RBNR Ch32: What do you think, baobao?

They left immediately, riding the motorcycle to the airport. Getting boarding passes and boarding the plane took only two or three hours. With five years of modeling experience, Qin Bao had developed the skill of falling asleep quickly, regardless of the mode of transportation.

He woke up just as the plane landed. When he opened his eyes, he saw Shan Yiming watching him. Shan Yiming had become tanned and, with age, looked somewhat unfamiliar during their sudden eye contact.

He sat up, “Is there something on my face?”

Shan Yiming said, “There’s a word.”

“Huh?”

“It says ‘gullible.'”

“Get lost,” Qin Bao lightly kicked him, “You’re the gullible one, getting tricked into being a laborer for the team, and now you’re as tanned as a piece of coal.”

They arrived at Qinan Airport in the early morning, took a taxi to downtown Qinan, and checked into a hotel, each getting a room. Qin Bao woke up around 7 AM and tried calling Xu Tangzhou several more times.

At breakfast, Qin Bao was so preoccupied that he only had a bowl of porridge, unlike Shan Yiming, who was keen on sampling the local cuisine.

They arrived at the gate of Qinan High School just as the students were entering for classes, and the school gates were tightly shut. The security guards refused to let them in.

When they explained they were looking for someone and that he was a recent graduate, the security guard suspiciously called the administration office for instructions.

After about half an hour, they were given the phone number of Xu Tangzhou’s homeroom teacher.

Qin Bao explained that he was a friend of Xu Tangzhou and was worried because he couldn’t reach him, and asked for Xu Tangzhou’s home address.

The teacher seemed hesitant, “Where are you friends from?”

“The capital,” Qin Bao introduced himself, “My name is Qin Bao.”

The teacher said, “From the capital… I’m sorry, the student has a special status, and there have been harassment issues before. I can’t give you his home address, but I can ask his guardian for you.”

The teacher said they would call back, and Qin Bao felt somewhat relieved.

They waited for two hours.

The June sun was dizzying, and even in the shade, the heat was overwhelming. Shan Yiming waited with him without complaint, even asking if Qin Bao wanted a milk tea.

Qin Bao shook his head, “No, just get me a bottle of cold water from the convenience store, and a pack of cigarettes.”

They went into a convenience store outside the school.

Qin Bao quickly chose his water but couldn’t buy any cigarettes.

Shan Yiming said he was hungry and was buying some food. While waiting for him, Qin Bao checked his phone a few more times and stood at the door, lost in thought.

The convenience store, typical of those near schools, was stocked with a wide variety of items, including daily necessities and various entertainment products. Qin Bao hadn’t had much chance to experience this in high school, and Xu Tangzhou had been out of the modeling world for longer, so he might have spent a lot of time here.

On the shelf by the door hung colorful gland patches, mostly anime-themed, with a bookshelf below filled with brand-new magazines.

The magazine covers featured many familiar faces, but none of Qin Bao. There were also some popular singers, like the recently famous Ling Che, an Alpha with a mixed-race face dominating three or four covers. The most prominent headline read, “Ling Che’s Album Sales Top the Charts for Eleven Weeks.”

Xu Tangzhou didn’t like studying but loved buying fashion magazines and reading entertainment gossip, so he probably bought a lot of these.

Qin Bao’s gaze swept over the last row of political magazines, where a familiar name appeared in small print on the cover, “Feng Chengyu: Establishing a Long-Term Mechanism for Renewable Energy…”

Suddenly, Qin Bao’s phone rang, startling him. The caller ID showed an unfamiliar number.

He quickly answered, and a friendly female voice said, “Hello, I’m Xu Tangzhou’s mother.”

It turned out the teacher had given his number to the parents directly.

Qin Bao knew Xu Tangzhou’s mother, Xie Rui, who was an event planner in the industry and very capable.

Qin Bao immediately greeted her, “Hello, Aunt Xie, I’m Qin Bao, a friend of Tangzhou’s. I don’t know if he mentioned me to you.”

“He did. I know you,” Xie Rui said. “What do you need from Xu Tangzhou?”

Qin Bao didn’t mention his wedding because it seemed a bit out of place at their age. He just said he was worried because he couldn’t reach Xu Tangzhou and wanted him to answer his phone.

Xie Rui said, “Oh, he just changed his phone number.”

Qin Bao asked, “Could you give me his new number?”

Xie Rui firmly refused, “I’m sorry, it’s not convenient. Tangzhou is about to go abroad.”

“Why?” Qin Bao was puzzled, “He never mentioned it to me.”

Xie Rui sighed, “His college entrance exam results were very poor, and he broke up with his boyfriend, which hit him hard. He wants to go abroad to start a new life and doesn’t want to have any ties with the past. Thank you for your concern, but please respect his personal choice and don’t disturb him anymore. If he decides to reconnect after healing, he will reach out to you.”

Qin Bao became more and more anxious as he listened, “Actually, I’m in Qinan right now. Can you let me meet him—”

“That’s it.”

Xie Rui hung up.

When Qin Bao tried to call again, he found he had been blocked.

Seeing something was wrong, Shan Yiming, who had just come out, was about to ask what was going on when Qin Bao said, “Let me use your phone.”

Shan Yiming, holding the cold water and a bag, hesitated, “Wait a minute…”

Qin Bao didn’t wait and took the phone from his pocket himself.

When the screen lit up, both of them froze for a moment.

The wallpaper was a picture of Qin Bao sleeping, taken on the plane last night.

Shan Yiming’s face turned red, “I, well—”

Qin Bao interrupted, “Password.”

He had no mood for idle questions.

Shan Yiming gave it, “159753.”

Qin Bao unlocked the phone and dialed Xie Rui’s number, intending to ask for Xu Tangzhou’s address, but no matter how many times he called, Xie Rui did not answer.

They waited in Qinan for another hour. With their flight time approaching and no further progress, they returned to the airport. On the way back, Qin Bao said little, and he didn’t sleep, just stared out at the clouds outside the window.

Neither of them mentioned the photo that had been set as the wallpaper.

“He is my best friend. He understands everything I say,” Qin Bao suddenly said. “Even if we don’t contact each other for a long time, meeting again feels like we’ve never been apart. He’s the other me in this world.”

The one and only friend like that.

“He won’t break off with me, Shan Yiming. I think he’s just too upset right now.”

Qin Bao said.

“He promised to be my best man.”

Shan Yiming comforted him, “Sometimes people just need to be alone to think things through. Maybe tomorrow he’ll reach out to you. You have to give him some time. And even if he can’t make it, you can find someone else to be the best man.”

Qin Bao shook his head, “The best man isn’t important. I’m just really worried about him.”

Failing the college entrance exam and breaking up.

It was worse for Xu Tangzhou than losing his job and being forced into marriage was for Qin Bao.

At 6 PM, the plane landed back in the capital.

Shan Yiming silently retrieved the bike, and Qin Bao got on the back seat but this time didn’t hold onto Shan Yiming’s waist.

The capital was brightly lit, with the orange hues of the evening sun contrasting sharply with the deep blue sky. The motorcycle roared through the bustling traffic to the quiet Qin family residence.

Qin Bao handed the helmet to Shan Yiming, “Do you want to come in and sit for a while? I need to try on the suit one more time.”

The wedding conflicted with a motorcycle race.

Shan Yiming couldn’t attend the wedding.

“No, we need to gather in the nearby city,” Shan Yiming said. “If I leave now, I can make it by midnight.”

Qin Bao waved and walked a few steps before coming back, raising his eyebrows, “Shan Yiming, don’t use a brother’s photo as wallpaper, it’s really gross.”

Shan Yiming smiled, putting on his helmet, “Last time you missed my championship, I was saving your picture to draw circles on it. Don’t misunderstand, I didn’t have time to secretly love you.”

Qin Bao had actually forgotten about Shan Yiming’s competition.

At that time, he was cooped up at home, unable to take care of himself, let alone attend the competition.

This wasn’t easy to explain to Shan Yiming.

“You’d better not be. Plenty of people secretly love me, you’re not even in line,” he warned Shan Yiming, then promised, “I’ll try to get to your next competition early, so you won’t hold a grudge and curse me all the time.”

They said goodbye, and Qin Bao walked into the courtyard, hearing the distant sound of the motorcycle as he entered the hall. In the dim light, he saw a familiar silhouette, which quickly disappeared into the hall.

*

Feng Chengyu had arrived, and so had his parents.

Ms. Rong was also present, and everyone was doing a final rehearsal of the wedding process under the planner’s guidance.

“Where have you been?” Ms. Rong approached, holding Qin Bao’s arm. “I didn’t see you all day. How can you still be running around at this hour? We visited the site again with Chengyu today, you should have been with us.”

Though he wasn’t late, Qin Bao felt a bit guilty and couldn’t help glancing in Feng Chengyu’s direction.

He didn’t know how much Feng Chengyu had heard of his conversation with Shan Yiming at the door.

Feng Chengyu sat on a single chair not far away, wearing a shirt and trousers, looking broad-shouldered and narrow-waisted. He must have just come from work, listening to the planner while looking at the plan cards.

Just like the last time they met at the private cinema, and now, he maintained such a dignified and elegant posture, even in this setting, even while sitting casually.

…Doesn’t he get tired of always holding himself like that?

Qin Bao got tired just watching.

Since registering their marriage, they hadn’t met much.

Feng Chengyu had been on a business trip for nearly two months, and Qin Bao hadn’t complied with the “meet on Mondays and Fridays, actively approach each other” clause even once.

Though Feng Chengyu had drafted the contract meticulously, Qin Bao found a loophole.

He firmly stated that the contract didn’t specify when to start implementing the clause, whether after registration or the wedding. Since it wasn’t clear, they could start after the wedding.

Moreover, he didn’t know about the wedding, which had wasted a lot of his time. That was Feng Chengyu’s fault, so they were even.

Feng Chengyu had no objection.

As if sensing something, Feng Chengyu suddenly looked up, his dark eyes glancing at Qin Bao.

Qin Bao quickly averted his gaze and answered Madam Rong, “I went to Qinan to find my friend.”

Professor Lin, who had heard a bit about this, asked, “Is it the friend who was supposed to be the best man? How did it go, Xiao Bao, did you find him?”

Qin Bao shook his head, “His family had some issues, so he might not be able to come.”

Everyone seemed worried.

Feng Chengyu had invited Shu Helan to be his best man, and Qin Bao had already confirmed his choice. If the best man couldn’t make it, Qin Bao’s unmarried Alpha friends were out of the question, and he didn’t have any Omega friends with a similar build to Xu Tangzhou. It was quite tricky.

Feng Chengyu quickly finished his discussion with the planner and walked over.

“Where’s An Qingyan? He helped try on the best man suit, and the size should be fine without modifications. Can we ask him to be the best man?”

Feng Chengyu knew exactly what had happened that day when An Qingyan tried on the suit, even though he wasn’t there.

Who knows what kind of charm Feng Chengyu had used on the family, but now even Mr. Qin and Ms. Rong were warmly calling him “Chengyu” with great affection.

“Chengyu is right,” Ms. Rong said. “Bao’er, why don’t we invite Mr. An?”

Qin Bao had been considering this as well but still felt annoyed. “He’s busy too. I’ll call him later and see if he has time.”

“Alright,” Feng Chengyu said. “If he’s not available, I’ll come up with a solution.”

As he spoke, he naturally stood beside Qin Bao and held his hand.

In the eyes of everyone present, even without matching outfits, they were a beautiful couple.

Qin Bao: “…”

Do we have to act like this? Isn’t this a bit too serious?

“Bao’er, your suit was altered and delivered to your room this afternoon. You should try it on again,” Ms. Rong said. “I think it’s fine now, but the collar still seems to be missing something.”

Qin Bao’s suit was white. Initially, he wanted to wear a black suit like Feng Chengyu, but the old man had mocked that it would look like two gangsters meeting or an insurance seminar, so he dropped the idea.

Since the wedding would host many political figures, the style and details were strictly required. The collar had been altered once, and now the cuffs had been modified.

Upon hearing this, Professor Lin suddenly said, “Chengyu, the daffodil brooch you gave Xiao Bao for his birthday, wouldn’t it be perfect?”

The room fell silent for two seconds. The brooch had been damaged when Qin Bao threw it, chipping the edge of the daffodil petal.

Ms. Rong hesitated, “The brooch…”

Mr. Qin, who had been chatting with Professor Feng, heard this and said, “It’s elegant and suitable. I have it. I’ll bring it out to try on.”

It seemed it had been repaired. Ms. Rong breathed a sigh of relief and asked for their opinions, “What do you think?”

Feng Chengyu asked Qin Bao in a low voice, intentionally using a suggestive tone, “What do you think, baobao?”

Qin Bao’s expression remained unchanged, though he narrowed his eyes slightly, “Sure.”