After paying,Zuo Shihuan turned toward the now-empty corridor beyond the glass.
For an instant, the flames in his eyes died out, turning into ashen embers. His gaze fell, quiet and desolate, his hand tightening, then loosening weakly again.
…He hadn’t said a single word, yet he already knew how it would end.
“Zuo Shihuan, aren’t you leaving?” Yu Lizhu asked.
Zuo Shihuan’s expression was complicated as he stared outside. He couldn’t explain it—why his legs felt rooted in place, why some stubborn part of him still clung to a shred of wishful thinking.
Maybe, just maybe, Gu Heng would come back.
“What are you looking at?” Yu Lizhu followed his gaze curiously, but saw nothing.
Zuo Shihuan gave a faint, self-mocking smile. “Nothing. Let’s go.”
Just seeing how low he could still sink— waiting, pathetically, for a man who was already being intimate with someone else to turn back.
Wasn’t this just fine?
At least now he could see clearly what Gu Heng really was— a status-climbing, money-chasing Beta from the lower city districts.
Even if they’d once kissed in that dim bar staff lounge, it hadn’t stopped him from checking into a hotel with another wealthy Omega widow soon after.
Or maybe— Gu Heng’s approach from the very beginning had been deliberate.
Maybe he’d seen Zuo Shihuan as just another target, seducing him, making him fall—
Only to discard him coldly once he’d found his next conquest, watching with detached amusement as Zuo Shihuan struggled in pain, even flaunting his new Omega’s charm right before him, just to witness his jealousy and anger.
So yes—Gu Heng had gotten what he wanted.
He’d had his fun, and walked away triumphant— arm in arm with that glamorous Omega widow— and even had the gall to throw that icy, cutting remark behind him: “Nothing. I didn’t see anyone I know.”
The moment those words left Gu Heng’s lips, Zuo Shihuan felt his heart turn completely to ashes.
He thought himself ridiculous— for letting a fleeting, impulsive spark, a brief moment of mingled breath and a teasing kiss, become a fantasy that tormented him for so long.
Didn’t know him.
Just didn’t know him—how clear and sober those words sounded coming from his mouth.
Zuo Shihuan’s gaze darkened; he let out a bitter, self-mocking smile.
“Let’s go. I’ll drive you both back,” Zuo Shihuan said to Yu Lizhu and Zuo Shiyun behind him.
Zuo Shiyun nodded obediently. “Thank you, Brother Shihuan.”
But Yu Lizhu kept her head down, tapping on her communicator as if sending messages—her face breaking into sweet smiles from time to time.
It wasn’t until Zuo Shihuan suddenly asked where she was going that she came back to herself.
With her eyes still smiling, she said, “I don’t know why, but Ji Shenwen just told me he’s around the mall area and asked me to wait for him at the entrance. He’ll come pick me up soon.”
Zuo Shihuan paused briefly, then replied faintly, “…That’s good.”
Yu Lizhu held her communicator tightly, nodding in excitement. “Mm. I thought I wouldn’t get to see him today, but turns out Ji Shenwen isn’t working tonight. He even showed me the schedule—he was supposed to, along with that annoying colleague of his, Gu Heng…”
Zuo Shihuan’s lips twitched; he gave a cold smile. “That colleague of Ji Shenwen’s you don’t like—won’t be working late shifts anymore.”
Yu Lizhu blinked in confusion. “Why wouldn’t he be on late shift? Did something special happen at the bar?”
Zuo Shihuan’s gaze cooled. “Something pretty special, yeah.”
But it wasn’t the bar that was special—it was Gu Heng, who would be spending the night with another Omega.
He didn’t say that part aloud. If he really did, even he would think his jealous, bitter tone sounded pathetic.
Yu Lizhu didn’t understand, but she had someone more important to see. She waved goodbye. “Then we’ll be going first, Zuo Shihuan. Bye, Little Yun.”
Zuo Shiyun breathed a quiet sigh of relief. “Mm, see you, Sister Yu.” No—better yet, let’s never see each other again!
Zuo Shihuan opened his mouth. “Then—”
A sudden burst of sound cut him off—the giant screen in the mall switched to a live broadcast.
The enormous stage newly built in Delores Plaza was dazzling; even the host looked small in comparison.
The host’s voice rang out: “Now, please welcome the Governor of Beigang Planet—Governor Malz—to give his speech!”
Zuo Shiyun, who knew nothing about politics, blinked and asked, “Malz? Is that some celebrity?”
Zuo Shihuan explained, “Governor Malz is the highest executive officer of a mid-tier planet. If you think of the Federation’s main star as the capital, then Beigang Planet under Governor Malz is like a second-tier world.”
Zuo Shiyun pouted. “Only second-tier? Doesn’t sound that great.”
Zuo Shihuan didn’t bother to go on. To her, “second-tier” might sound unimpressive, but the taxes that planet sent to the Federation every year were an astronomical sum.
Governor Malz himself was a fat, middle-aged Beta man with such a large frame that even the dozen bodyguards surrounding him couldn’t block him from sight.
People often mocked him—said his bodyguard count exceeded even that of the Federation’s president. Called him a coward.
But Governor Malz never cared. He always insisted on being heavily protected, ordering his men and local security to comb through every inch of ground wherever he went, searching for potential dangers.
He had truly elevated cowardice into an art form.
His current visit to the Federation’s main star was to promote Beigang Planet as the official transfer hub for the Federation’s 17th interstellar route—agreements with the government and major corporations had already been signed, promising subsidies and incentives for early partners.
So, he was holding this publicity event in the Federation’s largest mall to attract more investment.
Many citizens weren’t interested in such a dull ceremony. They came to Delores Plaza simply to get a look at the famously timid, rotund governor in person.
Governor Malz knew his audience well. Smiling foolishly, he waved at the crowd and joked, “Hello, everyone! Sorry to keep you waiting just to watch me waddle up here and make my bodyguards help me onto the stage!”
Laughter erupted below. Someone shouted, “It’s okay, Governor! Take your time—don’t tire out your bodyguards!”
Governor Malz’s round face crinkled with amusement. “That won’t do! Just climbing up here already took me over a minute. If I go any slower, the host might have to carry me off the stage!”
The host and audience all laughed together.
Only a little child, perhaps a few years old, raised his hand seriously and said, “Uncle, you’re too fat. That’s not good for your health. You should eat more vegetables and fruit.”
A flash of something dark glinted in Malz’s eyes, but his smile remained kind. “You’re absolutely right! Don’t be like Uncle here—ate too many of Beigang Planet’s famous fish cakes.”
He patted his stomach, looking for all the world like a plump, harmless seal.
Then he beamed at the audience. “In a moment, we’ll have an interactive game! Prizes include all kinds of specialties from Beigang Planet. Everyone passing by, please join in!”
The crowd cheered in approval.
Even Zuo Shiyun, watching through the mall’s big screen, couldn’t help laughing; she suddenly found the humorous and open-hearted fat governor quite likable.
Zuo Shihuan, however, froze—his eyes locked on the screen, unable to look away.
Because—
He saw Gu Heng there.
Right in the crowd, standing beside that Omega woman, both of them looking up at Governor Malz on stage.
The next second—disaster struck.
The massive backdrop behind the stage suddenly collapsed.
A dark shadow fell over Governor Malz’s head; he turned in terror, watching as the enormous background structure came crashing down toward him.
A thunderous crash filled the air—dust billowed everywhere as the stage caved in. The audience in the front rows screamed and scattered in panic.
The bodyguards who hadn’t made it on stage rushed forward without hesitation, climbing over debris in a frantic search for their missing employer.
The scene was utter chaos.
The cameraman’s footage shook violently, the image trembling as though he were running with the panicked crowd.
“D*mn it, stop shaking!”
Zuo Shihuan cursed inwardly, but his eyes didn’t dare look away for even a second.
Through the dizzying blur of the footage, he kept searching for Gu Heng’s figure—he just needed to make sure he was safe.
Then, in a brief flash of the camera—
Zuo Shihuan’s eyes lit up.
He found Gu Heng!
But what happened next was wrong—terribly wrong.
Why was Gu Heng moving against the crowd, walking step by step toward the collapsing stage?
Zuo Shihuan craned his neck, desperately trying to see more, to figure out what Gu Heng was thinking—why he wasn’t running, but walking toward danger.
In the next instant, Gu Heng’s silhouette vanished—disappearing into a blind spot.
Then came something even worse.
The cameraman was jostled by someone, and the camera on his shoulder crashed hard to the ground. The screen flickered, jolted, and finally tilted sideways where it continued recording.
In the flickering image—
A figure in a red trench coat appeared. Slim. Raising a hand slowly. A brief glint of metal flashed—pointing toward the stage.
It wasn’t clear.
But Zuo Shihuan’s instincts screamed—a gun.
Before he could even confirm that thought, the screen went completely black.
The mall’s giant display was now nothing but darkness.
Zuo Shihuan’s eyes, once sharp and grave, turned blank with confusion.
His mind echoed again and again with the final image—Gu Heng walking toward the collapsing stage, and that slender, unknown figure in red raising a gun toward the same direction.
From Zuo Shihuan’s perspective, that gun was pointed straight at Gu Heng.
He had never wished so desperately for his instincts to be wrong.
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