The man reading realized that someone had entered. He looked up, took off his earphones, and bounced his knee slightly as he said in a low voice, “Get up.”
“I haven’t finished the game yet,” the man playing on his phone whined softly.
The next moment, his phone was confiscated. He muttered under his breath and had no choice but to turn over and stand up.
Gong Yingxian frowned. He vaguely sensed that the atmosphere between these two men was somewhat unusual.
This was Ren Yizhuo’s first time seeing Song Juhan up close, and he was immediately a little stunned.
Song Juhan’s mother was a Chinese-German mixed-race supermodel, so he had one-quarter Aryan ancestry. His irises and hair were extremely dark, while his skin was very fair. His features combined Western depth with Eastern mystery, making him extraordinarily handsome.
On top of that, he had a dreamy, languid voice and exceptional songwriting abilities, along with the background of being the heir to Song Media. He had become wildly popular throughout Asia as soon as he debuted.
Compared with such aggressively striking beauty, the man beside Song Juhan looked somewhat ordinary.
In fact, he too had well-proportioned, handsome features, a tall and slender build, and a steady, composed demeanor. It was just that everything from his hairstyle to his clothes was extremely serious and proper. The two of them should have been completely different, like strong liquor meeting aged tea, yet when blended together, they seemed capable of mellowing and harmonizing with each other.
As though they were simply meant to be this way.
Ren Yizhuo could guess who this man was. Last year, when Song Juhan announced that he was stepping away from the public eye, he had dominated the news for at least a month. It was said to be because of a man named “He Gu.” Although Song Media had repeatedly issued lawyer’s letters to refute the rumors, and Song Juhan himself had never publicly acknowledged it, even someone like Ren Yizhuo, who never paid attention to entertainment news, had heard about it. That showed just how widely the news had spread.
Seeing them today, it was indeed true—and Song Juhan didn’t seem to have any intention of hiding it either.
Although Ren Yizhuo really admired this guy and thought he was an absolutely incredible romantic, right now, he had no other thought besides regret. If he had known this would happen, he absolutely would not have brought Gong Yingxian in with him. What if Gong Yingxian noticed something? Would it bring back unpleasant memories for him…
Song Juhan gave Ren Yizhuo a professional smile. “Hello, Captain Ren, right? Sorry to trouble you.”
“Ah, it’s what we should do.” Ren Yizhuo came back to his senses. “Sorry, Teacher Song. Are we disturbing you?”
“Not at all. It’s still early.” Song Juhan’s eyes remained fixed on Gong Yingxian. He raised an eyebrow and openly looked him up and down. “And this is…?”
Gong Yingxian’s expression grew colder, and he looked somewhat impatient.
“He’s my colleague,” Ren Yizhuo said.
Song Juhan looked unconvinced. “Really?”
“Really.”
“Interested in becoming a celebrity?” Song Juhan called out, “Xiaosong, come here.”
A chubby, fair-skinned man hurried over. “Brother Han.”
“Have you ever seen a firefighter this handsome?” Song Juhan pointed at Gong Yingxian. “What a great gimmick.”
“Wow.” Xiaosong looked at Gong Yingxian, and his whole face seemed to light up. “Wow, he’s so handsome! Hello, hello. I’m Brother Han’s manager. Here’s my business card. Would you consider signing with our company?”
Gong Yingxian looked at the business card Xiaosong held out, without the slightest intention of reaching for it.
Ren Yizhuo quickly took the card for him. “Haha, thank you. He’ll give it some serious consideration.”
Song Juhan stretched lazily. “Captain Ren, you want an autograph, right?”
Gong Yingxian’s expression became increasingly displeased, especially when all of Ren Yizhuo’s attention was focused on Song Juhan.
“Oh, right.” Ren Yizhuo took an autograph board out of his coat. “My little sister is taking her high school entrance exam next year. Could I trouble you to write her a few words of encouragement?”
“No problem. What’s her name?” Song Juhan took the autograph board.
“Feilan. ‘Fei’ as in flying, and ‘Lan’ as in waves.”
“Fei… Lan…” Song Juhan wrote a flamboyant “Fei” before suddenly stopping. He frowned and asked He Gu, “Baby, how do you write ‘Lan’ again? I’ve forgotten how to write the character.”
That one word—“Baby”—left both of them stunned.
Ren Yizhuo thought to himself, Damn, are celebrities really this open?
Gong Yingxian, meanwhile, wore a strange expression, and there was a hint of scrutiny in the way he looked at the two of them.
He Gu cleared his throat. “Three dots of water on the left, and on the right there’s a ‘door,’ with a…”
“You write it.” Song Juhan handed the pen to He Gu.
“They asked you for your autograph.”
Song Juhan smiled slightly at Ren Yizhuo. “The two of us don’t distinguish between each other. Whoever writes it is the same. Just tell your sister she has a globally one-of-a-kind autograph.”
He Gu sighed helplessly, took Song Juhan’s hand, and wrote a neat and dignified “Lan” before returning the hand to him.
The smile never left Song Juhan’s face—it was only an autograph, after all.
Gong Yingxian watched the harmonious and intimate atmosphere between the two of them, as though they were completely oblivious to anyone else. He couldn’t quite describe what he was feeling. The two people standing before him were clearly strangers, yet somehow, through them, he seemed to see himself and Ren Yizhuo.
He even felt a little jealous because the two of them possessed a sweetness that he and Ren Yizhuo could never compare with.
After it was finished, Ren Yizhuo took the board and looked at it:
Feilan, little friend, wishing you success in your studies and that you get into the high school of your dreams—Song Juhan.
Ren Yizhuo happily said, “Teacher Song, thank you.”
Gong Yingxian rolled his eyes.
“You’re welcome.” Song Juhan turned toward He Gu and blew him a kiss. “Your handwriting is so beautiful.”
He Gu awkwardly turned his face slightly away.
“Then we won’t disturb you anymore.” Ren Yizhuo hurriedly led Gong Yingxian out.
As soon as they stepped outside, Ren Yizhuo quickly took a photo and sent it to Gong Feilan.
“Haha, Feilan is definitely going to be thrilled.”
Gong Yingxian lowered his head and said nothing.
“Song Juhan’s a pretty nice guy. He doesn’t have much of an attitude either.”
Gong Yingxian said disdainfully, “You can’t tell how arrogant he is?”
That made Ren Yizhuo almost laugh out loud. When it came to arrogance, at least Song Juhan didn’t skimp on superficial politeness and courtesy. Gong Yingxian couldn’t even be bothered to pretend.
“What are you laughing at?” Gong Yingxian continued. “Who was the man beside him?”
Ren Yizhuo immediately became nervous and answered evasively, “A colleague, I guess.”
Gong Yingxian deeply furrowed his brows. After a long while, he finally asked, “Are they gay?”
Ren Yizhuo desperately wanted to brush the matter aside, but he had still been found out. Well, it was so obvious that only a blind person couldn’t tell.
He swallowed, thinking that there was no way he could fool Gong Yingxian about it anymore. He might as well use this opportunity to test Gong Yingxian’s attitude.
So he deliberately spoke casually. “Yeah. They make a pretty good match, don’t they?”
Gong Yingxian fell silent.
Ren Yizhuo stole a glance at him. “It’s pretty common in the entertainment industry… right? There are a lot of them in America too, aren’t there? Actually, there are quite a lot in China now as well. Society is more open nowadays.”
“I think it’s disgusting.”
Gong Yingxian suddenly spoke coldly.
His emotions were extremely complicated right now. He had never cared about other people’s business, but for some reason, he simply disliked those two men. He disliked the way Ren Yizhuo had stared blankly at Song Juhan’s face. He disliked the intimacy the two of them displayed in front of him and Ren Yizhuo—the kind of intimacy that he and Ren Yizhuo didn’t have.
Ren Yizhuo froze, and the expression on his face disappeared instantly.
“When I was studying in America, I was harassed by those kinds of perverts.” Gong Yingxian deliberately brought up memories that genuinely disgusted him. Even now, they could still make his skin crawl. “More than one person. More than once. There was even one who followed me and planned to kidnap me.”
Ren Yizhuo felt wave after wave of pain shoot through his heart, and all the color drained from his face.
He said hoarsely, “I think… I heard Captain Qiu… mention it.”
Disgusting. Pervert.
Those two words repeatedly echoed in Ren Yizhuo’s ears, as though someone were pointing at his nose and humiliating him, making his face burn.
He had always avoided thinking about Gong Yingxian’s views on this kind of sexual orientation because he was afraid.
No matter how open society became, there would always be people who remained narrow-minded and fixated on their own views. What was more, Gong Yingxian’s experiences made his disgust understandable.
But Ren Yizhuo was still terribly, terribly hurt.
He felt that every word Gong Yingxian had just spoken was like a resounding slap across his face, brutally waking him up.
He had been completely unable to pull himself out of the ambiguity between him and Gong Yingxian, giving special meaning to every movement, every word, every expression, and every smile between them.
In the end, it had all been wishful thinking on his part.
It was terrifying. It was as though he had been drugged, becoming bolder and bolder in imagining a future with Gong Yingxian.
But could he really be blamed for everything?
The things Gong Yingxian had said to him and done for him had, in Ren Yizhuo’s eyes, already gone far beyond the definition of friendship.
Was it because Gong Yingxian had never had friends before, so he had blurred the definition?
Or had Ren Yizhuo blurred the definition because of his own sexual orientation?
Ren Yizhuo’s mind was a complete mess. His body felt as though it had fallen into an icy cavern, freezing every pore in his body.
“What’s wrong with you?” Gong Yingxian noticed something was wrong with Ren Yizhuo. “Why do you look so pale?”
“N-No, I’m fine.”
Gong Yingxian reached out and touched Ren Yizhuo’s forehead.
“No fever. Are you too cold? You’re trembling.”
“I’m okay. I’m wearing plenty of clothes.” Ren Yizhuo forced a smile.
Looking at the concerned expression on Gong Yingxian’s face, his heart ached bitterly.
If Gong Yingxian would never respond to his feelings, if he would only ever regard him as a friend for the rest of their lives, would Ren Yizhuo be able to stop liking him?
No.
If that was the case, then whether Gong Yingxian hated gay people seemed… not so important after all.
As long as I don’t tell him.
As long as I don’t tell him.
As long as I don’t tell him.
Gong Yingxian took off his gloves and covered Ren Yizhuo’s cold face with his warm palms. He couldn’t help but feel distressed.
“I’m sure you’re too cold. There’s a convenience store outside the venue. I’ll go buy you some heat patches and a hot drink.”
Ren Yizhuo stared blankly at Gong Yingxian, the tip of his nose turning slightly sour.
Why the hell do you have to be so good to me?
“You wait here.”
Gong Yingxian left those words behind and hurried toward the exit of the venue.
Ren Yizhuo leaned against the wall outside the lounge, looking down the long, curved corridor. Gong Yingxian’s back quickly disappeared around the corner.
Leaving behind only loneliness.
His heart felt empty.
After waiting for a long time, footsteps sounded from the corridor. Ren Yizhuo thought Gong Yingxian had returned and prepared himself to put on a strong front and pretend that nothing had happened.
But when the person turned the corner, Ren Yizhuo’s expression changed to one of surprise.
Why was Qi Xiao here?!
When Qi Xiao saw Ren Yizhuo, he happily said, “Bro, I’ve been looking for you forever.”
“Why are you here?”
“I came to the concert. Then I saw the fire trucks, and I figured this was your jurisdiction, so maybe you’d be here. I went over to the fire trucks and asked, and one of your squad leaders—the big brother Liu Hui, whom I met last time—brought me in.”
Ren Yizhuo’s mind was still somewhat muddled.
“Oh, what a coincidence. The concert’s been going on for quite a while. Why did you only get here now?”
“I overslept.” Qi Xiao smiled. “And I only wanted to listen to Song Juhan anyway. I didn’t pay for the ticket. I’m currently negotiating a management contract with Song Media, and they gave me the ticket.”
“Congratulations.” Ren Yizhuo forced a smile.
“Bro, what’s wrong with you? You don’t look so good.”
Qi Xiao walked over, cupped Ren Yizhuo’s face in his hands, and looked at him with concern.
Ren Yizhuo subtly turned his face away, but he was leaning against the wall with nowhere to retreat, so he could only straighten up.
“I’m fine. I’m just a little cold.”
“I thought your skin felt really cold too. Let me warm it up for you.”
Qi Xiao smiled and covered Ren Yizhuo’s face with his hands.
“No need, Qi Xiao. I still have to go on duty.” Ren Yizhuo pulled Qi Xiao’s hands down. “And it’ll be Song Juhan soon. Go back and listen.”
Qi Xiao’s expression changed slightly.
“Why do you keep avoiding me?”
Ren Yizhuo froze for a moment and said, somewhat lacking in confidence, “I don’t.”
“Do you think I’m fucking stupid?” Qi Xiao said angrily. “If you hate me, all you have to do is say so.”
“Qi Xiao, I don’t hate you. I just…”
Qi Xiao suddenly hooked an arm around Ren Yizhuo’s neck, threw himself into his arms, and forcefully kissed him on the lips.
Ren Yizhuo was caught completely off guard. He pulled Qi Xiao away from him.
“Qi Xiao, listen to me!”
“Bro, I want you to fuck me.”
Qi Xiao brought his lips toward him again.
A heavy object hit the floor nearby with a loud thud.
Ren Yizhuo jolted in shock and turned his head.
Gong Yingxian had appeared nearby at some point, his face as cold and vicious as if it had been sealed in ice.
The hot tea in his hand had spilled all over the floor.