Han Qing’s complexion was poor. After being soaked by the rain, he looked even more pitiful. Even so, his slender body remained upright and tall, and his face remained calm and cold. When he saw Yan coming out, his thin lips twitched. He took a step toward her. However, Yan reflexively took a step back when she saw him coming nearer. Noticing her reaction, he stopped in his tracks.
“Yan,” he said, calling her name in a hoarse voice. The gaze in his eyes revealed a trace of suffering.
Why does he look pained? She couldn’t understand the reason for it, but at the moment, she didn’t want to understand it either. All she wanted to know was the truth. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
As the incident where he left partway through the birthday celebration had occurred during the day, Han Qing thought that she was talking about that incident. It did not occur to him that somebody else had told her about the matter of Xu Yanwan being his fiancée. Therefore, he did not think too much about it. After listening to her question, he whispered after a long while, “It’s not easy to talk about it.” After all, that was a wound he had hidden deep in the depths of his heart. No matter who it was, no one would be willing to touch nor open up an old wound again. And, he was no different—he had not been willing to reopen the wounds of his past. Unfortunately, things had occurred too suddenly today, and the current situation was a result of that.
After he left the restaurant, he regretted it. Thus, he immediately returned to look for her, but she had left the premises by then. Afterward, he heard from the staff members there that Yan had been pouring her heart out to prepare the celebration for him. Only then did he realize that the young lady had simply wanted to celebrate his birthday with him. Unfortunately, she was unaware of his past. Besides, he never had the intention of bringing up the wounds deep in his heart again. However, it seemed like there was no way to avoid it this time around.
That was why he told her that it wasn’t something easy for him to bring up before this. Firstly, he did not want to reopen his wounds; secondly, he did not want to mention his past if there was no reason to. Even so, he came here to clear the air between them. Unfortunately, in Yan’s eyes, the question she had asked him was regarding the matter with Xu Yanwan. To that question, he had answered that it was hard to talk about it. Is it hard for him to talk about it because he has a fiancée? What a great excuse that is…
She sniffled, seeming to hear the sound of her heart about to shatter to pieces. “Hard to talk about? So… it’s true?” Is Xu Yanwan really his fiancée? Then what am I? Am I the mistress after all? The receptionist had known about this. Doesn’t that mean that… the entire company knows about this? Was I the only one kept in the dark about it?
Then, she thought about how she constantly went to the company as well as how she and Han Qing had left the company together with Xu Yanwan in tow. To the others, she was the third party in that relationship. She felt ludicrous just thinking about it.
On the other hand, Han Qing did not say a word in defense under her questioning. He stood there with an inexplicable expression and remained silent. Under many circumstances, remaining silent was a terrifying thing because it could be taken as tacit agreement. In this case, his silence was taken as his tacit agreement to the question she had asked.
So, the engagement between Xu Yanwan and Han Qing is true. In that case, I, Zhou Xiaoyan, am truly the third party in their relationship. Yan started to step backward. The look in her eyes as she gazed at him was devoid of all light. “I understand. Please leave.”
As the distance between them was slight, Han Qing saw the light in the young lady’s eyes dim and vanish. A wave of panic rose in his heart for no reason, then he subconsciously stepped forward and grabbed her wrist. “Things happened all of a sudden; I had no chance to explain it to you. You are angry right now, but please give me some time.”
She shook her head. “No, I don’t need time. Leave.”
When he heard those words, he frowned deeply. “Why?” Is she unwilling to listen to my explanation?
“There is no reason why.” She started to break free from his grip, inch by inch. At the same time, she backed away while pale-faced. “Let go of me.”
Studying her swollen eyes, the remorse in his heart grew stronger. So, he released her hand. “If you don’t want to listen today, I will come again tomorrow to meet you.”
Hearing that he wanted to come and meet her again, she didn’t know why but her anger surged up wildly. Then, she forcefully threw off his hand around her wrist. “Don’t you dare come looking for me! From now onward, we have nothing to do with each other anymore! We’re breaking up!” What does he take me for? Come again tomorrow to meet me? Am I so easy to deceive? For the first time in her life, she was absolutely furious at him. Without any care for her image, her eyes opened wide, but they were as red as a rabbit’s eyes.
He understood that right now, she had hit her breaking point. If he had known the young lady would have such a large reaction to the matter, he should have controlled himself better at the time. “Yan, don’t do this, alright?” Although he was partly to blame, he did not believe that this matter was serious enough to warrant them breaking up.
“Don’t call me Yan.” She took a few steps back, her expression darkened. Standing there with her eyes lowered, her entire body was wrapped in a layer of hostility. “When it comes out of your mouth, it feels disgusting.” From the moment he had admitted to the fact that he had a fiancée, she believed that she was the third party in their relationship. At the same time, she lost all respect for him. Perhaps that was why she had spoken uncaringly and recklessly out of anger.
He had not expected her to speak so harshly. Thus, his eyebrows were tightly knitted together in a scowl as he stood there motionless. “Just because of this, you want to break up with me? Are you not even going to listen to my explanation?”
Just?! She keenly caught onto the word. Then, she looked at him in amusement. He seems to think this isn’t important. Well, he is a man after all. I’m the only one who has to deal with all the gossiping behind my back. Since she had already decided to break up with him, the words she spat out were merciless. “That’s right; I want to break up with you because of this. You don’t think it’s a big deal, do you? But, I do! It’s such a serious matter to me that I don’t even want to see you ever again. Got it? I’ve said what I wanted to say. President Han, please take your leave!”
Luo Huimei and Mr. Zhou, hiding behind the door and eavesdropping on the entire conversation, exchanged glances with each other, not daring to make a sound. They had not expected their daughter to unleash such a terrible temper on Han Qing. Moreover, the words that came out of her mouth were sharp, ruthless, and direct.
Han Qing stood where he was, staring at her. He saw the sparks in her eyes, but he could not understand it. Although he was to blame for this incident, it wasn’t serious enough that they had to break up over it, right?
“Get lost!” Yan chased him away. “I’ve already said I don’t want to see you anymore. So, why are you still stubbornly standing there?”
With her constantly trying to chase him away, coupled with his already bad mood today, the words she kept repeating at him made his hackles rise. “Are you certain?”
“I’m certain; without a doubt; absolutely sure. Leave. Now!”
Han Qing was angered by her provocations. He wanted to turn around and leave. However, after thinking about it, he stepped forward again. “Will you stop making a fuss?”
