LM - 85

#85: Zhao Mingchuan’s Extra Two: Knowing My Pain of Love

Zhao Mingchuan’s roar, filled with anger, was explosive. He casually slammed the microphone on the table.

“Screech—”

The piercing feedback added a layer of ice to the atmosphere.

People in the room looked at each other. “What’s going on?”

“Is that girl really Young Master Zhao’s girlfriend?”

“She’s quite young, isn’t she? When she just walked in, at first glance, I thought she looked a bit like a female celebrity, what was her name again?”

His close friends, loyal to the core, barked: “Who’s gossiping behind her back? If you’ve got the guts, say it to her face. Go on, why aren’t you saying anything now?”

Who dared to provoke this group of arrogant young masters? They all instinctively fell silent.

________________________________________

December, the frost descended. Standing outside, people shivered from the cold.

Zhao Mingchuan, having drunk, couldn’t endure such a strong wind; he felt a chill throughout his body, which somewhat cleared his mind. He chased her out, but Zhao Xi didn’t play any melodramatic back-and-forth games. She stood firmly in front of him, looking at him.

Her gaze was absolutely chilling. Zhao Mingchuan, feeling guilty, explained, “I only came here after the meeting, and I haven’t been here long.”

He wasn’t wearing his coat, just a shirt underneath. Its buttons were undone, by who knows what little demon, and he reeked of debauchery. This state was far more convincing than his explanation—a blatant slap in the face.

Zhao Mingchuan knew she had cried at first sight. Heart aching, he said, “I’m wrong, I’m bad.” He reached out to embrace her.

Zhao Xi slapped his hand with a “slap!”, a heavy blow that ignited a wicked fire in Zhao Mingchuan. The alcohol-fueled rage flared up, and he couldn’t control his mouth, “Which bastard called you?! I’m going to kill him!”

Zhao Xi said coldly, “Six of one, half a dozen of the other.”

Zhao Mingchuan narrowed his eyes. “Are you cursing me? Huh?”

Zhao Xi stopped talking, lowered her head, and her shoulders trembled slightly in the cold wind.

She said, “Let’s break up.”

Zhao Mingchuan laughed, “Say that again.”

“Break up.”

Two words, one phrase, clear and crisp.

It was a cold winter day, so why was he still so hot-tempered? Zhao Mingchuan looked left and right, his gaze unfocused, finally impatiently loosening his shirt collar, only to find the buttons already gone. His irritation instantly soared.

“What are you doing, what are you doing? Is it necessary to be so extreme?” He suppressed his anger, controlling his voice. His voice dropped an octave, appearing even gloomier.

“What’s wrong with me having fun? From the first day you knew me, didn’t you already know I had this rotten habit? Is it necessary? Huh? Break up? I’ll break up his mother!”

By the latter half of his sentence, he clearly couldn’t control himself. Zhao Mingchuan’s momentum grew, and his actions became louder, causing passersby to frequently turn their heads.

Zhao Xi, meanwhile, listened.

Calm, her eyes unchanging, her heart as still as water.

Three or four friends, who had rushed out of the private room fearing trouble, heard his words and knew he had gone too far. They each grabbed an arm of Zhao Mingchuan, while another pulled his shirt back.

“Chuanzi! Sober up! Hey! Xiao Xi, don’t be like that! He drank a lot tonight, already went through one round of drinks at dinner. He’s just being foolish, don’t mind his drunken talk!”

A kind explanation, but it unexpectedly revealed the truth.

The dinner party had already started, meaning he’d been out having fun this whole time.

A meeting? Non-existent.

Just a facade.

Zhao Xi lowered her head, clenching her fingers. She pinched herself twice with all her might, her nails digging into her flesh, as if being cruel to herself. Even though it hurt, she didn’t loosen her grip.

Zhao Mingchuan was ignited by the words “break up” and wasn’t so easily calmed. With the added obstruction from his friends, his rebellious streak flared up. He pointed at Zhao Xi and roared, “Take those two words back, take them back, do you hear me?!”

His friend advised, “Chuanzi!”

Zhao Mingchuan was beyond reason: “Who the hell made that call, wants to die, do they?! Huh?! Go find out for me, I’ll chop off his hands!”

His friend urged again, “What’s all this shouting about, huh? You’ve yelled Xiao Xi away!”

Zhao Mingchuan, still dizzy, muttered, “Where can she run off to? She’s still my person.”

With that, he swayed, his legs gave out, and he passed out drunk.

The alcohol that night, a mix of Brazilian brandy and various other concoctions, had a particularly strong flavor. Zhao Mingchuan’s alcohol tolerance was decent, but even he couldn’t withstand such a combination. He truly passed out.

________________________________________

He woke up at ten the next morning, his head splitting, his body completely stripped. Zhao Mingchuan got out of bed barefoot, nothing covering him below. He kicked aside clothes and shoes scattered across the floor, picked up his phone, and spoke with an aggressive tone, “Are you guys sick? Who the hell undressed me last night?!”

“Who else would dare touch you? Don’t you find that smell of alcohol disgusting? We all stripped you together. What, sober now?”

“Go to hell.”

“Keep it up, you know. If Xiao Xi’s really gone for good, will you regret it?”

“What nonsense are you talking about?”

“Oh, amnesia? Alright.” The other end briefly summarized what happened yesterday, chuckling: “Young Master Zhao, are you doing well?”

Zhao Mingchuan endured his headache, his heart growing more panicked the more he thought about it. He asked uncertainly, “Did I really say those outrageous things?”

“Outrageous, through and through.”

Damn it, bad news!

His heart was anxious, but a man always has his pride, so he maintained his composure, speaking with a determined tone: “What’s the big deal? It’s not the first time.”

“Hey? You have experience with this?”

“Nonsense. You guys wouldn’t understand a couple’s business.” Zhao Mingchuan was quite smug. “Just wait, in a couple of days I’ll bring her out to have dinner with you all.”

The boos were loud: “You’re all talk.”

After a few retorts, the call ended.

Zhao Mingchuan’s smile faded, his brows deeply furrowed. He tossed his phone aside and frantically picked up the clothes scattered on the floor, putting them on. His car was parked outside the hotel. He hadn’t even settled into the seat before rushing to call Zhao Xi.

It rang, but she didn’t answer.

He called again, and she hung up.

Zhao Mingchuan took a deep breath, lowered his head, held his phone, and didn’t move for a long time. As he thought, he irritably scoffed, put a cigarette in his mouth, chewed it from left to right, then lit it.

Ah, the smoke rings he exhaled were all the shape of a bastard.

________________________________________

With final exams approaching, Zhao Xi spent a week holed up in the library.

Pei Jiajia cautiously asked, “Xi Xi, you’re studying too hard, aren’t you?”

“Mm,” she replied indifferently.

“Actually, exams aren’t a problem for you; there’s no need to push yourself so hard.” Pei Jiajia was very astute. She leaned closer and whispered, “Did you argue with your boyfriend?”

Zhao Xi looked at her book, clutching her pen, not speaking.

They definitely argued. These past few days, Zhao Mingchuan had called non-stop and even waited for her downstairs at the dorm several times. He was just short of knocking on the girls’ dorm door. When that didn’t work, he tried various ways to appease her. His ideas were terrible, like buying five or six LV and Chanel bags from the mall and express shipping them to the school.

The delivery person called, so she couldn’t possibly not come down to pick up the packages, could she?

Zhao Mingchuan used this window of opportunity to run up and shamelessly apologize to her.

He tried to kiss, hug, and embrace her, but Zhao Xi fended him off completely.

Zhao Mingchuan’s hands hung awkwardly in mid-air, his expression slightly cold. “What do you want for me to forgive you?”

Zhao Xi shook her head. “It’s not necessary.”

Zhao Mingchuan immediately got annoyed. “Not necessary for what? Huh? You’d better be careful with your words. There are some things I don’t like to hear; don’t say them.”

The Zhao family was a large, prominent clan. Zhao Mingchuan, as the only son, was like the moon surrounded by stars. He was unruly even as a child, and his arrogant personality was evident as he grew up. His temper had always been bad; how could he stand such cold indifference?

Indeed, the warning in his words was very clear.

But Zhao Xi was extremely calm, looking at him as she said, “Zhao Mingchuan, I want to break up.”

It wasn’t “we’re breaking up,” nor “I want to break up”; it was an unyielding, resolute—

I want to.

Zhao Mingchuan, infuriated, tugged at his hair, placed his hands on his hips, leaned forward slightly, and looked down at her. “Isn’t it enough that I’m wrong? Hmm?”

His voice was soft at first, but when she didn’t respond, he couldn’t control it anymore: “Isn’t it enough that I’m wrong?! I’ll quit drinking and gambling! I’ll go to the library with you every day, alright?! Huh?!”

When he got anxious, he had a tendency to act wild. Zhao Xi, who had excellent upbringing, frowned and said, “Keep your voice down.”

“Keep what down?! My girlfriend wants to break up with me! Damn it!” Zhao Mingchuan didn’t even look clearly, raising his foot and kicking something beside him.

Whoa! A real, genuine large stone. His toes almost cramped.

Zhao Mingchuan’s face paled from the pain, and large beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. He didn’t have the strength to speak, squeezing out two words: “Damn it.”

Passing students glanced over, whispering amongst themselves.

Zhao Xi felt both embarrassed and uncomfortable. The resentment and alienation in her heart grew deeper. She had long ago begun to reflect on whether two people with vastly different personalities could truly be together.

She truly liked Zhao Mingchuan.

She liked his rogue charm, his occasional childishness, his passionate and sincere emotions, and all those inexpressible little moments that stirred ripples in her heart.

But she lacked a sense of security.

Zhao Xi, in her early twenties, despite her rationality, was still a girl experiencing love for the first time. It was understandable that she yearned for reassurance from her boyfriend.

But Zhao Mingchuan, if he lived in ancient times, would surely be a young master frequenting brothels. He had his social circle, his habits, and his values formed since childhood. Interfering too much would also be inappropriate.

Both their positions were reasonable. Over time, the sparks that flew between them turned into explosions.

From this point on, it was truly over between them.

Zhao Mingchuan thought, I can’t live without you? He refused to believe in such nonsense!

So he indulged in endless partying, drinking, and singing, living a life of utter debauchery. Eager managers brought the most beautiful girls in the club to him, each young and stunning, wearing mini-skirts, sitting beside him. “Young Master Zhao, I toast to you.”

Zhao Mingchuan, however, gave them a cold look. “Go away.”

The girl didn’t give up, her finger tracing his shirt collar. “I’ll keep you company.”

Zhao Mingchuan grabbed her wrist and violently flung it away, getting up and leaving without a backward glance. “Zhou Ming.”

Zhou Ming was his assistant. The music here was loud, so he didn’t hear him at first.

Zhao Mingchuan raised his voice, about to lose his temper again: “Zhou Ming!”

Zhou Ming quickly came over, asking softly, “Hmm?”

“Drive! To the mall, to buy clothes!”

Zhao Mingchuan spoke as he took off his jacket, crumpling the Armani into a ball and throwing it on the floor.

Zhou Ming followed behind him, thinking, This lord’s潔癖 (germophobia/obsessive cleanliness) is as strong as ever; he doesn’t like irrelevant people touching him.

Women, fine.

Zhou Ming shook his head. He had truly never seen such an overly dramatic and pretentious man.

________________________________________

He continued this reckless, shameless, and pretentious behavior for a while. On Tuesday, Zhao Xi was practicing her listening skills when she suddenly received a bank SMS notification:

“Your card number xxxx spent xxx yuan on xxx website on February 3, 2014.”

This card was special; Zhao Mingchuan had opened it for her. He was very generous with women. Although Zhao Xi lacked nothing, he always seemed to want to go through the motions to prove his status.

The last SMS notification was on the day the card was opened, when Zhao Mingchuan transferred a six-figure sum into it. She hadn’t touched it since, and this current expenditure was quite substantial.

Zhao Xi didn’t think much of it, assuming he had used it himself.

She continued reading, five minutes, ten minutes, half an hour.

Pei Jiajia came out after showering and glanced over: “Huh? Why are you still on this page? Is there a problem?”

Zhao Xi’s mind drifted. “Huh? Oh, no.”

Pei Jiajia twisted her slender waist to hang up her underwear. “You’re zoning out, Xiao Xi.”

This scattered focus was like a kite flown too high, drifting and drifting, leaving her unsettled. Zhao Xi looked at the SMS again, wondering what this “xxx website” was about.

She opened her browser, typed into the search bar, and the home page that popped up was brightly colored, with alluring headlines—

Sweet Little Darling Streamer, Maid Outfit Warms Your Winter!

Mature and Intellectual Sister, Tickling Your Heart, Live Streaming in Room~

And then a continuous stream of beautiful women’s photos switched through.

Zhao Xi randomly clicked into a room. A sweet, soft voice instantly melted her. The barrage of comments was full of gifts from “tycoons”: Maserati x2, Diamond x10, Flowers x100.

Pei Jiajia scurried over, looking surprised: “Xiao Xi, you watch this too?”

“The page popped up; I accidentally clicked on it.”

“Oh, oh, oh. A lot of these live streams play it close to the line, attracting viewers with gimmicks for donations.” Pei Jiajia raised an eyebrow. “They specialize in conning men out of their money. What can you do when they’re so lustful?”

Zhao Xi pursed her lips, clicking the mouse furiously, as if angrily closing the webpage.

“Hey, where are you going?”

“To buy a bottle of water.”

Zhao Xi walked out of the dorm, went to the track, and ran lap after lap.

The cold wind poured into her throat, her face was stinging, her eyes dry and full, yet nothing could flow out. Only when a person has feelings do they shed tears. If they are truly disappointed, they will appear calm.

After running for half an hour, Zhao Xi bent over, panting, her hands propped on her knees.

She looked up at the night sky, hazy and misty, the moon nowhere to be seen.

It was at this moment that she suddenly realized.

They truly were not compatible.

On Zhao Mingchuan’s side, after his antics, by the time he wanted to win the girl back, it was already too late.

Zhao Xi went abroad, to Spain.

It was a huge blow; he was stunned. Zhao Mingchuan was both angry and anxious. He booked a flight, intending to chase after her, but fate had other plans. On the way to the airport, he was involved in a car accident.

A three-car rear-end collision, severe.

Zhao Mingchuan was caught in the middle, suffering impacts from both sides, and was seriously injured.

As if predestined, by the time he was out of danger, recovered, and discharged from the hospital,

Beijing was still Beijing.

But the world had changed.

________________________________________

In 2018, the spring equinox.

The smog had been particularly severe these past few days. You had to wear a mask as soon as you stepped out, and visibility at night was low, like living in a city of fog. The air quality was poor, and the elderly and children with weaker immune systems suffered. Look, Old Lady Wang’s husband next door, Grandpa Li Xiaoqiang, had a recurrence of emphysema and was admitted to the respiratory department.

Zhao Xi had been back in China for a week and was still not quite adapted to the environment here.

This city was different from what she remembered; buildings were taller, roads wider, and there were more trees. The other day, she went to the supermarket and couldn’t remember if her complex was to the left or right.

Mrs. You said that after living abroad for several years, she had become directionally challenged and instructed: “Don’t drive on the road yet, get familiar first, for fear of accidents.”

Her mother’s nagging skills were as strong as ever.

Zhao Xi wasn’t living at home. She had applied for a foreign-funded enterprise with good benefits, and they arranged a small apartment for her near the company. It was about sixty square meters, a one-bedroom, decorated neatly and cleanly.

Everything was good, except for the poor quality of her sleep at night. Perhaps it was the season, but Zhao Xi had been having many dreams every night recently.

Dreaming of things from the past.

Dreaming of the days before going abroad.

Occasionally, dreaming of a blurry face.

These reminiscent dreams were very draining. Every time she woke up, she felt as if she had been sleep-paralyzed, her spirits low.

When she mentioned this to Ke Yilin, he just laughed, “Don’t overthink it, there’s no such thing as sleep paralysis. It’s just you being mentally stressed. Coming back to China, work pressure is indeed higher, but it will get much better once you sort things out.”

Zhao Xi was brushing her teeth, her phone on speaker on the counter, as she mumbled a response, “Is that so?”

“Believe me, alright? In another week, these symptoms will disappear.” Ke Yilin’s voice was clear, naturally persuasive.

He then added, “After work, I’ll pick you up.”

“Why?”

“Come have dinner with me.”

Ke Yilin’s appearance, like his voice, followed a pure and refreshing style. His features weren’t outstanding, but combined, they created an indescribably comfortable look.

He was twenty-six this year but looked younger, reminiscent of the best and most popular boys in school.

Ke Yilin was pursuing Zhao Xi, his intentions clear. Zhao Xi’s parents had also met him twice by chance and had a very good impression. Everything was moving in a well-understood direction. What was missing was just the right moment to make it official.

No rush, it was a matter of time.

Zhao Xi, meanwhile, didn’t really object. Such a man, simple and straightforward, might not be passionately romantic, but for daily life, he was beyond reproach.

At 5 PM, Ke Yilin was punctual.

Zhao Xi got in the car, fastened her seatbelt, adjusted her hair, and asked with a smile, “Where are we going for dinner?”

When she smiled, her eyes curved slightly, their long, slender shape particularly beautiful. Her skin was fair, not that fake pale, but naturally radiant. Her red lips and gentle demeanor exuded a soft, emerging femininity.

Ke Yilin particularly loved to see her smile.

To put it a bit dramatically, it made him feel that the world was beautiful.

He turned the steering wheel, a slight smile on his lips as he replied, “I’m actually quite sorry today, my cousin came over. Do you mind if there’s one more person?”

When Ke Yilin spoke, his pace was slow, his voice soft, with respect and politeness evident in every word. Zhao Xi readily agreed, “It’s fine, I don’t mind.”

The two chatted throughout the drive, their faces light and relaxed.

Upon arriving, Zhao Xi got out of the car and looked up. This manor was very famous, famously expensive. Although Ke Yilin’s background was decent, he rarely chose such a restaurant.

A waiter approached, asking, “Mr. Ke?” Ke Yilin replied, “Yes, we have a reservation.”

Zhao Xi walked slightly behind, interested in a Renaissance fresco on the wall, so she didn’t hear the name he stated.

The waiter nodded, “Please follow me.”

Ke Yilin turned back, “Xiao Xi.”

Zhao Xi quickly said, “Oh.”

Inside, the sixth room. He pushed open the door.

Ke Yilin greeted with a smile, “Brother.”

Zhao Xi was looking down, replying to a text message. She looked up, glancing through the gap of Ke Yilin’s shoulder towards the front.

The person sitting at the main seat looked over simultaneously.

Their gazes connected.

Zhao Xi’s smile froze.

Zhao Mingchuan, wearing a short gray trench coat, his gaze halted, the teacup in his hand stopped mid-air at his lips.

Their eyes met, then briefly parted.

In that instant, her mood felt as if it had experienced spring, summer, autumn, and winter, a chaotic alternation of warmth and cold.

Zhao Xi clutched her bag tightly.

And Zhao Mingchuan, his heart, like a towering building, rose from the ground.