The two of them checked into a hotel room. The moment they stepped inside, Yu Qingdu pressed Shang Qingye against the door.
“You still haven’t told me: do you like them or not?” Yu Qingdu looked at Shang Qingye with a smile.
Having left the bar for a quieter environment, Shang Qingye’s hearing had recovered significantly. He acted as though he had not heard what Yu Qingdu said, simply moving Yu Qingdu’s hand away from the door panel. He walked further into the room, peeling off his cumbersome leather jacket as he went.
Reaching for the air conditioning remote on the bedside table, he switched the unit on.
“Are you taking a shower?” After turning on the AC, Shang Qingye turned his head and asked coolly.
“Do you have a change of clothes?” Yu Qingdu walked over, asking at his leisure.
“No. I will just wear the old ones; it is fine.” Shang Qingye looked at Yu Qingdu, his eyes reflecting a complete indifference toward his attire. He pulled off his clothes and tossed them haphazardly over the back of a chair.
“I do not need to. I went home and showered right after getting off the plane today,” Yu Qingdu said, watching his bare back.
Shang Qingye nodded. “Right, plenty of time to shower after a flight.” Having said that, Shang Qingye entered the bathroom.
He left Yu Qingdu standing there, mentally chewing over that sentence. After turning it over in his mind, Yu Qingdu realized the implication, and a laugh escaped his lips.
Inside the bathroom, Shang Qingye turned on the shower. He closed his eyes, letting the water soak his hair and body. Slowly, he opened his eyes. Water droplets hung from his long lashes, falling whenever they trembled.
In truth, his first reaction upon seeing Yu Qingdu today had been joy, but following that joy came anger. He had always known his own temperament; he gave a self-deprecating smile. What even was their relationship? Why was he angry?
When Shang Qingye emerged wrapped in the hotel’s disposable bath towel, he saw Yu Qingdu sitting in a chair, head propped up on his hand and eyes closed. His long pink hair rested lazily against his shoulder, spilling over his hand and the chair.
Hearing the sound of him coming out, Yu Qingdu slowly opened his eyes and let out a weary yawn.
Seeing how exhausted he was, Shang Qingye was about to tell him to get some sleep, but the words Yu Qingdu said next made him retract that thought entirely.
“I just thought of something.” Yu Qingdu yawned again, his eyelids heavy.
“Go on,” Shang Qingye said, raising an eyebrow.
“Tell me, were you so flustered and eager to shower just now because you wanted to sleep here with me tonight?” Yu Qingdu laughed softly, his hand still supporting his face as strands of hair fell across his features.
Shang Qingye’s hand tightened at his side. He curled his lip into a lazy smile. “I showered because I did not like those people getting close to me. Is there a problem?”
Yu Qingdu kept his head lowered, looking drowsy, yet his expression held a distinct playfulness. Hearing Shang Qingye’s response, he smiled. “Shang Qingye, if you want to tell me you do not like them in the future, you can just say so directly.”
Shang Qingye’s eyelid flickered. “None of your business.”
Yu Qingdu had not slept well for a day and a night and was already reaching his limit. He simply nodded submissively, as if indulging a difficult child.
“Let’s go. I will drop you home so you can sleep,” Shang Qingye said, glancing at him.
“Aren’t you going to ask about my competition?” Yu Qingdu lifted his eyelids to look at him, a trace of a smile on his lips.
Shang Qingye looked down at him. “Fine. How did your competition go?”
Yu Qingdu smiled faintly and held up one finger.
“First place?”
Yu Qingdu nodded. “Thanks to your kind words.”
A genuine, unshielded smile finally appeared in Shang Qingye’s eyes. “It is because you are talented.”
Yu Qingdu chuckled lowly at the praise. He did not bother being modest, offering only a simple “Thank you.”
Yu Qingdu had driven there, so when he found himself in the passenger seat once again, he propped his head up and watched the scenery outside. Quietly, he suddenly asked, “When is your birthday?”
Shang Qingye was taken aback for a moment, then resumed driving as if nothing had happened. “I do not like celebrating birthdays.”
“I did not say I was going to throw you one. Can you just tell me?” Yu Qingdu laughed softly.
Shang Qingye was silent for a moment before finally muttering a string of numbers. “August 10th.”
Yu Qingdu nodded and said nothing more.
“When is yours?”
Hearing the question, Yu Qingdu arched an eyebrow and glanced at Shang Qingye, who was staring ahead at the road with a serious expression.
“December 1st.”
Once Shang Qingye dropped Yu Qingdu off at his door, Yu Qingdu stood there, watching him. “It is hard to get a cab at this hour. Just stay at my place.”
“You can get a cab 24 hours a day.” Shang Qingye raised an eyebrow, seeing right through the excuse.
“If you go back now, you will wake Grandma Shang.” Yu Qingdu was exhausted. He leaned against the doorframe and yawned.
“My grandmother is a heavy sleeper. You will not wake her.”
“Well, I am afraid to sleep alone.” Yu Qingdu did not even try to hide his acting.
Hearing this, Shang Qingye finally quirked an eyebrow. “Fine, I get it.”
After saying that, there was no follow up. He just stood there.
Yu Qingdu rubbed his temples and smiled. “Be careful on the road.”
Shang Qingye remained silent for a beat, nodded, then turned and walked away.
Because he returned late, Yu Qingdu slept until noon. When he checked his phone, his studio’s group chat had exploded. News of his award had already been relayed to the team by Xu Yue.
Yu Qingdu scanned the messages. There were congratulations, expressions of excitement, and demands that he send out red envelopes. Still bleary-eyed, he sent a large red envelope to the group. He was about to go back to sleep when the doorbell rang.
Frowning, Yu Qingdu got out of bed and walked barefoot to open the door.
“Mr. Yu, your delivery.” The butler smiled at him, holding a large package. “Please confirm the details and sign for it.”
Yu Qingdu frowned. He had not bought anything recently. He took a look at the package; it had his correct address and phone number. Seeing his hesitation to sign, the butler asked cautiously, “Mr. Yu, is there a problem?”
In a flash of inspiration, a possibility occurred to him. He took the pen from the butler and signed his name. “It is nothing. Thank you for your help.”
The butler bowed slightly. “Your package has been fully disinfected. Have a pleasant day.” With that, he departed.
Yu Qingdu carried the large box into the living room and sliced it open with a small knife. Inside was another box. When he opened that one, he found a rabbit—a giant, adorable rabbit.
Yu Qingdu raised an eyebrow and pulled the rabbit out. It was incredibly soft and comfortable. The rabbit was half as tall as he was. Looking at it, the corners of his mouth slowly began to curl upward.
He took out his phone, snapped a photo of the rabbit, and sent it to a certain someone.
“Did you send this?”
A message popped up almost instantly: “Yeah. Did you not say you were afraid?”
Yu Qingdu looked at the message and smiled.
Soon, another message appeared: “The floor is cold. Does walking barefoot feel good?”