SABA Chapter 63

Jiang Tiao saw Huo Shen’s hand gripping his wrist forcefully. Although he knew Huo Shen might simply dislike Chu Xu and not have any romantic intentions, Jiang Tiao still felt very happy.

Only after pulling Jiang Tiao away from the main entrance and into the bustling banquet hall did Huo Shen slightly calm the heavy sigh trapped in his chest. He released Jiang Tiao’s wrist but then noticed the red marks on Jiang Tiao’s fair skin and finally realized. He immediately felt a pang of regret and looked up, intending to apologize, only to see Jiang Tiao’s eyes curved, revealing unconcealed joy.

“There’s no need to feel embarrassed,” Jiang Tiao leaned towards Huo Shen, their breaths mingling at such close proximity, “I’m quite happy.”

Huo Shen’s heart stirred, “You…”

What about proceeding step by step, what about nurturing something subtly… Jiang Tiao couldn’t care less about all that. Seizing the good atmosphere, he was about to press his advantage and say a few more words. Unexpectedly, a sharp, piercing pain shot from the depths of his mind again, as if someone were striking every nerve in his brain with an iron rod. His head felt like it was being squeezed by an invisible pressure, and the intense pain spread from his temples throughout his entire brain, making him feel like he was about to split open.

This feeling again, Jiang Tiao’s heart sank slightly, but he didn’t show it. Ever since he fainted in Jiang Mingyan’s office, he had been experiencing these sensations from time to time. They always occurred when he was with Huo Shen. Sometimes it was when they were chatting and he was a little too close; other times it was when his emotions reached a certain point, and he couldn’t help but want to throw caution to the wind and say or do something.

During his re-examinations, he concealed the fact that these episodes only happened when Huo Shen was present and told the doctor about his symptoms. However, after a series of tests performed over and over again, the doctor still couldn’t find any problems.

Jiang Tiao didn’t want Huo Shen and the others to worry, so he stopped mentioning it to them. After all, it was just occasional headaches that he could endure. At first, he would feel so much pain that he wanted to smash his head against a wall, but after experiencing it more often, he gradually got used to it—so much so that he could now act in a way that Huo Shen wouldn’t even notice.

Huo Shen saw Jiang Tiao pause suddenly and his eyes showed concern, “What’s wrong, is your head hurting again?”

“It’s not that easy to get a headache,” Jiang Tiao grabbed the collar of Huo Shen’s shirt and put on a roguish expression, well-received by many, “Are you that worried about me?”

Huo Shen looked into Jiang Tiao’s eyes, seemingly trying to discern the truth in his words from his expression. However, he ultimately chose to believe Jiang Tiao. He didn’t respond to Jiang Tiao’s teasing, his eyes holding a rare seriousness.

“If you’re not feeling well, you must tell me.”

“Got it,” Jiang Tiao adjusted the collar of Huo Shen’s suit and took a glass of white wine with a very low alcohol content from a waiter’s tray. He smiled slyly, “Showtime.”

Huo Shen glanced at the white wine Jiang Tiao had taken and, after a brief pause, quickly understood. He turned to see a business partner he had dealings with approaching him from not too far away—at this distance, it would be rude to pretend not to see them and avoid the interaction.

Jiang Tiao, having set him up, slipped into the crowd like a fish into water, looking as if he were saying, “Let others face the trouble,” clearly not wanting to stay and socialize with him.

Huo Shen was caught between laughter and tears, beginning to reflect on whether his tone of voice when speaking to Jiang Tiao earlier had been a bit too harsh.

Jiang Tiao hadn’t expected Huo Shen to think that way. He didn’t want to lie to Huo Shen, but he also didn’t want Huo Shen to worry. If Huo Shen knew that his headaches only occurred when he was with him, he could easily imagine how Huo Shen would handle the situation.

Holding a glass of wine, Jiang Tiao merged into the elegantly dressed crowd and looked back from afar. Despite Huo Shen appearing as usual now, Jiang Tiao knew his mind wasn’t on listening to what those people were saying. He was probably feeling speechless in his heart, thinking about how to escape.

Jiang Tiao chuckled. It wasn’t that he was unwilling to accompany him. Although Huo Shen rarely gave interviews and had never appeared in front of the media, people in the business circle who needed to know him all knew him. At banquets like this, Huo Shen was a sought-after commodity, with countless people wanting to forge connections. One after another, it would take at least half an hour. Huo Shen could remain expressionless, but he couldn’t. The thought of him having to endure smiling for over half an hour while suffering from a headache made his facial and cranial nerves twitch.

So it wasn’t that he didn’t want to, it was that his neurons wouldn’t allow him to think about it!

Besides, it was definitely easier to slip away individually than to leave together.

Jiang Tiao familiarized himself with the surroundings and went upstairs. He knew of a place where he could overlook the entire venue and avoid being noticed. He left a message for Huo Shen and, taking many turns, went to a corner. To his surprise, someone had already claimed the prime spot.

Chu Qingchao, wearing an off-white high-necked cashmere sweater over a shawl lapel suit, looked fashionable and elegant. He rested his forearm on the railing, gazing down at the elegantly dressed people chatting and laughing below, his thoughts unknown. His expression was dejected, tinged with a hint of unresolvable melancholy.

He heard the movement and thought it was Chu Hongzhen calling another oblivious person to find him. He frowned slightly, raising his head with a hint of impatience, only to find it was Jiang Tiao.

Chu Qingchao was slightly taken aback. He glanced at Huo Shen, who was surrounded by people in the banquet hall below, and understood. He teased, “What are you doing? You guys want to hide out here too?”

“Yeah,” it wasn’t the first time, Jiang Tiao admitted frankly with a smile.

He pressed his temple, where the pain had somewhat subsided. While he really didn’t want to admit it, he had indeed discovered that when he got a headache, separating from Huo Shen helped it subside faster.

Chu Qingchao scoffed, the gloom in his eyes fading considerably.

Jiang Tiao, “Brother Qingchao, are you in a bad mood?”

Chu Qingchao was slightly taken aback, then he started to laugh. He lazily rested his forearm on the railing, his tone rebellious, with a hint of love and hate intertwined, “Yes, seeing that old man still so energetic at his age, I really can’t be happy.”

Jiang Tiao: …

There was no way to respond to that. Although he knew a little about the Chu family’s affairs, they were still elders, and it wasn’t appropriate for him to curse his father along with Chu Qingchao.

Chu Qingchao saw Jiang Tiao awkwardly rub his nose and, amused, didn’t make things difficult for him. He changed the subject, “By the way, I have something I need to ask you.”

Jiang Tiao was puzzled.

Chu Qingchao, “Do you know Luo Xingwen? He seems to have the same agent as you.”

Jiang Tiao immediately thought of Chu Yanhao and Luo Xingwen’s situation. He secretly glanced at Chu Qingchao’s expression, his heart beating with anxiety, wondering why Chu Qingchao would suddenly ask about this. Could it be that Chu Qingchao, after so many years, finally knew who had made his brother so sad and was going to settle the score across time?

Jiang Tiao dared not show anything, “I suppose… I know him.”

Chu Qingchao, “What is Yanhao’s relationship with him?”

Jiang Tiao, “This…”

Why ask him! As a friend, he should keep Chu Yanhao’s secret, but Chu Qingchao had also been very good to him since he was young! Wasn’t this putting him in a difficult position?!

Seeing Jiang Tiao’s reaction, Chu Qingchao had a general idea. He snorted coldly, “My foolish brother.”

He seemed unreliable and carefree, yet he was so sensible in front of him. This time, he had unprecedentedly asked for an annual cover and a global endorsement to promote someone.

“He rarely asks me for anything in eight hundred years, and he still says we’re friends.”

Chu Qingchao sighed at the memory of Chu Yanhao’s hesitant and conflicted appearance when he came to him. He knew Chu Yanhao was busy with his own affairs and didn’t want to trouble him. But he actually didn’t want to see Chu Yanhao being so sensible in front of him, as it always made him feel as if he hadn’t taken good care of Chu Yanhao since he was young.

Jiang Tiao opened his mouth. After the time they had spent together, Jiang Tiao felt that Luo Xingwen was actually a good person. He wanted to say a few good words for Luo Xingwen, but he wasn’t sure of the specifics.

“What are you looking at?” Chu Qingchao saw Jiang Tiao’s vigilant and hesitant expression, and felt an urge to laugh, “Are you afraid I’ll break up your relationship? Or worried I’ll pick a fight with someone?”

“I’m not a feudal patriarch like your brother,” Chu Qingchao teased jokingly. He rested his arms on the railing, looking down at the luxurious and lively banquet hall.

At some point, Chu Hongzhen had returned from greeting guests to the center of the hall. A group of people surrounded him, offering congratulations and laughter, clinking glasses, a scene of great merriment. Beside him followed his newly hired “secretary,” a recent graduate of the performing arts department, very young and beautiful—just like the countless lovers Chu Hongzhen had sought over the years, young and beautiful.

Jiang Tiao followed Chu Qingchao’s gaze.

Chu Qingchao, “Some people say she resembles my mother a bit.”

Jiang Tiao had never met Chu’s mother, only seen her photos.

Chu Qingchao, “Many people actually praise Chu Hongzhen for being devoted, saying he hasn’t forgotten his deceased wife all these years. Isn’t that ridiculous?”

“…” Jiang Tiao’s expression was complicated, and for once, he didn’t know what to say.

Chu Qingchao sighed mournfully, “Loving someone is too painful. My mother endured it her whole life and finally died of melancholy.”

He had also tasted it for half his life.

“I just don’t want my foolish brother to suffer the same kind of pain.”

Jiang Tiao looked into Chu Qingchao’s desolate eyes. Perhaps because they both lost important relatives in their youth, Jiang Tiao sometimes saw Huo Shen when he looked at Chu Qingchao’s eyes, as they both held countless emotions and unsaid words, inexplicably causing a sense of sadness.

Chu Qingchao smiled, dispelling the desolation in his eyes, and added with a hint of self-deprecation, “That’s why I’ve always advised Yanhao, wouldn’t it be better to flit among the flowers, pass through a hundred flowers without touching a single petal. Only those who can be lifelong wanderers, who only love themselves, can live the most freely.”

Chu Qingchao paused again as soon as he finished speaking, “Forget it, I shouldn’t be saying this to you. You… sigh, you should be more mindful.”

Jiang Tiao: “???”

…

By the time Chu Qingchao vacated this prime spot and left, Jiang Tiao still hadn’t figured out why it had turned into him needing to be more mindful.

Why was he thought to be heartless?

Jiang Tiao felt he must have been implicated by his brother!

Jiang Tiao heard footsteps and, thinking it was Huo Shen, looked up with joy. To his surprise, it was Chu Xu who appeared. The joy in his eyes instantly vanished.

He turned back, intending to ignore him and wait for him to leave on his own. However, Chu Xu stood like a stake in the middle of the corridor, staring at him intently, unmoving. Jiang Tiao didn’t know what was wrong with him, but it was clear he was looking for him.

Considering the time, Huo Shen should be coming up soon. Jiang Tiao didn’t want Chu Xu to affect Huo Shen’s mood, so he wanted to resolve the matter quickly. He hid the annoyance in his eyes and said with a hint of impatience, “Do you need something?”

Chu Xu, “Don’t you want to ask me how I found you?”

This place was just slightly secluded and hidden, not a secret location. Jiang Tiao didn’t understand why Chu Xu was so smug. If one didn’t know better, they’d think that this entire estate would belong to Chu Xu tomorrow.

“Frankly, I don’t care.”

Chu Xu, “Did you deliberately return to the Jiang family, back to them, because of me?”

“Huh?” Jiang Tiao was stunned by Chu Xu’s bizarre train of thought, momentarily speechless.

Chu Xu looked at Jiang Tiao, who seemed to have been struck in the heart and was unable to speak, and sighed. He finally understood Jiang Tiao’s well-intentioned efforts, “I know you’re doing all this for me, but you really don’t need to go this far. The me of today is no longer the me of the past. After tonight, they won’t be able to do anything to me. Compared to what you’re doing for me, I’d rather you just listen to me.”

“When Nuwa was molding clay, did she forget to mold a brain for you?”

Jiang Tiao couldn’t stand it anymore. Growing up, both his parents and Huo Shen had told him the most important thing was for him to be happy and unrestrained. Who did this person think he was? How dare he tell him to be obedient?

“The Jiang family is my home, where else should I go if I don’t go home? Your self-importance is truly frightening, where do you get such nerve?”

Chu Xu’s face darkened for a moment, then he immediately figured it out again. The light cast on his deliberately profound profile, he stepped forward, resting one hand on the railing, intending to corner him, his deliberately lowered voice like particles, “You’re saying this deliberately, aren’t you, so I don’t worry or feel guilty?”

Jiang Tiao’s skin crawled from the cheesiness. He grabbed Chu Xu’s arm in return and forcefully pressed him against the railing.

Everything happened too quickly, Chu Xu was caught off guard. He widened his eyes in shock, his face still carrying the greasy, charming expression of a domineering CEO from an idol drama. Chu Xu instinctively struggled a few times, his custom-made suit appearing disheveled and messy.

Jiang Tiao said sinisterly, “You haven’t taken anything I said to you last time to heart at all. How many times do I have to tell you to understand? Stay away from me, I have no interest in you.”

“Also, I’m a bit introverted and don’t like strangers getting too close to me. Next time you get close without saying hello, if I accidentally twist your arm, don’t blame me for the medical bills.”

Chu Xu’s eyes shifted slightly, as if pitying Jiang Tiao for having to say the opposite of what he meant for his sake, “Since you say you don’t like me anymore, why did you smile at me when I was playing the piano?”

Jiang Tiao was baffled, when had Chu Xu ever played the piano?

Chu Xu’s expression was confident and assured, “You say you don’t love me, but last time we were filming a variety show on the cruise ship, you were listening to me play the piano, and your expression clearly showed that you still loved me!”

???? Jiang Tiao’s mind was full of question marks.

If Chu Xu hadn’t brought it up himself, Jiang Tiao would have completely forgotten that the person playing the piano on the cruise ship was him! How could someone be so confident?! He had truly opened his eyes today!

Just as Jiang Tiao was about to speak, he saw Huo Shen standing at the corner of the corridor not far away, appearing to have just arrived. The dim light fell on his face, making it indistinct and difficult to read.

Heaven, please distinguish between loyalty and treachery!

Truly, even Dou E wasn’t as wronged as he was!

…