Chapter 50 - Willing to give up anything that allows me to get closer to her...
"She doesn't want to talk to you. You can talk to me if you have something to say."
Fu Qingli looked extremely pale. She reached out and pulled Lin Xi behind her, not wanting Su Qichao to even see the hem of her clothes.
Zhou Qi whispered to Lin Xi, "He is Su Yi'an's father, Su Qichao."
No wonder, that arrogant demeanor is so similar to Su Yi'an's.
Su Qichao pushed up his glasses, remaining calm and composed in the face of Fu Qingli's refusal, his tone carrying a lecturing tone: "Qingli, can you really not protect her for the rest of your life? You can't! Besides, shouldn't you ask Miss Lin's opinion?"
"No need to ask, she won't talk to you."
Fu Qingli spoke with certainty, but Lin Xi could feel his tension. He held her hand tighter and tighter, making her knuckles ache.
She looked at Fu Qingli and saw that his jawline was taut, his expression serious, and he was in a state of complete vigilance.
Most people would have been intimidated by his aura and wouldn't have dared to take another step forward.
But Su Qichao had been in the business world for many years and had seen all sorts of strange and monstrous things, so he was not easily intimidated by him.
Fu Qingli was a full head taller than him, and his body completely enveloped Lin Xi behind him.
Su Qichao didn't mind. He stood there with a smile on his face, ignoring Fu Qingli and speaking to Lin Xi across him: "Miss Lin, what do you think?"
Just as Fu Qingli was about to refuse again, she felt her hand being gently scratched and then rubbed soothingly.
Then, Lin Xi gracefully came out from behind and walked to Fu Qingli's side, standing shoulder to shoulder with him: "Qingli is right, I don't want to talk to you, goodbye."
After saying that, he pulled Fu Qingli around and walked away.
Ji Jiali, Zou Song, and Zhou Qi followed closely behind.
After walking only two steps, Su Qichao said loudly, "Since that's the case, then I'll say it here. Miss Lin, do you know? Fu Qingli has staked his entire fortune on you, going against the Su and Fu families. Are you as naive as they are, believing that he can shake the centuries-old foundations of the two families? He'll probably go bankrupt soon! Miss Lin is a smart woman; she should know how to weigh the pros and cons. Don't wait until you've gained nothing before you regret it!"
Fu Qingli looked at Lin Xi, who was half a step ahead of her. The little girl did not stop walking, as if she had not heard Su Qichao's "advice".
She simply used force in her hand, pulling him away quickly, her stubborn little expression exactly the same as when she first dragged him to eat next door.
If her cheeks weren't so thin, she would look even more like him. Fu Qingli thought with heartache.
When Lin Xi left, she randomly chose a direction towards the yacht. If she went back to go beachcombing, she would definitely run into Fu Wenxun and Su Qichao again.
After discussing it, everyone decided to simply go out to sea.
However, due to this little incident, the relaxing trip did not achieve the desired effect.
During their day-and-night journey, Zou Song and Ji Jiali took advantage of any free time to contact the shore by phone and learn about the latest developments of their partners.
The two tried their best not to mention work in front of others, so as not to trouble Fu Qingli, allowing him to focus all his attention on spending time with Lin Xi.
But who could tell that Lin Xi was in low spirits after hearing Su Qichao's words? Even when she smiled, she looked preoccupied.
The next day, the group disembarked and returned to their hotel at 7 p.m.
As soon as she returned to her room, Lin Xi went into the room to take a shower without saying a word.
Fu Qingli sat on the sofa for a while, pondering how best to start the conversation with her later.
He knew Lin Xi was unhappy because of Su Qichao's words, but he wasn't sure what exactly made her unhappy—
Was she risking everything to go against the Su and Fu families? Or was she worried she might actually go bankrupt? Or... was she considering withdrawing before things got really bad?
He didn't want her to think about either of them, and he especially didn't want her to consider leaving him.
Since he dared to do it, he must be confident enough to succeed, or at least not let things get so bad that they become unmanageable.
He organized his thoughts and recalled that before they parted, Zou Song had secretly whispered in his ear, "A day as husband and wife is worth a hundred days of kindness; quarrels at the head of the bed are resolved at the foot of the bed."
He frowned deeply when he heard it, but now that he thinks about it, he realizes that the words, though rough, are not without merit.
To analyze the psychology, it's best to say this when two people are quietly embracing: when the physical distance is close, the heart is never far.
Having made up her mind, Fu Qingli went to the guest room to take a shower first.
After washing up, I made sure to dry my hair before going straight to my room, so I didn't hear the soft footsteps outside.
Fu Qingli didn't expect that as soon as she opened the bathroom door, a small figure rushed towards her, carrying the sweet fragrance of a post-shower bath.
He instinctively reached out and caught Lin Xi's soft body.
"What's wrong?" Seeing her bury her head in her chest, Fu Qingli asked with concern, "Did something happen?"
Lin Xi shook her head, accidentally brushing his collar open even wider. Soft strands of hair brushed against Fu Qingli's bare skin, like a kitten playfully teasing her. The movement was very gentle, yet it made her palms itch.
Fu Qingli's heart softened completely. She reached out and stroked the back of her round head, her voice full of pity: "Then what happened?"
"Brother, have you had a hard time these past few years?"
These past two days, Lin Xi has been thinking that when Fu Qingli proposed breaking up back then, he never intended to sever ties with her and her father.
In the end, I was the one who left without saying goodbye.
She once thought that if she left, he could be with the person he loved and enjoy the wealth and status that came with their marriage.
But she left him alone, beset by enemies on all sides: Fu Wenxun's dictatorship, Su Qichao's domineering nature, and the forced marriage imposed on him.
She already knew from Zhou Qi that even when he went to study in America, the process of establishing Qingyuan was extremely difficult.
In order to force Fu Qingli to agree to his engagement with Su Yi'an, Fu Wenxun cut off all of his financial support early on, including the family trust.
However, the Shen couple were just ordinary university professors with limited salaries, and Fu Qingli absolutely refused to use their retirement money to start a business.
He has the inheritance left by Shen Yu from back then, but most of it is real estate, which takes a long time to liquidate, so he is reluctant to sell it.
Therefore, the money he could afford to spend was the money he had earned from investments since childhood.
Those things would be more than enough to maintain an ordinary life, but they would be insufficient to establish a large game company.
In the beginning, Qingyuan's foundation was unstable. Although Fu Wenxun's influence in the United States was insufficient, it was easy for him to cause some minor setbacks for Fu Qingli.
Being stood up during negotiations and having agreed-upon collaborations canceled at the last minute have become commonplace.
Fu Qingli gritted her teeth and persevered through this ordeal.
When the company was short-staffed, he would go out to negotiate business during the day and stay up late to run code at night. He hardly got a full night's sleep in a year.
Afterwards, Qingyuan grew stronger day by day, and he still personally handled everything.
For the past six years, he has been running forward with great effort, but no one knows what he is chasing.
Because he always looks aloof and lonely.
He had no home, no family, and was forever adrift like a piece of duckweed, with nowhere to rely on.
"No." Fu Qingli kissed the top of her head, his kiss sincere and affectionate.
How should he tell her?
At first, it was really difficult! Day after day, there was no trace of her.
He had resented and hated her, but in the end, it all turned into a heart-wrenching longing. He thought that even if she fell in love with someone else, as long as he could see her, he would be content.
Later, he finally found her. Seeing her in despair, he hated the injustice of fate and also hated that he had become a thorn in her side. Even though he was so close, he couldn't step into the hospital room to share her pain and tears.
Later, she gradually recovered, was able to leave the ward and communicate normally with people, was able to go shopping alone, and was able to accept transferring to a university in Jiangcheng.
On campus, watching her walk with her roommate from afar, laughing as innocently as before, he thought it didn't matter. As long as she was well, it didn't matter if he could never face her in his life.
Even so, he had hope for the future. Whenever he was overwhelmed by his studies and work, the thought that the weekend or holiday would come soon and he could fly back to Jiangcheng to see her made all the hardship worthwhile.
Actually, he couldn't see her every time. He tried hard to figure out her class schedule and itinerary, but sometimes he would encounter unexpected situations. He would wait downstairs in the dormitory or by the rented room all day, but he never saw her.
At that time, I would worry if she was in a bad mood, sick, or if something had happened to her.
He searched everywhere for information, but couldn't find a suitable identity that would allow him to openly dial the number he knew by heart, nor could he appear before her.
Those days when she never saw the light of day finally saw the long-awaited sunshine on the day she accepted Songjia's offer. She mentioned him to Dr. Han for the first time.
A glimmer of hope ignited within him, making it impossible for him to bear the years without her, and he couldn't help but want to return to her side.
How could he tell her that he never felt bitter as long as he could get closer to her, but that the bitterness came from the years when he thought he would never see her again?
Fu Qingli held her quietly for a long time, his heart filled with countless emotions.
The person in his arms stirred, then suddenly pulled away from his embrace, and somewhat awkwardly stuffed the small card he had been clutching into Fu Qingli's hand.
"?" Fu Qingli didn't even need to look to tell that it was a bank card. He looked at Lin Xi with a puzzled expression and asked, "Why are you giving me a bank card?"
Lin Xi rubbed the sweat from her palms on her clothes, looking quite flustered: "Didn't they say you invested all your savings? I guess you must be short of money lately. The things you gave me, I had Xiao Tao stop the process, you can use them anytime. But I think it will take a long time to liquidate those things, I don't know if it will be enough to help you out. This is all the money I have, about eight or nine hundred thousand. I know it might be a drop in the bucket for what you've done, but this is all I have, you... don't think it's too little!"
Fu Qingli felt a lump in her throat. She stared at the still-sticky bank card in her hand for a long time before asking in a hoarse voice, "Where did you get so much money?"
“Seven hundred thousand is my father’s savings and his… pension,” Lin Xi cleared her slightly choked throat, trying to make her expression appear relaxed. “The rest is the money I’ve saved up over the years.”
"You wouldn't even use it yourself, but you're so willing to let me use it?"
Lin Xi knew he was referring to his father's pension.
"It's not that I'm reluctant, it's just... I was deceiving myself back then, always thinking that if I didn't use this money, my father would still be alive, still not have left me." Lin Xi smiled through her tears. "I think if my father were watching from heaven, he would agree with me doing this. To me, you're not only my lover, but also family I've known since childhood. Hmm—"
Unable to express the emotion in her heart, Fu Qingli could only seal her lips with a kiss.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
