Strictly speaking, he did not meet him in person, but over a video call.
Because the man Xia Zhiyi had restrained was suspected of attempted murder, the nature of the incident was different. And perhaps because Xia Zhiyi had saved her, the victim only calmed down a little when she saw him, so they all went to the police station.
Of course, they received completely different treatment from the suspect.
Before they went inside, they encountered several professionally dressed people at the entrance who had just gotten out of a car. One of them lit up at the sight of Xia Zhiyi and approached him in a few strides, saying politely, "Hello, Mr. Xia. My surname is Chen—Chen Fang. I'm a lawyer. Here's my card. President Fu heard from the production team that you'd run into some trouble and sent me to help you handle it."
Xia Zhiyi was puzzled. "President Fu?"
Fu Yunyi?
Was his memory wrong?
Seeing his confusion, Chen Fang recalled having felt much the same when he received the call. He cleared his throat softly and said with a smile, "Mr. Fu Chi. Do you know him?"
Xia Zhiyi shook his head.
If he meant the name Fu Chi, Xia Zhiyi knew it. He was Fu Yunyi's youngest uncle.
As Fu Yunyi's most powerful backer, he naturally had a name of his own in the plot, and Xia Zhiyi had a good memory, so of course he remembered it.
But he was quite certain that he and Fu Chi should not know each other.
Now Chen Fang was a little puzzled, but he did not let it show. Instead, he continued, "President Fu is the biggest investor in the variety show Incredible Life. It's all right if you don't know him. All you need to know is that I'm here to help you handle this incident."
As he spoke, Chen Fang looked toward the victim, who had also stopped a short distance ahead, his expression becoming much gentler. "And this lady here, if you need a lawyer, we're willing to provide free legal assistance to ensure your rights and interests aren't infringed upon."
Xia Zhiyi could tell that Chen Fang meant no harm, and since he also wanted to help the victim, Xia Zhiyi said nothing.
Still, blocking the entrance while they talked was clearly not a good habit, so they moved indoors. A young woman beside Chen Fang who looked like an intern went over to talk to the victim, while Chen Fang, after making his position clear, accompanied Xia Zhiyi to give his statement.
In fact, Xia Zhiyi only needed to explain how he had noticed something was wrong and how he had intervened. With other eyewitnesses present at the time as well, there was little room for debate. The facts were right there.
So Xia Zhiyi felt that the show's investor rushing to send a lawyer over was somewhat unnecessary.
But it was a kind gesture, so he said nothing about it. After finishing his statement, he simply offered his thanks to Chen Fang and the President Fu behind him.
Chen Fang said, "You're too kind."
Although he still did not know why Fu Chi had sent him over for such a minor matter, he and Fu Chi had been classmates in high school, so he knew something of the man. Fu Chi had never been some kindhearted soul struck by a sudden charitable impulse.
He certainly had his reasons for making this arrangement.
That was why Chen Fang was also very polite to Xia Zhiyi.
Xia Zhiyi still had to wait there for a while until the others finished giving their statements. If there were any questions, the police would need to ask him about them; only if there were none could he leave.
So he sat in a chair for a while, thought it over, and finally asked with some curiosity, "Could I ask what this President Fu you mentioned looks like?"
He really was curious.
Chen Fang thought for a moment, then took out his phone and sent Fu Chi a message.
He had expected to wait a while, but a video call popped up the very next second.
Now Chen Fang was genuinely surprised, but he still answered quickly before handing the phone to Xia Zhiyi. "If you have any questions, Mr. Xia, you can speak to President Fu face-to-face."
Although he had originally meant to ask Fu Chi whether he could show Xia Zhiyi his photo.
But...
Chen Fang: Fine. I'm just a tool today. I accept that.
When Xia Zhiyi saw the person on the other end of the call, he was genuinely surprised. "President Fu?"
The man on the screen was very fair, with sharply defined features, eyes as dark as ink, and thin lips pressed lightly together. Whether it was because of the camera, because that was simply how he looked, or because his pale skin made his lips seem particularly vivid, he looked aloof yet carried a certain sensuality.
But that was not what drew Xia Zhiyi's attention. What surprised him was that he had seen this face once before.
It had been on the day he fell out with the Song family.
Xia Zhiyi even remembered that there had been a torrential downpour that day. When he brushed past this man, he had caught a cool fragrance on him and silently marveled at how lovely it smelled.
He had never expected that this man would turn out to be Fu Chi.
Fu Chi and Fu Yunyi did bear some resemblance to each other, but their temperaments were entirely different. Without a close look, it was easy for those temperaments to set them apart.
Fu Chi was cold and beautiful.
Fu Yunyi was warmer and handsome.
Unaware of Xia Zhiyi's thoughts, Fu Chi said in a low voice, "It's me."
Xia Zhiyi said, "You probably know who I am too, Mr. Fu. Thank you very much for your help today. I didn't expect you..."
Fu Chi said, "You aren't my employee. You don't have to call me President Fu. My name is Fu Chi. You can call me by my name."
At that, Xia Zhiyi's brow shifted slightly. A moment later, he smiled. "All right, Fu Chi."
Xia Zhiyi said, "Although I'm very grateful for your help, I'm still a little curious. I don't think we've had any dealings with each other. Even as a guest on the show, I shouldn't need you, as an investor, to make any special arrangements for me."
"Could you give me an explanation?"
Beside him, Chen Fang's eyes went wide at Xia Zhiyi's words.
Was that something he could just say outright?
Wouldn't most people keep their doubts to themselves in this situation, even if they had them!?
After all, turning around after someone had kindly helped you and questioning why they had done it, and whether they had some other reason, sounded a little ungrateful.
On the other end of the call, Fu Chi was silent for a moment before saying, "You should have received a business card from Tianhuan Entertainment."
He did not answer Xia Zhiyi's question directly.
But his words made it sound as though he had helped because he wanted Xia Zhiyi to join Tianhuan Entertainment.
That was indeed what Xia Zhiyi thought, and he was a little surprised. "Just for that?"
Fu Chi nodded slowly.
Although that was not the main reason, it was indeed part of it.
Xia Zhiyi smiled and said, "Is Tianhuan Entertainment really that good?"
Fu Chi said, "You're worth it."
It was only a brief statement, with little emotion in his tone, yet it made him seem utterly sincere and serious.
Meeting his dark eyes, Xia Zhiyi felt as though a feather had brushed lightly across his heart.