CH 46

Jiang Heng and Ji Yao stayed on the small balcony for half an hour. When they came back down, Ge Xing had already left.

The last two tables of customers in the bar had disappeared, leaving only a few overturned glasses on the tables. The bar’s waitstaff were bent over, busily collecting empty beer bottles.

Zhou Qingbo didn’t know how he managed to get so drunk in the past half hour. At this moment, he was lying on the bar counter, clinging onto a young man and not letting go.

The young man had a good appearance, very good looking. He was wearing a thick overcoat with a formal suit underneath. He looked a few years younger than Zhou Qingbo but was dressed even more formally than Jiang Heng. He had a medium-sized briefcase by his side, but because he was being tugged by Zhou Qingbo, he temporarily placed the bag on the chair beside his leg.

“You lied to me!” Zhou Qingbo tugged at the young man’s hand across the bar counter, passionately accusing him, “You said you wouldn’t be home until the day after tomorrow!”

“I was trying to give you a surprise.” The young man had a good personality, speaking softly to him, almost coaxing him “That’s why I didn’t tell you.”

“But that’s not okay! That’s deceit! That’s concealing the truth! It’s a major taboo in a relationship!” Zhou Qingbo, clearly drunk, was being unreasonable and aggressive, pulling the young man’s hand and suddenly standing up straight, almost yanking him onto the bar counter without even noticing.

It was evident that reasoning with a drunk person was difficult, but the young man’s temper was overly good. He frowned, thought about it seriously, and then admitted his mistake earnestly, “I was wrong. I shouldn’t have kept it from you—so next time, no more surprise attacks like this?”

Zhou Qingbo remained silent for a moment, using his alcohol-flooded brain to think hard. Reluctantly, he changed his tune, “Well… alright then.”

Jiang Heng couldn’t help but chuckle, having already guessed the identity of this person.

When he spoke up, both Zhou Qingbo and the young man turned their heads towards him. Jiang Heng walked up confidently, nodding slightly at the young man as a form of greeting.

“Jiang Heng, Lawyer Jiang, right?” The young man nodded politely, reached into his pocket, took out a business card holder, and handed a card to Jiang Heng, saying, “I’m Qingbo’s boyfriend, Pei You.”

“Pleased to meet you.” Jiang Heng took the card, being courteous.

When Zhou Qingbo was dating Pei You, Jiang Heng had already gone abroad. He hadn’t been able to meet him face to face until now. Looking at Pei You, Jiang Heng couldn’t help but feel a sense of amazement. Ge Xing, the matchmaker, had really done a great job.

“I heard that you have set up your own practice.” Pei You smiled, “Qingbo’s friends are my friends. If you need any help in the future, feel free to ask.”

Jiang Heng glanced at the simple design on the light beige business card and felt like he was seeing a resume filled with dazzling accomplishments.

Ge Xing was truly impressive. Jiang Heng couldn’t help but wonder where he found all these talented young gay men.

Everyone had their own way of getting along. From what Jiang Heng could see, Pei You wasn’t a crafty old fox. So, Jiang Heng smiled and said, “I won’t hesitate then.”

As he was about to put the business card away, the card was unexpectedly snatched from his hand. Meanwhile, Ji Yao, who was a step behind, was sitting at the bar counter, supporting his head with one hand. He stared at the business card under the bar counter light, studying it intently, even more focused than when he studied medical materials.

Jiang Heng: “… Ji Yao?”

Ji Yao furrowed his brows, impatiently looked up at him, and then met his gaze.

For some inexplicable reason, as soon as he returned indoors from the cold wind outside, the warmth of the air conditioning made Ji Yao’s blood rush, causing him to feel light-headed and tipsy. His face turned red, not just at the corners of his eyes, but even his ears.

“How many drinks have you had?” Jiang Heng asked.

Ji Yao was clearly not sober right now. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have tried to snatch something from Jiang Heng’s hand. This action was too intimate, far beyond the “tacit distance” they usually maintained.

After thinking for a moment, Ji Yao made a hand gesture indicating the number three.

Jiang Heng fell silent for a moment, looked at him, then glanced at Zhou Qingbo. He clicked his tongue softly and said, “both of your alcohol tolerance has really declined, huh? You’ve only had a few drinks.”

Pei You, having freed his hand from Zhou Qingbo’s grasp, reached over Zhou Qingbo’s shoulder, stretched his arm out, and fished out an empty bottle of alcohol.

He examined the label on the bottle for a moment, then handed the bottle to Jiang Heng.

“Russian-made,” Pei You said. “Aberlour Dulsao’s 150th Anniversary Special Edition Brandy. This batch that Qingbo has is a special friendship internal version. He’s been keeping it for a while, and he should have been happy if he brought it out today.”

No wonder, Jiang Heng thought, a Russian-made special edition brandy, it’s almost like adding alcohol to alcohol.

With two people about to leave and one person gone, it was clear that this gathering was coming to an end.

Pei You had come to pick Qingbo up, so Jiang Heng gave him an out and said his goodbyes in advance.

“Do you need me to give you a ride?” Pei You gestured towards Ji Yao.

“No need,” Jiang Heng said. “I’ll take care of it.”

Jiang Heng’s car was parked in the employee parking area behind the bar, accessible through a small alley from the back door. It was only a three-minute walk on foot.

Ji Yao was unusually quiet throughout the journey. He followed Jiang Heng like a shadow, stumbling along with him. Jiang Heng stole a couple of glances at him from the corner of his eye, noticing Ji Yao’s deeply furrowed brows and intense seriousness. He couldn’t understand what was going on in Ji Yao’s mind.

Jiang Heng didn’t offer him any support, merely observing him from the corner of his eye. However, Ji Yao probably wasn’t that drunk yet; he could still walk relatively straight. He walked all the way to Jiang Heng’s car, pulled open the passenger side door, and got in.

Jiang Heng followed suit and got into the car. Before he could even settle in, Ji Yao suddenly spoke up.

“I think you should avoid getting too close to Pei You,” Ji Yao said.

Jiang Heng couldn’t help but chuckle, intrigued as he asked, “Why?”

“People like them who are involved in the economy, they’re all shrewd,” Ji Yao said. “They don’t seem easy to deal with.”

“Do you know what I studied during those years I was abroad?” Jiang Heng asked.

Ji Yao turned his head slightly, looking at him blankly.

“Business administration,” Jiang Heng said. “—Buckle up.”

Suddenly Ji Yao reached over to fasten the seatbelt on the driver’s side. Jiang Heng lightly pushed away his wrist.

“Buckle your own seatbelt.”

Ji Yao replied with an “Oh,” and fastened his own seatbelt. Slowly, he continued the conversation from before, You’re different now. You look easier to deceive. A simple dinner and you were deceived.”

Jiang Heng: “…”

At this moment, even Jiang Heng, who had sharp judgment, couldn’t help but feel a bit confused.

“Ji Yao,” Jiang Heng tentatively said, “You’re not trying to trick me by pretending to be drunk, are you?”

“Hey, that’s unfair!” Ji Yao looked at him sympathetically and said, “If I was pretending to be drunk , I would have kissed earlier. I just held myself back.”

Jiang Heng: “…”

Zhou Qingbo’s drunkenness was so much like fake drunkenness while with Ji Yao he was fluctuating between “sober” and “not sober,” and Jiang Heng wouldn’t know his current state unless he opened his mouth to speak.

Unlike Pei You, Jiang Heng didn’t enjoy reasoning with drunks, so he didn’t say anything more. He confirmed Ji Yao’s address and then started the car.

But he wanted some peace and quiet. However, the drunk still had something to say. Ji Yao seemed dissatisfied with Jiang Heng’s disregard for him and adjusted his posture to engage in a serious conversation with him about whether he was “easy to deceive.”

“Enough,” Jiang Heng said with a headache. “Pei You is Qingbo’s boyfriend. Stop acting jealous. Ge Xing said they have a good relationship.”

“… Oh,” Ji Yao, as if he had just caught a keyword, In an instant, was disconnected, no longer bringing up the topic of “shrewd financial professionals.” He leaned back in his seat, even returning Pei You’s business card to Jiang Heng’s pocket.

From then on, he was fairly quiet for the rest of the journey. Jiang Heng found a moment of peace for his ears. The sound of their breathing blended with the piano music from the car’s stereo, gradually merging into the same rhythm.

After about twenty minutes, Ji Yao suddenly remembered something and asked, “Why did you kiss me at the rooftop smoking zone?”

Jiang Heng glanced at him from the corner of his eye, sure that he was completely intoxicated. So he reached into his pocket and took out a small voice recorder. He pressed the record button and placed it on the surface.

“Why do you carry a voice recorder with you?” Ji Yao looked at him warily.

“I’m a lawyer,” Jiang Heng said seriously. “Isn’t it normal for me to carry a voice recorder?”

“You’re right,” Ji Yao said.

He was easily convinced by this reason, not questioning why Jiang Heng suddenly started recording.

“So you still haven’t answered my question,” Ji Yao said.

“What do you think?” Jiang Heng teased, his tone casual.

“I think you intend to start over with me,” Ji Yao said firmly. “Otherwise, why would you kiss me?”

Jiang Heng glanced at the voice recorder with a playful smile, “Go on.”

“But you didn’t really kiss me,” Ji Yao said frustratedly, sighing, “What does that mean? It means if I told you now that I want to get back together, you definitely wouldn’t agree.”

Jiang Heng turned the steering wheel as the car exited the side road and turned into the apartment complex where Ji Yao lived.

He pressed his lips together, struggling not to laugh, and took a quick glance at the dashcam, but unfortunately, there was no camera in the car.

“You can’t get back together with me now,” Jiang Heng kindly spoke his thoughts to the drunk, “Ji Yao, you have to show some sincerity.”

“well…” Ji Yao furrowed his brows, muttering softly, “Then I’ll pursue you sincerely, is that okay?”

Jiang Heng couldn’t resist teasing him, “Why didn’t you say that at the bar?”

“Am saying it now” Ji Yao said righteously, “I wasn’t that drunk before. Why are you changing the subject? Are you willing to let me pursue you or not?”

Jiang Heng had a mischievous thought and took advantage of the situation: “That’s your business. Why are you asking me? I can’t decide what’s in your heart.”

“Right, you’re right,” Ji Yao nodded firmly, fully affirming Jiang Heng’s opinion. “Then it’s decided.”

In the midst of the conversation, Jiang Heng’s car had already stopped in front of Ji Yao’s building. Jiang Heng reached over to undo his seatbelt and asked, “Can you make it upstairs on your own?”

“I can,” Ji Yao said resolutely. “I haven’t drunk that much. I still have to work tomorrow morning.”

Jiang Heng didn’t believe him, he thought for a moment, and said, “Then go ahead. I’ll wait for you downstairs. Send me a message when you get home.”

“Got it,” Ji Yao impatiently waved his hand, opened the car door, and was about to get out. But he suddenly remembered something and turned to look at Jiang Heng warily. He said, “We agreed, don’t go back on your word.”

“I got it,” Jiang Heng resisted a smile and nodded, saying, “However, there are quite a few people who have taken a liking to me, Dr. Ji. So, you’ll have to work hard to chase after me.”