Volume 1, Chapter 162: Hidden Difficulties

When Fu Linhan rushed to the club in a hurry, Pei Jingmo and Bai Yinian were already mostly drunk.

Pei Jingmo's wife was asking for a divorce, so he was feeling gloomy and drowning his sorrows in alcohol.
What on earth was Bai Yinian joining in for?

"Alright, alright, none of you damn well are allowed to drink anymore."

Fu Linhan snatched the glasses out of both of their hands and looked angrily at Pei Jingmo. "Didn't you anticipate long ago that Song Qingyu would ask you for a divorce? Didn't you think of any remedial measures?"

"Wrong is wrong."

"Are you really going to divorce then?"

"Qingqing wants a divorce, I can only listen to her."

Fu Linhan didn't believe a single word of Pei Jingmo's nonsense.
Pei Jingmo had loved Song Qingyu for so many years, and having finally won her, how could he possibly bear to let go?
This guy definitely had a backup plan.

Right now, compared to Pei Jingmo, the one who annoyed him the most was someone else.

Pei Jingmo glanced at Bai Yinian, who was leaning against the sofa with his eyes closed, unsure whether he was genuinely drunk or just pretending.
Seeing Fu Linhan casting quick, repeated glances at Bai Yinian, Pei Jingmo sighed. Forget it.
Brothers must navigate their own fortunes.

"I'm leaving."

"Hey, where are you going?"

Having fallen out with the elder, Pei Jingmo certainly wouldn't return to the Gu family, and Song Qingyu had kicked him out as well. Never did he expect that the dignified young master would end up homeless.

"Don't worry about me, I won't die."

Once Pei Jingmo left, Fu Linhan lost all desire to stay.
Since he and Bai Yinian had already broken ties and were no longer even brothers, there was no need to bother with him anymore.

Just as he was about to turn and leave, Bai Yinian's phone suddenly rang. Yet Bai Yinian lay there as if dead drunk, completely unresponsive.
The ringtone persisted incessantly, and Fu Linhan cursed under his breath with irritation.
Whatever. Even if it were a complete stranger, he would help out, let alone someone he happened to know. Answering a phone call for him was no big deal.

Fu Linhan walked over, took the phone from Bai Yinian's pocket, and felt his brow furrow involuntarily when he saw the caller ID saved as "Xiao Jian".

"Hello..."

"Are you not Young Master Bai?"

Hearing that the person on the other end was a man with a rather coquettish voice, Fu Linhan's face darkened, and his tone sounded like a gloomy male ghost. "Who the hell are you?"

"I'm Xiao Jian, you know. Could you let Young Master Bai answer the phone?"

"He's drunk."

"Where is he? I'll come pick him up."

Fu Linhan cast a cold glance at Bai Yinian. Fine, since someone was coming to fetch him, he wouldn't have to waste any more effort.

Not long after he gave the address, a red-haired boy rushed over hurriedly.

"Fu... Young Master Fu, was that you who answered the phone just now?"

Fu Linhan looked the boy up and down, mentally summarizing him in four words he deemed quite fair: neither male nor female.
The boy he saw at Bai Yinian's villa last time had blonde hair, Qin Man had silver hair, and this one had red hair.
Heh.
Bai Yinian's taste was truly appalling.

The boy felt his scalp tingle under Fu Linhan's gaze, but he braced himself and walked over to Bai Yinian. He helped him up and called out softly, "Young Master Bai."

Bai Yinian kept his eyes closed and gave no response.
The boy cast a cautious look at Fu Linhan. "Young Master Fu, then I'll take Young Master Bai back first."

Fu Linhan shrugged. "Whatever."

The boy draped Bai Yinian's arm over his own shoulder. However, due to the stark height difference between them and his own lack of strength, just as he finally managed to get Bai Yinian up, he lost his footing, and both of them tumbled onto the sofa together.
He landed squarely on top of Bai Yinian, their bodies pressed tightly against each other with zero gap—it looked intensely ambiguous.

Fu Linhan clenched his fists so tightly that the veins on the back of his hands bulged, his gaze so terrifying he looked ready to devour someone.
The boy was frightened to death by his glare. The more terrified he became, the more eager he was to haul Bai Yinian away quickly, and consequently, the more frequent his mistakes became.

Seeing Bai Yinian's suit thoroughly rumpled and creased, Fu Linhan could no longer bear to watch. He grabbed the boy by the collar and shoved him aside. "Useless trash. You can't even hold up a single person? Were you raised on shit?"

The boy wanted to open his mouth to defend himself, but before he could utter a word, he saw that Fu Linhan had already pulled Bai Yinian to his feet and left the private room.
He immediately chased after them.

At the doorway, he reached out to take Bai Yinian from Fu Linhan, who gave him a freezing glare. "Get lost! Don't let me ever see you again!"

Naturally, the boy didn't dare offend Fu Linhan, so he could only leave, unwilling and resentful.

Fu Linhan shoved the man into the car, not even caring when Bai Yinian's head banged against the vehicle.
Fuming, he climbed into the passenger seat and started the engine.
After driving for a few seconds, he instantly regretted it.
Damn it, someone was already coming to pick him up; why on earth was he meddling in this?

With an annoyed glare at the person in the back, he resigned himself to his fate and drove him back to Bai Yinian's home.

Entering the living room, Fu Linhan tossed the man onto the sofa and prepared to leave.
Fearing that Bai Yinian might catch a cold sleeping on the couch, he irritably grabbed a blanket and threw it haphazardly over him.
Noticing one of Bai Yinian's legs dangling off the edge, he gritted his teeth, walked over, and lifted the leg onto the sofa.
This is the last time! Anyone who helps him again after this is a pig!

Just as he stood up to leave, his wrist was seized by a strong grip. With a fierce yank, he was caught off guard and tumbled right onto Bai Yinian.

Fu Linhan: "???"
Why did this posture look so familiar?
The red-headed punk from earlier seemed to have fallen down in the exact same way.

Rage flared up instantly. Just as Fu Linhan was about to get up and beat the crap out of the guy, with a sudden spin, he was pinned down onto the sofa by Bai Yinian.

He froze, locking eyes with Bai Yinian's dark, heavy pupils. Bai Yinian stared intently at him, and that wolf-like gaze suddenly sent a shiver of fear through Fu Linhan's heart.

"I'm sorry..."

Bai Yinian buried his face into the crook of Fu Linhan's neck, his deep, pleasant voice laced with an inexplicable grievance and pain.
Before Fu Linhan could react, a warm, soft sensation brushed against the side of his neck.

His whole body stiffened, and the sudden realization that Bai Yinian might have mistaken him for someone else sent fury straight to his head.
He shoved Bai Yinian away violently, raised his fist to land a heavy punch, and grabbed Bai Yinian by the collar. "Take a damn good look! I have black hair, not those red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, or purple mops of yours!"

He turned to leave, but out of sheer lingering anger, he turned back and kicked Bai Yinian. "Moron! If I ever help you again in this life, I'll take your family name!"

Fu Linhan left. Watching his retreating back, Bai Yinian reached up to touch his bruised cheek and let out a self-deprecating laugh.
His gaze was crystal clear; he looked nothing like a drunkard at all.

When Fu Linhan got home and took a shower, he discovered a kiss mark on his neck, which made him so furious he cursed all eighteen generations of Bai Yinian's ancestors once more.
If he had known, he would have punched that bastard a few more times.

Xie Liuzheng was similarly furious because of a bite mark.
Shen Zhou had bitten her jaw, leaving a very distinct tooth imprint that even foundation couldn't cover up, making it completely impossible for her to shoot scenes.
He was always getting jealous for no reason, and now he was even jealous of Xiaoyu. Xie Liuzheng didn't even want to coax him anymore; she might as well go keep Xiaoyu company.

"What? A divorce?"

Hearing Song Qingyu say she wanted a divorce, Xie Liuzheng felt not only shock but also a trace of pity.
She hugged Song Qingyu to comfort her. "Baby Xiaoyu, a divorce is no small matter. Would you like to think about it a little more?"

In the span of just two days, Song Qingyu's condition was as wretched as it could possibly be, her face pale and haggard enough to break anyone's heart.

Song Qingyu shook her head. "There's nothing to think about. I will absolutely never spend the rest of my life living with a man who lied to me."

Xie Liuzheng grew a bit anxious. "Yes, he shouldn't have lied to you, but I can tell that your little dumpy-dumpling truly loves you. Maybe he had some kind of unspeakable hardship?"

Precisely because she loved him so deeply, she found his deception all the more unacceptable.
Besides, a lie was a lie.
No hidden hardship could ever serve as an excuse for him to deceive her.

That night.
Neither Song Qingyu nor Xie Liuzheng managed to close their eyes for long.

The next day.
As Song Qingyu finished packing and prepared to head out, Xie Liuzheng grabbed her hand and asked once more, "Are you really sure you don't want me to go with you?"

Song Qingyu patted the back of her hand. "Mhm, don't worry, I'll be back soon, and then I'll take you out for hot pot."