142. Full of Holes
Duan Shurong didn't expect He Jin to reject her so firmly.
So, He Jin had been using this method to make girls give up on him for the past three years?
She should have been angry. She didn't know about other women. Although she used the excuse of "meeting an old classmate" and said that she wanted to "piss off He Jin's mother", in essence, she came with the mood of meeting her first love. Being rejected again was a very depressing thing for someone as proud as her. However, the strange thing was, other than being angry and embarrassed, she also felt a trace of complex heartache.
Most people born after 2000 had no prejudice against homosexuality. Duan Shurong was the same. However, the overall tolerance of homosexuality in this society was still too low, especially in the eyes of the older generation. Marriage and children were still the norm, especially when He Jin had such a mother. Duan Shurong could guess the difficulties that He Jin had encountered.
"Alright, didn't you say that you were just meeting an old classmate?" He Jin put on his mask again and changed the topic. "You're so beautiful and cheerful. There should be no lack of suitors, right? Is it because you haven't met a good enough man? That's why you're still single?"
He Jin's words were very professional. He didn't ask if she had high standards, but rather, he said that she hadn't met a good enough man. He directly raised Duan Shurong's standards and her own value.
Duan Shurong felt much better and started to talk about her relationship history with He Jin.
Because of his mother's depression, He Jin's temper had been worn down in the past three years. There was almost nothing that he couldn't tolerate. He listened to Duan Shurong's story carefully and objectively expressed some of his opinions and suggestions. His tone and attitude when he spoke were so modest and calm that it made people feel like they were bathing in the spring breeze.
Slowly, Duan Shurong was attracted to He Jin. This time, it was not because of those barely discernible feelings, nor was it because of heartache, but because of the temperament that He Jin exuded from within. He was like a magnetic field, continuously absorbing all the negative energy around him. When talking to him, even the most impatient person would slowly calm down and be comforted by his calm aura.
Compared to his peers around him, who were impetuous, nationalistic, and delusional … He Jin was too different.
The meal lasted for more than two hours. It wasn't until the restaurant's peak hour had passed and the people around them had dispersed that the two of them came back to their senses.
"Do you have anything to do later?" Duan Shurong couldn't help but ask, "Do you want to go shopping together?"
Originally, this question should have been brought up by the man, but He Jin had already expressed that he had no intention of dating, so he definitely wouldn't bring it up again. However, Duan Shurong didn't want to part with him just like that. She was a little interested in this person.
He Jin's eyes revealed a rare look of confusion, but it only lasted for a moment. He paid the bill and said, "It's nothing, I'll accompany you."
Outside the restaurant, it was noisy with people and cars. There were also many traffic police and patrol officers on the road.
"What's going on? Why are there so many people outside today?" Duan Shurong zipped up her handbag and slung it over her shoulder. "When I came here, I realized that I couldn't even get a taxi. My dad drove me here."
He Jin didn't explain, because a celebrity had arrived a kilometer away and was going to have a fan meeting at the Cultural Palace in the afternoon …
"There are so many people. I'm not in the mood to shop anymore." Duan Shurong pouted and asked He Jin, "Why don't I treat you to a movie?"
"Sure." He Jin looked up at the cloudy sky. It was already late autumn, and the temperature wasn't high, but he felt hot all over. He had been sweating since they were in the restaurant.
He Jin had no choice but to focus on other things to not think about the person who was so close to him.
The two of them arrived at the nearest movie theater and successfully bought two tickets for the movie that would start at three o 'clock.
He Jin bought a cup of black coffee and entered the theater. When the ceiling lights were completely dark, He Jin realized that his entire body was involuntarily convulsing.
He Jin didn't pay any attention to the one-hour and forty-minute movie. He felt like he was sitting on pins and needles. Every few minutes, he would check the time on his bracelet. 3: 15, 3: 30, 3: 45 … 4: 30 …
He remembered that the meet-and-greet event ended at five o 'clock. Qin Yang would probably leave City Q.
When the movie reached its climax, Duan Shurong subconsciously wanted to grab He Jin's hand. However, when she turned her head, she saw that He Jin was frowning and staring at the back of the chair in front of him. His entire face looked especially pale under the flickering lights of the screen.
His hands were crossed, clenching and unclenching at times. He looked very anxious.
Duan Shurong leaned over to hold He Jin's hand, wanting to ask him what was wrong. Unexpectedly, He Jin bounced away as if he had been electrocuted. When he came back to his senses, his expression returned to normal. He smiled at her apologetically and shifted his gaze to the screen.
Only then did Duan Shurong realize that He Jin wasn't interested in watching the movie. He had only accompanied her to cater to her request. He couldn't bear to reject her, so he accompanied her. However, his mind was completely elsewhere!
After watching the movie, Duan Shurong, who had been looking forward to having dinner with He Jin, suddenly felt dispirited. She tactfully said a few polite words like "It was nice to meet you today" and bid him farewell.
Watching Duan Shurong's back as she left, He Jin's shoulders slumped. He pinched his stiff smiling face and completely relaxed.
He slowly walked out. He wanted to take a taxi, but there was a sea of people outside. He couldn't even move an electric scooter, let alone a taxi … His bracelet buzzed. It was a call from his mother, asking if he was coming back for dinner.
"Mom, I'm still with Duan Shurong. I won't be back tonight. You guys go ahead and eat." He Jin's lying skills were getting better and better. The shackles on his body, the mask on his face, and every moment of his life forced him to act.
He Jin's mother didn't suspect anything and seemed very happy. After all, the blind dates in the past had ended after one meal. It was rare for it to be like this time. It seemed like there was a chance.
He Jin followed the crowd and walked forward in a daze. When he came to his senses, he found himself at the entrance of the Cultural Palace. There were layers of people outside. Reporters, security guards, fans … Most of them were young female fans who didn't manage to buy tickets. They looked like middle school and high school students. They were holding posters, signs, and gifts with the names "Qin Yang" or "Heartless Death Flame." All of them were screaming excitedly.
It was already 5: 10 pm. The Cultural Palace didn't have a back door. Celebrities could only enter through the front door. The security guards and patrolling police were clearing the way. As a nanny van approached, the crowd erupted in screams again …
The commoners and passersby on the periphery also stopped. It was human nature to like watching a bustling scene. Even if they didn't know the situation, they stayed where they were and surrounded the scene so tightly that not even a drop of water could trickle through.
He Jin was pushed forward by the people behind him. He was extremely nervous and wanted to escape, but his feet seemed to weigh a thousand pounds. His eyes seemed to be completely glued to the door of the Cultural Palace. He couldn't move away at all.
At 5: 20 pm, dozens of security guards were the first to come out. They forced a path through the crowd. The surrounding fans screamed crazily and shouted Qin Yang's name.
Immediately after, Qin Yang, who was wearing a shiny black suit and purple reflective sunglasses, walked out surrounded by people. He Jin's heart suddenly sped up, and his chest hurt from the shock.
In less than ten seconds, Qin Yang got into the car. The nanny van slowly squeezed through the crowd and drove away. The fans were still screaming and sending them off. When they approached the area where He Jin was, he widened his eyes, wanting to see Qin Yang through the window. However, the glass window was covered with an opaque film. He Jin couldn't see anything.
In the car, Qin Yang was rubbing his temples with a headache. He casually scanned the noisy fans outside when his gaze suddenly froze.
"Wait a minute!" He shouted. The driver slammed on the brakes. His assistant and manager turned to look at him, not knowing what had happened.
Qin Yang stared fixedly at the figure in the crowd that was clearly half a head taller than the girls. Separated by the car window, there was only a distance of two to three meters …
"It's nothing. Let's go," Qin Yang said lightly.
The car slowly started again. Qin Yang's gaze followed the figure that was getting smaller and smaller until he could no longer see it.
The nanny van got rid of the fans and turned to a nearby hotel parking lot. Qin Yang hurriedly switched to another car and ordered the driver to drive back.
"Did you forget something?" the assistant asked worriedly. "Do you want me to call them directly to help you find it?"
Qin Yang waved his hand to dismiss them. "No need. I'm just looking around. You guys go and rest first."
The crowd hadn't dispersed yet. Qin Yang sat in the car with his mind in a mess. He scanned the crowd in front of him through the window.
Did they leave … Did they disappear again …
Qin Yang pressed on his wristband and found the familiar number. His hand trembled as he closed it …
"Over there!" Qin Yang suddenly exclaimed. "Driver Feng, the young man in gray clothes at two o 'clock. Follow him."
Driver Feng: "… Oh."
He Jin didn't know how he left the Cultural Palace. It was getting dark. He didn't want to go home. He didn't want to go anywhere. Unknowingly, he walked to the bar street. The neon lights outside the stores lit up one by one. The red and green lights were mesmerizing.
He Jin casually walked into a bar that had just opened and found a dark corner. The waiter asked him what he wanted. He whispered, "Seven-up."
"Hehe, sir, we don't have Seven-up here, but we do have cocktails made with Sprite." The waiter handed over the menu and pointed to the row of cocktails. "Gibson, Manhattan, Bloody Mary …"
He Jin pointed to the whole bottle of martini on the menu and said, "I want this."
The waiter was surprised. "A bottle? Sure, but we have to pay for the whole bottle first. "
He Jin swiped his card and the waiter opened the bottle for him. He brought over an empty glass and a bucket of ice for him to drink with ice. He Jin had never drunk hard liquor before. He filled the glass with ice under his blanket and drank half of it in one go. It was so spicy that he started tearing up.
The bartender saw it from afar and asked the waiter to pay attention. They had seen many such drunk customers. They had to watch them leave before they got drunk.
After drinking half a glass of hard liquor, He Jin's blood rushed to his head. He wasn't a good drinker to begin with, and with an empty stomach and a glass of hard liquor, the drunkenness was overwhelming. Everything in front of him began to sway.
He Jin pressed his burning face against the table and looked at the transparent glass in front of him listlessly. Why was he drunk? Why was his mind filled with Qin Yang …
He Jin recalled the scene he had just seen. His manager, makeup artist, assistant, bodyguard … He knew that Qin Yang was very famous, but this was the first time he had seen Qin Yang go out with such a big entourage!
He looked at the sparkling Qin Yang and then at himself. He was wearing a pair of uncouth black-rimmed glasses and a passer-by brand clothes. He was old-fashioned like a country bumpkin.
They had finally become people of two different worlds.
He should be happy for him. He hadn't stopped Qin Yang's progress because of his selfishness … Qin Yang was doing so well and was now so successful. It was great that they were strangers.
… But why did he feel so melancholic and disappointed?
Tears gushed out uncontrollably. They slid from the corner of his left eye to his right eyeball and dripped onto the not-so-clean table.
Qin Yang was like a tree that had taken root in his body. The tree's roots had long penetrated into every cell in his body. He thought he could uproot this person from his body, but he didn't expect that the tree would break and the roots would remain in his body. In the past three long years, every inch of the roots had sprouted, torturing him until he was riddled with holes.
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