Mo Fang … well, he had always been stunning, especially so when he was smiling and giving the person opposite him a deep look. In this photo, he was doing exactly that and the effect was still the same. In a sense, it might even be more profound.

It had only been two years and it didn’t show that much if you didn’t look closely but Mo Fang seemed a bit different. Li Ming couldn’t point out any tell-tale signs no matter how much he thought but he simply felt that the Mo Fang he knew and the one he was currently seeing weren’t quite the same.

He sighed to himself when that thought hit him. Actually, why was he surprised? He had never gotten to know the ‘true’ Mo Fang, whoever that was. In fact, maybe even Si Tao and Linghu Jiahao hadn’t. It could even be that …

He trailed off, not sure if he wanted to go there. Still, the thought was already there and it wasn’t like this hadn’t occurred to him before when he sometimes reminisced about his time with Mo Fang.

Yes, maybe this person himself didn’t even know who he was deep down. Maybe him play-acting in his relationships this way was because he had never really dared to explore his own self and only ever gone with what people expected of him. It made a shocking amount of sense.

Two years ago, he wouldn’t have been able to think about this calmly but now, he realized that Mo Fang had probably never lied to him with malicious intentions. He had simply done what he always did and not realized how much it would hurt him.

Knowing this didn’t change any of that pain and it also wouldn’t have helped to repair their relationship back then even if he had found out. Nowadays though, he felt like one day, this might allow him to let go.

He could tell himself that, at the end of the day, when he had been at the point where he wanted to settle down with the one who would accompany him until the end of his life if at all possible, Mo Fang had still been trying to find himself. He hadn’t been mature enough for the relationship he wanted of him so even without the lies, it would have fractured in the end. Maybe this way was even easier to accept.

Li Ming smiled to himself and glanced at the other man in the photo. His features looked vaguely European. Most likely, he was mixed. There was a faint smile on his lips that accentuated his good looks and made the otherwise stoic expression soften a bit. Coupled with the suit, he gave the impression of somebody experienced who was used to be in charge, probably some type of executive.

Li Ming looked at him for a while and then couldn’t help but think back to this evening, silently comparing this man to Si Tao. Actually, he shouldn’t be surprised that Mo Fang was with somebody like this. He got along with all types of men and even though his father’s origins were more humble, his mother’s family was rich. He was probably used to having that kind of company and might even have some expectations for his standard of living.

Li Ming’s smile turned wry. He still remembered how, two years ago, he had that fleeting thought that it might be time for him to advance his career so he could support Mo Fang in his dreams. In the end, it hadn’t been necessary. Now, while he had switched over to another company, it still couldn’t be said that he had advanced much. The job was still on the same level for the most part.

Well, the pay was indeed better. After all, this was a pretty good hotel and the expectations were high so it showed in the numbers they received in return. There might not be much danger involved in this job but if something happened and one of the guests got injured or things were lost in a break-in, the damages would be high. Thus, Manager Qian still made sure that they were all well-trained and there would be regular check-ups to ensure they were up to par in all regards.

Still, no matter how he advanced in his field, he would never reach that level. Had Mo Fang ever thought about that? Or did he not care? Thinking of his mother’s family, he probably didn’t. After all, there was enough money behind him. He didn’t need his partner to try too hard.

Li Ming’s gaze slipped from that man’s face back to Mo Fang and he faintly furrowed his brows. He shouldn’t have looked. Now, he was thinking about a lot of useless things again.

It didn’t matter what type of man Mo Fang was with. It didn’t matter whether he thought it important that his lover had a high status or earned a lot. It didn’t matter at all what Mo Fang was doing because they weren’t together any longer and weren’t even living on the same continent!

So, really, why … was he still lying here, staring at his phone?

To be honest, he knew. He wasn’t over this as much as he liked to say he was. Much like Linghu Jiahao, he also couldn’t forget that time. He wasn’t looking at it with as much nostalgia and instead through a veil of hurt but that didn’t change the fact that Mo Fang was still living rent-free in his head.

He had turned into a roommate that wasn’t there often because he liked to go out to do whatever he wanted to, but every so often, he would come back, barging into the apartment with the door slamming against the wall, drawing all eyes to him. And then, he would talk about everything that he had experienced since he had gone, continuing to command the whole attention of the person that had been forced to watch this whole charade. He really was … an unwelcome roommate that should better move out soon.