The cologne on Chen Boqiao's body was airtight to cover his pheromone smell.
After shaking hands with Zhang Jue, Chen Boqiao still kept a distance from Miss Zhu as if nothing had happened, and introduced to her: "This is Zhang Jue."
Miss Zhu showed a slightly puzzled look on her face, but she didn't ask any more questions and nodded to Zhang Jue with a smile.
"—Boqiao."
Zhu Hongru was led by his wife and walked over from not far away, and said enthusiastically: "Are you catching up with old classmates?" He got closer, and he said again: "In the afternoon, I asked Xiaojue, what was your relationship with you when you were in school? Sample."
Zhang Jue felt that Chen Boqiao was looking at him, raised his eyes carefully, and made eye contact with him.
With a faint smile in his eyes, Chen Boqiao casually followed Zhu Hongru's words and asked Zhang Jue, "Really, what did you say?"
Zhang Jue thought of the "unfamiliar" that his mother said, and didn't know how to answer for a while, so he looked at Chen Boqiao blankly, said the word "I", paused, and did not continue.
Chen Boqiao didn't ask any further questions. He looked at him for a few seconds, and seemed to be distracted, but when he came back to his senses, he seemed to want to say something, but was interrupted by Zhu Hongru.
"Ah, Xiao Jue's words are too conservative," Zhu Hongru interjected fluently without putting Zhang Jue in an embarrassing situation, "Just tell us that we are classmates, and refuse to reveal anything else."
Before he could finish his sentence, a media person at the scene came over and politely asked Chen Boqiao and Zhu Hongru if they could take a group photo for the press release.
Chen Boqiao nodded generously, suddenly looked at Zhang Jue, and said, "Let's take a photo together. Classmates."
Zhu Hongru was stunned for a moment, then quickly responded with a smile, pulled his wife and daughter, greeted Zhang Jue and stood on the left and right sides of Chen Boqiao, and asked, "How about this?"
The media staff gave up their position to the photographer. The photographer took the camera, tried the test film, and waved to the assistant not far away, making a gesture.
"The brightness of the lights is not enough." The photographer explained to Zhu Hongru, "You have to get a reflector."
It takes time to move the reflector and adjust the angle. Zhu Hongru and his wife chatted with Chen Boqiao in a low voice.
Zhang Jue stood beside Chen Boqiao, very nervous. His father's identity is special, and it is inconvenient to take a photo with Chen Boqiao at this time, and he and his mother hold hands and stand not far away. The lanterns on the lawn flickered far and near. Zhang Jue couldn't see the expressions of his parents. He wanted to lower his head to let his eyes rest for a while, but suddenly the back of his hand was touched.
He turned his head slightly and looked down, Chen Boqiao touched him again as if he was not paying attention.
Zhang Jue turned his face straight, pursed his lips, and his cheeks became irresistibly hot.
The assistant put the reflectors on, looked at them, had a brief conversation with the photographer, walked to Zhang Jue, and asked him, "Sir, can your hair..." Then he stretched out his hand, wanting to touch Zhang Jue hair.
Zhang Jue was about to avoid him when Chen Boqiao, who was talking to Zhu Hongru, suddenly stopped, raised his hand to block Zhang Jue, and stopped the camera assistant. Zhang Jue turned his head to look, Chen Boqiao had no expression on his face, he firmly clasped the opponent's arm, and immediately released it.
"No need," he said to the staff.
"Just shoot like this," Chen Boqiao's expression softened slightly, and he smiled gently at the other party, "Thank you."
But the assistant seemed startled, apologized to Zhang Jue in a low voice, and returned to the photographer.
The atmosphere got a little weird, but it didn't last long.
The photographer quickly took the photo, and the fundraising auction was about to start. Zhang Jue walked back to his parents and went to their seats together.
Mrs. Zhu has a wide social network. Most of the people present are celebrities from all walks of life, and the things donated for auction are not low in value.
Chen Boqiao donated a set of antique porcelain produced by Sèvres kiln. The auction scene was extremely enthusiastic. The guests quoted the highest price in the audience, which was more than double the second highest donation.
Zhang was by no means unwilling to shoot, but when Chen Boqiao was present, he was embarrassed and immediately cut off the budding idea.
Three hammers were made, and a businessman in North America took the porcelain into his pocket. Mrs. Zhu was joking and asked Chen Boqiao to come to the stage to speak, but Chen Boqiao did not refuse, but went up with a smile. He took the small note that Mrs. Zhu gave him with the name of the other party on it, thanked the gentleman for his efforts in rescuing endangered animals, and walked down with applause.
And Zhang Jue, as usual, has been watching from the audience.
There is a two-hour time difference between the North American capital and the newly independent country. Zhang Jue has always been tired after surgery, and went to bed early. After Chen Boqiao's donation was taken out, he felt a little sleepy.
After sitting for a while, he couldn't help yawning. His mother found out and asked him, "Would you like to go back to sleep first."
Zhang Jue nodded dazedly, his father pressed his mother, and said, "I'll go with him." Then he brought Zhang Jue and Zhu Hongru to say hello, walked out of the banquet scene, and the two entered the main hotel building in silence.
After sending Zhang Jue back to the room, his father did not leave immediately. He closed the door and motioned Zhang Jue to sit down.
Zhang Jue sat on the single sofa by the window. When his father approached, he sat on the sofa opposite the coffee table and looked at himself quietly.
"Zhang Jue." The corners of his father's mouth were flat, and he called him seriously, "Let's talk."
Zhang Jue's head wasn't quite clear yet, so he asked, "What are you talking about?"
"Chen Boqiao." Father said.
Zhang Jue's drowsiness dissipated immediately, the back of his neck was a little cold, and his spirit was tense.
After waiting for a while, Father Fang asked, "Did you remove the alpha gland because of him?"
There was no anger in his father's words, as if he really wanted Zhang Jue to give him an answer.
After looking at each other for a while, Zhang Jue admitted: "Yes."
He knew that even if he said no, his father would not bother with him, but he didn't want to lie.
"Does he know?" the father asked again.
Zhang Jue thought about it and said, "I should know." But he didn't mention it.
After talking about it, the father and son seemed to be more relaxed.
They sat facing each other in silence, not conversing immediately.
After thinking for a while, my father took off his glasses, put them on the coffee table, breathed steadily, and looked out the window, the bright lights and fragrant clothes on the lawn in the distance.
The phone in Zhang Jue's inner pocket vibrated, but he didn't take it, but looked at it with his father's eyes.
Far away, the lanterns are no longer dazzling, some are hidden in the shadows of the trees, and there is a hazy beauty.
They didn't see it for a long time, but Zhang Jue felt that the period of time was boundless.
It seemed like an entire century before his father spoke, pulling him out of his trance and shame. The father said, "I see it."
Zhang Jue was stunned for a while, and then heard his father ask him, "Can't you change it?"
Zhang Jue looked up at his father, and he wanted to explain to his father that Chen Boqiao was actually not bad to him, he didn't give him any hope, and he wasn't so unattainable.
He grew up in trust, in love and freedom. He had no big ambitions and lived a very undisciplined life. The only thing he pursued was Chen Boqiao.
Even if there really won't be any definite results in the future, and he won't get a promise, he doesn't particularly care.
But his parents cared about it and couldn't accept it.
"I mean," Zhang Jue said slowly and gently, "in case—"
"—Not realistic," interrupted his father gently.
Zhang Jue looked at his father's eyes, didn't react for a while, and blinked slowly.
"You and Chen Boqiao, is it possible?" Father asked him calmly, as if discussing diplomatic issues with him.
Zhang Jue's breathing became very difficult, but the wound that was about to heal was suddenly painful, like a small heart, beating where he sewed the protein thread, against the cracks between flesh and blood, eager to break through the ground. out.
Father also seemed to feel that Zhang Jue's appearance was pitiful. He couldn't bear to say heavy words. After sitting for a few minutes, he got up and said, "I'm going to accompany your mother, you should rest early."
After saying that, he left and closed the door for Zhang Jue.
Zhang Jue sat for a while, and the phone vibrated again. He took it out and looked at it. Chen Boqiao sent him two messages, one was "Are you tired?" and the second asked him which room he lived in.
He looked for a long time without returning, put the phone aside, and went to the bathroom to take a shower.
Zhang Jue threw the suit into the laundry basket, and rarely looked in the mirror, taking a closer look at his bare upper body.
He raised his hand to touch his cheek, collarbone, ribs, combed his hair, put waterproof stickers on the wound, put it down, walked into the shower room, and closed the door.
The warm water poured down from the circular shower head above, like a downpour of a tropical afternoon, soaking his hair, moistening his neck, and gurgling down his body.
He rinsed himself as well as he could before coming out, putting on his bathrobe and drying his hair.
The screen of the mobile phone placed on the cabinet was bright. Looking down, Chen Boqiao called him, but he did not receive it.
Zhang Jue picked it up sluggishly and wanted to call back, but Chen Boqiao called again, and he pressed the answer.
"I just finished taking a shower," Zhang Jue asked him, "what's the matter?"
Chen Boqiao was silent.
Zhang Jue waited for a few seconds, and wanted to ask Chen Boqiao what was the matter, when the doorbell of the room suddenly rang.
Chen Boqiao said to him, "Open the door."