Bai Jinyan calmly played the role of an immobile pillow. In the downward glance, he noticed all of Qiao Huaiyao’s little movements.
He couldn’t help but chuckle.
However, his laughter was clearly caught by Qiao Huaiyao.
Qiao Huaiyao suddenly looked up, with no trace of drowsiness in his eyes, looking at him and slowly blinking his eyes.
No words were spoken; they just looked at each other like that.
Bai Jinyan paused for a moment. Qiao Huaiyao’s eyes seemed a bit bewildered, like a just-awakened kitten, groggy, with his fingers slightly curled in front of him.
In that moment, Bai Jinyan’s heart softened completely.
“Good boy,” Bai Jinyan lightly patted his back, “I won’t speak.”
Qiao Huaiyao tilted his head, and the alcohol made his thinking sluggish. His gaze fell on Bai Jinyan’s lips.
Bai Jinyan pursed his lips and couldn’t help but lean down to give him a kiss.
Qiao Huaiyao widened his eyes suddenly, “Mmm…”
After the kiss, Qiao Huaiyao buried himself in Bai Jinyan’s embrace, hiding securely without showing a trace.
Whether it was due to the alcohol or the previous kiss, Qiao Huaiyao’s ears were very red.
As his Adam’s apple moved slightly, Bai Jinyan didn’t kiss him again.
Instead, he stayed quiet, just like this, holding and gently patting his back, comforting him silently.
Until Qiao Huaiyao fell asleep, Bai Jinyan let go, draping his arm over him, embracing through the covers.
The room was too quiet. He looked at Qiao Huaiyao’s peaceful sleeping face.
Half of his face was hidden in his embrace, his beautiful eyes tightly closed, and his delicate profile made one want to place a kiss upon it.
The sky slowly changed. Bai Jinyan gradually felt drowsy, muted his phone, and placed it on the bedside.
He held Qiao Huaiyao, turning to block the incoming light, and slowly closed his eyes.
…
The time was unknown.
There was no clock in the bedroom, and the timed alarm on his phone didn’t ring.
When Qiao Huaiyao woke up, the sky outside was somewhat dark.
He moved his arm and belatedly realized that he was being held by Bai Jinyan.
Qiao Huaiyao glanced at the sky outside and felt it was still early.
The room was kept at a constant temperature, and even with a thin blanket, it was a bit warm.
Qiao Huaiyao tugged the blanket down a bit, leaning back into Bai Jinyan’s embrace and fell asleep again.
He slept through until the next morning.
Qiao Huaiyao sat at the edge of the bed, still feeling a bit groggy from the remnants of alcohol.
Wasn’t it bright outside when he came back yesterday? How did time pass so quickly…
Qiao Huaiyao pinched his forehead, realizing that it’s easy to forget time after drinking and falling asleep.
“Brother,” Qiao Huaiyao walked out of the bedroom, just as he stepped out, the image of him using Bai Jinyan as a pillow flashed in his mind.
Qiao Huaiyao: “…”
He paused where he was, not knowing whether to go forward or backward.
Qiao Huaiyao pursed his lips, feeling a bit regretful.
Indeed, he shouldn’t drink, whether his brother is around or not.
Not afraid of doing something while drunk, but afraid of the memories after being drunk. After sobering up, it’s like watching a slideshow in your mind, frame by frame.
Bai Jinyan rubbed his head and handed him freshly brewed fruit tea, “Drink this.”
After drinking alcohol, it’s easy to get thirsty. Qiao Huaiyao took the fruit tea and muttered, “I won’t drink alcohol again in the future.”
Bai Jinyan paused, a smile appearing on his face, “Occasionally having a little is fine.”
“Hmm?” Qiao Huaiyao sipped the fruit tea, his slightly widened eyes filled with doubt.
Bai Jinyan reached out and ruffled his hair, smiling, “But you must drink only when I’m around.”
Qiao Huaiyao had heard this line a long time ago but still responded, “Okay.”
There was no early class today.
Qiao Huaiyao sat on the couch, drinking the fruit tea and scrolling through messages.
He hadn’t looked at his phone for so long, and there were quite a few unread messages.
Apart from Director Zhao Jiamo and the Chemistry Department group chat, the dormitory’s small group chat had the most unread messages.
The messages numbered 99.
Qiao Huaiyao only scrolled up twice.
The latest message was from the early morning.
Maybe it’s not good to show emotions too clearly in front of Bai Jinyan. He suppressed them and started chatting in the group.
Various emoticons and exclamation marks flooded the screen, expressing emotions couldn’t be conveyed through normal typing.
While he was scrolling up, Qiao Huaiyao didn’t go further. At this moment, a new message popped up in the group.
Qiu Shufeng: [I really have to thank you. I slept in until morning, dreamed of Study God and Brother Bai’s wedding, and got scared awake because I ate too much. It scared me awake in an instant.]
Qiao Huaiyao: “…”
Not knowing what to reply, he sent an emoticon without much meaning.
Qiu Shufeng: [Study God, you’re up so early? You didn’t speak in the group during the celebration yesterday; it was really a shame. But speaking of which, it’s been a whole night, and I’m still a bit dazed. You’re really amazing, secretly in love with Bai Jinyan.]
Qiao Huaiyao: [He doesn’t know.]
Qiu Shufeng: [Don’t worry, I understand. I definitely won’t say. Unlike Yu Luofan, that big mouth, almost exposing it.]
Qiao Huaiyao: [Good.]
Yu Luofan, who had been peeking at the screen, made a cold statement: [You can’t say that, you didn’t have time.]
He realized it didn’t sound right and quickly rephrased his words.
It could be said that Qiu Shufeng was lucky; he was a step too slow.
Yu Luofan: [But it’s good that you two are together.]
Qiu Shufeng: [Yes, with my sharp eyes, I saw something was off before. How can brothers take care of each other like this? With my brother, it’s either he dies or I die!]
Yu Luofan: [Have you ever thought that they were taking care of each other even when they were just brothers and not together yet? Look at Brother Bai’s attitude towards Study God.]
Qiu Shufeng: [I knew it! It must be something wrong with my brother; I need to get a new one!]
Yu Luofan: […]
Qiao Huaiyao couldn’t help but chuckle when he saw Yu Luofan’s speechless expression.
Bai Jinyan said, “Huaiyao, I’ll be heading to the set for a while. I might be back in the afternoon.”
Qiao Huaiyao had morning classes today. “Sure, I’ll come to find you after my classes.”
Bai Jinyan took the half-finished fruit tea from him, added more to fill a cup, and handed it over. “Zhao Jiamo mentioned a live interactive segment for the show. Are you interested?”
“Live interaction?” Qiao Huaiyao sipped his fruit tea, remembering the messages he hadn’t read yet. He had intended to finish reading the group chat messages before responding to others but forgot other messaging apps once Qiu Shufeng woke up and started chatting in the group.
Bai Jinyan said calmly, “You can decline if you want; it’s not in the contract.”
Zhao Jaemo probably saw the high popularity and wanted to boost the live platform’s viewership. The live platform was only occasionally used during the recording of variety shows, and its popularity had been dropping since the show ended. Zhao Jiamo’s platform needed a way to regain attention.
Qiao Huaiyao nodded. “I have a lot of classes lately; we can discuss it later.”
The days with fewer classes had passed, and he had to follow the schedule when there were no exams. His timetable was packed, making it challenging to find time for live broadcasting after spending time with Bai Jinyan.
Zhao Jiamo sent a message asking about this matter, explaining the benefits and perks of participating in the live segment. Qiao Huaiyao replied to his previous message but didn’t make a decision yet.
Zhao Jiamo: [That’s fine. It’s okay to focus on your studies. Let me know when you have some free time. We can arrange the live broadcast anytime, no time or location restrictions. The live broadcast contract is also straightforward, mainly for promotional purposes. Please remember to reach out to me.]
Bai Jinyan and Qiao Huaiyao had the highest popularity in the group, and Zhao Jiamo wanted to sign them up. He had sent a message to Qiao Huaiyao first and then went to find Bai Jinyan because he knew very well that if Qiao Huaiyao declined, Bai Jinyan would definitely not participate in the live broadcast.
A few other guests in the group were too busy and hadn’t made their decisions yet. Zhao Jiamo calculated that they couldn’t start multiple live broadcasts simultaneously.
After replying to the message, Qiao Huaiyao put his phone down. There was a knock at the door, and Bai Jinyan opened it to receive a bouquet of roses. He then handed the roses to Qiao Huaiyao.
The rose bouquet was late on the first day due to a delivery issue. However, the subsequent deliveries were on time, as Bai Jinyan had become familiar with the route.
Bai Jinyan had chosen the time just after Qiao Huaiyao’s morning class and before the first class. It wouldn’t disturb Qiao Huaiyao’s sleep too early, and he would receive the roses shortly after waking up.
“It’s a new day,” Bai Jinyan handed over the roses. When Qiao Huaiyao reached for them and their palms touched, he leaned in and lightly kissed Qiao Huaiyao on the lips.
Then, he ruffled Qiao Huaiyao’s hair and said, “I’ll take you to class later.”
Qiao Huaiyao smiled, “Okay.”
These roses were challenging to keep alive; if left in the dormitory, they would wither slowly over time. Perhaps due to the variety of roses chosen, they didn’t look wrinkled and unsightly after wilting but remained small and blooming.
Qiao Huaiyao placed the newly received bouquet in a prominent position. He took down the previous bouquet from that spot, unwrapped it, and separated the individual roses.
The petals weren’t completely dry, so he handled them with care, but some petals still fell as he gathered them.
As Qiao Huaiyao was arranging the petals, Bai Jinyan took one of the single roses. After trimming the stem, he gently placed it by Qiao Huaiyao’s ear.
Qiao Huaiyao was momentarily stunned and asked, “Brother, what are you…”
Click.
The sound of the camera shutter.
Qiao Huaiyao felt something on his ear and instinctively reached to touch it.
Bai Jinyan had taken the rose away.
Thinking of the shutter sound just now and seeing Bai Jinyan holding his phone, Qiao Huaiyao exclaimed, “Brother!”
Bai Jinyan turned and ran.
“No running,” Qiao Huaiyao left the roses on the table and chased after him, saying, “Let me see the photos you took.”
The single-person dorm was quite small.
They chased each other in a circle and came back.
There were some discarded bouquet wrappings scattered on the floor.
Some were folded together, and when Qiao Huaiyao stepped on them inadvertently, two sheets of paper slipped apart.
Bai Jinyan immediately stopped, opened his arms, and Qiao Huaiyao fell perfectly into his embrace.
Qiao Huaiyao casually took the trimmed rose from Bai Jinyan’s hand and tucked it behind Bai Jinyan’s ear.
He chuckled and lifted the corner of his mouth, saying, “You take a photo too.”
“Sure,” Bai Jinyan complied naturally, even handing his phone to Qiao Huaiyao.
Qiao Huaiyao moved closer and took a few shots, capturing the rose tucked behind the ear in clear detail.
Bai Jinyan leaned down to kiss him and said, “Change out of your pajamas; it’s time for class.”
Qiao Huaiyao nodded in agreement.
When he came out after changing clothes, the wrapping paper from the bouquet of roses scattered on the living room floor had been tidied up and put in the trash.
The fallen rose petals were wrapped separately in tissue.
And the other roses were neatly placed on the table to dry.
Sorted and organized neatly.
…
Bai Jinyan didn’t wear a hat when he went out. Due to the previous activity on Weibo, many people now knew that Bai Jinyan was currently at Qing University.
It was easy to guess who the person was next to Qiao Huaiyao.
So, there was no need for him to wear a hat.
Some students who saw them would stop and observe but not approach.
They walked from the dormitory to the teaching building without anyone stopping them.
Bai Jinyan had something to do with the crew, so he left Qiao Huaiyao at the teaching building.
When Qiao Huaiyao entered on his own, Qiu Shufeng clearly saw something.
“Hey, Study God, really enviable…” Considering there were other students nearby, Qiu Shufeng mouthed the words ‘single dog’ without making a sound, feeling like he was automatically muted, and then added the unfinished sentence, “enviable.”
Qiao Huaiyao smiled but didn’t say anything.
The postcards sandwiched in the books were already signed by Bai Jinyan yesterday.
Qiao Huaiyao handed these to Wang Zhan. “Your signed postcards.”
There weren’t many postcards; these were the few left in the suitcase from a previous event.
Without these, there wouldn’t even be a card available for signing.
“Thank you, Study God!” Wang Zhan took the postcards and started laughing happily.
Qiu Shufeng, feeling disdainful, thought, “When I got the postcards signed by Study God earlier, he didn’t look this happy, did he?!”
Qiao Huaiyao sat in his seat, organized his notes and books, and waited for class to begin.
Many people noticed Bai Jinyan bringing Qiao Huaiyao to class, but even with close friends, they only said, “The brothers have a good relationship. The older one takes care of the younger one.”
Wang Zhan heard someone say this and immediately refuted in his mind.
It’s too shallow to think in this way.
Expand the perspective, think bigger.
Wang Zhan had lively thoughts in his mind, but he only kept them to himself and didn’t dare to speak out.
In the morning, there were two classes, not taught by the same teacher, but they were held in the same large lecture hall.
There was no need to run up and down changing classrooms, which was considered convenient.
The break between classes was ten minutes, and the break between classes was twenty minutes.
For some classes that needed to move from the large lecture hall to a smaller one, if they were given only ten minutes, and if the teacher slightly extended the class or talked a bit more, the students might end up being late for the next class.
In the same classroom, they attended four hours of classes.
Qiu Shufeng stretched lazily and said, “Thinking about the classes later, all these consecutive long classes give me a headache.”
In high school, there were four classes in the morning, with a break.
In university, there were fewer classes, but the time remained the same, and the break time was reduced.
Wang Zhan had been excited since he got the signed postcards and was still very happy now after sitting through all these classes.
After such a long class, there was no sign of weariness on his face.
Qiao Huaiyao closed his notebook and organized the books for the two classes.
At that moment, the teacher at the podium had turned off the computer and was packing up. The teacher said, “Class is over. Hand in your assignments to the class monitor, and submit them to me by next Wednesday after organizing them.”
“Hey—,” Qiu Shufeng stood up and stretched lazily, “Sitting for so long makes my bones ache.”
Yu Luofan patted his shoulder and reminded him, “Today the teacher ended class on time. Hurry to the cafeteria to grab a spot. Do you want to eat lunch in the afternoon?”
“Forget it,” Qiu Shufeng hurriedly packed up his things, relying on extremely fast speed to be the first one out of the classroom.
Compared to Qiu Shufeng’s urgency, Qiao Huaiyao was much calmer.
Qiao Huaiyao: [I’m done with class.]
After he sent a message to Bai Jinyan, he picked up his books and notes to leave.
Qiao Huaiyao intended to go to the filming set after returning the books, but just as he walked out of the classroom door, he immediately saw Bai Jinyan standing by the window in the corridor.
Seeing him, a smile involuntarily formed at the corner of Qiao Huaiyao’s mouth. “Brother, why are you here? Have you finished everything at the filming set?”
Bai Jinyan looked calm and took the books and notebook from Qiao Huaiyao’s hands with one hand while holding Qiao Huaiyao’s hand that was hanging by his side with the other. He said with a faint smile, “I came to pick you up after class.”
And then to take you to the filming set together.