AD Chapter 7

Shen Du lay in bed all night, thinking it over. In the end, he agreed with Xu Qingluo.

Desire is just instinct. A reaction doesn’t necessarily mean there’s affection.

Qin Yi might not even like him.

Shen Du knew how attractive his voice was. After all, hadn’t it topped some dream guy chart for three years straight?

Besides, he had clearly stated that he was straight.

Given Qin Yi’s personality, he probably wouldn’t stoop to trying to convert a straight guy, right?

The more Shen Du thought about it, the more logical and reliable it seemed. He even felt guilty for overthinking and wrongly accusing Qin Yi.

So, he climbed out of bed and fished out the slip of paper from the day before.

*

At Qin Yi’s place.

Under the elegant crystal chandelier, the host sat on a high stool, working on a nearly finished painting.

It depicted the scene Shen Du had encountered yesterday at the door of Room 1601.

His phone buzzed nearby, displaying a WeChat notification.

Qin Yi set down his brush and unlocked the phone.

[° requests to add you as a friend. Note: I’m Shen Du.]

Qin Yi approved the request.

On the other end, Shen Du, who had been idly scrolling through short videos, jumped out of bed the moment he received the confirmation.

[Y: I’ve accepted your friend request. We can now chat.]

Shen Du sent a cute sticker.

[°: Hello.jpg]

[Y: What’s up?]

Two very cold words.

Shen Du raised an eyebrow. [I just wanted to add you on WeChat for easier contact in the future. What, you’re not going to let me add you?]

[Y: Confused Cat.gif]

[Y: Didn’t I already accept?]

Shen Du chuckled. He really couldn’t imagine Qin Yi’s stoic face operating those infinitely captivating hands to send such a cute sticker.

It didn’t match his persona at all.

Qin Yi had just finished showering and hung the towel around his neck. He looked down at his phone. Shen Du hadn’t replied yet.

Their conversation wasn’t long—just a few messages that could be scrolled through with one swipe. Qin Yi stared at his last message, lightly tapping the table with his index finger.

Suddenly, a notification popped up on the screen.

[° gave you a pat]

Meanwhile, Shen Du was dying to chop off his hand that had accidentally triggered the “pat” feature.

He was about to pretend nothing had happened and silently retract the pat—like it never existed—when…

[Y patted your abs]

Shen Du: “…”

[Y: ?]

He felt like crawling into a hole.

“Why are you patting my abs?” Shen Du typed calmly, deciding to strike first.

Apparently, Qin Yi hadn’t expected the question, as he took a long while before replying: [Because I’ve never patted them before]

*

Seeing this reply, Shen Du collapsed face-first onto his pillow.

Yunshan University was one of the top universities in the country, ranking high globally as well. Shen Du’s admission was largely due to sheer luck.

It was summer break, so the campus was mostly empty.

Shen Du rented an electric bike and responded to his advisor’s message while riding: “I’ve reached the school gate, but vehicles aren’t allowed in.”

As soon as he sent the message, a voice call came through. Shen Du had to stop, his long legs propping him up as his left hand casually rested on the handlebar. “Lao Yan?”

Yan Liming’s side was noisy. “Can you make it in time? Need me to pick you up?”

“No need; I’ve rented a bike.” Worried about sun exposure on his wound Shen Du wore long sleeves today and was feeling a bit warm.

“Just head to the venue. I’ll wait for you at the activity center.”

Ending the call, Shen Du pedaled toward the university’s activity center.

It was quite lively today.

The semi-finals of the inter-university debate competition, featuring students from Yunshan City and three nearby cities, were being held in the activity center’s theater. Today’s matchup between Yunshan University and its long-time rival, Yunshan Institute of Technology, was highly anticipated.

This wasn’t just about the teams but the reputations of both schools.

From the moment the draw results were announced, the battle had already begun.

Shen Du saw someone waving from afar and parked the bike before heading over.

“Senior, finally! The teacher and the upperclassmen have been waiting for you forever.”

The person speaking was a freshman who had joined the debate team last year during the club fair. He removed his work badge and explained to the security guard at the entrance, “This is our team captain. He forgot his badge. Can you let us through?”

The security guards, hired by the event organizers, weren’t from Yunshan University. However, since this wasn’t a particularly strict event, they discussed briefly and allowed them to pass.

Shen Du didn’t know the freshman well, so they exchanged a few words as they walked. Once inside, Shen Du headed straight for the dressing room. “I’ll go change. Let Lao Yan know.”

The freshman nodded and ran ahead.

The entire activity center was air-conditioned, easing the stifling summer heat. By the time Shen Du arrived, the dressing room was nearly empty.

For the debate, the team had prepared matching suits with the same design as before. Shen Du lifted his hand and shrugged off his shirt, revealing skin so fair it seemed to glow like jade under the light. His slender neck, lean shoulders, and taut waist exuded a youthful sensuality and energy.

He retrieved his name badge from the discarded shirt and pinned it to the left side of his chest.

Yan Liming had been waiting anxiously, pacing and checking the time. When he saw Shen Du appear, he breathed a sigh of relief.

“Finally! I knew I could count on you to fill in at the last minute. You’ve worked hard; I’ll treat you to dinner after the match,” he said, patting Shen Du on the shoulder with a grin. “Nervous?”

Yesterday, the third debater’s grandmother had a sudden heart attack and was rushed to the ICU. The family called, urging him to return home immediately. It was a serious matter that couldn’t be delayed, so Yan Liming told him to book a flight right away.

But this left the team one member short.

Against another opponent, this might not have been a big issue. But today, they were up against Yunshan Institute of Technology.

Yan Liming didn’t want to settle for just any substitute. After a brief period of worry, he thought of Shen Du.

Shen Du had a sharp tongue and logical mind. He had been on the debate team for a semester before, and during his very first match, he had rendered the then-captain and other seasoned members speechless.

No one was better suited for the job.

Shen Du placed the rose he’d received from the event host into his chest pocket and raised an eyebrow. “The word ‘nervous’ doesn’t exist in my dictionary.”

Yan Liming admired his confidence and gave him a thumbs up. “Good!”

*

By the time they left the activity center, the sun was setting.

There was a vending machine by the entrance. Shen Du stopped to buy a bottle of cold water. As he opened the cap and took a sip, he felt a dull ache in his left arm. Leaning against the wall, he pulled out his phone and messaged Qin Yi: [Boss Qin, I have a question]

Qin Yi, seemingly not too busy, responded quickly: [Go ahead]

Shen Du shifted into a comfortable position, leaning slightly with a faint smirk as he typed: [Are you just bad at your job? Why does my wound still hurt?]

[°: How many days has it been now?]

The lights around the activity center were dim. The pale glow from the phone screen illuminated the young man’s face, reflecting in his clear eyes.

Qin Yi seemed to hear someone speak of him like this for the first time. It took him a long moment before he replied:
[Are you sure it’s not your problem?]

[°: What’s wrong with me?]

[Y: You’re too sensitive.]

Shen Du stared at this message for a long time and finally confirmed that the other party was indeed referring to him.

His first reaction was laughter—a mix of amusement and exasperation.

He? Sensitive??

Shen Du stood there with a tense expression for a moment, his fingers flying across the keyboard as if he wanted to smash the screen:
[If you want to get hit, just say so :)]

*

“Control your hands. If this continues, I can’t guarantee what will happen next,” a young man’s low, seductive voice said. “When you left Beijing, I told you—I’d protect you.”

“I waited for you for so long in a small town at the foot of the Alps. This time, don’t leave again. Just stay by my side.”

“Are you free later? Let me treat you to dinner.”

“I mean, I miss you.”

“Is there a name I can call you by? Wife…”

Before he could finish the word “wife,” Shen Du turned off the microphone used specifically for recording and cleared his throat.
“Alright, that’s it for today’s voice acting. Now, let’s find a game to play…”

The chat comments erupted with screams.

[Ahhhhhh, why didn’t you keep going? Continue reading! We don’t mind the extra views!]

[Ahhhhh, Shen-sama never disappoints! My ears are pregnant! From now on, stream with that voice, please!]

“No can do,” Shen Du ruthlessly declined. “It’s too hard on my voice.”

His voice during live streams was already pitched lower than usual. If he kept using that tone, he might as well kiss his vocal cords goodbye.

The chat filled with wailing.

“I’ve been a bit busy lately,” he said. “I’ll see if I can find some better scripts later.”

At that moment, someone in the chat asked if he’d consider voice acting for radio dramas or becoming a professional voice actor. Shen Du figured this person was from some studio trying to recruit him.

This wasn’t the first time.

“I’m not interested in being a voice actor. I don’t have the skills or the time,” Shen Du replied.

The chat asked what he was busy with.

Shen Du: “Busy inheriting my dad’s billions.”

“That’s all for tonight. I’m logging off.”

Shen Du ended the stream and returned to the homepage of Cool Cat App. In the chat records section, he saw that the profile picture of [Dreamy Affection]was grayed out, indicating they were offline.

He exited the app, picked up his phone, and saw an unread WeChat message.

[Lao Yan: Why’d you leave so early today? You missed the celebration dinner.]

[°: Wasn’t it just the semifinals?]

[Lao Yan: Beating Yun Li is more meaningful than winning the finals.]

Shen Du: “.”

[You guys enjoy. When we win the finals, I’ll join you.]he replied.

For the next few days, Shen Du planned to stay home.

He had purchased a lot of items that were arriving one after another.

When the store delivered a new mattress, Shen Du was wearing an apron gifted by a mall salesperson, holding an automatic floor cleaner, and mopping the floor.

“Sir, do you still need the old mattress?” the installer asked.

Shen Du paused for a moment and suddenly recalled what Qin Yi had said earlier:
“Wait a moment. I’ll ask the landlord.”

[°: Boss Qin, I’m planning to replace the mattress. Is that okay?]

Even if it wasn’t okay, it had to be okay—he had already bought it…

He thought it would take a lot of back-and-forth negotiation, but surprisingly, the other party agreed without hesitation.

[Y: Okay.]

[°: What about the old mattress?]

[Y: Do as you like.]

[°: …Sell it?]

[Y: Sure.]

Throughout the exchange, Qin Yi was unexpectedly agreeable, leaving Shen Du feeling like he was meeting him for the first time.

Could it be that he had misjudged him before?

In the following days, Shen Du realized that Qin Yi was actually quite amusing.

He had bought so many things that every delivery required him to message Qin Yi once. Today it was, “Can I install a bathtub in the bathroom?” “Can I repaint the bedroom?” “Can I replace the wardrobe?” Tomorrow it was, “Can I add another internet line?” “Can I change the bedroom lock?”…

No matter what he asked, Qin Yi’s reply was always: “Okay.”

Like an emotionless robot.

At first, Shen Du had adhered to their rental agreement and communicated seriously. But at some point, the nature of his questions began to shift.

“Can I eat before showering?” “Can wounds be exposed to water now?” “Can I have a midnight snack tonight?” “Can I not raise a dog?”…

No matter how absurd the question, the response remained: “Okay.”

Shen Du began to think this person might be some reincarnation of a “Sure” monster. He wondered if he sent a message saying, “Can I tear down the house and rebuild it?” The reply would still be “Okay.”

He thought this pattern would continue indefinitely.

That was until one day, when a university roommate messaged him about wanting to stay over. Without much thought, he forwarded the message to Qin Yi and casually asked:
[Can I let a friend stay over?]

[Y: What kind of friend?]

Then came a notification:
“Y retracted a message.”

[Y: Okay.]