Lack of love chapter 1

Divorce Agreement

When Zhong Qiran returned home, he received a call from Yan’s family lawyer regarding the issue of property distribution between him and Yan Hao.

The lawyer’s words were straightforward, but intentionally omitted the phrase “divorce agreement.”

Four years ago, they met by accident and quickly fell in love. By the end of that year, they obtained a marriage certificate abroad. However, since it was not legally binding in their home country, Yan Hao had him sign another property distribution agreement to protect his rights. Zhong Qiran trusted Yan Hao and didn’t even bother reading the content before signing his name. He was convinced that they would be together for a lifetime.

The Yan family was influential in their home country, with several generations involved in business and having good connections with the political sphere. Yan Hao, as the only son, took charge of the company at a young age. Initially, his parents didn’t approve of their relationship, but Yan Hao insisted on being with Zhong Qiran and vowed not to marry anyone else.

Now, according to the lawyer, Yan Hao was being generous in the property distribution, providing him with a substantial amount that would sustain him for the rest of his life without having to work.

Within the property distribution contract, there was a clause that stated if either party agreed to terminate the relationship, it would become effective. In other words, whether it was Yan Hao or Zhong Qiran who no longer wanted to continue with each other, Zhong Qiran could take the money and walk away, with no further ties between them. This was initially the most favorable condition for Zhong Qiran, but he didn’t expect that Yan Hao would be the first to violate the agreement.

Zhong Qiran listened calmly to the lawyer’s account and asked, “What did Yan Hao say?”

The lawyer on the other end of the phone didn’t answer.

But Zhong Qiran already knew the answer in his heart. If Yan Hao hadn’t agreed, the lawyer from the Yan family wouldn’t dare act on his own.

Zhong Qiran thought that if Yan Hao didn’t want to pay the money, he could have broken the contract as well. Their marriage was nothing more than a farce in the eyes of others and didn’t count for much. 

They had a four-year age difference. When Zhong Qiran met him, he was only twenty-one years old, a college student. Now he is twenty-five, while Yan Hao is twenty-nine, both with bright futures and endless possibilities.

Zhong Qiran didn’t understand how things could have developed like this when everything was fine just a month ago.

And all of this started with a car accident a month ago.

On  holiday, as they were traveling by car a truck’s brakes failed while going downhill, and it came straight at them from the opposite lane. Yan Hao turned the steering wheel to avoid a direct collision with the truck, causing the car to fall off a cliff. Fortunately, there was a river below the cliff, cushioning the impact of the fall and preventing them from sustaining more serious injuries.

Zhong Qiran always remembered that before they fell into the water, Yan Hao held onto him tightly for warmth and strength. It was to protect him that Yan Hao was hit on the head by the rearview mirror that fell down.

After Yan Hao regained consciousness in the hospital, his memory was lost. He recognized his parents, long-unseen relatives and friends, but he couldn’t recognize Zhong Qiran.

Zhong Qiran couldn’t understand why this melodramatic situation had happened to them, but fortunately, he remained optimistic. He initially thought that amnesia was not a big deal, and life could start over. However, after Yan Hao woke up, he became cold and distant, as if he were a stranger

Zhong Qiran didn’t mind the way Yan Hao treated him. They had been together for four years, experiencing both big and small difficulties, and they had gone through coming out to their parents and even the pressure to get married. He didn’t believe there was any obstacles they couldn’t overcome.

Until the first week of Yan Hao’s hospitalization, when Zhong Qiran leaned in to give him a kiss as usual, Yan Hao frowned and gently pushed him away.

Only then did Zhong Qiran realize that Yan Hao had been enduring these past few days, and he was repulsed by him. That cold and emotionless gaze made him recall the scene of their first meeting.

Their encounter was also an accident.

Zhong Qiran, still a university student at the time, wanted to find a decent part-time job, so he went to a department store to buy clothes.He was standing in front of a display window, hesitating between two expensive suits, when Yan Hao happened to walk past behind him.

They didn’t know each other at first, but because two kidnappers suddenly burst in from outside and took Yan Hao away, and him too cause he was standing a little too close to Yan Hao. The kidnappers were afraid of taking the wrong person, so they took him as well.

And on the first day of being kidnapped, Yan Hao looked at him the same way, with vigilance and distrust.

Later, when they were in the hospital, Zhong Qiran didn’t approach Yan Hao intimately again. He could tell that Yan Hao didn’t like being touched by anyone, and even attempts to get close would make him frown.

In the second week of Yan Hao’s stay at the hospital, Zhong Qiran started to get busy. After the car accident, the company accumulated too many tasks to handle. Zhong Qiran temporarily didn’t want to worry about Yan Hao’s amnesia and became more focused more on his work.

That night, he worked late but still wanted to go to the hospital to see Yan Hao.

As he approached the ward and was about to open the door, he heard laughter coming from inside. The door wasn’t completely closed, so Zhong Qiran looked through the crack and saw a young and beautiful nurse talking to Yan Hao with a smile while helping him change the bandage on his arm.

Yan Hao still didn’t show much expression, but Zhong Qiran could sense that he wasn’t rejecting the female nurse like he did with the others.

Suddenly, Zhong Qiran thought that Yan Hao was back to being straight. If it weren’t for being held captive by the kidnappers in that dark room for nearly a week, helping and relying on each other, an unusual bond wouldn’t have formed between them. Perhaps Yan Hao’s future life plan would be different. He would marry a woman, even if she wasn’t from an influential family, so as not to face opposition from his parents.

He didn’t push the door open, just stood there for a while before turning around and leaving.

In the third week, when Zhong Qiran went to the hospital, he found out that Yan Hao had already been discharged. He checked his phone and realized that there was no prior notification. He made a phone call to inquire and learned that his parents had taken him back to the Yan residence for recuperation and had arranged for someone to take care of him.

Zhong Qiran felt somewhat bewildered. 

He returned alone to the home they shared, where half of the space still held Yan Hao’s belongings. His used pen was casually placed on the desk, and the clothes he had worn were neatly folded at the bedside, as if Yan Hao had just left and would come back soon.

Zhong Qiran later visited the Yan residence several times, but the butler blocked him, citing that the young master was not feeling well, and unfortunately, even Yan’s parents didn’t want them to meet. He returned in vain but gradually began to feel that something was amiss.

By the fourth week, he received a call from the Yan family lawyer.

Zhong Qiran quickly recalled the events of the past month, feeling somewhat overwhelmed. He said to the lawyer, “I will sign it. But I want to talk to Yan Hao in person. Please inform my uncle and aunt, that’s my condition.”

 The Yan family lawyer didn’t show any awkwardness after being exposed, and simply responded, “I will convey your message immediately.”

After waiting for a few more days, Yan Hao agreed to meet, still through messages conveyed by the lawyer.

He arrived at the Yan residence according to the scheduled time, looking at the man sitting in a wheelchair with a fractured left leg, still wearing a cast.

Yan Hao had a cold expression, his gaze almost devoid of any emotion, showing none of the protective demeanor he had when they fell off the cliff.

With just one glance at him, Zhong Qiran knew that it was truly over between them.

Even though the lawyer still found it somewhat difficult to witness this scene. He had witnessed Yan Hao’s determination before. He handed the contract to Zhong Qiran, nodded, and then turned to leave, giving them space to talk.

Zhong Qiran sat down at the table, and for the first time, he carefully read through the terms of the contract. He didn’t ask why, but instead asked Yan Hao, “Should I dispose of the things you left at home or have someone come to collect them?”

Yan Hao looked at him silently for a moment before replying, “I’ll have someone collect them.”

“Alright, please inform me when they come.” Zhong Qiran coming here was just an excuse; he didn’t really want Yan Hao’s money. If he hadn’t made this request, he might not have had the chance to see Yan Hao at all. But after seeing him, he felt even more disappointed. “You don’t actually have to give me this money. You don’t owe me anything…”

Yan Hao’s gaze remained fixed on Zhong Qiran from beginning to end, but his tone was extremely indifferent, as if he were looking at a stranger. “It’s necessary as per the agreement”

“Okay then.” Zhong Qiran picked up the pen and hesitated for a moment and looked at  Yan Hao before ultimately signing the documents.

He knew them reaching this point wasn’t anyone’s fault.

It’s just that when love is gone, no matter how hard you try to salvage it, it’s useless.