Chapter 128: Ch 128: Tears and Quiet Exits

Su Wanyan continued to weep, and Mo Xingxue wept with her, tears soaking steadily into the front of Su Wanyan’s shirt. The remaining guests watched the two of them for a long moment, then glanced at one another. A single shared look was enough.

Without speaking they quietly decided to step away and give the pair the space they clearly needed. The soft grass pressed under their feet as they began to turn.

They had only begun to move when a tearful, wronged voice stopped them.

"Wait!"

Lin Xuanyu’s cry cut through the clearing. Everyone paused and looked back. The omega had already moved to Gu Chengze’s side and was cradling the disoriented, bloodied alpha against his lap. The soft fabric of his clothes was already stained where it touched the other man’s injuries. Fresh tears spilled down his cheeks as he looked up at the group with wide, accusing eyes.

"Are you seriously just going to leave him lying here?!" Lin Xuanyu’s voice rose into a near-shriek. He cupped Gu Chengze’s face with both hands, the gesture carefully dramatic. "What are you all standing around for?! Help him! Take him to a hospital!"

The raw sadness in his tone might have moved strangers. However, it did not move the people present. Gu Chengze had already left a thoroughly sour impression, and Lin Xuanyu’s demands only sounded entitled rather than pitiful.

Zhao Yichen and Qin Yuran exchanged a look and sighed in near-perfect unison. Neither of them wanted to help the man; privately both believed he had earned every bruise.

Still, leaving an alpha bloodied and barely conscious on the forest floor was not something they could simply walk away from. The practical reality sat heavier than personal dislike.

"Move," Zhao Yichen ordered, all remaining respect stripped from his voice.

Qin Yuran stood beside him, her usual friendly demeanor completely gone as she regarded the fallen man with cool detachment.

Lin Xuanyu’s fury spiked at their flat reaction. Why are they acting like that? He thought, teeth clenched. Why are they so cold about the love of my life? In every scenario he had imagined, people would panic and rush to help. This indifferent obedience was never part of the script. The carefully constructed image of a fragile, wronged omega had failed to produce the expected response.

Still, he obeyed. He carefully lifted Gu Chengze’s head from his lap, stood, and stepped aside. Zhao Yichen and Qin Yuran took the injured alpha by the shoulders and hauled him upright without gentleness or commentary. Gu Chengze groaned in pain; neither of them reacted.

Supporting his weight between them, they started out of the forest, choosing for the moment to walk without any clear destination.

Song Meiyu and Han Jiho began ushering the remaining staff toward the exit. Most left without argument. The quiet authority in their movements made resistance unnecessary. Only the assistant director remained rooted in place, expression dark and full of open malice as he stared at Su Wanyan. The soft forest light did nothing to soften the resentment in his face.

Song Meiyu opened her mouth to call him, but a hand settled firmly on her shoulder. She turned and found Han Jiho smirking. The usual dry edge in his expression had sharpened into something colder and more purposeful.

"I got this," he murmured.

She glanced once more at the assistant director, then nodded. "Okay." Softly she led the others toward the edge of the trees. The soft grass pressed under their feet as the group began to thin.

Halfway there she remembered the last loose end and looked back. Lin Xuanyu was still kneeling where they had left him, crying as though his heart were breaking for CEO Gu. Song Meiyu exhaled a tired sigh. This was the second time today she had watched him dissolve into tears. The performance had already lost its power to move her.

"Let’s go, Teacher Lin."

Lin Xuanyu’s head snapped toward her. "Let’s go?" he repeated, disbelief thick in his voice. The question carried the weight of genuine outrage.

Song Meiyu tilted her head, mildly curious what new performance was forming. The soft breeze stirred the leaves above them as she waited.

She did not have to wait long.

"Let’s go and just leave the person who hurt CEO Gu?!" Lin Xuanyu’s voice cracked with outrage and a sense of profound injustice. The words rose sharp and accusing into the quiet forest air.

Song Meiyu met the outburst with calm eyes. "That wouldn’t have happened to him if he hadn’t said something that degraded someone’s worth."

The statement landed quietly and without apology. Lin Xuanyu’s dramatic momentum stalled. "What?" His eyes widened at the quiet, unapologetic statement. The carefully prepared script in his head had no response for simple, unsoftened truth.

Song Meiyu only shrugged. "It’s true."

She turned away without another word, clearly finished entertaining him. The soft golden light through the leaves caught the edges of her back as she continued toward the edge of the trees. Lin Xuanyu remained frozen in place, stunned.

Slowly his hands clenched until they shook. He fixed a bloodshot glare on the two women still holding each other in the clearing.

It’s their fault, he thought. They keep stealing the spotlight from me and CEO Gu. I’ll make the two of you pay.

Even after the silent vow, he chose to follow Song Meiyu and the others out of the forest, footsteps heavy with resentment he could not yet act upon.

Meanwhile Han Jiho stood once more in front of the assistant director, a lazy, cold smile fixed on his face.

"What are you glaring at them for?" he asked, every trace of earlier politeness gone. The question landed flat and direct, stripped of any softening.

The assistant director dragged his attention away from the two women and fixed the same furious expression on Han Jiho. "What do you want?" The words came out cold and clipped.

Han Jiho’s smile did not waver. "I want you to leave this place. Immediately."

The assistant director stared at him for several long seconds. The silence stretched, broken only by the quiet rustle of leaves overhead. Then he threw his head back and let out a manic laugh. The sound was sharp and theatrical, rising into the canopy without restraint. Han Jiho simply watched, the cold smile fading until nothing remained but pure, flat coldness.

"What’s so funny?" he asked, already finished with the performance.

The assistant director finally straightened, wiping a theatrical tear from the corner of his eye. "Haha.. that’s so funny." The pretentious expression never left his face. The soft grass pressed under his feet as he recovered his posture.

Han Jiho’s eyes darkened further, never leaving the man. After a moment the laughter died. The assistant director smirked and stepped closer, repeatedly tapping a finger against Han Jiho’s temple. The contact was deliberate and demeaning.

"When PD Xu Cui isn’t on set, I’m the boss," he said. "You’re just a guest. You don’t get to tell me what to do."

As he spoke he studied Han Jiho’s face more carefully. Up close the omega was undeniably beautiful—long lashes, clear skin, the refined features expected of a former K-pop idol. The soft light through the leaves caught the clean lines of his expression.

Too bad about the temper, the assistant director thought. If he didn’t have that attitude I might have made him one of my canaries. The assessment was sticky and possessive, the same casual ownership he applied to anyone he considered attainable.

Han Jiho felt the sticky, analytical gaze crawling over him and an involuntary chill ran down his spine. Disgusting.

He glanced down, quietly measuring the distance between his knee and the man’s crotch. The calculation was quick and precise. Once he was certain of the angle he shifted his weight, drew his knee back, and drove it upward with the full force of his body.

"Gah—!"

The assistant director’s cry was sharp and immediate. He folded forward, both hands clutching the injured area. The soft grass received him as his knees buckled. The carefully maintained authority of the "boss" collapsed under the sudden, precise force.

"Ha. How pleasing," Han Jiho remarked mildly, looking down at the man now kneeling and wailing in front of him. The soft golden light through the leaves caught the edges of his expression, but none of the earlier cold smile remained—only flat satisfaction.

The assistant director lifted his head, pure rage contorting his features. Snot ran freely from his nose. "What the fuck are you doing, you bastard?!"

Han Jiho’s expression twisted with open disgust. "Ew."

He offered no further explanation. Instead he seized the assistant director’s collar and began dragging the still-wailing man across the grass. The soft earth gave under the struggle; loose blades of grass scattered around them. The assistant director’s protests rose sharp and unbroken.

"What are you doing?! I’m your boss!" the man protested between gasps of pain. The words carried the last scraps of the authority he had claimed only moments before.

Han Jiho only gave a short, dismissive huff and kept walking. "I only have one boss, and that’s PD Xu Cui." A cold smirk curved his mouth. "I’m going to bring you to him so he can properly be my boss again."

He continued pulling the struggling man without a single ounce of mercy. The soft forest path stretched ahead of them, the dappled light shifting across the ground as they moved. The assistant director’s protests continued, but Han Jiho’s pace never slowed.

Just once, before they fully left the clearing, Han Jiho glanced back. His eyes rested on the two women still holding each other and crying. The soft golden light through the leaves caught the edges of their embrace, the quiet devastation that still needed no audience.

For a brief moment a genuine, softer smile touched his face. Then he turned away again, successfully leaving them the quiet and privacy they needed.

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I’M RUNNING OUT OF WORDS TO USEEE!!