Chapter 136: There is nothing to explain; we are finished.

Page 1 of 3

“Huh?”

Xiao Yang froze, his expression suddenly stiffening. “You?”

Shen Xian nodded. “Yes. I orchestrated all of this.”

Xiao Yang paled. “Why would you do something like this? Are you short of money? If you need money, just tell me! Why go this far?”

Shen Xian told Xiao Yang about his plan.

When Xiao Yang heard it, he froze again, a tempest raging in his heart.

He did not really understand how new media operated, but he knew that if Shen Xian’s plan succeeded, it would be a miracle in the entire marketing industry.

But if it failed, Shen Xian would be ruined.

Because the final step was for Shen Xian to enter the game personally.

A strategist, throwing himself into the trap he had laid.

“The risk is far too great,” Xiao Yang murmured, his scalp prickling.

If Shen Xian failed, he would have to change his name and start a new life.

“Risk and reward always go hand in hand.” Shen Xian smiled, completely unruffled.

Yet there was no warmth left in his eyes.

“Did Zhou Wan misunderstand you because of this? Is that why the two of you fell out?” Xiao Yang asked.

Shen Xian nodded, then sighed. “Yes. She seized upon my weakness and attacked me with her most vicious weapon. You know what I’m like—I’m sensitive…”

Xiao Yang opened another bottle of liquor, and the two of them drained it together. “Is it possible that Zhou Wan only said those things because she was angry?”

“I can’t rule it out.”

Xiao Yang continued, “Do you know why my father is so popular with women? Is it merely because he’s handsome?”

“No. It’s because he likes to indulge women, coax them, and give them the greatest possible emotional satisfaction.”

“With every woman, he puts on this act of being weak and obedient, as though he’ll do whatever she says. But in truth, it’s simply his way of winning women over.”

“Women—most women, at least—are hard-mouthed but soft-hearted. He understands that better than anyone.”

Xiao Yang spoke at length, his admiration for his father evident.

His father had even managed to win over that muscle-bound female bodybuilder. With that kind of ability, no one else could compare.

Shen Xian suddenly understood.

Xiao Yang went on, “How many couples break up because neither of them is willing to back down? Countless. Sometimes, all it takes is an apology and a little humility. It’s really not such a big deal.”

“So you’re saying I should go to Zhou Wan and apologize?” Shen Xian asked.

Xiao Yang nodded. “Exactly. You do bear some responsibility here. You knew how risky this was, so why didn’t you tell her beforehand?”

“It’s true that mutual trust is the most important thing between two people. But isn’t mutual honesty even more important?”

Shen Xian found the argument increasingly convincing.

“I’ll ask you one thing,” Xiao Yang said. “Do you love her?”

Page 2 of 3

Shen Xian nodded.

“Then let me ask you this: Are you afraid of losing her?” Xiao Yang asked.

Shen Xian nodded again. “I am.”

How could he not be?

Whenever he thought of being with Zhou Wan, his heart filled with sweetness, yet at the same time it felt as though it were being cut by knives.

Ever since returning from the capital, his relationship with Zhou Wan had progressed rapidly.

She was part of so many of his plans.

He wanted Zhou Wan to appear in every tomorrow of his life. Because of her, he looked forward to every tomorrow as well.

And so he was afraid that she might never appear in his tomorrows again.

“How could I not be afraid?” Shen Xian murmured.

“Then go to her. Apologize, and tell her the truth about your plan,” Xiao Yang said.

Shen Xian was silent for a long time. “All right.”

“It’s about to rain. Go now.” Xiao Yang looked up at the sky. It was already half past eleven at night.

Not a single star could be seen overhead. The sky was heavy and dark.

A cold wind swept through, dispersing much of the alcohol from their bodies.

Shen Xian nodded firmly. “All right. I’ll go now.”

Xiao Yang laughed and patted him on the shoulder. “Try to bring that famous actress home as your wife soon. I believe in you!”

Rain began to fall in scattered drops, and pedestrians hurried along the streets.

Shen Xian saw that a flower shop was still open. He went inside and bought a huge bouquet of roses—nine hundred and ninety-nine of them—then took a car to Zhou Wan’s residential compound.

Back when they had been close, Zhou Wan had told Shen Xian where she lived.

She owned a detached villa in another upscale neighborhood of South City.

The security guard refused to let Shen Xian in without good reason.

Shen Xian pulled five hundred dollars from his pocket and slapped it onto the guard’s desk.

The guard was an elderly man with a stern expression. He blocked the security camera with his body and lowered his voice. “Go on in.”

Without drawing attention to himself, he slipped the money into his own pocket.

Such opportunities did not come often. Five hundred dollars was still five hundred dollars—and he was retiring in three days anyway.

Shen Xian gave the old guard a grateful look. “Once I marry the woman I love, I’ll invite you to share in the wedding sweets.”

The guard grinned, revealing not a single complete tooth. “Country Garden’s soon-to-retire five-star general, at your service!”

The rain grew heavier.

Holding an umbrella and cradling the flowers in his arms, Shen Xian stood outside the villa and gazed at the brightly lit house. He pressed the doorbell, but no one answered.

Perhaps Zhou Wan was afraid of paparazzi at this hour and did not dare open the door.

Shen Xian stepped back and stood on the path beside the villa. He took out his phone and called Zhou Wan.

“Are you asleep?”

Page 3 of 3

Zhou Wan’s voice was icy. “What do you want?”

Through the window, Shen Xian saw a figure moving inside the house. “Look out the window.”

The curtain was pulled aside by a fraction.

Zhou Wan saw Shen Xian standing in the downpour, a bouquet of roses in his arms. She hurriedly let the curtain fall again, and her cold voice came through the phone once more.

“If you have something to say, just say it.”

She was still furious and felt that Shen Xian’s actions had been utterly despicable.

At that moment, she was incapable of listening to anything he said.

That was the frightening thing about her rebellious streak: until she had calmed down on her own, she would refuse to listen to anyone.

She could not accept the man she loved resorting to such unscrupulous methods.

“It isn’t what you think,” Shen Xian said. “I have other arrangements for Ye Yuning. In any case, Ye Yuning won’t suffer any loss. Let me in, and I’ll explain everything properly.”

How could Zhou Wan listen now?

“There’s no need to explain. Go home.”

She had never been willing to listen to explanations. Once she made up her mind, not even ten oxen could drag her back.

As far as she was concerned, Shen Xian had done wrong. He had harmed Ye Yuning. He had sold Ye Yuning out for money.

After a moment of silence, Shen Xian said into the phone, “You won’t even give me a chance to explain?”

“There’s nothing to explain. We’re finished.” Zhou Wan clenched her teeth as she spoke.

He needed to be taught a lesson, so he would remember it. Then she would see whether he dared do such a thing again.

Shen Xian fell silent.

The cold wind drove the heavy rain against him, chilling him to the bone. Then it tore the umbrella from his hand.

He simply stood there in the downpour, holding the roses and quietly watching the figure behind the window.

Then he hung up.

Zhou Wan hurried to the window. She saw Shen Xian standing alone in the cold autumn rain, his forlorn figure framed beneath the storm. The vivid roses looked painfully conspicuous beneath the dim streetlights.

A moment later, Shen Xian turned without saying a word.

Two bright headlights swept toward him. A Cullinan came to a stop in front of the villa, and a tall, handsome man stepped out.

Meng Yanzhou.

Shen Xian cast him a brief glance. Deep in his eyes, there was no emotion left at all.

He walked to the trash bin and threw the roses inside.

Meng Yanzhou frowned as he looked at the strange man, then pressed the doorbell.

The door opened.

A man arriving at Zhou Wan’s home in the middle of the night—and, more importantly, the woman opening the door for him.

Wasn’t that enough to explain everything?

Shen Xian pressed one hand against his chest as that physical pain began to surge once more.

But he did not look back even once.

He disappeared into the cold, slanting rain.