AD Chapter 6

Qin Yi slept better than usual this time.

He grabbed a change of clothes and went to take a shower in the bathroom.

When he left, the cardboard box at the door of 1601 was already gone, probably taken by the cleaning lady.

“Brother Qin.”

Niao Niao asked curiously, “You’re here so early today?”

“Woke up a bit early,” he replied.

The morning was a bit chilly, so Qin Yi had worn a shirt jacket over his clothes. As soon as he stepped inside, he took it off. “They’re not here yet?”

Niao Niao shook her head. “Everyone drank too much last night. By the time they went home, they were barely conscious. Who knows if they’ll even make it to work on time.”

The shop usually opened relatively late. If there were no scheduled clients, arriving at 10:30 or 11:00 was fine.

Niao Niao lived nearby and was responsible for opening the shop, so she was typically the first to arrive.

“Xiang Nan drank too?” Qin Yi remembered the kid had just recently come of age. Could he even handle alcohol?

Niao Niao laughed. “After you left, Master Zhuang and the others made Xiang Nan drink a little. Who knew the kid couldn’t hold his liquor? He passed out after just one glass. I ended up taking him home last night.”

No wonder the kid hadn’t sent him the drawing he was waiting for.

Qin Yi nodded to show he understood. “You go ahead and get busy.”

“Wait a second, Brother Qin.”

Qin Yi turned back.

“No. 51, Mr. Shen, wants to schedule a follow-up inspection with us,” Niao Niao said, pointing at the iPad in her hand.

The guy was probably a night owl, sending messages in the middle of the night.

“Today?”

It had been almost two weeks since the last tattoo session. If they waited any longer, the wound would probably heal completely.

“Tell him to come at seven,” Qin Yi said.

Niao Niao thought she had misheard. “Seven?!”

Seven o’clock was their closing time.

Qin Yi’s schedule had been packed lately, so he only had time after work.

He tilted his head and asked, “Is that a problem?”

“No problem.” Niao Niao shook her head vigorously like a rattle drum. “I’ll contact him right away!”

Shen Du saw the message around noon. After confirming the time, he replied with a simple “okay” and then contentedly went back to sleep.

When he woke up again, it was because he was freezing.

His blanket had ended up kicked under the bed.

Shen Du crawled to the edge of the bed, retrieved the blanket, and thus completed the most intense exercise of the day.

He opened his map app and discovered that the tattoo shop was quite close to his apartment complex.

At 6:30 in the evening, Shen Du got dressed and prepared to leave.

On the shoe cabinet in the entryway was a photo of his cat. After changing his shoes, Shen Du reached out and touched the photo frame. “I’m heading out, Shen Yuanyuan. Be good at home and wait for me to come back.”

When Shen Du arrived, the shop was nearly empty.

He pushed open the door, and the wind chime at the entrance jingled in response.

“Mr. Shen, you’re here?”

Niao Niao greeted him enthusiastically.

“I’m about the same age as you. Just call me by my name,” Shen Du said, noticing the bag in her left hand and the lunchbox in her right. “Are you about to get off work?”

“That’s right,” the young woman said with a bright smile. “We get off work at seven, and the others have already left.”

Left?

Shen Du paused in confusion. “What about Qin Yi?”

“Brother Qin is still in the studio,” Niao Niao explained. “The last client came a bit late, so he hasn’t finished yet. You can head upstairs to wait. We’re about to turn off the lights on the first floor.”

Why call him over after hours?

With some doubt, Shen Du went up to the second floor.

The lights upstairs were mostly off as well. At the end of the hallway, one door was half-open, and a dim yellow light spilled out.

This felt like a scene straight out of a horror movie.

Shen Du pulled out his phone and sent a voice message to Xu Qingluo: “If you don’t hear from me in an hour, make sure to call the police.”

He put the phone down and continued forward. From the room came the sound of voices, but they were too faint and distant to make out clearly.

“Boss Qin, can’t you reconsider? I really like you.”

Shen Du had just reached the doorway when he heard this.

He had stumbled upon someone confessing their feelings.

For a moment, he hesitated about whether to go in.

After a brief internal debate, Shen Du decided to leave.

But before he could lift his foot, Qin Yi’s voice rang out from inside: “Why are you standing at the door? Come in.”

Well, there went that plan.

Shen Du pushed the door open and took in the scene.

On the small bed where he had lain before, there was now a young woman lying face down. She had shoulder-length black hair, and her exposed back was covered in patches of red. When she noticed him, she turned her head slightly, her face still tinged with a rosy flush.

She was an adorable girl.

Shen Du cleared his throat. “Am I interrupting something?”

“Didn’t we agree on seven o’clock?” Qin Yi glanced at the time. “Isn’t this right on time?”

Shen Du: “…”

That’s not what I meant.

“You two made an appointment?” The girl looked between Shen Du and Qin Yi. “But aren’t you about to get off work? I wanted to invite you to dinner.”

She didn’t seem deterred by the presence of another person in the room.

Her persistence was alarming.

Shen Du subtly perked up his ears.

“Miss Song,” Qin Yi said as he placed his tools aside, the sound of them colliding crisp and clear. “When I rejected you before, it wasn’t an excuse. It’s because there’s really no possibility between us.”

He paused, his gaze briefly flicking to Shen Du, still standing at the doorway, before continuing, “I like men.”

His tone was so calm, as if he were stating something trivial.

Shen Du even wondered if he had misheard.

Qin Yi just said it, like that?

“…”

One sentence left all three of them in silence.

“You’re lying, right?” The girl refused to give up.

Qin Yi chuckled softly. “I have no reason to lie.”

It wasn’t as if he needed an excuse to turn someone down.

Besides, he was telling the truth.

Miss Song fell silent again.

Shen Du watched her with a hint of pity, thinking, Another girl whose secret crush ends in heartbreak.

He had witnessed many failed confessions, but this was the first time he wasn’t one of the protagonists.

Shen Du slowed his breathing, trying to reduce his presence and avoid adding to the awkwardness. Yet he couldn’t help but feel a gaze slowly fix on him.

He looked up to see the girl staring at him with a peculiar expression.

How could one describe that look?

It was like Wu Dalang eyeing Ximen Qing.

Shen Du: “???”

“—Wait a second!” Shen Du raised his hand in a panic. “I’m not in that kind of relationship with him! Don’t misunderstand!”

We’re perfectly innocent!

The girl sighed, her face showing a knowing look that said, You don’t need to explain; I already understand everything.

She murmured wistfully, “I knew it. These days, good-looking boyfriends are impossible to find.”

Her tone was mournful. “All the handsome guys are taken by other handsome guys. What’s left for us?”

Qin Yi raised an eyebrow, seemingly in agreement with her sentiment.

“It’s really not what you think!” Shen Du, seeing that she truly believed it, turned to Qin Yi. “Say something and explain to her.”

“Explain what?” Qin Yi asked, apparently confused.

Shen Du, too embarrassed to articulate it, flushed.

He heard Qin Yi chuckle softly, then turn to the girl. “All done. You can leave now.”

Shen Du, hands in his pockets, began inching toward the door.

Qin Yi: “I wasn’t talking about you.”

The girl, thoroughly rejected, didn’t seem too upset—just a bit regretful.

As she reached the door, Qin Yi suddenly spoke up. “I don’t know what just happened, but he and I really aren’t what you’re imagining.”

Rejection wasn’t something easily overcome, and the girl silently nodded, her expression neutral, though it was unclear if she believed him.

Once she left, Qin Yi removed his gloves and looked at Shen Du, who was standing what felt like a mile away. “Scared?”

Shen Du blinked. “Why do you ask?”

“Your reaction was pretty dramatic,” Qin Yi said. “Honestly, if you hadn’t tried to explain, she wouldn’t have thought much of it.”

Explaining only made you seem guilty.

“It was her look,” Shen Du muttered, finally realizing how unnecessary his reaction had been.

In trying to clarify, he had only made things worse.

No, wait—there wasn’t anything to clarify in the first place!

Qin Yi pumped some disinfectant gel onto his hands and rubbed it in. Then, after spraying alcohol on a nearby chair, he said, “Take a seat.”

To avoid direct sunlight, Shen Du had worn a sun-protective jacket over a tank top. Now, he took off the jacket and held it in his hands.

“You can hang it on the coat rack over there,” Qin Yi suggested.

“No need. I’ll just hold it.”

Qin Yi nodded and said no more, lowering his head to put on gloves.

His hands were really long and also very good-looking.

Shen Du used his peripheral vision to observe and realized he seemed to have little resistance to people with beautiful hands. Just because of this pair of hands, his initial impression of Qin Yi was rather favorable.

So, he thought it necessary to explain.

“The reason I said that earlier was because I’m not used to getting entangled with others. Even if someone today misunderstood me and Xu Qingluo, I would still explain.” Shen Du lowered his voice slightly. “I wasn’t targeting you.”

He was afraid Qin Yi might misunderstand.

Qin Yi paused his actions, looked up at him briefly, then lowered his head again and asked, “Who’s Xu Qingluo?”

“Oh, he’s the friend who came with me that day,” Shen Du leaned in a little. “You get it now, right? I really wasn’t targeting you.”

Qin Yi nodded slightly, his expression indifferent.

Shen Du couldn’t quite gauge what Qin Yi was thinking. Just as he was about to say more, he suddenly heard Qin Yi ask, “Then, do you mind?”

Shen Du didn’t quite catch it. “Huh?”

“I’m saying, do you mind the fact that I like men?”

“Of course not.” What did that have to do with him? Shen Du responded almost immediately, “I understand, and I respect it.”

So Qin Yi, who appeared indifferent, wasn’t entirely unconcerned after all.

Qin Yi pressed his fingers against the skin near Shen Du’s wound. Noticing the slight tremor, he tilted his head and gave him a quiet glance. “Understand?”

Shen Du nodded. “Yeah.”

He saw Qin Yi look up again, his tone slightly uncertain. “You… are straight, right?”

“Of course I am!” Shen Du, unsure why Qin Yi was doubting him, straightened his chest and declared confidently, “Man, I’m straight as a ruler!”

—Then what are you even understanding?

“The wound is healing well. Just apply some ointment,” Qin Yi said, retracting his hand.

Under the dim light, the man’s handsome face seemed almost painted, his eyelashes dark and thick, his gaze deep.

Suddenly, he tilted his head and smiled faintly.

Shen Du looked at him, puzzled, unsure what he was smiling about.

“You noticed it early on, didn’t you?”

Last time, Shen Du had been lying on this very bed. Even though he tried his best to hide it, his panicked expression and reflexive reactions had betrayed him.

Shen Du rubbed his nose, neither admitting nor denying it.

“I thought you were scared.”

Shen Du: “Scared of what?”

“Because I’m gay.”

“Because I reacted to your voice, and you were worried I might make a move on you.”

Shen Du unconsciously straightened his back, feeling as if Qin Yi’s gaze on him was almost tangible.

He wanted to pull his hand away.

“You’re afraid of me, aren’t you?”

“Afraid my ass!”

The moment Shen Du left, he immediately called Xu Qingluo to vent.

“He actually said that?”

Xu Qingluo was shocked. “He doesn’t seem like that type at all.”

“Why would I make something like this up?” Shen Du was exasperated.

He recounted everything that had happened the day before.

“He touched my hand! He directly touched my hand! And he even gave me his number!” Shen Du fumed as he walked home. “Tell me, how could I not overthink this?”

Xu Qingluo burst into laughter, rolling on the couch. “Brother Shen, you’re not normal, huh?”

Shen Du didn’t understand. “What’s not normal about me?”

“Your reaction to Qin Yi is too extreme,” Xu Qingluo said. “When we go out, we often encounter others like him. I’m gay too, but you never react like this to me.”

“Well, you don’t go around randomly touching my hand—”

“I wish I could.” Xu Qingluo mumbled under his breath.

Shen Du: “What did you say?”

“Nothing.”

Quickly changing the subject, Xu Qingluo added, “Didn’t you tell him you’re straight? Stop treating him like some kind of threat. We gays, honestly, have no interest in straight guys.”

Shen Du pursed his lips. You better not.

“Besides, once your tattoo is done, you won’t have to see him again. Just endure it for now.”

That was exactly the problem.

Shen Du pressed his temples, exasperated. “But he’s not just my tattoo artist. He’s also my landlord.”

“Since when do landlords and tenants see each other every day?” Xu Qingluo dismissed the concern.

Shen Du: “What if we do see each other every day?”

Xu Qingluo laughed mischievously, “Then you’re screwed.”