Chapter 203: Chapter 203

Upon learning that his mother was admitted to the hospital, Fu Feibai immediately flew back to Beicheng from out of town, landing a bit after eight in the evening.

He didn’t return to the Fu Family’s old house, too occupied to worry about potential paparazzi following him, and headed straight to the hospital.

After his father’s funeral, Fu Feibai, mindful of his mother’s emotions, stayed at home to keep her company for a while. She spent most of her days in a state of mental fog, finding it even harder to sleep at night.

During this period, his agent called him several times. He pushed off some endorsement and magazine shoot offers that he could, but a well-known director was finalizing casting for a film he had polished over five years. It was a rare opportunity that, if missed, he didn’t know when another might come.

Perhaps in another five years, or maybe never again.

For any actor serious about acting, such an opportunity was once-in-a-lifetime and not to be missed.

After much consideration, Fu Feibai didn’t want to leave a lifelong regret and decided to fly to South City for this fifteen-day round of auditions.

When he received news from home, he had just completed the third round of auditions and gained the approval of the screenwriter.

The next audition was three days later. Since the actress was already confirmed, the director wanted to see the chemistry between the male and female leads, thus deciding that the final audition would have the actress acting opposite the potential male leads.

Fu Feibai had returned in secret during the holiday.

Sitting in the car sent by the family to pick him up, he turned on his phone to message his agent, assuring him that he would be present at the audition in three days.

The driver was the old man’s chauffeur, whom the family called "Old Lei."

"Uncle Lei, how’s my mom doing?" Fu Feibai put away his phone, unable to resist asking him.

Old Lei looked at the young and handsome man through the rearview mirror, sighing that he indeed suited the acting profession, as Young Master Feibai certainly had an exceptional face.

"To be honest, I don’t know very clearly, only that she fainted after coughing up blood."

Upon hearing this, Fu Feibai’s concern deepened: "Before I boarded the plane, I called my brother, but no one answered. What has he been busy with lately? On a business trip?"

Old Lei suddenly fell silent.

Fu Feibai sensed something was wrong: "What happened?"

"You’ll know once you reach the hospital." Truth be told, Old Lei himself couldn’t figure out why the madam stabbed her own son with a knife.

Luckily, it was her own son. Otherwise, she might have been charged with ’murder.’

The only explanation was that the madam’s mental state was unstable, and during an episode, she couldn’t recognize people.

Upon arriving at the hospital, before getting out of the car, Fu Feibai disguised himself thoroughly from head to toe, fearing recognition and any ensuing news scandal.

Running around during auditions, if it got out, the director wouldn’t have a good impression of him.

At the VIP ward, just as he raised his hand to knock, the door opened from the inside, and he almost collided with the leaving maid.

The maid stopped, raising her head to look at him: "Young Master Feibai has returned."

"How’s my mom?" Fu Feibai’s gaze went over the maid’s head, looking into the ward.

Wei Ronghua, wearing a hospital gown, was leaning against the bed, with the wound on her forehead treated. Hearing her son’s voice, she turned her head towards the door. Her dull eyes gradually focused, gaining spirit.

The maid stepped aside to make way for him to enter, saying nothing else but, "Go and see her; I’ll be outside. Just call if you need me."

Once Fu Feibai was inside, the maid went out, closing the door casually. She sat on the bench against the corridor wall, holding her hands together on her lap, still shaken by the afternoon’s scene.

It was her first time facing someone with a knife. Although she didn’t see the moment the knife pierced flesh, it was still terrifying, and her body couldn’t help but tremble.

In the ward, Fu Feibai brought a chair to sit by the bed, holding Wei Ronghua’s hand, and looked at her worriedly: "Mom, didn’t I tell you before I left to take good care of yourself? Why didn’t you listen?"

Feeling the warmth from his palm and hearing comforting words, seeing his eyes full of heartache, Wei Ronghua couldn’t hold back her tears, her heart aching.

This was indeed her child, her only child, connected by blood.

Unfortunately, she had overlooked him too much in the past, instead lavishing care onto someone else’s child.

Wei Ronghua gripped his hand back, crying with utmost grievance: "Feibai, Mommy has nothing left, only you. Please, don’t leave Mommy, okay?"

Fu Feibai felt his heart ache upon hearing this, stood up to gently pat her shoulder, thinking she was still grieving over his father’s death. He often thought of his father too, always feeling he hadn’t left. Follow current novᴇls on nοvelfire.net

Looking at his fragile mother, Fu Feibai couldn’t say no: "Alright, I promise you."

Wei Ronghua cried even more sadly, raising her face with a pleading tone: "Mommy isn’t joking with you. Quit acting, don’t stay in the entertainment industry. Come back, learn business in the company, okay? Your father is gone, and you should take on the responsibility."

Fu Feibai’s hand slipped down from his mother’s shoulder, realizing she was serious.

"Mom, why suddenly say such things?" Fu Feibai also turned serious, "You should know I’m not cut out for business. Besides, having my brother in the company is enough. Are you worried he can’t handle it alone? With his capabilities, managing Jun Mountain won’t be a problem."

Wei Ronghua’s expression changed. The last thing she wanted to hear about now was anything related to Fu Jichen.

Fu Feibai was stunned by the outburst, and after a moment, he asked, "Why can’t I mention brother? Where did he go, why haven’t I seen him, and what about sister?"

Both of them were in Beicheng, and it was more convenient for them to come to the hospital than for him, so why were they both nowhere to be seen?

Their mother was so seriously ill, they had no reason not to be here.

It wasn’t until the next morning that Fu Feibai learned his mother had stabbed his elder brother with a knife, and he felt like he had been struck by lightning, unable to come to his senses for a long time.

He shook his head in disbelief, while Fu Yuling, holding a thermos, stood impatiently in the hospital corridor: "There’s nothing I can do if you don’t believe me."

Saying that, she sidestepped Fu Feibai and was about to leave, but Fu Feibai stepped forward to block her way, asking in confusion, "Why? Why would Mom hurt brother..."

Of course, Fu Yuling couldn’t tell him the truth. She was silent for a while, then perfunctorily said, "Don’t you think Mom is a bit mentally unstable? She often talks nonsense and frequently talks to herself."

Fu Feibai frowned, wanting to deny it but unable to.

Before he left Beicheng to audition, his mother already had these symptoms. Along with her mentioning last night that he should quit the entertainment industry and learn management in the company, he was even more convinced that his mother was not quite right.

"Don’t block me, I have to take breakfast to brother." Fu Yuling said.

Fu Feibai stepped aside, turned around, and followed her, wanting to see with his own eyes if his elder brother was alright.

Fu Jichen was also staying at this hospital, in another ward on the same floor. Fu Feibai didn’t know about it last night. Now thinking back, no wonder Uncle Lei acted so strangely when he asked about Fu Jichen in the car.

Fu Yuling knocked on the door and went straight in.

Inside the ward, besides Fu Jichen, there were also Song Fang and Qu Mo.

The two nodded a greeting when they saw the siblings come in.

Fu Jichen glanced at them, then continued speaking to Song Fang: "Proceed as I instructed. Postpone the meeting with President Qian to next Friday. If anyone at the company asks, just say I caught a severe cold."

"Understood. Rest well, and I’ll report to you if anything comes up with the company."

Song Fang left with several signed folders, Qu Mo following him out of the ward.

Fu Feibai walked to the bedside. After learning the cause of his elder brother’s injury from Fu Yuling, he had not yet relaxed his frown. Seeing Fu Jichen’s pale face, he furrowed his brow even tighter: "Brother, how are you, does the wound still hurt?"

Fu Yuling stood by the table, pouring porridge from the thermos into a bowl, and interjected: "Isn’t that obvious? Try having a hole stabbed in your stomach yourself?"

Fu Feibai also realized that he had asked a redundant question, pursing his lips and staying silent.

Facing him, Fu Jichen’s expression softened slightly: "It’s alright. Why are you back?"

"I heard Mom was hospitalized, so I rushed back last night." At the moment, Fu Feibai was like a child who hadn’t grown up, his emotions displayed on his face, visibly downcast, and worried about his elder brother, "How could this happen? I really can’t understand how Mom could bear to stab you."

The whole thing had shattered his perception, and he found it incredibly hard to accept.

Fu Jichen’s expression didn’t change, responding blandly: "She’s ill."

Fu Feibai thought his elder brother’s demeanor was too calm. If it were him, stabbed by his own mother, even if she was ill, he would find it hard to bear no grudge.

Fu Yuling brought over a bowl of soft-cooked porridge, squeezed past Fu Feibai to sit by the bed, scooped a spoonful of porridge, blew on it to cool it down, and then offered it to Fu Jichen’s mouth: "I got up early to make this, have some more, brother."

Fu Jichen turned his head, gesturing with his chin toward the bedside table: "Put it there, I’ll drink it later."

Fu Yuling pouted: "It’ll get cold if it’s left too long."

Unmoved, Fu Jichen left Fu Yuling holding the spoon in silence for quite a while. Unable to contend with him, she sighed softly, placed the bowl on the bedside table, and reminded him, "Make sure you drink it."

Fu Yuling and Fu Feibai didn’t disturb his rest. They sat for a moment before leaving.

Although Fu Yuling was reluctant, there was no way around it. Her brother’s cold nature wasn’t something that could be warmed in a day; it needed to be approached gradually.

Shortly after the two left, another person appeared outside the ward.

Qu Mo guarded the door, stopping the person from entering. First, he went inside and informed Fu Jichen: "A gentleman calling himself Xiao Hesheng wants to see you. He’s waiting outside."

Fu Jichen was leaning against the pillow, holding a copy of that day’s Beicheng Daily. Upon hearing this, he lifted his eyes from the newspaper and said mildly, "Let him in."