HIM Chapter 16: Wild Baby
The person brushing past him reeked strongly of cigarettes and alcohol. He Xizhou narrowed his eyes slightly and lowered his head, lighting a cigarette.
He pushed open the door and walked in. The rowdy mix of voices and music, along with the blinding, color-changing lights, hit him head-on. Holding a cigarette in his left hand, He Xizhou slowly exhaled a puff of smoke and looked around. Without his glasses, he could only see a chaotic swirl of bright colors.
Yue Li raised his hand and loudly called his name. He Xizhou slowly walked over to the booth. Yue Li pulled him to sit down and said, “Seriously bro, you just went and got married without a word?”
The noise in the bar was giving He Xizhou a headache. He didn’t catch what Yue Li was saying for a while. He stubbed out his cigarette, a bit light-headed from the smell, and vaguely heard Yue Li asking what his spouse was like. He Xizhou leaned closer and said, “Really great.”
Yue Li whistled, the sound drowned in the noise. Feeling annoyed, He Xizhou sent a message to Wang Yinyi, telling him to get over here quickly.
Two minutes later, a waiter in a vest and dress shirt respectfully led the two upstairs to the third floor.
The bar Shengse was opened by Wang Yinyi back in college. He wasn’t good at much, but when it came to partying, he was number one. Over the years, Shengse had flourished, living up to its name. He Xizhou had invested a little money when it first opened, and now even the dividends he received were still quite decent.
Shengse had a vintage industrial style. It seemed to have been renovated recently. As they climbed the spiral staircase to the third floor, Wang Yinyi was at the pool table, chalking his cue stick. He nodded when he saw them.
He Xizhou took off his jacket and accepted a cue from the waiter. Yue Li didn’t take one, choosing instead to flop down lazily on the leather sofa opposite. “I’m sobering up, you two play.”
Watching He Xizhou lean in to break, Yue Li said, “Just now, Old He was bragging about how great his spouse is. Doesn’t he sound like he's asking for it?”
Wang Yinyi asked, “How great? In what way? You sound serious.”
“You asked first,” He Xizhou said, leaning against the table, casually. “Just what it sounds like.”
Wang Yinyi missed a shot and tapped the cue on the floor. “Are they good-looking? Your type? You sound pretty into this.”
He Xizhou bent down and pocketed the ball Wang Yinyi had missed. “Good-looking. A top celebrity. You tell me if that’s good-looking or not.”
Yue Li lay playing on his phone. “A top celeb, and I don’t know them?” He opened Weibo and scrolled through trending topics. “Might not be that big. Could be a B-lister pulling your leg.”
He Xizhou said, “Bo Qin. Ring any bells?”
“Holy shit,” Yue Li’s phone smacked into his own nose. Holding his nose and hunching over, he asked, “Say that again. Who?”
“Bo Qin,” Wang Yinyi nodded toward the waiter, “I think I just played one of his songs.”
Right on cue, He Xizhou heard a familiar voice—richer and smoother than usual. The tempo was slow, and Bo Qin’s enunciation felt strangely sensual.
“This is Bo Qin’s song?” He Xizhou asked.
“Bro, you don’t even know your own spouse’s songs?” Yue Li sat up. “Bo Qin’s definitely hot right now.” He turned his phone toward He Xizhou. “Just hit the trending tab. He’s a bit wild, huh? You into that?”
He Xizhou opened his own phone, browsed to Weibo, and immediately saw Bo Qin’s name trending with the hashtag: Did the person who said that ever try it with me personally?
He tapped into it and found a video. He turned his phone sideways, and Yue Li and Wang Yinyi both leaned in. He Xizhou clicked his tongue in annoyance. “Don’t you two have your own phones?”
They ignored him, eyes glued to the screen.
Bo Qin wore a light blue floral shirt with striking design, a delicate sapphire necklace around his pale neck, and a matching earring on his right ear. His face had makeup on, his hair was chestnut brown and parted down the middle, revealing an aggressively beautiful face. He leaned back lazily, propping up his chin with his hand. His long, pale fingers adorned with a gemstone ring caught the light. Sitting comfortably under the lights, he faced the camera with ease.
Yue Li said, “Fame really does nourish a person. His aura is totally different now.”
Wang Yinyi lit a cigarette. “This face… exactly your type, right?”
He Xizhou raised a brow. It was his first time seeing Bo Qin dressed so flashily. Compared to his usual laid-back style, there was more tension, more deliberate charm and allure.
Ever since he filmed Bo Qin’s video, He Xizhou had noticed—Bo Qin instinctively presented his best side to the camera. It was a gift, of course, but also likely honed over years in front of lenses. He always seemed to know exactly which part of himself was most tempting, most captivating.
The host on screen asked, “So what’s your opinion on the nickname ‘Three-Second Bo’?”
Wang Yinyi laughed. “What a stupid question. What’s his team doing letting that through?”
He Xizhou shifted the phone slightly. “Shut up and watch.”
Wang Yinyi: “…Old He, you never used to be like this.”
On screen, Bo Qin looked a little surprised, then smirked—a sharp, slightly seductive smile. “What, did the person who said that ever try it with me personally?”
Yue Li clapped. “Damn, what a savage.”
Wang Yinyi: “You changed tastes? Guess Lin Qing really has no hope now.”
He Xizhou followed Bo Qin on Weibo and closed the app, glancing at him.
Wang Yinyi shrugged. A waiter brought over an ashtray, and he flicked the ashes, grabbed a bottle of alcohol. “Don’t look at me like that. I don’t want anything to do with my bro’s ex.”
“But,” he added, amused, “he worked pretty hard to find me. It’d be rude not to help at all.” He looked at He Xizhou with a hint of mischief. “Even though you two haven’t talked in three years, and now you’re married. I definitely wouldn’t play matchmaker now.”
Yue Li poured some red wine. “Looks like you’re the one asking for it.”
He Xizhou leaned on the table, relaxed. “We made things very clear when we broke up. Clean and final. That ended three years ago for me.”
He didn’t want to dwell on it. He poured a glass of red wine, then placed it on the waiter’s tray and took another shot at the pool table.
He chalked his cue, eyes on the balls, and lined up his shot, fingers long and steady—another perfect shot.
Yue Li whistled. “Nice one.”
He picked up a cue and joined them, but missed his shot.
As they chatted and played, Yue Li brought up the North American contract He Xizhou had just signed. Before he could answer, Wang Yinyi cut in, “Can we not talk about work? Let’s enjoy the game.”
He added, “I just remembered why Bo Qin’s name was familiar—he used to mess around with Xiao family’s youngest son.”
He Xizhou looked up. “Mess around?”
“Like how you and Lin Qing ‘messed around’—same way.”
Yue Li scoffed, “Not great taste then. Xiao Chen is terrible.”
Wang Yinyi chuckled. “Yeah, it fell apart. Bo Qin went solo, started his own studio. Xiao Chen even said he’d blacklist him. Not just Xiao Chen—Luo from Angfeng Entertainment said so too.”
“Didn’t Luo get ousted?” Yue Li sipped his wine. “Still, gotta hand it to him—made it big anyway.”
He Xizhou twirled the cue. “Talented people—give them a chance and they’ll shine.”
Yue Li and Wang Yinyi responded with a teasing “Ooooh~”
After a few more rounds, Yue Li got bored and went downstairs to find some fun. He Xizhou and Wang Yinyi leaned against the table, smoking. The waiter, sensing the mood, slipped away quietly.
Wang Yinyi said, “You’ve got something for Bo Qin, don’t you?”
He Xizhou hummed. “Is that a problem?”
“Why would it be? It’s not my marriage.” He laughed. “I thought you wouldn’t take a business marriage seriously.”
“At first, I didn’t,” He Xizhou exhaled smoke. “But when someone with the perfect look, body, and personality for you is in front of you every day…” He glanced at him with a smirk. “Didn’t you set the example for me?”
“Damn, you cheeky bastard,” Wang Yinyi laughed. “Jiajia’s pregnant. I’m gonna be a dad.”
He Xizhou accidentally dropped ash on his hand. Surprised, he looked at him. “That fast?”
“Get the red packet ready,” Wang Yinyi said. “I don’t need to tell you how much, right?”
He Xizhou laughed. “Wow, so fast. I still feel like we’re back in college. Blink and you’re a dad.”
“Exactly. Doesn’t feel real. I called Qiao Lei yesterday—he was shocked. Said he hasn’t even dated yet and now I’m gonna be a father.”
He Xizhou: “Where’s Qiao Lei now?”
“Filming gorillas in the Indonesian rainforest. He’ll be back next week.” He laughed loudly. “Old He, that envious look on your face is priceless.”
Wang Yinyi stretched out his words: “Time is a butcher’s knife…”
_
“Time is a butcher’s knife,” said Chen-jie, watching Bo Qin sip water in his military uniform after yet another scene was called off. “Back then, he’d have been pretty shaken by now.”
Tony scrolled his phone. “He’s thick-skinned now—been yelled at by Director Wang too many times.”
Chen-jie scolded with a smile, “You don’t know how to talk.”
Tony showed her his phone. “He’s trending again. Did Guan Yun push this?”
Chen-jie nodded. “I need to run back to the office. Keep an eye on him. Xiao Qin hasn’t been in a great mood lately.”
Tony watched Bo Qin take off his belt and jacket. “That used to make sense, but now… he’s got so many layers, I honestly don’t know how to comfort him.”
They fell silent. In the distance, Bo Qin walked over to Director Wang while taking a wet wipe from Xiao Zhu, smiling as he listened to the director animatedly explain the scene.
The Bo Qin of the past hadn’t known such intense love or hate, hadn’t been through countless cameras and microphones. He used to have the timid air of a youth—hurt by harsh questions during interviews, upset by fans leaving, his emotions laid bare. He even used to argue with trolls on Weibo himself.
“He’s matured,” Tony said. “Now he gives me this sense of safety—like he’s the leader of the team, and all I have to do is follow.”
“And,” Tony added thoughtfully, “I used to think of him as a kid. No interest. But now? Watching him these days, I’m like—damn, how have I resisted making a move on this absolute gem of a man?”
Chen-jie chuckled. “He’ll be a superstar. I thought so the first time I saw him at Tiancheng Entertainment.”
She said softly but firmly, “Still think so. Even more now.”
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