Gorilla was astounded. "Class?"
"I've returned to school—it was my dad's dying wish. He hoped I could get into a good university," Chen Gu explained briefly.
Gorilla also remembered Chen Beiliu and couldn't help but feel saddened. He then said, "Let's not just stand here. We should find a place for a few drinks."
"Sorry, no thanks, we just had some," Ossosa still refused to forgive him, then suddenly realized, "How did you know we were here?"
Gorilla seemed reluctant to say, but with Ossosa's piercing gaze on him, he had no choice but to confess, "Qiao Ayin told me."
"What!" Ossosa exploded. "You've been secretly contacting her behind my back!" Unable to contain his anger, he rushed forward to grab Gorilla's neck.
Upon hearing this, Chen Gu's eyes lit up. There's a story here! He immediately held Ossosa back. "Don't be rash! Let's find a bar to sit down and talk it out slowly!"
You have the story, I have the booze. Now, let the parties involved in this juicy gossip spill the tea!
Gorilla explained repeatedly, "It's not what you think. We've been completely platonic since you two got married. This time, it was because you wouldn't answer my calls, and I was desperate to see Chen Gu, so I secretly asked her. She told me you'd be here..."
Chen Gu couldn't help blurting out, "Completely platonic after marriage?"
And before marriage?
As expected, Ossosa caught on. With a ROAR, the old fellow lunged forward again, grabbing Gorilla's long hair and yanking it into disarray. Gorilla, looking disheveled, was also getting fired up. "What business was it of yours before the marriage?"
Chen Gu felt a twinge of regret. After some effort, he finally managed to drag the two of them into a nearby bar. Ossosa declared fiercely, "Nobody leaves until this is cleared up today!"
He made a call and had Qiao Ayin come over. Still possessing enough awareness to save face, he let Isabella go back to school first.
Before long, Qiao Ayin arrived, and a vigorous argument ensued. Because the story was so compelling and intriguing, Chen Gu ended up downing an entire bottle of whiskey!
As an actor who often delved into his characters, Chen Gu actually had a very deep understanding of human relations, especially emotional matters. He could tell from the start that despite Ossosa's bluster, when it came to emotions, Qiao Ayin had him wrapped around her little finger.
After much huffing and raging from Ossosa, Qiao Ayin rendered him speechless with just a few words. In the end, he dejectedly followed his wife home.
What was clearly a case of "a wife secretly contacting her ex behind her husband's back," with irrefutable evidence, had somehow turned into "a paranoid husband throwing an unreasonable tantrum."
In Chen Gu's mind, a memory from his original self suddenly surged up: That scenario... it seemed to be the exact plot of an episode from Valkyrie, the sixteen-part art film series!
Sweet! His original self sure had some talent. I should look up the actual film later.
With only the two of them left, Gorilla looked at Chen Gu awkwardly. He then decided to let it go, picked up his glass, and took a swig. "Go ahead and laugh if you want to."
Chen Gu indeed burst into hearty laughter.
Gorilla sighed. "Emotionally, I lost to Ossosa. Back then, I... I was too young." He silently downed a large glass.
Chen Gu stopped laughing. He didn't offer consolation; he just drank with him.
「 」
At ten o'clock at night, a girl wearing large sunglasses quietly slipped into the bar. Seeing Gorilla, who was already dead drunk, she said helplessly, "Boss, I waited for you for a full hour, and you're here drinking?"
Gorilla's eyes were hazy. "Oh... it's, it's Man Suling. Come, let me introduce you. This, this is my childhood friend... Chen, Chen Gu."
"Chen Gu, this is... the top star in my company. I'm telling you, and I'm not, not bragging, she's currently ranked, ranked number one among the Four New Jade Maidens..."
Man Suling felt exasperated. "Oh my goodness, how could you get so drunk." Saying that, she shot Chen Gu a reproachful glance from behind her sunglasses, showing no interest in getting to know him. This guy looks even younger than me; how could he be the old man's childhood friend?
"Help me get him back to the hotel."
Man Suling didn't discuss it with Chen Gu, her tone implying: You got him this drunk, so of course, it's your responsibility to get him back.
Chen Gu didn't argue with the young woman either. Gorilla was his friend, so of course, he should take him back.
Fortunately, their hotel wasn't far. Chen Gu, possessing three times the physical stamina of an average person, hoisted Gorilla onto his shoulder with one hand and carried him to the car. Man Suling drove. Once at the hotel, Chen Gu hauled the man up again.
Neither Man Suling nor Gorilla liked to have bodyguards or assistants around. They usually disguised themselves a bit and often went out alone.
Gorilla was already out of it. When he was tossed onto the bed, he suddenly became slightly lucid and mumbled unclearly, "Man Suling, could you see Chen Gu out for me?"
Then his head lolled to the side, and he fell silent—startling Chen Gu, who hurriedly checked his breathing, relieved to find it steady.
Following her boss's instructions, Man Suling escorted Chen Gu to the hotel entrance, despite his repeated insistence that such courtesy wasn't necessary.
Chen Gu was unaware of Gorilla's current status in the entertainment industry. Ossosa, on the other hand, knew a bit, but why would he ever say anything good about his love rival?
In fact, Gorilla's "Heavenly Dog Records" had extremely strong production capabilities. Although Gorilla himself hadn't become famous, his lyric writing and composing skills were exceptionally profound, and he had single-handedly launched seven or eight singers to stardom.
Among them was one pop king, three A-list singers, and a few others of slightly lesser fame, but all were widely recognized as talented singers, destined to be mainstays in the music scene.
Man Suling was one of the four most promising new-generation female singers, known as the "Four Little Jade Maidens." She was at a crucial point in her career ascent, and a boss capable of writing lyrics and composing music was of immense help to her, so during this period, she would carry out all his instructions to the letter.
「 」
The four members of Darkray had been circling the vicinity of Taikoo Skyscraper for hours. They were Man Suling's most loyal fans, having hopelessly fallen for the singer's spiritually rich voice ever since her debut single, "Thoughtless Night."
Among the four, Mao Yisheng had installed an app a few days ago called "Where's the Star?"—a community-driven app for sharing celebrity sightings. If you bumped into a star on the street, you could immediately upload the info; if you heard news of a star's potential whereabouts, it could be shared instantly.
Today, someone had seen Man Suling near Taikoo Skyscraper and shared this piece of "intelligence."
But it seemed they were fated to miss their idol. They'd been circling the area for ages, often just missing her. As soon as they left, someone else would post on the app: "Haha, just saw Man Suling! My goddess is so elegant!"
By the time they rushed back, another person would share from a spot a few hundred meters away: "Really saw my idol! She's so down-to-earth!" accompanied by a photo of the two of them.
They ran back and forth, always just missing her.
The four vigorous military academy students were on the verge of a meltdown. In the cold depths of the night, they roamed the streets listlessly.
Mao Yisheng suddenly saw a familiar figure at the entrance of the hotel ahead. "Isn't that Chen Gu?"
The other three Darkray members took a look. "It really is."
Then, the four military academy students jolted, a sour ache in their hearts. "That girl... standing next to Chen Gu, coming out of the hotel with him..."
"No mistake! Even with sunglasses, I'd recognize her in an instant! It's my goddess, Man Suling!"
"Damn it! How is this guy coming out of a hotel with our goddess!"
It feels like I've been handed a massive green hat!
"He said... he had plans tonight. Could it have been with Man Suling?"
The four stood in the cold wind, feeling desolate. Even their robust physiques couldn't fend off the chill of that moment.