8In the dead of night, within the confines of the apartment. “Besides the call sheet for Tianxia Shengshi on Thursday, Bagua Tianxia wants you for a taping at two in the afternoon, Peacock Weekly requests an interview at five, and the show Yule Mala Xiu has invited you for the evening live broadcast—and there’s more…” Jennie murmured, her gaze fixed on her notebook as she reported the schedule item by item.

“Fine. As long as the times don’t clash, agree to them all.” The window was slightly ajar, the wind carrying fine strands of rain inside.

Luo Xi stood by the window, his voice, already weak from illness, seemed to dissolve into the breeze—empty and hollow. “But your health…” Jennie looked up, and the slight movement of her eyes caught sight of several newspapers stacked on the coffee table.

The bold headlines within them made her heart seize with alarm, catching the words in her throat before she could speak! Wedding Preparations in Full Swing: Yin Xia Mo Set to Marry into Prominent Family!

Yin Xia Mo’s Wedding Will Be Held in Secrecy! Rushing to Wed in Secret, Who is Yin Xia Mo Trying to Avoid?

What on earth had happened? Why had Luo Xi and Senior Sister Xia Mo suddenly broken up?

And why was Senior Sister Xia Mo suddenly marrying Young Master Ou Chen? Jennie felt a heavy weight settle in her chest.

“Do… do you want to talk to Senior Sister Xia Mo?…” Jennie asked hesitantly. She knew that as an assistant, she shouldn't interfere too much in Luo Xi’s private emotional life, but this current version of him inexplicably filled her with a sense of dread.

When he and Senior Sister Xia Mo were dating before, Luo Xi had pushed back every non-essential engagement, just to ensure he had more time with her in the evenings. Now, however, he was accepting numerous jobs, packing his schedule until it was overflowing, allowing himself no rest, no personal social life—he even had her answer Shen Qiang’s calls nine out of ten times.

If Qiao hadn't insisted she question him, she would have simply rejected these commitments on his behalf. Was he seeking self-punishment?

These past few days, during every interview and show appearance, reporters and hosts had probed, either directly or obliquely, into his relationship with Senior Sister Xia Mo. Although he always maintained a casual demeanor, smoothly deflecting the topic, she noticed that whenever the name "Xia Mo" was mentioned, his body would subtly stiffen.

“Talk to her?” Luo Xi exhaled softly, watching the mist dissipate on the glass, blending silently with the fine rain. “…Am I supposed to go and congratulate her?” “No!” Jennie said flusteredly, her gaze falling again on the papers detailing Senior Sister Xia Mo’s imminent marriage.

“…I just have a feeling… there must be some misunderstanding… Maybe the rumors about you and Shen Qiang caused Senior Sister Xia Mo to misunderstand… Maybe Senior Sister Xia Mo has her reasons… Perhaps, it can still be salvaged…” “What if I saw it with my own eyes?” His eyes held a black, deathly stillness, as if he were back in the hospital that night, hearing those words himself, seeing Ou Chen embrace her with his own sight. Luo Xi stood numbly, the color slowly draining from his lips, strand by strand.

“Even if you saw it with your own eyes, it could still be fake. Like the rumors with Shen Qiang—they printed those photos… but you weren't actually dating her, were you?” Jennie suggested cautiously.

Could what one sees with one's own eyes also be false? Luo Xi seemed lost in thought.

The white night mist swirled across the windowpane. Yes, hadn't he once deliberately avoided explaining the rumors with Shen Qiang, even saying words tantamount to a breakup?

Then what about Xia Mo? Could hers also be a pretense, just a desperate ploy to make him jealous, to provoke him… Foam Summer III