AD Chapter 36

Shen Du slept straight through to 3 p.m., and the first thing he did upon waking was check his phone.

There were several unread messages on WeChat—from his dad, Yan Liming, Xiao Pang…a whole bunch. Shen Du scrolled down the chat list until he found Qin Yi’s profile picture.

[07:44]
[Blame: Message me when you wake up. If you don’t reply within two minutes, I’ll call.]

That was it?

He hadn’t replied for so long, and this guy didn’t even find it odd?

Could it be that after kissing him, Qin Yi had already stopped cherishing him?

Shen Du rolled over and called him directly.

Qin Yi seemed to have just woken up too; his voice was a bit hoarse. “Awake?”

“What are you up to?” Shen Du lay on his side, holding the phone to his ear.

Both ends of the call were quiet, making the sound of their breathing more noticeable.

“Still lying in bed.”

“? Don’t tell me you just woke up too.”

“Mm,” Qin Yi replied. “I only went to sleep a little while ago.”

Shen Du assumed he’d just taken an afternoon nap. He let out an “oh” and didn’t say more. Rarely, he didn’t have his usual post-sleep crankiness and quietly listened to the sound of Qin Yi’s breathing.

After a moment, there was the sound of fabric rustling on the other end, as if Qin Yi was getting out of bed and getting dressed. “Hungry? Want me to cook for you?”

“…A little.”

Qin Yi chuckled softly. “Anything you feel like eating?”

At this hour, by the time they bought groceries and cooked, it’d basically be dinner already. Shen Du was genuinely hungry. “Just make something simple. How about noodles?”

Qin Yi put on his shoes and headed to the kitchen. He opened the fridge and took a look. “There aren’t any noodles at my place.”

Shen Du got up too, shuffling toward the bathroom to wash up. Hearing this, he turned and walked to his own kitchen. “I’ve got some here. Just not sure if they’re expired.”

“Let me check.” He opened his fridge. “Lucky—still good. Oh, and there are four eggs left. They were a freebie from a supermarket promotion.”

Qin Yi paused. “When was the last time you went to the supermarket?”

Shen Du also paused. “Uh… before I started working at your shop?”

He laughed at himself after saying that. “Think they’re still edible?”

Qin Yi glanced at his own fridge. “Just toss them. I’ve got two eggs here. That’s enough if you want some.”

Shen Du hummed in agreement. “Alright, I’ll brush my teeth and head over.”

Ten minutes later, Shen Du had freshened up and was standing at the door of unit 1602 with a bag of noodles.

There was a bag of trash by the door, and the door was slightly ajar, probably left that way when Qin Yi had stepped out to take the trash.

Shen Du’s gaze lingered on the door lock for a moment before he pushed the door open and entered. Qin Yi happened to come out holding a cup of coffee. “You’re here?”

Qin Yi walked over and naturally took the bag from Shen Du’s hands. “Want a taste?”

He was wearing a dark blue polo shirt, which made his complexion look even fairer. Shen Du noticed a watch on his left wrist—low-key but luxurious, with a strap seemingly inlaid with tiny diamonds that shimmered faintly.

He’d never seen Qin Yi wear accessories before.

“What’s with the watch all of a sudden? Doesn’t it get in the way at work?” Shen Du casually asked as he took the coffee.

Qin Yi’s gaze followed his own hand. “Looks nice, doesn’t it? I got one for you too.”

Shen Du froze. “Matching ones?”

“Not exactly, but the same style.” Qin Yi carried the noodles into the kitchen. “Yours is on my desk in the bedroom. Go grab it yourself.”

“I’ll get it later.” Shen Du took a sip of the coffee and immediately grimaced. “Why didn’t you add sugar?”

Qin Yi poked his head out of the kitchen to glance at him. “I did. Didn’t you taste it?”

With that, he ducked back into the kitchen, probably to start cooking the noodles.

Shen Du couldn’t bring himself to finish the bitter coffee and plopped onto the couch to play on his phone instead. He still hadn’t checked the private message Dreamy Affection had sent him this morning. Just thinking about those 99 Star Seas worth of gifts made his heart race.

Shen Du quickly logged into the Cool Cat backend to check his account balance. He had enough money, so he usually didn’t pay much attention to the backend funds. The last time he withdrew was three months ago, and now he had nearly six figures saved up.

Most of it came from Dreamy Affection.

[Shen°: Did you go crazy this morning? Why did you spend so much money?]

Ding—

The phone on the coffee table rang, and Shen Du looked up to see it was Qin Yi’s phone. He didn’t pay attention and lowered his head again.

The message from Dreamy Affection this morning was: [Why do you seem off today?]

It was probably about him not letting him assist and going to play top lane instead.

[Shen°: Nothing much, it’s not about you. You know I have a partner now, so it’s not appropriate for us to hang out anymore.]

Ding.

The phone on the table rang again.

[Shen°: Actually, I lied to you last time. I didn’t need help from any friends. It was actually me.]

Ding.

The phone rang again.

[Shen°: Don’t send me so many gifts in the future. What if my partner sees it and gets angry?]

Ding.

The phone rang again.

After several dings, Shen Du finally sensed something was wrong. He frowned and stared at the black phone on the table for a couple of seconds. Suddenly, he lowered his head and sent a sticker in the Dreamy Affection chat.

Ding.

He moved his fingers and sent two more.

Ding—Ding—

Shen Du: “…”

He remained expressionless, thought for a moment, and was about to get up to grab the phone when Qin Yi came out. Seeing him playing on the sofa, he walked over and asked, “What are you sitting here for? Didn’t you go get your watch?”

Shen Du sat cross-legged on the sofa, his gaze calm as he stared at Qin Yi. “That’s your bedroom. I don’t think it’s appropriate to just go in.”

“I don’t mind,” Qin Yi said, walking over and extending his hand. “Come on, I’ll take you to see it.”

Shen Du didn’t move and continued to look at him.

“Why are you staring at me like that?”

Shen Du’s hair had grown a bit long, and it was messy and fluffy from just waking up. Qin Yi couldn’t resist, leaned down, and lifted his chin to kiss him. Shen Du froze for a moment and tried to avoid it, but realizing he couldn’t, he simply let him kiss.

After the kiss, Shen Du wiped the corner of his lips without expression, then, under Qin Yi’s lingering gaze, calmly spoke, “Are you hiding something from me?”

Hiding something?

Qin Yi paused for a rare moment.

It seemed like there was something.

His gaze landed on Shen Du’s face, seeing that his expression wasn’t quite right. He guessed that Shen Du must have figured something out.

But he didn’t know where to begin explaining.

He subconsciously touched his watch strap and hesitated before speaking, “What do you mean? Which thing?”

Shen Du: “…”

What? There’s more than one thing?

If looks could kill, Qin Yi would have been dead a thousand times over by now.

“Which one? How many things are you hiding from me? I knew it! You’re a liar, just admit it!” Shen Du shouted.

Qin Yi was stunned by the shout but didn’t mind at all.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to talk, but he truly didn’t know where to start. But not saying anything wasn’t an option, so he could only cautiously ask, “Is it the thing in the kitchen?”

What could have happened in the kitchen?

Shen Du suddenly remembered—he had suggested cooking together with Qin Yi, and it was his first time washing dishes, making the kitchen all wet. Qin Yi had tied an apron on him and asked, “What would happen if I did something to hurt you?”

At that time, Shen Du had an answer in his heart but hadn’t dared to confirm it.

Seeing Shen Du’s expression shift, Qin Yi added, “Or was it the time you let me touch you?”

Shen Du remembered that time too. Qin Yi had told him that when he touched younger boys, he usually touched certain areas… So this was a lie? He hadn’t touched that place? No, that wasn’t the point!

“Or was it the time you hung your underwear on the balcony?”

Had hanging underwear been another lie to him!? It was strange, but even after so long, Shen Du still vividly remembered the appearance of those underwear, even the brand.

He was lost in thought and didn’t notice that Qin Yi had already sat down next to him, staring at him intently.

“Or was it the time we ran into you and your friends on the street?”

That was the time they went to the escape room.

Now it made sense why Qin Yi had shown up there out of nowhere—it had all been planned!

“Ah, so you—ah!”

Before Shen Du could finish speaking, Qin Yi suddenly pounced on him like a hungry tiger, pushing him down onto the sofa, causing Shen Du to yelp in surprise.

The sofa was quite bouncy, and their chests collided with a soft rebound. Qin Yi’s hand was placed behind Shen Du’s head, and his knee pressed between his legs in a half-kneeling position.

Shen Du’s words got stuck in his throat. Qin Yi pulled his hand from behind Shen Du’s head, supporting himself on the sofa with one hand, while the other gently swept Shen Du’s messy hair back, a deep smile in his eyes.

“If you really want to hear me say it, do you still want to listen? If you want to, I’ll keep going.”

“I thought you already knew all of this.” Qin Yi’s hand slid to the back of Shen Du’s ear, and he couldn’t resist pinching the soft earbone. The person beneath him trembled in response.

“Honestly, it’s not really lying, is it?”

Qin Yi was right. Shen Du knew all of this, including the things he had done. They both understood each other without words, perfectly in sync.

But that wasn’t what Shen Du wanted to hear.

No.

Shen Du suddenly smiled, a pure and innocent smile, his eyelashes fluttering in the sunlight, casting a shadow on his lower eyelid.

He reached out and touched Qin Yi’s face, softly speaking, “Boss Qin.”

The end of his voice was sweet, like it had sugar and honey in it, making Qin Yi’s heart soften. He had only ever heard Shen Du call him that in his dreams, and although the alarm bells went off in his mind, he still willingly succumbed to the moment.

Qin Yi softly hummed in response.

The hand that landed on his face skillfully moved to the back of his neck, pressing down. Following the force, Qin Yi lowered his chest.

The distance between them closed, their breaths intertwined. Qin Yi’s gaze slowly moved from Shen Du’s eyes to his lips. As he lowered his head, about to kiss him, Shen Du suddenly turned his head, avoiding the kiss.

Shen Du wrapped his arms around Qin Yi’s neck. Rather than calling it an embrace, it was more like his arm locking him in place. Qin Yi buried his head in Shen Du’s neck, inhaling deeply, his nose filled with Shen Du’s scent.

He sniffed hard. It smelled so good.

The two had different thoughts.

Shen Du tilted his head, whispering in his ear with that same voice, “Boss Qin…”

Most people’s ears are sensitive, and Qin Yi was no exception. When Shen Du called him like this, it was akin to seduction.

Qin Yi’s body trembled, his blood boiling.

That teasing voice continued, and in his daze, he felt a hand move from his lower abdomen.

“Boss Qin, let me tell you something.” Shen Du suddenly tilted his head, kissed his ear, and spoke in the gentlest tone he had ever used, “The lying man… gets exposed.”