In that case, an oven with an automatic cleaning feature becomes particularly important.

Following Bai Jinyan’s advice, Qiao Huaiyao adjusted the price filter to the highest range and selected a silver oven to add to the cart.

The overall layout of the kitchen had a clean, bright color scheme, and this color was a perfect fit.

With the cart filled again, Qiao Huaiyao satisfiedly put down his phone, “Let’s buy these for now.”

“Mm. Since local stock is running low and transferring goods from elsewhere takes time, we’ll receive another batch in the evening. The rest will have to wait until after your exams,” Bai Jinyan said.

Bai Jinyan’s work schedule was not local for the next period. Although he could arrange for someone else to handle the deliveries, he preferred to personally participate in furnishing his own home.

Otherwise, for renovations and furnishing, he could have left it to assistants or the housekeeper. They could manage everything and arrange the move-in.

What he wanted was to be part of the process.

There was no rush. The bed was already in place, and it was not crucial if other items didn’t fit in before the New Year.

Bai Jinyan’s hand rested unconsciously on his waist, tapping lightly. He thought for a moment and said, “I’ll visit the company this afternoon.”

“There were some issues with the script from yesterday, and there are also a few endorsements.”

“Okay.” Qiao Huaiyao sat up and adjusted his clothes. “By the way, Brother, the jewelry company under Jiayao Group is looking for a spokesperson. Are you interested?”

He had been added to the high-level group of the group and occasionally received company documents forwarded by the secretary.

The idea was to familiarize himself with the company in advance so he wouldn’t be completely lost if he joined the company after graduation.

Qiao Huaiyao had no intention of joining the company at the moment. He had previously mentioned that even if he were to work for his own company, he wanted to start from the bottom and gradually take on important projects.

However, Qiao Hengfei did not agree. He wanted his son to join the company not for training, but for a direct role.

If he was going to work, he should be the president directly. If not, Qiao Hengfei could step down from the board and let Qiao Huaiyao take over.

At that time, Qiao Huaiyao still had experiments to complete. Afraid that his father might actually hand over the group’s responsibilities to him, he agreed to join the group chat for now.

He only joined the group, rarely spoke, and occasionally checked messages to clear notifications.

The last time he cleared the messages, he saw information about the jewelry endorsement.

It’s not a luxury brand, but it follows the high-end jewelry customization route, so having Bai Jinyan as the spokesperson won’t diminish its status.

For the brand endorsement, there were only a few proposals in the group chat about which celebrities to invite, but nothing had been decided yet.

Qiao Huaiyao smiled and asked him, “What do you think, brother? Will you consider it?”

For his own family’s products, Qiao Huaiyao was more inclined to have someone from his own family endorse them.

Bai Jinyan’s thin lips curled into a smile. He had no particular interest in endorsing a jewelry brand, but since Qiao Huaiyao had mentioned it, how could he just ‘consider’ it?

“Alright. I’ll have Lu Lu reach out.”

This endorsement was basically settled.

“No need, let the person in charge contact Lu Lu.”

Which party contacts the other might seem like a simple connection issue, but it actually involves a lot more.

A jewelry brand is considered outside the entertainment industry, and it would be notable for an artist in the entertainment circle to proactively approach a brand.

Besides, Qiao Huaiyao asked first. He, representing the jewelry company, proposed that Bai Jinyan be the spokesperson, so naturally, the company should make the contact.

Qiao Huaiyao opened the budget and felt it wasn’t particularly high—mid-level, perhaps?

The brand didn’t necessarily need an artist to boost sales. The endorsement was more about increasing brand awareness. To some extent, this endorsement was something highly sought after by top celebrities.

If Bai Jinyan were to be the spokesperson, it would be a win-win situation.

They probably didn’t think they could get Bai Jinyan, so his name wasn’t on the initial list of potential candidates.

Qiao Huaiyao hadn’t paid much attention to Bai Jinyan’s endorsement fees, but judging by the company’s document, Bai Jinyan’s fee should be higher than what’s listed. “Brother, how much do you usually charge for endorsements? I feel like the company’s budget might not be enough. Eight figures? Nine? Give me a number, and I’ll request the funds.”

He wanted to secure the highest possible endorsement fee for his brother.

But the figure on the contract couldn’t be too high; otherwise, future endorsements would all be stepping down from that high point.

So, they could list a certain price on the contract, and any additional amount could be transferred directly to Bai Jinyan’s account after taxes.

Bai Jinyan ruffled his hair. “Kiss me first.”

Qiao Huaiyao was typing and didn’t think too much. Hearing the request, he said, “Okay… Huh?” He then realized Bai Jinyan hadn’t mentioned the fee.

“Kiss me first, and I’ll tell you.”

Qiao Huaiyao blinked, still a bit confused, but he leaned in and brushed his lips against Bai Jinyan’s. “Like this?”

“Mm.” Bai Jinyan’s smile deepened, his eyes filled with warmth as he gazed at Qiao Huaiyao’s puzzled expression. “That’s enough.”

Qiao Huaiyao didn’t quite understand and instinctively asked, “What’s enough?”

Bai Jinyan cupped his face and kissed him gently. “The endorsement fee.”

Qiao Huaiyao pursed his lips, then suddenly realized the meaning behind Bai Jinyan’s words. His face instantly flushed a light shade of pink.

He said, embarrassed and annoyed, “Brother! I’m trying to discuss serious business with you.”

Bai Jinyan nodded, “I’m very serious.”

“……”

I don’t believe it.

“The company is mine too. Giving me the endorsement fee is just like giving it to myself.” This was normal procedure, but Bai Jinyan chuckled softly, “Then I’ll turn in my salary card, so the money just moves from your left hand to your right hand.”

Why make it so complicated?

He had already handed over his bank card, so there was no need to withdraw money and then turn it in again.

Qiao Huaiyao was taken aback. He hadn’t thought of it that way before.

On second thought… it made sense.

“Right?” Bai Jinyan could see what Qiao Huaiyao was thinking from his expression. “I told you…”

Before he could finish, a warm sensation on his lips caught him off guard. He looked down and met Qiao Huaiyao’s beautiful eyes up close.

After a brief kiss, Qiao Huaiyao pulled back slightly and then kissed him again.

After a few more kisses, Qiao Huaiyao’s lips curved into a mischievous smile. “Here’s a bit more of your endorsement fee.”

A top star, after all, shouldn’t be shortchanged.

Bai Jinyan raised an eyebrow, placing a hand lightly around Qiao Huaiyao’s waist without fully embracing him. “That’s not enough.”

Qiao Huaiyao immediately stepped back, intending to run but ended up falling into Bai Jinyan’s arms as if he had walked into a trap.

“Brother!” Qiao Huaiyao grabbed Bai Jinyan’s wrist, his smile still lingering. “Wait, I think it’s enough. I’m personally handling this endorsement, and I decide when it’s enough… Mmph!”

Before he could finish, Bai Jinyan pulled him onto the sofa, swallowing the rest of his words.

Is it enough?

The spokesperson didn’t think so.

By the time the endorsement fee was deemed sufficient, Qiao Huaiyao was too exhausted to speak.

His half-closed eyes had noticeable red marks at the corners, and his slightly swollen lips were tender and a bit sore.

Qiao Huaiyao glanced at Bai Jinyan lying beside him. Fortunately, the sofa was large enough to accommodate them both.

He turned his back to Bai Jinyan, “I’m not choosing you as the spokesperson anymore. I’m finding someone else.”

Bai Jinyan wrapped himself around him from behind. “I’ve already given the endorsement fee, so it would be a loss to change the spokesperson now, wouldn’t it?”

It wouldn’t make sense.

A competent businessman always prioritizes profit.

Qiao Huaiyao ignored him. Bai Jinyan thought for a moment, then said, holding him close, “How about I return some of the endorsement fee to you?”

Qiao Huaiyao: “???”

There’s no need to be so polite.

Qiao Huaiyao immediately tried to get up, but Bai Jinyan quickly pulled him back, holding him in his arms and laughing. “I’m just teasing. No kisses.”

He then opened a pack of mint strips and took out two. “Take one.”

Qiao Huaiyao turned over. When they slept together, the bed was large enough, but the space they actually used was not much different from the space on the sofa now.

They got used to squeezing together.

“I think this is pretty good,” Qiao Huaiyao said, hugging him. “When we retire, let’s just stay home like this.”

No need to travel around the world; just the two of them, staying at home, going nowhere.

Bai Jinyan’s lips curved into a smile. Chairman Qiao hadn’t retired yet. If he knew Qiao Huaiyao’s thoughts, he would probably drag him to the company and retire himself, going off to travel.

The desire to retire might have been inherited from Chairman Qiao.

Bai Jinyan still remembered that time in elementary school when he unexpectedly saw Chairman Qiao at Qiao Huaiyao’s home. Chairman Qiao had worked overtime, came home to sleep for less than half an hour, and was putting on his coat while making a phone call, grumbling about resigning as he walked out the door.

Yet, he persisted until now, never really able to retire.

Bai Jinyan kissed Qiao Huaiyao’s brow and said softly, “When I leave the entertainment industry, I’ll stay home with you every day.”

Qiao Huaiyao still had many experiments to complete, and if he didn’t do them, his father would surely drag him to work at the company, where the leadership didn’t believe in retirement.

So… retirement was just talk; it wasn’t likely to happen.

Listening to Bai Jinyan, he didn’t think too much about it, assuming he felt the same way.

He wrapped his arms tightly around Bai Jinyan’s neck and, with a light sigh, said, “Okay.”

---

“The drama has wrapped up, and there are other engagements in a few days.” Bai Jinyan closed the script and set it aside, leaning back slightly to make Qiao Huaiyao more comfortable on his shoulder.

Bai Jinyan said, “I’ll come find you once things settle down.”

Holding Qiao Huaiyao in his arms, he absentmindedly thought about his upcoming schedule.

His company had long been on track, including the invested and controlled enterprises.

After retiring from the industry, he could still support Qiao Huaiyao.

Actors’ schedules were still too tight.

Once Meng Zheng’s matters were settled, retiring from the industry would be a small thing.

It was just the tranquility of life that made him entertain such thoughts.

Bai Jinyan did not mention this to Qiao Huaiyao.

“Let’s see how the holiday time turns out,” Qiao Huaiyao thought. Their school holidays would probably start earlier than Bai Jinyan’s.

“Yes, that works.”

The specific schedule had not been finalized yet, so it was too early to say anything.

After resting for a while, Qiao Huaiyao reopened his phone and continued to select furniture for the house.

He remained nestled against Bai Jinyan, scrolling slowly with his fingertips.

‘Buzz’

[Your special interest account has posted a tweet.]

The pop-up notification made Qiao Huaiyao’s fingers pause.

Hmm?

A tweet from the special interest account?

Qiao Huaiyao looked up in confusion. Bai Jinyan was also looking at his phone, browsing furniture, and noticed his gaze. “What’s wrong?”

Qiao Huaiyao shook his head, “Nothing.”

He clicked into the notification. The time and location were still set in New York.

It was a post from earlier.

It seemed there was a delay in the Weibo notification.

Bai Jinyan had posted a picture of a snowman.

This had made the comments section on Qiao Huaiyao’s post quite lively.

Perhaps because it was just a photo of the back, many fans were coming to Qiao Huaiyao’s side to shout: [Qiao Qiao! Hurry up and get your brother to post a front photo!]

[Woo woo woo, can’t see Qiao Qiao. I’ve replayed the new variety show several times. I need every detail polished. Bai Jinyan only posted a back photo to tease me!]

[Seriously, is Qiao Qiao entering the industry? I’m definitely your die-hard fan, even doing data work to hype up the buzz.]

[Stop the blabbering! Go check the International Chemistry Laboratory’s official website!! (Shouting)]

…

The contrast between the top and bottom comments in the section was striking.

It seemed like two different worlds: above was the entertainment industry, and below was a discussion about chemistry.

[Completed the experiment in just a few hours; I’m amazed.]

[I never thought the International Laboratory would end up being related to someone I follow.]

[Also, it’s specially noted that because the experiment is not yet public, the time remains confidential for now. But the actual time will definitely exceed your expectations.]

[Seems like the note underestimated people; my guess was quite accurate.]

[I remember Qiao Qiao is still a freshman, right? These outstanding achievements always make me forget he’s still very young.]

[With that said, I can’t help but @Nuwa and also call on God.]

…

Qiao Huaiyao raised his eyebrows, not expecting the comment section to focus on the International Laboratory.

The International Laboratory was always low-key in its operations, only publishing academic papers and professional content related to chemistry.

Perhaps it was because of the previous live broadcast discussing notes, which attracted many alumni from Tsinghua to Weibo.

Most of them were from the chemistry department, so they were particularly attentive to any developments in the field of chemistry.

This meant there were likely related messages on the Qingda forum as well.

Qiao Huaiyao hadn’t checked and hadn’t posted any Weibo discussing the International Laboratory.

“Brother, they’re all asking for a front photo of the snowman,” Qiao Huaiyao scrolled back through the comments to show Bai Jinyan.

“Don’t show them,” Bai Jinyan replied, holding his wrist and commenting back: [Not showing.]

The fans in the comment section reacted quickly: [???]

[The tone of this reply definitely isn’t Qiao Qiao’s.]

[What’s going on?! Bai Jinyan, give the phone back to Qiao Qiao!]

Bai Jinyan not only didn’t give the phone back but also confiscated it, switching to the furniture app and selecting furniture with Qiao Huaiyao.

When selecting furniture, disagreements were inevitable.

However, Bai Jinyan would give his opinions appropriately, but the main decision-making power was still given to Qiao Huaiyao.

His suggestions were limited to when Qiao Huaiyao was choosing between two to three options.

Bai Jinyan said, “Just buy them all. The villa has three floors, excluding the attic and basement. We can place one on each floor.”

Qiao Huaiyao thought about it and agreed; while the style of each room in the villa could vary, the overall look should be unified. Having different styles on each floor might look too chaotic.

There were minor adjustments to the styles, but most were consistent, with only differences in materials or colors.

Once the shopping cart was filled, the order was placed and cleared.

In the bedroom, there were only occasional questions from Qiao Huaiyao and Bai Jinyan’s gentle and patient responses.

It wasn’t until late at night that the lights for adjusting the schedule were turned off—

Some of the items ordered were from other brands, but most were from their own company’s subsidiaries. There were many brands responsible for furniture alone.

The choices were plentiful, and the purchasing process was convenient.

The furniture delivery was very fast.

The day after the order was placed, they received a text saying it had arrived.

Local stores carried these brands, and to save time and ensure prompt delivery, they initially sent items from the local store’s stock.

To avoid disturbing Qiao Huaiyao’s rest too early, they did not make a phone call.

When Qiao Huaiyao saw the message, he and Bai Jinyan went to the new house.

Three large trucks were lined up on the roadside.

The delivery workers were checking the list.

Seeing them, the workers immediately put away the list, took a step back, and cleared space to inspect the truck.

Before their arrival, the supervisor had specifically instructed that this delivery was for them. To ensure they recognized the right people, they were shown a variety show clip to help them remember the faces.

The housekeeper also came along, to ensure the young master would be satisfied with the delivery, so he personally supervised the process.

He stood to the side, smiling and nodding, “Mr. Bai, Young Master.”

“These are the pieces of furniture Young Master ordered yesterday. I have checked them three times with the delivery personnel, and they match the list,” the housekeeper, wearing white gloves, smoothed out the list and handed it over. “Young Master, please check to see if anything is missing, and I will have them deliver it immediately if needed.”

The list only included model numbers and names of the items ordered.

The prices were not listed.

Qiao Huaiyao unfolded the list and glanced over it, “Everything seems fine. Please start moving it in.”

“Understood.” The housekeeper turned around and signaled that they could start moving.

The delivery personnel worked together to move the furniture, including the packaging.

The housekeeper lifted his hand to steady the furniture as it was set down and said, “Young Master, you can head back to the car for breakfast. I’ll take care of things here.”

The breakfast had been prepared by the villa’s chef and packed by the housekeeper.

Handing over the insulated box, the housekeeper said, “Young Master.”

Seeing the three truckloads of goods, Qiao Huaiyao realized that moving everything up, without including unpacking and assembling time, would not be quick.

So he reached out to take the insulated box.

Noticing this, Bai Jinyan took the insulated box first, holding Qiao Huaiyao’s hand with his other hand, and said, “Let’s go.”

The housekeeper was momentarily stunned by this scene, his eyes behind the glasses full of surprise.

He had been the housekeeper for the Qiao family for quite some time. He was there when the old master was still alive, and after the old master asked him to take care of the Young Master, he had stayed on.

He also dealt with other minor matters, but his main focus was still on the Young Master.

He knew that the Young Master and Bai Jinyan had a good relationship, but he couldn’t quite recall if they had always held hands like this before.

Had they?

The housekeeper frowned, questioning whether he was getting older and forgetting something.

It seemed that their relationship was even better now than it was in the past.

The car was parked nearby, not too far away.

There were many workers, and they were well-trained.

Each person knew exactly where to hold and where to carry, moving forward in perfect coordination without needing any cues.

Each group of workers handled a piece of furniture, lining up and entering through the door.

They carefully ensured the edges didn’t hit the door frame.

After breakfast, the workers had finished unloading and assembling all the furniture. The packaging was neatly stacked in the truck.

The housekeeper also emerged from inside, clearly having checked everything.

He tapped on the car window with his fingertips and smiled broadly, “Young Master, Mr. Bai. The furniture is all set up.”

Qiao Huaiyao nodded, “Alright, thank you for your hard work.”

The housekeeper smiled warmly, “It’s nothing. Young Master, go and check if the placement is satisfactory. Everything was arranged according to the blueprint. If you find anything unsatisfactory, let the workers rearrange it.”

“No need to trouble yourself. I’ll go take a look.” Qiao Huaiyao opened the car door. “Housekeeper, please arrange some hot tea and prepare the red envelopes.”

The red envelopes were meant as bonuses for the movers, given directly in cash without formalities.

The housekeeper took a step back, nodding in agreement, “Alright, Young Master.”

Qiao Huaiyao and Bai Jinyan entered the villa while the housekeeper stayed outside to handle the arrangements.

Not only was the furniture packaging cleaned up and removed, but the floor was also spotless, with not a speck of dirt left.

The living room now had a sofa, which made it look a bit shorter in appearance but also more like a proper living room.

The coffee table and sofa were a set, with a wooden sofa paired with genuine leather cushions.

The colors were also very understated and elegant, which complemented the large living room without overwhelming it.

The bed for the upstairs bedroom, the gym equipment for the second floor, and the shelves for the glass garden on the basement level were all arranged according to the blueprint.

Qiao Huaiyao sat on the sofa in the basement level, which had a high, open design with a glass ceiling. It created a great lighting effect, and the sunlight coming in was ample.

Today’s weather was also sunny, not as cold as usual in the morning.

Leaning back and looking up at the sunlight, Qiao Huaiyao couldn’t help but squint and smile, “Brother! It looks pretty good, doesn’t it?”

Bai Jinyan came over, placing his hand on the back of the sofa and casually wrapping his arm around Qiao Huaiyao’s shoulders. Following his gaze through the glass to the sunlight, he replied softly, “Mm.”

Outside, the sunlight after the onset of winter might not feel warm.

But indoors, shielded from the cold wind, only the warmth of the sunlight pouring in made the temperature feel just right.

It was rare to have such a holiday, especially after being so busy before. Now that it was suddenly relaxing, spending time at home in the sun was quite pleasant.

By noon, the room was getting increasingly warm.

They then left the basement level and went back upstairs.

Although the sofas were from the same brand, the softness of the cushions varied.

With the basic furniture in place, the kitchen was still empty.

Qiao Huaiyao lay on the sofa, resting his head on Bai Jinyan’s lap while browsing shopping apps.

Compared to the furniture, the major items for the kitchen came in many more colors and types.

Qiao Huaiyao paused at the screen full of oven options, “Brother, do you have any preferences for the oven brand?”

“No.” Bai Jinyan gave him a massage, his fingers gently pressing down, “Choose one you like. If there are price ranges, select from the higher-priced ones.”

The higher the price, the more functions the oven would have.

Other major kitchen appliances might not be used much, but the oven had a higher chance of being used.

Baking cakes at home was also a possibility.

Usually, they didn’t like having outsiders in the house, and regular cleaning was done as well.

---

Chapter 81 – Stability

The gentle voice in his ear caused a tremor in his heart.

A warm feeling spread through his chest.

Qiao Huaiyao blinked lightly. He had many houses, but the standalone villa before him gave him a greater sense of belonging.

Bai Jinyan’s words echoed in his mind, and a smile unknowingly appeared on Qiao Huaiyao’s lips. “Brother,” he said softly, “When did you buy this?”

“It’s been a while,” Bai Jinyan replied, lifting his hand from Qiao Huaiyao’s shoulder to touch his cheek, and then gave him a gentle kiss. “The decor is a premium option we chose, and the air circulation system has been running constantly. Once we select the furniture and appliances, we can move in directly.”

The premium decor was handled by the developer, but the materials were only used after Bai Jinyan had them inspected by specialists.

This greatly reduced the presence of harmful substances from the renovation. After the renovation, the air circulation system was activated as soon as the cleaning phase began.

At fixed times and intervals, specialists would send him the air quality reports of the house.

In fact, it had already met the move-in standards last month.

However, due to being busy and… wanting to handle the basic furnishings himself.

Besides the furniture selected during the premium decoration, he wanted to add his own touch with some additional pieces.

Bai Jinyan wrapped his arms around Qiao Huaiyao’s waist, “Let’s go inside and take a look. Since we have some free time these days, we can start buying some furniture.”

Qiao Huaiyao’s eyes curved into a smile, “Okay.”

Without the furniture, the villa seemed a bit spacious and empty.

At Qiao Huaiyao’s home, everything was always prepared by the housekeeper. Most of the things he bought were for his lab, so furnishing a home himself was a first.

There wasn’t much to see in the living room.

The ground floor of the villa followed a conventional layout. Behind the living room, there was a large, separate room, no smaller in area than the living room itself.

Bai Jinyan opened the door, revealing several large pieces of equipment inside. “You can conduct your experiments here in the future.”

The equipment from Qiao Huaiyao’s lab at Tsinghua University was also present here.

There were also some large, stationary pieces of equipment lined up against the wall.

The only difference from the Tsinghua University lab, aside from the size, was the workstation.

The workstation here was designed to accommodate two people.

The smile on Qiao Huaiyao’s face hadn’t faded since he walked in, and seeing the workstation made his smile even broader.

Bai Jinyan lifted the dust cover from a massage chair, “There’s no rest room here, so I placed a massage chair. You can take a nap here if you get tired from your experiments.”

Since the lab was at home, if he got too tired to go upstairs, he could rest in the adjacent room on the ground floor.

In comparison, the massage chair was more practical.

In addition to the massage chair, there were many thoughtful details, such as the height of the countertops, which were adjusted to suit Qiao Huaiyao’s height.

The lab combined all the advantages of other laboratories.

Bai Jinyan personally supervised the renovation process of this villa, paying special attention to the laboratory.

He carefully replaced the dust cover on the massage chair, “When you start using this lab, we can add anything else you might need.”

Leaning against the workstation, Qiao Huaiyao chuckled, “You have more equipment here than in the New York lab. There’s nothing else we need.”

Even some consumable materials were well-stocked on nearby shelves.

As for some experimental equipment…

Qiao Huaiyao thought, he had bought many items at the international laboratory to prevent wear and tear.

When they arrived, he could leave some here.

Bai Jinyan approached, placing his hands on either side of Qiao Huaiyao and leaning in closer, “Shall we go outside now?”

Qiao Huaiyao raised an eyebrow, “Now?”

Bai Jinyan buried his head in Qiao Huaiyao’s neck. “Mm.”

“……”

Seeing that Bai Jinyan had no intention of getting up, Qiao Huaiyao raised his hand to wrap it around Bai Jinyan’s neck. A slight prickling pain made him tilt his head back, “Brother?”

Bai Jinyan savored the moment like a delicate pastry, slowly wrapping his arms around Qiao Huaiyao and pulling him into an embrace. He placed a gentle kiss on Qiao Huaiyao’s lips. “Do you like this villa?”

Qiao Huaiyao looked up, his eyes fixed on Bai Jinyan. “I like it.”

After a pause, before Bai Jinyan could ask anything else, Qiao Huaiyao moved closer, his lips almost touching Bai Jinyan’s, and said with a smile, “I like you.”

As soon as he spoke, the grip around his waist tightened.

Qiao Huaiyao’s attempt at a brief kiss was held firm by Bai Jinyan.

His fingers tightened, clutching the wrinkles of Qiao Huaiyao’s shirt.

Clumsy and unmethodical responses led to Bai Jinyan’s more assertive kisses.

A low whimper escaped Qiao Huaiyao’s throat. The elegant, cold fragrance in the air added to the dizzying illusion of suffocation brought by the increasingly intense kiss.

Noticing Qiao Huaiyao’s breath growing more rapid, Bai Jinyan released him, holding him close.

He gently patted Qiao Huaiyao’s back, kissed the delicate skin at the corner of his eye, and smoothed out the wrinkles on his shirt.

Qiao Huaiyao rested his forehead on Bai Jinyan’s shoulder, hiding half of his face.

As he caught his breath and noticed Bai Jinyan’s actions, he paused and murmured, “Why not…”

His voice was very soft, and the latter part of his sentence seemed to vanish into the air.

Bai Jinyan chuckled softly, “There’s nothing here. When we get home…”

“Are we going home now?”

Qiao Huaiyao nodded instinctively, then suddenly realized something was off. He bit his lip lightly, turned his head, and buried himself deeper into Bai Jinyan’s embrace, trying to hide his flushed ears.

Seeing this, Bai Jinyan didn’t ask further. Suppressing his laughter, he rubbed Qiao Huaiyao’s ear. “Let’s go. We’ll head back first.”

…

Furnishing a fully renovated villa was quite a hassle.

Especially with all the large items.

The first floor was manageable, but the second and third floors would complicate delivery.

Qiao Huaiyao lay on the bed, scrolling through furniture brands the housekeeper had sent him.

High-end furniture brands focus heavily on their image, with a low probability of issues. Moreover, some of these brands were subsidiaries of their group.

Choosing the right style, however, was the tricky part.

Bai Jinyan returned from the kitchen with a cup of warm water, seeing Qiao Huaiyao still awake.

He sat by the bed and helped Qiao Huaiyao take a few sips. “Not sleeping a bit more?”

Qiao Huaiyao shook his head. Having slept a lot on the plane, he wasn’t very tired despite the late hour.

Feeling thirsty, he drank half the cup in one go. Afterward, he lay back down, holding up his phone. “Brother, what do you think of this sofa?”

“It’s quite nice.” Bai Jinyan enlarged the picture. “But it looks a bit small. Maybe place it in the bedroom nook.”

“Okay.” Qiao Huaiyao added the sofa to the shopping cart and opened the list Bai Jinyan had sent him earlier.

The items with check marks were the ones prepared during the pre-wiring stage of the renovation, matching the villa’s current decor.

Seeing them before, they seemed quite fitting, so there was no need to replace them.

Avoiding those already in place, only things like the oven, sofa, and mattress remained. Together, they still amounted to quite a lot.

It would be convenient for him to find suitable furniture.

The company has created a simplified version of the app.

There are no advertisements, just plain, straightforward text describing the materials.

This includes potential pitfalls and maintenance instructions.

Perhaps to avoid bothering Qiao Huaiyao, the programmer added a note in parentheses after the maintenance section (the brand can provide maintenance services, available anytime, anywhere).

There are no flashy images or pop-up ads, making it simple and clear.

While choosing furniture, he occasionally checked the messages in the group chat to avoid missing any important information.

If the holiday schedule changes after the laboratory visit and they have to return earlier, Qiao Huaiyao also needs to return to school on the same day they do or the next day.

The holiday locations may differ, but the return-to-school time is still fixed.

Fortunately, most of the time, the group chat was just Teacher Peng @ everyone, reminding them to stay safe, without any messages about shortening the holiday.

After closing the group chat, Qiao Huaiyao picked several pieces of small furniture, ones without fixed positions that could be moved around easily.

After placing the order, there was no payment prompt; it just showed that the order was successful and being prepared.

Shopping for so long was tiring for his eyes.

Qiao Huaiyao put down his phone to rest for a while and turned to see Bai Jinyan leaning against the headboard, reading something.

He moved closer, resting his head on Bai Jinyan’s abs. “Is it a new script?”

“Yes.” Bai Jinyan opened the first page of the script to show him. “Still considering it.”

There was nothing wrong with the script.

However, with closed-set filming, you might not be able to leave the set for several months.

Additionally, the filming locations are often remote, and most similar shows use these locations.

Such scripts will mark the addresses to clearly inform actors about various situations they might encounter from previous shoots in those locations.

When considering a script, one must not only evaluate the script itself but also whether they can accept the filming location.

After all, once shooting begins, actors who are unaware of the location may feel tricked into suffering when they see the place.

Bai Jinyan’s hesitation is about the time and mobile signal issues.

If he stays away for so long and has difficulty communicating with the outside world…

Qiao Huaiyao glanced at the genre marked on the script—science fiction.

The director is quite well-known and has won many international awards.

It seems that his brother is very interested in this script. The fact that it was delivered to Bai Jinyan means it is a good script.

Qiao Huaiyao could roughly guess what he was hesitating about. “If you’re interested, go ahead and shoot it. It’s not very far, and if the shooting goes smoothly, it might wrap up faster than the director expects.”

“Yes.” Even so, Bai Jinyan did not quickly make a decision.

He placed a hand on Qiao Huaiyao’s shoulder, feeling a bit cold, and took the remote to increase the room temperature slightly. “Have you chosen the furniture?”

Qiao Huaiyao replied, “Picked out a few. The living room is almost done, but I haven’t decided on the bedroom yet.”

Bai Jinyan rubbed the mark on his shoulder. The very fair skin easily shows marks, and they fade slowly.

“I noticed some platforms offer custom options. You could choose a favorite style or design one yourself. If you rush it, it should arrive before the New Year.”

“Custom?” Qiao Huaiyao thought for a moment. He didn’t know much about furniture.

But custom furniture clearly has more significance. He hesitated and said, “I don’t have any ideas right now. If I get inspired later, I’ll order one then.”

“Once the teachers who visited the international lab come back, I’ll need to return to school. After a few more days of classes, exams will start,” Qiao Huaiyao calculated the time. He might not be there when the furniture arrives, and Bai Jinyan might have other plans.

Thinking of this, Qiao Huaiyao couldn’t help but ask, “Brother, are you not going to the No. 19 Middle School anymore?”

The filming should be almost wrapped up, so there shouldn’t be much left.

---

It’s afternoon in the country, and some people are furiously refreshing Weibo during their lunch break.

The comments are lively and buzzing, all clamoring for Qiao Huaiyao to post a front-facing photo.

Why would anyone take a photo without a front view?

From this angle and the footprints beside it, it’s clear that photos were taken from various angles!

Fans lurking in the comment section are all saying, [Come on, put #Bai Jinyan is stingy# on the screen.]

[Trying to show off his wife but not letting others see him, tsk tsk tsk. Bai Jinyan’s little tricks are all figured out by me.]

The only reply Bai Jinyan made was that back view photo, and he didn’t respond to any other comments.

Qiao Huaiyao washed the cup and poured another cup of hot water for Bai Jinyan. “Go to sleep; we have work tomorrow.”

He had planned to accompany Bai Jinyan for work these two days.

But plans couldn’t keep up with changes; he needed to handle matters with the international lab first.

“Mm.” Bai Jinyan lay down next to Qiao Huaiyao after he settled in, wrapping his arms around him, “Good night.”

Qiao Huaiyao turned over and rested his head on Bai Jinyan’s arm, “Good night.”

…

In the international lab’s screening room:

It was packed with people even before eight o’clock.

Everyone was curious to see this student who could complete an entire experiment in such a short time.

The seats in the room were all taken.

Qiao Huaiyao arrived just in time and saw Qiu Shufeng and others standing in the aisles.

He raised an eyebrow in suspicion, “What’s going on?”

Qiu Shufeng shrugged helplessly, “The teacher asked us to come and watch together.”

It’s uncertain when this video will be available to the public, so it’s best to see it as early as possible.

Moreover, Qiao Huaiyao is their student and also came from the Tsinghua University tour group.

If they are explaining the experiment, it’s only natural that Tsinghua University students can also watch.

Teacher Peng was afraid of being late and called all the students early in the morning.

He didn’t expect other experiment staff to come so early.

Miao Wenxuan walked over and said, “Everything is ready. You can go up and present.”

The materials for the demonstration, including the beakers, were all neatly arranged on the table.

“Mm.” Qiao Huaiyao walked up the steps, stood in front of the podium, and adjusted the height of the microphone.

Before he could speak, an experimenter with a C-level badge on his chest said, “Hold on a moment, Mike hasn’t arrived yet. Can we start in half an hour?”

Miao Wenxuan frowned, “Qiu Yichen, what are you doing?”

The man in the lab coat shrugged, “I just want him to wait for Mike. You know how much Mike cares about this experiment.”

Miao Wenxuan crossed his arms, grumbling in dissatisfaction, “If he really cared, he should have come earlier.”

Qiao Huaiyao ignored them, checked the experimental data, and went over the procedure briefly.

At this moment, Qiu Yichen, who was sitting in the front row, played a voice message.

The foreign language was fast and garbled.

Qiao Huaiyao frowned as he listened.

The message meant: “This experiment can’t yield results in just a few hours. I’ve prepared to work on it for years. That data must be fake. I’m the only one in the world who can achieve this experiment.”

There was more, but Qiu Yichen realized it was inappropriate and turned off his phone.

With an unchanged expression, Qiu Yichen said, “He said he’ll be here soon, just wait a bit longer…”

Qiao Huaiyao responded calmly, “If Mike doesn’t believe the experimental data is real, he should be in the lab repeating the experiment himself.”

Qiu Yichen was stunned, “You can understand what he said?”

Qiao Huaiyao glanced at him coldly, “Either wait outside or keep quiet.”

Without waiting for a response, Qiao Huaiyao tapped his fingers on the table, “Regarding the analysis of the experimental data on the decomposition and extraction of solid materials from Xd-bcz3 solution, let’s begin.”

Qiu Yichen hesitated, looked at his colleagues, and said nothing more.

Qiao Huaiyao’s approach to explaining to professional experimenters was entirely different from addressing freshmen at Tsinghua University.

He didn’t have to avoid technical terms and spoke more fluently.

Qiu Shufeng noticed several people who had been lounging in their seats slowly sitting up straight and reaching for paper and pens from their neighbors.

Clearly, they hadn’t taken this seriously and, like the absent Mike, doubted the experiment.

But they had to come due to others’ influence, so they sat at the back, not even bringing paper or pens.

Qiu Shufeng snorted lightly. Regretting it now, aren’t they?

Regretting not paying attention, huh?

Don’t you know there’s always someone better out there?

This should be an eye-opener for you.

Even though he don’t understand, it feels very impressive.

Qiu Shufeng didn’t dare speak out loud, so he could only silently cheer in his heart.

Wang Zhan noticed Qiu Shufeng sweating, even in the cold weather with the warm air conditioning, looking like he was overheating. “Why are you so nervous?”

Qiu Shufeng stared intently at Qiao Huaiyao on stage. “What do you know? I’m nervous on behalf of our study god.”

Wang Zhan sneered, “Then I’ll thank you on behalf of our study god.”

“Get lost, get lost.”

Qiao Huaiyao explained in English, speaking a bit quickly.

Those in the back, who hadn’t been paying attention at first, now found it hard to catch up. Experimental data is intricate; missing even a little can make it hard to follow. As they forced themselves to keep listening, it only seemed more complex.

“Hey—” Finally, a B-level experimenter raised his hand.

Qiao Huaiyao looked up, his brows slightly furrowed, and gave him a casual glance.

The experimenter felt a chill down his spine: “…”

Without saying a word, he quickly put his hand down, leaned over the table, and tried to hide behind the person in front of him, wishing he could disappear.

He quieted down.

Seeing this, Qiao Huaiyao continued his explanation.

Qiao Huaiyao kept his explanation within the planned time. After finishing, he looked at the A and S-level experimenters in the front row. “That’s all for the experiment content. Are there any questions?”

Albert nodded but didn’t ask any questions, seeming very satisfied with Qiao Huaiyao’s performance.

Instead, another experimenter voiced his doubts.

Qiao Huaiyao responded calmly, providing concise answers.

As he dissected the answers, the experimenter who asked the questions showed a clear understanding.

Qiu Yichen blinked in a daze. Coming to his senses, he hurriedly took out his phone to message Mike: [You’ll definitely regret not coming this time!!!]

Most questions were answered.

Qiao Huaiyao closed the data file that was still scrolling. “If there are any further questions, feel free to contact me…”

Miao Wenxuan added, “I have Qiao’s contact information. If you have any questions, reach out to me first, and I’ll convey them. If necessary, I’ll give you Qiao’s contact information.”

As he said this, Miao Wenxuan glanced at Qiao Huaiyao for approval. “Is this arrangement okay?”

Qiao Huaiyao nodded. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll leave now.”

Miao Wenxuan was stunned and couldn’t help but say, “Leaving so soon?”

He thought Qiao Huaiyao would stay a bit longer.

Qiao Huaiyao replied, “I have a flight at three.”

All the necessary issues had been resolved, so there was no need to stay at the international laboratory, even if he wasn’t rushing for a flight.

Miao Wenxuan responded with an “oh.” Although Qiao Huaiyao didn’t speak slowly, explaining the compressed experimental process in detail and answering all the questions took quite some time.

Miao Wenxuan, taking on his assistant duties, said, “Alright then, you go ahead and take care of your things. I’ll handle everything here. I’ll contact you if there are any problems.”

Qiao Huaiyao replied calmly, “Mm.”

Upon hearing this, Qiu Shufeng said, “You’re leaving today, Study God? In such a hurry. Sigh… I want to go back too.”

At first, they didn’t have much time to tour the lab, so they wandered around the nearby areas in their free time, almost exploring everything around the hotel.

After the lab tours ended, Qiu Shufeng didn’t know what to do.

Qiao Huaiyao thought for a moment and said, “You can discuss it with the teacher.”

Qiu Shufeng felt a headache just hearing this suggestion. He sighed and said, “I asked. Teacher Peng said if we could reach Qiao Huaiyao’s level and each complete a full experiment, we could leave whenever we wanted, and he’d even act as our bodyguard and escort us back.”

As he spoke, Qiu Shufeng deliberately mimicked Teacher Peng’s voice and even imitated his expression.

Qiao Huaiyao chuckled softly, his gaze bypassing Qiu Shufeng and landing on Teacher Peng in the back.

Teacher Peng placed a hand on Qiu Shufeng’s shoulder. “Well, there’s quite a bit of resentment. So, have you completed your experiment?”

Qiu Shufeng: “?!”

Teacher Peng led Qiu Shufeng aside for a “heart-to-heart,” while Qiao Huaiyao took the opportunity to step out and call Bai Jinyan.

“Brother, are you done with work?” Qiao Huaiyao asked as he walked outside. “I’m planning to go straight to the airport since it’s closer from here.”

It would save him from making two trips.

After a moment, Bai Jinyan’s voice came through the phone. “Mm. Just finished, I’m heading to the airport now.”

Qiao Huaiyao stepped out the door and said, “Okay.”

…

The flight duration was several hours.

After the plane stabilized, Qiao Huaiyao put on his eye mask, reclined his seat, and went to sleep.

He had stayed up late and only slept at dawn, then got up early to go to the international laboratory.

He didn’t feel tired at the time, but waking up early in the morning was exhausting.

The flight time was perfect for catching up on sleep.

After landing, he didn’t go back to Tsinghua University but headed home instead, as it was a holiday and there was no need to return to school or adjust his sleep schedule immediately.

After getting off the plane, he got into the car heading home.

Qiao Huaiyao leaned on Bai Jinyan’s shoulder, still too sleepy to keep his eyes open.

Bai Jinyan held him, turning slightly so Qiao Huaiyao could rest more comfortably in his arms.

The drive from the airport to home wasn’t short.

Qiao Huaiyao woke up drowsily, burying his head in Bai Jinyan’s chest and asked groggily, “Where are we?”

“Almost there.” Bai Jinyan gently rubbed his head and patted his back twice, “Just two more blocks to go.”

Qiao Huaiyao squinted his eyes, “So fast?”

It felt quicker than usual to get home.

“Mm.” As the car turned, Bai Jinyan pulled him closer, “Do you want to sleep a bit more? When we get there, I’ll carry you upstairs.”

Qiao Huaiyao quickly shook his head, “I’m not that sleepy anymore.”

Bai Jinyan raised an eyebrow, even though Qiao Huaiyao’s eyes were barely open.

Even so, he didn’t expose him, instead soothingly patting his back, “Perfect timing then, I have a surprise for you.”

Qiao Huaiyao blinked, “What surprise?”

As soon as he asked, the car came to a stop.

Looking outside at the unfamiliar scenery, Qiao Huaiyao was slightly surprised; it seemed to be a villa community?

A high-end residential area.

Quite far from the villa area they used to live in, in a completely different district.

Qiao Huaiyao hadn’t seen the surprise yet, but he had a bold guess in his mind.

This seemingly far-fetched thought made his heart race, his breath quickening with anticipation.

As the car door opened, he stepped onto a gravel path.

They had driven directly into the villa’s courtyard.

In front of him, the single villa had its door open.

From the doorway, he could see the simply decorated living room, with just flooring and painted walls, no sofas or TV.

Qiao Huaiyao’s lips moved slightly, feeling a weight on his shoulder. He looked up to see Bai Jinyan smiling at him.

“Didn’t you ask me where we’d be spending the New Year this year?”

“I prepared a new house for us…” Bai Jinyan said, his voice lifting with joy, “A new home.”

A brand new home, just for the two of us.

---

The snow on the car roads had mostly melted and been cleared to the sides.

On the pedestrian paths, however, the snow was only roughly swept away, making them passable but still covered with a layer of snow.

Qiao Huaiyao opened his palm upward, feeling the coolness of the snowflakes that gently landed in his hand. He softly said, “It’s snowing again.”

In the few days they had been in New York, there seemed to be few sunny days, with only brief clear skies following heavy snowfalls.

Bai Jinyan took his hand and placed it in his pocket, “How come you seem more energetic the later it gets?”

Qiao Huaiyao laughed softly, “Maybe I’m past the point of being tired.”

At this moment, he didn’t feel sleepy at all.

“I’ve already bought the plane tickets for tomorrow.” Qiao Huaiyao said as they slowly walked into the courtyard. Looking at the snow on both sides, he suddenly remembered the unfinished snowman in the back.

Qiao Huaiyao sighed softly, “It’s a pity we don’t have time to finish the snowman.”

Actually, a snowman could just be a small mound of snow with a ball on top, and it would still be a snowman.

But they had been so meticulous and serious about making it. Perhaps when it comes to anything involving details, science students can’t help but strive for perfection.

However, being so busy until now, the snowman was still just a ball.

As they walked in, the cover on the snowball had already been removed.

Perhaps because it was snowing again, the butler was in the glass corridor, directing people. Before he could go out, he saw Qiao Huaiyao walking toward the snowman.

The butler immediately waved his hand, telling the others to disperse for now.

He himself turned and went inside to take care of other matters.

Qiao Huaiyao patted the snowball. It was solid, the kind of snowball that wouldn’t break even if thrown during a snowball fight.

If this snowman were finished, it might not melt even after several days of sunlight.

“Baby.”

“Mm?” Qiao Huaiyao instinctively turned his head, his lips brushing Bai Jinyan’s cheek unexpectedly. The light fragrance of Bai Jinyan’s scent added a hint of coolness to the snowy weather.

Qiao Huaiyao seemed calm, but a faint warmth appeared behind his ears. He asked softly, “What’s up?”

Warmth briefly touched his lips, making Qiao Huaiyao’s eyes widen. He stammered, “Brother,” while glancing around.

“Let’s take a photo of the snowman.” Bai Jinyan adjusted his phone to camera mode. “Next time we come, who knows when that will be.”

They had almost finished their work here, with the remaining tasks scheduled in China and other countries.

Qiao Huaiyao wasn’t tired. Hearing this, he said, “I’ll go get some gloves.”

Working together, the top snowball should be smaller than the base, so they should be able to finish it.

However, Bai Jinyan grabbed his wrist, “No need to bother.”

“Huh?” Qiao Huaiyao found it strange. Before, Bai Jinyan wouldn’t let him touch snow without gloves, so why not now?

Bai Jinyan didn’t explain. He took off his coat, folded it, and placed it on the snowball.

“Brother! Put your down jacket back on.”

Bai Jinyan caught Qiao Huaiyao’s hand reaching for the coat and reassured him, “It’s fine, just a few photos, and I’ll put it back on.”

While making the snowball, the top part was relatively flat.

Bai Jinyan wrapped his arms around Qiao Huaiyao’s waist, saying, “Hold on to me.”

Qiao Huaiyao didn’t quite understand but wanted to finish quickly so Bai Jinyan could wear his jacket again. So he wrapped his arms around Bai Jinyan’s neck. “Like this?”

“Yes.” Bai Jinyan lifted him and took a few steps to the snowball, setting him on top.

Qiao Huaiyao: “?!”

Once Qiao Huaiyao was steady, Bai Jinyan slowly released his hold.

He looked up and kissed Qiao Huaiyao affectionately. Their noses touched as they got close, and Bai Jinyan smiled, “Sit tight.”

A hint of a smile appeared in Qiao Huaiyao’s eyes. He looked down, meeting Bai Jinyan’s gaze, “This is the snowman you wanted to make?”

Bai Jinyan chuckled but didn’t respond. He quickly kissed Qiao Huaiyao when he least expected it.

Then, he took a few steps back, circling around to take photos from various angles.

When it seemed to be done, Qiao Huaiyao jumped down, unfolded the down jacket, patted off the snow, and draped it over Bai Jinyan. “Reach out, I’ll button up your jacket.”

Bai Jinyan, holding his phone, hadn’t found a place to put it down before he was wrapped snugly in Qiao Huaiyao’s jacket.

“No need to button it up.” Bai Jinyan put on the jacket, holding Qiao Huaiyao’s hand. His fingertips were a bit cold from being out of the pocket for just a moment.

Disregarding the snowman photos, Bai Jinyan said, “Let’s go upstairs.”

Qiao Huaiyao agreed, “Okay, let’s go.”

The hallway was empty, and the glass bridge was completely clear.

As they walked back upstairs, Qiao Huaiyao gently pushed Bai Jinyan into the bathroom. “Take a hot shower. I’ll get you a bathrobe.”

Bai Jinyan, looking at the down jacket on him, helplessly took it off and set it aside. “Alright.”

Steam filled the bathroom.

Bai Jinyan didn’t take long, just enough time to snap a few photos before Qiao Huaiyao embraced him.

Knowing Qiao Huaiyao was worried he’d get sick, Bai Jinyan carefully took a hot shower before coming out.

The hotel had some cold-prevention medicine on hand. Qiao Huaiyao made him a cup. “When you’re really tired, your immunity drops. You’ve been working non-stop these past few days. If you catch a cold, you’ll definitely get sick.”

Hearing Qiao Huaiyao’s gentle nagging, Bai Jinyan couldn’t help but chuckle. He obediently took the medicine and handed the empty cup back to Qiao Huaiyao, ruffling his hair, “I finished it.”

Qiao Huaiyao handed him another cup of warm water. “Sit down and drink it.”

Bai Jinyan sat on the bed, following every instruction, looking very obedient.

He flipped through the photos on his phone. In the pictures, even the snowball was captured.

Due to the angle, the snowball looked even bigger than Qiao Huaiyao.

Though it was more like a large drum because it was flattened on top and bottom, it wasn’t as flat as a drum.

The courtyard lights made the photos unexpectedly beautiful.

His delicate cheeks were half-surrounded by the fur of the down jacket, his fair skin tinged with a slight blush, his beautiful eyes, and the slight lift of his eyes’ corners with a hint of red.

These photos…

Every single one looked great.

Bai Jinyan thought for a moment and chose a picture taken from behind, where the front couldn’t be seen, to post on Weibo.

Bai Jinyan V: [It’s snowing in New York. Made a snowman.]

The location was set at a seven-star hotel in New York.

The Weibo post was made, but he didn’t directly send the photos with it.

Comments section: [I’ve seen it. You may leave.]

[That’s it? It’s night in New York, right? Posting on Weibo at midnight just to say it’s been snowing for days?]

[This Weibo post is too bland. I’m not satisfied. Delete it and post again.]

[How old are you, still building snowmen? My five-year-old nephew would call it childish… What does the snowman look like? Show me.]

…

Bai Jinyan singled out this comment and replied with the photo of the back view of Qiao Huaiyao sitting on the snowball.

Fans: [???]

[What the heck— I feel like that sleeping dog that got kicked. I seriously wanted to see the snowman photo. Seriously, thank you]

[Oh my, Bai Jinyan just grabbed me by the scruff and fed me dog food.]

[Let’s just say, is there any chance that Bai Jinyan posted on Weibo just to share the snowman and not to show off his relationship?]

[Impossible, absolutely impossible!]

[If you’re bold enough to show off, then post a photo of the front! The back view is wearing a down jacket with a hat covering most of the head. This clearly isn’t Qiao Huaiyao. Unless you show me a frontal photo, I won’t believe it.]

[Who doesn’t have a significant other, seriously! When it snows here, I’ll bury my dog in the snow!]

[Dog: ‘Thank you for listening, because of you…’]

[You sneaky devil, even the dog admits defeat. You’re worse than the dog; the dog is just bewildered.]

---

Chapter 80 – Snowman

The card was placed back into Qiao Huaiyao’s palm.

Bai Jinyan propped himself up on the armrests of the chair and leaned down to kiss him. However, Qiao Huaiyao leaned back and raised his hand to block, saying, “Lu Lu might come in at any moment.”

They had no idea when Lu Lu would come back, and if he saw them…

Bai Jinyan’s kiss landed on Qiao Huaiyao’s wrist. He leaned forward to shorten the distance between them and only relented after giving him a quick peck on the lips.

Qiao Huaiyao pursed his lips, steadied the chair beside him, and gestured to his watch. “The next promotional event is in half an hour. You should hurry up and change your clothes.”

This time included not only preparation but also the time to get to the other venue.

It was very tight.

Fortunately, Bai Jinyan didn’t need to put on makeup; just changing clothes would suffice for his preparation.

Otherwise, there wouldn’t be enough time according to Lu Lu’s schedule.

Bai Jinyan sighed, his eyes full of joy, but he didn’t rush to get up. “I’ll wait until Lu Lu gets back.”

They couldn’t leave early anyway.

Qiao Huaiyao nodded, “Alright, if there’s not enough time, you can change in the car.”

The minute hand on the watch moved slowly, but Lu Lu hadn’t returned.

Qiao Huaiyao sent a message but got no reply. He thought for a moment and said, “I’ll go see why Lu Lu hasn’t come back yet.”

As he stood up, the card on his lap slid to the floor. Before Qiao Huaiyao could reach for it, Bai Jinyan had already picked it up.

He gently blew off a bit of dust from the surface, wiped it, and handed it back.

Bai Jinyan’s smile deepened, “This fan should remember to keep the autograph safe.”

Qiao Huaiyao squinted his eyes and took the card, pinching Bai Jinyan’s cheek playfully, “Next time, just write your name for the autograph. You don’t need to write all those extra words.”

Especially since those few sentences took up most of the card, leaving only a small corner for the signature.

Bai Jinyan thought for a moment, “Next time, I can skip the signature and use all the space for writing.”

Qiao Huaiyao burst out laughing, “Who gives autographs like that…”

‘Knock, knock.’

Outside, Lu Lu knocked on the rest room door. Without barging in, he called out, “Brother Bai, Young Master! I brought the drinks. It’s almost time; shall we go?”

Qiao Huaiyao put away the card and extended his hand to Bai Jinyan, “Let’s go.”

Bai Jinyan sighed deeply, held his hand, and stood up, saying, “Let’s go.”

…

Previously, Qiao Huaiyao had accompanied Bai Jinyan to work a few times, but never with such a tight schedule.

Any delay in one part could cause the entire day’s events to collapse.

However, Bai Jinyan seemed accustomed to this intensity. He could quickly adjust during short breaks, and there was no sign of fatigue on his face when he came off stage. After a brief rest, he would continue with the next event.

The work schedule was so tight that there wasn’t even time to eat.

They could only eat some packed takeout while in the car.

Outside the car window, the sky was pitch black.

This road was quite remote, with only occasional streetlights flashing by.

The light in the back seat of the car was on, and Qiao Huaiyao was eating his late-night snack slowly.

This meal should count as dinner; it had been bought earlier and left in the car until the event ended.

Bai Jinyan touched the bottom of the bowl to check the temperature, “Next time, remember to eat on time. You don’t have to wait for me.”

The food was delivered on time to make sure Qiao Huaiyao could eat regularly, but he had waited until Bai Jinyan came off stage.

“Okay.” Qiao Huaiyao agreed without hesitation, obedient like a gentle lamb.

Bai Jinyan watched him leisurely, just about to reach over, when he saw Qiao Huaiyao put the meat from his own meal into Bai Jinyan’s.

The car was unstable, so it was hard to pack each dish separately.

The restaurant had divided the meal into boxed sets. Qiao Huaiyao didn’t eat things like burgers and fries, so this Chinese restaurant’s takeout had each dish neatly packed in the meal box.

Each boxed meal had five dishes: three meat and two vegetables.

Although the cooking was relatively light, meat still couldn’t be like vegetables no matter how it was prepared.

Qiao Huaiyao quietly transferred the pieces of meat to Bai Jinyan, eating only the vegetables and plain white rice that hadn’t been soaked in meat sauce.

Before Bai Jinyan could return the meat to him, Qiao Huaiyao put down his chopsticks first, “I’m done. You eat slowly, brother.”

He placed the closed meal box on the small table beside him.

Qiao Huaiyao picked up his constantly lit phone. Ever since he turned off the silent mode and vibration, it seemed he hadn’t adjusted it back.

This didn’t prevent him from reading messages. Qiao Huaiyao opened the group chat.

Teacher Peng was discussing the decomposition and extraction experiment of Xd-bcz3 solution with his classmates.

However, since the experimental data had not been released yet, Teacher Peng’s analysis seemed less about the experiment itself and more about addressing Qiao Huaiyao.

He emphasized the experimental time and difficulty in particular.

A sentence like [Learn from classmate Qiao Huaiyao] occupied most of the message content.

This group chat was very active, and the smaller subgroup was even more flooded with messages.

Qiu Shufeng: [The official website of the International Laboratory just released news about this experiment, and even marked Qiao Huaiyao’s name in Chinese. Who wouldn’t say ‘Study God is amazing’?]

Wang Zhan: [As a science student, my language skills might not be that elegant, but even with all the flowery words I’ve learned in my life, I can’t adequately describe the Study God.]

Qiu Shufeng: [WTF? I told you to check the official news, not to outshine me with your words!]

Qiao Huaiyao clicked on the official website, and the news was posted just three minutes ago.

Most of the content posted on the official website of the International Laboratory is usually from chemists with significant achievements in the field, and it is only released after thorough review.

This time, however, it was quite fast.

Part of the process must have been skipped.

Perhaps it was because the extremely challenging experiment was solved in a very short time, which was considered a miracle even in a place full of chemists like the International Laboratory.

For experiments of similar difficulty, those who succeed usually take two to three years at the shortest, and five to six years or more at the longest.

The time Qiao Huaiyao took was truly astonishing.

The website content was entirely in English, but considering Qiao Huaiyao, there was also a one-click language switch button.

Translator: Miao Wenxuan.

Regarding the entire webpage content of this experiment, Miao Wenxuan only credited himself as the translator and did not mention his role as an experimental assistant.

Having a mature chemical experimenter demote himself to an assistant, and producing experimental results without any other help, are two completely different things.

Miao Wenxuan being listed as an assistant was just to expedite the data review process within the International Laboratory.

For publicly released content, he voluntarily removed his name.

Qiao Huaiyao’s fingers tapped idly behind the phone.

If the website news could be released faster, the reports about the experiment should also come out quicker.

He opened the chat with his teacher, and there were no new messages.

The process at the school hadn’t been completed yet.

Once the results were out, they were sent directly to Miao Wenxuan.

The time lost in between was significantly reduced.

As Qiao Huaiyao was thinking about the experiment, he didn’t notice when the car stopped.

Seeing Bai Jinyan unbuckle his seatbelt, he came to his senses and got out of the car.

“Why don’t you go back to the hotel first?” The location of this last movie promotion event was conveniently right next to their hotel.

It was just a three-minute walk away.

Bai Jinyan said, “Go back and get some sleep early. It’ll be midnight by the time I get out.”

“No need, I’ll go with you. I can take some photos too.” Qiao Huaiyao held the seatbelt, “Oh, by the way, Lu Lu, remember to send me a copy of the photos from the camera when we get back.”

He had uploaded a few to the cloud, but uploading them all would be slow, and then transferring them to his phone would be a hassle if there were too many photos.

So he picked a few good ones to upload, but the rest still needed to be saved.

“Sure.” Lu Lu handed over the camera and said with a smile, “I’ll send them to you as soon as I process them at the studio.”

They had been running around all day. Other than being in the car, most of the time was spent in the rest room or taking pictures of Bai Jinyan from offstage.

But taking pictures of the one you love with your own hands, every photo felt like an achievement.

Qiao Huaiyao didn’t feel tired at all. When the other actors were performing on stage, he would put down the camera.

He went through his unread messages.

Amidst a bunch of greetings, he found one that was different.

Miao Wenxuan: [Do you have time tomorrow morning? We would like you to give a talk on the experiment to some researchers at the International Laboratory, my colleagues. We also want you to explain it as an experimenter. The talk will be recorded and released along with the experiment details later.]

It was an old tradition at the International Laboratory.

The person who conducted the experiment would explain it themselves. No need for someone else to do it. This way, the experimental data would be personally attributed to them.

Typically, this approach was only applied to internal staff.

Although Qiao Huaiyao wasn’t officially listed at the International Laboratory, Albert had proactively suggested that he record a related video.

Miao Wenxuan: [This is quite useful, sort of like an official certification. You can also earn some credits from it.]

Compared to the previous honors, earning credits seemed insignificant.

Moreover, Miao Wenxuan thought that Qiao Huaiyao probably didn’t lack credits. Good students often had more credits than they needed.

Qiao Huaiyao thought for a moment. He had already planned to accompany Bai Jinyan tomorrow, estimating the time needed for the experiment explanation.

He hesitated and typed: [How about 9 AM?]

Bai Jinyan’s schedule was free after 3 PM.

So, the originally scheduled midnight flight was no longer necessary. They changed the flight time to the afternoon.

This timing wouldn’t interfere with the flight.

Miao Wenxuan promptly agreed: [Sure, I’ll arrange it.]

Alberta had only asked about the timing without setting a specific time, which was quite flexible.

It’s worth noting that for the experiment video recording, all the senior experimenters had to be present, and they were all very busy.

Finding a time when everyone could gather wasn’t easy.

But Albert didn’t care about the others’ schedules and asked Miao Wenxuan to check with Qiao Huaiyao first, clearly intending to arrange it according to his availability.

Miao Wenxuan knew from Teacher Peng that Qiao Huaiyao wouldn’t be returning to China with the team and might leave early.

So, he didn’t ask about his availability later, trying to finalize the matter before Qiao Huaiyao returned to China.

Qiao Huaiyao replied to all the unread messages on his phone.

After Bai Jinyan went on stage, he turned off his phone and picked up the camera instead.

After the movie promotion event ended.

The hour hand on the watch pointed precisely to 2 AM.

If nothing else, the schedule was very precise.

“Brother, let’s walk back.” Qiao Huaiyao stood there, able to see the hotel’s courtyard.

However, this side was fenced with no gate.

To get in, they would have to go around to another entrance.

Even so, they could be back in two or three minutes.

There was no need to take a car.

Starting the car, turning, and maneuvering would take longer than walking.

By the time the car started, they would have already walked back to the hotel.

Bai Jinyan walked with him under the dappled shadows of the trees. The large trees had shed their leaves and looked somewhat like dead trees.

The streetlights shone through the gaps in the branches, casting light on the snow-covered ground.

---

Miao Wenxuan finished speaking and noticed Qiao Huaiyao’s look, which made him clear his throat to ease the awkwardness.

He was used to translating on the fly and said it out of habit.

Standing to the side, Miao Wenxuan listened as the two exchanged details of the experiment in fluent English. He found himself unable to interject.

He had seen the experiment data but could only view it; he couldn’t recite it from memory like Qiao Huaiyao.

Without a PowerPoint presentation, without opening the experiment files, and without showing images, Qiao Huaiyao orally described the entire experiment process. He occasionally filled in additional data.

Miao Wenxuan squinted. Was this the level of a freshman?

Or were freshmen nowadays this impressive?

Qiao Huaiyao provided a simplified overview of the experiment process, with the remaining details understood from the data and images.

Albert nodded from time to time, clearly satisfied with what Qiao Huaiyao was saying.

Finally, Albert took the USB drive and asked a question.

Qiao Huaiyao was momentarily taken aback.

Albert asked: “Miao Wenxuan mentioned that you wanted to expedite the release of the experiment report. Are you in such a hurry because you want to join next year’s international laboratory selection?”

Qiao Huaiyao replied, “No.”

Albert had been thinking that if that was the reason, he could help out.

The international laboratory needed capable individuals, and the selection was just one opportunity; they also had internal recommendations.

Hearing Qiao Huaiyao’s response, Albert couldn’t help but ask what the reason was.

…What was the reason?

Qiao Huaiyao glanced down, thinking casually.

What else could it be… of course, it was for his boyfriend.

Dealing with Meng Zheng’s matters was far more complicated than joining the international laboratory.

Qiao Huaiyao declined Albert’s offer for help, leaving the remaining tasks to Miao Wenxuan.

Miao Wenxuan received Qiao Huaiyao’s signal and made a gesture.

In fact, he felt that even if he hadn’t helped deliver the experiment, Albert would still have expedited the report for Qiao Huaiyao.

Although the details of the experiment were unknown, considering that someone could process such a complex experiment in just a few hours, the complete report produced by this person would undoubtedly be of high quality.

Moreover, Albert valued talent highly.

If Qiao Huaiyao had shown even a slight interest in joining the international laboratory, Albert would likely have met all his requests, waiting for him to join.

And now, with just an early report, there could even be a spot for him in this year’s Chemistry Award.

After bidding farewell to Albert, Qiao Huaiyao left the office.

As the door closed behind him, Albert’s first words left Miao Wenxuan stunned.

“I want to take Qiao as my apprentice. What do you think?”

Miao Wenxuan: “…”

No, if the professors back home find out, they might fly over immediately and hit me with a cane.

…

After leaving the international laboratory, the sky outside was a bit darker than before.

The weather forecast still showed clear skies, but it was uncertain if it would rain.

Qiao Huaiyao checked the time; Bai Jinyan should now be participating in a brand endorsement event.

The brand, specializing in high-end luxury watches, had no pieces priced below six figures.

The event was naturally grand, and since their spokesperson was not always available, this rare event was particularly spectacular.

When Qiao Huaiyao arrived, Bai Jinyan was signing promotional cards.

These were brand promotional cards that were personally signed at the event. Cards bought through other channels might have printed signatures, with limited availability and noted details.

Lu Lu was downstairs taking photos, which would later be used for promotional purposes with the brand.

Busy with his tasks, Bai Jinyan felt a tap on his shoulder.

“Ugh, don’t touch me.” Lu Lu didn’t even glance away, impatiently saying, “Go behind the security line; no close contact allowed—”

“Lu Lu.”

The cold, indifferent voice stood out sharply amidst the audience’s loud cheers.

Lu Lu was about to respond, but then he stopped himself, saying, “Actually, it wouldn’t hurt to touch—”

If he said “no contact” and Brother Bai heard him, he might end up being reprimanded.

Lu Lu chuckled, forgetting about taking photos, and asked, “Young Master, what are you doing here?”

“You didn’t inform me in advance, or I would have sent the driver to pick you up.”

“I came as soon as I could.” Qiao Huaiyao put away his phone, intending to use a more professional camera. “Give me the camera.”

“Alright.” Lu Lu was struggling to get good shots anyway.

Qiao Huaiyao adjusted the camera’s strap and made an ‘ok’ gesture with one hand while holding the camera. He then took many pictures.

There weren’t many people in line for signatures.

It wasn’t due to the fans’ purchasing power, but simply because of purchase limits.

There were only a few signatures available.

If it weren’t for the brand’s request, this segment might have been skipped altogether.

Fans holding promotional cards queued up in order for signatures.

Seeing that there were fewer than ten people in line, Qiao Huaiyao wondered if he had arrived too late and missed an earlier batch of signatures, so now there were fewer people.

From the schedule, the event was nearing its end.

Lu Lu stayed by Qiao Huaiyao’s side, keeping some media and fans at bay.

In a low voice, Lu Lu said, “Young Master, I’ve got something good for you.”

“Hmm?” Qiao Huaiyao reviewed the photos he had just taken, selected a few to upload to the cloud account, and casually asked, “What is it?”

Lu Lu handed him a promotional card. “Look!”

There were only a few promotional cards; Bai Jinyan wouldn’t keep these, and other brands usually sent a portion to the company. Lu Lu didn’t have many.

Qiao Huaiyao took the card, which had the brand’s logo on the back. The high-end brand’s confidence was evident as they didn’t even print the specific model of the watch they were promoting.

Rather than promoting the watch, it seemed more like they were promoting the brand.

As soon as the card was in his hand, the host announced that the event had ended.

Lu Lu made a clicking sound, realizing too late that he should have kept the promotional cards with him all along. Having someone else run an errand for him had wasted time.

The opportunity for signatures was lost. Lu Lu looked at the crowd and said, “Young Master, let’s head to the lounge and wait. It’s quite crowded with the audience leaving.”

Qiao Huaiyao handed the camera back to him. “Alright.”

Lu Lu led the way. “This way.”

The lounge wasn’t far from the backstage.

During the event, the staff would change into outfits to match the latest watch models. To save time on the day, the lounge location was arranged during the event planning phase.

The single-occupancy lounge was empty.

Lu Lu showed him in and said, “I’ll arrange for some drinks. Young Master, just wait here for a moment; Brother Bai will be back soon.”

Qiao Huaiyao responded, “No need to trouble yourself.”

Lu Lu said, “It’s not trouble, just part of the job.”

As Lu Lu left, he busily placed an order from his phone, realizing he couldn’t buy the custom flavor in-store in time.

Before Qiao Huaiyao could say anything else, Lu Lu had already left.

He looked down at the promotional card in his hand, thinking about the watch Bai Jinyan had worn earlier. It seemed to match Bai Jinyan’s style perfectly, so he planned to contact the brand to buy it later.

As the brand ambassador, Bai Jinyan probably received many watches from the brand, though Qiao Huaiyao hadn’t seen him wear many of them.

While absentmindedly contemplating this, he suddenly felt the card was no longer in his hand. He looked up and saw Bai Jinyan standing there. “Brother?”

The lounge door was very quiet, making no sound when opened or closed.

“Hmm.” Bai Jinyan took off his pen and wrote on the back of the card, which had no logo. “Why didn’t you come up to get my signature?”

Qiao Huaiyao replied, “This isn’t from the event’s batch, and by the time I got the card, the event was over.”

Going back now would seem a bit awkward.

While they spoke, Bai Jinyan had already written quite a bit.

Qiao Huaiyao sat in the chair, unable to see what he had written, only observing his continuously writing hand.

Curious, Qiao Huaiyao asked, “Brother, what are you writing?”

Bai Jinyan finished with the last stroke, adding a small sketch at the end. He turned the card around and lowered his hand for Qiao Huaiyao to see.

Typically, signatures were only on the front, with names written in the available space. But Bai Jinyan had written three lines of text on the blank back of the card, finishing with his signature.

The words—

Qiao Huaiyao’s eyes widened slowly, a faint blush spreading unexpectedly, bringing warmth to his cheeks.

He parted his lips to speak when Bai Jinyan said, “Oh, there’s one more thing.”

“What?”

Confused, Qiao Huaiyao followed Bai Jinyan’s hand and saw him lifting the card to his lips.

“Brother!” Realizing what he intended, Qiao Huaiyao quickly reached out.

But the next moment, Bai Jinyan clasped his hand.

The promotional card was casually held between his fingers as Bai Jinyan bent down to kiss the back of Qiao Huaiyao’s hand, his eyes crinkling with a smile.

As if this had been his intention all along.

---

Qiao Huaiyao sat at the dining table, biting into a sandwich while scrolling through messages nonchalantly.

Miao Wenxuan: [I looked it over, and there’s nothing wrong.]

But that was exactly why Miao Wenxuan was even more excited.

He knew better than anyone how difficult the experiment was, having handled it himself.

Even if he didn’t count the time from when Qiao Huaiyao started the experiment, but from the moment the materials reached him to the final data being sent, it took just over ten hours to complete the experiment?!

When Qiao Huaiyao said three days, Miao Wenxuan didn’t believe it, not wanting to put too much pressure on him. After all, they were from the same school, and having such a goal was great.

But who knew that three days was still a conservative estimate from Qiao Huaiyao.

Miao Wenxuan: [I’m downstairs in your lab building. The butler won’t let me up. When you have time, could you come down to hand over the solid samples, or have someone pass them down?]

Qiao Huaiyao pressed his lips together, looked at the sandwich he had barely touched, and typed: [Come on up.]

He then sent a message to the butler.

After a while.

Miao Wenxuan emerged from the elevator, followed by the butler.

Miao Wenxuan had been in a rush, but upon seeing Qiao Huaiyao, he suddenly felt less hurried. He sighed and said, “I’m finally seeing you. I’ve been so excited since this morning.”

Qiao Huaiyao replied calmly, “The experiment results are in the temperature-controlled cabinet.”

The butler scrutinized Miao Wenxuan, and seeing that Qiao Huaiyao showed no reaction, waited for a while before retreating back to the elevator.

As Miao Wenxuan entered, he couldn’t help but comment on his surroundings, “Your lab is up to the level of international labs.”

It wasn’t just comparable; in some aspects of comfort, it might even be better.

Even the chair cushions were branded, something international labs couldn’t match.

Qiao Huaiyao continued eating breakfast and didn’t enter the lab, allowing Miao Wenxuan to retrieve the samples himself.

The cabinet was almost empty, holding only the results of this experiment.

Miao Wenxuan didn’t rush to open it. From the visible window on top, the small space inside was captivating.

He had woken up from sleep, groggy and barely able to process the message, his brain seemed to freeze on the spot.

The drowsiness vanished instantly.

Holding his phone, he didn’t know whether to open the file first or message Qiao Huaiyao.

In the end, he chose to view the file while typing, and when typing became inconvenient, he used emojis.

Now that he really saw the experiment results in front of him, Miao Wenxuan could hear his heart pounding so loudly he felt it might leap out of his throat.

He really… succeeded.

In such a short time.

Moreover, the nearby cabinet still contained unused experimental solutions.

From the quantity, it looked like Qiao Huaiyao succeeded in one go, without even needing the extra solution.

This was truly astonishing.

The experiment had a high success rate and was completed quickly.

This was not just about solving an unknown experiment through blind, repetitive testing.

Even for known experiments, following the procedure step by step might not yield such fast results.

Qiao Huaiyao was still a student, a freshman who had just started and hadn’t even completed his first semester.

Miao Wenxuan pinched his brow, feeling a bit dizzy.

Could it be that he was so preoccupied with the experiment results that he even dreamt of Qiao Huaiyao succeeding?

Miao Wenxuan said softly, “I’m having a strong sense of unreality right now.”

Qiao Huaiyao ate his sandwich in small bites, picking out the meat and only eating the bread and lettuce.

He said, “This experiment still needs to be reviewed before being uploaded. Aren’t you worried about someone else beating you to it?”

The exchange reports wouldn’t affect much, but there was only one reward.

If you’re late, it will go to someone else.

Miao Wenxuan shook his head. “No rush. Where could they possibly have done it?”

After all his own failures, he doubted anyone else’s progress would be much better.

In the morning, there was another notification about whether to activate the joint experiment.

Miao Wenxuan declined, but it seemed there were quite a few researchers who signed up. Except for those who generally avoided such activities, almost everyone had registered.

This indicated… that no one had made significant progress.

Except for Qiao Huaiyao.

Qiao Huaiyao didn’t say anything further upon hearing this, slowly finishing his remaining sandwich. “Have you informed the teacher about the experiment results?”

“Yes.” Miao Wenxuan carefully took out the beaker containing the experiment results. “I couldn’t reach you, and after sending messages without a reply, I was both anxious and worried you might be in trouble, so I contacted the teacher.”

However, he didn’t say much directly, only mentioned the experiment.

Qiao Huaiyao nodded and, after washing his hands, went back to the laboratory. “If there’s no problem, you can take it directly to the international laboratory. I have some other matters to attend to.”

He originally intended to deliver it personally, but since Miao Wenxuan was here, he decided not to make the extra trip.

He could go to accompany Bai Jinyan at work.

Miao Wenxuan didn’t agree but said, “Come with me to the laboratory.”

“It might involve some experimental calculations that you need to be present for,” he added. As the nominal assistant, Qiao Huaiyao could also use the opportunity to meet the chemistry professors at the international laboratory before the submission.

“Alright.” Qiao Huaiyao took his phone and, seeing that Bai Jinyan was still busy and he might not be able to meet him, handed the bag containing the solution to Miao Wenxuan. “Let’s go.”

“Mm.” Miao Wenxuan packed up the items. “Let’s go.”

…

The international laboratory was still bustling with people.

Miao Wenxuan was a regular resident here and had a dedicated car assigned for work, with the license plate recorded at the workplace.

When entering, the license plate was scanned for access.

Much more convenient than having students gather and switch vehicles.

Driving into the yard and parking, Miao Wenxuan remarked, “No wonder they all call you a ‘study god’. I almost want to join in.”

From the perspective of a senior, calling someone a ‘study deity’ was a light-hearted, teasing comment, implying they were like a student who hadn’t graduated.

But at this moment, Miao Wenxuan felt he had discerned something different.

Someone who is both hardworking and exceptionally talented truly deserves the title of ‘study deity.’

A talented chemistry student’s future is limitless.

Qiao Huaiyao said calmly, “Stay composed.”

Just like before.

Miao Wenxuan paused for a moment. Staying composed? The fact that I’m not jumping up and down with excitement is already pretty composed.

I am a formal chemistry researcher at an international laboratory, and you, a student, completed the experiment faster than I did.

I’m clueless over here, and you already have results.

Is this reasonable!

Fortunately, you’re collaborating with me. Otherwise… he wouldn’t even have had a chance to see the reward, let alone take it.

Miao Wenxuan: “I’ll do my best.”

Qiu Shufeng and the others had arrived early and were continuing with today’s tour schedule.

Seeing Qiao Huaiyao, they waved and greeted him. “Study god, what are you doing here?”

Qiao Huaiyao said, “I’m here to submit the experiment data.”

Qiu Shufeng’s hand paused mid-air. “Huh?”

Did I hear that correctly? It seems like my ears were ringing.

Qiao Huaiyao waved the USB drive in his hand.

Instead of dealing with the hassle of sending the file back and forth, he simply copied it to the USB drive. It also included some photos of the experiment process.

This would be more complete than a standalone file; it’s always clearer with both text and images.

Wang Zhan gasped. “You… completed this experiment?”

They knew Qiao Huaiyao had returned to work on experiments, but seeing him here now made them curious. They hadn’t considered that the experiment might already be finished.

When the teachers asked if they wanted to participate in the experiment, they reviewed the requirements. The difficulty level marked by the international laboratory was very high, and they were baffled. The technical terms in English were particularly challenging.

And now… Qiao Huaiyao managed to complete the experiment under these conditions?

Qiu Shufeng: “…”

Study god, don’t act so nonchalant; you’re making me feel like I could do it too.

The other students exchanged glances.

Teacher Peng asked, “Is it the Xd-bcz3 solution decomposition and solid extraction experiment?”

Qiao Huaiyao nodded. “Yes.”

Miao Wenxuan added, “Teacher Peng, don’t be too surprised. I think, given Qiao Huaiyao’s abilities, this is just a minor achievement. You should get used to accepting students’ extraordinary learning capabilities.”

Qiao Huaiyao glanced at Miao Wenxuan, his expression calm, his gestures and demeanor composed, as if discussing something trivial.

It looked convincingly effortless.

Miao Wenxuan, who had been frantically calling before, now seemed like a completely different person.

Teacher Peng was puzzled. “Does the experiment you’re going to submit need to be kept confidential?”

This time, it was Miao Wenxuan who paused. He understood what Teacher Peng was implying.

If the experiment wasn’t confidential, other students could come and see it.

However, the experiment data wasn’t ready for public release yet.

Miao Wenxuan diplomatically said, “It’s just data for now. It will only be made public after practical approval, once all the data has been verified.”

Until then, it needs to remain confidential.

Teacher Peng, who was also from the chemistry department, knew the procedure. He was just trying to advocate for his students. If it didn’t work out, he didn’t push further.

“Alright then, let’s continue with the tour. You two can get back to your work.”

Miao Wenxuan said, “Let’s go. We’ll head inside.”

He suppressed the urge to boast to his colleagues and decided to first submit the documents with Qiao Huaiyao.

Although the head of the international laboratory didn’t participate directly in the experiments, his achievements were beyond what most people could hope to match.

It was said that the first founder of the international laboratory was distantly related to him, but these were just rumors and it was unclear how true they were.

Qiao Huaiyao had rarely interacted with other people in the laboratory in his previous life.

He had only spoken more with the head of the laboratory when submitting reports and data.

In the office at the end of the corridor.

Albert Funes had been waiting here since receiving Miao Wenxuan’s message.

“Don’t be too nervous when you go in. Albert may seem serious, but he’s actually very nice,” Miao Wenxuan said, knocking on the door. “Just speak as usual. I’ve already informed him about my role as your nominal assistant.”

Qiao Huaiyao’s expression was calm. “Alright.”

Miao Wenxuan raised his eyebrows, trying to detect any signs of nervousness or fear from Qiao Huaiyao’s face, but to no avail.

Miao Wenxuan smiled. “You have a good attitude.”

For a student to be so composed when explaining their experiment to a chemist is impressive.

“It’s fine,” Qiao Huaiyao replied. He wasn’t too concerned about anything outside of his area of interest.

Being indifferent naturally prevented any emotional fluctuations.

As they were talking, a voice came from the office, a brief English word.

“Come in.” Miao Wenxuan opened the door and walked in. “Albert is calling us in.”

Albert stood up and smiled, extending his hand to Qiao Huaiyao. “Hello.”

Having grown up in New York, Albert’s exposure to Chinese was limited to chatting with the laboratory’s staff. His speech sometimes stumbled.

Qiao Huaiyao shook his hand and greeted him in English.

Albert raised an eyebrow and responded in English as well.

Miao Wenxuan explained, “Albert says your English is very good.”

Qiao Huaiyao: “……?”

---

Chapter 79 – Coaxing

“Perfect timing,” Qiao Huaiyao glanced at the clock; it was almost noon. “Let’s have lunch and take a ten-minute break.”

Bai Jinyan nodded and asked, “What about you?”

“Me?”

The solution was cooling down slowly, and there was no rush to get back to the lab. Qiao Huaiyao thought for a moment and said, “I’ll rest during the second phase of cooling.”

He didn’t need to squeeze in rest time between work. Resting while waiting was best.

Bai Jinyan rested his chin on his hand, lightly tapping the table with his fingers, his voice laced with a hint of playfulness, “Not having lunch?”

Eagerly awaiting the experimental results, there was no appetite for lunch. But he couldn’t say that.

Qiao Huaiyao smiled, shaking the strawberry candy wrapper on the table, “I ate.”

Bai Jinyan raised an eyebrow, “One candy?”

“Two.” As he spoke, Qiao Huaiyao unwrapped another piece.

Bai Jinyan sighed softly, coaxing, “Since there’s no result yet, go eat now.”

“I just had breakfast; I’m not really…”

The lab doorbell rang unexpectedly, interrupting Qiao Huaiyao mid-sentence.

The deep, elegant sound of a cello was not jarring, even when fully focused.

Qiao Huaiyao glanced at the door; the person outside, visible through the video intercom, was a staff member in uniform, easy to recognize.

They were probably delivering materials related to the experiment.

Qiao Huaiyao grabbed his phone and stood up, saying, “Brother, you should get some sleep; I have something to take care of here.”

After reminding Bai Jinyan to rest, he hung up the video call.

The staff member saw the rest area door open, nodded slightly through the glass door, and placed the bag on the table beside him.

Spraying disinfectant in front of Qiao Huaiyao, the staff member said, “Hello, Young Master. This is a same-city delivery from the International Chemistry Lab, with an accompanying card.”

“External disinfection is complete.” With that, the staff member pressed a button on the side, placing the bag on the conveyor belt.

After finishing, the staff member bowed and left.

Qiao Huaiyao waited for the bag to be delivered inside.

After unwrapping the package, Qiao Huaiyao found three samples of failed experiments and two bottles of experimental solutions.

Miao Wenxuan: [I included the things you needed along with a few of my failed samples. Each is labeled, so be careful not to mix them up.]

Failed experiments could serve as a reference. Miao Wenxuan intended to help Qiao Huaiyao avoid the mistakes he had made, eliminating some wrong answers ahead of time and increasing the likelihood of deducing the correct one.

Qiao Huaiyao set the failed samples aside, noting that the solution’s temperature was now suitable for use.

He donned his gloves again and began the second phase of the experiment.

The sky gradually darkened outside.

The smart lighting in the lab adjusted automatically, sensing when the room’s light was dimming and selecting the optimal brightness to maintain a near-daylight simulation.

As the outside light changed, the indoor lighting remained consistently bright. Focusing intently on his experiment, Qiao Huaiyao often overlooked the changes around him.

When he finished recording the final data, solid precipitates had already formed in the solution beside him.

Adjusting his mask and rolling up his sleeve, Qiao Huaiyao softly announced, “New York time, 4:30 AM, the experiment is complete.”

As soon as he spoke, Qiao Huaiyao froze.

How did it get so late?

The last time he checked, it was almost noon, around 10 AM.

Forgetting about the experimental materials in front of him, Qiao Huaiyao started to remove his gloves and turned to leave.

In his haste, the hem of his lab coat fluttered, and then Qiao Huaiyao stopped in his tracks.

In the adjacent rest area, Bai Jinyan was sitting behind the glass, looking at him with gentle eyes.

Working overnight in the lab, focusing intently on an experiment, can sometimes lead to low blood sugar. The delayed fatigue makes one reluctant to move, often settling for a quick bite before collapsing on the rest area bed.

But now, having someone silently sit by your side, not interrupting your progress and quietly waiting, accompanying you through the entire experiment, brings a warm feeling.

Qiao Huaiyao blinked softly, feeling warmth spread in his heart. “Brother.”

He couldn’t help but smile and asked quietly, “When did you get here? Why didn’t you get some sleep?”

“Just a while ago,” Bai Jinyan evaded the specific time effortlessly. He walked over and took a pair of gloves. “You go to sleep now, I’ll handle this.”

Qiao Huaiyao, who had taken off his gloves halfway, put them back on. “I was just about to send you a message and then clean up.”

Bai Jinyan nodded thoughtfully. “Only thinking of messaging me at dawn.”

His tone was calm, devoid of obvious emotion, but there was always a slight trace of…

Qiao Huaiyao cleared his throat lightly and explained, “I thought it was still early. Sor—”

Before he could finish apologizing, Bai Jinyan placed his hand behind his back and leaned in to kiss him on the lips.

It was a brief, gentle kiss. “I’m not blaming you.”

“But next time, remember to let me know.”

Qiao Huaiyao chuckled softly and agreed, “Okay, I will.”

This experiment used a lot of equipment, some of which had been pre-soaked in water after use. The sink and countertops were cluttered.

Fortunately, with the two of them working together, it didn’t take long to clean up.

The equipment that could be disinfected and dried was placed in a cabinet on the side, while items that couldn’t go into the cabinet were left in a designated area to drain and air-dry.

During the experiment, while waiting for results at various stages, Qiao Huaiyao organized the data collected at those times.

After completing the entire experiment, he consolidated all the data from each stage and added some narrative to make it coherent. This final experimental data set was then ready.

Qiao Huaiyao packaged everything and sent it to Miao Wenxuan, including photos of the solid material obtained as a result of the experiment.

He then stored the solid material safely, planning to take it to the lab the next day.

There was no response from Miao Wenxuan, likely because he had gone to sleep.

Miao Wenxuan had also been pulling all-nighters for this experiment and probably hadn’t rested since taking on this task.

Even someone with iron will can’t withstand such strain indefinitely.

After several failed attempts, he sent the data to Qiao Huaiyao and likely went to rest.

Having conducted continuous experiments himself, Qiao Huaiyao was also quite exhausted. He had a quick bite to eat before heading to bed.

Although the lab was designed for one person, the bed in the rest area was a double. It was initially prepared based on a standard rest room but upgraded in some details for more comfort. The bed was spacious enough for two people.

With a habit of sleeping close, Bai Jinyan left a large area behind him while keeping Qiao Huaiyao comfortably against the wall. One hand rested on Qiao Huaiyao’s waist, leaving some space to prevent him from actually touching the cold wall. The rest area had a constant temperature from the air conditioning, but the wall was still cold.

Bai Jinyan patiently and carefully held Qiao Huaiyao close, turning off the light.

Finishing the experiment late, then tidying up, it was already around five or six in the morning by the time they went to bed.

The curtains were thick, almost completely blocking out the sunlight, making the room as dark as night.

Bai Jinyan kept track of the time and, after only a short rest, carefully removed his arm from under Qiao Huaiyao’s head.

Qiao Huaiyao was in a deep sleep, having had no time to even take a sip of water during the intense hours of the experiment. Bai Jinyan didn’t want to disturb him, hoping to let him sleep a bit longer.

However, before he could get up, Qiao Huaiyao furrowed his brows.

Bai Jinyan immediately froze, not daring to move his arm, and waited quietly. He held his breath, and just as he was about to exhale and get up quietly, he heard Qiao Huaiyao murmur, “Brother…”

The voice was very soft, almost a faint whisper in a half-asleep state.

“Hmm,” Bai Jinyan responded softly, tucking the blanket around him. “It’s still early, sleep a bit more.”

Qiao Huaiyao’s lips moved slightly, as if he was saying something else, but Bai Jinyan couldn’t make it out. It didn’t stop him from soothingly saying, “Good boy, go back to sleep.”

Bai Jinyan gently smoothed the furrow in Qiao Huaiyao’s brow with his thumb and placed a light kiss on his lips. When he left the rest area, he didn’t lock the door, fearing the noise would wake him; instead, he just pulled it to.

The phone outside was flashing incessantly.

Even though it was broad daylight, the constant flashing of messages was still quite noticeable.

Miao Wenxuan: [!!! One night? You completed it in one night?! Did you do it yourself?]

[Seriously, are you kidding me? My heart can’t take it, please don’t joke around.]

Even someone as composed as Miao Wenxuan couldn’t help but feel a bit unsettled after receiving the experimental data.

Messages kept coming, filled with emojis and exclamation marks, along with calls and video requests—all unanswered.

Bai Jinyan typed calmly: [He’s resting.]

The flurry of messages from Miao Wenxuan abruptly ceased.

The chat window seemed to calm down a bit.

Miao Wenxuan: [Who is this…?]

Bai Jinyan didn’t respond further. After sending the message, he placed the phone face down on the table.

The rest area was very quiet.

All that could be heard was Qiao Huaiyao’s steady breathing.

Around noon, with the sun high in the sky, a few stray beams of sunlight filtered through the gaps in the curtains.

Qiao Huaiyao, frowning, turned over to avoid the annoying sunlight.

His fingers, resting on the pillow, were slightly curled. When he opened his eyes, he was momentarily disoriented, unable to tell what time it was.

Instinctively, he reached for his phone on the nightstand, only to remember that it was left outside.

Qiao Huaiyao sighed deeply, threw off the blanket, and got up.

As he looked through the glass at the laboratory, he realized that it was already bright outside.

His phone was full of unread and missed messages.

Apart from Miao Wenxuan, there were messages from his school teachers and from Qiu Shufeng.

However, Miao Wenxuan had replied with: [Please have Qiao Huaiyao respond after he wakes up.]

There were no new messages after that.

Qiao Huaiyao glanced at the chat and sent a single period as a response.

Miao Wenxuan: [! You finally woke up!]

From these exclamation marks, it seemed Miao Wenxuan was so excited that he might have screamed.

Qiao Huaiyao: [Is there an issue with the experiment content?]

As he typed, he also opened another chat to send a message to Bai Jinyan: [Good morning.]

There was a message from Bai Jinyan in the chat box.

He must have been busy with recording the show and hadn’t responded in time.

Qiao Huaiyao washed his face with cold water, which quickly refreshed him.

In the short time it took, Miao Wenxuan had sent another dozen messages.

---

The observation elevator went straight down, and from the other side of the elevator door, one could see the snow-covered landscape outside.

There was still some snow on the road that hadn’t been cleared, suggesting that it must have snowed again during the night.

The snowman base in the back yard was covered with a snow barrier curtain to prevent new snow from accumulating and deforming the round base.

In addition, a path was carefully swept out, with decorations for the snowman’s nose and eyes placed next to the curtain.

In the teachers’ group chat, several @mentions had been made to all members.

It was rare to have an early visit today, so many people were pulled up early in the morning.

Qiu Shufeng posted in the dorm group chat: [I feel like we’ve already toured the lab, so why is there still an event today? study god, do you need any help with the experiment?]

The scope was too narrow; the first day was a thorough tour, the second was in personal labs, and the third couldn’t expand the scope. It felt like just repeating the previous visits.

Wang Zhan replied quietly: [I think I would be more meticulous as an assistant, since my grades are better than yours.]

Yu Luofan: [Ahem.]

Wang Zhan: […You’re not going to try to take this from me, are you!?]

Qiao Huaiyao saw the message but didn’t reply immediately. He only took out his phone to type once he was in the car.

[How do you know?]

He hadn’t mentioned anything about the experiment to anyone except Bai Jinyan.

The soundproofing should have been good in the compartment where he was speaking with Miao Wenxuan.

Qiu Shufeng: [Senior Miao Wenxuan mentioned it. He said he used this reason to ask the teacher for leave on your behalf, so you wouldn’t have to join the visit.]

Qiao Huaiyao: “…”

At the time, Miao Wenxuan had taken the initiative to offer to speak to the teacher for him. He thought he might find another reason, but he just went ahead and told the truth?

This leave request… seemed not much different if he had asked himself.

Qiu Shufeng: [Both teachers also support your participation in the experiment and told the other students to learn from you, asking if anyone else interested in this experiment would like to join.]

Everyone is from the Chemistry Department, so being able to visit the lab indicates a real interest.

Who wouldn’t be curious about such a novel, unseen experiment?

But… interest is one thing, and the ability to do it is another.

That solution, they had never even heard of it.

Seeing Miao Wenxuan’s exhaustion from staying up late to conduct experiments, one could guess the difficulty of the experiment. Therefore, no one volunteered to join.

Qiu Shufeng chuckled as he typed: [The teachers really think highly of us!]

Wang Zhan: [By the way, why didn’t you come to the assembly today? Aren’t you going to the international lab for the experiment, or is Senior Miao Wenxuan coming to pick you up later?]

Not just any car can enter the courtyard of the international laboratory. Without thorough registration, you could be redirected at least two blocks away, preventing you from getting close. Entering on your own is virtually impossible.

Qiao Huaiyao typed: [I have a lab here.]

Conducting an experiment requires experience, materials, and convenient equipment. Therefore, doing the experiment in his own lab would be better.

Wang Zhan: [??? Young Master—your humble servant wants to guard your lab.]

Qiu Shufeng: [Get lost! If you keep trying to take my spot, I’ll kick you out of the chat.]

Having a personal lab in New York, where space is at a premium, sounds fantastic. But for Qiao Huaiyao, it somehow makes perfect sense.

Qiu Shufeng thought, if one day Qiao Huaiyao bought an island in the Pacific Ocean solely for experiments, he wouldn’t feel even a hint of surprise.

Qiao Huaiyao: [Miao Wenxuan should be focused on the experiment today. You can watch and learn.]

Even a failed experiment process would be beneficial for Qiu Shufeng and the others at their current level.

Qiu Shufeng: [Okay! I’ll follow study god’s lead.]

Wang Zhan, having been muted by Qiu Shufeng, missed his chance to speak.

The butler in the front row said softly, “Young Master, we’ve arrived at the lab.”

Qiao Huaiyao responded calmly, “Mm.”

The butler got out of the car and opened the rear door, “Please, Young Master.”

Seeing the butler following him, Qiao Huaiyao said, “You can go ahead and attend to other matters. I can go to the lab myself.”

The butler smiled, “I have nothing urgent to attend to. The chairman specifically instructed me to take good care of you. You can focus on your experiment, and leave the other tasks to me.”

The chairman…?

Qiao Huaiyao pursed his lips. He had previously contacted the family butler, so it must be that his father had informed the butler here due to the recent incident on Weibo.

Given his assignment, insisting the butler leave would go against his father’s intentions.

So, Qiao Huaiyao didn’t say anything more.

The lab was on the top floor.

Since all four sides of the lab are sunlit, two sides were specifically renovated to be lightproof for conducting light-sensitive experiments.

Many pieces of equipment were purchased directly from the international laboratory and transported here. Being in New York makes it much easier than shipping equipment to China.

Essentially, this lab is a replica of the international lab, with nearly identical equipment.

The butler escorted Qiao Huaiyao upstairs and then left.

He had no understanding of experiments but had learned some basics to better care for the young master. This experiment was entirely unfamiliar to him, so he stood outside the disinfection area without going in further. After ensuring Qiao Huaiyao was settled, he planned to prepare for other tasks.

Before leaving, the butler said, “Young Master, I always have the intercom on my right side. If you need anything, just tap it twice, and I’ll know.”

After completing the disinfection process, Qiao Huaiyao entered the lab and replied casually, “Alright, I got it.”

The butler locked the door behind him. Maintaining privacy in the lab was crucial. Although few people knew about the lab, it was important to ensure the safety of the young master’s experimental data.

With the butler gone, the large lab fell silent. Qiao Huaiyao gathered some equipment he would need shortly and placed it in the sterilization chamber. The solution that Miao Wenxuan had sent was stored in the temperature-controlled cabinet.

Qiao Huaiyao adjusted the edges of his gloves, opened the cabinet, and took out a bottle of the solution. He glanced at the clock on the table.

Qiao Huaiyao said softly, “It is now eight o’clock in the morning, New York time. The experiment to decompose and extract the solid component from the Xd-bcz3 solution begins.”

Throughout the experiment, the lab remained extremely quiet, with not even the sound of glass clinking.

Time passed minute by minute, and the solution in Qiao Huaiyao’s hands went through several color changes.

Fully immersed in the experiment, he paid no attention to anything else around him.

The phone on the side kept vibrating with repeated incoming messages, causing the screen to light up intermittently.

During the waiting period for the solution to cool down, Qiao Huaiyao picked up the phone and glanced at it.

He thought it might be a message from Bai Jinyan, but it wasn’t.

Zhao Jiamei: [The latest episode of the variety show is out! It’s exploded! Xiao Qiao! You have to watch it—! I’m so excited, this episode has hit several trending topics, it’s really hot! A phenomenal show, absolutely!]

Following that were numerous messages containing related Weibo tags and some video clips, which were likely promotional clips for the show.

Qiao Huaiyao glanced at the solution that had not yet cooled to the right temperature and opened Weibo.

The variety show <Together with My Dearest Ones> had briefly gone silent, but the latest episode quickly dominated half of the entertainment trending list as soon as it was released.

Almost every guest became a trending topic.

Aside from the show itself, the top trending topic was #StarrySkyProjector#, not in the home decor trending list, but in the entertainment trending list.

Many unaware users clicked on it, thinking it was a promotion for a starry sky lamp brand.

The hottest post was from the official Weibo account of the variety show, with a video attached.

While other guests were exhausted from climbing the mountain and trying to negotiate with the production team for a few points, Qiao Huaiyao and Bai Jinyan had already set up their tent. This footage wasn’t included in the main episode but was in the solo camera shots, which fans had clipped and compared with other guests.

The comment section was filled with discussions about the starry sky lamp: [You can see that Qiao Qiao just mentioned it would be nice, and Bai Jinyan remembered it!]

[I’m tired of praising Bai Jinyan’s attention to detail.]

[I was wondering why there was a random shot of Bai Jinyan checking the weather forecast at noon during the variety show. Turns out it was setting up for later!]

[Sigh… I read the comments and then watched the replay. I was so looking forward to the scene of them watching the starry sky in the tent on a rainy day. But the production team just put up a message: [We didn’t dare to go in and film, so here are a few photos for everyone to make do with and imagine.] It drove me up the wall.]

[Someone, please show us what was inside the tent!]

[I’d be grateful. If you two aren’t together, it’s really hard to make sense of this.]

…

The topic attracted a large audience, and with Qiao Huaiyao’s current popularity, many people were making jokes within the discussion.

The solution was cooling down slowly; it seemed it wouldn’t be ready for a few hours. Using the thermal box for rapid cooling wasn’t an option.

Qiao Huaiyao closed Weibo and messaged Bai Jinyan: [Brother, a lot of people are asking what brand the starry sky projector is.]

The photos he had posted were very clear, but the projected starry sky couldn’t be fully appreciated through pictures. The dynamic starry sky was much more beautiful.

Bai Jinyan: [Are you done?]

Qiao Huaiyao: [Not yet, still waiting for the solution to cool down.]

The experiment was progressing even more smoothly than expected. Once the solution cooled, the next steps would quickly yield results. Whether they could crystallize the solid component depended on both the experimental process and the solution itself.

The signal in the lab wasn’t very stable, so Qiao Huaiyao walked out to the nearby lounge area to chat with Bai Jinyan.

Through the large glass window in the middle, the lights on the machines operating inside the lab blinked repeatedly.

Qiao Huaiyao ate a strawberry candy, typing: [I plan to work late today.]

Staying up a bit might yield results tonight.

Bai Jinyan: [Is it urgent?]

The experiment itself isn’t urgent, but the follow-up after the results come out is a bit pressing.

As they spoke, Bai Jinyan initiated a video call.

Qiao Huaiyao answered but didn’t see him on the screen, “Brother?”

“Yeah,” Bai Jinyan replied, only picking up his phone after returning to the break room. “Not coming back tonight?”

Qiao Huaiyao hesitated, “I might not make it tonight, maybe around midnight.”

Bai Jinyan nodded, “I’ll come find you after I finish.”

Qiao Huaiyao paused, about to suggest he rest at the hotel instead of waiting. But then he remembered how they always tried to be there for each other. Thinking of this, he didn’t refuse, “That works. There’s a break room here too.”

The facilities were almost like a hotel’s, just varying in size.

Bai Jinyan only had time to say a few words before diving back into work, “I have to get back to it. Take care of yourself and rest if you’re tired. Don’t push yourself too hard.”

Qiao Huaiyao nodded, agreeing completely, “Then shouldn’t you lead by example, brother?”

When it came to work, Bai Jinyan was the one who rarely rested.

Bai Jinyan paused, then gently coaxed, “Be good. I’m hanging up now, baby.”

Qiao Huaiyao: “???”

“Brother!” Qiao Huaiyao protested before he could hang up, grumbling, “Don’t pretend you didn’t hear that.”

Bai Jinyan chuckled softly, responding tenderly, “Alright, I heard you.”

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