Han Shao Zhou had no way to argue back, so he could only say, “I was young and foolish back then. I brought it on myself.”
Mo Ming responded, “If he finds out you lied to him about something like this, he’ll probably chase you down again.”
“It’s fine. He can’t catch me now.”
“…” Mo Ming suddenly felt that this situation was even scarier.
With Han Shao Zhou’s help, the investigation into Zhou Xu’s past went much smoother, so Mo Ming eventually agreed to play along. Acting was his talent, and putting on a show for a day wasn’t a big deal for him.
They agreed to return to the Han family home the next day to have lunch with the old man.
“If Grandpa pushes for marriage, just say you want to wait a couple more years,” Han Shao Zhou instructed. “If he suggests an engagement, tell him you want to wait until our relationship is more stable before discussing it.”
Mo Ming nodded obediently.
Han Shao Zhou glanced at Mo Ming through the rearview mirror. As always, he was calm and composed. Han Shao Zhou knew that Mo Ming would perform well, simply because he treated this whole thing as a task.
After they returned to Chuanhai, Han Shao Zhou suggested going to the mall to buy a couple of suitable suits for their visit to the Han family the next day to make it feel more formal.
“I have a couple of new suits at my apartment,” Mo Ming said. “I can just pick one to wear tomorrow.”
“What colors are they?” Han Shao Zhou asked.
“White and black.”
“Too plain, doesn’t leave a good impression,” Han Shao Zhou said naturally. “Let’s go get some different ones.”
“…”
They parked near the mall, and Han Shao Zhou got out and walked inside, with Mo Ming, wearing a mask, quietly following him.
Not long after they started walking, Han Shao Zhou suddenly reached out his hand toward Mo Ming.
“How about I hold your hand?” Han Shao Zhou suggested with a serious expression. “It’ll make us look more like a couple.”
“Han Ge,” Mo Ming reminded softly, “there’s no one here who knows us. We don’t have to act.”
“Oh… I almost forgot.” Han Shao Zhou let his hand drop and turned to continue walking.
Mo Ming chose a light gray suit. With his slender waist, long legs, and handsome face, any well-fitting suit looked especially good on him. The two female staff members helping him choose his clothes couldn’t hide their admiration in their eyes.
After settling on a suit, Mo Ming went to the fitting room to change out of it.
When Mo Ming didn’t come out for a long time, Han Shao Zhou walked over to the fitting room door and gently knocked. “What’s wrong?”
Mo Ming’s voice sounded slightly muffled. “Just a moment. I’m stuck…”
“Stuck where?” Han Shao Zhou knocked on the door again. “Want me to help? Open the door, Mo Ming.”
Mo Ming struggled for a while longer, but eventually, he opened the door. His usually pale face was flushed red with embarrassment as he quietly said, “The zipper caught my underwear. Can you ask the staff for scissors? I’ll just cut the fabric.”
“What if you hurt yourself? Let me do it.” Han Shao Zhou said as he stepped into the small fitting cubicle.
It was a tight fit with two grown men inside, but Han Shao Zhou knelt down in front of Mo Ming, his eyes level with Mo Ming’s waist. He patiently worked at the zipper that had caught the fabric.
“Maybe I should do it myself,” Mo Ming suggested.
“I can see better from here. Almost done,” Han Shao Zhou reassured him. “We won’t buy this suit. After this, we’ll head to Xiangbinshan. I had some suits tailored for you there before; you can try them on.”
When Mo Ming didn’t respond, Han Shao Zhou instinctively looked up and saw Mo Ming’s face had turned an even deeper shade of red. His eyes were avoiding his, as if he were struggling with something.
“What’s wrong?” Han Shao Zhou asked softly, tilting his head up.
Mo Ming pressed his lips together, his waist slightly bent. “Han Ge, could you be a bit more gentle with your hands?”
Only then did Han Shao Zhou realize that he’d been a bit too rough with his hands, his fingers occasionally brushing against Mo Ming’s body. He had been so focused on the zipper that he’d forgotten where his hands were.
And now, the position they were in was incredibly… awkward.
Just then, the fitting room door was suddenly yanked open from the outside.
Both Han Shao Zhou and Mo Ming turned their heads sharply.
A stranger holding a pair of pants, ready to try them on, stood frozen in the doorway, staring wide-eyed at the two of them—one standing, one kneeling.
“S-sorry, I saw the door wasn’t locked and thought no one was inside. Please, carry on…” The man stammered before hastily shutting the door.
Mo Ming’s mouth twitched slightly… He had a feeling that man misunderstood the situation.
Han Shao Zhou, however, didn’t seem too bothered. He simply reached out and locked the door.
When all else failed, Han Shao Zhou ended up using his teeth to bend the metal zipper out of shape to free Mo Ming.
Standing up, Han Shao Zhou rubbed one side of his face. “My teeth hurt.”
“Thank you,” Mo Ming said softly, clutching the waistband of his pants as he stared down at his feet. “Han Ge, you should go out now so I can finish changing.”
Han Shao Zhou looked at Mo Ming, his thick eyelashes casting a slight shadow over his eyes, giving him an almost distant aura, even though a faint blush still lingered on his cheeks. A sudden wave of heat surged through Han Shao Zhou’s chest, making his mind reel.
Without thinking, Han Shao Zhou cupped Mo Ming’s face and pushed him against the fitting room wall, kissing him with a fierce intensity, his eyes wet and red with desperation, as if he wanted to devour him whole.
“I like you, Mo Ming. I really like you…”
Even though he knew that Mo Ming had never felt the same way about him, even though he knew he could never surpass Zhou Xu in Mo Ming’s heart, he still couldn’t control his feelings.
It felt like all the anger, frustration, and bitterness didn’t matter in the face of this uncontrollable affection…
Why couldn’t he have met Mo Ming earlier? Why didn’t he realize his feelings sooner?
Would he always be stuck in Zhou Xu’s shadow, with his feelings overshadowed by someone who was no longer there?
“Han Ge, Han Ge?”
A voice pulled Han Shao Zhou out of his thoughts, and he blinked back to reality, seeing Mo Ming standing in front of him, looking at him with confused concern.
“What’s wrong with you?” Mo Ming asked, puzzled.
Jolted back to the present, Han Shao Zhou awkwardly scratched his eyebrow. “Nothing, I just… spaced out.”
“I need to finish changing,” Mo Ming reminded him.
Han Shao Zhou’s hands clenched at his sides, then relaxed. In the end, he didn’t have the courage to say another word. He turned and opened the door. “I’ll wait outside.”
After leaving the mall and getting into the car, Mo Ming noticed a change in Han Shao Zhou’s mood. He stared silently out the window, his expression gloomy and his eyes dull.
“It’s getting late. Maybe I shouldn’t go to try on the clothes,” Mo Ming suggested gently.
“If we wait until tomorrow, we might not have enough time to prepare and could blow our cover,” Han Shao Zhou replied, still looking out the window. “We’ll go try the clothes on, and then I’ll take you back. It won’t take long.”
By the time they arrived at Xiangbinshan, it was already dark.
Han Shao Zhou instructed the butler to prepare dinner and, without looking at Mo Ming, headed straight into the villa. His tone was distant as he said, “It’s late. You should stay for dinner before leaving.”
His words were purely formal, lacking any warmth.
“I’ll take the clothes and leave. No need to trouble you, Han Ge,” Mo Ming replied.
Han Shao Zhou suddenly stopped in his tracks and turned to look at Mo Ming, as if he wanted to say something. His lips moved slightly, but it took him a while before he finally said, “The driver needs to eat too. You should at least wait until he’s done before heading back. He’s been driving all day; give him a little consideration.”
Han Shao Zhou’s expression was so serious that Mo Ming could only nod after a moment of hesitation.
Han Shao Zhou turned and continued walking.
They went upstairs to the same room Mo Ming had stayed in the last time, where the large golden “Xi” character was still prominently displayed on the wall above the bed. The bed was still made with the same set of bright red silk sheets, identical to the ones Mo Ming had slept on last time.
The bed linen, which had been soiled that night, was now completely fresh and new. Whether it had been cleaned or replaced entirely was unclear.
Han Shao Zhou led Mo Ming into the walk-in closet, which resembled a small clothing store. Standing off to the side, he said, “Everything in here, from shoes to shirts, is in your size. Pick out a set that you like. There’s another door in front; it should have accessories like cufflinks and watches inside.”
Mo Ming looked at Han Shao Zhou in confusion. “Isn’t this your closet?”
“Mine’s next door,” Han Shao Zhou explained calmly. “I had this one set up for you a while back. I didn’t realize they’d stocked it so thoroughly. I haven’t been here much lately, so I forgot to have them clear it out. I’ll tell the butler to do it later.”
This closet had been arranged right after Mo Ming had spent the night at Xiangbinshan for the first time. Back then, Han Shao Zhou had assumed that this place would become their permanent home together, so he had ordered the staff to set up the closet accordingly. It hadn’t been intended as a surprise; it had just seemed like the natural thing to do…
But he never expected it to become a testament to his own presumptuousness. Not that it mattered much to him—he didn’t mind letting his self-deception show.
After all, he knew Mo Ming was indifferent, so it didn’t bother him anymore.
“I’ll wait for you in the other room. Take your time,” Han Shao Zhou said before turning and leaving the walk-in closet.
Mo Ming stood in the large closet, feeling overwhelmed by the sheer number of clothes surrounding him. But soon, his attention was drawn to a glass display case in the corner, inside which hung a set of ceremonial robes worn by men during ancient weddings. The red silk fabric was embroidered with golden dragons and clusters of auspicious clouds, exquisite in every detail. The display case was sealed on all sides, keeping the beautiful garments completely free of dust.
Mo Ming turned his gaze away and picked out a dark gray suit.
He took off his outer jacket and sweater, and as he was putting on the dress shirt, the closet door suddenly opened.
“My grandpa is…”
Han Shao Zhou’s urgent voice trailed off as he froze in place, staring at the scene before him.
Mo Ming was in the middle of buttoning his shirt. The white fabric barely covered the tops of his thighs, leaving his long, slender legs exposed in a way that made Han Shao Zhou’s mind go blank.
Mo Ming quickly grabbed his jacket and held it in front of him, frowning at the unexpected intrusion.
Han Shao Zhou snapped back to his senses and continued, “My grandpa’s here. He’s already downstairs.”
Mo Ming was stunned, his dark eyes filled with panic. “But we were supposed to meet him tomorrow!”
“He’s here to see me. He probably didn’t know you were here when he came,” Han Shao Zhou said, forcing his gaze away from Mo Ming’s bare legs. “But the butler has likely already informed him you’re here. That old man… he really should’ve given us a heads-up before showing up.”
Mo Ming was so nervous that his toes curled. “So… what do we do now?”
Han Shao Zhou wanted to laugh but held it back. “Isn’t this a small matter for you?”
“I…”
“Alright, just finish getting dressed. I’ll go stall for time…”
Before Han Shao Zhou could finish his sentence, they heard a knock on the bedroom door from outside.
“Shao Zhou, are you in there?” It was the old man’s voice, filled with unmistakable excitement and joy.
