Chu Shangluo was tired and frustrated. The hug he once longed for now meant nothing to him.

Ren Jiaoming held him tightly, as if embracing a treasure, and gently asked, “It’s late, stay the night?” Chu Shangluo thought about how Ren Jiaoming had deceived him into coming here, and now he wanted him to stay the night. This made him furious. “Stay my ass!” He snapped, and just as he said that, his phone rang.

While answering the call, Chu Shangluo pushed Ren Jiaoming, who was clinging to him without moving. It was difficult to focus on the conversation while on the phone, and as Chu Shangluo listened to the voice on the other end, Ren Jiaoming continued to hold and manipulate his wrist. The call was from Lu Wen.

“President Chu, I’m at your door. Where are you? I need to talk to you.”

Chu Shangluo, feeling irritated, tried to pull his hand away. “I’m outside. If it’s important, just say it over the phone.”

“It’s something important. President Chu, I want to say it in person. Or are you with someone right now, and it’s not convenient?”

Without changing his expression, Chu Shangluo lied, “I’m not with anyone. I’m alone. Since it’s so important, I’ll head back now.”

Ren Jiaoming, standing close by, could hear the conversation and knew who was calling Chu Shangluo. The fact that Chu Shangluo didn’t admit to being with him made Ren Jiaoming feel a little disappointed. Instinctively, he tightened his hold on Chu Shangluo, continuing to fiddle with his wrist.

After Chu Shangluo hung up, he noticed a watch on his wrist. Even though it had been repaired, the marks of its past damage were still visible. Just like his relationship with Ren Jiaoming—it wasn’t because they were holding each other now that the old wounds could heal.

Staring at the watch on his wrist and Ren Jiaoming’s hand gently stroking the strap, Chu Shangluo felt not just anger but a deep weariness. He didn’t have time to keep getting tangled up with Ren Jiaoming; he had to go back to meet Lu Wen.

“Ren Jiaoming, there are too many problems between us. My father ruined your whole family, and you’re standing with the Wen family, who harmed ours. You approached me from the start with a purpose, pretending to be so clear-headed, but your clarity is just about sleeping with me? Do you think there’s something you can do to bridge the gap between us with all these things?” This was the first time in a while that Chu Shangluo spoke calmly to Ren Jiaoming.

“These issues should have been raised and resolved by you. But what have you explained to me?”

Ren Jiaoming rested his chin on Chu Shangluo’s shoulder, thought for a moment, then slowly spoke, “I’m not standing with the Wen family. After some time, I’ll explain everything to you.”

Chu Shangluo curled the corner of his lips in a cold smirk. “Look at you, Ren Jiaoming. This is your sincerity? You’re always calculating, never letting anyone know your true thoughts or stop you. Isn’t it exhausting to live like this?”

With all his strength, Chu Shangluo pried open Ren Jiaoming’s arms, which were tightly wrapped around his waist. Ren Jiaoming frowned, his emotions and reason clashing constantly. In the end, his feelings for Chu Shangluo overpowered his rationality, overpowering his habit of keeping his plans to himself. His lips parted as he was about to speak, but before he could say anything, Chu Shangluo completely broke free and said, “If you want to live in silence, that’s your choice. But your relationship with the Wen family, your plans, they’re no longer important to me. Ren Jiaoming, you have many schemes, and making a perfect explanation to me would be easy for you. But how do you explain that my dad ruined your dad and caused your family to be destroyed? How do you explain that? Can that even be explained?”

The questions Chu Shangluo posed were an insurmountable barrier between them, one that no explanation could erase. “Every time you’re with me, don’t you feel uncomfortable when you see my dad? Don’t you want to send him to prison? Can you honestly call him ‘Dad’?”

Faced with Chu Shangluo’s sharp and incisive questions, Ren Jiaoming remained silent.

Chu Shangluo walked over to the table, looking at the cold dishes Ren Jiaoming had prepared. “This meal isn’t going to fix anything. I’m not that easy to please. I’m leaving. Don’t bother me anymore. I’m tired of this.”

He raised his foot to leave, but Ren Jiaoming grabbed him urgently. “Don’t go meet Lu Wen.”

Chu Shangluo shook off his hand. “Why should I listen to you? I can go meet anyone I want!”

Jealousy spread in Ren Jiaoming’s heart as he blocked Chu Shangluo’s path. He didn’t want Chu Shangluo to leave, but he knew that being forceful would only aggravate the situation and make their already terrible relationship worse. His gaze shifted to the meal he had prepared all day. “Have a meal before you leave? You’ve lost weight recently.”

“Food, food, food!” Chu Shangluo was completely enraged by Ren Jiaoming’s intentional attempt to stall him. He kicked the table, sending the dishes crashing to the floor with a loud “crash,” the sound cutting through the air. The noise not only pained Ren Jiaoming but also drew Fan Mo, who rushed downstairs.

Chu Shangluo glanced at Ren Jiaoming, who stood frozen, staring at the food on the ground. His anger finally subsided a little. “Now there’s nothing left for me to eat. Can I leave now?”

Ren Jiaoming’s face lost all color as his eyes painfully moved from the mess on the floor to Chu Shangluo. He didn’t say anything.

Chu Shangluo couldn’t understand why Ren Jiaoming was now pretending to be hurt, as if he were the one who owed him something, as if he were the ungrateful scumbag. He clenched his fist tightly, pushed Ren Jiaoming away, and strode out the door.

Fan Mo watched Chu Shangluo’s cold, stiff back and then looked at Ren Jiaoming, who stood desolate in the same spot. For the first time, the usually slick and smooth Fan Mo felt completely helpless. He used to think making money was the hardest thing, hustling in the rain and wind selling fish, earning very little. Now he realized that the hardest thing was trying to win back someone who had been deeply hurt, especially someone like President Chu, with his clear-cut character. Trying to win him back felt almost impossible.

His older brother was someone who never shared his inner thoughts or expressed too many emotions, but Fan Mo could feel that his brother was genuinely hurting because of President Chu.

Fan Mo walked up to Ren Jiaoming and was about to touch his shoulder when Ren Jiaoming’s eyelashes fluttered slightly. Without saying a word, Ren Jiaoming turned and ran out after Chu Shangluo.

Fan Mo sighed deeply, looking at the untouched dishes scattered on the ground. His older brother’s 27th birthday would surely not be a happy one.

After Chu Shangluo left the door, the cold wind helped dissipate much of his anger. He quickly got into a taxi and left the area.

Sitting in the car, Chu Shangluo gazed out the window at the busy streets, and he couldn’t help but recall Ren Jiaoming’s sorrowful expression. He rolled down the window, lit a cigarette, and realized how pathetic he felt. He could handle anything without it feeling difficult, but when it came to Ren Jiaoming’s persistent clinginess, he couldn’t think of a way to completely make him give up. He slowly took a drag of his cigarette and suddenly realized that he didn’t understand Ren Jiaoming at all. He had always thought that Ren Jiaoming was indifferent to everything, emotionally detached. But now, as things had developed, he realized that Ren Jiaoming only appeared indifferent. In reality, he was stubborn and obsessively attached, which was frightening.

Chu Shangluo sighed. In the past, he had desperately pursued Ren Jiaoming, who ignored him. Now, when he wanted to tell love to go to hell, Ren Jiaoming wouldn’t let go. Chu Shangluo thought it over and concluded with one word: retribution. Why did he insist on forcing Ren Jiaoming to accept him back then? Now, it was Ren Jiaoming forcing him. Damn, it was really frustrating.

When Chu Shangluo arrived home, he saw Lu Wen, who was drunkenly sitting at the doorstep. As soon as Lu Wen saw him, his eyelids, which were about to close, opened again. He stood up and hugged Chu Shangluo, chuckling softly, “President Chu, you’re finally back. Otherwise, I was planning to sleep outside your door.”

Chu Shangluo thought that Lu Wen was quite drunk. He opened the door to invite him inside, but Lu Wen held on to him tightly, looking into his eyes and giving a charming smile. “President Chu, you’re so cold. Are you cold?”

Having just returned from the outside, Chu Shangluo’s body was indeed cold. He pushed Lu Wen, who seemed boneless, off him, straightened him up, and asked, “Do you have something important to tell me?”

“Mm…” Lu Wen’s dazed eyes were filled with flirtation. He then reached out and trapped Chu Shangluo between him and the wall. Chu Shangluo, who was about the same height as Lu Wen, felt awkward as the two muscular men stood in the narrow corridor in this position.

“Spit it out!” Chu Shangluo snapped.

Lu Wen leaned in, looking at him with affection in his eyes, then took his hand. “President Chu, do I have a chance?”

Chu Shangluo instinctively pulled his hand away, looking at the handsome face just inches away. He pushed him away. “You’re drunk. Go back.”

Lu Wen reached out and hugged Chu Shangluo’s waist, whispering in his ear, “I’m not drunk. I like you.”

Chu Shangluo removed Lu Wen’s hand and quickly created distance between them. His expression was calm, with no trace of excitement. He had been pursued by many people, both men and women, and had rejected others countless times. But when it came to his subordinates pursuing him, it made him feel extremely uncomfortable.

“I’ll take you downstairs,” Chu Shangluo said, forcing the drunken Lu Wen to walk downstairs with him.

Lu Wen stayed still, staring at Chu Shangluo seriously. “I like you. I’m serious. Since the first time I saw you in university, I’ve liked you.”

Chu Shangluo was stunned. He hadn’t expected Lu Wen to have liked him for so long. A fleeting crush would have been easy to handle, but a long-hidden love, especially a first love, was truly difficult to deal with.

“You…” Chu Shangluo stared at the ground, trying to come up with a way to reject him, when suddenly he noticed a pair of shoes in his line of sight. He slowly raised his gaze to see long, straight legs, then a slim, well-dressed figure, and finally a beautiful, cold face. The expression was dark, with eyes that seemed frozen by unyielding coldness.

Lu Wen also saw Ren Jiaoming, and the gentle look in his eyes immediately disappeared as he held onto Chu Shangluo’s waist, giving a provocative smile toward Ren Jiaoming, claiming his territory.

Lu Wen said, “What are you doing here? You’re not welcome.”

Ren Jiaoming’s eyes narrowed as he saw the hand Lu Wen had placed on Chu Shangluo’s waist. He immediately pulled Chu Shangluo away from him and embraced him. His expression darkened as he spoke coldly, “Fuck. Leave.”

It was the first time Chu Shangluo heard Ren Jiaoming curse, and immediately, he felt something was wrong. His face grew colder as he pushed Ren Jiaoming away, watching the tense standoff between Lu Wen and Ren Jiaoming, ready to escalate into a fight. He thought to himself, how could two men fight over him like this? One was his ex-secretary, whom he could never shake off, and the other was his current secretary, whom he didn’t like. What was going on?

Lu Wen glared at Ren Jiaoming, then suddenly threw a punch at his face, which Ren Jiaoming caught with ease, grabbing his collar.

Chu Shangluo cursed, “Damn! Are you two out of your minds?!”

He walked over and separated the two, gripping Lu Wen’s collar and pushing him into the room, slamming the door shut. He looked at Ren Jiaoming coldly and pointed toward the outside. “Go home.”