Drunk In Love (Years of Intoxication) - Chap 9
Passing through the corridor, Song Juhan took one look at the chaotic entrance and rolled his eyes. He leaned against the wall to breathe deeply, cursing under his breath.
He Gu took off his coat and put it over his head. “I won’t let them come near you. Just keep your head down and follow me.”
“I was just drinking. I’m not a thief.” Song Juhan wanted to pull the coat down.
“Getting photographed with your current image is not good.” He Gu grabbed the lapels of the coat to prevent Song Juhan from pulling it down. His calm eyes looked at Song Juhan unblinkingly. “Be obedient. Once I take you out and get you in the car, it will be fine.”
The image Song Juhan had created to the outside was that of a mixed-race gentleman with a bit of an evil charm, and he had always presented himself in a princely manner. Although this kind of drunken mess look was a bit charming, Song Juhan’s father hated unexpected situations the most. One careless mistake and Xiao Song could lose his job.
Aside from music, which he loved deeply, Song Juhan didn’t care much about anything in his life. So even though he was such a willful person, in order to protect his voice, he would be very disciplined. He’d only drink a glass or two of red wine at most. He’d rarely drink a lot, and he wasn’t a good drinker either. If he were sober, he’d be able to cope with this small scene by himself, but now, He Gu had to protect him well.
Song Juhan looked into He Gu’s dark, inky eyes that had the kind of steadiness only mature men could have. His restless heart gradually calmed down, and he nodded his head gently.
He Gu shielded Song Juhan’s face with his coat, held Song Juhan’s hand in his warm hand, and wrapped his other arm around his shoulder. Then with Xiao Song and the staff escorting them, they walked out of the entrance.
Ear-splitting screams exploded around them.
He Gu frowned deeply, feeling like his eardrums were being pierced. He had seen the madness of these little girls many times, for he had been to many of Song Juhan’s concerts. However, this was the first time that the seemingly tangible frenzy was coming towards his direction. He felt his body being pushed, shoved, and pulled, and he had the illusion that he would be eaten alive by these normally weak and delicate girls.
“Song Juhan, Song Juhan! I love you! Aaaah!”
Suddenly, a black object came crashing down. By the time He Gu realized that it was equipment, it was too late for him to dodge. He grunted, only to feel a pain at the corner of his eyebrow, the vision in his right eye turning red and blurry.
“He Gu-ge?!” Xiao Song exclaimed.
Song Juhan, who had been walking silently with his head down, paused, and in the next second, he tried to take down the coat. He Gu firmly held down Song Juhan’s head with his arm, and the hand that he held Song Juhan with also suddenly tightened. Both their palms were covered with sweat. “It’s okay, and we’re almost to the car.”
Song Juhan was angry. “He Gu, what happened to you?!”
“It’s nothing.” He Gu’s voice was deep and steady. In this exceptionally noisy place filled with screaming fans and grunting bodyguards, it flowed into Song Juhan’s heart like a stream of clear water.
Xiao Song pulled open the door of the nanny van[mfn]保姆车 – It’s a van that has lots of space inside and can be used as a temporary changing room or lounge. It’s called a nanny van because it can provide celebrities with almost anything, just like a nanny.[/mfn]. He Gu stuffed Song Juhan into it and got in himself.
As soon as the doors closed, those maddening sounds were immediately isolated, and the taut heartstrings of the three were finally loosened.
Song Juhan yanked off the coat. Seeing the corner of He Gu’s eyebrow broken, his face immediately changed. “Fuck, which idiot did this!”
When He Gu took out some tissues to wipe it, Song Juhan snatched them and carefully wiped off the blood below the wound. “Open your eyes. The blood is getting in.”
It was too painful for He Gu to open, and his eyelashes quivered all the time. Song Juhan used his fingers to open his eyelids, then gently used the tissue to absorb the blood out of his eyes. Only then did He Gu feel his right eye regaining its vision.
Xiao Song started to car and was about to drive when Song Juhan said coldly, “Don’t drive yet.”
Before He Gu and Xiao Song could react, Song Juhan had opened the car door. He Gu was too late to stop him. The crazy wave outside came over them again, giving people a splitting headache.
Song Juhan’s eyes roamed past the crazy fans, and in such a chaotic scene, he was as calm as a bystander. Finally, his eyes locked on a reporter carrying a camera. He grabbed his bodyguard and said, “Bring that man here.”
The bodyguard hurriedly passed through the fans.
Song Juhan combed his curly hair with his slender fingers, took a deep breath, and smiled charmingly at his fans. “Not going home to bed at this late hour. What would a group of girls do when they get wrinkles early?”
That gentle and considerate look, the very image built by the countless capitals of Song Juhan, the talented singer-songwriter, was not one He Gu was familiar with.
Fans let out screams that could clash with the sky.
“I had a few drinks with my heartbroken friend today, so I’m a little drunk. If you guys took pictures of me, just keep them private. Don’t make them public, okay?”
His voice was soft and husky, with a bit of a lover’s coquetry that could simply intoxicate one’s ears.
Those fans looked like they were about to faint. They readily agreed over and over again. They were so excited, they couldn’t help themselves.
At this time, the bodyguard had pulled the reporter over. Song Juhan grabbed his equipment and took a look at it. The bloodstains on it stung his heart, but he restrained the urge to hit someone. Grabbing the reporter by the collar, he dragged him to the door of the car. Song Juhan was so tall, nearly 1.9 meters, and dragging that reporter was like dragging a little chicken. He pointed to He Gu and said with no room for excuses, “You hurt him. Apologize.”
He Gu was covering his bleeding eyebrow with a tissue, and the tissue had turned red from the blood. The reporter was so frightened that he immediately bowed his head and apologized. But He Gu’s eyes didn’t even look at him. He just kept telling Song Juhan to quickly get into the car.
Song Juhan said goodbye to his fans, then got into the car and slammed the door. Xiao Song was afraid that he might cause trouble again, so he drove away quickly.
Song Juhan leaned back into the chair and stared at He Gu. “Does it hurt?”
He Gu smiled. “It doesn’t hurt.”
He thought of how Song Juhan dragged the reporter to apologize to him just now, and his heart warmed like the summer sun. Don’t even mention a little scratch. Right now, even if he lay in the hospital, he would be happy.
Over the years, he rarely felt that Song Juhan cared about him, even if this person had said something that stabbed his heart only five minutes ago.
Liking someone was probably like this. One word could send you to heaven, and one word could send you to hell.
“Damn, if there weren’t so many people, see how I would have dealt with him.”
He Gu couldn’t hide the smile on his face.
“What are you smiling at?”
He Gu wasn’t a person who loved to smile. In fact, he rarely had any expression on his face. In Song Juhan’s impression, it seemed to have been a long time ago that He Gu smiled like this. He gotta say… it was quite worth a second look.
“You were so handsome just now.” He Gu’s eyes fell on Song Juhan’s face and refused to move away. The tipsy Song Juhan, with dazzling curls hooked up in a rather amorous way, slightly red eyes, and a languid, laid-back, and somewhat decadent air, was so beautiful, he could take people’s breath away.
Song Juhan sneered and asked in reply, “When have I ever been not handsome?”
He Gu squeezed his hand. “Juhan, thank you.”
Song Juhan pushed aside his short bangs and looked at his wound that was beginning to clot. He said softly, “If I can’t even protect my own people, how can I be considered a man?”
“It’s just a scratch. You really scared me just now.” If Song Juhan had gone crazy after getting out of the car, who knew how the night would have ended. Then thinking of how Song Juhan’s face was still photographed, He Gu said worriedly, “But your pictures…”
Song Juhan said without a care, “That reporter wouldn’t think of sending out those pictures, and fan shots are not that big of a problem. It’s just ugly, not that big of a deal.”
Xiao Song wailed, “Han-ge, don’t take it lightly. Chief Song is definitely gonna wanna talk to you.”
“It’s just talking. It’s not like he could eat me.” Song Juhan yawned, not concerned at all. “Don’t go to the apartment. Send us back to the villa in Fragrant Hills[1].”
“Okay.”
Xiao Song sent them to the villa and treated He Gu’s wound with the first-aid kit. The wound wasn’t deep, and it had stopped bleeding. It was only at the edge of the eyebrow, so even if it left a scar, it wouldn’t be noticeable.
Song Juhan was so sleepy when he got home. After seeing He Gu was okay, he went upstairs to sleep.
He Gu took a bath, then also went upstairs.
He pushed open the bedroom door and saw Song Juhan lying on the bed without changing out of his clothes, already asleep. He went to the bathroom to get a wet towel, then gently wiped Song Juhan’s face and hands before undressing him.
Halfway through taking off his clothes, Song Juhan woke up and squinted blankly at He Gu. His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down, but he didn’t say anything. He just closed his eyes and fell asleep again.
He Gu couldn’t help but smile. He tucked Song Juhan into the quilt and also got in himself.
As soon as he entered, Song Juhan instinctively moved closer to his warm body and hugged him.
He Gu put his arm around Song Juhan’s waist and quietly watched his sleeping face. For him, this moment was really worth a thousand pounds of gold. He just watched and watched him, not wanting to close his eyes, until he could no longer resist the sleepiness, falling into dreams.
He Gu was used to getting up early all year round. Unless there was an emergency, he had never been late to school or work ever since he was a child.
Meanwhile, Song Juhan was still asleep. A bit of his shoulder was exposed in the tightly wrapped quilt, and his curly hair was in a mess all over his face and his shoulders. His red and moist lips were slightly opened, showing a kind of unworldly innocence.
He Gu lowered his head and gently kissed Song Juhan’s ear. Being able to wantonly kiss, touch, and even go to bed with him, He Gu felt he was better off than most people in the world who were in unrequited love.
The villa in Fragrant Hills was too far from the city. Song Juhan didn’t come often, but someone would come at regular times to clean and fill the refrigerator with fresh ingredients. He Gu had been here a few times. In fact, he’d been to several of Song Juhan’s residences in the capital. He had also met Song Juhan’s parents and had dinner twice with that incredibly beautiful and hot supermodel mother. He was kind of special, by the way. Probably because he’d been with Song Juhan for so long.
After cooking, he took out his phone. At this time, he should’ve been checking his company email, but instead, he looked up the entertainment news to see if yesterday’s events had any impact. There was indeed some news, but fortunately, it was nothing official. It was nothing more than some blurry photos taken by fans that didn’t stir up much water.
Only then did he put his mind at ease and started working on the phone.
It wasn’t until almost ten o’clock that some noise came from upstairs, and Song Juhan called out, “He Gu.”
Responding to his call, He Gu went upstairs.
Song Juhan had just taken a shower and had only pajamas on. He was putting on a shirt, and his bare upper body had the most robust and beautiful muscles. Song Juhan had the kind of figure that looked thin in clothes but was actually muscular without. Such a figure looked good on camera, and in reality, it was even more picturesque.
Song Juhan grabbed his shoulder and poked the gauze wrapped over his eyebrow. “How is it?”
“It’s okay, it doesn’t hurt anymore.” If Song Juhan hadn’t mentioned it, He Gu would’ve forgotten.
“This can be regarded as a workplace injury. What kind of compensation do you want?”
He Gu put his arms around his waist and said with a smile, “Just giving me a kiss is fine.”
Song Juhan lowered his head and gave him a kiss. “This is a rare opportunity, so I’ll ask you one last time. What kind of compensation do you want?”
He Gu didn’t think he was being serious. Naturally, he wouldn’t miss such an opportunity, so he said without hesitation, “Spend my birthday with me?”
He never really cared for birthdays, and he hadn’t had one since his mom left, but he needed to name something.
“Okay, when?”
“Any day next month.” He knew Song Juhan was very busy, and he couldn’t possibly pay thousands and millions of breach of contract fees just to shift his schedule and spend his birthday with him.
Song Juhan smiled and kissed the side of his cheek. “That’s what I like about you. Sensible.”
He Gu smiled dryly. The word “sensible” was usually used for an elder to a junior, a boss to his subordinates, a man to a woman, and of course, in his case, a gold master to a bedmate. This word made him feel uncomfortable, but he didn’t show anything. He just pat Song Juhan on the face and said, “Let’s go down and eat.”
He Gu’s cooking was not bad. He only cooked some home-made dishes, and although they looked quite ordinary, they tasted very good. Song Juhan ate two bowls of congee, and his nausea from last night’s stomachful of wine and late night snacks dissipated a lot.
After eating, He Gu gave him two pills to relieve the effects of the alcohol. “Why did you suddenly drink yesterday?”
Song Juhan gulped down the medicine with the water, then sighed in relief. “I’ve changed the new song more than ten times, so when I was finally satisfied with it, I was in a good mood.”
“Congratulations. May I hear it?”
“Ask Xiao Song for it.” An unbidden smile came on Song Juhan’s face. The pure joy coming from his heart made him look childish, but he was still very good-looking.
Only music could make Song Juhan smile like this.
He Gu also smiled. The greatest benefit in liking someone were the little gains when getting along with each other. What may be ordinary words, actions, and behaviors to Song Juhan could have countless meanings and value in He Gu’s eyes. A smile from Song Juhan could instantly light up his life, and a word from him could have mulling over it many times until it was broken down and chewed up as he tried to find any ambiguous meanings in it. Whether he succeeded or not, it was enough to make him feel for a while that his life was so full and beautiful.
Aside from the pain, those days and nights he felt happy or sad from thinking of Song Juhan were also accompanied by his sweet self-torment.
He often told himself that the most painful thing was not in asking, but in having nothing to ask for.
How lucky he was to at least like someone. For a person like him who lacked interest in anything, liking someone made him feel like he hadn’t walked the earth in vain.
He liked Song Juhan, but these six years had worn out any expectation he had on Song Juhan liking him too. He no longer speculated, fantasized, nor craved. He simply enjoyed the little happiness that the very act of liking Song Juhan brought him. That was enough.
In the past six years, He Gu had suspected many times that Song Juhan knew that he liked him. Song Juhan was very smart and had a high IQ and EQ. Having been exposed to the dazzling and chaotic circle ever since he was a child, the unimaginable and unthinkable people he’d seen were a hundred times more than that of an average person. Very few things could be hidden from his eyes.
However, He Gu also thought that he had hidden it quite well. So many benefits could be gained by accompanying Song Juhan that he feared that, from a very young age, Song Juhan had stopped believing in people who didn’t want those benefits.
Or maybe Song Juhan did know about it, but he just didn’t know how He Gu’s like was any different from the like of the other men and women who had come and gone. After all, everybody liked Song Juhan. Even if it was special, it probably won’t mean anything to him.
[1] a park in Beijing
