Chapter 53: Has Their Emotional State Always Been This Unstable?

"It seems you really don't remember, but that's fine. We can get to know each other all over again."

Bo Xuyao smiled. "I don't mind that you've been married before, and I'm willing to wait for you to open your heart to a relationship again. Until you want to find someone to date, I'll just be an ordinary friend to you, and I won't cause you any trouble."

He slipped his hands into his coat pockets. "Let's go buy your medicine."

Since he was so open and at ease, for Tang Xi to say anything more would only seem pretentious.

Yet, where on earth had she met Bo Xuyao before? Why couldn't she remember him at all?

Why had he bought that painting of hers back then? Although it was an award-winning piece, she had only been a college student at the time. Her artwork held very little collection value.

"Xixi?"

She hadn't expected to run into an acquaintance the moment she stepped out of the residential complex.

Tang Xi had almost forgotten that she and Gu Yu had once bought a house in the newly built villa area across the street. It was just that Gu Yu never lived here.

"Who are you?" Seeing the man standing beside Tang Xi, Gu Yu immediately bristled with defensive hostility, a blazing jealousy burning in his eyes. "Get away from her."

Bo Xuyao gave an indifferent smile. "I'm Tang Xi's friend. Who are you?"

That counter-question left Gu Yu choked up for a long while.

Things had reached this point, and yet he suddenly found himself without a proper title to introduce himself to others.

Once upon a time, he had stood proudly and confidently by her side, declaring his ownership to the envious onlookers around them: "This is my wife."

She was beautiful, elegant, and immensely talented—she had always been his pride.

"Let's go." Tang Xi paid no attention to Gu Yu's unreasonable behavior.

"You're not going anywhere." Gu Yu reached out to block their path. The look he shot Bo Xuyao was like two poisonous arrows aimed right at him, carrying a bone-chilling frost. "No matter who you are, I advise you to put away those ulterior motives. Xixi would never take a fancy to someone like you."

"Mister, in what capacity are you saying these things to me?" Bo Xuyao the corners of his lips curved upward. "As her ex-husband?"

Gu Yu was startled; the person in front of him actually knew who he was.

"What kind of friends Miss Tang wants to make, and who she chooses to associate with, is her freedom. To say nothing of the fact that you're merely her discarded ex-husband—even if you were still her husband, you'd have no right to interfere with her freedom to socialize." Having said that, Bo Xuyao reached out with one hand and gently grasped Tang Xi's wrist. "Let's go. Don't mind the mad dog."

Tang Xi remained silent, turning to leave with Bo Xuyao.

Seeing the man's hand tightly gripping Tang Xi's wrist, Gu Yu's eyes instantly turned bloodshot.

Anger, resentment, and jealousy—inexplicable, tangled emotions surged up all at once, driving him to commit an impulsive act.

He charged forward and threw a punch straight at Bo Xuyao's face.

Unfortunately, Bo Xuyao caught his fist with a single hand, while simultaneously swinging his right arm and delivering a ferocious blow back to Gu Yu's face.

Gu Yu was knocked back several steps. When he finally caught his balance, he opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with foam, along with a dislodged tooth.

Tang Xi watched this scene in shock. Just as Bo Xuyao was about to step forward again, she hurriedly grabbed his arm. It wasn't worth getting physical over someone like Gu Yu.

Having had a tooth knocked out, Gu Yu naturally refused to back down, especially not in front of Tang Xi.

Like two aggressive lions, the two men soon began trading blows.

Half an hour later, a police officer looked at the two men standing before him, maintaining a solemn demeanor while a heart full of gossip burned within his chest.

Both of these men were quite handsome, and judging by their attire and bearing, their family backgrounds were clearly extraordinary. Yet, they had beaten each other up over a woman and ended up in the police station.

Still, it somehow seemed entirely reasonable—the girl was indeed breathtaking, with an exquisite temperament. If it were him, he probably would have gone to war for a beauty too.

No, no. He was a police officer; he must certainly uphold the law.

The officer straightened his expression. "Since both of you agree to a settlement, go ahead and sign."

At the entrance of the police station, seeing Tang Xi tending to Bo Xuyao's injuries, Gu Yu felt a wave of jealousy so intense it made his heart feel ready to explode.

He shouldn't have agreed to a settlement just now; he should have beaten that punk until he couldn't take care of himself.

Catching out of the corner of his eye that Gu Yu was storming over, Tang Xi turned her gaze toward him. "Mr. Gu, please show some self-respect."

That single "Mr. Gu" brought Gu Yu's steps to an abrupt halt.

He didn't want to hear Tang Xi speak to him in such a distant tone, and even less did he want her to look at him with that cold indifference, treating him like a complete stranger.

"Xixi, these men are only after your beauty. Don't fall for their tricks."

Tang Xi let out a cold laugh. "Then what were you after when you were with me?"

"I wasn't after anything. Everything about you is what I love—I wish I could lay the whole world at your feet."

"You didn't give me the world; you gave me an illegitimate child." Refusing to look at Gu Yu any longer, Tang Xi said, "Mr. Bo, let's go."

Tang Xi's words deeply wounded Gu Yu. He wanted to open his mouth and offer some explanation, but his voice was choked with an obvious sob and panic.

Watching those two figures recede into the distance, Gu Yu slapped himself hard across the face.

His already injured face began to throb even more painfully.

He hadn't been eating well or sleeping well lately. The home that used to make him rush back without stopping every single day had now turned into a cold, empty void.

He regretted it so deeply. Why on earth had he brought Gu Wennuan and her son back?

No, he couldn't just stand by and watch Tang Xi become someone else's.

She had loved him for five years; could that kind of love be dissolved by just a few words?

She must still love him; she was just caught in the heat of the moment and couldn't forgive him yet.

Yes. He would send Gu Wennuan and Xiaofeng away—send them somewhere out of sight, where they wouldn't annoy him. Then, he would slowly win her heart back.

He couldn't afford to lose her. He simply couldn't.

***

Tang Xi felt deeply apologetic for bringing unprovoked trouble upon Bo Xuyao.

"How are your injuries? Do you need to go to the hospital?"

"No need. Just a minor scrape; a band-aid will fix it," Bo Xuyao said with an unconcerned smile. "What about you? Were you frightened?"

Frightened? Well, a little bit, yes.

It was the first time she had ever seen two men fight right in front of her, and feeling powerless to pull them apart, she could only stand anxiously on the sidelines.

"Has your ex-husband always been so emotionally unstable? Leaving him was the right choice," Bo Xuyao said with a dismissive scoff.

Tang Xi found it slightly strange. "Why did you happen to know him?"

Although Gu Yu had achieved a degree of success, he still didn't rank very high in a massive metropolis like Kyoto.

"The moment he saw me, he was filled with hostility, looking like he wanted to fight a duel. Aside from your ex-husband, who else could it possibly be?"

Bo Xuyao's words made a certain amount of sense.

"It seems like he still hasn't let go of you, but in my humble opinion, he isn't worthy of you at all."

Tang Xi smiled slightly. "When you put on a piece of clothing, it might fit well at first. The garment itself doesn't change, but a person's body gains or loses weight, and eventually, you grow tired of the one you once liked the most."

"If you compare yourself to a piece of clothing, then you are the kind framed behind glass in a museum. Some people might not understand your true value, but there will always be someone who treasures you above all else."

Tang Xi looked at him in surprise, but Bo Xuyao had already stepped into the pharmacy.