats, neither too strong nor too weak, meant nothing to Ji Qingyu.
But for some reason, he was emotionally agitated today, tears streaming down his face, and his stomach cramped up, making him feel nauseous. Ji Qingyu didn't want to look at Fu Han, so she shifted her gaze to the side, feeling ashamed.
He spoke after about ten seconds.
"I know," Ji Qingyu said sullenly. "You've always been the one who calls the shots."
Fu Han tightened his grip on Ji Qingyu's chin, then released it. Fu Han looked at him with incomprehension, but more so with a scrutinizing and disgusting gaze that he couldn't quite fathom.
Halfway through the meal, no one had any appetite to continue eating. Fu Han released Ji Qingyu, his voice softening, "Why are you crying? Who are you crying for? What grievance have I made you suffer?"
Fu Han took two pieces of paper and slowly wiped away the mess of tears streaming down Ji Qingyu's face.
Ji Qingyu couldn't eat anymore and didn't want to see Fu Han's face. He turned to leave, but Fu Han held onto Ji Qingyu's hand tightly. Ji Qingyu forced himself not to cry, and an awkward, suffocating silence remained between them.
Fu Han sighed: "You're always like this, every single time, you never think you're wrong."
Fu Han threw away the two crumpled pieces of paper. He lowered his head and bit Ji Qingyu's lips. The air was filled with the sticky scent of sour plums. Ji Qingyu pushed him away with both hands. Her wrists, which had fully healed, still ached, like the drizzle that stretched between the two of them, endless and persistent.
The soft thorns of memory would occasionally sprout, throbbing within the body with each heartbeat, turning any casual harsh remark from Fu Han into a devastating nuclear bombshell against Ji Qingyu.
Alphas have no other methods than plunder; they can only try to devour each other more fiercely, hoping that physical sensory stimulation can cover up their old scars.
"Ji Qingyu, you won't leave me unless I agree." His fingers pressed against Ji Qingyu's waist, causing her to tremble in pain.
"That's true," Ji Qingyu thought. "Anyway, no matter what he does, it's all the same to Fu Han. He's always seen as having ulterior motives, pretending to be innocent and naive, and talking nonsense out of ignorance."
Fu Han pressed down on the back of his neck, and he began to tremble.
Ji Qingyu woke up again in the middle of the night. He had been having more and more insomnia lately. Even when he was asleep, he often dreamed that Fu Han spoke coldly to him and left him behind.
His mind was in turmoil, and he just stared blankly for a while. Suddenly, his phone on the bedside table lit up, so bright it was blinding. Who would send him a message in the middle of the night?
He reached for his phone, opened it, and saw it was Ma Yu, followed by a picture: "Xiaoyu, I just finished drinking and saw an acquaintance. You've told me about this person several times. Isn't she that omega who dropped out of your high school? Her name is Ruan Jing, right?"
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