Yu Qingdu looked at the message and arched an eyebrow.
He tapped on the photo he had sent to enlarge it. In the corner of the frame, he noticed his own bare feet had been caught in the shot.
“It’s not that great yet. It’ll be great once you come over,” Yu Qingdu sent a voice message back.
After sending it, the message seemed to sink into the depths of the ocean; minutes passed without a single new notification popping up.
Yu Qingdu did not mind. He left his phone on the sofa, unboxed the delivery barefoot, and set the cardboard aside. He then walked over to where the hand sanitizer was kept and pumped two dollops onto his hands.
After disinfecting his hands, Yu Qingdu stared at the giant rabbit lying on the sofa. He fell silent for a moment, then picked up his phone to make a call.
Just as he picked it up, a message flashed on the screen: “How great?”
Yu Qingdu smiled and pressed the voice message button. At first, he did not speak. He let only the faint sound of his laughter be recorded before finally saying, “Great in every way. It will be great the moment you get here.”
Once the voice note was sent, he found a number in his contacts and dialed. “Help me dry-clean a plush toy.”
The person on the other end said something, to which Yu Qingdu replied with a hum. “Same as usual. Come by my place in a while to pick it up.”
After hanging up, Yu Qingdu saw that Shang Qingye still had not replied. He pressed the voice call button and rang him instead.
The call was answered quickly. “Hello?”
“What are you doing?” Yu Qingdu did not feel like putting on shoes. Stepping onto the carpet with his bare feet, he walked slowly toward the floor-to-ceiling window to gaze into the distance.
“Making money,” Shang Qingye’s voice replied. It was as pleasant as ever, magnetic and wild.
Yu Qingdu was not surprised. Long ago, Shang Qingye had become more than just a photographer and model for their studio; he had started building his own career.
However, that did not stop Yu Qingdu from teasing him. “Is it because I am not giving you enough?”
Hearing this, Shang Qingye knew he was doing it on purpose. He gave a light snort and played along. “Yeah. Being your private model does not pay well. You talked so sweet back then, but I am not making a damn bit of money.”
Yu Qingdu chuckled. Shang Qingye continued, “Well, there is no other way. Since you are paying so little, I have to find more work to do.”
“Which ‘work’ are you talking about?”
That was just how Yu Qingdu was. Those who did not know him well thought of him as a supremely gentle and elegant beauty, but only those close to him knew how irreverent he could be.
Yu Qingdu’s sultry laughter rippled through the phone.
Standing on the lawn, Shang Qingye listened to that laughter. He gritted his teeth, his lips twitching into a smirk as he let out a scoff.
“The ‘work’ that involves you.”
Hearing Shang Qingye’s bold words, the corners of Yu Qingdu’s mouth curled upward. “I will give you the chance. Do you want it?”
“Are you free tonight? Let us grab dinner.”
Yu Qingdu’s words were ambiguous, the kind that could easily be misinterpreted.
Whether Shang Qingye misunderstood or not was unclear, but he fell silent for a moment after hearing the invitation.
“Are you coming or not?” Yu Qingdu urged him with a smile.
It did not take long for a voice to emerge from the phone and drift into Yu Qingdu’s ear: “I am coming.”
Yu Qingdu spent the whole afternoon at home. Their studio had opened early after the New Year, so he took the opportunity to give the staff a three-day break. Today was the first day.
After the giant rabbit was picked up for dry cleaning, he tidied himself up and prepared to head out.
The restaurant Yu Qingdu had booked was by the river. He sat by a second-floor window, quietly watching the colorful lights shimmering along the bank.
The moment Shang Qingye arrived, he was met with this breathtaking view. He walked over softly and stood there for a while.
In truth, Yu Qingdu had seen him arrive long ago through the faint reflection in the glass. Seeing him standing there motionless, Yu Qingdu wanted to see how long he would stay still. To his surprise, Shang Qingye actually stood there for quite some time.
Left with no choice, Yu Qingdu turned his head to look at him.
Seeing him turn around, Shang Qingye acted as if nothing had happened and walked over to the chair opposite him.
Before Shang Qingye arrived, Yu Qingdu watched the river. After he arrived, Yu Qingdu watched him.
Having been stared at by him so often, Shang Qingye’s mental fortitude had grown increasingly strong. He was now capable of remaining expressionless.
The waiters at this restaurant were very perceptive. They waited until Shang Qingye was seated before coming over with the menus to take their order.
Yu Qingdu wanted Shang Qingye to order, but Shang Qingye simply frowned and said he could eat anything. Seeing his persistence, Yu Qingdu did not push further. He simply ordered the dishes Shang Qingye usually ate most when they dined together.
After ordering, Yu Qingdu rested his head on his hand and looked at Shang Qingye. He had not seen him for a few days. When he saw him yesterday, it was in such a chaotic setting that he had not had the chance to look at him closely.
“When did you get back?” Seeing that Yu Qingdu was staring at him without any intention of speaking, Shang Qingye found a topic himself.
Yu Qingdu looked at him lazily and replied, “The plane landed last night. My friend happened to be in the city where my competition was held, so he came back with me. I went home, took a shower, and then he dragged me to the bar.”
Yu Qingdu paused there, smiling at Shang Qingye before continuing, “And then I saw you playing around with those young boys.”
Yu Qingdu knew what Shang Qingye wanted to know, and he was willing to let him know it.
“I was not ‘playing.’ I made them all leave,” Shang Qingye corrected him with a frown.
Yu Qingdu tilted his head. “Is that so? They were still there when I came down.”
“Yu Siyang, that idiot, called them over,” Shang Qingye said, sounding somewhat annoyed.
Yu Qingdu knew that, of course. He had witnessed the whole thing, but he did not say so.
“Then it seems you like women.” Yu Qingdu teased him on purpose, shooting him a brief glance.
Shang Qingye was well aware of his own current feelings. Looking at Yu Qingdu like this frustrated him. The man was too skillful, as if he were playing with a toy. “If you were a woman, I would like women.”
The two of them often talked nonsense together, so when Shang Qingye said this, it did not feel out of place to either of them.
“So, you like me,” Yu Qingdu laughed. “A pity I am a man.”
With hidden feelings in his heart, Shang Qingye was not as composed around Yu Qingdu as he used to be. Upon hearing the implication of Yu Qingdu’s words, he thought the man was saying he was a “straight” man who did not like men. He frowned, his voice dropping low.
“So what if you are a man?”
“You like women, so it can only be a pity that I am a man.” Yu Qingdu lowered his head slightly, trying to suppress his smile so Shang Qingye would not see it too clearly.
Ever since Shang Qingye met Yu Qingdu, the man had always been like this, teasing him constantly. He could no longer distinguish which words were true and which were lies.
But Shang Qingye never thought too highly of himself. The person in front of him was different.
Shang Qingye looked at Yu Qingdu. A beam from the overhead light hit the top of his head, making it seem as if his entire being was glowing.
He was a favored child of heaven.
The phrase swept through Shang Qingye’s mind, stirring up waves of emotion. He felt his mouth go dry and licked his lips, putting on an indifferent front as he spoke:
“What is there to pity? Even if you are a man, I would still”
“Hey!”