Weekend.
Ji Qingyan pushed open the door and walked out of the gym. A towel draped over his neck, bare-chested, his skin pale, with firm and attractive abdominal muscles.
Below, he wore only a pair of black athletic pants. Beads of sweat slid down his neck, carrying a natural, sensual tension after exercise.
Standing at 186 cm, his body proportions were exceptionally perfect, those long legs particularly eye-catching.
Ji Qingyan removed his glasses, casually wiping his face with his hand, then turned and headed toward the bedroom. The sound of rushing water echoed from the bathroom.
Five minutes later, Ji Qingyan finished showering and emerged from the bathroom wearing a loose bathrobe. He stood beside the bed, lazily resting one hand on his waist while the other toweled his hair.
The phone on the bedside table rang with an incoming call. He stepped forward, bent down, and reached for the phone.
After connecting, Ji Qingyan placed the phone to his ear. “Hey, Chi Qiu.”
A male voice came from the other end of the call. “Qingyan, do you have time tonight?”
Ji Qingyan stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, pulling open the heavy curtains entirely. The room instantly brightened.
“I have time. I don’t have much going on this weekend. What’s up? Do you have any plans?”
“It’s like this: a friend gave me a few fresh king crabs. I originally planned to send you two, but then I remembered you don’t cook. So I thought I’d bring them over with my wife. You can’t keep eating takeout forever.”
Chi Qiu added, “By the way, I also invited Yan Yuchen. Tonight, you’ll have to bring out your good wines.”
Ji Qingyan walked to the living room, placing the phone on speaker mode on the table. He turned on the coffee machine to preheat, then placed the ground coffee powder into the container and pressed it down.
“Great. Finally, no takeout tonight.”
The housekeeper who cooked for him had taken leave due to personal matters and returned home. With no one to cook for Ji Qingyan at home, he had already eaten takeout for three consecutive days.
“Isn’t Yuchen supposed to be on a business trip to Germany for half a month? Did he come back early?”
“After securing the project, he immediately booked a flight back home. He complained about the food there being terrible and lost several pounds during the trip. His flight landed at 8 a.m. today, arriving around 4:30 p.m.”
Ji Qingyan chuckled. “That must have been tough for him.”
Chi Qiu laughed along. “I’ll head over after work. I still have an urgent case to handle, so I’ll hang up now.”
“Alright.”
Ji Qingyan placed the freshly brewed coffee on the tea table. He lazily leaned back into the sofa, his long legs crossed, with a finance book resting on his lap.
Soft sunlight streamed through the window onto the floor. The steaming coffee, blooming jasmine vines, and the quiet, leisurely atmosphere painted a picture of serene tranquility.
Last night, Lu Qi drove his Tuatara to the western suburbs racetrack and raced several laps, returning only at 1:30 a.m.
His mind remained in an excited state, making sleep impossible. So he lay in bed playing games for another three to four hours, barely falling asleep as dawn approached.
The heavy curtains remained tightly closed. In the dark room, rustling sounds of shifting could be heard. An arm emerged from beneath the blanket, fumbling around under the pillow until it finally found what it sought.
Lu Qi picked up his phone and glanced at the time—3:30 p.m. The harsh glare of the screen made him wince, and he closed his eyes, flipping the phone face-down onto the blanket.
He lifted his arm to shield his eyes, taking a moment to recover before decisively throwing off the covers and getting out of bed. Without hesitation, he turned and headed straight into the bathroom.
Half an hour later, Lu Qi emerged from the shower, a towel wrapped around his waist. He leaned over the sink, one hand braced against the counter while the other held a razor as he shaved.
The lower half of his face was covered in white foam, his gaze distant and indifferent, exuding an air of arrogant nonchalance as if nothing in the world mattered to him—a classic “cool guy” vibe.
The doorbell rang just as Ji Qingyan was watching a movie in the living room.
Thinking it was Chi Qiu and the others arriving, he opened the door. “You’re here so early—”
The rest of Ji Qingyan’s words caught in his throat. The person standing outside wasn’t Chi Qiu—it was Lu Qi.
He stood with his arms crossed, his long legs supporting his weight as he leaned casually against the wall. He wore a black hooded sweatshirt with the hood up, head lowered, his slightly long bangs half-covering his eyes.
The hallway was dimly lit, but Ji Qingyan caught a glimpse of something deep and unreadable in Lu Qi’s eyes, giving him the strange, unsettling feeling that he was the prey.
“Is something wrong?” Ji Qingyan asked, puzzled.
Lu Qi straightened up, his voice low and slightly hoarse. “Want to go out for dinner tonight?”
“No, I’m eating at home tonight.”
“Oh. Guess I’ll figure out what to order for takeout then.”
The door across the hall was still open. After speaking, Lu Qi turned to head back inside.
Ji Qingyan suddenly called out to stop him. “My friend’s cooking tonight. You can come over and eat with us instead of ordering takeout.”
“Is that okay?”
“Why wouldn’t it be? It’s just an extra pair of chopsticks.”
“Alright then.”
Ji Qingyan added, “I’m heading to the supermarket in a bit. Want to come along?”
“I’ll go with you. I need to pick up a few things too.”
Lu Qi reached out to close his own door, then followed Ji Qingyan into his apartment with practiced ease. Having visited so often, Lu Qi even had a pair of slippers reserved for him at Ji Qingyan’s place.
Ever since that night, whenever Ji Qingyan couldn’t sleep, he’d send Lu Qi a message. Lu Qi seemed to wait specifically for his texts—within a minute, he’d skillfully enter the door code, pillow in hand, and slip into Ji Qingyan’s room.
The two had maintained this kind of relationship ever since, though neither could quite put a name to what it was.
Lu Qi changed into his slippers and, as if he were at home, opened the fridge and pulled out a carton of milk, effortlessly popping it open with one hand.
He walked over to the window and picked up the watering can to tend to the jasmine plant. Just then, Ji Qingyan emerged from the bedroom after changing clothes and saw what Lu Qi was doing.
He hurried over, snatched the watering can from Lu Qi’s hands, and placed it back on the shelf. “I just watered it half an hour ago. You almost drowned it.”
Lu Qi rubbed his nose sheepishly. “Sorry, I didn’t notice.”
“It’s fine. Let’s go.”
The two drove to a large supermarket nearby. Lu Qi pushed the cart leisurely behind Ji Qingyan, grabbing two packs of nuts from the shelf and tossing them into the cart.
Following his shopping list, Ji Qingyan picked up a case of beer. Passing by the fresh produce section, he added some chicken wings, tripe, and a few other necessary items.
The shampoo at home had run out, so Lu Qi bought a new bottle.
The supermarket was a bit crowded. Lu Qi kept his hands hovering behind Ji Qingyan’s waist, ready to support him. Suddenly, a child ran past them and nearly bumped into Ji Qingyan.
Lu Qi immediately wrapped an arm around his waist. From behind, it looked as if he had pulled him into an embrace.
Ji Qingyan had been looking at the products on the shelf when he was suddenly tugged backward, his back colliding with Lu Qi’s chest.
He looked down at the arm around his waist, then raised his head to meet Lu Qi’s gaze. “Hmm?”
“It’s fine now,” Lu Qi said nonchalantly, withdrawing his hand.