Chapter 15
1726 Words
Retribution never fails. Xu Mei was feeling thoroughly satisfied.
She almost regretted not bringing a handful of sunflower seeds—if she had, this would’ve been perfect entertainment.
“Xu Mei?” one of the men in black smacked Xu Zhongya with a stick. “You seriously don't know what you did? Still pretending?”
Xu Zhongya winced in pain but didn’t dare get angry. He put on a polite face and said, “Ask Xu Mei to come meet me. I’ll apologize to her myself.”
“You nuts?” another man in black kicked him in the ribs. “We’re not even talking about that woman. Don’t you know who you messed with?”
Xu Zhongya’s swollen pig-like face turned pale. “Tingting?”
“Tingting? You think you can call her that?” A third man slapped him. “Do you even know who she belongs to?”
Xu Zhongya’s face turned uglier. “Belongs to who?”
The man sneered coldly but didn’t answer directly. “Take a look in the mirror, see what you are. Not every woman is yours to touch.”
Xu Mei finally pieced it together. Xu Zhongya had apparently messed with a woman he shouldn’t have touched.
Considering he had once married two wives at the same time, it wasn’t hard to see he was a womanizer. He had good looks, a decent amount of money, and women were always hovering around him.
In the original novel, several of his mistresses were jealous of Xu Lang and ended up discarded like trash.
After the deaths of the original host's mother and Xu Lang’s mother, Xu Zhongya swore never to marry again—but that was just a poetic excuse for his irresponsibility, a trick that won the devotion of naive young women.
But now? The man had clearly messed with someone powerful. This beating was karma.
Lying on the ground, Xu Zhongya suddenly remembered something. His eyes widened in fear. “Was it Han—”
“Shut up!” one of the black-clothed men snapped.
Xu Zhongya trembled visibly. Who exactly had he provoked?
Xu Mei was curious too. This wasn’t in the original plot.
In the book, Xu Zhongya faced business troubles that the male lead later helped him fix. But never once did he get beaten like this.
Han… Xu Mei was searching her memory for clues when she heard a loud voice.
“What’s going on here?!”
She turned and saw a tall, handsome young man striding into the alley. His features were refined, but there was still a trace of youthful innocence.
The black-clad men clearly didn’t want trouble. One of them gave Xu Zhongya a final warning gesture, and they all disappeared.
The young man rushed to help Xu Zhongya. “Sir, are you alright?”
Xu Zhongya shook his head weakly. He could barely move. “I’m fine. Thank you.”
The young man’s hand came back b****y. He frowned. “You’re seriously injured. You need to go to the hospital. I’ll take you. Do you know who those men were? Should we call the police?”
“No need. Just a misunderstanding.” Xu Zhongya panted against the wall. “Could you do me a favor? Call my daughter for me.”
The young man made the call. Xu Zhongya, trying to salvage some dignity, said, “I’ll wait here for my daughter. May I ask your name? Once I recover, I’ll repay you properly.”
“My name is Han Shu,” the man said with a gentle smile. “But there’s really no need—”
He didn’t finish his sentence. Xu Zhongya’s face changed dramatically.
“Your surname is Han?” he blurted out.
Xu Mei, clinging to the wall above, was even more shocked.
Han Shu?
No wonder she’d sensed something different about him.
Han Shu was the male lead in the original book.
She hadn’t connected the dots earlier, but now it clicked. The Han family was wealthy on the father’s side and politically powerful on the mother’s. By the time it reached Han Shu’s generation, they were one of the most influential families in the country.
Han Shu’s rise came from defeating Fu Shuyang and absorbing his empire, making Han the wealthiest family in the country.
“Han... What’s your relation to Han Yuanqi?” Xu Zhongya asked from the ground.
Han Shu paused, then answered calmly, “You mean the chairman of Han Group? I know him. He’s... not fond of me.”
Crafty.
Han Yuanqi was his father. According to the novel, they were currently in a fight over Han Shu’s choice to study art instead of going abroad. Han Yuanqi had threatened to cut him off.
It was during this rebellious period that Han Shu met Xu Lang. Mistaking him for a poor student, Xu Lang fed him and helped him. Touched by her kindness, Han Shu eventually reconciled with his father.
So their meeting timeline had now moved up?
But judging from what Xu Zhongya said, the mysterious “Tingting” might be related to Han Yuanqi.
Yet, Han Yuanqi was portrayed as a morally upright man in the original story, with not even a single scandal.
So... was the story changing?
Xu Mei looked down—and locked eyes with Han Shu.
“Be careful, miss,” Han Shu said first. “You might fall.”
Xu Mei: “…”
Xu Zhongya also turned his head slowly. When he saw her, he immediately coughed up blood.
“Are you okay?” Han Shu was startled, reaching out to help him.
Xu Zhongya shakily pointed a trembling finger at Xu Mei. “You... you remember this…”
“Hold on!” Xu Mei wouldn’t take the blame. She raised her voice. “You know exactly why you got beat up! Don’t drag me into this. Should we go over everything right now in front of Mr. Han?”
She deliberately emphasized the “Mr. Han” part. Sure enough, Xu Zhongya shut up.
Han Shu looked between the two of them and gently said, “Miss, you’d better come down. It’s not safe up there.”
At the same time, Xu Zhongya gritted his teeth. “It was Fu Shuyang who set me up. Tell him—tell him I’m not done with him!”
“Fu Shuyang?” Xu Mei was startled. That name again.
Without thinking, she jumped down from the wall.
It was over two meters high and the ground was uneven. Han Shu, startled, let go of Xu Zhongya and rushed to catch her.
From an outsider’s perspective, it looked like she’d thrown herself into Han Shu’s arms.
In the original book, Han Shu had disliked the original host from the very beginning. Xu Mei assumed they were destined to be enemies—so she hadn’t expected him to catch her. She froze.
“Dad!” a girl’s voice called out.
Xu Mei turned to see Xu Lang rushing in. Even more surprising, Fu Shuyang was right behind her.
He walked with a slow, steady pace that somehow kept up with Xu Lang’s speed.
“Fu-ge!” Xu Mei lit up when she saw him.
Fu Shuyang’s eyes darkened instantly, murderous energy pouring from him.
Xu Mei shivered. Worried he’d already blackened, she shoved Han Shu aside and ran to Fu Shuyang. “Where have you been these days? I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”
But Fu Shuyang’s eyes were locked on Han Shu. He walked toward him step by step, like a predator.
Han Shu took a step back under that pressure, then stiffened and stood tall.
Xu Lang noticed something was wrong. She darted in front of Han Shu. “Fu-ge, calm down!”
Xu Mei’s brow furrowed. When did Xu Lang get close to Fu Shuyang?
In the book, Fu Shuyang had no love interests. But he once said he admired Xu Lang. There was even a scene where he caught her and let her go, instead of using her as a bargaining chip.
So... did he already have feelings for her?
Whether he did or not, he didn’t show it. Fu Shuyang pushed Xu Lang aside and kept moving forward.
“Fu Shuyang!” Xu Mei panicked. She threw herself into his arms and hugged him tightly. “What’s wrong with you?! Calm down!”
It was summer. Her soft body pressed against him with only thin fabric between them.
Fu Shuyang stiffened, frozen in place.
“Don’t fight him. Please. Let’s talk.” Xu Mei buried herself in his chest, breath warm against his skin.
The heat traveled straight to his spine. All thoughts of hatred disappeared.
“Let go,” he said.
“No.” Xu Mei thought he still wanted to fight. She clung to him. “If you want to fight, you’ll have to get through me first.”
Fu Shuyang was speechless. “…I’m not fighting anymore.”
Xu Mei finally looked up, but only saw the back of his head. “Really?”
“Really.” He paused. “How long are you going to keep hugging me?”
Xu Mei realized what she was doing and quickly pulled away, face red. But she still tugged at his sleeve. “You promised. No fighting.”
“Mm.” Fu Shuyang gave Han Shu a long look, then turned to Xu Mei. He noticed her hand on his sleeve but didn’t pull it away. “Let’s go.”
“We’re leaving already?” Xu Mei was caught off guard as he dragged her away. She glanced back—Han Shu and the others were all wearing strange expressions.
“You still have something to do?” Fu Shuyang asked.
“No… Just curious. Why are you here?”
Fu Shuyang was silent for a few seconds. “To see Xu Zhongya.”
Xu Mei remembered what Xu Zhongya had said. “He said you set him up?”
Fu Shuyang nodded, but before he could explain, they had already exited the alley.
“Are you two okay—oh ho!” Chu Yeyan stood at the alley’s entrance. When he saw their posture, he whistled.
Xu Mei realized she was still clinging to Fu Shuyang’s sleeve. She instantly let go, her face burning.
- Writer
