Idol Chapter 144 Part 2

-2-

 

When Bo Jue woke up, it was already evening.

“Brother.” Bo Huan sat by the bed with a bowl of medicine, touching his forehead with the back of his hand: “Hmm, normal temperature~”

The long-haired young man sighed softly, fumbling to sit up.

“I don’t want to take medicine anymore.”

Not long after Huo Ren was brought back to the United States, the Bo family hurried back to China upon receiving the news.

After Chi Ji had an accident, it was mostly Long Jia and Bo Jue who took care of the funeral arrangements.

Xie Lianyun helped too, but he was not familiar with or good at handling interpersonal interactions.

Bo Jue held on until he saw his parents and brother before he finally relaxed and fell asleep, only to develop pneumonia that night.

—That was a sequelae of staying up all night.

Later, as the pneumonia gradually healed, he still occasionally coughed and felt chest tightness.

The doctor said this was also a physical manifestation of emotions and recommended long-term psychological counseling to minimize the profound impact of traumatic events.

Bo Jue, being introverted, refused psychological treatment.

In the end, Bo Huan, as previously agreed, stayed here with him.

Now 25, Bo Jue, and Bo Huan, who was of college age, entered the Shidu Conservatory of Music’s composition department as an exchange student.

The professor brother and the international student brother, both with waist-length hair, attracted stealthy photos wherever they went in the campus.

—The scenario of a popular idol becoming a teacher was exciting for anyone who encountered it.

This often happened in the neighboring Shidu Drama College, where veteran actors would teach the younger generation, with red carpet events at the end-of-year presentations.

The Music College finally experienced this, much to their delight.

However, Professor Bo failed two students soon after starting. Playing with phones at the back of the class would still get one caught and thrown out to stand in punishment, with an attendance system stricter than a time clock.

By the end of the first semester, the pass rate was 36%.

The dean grimaced as he explained that one couldn’t be so strict with students and needed to give them more opportunities.

Professor Bo nodded gently, yet the pass rate for the second semester was 34%.

“I lowered the difficulty, and the points needed for memorization were greatly reduced.” He felt it was a pity: “The students still lacked a bit of insight.”

The students who felt tortured directly rushed to the Weibo of those leading the complaints against Chi Ji to vent their anger.

 

“Are you sick for making it hard on him? Are you pleased with yourself for messing up Corona!!!”

“Pay with your life ah ah ah ah, you murderer, give me back my credits ah ah ah ah——”

 

Being a professor inevitably involved social obligations, such as academic meetings, cultural celebrations, meetings with investors, and so on.

Bo Jue reminded Xiao Huan to practice the piano well at home, changed his clothes simply, and prepared to leave.

Bo Huan held the medicine bowl with a grievance: “Brother, you haven’t finished it.”

Bo Jue glanced at him: “You drink it for me, it’s the same effect.”

“This is tonic,” Bo Huan protested: “Mom said I have to supervise you, you can’t do this.”

Bo Jue, who had already changed into black leather boots and was about to leave, suddenly turned around at these words, scaring his brother into shrinking back.

“So… not drinking it?”

Bo Jue went back and drank all the bitter medicine without a word.

Bo Huan felt a surge of guilt in an instant, pulling him and saying, “Next time I’ll brew less, don’t be mad, brother.”

The young man pursed his lips and gently touched his forehead, softening his voice a lot.

“Xiao Huan, taking care of me… has been hard on you.”

Bo Huan’s face turned red instantly.

“It’s not hard, not hard, brother, come home early.”

“Okay, I will.”

He ended up being late.

When Bo Jue arrived at the venue, the reception had already started for fifteen minutes, and there were quite a few guests.

Many recognized him, showing surprise in their eyes, but the next second they immediately turned to look at another person in the distance.

After signing in, Bo Jue noticed their gazes were off, following the direction where a bunch of sunflowers seemed to be swaying, looking to the east side.

The Third Young Master Long was holding champagne, whispering and laughing with the financiers.

Bo Jue felt as if his pupils were scorched for a moment, immediately wanting to turn his head and walk to a corner.

The next second, however, it seemed as if the other had sensed his gaze, seeing him through the crowd.

“Excuse me.” Long Jia hurriedly handed his champagne glass to an assistant and quickly walked towards him.

The crowd parted like the Red Sea, and someone tried to take out a phone but was held back by the person next to them.

This was a high-level internal exchange meeting; anyone of status shouldn’t engage in sneak photography.

Bo Jue hadn’t expected him to come directly over, instinctively wanting to hide but not familiar with the place. In a few seconds, they had already met.

Without waiting for Long Jia to speak, he quickly went on the defensive: “General Manager Long, long time no see.”

Long Jia looked at him steadily for a few seconds.

They had broken up two years ago.

These two years had seen too many events, each profound enough to be unforgettable.

Now, meeting again among the crowd, one a professor, the other a businessman.

As if there were no more ties between them.

“Some charity projects of your school haven’t been finalized yet, I heard they’re led by Professor Bo.” Aware of the many eyes on them, he greeted him officially: “Let’s talk on WeChat when you have time.”

Bo Jue was still observing his current state, finally responding with a hmm.

He had already blocked him.

After breaking up, Bo Jue couldn’t face these complicated internal relationships, deleting everything from game accounts to phone numbers. Just seeing this guy around the dormitory was heart-wrenching, every encounter painful.

Long Jia casually spoke to a few school board members by his side, receiving various praises.

“Young Master Long is truly accomplished at a young age!”

“Young Master Long is indeed suited for the business world, haha, you also sing well, very well!”

After the reception, they had no further contact.

Bo Jue visited the restroom mid-way, taking several deep breaths in a stall, listening to his heartbeat, leaning against the wall as he removed Long Jia from the WeChat blacklist and sent him the school’s charity project information.

Half a minute later, he received a reply.

“After it ends, wait for me on the terrace outside the lounge on the eleventh floor.”

Bo Jue’s heart skipped a beat, immediately turning off his phone, holding his chest as he listened to the sound of flushing toilets next door.

He didn’t know whether he should go.

Previously, he could have many excuses.

To take care of Ren Ren, to accompany Chi Chi to practice the piano.

Now, he was alone.

Bo Jue stood idly in the stall for a long while before taking out his phone and sending a message to Bo Huan.

I won’t be coming home tonight, go to bed early.

Bo Huan sent a crying cat emoji.

Brother, you are still mad at me.

Bo Jue, amused despite himself, quickly replied.

The medicine was so bitter, only a fool wouldn’t be mad.

By the time the reception ended, it was already half past eleven at night.

Luxury cars gradually left the hotel, and the night was serene and peaceful.

Before entering the elevator, Bo Jue suddenly remembered that both the music academy and this hotel seemed to have investments from Xuan Yu Group.

The elevator dinged on the eleventh floor, and the lounge was deserted.

He glanced around and noticed the cameras were off.

When he reached the terrace, Long Jia had already been waiting for twenty minutes.

“…Long time no see.”

Long Jia didn’t respond, sipping his red wine and gazing into the distance.

Bo Jue looked in the same direction, realizing from here one could see the SPF Twin Towers.

The seventeenth floor was engulfed in darkness, having never been lit since February 17th of last year.

“Long Jia, now—”

Before Bo Jue could finish, Long Jia had already kissed him, pulling him into a fervent, siege-like kiss that left no room for thought or reaction.

In a moment of oxygen deprivation, Bo Jue tried to push him away, but was instead kissed even more fiercely, his lips and tongue thoroughly nibbled and licked as if a beast was marking its territory with its breath.

Drops of jewel-toned wine trickled down beside their lips, silently dampening their Adam’s apples.

“Hiss…” Bo Jue winced in pain, realizing the other was intoxicated and reached out to touch his face; “Long Jia, sober up, we’re on the terrace.”

Just then, the light-hearted conversation of a man and woman approached, seemingly heading their way.

Long Jia gave him a deep look, pulling Bo Jue’s wrist and walking to the side, wrapping them in an exaggeratedly large and luxurious curtain a second before being seen.

Layers of thick, intricate silk enveloped them into a narrow, dark space, where the laughter and conversation of the couple outside were faintly audible.

Bo Jue had never imagined himself in such a situation, still stunned in his embrace, focusing on the sounds nearby.

The man silently turned him around and leaned in for another long kiss in the darkness.

They had kissed many times before.

When they first acknowledged their feelings in their youth, after winning awards and relaxing.

Before breaking up in panic and helplessness, after breaking up in despair and pain.

Every kiss was shackled, fearing discovery and questioning.

Now, nearly three years post-breakup, all emotions yet to be vented made their hearts sink at the sight of each other.

Yet the kiss became the perfect way to express those feelings.

Initially, they sniffed each other’s scent, entwining lightly in pursuit.

Then they embraced each other’s necks tightly, almost pouring all of themselves into the kiss, never too close.

Nipping, pecking, cheeks brushing, and noses lightly touching.

Since they were already engulfed in darkness, they thought to let go of everything, to stop thinking any further.

They needed to break free from their own shackles.

They needed to live truly.

Something was released in an instant, like souls nailed down as specimens by the entertainment industry, or fears and pains they dared not show in front of others.

Their fingertips were burning, their hearts trembled and struggled, and their breathing was like confirming Morse code with each other.

The kiss lasted too long, so long that the people outside had already walked far away, yet they were still embracing each other, their rapid heartbeats audible with each breath.

Long Jia checked the situation outside and pulled Bo Jue by the hand to leave.

“—Where to?”

“My room.”

Bo Jue was startled for a few seconds, not expecting to end up in such disarray after their messy breakup.

He tried to break free from the grip, but within a few seconds, he was already pulled into the elevator.

The card was swiped, and the elevator obediently ascended to the top floor.

“I thought we should talk,” Bo Jue said quickly. “That place just now was unsafe, but—”

“This hotel belongs to my family,” Long Jia interrupted. “Bo Jue, there are some things we don’t need to say tonight.”

The elevator doors opened again, and Bo Jue was led out in a daze.

In just a couple of steps, they arrived at the door of the presidential suite.

Long Jia swiped the room card, and before turning the doorknob, he sighed half mockingly.

“I thought we’d only come here on our wedding day.”

Bo Jue’s eyes reddened immediately, and he looked up to ask, “What about now? What does this count as?!”

Long Jia hadn’t expected to make him cry again and hurriedly closed the door with one hand while comforting him with the other: “I didn’t mean it like that—”

“I can’t do this,” Bo Jue thought that comment was an insult to him and tried to pull away with teary eyes: “Long Jia, you can’t treat me like this—”

“Coming here now is not a mistake,” Long Jia held him without moving any further inside, comforting him with tenderness as if they had never been apart: “Bo Jue, when have I ever willingly hurt you? Even when you mentioned breaking up, I never refused…”

Yes.

It was I who mentioned breaking up.

Bo Jue’s mind was a mess with guilt.

He let Long Jia hold him, stroking his hair and smoothing his back, before finally speaking: “Aren’t you hurting me now?”

“Hurting you would be irresponsible after doing this.” Long Jia leaned in to kiss his lips, then carried him princess-style back to the room: “Professor Bo… give me a chance to be responsible.”

Bo Jue hadn’t been carried like this by him in many years, not until he was laid on the bed and looked into his eyes.

Clear and gentle, no different from when they were young.

“I’m falling apart,” Bo Jue muttered in complaint: “Life hasn’t been good.”

Long Jia gently removed his shoes and coat, kneeling beside him to kiss him gently, returning to the tenderness of their dating days.

“I was too hasty just now…” he murmured: “You don’t know how much I’ve missed you…”

And they spent the entire night comforting each other.

Long Jia had stayed up all night for two days before coming to the banquet, and after exhausting himself, he slept soundly in Bo Jue’s arms, having a rare good dream.

Bo Jue was awake at four in the morning, feeling angrier the more he thought about it, and hurriedly dressed and drove home without even washing his hair, his back in severe pain.

Xiao Huan thought there was a burglar in the house and rushed out in silk pajamas with a baseball bat, only to freeze upon seeing his weary brother: “…Eh?”

“Xiao Huan, listen to me, never fall for a bad man.”

“Huh?”

Bo Jue didn’t look back and went straight to the bedroom to take a bath.

The next afternoon, Bo Jue called Xie Lianyun to ask him out for lunch.

Xie Lianyun, having eaten takeout for months, made himself presentable to meet him.

Then they ordered a plate of scrambled eggs with squash and a pot of green vegetable porridge.

Xie Lianyun’s face turned as green as the vegetables.

Bo Jue cried silently while eating the porridge, feeling as humiliated as a fool.

Meeting up with an ex-boyfriend he hadn’t seen in two years, not speaking a word before kissing… and then going to bed.

He had held back his tears after the incident, but now all his emotions exploded, and he couldn’t stop crying.

“What’s wrong with you?”

Bo Jue kept his head down, eating and crying.

Xie Lianyun passed him a tissue and tentatively asked again.

“Do you need to go to the hospital?”

Bo Jue sniffed hard, not at all like the aloof professor at the music academy known for being cold.

“Then… do you want some vegetables?”

Xie Lianyun served some squash, thinking he’d have to order takeout again later and maybe buy a couple of pancakes on the way home.

…Then the tabloids would headline ‘Popular Idol Reduced to Buying Pancakes on the Street’, and Uncle Jiang would call again, trying to console him to let it go.

Hey!!! I can’t just let it go!!!

While Bo Jue enjoyed his cry and two bowls of green vegetable porridge, he left without paying the bill, rushing back to teach his class.

Xie Lianyun silently paid with his card, making sure Bo Jue was far away before taking out his phone to call Long Jia.

The latter was sitting in the empty suite, shocked.

How did he wake up to find his wife gone??

As soon as the call connected, Xie Lianyun asked coldly: “Did you see Bo Jue yesterday?”

Long Jia, thinking Bo Jue was in the bathroom, searched for him barefoot: “Yes?”

Xie Lianyun took a deep breath and yelled: “Long Jia, can you act like a human being for once??? Bo Jue is already in such a state, and you still torment him, do you have any shame at all????”

“Do you know what he invited me to eat today?? Damn!! Scrambled eggs with squash!! Who invites someone to eat scrambled eggs with squash!!!”

Long Jia, unusually quick to follow their bizarre line of thinking, got straight to the point: “I’m marrying him next year.”

Xie Lianyun instantly froze.

“This year is too busy, the Han family hasn’t fallen yet, the timing isn’t right.”

“I’ll go and clear things up with Bo Jue in a bit—”

“I also came over after eating my fill to join you two in drinking green vegetable porridge!!” Xie Lianyun angrily hung up the phone: “Have Snowball be your best man!”

The phone emitted a busy tone.

Young Master Long appeared bewildered.

Green vegetable porridge?

What green vegetable porridge??

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The author has a message:

Just finished being busy… Seeing that many people are waiting, I’m updating one chapter in advance, from tomorrow on we’ll meet at 6 a.m. as usual 23333

If you love me, please leave me comments, awoo awoo awoo (crazy hint)