Thousands Of People Thought Of Him - Chapter 7

One Step Ahead

Ying Fusang averted his gaze and pointed at Sun Wenhao, who was lying unconscious on the ground. Then he asked, “So what do we do with this guy?”

Qi Xingwen wasn’t worried at all. He said, “He’s not dead, no need to bother with him. Someone will come to find him later.”

Upon hearing this, Ying Fusang nodded. He patted the schoolbag that had fallen to the ground and was about to continue looking for a shared bike. As he reached the alley entrance, he asked again, “Does this count as self-defense?”

This question actually stumped the great immortal Qi Xingwen. He was somewhat confused and said, “Self-defense? Human law nowadays? What happens if it’s not?”

Ying Fusang fell silent. “…You get arrested.”

“Then it’s fine,” Qi Xingwen relaxed his eyebrows and casually said, “I can break him out of jail.”

Ying Fusang’s expression was fearless. “Then I should be the one in prison.”

Just two minutes after the two of them left, Liu Yizhuo, his face covered with a black cloth, sneaked quietly into the alley.

He was holding a sack, planning to follow the plan and drag away the unconscious Ying Fusang. However, he found no one there.

“That shouldn’t be…” He scratched his head and muttered to himself.

At that moment, a dark, writhing shape on the ground caught his eye.

Liu Yizhuo’s brain flashed with a sudden realization—it had to be the knocked-out Ying Fusang!

“Boss is really something; one move and it’s done!” So he didn’t bother to think why Sun Wenhao wasn’t there; he just focused on completing his task.

“I, I…” The person on the ground seemed to want to speak.

Sensing danger, Liu Yizhuo immediately stuffed a rag into the person’s mouth, covered their head with the black sack, tied their hands and feet, and then dragged the person deep into the alley. Mission accomplished.

After finishing, Liu Yizhuo nodded with satisfaction, hummed a tune, and walked out of the alley, completely forgetting about the missing Sun Wenhao.

…

It was Sunday again. Ying Fusang got up early and went to the bus stop to take a bus to the nearest bookstore.

Before parting with Qi Xingwen yesterday, the latter had specifically told him that he was busy today and couldn’t come, so Ying Fusang planned to stay in the attic to work on practice problems to pass the time.

“Welcome.”

Seeing someone arrive, the clerk smiled and helped open the shop door.

“May I ask what kind of book you’re looking for?” The store was not crowded, so she patiently started guiding him.

Ying Fusang was wearing a black baseball cap today. He lowered the brim to cover his hair as much as possible, nodded slightly, and said, “I want to find mock exams with new types of math questions for the college entrance exam.”

The clerk understood. “Alright, please follow me this way.”

They moved through various book sections and finally stopped at the high school textbook area, which happened to be next to the children’s books section. Not far from Ying Fusang, a woman was on the phone while accompanying a little girl.

She was dressed simply but stylishly, with wine-red large curls and black sunglasses covering most of her face. Her aura was extraordinary—she stood out even in a crowd.

Ying Fusang glanced at her briefly before looking back to carefully select materials on the shelf. Though he didn’t intend to eavesdrop, her voice was clear enough due to proximity.

“I’m playing with Yao Yao. Okay, got it. I’ll handle it when I get back.”

After she hung up, Ying Fusang finished choosing his books. The four of them headed almost simultaneously toward the cashier.

The woman seemed somewhat hurried and, holding the little girl’s hand, quickly got ahead of Ying Fusang.

“Sorry, please let me pass.”

When she slightly tilted her head to look at Ying Fusang, it seemed as if they exchanged a brief glance through her sunglasses. After that fleeting eye contact, they passed by each other.

There were a few people in between when it was Ying Fusang’s turn to check out, and by then, the woman and child had already left for a while.

While scanning the payment code, he overheard two clerks chatting nearby.

“Hey, was that the person people were talking about online…?”

“I saw her too. She’s a big designer just back from abroad, I think her name is Qin something?”

“Oh right, I remember, it’s Qin…”

Ying Fusang didn’t listen further. Holding the practice book, he left the bookstore.

“Beep.”

Just as he pushed open the Ying family’s front door, he heard voices. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the living room filled with people—this time, it was truly a gathering of distinguished guests.

While bending down to change shoes, he caught Ying Chenglang’s deliberately loud voice.

“What’s the point of wearing a hat? If you’re so afraid people see you, why not just shave your head?”

Ying Fusang ignored him; his ear’s auto-filter was already activated.

“Watch your mouth!” came Ying Deqing’s voice, tinged with anger.

When Ying Fusang was brought here at eight years old, Ying Chenglang cried out in terror at first sight, shouting “Monster!” and ran away quickly.

Ying Deqing, the second son, was a bit embarrassed and sent servants to dye Ying Fusang’s hair black.

However, the dyeing process did not go smoothly; reportedly, several times the color wouldn’t take.

Eventually, after finally dyeing it black, the next day when Ying Fusang came out of his room, his black hair had turned white again.

Once or twice could be blamed on Ying Fusang himself, but this happening repeatedly was suspicious.

Businesspeople are superstitious by nature, especially faced with such strange events, Ying Deqing immediately decreed that no one was allowed to touch Ying Fusang’s hair anymore.

Ying Fusang walked into the living room and saw Shi Suying patting Ying Deqing’s back to soothe him, while signaling Ying Chenglang to say something nice, but Ying Chenglang remained indifferent and silent.

Ignoring what they thought, Ying Fusang greeted everyone mildly and headed back to his room.

“Wait.”

Shi Suying suddenly called out to him.

“Bai Yu wants to help tend our family’s flower garden. Fusang, you go help him.”

She looked at Ying Fusang with a gentle and kind smile, but the tone left no room for refusal.

Hearing this, Fang Baiyu, who had not spoken before, opened his eyes slightly, surprised and hesitant to speak.

“Mom, didn’t we just agree I’d go with little Yu?”

Standing there as background for a while, Ying Fusang suddenly asked, “Has Uncle Liu been dismissed?”

Uncle Liu was one of the Ying family’s gardeners.

No one answered. Ying Chenglang was the first to jump up, irritated.

“Xiaoyu means well! He studied this abroad. What are you, who can’t do anything, doubting him here?”

Ying Fusang activated his automatic noise filter again.

Seeing the tense atmosphere, Ying Deqing glanced at them and decided, “Fine, let Fusang go.” He then stood up with hands behind his back and said to Ying Shouchuan, “Come with me to the study.”

Ying Shouchuan, who had begun to get involved with company affairs this year, had no choice but to obediently stand. He then glanced at Fang Baiyu with a complicated expression.

Coincidentally, Fang Baiyu was looking at Ying Fusang at that moment, his face saying: I didn’t expect this either; it’s not my request this time.

Having said that, Ying Fusang couldn’t refuse and expressionlessly replied, “Alright, I’ll go put my things away.”

…

The Ying family’s flower garden wasn’t very big, but tending it was no easy task.

Just as Ying Fusang guessed, Fang Baiyu didn’t plan to do anything with the well-maintained boxwood. Instead, he headed straight to the area planted with roses.

March was the pruning season for roses. The gardener hadn’t yet managed it, so the growth was wild and rampant.

Fang Baiyu walked ahead, and Ying Fusang followed with a bucket of tools.

“Give me a pair of pruning shears, please.”

After receiving the shears, Fang Baiyu bent down and seriously began to trim the rose branches.

“Snip.”

After cutting the main branches short, he suddenly spoke softly.

“Do you know why we prune like this?”

“To suppress apical dominance and promote lateral bud growth.” Ying Fusang had remembered what Qi Xingwen said, keeping a five-meter distance.

Fang Baiyu smiled and continued trimming dead, diseased, and crossing branches.

“Isn’t it interesting? Just to affect nutrient flow, humans have to cut a helpless rose so many times.”

“Compared to its original state, after pruning it looks bare. Do you still think it’s beautiful?”

Compared to the rampant growth earlier, the pruned rose did indeed look much thinner, but Ying Fusang did not follow his thinking.

“Most flowers hide their so-called ‘beauty’ before blooming.”

“Besides, pruning is an essential step to ensure healthy rose growth. It also enhances its ornamental value,” Ying Fusang calmly added.

“Whether for viewing or selling, it all comes down to satisfying human desires. Guess if those scissors fell, would the roses feel pain?” Fang Baiyu’s face was full of sadness and regret, but his actions were opposite—his hand holding the shears was still fast and precise.

Ying Fusang continued, “Pain is the nervous system’s perception and response to harmful stimuli. Plants do not have this sensory ability.”

“You’re still so rational,” Fang Baiyu put away the shears, lightly stroking the rust on them. Then suddenly, looking up abruptly, he asked, “Xiao Sang, do you really hate me?”

A similar question.

Ying Fusang was unclear about Fang Baiyu’s intent but shook his head, “I don’t hate you.” To avoid misunderstandings, he added, “That’s all.”

“…”

“Alright,” Fang Baiyu smiled and sighed as if to end the topic, “But I still think ‘desire’ is a terrifying word.”

“Please give me a pair of ordinary long scissors.” He handed the pruning shears back to Ying Fusang.

Without responding to his many feelings, Ying Fusang lowered his head, rummaged through the bucket, and handed him the scissors he asked for.

Taking the scissors, Fang Baiyu squinted his eyes, suddenly curled his lips and looked at him.

“Now, I will show you this word.”

The moment he finished speaking, he swiftly and sharply slashed his own arm with the sharp scissors.

A cold gleam flashed, and bl00d immediately poured out.

“Buzz—”

At this scene, Ying Fusang felt the same discomfort as that day in the equipment room.

First came the ringing in his ears, as if a needle had pierced through his left ear, passing through his entire brain to the right ear.

Then came dizziness and headache, the needle suddenly turning into an axe that split his head in half.

Lastly, his heart throbbed violently, pounding heavily, making it hard for him to breathe, as if a meat grinder was working to shred his heart and his whole body.

Contrary to his external appearance, Ying Fusang was very tolerant. Without close observation, one wouldn’t notice anything unusual.

In the flashing black-and-white vision, he saw Fang Baiyu clutching his bloodied arm, shouting loudly, his expression both aggrieved and frightened—utterly pitiful, a perfect description for him.

Really…

Ying Fusang had no further comment on the scene. He struggled to keep his eyes open for a long time but finally his heavy eyelids fell like a puppet with its strings cut, and he lost consciousness again.

When the people inside heard the commotion from the living room and study and rushed to the flower garden, the first thing they saw was not Fang Baiyu’s bleeding arm, but—

Ying Fusang, facing away from them, falling straight down like a kite with its string cut.