Ming Shuo didn’t get out of the car and enter the Gu residence until Ming Yue had already walked a good distance away.

Before they even reached the Gu family banquet hall, two figures caught up with him—Fu Qiancheng, looking weak and frail, and Gu Yanxing, supporting Fu Qiancheng.

Gu Yanxing simply held Fu Qiancheng’s arm in silence, saying nothing at all.

But Fu Qiancheng called out to Ming Shuo, getting straight to the point without any hesitation: “Uncle Ming, I’ve seen those few photos online.”

“Oh, really?” Ming Shuo’s expression remained unreadable as he replied coolly.

Fu Qiancheng coughed softly twice, his voice low and gravelly.

“No matter what happens next, no matter how things are now, and no matter what others say, I can pretty much guess what happened that night.”

“So?” Ming Shuo shot Fu Qiancheng a sidelong glance and kept walking steadily forward.

Fu Qiancheng matched his pace, speaking calmly: “So today I’m officially here to tell Uncle Ming: please think twice before you speak or act from now on—this won’t happen again!”

He emphasized the last few words, his tone heavy with conviction.

It sounded less like a younger person giving advice and more like an elder warning a younger one.

Ming Shuo said nothing, just kept walking until they reached the Gu family banquet hall. Only when he saw Ming Yue chatting and laughing with Elder Gu did he finally stop. “I’ve taken note of what Young Master Fu said. As it happens, I’ve got something to say to you too.”

Fu Qiancheng immediately fell into step beside him, his gaze drifting toward the figure whose very sight haunted his dreams. He murmured softly, “I’m all ears.”

Ming Shuo parted his thin lips and said, “As the saying goes, a melon forced to grow won’t be sweet. You’re a smart man, Young Master Fu—you should know that. Some things, once lost, are gone forever; some people, once missed, are missed for good.”

As he finished speaking, he gently patted Fu Qiancheng on the shoulder. “Young man, your health is the foundation of everything. Look at you—still not going home to get some proper rest?”

“Don’t worry, Uncle Ming,” Fu Qiancheng replied, shaking off the big hand that had landed on his shoulder and turning toward Ming Yue and Elder Gu.

Elder Gu spotted him right away.

He was about to ask how Fu Qiancheng was doing, but then he saw his own eldest grandson standing by Fu Qiancheng shaking his head at him.

Elder Gu quickly swallowed whatever he’d been about to say.

Meanwhile, Ming Yue, though she had no idea what was going on, had already keenly sensed someone behind her. She tried to take a few steps back to make room, but just as she took a small step, someone grabbed her wrist.

Of course, it was Fu Qiancheng.

His gaunt, skeletal hand clamped down like an eagle’s talon, refusing to let go, and he smiled as he offered his congratulations to Elder Gu on his birthday.

“Grandpa Gu, your grandson Fu Qiancheng wishes you every day to be just as wonderful as today, every year to be as bright as this moment. May each day ahead bring smooth sailing and endless joy!”

Gu Yanxing was quick to pull free from Fu Qiancheng, gave Grandpa Gu a quick nod, and went off to greet other guests.

“Good, good, good!” Elder Gu laughed so hard his mouth wouldn’t close—it had been ages since he’d felt this happy.

Fu Qiancheng handed over the gift he’d brought, then stepped aside to let the next person in line take his place. He pulled Ming Yue a few steps back and whispered in a very low voice, “That Sun Hongyue—you’d better watch out. Don’t get too close to him!”

“You’re telling me what to do?” Ming Yue tried to shake off the unnamed male operative, but she couldn’t.

Fu Qiancheng continued to murmur in her ear, “I’m not trying to control you—I’m just warning you. Yueyue, wake up! He’s not your brother; he’s just a man who happens to look a bit like your brother. He’s nothing like your real brother at all.”

He made this reminder because he could see how differently Ming Yue was treating Sun Hongyue.

Just thinking about what he’d seen outside earlier made him feel uneasy.

Ming Yue sneered. “Even if that’s true, I’m perfectly happy to get close to him. Who are you, anyway? What business is it of yours?”

“I can’t tell you what to do, but I’ll keep an eye on him, no matter what.”

Fu Qiancheng’s breathing grew a bit labored, and he coughed twice more, yet he still refused to let go. In fact, he tightened his grip even further.

Ming Yue curled her lips into a faint smile. “Fu Qiancheng, this is really pointless. Why bother? Can’t you just leave me alone—and leave yourself alone, too?”

“Then is it fun, like you, to deliberately use me to provoke Liu Jia?” Fu Qiancheng turned his head slightly, looking at the woman beside him.

Ming Yue smiled faintly. “You really do know.”

End of Chapter 60: This Won’t Happen Again