TDH Chapter 13

Truth be told, Jiang Cenglan did want to see Zhang Ruien, but absolutely not today.

 

In fact, he would have been willing to see Zhang Ruien at any time before today. Whether it was before he met Li Que or even after that one night with him, he would have had no regrets. By now, he had already ended things with Zhang Ruien, and what remained between them was nothing more than a few unsightly leftovers, embarrassing for both parties.

 

However, Jiang Cenglan came from a cultured and well-educated family. Having been steeped in that environment since childhood, he considered himself a person of propriety. Even if being the “other man” wasn’t exactly honorable, he could still, after adjusting his mindset, sit down with Zhang Ruien over tea and resolve the matter in a composed and dignified way.

 

So long as it wasn’t today.

 

Jiang Cenglan pressed his lips together. Although he had no idea why Zhang Ruien had suddenly reappeared after vanishing for over a month, he had already made up his mind: when it came time to clash, he would not let himself be on the losing side.

 

However, Zhang Ruien was staring at him with the exact same sullen expression.

 

The moment Jiang Cenglan opened the bathroom door, Zhang Ruien stopped arguing with his roommate and locked eyes on him, but not just on Jiang Cenglan, though. He also took in his skimpy pajamas, still-damp hair, and his overall exhausted appearance. In the end, the man even tilted his body to peer past him into the bathroom, as if trying to catch some adulterer sneaking around after a steamy late-night shower.

 

That, of course, was impossible.

 

Noticing Zhang Ruien’s probing gaze, Jiang Cenglan sighed inwardly. He just knew it… There was no way Zhang Ruien hadn’t seen the news.

 

But whatever Zhang Ruien had come here for tonight, he was destined to be disappointed.

 

Jiang Cenglan cleared his throat and was just about to speak when suddenly, someone moved. His roommate, without warning, launched a kick that sent Zhang Ruien stumbling backward into the bedroom, the door wide open behind him.

 

There was a cry of pain, followed by his roommate’s swift and decisive movements. He slammed the bedroom door shut with lightning speed and even yanked out the key from the spherical lock.

 

Everything happened so quickly that Jiang Cenglan stood frozen in shock.

 

“You…” he started, but the words caught in his throat.

 

His roommate grinned smugly. “I’ve been dying to kick his ass for ages. That felt great!”

 

Oh well… It took Jiang Cenglan several minutes to process the unexpected turn of events.

 

Thankfully, inside the room, Zhang Ruien either passed out from hitting something or was lying low, since there was no sound from him for a good while. But just as Jiang Cenglan finally figured out what to do next, a faint groan came from within.

 

Jiang Cenglan grabbed the key and opened the bedroom door.

 

Zhang Ruien did look like he’d blacked out for a bit. He was now sitting up, one hand pressed to his forehead, a cold sweat clinging to his temples. When he turned his head and saw Jiang Cenglan standing in the doorway, he instinctively opened his mouth to yell at him, only to catch sight of his friend standing behind, arms crossed. The expression on Zhang Ruien’s face shifted erratically.

 

In the end, he could only scowl and say darkly: “I’m going to call the police!”

 

“You’d better not,” Jiang Cenglan sneered. “Otherwise, I’ll testify that you broke in with the intent to rob us. What we did was self-defense.”

 

“You!”

 

“Sit down. Let’s talk.”

 

………………..

 

At 9:30 p.m., Jiang Cenglan finally put down his chopsticks.

 

His roommate had finished dinner earlier than him, but hadn’t left yet. Worried that Jiang Cenglan might get the short end of the stick, he stood guard in the living room like the Grim Reaper, looming beside Zhang Ruien and staring him down. Zhang Ruien was seething with rage but had no outlet for it.

 

His resentful glare bore into Jiang Cenglan like a physical weight. Jiang Cenglan, however, didn’t care in the slightest. He didn’t even bother to look back, knowing full well that his roommate’s glare would be ten times more intimidating.

 

After slowly finishing his meal and mentally reviewing everything he wanted to say, Jiang Cenglan opened with a question: “Are there any paparazzi outside?”

 

“What?!” Zhang Ruien was taken aback by the change in topic.

 

But his friend instantly grasped what Jiang Cenglan meant. His brow furrowed as he started saying: “Lan Lan, I’m not leaving you here…”

 

“There aren’t any,” Zhang Ruien interrupted hastily, finally catching on. “No reporters outside. It’s safe.”

 

“Can you go downstairs and get me some throat medicine?” Jiang Cenglan turned to his roommate with a playful tone. “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”

 

His voice was firm, his gaze unwavering. The roommate couldn’t hold up under it and, after a long sigh, he finally nodded in agreement.

 

“I’ll be back in forty minutes,” he said, glancing at his watch. But before leaving, he still threw one last warning at Zhang Ruien: “You’d better behave yourself!”

 

With that, he flicked his long hair arrogantly and slammed the door on his way out.

 

Zhang Ruien had clearly been humiliated and was furious, but now that only the two of them were left in the apartment, he forced himself to focus. After all, he had come prepared and with a clear purpose, so having that conversation mattered more than the loss of face just now.

 

Suppressing his anger, he asked Jiang Cenglan: “What’s going on between you and Li Que?! Did he f**k you?!”

 

Jiang Cenglan: “?!”

 

He was so stunned by the question that he actually wanted to laugh…

 

…And then he truly did laugh out loud.

 

“Ryan,” he said, looking the man on the opposite sofa up and down, “you’ve been missing for over a month, and now you show up here looking like shit, and the first thing out of your mouth is to ask whether I slept with your husband?”

 

Maybe it was because Jiang Cenglan was so visibly upset, exactly the kind of emotional response Zhang Ruien had expected, that he, ironically, calmed down.

 

“Cenglan, you’re overreacting,” Zhang Ruien said. “When we were dating, I never knew you had such a sharp tongue.”

 

“Guess that’s what happens when the love spell breaks,” Jiang Cenglan sneered. “Want to hear something worse? I’ve got worse.”

 

He wanted Zhang Ruien out. Completely and utterly gone. Today really wasn’t his lucky day. His personal info had been leaked online, Li Que’s plane had been forced to make an emergency landing in Canada due to turbulence, and now, on top of it all, he was facing his scumbag ex, who was acting like he was the cheating party.

 

And Zhang Ruien’s words were too vile. He had no respect for Jiang Cenglan, and even less for his legal husband, Li Que.

 

Jiang Cenglan’s expression kept shifting. However, no matter how quick-witted he was among his peers, in front of Zhang Ruien, someone who had clawed his way through New York’s fashion world for seven years and was both a designer and a businessman, he simply didn’t stand a chance.

 

He was too green.

 

So, in the private conversation meant to protect Li Que’s privacy, within just a few minutes, the initiative had already shifted into the hands of the very person who came in with an agenda.

 

Zhang Ruien smiled.

 

His gaze was contemptuous, but his tone was soft as he asked again: “Cenglan, did Li Que f**k you?”

 

Jiang Cenglan shot to his feet.

 

“Get the hell out!”

 

“Cenglan,” Zhang Ruien remained calm and unhurried, ignoring the flush of rage on Jiang Cenglan’s face as he raised his voice. “I didn’t just show up uninvited, you know? I called you… Why don’t you check your phone and call that number back?”

 

“Try it, and you’ll know where that number came from…”

 

“…And can you guess where I came from, too?”

 

“I also came from Toulouse, Cenglan.”