A Moment Too Late (GL) - Chapter 87

The video quickly accumulated more tags.

#National Exhibition Gold Award Winner And Model Kissing#

#Scandal In The Circle#

#Daughter Of Zhongmao Group Chairman Comes Out?#

••••

Lin Lan was still awake late at night when she stumbled upon the video. She was stunned, staring at the screen motionlessly, thinking, isn’t that Nan Xue and Shu Yubai!

How were they caught on camera?

Who did this?

She immediately tried to contact Shu Yubai, but Shu Yubai seemed to have vanished; no one answered her calls, and her WeChat messages went unreplied. Hearing the repeated “The number you have dialed is currently switched off,” Lin Lan felt a storm brewing inside her: this might turn into a major issue.

Shu Yubai had just won an award the day before, and now this video was released the next day—was this really not deliberate?

The pedestrians in this city suddenly seemed more piercing.

In an instant, it felt like overwhelming malice was sweeping over. Shu Yubai glanced blankly at the trophy she had just received, the highly praised painting, and the photo with Nan Xue at the art gallery.

Sitting on a stone bench by the street, Shu Yubai lowered her head.

Her phone was off, and the cold night wind cut through like a knife. Everything happened too suddenly, like a meteor crashing into her life, leaving a huge crater.

She sat under the streetlight, Nan Xue’s figure flashing through her mind like a carousel. Her fingertips tightened, and a tear fell.

It was exposed.

It was discovered.

What should she do next… how could they continue?

••••

The evening wind carried a winter-like chill.

Nan Xue was called home by a phone call.

A large floor-to-ceiling window on the first floor provided excellent lighting, but since there were rarely people around, it felt empty and cold.

Walking in, she felt a sense of unfamiliarity with the place.

Nan Xue changed her shoes and called out, “Dad.”

“You’re back?”

Her father leaned on the railing on the second floor, looking down at her. “Come up and sit for a while. Haven’t been home for a long time, have you?”

Nan Xue entered the house, turned around, and closed the door with a click.

Aunt Zhang stood on the first floor, holding a vacuum cleaner that buzzed loudly. Seeing Nan Xue, she made a gesture to be quiet and whispered, “Mr. Nan just…”

Nan Xue shook her head, not listening further. She went upstairs with a calm expression.

“Have you seen the video?”

He asked.

“I’ve seen it.”

Nan Xue nodded.

“Tell me, what’s going on.”

In the house, Nan Mingzhu glanced at the bold headline on his laptop: [Zhongmao Group Chairman’s…] The rest was cut off, but he had opened the video. He looked at it briefly, expressionless, then closed the page with a click.

Nan Xue stood there, silent.

Nan Mingzhu picked up an apple from the table and offered it to her, “Want some?”

Nan Xue shook her head.

Nan Mingzhu smiled briefly, then the next second, he smashed the apple on the ground.

Nan Xue watched as it hit the ground with a thud, splattering juice, and rolled into a corner.

She opened her mouth and called, “Dad…”

Nan Mingzhu grabbed her collar and slapped her hard across her fair face.

“Do you still recognize me as your father?”

“Look at yourself.”

He released her with a push, “What have you become? Learning all those improper things, Shu Yubai likes women, and you want to learn from her?! Can you be like her?”

“What a sickness.”

Nan Mingzhu’s chest heaved with anger, making him cough violently, “I’ll send you to the hospital for treatment one of these days.”

Nan Xue always suspected her father had some manic-depressive disorder.

He often behaved this way since she was a child, sometimes slapping her so hard she’d be dazed, suddenly throwing tantrums, smashing things, and hitting people harshly. Being pushed by him, Nan Xue took a step back, feeling her lip swelling and heating up.

She probed with her tongue and felt pain and the metallic taste of bl00d rising to her head.

She was bleeding.

“It’s incurable… homosexuality isn’t a disease.” (TN: YES, it’s not a disease!! You people are just homophobic!!!🤬)

Nan Xue shook her head, coughing weakly. She touched her swollen lip with her fingertip; it was indeed swollen. Her face burned with pain, showing a red handprint on her fair cheek.

The headlines exploded across major news websites, but when Shu Yubai turned on her phone again and searched bit by bit, they had all disappeared, leaving no trace.

The topic was sealed.

The buzz of the revelation was continually dropping.

Who suppressed the news?

But Shu Yubai felt more uneasy. Her fingers trembled slightly as she dialed a number on the screen.

Ring, ring, ring.

The call connected.

Shu Yubai felt a bit relieved, “Nan Xue, where are you? I…”

Before she could finish her sentence, she was cut off, startled.

It wasn’t Nan Xue.

Had someone taken her phone?

A male voice came from the other end, familiar and emotionless, “She’s at home.”

“Uncle.”

Shu Yubai’s fingers turned pale, and her back was drenched in cold sweat.

Half an hour later.

Shu Yubai met him at a restaurant.

The man poured her a cup of tea, placed it gently in front of her, and after a long silence, his first words were, “Uncle knows you two are close.” “But I think you two should end it.”

“It’s not appropriate.”

Nan Mingzhu frowned, not looking at her.

Not appropriate.

Their relationship seemed insignificant in the face of these three words.

Shu Yubai’s face quickly turned pale. Not appropriate? In what way? Gender? Or something else?

Yes, she had no money and no skills.

She only liked Nan Xue.

“Uncle.”

Shu Yubai’s eyes felt warm. She took a deep breath and softly said, “Can I… see Nan Xue one more time?”

“I want to say a few words to her.”

Nan Mingzhu observed her expression for a while, thinking that fortunately, this child was more mature, not as stubborn as Nan Xue.

“Alright.”

He nodded.

Nan Xue was locked in her room.

Hearing footsteps and the subsequent knock on the door, Nan Xue stayed curled up under the blanket, not moving. At first, she thought it was her father, but then Shu Yubai’s gentle voice came through, like a breeze brushing her face. For a moment, she almost thought she was hallucinating.

Nan Xue quickly got out of bed. As she was about to open the door, she remembered her appearance and wrapped a scarf around her neck several times, checking in the mirror to cover the swollen corner of her mouth.

She walked over and gently turned the knob; the door opened.

“Sister.”

Nan Xue’s eyes brightened, her lips curved slightly, but the wound pulled painfully.

“What happened?”

Shu Yubai noticed immediately. She reached out tentatively but stopped halfway, restraining herself. “You’re bleeding… put some ointment on it. Does it hurt?”

Nan Xue let Shu Yubai lead her to sit on the bed. Shu Yubai rummaged through her bedside table and found a tube of ointment, squeezed out a bit, and the cool, pungent smell made them tear up.

Shu Yubai unwrapped Nan Xue’s scarf, her soft fingertips touching the wound, applying the ointment in circles.

“Does it hurt? Is it okay if I apply it like this?”

“It doesn’t hurt.”

Nan Xue shook her head. She glanced back, seeing no one at the door. Her father hadn’t followed but had allowed Shu Yubai to see her.

A guess flashed in Nan Xue’s mind, making her a bit excited. She looked at Shu Yubai and whispered, “Did my dad… agree?”

Shu Yubai put down the ointment, looked into her eyes, leaned in, and gently kissed her forehead, pressing her forehead tenderly against Nan Xue’s. “How about… we take a break from each other?”

“Nan Xue, you deserve better.”

“I don’t want to hold you back.”

Shu Yubai said, bowing her head.

Nan Xue’s eyes widened in confusion.

These words felt like an unmerciful sentence, hitting hard and leaving her dizzy.

In a daze, their love seemed like an unfinished essay, abruptly stopped by the ringing bell, forced to be handed in.

••••

Spring had just begun to show, with layers of cherry blossom petals weighing down the branches. The blossoms drifted through that time like mist, disappearing quickly, too swiftly to be recorded.

People hurried by, and the city seemed shrouded in a layer of haze.

“And then?”

“Then you two broke up?”

Three years later, in Hong Kong.

Two simple chairs were arranged around a round table inside the room.

Nan Xue held a cup of hot water in a transparent disposable plastic cup, her slender white fingers gripping it.

The interview had ended, and Nan Xue was sitting in the lounge. The host, curious about the love story she hadn’t mentioned on stage, couldn’t resist making small talk.

The host glanced at her again.

She was very beautiful, with pale, cool skin, short, glossy black hair cascading over her shoulders like ebony, and features that seemed finely etched, delicate and sharp.

She looked up at the host.

Her eyes were clear and bright, her red lips small and full, giving her an always youthful air.

“We didn’t break up.”

“She suggested it, but I didn’t agree.”

Nan Xue lowered her head, pressing her red lips to the cup rim, taking a small sip of hot water. With a calm, detached manner, she said, “My father didn’t agree, froze all my assets. I moved out and lived with her. At first, it was very sweet; she was very gentle, spoiled me, treated me well.”

“Later… it still ended.”

“Really?”

The host frowned, unable to resist asking, “Why? Weren’t you in love?”

“At that time, although my father had frozen the cards he opened in his name, I had my own savings and some properties.”

“Previously, my father managed everything for me, but later I had to start my own business. Due to lack of experience, I kept losing money and almost went bankrupt.”

“The pressure was considerable.”

“And then?”

“Then, it was like you see now.”

Nan Xue lowered her head, her small red lips curving slightly as she shook the cup. “Gradually, with experience, I stopped losing money.”

“Since you overcame the pressures of starting a business, then you and her…”

The host pressed on.

“She suggested breaking up three times. The last time, she went abroad.”

Nan Xue lowered her head, her thick eyelashes drooping. She raised an eyebrow, “Back then, I kept clinging to her. Looking back now, it was quite wrong.”

“Oh?”

The host was a bit surprised by the word “cling.”

“She said I was immature.”

Nan Xue’s lips curved slightly, her eyes faint.

“And your relationship with your father…”

“My father passed away.”

“Late-stage lung cancer.”

Nan Xue lowered her head, silent, her pale fingers squeezing the plastic cup until it made a soft cracking sound.

“Do you still like her?”

“She was… my first love.”

Nan Xue thought for a moment, her red lips curving slightly, and summarized.

The host pondered this word and asked, “First love? So, you mean…”

“What do you think?”

“It’s been too long—I can’t remember much.”

Nan Xue’s slender white fingers propped up her chin, her black hair falling and covering her icy jade-like nose. Under the bright light, her expression was in shadow, making it hard to discern.

She didn’t continue.

The host knew she had shared all she was willing to. Professional ethics told her that whether people, especially business figures, share their personal lives depends on their mood. Nan Xue’s willingness to confide had reached its limit, so she should stop probing.

“Nice to meet you.”

The woman handed her a business card. “Lucy.”

Nan Xue took the card between her fingers and glanced at it. The host was from an economics journal, a Hong Kong media outlet. She casually slipped the card into her small leather bag, glanced at her silver wristwatch, stood up, and softly said, “Well, goodbye then.”

She pushed the door open.

Outside, reporters were waiting, their flashbulbs going off in rapid succession.

Bodyguards helped her push aside the microphones and the flurry of questions like “Excuse me…,” successfully clearing a path.

Nan Xue wrapped her coat tightly around herself, walked through the bustling crowd, and ducked into the car.