WTCM 14. Scumbag Ex-Boyfriend

Chen Tianxiang quickly borrowed the clothes he needed and stopped by the market to buy vegetables and fish, planning to prepare a nice meal for lunch. He had already decided to let Qi Haiyang move in officially. His home wasn’t far from school, and as long as he didn’t let work get in the way, he could treat him to good food every day.

“Haiyang, open the door.” Holding the bags in his hands, he couldn’t be bothered to pull out his keys, but the intercom in the hallway didn’t respond. Instead, the lock clicked open. He walked upstairs in confusion. With Qi Haiyang’s personality, he would normally be loud and enthusiastic, but why was he suddenly so quiet?

However, as soon as he reached the door, it was pushed open forcefully, and two people rushed to the doorway to greet him. When they saw the bags in his hands, they immediately tried to grab them.

“Xiang-ge! Who is this guy?”
“Xiao Xiang! Who’s this kid?”

Both of them grabbed at the bags in his hands and asked at the same time. Chen Tianxiang was slightly stunned but quickly regained his composure. “Let’s talk inside.” He didn’t let go of the bags, pushing them both into the room and slamming the door shut behind him.

What is that scumbag doing here? Is he here to reconcile with me and just happens to run into Haiyang at my place? Could something this cliché really happen to me? Chen Tianxiang muttered to himself and handed the bag in his left hand to Qi Haiyang.

“Haiyang, take this to the kitchen. I’ll teach you how to make braised fish for lunch.”

“Alright!!” Qi Haiyang eagerly took the food bags, raising an eyebrow at the other man in a show of superiority. He thought to himself, this guy looks all handsome and perfect, probably here to fight me for Xiang-ge. I can’t lose to him! When he saw Chen Tianxiang’s right hand still being grabbed by that man, he hurriedly reached out to snatch it.

“Xiang-ge! Let me take this one too!”

“This bag has clothes.” Chen Tianxiang turned and dodged, taking the bag back from the man’s hand. “Sun Mo, what are you doing here?”

The question slipped out in a calm tone that even surprised himself. Facing his ex-boyfriend, whom he had loved for five years, he realized that the intense emotions that once defined him had long since faded. The anger and resentment he had once felt were now replaced with a sense of calm.

Sun Mo, had indeed come back to reconcile. Five years ago, when Chen Tianxiang was still a police academy student, Sun Mo was already a well-known figure in the circle. Although his success was largely thanks to his family’s connections and financial support, he was the small owner of a multimillion-dollar company. The romance between the rich second-generation and the pure, young student wasn’t exactly full of passion, but under Sun Mo’s relentless pursuit, Chen Tianxiang quickly fell into his web. Sun Mo was proud of winning the affections of this handsome younger man, six years his junior, and wherever they went, they attracted envious looks.

However, when Chen Tianxiang came out to his parents and was cut off from them, Sun Mo finally realized how serious it all was. Though he liked men, Sun Mo had never really considered the idea of spending his life with one. He still intended to marry a woman and have children someday, or else he would never be able to pass his family’s tests. If his parents kicked him out, his company and assets would be seized by his father, the chairman, and he’d end up poor, living in a pitiful state. He couldn’t even bear to think about it.

As time went on, Sun Mo grew more uncomfortable with Chen Tianxiang. His earnestness seemed dull and boring in Sun Mo’s eyes, and his concern for him seemed like an interference with his private life. Even the ten-centimeter height difference became an excuse for him to feel pressured. But Sun Mo couldn’t completely let go of Chen Tianxiang either. Forget about anything else, just the fact that this tall and handsome man was willing to bottom for him filled Sun Mo’s vanity and gave him a sense of satisfaction. So, while he pretended to care for Chen Tianxiang, he secretly cheated on him. And whenever it was discovered, he would cry, beg for forgiveness, and sweet-talk his way back into Chen Tianxiang’s heart, knowing that his sincere love would always bring him forgiveness.

A month ago, they had a huge argument because of his infidelity. As he was over thirty and his family was pressuring him to get married, he decided to take the opportunity to break up with Chen Tianxiang. However, after dating the woman his family arranged for him, it didn’t work out. She wasn’t interested in him, so the wedding plans were put on hold again. Still thinking about the handsome young police officer who never failed to satisfy him, he shamelessly came back, hoping to restart their relationship with some ulterior motives.

He never expected there would already be another man in the rented apartment. This was the place he and Chen Tianxiang had found together under the pretense of living together, so as soon as he entered, he immediately acted like the owner. He began interrogating Qi Haiyang with a condescending attitude. Qi Haiyang, thinking this person was one of Xiang Ge’s friends, didn’t ask enough questions before letting him in. He didn’t expect the man to act so arrogant. If Chen Tianxiang hadn’t come back just in time, Sun Mo would have ended up crawling on the floor looking for his teeth.

“Xiao Xiang, it’s all my fault! I was momentarily confused! I’ve already broken up with that little vixen!” Sun Mo immediately noticed that the tall, handsome man who opened the door was exactly Chen Tianxiang’s type, which made him feel a sense of crisis. He quickly began apologizing.

But Chen Tianxiang was more concerned with the clothes in his hands, making sure Qi Haiyang didn’t see them too soon. He shoved the clothes into the wardrobe and turned to see Sun Mo still standing at the bedroom door, looking quite agitated as he apologized. Chen Tianxiang was impatient and replied with a cold “Oh,” silently thinking, why are you telling me this now? You broke up with that little girly guy, so why come tell me about it?

“Xiao Xiang, I’m so sorry… When I think about how I hurt you, it makes my heart ache…” Sun Mo started crying immediately, no eye drops necessary. While wiping his tears, he glanced at Chen Tianxiang’s expression, becoming more and more unsure. Chen Tianxiang’s eyes showed none of the past turmoil or anger. He was simply waiting for Sun Mo to finish.

“I shouldn’t have brought up breaking up. It’s all my fault! Hit me, take out your anger! Xiao Xiang! Please don’t ignore me, forgive me!” Sun Mo pleaded.

“Mm…” Chen Tianxiang nodded and pushed past him to leave the bedroom. Seeing Qi Haiyang standing anxiously outside, he couldn’t help but smile. He thought to himself, the poor kid’s eyes are wide open. Does he think I’m going to fall for this again? He turned back to wave at Sun Mo. “Alright, I get it. You can leave now. I’m not angry, and I don’t want to hit you.”

Sun Mo felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him, completely chilling him. This calm attitude from Chen Tianxiang was something he had never seen before. Could it be that Chen Tianxiang really didn’t care about him anymore?

“Xiao Xiang! I’m not leaving, I love you! Don’t you remember the happy times we had together? It’s been five years, we were so in love, we-” Sun Mo was still passionately reminiscing, but Qi Haiyang couldn’t hold back and interrupted his nauseating confession.

“Hey! Xiang-ge told you to leave, why are you still standing here?”

“What do you think you are?! This isn’t your place to speak!”

Chen Tianxiang had been holding back his temper, but hearing Sun Mo’s words finally made him angry. He stepped forward and grabbed Sun Mo by the collar, dragging him toward the door. “He’s my boyfriend! Who do you think you are?”