“The time’s up, let me go back.”

Ren Jiaoming didn’t move. His body was burning with fever, and the air he exhaled was scorching, spraying across Chu Shangluo’s neck, making him uncomfortable. Chu Shangluo looked at Ren Jiaoming’s reddened eyes and furrowed his brow. “If you’re sick, go to the hospital. I’m not a doctor. You looking for me is useless. Also, I can tell you don’t want to talk to me.”

Chu Shangluo was right; Ren Jiaoming had no intention of having a conversation. Talking was just his excuse to keep Chu Shangluo close and to monopolize him.

Looking at Ren Jiaoming, who was burning with fever, Chu Shangluo saw the usual clarity in his eyes replaced with a mix of emotions, none of which were the calmness he was accustomed to. Chu Shangluo had been angry, but suddenly, he wasn’t anymore. Now, it was Ren Jiaoming who was suffering. He should be the one feeling pain, not him. He shouldn’t be angry over this person and shouldn’t be led around by him.

Chu Shangluo didn’t want to keep talking. He silently watched the flashlight in the distance grow brighter. Chu Zong had arrived with his men. Upon seeing Chu Shangluo being held by Ren Jiaoming, he froze for a moment, then signaled his subordinates to separate them. Ren Jiaoming turned around, his cold gaze slicing through each of them like a knife. These subordinates had seen Ren Jiaoming fight before, so they hesitated, not daring to approach.

Chu Shangluo remembered how difficult it was to deal with Ren Jiaoming when he was really angry. He didn’t want Chu Zong’s men to get hurt, so after thinking for a moment, he spoke coldly, “Ren Jiaoming, I know what you want. You regret it, right? You want to be with me? But I don’t want that anymore. This is pointless. You’re holding the son of the man who killed your father—does it make you happy inside? Do you think your father would forgive you from the afterlife?”

Ren Jiaoming’s body stiffened, and his face turned pale. Taking advantage of Ren Jiaoming loosening his grip, Chu Shangluo broke free. Ren Jiaoming lowered his arms and stood there in silence.

Chu Shangluo glanced at Ren Jiaoming’s lonely back before walking with Chu Zong and the others toward the villa. He knew those words would strike deep. From the moment Ren Jiaoming came to the Chu family, it was with hatred, and his repeated rejections were also because of that hatred. For him to fall in love with the son of his enemy was probably the most unforgivable thing in Ren Jiaoming’s life.

And yet, he brought it up. He wanted to make Ren Jiaoming feel the pain of being torn between hate and love. Was it cruel? Chu Shangluo didn’t think so. Why should he carry the burden of the hatred of the previous generation? He had done nothing wrong. He had poured all his feelings into Ren Jiaoming, but Ren Jiaoming, with his ulterior motives, treated him as an enemy and allied with Wen Yan, who harmed him. It was ridiculous.

Ren Jiaoming had made things so final—how could he now have the face to come after him?

When Chu Shangluo returned to the villa, it was just in time for dinner.

The people helping to renovate the villa were all members of the Chu family who knew a bit about construction work. Chu Shangluo couldn’t afford a construction team at the moment, so all he could offer them were boxed meals three times a day. As soon as he arrived, several men at the table called out to him, “Mr. Chu, come eat, or the food will get cold.” The men, covered in wall dust, had hands that were rough and dark from years of fishing, but they had washed them twice before eating, though the traces of time and hardship remained.

Chu Shangluo sat down, feeling uneasy. Many of the people working for the Chu family were older because only those who had aged enough to know this kind of work still did it. He watched a man next to him, whose hair had grayed at the temples, pour him wine. This man had followed his father and worked hard after leaving the island. Now, getting older, he should be enjoying his retirement, but instead, he had to endure hardship once more. Chu Shangluo said, “I have to ride back tonight, so I won’t drink.”

Chu Mingda shoved a bottle of white liquor into his hand and laughed heartily, “No way! Have a drink! Let your assistant take you back! It’s been years since we had a drink together! You’ve been getting busier and busier, it’s hard for us to even see you.”

Chu Mingda, being older, should have been addressed as “older brother” by Chu Shangluo, who was nearly old enough to be his father. “Mingda Ge, I’ll drink this one, but you should drink less. I heard from Chu Zong that you found out your liver isn’t well? You are already old. If your liver isn’t good, you should drink less.”

“Hey, I’m not old! Don’t say I’m old. Besides, it’s a small problem. Haven’t you heard that drinking a little wine every day can help you live longer?”

“Uncle Ming, living longer with alcohol means drinking a little. You can’t handle two cups of white liquor a day.”

Chu Zong sat down next to Chu Shangluo with a boxed meal. Lin Zhi sat on the other side of Chu Shangluo and said, “Boss, don’t drink too much, you have to get up early tomorrow.”

Chu Shangluo opened his boxed meal and saw that today’s dishes were much better than usual. He asked, “Did you order this?”

Lin Zhi shook his head. “It was Jiang Jia.”

Chu Shangluo clicked his tongue. “This kid comes over every now and then to stir up trouble for me, but today he finally has a little conscience.”

Ren Jiaoming, holding his phone, had been standing not far from the dining table, watching Chu Shangluo. Chu Shangluo felt a burning gaze from behind him, glanced back, and saw Ren Jiaoming standing straight, neither humble nor arrogant. Chu Shangluo immediately turned his head and took a sip of the liquor. The coldness and spiciness of the white wine slid down his throat, and the buzz quickly started to ease his irritation from the past few days.

Except for Lin Zhi, the men at the table were all drinking strong liquor. These men had all been fishermen, sometimes spending the night out at sea. The solitude and cold of the sea made strong liquor a good companion to fend off the chill and pass the time. The Chu family had a high tolerance for alcohol, but Chu Shangluo was an exception. He had grown accustomed to low-alcohol drinks like wine and cocktails, and couldn’t handle more than one and a half glasses of white liquor.

By this time, the sky had completely darkened. Just two streets away from the villa was a busy commercial district, but here at the villa, it was quiet yet not quite peaceful. The lights in the house and on the streets were all on, and after a few rounds of drinks, the men started talking and laughing loudly.

Chu Shangluo rarely drank white liquor because it made him lose control. Perhaps because Ren Jiaoming had been watching him from behind, Chu Shangluo felt irritated. Without realizing it, he finished his glass. Seeing this, Chu Mingda immediately filled it up again.

Chu Shangluo’s face turned red. He quietly rested his chin on his hand and listened to his relatives talk.

Only Lin Zhi knew that, although the boss seemed quiet now, it was actually a sign of him getting drunk and causing trouble. Despite drinking red wine and beer normally, when the boss drank white liquor, Lin Zhi had seen it once, and controlling it was difficult.

Lin Zhi was worried about how to get Chu Shangluo back home. As the older men drank, they began discussing business, wives, and children. In the midst of their conversation, their attention shifted to the unusually quiet Chu Shangluo. One of the relatives, who had drunk too much, hazily asked, “Uncle, when are you going to get married?”

Lin Zhi sucked in a breath, thinking to himself, ‘Chu Han, are you really that drunk? The boss likes men, why would he want to marry a woman?!‘ Another member of the Chu family agreed, “Yeah, Uncle Chu, when are you going to get us a little aunt? You’re almost thirty, you should settle down and get married. You’ve helped me a lot, you helped me get my son into school, you lent me money when my mom was sick. I really don’t know how to repay you, but I’ve been thinking, my wife’s cousin’s daughter is a really outstanding girl. How about I introduce you to her?”

Before Chu Shangluo could speak, another man interrupted, “Why are you the one introducing her? My wife’s niece likes Shangluo, she’s beautiful, well-educated, and has a PhD!” Chu Mingda wasn’t happy and gestured to interrupt, “Stop fighting over this, there’s always a first-come-first-serve situation, right? I arranged a marriage for Shangluo three years ago! Shangluo agreed and said he would find someone for you one day.”

Suddenly, Chu Zong chuckled, shaking his head as he placed his hand on Chu Mingda’s shoulder, “That’s just my cousin messing with you. You all should stop; my cousin doesn’t like women…” Lin Zhi quickly stood up and covered Chu Zong’s mouth. He couldn’t let him say that. Chu Zong, still oblivious, pushed Lin Zhi’s hand away and leaned closer to Chu Shangluo. “Cousin, Ren Jiaoming is nothing. If you want a little wolfdog, a little puppy, or a more mature, stable, rich businessman, I can introduce you…”

He tried again to pull Lin Zhi’s hand away. “Hey, why won’t you let me talk?” Lin Zhi sighed, “I’m doing this for your own good. Tomorrow, when you sober up, you’ll be in trouble.”

Lin Zhi intervened in time, and none of the middle-aged men at the table had understood what Chu Zong had said. Another person chimed in, “Mr. Chu, if you want to raise an animal, come to me. I’ve got dogs and cats, though wolves are hard to come by. How about a Husky? At least they look decent.”

“Go away! You’re supposed to be introducing a match for Uncle Chu! We all want him to find someone who knows how to care for him. What are you talking about with dogs? Can he live his life with a dog?” Chu Zong suddenly looked behind him, pursed his lips, and said, “Close enough.”

Lin Zhi knew exactly who Chu Zong was referring to. The kid really dared to speak after drinking. When Chu Shangluo suddenly chuckled and drunkenly said, “Yeah, close enough,” Ren Jiaoming’s face darkened at the mention of finding Chu Shangluo a girlfriend. He understood the sarcasm in Chu Zong’s words, but he didn’t care. However, Chu Shangluo’s approval made his heart tighten.

Ren Jiaoming didn’t care about what others thought of him; they could say whatever they wanted. But he cared deeply about what Chu Shangluo thought of him. The cool autumn air wrapped around Ren Jiaoming, who was still feverish. In the midst of being ignored by everyone, he stood for three hours. Three hours wasn’t long, but staring at Chu Shangluo’s back, watching him laugh and talk with others, felt like an eternity for Ren Jiaoming.

Chu Shangluo listened to the people at the table arguing over which girl to introduce to him as a potential match. He reached out to grab his wine glass, missed it, and had to reach for it again before successfully holding it. He took a sip and cleared his throat before speaking, “Tsk, stop arguing, I don’t like little girls, I like men. If any of you know any good-looking men, feel free to introduce them to me.”

Lin Zhi froze, not having had a chance to cover Chu Shangluo’s mouth before he openly came out of the closet?! Indeed, the boss should never drink white liquor! The people at the table fell silent for a moment, then burst out laughing. “Men are fine too, but we don’t have anyone to introduce. I think Lin Zhi is pretty good, why don’t you give him a try?”

“Yeah, give him a try!”

“Ha ha ha, try it! I support it!”

Lin Zhi’s face turned red. How did this turn into a joke about him? He was both angry and embarrassed and quickly turned to go into the villa. Chu Shangluo waved his hand, still holding the glass, “Stop teasing him! He’s shy!” But then, he lost his balance and the wine spilled all over him.

Chu Shangluo tried to grab the glass, but before he could, a slender, pale hand picked it up. Ren Jiaoming placed his hand on Chu Shangluo’s shoulder to steady him and patiently wiped the wine off Chu Shangluo’s clothes with a tissue. The Chu family members exchanged looks. They had noticed this person standing in the distance for a while but hadn’t paid much attention to him. Upon a closer look, they realized he was quite handsome, with an aloof, dignified aura that gave him an almost unattainable presence.

One of the younger relatives, catching on, smiled and said, “Uncle Luo, if you want a good-looking guy, I think he’s good-looking enough.”

Chu Shangluo, a bit dizzy, raised his head and stared at Ren Jiaoming for a moment before suddenly jerking his shoulder away from Ren Jiaoming’s hand and coldly sneering, “He’s good-looking, but he’s nothing.”

Ren Jiaoming’s eyelashes trembled, and he silently stepped aside. After a while, everyone had eaten and drunk enough and started heading home. Chu Zong, who had gotten drunk, was carried away, and Lin Zhi disappeared somewhere. The table, now a mess, only had Chu Shangluo, who was leaning with his head down in silence, and Ren Jiaoming, who was watching him.

Under the streetlight, their shadows stretched long. The night breeze grew colder, and Chu Shangluo shivered. In the next moment, he was draped in a suit jacket. It had just been taken off Ren Jiaoming, still warm from his body.

Chu Shangluo realized what had happened, threw the jacket off, leaned on the table to stand up, and unsteadily began walking back. Then, someone grabbed his hand. This time, it was different—his hand wasn’t tightly held by the wrist, nor was his palm pinched. Their fingers were entwined.

Chu Shangluo furrowed his brow, trying hard to break free from Ren Jiaoming’s grasp. Ren Jiaoming, already weakened by the fever, knew that if Chu Shangluo struggled, he could easily break free. He looked at the disgust in Chu Shangluo’s eyes, his heart aching, and said, “Do you remember what you said? You said you’d never let go of my hand.”

Ren Jiaoming was truly delirious from the fever. In his desperation, he clung to Chu Shangluo’s past promise to try and hold on to him.

Chu Shangluo froze for a moment before replying, “How can you be so shameless?”