OFBL Chapter 46

By the time everything was in order, spring was just around the corner, and Han Jinhang’s wedding arrived as scheduled. His hometown was not far from Yanjing, less than a five-hour drive. Since they had decided to go, Zhang Yuze and Li Chenghong pooled a car and made the journey together.

 

On the way, Zhang Yuze drove while his friend sat in the passenger seat, keeping him awake with small talk. “It’s been three months since the whole Xu Li incident…” Li Chenghong said casually. “Still no word from him?”

 

Without changing his expression, Zhang Yuze replied flatly: “He could be dead and buried out there for all I know. Why would he still care about me?”

 

Li Chenghong chuckled knowingly. “Then, what about our bet? We said whoever loses would double the wedding gift for Little Four. You and Xu Li haven’t spoken for months. Does that mean you’re done? Is your relationship over?”

 

Hearing his smug and in need of a beating tone, Zhang Yuze glanced at him briefly and smirked. “Nice try. Strictly speaking, we never broke up. So technically, you lost.”

 

“Ah, forget about winning or losing. It doesn’t matter,” Li Chenghong waved off the comment. “Honestly, I just want you to be happy. But seriously now, if Xu Li never contacts you again, are you just going to wait for him forever?”

 

“Why not? I’m not in a hurry,” Zhang Yuze replied with a hint of a smile, though there was a weight to his words. “I’m fine being single. What’s the rush?”

 

“You’re hopeless.” His friend scoffed, shaking his head with a laugh. “Truly one of a kind when it comes to stubborn love…”

 

Weddings were always an exhausting affair, whether one was the bride, the groom, or even a guest. After navigating the morning chaos of pick-ups, drop-offs, and traditional rituals, everyone was relieved to finally sit down in the banquet hall and wait for the dinner to begin.

 

Zhang Yuze and Li Chenghong found themselves at the same table as their old university classmates. The tired Dr. Zhang focused on his plate, trying to maintain his usual composure and elegant appearance, but hunger got the better of him after such a long drive. And so, he ate with more enthusiasm than he’d care to admit.

 

Just as he was digging into a dish, Li Chenghong suddenly tugged at his sleeve, his tone filled with hard-to-mask excitement. “Hey, look, look! Guess who just walked in?”

 

Reluctantly, Zhang Yuze put down his chopsticks and followed his friend’s gaze toward the entrance. There, a man with thinning hair and a shiny forehead strode confidently into the hall.

 

“And who the hell is that?” Zhang Yuze squinted, feeling a flicker of recognition but unable to place him immediately.

 

“Jiang Bo! Can’t you recognize him?” Li Chenghong whispered conspiratorially. “Same department as us, from the next dorm…”

 

Dr. Zhang raised an eyebrow, startled. “That’s Jiang Bo?! He looks older than my dad! What the hell happened to him?!”

 

However, Li Chenghong shrugged. “Who knows? Just be careful, though. I think he’s here to pick a fight. You two never got along in school.”

 

To Zhang Yuze, that Jiang Bo was nothing more than a distant college classmate, a name that he could barely even remember. But for Jiang Bo, things were quite different… Zhang Yuze was his biggest rival. Even if that rivalry was purely imaginary on his part. Back in university, he’d quietly seethed with envy over Zhang Yuze’s high grades, good looks, and easy popularity.

 

Over the years, that resentment hadn’t faded. Instead, it had grown worse. He envied Zhang Yuze’s smooth career trajectory, his rising reputation, and the fame he gained after performing Ge Haoran’s groundbreaking surgery earlier in the year. And with that, Jiang Bo’s jealousy had reached a boiling point.

 

If there was one flaw Jiang Bo could latch onto in Zhang Yuze’s otherwise perfect image, it was his brief, ill-fated relationship with Shen Mo.

 

“Dr. Zhang, long time no see.” Jiang Bo extended his hand with a smile that barely masked its smugness. “How have you been recently?”

 

“Not bad.” Zhang Yuze replied curtly, his polite facade firmly in place.

 

However, Jiang Bo chuckled, unwilling to give up. “It’s Han Jinhang’s wedding today. I thought, since we’re all old classmates, it would be nice to gather everyone together. Did you see who else is here?”

 

Before Zhang Yuze could respond, Jiang Bo gestured grandly toward the entrance where a figure moved past the crowd, instantly familiar.

 

“Damn it, why is Shen Mo here?!” Li Chenghong blurted, his expression darkening.

 

For a second, it seemed that all the conversations a their table stopped and everyone’s attention shifted to Zhang Yuze. They almost forgot but… Everyone said that Dr. Zhang was still guarding Shen Mo’s memory! A sudden spark of gossip lit the air, amplified by Jiang Bo’s deliberate mention of that ill-fated relationship.

 

“Why did you bring him here?” Li Chenghong asked sharply, glaring at Jiang Bo, whose grin only widened.

 

Jiang Bo shrugged. “What’s the harm? We’re all alumni. I thought it would be nice for everyone to send their blessings.”

 

His tone was so falsely amiable that it made his intentions obvious. Jiang Bo wasn’t here to reconcile old friendships; he wanted to stir the pot, hoping to unsettle Zhang Yuze.

 

Remaining calm, Zhang Yuze picked up his chopsticks. “If you’ve got something to say, just say it.”

 

“You…” Jiang Bo faltered, surprised by his composure. “Well, isn’t he your ex-boyfriend?”

 

“Yeah.” Zhang Yuze admitted, meeting Jiang Bo’s gaze with an unreadable expression. “So?”

 

At that, a few spectators at the table leaned in closer, eager to see what would unfold. One of them ventured tentatively, asking: “Dr. Zhang, after you and Shen Mo broke up… Have you been dating anyone since then? People always say you’re… Quite devoted to him.”

 

Zhang Yuze calmly wiped his mouth with a napkin and answered: “I’m already in a relationship. It’s progressing well, thank you for asking.”

 

Jiang Bo’s smile stiffened. “Oh, really? Why don’t you introduce your partner to us all?”

 

“I’d rather not,” Zhang Yuze said flatly, placing his napkin on the table.

 

“…”

 

Jiang Bo finally hesitated. The refusal left him fumbling for another tactic, so he turned to a more scandalous subject. “By the way, wasn’t your current partner that Xu Li? The one who got tangled up in that hospital controversy? Didn’t he make headlines for—what was it? Killing his own father?”

 

The atmosphere tensed. The table, already abuzz with the mention of Shen Mo, fell silent. Eyes widened as Jiang Bo’s words sunk in since everyone knew Xu Li’s name was a hot topic. Now, hearing it connected to their usually composed Dr. Zhang made it all the more salacious.

 

Li Chenghong, visibly tense, leaned toward Zhang Yuze, whispering urgently: “Deny it. Just deny it!”

 

But denial wasn’t in Dr. Zhang’s nature.

 

He set his chopsticks down, looked up, and said firmly: “Yes, Xu Li is my partner. And for the record, the accusations against him were false. The media fabricated those stories.”

 

Jiang Bo scoffed. “Oh, come on. The media doesn’t just fabricate things like that. Dr. Zhang, I’m saying this for your own good. Be careful about who you associate with. Don’t make your life miserable by staying with some random stray dog who—”

 

“Thank you for your concern.” Zhang Yuze interrupted him. Rising from his seat, he slipped on his coat with deliberate calmness before continuing: “But I think I’ll focus on improving my life by getting rid of the garbage first. For instance, starting by cleaning up my social circle. Why haven’t I deleted you from my contacts yet?”

 

Jiang Bo’s face turned ashen, his smugness evaporating. He had clearly not anticipated such a direct counterattack. After winning that useless verbal battle and giving his gift to the newlyweds, Zhang Yuze left the table early, planning to take the car and drive home by himself since Li Chenghong was drunk and still wanted to party. Left with no other option, he simply bidded a brief goodbye to Han Jinhang, who walked him to the door.

 

“Be careful driving back…” Han Jinhang said softly, trying to gauge his friend’s mood. “And don’t let what Jiang Bo said get to you.”

 

“I won’t.” Zhang Yuze assured him. “There’s nothing to get worked up about anyway.”

 

“Still… Brother, don’t blame me for my bad speech.” Han Jinhang took advantage of the alcohol and patted Zhang Yuze’s shoulder before continuing: “If you and Xu Li can be happy, we’ll naturally be happy for you, however…” Reaching this point, Han Jinhang hesitated, his concern evident. “If Xu Li’s still not contacting you… Maybe it’s time to think about moving on?”

 

“You sound just like my mother,” Zhang Yuze said with a faint smile, though his tone hinted at exhaustion. “Don’t worry. I’ll figure it out.”

 

…………

 

Driving down the highway later that night, the only sound in the car was the steady hum of tires against asphalt. The silence gave Zhang Yuze too much space to think… And the question that still lingered was obviously: Why did Xu Li leave?!

 

He knew him better than anyone, completely sure that Xu Li wasn’t impulsive or reckless. He wouldn’t leave without a reason. The image of Xu Li—childish and quick to quarrel but deeply loyal once he set his mind to—contrasted sharply with the idea of him abandoning their relationship.

 

It just didn’t add up. It was just like an absurd plot that could only exist inside some cheap idol drama… There was no way in hell for the Xu Li he knew and came to love to just take his mother and simply vanish from the face of the earth without leaving a single clue!

 

As the navigation announced the approach to Shuizhen, exhaustion began to creep in. Dr. Zhang was so sleepy that he kept yawning all the way, and thinking he could no longer continue driving safely, he simply turned around and decided to sleep there for the night, planning to wake up early in the morning and just drive straight to work.

 

Shuizhen was nothing big, and there was no such thing as having a nightlife. At that time, it was already dark, and the whole town looked empty and abandoned. After driving around several times with no destination in sight, Zhang Yuze finally found a cheap motel and got a room. However, the accommodation conditions inside were both poor and outrageous. Being a long-term sufferer of OCD, Dr. Zhang couldn’t convince himself to use the toiletry bag provided by the motel, so he simply left in search of a nearby store. He wandered through the quiet streets, eventually coming across a small shop next to a nondescript, dusty-looking nursing home.

 

Inside, he gathered what he needed. As he was leaving, his phone buzzed, prompting him to stop for a while in front of the store.

 

“Dr. Zhang,” came Li Weiwei’s voice. “Good news. We’ve made progress in tracing the company responsible for those defamatory articles. I’ve located the legal person behind the registered entity.”

 

“Finally…” Zhang Yuze murmured, relief washing over him. “This has been dragging on for months.”

 

“Now we just need Xu Li’s presence for the legal proceedings,” Li Weiwei added. “As his partner, I assume you’ll handle contacting him?”

 

“Yes.” Zhang Yuze replied, though the task felt monumental. After all, Xu Li had vanished without a trace.

 

Such a mess…

 

… Ending the call, he sighed, pocketing his phone. Then, just as he was about to leave for the motel, a familiar voice rang out from the nursing home next door: “Sister Xia, I’ve finished checking the rooms. Everything’s clear. Can I clock out now?”

 

The world seemed to stop. On that sultry night of early spring, Zhang Yuze froze in place, his heart pounding heavily. He knew that voice. Of course, he knew it…

 

… It was Xu Li.