AD Chapter 15

Qin Yi was wearing a black tank top and gray casual home pants tonight. The fabric clung to his skin, highlighting his broad and muscular chest, and his arms showed clear muscle definition.

Although Shen Du had seen Qin Yi dressed like this before, seeing him up close again felt different.

Qin Yi fully opened the door and invited him in: “Come in, little friend.”

Shen Du stood at the door for a moment, feeling a little dazed, forgetting why he had come in the first place.

Damn it, is this man a demon? His body is so good…

Qin Yi had made quite a few dishes tonight, all looking appetizing, and he had even made soup.

Shen Du rubbed his stomach, the mere smell of the food making him salivate.

Good food really could lift one’s spirits.

Earlier in the day, when he had seen the boy so down, Qin Yi had thought something had happened to him and had been pondering how to comfort him in a gentle yet effective way.

The first half of the meal was quiet. Qin Yi had steamed a fish, using a special recipe from the aunt at home. He didn’t like the fish head or tail, and the meat was almost all eaten, leaving just the bones.

Qin Yi was about to flip the fish, but another pair of chopsticks met his across the table. The chopsticks were porcelain, making a crisp clinking sound.

Qin Yi looked up and saw Shen Du smiling at him. Qin Yi shifted his focus to the plate of ribs beside him, but Shen Du had already picked the piece he had his eye on.

Qin Yi reached for the soup ladle, but Shen Du directly grabbed his bowl, filled it to the brim with soup, adding corn, yam, and lotus root slices.

Qin Yi stopped moving, letting him take care of it. “All good now?”

Actually, Shen Du had already felt better the moment he knocked on the door.

Sadness came quickly and left just as fast, and it was inexplicable. But how could he admit that? He played dumb: “What’s good?”

Qin Yi quietly watched him perform, not exposing him: “The soup’s ready. You can’t drink that much.”

“This is barely anything. You should eat more.”

He was holding a grudge about what happened that day at the Vietnamese restaurant.

Qin Yi then said, “What, you think you can flip me over with one hand?”

Shen Du wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt like Qin Yi had really emphasized the word “flip” when he said it. But when he looked over, nothing seemed out of place.

Maybe he misheard.

Qin Yi was tall, with longer limbs, and his muscles looked stronger than his. If he really wanted to flip him with one hand, it probably wouldn’t work.

But men can’t say it won’t work.

“Don’t look down on me. With your build, I can handle you with one hand.” After saying that, he pushed the bowl toward Qin Yi, not giving him a chance to argue: “Drink up, it’s good, hot.”

While making the soup, Qin Yi had added a handful of edamame, and now a few were floating on the surface. Qin Yi scooped up two, but Shen Du suddenly said, “That night, I didn’t mean to ignore your message.”

Qin Yi paused, but didn’t respond. He knew Shen Du didn’t need a reply right now.

“You must have been angry, right?” Shen Du continued. “That night, right after you left, Xu Qingluo told me that our high school class monitor passed away.”

“At first, I thought he was lying to me.” Shen Du gave a self-deprecating laugh, the image of that boy flashing in his mind.

“I got along okay with him. The last time I saw him was before the college entrance exams. I didn’t go to the class gathering after the exams, and he asked me why.”

“I didn’t think much about it back then. I thought with the internet being so developed now, we could meet whenever we wanted.” Shen Du’s voice dropped. “Xu Qingluo said that he was diagnosed with the illness just before the exams, but he didn’t tell anyone.”

Some things just lose their meaning when spoken out loud.

Shen Du couldn’t continue, so he gave up: “Well, I don’t know what else to say. It is what it is. You understand, right?”

The boy’s expression was dull, different from his usual lively self. He was rarely this obedient, and it made him inexplicably heart-wrenching. He fell silent for a moment, then suddenly said softly, “Brother, do you think I’m being melodramatic?”

Qin Yi looked up. “Brother?”

Shen Du’s thoughts were interrupted, and he looked at him in confusion. Qin Yi’s gaze shifted, finally landing on the fluffy top of his head. “Why are you suddenly calling me brother?”

Shen Du exclaimed, answering directly, “Can’t I just call you that? Besides, you’re older than me.”

Qin Yi: “…”

He suddenly felt like smoking.

“I don’t think you’re being melodramatic.” Qin Yi set down his chopsticks and said, “The human body is made of flesh and blood. If there’s no emotion, then it’s cold-blooded.”

Under the warm yellow light, Qin Yi’s expression seemed to soften.

Shen Du was struck by this sentence, and his lowered eyelashes trembled slightly.

He quickly rubbed his eyes, and when he looked up again, his expression was back to normal: “To be honest, I think so too.”

He flashed a big smile, “By the way, your cooking skills are impressive. How long have you been practicing?”

Qin Yi thought for a moment and said, “When I was in college and living on my own, I flipped through a few cookbooks and learned.”

Shen Du: “…”

Forget it, I can’t compete with people who are so smart!

There were too many dishes, and after they finished eating, half of them were left. But they couldn’t be kept overnight, so they had to be thrown away. Shen Du leaned back in his chair, rubbing his stomach, looking content.

“Hey, Boss Qin, how about this: I’ll give you my salary, and you can cook for me every day, okay?” He eagerly suggested.

Qin Yi wiped his hands with a wet tissue: “Do you think I need your salary?”

Besides, he had already spent all of it when he bought that tea set last time.

Still owes me.

Shen Du was at a loss: “Then what do you want?”

“I don’t need anything.”

Shen Du was firm: “No, you must need something.”

“…”

Qin Yi paused for a moment before speaking, as if reluctantly: “I don’t like washing dishes.”

Shen Du immediately said, “I’ll wash them!”

“From now on, we’ll do it like this: you cook, I’ll wash the dishes. How about that?” Shen Du thought his suggestion was brilliant.

Qin Yi neither agreed nor disagreed, just tilted his chin and said, “Go ahead.”

Shen Du saw him look so casual and commanding, and suddenly regretted it, but still got up: “Alright, sir!”

The kitchen was large, and many things were new. When Shen Du entered, he discovered there was a dishwasher, so he didn’t even need to do anything.

Before placing the dishes inside, Shen Du hesitated. It was only the first day—shouldn’t he at least pretend to wash them by hand? Qin Yi had finally agreed, but if he found out he hadn’t done anything, what if he regretted it?

Better wash them myself.

Shen Du rolled up his sleeves, found a sponge and dish soap, and started washing the dishes.

Shen Du was a spoiled young master, the type who never touched a drop of water. Getting him into the kitchen was like sending him to battle. When Qin Yi arrived at the door, he saw Shen Du struggling with a plate, water splashing all over the floor.

“What are you doing?” Qin Yi wondered. It was just a matter of putting the dishes in the machine and pressing a button. Why was it taking so long? He thought maybe Shen Du was hiding his sadness again, so he came over to check.

Shen Du said, “Washing dishes.”

“If I didn’t know better, I’d think there was a flood in my house.” Qin Yi stepped carefully on the few dry tiles left and walked over. “The dishwasher is right there, can’t you use it?”

Considering that he’d be relying on Qin Yi for meals in the future, Shen Du held back and didn’t snap back. “I just want to wash them by hand, what’s it to you?”

Qin Yi didn’t quite understand what Shen Du was up to, but he let him be. “Suit yourself.”

Qin Yi took off the apron he had worn while cooking and said, “Put this on, don’t get your clothes wet.”

His clothes were already wet.

Shen Du still had dish soap foam on his hands. Seeing that Qin Yi hadn’t moved, he said, “What are you standing there for? Lend a hand.”

Qin Yi paused for a second, then took a step forward and placed the apron over Shen Du’s head. Qin Yi stood behind him, slightly leaning over, and wrapped his arms around Shen Du’s front. Shen Du’s clothes were already wet, and his arm brushed against Qin Yi’s.

Qin Yi reached for the two strings of the apron, pulling them behind Shen Du’s waist and tying them. He gently tugged, tightening the apron. Shen Du’s loose clothes now clung to his waist, revealing a slim figure, and the strings hung long.

Qin Yi froze.

Shen Du felt his waist tighten, and his heart skipped a beat. Without realizing it, he bumped the water valve, and water splashed all over him. He cursed, instinctively shrinking back, stepping on Qin Yi’s foot, and his back hit something hard—likely Qin Yi’s fingers.

It seemed like it hurt, and he heard Qin Yi grunt behind him.

“Are you okay?” Shen Du started to turn, but was gently pushed back.

“Don’t move.”

Qin Yi’s push landed on his waist, and Shen Du felt a shock through his body, like an electric jolt, his whole body stiffened and froze in place.

“What would happen if I did something wrong to you?” Qin Yi’s breath was light as he lowered his eyes, tying the apron’s knot.

Shen Du sensed a dangerous vibe but didn’t understand why he suddenly asked that. Hesitating, he replied, “Well, I’d just flip you over with one hand?”

A soft laugh came from behind him. Qin Yi loosened the apron and stepped back. “All done.”

Shen Du was confused.

Since he was facing away, he couldn’t see Qin Yi’s expression. It wasn’t until later that he realized what had just happened, and his ears turned red. He regretted being so stiff earlier—he should have acted like it was no big deal.

Qin Yi usually acted so normal, so normal that it made him forget he was gay.

Being alone with a gay person shouldn’t feel like this.

There were only a few dishes left, so washing them was quick. When Shen Du finished and came out, Qin Yi was leaning against the balcony door, smoking.

It was getting dark outside, and the lights in the room weren’t on. At this distance, Shen Du could only make out a blurry silhouette, unable to see his face or anything clearly.

“All done washing?”

“I’ve washed the dishes too,” Shen Du stretched and casually asked, “Why aren’t the lights on?”

“Just looking at the view outside.”

The two of them chatted casually, returning to their usual dynamic as if the earlier incident had never happened.

After a while, Qin Yi suddenly asked, “Want to go for a walk?”

Shen Du had never gone out at night before, but he was a little tempted. “Where to?”

“Just a stroll.”

“Sure,” Shen Du agreed. “I’m a little full, so walking a bit will help. Wait for me, I’ll change first.”

“I’m going to take a shower.” Perhaps because of the cigarette, Qin Yi’s voice sounded rougher than usual.

Shen Du glanced at him again and said, “Alright, see you at the door in a bit.”

The feeling of wet clothes sticking to his stomach was uncomfortable, so Shen Du went back to his room. As soon as he stepped inside, the relaxed smile on his face disappeared, replaced by confusion and shock.

He walked further into the room, waving his hand aimlessly, not paying attention to the path. His knee hit the shoe cabinet, and he almost tripped.

It must be… an illusion, right?