Zong Xuan sat on the sofa, the more he thought about it, the more he felt amused—was this a kind of passive resistance?
He had always thought Xu Tang had a rather soft temperament; he had never seen him say anything harsh, nor had he seen him lose his temper. Wen Hui’s evaluation of Xu Tang was also very high, and there had been no negative rumors about him in the industry.
He still remembered when the two families arranged the marriage alliance. The first time he met Xu Tang formally, Xu Tang wore a white T-shirt and a pair of washed-white jeans. He looked clean and fresh, and also unusually young.
For some reason, the meeting place that day was not a restaurant, but a hotel suite.
That kind of ambiguous setting had once made him quite uncomfortable, but after seeing the clean and tidy Xu Tang, that discomfort faded quite a bit.
The two of them ate in the room, and afterwards there was a bit of awkward silence. He did not know why Xu Tang did not speak, but he himself did not really want to talk either.
Staying in the room felt boring, and it also felt inappropriate to be the first to suggest leaving. Besides, it was already late. Under normal circumstances, if things had followed the usual process, the two of them might have developed some feeling for each other and ended up in some indescribable situation to pass the dull night.
However, at that time he was not in the mood, and Xu Tang was especially well-behaved. So the two of them each held a phone—one playing games, one watching a movie—completely undisturbed, like strangers sharing a room while traveling.
When Zong Xuan’s phone was about to run out of battery from gaming, he looked up and realized Xu Tang had somehow already fallen asleep.
At that moment, he suddenly felt that this kind of life was not bad—no interference, and as a married person it also saved many troubles. Why not?
So he agreed to the Xu family’s arrangement and married Xu Tang.
And married life turned out pretty much as he had imagined; he also felt it was quite good.
However, what he never expected was that Xu Tang was not actually soft-tempered at all. When he became decisive, even he was caught off guard.
Thinking of this, Zong Xuan actually laughed in anger—this little thing was just asking to be disciplined. Unable to divorce, so he ran away from home? Who taught him that?!
At this hour he could not sleep anyway, so he directly called Yue Yan.
Yue Yan had just finished a match and was currently lingering intimately with He Xin. Seeing Zong Xuan’s call, he hesitated for quite a while before answering.
Zong Xuan did not sense anything unusual and directly said, “Come out for drinks. My treat.”
Yue Yan helplessly said, “Brother, look what time it is. I’m someone with a wife now. At this time I should be holding my wife to sleep, not going out to mess around.”
Zong Xuan almost said, “Who doesn’t have a wife? I do too!” but he swallowed it back down—strictly speaking, Xu Tang only counted as his nominal wife.
But then he thought again—if things developed with Xu Tang… it actually didn’t seem bad…
At that moment, Zong Xuan seemed to have completely forgotten his so-called white moonlight.
Seeing that he did not speak for a long time, Yue Yan said, “Your news heat has just gone down. You should stay home for a few days. Where is Xu Tang? Asleep?”
“Heh…” Zong Xuan let out a cold laugh. “He ran away.”
“Ran away?” Yue Yan did not understand. At this late hour, where could Xu Tang possibly go?
Zong Xuan gritted his teeth. “Ran away from home.” Damn it, if this wasn’t his good friend, he would not have said it so honestly.
As expected, a moment later, Yue Yan burst into laughter. That laughter made Zong Xuan so furious he wanted nothing more than to drag Xu Tang back and spank him before letting him run again.
After Yue Yan finally finished laughing, he said, “If you ask me, wouldn’t it be better for you to live properly with Xu Tang? He has looks, figure, manners, and a good temper. What are you dissatisfied with?”
“He has a good temper? A good temper would run away from home?” Zong Xuan sneered.
“That must be because you pushed him too far,” Yue Yan said. He understood Zong Xuan fairly well; when his temper flared, his words were not pleasant.
“So you’re taking his side now?” Zong Xuan grew even more unhappy.
Yue Yan smiled. “It’s not about taking sides. Honestly, Xu Tang really has nothing wrong with him. Do you really feel nothing for him at all?”
Zong Xuan frowned. “I barely see him once in a year or half a year. What feelings are there? It’s not like I’m hiring someone—it doesn’t matter who it is!”
Hearing this, Yue Yan felt that Zong Xuan actually did care a little about Xu Tang. “Some things you understand. I won’t nag. I’ll just say one thing: cherish the person in front of you.”
Zong Xuan was silent for a while, then lost all interest in going out for drinks and simply said “hang up,” ending the call.
On speaker, He Xin heard everything clearly but held back from laughing, not daring to provoke Zong Xuan. But as soon as the call ended, he immediately reached for his phone, gossip burning brightly.
Yue Yan helplessly looked at his lover and pulled the blanket over him.
At that time, Xu Tang had already lain down and was just about to fall asleep when he was awakened by a call.
He reluctantly answered. “What are you doing not sleeping in the middle of the night?”
He Xin laughed. “Originally Yue Yan and I were experiencing the sublimation of love, but your Emperor Zong’s call interrupted us.”
“……”
It was already late, and he was lying alone on a big bed, and now he had to listen to He Xin’s crude jokes—Xu Tang felt he must be going insane. He should just hang up and sleep immediately.
He Xin, seemingly afraid he would hang up, quickly got to the point: “I heard you ran away from home? What, did you figure it out?”
“Mm, I figured it out,” Xu Tang said, turning over to lie flat. “He can’t give me what I want. There’s no point forcing it.”
He Xin was momentarily at a loss for words. He looked down on how Zong Xuan treated Xu Tang, but after hearing Yue Yan’s call earlier, he felt Zong Xuan might not be as terrible as imagined. At least he did not deliberately string Xu Tang along, nor did he take advantage of the marriage. Though the existence of Teng Yizheng in the background was annoying, Zong Xuan and Xu Tang had no real crossing boundaries, and Zong Xuan had not interfered in Teng Yizheng’s marriage either. The fundamental issue between them was not love, but lack of understanding. It was not love at first sight, so how could there be love?
“…Do you want to reconsider?” He Xin asked.
“Reconsider what?” Xu Tang felt everything worth considering had already been considered.
He Xin coughed. He did not want to contradict himself, but as a friend he still had to speak.
“Maybe… you two just don’t understand each other enough. If you get to know each other more, it might get better?” he said carefully.
“You’re acting strange today,” Xu Tang said sharply.
“W-what? I’m just afraid you’ll regret it,” He Xin said guiltily.
Yue Yan took the phone from him and said, “Xu Tang, I also think you and Zong Xuan should consider it again.”
After a pause, Xu Tang said, “Brother Yan, what I can’t get past is not that he doesn’t love me. It’s that there is someone in his heart I can never surpass. No matter how hard I try, it’s useless.”
That was indeed the problem. Only if Zong Xuan let go of Teng Yizheng could there be a future between them. Yue Yan thought for a moment and said, “Then you should find a chance to talk properly.”
Xu Tang smiled. “We’ll see. I’m going to sleep. You two should rest early too.”
Seeing that he had no intention to continue, Yue Yan did not insist and said goodnight before hanging up.
Xu Tang threw his phone aside and stared at the ceiling—since he had decided, then he should not regret it. Who knew when he would have the courage again?
Over the next few days, Xu Tang stayed in his apartment. He had no work recently, so it was fine to stay in.
Yuan Shang came every morning to bring him meals so he would not get recognized while ordering takeout.
Zong Xuan waited at home for several days, but still did not see Xu Tang return. His mood grew increasingly unpleasant—he did not believe there was anyone in this circle he could not find.
So he asked Wen Hui to privately investigate whether Xu Tang had other residences and what his recent schedule was.
Kang Duo was not foolish and quickly understood why Wen Hui was asking. However, she felt Wen Hui did not fully understand the situation; otherwise she would not have asked so directly.
Kang Duo could handle Wen Hui, but others might not be so easy.
Since the scandal had already passed and the PR department had contributed a lot, Xu Tang hosted a meal for everyone. Knowing he was the boss’s young master and the general manager’s favorite, most people who could come did.
To let everyone enjoy themselves, Kang Duo booked a clubhouse often used by people in the industry. It had food, drinks, and entertainment, and was popular for year-end gatherings.
As they entered and the staff confirmed their room, another group walked in.
“Ah, isn’t this our boss lady?!”
Someone shouted, and Xu Tang’s group stopped to look—only to see it was Zong Xuan’s studio members, and Zong Xuan himself was among them.
Xu Tang also saw him but did not move.
Kang Duo immediately knew this was no coincidence, but since they had met in public, she still went forward to greet them.
Wen Hui also knew she could not fool Kang Duo and responded politely. After hearing Xu Tang was dining here, she informed Zong Xuan, who immediately booked a room and clearly came for him. She did not know the reason behind it.
Zong Xuan ignored them and walked straight toward Xu Tang. After several days apart, he felt Xu Tang looked thinner, though he was not sure.
The PR staff quickly made way.
Zong Xuan stopped beside him, took off his mask, and smiled. “What a coincidence.”
Xu Tang looked up but did not respond. Seeing him here, he knew there was no such thing as coincidence. Normally, not seeing him was fine, but now that he did, something tight and uncomfortable stirred inside him.
Zong Xuan met his gaze without hesitation. He noticed Xu Tang’s eyes were very beautiful—clear and clean, making one want to kiss them.
After a moment, Xu Tang looked away first, lowering his head to avoid his gaze.
Zong Xuan smiled slightly and leaned close to his ear. “Why are you not looking anymore? I thought you could see something from me.”
His breath brushed against Xu Tang’s ear, making Xu Tang’s legs go slightly weak. He forced himself to stay calm, silently cursing his lack of composure.
Zong Xuan did not tease him further. Turning to Kang Duo and the others, he said, “I booked a private room. Let’s go together. My treat. I’ve been married to Xu Tang for so many years and never treated you all to a meal—today I’ll make up for it.” Then he put a hand on Xu Tang’s shoulder and led him toward the elevator.
“No need, we already booked a room,” Xu Tang refused, but could not resist his strength.
“Do you want me to carry you into the room?” Zong Xuan asked with a faint smile.
Xu Tang stiffened, and ultimately did not test his patience further, allowing himself to be led into the elevator. He still did not understand what Zong Xuan meant or why he was doing this, but he was certain of one thing—no matter how many possible reasons there were, none of them had anything to do with love.