After driving for more than an hour, He Gu finally arrived at Dasheng Studio.
This was his first time coming to this filming location known as "Hengdian in the South, Dasheng in the North'.[1] The scale of the place was truly astonishing which boosted its reputation to being one of the most famous tourist attractions in Beijing. Every day, there would be at least two or three drama productions shot here back to back, attracting many tourists.
After He Gu parked the car, he gave Xiao Song a call, only to hear his frantic voice asking him to wait for him, transmitting from the other side.
That wait lasted for half an hour.
During that time, he watched large groups of tourists lined up and heading inside; among them were many fans, wearing the same outfit and carrying all kinds of support goods.
How young, He Gu thought.
At that moment, Xiao Song finally came with his whole body drenched in sweat. He felt particularly sorry when he saw He Gu and apologized repeatedly. "He Gu ge, here is the work pass, you can drive in."
"I'm not going in, you can just give the phone to him."
"Ah, you're not? Han ge is filming a commercial right now, you don't want to take a look?"
"There's nothing good to look at. An outsider like me would only get in the way of your work."
"No, you won't. It's actually pretty fun, come take a look."
He Gu felt that it was a bit strange, why was Xiao Song so persistent about him going in for a look?
When Xiao Song also realized that he himself was being overly eager, he awkwardly said, "Did you and Han gehave a quarrel? Han ge was in a pretty bad mood today…how about you come in to coax him, otherwise…we won’t be able to work properly either…"
"I don't know how to coax people." He Gu said honestly, "Besides, we didn't have a quarrel." How was it possible for him to have a quarrel with Song Ju Han? At the most, he would only talk back with just a couple of sentences, he would already be at his limit.
Xiao Song sighed in disappointment, "Please, drive safely."
"En, it's been hard on you." He Gu patted his shoulder and got back into his car.
In fact, he really wanted to see Song Ju Han, but he knew that now was not the right time. Seeing Song Ju Han when he was busy and in a bad mood, he will most likely cause more problems. It was better to wait until Song Ju Han has calmed down, then he would probably come find him.
Not long after the car drove out, He Gu's phone rang. It was Xiao Song. When he connected the call, he immediately heard Xiao Song spoke in a low and awkward tone. "He Gu ge, Han geis angry. He wants you to come back."
"Angry?" He Gu honestly did not understand Song Ju Han's logic as he helplessly said, "Okay."
He made a U-turn up ahead but ended up hitting traffic since it was already rush hour which made all the cars move slowly like turtles. Ten minutes later, Xiao Song called to urged him and then twenty minutes after that, he called again sounding as though he was going to cry at any time.
He Gu also became anxious, but he couldn't fly over there.
Seven to eight metres of distance ended up taking more than half an hour until he arrived at Dasheng Studio again. Xiao Song was at the entrance waiting anxiously for him, and when he saw He Gu, he looked like he saw his knight in shining armor. Afraid that He Gu would change his mind for coming back, he quickly jumped into his car, "Ge, drive in. I'll show you the way."
The security guard allowed them in once he saw the work pass. The two followed along a road into Dasheng Studio that was completely different from the tourists.
He Gu glanced over at Xiao Song who was panting and consoled him. "Don't worry. Ju Han has always had that kind of temper, but what happened to him?"
Xiao Song scowled miserably, "I don't know. Han ge often loses his temper inexplicably. I also don't know what happened this time, but when I said that you left after dropping the phone off, he immediately became angry."
He Gu did not understand that either. In any case, it was definitely not because Song Ju Han really wanted to see him for him to act up like that.
The car drove through a street set up to look like the Republic of China (Taiwan: 1912-1949).[2] Soon, the two got out of the car, and Xiao Song led He Gu into a large mansion where a shooting was taking place.
Once they were in front of the resting room, Xiao Song cautiously knocked on the door. "Han ge, He Gu ge is here."
"En." A cold and indifferent voice transmitted from the other side of the door.
When the door was pushed open, they saw Song Ju Han standing in front of a mirror, wearing the uniform of a Major General of the Army while the stylist adjusted his belt. In order to capture the quality of his figure, the outfit was deliberately made to be tighter. The soft fabric wrapped around Song Ju Han's body in a way that showed off his every curve, looking as though they were carved and chiseled into perfection by God himself. Song Ju Han's mother was a supermodel of mixed German descent who once enjoyed a world-famous reputation. Standing at a height of 178cm, her legs were long and seemingly defied the law of nature. Song Ju Han was only ten centimeters taller than her. He possessed the look and stature, all of which were inherited from the best part of his parents. Some people in the world were just blessed by heaven.
Song Ju Han turned his face. The pair of black-rimmed glasses sitting on the bridge of his nose and his high-rise brows presented a very pleasing contrast that made his facial features appeared especially profound. His hair was all combed to the back of his head, revealing a bright and smooth forehead, which further highlighted his tall nose and the shape of his face. That gave off a kind of strict, yet mysterious tension that could explode at any time.
"Ju Han." He Gu nodded at him.
Song Ju Han, "All of you can leave, I want to rest for a bit."
When the stylist and makeup artist heard those words, they both went out. Xiao Song also followed behind them while He Gu hesitated. Just as he picked up his foot, Song Ju Han glared at him. "You stay."
He Gu closed the door and walked to his side, "What's wrong, are you in a bad mood?"
Song Ju Han took off his glasses and threw it to the side, "Xiao Song told you to come in, why didn't you come in?" Song Ju Han was not fond of wearing glasses since his eyelashes were too long for their own good.
"I was afraid of getting in the way of your work."
"Bullshit." Song Ju Han pinched his chin, "Are you trying to avoid me?"
"What would I avoid you for?"
Song Ju Han smiled coldly, "Wasn't it because I mentioned Feng Zheng? You seem to be quite devoted to him."
"We haven't been in contact for so many years, that shouldn't be considered being 'devoted'."
"Then, why are you acting so strange because of him?"
He Gu thought about it for a moment, "I don't think I'm being 'strange'."
Song Ju Han raised his brows, "Are you arguing with me just for the sake of arguing?"
Hearing that, He Gu sighed, "Ju Han, what do you want."
"Don't fucking use that kind of tone with me, as if I'm purposely being unreasonable." Song Ju Han pushed He Gu away, nearly causing him to fall to the floor.
He Gu tidied up his clothes, sat to the side and looked at him quietly. He didn't know how to console people. He only understood Song Ju Han. It didn't matter how the fire in Song Ju Han's heart was ignited, if he didn't vent it out, it would definitely make everyone feel anxious.
Song Ju Han remained silent for a while, but then he suddenly kicked the coffee table. He faced He Gu and roared, "Are you a fucking dead person who doesn't even know how to say a few nice words or smile, huh?! I can spend some money on a prostitute and they would still know how to be more tactful than you. What would I need you for?"
A stab of pain pierced He Gu's heart as his lips trembled slightly. The more Song Ju Han was like that, the more he didn't know what to do. He could only continue to remain silent.
Song Ju Han's anger rose to the point he threw quite a few things to the ground.
He Gu was hesitant before he eventually said, "Ju Han, I was wrong. Don't be angry." Although, he didn't know what he did wrong.
With that, Song Ju Han's cold eyes looked at him for some time. "Take…your pants off."
Those words made He Gu stare at him in shock. This was a resting room and there were a crowd of people outside…
"Take them off. Since you don't even know how to coax someone, at the least, learn how to let him cool down."
He Gu hesitated for a moment, "Lock the door."
Song Ju Han locked the door with ease as he kept his eyes on him.
He Gu took off his pants with a blank expression.
Song Ju Han strode over, turned He Gu's back towards himself and press his chest into the sofa. Then as if worried that his own clothes would get wrinkled, he only pulled down his pants zipper and immediately pushed in.
As he thrust, Song Ju Han spoke vulgarly as well. "It's a pity that you didn’t do it with Feng Zheng back then. You don't even have a way to compare us. Otherwise, I could have let you know once and for all that I am better than him in bed."
He Gu bit his teeth, not daring to make even a bit of noise. His forehead was covered with sweat and blood shots emerged in his eyes. He could endure the pain and discomfort, but the shame – the shame and sorrow – made him suffer tremendously. He persuaded himself, don’t be bothered about it. What he wanted was to be Song Ju Han's companion, so he had to pay the same price—it was only fair.
It was probably due to this kind of awareness that Song Ju Han had never broken it off with him.
Song Ju Han's demand in this area was much more than that of an ordinary person, especially when he was in a bad mood or under pressure. He couldn't smoke, or drink and he couldn't casually go for a drive either. All the methods that an ordinary person habitually does to reduce their stress level were completely restricted for him. So, what he did most frequently was exercising and making—love. But he was not promiscuous — one, he disliked filth, two, he did not want to be used, and three, his each and every movement were always watched. Having been in the entertainment circle for all these years, he had never had any official love relationship. But there were a few regular bed partners— He Gu had been with him for the longest.
Now that it was mentioned, if Feng Zheng was not in the picture back then, Song Ju Han's competitive heart might not had been provoked with the notion of getting He Gu in his hands. After so many years, Song Ju Han's vengeful, arrogant and competitive nature didn't change at all.
After Song Ju Han released all his need, he wiped himself clean and fixed his clothes. All the while, both of He Gu's legs had gone weak on the sofa and he couldn't move them for a long while.
When Song Ju Han saw He Gu's sorry state, his mood somehow lightened up a bit. He pinched He Gu's cheek and revealed a malicious smile. "When you were fucked…did it feel good?"
He Gu narrowed his eyes to look at him but didn't say anything.
"I'm asking you a question."
"It felt good." He Gu said softly.
"Good boy." Song Ju Han stooped down and kissed the corner of He Gu's lips gently. However, the way he spoke was anything but that. "I also felt good. Any person that I sleep with are younger and prettier than you, but none are as tight as you are, that could make me feel exhilarated. In that aspect, you also have an unusual, yet natural gift."
He Gu closed his eyes and forced himself to sit up, however, he did not have any strength below his waist.
Song Ju Han lifted his pants up for him and slapped his butt. "Wait for me here. I will take you out to eat something good tonight." He walked in front of the mirror and tidied himself up a bit more. Then, he even hummed a tune, turned around and left the room.
He Gu leaned against the sofa before his weak fingers zipped up his pants and buckled his belt. For such a simple movement, he took several breaths just to accomplish it.
As he looked somewhat absentmindedly at the ceiling, both his heart and mind felt empty.
He knew that he was been cheap, but even if he was, he wasn't hindering anyone. He was happy to do it, that's all. Moreover, he'd only be cheap for a few more years. Since he was going to be thirty years old soon, he wanted to take advantage of the time before Song Ju Han become bored and fed up with him. He wanted to enjoy every minute, every second he spent together with Song Ju Han as to save a bit more memories. A person’s lifetime is only limited to a few short decades. He wasn’t concerned how others lived, what others said or care about how they looked at him. In any case, he didn't want to go against his own feelings for the sake of any dignity.
He liked Song Ju Han…then, just like him.
After he relaxed his weak legs became somewhat better, he went to the bathroom to tidy himself then waited quietly for Song Ju Han in the resting room. From yesterday to today, he was already exhausted to the point he felt like dying. Therefore, as he waited, he ended up falling asleep while lying on his side on the sofa.
After some time had passed, someone pushed the door open and came in. He Gu woke up with a startle and looked confusingly at Xiao Song while his brain was buzzing.
"He Gu ge, how come you're still here?" Xiao Song was surprised to see him.
"Ju Han told me to wait for him."
Xiao Song awkwardly said, "Han ge left a long time ago. He went out to eat with the production team and I stayed behind to tidy up the things."
He Gu closed his eyes and said exhaustingly, "En, then I'll head back."
"He Gu ge," Xiao Song couldn't help but to add a few more words, "Han gewas pretty busy this afternoon, he…he must have forgotten. Let me take you out to eat."
"There's no need. You should also go get some rest."
"He Gu ge…" Xiao Song sighed, "It's been hard on you."
Without saying anything, He Gu picked up his keys and left.
He didn't need a boy to pity him.
–
Translator's Note:
[1] Hengdian in the South, Dasheng in the North – it's a saying that means, if a person/place is famous in 'this place' than this person/place is famous in 'that place'. Like, 'Heaven above, Hell below' in a sense. So, the famous place in the south is Hengdian and the famous place in the north is Dasheng.
[2] Taiwan, officiallythe Republic of China(ROC) 1912-1949 – is a statein East Asia. Its neighbors include the People’s Republic of China(PRC) to the west, Japanto the northeast, and the Philippinesto the south. It is the most populous state and largest economy that is not a member of the United Nations.