Jincheng, 1:23 AM.

Outside the window, the autumn rain was desolate, and waves of heat fluctuated in the bedroom.

After a low, muffled groan, the heat gradually subsided.

The young boy on the bed had cried until his eyes were red, with pitiful tears hanging from his long eyelashes.

“Yan-ge…” he breathed softly, his body trembling as he burrowed into Yu Heyan’s embrace. “I love you so much…”

Yu Heyan leaned down, kissing from the boy’s forehead down to his swollen lips.

“Be good, baby.” He didn’t respond otherwise to the boy’s current state, only gently stroking his cheek. “I’ll take you to the bath, alright?”

Not getting the response he wanted, the young boy seemed a bit disappointed.

But he still raised his soft arms to wrap around Yu Heyan’s neck, his voice delicate. “I’m too tired, Yan-ge has to carry me…”

Yu Heyan chuckled indulgently. “Alright, Yan-ge will carry you.”

He then supported the boy’s waist and lifted him off the bed, heading into the bathroom.

There, they had another round of activities.

Only then did Yu Heyan clean him up and carry him back to bed.

Watching the young boy gradually fall asleep in exhaustion, Yu Heyan got off the bed, casually draped a robe over himself, and took his phone out of the bedroom.

Closing the bedroom door, Yu Heyan lit up the phone screen.

Seeing several unread WeChat messages, his eyes briefly brightened.

But when he opened WeChat and scrolled to the conversation buried under the latest messages, the light in his eyes quickly faded.

…Ji Chengyi still hadn’t replied to him.

Yu Heyan felt a bit irritated, frowning as he went into his contacts and dialed the number marked “Baby.”

He thought that someone who didn’t even have time to reply to messages would be even less likely to answer his call in the middle of the night.

But as soon as the call connected, he heard a ringtone coming from the living room downstairs.

Yu Heyan was stunned for a moment, then quickly reacted, sharply looking towards the stairs.

His irritated expression cracked slightly, and a sense of panic began to emerge in his eyes.

And in the next second.

The mechanical beeping stopped abruptly.

Yu Heyan looked down at his phone.

The call had been picked up, but no one spoke.

The boundless silence grew with the ticking call duration.

Yu Heyan nervously swallowed.

The drizzle outside continued.

He didn’t know how long this rain would last.

Nor did he know when the suffocating silence from the other end of the phone would end.

He wanted to break it.

But for a moment, he didn’t know what to say…

“Is it over? Come downstairs when it is.” Ji Chengyi’s calm voice came through the receiver.

Originally feeling guilty, Yu Heyan was provoked by his tone, and the panic in his eyes was replaced by a surge of anger.

Yu Heyan didn’t say anything, pressing his thumb hard on the screen to hang up the call.

Holding his phone, Yu Heyan strode to the staircase, and sure enough, he saw Ji Chengyi sitting on the sofa with his old iPad in his hands.

His descent was not subtle; each step was filled with evident displeasure, but Ji Chengyi never once looked up at him.

This made Yu Heyan even more irritated.

“Ji Chengyi, didn’t you say you wouldn’t be back today? Why did you come back suddenly without telling me!” Yu Heyan walked down the stairs and stood in front of Ji Chengyi, his voice low and filled with frustration.

Ji Chengyi put down the iPad and looked up.

The living room lights were not fully on, only a warm-colored floor lamp beside the sofa was lit.

The soft, warm light created a hazy atmosphere in the spacious living room.

It also illuminated Ji Chengyi’s face.

Ji Chengyi had delicate features and calm eyes, with slightly upturned corners that added a touch of lingering charm.

Dressed in an ash-gray suit, the dull color did not make him look old-fashioned but instead highlighted his gentle and elegant demeanor.

Just by raising his head, he exuded an indescribable sense of nobility.

“Sorry, I forgot to inform you in advance,” Ji Chengyi explained calmly, his voice clear and pure, like pearls and jade.

It was very pleasant to hear.

Yet, it contained no emotion other than calmness.

Yu Heyan stared at him.

Although Ji Chengyi didn’t explain why he suddenly came back, Yu Heyan still saw the answer in his calm eyes.

Because that afternoon, Yu Heyan had sent Ji Chengyi a pitiful voice message: “Yi-ge, I miss you so much. If you don’t come back, I might really cry for you.”

So, he had come back because of that message.

Realizing this, Yu Heyan’s eyes trembled slightly.

See, this person was always like this—extremely gentle in many small details.

Yet, his poor ability to express himself gave an impression of aloofness, as if he was rejecting everyone from miles away.

Just like now.

Even though he was right in front of him, even though they were only two steps apart, Ji Chengyi still felt as distant and unattainable as the cold moon in the sky.

It felt like he could never truly touch this person.

Nor could he enter his heart.

At this moment, a great sense of loss spread through Yu Heyan’s heart.

“Ji Chengyi, are you not angry at all?” Yu Heyan knew this question was unreasonable, but he still wanted to provoke Ji Chengyi.

They had been together for three years.

In those three years, they hardly ever argued… well, even if they did, it was always Yu Heyan causing the trouble.

Ji Chengyi was always gentle and calm, as if he were not one of the main characters in their relationship, but rather a bystander.

To put it nicely, it was because Ji Chengyi had a good temperament and didn’t bother arguing with him.

To put it bluntly, Ji Chengyi was too much like a block of wood.

A block of wood that Yu Heyan had tried to provoke more than once.

So most of the time, Yu Heyan’s actions were unreasonable.

Just like now, he maliciously wanted to see Ji Chengyi hurt and upset over his infidelity, to see him blame him hysterically, to question him… anything but this calmness.

But there was none of that.

Ji Chengyi simply stood up from the sofa, holding his iPad, and said in an extremely calm tone, “You just did what made you happy. I won’t get angry because of that.”

“But your happiness crossed the line, so our relationship as a couple ends automatically. Is that acceptable, Mr. Yu?”

His tone was as if he were ending an unpleasant business partnership, not a three-year relationship.

Yu Heyan was stung by the word “end,” his brows furrowing tightly. “You want to break up with me?”

Ji Chengyi corrected him, “It’s not that I want to break up with Mr. Yu. It’s that Mr. Yu chose someone else over me first.”

Yu Heyan was silent for two seconds before he laughed. “So, Yi-ge, what are you saying? Are you saying I betrayed our relationship? Our bond?”

Ji Chengyi glanced at the second floor before looking back at him. “Isn’t that the case?”

“Of course not!” Yu Heyan began to get angry. “Yi-ge, isn’t it you who betrayed our relationship? Do you really not know why I looked for someone else? Why I cheated?”

Ji Chengyi was taken aback by his counterattack but quickly regained his composure. “If you’re referring to sex, I remember I suggested it a few times, but you refused.”

“Why don’t you mention that you always brought it up late at night when I was exhausted from filming?” Yu Heyan’s eyes showed both indignation and a hint of grievance. “And why did you always reject me when I initiated it?”

Ji Chengyi felt that Yu Heyan was being unreasonable, but he still responded calmly, “You usually ask for it after drinking, or when I’ve finished work very late. I don’t like the smell of alcohol, and I don’t want to stay up late to deal with it, so I don’t think this is solely my fault. It’s just that we haven’t reached a consensus.”

Yu Heyan felt a headache from his words and took a deep breath, “Yi-ge, can you stop using your work excuses on me? I’m not your business partner! I’m your boyfriend!”

Ji Chengyi remained calm, “Before I came back to this house, yes, but not now… I won’t disturb your rest, Mr. Yu. I’ll be leaving now.”

Seeing that Ji Chengyi was really about to leave, Yu Heyan grabbed his wrist and, with a suppressed voice, said, “Ji Chengyi, we’ve been together for three years, and you’re saying it’s over just like that? How can you be so heartless?”

Ji Chengyi looked up at him, “If I were you, Mr. Yu, I would reflect on myself before questioning others.”

Yu Heyan laughed bitterly, a touch of sadness in his eyes, “Ji Chengyi, you never really loved me, did you?”

Otherwise, he wouldn’t be so decisive about breaking up.

At the very least, he should have tearfully asked him to choose between him and the person upstairs.

…If Ji Chengyi had actually asked him that, Yu Heyan would have chosen Ji Chengyi without hesitation.

As long as Ji Chengyi asked…

But unfortunately, he was thinking too much.

Ji Chengyi was always calm and composed; naturally, he wouldn’t ask such an emotional and pointless question.

He blinked his eyes twice and replied in a soft voice, “If questioning like this makes your cheating more justifiable, then yes… please let go.”

With those words, Yu Heyan, who was also proud and dignified, didn’t say anything more. He released his tightly gripped hand from Ji Chengyi’s wrist.

“Fine, Yi-ge, if you want to break up, then let’s break up. But don’t regret it because I won’t be waiting for you.” After saying these words, Yu Heyan turned his head decisively, refusing to look at Ji Chengyi again.

Yet, his hand hanging by his side still had a look of anticipation, as if waiting to be held back. It seemed like he would have held Ji Chengyi’s hand if he had reached out.

But in reality, the moment Yu Heyan let go, Ji Chengyi stepped toward the door.

When the heavy door closed with a thud, Yu Heyan noticed a small package on the coffee table. It was from a famous old cake shop in Ning City.

He had eaten it once when he followed Ji Chengyi on a business trip and had remarked how delicious it was. Ji Chengyi had laughed at him back then, teasing him for his love of sweets like a child.

Despite Ji Chengyi’s recent business trip to Yun City, he had gone out of his way to Ning City to buy this cake for him.

This was typical of Ji Chengyi, always using these small, seemingly affectionate gestures to create the illusion that he cared.

Perhaps in the past, Yu Heyan would have been moved and deceived by such actions.

But now, Yu Heyan was no longer satisfied with these small tokens of affection.

He picked up the cake, walked into the kitchen, and threw the cake that Ji Chengyi had detoured over a hundred kilometers to buy into the trash.

Then, he turned and left without a trace of regret.