Meng Yue stepped out of the elevator and avoided him.
She was not ready to face him yet. After all, he had put her in this position. If it weren't for how he forced himself on her the previous night, she would not be feeling this way.
So, half of her current plight was attributable to him.
Mo Hanchen clenched his fists as he watched her leave.
He had already heard what happened through his informants in the Civil Affairs Bureau. Thus, he knew she had not managed to get Xiang Haoyu to sign the divorce papers.
Just as she opened the door to her apartment, Mo Hanchen hugged her from behind.
"Be good; let me help you, okay?"
Meng Yue stood still, tears welling up in her eyes.
Mo Hanchen tightened his grip. "I respect your decision to settle the divorce yourself, but I can't bear to see you like this!"
Her divorce had made him worried all day.
She was upset, but he was even more upset!
Meng Yue dried her tears and turned to look at him, feeling touched.
However, when she saw the wound on his forehead, she suddenly remembered what had happened in the restaurant in the afternoon.
The next thing she knew, she was pushing him away, utterly disgusted.
"I don't need your pity. If anyone needs it, it is that celebrity you had on your arm this afternoon." Meng Yue glared at the offending arm as she spoke.
Mo Hanchen shivered, smug and thoroughly satisfied by her reaction.
So... she was jealous, it seemed. That was a good sign.
Meng Yue tossed him a sidelong look. "Don't hug me with those dirty arms. I'm still a married woman, so don't lay your crummy hands on me!"
She scanned her fingerprint on the lock interface as she spoke and opened the door.
However, just as she was about to enter, Mo Hanchen grabbed her hand.
"Si si si..."
Meng Yue hissed in pain.
Mo Hanchen's brows furrowed, and he released her. "What's wrong with your hand?"
He wanted to check on her hand, but Meng Yue had pulled away, hiding it behind her.
"It has nothing to do with you!"
Mo Hanchen tried following her into the apartment, but Meng Yue stopped him at the door. "Mo Hanchen, your excessive concern isn't wanted. Please, leave me alone."
Disappointment faded to grey as she turned her back on him.
"Go and look for your celebrity if you want her affection. Go to her if you want to eat dinner." Meng Yue slammed the door shut.
Staring at the door, Mo Hanchen was so angry he wanted nothing more than to sink his teeth into her flesh.
"Meng Yue, open the door!"
Meng Yue closed her eyes as she leaned against the door, feeling Mo Hanchen pounding his fists against the hardwood.
Meng Yue had admitted it. She was jealous of Wang Ye.
Mo Hanchen inhaled deeply. Had he gone too far?
Then again, who asked her to be such a stubborn, prideful, and self-destructive woman?
He spun around and made for the elevator, one call away from dealing with the mess.
"Find out what happened at the Civil Affairs Bureau!"
Mo Hanchen received a video from Wang Ming in less than five minutes. He watched a video of Meng Yue slapping Xiang Haoyu and subconsciously touched his face.
It was nice to see Xiang Haoyu getting slapped; it was not so nice if he stood in Xiang Haoyu's shoes.
To think he would have the gall to book them into a hotel! No matter how he viewed the situation, it was clear Xiang Haoyu was indebted to Meng Yue.
Those who owed others deserved to be beaten up!
Mo Hanchen made another call. "Get a few people to beat up Xiang Haoyu. Just leave him alive!"
"As you wish, Master," Wang Ming's voice was full of excitement.
-
Xiang Haoyu returned to the Xiang Group headquarters after what had transpired at the Civil Affairs Bureau.
He sat at his desk for nearly an hour, perusing the documents left on his desk in a haze. He might as well have been staring into space since his mind did not process anything he read.
His mind was filled with nothing but Meng Yue.
Recalling her attitude towards the divorce, he waved his hand angrily, scattering two large piles of documents and strewing sheaves of paper across the floor.
"Meng Yue, you don't know what's good for you!"
Unable to calm down, he pushed away his work, left the company, and went to the bar he often went to.
Several girls recognised him when he stepped into the bar and soon surrounded him in droves.
In the past, he would book the whole venue, treating the women that flocked to him generously, showering them with his wealth. It made him feel superior, like someone who stood far above the rabble.
Sometimes, he would have fun with the women around, and at other times, he would be with his favourite, Cheng Qing.
If it were any other day, he would have been more than happy to pay for their drinks, but today, he was unusually annoyed.
He eyed the five women beside him and smirked. "I didn't bring any money with me today, and the Xiang Group has gone bankrupt. Which one of you is willing to buy me a drink?"
Frantic whispers and eager gossip floated in the background as the five women turned to one another.
"Young Master Xiang, you must be joking!"
"A starving camel is still bigger than a horse. How can you not even afford a drink?"
"That's right, that's right. We've seen the news too. It's not that serious. Besides, even if you don't have money, your father's money is as good as your own!"
Xiang Haoyu crossed his arms and legs.
"You lot aren't privy to the truth. The Xiang Group is bankrupt. The accountants are currently calculating the company's debt."
He regarded the five beautiful women around him and said, "I've sold all my assets, but I still owe 80 million yuan."
As he spoke, he picked up the glass before him and drank all the wine in one gulp. "I'm here to drown my sorrows in wine."
The disbelieving women listened for a time, but soon, they all left, one after another.
"What kind of person is he? Who enters a bar for a drink without any money?"
"Hah! Men these days only try to act cool."
"Let's find someone else to drink with."
Not one of them was about to foot the bill for him.
Xiang Haoyu laughed, a bitter, self-deprecating sound. He realised how boring and hypocritical he had been.
Meng Yue used to invite him for drinks, but he always brushed her off, saying he was busy with work or someone else: chiefly the women who had left him.
When he was in a particularly foul mood, he would put the phone on speaker so she could hear where he was or what he was doing. He even indulged in the mockery and ridicule aimed at her by those women who drank with him.
This pain... it was retribution for what he had done. He deserved it!
Just then, a waiter patted him on his shoulder. "Young Master Xiang, someone is looking for you!"
Xiang Haoyu looked up but could not see through the thick smoke hanging in the air.
As he struggled to his feet, a hand wrapped around his mouth, preventing him from shouting, and dragged him into a private room.
The door shut, and the sounds of fists and feet against an object could be vaguely heard from outside.
Five minutes later, Wang Ming left with the group of men in black.
Xiang Haoyu was left unconscious.
It was not until four in the morning that the staff found him when they were cleaning. The police were called, and he was quickly sent to the hospital.
-
The next morning.
Meng Yue exited her apartment to find a man sitting cross-legged outside.
"What are you doing sitting here?"
When Mo Hanchen saw Meng Yue, he used the wall as a support as he struggled to stand.
"Si si si..."
His legs were numb.
Halfway up, the man's eyes flashed. With one hand on the ground and the other on the wall, he pretended to slip and fell towards Meng Yue.
Meng Yue reacted, trying to arrest his fall.
However, she had used the wrong hand. It was the one Xiang Haoyu had injured the previous day.
She gasped in pain when she grabbed Mo Hanchen's arm but did not let go.
Mo Hanchen stopped pretending and quickly steadied himself. He checked her wrist. "Let me see your hand."
Her wrist was swollen.
"Meng Yue, are you dumb?"
Meng Yue glared at him as she swept his hand aside.
"I am."
How could she fall into his trap every time if she weren't dumb?
With that, Meng Yue walked towards the elevator.