Chapter 26: Young Man Zhang Yang and Waking Up from a Hangover
"Got it, Brother Yu," Chu Yan replied casually, parking the car in front of the single-family villa halfway up the mountain. The housekeeper, already waiting respectfully at the door, saw Chu Yan helping Chu Yu, who seemed lucid but actually had a slightly stiff step, out of the car and quickly stepped forward to take over.
"Master Yan, thank you for your hard work."
"It's okay. I'll leave Brother Yu to you." Chu Yan let go of his hand and watched the butler skillfully support Chu Yu.
Chu Yu tried to stand up straight, and said to Chu Yan in a very serious and clear voice: "We're home. You, go back and be careful."
Chu Yan nodded: "Okay, Brother Yu, go to bed early."
After watching the housekeeper carefully help Chu Yu into the villa gate, Chu Yan turned around and got into the car to leave. It was already late at night when he returned to his apartment building. He looked up at his window and saw it was pitch black. Gu Ye had obviously fallen asleep.
Chu Yan quietly opened the door and changed his shoes. The living room was still littered with Gu Ye's unpacked gear. He put it in a simple arrangement, then, without turning on the lights, walked into his room in the dim light from the window.
The next morning, the sun was shining brightly.
Chu Yan was awakened by the rustling sounds and deliberately subdued voices in the living room. After washing up and leaving his room, he saw Gu Ye, A Liang, Huang Mao, and several other close friends already gathered in the living room, excitedly checking their equipment and discussing their route.
Gu Ye was wearing a black and red tracksuit today. His hair was a little messy, but he looked energetic and his eyes were sparkling. When he saw Chu Yan coming out, he immediately greeted him, "Are you awake? Come and have breakfast."
The table was still steaming with the soy milk, fried dough sticks, and xiaolongbao that Gu Ye had bought downstairs. Chu Yan sat down to eat while listening to A Liang and the others excitedly discuss how they were going to "slaughter" the track and who would be the true "King of Akina Mountain." While Gu Ye didn't shout as much as they did, a perpetual smile played on his face, and he occasionally chimed in with a tone of youthful exuberance and anticipation.
The group set off in a mighty procession. The go-kart track was located in the suburbs and was quite large. Besides the main track, it also offered recreational activities like rock climbing, trampolines, and archery. It was crowded on weekends, mostly young people like them, and the air was filled with the smell of burnt rubber tires rubbing against the ground.
As soon as Aliang and the others arrived, they rushed to the kart rental area like wild horses, howling and screaming. Gu Ye was also obviously infected by the atmosphere, and the excitement in his eyes was almost overflowing. He looked at Chu Yan and said, "Let's go run a few laps to warm up first?"
Chu Yan smiled and waved his hand: "You guys go first. I'm a little carsick, so I'll go over there to relax." He pointed to the lounge chairs and cold drink stand under the shade of the trees next to him for people to rest.
Gu Ye was stunned for a moment, thinking that Chu Yan went to bed so late last night and might not be feeling well, so he didn't force him: "Okay, then you take a rest and come find us later!" After that, he rushed to the entrance of the track impatiently.
Chu Yan bought a cup of iced milk tea from the cold drink stand and sat down on a reclining chair under the shade of a tree. The view from here was excellent, and he could clearly see the main track.
Soon, Gu Ye and his team's car appeared on the track. Gu Ye chose a bright yellow go-kart and started, accelerated, turned, and maneuvered... His movements were filled with wild instinct and explosive power. Although his skills were not as good as those of the experienced players, his unyielding spirit and daring spirit quickly made him stand out from the crowd, and he started a fierce chase with A Liang, Huang Mao and others.
The roar of the engine, the whistling of the tires rubbing against the ground, mixed with the excited roars of the teenagers, merged into a torrent full of vitality.
Chu Yan leaned back in a recliner, sipping his iced milk tea, his gaze following the bright yellow car on the track. He watched Gu Ye force his way past at a nearly unruly angle on the curve; watched him floor the accelerator on the straight; watched him cross the finish line, remove his helmet, his hair wet with sweat and plastered to his forehead, yet a carefree, ostentatious smile blossomed on his face.
At this moment, Gu Ye shed all his gloom and defensiveness, like a wild horse freed from its shackles, galloping freely on the battlefield that belonged to him. Sweat, sunshine, speed, the shouts of his companions... all formed an incomparably vivid picture of "the bright clothes and vigorous horse of youth."
Chu Yan watched quietly, the condensation on the wall of the milk tea cup wetting his fingertips, bringing a burst of coolness. Deep in his eyes, reflecting the dazzling figure in the sun, a faint warmth quietly spread. Gu Ye was good like this.
On the other side of the city, the hillside villa area.
Chu Yu woke with a headache. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the thick blackout curtains, stinging his eyes. He frowned and sat up, feeling extremely uncomfortable from the dizziness and dry mouth brought on by the hangover.
He rubbed his throbbing temples, trying to recall what happened last night. He'd had a few drinks at a project dinner, and fragments of memory came flooding back like a tidal wave.
——He sat upright in the empty box, like a primary school student waiting for the teacher to call his name.
——He nodded seriously and admitted that he had “too much”.
——In the car, he seriously accused Chu Yan of being "dangerous" for holding the steering wheel with one hand.
——And he kept on complaining about Gu Xu’s various “crimes” like a nagging woman.
Chu Yu: “…”
A strong sense of social doom and shame instantly washed over him. He suddenly buried his face in his hands and let out a suppressed groan. When had he, Chu Yu, ever been so foolish, so out of control, so unbearable to look back on?
He wished he could lose his memory immediately or turn back time.
After sitting stiffly on the bed for a full ten minutes, Chu Yu finally suppressed the urge to explode. He took a few deep breaths and forced himself to calm down. It had already happened, and there was no point in running away.
He picked up the phone on the bedside table, and the screen lit up. There were no missed calls, just a few insignificant work messages. He clicked on Chu Yan's chat box, his finger hovering over the screen, pausing for a long time. After editing and revising, he finally sent a single line that seemed calm and restrained, but in fact, every word was filled with awkwardness and forced composure:
[I was overly social last night and my words and actions were inappropriate. Please forgive me.]
Chu Yu stared at the screen, experiencing for the first time what it meant to "feel like years passing by each second." He could even imagine the half-smile on Chu Yan's face when he saw this message.
The phone vibrated quickly.
Chu Yan's reply was simple and clear: "Brother Yu, you're welcome. I'm glad you made it home safely. I was very touched by your concern yesterday."
Chu Yu looked at these two words, and the scene of himself scolding Gu Xu incessantly and that extremely shameful declaration flashed through his mind. He suddenly closed his eyes, and the veins on his forehead throbbed.
But Chu Yan's reply was like a tiny stone, gently dropped into the surging lake of his heart.
Chu Yu sat silently in the morning light, clutching his phone. His hangover headache persisted, but the irritability and shame in his heart seemed strangely relieved by Chu Yan's calm response.
He thought of Chu Yan's family situation—his parents were divorced, each busy with their careers and new families, and had little regard for their son. Chu Yan had been independent since childhood, seemingly gentle and at ease, but wasn't that maturity and aloofness a protective color?
In Chu Yan's eyes, perhaps his inappropriate "concern" last night was truly the long-lost care and concern that belonged to "family"? Even if the form of this "concern" was so horrible.
Chu Yu looked at Chu Yan's brief reply on the phone screen. Between his stern eyebrows, a sense of responsibility as an older brother quietly grew, which he himself was not even aware of.
Chu Yan seemed to be more than just a clever cousin to him. Although this sense of responsibility came so suddenly that he himself felt a little unprepared.
Chu Yu put down his phone, rubbed his still swollen forehead, and sighed long and silently. In that case, let's help Chu Yan solve the problem of Gu Xu first.
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