Chapter 58

“Harry!!” Dou Dou didn’t recognize the man at all! The boss’s dog had been taken away, which was a serious matter. She immediately chased after him, taking the elevator down and looking at the paper.

The paper had a phone number and a name, written in elegant handwriting.

This person seemed to be a friend of Yunran, knowing that the dog belonged to Yang Yunran. Moreover, he appeared familiar with both the dog and the man.

But Harry was friendly to everyone, even the previous candidate Jiang Yi, whom the dog greeted with the same enthusiasm.

While chasing, Dou Dou snapped a photo of the paper and sent it to Yang Yunran with a message:

“Yunran! This guy took Harry and only left a name and number! I’m following him now.”

Out of politeness, Yang Yunran didn’t check his phone immediately as he watched the dance performance.

The director, forced to sit through an energetic dance routine, finally said, “Uh, the artist is quite expressive and has a good appearance. What do you think, Ye Ye?”

Yang Yunran, seeing the performer sweating and looking eagerly at him like a fervent fan, reluctantly praised, “The dance has great energy, and the artist looks good.”

Jiang Yi’s eyes sparkled even more! His plastic surgery had been a success! He had won Yang Yunran over!

“Yang… Ye Ye, can I have a word with you?” Jiang Yi glanced at the bearded director.

Yang Yunran glanced at his phone and said, “You can say it now.”

With others present, Jiang Fan could only hint, “I really love your music, Teacher Ye! I like you a lot! Can we exchange WeChat?”

Yang Yunran had a small account for business contacts, adding another wasn’t a problem. He agreed but then suddenly noticed Dou Dou’s message, his expression changing as he quickly stood up.

Jiang Yi, approaching with enthusiasm, heard Yang Yunran say, “Sorry, I need to step out for a bit.”

Jiang Yi called after him, “WeChat!”

Yang Yunran replied, “The director will give it to you. Sorry, I have to go.” He quickly left the audition room, pulling his hat lower as he passed Jiang Fan’s manager.

In the empty elevator, the light from his phone screen reflected in Yang Yunran’s eyes.

The paper Dou Dou sent read:

**Jiang Yi,  
139XXXXXXXX**

Yang Yunran’s mind went blank. Jiang Yi had returned? What was he doing here? Wasn’t he supposed to be at A University as a teaching assistant…

And how did he know he was here?

Here! Is this what Professor Chen asked him to say?

What does Jiang Yi want to do… Does he still want to come for the audition? Yang Yunran couldn’t figure out his thoughts and felt frustrated about his involvement.

After exiting the elevator, Yang Yunran called Dou Dou and asked her, “Have you found it?”

“Brother … I, I don’t know which way he went. There are four roads here, I’m sorry… I accidentally lost the dog. I’m looking for it, I’ll definitely find it.”

Yang Yunran asked, “Did that person I know leave only this note? Didn’t he say anything?”

Dou Dou panted, looking around in the scorching heat of July, “He’s a handsome guy… I think you should know him too. He knew it was your dog. But he said the dog belongs to his family, so he took it first and said to call if you want the dog.”

Yang Yunran said, “… His family’s? How dare he say that. Dou Dou, you come back first, it’s too hot outside, don’t worry, the dog won’t be lost.”

After hanging up the phone, Yang Yunran stood under a somewhat shady tree and reluctantly called Jiang Yi.

In the parking lot, Jiang Yi opened the car’s air conditioning and waited for the hot air inside to dissipate completely before stuffing the dog into the back seat.

He drove out of the parking lot and received Yang Yunran’s call.

Jiang Yi glanced at the time.

Fifteen minutes, that’s quite long.

The sunlight was dazzling. Jiang Yi put on sunglasses and said, “Harry, your owner took fifteen minutes to remember to call me.”

Jiang Yi answered the call.

Yang Yunran stood under the tree, attacked by the ground heat, and sweated after a few minutes. He asked Jiang Yi impatiently, “Where’s the dog?”

Jiang Yi said, “The dog is fine, it’s in my car. Where are you? I’ll come pick you up and talk.”

Because he hadn’t heard Jiang Yi’s voice for so long and it still had the same calm tone, Yang Yunran was momentarily stunned. It took him a while to say, “Just under the B entrance of the building you just came from. Give me back the dog.”

Jiang Yi casually fed a snack to Harry and said, “I’ll give him back after we talk. Otherwise, I’ll take him home.”

“You!” Yang Yunran frowned, “You’re going too far! This is illegal possession of private property! I can report you!”

“I’m sorry.” Jiang Yi hoped he could calm down and said, “Harry will be fine with me. Yunran, I just want to talk to you, not to be blocked from contacting you and refusing mail.”

Jiang Yi drove out of the parking lot and planned to take a detour to pick up Yang Yunran. Worried about him in the heat, he drove faster and said, “Give me ten minutes first and then come back to the hotel with me. Give me an hour. The audition will be over then.”

“Is it over? Do you have plans for the afternoon?”

Perhaps because Jiang Yi’s tone was too calm, Yang Yunran couldn’t muster any anger. Even if he did, he couldn’t let it out.

Of course, Yang Yunran knew Harry would be safe with Jiang Yi.

Yang Yunran stood weakly by the roadside. Jiang Yi stopped the car, rolled down the window, and called out, “Black business van, license plate ending in B21, I see you come up.”

Yang Yunran found the car, and stood beside it, facing Jiang Yi’s face obscured by sunglasses, unable to discern his expression.

He wore a loose black short-sleeved shirt, showing off his muscular arms, his gaze fixed on Yang Yunran’s face.

Yang Yunran felt the scrutiny.

He silently lowered his cap’s brim and caught a glimpse of his dog in the back seat trying to squeeze through the gap in the front seat, but Jiang Yi pushed its face away with one hand, preventing it from climbing onto the central armrest.

Jiang Yi stretched out his arm, his gaze piercing through dark sunglasses, staring at Yang Yunran. “Get in.”

Yang Yunran replied with subdued emotion, “I don’t have ten minutes for you, only two.”

He still wore a black mask and sunglasses.

Jiang Yi leaned over, causing Yang Yunran to tense up immediately, trying to avoid, “Don’t…”

“I’m buckling your seatbelt, not kissing you.” With a click, the seatbelt was fastened.

Yang Yunran explained, “I can buckle it myself. Could you please not make intimate gestures after breaking up? It’s inappropriate.”

“I haven’t touched you, Yang Yunran.” Jiang Yi drove off. Seeing his skeptical gaze, he explained, “I can’t park here. I’ll find a place to park. I need at least ten minutes to talk, and I need your explanation, not avoidance.”

The car’s air conditioning blew cool air at 16°C, making it noticeably cooler, but Yang Yunran’s heart was still racing. He kept peeking at his ex-boyfriend through the rearview mirror, hidden by his cap and mask. He noticed Jiang Yi wearing cheap plastic sunglasses with a high nose bridge and sharp jawline.

Despite everything, Yang Yunran couldn’t help but feel moved. He asked, “Where did you get the car? Did you buy it?”

Jiang Yi replied, “No, I rented it.”

Yang Yunran couldn’t help but remark, “My uncle gives you over ten million in dividends every year, and you can’t even buy a car? You’re renting a Buick?”

Jiang Yi tilted his head slightly. “Is there any necessary connection between these things? I won’t stay in Changsha for long, I just came to find you. I’ll be back in Beijing in a few days, going to school there, where they’ve set up a lab for me. When you return to Beijing, if you like a better car, I’ll buy you a very good one.”

“Why do I need you

“Buying a car?” Yang Yunran emphasized, “We’ve broken up, Jiang Yi.”

“That’s unilateral on your part; I never agreed. I don’t accept your reasons either, Yang Yunran.” Jiang Yi stepped on the gas pedal, and Yang Yunran grabbed onto the seatbelt. “What are you doing? Weren’t you going to find a parking spot and then give me ten minutes? I agreed to give you ten minutes, so just say what you have to say.”

Jiang Yi said, “Ten minutes won’t be enough.”

Yang Yunran replied, “Isn’t ten minutes enough for you?”

Jiang Yi’s face turned sour visibly, “The first time was an accident. You have to give me a second chance. Let’s go to the hotel now.”

“No, I’m not going to a hotel with you. Don’t ruin me. I’m a male celebrity, and you’re about to debut too.”

“I’m not debuting,” Jiang Yi stated firmly.

“I gave you… I agreed to let you be the lead in my MV. Is that why you’re here?” Yang Yunran questioned.

Jiang Yi drove towards the hotel, glancing at him. “I’ll say it again. I’m not planning to debut, not becoming a star, and am not here to audition for your MV actor. I’m here just to find you, and I can prove the reasons for our breakup through actions.”

“I don’t have time to argue with you,” Yang Yunran sighed, feeling somewhat powerless against Jiang Yi’s earnestness. Though that reason… did hold some weight.

“Who started playing games with me first?” Jiang Yi retorted.

Jiang Yi parked the car at the hotel’s entrance, handed the keys to the valet, and told Yang Yunran, “Get out.”

Yang Yunran refused, “I’ll be seen.”

Jiang Yi handed him a room card, “Room 1222. Come find me.”

Then, Jiang Yi led the dog out of the car.

“I’m not coming!” Yang Yunran and Jiang Yi staged a tug-of-war over the dog at the hotel entrance. “Give me back the dog, Jiang Yi!”

Yang Yunran noticed that Jiang Yi’s appearance had attracted some attention, making him uncomfortable with the public spectacle.

In a lowered voice, Jiang Yi said to him, “Come up and find me,” and walked towards the elevator.

The hotel was a well-established five-star that welcomed pets, not excessively luxurious but chosen by Jiang Yi from many options to accommodate the pet.

Yang Yunran stood in place for a few seconds, then raised his hand to adjust his black hat brim and followed after him.

Facing Jiang Yi, he felt a multitude of unresolved and difficult-to-discuss conflicts. The ten minutes were just a small part; this Yang Yunran wasn’t particularly concerned…

Well, maybe he was a bit concerned after all.

But the greater rift came from knowing from the start what Jiang Yi would do, what choices he would make, and finally realizing that he had approached him only for that yearly “dividend” of millions. There was a feeling of collapse and facing the unavoidable.

Including now.

And he didn’t want Jiang Yi to know about his eyes, but Jiang Yi already knew.

So Yang Yunran never took off his hat and mask in the car.

In the elevator, Yang Yunran received a message from Professor Chen.

Professor Chen also sent a string of numbers, saying, “This is your father Xu Hang’s phone number. I’ve also added him on WeChat. He knows you’re busy right now, so when you have time, please agree to communicate with your father. From my personal contact with him, your father is a good man, a man of few words. He really wants to see you, but he may not be good with words. Baby, please be understanding.”

Yang Yunran saw the new friend request on WeChat but didn’t have time to deal with the original owner’s biological father.

He selectively ignored it, feeling annoyed and distracted, and opened another work-related account. The director had just pushed forward an artist who had recently danced, but the verification information on this male artist’s WeChat seemed odd.

“Baby, you still love me, don’t you?”

Was this person crazy? Yang Yunran shivered with goosebumps from being sexually harassed and chose to block the verification, then told the director, “The one who danced last on the floor is absolutely not suitable; he’s too oily.”

He didn’t know what he was thinking. He actually came to the hotel with Jiang Yi. Yang Yunran stopped in his tracks, looked down at the deep gray carpet in the hotel corridor.

Jiang Yi called.

Yang Yunran hung up, walked to his room, and checked the time. When he reached his door, Jiang Yi was already there, and he opened the door, saying, “Come in.”

Jiang Yi did indeed have a thrifty nature; even considering the dog, he had only booked a small suite. The curtains were drawn with white gauze, and the room was lit.

Yang Yunran called the dog a couple of times, but he saw Harry eating dog food in the corner, completely ignoring him. His brow furrowed, and he said to Jiang Yi, “I’ll give you only ten minutes.”

Jiang Yi locked the door behind them. “Do you need to shower first? Ten minutes won’t be enough.”

“I don’t know what you’re going to say. I agreed to give you ten minutes to talk, but if you’re thinking of getting into bed, I don’t have time for that. Harry!” Yang Yunran went over to grab the dog, but Jiang Yi unexpectedly held his hand, both palms burning hot. Yang Yunran’s palm was sweaty, and in that moment of being pulled, his whole body went weak.

“Is there someone new?” Jiang Yi said in a manner unlike him. “Who is it? Have you slept with them?”

From his perspective, Yang Yunran’s reasons for breaking up and the timing all led him to think this way. He logically deduced this unsettling reason and had been tormented by it for a long time, feeling that Yang Yunran didn’t respect him, or their relationship.

Jiang Yi’s eyes were deep black, and his expression was calm like the depths of the sea, already brewing a whirlpool. He gripped Yang Yunran’s hand painfully and seeing Yang Yunran’s panicked expression, he pushed him directly onto the sofa. With one hand restraining his hand, the other hand removed his duckbill cap and mask.

Yang Yunran instinctively closed his eyes, fearing the bright spotlight would expose his face, and he trembled, “Don’t look at me.”