Kenlav immediately waved his hand.
“No problem.”
He had a very favorable impression of the young man.
Smiling, he extended his hand.
“We don’t mean anything else.”
“Please don’t be afraid. We’re not bad people.”
“We simply think your temperament is very special and wanted to be friends.”
“My name is Kenlav. What’s yours?”
“Would it be convenient to leave your phone number?”
Yan Mo lowered his head, avoiding eye contact with An Zhihan, who was staring steadily at him from behind Kenlav.
He shook Kenlav’s hand.
“Hello.”
“Although I’d like to chat with you longer, I’m not feeling very well…”
Yan Mo forced a weak smile.
It wasn’t an act.
His stomach was churning from the overwhelming psychological pressure.
The nausea was so strong that even the desserts he had eaten now felt sickening.
The words were polite and gentle.
But any adult could hear the rejection hidden beneath them.
Kenlav smiled regretfully but tactfully.
“I hope we meet again.”
“Oh right, your name—”
Yan Mo immediately lowered his head.
“Sorry, I have something urgent to do.”
“But it’s only a name—”
“I’m sorry!”
The young man hurriedly stood up and left.
His firm refusal made Kenlav sigh in disappointment.
As the scent of grapefruit and chamomile body wash brushed past him, An Zhihan—who had not spoken a single word the entire time—paused slightly and watched the retreating figure.
That scent…
It was Yan Mo’s favorite scent.
Kenlav stepped closer to An Zhihan and sighed.
Together, they watched the young man disappear into the distance.
“Do you think I frightened him?”
“What a pity.”
An Zhihan glanced at him.
“That’s not a boy.”
Kenlav: ?
An Zhihan said:
“Judging by his age, he’s probably twenty-four or twenty-five.”
“Generally speaking, someone that age should be called a young man.”
He paused.
“Though for someone my age, calling him a boy isn’t really a problem.”
Kenlav looked surprised.
“I thought he was eighteen!”
“Do Asians really look that young?”
An Zhihan shook his head with a smile.
“Let’s go.”
“Don’t you need to return to the embassy?”
“Mm.”
Their business discussion was already finished.
As they walked outside, Kenlav suddenly seemed to remember something and hurried toward the cashier.
Lowering his voice, he spoke to the employee.
The cashier looked troubled but still began typing into the computer.
An Zhihan frowned and walked over.
“What are you doing?”
Leaning against the counter, Kenlav winked proudly.
“I just realized something.”
“If we check the payment information, won’t we know that young man’s name?”
“If we’re lucky, we might even get his phone number through the payment method.”
An Zhihan remained expressionless.
“You’re surprisingly persistent.”
Kenlav stroked his chin.
“Perhaps.”
“I might be willing to pursue him.”
“Other than being male, he’s completely my ideal type.”
Apparently that young man had perfectly matched Kenlav’s preferences.
Though An Zhihan couldn’t understand why he felt uncomfortable about it, Kenlav was an important business partner and connection.
This time, he decided not to interfere.
—At least, that was what An Zhihan thought.
Then he heard the conversation between Kenlav and the cashier.
“Did you find the name of the customer from earlier?”
“Yes.”
“Wonderful!”
“What was his name?”
“Yan Mo.”
The cashier replied:
“Yan as in appearance.”
“Mo as in foam.”
An Zhihan froze.
His eyes widened slightly.
By the time he regained his senses, he had already rushed out of the restaurant and onto the unfamiliar street.
Passersby looked at him in surprise.
The man who usually appeared mature and composed now had his suit jacket hanging open.
His hair was disheveled.
His eyes frantically searched in every direction.
But he couldn’t find that figure.
“Yan Mo!”
“Yan Mo—!”
The normally dignified and steady An Zhihan kept turning around, calling out into the crowded streets.
Could two people really be that similar?
The same temperament.
The same name.
A red mole in the exact same place.
That unusual reaction.
And the fact that no body had ever been found.
His heart pounded violently.
The noise in his chest made him afraid to continue imagining possibilities.
Yet he clung desperately to that hope.
What if?
An Zhihan thought.
What if they’re the same person?
The thought made his fingers tremble.
What if Yan Mo had deliberately faked his death?
What if he had wanted everyone to believe he no longer existed?
What if he had escaped that painful world, changed his appearance, and started over?
Yan Mo wasn’t dead…
He wasn’t dead…
Yes.
That had to be Yan Mo.
He must have recognized him and deliberately avoided him.
No…
There was another possibility.
Perhaps An Zhihan missed him so much that he had begun hallucinating.
The moment he realized that, the usually expressionless man in his thirties slowly raised a cold hand adorned with a watch.
Shaking.
Afraid.
He pinched his own face.
A few seconds later, An Zhihan lowered his head.
His hair fell across his forehead.
The hand that dropped back to his side clenched tightly with excitement.
Laughter threatened to escape.
The corners of his lips twitched upward.
He suppressed it with all his strength.
I’m not dreaming either.
I pinched myself.
It hurt.
It really hurt.
“An!”
His friend chased after him, breathing heavily.
A hand landed on his shoulder.
“Why did you suddenly run out?”
“I called your name and you didn’t even stop.”
“An?”
“Are you even listening to me?”
But An Zhihan couldn’t hear Kenlav’s voice.
Slowly, he raised his head toward the sea of people.
His eyes were red.
His lips tightly pressed together.
“I’ll find you.”
Yan Mo.
“I will find you again.”
Yan Mo had no idea whether he had been discovered.
An Zhihan was intelligent.
As a leader, he was naturally suspicious and observant.
Standing before him had made calmness impossible.
Yan Mo felt certain An Zhihan was already suspicious.
All he could do now was pray.
Pray that even if An Zhihan recognized him, his former indifference would stop him from investigating further.
Taking a deep breath, Yan Mo continued running.
Only after a long time did he dare stop.
At that moment, he sincerely felt that he absolutely could not stay in this city any longer.
Was this city cursed?
Why had all those men gathered here?
The longer he stayed, the stronger his bad premonition became.
Trusting his instincts, Yan Mo immediately grabbed his belongings and hailed a taxi toward the airport.
He was leaving.
Running away.
Immediately.
Just as he got into the car, the phone in his pocket suddenly rang.
Yan Mo’s heart jumped.
After hesitating briefly, he answered.
“Hello?”
His voice was cautious.
“Yan Mo.”
The voice on the other end was unmistakable.
An Zhihan.
Calm.
Rational.
Always carrying the pressure and authority of a strict elder.
“…”
Yan Mo’s hand trembled.
Swallowing hard, he forced himself to remain calm.
Pretending not to understand, he replied:
“What are you talking about?”
“Who’s Yan Mo?”
“Y-You’ve got the wrong number.”
Amusement flickered through An Zhihan.
The young man’s voice was shaking, yet he still stubbornly refused to admit it.
“Come back.”
“I know it’s you.”
“Are you heading to the airport?”
“Running away?”
“Listen, Yan Mo.”
“I know my misunderstanding back then hurt you deeply.”
“I don’t have any bad intentions.”
“Can we talk?”
“I…”
“I was your husband, after all.”
Even if only in the past.
For some reason, An Zhihan had no desire whatsoever to call himself an ex-husband.
He deliberately softened his tone.
Trying to sound gentler.
But to the young man who had long since become afraid of him, every word still sounded like an order.
As if failing to obey would make An Zhihan frown.
As if disappointment and disgust would once again appear in his eyes.
Yan Mo shuddered.
Before his mind could react, his body moved first.
Like someone who had seen a ghost, he stared at the phone.
Then immediately hung up.
And powered it off.
“H-How does he know I’m going to the airport?”