In the end, Zhou Xiang was simply too sleepy and stayed the night at a hotel. Even though that house was clearly his home, it was like he had been kicked out.
He only woke up at noon the next day due to hunger. After he woke up, he sat and dazed out on the unfamiliar hotel bed for half a day. As he recalled what happened yesterday, his head ached more and more.
He refreshed himself and then checked out of the room. It was currently the most bustling time of the day. The sunlight pierced his eyes when he came out of the hotel. The weather was so good, but his mood was gloomy and heavy.
He sat in his car for a long time and then decided to go home.
He couldn't not go home forever. Running away was not a solution.
He was a bit regretful that he had a fight with Yan Mingxiu yesterday. He was well aware of Yan Mingxiu's temper, yet he still bothered arguing with him. However, he really couldn't hold back yesterday, and Yan Mingxiu later words made him lose control of himself.
He hadn’t been so angry and sad for a long time.
But after calming down and having a think about it, he still didn't want things to end between him and Yan Mingxiu just like this. He had already invested a lot in this relationship. How could he retreat so easily? Even if Yan Mingxiu didn't like him, he couldn't stop himself from liking Yan Mingxiu.
That was why he decided to go home. If Yan Mingxiu was at home, then he will calmly have a proper talk with him. There were probably also misunderstandings between them. Things might work out if they talked it out.
Thus, he quickly drove back home. To his disappointment, Yan Mingxiu wasn’t at home.
As soon as he entered the house, he saw that iPhone which had been thrown to the ground. He walked over and picked it up. The screen was cracked, but the phone was clearly still on. However, the screen was too fuzzy, so the messages on the screen were almost illegible. However, he could make out there were a lot of missed calls.
Zhou Xiang charged up his own phone, wanting to give Lan Xirong a call. However, just as he was about to dial the number, he remembered that he had Lan Xirong's phone. He truly didn't know whether he should laugh or cry.
How could he just take someone else's phone back home? Lan Xirong was such a busy person. He would definitely have lots of phone calls and important matters. Who knew how many matters had been delayed because of him.
Zhou Xiang rang Cai Wei without delay. After calling many numbers, he finally found Lan Xirong's assistant's number. He rang, and sure enough, Lan Xirong was with his assistant.
"Hello? Xiang'ge?" Lan Xirong's voice carried a hint of happy surprise.
"Xirong, I'm sorry, your phone is with me."
"What?"
"When I sent you home yesterday, your phone fell onto the ground. We have the same model so I thought that it was mine and took it back home. In the end, I even accidentally dropped and broke it.
Lan Xirong let out a breath of relief. "Oh, as long as it isn't lost. The phone doesn’t matter, what's important are the phone numbers and messages inside. It would have been a real problem if someone else had picked it up."
"I'm truly sorry. The alcohol muddled up my head yesterday. Where are you? I'll buy you a new phone right now and send it over."
"It’s fine, Xiang'ge. I’ll be free in a moment, I'll go to your house to pick it up... Or you can just tell me where to pick it up. You don't need to buy me a new one. My fans sent me a lot of phones, I'll never be able to use it all."
Zhou Xiang felt extremely apologetic. "How is that okay? I'll buy you one, okay? I was the one who broke it after all."
"Xiang'ge, you really don’t have to do that. I have a lot of phones at home. It'll just be a waste of money if you buy one for me. I just need the sim card inside. How about this, why don't we meet up at that cafe we used to visit all the time?
"Okay, see you there."
Zhou Xiang had a shower, ate some food and then drove the car to that cafe which wasn't far from his house. He was just on time.
He went in, and after he sat for a short while, Lan Xirong arrived. Lan Xirong was disguised the same as yesterday: a big pair of black sunglasses, and a scarf covering his chin. His face was almost completely covered. Unless someone looked closely, they wouldn't be able to recognise who he was.
There were really few people in the cafe at this time. Their table was also at a secluded corner. After Lan Xirong sat down, he took off the sunglasses and scarf, and looked at their surroundings in a relaxed manner. He sighed, "This place has barely changed at all."
"Yeah." The place Lan Xirong used to live was close to this cafe. His rental had no internet so he often came here to go online. When Zhou Xiang was free and had nothing to do, he would also come over and sit with him. They were so leisurely and free back then. Now, when Lan Xirong was sitting in front of him, Zhou Xiang was scared that Lan Xirong would be recognised.
Zhou Xiang passed him the phone, and apologised again, "I'm really sorry for breaking your phone like this. I drank too much yesterday."
Lan Xirong laughed, "Xiang'ge, it's really no problem. When I discovered that my phone was gone in the morning, it was true that I was really worried but fortunately, it was with you. If a scheming person had picked it up, then it really would have been a big problem."
Zhou Xiang teased, "What? Are there nude photos in there?"
"No nude photos, but quite a lot of gossip."
Zhou Xiang put on a face of regret, "It’s a real shame the screen broke."
Lan Xirong laughed, "Xiang'ge, I wouldn't be afraid even if you looked through my phone. I know that you won't go spreading things around. You’re a trust-worthy person."
Zhou Xiang laughed, "I hope it didn't hold up too many matters."
"It's nothing. Today, my assistant couldn't contact me, so he went to my house, and woke me up in time. Xiang'ge, you're so heartless, yesterday, you just dumped me on the ground and left."
Zhou Xiang said awkwardly, "You weren't even drunk at all."
"But you still shouldn't have just left me on the ground, you could have at least helped me onto the sofa."
Zhou Xiang was just about to speak, but two waitresses timidly walked over, and asked quietly, "Excuse me, are you Lan Xirong?"
Lan Xirong raised his head, looked at them and smiled lightly.
The two girls’ faces turned bright red. They stammered out, "You, you really are, can you give us your autograph?"
Lan Xirong accepted the notebook they passed over, and quickly signed his name. He then smiled gently, "Beauties, I want to chat with my friend, please don't come over to disturb us after this, okay?
"Yes, yes, of course. Thank you." The two walked away, turning their head back every three steps.
Zhou Xiang snorted with laughter, "I never imagined at that time that a day like this would come."
Lan Xirong also laughed, "I never imagined it either. Over a year ago, I only earnt a thousand five hundred from one photo shoot, but thankfully, at that time I had you, otherwise living alone in Beijing truly would have been so difficult."
Drinking the fragrant coffee, the two people slowly talked about the things that happened in the past, sometimes breaking into loud laughter, sometimes heavily lamenting in sorrow. Since the two met again, this was the first time they had sat down and chatted together so peacefully and harmoniously. There was no apologies, no ulterior motives, and no disagreements. There were merely like a pair of old friends, easily and comfortably talking to each other.
When they had chatted for almost three hours, Lan Xirong's phone rang. He said that he had a dinner party in the evening, but in his eyes there was nothing but reluctance to part, and he even asked Zhou Xiang whether he wanted to come with him.
Zhou Xiang still had a heap of things in his head that he needed to sort out. He really didn't have the time to attend a dinner party, so they parted ways.
When Zhou Xiang got home, Yan Mingxiu wasn’t there. He hesitated over and over, and decided to give Yan Mingxiu a call. To his surprise, Yan Mingxiu's phone was turned off.
He dejectedly threw his phone to the side. He couldn't muster up even a little bit of energy. Although he felt that he was very hopeless, he still started getting worried. He was worried that Yan Mingxiu was saying goodbye to him for real this time, but even so, he didn't want give up so easily.