Ye Zhi closed the door and turned on the light, making Huo Youcheng’s figure starkly visible. Dressed in his pajamas and sitting in his wheelchair, Huo Youcheng had his back to him, engrossed in something, ignoring Ye Zhi’s calls.
“You’re already up? Why haven’t you come out for breakfast?” Ye Zhi asked softly as he approached, trying to sound calm.
As he reached Huo Youcheng, he felt a jolt of panic. Huo Youcheng’s eyes, bloodshot and weary, met his with a frightening intensity.
Ye Zhi felt a chill run down his spine. The expression in Huo Youcheng’s eyes was far from gentle or loving; it was filled with anger and disbelief.
The truth was out.
Ye Zhi’s mind raced, but Huo Youcheng’s silence amplified his fear. Finally, Ye Zhi managed to ask, “Are you… hungry?”
Huo Youcheng’s voice was cold and hoarse, filled with suppressed rage. “When did it start?”
Ye Zhi’s initial reaction was to feign ignorance, but he knew it was pointless. Huo Youcheng already knew.
His face turned pale, the fear evident in his eyes. Huo Youcheng’s cold gaze didn’t waver as he repeated, “I asked you—when did it start with my brother? Answer me!”
Ye Zhi was paralyzed with fear. After a moment, he found his voice. “How did you find out?”
Huo Youcheng’s anger boiled over, and he laughed coldly. “Did you think you could hide such a filthy secret from me forever? How was it? Was the thrill of cheating worth it? Pretending to love me every day, was it hard for you? You want to know how I found out? Fine, I’ll show you!”
He swiftly brought up his holo-screen, the large display forming in the air and beginning to play a video. It was surveillance footage from the Blue Star hotel, footage Huo Youcheng had watched repeatedly through the night.
The specific clip showed Ye Zhi and Huo Youqiao entering the same room and staying the night. Another segment captured them kissing in a hidden corner. They had thought they were safe from prying eyes, believing their secret tryst would go unnoticed.
Ye Zhi’s lips trembled, his face turning ashen as he watched the incriminating footage. Huo Youcheng’s gaze bore into him, his voice a mixture of bitterness and scorn. “So, you’ve been doing this even before then? When exactly did it start?”
Ye Zhi couldn’t bear to watch the silent video any longer. Huo Youcheng’s suppressed rage echoed in the room.
“Answer me!” Huo Youcheng demanded, his voice loud enough to echo through the room, anger barely held in check.
Ye Zhi, trembling, instinctively recoiled, fear from past experiences gripping him. He whispered, barely audible, “He confessed to me on Ranran’s birthday.”
Huo Youcheng’s expression twisted with a mix of pain and fury. “Ranran’s birthday… That was over a year ago. You’ve been lying to me for that long?”
Ye Zhi nodded weakly, unable to meet Huo Youcheng’s gaze. The weight of his betrayal now fully realized, he felt as though he might collapse under it.
Huo Youcheng clenched his fists, struggling to contain his rage. “And all this time, you acted like everything was normal. How could you?”
Ye Zhi, tears streaming down his face, whispered, “I’m sorry… I didn’t want to hurt you.”
“Too late for that,” Huo Youcheng spat, his voice laced with venom. “You’ve already done enough damage.”
The room fell silent, the air thick with tension and unspoken pain. Huo Youcheng turned his wheelchair towards the window, staring out at the world beyond, trying to find a way to process the betrayal that had shattered his world.
Ye Zhi stood there, tears falling, knowing there was no way to undo the past.
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