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This kind of life went on for an entire year.
It wasn’t until Meihe dragged him back to his feet and cursed him out over and over again that he slowly began to improve.
But then—he ran into Gu Chong in New York.
That familiar, stabbing pain came back all at once. And just like before, he started locking himself in his room, drinking again.
One night, completely drunk, barely conscious, Shen Wang fumbled for his phone and dialed Gu Chong’s number.
It actually connected.
Shen Wang hugged the bottle tightly, not even daring to breathe.
A voice came through. “Hello?”
He wanted to say it—it’s me. Do you still… want to forgive me?
But his throat locked up so tightly he couldn’t make a sound. Tears fell first instead. On the other end, Gu Chong was still asking, “Who is this?”
Listening to that voice, Shen Wang suddenly felt unbearably humiliated.
He fumbled in panic and hung up.
Then he threw the phone aside and went back to drinking in silence—drinking until he threw up, because at least then he wouldn’t think anymore.
It wasn’t until Meihe came to Chunlan Garden looking for him.
The moment he opened the door, the smell of alcohol filled the entire room. Meihe found Shen Wang on the sofa—curled up under a blanket, surrounded by empty bottles.
Meihe grabbed him like he was lifting a cat and yanked him upright. “You’re doing this again?”
Shen Wang stared at him blankly, eyes unfocused.
Furious, Meihe dragged him straight into the bathroom and turned the hose on him.
Cold water crashed down.
Shen Wang gasped, a suffocating sensation swallowing him whole as his mind slowly cleared.
He ended up lying in the bathtub, soaked through, water filling his nose, his throat dry and burning.
“You’re thirty years old. Can you take responsibility—for yourself, for other people? How long are you going to keep rolling around in the mud like this?”
Shen Wang couldn’t even properly hear him. He made a few weak, broken sounds.
Meihe leaned in, exasperated—and finally caught what he was saying.
“Water… I want water…”
When Shen Wang woke up, his eyes stung painfully.
It took him a long time to focus. He was lying in a soft bed.
Meihe glanced at him and asked flatly, “What do you want to eat?”
Shen Wang stared at the ceiling, dazed for a long moment before whispering, “Sorry.”
“You should be apologizing to yourself.”
“Sorry…” he said again, absentmindedly.
Meihe poured him a glass of warm water. Shen Wang held it without moving, just staring blankly into space.
It felt like he had been thrown back a year ago—when he was constantly out of focus, emotionally numb, and drinking himself hollow.
“You keep drinking, but he still won’t come back. Don’t you get that?”
Shen Wang blinked slowly. “I just… want to drink. It has nothing to do with him.”
“You really think I’d believe that?” Meihe’s voice sharpened. “Do you even realize how dangerous this is? When I came in—I thought you were dead.”
“…Sorry,” Shen Wang lowered his gaze. “But I’ve really moved on. Don’t worry about me. It’s been two years. How could I still be stuck on it?”
Meihe looked at him for a long time. “So you’ll keep drinking?”
Shen Wang gave a faint smile. “I won’t. I won’t drink anymore.”
Meihe paused, then said quietly, “Gu Chong gave up his IT company in New York. He’ll be returning home next week to take over Hongtu.”
He stopped slightly. “If you still want to get back together with him, you should start by fixing your habit of saying one thing and meaning another.”
Shen Wang wanted to refute that.
He had never been someone who said one thing and meant another.
The one who did that was always Gu Chong.
Gu Chong took him to play basketball, to arcade halls, to movies and musicals. He forced Shen Wang to sing for him, took him to the sea, his gaze soft under the night sky.
Once, while smoking, Shen Wang couldn’t help teasing, “Are you secretly in love with me or something?”
Gu Chong froze for a second, then frowned. “Impossible. Don’t flatter yourself.”
Shen Wang just laughed and tapped ash away. “Good.”
But Gu Chong’s expression tightened—and he got angry.
No matter how Shen Wang tried to coax him, he wouldn’t respond. After a few failed attempts, Shen Wang stopped trying altogether.
He kept drinking, smoking, drifting through clubs, never taking Gu Chong’s feelings too seriously.
Over time, his interest faded. He no longer wanted to drag Gu Chong into bed either—he just treated him as a friend.
Until Shen Wang set his sights on someone new.
Just as he was figuring out how to get closer, Gu Chong stormed into the bar.
Before Shen Wang could even ask why he was there, Gu Chong shoved him against the wall and asked in a low voice, “Do you think this is funny?”
“What?” Shen Wang frowned.
“Did you not notice I’ve been chasing you?”
It was the first time Shen Wang had ever heard a confession delivered so bluntly.
The bar was dim. Gu Chong pinned him against the bathroom wall.
He smelled of alcohol—clearly drunk—but his strength was overwhelming.
His breath brushed Shen Wang’s neck, warm and damp, sending a shiver through him.
Shen Wang pressed a hand against Gu Chong’s chest and avoided his sharp gaze. “You’re pressing against me.”
Gu Chong frowned, confused.
Shen Wang added lazily, “Down there.”
There was nothing there at all.
But Gu Chong still panicked and let go immediately—only realizing a second later that he’d been tricked when he saw Shen Wang laughing.
His expression darkened. “Stop dodging the question.”
Shen Wang had originally intended to brush it off, but Gu Chong’s serious, stubborn face was… too endearing.
Standing so close, Shen Wang could see the fine down on his skin. Only then did he notice his ears were red.
He looked like a small animal trying to act fierce after being caught doing something wrong—those damp, slightly defensive eyes.
It was as if someone noble had willingly taken off their royal robes, just to earn a smile from him.
Shen Wang thought there couldn’t possibly be anyone cuter than Gu Chong.
He reached out and touched his face, smiling. “You don’t need to chase me. I like you too. If you’re willing, we can be together right now.”
But Gu Chong didn’t look happy at all.
“I knew you’d react like this.”
