AD Chapter 12

Shen Du wanted to slap himself the moment he finished speaking.

Why did he blurt out everything?

“Did you observe anything?”

The air suddenly fell silent.

Seeing no response from him, Qin Yi lowered his eyes and asked, “Gone mute?”

It felt as though his heart was gently squeezed. Despite the air conditioning being on full blast, Shen Du felt uncomfortably hot. “I didn’t observe anything.”

He gave up and said, “Just noticed that your hands are pretty long.”

Qin Yi gave him a meaningful glance. That gaze was light and fleeting, so quick that Shen Du thought he might have imagined it.

“That’s it?”

“What else do you want?” Shen Du replied with a deadpan expression. “The spot you’re standing on—I just mopped it.”

“So?”

“You stepped on it and made it dirty.”

“…”

The floor was indeed spotless and shiny.

“My apologies.” Qin Yi stepped to a dry spot nearby, tucked the book under his arm, and extended a hand toward Shen Du. “Want me to mop it clean for you again?”

Shen Du shoved the mop toward himself and said, “For the sake of the fact that you’re paying me… I’ll let it slide.”

Qin Yi nodded calmly, as if he’d only mentioned it in passing and never truly intended to help. “Take your time cleaning. I’ll head upstairs first.”

After Qin Yi walked far away, Shen Du raised a hand to touch his ear—it was burning hot.

He wasn’t sure if Qin Yi had noticed earlier.

As he mopped the floor, Shen Du cursed the romantic feelings from his dreams a few hundred times in his heart. That guy—what kind of terrible idea was that? Making him lose face like this!

Although it was a popular shop, there weren’t many customers during the day, and it was quite peaceful.

Niao Niao had explained that their shop operated on a reservation system, requiring customers to take a number. The artists were picky about their designs—some wouldn’t take on certain requests, and their prices were relatively high.

Even so, customers kept pouring in, and securing a spot required luck. Shen Du had been fortunate that day; Qin Yi just happened to have a free slot.

The small kitchen door was half-closed, with noise-dampening strips thoughtfully attached to the edges. From inside came the steady sound of chopping. Shen Du knocked lightly on the door and gently pushed it open, greeted by the sweet, fresh scent of oranges.

Niao Niao stood at the cutting board slicing watermelon, with a fruit platter of oranges, lychees, and pears beside her—a huge spread.

“Anything I can help with?” Shen Du asked.

“Yes, could you grab seven cups for me? I’ll make banana milkshakes for everyone,” Niao Niao said, gesturing behind her.

Shen Du walked to the cabinet. “Seven cups?”

There were eight people in the shop.

“Boss Qin doesn’t drink these.”

Shen Du’s first thought was that “these” referred to drinks like milk tea, coffee, or soda—things older folks often found unhealthy.

He brought the cups to the sink. “So, what does he drink?”

“Tea,” Niao Niao replied.

Ha, of course.

He thought back to the tea on the table yesterday. After all that fuss, he hadn’t even gotten a sip. Tsk, he was craving it a bit now.

Feigning nonchalance, Shen Du asked, “How old is Boss Qin to be so old-fashioned?”

Niao Niao, guessing what he was thinking, chuckled. “Brother Qin just doesn’t like those drinks, but he doesn’t stop us from having them.”

“You don’t have to cover for him.”

“Ah, I can’t win with you!” Niao Niao placed the sliced watermelon onto the platter. “I’ll go call everyone down to eat. As for Brother Qin’s age, you’ll have to ask him yourself.”

She wasn’t about to be the bad guy.

Shen Du carried the milkshakes out. Xiang Nan and the others were already seated. Master Cao was stretching against the sofa back while chatting with Master Xia.

Qin Yi was nowhere to be seen.

“Brother Shen,” Xiang Nan called, holding up his phone. “Wanna play a game? Just one round.”

“Sure.”

Shen Du sat on a single-seater sofa, hugging the SpongeBob pillow he’d brought from home.

After one round, the other masters had finished eating and gone back upstairs. Qin Yi still hadn’t come down.

Shen Du exited the game and switched to his WeChat. Opening the chat with Qin Yi, he typed: Come down and have some fruit—there’s still a lot left.

But then what? What else could he say? He wasn’t close enough to Qin Yi yet, and sending a random message might seem abrupt. Frustrated, he deleted everything and leaned heavily against the backrest.

Just as he closed his eyes, Niao Niao called out to him, “Shen Du, I’m tidying up the kitchen. If you’re free, could you take this plate of strawberries to Qin?”

Shen Du opened his eyes immediately, moving quickly. “On it!”

At the end of the second-floor hallway, the door was slightly ajar. As he approached, he felt the cool air wafting out from inside.

Standing at the door, Shen Du cleared his throat. “Boss Qin, can I come in?”

“Come in,” came the reply.

Shen Du entered and placed the strawberries next to him, locking eyes with a burly man lying on a small bed.

“Boss, your employee’s pretty handsome,” the man said with a grin.

Qin Yi responded with a nonchalant “Mm.”

Taking in the scene, Shen Du asked, “Getting a full-back tattoo?”

“Yep, a giant python—cool, right?” The burly man was outgoing and straightforward, in stark contrast to Qin Yi’s reserved demeanor. Having been stuck all afternoon, unable to talk or move, he felt like he’d been imprisoned. Now that someone was here to chat, he couldn’t stop talking.

“A python, you know? A big snake coiled on my back. Hey, come here, I’ll show you some pictures.” The man reached for his phone but was stopped by Qin Yi’s low warning: “Don’t move.”

“Not moving… not moving.”

The man handed the phone to Shen Du instead. “Sorry, man, your boss won’t let me move. Just check my Moments; there are lots of photos—my brothers’ tattoos.”

Shen Du browsed through the photos, which featured tigers, dragons, and other lifelike designs. The tattoos covered full backs, trailing down the neck and disappearing into the waistband. Judging by the style, there was likely more below. It was quite private.

Remembering that Qin Yi was gay, Shen Du’s smile faded slightly. “Did your brothers’ tattoos also come from Boss Qin?”

“Yeah,” the man replied. “It was my brothers who recommended this place. Took me days to get a spot! Hey, add me on WeChat, and I’ll—ouch!”

The man winced in pain, his eyebrows shooting up.

Qin Yi adjusted the needle slightly, holding it steady. “Move again, and I can’t guarantee where the next needle will land.”

Shen Du found the man’s expression amusing—caught between wanting to retort and not daring to. As he pondered the scene, Qin Yi suddenly called his name.

“Do me a favor.”

Shen Du said, “What kind of favor?”

Qin Yi kept his head down, his hands not stopping as he said, “Pour me a glass of water.”

There was a water dispenser in the studio, but Shen Du couldn’t find any cups, so he grabbed a paper cup from underneath. Turning his head, he asked, “Do you want it hot or cold?”

Qin Yi said, “Warm.”

Shen Du mixed half cold water and half hot water, walked over, and said, “Here.”

Qin Yi, however, didn’t reach out to take it, nor did he remove his gloves. Instead, he looked up at Shen Du. With his mouth and nose covered by a mask, his eyes appeared even deeper.

“?” Shen Du raised an eyebrow. “You’re not expecting me to feed you, are you?”

“Can you?” Qin Yi countered.

“I can,” Shen Du lowered his gaze and said, “but that’s going to cost extra.”

The burly man lying on the bed found the conversation increasingly strange.

These two men, even drinking water was such a drawn-out process.

“Hey, enough already, you two. Just listening to this is making me thirsty. Why don’t you let me have that cup of water first?”

Shen Du ignored him, walked over, and took off Qin Yi’s mask. His fingers inevitably brushed against the side of Qin Yi’s face—cool and a bit smooth.

Nice skin.

Qin Yi lowered his head and took a sip from the cup in Shen Du’s hand. Shen Du stood in front of him, and with his gaze lowered, he could see the top of Qin Yi’s head and the taut, muscular back that looked full of strength as he moved.

When Qin Yi finished drinking, Shen Du pulled his hand back and suddenly asked, “Can I stay and watch?”

Qin Yi mimicked his tone, “That will cost extra.”

“…”

So stingy.

Shen Du said, “Isn’t it enough that I’m serving you water and fruit?”

The burly man couldn’t get a word in, so he rested his chin on his hands, bored to the point of almost dozing off.

Before falling asleep, he saw the young assistant feeding the store owner water again.

When he woke up, he saw the young assistant wiping nonexistent sweat off the store owner’s forehead.

The burly man was drowsy and thought to himself, These two act like a couple. After a while, he reconsidered, thinking he must have been dreaming.

After all, they were both men.

It wasn’t until 6 p.m. that the burly man’s tattoo was finally finished. Shen Du used his phone to take a picture. “Take a look. Does it look good?”

The burly man held the phone, overjoyed. “Boss, you’re amazing!”

Qin Yi ignored the flattery, lowered his head, and began cleaning and disinfecting his tools. “No showers for the next few days, don’t let the wound get wet, and it’s best to sleep on your stomach. Come back for a follow-up in a week.”

After the burly man left, Shen Du ran over to help clean up. As he tidied, he stole glances at Qin Yi. Qin Yi turned his head to look at him. “Got something to say?”

Shen Du didn’t answer immediately. He used a dry cloth to wipe off the water and put it back in the toolbox. Only when Qin Yi gave him another look did he speak. “Boss Qin, why did you decide to become a tattoo artist?”

After asking, he quickly added, “It’s not too personal of a question, right? If you don’t want to answer, that’s fine.”

Qin Yi turned his face away and didn’t look at him. “Why do you ask?”

Because I’m curious, of course.

Qin Yi had a quality about him that ordinary people didn’t possess. Shen Du’s family had a bit of money, so he’d met plenty of wealthy people. The moment he saw Qin Yi, he guessed that his family background must be exceptional—better than anyone Shen Du had ever met.

But he couldn’t say that out loud.

Shen Du said, “Just curious. I heard from Niao Niao that the A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains painting downstairs was done by you?”

Qin Yi asked, “You’ve been asking about me?”

Shen Du shrugged. “I was bored. Why? Is that not allowed?”

“It’s allowed,” Qin Yi said as he removed his mask, then turned to look at Shen Du again, a faint smile tugging at his lips. “But there’s something you should understand.”

“—Taking an interest in a gay man isn’t a good idea.”

Qin Yi’s calm gaze lingered on Shen Du’s face, as if studying his reaction. His eyes were dark and deep. Under his gaze, Shen Du felt a sense of crisis, like being stared at by a predator.

Shen Du’s heart pounded wildly.

He didn’t understand why he felt this way; he only instinctively knew he couldn’t afford to lose ground here.

Shen Du lifted his head and looked straight at Qin Yi. “What about caring about you?”

Qin Yi seemed surprised by the question. His expression flickered briefly with surprise, his brow slightly raised. “What do you mean?”

Shen Du shot back, “What do you mean?”

He said, “Boss Qin, to me, you’re a friend.”

“Can’t I care about a friend?”