After the Most Hated Persona Faked Their Death, the Ex-Husband Lost His Mind - Chapter 19

“Is this? Is this me?” Li Zhi stared blankly at the person in the mirror. He could hardly recognize himself.

Li Zhi stood frozen for a few seconds before the realization finally hit him. His eyes sparked with light. “Really? Truly? I can actually attend?”

He knew that attending Chu Mingzhang’s birthday banquet was no small feat; the guests were all prominent figures with status and reputation. Even Zhou Baiyu had uncharacteristically straightened up, knowing this was not a place where he could act recklessly. When necessary, Zhou Baiyu even had to follow Zhou Guoxiong to handle social pleasantries.

Li Zhi’s status was somewhat unpresentable. Forget about him; even when Wang Xiaochun wanted to come, Zhou Guoxiong had rejected her outright. Fortunately, she was pregnant, so Zhou Guoxiong was able to use that as an excuse to turn her down.

Therefore, Li Zhi had never even dreamed he could attend this banquet. In his mind, the best possible outcome was simply having Chu Mingzhang personally accept the gift he had prepared with all his heart.

That would have been enough.

But now, Chu Mingzhang had invited him (or at least, it could be seen as an invitation). It was a complete windfall, and Li Zhi was so excited his whole body felt flushed.

Chu Mingzhang looked at him, somewhat speechless. “Is it really worth all that?”

“It is, of course it is,” Li Zhi said. He was so flustered he even became clumsy, turning around and running toward the bathroom with his arms and legs moving in awkward unison.

Fearing that Chu Mingzhang might change his mind, Li Zhi took a lightning-fast shower. He pushed the door open and stepped out while water was still dripping from his hair, only to stumble upon a slightly awkward scene.

Actually, Li Zhi did not find it awkward at all, but judging by the way Chu Mingzhang swiftly set down his spoon and the unnatural expression on his face, perhaps Chu Mingzhang felt it was.

Regrettably, after so much time, the ice cream cake had mostly melted. Furthermore, when the bodyguard had pulled Li Zhi down from the railing earlier, the cake had slammed onto the floor. The already poorly presented ice cream cake was now completely unsightly.

But since Li Zhi had made it seriously and by hand, he still felt a bit self-conscious and could not help but ask Chu Mingzhang the usual question: “Does it taste good?”

Chu Mingzhang seemed to have recovered from his initial unease. He glanced at the cake and spoke the truth: “It looks a bit like vomit.”

“Oh. Oh.” Li Zhi scratched his head and gave an embarrassed smile. “The weather is too hot. Once the ice cream melts, the texture is indeed a bit disgusting.”

Chu Mingzhang did not touch the mangled cake again, nor did he continue the meaningless topic.

Sitting in a soft chair, he reached out like a magician and produced a pair of glasses with a broken temple arm. Li Zhi rubbed his eyes, a look of joy appearing on his face. “My glasses!”

Just as Li Zhi reached out to take them, he saw the fingers hooked around the nose bridge pull back, causing him to grab at thin air. Chu Mingzhang lowered his head slightly. “What is your prescription?”

“Huh?” Li Zhi had not expected the sudden question, but he answered obediently. “It is not high. My left eye”

Before Li Zhi could finish, he was interrupted by a sudden movement. Chu Mingzhang reached out and swept all the hair off Li Zhi’s forehead, pushing it back.

In that moment, Li Zhi forgot how to breathe. The distance between them was barely ten centimeters. He could see Chu Mingzhang’s high brow bone and thick eyelashes. A second before their eyes could truly meet, Li Zhi averted his gaze in a panic.

Then, the hand brushing his hair moved away. Li Zhi heard a “snap.” Following the sound, he saw that Chu Mingzhang had snapped off the other temple arm of the glasses.

With an expressionless face, Chu Mingzhang tossed Li Zhi’s glasses into the trash can. “Since your prescription is low, do not wear them anymore if there is no reason to.”

Li Zhi did not ask why. He figured even if he did, Chu Mingzhang would not answer, so he simply nodded. “Oh.”

Chu Mingzhang said nothing more and turned to walk out. After a moment’s thought, Li Zhi followed him with a keen sense of timing.

“Where are we going?” Li Zhi asked boldly.

Chu Mingzhang glanced at him sideways without answering directly. “You will know when you get there.”

The place Chu Mingzhang led him to was a walk-in closet.

Chu Mingzhang sat on a sofa while the butler brought him freshly ground Blue Mountain coffee, thoughtfully preparing chocolates and biscuits on the side to tide him over. “Master, do you need anything else?”

“No. You may leave.” As the butler bowed and prepared to depart, he was called back. “Wait.”

Chu Mingzhang jerked his chin toward a spot nearby. “How much longer?”

On the other side, a private tailor was measuring Li Zhi. He knelt down to measure the inseam and called out a number in Italian to an assistant nearby, who nodded and recorded it.

“I believe it is almost finished, Master,” the butler told Chu Mingzhang.

Chu Mingzhang nodded. “After the measurements, have someone groom him. Tell me when it is over.”

“Yes, Master.” The butler saw him off, then turned and walked toward Li Zhi with a smile. “Master Li, please come with me.”

The butler led Li Zhi to a soft, wide leather sofa facing a mirror. “The stylist will be here momentarily. Master Li, do you have any other requirements?”

“A stylist.” Li Zhi suddenly felt nervous. “Do I need to get a haircut?”

“Is there a problem, Master Li?” the butler asked with a polite bow.

Li Zhi nervously scratched the back of his hand but eventually shook his head. “No.”

“Very well.” The butler looked at the arriving styling team and introduced the lady leading them. “This is your stylist. You may let her know if you have any requests.”

“Yes,” the lady said with a sweet smile. “Do you have any specific requirements for today’s look?”

The butler, the female stylist, and her assistants all looked at Li Zhi simultaneously. These gazes made Li Zhi nervous, and his voice became as soft as a mosquito’s buzz. “Uh, no requirements. Just do not cut it too short.”

“I understand.” The stylist smiled at him again with perfect service etiquette. “I will do my best to ensure your satisfaction.”

Li Zhi did not quite know how to describe what followed. He only remembered the constant snip-snip of scissors and the feeling of hair fragments falling on his face before being gently brushed away.

For nearly an hour, Li Zhi kept his eyes tightly shut. It was not until the stylist said for the third time, “Master Li, please take a look; are you satisfied?” that Li Zhi nervously opened his eyes.

“Is this? Is this me?” Li Zhi stared blankly at the person in the mirror.

With a face no longer obscured by a heavy fringe and eyes no longer hidden behind yellowish lenses, Li Zhi could not help but stand up. He reached out to touch the person in the mirror, unable to believe it. “This is me?”

Li Zhi rarely looked in the mirror. He had always believed he was ugly and unsightly. Over time, self-doubt had eroded his heart.

To avoid seeing his own face, he would try his best not to brush his hair aside and avoid looking at his reflection. He had grown so used to it that he had even forgotten what he actually looked like.

“Is there anything that needs further trimming?” the stylist asked in a gentle voice.

“No. No more.” Li Zhi rubbed his face and sat back down, closing his eyes to let the makeup artist clean his face.

A soft, damp puff patted his face with a strange sensation. The makeup artist finished one side of his face but then stopped for some reason, holding the puff and looking at Li Zhi with a troubled expression.

“What’s wrong?” another makeup artist peeked over.

“Sister, look at this,” the makeup artist in charge of the base whispered to her senior. “How did it get darker?”

“Switch to a whiter shade.”

“This is already the whitest one.”

“That is impossible, right?”

The two girls discussed in low voices for a long time before using a makeup remover to clean Li Zhi’s face again. They took a small, soft brush and made a few strokes over his eyebrows and the corners of his eyes, then wiped it off again.

“Doing anything more is just ruining it!” the two girls sighed in unison.

The butler arrived then with a suit for Li Zhi. He bowed and said, “My apologies, Master Li. Due to the tight schedule, our tailor did not have time to custom-make a suit for you. We could only find one of a suitable size. Please try it on.”

Li Zhi put it on. Although it was not custom-made to his measurements, it did not feel too tight or too loose. He looked in the mirror and could not see anything out of place.

“It is very good, very fitting, and very comfortable,” Li Zhi said, not holding back his praise for the clothes. “Thank you.”

The butler smiled. “It is our duty. The Master is already at the door. Please follow me.”

Li Zhi followed the butler out and happened to run into Chu Mingzhang coming his way. He had already changed into a suit. Tall and long-legged, he walked down the wide corridor with a straight back, looking like a professional model.

Li Zhi stared at him blankly until Chu Mingzhang stopped in front of him and looked down slightly. “What are you looking at?”

“Oh, no, nothing.” Li Zhi rubbed his fingers together. “Chu Mingzhang, you look really elegant in a suit.”

Chu Mingzhang had heard such compliments thousands of times. He did not have much of a reaction to Li Zhi saying it. He glanced down at his watch. “Five o’clock. How many people have arrived?”

“Two-thirds. Some guests are still on their way.”

“That is about right.” Chu Mingzhang nodded, then turned back to Li Zhi. “Come down with me.”

Li Zhi immediately grew tense. Chu Mingzhang noticed his slightly pale complexion. “There is nothing to be afraid of. Just stay with me.”

It was easy to say, but such anxiety is not easily controlled. The suit was clearly a perfect fit, yet Li Zhi felt a mysterious tightness at his collar, as if an invisible hand were gripping his throat.

The ballroom was on the first floor, and they were currently on the fourth. For every floor the elevator descended, the grip on his neck seemed to tighten. By the time the 1 lit up, Li Zhi was drenched in a cold sweat.

His legs felt incredibly weak, as if his bones had been removed, leaving his flesh to collapse. The moment the elevator doors opened, Li Zhi suddenly reached out to brace himself against the elevator wall.

At that moment, the only thought in his mind was to run away. He was afraid; afraid to face them, afraid to face so many people without any cover. He

Li Zhi froze. He slowly lowered his head and found his wrist held firmly by someone. The warmth of a palm pressed through his sleeve, close to his skin, close to his beating pulse.

“Keep up.”

The words were very soft, light as a breeze, but as they drifted past his ear, Li Zhi actually heard a trace of tenderness in them.