AD Chapter 48

Xu Qingluo was immediately sent back to Yunshan by a single sentence from Shen Du.

Originally, he was supposed to fly back next Monday, and his team had planned a farewell dinner for him and his grandfather the day after tomorrow. Now, it seemed that dinner wouldn’t happen.

After sending his grandfather home, Xu Qingluo directly boarded the train to Yunshan. As soon as he saw Shen Du, he immediately said, “Well, well, in the more than a month I wasn’t here, what have you been hiding from me?”

Shen Du rolled his eyes. “Who’s the one who can’t be reached all the time? I told you? There’s no chance.”

Xu Qingluo carefully looked him over and saw that his complexion was rosy, his brows slightly proud—his life was obviously going very well. He was so jealous that his eyes turned red.

“Brother Shen,” he called out with a hint of sadness.

Shen Du was startled. “Why are you suddenly speaking like that?”

Xu Qingluo said emptily, “You know, when I didn’t know you were gay, I was so sad. But now that I know you are gay, I’m even more damn sad.”

Shen Du: “?”

“What’s the problem?”

“I’m gay, why are you sad?” Shen Du was speechless.

What else could he be sad about? Xu Qingluo looked at him, then glanced at the man waiting for them in the car.

Xu Qingluo shouted, “Brother Shen, you’re living well!”

Shen Du: “.”

Xu Qingluo returned early this time, but his roommates still had a week. He stayed at school and didn’t rent a place in Yunshan. Shen Du invited him to stay at his place since no one was living there.

Xu Qingluo stayed for two days, but before the second day was over, he grabbed his suitcase and ran off.

Shen Du tried to persuade him a little, but when he couldn’t convince him, he propped his chin on his hand and watched him busy himself. Xu Qingluo didn’t have much luggage, and after a few movements, it was all packed. He dragged his suitcase and was about to leave. “I’m leaving, let’s hang out next time.”

Shen Du sent him to the elevator and leaned against the door. In the end, he still asked, “Why are you leaving so quickly? Is there something urgent?”

Xu Qingluo put on his sunglasses and made a cool expression, “I’m in a hurry to find a man.”

Shen Du: “…”

“Is your friend gone?”

Qin Yi came out of the room, changed clothes, and looked like he was going out.

Shen Du responded with an “mm,” “Where are you going?”

“To the shop, I have a client meeting.” Qin Yi kissed him on the lips. “Want to come?”

Shen Du realized this person seemed to really like kissing him.

He kissed him at the slightest opportunity.

Just talking a little and he’d kiss him.

It felt like after today’s kiss, they might not even be together tomorrow.

Shen Du licked his lips and said, “I’m not going, I’m going to play ball this afternoon.”

“Again with the ball?” Qin Yi raised his eyebrows slightly. “Is that Qi Fei going too?”

Shen Du didn’t say anything because Qin Yi had hit the mark.

“Brother, can you stop doing this? I don’t even know how to face Qi Fei anymore.”

Since that night, Shen Du had become much quieter. He didn’t dare call people by their full names casually anymore, always calling them “bro” with a tone full of flattery.

“But, don’t you like it?” Qin Yi touched his cheek and smiled. “If you say you don’t like it, I won’t do it again.”

“…”

Wasn’t he just sure that he wouldn’t say that!

Men are all about feelings, and Shen Du was no exception. At this age, having just tasted a bit of sweetness, how could he bear to give it up?

He opened his mouth, stuttered a couple of words, his voice like a mosquito’s buzz. Qin Yi didn’t hear clearly.

“I said, next time, don’t let it be someone I know.”

*

In September, Shen Du officially entered his third year of college.

He wasn’t sure if it was because he had been around people like Qin Yi and Zheng Qing recently, but when he returned to school, he felt like he had entered a different world.

He felt like he had grown up. Looking at the new juniors and their curious, youthful faces, there was an inexplicable sense of pride.

He didn’t know where this feeling came from, but he unexpectedly enjoyed it.

Shen Du spent a whole week having fun with his classmates before slowly finding the rhythm of school life again. But not long after, everyone got busy again—participating in competitions, preparing for graduate school exams, preparing to go abroad, etc., and they were all very busy.

After the freshmen’s military training was over, Yan Liming finally had some free time and contacted Shen Du about the debate team’s celebration banquet, inviting him to join. Shen Du asked when it would be, and Yan Liming said, “Next Saturday.”

Shen Du opened his phone and looked at the calendar, only to realize what day next Saturday was.

September 28th, Qin Yi’s 30th birthday.

The old man was turning thirty.

Shen Du decisively declined the invitation. He didn’t hide it from anyone and directly said he was going to celebrate his boyfriend’s birthday.

The fact that he had a boyfriend was no longer a secret.

At the beginning of the semester, many juniors and freshmen came to him, wanting to get to know him and add him on WeChat, but Shen Du rejected them all.

He didn’t directly reject them, but instead said, “Sorry, my boyfriend probably wouldn’t want me to do that.”

Yan Liming understood after hearing this. “Alright, then you go ahead.”

After finishing his last class of the day, Shen Du grabbed his bag and walked back, sending a message to Xu Qingluo as he walked: “Qin Yi’s birthday, what should I get him as a gift?”

Xu Qingluo replied directly and practically, “From what you’ve said before, at Qin Boss’s age and with his achievements, there’s nothing he doesn’t have. If you’re going to give him something, it’s better to give him yourself.”

Shen Du: “.”

That was a rather unhelpful suggestion.

Xu Qingluo couldn’t be relied upon.

Baidu didn’t have any good suggestions either, and asking netizens in a live stream was out of the question. Shen Du then turned to ask his mom, but his mom gave him a bunch of pretty words, like “As long as it’s from you, he’ll like it” or “How about going on a trip and having a candlelight dinner?”

Shen Du felt these were unrealistic because this was the first birthday he was celebrating with Qin Yi after they got together, and it was such an important milestone—his 30th birthday.

He didn’t want something casual. He wanted to make Qin Yi’s birthday unforgettable.

In the end, mother and son sat in silence. If it weren’t for the numbers at the bottom of the video still moving, one would think the connection had frozen.

“Well, I’m out of ideas,” Yao Meiyuan said. “I’ve never really put much thought into preparing gifts for anyone.”

Shen Du asked, “You didn’t do that when you were dating Dad?”

“We just asked directly. Whatever he wanted, I bought it for him.”

That was also a good method.

But Shen Du could only consider it as plan B. Unless absolutely necessary, he still wanted to prepare a thoughtful gift.

The guy, almost 22 years old, was trying his hardest for the first time to surprise someone with a gift and was actually enjoying it.

Later, he got an idea from his roommate Xiao Huang.

Xiao Huang’s girlfriend’s birthday was also coming up, and Xiao Huang planned to cosplay as his girlfriend’s idol to meet her. This was an anime character, which had high requirements for body and looks. To closely resemble the character, Xiao Huang had started working out two months ago to maintain his figure, which impressed Shen Du.

Others had been preparing their birthday gifts two months in advance.

He had only met his boyfriend two months ago.

This wasn’t something to compare.

After listening to Xiao Huang, Shen Du clapped and praised him for being a good man, then asked where he bought the clothes. Xiao Huang, knowing that Qin Yi’s birthday was coming up, was quite surprised and asked, “Your boyfriend’s into anime too?”

Shen Du just smiled and didn’t say anything.

Xiao Huang, feeling a little creeped out by the smile, touched the back of his head and shared the store’s link with him.

There was air conditioning in the dorm, so Shen Du lay on his bed and spent the entire afternoon browsing the homepage of that store.

*

September 28th, Saturday, the sun was shining brightly.

Zheng Qing and the others spent the day with Qin Yi.

They played pool in the morning, had lunch, continued playing in the afternoon, and even went for a walk in the evening.

The group of friends, almost all nearing thirty, still acted like children when they were having fun. Shen Du kept thinking about what he had to do later, and he couldn’t concentrate while playing, even getting scolded by Fang Zhao.

At 9 p.m., Lu Ning and the others finally left at Qin Yi’s repeated request.

Lu Ning was a bit drunk, his long hair disheveled and unaware, looking like a ghost. Before leaving, he threw Shen Du a flirtatious look, “Little brother, enjoy yourself tonight.”

Shen Du, not wanting to deal with a drunk, waved him off, “Hurry up and leave.”

The group reluctantly left.

After seeing them off, Shen Du returned to find Qin Yi cleaning up the cups and dishes.

He walked over, placing his hand on Qin Yi’s, “They’re all gone, leave this for tomorrow. Come quickly and see the gift I got you.”

The boy had been acting mysterious for days, especially since yesterday, he had been smiling at him in that particularly flirtatious way.

Although Qin Yi was curious, he had kept the surprise until today.

“What is it?”

Shen Du pulled him to the edge of the bed, reached under it, and pulled out a large gift box. He sat next to him, “Open it and see.”

The box was about the width of a person’s arm.

It had the store’s logo engraved on it.

Qin Yi opened the box, inside was a wig, a red dress, a black toy gun, a bag to hold the gun… there were a few more items, but Qin Yi didn’t examine them closely.

He closed the box again and looked at Shen Du with a questioning gaze.

Shen Du’s eyes sparkled, “Brother, happy 30th birthday!”

Qin Yi laughed, “No need to emphasize the 30th.”

“It doesn’t matter.” Shen Du grabbed his hand, his fingers gently rubbing the tattoo on his wrist, “This is the gift I got you. Do you like it?”

Qin Yi’s expression was complex. He seemed to have figured out the reason for the boy’s recent odd behavior.

It was sudden, and he didn’t understand when Shen Du had developed this particular interest.

Qin Yi couldn’t say he liked it, but he couldn’t say he didn’t like it either. He calmly examined him for a long time before reluctantly speaking, “You want me to wear it?”

Shen Du didn’t hesitate and said, “I’d like it. Please, wear it for me.”

Qin Yi: “.”

Well, there it was—the answer he didn’t want to hear.

Qin Yi remained expressionless the entire time, even starting to wonder whose birthday it was tonight.

However, reality didn’t allow him to think for long, as Shen Du suddenly leaned in to kiss him, kissing the corner of his eye, his lips, and his nose, that intoxicating breath spraying across his lips.

“Please wear it for me, okay?”

Shen Du rarely acts coquettish, but whenever he pulls out this move, Qin Yi is sure to be unable to resist.

And now was no exception.

Qin Yi’s breathing became slightly uneven from the kisses, his eyes narrowing slightly, “You really want to see?”

Shen Du nodded vigorously.

Qin Yi stared at him, not sure what he was thinking, probably trying to reason with himself.

After a minute or two, he finally gave in, “Alright.”

Shen Du didn’t have time to cheer before he was pushed onto the bed, “But if you want me to wear it, there are conditions.”

Qin Yi’s voice was deep, “Baby, what are you going to trade with me?”

Without thinking, Shen Du immediately replied, “I’ll trade everything I have.”

The boy’s forehead was against his, and he looked at him with doe-like eyes, softly saying, “Brother, I love you. Will we be together forever?”

The End –