Chapter Fifteen: Finding an Excuse to See You

Mo Qinghan listened to He Yurou’s words, and recalling what Zhao Qingwu had done and said to her before, she began to doubt whether Zhao Qingwu actually liked He Yurou at all. It seemed more as if he was deliberately using He Yurou’s feelings for her as a way to get back at He Zheyu.

Mo Qinghan took a tissue from her bag once more and wiped the tears from He Yurou’s face, gently hinting in a speculative tone, “Yurou, have you never suspected that Senior Zhao approached you for some other purpose?”

He Yurou looked at Mo Qinghan with confusion, thought for a moment, and then said angrily, “What do you mean? Qingwu isn’t that kind of person. Besides, I’m the one who chased him.”

Seeing He Yurou’s irritation, Mo Qinghan refrained from saying more and awkwardly apologized, “Sorry, I shouldn’t think that way about Senior Zhao.” In truth, Mo Qinghan had intended to tell He Yurou about Zhao Qingwu seeking her out and the outrageous things he’d said, but seeing He Yurou’s reaction, she realized that even if she told her, she wouldn’t believe it. They might even stop being friends. The words lingered on Mo Qinghan’s lips but were swallowed back down.

Mo Qinghan rose slowly from her seat and said, “Yurou, let’s talk next time. I’ll go check on Qingyu.”

He Yurou, realizing her tone had been too harsh, quickly apologized, “Qinghan, I’m sorry, I just…”

Mo Qinghan interrupted, “I understand. We can talk when we have time,” and headed toward the hospital.

He Yurou didn’t say anything more, stood up herself, and walked toward the hospital entrance. She happened to run into Zhao Yiya, who had just arrived. He Yurou immediately greeted her, “Auntie, Auntie.”

Zhao Yiya, driving her car, saw He Yurou calling her and quickly stopped beside her, asking, “Has your grandfather been discharged?”

“Yes, if you’d come a little earlier, you could have seen him.”

Zhao Yiya was quite pleased with He Yurou’s address, smiling as she said, “So how should I address you? Our family’s forms of address are a bit chaotic!”

He Yurou was clever; she thought for a moment and then replied, “I should call you Auntie, and you can just call me by my name.”

Zhao Yiya agreed, “Alright,” knowing that Zhao Qingwu was dating He Yurou, and with He Zheyu fond of his niece, if she established a good relationship with this girl, it would naturally bring her closer to He Zheyu. She then suggested, “Why don’t you come to my house for a bit? Qingwu happens to be home.”

He Yurou, hearing that Zhao Qingwu was home, nodded eagerly, “Okay!” and went to sit in the front passenger seat.

When they arrived at the Zhao residence, Zhao Yiya parked in the garden garage and led He Yurou inside. Zhao Qingwu was not in the living room, so Zhao Yiya asked the cleaning lady, “Mrs. Zhao! Has Qingwu gone out?”

The aunt paused her work and replied, “He should be in his room; I haven’t seen the second young master go out.” With that, she resumed her tasks.

Receiving this answer, Zhao Yiya took He Yurou to Zhao Qingwu’s bedroom door, knocked gently, and asked, “Qingwu, are you in your room?”

Zhao Qingwu’s voice came from inside, “Yes, sis, do you need something?”

Zhao Yiya and He Yurou exchanged a smile, then she opened the door, saying, “Look who I’ve brought for you.”

Seeing He Yurou at his bedroom door with his sister, Zhao Qingwu immediately put away what he was sorting and stuffed it into the small drawer on his right. He wore a nonchalant expression and said, “What brings you here?”

Zhao Yiya quickly eased the chilly atmosphere, “Does your girlfriend need a reason to visit you?” She pulled He Yurou into Zhao Qingwu’s room.

Zhao Qingwu got up, went to He Yurou’s side, and said, “Let’s talk outside,” then led her downstairs. The actions were so swift that Zhao Yiya barely had time to react.

He Yurou followed Zhao Qingwu into the car, sitting in the passenger seat, gripping the seatbelt tightly with both hands as Zhao Qingwu sped up to two hundred kilometers per hour. With a hint of tears in her voice, He Yurou pleaded, “Qingwu, slow down, I’m scared!”

Zhao Qingwu did not slow down, causing He Yurou to scream in fright. He abruptly slammed on the brakes, and due to inertia, He Yurou’s head bumped painfully against the seat as the seatbelt snapped her back. She rubbed her head gently and asked in bewilderment, “Qingwu, are you crazy?”

Zhao Qingwu rolled down the window, lit a cigarette, took a few deep drags, and exhaled smoke into the car, filling it with an acrid smell. He Yurou coughed lightly.

Zhao Qingwu looked at He Yurou and said, “Let’s break up. I never liked you.”

His words struck He Yurou like thunder, and she asked, somewhat numb, “Are you serious?”

Zhao Qingwu didn’t look at her but stared out the window, “Being with you was only to get back at your uncle, to let him taste the pain of seeing his loved ones toyed with.”

He Yurou’s heart lurched at his words. Her hands fumbled awkwardly, not knowing where to place them, her face frozen in confusion, unable to speak.

Zhao Qingwu continued, “During our relationship, I never crossed any line with you, so I have no responsibility toward you.”

It took He Yurou a while to find her voice, “I don’t care whether your feelings for me were real or not; mine for you were real. Relationships are between two people; you can’t just end things by yourself. I won’t accept the breakup. If I don’t acknowledge it, then our relationship isn’t over.” She got out of the car and slammed the door.

Standing outside, He Yurou finally lost control of her emotions; tears streamed down her face as she kept repeating, “So all the previous passion was fake; the coldness that followed was real.”

Late at night, Mo Qinghan was awakened by the ringing of her phone. Squinting, she groped around her bed for a while before answering, mumbling, “Hello, who is it?”

A cool male voice laughed softly before saying, “Is this how you sound after waking up?”

Mo Qinghan realized it was Zhao Qingwu calling her, and her sleepiness vanished instantly. She asked warily, “What is it?”

After understanding Zhao Qingwu’s words, Mo Qinghan immediately got out of bed, put on slippers, went downstairs, hailed a cab, and went to the place Zhao Qingwu mentioned.

When she arrived, she found He Yurou slumped over the table, dead drunk, while Zhao Qingwu sat beside her, gently rocking a glass of liquor. Seeing Mo Qinghan, he smiled slightly, “She drank too much. I didn’t know who else to call.” Even Zhao Qingwu didn’t believe his own words, let alone Mo Qinghan.

Mo Qinghan couldn’t call He Zheyu in this situation; doing so would make her relationship with him obvious.

“There’s a hotel nearby. You and her should stay there tonight. You wouldn’t want tomorrow’s headlines to feature the second son of a certain family caught drunk-driving. I can’t drive.”

Zhao Qingwu gave Mo Qinghan a look as if to say, “It’s up to you,” from fifty centimeters away. She rolled her eyes at him, walked over to He Yurou, gently patted her, and spoke a few words, hoping she could help He Yurou walk. Seeing no response, Mo Qinghan asked the staff to help carry He Yurou onto her back. Mo Qinghan, slender and frail, struggled to bear the weight.

Zhao Qingwu simply watched, not believing Mo Qinghan wouldn’t ask him for help. Unexpectedly, she didn’t even look at him, just carried He Yurou out.

After settling the bill, Zhao Qingwu hurried after her.

Only then did Zhao Qingwu notice Mo Qinghan was wearing slippers, with bare heels reddened by the cold. He quickly stepped forward, took He Yurou from Mo Qinghan’s back, and said, “Go get a room with your ID.”

Mo Qinghan withdrew her outstretched hand and whispered, “Where is it?”

Zhao Qingwu glanced at her with deep eyes, his voice a little hoarse, “Left side of the coat, inside the lining pocket.”

Mo Qinghan processed this: wasn’t that over the chest? She coughed awkwardly, “You get it yourself.”

Zhao Qingwu gestured with his eyes as if to say, “Do you see any free hands?” Mo Qinghan bit her lip, hesitated for a few seconds, then finally reached for it.

Once inside the lobby, Mo Qinghan finished the paperwork. Zhao Qingwu asked the front desk to send someone to help get He Yurou into the room. Mo Qinghan felt uneasy and wanted to follow, but Zhao Qingwu firmly pulled her arm, saying, “This is a five-star hotel; nothing will happen!”

Mo Qinghan snapped angrily, “Then why did you call me? You could’ve handled everything yourself, couldn’t you?”

Zhao Qingwu replied in a calm tone, “I just wanted to see you and needed a legitimate excuse. Is that answer satisfactory?”

As soon as he said this, the two ladies at the front desk gave Mo Qinghan an odd look, as if the three of them were acting out a real-life drama where a woman snatches her best friend’s husband. At least that’s what the receptionists thought.

Mo Qinghan felt uncomfortable under those strange gazes, ignored Zhao Qingwu, and walked toward the hotel entrance. This time, Zhao Qingwu didn’t hesitate. He chased after her and, just as she neared the door, hugged her from behind. No matter how Mo Qinghan struggled, he wouldn’t let go. His sorrowful voice cut painfully into her ear, “Am I really so unbearable to you?”

Mo Qinghan, determined to put an end to Zhao Qingwu’s hopes, said firmly, “Yes! From the moment I learned you investigated me, I’ve been disgusted by you. Can you let go of me now?”