Pretending Not to Love You [Entertainment Circle] - Chapter 53

Chapter 53

Xiao Bojun’s reply made the audience laugh, but the two hosts on stage couldn’t laugh. Industry insiders had warned them that Xiao Bojun had a sharp tongue, and today they fully experienced it.

After that, no one tried any more tricks during the interview, and Xiao Bojun was finally able to stare blankly in peace.

After the program recording finished, Zuo Qiu and Xiao Bojun went to the restroom together. As they unzipped their flies, they heard female audience members discussing Xiao Bojun in the next stall.

“I came all the way here just to hear Junjun snap back at people, but I only heard him do it twice, sigh!” said one female voice.

“I know, right? Me too! The way he shuts people down is just so handsome,” said another female voice.

“I felt the second half was a bit boring. Junjun was spacing out and looking at the ground, so I watched him until Zuo Qiu reminded him to leave the stage. Hahaha, I think he was secretly sleeping! When he looked up, I saw him wiping the corner of his mouth…”

The audience nowadays was unbelievable; they actually enjoyed watching people get roasted! Didn’t they see the awkward faces of the two hosts? Zuo Qiu glanced at Xiao Bojun beside him. In this day and age, even being rude could attract fans—it was truly something else.

“Your drooling was spotted by a fan just now.”

Xiao Bojun glanced downward at Zuo Qiu’s drizzling area. “So what if they saw it? I don’t care, as long as they don’t see you drool.”

Zuo Qiu felt uneasy under his gaze. Just talk, why are you staring there! Xiao Bojun’s slightly perverted action made Zuo Qiu suspect that the “drooling” he spoke of wasn’t the drooling Zuo Qiu meant. Thinking of the possible alternative meaning, Zuo Qiu was greatly embarrassed. The moment he finished, he quickly zipped up his pants and moved out of Xiao Bojun’s line of sight.

A moment later, Xiao Bojun came over to wash his hands. He spoke to Zuo Qiu through the mirror. “I think you should supplement your kidney health more.”

Zuo Qiu’s face darkened. Did he really have to indirectly boast about his kidney function like this? He couldn’t be more shameless.

So what if your kidney is good!

“Actually, my kidney function was much better before,” Zuo Qiu looked at Xiao Bojun, a statement that clearly implied Xiao Bojun was the culprit behind his declining kidney health.

Xiao Bojun curved his lips into a smile. “Before, you lasted twenty minutes. Now it’s half an hour. Are you sure I haven’t improved your kidney health?”

Someone was bringing up the peeping incident again. Zuo Qiu felt he would be reminded of that one time for the rest of his life.

Zuo Qiu glanced around the restroom, and only when he was sure they were alone did he quietly complain, “Could you be a little more discreet?”

Xiao Bojun: “How am I not discreet?”

“Can you stop talking nonsense?” Such ambiguous conversations would be terrible if someone overheard them.

Xiao Bojun suddenly moved closer to Zuo Qiu, placed Zuo Qiu’s hand on a certain part of himself, and released it after one second. “That is called being conspicuous!”

Zuo Qiu recalled the hardness in his palm. So, the Second Young Master meant that merely having a verbal craving and not doing the real thing was already being very discreet?

Zuo Qiu really wanted to ask him, Can you dare to think like something other than an animal! Can you dare not to get hard so easily! But in the end, he didn’t have the guts to say it. He was afraid Xiao Bojun would directly demonstrate what an “animal” looked like.

The two left the restroom to find Ou Sheng, intending to return to the hotel booked by the crew together. Ou Sheng had a home in S City, but since he still had things to do tomorrow, he decided not to go home.

The three walked out of the TV building together. It was getting dark, and there weren’t many pedestrians in front of the building. After turning a corner, the group saw Cheng Ye, who seemed to have dropped from the sky. He was leaning lazily against the door of a blue sports car, holding a large bouquet of fiery red roses.

Zuo Qiu turned to look at Ou Sheng, who was staring at Cheng Ye with a dropped jaw, clearly surprised and having received no prior notice of Cheng Ye’s arrival.

Cheng Ye walked toward Ou Sheng, holding the flowers. When he reached him, he shoved the bouquet into Ou Sheng’s arms and softly asked him, “Do you like them?”

Zuo Qiu heard a voice in his heart answering for Ou Sheng—Yes, very much!

When Cheng Ye drove away with Ou Sheng, disappearing from their sight, Xiao Bojun waved his hand in front of Zuo Qiu’s eyes. “Snap out of it!”

Zuo Qiu blinked, pulling himself out of his fantasy.

Xiao Bojun gave him another glance, said nothing, and walked toward the car the TV station had prepared for them. Zuo Qiu quickly followed.

Half an hour later, the car dropped the two off at the hotel booked by the crew, where Guo Chen was already waiting.

The two followed Guo Chen toward their room. Zuo Qiu wasn’t sure what Guo Chen had told the director, but the director had no objection to the two grown men sharing a room and readily agreed to let them stay in one.

The room was quite spacious, with two double beds taking up most of the space. Guo Chen was efficient and had already organized all their luggage.

Zuo Qiu was very satisfied with Guo Chen and let her go off on her own since it was still early.

They had worn makeup for the program recording today and had only done a simple cleansing at the TV station. Zuo Qiu felt his face was a bit dry and wanted to wash it and apply a facial mask to rehydrate.

Xiao Bojun leaned against the bathroom doorway and asked Zuo Qiu, who was washing his face, “Do you want to go out and look around?”

Zuo Qiu had never been to S City and was very curious about it. Besides, they would be going to another city tomorrow, so this was a good chance to go out for a while.

Zuo Qiu paused his face-scrubbing. “Do you know any fun places?”

Xiao Bojun nodded. “I’ll take you to check out the nearby night market.”

Zuo Qiu’s eyes lit up. He skipped the facial mask, applied a bit of moisturizer after washing his face, put on a mask, and left with Xiao Bojun.

S City was one of the most prosperous cities in the country. Neon lights flickered along the wide pedestrian streets, and people brushed shoulders with one another. Nine o’clock at night was just the start of the city’s nightlife.

Zuo Qiu followed Xiao Bojun around for a while before being led into a bar. The outside of the bar was exceptionally quiet, but when Xiao Bojun pulled open the door, Zuo Qiu heard the deafening music inside and felt like he had entered another world.

The bar was crowded, with men and women swaying to the music. The music seemed to have magic; after listening for a bit, Zuo Qiu felt like joining the frenzy.

While Zuo Qiu was looking around, Xiao Bojun, who had gone to the bar counter, returned to his side. He pulled Zuo Qiu’s arm and led him upstairs. On the second floor, Xiao Bojun turned right and used a key in his hand to open the door to a private room.

The lights in the room were dim and yellow, making everything appear hazy. Zuo Qiu walked to the window, where the dancing crowd on the first floor was clearly visible. At 21 years old, this was Zuo Qiu’s first time in a bar. He felt like a child with a new toy, finding everything novel.

Xiao Bojun hugged Zuo Qiu from behind, resting his head on his shoulder in a moment of tenderness.

Initially, Zuo Qiu, who was swaying his body to the music, didn’t feel anything wrong, but two seconds later, he forcefully pushed Xiao Bojun away.

“Be careful, someone might see us.” They had taken off their masks as soon as they entered the room. Standing up high like this, they could easily be spotted by people below.

Caught off guard by Zuo Qiu’s sudden push, Xiao Bojun nearly stumbled. He looked at the unromantic Zuo Qiu and asked, “Can’t you tell there’s something different about this window?”

Zuo Qiu seriously examined the window. He shook his head. Apart from the darker color, it was no different from the windows at Xiao Er’s home—only a small portion could be opened, enough for ventilation, but jumping out would be difficult.

“The glass in this window allows us to see the outside clearly, but people outside can’t clearly see what’s inside. So, even if we were to do R-rated activities in here, the people below wouldn’t know.”

Zuo Qiu was skeptical. “Really?”

Xiao Bojun sat down on the sofa, rubbing his forehead. “Really!”

“Then how do you know?” Zuo Qiu really didn’t know that Xiao Bojun was a regular bar patron; otherwise, how would he know so clearly?

“Don’t get the wrong idea. This bar is owned by Brother Ye [Cheng Ye].” Without being acquainted with the owner, a private room like this would be hard for ordinary people to book.

Zuo Qiu was even more puzzled. He really didn’t know when the Second Young Master had become so familiar with Brother Ye.

Xiao Bojun: “I’ll tell you later. You go ahead and enjoy yourself for now.”

Actually, he didn’t have any special relationship with Cheng Ye. Yesterday, when he texted Cheng Ye asking where in S City was both fun and private, Cheng Ye mentioned this bar. Of course, the stingy Cheng Ye wouldn’t be a selfless philanthropist; he had extorted a hefty sum from Xiao Bojun for this private room.

Upon hearing that it was Cheng Ye’s territory, Zuo Qiu became bolder. He bounced around the room and shouted along with the music. Although he couldn’t join the fun downstairs, Zuo Qiu was already very satisfied with being able to have his own party on the second floor.

Xiao Bojun leaned against the back of the sofa, feet resting on the coffee table, watching Zuo Qiu going wild on his own, his eyes full of affection.

Zuo Qiu, tired from jumping, rushed to the coffee table, grabbed a cup of the drink, and gulped it down. After drinking, Zuo Qiu licked his lips and belatedly wondered, “Is this red wine?”

Seeing Zuo Qiu lick his lips, Xiao Bojun felt a tightness below. If it weren’t for the important events tomorrow, he truly would have exacted summary justice on Zuo Qiu right there.

“Yes, it’s alcohol. Drink less.”

Zuo Qiu had low alcohol tolerance; one bottle of beer could knock him out. Therefore, he usually avoided alcohol for fear of embarrassing himself. But today, perhaps because the new environment made him bolder or because he was influenced by the passionate music downstairs, Zuo Qiu ignored Xiao Bojun’s attempt to stop him and poured himself another glass.

“I think this tastes good. I want to drink it.” He then downed the drink in one gulp.

Xiao Bojun gave a wry smile. He would probably have to carry him back to the hotel later.

Half an hour later, Zuo Qiu lay down on the sofa and fell asleep.

Drunk Zuo Qiu was very quiet. He didn’t fuss, didn’t cry, and didn’t throw up; he just slept peacefully with a flushed face.

On the street at midnight, most storefronts were already closed. There weren’t many people walking around, and most were hurrying along.

Xiao Bojun put on his mask, just as he had on the way in. He carried the sleeping Zuo Qiu on his back. Worried that Zuo Qiu might be suffocating, he didn’t give him a mask, only using a borrowed thin jacket to partially cover his head.

“Hey, Zuo Qiu, you’re too light. See, I’ve walked for ages without even panting. You need to gain some weight. A man shouldn’t be as thin as you. You need to eat more,” Xiao Bojun said, pinching the flesh on Zuo Qiu’s thigh.

Thinking of Zuo Qiu staring blankly at the departing figures of Cheng Ye and Ou Sheng earlier today, Xiao Bojun continued, “I know you envy Brother Sheng and Brother Ye. You want to walk hand-in-hand openly like them, just like ordinary couples… Give me some time, and I’ll make it happen.”

Even without any response from Zuo Qiu, Xiao Bojun was full of things he wanted to say. “I feel like my life has become much more interesting since I’ve been with you. Before, I only liked fighting and playing games, but after I liked you, I only want to be with you every moment, only want to become one with you, forever inseparable.”

Muttering to this point, Xiao Bojun gave a self-mocking smile. “I seem a bit too sentimental today, saying too much rubbish. This isn’t usually like me.” He then looked up at the road ahead and continued walking steadily. “After being with you for so long, I think I forgot to tell you something very important.”

“I love you. Very, very, very, very much…”

The voice was so light that it seemed to be carried away by the evening breeze, yet it was also so heavy that Xiao Bojun felt the echo constantly repeating in his ear.