Found Him! My 'Glass-Hearted' Ex is a Pop-Up Star - Chapter 3

Ying Ruo flipped through the chat history and said, “Ah, it was me who wanted to break up with you; that’s why I muted you.”

“Who said we broke up!”

Duan Zhuyan paused mid-sentence, abruptly averting his gaze. His Adam’s apple bobbed unnaturally. With reddened ears and a clenched jaw, he added in a cold, stuttering voice, “I was just giving you time to think things through properly.”

Ying Ruo blinked and looked down at their chat history again. He must have accidentally deleted the chat window before, as the history only went back a short while. Consequently, the interface looked incredibly bizarre.

17:11

Ying Ruo: I’ve been thinking. Ying Ruo: I feel like maybe we should spend some time apart to cool off.

17:11

U-Uni BMS Duan Zhuyan: ? You’re sure about this? Have you thought it through?

17:13

U-Uni BMS Duan Zhuyan: [No message] U-Uni BMS Duan Zhuyan: Fine. U-Uni BMS Duan Zhuyan: Don’t come running back to me in a panic later.

17:30

U-Uni BMS Duan Zhuyan: . U-Uni BMS Duan Zhuyan: Have you really considered this clearly? U-Uni BMS Duan Zhuyan: Why say this so suddenly? Have you actually thought about it? U-Uni BMS Duan Zhuyan: I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that this time. Think about it more carefully.

17:37

U-Uni BMS Duan Zhuyan: Have you decided?

17:39

U-Uni BMS Duan Zhuyan: Thought it over yet?

17:42

U-Uni BMS Duan Zhuyan: [No message] U-Uni BMS Duan Zhuyan: Were you kidnapped? Do you want me to call the police for you?

18:00

U-Uni BMS Duan Zhuyan: Why haven’t you decided yet? U-Uni BMS Duan Zhuyan: I already miss you.

18:04

U-Uni BMS Duan Zhuyan: [No message] U-Uni BMS Duan Zhuyan: Wrong person. U-Uni BMS Duan Zhuyan: This is frustrating; why can’t I unsend this?

18:30

U-Uni BMS Duan Zhuyan: . U-Uni BMS Duan Zhuyan: Do you really want to be apart from me? U-Uni BMS Duan Zhuyan: I am not trying to keep you, but I just think what you are doing is extremely irrational.

18:35

U-Uni BMS Duan Zhuyan: Why haven’t you figured it out yet? U-Uni BMS Duan Zhuyan: I am sad.

18:36

U-Uni BMS Duan Zhuyan: . I am not actually that sad; I was just talking nonsense.

18:39

U-Uni BMS Duan Zhuyan: Still haven’t decided?

Ying Ruo rubbed his chin. Based on this, it seemed they had not actually fully broken up. However, this guy certainly talked a lot.

Ying Ruo wanted to keep reading, but a large hand clamped down over his screen. Duan Zhuyan looked down, his lips pressed thin. Seeing the screen filled with his own white message bubbles, he reached out to block the view.

“Don’t look,” Duan Zhuyan said, his voice low. His fingertips curled slightly. Though he maintained a calm exterior, the knuckles covering the phone were turning red, and the tendons on the back of his hand were strained. “What is there to see?”

Ying Ruo was truly in a bind. He had not expected this guy to actually be his boyfriend. Judging by the timestamps, the reason he had not replied to Duan Zhuyan was likely because he had already lost his memory and ended up in the hospital. But even without the amnesia, he had only been in the UK for two months. Had he really started a relationship in such a short time? And with a guy, no less.

Ying Ruo glanced again at Duan Zhuyan’s row of earrings. He wondered if he was being threatened. People said international students in the UK lived chaotic lives, having one partner at home and another abroad. It sounded dangerous.

Realizing it was not right to suspect others, Ying Ruo looked up, observed Duan Zhuyan’s expression, and asked cautiously, “Um, why did we want to break up?”

“You are asking me?” Duan Zhuyan frowned, speaking fiercely. “Should you not be asking yourself?”

Ying Ruo: “I do not know.”

If he knew, he would not be asking. Thinking about it made Duan Zhuyan feel irritable again, yet also somewhat aggrieved. With a stiff face and a dissatisfied tone, he said, “I wanted to ask you, too. Why were you avoiding me lately? Did I do something to annoy you?”

Ying Ruo was shocked. He wondered if he was actually the “bad guy” in this relationship. But since Ying Ruo had amnesia, he could not remember any of it. Besides, this sudden boyfriend was a lot to handle. He had to work, pay back money, attend classes, meet deadlines, do presentations, cook, clean, and adapt to a life of full-English communication. Adding a boyfriend of this stature on top of that would be overwhelming. He was barely surviving as it was; he did not have time for romance.

“So, how long have we been dating?” Ying Ruo asked.

“Two weeks and five days,” Duan Zhuyan checked his watch. “In a little bit, it will be six days.”

It did not feel like it had been that long. Ying Ruo bit his lip, hesitated for a moment, and then tried calling his name: “Duan Zhuyan.”

The man immediately looked down at him. His reaction speed was like that of a large dog hearing its name. The youth tilted up his fair, handsome face and looked at Duan Zhuyan, asking softly but bluntly, “Do you like me a lot?”

Duan Zhuyan froze. His reflex was to retort, “I hardly—” but he caught himself. Ying Ruo’s voice carried a boyish softness that swirled around his heart, making the words he was about to blurt out vanish.

Ying Ruo’s cheeks were a bit red from the wind. His eyes remained incredibly beautiful, round, and almond-shaped. His nose was pink, and his lips were small but plump and rosy. Enveloped in an oversized hoodie, his frame looked loose, yet the hollows of his collarbones were strikingly visible. He looked innocent and pure, yet oddly captivating.

Duan Zhuyan shut his mouth. He quickly looked away from those pale, soft collarbones. His ears were flushed crimson with embarrassment. After a long pause, he finally spoke awkwardly, his tone softening significantly: “It is just alright.”

“Well, since that is the case,” Ying Ruo negotiated, “how about we just stay broken up for now?”

Duan Zhuyan was stunned. Ying Ruo felt the temperature drop several degrees. Duan Zhuyan’s eyes darkened instantly. His brow lowered, and his deep eyes fixed on him. His aura became powerful and intense. His face was chillingly grim, and his voice was icy and flat: “What did you say?”

Ying Ruo shuddered but gathered his courage to repeat: “I said we can just break up for now.”

Duan Zhuyan heard it twice and still felt he must have misheard. With a dark expression, he said, “You are actually breaking up with me?”

Ying Ruo told the truth: “I have amnesia. Logically speaking, I have never even dated you. You also said you did not like me that much. I just feel like your circle is too messy, and I did not think I would be into your type before. Also, those earrings in your ear—”

The next second, Ying Ruo’s mouth was covered.

“Enough.” Duan Zhuyan looked like he was about to lose his temper. “I dare you to say one more word.”

The London wind blew through their hair. It was freezing, but Duan Zhuyan felt like he was burning up. He took a deep breath, his fists clenched tight. He was truly exasperated. What did he mean by “amnesia means we never dated”? What did he mean by “just alright”? And he still brought up the earrings.

“I did not realize you had such a problem with me,” Duan Zhuyan hissed through gritted teeth. “You want to break up that badly?”

Ying Ruo delivered a blunt line without any malice: “Actually, I do not plan on dating right now. I believe you will find someone better.”

Duan Zhuyan had never been this speechless. In a fit of rage, he nearly stormed off, but his upbringing forced him to suppress the urge to react violently. He squeezed out a sentence through his teeth: “Fine! If we are breaking up, we are breaking up! Do not you dare regret it.”

Ying Ruo stood there, not daring to make a sound. The man stood in the shadows of the streetlamp, his face blurred. After saying that, he glanced at Ying Ruo, his lips pressed tight, a faint flush of anger creeping up his neck. Seconds later, Duan Zhuyan turned his head away coldly and walked off without looking back.

Ying Ruo breathed a small sigh of relief. But for some reason, he actually felt a bit sad. Maybe it was because he had never broken up with someone before. Even though he had no memory of the relationship, his body probably still had some physiological reaction to it. Still, this was for the best. He could not balance everything right now, even if it felt a bit unfair to this ex-boyfriend.

Then, he saw his ex-boyfriend turn around and walk right back. Duan Zhuyan stood in front of him again, saying nothing. After a long, tense standoff, Ying Ruo finally heard him speak coldly: “Take me off your ‘Do Not Disturb’ and ‘Hidden Chats’ lists.”

“Ah.” Ying Ruo processed this and quickly took out his phone. “Oh, okay.”

Though he did not quite understand the logic, he complied. Duan Zhuyan personally watched him disable the settings. Then, silence followed.

“It does not mean anything; we are just acquaintances, after all,” Duan Zhuyan said after a while, returning to his expressionless state. “But since we have broken up, you better not regret it.”

Ying Ruo was bewildered but nodded. However, Duan Zhuyan did not leave immediately. They stood in the freezing London wind in total silence.

“I called an Uber for you,” Duan Zhuyan said impassively. He added, “Do not get the wrong idea. I just do not want to see my ex-boyfriend on the news for being mugged the day after we break up.”

Ying Ruo did not quite understand, but a car seemed safer than navigating London near midnight alone. Plus, an Uber would be expensive.

“Thank you,” Ying Ruo said politely.

“Do not mention it,” Duan Zhuyan replied, eyes downcast and voice cold. “Just make sure you do not regret it.”

Ying Ruo nodded slowly, feeling like something was definitely off. Luckily, the car arrived just then. Duan Zhuyan saw Ying Ruo into the car, spoke a few words to the driver, and then checked on Ying Ruo in the back seat.

“Thanks. How much was the ride? I will transfer the money to you in a bit.”

“No need. I have more money than I know what to do with,” Duan Zhuyan said. “But about this breakup, make sure you have thought it through. Do not regret it. Anyway, you have amnesia and forgot me, so you have no idea how great I actually am. You probably will not ever meet a man as handsome, rich, and considerate as me again. Do not regret it. Did you hear me?”

Ying Ruo thought to himself that this person was truly strange.