Huo Boyan had not expected Zhu Ran to message him proactively. Though somewhat surprised, he still got up immediately and hurried over.
The elevator headed to the floor where Zhu Ran was. Huo Boyan waited somewhat impatiently and straightened his disheveled clothes in front of the mirror to pass the time.
The shirt had been wrinkled by Zhu Ran’s grabbing, the jacket had been draped over Zhu Ran, and even this tie had been tugged out of shape by him. Huo Boyan fixed the tie in the mirror and suddenly let out a very soft laugh, as if thinking of something.
Ding—
The elevator stopped at the corresponding floor, and Huo Boyan stepped out lightly. Unexpectedly, he ran into Huo Junlin squatting in the corner by the wall.
Had Zhu Ran messaged Huo Junlin too?
Huo Boyan felt displeased inside but kept his expression neutral. “What are you doing here?”
Huo Junlin drooped his brows and eyes, speaking in a dejected tone. “I’m waiting for Zhu Ran to come back.”
Huo Junlin didn’t know Zhu Ran was in the room, which proved Zhu Ran hadn’t messaged him.
Thinking of this, Huo Boyan relaxed a bit and asked, “Your confession failed?”
Huo Junlin didn’t answer at first. After a long while, he said, “I feel like I didn’t perform well. I want to try again.”
“No matter how well you perform, it won’t help,” Huo Boyan typed on his phone without mercy. “Zhu Ran rejected you because he doesn’t like you.”
At these words, Huo Junlin grew even more heartbroken. “Bro, how come even you won’t support me?”
“I never supported your confession,” Huo Boyan said after sending the message and putting away his phone. “I told you early on that Zhu Ran isn’t right for you and wouldn’t accept you. If you don’t want him to hate you, stop pestering him.”
“But why?” Huo Junlin didn’t understand. “Why doesn’t he like me? Am I really that bad?”
“You can’t force feelings,” Huo Boyan patted his shoulder in a caring big-brother tone. “I know it hurts that your confession failed, but wallowing in negative emotions isn’t healthy. Move on soon. Bro’s arranged an activity for you to unwind.”
Huo Junlin lifted his head pitifully. “What activity?”
Huo Boyan named a famous foreign band.
Huo Junlin froze in disbelief. “Bro, you booked them? Real or fake? How come I didn’t know?”
Huo Boyan replied, “I wanted to book them for your birthday, but they didn’t have an opening then, so it got pushed to the Pearl’s maiden voyage. I planned it as a surprise, but now it’s breakup consolation.”
This was the band he’d chased after for so long—super aloof, never doing commercial gigs. He never imagined his brother had booked them!
Tears welled up in Huo Junlin’s eyes as he hugged Huo Boyan tightly. “Bro, you’re the best to me!”
“Stop acting spoiled,” Huo Boyan pushed him away and looked up at the assistant bodyguard who’d just arrived. “Take him over.”
Huo Junlin was reluctant. “Bro, you’re not going?”
“I have something to do. Go have fun by yourself,” Huo Boyan patted his shoulder with sincere encouragement. “Cheer up. There are plenty of others besides Zhu Ran. Relax tonight and don’t think about unhappy stuff.”
Huo Junlin nodded, looking deeply moved, and left.
The elevator doors closed, and Huo Boyan turned toward Zhu Ran’s room.
Room 9169.
Huo Boyan arrived at the door and was about to ring the bell when he found it ajar.
Huo Boyan frowned and pushed the door open. Zhu Ran’s room was a standard balcony suite without a living room—the bed was right at the entrance. The room was quiet, and Zhu Ran lay on the bed reeking of alcohol, not even having taken off his shoes.
Huo Boyan circled the room, checking the bathroom and balcony too, confirming no signs of anyone else entering. He relaxed, assuming Zhu Ran had just forgotten to lock it.
Huo Boyan closed and locked the door, then stood by the bed and called out to Zhu Ran. No response.
He sat down casually and patted Zhu Ran’s cheek.
Zhu Ran looked slim, but his face still had a bit of baby fat. When sleeping, his cheeks puffed out a soft, warm mound—chewy and adorable to the touch.
Huo Boyan pinched it repeatedly but still couldn’t wake him. Instead, the heavy alcohol stench made him grimace.
Drunk like this… how much had he drunk?
Huo Boyan felt some heartache, but thinking of how much Zhu Ran cared about him brought an undignified joy.
He went to the bathroom, wrung out a hot towel, and carefully wiped Zhu Ran’s face, hands, then knelt at the foot of the bed to remove his shoes and socks, swapping towels to wipe his feet.
Zhu Ran had been sleeping on his side, but Huo Boyan flipped him onto his stomach. The young man’s hands rested on either side of the pillow, his shoulder blades protruding like butterfly wings, his waist dipping low to make his full hips stand out especially. It reminded Huo Boyan of the first time he’d seen Zhu Ran.
Back then, he’d only seen him as a wary stranger, never imagining they’d end up like this.
Huo Boyan sighed and pinched Zhu Ran’s cheek. “Why’d you call me here?”
He’d only muttered it to himself, but Zhu Ran heard and slowly opened his eyes.
The young man’s gaze cleared from hazy to sharp. When he recognized the person before him, it suddenly turned aggrieved.
Zhu Ran had a pair of very alluring peach-blossom eyes and knew it well. To avoid trouble, he always looked fierce and icy toward strangers.
But now, all the coldness vanished, replaced by pitiful grievance—as if begging to be coaxed and pampered.
