Chapter Sixteen

-----Two Years Ago-----

After three days of no contact, Yi Xiaoyu went to Wen Ming’s home to look for him. Wen Ming’s mother told him that Wen Ming was about to get engaged.

The moment he heard this, Yi Xiaoyu’s mind buzzed, his thoughts blank and numb.

He had only been away on a business trip for a week—how had everything changed so drastically?

Yi Xiaoyu simply couldn’t bring himself to believe it. He kept texting and calling Wen Ming, but there was no response at all. Soon after, he saw in the newspaper photos of the lover he had dated for seven years, walking into a hotel with a woman.

The entire page lauded the match as perfect, praising their union as a marriage between equals. The woman clung sweetly to Wen Ming’s arm, a delicate beauty, while the man looked refined and handsome, the very image of elegance.

Yi Xiaoyu clutched the newspaper, feeling as if his heart was bleeding.

At last, Wen Ming agreed to meet him. They arranged to meet at a Western restaurant. The moment they saw each other, Yi Xiaoyu hugged Wen Ming tightly, pressing his cheek against Wen Ming’s face, his voice choked with emotion, “I won’t let you leave me. I don’t care what your reasons are—you’re mine.”

Wen Ming gently pushed him away, his expression complicated. “Xiaoyu, sit down. Let’s talk.”

Yi Xiaoyu sat down, anxious, his eyes locked on Wen Ming’s face. “Your mother said you’re getting engaged. What’s with those photos in the newspaper? Is it true? Wen Ming, you—”

“It’s all true. The woman in the photos is Yanyan, the daughter of my father’s friend.”

“Is it...” Yi Xiaoyu struggled to ask, “Are your parents forcing you to marry her?”

Wen Ming hesitated for a moment. “You could say that.”

“What do you mean, ‘you could say that’?” Yi Xiaoyu’s voice rose uncontrollably. “The paper said her mother is a world-renowned jewelry designer. Isn’t it your dream to become a famous designer too? Is that what you’re after, this connection—”

“Xiaoyu!” Wen Ming cut him off sharply, then closed his eyes and sighed, his voice softening. “Calm down... My dad’s company is in trouble. My family may... go bankrupt. Yanyan’s father can help...”

“How much do you need? I can put up all the funds from my company. If that’s not enough, I’ll mortgage the company to help your father—”

“That’s not nearly enough,” Wen Ming interrupted gently. “Xiaoyu, please understand. If the Wen family goes bankrupt, I’ll have nothing left. You wouldn’t want to see me like that.”

Yi Xiaoyu’s eyes blurred with tears. “I don’t care what happens to you. I’ll support you. I can help you achieve your dreams, Wen Ming. Don’t use these excuses to push me away. I won’t let you leave me... You don’t even like that woman, so why force yourself?”

“She’s a good person.” Wen Ming lowered his head, avoiding Yi Xiaoyu’s gaze, and spoke softly, “She’s understanding and considerate. Most importantly, she always listens to me, never loses her temper with me...”

Before Wen Ming could finish, Yi Xiaoyu had already thrown his cup of tea in his face.

He knew very well that Wen Ming wasn’t praising that woman—he was negating him.

Wen Ming closed his eyes, tea running down his face and dripping from his chin. Yi Xiaoyu stood across from him, breathing hard, his chest heaving with pain as he stared at Wen Ming. “It must have been hard for you, spending seven years with someone as narrow-minded and ill-tempered as me.”

He was long past the age of crying easily, yet he couldn’t stop the tears from falling. Yi Xiaoyu had never known what it felt like to be hurt by love. Ever since he first understood what love was, he had been with Wen Ming. No matter how many admirers came his way, his eyes had only ever been for Wen Ming. He had never experienced heartbreak, never been wounded by love.

Wen Ming picked up a napkin and wiped his hair and cheeks, head bowed. He said softly, “Xiaoyu, you really should try to change your temper. Don’t forget, you’re the president of a publicly listed company now.”

“Don’t you know me? I only ever lose control like this in front of you—”

Before Yi Xiaoyu could finish, Wen Ming stood up, still speaking gently. “Xiaoyu, I’m sorry. We should break—”

“I won’t allow it!” Yi Xiaoyu enunciated each word, but his eyes betrayed his pain. “I won’t let you go through with this engagement. As long as I’m here, I won’t allow you to just dump me.”

Wen Ming sighed. He knew how proud Xiaoyu was. “Xiaoyu, calm down. From now on... it’s better if we don’t see each other again.”

With that, Wen Ming placed money on the table and turned to leave. Suddenly, Yi Xiaoyu rushed forward and hugged him from behind.

“Wen Ming.” Yi Xiaoyu was sobbing. “I love you. I’ve worked so hard to build my company for no other reason than to make your parents see me differently, to show them I’m worthy of their son. Wen Ming, my company has been going through a lot recently, so I’ve been irritable, and that’s why... Please don’t be angry with me. I’ll change. Whatever you don’t like about me, I’ll change, all right? Don’t get engaged to that woman. If it comes to it, I’ll borrow money from my father to help your family. We can figure something out together—”

Wen Ming pried his hands away from his waist.

“I’m sorry.”

With those words, Wen Ming strode away. Yi Xiaoyu stood there in a daze, and by the time he came to his senses and ran after him, Wen Ming had already driven off.

Two days later, Yi Xiaoyu received a call from Wen Ming. Choking with emotion, Yi Xiaoyu said so much, but Wen Ming only replied with a few simple words: I’m sorry. Let’s break up.

Then Wen Ming hung up.

Yi Xiaoyu went to Wen Ming’s house again. Wen Ming’s father told him Wen Ming had already boarded a plane to England. By now, the plane had been in the air for nearly an hour.

After leaving the Wen household, Yi Xiaoyu drove aimlessly and ended up at a bar. His mind was muddled, his chest tight as if something were about to explode inside him.

Everyone he saw looked like Wen Ming...

All like that bastard!

Yi Xiaoyu slumped on a sofa in the corner of the hall, drinking dejectedly, glass after glass...

Only now did Yi Xiaoyu slowly begin to accept the truth—he’d been dumped. The boyfriend he’d loved for seven years, who had always seemed perfect to him from head to toe, had kicked him aside. That man would soon marry the daughter of a prestigious family, while he himself could only drink alone here, like a stray dog, trying to swallow his pain.

As he drank, tears once again streamed down his face. He had only ever cried this bitterly when his mother died.

Yi Xiaoyu took out his phone, opened WeChat, and sent a voice message to Wen Ming.

“If you go through with that engagement, I’ll find someone to marry today—when you regret it, there’ll be nowhere for your regret to go!”

Yi Xiaoyu had drunk a lot; his vision was blurred.

There weren’t many people in the bar. Not far in front of him, a group of five or six men sat around a table, looking like small-time gangsters with some minor power—some had tattooed arms and burly builds, others sported flamboyant haircuts and shifty eyes. In the center sat a man with a fat head and ears, his eyes squeezed nearly shut by his cheeks, his figure massive and, oddly enough, swaddled in a thick down jacket. From afar, he looked like a giant ball; up close, more like a polar bear.

A polar bear made entirely of blubber.

At the man’s feet lay a husky, nearly as large as its owner, tongue lolling and eyes bright and alert—far more handsome than its master.

The bear of a man drank boldly, downing glass after glass in one gulp. When excited, he spat as he spoke, cursing freely—a clear leader among thugs, brash and rude.

Yi Xiaoyu narrowed his eyes, watching as the bear-man leered and flirted with the pretty boy in his arms. After a few minutes, Yi Xiaoyu stood up and walked over.

(Yawn Bro: You all probably know who the bear-man is, right? Heh, back then, even Cong had nothing on the boss’s looks, but now he’s a real hunk—just goes to show every chubby guy is a hidden gem~ There are two chapters from two years ago; the next one will come a bit later. It’s been so cold lately, everyone, keep warm~)