A Mask In The Second Life

Jiang Yanxu suddenly burst into tears. He didn't know it until he saw his reflection in the glass shedding tears while smiling. He realized that the tear was not grief from the burden he'd carried, but a tear of happiness because someone with a grave sin like him could still be given another chance at life, even if it meant working hard for his life and love again.

So, that was why he could shed tears in quiet reflection.

He wailed, somewhere between sorrow and gratitude.

Unexpectedly, time rolled back to the past. Jiang Yanxu had hated Yan An, who cried in front of him. He despised how many tears fell on the ground, doubling his disgust. He wouldn't hesitate to punish Yan An, and he couldn't even visualize how cruel that punishment would be.

Jiang Yanxu silently thought that Yan An should have run away from him back then, yet why didn't he? How could he let his love fool him like that?

But now, Jiang Yanxu faced himself, in tears, a crybaby. Should he hate himself?

The smile on his face turned into mockery. There was no need to ask such a stupid thing. Surely, he had hated himself long before and didn't mind being fooled by love, just as he had thought of Yan An.

All the disrespect, ridicule, and curses he had once hurled at Yan An now backfired on him. He could feel how painful those words were, and he knew Yan An felt even more pain than he did now. He understood Yan An's feelings. He understood why he had become a crybaby.

Betrayal ... tormenting ....

Who wouldn't grumble because of them?

He didn't want to bring up anything until the tears in his eyes dried up.

Suddenly, the cell phone on the bedside table rang loudly. He picked it up and saw a familiar ID. Jiang Yanxu immediately answered in a hoarse voice, "What's going on?"

"Mr. Jiang, you have to come to the main deck. Mr. Ye is crying here," Assistant Song said anxiously.

Jiang Yanxu fell silent for a moment before asking, "What's wrong?"

"I found him running to the main deck, so I followed to make sure he was fine, but ...."

Jiang Yanxu didn't respond and hung up.

He looked at the phone in his hand, then took a puff of the cigarette on his finger. The room filled with the smell of tobacco. He rubbed the tip of his cigarette on the table, then stood up.

He had been given one chance, and there probably wouldn't be another. He had to do his best in this life, starting with adjusting himself.

---

Song Yuhang was squatting beside a chair, where Ye Xinren was crying, holding a tissue box.

He had just woken up and seen Ye Xinren running out of his room with bloodshot eyes. He followed, worried, and found him crying.

"Mr. Ye, it's okay, don't cry anymore."

Song Yuhang, an assistant at Jiang-shi Company, couldn't do much but keep repeating the same words. He didn't know how to comfort someone heartbroken, so he said the words he thought he needed to say.

Ye Xinren babbled, "Yanxu doesn't love me anymore. I want to go back home! Take me home now! I don't want to be here! Yanxu doesn't love me anymore! He hurt me!"

For years, Jiang Yanxu had loved Ye Xinren deeply. He spent most of his time with Ye Xinren even during his first marriage to Yan An. So, when the thought popped into Song Yuhang's head, he doubted it.

A tall figure approached them. As he got closer, Song Yuhang recognized the man. Jiang Yanxu.

The man's presence made Song Yuhang stand up in relief, "Mr. Jiang, you're finally here ...."

Seeing Jiang Yanxu, Ye Xinren immediately turned away as if he didn't want to see him.

Jiang Yanxu stood near Ye Xinren, but his concern wasn't for Ye Xinren. He had been forced to wear a mask on his face to live this new life. How ironic!

"Xinren, come on, go back to the bedroom," Jiang Yanxu said, reaching out to Ye Xinren.

Jiang Yanxu forgot how to persuade someone. However, not wanting to lose his role, he tried to act casually, remembering how he used to persuade Ye Xinren.

Ye Xinren didn't respond, but his refusal was clear.

Jiang Yanxu tried again, "Come on, get up. Let's go back to the bedroom if you need to talk about something."

Ye Xinren stubbornly refused to talk to Jiang Yanxu until he confessed his guilt.

Song Yuhang, bewildered, tried to help, "Mr. Ye, Mr. Jiang looks guilty now, you should talk with him in a more private place."

Jiang Yanxu reflexively shot him a glare, making Song Yuhang flinch. He lowered his gaze, apologizing silently for interfering.

Ye Xinren stood up to leave, but Jiang Yanxu quickly grabbed his waist, kissing him deeply.

Ye Xinren was startled by the act but soon felt calm, the fire in his heart quenched by the coolness of the kiss.