Chapter 14: What Did the Text Message Do Wrong?
“I love you, I love you.”
These three words echoed in Chi Qiulin’s ears, jolting him awake.
What was he doing? Why was he with Liu Mingzhou…?
Conflict and pain made Chi Qiulin instinctively try to push the other away, but his strength was too little to be of any use.
But Liu Mingzhou keenly sensed Chi Qiulin’s change. He immediately stopped, asking with concern, “Ge, what’s wrong?”
Chi Qiulin was speechless. Everything that had happened tonight was ultimately due to his own impulsive actions, but the deed was done, and he didn’t know how to explain it.
Seeing Chi Qiulin’s silence, Liu Mingzhou’s fingertips gently caressed his eyes. Only when Chi Qiulin had to close his eyes did Liu Mingzhou softly say, “Don’t think about anything else. Just think about me.”
Such domineering words, spoken with such a gentle tone, made Chi Qiulin surrender once more. He put his arms around Liu Mingzhou’s neck, whispering, “Xiaozhou.”
“I’m here, Ge, I’ve always been here,” Liu Mingzhou slowed his movements, freeing one hand to intertwine his fingers with Chi Qiulin’s. “Ge, about the text message, are you angry with me?”
Chi Qiulin was at a loss. He knew in his heart that even if Liu Mingzhou hadn’t intervened, Yao Xinyu would have eventually broken up with him. But Liu Mingzhou’s presence was an irreconcilable conflict between him and Yao Xinyu, and Liu Mingzhou’s text message had indirectly led to his near-death experience. The more Chi Qiulin thought about it, the more uncomfortable he felt. Finally, he mumbled, “I don’t know.”
“Ge, the day you jumped off the building, Yao Xinyu formally confessed his feelings to me, and I rejected him,” Liu Mingzhou’s voice grew softer. He hugged Chi Qiulin tightly, only feeling reassured after possessing him, before continuing, “I didn’t want to interfere in your relationship, but after Yao Xinyu’s confession, I felt even more that he wasn’t worth entrusting your heart to. Even without me, he would betray you again for someone else, so I went to find him.”
Chi Qiulin listened blankly. He had considered many reasons for Liu Mingzhou’s sudden appearance at his apartment that night, but he never thought of this.
Liu Mingzhou lowered his head, resting against Chi Qiulin’s neck and taking a deep breath. The familiar scent of his body wash helped him maintain his composure as he recounted the events of that day.
It was snowing that day. Liu Mingzhou stood in front of the apartment building, shivering with cold. He knocked for a long time, but no one answered.
After much deliberation, even knowing it wasn’t right, he used the fingerprint Yao Xinyu had previously recorded for him to force his way into the apartment.
He nervously walked through the quiet living room and up the stairs to the bedroom on the second floor. Yao Xinyu was asleep in bed. Liu Mingzhou searched the entire apartment but couldn’t find Chi Qiulin.
A strong sense of unease arose—it was late at night, and Chi Qiulin wasn’t home. He likely had a fight with Yao Xinyu, and considering what happened that day, Liu Mingzhou thought Chi Qiulin might have argued with Yao Xinyu because of him.
He tried calling Chi Qiulin, unsurprisingly unable to get through—Chi Qiulin had blocked him a long time ago.
Desperate, Liu Mingzhou had no choice but to wake up the sleeping Yao Xinyu.
Yao Xinyu sat up groggily, but upon seeing Liu Mingzhou’s face, he sobered up considerably.
Liu Mingzhou got straight to the point, “Where’s Chi Qiulin?”
“Chi Qiulin? I don’t know.” Because he had drunk too much, Yao Xinyu’s tongue was tied, but he still stammered out his feelings, “Mingzhou, you came to see me? Then would you be willing to…?”
“I’m not willing,” Liu Mingzhou’s disgusted gaze met Yao Xinyu’s. “If you don’t like Chi Qiulin and only bring him harm, can you leave him?”
Yao Xinyu didn’t understand what Liu Mingzhou meant. “If I leave him, you’ll be with me, right? I’ll break up with him now…”
“No,” Liu Mingzhou stepped closer, snatching Yao Xinyu’s phone. “I mean, if you don’t want to cherish Chi Qiulin, then give him to me. I will cherish him for you.”
Yao Xinyu was stunned. “What are you saying? You don’t like me, you like that disfigured ugly monster?”
Liu Mingzhou calmly unlocked Yao Xinyu’s phone, suppressing his anger and snarling, “He’s disfigured because of you, Yao Xinyu! Do you even have a heart?”
“But I’ve taken care of him for so many years,” Yao Xinyu retorted, but his breath hitched when he saw Liu Mingzhou fiddling with his phone. “What are you doing?”
“Sending a breakup text to Chi Qiulin,” Liu Mingzhou replied quickly. “To get him away from you, you disgusting scum.”
“Wait!” Yao Xinyu panicked. Perhaps it was guilt, even though he had been unfaithful, he had always kept it well hidden from Chi Qiulin. Whenever Chi Qiulin asked if he would break up, he would assure him that they were truly in love.
So, breaking up so abruptly, Yao Xinyu was afraid Chi Qiulin couldn’t handle it and might do something drastic.
He thought that even if he wanted to break up, he should do it amicably, not so hastily—it would make his conscience uneasy.
But a drunk person wasn’t as fast as a sober one. By the time Yao Xinyu snatched the phone, the text “Chi Qiulin, let’s end this” had been sent two minutes ago.
“Ge,” Liu Mingzhou stopped reminiscing, hugging Chi Qiulin tightly, his voice trembling. “If I had known you would be unable to bear the outcome and choose to jump off the building to commit suicide, I would never have acted so impulsively. I’m so sorry, it’s all my fault…”
Chi Qiulin was speechless. Liu Mingzhou’s guilt stemmed mainly from his mistaken belief that Chi Qiulin had committed suicide, but Chi Qiulin had actually fallen accidentally.
Seeing Chi Qiulin’s silence, Liu Mingzhou’s unease increased. “Ge, I know saying this is useless, and apologizing is useless, but you can blame me, you can not forgive me, but don’t ignore me, don’t leave me, okay…”
Looking at Liu Mingzhou’s teary eyes, Chi Qiulin felt a pang of sympathy, but he wasn’t sure why Liu Mingzhou inexplicably liked him, because in his past life, Chi Qiulin and Liu Mingzhou had very little interaction.
After much thought, Chi Qiulin concealed the fact that he had fallen accidentally, only gently patting Liu Mingzhou’s back. “Xiaozhou, don’t cry.”
Hearing Chi Qiulin’s response, Liu Mingzhou’s voice immediately brightened. “Ge, then you can’t leave me, okay?”
Chi Qiulin rolled his eyes internally. The current Chi Qiulin was penniless and immobile; where else could he go without Liu Mingzhou? But of course, Chi Qiulin wouldn’t say that, simply replying calmly, “Okay.”
Taking advantage of the situation and gaining favor, why not?
Sure enough, Liu Mingzhou, having received his favor, smiled even more gently, although his eyes were still slightly tearful.
Chi Qiulin was about to wipe them away, but Liu Mingzhou’s forceful action stole all his strength. He was about to complain when Liu Mingzhou pressed his lips against his.
Liu Mingzhou’s voice was hoarse, revealing unprecedented dominance, “Ge, one day, I will make you only see me, only love me.”
Chi Qiulin surrendered under Liu Mingzhou’s onslaught, unconsciously murmuring, “Xiao… Xiaozhou…”
Liu Mingzhou responded tirelessly, again and again, “I’m here, I’ve always been here.”
【Author’s Note: I’m so blocked and frustrated!】