Outside the villa, the atmosphere was lively and noisy as everyone was enjoying themselves, but inside the well-soundproofed villa, it was unusually quiet.
Shao Cheng led Bai Yang into his own room, locked the door, had him sit on the edge of the bed, and took a towel to carefully wipe away his tears.
“Alright, stop crying.” His voice was unusually gentle, as he pulled Bai Yang into his arms, leaning down to kiss his wet eyelids a few times. “Don’t cry anymore, let’s talk.”
Bai Yang’s tears fell uncontrollably, he was sobbing continuously. The usually bright and clear eyes were now watery and overflowing. His mind was fuzzy and overwhelmed, making it impossible to listen to others.
Shao Cheng sighed softly, continuing to wipe Bai Yang’s face with the towel, alternating between wiping and kissing. Gentle kisses landed on his forehead, eyebrows, nose, and cheeks, then he gently rubbed his lips.
“Don’t cry… Bai Yang, look at me, I have something to say to you.”
Bai Yang looked at him with tear-filled eyes, perhaps soothed by the kisses. After a few minutes, his tears finally stopped, but his gaze remained unfocused, appearing gray and helpless.
Seeing him like this, Shao Cheng put down the towel and caressed his cheek, his tone calm yet firm. “I don’t know who bought you that phone or how good that person is to you, but I’ll give you something better. Better than anyone else, so don’t be sad.”
Bai Yang’s numb expression finally reacted, although his eyes were still red.
“It’s not because of that…”
“Then because of what?”
Bai Yang didn’t know how to explain. The broken phone had triggered his long-suppressed anger towards Song Chi, but he shouldn’t have been this upset and pained about it. Ultimately, it was Shao Cheng’s indifference and disdain that had hurt him.
“It’s nothing…” His voice still carried a hint of choking, “I’m sorry for causing you trouble. I won’t come to you anymore…”
“So who are you going to go to?” Shao Cheng’s tone turned cold, his gaze becoming harsh. “You kept saying you liked me, but when I told you to move out, you couldn’t wait to leave.”
Bai Yang’s heart was aching under the weight of Shao Cheng’s cold stare. “If you want me to leave, should I still just cling to you knowing you don’t want me around?”
“I asked you to leave, and you left just like that?”
Bai Yang was cornered by this almost unreasonable questioning. “I always listen to you. You told me to obey you, didn’t you?”
“If you really listened, you wouldn’t have been with someone else behind my back.”
“What?”
Shao Cheng stared at him intensely and spoke slowly, “That day in the hospital, I saw you hugging Zhao Ruotong.”
Bai Yang was startled. “How could you have seen that?” At that time, only he and Zhao Ruotong were in the hospital room. It was after Zhao Ruotong had asked him through text which hospital his sister was in and she came to check on him. But how could Shao Cheng, who was far away at home, have known?
However, Shao Cheng thought Bai Yang was admitting it, and his expression turned quite unpleasant. He snorted coldly, “I wanted to surprise you by coming back early. I didn’t expect that when I arrived at the hospital, you would surprise me first.”
Bai Yang opened his mouth for a moment but couldn’t find the words. Upon careful reflection, there was glass on the door of the hospital room. He was being held by Zhao Ruotong with his back to the glass, and she was much shorter than him, blocking his line of sight. Neither of them had noticed that Shao Cheng had witnessed that scene outside the door.
He finally realized that Shao Cheng’s change in attitude and the reason for asking him to move out were all tied to that incident. His previous sadness had been pushed aside, and he anxiously explained, “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have hugged her. But it was just a comforting embrace. You can ask her how I rejected her at that time.”
“What did you say to her?” Shao Cheng raised an eyebrow.
“I said I really liked someone. Even if he didn’t like me back, I would like him for the rest of my life. I wouldn’t fall for anyone else.” Bai Yang repeated the words verbatim and smiled bitterly. “Unfortunately, the phone got smashed, otherwise I could also show you our chat history to prove that there is nothing between us.”
Shao Cheng’s expression eased slightly, but as soon as the phone was mentioned, his expression darkened again. “I won’t bring up that matter for now. But what’s the deal with the phone? I thought it was something you bought before, but your reaction was so extreme. Who gave it to you?”
“It was a gift from my dad… the last gift he ever gave me.” Bai Yang had vented all his pent-up anger and impulsiveness earlier, and now he was much calmer and less angry. However, he still felt some bitterness and discomfort, but he couldn’t do anything about it.
He couldn’t help but sniffle, his reddened nose making a self-deprecating smile. “Do you think I’m pretending to be pitiful again?”
Shao Cheng fell into silence, seemingly contemplating something. After a moment, he let out a sigh and pulled Bai Yang into his embrace, his voice filled with apology, “I’ll admit that I misunderstood and overreacted. I’m sorry. You can get angry at me, don’t hold back.”
Bai Yang shook his head quickly. “It’s okay, I don’t blame you.”
For someone else, they might not be this kind to an unexpectedly persistent pursuer. Shao Cheng originally had doubts about him, and seeing that situation with Zhao Ruotong, it wouldn’t be strange for him to misunderstand and question.
“And also…” Bai Yang smiled lightly, eyes filled with affection. “You rushed back from home to spend the New Year with me. How could I be angry?”
Shao Cheng’s breathing hitched, and the next moment, he turned around, pressing Bai Yang onto the bed.
“You’re always like this. How could I not tease you?”
A torrent of kisses followed. Bai Yang felt dizzy from the kisses, but he still remembered to remind Shao Cheng, “We should go down…”
Shao Cheng let out a low hum of laughter.
“Let them wait.”
