Ren Jiaoming didn’t leave. His gaze remained cold, staring at the door, as if he wished to pierce through the door and strike Lu Wen inside.

Chu Shangluo glanced at the time; it was almost midnight. He frowned, not wanting to waste more words with Ren Jiaoming. They were obviously on different wavelengths, and no matter what he said, it would be useless. He opened the door to go inside, but Ren Jiaoming grabbed his arm and made a concession, saying, “I can leave, but you have to make Lu Wen leave too.”

Chu Shangluo sneered, shook Ren Jiaoming off, and quickly entered the room, slamming the door shut behind him. “Ren Jiaoming, you have no right to make demands on me.”

After saying that, he didn’t leave but instead quietly watched through the peephole to see if Ren Jiaoming had left. He saw Ren Jiaoming, his face dark, quickly take out a key and insert it into the lock. He twisted the lock forcefully, but the door didn’t budge. Ren Jiaoming’s expression grew colder as he pulled on the door again, before finally lowering his head to look at the key in his hand, lost in thought.

Chu Shangluo had already changed the lock; he wouldn’t let Ren Jiaoming enter his home so easily anymore. Seeing Ren Jiaoming fail, Chu Shangluo felt a sense of satisfaction. In the past, he had allowed Ren Jiaoming in, and Ren Jiaoming had always looked troubled. Now, Ren Jiaoming could only be turned away.

Even after being rejected, Ren Jiaoming didn’t leave. He stood motionless outside the door. Chu Shangluo couldn’t figure out what Ren Jiaoming was planning, but he cursed him in his mind for being so persistent.

Inside, Lu Wen was heavily drunk. After being pushed into the room, he leaned against the wall, half-asleep, half-awake, occasionally closing his eyes, then opening them to smile at Chu Shangluo.

Just as Chu Shangluo was about to help Lu Wen into the room, there was a knock on the door. Then, a voice called out from outside: “Chu Shangluo.”

The voice was calm, yet unlike usual—it lacked the coldness or stubbornness, sounding instead as if filled with disappointment, humility, and an intertwining of deep affection and love.

Chu Shangluo froze in place, unable to describe the feeling swirling inside him at that moment.

“Chu Shangluo.”

Another voice.

Ren Jiaoming’s voice was unusually clear in the silent night. Chu Shangluo walked over, crouched by the peephole, and looked out. The hallway was empty, and Ren Jiaoming was no longer in sight. He lowered his eyes and turned to look at the nearly-asleep Lu Wen, walking over to help him to the couch. As soon as Lu Wen sat down, he seemed to wake up a little. When Chu Shangluo withdrew his hand, Lu Wen grabbed it, looking at him seriously, and softly said, “Mr. Chu, is it impossible for me?”

Chu Shangluo was always straightforward when it came to rejecting these kinds of matters. He didn’t like giving people ambiguous hopes. It’s better to end it quickly than drag it out. “Lu Wen, I’m not in the right state of mind to accept someone new right now. You should stop thinking about me that way. You’re too drunk. Just sleep here tonight.”

Lu Wen’s eyes grew more desolate. He slowly released Chu Shangluo’s hand and looked at his departing back, murmuring, “Do you still love Ren Jiaoming?”

The words were soft, faint, but Chu Shangluo heard them. He paused for a moment, then turned to look at Lu Wen, his expression a little displeased. “When you wake up tomorrow, forget about today.”

Lu Wen wanted to say something, but Chu Shangluo was too domineering. If he said anything that upset him, he wouldn’t gain anything. Lu Wen sighed heavily; forgetting was easier said than done. After all, he had been thinking about Chu Shangluo for many years.

After Chu Shangluo returned to his room, he opened a bottle of red wine and sat by the window drinking. Halfway through the bottle, he lowered his head and saw the watch on his wrist. The watch on his right wrist was one he had bought for himself; the one on his left wrist was the one Ren Jiaoming had bought for him. Chu Shangluo unconsciously touched the watch on his left wrist, thinking about Lu Wen’s earlier question.

Did love really matter?

For the problems between him and Ren Jiaoming now, love couldn’t solve them. There were the Wen family and the grudges of the previous generation between them. Love felt too insignificant in the face of all of that. Besides, he didn’t want that love anymore—a love mixed with deceit, interests, and betrayal could only make him despise it deeply.

When he finished the bottle, Chu Shangluo felt much lighter. Right now, he didn’t want to waste his energy on love. After yawning, he went to sleep. That night, Chu Shangluo slept soundly, while Ren Jiaoming and Lu Wen spent the night awake.

The next morning, when Chu Shangluo woke up, he was surprised to smell food. He lived alone and usually didn’t bother with breakfast. He couldn’t even remember the last time he had breakfast. He went out to wash up, and Lu Wen, wearing an apron, came out of the kitchen. Seeing Chu Shangluo, he smiled gently and said, “Mr. Chu, we have a meeting with President Chen at 10 o’clock today. I made some breakfast. Let’s eat and then head over.”

Lu Wen was full of energy, his smile calm, as if he had already forgotten the unpleasantness of the previous night. Chu Shangluo rubbed his hair and nodded. Whether or not Lu Wen had forgotten didn’t matter much to him, as long as it didn’t interfere with work. He finished washing up and came out to find breakfast already set on the table, with Lu Wen folding his bedding in his bedroom.

Chu Shangluo usually ordered the morning newspaper. He opened the door to get it from the mailbox, and as he was about to turn around and go back inside, someone suddenly yanked him into an embrace. “Bang!” The door slammed shut behind him.

Chu Shangluo had just finished showering, his hair wet, and drops of water still clung to his skin. His loose bathrobe could be easily pulled open if he wasn’t careful. He angrily pushed against Ren Jiaoming and looked up, meeting Ren Jiaoming’s bloodshot, exhausted, and grim eyes. Ren Jiaoming was still wearing the same clothes from the previous night, and his obsession with changing clothes frequently showed that he hadn’t left all night. He must have stood in the cold hallway all night, feeling frozen.

As soon as Chu Shangluo was close, he shivered from the cold. He forcefully resisted Ren Jiaoming, shouting, “Let go of me!”

Chu Shangluo struggled against Ren Jiaoming, but Ren Jiaoming held him tighter. His hand went through Chu Shangluo’s bathrobe and pressed against his smooth back. The icy hand ran down his spine, tracing the damp skin. Every touch sent a jolt of intense stimulation and discomfort through Chu Shangluo’s every nerve.

Chu Shangluo’s forehead twitched, “You’re just not happy that I’m with other men, aren’t you? Well, be unhappy then! This isn’t the first time, and there will be a second, a third. You goddamn… ugh…”

Ren Jiaoming had been waiting outside all night, his nerves stretched to the breaking point. Chu Shangluo’s words snapped them. Jealousy made him want to silence Chu Shangluo’s mouth. It was a kiss full of aggression. Chu Shangluo’s lips was forced open, their tongues intertwined, their breaths ragged. There was no love, no tenderness, only anger.

Chu Shangluo’s eyes were red with anger. He bit Ren Jiaoming’s tongue, but Ren Jiaoming didn’t loosen his grip. He was like a wild wolf biting down on its prey’s throat, determined to devour it.

As they struggled, Chu Shangluo’s lip was torn. The pain made him punch Ren Jiaoming in the face. Ren Jiaoming turned his head, ending their animalistic kiss.

Seeing the blood on Chu Shangluo’s lip, the rage in Ren Jiaoming gradually subsided. His eyes cleared, and he gently stroked Chu Shangluo’s lip, asking cautiously, “Sorry, does it hurt?”

Chu Shangluo, seeing Ren Jiaoming calm down, punched him again. He trembled with anger, “Do you think it’s fun to bully me, Ren Jiaoming? What else do you want to do? What bad karma did I have to meet a bastard like you!”

Ren Jiaoming let Chu Shangluo vent. He reached out and tightened the bathrobe that was about to fall open, closed his eyes, and gently stroked Chu Shangluo’s back, “I didn’t mean to bully you. I won’t do it again. Don’t be angry.”

Chu Shangluo was about to burst. He pushed Ren Jiaoming away, then took off his watch and threw it out the window in front of him, “From now on, if you don’t appear in front of me, I won’t be angry. Otherwise, I’ll be ten years older because of you!”

Ren Jiaoming’s heart plummeted to the ground like the watch Chu Shangluo had thrown, shattering into pieces.

Chu Shangluo didn’t want to say anything more. He opened the door and went back into the room.

Ren Jiaoming stood there, clenching his fists. Finally, he lowered his head in defeat and slowly walked towards the building’s edge.

Inside, Lu Wen had just finished tidying up Chu Shangluo’s room. When he saw Chu Shangluo’s red, angry eyes, he was taken aback, “Mr. Chu, what’s wrong?”

Chu Shangluo rubbed his eyes and went to the bathroom to rinse the blood from his mouth. The more he thought about it, the angrier he got.

Then he received a text message from an unknown number: “Sorry.”

Then another: “I won’t do anything you dislike anymore.”

Chu Shangluo was even angrier after reading them. Anymore? What about the future?

Seeing Chu Shangluo still not coming out of the bathroom, Lu Wen went to water the wilting flowers on the balcony. As he picked up the watering can, his gaze accidentally drifted outwards. He then stopped at a lonely figure downstairs.

The person was squatting on the ground, seemingly picking something up. What he was picking up looked very broken, and it took him a long time to stand up. He clutched those broken things tightly in his hand, stood there for a while, and then slowly walked away.

“What are you looking at?” Chu Shangluo came out of the bathroom and sat at the table.

Lu Wen quickly recovered, “Nothing.”

Then he noticed that Chu Shangluo’s lips were swollen and red. He couldn’t help but glance at them a few times, asking in confusion, “Mr. Chu, what happened to your mouth?”

Chu Shangluo thought to himself, Bitten by Damn dog, but on the outside, he calmly took a sip of his porridge, “It’s fine.”

He said it was fine, but Lu Wen could tell that Chu Shangluo’s mood was extremely bad. There was a hidden fire in his eyes, as if he was about to flip the table at any moment. Lu Wen wisely chose not to press further.

After they finished eating, Chu Shangluo’s terrible mood lingered all the way to his meeting with Chen Tianyun. The meeting was scheduled at the hospital, and as soon as he entered the ward, he saw Chen Tianyun’s little lover, Mu Chen, weakly lying in bed. When Chen Tianyun saw him, he led him outside the ward, lit a cigarette, and glanced inside.

“Chu Shangluo, if we’re going after Chen Ran, count me in.”

Chen Tianyun was a man who lived for pleasure, indifferent to money, fame, and status. For him, life was all about enjoying the moment. He spent large sums of money on little beauties and never got involved in the power struggles within the capital. If he wanted to go after someone today, Chu Shangluo knew it meant Chen Ran must have crossed him.

As for what he had crossed, it was none other than the person lying inside. Chu Shangluo took a cigarette from him. “What happened?”

Chen Tianyun’s face darkened as he recalled the unpleasant past. “He messed with Xiao Chen.”

Chu Shangluo didn’t ask what kind of mess it was. Chen Tianyun explained, “Xiao Chen is a newcomer in the entertainment industry. He was spotted by a famous director, and while filming, he was bullied by a rising star in the crew, Chen Ran’s little lover. Xiao Chen had an argument with him, and that little star pushed him from a high place. But Chen Ran protected the star and had the director kick Xiao Chen off the project. I can’t swallow this.”

This kind of thing was not uncommon in the entertainment industry, but what made it different in this case was that while Chen Tianyun had money, he didn’t have deep-rooted power in the industry. So if they were going to take on Chen Ran, they would need to form alliances. For Chu Shangluo, this worked to his advantage. He exhaled smoke, revealing a slight smile.

“Alright, but Chen, you’ll have to listen to me, and don’t be afraid. You’ve heard of my methods; they’re always high-risk.”

Chen Tianyun extinguished his cigarette with his bare hand. “I’ll listen to you.”