Zong Xuan did not go straight home. Instead, he called Yue Yan out.
Yue Yan was troubled too. He Xin had been restless at home, afraid that if Xu Tang found out he had told Zong Xuan about Xu Tang’s schedule today, Xu Tang would come after him for an explanation. Xu Tang was, after all, He Xin’s most important friend. Yue Yan both hoped that Xu Tang would finally give up on Zong Xuan and look for new happiness, and hoped that Xu Tang could finally obtain what he had long wished for and have a happy ending with Zong Xuan.
No matter when it happened, divorce was never something family and friends wanted to see. A symbol of a broken relationship like that meant that at least one party had been hurt.
And in the marriage between Zong Xuan and Xu Tang, Xu Tang was obviously the one who had been hurt. Today, Yue Yan had practically sworn guarantee after guarantee before He Xin agreed, for his sake, to help inquire about Xu Tang’s schedule. Now that Zong Xuan was looking for him, the outcome was clearly not what Zong Xuan had hoped for.
After entering the bar, Yue Yan headed directly for the partitioned seating area. Sure enough, he spotted Zong Xuan in a corner, already with drinks ordered.
The bar was owned by someone within their circle. Many celebrities who wanted a drink would come here. Privacy was excellent, there was none of the messy nonsense found elsewhere, and it was perfect for gathering a few friends to drink and chat.
“So what happened?” Yue Yan sat down across from Zong Xuan and asked.
Zong Xuan pushed the bottle of whiskey toward him.
Yue Yan picked up a piece of ice from the bucket, poured himself half a glass, and listened while drinking.
After hearing the whole story, Yue Yan was not particularly surprised. Xu Tang was good-tempered and easygoing, but that did not mean he had no temper or no dignity. On the contrary, as someone born into a well-off family and spoiled growing up, Xu Tang’s sense of self-respect should have been very strong. It was only with Zong Xuan that, perhaps because he loved him too much, he had lowered himself, set aside his pride, and loved so carefully, even somewhat humbly.
“So? What are you planning to do?” Yue Yan asked.
“Chase him. What else?” Zong Xuan was very certain about that. “I understand how he feels, so I’ll pursue him properly.”
“What if he never accepts you and ends up with someone else?” Yue Yan was not trying to discourage him; it was simply a realistic possibility.
Zong Xuan thought for a moment and said, “Then I’ll stay by his side.”
He was no longer blindly confident. It was not that he lacked confidence, but when it came to someone important, a person naturally became cautious.
“What about your white moonlight?” Yue Yan curled his lips slightly. He had never taken the initiative to ask about Teng Yizheng before, but now he was friends with Xu Tang too, so he felt he should clarify things.
“What white moonlight? You’re the one who told Tang Tang about Yizheng, right?” Zong Xuan did not sound accusatory. The term “white moonlight” just felt strange to him.
“Yeah. With He Xin around, I wouldn’t dare hide it. Besides, isn’t Teng Yizheng your white moonlight?”
Zong Xuan considered seriously before replying, “Not everyone you fail to get counts as a white moonlight. Yizheng was indeed more than an ordinary friend to me, but a white moonlight is someone you can never have and can never forget. We talked everything through clearly. If I truly couldn’t forget him and couldn’t let go, I would’ve followed him overseas long ago.”
“Even if you and Teng Yizheng were never actually together, that kind of relationship is enough to bother people,” Yue Yan said bluntly.
Zong Xuan did not deny it and nodded.
“I didn’t care before, but now I understand. I’ll keep a proper distance from now on.”
“Xu Tang may look soft-tempered, but once he’s made up his mind, it’s hard to change it. If you’re going to pursue him, you’d better prepare for a long war.”
Yue Yan felt that Xu Tang was countless times better than that Teng Yizheng. He had always felt Teng Yizheng was stringing Zong Xuan along, trying to gain benefits from him. But that was not something he could easily say. That was why he hoped even more that Zong Xuan would keep his distance from Teng Yizheng and focus on being with Xu Tang. Unfortunately, Xu Tang no longer wanted that. What would happen between them now remained uncertain.
“I know. He liked me for so many years and waited for me for so long. If I can win him back using the same amount of time, I’d still be getting a bargain.”
“Good that you understand.”
He would have to tell He Xin about this later and have He Xin sound Xu Tang out to see whether they should help or simply remain observers.
The next noon, the police in Maple Mountain City released the results of their investigation—
According to the announcement, the man who poisoned the drink, Zhao, was a courier for a food delivery platform and handled deliveries near the filming location. Zhao confessed that he had poisoned Zong because Zong had previously criticized and maliciously attacked Zhao’s favorite idol online. Zhao felt indignant and wanted to seek justice for his idol. While delivering food to the production crew earlier, he had seen Zong there, which gave him the idea. He dissolved pesticide in water, loaded it into a syringe, carried it around, and waited for an opportunity to teach Zong a lesson. That day, after finding the right moment, he injected the pesticide through the small opening in the coffee cup lid, causing Zong’s poisoning. The case remained under further investigation, and any new developments would be announced promptly.
Since the filming location’s conditions were rather crude, with only one or two delivery people operating nearby and many unrelated personnel moving around the set, the method had indeed been somewhat feasible.
In any case, everything had already been handed over to the police. Zong Xuan only needed to see the results and wait for Zhao’s sentencing and compensation arrangements.
Zong Xuan remained calm about it, but his fans certainly did not.
Who had Zong Xuan argued with recently? Looking around, there was only Yu Lun. That meant Zhao was ninety percent likely to be one of Yu Lun’s fans.
However, nobody felt Zong Xuan’s remarks constituted slander or malicious attacks. Therefore, in the eyes of Zong Xuan’s fans, Zhao was an idiot, mentally ill, brain-dead…
Some fans were so angry that, embracing the attitude of “fans’ actions, idol pays the price,” they stormed Yu Lun’s Weibo and began attacking him.
Among Yu Lun’s fans, some felt unfairly blamed, while others believed Zong Xuan deserved it because he had criticized their idol. These fans quickly became targets for Zong Xuan’s fans’ anger. In their view, online arguments were one thing, but trying to kill someone over it was outright attempted murder.
Besides the fan war between Zong Xuan’s fans and Yu Lun’s fans, many scholars and experts also came forward online to analyze the incident. They advocated rational fandom behavior, moderation in idol worship, and warned against impulsive actions that violated the law. At the same time, they called for restraint in online speech and opposed cyberbullying.
After finishing work that day, Xu Tang returned to his parents’ house.
His parents were not home, but Xu Zhou and Xu Wan were there. They had been the ones who invited him back for dinner.
When Xu Tang arrived, Xu Wan had only recently returned herself and had just changed clothes before coming downstairs.
Seeing Xu Tang, Xu Wan smiled.
“You’re back pretty early.”
“Yeah, work ended early today.”
Xu Tang smiled back. He still felt somewhat guilty toward his older brother and sister, considering how much they had worried about him.
“Where’s Big Brother? Is he back yet?”
“Not yet, but he should be soon.” Xu Wan said, “Are you staying here tonight?”
“No. I have work tomorrow. It’ll be more convenient to leave from my own place.”
“Alright. Come sit down. I have something to tell you.”
Her smile faded slightly, making it seem important.
Xu Tang followed her to the sofa and sat down.
“What is it?”
“Big Brother’s been having conflicts with Ge lately. He’s not in a great mood.”
“Because of me?” Xu Tang felt he should have realized it earlier. After all, when they left that day, his brother’s attitude toward Zong Yi had been rather unpleasant.
“Yeah. I don’t know the details, but don’t pressure yourself over it. Big Brother and Ge are both adults. They’ll work it out. I’m just telling you so that if there’s a chance tonight, you can try talking to Big Brother.”
Xu Tang thought about it and nodded.
“Okay.”
His brother had worried so much over his situation. If it really caused Big Brother and Second Brother to break up, he would feel deeply guilty.
Just then, Xu Zhou came through the door.
Seeing Xu Tang, he showed a faint smile.
“You’re back?”
“Yeah.”
Xu Tang nodded. Seeing the dark circles under Xu Zhou’s eyes, his own smile faded. His brother clearly had not been sleeping well either.
“I’m going upstairs to change. Tell the kitchen to start dinner.”
“Okay,” Xu Wan replied with a smile.
Without saying more, Xu Zhou headed upstairs.
Xu Wan patted Xu Tang on the shoulder.
“Don’t look so unhappy. Big Brother will worry if he sees you.”
“Mm.”
Xu Tang tugged at the corner of his mouth and adjusted his expression. He did not want his relationship with Zong Xuan to affect his brother and Zong Yi. They were separate matters.
At dinner, the atmosphere was harmonious. No one mentioned the Zong family. They simply talked about recent work and everyday matters.
After the meal, Xu Wan excused herself by saying she had work to finish and went upstairs.
Xu Tang and Xu Zhou sat on the sofa drinking freshly squeezed juice, both silent for a while.
Finally, Xu Tang pressed his lips together and asked,
“Brother, did you and Second Brother have a fight?”
Xu Zhou glanced at him.
“It’s nothing. We just have different positions.”
Xu Tang looked at him.
“Brother, don’t argue with Second Brother because of me. You’re both older brothers. Most of the time, you’re thinking about the same things. Second Brother is thoughtful and has always treated me well. That’s enough. What happened between me and Zong Xuan is between the two of us. If it causes conflict between you and Second Brother, then wouldn’t that make me the real jerk? After all, I’m the one who liked Zong Xuan first. I’m the one who wanted to marry him. And now I’m the one who wants the divorce. Brother, relationships are the least able to withstand distance and resentment. Don’t make Second Brother sad.”
Xu Zhou set down his glass and sighed.
“I know. He said he wanted to talk with Zong Xuan before telling me about it, but he didn’t expect everything to be exposed before that happened. You’re not a child anymore. Logically, your issues with Zong Xuan should be resolved by the two of you. But every time I think about the way Zong Xuan treated you, I get annoyed. Zong Xuan is also an idiot. He probably still hasn’t figured out what that guy surnamed Teng is really after.”
“What do you mean?”
Xu Tang looked confused.
Judging from the way Teng Yizheng looked at him, it was obvious Teng thought he and Zong Xuan were each other’s first priority. So where did hidden motives come into it?
Xu Zhou smiled but did not elaborate.
“It’s nothing. Let’s just wait and see. Who knows what’s really going on?”
His brother’s habit of stopping halfway through an explanation was truly irritating.
But after thinking about it, Xu Tang suppressed the urge to ask further questions. Since he intended to cut ties with Zong Xuan, perhaps it was better not to know certain things.
“By the way, do Mom and Dad know I’m getting divorced?” Xu Tang asked.
Although he valued his siblings’ opinions more than his parents’, he still wanted to know.
“They know.”
Xu Zhou looked somewhat helpless.
“Your sister and I didn’t tell them. Aunt Jiang did. Mom called me early this morning. She said Aunt Jiang kept apologizing to her, to the point where she couldn’t even get angry anymore.”
Xu Tang knew very well how Jiang Jie had always treated him.
“Mom said it’s your decision. She and Dad won’t interfere.”
That was probably the best approach. The elders of the Zong family had already lowered themselves this much, and they truly had not known what was happening. The Xu family could not refuse them all dignity.
Xu Tang finally relaxed a little.
“I understand. I’ll handle it properly.”
Xu Zhou nodded.
“If anything comes up, tell the family. Don’t keep it bottled up. You won’t get any results that way. Discussing things together is how problems get solved.”
“Mm.”
Now that the whole family knew, Xu Tang actually felt lighter.
Let it be this way.
Once the divorce was finalized, everything would return to its proper course.