Chapter 135
How exactly was he recognized?
In his current attire, he looked drastically different from his usual self, to the point where even he might have had trouble recognizing himself. When did Huo Youqiao recognize him? Was it at the restaurant? Or was it because Qing Qing went back inside to find Cheng Yanzhou again, which triggered Huo Youqiao’s realization?
Ye Zhi stared blankly at the approaching figure. Just as the person got closer, he suddenly panicked, realizing his current appearance, and instinctively wanted to flee. However, his legs were somewhat weak, and in his attempt to escape, he ended up stumbling.
Just as he was about to have an intimate encounter with the damp ground, Huo Youqiao quickened his pace and intercepted him before he fell.
“Be careful.”
The rain intensified, soaking Ye Zhi from head to toe. Huo Youqiao steadied him and quickly took off his own coat to shield Ye Zhi’s head. Then, with a somewhat forced gesture, he led him to the back seat.
The driver probably didn’t recognize Ye Zhi’s identity and glanced suspiciously at the rearview mirror. Huo Youqiao closed the door, regained his composure, and calmly instructed, “To Half Mountain Villa.” Then he closed the partition in the middle.
With his head still covered by Huo Youqiao’s coat, Ye Zhi sat stiffly in the seat, unmoving. The car’s interior heated up, dispelling the surrounding chill. When Huo Youqiao reached out to remove the coat covering Ye Zhi’s head, Ye Zhi instinctively grabbed onto his clothes.
The coat covered him too tightly, hiding any facial expressions, but Huo Youqiao could see his body trembling slightly, and a pang of pain flashed through his heart.
Ye Zhi suddenly spoke, his voice low and attempting to sound casual, but somewhat unconvincing, “Were you just on a blind date?”
Huo Youqiao couldn’t deny it. After a while, he responded with a simple “Yeah.”
Upon hearing this reply, Ye Zhi fell silent for a while before gently smiling, “That lady seemed nice, and she looks good with you. Ranran would probably like her too.”
He said it sincerely, without a hint of resentment, because he knew it wasn’t Huo Youqiao’s fault.
No one could blame anyone; they could only blame the whims of fate.
Huo Youqiao felt his left heart ache, experiencing a bitter taste for the first time in his life, despite being a paragon of society. He watched as the man curled up in the seat reached out again, but stopped just before touching him.
Logic and morality battled against his desires, and in the end, reason prevailed.
Huo Youqiao still reached out and gently said, “There are dry towels in the car. You’ve been caught in the rain; drying off a bit will prevent you from catching a cold.”
Ye Zhi flinched slightly, his voice muffled and low, “No need… thank you.”
His voice carried a hint of stifled sobbing and nasal congestion, and Huo Youqiao hesitated for a moment before realizing that Ye Zhi was crying.
There was no trembling of the shoulders or any visible signs of crying, but tears were indeed flowing silently. This person was too quiet, only shedding tears in silence. He had faced many injustices, from being favored and treated differently by his parents, to being neglected by his husband, to being laid off by his company. Huo Youqiao had seen him in such miserable states before, but rarely, if ever, had he seen him cry.
Even when he was in a daze, Huo Youqiao could sense his sadness and exhaustion, yet he never saw tears.
Ye Zhi seemed weak on the surface, easy to bully, but in reality, he was quite strong. Over the years, he had adapted and learned to cope with the hardships that befell him. No matter how great the setbacks, he always managed to persevere.
And now, he was crying.
It felt as though a hand had gripped Huo Youqiao’s heart and was squeezing, causing him pain and making it difficult to breathe. He closed his eyes and eventually pressed the partition button, instructing the driver to change the route to “Green Garden.”
The car changed direction in the rain, moving steadily forward, and arrived at its destination twenty minutes later.