After the fan signing event ended, the fans took everything out of the box except for the letter addressed to their idol. The beautiful snow leopard plush toy was left lying there, unclaimed and lonely.
The group gathered around the box, falling into a tense silence.
“Hyung, why don’t you just take it back? I don’t want to see it end up in the garbage truck,” Cui Yuxuan said, his brow furrowed. The mere thought of that scene made him uncomfortable.
This was a character representation of Qi Ming; how could it possibly be left in a trash bin?
The other two nodded in agreement. Jin Youxing felt the plush was exceptionally well-made. “As long as you like it, Hyung, I am sure the Jasmins would not be angry! Besides, this little leopard really looks just like you.”
He was handsome and cute all at once.
“Alright. I will go ask Brother Yin.”
In the end, the snow leopard plush was placed on Qi Ming’s bedside table, while his panda plush, Rice Cake, was nestled beside his pillow.
Ever since the Bian He Night Raid incident that caused internal team friction, the members of Lumos were each given their own room rather than sharing. While this was perhaps not ideal for team harmony, it did eliminate most conflicts.
After returning to the villa, Qi Ming found Jin Youxing and Bian He packing their luggage. He learned that after this concert, the company had granted them an extended break, and both of them planned to go home to visit their families.
It had been a long time since they had seen them.
After debuting and making money, Bian He had originally planned to move his parents from the countryside to the city. However, they said they were not used to city life and refused to leave no matter what he said. He had no choice but to renovate their home back in the village. Since the location was remote and public transport was scarce, Bian He needed to leave early.
Jin Youxing, on the other hand, was an only child and quite pampered. He had chosen to become an idol because he loved the stage, and his entire family supported him, though they missed him dearly and called him frequently. Especially his mother, who had even attended their latest concert.
After the two of them left, Qi Ming sat on the sofa, glanced at Cui Yuxuan, who was standing there dazed, and asked offhandedly:
“Xiao Xuan, are you not going back to see your family?”
The young man fell silent. After a moment, he turned his head away and said sullenly:
“They said if I continue to be a stage performer, I should not bother coming home ever again.”
At first, Cui Yuxuan’s parents assumed his desire to be a trainee was just a passing phase and that he would give up soon, so they did not interfere. They never expected the group to actually become famous.
For a wealthy chaebol family, the only heir abandoning the family business to go act like an idol was a source of great disgrace. A star? That sounded nice, but was it not just a performer who sold smiles?
In other aspects, they could spoil him; no matter how capricious or willful Cui Yuxuan became, it was all trivial, just little personality quirks. But his future was not something he could decide for himself.
Looking at the youth’s slightly lonely back, Qi Ming said nothing. He leaned back, letting his body sink into the soft sofa, and patted his own thigh.
Hearing the sound, Cui Yuxuan turned to look at him, stunned for a second.
Qi Ming lifted his chin and extended his left arm, hugging the person who quickly ran over and sat on his lap. Cui Yuxuan straddled him, leaning down to wrap his arms around Qi Ming’s neck.
The two hugged quietly for a while. Cui Yuxuan rubbed his hair affectionately against Qi Ming’s cheek, wearing a somewhat sorrowful expression.
Neither spoke.
“What about you, Hyung? Are you not going back to see yours?”
“If I were to go back, I would have to go to the hospital.”
“Is someone in your family sick? Is it serious?”
“The money the CEO gives is quite generous, so it should be enough to keep the old man going for a while longer. Grandpa was actually arguing with me about wanting to come to the concert.”
As Qi Ming spoke, he revealed a faint smile, his eyes sparkling.
“But it scared the doctor to death, saying he cannot even get out of bed now. He even begged: Please, old man, stop pulling out your IVs, the equipment is very expensive! Grandpa was terrified and begged the doctor not to make me pay for it.”
It was clearly a sad situation, yet the man’s face was draped in a soft, hazy light. Cui Yuxuan straightened his upper body and slowly stroked Qi Ming’s cheek with his fingers.
It was the light of happiness.
“If you go to see him, I will go with you, Hyung.”
Qi Ming lowered his eyes, staring at the fingers resting on his cheek, and asked carelessly why.
“Why are you even asking? Are we not already together? Your family is my family. Is it not normal for me to want to visit my own grandfather?”
“Wow, you are adjusting quite quickly,” Qi Ming teased.
That hand, while caressing, slid from his cheek to his lips. Cui Yuxuan pressed down cautiously, then let go and leaned down to replace the hand with his own mouth.
He extended the tip of his tongue, licking Qi Ming’s lower lip like the tip of an ice cream cone, while rolling his eyes upward to look at him:
“Besides, I also want to make you happy.”
Qi Ming felt the soft slide against his lips. With drooping eyelids, he bit down mercilessly, and soon tasted the metallic tang of blood.
But Cui Yuxuan endured the pain without a sound. A pair of narrow, dark eyes stared straight at him, like a stubborn wolf.
Watching the young man who showed no intention of backing down, Qi Ming licked the blood from his own lip and asked slowly:
“How do you plan to do that?”
How to do it—how could he make him happy?
“There are only the two of us in the villa now.”
“So?”
“Let us do it. Do it in the way you like, I am yours to command.”
You asked how I want to do it, not if I want to.
The sky was not even fully dark yet, and he was already thinking about such things.
Qi Ming pushed the person sitting on his lap away, stood up, and took a black mask from the coffee table to put on. He grabbed a baseball cap to cover his hair, pulling it low until it obscured his eyes.
He was clearly planning to go out.
“Hyung, where are you going?” Cui Yuxuan asked in confusion, inevitably feeling lost and uneasy.
Did I say something wrong again? Is he unhappy with me and planning to abandon me?
Qi Ming did not answer. He tossed a white mask and cap into Cui Yuxuan’s lap. He also reached out and pulled the hood of the youth’s hoodie up, covering that conspicuous blue wolf-cut hairstyle.
Gripping the hat on his head with both hands, Cui Yuxuan did not ask further. He obediently covered his face and followed Qi Ming out of the villa.
They did not take a car; they relied on their own two feet to walk out of the villa complex.
Bored on the way, Cui Yuxuan could not help but ask in a low voice:
“Hyung, where are we going?”
In front, Qi Ming walked with his hands in his pockets, totally unbothered, acting completely unlike a celebrity. His strides were long, looking just like an ordinary young man who had stepped out to buy soy sauce for his parents.
Cui Yuxuan was surprised by Qi Ming’s sudden transformation. Even if one were to hide themselves well, a tall stature and superior build were hard to conceal, but this distinct change in temperament made him feel that Qi Ming might have a natural talent for acting. No matter what field he entered, he would surely excel.
“To buy something.” Qi Ming did not say what.
So, Cui Yuxuan asked again, unable to curb his curiosity: “What does Hyung want to buy?”
As soon as the words left his mouth, the figure in front stopped abruptly. He did not have time to brake and bumped straight into Qi Ming’s rock-hard back. His nose was quite high, and the collision hurt immensely.
While Cui Yuxuan was hunched over, clutching his nose and hissing, Qi Ming turned around, looking down at him:
“If you ask again, we do not have to buy it. Anyway, it is for you to use, so it is up to you.”
“I, I will not ask anymore.”
Cui Yuxuan flushed red, seemingly understanding what this was about.
He really wanted to slap himself. Why did I have to open my mouth? This is so awkward! What if Hyung gets angry and decides not to do it with me? I would regret it to death.
However, Cui Yuxuan noticed that since the incident in the bathroom, Qi Ming seemed to have changed a lot in front of him, he was no longer the good-tempered leader in the eyes of outsiders. Yet, this change made Cui Yuxuan feel that the distance between them had narrowed. It was as if he had finally bypassed the fake shell and touched the more authentic Qi Ming.
But regardless of what kind of person the other was, he was the leader who had accompanied and looked after him for over four years, and the only man he loved. That would never change.
After leaving the villa area and turning three corners, Qi Ming led Cui Yuxuan into a remote alleyway.
At this time, the streetlights were already on. In the dim, yellowish light, the mottled walls were plastered with long-faded advertisements.
Having grown up in high society, Cui Yuxuan had never imagined he would voluntarily set foot in a place like this. It was completely different from the world he knew—chaotic, like dust hidden in the corners of a bright city.
What surprised him was that Qi Ming was actually very familiar with this area, weaving through the turns without once stopping his pace.
Is Hyung not usually bad with directions?
Feeling uneasy, Cui Yuxuan jogged forward to walk side-by-side with him, reaching out to grab the sleeve of the man’s hand tucked into his pocket.
Qi Ming glanced at him from the corner of his eye, not really caring, letting him drag along like a keychain.
Finally, they reached their destination.
As expected, it was an adult boutique, with a pink neon sign hanging outside. While Cui Yuxuan was dazed, Qi Ming pushed the door open and went in.
A girl who looked like a student was standing at the counter, her hair dyed platinum white with two bright pink braids. When she saw Qi Ming enter, she let out a loud, sharp whistle:
“Wow, you are handsome even with a mask on. Oppa, want to go on a date with me?”
Qi Ming looked back at her without a word, simply pointing his thumb casually behind him.
Hearing the girl’s words, Cui Yuxuan’s expression turned icy. He immediately stepped in front of Qi Ming, glaring fiercely at her:
“Dirty brat, go find someone else. Have you no shame?”
Being spoken to like that, the girl was not angry; she just shrugged regretfully. She ignored Cui Yuxuan and introduced the store enthusiastically to Qi Ming:
“We have a wide variety of items here, Oppa! Everything you could want is here. Feel free to look around, I will give you a discount!”
Cui Yuxuan kept his neck stiff, wanting to yell something else, but Qi Ming patted him on the head, and he immediately lowered his head and kept quiet.
They roamed through the dazzling array of shelves.
Finally finding what he wanted, Qi Ming picked out the largest one. Most other stores did not carry his size; only this one did.
Qi Ming did not know who his parents were—the ones who gave birth to him and abandoned him—or what mixed blood he had. He only knew he was born with deep green eyes, and that area was also gifted with extraordinary talent.
After Qi Ming grabbed the items he needed, he turned around and did not see Cui Yuxuan. He circled the shelves and found him in a corner.
Cui Yuxuan was holding a few odd-shaped items in his hands. As soon as he saw Qi Ming, he tried to hide them behind his back, his ears beneath the cap glowing beet red.
“What? You like them?” Qi Ming crossed his arms, teasing with interest.
“No, no, no!” Cui Yuxuan panicked, hastily denying it, rambling incoherently: “I just… I was just curious why this thing has thorns and hooks, so I picked it up to look.”
“I see. If you like it, we can buy one to try.”
Although Qi Ming was not typically into props, he was quite casual when he was in a good mood. If the other person really enjoyed this style of play, it did not matter to him, as long as he could be satisfied.
But Cui Yuxuan acted as if he were holding a live grenade, anxious to throw it back, trying hard to clear his name:
“Hyung, you misunderstood! I do not like it, how could I like this kind of thing?”
Qi Ming pretended not to hear, intentionally deepening his tone to interrupt him: “But for the first time, I do not like it. So, you are not allowed to use it today.”
Even if it were such an item, it had to be permitted by the master; it could not be used arbitrarily.
“Hyung, I do not want those things. I only want you.”
Cui Yuxuan finally steadied his hands and put the toys back where they belonged. He wrapped his arms around Qi Ming’s waist, hung his head, and buried his face in the crook of his neck, muttering:
“I just want Hyung to hold me, nothing else.”
Feeling the tickle on his neck, Qi Ming squinted and smiled, pinching Cui Yuxuan’s earlobe and asking lazily: “Then, does Xiao Xuan like strawberry flavor or mint flavor?”
“What?” Cui Yuxuan did not react, not knowing what Qi Ming was asking.
Then, two bottles appeared in front of him.
After reading the label, Cui Yuxuan’s eyes widened instantly. He pursed his lips, trying to remain calm:
“I do not want either.”
“Hm?” Qi Ming hummed in confusion.
Straightening up, Cui Yuxuan pulled his mask up, covering almost his entire face. He walked to the shelf, picked up a purple bottle, and showed it to Qi Ming:
“I want this one. Hyung likes this flavor, right?”
It was grape flavor.
Qi Ming blinked slowly. He just happened to like grape-flavored lollipops.
This is not for eating; it is for Cui Yuxuan to use himself. Does it really have to be what I like?
“Fine, let’s take this one,” Qi Ming said, indifferent.
The two walked to the counter to pay.
The student girl picked up the small package on top, saw the indicated size, and looked at Qi Ming in utter shock, her cheeks turning bright red. Then, she cast a jealous glance at Cui Yuxuan.
Cui Yuxuan, standing to the side, did not know why she did that, but felt she was trying to steal his man again. Without a second thought, he glared back at her.
How incredibly childish. Qi Ming found it amusing.
When it came time to pay, the moment he pulled out his phone, Cui Yuxuan snatched the chance to pay first. The quality of items in this store was excellent, so it was more expensive than others though for them, it was not really a high cost.
“Hyung, let me buy it.”
Cui Yuxuan had regained his composure, no longer panicking like he had moments ago. He turned to meet Qi Ming’s eyes hidden beneath the hat brim and pulled him toward the door.
Once they were outside and away from prying eyes, Cui Yuxuan pulled his white mask down, revealing his mouth.
Then, he looked up and kissed Qi Ming on the lips through the gap in his mask, laughing triumphantly:
“It is a deal. It is me who is going to make you happy, Hyung.”