Seeing Lu Qiao’s face flush red as he moved his lips but couldn’t get the words out, Yan Qiu’s eyes darkened slightly. He smiled and asked, “What do you want to say?”
And you’re still asking!
Lu Qiao glared angrily at Yan Qiu. After holding it in for a long while, he finally mumbled something in a voice utterly lacking in confidence.
Yan Qiu looked at him, then lowered his head and brought his ear close to Lu Qiao’s lips.
Lu Qiao: “……”
Lu Qiao gritted his teeth. “……Are you bullying me?”
Yan Qiu’s body instantly tensed.
Lu Qiao paused, then, as if that still wasn’t enough, complained softly, “……You weren’t like this before.”
Yan Qiu slowly straightened up.
Lu Qiao felt that he had made his displeasure perfectly clear. He raised his head and glared fiercely at the man, only to be startled by what he saw.
Yan Qiu’s eyes were dark and heavy. When he spoke, his voice was low and hoarse.
“Okay. I won’t bully you anymore.”
Lu Qiao: “……”
He said he wouldn’t bully him, but his aura was so terrifying, as if he was about to swallow Lu Qiao whole!
The corner of Lu Qiao’s mouth twitched. He felt as though he had somehow touched a switch he shouldn’t have, and his scalp tingled faintly.
He wouldn’t say anything anymore! That was fine, right?!
He hurriedly turned around and fled. “Let’s go, let’s go. I’m going to change.”
Lu Qiao returned to his room with his heart in turmoil. At this point, he couldn’t help complaining about the World Core System again.
Why on earth did it have to bind the two of them together?!
When they reached the room, Lu Qiao quickly took off his training clothes with his back to Yan Qiu. He grabbed a towel and wiped himself down haphazardly before casually pulling out a fresh set of clothes and putting them on.
He turned around and looked at Yan Qiu, asking awkwardly, “Are we really going out to eat? There isn’t much good food around here.”
“It doesn’t matter.” Yan Qiu kept his eyes on him. “I just want to go out for a walk with you.”
Lu Qiao: “……”
His face turned red.
If it had been before, Lu Qiao wouldn’t have noticed anything unusual when Yan Qiu said something like that.
But things were different now. Every word Yan Qiu said sounded different to his ears, as though each carried another meaning.
……Was he being too sensitive?
Lu Qiao lowered his head and tugged at his clothes, thinking with his ears burning red.
But if Yan Qiu was really going out, he would have to disguise himself a little.
Fortunately, it was winter here. It had already started snowing outside, and the weather was very cold.
Lu Qiao thought for a moment and said, “I’ll look for a hat and scarf for you.”
With those accessories covering him, perhaps Yan Qiu’s face wouldn’t be quite so conspicuous.
Yan Qiu nodded, then asked, “Do you have yours?”
Lu Qiao paused subtly.
“I don’t want to use someone else’s.” Yan Qiu’s tone was indifferent.
Lu Qiao pretended to be deaf.
“Lu Qiao.” Yan Qiu sighed. After thinking for a moment, he said, “I have mysophobia.”
“……” Lu Qiao muttered, “You just said I smelled because I didn’t shower. My clothes might smell too.”
Yan Qiu readily replied, “I was talking nonsense just now.”
Lu Qiao glanced sideways at him.
Yan Qiu looked at him, then leaned closer and whispered beside his ear, “No matter how much you sweat, you still smell good. Even when you’ve become Lun En’s appearance, you’re still cute.”
The man’s voice was low and sensual, making Lu Qiao’s heart itch in an instant.
He covered his ears and took a step back, unable to believe that Yan Qiu could be this flirtatious. How could someone who looked so cold and aloof say something like that?!
“You’ve changed!” Lu Qiao grumbled indignantly as he crouched down and opened a small drawer, resignedly searching for his scarf and hat. He continued grumbling, “You weren’t like this before!”
Yan Qiu crouched down with him as well. Looking at this person who seemed resistant to his closeness yet never actually rejected it, he chuckled softly.
“I told you. A lot of things have changed over the past five years.”
Lu Qiao paused.
He felt the man gently take hold of a strand of his hair and heard him say slowly, “I’ve indeed changed, too.”
But in what way had he changed?
The two fell silent for a moment. Lu Qiao could clearly feel the man playing with his hair. Several times, Yan Qiu seemed to hesitate, but in the end, he did nothing.
Lu Qiao found the hat and scarf and turned around.
The man was quietly watching him, his eyes gentle.
Lu Qiao looked at the man for a while, pressed his lips together, then moved forward one step and silently wrapped the scarf around his neck.
Yan Qiu obediently lowered his head, exposing his neck.
He looked far too obedient, as if Lu Qiao could toy with him however he wanted.
Lu Qiao couldn’t quite describe what he was feeling. It was somewhat strange.
In Lu Qiao’s eyes, Yan Qiu had always been domineering. He had never imagined that Yan Qiu could have this side to him.
Was he only like this when facing Lu Qiao?
This man whom Lu Qiao had always pursued and watched, this man who seemed utterly beyond his reach—was it only when facing Lu Qiao that he revealed such a different side of himself?
Lu Qiao’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He silently wound the scarf around Yan Qiu’s neck twice.
Yan Qiu raised his head, gathered the scarf with his hands, then lowered his eyes, as though he had gently taken in its scent.
Lu Qiao: “!”
He—he still couldn’t quite handle this!
He hurriedly pressed the hat onto Yan Qiu’s head and stood up with his heart pounding wildly.
After leaving the room, Lu Qiao pretended to be calm. “What do you want to eat?”
“Whatever you like.” Yan Qiu replied.
Lu Qiao thought that he wouldn’t need to buy genetic stabilizers anymore. Once he entered the military, he would also have a source of income and wouldn’t be as strapped for money as before. So he might as well treat Yan Qiu to a good meal first.
After saving up a little more money for some time……
He would take this man to Starlight Restaurant.
Thus, he said, “I’ll treat you tonight.”
Yan Qiu smiled. “Okay.”
Lu Qiao’s face flushed as he looked away and opened the umbrella.
He was shorter than Yan Qiu, so holding the umbrella up for him was a little tiring. Yan Qiu took the umbrella from him.
Snowflakes continued to fall with a soft rustling sound.
The third-class star’s nights weren’t particularly lively. The small alley behind the training center was already deserted, making it especially quiet.
Lu Qiao led Yan Qiu toward the night market, and only after a while did they gradually start seeing a few people.
Among them were two couples who were clearly, like Lu Qiao and Yan Qiu, bound together. Unlike them, however, those two pairs had their arms around each other’s waists and looked very intimate.
And the two of them……
The two of them hadn’t even held hands tonight.
Lu Qiao turned his head and glanced over. Yan Qiu’s hand was holding the umbrella, so there was no way he could hold Lu Qiao’s hand anyway—
Wait, what was he thinking?!
Lu Qiao covered his forehead.
At that moment, Yan Qiu spoke. “Do you still remember the Second Prince, Luo Yu?”
Lu Qiao came back to his senses and hurriedly said, “I remember.”
There were a total of four princes in the royal family. The Third Prince, Luo Ye, and the First Prince both studied at the Royal Academy, while the Second Prince, Luo Yu, and the Fourth Prince were taught by private tutors inside the imperial palace.
It was said that the Fourth Prince didn’t want to attend school because he was too proud and didn’t like playing with people from outside, while the Second Prince, Luo Yu, seemed to be too introverted.
However, Lu Qiao had met Luo Yu before, because Luo Yu seemed particularly fond of sticking close to Ji Zhuyun and would often make a special trip out of the palace to watch Ji Zhuyun’s competitions.
“Tomorrow is the Second Prince’s birthday banquet. He invited you and me to attend.” Yan Qiu spoke calmly.
Lu Qiao froze. “M-Me and you?”
“The birthday banquet starts at seven-thirty. If I go, you can only go with me.” At this, Yan Qiu’s brows furrowed slightly. After a pause, he lowered his head and said to Lu Qiao, “I originally planned to decline, but His Majesty also wants to meet you while he’s at it.”
“Oh……I see.” Lu Qiao swallowed.
He had never been to the imperial palace before, much less met His Majesty the Emperor. Just hearing Yan Qiu say it made him nervous.
Seeing him like this, Yan Qiu reassured him, “Don’t worry. I’m here.”
Lu Qiao looked up at him and obediently nodded.
That was true. With Yan Qiu there, nothing should happen.
When they arrived at the night market, Lu Qiao bought this and that, purchasing quite a lot of tasty food to share with Yan Qiu.
There were also plenty of strange and unusual things at the night market. Lu Qiao was highly curious. Sometimes he couldn’t understand which dialect the vendors were speaking, and he had no idea how some of those things were supposed to be eaten, so he simply bought them anyway.
After buying them, he would even show them to Yan Qiu and ask blankly, “Have you ever seen this kind of food?”
Yan Qiu glanced at the red and green fruits in the bag and looked away calmly. “I don’t know them.”
Even Yan Qiu didn’t recognize them.
Lu Qiao muttered inwardly as he ate his skewers. After finishing, he tugged Yan Qiu along to throw away the bamboo skewers.
The trash can was near the roadside. Nearby, a pair of brothers seemed to have gotten drunk. They sat there in a drunken stupor, talking loudly.
One of the men leaned against the other man’s arms and shouted, “……Can you still do it or not? I told you, once it’s long enough and deep enough, it’ll unlock! How come you still can’t unlock it even today? Want Grandpa here to give it a try?”
The other man held him and sneered. “You’re pretty confident in yourself.”
“Why wouldn’t I be confident?!” The man immediately straightened up, his eyes shining. “I’m eighteen centimeters!”
“……” The other man pinched his lips and said dangerously, “Let me make this clear first. The one who’s eighteen centimeters is me. I think……I’ve gone deep enough with you.”
The last sentence was especially suggestive.
Lu Qiao had only gone over to throw away a skewer. He never imagined he would overhear a gay couple talking so explicitly. He immediately sucked in a breath and took a step back, only to bump into the man behind him.
For some reason, Lu Qiao instantly remembered the huge thing he’d seen on Yan Qiu while they were bathing—
I-If it were Yan Qiu, that would definitely be deep enough, right?
Aaaaaah! Why was he thinking about something like that?!
He was going to explode!!!
Yan Qiu steadied him and glanced at the couple, then chuckled. “What’s wrong? You seem especially prone to blushing today.”
“Being this easily embarrassed……” He paused, then said very slowly, “What are you going to do once you enter the military?”
—The men in the military were even less restrained about what they said.
Lu Qiao turned around and shoved Yan Qiu, glaring at him.
Yan Qiu looked at him teasingly.
Lu Qiao shoved him again, thoroughly annoyed.
Yan Qiu grabbed his hand in one motion, his eyes full of amusement. “Don’t worry. I’ll tell my subordinates to be careful not to make inappropriate jokes. Otherwise, the adjutant will blush.”
Lu Qiao snapped, “I’m not joining your legion!”
Yan Qiu raised an eyebrow. “You’re not?”
Lu Qiao angrily said, “I’m not!”
Yan Qiu looked at him. “Really not?”
Lu Qiao glared fiercely. “Really not!”
Yan Qiu stopped speaking and simply looked at him.
Lu Qiao was puffed up with anger, but seeing that Yan Qiu had finally been rendered speechless by him, he finally felt satisfied!
He had been teasing him nonstop. Finally, he’d shut him up!
Hmph!
Feeling smug, Lu Qiao took a freshly purchased fruit from the bag. It was red, and he simply tossed it into his mouth.
The next second, his entire face scrunched up.
Whoa, why was this fruit so bitter? It had to be poisonous!
He stuck out his tongue, grabbed Yan Qiu, and pulled him forward, hurriedly saying, “This fruit is so bitter. I’m going to buy a drink.”
But Yan Qiu stood firmly in place.
Lu Qiao tugged at him. “Come on!”
Yan Qiu looked steadily at him and asked with a smile, “Really not joining my legion?”
Lu Qiao was stunned!
Yan Qiu was still bullying him at a time like this?!
“You—” Lu Qiao’s mouth was so bitter it felt as though he’d bitten into his own gallbladder. He muttered unhappily, “Are you coming with me to buy a drink or not?”
Yan Qiu reached out and pinched away a snowflake that had landed on Lu Qiao’s hair, letting it melt between his fingers. He said softly, “Are you joining my legion or not?”
Lu Qiao stubbornly replied, “No!”
Yan Qiu’s voice grew even lower. “Say that you want to be my adjutant.”
Lu Qiao trembled and widened his eyes.
He froze in place for a second.
Immediately afterward, he swiftly pulled out another red fruit from the bag and stuffed it into Yan Qiu’s mouth before he could react!
Yan Qiu bit down. Lu Qiao looked at him smugly.
Bitter, huh? Let’s see if you’ll keep bullying people!
However, Yan Qiu simply chewed twice calmly and swallowed it. He remained completely composed from beginning to end, as though he had eaten an ordinary fruit.
Lu Qiao stared in disbelief.
Was there something wrong with Yan Qiu’s sense of taste?!
It was unbearably bitter to him!
Seeing his amusing reaction, Yan Qiu picked out another green fruit from the bag and tried to feed it to him.
Lu Qiao dodged, refusing to eat it no matter what. “Don’t give me that! It’s definitely going to taste weird again!”
Yan Qiu helplessly explained, “This is the corresponding sweet fruit. Bitter first, then sweet. Once you eat this one, the bitterness in your mouth will disappear.”
Lu Qiao snapped, “So you actually do know what kind of fruit this is! You pretended not to know earlier. You’re just bullying me—”
Yan Qiu immediately stuffed the fruit into Lu Qiao’s mouth.
Lu Qiao complained incoherently while biting into it, but he forgot that Yan Qiu’s finger was still between his lips and accidentally licked it twice.
Both he and Yan Qiu froze.
His mouth was sweet.
Yan Qiu’s finger seemed sweet too.
Lu Qiao stood there blankly, watching as Yan Qiu withdrew his hand.
The man lowered his head and looked at his finger, gently rubbing it between his fingers as his Adam’s apple bobbed.
Lu Qiao finally managed to find his voice. “Wipe it……”
“No need.” Yan Qiu spoke softly, then directly slipped that hand into his pocket and looked away.