Li Ming didn’t want to think about it further so he didn’t even bother to finish the sentence, simply switching the topic.

Back in the other restaurant, Mo Fang stood in front of the door to Si Tao’s office. He hadn’t actually gone in after he told Li Ming that he would. It wasn’t that he had tried to manipulate him like back then though.

Originally, he had just wanted to leave so Li Ming wouldn’t feel as awkward. Going to the office where he would be out of sight had seemed like the best way to achieve that. The problem was that he didn’t really want to go in.

He had decided that he would let Si Tao ask that private investigator whether he had any capacities to take on his case but that didn’t mean that he felt good about it. And just when he had tried to come to terms with it, Li Ming had appeared. Now, he felt even more lost. After all, what he was currently doing all tied back to their breakup three years ago. If not for that breakup …

He shook his head at himself. What did it matter? It was all in the past. His relationship with Li Ming, the breakup, going abroad, falling in love again, getting his heart broken even worse than ever before … No amount of thinking could change any of it so he should just focus on what was ahead of him.

The door to the office opened and Si Tao raised his brows. “Since when have you been standing there?”

Mo Fang almost heaved a sigh of relief when he wasn’t alone with his thoughts any longer. “I guess it was about five minutes after Li Ming entered your restaurant. Are you sure you didn’t know he would come here?”

He gave Si Tao a scrutinizing look. As a friend, Si Tao wasn’t bad. He treated everyone genuinely and he liked to help when others were in trouble. The problem was that he had never had much of a sense of boundaries.

Well, who was he to judge? He hadn’t been any better in the past. But then, he had grown out of that in the last three years. Whether Si Tao had as well … he didn’t dare to guess.

Either way, him trying to set the two of them up again by having them ‘coincidentally’ run into each other in this place wouldn’t surprise him. After all, from Si Tao’s perspective, it should make a lot of sense: They were both single apparently and he had always been the type who tried to get over one relationship by jumping into the next.

Si Tao genuinely might not get that for one, he had changed and two, his relationship with Yu Ting had been different. If it was that easy to get over, he wouldn’t be standing here now.

Si Tao raised his hands. “I knew nothing. I only called you because Xiao Lan said I should reach out more and I suggested this place because you always liked it, not to mention that Jiahao is out front. I thought seeing some old friends would cheer you up.”

Mo Fang continued to look at him but he couldn’t find any hint that Si Tao was lying. No, he really seemed to not have known. In the end, he could only sigh. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be suspecting you. You were just being nice. It’s me who’s making things difficult.”

Si Tao lowered his hands and then took a few steps to look around the corner. He didn’t see anyone close by so he turned back to Mo Fang. “Seriously, if I thought it could help you, I would absolutely try to set you up with somebody. In fact, if you’re interested, I have a whole list of very nice gentlemen I could suggest.

“Li Ming though … well, I don’t think I’d go that for.” He smiled wryly just thinking of it. “I don’t know if I mentioned it back then but shortly after your breakup, I ran into him. I asked whether there was any chance of getting back together and he didn’t take it well.

“Of course, that was before I knew what exactly went down in your relationship.” He raised his brows and then motioned at the door to his office. “Anyway, let’s go in? I guess you wouldn’t want to end up sitting anywhere close to him again.”

Mo Fang shook his head. “I wouldn’t mind but I don’t think he would like it.”

Si Tao clicked his tongue in response. “That’s the same.” He patted Mo Fang’s shoulder and then opened the door again, letting him go in before he closed the door behind them.

It seemed awkward to sit at the table like this was some kind of business meeting so he steered Mo Fang to the couch at the side and even poured him a glass of water. After handing it to him, he couldn’t help but take a closer look at him.

To be honest, Mo Fang didn’t seem like seeing Li Ming had done anything to worsen his state. At least not compared to when they had been sitting at the table outside. But then, he might genuinely not care. After all, it had been three years since their breakup, and compared to his current situation, it probably wasn’t even something he thought about often.

He did have to say that when he looked at him more closely, he could see what Tong Lan had meant though. There was just a general … dejection about him. He probably shouldn’t have expected anything else. And really, now that he thought about it, he also didn’t think that he could do anything to help him.

No, this was something that Mo Fang would have to work through on his own. The only thing he could do was to offer his company. But then, maybe that alone would be enough. Mo Fang certainly didn’t seem like he wanted much right now.