CTS 18

Shen Mo had already known three years ago what kind of choice Zhou Yang would make. Now, it was just playing out again.
His heart had long grown numb. The only thing he felt now was worry for Ji An’an.

“This kind of love is nothing but an illusion,” he said.

“Only middle schoolers talk about love these days. Adults care about benefits,” Ji Mingxuan replied in the darkness.
“You know how much a marriage alliance between the Zhou and Ji families could bring. As for love,” Ji Mingxuan continued, his voice calm, “whether you like the person or not, you tie them down first. After living together long enough, feelings will come eventually.”

“And if feelings never come?” Shen Mo asked.

“Then,” Ji Mingxuan said with a low chuckle, “a lifetime will have passed anyway.”

It was pure self-deception.

Of course, Shen Mo knew this was how most business marriages worked.

“Isn’t this the same as Zhou Yang’s parents?” he asked quietly.

Ji Mingxuan’s voice turned cold. “What else do you expect? You want them to run away together like you and Zhou Yang once planned?”

Shen Mo froze.

Ji Mingxuan seemed to realize he had lost control of himself. He did not say anything more, simply turned his back and went to sleep.

Shen Mo could not fall asleep. He lay awake, replaying their conversation in his mind. His cheek felt faintly hot.

Ji Mingxuan’s words about running away stayed with him. Back when he had been young and naive, he really had dreamed of something like that. But that dream had been crushed by reality a long time ago.

He did not even know where he had found the courage to argue with Ji Mingxuan.
Even if their views on love were completely different, what did it matter? Why had he pushed back so stubbornly, trying to argue right and wrong?

There was no need for that.

He did not even have the right.

It was normal for someone to feel emotional when their ex-boyfriend was about to get married. That was the excuse Shen Mo gave himself, and finally he fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning, he woke up late again.
He rushed to work and barely made it in time. In the office, his colleagues were still busy chatting. The news about the Zhou family’s illegitimate son had caused an uproar inside the family, but to outsiders, it was nothing more than gossip to pass the time. By now, the topic had already shifted.
Everyone was enthusiastically discussing the entertainment world instead.

“That Zhao Yi,” someone said, “the one who just got popular recently. Everyone says he has a powerful backer.”

“In this industry, who doesn’t?”

“But you have to admit, he really is good-looking and knows how to handle people. He used to be completely unknown, but now he is landing lead roles one after another.”

“They just have good instincts and chose the right person,” someone said.

Everyone burst into laughter.

Feeling a little hot, Shen Mo got up and opened a window to let some air in.

That evening, when he got home, he found Ji An’an sulking. After asking, he learned that Ji Mingxuan had promised to have dinner with her but ended up canceling at the last minute because of a business engagement.

“He spends the whole year socializing. I can count on one hand how many times we actually get to eat together. Brother Shen, how do you even put up with it?” she complained.

What else could Shen Mo say? He simply replied, “I’m used to it.”

He then asked, “Why not have dinner with Zhou Yang instead?”

“Zhou Yang is overwhelmed dealing with his family issues,” Ji An’an sighed. “But it is alright. My brother said everything will be sorted out soon.”

She trusted Ji Mingxuan with her whole heart, without the slightest doubt.

Shen Mo opened his mouth but said nothing in the end. Maybe Ji Mingxuan was right. Zhou Yang and Ji An’an were both getting what they needed from each other.
They could spend a lifetime together like that.

Shen Mo had thought Ji Mingxuan would be like before, going out to socialize and then staying out for the night. Unexpectedly, a little past ten o’clock, Ji Mingxuan came home. He carried a faint smell of alcohol, but his eyes were clear, showing no signs of drunkenness.

A drunk Ji Mingxuan was truly a rare sight.

“Mr. Ji, you are back?” Shen Mo asked.

“Yes,” Ji Mingxuan replied.

“Miss Ji was complaining you missed dinner with her.”

“I know.”

Ji Mingxuan took a shower and went straight to bed, exchanging only two sentences with Shen Mo. The next day, he made up for the missed dinner with Ji An’an, treating her with great care throughout the entire meal. Yet from beginning to end, he did not so much as glance at Shen Mo.

Several days passed like this before Shen Mo slowly realized that Ji Mingxuan was giving him the cold shoulder.

It was a first.

In the past, if Ji Mingxuan did not want to see him, he simply would not come home for days or even weeks. This time was different. No matter how late the business dinners ended, he still came back to sleep at home, deliberately turning his back to Shen Mo in bed.

Shen Mo did not even need to think to know why. He had offended Mr. Ji with what he said that night. Not that Shen Mo minded being ignored. At work, he had long since gotten used to being invisible. Just like he had told Ji An’an, a lot of things became bearable once you got used to them.

Still, he thought, it was probably time to move back to his own room.

Wearing matching rings did not make them a couple.

Sharing a bed did not mean they shared their hearts.

There was a word for this kind of relationship: Sleeping in the same bed but dreaming different dreams.