Ephraim only took one thing away from the whole exchange—Wang Jianyuan could do whatever he wanted, but Xu Jinyao should never be handed over to him.
With a firm expression, he tightened his hold around Xu Jinyao and looked at Wang Jiannan with narrowed eyes.
"Here's the thing. You want your brother to be softer, more human? Get him a cat. Don't drag other people in and expect them to 'fix' him for you. Your oh-so-tragic brother's already played enough with people's hearts. When he can sort himself out, then he can think about pursuing a love life. Right now, that man is an emotional mess under that pretty face, and he's just hurting everyone around him. I'll tell you straight—he doesn't like Ling Xiaoyu all that much, and he doesn't like Xu Jinyao either. The only person he likes is himself. So do him a favor and buy him some mirrors. He needs those more than a partner."
Wang Jiannan bit his lip, unable to retort. He still wanted to get Xu Jinyao away from Ephraim, but the moment he reached out, Xu Jinyao instinctively hid deeper in Ephraim's arms. After a pause, his voice came, soft and apologetic.
"Sorry, Jiannan… You've been so kind to me… But… you know… Jiejie is right. I don't… I really don't want to go back to that man. I… feel for him… Maybe he does have some hidden trauma… maybe his feelings are… tangled… It does hurt me. I do hope he gets better… that he can be happy… But I'm tired, Jiannan. I'm tired of trying to be that person for him. I can't do it anymore… I'm really sorry…"
Wang Jiannan's hand froze midair before slowly withdrawing. He looked at Xu Jinyao with a deep, pained sadness."Gege… was he really that bad?"
"…You already know the answer, Jiannan…" Xu Jinyao glanced at him from within Ephraim's arms, eyes faintly wet. "He… gave me a lot of things. And there were moments I was grateful to him. But over time… because of him, I lost myself. I don't hate him… I won't make trouble for him. That's not my place. But I can't go back to him…"
Wang Jiannan's fingers twisted the hem of his shirt. His head lowered, and after a long moment, he managed a nod.
"…I understand. I'm sorry too. I… pressured you into this… and completely disregarded how you felt. I'm sorry…"
"Go talk to him…" Ephraim suddenly said, eyes locking onto Wang Jiannan's. bright, deep, unwavering. "Not now… You know… when you really feel like it. Go talk to him. Convince your parents, if they're willing, to have a chat with him sometimes. I don't know what happened in your past… But… I feel like… that guy needs some reassurances. Maybe more than he realizes."
When Rachel heard that, her voice was soft in his mind.
[Rachel: Ephraim… You're forgiving Jianyuan?]
[Ephraim: Absolutely not! That guy smeared my name and did all sorts of ridiculous things in his past life. I'm still going to give him a beating here and there…]
[Rachel: Just a little beating…?]
Ephraim didn't answer. His lips parted, but no words came.
Because in that moment—unbidden—images he had long kept buried flickered before his eyes.
An old man, hair white as ash, weeping over his crumbling fortune and ruined life.
A woman clutching her lover's corpse as if she could will him back to breathe.
A child staring at him with wide, unblinking eyes. Eyes full of hate.
Lives he had destroyed with his own hands.
A tremor ran through him. He shut his eyes tight, forcing the memories back into the dark corner where they belonged.
He didn't want to remember.
He couldn't.
[Ephraim: I will punish him suitably… but not excessively. I… I have that power now. No… I have that choice now. The freedom… to leave people be.]
Rachel rested her chin in her palm, quietly mulling over his words. After a moment, she murmured, voice warm and steady.
[Rachel: Well… you are the mission executioner here, honey. And I'll support you through it.]
Ephraim's chest eased just a little at that. He lifted his gaze again, meeting Wang Jiannan's eyes, deeply, intently.
"Did you hear me?"
Wang Jiannan stared back, and the longer he looked, the more an odd familiarity stirred in his heart.
'…Nah. No way. Wake up, Jiannan… you're being ridiculous.'
"I'm not good with these things," Ephraim admitted after a pause, searching for his words. "…But… I hope you manage to get along. At least… the way you want to."
Something in that tone made Wang Jiannan's heart skip. He reached up to ruffle his own hair with a half-sigh, looking away.
"Oh man… I'm in no mood to stay here anymore. Gege, you wanna go back?"
"No."
"…I… I won't make things difficult for you, I promise."
"No. I don't blame you, Jiannan. It's just… I want to be away for a while. From anything to do with him. Besides…" Jinyao's voice lowered slightly, "…I feel like he'd come looking for me at your house. I don't want to see him. Not for a while, at least."
Wang Jiannan hesitated, then finally exhaled.
"…I understand. Um… please take care of yourself for now, Gege."
When he was gone, Ephraim and Xu Jinyao exchanged a glance.
"Now what… I pulled all that drama, but I've got nowhere to sleep. If I go to any of my usual spots, that guy will find me. Maybe… a hotel?"
Ephraim shook his head. "No hotel. He'll track you down sooner or later. Just come over to mine. We can have a blast. Always wanted to host a pyjama party."
"Ah… no. If I stick too close to you, I'm afraid Mister Shen might feel uncomfortable. And besides, if Wang Jianyuan finds out-" Xu Jinyao sighed, "-he already doesn't like you. He's caused you so many problems, and he'll only make things worse."
"Oh, it's fine. And really, who's scared of a second-rate drama villain?"
"I'd also feel awkward, sandwiched between a lovey-dovey couple right after my own breakup."
"You can stay at mine."
The two turned in unison toward the man on their left.
A few seconds of silence passed, the air thick with awkwardness.
Finally, Ephraim broke it. "Oh. The guy who had something even worse than a breakup happen to him… I almost forgot you were here."
Zhou Gao looked at them with an awkward smile.
He had only been here because his CEO had oh-so-graciously gifted him a gym membership yesterday. At the time, Zhou Gao thought it was simply because Mister Shen was pleased with the date outfit he had helped him pick out.
But then the news about Ling Xiaoying had broken. That was when he realised—Mister Shen's date had been her all along.
He trusted his boss, and by extension, the woman his boss was putting so much effort into for the first time. So, when the online storm began, he could only stubbornly defend her—though his efforts barely made a ripple. By this morning, his mood was as sour as spoiled vinegar.
Then the boss suddenly called, his first words being a baffling, "Are you single?"
Before Zhou Gao could even process the question, a string of links and glowing reviews for this very gym had landed in his inbox.
It didn't take much to put two and two together—Mister Shen clearly wanted him to come today.
And, well… he had nothing to lose. A workout might help him forget his pitiful fanboy life for a while.
Except, the moment he stepped inside, he ran straight into Ling Xiaoying herself.
In that instant, Zhou Gao knew without a shred of doubt—Mister Shen had wanted him to meet her.
'Is this a gift to a fan…? Is he taking pity on me…? No… no, of course not. He must have his own plans. Why would he let me meet his woman so easily? Clearly, he wants me to help her somehow… Perhaps… she's the one who wanted to meet me…'
Thinking so, Zhou Gao quickly fished out his business card, the very one he'd even brought along on his day off, and handed it to her with both hands.
"Oh, I'm sorry for the late introduction, Miss Ling. I'm Zhou Gao. I work for Mister Shen…"
Ephraim took the card, turning it over in his fingers. Then, something seemed to click, and he leaned forward slightly, curiosity in his gaze.
"His… secretary, perchance?"
"Yes indeed! Miss Ling is so perceptive, just as expected of such a smart person." Zhou Gao nodded eagerly, practically glowing. To think Mister Shen might have mentioned him to Miss Ling!
'So I am appreciated after all! How much luck did I burn for this miracle to happen? Oh… what if Mister Shen even mentioned me to Ling Xiaoying…! No, no… I shouldn't get ahead of myself…'
Lost in his giddiness, he didn't notice Ephraim's sharp, assessing look, eyes quietly studying every detail about him.
[Ephraim: Rachel… is he a good man? Upright? Any criminal record?]
[Rachel: Clean as a baby. He even has five pets—two rescued cats, one dog, a chinchilla, and a tarantula.]
[Ephraim: That's nice. Family?]
[Rachel: Comes from a farmer's family. Left home for the big city to attend college, then took up a job to support them after they suffered some business setbacks. This is straight from the blog his little sister runs—she writes about her daily village life and ends every post by thanking her brother.]
[Ephraim: Aww… But… he's so short… did he really come from farmers…?]
[Rachel: Sweetheart… it's a good thing you didn't post that on your account. You'd have been cancelled instantly.]
[Ephraim: Why isn't he just perfect. The perfect guy. Oh, and apparently he's got a thing for faces like mine, plus a good eye for talent. As Zhou-ge himself mentioned, he'll definitely appreciate and promote Xu Jinyao if he recognises his worth.]
Rachel paused for a beat, her tone turning faintly amused.
[Rachel: Oh, you know him too, sweet pea.]
[Ephraim: Hm?]
[Rachel: ShrimpKing88.]
[Ephraim: Ohhhh…]
With a sudden swell of fondness for the man, Ephraim flashed him a dazzling smile. Then, with absolutely no shame, he smoothly spun a line, mostly to give the anxious figure at his feet a little peace of mind now that a new possibility had opened up.
"Oh, Mister Zhou, I've heard so much about you. Zhou-ge- I mean- Mister Shen speaks very highly of you. I've always wanted to meet you."