Chapter 41.3

“But you still can’t let go of Yun Zhou, and Jiang Zhihuo knows you have feelings for Yun Zhou. He keeps insisting that once the issue is resolved, he’ll leave you, which puts you in a difficult position?”

“And before that, you and Jiang Zhihuo were always at odds, constantly arguing and bickering. You even both pursued the same girl? Is that the girl I helped you investigate, the one with a suspicious background? Oh, you went after her because you felt she was similar to Yun Zhou? Later, you realized you were mistaken and cleared things up?”

“Now that the matter between you and Jiang Zhihuo have truly been settled, you’re no longer love rivals. However, your relationship has become a CP on the school forum, and he feels awkward and starts avoiding you. At the same time, you discovered that Jiang Zhihuo is actually Yun Zhou, and you’re not sure how to express this or how to handle it, or you don’t even know whether he’s straight or not?”

“…….” Yan Mu fell silent for a long time. He had only said a few sentences, but He Miaomiao managed to expand them into such a long list, with each point hitting the nail on the head and leaving him unable to argue back.

After a long silence, Yan Mu finally uttered, “Mhm.”

“Hahahahaha.” Feeling affirmed, He Miaomiao laughed even harder, unable to stop. She hadn’t even drunk the milk tea she had just gotten. With sharp sarcasm, she said, “A stand-in, such a jerk.”

Yan Mu: “……”

He Miaomiao: “My white moonlight is actually right beside me?! How dramatic!”

Yan Mu: “……”

He began to doubt whether it was the right choice to bring this woman out today.

He Miaomiao poked her straw into her drink, took a sip of the milk tea, and finally suppressed her laughter. “Congratulations, you’ve found him.”

The milk tea wasn’t too sweet, and the tea flavor was strong. She added, “There’s a crucial question: What’s your relationship now? Are you friends, or do you have no relationship at all? What do you actually want to do?”

“Judging from the way you talk, he definitely hasn’t forgotten what happened when you were kids. But with the way things are between you two, you don’t even have the right to be honest with him.”

Once again, her words went straight to the point, leaving Yan Mu speechless.

This really is a simple problem. Whether he can figure out what he wants to do, sort out their relationship, get to know this person again, understand why he became ‘Jiang Zhihuo,’ or find the right time to tell him that he’s actually Qin Mu…

There was only one thing he had to do first before doing any of that

First of all, they need to be on speaking terms and able to sit down and have a good chat.

The problem really was that simple, yet he had spent a whole week trapped up in it. He didn’t dare to ask or speak, didn’t know how to approach him, and even though he could’ve asked the admin to delete the thread; he did nothing. All he wanted was to see how Jiang Zhihuo would react.

So silly and childish.

For the rest of the walk, Yan Mu didn’t say anything.

He Miaomiao stayed a step ahead, not wanting to disturb him.

She hadn’t seen such a relatable Yan Mu in a long time. Although a bit immature and foolish, he was much cuter than his usual cold demeanor.

He Miaomiao knew Yan Mu even before Yun Zhou.

That year, Yun Zhou was suddenly taken away, and Yan Mu went crazy trying to find him. His father was useless; he didn’t care about the child who carried his wife’s surname. Yan Mu had no choice but to run to her at the police station.

However, He Miaomiao was just a newbie ten years ago. She could only do reception work in the lobby. Unfortunately, by the time she had the ability, the person she wanted to find was long gone.

Years had passed. Back then, online payment wasn’t a thing, and the surveillance system wasn’t as sophisticated as it is now. Phone cards weren’t even registered to names yet, and you didn’t need an ID card to buy a bus ticket. Finding a kid who’d been gone for so long was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Who would have imagined that after so long, he would end up at the same school as him, and they would have fought for so long?

He Miaomiao wanted to laugh, truly happy for Yan Mu and also amused by the situation.

For so many years, Yan Mu had never faced a problem he couldn’t solve, and yet, somehow, he had managed to turn their relationship into such a mess.

The crematorium!! This is 100% a crematorium scene!! It has to be a crematorium¹T/N: A total emotional meltdown moment. Usually when a character has messed up in a relationship and is now suffering the consequences in the most agonizing, regret-filled way.!!

The animal hospital He Miaomiao was heading to wasn’t a small storefront clinic with basic decor but a proper hospital with two floors. The first floor handled pet grooming, while the second floor had examination rooms and ‘hospital wards.’ Everything was clean and fresh-smelling, without any of the odors you’d expect from a place with so many animals.

When He Miaomiao arrived at the front desk, she presented her ID. The receptionist, a young woman, checked her information and made a quick call inside. After asking about the situation, she smiled at He Miaomiao and said, “She will be out soon.”

As they waited a bit longer, He Miaomiao asked, “Hey, where’s that handsome guy who worked with you guys today?”

Upon hearing this, the receptionist blushed a bit. The young man who had been there a couple of days ago was indeed handsome, gentle with people, and had a sunny smile. “He’s helping out inside.”

He Miaomiao asked, “Do you have his WeChat?”

The receptionist shook her head, sounding regretful. “No.”

After waiting for a little while, familiar barking came from nearby. Sundy, with her keen sense of smell, had caught the scent of her owner from afar and dashed out from the inside, with the young man helplessly chasing after.

As soon as the front desk girl saw the young man’s outfit, her face flushed again.

Pets were just as precious as people. When they get sick, you have to wear disinfected clothes to take care of them. The young man was helping out in the second-floor examination room, so he changed into a clean and neat nurse’s outfit, with a pair of Air Jordans on his feet. He was gentle, tall, and handsome.

Sundy sprinted over to He Miaomiao, who crouched down to interact with her by petting the dog’s head. After two days of receiving IV treatment, the dog improved and even enjoyed a nice bath. She said to the young man, “Thanks for your hard work; she was pretty restless.”

The young man smiled gently. “Not at all; Sundy was very well-behaved, right?”

Sundy turned her head, grinned widely, and barked at him.

He Miaomiao exchanged a few simple words with the young man while stealing glances at the nurse’s uniform he was wearing.

1.8 meters tall, wearing a nurse outfit with Air Jordans sneakers, so handsome! What a cutie! This lady has to get to know him!!

As He Miaomiao was trying to think of a polite and friendly way to ask the young man for his WeChat without seeming too forward, he asked, “Are you here alone today?”

“Nope.” He Miaomiao turned her head, looked towards the waiting area on the other side, and casually pointed. “I’m with my friend.”

The young man smiled gently and followed He Miaomiao’s gaze. “……”

Yan Mu: “……”

The young man froze on the spot, his expression stuck on his face.

F*ck? Yan Mu?!

No way! They crossed paths?!

Yan Mu didn’t expect to encounter Jiang Zhihuo in a nurse’s outfit here; he was stunned the moment he saw him.

He couldn’t stay here any longer!

Jiang Zhihuo quickly shoved the leash into He Miaomiao’s hand, struggling to maintain his expression. “I still have things to do inside; I’ll go back in first.”

Sundy wagged her tail and nudged Jiang Zhihuo’s hand with her head.

She still hadn’t gotten the young man’s WeChat!

He Miaomiao called out to Jiang Zhihuo without any roundabout way, directly stating, “Wait, handsome! What’s your name? Let’s add each other on WeChat!”

“Okay,” Jiang Zhihuo replied, drenched in a cold sweat. He just wanted to leave as quickly as possible and hurriedly pulled out his phone to scan the QR code but couldn’t find it. The camera was blocked by a hand.

Jiang Zhihuo: “…………”

Ahhhhhhh! Please don’t come over!

Yan Mu somehow ended up in front of Jiang Zhihuo and said, “Don’t add her, she’s trying to hit on you.”

He Miaomiao: “?”

Then Yan Mu pulled Jiang Zhihuo’s wrist in front of the confused He Miaomiao and dragged him toward the exit.

The receptionist behind them watched the entire scene, covering her mouth in astonishment.

He Miaomiao quickly connected the dots when she saw Yan Mu holding Jiang Zhihuo’s wrist. She raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

Outside the animal hospital was an alley, not really an alley, but a road leading to a warehouse. Still, it was quite deep and long.

Yan Mu’s gaze fell on Jiang Zhihuo.

The tall, handsome boy looked surprisingly good in the nurse’s outfit. At the end of the road, a ray of sunlight shone down, and Jiang Zhihuo stood in it, dressed in a crisp white nurse’s attire, appearing both beautiful and gentle.

However, Jiang Zhihuo found it quite unpleasant to be the target of such attention.

Jiang Zhihuo: “……”

He was seen by Yan Mu again?!

Wasn’t he just here to help out? How could he be seen!?

Not only had he been seen, but why was he being dragged out now?!

Jiang Zhihuo had no idea what to do. He was dragged out like this and then was stared at with that kind of look.

He forced himself to adjust his emotions, puffed up his chest, and raised his head, trying to appear calm, and asked, “What’s the matter, friend? Got something you want to say?”

Yan Mu inquired, “What are you doing here?”

Jiang Zhihuo explained, “Just helping out a friend for a few days.”

Yan Mu: “… Oh.”

Jiang Zhihuo: “…….”

Another wave of awkwardness washed over them.

There was nothing else to say! That ‘oh’ simply blocked any chance for conversation!

Yan Mu clearly sensed the awkward atmosphere between them. “The nurse’s uniform looks good.”

Jiang Zhihuo: “Thank you?”

Yan Mu: “… Mhm.”

Seeing that Yan Mu had no intention of leaving, Jiang Zhihuo could only force himself to make awkward small talk. “Uh, so is that your girlfriend?”

Yan Mu frowned. “No.”

Jiang Zhihuo understood. Of course, that couldn’t be. If it were, this guy wouldn’t have said something like “She wants to hit on you.”

He asked again, “Is she your white moonlight?”

Yan Mu’s brows furrowed even tighter. “……”

“Not that either?” Jiang Zhihuo turned his face away, unable to meet Yan Mu’s eyes. Ever since that dream a couple of days ago, he’d been dreaming about Yan Mu every night—kissing, holding hands, falling asleep together, and then… waking up and needing to wash his pajamas once more.

“I didn’t mean to pry; I just…”

Before he could finish, someone peeked around the corner. It was Liang Huoqi, just coming back from the hospital. He’d heard from the supervisor that they were short-staffed today and that Jiang Zhihuo had been pulled into the examination room to help. Liang Huoqi felt a bit guilty, since he had only planned to cover the front desk at first.

After his family went to the hospital to look after his sister, Liang Huoqi hurried back to take over for Jiang Zhihuo. But as he neared the door, he spotted two tall boys standing in the alley.

“Huo?” Liang Huoqi recognized Jiang Zhihuo’s face. “What are you doing here?”

At this moment, Liang Huoqi was like a savior!

Jiang Zhihuo finally found an excuse to leave and said to Yan Mu, “Anything else? If not, I’ll be leaving first!”

As he spoke, he was almost rushing toward Liang Huoqi.

Just after taking a step, Yan Mu once again grabbed Jiang Zhihuo’s wrist.

Jiang Zhihuo: “……”

Liang Huoqi: “?”

Liang Huoqi: “You guys have something to talk about, right? I’ll head in first, then!” Saying that, he left.

Jiang Zhihuo wanted to call him back, but behind him, Yan Mu grabbed his arm tightly. After seeming to struggle for a long time, Yan Mu finally managed to force out a few words. “Jiang Zhihuo, we…”

“Ah?” Jiang Zhihuo turned his head.

Seeing Yan Mu’s expression, he was taken aback.

Yan Mu, who was usually aloof, indifferent, and always composed, actually averted his gaze, not daring to look at him. His earlobes were red as if about to bleed. “Can… can our relationship ease up a bit?”

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  T/N: A total emotional meltdown moment. Usually when a character has messed up in a relationship and is now suffering the consequences in the most agonizing, regret-filled way.