BIAC CH 25

Chapter 25: He Really Likes You. Don’t Hurt Him…

Du Jianyou fainted.

Everyone had been so focused on breaking up the fight that no one noticed him collapsing.

Zhao Tiancheng suddenly remembered he was supposed to be holding onto him. When he turned around, he saw Du Jianyou clutching the photo as he fell to the ground. Zhao Tiancheng rushed over. His brows furrowed tightly; he took one quick glance and immediately snatched the photo and stuffed it into his pocket. Then he shouted, “Stop fighting! The director fainted!”

When Tang He heard Zhao Tiancheng’s shout, he finally snapped back to reality and rushed to Du Jianyou’s side. Zhao Tiancheng leaned in and quietly said, “He saw the photo.”

Tang He picked up Du Jianyou and began checking to see if he had any injuries. When he noticed the cut on his lip from biting down too hard, his heart ached so badly he nearly went back to kick Wang Guoqing a few more times. But suddenly, something Zhao Tiancheng said earlier replayed in his head—“He saw the photo.”

Never mind Du Jianyou’s reaction for now—the strange thing was Zhao Tiancheng’s reaction. He was oddly calm.

It was as if he already knew about the photo beforehand. Even now, after seeing it, he didn’t appear surprised. His reaction was just like Tang He’s—wanting to protect Du Jianyou by keeping him from seeing it. That’s why the moment he saw Du Jianyou faint, he instinctively told Tang He, “He saw the photo.”

Tang He turned to look at Zhao Tiancheng, and the cold intensity in his eyes made Zhao Tiancheng visibly uncomfortable.

Zhao Tiancheng could tell what Tang He was starting to suspect, but this wasn’t the time to explain. The police had arrived, Du Jianyou had fainted, and Wang Guoqing had been beaten to a pulp—there was too much to deal with.

He told Tang He, “I’ll stay here to handle the aftermath. Can you take Director Du to the hospital first? I’ll come find you there later.”

Tang He nodded, cradled Du Jianyou in his arms, and turned to leave. Just then, a few police officers walked in. The leading officer blocked his way and said, “Someone reported a disturbance here? No one is allowed to leave until we sort this out.”

Tang He said to the officer, “He’s unconscious. Please allow me to take him to the hospital first. I’m Tang He from Guangsheng Group. If you need to find me later, I’ll be at the hospital.” With that, he turned to leave.

Officer Ji was about to object when Zhao Tiancheng quickly stepped in, “Officer, hello. The one who trespassed and caused a disturbance is right here.” He turned around and pointed—Wang Guoqing was lying on the floor, his face bruised and swollen. Officer Ji tilted his head, sighed, and looked down at the man. “Who hit him?”

Everyone shook their heads and answered in unison, “He ran into something himself.”

Zhao Tiancheng gave Officer Ji an overview of what had happened—excluding the part where Tang He hit Wang Guoqing.

Seeing the man reeking of alcohol, unsure whether he was passed out from being drunk or from the beating, Officer Ji was at a loss. He had no choice but to dispatch an ambulance. Zhao Tiancheng would accompany Wang Guoqing to the hospital for observation. The man had to wake up before they could take his statement. Officer Ji sighed in irritation. “Fine, I’ll just head over to Z University Hospital too. If I’m lucky, maybe I’ll run into him.”

At the hospital, Zhao Tiancheng helped get Wang Guoqing admitted to the emergency room, greeted the accompanying officer, and began searching for Tang He. As expected, he found him at the other end of the ER—Tang He stood stiffly at Du Jianyou’s bedside, his face grim as he listened to the doctor.

Du Jianyou was still unconscious. As Zhao Tiancheng approached, he heard the ER chief, Guan Dongbao, explaining, “His blood sugar is extremely low. Combined with intense emotional agitation, he fainted temporarily. I’ve administered a glucose drip to replenish his sugar levels. Let him rest. Once he wakes up, I’ll examine him again to make sure nothing else is wrong.”

Zhao Tiancheng nodded at the doctor and added to Tang He, “He rushed back all day just to see you. He barely ate anything.”

Tang He remained silent, his eyes never leaving Du Jianyou.

Guan Dongbao glanced at the man lying in the hospital bed, then at his solemn old friend. He more or less understood who this person was. He patted Tang He’s shoulder gently, signaling, “Call me if you need anything,” and left when another nurse summoned him.

Zhao Tiancheng pulled Tang He into a seat and took out the crumpled photo, turning it over in his hands, wondering how to begin. Tang He didn’t ask. Right now, his only concern was Du Jianyou.

At last, Zhao Tiancheng gripped the photo tightly and opened his mouth with difficulty. “He… doesn’t know about this incident.” Tang He’s heart tightened, and he stared at Zhao Tiancheng—was he assaulted by those animals?

Zhao Tiancheng saw what Tang He was thinking and shook his head, continuing anyway.

“You know, when we first started the company, things were really tough. We had to beg others for opportunities. Xiao Du’s very determined and unafraid of challenges. He’s also great at socializing. During business dinners, drinks flowed and things would get lively—games, singing, the usual. But he never overstepped boundaries. Not once. He always knew his limits,” Zhao Tiancheng emphasized.

“Later, as the company started to find its footing, the rumors got worse—just like the garbage you heard from Wang Guoqing. All that crap about ‘climbing into beds,’ ‘being amazing in bed’…” Zhao Tiancheng’s voice dropped. He hated repeating such disgusting slander. After a pause, he continued, “Xiao Du heard it all. He endured it. But just because he held it in doesn’t mean others didn’t hear it too. And there are plenty of people as vile as Wang Guoqing. Look at Jianyou—he’s good-looking, his figure’s great, and… a little androgynous. People with filthy minds assume he’s easy prey.”

“That day, we were meeting a few executives to discuss ad partnerships. They said it was business, but they had ulterior motives. They took turns forcing drinks on Xiao Du. He can usually hold his liquor, but they were too aggressive. As for me? I came prepared—I only drank beer. But even so, after drinking too much, I had to go to the bathroom. I—I just… lost my mind for a moment,” Zhao Tiancheng continued. “I thought it’d only take a minute to go to the bathroom. I didn’t expect that when I came back, the door to the private room would be locked. Damn it, that sobered me right up. I started pounding on the door like mad. A passing waiter came over to help, and with a few of us working together, we managed to break the door down. What we saw was exactly what you saw in that photo.”

“I rushed in and beat the hell out of those bastards. The waiter started shouting about calling the police, and those scumbags, knowing they were in the wrong, began pretending to be drunk, yelling and acting up before sneaking away while we were distracted. I didn’t care about them anymore—I ran straight to check on Du Jianyou.”

“He wouldn’t wake up no matter how much I called him. I was scared to death. The waiter came over, checked the drinks, and confirmed he had been drugged—probably something illegal—which is why he wouldn’t wake up. I was furious. My hands were shaking as I cleaned him up. His entire upper body was covered in messy hickeys, saliva, bite marks. I dressed him properly again and thankfully, his pants were still intact. I figured those bastards couldn’t get them off since they were tight-fitting.”

“Afterward, I carried him home. I wanted to take him to the hospital, but the waiter reminded me the drug might be illegal. If the hospital detected it, it could escalate to a police case. At that time, we couldn’t afford to offend those people, so I had no choice but to swallow it and endure it in silence.”

“He laid in my house for the whole night. He finally woke up the next morning but had absolutely no memory of what had happened. He was just a little confused about where the bruises and marks on his body had come from. I told him some were from drinking and falling, others were from playing party games. He seemed skeptical, but since he was still fully dressed and relatively clean, he didn’t press further. After that incident, I never let him drink with unfamiliar people again. He probably sensed something too. Even though he didn’t ask, he gradually started refusing social events.”

“That’s the whole story. I thought that as long as I never brought it up, Xiao Du would never have to know. I didn’t expect those bastards to take photos. But the photo you saw—that was already the worst of it. I don’t know if you believe me, but those are the facts. Xiao Du never did anything dirty. He never sold himself.”

“He worked so hard for the company—gave it everything he had. He was dedicated to his duties, always following me around to meet clients. In the beginning, things were really tough. But even then, he never did anything to betray himself. All those rumors out there—about sugar daddies, about whose bed he climbed into—they’re all bullshit. He’s just unlucky, all because he’s good-looking and his demeanor isn’t rough and masculine. That makes him a target for jealousy and bullying. Otherwise, why don’t they ever say I crawled into someone’s bed?”

When he finished, Zhao Tiancheng looked up at Tang He and saw that the cold, hard lines of his face had softened. His eyes were red-rimmed, lips parted as if trying to exhale the bitterness out of his nose, but his gaze remained blankly fixed on Du Jianyou.

Seeing him like this, Zhao Tiancheng knew Tang He truly cared about Du Jianyou. He couldn’t help but add, “Xiao Du is a genuinely kind and sincere person. He takes relationships very seriously. He really likes you. Please… don’t hurt him.”

“I won’t,” Tang He murmured.

Zhao Tiancheng stood up and patted Tang He on the shoulder. “When he wakes up, comfort him properly. From what I know of his obsessive attitude toward emotional purity, this kind of thing will really get to him. Otherwise, why would he still be single and untouched at thirty?”

He suddenly paused—realizing that kind of private topic wasn’t his to reveal. Embarrassed, he shook his head and quietly left to check on Wang Guoqing.

This time, seeing his friend lying pale and weak in a hospital bed, Zhao Tiancheng made up his mind: he would no longer let things slide. These troublemakers needed to be taught a lesson. Let’s see if they still dare to run their filthy mouths.

And the first one he’d deal with was Wang Guoqing.

(To be continued…)