After the Breakup, My Ex-Boyfriend’s "White Moonlight" Became Obsessed With Me - Chapter 16

The body in his arms stiffened for a moment, and the sobbing gradually ceased.

Ji Yang was indeed drunk, but the moment he saw He Ran, he had sobered up significantly. It was simply that he had not seen He Ran for so long and missed him so deeply. Under the influence of the alcohol, he finally gave voice to the words he dared not say when sober.

He remained slumped against He Ran’s chest, unmoving. After a long silence, he choked out, “Why must you be so cruel to me? You broke up with me just like that, without a single trace of regret.”

His voice was mournful, sounding as though he had suffered a great injustice.

He Ran could not help but let out a soft, dry laugh. He pushed him away without hesitation and looked directly into eyes soaked with tears. “Ji Yang, if I remember correctly, you were the one who brought up the breakup. You were the one who discarded me first.”

His lips carried a smile and his tone was almost tender, yet his eyes remained cold.

Ji Yang’s body swayed slightly. He stepped forward to grab He Ran’s hand, tears streaming down his face as he shook his head repeatedly. “I regret it. I really regret it. I never wanted to break up. I never wanted to leave you. Will you please forgive me?”

He Ran simply watched him, saying nothing.

Ji Yang, seemingly seeing a flicker of hope, continued quickly. “I never did anything to betray you. I admit, in the past, I did like Yin Zheng. But that was a long time ago. I do not like him at all now. I only like you, truly! Please believe me.”

He Ran looked into his eyes calmly. He did not see any evasion or guilt, only trepidation and expectation.

So, what Yin Zheng said was true? He Ran thought to himself. It appeared that, for once, Yin Zheng had not lied to him.

Beyond that, there was nothing else.

With a light sigh, He Ran pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to Ji Yang. “Wipe your face. We will talk about the rest outside.”

Ji Yang had fully regained his senses and realized this was not the place for such a conversation. He took the handkerchief obediently and began to wipe his face, feeling a belated sense of embarrassment.

He Ran said nothing more, only stating, “Let us go.”

Ji Yang kept his head down and followed him out of the bar.

Once they were in the car, He Ran did not start the engine immediately. After a long silence, he spoke softly. “Ji Yang, there is something I have never been able to understand.”

Sitting in the passenger seat, Ji Yang looked at him blankly. “What is it?”

He Ran turned to face him. “Back in university, I remember you did not like me at first. I pursued you for two years without you ever relenting. But then, only a few days after Yin Zheng went abroad, you came to me and said you agreed to date. I want to know what happened in between that made you suddenly change your mind.”

As the words left his mouth, Ji Yang’s face turned visibly grim. By the time the final sentence fell, he had turned deathly pale.

He Ran did not continue. He simply watched him, waiting for an answer.

Ji Yang looked utterly defeated. His eyes were bloodshot, and his lips trembled, unable to form a single word.

After waiting a moment and seeing that Ji Yang still had no intention of speaking, He Ran asked, “Is that question so difficult to answer?”

“No. It is not.” Ji Yang gripped his sleeves tightly, staring at the floor, unable to meet He Ran’s gaze. He murmured, “It was nothing. I…”

“Ji Yang!” He Ran interrupted him suddenly. Ji Yang flinched and looked at him in terror. He Ran continued, “If you still have any affection for me at all, do not lie to me again.”

A long silence followed. Ji Yang closed his eyes, his lips shaking as he asked, “Did he tell you to ask me this?”

He Ran knew exactly who “he” referred to. He simply said, “That does not matter. I only want to know the truth. I do not want to remain in the dark any longer.”

He Ran felt a bitter smile forming in his heart. He had told himself he did not care, but that was just a lie. This was a relationship he had invested five years of genuine emotion into. To have it begin and end in such a confusing manner left him feeling deeply unsettled. As the saying goes, if one must die, they should at least understand why.

Ji Yang took a deep breath and turned to look out the window. After a pause, he began to speak softly.

“It started when I first moved into the Yin household. You probably know that I grew up there. I was twelve years old when I arrived. My mother and Mrs. Yin were childhood friends, like sisters. After my mother passed away, she entrusted me to her care. Auntie Yan was a wonderful person and treated me well. My lifestyle was no different from that of her own son. Her son was Yin Zheng.”

“Although Yin Zheng had a mild temperament, I was inexplicably afraid of him. Even though we lived under the same roof, we did not have much contact. The turning point came when I was fifteen.”

He paused there. He Ran remained silent, listening intently.

Ji Yang exhaled sharply and continued. “That autumn, a woman brought a teenage boy to the Yin house. I was an outsider, so I knew what I should and should not hear. I hid in my room and did not go out. I do not know exactly what happened outside. I only found out later that the woman was a mistress Mr. Yin kept, and the boy was his illegitimate son.”

Ji Yang’s voice carried a clear tone of disgust, and his brow was furrowed tightly.

He Ran was not particularly surprised; large families were never short of such sordid affairs. Even his own father had a few “confidantes” in his youth, though he stopped after his relationship with He Ran’s mother deepened. However, allowing an illegitimate child to be brought to the family home was a mark of sheer stupidity.

Ji Yang continued, “After that, Mr. Yin rarely came home. Auntie Yan’s health began to fail. She would cough uncontrollably every night. During that time, the atmosphere in the house was incredibly oppressive. I became even more cautious, living in fear every day. I thought that was the worst it could get, but that winter, Auntie Yan’s condition suddenly worsened. Before I could even process what was happening, she passed away.”

It was late at night. He Ran opened the car window. The late autumn breeze was beginning to feel cool, yet his heart felt incredibly heavy.

Ji Yang did not look at him. He stared down, lost in thought for a moment before continuing.

“Not long after, that woman and her child, Yin Xun, officially moved into the house. The woman was fine; regardless of what she was thinking, she at least maintained the image of a gentle stepmother and was polite to Yin Zheng and me. But Yin Xun…”

Ji Yang’s voice suddenly began to shake. His teeth were chattering, and he curled up in his seat, wrapping his arms tightly around himself.

He Ran had not expected such a strong reaction. Just as he was about to speak, Ji Yang continued.

“He was a monster! He could not get the better of Yin Zheng, so he started targeting me instead. Even though he was an illegitimate son, Mr. Yin had married that woman, making him a legitimate young master of the Yin family. And what was I? My only connection to the Yins was Auntie Yan, who was not even related to me by blood. Once she was gone, I became a total outsider in that house.”

“I lived in a state of constant anxiety every day, only waiting and hoping to move out after the college entrance exams. At first, it was just verbal abuse, which I could endure. But then, perhaps because he saw that I did not dare to resist, he became even more aggressive. One night…”

Ji Yang’s eyes turned red as he stared fixedly ahead. Tears began to fall unconsciously. Seeing him like this, He Ran sensed what was coming and stopped him.

“Stop. You do not have to say any more.”

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