On a weekday, the hospital was still crowded with people.
After dropping Ye Mu off, Chen Mo drove away, even giving him a half-day off.
Ye Mu was grateful.
After registering and getting his shots, he dragged his weary body back home, only to see someone he never wanted to see again in his life.
In the dim hallway, his footsteps paused slightly, but soon returned to normal.
As the thin figure approached, the man spoke softly.
“Went to the hospital?”
It was a simple, routine question, his voice still magnetic and low. Being so close, one could even smell the scent of cigarettes on the man.
Ye Mu stood across from him, his head lowered, eyes cast down, the black hair on his forehead covering his face, making it impossible to see his expression. “What do you want?”
Perhaps due to exhaustion, his voice was a bit hoarse.
Yan Chen looked down at him, his facial features deep and sharp, his thin lips moved slightly. “I came to see you.”
Ye Mu smiled, though it looked more like a grimace, his lips tugging weakly. “You really aren’t good at lying.”
Yan Chen leaned sideways against the wall, remaining silent as he looked at him expressionlessly. “As long as you know.”
Ye Mu’s expression turned desolate, a pale and bitter smile appeared. “So, what is it this time?”
He thought he had forgotten, but it turned out he hadn’t. Seeing this person again made his heart ache with a dull, suffocating pain.
Yan Chen was silent, lighting a cigarette and starting to smoke. “I heard from Gu Huai that you don’t plan to appeal. If possible, I’d like you to return the materials I asked you to keep in the past.”
Ye Mu’s eyes stung slightly, staring blankly at the floor by the door.
After a long while, he moved his lips softly, his voice thick with bitterness. “So it was about that… If you hadn’t mentioned it, I would have almost forgotten.”
Yan Chen smoked, slightly averting his gaze to avoid looking at him, his eyes filled with disdain. “What else did you think it could be?”
Ye Mu’s lips felt dry as he twisted the key, unlocking the door and stepping inside, his back to Yan Chen, saying nothing.
Yan Chen followed him inside, frowning slightly at the mess.
Ye Mu changed his shoes, dragging his feet to make a space for him to sit, his voice slowing down. “Would you like some coffee?”
Yan Chen sneered, leaning down to extinguish his cigarette in the ashtray, his words laced with contempt. “What, changed your attitude so quickly? Are you trying to please me?”
Ye Mu stood there, closing his eyes, a grim smile twisting his lips. Despite trying to hide it, his voice came out weak and undignified. “Do you remember? After all this time, I’ve never asked you for anything.”
Yan Chen looked at him coldly. “So?”
Ye Mu lowered his eyes, staying silent for a moment, his long black eyelashes trembling slightly, showing his repressed emotion and bitterness. “So this time, I’m asking you for help.”
He didn’t want to go to prison, he really didn’t.
Yan Chen narrowed his eyes, lighting another cigarette, his tone indifferent. “Give me the documents first.”
Ye Mu, despondent, pressed his lips together slightly before turning and slowly making his way to the inner room.
Yan Chen didn’t follow. He sat there smoking, the swirling white smoke blurring his handsome features, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.
The bathroom tiles were shattered all over the place, and Ye Mu paused slightly upon entering, but when he saw that the file folder was still intact, he didn’t think much of it.
After wiping his face, he picked up the folder and walked to the living room, handing it to Yan Chen.
“Check it, see if anything is missing.”
But Yan Chen didn’t take it. He just smoked quietly for a long time before his thin lips moved slightly. “Did you open this file?”
“No,” Ye Mu said mechanically.
Yan Chen showed no emotion. “Why not?”
Ye Mu lowered his gaze, his eyes filled with deep darkness, speaking calmly. “I promised you, didn’t I?”
Yan Chen looked down, his handsome brows furrowing slightly as he turned his head away, refusing to look at him. He reached out and took the file, lighting it with a lighter.
Ye Mu remained silent, quietly watching the flames spread until everything was reduced to ashes.
“If you were just going to burn it, why did you give it to me in the first place?” He spoke mechanically, his dark eyes devoid of life.
Yan Chen stared at the floor in silence, his fingers twitching slightly as he spoke in a low voice. “At first, it was to guard against our competitors. Now, it’s to guard against you.”
Ye Mu looked at him. “Guard against me?”
Yan Chen’s voice was flat. “The contents of this file are enough for you to win your case.”
Ye Mu’s gaze dimmed as he continued, “But it would also drag you down with me, right?”
Yan Chen didn’t answer, his Adam’s apple moving slightly with difficulty. “You’re not worth the risk.”
Ye Mu stood there, his messy black hair covering half of his face, and suddenly let out a bitter laugh.
Yan Chen’s heart ached inexplicably, and almost involuntarily, he stepped forward and pulled Ye Mu into his arms.
Ye Mu remained still, feeling the familiar yet distant embrace, blinking several times before realizing his vision had already blurred.
The tears on his shoulder were scorching hot. Yan Chen’s arms tightened, unconsciously holding him closer.
It was his fault.
