After the Poor Little One Died, His Scumbag Ex Realized His Mistake

My upcoming story, Stop Spoiling Me! I'm Just a Substitute!, is looking for readers to add it to their collections. The blurb is at the bottom, and you can find it in my author's profile~

The year his mother died, Yu Siqing was eleven. His wealthy father, whom he'd never met, brought him home, and that was the beginning of his tragic life.

The day his acceptance letter was torn to pieces, all hope of escaping "home" was crushed. His half-brother branded the words "son of a prostitute" onto his body, destroying every shred of his self-respect. His father turned a blind eye and planned to marry him off to his bully as part of a business alliance.

In the basement, he was in so much pain he couldn't even cry aloud. All he felt was regret.

He was still so young, yet already rotting away.

Until Fan Jing saved him.

Fan Jing said his work had a rare spark, and that one day he would become an excellent painter.

Over the next few years, Siqing did indeed make a name for himself in the art world.

But that still wasn't enough.

He would work hard to get everything he wanted.

He admitted that he'd used a few tricks before he finally became Fan Jing's boyfriend.

Then one day, after three months of cold treatment, his boyfriend said to him in person, "A relationship takes two people, but I can end our arrangement by myself."

That was the last thing Fan Jing said to him before sending him back to that "home."

That day, he first lost his boyfriend, and then he lost his hands.

That was the day he died.

Top's point of view:

Of all his affairs, Siqing was the most special.

At the mention of a stomachache, he braved the rain to bring him a meal.

When people talked about his evil deeds, murdering his father and brother, Siqing put his slight frame between them.

Even when he was in pain, he tried to keep his tear-filled eyes open to gaze at him, whispering, "Hubby, I love you."

Fan Jing was decisive and ruthless, eliminating every threat and never taking chances. Yet even when he suspected Siqing of being a corporate spy, all he wanted was to give him some money and make him leave.

He had never wanted Siqing dead.

He searched for a whole day and night, and finally found the man he'd abandoned, his lover, in a dim basement.

His gaze settled on Siqing's hands. They had once been a painter's hands, long and pale. They would clutch at the hem of his clothes when he was nervous, secretly take his hand while he slept, and playfully stroke his hair and forehead.

But now,

They were a mangled mess of flesh, with bones and tendons shattered.

Fan Jing soon realized that keeping Siqing alive mattered more than winning his forgiveness.

P.S.

The pursuit-and-regret arc starts in Chapter 45. The entire story is already written, and it updates daily, so you can read without worry.

Content warnings:

1. After the bottom is injured, he suffers from depression and there are scenes of suicide. He recovers later. Believe in hope and love for life, and please don't imitate anything in the story.

2. The relationship cannot be repaired. The bottom's self-respect won't let him forgive, and the top can't forgive himself either. For the bottom, it's a happy ending. The top loses himself and becomes the bottom's devoted shadow.

3. The top is sexually inexperienced. The setup is that lots of people have tried to get into his bed but none have succeeded, which may have given people the wrong impression. He's a pure, untouched cucumber.

Here's another upcoming story. Everyone's welcome to check it out! Stop Spoiling Me! I'm Just a Substitute!

Slapping Xu Anci when he cried and said it hurt was the thing Mu Liang regretted most in his life.

If he hadn't slapped him, Xu Anci wouldn't have gone deaf.

If he hadn't lost his hearing, perhaps he might have heard Mu Liang's remorse in the pouring rain that day.

After all, in the past, Xu Anci would make a pot of thick rice porridge whenever Mu Liang said his stomach felt unwell, and kept it up for three years without fail. A simple thank-you from Mu Liang would make his dark eyes light up, and a casual gift would bring out a shy, gentle smile as he whispered, "Thank you, hubby."

If he could have heard Mu Liang begging, perhaps Xu Anci's steps would have paused for half a moment.

Then, at least, Mu Liang might have caught his hand before Xu Anci fell off the cliff.

Blurb 2:

The most important thing for a substitute is to imitate the rich CEO's one true love.

But I'm stupid.

The one true love is gentle and knows how to make delicious rice porridge. My porridge is a non-Newtonian fluid. Mu Liang eats it with a frown, then has to hold his stomach for ages.

The one true love is beautiful. I've seen his picture on Mu Liang's desk. The young man in the white trench coat is strikingly handsome and refined. Most importantly, the one true love doesn't have a scar on his face. I touch the long scar on my own face and think, this patron has terrible taste.

The one true love is smart. I heard he got into Huada University's mathematics department from a small town, and was about to finish his PhD the year he died. I can't even remember my own name or age, much less what Mu Liang likes to eat. I even gave him food poisoning and sent him to the ICU.

I was terrified, thinking he'd fire me. But he stared into my eyes and said earnestly, "It's okay. I'll love anything you make."

I'm terrible at this, but I have no plans to improve my substitute skills. Maybe our wavelengths don't match, but Mu Liang annoys me. I can't stand him.

But I need money.

A year ago, Brother Ahao found me on the beach at Jinshi Sea. Brother Ahao is an amazing fisherman! He once caught a fish weighing fifteen jin! But he's sick, and medicine is expensive. I can't afford it.

So when Mu Liang found me and asked me to be his substitute, I agreed without hesitation. I may hate him, but Mu Liang is actually a pretty decent guy.

I've spent a lot of his money this year, and he hasn't done anything I dislike.

Except for that one time.

I said that Brother Ahao was the person I loved most in the world, and that I wanted to marry him and be with him forever. That day, Mu Liang shouted at me, then buried his face in my lap and cried for a long time.

I was sleepy, and his crying was so loud that even with one deaf ear, I thought he was noisy! His tears soaked a huge patch of my pants too, which made me feel awful.

I'd already made up my mind: I'd use his money to treat Brother Ahao, then leave with him and never look back.

After all, I'm just a substitute.

I thought Mu Liang would definitely let us go.

P.S. Brother Ahao is a disposable side character. The top won't change. The bottom falls off a cliff and becomes mentally unstable. Later, he'll recover and graduate with his PhD, with his own career arc!!! (East Asian kids can't stand stories about dropping out of school.) The pursuit arc makes up 70% of the story.

Happy ending, but the relationship can't go back to the way it was.

Theme: Even a mirror that's been put back together has tiny cracks