“Uh, I… am.” Xu Lan glanced at Bai Wu; Bai Wu’s red eyes returned his glance uncomfortably.

“Alright, I shall make a move. See you around, Lawyer Song.”

Xu Lan held Bai Wu’s hands and fled from the mall without waiting for Song Xi’s reply. Song Xi frowned prettily as she watched Xu Lan escaped. She became convinced that she made the right choice by not opting for Xu Lan. Song Xi shook her head and held onto Zhao Ran’s arm. She walked into the shop with a beautiful smile on her face.

Meanwhile, Xu Lan and Bai Wu were making their way out hurriedly. There were a few times where Bai Wu almost fell as he could not catch up with Xu Lan’s quick pace.

“Papa!” Bai Wu shouted and shook off Xu Lan’s hand.

“Hmm?” Only then did Xu Lan turn his head to look at Bai Wu; the shopping bags were scattered on the ground and Bai Wu’s pale hands were red from Xu Lan’s strong grip.

“Papa, do you still like her!”

It was not a question; he spoke with conviction. Bai Wu was angry. Xu Lan promised to like him and him alone!

Why did things change when Song Xi came into the picture? Back when he first woke up, he noticed that everything in the room was related to Song Xi.

Bai Wu threw everything into the bin — the calendar with Song Xi’s birthday circled on, Song Xi’s pictures and law books, and the cut-outs of bags that Xu Lan was going to get for Song Xi.

“No, I…” Xu Lan found himself at a loss for words when he was trying to defend himself.

He could not deny what was true, that he yearned to be with Song Xi. Otherwise, he would not have felt so pathetic around Zhao Ran.

“Papa! You promised to like Bai Wu and Bai Wu only!” Bai Wu’s fixated his gaze on Xu Lan and tears welled up in his eyes.

“Uh, they are two different kinds of feelings,” Xu Lan said hurriedly. His heart sank after looking at Bai Wu.

“I don’t care! Papa, you can only like me! I want you to like me! Papa, you made a promise!” Bai Wu shouted and attracted unwanted attention from passers-by, some whispered and some even took out their phones to record.

Xu Lan was covered in cold sweat. He was cold and his clenched fist shivered slightly.

“Bai Wu, not here. Can we talk about this when we’re home? Let’s head back,” Xu Lan said with his scratchy throat and cracked voice.

“I don’t want! Papa, you’re breaking your promise! Papa is a big liar!” Bai Wu’s face was red and he screamed sadly at Xu Lan.

More and more people gathered around and the whispers grew louder. Xu Lan felt his stomach churn and his ears rang. All he could hear was the sinister voices of criticism.

“Bai Wu! We’re going home now!” Xu Lan fought against the pain and dragged Bai Wu toward the exit. He was determined to escape!

“Papa is a big liar! You don’t even like me anymore!” Bai Wu shouted as he tried to break free from Xu Lan’s painful grip. The voices grew louder and Xu Lan felt as though his head was going to explode.

“Bai Wu! Be obedient, won’t you?” Xu Lan’s entire body was twitching and his stomach churned, sending waves of gastric acid upwards.

“No!” After freeing his hand from Xu Lan’s grip, Bai Wu escaped into the crowd with tears streaming down his face.

Xu Lan curled up painfully on the ground. He watched as Bai Wu ran further and further away from him. The voices around him finally quietened down and eventually, they disappeared completely.

Xu Lan looked up at the white ceiling, his nose was assaulted by the scent of disinfectant. He rolled his eyeballs and noticed that Wang Hao was peeling an apple. He was in a quiet ward.

“Cough, cough…”

“Sergeant Xu! You’re finally awake!” Wang Hao walked over after putting the apple down.

“Where is Bai Wu?”