Can I still be saved? [Transmigration] - Chapter 38
They spent the whole day in the hotel working on assignments together.
After finishing his own homework, Su Yunjing even tutored Fu Hanzhou on the lessons he had missed.
At night, Su Yunjing went home to grab a change of clothes and told Guo Xiuhui that he would be staying over at a classmate’s place.
The original host had slept over at friends’ homes before, so Guo Xiuhui didn’t think much of it.
Su Yunjing didn’t eat dinner at home, and instead, he went with Fu Hanzhou to a self-serve hotpot restaurant.
Inside the restaurant, Su Yunjing noticed someone smoking and, as if reminded of something, said to Fu Hanzhou, “Smoking is bad for you. Don’t do it again.”
The steam from the soup pot lingered over Fu Hanzhou’s eyebrows, and a faint red tint shone through the corners of his eyes, like a crabapple blossom blooming under the full moon.
Even in the noisy, bustling atmosphere, he still carried himself with the air of an elegant young master, refined and aloof.
The elegant young master’s long eyelashes fluttered, his brows curved in a graceful, restrained manner. “I couldn’t sleep well before, and I’d get irritable, so I’d smoked one. But I won’t do it anymore.”
Pleased, Su Yunjing scooped some shrimp paste into the clear broth for him.
Fu Hanzhou waited until it was cooked, fished it out, dipped it in sauce, and placed it into his mouth.
His lips, steamed red by the heat, glistened like wet petals.
The way his lips and teeth worked over the pale shrimp paste, his throat bobbing as he swallowed—it was inexplicably sensual.
Su Yunjing realized that the “little tsundere” really was stunning. Not just good-looking, but breathtakingly beautiful.
No wonder he would one day become a top-tier superstar, adored by all.
Seeing Su Yunjing smile faintly for no reason, Fu Hanzhou asked, “What’s funny?”
Swishing tripe in the broth, Su Yunjing replied, “Nothing. Just thinking that your looks are really off the charts. If you ever became a celebrity, I don’t know how many girls would swoon over you.”
Fu Hanzhou had never paid much attention to his own appearance.
But hearing such a candid compliment from Su Yunjing, he suddenly felt that being good-looking wasn’t so bad.
At least he was willing to look at him.
He was willing to show it to him.
After eating their fill, they returned to the hotel, each showering off the lingering hotpot smell.
Comfortably lying on the bed, Su Yunjing felt like life couldn’t get any better.
In the darkness, Fu Hanzhou suddenly asked, “Are you going to celebrate my birthday tomorrow?”
“As long as you know what you want, I’ll buy it for you,” Su Yunjing replied, then quickly added, “Just… nothing too expensive.”
He was still a student, after all. Though his family wasn’t lacking money and his allowance was generous, Su Yunjing always felt it best not to be wasteful.
“There’s someone else whose birthday is today too.” Fu Hanzhou’s clear, cool voice drifted slowly in the night, tinged with a strange loneliness.
Su Yunjing’s heart gave a jolt.
His voice rasped slightly, “Who else?”
Though he already knew who Fu Hanzhou meant—Lu Jiaming, his former identity.
“A friend I knew when I was young,” Fu Hanzhou said.
It was rare for the ‘little tsundere’ to open up about his past. Even though Su Yunjing knew it all already, to Fu Hanzhou, it was an act of trust.
So Su Yunjing kept silent, patiently waiting for him to go on.
Minutes passed. Seven, eight at least and Su Yunjing’s patience wore thin.Su Yunjing nearly thought Fu Hanzhou had fallen asleep.
Unable to hold back, he asked, “And then?”
“Then he died.”
His voice was so low it could’ve been carried away by the faintest breeze.
Su Yunjing’s chest tightened, but he continued waiting.
After another seven or eight minutes. Finally, Su Yunjing arched a brow. “That’s it?”
“That’s it.”
Su Yunjing: …What?!
They’d been together for over half a year, and all he got for his past self was… two sentences?
He turned to look at Fu Hanzhou.
The boy lay flat on his back, eyes closed, straight nose bridge, delicate lips. His expression revealed nothing.
Then, suddenly, Fu Hanzhou rolled onto his side, curling up like a child, resting his head against Su Yunjing’s shoulder.
A posture of someone in desperate need of protection.
Su Yunjing froze, the weight of his vulnerability pressing on him. His nose stung unbearably.
Clearing his throat, he tried to keep his voice steady.
“Lie flat and sleep. That posture’s bad for your bones.” He sounded like an old grandfather.
Obediently, Fu Hanzhou stretched out his legs.
With nothing left between them, he edged closer, nearly plastering himself against Su Yunjing.
He must be grieving.
They’d been so close back then. and he passed away suddenly. According to Little cool cub’s personality, he would be very sad, after all, he used to rely on him so much.
Patting his back, Su Yunjing whispered, “It’s all in the past. Don’t dwell on it.”
Fu Hanzhou’s long lashes brushed against his neck as he opened his eyes, sending a ticklish shiver through him.
Grabbing a fistful of Su Yunjing’s shirt, he buried himself in the hollow of his neck.
The next morning, Su Yunjing woke up aching all over.
Having been clung to tightly all night, he’d slept in one position until his limbs were stiff and creaky.
Seeing this, Fu Hanzhou massaged his arm in silence, lips pressed thin. When asleep, he simply couldn’t help gravitating toward Su Yunjing—perhaps because Su Yunjing was so warm, and he himself feared the cold.
After breakfast, Su Yunjing finally felt alive again.
“So, did you decide what birthday gift you want?” he asked, stretching his arm.
Fu Hanzhou made a simple request: “I want a bicycle.”
Su Yunjing thought he meant a cool mountain bike.
Never in his life did he expect that what little tsundere wanted was just… a regular bicycle.
And at a much friendlier price than a mountain bike too.
Watching the little cool boy test the back seat for stability, Su Yunjing carefully said, “Actually, you don’t have to save so much for me.”
Fu Hanzhou ignored him and asked the shop owner, “How much is this one?”
The shop owner grinned. “Since you’re serious, I’ll give you the real price—two hundred sixty yuan. You’re students, right? Don’t worry, I won’t overcharge you.”
Fu Hanzhou asked, “Is this seat sturdy?”
“Absolutely,” the boss assured him. “Two young lads like you can ride this one without any problems at all.”
Fu Hanzhou swung one long leg over, sat down, then turned back to Su Yunjing. “Get on.”
Su Yunjing: “…”
This was classic behavior of a rich young master.
As someone who’d grown up less privileged, Su Yunjing had been cycling since junior high, ferrying countless classmates on his back seat. He didn’t need to test—it would definitely hold.
“Come on,” Fu Hanzhou urged.
Fine, fine.
Giving him face, Su Yunjing climbed on.
Fu Hanzhou took Su Yunjing for a spin on the bike, then braked smoothly, one long leg propping against the ground.
“Comfortable?” he asked.
“It’s okay,” Su Yunjing replied. It was definitely not as comfortable as a car. This thing would rub your butt if you sat in it for too long.
“Then we’ll take this one,” Fu Hanzhou said, ready to pay. “Two sixty, right?”
The shop owner beamed. “Right, two sixty. Honestly, I’m basically giving it away!”
But Su Yunjing slapped a hand over Fu Hanzhou’s wallet. Putting on an air of extravagance, he declared, “It’s your birthday today. This bike’s on me.”
Just after showing off, he immediately turned to the boss and started bargaining: “Two sixty’s too steep. One-fifty.”
Fu Hanzhou: “…”
Shop owner: “…”
The boss waved. “That’s impossible. This isn’t some knock-off, it’s a proper brand. At two sixty, I’m already not making money.”
Su Yunjing said with a smile, “Come on, boss, you opened this shop to make a profit. No one does business at a loss. “Let’s not play games. Here’s how. I’ll give you ten more, one hundred and sixty.”
Su Yunjing and the boss went back and forth for a while, and finally bought the bike for one hundred and eighty-five.
Su Yunjing paid, then snatched the bike from Fu Hanzhou and said grandly, “It’s your birthday—I’ll take you for a ride, let you experience what it’s like to be a pampered young master.”
The corners of Fu Hanzhou’s lips curved faintly.
His slender hands clasped Su Yunjing’s waist, he sat on the back seat of the bicycle, his long legs hanging lazily. Because they were too long, his long legs folded awkwardly.
Su Yunjing rode the bicycle, carrying Fu Hanzhou through the streets and alleys.
The cold wind of early winter blew past their ears, and messy hair flew wildly in the wind.
It had been a long time since Su Yunjing rode a bike, and took anyone with him for a long time, the nostalgia of youth washed over him.
“You really only want a bicycle?” he asked over his shoulder.
Fu Hanzhou’s hand pressed lightly against Su Yunjing’s lean waist. Even through thick winter clothes, warmth spread into his palm.
In a good mood, he answered with a soft “mm.”
The sound was airy, fading into the wind, carried away in all directions.
Su Yunjing spotted a milk tea shop up ahead, and his eyes lit up, eager to try it. “Do you drink milk tea?” he asked, licking his lips.
It was embarrassing to admit that, as a man, he loved pearl milk tea, and he had an obsessive-compulsive habit of chewing the pearls inside, which was a real relief.
Fu Hanzhou wasn’t fond of sweets, especially sticky drinks.
But hearing the eagerness in Su Yunjing’s voice, he asked, “What flavor do you want?”
“Original. Medium size,” Su Yunjing replied quickly, braking to stop.
Before the bike was even steady, Fu Hanzhou had already gotten off, striding inside with his long legs.
Su Yunjing propped himself up on one leg, waiting for Fu Hanzhou to return.
The milk tea shop wasn’t crowded at this hour, so Fu Hanzhou quickly returned with a large cup of original milk tea.
He poked a straw into a cup and handed it to Su Yunjing.
Su Yunjing slurped a big mouthful while it was still warm. “You’re not drinking?” he mumbled around the straw.
The girl, perhaps impressed by Fu Hanzhou’s good looks, offered him plenty of pearls.
Fu Hanzhou shook his head. “I can’t finish that much. We’ll share.”
Su Yunjing didn’t see anything wrong with it and took two more sips, slurping up a good amount of pearls. Finally satisfied.
He handed the milk tea back to Fu Hanzhou, who chewed the pearls like Popeye eating spinach, full of energy.
Fu Hanzhou sat on the back of the bike, and Su Yunjing kicked off with one leg, the wind in his ears even stronger.
Fu Hanzhou held the hot milk tea in his hand. At a red light, he leaned forward and pressed the straw to Su Yunjing’s lips.
Su Yunjing, pleased at the service, lowered his eyes with a smile and took a big sip of milk tea.
When the light turned green, Fu Hanzhou withdrew his hand.
He looked at the slightly moist straw, lowered his head and took a sip, politely.
The warm liquid mixed with the aroma of milk slid into his throat. very sweet.
…
After Su Yunjing had been pedaling for ten minutes, Fu Hanzhou stretched one long leg to the ground, making it harder for him to keep riding smoothly.
“Hm?” Su Yunjing glanced back at him.
“Tired?” Fu Hanzhou asked.
“I’m fine.”
“The milk tea’s getting cold.”
Su Yunjing immediately yielded the seat with mock solemnity. “Then you ride for a bit. I need to finish it off, milk tea doesn’t taste good once it’s cold.”
They switched places.
Su Yunjing sat comfortably in the back seat, sipping his pearl milk tea, feeling very comfortable.
Fu Hanzhou’s broad back shielded him from the icy wind from the front. The tips of his ears, whipped red by the cold, looked almost fragile.
Su Yunjing reached out to touch them. they really were freezing.
He lifted the milk tea cup to warm one ear, while covering the other with his hand.
“Were you a block of ice in your previous life?” Su Yunjing couldn’t help but tease.
Fu Hanzhou’s voice floated back lazily through the wind. “Then you must have been a fire.”
“To restrain you?” Su Yunjing raised an eyebrow.
Why did it feel like this little tsundere was born just to counter him?
Fu Hanzhou only chuckled softly, saying nothing more.
Not just his ears, even the nape of Fu Hanzhou’s neck, exposed to the wind, was cold like carved ice.
They happened to pass by a digital sportswear store and saw a red scarf with letters on it hanging on the mannequin in the window.
Su Yunjing called for Fu Hanzhou to stop, dragged him inside, and bought the scarf on the spot.
Coming out, Su Yunjing insisted that he take the back seat again, while he himself pedaled.
Fu Hanzhou was wrapped in a red scarf. In Su Yunjing’s words, it was his birthday today and buying a red scarf was auspicious.
The scarf was long, wrapped twice around, with the ends draping over his chest.
Sitting behind, Fu Hanzhou stared at the slender line of Su Yunjing’s neck extending from his collar.
He suddenly took off his scarf, put one end around Su Yunjing’s neck, and the other end around himself.
Su Yunjing wasn’t nearly as sensitive to cold as Fu Hanzhou. After a while of cycling, he even felt a bit hot.
“I’m not cold,” Su Yunjing muttered, trying to tug the scarf off. But the person behind him suddenly tightened it. It wasn’t so tight that he couldn’t breathe, but it was a bit uncomfortable.
Fu Hanzhou tightened one hand around the scarf, while the other slipped under the hem of Su Yunjing’s coat.
His fingers were icy, as if they had just been dipped in a frozen pond, brushing against the hollow of Su Yunjing’s waist.
Even through the thermal layer, Su Yunjing was still shivered by his hand.
He hissed sharply. “Hiss, that’s too much.”
Fu Hanzhou rested his forehead on Su Yunjing’s back and laughed softly.
The laughter started in his chest, overflowed into his throat, Because of joy, his shoulders trembled slightly with laughter.
Su Yunjing, who was pressed against him, could clearly feel the vibration of it.
It was rare to see this little tsundere laugh so freely. Su Yunjing assumed he was just thrilled at pulling off a prank.
But joy was contagious. Before he realized it, Su Yunjing found himself smiling too. “You just can’t go a day without tormenting me, can you?”
Fu Hanzhou didn’t reply. His fingers only tightened quietly on that strip of red.
The corners of his lips lifted, his eyes rippling with laughter like water disturbed by a stone.
I’ve tied you down.
Since it was Fu Hanzhou’s birthday, Su Yunjing thought he should at least buy him a cake. So, he stopped in front of a bakery.
Just as he was about to get off the bike, he realized he couldn’t move—he was trapped by the scarf.
He had thought Fu Hanzhou had only wrapped it around his neck. Who knew the boy had wound it around both of them twice, then, in a stroke of mischief, tied a dead knot.
Su Yunjing: “…”
So childish. Su Yunjing had really learned something new today.
The knot was tied too tightly. Su Yunjing fumbled for quite a while before finally loosening it, then went into the shop and bought a palm-sized cake.
Fu Hanzhou wasn’t fond of sweets, so two-thirds of it ended up fed straight into Su Yunjing’s stomach.
They weren’t in any rush to head back. Riding the bike leisurely, they would stop whenever they spotted a snack shop that caught their eye.
They stopped and started along the way, taking turns pedaling,they treated it as a bit of exercise.
By the time they wobbled along into the mid-afternoon, it was already three o’clock. That was when Su Yunjing got a call from Guo Xiuhui.
Instinctively, he glanced at Fu Hanzhou, then stepped aside with his phone to take the call.
As soon as he picked up, Guo Xiuhui’s voice came through: “Cici, are you still at your classmate’s place?”
“No, I’m outside right now.”
“Then has Xiao Fu called you? It’s Sunday today, and he’s supposed to start at No. 2 High tomorrow. He should be arriving a day early, right?”
Su Yunjing didn’t expect Guo Xiuhui to care about this. The lie was already made up, and he could only continue to cover it up.
“Um, his flight tonight will arrive around 7 or 8.”
Guo Xiuhui seemed particularly concerned about whether the two of them had been in touch. She pressed for confirmation: “Did he tell you that himself, or did you ask him?”
Su Yunjing thought the question a bit odd and, after a moment’s deliberation, said, “He called me.”
There was a pause of several seconds on the other end, before her voice came back: “If he’s landing around 7 or 8, then he hasn’t boarded yet. Give Xiao Fu a call, and tell him to come straight here after he lands.”
Su Yunjing, worried that Fu Hanzhou showing up would make things unbearably awkward for the whole family, quickly added, “I already told him to stay at a hotel tonight, and just move into the school dorm tomorrow.”
Guo Xiuhui: “Don’t rush into dorm life. Xiao Fu just transferred here, he doesn’t know anyone, doesn’t know the place. Let him stay at home for a few days first. The rest can be decided later.”
Su Yunjing was dumbfounded.
Just how sincere had Fu Hanzhou’s apology been that it could move Guo Xiuhui to say something like that?
With a complicated feeling, he hung up the phone and turned to look at Fu Hanzhou.
He circled around him once, giving him a thorough inspection from head to toe.
To Su Yunjing’s puzzling behavior, Fu Hanzhou responded with maximum patience, standing still and letting him look.
Su Yunjing couldn’t help but wonder: what special trick did this little tsundere have when it came to apologizing, that even after making such a huge mistake, he could still win everyone’s forgiveness?
Unable to hold back his doubt, Su Yunjing asked, “What exactly did you tell my grandma that day?”
Fu Hanzhou: “Nothing much. I just told them the truth.”
Su Yunjing raised his brows, clearly unconvinced. It couldn’t possibly be that simple.
“My grandma said you should stay at my place for a few days before moving into the dorms. What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I don’t mind. Either way is fine.”
Seeing how unsurprised Fu Hanzhou was by this news, Su Yunjing felt even more certain there was something fishy. He scrutinized Fu Hanzhou hard, hoping to spot some clues.
Guo Xiuhui’s sudden change in attitude felt too fast. Su Yunjing couldn’t shake the sense that there was something he didn’t know.
The only person he could ask was Fu Hanzhou. “You really didn’t say anything else that day?”
Fu Hanzhou met his gaze and said slowly, “I told them that I never had a mom growing up, and my dad was always too busy with work to spend time with me.”
“After getting to know you more deeply, I realized we’re alike in many ways. That’s why I regretted everything I did—the way I hurt you, and exposing your identity.”
Su Yunjing’s pupils trembled; his whole body felt like it was about to explode.
In Fu Hanzhou’s dark, bottomless eyes, Su Yunjing could clearly see his own stunned reflection.
“What’s wrong? Did I say something wrong?” Fu Hanzhou’s gaze locked with him. “Isn’t that why you’ve been treating me so well?”
Su Yunjing’s throat heaved. He forced out a reply: “That’s part of it, yes.”
By all logic—
When Fu Hanzhou had exposed at the wedding that Wen Ci was actually Wen Yanlai’s son, causing such a humiliating scene—if the original Wen Ci were here, he definitely would have beaten Fu Hanzhou half to death.
Even with the thickest of rose-colored filters for him, even Su Yunjing had been startled by the ruthlessness of Fu Hanzhou’s methods.
For a while, Su Yunjing had wanted to back out.
He thought about listening to Wen Yanlai’s arrangements—quietly returning to Henglin to study, and not contacting Fu Hanzhou again for at least a year or two.
But later, by chance, he discovered that Fu Hanzhou’s mental state had worsened.
After much hesitation, he still approached on his own initiative, wanting to see if there was anything he could do to help.
He did have feelings for Fu Hanzhou, so he couldn’t bear to watch him destroy himself like that.
But Su Yunjing’s current identity was Wen Ci.
He was the last person who should be concerned about Fu Hanzhou, and the least likely to become his friend.
If not for Fu Hanzhou, his status as an illegitimate son would never have been exposed.
And now, Fu Hanzhou had conveniently given Su Yunjing’s actions an excuse.
They had both grown up in broken families. Each could see their own reflection in the other. So, naturally, they pitied one another and clung together for warmth.
It was a perfectly reasonable explanation, nothing about it seemed wrong. But if seen from Wen Yanlai and Guo Xiuhui’s perspective, the matter took on an entirely different weight.
Su Yunjing becoming friends with Fu Hanzhou could only mean one thing: that on the surface he had accepted the ‘illegitimate child’ revelation, but in truth he still hadn’t untangled his feelings about it.
Yet this wasn’t something he could go around declaring. With Fu Hanzhou, someone from a family background as fractured as his own, he had found the only outlet for his pent-up knots and grievances.
Now, in Wen Yanlai and Guo Xiuhui’s eyes, Su Yunjing might look calm and unaffected. But in reality, his heart was full of scars, still brooding over his birth.
At last, Su Yunjing understood why Wen Yanlai had been so irritable that day, and why Guo Xiuhui was so concerned about his relationship with Fu Hanzhou.
Turns out, the little tsundere had unknowingly dug a pit.
Suddenly, a terrifying thought struck Su Yunjing all at once.
Was Fu Hanzhou just a blind cat that caught a dead mouse or had he deliberately chosen those words with Guo Xiuhui?
Unease churned in Su Yunjing’s chest, his temples throbbing violently.
“Do you really understand what you did wrong?” Su Yunjing looked at the beautiful boy in front of him, his tone laced with doubt.
Right now, he worried that the Fu Hanzhou before him wasn’t the little tsundere, but Niuhuru Hanzhou, staging some palace intrigue against him.
Fu Hanzhou lowered his gaze, his eyes calm and clear. “Mm. From now on, I won’t oppose my dad marrying her.”
He wouldn’t do anything if Su Yunjing didn’t like it.
Hearing that, Su Yunjing finally felt a measure of relief. “Then let’s go home.”
Because of Fu Hanzhou’s unique interpretation of their friendship, the entire situation had taken a dramatic turn.
Even Wen Yanlai, who had originally been so hardline, didn’t voice any objections to Fu Hanzhou moving into the house.
It wasn’t that she no longer rejected him, it was that she didn’t dare make any rash moves.
Back then, the more Su Yunjing had appeared to understand her, the more worried she was now about his mental state.
Guo Xiuhui kept asking him about his relationship with Fu Hanzhou—really, she just wanted to probe from the side and glimpse Su Yunjing’s true thoughts.
Wen Yanlai had even gone so far as to consult a psychologist.
The psychologist told her: the better Su Yunjing’s relationship with Fu Hanzhou, the more it showed his rejection of his original family.
The moment the secret of his illegitimacy was exposed, Su Yunjing felt betrayed by his family’s deception.
That sense of betrayal bred a rebellious streak, and even a strange kind of emotional dependence on Fu Hanzhou.
The psychologist had used complicated, jargon-filled language.
But to sum it up in one sentence: right now, Su Yunjing trusted Fu Hanzhou more than he trusted his own family.
Spooked by the psychologist’s warning, the whole family decided it would be better to have Fu Hanzhou live at home.
At least that way, with both kids under their roof, whatever they did would be within their sight.
Su Yunjing: “…”
After figuring out Guo Xiuhui and the others’ thinking, Su Yunjing stayed silent for a long while.
He wasn’t rebelling. He really did understand Wen Yanlai, even including her refusal to let Fu Hanzhou live in the house. But precisely because he seemed too understanding, it came across as a problem in itself.
Still, by sheer accident, they’d managed to get Fu Hanzhou moved into the household.
Now, even if Su Yunjing wanted to explain, he had no way to start.
How could he explain why he and the little tsundere got along so well?
If he’d known it would turn out like this, he never would’ve brought him home that first time.
Who could’ve predicted this whole chain of events?
Su Yunjing’s head ached, it was like they were making him out to have some psychological disorder.
Fu Hanzhou, on the other hand, stayed utterly calm, with a “since I’m here, I may as well settle in” attitude.
In truth, he’d rather live in the school dorm with Su Yunjing.
That way, after school Su Yunjing wouldn’t be walking Jiang Chunan home anymore, or doing homework with him.
But since Su Yunjing couldn’t move into the dorm just yet, Fu Hanzhou could only stay with him in the Wen household.