Chapter 13 – Night Run
The body suddenly floated, and Qiao Huaiyao was startled. He landed and was pulled back in front of Bai Jinyan. He found himself squeezed between the table and Bai Jinyan.
Flowers scattered on the ground, and various fragrances filled the air.
The smile on Qiao Huaiyao’s face had not yet faded, but as soon as his feet touched the ground, he instinctively stepped back and ended up leaning against the table. He tilted his head slightly and said, “Wait, wait… Haha, don’t… ” Before he could finish his sentence, his words were interrupted by laughter.
Seeing him laughing happily, Bai Jinyan’s eyes darkened for a moment. He casually pulled out a rose from a vase and suddenly leaned closer.
Qiao Huaiyao’s eyes widened suddenly, his breath caught, and the corners of his mouth froze. In a daze, his heart seemed to skip a beat.
With Bai Jinyan’s face reflected in his pupils, Qiao Huaiyao’s fingertips unconsciously curled up, and his body couldn’t help but lean backward.
Bai Jinyan supported him on both sides with his hands and looked at him with an appraising gaze.
Qiao Huaiyao’s breathing unconsciously eased.
Too close.
Even amidst the complex intertwining of fragrances, Qiao Huaiyao could still accurately distinguish Bai Jinyan’s subtle masculine scent.
Being this close made Qiao Huaiyao blush, unsure whether it was because he had laughed too much just now or…
Bai Jinyan’s eyes lowered slightly, his gaze carefully studying Qiao Huaiyao’s face, concealing the emotions welling up in his eyes. He casually bent the rose and placed it behind Qiao Huaiyao’s ear.
The act of leaning down caused some petals to fall from his body, and Bai Jinyan picked them up and patted Qiao Huaiyao’s waist casually, saying, “Sit there, behave.”
A flower crown made him feel a little embarrassed. Qiao Huaiyao nodded obediently and silently sat in a nearby chair, watching Bai Jinyan wrap the bouquet of flowers.
Barrage: [“???”]
[“I can’t believe this!”]
[“You took off your pants just to show me this?!”]
[“You’re frustrating me so much!”]
[“I can’t save face even if I try to save my dignity.”]
[“We’re all adults here, can’t we be more relaxed?”]
[“Given the occasion and atmosphere, you’re just giving a single rose? Ha… Bai Jinyan, you’re really something.”]
[“So disappointed, let me do it!”]
[“Tsk, as soon as they came in, they tripped up the teachers with their pants.”]
…
Qiao Huaiyao sat calmly, and the warmth on his face gradually faded. His gaze wandered around with no specific focus, and by chance, he glanced at the barrage.
His face instantly turned red again.
What is all this?
He cleared his throat, sat up straight, and quietly turned his phone upside down.
Staying here, he couldn’t concentrate.
The crushed flower petals on his clothes left hard-to-clean marks.
Qiao Huaiyao looked at the rose petals on his skirt and stood up, saying, “Brother, I’ll go change my clothes.”
Each family’s bouquet votes would be announced on Weibo at exactly 9 o’clock in the evening.
Apart from the several official photos of the bouquets they were given, Qiao Huaiyao also noticed that their group had an additional photo of Bai Jinyan wearing a flower crown.
The flower crown was intact, probably captured in the moment before it was undone, making it a screenshot like this.
Excluding the overall family voting, this individual photo had the highest number of votes.
Qiao Huaiyao: “…”
Can they just directly screenshot the live broadcast?
Seeing this photo instantly brought to mind the scene from not long ago.
Qiao Huaiyao shook his head, ate a chip to try to suppress those inexplicable thoughts, and then saw Bai Jinyan passing by. He noticed that Bai Jinyan had changed clothes and couldn’t help but ask, “Brother, are you going out?”
Bai Jinyan put on his watch with one hand. “Night run.”
“I’ll come too.” Qiao Huaiyao put down the chips and stood up, saying, “Wait for me, Brother.”
“Okay.” Bai Jinyan saw him hurrying upstairs. “Take your time, no need to rush.”
Qiao Huaiyao didn’t go for night runs often, but Bai Jinyan had a habit of doing it and would buy him a set of clothes whenever he bought some for himself.
However… Going out at night, the program team didn’t arrange a photographer to follow them.
Late at night, going to find the director seemed a bit troublesome.
Qiao Huaiyao simply took the handheld live-streaming device, removed the stand, and hung the mini camera, just a few centimeters in size, like a necklace in front of him.
Barrage: [“Watching them about to go out, I was actually planning to start calling, but I didn’t expect Qiao Qiao wouldn’t forget us, wuwuwu…”]
[“Moved, my wife is always so thoughtful.”]
[“Did you see that? My wife can’t bear to be separated from me.”]
[“Wait… Wife, you didn’t bring the microphone and headset!”]
Outside, the night was deep, and the incomplete moon hung hazily in the sky.
Qiao Huaiyao rarely saw the moon in the city at night. The night was not as stuffy as the day, making it perfect for night runs.
There weren’t many people downstairs, but there were some things piled up in some places on the road, and a little carelessness could lead to tripping.
Qiao Huaiyao asked, “Are we going to the park over there?”
“Sure,” Bai Jinyan said, “Let’s run there.”
“Great!”
Qiao Huaiyao responded and matched Bai Jinyan’s speed, running side by side with him, but the camera hanging in front of him shook quite a bit.
He didn’t stop running but slowed down and wedged the camera into his collar, making it more stable.
After adjusting, Qiao Huaiyao looked at Bai Jinyan still by his side, and he squinted, patting Bai Jinyan’s shoulder, “Let’s go.”
It was just a spontaneous idea for Qiao Huaiyao, but Bai Jinyan often ran. Even when filming, his schedule was reversed day and night, but it didn’t disrupt his biological clock, and he continued morning runs after filming.
The park was not far from the residential area.
At this time, the security guards at the park entrance had already finished work.
They ran a few laps along the park path.
At first, Bai Jinyan and Qiao Huaiyao ran side by side.
But when they entered a narrow path that couldn’t accommodate two people side by side, Bai Jinyan moved a bit ahead, occasionally turning his head to check where Qiao Huaiyao was.
Under the moonlight, the gleaming moonlight poured onto the path.
Reflecting on Bai Jinyan’s half face, there was no trace of coldness. Although his face was expressionless, there was a touch of gentleness in his every move.
Barrage: [“My goodness, what is this boyfriend’s night run perspective?”]
[“Wuwuwu… It’s a bit of a pity that I can’t hear my wife’s breathing, but just thinking about him watching me struggle and then gently wiping the sweat from my forehead, I can feel it.”]
[“I’ve gotten used to Bai Jinyan’s cold face, but now he’s like this, I really can’t resist.”]
[“Bai Jinyan’s gaze is so gentle. Who said he had a bad temper? That’s just a rumor.”]
[“Hmm, why do I feel like Bai Jinyan’s gaze isn’t directed at the camera?”]
[“Oh my god!”]
Qiao Huaiyao felt like he hadn’t run like this in a long time. In his previous life, after entering university, he chose elective physical education courses, which were relatively easy, and most of his time was spent on studying professional courses.
Running could help people relax, and the feeling of sweating made him unconsciously want to pick up the pace.
In the last lap, they both instinctively slowed down, eventually turning into a slow walk.
After intense exercise, it’s not good to stop abruptly. So, they decided to walk a few more laps around the small park.
The light gasping breath gradually calmed down as they walked for a while. Qiao Huaiyao asked casually, “Brother, when does your school start? Why haven’t I seen you go for registration?”
Bai Jinyan’s school was located locally, not a film academy, but a prestigious university with a focus on science and engineering.
Qiao Huaiyao remembered that in his previous life, when marketing accounts exposed Bai Jinyan’s university, many people were shocked. They couldn’t understand why an actor who had won the Best Actor award in the entertainment industry chose a science and engineering school unrelated to his profession.
At that time, public opinion was in an uproar, and there were speculations that Bai Jinyan might leave the entertainment circle, which even became a hot topic.
“In a few days,” Bai Jinyan said, having carefully planned his schedule, “Our school’s registration date is later, so there’s no rush.”
Sighing, Qiao Huaiyao couldn’t help but feel envious. If only his own university’s registration date could be a bit later, “I have to go to another province in a few days.”
If it weren’t for his emotional outburst, he probably would have chosen to attend the same university as Bai Jinyan.
Although they couldn’t be in the same grade, in the same class, or sitting at the same desk like when they were kids, at least they would be much closer than being in a university in another province.
Bai Jinyan sensed the disappointment in his words and naturally knew what was weighing on his heart, “Tsinghua University suits you better.”
Qiao Huaiyao tilted his head to look at him, but saw Bai Jinyan staring straight ahead without glancing at him.
He chuckled lightly, “What if I had…” but before he could finish his sentence, he stumbled.
Bai Jinyan quickly held him up, his voice unable to hide his concern, “What’s wrong?”
Qiao Huaiyao shook his head, still frowning due to the pain, but tried to reassure, “It’s nothing, just twisted my ankle a bit.”
The path they were on had no streetlights, and the stone road was uneven, which Qiao Huaiyao hadn’t paid much attention to.
It wasn’t that serious, just a bit uncomfortable from the twist.
Seeing Bai Jinyan remaining silent, Qiao Huaiyao added, “It’s okay, I’ll sit for a while and…” His words suddenly stopped when he saw Bai Jinyan squatting down in front of him. “Come up, I’ll carry you.”
The audience in the live stream room who witnessed this scene completely crashed.
[“?! My family, the last line of defense has been breached!”]
[“I saw Bai Jinyan’s mouth move, what did he say? Where’s my royal translator?”]
[“Who knows? That female star he worked with before tripped and asked Bai Jinyan to send her back to the hotel. Without a word, he called for an ambulance. The actress was so angry that she almost crushed the tiles while walking back in high heels.”]
[“I remember that! It even trended at the time. Many people mocked Bai Jinyan, saying he had only just become an adult and had already laid the foundation for decades of being single. I laughed so hard at that, but who would’ve thought… the clown is me?”]
[“Bai Jinyan is polite to others, but he’s gentle and considerate towards Qiao Qiao. The whole world can see that you’re showing double standards!”]
[“Why are you still dawdling? Just confess already!”]
…
Qiao Huaiyao had only been carried on his brother’s back when he was a child. He was stunned for a moment when he saw Bai Jinyan’s gesture and quickly said, “No need, I’m fine, the pain will go away in a while.”
“Hurry up.” Two words, straightforward.
“Brother…”
“Qiao Huaiyao.”
When Bai Jinyan called his full name, Qiao Huaiyao hesitated for a moment, unable to resist his brother, and had no choice but to climb onto his back and mumble, “You could just support me while I walk.”
“No need, it’s a waste of time.” Bai Jinyan stood up straight, calmly saying, “Hold on tight.”