Afraid of Reigniting Old Feelings

Han Chen took the card and asked, “Are you doing me a favor?”

Fang Shuo explained, “Dr. Han, since you’re new to Dongjiang, Mr. Liang is taking care of you. Many doctors from Dongjiang University Hospital are members here. It’s an old tradition.”

“Is there no business relationship between your boss and the owner of this restaurant?” Han Chen countered.

Fang Shuo smiled awkwardly. “Look at what you’re saying. It sounds like Mr. Liang is using you to attract customers for the restaurant owner.”

“Isn’t he?”

“I told you, Mr. Liang is taking care of you. He and you are even cousins.”

Han Chen sneered silently. Fang Shuo’s vague answer had already revealed the answer to the question.

Seeing that Han Chen was still scrutinizing the card with his head down, Fang Shuo couldn’t tell if Han Chen was willing to accept it. He suddenly glanced at Zhou Mo.

“Miss Zhou, how do you find the taste of the dishes here?”

Zhou Mo was caught off guard. “They’re quite good.”

“Did you try the black fish soup? Isn’t it especially yummy?”

“Yeah, it’s really good.”

“The black fish soup is one of the signature dishes here. Many people come from afar just to try it. During long weekends, this dish is in high demand, but it’s given priority to members. Since your school is not far from here, why don’t you get a membership card too?”

“Huh? Are you trying to sell me something?”

Fang Shuo smiled without saying a word.

“This card is obviously not something a poor student like me would get. Don’t even think about it,” Zhou Mo said, not falling for it.

Fang Shuo continued to smile without saying a word.

Han Chen then put away the card and said to Fang Shuo, “I’ll take it. You can go now.”

Fang Shuo smiled knowingly, as if everything had gone according to plan. He bid them farewell. “All right. Dr. Han, Miss Zhou, I’ll leave first.”

Once Fang Shuo left, Zhou Mo curiously looked at Han Chen. “Your cousin gave you a card, why don’t you just accept it openly? It’s free and doesn’t cost anything. Don’t let it go to waste.”

Han Chen’s gaze swept past Zhou Mo’s eyes as he said indifferently, “The free things are the most expensive.”

“A membership card is not a bank card. How can it be so expensive? It’s not more expensive than your BMW, right?” Zhou Mo teased.

“It’s not about the price of the item, it’s about the favor.”

“What favor?”

“The favor in the hospital,” Han Chen looked at Zhou Mo’s bright, pure, and bewildering black pupils. “I’ve said it, but you wouldn’t understand.”

“How would I understand if you don’t explain?”

Han Chen sighed lightly, “The owner of this restaurant is a pediatrician from Dongjiang University Hospital and has connections with many key departments there. Have you heard the saying that inviting a big boss to dinner is not as prestigious as inviting the director of a top-tier hospital?”

“Liang Dongyan gave you this card to help you establish connections within the hospital?”

“That’s one reason,” Han Chen thought for a moment and added, “Liang Dongyan probably has some business relationship with the restaurant owner. He introduced me here as a way of building goodwill.”

“Things in your hospital are so complicated.”

“Where there are people, there is a hidden world. It’s the same everywhere.”

“That’s true.”

Zhou Mo looked up at Han Chen. His profile had sharp contours, no longer as soft as when he was a youth. A calm aura enveloped him, giving him a mysterious charm.

It was the charisma of a mature man, an allure reminiscent of rosemary.

The two of them left “Conquer the Central Plains“.

“Where are you going? Back to your parents’ place or home?” Han Chen turned to Zhou Mo.

“Back to school.”

“I’ll take you.”

Zhou Mo hesitated for a moment and nodded.

The car drove smoothly, and the silence inside was becoming awkward. Zhou Mo couldn’t stand it and took the initiative to speak. “How long have you been back?”

“Two months.”

“Oh, you didn’t actively contact your old friends here to get together?”

“You’re my only old friend.”

“...”

Han Chen steered the wheel and turned the car at an intersection. “You want to ask me why I didn’t contact you for two months after you broke up with Yu Yizhou?”

“...”

“Two months ago, you hadn’t broken up with Yu Yizhou yet.”

Zhou Mo suddenly realized something and asked, “So when you came looking for me after I broke up with Yu Yizhou, was it because you still had feelings for me?”

“No, I didn’t come looking for you before because I was afraid you would still have feelings for me.”

Zhou Mo’s face instantly turned red, and she retorted, “Don’t flatter yourself.”

“What about you? Why did you agree to marry me?”

“That should be my question to you. Why did you propose to me?”

Han Chen was momentarily stunned, but he quickly regained his composure and said coldly, “I said it’s because of my mom.”

“Hmph, you’re lying. You keep saying it’s for Auntie Liang, but why haven’t you taken me to meet her even after getting married?”

“Do you want to go?”

Zhou Mo was taken aback. “No... I...”

She just didn’t believe Han Chen’s words and was habitually refuting him. How did it turn into her wanting to meet Han Chen’s mother?

“She’s coming to my place tonight. Would you like to come?”

“Heh... I have something to do at school.” Zhou Mo laughed awkwardly and gave a dry response.

“What’s going on at your school?”

“Um... it’s about a project with my teacher.”

“You don’t need to do experiments. At most, you help your teacher with coding and writing final reports. You don’t have to be at school to do that, right?”

Zhou Mo was shocked. How did he know everything?

“Don’t be surprised. A few days ago, our department head asked me to look up information about your mentor. Our department may collaborate with your mentor in the future.”

Zhou Mo’s lips twitched, but she couldn’t find any laughter. “So, we’ll be seeing each other all the time?”

“It’s possible. Whether or not we collaborate with your advisor will ultimately be decided by the hospital.”

Zhou Mo silently lowered her head and muttered softly, “Why do I feel like our marriage may not end?”

“Don’t worry, we won’t delay. Once the cooling-off period for divorce is over, you can mention it whenever you want, and I’ll cooperate.”

Zhou Mo gave him a blank look. “Do you think divorce is a joke? After getting divorced, we’ll still see each other all the time. Aren’t you disgusted?”

“If you’re disgusted, then we won’t divorce.”

“...” Zhou Mo was speechless. “Do you actually want to divorce or not?”

“I said it, it’s up to you. I respect your opinion. I proposed marriage, and you agreed. If you want a divorce, you propose it, and I’ll go along with it. Each person has one chance to propose, it’s fair.”

“Huh, you’re leaving yourself out of it completely. You’re pushing all the responsibility for the divorce onto me?”

Han Chen suddenly slammed on the brakes, and the car came to a sudden stop. Zhou Mo was thrown forward by inertia, then pulled back by the seatbelt, causing her body to ache.

“What are you doing?” Zhou Mo was angry.

“Do we have any feelings in this marriage?” Han Chen asked coldly.

Zhou Mo was stunned for a moment and truthfully replied, “No, why?”

“Since there are no feelings, why do you care so much?” Han Chen’s tone was even colder than before.

“I... I was just joking. Is that not allowed?” Zhou Mo stumbled to respond.