Fu Qianyu held the weak boy, examining him carefully. Only after ensuring there were no injuries on his body did he sweep his gaze toward the blustering Father Jing.
Terrified by the murderous aura radiating from the man, Father Jing dared not look him in the eye.
Deflated, Father Jing muttered weakly, “This is our family matter, it’s not an outsider’s place to interfere!”
He reached out, intending to yank Jing Jiaxi over, but was immediately brought down by the bodyguards nearby.
“Are these people your parents?” Fu Qianyu lowered his head to ask Jing Jiaxi, his handsome brow furrowing. Jing Jiaxi’s parents were even worse than what was described in the dossier.
Jing Jiaxi bit his lip and nodded. “Yes…”
“Domestic violence is an illegal act, not a family matter.”
“Even the police don’t care! Mind your own business!” Mother Jing ran to Father Jing’s side, hitting the bodyguards. “Let go of my old man!”
“Whether the police care or not, you are welcome to find out.” Fu Qianyu’s tone wasn’t heavy, yet it sent a shiver through the hearts of Father and Mother Jing.
Seeing several bodyguards surrounding Jing Jiaxi and Fu Qianyu, Father Jing knew he wouldn’t come out on top. He hurriedly pulled Mother Jing, preparing to leave.
Fu Qianyu questioned with his eyes whether to let them go.
Seeing his parents’ deflated demeanor, Jing Jiaxi nodded.
Fu Qianyu signaled the bodyguards to release them, and Father and Mother Jing fled slinkingly away.
His emotions having run high, Jing Jiaxi snuggled within Fu Qianyu’s dependable embrace, taking quite a while before he managed to recover his strength.
Fu Qianyu touched his forehead; he didn’t have a fever.
Yet when Fu Qianyu’s hand was placed on his forehead, Jing Jiaxi’s face quietly flushed.
Only now did he realize he had stayed in the man’s embrace for far too long.
Jing Jiaxi quickly stood up straight. “I’m fine now, thank you.”
“Mm.” The boy’s body was very comfortable to hold and carried the faint fragrance of body wash; Fu Qianyu didn’t mind his reliance.
“Why did you come? Weren’t you supposed to go to the company?”
“Your teacher told me that your parents came to the school looking for you. I was worried about you.”
“Why would our teacher notify you?” Jing Jiaxi was puzzled.
“Because I told your teacher that I am your guardian.” Fu Qianyu spoke slowly and earnestly, using his finger to brush away the bangs blocking the boy’s eyes.
Jing Jiaxi’s heart quietly quickened its beat, and he lowered his eyes, not daring to look into the man’s gaze.
“You don’t plan on telling your parents?” Fu Qianyu gestured toward his abdomen.
Jing Jiaxi stroked his lower belly and shook his head firmly. “No.” Telling them would only bring trouble.
“Alright.”
Seeing his pale lips, Fu Qianyu led him to sit down in the shade. “It’s your first day of school today, how is it? Are you getting used to it?”
“Yes, I’m very happy. I’ve met some interesting classmates.” Jing Jiaxi quickly threw his troublesome parents to the back of his mind, striving to make his life more positive.
“If you need any help, tell me. If there is any discomfort with your body, you can suspend your schooling at any time and resume your studies in the second half of the year.”
Jing Jiaxi nodded. He understood his situation was unique and that he couldn’t spend a complete freshman year on campus.
It was just that he was too excited about attending university; he really wanted to experience college life, which was why he came to attend the opening ceremony.
Everything about university was fresh and new, far more beautiful than the dull and tedious secondary school.
Jing Jiaxi really wanted to find someone to share this with, yet he worried his trivial matters were too boring and that Fu Qianyu wouldn’t be interested.
Noticing the boy’s enthusiastic expression, Fu Qianyu inquired at the right moment about what kind of people his new classmates were, how the teachers were, and whether anything had happened…
Jing Jiaxi happily answered each question one by one, his cheeks turning a rosy pink after he finished speaking.
“Did I say too much?”
Would a man as busy with a myriad of affairs as Fu Qianyu feel that listening to his trivial matters was a waste of time?
Seeing that the boy had clearly cheered up, Fu Qianyu let out a light laugh. “No, it’s very interesting.”
The person was cute, and the things he did were interesting too.
A weak little soul forcing himself to be strong,
In front of someone with true capability, he was like a tiny kitten arching its back with its fur standing on end. The way he struggled with all his might even though his claws couldn’t scratch anyone was very adorable.
It made one unable to resist offering help, wanting to scruff him by the back of his neck and carry him out of harm’s way.
Unfortunately, the kitten was oblivious, unable to distinguish who wanted to harm him and who wanted to help him.
He just struggled blindly, his flailing short legs wishing to drop back onto the filthy, familiar ground.
That was his familiar nest; he didn’t know it was a slum that brought him endless suffering.
Perhaps he did know, but he didn’t dare and didn’t want to see the reality clearly.
Recognizing reality was very painful; very few people could face the brutal truth directly.
The person who had been downcast just a moment ago quickly forgot his worries, his smile brilliant.
One couldn’t tell if he had truly forgotten, or if he simply blocked out the worries because he didn’t want to recall the pain.
Fu Qianyu took him to get something to eat, and the boy’s complexion grew ruddy. When he was holding back his tears earlier, his skin had been so pale it looked translucent, making one’s heart ache at the sight.
“I bought a house for you near here. You can usually live here; it’s convenient for school.”
Fu Qianyu brought him to a high-end residential community near the university.
Jing Jiaxi looked at the exquisite and spacious decoration of the house in surprise. “Mr. Fu, there’s no need for you to buy such a large apartment for me.”
Four bedrooms and two living rooms—he couldn’t use it all by himself.
Fu Qianyu raised an eyebrow. “Is it large?”
He actually felt it was too small; he only bought an apartment here because the better residential communities were too far from the school.
Jing Jiaxi instantly felt the gap between the two of them and shut his mouth, speaking no further.
“Go take a look. If there’s anything you’re unsatisfied with, we can change it.”
Slightly restrained yet carrying a hint of joy, Jing Jiaxi shuttled through the various rooms.
Every room was beautiful. The master bedroom was filled with his clothes, and the study was stocked with books he liked to read.
Among them, his favorite was a nursery inside.
He could already picture the way he would bring the child to play inside it in the future.
Fu Qianyu’s gaze was calm as he watched him run back and forth inside the little nest he had purchased.
A cute cat ought to be in a warm, comfortable little nest, not a filthy, muddy pit.
Jing Jiaxi ran in front of Fu Qianyu, his eyes sparkling. “I like every single room, especially the nursery. Can I live here with the child in the future?”
“If a child is to live in it, we can switch to another estate. This one is only for you to live in while you are at school.”
A child needed a better environment and education; Jing Jiaxi understood the meaning behind Fu Qianyu’s words.
Instantly, Jing Jiaxi felt constrained and embarrassed by his own naive thoughts. “Oh, oh, I see.”
He turned around to go to the balcony to breathe some fresh air. He saw the green plants he had raised in the hospital sitting on the balcony.
That was true. The child’s father was the heir of the Fu family—Fu Qianyu. How could the child possibly be left to an ordinary person like him to educate?
Jing Jiaxi suppressed the sadness in his heart and spoke as cheerfully as possible, “You brought them all here too. That’s wonderful, I can raise some flowers and plants in the future.”
“If you like, you can set up an irrigation system on the balcony.”
“Mm, mm, thank you.” Jing Jiaxi thanked him sincerely.
Fu Qianyu had given him a warm shelter and even promised a bright future for the child; he ought to be grateful.
Perceiving Jing Jiaxi’s dejection, Fu Qianyu turned him around.
“Unhappy?”
“Huh? No, I’m not.” Jing Jiaxi smiled, his eyes round, wearing a carefree expression.
This was far better than the environments where he used to work part-time; how could he possibly be unsatisfied?
Fu Qianyu rubbed his thumb across his cheek. “The matter of marriage—how have you considered it?”
Jing Jiaxi froze, holding his breath. His already round eyes widened, making him look even more foolish.
“I… I haven’t…”
“Take your time to consider, there’s no rush.” Fu Qianyu was a mature hunter; he had enough patience to wait for his prey.
Interrupted by him, Jing Jiaxi instead began to feel anxious about the matter of marrying him.
He was still too young; a matter concerning the rest of his future life required time for him to think through clearly.
Even though he was already about to become a father to a child, he was, after all, merely a student who had just graduated from high school and stepped onto a university campus.
The law even dictated that people of this age could not marry, yet he was actually pregnant. This matter forced him to rapidly think like a mature adult.
Whether he was willing or unwilling, ready or unready.
Jing Jiaxi lifted his eyes to steal a glance at the magnificent and imposing Fu Qianyu.
Clearly, Fu Qianyu was a charming man.
And the very reason he hesitated to marry stemmed precisely from this…