AD Chapter 30

In the latter half of the night, the rain grew heavier, even accompanied by thunder.

Shen Du wasn’t someone who often dreamed, and even if he did, he rarely remembered the content upon waking.

After chatting with Xu Qingluo last night, he casually found a movie to watch.

It was a realistic drama about a wife and a mistress plotting to kill the husband to seize his fortune, only for the husband to turn the tables on them.

In the story, the husband was a psychopath. After discovering the plot, he didn’t report it to the police immediately but instead captured the wife and mistress, locking them in separate rooms and torturing them daily.

The scenes were gruesome and violent, but Shen Du found the plot too dull and fell asleep halfway through.

In his drowsiness, the eerie background sounds of the movie seeped into his ears, leading him to an absurd dream.

He dreamed he had become the wife who was cheating with the mistress, caught and locked in the basement by the husband—whose face had morphed into Qin Yi’s.

In the dream, Qin Yi stripped him naked and tied him to the bed. Qin Yi held a red whip, one Shen Du had never seen before.

Qin Yi forcefully cuffed him with black handcuffs and shackles. Shen Du was pressed onto the bed, with Qin Yi straddling him. Qin Yi’s expression was cold as he ripped open his shirt, exposing his chest.

On his firm, muscular chest was a vivid, red flamingo with wings spread, ready to take flight.

In the dim, sunless basement, the eerie atmosphere suddenly filled with countless pink bubbles. Qin Yi’s gaze darkened, and with a click, he unfastened his belt. Shen Du wanted to speak, but his voice came out hoarse and soft.

Qin Yi leaned down, wrapping the whip around his neck, pulling him up from the bed, and biting his Adam’s apple.

Qin Yi’s lips moved as if saying something. Then, he suddenly lowered his head to kiss Shen Du’s trembling eyelashes, then his nose tip, his cheek, and finally brushed his lips.

Qin Yi’s hand moved downward, touching his bare abdomen. Shen Du immediately felt a warm sensation flow down below, letting out a muffled cry, but Qin Yi’s hand continued further…

…

The next morning.

Qin Yi had prepared breakfast and was sitting in the dining room as usual, waiting.

But after nearly ten minutes, Shen Du still hadn’t shown up.

Qin Yi stood and walked to the balcony. The rain had stopped, and the sky was washed clean, a vivid blue. He noticed that the balcony door next door remained closed. Qin Yi took out his phone and called Shen Du, but there was no answer.

After a moment, Qin Yi opened WeChat and sent a message to Shen Du: [Come eat breakfast.]

Still no response.

After another pause, Qin Yi turned to Niao Niao for help.

[Y: Are you up?]

Niao Niao had just woken up and was brushing her teeth while scrolling through videos. She replied instantly: [Yes, brother!]

[Y: Do me a favor.]

[Niao Niao: Sure, what is it?]

[Y: Check if Shen Du is awake.]

[Niao Niao: …Huh?]

She was confused: [Don’t you guys have each other on WeChat?]

[Y: We do.]

[Y: But I think he’s blocked me.]

No way… Shen Du was that bold? While curious about what had happened, Niao Niao held a deep respect for Qin Yi. Gossiping about him in private was fine, but she wouldn’t dare ask him directly.

Niao Niao spat out the foam, rinsed her mouth, and came up with a flawless opening message for Shen Du.

[Niao Niao: Shen Du, my mom visited yesterday and brought some plums from our hometown. Want some?]

Shen Du quickly replied: [Thanks, but no. I don’t like plums.]

Niao Niao forwarded the chat log to Qin Yi, who returned to his seat at the dining table and said, “Got it. Thanks.”

Niao Niao said it was no problem and asked if he wanted any plums—they were sweet and crunchy. Qin Yi replied: [No, I don’t. And don’t tell Shen Du about this.]

After sending the message, Qin Yi placed his phone face-down on the table and exhaled deeply.

Got it. Shen Du had really blocked him.

Or maybe he simply didn’t want to deal with him.

Qin Yi thought back to what he’d said yesterday. It should’ve been subtle enough, right? So why had it scared Shen Du off?

He thought he’d been sincere, and the setting and atmosphere had been just right. Shen Du hadn’t outright rejected him, so why wasn’t he even responding today?

After replying to Niao Niao’s message, Shen Du buried himself back under the covers.

His tablet popped up a low-battery warning—he’d fallen asleep last night with the movie still playing.

The air conditioner was already set to 16°C, but Shen Du still felt unbearably hot, his whole body burning.

Normally, such feelings would pass in minutes, but today they lingered.

Was it because of that dream last night…

Ding ding. His phone chimed—it was a message from Qin Yi.

[Qin Yi: I’m heading out first. Remember to eat breakfast. The door code is 2588201.]

[Qin Yi: You can leave the dishes. I’ll wash them when I get back tonight.]

…Damn!

Shen Du turned over and hid under the blanket.

As expected, there was no reply.

Qin Yi drove to the shop. It was still early, and no one had arrived yet.

He only had one client scheduled for today, but the design was a bit complicated. One pattern would take several hours, so he probably wouldn’t have time for lunch.

It was almost 9 o’clock when Master Xia arrived, followed by a man, his client.

Qin Yi sat in the usual spot where Niao Niao usually sat, using the front desk computer to process files. He had a cup of iced coffee on the table, and the ice was already starting to melt, with water droplets forming on the cup. Qin Yi placed a napkin underneath.

“Boss, you opened the shop today?”

Qin Yi responded with a sound, not saying much more.

“Then I’ll go upstairs first. My brother’s in a bit of a hurry. I was just telling Niao Niao to hurry up and open the shop,” Master Xia said, leading the man upstairs. “Tell her not to rush so much.”

Niao Niao was probably riding her bike right now, so even if she got the message, she might not see it.

Qin Yi saved the file and was just about to pick up his phone when Niao Niao came running in, out of breath.

“Ah, I’m here, I’m here! Brother Qin, you’re here. Did you see Master Xia? He said he was in a hurry to open the door.”

Niao Niao had run so fast that she hadn’t even taken off her helmet.

Qin Yi glanced at the time and said, “He’s already upstairs.”

“That’s good, that’s good. I thought I wouldn’t make it in time.”

Niao Niao opened the bag she was carrying. “By the way, Brother Qin, I brought some plums. Want to try some? Oh, there’s also some strawberries in the fridge. I’ll wash them and bring them up for you to eat?”

“Really don’t need to,” Qin Yi stood up and pointed to the table. “I’m going upstairs now. Can you give this cup of coffee to Shen Du later?”

Niao Niao followed his gaze and saw the iced coffee, almost melted. “Shen Du told me he would be a little late.”

Qin Yi seemed to frown slightly and asked, “Did he say anything else?”

“No, he just said he got covered in dog hair and needed to take a shower before coming over.”

Qin Yi paused for a moment. “Dog?”

Niao Niao placed the bag on the counter. “Yeah, he said it was a really big dog, and he couldn’t push it away.”

Were there any dogs that big in the neighborhood? Qin Yi tried to recall.

Around 10 minutes past 9, Shen Du arrived by taxi.

The weather in Yunshan was like this—there had been rain yesterday, but today it was still hot.

The sky was blue with white clouds, and the sun was brighter than usual. His hair had already dried on the way here.

“Sister Niao Niao, I’m here.” Shen Du pushed open the shop door.

“You’re here so early. I thought you’d arrive at 9:30. I haven’t started cleaning up yet.”

“Perfect timing. Let’s clean up together.”

Shen Du said, then went to the warehouse to get tools. Niao Niao walked over with a fruit plate. “It’s fine to be a minute or two late. These plums were just washed. Really not going to have a bite?”

She felt like a plum saleswoman for no reason.

Shen Du thought for a moment, then took one. “Thanks.”

Niao Niao smiled, “No need to thank me, try it. My grandma personally grew them, no pesticides.”

Niao Niao’s mom always picked the best ones—plump, fresh, with droplets of water still on them, making them look appetizing. Shen Du took a bite, and as soon as his teeth touched the flesh, he immediately frowned from the sourness.

“Eh?? Is it sour? I ate a lot yesterday, and they were sweet,” Niao Niao said, picking another one and handing it to him. “Try this one.”

Shen Du covered his mouth, almost wanting to spit it out, his eyebrows tightly furrowed. “No, I’ve never had this before… not used to it.”

“Never had it?”

Plums were a childhood snack for many people, something to look forward to every summer, but Shen Du had never had one.

“This really isn’t to my taste,” Shen Du tried another bite, and as expected, he immediately frowned again. “No, I really can’t eat it. Can I throw the rest away?”

It was the first time Niao Niao felt like Shen Du was still a college student. He usually seemed so reliable and steady, nothing like a student who hadn’t graduated. She always treated him like a peer.

“Of course, if you can’t eat it, just throw it away. Qin Ge can’t eat it either. He asks every year but never eats it,” Niao Niao said, suddenly understanding. “I used to think he didn’t eat it because he was shy, but after seeing your reaction just now, I get it.”

So there really are people who think plums taste bad?

Shen Du paused. “Then I’ll go clean up. You eat.”

“Okay,” Niao Niao said. “By the way, there’s a cup of coffee in the fridge. Remember to get it later.”

Shen Du thought it was hers, since everyone had one, and didn’t think much of it.

At 10 o’clock in the morning, Xiang Nan finally arrived late. Shen Du was finishing up the last bit of work.

“Brother Shen, when you have time, help me level up.”

Shen Du turned to look at him. The young man was yawning widely, probably staying up late again last night.

“By the way, what did you do with Brother Qin yesterday? Why did you leave so quickly?”

As soon as he mentioned it, Shen Du remembered the feeling from last night, almost like he was drowning. He shot him a cold glance. “Why are you asking so many questions?”

“Can’t I ask?” Xiang Nan said. “Did you two have any plans after work? Dinner? Shopping?”

Shen Du: “Why don’t you say that he went to watch a movie with me?”

Didn’t he realize that Qin Yi wasn’t that kind of person!

“True,” Xiang Nan nodded. “Then what else could you do?”

Shen Du didn’t even look up, letting him talk.

Xiang Nan listed a few activities, but when he saw no response, he decided to drop a big one. “Did he confess to you?”

Shen Du didn’t expect him to guess it so quickly. His sweeping motion paused, and Xiang Nan, seeing his expression, widened his eyes in surprise. “Really?”

Xiang Nan was surprised, but there was something else hidden in his emotions that Shen Du couldn’t understand.

Could it be that Xiang Nan secretly liked Qin Yi? Shen Du frowned and swept him aside with the broom. “If it’s true, ask Boss Qin yourself. Don’t block me from sweeping.”

Xiang Nan really left, and Shen Du wasn’t sure if he went to ask Qin Yi for confirmation. If he did, what would Qin Yi say? If Xiang Nan found out, would Niao Niao and Master Xia also find out soon?

Qin Yi was the boss, and they had known each other for a long time. He also managed the wages, while Shen Du had only been there for a little over half a month. Naturally, Niao Niao and the others sided with Qin Yi. If they found out that Qin Yi had confessed to him, would they start advising him to accept Qin Yi?

It wasn’t impossible, after all, even Xu Qingluo had said he wanted to try someone like Qin Yi—what’s wrong with me? No opinions of my own, just agreeing when others advise?

Shen Du swept the same floorboard over a dozen times. From a distance, Niao Niao, while bringing strawberries to Qin Yi, casually mentioned, “Do you think that dog was really that big? It seemed to have knocked Shen Du silly.”

Qin Yi didn’t respond, continuing with his work.

When she didn’t leave, he finally looked up. “Is there something else?”

Niao Niao hesitated. “Well… You and Shen Du don’t have any issues, right?”

Qin Yi’s expression didn’t change. He simply put down his pencil and said, “What did he say to you?”

“Nothing, I just… feel like you two are… a bit strange.”

The message this morning, as well as Shen Du’s odd behavior when she mentioned Qin Yi, made it hard to believe nothing had happened between them.

Niao Niao respected Qin Yi a lot and liked Shen Du as well. She didn’t want them to fall out. If something really had happened, it would be better to clear it up sooner.

But Qin Yi only replied briefly with two words, “Nothing happened.”

Niao Niao let out a sigh of relief. Though she still felt something was off, she didn’t dare ask further.

She turned to leave but heard Qin Yi call her name. “Niao Niao.”

She turned around.

Qin Yi thought for a moment before saying, “I had him take care of something yesterday. It might have been a bit difficult for him. Don’t go out of your way to ask him about it, just treat him the same as usual.”

Niao Niao nodded and said okay, then turned and went downstairs. She saw Shen Du registering a customer, holding a half-drunk cup of coffee.

“Shen Du, let me handle it. You can take a break.”

“No need, I’ll be done soon,” Shen Du stirred the ice cubes in his cup and said, “Thanks for the coffee. I’ll treat you to one another day.”

“This isn’t from me, it’s from Brother Qin,” Niao Niao replied.

Shen Du still had a sip of coffee in his mouth.

After a while, his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down.

Shen Du suddenly remembered the dream from last night.

In the dream, he was almost fainting, and Qin Yi had stopped halfway to ask if he wanted a cup of coffee to help him wake up. Shen Du had clearly wanted to refuse, but for some reason, the words that came out of his mouth were, “Add sugar, I can’t drink it without sugar.”

The cup in his hand was just the right amount of sweetness.