AD Chapter 37

Shen Du ran off, leaving Qin Yi alone in the room, not having eaten or said a word.

The other party acted so suddenly. Qin Yi thought Shen Du was up to something bad, but he hadn’t expected it to be this kind of bad.

Sweat appeared on Qin Yi’s forehead as he lay on the sofa, breathing heavily. The lingering pain made him inexplicably excited, and as the moment passed, that thing actually showed signs of rising again.

Shen Du hadn’t used much force, but that area of a man is generally sensitive; a light touch would be fine, but directly squeezing it like that wasn’t.

Qin Yi’s legs were slightly parted, one bent, his chest rising and falling rapidly. His shirt sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, and the muscles on his arms were tensed, his whole body alive with the sensation from that hand.

After a long while, he recovered and touched the watch on his hand, his tongue pressing against his teeth. He suddenly smiled, wondering why he felt a bit pleased.

Bang!

Shen Du leaned against the door, his tense shoulders relaxing. The boldness from earlier vanished without a trace.

He slowly and shakily raised his right hand, making a few half-hearted grips in the air, his emotions changing rapidly in his eyes.

Two seconds later, he slammed his head against the door, letting out a genuine exclamation, “Damn—”

The warmth of the palm still lingered, like he had grabbed a scalding monster. Shen Du felt as though he had been infected by whatever was on the monster’s body, his hand trembling violently.

How could this be, how could it…

“Damn!!” he shouted again.

“Shen Yuanyuan.” Shen Du turned around and spoke to the photo frame on the shoe rack. “Do you know what your brother just did?”

He took a deep breath. “Your brother… is super awesome.”

Thinking back, his connection with [Dreamy Affection] had suddenly increased, starting from when he sent that photo.

In the past, they had almost only interacted in the livestream, and although there were private messages, they were just for show.

And after so many years, [Dreamy Affection] had never even said, “I like you.” It was only because of that gossip about “spending a fortune” that the netizens started to put a filter on their relationship.

It’s hard to break the impression people have once it’s formed. Once it starts, more and more people fall into it. Suddenly, there were rumors that [Dreamy Affection] had deep feelings for [Shen°].

At first, Shen Du explained, but after realizing it was futile, he gave up.

Shen Du had always understood that the reason the other person treated him this way was because he was younger, and from the perspective of an elder, he was just reminding him about certain things, which was understandable.

All those rumors about romantic entanglements were just the netizens’ fantasies.

So, Qin Yi must have already known he was [Shen°].

Or it was because of the photo he sent.

“…”

Shen Du slapped his face. What the hell was he being so cocky about? He had already been made a fool of, didn’t he know that?

Thinking about all the embarrassing things he had done in the past month, and the public confession in the livestream last night, it was no different from declaring his love. Shen Du felt so ashamed that he wanted to bang his head against the wall.

Just now, he even admitted out loud that he was that friend!

This was such a mess.

He didn’t even have the courage to go back and look at their chat history.

No wonder [Dreamy Affection] excitedly sent 99 Star Seas last night, wishing him and Qin Yi a happy marriage and early children.

This wasn’t the kind of behavior of someone who had just suffered a heartbreak, it was clearly—wait, happy marriage, early children?

Early children?

Children?

Him and Qin Yi?

Two men?

Who would give birth?

Suddenly, memories flooded back—the video he watched at 13 from Xu Qingluo, flashing in his mind like a carousel.

Shen Du’s face turned bright red.

“…”

After the overwhelming sensation faded, Qin Yi began to review what had just happened, trying to figure out why Shen Du had suddenly acted so strangely.

Qin Yi sat up from the sofa, sitting in the spot where Shen Du had just been. Not far in front of him, there was an unfinished cup of coffee, still warm.

Qin Yi casually picked it up and took a sip.

He put it back after just one sip.

He wasn’t used to it; it was too sweet.

He didn’t understand why young people liked to put sugar in their coffee.

At that moment, his phone on the table buzzed with a spam message. Qin Yi didn’t even bother opening it because he saw a message from [Shen°] on CoolCat.

The mystery was solved in an instant.

Qin Yi got up, went to the bedroom, grabbed the tablet, and pulled up the surveillance footage from earlier. His finger lazily dragged the progress bar, and when he saw Shen Du sitting cross-legged on the sofa, sending a message, then staring at his phone with a puzzled look, he silently smiled.

Actually, this was fine.

Earlier, he had been struggling with how to confess this matter to Shen Du, but now it was all out in the open—no misunderstandings to clear up.

Between being squeezed and having a cold war, he chose to be squeezed.

Qin Yi pursed his lips and continued playing the video. When it reached the scene where he pinned Shen Du down on the sofa, he calmly pressed the screen recording button and recorded until Shen Du pushed him away and fled in panic.

After watching it for the third time, Qin Yi finally remembered the water in the pot was still boiling, so he put down the tablet and went to the kitchen.

If he had been a moment later, the water would have evaporated.

Qin Yi turned off the heat and put the noodles back in the fridge, then leaned against the fridge door and opened WeChat.

[Blame: Hello.jpg]

It took a full thirty seconds before the other side replied.

[°: .]

Qin Yi typed slowly: [It’s nothing, just checking if my boyfriend has blocked me.]

[°: Are you sick?]

[Blame: If liking you counts as being sick.]

Shen Du had originally typed a bunch of harsh words in the chat box, accusing him of lying and playing with him, but before he could send them, they were all erased.

Shen Du stared at the message for a while, then couldn’t help but smile, despite trying to resist.

Two seconds later, he expressionlessly pressed the corners of his mouth down.

Shen Du deleted all the text he had typed and sent just a period.

Qin Yi responded with a “kneeling” emoji.

One wasn’t enough, so he followed up with “Sorry,” “I was wrong,” “Baby forgive me,” “Kneel on the keyboard,” “Kneel on the durian.”

Shen Du had planned to ignore him for a while longer, but when he saw these cute emojis, which were completely out of character for Qin Yi, he couldn’t hold back.

[°: Where did you find these emojis?]

[Blame: Just had Fang Zhaoyi send them to me in the group. He often makes his partner angry.]

Shen Du sat up from the bed: [Did you send our stuff in the group?]

Qin Yi replied: [Can I call?]

Before he could respond, a voice call popped up. Shen Du didn’t want to talk to him right now, so he immediately pressed the hang-up button.

[Blame: (Wronged)]

Shen Du: “…”

[°: Speak human language.]

[Blame: I want to hear your voice.]

Shen Du didn’t want to hear his voice.

He had completely figured it out—Qin Yi was a quiet flirt. He had thought this person was so serious, and even felt guilty for misunderstanding him.

But Qin Yi was clearly a sly one!

Maybe seeing that he hadn’t replied, Qin Yi sent a screenshot of the group chat.

[Y: @Fang Zhaoyi, send me that set of apology emojis.]

[Fang Zhaoyi: ?]

[Y: I accidentally made my boyfriend angry.]

[Lu Ning: (Awesome)]

[Cheng Qi: (Awesome)]

[Zheng Qing: (Awesome)]

“…”

Don’t think that sending a screenshot means anything.

Shen Du exited WeChat, but after a while, he couldn’t help but open it again. Qin Yi had directly revealed their relationship to Lu Ning and the others.

He had heard Qin Yi mention before that the five of them grew up together, and aside from their parents, they were the closest to each other.

Making an announcement in front of these people—did that mean Qin Yi really had him in his heart, and that his feelings were real?

He was still staring at the picture when Qin Yi sent another message, this time a voice message.

Shen Du clicked to open it.

“Sorry, I never meant to lie to you.” Qin Yi’s voice was still magnetic, making Shen Du’s ears tingle. “But I was so happy. I’ve liked you since the first time we met, but back then, I didn’t know you well, so I could only use these clumsy methods.”

When someone with a cold, sexy demeanor says something cheesy, the effect is devastating. From the moment Shen Du heard “I like you,” he couldn’t focus on anything else.

His face turned a little red.

His ears, too.

He lay down on the bed, tossing and turning, his mind full of inner turmoil. In the end, all those thoughts turned into Qin Yi’s face, one by one, coming to him and saying “I like you.”

Shen Du rolled around on the bed for a long time, then finally sent a message: [How about you?]

[°: Did I hurt you when I squeezed you?]

As soon as he hit send, he realized what he had just typed, and sweat broke out all over his body. He felt like he was going to explode.

Aaaahh, that sentence was so ambiguous…

But retracting it was impossible, it would make him look cowardly.

A man can’t be cowardly.

[Blame: It didn’t hurt, nothing major.]

[Blame: But next time, remember to be gentler.]

Shen Du almost instantly understood what he was saying: “…”

On Monday, after work, the two went to the animal hospital.

They didn’t say much on the way there.

There weren’t many people at the hospital, and as soon as they entered, a bunch of little cats and dogs surrounded them. Shen Du took out the snacks he had prepared and asked the nurse next to him, “Can I feed them?”

The nurse smiled and said, “Of course.”

These were stray animals that they and the doctors had adopted, as well as pets that had been abandoned by their owners, some of which were injured or sick.

Shen Du was quickly surrounded by these dogs and cats, and seeing that he couldn’t feed them all by himself, several nurses exchanged looks, put down their work, and came over to help.

“Little handsome, let us help you.”

The room was lively and noisy. Qin Yi stepped back a little, standing at a slightly farther distance. It was a hot day, and Qin Yi wore a black short-sleeve shirt, matching suit pants, and black leather shoes, with a dark blue patterned tie that made him look very tall and straight.

Especially his legs, they were so long they made people envious.

He seemed uninterested in the things around him, his expression cold and sharp, with one hand casually resting on the counter.

Shen Du almost couldn’t imagine that someone with such a face would say such dirty things.

If he hadn’t known from the start that Qin Yi had feelings for him, Shen Du would have thought he was no different from a monk.

He never imagined that someone like this would actually like him.

Shen Du walked past the cats and dogs and approached. “You don’t like small animals?”

As he came over, Qin Yi’s gaze softened instantly. After thinking for a moment, he said, “It’s okay.”

“It’s okay means you don’t like them,” Shen Du replied.

He had seen it earlier—when the cats and dogs appeared, Qin Yi immediately distanced himself. That didn’t look like someone who liked them.

Since he had just been warned yesterday, Qin Yi decided to tell the truth. “I don’t really like them, but Da Mao is pretty good. It doesn’t cling to people, and I think I can get along with it peacefully.”

Qin Yi wanted to say more, but Shen Du interrupted him. “Alright, no need to explain so much. If you want to keep them, just keep them. If you get annoyed later, I’ll just take care of two myself.”

“Let’s go; we’ll pick them up.”

The nurses and doctors at the clinic seemed to have formed a bond with them, reluctant to part ways as they left.

Xiao Mao poked its head out from Shen Du’s arms and meowed.

The doctor clutched their heart and sobbed, “Today, we have to say goodbye to this rare species. I’ll never be able to post it on WeChat again.”

Shen Du chuckled.

After completing the formalities, Shen Du held one cat in his arms and the other on his shoulder while Qin Yi went to get the car.

He stroked Er Mao’s fur, talking to both of them. “We’ll go home soon. I’ve prepared a lot of food and toys for you. It’ll be much better than when you were strays.”

Since deciding to adopt them, Shen Du had already ordered cat food, cat trees, toys, and other things online. Most of it had already arrived.

When Qin Yi came back after parking, Shen Du climbed into the passenger seat. As soon as he got in, Da Mao leapt down from Shen Du’s lap and onto the passenger seat.

“This cat is pretty excited.”

Seeing its aloof, indifferent demeanor, Shen Du added, “Don’t say, its temper really is like yours.”

When did I ever ignore people?

Qin Yi started driving, calling out to Shen Du, “This cat hasn’t had a bath.”

Shen Du, still immersed in the joy of soon having two cats, instinctively responded with “Hmm?” and then added, “Let’s just bathe it when we get home.”

Qin Yi answered without hesitation, “You need a bath too.”

Shen Du: “…”

After parking the car and opening the door, Da Mao jumped down from Shen Du’s lap again. Shen Du, holding Xiao Mao, followed behind. “Don’t run around, it’s dark here. You’re so black, I might not be able to find you later.”

Da Mao meowed a couple of times, and when he heard the sound of the car door closing, his ears perked up. As soon as Qin Yi walked over, Da Mao rubbed against his leg, wagging his tail.

“This cat is pretty smart, knows how to please its owner.”

Qin Yi looked down at it for a moment, then bent down to pick it up. As they turned to enter the elevator, Qin Yi glanced at Shen Du in the reflection of the elevator doors. “What, you’re not happy that it’s sticking to me?”

Shen Du almost rolled his eyes. “I’m not going to argue with a cat.”

“I’m not talking about the cat, I’m talking about me.”

Qin Yi smiled slightly, “The cat sticks to me, not you.”

Shen Du was really about to roll his eyes now.

When the elevator arrived, Shen Du walked ahead with the cat in his arms. “Let’s go to my place first. I bought some stuff for the cats, you can take it over.”

Qin Yi kept thinking that the cat smelled a little unpleasant. “I’ll take it back and give it a bath first.”

What if it brings fleas into the house?

Is it not dirty once it’s in your house? Shen Du secretly chuckled. “It’s the same to bathe it at my place. I’ve got the bath supplies ready. You’re not planning to bathe it directly, are you?”

That touched on a blind spot in Qin Yi’s knowledge. “What else is needed?”

There’s a lot more.

A whole bunch.

Shen Du opened the door. “Come in first and I’ll explain.”

Since the house had been rented out, it was Qin Yi’s first time here. As soon as he stepped in, he saw a photo frame placed on the shoe cabinet.

He smiled slightly and softly said, “Shen Yuanyuan, hello. Nice to meet you, I’m Qin Yi, your brother’s boyfriend.”

The house had obviously been renovated by Shen Du, even the walls had been repainted. Shen Du changed his shoes, holding the cat while thinking for a moment. “I don’t have any extra slippers.”

He casually took off the pair he was wearing and kicked them over. “You can wear mine, I’ll go barefoot.”

“No need.” Qin Yi refused. “The size is too small; I can’t wear them.”

Shen Du: “…”

He coughed and after a long pause said, “Well, next time, bring over those slippers of yours.”

After all, Qin Yi had his.

Qin Yi nodded. “Okay.”

Shen Du looked at him for a moment, wondering why he was being so easygoing today.

Wanting to bring the cats back, Shen Du had already prepared the bathroom before leaving this morning. He had everything ready—cat shampoo, body wash, bath tubs, towels, and so on.

As soon as they entered the bathroom, the scent of gardenias filled the air.

It was the scent of the body wash.

The scent of Shen Du himself.

There were two cat baths leaning against the wall, one pink and one blue. Shen Du pointed to the pink one. “That’s for Da Mao.”

After speaking, he placed the cat on the floor and bent over to turn on the shower. Not far from him was the bathtub that Shen Du had mentioned installing, quite large and quite luxurious.

When Qin Yi had stayed here briefly after buying the house, he had become most familiar with the bathroom, aside from the master bedroom.

The lights were something he personally chose from the mall and had someone come to install.

Er Mao curiously looked around the room before walking over to watch Shen Du set up the water.

The warm water flowed into the tub from the shower head, splashing out because it was too far away. Shen Du bent down a little, and, annoyed by the noise, he reached his hand into the water stream to quiet it.

Qin Yi’s eyes scanned the bathroom, not missing a single corner. He looked carefully, and when he saw Shen Du’s current position, he couldn’t move his gaze away.

The light was dim, and when Shen Du had turned on the light earlier, he might have accidentally pressed the switch for the heater, making the bathroom feel warm. Shen Du had his back to him, holding the shower head, not sure whether he was letting the water run or playing with it.

The boy’s knees were slightly bent, his legs slightly apart, his hips pushed out, and the curve of his back arched beautifully. He was wearing black casual pants with a belt, and perhaps because the crotch was too low, as he bent down, the fabric from his waist to the top of his thighs stretched tight.

Especially around his butt, it was rounded and stretched, with a seam curving in the middle, his waist sinking down, fully accentuating the shape of his backside.

Qin Yi’s gaze darkened.

And yet, Shen Du had no idea what he looked like right now. He was happily playing with the water, enjoying himself. When Xiao Mao showed great curiosity about the tub, Shen Du splashed water at it, laughing afterward, clearly pleased, his hips and waist swaying along with his laughter.

He was acting so smug.

Suddenly, Qin Yi felt the scent of gardenias in the bathroom become stronger.

The temperature seemed to rise as well.

He reached out, casually tossing Da Mao to the ground, and called out in a deep voice, “Shen Du.”

Shen Du straightened up and turned around. “What’s up?”

Qin Yi’s eyes concealed a hint of obscure emotion. “Come here and kiss me.”