CTS 25

Ji An’an immediately jumped in to defend her brother. “My brother isn’t the kind of person who throws his weight around. If he did something like that during the engagement party, there had to be a reason.”

Zhou Yang nodded. “I figured as much.”

He didn’t seem interested in dragging the topic out any longer. “Let’s go check out the cars first.”

But Ji An’an suddenly let out a surprised sound and pointed ahead. “Hey, isn’t that your new little brother?”

Shen Mo had caught a distant glimpse of Zhou Yang’s illegitimate brother at the engagement party last night. Seeing him up close now, he did resemble Zhou Yang. The two shared a few features, but their presence was completely different. Zhou Yang was quiet and reserved, while Zhou Chu was flashy, talkative, and full of playboy energy.

Zhou Yang clearly had no fondness for the half-brother who had just returned to the family. His tone was cold. “He only came back to the Zhou family recently. He hasn’t bought a car yet, so he tagged along.”

“Want to go over and say hi?”

“Just ignore him.”

Ji An’an didn’t care much for Zhou Chu either. She took Zhou Yang’s arm and walked off with him. Shen Mo felt awkward tagging along, so he offered to wander around on his own.

Ji An’an was still thinking about the “mission” Ji Mingxuan had given her, but it was Zhou Yang who said, “Men and women look at cars very differently. Let him pick on his own.”

Only then did Ji An’an agree and walked off with Zhou Yang.

Shen Mo remembered Ji Mingxuan had once brought up buying a car for him, but he had turned it down. Now, though, he was giving it some serious thought. Having a car would make things easier. And of course, he had no intention of using Ji Mingxuan’s money. He had worked for a few years, saved up enough, and could afford a practical, affordable car.

With that in mind, he focused on browsing and eventually found one that looked just right. Just as he was about to get in and try it out, someone tapped him on the shoulder.

Shen Mo turned around and was surprised to see Zhou Yang.

He glanced around but didn’t see Ji An’an. “Where’s Miss Ji?”

“She went to the restroom,” Zhou Yang said as he reached out and grabbed Shen Mo’s arm. “I need a word with you.”

Shen Mo responded right away. “There’s nothing to talk about between us.”

“Shen Mo…” Zhou Yang kept his voice low, mindful of the people around them. “I wasn’t planning to come today. I only came because An’an told me you’d be here.”

“Don’t forget, you just got engaged to Miss Ji yesterday.”

Zhou Yang’s face darkened immediately.

Even so, he kept holding on to Shen Mo’s hand. “Let’s talk somewhere else.”

Shen Mo didn’t want to cause a scene in public, so he followed Zhou Yang toward the emergency exit. Once they reached the stairwell, he stopped and shook his hand free.

“What do you want to say?”

Zhou Yang didn’t answer right away. He stared at Shen Mo for a long time, his expression tangled, before finally speaking. “Three years ago, when I went overseas… did something happen to you?”

Shen Mo stiffened slightly. After a pause, he said, “It’s been so long, I don’t really remember.”

“I knew something was off last night when Ji Mingxuan threw a punch. He’s not the type to pick fights with a bodyguard. I had to push hard to get anything out of my cousin, and eventually he admitted it. He said he once brought people to mess with you.”

Shen Mo’s right hand curled into a fist on reflex.

Zhou Yang was already standing close, and now he stepped in even closer. “What really happened while I was gone? I tried to reach you after I came back, but I couldn’t find you anywhere. Where were you?”

“What’s the point of asking now?”

“It matters. I always thought you left me because you fell out of love. But if that’s not the reason..”

“If it’s not, then what? Are you going to break off the engagement with Miss Ji? Did it ever cross your mind that your cousin had no reason to come after me? That he didn’t even know me?”

Zhou Yang had no response.

Looking at him like that, Shen Mo suddenly found it funny.

He actually laughed a little and reached out to fix Zhou Yang’s collar. It was something he used to do often back when they were still close.

“You’ve known the reason all along. You just didn’t want to face it. Your parents, or at least your mother, already knew about us. She sent someone to warn me, told me to stay out of your life for good.”