Your boyfriend is great. He's mine now. - Chapter 3

The fragments of memory were like a boomerang of fate; after haunting him for a decade, they struck him squarely between the brows with unerring accuracy.

“Ah!”

Xiao Yu, who had been full of zest just a moment ago, instantly wilted. He scrambled in a panic to pick up the clothes on the floor and put them on, his hands and feet clumsy with confusion. “Xiaobai, I… how did you get back…”

Shen Xubai looked away, his gaze falling on the small night light. “Work finished early, so I came back.”

Xiao Yu paused. Although Shen Xubai’s expression wasn’t good, he appeared calm and composed he hadn’t rushed over to slap him, nor was he screaming or shouting. But it was precisely this level of “decency” that replaced the guilt Xiao Yu had felt with a flood of anger.

“Don’t you want to ask me something?”

“Is there a need?” Shen Xubai pulled at the corner of his mouth as if he’d just heard a funny joke. He then lifted his hand and glanced at his wristwatch. “Ten minutes. Finish showering and get dressed, and then we’ll talk.”

Xiao Yu’s face darkened. He knew Shen Xubai found him filthy.

Shen Xubai sat curled in the sofa in a deliberately relaxed posture; his long, crossed legs were taut. The television screen was dark as a mirror, reflecting his sharp, clean silhouette. Those eyes, usually filled with detachment, now seemed covered in a thin layer of ice. They looked calm, but underneath, dark tides were churning. His knuckles pressed into the sofa, leaving pale marks, which he then tightly suppressed with his usual cold, solitary composure.

Lin Jinghe picked up his shirt from the floor and put it on in a leisurely manner, staring straight at Shen Xubai. But his provocation didn’t receive a single response.

“Your boyfriend cheats, you catch him in bed, and it doesn’t even stir a single emotion in you?”

Lin Jinghe stepped forward, looking him directly in the eyes. “Shen Xubai, your heart is truly hard.”

Shen Xubai’s gaze was faint, as if he were looking at trash he felt dirtied by just giving it an extra glance. He moved his gaze away and spoke calmly. “You can leave now.”

“Shen Xubai, do you think I’m cheap?”

“Close the door on your way out, thank you.”

Even after being ignored for years, Lin Jinghe still couldn’t stand this look from Shen Xubai. It was calm, laced with a faint disgust. It made one want to go crazy.

“What are you being so arrogant about?!”

Lin Jinghe’s emotions began to crumble. “Shen Xubai, Xiao Yu is mine. As you can see, we’ve been in bed more than once!”

Xiao Yu walked out of the bathroom just in time to hear this and immediately roared in anger, “What the fuck are you spouting?!”

“Brother Xiao, I…”

Lin Jinghe instantly deflated, biting his lip and looking at Xiao Yu with aggrieved eyes.

Xiao Yu was currently distracted and irritable. Not wanting to stir up more trouble, he violently shoved Lin Jinghe out and slammed the door shut.

Shen Xubai watched the whole scene with cold eyes.

Xiao Yu turned back, sat down next to Shen Xubai, and swallowed hard. “Xiaobai, let me explain.”

“Mhm. I’m waiting for your explanation.”

Shen Xubai turned his head and stared at him indifferently.

Xiao Yu had already prepared his speech while in the shower. To him, Lin Jinghe was nothing more than a little toy. He had never lacked pursuers; as long as he admitted his mistake, Shen Xubai should be able to understand. After all, everyone around them knew he had always loved Shen Xubai. It was just a small mistake everyone makes mistakes so he should be given a chance to be forgiven.

But Shen Xubai was too calm, which made Xiao Yu angry. The explanation he had ready was swallowed, and instead, he asked defiantly, “I slept with someone else, are you not even angry?”

Shen Xubai shook his head, looking a bit weary. “I’m very angry, which is why I’m waiting for your explanation.”

Xiao Yu stared at him for a long while, then laughed out of sheer annoyance. “I don’t see you looking angry at all.”

“Does one have to shout and scream to be considered angry?”

“Isn’t that how it works?”

Shen Xubai didn’t want to argue about this with him. “Why did you cheat?”

His formulaic tone made Xiao Yu feel as if Shen Xubai were just casually asking what the weather was like today.

“If you hadn’t refused to let me touch you all this time, would I have brought someone back?”

Shen Xubai found this absurd. “Is that your reason?”

“We’ve been dating for three years. We can count the number of times we’ve kissed on one hand. You never let me touch you, and on the few times I stayed over, you only let me sleep on the sofa. I’m 25 years old how am I supposed to hold back?”

Shen Xubai sternly reminded him, “The day we confirmed our relationship, I told you I didn’t accept sexual activity. You agreed.”

“I thought you were just being reserved. Who knew you were being serious?”

Shen Xubai didn’t want to talk about these old grievances. He had one more question he couldn’t figure out. “Why did you sleep with him here?”

There were so many hotels, so many properties why did they have to come here? To dirty his eyes.

Xiao Yu didn’t know how to explain. He couldn’t very well say that he had slept with Lin Jinghe the night before, and feeling a rare sense of guilt the next day, he had come over on his own initiative, planning to arrange for a chef to set up a lavish dinner and open a bottle of fine wine for Shen Xubai’s return. As for sleeping together, he really hadn’t planned it. But Lin Jinghe had found him regardless, and being a normal man, when the desire struck…

Shen Xubai closed his eyes. “Forget it. There’s no point in knowing so much.”

He left them both a final shred of decency. “Xiao Yu, we’re finished here.”

Xiao Yu jumped up, unable to believe Shen Xubai would propose a breakup. He pressed his lips together, his breathing becoming rapid. “What did you say?!”

“Can’t you understand?”

Shen Xubai looked him straight in the eye, his tone carrying a trace of resentment. “I said, we’re breaking up!”

Shen Xubai rarely showed such direct emotion. Aside from being shocked, Xiao Yu also felt a strange sense of smugness. Shen Xubai is angry. This means he loves me loves me so much that he’s throwing a tantrum and demanding a breakup just because I made a small mistake.

His weird sense of pride was satisfied, and his mood suddenly improved. His voice unconsciously turned a bit softer. “Alright, stop throwing a temper tantrum. He and I were just playing around, nothing serious. If you don’t like it, I won’t see him again.”

Shen Xubai pushed his hand away, his eyes filled with disgust. “I don’t want things that are dirty.”

Xiao Yu instantly flared up. Veins popped on his forehead, and his eyes seemed to spit fire. “Have the guts to say that again!”

“I said you’re dirty. Dirty things only deserve to be thrown in the trash.”

Xiao Yu clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking. A punch grazed Shen Xubai’s right side, carving a large hole in the sofa that didn’t bounce back.

“It was just sleeping together what are you making such a fuss about!”

Shen Xubai didn’t speak, his cold eyes appearing like shards of ice.

Xiao Yu glared at him, then let out a sarcastic laugh. “Shen Xubai, do you really think that after breaking up with me, you can find another man as well-off as I am?”

Shen Xubai sneered. “I won’t bother you with that.”

“Fine, don’t regret it. When you’re crying and begging to come back, I won’t have a soft heart.”

Xiao Yu pulled open the door. Seeing Shen Xubai had no intention of asking him to stay, he lashed out, “Shen Xubai, it’s no wonder your parents didn’t want you. A person like you—no one could ever stand you.”

Shen Xubai’s shattered heart felt like it had fallen into an ice cellar. He never expected that the person who once said he would always respect him, understand him, and tolerate him would become the blade that pierced his chest.

As soon as he finished speaking, he felt a sharp pain in his face. He covered his cheek and looked down viciously at the “weapon.”

A mobile phone.

“Which blind fool—”

The insults were cut short. He stared at the person in front of him, saying in disbelief, “Young Master Gu?”

The man leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, a lazy smile on his face. “Sorry, my hand slipped.”