The room grew heavy with tension after my question. He scratched the back of his head, his eyes darting anywhere but at me.
"He was, but not anymore," he said with a nervous smile, as if trying to sell me spoiled potatoes.
I looked at him suspiciously, trying to figure out what he was hiding, when suddenly a voice spoke from behind me.
"Ex-boyfriend, to be precise," he said with a sly smirk as he came down the stairs.
His gaze bore into me, heavy and unblinking, as if he wanted me to remember that some shadows never truly fade. Oh, hell no—he wasn't the green-tea-bitch routine with me. I wasn't like those housewives who'd break down over a single sentence. Yes, he was the ex-boyfriend, but that didn't mean a damn thing. He's the past. I'm the present. And that's final.
"Oh! So, you are the ex? Hahaha! Damn, with all that confidence, one would have thought you are the fiancé—or wife—only to find out you are just the past acting like a green tea,"
I said, laughing, then put on a serious face, fixing my gaze on him.
He face went from all smug to sour. I spun around and dragged Lao Zhan upstairs by his ear, ignoring his protests.
It was the next morning. I woke up and found Lao Zhan gone. I got out of bed and went downstairs to check on him in his office. I had just walked down the stairs when I saw his office door slightly ajar. I walked toward it and was about to enter when I saw a shocking scene: Lan Xichen was on Lao Zhan's lap, slowly unbuttoning his shirt while they looked each other in the eyes. He then leaned in as if to kiss him, but I turned around and left. I didn't cry nor did I feel sad; after all, I knew better not to rely on a man. Men are like a dark hole—they are never satisfied, so why have any expectations from someone uncontrollable as a man? I took a shower, put on a white t-shirt with grey sweatpants, and a white hoodie. I put on my headphones, grabbed my phone and went downstairs to have breakfast. When I got there, I found them already at the table. I continued listening to music while playing a game as I walked to the table and sat down. I put down my phone and picked up my juice, stretching my hand to reach out for some fruit on the table—only to touch his hand, which was trying to reach for the same fruit.
I turned to look at him, and he was staring at me with a smug expression on his face. At that very moment, I felt my body hunger for blood. I clenched my fist around the glass, and as it shattered, juice splashed across the floor, coating my hands and the table. "Nauseating. Aunt Song, could you please bring my breakfast to my room?" I said, looking at Lan Xichen with disdain. I picked up a napkin from the table and wiped my hand that had touched his. Then I threw the bloody napkin onto the table, stood up, grabbed my phone, and went to my room. Lao Zhan was scared the moment he saw the blood dripping from my hand as I went upstairs. He got up from his chair and followed me, calling my name, but I avoided him like he was nothing. I reached my room and went to the bathroom to tend to my injury. Just as I was about to bandage my hand, he walked in and rushed to help me.
"Get lost!" I snapped, looking at him with disdain as I pushed him away.
I got out of the bathroom, grabbed my car keys from the nightstand, and left. When I got downstairs, I saw Lan Xichen busy eating as if nothing had happened. That pissed me off. He was eating calmly while I couldn't even touch my food because the memory of him leaning in to kiss Lao Zhan made me feel like throwing up. I went crazy, grabbed the chair and yanked it around with him still sitting in it, spinning him to face me. I picked up 2 knives from the table and drove them with my full force into his thighs.
"ARGHHH!" he cried out in pain, his body jerking violently as dark stains spread instantly across his pants, painting the floor and chair in chaotic splatters.
The noise pulled Lao Zhan downstairs. He skidded to a stop, eyes widening at the scene — a pool of blood and me standing in front of Lan Xichen, smirk fixed in place.