RTCBM 39

Because of that gift, Mu Yuan regretted it for a whole week. He kept beating himself up over how easily he let himself get provoked. But by the time he realized it, it was clearly too late.

On the weekend, Mu Yuan went to Xiang Yang’s studio for a tattoo touch-up. While working, Xiang Yang casually mentioned Wen Shang’s nine-photo Moments post, and it hit Mu Yuan right in the sore spot all over again.

“When I saw that post, I honestly thought his account got hacked for a second. That kind of thing is so not his style,” Xiang Yang laughed.

Looking back on it now, Mu Yuan really didn’t think it was worth it. His gut twisted with regret. He even thought about swallowing his pride and asking Wen Shang to give the gift back. But he gave up on that idea pretty quickly. In this world, a man had to keep his word. Once a gift was given, it belonged to the other person. Just like water poured out, it couldn’t be taken back.

In the end, Mu Yuan could only comfort himself by thinking, just take it as something he did for his second uncle.

“I thought you and Wen Shang were at each other’s throats,” Xiang Yang said. “When did you two start getting along so well?”

He already knew how their grudge started, but didn’t know how it ended.

It was a complicated story, and parts of it involved his second uncle. Mu Yuan chose to skip the important parts and gave a simple explanation. Just said they had some misunderstandings at first, but after going through some things and spending time together, those misunderstandings cleared up.

“Not gonna lie, I’ve known Wen Shang for over ten years. You’re the first person I’ve seen go from sworn enemy to friend with him.”

Mu Yuan suddenly got curious.
“What was he like before?”

Xiang Yang thought about it for a moment.
“Honestly, not much different from now. He’s always had a dominant personality. Back in school, no one dared to mess with him.”

Xiang Yang told Mu Yuan about something that happened back when they had just started high school. At the time, they were preparing for the school’s anniversary celebration. Because of that, Wen Shang had been in frequent contact with a senior girl from the second year. That girl already had a boyfriend, but some gossiping idiots in the grade twisted the story and spread rumors that Wen Shang was trying to steal someone else’s girl. The story eventually reached the boyfriend, who flew into a rage. Without even checking the facts, he dragged five or six guys from the sports class and went after Wen Shang.

They hauled Wen Shang into the gym, surrounded him, beat the shit out of him, poured paint all over his body, and then locked him in there for an entire day.

“What the fuck? And then?” Mu Yuan clenched his fists in anger. He couldn’t believe it, and somewhere deep down, he even felt indignant on Wen Shang’s behalf.

“That wasn’t the end of it,” Xiang Yang said.

Wen Shang memorized every one of their faces. The next day, he went looking for them one by one. The ones who got off easy ended up with dislocated joints and bruises all over their bodies. The unlucky ones landed in the orthopedics ward. As for the guy who started it all, the one who teamed up with others to come after Wen Shang, got dragged out of class by the hair, right in front of his classmates and teacher. Wen Shang didn’t say a word, just stormed into the room, grabbed the guy, and slammed his head straight into the wall.

The incident caused an uproar throughout the school. The parents of the beaten students all came charging into the principal’s office. The education bureau even got involved. The fallout was a disaster. Even though Wen Shang’s family was one of the most powerful in the city, his father Wen Yuan couldn’t do a thing. In the end, he had no choice but to transfer him to another school.

Word of the fight spread quickly across the city’s student forums. As the story got passed around, it got more and more exaggerated. Some even said Wen Shang had beaten someone to death. After that, nobody dared to provoke him. No one even dared to say a bad word to his face.

“That’s just how he is,” Xiang Yang said.
“If you don’t mess with him, he won’t mess with you. But if you do, he’ll destroy you.”

Mu Yuan suddenly remembered something else. On Wen Shang’s birthday, Gao Zhiyu and the others had brought up something about Wen Shang’s dating history. But just as they were about to spill the details, Wen Shang had shut them up. Now seemed like a good time to finally get to the bottom of it.

“By the way, Xiang Yang,” Mu Yuan asked casually, pretending not to know a thing.
“Has that guy ever been in a relationship?”

Xiang Yang could tell he was digging for Wen Shang’s gossip. But thinking about it, if Wen Shang had already gone from enemies to friends with Mu Yuan, it meant he had accepted the guy deep down. And this wasn’t some shameful secret anyway, so Xiang Yang just went ahead and told him.

It happened when Wen Shang first arrived in London for university. During the orientation ceremony, he met another student in the same year
A Chinese-American named Hua You.

The two of them exchanged numbers, started messaging and calling each other often. They shared a lot of the same views on things, so it didn’t take long before they became close. Over time, they started developing feelings for each other.

It was Hua You who made the first move. On New Year’s Eve, he asked Wen Shang out and confessed. Wen Shang agreed right away, and the two of them officially became a couple.

Everyone in their friend group knew about the relationship from the very beginning. They seemed like a genuinely loving pair. Honestly, everyone thought they made a great match.

Then one day, out of nowhere, Wen Shang suddenly announced that he had broken up with Hua You. There had been no signs of any arguments or fights, which made it even more shocking. When people asked him why they broke up, he just coldly replied, “Don’t ever mention that person to me again. He’s already dead.”

“What the hell happened between him and that boyfriend?” Mu Yuan was hooked. His curiosity shot through the roof. He couldn’t wait to hear the rest.

“Stop interrupting me. I’m not even finished,” Xiang Yang said. He picked up the cup in front of him, took a sip of water, then continued.

Wen Shang never talked about it. The rest of the guys didn’t want to push too hard either. It wasn’t until a year later, at a get-together with close friends, that Wen Shang finally let it all out. He was drunk that night, completely wasted, and spilled everything about what happened with Hua You.

Hua You didn’t come from a good family. His parents had divorced when he was young, and he grew up with his dad. The father was addicted to gambling and had racked up an insane amount of debt. In the end, when the creditors came knocking, the man ditched his own son and ran off to hide.

The summer after Wen Shang and Hua You started dating, Hua You flew back to the States. Wanting to surprise him, Wen Shang secretly bought a plane ticket and flew over. But when he got to Hua You’s house, the first thing he saw was a group of debt collectors standing outside the door. Hua You had refused to take responsibility for his father’s debts, and an argument broke out. Then they started hitting him.

To help Hua You out of the mess, Wen Shang stepped in and paid off the debt his father owed. The amount wasn’t massive, but it wasn’t small either. That incident quickly solidified their relationship and made Hua You rely on and trust Wen Shang even more.

Without financial support from family, Hua You had to earn his own living. During summer break, while working part-time at a café, he was approached by an editor from a magazine company who asked if he was interested in doing some modeling work. It was the kind of opportunity most people only dream about. Hua You accepted without hesitation.

The magazine company gave him some scattered print gigs. Through that job, he started meeting all kinds of people and gradually became more familiar with the ins and outs of the industry.

Hua You had decent looks and build, but being Asian, he was constantly subjected to racial discrimination. When competing for the same jobs, most employers would choose white models over him. It wasn’t just once or twice. This shit happened all the time.

Growing up in a broken home and struggling to get by, coupled with all the unfairness he had experienced, Hua You had long become a very pragmatic person. In his eyes, fame and money had an irresistible pull. They were more important than anything else.

To secure better job opportunities, Hua You willingly climbed into the beds of those with money and power. It didn’t just happen once.

At first, it was to land a magazine cover. Later, it was to get a slot on the runway at some fashion week. Once he realized that selling his body could bring him all kinds of perks, he didn’t hesitate. He kept going down that road without looking back.

While he was still with Wen Shang, Hua You kept all of this hidden. Behind his back, he continued to trade sex for opportunities. In Hua You’s mind, this was just a stepping stone to his future. Sleeping with someone was a means to an end. It had nothing to do with his feelings. He thought that as long as his heart stayed loyal, it didn’t matter what he did with his body.

In the end, it all came down to money.

After being exposed to the luxuries of the industry, Hua You grew even more obsessed with the life of the rich. He dreamed of becoming one of them someday. Wen Shang had always kept a low profile and never told Hua You anything about his background. Because of that, Hua You assumed his boyfriend came from a reasonably well-off family, but nothing close to the level of the elite benefactors he’d been dealing with. In his eyes, Wen Shang couldn’t compare to the real rich men.

Wen Shang knew the modeling industry wasn’t easy for Hua You. He wanted to help however he could. To expand Hua You’s network, he reached out to his cousin, who worked as a designer at the well-known fashion brand LT. She told him there was an upcoming fashion party in the circle. After getting her approval, Wen Shang decided to bring Hua You along and planned to introduce him to her and her connections at the event.

Wen Shang hadn’t mentioned his cousin to Hua You beforehand. He had intended to explain everything once they got there. But Hua You turned down the invitation, claiming he had a very important photoshoot to attend.

In the end, Wen Shang ran into him at the party anyway.

Hua You was there, cozying up to a middle-aged man, arms around each other, kissing and touching like it was nothing. To make things worse, that sugar daddy happened to be one of Wen Shang’s cousin’s business partners.

Wen Shang had originally planned to rely on his cousin’s help to open doors for his boyfriend. But standing there, watching that scene unfold, he realized Hua You clearly didn’t need his help at all. The guy was already skilled at handling his own deals, far more than Wen Shang had imagined.

Wen Shang had never interfered in Hua You’s personal life. He always assumed that, at most, Hua You might flirt a little, nothing serious. So when he learned the truth, it felt like the biggest humiliation of his entire life. All of Hua You’s disgusting past was laid bare right in front of him. It hit like a sudden ambush, catching him completely off guard.

He had always hated being lied to. And the one who betrayed him this time was the person he loved most. Wen Shang couldn’t accept that kind of betrayal. He cut the relationship clean, completely and without turning back.

After that, Wen Shang did date other people, but it was always just for fun. Nothing ever lasted. Everyone around him could tell. Since breaking up with Hua You, he had never given anyone his heart again.

“Didn’t think Wen-ge had such a tragic love story in him,” Mu Yuan clicked his tongue. “What happened to that little green tea slut after that?”

“He was willing to sell his body to climb up, knew how to play the game, and took full advantage of what he had. He seduced a bunch of sugar daddies and made a name for himself in the scene.”

“Shit. Wen-ge’s not the type to forgive. You’re telling me he never got payback?”

Xiang Yang gave his take.
“He probably let it go for the sake of old feelings. Cutting him off completely was already more mercy than the bastard deserved.”

Mu Yuan suddenly felt a little sorry for Wen Shang. He let out a sigh.

“Right. Why did Wen-ge say that guy was dead? Was it because he hated him that much?”

“No deeper grief than when the heart dies,” Xiang Yang said with a shrug.