After repeated urging from his mother, Gu Zhan finally had no choice but to arrange a date with a woman.

That evening, he was delayed by a meeting and arrived late. The woman was sitting in a tea restaurant, scrolling through her phone. The longer she waited, the more impatient she became.

She was a nurse—pleasant-looking and proper. Being kept waiting on a first blind date irritated her, but the matchmaker had told her that her date was a CEO with considerable social status. Assuming he was busy with work, she swallowed her annoyance.

Twenty minutes later, Gu Zhan finally arrived.

“Miss He, right? Sorry. I had a meeting I really couldn't get out of. I've kept you waiting.”

The woman looked up.

A strikingly handsome face came into view.

For a moment, she was so stunned she could barely speak.

“Oh—no, it's fine. I haven't been waiting that long.”

Gu Zhan handed her a pink box.

“I passed a bakery on the way. Girls usually like desserts, don't they?”

“Thank you.”

She lowered her head, her cheeks flushing pink. All the irritation she'd felt while waiting vanished instantly.

She barely dared look directly at him and could only steal glances.

She was honestly shocked. How could someone be exactly like the male leads in novels—flawlessly attractive while also being the CEO of a publicly listed company?

Even more surprising was this:

Why would a man like him be interested in someone as ordinary as her?

The matchmaker had even said that Gu Zhan had chosen her from among a stack of photos because she had caught his eye.

She couldn't understand it.

Among her friends, her looks were only slightly above average. As for achievements, she wasn't even in the same league as Gu Zhan. To put it bluntly, they weren't from the same social class.

Do Cinderella stories really exist in this world?

The tea restaurant was lit with warm amber lighting that created a romantic atmosphere.

The two sat in a private booth screened by bamboo curtains. It was quiet and comfortable—ideal for a heart-to-heart conversation, yet not so isolated that silence would become awkward.

The girl looked nervous, but curiosity shone in her dark eyes.

How could Gu Zhan not know what she was thinking?

He was familiar with that look.

But viewing someone through a layer of hazy glass was like admiring flowers through the mist—the more you looked, the more beautiful they seemed. Only when the fog cleared did you realize it had all been an illusion.

He needed to shatter that glass from the start.

Gu Zhan looked at her seriously.

“Miss He, the reason I asked you here today may not be what you're expecting. What I'm about to say may sound offensive. If anything makes you uncomfortable, you can stop me at any time.”

The girl's eyes widened.

Gu Zhan slowed his speech, keeping his tone calm and gentle.

“Have you ever heard of an open marriage?”

“For personal reasons, I'm only attracted to men. However, my family still hopes that I can have the kind of family life expected of an ordinary man.”

“If you're willing to marry me, you'll have access to half of my assets. You can quit your job and travel the world, or use the money to pursue your dreams—spend it however you like.”

“In return, you may need to accompany me back to my hometown once or twice a year to meet relatives and friends.”

“Most importantly, I'd need you to have a child with me—by whatever method you're comfortable with.”

“Our marriage would be free and open. You could have a boyfriend if you wished. You'd only need to be discreet in front of my mother.”

“I need you to help me maintain the appearance of this marriage—”

A cup of ice water splashed directly into his face.

It cut him off.

“You freak!”

The girl cursed viciously, grabbed her purse, and turned to leave.

Whether from the cold water or something else, Gu Zhan's face became so stiff he could barely manage an expression.

He wiped the water from his eyelashes and caught the edge of her sleeve.

“Miss He,” he said with a sigh, “I'm sincerely sorry for what I said tonight.”

He bowed slightly, hiding the disappointment on his face.

The girl glared at him, her eyes filled with contempt and disgust.

Gu Zhan took out a bank card.

“I know my mother's friend introduced us. I hope what I told you today won't reach a third person.”

“Tch—”

The girl rolled her eyes dramatically.

She snatched the card from his hand, rubbed it against her clothes as if it were dirty, then walked away with her head held high.

━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━

From beside a pillar on the second floor, Fu Yan watched everything through a gap in the bamboo curtains.

His fist tightened unconsciously.

But he didn't go downstairs.

He knew Gu Zhan valued his pride. Showing up now would only make him feel more humiliated.

After the girl left, Gu Zhan remained standing there for a long time, forgetting even to sit down.

In truth, even in today's more progressive society, acceptance of people like them was nowhere near as widespread as many believed.

People loved gossiping about others' private lives when it had nothing to do with them.

But the moment it touched their own lives, they treated people like Gu Zhan as if they carried a plague—avoiding them, mocking them, even despising them.

That gentle, quiet nurse couldn't accept a marriage of convenience that would have dramatically improved her life.

Likewise, his mother—a primary school teacher in a small town whose world had never extended much beyond that town—probably couldn't accept having a gay son either.

There were countless ordinary people like them.

They judged the world according to what seemed normal to them.

What had they done wrong?

Then whose fault was it?

Was it his?

Sometimes Gu Zhan asked himself that question.

And whenever he faced it directly, he realized how vast the distance between himself and Fu Yan truly was.

They were practically from different worlds.

Fu Yan could dance hand-in-hand with the person he loved in a brilliantly lit hall, surrounded by blessings from family and friends.

Gu Zhan stood outside that hall.

He longed for that world more than anything, but could only gaze at it through a window.

And when he finally came to his senses, he found himself trapped in an endless night—cold, lonely, and dark.

━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━

Gu Zhan buried himself in work once again.

Day and night.

He had done this before.

This self-destructive work schedule filled his mind completely, preventing him from overthinking and consuming himself with pointless mental anguish.

At the same time, he needed the sense of accomplishment work brought him.

He needed the glamorous identity of “President Gu” as proof of his worth.

He wanted to tell people that he wasn't some abnormal outcast.

That he could be outstanding.

That he deserved respect and recognition.

On Friday morning, Gu Zhan was awakened by a shrill alarm.

These days he was rarely awakened by alarms anymore. His biological clock usually woke him before they could.

He tried to sit up.

His body gave out.

He collapsed back onto the bed.

“Hiss—”

A sharp pain shot through his head.

Everything felt unbearably heavy.

He remembered joking conversations with business associates:

"Once a man hits thirties, it's all downhill from there."

Gu Zhan laughed bitterly to himself.

It really wasn't like being in his twenties anymore.

Even if his determination hadn't changed, his thirty-year-old body could no longer withstand such relentless overtime.

His limbs felt weak.

His head swam.

He simply called a subordinate, delegated a few tasks, and went back to sleep.

He truly hadn't slept enough this past week.

He had no idea how long he slept.

When he became aware again, his phone was ringing.

“Hello? Is this Gu Zhan?”

A clear female voice came through the speaker.

Gu Zhan froze.

The voice sounded extraordinarily familiar.

Yet he didn't dare believe who it might be.

“It's me. Tan Rui.”

Gu Zhan immediately forced himself upright despite the weight pressing down on his body.

Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined hearing his ex-girlfriend's voice again after four years.

He had assumed she hated him.

Hated him enough to never want any connection with him again.

“Gu Zhan, you never changed your number? I changed mine after moving abroad. I was worried I wouldn't be able to reach you.”

He rubbed a hand across his sleepy face.

“What's the matter?”

“Relax. I just wanted to ask how you've been these past few years.”

“I know Slungshot is doing very well. It's even gone public now. I hear news about you from old classmates from time to time.”

“Congratulations, Gu Zhan.”

“You finally achieved what you set out to do.”

“Mm.”

His expression softened.

“What about you, Xiao Rui? How have you been?”

“I'm doing well. I live in Berlin now. I got married last year.

“The reason I contacted you out of the blue is because I received an email from China.”

“The sender was Mr. Fu.”

“He asked how I was doing and said that, if possible, I should get in touch with you.”

She paused.

Then, in a calm voice, she reopened a wound that had once defined her life.

“When I was younger, I blamed everything on you.

“I poured all my anger, resentment, and negativity onto you.”

“But I forgot that you were a victim of the situation too.”

“These past years, you've continued transferring money into my bank account.”

“I didn't think I had any right to keep it, so I donated it to charity instead.”

“But I understood your intentions.”

“You were trying your best to make up for the hurt you caused me.”

“And honestly, I owe you something too.”

“Gu Zhan, you didn't do anything wrong.”

“What happened between us was an accident neither of us intended.”

“But your feelings were not wrong.”

“Everyone has the right to pursue happiness.”

“I've already found the person I want to spend my life with.”

“You should let go of the past too.”

“Be brave enough to pursue your own happiness.”

“Your feelings deserve the chance to bloom and bear fruit just as much as anyone else's.”

Listening to her speak so calmly, Gu Zhan knew that she had finally moved on.

All these years, he had viewed their past as an unforgivable mistake.

He had hurt a sincere girl.

He had betrayed a living, beating heart.

He could never forget seeing Tan Rui—a strong, independent, exceptional woman—crying uncontrollably in front of him.

He remembered her disheveled appearance.

Her rage.

The way she had shouted at him.

For years he had blamed himself.

Deep down, he couldn't stop hating himself.

He numbed himself.

Belittled his own feelings.

Tried to disguise himself with the image of a socially acceptable heterosexual relationship.

He judged himself.

Condemned himself as an inferior outsider.

He remained trapped in the agony of believing he owed someone a debt he could never repay.

But the truth was that Tan Rui had been far stronger than he ever imagined.

The person still trapped in the past—the one unable to face his own heart and move forward—was himself.

After a long silence, he finally said hoarsely:

“Thank you, Xiao Rui.”

A loud baby's cry suddenly rang out from the other end of the line.

Then Gu Zhan heard Tan Rui hurriedly speaking German to someone nearby.

A calm male voice answered her.

“Sorry,” she said awkwardly. “My son is crying.”

“Xiao Rui, you're a mother now?”

She laughed softly.

“Yes. He's only six months old.”

“He cries so much every day that my head feels twice as big.”

“And his father can't calm him down either.”

“You men are all hopeless.”

“Haha.”

The atmosphere instantly became lighter.

“I owe my little nephew a big red envelope.”

“Save it,” she teased. “When I come back to China, I'll bring him to see you and make you treat us to an expensive meal.”

“Deal. I'll be waiting for you—”

Hack—

“Gu Zhan?”

Tan Rui immediately noticed something wrong.

“What's going on?”

“Nothing...”

He coughed again.

“Just haven't been sleeping enough. I'm catching up on sleep at home.”

“It's already three or four in the afternoon over there, isn't it?”

“How long have you been sleeping?”

“This doesn't sound like simple sleep deprivation.”

“Have you gone to the hospital?”

She paused.

No response.

“Hello?”

“Hello? Gu Zhan?”

“What happened?”

“Gu Zhan!”