DMPSA CH 10

Chapter 10: A Bitter Parting

Negotiations broke down.

Qin Yang stormed downstairs with a frosty expression, dragging his suitcase behind him. Su Qing followed silently, looking both anxious and angry but refraining from saying a word.

Yue Qi was typing away on his laptop. Earlier, when Su Qing had rushed upstairs in a panic, leaving Jiang Manling and him alone in the tea house, Yue Qi had considered leaving. However, he decided it might not be appropriate to leave Miss Jiang alone in the shop. So, he had taken a seat, resumed his original task, and worked on drafting a midterm exam for his students, with the cats keeping him company.

At the sound of footsteps on the stairs, Yue Qi and Jiang Manling both looked up. The tension between the two people descending the stairs was palpable.

Jiang Manling, who had been scrolling through her phone to pass the time, immediately stood up when she saw Qin Yang finally come down. “All packed? Then let’s go,” she said briskly, leaving no room for goodbyes or second thoughts.

“Xiao Yang.” Su Qing’s anger was evident, but the thought of the child truly leaving unsettled him deeply.

“I’m leaving now. I still have dance practice this afternoon,” Qin Yang replied stiffly, walking toward the door without so much as a glance back. However, as he passed Yue Qi, he let out a mocking snort, turned his head toward Su Qing, and sneered, “Ha, no connection? No relationship at all? Then he sure is loyal—waiting for you until…” He glanced at his shiny new watch. “…4:50 in the morning.”

“I wasn’t waiting alone. Miss Jiang and I were both here waiting for you,” Yue Qi replied calmly. “The shop hadn’t been locked up. If I left and left Miss Jiang alone here, whether or not her safety was at risk is one thing. But if something went missing from the shop, it would be hard for Miss Jiang to explain, and I would also bear some responsibility. So, I stayed to help you watch the store.”

“You—” Qin Yang pointed at Yue Qi, trying to curse him for his sophistry. However, Yue Qi’s explanation was sound, and Qin Yang couldn’t find any flaws to rebut.

“Nice watch,” Yue Qi said, nodding toward Qin Yang’s hand.

Caught off guard, Qin Yang quickly pulled his sleeve down to cover his wrist, hiding the watch from view.

The watch was a diamond-encrusted piece with a black metallic strap and a matching black dial studded with diamonds. Opinions on aesthetics differ, but Yue Qi tried to remain impartial. The watch itself wasn’t unattractive, but on the wrist of someone in their early twenties, it exuded more opulence than sophistication.

It was not a watch Qin Yang could carry off at his current stage in life, let alone afford.

Su Qing noticed it too, frowning as he looked at Qin Yang’s wrist. Not long ago, he had purchased a watch for Qin Yang as a Valentine’s Day gift. During his search, he had also come across this extravagant diamond-studded watch. Its exorbitant price had shocked him, and its ostentatious design had left a lasting impression.

No wonder Qin Yang had never worn the watch he had gifted him—he had clearly found a better option.

“Xiao Yang, where did you get that watch?” As Qin Yang’s longtime guardian, Su Qing had a habitual concern for him. He couldn’t ignore or avoid questioning the origins of such a lavish item.

But this was exactly the sort of interference Qin Yang despised. He didn’t want Su Qing to act like his father or his brother—he only wanted him to be his boyfriend. Over the past year, Qin Yang had grown painfully aware that Su Qing was merely humoring him. While he had granted Qin Yang the title of “boyfriend,” he had never offered him real love.

Now, Qin Yang felt a deep resentment toward him. If you don’t want me, there are plenty of others who do!

Faced with Su Qing’s question, Qin Yang remained silent. Jiang Manling answered on his behalf, “This ‘Night Radiance’ watch was a gift from one of our company’s sponsors. Is there a problem?”

“A gift from a sponsor? Does that mean every artist in your company received one?” Su Qing asked.

“Of course not,” Jiang Manling replied smugly. “Chairman Wang admires Yang Yang, sees his potential, and believes in him as a newcomer. He sent this as a personal gift to build a connection. Nobody else received one.”

“Xiao Yang, this gift is far too extravagant and inappropriate. Return it immediately,” Su Qing said. “As the saying goes, ‘No reward without merit.’ If you accept this watch, how will you repay this favor in the future?”

“What’s so inappropriate about it? I think it’s perfect,” Jiang Manling retorted. “Maybe this watch seems valuable to you, but to Chairman Wang, it’s just a trivial trinket. You really haven’t seen the world, have you?”

“I may be inexperienced, but I do know that some people use these so-called trivial trinkets to take what is most precious from others,” Su Qing said, his tone uncharacteristically stern. “Miss Jiang, as Qin Yang’s manager, he trusts you to handle his career. I hope you won’t betray that trust.”

“What are you talking about?” Jiang Manling feigned ignorance, her voice tinged with guilt. “I have no idea what you mean.”

“Whether you understand or not, it doesn’t matter,” Su Qing continued. “You should know better than me what is and isn’t appropriate. I hope you won’t treat someone else’s life like a game. Don’t use Qin Yang to gain benefits or treat him as your stepping stone.”

“As his manager, my job is to create the best opportunities for my artist,” Jiang Manling deflected. “Qin Yang will become a massive star, earning both fame and fortune. When he succeeds, my career will also flourish. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

Su Qing gave her a faint smile. “You know exactly what I mean.” The pointed sarcasm in his tone left Jiang Manling momentarily speechless.

“I don’t know what you’re implying. All I see is you giving Sister Ling a hard time,” Qin Yang interjected, siding with Jiang Manling. This act of disloyalty made Su Qing’s headache intensify.

“Xiao Yang, listen to me and return the watch. If, as Miss Jiang says, you one day become a massive star, you can have any watch you desire. There’s no need to accept this now,” Su Qing advised.

“I won’t. Chairman Wang is a good person. He’s been kind to me and believes in me. This watch is his way of encouraging me. If I were to rudely return it, wouldn’t that hurt his feelings? Besides, I really like this gift. Why should I give it back?” Qin Yang showed no appreciation for Su Qing’s concern.

The conversation was going nowhere, and they parted on bad terms.

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Qin Yang left with Jiang Manling, carrying his luggage. Su Qing slumped onto the sofa in the guest lounge, exhausted, covering his head without saying a word.

“Are you okay?” Yue Qi finally broke the silence. “Did you really let Qin Yang leave with that woman?”

“What else could I do?” Su Qing lifted his head and gave Yue Qi a bitter smile. “The child has grown up, spread his wings, and wants to fly. You can’t stop him.”

It was already past five o’clock. The faint light of dawn was creeping in outside the window. Su Qing glanced at it, then said in surprise, “Ah, the sky is already getting light. I’m sorry for keeping you here so late. You should hurry home.” He became concerned, asking anxiously, “You don’t have surgery today, do you? Operating on so little sleep would be dangerous. Even if you’re just seeing patients, you need to stay focused…” Su Qing’s rambling betrayed his worry for Yue Qi.

Yue Qi started packing up his laptop and shook his head to reassure him. “I’m on leave today. I’ll go home and sleep in a bit.” Su Qing visibly relaxed and nodded, reminding Yue Qi to be careful on his way home.

At the doorway of the tea house, Yue Qi hesitated, then turned back awkwardly. “About tonight…” he began, addressing Su Qing. “Did I cause your fight? Did Qin Yang misunderstand because he saw me helping you? If you need, I can explain it to him.”

“It’s not necessary,” Su Qing shook his head. “You can’t wake someone who pretends to be asleep, and you can’t clear up a misunderstanding that someone deliberately creates.” Su Qing’s bitter smile lingered as he added, “Xiao Yang knows very well it was a misunderstanding—he’s just using it as an excuse.”

“I still feel bad. If I hadn’t come tonight, maybe things wouldn’t have turned out so badly,” Yue Qi said sincerely. “Qin Yang really seems to care about you. Earlier, he even warned me to stay away. I think he’s afraid of losing you.”

Hearing Yue Qi’s words, Su Qing’s eyes widened in surprise. He hadn’t known that Qin Yang had been so rude as to try to chase Yue Qi away.

Su Qing quickly said, “I apologize on Qin Yang’s behalf. I didn’t know he…”

“There’s no need to apologize. I can more or less understand his fear,” Yue Qi reassured Su Qing. “You’re too exceptional, which is why he’s always so afraid of losing you to someone else.”

“Pfft, thank you for the consolation. Alright, you should head home and get some rest now,” Su Qing chuckled at Yue Qi’s overly earnest attempt to comfort him. “Oh, and don’t take that brat’s words to heart. You must come by the tea house often to support us. That rascal has already scared away so many of my customers. If this place goes under, he’ll have to answer to me!”

Su Qing deliberately framed Qin Yang’s behavior as a habit of randomly chasing away patrons, hoping to make Yue Qi feel less personally targeted and to take the blame for the strain in their relationship onto himself.

Yue Qi nodded, waved goodbye, and left.

Su Qing stood at the door, watching him leave.

Even as Yue Qi’s figure dwindled into a mere dot in the distance, Su Qing remained outside.

“You’re too exceptional.” Yue Qi’s words of comfort still echoed in his ears, and the faint smile on Su Qing’s face slowly faded away.

No, it’s you who is too exceptional. Exceptional enough to make even Qin Yang feel uneasy.

Uneasy that someone like me could be swayed because of you.

But how could I ever be swayed?

(To Be Continued…)

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