Even A Heartthrob Can Lose A Puppy - Chapter 9

 

“Don’t move.”

Si Yu lightly tapped the tip of He Yun’s nose.

In the living room lit only by a floor lamp, Si Yu sat on the edge of the sofa while He Yun sat cross-legged on the floor in front of him.

“How did this happen? Did you run into a difficult customer?”

Si Yu put down the disinfectant cotton swab.

He Yun kept his gaze lowered, staring at the brown hardwood floor without a word.

Yet the more He Yun acted like this, the more Si Yu wanted to tease him.

Using his fingertips, he gently lifted He Yun’s chin, bringing the other’s face closer to his own, and blew softly against the wound on his forehead.

Sure enough, this prompted an even more obvious dodge from He Yun.

“Does it hurt that much?” Si Yu chuckled. “When you hugged me downstairs earlier, you hugged me tight enough to hurt me, too.”

The lighting was dim, but Si Yu could still see the tips of He Yun’s ears turning red.

“I’m sorry.”

He Yun said.

Looking up at Si Yu, whose eyes flashed with a hint of surprise, He Yun continued, “I misunderstood you, I’m truly sorry.”

What a fool.

“I should be the one saying sorry. I was clearly worried that if photos of you and me were published, it would cause trouble for your life. But…”

Si Yu snapped the cotton swab in half, pulled out a fresh one, and began disinfecting in circles around He Yun’s wound.

“Watching you stand in front of me looking so fierce, only to suddenly turn into a little mute who couldn’t spit out a single word of explanation.”

He Yun clenched his hands tighter.

Refusing to let him off the hook, Si Yu added, “I would rather have never met you than accept that you didn’t trust me and believed someone else instead.”

“I’m sorry.”

He Yun repeated.

“It seems all you know how to do is apologize.” Si Yu rested his arms on his knees, leaning in slightly to stare directly at He Yun. “Don’t you have anything else to say to me?”

He Yun looked at him, wanting to look away again, yet feeling as though he were firmly captured by Si Yu’s gaze, unable to move an inch.

“Forget it if you don’t.”

Si Yu clapped his hands together, stood up, and turned to leave.

“Wait.”

Si Yu stopped in his tracks, uncertain whether it was He Yun’s voice or the fact that his wrist was now being held.

Pressing his lips tightly together, Si Yu fought back a smile.

He slowly turned around to look at He Yun, who was hesitating with words on the tip of his tongue.

They were so close that He Yun once again caught the scent of roses radiating from Si Yu, close enough to take in every glint of moisture and expectation shining in Si Yu’s eyes.

He Yun parted his lips slowly, yet nothing came out.

Because Si Yu pulled him into an embrace, mirroring the way He Yun had held him just ten minutes prior.

“For some reason, the past few days without seeing you felt like an entire century. It was just so agonizingly slow.”

It was strange.

He Yun thought, even though Si Yu was speaking right beside his ear, a sudden tingling sensation rippled straight through his heart.

“I never knew that getting to know someone new could feel like you’ve known them for ages, or that even a brief separation could feel so unbearable.”

The moment he felt He Yun’s arms wrap around him in return, Si Yu pulled back slightly.

“Such a wondrous feeling,” Si Yu asked with a smile. “Don’t you think?”

Light and shadow intertwined and shifted, much like the emotions flashing through He Yun’s dark eyes.

Sliding his hand down to He Yun’s hem, Si Yu gave it a light tug and said, “Even if you don’t feel the same, please don’t kick me out tonight. I’m already homeless.”

Timely shifting the topic, he finally coaxed He Yun into speaking.

“What is it?”

“My team and I had creative differences and got into a fight.” Si Yu let go of his hem and rubbed his stomach. “I’m so hungry.”

“Can you stomach asparagus?”

“He Yun, you hold grudges for a long time.”

He Yun raised one eyebrow in a noncommittal gesture.

Watching He Yun walk toward the kitchen, Si Yu couldn’t help stealing a smile.

Yet his smile vanished just as quickly.

Buzz-buzz.

[Shen Que: Where are you?]

[Shen Que: Why do you always know how to push my buttons and truly infuriate me.]

[Shen Que: Si Yu, my patience is genuinely exhausted.]

“Si Yu, are you testing my patience?”

Shen Que swept his gaze across the suite and spotted the two champagne glasses on the coffee table.

He let out a cold laugh. “Who are you waiting for?”

“It’s certainly not you.” Si Yu grabbed his bathrobe, wrapping it tightly around himself. “Bad omen.”

The next instant, his throat was seized in Shen Que’s grip.

Staggering backward, he was forcefully slammed hard against the wall just as he was about to lose his footing.

“Why have you turned into this? Huh?”

He was forced by Shen Que to meet his gaze.

“Si Yu, what did you promise me back then? Huh? Tell me! What did you promise me!”

With bloodshot eyes, Shen Que shouted at him in a hoarse voice.

“You said you’d stay by my side to build our very own business empire; you said you’d never let me spend my father’s memorial anniversary alone.”

Shen Que’s hand slid upward, tightly pinching Si Yu’s face until angry red marks began to bloom across his breathtaking, alluring features without an ounce of leniency.

“And what about now? If I hadn’t come today, you would’ve left me behind in China all alone just for that He Yun! You’re the one who made those promises, why?! Why can’t you keep them?”

A youth’s promises were always the least trustworthy.

“Because you’re terrifying,” Si Yu said. “Shen Que, you’ve become too terrifying.”

A youth’s promises were the least trustworthy, and Shen Que had once been that youth.

He and Shen Que had drifted apart long ago, and not simply because of Shen Que’s confession back then, but because Shen Que had once…

“Is pork chop okay?”

“Hmm?”

Si Yu snapped back to reality, looking at He Yun, who was holding up a grocery bag for him.

“No, pork doesn’t even get bled out properly, it tastes awful.”

“Mine won’t.”

Growing curious, Si Yu abandoned his phone and scurried over to He Yun’s side.

“How are you planning to make it?”

He Yun paused his movements, turned his head, and said earnestly, “No spying allowed.”

“Hmph! Stealing secrets for a mere pork chop? A quick search online will tell you everything.”

Si Yu’s gaze drifted to He Yun’s phone. “Can I use it?”

He Yun nodded and recited his passcode to him.

Si Yu tapped open Safari, and the blue progress bar at the bottom auto-refreshed, pulling up a web page.

“The Dorchester… Why are you looking up interior photos of the hotel I’m staying at? Hey!”

With a sudden empty space in his hands, He Yun had already snatched the phone back, locked the screen, and slipped it into his pocket.

“No spying allowed. Go wait outside.”

“Hey, hey, hey!”

With He Yun’s hands pressing against his shoulders, Si Yu was gently nudged out of the kitchen.

After finishing a pork chop that could easily rival a three-star Michelin dish, Si Yu pondered for a long while before figuring it out.

“He Yun.”

“Hmm?”

“Have you ever been in love?”

He Yun paused while pouring water and shook his head.

Of course Si Yu knew he hadn’t.

“Too bad.”

“What do you mean?”

“Nothing, just feels like you’d be really good at doing background checks.”

” ”

He Yun shot him a glare and walked toward the bedroom.

Snickering softly, Si Yu called out loudly, “Detective He-rlock has run his background check, so any lingering suspicions can be put to rest now! From this day forward, my innocence is crystal clear!”

No reply came from the bedroom, though the sound of pillows being beaten grew significantly louder.

“Cross my heart! I obediently went straight back to my hotel after dinner that night, I didn’t take photos in anyone else’s bathtub!”

The sound of pillow-beating grew even more aggressive.

Rather cute.

Si Yu thought.

Especially when he saw He Yun emerge beside the sofa carrying a stack of blankets.

“Are you sleeping on the sofa tonight?”

“Mm.” He Yun laid out the blanket. “The other rooms haven’t been lived in for a long time, there’s too much dust.”

Without thinking, Si Yu blurted out, “We can share the master bedroom.”

He Yun froze mid-motion, taking a long moment to smooth down the final corner.

“Your bed is a king size, more than enough room for both of us.”

“No need, I don’t like sleeping with people.”

“What, have you slept with people before?”

“…Go take a shower.”

Si Yu was ushered into the bathroom.

After showering and toweling off his hair, Si Yu casually settled onto the corner of the sofa.

“Why are you staring at me?”

Si Yu lowered his towel and asked.

After a moment’s thought, He Yun voiced the question: “Neither my body wash nor my shampoo has any rose scent, why do you still smell like roses?”

A seasoned artist’s basic self-awareness meant perfume was just as essential as hand cream and mouthwash.

“Who knows.” Si Yu grabbed a lock of hair and sniffed it. “Why can’t I smell it?”

With that, he stepped onto the sofa barefoot, knelt beside He Yun with his legs tucked under him, brought his face close to He Yun’s nose, and asked, “Sniff again, is it still there?”

Very fragrant.

“Mm, seems like it’s gone.” He Yun saved his unfinished essay and closed his laptop. “I’m going to take a shower.”

Easily flustered.

Kicking off his slippers, Si Yu stretched out horizontally across the soft blanket He Yun had laid out.

“Ah, talk about luxurious…” Si Yu stared at the logo on the blanket. “Using an Amelia Middleton blanket to make a bed.”

Pulling out his phone to buy one for himself, Si Yu found a notice stating: This year’s global limit of ten pieces is sold out.

“One, two, three.” Si Yu counted the blankets on the sofa. “Good thing he went bankrupt, otherwise how could anyone afford to chase him.”

The moment he said it, Si Yu froze.

Opening the search bar, he typed just two words: Britain He, and the search engine automatically spat out numerous headlines.

He Gongchu becomes the UK’s first Asian Progressive Party leader

Paving the way for the general election? Progressive Party leader He Gongchu announces abdication and handover

Former Progressive Party leader He Gongchu appointed Bellock Bank Executive Director

Ponzi scheme! Bellock Bank Executive Director He Gongchu absconds with funds

He Gongchu arrested, hundred-billion family trust fails to cover debts

“Is it really okay not to dry your hair?”

Si Yu killed his screen, looking up at He Yun, who had appeared upside down in his field of vision.

“It’s fine, it’s already dry.”

Si Yu tried to get up, but his intertwined legs were completely deadened by pins and needles.

“Careful.”

He Yun reached out, steadily hoisting Si Yu to his feet.

“My legs are asleep, can you carry me back to the bedroom?”

“…You can sleep on the sofa.”

“Stingy!”

He Yun shrugged, turning around.

“Hop on then.”

Si Yu leaped onto his back.

Feeling the sudden stiffness in He Yun’s frame, Si Yu tightened his grip around his neck even further.

“They’re really asleep.”

A sigh drifted down from above.

Si Yu was carried back to the bedroom by He Yun.

“Hey, seriously not considering sharing a bed…”

“Goodnight.”

He Yun’s response was entirely within Si Yu’s expectations.

Making sure all was quiet outside the room, Si Yu dialed his private financial advisor.

“How much debt did He Gongchu’s Ponzi scheme rack up in total? If I shoot a movie every three months, four movies a year, could I pay off the debt in ten years?”

Silence stretched across the line for a few seconds.

“Firstly, no.”

“Secondly, at the time of his arrest, He Gongchu already liquidated family trusts, real estate, and massive collections of antique treasures from his spouse’s family to repay 1.3 trillion in debts.”

“What?!”

Si Yu bolted upright in bed.

Yet he had clearly discovered evidence that He Yun was continuously wiring money abroad.

If the debts had already been cleared, who on earth was He Yun sending his money to?

“A portion of He Gongchu’s clients used loan sharks to secure their principal. So even after the principal was compensated, they couldn’t service the massive accumulated interest, leading to ruined families.

I’ve heard rumors in elite circles that before He Gongchu committed suicide in prison out of guilt, he seemingly left behind an assistant to handle staged, supplemental payouts for those specific clients.”

Si Yu’s hand holding the phone dropped onto the navy blue duvet.

His fingers twitched involuntarily as his gaze began wandering around He Yun’s bedroom.

Aside from the bed Si Yu was lying on, the bedroom contained nothing more than a pair of rosewood table and chairs by the balcony; signs of habitation existed, yet not a single trace of a comfortable life remained.

The three bare beige walls had likely once been crowded with master paintings acquired from auction houses;

The circular mark on the brown wood floor probably once held an expensive burgundy red rug.

And now, there was nothing at all, much like He Yun himself.

Si Yu felt a deep wave of regret, cursing himself for letting affection cloud his judgment and only realizing He Yun’s true predicament now.

He Yun had never bothered hiding the fact that he juggled multiple jobs or even wrote essays for cash, yet he himself had failed to grasp the reality of it.

Why hadn’t he?

Was the five-pound lunch He Yun treated him to too cheap?

Were the twelve-pound sparkling waters He Yun bought him ordinary?

Or had he simply taken it all for granted, assuming a winter apartment naturally came with heating?

He hadn’t overlooked the faint smell of dust drifting from the vents, yet he had completely missed the fact that this was likely the very first time He Yun had turned on the heat all winter.

What a fool he was.

Standing by the sofa, he looked down at He Yun, who was already fast asleep.

Squatting down, Si Yu gently rested his head against He Yun’s shoulder.

“He Yun, won’t you wake up and talk to me?”

Si Yu’s voice was soft, so quiet it seemed he didn’t actually wish to wake He Yun at all.

“I have so many things I want to tell you.”

He wanted to tell He Yun that he had fallen for him long before they ever officially crossed paths.

Yet, he didn’t dare wake He Yun up, terrified that He Yun would bolt away in fright, scared off by his truest self.

At least until He Yun fell in love with him, he couldn’t afford to scare him off.

Straightening his posture, Si Yu leaned slowly forward.

Just as He Yun stirred to open his eyes, the scent of roses washed over him.

Warm breath and cool lips brushed against his cheek almost simultaneously.

Si Yu was kissing him.