Ren Jiaoming’s hand, reaching toward Chu Shangluo, fell weakly to his side. The faint smell of burnt fabric gradually spread in the air, as the lit cigarette butt left a black mark on Ren Jiaoming’s once pristine white shirt.

But he no longer cared about his obsession with cleanliness. His eyes were fixed firmly on Chu Shangluo, refusing to back down.

Ren Jiaoming’s presence irritated Chu Shangluo immensely. He reached for another cigarette, only to find the pack empty. Running his hand through his hair with a sharp breath, he tossed the empty pack aside and said coldly, “Why are you still here? Shouldn’t your master be worried about losing you?”

Ren Jiaoming frowned, disliking how Chu Shangluo addressed him. “I have no master.”

“Oh?” Chu Shangluo remained slouched against the headboard, shirt still open, his posture lazy, as though inviting someone to take advantage of him. “What does that have to do with me? You’re not welcome here. How many times do I have to say it before you get it? Get out.”

Ren Jiaoming’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, eyes filled with restraint.

Chu Shangluo glanced at him, the coldness in his smile deepening. “You’ve always been like this. You don’t like me, yet the moment I’m with someone else, you try to stop me. Fine, back then I liked you, so I didn’t mind. But now? We have nothing to do with each other. Who I sleep with or bring to a hotel is none of your business. You’re overstepping. Who do you think you are?”

Ren Jiaoming struggled to suppress his rising anger. His self-control was usually impeccable, yet around Chu Shangluo, it shattered again and again, making him feel like a stranger to himself.

Logic told him to leave—to never see Chu Shangluo again—so he could return to being his composed self.

But Chu Shangluo continued, “You don’t actually think you can keep watching over me forever, do you? Do you still think you’re my secretary, following me around wherever I go? Tomorrow, or any other day, when I sleep with someone else, can you control that too?”

Each word struck a nerve, pressing hard against Ren Jiaoming’s tightly wound restraint. His gaze darkened for a moment. Against his better judgment, he stepped closer, stubbornly grasping Chu Shangluo’s collar, determined to button his shirt.

The moment Ren Jiaoming touched him, Chu Shangluo snapped. He swung a fist into Ren Jiaoming’s shoulder, shouting, “Who the hell told you to touch me? Didn’t you hear me? Get out!”

The punch was hard enough to make cold sweat bead on Ren Jiaoming’s temple, but he didn’t care. His only thought was to cover Chu Shangluo up—this body was his to touch, his to see.

“Ren Jiaoming, are you insane? Last night, you locked me in the car. This morning, you left me at the repair shop. And now this? If you’re sick, go to a damn psychiatric hospital! Stop messing with me!”

Chu Shangluo yelled, pushing him away with all his strength.

Ren Jiaoming’s eyes were no longer calm. They were clouded with a twisted mix of obsession and stubbornness. One hand forcibly pinned down the struggling Chu Shangluo, while the other continued fastening the buttons with relentless focus.

What normally took him a minute dragged into fifteen minutes. Through the entire ordeal, one fought to restrain, the other fought to break free, cursing all the while. By the time the last button was fastened, both were drenched in sweat.

Ren Jiaoming’s fingers lingered at the now fully buttoned collar before slowly tracing toward the kiss mark on Chu Shangluo’s neck. His gaze darkened further as his long fingers pressed firmly against the mark. Then, lifting his eyes, he met Chu Shangluo’s furious, tear-filled gaze.

It felt like a sharp stab to his heart. The pain was so raw that Ren Jiaoming pulled his hand back, his expression finally clearing. For the first time, he looked genuinely lost.

“Are you… okay?” he asked hoarsely.

“Get out! Fuck you!” Chu Shangluo trembled with rage, his whole body shaking. Ren Jiaoming was really getting addicted to tormenting him, wasn’t he?

Ren Jiaoming pressed his lips together tightly, falling silent once again.

“Fuck! So damn unlucky!” Chu Shangluo cursed.

Chu Shangluo didn’t want to stay with Ren Jiaoming for even a second longer. He shoved Ren Jiaoming away, who had fallen silent after his outburst, and stormed out the door.

Outside, the rain continued to fall. The sky was so dark it seemed ready to swallow the entire horizon. Chu Shangluo had left in such a hurry that he didn’t bring an umbrella. The reception hall was still a long way off, but he couldn’t care less. If he stayed even a moment longer, he felt like he’d die of anger.

In his entire life, Chu Shangluo had never felt this humiliated. Only Ren Jiaoming, that damned man, could make him fall so hard and refuse to leave him alone. And the most infuriating part? He couldn’t even beat him in a fight.

Chu Shangluo kicked the wet sand hard. The rain, carrying traces of salt from the sea, stung his eyes, making it difficult to keep them open.

The next moment, an umbrella appeared over his head.

Ren Jiaoming was standing beside him, half of his body exposed to the rain, silent as always, just watching him with unwavering eyes.

Chu Shangluo quickened his pace. “I don’t need your fake kindness,” he snapped, his voice colder than the autumn rain, cutting right into Ren Jiaoming’s heart.

Ren Jiaoming’s face paled slightly, but he said nothing. He just continued holding the umbrella, shielding Chu Shangluo from the rain as he followed closely behind.

“Damn it! Can you stop following me?” Chu Shangluo finally exploded, yanking the umbrella out of Ren Jiaoming’s hand. “Fine! I’ll hold the stupid umbrella! Happy now? Then get lost! I don’t want to see you right now. Not even a little.”

Without another word, he turned his back on Ren Jiaoming, leaving him alone in the rain, his silhouette full of finality.

Ren Jiaoming stared after him, drawing a deep breath as he tried to ease the dull ache in his chest.

This very same beach…

Last time, Chu Shangluo had held his hand tightly, smiling with his whole heart, saying they would be together forever.

But this time, that warmth in his eyes was gone, replaced by cold disgust and rejection.

Ren Jiaoming felt like he couldn’t breathe. Something was clawing at his chest, desperate to break free and chase after Chu Shangluo.

Far ahead, Chu Shangluo wasn’t feeling much better.

After walking some distance, he angrily threw the umbrella aside. The shirt buttons Ren had fastened so tightly felt suffocating. Frustrated, he tore his shirt open with a loud ‘snap‘, buttons scattering across the wet sand.

He stomped on them, grinding them deeper into the ground as the cold rain soaked through his shirt, dripping from his hair and running down his neck. He shivered from the chill.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of determined footsteps rushing toward him.

Cursing that persistent bastard under his breath, he was about to leave when a suit jacket was draped over his shoulders.

Chu Shangluo tried to fling it off, but before he could, he was pulled into a firm embrace from behind.

Ren Jiaoming’s arms were like iron, holding him so tightly there was no room to break free.

“Have you had enough already?!” Chu Shangluo shouted, more frustrated than ever. He turned his head angrily. “Ren Jiaoming, what do you want from me? Haven’t you done enough? You already got the jade pendant and the antiques! If you hate me so much, let’s just fight it out!”

His voice broke off when he saw Ren Jiaoming’s face.

Those eyes…

They weren’t cold and lifeless as they always had been.

They were red, full of anguish and pain.

Ren Jiaoming clung to him, trembling slightly, unable to let him go.

At that moment, when Chu Shangluo had thrown the umbrella, he realized he could no longer lie to himself.

Even if Chu Shangluo was the son of his enemy…

He had still fallen for him.

Ren Jiaoming fought to suppress the tremors in his body. This love he shouldn’t have—combined with Chu Shangluo’s hatred and the irreversible distance between them—was tearing him apart.

Chu Shangluo had never seen Ren Jiaoming like this before.

He used to take pleasure in discovering every different side of him.

But now, it felt anything but amusing.

He even guessed the reason behind Ren Jiaoming’s behavior. If it had been in the past, he would have felt delighted—happy that this person belonged entirely to him. But now, he didn’t want to break that thin layer of glass between them. There was no sense of victory in conquering someone, because in this chase of love, he had lost just as miserably.

Chu Shangluo took a deep breath and, with all his strength, pried Ren Jiaoming’s arms away from him. He threw Ren Jiaoming’s jacket to the ground and said, “Stop it. This is pathetic. Don’t forget, we’re even now. You said it yourself.”

The very words Ren Jiaoming had spoken before were now being thrown back at him in exactly the same way.

Ren Jiaoming remained standing tall, his elegant composure unshaken. No matter how harshly Chu Shangluo lashed out, he stayed silent—never explaining, never defending himself, just quietly enduring.

Faced with this prideful silence, Chu Shangluo couldn’t feel any sympathy. When he saw Ren Jiaoming reaching out toward him once again, he coldly blocked him.

“The more you touch me, the more disgusted I feel.”

Ren Jiaoming’s hand froze mid-air before it slowly dropped back to his side, his fingers clenching tightly.

Chu Shangluo turned and left.

This time, Ren Jiaoming didn’t follow. He simply stood there, watching as Chu Shangluo’s figure faded further and further into the distance.

Rain streamed down his face, mingling with the tears he refused to acknowledge. Closing his eyes, the rain overflowed from the corners, finally spilling over.

＊

Chu Shangluo didn’t return to the banquet.

Instead, he went straight back to the hotel.

After changing out of his soaked clothes, he sat on the edge of the bed, staring blankly at nothing.

He didn’t know how long he stayed like that before grabbing a bottle of wine and drinking alone.

Finishing the entire bottle of red wine, he wandered over to the window, gazing out at the rain-soaked, beautiful island.

And he realized… he had finally let go of his feelings for Ren Jiaoming.

The obsession he once had wasn’t driven by hatred—it was a bitter refusal to accept that he had been the only one giving, with no end, no closure, and no return.

But today, in Ren Jiaoming’s eyes, he had found his answer.

This love had reached its silent, unresolved end.

Even if it was a response that came too late.

Had he really let go completely? Had he truly stopped caring for Ren Jiaoming?

Chu Shangluo pressed a hand to his chest.

Maybe not.

But he could forget.

Love wasn’t such a big deal after all.

And after today, he was certain—he could finally face Ren Jiaoming with clarity.

He could calmly let go of the feelings he once held.

He could clearly remember all the pain Ren Jiaoming had caused him.

He could accept the fact that Ren Jiaoming had deceived him.

And he could finally treat Ren Jiaoming as nothing more than an enemy.

He had lowered his pride too many times for Ren Jiaoming.

He wouldn’t anymore.

Emotions would only slow him down from making money.