Qin Er was satisfied. “Mm, good.”
Chen Zhao: “By the way, Brother, I…”
Qin Er: “What’s wrong?”
Chen Zhao adopted a sweet, high-pitched voice. “Brother, I spent so much money traveling these past two days, and I’m totally out of funds now. My wallet is completely empty…”
Immediately, a notification chimed on his phone.
QE: [Transfer of 80,000 RMB.]
Chen Zhao’s eyes lit up. “Oh no, Brother, this is way too much! Just a little bit would have been enough!”
At the same time, his fingers instantly tapped to accept the transfer.
“Oh dear! I accidentally clicked it! I should give it back to you, Brother…”
“Just use it since you’ve accepted it,” a deep voice said. “Just don’t ask me for more anytime soon.”
“Then I guess I have no choice but to thank you, Brother~” Chen Zhao snickered in his head. “Goodbye, Brother! I’m going back to hanging out with my friend!”
The line cut to a busy tone, and Chen Zhao wiped away a heavy cold sweat. “Scared the life out of me.”
“What’s wrong?” Seeing him like this, Jiang Yuzhou asked.
“Qin Er is practically acting like my dad. He wants to micromanage everything I do. It’s so annoying.”
“I wouldn’t have guessed. Dr. Qin sure likes to meddle.”
Chen Zhao snorted coldly. “Whatever. As soon as I finish my plan, I’m out of here. By then, I’ll run to the ends of the earth, and he won’t be able to reach me!”
At the thought of his plan, Chen Zhao felt pleased again.
That night, he had a dream. He dreamt that Li Li and Qin Er discovered they had been played. In their fury, the two finally showed their true colors, tore off their masks, and started fighting among themselves. Hiding in a corner, he recorded the scene with a camera and was grinning right at the lens when he suddenly woke up to harsh sunlight piercing through the hotel curtains.
Why do I always wake up right at the climax of a dream? Chen Zhao thought, feeling thoroughly annoyed.
Although Qin Er was completely out of character in the dream, he had to admit it felt immensely satisfying.
When Chen Zhao got out of bed to head to the bathroom, Jiang Yuzhou woke up too. Sitting at the head of the bed in a daze, he saw Chen Zhao brushing his teeth and coming out: “You’re up so early.”
“I’m hungry.” Chen Zhao pulled out his phone to order food. “What do you want to eat? Steamed buns? Pan fried buns?”
Jiang Yuzhou sat up painfully, slumping his back like an old man as he slid off the bed. “Anything’s fine.”
They ate a simple breakfast at the hotel and then set out following their travel itinerary.
The weather was sweltering. It was the peak of the summer vacation travel season, and the streets were packed shoulder to shoulder. Walking a few steps meant stopping for a while, making the trip quite unpleasant.
Drenched in sweat under the scorching sun, Chen Zhao couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret. He would rather stay in the villa listening to Qin Er nag than suffer out here.
The very next second, he was startled by his own thought.
Help! Could he really be treating Qin Er like his dad?
This thought is way too terrifying. Stop right there.
Chen Zhao put on his sun hat and shuffled through the tourist spots with the crowd, flowing in and out like sheep.
Around noon, they found a nearby shopping mall to grab lunch.
Both of them were starving. They devoured a giant pot of dry pot crispy grass carp, along with rice noodles and stinky tofu.
Chen Zhao had been sweating profusely outside, soaking the back of his shirt. Fortunately, the mall had air conditioning, and after sitting for a while, his shirt dried up.
“Delicious! So delicious!” He patted his full stomach, leaning back against the chair.
Jiang Yuzhou gulped down the last drop of soup, smacking his lips, and wiped his mouth. Suddenly, he spotted a few people coming down the far elevator, one of whom looked exceptionally familiar.
“Chen Zhao, doesn’t that guy look a lot like Dr. Qin?”
“Give me a break.” Chen Zhao burped. “He’s working at the hospital right now. There’s no way he’s here.”
Jiang Yuzhou blinked, trying to get a clearer look, but the group turned the corner as soon as they stepped off the elevator, leaving him with nothing to see.
“Maybe I really mistook him…”
Qin Er had come to Nancheng to attend a medical seminar.
At the seminar, he ran into some of his former undergraduate classmates.
Qin Er had been a legendary figure back in his university days, and at thirty years old, his charm hadn’t faded a bit, making him stand out dramatically among the sea of beer bellies.
Junior classmate Liu Hao remarked, “I didn’t expect Senior Qin to look even younger than me! My hair has been thinning out over the past few years, but Qin Er’s hair is pitch black and thick, he looks just like a college student.”
Qin Er replied calmly, “You flatter me.”
Liu Hao laughed loudly. “I can’t believe how fast time flies. Up until now, I thought we just graduated from college, but looking at the calendar, I realized so many years have passed.”
“I heard Old Zhao’s kid is already three years old!”
“I even went to his baby’s one month party! Hey, Xiao Na, when are you getting married? I’ll be your bridesmaid.”
“Next month! I’ll definitely invite you then.”
Liu Hao turned to look at Qin Er. “I heard Senior Qin is still single? I wonder if any of the single ladies here have a chance?”
Hearing that Qin Er was still single, everyone present turned their curious gazes toward him. A few single women looked at him with bright, fluttering eyes, feeling a bit smitten.
They all knew that back in college, Qin Er focused entirely on his research and never accepted anyone’s confession. naturally, they assumed he was probably still single to this day.
To their surprise, they heard Qin Er speak up. “Sorry, I just got into a relationship a few days ago.”
Qin Er actually got taken off the market??
“Holy crap! Who on earth managed to capture this unreachable flower?!” Not just Liu Hao, but everyone present was shocked.
Even more shocking was watching Qin Er subtly curve his lips into a faint smile.
Everyone had mixed expressions, but mostly sighs, sighs that Qin Er had ultimately been claimed by someone after all.
“Senior Qin getting into a relationship calls for a celebration!” Liu Hao said to Qin Er. “Senior Qin, I know a few really nice women’s clothing stores in a nearby mall. Why don’t we go check them out together and buy some pretty clothes for our sister-in-law?”
When Liu Hao suggested celebrating, Qin Er initially wanted to decline again, but hearing the mention of browsing the mall made him hesitate.
Thinking of how happy the girl would be if she saw him buying her so many dresses when she got back…
At the thought of her smiling face, Qin Er nodded: “Alright.”
Having eaten way too much for lunch, Chen Zhao and Jiang Yuzhou were wandering around the mall to walk off their meal.
Strolling past a women’s clothing store, Chen Zhao stopped. Seeing this, Jiang Yuzhou asked, “What’s up?”
Chen Zhao: “I have no clothes to wear. I need to buy some to bring back.”
He had left the villa wearing women’s clothes, but his suitcase was full of men’s attire. Before going back, he definitely had to buy a few more dresses, otherwise, Qin Er would get suspicious.
“Perfect! Let me take a look inside. Whatever you want, bro will buy it for you.” Jiang Yuzhou draped an arm over his shoulder as they walked in.
Chen Zhao: “That’s not great. You don’t even have a job. I’ll just use Qin Er’s money. He just transferred a huge sum to me yesterday. Might as well use the old man’s money.”
As they walked in, weaving between the clothing racks, a sales assistant came up to ask. “Hello, are you buying clothes for your girlfriend?”
Jiang Yuzhou pointed at Chen Zhao. “He wears… mmff!”
Chen Zhao slapped a hand over his mouth and said to the confused clerk, “Yeah, buying for my girlfriend.”
The clerk asked, “May I know how tall and heavy your girlfriend is? It’ll make it easier for me to pick out sizes.”
Chen Zhao: “About the same as me.”
Jiang Yuzhou: “Yeah, yeah, about the same as him.”
Clerk: “…Are your girlfriends the same person?”
Chen Zhao waved his hands, “No, no, buying for my girlfriend.”
Jiang Yuzhou: “Right.”
The clerk glanced at Chen Zhao. “Alright, judging by eye, your girlfriend is probably around 170 something centimeters. I recommend this one, it’s from our new season collection and has been selling really well lately.”
She picked up a dress, a cotton linen camisole dress in a gray French style. “Signing up for a membership on your phone gets you a 10% discount.”
Jiang Yuzhou took a glance at the price tag, 400 RMB. It scared him into dropping the tag immediately, and he leaned into Chen Zhao’s ear. “Why are prices so expensive nowadays?”
Chen Zhao: “That’s why I’m using Qin Er’s money. It doesn’t hurt when I spend it.”
Besides, he was buying these dresses to wear for Qin Er anyway. What was wrong with using Qin Er’s money?
“I’ll take this one. Do you have anything else?”
The sales assistant led them around, giving them a heavy sales pitch while praising Chen Zhao’s girlfriend to the high heavens, saying she would surely look like an angel in these clothes, even though she had never seen her.
Chen Zhao thought to himself. Heh, if you knew I was the one wearing it, it’d scare you to death.
“Wow, he’s so handsome! That guy over there!”
While Chen Zhao was picking out clothes, two young girls nearby suddenly started whispering to each other.
“Is he here to buy clothes for his girlfriend? Why else would he be browsing the women’s section?”
“Ah, I actually wanted to go up and ask for his WeChat.”
“His girlfriend must be so lucky! Her boyfriend is so handsome, and he even came specifically to buy clothes for her.”
Listening to their increasingly excited chatter, Chen Zhao let out a cold snort and turned around, intending to see what this “super handsome guy” actually looked like.
Why does he look so familiar?
“Old Zhou,” Chen Zhao rubbed his eyes, “Am I seeing things? Why does that guy look so much like Qin Er?”
“You finally noticed?” Jiang Yuzhou punched him on the shoulder. “I told you that guy looked like Qin Er, but you wouldn’t believe me! Hahaha, feel dumb now?”
The man entered the store and spoke to a staff member, who immediately began guiding him through the women’s section.
Looking at the man’s face, Chen Zhao exclaimed in shock. “Holy crap, they look way too similar!”
As the man walked closer, several friends behind him teased, “Dr. Qin is so good to his girlfriend, coming out specifically to buy clothes for her.”
Chen Zhao raised an eyebrow. “Whoa, did you hear that? His last name is Qin too, and he’s also a doctor! What a coincidence!”
Jiang Yuzhou said, “Wow, there’s actually such a crazy coincidence in this world!”
Wait, is there really such a coincidence in this world?
The two exchanged a glance, both seeing sheer terror in each other’s eyes.
HOLY SHIT!!
The two bolted instantly, leaving the sales assistant shouting behind them. “Gentlemen, you don’t want your clothes anymore?!”
“What’s going on?” Liu Hao asked.
The sales assistant turned around: “I don’t know. Two gentlemen were picking clothes for a girlfriend just now, and they suddenly took off running.”
Qin Er shifted his gaze outside. The crowd outside was bustling, but he didn’t spot anyone suspicious.
Liu Hao: “Maybe they thought the prices were too high. It’s fine, help us pick a few items. A lot of us here want to buy.”
The sales clerk smiled. “Sure, let me introduce our collections…”
Chen Zhao panted heavily as he fled downstairs. Only after confirming he hadn’t been spotted by Qin Er did he squat down to rest. “Why is Qin Er here?”
Jiang Yuzhou was also exhausted to death. He bought a bottle of water from a nearby vending machine and squatted down beside him. “I want to ask the same thing. Does this dad of yours have a GPS tracker installed on you?”
Right as he said that, Chen Zhao’s phone rang. He held it up for Jiang Yuzhou to see. “Don’t say that, I’m actually starting to suspect it myself.”
“Hello? Brother!”
“Where are you?”
“In…” Chen Zhao made up a random lie, “Having lunch.”
“I’m in Nancheng.”
“Really? I had no idea! Brother, what are you here for?”
“A hospital here is hosting a seminar, and I was invited to attend.”
“Wow, Brother, you’re so amazing!”
Chen Zhao constantly scanned the upper floors for movement. “Too bad Nancheng is so big, we probably won’t get to meet up.”
“We’ll see each other when you get back,” the man said. “I’m at a shopping mall picking out clothes for you. Turn on your video.”
“Ah? Video?”
“Mm.”
The hairs on Chen Zhao’s neck stood on end. How could he possibly face Qin Er right now? He was dressed in men’s clothes, not wearing a wig, looking completely like a male college student.
“Um… no need! I’ll love whatever you buy me, Brother.”
“Wanwan, be good.”
He didn’t want to be good!
But he couldn’t afford to make Qin Er unhappy, or what if he stopped giving him money?
A moment later, Qin Er received a video call request.
Pressing accept, his own face appeared on the screen, but the camera on the other end remained completely black.
“Where are you?” he asked.
“Brother,” the girl’s soft, sweet voice came through the speaker.
“Aww, just listening to her voice, you can tell she’s such a cute girl!” Liu Hao remarked from beside him.
Qin Er gave him a cool glance, and Liu Hao immediately added: “Pretend I didn’t say anything.”
“Why are you covering the camera?” Qin Er asked.
“I’m a doctor. I’ve seen all kinds of patients.”
“I really don’t need to…”
Just as Chen Zhao was trying to make excuses, the mall’s public announcement system suddenly chimed overhead.
“Attention, Mr. Liu Hao. Your ID card was picked up by Ms. Zhang. Please proceed to the mall’s Lost and Found to retrieve it.”
At the exact same moment, Qin Er heard the broadcast clearly through his phone, perfectly synchronized with the broadcast echoing right next to him.
The air went dead silent in an instant.
Qin Er’s voice turned deep and heavy. “You’re at MixC too?”