Chen Mo lowered his gaze and looked at Ye Mu in front of him. For a moment, it was as if he saw his former self.
The same confusion, the same despair, the same sorrow.
After a brief silence, he moved his lips slightly and said in a deep, magnetic voice, “Let me take you somewhere.”
Ye Mu glanced up at him, not saying a word, his expression bleak.
Chen Mo sighed helplessly, pulled out a few bills from his wallet, placed them on the table, and then dragged Ye Mu out of the restaurant.
Ye Mu didn’t have much thought; he just followed along, getting in and out of the car, and then walking again.
Late at night, he was taken to a small bar far from home.
In the dim atmosphere, with dazzling lights, deep singing, and the scent of alcohol and hormones, this place silently made one feel the need to lean on someone in the lonely night.
The two chose a relatively quiet corner and ordered several rounds of cocktails. The colorful drinks appeared mesmerizing under the light.
Chen Mo picked up a deep blue drink and placed it in front of Ye Mu. “Have a drink.”
Ye Mu took it and slowly poured it down his throat until the glass was empty.
Chen Mo raised an eyebrow slightly. “How does it taste?”
Ye Mu’s lips pressed together slightly. “Bitter.”
Chen Mo’s long fingers glided over the bar, and he placed a green cocktail in front of Ye Mu. “Try this one.”
Ye Mu drank it as told and said indifferently, “Also bitter.”
Chen Mo smiled. “Makes sense, you taste what you feel.”
Ye Mu lowered his head, the dark tips of his hair covering his forehead, leaving only his straight nose and fair, delicate chin exposed. “Why did you bring me here?”
Chen Mo tilted his head to look at him, his voice slightly languid. “You said you’re tired. The night here is just right to help you relax.”
Ye Mu’s dry lips moved slightly. “It’s useless. I’ve been trying for so many years, and I’m still just as tired.”
Chen Mo took a sip of his drink, his expression indifferent. “What kind of tiredness are you talking about?”
Ye Mu poured himself another drink, a bitter smile playing on his lips. “Someone like you would never understand.”
Chen Mo scoffed. “How would you know I wouldn’t understand if you haven’t even said it?”
Ye Mu felt the figure before him blur a bit and blinked. “Have you ever spent eight whole years loving just one man?”
Chen Mo’s expression remained impassive as he spread his hands with a look of disdain. “Never tried, and I don’t want to. How could a man love another man? Don’t you find that disgusting?”
Ye Mu smiled, his lips curling as he drank. “Yeah, I used to think the same way, but then I met him, and everything changed.”
Chen Mo shot him a sideways glance. “You’re talking about that Yan guy?”
Ye Mu nodded, took a deep sip from his glass, his dark eyes turning hazy. “You know, life is really strange. It was in this very bar years ago that I met him. I only took one look at him, and just from that look, I followed him for eight whole years.”
Chen Mo, lacking interest, still responded patiently. “What kind of look?”
Ye Mu was a bit tipsy, a faint blush appearing on his handsome, pale face. “A look that made my heart race, one that made me blush in an instant.”
Chen Mo rolled his eyes, automatically imagining the supposedly charming look Ye Mu was describing from his brother, and couldn’t help but gag slightly in the air.
Ye Mu didn’t notice and kept drinking and mumbling. “I got close to him, stayed by his side, until later, when he got into an online relationship.”
Chen Mo wrinkled his nose in disdain. “That Yan guy got into an online relationship? How tacky.”
Ye Mu poured himself another drink, tiredly resting his chin on his hand, half asleep. “Yeah, he met someone online. He told me it was love at first sight with Gu Huai and that I shouldn’t bother him anymore.”
Chen Mo glanced at him. “Isn’t that great? Since they’re mutually into each other, you should back off and live your life.”
Ye Mu gave a faint, bitter smile and grasped Chen Mo’s hand. “Yeah, I thought about giving up at that time, but you know what? A few months later, Gu Huai broke up with him and went abroad to study.”
Chen Mo pulled his hand away in disgust, his face contorting. “So what? Did you shamelessly go back to him?”
Perhaps he had drunk too much, as his voice was a bit hoarse. “No, at the time, I just wanted to be there for him, but after what happened with him… I couldn’t bring myself to leave.”
Ye Mu was really starting to get drunk. His words were becoming disjointed, his thoughts scattered.
Chen Mo wished he would just pass out and handed him another drink, his expression casual and indifferent. “What happened to him?”
Ye Mu smiled softly and suddenly wrapped his arm around Chen Mo’s neck, leaning in to plant a kiss on his lips.
Chen Mo froze, his whole body stiffening as all his cells seemed to lock up from that kiss.
But Ye Mu didn’t stop. In the dim light, his thin lips slowly moved to Chen Mo’s ear, whispering in an ambiguous tone, “I like you… like this.”
His voice was magnetic and deep, carrying a softness and tenderness in the noisy night that was impossible to resist.
