IOLYF Chapter 99

Han Changzong brought the severely injured Han Shao Zhou back to the country, along with Mo Ming.

Mo Ming’s injuries were relatively minor, mostly superficial wounds, while Han Shao Zhou was wrapped up like a mummy. Despite his appearance, his spirits were surprisingly high, and he spoke clearly.

The day after their return, news broke online about Pang Yuanqing, the heir to the Pang family, who had accidentally fallen into the sea and whose body was never recovered.

The incident caused a major uproar domestically, but Pang Mingshun remained silent and did not make any public statements.

People speculated that Pang Mingshun must be heartbroken, having lost his closest relatives in a series of tragic accidents, enduring the sorrow of an old man sending off the young.

Han Shao Zhou called Pang Mingshun to inquire, but Pang Mingshun only confirmed that the news was accurate and said nothing more. However, both Han Shao Zhou and Mo Ming could guess what had happened…

Due to Han Shao Zhou’s limited mobility, Mo Ming went alone to visit Pang Mingshun and brought him the photo album that had belonged to Zhou Xu, now that Pang Mingshun knew the whole truth.

“He really looks a lot like his father. If only I had found him sooner…” Pang Mingshun said as he caressed the familiar faces in the album, tears streaming down his face.

In Chuanhai, another heavy snow had fallen.

Mo Ming heard from Qi Yue that Dashang Theatre Troupe had received an unimaginable amount of investment from Dingsheng, giving it boundless potential for future development.

“Dingsheng’s chairman personally visited Teacher Zhou, and they had a meal together.

The old man even gave Teacher Zhou several valuable gifts,” Qi Yue said over the phone.

“Rumor has it that he even gifted a villa worth over two hundred million yuan for Teacher Zhou’s retirement. Mo Ming, do you know why? Some colleagues say it might be because Teacher Zhou saved that old man’s life.”

“Maybe,” Mo Ming replied gently. “I think Teacher Zhou deserves such a reward.”

Friends and family came in waves to visit Han Shao Zhou in the hospital, but he never saw the person he most wanted to see.

Most of the time, he stared absentmindedly at the door, filled with anticipation and then disappointment. Although he felt that the experience in N Country had brought him and Mo Ming closer, he still didn’t dare take it as a certainty to push things further. He was afraid that the little goodwill he had risked his life to earn would be wiped out by his own foolish actions.

One afternoon, Zhao Cheng came to visit Han Shao Zhou in the hospital.

His arm cast had just been removed a few days ago, and he hadn’t expected his good buddy to end up hospitalized again so soon.

“I’m starting to think you’re copying me,” Zhao Cheng said as he sat by the bed, peeling and eating a banana. “Every time I get hurt, whether physically or emotionally, you follow suit.”

Han Shao Zhou leaned back against the bed, resting his right hand behind his head, not even looking at Zhao Cheng. “Don’t compare your experiences to mine. We’re different.”

“How are we different?” Zhao Cheng laughed. “Are you saying you’re hurt worse than I was?”

Whether mentally or physically…

Han Shao Zhou didn’t respond, his thoughts clearly elsewhere as he stared at the door.

Zhao Cheng, noticing this, deliberately said, “Old Han, have you really decided to hang yourself on this one tree?”

Han Shao Zhou frowned. “What kind of saying is that?”

“Oh, let me rephrase. Have you decided to hang yourself on little Mo Ming?”

“Yes.”

“…”

Zhao Cheng had thought the issue was with the phrase “hang yourself.”

Just then, a knock came at the door.

Han Shao Zhou instantly perked up, like a startled bird, craning his neck as he called out for them to come in. His eyes misted over as the familiar figure stepped into view.

“Hey, little Mo Ming is here!” Zhao Cheng stood up, grinning. “If you had waited any longer, Old Han would have turned into a rock, staring at the door all day.”

Mo Ming: “…”

“And you’ve eaten so many of my bananas, yet you still can’t shut up,” Han Shao Zhou snapped at Zhao Cheng. “Go buy another bunch and don’t come back until you do.”

Zhao Cheng shot his friend a look of disdain, clearly unimpressed by how quickly he was forgotten in the presence of Mo Ming. As he left, he couldn’t resist saying to Mo Ming, “Little Mo Ming, be careful in love. Old Han’s injuries are so severe; who knows how it’ll affect his, uh, performance in the future.”

“You son of a—” Han Shao Zhou didn’t get to finish before Zhao Cheng darted out of the room like the wind.

Mo Ming placed the fruit basket he brought on the bedside table and sat down in the chair beside the bed, calmly asking, “How are you feeling?”

“Great, really great. Don’t listen to Zhao Cheng. My waist is fine, and everything else is in perfect working order. Once I recover, everything will be back to normal,” Han Shao Zhou quickly explained.

Mo Ming peeled an orange, his head lowered. “You don’t need to explain so much. That’s your business.”

Han Shao Zhou fell silent, deflating slightly before softly saying, “I’m just really happy you came to see me. Really happy…”

“I know how you got these injuries,” Mo Ming said, still focused on peeling the orange. “I couldn’t not come.”

Han Shao Zhou watched as Mo Ming’s slender fingers methodically peeled the bright orange, tearing off the white fibers to reveal the juicy segments.

His throat bobbed, and he licked his dry lips… He had never been fed by Mo Ming before.

But then…

Watching Mo Ming eat the orange himself, Han Shao Zhou’s shoulders slumped.

“I’ll be staying with the theater troupe before the New Year, and then I’ll start filming,” Mo Ming said, popping another orange slice into his mouth. “I’ll be really busy, so just focus on recovering and don’t think about anything else.”

“Not even about you?”

“…I’d recommend thinking about me as little as possible.”

Han Shao Zhou’s gaze fell on Mo Ming’s lips, glistening from the orange juice, soft and inviting with a hint of citrus scent. It was as if his heart was wrapped in sweet syrup. He looked at Mo Ming and said, “Okay, I’ll listen to you. But remember, I’m a man of action.”

Mo Ming couldn’t help but chuckle. “Can you still be active in your condition?”

“I can. I’m ‘disabled but determined.’”

“…”

Outside the room, Zhao Cheng listened in, relieved to hear that the conversation seemed to be going well.

It looked like he didn’t need to worry about a dramatic scene where Mo Ming storms out after saying something harsh, leaving Han Shao Zhou to cry and crawl out of bed to beg him to stay.

Zhao Cheng turned to leave, only to run into Wen Ci in the hallway.

Wen Ci had come to visit Han Shao Zhou as well.

He no longer harbored any hopes of rekindling their past relationship; he just wanted Han Shao Zhou to remember their old friendship and perhaps offer some help in his career.

He had been set to star in a major film, but the investors deemed him too controversial and replaced him with a newcomer. While this kind of thing was common in the entertainment industry, it was a first for Wen Ci since his debut. But what really suffocated him was the realization that this might become a recurring issue in the future.

In the entertainment industry, connections were everything. Even if he couldn’t be Han Shao Zhou’s lover, it was good to remain friends. He had come to terms with his situation and no longer pretended to be above it all.

“Wen Ci, maybe you should wait a bit before going in. Mo Ming is in there.”

Wen Ci pressed his lips together. “I’m just here as a friend. I don’t have any other intentions.”

“If you really care about Old Han, it’s better not to go in right now. The two of them are having a moment, and Old Han even kicked me out with some lame excuse.”

Wen Ci paused, his expression complicated as he asked, “Are Han Ge and Mo Ming really that close?”

“They’ve been through life and death together. What do you think?” Zhao Cheng replied. “The mood in there is just right. If Old Han still has that engagement ring, he could probably propose right now, and Mo Ming would say yes.”

Wen Ci froze. “What engagement ring?”

“The one Old Han had custom-made to propose to Mo Ming,” Zhao Cheng explained. “He lost it after a night of heavy drinking on his birthday, didn’t even know where it went. A custom piece worth millions—he really messed up.”

Wen Ci’s face paled. “Do you know what that ring looks like?”

“A custom ring? Probably just a huge diamond. Oh, right, I saw it once. It had their initials engraved on it—pretty flashy.”

“Initials?” Wen Ci’s expression grew increasingly uneasy. “Their initials… HM, right?”

He remembered clearly that the rings Shen Xixi gave him had the letters HW engraved on them, not HM.

“I think… no, that’s not right.” Zhao Cheng scratched his chin. “Old Han put Mo Ming’s initial first. It was MH.”

“MH?” Wen Ci’s face turned ashen.

“Hey, Wen Ci, are you okay?”

Zhao Cheng watched as Wen Ci abruptly turned and walked away without looking back.

Once home, Wen Ci hurried to his bedroom, pulling out the ring box and taking out the diamond ring.

He had always assumed Han Shao Zhou would put his own initial, H, first, so he had thought the engraving was HW. But…

Wen Ci gently turned the ring in his hand. HW became MH.

M for Mo.

He put the ring down and stared out at the snow-covered treetops outside the window, feeling an emptiness settle over him as all his bitterness and lingering thoughts suddenly vanished.

He had believed this ring symbolized Han Shao Zhou’s love for him, a token of their past. He had wanted to hold onto it as a memento.

But now…

A knock on the door pulled him from his thoughts as Shen Peiling entered. She knew Wen Ci had gone to the hospital to visit Han Shao Zhou but hadn’t expected him back so soon.

“Wen Wen, how is Xiao Han doing?” Shen Peiling asked gently.

“…He’s fine.”

“And how did your conversation go?” Shen Peiling asked, her tone full of hope. “Did you mention our family’s situation to him?”

These days, Shen Peiling’s life hadn’t been easy…

Everyone in the industry now knew that the Han family had cut ties with the Wen family. The Wen family, who had gained some social standing thanks to the Han family’s support, was now being pushed back to their original position. The prestige of being an artist had vanished entirely, and their company was in shambles, no matter how much money they threw at it.

Wen Ci had long advised his parents to abandon business and return to their roots, but Shen Peiling refused to give up. She still dreamed of the riches they once had, longing for the days when money flowed in effortlessly. She had even tried to seek help from Han Changzong, but he didn’t respond at all. She didn’t dare approach Han Shao Zhou, so she placed all her hopes on Wen Ci, believing that Han Shao Zhou might help them out of consideration for their past relationship.

“I didn’t see him,” Wen Ci said. “Mom, stop relying on others.”

“Wen Wen, you—”

“I won’t be earning as much as before, but I’ll still make enough to support you and Dad comfortably,” Wen Ci said. “But if you don’t shut down the company and keep thinking the Han family owes you something, I’ll publicly announce that I’m cutting ties with you both.”

Shen Peiling panicked. “Wen Wen, how can you say that? You’re our only son.”

“Mom…” Tears welled up in Wen Ci’s eyes. “I’m in so much pain. I’ve already lost too much. Please, you and Dad need to wake up.”

“Wen Wen…”

“I lost Han Ge, who once loved me more than anything. And I gave up Gao Chen, who I once loved with all my heart. I’ll never meet anyone better than them again. How did my life end up like this? How… how could this happen…”

Wen Ci sat on the edge of the bed, his head in his hands, crying in anguish.

“Don’t be sad, Wen Wen. Forget about Xiao Han. If you still care for Gao Chen, I’ll go talk to him. He used to love you so much; maybe you can get back together—”

“It’s no use. It’s impossible now,” Wen Ci shook his head. “He’s become a superstar, and there’s no way he’d look back. I wronged him…”

It had taken nearly two years of emotional neglect for Wen Ci to finally push Gao Chen to initiate their divorce. He had drained Gao Chen’s love for him, and now Gao Chen had regained his freedom, returned to the spotlight, and rediscovered himself.

And it was true—Shen Peiling had tried to contact Gao Chen privately, but even getting a meeting with him was impossible. Gao Chen’s popularity had skyrocketed, and he was always accompanied by his manager and assistants wherever he went, with crowds of fans following and cheering for him. He had even moved to a new home, living under the spotlight yet remaining low-key and mysterious—far beyond Shen Peiling’s reach.

Not only that, but even Shen Xixi, who used to visit frequently to curry favor, had vanished. When called, she only said she was busy.

To Shen Peiling, the wealth and luxury of three years ago now felt like a fleeting dream. Now that she had woken up, everything was gone.