TLSOTMTKOGAYWHTDI Chapter 57

Chapter 55: Rebirth

The day Zhuo Huaimo left, the weather was exceptionally clear.

He stood at the boarding gate, taking one last look at the city where he had strived for so many years.

A year’s time, reduced to nothing!

Looking at the clear sky today, he felt that even God seemed to agree that his decision was incredibly wise!

Before turning off his phone, he took one last glance.

Qi Yanwang’s missed calls were stacked at 99+, and his inbox was overflowing with text messages.

He opened Yu Fengran’s chat box and typed,

“Old Yu, I’m leaving. I’ll contact you with the new number after I land. The old number is obsolete. Don’t worry, don’t look for me, don’t tell anyone.”

Before shutting down, he checked the trending topics.

The hashtag “Qi Yanwang’s Secret Rendezvous” was still hanging in third place, accompanied by a blurry photo of a back view taken by Li Yang.

In the comments, CP fans were celebrating the “Yanmo CP reunion,” but no one knew that the other protagonist in the photo was shredding the past at an altitude of 30,000 feet.

He directly removed the SIM card and threw it into the disposable cup in front of him.

Everything messed up here could finally be put to an end.

The sunshine in Los Angeles was blinding.

Shao Fan stood at the exit, holding a sign, his dark gray tailored suit making him look even more handsome than he had five years ago.

Zhuo Huaimo looked at him through the glass curtain wall for three seconds—this guy had actually dyed the rebellious silver streak from back then back to black.

“Long time no see.”

As Shao Fan took the suitcase, the cuff of his sleeve revealed half of a Sanskrit tattoo, “You’ve lost weight.”

“Perfect, no need to diet! You always said I looked fat on camera before!”

Zhuo Huaimo joked, feigning ease, catching a whiff of the faint cedar scent on him, completely different from Qi Yanwang’s usual cologne,

“You, on the other hand, look even more presentable.”

On the way to the apartment, Shao Fan pointed to the palm trees along the way and introduced,

“This is only twenty minutes away from South River University. The coffee shop you loved back then is still open…”

In the passenger seat, Zhuo Huaimo’s fingertips unconsciously stroked the edge of his phone.

Only now did he realize that he was actually expecting a call that would never come.

Shao Fan’s penthouse apartment overlooked the entire Santa Monica Beach.

Zhuo Huaimo was staring blankly at the pile of luggage that had been opened. When he used to film, he always had an assistant, so he naturally didn’t have to do these things.

Later, besides filming, occasional business trips, that person would also……

He interrupted his thoughts in time. What was wrong with him? How long had it been since he left, and he was already thinking about that person? He wouldn’t allow himself to be so ridiculous.

Shao Fan happened to walk over with a hanger,

“You, you’re still the same. I’ll do these things!”

Shao Fan carefully picked up his clothes one by one and hung them up,

“According to your preferences, colors from light to dark!”

After doing all this, Shao Fan revealed his usual sunny smile. His two deep dimples were still so charming.

Zhuo Huaimo nodded in satisfaction, “Not bad, I didn’t expect you to remember!”

Shao Fan walked towards him, took his hand, and said gently,

“Mo, I remember everything about you!”

Shao Fan’s eyes were as ardent and deep as they were back then. Zhuo Huaimo couldn’t adapt for a moment. He knew that he had to do something to break this rapidly spreading ambiguity.

He withdrew his hand imperceptibly, “It’s been a long time since I’ve had your coffee. Let me see if your skills have deteriorated?”

A hint of imperceptible disappointment flashed in Shao Fan’s eyes, but he quickly composed himself,

“I will definitely not let you down!”

The aroma of Guatemalan coffee beans filled Shao Fan’s open kitchen.

Zhuo Huaimo leaned against the marble countertop, watching Shao Fan carefully grind the beans with an antique hand-cranked grinder.

Who would have thought that Shao Fan, who used to only drink instant coffee, could now turn making coffee into such a pleasing art?

Thinking of the scene of the two of them nestling in the apartment, studying scripts and drinking coffee together, Zhuo Huaimo couldn’t help but laugh.

“What’s wrong?”

Shao Fan saw his smile again, still moved, and asked as he looked up.

“It’s nothing, I just remembered the scene of us making coffee in the apartment back then.”

Shao Fan also remembered, “Yes, I laughed at you for being pretentious at that time. A broken apartment, and you had to drink hand-ground coffee! You, no matter when, your quality of life will not be lowered!”

Zhuo Huaimo smiled, “That’s because I know that you won’t always be in that broken apartment. Look, you learned it right when I asked you to learn it. Every day in this seaside villa, drinking coffee, this is what you call life!”

“If you hadn’t insisted on drinking hand-ground coffee, I definitely wouldn’t have learned it!”

Shao Fan handed him the brewed coffee, “Try it!”

Zhuo Huaimo took a sip of coffee, the familiar bitterness spreading on the tip of his tongue,

“After so many years, are you still used to drinking it without sugar?”

“I added double the milk to yours. Mine is sugar-free!”

Shao Fan took a sip, “Want to go to North River University tomorrow? I heard that a very good professor just came to the acting department.”

“Okay, okay, I’ll just see if the classroom where we rehearsed is still there.”

“And then to Santa Monica Beach?”

Shao Fan’s eyes sparkled with anticipation, “You always said you wanted to go surfing.”

Zhuo Huaimo put down his coffee cup and smiled, “Now that I’m old, I probably can’t handle the tossing and turning!”

Shao Fan approached him and gently wiped the milk foam from the corner of his mouth with his hand,

“Mo, in my heart, you are the same as before, not changed at all, even… more charming!”

“Thank you!”

Zhuo Huaimo looked over and smiled politely, “Thank you! You too!”

On the other side, when Yu Fengran opened the door, Qi Yanwang was leaning against the door frame, soaking wet, the blood from his costume smeared into a strange pink color by the rain.

He had just finished his night shoot and rushed over, “Where is he?”

“Do you think I’ll tell you?”

Yu Fengran leaned against the door frame, looking impatient, “Go away, I’m not seeing you off!”

As he was about to close the door, Qi Yanwang stepped in, punching the mirror in the entrance hall. Countless distorted selves were reflected in the spiderweb cracks,

“Did you know he was going to leave? Why didn’t you stop him? You guys teamed up…”

“Did we team up, or is it your own fault?”

Yu Fengran smashed the decorations in the entrance hall, “You forced him away!! When you released your intimate photos, when you secretly acquired Xingyue Media, didn’t you ever think there would be a day like this?”

Qi Yanwang’s fist slammed towards Yu Fengran’s face with a whoosh, but the other party dodged it by tilting his head.

Yu Fengran took the opportunity to grab his wrist and threw him to the ground with a shoulder throw.

“You motherfucker…”

Qi Yanwang rolled over and pressed Yu Fengran under him, tightening his tie around his neck,

“Tell me where he is!”

Yu Fengran kneed him in the stomach, “Are you worthy?”

Qi Yanwang let go in pain, and Yu Fengran took the opportunity to roll over and restrain him.

The two rolled around in the shards of glass, bloodstains dragging out hideous traces on the white carpet.

Yu Fengran grabbed Qi Yanwang’s collar, “You’re a fucking madman!”

Qi Yanwang suddenly raised his head and slammed it into Yu Fengran’s chin, taking advantage of his pain to break free from the restraint,

“I’m a madman? What are you then? A voyeur lurking in the dark?”

He picked up the crystal ashtray on the coffee table, “You knew he was going to leave, but you didn’t say anything!”

Yu Fengran felt a pang of panic in his heart. He wanted to say, “Damn it, I didn’t know. If I had known, would I have let him go?”

But he couldn’t say it. He couldn’t give Qi Yanwang a chance to laugh at him in his heart. He couldn’t let Qi Yanwang think that the two of them were no different in Zhuo Huaimo’s heart.

A man’s self-esteem and dignity drove him.

Yu Fengran wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, “Because, I want to keep him far, far away from a demon like you!”

“cao!”

Qi Yanwang was completely enraged, his eyes bloodshot, pointing at him,

“I will definitely find him back, he is mine, always!”

At three o’clock in the morning, Qi Yanwang was wandering aimlessly on the street like a ghost.

He recalled the first time they met, recalling every bit of their relationship.

In the halo of the street lamps, he seemed to vaguely see Zhuo Huaimo, like a rogue, clinging to him with a playful smile,

“I run a brokerage company. I don’t look at faces when signing artists. What do I look at? Kung fu? Are you going to perform for me?”

“Qi Yanwang, I really like your face!”

“Call me ‘husband,’ and I’ll keep the signing a secret for you.”

……

He reached out to the void, calling out Zhuo Huaimo’s name weakly.

“Huaimo… Huaimo…”

The city suddenly became so cold, so empty…..

Qi Yanwang kept looking around. He remembered that he could see that person everywhere before, on the streets, at the bus stops, anywhere.

But now, all his advertisements had been taken down. He wanted to see his face. Why, why couldn’t he find a single one?

Qi Yanwang staggered into the subway station. The LED screen, which should have been displaying Zhuo Huaimo’s perfume advertisement, was now replaced by a popular young star’s beverage promotion.

Qi Yanwang remembered the scene when he shot that set of advertisements half a year ago.

Zhuo Huaimo leaned on the leather sofa in a silver-gray tailored suit, raising his eyebrows at him behind the camera,

“Teacher Qi, is this pose enough to make you jealous?”

At this moment, the advertising screen suddenly went black, reflecting his distorted reflection.

Qi Yanwang punched the screen, the blood beads from his cracked knuckles splattering on the blank ad space.

Qi Yanwang knelt on the ground, picking up his phone with trembling hands. Zhuo Huaimo on the screen was still sleeping peacefully, as if nothing had changed.

But the reality was that the person who always smiled and called him “Teacher Qi” had completely disappeared from his world.

“Huaimo… Huaimo…” he murmured in a low voice, his voice hoarse as if it had been rubbed with sandpaper.

Yu Fengran’s words echoed in his ears,

“You forced him away! It’s your own fault!” Every word was like a knife, stabbing fiercely into his heart.

Yu Fengran was right. It was his fault. He forced Zhuo Huaimo away. He made this city erase the traces of that person’s existence.

He just wanted to see him. Now, there wasn’t even a single photo.

He disappeared in this city, and he also disappeared in his world.

His world seemed to collapse in an instant, all his pride, all his persistence, became meaningless.

Zhuo Huaimo left, taking away the only light in his life.

Qi Yanwang felt a dizziness, and the scene in front of him began to blur.

He wanted to stand up, but found that his legs had lost their strength.

Finally, he fell heavily to the ground, his consciousness gradually blurring.

In the end, in endless regret and pain, in the red and blue flashing lights of the ambulance, Qi Yanwang seemed to see Zhuo Huaimo standing in the distance, still smiling, but never walking towards him again.

“Huaimo… don’t go…”

Qi Yanwang stayed in the hospital for a week, suspending all work.

His manager was going crazy. Yu Fengran also came to the company several times on behalf of Xingyue Media. While everyone didn’t know how long he would be depressed, no one knew that on the same day Zhuo Huaimo left, Qi Yanwang also died completely…