Shoutout to nyanmaru for the commission!
After making this discovery, Ye Mu remained silent and uncommunicative for several days. He was quite upset, but without concrete evidence, he couldn’t confront Chen Mo, so he just stewed in frustration.
At work, during meals, and while trying to sleep, Chen Mo’s face constantly occupied his thoughts. The mere idea of Chen Mo being with someone else made Ye Mu feel sick to his stomach and distressed beyond words.
Even someone as composed as Ye Mu found himself flustered and behaving irrationally in this situation.
That weekend evening, in an upscale and refined café, a man with a peculiar appearance sat in a corner, casually flipping through a newspaper. The man was wearing a brown flat cap, black-framed glasses, and a heavy autumn coat. A closer look revealed it was Ye Mu himself.
A few meters away, at another table, a man and a woman were chatting and laughing, one of whom was Chen Mo. It was obvious that Ye Mu was there to follow his partner.
“Sir, your coffee,” a waiter said politely, setting a cup on Ye Mu’s table.
Ye Mu nodded slightly and continued reading the newspaper, keeping his head lowered. The waiter, noticing Ye Mu’s heavy attire, suggested, “We have a coat rack for outerwear if you’d like to hang up your coat.”
Ye Mu responded in an intentionally old-fashioned, weary voice, “No need.”
The waiter, hearing this, did not press further and, after a brief bow, left, though he cast a few curious glances at Ye Mu. What a peculiar person.
Ye Mu lowered his head further, feeling awkward and internally berating himself. He wondered why he had resorted to such ridiculous, almost like a third-party monitoring drama, especially considering he was a 31-year-old man. If word got out, he would surely be ridiculed.
Watching the animated conversation between Chen Mo and the woman, Ye Mu’s frustration grew, and he couldn’t help but gnaw on his fingers in anger.
Meanwhile, Chen Mo was oblivious to Ye Mu’s resentment and continued to chat charmingly with the woman in front of him.
Unable to contain himself, Ye Mu bit his lip and texted Chen Mo, trying to interrupt their date:
— Where are you? Want to come home for dinner tonight?
A few seconds after sending the message, Ye Mu’s phone buzzed on the café table. Chen Mo glanced at it and, with a casual movement, replied.
——A bit busy, won’t be coming back.
Ye Mu was infuriated, his newspaper crumpled in his hands, but he didn’t explode on the spot. Instead, he chose to swallow his anger and stay silent. In the quiet, he moved to a table closer to the couple.
The unfamiliar woman noticed him right away. “That guy looks really creepy,” she whispered to Chen Mo, covering her mouth.
Chen Mo glanced over and vaguely recognized the figure but didn’t think much of it. He simply replied, “It’s normal for middle-aged men to dress like that.”
The woman took a sip of her coffee and remarked critically, “It’s so tacky. Doesn’t he feel embarrassed dressing like that?”
Chen Mo responded casually, “He might be a bachelor.”
The woman frowned, recalling something. “By the way, there have been several incidents recently at the subway station involving underage girls, and the suspect was wearing a similar coat.”
Ye Mu heard this clearly, his lips twitching with frustration, but he remained composed.
The woman, feeling uneasy, suggested to Chen Mo, “Aren’t we supposed to go there? We should leave soon.”
Chen Mo nodded slightly, paid the bill, and got up. The woman followed him out of the café.
Ye Mu furrowed his brows, instinctively pulling his hat down lower. He left a bill on the table and followed them out.
Chen Mo’s car drove steadily, eventually stopping in front of a villa after nearly half an hour. The woman seemed familiar with the place and took out a key from her bag to open the door.
Ye Mu watched from a distance as the couple walked in together, looking intimate like a couple. He suddenly heard a song playing in his ear, “Liang Liang.”
The evening wind howled, casting his shadow in the streetlights, making him look lonely and desolate. He wasn’t sure how he would return home, his heart aching and his mind foggy, almost unable to think.
Afterwards, when Chen Mo came back and explained why he was busy, and tried to comfort him with hugs, it no longer mattered to Ye Mu.
Since that night, Ye Mu hadn’t spoken to Chen Mo for an entire week. He found a lawyer, had a divorce agreement drafted based on their asset distribution, and planned to discuss it with Chen Mo at an appropriate time. Although he still had lingering affection and love for Chen Mo, he wasn’t planning to forgive or give them another chance. Once Chen Mo took that step, their relationship was over, no matter how beautiful it had been before or how many vows they had made. It was all in vain now.
Ye Mu felt completely disappointed. In contrast, Chen Mo seemed oblivious to the cold war and continued his busy routine, running around every day.
Ye Mu was troubled and, after enduring for a long time, finally called Chen Mo. It happened to be his birthday, but Chen Mo seemed oblivious to it, answering the call in a noisy environment and ending the call quickly.
Ye Mu, helpless, texted Chen Mo, asking to meet. Chen Mo replied promptly with an address and told him to wait there.
Feeling down, Ye Mu input the address into his map and followed the navigation. When he arrived, he realized that the address was the same villa from that night.
Arriving around 6:30 PM, he sat in the car, unable to bring himself to get out. The thought of signing the papers and ending their relationship forever filled him with a deep, bitter pain.
They had been doing well for the past three years. He couldn’t understand why Chen Mo had suddenly sought another woman behind his back. Was it because he had given Chen Mo too much freedom or hadn’t put effort into their relationship? But what was the use of thinking about it now? The decision was already made.
Ye Mu, head lowered, was engulfed in shadow.
His phone rang with Chen Wangwang*’s name flashing on the screen.
*dog bark in chinese
“Hello?” he spoke, realizing his voice was hoarse.
Chen Mo asked casually, “Where are you?”
Ye Mu, with a hint of dejection, replied, “On Gongbei Road.” He gave a random street name.
Chen Mo acknowledged and urged in a low voice, “Hurry up.”
Without waiting for a response, Chen Mo ended the call. Ye Mu was distressed by his indifference, his eyes reddening with tears.
After sitting quietly in the car for five or six minutes, he didn’t delay any further. He weakly got out of the car and walked to the villa’s front door.
Perhaps still feeling unwilling, he mentally prepared himself and, after a deep breath, pressed the doorbell.
“Ding-dong.”
The clear sound rang out, and shortly after, the door opened from the inside. Chen Mo’s face appeared, still as handsome as ever, but now it only made Ye Mu feel a pang of sadness.
Ye Mu glanced at him briefly, masking the emotions he wasn’t supposed to show, and slowly walked inside.
Chen Mo stood there, watching him in silence, but his eyes held a hint of tenderness. The atmosphere was very quiet.
Ye Mu was lost in his own thoughts, biting his lip as he stared at the floor. After a long hesitation, he said, “I want to talk to you.”
Chen Mo met his gaze, his dark eyes inscrutable, and asked, “About what?”
Ye Mu lowered his eyelids, his expression somber. He had just started to speak when he suddenly felt something cold and wet falling on his hair and then trickling down his face.
Licking his lips, he realized it was the taste of alcohol. Then came the popping sounds of champagne bottles.
The once-empty space suddenly filled with people’s faces, much like popcorn popping. Faces of different skin tones—white, black, yellow—appeared. His parents and niece, old colleagues from work, the woman from that night, and some close friends all smiled warmly at him, creating a lively scene.
“Happy birthday!!!!!!”
The sudden celebration and cheers took Ye Mu by surprise. He stood there, stunned, not able to react for a long time.
Chen Mo smiled, thinking he had scared Ye Mu, and leaned in to kiss him on the cheek. “I prepared this just for you. Happy birthday.”
Ye Mu looked at him with a stern face, remaining silent.
Seeing that Ye Mu was still in shock, Chen Mo couldn’t help but touch his soft hair. “The old house was too damp. I thought you might not be comfortable, so I bought a small villa as a gift for you.”
Ye Mu’s face, pale as jade, remained expressionless, his demeanor cold.
Chen Mo noticed Ye Mu’s gaze lingering on the people inside the house and said with a slight smile, “I wanted to make it more festive, so I invited everyone.”
Ye Mu remained expressionless and pointed stiffly at the woman in the crowd.
Chen Mo raised an eyebrow with a smile, “Oh, I almost forgot to introduce you. This is the new property renovation manager from our company. I’ve been consulting her recently, so I asked her to come help out. Sorry for the trouble.”
Ye Mu stared at him for a long time, then flatly said, “You’ve been sending texts a lot lately.”
Before Chen Mo could respond, Sun Xiangyang chimed in, “What are you thinking? He was secretly contacting friends and family to prepare this birthday celebration for you.”
Ye Mu furrowed his brows, still feeling something was off.
“And the hairstyle,” Sun Xiangyang continued, “He was so nervous about meeting your parents that he dragged me to the barber shop for several days. It’s ridiculous.”
This statement unraveled the mystery, connecting the events with some logic. The secret preparations, the surprise—everything made sense now.
Ye Mu stood there, stiff and motionless, his eyes shifting slightly.
Chen Mo looked at him and couldn’t help but smile. He walked over, embraced Ye Mu, and said in a deep, pleasant voice, “What’s wrong? Are you so moved that you want to cry?”
Ye Mu didn’t respond, his thoughts seeming distant and his demeanor absent.
Chen Mo smiled, his black tank top radiating the charm of a mature man. “Silly, are you overthinking things again?”
Ye Mu didn’t dare admit it, so he went against his feelings and said, “I didn’t think much. I’ve always trusted you.”
Chen Mo was pleased with his answer. He rested his chin on Ye Mu’s forehead, his lips showing contentment. “Ye Mu, it’s been wonderful having you with me these three years. I hope we can continue like this. They say love fades with time, but I only find myself loving you more. Ye Mu, meeting you is probably the happiest thing in my life.”
He looked down at Ye Mu, his deep eyes filled with an indescribable affection.
Ye Mu swallowed hard, forcing a stiff smile. Feeling disoriented, he threw away the divorce agreement he had hidden behind him and the brick he had picked up from the roadside. After a long silence, he finally replied stiffly, “I think so too.”
That was close. After signing the papers, he had planned to hit Chen Mo with the brick.
Chen Mo didn’t notice Ye Mu’s conflicted thoughts. Smiling warmly, he pulled Ye Mu into the house.
The people inside had been waiting impatiently and rushed forward, enthusiastically celebrating his birthday. The sweet scent of cream mixed with the rich aroma of champagne quickly enveloped him.
As Ye Mu closed his eyes to make a wish on the candles, he silently said, “Chen Mo, I will be good to you in the future.”
Author’s note: Chen Mo: Let’s hope so →_→
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