So it’s a real breakup?
That once warm gaze had turned cold, no longer a fleeting moment but now Mo Ming’s usual expression whenever he looked at him. Han Shao Zhou felt like a machine that had suddenly shut down, frozen in the passenger seat. He stared at Mo Ming for what felt like an eternity before finally forcing out a single, stilted word: “Then… then why did you get me a gift?”
“A gift?” Mo Ming asked, puzzled. “What gift?”
Seeing the confusion in Mo Ming’s eyes, Han Shao Zhou felt his heart sink: “A birthday gift…”
He glanced deliberately toward the back seat, but there was no sign of the tea set he had been expecting. Could it be in the trunk?
Mo Ming frowned slightly. “Is today your birthday?”
Han Shao Zhou’s entire body tensed, and he slowly brought his gaze back to Mo Ming’s face. “You… didn’t know?”
Mo Ming didn’t answer directly. Instead, he said gently, “Happy birthday, Mr Han.”
Han Shao Zhou continued to stare at Mo Ming, forcing the words out one by one: “I’m asking you, did you know today is my birthday?”
Mo Ming averted his gaze from Han Shao Zhou’s face. “I came here to pick something up from your driver. I didn’t expect to run into you, so could you please tell the driver that I don’t need the items anymore—”
Before Mo Ming could finish, Han Shao Zhou grabbed his collar, pulling him close. His gaze was intense, almost piercing.
“I’ll ask you one more time. Did you know today is my birthday?”
Mo Ming tried to break free from Han Shao Zhou’s grip, but he couldn’t. His eyes gradually turned colder. “Mr Han, we’ve already broken up.”
“You didn’t know, did you? You really didn’t know today was my birthday…” Han Shao Zhou’s eyes trembled with disbelief. “How could you not know…”
Over the past few years, he had been too busy to pay much attention to his own birthday, usually just acknowledging online messages from friends and family. But now, he realized that Mo Ming, despite loving him so much, had never once acknowledged his birthday in the three years they were together.
It wasn’t about the words “Happy Birthday” or any gift; what mattered was that someone who loved him should have had this date ingrained in their heart.
“Mr Han,” Mo Ming said quietly, “please let go.”
“That gift wasn’t for me? The one you bought yesterday…” Han Shao Zhou didn’t let go, but his voice softened. “I actually like tea sets…”
“That’s for my teacher.” Mo Ming replied bluntly.
“Your teacher…” Han Shao Zhou’s lips twitched. “Zhou Yixiang?”
Mo Ming’s expression remained cool. “Yes, his birthday is tomorrow.”
Han Shao Zhou slowly released his grip, his face losing all expression as he sat back in the passenger seat.
Mo Ming didn’t remember his birthday.
He had no intention of reconciling with him today.
The breakup… was real.
Mo Ming adjusted his collar, “Is there anything else?”
Han Shao Zhou closed his eyes. “Drive to Zhao Cheng’s bar now. I can pretend nothing ever happened before. I know that being my lover for so long has been hard on you, so I was planning to tonight…”
“I’m not hard-pressed.” Mo Ming interrupted calmly. “I had no complaints over these three years, but this relationship is over now.”
The car fell silent for a long time before Han Shao Zhou let out a dry laugh. “Yeah, it’s over. I get it…”
“If there’s nothing else, please get out of the car, Mr Han.”
Han Shao Zhou’s chest heaved with suppressed breaths, the tension in his voice betraying the storm brewing inside. Yet, he forced a smile, even as he unbuckled his seatbelt. “Fine. Fine, then. A breakup is a breakup. It’s not like I care…”
He stepped out of the car, but before closing the door, he leaned down and looked back at Mo Ming. “I’m not just trying to scare you. From now on, don’t expect to ever see me again…”
Mo Ming’s hands rested calmly on the steering wheel. He looked back at Han Shao Zhou with eyes as cold and clear as black obsidian submerged in water. “I understand.”
Bang!
Han Shao Zhou slammed the door shut, his reflection in the car window showing a face twisted with frustration.
The car started up, pulled away, and disappeared down the road…
Han Shao Zhou shoved his hands into his coat pockets and turned to walk back toward the bar.
The bright lights of the bustling city felt like mere illusions, giving him a surreal, dreamlike sense of detachment. He watched the people, the traffic, the neon-lit skyscrapers, all in a daze before the thought finally sank in: he and Mo Ming had broken up…
They really had.
He would never see him again.
It felt like a dream, like he hadn’t even had time to process his emotions.
The cold wind bit through his coat, chilling him to the bone, leaving an empty, hollow feeling inside.
He hadn’t walked far when he found himself sitting down by a small flowerbed. Pulling out a cigarette, he lit it and began smoking silently.
He suddenly remembered that night in T City when Mo Ming had packed himself into a cardboard box just to surprise him. In the cascade of colorful confetti, Mo Ming’s smiling face had made his heart skip a beat.
That joyful Mo Ming was such a stark contrast to the cold, distant person who had just left.
Zhao Cheng called him.
“Hey, Han, where are you? You’re the star of the night, you can’t just disappear.”
Han Shao Zhou took a drag on his cigarette, watching the cars go by. “I’ll be back soon.”
“Is Mo Ming with you? You two need to get back here. I’ve told the staff that when you two show up, all the spotlights will be on you. Whether you want to introduce Mo Ming or even propose, I’ll set the mood just right.”
Han Shao Zhou rested his hand on his forehead, closing his eyes.
“Hey, Han? Can you hear me?”
Hearing the faint honking of cars in the background, Zhao Cheng almost thought the call had dropped. After a long pause, he finally heard Han Shao Zhou’s low, raspy voice: “Mo Ming and I… broke up.”
“Broke up?” Zhao Cheng was stunned. “Are you joking? You just said you were going to introduce Mo Ming tonight. How could you suddenly break up? Did it just happen? Why?”
Zhao Cheng’s rapid-fire questions only added to Han Shao Zhou’s frustration. He took a deep drag of his cigarette. “We broke up. There’s no why. I just decided to. Isn’t that reason enough?”
Zhao Cheng was quiet for a moment. “Han, are you okay?”
Han Shao Zhou: “Why wouldn’t I be? I’m fine. I feel great, in fact. I could run a five-kilometer sprint right now, no problem.”
Zhao Cheng: “…”
When Han Shao Zhou finally returned to the bar, Zhao Cheng could sense something was off about his mood. “Han, are you sure you’re okay?”
Han Shao Zhou clapped Zhao Cheng on the shoulder and smiled. “Do I look like I’m not okay?”
“…”
You do.
During the part of the evening where Han Shao Zhou was supposed to publicly announce his relationship, he instead delivered a heartfelt thank-you speech. He appeared more energized than he had been at the start of the party, as if he had only just begun to truly immerse himself in the festive atmosphere.
After the cake was cut, Zhao Cheng watched as Han Shao Zhou chatted enthusiastically with a few small-time influencers who had approached him. Their jokes made him laugh so hard he nearly doubled over, and eventually, he even took off his mechanical watch and gave it to one of the influencers, who was so ecstatic she nearly squealed.
Han Shao Zhou was in such high spirits that he downed every drink offered to him, keeping the party going until well past two in the morning. By then, he had passed out drunk on the couch.
Zhao Cheng stepped in to shoo away the last of the partygoers and, with the help of another friend, hoisted Han Shao Zhou up to get him out of the bar.
“Xiao Yang, grab Han’s coat from the couch.” Zhao Cheng instructed.
“Oh, okay.”
Yang Guan grabbed the black coat from the sofa and ran after Zhao Cheng. Trailing behind, Shen Xixi noticed a small, square red leather box that had fallen out of the coat pocket.
Yang Guan was already ahead, so Shen Xixi picked up the box out of curiosity.
When she gently lifted the lid, she gasped… It was a huge diamond.
Author’s Note:
(This chapter is shorter, the next one will be longer.)
The breakup scene is almost done, and we’re moving into a new chapter.
I’ve been following the outline closely; it’s not that I’m stuck on the plot, but I wanted to detail the psychological changes in the character. I realize this might have slowed down the pacing a bit, so I’ll be more mindful moving forward.
(I’m gearing up to challenge six updates a week—I can do it!)
