Chapter 7 N - Ex-Boyfriend
Having eaten very little, Chu Beiling's stomach was full of alcohol, her intestines felt twisted, and her head throbbed with pain. She rushed to the bathroom and collapsed onto the sink, vomiting violently.
He only managed to stop after vomiting up all the alcohol in his stomach.
After vomiting, he turned on the tap and kept pouring the icy cold water onto his face.
For several minutes, the stinging sensation of the cold water gradually emptied his mind. Chu Beiling leaned against the wall to support his exhausted body, took out his medicine box, and popped two voroxetine pills into his mouth.
He had just drunk alcohol and couldn't eat, as it could be life-threatening. However, he urgently needed medication to control his emotions and reduce his perception of his surroundings, so he couldn't worry about that now.
After catching his breath in the restroom and confirming that there wouldn't be any major problems going out, Chu Beiling finally left.
With the combined effects of alcohol and drugs, his vision blurred and he saw double images. In a daze, he tripped over the soft carpet and fell straight to the ground.
A strong arm supported his waist, preventing him from making intimate contact with the ground.
Xing Yu looked down at him, his emotions unreadable: "Still the same, your eyes are on the top of your head, you don't like to look where you're going."
Perhaps because he had just vomited, his throat was burning and he couldn't say a word.
He leaned against Xing Yu, greedily inhaling the faint lemon scent emanating from Xing Yu, like an old smoker who had long since given up the addictive bitterness of nicotine, smelling the scent of nicotine once again.
The craving deep within him was stirred again, and he greedily inhaled the agonizing, scorching antidote.
Even knowing it's wrong, even knowing that touching it again will undo all the progress, I still find it hard to give up.
Xing Yu was his antidote, but also his addiction.
The moment it touches them, they lose all reason.
Chu Beiling looked up at him. In the dim, hazy light, his beautiful cat-like eyes were misty and dreamy. Perhaps because of the large movements, several buttons on his shirt had fallen off, revealing a large expanse of his fair chest.
Her whole body was flushed pink from being drunk.
"I'm really drunk," Xing Yu thought.
He couldn't resist reaching out to button up Chu Beiling's shirt one button at a time.
Xing Yu's hands, with their distinct knuckles, were ice-cold. Chu Beiling snapped to attention and instantly became mostly sober. He tried to move, but Xing Yu grabbed him, preventing him from doing so.
Xing Yu: "It'll be ready soon."
Chu Beiling's head was foggy, and she was in pain and throbbing, making her very unclear-headed. Her reactions were also much slower, and she couldn't bear to really push him away, so she let him do as he pleased.
Let him be selfish one last time, and enjoy his care and favoritism one last time.
With his blue silk shirt buttoned up to the top, Xing Yu reached out and pulled off his tie, then tied it for Chu Beiling. "All done."
After saying that, he took Chu Beiling's arm again.
"You can't drink alcohol, yet you drank so much." Xing Yu took out a strip of hangover medicine from his pocket and handed it to him. "Take two pills, you'll feel better."
Hearing his words, which were both reproachful and worried, Chu Beiling felt a lump in her throat.
But he hadn't forgotten that Xing Yu and Xu Zeyi had just been chatting and laughing in a corner. With all his might, he pushed him away, took two steps back, and leaned against the wall to support his swaying body.
"Thank you." Chu Beiling couldn't bear his repeated concern, even if it was just out of his good manners, it would only make him more addicted and unable to let go. "I've already taken the medicine, so I don't need it anymore."
The motion-activated lights went out, and the green emergency exit signs in the corridor flickered and blurred, creating a hazy, jagged effect. Various neon lights shone in from the windows, all blending together like spilled and mixed paint.
Bright side, dark side, gray side. Xing Yu, standing on the boundary between light and shadow, transitioned from light to darkness. As the light changed, his expression was hidden in the darkness and could not be clearly seen.
Xing Yu suddenly chuckled and leaned closer to him. "I'm really sorry, I used to be used to it. I'm grateful to Director Chu for avoiding any appearance of impropriety. It's really not appropriate for the two of us to have close contact right now."
The two suddenly drifted apart and then drew closer again. The motion-activated light came on again, and this time Chu Beiling could see his expression clearly.
They remained calm and composed, even somewhat relieved.
Chu Beiling felt a lump in his throat. He forced a smile and said, "Yes, it's really not suitable."
He used to believe that the colors he saw were more vibrant, joyful, and unrestrained than those of others. Now, all he sees are structural diagrams of object lines, perspective but no vitality.
It cannot be reflected by sunlight, leaving only an empty shell.
Just like his relationship with Xing Yu, all that's left is an empty shell.
"Please do as you please, Director Chu." Xing Yu turned and left without looking at him again.
The dim light overhead was particularly glaring, making it difficult for Chu Beiling to focus. His vision became blurred and distorted, turning into rings of light. Xing Yu's departing figure became increasingly distorted and indistinct.
He tried to see Xing Yu clearly, so he reached out and pinched his arm hard. The pain caused Chu Beiling's vision to focus briefly before it began to blur again. He tried to see clearly again, but before he could pinch himself, he was still in pain.
Everything went black and he completely lost consciousness.
In the VIP ward, Chu Beiling lay on the bed, the sound of torrential rain echoing outside the window. The room was dimly lit and softly lit. He was fast asleep with his eyes closed, his face as pale as paper, his brows furrowed even in his sleep.
While in the emergency room, Chu Beiling woke up once, opening her eyes groggily, then closing them again in an instant.
He suffered from acute gastritis due to overwork and alcohol stimulation, accompanied by a rapid drop in blood pressure and blood sugar, as well as palpitations.
Fortunately, there's nothing too serious; an IV drip should be enough.
After their reunion, Xing Yu didn't really take a good look at Chu Beiling. He was thinner than he remembered, and his originally gentle and bright features were now covered with a layer of gloom. He had not only matured but also gained an aura that kept strangers at bay.
Xing Yu's fingers unconsciously traced his furrowed brows, then swept over his long, curled eyelashes, his high nose bridge, and his slightly upturned smile.
Xing Yu still remembered that when Chu Beiling wasn't smiling, she looked like that cute penguin emoji. Even when she was angry, she was like a kitten scratching an itch, baring her teeth and claws, without any intimidation whatsoever.
It's even more fun when it smiles, with two little tiger teeth showing, like a sunflower toy that can turn its head and dance.
Full of energy.
As she pondered, the caresses of her fingers were replaced by his lips.
Xing Yu's cold lips kissed Chu Beiling's eyebrows, eyes, and nose little by little, finally settling on her warm lips, lingering there.
A bitter taste rises from the back of the tongue, then flows back up the throat to the heart, so bitter that it makes it hard to breathe.
He was reluctant to leave, kissing her with devotion and focus.
A tear slid down Xing Yu's cheek and landed on Chu Beiling's curled eyelashes.
Fluttering.
Let's do it one last time~ Let him abandon all morality and give Chu Beiling, his little blueberry, a proper kiss.
The door was pushed open, and Zhu Qing'an, who had received the news, rushed over from the hotel. She was stunned by what she saw and couldn't even hold her phone properly.
It fell to the ground with a loud "thud."
Xing Yu froze, turning to look at Zhu Qing'an with disbelief on his face: "Mr. Xing, what do you mean by this?"
Xing Yu was caught red-handed by her current boyfriend after her ex-boyfriend stole a kiss from her. She was already prepared to be beaten up by Zhu Qing'an.
For a moment, Xing Yu had a wicked thought: why not just destroy their relationship?
However, he actually did it: "It's just like what you see, nothing special, I just kissed him when I wanted to."
Zhu Qing'an clenched his fists at his sides, stepped forward and pulled Xing Yu away from Chu Beiling's bedside. He tried hard not to punch him, and said through gritted teeth, "Mr. Xing, if I see your rude behavior again, I will not be polite."
Pointing to the door: "Go out now."
Xing Yu glanced back at Chu Beiling but didn't move.
At this moment, Chu Beiling, lying on the hospital bed, groaned a few times, "Don't go." She opened her eyes groggily, saw Xing Yu, and reached out to grab him, "Don't go, stay."
Chu Beiling grabbed Zhu Qing'an's wrist, but before she could get a good look at him, she fainted again.
Xing Yu glanced at Chu Beiling's hands, which were clinging to Zhu Qing'an with lingering affection, and a bitter, mocking smile appeared on his lips.
Then, he left the ward without looking back.
Chu Beiling slept until noon the next day, when he woke up with a headache. When he woke up, he found that his arms were bound. When he looked up, he saw that he was holding Zhu Qing'an's hand tightly.
He was holding her so tightly that Zhu Qing'an couldn't move and could only rest by his bedside.
Chu Beiling released his grip instantly. As soon as he moved, Zhu Qing'an, who was already having trouble sleeping, woke up immediately. His eyes were covered in dark circles, clearly indicating that he hadn't had much rest.
Chu Beiling apologized: "I'm sorry, I wasn't very sober last night."
He mistook Zhu Qing'an for Xing Yu.
Zhu Qingan stretched her muscles, yawned, got up and went to the ward counter to make herself a cup of instant coffee, then turned back to look at him: "I remember you never looked like this when you had a hangover before."
Chu Beiling pressed hard on her aching temples and changed the subject: "Who brought me here last night?"
Zhu Qing'an's face immediately darkened: "Your old classmate, our business partner."
Chu Beiling was taken aback, "Xing Yu?"
So last night when he was delirious, seeing Xing Yu wasn't a hallucination, but why was he holding Zhu Qing'an's hand again?!
Zhu Qing'an: "Who else could it be but him!"
Chu Beiling's Adam's apple bobbed: "When did he leave?"
“I came over, and he left.” Zhu Qing’an took a sip of coffee.
He hadn't slept well all night because Chu Beiling had been holding him down, and he needed coffee to keep going. Although it was instant and not very effective, it was better than nothing.
Last night, Zhu Qing'an saw Xing Yu stealing a kiss from Chu Beiling and was very angry. She had just been wondering whether or not to tell him about this upsetting incident.
Now look at Chu Beiling's reaction—
Considering Chu Beiling's unusual behavior when he was with Xing Yu, he felt that there was something fishy going on between the two.
Zhu Qing'an leaned closer and asked curiously, "You and President Xing, are you really just old classmates?"
Chu Beiling looked up at him, not intending to say anything, and vaguely brushed it off.
Seeing his ambiguous expression, Zhu Qing'an knew it couldn't be just an old classmate, so she voiced her guess: "I feel like he's your ex-lover. We've known each other for so many years, when have you ever had such a big emotional fluctuation? How many times have you reacted strangely when you've met him? So it's... your ex-boyfriend?"
He said with self-assurance, "It definitely is."
He couldn't imagine any other relationship being like this.
Chu Beiling almost wanted to laugh, but he couldn't.
An old flame is only a past love if it leads to a new relationship, but he's stuck in the past, unlike Xing Yu.
Zhu Qing'an leaned closer to observe Chu Beiling's expression carefully: "So, am I right?"
Chu Beiling reached out to stop him from getting too close: "You're too close."
Zhu Qing'an feigned surrender: "Is it true or not?"
Chu Beiling twitched the corner of her mouth: "Yes, ex-boyfriend."
You already guessed it, why ask?
"That's true." Zhu Qing'an instantly understood: "So the reason you haven't dated for so many years is because of him?"
"Yes." Chu Beiling didn't want to bring up the matter and quickly ended the topic. "Are you very free? Have you finished reviewing the first draft that Chu Meng sent over?"
“I can be very free, but you can keep busy.” Zhu Qing’an suggested: “We’re going to be collaborating next, and this collaboration will take a long time. When old lovers meet, sparks fly. If you meet a few more times, the sparks of love can be rekindled. You should contact them directly, go over and review the project in person, and have them explain everything to you in detail, without letting any detail slip by.”
Chu Beiling smiled wryly: "If only it were as simple as you make it out to be."
Zhu Qing'an didn't take it to heart at all: "This man and woman are in love, how can it be anything but simple? It's only been ten years, just keep touching each other and the feelings will come back. If all else fails, just keep pestering him. You're so pretty, try to shed a few more tears, act all pitiful and coquettish, and maybe he'll surrender."
"Are you performing opera?" Chu Beiling didn't want to make fun of him, so she abruptly ended the conversation. "It's all in the past, don't mention it."
Zhu Qing'an didn't understand: "Why don't you want to rekindle your past relationship?"
Chu Beiling was once again touched on a sore spot, and felt a pang of sorrow in her heart. "I want to, but he doesn't. He has a new life. I can't keep clinging to him."
In the past, even if Xing Yu threw him out, he would still cling to him until he had no choice but to give in.
But he's not the same person he used to be.
“No way~” Zhu Qing’an said to herself, “When I came in last night, I saw him stealing a kiss from you. I was thinking that your high school classmate was a shameless lecher. If we weren’t going to work together and not fall out, I would have punched him. Although I really wanted to.”
A piercing ringing sound rang in his ears, and Chu Beiling's mind went blank: "What, what did you say?!"
He once suspected that he had misheard.
"He stole a kiss from you while you were asleep yesterday." Zhu Qing'an wished she could grab a megaphone and shout, "President Xing is having an affair with you—"
Chu Beiling immediately got out of bed, quickly changed her clothes, and went outside.
Zhu Qing'an: "Where are you going?"
Chu Beiling: "Settle the accounts."
Zhu Qing'an called out from behind, "I wish you success!"
Xing Yu didn't know, and nobody else knew.
He desperately wanted to go back ten years, he was insanely obsessed with going back ten years.
That youthful time he could never return to.
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