A Broken Mirror Never Mends - Chapter 21

Ji Yuanlin still remembered how he sat alone in his research lab all night, looking through Shi Tian’s phone after he first got it back.

Although Shi Tian came from a well-off family, he was never a big spender. Throughout his four years of university, he only used one phone—the one Ji Yuanlin was currently holding.

The 64GB memory was almost entirely full of photos. Over ten thousand pictures and videos captured every bit of Shi Tian’s life, from his high school graduation to his professional career.

Eighty percent of those images involved Zhou Sifu.

Even after their breakup, Shi Tian had kept everything related to Zhou Sifu.

There was Zhou Sifu with cream on his nose during a birthday party; Zhou Sifu squatting by the road to feed a stray dog; Zhou Sifu forced to wear Mickey Mouse ears at Disneyland; and Zhou Sifu in a formal suit on stage for a scholarship presentation.

Under Shi Tian’s lens, Zhou Sifu’s eyes always landed only on Shi Tian, and he only ever smiled for him.

Aside from those, there were many photos of them together. During their four years in college, they had traveled all over the country. In every city they visited, they would take a photo holding hands in front of a famous landmark.

Ji Yuanlin had always seen Shi Tian as a gentle, steady senior who loved taking care of his juniors. He had never seen Shi Tian look so childlike.

In one fifteen-second video, the sun was shining brightly outside. Zhou Sifu was fast asleep on a large hotel bed. Shi Tian leaned over the edge of the bed, pointing the camera at Zhou Sifu’s sleeping face while using a pen to draw cat whiskers on his cheeks.

Shi Tian’s voice came through in the video, sounding like a guilty thief: “Delete this video after you guys watch it! Make sure you don’t tell him I was the one who drew them!”

By the time Ji Yuanlin finished looking through their entire past, the sky outside was beginning to turn gray with dawn.

Looking up at the first light of morning, he felt his own phone vibrate.

He checked the screen and saw a message from Shi Tian, asking where the water kettle was kept at home.

He looked down and typed: [Shi Ge, the old one is broken. I’ll buy a new one and bring it back tonight.]

The other person replied quickly: [Thanks, Xiao Ji. Sorry for the trouble ^_^]

Staring at the smiley face on the screen, the corners of Ji Yuanlin’s mouth curled up, and he couldn’t help but laugh.

Before leaving the lab, he picked up Shi Tian’s old phone, selected every photo and video in the album, and pressed “Delete All.”

Just like that, he easily erased the only proof that the man had ever existed in Shi Tian’s world.

The manager of Moonlight Tower had just sent off the last group of guests before closing when he received news that Mr. Ji seemed to have been punched by Mr. Zhou, and his nose was bleeding.

The waiter stationed outside the private room said he only heard the dull thud of a teacup hitting the floor. He originally wanted to knock and check what was happening, but he saw Mr. Ji push open the door with a grim expression, covering his nose as he hurried downstairs.

Since only Mr. Zhou and Mr. Ji were in the room, no one knew exactly what had happened.

Upon hearing the report, the manager hurried upstairs. He walked cautiously into the room and found an expensive tea set shattered on the floor. Mr. Zhou was still sitting in a rosewood chair, looking down while sipping tea, his expression calm and undisturbed.

Mr. Zhou didn’t explain much about what had just happened. He simply paid the bill, compensated for the broken tea set, and left a generous tip as usual. Not long after, he stood up and left.

Having been a manager at Moonlight Tower for many years, he had seen it all. Usually, when something like this happened, it was for one of two reasons: a business dispute or a relationship dispute.

Looking at the luxury car that had recently been pulled out of the water across the way, he wondered which one applied to Mr. Zhou and Mr. Ji.

When Zhou Sifu returned to the parking lot, Ji Yuanlin and his Maserati were already gone.

Old Zhao had been waiting in the SUV. Seeing Zhou Sifu from a distance, he quickly got out and opened the passenger door.

“President Zhou,” Old Zhao said with a nod, his hands behind his back. “Mr. Ji just left. The Maserati dealership sent a rescue team to pick up the man and the car.”

He didn’t dare tell his boss that before leaving, Mr. Ji had turned his head and glared at him with a cold, hateful look through the car window.

Thinking about this, Old Zhao felt like crying. His driving skills were usually excellent; he would never have backed a Maserati into a lake if his boss hadn’t ordered him to!

Opening the car door, Zhou Sifu handed Old Zhao a high-quality cigarette.

“Good job,” Zhou Sifu said to his driver. “Take a paid vacation for the next two days. Put the expenses on my tab.”

“Thank you, President Zhou!”

Old Zhao took the cigarette and had just finished thanking him when he noticed a white Audi dozens of meters away flash its headlights at them.

Soon, the Audi door opened, and a young man got out from the passenger side.

Old Zhao was about to start the engine when he heard his boss speak up: “Wait a moment.”

Across the parking lot, the person who got out of the Audi stood by the door for a long time, looking hesitant. After a moment of indecision, the person finally seemed to make up their mind and walked toward their car.

As the person drew closer, Zhou Sifu remained sitting calmly in his seat with his legs crossed, showing no intention of getting out.

“…”

Old Zhao couldn’t help but cough lightly.

He wanted to remind his boss that his seatbelt was buckled backwards.

Walking all the way to the black Mercedes, Shi Tian held his hand in the air for a long time before finally knocking gently on the window.

“President Shi?”

The window rolled down, and Zhou Sifu turned his head slightly, looking somewhat surprised. “I thought you had already left.”

“I did, but I came back.” Making eye contact with Zhou Sifu, Shi Tian quickly looked away unnaturally. “I have something I want to discuss with you. Do you have time?”

Unlocking the back door with his key, Zhou Sifu made a “please” gesture to Shi Tian.

To give them space to talk privately, Old Zhao stepped out of the car. After Old Zhao left, Zhou Sifu leaned back in his seat with a lazy expression. “If you are still worried about that money, I’ll have my assistant go to the bank tomorrow and—”

“It’s not about the money,” Shi Tian interrupted quickly. “President Zhou, I am currently looking for a guarantor to act as a temporary contact until I pay off my first debt.”

Through the rearview mirror, he saw Zhou Sifu raise an eyebrow. “…Oh?”

“I thought you met your husband today to reach an out-of-court settlement. What happened? Did the settlement fail? Are you preparing to go to court?”

“I never planned to settle.” Hearing the sarcasm in Zhou Sifu’s voice, Shi Tian’s tone remained calm. “Meeting Ji Yuanlin today was only to find out what he was planning. Now that I know the situation, going to court is only a matter of time.”

“Then you should know that a guarantor also carries joint liability in a debt dispute. If you lose the case, wouldn’t I become the ‘scapegoat’?”

Shi Tian bit his lip. “You’re overthinking it. I’m not asking you to be my guarantor.”

“…”

The hand Zhou Sifu had resting on his knee paused slightly. “…Then what do you mean?”

“The money is safe with you, and I’m not worried about anything going wrong.” Shi Tian took a deep breath and said, “Before I find a guarantor, I want to ask you to keep the money for me. If I lose the case, I’ll need you to help me convert that money into investments and medical insurance, with my parents named as the beneficiaries.”

He paused and continued, “If you don’t remember their names and ID numbers, I can text them to you later.”

A faint smile remained on Zhou Sifu’s lips, but his gaze suddenly turned cold. “So, are you prepared to lose and go to jail? Is this you settling your final affairs?”

“No.” Shi Tian looked up, meeting the eyes in the mirror honestly. “I will do my best to win the case, but I must also be prepared to end up with nothing.”

“I don’t trust anyone else, but I know you would never hurt my parents,” he said. “Zhou Sifu, for the sake of how well they treated you in the past, please help me this once.”

After saying this, Shi Tian saw Zhou Sifu leaning against the passenger seat with a frown, remaining silent for a long time.

He knew this wasn’t a small favor, and Zhou Sifu would definitely need time to think, so he didn’t rush him.

The car was silent. Zhou Sifu closed his eyes and then opened them, looking at the figure in the rearview mirror.

He couldn’t quite remember the last time they were alone like this.

The young man in the back seat had his eyes lowered. Perhaps because he was asking for a favor, his hands were crossed loosely over his knees, and there was a hint of hidden embarrassment in his eyes.

This person was definitely thinking about other things, so he didn’t notice Zhou Sifu’s gaze.

Looking down slightly, Zhou Sifu saw a faint redness on the corner of Shi Tian’s lip.

It was a mark left by a rough kiss, a small wound from struggling in Ji Yuanlin’s arms.

It wasn’t big, but it was an eyesore.

He forgot where he had read it—that people like Shi Tian were “soft in speech, but hard in heart.”

Since he had known Shi Tian, the man always solved his problems silently by himself and rarely bothered others.

Only Zhou Sifu was an exception.

During the years they were together, Shi Tian had gradually let down his guard and learned to show his vulnerable side.

Zhou Sifu used to joke that he was the one who made Shi Tian beg for mercy the most.

The reason was simple: every time they had sex, Shi Tian would act tough at the beginning, but by the end, his eyelids would be red and heavy, and his lips would tremble as he begged him to stop.

And now, the fortress this man had built against the outside world seemed to have opened a tiny window for him. At this moment, he was sitting in the back seat of the car, less than a meter away, full of hesitation, asking for help.

In Zhou Sifu’s understanding of Shi Tian, it was very hard for this man to trust someone completely. If he could let his guard down even briefly and show a bit of weakness, it meant he didn’t dislike the person in front of him.

“…”

Seeing that Zhou Sifu hadn’t answered for a long time, Shi Tian gathered his courage, looked up, and asked, “Have you decided, President Zhou?”

“Just this?” Zhou Sifu asked. “Nothing else?”

“Yes.” Although he didn’t know what Zhou Sifu was thinking, Shi Tian nodded truthfully. “I know you’re busy. If you don’t have time, you can let your staff handle it. I don’t mind.”

Zhou Sifu lowered his brows and closed his eyes as if he were seriously considering it.

After a long time, he finally got Zhou Sifu’s answer.

“I’ve thought about it,” he heard Zhou Sifu say calmly. “I. Refuse.”

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