HIM Chapter 37: Your Ears Are Red
They each had their own things to do, and after a quick greeting, Bo Qin was rushed off for a brand interview. By the time he was done, the show had already started. Bo Qin hunched slightly as he walked through the dark to his seat, wondering if the brand had arranged He Xizhou to sit in the same area. Just as he sat down, he caught a familiar cool scent. Bo Qin turned his head in surprise and delight—He Xizhou was leaning back in his seat, smiling at him.
“Ge!” Bo Qin whispered in excitement, his mature demeanor from before vanishing. Nearly bouncing, he said, “Did you ask for this?”
He Xizhou looked at his smiling eyes and replied softly, “Yes.”
The air conditioning at the venue was intense. While He Xizhou could handle it in a suit, Bo Qin was only wearing a thin shirt. He looked worriedly at Bo Qin’s pale profile in the dark and asked, “Are you cold?”
“I’m fine.” Bo Qin smiled, seemingly unaffected by the cold air. He leaned in close to whisper in his ear, “I’m just a little hungry.”
As Bo Qin leaned over, his dangling earring swayed casually, the ruby at the end catching the light. His warm breath tickled He Xizhou’s ear. He Xizhou shifted slightly and whispered, “The dinner banquet will start soon.”
“I can’t eat much at those things,” Bo Qin complained.
“Then we’ll go home and eat after.”
Bo Qin smiled and agreed.
Even though Bo Qin claimed he wasn’t cold, He Xizhou remembered how he had previously worn ripped jeans, and figured maybe Bo Qin was just naturally more tolerant of the cold. That eased his mind—until a passing light revealed Bo Qin’s reddened fingertips. He Xizhou’s heart tightened, and he reached out to hold Bo Qin’s hand.
Ice cold.
“And you say you’re not cold.” He Xizhou’s tone was a bit stern.
Bo Qin smiled faintly. “I’m used to it. I never said I wasn’t cold.”
He leaned in again, whispering softly in his ear, “Ge, your hand is so warm.”
Damn it.
He Xizhou gripped Bo Qin’s cold hands tighter.
Given Bo Qin’s recent attitude toward him, He Xizhou even started to suspect Bo Qin was flirting. But that suspicion faded when Bo Qin casually extended his other hand for warmth too. He Xizhou sighed inwardly. Straight guys are seriously hard to deal with.
At the banquet, the two sat next to each other. After He Xizhou introduced Bo Qin to a second person, Bo Qin tugged on his sleeve and whispered, “Ge, there’s no need.”
He looked into He Xizhou’s eyes and said, “You don’t usually attend these things. You’re only here because of me, but honestly, these connections aren’t that useful to me.”
Before He Xizhou could reply, a young man in a white suit called his name. He Xizhou turned, surprised and delighted, and greeted him with a handshake and even a hug.
Bo Qin saw the man’s face—sea-blue eyes and neatly styled blond hair. A very handsome foreigner.
Expressionless, Bo Qin held his wine glass and watched them chat in English. From the conversation, it was clear they were college classmates. Bo Qin took a small sip of wine, slightly bitter in his heart seeing how happy He Xizhou looked.
When they finished talking, He Xizhou turned and introduced Bo Qin to the blond man in English. The man’s eyes lit up at the sight of Bo Qin and he immediately launched into smooth-talking designer-style praise. Bo Qin shook hands and returned the compliments in fluent English.
The blond man got even more excited upon hearing Bo Qin’s English and directly asked if he was He Xizhou’s boyfriend.
He Xizhou called his name in a warning tone. The man raised his hands and said with a grin, “You’ve always liked this type—Lin too.”
He Xizhou glanced at Bo Qin.
Bo Qin raised an eyebrow and replied slowly, “No, just friends.”
After the banquet, Bo Qin went to take some photos for the studio while He Xizhou waited in the car. Thirty minutes later, Bo Qin climbed in.
He slumped into the seat like he had no bones, saying, “Finally done. Fuck, I’m exhausted.”
He Xizhou smiled and ruffled his hair.
Because of the way Bo Qin was lying down, the tie around his waist had loosened and the front of his shirt had slipped. He held it up with one hand and slowly sat up. “This outfit is freezing.”
He Xizhou averted his eyes from Bo Qin’s chest and handed him a soft blue-and-white blanket.
Bo Qin took it but thought regretfully—why not his suit jacket?
“This outfit suits you,” He Xizhou said. “You looked great today.”
Bo Qin blushed, trying to act calm. “I look good every day.” He wrapped the blanket around himself, took off his shoes, and sat cross-legged. “Where’s the box Xiao Zhu brought earlier?”
He Xizhou handed him a delicate box and asked, “What is it?”
“For jewelry,” Bo Qin said tiredly, placing it on his leg and silently removing the rings from his fingers one by one.
The one on his ring finger was tight. After a few failed tries, Bo Qin clicked his tongue in frustration. Before he could try again, He Xizhou reached out and stopped him.
Bo Qin looked up to meet his eyes.
He Xizhou smiled and gently twisted the ring off. “Why’s it so tight?”
“Tony brought me a women’s size,” Bo Qin replied, watching He Xizhou’s long fingers carefully remove the ring, their body heat mingling. Once it was off, He Xizhou put it in the box and gently pressed the red mark on his finger. “It left a mark.”
That gentle squeeze almost made Bo Qin melt. He steadied himself and leaned over. “Since you’re being so nice, help me take off my earrings too.”
In his 28 years of life, He Xizhou had never helped anyone remove earrings. He studied the clasp for a moment before gently touching Bo Qin’s ear.
Bo Qin shivered the moment he touched it. “That tickles.”
He Xizhou moved even more gently. The earrings were double-layered, and just as he figured out how to undo them, Bo Qin’s neck turned red, the flush creeping up to his ears. Even his fingertips felt the heat radiating from them.
“Xiao Qin, your ears are red,” He Xizhou said.
“…Don’t be so gentle,” Bo Qin replied. “I’m not that delicate. Ge, stop torturing me—just hurry up.”
If it were Luo Ming, he would’ve slapped Bo Qin for being so picky about earring removal. But He Xizhou just chuckled, a deep laugh that made Bo Qin’s ears tingle.
Bo Qin swallowed hard. He Xizhou’s warm breath on his neck made him feel like he was burning up.
Miscalculation.
Bo Qin thought. Who’s torturing whom?
After taking off the earrings, He Xizhou couldn’t help but pinch Bo Qin’s red ear. Bo Qin glanced at him but said nothing.
He Xizhou placed the earrings in the box. Seeing Bo Qin turn to look out the window, he said, “Let’s go to my studio first.”
The car fell silent. Bo Qin leaned back and played with his phone, but his mind replayed the blond man’s words—Lin is that type too.
He could guess who Lin was. It annoyed him. No—it really annoyed him.
Bo Qin tried to rationalize it. After all, not everyone was like him. He Xizhou was 28—of course he’d had relationships.
If he hadn’t, Bo Qin would worry something was wrong with him.
But being labeled as the “same type” as Lin really bugged him.
Finally, he asked directly, “Ge, can I ask you something?”
He Xizhou looked at him.
“Who’s Lin?”
A direct shot.
He Xizhou replied, “My ex-boyfriend.”
Bo Qin pursed his lips. “Does he look a lot like me?”
He Xizhou looked at him, eyes deepening. “No. No one looks like you. You’re Bo Qin.”
The car cruised steadily, lights from the skyscrapers flickering across Bo Qin’s face. After a moment, he said, “Are we at my studio yet?”
“I’ll go change,” Bo Qin added.
As he was about to get out, He Xizhou stopped him. Before Bo Qin could turn around, he felt something heavy drape over his shoulders. That familiar cool scent surrounded him.
He Xizhou’s deep voice said, “Put on the jacket. It’s cold outside.”
Bo Qin slowly let go of the car door handle, took a deep breath, unsure if he felt disappointed or relieved. He tightened the jacket around him and stepped out of the car without looking back.
At the studio, after changing clothes and quickly going over his schedule with Chen-jie, Tony helped him remove his makeup.
It took less than ten minutes. When Bo Qin checked his phone, there was no message from He Xizhou urging him to hurry.
Bo Qin grew irritable and restless. He changed into a black T-shirt and draped He Xizhou’s suit jacket over his shoulders, smoking a cigarette by the mirror in the bathroom.
Luo Ming walked in, saw the haze, and asked, “Bad mood?”
Bo Qin gave a quiet “mm.” When Luo Ming came out to wash his hands, Bo Qin asked, “How did you define your last relationship?”
Luo Ming laughed. “My method won’t work for you.”
He lit a cigarette himself. “Everyone’s different. Just follow your heart.”
Bo Qin frowned, a bit puzzled.
Luo Ming gave him a fatherly look and said, “Can’t you tell? Whether the other person likes you or not?”
“What if I misunderstood?” Bo Qin asked. “What if it’s just friendship?”
Luo Ming sighed. “We’ve been friends over a decade. Would I give you my jacket if you were cold? Would I text you every day? Pick you up and drop you off?”
“Nope,” he answered bluntly. “I’ve only done that for my girlfriend.”
Bo Qin stubbed out his cigarette and chuckled. “Thanks.”
He headed downstairs to the parking garage. He already knew the answer.
He just needed a little push to open that door.
Tonight, I’m opening that damn door, Bo Qin thought.
[Author’s Note]: Tomorrow = confession W!
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