Zong Xuan returned to the capital to recuperate, and Teng Yizheng came back with him. However, after getting off the plane, the two went their separate ways.
Back at his residence, Zong Xuan felt, for the first time, that the place was cold and lifeless. There was still no reply from Xu Tang’s side—he didn’t know whether it was because Xu Tang didn’t want to reply or simply hadn’t seen the messages.
After the “follow-the-wind” Weibo post went out, Wen Hui informed him immediately.
The day after Zong Yi spoke with Zong Xuan, when Teng Yizheng came over, Zong Xuan had already told him about it. He didn’t mention Xu Tang, only said that he now only considered Teng Yizheng a friend—very good friends. As for his previous unclear behavior, he hoped Teng Yizheng wouldn’t mind, and that he would be more careful in the future.
Teng Yizheng remained very calm and only said, “I know. Aren’t we always just friends? Did you hear some rumors?”
Zong Xuan said, “No. I was just lying in the hospital with nothing to do, so I thought about the past. I felt some things should be said clearly.”
Teng Yizheng smiled and said, “Mm. You should rest well when you have time. Don’t overthink things. Recover first.”
“Mm. Wen Hui came by, and Shaoqian is here too. You don’t need to come every day. Go take care of your own things.”
While scooping soup for him, Teng Yizheng said, “Ah… after all, I was the one who ordered the coffee. No matter what the other person meant, I should take some responsibility. I don’t really have anything to be busy with anyway. Taking care of you for a few days is only right, and it makes me feel better too.”
Since Teng Yizheng had said so, Zong Xuan couldn’t really chase him away. His parents and elder brother all had work and would be leaving that afternoon anyway, so if Teng Yizheng wanted to stay, so be it—they were still friends.
In the following days, Teng Yizheng indeed did not cross any boundaries. He seemed truly to be there only to take care of him, so Zong Xuan didn’t say anything further. Every day, he only thought about one thing—when would Xu Tang reply to his messages?
Zong Xuan looked at the trending Weibo post. Under the text were photos of Teng Yizheng entering and leaving the hospital every day. There was even a secretly taken photo of him and Teng Yizheng inside the hospital room; no one knew when it had been taken. But it was just an ordinary photo and didn’t prove anything.
Zong Xuan thought about it and sent a message to Teng Yizheng, saying he would clarify things as soon as possible.
Teng Yizheng replied quickly, saying it was fine—it didn’t matter. Friends taking care of each other when one was hospitalized wasn’t a big deal.
Zong Xuan thought that made sense. He and Teng Yizheng had nothing going on anyway. If you were upright, you wouldn’t fear shadows. Whether they clarified it or not didn’t matter.
However, what he thought and what actually happened online were two different things.
“Who is this guy? Why is he taking care of Zong Xuan?”
“Probably a friend? It’s normal for friends to visit someone in the hospital.”
“Wow, why don’t I have a friend like that? Visiting once or twice is normal, but coming every day? Does Zong Xuan not have staff taking care of him? Are assistants decorations?”
“I suddenly have a bad feeling—don’t tell me my Xu Tang was cheated on?!”
“Don’t say that! If Zong Xuan really cheated, I’ll black him forever!”
“Breaking news, go check the Digua Forum—the guy has been exposed!”
…
The Digua Forum was a wildly popular gossip forum with many sections, especially entertainment gossip. It was filled with talent—anything you could imagine, they could dig up. However, the forum was well moderated; anything involving serious privacy violations would be deleted, while harmless gossip was allowed.
A pinned red-hot thread read: “818 the man behind Zong Xuan the film emperor.”
The post stated: the man’s surname was Teng, a classmate of Zong Xuan. Their relationship had always been very good. Mr. Teng was married, had no children, had just returned from studying abroad, and was currently starting a business developing an overseas shopping app. As for whether there were other relations between him and Zong Xuan, it remained unknown.
“A man starting a business would have time to go take care of a friend? Who believes that?”
“I think my Xu Tang really got cheated on.”
“I hope Zong Xuan comes out and says something. What’s going on? Did you cheat?!”
“Xu Tang was taken away by his brother, and President Xu looked very upset back then. I think it might be related to this man.”
“Nothing about this Teng guy was ever exposed before, and now he suddenly appears—something feels off.”
…
Soon after, entertainment accounts on Weibo also began reporting on Teng Yizheng. But it was all the same recycled information—nothing about his wife, and no evidence of any affair with Zong Xuan.
As a result, public opinion split into several camps: one believed Xu Tang had been cheated on and a divorce was only a matter of time; another thought it was just gossip media making a fuss; another believed there might be no divorce, but something was definitely going on between Zong Xuan and Teng Yizheng; and a few minority voices were largely ignored.
After a short nap, Zong Xuan was woken by Wen Hui, who rushed over.
“Why did you suddenly come?” Zong Xuan asked, still groggy.
Wen Hui’s expression was complicated. She handed him a document folder and said only, “Think it over and call me,” before leaving.
Confused, Zong Xuan opened the folder and saw the stack of papers inside. The top page clearly read—
Divorce Agreement.
Zong Xuan woke up instantly, but he didn’t panic. Instead, he became calmer than ever. He thought: Xu Tang must be completely disappointed to have sent this.
He got up, washed his face briefly, and made himself a cup of coffee before sitting down to carefully read through it.
There weren’t many pages. They didn’t have much property to divide. Xu Tang wanted nothing—the house would be returned to Zong Xuan.
After reading every word carefully, Zong Xuan let out a long sigh and leaned back on the sofa, slowly drinking his coffee.
He thought about what he felt toward Xu Tang.
Did he like him? Of course he did—otherwise he wouldn’t have teased him and flirted with him. But was it love? Not yet. Close, but not quite.
It wasn’t that Xu Tang wasn’t good, nor that his appearance or personality didn’t suit him. He simply didn’t know Xu Tang well enough yet. He didn’t want to rush into something purely driven by hormones—that kind of love was too unstable. And he also wouldn’t agree to a relationship out of pity or guilt just because Xu Tang had liked him for so many years. That would be unfair and irresponsible.
So he had a new idea—a very important idea he needed to act on.
That afternoon, Xu Tang went to reshoot a magazine cover. After learning of the situation, the magazine only postponed, not canceled, the shoot. They were slightly surprised that Xu Tang returned so quickly, but sooner was better than later.
By evening, the work was done. After thanking the staff, Xu Tang got into the car first. Kang Duo stayed behind to speak with the editor, while Yuan Shang packed up the small gifts from staff. The driver smoked outside, leaving Xu Tang alone in the car.
He hadn’t slept well these past few days and finally allowed himself to relax, wrapping himself in a blanket and closing his eyes to rest.
Then the car door opened from the outside.
He thought it was Yuan Shang and didn’t open his eyes.
But when the door closed and someone sat beside him, something felt wrong.
He suddenly opened his eyes—and saw Zong Xuan in casual clothes.
Xu Tang froze for several seconds before realizing this wasn’t a dream. He straightened up and looked at him. He didn’t know how to face Zong Xuan yet, but now that he was here, he had no choice.
Zong Xuan studied him carefully. He still looked like the last time they met—makeup made him look more striking, less clean and soft.
“You… why are you here?” Xu Tang finally asked, nervous.
“I couldn’t reach your phone or add your WeChat, so I asked Yue Yan to check your schedule,” Zong Xuan said.
“You… are you okay now?” Xu Tang asked hesitantly.
“Mm. I came back yesterday.”
“That’s good…”
Silence fell.
Then Zong Xuan said, “I received the divorce agreement.”
Xu Tang avoided his gaze, his heart tightening. “Mm…”
“You already know you like me.”
“Is that so?” Xu Tang gave a forced smile, then gathered all his courage. “I used to think that as long as I liked you enough and treated you well, you would eventually like me too—even a little. But now I understand it was too naive. If it’s not love, it’s not love. It won’t change just because I love you alone.”
Zong Xuan almost said “that’s not true,” but Xu Tang continued before he could.
“I’m sorry for causing you trouble all this time. I won’t bother you again.”
He looked up and gave a smile he thought was decent.
Zong Xuan looked at him—so thin it felt like a gust of wind could carry him away.
“Do you already not love me anymore?” he asked.
Tears filled Xu Tang’s eyes. He lowered his head quickly. “I do. But I’ll turn it into admiration for an idol and senior. You might not know this, but without you as my role model, I wouldn’t be who I am today. So I still thank you.”
Zong Xuan wanted to hug him, but he restrained himself.
“You really want a divorce?”
“Mm… let’s divorce.”
Zong Xuan looked at him for a long moment, then said softly, almost pleading, “Xu Tang… can we wait six months? If after six months you still want to divorce, we’ll do it. During this time, I won’t use you for publicity, and I won’t interfere with your life. I’ll give you full freedom. Okay?”
Xu Tang looked at him, confused. “Why?” Shouldn’t he be the one wanting a divorce more?
Zong Xuan smiled. “I want to pursue you. Give me a chance.”
Xu Tang froze completely.
Zong Xuan’s smile deepened. He reached under the blanket and took Xu Tang’s hand.
“I’m serious. Let me be the one who pursues you now. You don’t have to wait anymore. Okay?”
Xu Tang’s fingers stiffened in his grasp. After a long silence—about a minute—he slowly shook his head and pulled his hand away.
“No… let’s end it like this.”