AD Chapter 45

After waking up, Shen Du wasn’t sure which part of his body hurt more. In other words, every part of him ached.

Last night had been too intense, and his waist was sore.

Frowning, he lifted the blanket, feeling a chill all over. He glanced down at himself, then silently pulled the blanket back up.

The warmth from the bed beside him hadn’t yet dissipated, meaning Qin Yi had probably just gotten up. Shen Du dragged his hoarse voice and called out, “Qin Yi!”

He hadn’t eaten and didn’t have the strength, so his call wasn’t very loud. He wasn’t sure if Qin Yi had heard him. Just as he was about to reach for his phone to call, Qin Yi appeared at the door.

He was already fully dressed, back to his refined appearance, a stark contrast to the person he had been in bed last night.

Shen Du didn’t have time to tease him for being a little shy, only asking, “Where’s my clothes?”

“I washed them.”

“Washed them? What am I supposed to wear today?”

He only had this set of clothes.

“Wear mine.” Qin Yi walked over to help him up. “Breakfast is ready. Get up and eat something.”

Having been through this a few times, Shen Du was no longer the innocent boy who blushed and got embarrassed when Qin Yi casually flirted. Now, when Qin Yi lifted the blanket, Shen Du even teased him, “How does it look? I’m quite full now.”

“…”

After the tattoo session at dawn, Shen Du had been stirred by Qin Yi’s gaze and the kiss on his chest. Unable to resist, he had playfully touched him here and there, eventually ending up in bed.

Considering the wound, they hadn’t had time to clean up the last time. Qin Yi was actually quite worried that Shen Du might fall ill when he woke up today, but seeing how energetic Shen Du was now, it was clear he was fine.

Qin Yi relaxed and pretended not to hear him, going to the suitcase to look for clothes. Shen Du thought he had him under control, feeling pleased with himself. Leaning against the headboard, he smiled, his shoulders shaking slightly. “Qin Yi, I’m telling you, I’ve grown up.”

Qin Yi, with his back to Shen Du, had a faint smile at the corner of his lips.

He had indeed grown up. Now, he even dared to call him by his full name.

There were several missed calls on Shen Du’s phone, all from Shen Fushan, with a few WeChat messages in between. Shen Du opened them one by one, finally looking at the messages from his father.

[Naggy: Your mom already told me about you two.]

[Naggy: Pick up the phone.]

The time showed it was early morning. Given his father’s personality, he probably had just processed everything and wanted to talk.

But now it was already afternoon. As an adult, Shen Fushan must have known exactly what his son had been doing during the time he hadn’t replied, but he had restrained himself from sending more messages, probably because he didn’t want to face it.

Shen Du sat at the dining table, replying to his father’s messages.

Qin Yi brought over the food, and Shen Du glanced at him while checking his phone. “Do you have any plans for tomorrow?”

Qin Yi asked, “Why?”

Shen Du said, “My dad wants to meet you.”

“Actually, I should have given him a heads-up that night.” Qin Yi put the plate down and thought for a moment before saying, “Does your dad have any hobbies?”

Without thinking, Shen Du replied, “My dad likes my mom.”

“Of course, if you can go fishing with him, he might be happy too.”

The next day, after breakfast, Qin Yi drove Shen Du home. On the way, Luo Ning called him via video.

Shen Du answered the call.

“Hey, Lao Qin, your two cats are in heat—wait? Is that little brother? How come you’re the one answering the phone? Long time no see.”

Shen Du immediately felt discomfort at the mention of “in heat.” “Didn’t they get neutered?”

When Qin Yi came to Yunshan, the poor cats hadn’t been able to settle in the house for long before Qin Yi packed them up and sent them to the villa.

“The calico cat isn’t neutered!”

According to Luo Ning, the two cats couldn’t be left together now. As soon as they met, Er Mao would aggressively mount Da Mao and do some indescribable things. Da Mao, who usually looked fierce, was actually all show and no substance, and would quiet down after just a few hisses from Er Mao.

“Look, look, it’s starting again.”

Shen Du heard the sound of Er Mao purring, and Luo Ning turned the camera. The two cats came into view, and Shen Du was forced to watch a few seconds of cat drama. Not caring whether the cats understood or could hear him, he shouted at the phone, “Shen Er Mao, get off Qin Da Mao!”

Luo Ning, as if receiving a royal command, raised his voice and repeated, “Did you hear that? Your dad says stop what you’re doing right now! It’s not very friendly to us single uncles!”

Then he laughed, “Hey, I think it’s pretty funny, you and Lao Qin both have your own cat sons, and they even have names. Pretty good.”

Shen Du chuckled as well, “Right? I think it’s pretty good. Our cats all have last names.”

“Haha, very creative. By the way, little brother, is Lao Qin with you? Why isn’t he picking up the phone?”

Shen Du turned the camera towards him. “He’s driving.”

Qin Yi kept his eyes on the road, not even turning his head. “Do you need something from me?”

“No, the project is almost ready for delivery. Zheng Qing asked when you’ll be back, so we can go together.”

Qin Yi replied, “Have you found a shop yet?”

“We’ve picked a few. We’ll wait for you to decide when you’re back.”

Qin Yi added, “If I’m not mistaken, I only left Yunshan yesterday, right?”

Luo Ning laughed and joked, “Well, I wouldn’t know. But you better come back and get to work, you can’t just be the hands-off boss.”

“I know, I’ll give you an answer later.”

“Alright, I’ve got an appointment; I need to get ready to head out. Talk later, little brother; bye. Come visit when you have time.”

After hanging up, Shen Du asked, “What are you guys planning to do?”

He had heard that the brothers were partnering on some business, but he still didn’t understand exactly what it was.

“It’s too complicated to explain right now. When I have time, I’ll take you to meet them.” Qin Yi held the steering wheel with one hand. He wasn’t wearing his watch, and Shen Du’s gaze was drawn to the tattoo on his hand.

To be honest, Shen Du still felt like it wasn’t real.

It was like being soaked in honey, sweetly coaxed, making him lose his bearings, unsure if he was dreaming or if this was reality. But the dull pain from his collarbone kept reminding him—it was real.

The truth was clear.

He had really fallen into a passionate romance.

“Shen Du.”

He had been called by his name so many times recently, each time filled with different emotions.

“Mm?”

Qin Yi used his free hand to hold his hand and asked, “When are we going back to Yunshan?”

The Shen family home.

The gate was open, and the car Shen Du had driven out two days ago hadn’t been parked in the garage. When he got out of the car, he stumbled slightly, feeling uncomfortable as he walked. He regretted bringing Qin Yi here today.

The weather was nice, the sun was out in the morning, but it wasn’t hot. Yao Meiyuan and the maid, Aunt Liu, were hanging the sheets outside to dry, and the air was filled with the fresh scent of laundry detergent.

As soon as they entered, Aunt Liu noticed, “Ma’am, Xiao Du is back.”

Shen Du had been leaning on Qin Yi, but at these words, he immediately straightened up. Not only did his butt stop hurting, but even his waist felt better—like some kind of medical miracle.

“Mom!” Shen Du looked at the beautiful woman walking over and pulled Qin Yi over. “This is my boyfriend, his name is Qin Yi.”

Yao Meiyuan was about to speak when Shen Fushan came over holding a kettle. “Is my son back? Where is he?”

Everyone turned to look in that direction.

Shen Du called out, “Dad.”

Shen Fushan grunted, his gaze falling on Qin Yi. “So this is your… that…” He couldn’t bring himself to say the words, and Shen Du finished for him, “Boyfriend.”

Shen Fushan: “…”

“Hello, Uncle. I’m Qin Yi. I brought gifts for you both.”

Shen Fushan didn’t look at the gifts. He glanced at Shen Du, then at Qin Yi, and his gaze lingered on Qin Yi’s face for a long time.

“Are you from the Qin family?”

He seemed to remember something. No wonder Qin Yi looked familiar.

Qin Yi resembled the current head of the Qin family.

Seeing that he didn’t deny it, Yao Meiyuan was also surprised. It was rumored that the young master of the Qin family was obsessed with art and didn’t like socializing, hardly showing up even once a year. Many people, even those closely connected with the Qin family, didn’t even know what he looked like.

Now, she finally saw him in person.

As for his looks—well, not bad.

Qin Yi always left a good first impression. His aura alone was impressive. Yao Meiyuan had been worried that her son was running off with some strange person, but now that she saw him in person, she felt relieved.

She smiled and asked, “How old are you?”

Qin Yi replied, “I’m 29 this year.”

Hearing this, Yao Meiyuan, Shen Fushan, and even Aunt Liu were all surprised. Qin Yi looked no older than 25.

But little did they know, the young man in front of them would be turning 30 next month.

Shen Du secretly chuckled at Qin Yi’s cleverness but didn’t expose him. “Can we stop standing in the yard and go inside to talk?”

“Yes, yes, we should go inside,” Yao Meiyuan called out to Aunt Liu. “Aunt Liu, please help greet him. Is it okay to call him Xiao Qin?”

Qin Yi smiled faintly and said, “Of course.”

“Good, then I’ll call you that.”

Having heard all sorts of rumors about the young master of the Qin family, Yao Meiyuan couldn’t resist verifying a few things now that she had the chance. She was open-minded—since he was now in their house, he was like half of their son, and she didn’t care about any tests or formalities.

She pulled him along, chatting as they walked into the house. Shen Du stood there, watching his mother chat animatedly with his boyfriend, unsure whether to feel happy or speechless.

He had imagined all sorts of dramatic scenarios in his mind, but none of them happened.

A bit of a pity.

Shen Du raised his leg to follow, but was grabbed by Shen Fushan. “Kid, come here. I need to ask you something. Didn’t you go to Yunshan for school? How did you end up hooking up with a man? Are you serious or just playing around?”

When Yao Meiyuan had told him about this the night before, he had indeed been surprised. But at the same time, he had a sense of realization.

He wasn’t against homosexuality, he just feared his son was too young and might be deceived by someone.

“What do you mean by hooking up? Do I look like I’m just playing around?”

Summer clothes dry quickly, and Shen Du had already changed into his own clothes. If he sniffed carefully, he could still smell the laundry detergent.

His clothes were always loose, and as he tugged at them, the collar slipped down a bit, revealing the bandages on his shoulder, which caught Shen Fushan’s attention. His focus immediately shifted. “What’s this? Are you injured?”

He reached to pull the collar down further to get a better look. Shen Du couldn’t stop him in time, and the collar was pulled open.

The two of them were quite reckless the night before, and Shen Du’s chest and shoulders were covered with various marks.

Father and son stood in silence.

Shen Du’s face turned red with embarrassment, and he felt a little shy. “…Dad.”

Shen Fushan calmly fixed the collar back in place. “I think I heard your mom calling me.”

Shen Fushan hadn’t pulled the collar down too much, so Shen Du wasn’t sure if he had seen it or not, and he didn’t dare ask. The two exchanged a glance, and silently walked into the house.

Yao Meiyuan was talking to Qin Yi in the living room. When she saw the strange expressions on the father and son, she wanted to ask, but both of them were experts at avoiding the topic, so she couldn’t catch a break.

By noon, Yao Meiyuan went to cook with Aunt Liu, and Shen Du finally had a chance to talk to Qin Yi.

They still went into the bathroom to talk secretly.

“What should we do? My dad seems to have seen it.”

“Seen what?”

Shen Du pulled his collar down a bit and pointed to the marks. “This.”

Qin Yi lowered his eyes and saw the bright, vivid marks on Shen Du’s pale skin. He remembered exactly how those marks had been made.

Qin Yi helped him fix his collar. “Didn’t you say just yesterday that your parents might already know?”

“This is different,” Shen Du said anxiously. “He actually saw it for real.”

The boy who had just recently boasted about growing up now had a face full of embarrassment, wishing he could dig a hole and hide in it. This was even more shocking than dancing naked at home.

“Calm down. It’s your dad, not anyone else.”

Qin Yi was amused by Shen Du’s little actions, feeling an irresistible urge. He pulled Shen Du into his arms and hugged him, unable to resist rubbing his back. “Besides, let’s say, what if your uncle didn’t see it? You’re still wrapped in bandages here, right?”

“…Actually, I’m not embarrassed. It’s just that this whole thing is so awkward. I’ve never experienced anything like this before. It’s my first time. Do you think my parents will do what we did, hiding away to talk in secret, and then my mom will find out about this?”

Shen Du leaned against Qin Yi’s chest, rambling on, not even sure what he was saying. One moment he thought this, the next moment he thought that. He was anxious and tangled up in his thoughts, unable to come to any good conclusions. Finally, he gave up and buried his head in Qin Yi’s neck.

“How come you’re not afraid at all to meet my parents?”

Just a while ago, he was worried about Qin Yi failing to come out and following him to Yunshan, but now, seeing him so calm and collected when meeting Shen Fushan and the others, it was hard to understand.

Qin Yi’s cheek rested against Shen Du’s forehead as he gently stroked his back, his voice soft. “Because what I wanted, I’ve already gotten.”