TCWSITD – Chapter 74.2 (Extra Chapter 2)

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Chapter 74.2 (Extra Chapter 2) – He Gu’s Extra 2

The flight was delayed. He Gu sat in the waiting lounge, scrolling through Lin Jiang’s updates from the day before.

Lin Jiang looked a little worn down, leaning against a railing, a cigarette perched between his fingers. Next to him was Yu Ming, a quiet admirer whose feelings could never be openly expressed.

At first, Lin Jiang didn’t react much to him, but then, for some reason, Lin Jiang started laughing. His face, illuminated by the lights, carried a unique charm that even made Yu Ming momentarily dazed.

He Gu crumpled the photo in his hand, thinking about how Lin Jiang had treated Yu Ming, then recalling the tone Lin Jiang had used with him on the phone.

It felt like something was silently changing. He keenly sensed that Lin Jiang didn’t seem to like him as much as before. Maybe he wasn’t irreplaceable to Lin Jiang anymore.

The flight was delayed for a full three hours. He didn’t tell Lin Jiang. Dragging his luggage out of the airport, he saw Lin Jiang leaning against a railing under the night sky, surrounded by cigarette butts, as if he had been waiting for a long time. When Lin Jiang noticed him, he didn’t show any surprise, just stubbed out his cigarette and said matter-of-factly, “Let’s go. The car’s parked outside.”

A wave of inexplicable disappointment washed over He Gu. He had hoped for some spark, some sign of emotion—but there was nothing.

Once in the car, he tested the waters. “Have you been waiting long?”

Lin Jiang didn’t answer immediately. He started the car and, after a long pause, replied, “It’s fine. I’m used to it.”

Even with the windows open, the heavy scent of smoke clung to Lin Jiang. He Gu watched him through the rearview mirror. “Since when did you learn to smoke?”

Lin Jiang answered, “Can’t remember.”

He Gu’s heart sank further. Lin Jiang seemed indifferent to everything related to him, as if his life no longer needed He Gu’s presence.

Lin Jiang dropped him off at home, set down the luggage, and made no move to stay. “I’m heading back.”

“Lin Jiang,” He Gu reached out and grabbed him. “It’s been two years since we last saw each other.”

The man in front of him paused for a moment, then smiled. “Yeah, two years. You’re still the same as before.”

He Gu knew this was not a compliment.

He knew there was a problem between him and Lin Jiang, but he didn’t know where it had started.

News of his return quickly reached the higher-ups at KUG. Having been away for two years, there were many matters that required his attention. Amidst his busy schedule, He Gu made time to attend the meeting.

Manager Chen was the biggest contributor in this matter. Everyone praised him for keeping Lin Jiang on board. Everyone except He Gu, who remained silent. The thought of that contract filled him with an indescribable sense of suffocation.

As he left, passing by the training room, everyone was looking out, except for Lin Jiang, who remained motionless.

He wore headphones, exuding an air of detached indifference. Zeng Yuan tugged at his arm to signal his presence, but Lin Jiang didn’t even lift his eyelids, merely responding with a flat “Hmm.”

He Gu, as always, was the center of attention, surrounded by people vying for his favor. Everyone except Lin Jiang, who seemed to be actively distancing himself.

After that meeting, He Gu didn’t see Lin Jiang for two months. Alike was far more enthusiastic, always the first to greet him with a cheerful, “Ge! You’re here!”

He Gu would intentionally linger a few extra minutes for Lin Jiang’s sake, but Lin Jiang never took another step toward him.

There was a problem between them.

He Gu knew it.

He called a friend he was on decent terms with back home, asking for help figuring out where things had gone awry.

The friend was a playboy, never without a romantic partner, and he laughed carelessly, “In a relationship, you have to offer something, right? Money? He doesn’t lack that. Emotional support? You don’t have that either. You can’t even give him a proper title¹名分 (míngfèn) – referring to formal recognition in a relationship (e.g., boyfriend/girlfriend).. So, Young Master He, if you keep draining his emotions, of course he’ll get tired. He’ll grow distant—it’s only natural.”

He Gu took a sip of his drink. “Then what should I do?”

“I think you should have a serious talk with him. There’s a two-year gap between you two. You need to find a way to bridge it.”

“But don’t say I didn’t warn you, Young Master He. If even someone as good as Lin Jiang can’t stand you, you might really end up alone forever.”

He Gu had never feared loneliness before, but now that Lin Jiang had come into his life, he suddenly felt a pang of dread.

That night, he left the bar and went straight to Lin Jiang’s apartment, waiting outside until the early hours. Just as he was about to give up, he saw Lin Jiang stumble out of a car, drunk.

Several people were with him, all from different teams. One of them, Yu Ming, was someone He Gu recognized. A guy who had once had feelings for Lin Jiang.

The cold air of the night hit him, but it was nothing compared to the chill in He Gu’s heart.

He stood in the darkness, watching as Yu Ming carried Lin Jiang out of the car.

Lin Jiang had a decent tolerance for alcohol. The last time he’d been this drunk was three years ago, when He Gu had taken him home.

Back then, Lin Jiang lay on the sofa, clothes disheveled, completely unguarded before him, as if he could be claimed immediately.

It was the first time He Gu had felt such intense loss of control. Standing by the sofa, just looking at him, he felt as if an abyss was slowly consuming him.

Not everyone in this world could restrain themselves like he could.

So all he could do was warn Lin Jiang, “Don’t drink in front of anyone else but me, understand?”

At that time, Lin Jiang had still liked him. He nodded, drunkenly pulling himself up from the sofa before throwing himself into He Gu’s arms. “A’Gu, I only trust you.”

Three years later, Lin Jiang was drunk again—but this time, everything had changed.

He stood in the dark, calmly watching as Yu Ming helped Lin Jiang walk toward him.

Lin Jiang was drunk, but not completely out of it. He looked up and recognized He Gu, but all he said was a flat, “Oh, you’re here.”

He Gu didn’t know when the change had started. He’d only been gone for two years, yet Lin Jiang had learned to smoke, learned to drank together with other people.

And the once-fiery gaze directed at him had cooled, smiles now freely given to others besides him. It seemed Lin Jiang truly didn’t need him exclusively.

That night was bitterly cold, unbearably so.

He took Lin Jiang from Yu Ming’s hands, his voice as chilling as the night air. “Thanks… but next time, call me. I’ll come get him myself.”

Yu Ming stood frozen for a long moment before replying with visible disappointment, “Are you Lin Jiang’s boyfriend?”

He Gu nodded. “You could say that.”

Yu Ming opened his mouth but found no words. He was a secret admirer, one who couldn’t step into the light. Even a rebuttal felt like an extravagance.

Supporting Lin Jiang into the elevator, He Gu was met with suffocating silence between them.

They used to talk about everything, but now there was nothing to say. Only two years had passed, yet he didn’t understand why Lin Jiang had changed so much.

He brought Lin Jiang back to the apartment. The passcode, he remembered, was his own birthday. When Lin Jiang had first set it, he’d joked, “I set it as your birthday. I’m afraid you’ll forget, and then you won’t know how to get in.”

The door beeped open. He knew then, Lin Jiang still held him in his heart. Whatever rift had formed between them could still be mended.

After settling Lin Jiang onto the sofa, He Gu sat at the far end, deliberating carefully before speaking. “Let’s start over. I don’t want to keep testing each other anymore.”

His mind was made up. No matter how Lin Jiang had changed, whether his love remained as before, He Gu wanted him. He wanted to start over with him.

Lin Jiang’s eyes stayed shut, but He Gu knew he wasn’t asleep.

When he drank too much, he would get headaches and be unable to sleep, just like him—sleepless through the entire night.

He watched Lin Jiang, waiting for a response. After what felt like an eternity, the reply came. “He Gu, you really haven’t changed at all.”

Lin Jiang sighed, exhaustion weighing his words. “You’re still the same—treating emotions like bargaining chips. As if the more I love you, the more you can dominate this relationship. That day, your flight was delayed three hours. You had time to message me, to let me know. Yet you still made me wait for hours. What were you trying to prove? That I still care about you?”

“The day before, you called, saying you wanted to start over. I gathered all my courage to meet you at the airport, only to end up right back where we were.”

“This relationship exhausts me. Let’s end it here. No need to drag it out. A clean break is best for both of us.”

He Gu clenched his hands tightened into fists, unease knotting his chest. He knew his flaws, understood them, yet he had no idea how to rein them in.

In moments like these, a demon stirred inside him, tilting the scales, driving him nearly mad with the urge to prove that Lin Jiang’s love for him was real.

His body seemed like a bottomless void, impossible to fill. He knew he would eventually drain Lin Jiang completely, yet he couldn’t bear to let him go.

Some people’s love could nourish an entire city. Others’ love survived only by consuming those around them.

Leaving the apartment, He Gu wallowed in desolation for a long time.

When his mother called, summoning him to a family dinner, he dressed in a suit and tie. But the moment he stepped through the door, her reprimand greeted him.

“What kind of outfit is this for such an important banquet! Didn’t I tell you black looks more dignified? Who bought you such a frivolous tie? Your assistant’s taste is getting worse and worse…”

Perhaps the success of the project had given him unshakable confidence, or maybe he wanted to prove something. In that moment, his courage feared nothing.

Of course, all he got in return was a slap.

And the furious voice of that woman. “You’ve become more and more ill-mannered. Just because your overseas project succeeded, you think you’ve slipped out of my control, don’t you?”

He smiled and replied, “Yes, after the project took off, I really did slip out of your control.”

That day, he saw sheer terror in his mother’s eyes, something he had always wanted to witness. Yet when he finally saw it, it turned out to be nothing extraordinary.

Because he and his mother were too much alike.

So much so that he wondered: If one day Lin Jiang slipped out of his control, would he too lose his temper like this woman, driven to madness?

He loosened his tight tie slightly and raised his head to interrupt her. “Mother, this is how I dress abroad, and I’ll keep dressing this way from now on.”

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  名分 (míngfèn) – referring to formal recognition in a relationship (e.g., boyfriend/girlfriend).