Idol Chapter 164 Part 1

Bo Jue ended the class one and a half minutes early.

He knew that once the bell for the last class in the morning rang, a bunch of bear cubs from this building would rush to grab their meals.

…There were already enough eyewitnesses today.

Professor Xiao Bo hurriedly dragged General Long to the underground parking lot, the latter following leisurely in good spirits.

“Shall we go for bamboo fungus chicken soup? Or to your favorite porridge restaurant?”

Bo Jue almost shoved him into the driver’s seat, rubbing his temple and sighing.

“Being so ostentatious, you’re really not afraid of being seen.”

Long Jia tilted his body to start the engine, giving him an extra glance.

“Seen, and then what?”

“What then?” Bo Jue replied subconsciously: “Do you think this is good?”

“I come to pick you up once, and these students will naturally be shocked.”

The man leisurely steered the wheel, handing him a box of sweet peaches that had been cut not long ago.

“After coming to pick you up every day, they won’t make a big deal out of it anymore.”

Bo Jue held the preservation box, momentarily unclear if this person was truly clueless or actually clever.

They were still being watched by paparazzi, which was normal.

Paparazzi are like flies drawn to the scent of explosive news, eager to monetize every detail of a public figure’s life from birth to death.

Whether before Chi Chi left or after, the world actually hadn’t changed.

People argue, accuse, and then forget.

The real change now was only between the two of them.

If their romance was exposed, the Shidu Music Academy might not have much of a reaction.

In another year and a half, national legalization of same-sex marriage would make coming out easier for ordinary people, though public figures still needed more understanding.

But they were no longer idols who needed to be accountable to any fans.

Bo Jue, head lowered, holding the preservation box, thought for a while before finding a more gentle reason to refuse.

“We’re not dating yet, no need to pick me up every day.”

Currently, they were in a confused state of being ex-boyfriends and first loves.

“It’s me pursuing you unilaterally.” The man gestured for him to feed him a piece: “Professor Xiao Bo, do me a favor.”

Bo Jue thought this guy wasn’t like this before.

He inexplicably obeyed, feeding a peach slice, even catching any spills with a napkin to avoid dirtying Long Jia’s suit.

“Tasty.” Long Jia smiled with narrowed eyes.

Back in the day at the seventeenth floor, Long Jia turned both initiative and passivity into Bo Jue’s freedom of choice.

He was considerate of Bo Jue, always having to look after his three younger brothers, suppressing many desires for closeness, ultimately ending everything over a kiss.

Bo Jue always had too many concerns, now switching roles to become a distinguished professor, he unwittingly reduced many anxious feelings.

“I’m not quite used to you like this.” He said, touching the edge of the preservation box with his fingertips: “It’s not that I dislike it, I just don’t know how to react.”

It’s as if all shackles were removed, yet they seemed to still be in place.

Long Jia was silent for a few seconds, giving him another look.

“Bo Jue.”

“What?”

“I used to think, liking you, I should give all the choices to you, allowing you to feel free at any time.”

The red light turned green, Long Jia steered left, whether observing the road conditions or masking his emotions was unclear.

“Only after a long time after we broke up, I suddenly realized some things.”

“Sometimes we avoid making choices, just avoiding the unknown outcomes.”

“But many things, if I make the choices for you, taking on the consequences of these choices, it’s also protecting our future.”

Bo Jue looked at Long Jia in surprise, their eyes meeting briefly, as if something was being cleared and opened in their hearts at the same time.

He opened his mouth to say something but then pressed his lips together, frowning in thought, before finally responding softly after a long while.

“I haven’t done well enough either.”

Long Jia smiled and ruffled his hair.

“How could I blame you?”

Lunch was chosen at an old soup restaurant.

The place wasn’t big, a quaint alley bistro with a homely atmosphere, but the pork stomach chicken soup stewed in a sand pot was superb, and the pigeon stew was also quite good.

After addressing their concerns, their appetite improved significantly during the meal.

Two or three dishes of refreshing appetizers, paired with the greasiness-skimmed, milky chicken soup, nourished and comforted them at the end of spring.

Bo Jue squinted as he sipped the soup, while Long Jia, in a great mood, propped his chin to watch him.

It wasn’t until the meal was nearly over that they remembered the important matter of a friend that hadn’t been discussed.

“The next show’s host, Sister Feng, is going to the United States for a concert tour, leaving a spot for a substitute mentor.”

“Would you consider it?”

Bo Jue methodically reiterated his stance: “I’d be doing it as a favor to Ren Ren.”

“Of course.” Long Jia smiled: “Xie Lianyun also asked me to inquire if, in consideration of our many years of friendship, you could give a seventy percent discount on the appearance fee.”

Bo Jue gave him a cool glance.

“Just make sure to deduct the cost of a bowl of vegetable porridge; don’t expect anything else.”

Manager Long gently nodded: “Professor Bo is obviously thrifty and manages well, a perfect match for me.”

The soup restaurant was one and a half kilometers away from Bo Jue’s upscale residential area.

They instructed the driver to come for the car, and then, shoulder to shoulder, they slowly walked home together.

This was a novel and luxurious experience.

All along the way back, many passersby recognized them, even taking photos surreptitiously without greeting.

For the first time, Bo Jue didn’t worry about anything, simply walking slowly back with Long Jia, chatting about trivial matters.

He was being exposed to the world once again.

With each step, the anxiety and unease in his heart settled a bit more.

No longer hiding within the shelter of the school, nor behind the identity of Professor Bo.

Breathing freely and relaxedly in the fresh air, watching the poodle stroll by the roadside, stopping to look at the small items in the shop windows whenever he wished.

He had only dared to shop freely abroad in the past.

Now, just buying some peach pastries and egg cakes from an old man’s pastry shop with real currency gave him an unreal sense of gratitude.

Still, many people were watching them.

Whispering secretly, curiously inquiring, or even rushing over to request photos and autographs.

But those people would get used to it.

The world would also get used to it.

Long Jia, quite the gentleman, walked him home, restraining himself from publicly holding his hand, then politely said goodbye at the entrance of the apartment.

“You today… were indeed a suitor with great restraint,” Bo Jue commented leisurely before turning the key.

He had always been weak to his first love; if Long Jia wished to enter and do something now, he might not refuse.

Walking side by side for a while seemed to ignite affection, embarrassingly so.

Long Jia lowered his head with a smile, leaning closer to him.

They hadn’t kissed in a long time.

This second, as the distance closed, felt like the perfect conclusion to a date.

Noses nearly touching, their gentle breaths caressing each other’s cheeks.

Bo Jue had never been this intimate with anyone at the door.

His heart raced as if he was breaking years of prohibition, adrenaline surging with a sense of transgression.

Yet, he honestly tilted his head upwards.

But the kiss didn’t happen.

As he leaned in, Long Jia moved back slightly by an inch.

Bo Jue instinctively leaned in more, but the other still enticingly moved back a bit.

The kiss that was so close yet unreachable suddenly itched his heart.

He used his gaze to ask and call for the man to come kiss him, but Long Jia instead raised his hand to smooth his hair, a laugh hidden in his voice.

“I’ll be sent abroad for two months to finish a project, then I’ll come back.”

I want you to miss me.

To want to kiss me every second of every day.

Bo Jue took several deep breaths, trying hard to conceal the feelings he had exposed.

“Take care of yourself, drink less coffee.”

He kept his tone casual and light, his heart still lingering on the kiss he didn’t receive.

“About Ren Ren… I’ll call back in a bit.”

Long Jia looked down at him, silent.

Bo Jue averted his gaze, twisting the key and standing at the doorway for a long while.

“Really… not going to kiss?”

The man shook his head, like a gentle beast.

Bo Jue hadn’t expected that going out for a meal today would lead to this situation, and he felt a bit embarrassed and awkward asking now.

He was still longing for the kiss he hadn’t received.

“…Then, how about a hug?”

The next second, he was fiercely embraced.

His body momentarily felt weightless; the hug was so strong, it felt like being accepted and restrained at the same time, filled with suppressed longing.

“Do you feel it now,” the man whispered in Bo Jue’s ear, “every day, I’m like you are at this moment.”

“Wanting to see you every day, wanting to hold you like this, wanting to kiss you incessantly, wanting to make love with you all night to the point of madness.”

“Bo Jue, we’ve been separated for so long, you have no idea how tormented I’ve been to make it to this point.”

Bo Jue was suddenly engulfed in the embrace filled with the scent of ambergris, the warm breath by his ear was filled with intensely passionate thoughts, leaving him overwhelmed and momentarily dazed.

“Long Jia…”

“I owe you a kiss, I’ll keep owing it for two months.” Long Jia leaned in to nuzzle his ear with his nose, his voice muddled and enticingly soft.

“You owe me eight hundred and forty-seven days since we broke up.”

“Day and night, every minute and second.”

“You can’t repay it.”

Bo Jue realized the man had changed his cologne at some point, letting him rub his cheek against him for a moment before sighing softly.

“Fine, let’s call the driver.”

Long Jia, rarely indulgent, suddenly became a bit wary.

“Why call the driver?”

Bo Jue turned around, pulled out the key, and closed the door again.

Then, like calming a big lion, he stroked his face.

“Let’s find a church to get engaged, to stop you from worrying all the time.”

They had actually been estranged for nearly three years, unfamiliar with each other’s current lives and uncertain of each other’s changes.

Their memories stopped three years ago, without much update after the breakup.

Suddenly deciding to get engaged was indeed impulsive and risky, not at all like a choice Bo Jue would consider even for a second.

Long Jia first doubted if he had been driven mad by emotion.

“Wearing an engagement ring on the ring finger does look pretty good.” Bo Jue pondered for a moment: “Get a sapphire one, no tiny diamonds.”

Long Jia stared at him steadily.

“Are you not joking?”

Bo Jue coolly asked in return: “Do you want me to back out now?”

The man grabbed his wrist and headed back, nearly jumping with lightness.

He even gave a loud kiss on the back of his hand.