FIO CH51

Chapter 51: The Conscienceless Puppy

Zhou Zheng’s hand clung tightly to the door frame, his eyes fixed on Lu Fangchi, seemingly certain that the other party wouldn’t close the door. Why should he? Lu Fangchi no longer wanted to indulge this conscienceless puppy and raised his hand to slam the door shut.

The door frame was already within reach, yet the alpha didn’t blink, allowing his hand to be caught in the door. His handsome features twisted for a moment as his fingers were pinched.

Lu Fangchi’s heart lurched, realizing that Zhou Zheng had no intention of letting go. He quickly lessened the force, not wanting to crush the alpha’s fingers. But the confrontation ended in failure as Zhou Zheng, eyes red, triumphantly entered Lu Fangchi’s home with his trapped hand.

Lu Fangchi truly didn’t want to spend another second with him. But the alpha’s hand was visibly swelling, his slender and distinct knuckles inflating like buns. It must have hurt terribly. His eyes glistened with unshed tears, his brows furrowed as he held his breath, forcing back the tears and managing to croak out in a hoarse voice, “Let me in. I have something to say to you.”

Despite the pain, he didn’t loosen his grip on the door frame. His determination to enter was unwavering.

Even though Lu Fangchi’s emotions were still out of control, he couldn’t bring himself to break Zhou Zheng’s fingers. After a two-minute standoff at the door, Lu Fangchi had no choice but to compromise. He released the doorknob and took a small step back.

Seeing this, Zhou Zheng immediately stepped inside and swiftly closed the door with his elbow.

He stood there, gazing deeply at Lu Fangchi without uttering a word. Lu Fangchi blinked, his eyes sore and swollen, feeling the pain. He lowered his gaze, giving up the staring contest with Zhou Zheng. His originally furious mood, like an overinflated balloon about to burst, suddenly deflated.

He suddenly felt very powerless. Lu Fangchi raised his hand to rub his face, exhaled, and his voice had become calm: “You should go to the hospital. I’ll cover the medical expenses.”

Worried that Zhou Zheng might refuse, he added, “I can accompany you if you want.”

Compared to Lu Fangchi, who had just been emotionally out of control, the current Lu Fangchi was calm to the point of being indifferent, like stagnant water. This attitude inexplicably made Zhou Zheng feel anxious. He opened his mouth to say something, but realizing that any words would be futile at this moment, he sadly lowered his eyelids, moved his fingers slightly, and whispered, “I’ll just rinse it with cold water.”

Lu Fangchi, who had just been emotionally out of control, now appeared calm and indifferent, like stagnant water.

This attitude inexplicably made Zhou Zheng feel anxious.

He wanted to say something, but realizing that any words would be futile at this moment, he sadly lowered his eyelids, moved his fingers slightly, and whispered, “I’ll just rinse it with cold water.”

Lu Fangchi frowned, his face full of disapproval.

Seeing the expression on Lu Fangchi’s face, Zhou Zheng pursed his lips and explained quietly, “I know my limits. I don’t think I’ve broken any bones.” As he spoke, he raised his hand and moved his fingers.

With this movement, Lu Fangchi saw his already swollen hand increase in size, with a bluish-purple bruise now visible on the back of his knuckles, looking quite alarming.

He reminded himself that it was Zhou Zheng who hadn’t let go.

“It’s my punishment for pretending to be hurt tonight,” Zhou Zheng said with a self-mocking smile, bringing up his despicable behavior at the bar.

Yes, he deserved it. Lu Fangchi’s lips pursed into a straight line.

Zhou Zheng took off his shoes, walked barefoot past Lu Fangchi, and headed to the kitchen with ease. He turned on the tap and let the cold water wash over his swollen fingers.

Lu Fangchi walked back to the sofa and sat down, not looking at Zhou Zheng.

The sound of dripping water gradually lessened and then stopped. Lu Fangchi’s ears twitched as he heard footsteps approaching from behind.

Zhou Zheng walked to the side of the sofa. Before he could speak, his gaze fell on the wall with a piece of plaster missing and the shattered phone on the floor.

He took two steps forward, bent down, and picked up the phone with his uninjured hand. He examined the phone, which was in a sorry state, and placed it back on the coffee table. In a low voice, he said, “You were that angry?”

Lu Fangchi didn’t respond, not even sparing him a glance.

“I’ll compensate you for it,” Zhou Zheng added.

Finally, Lu Fangchi reacted, coldly saying, “No need.”

Hearing this, Zhou Zheng didn’t argue. Instead, he walked back to the sofa, sat down beside Lu Fangchi, and reached for his hand.

Lu Fangchi reflexively tried to pull away, but the alpha anticipated his move and skillfully held on.

Lu Fangchi glared at him, about to say something, when he saw the alpha press a wet towel wrapped in an ice pack onto his wrist. He gently applied it and softly asked, “Does it hurt?”

Lu Fangchi looked down at the red mark on his wrist, a circle of swelling that looked quite alarming. It had probably hurt a bit at the time, but now it didn’t really hurt and didn’t need attention.

Compared to the injury on Zhou Zheng’s hand, it was insignificant. And the sight of Zhou Zheng using his swollen hand to apply the ice pack was quite comical.

Lu Fangchi tried to pull his hand away again. The sudden movement tugged at Zhou Zheng’s wound, causing him to slightly open his mouth and inhale sharply.

Lu Fangchi’s action paused.

Zhou Zheng bit his lower lip, then used his injured hand to firmly hold Lu Fangchi’s hand, seriously continuing the ice application.

What did this mean? Was he taking advantage of his own injury to do as he pleased?

Lu Fangchi’s eyebrows furrowed, and he said, “Let go.”

Zhou Zheng didn’t let go but said, “I’ll ice it for you. Otherwise, it’ll swell up badly tomorrow.”

The words were laughable, and Lu Fangchi retorted sarcastically, “If you hadn’t tied me up in the first place, it wouldn’t have swollen at all.”

Zhou Zheng’s action paused for a moment at this, then he continued icing, nodding in acknowledgment, “Yeah, I was wrong.”

…Lu Fangchi was left speechless, “Save your strength and ice your own hand instead.” As he spoke, he slightly lifted his wrist, signaling for him to let go.

Zhou Zheng ignored this, determined to see the icing through to the end.

Lu Fangchi’s eyebrows twisted into a knot, glaring at the alpha in front of him, thinking he couldn’t do anything about it?

Just as Lu Fangchi was about to get angry, Zhou Zheng spoke, “Why did you cry?”

Lu Fangchi: ?

Good question, a single sentence that killed the conversation.

There was no way Lu Fangchi would tell the truth and casually replied, “Because I’m brainwashed.”

Zhou Zheng’s thought process was quite peculiar. He asked, “Is the water me?” As he spoke, he raised his face, his eyes filled with sincerity.

There was hope, there was struggle, a mix of various emotions that Lu Fangchi couldn’t decipher.
Seeing that Lu Fangchi didn’t respond for a long time, Zhou Zheng asked again, “Is it because of me?”

Perhaps, maybe, possibly, yes. But Lu Fangchi wouldn’t admit it. He was asked a question that broke his defenses. This time, without regard for Zhou Zheng’s injured hand, he quickly pulled out his wrist and said, “Don’t flatter yourself.”

With a sorrowful look in his eyes, Zhou Zheng smiled as if his heart was breaking, “Yeah, I know.”

This expression of his… He knows again? Actually, Lu Fangchi didn’t need to care about what else Zhou Zheng was thinking. But to prevent something like today from happening again, it was better to clarify some things.

Lu Fangchi sat up straight and cleared his throat, “Yes, I am…”

Before he could finish, Zhou Zheng interrupted him again. The alpha lightly nodded his head, as if resigning himself to the situation, “It’s okay if you like him.”

Lu Fangchi: …

Who exactly had been drinking today? What was Zhou Zheng muttering about, on purpose? Was he determined to carry on with his split personality?

But this “him” didn’t seem to refer to the person in front of him. There was a subtle feeling that acknowledging it carried a certain momentum. So Lu Fangchi nodded and continued along the alpha’s line of thinking, “Right, I like him, and I hate you.”

It was actually a mix of love and hate.

Zhou Zheng nodded and began to apologize, “About that koi fish, I didn’t mean to…”

“I waited for you in the reception hall for a long time that day. I saw the koi fish kept bumping into the glass asking for food, so I thought I’d feed it a bit. I fed it a little at first, but I waited for you for too long and never saw you, so…”

He didn’t finish his sentence, but Lu Fangchi understood. He raised an eyebrow, “So you’re blaming me for not coming to see you sooner?”

“No,” Zhou Zheng immediately shook his head in denial, “I just wanted to see you, but I didn’t. I shouldn’t have used Liang Shuang to trip you up either.”

You realize you were wrong now, but why did you do it in the first place? Lu Fangchi thought to himself.

Zhou Zheng lowered his eyes and confessed honestly, “You always ignore me. I didn’t mean to really make Liang Shuang quit. I just used him to threaten you, thinking you might talk to me.” Unexpectedly, it backfired.

“Is it me who ignores you?” Lu Fangchi asked. Sometimes he couldn’t quite understand Zhou Zheng’s way of thinking. Were their thought processes really on the same line?

“Yeah, I was the one who ran away first,” Zhou Zheng nodded again and began to explain his actions, “I just wanted you to coax me a bit. I didn’t expect you to completely ignore me. I had to find a sense of existence.”

Lu Fangchi blinked his eyes, feeling almost dizzy from the confusion. Why could Zhou Zheng always speak so eloquently, making everything sound in his favor? His inexplicable actions were justified in his own words, as if Lu Fangchi was the one who ignored his emotions and pushed him to that point.

Lu Fangchi suddenly felt angry and raised his voice, “Ignore you? Isn’t it you who always disappears without a word, deletes friends at the slightest disagreement? Every time, wasn’t it me who initiated reconciliation first?”

“Yes,” Zhou Zheng admitted, but, “You didn’t come to me after that time.”

Referring to the time when I looked at you like trash? Zhou Zheng would have been better off not apologizing. Lu Fangchi couldn’t do anything about him anyway; they could just part ways. But apologizing meant sitting down to talk, implying there was still room for negotiation.

Lu Fangchi couldn’t help but retort and argued with him, “You ran away without a word. I looked for you, sent you messages, called you, and you didn’t respond. Right?”

Zhou Zheng: “Yes.”

“I don’t even know why. It was you who left without saying goodbye, but I was still looking for you. When I saw someone post a photo of you in a restaurant, I ran there like an idiot,” Lu Fangchi became agitated again as he spoke, extending his finger to poke Zhou Zheng’s shoulder, his eyes turning red, “And then you looked at me with that look, remembered something, and ran away. How was I supposed to think? I assumed we broke up and didn’t want to entangle further, and that still wasn’t enough?”

Zhou Zheng sensed Lu Fangchi’s intense anger but still licked his lips and whispered, “But you never asked me why I ran away. You didn’t ask me.”

You fucking what! Who gives a damn why you ran away! Lu Fangchi felt so angry that he was dizzy. He nodded forcefully, “Fine, tell me, why did you run away?” He wanted to hear what kind of excuse he would come up with.

“You said it wasn’t love…” Zhou Zheng’s voice was very low, as if he thought hearing this would make Lu Fangchi even angrier.

He wasn’t wrong. Lu Fangchi narrowed his eyes and instinctively asked, “What?”

His mind quickly replayed the phrase, “not love.”

Not love… not love… not love…

In the KTV, with dim lights and smoke swirling, Yu Yao had asked, “So in love?”

Lu Fangchi had said, “It’s not love, just…”

Yes, he remembered now.

He recalled being interrupted by a noise at the door, and he never finished his sentence.

It was from that moment that Zhou Zheng disappeared.

So he had heard it. Lu Fangchi remembered the unfinished second half of his sentence, which was “I do like him, though.”

They had only been together for a few months. Lu Fangchi didn’t dare to say “love” easily. What would he use to express his feelings for the long years ahead?

And all this because of a ridiculous misunderstanding. Lu Fangchi covered his eyes with his hand, laughing bitterly out of anger.

When he let go, his eyes were bloodshot as he cursed, “You always say I never asked you. Have you ever asked me, damn it?” Lu Fangchi instinctively reached for his phone, only to see the unsightly broken pieces on the coffee table.

He pulled open the drawer under the coffee table, took out a SIM card extractor, removed the SIM card from the broken phone, and held it up to Zhou Zheng.

Zhou Zheng naturally took out his phone from his pocket and handed it to Lu Fangchi. He quickly inserted the SIM card into his own phone, turned on airplane mode, and then turned it off.

A flood of text messages quickly poured in. Lu Fangchi scrolled through the screen a few times and slapped the phone on the coffee table in front of Zhou Zheng.

He wanted the alpha to see the content of the messages clearly—【Government SMS Platform】You have successfully booked a marriage registration service. The service number is A010203045. Please come on [date]…