Chapter 11
Watching the man flee, Jiang Zhou’s eyes darkened, his expression unreadable.
Chen Ju finished work at eleven, his stomach growling with hunger. The boxed meal he hadn’t had time to eat was already cold. Sitting on a little stool, he ate every last bite. Though the food felt cold in his stomach, at least it filled him up and eased his hunger.
Chen Ju hated feeling hungry. It made him feel as if he’d returned to the two darkest years of his life.
Staring at the empty meal box, Chen Ju thought again of what he’d seen from behind the flowerpot. That beautiful woman really did seem to be Jiang Zhou’s girlfriend. If so, why had Jiang Zhou asked him to pretend to be his lover?
Was there some reason? At the thought, Chen Ju’s stomach felt even worse. He stood up and threw away the box.
At the dressing-room entrance, he saw Li Qing standing by the trash can, smoking. When Li Qing spotted him, he stubbed out the rest of his cigarette and walked over.
“Are you free tonight? I asked the manager at the other place, and he said he’d like to meet you.”
Hearing that, Chen Ju hurriedly replied, “Yes, yes, I’m free! Thanks.”
Li Qing awkwardly scratched his head. “It’s no big deal. We’ve known each other for so long. Oh, by the way, I heard you came in wearing pajamas this morning. What happened?”
Chen Ju paused and lowered his head, his voice barely audible. “N-nothing. I forgot to change my clothes.”
Li Qing watched Chen Ju for a few seconds, then patted him on the shoulder with a grin. “You really are careless. I brought an extra change of clothes, just in case. You can borrow them!”
The spot where Li Qing had patted his shoulder throbbed with pain, but Chen Ju felt warm inside, and even his eyes began to grow hot.
He looked up with a smile and said gratefully, “Li Qing, thank you.”
Li Qing froze, then exclaimed with delight, “Chen Ju, I think you should smile more often. You’re so much cuter than usual!”
It was the first time anyone had called him cute. Chen Ju’s cheeks burned, and he lowered his head shyly. “I-I’m a man.”
In Chen Ju’s mind, cute was a word used to describe girls.
Li Qing grinned. “What’s wrong with that? It’s a new era. Men can be called cute, and women can be called handsome. There are no gender restrictions!”
Chen Ju was smaller and slimmer than Li Qing, so the clothes hung loosely on him, and he had to roll up the pant legs. Half his hands were hidden in the sleeves, but at least they kept him warmer.
Li Qing was the sort of person who could strike up a conversation with anyone. Chen Ju only had to say a couple of words, and Li Qing would talk on and on.
When they left the hotel, a bitter wind rushed at them. Chen Ju bundled up in his clothes and buried his face in the collar. Li Qing kept talking beside him, but Chen Ju didn’t hear a word. He only stared blankly ahead.
Across the road, a black car was parked by the curb with its window open. Jiang Zhou’s handsome face was hidden in the darkness, making his expression impossible to read.
Noticing Chen Ju’s blank stare, Li Qing put a hand on his shoulder and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Chen Ju shuddered, then stiffened. He didn’t like being touched by other people.
Following Chen Ju’s gaze, Li Qing spotted Jiang Zhou in the driver’s seat and exclaimed in surprise, “Is that handsome guy someone you know?”
Why hadn’t Jiang Zhou left? Was he waiting for him? No, he was overthinking it. Jiang Zhou must have some other reason to be here. But it was so late. Who could he be looking for?
Chen Ju’s mind was a jumble of questions, and he couldn’t think straight. He couldn’t hear a thing. Tense all over, he stared blankly in Jiang Zhou’s direction, nervous and hopeful at the same time.
The next second, the car window slowly rolled up. Then the car started and quickly disappeared from view.
Chen Ju watched the car drive away, his chest filled with crushing disappointment. His stomach, already troubled by acid reflux, cramped in waves, as though a stick were stirring inside him. His nose began to sting, and he lowered his head.
Though he’d known all along that Jiang Zhou wasn’t waiting for him, facing the truth still made him feel terribly sad.
“You know that handsome guy?” Li Qing asked tentatively, noticing how downcast Chen Ju had become.
Chen Ju nodded. When he looked up, his eyes were already rimmed with red. He forced himself to look as though nothing was wrong and awkwardly changed the subject. “How are we getting to that ba-bar you mentioned?”