"I've looked for her." After saying that, Xu Shichen took another swig of his drink.
He was even more reckless than Huo Linsheng, who had truly come to drown his sorrows.
He let out a laugh. "I not only looked for her, but I also attended her wedding in person. I sat at the table for her ex - boyfriends."
Huo Linsheng paused in the act of about to take a drink.
"Her wedding?"
Huo Linsheng really had no idea about this.
Xu Shichen said indignantly, "She invited all her ex - boyfriends, but not me! I was the one who ran there eagerly on my own!"
Thinking back to the past, Xu Shichen felt like he had a world of sorrow. "I spent so long building up the courage, thinking it was okay to be the backup. I went there wanting to get back together with her. But what happened? She was getting married, and she invited all her ex - boyfriends except me!
"How long had it been since we broke up? It was less than half a year! This heartless woman!"
When talking about his sad past, Xu Shichen was no longer curious about Huo Linsheng's experience. He just dove into the stage of getting drunk and complaining.
Huo Linsheng didn't expect his friend to have such a tragic experience.
"My condolences." Huo Linsheng patted his friend on the shoulder and comforted him, "There are plenty of fish in the sea."
Xu Shichen almost hugged Huo Linsheng's arm and cried. "But I just like her!"
He didn't get to hug because Huo Linsheng dodged.
Xu Shichen accused him, "Are we good brothers? Is it so hard for you to let me lean on you?"
Huo Linsheng responded by silently drinking.
Originally, he had felt a bit sad and uncomfortable. But seeing someone who was more miserable than him, his mood seemed to open up a bit.
"After all these years, aren't you going to let go?" Huo Linsheng asked.
Xu Shichen sighed. "I'm not trying to show how affectionate I am. You know, she was the first person I truly loved. It's okay that we broke up, but then this happened. It's made me think about her for all these years.
"After a while, I don't even know if I'm just upset about being so badly dumped or if I really love her that much.
"Anyway, in this world, things are all mixed up. There's no need to figure it out so clearly. If I could choose again, I would choose not to break up back then."
"Aren't you bothered to be the backup?" Huo Linsheng asked.
Xu Shichen gave a rather unscrupulous laugh. "I am bothered. But if the person is by your side, maybe the feelings will fade away as time goes by. We can part on good terms, and I won't get hurt. It's better than her being happy and me still missing her here."
He patted Huo Linsheng on the shoulder and said, "I've finally understood a truth. In a relationship, no matter who has the upper hand, you must be in control of the situation and have the right to make decisions."
Huo Linsheng rubbed his fingertips against the wine glass and suddenly laughed.
"What are you laughing at? I'm telling you my tragic past, and you're laughing?" Xu Shichen was angry.
Huo Linsheng smiled and said, "I'm laughing because I'm getting married."
Xu Shichen: "?"
"Brother, are you human? I'm telling you my tragic past, and you're telling me you're getting married? How could you?"
Xu Shichen was so angry that he was almost blowing his beard and glaring.
Huo Linsheng thought to himself that his marriage wasn't all that wonderful either, but compared to Xu Shichen's situation, it was indeed a bit comforting.
At least Ling Nuan didn't treat him as a backup, and their feelings were real. As for the schemes...
Xu Shichen was cursing under his breath, but he was also genuinely happy for his friend.
He put his hand on Huo Linsheng's shoulder again. "Do you have any wedding plans? When is it? I'm really busy. You need to make an appointment in advance."
This time, Huo Linsheng didn't shake off Xu Shichen's hand.
"I haven't thought about it." Huo Linsheng replied.
Xu Shichen was stunned for a moment and then said "Ah" after a while. "Getting married without a wedding?"
"Are you just too straight - laced to understand a girl's romance, or is there something wrong between you two?" Xu Shichen looked at Huo Linsheng suspiciously and then kindly advised, "Do you think it's too time - consuming? A wedding is indeed time - consuming, but if Ling Nuan marries you without a wedding, she'll definitely be bullied by your family and people in your circle in the future."
"We'll talk about it later." Huo Linsheng brushed it off.
Seeing this, Xu Shichen didn't say anything more.
He picked up his glass and raised it. "Alright, let's drink."
Huo Linsheng originally came to drown his sorrows, but in the end, it was Xu Shichen who got drunk.
...
The feeling of a hangover was really uncomfortable.
The next day at work, Huo Linsheng still pinched the space between his eyebrows from time to time.
Ling Nuan was reporting work. Seeing Huo Linsheng like this, she couldn't help but show concern. "What's wrong? Are you not feeling well?"
Huo Linsheng smiled helplessly. "I drank a bit too much with Xu Shichen last night."
Ling Nuan was dissatisfied. "Why did you drink so much?"
Huo Linsheng paused slightly and then said nonchalantly, "I told him about our marriage. He thought of his ex - girlfriend, and his emotions got the better of him, so he started drinking to drown his sorrows."
Ling Nuan: "..."
Huo Linsheng waved at Ling Nuan.
Ling Nuan walked forward.
Huo Linsheng pulled her into his arms.
Ling Nuan wanted to refuse. "You're still not feeling well..."
"Let me hold you for a while." Huo Linsheng said, sounding a bit tired.
Hearing this, Ling Nuan stopped moving and let Huo Linsheng hold her. She couldn't help but complain, "Xu Shichen is really something. He gets drunk for Qi Shu and now for his ex - girlfriend. Why doesn't he just drink himself to death?"
Huo Linsheng smiled, but his heart sank.
In the past, when Ling Nuan said such things, he would only find her cute and funny. But now, not only was he unmoved, he even felt like laughing.
"Nuan Nuan." Huo Linsheng suddenly called her name.
"Hmm?" Ling Nuan turned her head to look at him.
Huo Linsheng reached out and gently stroked Ling Nuan's face. "What exactly happened that day in the hotel?"
Ling Nuan was stunned.
She averted her eyes from Huo Linsheng's guiltily. "Huo Xiao used my mom's matter to set a trap for me. I wanted to turn the tables on her, but I still fell into her trap. Don't you already know all this?"
"Is that all?" Huo Linsheng asked.
Huo Linsheng's tone wasn't abrupt. In fact, it was quite calm.
But Ling Nuan's alarm bells went off in her mind.
She looked up at Huo Linsheng and asked, "Is there anything else?"
Seeing Ling Nuan like this, Huo Linsheng suddenly smiled and said, "It's nothing. I just want to confirm again."
"Confirm?" Ling Nuan became the one asking questions.
Huo Linsheng seemed to like stroking her hair recently.
His fingertips ran through Ling Nuan's hair.
"Yeah, to confirm if there's anyone else behind this besides Huo Xiao." Huo Linsheng said seriously, "Huo Xiao isn't smart enough to come up with a scheme like the mantis catching the cicada while the oriole waits behind."
Hearing this, Ling Nuan fell into deep thought.
Huo Linsheng's words reminded Ling Nuan.
She had been so focused on her success that she had overlooked this point.
Based on Huo Xiao's methods, using Li Jin as bait was already her smartest move. But in this incident, Li Jin was obviously just a bait, and Huo Xiao's most important thing was the later act of catching them in the act.
Even if she was suspicious about Li Jin's matter, she would probably still choose to go to the hotel to turn the tables.
This really didn't seem like something Huo Xiao could come up with.
Ling Nuan was so deep in thought that she overlooked the hidden meaning in Huo Linsheng's words.
She was thinking about who was giving Huo Xiao advice behind the scenes.
But the "other people hiding behind" that Huo Linsheng was talking about was actually referring to her.