IOLYF Chapter 64

“Cousin, Han Shao Zhou really does have feelings for you…” Shen Xi Xi said. “HW, aren’t those the initials of your names?”

Wen Ci took out one of the small diamond rings, holding it between his fingers to examine it closely. The beautiful diamond sparkled brilliantly, and the letters on the band made his gaze grow distant. “But he was still with Mo Ming…”

Shen Xi Xi chuckled. “That brings me to the second thing I wanted to tell you—Cousin, Han Shao Zhou and Mo Ming broke up.”

Wen Ci was momentarily stunned. He looked at Shen Xi Xi. “How do you know?”

“Yang Guan told me. He overheard it from Zhao Cheng. Apparently, they broke up on Han Shao Zhou’s birthday. I was wondering why Mo Ming never showed up at the party…”

“Why did they break up?”

“I didn’t hear the specifics, but they broke up, so it must be because the feelings weren’t there anymore.” Shen Xi Xi said. “They only got together because of you, Cousin. If they held on for so long, it was probably because Han Shao Zhou was soft-hearted. Honestly, I almost thought Han Shao Zhou had started developing real feelings for Mo Ming, but now it seems like he’s clear-headed and knows what he truly wants.”

Wen Ci pursed his lips and slowly slipped one of the rings onto the middle finger of his left hand. The band was slightly tight, but it still fit around the base of his finger. He raised his hand to admire the diamond in the sunlight streaming through the window.

“Four years ago, on my birthday, he told me that if I were with him, he’d be willing to offer half of the Han family as a betrothal gift. He even said he’d marry into my family… I’ve always known how much he loves me.”

Shen Xi Xi’s mouth fell open in shock… Half of the Han family—that was no small matter.

Wen Ci removed the ring from his finger and placed it back in the box.

“I don’t particularly like diamonds…” Wen Ci said softly. “But I do like this unique kind of affection…”

“I wonder how long Han Shao Zhou has been holding onto these rings.” Shen Xi Xi mused. “Could he have prepared them three years ago, just waiting for the right time to give them to you?”

Wen Ci placed the small red box on the windowsill beside his chair and said calmly, “Tell me, does anyone know you found this?”

“Right now, only you, Cousin.”

Just as Han Shao Zhou returned to Chuan Hai, he received a call from the old man.

Han Shao Zhou suddenly remembered that he had promised to bring his so-called boyfriend home for dinner tomorrow.

But now he didn’t have a boyfriend at all, and if he told the old man they had broken up, it would sound like he had made up the whole story just to avoid bringing someone home.

Should he hire an actor at the last minute to play the part?

Han Shao Zhou’s frustration deepened. He had no idea how long it would take him to get over the turmoil caused by Mo Ming’s departure. Despite his best efforts to ignore everything related to Mo Ming, he couldn’t shake the image of him that kept lingering in his mind.

“What? You still haven’t made up?” The old man’s voice over the phone was nearly explosive. “You’re supposed to bring him home tomorrow, and you haven’t even apologized yet? What have you been doing these past few days?”

“Anyway, I can’t bring him back right now. I’ll talk to you about it later.” Han Shao Zhou could only stall for time.

But after being strung along for years, Han Changzong wasn’t going to be so easily placated when it was finally time to meet his grandson’s significant other. “Listen, you little brat, either you bring him home tomorrow, or you tell me where he is, and I’ll go and get him back myself.”

Han Shao Zhou’s headache worsened.

After leaving the airport, just before noon, Han Shao Zhou had the driver take him back to Champagne Mountain. He didn’t have any work scheduled for the afternoon, so he had arranged to play golf with Qin You and Jiang He.

As for tomorrow, he planned to come clean with the old man.

Breaking up wasn’t something to be ashamed of… Being bothered by the breakup was what was truly embarrassing.

As the car drove on, a familiar figure in front of a roadside restaurant caught Han Shao Zhou’s attention. Squinting, he realized it was Zhao Cheng.

Zhao Cheng was grabbing another young man by the collar, and it looked like they were about to start fighting. A long-haired girl was trying to separate them.

Han Shao Zhou instructed the driver to pull over, then got out of the car and walked toward the restaurant.

The girl managed to wedge herself between the two men, spreading her arms to block Zhao Cheng from getting any closer to her boyfriend. “Can’t you be reasonable? We’ve already broken up.”

Zhao Cheng’s eyes were red as he pointed at the young man behind the girl. “This idiot doesn’t even compare to me. You played me for a fool for him, you—”

Before Zhao Cheng could finish his sentence, a hand landed on his shoulder. He turned to see Han Shao Zhou standing behind him, and his expression instantly soured. He didn’t want his good friend to see him in such a pathetic state.

“Why are you still here?” Han Shao Zhou said to the couple.

They quickly turned and left.

Zhao Cheng was about to call after them, but Han Shao Zhou swatted him on the back of the head, his voice low and stern. “Haven’t you embarrassed yourself enough?”

Han Shao Zhou didn’t get back into the car. Instead, he decided to have lunch at a nearby restaurant. Zhao Cheng said a quick goodbye to his friends and joined Han Shao Zhou in a private room.

Han Shao Zhou didn’t bother scolding Zhao Cheng; he was too busy looking over the menu. But Zhao Cheng, perhaps afraid of being judged, took the initiative to explain, “I just couldn’t stand it anymore. I thought I was over it, but running into them today really pissed me off. Old Han, it’s so frustrating. Why do I have to be so unlucky?”

Han Shao Zhou ignored him, finishing his order before checking messages on his phone.

“I’m going to ask Xiao Mei to give back the stuff I bought her.” Zhao Cheng said angrily. “It’s not about the money. I’ve spent millions on my exes, and I didn’t care. But this time is different. After seeing her with her new boyfriend, I’m even more sure—I can’t be played like this…”

Han Shao Zhou finally looked up at him. “Aren’t you embarrassed? What right do you have to ask for anything back?”

Zhao Cheng wanted to argue but couldn’t come up with anything to say. He felt annoyed and, seeing that Han Shao Zhou had no sympathy for him, he lost the desire to complain any further.

When the food arrived, Zhao Cheng, seeing Han Shao Zhou’s cold demeanor, suddenly asked, “Do you know what’s been happening with Mo Ming?”

Han Shao Zhou didn’t even look up from his meal. “Mention him again, and I’ll throw you out.”

“…”

Zhao Cheng looked at Han Shao Zhou’s frosty expression and raised an eyebrow slightly. It was clear that Han Shao Zhou hadn’t moved on from Mo Ming, and the breakup hadn’t desensitized him. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be reacting like this.

“Oh, one last question.” Zhao Cheng said with a playful smile, “I’m thinking of trying it with a guy, just to see what it’s like. So, can I pursue Mo Ming? I’m really curious about him.”

That last part was the truth…

Han Shao Zhou looked up, his gaze icy.

Zhao Cheng immediately backpedaled. “Okay, okay, I won’t bring him up again.”

He quickly focused on his food, all the while scrolling through his phone.

After a while, Han Shao Zhou suddenly said, “Don’t even think about Mo Ming.”

Zhao Cheng looked up to see Han Shao Zhou staring at him. He couldn’t help but laugh and teased, “But you’ve already broken up with him. If I don’t think about him, someone else will. It’s perfectly normal for people to be interested in him.”

A sudden, inexplicable sense of crisis crept up on Han Shao Zhou, and his face turned a shade darker. He wanted to say something, but he clenched his teeth instead.

Zhao Cheng shrugged and said with a helpless smile, “Honestly, Mo Ming is so attractive. It’s only natural for people to be interested in him. Who knows? Maybe someone’s already pursuing him. Maybe next time you’re out, you’ll run into him and his new boyfriend…”

Han Shao Zhou abruptly stood up, his breathing ragged.

His sharp gaze nearly bored a hole through Zhao Cheng. Han Shao Zhou glared at him, and Zhao Cheng raised his hands in surrender, quickly clarifying, “I was just joking. His new boyfriend definitely won’t be me, I promise.”

But Han Shao Zhou’s chest still burned like it was on fire.

A new boyfriend…

That’s right, after leaving him, Mo Ming would eventually get involved with someone else.

Han Shao Zhou couldn’t even begin to imagine Mo Ming with another man. The mere thought made it hard for him to breathe.

His gaze darkened, and he eventually slumped back into his chair, as if all the strength had been drained from him. He buried his face in his hands, silent.

“Old Han, are you okay?” Zhao Cheng regretted his words. He had always had a problem with saying things without thinking, and it seemed he still hadn’t learned his lesson.

Han Shao Zhou closed his eyes, deeply furrowing his brow. “I shouldn’t have asked him to apologize to Wen Ci…” I’m the one he loves the most; I should have backed him up instead of trying to reason things out.

A wave of sorrow washed over him, making it impossible to keep up his indifferent facade.

There was even a deep sense of injustice…

“You asked Mo Ming to apologize to Wen Ci?” Zhao Cheng was shocked, but then something clicked in his mind, and he quickly said, “Was it about Wen Ci falling into the water?”

Han Shao Zhou rubbed his temples. “So, you know about it…”

“Of course, I know. Everyone online knows.” Zhao Cheng said. “Old Han, did you really not look at what I sent you? It might not have been Mo Ming’s fault.”

Wen Ci was in the middle of lunch when he got a call from Han Shao Zhou. He glanced at the caller ID and murmured, “It’s Han Shao Zhou.”

Shen Pei Ling immediately smiled. “He must be calling to comfort you after seeing what’s going on online.”

Wen Ci’s expression grew complicated. He had a bad feeling… Things weren’t looking good for him online.

“What really happened when you fell into the water?”

As soon as the call connected, Han Shao Zhou got straight to the point, his voice urgent and devoid of warmth.

The deep feelings he once had for Wen Ci had always led him to see Wen Ci through rose-colored glasses, making him trust him unconditionally. Even though he no longer loved him, that perception persisted subconsciously.

But now, after hearing what Zhao Cheng had to say and seeing what was happening online, Han Shao Zhou found himself doubting Wen Ci for the first time.

After all, three years had changed even him…

Wen Ci clenched his phone. “Han Shao Zhou, are you questioning me because of those photos online?”

“I’m only asking you.” Han Shao Zhou said, enunciating each word. “Did you lie to me?”

He recalled the time when Mo Ming had tried to explain that Wen Ci had unbuckled the safety harness himself, but back then, Han Shao Zhou hadn’t given Mo Ming the slightest bit of trust and had insisted that he apologize.

Thinking back to Mo Ming’s gradually dimming eyes in the hospital corridor, Han Shao Zhou’s heart ached.

No wonder Mo Ming had been so determined to break up. He must have been deeply hurt by the way I treated him back then…