Chu Shangluo paused with the company seal in his hand. He took a deep breath, hiding the sadness on his face, straightened his posture, and without looking at Ren Jiaoming, threw the seal onto the table. He coldly asked, “What are you doing here?”

Ren Jiaoming couldn’t take his eyes off the redness at the corner of Chu Shangluo’s eyes. He pursed his lips tightly, saying nothing. Chu Shangluo took a deep drag of his cigarette, his irritation growing. Ren Jiaoming’s presence was making him more and more agitated. “Can you say something? Are you just going to stand there and not say a word?”

Ren Jiaoming suddenly felt a tightness in his chest. In his memories, Chu Shangluo had never looked at him this way. Even when Chu Shangluo was angry with him and deliberately acted indifferent, the coldness had been on his face, not in his eyes. But now, his gaze was filled with coldness and disgust. Ren Jiaoming turned his gaze away, unable to look at Chu Shangluo’s eyes. Every time he did, the ache in his chest intensified.

Chu Shangluo realized that he had never felt more frustrated with Ren Jiaoming’s silence than he did now. Every time he saw Ren Jiaoming standing there, silent and expressionless, he felt an overwhelming urge to tear his mouth open. He couldn’t take it anymore. His frustration reached its peak, and with one violent kick, the table was knocked over. His forehead was now throbbing with veins. “Can you say something? Or are you just here to watch me suffer? To watch me fall so low? Are you satisfied with seeing me like this? Is this what you wanted?”

Ren Jiaoming looked around the room—there was a small bed, the walls were falling apart, the furniture was covered in dust, and Chu Shangluo was covered in mud. There was nothing to laugh at. He had never wanted to see Chu Shangluo humiliated. When Chu Shangluo saw Ren Jiaoming’s gaze fall on the company seal, he understood what Ren Jiaoming wanted. Even though the two of them had lived together for a while, Chu Shangluo could still read him, and he could tell that Ren Jiaoming’s look was asking for the seal.

Chu Shangluo sneered, “You came here to take the seal?”

“Yes.” The response was still cold.

Chu Shangluo closed his eyes, then strode over to Ren Jiaoming, grabbing his collar with his muddy hands and angrily said, “You’re really a good dog for the Wen family! How dare you come and ask me for this? Is this yours? Is this from the Wen family? This is from the Chu family. What right do you have to take it? Who are you to ask for it?! I used to think you were thin skinned, but now I see you’re the most shameless person in the world.”

Ren Jiaoming frowned slightly as he looked at his dirty collar, but the discomfort didn’t just come from his sense of cleanliness—it came from the fact that Chu Shangluo had called him a dog. He had heard that insult before, when he was working for the Jiang family, and it didn’t bother him. But he realized he couldn’t ignore it when Chu Shangluo said it.

“I’m not a dog.” Ren Jiaoming grabbed Chu Shangluo’s hand, trying to pull it away, completely ignoring the mud on Chu Shangluo’s hands. As soon as Ren Jiaoming’s cool fingers touched him, Chu Shangluo suddenly released his grip, took a step back, and coldly stared at Ren Jiaoming. He would never forget the resolution he made when he was in unbearable pain. From now on, he would never let Ren Jiaoming touch his hands. He let go, and this time, it was final.

Chu Shangluo avoided Ren Jiaoming’s touch as if he were dodging a venomous snake, leaving Ren Jiaoming momentarily stunned.

Once, Chu Shangluo had liked to hold his hand, but now he knew that would never happen again. The suffocating feeling spread through Ren Jiaoming’s chest once more. Chu Shangluo looked at him—dressed in his suit and always with that indifferent expression, as if nothing could move him or get his attention. Chu Shangluo remembered even when they were in bed together, Ren Jiaoming’s face had been the same detached one, and he suddenly felt disheartened. Everything seemed meaningless now. No matter how angry he was, to Ren Jiaoming, it was just like watching a cloud—something ordinary, something that didn’t even stir his emotions, not even as much as the white roses he grew could stir him.

Chu Shangluo suddenly lost his fire, as if cold water had extinguished the flames of his anger. He realized something important: only when you care do you feel anger, and he shouldn’t care anymore.

“You want the company seal, huh? I can tell you’re determined. You’ve endured your cleanliness obsession and come to this dirty place to do your master’s bidding. You really deserve a round of applause,” Chu Shangluo said, walking over to the desk. He flicked the ash from his cigarette onto the seal, his voice cold as he spoke, “Fine, but it’s not for free. 120 million. Are you willing to buy it for your master?”

120 million for a company seal. Anyone who heard it would think it’s outrageous, even more unreasonable than an absurdly high price. Chu Shangluo never planned to give the seal to Ren Jiaoming.

“If you can’t come up with the money, try exchanging it for Wen Yan. What are you to me? I’m not going to have a conversation with a dog.”

The word “dog” stung Ren Jiaoming deeply. He didn’t want to hear Chu Shangluo call him that. All he wanted was to silence Chu Shangluo’s mouth.

Ren Jiaoming stepped forward and placed a card on the table, speaking in a low voice, “The money here should be enough. This is all the revenue from the antique shop over the past few months, and I’ve returned the store and land rights to you. I only took the antiques. I don’t want to owe you anything. We’re even now. Let’s never be involved with each other again.”

“We’re even again, huh?” Chu Shangluo sneered, sarcasm filling his voice as he looked at Ren Jiaoming. “You really are the master of drawing boundaries, huh? How do you think we’re even now? Just because the antiques are from your family, does that mean everything is clean between us?”

Ren Jiaoming clenched his fists tighter, the pain in his chest swelling as he struggled to control his emotions. He remained calm as he spoke, “That’s all in your head. I never wanted to be involved with you, and there should never have been anything between us.”

Chu Shangluo thought his heart had already cooled completely, but Ren Jiaoming somehow made it colder. Ren Jiaoming was really good at insulting people. Even Chu Shangluo felt he had to agree with him.

Chu Shangluo took a hard drag from his cigarette, running his fingers through his hair, and then grabbed the company seal, throwing it onto the floor. With a cigarette in his hand, he slowly exhaled, “Don’t worry. You won’t have to deal with this anymore. You’ve taken the antique shop. We’re even now. Get out. I don’t want to see you.”

After speaking, Chu Shangluo was so angry that he thought his heart might burst. Since they were clearing things up, he would do it thoroughly. He took off the watch Ren Jiaoming had given him, throwing it at Ren Jiaoming’s feet and pointing toward the door. “This should be enough! We’re even now! From now on, you go your way, and I go mine! I’ll give you three seconds—get out of here. Hurry up.”

Ren Jiaoming stared at the company seal on the ground for a moment, then his gaze fell on the watch at his feet. Chu Shangluo was someone who valued his watches, and this one had been well-maintained, looking as new after months of wear. Ren Jiaoming remembered a few times when he had seen Chu Shangluo in his study, gently wiping his watch with a soft cloth, treating it like it was the most precious treasure.

But now, the watch was broken—the strap torn, the screen cracked, and scratched all over. The broken watch and Chu Shangluo’s harsh words—Ren Jiaoming didn’t know which one caused his heart to ache. The pain spread through his entire body, and panic flashed briefly in his eyes. His usually cold, unchanging expression wavered for a moment.

The small room fell into a deathly silence. The sound of the door opening broke the stillness. Lu Wen had returned with lunch for Chu Shangluo. Upon entering, he immediately sensed the strange atmosphere, and then he saw Ren Jiaoming.

Lu Wen shot Ren Jiaoming a glare, then placed the takeout box down and walked over to the tense Chu Shangluo. Taking a wet wipe from his pocket, he gently took Chu Shangluo’s muddy hand and began wiping each finger with a smile, saying, “Your hands need to be cleaned, or the skin will crack in this weather.”

When Chu Shangluo looked at Lu Wen, his temper immediately settled. The cold, stern expression he had towards Ren Jiaoming softened, and he looked almost like a gentle superior to Lu Wen. “It’s nothing.”

Ren Jiaoming watched the sudden change in Chu Shangluo’s expression, his gaze falling to their hands now clasped together. His face grew colder, and his expression darkened.

Lu Wen glanced at the uninvited guest, continuing to clean Chu Shangluo’s hands. He gently stroked the long fingers, noticing a small cut. “Shangluo, did you get cut by some rice stalks?”

Chu Shangluo pulled his hand back and looked towards the door. Lu Wen turned to see that Ren Jiaoming had already left. When he looked back at Chu Shangluo’s slightly red eyes, he sighed quietly. It was clear that having someone else in his heart was something that could not be hidden.

On the way back, Ren Jiaoming’s mood was grim. After hearing Lu Wen call “Shangluo,” he left, overcome with an urge. If he stayed any longer, he might end up strangling Lu Wen. This emotion, one he had never felt in over twenty years, overwhelmed him. He suppressed it, but it made him want to hurt someone.

Over the years, whenever the pressure became too much, when he controlled his emotions to the point where his heart was overloaded, he would relieve his stress by fighting. In the past few days, his volatile emotions had been growing uncontrollably, and before he realized it, he had parked in front of the boxing gym that Chu Shangluo had given him. He had been here a few times, but Chu Shangluo didn’t know.

Now, the crowd outside the gym was bustling, and he saw that the sign had been changed to a hotpot restaurant. Some of the old sandbags and wooden posts from the gym were piled outside the door. He then noticed a pair of tattered boxing gloves hanging from one of the posts. Ren Jiaoming silently walked over, picked them up.

The gloves were filled with rainwater from a heavy downpour that had just occurred in the city the day before. As he picked them up, the water leaked out, soaking his pants. The chill from the rainwater seeped through his suit trousers, making Ren Jiaoming’s fingertips tremble slightly. His eyelashes fluttered for a moment before he threw the gloves down, straightened up, and restored his cold expression.

Everything today was what he wanted. Chu Shangluo was the son of his enemy; he wasn’t moved, he severed their ties, and took back the antiques that belonged to the Ruan family. His goal was accomplished. He should be happy.

He thought back to the year when he hid in the closet, hearing his father arguing outside. He had heard his father curse, “Wen Zhengyang, Chu Chendong, you two teamed up to harm me. If I make a comeback, I will never let you go.” Then came the sound of furniture being thrown, followed by the sound of a fire starting. He and his brother had hidden in the closet, crying. When they came out, everything was gone.

Ren Jiaoming’s eyes cleared as he thought about it. Now, the Chu family matter was over. It was time for the Wen family. He had been plotting for more than ten years, and nothing would stop him.

His face remained calm as he drove back to the Wen family. On the way, he saw a few young punks in an alley beating up a teenager. He stopped the car, put on his gloves, and walked into the alley, kicking one of the punks.

Ren Jiaoming wasn’t a man of justice. He did things for profit, but right now, he just needed to hit someone. He vaguely understood why he felt this way, but he didn’t want to acknowledge it.

The punks, shocked by the sudden attack from the cold, ice-cold beauty, ran off. The teenager patted off the dust from his clothes and reached out to Ren Jiaoming. “Thank you. What’s your name? Let me treat you to a meal sometime.”

Ren Jiaoming took off his gloves, gave the teenager a brief glance, and turned to leave.

The teenager scratched his head, picked up the seafood on the ground, and thought to himself, ‘Why did Chu Shangluo stop the construction of the villa? Is he breaking up with my brother? If they’re breaking up, can he tell me who my brother is?‘ With a sigh, he dialed Chu Shangluo’s number, but it was busy.

Meanwhile, in a small house in the field, Chu Shangluo was eating the takeout that Lu Wen had just bought. The dish was stir-fried potatoes with green peppers, but he ate it like it was tasteless, ignoring the incessantly ringing phone. The call was from his mother, but he didn’t want to answer it.

On the other side, Meng Qing kept calling Chu Shangluo, looking at Chu Chendong sitting on the sofa, holding a photo frame and remaining silent. She sighed deeply. “Should we just tell Xiao Luo the truth?”

Chu Chendong’s hand holding the photo frame trembled slightly. Despite having quit smoking for years, he lit a cigarette.