Seeing the hand coming down toward him, Jing Jiaxi quickly dived behind the man’s back, narrowly escaping the blow.
Lu Zhili, meanwhile, stared in shock at Fu Qianyu, who had firmly clamped a hand around his wrist. The ruthlessness on Lu Zhili’s face dissolved instantly into boundless grievance, and his eyes filled with tears.
“Qianyu…” Lu Zhili could clearly read the distaste in Fu Qianyu’s eyes. He felt a wave of profound heartbreak and confusion. “Why do you always protect him?!”
Fu Qianyu finally spared him a glance. “You still haven’t reflected on your actions.”
Hidden behind his shoulder, the boy clutched his arm, his nervous and fearful emotions bleeding through.
Compared to Lu Zhili, who was radiating pure malice, any outsider looking in would think Jing Jiaxi was the weak, pitiful one.
“No, that’s not true. I know I was wrong, Qianyu. I shouldn’t have forced you into the engagement. We can take things slow—just give me another chance, please?”
Lu Zhili approached him with a face drenched in tears, only to be avoided by the man.
“Do you still remember what you came here to do?” Fu Qianyu pulled Jing Jiaxi out from behind his back, where the youth had been safely enjoying the show.
Jing Jiaxi blinked his big, innocent eyes up at Fu Qianyu, his clear, starkly contrasting dark irises fluttering softly.
Seeing the absolute “green tea” act of this little wretch made Lu Zhili grind his teeth in pure hatred. But in front of Fu Qianyu, he could only swallow his resentment.
“Jing Jiaxi, I offer you my… apologies… once… more.” Forcing the words out one by one, Lu Zhili dug his nails so deeply into his palms that they drew blood. He felt nothing but monumental humiliation.
Seeing this person—who had just deliberately flaunted their intimacy with Fu Qianyu to taunt and bully him—now offer a thoroughly reluctant apology, Jing Jiaxi suddenly felt a bit at a loss for words.
In the past, whenever he was bullied, he could only suffer in silence and swallow his grievances.
This time, he had used Fu Qianyu’s backing to knock the arrogant wind out of this tyrant’s sails. Thanks to Fu Qianyu playing along, his clumsy acting had apparently shattered the man’s composure completely.
After a beat, Jing Jiaxi’s dark eyes flickered. “But you haven’t said ‘I’m sorry’ yet…”
His voice was low, yet every syllable was articulated with absolute clarity, ensuring everyone in the room heard it perfectly.
Jing Jiaxi understood full well that this man was only bowing his head because of Fu Qianyu.
From the second he walked through the door, Lu Zhili’s eyes had carried an undisguised contempt and disdain. Even his surface-level apology didn’t hold a single shred of genuine remorse.
If it were just insults directed at him alone, he wouldn’t care. But Lu Zhili shouldn’t have caused him to almost miscarry.
Anyone who wanted to harm his child was his enemy.
Fu Qianyu noticed that the little rabbit’s dark eyes seemed to deepen in color; Jing Jiaxi was truly angry.
Lu Zhili abruptly whipped his head up, glaring at Jing Jiaxi in a fury. This lower-class trash! Riding on someone else’s coattails! How dare he act so arrogant based on Fu Qianyu’s fleeting favor!
Choked with rage and hatred, tears welled violently in his eyes. “I already apologized! Don’t push your luck!”
Jing Jiaxi pressed his lips together. “No, you didn’t!” This man hadn’t uttered the actual words “I’m sorry” even once.
The boy’s declaration was forceful and resonant. He balled his hands into fists, glaring right back at Lu Zhili.
He wasn’t afraid of this aggressive bully! Who did he think he was intimidating with that glaring contest? Was he trying to see whose eyes were bigger?!
Fu Qianyu gripped the youth’s trembling shoulder. “Lu Zhili, apologize properly.”
Fu Qianyu’s words struck Lu Zhili with agonizing grief. “Qianyu, you… you’re taking his side too.”
“Don’t make me repeat myself a second time!”
Lu Zhili trembled all over, his face flushing crimson. “I’m… I’m sorry!” Is that enough?! Just how far do you intend to humiliate me?!
Forcing the eldest young master of the Lu family—who had been pampered and sought after by thousands since infancy—to apologize was the ultimate degradation.
Lu Zhili cursed Jing Jiaxi a thousand times over in his heart, even as his composure fractured on the surface, tears dripping uncontrollably onto the floorboards.
Seeing that his arrogant bluster had finally been snuffed out, Jing Jiaxi lowered his eyes and said softly, “Even if you apologize, I won’t forgive you.”
Lu Zhili had almost cost him his child; how could he possibly extend forgiveness so easily? Demanding an apology was a perfectly justified request, and it was a way to exact a small measure of justice for the baby.
“You!” Lu Zhili simply could not believe Jing Jiaxi’s sheer audacity to reject his olive branch.
Losing his mind with rage, he launched into another tirade of curses: “I was locked away for an entire week because of you! Is that still not enough?! You cheap, worthless whore, you really don’t know when to quit!”
Losing all emotional control, Lu Zhili lunged forward again. Fu Qianyu threw a cold look toward the guards standing at the door. The large, imposing bodyguards caught the cue instantly, moving in swiftly to pin down the violently thrashing Lu Zhili.
“Let go of me! What kind of low-life trash are you to dare lay a finger on me?! Do you have any idea who I am?! You worthless scum! Release me!”
Pinned to the floor by the highly skilled bodyguards, Lu Zhili was forced straight into a kneeling position, facing Jing Jiaxi.
For the inherently prideful Lu Zhili, this was enough to drive him completely insane!
He thrashed and struggled relentlessly, yet he couldn’t break free from the vice-like grip of the guards.
“Zhili,” Fu Qianyu called out, using the familiar name from their youth as he looked down at the hysterical display.
Lu Zhili tilted his head up to gaze at the tall, striking man. Hearing his name slip from those lips, his entire posture suddenly softened.
“Qianyu…” He knew it. After so many years as childhood sweethearts, there had to be some lingering affection between them.
Yet in the very next second, the man’s frigid words pierced through his heart like a knife: “If you’re sick, take your medication. Stop running around loose in public.”
The weeping, fragile expression on Lu Zhili’s face cracked completely. For a moment, he didn’t even know what face he was supposed to make.
“Are you satisfied now?” The question was directed at Jing Jiaxi.
This little boy had been standing safely behind him, thoroughly enjoying the drama unfold for quite some time now.
“Um… yeah, mostly…” Suddenly put on the spot, Jing Jiaxi fiddled with the seam of the man’s trousers, his heart catching a sudden, rapid rhythm.
How did he know I was angry?
Jing Jiaxi hadn’t expected Fu Qianyu to take his emotions so seriously. Never before had anyone cared about what he thought.
The boy was naive and pure; even in his anger, all he had demanded was a verbal apology.
Fu Qianyu had thought that the little rabbit, previously radiating a dark aura of rage, was ready to bite someone out of sheer desperation. As it turned out, he was merely baring his teeth to look threatening.
The corners of Fu Qianyu’s lips curved into a slight smile. “How many times did he strike you?” Lu Zhili had been vicious enough to almost cause a miscarriage.
“Huh?” Jing Jiaxi asked, entirely missing his point.
“Slap him back.”
Lu Zhili’s heart seized with terror. How could Qianyu treat me this way…
Jing Jiaxi froze, completely bewildered. The concept of retaliating had never even crossed his mind.
It’s all because of this person—this disgusting, low-class rat!
Pinned to the floor in front of Jing Jiaxi, Lu Zhili spat: “You little whore! I dare you to touch me. You shameless third party! You home-wrecking slut! You garbage! God knows how many men have already passed you around—”
Slap!
Fu Qianyu’s brow furrowed as his palm swung out, snapping Lu Zhili’s face sharply to the side.
The piercing, chaotic torrent of abuse in the room cut off instantly.
Lu Zhili turned his head back mechanically, a trail of blood smearing the corner of his mouth. His eyes went wide with utter disbelief. “Qian…” You actually struck me…
The primary sensation was overwhelming humiliation, followed closely by a searing, burning pain radiating straight into his mind.
Between his fractured spirit and the sharp physical agony, Lu Zhili’s mind went entirely blank.
Jing Jiaxi was also startled by the sudden violence, instinctively tugging at the man’s cuff.
“Jing Jiaxi, the next time someone tries to bully you, you slap them right back. Do you hear me?”
Fu Qianyu wrapped an arm securely around the boy’s slender waist, keeping his face turned toward Jing Jiaxi, though his words were explicitly targeted at Lu Zhili.
“Next time anyone dares to lay a hand on what is mine, it won’t be settled this easily.