BIAC CH 3

Chapter 3: Last Night, Did We…?

When Tang He heard the rustling sounds by his ear and opened his eyes, daylight was already streaming through the window. The man from last night was awake and happily taking selfies, heads pressed together. Who knew how many he had secretly taken while Tang He was asleep?

Tang He immediately sat up, trying to snatch the phone. But the other man was quick—he flipped off the bed in one swift motion. Standing by the bed, his demeanor reverted to that flirtatious state from last night. He wiggled the phone with his pinky raised and said, “Hey, relax, I won’t do anything to you. You just looked so handsome while you were sleeping—I wanted a little memento. Just one picture, don’t be so stingy!” He even added a sweet, coquettish tone at the end, making Tang He frown in discomfort. He really wasn’t used to men acting so delicate and flirty.

Seeing Tang He remain silent, Du Jianyou scratched his head, awkwardly pointing back and forth between the two of them before asking, “Last night… did we…?”

“No.” Tang He cut off Du Jianyou’s fantasy with a blunt, firm tone.

He had expected a disappointed response like “Aw, what a pity,” but instead, Du Jianyou visibly sighed in relief. “Good. That’s a relief. Scared me.” He even patted his chest like he’d just dodged a bullet.

Watching this ridiculous reaction, Tang He was livid. This guy was truly unbelievable. He was the one who had climbed on top of him last night, kissing and licking all over, turning things so… so… ugh, forget it. And now he acted like he was lucky nothing happened. If he’d known, he would’ve just lied and said they’d done everything—see if he’d still be patting his chest then.

Du Jianyou noticed Tang He’s expression shift from cloudy to stormy but assumed it was just morning grumpiness. He didn’t realize the mess he’d stirred up last night. Not that he cared either—if the guy wanted to be mad, let him. Let him grow wrinkles from fuming. Du Jianyou was ready to leave anyway.

He looked around, patted his pockets: wallet, phone, keys—all there. He checked the mirror, smoothed his hair: still a handsome guy. Except… he squinted closer—those dark circles under his eyes were pretty bad. He clicked his tongue in displeasure. Whatever. He needed to get home and catch up on his beauty sleep.

Turning away from Tang He, he casually said, “Last night… anyway, thanks. Let’s not see each other again, don’t miss me too much!” And then he walked out the door.

Tang He sat on the bed, watching Du Jianyou posing and making faces in the mirror—smiling one moment, pouting the next. It was baffling. Just as he was about to throw in a few sarcastic comments, that guy tossed out a casual “Let’s not see each other again” and left.

Hmph. Like he wanted to see him again.

Du Jianyou left with flair, and when the door closed behind him, the confident, breezy smile faded from his face. He leaned wearily against the wall, rubbing his face. He really had drunk too much last night—ended up in a stranger’s bed with no memory of how he got there.

He tried to recall. Vague fragments came to mind: drinking games, singing on stage, the crowd cheering… and someone watching him with a constant smile…

Ah! It was that man—the one who had just shared a bed with him. How did just one smile end with them in the same bed?

After he got off the stage, something must’ve happened: someone harassed him, there was pushing and shoving, someone pulled him into a run… and the next thing he knew, he was waking up to a stranger beside him.

Well, not completely a stranger. That man in the suit—he’d seen him before. Back when Du Jianyou was temporarily performing at the bar, the guy had come by a few times, always sitting quietly and listening to him sing. Du Jianyou had felt quite good about him, but every time he finished performing, the man had already left. Eventually, he stopped showing up, and Du Jianyou had been a little disappointed.

But to reunite in this awkward state… Du Jianyou bit his lip in frustration. So embarrassing.

Would the guy think he was some kind of sleazy flirt who randomly hooked up with people?

He checked himself carefully. Nothing seemed out of place—his clothes were intact. Though he had no experience, he had read online that, well… your first time supposedly hurt a lot. His face flushed as he did a subtle body check. Other than a pounding hangover, he felt totally fine.

Still pure. Good.

Sigh. Even if they were celebrating the company winning Best Advertisement and Best Director awards, they definitely drank too much. Next time, he had to be more careful—never mix drinks again. Every time he did, he got drunk. No exceptions. And waking up afterward was the worst part.

He shook his head hard, trying to shake off all the lingering anxiety and panic. Rubbing his face, he pulled himself together. A new day—he was still a confident and dashing man.
…A man who had no idea that, in a few moments, he would nearly get pummeled by his best friend and business partner Zhao Tiancheng for going MIA all night after drinking himself into oblivion and turning off his phone.

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Neither Du Jianyou nor Tang He remembered to ask each other’s names.

And because of that, later on, when they each tried to recall the other, that small detail—their names—became a persistent thought that grew, eventually turning into an obsession.

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Five minutes before clocking out, Su An knocked on the door of Tang He’s office, pulling his thoughts back to reality from two months ago.

His throat dry, he responded automatically, “Come in,” though his mind was still a mess.

When Su An entered, she saw Tang He still dazedly gripping a profile sheet printed with Du Jianyou’s photo. She looked at her boss, confused.

She had worked with Tang He for years. Though she was emotionally a bit dense with most people, she could read his moods well. Right now, she sensed something was off, so she smartly chose not to ask questions. She just reported mechanically, “President Tang, we’ve confirmed with First Dream Advertising Agency. The pitch meeting is set for Monday at 3 PM here at our company conference room. Director Du Jianyou will be coming with a few of his assistants.”

Tang He nodded to acknowledge.

Seeing no further instructions, Su An decided not to pry, despite her curiosity. It was Friday night, and she could finally leave work on time. Her girl friends had arranged a dinner party at her place, and if she hurried, she’d make it just in time. For once, she wouldn’t be the last to show up and get scolded.

Tang He watched Su An’s retreating figure as she quickly got off work and left. Then he looked at the photo in his hand—Du Jianyou wearing a tacky floral shirt, ridiculous glasses, and with an exaggerated expression on his face. The inexplicable frustration that had been lingering in Tang He’s heart for the past two months suddenly vanished without a trace.

“Du Jianyou…” he murmured the name once more unconsciously, anticipation welling up in his chest for the day they would meet again.

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Monday’s meeting finally arrived.

In Tang He’s perception, it felt like he had endured a dreadfully long and boring Friday night, then a long boring Saturday, followed by a long boring Sunday, and then an equally long and boring Monday morning. Finally, at 2:50 PM, as he fidgeted restlessly in his seat, the appointed hour arrived.

Right on time, Su An pushed open the door to the CEO’s office and informed him, “Director Du Jianyou and his team have arrived at the conference room. They’re waiting for you to start the meeting.”

Tang He, who had been antsy and irritable all day, was now calmly flipping through a document at his desk. He replied leisurely, “I know. You all go ahead and get ready. I’ll come over once I’ve finished reviewing this file.”

Su An was taken aback. She had no idea what game Tang He was playing. The whole morning he had been pacing around the office in circles doing nothing productive. And now, at the scheduled time of the meeting, he suddenly decided to review a financial report?

She didn’t understand the emotional shift, nor did she know the history between Tang He and Du Jianyou. She simply chalked it up to one of those odd male mood swings. If women had hormonal imbalances, maybe this was what it looked like in men—some kind of testosterone crash? Come to think of it, it was entirely possible.

Over the past few months, Tang He hadn’t visited any of his usual bed partners. One of the newer ones—someone named Yan or something—didn’t know her place. She assumed she was the new favorite and even came looking for him at the office. Tang He instructed Su An to send her away and permanently cut her off. The little model didn’t even get to see his face.

Su An had even taken the time to gently console that tearful, foolish woman, while cursing Tang He to death in her heart. But she always knew that Tang He’s relationships with his bed partners were purely transactional—based entirely on money and material things. When it came to clueless women like that one, Su An couldn’t place all the blame on Tang He. Some women just fancied themselves as beast tamers, thinking they could domesticate this crocodile.

She shrugged. Whatever. She decided not to bother with this hormone-crazed CEO for now and figured it would be more practical to go receive the guests.

Tang He, who had been restless for days, felt his agitation suddenly settle when he heard that Du Jianyou was already waiting in the conference room—as if he had never been agitated at all. He took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. Reflecting on his mental state over the past two days, he found it utterly baffling.

He figured it must be because he was used to having control over everything. That night’s events had been one of the rare situations completely out of his hands. That unexpected loss of control had left him thinking about the person and what happened over and over again for the past few months, leaving him disinterested in everything else.

Now that they were finally meeting again, he intended to take back control—to let this Du Jianyou, who had turned and walked away without looking back, know that the name Tang He was not just for show.

He straightened his attire and, with steady, confident steps, entered the conference room. Du Jianyou had his back to the door, casually chatting with the others. As soon as Su An introduced, “President Tang has arrived,” Du Jianyou’s lively voice rang out, “Ah! I’ve long heard of President Tang’s great name. It’s an honor to finally meet you. I look forward to working with you…”

But as Du Jianyou turned and laid eyes on Tang He in the flesh, his whole body noticeably paused. The hand he had extended for a handshake froze mid-air. The polite pleasantries trailing from his lips grew quieter. The smile on his face stiffened. His wide eyes locked onto Tang He’s face, carrying a trace of surprise and awkwardness.

Tang He was quite pleased with Du Jianyou’s reaction. It meant Du Jianyou still remembered him—that night wasn’t just unforgettable for him alone.

Without betraying any emotion, Tang He reached out and gave Du Jianyou’s hand a quick, polite shake before letting go. He followed up smoothly, “Yes, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Please, have a seat. Su An, you may begin the meeting.”

Tang He deliberately avoided Du Jianyou’s gaze, pretending as if this truly was their first meeting, adopting an entirely businesslike demeanor. Du Jianyou, displeased, pouted a little, his cheeks puffing up with barely contained irritation.

Tang He noticed—and felt even more smug.

(To be continued…)