AD Chapter 1

Click.

Shen Du placed his brewed coffee on the table and opened his computer to start a live stream.

His live stream was sudden, with no prior notice, but even so, there were still a few hundred people in the room.

[Wow!! Shen Sama is live!]

[Good afternoon, hubby! Did you just wake up and start streaming?]

[I was about to log off, but as soon as I saw the stream go live, I jumped back in—did I make it in time?]

Shen Du was actually not a very professional influencer. Back in high school, he started streaming out of boredom. His ID was [Shen°], and his fans affectionately called him Shen Sama.

“Good afternoon, yeah, just woke up.” Shen Du adjusted his mic, opened a familiar site, and said, “I’m not doing anything special today, just showing you something good.”

[What good thing? I wanna see!]

[Is it the kind of good thing I’m thinking of? (perverted)]

Less than five minutes into the stream, the room already had over ten thousand people, all lured by the words “good thing.” The screen was flooded with excited comments, and everyone was eagerly discussing what the good thing could be.

Just as the conversation was veering into an inappropriate direction, the screen suddenly flashed, and then [Java Language 21-Hour Crash Course] appeared in the stream.

The chat: “……”

This is what he meant by a “good thing.”

“So, what do you think? Is this good or not?” Shen Du logged into QQ, found the course materials and exam guidelines in the class group, and printed them with a single click. While waiting, he took the chance to chat with the audience.

“What’s wrong with that? In my stream, you can learn something useful. Can you do that in other streams?”

“Fail a class? Not possible. Brother Shen has never failed a class in his entire university life.”

[It’s starting, it’s starting—the annual horror film for university students, ‘Final Exams’]

[A cup of coffee, a pen, a light, one night, one miracle?]

[Truly forgetful, last time you were scolded by Q1 for staying up late to review for exams in front of everyone, now you’re not scared anymore?]

[Calling Q1!]

Q1, aka [Dreamy Afffection], was Shen Du’s number one supporter in the stream. Shen Du was a voice broadcaster, and most of his fans were female, though there were some male fans, mostly gay. [Dreamy Afffection] had never denied this in the stream and had subtly implied that he was a top (a “1” in gay slang).

It was rumored that [Dreamy Afffection] was handsome and wealthy, deeply loved by many of the male fans, and was humorously called “Dreamy Q1” or “Brother Q1.”

“He’s probably too busy to watch the stream today; it’s a weekday,” Shen Du said indifferently about his fans’ curiosity regarding his sexual orientation. “So what if I’m live again? Men are forever young at heart, let’s go!”

The chat was filled with laughter.

The table was covered in study materials, papers scattered all over. Shen Du put on his headphones and set the video to double speed.

[Double speed is the limit on Bilibili, not the limit for our Shen Sama]

[Hahaha why do I have to suffer this even after I graduated?! Damn!!]

[Why is there no sound? Did he fall asleep? How can you sleep at this age?! Wake up! The video is over!!]

Shen Du had dozed off while watching, his face pressed against his notes. When he woke up, the video had already finished.

He hadn’t learned anything.

Great, time to start over.

Shen Du exited full-screen mode, and the browser window running in the background popped up on the screen. Although he quickly went back to full-screen, a sharp-eyed fan had already noticed.

[Is Shen Sama getting a tattoo?]

“Yeah, I’ve been thinking about it, but I haven’t made a decision yet.”

[Better think carefully, once you get a tattoo, it’s with you for life. Even if you remove it, there’ll still be a mark.]

[I agree with the above. Shen Sama, think it over! If you do decide to get one, I have a place to recommend called ‘Yi.’]

[By the way, why suddenly want a tattoo?]

“Nothing special, just thought about it suddenly.” Shen Du gave a vague answer.

The fans were clearly not satisfied with this response. From his tone, they could tell something must have happened, but no matter how much they flooded the chat with comments, Shen Du didn’t respond.

After finishing the stream, Shen Du opened WeChat and clicked on Xu Qingluo’s chat: “Where are you?”

Shen Du and Xu Qingluo had been friends since middle school and were very close. They both lived in Yunshan City but attended different universities. Xu Qingluo lived on campus and had planned to come to Shen Du’s place to study today, but his main purpose was to mooch off the air conditioning.

[Xu Qingluo: I’m on the way, almost at your building.]

Shen Du had just finished washing his coffee cup, too lazy to type, so he simply replied with a voice message: “Buy something to eat when you come, I’m hungry.”

People with nice voices, even when speaking normally, always seem to be flirting.

A moment later, Xu Qingluo sent a voice message back: “Oh my good brother, listen to this voice message, my ears are about to get pregnant.”

Xu Qingluo was gay and liked good-looking, well-spoken guys. The night he found out Shen Du was straight, he almost cried like a bear.

Shen Du didn’t respond, lying down on the sofa to look at the tattoo shop the fans had mentioned earlier. After searching, a link popped up: [This tattoo shop on Qingwa Road is amazing…]

He clicked on the link, and it led to a vlog posted by an influencer.

[This tattoo shop on Qingwa Road is by far the best I’ve been to. The tattoos are fantastic, the shop environment is great, and most importantly, the owner is so incredibly handsome!…]

Five minutes later, Xu Qingluo arrived. Shen Du opened the door, bit into a piece of bread, and returned to the sofa.

“Hey, let me tell you, when I came upstairs just now, your neighbor threw trash into the hallway again.” Xu Qingluo came out of the bathroom, seeing Shen Du sitting lazily on the sofa, staring intently at his phone screen.

What’s he looking at so seriously? Xu Qingluo leaned over and squinted, then shouted, “Qin, Ge.”

He read the largest two characters on the screen.

“You should donate your eyes.” Shen Du nearly shoved the phone screen into his face. “The name’s Qin Yi, you illiterate.”

“Oh, right, right, sorry, my eyesight’s a bit bad, I didn’t see it clearly.” Xu Qingluo slapped his head. “Qin Yi, Qingyi, that name’s kinda romantic.”

He is comparing Qin Yi and the term Qingyi (青衣), which refers to a traditional, noble, and graceful female character in Chinese opera, often associated with purity and elegance.

Shen Du glanced up and smiled, “What, Qin Ge isn’t romantic?”

“Love song, right?”

Xu Qingluo laughed like a rooster crowing.

“Wait a second, Brother Shen.” Xu Qingluo slapped Shen Du on the shoulder and handed him his phone. “This Qin Yi is really popular, the comment section’s full of praise, and many people say they can’t even get an appointment with him. You—” Why don’t you switch to someone else?

Before he could finish his sentence, he saw the prominent “Appointment Successful” notification on Shen Du’s phone screen and fell silent. “Guess you’re lucky.”

Shen Du wasn’t too impressed. “Maybe it’s because I’m handsome?”

On the day of the appointment, Shen Du arrived half an hour early. The shop had only one young woman inside, sitting at the front desk playing on her phone. When she heard the wind chimes, she looked up. “Hello, are you here for an appointment?”

“I’m here for Qin Yi, the two o’clock appointment. I came early, can I wait inside?” Shen Du asked.

Her voice was gentle and soothing, almost making the summer heat dissipate. As she got closer, she finally got a good look at Shen Du’s face, and froze for a moment. “O-of course, please come in.”

“Are you 051’s customer? Qin Yi is upstairs resting, you can start once he comes down.” The young woman led them to the waiting area. “Would you like some water?”

Shen Du nodded. “Thanks.”

“Turns out it’s still ‘Qin Ge.’” Xu Qingluo sat on the sofa, holding his head, looking around and examining the shop’s layout.

Shen Du simply raised an eyebrow in response and sat nearby playing Snake.

He was good at it. Half an hour passed, and he hadn’t died once. The snake was now incredibly long and had overtaken everyone else.

The snake had defeated one opponent after another.

As he thought about how to capture the next one, his arm was suddenly nudged, and Xu Qingluo’s excited voice came from his ear. “Damn, what a gem.”

Shen Du looked up, and their eyes met just as a man came down from the second floor.

The man was around 185 cm tall, wearing a mask. His features were handsome and delicate, and his legs were long and straight. Even a plain white T-shirt on him looked like the high-end fashion coveted by celebrities in the entertainment industry.

From an aesthetic standpoint, he was indeed very handsome.

But no matter how handsome he was, could he outdo Shen Du?

“Brother Qin, your customer is here.” The receptionist heard the sound of footsteps and rushed over.

Shen Du and Xu Qingluo exchanged a look. So, this was Qin Yi.

The man walked over, hands in his pockets, stopped in front of them, his gaze shifting between them for a moment. Then, he took off his mask and addressed them, “051?”

His voice was cold but tinged with a hint of sensuality.

Once the mask came off, the man’s demeanor turned icy, a stark contrast to the first impression from the stairs.

Shen Du heard Xu Qingluo gasp in awe, unable to hold back a laugh. He waved at the man and said, “I’m here.”

Qin Yi’s gaze lingered on Shen Du’s face for a moment, then he nodded and put the mask back on. “Follow me.”

Xu Qingluo grabbed Shen Du’s arm, watching the man’s retreating figure with admiration. “Do you think it’s too late to make an appointment now?”

Shen Du smiled, turning off his phone. “You can try.”

The second floor was quieter, almost too quiet for a popular tattoo shop. Shen Du followed Qin Yi to his studio at the far end of the corridor.

“Sit.” Qin Yi went to his workbench to prepare the tools. “What do you want to get?”

These things were usually discussed before making an appointment, but Shen Du didn’t seem to know about this process, so he had no idea what he wanted to get tattooed.

He had just seen the post online and impulsively decided to come.

He had never gotten a tattoo before and had always heard that it didn’t hurt, but now that he was actually sitting on the table, he was feeling a bit nervous.

After a moment of silence, the man behind the workbench looked up and asked, “Do you have any concerns?”

“沈圆圆 (Shen Yuanyuan),” Shen Du said. “I want to get that tattooed.”

Upon hearing this, Qin Yi furrowed his brows, put down the tools in his hands, and said, “Is that a name?”

Shen Du was stunned for a moment. Before he could answer, he heard Qin Yi speak in a slightly indifferent tone, “As a tattoo artist, we usually advise against tattooing names on the body.”

Qin Yi’s gaze seemed to carry some unspoken meaning as he added, “Especially the name of a significant other.”

Shen Du hadn’t known about this rule. Realizing that Qin Yi had misunderstood, he quickly explained, “Shen Yuanyuan is not a person; it’s my cat that passed away a few days ago. I just wanted to commemorate it.”

Qin Yi didn’t seem like the type to engage in much conversation. Shen Du cleared his throat and added, “Actually, I’m not really sure what kind of tattoo I want. Do you have any recommendations?”

“If that’s the case, I’d suggest a design instead,” Qin Yi replied.

Shen Du thought about it and agreed. A design would certainly be better than a name. If he tattooed Shen Yuanyuan’s name on his body and someone saw it, he’d probably be laughed at, and it would be awkward for future partners.

“Alright, a design then,” Shen Du decided readily.

“Do you have a picture? Let me take a look.”

“I do,” Shen Du said, pulling up his photo album. As he got closer, he noticed the faint scent of incense in the air. “This is a picture of it when it was 5 years old. Is this okay?”

Shen Yuanyuan was a three-colored cat, very cute.

Qin Yi studied the photo for a moment before picking up a piece of paper and a pen. “Wait a moment.”

A few minutes later, Qin Yi handed the paper to Shen Du. “Take a look and see if you like any of these.”

Qin Yi’s hands, which held the paper, were clean and slender, with prominent wrist bones. Despite the lack of any jewelry, his hands were unexpectedly beautiful. Shen Du noticed a small, faint mole on the inside of his left wrist.

On the paper, Qin Yi had drawn several versions of cartoon-style cats—one sleeping, one chasing a butterfly, one basking in the sun, and so on. His drawing skills were excellent, and Shen Du couldn’t find any flaws.

He finally picked the one of the cat sleeping.

Qin Yi packed up the tools and moved them to the bed in front of him. He gestured for Shen Du to lie down. “Where would you like it?”

Shen Du didn’t have any strong preferences. “Do you have any suggestions?”

Just as he asked, he saw Qin Yi look at him from head to toe, his dark brown eyes examining him from above. Shen Du felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze.

“You could get it on your left upper arm,” Qin Yi said.

“Is there any particular reason?”

“Because there’s more flesh there.”

“…” Shen Du’s expression was complex, and he added, “I’m not afraid of pain.”

To make his statement more convincing, he puffed out his chest.

Qin Yi didn’t respond, his eyes dark and unreadable above his mask. Shen Du felt a sense of helplessness, like punching cotton, as if all his confidence had drained away. He slumped his back and exhaled.

After finishing all the preparations, Qin Yi put on gloves, seemingly not noticing Shen Du’s subtle movements. “Lie down.”

Shen Du lay down on the small bed, the scent of alcohol filling the air, and his nerves began to increase again.

His t-shirt was lifted up over his shoulder, and he felt a chill on his left arm.

The bed was soft, and Shen Du felt like he was sinking into it, unable to find a stable position. He felt like a fish on a chopping block, with Qin Yi as the chef sharpening his knife. No matter how he moved, he couldn’t escape Qin Yi’s grasp.

Especially with Qin Yi wearing a mask, Shen Du couldn’t see his expression. He could only judge from his dark eyes.

Qin Yi lifted the needle. Just as the tip was about to touch his skin, Shen Du let out a small “hiss.”

Qin Yi lowered the needle. “Don’t be nervous.”

The skin beneath his gaze was very white, almost delicate, and it shimmered softly in the light. Qin Yi noticed that Shen Du had tightly pressed his red lips together, his eyebrows slightly furrowed.

He was afraid of the pain. This was the conclusion Qin Yi had drawn the moment he first saw him.

“I’m not nervous,” Shen Du insisted, but he wouldn’t admit it.

Qin Yi smiled lightly and raised the needle again, starting to follow the outline on the wax paper.

Even through the gloves, Qin Yi could still feel the smoothness of Shen Du’s skin under his hand. He held the needle carefully, piercing the skin little by little, and could clearly feel Shen Du shudder slightly.

The position shouldn’t have been painful, yet the body’s natural reactions couldn’t be deceived.

There could only be one explanation: Shen Du was very sensitive.

Qin Yi’s gaze didn’t change, and he continued working.

After a while, Shen Du let out a soft, muffled sound, almost imperceptible. When Qin Yi looked up, Shen Du met his eyes innocently, with his own black eyes reflecting Qin Yi’s image.

That familiar feeling was gone.

Once the coloring began, Shen Du seemed unable to hold it in anymore: “Mmm—”

It was a very soft sound, but still very distinct.

Qin Yi’s eyelid twitched.

The moment the sound escaped, Shen Du realized something was wrong. He instinctively covered his mouth, afraid of drawing too much attention.

His arm felt tingling and numb, alternating between pain and itching, and he had to press his mouth shut to prevent himself from making any more noise.

What Shen Du didn’t know was that the studio was very quiet, and even the smallest sound was amplified. His quiet movements were clear in Qin Yi’s ears.

The sound came with a hint of breathiness, and the pitch subtly rose at the end.

Qin Yi was so familiar with the steps of tattooing that he didn’t have to think much about what to do next. Even though his mind was preoccupied with other thoughts, his hands moved steadily.

During a brief pause to change tools, Qin Yi glanced at Shen Du’s flushed eyes, which resembled blooming rhododendrons.

He asked, “Afraid of the pain?”

At this point, Shen Du no longer tried to hide it. He raised his arm to cover his eyes, attempting to maintain some dignity. “Mm.”

Qin Yi’s throat tightened, and he said, “I’ll go lighter.”