Li Ming lowered his head, not wanting Mo Fang to notice his staring. Right now, he was clearly going through enough of an ordeal. He didn’t need the compassion of an ex. Especially one whose relationship with him had ended like that. That would only make him think deeper and land in places he didn’t want to be in.

Mo Fang indeed didn’t notice. Apart from his own thoughts on what Qiao Ya had just said, there were still many things he wanted to tell her. Even if she might not get all of it at once, he just wanted to get it out. If she wanted to know more, she could always ask for more details. Speaking of which …

Mo Fang leaned forward with a bright smile. “You know, there is a lot I can tell you. We definitely won’t manage to cover everything today. Probably not even half of it. So how about exchanging contacts? That way, if you think of something you’d like to know, you can always call or text me. Also, if you want to go out again, we can set up a time. Right now, I haven’t gotten back to work yet so I’m basically always free.”

Qiao Ya nodded without even thinking about it. Of course, she wanted to know more! What she had gathered so far wasn’t more than some bits and pieces. That was far from enough. She couldn’t even begin to imagine what kind of life her half-brother must have led. Thus, the two of them exchanged contact details first.

In the meantime, the food they had ordered also arrived so Mo Fang motioned at the bowls. “Maybe we should eat first. Anyway, we have time to talk about everything.”

Qiao Ya nodded and picked up her bowl, happy to give the food a try. It sure looked good! Thinking of that though, she looked back up at Mo Fang, remembering that he had forgotten to answer one of her earlier questions. “Right. You told me about his friends and his job but you didn’t say what else he did. Surely, even if he worked a lot, he must have had some hobbies, right?” Even though it likely shouldn’t matter to her anymore, she didn’t want to find out that her half-brother had been that boring.

Mo Fang laughed. “I totally forgot about that! Well, let’s see …” He picked up his own food while thinking about the things Yu Ting liked to do in the little free time he had. “Honestly, I might not be the best judge of this. After all, when we were together, we’d usually go on dates or at least make sure that we both liked what we were doing. So I’m afraid I also didn’t get the full picture.

“When it came to Ah Ting and his friends though, they were surprisingly enough the outdoorsy types. I guess that comes with being cooped up in an office all day long and having to stare at a screen. I remember them going on hikes, camping trips, fishing, kayaking, that kind of thing.”

Qiao Ya raised her brows. This wasn’t what she had expected but then, a lot of guys were into the outdoors, right? “Then what about you? You didn’t join them?”

Mo Fang shook his head. “I have to admit that I can’t muster the same passion for nature as your brother could. Although … he did take me to the beach a few times. We stayed at a nearby hotel though.”

Qiao Ya gave him a knowing look. “Well, the beach is definitely different!”

“Isn’t it?” Mo Fang smiled brightly. Actually, Yu Ting had still needed to convince him a bit but that had mostly been because he was more adventurous. So if he said ‘go to the beach’, Mo Fang was well-aware that he might finally find himself diving below the water surface or trying to surf or something like that. He hadn’t really been up to that.

Well, by now, he regretted it a bit. Maybe he should have said yes every time Yu Ting came up with that kind of idea. Even if he turned out to really not like it, at least they could have made a few more memories.

Qiao Ya couldn’t help but think about it. “But if he was working a lot and then out with his friends instead of you, then when did you even have time for your relationship? I mean, you also got engaged. It can’t be that you didn’t spend any time together.”

Mo Fang shook his head. “No, of course, we did. Don’t forget that his friends were just as busy as he was. So often enough, he’d have to schedule an outing with them well in advance. At that time, I’d just go and do my thing. Being apart every now and then isn’t that bad. It can even help. That way, you won’t just focus on your relationship.”

He shrugged and then thought more about her question. “As for what we did as a couple … well, your brother was …” He looked for the right word but still wasn’t sure how to describe it in the end. “He was able to take everything seriously. Even if he wasn’t originally interested in something, he’d take a look first, learn something about it, and then see if he had changed his mind.

“Our time together was often like that. We just … tried new things. And, well, there were also some classical dates. I won’t deny that.” He smiled with longing. Those dates wouldn’t happen any longer either.

Actually, they had only been a small part of their relationship but Yu Ting had also been the type of man who went all out. There was not a single one of those dates that hadn’t been surprising in some way, making him feel that he wouldn’t be able to forget them until the day he died. But then, maybe every day with Yu Ting had been like that, just to a different degree. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have agreed to marry the man.