Wen Ci knew all too well that Han Shao Zhou had heard everything from outside the hospital room. Facing Han Shao Zhou’s gaze now, Wen Ci couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty.
But he refused to show weakness in front of Han Shao Zhou. Since Han Shao Zhou had pursued him at the age of sixteen, everyone around him had feared Han Shao Zhou’s temper and powerful family background.
Yet, in front of him, Han Shao Zhou had always been cautious, carefully considering Wen Ci’s thoughts and feelings. Despite not having a background as imposing as Han Shao Zhou’s, Wen Ci could always maintain his pride and elegance, making everyone believe that it was Han Shao Zhou who was the unattainable one.
This deeply ingrained memory and instinctual pride wouldn’t allow him to bow his head in front of Han Shao Zhou.
Even as Han Shao Zhou walked up to him, Wen Ci kept his lips tightly pressed together, meeting his gaze directly.
“The stunt that guy pulled last night… you knew about it beforehand, didn’t you?” Han Shao Zhou asked, his expression cold and unreadable.
Wen Ci closed his eyes briefly before responding calmly, “No, I didn’t. I saw the message in the morning. I never imagined Xiao Qian would plan something like that. If you don’t believe me, you can ask him… He acted on his own. It has nothing to do with me.”
“Do your words still hold any credibility?”
Wen Ci felt his breath catch as he looked into Han Shao Zhou’s eyes, which had lost all warmth. “It’s not that my words lack credibility—it’s that Han Ge has already chosen to believe Mo Ming. You’re questioning me now just because you want to stand up for him, aren’t you?”
Han Shao Zhou’s lips twitched, a faint hint of mockery mixed with self-deprecation. “Do you think he needs me to stand up for him? Are you even a match for him?”
Thinking back to the situation in the room earlier, Wen Ci found himself speechless.
Han Shao Zhou continued to stare at Wen Ci. “That guy thought he was being clever by standing up for you. I don’t know what misunderstandings the people around you might have about my relationship with you. If there are any, let me clear them up now: you and I won’t even be friends going forward. If you or anyone around you crosses my line, I won’t hesitate to deal with it.”
Wen Ci stood frozen, his face pale.
“Xiao Han, how can you say such things to Wen Ci? You weren’t like this before…” Shen Peiling, panicked and slightly irritated, clung to Han Shao Zhou’s arm. “What kind of spell has that Mo Ming cast on you, turning you into this? Is this how you should treat Wen Ci?” She was used to the Han Shao Zhou who always wore a smile, who would go out of his way for them, tireless and diligent.
It had always seemed like the Han family was trying to please them… Years of this dynamic had ingrained this belief deeply into their minds.
Han Shao Zhou brushed off Shen Peiling’s hand with two fingers, his eyes filled with undisguised disgust. “Don’t you dare touch me.”
Shen Peiling’s face flushed with a sickly green hue. “You… you…”
Tears had already filled Wen Ci’s eyes, spilling down his cheeks in silence as he bit his lip. “Maybe… I shouldn’t have come back…”
“If you regret it, then go back,” Han Shao Zhou replied coldly before turning to leave.
Wen Ci’s lips trembled as he stared in disbelief at Han Shao Zhou’s retreating back.
“You don’t even know much about Mo Ming!” Shen Peiling suddenly raised her voice, shouting after Han Shao Zhou. “Have you looked into his background? Let me tell you, his whole family is low-class scum. No good can come from such a family. Xiao Han, if you hurt Wen Ci’s feelings for that boy, you’re insulting our family!”
Han Shao Zhou abruptly stopped in his tracks.
Thinking she had struck a nerve, Shen Peiling continued, “His father was a notorious gambler in their little backwater town, and his mother—before she died—was nothing more than a masseuse… Do you know how he managed to escape that poverty-stricken town and make it to a big city like Chuanhai? He sold himself. At fourteen or fifteen, he latched onto a wealthy man in Chuanhai, and that’s how he escaped. He even heartlessly abandoned the father who raised him! By treating someone like that well, you’re disgracing your family’s name—”
“Exactly,” Shen Xixi chimed in. “Didn’t the rumors online say he was kept by Zhou Xu? Han Ge, you think you found some treasure, but you don’t even realize how many people have already had a turn with him.”
Han Shao Zhou turned around, his face terrifyingly cold as he stared at Shen Peiling and Shen Xixi.
Shen Peiling had never seen such a frightening expression on Han Shao Zhou’s face before and began to feel a bit apprehensive. “I… I’m not making this up. You can find out by asking around in that town.”
