CTS 26

Zhou Yang’s face turned grim. “Back then, did you…”

“There’s no need to talk about the past anymore.” Shen Mo finished adjusting his collar, smoothing out the wrinkles in his shirt. “You should focus on the present. Miss Ji truly cares about you. Don’t let her down.”

Back when it all happened three years ago, Shen Mo had his share of resentment. But now, his heart had settled. There were too many love stories in this world that ended without a sound. No need to throw your life away over one.

He said what needed to be said and didn’t care how Zhou Yang took it. He turned around and walked out of the stairwell.

Just as he reached the exit, he heard a soft click.

Shen Mo glanced casually toward the sound. Someone was leaning against the wall, smoking. The man lifted his head right then, and Shen Mo recognized him. That face looked familiar. It was Zhou Yang’s brother, Zhou Chu.

Shen Mo was a little surprised. He didn’t know when Zhou Chu had arrived or how much he had overheard.

Zhou Chu, on the other hand, didn’t seem bothered at all. His narrow eyes narrowed a bit more, and he gave Shen Mo a lazy smile.

Shen Mo thought about it. There was nothing in that conversation he needed to hide, so he didn’t let it bother him. He just nodded in greeting and walked off.

After that little interruption, his interest in buying a car faded. He ended up just browsing without much thought and didn’t find anything that caught his eye. Ji An’an, on the other hand, picked out a car she liked, and in the end, Zhou Yang was the one who signed the purchase.

Even though Zhou Yang had things to handle at home and couldn’t join her for dinner, Ji An’an was still in a great mood. On the way home, she chatted and laughed with Shen Mo. As soon as Ji Mingxuan came home that evening, she couldn’t wait to tell him everything.

Ji Mingxuan listened with a smile, though his voice carried a hint of regret. “I wanted to get you a gift, but it looks like your future husband beat me to it.”

Ji An’an quickly pushed Shen Mo forward. “If you’re giving out gifts, give one to Brother Shen instead.”

Ji Mingxuan finally looked at Shen Mo and asked, “So? Did you find a car you liked?”

“Nothing stood out.”

“Then forget it.”

His tone was flat. It was hard to tell whether he was happy or disappointed.

Shen Mo used to feel uneasy when Ji Mingxuan acted like this, always worrying if he had done something wrong. But now, he didn’t feel that way anymore. His gaze drifted to Ji Mingxuan’s right hand.

That hand had gotten hurt during the fight last night. When they returned home, Shen Mo cleaned the wound, then rummaged through the drawers to find a bandage. The only one he could find had a cartoon character printed on it, probably one of Ji An’an’s. Ji Mingxuan had worn that childish thing to the office this morning, and now, it was still on his hand.

Did he actually go through all his meetings today with that thing on?

Ji Mingxuan noticed where Shen Mo was looking. He gave a soft cough, then casually hid his hand behind his back and said, “Let’s eat.”

After dinner, Ji Mingxuan went to take a shower. When he came out, the bandage was gone. Shen Mo assumed he had thrown it away. But later, while brushing his teeth, he noticed something off about the toothbrush cup.

There was a patch of color that hadn’t been there before. Shen Mo picked it up and saw that silly cartoon character stuck right on the cup. It was the same bandage from earlier.

He paused for a moment, holding the cup and looking at it closely, then quietly set it back in place.

That night, Ji Mingxuan couldn’t fall asleep.
Even with the lights off, he kept tossing and turning, shifting around like he just couldn’t get comfortable. No matter how he lay, it was as if something was bothering him under the sheets.

Shen Mo usually fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow. But with Ji Mingxuan constantly moving beside him, even he started to feel restless. He was just thinking about counting sheep when Ji Mingxuan called out quietly.

“Shen Mo.”

Shen Mo didn’t pretend to be asleep. “Yeah?”

“You’re still awake?”

“Yeah.”

There was a short silence. Then Ji Mingxuan sat up and turned on the bedside lamp.

The light was a little too bright. Shen Mo raised his hand to block it, blinking as he watched Ji Mingxuan reach under his pillow and pull something out. He tossed it over and said casually, “It’s been sitting in the garage collecting dust. Take it. Drive it if you want.”

Shen Mo looked down and saw the car key lying in front of him.