Chapter 36: I Don’t Need Your Paltry Pity and Charity
Following Chen Wei’s lead, the police quickly cordoned off the Zijin International Hotel. As the primary party involved, Chen Wei could not leave until the matter was resolved. However, considering his celebrity status, the officers allowed him to wait inside the car.
Inside the car, Chen Wei and Zhou Sijin sat on opposite sides, each leaning against their own window. Chen Wei stared silently out the window, and Zhou Sijin didn’t know how to strike up a conversation.
He hadn’t known about Chen Wei’s plan earlier, which was why his words had been a bit harsh. Now that he knew Chen Wei had a backup plan, the weight that had been hanging in his heart finally lifted.
Zhou Sijin pursed his lips, his expression a mix of helplessness and something else. Looking at Chen Wei, who was still ignoring him, he eventually couldn’t help but be the first to break the awkward silence.
“Is this your entire plan?”
Hearing this, Chen Wei glanced at him. After a long pause, he looked away again, still ignoring him.
He had never placed his hopes on Zhou Sijin to begin with. So, how could he have walked into Zhang Chen’s trap so mindlessly without leaving himself a way out?
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Zhou Sijin asked again.
Chen Wei tilted his head. “Tell you what?”
Zhou Sijin looked at him. “Since you were already prepared, why didn’t you inform me in advance?”
If he had known, he wouldn’t have said those things out of worry.
“Did you ever give me a chance to explain?” Chen Wei countered with a calm expression.
Upon seeing him, the first thing the man said wasn’t to ask if he was alright, but to tell him to “get up.” Then, without a word, he had thrown him into the car and barked at him to “reflect” on his actions.
Reflect?
Chen Wei found it laughable. Would someone please tell him exactly what he was supposed to reflect on? Reflecting on how he had “wasted” Zhou Sijin’s time and made him take a trip for nothing?
Chen Wei’s heart was cold, and his voice was even colder. Looking back at Zhou Sijin, he smiled. “Don’t worry. It won’t happen again.”
Realizing the words were ominous, Zhou Sijin knit his brows and pressed, “What won’t happen again?”
“I won’t cause any more trouble for you.”
“Chen Wei!”
Zhou Sijin barked his name in anger, his chest heaving. He instinctively snapped back, “Don’t try to pin that on me. You know that’s not what I meant.”
Ignoring Zhou Sijin’s hardened expression, Chen Wei turned his head back and replied composedly:
“It doesn’t matter. It’s not important anymore, anyway.”
“You…”
Though Zhou Sijin was fuming, he didn’t want to engage in another pointless argument with Chen Wei over this. He took a deep breath to suppress his anger and attempted to change the subject.
“Why didn’t you tell me the company was threatening you to accompany people? If Han Chi hadn’t told me in the car just now…”
“What if I had?”
Chen Wei cut him off sharply, turning to look at him. He spoke with a face full of mockery:
“Would I have let everyone know about the relationship between you and me?”
“…”
The retort successfully choked the words in Zhou Sijin’s throat. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he looked at him with difficulty.
“Chen Wei, do you have to be like this?”
“Isn’t this exactly what you wanted?”
Chen Wei looked at him without a hint of fear. When disappointment reached its peak, any hurtful word could be uttered.
Before the “White Moonlight” incident, Chen Wei had been willing to comply with him without question. After all, he had been attracted to Zhou Sijin’s face when they first got together. If Zhou Sijin was tired of him, he could just say so. He would never cling to him in such matters.
But what did the deception mean?
To be intimate with him while whispering sweet nothings to someone else… Did Zhou Sijin think he, Chen Wei, was some kind of cheap joke? Why did Zhou Sijin assume he couldn’t live without him?
He had originally wanted to use the Zhang Chen incident to see Zhou Sijin’s reaction and try to convince himself to stay. But Zhou Sijin’s attitude had delivered a crushing blow.
Chen Wei was finally being honest with himself. Love wasn’t something people like them were meant to have—especially not Zhou Sijin, who stood at a height far above him.
Zhou Sijin’s dark eyes narrowed. If he remembered correctly, this was the third time today Chen Wei had talked back to him. The long-standing stalemate was wreaking havoc on his mind and heart.
It had been so long that Zhou Sijin had almost forgotten that he hadn’t used to be like this. In the past, if Chen Wei dared to make him angry, he wouldn’t have even bothered to look at him; he would have just walked away.
When had he ever been this patient? Zhou Sijin couldn’t even understand what he was thinking. Why was he still thinking about changing the subject to ease the tension with Chen Wei? Shouldn’t he just slam the door and leave?
He wanted to leave, but his feet felt like they were cast in lead, unable to move a single inch. Zhou Sijin felt irritable. He instinctively reached for a cigarette, intending to use the nicotine to soothe his frustration.
Wafts of smoke rose, along with the tangled, messy thoughts in his mind. The smoke didn’t have the unpleasant, pungent smell of normal cigarettes; it was a special blend with a faint, herbal fragrance—refined and pleasant.
After an unknown amount of time, Zhou Sijin suddenly spoke:
“Go and terminate your contract with Xingyao Media tomorrow. I’ll handle the breach of contract fee. You just need to sign the papers.”
Through the haze of smoke, Chen Wei couldn’t see Zhou Sijin’s expression clearly. If this had been yesterday, he might have actually agreed to the proposal and used the man’s money to pay the penalty.
But today’s events had truly chilled his heart. By now, he no longer wanted any extra entanglement or connection with Zhou Sijin.
Setting aside the movie they had already agreed upon, Chen Wei didn’t want to accept anything else from Zhou Sijin. That way, when he left, he could do so with his back held straight. As for that movie, if Zhou Sijin was willing to let him act in it, it would be considered a final closure for their three years together. If Zhou Sijin went back on his word, he would have nothing to say.
Having cleared his thoughts, Chen Wei spoke with his own sense of conviction.
“I won’t terminate my contract with Xingyao Media,” he said.
“And I don’t need your paltry pity and charity.”
“Pity and charity?” Zhou Sijin was so angry he laughed. “Chen Wei, is that really how you see me?”
Chen Wei didn’t answer. He simply stared at him, his gaze never wavering or retreating. Zhou Sijin opened his mouth, wanting to argue.
In the next instant, however, he was silenced by Chen Wei’s overly direct gaze. Shifting his eyes, Zhou Sijin crushed the cigarette into the car’s ashtray.
He pushed the car door open and stepped out.
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