IOLYF Chapter 74

The topic “[Mo Ming and Zhou Xu: Romance]” caused quite a stir for about two hours in the middle of the night before it suddenly died down. By morning, when netizens checked again, the major marketing accounts had all uniformly stated that Mo Ming was just one of Zhou Xu’s many fans. It was common knowledge that Zhou Xu was always friendly with his fans and frequently took photos with them.

A large group of Zhou Xu’s fans opposed using their late idol’s name to create buzz and generate traffic. Any gossip about Zhou Xu’s private life was quickly met with righteous backlash. Many fans shared their own photos with Zhou Xu from various events, which greatly diluted the impact of those two particular photos. This sparked a wave of nostalgia and fond memories of Zhou Xu online.

Mo Ming closed his laptop.

The apartment remained in the same state it had been in since 3 a.m., except for the living room and dining room, which looked like they had been hit by a storm. The other rooms were still intact.

Mo Ming didn’t bother cleaning up or calling a housekeeping service. He simply tidied up Xiao Han’s bed, which had been disturbed during the chaos.

Around 5 p.m., it started snowing lightly again.

Mo Ming closed the door to the balcony and brought Xiao Han, along with his bed, into the small study. He squatted down in front of the little dog and gently poked its nose. “Be good, and don’t make any noise later.”

Xiao Han wagged its tail and gently licked Mo Ming’s fingers.

Mo Ming checked the time on his phone, then sat quietly in the chaotic living room, waiting. The sofa was covered in shards of broken objects. A flowerpot had shattered against the wall behind the sofa, scattering dirt and ceramic pieces all over. Mo Ming cleared a small spot on one end of the sofa where he could sit and resumed reading his book.

Just before 6 p.m., the expected doorbell rang. Mo Ming set down his book and went to open the door.

As he opened the door, he instinctively stepped aside.

Han Shao Zhou chuckled. “Aren’t you afraid I might come in and kill you?”

There wasn’t a trace of surprise in Mo Ming’s indifferent eyes. He was as calm as if he had anticipated this visit.

“If you were still ruled by anger, you wouldn’t have waited until evening to come,” Mo Ming replied calmly. “I think after more than ten hours, you’ve probably cooled down.”

Han Shao Zhou stared into Mo Ming’s eyes. “Then why do you think I’m here now?”

“Once you’re clear-headed, it’s time to settle accounts.”

Han Shao Zhou’s face remained emotionless. “Yes.”

Mo Ming turned and walked back to the living room, sitting down in the spot where he had been reading earlier. He gestured for Han Shao Zhou to sit as well. “Please, have a seat.”

Han Shao Zhou looked around the wrecked living room, his mouth twitching. There wasn’t a place to sit.

But he wasn’t going to stand and argue with this guy.

“Too scared to clean up, huh? Forgot all about it?” Han Shao Zhou sneered.

Mo Ming’s expression didn’t change. “I just thought this scene might make Mr. Han feel more at ease.”

Han Shao Zhou: “…”

The air grew tense for a few seconds, and then Han Shao Zhou closed his eyes, exhaling heavily. “Fine, very good.”

He pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and took a drag, kicking aside some broken ceramic as he moved to sit on one end of the TV cabinet.

“I have just one question… When we first met at the bar, was it really by chance?” Han Shao Zhou asked, shaking ash from his cigarette. “You can tell me the truth. After all, I already know enough unpleasant things; one more won’t make a difference.”

“No, it wasn’t by chance.” Mo Ming answered.

“So, that night you deliberately dressed like Wen Ci to catch my attention?”

“Yes.”

Han Shao Zhou laughed, but his eyes were cold. “Alright, then, Mr. Mo, tell me—over these three years, was there anything, anything at all, that you were sincere about? Just one thing?”

“No.”

“….”

Without even a moment’s hesitation, Mo Ming’s simple, flat reply hit Han Shao Zhou like a dagger to the heart.

Han Shao Zhou let out a bitter laugh.

He really was a fool, asking such obvious questions, setting himself up for more humiliation… The Mo Ming he thought he knew was never the real Mo Ming.

“Well, that’s perfect,” Han Shao Zhou said, his hand clawing into his leg like an eagle’s talon as he took another drag from his cigarette. “Eating the takeout you ordered, being your human massage tool, even folding your clothes—it was all just to turn me into your puppet. Now I get why you always said I was such a good person.”

Mo Ming said nothing, his gaze downcast.

Maybe it was because he hadn’t rested since 3 a.m., but his pale face showed signs of exhaustion. His eyelashes drooped over his eyes, casting a shadow on his face. He sat quietly on the sofa, his thin frame looking especially small.

Han Shao Zhou’s breathing grew harsh, almost falling for Mo Ming’s harmless appearance once again. He gripped his thigh tightly, then stood up and threw a black tote bag at Mo Ming’s feet.

“These are all the things Mr. Mo gave me over the past three years—two sets of clothes and a scarf,” Han Shao Zhou said. “The clothes are damaged, so I included cash for compensation. Plus, there’s an extra fifty thousand, which should more than cover the damages to your apartment.”

Mo Ming bent down to pick up the bag, but Han Shao Zhou was already standing in front of him.

Mo Ming’s gaze slowly traveled up Han Shao Zhou’s tailored black pants until his face tilted up, meeting Han Shao Zhou’s cold, shadowed expression.

“My things… can you afford to repay them?” Han Shao Zhou said.

Mo Ming moved the tote bag aside and stood up from the sofa. He was a head shorter than Han Shao Zhou, forcing him to look up slightly.

“So, you want to take back everything you gave me?”

“Yes.”

Standing so close, Han Shao Zhou could almost see his reflection in Mo Ming’s eyes, like looking into a clear lake with faint ripples of light. A wave of suffocating emotion washed over him.

The person he had once held dear, the one he had cherished so much, now felt like a stranger—someone hateful.

Mo Ming pressed his lips together. “You mean everything?”

“Yes, everything,” Han Shao Zhou’s voice was hoarse. “I’d rather be a scoundrel than let you play me for a fool.”

He knew that Mo Ming couldn’t afford to repay him.

Mo Ming had no financial acumen. He had sold off the two apartments Han Shao Zhou had given him early on, and based on their current market value, paying them back would drain Mo Ming completely. And then there were the three luxury cars, each worth millions… He knew Mo Ming loved money. This was his way of ensuring that Mo Ming would be left with nothing, forcing him into a state of panic.

Making someone regret their actions was the most effective form of punishment.

He couldn’t bear being the only one filled with anger and pain while the person who caused it all sat there calmly, untouched by any emotion, the winner by default because he had never cared.

At the very least, he wanted to see this guy cry…

“If I repay everything, will that settle this?” Mo Ming asked.

“Yes, but if you can’t…”

Before Han Shao Zhou could finish, Mo Ming brushed past him and walked into the bedroom.

Soon, Mo Ming returned, struggling to carry a large plastic storage box. The box was so heavy that when Mo Ming set it down on the sofa, the cushions sank under its weight.

He removed the lid, revealing a collection of gift boxes, most of which were still unopened.

Han Shao Zhou stared at the box, his pupils contracting.

These were…

“These are the gifts you gave me over those three years… I always thought this day might come, so I kept all the more complicated, smaller items. You can check them if you like.”

“…”

Some of the gifts were from so long ago that Han Shao Zhou could barely remember them, but a few items still rang a bell…

In a redwood box lay a carved dragon-patterned dagger, a high-value auction item worth over nine million. There was also a blue velvet box containing an eighty-thousand-yuan multicolored coral bracelet. And some items hadn’t even been unwrapped; the seals on the gift boxes were still intact.

He suddenly remembered how, in those years, when he would give Mo Ming gifts, Mo Ming would smile and kiss him, his eyes curved with happiness. Han Shao Zhou loved seeing Mo Ming smile, so whenever he returned from a trip, he would think of something to bring back to make his little darling happy…

But behind his back, Mo Ming hadn’t even opened the boxes.

Inside the storage box was a familiar blue velvet box…

Han Shao Zhou’s hands trembled as he picked up the velvet box and carefully opened the lid, revealing a small blue diamond ring that was all too familiar.

After a few moments of silence, Han Shao Zhou reached into his pocket and pulled out another ring, placing it beside the first.

They were a matching pair…

Mo Ming’s gaze shifted away from the rings as he handed a list to Han Shao Zhou, continuing, “This is a list of all the other things you gave me, including the houses and cars. I’ve calculated their current market value and converted them into cash. If you find any discrepancies…”

Han Shao Zhou took the list, feeling overwhelmed.

The list was meticulously written, detailing every item he had given Mo Ming, complete with calculations of their value. Even the salaries from the two movies and one variety show he had arranged for Mo Ming at Xing Ci Entertainment were accounted for. Not to mention the monthly sixty-thousand-yuan allowance he had promised… And at the end, there was a category labeled “Miscellaneous” with a sum of five million three hundred twenty thousand yuan.

“For some things, it’s hard to be precise, so I added a ‘Miscellaneous’ category to round it up to an even fifty million,” Mo Ming explained.

Han Shao Zhou was dumbfounded.

Mo Ming was handling this more like a business transaction than he was.

But that wasn’t why he had come. These items meant nothing to him; he just wanted to use them to make this man admit his wrongdoing, to make him regret it.

“Well, you’re quite something,” Han Shao Zhou said, gripping the list tightly. “So, how do you plan to…”

Before Han Shao Zhou could finish, Mo Ming placed a bank card in the storage box.

“This card contains fifty million yuan,” Mo Ming said softly. “The password is 3-8.”

Han Shao Zhou stared at the card, his lips twitching.

“How did you…”

He didn’t finish the question. In Mo Ming’s calm gaze, he felt like a fool once again.

He had spent the entire day calming down and thinking things over, coming here only to reclaim a shred of dignity and balance. But now, it was as if Mo Ming had casually slapped him in the face.

“Alright, fine… Mr. Mo, you’re impressive…”

Han Shao Zhou’s eyes were bloodshot as he pointed at Mo Ming. “You better never, ever show up in front of me again…”

With that, he turned and left.

“Your things.” Mo Ming reminded him.

Han Shao Zhou paused for a couple of seconds, his fists clenching so hard they almost broke. He turned back, grabbed the storage box, and glared at Mo Ming. “If there’s a single cent missing from that card, I’ll be back.”

Mo Ming said nothing.

After leaving, Han Shao Zhou immediately went to verify the amount in the card. He couldn’t believe Mo Ming could produce such a large sum of money. He remembered that before they had gotten together, Mo Ming was just a poor student living in a rented room in Chuanhai.

But…

When he checked, the balance showed one hundred eighty million and ninety-two yuan, sixty cents…

Han Shao Zhou thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. He leaned in closer to the screen.

“Shit…”

It was almost two hundred million…

His phone rang suddenly, and it took Han Shao Zhou a moment to realize it was his phone ringing.

“…”

It was Mo Ming calling.

“Sorry,” Mo Ming’s cool voice came through, slightly hurried. “I gave you the wrong card.”

Han Shao Zhou: “…”