Chapter 57: And There’s an Interaction Segment

Could Ji Zhi have fallen asleep?

After all, from the secretary’s previous interactions with him, he wasn’t the type to deliberately ignore messages. Duan Zhao had given her Ji Zhi’s schedule beforehand, so she instinctively glanced at the time. It wasn’t his usual rest period.

A vague sense of unease stirred in the secretary’s heart. She was already preparing to contact the banquet host to check on him.

But after reaching out to the host, she received bad news—

When the host arrived at the room, there was no one inside.

The driver who had brought Ji Zhi over also said he hadn’t seen him at all.

Ji Zhi had originally planned to leave with the others. But just as he was about to step out the door, he noticed Fu Huixu still standing at the foot of the stairs, listening to something Fu Qingyang was saying.

The moment Ji Zhi spotted Fu Huixu, his foot froze mid-step.

If he kept walking with the group, he’d run right into Fu Huixu at the stairs.

Fu Huixu hadn’t noticed him before, but that might not hold if he passed by now. Especially since, in his rush earlier, he hadn’t even had time to put on his glasses—meaning he couldn’t even gamble on Fu Huixu forgetting what he looked like without them.

What if it sparked another confrontation like last time?

Realizing this, Ji Zhi ultimately chose to slip back into the room. He’d wait for Fu Huixu to leave, then head to the hospital. He could always get the address from the secretary.

As the others gradually left the room one by one, Ji Zhi closed the door behind him and locked it. He immediately felt much more at ease.

Only after the footsteps faded completely and the hallway fell silent did Ji Zhi open the door.

But as it swung slowly open, he quickly noticed the figure standing just outside.

He hadn’t even had a chance to make out who it was before his hand moved on instinct, trying to slam the door shut.

The person outside was faster, though—

He reached out and braced the door open.

His grip was incredibly strong, holding the door steady without budging an inch.

That was when Ji Zhi finally saw who it was—

Fu Huixu.

The instant he recognized Fu Huixu, Ji Zhi realized the man hadn’t left at all. He’d been waiting quietly right there outside the door.

When had Fu Huixu noticed him?

Ji Zhi’s heart sank. There was no time to think.

He’d been worried about crushing the man’s hand at first, but that fear quickly proved laughable—

Ji Zhi tried to close the door, but it wouldn’t move.

Ji Zhi: “…..”

Abandoning the effort, he tried to slip out unexpectedly through the narrow gap between Fu Huixu and the door.

But the idea had barely formed in his mind before he dismissed it.

Fu Huixu’s body blocked the doorway, cutting off his escape route.

Ji Zhi could only back away on instinct.

Fu Huixu followed him straight into the room.

From the moment he’d appeared in the doorway, Fu Huixu hadn’t said a word. Ji Zhi had no idea what to say, leaving the room steeped in heavy silence. All he could hear was the pounding of his own heartbeat.

Even without a sound from Fu Huixu, Ji Zhi could feel the weight of his gaze pressing down on him.

Fear made Ji Zhi lower his eyes, trying to avoid it. But Fu Huixu’s stare followed relentlessly, as tangible as chains binding his limbs, making every step feel labored.

What should he do…

Ji Zhi fought back the terror, his mind racing. Then Fu Huixu’s voice broke through: “Baby…”

Unlike the heaviness in his eyes, Fu Huixu’s tone was gentle. For a dazed moment, it pulled Ji Zhi back to the past, when Fu Huixu would always call him “Baby” in that same soft voice.

He was still using that name now?

Ji Zhi had imagined what Fu Huixu might say upon seeing him again—anger, probably, taking center stage. He hadn’t expected the voice to sound just as it always had.

Or maybe it was his imagination, but it seemed laced with endless emotion, cut short after that single word.

Stunned, Ji Zhi looked up on reflex.

The next instant, he found himself enveloped in a warm embrace—

Fu Huixu had pulled him straight into his arms.

He held Ji Zhi so tightly, as if he wanted to merge them into one.

Ji Zhi started to struggle, but Fu Huixu simply scooped him up and headed for the door.

The motions were effortless, his hold secure, his stride unbroken.

Ji Zhi had no time to worry about the humiliation of being carried like this. Once he realized Fu Huixu was heading out of the villa, he understood the man intended to take him away.

He tried to cry out for help, but Fu Huixu clamped a hand over his mouth the next second.

A few attendants were drawn by the sound and started toward them, but upon seeing Fu Huixu, they faltered under the aura of unapproachability radiating from him. They stopped in their tracks, not daring to intervene.

Ji Zhi: “……”

He pleaded with his eyes, but Fu Huixu carried him out of the villa openly.

They reached the parking lot quickly.

Fu Huixu’s driver spotted him ahead of time, got out, and opened the car door.

Though he noticed the extra person in Fu Huixu’s arms, the driver said nothing.

Even after they got in, Fu Huixu kept Ji Zhi clasped tightly, showing no sign of letting go.

This time, he had no intention of letting him slip away again.

After the banquet ended, Fu Huixu and Fu Qingyang returned together to handle some matters for Fu Qingyang.

Fu Qingyang was part of the Fu Family, and aside from him, Fu Huixu was the only other one present.

Fu Huixu managed to stay relatively calm about meeting Duan Zhao.

Ever since that incident two and a half years ago, he’d realized the main reason Duan Zhao had been able to manipulate him was his inability to control his emotions. Duan Zhao’s preemptive complaints had put every move of his under Fu Zhen—his father’s—watchful eye for over two years. Only recently, seeing Fu Huixu’s newfound composure, had Fu Zhen allowed him to go out alone again.

Now, facing Duan Zhao, Fu Huixu was prepared to remain level-headed.

What he hadn’t anticipated was seeing Ji Zhi.

After dealing with the secretary, Fu Huixu had been ready to leave when he caught sight of him out of the corner of his eye.

At first, spotting Ji Zhi’s figure, Fu Huixu thought it was a hallucination.

His father’s interference had denied him any chance to contact Ji Zhi. Even so, he could never forget him.

Had Ji Zhi been in on the deception with Duan Zhao from the start, given how close they seemed?

Was Ji Zhi still with Duan Zhao now?

Was Ji Zhi doing okay?

Did Ji Zhi ever think of him?

Maybe he’d been wrong from the beginning. He should have just locked Ji Zhi at his side, ensuring he could never leave…

He knew he ought to be furious about the lies and hiding, but he missed him too much.

Fu Huixu regretted not keeping a constant watch on Ji Zhi, which had given Duan Zhao an opening.

In his daze, he even imagined Ji Zhi had always been right there beside him.

Fu Huixu didn’t want to sleep—he rarely dreamed. But closing his eyes always made Ji Zhi’s image vanish from before him.

Over time, he’d developed insomnia.

Even knowing the Ji Zhi accompanying him was just a phantom, Fu Huixu savored it.

So when he glimpsed the figure inside the door with his peripheral vision, his first thought was: Why had Ji Zhi’s hallucination, who should always stay by his side, suddenly left him?

But seeing the caution and wariness in Ji Zhi’s expression snapped him back to reality. This wasn’t a hallucination—

The Ji Zhi in his visions never looked like that.

The one before him was real.

Realizing this, Fu Huixu’s heart raced.

He wanted to rush forward immediately, but memories of past failures warned him of the cost of rashness.

Forcing himself to halt, he watched Ji Zhi retreat back into the room.

His gaze shifted to Fu Qingyang, who was clutching his arm and venting his nerves.

In the past, Fu Huixu wouldn’t have had the patience. But now, he wanted to use this as an excuse to stay.

The others left without suspicion. Fu Huixu messaged the banquet host, instructing him on what to do next.

And soon, Ji Zhi opened the door.

Ji Zhi had no idea what was going through Fu Huixu’s mind. After a few futile struggles, he gave up the old-fashioned way to conserve his strength for a real chance to escape later.

The thought that he was gaining more and more experience in this made his mood all the more complicated—

If only he had this much practice in his actual field.

He’d just sighed inwardly when Fu Huixu’s voice murmured in his ear: “Baby, I missed you so much…”

Fu Huixu had a thousand things he wanted to say to Ji Zhi, but they all boiled down to this one sentence.

Hearing those words, Ji Zhi relaxed a fraction—

Fu Huixu didn’t seem angry.

But recalling past experiences, he quickly realized that wasn’t necessarily good news.

What Ji Zhi hadn’t expected was that after Fu Huixu finished speaking, the man looked up at him, waiting for his response.

Ji Zhi was sitting on Fu Huixu’s lap. Though he finally experienced the perspective of towering over the other man, he could now see Fu Huixu’s expression with perfect clarity.

Fu Huixu’s gaze rested heavily on him, those dark eyes reflecting only Ji Zhi’s figure.

At the same time, Fu Huixu’s voice rang out. “Baby, what about you? Do you miss me?”

Ji Zhi: “…”

There was even an interaction segment.

Ji Zhi hadn’t forgotten what Fu Huixu had just said.

The other man had said he missed him.

Now that the person in question was right there by Fu Huixu’s side, Ji Zhi could only steel himself and speak up. “I miss you too…”

Ji Zhi had answered subconsciously, drawing on his past experience with Fu Huixu and going along with the man’s words.

In a certain sense, his response wasn’t wrong at all. After all, he did think of Fu Huixu often, wondering how the man had fared after that incident.