Evil Love Appears chapter 90

“Xu Jiale,” Wen Ke said softly, “Throughout one’s life, you have to make many choices, and no one can guarantee that they are always right. But at least every choice made in the present is not intentionally made to make a mistake. At 22, you believed you found the person you liked the most, so you built the family you wanted and had your little one with Jin Chu. Later, when you divorced, it was Jin Chu who first thought the feelings had faded, which means he also longed for stronger love. Isn’t it normal that your relationship reached a dead end? But you don’t regret having Nanyi, do you?”

“How is it possible? I will never regret having Nanyi.”

Xu Jiale suddenly raised his head, saying, “Nanyi is an angel in my life.”

“That’s good then. So, is it guilt? Guilt because your feelings with Jin Chu never reached a critical point, but you suddenly developed feelings for Fu Xiaoyu, making you feel sorry for Nanyi?”

“…Yes,” Xu Jiale said hoarsely. “From the beginning, I couldn’t give him a perfect family.”

“Xu Jiale, but as you said, no one can predict the future,” Wen Ke slightly emphasized his voice. “Who, at the age of 30, can look back at their 20-year-old self and say that every step taken was correct? Do you really think you are that capable?”

He hesitated for a moment before continuing, “Xu Jiale, I sometimes don’t know if you’re self-confident or self-deprecating. I just feel that many of the choices you’ve made weren’t really your own.”

Xu Jiale didn’t quite understand this sentence, but he didn’t ask right away.

“From middle school to marriage, the Omegas you’ve chosen were all of the same type,” Wen Ke continued. “Were you really actively looking for people you liked, or were you just passively selecting Omegas who were ‘completely different from Murong Jingya’?”

“You feel guilty for not providing Nanyi with a perfect family from the beginning, but what does a perfect family really look like? It seems you only know that, no matter what, you shouldn’t create a family like Murong and Xu Lang’s. Deriving a seemingly reasonable formula from negative information you hate, it wasn’t feasible from the beginning, was it?”

Xu Jiale stared at Wen Ke in a daze, unable to say a word.

This speech was perhaps the sharpest and most ruthless thing Wen Ke had said to him since they met. It felt like a series of heavy blows, leaving him bewildered.

Yes, the ideal marriage and family he had pursued were constructed from his own imagination and speculation.

IWen Ke spoke with genuine anger at this point. His eyes, which usually held a friendly smile, glared at Xu Jiale with a touch of fury.

He was gentle by nature, but at this moment, he couldn’t be a good consoler, and he couldn’t be as patient as Xu Jiale had been with him before.

“Xu Jiale, nobody can save the past marriages, but what about this time?”

“This is the only time you’ve experienced love boiling to a critical point based on feelings, not a formula. Do you understand how precious that is? And yet you’re giving him up so easily? You didn’t even discuss it with him beforehand?”

“I know.”

“Wen Ke, I know how precious Fu Xiaoyu is.”

Xu Jiale shook his head.

He couldn’t even express how precious that feeling was, all he could weakly say was, “Fu Xiaoyu is precious.”

“It’s my fault, you’re right. Not discussing it with him was also my mistake. I have too many unresolved messes and a broken mood. There’s so much guilt and self-blame, it’s like the more I want to be responsible for my life, the more I feel like I’m letting everyone down. Wen Ke, I also wish for a different ending now, but I’m stuck in a quagmire, no matter how I struggle, I can’t climb out. I don’t want Fu Xiaoyu to accompany me, get splattered with mud, and gradually become disappointed in me. I can’t bear that process. I can’t give him the kind of love that can shine and make him feel cherished and priceless forever. If I can’t give that, I shouldn’t stand by his side.”

Xu Jiale sat there, and this was the first time he had fully expressed his feelings.

His hands rested on his knees, and he seemed lost in thought.

That posture, so formal and restrained, was like a prisoner locked in a room longing for freedom.

Upon hearing these words, Wen Ke finally let out a long sigh. After the anger had faded, a strong sense of powerlessness welled up in his heart.

Xu Jiale was trapped, locked in the prison he had built for himself.

“Xu Jiale, sometimes I really wonder if you genuinely love yourself.”

He muttered, “Because only someone who doesn’t love themselves from the bottom of their heart can turn a solvable situation into what it is now. Whether it’s your marriage, Nanyi, or your relationship with Fu Xiaoyu, you seem fixated on building that perfect relationship you’ve imagined. The issues between you weren’t unsolvable, but you, it’s like you only blame yourself and feel guilty. When problems arise, you take all the responsibility upon yourself, and then watch as you’re crushed, without even having the courage to seek help from Fu Xiaoyu.”

“Xu Jiale, only those who fundamentally don’t love themselves lack the courage to pursue happiness, and they think that seeking help from the one they love is splattering mud on them.”

Suddenly, Xu Jiale lowered his head, and when he breathed, he deliberately made it very light, but his voice still produced a slight sound.

Did he truly not love himself from the bottom of his heart?

He couldn’t say it because he knew the answer, and that’s why he felt so heartbroken.

In the end, Wen Ke didn’t push further, perhaps out of compassion.

His phone suddenly rang, and he knew it was Han Jiangque urging him.

His sense of powerlessness had turned into heartache.

He looked at Xu Jiale sitting there and felt that the adjective Xu Jiale used was quite fitting – broken and battered.

In any case, he could understand Xu Jiale.

Because he had been through something similar himself.

The most vulnerable and helpless stage in a person’s life is when they can’t even love themselves.

And how long it takes to regain the courage is seemingly an eternal mystery.

But sometimes, fate may not wait forever. If you let it slip away, it’s a lifelong regret.

Wen Ke could only ask in a low voice, “So, what do you plan to do next?”

“I… I just want him to get better quickly, to do what he likes, to be happy.”

When Xu Jiale spoke, he seemed somewhat anxious, but he had clearly thought about this. “Wen Ke, a few days ago when I thought about the love app, didn’t we have the first internal equity allocation meeting coming up? I know there’s a specific procedure for valuing contributions, but regardless, the total stake for the founders is fixed, and even if one person has fewer shares, I want to give up all of my shares at that time.”

“And also, in a while, we’re going to launch the overseas distribution of the love app, right? I’m thinking that since Fu Xiaoyu has been in charge of the overseas business all along, we should establish a subsidiary company overseas and let him take full control. If there are investment issues, I can…”

Wen Ke suddenly interrupted him, “I’ve actually considered many of these things too. As for the overseas company, we should let Fu Xiaoyu own 51% or more of the shares. Even if we consider the current distribution of LITE’s founder shares in China, Han Jiangque won’t be involved, he has already decided to exit. The additional shares, apart from the portions set aside for the CTO and CFO, should all belong to Fu Xiaoyu. But I think it’s not about what you want, it’s about whether Fu Xiaoyu is willing to accept it.”

Wen Ke’s phone rang again, and he looked down briefly. After standing up, he spoke calmly but directly, “You actually know how boundary-conscious Fu Xiaoyu is. So, breaking up means that you and he are already strangers. No matter how much you want to care for him, protect him, everything you do is futile.”

Xu Jiale also stood up, but when he heard Wen Ke’s words, he suddenly felt a void in his heart.

Yes, everything was so futile.

He was no longer Fu Xiaoyu’s Alpha. Without that status, there was no basis for being together.

Everything he did was futile. He no longer had the right to care about Fu Xiaoyu.

Thinking of this, it wasn’t even painful; it was just emptiness in his heart.

………

Xu Jiale saw Fu Xiaoyu once again on the afternoon of the internal equity allocation meeting.

Although he had mentioned trying not to appear in front of Fu Xiaoyu, this meeting was impossible to skip.

His insomnia was still quite severe. He had made an effort to tidy himself up before leaving, at least to the extent where he could be seen in public, and then he drove to Gemini Tower.

LITE had expanded rapidly, and they had taken over three floors of office space in Building 789. Shared office space was no longer suitable for the future of LITE. Fu Xiaoyu had already arranged for someone to find a dedicated office building.

The large meeting room was on the 9th floor. When Xu Jiale took the elevator, Hu Xia, who happened to be in the elevator as well, shouted, “Jiale! Where have you been for the past few days?”

“Got some things to take care of.”

“Is everything okay? You don’t look good at all.”

“I’m fine; we have some guests at home.”

“Oh.” Hu Xia continued to scrutinize Xu Jiale’s appearance with concern, and then he remembered something, asking, “Jiale, you’re not wearing that one-carat earring today, are you?”

Xu Jiale held his coffee cup tightly, hesitated for a second, and then mumbled, “No, I’m not wearing it.

Wen Ke and Han Jiangque had already arrived and were having hot tea in the 9th-floor public area.

When Han Jiangque saw Xu Jiale, he turned away without a word, clearly expressing his attitude.

Wen Ke simply gave him a meaningful look and said, “Xiaoyu is discussing something with someone, he’ll be here soon.”

Xu Jiale followed at the back of the group. This meant he ended up sitting farthest from Wen Ke and Fu Xiaoyu. Instead, he sat next to Wang Xiaoshan, who greeted him with a brief nod, “Mr. Xu.”

…………………………

The equity distribution meeting had already been scheduled in advance. It was necessary because the initial equity allocation was made hastily during LITE’s early days. With the development of the Love app and the influx of more substantial investments in the future, a more sophisticated distribution was needed.

Han Jiangque had long since withdrawn from active involvement, so his exit from the equity distribution was uncontested. CTO Wang Jinglin, who had recently joined, and the future CFO would also have small equity stakes.

Xu Jiale’s part had to be discussed. He proposed to exit the distribution process but was directly rejected by Fu Xiaoyu.

“The psychological testing module for the Love app is a core competitive advantage of the product, and you brought in this entire architecture. Furthermore, we still have significant cooperation with M University in the future.”

Fu Xiaoyu held a Parker pen and looked in Xu Jiale’s direction.

Xu Jiale felt his mouth go dry and took a sip of coffee before saying softly, “Even if I don’t become a shareholder, I can still act as an advisor to help the Love app continue its collaboration with M University.”

“The question is, why?” Fu Xiaoyu put down his pen. “Xu Jiale—”

He paused for a moment and then said lightly, “Let’s keep it strictly business.”

After saying these five words, Fu Xiaoyu seemed convinced of Xu Jiale’s reaction and didn’t look at him anymore.

Xu Jiale ultimately failed to exit the company but settled for only 0.5% of the final equity, less than Wang Jinglin and others.

The equity distribution was straightforward for the others. Wen Ke held the most shares as the company’s founder and initial investor, followed by Fu Xiaoyu. In terms of share ownership, their differences were not substantial. Fu Xiaoyu had become the CEO, making him the executive in charge.

After the overall equity allocation was set, they moved on to other agenda items, and the details would not require the participation of shareholders.

After the meeting dispersed, Wen Ke pulled Wang Jinglin, Han Jiangque, Xu Jiale, and Fu Xiaoyu aside to discuss another matter. “We’re planning to hold a wedding in Phuket next month with Han Jiangque. “

“So soon?” Xu Jiale was surprised.

Upon further thought, it wasn’t that sudden. They both had children now and were only missing a wedding to complete their family. They had initially postponed it to allow Han Jiangque to recover, but given his recent actions, he would likely be ready in another month.

“Yes. Han Jiangque and I thought about it, and after this wedding, Han’s family will probably want to hold another ceremony in China. So for the one abroad, we want it to be more relaxed. The Love app is doing well, and we want to treat our longtime employees. We thought about inviting close friends and our veteran employees from the love app to join us on a chartered flight to a beachfront hotel. We’ll have a ceremony by the beach, and everyone can relax without any pressure. We’ve already started preparations, and today, we wanted to inform everyone in advance.”

“Sounds like a great plan,” Xu Jiale replied with mixed emotions. He felt happy for his friends but also had a sense of melancholy. “Congratulations to both of you; you’ve made it official.”

Han Jiangque didn’t acknowledge him, but upon hearing him mention “making it official,” he couldn’t help but lightly hold Wen Ke’s hand.

Fu Xiaoyu was standing on the side, and he softly added, “Congratulations, I…I’m really happy for you.”

He said these words slowly and sincerely.

“Mr. Fu—”

At that moment, someone from behind called out.

Xu Jiale turned around and was surprised to see Wen Huaixuan standing behind them.

This Alpha was well-dressed and had the same Patek Philippe on his wrist. He looked at Fu Xiaoyu with a smile and said, “I just arrived. Have you finished your meeting? Mr. Wen, you’re here too.”

“Mr. Wen.” Wen Ke had met Wen Huaixuan through the business cooperation between the Love app and the LIAM hotel. They had met a few times in the last few days. Wen Ke nodded and said, “You’re here today as well?”

“Yes, Mr. Fu and I are continuing our business discussions, and we also arranged to have dinner together.”

“We just finished the meeting. Let’s go.”

Fu Xiaoyu turned around, said goodbye everyone, and then walked straight to his office.

Wen Ke wanted to say a few more words to Xu Jiale, but he was pulled away by Han Jiangque and Wang Jinglin to discuss some business. Xu Jiale was left standing there, and Wang Xiaoshan, who was still organizing files, was the only one remaining.

“Is Mr. Wen…does he come here often lately?”

Xu Jiale asked absentmindedly.

“He’s come a couple of times, mainly for business discussions with Mr. Fu,” Wang Xiaoshan replied while typing. “Mr. Fu wants to open a branch in Vietnam, and Mr. Wen’s family is planning to open a hotel there. Next week, both of them are scheduled to travel to Vietnam for work, so they have a lot to talk about.”

“Oh, I see. Thanks.”

Xu Jiale mumbled a thank you, and Wang Xiaoshan gave him a puzzled look.

Alone, Xu Jiale walked to the elevator. He felt somewhat dazed, and as a result, he forgot to let the people inside the elevator exit before getting in. He rushed inside as soon as the elevator doors opened.

Just as he entered, Fu Xiaoyu was coming out of the elevator at the same time.

There was a sudden “pop” sound as Fu Xiaoyu’s phone fell to the floor.

Perhaps due to their proximity, the scent of mint and magnolia mingled in the air, their pheromones nearly colliding like their bodies.

In the next second, Fu Xiaoyu quickly took a step back.

“Sorry.”

Only then did Xu Jiale realize what had happened. He bent down, but at the same time, Fu Xiaoyu also bent down.

They both reached for the phone at the same time.

At the moment when their fingertips touched, Xu Jiale felt a tingling sensation, as if static electricity ran through them, causing his entire body to quiver for a moment.

Just that one second of contact.

Only that one second of contact.

In the quiet elevator, Xu Jiale could almost hear his own heartbeat. He didn’t know why he was so nervous. It was as if he had stolen that one second from somewhere.

In the end, Xu Jiale picked up the phone and silently handed it to Fu Xiaoyu.

“I forgot a document; I need to go back to get it.”

Fu Xiaoyu said as he took the phone, he didn’t look at Xu Jiale and simply headed back to his office.

He did forget a document. After returning to his office, he found the document he was missing. However, he also saw a velvet box hidden at the back of the drawer.

A few days ago, Han Jiangque had angrily taken back the diamond earring from Xu Jiale and returned it to him. Although he thought it was unnecessary, he had gently patted Han Jiangque’s arm and said, “Thank you.”

Now, Fu Xiaoyu stood alone in his office, opening the box for the first time after getting it back.

The diamond earring sparkled under the light. He watched it silently for a few seconds before closing the box and placing it back in the farthest corner of the drawer.