The Missing Piece: 貌合神离

Chapter 5

 

The smile she usually wore had long since disappeared, replaced by an expression so empty it almost looked numb. She stared straight at Zhou Yang.

 

Zhou Yang didn’t dare to look into her eyes. He cried out, “An’an…”

 

Shen Mo pushed Zhou Yang aside and said, “An’an, you misunderstood. I actually… received a text message….”

 

Shen Mo’s thoughts were in a mess. He felt like the main character in a shoddy romance drama, who could only use the most unconvincing words to speak for himself. Obviously, Ji An’an didn’t believe him.

 

“You don’t have to say anything.” She took off something that looked like an earbud from beside her ear. “I heard everything.”

 

Shen Mo processed this for a moment before realising that someone had probably installed a voice recording device in the room. There might even be a pinhole camera. And all this must have been Zhou Chu’s doing.

 

Zhou Chu had racked his brain, trying to get Zhou Yang and Shen Mo to meet so he could reveal the truth to Ji An’an. He was an illegitimate son who had just been accepted into the Zhou family, so he was probably having quite a tough time. But if he could destroy the marriage between the Zhou and Ji families, Zhou Yang would lose the Ji family's support, and the situation would be vastly different.

 

Sure enough, Shen Mo heard Ji An’an say, “I didn’t believe what your brother said at first, but who would’ve known… Zhou Yang, was everything you just said true?”

 

Ji An’an took a step forward, standing face to face with Zhou Yang, and asked, “You’ve been lying to me all this time?”

 

For a long time, Zhou Yang didn’t answer. Only when Ji An’an asked again did Zhou Yang let out a long sigh. He took off his glasses and massaged the centre of his brows. He’d always cared about his image; even now, he was no different. He put the glasses back on his face and then looked right into Ji An’an’s eyes, parting his lips to utter, “That’s right.”

 

Ji An’an’s body shuddered. Blood drained from her face in an instant.

 

Zhou Yang saw how she looked, but he continued nonetheless, “I, Zhou Yang, have never loved Ji An’an.”

 

Right as he finished, he received a punch in the face. It was Shen Mo who had punched him. Shen Mo shook his right hand, realising for the first time how good it felt to hit someone. Perhaps he should have hit Zhou Yang a long time ago.

 

Ignoring Zhou Yang’s pained groan, Shen Mo turned to Ji An’an and took her hand. “An’an, it’s really complicated. Let’s talk somewhere else.”

 

Ji An’an shook her head. She was still staring at Zhou Yang, one of whose eyes was swollen. She asked, “Why did you lie to me?”

 

Zhou Yang chuckled as he covered his right eye. “You should ask your dear brother instead. If he didn’t try everything he could to set us up, how could I ever have got together with you? How could I have ever… broken up with Shen Mo?”

 

Ji An’an trembled. It wasn’t until then that she finally looked at Shen Mo and asked, “Shen-ge, are you and my brother… also just an act?”

 

Shen Mo didn’t know how to answer the question. “Mr Ji is already on his way. He can explain everything to you when he gets here.”

 

Ji An’an refused to let go of him, asking stubbornly, “You were together with Zhou Yang in the beginning, weren’t you?”

 

Under such circumstances, Shen Mo could no longer lie to her. He stayed silent for a long while before he said, “It’s all in the past.”

 

As Ji An’an blinked, a tear dropped from her right eye, rolling down her cheek. Then she forced her lips into a pale smile. She whispered, “I understand.”

 

Shen Mo hurried to say, “An’an...”

 

Ji An’an shook off his hand and looked straight ahead with dark, vacuous eyes. She murmured, “So it was all a lie….”

 

As she spoke, she turned around and stumbled out of the room. Seeing how she looked, Shen Mo was about to go after her when Zhou Yang caught his wrist. 

 

Shen Mo looked back at Zhou Yang, enraged. “Why did you talk to An’an like that?”

 

The punch knocked off Zhou Yang’s glasses. He looked quite miserable, smiling bitterly. “With what happened, could I keep on lying to her? She’d know the truth sooner or later. Finding out is better than being lied to for the rest of her life.”

 

Shen Mo was so angered that he just wanted to punch Zhou Yang again. But he was worried about Ji An’an, so he didn’t waste time here. He struggled free of Zhou Yang’s grip and left the room. Yet, he was in such a hurry that he ran into the man who’d just rushed in.

 

Shen Mo looked up. The man in front of him was no other than Ji Mingxuan. Although Shen Mo had known Ji Mingxuan would come over, a mixture of feelings arose upon seeing his face. For a moment, Shen Mo couldn’t say anything.

 

Ji Mingxuan was a little out of breath, perhaps from running up to the sixth floor. He first looked at Shen Mo before turning to Zhou Yang, who was still in the room. He was somewhat surprised, but he didn’t show any emotion on his face, only asking, “Where’s An’an?”

 

Shen Mo didn’t dare to conceal anything. He spoke directly, “Miss Ji found out about everything.”

 

“About what?”

 

“What happened between Zhou Yang and me.”

 

Ji Mingxuan’s face paled. He asked at once, “Where is she?”

 

“She just ran out.”

 

Ji Mingxuan turned around to run after her.

 

Shen Mo couldn’t help asking, “Mr Ji, were you… the one who told the Zhou family about my relationship with Zhou Yang?”

 

Ji Mingxuan stopped for a moment, but he didn’t answer the question. He only rushed out of the room. Shen Mo wanted to follow him, but suddenly he felt as if he no longer had the strength to take even a single step. Was he afraid of finding out the answer? Now that all this had happened, what would his relationship with Ji Mingxuan become?

 

Shen Mo leaned against the door, at a loss as to what to do. Just then, he heard Ji Mingxuan shouting outside, “An’an!”

 

Shen Mo felt as though something had stung him. His heart raced. An indescribable fear occupied him. He couldn’t help but look back at Zhou Yang. Zhou Yang was also looking at him. They both saw terror in each other’s eyes.

 

Zhou Yang straightened his glasses, murmuring, “It’ll be okay. I know An’an’s personality. She wouldn’t do something like that.”

 

One couldn’t tell if he was trying to comfort Shen Mo or himself. Shen Mo rushed out to search for Ji An’an, but his legs gave out, and he almost fell to the ground. It was Zhou Yang who helped steady him. Because of this, they were just a second too late. 

 

After the noise, they caught up just as the lift was slowly closing. Shen Mo took a glance and saw Ji Mingxuan standing inside, his face cold. Ji An’an lay in his arms with his eyes closed. Her face looked bloodless. Then the lift closed.

 

Shen Mo ran so fast that he almost collided with the door. Trying to calm down, he quickly pressed the down button. A few spectators happened to be standing around, so Zhou Yang asked them what had happened.

 

“What happened? Oh, somebody passed out. But that tall guy looked like he was her family. He probably took her to the hospital.”

 

Hearing that Ji An’an just wasn’t feeling well and that nothing had happened to her, Shen Mo felt somewhat relieved. The more anxious he grew, the slower he thought the lift was. By the time he and Zhou Yang arrived at the first floor, Ji Mingxuan was already driving Ji An’an to the hospital.

 

Shen Mo had driven here too, but he had no idea which hospital Ji Mingxuan had gone to, making it impossible for him to follow them. On the other hand, after borrowing some clothes from the hotel, Zhou Yang regained his gentlemanly appearance. He took out his phone and made a call. “Yes, Ji An’an… Find out which hospital it is...”

 

The incident had caused quite some chaos, so of course, Mrs Zhou had heard about it as well. She hurried out of the VIP room. When she saw Zhou Yang standing next to Shen Mo, she was undoubtedly stunned for an instant. She didn’t show anything on the surface, however, and only waved at Zhou Yang.

 

Shen Mo watched from afar as Zhou Yang walked to her and told her a few things. Then, Mrs Zhou fumed and slapped Zhou Yang on the cheek. With this on top of the earlier punch, Zhou Yang’s face was even more bruised now. He was in quite a sorry state.

 

After the slap, Mrs Zhou pressed her lips tightly together and turned to Shen Mo. Compared to her elegant appearance, her eyes looked so harsh that they could almost devour someone whole. Shen Mo might have been somewhat scared of her before, but now he didn’t mind her all that much. 

 

He waited for over half an hour in the hotel lobby before finally finding out which hospital Ji An’an had been sent to. He didn’t want to go there with Zhou Yang, so he drove there by himself.

 

On his way to the hospital, Shen Mo felt a little apprehensive. He couldn’t forget Ji Mingxuan’s shout no matter what. In his memory, Mr Ji had seldom lost his composure in such a way. When Ji Mingxuan had said that Ji An’an was in poor health, what exactly did he mean? Was it that she was prone to fainting when under stress?

 

Shen Mo ran two red lights before he reached the hospital. Looking around, he finally found Ji Mingxuan outside the emergency room. Ji Mingxuan sat alone on the bench. His suit had been ironed well, yet it was crumpled now. There was a deep sense of fatigue to him.

 

Shen Mo couldn’t help but slow down, approaching step by step. As if noticing his presence, Ji Mingxuan suddenly turned around to look at him. His gaze felt lonely beyond words. Shen Mo paused. But Ji Mingxuan’s frown relaxed. He said, “You came?”

 

Shen Mo walked over and asked, “How’s Miss Ji?”

 

“She’s still in the emergency room.”

 

“Just… what happened to her?”

 

Ji Mingxuan pointed at the empty spot beside him. “Have a seat.”

 

Shen Mo sat down next to him. Ji Mingxuan adjusted his posture, folding his hands together as though he was immersed in long-gone memories. A while later, he finally began, “An’an is eight years younger than me. I remember she was born in springtime. The wind felt quite warm then. It even carried a vague scent of flowers. An’an has always had a good temper. She never cried or threw tantrums, and she smiled at everyone she saw.”

 

As Ji Mingxuan spoke, a flicker of a smile bloomed on his face.

 

“An’an looks a lot like my mother. It’s a pity that she passed away not long after she gave birth to An’an.” Ji Mingxuan sighed as he continued, “She had a congenital heart disease.”

 

Ji Mingxuan paused, the smile on his face fading away. He said, “An’an inherited the disease.”

 

Shen Mo had noticed a few hints of this before. Only now, upon hearing this, did he come to understand why Ji Mingxuan always spoiled Ji An’an so much. Ji Mingxuan had lost his mother at an early age, while his only sister had been born with poor health. He naturally devoted all his tenderness to this sister of his.

 

Shen Mo wasn’t too good at comforting others. He thought for a while and said, “Medicine is so advanced nowadays. Heart diseases aren’t necessarily incurable, either.”

 

“Yes. An’an underwent surgery at a very young age. But the results weren’t ideal. Nobody knows when she’d leave this world.” Ji Mingxuan closed his eyes for a moment. “I’ve always thought, no matter what An’an wants, I’ll do everything I can to fulfil her wishes. I want her to live happily every day, every minute, every second of her life.”

 

He could sacrifice everything he had to offer his sister the entire world.

But...

 

“But what she wanted was Zhou Yang.” Ji Mingxuan sneered. “Hah, Zhou Yang. I never liked Zhou Yang, but it didn’t matter as long as An’an loved him. Everyone wanted to see a marriage between the Zhou and Ji families, but who could’ve known….”

 

He glanced at Shen Mo and didn’t continue. Shen Mo added silently, Who could’ve known that I was there as a stumbling block?

 

“There were unforeseen circumstances, but Zhou Yang still knew what his best choice was. He was willing to cooperate, so I didn’t mind presenting an illusion to An’an either…” Ji Mingxuan’s voice trembled a little. “An illusion that would make An’an happy.”

 

However, the moment such an illusion fell through, the aftermath would be unimaginable. Shen Mo remembered he hadn’t yet explained what had happened today, so he briefly told Ji Mingxuan.

 

Ji Mingxuan listened quietly. He only frowned when he heard the name Zhou Chu. In the end, he said, “I understand.”

 

Right now, he was only concerned about Ji An’an’s health. He didn’t want to waste time on anything unrelated; he could only wait to deal with this matter once she got better.

 

It didn’t take long for Zhou Yang to get there. He’d changed his outfit again and treated the wounds on his face somewhat. Whether out of guilt or genuine worry, he asked right as he arrived, “Where’s An’an?”

 

His face cold, Ji Mingxuan didn’t even look at Zhou Yang. Shen Mo didn’t really want to talk to Zhou Yang either. It was quite awkward for Zhou Yang. Feeling too embarrassed to sit down, he only stood against the wall as he waited. The atmosphere was solemn. Every instant felt like torture.

 

Finally, Ji An’an was brought out of the emergency room. Although she was still unconscious, the doctor said her condition had already stabilised, and she was no longer in danger.

 

Ji Mingxuan went to the doctor’s office. When he came out, his face was frighteningly grim. But no matter how Zhou Yang persisted, he answered no questions at all. Eyeing Zhou Yang coldly, he only said, “Get out.”

 

Of course, Zhou Yang refused to leave. In fear of causing Ji An’an any distress, he didn’t enter the room and chose to wait outside instead. Shen Mo remembered that Ji An’an had been brought over in a hurry and without any preparations, so he went out to buy some toiletries.

 

Late into the night, Ji An’an finally woke up. Shen Mo didn’t dare go in. He only watched from behind the glass as Ji Mingxuan leaned down to say a few words to her. He then stroked her hair with tenderness. Ji An’an nodded, slowly closed her eyes, and fell asleep again.

 

In the same posture, Ji Mingxuan continued to gaze at her. It wasn’t until a long, long time had passed that he gently tucked her in. For a moment, Shen Mo really felt that Ji An’an was the person Ji Mingxuan loved the most in this world. Later, Ji Mingxuan left the room.

 

Zhou Yang and Shen Mo immediately approached him. Ji Mingxuan spoke only one sentence to Zhou Yang, “An’an said she doesn’t want to see you again.”

 

Then he turned to Shen Mo. Shen Mo clenched his fists, feeling almost as if he was awaiting his sentence. Ji Mingxuan gazed at Shen Mo for a while before he said, “Let me tell you a few things.”

 

Nowhere in the hospital was suitable for talking, so they ended up standing in a corner beside the window. It would be the first of spring in just a few days. The faint scent of flowers seemed to drift along with the breeze.

 

Shen Mo had been feeling tense the entire day, and he hadn’t had much rest. Surprisingly, he was somewhat absent-minded right now. He thought that if Ji An’an hadn’t encountered that incident, he and Ji Mingxuan would have been flying to that island in just a few days. He could almost hear the swishing tides…

 

“Shen Mo.”

 

Ji Mingxuan’s voice drew Shen Mo back to reality.

 

Shen Mo recovered and asked, “What did Miss Ji say? Does she... not want to see me, either?”

 

Shen Mo had long since mentally prepared himself, but Ji Mingxuan didn’t answer directly. Instead, Ji Mingxuan said, “When we were in the hotel, you asked me if I had been the one who told the Zhou family about your relationship with Zhou Yang. I’ll give you the answer now.”

 

Shen Mo’s heart sped up. A sense of foreboding suddenly overcame him. He hurried to grab Ji Mingxuan’s hand. “Mr Ji, it’s fine. I don’t want to know anymore…”

 

Ji Mingxuan turned his wrist so that he held Shen Mo’s hand as well. He patted it gently, just once.

 

The gesture was more than usual, but Shen Mo thought that Ji Mingxuan had never been as gentle as he was at this moment. Then, he heard Ji Mingxuan say, “Yes, it was me.”

 

Two weeks later, Shen Mo met with Ji Mingxuan’s lawyer. When Ji Mingxuan had said those words to him back in the hospital, Shen Mo already knew this day would come. No matter whether what Ji Mingxuan said was true or not, the fact that he said it meant the two of them could no longer carry on as before.

 

But Shen Mo didn’t expect that even when breaking up, Ji Mingxuan refused to come in person. Ji Mingxuan had sent a lawyer to discuss things with Shen Mo instead. Was Ji Mingxuan too rational or too cold-blooded? Or perhaps everything had been nothing more than a contract to Ji Mingxuan from the beginning to the end. Now that the contract was invalid, of course he’d found the most appropriate way to solve the problem.

 

Ji Mingxuan’s lawyer, Chen, was a handsome young man. He looked quite professional as he introduced himself, shaking Shen Mo’s hand. After the greeting, Shen Mo immediately asked, “Where is Mr Ji?”

 

“He went abroad,” Mr Chen said as he took the documents out of his briefcase. “As soon as Miss Ji’s situation stabilised, she was transferred abroad for further treatment.”

 

Shen Mo never saw Ji An’an again after what had happened. Hearing about her now, he felt somewhat relieved.

 

One by one, Mr Chen handed Shen Mo the documents he’d brought. “Mr Shen, according to the contract you signed with Mr Ji, these are what would be yours.”

 

Shen Mo took a casual glance. They were mostly stocks and properties. Although he didn’t really have an idea of what they were specifically, he knew they must be valuable.

 

Ji Mingxuan was a businessman for sure. He put price tags on even his affection. After Shen Mo flipped through the documents with indifference, he said, “Mr Ji is quite generous.”

 

Mr Chen smiled and agreed, “He has always been this way.”

 

With how experienced Mr Chen seemed, it was probably not his first time handling break-ups for Ji Mingxuan. Shen Mo didn’t think about this any further. He picked up the pen and asked, “I just need to sign my name, right?”

 

“Yes. Also, Mr Ji said you can feel free to ask for anything else. However,” Mr Chen looked around before he continued, “this house was where Miss Ji grew up….”

 

Shen Mo immediately knew what Mr Chen was implying. “I understand. I’ll pack up my things and move out in a few days.”

 

Seeing how understanding Shen Mo was, Mr Chen relaxed as well. Mr Chen pointed at the documents on the table, adding, “Mr Ji is really quite generous. Some of these properties have excellent structures and layouts. After the formalities, you can move in anytime, Mr Shen.”

 

Shen Mo nodded and lowered his head to sign his name. As somebody who had recently broken up with his lover, Shen Mo thought he sure behaved calmly enough. Perhaps it was because he’d never really had a relationship with Ji Mingxuan in the first place.

 

There had been only a sort of ambiguous affection between them. Before the embers could even ignite, they’d already turned to ash. Fair enough.

 

Halfway through the documents, Shen Mo heard Mr Chen ask, “Oh, right. Mr Ji said you can, of course, keep everything he gave you. There’s only one thing he’s hoping you can return to him.”

 

Shen Mo looked up and asked, “What is it?”

 

The car? Or the ring? Whatever it was, Shen Mo had no objections. Yet, Mr Chen said, “It’s the house in Jinxiu Villa.”

 

Shen Mo’s hand trembled, his pen dragging out a long mark on the paper. He didn’t notice it. Eyes widened, he asked, “What did you say? What house?”

 

“You don’t know, Mr Shen?” Mr Chen was even more surprised than Shen Mo. He looked through his materials before affirming, “About three years ago, Mr Ji transferred a house in Jinxiu Villa to your name.”

 

Shen Mo had heard people mention the name “Jinxiu Villa” several times. The first time was with Zhao Yi, the one who mistook him for the person living in Jinxiu Villa. The second time was with the driver Lao-Zhang, who said that Ji Mingxuan had insisted on going to Jinxiu Villa while drunk. 

 

Obviously, the house in Jinxiu Villa was where Ji Mingxuan spent time with his lovers. But how come it was in Shen Mo’s name now? Did Ji Mingxuan buy the entire property for the sake of convenience so that all his lovers could be neighbours with one another? Anyway, there was definitely something strange about Jinxiu Villa.

 

Shen Mo spun the pen in his hand before he asked Mr Chen, “I want to go there and take a look. Could you give me the keys?”

 

Mr Chen was surprised, but he still maintained a professional smile. 

 

“Aren’t the keys with you, Mr Shen?”

 

Shen Mo finally realised. That was right. If Ji Mingxuan had given him a house, of course he’d be given a key as well. But how come he didn’t remember a thing about it?

 

Three years ago...

 

It had been when his memory was the blurriest. It wasn’t because he had a bad memory. He was just depressed then, and he didn’t pay much attention to things. Every day, he watched the sun rise, and in the blink of an eye, the sky would darken again. He had no idea how he passed his days. Was that when Ji Mingxuan had given him the house?

 

Shen Mo wasn’t sure either. But he’d been living in this house for several years now. If he really had the key, it couldn’t be anywhere else. After their exchange was over, Shen Mo saw Mr Chen off and began rummaging around for the key.

 

Shen Mo was a nostalgic person who didn’t like throwing things away. As he searched, he found some interesting items: a phone he’d used several years ago, a yellowing diary, and some random doodles. Finally, he found a gift box with dust on its surface in a corner of the drawer.

 

It was an ordinary gift box. On its lid rested a silly bowtie. When he saw it, he was surprised for a second. He remembered the box. It had been his birthday once. Ji Mingxuan went to see him in his rental and gave it to him. It was only a casual present from Ji Mingxuan, so he received it casually as well. He couldn’t even remember whether he had opened it.

 

Maybe he had stuffed it into the drawer without much thought. Or perhaps he saw what was inside but didn’t think it was important. He only remembered that soon after, he had been kicked out because his rent was due. When he was homeless, Ji Mingxuan brought him back, and then they signed the contract.

 

Now that Shen Mo thought about it, he felt that the timeline seemed somewhat contradictory. This meant Ji Mingxuan had already given him a property before they’d signed the contract. What was this supposed to be? A deposit or something?

 

He opened the box and, unsurprisingly, saw a key inside. On the note that came along with the key was the address of the house in Jinxiu Villa. He was quite familiar with the handwriting. Ji Mingxuan had indeed written the note. Gripping the key, Shen Mo decided to go right away and take a look.

 

Jinxiu Villa was situated in quite a nice location. Although it was in the city centre, it was quiet amid the bustle, separated from the busy downtown by a tree-lined boulevard. There was a tranquil seclusion to it.

 

Shen Mo drove there and followed the address to Ji Mingxuan’s house. It’d already been three years, but the lock hadn’t been changed. Shen Mo opened the door and walked in. It was a four-room house, decorated elegantly. It looked so spotless that someone must have cleaned it often.

 

The kitchen and living room were all fully furnished. So were the master bedroom and the guest room. Inside the wardrobe hung a few suits of Ji Mingxuan’s size. He probably spent his nights here at times. However, there was no sign that anyone else had lived here. Everything seemed normal. Shen Mo felt somewhat disappointed.

 

Like a person who had been waiting to uncover a dust-laden secret, only to find that nothing had ever been there, the study was the only room Shen Mo hadn’t yet entered. With no expectations, he pushed the door open; he froze at first sight.

 

The study had been transformed into a studio. It had the best natural lighting among all the rooms in the house. On the ground lay all kinds of paint tools, while various paintings hung on the wall.

 

The paintings ranged from landscapes to figures, scribbled drafts to carefully framed pieces. Yet all the paintings were in the same style, and all the signatures were the same as well.

 

—Shen Mo.