Chapter 80#
Chapter 80#
The wind was gentle.
Zhuxi was surrounded by mountains and located in the south, so even in the coldest winter, the wind wasn’t strong.
Just a gentle breeze blew back and forth, slightly stirring Zhao Rong’s collar. The black collar swayed against his fair neck, as if lightly treading on one’s heart.
It should have made one’s thoughts wander.
Yet, Zhao Rong’s face was stern, his dark eyes hidden in the night, making his gaze unclear and adding a touch of coldness to him.
He was born with a pair of gentle eyes; no matter how cold he tried to be, it wouldn’t be much.
However, in Qiao Nanqi’s eyes, Zhao Rong’s slightest displeasure was enough to make him extremely vigilant. This simple, faint expression was enough to make him panic.
He shouldn’t have let Zhao Rong see it.
But Zhao Rong still saw it.
And Zhao Rong seemed to have deliberately blocked him at the door, not leaving.
Seeing Zhao Rong just standing there, not speaking for a long time, nor responding to his apology, he said again, “I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to disturb you.”
Zhao Rong took a step forward.
Qiao Nanqi was clearly standing impeccably dressed, but because of this step, he felt a bit disheveled. He instinctively recoiled, stepping back half a pace, then seeing Zhao Rong’s serious expression, he stopped.
Zhao Rong walked up to Qiao Nanqi, and in the dim night, he also saw Qiao Nanqi’s expression. Only then did he say, word for word, “But now, you have already disturbed me.”
Qiao Nanqi stiffened.
He hadn’t been this close to Zhao Rong in a long time, as if the other’s body temperature was subtly approaching, as if his breath and the warmth of his words would disturb the person in front of him.
He couldn’t help but hold his breath slightly, trying his best to restrain the urge to reach out and button Zhao Rong’s collar, or to embrace him.
He tried his best to act like a normal person, like a friend who could calmly chat with Zhao Rong, suppressing all his struggles, steadying his tone, and asking, “Where did I give myself away?”
“Because I saw this thing.”
“And then I just messaged a former colleague who works at your company and learned that you indeed ‘went on a business trip,’ so I knew I wasn’t mistaken.”
Zhao Rong took out a small item from his pocket.
He opened his palm, and a swallow-shaped cufflink appeared in his hand.
It was Qiao Nanqi’s cufflink.
Qiao Nanqi knew his cufflink had fallen in the auditorium.
When he was talking business with Zhou Yueqing, he casually placed it on the table. In the past, he would never have forgotten to take it. But Ruan Cheng’s call came suddenly, and in his haste, he naturally couldn’t bother with such a thing.
When he came out just now, he had even less mind to care about such a trivial ornament—he could just buy another one.
But this thing… even if Zhao Rong saw it, how could it…
“I almost forgot, you don’t know,” Zhao Rong answered his confusion, “Before we broke up, although Xiao Wu paid for and brought back your clothes, every single piece was chosen by me. I specifically had the gem on this cufflink replaced, so unfortunately, I saw it.”
“Although I didn’t really want to see it.”
Qiao Nanqi gradually felt a sourness in his eyes.
He muttered to himself, “Turns out I’m even more of a scoundrel than I thought.”
When they were together, did he ever care about Zhao Rong’s daily life?
Naturally, no. At most, he would ask Sister Li to prepare some nourishing food and have Xiao Wu send more money. He didn’t even know what nourishing food was made or how much money was sent in total.
He truly was a scoundrel who deserved it.
“You know everything now,” Zhao Rong suddenly said.
He didn’t specify what, nor did he ask how Qiao Nanqi knew.
But Qiao Nanqi understood that Zhao Rong was referring to the engagement.
And the wedding that Zhao Rong had deliberately kept from him.
“…I asked Xingping,” he said.
Zhao Rong glanced at him, then turned his head and said, “Youjun, I need to speak with him alone for a few words.”
Liang Youjun immediately understood, pulled out his phone, quickly walked to a nearby bench, and sat down to play on his phone, looking completely uninterested in what was happening there.
—Very obedient, very hassle-free. If he were someone kept by one’s side, he would indeed be a good choice.
Qiao Nanqi thought this.
“I’m sorry.” He knew what Zhao Rong wanted to ask, and apologized again, saying softly before Zhao Rong could speak, “I interfered with the Zhou family’s matters.”
He recalled that when he was still in Yangcheng, he contacted Ruan Cheng to secretly help Zhao Rong. Zhao Rong didn’t appreciate it, came to the company to refuse him, and was even quite displeased about it.
Qiao Nanqi immediately explained, “I know you could have handled it. I just thought you might want your mother to get better treatment sooner, which is why I intervened. After that, I didn’t interfere with your connections with the Zhou family or the Ruan family. Ruan Cheng actively sought you out; it had nothing to do with me.”
Zhao Rong quietly listened to Qiao Nanqi’s slightly fast-paced, hurried explanation.
He slowly blinked, then lowered his gaze, hands in his pockets, as if idly looking at a spot on the ground, saying indifferently, “You don’t need to apologize to me.”
“Qiao Nanqi,” he didn’t use the distant address of “Mr. Qiao,” nor did he show any intimacy, speaking just as he would to a friend, “‘I’m sorry’ is a phrase that only exists between people who are entangled.”
This was even more ruthless than directly rejecting Qiao Nanqi’s apology, like a sharp knife, instantly flaying him alive.
“But I do have to thank you. Without your help, I might have achieved my goal, but I would have paid a heavy price.”
These words seemed to add a layer of warmth to the flaying knife, cutting at Qiao Nanqi’s heart little by little, yet surprisingly, a warm current emanated from the blade.
Zhao Rong didn’t seem to completely reject him as before.
He had disturbed Zhao Rong’s current life, yet he could still calmly exchange a few words with Zhao Rong. This was an unexpected grace, a reaction he had previously yearned for but couldn’t achieve.
At this moment, he actually prayed for the blade to strike a few more times, wishing it would pierce his heart.
“You said we’re still friends, right?” His voice began to grow slightly hoarse. “Friends… it’s normal for friends to help each other.”
“Mm.”
A moment of silence passed between them.
The slowly flowing cold wind was like quietly flowing time, spanning between them.
Qiao Nanqi finally raised his hand and touched Zhao Rong’s collar.
Zhao Rong froze.
He and Qiao Nanqi had been together for some time, and his body subconsciously didn’t reject being approached by the other party without warning.
When he realized Qiao Nanqi’s fingers had already touched his chin, he suddenly stiffened, afraid of what the man might do.
But Qiao Nanqi merely buttoned his collar and said, “It’s chilly.”
Then he withdrew his hand and even took a step back, as if afraid of startling him.
Zhao Rong looked down at his buttoned collar, then looked up again, averting his gaze.
“Actually, when I saw the cufflink just now, I was a little angry. I felt like I had completely left your life trajectory, so why wouldn’t you let me go? But after coming out, while waiting for you at the door, I thought again, ‘Yes, I’ve already left your life trajectory, so even if you appear here—’”
“We’re just, well, old acquaintances meeting in a foreign land?”
He actually smiled.
But this smile wasn’t one of happiness; rather, it was a sigh of helplessness and regret.
“I’m just surprised. I thought you would have let go by now. I’ve already…”
“I’ve let go,” Qiao Nanqi said. “I know.”
“Zhao Rong, I’ve already lost you.”
He just couldn’t help but continue to like him.
He didn’t say these words aloud.
Even if he did, it would only be to humiliate himself.
At this moment, Liang Youjun, who had been playing on his phone in the distance, suddenly walked over and said to Zhao Rong, “Boss, Brother Xu said that the car tire got a hole punctured by something today and is deflated. If he goes back to get another car, it will cause another delay. How about we take a taxi back?”
This place wasn’t in a bustling area, so it was hard to hail a taxi, but if they offered a higher price and waited a bit longer, they could still find one.
Zhao Rong was clearly indifferent to these matters; he was an easygoing person by nature.
He nodded, “Let’s take a taxi.”
Qiao Nanqi opened his mouth, and as Zhao Rong was about to turn, he still said, “I’ll take you back—I’ll take you all back?”
He had originally tried his best to restrain his urge to get close to Zhao Rong.
But now, once discovered, and with Zhao Rong not being overly ruthless towards him, these suppressions and restraints instantly overwhelmed his reason.
If Zhao Rong wouldn’t be unhappy seeing him, could he quietly watch from the side?
He asked for nothing else, just like now, to be able to exchange a few words, see Zhao Rong happy, and even give him a ride.
Zhao Rong turned his head to look at him.
The streetlights cast long shadows behind them, and Zhao Rong, with his back to the light, had a face that was unclear in the darkness.
But Qiao Nanqi seemed to hear Zhao Rong sigh.
He thought such a small request of his would only be met with refusal, but unexpectedly, Zhao Rong nodded, “Okay, thank you for the trouble.”
Before joy could well up in his heart, previous experience made Qiao Nanqi suppress these emotions.
How could Zhao Rong give in so easily?
Perhaps there was a “but” waiting for him later.
But he actually didn’t wait for the next sentence.
Zhao Rong just asked him, “Where did you park the car?”
Qiao Nanqi was stunned for a moment, then raised a finger to point in a direction.
Zhao Rong nodded silently.
He seemed to have reverted to his obedient self from a few years ago, standing beside Qiao Nanqi, his eyes gentle, his gaze free of any sharpness. Even without smiling, he could warm one’s heart.
The cool breeze gently stirred his hair, lifting his strands and tugging at one’s heartstrings.
Qiao Nanqi took out his car keys from his pocket and held them, looking at Zhao Rong’s profile. His Adam’s apple bobbed slightly, and fearing Zhao Rong couldn’t see clearly, he stepped forward and said, “Just a few steps. Don’t worry, I haven’t been drinking…”
“I’ll leave after I drop you home.”
Zhao Rong’s eyes curved slightly at the corners. He raised his hand and took Liang Youjun’s hand behind him, then calmly said to Qiao Nanqi, “Okay.”
Liang Youjun paused almost imperceptibly, as if he immediately understood. He clasped Zhao Rong’s hand back, and his other hand also climbed onto Zhao Rong’s wrist, embracing Zhao Rong’s arm with both hands, just like a lover. Maintaining this posture, he said to Qiao Nanqi, “Then I’ll trouble you, thank you.”
Qiao Nanqi’’s movements froze, his grip loosened, and the car key clattered to the ground, like an arrow falling amidst the rustling wind.
But this arrow was not only meant to pierce his chest but also to cut open his heart, slowly draining his blood, and finally, to politely say “thank you” to him.
It was truly a gentle torture.
His eyes grew even more sore.
Qiao Nanqi quickly lowered his head, squatted down to pick up the car keys, and forced himself to say calmly, “Mm, thank…”
He didn’t even know what he was saying. His words paused, his reason slowly returned, and only then did he continue, “You’re welcome. Follow me.”