Don’t Ignite It chapter 66

Whom Do You Like?

Xia Yu’s parents only learned about Xia Yu’s divorce, as well as his relationship with Lu Zhao, when they returned from their trip. They sighed deeply for a long time, but in the end, they didn’t say much.

They were getting older, and their hearts had softened. If this had happened a decade earlier, Lu Zhao might have received a beating. However, after hearing the whole story from Xia Jin, they just sighed and said, “The matters of your generation, we don’t want to meddle in. Children need to learn to let go as they grow up. It’s up to you guys.”

But Xu Zhan didn’t have such good luck.

Xia Yu didn’t know the details of what happened between Xu Zhan and Qin Sheng. When he saw Xu Zhan again, Xu Zhan had lost a significant amount of weight in just a week, his face pale. He stood in the early spring’s cold wind, looking as if he could be blown away by the slightest breeze.

He had broken up with Qin Sheng, ending that absurd relationship.

Qin Sheng had returned overseas, shedding his false identity as a man with no connections. He was still the cherished little prince of TROY, continuing his dazzling life.

Meanwhile, Xu Zhan remained in the city, divorced and alone.

Sitting in a café, Xu Zhan, aside from his pale complexion, showed no signs of emotion. He spoke to Xia Yu, “This is for the best. We were never on the same path to begin with, and separating is better for both of us.”

Xia Yu felt a wave of irritation, causing his liver to ache.

If they weren’t on the same path, why did Qin Sheng come to provoke Xu Zhan? They had agreed that it would only be a physical relationship for a few months, so why didn’t that bastard leave when the time was up?

Was it Xu Zhan who developed feelings first?

But hadn’t Qin Sheng enjoyed Xu Zhan’s love and tenderness?

If he had no lingering feelings, why would he stay by Xu Zhan’s side for so long?

Thinking about this, Xia Yu felt like going and beating up Qin Sheng.

But when he raised his head and saw Xu Zhan looking as if he wanted to avoid mentioning that person ever again, Xia Yu swallowed his words.

He stirred his coffee and changed his tone, “Alright, alright, the old is gone, the new has come. That idiot didn’t know how to cherish you; it’s his loss. Just wait; I’ll go find you a bunch of handsome guys. Plump or slim, take your pick. Sooner or later, you’ll forget about him.”

Xu Zhan smiled in agreement for a moment but quickly concealed it.

He genuinely didn’t want to bring up Qin Sheng again.

The person he had loved was named Ruan Sen, and he had only existed for less than six months, like a shooting star that had faded away.

Due to Xu Zhan’s breakup, although Xia Yu and Lu Zhao had resolved their issues, he didn’t pay much attention to his new boyfriends. Instead, he was determined to take Xu Zhan out to socialize and lift his spirits.

Xu Zhan didn’t refuse.

He still lived in the apartment he had shared with Ruan Sen. It was a spacious flat of over two hundred square meters. Previously, it hadn’t felt empty, but ever since Ruan Sen had left, standing by the window alone made him feel cold.

So Xia Yu took him to friends’ gatherings and art salons. Although Xu Zhan wasn’t particularly fond of socializing, he went along.

Many people still didn’t know that Xia Yu had divorced Xu Zhan. Both their families had kept it low-key, and only close friends were aware of it. When Xia Yu and Xu Zhan attended events together, some people even joked that they couldn’t be separated, like the famous idiom “焦不离孟” (literally meaning inseparable).

Xia Yu didn’t bother explaining. After all, over time, everyone would eventually find out.

However, during one of these gatherings, while the party was in full swing, Xia Yu went to the balcony to catch some fresh air. He had just lit a cigarette when someone tall and wearing a short black coat approached him. Their side profile was slender, with pale skin and deep, dark eyes, like a lake beneath a cliff. Their hands, accustomed to holding brushes, were slender and elegant, with the pinkie stained in paint.

Xia Yu turned around, took the cigarette out of his mouth, and greeted them.

The person was Jiang Ti.

It had been a while since Xia Yu had seen Jiang Ti. Jiang Ti still had that naturally cynical face, rarely smiling, and with a temper that didn’t seem very pleasant, fitting the stereotype of an artist.

Xia Yu teased him, “What’s wrong with you? The Lantern Festival just passed, but you look like you’re carrying a grudge. Not in the mood to celebrate?”

“I’ve always been like this.”

Jiang Ti leaned against the balcony railing. It was early spring, and although the weather was warming up, the outside was shrouded in drizzling rain, the raindrops dense and icy. They felt cold when they landed on the back of his hand, sending a chill to the depths of his heart.

He glanced sideways at Xia Yu but remained silent, making Xia Yu feel uneasy.

“What’s up?” Xia Yu was puzzled, thinking that Jiang Ti might want to stop him from smoking. He moved the cigarette slightly away and asked, “Do you mind me smoking and ruining your fresh air?”

Jiang Ti shook his head.

After a while, he suddenly asked, “Did you divorce Xu Zhan?”

Xia Yu was taken aback, almost choking on his cigarette smoke. He coughed a few times but, upon seeing Jiang Ti’s calm expression, managed to regain his composure and said, “Uh-huh.”

“Yes,” Xia Yu replied calmly and asked in return, “Did my brother tell you?”

“Yeah,” Jiang Ti blinked his eyelashes and said, “Xia Jin came to me a while ago, complaining about how troublesome you were. He said you insisted on divorcing Xu Zhan and being with Lu Zhao. He drank for most of the night and went crazy at my place. Later, his wife came and took him away.”

Xia Yu felt embarrassed.

He had really caused a lot of trouble for his brother.

Jiang Ti continued, “I didn’t expect you to divorce Xu Zhan and be with Lu Zhao. I thought you guys had a good relationship.”

Jiang Ti’s tone was strange, and he stared at Xia Yu without blinking.

Xia Yu scratched his face.

“Just because the relationship is good doesn’t mean it’s true love,” he said candidly. He had always had a good relationship with Jiang Ti, even closer than some distant relatives. So he spoke frankly, “Xu Zhan and I were well-suited as friends, but when it came to being a family and having romantic love, there was always a slight gap. We couldn’t be lovers, so it’s better to let go.”

As he said this, Xia Yu remembered his previous suspicions. He had always suspected that Jiang Ti had feelings for Xu Zhan.

He couldn’t help but stare at Jiang Ti, trying to discern any clues from his expression.

However, Jiang Ti remained expressionless, his eyes like ancient wells, deep and calm, showing no ripples.

Xia Yu felt somewhat disappointed, but thinking about Xu Zhan’s recent melancholic state, he also felt a bit restless.

Jiang Ti was handsome and reliable, and even if he had a sharp tongue, he could easily outperform Qin Sheng in many aspects.

He couldn’t hold back and asked Jiang Ti, “Can I ask you something? Don’t get angry; I don’t mean anything by it, I’m just curious.”

“Go ahead,” Jiang Ti replied.

“Are you by any chance fond of Xu Zhan?” Xia Yu asked cautiously, watching Jiang Ti’s expression intently. “I always feel like you care about him. Every time Xu Zhan came to find me, you were also present, and you seemed different from usual.”

Jiang Ti was stunned.

Even though he had seen a lot in his life, Xia Yu’s question was still too unexpected.

But Xia Yu watched him with a sincere expression, waiting for his response.

Jiang Ti burst into laughter, almost uncontrollably. “Do I like Xu Zhan?”

Xia Yu was puzzled by this reaction.

Jiang Ti laughed so much that tears were about to come out.

He looked at Xia Yu in the moonlight. Xia Yu’s young face was so beautiful, yet so dull.

“Why would I like Xu Zhan?” Jiang Ti laughed heartily, his voice a bit hoarse.

“Uh?” Xia Yu was disappointed, but he couldn’t help asking, “Then who do you like?”

Whom do you like?

Now, that was an interesting question.

Jiang Ti held the lit cigarette between his fingers. The tip of the cigarette was scorching hot, as if it would burn his fingers in the next second.

He turned to look at Xia Yu, squinting slightly. For a moment, he wanted to give an answer.

But in the end, he didn’t do it.

He smiled and said, “I don’t like anyone. I’m prepared to live alone for the rest of my life.”

Xia Yu felt even more disappointed. He leaned back against the railing and sighed, “That’s not fun.”

However, thinking that Jiang Ti was already in his thirties and staying single like this would be quite miserable, Xia Yu kindly asked, “Do you want me to introduce someone to you?”

Jiang Ti snorted, “No need. I plan to stay single.”

At this moment, he had no idea that one day in the future, at a significant event in Xia Yu’s life, he would accidentally meet someone who would change everything.

He placed the cigarette back to his lips, took a deep breath, and the taste of nicotine was still bitter, especially on such a rainy day.

He asked Xia Yu, “What about you? Have you decided on Lu Zhao?”

Xia Yu was momentarily stunned.

But he had nothing to hide from Jiang Ti. He hesitated, bit his lip, and confessed, “It’s not like I’ve decided… but besides him, it seems like I can’t love anyone else.”

Jiang Ti thought that was an excellent answer, more touching than simply saying, “I love him.”

Xia Yu rubbed his arms, finally feeling a bit cold. He stomped his feet and said, “I’ll go back inside. You should come in soon too, don’t catch a cold.”

“Okay.”

Jiang Ti watched Xia Yu push open the glass door to the balcony and gradually walk away, disappearing into the bustling dance floor of the party. He was naturally the center of attention, and people loved him with his cheerful smile. Wherever he went, people greeted him.

But people like him ultimately didn’t belong to Xu Zhan, nor did they belong to him.

Jiang Ti closed his eyes, tilted his body slightly backward, and the fine raindrops drifted in from under the eaves, sticking to his eyelashes like spider silk.

He really hated rainy days.

Xia Yu and Xu Zhan didn’t stay too late at the party because Lu Zhao came to pick him up, and the car was waiting in the parking lot.

As they left the party together, walking through the hotel’s winding corridors, Xu Zhan asked Xia Yu, “Did you tell Lu Zhao that we’ve been in a fake marriage all along?”

Xia Yu was taken aback.

He shook his head and said, “Not yet.”

“Do you plan to tell him?”

Xia Yu was caught off guard.

In fact, he hadn’t thought about this issue much lately. When he had just divorced Xu Zhan, he had thought about it, but the words couldn’t come out of his mouth. Out of a stubborn sense of pride, he didn’t really want to tell Lu Zhao.

He said, “I’ve thought about it, but I find it hard to say. How should I put it? Look at how much I love you. In these three years, I’ve never forgotten you, not even during my previous marriage. It sounds too pitiful.”

Xu Zhan understood this mentality.

But as they walked through the corridor and climbed the stairs, he spoke in a hushed tone, “But I think… it doesn’t matter if you tell him.”

He stopped and looked at Xia Yu. “You and Lu Zhao have never been with anyone else in these three years. You’ve been through so much together, and there have been many temptations, but your love for each other is still the strongest. Not many people in this world can do that. Lu Zhao obviously thinks we had a real marriage, and he didn’t stop you from coming out with me. It’s not about being generous; it’s that he has no grounds to blame you. But the taste of jealousy is not pleasant.”

Xu Zhan said this, and his voice gradually became softer. It seemed like he was talking about Lu Zhao, but it also felt like he was talking about himself.

Because he felt the same way when he saw Qin Sheng and his fiancée on a trip. But what right did he have to be jealous?

What belonged to him was Ruan Sen, and Qin Sheng had never been his.

Xia Yu pursed his lips.

He knew Xu Zhan had a point. He put himself in Lu Zhao’s shoes watching his lover continue to be close to his ex-husband… Xia Yu imagined himself in that situation and felt like he could scratch Lu Zhao’s face.

“Let’s talk about it later,” Xia Yu rubbed his face and mumbled, “Let’s see how he behaves, and then we’ll decide.”

Xu Zhan smiled and didn’t say anything more.

Author’s note

Can you tell who Jiang Ti likes now?

But he will have his own CP (couple pairing). It’s a character from one of my previous stories, hehe.