IOLYF Chapter 7

As the last firework faded into the night, the world seemed to return to normal. The crowd at the riverside square gradually dispersed, leaving just a few groups lingering at the small night stalls. The alcohol in Mo Ming’s system began to take its toll again, and he rubbed his throbbing temples, then sat down on the edge of a flower bed.

The noisy square was filled with the sound of a joyful guitar. The melody was too familiar, and Mo Ming instinctively looked in the direction of the sound. Not far from him, a bearded man was performing.

He looked like a street performer, dressed in a denim jacket with an electric guitar slung across his chest, swaying to the upbeat rhythm.

He was singing a song from the once-famous music duo “That Sky,” called “On the Little Road.” The melody was cheerful and bright, with lyrics that were warm and uplifting. Paired with the performer’s radiant smile and infectious voice, it drew a crowd of passersby, and Mo Ming, as if pulled by some invisible force, slowly walked into the circle of people.

Two young girls nearby were filming the performance, chatting as they did.

“Classics are classics. Even after all these years, ‘That Sky’s’ songs still outshine a lot of today’s so-called hits,” one said.

“Of course! That was Zhou Xu and Gao Chen’s duo—a born singer with a golden voice and a genius songwriter. If they were still around today… Ah, it’s so sad to think about…” the other replied.

“By the way, Lingling, was Zhou Xu really framed for that disgusting scandal, or was it true? There was never any official follow-up, and online, people are split 50/50 on whether they believe it,” one girl wondered.

“Of course, it was a setup by those scumbags Sun Chao and Xia Qing to climb the ladder. And wasn’t Sun Chao already blacklisted from the entertainment industry? Ha, talk about karma. Now I’m just waiting for the same thing to happen to Xia Qing. I’m sick of seeing him prance around on that adventure show,” her friend grumbled.

“But there are plenty of people online who disagree with you. They idolize Xia Qing, thinking Zhou Xu deserved to die in that car crash, and they believe Gao Chen only stepped back because of Zhou Xu dragging him down,” the other girl countered.

“Bullshit! Gao Chen stepped back because he married that Wen Ci!” her friend retorted.

“Ugh, don’t remind me. I was so upset when Gao Chen got married. The cool, aloof genius—everyone’s dream guy. And after getting married, he never produced any good work again. He must’ve lost his touch,” she said sadly.

…

The bearded man finished “On the Little Road,” and the crowd burst into applause. Pleased, he graciously accepted the praise and played the song again.

Mo Ming reached into his pocket and found only a twenty-yuan bill, left over from buying groceries earlier. He walked over with the Zhou Xu fan beside him and placed the money in the man’s hat on the ground.

The girl glanced at Mo Ming as he walked away, but he was wearing a mask.

“That guy looked a lot like Mo Ming…” she said, watching the man’s retreating figure.

“Mo Ming? You mean the actor from Director Cai’s drama? No way, it’s probably just a resemblance,” her friend replied.

“Maybe,” she said, frowning in thought. “But he looked really sad…”

The cool night wind brushed against his face, but the alcohol still clung to him. Mo Ming called for a driver to take him back to his apartment. He regretted those few extra drinks, feeling like he had forgotten something important. But now, he was too tired and sleepy to think. As the car started down the road, he began to drift off in the back seat when his phone vibrated.

It was a call from Han Shao Zhou.

Seeing the name “Brother Z” on the caller ID, Mo Ming’s mind snapped back to clarity, suddenly remembering something. He quickly leaned forward and told the driver, “Sir, to ** Hospital.”

“Where are you? Zhao Cheng said you were following along. How’d you get lost?” Han Shao Zhou asked as soon as the call connected.

“Traffic—there’s traffic. I’ll be there soon,” Mo Ming replied.

“I almost thought you got into an accident too. Alright, don’t rush. I’m fine, nothing serious,” Han Shao Zhou reassured him.

“…Okay.”

The hospital wasn’t far, and Mo Ming arrived quickly.

As he stood in front of the large white building looming in the dark, his brows furrowed.

The air was thick with the sharp smell of disinfectant. The long corridor was noisy, but everyone had a somber expression. A group of medical staff hurried past Mo Ming, pushing a stretcher with a bloodied car accident victim. The injured person’s relatives followed, crying in despair…

Even a brief glimpse of the bloody scene seemed to etch itself into Mo Ming’s mind.

Car accidents, blood, death…

Mo Ming turned pale. He stopped and leaned against the wall, clutching his chest and breathing heavily.

“Sir, are you alright?” A nurse passing by asked with concern.

“Thank you, I’m fine,” Mo Ming whispered, cold sweat dripping down his dark hairline.

Han Shao Zhou had already had his wounds treated, and the hospital recommended he stay overnight for observation. He was in a private room, and by the time Mo Ming arrived, Han Shao Zhou had already sent Cai Zhao and the others away, instructing them not to let his grandfather find out about tonight’s incident. Only Zhao Cheng remained, and he was using the opportunity to fill Han Shao Zhou in on everything that had happened in the private room earlier.

Zhao Cheng bluntly told Han Shao Zhou that thanks to the idiot Yang Guan and his dramatic girlfriend, there was a good chance Mo Ming was now jealous.

“Who believes that traffic excuse? He’s probably crying somewhere in secret. Poor little flower, he must be really mad at you,” Zhao Cheng teased.

Han Shao Zhou leaned back against the headboard, “Mo Ming never gets mad at me.”

“So confident?”

“He’s very dependent on me,” Han Shao Zhou said. “Even if he’s upset, it’s just a way of being playful.”

Zhao Cheng couldn’t be bothered to argue.

“Speaking of which, now that Wen Ci is single again, what are you going to do? If you say you’re not thinking about it at all, I won’t believe you,” Zhao Cheng asked.

“Does it matter what I think?” Han Shao Zhou frowned, craving a cigarette. “It’s not like wanting something means I can have it.”

Zhao Cheng couldn’t help but laugh, “True, Wen Ci isn’t the type to be swayed by money. He likes someone like Gao Chen—cool, aloof, but romantic. Someone like you, a shrewd businessman, even if he’s divorced, probably won’t catch his eye.”

Han Shao Zhou’s face twitched; he wanted to curse at Zhao Cheng but lost the urge.

It seemed Zhao Cheng was right. That’s why he didn’t want to think about Wen Ci. People’s pursuit of love always tends upward. Wen Ci didn’t like him before, so why would he like him now?

If he were to go down that path again, it would just be a repeat of the past. Knowing they were fundamentally different people, why bother with wishful thinking?

So, what he thought didn’t matter. There was no point in examining his feelings—just a hassle.

“If Wen Ci was willing to be with you, you wouldn’t give a damn about Mo Ming or a hundred other substitutes, right?” Zhao Cheng laughed. “We all know it—you’re just using Mo Ming as Wen Ci’s stand-in. You’re only interested in his face.”

“You…” Han Shao Zhou’s expression darkened, but after a moment, he chuckled. “Yeah, so what? I’m the one paying for it. Who are you, a playboy, to analyze my feelings?”

“I may be a playboy, but every one of my relationships ends with a five-star rating.”

“So, you’re saying I’m a zero-star jerk in relationships? I’ve never even had a proper relationship, okay?!”

“Hey, I didn’t say that.”

When Mo Ming entered the room, he heard Zhao Cheng and Han Shao Zhou arguing about something as childish as whether or not they had any dignity. Han Shao Zhou looked gloomy, while Zhao Cheng stood at a safe distance, as if afraid of being hit, but still not backing down.

As soon as Mo Ming arrived, they both stopped.

Zhao Cheng immediately smiled, “Little Mo Ming is here. I’ll leave Old Han to you.”

Mo Ming walked closer, and Han Shao Zhou noticed that he looked pale and sickly, as if he had been frightened.

Han Shao Zhou reached out and pulled Mo Ming to his bedside, raising his arm to reassure him, “Don’t worry, I’m fine. See? Just a little scratch.”

Mo Ming stared at Han Shao Zhou’s bandaged left arm for a moment before slowly nodding.

Just as Zhao Cheng was about to leave the room, Yang Guan and his girlfriend appeared at the door, carrying a delicate fruit basket and a large bouquet of flowers.

“Brother Han, are you okay?” Yang Guan asked, looking at Han Shao Zhou like he was a long-lost family member. He and Shen Xixi had deliberately waited for Qin You and the others to leave before coming in.

Zhao Cheng glanced at the huge bouquet of carnations and chuckled, “You really went all out tonight. If someone didn’t know better, they’d think Old Han was seriously ill.”

“Brother Zhao, how could you say that? I’ve always seen Brother Han as my own brother,” Yang Guan replied earnestly, pulling his girlfriend forward. “Brother Han, this is my girlfriend, Xixi.”

“Hello, Brother Han,” Shen Xixi said sweetly, offering the flowers.

Zhao Cheng had already mentioned Shen Xixi to Han Shao Zhou earlier, so he knew this woman was Wen Ci’s little cousin. He nodded faintly in acknowledgment, then reached out and patted Mo Ming’s waist. Mo Ming understood and took the flowers from Shen Xixi, placing them on the bedside table.

Shen Xixi noticed Han Shao Zhou’s gesture and bit her lip.

“Go get me some dinner,” Han Shao Zhou said to Mo Ming. “I haven’t eaten since I got off the plane.”

Mo Ming nodded obediently and was about to leave the room when Shen Xixi suddenly chimed in, “Brother Mo, I’ll go with you. Yang, you stay here and take care of Brother Han. I’ll help Brother Mo get dinner.”

Without giving anyone a chance to react, Shen Xixi quickly made her way to the door, linking arms with Mo Ming and smiling sweetly, “Brother Mo, let’s go.”

Mo Ming awkwardly smiled and gently pulled his arm away.

Zhao Cheng didn’t leave; instead, he sat down at the bedside with his arms crossed.

“Brother Han, is your injury serious?” Yang Guan asked with concern, and his worry was genuine. After all, Han Shao Zhou had indeed been good to him.

After a few minutes of meaningless small talk, Han Shao Zhou didn’t bother to be polite and said, “If you don’t have anything else to do, you should go. And call your girlfriend—tell her not to follow Mo Ming around. Just head back.”

Yang Guan hesitated for a moment, then said seriously, “Brother Han, did you know? Xixi told me her cousin Wen Ci is divorced.”

Having already heard this from Zhao Cheng, Han Shao Zhou remained calm, “So?”

Yang Guan was taken aback by his indifference, “Well, I heard that Wen Ci is moving back to Chuanghai.”

“Mm, and?”

Yang Guan didn’t expect Han Shao Zhou to be so nonchalant. After a moment, he gathered his courage and said, “Brother Han, actually, I… I want to ask you for a favor. My girlfriend Xixi, she…”

Han Shao Zhou couldn’t stand Yang Guan’s hesitant way of speaking, so he interrupted, “Zhao Cheng told me your girlfriend wants to break into Xingci, right?”

Yang Guan nodded, nervously, “So…”

“I can’t directly interfere with Xingci’s operations, but if your girlfriend meets their signing standards, Xingci will sign her.”

“But… I was hoping to borrow some of your influence to smooth things over. Half of Xingci Entertainment belongs to the Han family. It’s just a phone call for you, Brother Han,” Yang Guan pleaded.

“I told you, I haven’t been involved with Xingci’s affairs for years.”

“But didn’t Mo Ming get in through your connections…” Yang Guan whispered. “Please help Xixi too. She’s Wen Ci’s cousin.”

“Zhao Cheng, help me get rid of this idiot,” Han Shao Zhou said to Zhao Cheng at the bedside. “And have my assistant upgrade me to a VIP room.”

He didn’t want anyone bothering him during dinner with Mo Ming.

“Sure thing.” Zhao Cheng grabbed Yang Guan by the neck and dragged him out. “You idiot. If you had half my brains, you wouldn’t be just a stepping stone for so many women.”

Once outside the room, Yang Guan looked at Zhao Cheng with a complex expression, “Brother Zhao, does Brother Han still like Wen Ci?”

“Why are you asking me? Go ask him yourself.”

“I wouldn’t dare. But on the way here, I heard Xixi say…” Yang Guan lowered his voice. “She thinks Brother Han is with Mo Ming because he sees him as Wen Ci’s stand-in. You know what that means, right?”

“Heh, your girlfriend’s pretty sharp. If she’s figured that out, why not have her cousin Wen Ci ask Han Shao Zhou for help directly?”

“She’s Wen Ci’s cousin. Does she really need Wen Ci to ask for her? I didn’t expect Brother Han to be so heartless. Knowing Xixi is Wen Ci’s cousin, he’s still so cold. If Xixi complains to Wen Ci, won’t it backfire on Brother Han?”

“Sure,” Zhao Cheng patted Yang Guan’s shoulder. “It’s true that Old Han was too desperate when he chased after Wen Ci back then. Now everyone thinks they can use Wen Ci to look down on him.”

“That’s not what I meant, Brother Zhao. Don’t misunderstand me.”

“It’s not you, but your girlfriend sure does.”

There was still a long way to go from the inpatient building to the hospital’s entrance.

Mo Ming was planning to stop by the hospital’s small convenience store to buy something. They might have some hot corn on the cob or tea eggs, and maybe some leftover porridge from the morning.

“Are you really planning to buy Brother Han’s dinner from this store?” Shen Xixi couldn’t help but ask when she saw Mo Ming heading for the hospital store. “You’re too half-hearted.”

Mo Ming was startled by her comment.

“There are so many restaurants outside. Why not get something clean and nutritious? What good can you find in this store?”

Being chastised so righteously by Shen Xixi, Mo Ming thought of Han Shao Zhou’s injuries and frowned… He really should get something better to help him recover.

Taking her advice to heart, Mo Ming nodded and turned to head toward the hospital entrance.

Shen Xixi continued to follow Mo Ming, observing him the entire way. She felt that aside from his good looks, there was nothing special about Mo Ming. He didn’t seem to have much personality and didn’t strike her as particularly sharp.

“Brother Mo…” After walking a short distance, Shen Xixi couldn’t help but ask in a soft voice, “Do you know my cousin?”

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