Chapter Nine: If You're Angry, You Can Delete the Phone

The phone still lay on the armrest of the sofa, charging, its pitch-black screen concealing an abyss without bottom.

He Yue propped herself up with one hand on the sofa, maintaining a posture as if reaching out, and slowly turned her head to gaze at Fu Linxing, causing a chill to creep into his heart.

He clearly remembered turning off the player, but due to time constraints, he hadn’t closed the file manager running in the background. If his mother opened it, she might discover something.

But the mere possibility of that was hardly cause for alarm. Normally, people borrowing phones wouldn’t casually open background apps, and even if they did, they might not notice anything…

Moreover, he could have simply handed the phone over and glanced at it under the pretense of checking messages, then swiped it away casually.

In short, there was absolutely no need to overreact like this.

Yet, overly nervous, he had already blurted out, and facing He Yue’s gradually narrowing eyes, he was sweating profusely!

He Yue withdrew her hand, her maternal smile tinged with a hint of sarcasm as she looked at him: “Why not?”

“I have my privacy! You asked me a question, and before I could even agree, you grabbed the phone. What if you see something you shouldn’t?”

Fu Linxing feigned exasperation but was truly panicked. Then, as if that wasn’t enough, he added another jab: “I’m your son, not your old man Fu. You can’t just look at my phone whenever you want…”

That sentence hit He Yue like a dagger; her expression instantly hardened, making Fu Linxing shrink back involuntarily.

Now it was certain she wouldn’t pursue the phone matter, but this seemed even scarier than before…

However, as Fu Linxing had guessed, she didn’t lash out at him. Instead, she muttered gloomily, “Don’t mention your father, that old Fu. He doesn’t even want this family anymore…

“Seriously, it makes me mad just talking about him. He acts like I can look at his phone any time, but if I stand behind him while he’s using it, he instinctively turns away. There’s definitely something suspicious… Go on, cancel what needs to be canceled and give it back to me.”

She waved her hand dismissively, crossed her arms, and turned her face away.

Fu Linxing sheepishly unplugged the charger and swiped at his phone.

He Yue added, “I don’t care if you’re in an early romance or playing games. Just don’t let it affect your studies. Your generation is different; if your grades drop, you can be directly sent to vocational school.”

“I understand, I understand…”

“I’m not the kind of parent who sneaks into diaries. Having a few little secrets is fine. Even if you watch… adult videos, I can accept it as long as you exercise restraint.”

“Okay, okay… No!” Fu Linxing suddenly realized, his face flushing, “I didn’t watch! I was just saying… I…”

“Enough. Everyone knows what a boy your age thinks about.” He Yue’s tone turned serious. “But I warn you, absolutely, absolutely don’t touch online gambling! And that recent thing, ‘Demonic Ash’—you’re not secretly using it, are you?”

“Demonic Ash?” Fu Linxing asked in confusion. “What’s that?”

“Good if you haven’t touched it. That stuff’s illegal. Aunt Xiao Han caught quite a few students breaking the law, including the son of one of my clients. It gave her a real headache.

“You kids are strange sometimes—grabbing onto anything to sniff: glue, correction fluid, energy sticks—you name it. I just don’t get it… Can I have my phone now?”

“Oh, oh.” Fu Linxing handed over the phone. “Is yours out of battery?”

He Yue blushed this time: “No, I… I deleted your dad’s number.”

“Oh. I thought it was something serious. You could have just asked me to send it again. Wait, you don’t even remember his number? And why the rush to delete it? You’re not even officially divorced yet. And if you hate him, you should block him, not delete his number—”

“Enough with the nonsense! No phone for you this semester!”

“Mom, no! I was wrong! I won’t talk nonsense again. Please forgive me!”

He Yue snorted coldly. “Go do your homework.”

Fu Linxing had no choice but to get to it.

He Yue saved the number again, didn’t eat the meal, and sat on the sofa staring at the TV, which remained off, lost in thought.

Only after Fu Linxing finished his homework did she seem to awaken from a daze, carrying the food to the kitchen to throw it away, then quietly washing the dishes.

Listening to the water running in the kitchen, that question surfaced again in Fu Linxing’s mind:

Had she seen that painting? Though she always said it had nothing to do with a third party, could her and Old Fu’s divorce have been because of that magical girl?

Since their separation, Fu Linxing had wanted to ask He Yue this question more than once.

But living under her roof, with her holding all the power over his life, he dared not speak.

If only he had the courage to ask his father during weekend gaming sessions—after all, that was a men’s conversation, sensitive but not life-threatening…

Days passed in cold silence with barely any breakthrough. If he didn’t act soon, it would be too late.

But if that magical girl with no public appearances was truly the same as the one in the painting, Fu Linxing was still unsure whether this marriage was worth saving…

***

Tuesday afternoon, Fu Lan remained restless.

He was certain the painting was still tucked inside the book after He Yue moved out. She had come back a few days later to collect some scattered items—was that when she took the painting?

If she had taken it, would she have known about it before the divorce?

Fu Lan thought it unlikely. With He Yue’s nature, if she had discovered the painting first, she would have confronted him before filing for divorce.

If she only found out after signing the papers, she probably would have been too angry to even ask…

If that were the case, the pressure would fall on him. He truly didn’t know how to face her and explain things so she wouldn’t live out her days under a huge misunderstanding.

Even if he did explain, doing so at such a bad time would be disastrous. He had planned to take these secrets to his grave.

Damn it, if only he were as rich as Black Coral, he could just buy a place elsewhere and hide all this away…

Besides He Yue, Fu Linxing had come by twice. Could it have been him?

A shiver ran down Fu Lan’s spine. He didn’t want to lie to his son, but would telling him the truth warp his worldview? The boy was only in seventh grade.

Then again, what was he doing in seventh grade?

Fu Lan sighed. Being found out by these two wasn’t the worst scenario. It would be far worse if some outsider had stolen the painting. Whatever the motive, someone sneaking into his home to steal that painting meant he was in danger.

What frustrated him even more was realizing he had deteriorated to the point of not even noticing a burglary himself…

A ringtone broke his thoughts. Picking up the phone, he heard his boss’s angry voice ordering him to go to the first-floor auditorium immediately.

“I told you yesterday to pay attention, pay attention, so why is there still a problem?” The boss scolded as Fu Lan arrived, hands behind his back. “The projector won’t connect. Fix it now!”

Director Wang, in charge of the exhibition, soothed the boss, “Please be patient, it’s just a minor problem. The people who held the lecture this morning probably messed with the settings.”

He then put on a stern face and snapped, “Fu, go take care of it.”

But Fu Lan’s attention had already shifted as he stepped out of the elevator. He glanced toward the reading corner nearby, where an unexpected figure sat on the sofa.