The Missing Piece: 貌合神离

Chapter 4

 

Shen Mo didn’t know how he had walked toward Ji Mingxuan. When his attention returned, Ji Mingxuan was already holding his hand tightly. A while later, Zhou Yang hurried over. When he saw Ji Mingxuan holding hands with Shen Mo, he looked surprised for a moment, but quickly concealed it and asked, “What happened?”

 

“Nothing.” Ji Mingxuan rolled down his shirt sleeves before replying. “I drank too much and accidentally knocked someone over.”

 

Seeing the current situation, Zhou Yang knew that what Ji Mingxuan had said was not true. Although the people around them were whispering, no one contradicted Ji Mingxuan.

 

And so, Zhou Yang said, “I see.”

 

Ji Mingxuan patted Zhou Yang’s shoulder and spoke naturally, “Help me handle it, Brother-in-law.”

 

“Of course,” Zhou Yang swallowed before he said, “Brother.”

 

After the reply, Zhou Yang turned his gaze to Shen Mo. But before Shen Mo could meet his gaze, Ji Mingxuan had already pulled him away.

 

Shen Mo followed Ji Mingxuan without thinking. He caught a glimpse of Zhao Yi standing amid the crowd, but Ji Mingxuan went straight out of the hotel’s hall, not even giving Zhao Yi a single glance.

 

There was a small garden outside the hall. The hotel had spent a great deal of money crafting the beautiful scenery. A variety of unknown plants surrounded the garden, and a small stream flowed through the middle. It was the fifteenth day of the lunar calendar that night. The moon looked large and round, and the moonlight fell gently on the ground, creating a pleasant, quiet atmosphere.

 

Ji Mingxuan slowed down and said, “I wanted to get some fresh air and sober up a little.”

 

Shen Mo had seen Ji Mingxuan drunk. He knew that Ji Mingxuan was more than sober now, but he didn’t point it out. He looked at Ji Mingxuan’s hand and said, 

 

“You got hurt, Mr Ji.”

 

Only now did Ji Mingxuan remember. He said with nonchalance, “It’s just a scratch.”

 

Shen Mo grabbed Ji Mingxuan’s hand and examined it in the moonlight. The injury was just a scratch, but it also meant that Ji Mingxuan had really intended to harm that fight.

 

Shen Mo’s heart beat faster than usual. He felt as if he was still in a dream. Perhaps even while dreaming, Shen Mo would never have expected Mr Ji to fight someone in public.

 

Gripping Ji Mingxuan’s hand, Shen Mo asked, “Do you want to go to the hospital?”

 

Then Shen Mo said to himself, “So many people saw you hit that guy. How will they write about it in the newspapers tomorrow?”

 

Ji Mingxuan laughed. “What do you think? They’ll probably write about the marriage between the Ji and Zhou families and how good a match the couple is. Nothing else will be mentioned.”

 

With Ji Mingxuan’s abilities, it’d be extremely easy to cover up this incident. But people like him usually held their social statuses in high regard; they’d never lose their grace in public as he had. And that was why so many people had been shocked by Ji Mingxuan’s behaviour today.

 

“Mr Ji.”

 

“Yes?”

 

“Why did you… hit him?”

 

Shen Mo thought he might know the answer, but he wasn’t sure. He wanted to hear it directly from Ji Mingxuan.

 

Yet, Ji Mingxuan didn’t answer the question. Instead, he clasped Shen Mo’s hand and said, “Take a walk with me.”

 

The garden wasn’t big; they reached its end after just a while. As if he wasn’t satisfied, Ji Mingxuan held Shen Mo’s hand and walked around the garden repeatedly.

 

When Shen Mo saw Ji Mingxuan wasn’t saying anything, his mind began to wander. He didn’t know what he was thinking about when he suddenly heard Ji Mingxuan call his name, “Shen Mo.”

 

Shen Mo absently turned around, only to find that Ji Mingxuan had already stopped and was now looking down at him. Ji Mingxuan’s features looked quite beautiful in the hazy moonlight. Ji Mingxuan gazed at Shen Mo quietly, as if he had been looking at Shen Mo for a long time. His eyes were as tender as water, gently sweeping over Shen Mo’s face.

 

Shen Mo’s heartbeat quickened again. He could only say, “Mr Ji...”

 

All was silent in the moonlight. Ji Mingxuan said nothing. He lowered his head, and then tenderly kissed Shen Mo’s lips.

 

Shen Mo didn’t sleep well that night. He woke up drowsily the next morning. He obviously hadn’t had any alcohol, but he felt like he was drunk. Many of his memories had become hazy, like that of Zhou Yang and Ji An’an’s impressive engagement banquet or the scar-faced man who had scared him so much that he’d started shaking. 

 

The only thing that he could clearly remember was how Ji Mingxuan had rolled up his sleeves before the fight, and… the kiss underneath the moonlight.

 

Shen Mo touched his lips. Even after the whole night, he still felt a slight tingle there.

 

He had woken up late this morning. When he got downstairs, the Ji siblings were already in the dining room. Ji An’an was asking Ji Mingxuan what had happened last night.

 

“I heard Zhou Yang’s cousin used to be involved with gangs. Brother, how could you fight him? Weren’t you worried that he’d knock you over with just one punch? What if something happened to you?”

 

Due to her nagging, Ji Mingxuan could only answer, “I knew that. I wasn’t worried. That could never happen.”

 

Ji An’an’s curiosity wasn’t satisfied yet. Cupping her chin in her hands, she added, “They said you were drunk. But from what I know, your tolerance shouldn’t be that bad.”

 

Ji Mingxuan replied casually, “They can say whatever they want.”

 

Obviously, Ji An’an wasn’t content with such an answer. When she saw Shen Mo come over, she asked, “Shen-ge, you were with my brother yesterday. Do you think he was actually drunk?”

 

Although Shen Mo knew the truth, he couldn’t explain it to Ji An’an. Fortunately, Ji Mingxuan helped him out and changed the subject. “An’an, do you have today off?”

 

“Yeah, it’s the weekend today.”

 

“There’s an auto show in the afternoon. Pick a car there. Think of it as my engagement present for you.”

 

“There are so many cars in the garage already. We can drive any one of them. Why buy a new one?”

 

“It’s different.” Ji Mingxuan smiled as he turned to Shen Mo. “I’m busy today. You can go with An’an and also see if there are any you like. You have a driving licence, don’t you? There’s no need to walk to work every day.”

 

Shen Mo didn’t expect that he’d also be asked to go. He was about to turn down the offer, but Ji An’an spoke before him, “Alright, alright. If I go with Shen-ge, I’ll definitely find a car I like. Don’t worry, Brother.”

 

As she spoke, she winked at Ji Mingxuan. Ji Mingxuan let out a laugh and said nothing else. After breakfast, he went to work.

 

Ji An’an returned to her bedroom, got changed, and put on makeup. Then she begged Shen Mo to go with her. Shen Mo had no choice but to accompany her to the auto show.

 

They had lunch outside. Ji An’an was talking about cars the entire way, asking Shen Mo for his favourite brand, type, and output volume. Shen Mo never paid too much attention to cars, so he didn’t really know what he liked. He could only reply, “Pick whatever you like. I just came to take a look. I don’t actually have to buy a car.”

 

Ji An’an glanced at him and couldn’t help but laugh. “Did you think Brother really wanted to give me an engagement present? He wanted to buy you a car, but he was too embarrassed to mention it, so he used me as an excuse. Believe it or not, if you don’t buy a car today, he’ll give you one tomorrow, an extremely expensive one, too.”

 

In the past, Shen Mo would never have believed this. But after what had happened last night, he wasn’t so sure anymore. He had a straightforward personality, unlike Ji Mingxuan, who would go in such a roundabout way just to buy him a car, so he’d always found it hard to fathom Mr Ji’s thoughts.

 

Ji Mingxuan was the only thing on Shen Mo’s mind. At the auto show, however, he just so happened to run into Zhou Yang.

 

Ji An’an was also surprised. She whispered, “I just sent him a message. I didn’t ask him to come.”

 

But after all, Ji An’an was in love with Zhou Yang. She was naturally glad to see him and asked with a grin, “Why are you here?”

 

“My fiancée wants to buy a car. Of course I have to come and see.”

 

“Didn’t you say you had some family business to deal with? That cousin of yours...”

 

“I’ve dealt with it already.” Zhou Yang’s face looked unpleasant for a moment. 

 

Whether intentionally or not, his eyes swept over Shen Mo’s face as he added, “He offended someone he shouldn’t have offended. Looks like it’ll be tough on him.”

 

Ji An’an immediately spoke up for her brother, “My brother isn’t the kind of person to abuse his power either. There was definitely a reason why he lashed out at the engagement banquet last night.”

 

Zhou Yang nodded. “I think so too.”

 

He seemed unwilling to discuss the matter any longer, suggesting, “Let’s check out the cars first.”

 

Yet, Ji An’an pointed to the distance and exclaimed, “Isn’t that your new brother?”

 

At the engagement banquet yesterday, Shen Mo had also noticed Zhou Yang’s half-brother from afar. Now that he was closer, he found that the guy did look a little like Zhou Yang. But the two really had different temperaments. Zhou Yang didn’t talk much, while his younger brother, Zhou Chu, was quite slick and talkative.

 

Zhou Yang didn’t like this younger brother of his who had just been accepted into the family. He said with indifference, “He just joined the Zhou family, and he doesn’t have a car yet, so he came with me to take a look.”

 

“Should we go say hi to him?”

 

“No. Just ignore him.”

 

Ji An’an didn’t like Zhou Chu very much, so she grabbed Zhou Yang’s hand and walked on. It was inevitable that Shen Mo would feel awkward beside the couple, so he suggested looking around on his own.

 

Ji An’an still remembered the “task” that Ji Mingxuan had assigned to her. However, Zhou Yang was the one to say, “Men and women have different tastes. Shen Mo can look around on his own.”

 

Ji An’an then agreed and left with Zhou Yang. Shen Mo remembered that Ji Mingxuan had suggested buying him a car before, but he’d always turned down the offers. This time, he really considered the idea. He thought a car would prove quite convenient. Of course, he didn’t need to use Ji Mingxuan’s money. He’d been working for a few years now, so he could at least afford a practical car that wasn't too expensive.

 

Now that the idea had formed in his mind, Shen Mo began taking a closer look at the cars. Sometime later, he really found a car that satisfied his needs. When he was about to get in and try it out, someone patted him on the shoulder.

 

Shen Mo turned around. Surprisingly, it was Zhou Yang.

 

Shen Mo looked around but couldn’t find Ji An’an. “Where’s Miss Ji?”

 

“She went to the toilets.” Zhou Yang grabbed Shen Mo’s arm and said, “I want to talk to you.”

 

Shen Mo refused instantly, “We have nothing to say to each other.”

 

“Shen Mo...” Since there were so many people around them, Zhou Yang tried to speak more softly. “At first, I wasn’t going to come, but I heard An’an say you were here and I came to find you.”

 

“Don’t forget that you got engaged to Miss Ji just yesterday.”

 

Zhou Yang’s face immediately darkened.

 

But he didn’t let go of Shen Mo. He said, “Let’s talk somewhere else.”

 

Shen Mo didn’t want to argue with Zhou Yang in public, so he followed Zhou Yang to the emergency exit. After they reached the stairway, he didn’t want to go any farther, so he pulled his hand away from Zhou Yang and asked, “So what do you want to tell me?”

 

But Zhou Yang kept silent. With a complicated expression, he gazed at Shen Mo for a long time before he finally said, “Three years ago, when I was abroad... did something happen?”

 

Shen Mo froze a little. A while later, he replied, “It’s been too long. I don’t remember.”

 

“I’ve found it strange ever since Ji Mingxuan attacked that guy last night. How could a man as proud as him get so hung up on a bodyguard? Afterwards, I spent a long time trying to get that cousin of mine to talk. He said he’d caused you trouble before.”

 

Unconsciously, Shen Mo gripped his own right hand.

 

Zhou Yang had been standing close to Shen Mo. Now, he took a step closer and asked, “What happened while I was abroad? I couldn’t get in touch with you after I got back. Where were you then?”

 

“What’s the point of talking about this now?”

 

“Of course there’s a point! I’d always thought you broke up with me because you no longer loved me. But if...”

 

“If that wasn’t the reason, what would you do? Cancel your engagement with Miss Ji? Have you considered why your cousin abducted me even though I never did anything to him?”

 

Zhou Yang didn’t know how to respond. Seeing how Zhou Yang looked, Shen Mo suddenly wanted to laugh. And he did smile a little. He reached out to fix Zhou Yang’s collar. This was one of the things he’d often done when they’d been together.

 

“You know the reason. You just don’t dare to admit it. Your parents, at least your mother, had known about our relationship for a long time. She went out of her way to hire someone to warn me. It was her way of telling me to never show up in your life again.”

 

Zhou Yang’s face paled. “Back then, you...”

 

“The past is in the past.” After fixing Zhou Yang’s collar, Shen Mo gently smoothed out the creases on his shirt, adding, “You should cherish the present instead. Miss Ji loves you with all her heart. Don’t disappoint her.”

 

Right after the accident three years ago, Shen Mo had indeed felt some kind of resentment. But he’d already moved past it. Countless relationships in this world ended up with regret. There was no need to seek death over them.

 

Shen Mo finished what he thought he should say. He didn’t care about what Zhou Yang thought and left the stairway. When Shen Mo reached the exit, he suddenly heard a light clink.

 

Shen Mo took a casual glance. It turned out that somebody was smoking, leaning against the wall. He also happened to look up at Shen Mo. Shen Mo found his features somewhat familiar; they belonged to Zhou Yang’s younger brother, Zhou Chu.

 

Shen Mo was surprised. He didn’t know when Zhou Chu had come here. Did Zhou Chu hear what he said to Zhou Yang? Zhou Chu was quite the natural socialiser. Narrowing his slender eyes, he smiled at Shen Mo.

 

Considering how there’d been nothing wrong with the conversation between him and Zhou Yang, Shen Mo didn’t really mind this incident. He nodded at Zhou Chu and left.

 

After the interruption, Shen Mo’s interest in buying a car also faded a little. His eyes swept past the cars; he didn’t find any he liked. On the other hand, Ji An’an picked a car, and Zhou Yang paid the bill.

 

Although Zhou Yang had to go back home and couldn’t have dinner with his fiancée, the latter was still in a good mood, laughing and chattering alongside Shen Mo the whole way back. When Ji Mingxuan came home at night, she immediately told him all about it.

 

Listening, Ji Mingxuan said with a wistful smile, “I was the one who wanted to buy you a present. Who would’ve thought my brother-in-law would beat me to it?”

 

Ji An’an immediately mentioned Shen Mo, “Brother, you can give one to Shen-ge.”

 

Ji Mingxuan then turned to Shen Mo and asked, “How was it? Did you find a car you like?”

 

“No. There weren’t any suitable ones.”

 

“Don’t mind it, then.”

 

Ji Mingxuan’s tone was indifferent, showing no emotion. Shen Mo used to be extremely afraid of seeing Ji Mingxuan like this. He’d often been worried that he might have offended Mr Ji. But now, he was no longer afraid. He only turned his gaze to Ji Mingxuan’s right hand.

 

Ji Mingxuan had injured his hand in the fight yesterday. When they got home, Shen Mo helped him apply ointment. Shen Mo then rummaged around for a band-aid and stuck it to his hand. The band-aid, perhaps one of Ji An’an’s purchases, featured a cartoon figure. Ji Mingxuan had worn it to work the next morning, but he was surprised to find it still on his hand when he came home.

 

Had Mr Ji attended his meetings with this sort of band-aid on his hand? Ji Mingxuan also noticed Shen Mo looking at him. He cleared his throat and hid his hand behind his back. “Let’s have dinner.”

 

After dinner, Ji Mingxuan went to shower first. He’d already taken off the band-aid when he went out of the washroom. Shen Mo thought that Ji Mingxuan might have thrown it away. But after showering, Shen Mo was about to brush his teeth when he found that Ji Mingxuan’s cup didn’t look quite the same as usual.

 

There was something colourful on the plain cup. Shen Mo picked it up, only to find a cartoon figure on it. Wasn’t this the band-aid that had been stuck on Ji Mingxuan’s hand all day?

 

He couldn’t help but feel a little touched. Holding the cup, he looked at it over and over again before he quietly put it back. That night, Ji Mingxuan didn’t sleep too well. Even after the lamp was turned off, Ji Mingxuan tossed and turned in bed; it was as if a pea were beneath the mattress, bruising Princess Ji’s skin and preventing him from falling asleep.

 

Shen Mo was the kind of person who slept extremely well, able to fall asleep the moment he laid his head on the pillow. This time, however, he couldn’t sleep either, since Ji Mingxuan kept on moving. Just as he was about to count sheep, he heard Ji Mingxuan call in a low voice, “Shen Mo...”

 

Shen Mo thought it wouldn’t be a good idea to pretend that he was asleep, so he replied, “Yes?”

 

“You’re still awake?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

Ji Mingxuan stayed quiet for a while before suddenly sitting up and turning on the bedside lamp. The light was a little too bright. Shen Mo had to raise his hand to keep it from his eyes. He saw Ji Mingxuan reach under his pillow for something. Was there really a pea?

 

As he was thinking, he saw Ji Mingxuan toss a small “weapon” toward him. Ji Mingxuan added casually, “It was collecting dust in the garage anyway. You can take it.”

 

Surprised, Shen Mo sat up and saw that Ji Mingxuan had tossed him a car key. As Shen Mo had been at the auto show for almost the whole day, he knew the car's price the moment he saw the logo on the key. He could never fall asleep now. Clutching the car key in his hand, he didn’t know whether or not he should take it.

 

“Mr Ji...”

 

But Ji Mingxuan didn’t let Shen Mo finish speaking. He turned off the light. “All right. Go to sleep.”

 

Ji Mingxuan fell asleep soon, and it was Shen Mo’s turn to have trouble sleeping. Even when he finally fell asleep, he dreamed that someone was chasing after him to kill him. After trying all he could to dodge the hidden weapons being thrown at him, he took a closer look and realised, hidden weapons? The ground was covered in car keys instead.

 

When Ji An’an heard about it, she was secretly laughing for almost half a day. Shen Mo hesitated for quite some time. But, on Monday, he still ended up driving the car Ji Mingxuan had given him to the company. He was worried that if he didn’t, a certain princess would get mad at him again. Only in the past few days had he realised that it wasn’t actually so difficult to get along with Ji Mingxuan. The important thing was to do what Ji Mingxuan wanted.

 

Ji Mingxuan knew what was appropriate; the car he had given Shen Mo wasn’t overly luxurious. It was still rather expensive, though. Having driven to work out of the blue, Shen Mo did receive quite a bit of attention.

 

Fortunately, Shen Mo was used to being mocked by his colleagues. He was focused only on work, ignoring everyone else. Time flew by. The new year passed just like that.

 

During this time, Zhou Yang made several phone calls to Shen Mo, but Shen Mo never answered. Shen Mo had originally been receiving the cold shoulder from Ji Mingxuan, but after the night of the engagement banquet, it seemed that the fight was over. Unless Ji Mingxuan was really too busy with work, he went back home for dinner every day and slept beside Shen Mo, almost as if they were an old married couple.

 

But what did Ji Mingxuan really think of their relationship? Was it a contractual relationship or something else? Ji Mingxuan never made it clear to Shen Mo. Shen Mo didn’t really notice the passage of time. Only when January was almost over did he realise that spring was approaching. Ji Mingxuan’s birthday was the first day of spring.

 

It’d been fine before since he hadn’t known, but now that he did and had even received a car from Ji Mingxuan, he knew he should give Ji Mingxuan a present too. Shen Mo found it hard to decide on a present. Luckily, he had Ji An’an to help him with it.

 

“Do you think there’s anything my brother can’t buy? A normal present would be so boring. How about…” Ji An’an thought for a bit before continuing, “You book two plane tickets and go on an overseas trip with him?”

 

“A trip?”

 

“Yeah, the island Zhou Yang and I went to last time was really nice. The beach, the moonlight, the bay... It was so romantic. One day we were planning to go out to sea. But when I got on the yacht and looked, the deck was covered in roses.”

 

Ji An’an must be talking about what had happened when Zhou Yang proposed to her. When she mentioned the memory, her expression was incredibly tender. But for Shen Mo and Ji Mingxuan to go to the island? It wouldn’t be romantic. Instead, it might become some kind of torment.

 

Shen Mo couldn’t directly turn down her suggestion. He found an excuse instead, “That sounds good, but work will be busy around then. Mr Ji might not have the time.”

 

“That’s easy. Can’t we just ask him?”

 

Ji An’an did exactly what she said. During dinner that evening, she tried to ask the question tactfully. But it was so obvious that Ji Mingxuan realised her purpose immediately. 

 

“Am I free the first few days of February? Why? Do you need me for something?”

 

“Brother, just let me know if you’re free. If you are, then you and Shen-ge can...”

 

“An’an!”

 

Shen Mo immediately stopped her. Ji An’an winked and didn’t finish her words. Ji Mingxuan eyed the two. He frowned a little, as though he was thinking about it, before he answered, “I’ll have to check my schedule for next month.”

 

“Then hurry up and ask your secretary.”

 

“What’s the rush?” Ji Mingxuan glanced at her and slowly replied, “Let’s have dinner first.”

 

After dinner, Ji Mingxuan went into his study. Shen Mo wanted to watch television in the living room for a bit, yet Ji An’an urged him to ask Ji Mingxuan about the schedule.

 

“Hurry, hurry. My brother probably didn’t think it was that important. He’ll end up forgetting it in a second.”

 

Shen Mo had always been unable to dissuade her, and so he went. Shen Mo didn’t want to go to the island at all, so he planned to stop at the study door and pretend he’d already asked Ji Mingxuan. To his surprise, the door wasn’t completely closed. When he got to the door, he heard Ji Mingxuan calling someone.

 

“That’s right, the first few days of February... What meeting? That’s right, it doesn’t matter... I don’t care how you do it, move it ahead or delay it. Just free up those few days by any means necessary...”

 

Hearing these words, Shen Mo was stunned. His hands were already on the doorknob, but he retracted them after some hesitation. He stood quietly outside the study for a while before he walked back to the living room.

 

Ji An’an was watching television on the sofa. When she saw that Shen Mo was back, she asked, “How was it? Is my brother free or not?”

 

Shen Mo was a little absent-minded. He thought for a while and said, “He’s probably free.”

 

“Free is free; not free is not free. What does ‘probably’ mean? Is his schedule not finalised yet?”

 

Shen Mo’s thoughts had long since flown to some unknown place. He didn’t explain it to her.

 

Ji An’an was about to ask him again when her phone suddenly rang. Seeing Zhou Yang’s name on the screen, she went to her bedroom to answer the phone.

 

Shen Mo sat alone in the empty living room. Like during the night of the engagement banquet, when Ji Mingxuan had kissed him under the moonlight, Shen Mo couldn’t slow down his heartbeat no matter what.

 

He thought he should find something to do, so he turned on his laptop and opened his browser. But before he realised it, he found himself checking out plane tickets.

 

Did he really plan on going to the island with Ji Mingxuan? No, no, no—that was where Zhou Yang had proposed to Ji An’an. But what if Ji Mingxuan made time for the trip? Shen Mo considered this problem seriously.

 

Before they went to bed, Ji Mingxuan came out of the bathroom. He dried his hair as he asked, “Tell me. What are you and An’an planning to do? Early February... is when my birthday is, right?”

 

Shen Mo was an honest person. He knew he couldn’t hide it, so he told Ji Mingxuan everything. After Ji Mingxuan listened to what Shen Mo said, he looked at Shen Mo and asked, “An’an made the suggestion, and you agreed to it?”

 

In the beginning, Shen Mo didn’t want to go to the island at all. But now that Ji Mingxuan was asking him, for some reason, he replied, “If you want to go, Mr Ji, of course I’ll be down for it.”

 

Ji Mingxuan nodded. He thought for a while before he said, “I don’t like that island. Let’s go somewhere else. I’ll tell my secretary to book the tickets. Just spend these few days packing up your things.”

 

Shen Mo didn’t expect Ji Mingxuan to make the decision so soon. He couldn’t help but ask, “Will you be free then, Mr Ji?”

 

Ji Mingxuan paused for two seconds. Without even blinking his eyes, he replied, “I’ve asked my secretary to check my schedule. It’s quite a coincidence, but I happen to be rather free on those days.”

 

Shen Mo replied with an “oh.” It was the first time he realised how good Ji Mingxuan was at lying.

 

Had Ji Mingxuan concealed himself too well, or was it just that Shen Mo had hidden in his own shell so thoroughly that he couldn't pay attention to Ji Mingxuan?

 

Now that the trip was settled, their conversation was finished. After Ji Mingxuan dried his hair, he turned off the lights and went to bed. Yet, he soon remembered something and turned to Shen Mo. “I’m a bit busy the next few days. I’ll be coming home later.”

 

Shen Mo knew that Ji Mingxuan must have moved his work earlier. Right now was the end of the lunar year, so everyone at the company was probably busy with work. It would definitely take Ji Mingxuan quite a lot of energy after those rushed arrangements he’d made. But when Ji Mingxuan had mentioned it, it was no more than “I happen to be quite free.”

 

Thinking of this, Shen Mo suddenly couldn’t wait any longer. He could keep up the pretence for now, but he couldn’t keep it up for his whole life. If there was something Ji Mingxuan didn’t want to say out loud, Shen Mo could only say it instead.

 

He knew Ji Mingxuan hadn’t fallen asleep yet, so he called, “Mr Ji.”

 

“What is it?”

 

“On the day of Miss Ji’s engagement banquet, why did you lash out at that guy?”

 

Ji Mingxuan hadn’t answered him before, and this time he still kept quiet. But Shen Mo refused to take silence as an answer, asking again, “Mr Ji?”

 

Ji Mingxuan sighed. He reached for Shen Mo’s hand underneath the blanket, asking Shen Mo instead, “What do you think? Why do you think I did it?”

 

With Ji Mingxuan holding his hand, Shen Mo felt his face heat up as well. He was glad that the lights in the room were all off, which gave him the courage to finish his words. He heard himself say in the dark, “Mr Ji... you’re just a little bit in love with me, aren’t you?”

 

The room was frighteningly quiet. When Shen Mo said those words, he got so nervous that his palms sweat slightly. Ji Mingxuan didn’t say anything.

 

So long had passed that Shen Mo thought Ji Mingxuan had already fallen asleep. Yet, suddenly, Ji Mingxuan threw off the blanket and pushed Shen Mo down. Shen Mo was surprised. “Mr Ji, you...”

 

Ji Mingxuan’s kiss smothered the rest of Shen Mo’s sentence. Ji Mingxuan kissed aggressively. He reached into Shen Mo’s pyjamas, rubbing Shen Mo’s chest somewhat impatiently.

 

Shivers crawled down Shen Mo’s spine. He was erect almost immediately. He remembered that they hadn’t had sex in quite a long time. It wasn’t the time to succumb to desire, though. Just a blunder and he’d be fooled by Ji Mingxuan’s charms again.

 

He struggled, but Ji Mingxuan was stronger and quickly held him down. Ji Mingxuan pinned his hands above his head and said in a hoarse voice, “Don’t move.”

 

Ji Mingxuan’s breaths were a little hurried, just like when he was drunk. Shen Mo obeyed and stopped moving. Ji Mingxuan didn’t continue the kiss. Instead, he tenderly stroked Shen Mo’s face in the dark, from his eyebrows to his eyes, and gradually to his nose. He touched every part of Shen Mo’s face before finally stopping at his lips. He asked quietly, “Shen Mo?”

 

His tone was indescribably gentle. Shen Mo’s heart throbbed. He couldn’t help replying, “Yes, Mr Ji.”

 

Just as he finished, he felt Ji Mingxuan’s kiss fall aggressively on him. The kiss took Shen Mo’s breath away. He’d long since forgotten the question he’d been asking before.

 

As Ji Mingxuan kissed Shen Mo, he played with Shen Mo’s nipples. It was Shen Mo’s most sensitive part. It didn’t take long for him to cry out, begging, “Mr Ji...”

 

Ji Mingxuan kissed Shen Mo for a while before getting up and taking off his clothes. He then got on top of Shen Mo again. He had been erect for a while. Slowly and deliberately, he rubbed his erection against Shen Mo’s groin.

 

The motion gave both pleasure and torture to Shen Mo. He grew even harder, and wetness gathered between his legs. Finally, Ji Mingxuan parted Shen Mo’s legs and entered Shen Mo’s body.

 

It felt a little uncomfortable to Shen Mo, so he instinctively shrank backwards. Ji Mingxuan gripped his waist and thrust twice. Heart pounding, Shen Mo couldn’t help but cry out loud.

 

Only when Ji Mingxuan saw that Shen Mo really couldn’t withstand it did he slow down, sliding in and out of Shen Mo’s body. Just a few thrusts later, Shen Mo’s insides became soft and wet, clinging to Ji Mingxuan.

 

Ji Mingxuan bent one of Shen Mo’s legs so that he could go deeper. He drove into Shen Mo’s sensitive spot every time he plunged in.

 

Shen Mo arched his back, exclaiming unconsciously, “Mr Ji...”

 

Ji Mingxuan kissed and sucked Shen Mo’s earlobe as he said, “Call my name.”

 

Shen Mo wrapped his arms around Ji Mingxuan’s shoulders, finally calling, “Mingxuan… Ji Mingxuan…”

 

Ji Mingxuan’s eyes darkened. He slowly drew out of Shen Mo’s body before sinking in again. This time, he went even deeper than before. Both of them couldn’t help but gasp.

 

Shen Mo quivered uncontrollably. Ji Mingxuan kissed downward, ultimately landing on Shen Mo’s fair neck. He gently nipped at Shen Mo’s skin.

 

“Shen Mo.”

 

Ji Mingxuan still called Shen Mo’s name using that tender tone. In the dark, there was an indescribable sense of danger to it. But this kind of danger was irresistible. Shen Mo gave an absent-minded answer.

 

Ji Mingxuan took Shen Mo’s hand toward where they were connected. It was wet and sticky there, creating quite an obscene sight. Shen Mo felt as though his heart was going to jump out of his chest.

 

Ji Mingxuan licked Shen Mo’s neck as if he would bite down at any moment. He said in a muffled voice, “If I didn’t love you, how could you turn me on so much?”

 

When Shen Mo got up the next morning, he saw a red hickey on his neck in the mirror. Ji Mingxuan had left it last night.

 

Last night... had really been too much…

 

Toward the end, he was in quite a daze and didn’t even know how many times they’d done it. As he went to the washroom to shower, fluid trickled down his thighs.

 

But what Ji Mingxuan had said last night still felt unreal to him. Mr Ji... really loved him? When had he fallen in love with him?

 

Unfortunately, Ji Mingxuan always avoided the question. Every time Shen Mo asked him, he used his charms to change the topic and his body to show Shen Mo how much he loved him. Afterwards, Shen Mo had to use a turtleneck to cover the hickey before he went to work.

 

From that day on, Ji Mingxuan did get busier at work. But no matter how late he finished, he still slept at home. Now that the two of them had been together for so long, it seemed that they didn’t need to say sweet words to each other. It was just that every morning when Shen Mo woke up, he always found himself lying in Ji Mingxuan’s arms.

 

A highly efficient person, Ji Mingxuan’s secretary didn’t take long to book the plane tickets for the trip. Shen Mo took a glance. It was still a romantic island, a well-known honeymoon destination. Things like the hotel and whatnot had also already been arranged. Shen Mo just needed to take some time to pack his belongings.

 

But after just a few days of lounging around, Shen Mo was caught by Ji An’an. The date of Ji An’an’s wedding had already been set, and she had to start preparing for it. Ji Mingxuan was only responsible for paying the bill, and Ji An’an didn’t have many close friends in China either. In the end, she could only go to Shen Mo for help.

 

Conveniently, Shen Mo now had a car so that he could act as her driver. It was still early after they finished shopping, so they went to the nearby Dynasty Hotel for afternoon tea. Ji An’an loved one of the desserts there. Shen Mo found it too sweet, so he only ordered a cup of coffee.

 

It would be February in a few days. The two were talking about the trip when Shen Mo looked up and saw a familiar figure. It was quite an attractive lady. Although she was no longer young, time seemed to have treated her well, leaving few traces on her face. She was wearing an ash-grey dress and a set of pearl jewellery in the same colour. The outfit was befitting and elegant. On the other hand, Zhou Yang’s younger brother, Zhou Chu, was grinning by her side.

 

Still holding the coffee cup, Shen Mo’s hand froze. Seeing Shen Mo’s expression, Ji An’an also turned to look. She was immediately surprised. 

 

“Hey, it’s Mrs Zhou. Why is Zhou Chu also beside her?”

 

Shen Mo didn’t say a word. He’d also seen Mrs Zhou back at the engagement banquet. He knew that she was born to a wealthy family and had quite a calculating personality. Even Zhou Yang’s father probably wasn’t her match. 

 

Back then, she was the one… who had broken him and Zhou Yang up. Ji An’an didn’t know about this. She stood up and suggested, “Let’s go and say hi to Mrs Zhou.”

 

Shen Mo, of course, didn’t want to greet her. He had long since broken up with Zhou Yang, but he still didn’t want anything unnecessary to happen at this point. So he leaned to one side and said, “I’m not that familiar with Mrs Zhou. I’ll just stay here.”

 

Ji An’an complained, “Won’t we be family soon anyway?”

 

But since Shen Mo didn’t want to go, she didn’t force him. She walked over on her own. Mrs Zhou was clearly quite satisfied with Ji An’an as her future daughter-in-law. She grabbed Ji An’an’s arm intimately when she saw her. After they talked for a while, Mrs Zhou decided to straight up drag Ji An’an along.

 

Ji An’an immediately turned around and gave Shen Mo a look. Shen Mo nodded and gestured that he’d wait for her at the same spot. Even when it came to afternoon tea, someone of Mrs Zhou’s social status wouldn’t be too casual about it. Soon, someone led them to the VIP private room. Shen Mo continued to drink coffee outside.

 

The afternoon sunshine was quite pleasant, making him feel drowsy. Shen Mo casually flipped through several magazines and happened to see a lot of travel-related content. He hadn’t been interested in these things before. But this time, for some reason, he really began searching for travel guides. Was it because he was going with Mr Ji?

 

Ji Mingxuan had already confessed, but it was still a little vague on Shen Mo’s side. Did he love Ji Mingxuan too? Or was he just used to this kind of relationship? The strange thing was that Ji Mingxuan didn’t even ask him about it.

 

Shen Mo found it quite funny. He was no longer a high school student, but he still felt the butterflies of puppy love. He did look forward to the moonlit beach, though. He even considered imitating Zhou Yang and covering the bed in roses.

 

As he thought about this, his phone suddenly vibrated. It was a new message. Shen Mo looked down. To his surprise, it was from Ji An’an: “Shen-ge, I don’t really feel well. I’m resting in Room 6018. Could you come over?”

 

Surprised, Shen Mo immediately stood up from his seat. He remembered that Ji Mingxuan had mentioned it several times. Ji An’an’s health had been bad ever since she was young. If she felt unwell, she should go to the hospital as soon as she could. Ji An’an was outgoing and never looked sickly, but her face was indeed a little paler than that of an ordinary person.

 

Worried about her, Shen Mo walked towards the lift while calling her on his phone. Yet no one answered. Shen Mo pressed the lift button. Looking at the number flashing red on the screen, he suddenly felt that something was wrong. 

 

Ji An’an was in the VIP room with Mrs Zhou. If she felt ill, she’d be taken under the care of the Zhou family. Why did she ask for him to come over instead? Even if she considered him family and wouldn’t feel safe unless she saw him, she could have simply called him. Why did she text him instead?

 

Shen Mo’s eyelid twitched. He felt that this whole matter was odd in every way. But when the lift arrived, he still walked in. He then called Ji Mingxuan. Ji Mingxuan really cared about his younger sister. When he heard about it, he replied immediately, “I’ll head over at once.”

 

It took at least thirty minutes to go from the company to the hotel. Ji Mingxuan thought about it some more before saying, “An’an is with the Zhou family, so I don’t think anything will go wrong. I’m only worried about her health… If the situation is really bad, just call an ambulance.”

 

His words stunned Shen Mo. Was Ji An’an really in such terrible health? Or was Ji Mingxuan just over-worried? But Shen Mo still answered, “Okay. I’ll try to get through to Miss Ji first.”

 

When he hung up, the lift stopped right at the sixth floor. Whether Ji An’an was the one who sent the message or not, something must have happened to her. So Shen Mo didn’t think too much about it and walked straight toward Room 6018. Knowing that Ji Mingxuan would arrive later, Shen Mo felt quite confident as well. Whatever was waiting for him, he would just go and see.

 

When he reached Room 6018, he found that the door wasn’t fully closed. Faint sounds came from within.

 

“An’an?”

 

Shen Mo called before pushing through the door and walking inside. It was a two-room suite. It seemed like no one was in the living room in the front. 

 

However, a man walked out of the bedroom in the back, his upper body naked. The man asked, “Why did it take you so long to get a shirt?”

 

When the two made eye contact, they were both surprised.

 

“Shen Mo?” Zhou Yang was the first to recover, asking, “Why are you here?”

 

Shen Mo didn’t answer. He only asked, “Where’s Miss Ji?”

 

“An’an? She’s having tea with my mum downstairs.”

 

Shen Mo felt relieved. Knowing that he shouldn’t stay here for too long, he turned around to leave. It was at this time that he heard a sudden slam. Someone had shut the door. Shen Mo rushed over to open the door, but for some reason he couldn’t budge it no matter what he tried.

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

Zhou Yang also came over and made a few attempts, but he couldn’t do it either. He understood what was going on after just a few moments of thought. His face turned dark. “Zhou Chu, that bastard!”

 

Shen Mo asked, “Your brother set this up?”

 

“He spilt coffee on me on purpose and then booked a room for me to change my clothes.” Zhou Yang glanced at Shen Mo and asked, “What about you?”

 

“He texted me on Miss Ji’s phone.”

 

“What a coincidence. You were in this hotel with Ji An’an too?”

 

“Miss Ji likes one of the desserts here. We’ve been coming here often.”

 

Zhou Yang frowned as he said, “Zhou Chu was the one who suggested that we have tea here today.”

 

It wasn’t a coincidence. Someone had planned this on purpose. Shen Mo immediately remembered the way Zhou Chu had leaned against the wall while smoking at the auto show that day. “Your brother probably already knows about how we used to be.”

 

Zhou Yang’s expression changed slightly. Shen Mo found it a little funny. He said, “What are you afraid of? Do you think he’s going to help us come out? Besides, we no longer have anything to do with each other.”

 

Shen Mo’s words rendered Zhou Yang speechless. But Zhou Chu had tried so hard to set up the trap. His goal was clearly not so simple. Shen Mo didn’t dare to waste any time. He called the hotel’s front desk, asking them to send someone up to open the door. Next, when he remembered that Ji Mingxuan was still on his way here, he called again.

 

“Hello, Mr Ji...”

 

Shen Mo had spoken just a few words when he felt the weight lift in his hand. Zhou Yang had grabbed his phone. When Zhou Yang saw the contact name on the screen, he threw the phone far away.

 

Shen Mo’s phone wasn’t too sturdy. After the drop, it shut down automatically. He couldn’t help exclaiming in surprise, “What’s wrong with you?”

 

He reached for the phone as he spoke, but Zhou Yang immediately pulled him back.

 

“Do you really think Ji Mingxuan is such a good person?” Zhou Yang grabbed Shen Mo’s arm. “He’s the same as Zhou Chu. He’ll do anything to get what he wants.”

 

Shen Mo felt chills creep down his back. He asked, “What are you talking about?”

 

“I’ve investigated what happened back then. It was my fault. I shouldn’t have gone abroad without letting you know. But guess what Ji Mingxuan did?” Zhou Yang sneered. He spoke one word at a time, “He was the one… who revealed your identity to my parents.”

 

Zhou Yang didn’t speak loudly, but Shen Mo felt as if something had exploded in his ears. He was shocked for a long time.

 

There had been a time during which Shen Mo’s memory was quite blurry—between the accident and his recovery, about half a year passed. Every day felt hazy to him. He could hardly remember anything except for a few trivialities.

 

For example, halfway through his abduction, he’d found a chance to escape. He called the police first, and then he desperately tried to call Zhou Yang. But in the end, it was Ji Mingxuan who saved him. Why did Mr Ji reach him earlier than the police did? Or did the police save him first whereas Mr Ji showed up later? Shen Mo couldn’t recall the truth no matter what.

 

It was also because he had tried as hard as he could to avoid thinking about the accident at all that he’d missed such a detail. But in any case, Ji Mingxuan must have known about his relationship with Zhou Yang a long time ago.

 

At what Zhou Yang had just said, Shen Mo felt as if the memories were overwhelming him like a tide. He froze, unable to move.

 

Everything seemed to have followed somebody’s plan; right after Zhou Yang had gone abroad, Shen Mo was abducted. Was it because Zhou Yang’s parents knew about their relationship? Or was it because Ji Mingxuan had to get rid of him for the sake of his sister’s happiness?

 

Thinking of Ji Mingxuan’s confession to him that night, Shen Mo felt a coldness ripple in his chest. Was Ji Mingxuan’s “love” a lie as well?

 

“Ji Mingxuan is someone who puts his own interests first,” Zhou Yang continued. “He spent so much effort breaking us up only to set the stage for the marriage between the Zhou and Ji families.”

 

Instinctively, Shen Mo protested on Ji Mingxuan's behalf, “He did it for his sister to….”

 

“Do you really believe his lies? He knows I don’t love Ji An’an at all, but he still forced us together. Does he really have his sister’s best interests at heart?”

 

It was also what Shen Mo could never understand. Ji Mingxuan seemed to spoil Ji An’an too much. Ji An’an could want anything, and he’d fulfil her wishes, right or wrong, by any means.

 

“Mr Ji meddled with things, but you did all this out of your own will, didn’t you? You willingly went abroad with Miss Ji, and you willingly got engaged with her. You don’t love her, but you’ve always been lying to her that you do. Mr Ji set up the trap, but you were the one who, step by step, walked into it.” 

 

Shen Mo took a deep breath. “As you said, Mr Ji might really have been the one who told them about our relationship. But so what? If he didn’t, would you keep it a secret for the rest of your life? And then marry a woman and have children, and keep me as your secret lover?”

 

Zhou Yang was speechless. Shen Mo could imagine it. Zhou Yang had indeed thought about this before. Shen Mo’s arm was still in Zhou Yang’s grip. They were standing impossibly close. The man Shen Mo had once loved still looked so gentle and handsome.

 

Shen Mo stared at Zhou Yang for a few moments. He couldn’t help but soften his tone. “If two people truly loved each other, no trick could drive them apart.”

 

If two people broke up, it must be because they didn’t love each other deeply enough.

 

Zhou Yang spoke dejectedly. “Can we… really not start over again?”

 

Shen Mo answered without thinking, “Of course not.”

 

Zhou Yang nodded. Suddenly, he wrapped his arms around Shen Mo and lowered his head to kiss him.

 

Surprised, Shen Mo instantly raised his knee to kick Zhou Yang. As the kick landed, Zhou Yang groaned in pain, yet he still didn’t let go of Shen Mo. As they struggled, they heard someone open the door.

 

They were both surprised and turned around. The door, which had been firmly closed, was already open. And standing outside the door—was Ji An’an.