Qin Zhou, clad entirely in black, remained hidden around the corner. As Pei Yisheng walked by, Qin Zhou opened his arms and immediately pulled him into an embrace the moment the other man walked straight into his chest. Noticing that Pei Yisheng’s cheeks were icy cold, he even freed one hand to warm them up.
However, the movements of his hands were far from innocent rubbing and squeezing making it unclear whether he was offering warmth or simply taking advantage of the situation.
Pei Yisheng’s eyes flew wide open, looking like a startled cat under the sensor lights. Once he realized the person in front of him was Qin Zhou, his anger flared. He lifted his foot and stomped down hard. “Why are you everywhere like some haunting ghost!”
But the power of his cotton slippers was insufficient. The soles were soft, and his feet were soft; when he stepped onto Qin Zhou’s board shoes, the impact only served to make Pei Yisheng’s expression stiffen from the jarring sensation.
Qin Zhou was focused entirely on capturing every one of Pei Yisheng’s movements. Seeing his features twist slightly, he found him so lethally adorable that he let out a near-sigh. “Baby, why are you so cute?”
Unable to restrain himself, he leaned closer to Pei Yisheng, his high bridge of his nose tucking into the scarf to brush against the fair skin, sniffing the warm, mellow fragrance clinging to Pei Yisheng’s body.
“Qin Zhou, you pervert!” Pei Yisheng’s hands were full. He couldn’t bear to throw away the spicy soup, nor the meat burger. With no way to attack Qin Zhou, he could only stomp on him fiercely once more.
Qin Zhou looked up, expressionless, allowing Pei Yisheng to keep his foot there. As if that wasn’t enough, he leaned in and asked, “Do you want to step on me with the other foot too? I’ll hold you so you don’t fall.”
Only then did Pei Yisheng realize that Qin Zhou had been holding him by the waist the entire time. Finding himself restricted at every turn, Pei Yisheng stopped struggling. He took a deep breath and spoke in the calmest voice he could muster, “Qin Zhou, what exactly do you want?”
“I feel my attitude has already been very clear. Right now, I only want to study hard and live a good life. I don’t want to consider anything else. Doing this only brings me trouble, do you understand?”
The sky was gradually brightening, and Pei Yisheng’s eyes shimmered with a faint light in the early morning.
Qin Zhou made no effort to hide his desire. The look in his eyes as he watched Pei Yisheng was like a dog eyeing a meat bone—staring straight at him. “But baby, can you really live a ‘good life’?”
Qin Zhou didn’t ask often, but when he did, he struck the mark.
Pei Yisheng couldn’t live a good life at all. The burden on his shoulders was too heavy; he had to earn money to support his family and himself, and he had to deal with the three others in his dormitory. Once the balance among them was broken, Pei Yisheng would inevitably get hurt.
Even Qin Zhou himself would never be willing to back down if Pei Yisheng chose someone else. He would only fight; he would only snatch, until he kept Pei Yisheng by his side.
He could not accept any outcome where Pei Yisheng did not belong to him. Therefore, he pressed on step by step. While Song Wen was still playing games of ambiguity, he had already locked onto his target; while Wen Xiuyun was still trying to “boil the frog in lukewarm water,” he made a direct strike.
“Baby, your moral compass is just too high.”
“You can completely make use of me,” Qin Zhou said, sounding like a siren tempting a lost traveler at sea.
“You know my background. If you’re willing, you can absolutely use my influence as a shield to reject anything or anyone you want to reject.”
“Actually, you’ve been troubled for a long time, haven’t you? Even if you move out of the dorm, so what?”
Qin Zhou gently turned Pei Yisheng’s face, looking with him toward the bedroom. The curtains were still drawn, making it hard to see, but both Qin Zhou and Pei Yisheng knew that his bed was positioned right toward that window.
“If I can find you immediately, they naturally can too.”
“This house cannot be your safe harbor,” Qin Zhou said candidly. “But I can be.”
Pei Yisheng pursed his lips stubbornly. His downcast eyelashes trembled slightly, and his nose twitched occasionally; anyone who saw him would feel their heart soften.
Qin Zhou was wondering if he had spoken too harshly and frightened the boy when he heard Pei Yisheng ask in a low voice, “Then what should I do?”
The panic, helplessness, and confusion in that voice made Qin Zhou’s heart tighten. He opened his mouth and, surprisingly, found himself unable to keep taking advantage of the situation. Subconsciously, he swapped the phrase “Be my boyfriend” for “Come live at my house.”
After saying it, Qin Zhou felt a bit of regret, but not much. He followed the train of thought and continued, “If you move to my place, they definitely won’t dare harass you. Then, you can study when you want and work when you want. Besides, I’ve already seen you in women’s clothing; you won’t even have to sneak around. You don’t even need to change neighborhoods my place is in the very next building.”
Qin Zhou gave Pei Yisheng time to think. If Pei Yisheng didn’t agree, he had other bargaining chips, but those would surely push him further away, and Qin Zhou didn’t want to use them.
Pei Yisheng’s eyelids were half-closed. After an unknown amount of time, he slowly leaned toward Qin Zhou, resting his chin on Qin Zhou’s shoulder in silence.
To Qin Zhou, this was an agreement. Although the result wasn’t exactly what he had envisioned, a staged victory was still a victory. He hugged Pei Yisheng tightly, wishing he could embed the boy into his own body.
Little did he know that the person leaning on his shoulder first stifled a yawn. His beautiful apricot-shaped eyes brimmed with a bit of moisture from the yawn, yet they couldn’t hide the clever spark within.
Pei Yisheng had already considered the circumstances Qin Zhou mentioned ever since the plot went off track. He had been thinking about how to break the deadlock, and Qin Zhou’s suggestion gave him fresh inspiration.
Since Qin Zhou was willing to be this shield, why shouldn’t he use him? Dealing with one person was surely better than dealing with three.
Pei Yisheng tried to relax, letting Qin Zhou take most of his body weight. Just like that, in the winter morning light, they stood like a pair of embracing statues.
After returning home, Pei Yisheng quickly shed his clothes, kicked off his shoes, and poured himself a cup of hot water.
The spicy soup from breakfast was now ice cold, and the meat burger was no longer crisp and fragrant like it was when fresh out of the pan, but Pei Yisheng still ate happily.
Su Yiyi rubbed her eyes as she came out of the bedroom. Seeing Pei Yisheng still in the dining area at this time, she found it hard to believe. “Did you just get back?”
“Yeah.” Pei Yisheng pointed toward the microwave. “Your soup and burger are inside. Just heat them up.”
While Su Yiyi sat opposite Pei Yisheng, blowing on a spoonful of hot soup to cool it down, Pei Yisheng wiped his mouth and said he was going to pack his things.
“Pack what? Your room is clean enough already.” Su Yiyi had completely let herself go in this house. Her own bedroom was already a mess; if she hadn’t felt too embarrassed to let Pei Yisheng maintain the common areas alone, the living room and kitchen would have suffered the same fate.
Pei Yisheng suddenly felt a bit afraid to say he was moving out and moving into Qin Zhou’s place at that. The “slap in the face” had come too fast and too loud; how would he ever be able to hold his head up in front of Su Yiyi again?
As expected, he had agreed too readily. He should have considered it a bit more.
Pei Yisheng said vaguely that he was just packing some daily necessities and putting the rest into storage.
Although Su Yiyi still found it strange, everyone had different personal habits, so she offered her silent respect and blessings.
Before long, Pei Yisheng had packed one large suitcase and one small suitcase, placing them by the door. This move was truly confusing.
Su Yiyi’s mouth was as sharp as if it were dipped in poison. “Why put them by the door? Are you planning to throw them out in a bit?”
“No, I… well…” Pei Yisheng found it difficult to speak.
Su Yiyi’s eyes narrowed slightly. “You’re not going to tell me that you’re stopping the co-rental, are you?”
Pei Yisheng waved his hands frantically. “No, no, no, of course we’re still co-renting.”
“Then what do you mean by this?” Su Yiyi crossed her arms, looking at him fiercely.
Pei Yisheng desperately tried to organize his words, wanting to downplay the situation and ideally keep Su Yiyi from finding out who his new roommate was. But the doorbell suddenly rang, startling him. Su Yiyi, struck by a sudden realization, practically lunged toward the door and threw it open.
“Let me see who the home-wrecker is… QIN ZHOU!!!”
Qin Zhou stood at the door, holding two luxury makeup gift boxes in his hands. Hearing the word “home-wrecker,” he raised an eyebrow. His cold, handsome features took on a hint of mischief as he curled his lips and asked the stunned Pei Yisheng in the living room, “Is this how you’ve been introducing me to people?”
Su Yiyi also looked toward Pei Yisheng, her shock completely undisguised. She looked like a sister who had just discovered her friend had been eating a gourmet feast behind her back. She pointed a trembling finger at Pei Yisheng, looking so heartbroken that Pei Yisheng felt as though he had committed a heinous crime.
Pei Yisheng immediately rushed forward to explain, only to hear Su Yiyi whisper like a little demon in his ear, “Did you get to touch Qin Zhou’s abs?”
Pei Yisheng: “…”
He didn’t dare look at Qin Zhou, fearing the man would die of laughter.
Looking at Pei Yisheng’s flushed face, Qin Zhou was considerate enough not to ask what was said. He reached out and hung the two bags on Su Yiyi’s trembling hands. “Thank you for taking care of him during this time. He should have told you already I’m here to take him over to my place.”