SM Chapter 52

Chapter 52: Silent Agreement

“What is Tan Zhi Xu, after all? Just someone to keep you company…”

Tan Zhi Xu never expected that just by discussing a collaboration and returning, he would see Zhu Shihao sitting with a strange man in “Fuyu.”

He didn’t even know if he should be thankful for unconsciously glancing at the familiar coffee shop, the moment his heart thought of Xiao Yanche and couldn’t help but scoff, he was caught off guard and given such a “surprise.”

Of course, there was no joy in it.

Only shock and anger.

This scene, combined with her occasional hesitation to speak these past two days, made it hard not to realize what was happening.

He couldn’t help but think of last night’s entanglement, and then belatedly recall her performance, all that extra initiative was just guilt, and she probably still wanted to make amends in her heart.

An unbelievable sense of absurdity suddenly rose in his heart.

But with the reality in front of him, he had to admit, no matter how incredulous he was—Zhu Shihao was on a blind date.

Sleeping with him while going on a blind date.

He turned around and parked the car in a temporary parking spot on the side of the road, just staring at the people inside. He couldn’t see her expression clearly from this angle, but he could see the man across from her smiling.

So, they were having a pleasant conversation?

But how could she treat him like this? What did she take him for, just a tool for her pleasure? Was that why she could entangle with him so intimately while considering dating, and perhaps get married if it seemed suitable?

Strong emotions churned violently, he didn’t know if there was more anger or sadness, he only knew he couldn’t watch anymore. However, being petty and narrow-minded, he couldn’t pretend he didn’t see it and let Zhu Shihao continue chatting and laughing with her blind date.

Tan Zhi Xu leaned back in his seat and picked up his phone, needing only one touch to find her phone number.

Listening to the beeping of the phone, he watched the person inside pick up the phone on the table, the man across from her nodded, and she put it to her ear.

“Zhu Shihao, if I don’t see you come out within three minutes, and I have to go in there, I’m not sure what will happen.”

After saying that, for the first time, he hung up the phone so decisively.

Zhu Shihao subconsciously looked outside, and sure enough, a familiar SUV was parked on the roadside directly across from the glass window. She instantly understood that what she had been hesitant to say had been caught red-handed, and her heart couldn’t help but tighten.

She could hear Tan Zhi Xu’s suppressed anger in his voice, and she knew that Tan Zhi Xu always kept his word. In other words, she had to end this helpless blind date as quickly as possible.

Looking at the refined and easy-going man across from her, Zhu Shihao apologized, “Mr. Qi, I’m sorry, my situation is actually quite complicated, and my parents don’t know about it, so I’m sorry for wasting your time. I’ll transfer the money to you later.”

Considering the phone call just now, the man understood. He had a good temper and was as easy to talk to as Zhu Shihao had expected.

Hearing her say this, he wasn’t unhappy, but rather understandingly said, “It’s okay, I’ll tell my family that we’re not a good match. Don’t worry, and I wish you all the best.”

Even though she was extremely uneasy, Zhu Shihao maintained a polite smile, “Thank you, and I hope you find your ideal partner soon too.”

She left quickly, her steps a little flustered. Walking to the car, she opened the door, sat in the passenger seat, and couldn’t help but steal a few glances at him while buckling her seatbelt.

Tan Zhi Xu was expressionless. After she sat down, he stepped on the gas.

After a while, Zhu Shihao called him softly a few times, but he didn’t respond, not saying a word, his expression not softening in the slightest. Feeling increasingly uneasy, she didn’t even dare to touch him while he was driving.

They didn’t speak the entire way until the car parked steadily in the Shenyi underground garage.

For the first time, Tan Zhi Xu didn’t care about her, opened the car door and got out, waiting for her to come out on her own. He locked the car and walked away directly.

The anger in his heart hadn’t subsided even a bit along the way, but instead burned more fiercely because of the back and forth thoughts. But even at the extreme of anger, he had to admit that he felt more sadness.

However, hearing the hasty and slightly messy footsteps behind him, he couldn’t help but slow down.

Entering the elevator, Zhu Shihao called him softly, “Zhi Xu.”

She reached out to pull him, but he dodged away as soon as she touched his arm.

Having always been pampered and carefully cared for by him, receiving such treatment for the first time caused a huge gap, making her even more uneasy and even a little scared.

Looking down at her hand, she lowered her head, using a lot of effort to hold back her pouting lips.

Tan Zhi Xu didn’t stand close to her. He opened the door, changed his shoes, and walked inside.

Zhu Shihao closed the door, looked at his back, hurriedly took off her shoes, not even bothering to put on slippers, and trotted over.

“Zhi Xu, say something.”

The emotions that had been suppressed all the way finally erupted, and Tan Zhi Xu suddenly turned around, grabbed her wrist, and pushed her against the wall. Even though he didn’t have much of an expression, he looked particularly stern, his voice cold and low, with roaring rage inside.

“What should I say?”

“Should I say how you can sleep with me while going on blind dates? How you can have sex with me while welcoming new candidates?”

Zhu Shihao stared blankly at him, so frightened that she forgot how to speak.

But in that moment, Tan Zhi Xu saw her reddened eyes and caught sight of her feet only wearing socks.

In an instant, the surging anger gradually subsided, replaced by a strong sense of frustration, an helplessness that Tan Zhi Xu had never felt in his twenty-seven years of life. Even when he had discovered how much he loved her, he hadn’t felt this helpless.

He scooped her up horizontally, turned around, and walked toward the sofa, put her down, and turned to leave, but she tightly grabbed his hand.

“Zhi Xu,” Zhu Shihao called out with red eyes and a pout, “Where are you going? Don’t go.”

She knew he was angry, and she didn’t want him to leave like this.

Tan Zhi Xu looked down at her for a few seconds, turned around, and slumped down next to her, leaning back, his face slightly tired, with a clear sense of dejection.

The two of them were half an arm’s length apart, a situation that had almost never happened since their relationship changed. He usually couldn’t wait to stick together with her all the time.

But looking at him not speaking at the moment, leaning back with his eyes closed, one arm over his forehead, Zhu Shihao didn’t relax because he had compromised and stayed. She was still extremely uneasy, moved a little closer to him, and reached out to gently shake his arm carefully.

“Zhi Xu, I didn’t mean to…”

Tan Zhi Xu lowered the arm covering his eyes, looked at her slightly, and interrupted her.

“Shihao, you’re willing to sit down with a stranger and try to find a future, but you’ve never even considered the possibility of being with me?”

His voice had never been so tired, a weariness that rose from the bottom of his heart.

He asked in a self-deprecating tone, “What is Tan Zhi Xu, after all? Just a tool for you to have sex, take care of you, and entertain you?”

How could he think that?

A tool?

Many people loved Tan Zhi Xu, but Zhu Shihao was also loved by many people, why would she need a tool…

Zhu Shihao’s eyes were red, and tears fell one by one.

Seeing her not speaking, just crying, Tan Zhi Xu was quiet for a few seconds, sat up straight, and gently hugged her, patting her back lightly.

Zhu Shihao heard his soft sigh, a heartbreaking and helpless surrender, which made her heart ache even more.

Lying in his arms, she shed tears silently. It was only after a long time she managed to sob audibly, still hiccuping between cries.

After forcibly calming down, Tan Zhi Xu couldn’t be angry anymore, just stroking her long hair and patting her back lightly. Even though he was very sad, he was still comforting her.

“I’m sorry, Shihao, I’m sorry…”

He repeated these words, for what he had said under the influence of shock, anger, and pain.

After another long while, Zhu Shihao calmed down a bit, while sobbing and hiccuping, she raised her hand and punched him in the chest, slurring intermittently, “You’re talking nonsense, you’re talking nonsense.”

Tan Zhi Xu wrapped his arms around her, his voice slightly hoarse, “I’m sorry, I was talking nonsense, Shihao didn’t deliberately hide it from me, Shihao wouldn’t lie to me.”

He was being reckless, hurting people with his words.

But even so, subconsciously, he still didn’t think there was anything wrong with the phrase “never even considered the possibility of being with me.”

Zhu Shihao calmed down a little more, and after withdrawing from his arms, she sniffled, her voice still tearful, “Is there any possibility of you and Su Yuewei getting back together?”

Even he was stunned by this huge leap in topic. He came back to his senses and saw her reddened eyes and pursed lips.

He seemed to have answered this question before.

At that moment, Tan Zhi Xu suddenly realized something.

He sat up straight, his usual casual appearance completely gone, his expression serious and solemn.

“Why do you think I would get back together with her?”

Zhu Shihao was silent for a moment, and for the first time, she faced this question honestly: “Because she’s the only person you’ve ever loved and been with because of that love. You were sad when you broke up.”

Tan Zhi Xu looked straight at her, not avoiding the issue, “You’re right, I was indeed sad at the time. But, Shihao, you should know me, as far as I’m concerned, people from the past should always live in the past.”

There was no need to return to the present, let alone the future.

Hearing this, she was stunned.

“Shihao, the things between us have never been about anyone else, I only care about us.”

So, was that how it was?

He was right, she had always understood that Tan Zhi Xu wasn’t the type of person to go back to old flames, or someone who couldn’t let go.

Zhu Shihao lowered her eyes, and honey brewed in her heart, but it turned sour as she thought back on all these years.

In a daze, a phone appeared before her eyes.

“Shihao, she’s not even a friend.”

The meaning was obvious, he wanted to tell her that he had already deleted her WeChat, that there was no contact between him and Su Yuewei, that there was no possibility between them, and that he had no lingering feelings whatsoever.

She didn’t take the phone, but instead looked up at him.

After crying for so long, her eyes, not to mention the rims, even her eyelids were red, and her eyes were still filled with tears.

He casually tossed the phone aside, Tan Zhi Xu raised his hand and cupped her face, his thumb wiping away the lingering tears, and two teardrops that fell because she blinked landed on his hand at just the right moment.

Warm and heavy.

His voice was particularly low, but slowly filled with helplessness: “What am I going to do with you like this?”

It wasn’t like he was saying it to her, just asking himself.

There was no way, he never had a way with Zhu Shihao.

After discovering such a thing, the most appropriate thing to do would be to get angry, teach her that she shouldn’t have done it, and end their chaotic relationship. But, he couldn’t bear to do it. Even so, Tan Zhi Xu wanted to keep Zhu Shihao in his hands, under his control.

Moreover, it seemed that things were different from what he had imagined.

Zhu Shihao completely calmed down, she tried hard to suppress the remaining sadness from being misunderstood and scolded, but she couldn’t prevent the guilt of not telling him about the blind date from resurfacing.

“I didn’t mean to deliberately hide the blind date from you. I wanted to say it a few times, but I couldn’t find the words, but…” She took a deep breath and then pouted uncontrollably, “I had just sat down for a little while, and I told him from the start that I didn’t intend to go on a blind date and have a relationship at the moment.”

Since she hadn’t planned to seriously go on a blind date from the beginning, she had convinced herself “It’s okay, it’s just to deal with it” after failing to bring it up several times.

But was it really okay?

Once again pulling on his sleeve, Zhu Shihao’s tears started to fall again, “I’m sorry, I know this isn’t right.”

If the situation were reversed, and Tan Zhi Xu had done this, her sadness would suffocate her.

But even knowing that Tan Zhi Xu would be angry and sad, she still did this.

Regret rushed in like a tide, each time getting closer and more turbulent, engulfing her completely.

“Yeah, Shihao was wrong.”

Her tears were the sharpest weapon that could hurt him.

Tan Zhi Xu pulled her into his arms, his throat was dry and tight, his hand patting her thin back lightly.

“I’ll still forgive you, it’s okay, Shihao, it’s okay.”