Chapter 21 – Bubble
The small path in front had few fallen leaves, indicating it had been cleaned. Only a few scattered leaves remained on the trees on both sides, ready to fall.
Qiao Huaiyao followed Bai Jinyan from a slightly farther position. The beautiful scenery of autumn at Qing University failed to capture even a fraction of his attention.
The warmth in their hands spread as their palms touched.
Walking along the path, Bai Jinyan didn’t let go of Qiao Huaiyao’s hand, and Qiao Huaiyao didn’t remind him either. They strolled leisurely, as if taking a walk after a meal.
Qiao Huaiyao had a faint smile on his face. He thought casually that it would be nice if this path had no end.
Qing University had a large campus, and they had been walking forward for quite a while, but they hadn’t reached the outskirts of the campus yet.
Qiao Huaiyao lightly shook his hand and said nonchalantly, “Brother, how about you go to the airport early tomorrow? You’re not familiar with this area, and if you go late, you might miss your flight.”
The most important thing was that if Bai Jinyan went early, Qiao Huaiyao could accompany him to the airport and return in time for the first class, which started before nine.
Bai Jinyan raised an eyebrow. “Worried about me missing the flight?”
His eyes were filled with a meaningful smirk. Qiao Huaiyao cleared his throat and quickly changed the topic, “The guidebook says there’s a plaza ahead. Shouldn’t you wear a mask, brother?”
Although it wasn’t peak tourist season, it’s better to be cautious to avoid being recognized while walking there.
Bai Jinyan lowered his hat, which now covered most of his face, and said there was no need to wear a mask. “I’ll message you before boarding, don’t come to see me off.”
Qiao Huaiyao pursed his lips and sighed lightly. He had looked at Bai Jinyan’s schedule after leaving Qing University, and it was packed with various activities, leaving little time for rest, even in the evenings.
In other words, the chance of meeting Bai Jinyan was close to zero, unless he took a break and visited him.
Even then, they wouldn’t see each other for almost half a month due to Bai Jinyan’s departure.
Sensing Qiao Huaiyao’s downcast mood, Bai Jinyan thought for a moment and said, “My phone won’t be on silent when I’m working.”
Qiao Huaiyao was taken aback and understood Bai Jinyan’s implied meaning. He squinted his eyes and teased, “Shouldn’t you set it to priority mode for me?”
Bai Jinyan neither confirmed nor denied, just reached out to ruffle his hair. “Let’s go, let’s head up.”
Qiao Huaiyao obediently replied, “Okay.”
It gets dark early in autumn. They were already late coming out, and as they leisurely walked to the end of the small path, they hadn’t paid attention to the time.
When they looked up at the clock on the square, they realized it was almost 4 pm.
Pigeons gathered in a bunch on the ground.
They were taken care of by a relevant department, not for profit, just kept there. Someone cleaned the square and fed them, but many tourists also brought their own food to feed the pigeons.
As a result, the pigeons were plump and some even struggled to fly due to their full bellies.
Seeing someone approaching, the pigeons lazily stayed still.
However, a few at the edge of the fence were poking their heads out; judging from their size, they were new arrivals.
Bai Jinyan picked up a bag of pigeon feed from a nearby vendor.
The pigeons were quite clever and were familiar with the sight of the feed bag. As soon as they saw Bai Jinyan holding it, they swarmed towards him, cooing.
Qiao Huaiyao waved his hand in front of him, and the pigeons that had flown up exploded into a flutter of feathers.
Seeing Bai Jinyan covered in pigeons, Qiao Huaiyao couldn’t resist and took out his phone.
As he raised the phone’s camera, he captured Bai Jinyan’s eyes, which showed a hint of helplessness but also a playful glint.
Qiao Huaiyao’s finger hesitated, attempting to explain, “That…,” but before he could finish, Bai Jinyan casually lifted his hat, revealing his face.
Qiao Huaiyao’s eyes brightened, and without hesitation, he pressed the shutter.
Bai Jinyan said, “Come and feed the pigeons.”
“Okay,” Qiao Huaiyao put away his phone and went over, pouring some pigeon feed into his hand.
The pigeons, with their bean-sized eyes filled with anticipation, rushed onto Qiao Huaiyao’s hand as soon as he offered the feed.
Some didn’t find a spot on his wrist and flew to his shoulder, while others attempted to land on his hair.
Qiao Huaiyao instinctively stepped back, so Bai Jinyan put his hat on Qiao Huaiyao’s head.
“Hmm?” With the brim covering his line of sight, Qiao Huaiyao could only raise his head slightly. “Bro? Why did you…”
Bai Jinyan calmly stated, “There aren’t many people here now, no need to worry about being recognized.”
Although Qiao Huaiyao noticed that there weren’t many young people around the square, he still felt a bit uneasy. After he finished feeding the pigeons, he took off the hat and put it back on Bai Jinyan’s head.
“At six or seven, it’ll get crowded,” Qiao Huaiyao adjusted the hair under Bai Jinyan’s hat. “Shall we go inside? There seems to be some vendors selling things. Want to take a look?”
Bai Jinyan lowered his head, allowing Qiao Huaiyao to fix his hair. He responded, “Let’s go.”
Inside the square, there was a row of small vendors.
From a distance, they couldn’t see clearly, but as they got closer, they realized they were selling toys for children.
The area near the vendors was filled with bubbles.
Qiao Huaiyao looked in the direction of the bubbles and saw a child blowing bubbles with a bubble wand.
A faint buzzing sound reached his ears.
Before he could figure out where the sound came from, bubbles flew past his ears.
Many consecutive bubbles reflected a warm orange hue mixed with subtle colors under the setting sun.
As a bubble flew nearby, it burst with a ‘pop,’ and more bubbles formed in its wake.
Bai Jinyan raised his hand, holding a bubble wand, and offered it to Qiao Huaiyao, asking, “Do you like it?”
Qiao Huaiyao’s eyes curved into a smile. Bai Jinyan wouldn’t think he wanted the child’s bubble wand, right?
Bai Jinyan also picked up the largest bubble wand from one of the vendors.
Naive and childlike!
“This can be taken home.”
Qiao Huaiyao pressed the bubble machine switch and watched the bubbles scatter in all directions. One landed on his sleeve, unusually not bursting immediately, but stuck to the fabric instead. As he moved his arm, the bubble swayed along with it.
His eyes lit up, and he couldn’t help but speak softly, “Brother, look.”
“Hmm?” Bai Jinyan lowered his head, brushed off the bubble with his hand, and smoothed the wrinkles on his sleeve. “All good now.”
“???” – “Brother!”
Moments later, three unburst bubbles landed on Qiao Huaiyao’s sleeve.
Later in the day, as the sunset painted half the sky in reddish hues, Bai Jinyan, holding the bubble machine, led Qiao Huaiyao, who was checking the map on his phone, and asked, “Hungry? Let’s eat before we head back.”
After some thought, Qiao Huaiyao said hesitantly, “Brother, I want to eat what you make.”
Bai Jinyan, not concerned about time constraints, replied, “Then let’s go to the supermarket first.”
Their dorm room had a small but well-equipped kitchenette, and buying groceries would allow them to cook.
Qiao Huaiyao sounded a bit cheerier as he agreed, “Great.”
The university had a sizable supermarket on campus with a wide range of items, including fresh seafood, considering the city’s proximity to the sea. They didn’t wander far, and after buying groceries, they returned to their room.
When they turned on the lights in the dorm, the barrage of the live streaming platform immediately started:
[“Staying in the live stream all day, I feel like an abandoned child… sob…”]
[“You still know how to come back!? Bai Jinyan must have charmed your soul away!”
[“The others talk about you, but I’m different; I’m all soft and won’t get mad, I’ll just send love and kill them.”]
…
Qiao Huaiyao didn’t check the live stream and instead helped with washing the vegetables, assisting Bai Jinyan in the kitchen. Though it was already late, Bai Jinyan didn’t just make a few simple dishes; he picked ingredients based on Qiao Huaiyao’s preferences, making sure it suited his taste.
The barrage complained, [“Having dinner so late at night, isn’t this poisoning us!”]
[“Darn it, it’s lovey-dovey and late-night snacks again! Is this the content a family variety show should broadcast?!”]
[“Why not just focus on eating on camera? Why can’t the bedroom be shown? Is the bedroom inferior?! #UnfairToBedrooms#”]
It was almost 11 PM when they finished their meal.
Qiao Huaiyao had wanted to chat with the viewers, but realizing how late it was, he put down his phone and said, “Brother, you should rest first; it’s very late.”
Bai Jinyan had an early flight the next day.
“Hmm,” Bai Jinyan put down the script he was reading halfway through, turned off the living room light, and took Qiao Huaiyao directly into the bedroom.
Bai Jinyan succinctly said, “Sleep.”
“??!!”
Inside the bedroom, Qiao Huaiyao lay on the bed, gazing at Bai Jinyan’s profile under the faint moonlight.
His mind was a jumble of thoughts and emotions, making it hard for him to feel at peace.
Thankfully, BaiJinyan had already fallen asleep, sparing him further confusion.
Knowing Bai Jinyan was going to leave the next day…
Tomorrow’s flight…
Qiao Huaiyao lowered his gaze, his actions slow and gentle as he turned to snuggle closer to Bai Jinyan.
He had thought he would be nervous and unable to sleep when sharing a bed with Bai Jinyan, but listening to his even breathing, he gradually felt drowsy and eventually fell asleep.
The next morning, just as the sky was breaking dawn, the alarm on the bedside phone rang.
BaiJinyan heard the noise and worried about waking Qiao Huaiyao. He was about to turn it off when he saw Qiao Huaiyao shift and stop the alarm.
Bai Jinyan asked, “Why did you set the alarm so early?”
Qiao Huaiyao, still half-asleep, sat up and let out a little sneeze, replying in a drowsy voice, “I want to go with you.”
Fearing Bai Jinyan might refuse, he added quickly, “Just to see you off at the school gate; it won’t make me late for class.”
Seeing Bai Jinyan not speaking, Qiao Huaiyao blinked his eyes and, still feeling sleepy, added, “Brother…”
His voice was soft and lacking energy, drawn out like a fluffy little creature seeking comfort.
Bai Jinyan hesitated for a moment, then turned and said, “Go wash up. We’ll have breakfast first.”
Qiao Huaiyao nodded and promised to prepare quickly, knowing that Bai Jinyan had to catch his flight.
“Okay,” Bai Jinyan agreed and turned to leave. But before Qiao Huaiyao could go, Bai Jinyan’s car had already left.
Qiao Huaiyao stood by the roadside until the car disappeared from sight before turning back towards the campus.
As the days passed, the weather gradually cooled. During this autumn period, the temperature fluctuated throughout the day, and the weather forecast couldn’t give precise answers.
In the afternoon, with no classes, Qiao Huaiyao stayed in the dormitory and chatted with Bai Jinyan through their phones.
It had been more than half a month since he had started living with Bai Jinyan after his rebirth, and he was already used to being together. Now, with their sudden separation, he felt a little uneasy.
Bai Jinyan would start school soon and needed to balance his work in the entertainment industry with his academic schedule. However, no matter how busy Bai Jinyan was, Qiao Huaiyao always received a response to his messages. If Bai Jinyan couldn’t type due to being busy, he would send an emoji or two.
For the past few days, Bai Jinyan hadn’t streamed live, and when Qiao Huaiyao idly opened the live streaming app, he saw the rooms of other artists brightly lit, but Bai Jinyan’s room was empty.
It seemed the crew was shooting scenes for other actors, and Bai Jinyan took the opportunity to make up for the variety show’s runtime.
He was wearing the same outfit as in the previously released publicity photos.
In the live stream, he looked even better than in the official pictures.
“Jinyan.” The assistant hesitated and approached with a sheepish smile. “Jin Zi Rui feels like he can’t handle his upcoming scenes. He’s not confident in his acting and fears he won’t be able to respond to your scenes. So he asked if you could rehearse with him before the actual filming starts. If it doesn’t work, we’ll get a stand-in…”
The assistant’s voice grew softer and softer, and he felt this request was impolite, but neither side was someone he could afford to offend, so he had to deliver the message.
Bai Jinyan frowned and exuded an icy aura as he said coldly, “If he can’t handle it—”
At the same time, a delayed message appeared in the live chat: “Your special VIP has entered the VIP seat in the live stream room.”
Bai Jinyan paused.
He was using his personal account, and the only person he specially followed was Qiao Huaiyao.
The barrage of comments translated Bai Jinyan’s intended words: [“If he can’t handle it, he can get lost!”]
[“Get lost quickly.”]
[“A useless person doesn’t deserve to be in the cast.”]
[“Pass the role to someone who deserves it!”]
…
However, when Bai Jinyan spoke, his words changed to, “Go learn; if you can’t handle it, go learn.”
Barrage: [ “???”]
What nonsense are you talking about? Why don’t you scold him!