The argument between uncle and nephew ended on a thoroughly sour note.
Gu Tuo rose and walked away without a second glance, leaving Li Jin as the one stranded at the table.
Li Jin had initially intended to use his own departure to humiliate Gu Tuo, yet he wasn’t even granted the opportunity to throw that tantrum. In an instant, his face cycled through a spectrum of embarrassed shades—turning green, then purple, looking for all the world like a spilled paint shop. It was quite a spectacular sight.
Seeing his foul expression, Lin Nuo’s heart twisted into a knot.
From their conversation, he had pieced together enough clues to understand the gist of the situation. He never expected that the catalyst behind the discord between uncle and nephew would actually be Fang Jinshi.
That man seemed to have vanished from their lives, yet recently he was constantly provoking Gu Tuo, finding a backhanded way to drive Li Jin up the wall.
Is he trying to use Uncle Gu as a stepping stone to execute a flanking maneuver and worm his way back to Li Jin’s side?
The mere thought caused Lin Nuo’s face to drain of all color, a breathless murmur escaping his lips: “How can he do this.”
How could he be so shameless? Knowing perfectly well that Li Jin no longer loved him, he still resorted to every underhanded trick in the book to meddle in their relationship!
As the young master of the prestigious Fang family, did he possess absolutely no sense of decency? Did he not realize how utterly despicable his behavior was?
The smoke of the past had long since drifted away with his dreams.
At this moment, Lin Nuo completely forgot that back when he first discovered Li Jin had a boyfriend, he had used every means available to stay by Li Jin’s side. He had even degraded himself to act as Fang Jinshi’s substitute, meticulously mimicking his speech and behavior just to beg for a scrap of Li Jin’s affection.
Weren’t his own past actions infinitely more contemptible?
Yet, there was one person whose thoughts aligned perfectly with his, and that was Li Jin.
Hearing Lin Nuo’s distressed murmur, Li Jin felt that Lin Nuo was truly the only soul who understood him.
In his eyes, a relationship was strictly a matter of mutual consent. If you have no affection left for me, then let it end. Why must there be endless, tiresome entanglements that served no purpose other than to annoy people?
But his Xiao Nuo was simply too gentle; even when pushed to anger, he could only manage a quiet, heartbroken murmur of “How can he do this.” It completely melted Li Jin’s heart.
His Xiao Nuo was kind-hearted, but that didn’t mean he had to be.
Since Fang Jinshi insisted on stirring up trouble, Li Jin would cut his delusions off at the root. He would make him realize that no matter what he was scheming for—it was absolutely impossible!
Li Jin hadn’t paid attention to news about Fang Jinshi in a long time. It was only during last night’s investigation into Fang Jinshi and Gu Tuo that he discovered his ex had opened a flower shop near the Guangyao Mansion.
Ha. Lisu Bridge Commercial District or Changshun Avenue were clearly much closer to the Fang residence, yet he deliberately chose to open a shop right by the Guangyao Mansion.
How transparently insidious!
Li Jin resolved to pay a visit to Fang Jinshi’s flower shop to demand an explanation.
The moment Lin Nuo heard this, he quickly piped up, “Hubby, I’m coming with you.”
Knowing how clingy his lover was, Li Jin naturally couldn’t leave him behind. In the past, he might have walked on eggshells to spare Fang Jinshi’s feelings, but Fang Jinshi had crossed the line. Li Jin no longer intended to show him any consideration. Let the chips fall where they may!
Since Fang Jinshi wanted to disgust him, he would gladly return the favor.
Fueled by mutual indignation, the couple didn’t even bother to eat lunch, heading straight for Fang Jinshi’s flower shop.
Fang Jinshi was currently eating his lunch. Because his home was a considerable distance from the Guangyao Mansion, he rarely went back for midday meals, opting to eat out instead.
Initially, Madam Fang had been strictly against it, believing that restaurant food lacked nutrition and was unhygienic. But she was no match for Fang Jinshi’s stubborn persistence and had ultimately surrendered.
The shop’s chime rang. Fang Jinshi looked up, only to see Li Jin walking in with his arms wrapped tightly around Lin Nuo.
The beef rice bowl in his mouth instantly lost all its flavor. Setting his chopsticks down, he stated with a freezing expression, “Get out. This shop does not cater to toxic scumbags and pathetic enablers.”
Yet another textbook indictment.
When it came to snapping at people, Fang Jinshi truly held nothing back, prioritizing absolute verbal satisfaction.
In the past, Li Jin had found his sharp, candid nature endearing; now, the mere sound of the youth’s voice felt like a splash of venomous irony.
“Fang Jinshi, is this really necessary?” Li Jin hissed out the question through gritted teeth. He genuinely couldn’t comprehend how he had ever fallen for such a narrow-minded man. “The past is in the past. Xiao Nuo and I have already apologized to you. Just how long do you intend to keep milking this?”
The sheer arrogance of his tone made it sound as though Fang Jinshi ought to be profoundly grateful that this toxic duo wasn’t holding a grudge against him.
Why on earth should he accept an apology so completely devoid of sincerity?
Fang Jinshi leveled a frigid glare at him, letting out a mocking double-chuckle. “Whether you apologize or not is your business. Whether I forgive you or not is mine. You are in no position to make decisions on my behalf, nor do you have any right to complain about my lack of magnanimity. Even if you die and your bones are burned to ashes, I will never forgive you.”
“You!” Li Jin was provoked to a fury once more. Just as he was about to lash out, Lin Nuo cut in ahead of him.
Lin Nuo rushed to stand directly before Fang Jinshi, executing a deep, dramatic bow. “Mr. Fang! Stealing Brother Jin away was my fault, but Brother Jin and I are genuinely in love. We truly hope to receive your blessing. Of course, you don’t have to forgive us, but this matter needs to be put to rest. Please stop living in hatred—it isn’t good for your health.”
Tsk.
Why did that speech sound so thoroughly grating to the ears?
Fang Jinshi couldn’t fathom how he was supposedly “living in hatred.”
Furthermore, wanting his blessing? They weren’t even worthy!
“Utterly bizarre.”
Refusing to waste his breath on these self-absorbed fools, Fang Jinshi merely stated, “I have no interest in listening to your delusional nonsense, and my shop does not welcome you. If you are truly so kind-hearted as to worry about my health, then please walk out that door.”
Hearing this, Lin Nuo adopted a deeply embarrassed, wounded expression. “Mr. Fang, you’re doing this again. Why are you so unwilling to just sit down and have a proper conversation with us? You clearly stated that you wouldn’t try to win Brother Jin back, so why do you keep appearing in our lives?”
As he spoke, a volatile mix of anxiety and resentment bubbled up in his chest. Fang Jinshi was a little prince born with a silver spoon in his mouth, the pampered darling of everyone around him. Even without Li Jin’s love, he still possessed endless care and immense privileges.
But as for him? He only had Brother Jin.
Why did Fang Jinshi insist on fighting him for the only thing he had?
A wave of intense bitterness washed through Lin Nuo, and an impulsive urge caused him to blurt out: “What will it take for you to finally let Brother Jin and me go? Do I have to drop to my knees and beg you?”
Fang Jinshi had originally turned his head away, completely disinclined to even look at him. But upon hearing those words, he slowly snapped his gaze back. With cold eyes and an entirely serious expression, he replied, “Go ahead and kneel, then. Once you’re on the floor, I might actually consider it.”
Lin Nuo froze, staring at Fang Jinshi in sheer disbelief as his complexion rapidly fluctuated through various shades of shock.
Before Lin Nuo could even formulate a reaction, Li Jin could no longer stand idly by. “Fang Jinshi, you are pushing things too far!”
His fury peaked, looking every bit like a man driven to the absolute edge.
Fang Jinshi, however, didn’t match his anger. Maintaining a perfectly composed, leisurely demeanor, he replied, “How is this bullying? It’s merely a case of reaping what you sow.”
“As for you,” Fang Jinshi seamlessly redirected the spearhead toward Li Jin. “Your lover is so sincerely begging me to exit your lives. Aren’t you going to offer a single gesture of your own?”
Li Jin glared at him with a murderous intensity, his eyes tracking like a feral wolf, looking as though he might extend his claws at any moment to tear him to shreds. “What kind of gesture do you want? Is five million enough?”
Fang Jinshi let out a dry laugh. “I don’t care for your money. Look, Lin Nuo already offered to drop to his knees for me. How about you kowtow to me instead?”