BIAC CH 19

Chapter 19: Can’t We Just Be Good Friends?

At that moment, Du Jianyou was in the kitchen doing the dishes, music playing in the background. The clattering water and upbeat melody completely masked the sound of someone entering the apartment.

Tang He helped clear the table, bringing the used dishes into the kitchen. As he stepped in, he paused in surprise—right in front of him, with his back turned, was Du Jianyou gently swaying his hips to the rhythm, softly singing along to the lyrics.

“Ten men^[1]—seven are fools, eight are dull, nine are bad,
But there’s one who’s loved by all—come on, girls, stand tall.
Even if you have to lie, just lure him in—
Love him well, don’t ever let him go again.”

So only girls can stand tall? Little brothers can’t?

A kind, brave, and handsome drummer like me doesn’t count?

I want to love him too… and never let him go again.

Du Jianyou was dancing joyfully, but for some reason, he suddenly stopped. He placed both hands on the counter, head hung low, shoulders trembling faintly. His breaths came in a few deep, stifled exhales.

Tang He’s heart clenched like someone had gripped it hard—it hurt.

He quietly walked over and placed the dishes into the sink.

Lost in his own thoughts, Du Jianyou hadn’t realized someone was there. When Tang He’s hand suddenly reached past him, he was so startled he nearly slipped. Tang He reacted quickly, catching him just in time, and the two of them froze like that—locked in an embrace.

It was Du Jianyou who recovered first. Out of habit, he tried to pat his chest to calm himself, only to realize his hands were still covered in suds and gave up. Then, as he recalled his ridiculous singing and dancing performance—completely caught—his face flushed with embarrassment. Still, he managed to play it cool and said,

“You scared me to death, ge. Why’d you come back? Did you forget something? Where’s Su An?”

He deliberately turned his head toward the kitchen door, checking if Su An was still in the living room. At the same time, he subtly wiped the dampness from the corners of his eyes with his sleeve.

Tang He stared at Du Jianyou—eyes slightly red, clearly avoiding the topic—and suddenly realized his own arm was still wrapped around his waist. Embarrassed, he quickly let go.

“Su An’s gone home. I… I just thought, we made this mess together, so how could I be so shameless as to leave you to clean it up alone? That’s why I came back,” Tang He explained, his words carrying a double meaning.

Du Jianyou looked at him, understanding the deeper implication behind his words, and nodded gently. “Mm.” After that, they didn’t say another word, silently going back to cleaning.

Once everything was finally tidied up, Tang He stood by the dining table, picked up the bottle of red wine Su An had brought, and called toward Du Jianyou, who was rummaging through something, “Wanna have a drink? Su An’s got a good eye for wine.”

Sure enough, Du Jianyou turned around with two wine glasses and a corkscrew in hand. He smiled and raised the glasses slightly. “Great minds think alike.”

They returned to the living room with their items, each choosing a seat—not too close, but close enough for conversation. Du Jianyou handed the corkscrew to Tang He, who opened the bottle and poured the wine. They clinked glasses and each took a sip, casually complimenting the wine: how smooth it was, how easy it went down.

But no matter how good the wine, there’s only so much praise you can give before the room falls quiet again.

Now, the two sat awkwardly in the living room, neither daring to be the first to speak. Tang He thought about it—it was him who’d entered the birthday code and come back uninvited, so it should probably be him to break the silence.

He mustered his courage and confessed, “Actually… Su An’s not my girlfriend.”

“I know,” Du Jianyou replied honestly. “She’s just the shield you used to reject me.” His voice, after smiling all night, now carried unmistakable bitterness. Tang He felt a pang of guilt.

“Yeah… a shield. But it wasn’t just you I was blocking out. I was also trying to protect myself,” Tang He said, eyes fixed on his wine glass, unable to meet Du Jianyou’s gaze.

“You know who I am, right? I’m Tang He of the Tang family. I don’t just carry the burdens most men do—I carry far more. I might not even be able to decide my own marriage for love. I have to weigh business interests. Even a woman wanting to stand beside me would face endless obstacles. And you… a man… have you thought about the pressure you’d face?”

Du Jianyou stayed silent, listening intently—waiting for him to finally say something real.

“If we let this inappropriate feeling continue and I end up abandoning you in the end… you’d hate me. And I don’t want you to hate me. I don’t want us to end up like that. So, all I can think of is keeping things as they are. I like having you by my side. Can’t we just… stay friends?” Tang He finally looked up at Du Jianyou, despair written all over his face.

“Just friends? Do you really think you can do that?” Du Jianyou tilted his head, biting his lip slightly. That one look was enough to send heat surging through Tang He’s body.

“Jianyou… don’t do this. Let’s talk calmly, okay?” Tang He pleaded weakly.

“I am talking calmly, ge…” Du Jianyou said with a soft laugh.

Tang He lowered his head again, unsure how to respond.

Du Jianyou composed himself and said seriously, “Are you done? Want to hear my side now?”

Tang He nodded. That was the reason he came back—to hear what Du Jianyou had to say.

“I don’t have any grand philosophies,” Du Jianyou began quietly, his gaze drifting toward a painting behind Tang He. “Everyone has their own life path. You have yours, I have mine. Right now, we’ve just happened to take a detour onto the same road. Maybe at the next fork, we’ll go our separate ways again, heading toward our respective destinations.”

He looked back at Tang He, his tone shifting: “If on your way home, you run into someone and happen to walk the same path for a while, chat a bit, and then part ways at the next intersection… would you hate that person? I wouldn’t. I’d be grateful for the company on the road. Whether it’s a long stretch or a short one—at least it wasn’t lonely. Whether the time is filled with joy or sadness, at least we’ll have the memory. Ge, I’m not as clever as you, I don’t think things through as deeply. I just think… let’s be companions for a while.”

“This isn’t fair to you,” Tang He argued, his voice heavy. “Even if we get along well now, I… I can’t give you a future. I just want you to be happy.”

“You’re not me. How do you know I won’t be happy?” Du Jianyou countered. “And let me remind you—I’m a man, too. I have my own future. I don’t need you to promise me anything.”

Du Jianyou paused, then continued with conviction: “And honestly, has this all been fair to you either? I was the one who forced my feelings onto you, making you confront them. I know you value our friendship. From a social standpoint, you probably even quite like me. But when it comes to love, we’re not in the same circle. I know you’ve always liked women. It was me—I was the one who had wishful thinking, who used your affection to emotionally blackmail you, without considering whether your feelings for me were the same as mine for you. Frankly… that was selfish of me. It was presumptuous.”

Tang He was stunned by Du Jianyou’s words.

For a moment, neither of them spoke, lost in their own thoughts about what came next.

Then Du Jianyou seemed to reach a decision. He moved and knelt down in front of Tang He, gently placing his hands on Tang He’s knees. He looked up at him seriously and asked, with difficulty: “Ge, there’s something I want to ask you. Do you… do you like me? Even just a little bit? The way I… like you?”

Tang He stared at him, almost in disbelief. After all this, he was still asking that?

“I’m sitting here, talking to you like this. Isn’t that already an answer?” Tang He asked in return.

“I want to hear you say it. You’ve never actually said it,” Du Jianyou whispered, his voice growing softer. He instinctively bit his lower lip, head lowered, eyes avoiding Tang He’s gaze—shy, but with a quiet determination.

“…” Tang He fell silent for a moment. Then, finally giving in to his heart, he reached out and gently lifted Du Jianyou’s chin, forcing him to look into his eyes.

Then, with his thumb, he softly brushed over the teeth marks left on Du Jianyou’s lip. His voice was sincere and clear: “I like you. The way you like me.”

Du Jianyou’s eyes lit up instantly. He looked at Tang He with joy, unable to hide his delight. Even earlier, when he saw Tang He return alone, part of him already suspected it meant Tang He wasn’t entirely indifferent. But to actually hear him say the words—those long-awaited words—still made his eyes redden almost immediately.

All the torment from the past month… now, in retrospect, felt sweet.

Tang He looked at Du Jianyou kneeling before him, eyes bright and misty, staring up at him with such burning affection that his own throat tightened.

In that moment, he suddenly realized how meaningless all that month of silence had been. Su An was right: life is short. And he had wasted a whole month, ignoring the wonderful person right in front of him?

Tang He thought to himself bitterly—he was truly the biggest fool in the world.

“I admit, I’ve always liked women. I never imagined I’d one day develop feelings for a man,” Tang He said. “But emotions come when they want to. By the time I realized it, I couldn’t let go of you anymore.”

“Then… are you willing to walk this path with me?” Du Jianyou asked, his voice airy and tender, as though his words might float away if not answered. “Not seeking a final destination—just companionship. And when it’s time to part, we’ll do it peacefully. No one’s allowed to hold any grudges, okay?”

“…Mm, I’m willing.” The mood was just right.

“But I don’t have a ring to give you right now,” Du Jianyou teased, grinning as if he were proposing and Tang He had agreed.

“What are you even saying?” Tang He rolled his eyes, reaching out to mess up Du Jianyou’s hair. The romantic atmosphere was promptly ruined.

Still, he pulled the laughing Du Jianyou to his feet. Tang He, being quite the flirt when he wanted to be, knew exactly what to do next now that they had confessed their feelings.

He wrapped Du Jianyou tightly in his arms. However strong his longing had been over this past month, that’s how tight he now held him. Then he leaned down and kissed him—a gentle, fleeting kiss. Unlike their previous passionate, desire-fueled kisses, this one was tender and grounding. A kiss that said: From this moment on, we walk together. Even if we part one day, I’ll still be grateful we met.

After the kiss, Du Jianyou rested his head against Tang He’s chest, watching the rise and fall of his Adam’s apple. It all felt like a dream—being held by the very man he had admired for so long. Like a cloud finally floating above the earth and showering him with nourishing dew.

They stood there in a quiet embrace, when suddenly, Du Jianyou seemed to remember something. He pushed Tang He away and dashed into his bedroom. Before Tang He could even react, Du Jianyou rushed back like the wind, grabbed Tang He’s hand, and said, “Here, this is for you.”

Tang He looked down and saw a small object in his palm—an all-too-familiar bunny keychain.

“You’re the one who said, when I find someone, we’ll each have one. A perfect pair,” Du Jianyou said softly, almost like a vow. “Now… this bunny is yours.”

His words, though playful, carried a deeper meaning.

“Mn, it’s mine now,” Tang He murmured, clutching the keepsake tightly before pulling Du Jianyou back into his embrace.

Then he heard Du Jianyou whisper, his voice hoarse and bashful, unable to hide his shyness: “Ge… it’s already really late. Why don’t you… stay over tonight? Don’t leave.”

As soon as he finished, his whole face buried itself in Tang He’s chest, ears burning red with embarrassment.

Tang He chuckled quietly, then nodded. The soft vibration of his chest made Du Jianyou’s ears tingle.

Gathering his courage, Du Jianyou hooked a finger around Tang He’s belt buckle. With a mischievous glint in his eye, he tugged him along—seductive and radiant—as they made their way into the bedroom.

(To be continued…)