Amid the silent standoff between An Qingyu and Cao Yuan,
Baili Pangpang had already set up three luxurious tents.
They were even equipped with heaters and furniture.
Compared to camping, it felt more like a vacation.
A trace of hesitation flashed in Lin Qiye’s eyes as he said uncertainly,
“Qingyu, actually, I don’t really understand those profound and obscure biological concepts either.”
An Qingyu replied good-naturedly,
“It’s alright, Qiye. I can teach you.”
Cao Yuan: …
When he didn’t know something, An Qingyu looked full of disdain.
When Qiye didn’t know, An Qingyu could just teach him?
Double standards!
In the end, in this covert contest between Cao Yuan and An Qingyu, Cao Yuan admitted defeat.
An Qingyu looked at Lin Qiye and smiled shyly.
“Qiye, let’s go into the tent and rest. I still need you to warm up the bedding for me.”
Lin Qiye tried his best to keep his expression calm.
“Mm, okay.”
For some reason,
Lin Qiye felt a little flustered and nervous.
He took a deep breath.
An Qingyu and he were both men, there was no need to panic.
Lin Qiye tried to convince himself.
But when he thought about how Jialan and Jiang Er had been together during the day, his mind began to wander again.
Hearing An Qingyu’s explanation earlier, it seemed that relationships between two men were not uncommon either.
Lin Qiye crawled into the luxurious tent, took off his outer coat, lifted the goose-down quilt, and slipped underneath.
An Qingyu followed him inside the tent and removed his fur-lined down jacket.
Underneath, he wore a thin white shirt.
He took off his glasses and placed them on the small table to the side.
Then he removed his shirt, revealing a well-built figure with eight well-defined abs.
Lin Qiye froze.
He didn’t expect An Qingyu to be the type who looked slim in clothes but muscular without them.
Wait, why was he taking off his clothes?
Watching An Qingyu unbutton his pants, Lin Qiye’s voice carried a hint of panic.
“Qingyu, didn’t you say you get cold easily? Why are you taking your clothes off?”
As An Qingyu undid his belt, his tone remained calm.
“There are relevant studies showing that sleeping without clothes is more conducive to warmth retention and blood circulation.”
An Qingyu slipped under the quilt naturally, as if there were nothing unusual about his actions.
Without his glasses, under the lamplight, the tear mole at the corner of his eye looked even more striking.
Seeing how natural An Qingyu’s behavior was, Lin Qiye felt that if he made a fuss about it, it would seem strange.
That’s right.
They were both men.
Seeing his good brother bare-chested didn’t seem like something he needed to overthink.
Lin Qiye reached out and pressed the switch beside him, and the light inside the tent instantly dimmed.
“Go to sleep, Qingyu,” Lin Qiye said before closing his eyes.
In the darkness, An Qingyu’s eyes gleamed with an unusual light, like those of a nocturnal animal.
He waited until the person beside him began breathing steadily, confirming that Lin Qiye had fallen asleep.
Then An Qingyu leaned over and pressed a kiss to Lin Qiye’s lips.
This kind of thrill, that Lin Qiye might wake up at any moment, only made him more excited.
He worried that Lin Qiye wouldn’t notice, yet at the same time feared that he would.
If Lin Qiye were to wake up midway and discover that his good brother was kissing him, what kind of reaction would he have?
He was afraid Lin Qiye wouldn’t accept it, yet he also hoped that Lin Qiye would be willing to go along with it.
ᘻᘿᓍᘺ
The next day.
When Lin Qiye opened his eyes, the first thing he felt was the warm breath in front of him.
He realized that he was hugging An Qingyu’s waist, with one leg draped over him.
Lin Qiye: !
His body stiffened instantly. Carefully, he withdrew his arm and placed his leg back where it belonged.
He quietly got up and slipped out of the tent, his emotions unable to settle for a long while.
Fortunately, An Qingyu hadn’t noticed.
Otherwise, that would have been unbearably awkward.
Inside the tent, An Qingyu opened his eyes, fully awake.
Sensing Lin Qiye’s movements, the corners of his lips curved upward.
Qiye was really quite adorable.
After packing up their belongings, the team set off on the return journey.
It was the same familiar train.
Sitting across from them, Cao Yuan looked at An Qingyu leaning against Lin Qiye’s shoulder, displeasure brewing in his heart.
Last night, he had planned to sneak out and listen for any movement from Lin Qiye’s tent.
But he had fallen into a deep sleep and couldn’t wake up at all.
He strongly suspected that it had something to do with An Qingyu.
Baili Pangpang leaned back against the soft seat.
“By the way, Qiye, what should we name our team?”
“We should come up with a nice name, like the Masked Squad or something.”
Cao Yuan couldn’t help but think seriously about it.
“How about the Long Aotian Squad (Overpowered Protagonist Squad)?”
Baili Pangpang’s mouth twitched.
“No way, Bandit Cao. That name is way too cringey.”
An Qingyu lightly tapped Lin Qiye’s shoulder with his fingertips.
“How about the Rainy Night Squad?”
“As Night Watchers, we keep watch through the night for others.”
“In those unknown nights, we silently hold up an umbrella against the rain for ordinary people.”
Of course, An Qingyu had his own private motive.
“Rainy Night” was a homophone for “Yu Night (An Qingyu’s Yu).”
It happened to correspond to his name and Lin Qiye’s.
Lin Qiye nodded.
“That sounds pretty good. How about we—”
“No,” Cao Yuan immediately interrupted. “That name doesn’t sound great. How about the Night Tyrant Squad?”
“Uh…” Lin Qiye rubbed his temples. “Compared like that, Rainy Night Squad sounds better.”
Seeing that Lin Qiye had made his decision, Cao Yuan could only force himself to accept it. “Alright, Qiye. We’ll go with yours.”
He noticed the smile at the corner of An Qingyu’s lips and felt that something was off.
But what was it?
Cao Yuan racked his brain and still couldn’t figure it out.
Lin Qiye’s phone suddenly rang urgently. He lowered his head to glance at it:
“Is Commander Ye calling about something urgent?”
Lin Qiye stood up and left his seat to answer the phone.
Cao Yuan suddenly figured it out.
Rainy Night. An Qingyu. Lin Qiye.
He looked at An Qingyu in disbelief.
“You’re sneaking in personal motives.”
Seeing Cao Yuan’s look of sudden realization, An Qingyu smiled noncommittally.
“So what?”
In any case, the team name had already been decided.
The title of the “Rainy Night” Squad was now set.
Hearing their exchange, Baili Pangpang was completely confused.
“What are you two even talking about? Why can’t I understand a single word?”
Cao Yuan said indignantly,
“Rainy Night is a homophone for—”
He abruptly stopped himself.
Cao Yuan let out a sigh.
“Forget it, Fatty. It’s better if you don’t know.”
If Baili Pangpang found out that An Qingyu might like Qiye, he might even try to set the two of them up.
Ever since An Qingyu had used vines to block the ant queen’s attack for him,
Baili Pangpang’s attitude toward An Qingyu had improved considerably.
An Qingyu looked at Cao Yuan with amusement.
“What exactly are you struggling with?”
Cao Yuan said uncertainly:
“You’re not afraid that I’ll tell Qiye about those things?”
About the speculation that An Qingyu might like Qiye.
An Qingyu leaned back in his seat, looking relaxed and at ease.
“What’s there to worry about? Qiye will find out sooner or later anyway.”
Cao Yuan scratched his head in distress.
This An Qingyu was just too hard to deal with. Now that he had his eye on Qiye, things probably wouldn’t end well.
Qiye’s… backside would likely…
Cao Yuan couldn’t bear to imagine such a scene.
No!
He had to find a way to protect Qiye’s chastity.
Watching the two of them speak in riddles, Baili Pangpang felt as though something major was being kept from him.
He tore open a bag of chips on the table, deciding not to pry, enjoying good food was more important.
Lin Qiye hurried back to his seat, a trace of urgency in his voice.
“There’s an emergency we need to handle. The helicopter coming to pick us up at the airport is about to arrive. We need to get off the train as soon as possible.”
Baili Pangpang paused mid-bite.
“But… the train hasn’t reached a station yet.”
An Qingyu stood up and picked up his suitcase.
“What Qiye means is that we’re jumping off the train.”