I Returned His Love—Word for Word

Tang Le returned just as Li Shaojun’s wine delivery arrived.

Three bottles of Petrus sat on the black marble table, while the lobby manager was bent at the waist, explaining something to Ye Zhiqiu with utmost deference.

“Although Petrus isn’t the most expensive wine we have here, its production is the lowest and rarest, especially since these few bottles are from ’82. They can barely be considered premium,” the lobby manager said.

A bottle of ’82 Petrus had a market price already in the tens of thousands, but the actual transaction price often far exceeded that.

After all, Petrus production was limited. For many, it was preferable to keep in their collection rather than sell easily.

If the market price was already like this, it went without saying for a lavish place like this club.

Tang Le couldn’t guess the exact value of these bottles, but he knew that just these few bottles of wine had already far surpassed all his university expenses over several years.

And among the people present, whether it was Jin Baobao or Li Shaojun, they were either on par with the Ye family or even more powerful…

Only he came from a humble background.

If he hadn’t tested into the Fashion Institute and become classmates with Ye Zhiqiu, perhaps in this lifetime, he would never have had the chance to enter such a decadent, dazzling place.

Yet Ye Zhiqiu was still not satisfied.

“I know you have better here,” he said with a half-smile, looking at the lobby manager. “What, are you afraid I can’t pay?”

Sweat was practically beading on the lobby manager’s forehead. Hearing this, he instinctively glanced toward the second floor.

Why was it so coincidental?

An esteemed guest had come to the club today, and all those astronomically priced bottles that had been stored for so long had been sent to the VIP room on the second floor.

Following his gaze, Ye Zhiqiu calmly raised his eyes.

If he wasn’t mistaken, the good wine right now should all be in VIP room 201 on the second floor, right?

And Jiang Nan, at this moment, should also be sitting comfortably inside, shouldn’t he?

Once again, Qi Xin’s words drifted through his mind.

‘He’s tired. I want to give him a home.’

And Jiang Nan was precisely the ‘he’ Qi Xin was referring to.

The night before deciding to divorce, Ye Zhiqiu looked at Qi Xin’s phone for the first time.

Qi Xin was then involved with a minor celebrity in the entertainment industry. Ye Zhiqiu had thought the ‘he’ must be that minor celebrity.

But after opening the chat with the contact pinned at the top and labeled ‘Baby,’ Ye Zhiqiu realized just how laughable he had been.

The chat history between Qi Xin and that person was very, very long.

It could be traced back over a decade.

One could imagine how preciously he had preserved those chat records.

Sitting on the carpet, Ye Zhiqiu read that impossibly long chat history for most of the night.

Until his limbs turned icy cold, as if he had fallen into a frozen abyss.

At the very beginning, it was clearly Qi Xin who was fervently pursuing. Often, several messages from him would be met with just one or two replies from the other side.

‘Read but no reply’ was even more commonplace.

This situation continued intermittently for several years.

Everything only began to change the day he and Qi Xin met.

Late that night, Jiang Nan proactively contacted Qi Xin for the first time and sent a few photos.

One was a shot from above, showing Qi Xin holding roses, earnestly confessing to Ye Zhiqiu. Another was a glass goblet filled with deep red wine. Yet another showed several bottles of expensive fine wine on a table, including Screaming Eagle and Romanée Conti.

Following the photos was a text message: “I was there too at the time.”

Those few photos and five words made Qi Xin spend half the night explaining.

There were dozens of text messages alone, interspersed with long voice calls.

While every one of them caused Ye Zhiqiu pain, the most agonizing and bewildering were these few lines:

‘Because the color of his eyes is somewhat similar to yours.’
‘You know I only love you.’
‘I want to become stronger, I want to be worthy of you. I can’t not take shortcuts.’
‘…’

Also from that day on, the contact between Jiang Nan and Qi Xin became frequent.

Jiang Nan diligently called him ‘sister-in-law,’ proactively added him as a contact, asked him for advice on design issues…

Ye Zhiqiu regarded him as a friend, holding nothing back, sharing everything he knew.

Yet almost every time he needed company, Jiang Nan would always find various excuses to quietly call Qi Xin away.

So, the Qi Xin who was always ‘busy with work’ and could never accompany him was forever accompanying another person.

The person he always saw as a friend had all along been maliciously stirring up his life.

Feeding on others’ pain and blood and tears for his own happiness, Jiang Nan must have been very smug, must have felt a great sense of achievement, right?

Ten years of marriage, Ye Zhiqiu had only experienced loss.

From a spirited, brilliant young man, he became a haggard, silent, lifeless shell…

It wasn’t that he hadn’t thought about divorce. It was just that when he finally came to his senses, he realized that under Qi Xin’s long-term, gradual, imperceptible emotional manipulation—like boiling a frog in warm water—his heart was already terminally ill, devoid of the energy and courage to start life anew.

So even though he knew he was in hell, he still unconsciously resisted the word ‘divorce.’

But that night, he had to face the reality he had been evading: his life had been meticulously calculated from the very beginning.

From the start, the other party had never intended for him to get out ‘alive.’

Because even if it weren’t Qi Xin, there would have been Zhang Xin, Li Xin, Zhao Xin…

Therefore, even though it was agonizing, even though he was filled with an intense, abyssal fear of the unknown, he desperately mustered his courage and signed his name on the divorce agreement.

VIP Room 201…

Jiang Nan.

Ye Zhiqiu lowered his gaze, thick lashes concealing all emotion in his eyes.

“Young Master Ye,” the lobby manager switched to another pacifying approach, “it truly was our oversight today. How about this: when we get new stock in, we’ll invite you to taste it first. Would that be acceptable?”

If it were the Ye Zhiqiu ten years later, such a trivial matter would only draw a light, dismissive smile from him.

But the nineteen-year-old Ye Zhiqiu was still just a young scion with a spoiled streak.

Propping his chin on his hand, he let the manager squirm under his pleading gaze for a good while before heaving a sigh of disappointment that was hard to conceal. “Fine then.”

Seeing the young master in front of him finally relent, the lobby manager secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

“You can leave it. We’ll manage the rest ourselves,” Jin Baobao said with a smile, signaling to the lobby manager.

As soon as the man turned away, Jin Baobao couldn’t wait to kick Ye Zhiqiu under the table.

“This wine isn’t good enough?” he questioned Ye Zhiqiu face-to-face. “Do you really think your family is the richest? Won’t your dad kick your ass when he finds out?”

“Today is my special day,” Ye Zhiqiu raised an eyebrow. “What’s wrong with having a drink?”

“You’re just being reckless~” Jin Baobao speechlessly pressed a hand to his forehead, his tone suddenly rising. “Holy shit, holy shit, look at that idiot! Carrying such a huge bouquet of roses. He’s not planning to confess to someone in a place like this, is he?”

Without looking, Ye Zhiqiu knew: Qi Xin had arrived.

“My goodness,” Li Shaojun sneered. “People who come here are either looking for thrills or seeking fun. Is he trying to stand out in the crowd as uniquely deep and affectionate?”

Ye Zhiqiu laughed softly and stood up. “I’m going to the restroom.”

“Watch the spectacle first,” Jin Baobao tugged at him.

“Basic human needs, understand?” Ye Zhiqiu remained unmoved. “What if I can’t hold it and have to go here? Could you still drink this wine?”

“Ugh, don’t gross me out. Get lost, get lost…” Jin Baobao released his grip on Ye Zhiqiu’s sleeve with a look of disgust.

“I’ll go with Xiaoqiu,” Tang Le stood up.

“No need,” Ye Zhiqiu glanced at him. “The bill isn’t settled yet. You think I’d run away?”

It was clearly a joke, but Tang Le’s heart suddenly felt a pang of guilt.

Seeing Qi Xin bypass the dance floor and approach, at this critical moment, he was genuinely afraid Ye Zhiqiu would run off and ruin everything.

Ye Zhiqiu had long legs. In Tang Le’s daze, he had already stepped out of the booth and turned into the corridor behind.

Watching Qi Xin get closer and closer, Tang Le had no choice but to sit back down.

The restroom was empty. As soon as Ye Zhiqiu entered, he closed the door behind him. The heartbeat he had forcibly suppressed earlier began to pound uncontrollably and wildly in his chest once more.

Ice-cold water poured out with a roar. Ye Zhiqiu buried his face, slightly feverish from emotional turmoil, deep into that bone-chilling cold.

After a long while, he slowly raised his head and looked at the mirror in front of him.

The young man in the mirror still looked somewhat boyish, in that transitional phase between adolescence and young adulthood. His figure was slender and tall but still slightly thin.

His snow-white skin was streaked with water droplets, glowing with a soft, fine luster under the lights, making the pair of eyes beneath his jet-black hair appear exceptionally icy.

Ye Zhiqiu gazed at his reflection for a moment. Then, he couldn’t help but raise a hand, cautiously touching the light pink mole on the tip of his straight, upturned nose.

He had actually had this mole removed before.

Because Qi Xin didn’t like it.

Suddenly, his eyes grew scalding hot.

No one knew how precious it was to regain what was lost.

Not just this inconspicuous little mole, but also his formerly young, proud self who should have had an infinite future, and those chattering, incredibly precious friends by his side…

His lips gradually pressed together. Ye Zhiqiu raised his hand and decisively swept away the dampness between his lashes.

Qi Xin had come prepared, having done his homework on him long ago.

And he, too, must swiftly return to being his nineteen-year-old self.

The coldness in his eyes receded bit by bit. The corners of his lips curled into a casual arc. The soul of a nineteen-year-old slowly settled back into place.

Ye Zhiqiu didn’t linger. He reached out, pulled open the door, and strode out.

At this moment, Qi Xin was standing in the aisle between the booths, craning his neck.

He had clearly seen Ye Zhiqiu’s figure when he bypassed the dance floor. How could the person disappear after being blocked by the corridor for just over ten seconds?

“Hey, who’s that?” Jin Baobao teased, swirling the wine glass in his hand. “Ye Zhiqiu isn’t here. Give me the flowers instead.”

Jin Baobao wasn’t easy to deal with. In this short while, he had said everything from pleasantries to harsh words.

Qi Xin was having trouble coping, so he simply remained silent.

He was holding a massive bouquet of roses. He had already attracted many sidelong glances on his way over. Now, with the commotion here, even more people from the surrounding booths were looking their way.

Some joked, some laughed while watching the spectacle, and others openly raised their phones.

“How about,” Tang Le intervened to defuse the situation, “come in and sit for a bit first?”

“Who is he?” Upon hearing this, Li Shaojun stretched out a long leg, blocking the entrance to the booth. “Master Qiu invited his best friends to hang out today. What qualifies him?”

Li Shaojun was a year younger than Ye Zhiqiu and Jin Baobao. He had grown up following behind them, protected by them.

But after his growth spurt at fifteen or sixteen, their dynamic suddenly shifted. He began shielding Ye Zhiqiu and Jin Baobao in everything.

This was also why, earlier, Tang Le had deliberately steered the conversation toward Tao Ruoqing.

Family had always been Ye Zhiqiu’s bottom line. In the past, if he heard Li Shaojun speak ill of Tao Ruoqing like this, Ye Zhiqiu definitely wouldn’t have let it slide.

But today, for some reason, Li Shaojun was still sitting here perfectly fine.

An eighteen-year-old youth, when truly prickly, could be quite intimidating. Both Qi Xin and Tang Le had to momentarily avoid his sharp edge.

Tang Le didn’t speak further, only tilting his head to look toward the corridor.

As if sensing his inner urgency, Ye Zhiqiu’s tall, straight figure appeared at the corridor’s corner.

He always carried an air of casual indifference, as if nothing mattered. Even though he had seen the situation here, his footsteps remained unhurried.

But even the longest path has an end. Ye Zhiqiu approached and lightly kicked Li Shaojun’s outstretched leg.

Seeing this, Qi Xin hurriedly stepped forward, but before he could speak, Ye Zhiqiu swept a glance over him.

“Flower seller?” He looked at Qi Xin with a half-smile. “Wrong place, isn’t it?”

“Hahahahaha…” The neighboring booth was also occupied by a group of young people. Hearing this, they burst into laughter.

“Bro,” someone yelled, “it’s been assessed. You’re not a match, and you’re not welcome. Maybe you should just leave.”

Being watched and teased like a circus act in front of a crowd, Qi Xin’s hands holding the flowers involuntarily tightened slightly.

Those who accomplish great deeds don’t get bogged down in minor details.
Forcing down the discomfort in his heart, Qi Xin took another step forward, offering the roses to Ye Zhiqiu. He called his name with a gentlemanly and restrained tone: “Xiaoqiu.”

Ye Zhiqiu’s movements paused. He lowered his gaze to the roses held before him, then looked up at Qi Xin with that same half-smile.

The moment their eyes met, Qi Xin couldn’t help but be momentarily stunned.

The eyes before him were too beautiful, seemingly more dazzling and captivating than the world’s finest jade, especially their color…

Unconsciously, another pair of eyes surfaced in his mind.

Though far less beautiful and striking than the ones before him, they still made his heart surge.

Without needing deliberate effort, Qi Xin’s gaze naturally became fervent and obsessed.

As if the entire world, heaven and earth, had all vanished. Only Ye Zhiqiu remained in his life.

Such a gaze was too intense. Even the grinning Jin Baobao, watching the spectacle, and the tense, hostile Li Shaojun were momentarily taken aback.

It seemed…
It seemed as if the person before them had loved Ye Zhiqiu for a very, very long time.

Ye Zhiqiu had seen Qi Xin look at him like this too many times before.

But now, after struggling in hell for so many years and truly dying once, all of this had become as light and worthless as flying ash, no longer deserving of a second glance from him.

Not to mention…
His peripheral vision swept over the tightly closed door of VIP room 201 upstairs. Ye Zhiqiu smiled.

Not to mention, Qi Xin wasn’t really looking at him at all.

“Xiaoqiu?” Ye Zhiqiu slowly raised an eyebrow. “Calling me so intimately? What, do we know each other?”

This man, Qi Xin, cared about face, valued his pride, and had passably good looks. At his core, he was both insecure and narcissistic, exceptionally sensitive.

Although they hadn’t been this close then, they had genuinely met face-to-face at the noon celebration banquet.

In just a few short hours, Ye Zhiqiu had already forgotten him entirely. This hurt him more than killing him would.

But Ye Zhiqiu intended to strike him down.

He wanted him to slowly lose his self-respect, his sense of self, everything—just like his former self—until he was trampled into the dirt.

Sure enough, the smile at the corner of Qi Xin’s mouth froze.

“We actually met at the noon celebration banquet,” Qi Xin explained, rearranging his expression. “My father and Madam Tao are old acquaintances.”
As he spoke, he took another eager step forward, once again offering the roses to Ye Zhiqiu. “The moment I saw you at the celebration banquet, I was captivated.”

The soft rose petals brushed against his clothes. Ye Zhiqiu took a step back.
“Sorry,” he said, “I don’t like roses.”

Qi Xin was stunned.

Ye Zhiqiu’s preferences had been fully disclosed to him by Tao Ruoqing half a month ago, and he had already memorized them thoroughly.

He clearly did like roses.

However, even with doubts in mind, he immediately placed the roses on the corner of the long marble table.
“Roses represent intense love,” he said. “I thought you would like them.”

“Love?” Ye Zhiqiu reached out and swept the bouquet of roses onto the floor, then, placing both hands on the table, hoisted himself up to sit on it.

His posture was casual, bordering on improper, his tone teasing: “You’ve only seen me once, and you want to express intense love to me? So, isn’t your love a bit… cheap?”

After saying this, he laughed, utterly impolite.

The nineteen-year-old Ye Zhiqiu was exactly like this: willful, capricious, casual…
But because of his excessively superior looks, even his impoliteness made people find him endearing.

Tang Le took a sip of wine, watching as Qi Xin’s face turned pale, veins bulging on his neck from restraint.

“I just think love at first sight is a beautiful thing. In all these years, I’ve only experienced it this once,” Qi Xin said after a moment of silence, barely able to conceal the indignation in his tone.

He had already been made a spectacle here for so long, yet Ye Zhiqiu was still humiliating him.

The young people at the neighboring table fell silent for a moment, all eyes now focused on Ye Zhiqiu.

Ye Zhiqiu wore a faint smile, looking at Qi Xin as if he were a misbehaving, unreasonable child.
“Is that so?” he asked, not commenting on Qi Xin’s ‘love at first sight’ statement. “You like me? What do you like about me?”

“Your beauty, your talent, how you seem to glow in a crowd…” Meeting Ye Zhiqiu’s eyes, Qi Xin’s gaze became focused and obsessed once more, even the previous anger seeming to dissipate instantly, as if doused by rain. “Although I’m not worthy of you yet, I will strive. Please give me a chance, allow me to pursue you, to give you a home.”

Last time, the reason Ye Zhiqiu was moved by Qi Xin was precisely because of those five words: ‘give you a home.’
It was just that, in the end, he finally learned that these words were originally meant for someone else.

But undeniable, Qi Xin had indeed pinpointed his weaknesses and vital points clearly. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have struck a fatal blow with one hit.

“Talent…” Ye Zhiqiu repeated softly with a smile.

Indeed, Qi Xin did need to rely on his talent for his career to rise step by step, thereby becoming worthy of the person who had always been placed on a pedestal in his heart.

“Although you really aren’t a match, you seem pretty sincere, bro,” the neighboring ambiance squad chimed in again. Other onlookers, moved by Qi Xin’s sincere confession, began clapping in rhythm and chanting: “Say yes! Say yes!”

At the same time, pop—another bottle of fine wine was opened upstairs in VIP room 201.

Yu Renzhi poured himself a glass, then passed the glass wine bottle to Jiang Nan. “They’ve had about enough. No need to pour more.”

Jiang Nan nodded, but his fingers gripping the bottle unconsciously tightened. Then, he couldn’t help but lean forward, carefully tipping the wine into the already empty glass across from him.

The deep red wine liquid swirled, covering the bottom of the glass. Jiang Nan secretly glanced up at the person seated by the window opposite him.

Finely shaped brows, phoenix eyes, a high nose, thin lips—handsome as a sculpture. Yet, the powerful, noble, and icy aura surrounding him made people utterly afraid to approach.

At this moment, his long legs were casually crossed. He was lowering his head, focused on the documents on his lap, showing no awareness or response to Jiang Nan’s attentive action or fervent gaze.

Jiang Nan gazed at him in a daze, as if wishing he could tuck the person right into his eyes.

After all, such opportunities were rare.
If he hadn’t begged repeatedly Yu Renzhi, he likely wouldn’t have had the chance to sit here today.

So, even though from the moment he entered until now, that person hadn’t given him a single extra glance, merely being able to look at him still made Jiang Nan feel delighted inside.

“What are you looking at? The wine’s overflowing,” Yu Renzhi beside him couldn’t stand it any longer and called Jiang Nan out.

From entering until now, over an hour, no one present failed to notice Jiang Nan’s interest in Qin Jianhe.
It’s just that everyone also knew in their hearts: nine times out of ten, there was no chance.

After all, that was Qin Jianhe.

“I…” Jiang Nan sat up straight, blushing, just about to speak when a burst of lively noise suddenly erupted from downstairs.

Yu Renzhi always loved liveliness. Hearing the commotion, he was the first to get up and walk to the window, opening a crack to look outside.
With just one glance, his eyes landed on the center of everyone’s attention.

A young man was sitting on a black marble long table, hands propped behind him, looking up with a slight, teasing smile.
Against the backdrop of the pitch-black tabletop, those distinct-knuckled, jade-like hands were as white as snow, beautiful as fine jade.

The lighting downstairs wasn’t particularly bright, but for some reason, Yu Renzhi could see everything clearly.
It was as if the young man himself was a source of light, so bright it was hard to look away.

Yu Renzhi was stunned for a moment before his gaze slowly shifted to the young man’s face.

“Holy crap,” he exclaimed exaggeratedly, turning to call Meng Qingyan. “A’Yan, come here. Look at this kid downstairs. Could he crush your entertainment industry’s top idols and fresh faces?”

At the recent film festival, the twenty-one-year-old Meng Qingyan had won his second Best Actor trophy.
Today’s gathering was specially arranged by Yu Renzhi for him.

Hearing this, Meng Qingyan leaned forward for a look, then nodded before turning to Qin Jianhe.
“Whether I look or not doesn’t matter much. But Brother Yu should really take a look.”

Qin Jianhe’s childhood nickname was Qin Yu, known only to relatively close friends.
Jiang Nan was hearing it for the first time.
Learning such a private detail, those subtle, sweet feelings in his heart unconsciously grew a bit more.

Seeing Meng Qingyan steer the topic toward Qin Jianhe, Jiang Nan curiously stood up.
He wanted to see what kind of person could make Yu Renzhi praise as unparalleled, one of a kind.

The window gap opened a bit wider. Jiang Nan looked down, about to speak, then suddenly paused.
“What?” Yu Renzhi asked. “Do you know the person downstairs?”
“How could that be?” Jiang Nan laughed, the sound dry.

The moment he recognized Qi Xin, Jiang Nan simultaneously clearly saw Ye Zhiqiu.

To meet Qin Jianhe, he had taken great pains with his appearance today.
From head to toe, every piece was high-end custom-made.
Looking in the mirror, he shone brilliantly.

But at this moment, the young man downstairs merely sitting there casually seemed to instantly eclipse all the halo he had deliberately stacked upon himself.
Like the morning sun rising, the stars and moon naturally sink in the west.

A feeling of oppression pressed on Jiang Nan’s chest. Instinctively, he didn’t want Qin Jianhe to see the person downstairs.

Though Meng Qingyan was young, he was extremely tactful and knew his place.
Since he said so, Qin Jianhe asked indifferently, “Why?”

“A while back, shooting your company’s promotional materials, I heard from Designer Luo that you’re preparing to approach this year’s Fashion Design Competition champion,” Meng Qingyan said with a smile at his lips. “Isn’t this a coincidence? The person is right downstairs.”

“Then Xiao Yu really should take a look,” Wang Qitang took the documents from Qin Jianhe’s lap, smiling as he said, “I heard this year’s winner is better than all the previous ones.”

Qin Jianhe had seen Ye Zhiqiu’s competition entry. It was indeed stunningly brilliant and unforgettable.
But he never liked liveliness. Hearing this, he merely slightly turned his head, his pitch-black eyes sweeping a faint glance downstairs.

The exceptionally handsome young man downstairs laughed with unrestrained abandon, like a hibiscus flower blooming in the wind. Beyond his unforgettable handsomeness, there was also a perfectly balanced hint of seductiveness.
That hint of seductive charm was very faint, not garish, not exaggerated, only making one feel especially crisp and clean.

Just like his work: stunningly brilliant and unforgettable.

If not for his currently slightly flirtatious movement.

“You like me~” Ye Zhiqiu leaned forward, his thick lashes lowering slightly, concealing the disdainful smile in his eyes. He raised a hand, hooked Qi Xin’s chin. After a moment, he chuckled softly. “What a pity. I like the ones who are well-behaved and pure.”

These were the exact words Qi Xin had used on him during his emotional manipulation.

Because of these words, he had been especially restrained in his words and actions, all to leave the best impression on him.
But the act eventually became real. The pretense led to him losing all initiative…
From then on, under the other’s deliberate manipulation, he sank deeper step by step.

Now…
Word for word, Ye Zhiqiu was returning these words to him.