Cheng Zhou intended for Nie Shanglin to realize he was a mess and hoped it would discourage him from bothering him again. He put on a shirt and began to explain the origin of his injuries slowly.

———

Cheng Yuze and his mother had always been particularly afraid of Cheng Zhou, especially after their father passed away. Both of them had to rely on Cheng Zhou’s mood for their food and living situation. Although Cheng Yuze still held 20% of the shares left by their father, it was only a small portion of the inheritance, not 20% of the company. In reality, it was a meager amount, and as long as Cheng Zhou wanted, he could easily drive both of them out of the Cheng family without a penny.

Cheng Yuze appeared very obedient on the surface, but even if he wasn’t, Cheng Zhou wouldn’t do anything to him out of respect for Nie Shanglin.

Over the years, during different holidays, Nie Shanglin was either at the Nie family home, with Cheng Yuze, or spending the evening with a few childhood friends.

That time, Cheng Zhou wanted to celebrate the New Year with Nie Shanglin.

So he called Cheng Yuze’s mother and asked where they wanted to go for the New Year and what they wanted to buy. He offered to reimburse them, as long as they stayed away from him for those few days.

Cheng Yuze’s mother happily agreed.

Cheng Yuze found out about this and partially complained to Nie Shanglin.

To his surprise, Nie Shanglin simply said, “It’s nice for you to go out and have fun.”

Cheng Yuze was not pleased.

So he arranged to meet Cheng Zhou privately.

Cheng Zhou initially wanted to refuse but thought it over and decided to go.

Cheng Yuze chose a café in the western part of the city for their meeting.

There were far fewer people in the west than in the east, and the pace of life was slower. This café was relatively quiet and had a pleasant atmosphere.

As Cheng Zhou gazed out at the grass outside, he drifted off, his ears filled with Cheng Yuze’s choked apologies.

“I know my mom and I are bothering you…”

Don’t worry, I don’t have any other relationship with Nie Ge…

I’ll talk to Nie Ge and encourage him to spend more time with you, instead of always focusing on me…”

“…”

Cheng Zhou sighed, realizing he must have been out of his mind to agree to meet. He pulled out some money and placed it on the table, saying nothing as he stood up to leave.

“Ge!”

The call made Cheng Zhou pause for a moment. He glanced at Cheng Yuze, his expression dark and complicated, unsure of what he was up to this time.

To his surprise, Cheng Yuze just looked out the window and then put on a fake smile, saying, “Let’s go together.”

Cheng Zhou didn’t respond and walked outside.

Since the café was in a secluded area, Cheng Zhou’s car was parked quite far away. As he walked, he noticed Cheng Yuze was still following him, and he couldn’t help but frown.

In the next moment, Cheng Yuze’s expression turned to one of panic as he stared behind Cheng Zhou. Cheng Zhou immediately reacted, turning around to see three men charging at them with short daggers.

Cheng Zhou had some training, but even with his skills, facing three opponents at once was still challenging.

After a few exchanges, Cheng Zhou found himself struggling to keep up.

“What the hell are you standing there for? Run!” he shouted at the stunned Cheng Yuze, who was frozen in place.

Cheng Yuze was momentarily stunned but quickly turned to run. However, he was grabbed and pulled back by another attacker. In the chaos, he collided hard with Cheng Zhou, causing Cheng Zhou to stumble. In that moment of distraction, one of the men behind Cheng Zhou slashed down with a short knife, cutting deeply into his back.

The pain was intense, a numbing agony that shot through his body, causing Cheng Zhou to freeze for a moment. As a result, the knife landed a few more cuts on his back.

The commotion attracted the attention of a waiter from the café nearby. When they saw what was happening, they shouted out, scaring off the attackers.

The waiter came over to check on the two of them and immediately took out his phone to call the police and request an ambulance.

Cheng Yuze also pulled out his phone to send a message to Nie Shanglin.

Cheng Zhou was in so much pain that sweat was beading on his forehead, and his vision was blurry. In the haze, he heard Cheng Yuze saying, “Nie Ge, I’m so scared… It’s not my brother’s fault; I insisted on meeting him… Um, I’m hurt; it really hurts… Brother? He’s fine; he’s amazing. He fought off three attackers without getting hurt…”

Nie Shanglin arrived even before the ambulance did.

Cheng Yuze, wearing a white shirt, was covered in bloodstains, making him look especially gruesome. However, most of the blood belonged to Cheng Zhou; Cheng Yuze had only scratched himself slightly during the struggle.

Cheng Zhou was wearing a black shirt, facing Nie Shanglin, who couldn’t see the blood streaming down his back from the cuts. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and smiled at Nie Shanglin, trying to appear less disheveled. However, Nie Shanglin didn’t look at him at all. He got out of the car and went straight to Cheng Yuze, lifting him up and carrying him back to the car and drove off.

“Sir? Sir? Are you okay? I see you’ve lost a lot of blood. The ambulance is on its way, but why don’t you come back to the store with me? I can help you treat your wounds, alright?”

Cheng Zhou withdrew his misty gaze and dropped the facade of toughness. In that instant, the pain became unbearable, and he felt dizzy.

“Okay, thank you,” he replied.

Cheng Zhou lost consciousness the moment he got into the ambulance, overwhelmed by the shock of excessive blood loss.

He spent two weeks in the hospital, alone and isolated, with no visitors to ease his solitude.

The injury on his back was severe, leaving behind ugly, intersecting scars that would serve as constant reminders of his pain. Thankfully, his spine was unharmed, but the blood loss led him to the brink of death, plunging him into shock multiple times. He fought against despair, struggling to hold on.

He called Nie Shanglin, his heart racing with hope, but the call was abruptly cut off. Desperate, he texted Nie Shanglin with his hospital address, only to receive a cold reply: “You better pray that Cheng Yuze is okay.” The words stung, leaving him feeling even more alone in his suffering.

He felt completely drained, having lost all strength.

On the twenty-eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, Cheng Zhou caught sight of Cheng Yuze in the hospital corridor.

Cheng Yuze appeared to be doing well, standing beside Nie Shanglin, who seemed warm and supportive. They were deep in conversation, sharing laughter—Cheng Yuze’s smile was radiant, and Nie Shanglin gently leaned down to place a soft kiss on the top of Cheng Yuze’s head.

In that moment, Cheng Zhou realized they were in the same hospital.

Later that evening, Mu Chenfeng arrived and turned to Nie Shanglin, saying, “It’s time to take action against the Cheng family.”

On New Year’s Eve, Cheng Zhou lay in the hospital bed, staring at the flight tickets saved on his phone. Memories of the two custom rings he had ordered flooded his mind, along with thoughts of the rose petals he had planned to scatter throughout their home.

He should have been decorating their place, readying for the proposal. Whether or not it would be accepted didn’t matter—what mattered was presenting the rings. He imagined cooking a feast for them, watching the Spring Festival Gala together, and, as the fireworks lit up the sky during the countdown, whispering “I love you” to Nie Shanglin amidst the chaos. The next day, they would visit close family members who would praise their youth and ambition. Nie Shanglin would shrug it off, while he would secretly revel in the joy of their shared moments. By the third day of the New Year, they would be boarding a flight to Hawaii, embarking on a week-long getaway in their own little world.

Cheng Zhou sighed.

The hospital felt especially desolate. On his phone, Mu Chenfeng updated his social media, posting pictures of himself, Cheng Yuze, and Nie Shanglin celebrating the New Year together.

On the television, the host began the countdown.

“Five—

Four—

Three—

Two—

One—

Happy New Year!”

Outside, the sound of fireworks and firecrackers echoed; New Year’s Eve was both lively and melancholic.

Cheng Zhou leaned back on the hospital bed, thinking to himself, Happy New Year, a new beginning for the new year.

After the New Year, Cheng Zhou took a long time to recover. He stopped managing Cheng Corporation, focused on fitness, read books, watched dramas, and soaked up the sun. By the time he recovered, Cheng Corporation had already changed owners.

He returned home and found that it had accumulated dust.

Taking a deep breath, he opened the windows and cleaned the house from top to bottom. After tidying up his things, he called Nie Shanglin.

This time, Nie Shanglin finally picked up.

Cheng Zhou said, “Let’s break up.”