AD Chapter 16

About half an hour later, Qin Yi appeared at the door of 1601.

He raised his hand to knock, and after a while, someone came to open the door. Shen Du had also taken a shower, his hair still damp, a little misty from the steam. He was a bit surprised to see Qin Yi: “Finished so quickly?”

Qin Yi had changed into a dark green shirt, which made him seem even more mysterious and composed. He lowered his eyes and asked, “Quick?”

Shen Du froze for a moment, “Uh…”

How should he answer?

Not… quick?

But it wasn’t quick at all. Could it have been an illusion earlier, or is Qin Yi just a fast person?

“Let’s go.” Shen Du didn’t want to think about it any longer, afraid things would go in an uncontrollable direction.

Qin Yi didn’t know what was on his mind: “Aren’t you going to dry your hair?”

“No need.” Shen Du shook his head, his flaxen hair swaying on top of his head before finally falling neatly in front of his forehead and behind his ears. He nonchalantly said, “In this weather, it’ll dry after a few steps.”

Water droplets splashed everywhere, and a few drops landed on Qin Yi’s clothes, blending into a deep green, the air also damp with a sweet citrus scent.

The neighborhood had excellent greenery, and everywhere they walked was lush and vibrant. It was just getting dark, and the streetlights had already come on. There were quite a few people walking along the cobblestone paths, families with kids, people walking their cats and dogs, all looking relaxed and content.

As they walked, Shen Du sighed, “I thought the people who lived here would be those busy making money, not enjoying life.”

Qin Yi walked beside him, their shadows close behind them. “So, do you think I’m one of those people?”

Shen Du thought for a moment and said, “At first, yes, but after I found out you were the landlord, I didn’t think so anymore.”

“Why’s that?”

“When I first saw you at the store, I thought, oh, this must be some young master who’s abandoned the family business to pursue his dreams.”

Shen Du turned his head to look at him and said, “You don’t look like someone who’s struggled for a living.”

“Then what do I look like?”

“A young master experiencing life.”

Qin Yi was silent for a moment before giving a faint smile, “Can’t argue with you.”

“What do you mean you can’t argue with me? It’s clearly true.” Shen Du snorted. “Just admit it.”

“Well, I guess so.” Qin Yi seemed clearly uninterested in discussing this further, and Shen Du decided not to press the issue.

After they left the neighborhood, Qin Yi led him straight to the convenience store across the street. Shen Du followed, watching as Qin Yi walked in with familiarity and grabbed two cans from the shelf.

Shen Du crossed his arms behind his head and observed him: “Didn’t you already eat?”

“They’re not for eating.”

Shen Du didn’t understand, so Qin Yi explained, “You’ll know in a bit.”

At the counter, Qin Yi casually grabbed a bottle of flower-scented spray, scanned it, and handed it to the cashier. The cashier on duty was the same one Shen Du had accidentally startled the last time, and he remembered him.

This time, they both had different expressions: one was interested, the other was avoiding.

Qin Yi noticed the tension and asked, “Do you know him?”

Shen Du grinned widely: “We talked a bit last time.”

The cashier had been paying attention to them since they walked in. Shen Du wasn’t your average handsome guy; his face was distinctive and left a strong impression.

The cashier had been quite scared last time, and he still hadn’t opened the pack of gum, worried that if Shen Du remembered and asked for it, he wouldn’t be able to give it to him.

One person was already scary enough, and now there were two.

The tall guy seemed even more intimidating, and the way he looked at him was strangely terrifying.

The cashier quickly finished ringing them up and scurried off to tidy the shelves.

Qin Yi grabbed the cans and walked out with Shen Du, asking in a low voice, “Did you bully him?”

“I didn’t bully him. Why would I?” Shen Du sprayed the flower-scented spray on his legs. “It’s clearly because you look too fierce, and he’s more afraid of you than me.”

Qin Yi didn’t respond, but when his gaze fell on Shen Du’s right knee, he frowned slightly. There was a large bruise that stood out against his pale skin, looking rather grotesque. He asked softly, “How did that happen?”

He didn’t remember seeing it earlier.

Shen Du looked embarrassed and awkwardly laughed, trying to brush it off: “I wasn’t paying attention while walking, bumped into the shoe cabinet.”

Qin Yi moved slightly, asking, “Is it serious?”

Shen Du replied, “It’s fine, doesn’t hurt. Just looks bad.”

Qin Yi didn’t fully believe him.

This guy always tried to act tough, clearly afraid of pain, but wouldn’t admit it just to save face.

“Wait here.”

Shen Du was startled by his sudden action and straightened up to call out, “Hey, where are you going?”

No response.

Shen Du: “…”

He really just left without saying anything.

Five minutes later, Qin Yi came back from the convenience store with a bag.

Shen Du, having nothing to do while waiting, swatted at some mosquitoes but didn’t catch any. Seeing Qin Yi approach, he immediately said, “This flower-scented spray you bought doesn’t work very well.”

His gaze dropped to the bag in Qin Yi’s hand: “Why didn’t you buy everything at once?”

Qin Yi didn’t stop walking, pulling him toward a flower bed: “Come with me.”

Shen Du, a little confused, asked, “Where are we going?”

Qin Yi took out some iodine and cotton swabs, cleared space on the flower bed, and said to him, “Sit down.”

Shen Du was pressed down to sit, initially not realizing what was going on. But when he saw Qin Yi squat down in front of him without saying a word, holding iodine and cotton swabs, he immediately understood.

He pushed himself up: “What are you doing? Hey—”

Qin Yi directly grabbed his calf, as if gripping the throat of fate, and whispered, “Don’t move.”

Those words seemed to have a magical effect, and Shen Du immediately froze, not daring to move. After a while, he managed to regain his ability to speak: “Boss Qin, you…”

Before he could finish, Qin Yi interrupted him: “Why don’t you continue calling me ‘brother’?”

Qin Yi opened the cotton swab packet, poured some iodine, and continued, “You were calling me that quite happily earlier, weren’t you?”

Shen Du was momentarily stunned.

That was when he needed something from him…

The knee was a very sensitive area, and as soon as the cold medicine touched his skin, Shen Du’s calf unconsciously kicked into Qin Yi’s palm.

“You…” Shen Du tried to pull away, “Why suddenly want to apply medicine for me?”

Qin Yi asked in return, “Why are you asking so directly?”

“…”

“What do you want to hear from me?”

“Just… curious.” Shen Du muttered, “No one’s ever done this for me before.”

Qin Yi asked, “What about your parents?”

“They…” Shen Du thought about his unreliable parents and a look of helplessness appeared on his face.

After finishing, Qin Yi threw the used cotton swab into the nearby trash can: “Do your parents treat you badly?”

“No.” Shen Du shook his head, organizing his words before saying, “It’s just that they both think it’s no big deal for a boy to fall over.”

“Ah.” Qin Yi understood, typical Chinese parental thinking.

“Yeah…” Shen Du felt lighthearted, as if he was floating on clouds. He didn’t quite understand why, but then he heard Qin Yi say, “Let’s go.”

He nodded: “Oh.”

Qin Yi led him to the entrance of a nearby park.

Shen Du asked, “Are you going to dance square dance?”

Qin Yi placed his index finger on his lips: “Shh.”

Shen Du was confused, wondering what Qin Yi was up to. Soon, the bushes nearby rustled. It was dark there, and nothing could be seen, but the rustling sound was quite eerie.

Shen Du quietly moved closer to Qin Yi, his eyes fixed on the bushes. He thought it might be a rat or a snake, but when the creature emerged, he saw that it was two cats.

One was a calico, the other a tabby.

Shen Du froze: “These two cats…”

Qin Yi opened the bag in his hand and squatted down. The two cats seemed to recognize him and affectionately circled around him. Shen Du then realized that Qin Yi had bought the cans for them, and he squatted down as well: “You came here specifically to feed them?”

He was actually quite fond of animals.

The calico cat was very friendly and not at all shy. It first rubbed up against Shen Du cautiously, and he took the opportunity to pet its head. The calico closed its eyes in comfort, reminding him of Shen Yuanyuan.

He asked Qin Yi: “Have you been feeding them all the time?”

Qin Yi pushed the cans toward the cats and said, “Not all the time, I just met them a few days ago.”

A few days ago, when he was passing by here, the calico cat had approached him on its own. He had seen this cat in Shen Du’s phone.

Shen Du: “Just when you moved in?”

Qin Yi: “Mm.”

Shen Du: “Oh.”

Seeing the cats made Shen Du happy as well. The two of them squatted side by side, their shoulders touching, watching the cats eat. Shen Du quickly noticed that the tabby cat hardly ate anything. He asked Qin Yi: “Does it not like canned food?”

Qin Yi shook his head: “It will eat after the calico finishes.”

“Oh, that’s kind of touching.” Shen Du glanced at the two cats below, “Tsk, still both males.”

As if it understood what he said, the tabby cat bared its teeth at him. But before he could react, the calico meowed and slapped the tabby on the head with its paw.

The tabby immediately stopped, sitting to the side and licking its paw.

“Your cat’s really good!” Shen Du took the chance to pet the calico’s head, feeling it was more and more like Shen Yuanyuan, and even thought about adopting it. He turned to Qin Yi and asked, “You don’t plan on feeding them forever, do you? Why not take them home?”

He thought, you take one, I take one, it would be perfect. But before he could say anything, he saw Qin Yi shake his head.

Shen Du’s smile froze on his face, but somehow, he wasn’t surprised.

“Why?” He still wanted to know.

“I don’t like overly clingy ones.” Qin Yi said淡ly.

The calico had finished half of its food and meowed at the tabby. The tabby hesitated for a moment, trying to rub against Qin Yi’s hand, but Qin Yi quickly moved his hand away.

His expression was calm.

Even though he was the one who had initiated feeding them, he seemed to reject their contact.

Qin Yi had an extremely handsome face, sharp and deep eyes, a high nose, thin lips—charming yet indifferent. He might have desires, but they were usually not the driving force behind his actions, often described as emotionally distant.

For him, emotions seemed to be something to toy with, a trivial thing that could be easily discarded.

Qin Yi noticed that Shen Du had been staring at him for quite a while. He didn’t move, allowing him to look. Eventually, when he thought Shen Du’s legs might be numb from squatting, he finally spoke: “What about you, do you want to raise them?”

“Me?” Shen Du snapped out of his thoughts. Just a moment ago, he had wanted to adopt them, but now…

“Forget it, I think they get along well. I don’t want to break up a bond.”

Qin Yi was slightly surprised by his answer.

Shen Du pushed himself up from his knee, but he had squatted too long and almost lost his balance. Qin Yi, seemingly prepared, immediately reached out to support him.

Shen Du calmly brushed his hand away and took a step back: “It’s getting late, let’s head back.”

Qin Yi paused for a moment, his hand still hovering in midair, not yet pulling back.

After a while, he nodded: “Okay.”

The entire journey was silent.

Before parting ways, Qin Yi called out to him, wanting to say something, but as soon as the boy turned around, the words stuck in his throat.

Qin Yi swallowed, then handed over the remaining iodine and cotton swabs: “…Remember to apply it when you get back.”

Shen Du’s expression was neutral as he reached out to take them: “Thanks.”

Qin Yi hesitated, furrowing his brow: “You…”

Shen Du didn’t even look at him: “Is there something else?”

Qin Yi paused for a moment, “No.”

“Then let’s go back.”

“…”

Once the door was closed, Shen Du threw the bag onto the sofa and flopped onto it, accidentally hitting his wound, which made him hiss in pain.

He turned over, lying on the sofa, his phone pressing against his thigh. He pulled it out and tossed it toward his feet.

The room was hot, and the air conditioner was off, but he was too lazy to move.

He closed his eyes, his mind in a mess. He kept thinking about the scene where Qin Yi had crouched down to apply medicine to him, then about their first meeting and how Qin Yi had treated him, then about how Qin Yi had spoken softly to him when he lay on that narrow bed, and then about the cold and distant way he had said, “I don’t like clingy people.”

He must be crazy.

Shen Du opened his eyes, got up, and grabbed his phone. He hesitated before typing into Baidu: “How to confirm your sexual orientation.”

The moment he finished typing the last word, Shen Du snapped out of it, his face turning bright red. He tossed the phone away as if it were a hot potato.

What was he thinking about?!

His heart was pounding, and his mind couldn’t help but replay the image of Qin Yi crouching in front of him, focusing on applying medicine. His body felt hot.

Ahhhh!

Shen Du started hitting the cushion, imagining it was Qin Yi.

The phone buzzed twice. Shen Du, like a mushroom, buried his face in the cushion, his ears burning, not moving.

The room was eerily quiet.

Shen Du nearly suffocated himself in embarrassment, reluctantly crawling over to pick up the phone.

When he checked, “Dreamy Affection” had sent two messages.

[Dreamy Affection: Why didn’t you stream tonight?]

[Dreamy Affection: You didn’t stream the past two nights either. Is something wrong? Do you need help?]

Shen Du felt a rush of heat in his chest and replied curtly.

[Shen°: I’m not a professional. No need to stream every day.]

[Dreamy Affection: Fans have been asking me. They think I have your contact information.]

But who would have known that after all these years, their only contact was through the Cool Cat app, and messages could easily get lost in the flood of notifications.

Shen Du was the type to lash out when in a bad mood.

[Shen°: Next time, just let them ask me directly.]

[Dreamy Affection: How?]

[Shen°: In their dreams.]

[Dreamy Affection: .]

Maybe he had left Dreamy Affection speechless, as there was no reply for a while. Just as Shen Du was about to exit the app, he saw a new message pop up: [Are you in a bad mood?]

Shen Du: “…”

Is it that obvious?

[Shen°: I’m in a great mood.]

[Dreamy Affection: That’s good. Want to play a game?]

[Shen°: …]

[Shen°: No.]

Dreamy Affection kept pressing: [Why not?]

Shen Du: “.”

He felt like this guy was acting weird tonight.

[Shen°: Did you drink too much?]

On the other end, Qin Yi, who was looking at the chat screen: “…”

He sighed. It seemed like trying to go down the [Dreamy Affection] route wouldn’t work either. Just as he was about to close the app, the other person’s note suddenly changed to “Typing…”

Qin Yi’s mind shifted, and he sat up straight.

But the message took a while to arrive, only a short line: [I have a friend who wants to ask you something.]

Qin Yi: “…”

Qin Yi chuckled softly, then typed: [Let your friend ask.]

[Shen°] appeared to be typing again. This time, the input time was even longer than before. Qin Yi patiently waited. He stood up and made himself a cup of coffee.

By the time he returned to the computer, [Shen°] had sent the message.

[Shen°: How do you know you’re gay?]

For this question to be sent, it must have taken all of [Shen°]’s courage. Seeing that there was no reply for a while, he almost wanted to retract it but couldn’t, so he slowly tried to cover up.

[Shen°: ?]

[Shen°: Where are you?]

[Shen°: Don’t worry, it’s my friend, not me. I won’t do anything to you.]

[Shen°: Scared? Is it that bad? Aren’t you gays brave?]

[Shen°: Hey… Talk to me.]

[Shen° retracted a message.]

[Shen°: Forget it, my friend said not to ask. Just pretend you didn’t know. Don’t tell anyone, or I’ll fly over and cut you.]

Qin Yi raised an eyebrow, put down his coffee, and sat in front of the computer, typing: [Is your friend gay?]

With ease, as if everything were under control.

[Shen°] replied quickly: [No!]

After a while, he sent another message: [Well, he doesn’t know what’s going on either, so he asked me to ask you.]

[Dreamy Affection: Does your friend have a crush on someone?]

This question seemed to hit the mark. [Shen°] appeared very conflicted, taking longer than before to type.

Qin Yi was extremely patient.

He scrolled through the chat history from tonight, finally stopping at the initial question: [How do you know you’re gay?]

So the odd behavior tonight was because of this?

A new message popped up, and Qin Yi scrolled to the bottom.

[Shen°: I don’t know.]

[Shen°: Because I’m still not sure.]

[Shen° retracted a message]

[Shen°: Because my friend is still not sure.]

[Shen°: So he wanted to ask you for advice.]

Qin Yi looked at the retracted message, a smile suddenly forming at the corner of his mouth.

His intuition was right.

Qin Yi had originally thought that, based on how the boy thought, he would probably have to wait a little longer. But now, it seemed… Qin Yi recalled the image of the boy sitting in the living room, calling him “brother” with a sense of loneliness, and his gaze darkened.

[Dreamy Affection: Actually, it’s quite simple.]

[Shen°: …Simple?]

[Shen°: How is it… simple?]

[Dreamy Affection: It’s about desire.]

Qin Yi remembered the day in the store, when he first saw Shen Du’s face, and the first time he heard his suppressed and difficult-to-bear moans in bed. He was surprised, delighted, and desperately holding himself back.

Qin Yi typed, each word sincere: [When you’re physically close to the other person, you’ll have a reaction.]

[Dreamy Affection: You crave his touch, you crave his kiss.]

[Dreamy Affection: With just one look from him, you’ll surrender.]

After reading the message, Shen Du: “…”

He rubbed his goosebumps-covered arms, half-believing, wondering if it could really be that exaggerated?

[Shen°: 6]

[Dreamy Affection: Don’t believe it?]

[Shen°: Heh.]

[Dreamy Affection: If you don’t believe it, try it.]

Try it again?

The last time he tried, nothing came of it. Could this time be any different? He was still a straight guy—could he really become gay?

Well, try it, then!

Shen Du made it through to the next morning, woken up by the sound of his frisbee alarm clock. He turned over, his head buzzing, and sent Qin Yi a message: [Are you awake?]

[Blame: Making breakfast.]

[Blame: Waking up so early?]

Of course, he had to wake up early. Last night, he kept thinking about what [Dreamy Affection] said, not sleeping well, his mind focused on “trying it.” But how should he try? Shen Du thought about it all night and still couldn’t come to a conclusion.

After getting dressed and washing up, Shen Du knocked on room 1602.

The door opened quickly. Qin Yi was wearing a white shirt, suit pants, broad shoulders, and a narrow waist, showing off his good physique. He seemed to have sprayed some perfume, and Shen Du couldn’t help but take a second glance, thinking to himself, Why is this man suddenly looking so alluring, dressed so well?

Qin Yi didn’t know what Shen Du was thinking. He pushed the chair out for him and said, “Sit.”

Shen Du felt quite pleased.

This was Shen Du’s first time eating breakfast made by Qin Yi. It was simple—sandwiches, milk, eggs, and a few nuts.

He ate everything without leaving a single bite.

The last thing left was the milk.

Shen Du held the cup, took a deep breath, and then gulped down the milk.

A full cup, all finished.

It felt as if these things had filled him with courage and energy. The room was so quiet that he could hear the sounds of children playing in the garden downstairs.

It was the perfect time to “try.”

“Boss Qin.” Shen Du put the cup down heavily, wiped the milk foam from his mouth, and said something surprising: “Touch me.”