FIO CH2

Chapter 2: Don’t Send Me Away

Lu Fangchi slept until he woke up naturally. After a few seconds of daze, he slowly got up, went to the bathroom, relieved himself, and then brushed his teeth and washed his face. It was only when the warm water splashed on his face that the grogginess of just waking up was completely washed away.

Lu Fangchi pulled open the curtains. Outside, the sky was dim and overcast, with a strong sense of oppression from the dark clouds pressing down. The branches and leaves of the roadside trees were all blowing in the same direction, and the biting cold wind was visible to the naked eye. Judging by the situation, it was about to rain.

However, Lu Fangchi, who had just completed a milestone, could stay at home and rest. This kind of bad weather couldn’t affect him at all. In fact, it was quite the opposite—he was in high spirits. Lu Fangchi really enjoyed the feeling of staying at home and listening to the sound of the rain.

“Let’s make breakfast first,” Lu Fangchi thought to himself as he reached for the door and stepped out. Unexpectedly, Zhou Zheng was standing right at the door early in the morning, and the two of them collided head-on.

The alpha hadn’t steadied himself yet, and with a stumble, he brought Lu Fangchi down with him, falling backward. Before hitting the ground, Lu Fangchi remembered Zhou Zheng’s head, which was wrapped in bandages, and reached out to hold the back of his head to prevent a more severe injury. As a result, Lu Fangchi’s hand hit the tile floor and hurt badly.

“Why were you standing there so quietly?” Lu Fangchi looked up at Zhou Zheng with some irritation, noticing his Adam’s apple moving up and down as he swallowed, and a bead of sweat forming on the tip of his nose. Had he been hurt in the fall? Lu Fangchi’s brow furrowed slightly, but before he could say anything, the alpha coughed lightly, his eyes wandering, and his body tensed up, involuntarily shrinking backward.

With the floor behind him, Zhou Zheng had nowhere to retreat, and his movement only made his situation more exposed. It was then that Lu Fangchi noticed their close proximity and a certain part of Zhou Zheng that was beginning to show signs of arousal.

The alpha explained awkwardly, “I wanted to use the restroom.”

Lu Fangchi got up without a word, his brows still furrowed, and moved away. Zhou Zheng quickly got up and fled toward the bathroom.

This feeling was terrible. Lu Fangchi turned around, went back to the bedroom, and picked up the phone from the nightstand. He unlocked the screen and saw a missed call from Zhou Zheng’s assistant, Xiao Liu, at 9:20, fifteen minutes earlier. He called back, and after several “beeps,” just as Lu Fangchi thought no one would answer, the call went through.

“Hello, Mr. Lu, may I ask what you called me for last night?” Xiao Liu’s speech was rapid, with a hint of anxiety.

Lu Fangchi got straight to the point: “Your boss is here with me. Could you come and pick him up? The address is Building 39, 6th floor, No. 889 Qingfeng Road.”

“Remember to bring him a pair of shoes and some clothes.”

Xiao Liu paused for a few seconds, then quickly agreed: “Okay, okay, okay. I’ll be right there. It should take about fifteen minutes.”

Before Lu Fangchi could say “be careful,” the other party hung up quickly.

He put the phone back in his pocket and called out to the direction of the bathroom: “There’s a new toothbrush in the drawer of the washbasin.”

“Got it,” Zhou Zheng replied.

Lu Fangchi went to the kitchen, took out four eggs, and placed them in the egg steamer. He also took the opportunity to make two cups of milk. By the time the eggs and milk were served on the dining table, Zhou Zheng had finished washing up. The two of them both chose to ignore the little incident that had just happened.

He took the initiative to sit down and asked, “Is this for me?”

Lu Fangchi nodded and began to peel the eggshell. He heard a “thank you” from Zhou Zheng. Lu Fangchi looked at Zhou Zheng in surprise. Compared to his previous arrogant demeanor, he looked much more pleasant when he was polite.

Courtesy demands reciprocity, and Lu Fangchi responded, “You’re welcome.”

Lu Fangchi ate gracefully, chewing slowly, while Zhou Zheng was much more casual. He quickly swallowed the eggs and gulped down the cup of milk in less than five minutes. By the time Lu Fangchi put down his milk cup, Zhou Zheng had already taken the initiative to clear the eggshells from the table into the trash can and washed the two milk cups in the kitchen. His movements were so quick that Lu Fangchi didn’t have time to object.

After washing and drying the milk cups, Zhou Zheng also wiped off the water stains on the countertop. He then turned around and asked, “Can I put the cups here?” The alpha’s hand pointed to a shelf.

Lu Fangchi was still in a daze and nodded absentmindedly.

Even though Zhou Zheng was different from before, it couldn’t erase the fact that their relationship was still poor. Why did he only remember this place? Was it because of lingering resentment?

Lu Fangchi couldn’t figure it out. He was about to ask something when the doorbell rang, “Ding-dong, ding-dong.”

Xiao Liu, the assistant, arrived in a hurry. His glasses were fogged up, and he greeted Lu Fangchi with a tired face before quickly walking over to Zhou Zheng, who was sitting at the dining table, and said with relief, “Ancestor, I finally found you.”

“You can rest for a while. Just close the door when you leave. I have some other things to take care of,” Lu Fangchi said, stepping away to give them some space.

Lu Fangchi went to his study, opened the Backlog app, and saw that there was nothing too urgent. He could still spend the day as originally planned. If it weren’t for that knock on the door.

Lu Fangchi went to see what was going on. “What’s the matter?”

At the door, Xiao Liu looked embarrassed and hesitant, opening and closing his mouth for a long time without saying a word.

“Hmm?”

“Well,” Xiao Liu bit his teeth, “Boss Zhou doesn’t want to leave. Could you try to persuade him?”

Remembering the scene from last night, Lu Fangchi wanted to say that he couldn’t do anything either. However, under Xiao Liu’s pleading gaze, he decided to give it a try.

On the living room sofa, Zhou Zheng sat upright, staring straight at the direction of the bedroom. His eyes lit up when he saw Lu Fangchi come out.

Lu Fangchi stood in front of the alpha and said bluntly, “Go back with your assistant.”

The light in his eyes dimmed instantly, becoming dull. Zhou Zheng lowered his eyes, pursed his lips, and quietly turned his head away.

This was the second time. Was he trying to act spoiled again?

Lu Fangchi took a deep breath, preparing to scold him, but Zhou Zheng turned his gaze back. His eyes suddenly turned red, with a hint of moisture, and he said, “I only remember you.”

Zhou Zheng looked so wronged, his eyes filled with emotions that caught Lu Fangchi off guard. Given his current situation, it made sense that he wanted to stay in the only place he could remember. Lu Fangchi could understand and respect this feeling, but on the condition that it didn’t affect himself.

Lu Fangchi looked at Xiao Liu with some difficulty. Xiao Liu pushed up his thin-framed glasses and replied, “Three days ago, Boss Zhou was in a car accident on the highway on his way back. He hit the back of his head, and the doctors judged that there was a possibility of brain damage and memory loss. After being out of danger, he remained in a coma. The surveillance showed that he opened his eyes last night, and there was no one around at the time. By the time we found him, he had disappeared. He hasn’t had a specific examination since waking up, so I can’t really say what the exact situation is now.”

Lu Fangchi thought that the most urgent thing for Zhou Zheng now was to go to the hospital for a comprehensive and detailed check-up to see what the situation really was. He was just about to persuade him when Zhou Zheng pursed his lips and whispered, “I only remember you. Don’t send me away,” lowering his stance as much as possible. The look on the alpha’s face made Lu Fangchi feel a bit sorry, but he had no obligation or relationship to take in the other party.

Lu Fangchi opened his mouth, still preparing to refuse, when he saw the bandage wrapped around Zhou Zheng’s head seeping blood, which quickly spread and grew larger. Lu Fangchi frowned, while Xiao Liu, beside him, anxiously stepped forward, reaching out to check the wound but not knowing where to start. In the end, he could only wave his hand in the air and remind, “Don’t get excited. Calm down, calm down.”

Zhou Zheng didn’t speak, but his bloodshot eyes stared straight at Lu Fangchi, and the red on the bandage on his forehead spread larger and larger, looking alarming. Xiao Liu was extremely anxious, pacing back and forth, and finally pleaded to Lu Fangchi, “Mr. Lu, I know this request is quite abrupt, but I really have no other choice. Please accompany Boss Zhou to the hospital.”

Given the situation, Lu Fangchi couldn’t refuse anymore, nor could he let something bad happen to Zhou Zheng. He sighed softly and said to the alpha, “I’ll go to the hospital with you, okay?” Lu Fangchi’s showing weakness soothed Zhou Zheng’s agitation, and the alpha’s emotions visibly calmed down. He nodded in agreement: “Okay.”

The rainy weather made the road conditions complicated, and by the time they arrived at the hospital, it was already eleven o’clock. Of course, Lu Fangchi’s plan to slip away midway also failed because Zhou Zheng’s eyes were like a piece of dog-skin plaster sticking to him. Whenever he was not around, Zhou Zheng would look around restlessly and not cooperate with the examination properly.

They went through more than ten examinations of various sizes, and many of them required waiting for reports, which took up the entire day. The results were not good, but they were not too bad either. Apart from a few stitches on his head, Zhou Zheng had only some minor soft tissue abrasions on the rest of his body, with no other issues. The only really tricky problem was the memory loss.

Accompanying him, Lu Fangchi couldn’t help but ask, “Is it normal to remember only one person and nothing else?” “It is normal,” the doctor said, pushing up his glasses. He continued, “It might be because the memory of a certain person or place is particularly strong. Try to let him interact more with the people and places he can remember. This will help restore his memory.”

Oh…

After the doctor left, Lu Fangchi was also about to go out when Zhou Zheng, lying in bed, immediately sat up, looking wary and asking, “Are you leaving?” “No, just going out for some fresh air,” Lu Fangchi replied.

Zhou Zheng probably wanted to say no, but seeing Lu Fangchi’s exhausted face, he compromised: “Then come back early. I’ll wait for you.”

Lu Fangchi went outside the ward and sat down, his hand reaching into his pocket and touching the cigarette case. He subconsciously took it out, then remembered he was in the hospital and could only play with it in his hand. He glanced at his wristwatch—it was five in the evening. The day had been wasted, and he had a feeling that more trouble was coming.

Sure enough, not long after, the ward door opened again, and Xiao Liu came out.

He asked, “Want to go out for a smoke?” Lu Fangchi nodded.

In the smoking area outside, Xiao Liu took the initiative to light a cigarette for Lu Fangchi and then lit one for himself. As they exhaled smoke, he said, “Zhou Zheng and I are alumni, and we were roommates. I’ve known him for eight or nine years.”

Halfway through the cigarette, Lu Fangchi felt more alert and nodded, indicating he wanted to hear more.

“I know a bit about his situation. His father was a gambler, and his mother was unreliable. Fortunately, he was an only child in his family; otherwise, he would have been the protagonist of a tragic drama. His father passed away from lung cancer during his freshman year, leaving only his mother, who might as well not exist,” Xiao Liu paused, with a hint of sarcasm, “And look, even after the car accident, his mother hasn’t come to see him once.”

These were things Lu Fangchi didn’t know, but they weren’t close to begin with—more like competitors who would never show a friendly face to each other in business settings.

“Get to the point,” Lu Fangchi interrupted Xiao Liu’s insinuations.

Hearing this, Xiao Liu smiled, took a deep drag on his cigarette, and then put it out. “Alright, Mr. Lu is a straightforward person, so I won’t beat around the bush either. I’ll be frank.”

“Given Zhou Zheng’s current situation, he doesn’t want to stay in the hospital, there’s no one at home to take care of him, and he doesn’t recognize anyone. I’d like to take care of him, but he refuses.” Xiao Liu shrugged. “He only remembers you now, and the doctor said that staying with someone he can remember will help restore his memory. So, I’m kind of embarrassed to ask, but I hope Mr. Lu can take him in for a while. It won’t be long, just three months at most. No matter whether he regains his memory or not by then, I’ll take him back.”

Lu Fangchi had guessed as much.

But he didn’t agree immediately, even frowning. To be honest, it was quite a dilemma for him. First, they weren’t close; second, their relationship was not good; and finally, even if they had a good relationship, he wouldn’t want to live together.

Seeing that Lu Fangchi didn’t respond, Xiao Liu didn’t rush him to make a decision. He just added, “I know this is quite a difficult request, and no one would be willing to do it. Not to mention the inconvenience of living together, he’s also a patient. So, if you refuse, I completely understand.”

“But I still hope you can consider it,” Xiao Liu continued, with a twist in his words. “I heard that Mr. Lu is recently hiring a planner?”

Lu Fangchi raised an eyebrow.

Indeed, he was hiring a planner, and not just any planner, but a chief planner. The previous chief planner had been poached by another company not long ago, and the departure was so sudden that no one could fill the gap immediately. Moreover, it wasn’t easy to recruit a senior chief planner, which was indeed a major concern for Lu Fangchi recently.

“Liang Shuang, what do you think?”

Lu Fangchi’s eyebrow raised again. This was the core chief planner of Zhou Zheng’s company, a versatile and highly renowned talent.

“You’re really going all out.”

Seeing Lu Fangchi’s expression, Xiao Liu knew the deal was done. He said with a pained expression, “Of course, it’s like my heart is bleeding, but what can I do? Boss Zhou is our mainstay.”

“Deal.” Lu Fangchi extended his hand and agreed.