Chapter 44
Outside the large floor-to-ceiling windows, pedestrians are bustling about, neon lights illuminate the night, everything looks gorgeous and lively, as if the bleak autumn wind cannot blow into this prosperous business district.
The restaurant was filled with melodious music, and the warm yellow lights softened the atmosphere, quietly shrouding the small tables covered with snow-white floral tablecloths.
There were mostly couples whispering to each other at the table.
Qin Yi withdrew his gaze from the French window and looked at the girl with smooth black hair opposite him. "Hello, I'm Qin Yi. Teacher Zhang introduced me here."
The girl pursed her lips and smiled, then put down her teacup. "I know you. My name is Yu Qiuting, hello."
Qin nodded.
After that, neither of them spoke any more. Just then, a violin piece stopped playing, and the air seemed to freeze, creating a momentary awkwardness.
Qin Yi grabbed the edge of the table, hesitating whether to find a random topic, but suddenly, a familiar figure outside the French window broke into his sight. Qin Yi's pupils shrank.
Yu Qiuting spoke up at this time: "I know you were forced to come here by Teacher Zhang, and so was I, so I'll just be frank with you."
To be honest, at this moment Qin Yi's attention was completely attracted by Lian Yu who was looking around in front of the restaurant, but Yu Qiuting was talking to him after all, and out of politeness he couldn't ignore him, so he had to force himself to draw his attention back to the table.
Maybe Lian Yu was just passing by and was not looking for him at all.
"Mr. Qin, you are of course excellent too," Yu Qiuting said with a smile, "but I prefer younger children."
Qin Yi couldn't help but look out the window.
Caught off guard by their gazes, Lian Yu's eyes lit up and he ran towards the restaurant while waving his hands. His young body was like a cheetah in its prime lurking in the night.
“It’s better to have some personality.”
Among the middle-aged office workers who came shopping in formal attire after get off work, Lian Yu's red hair fluttered in the wind, like a cluster of dazzling flames, and the obsidian between her ears sparkled like stars.
"Be a little more unique."
But within two sentences, Lian Yu had already run very close, only a few steps away from pushing the door open. At this distance, Qin Yi saw the other red armband on Lian Yu's cuff, "Civility Counselor".
But the civilized persuader was holding two bottles of Brave the World in his hands, and the sound of the bottles clanging together could be heard through the glass. The scene was like some kind of performance art.
"It would be better if it didn't look too smart."
After Yu Qiuting finished his last sentence, Qin Yi suddenly slammed the table and stood up. "Well, I suddenly remembered that I have something to do later. Sorry."
After saying that, Qin Yi grabbed his coat and rushed out.
Yu Qiuting's eyes curved as she slowly took a sip from her teacup, watching the two handsome men tussle outside the window. Qin Yi, like a frightened rabbit, pulled Lian Yu away, as if something unclean was chasing him.
After a moment, she picked up her bag and left.
"Xiaoting!" In the distance, a girl with big eyes came bounding towards her and naturally took her arm. Zhang Yi tapped her chin with her fingertips and thought for a moment: "I just thought I saw someone who looked familiar, but I can't remember who it was."
Yu Qiuting did not interrupt Zhang Yi's monologue, but just looked at her gently.
"Ding, ding, ding!" Zhang Yi quickly stopped worrying and ripped open her coat, revealing the Jasmine Tea Set underneath. "Look at my new clothes. Aren't they fun? I also bought you a Jasmine Honey Tea Set! Do you want to come over to my house and take a look?"
"Oh, by the way, can you lend me your brother so I can play football for him?"
——
After walking 800 meters in one breath, Qin Yi finally let go of Lian Yu. He pursed his lips and lowered his eyes: "Why did you come to see me?"
That bald idiot couldn't tell the difference between a group chat and a private chat, so he sent the address to the group. — These were Li Xiangyu's exact words.
Lian Yu hesitated for a moment, but finally decided not to relay the story. He touched the bridge of his nose and said, "I heard from your junior brother that you were dragged here for a blind date. You were reluctant, so I came."
"Don't you want me to go on a blind date?"
Qin Yi took a step forward, and the two of them were so close that they could feel each other's breath. Qin Yi raised his hand and lightly touched Lian Yu's forehead with his fingertips. Because he had just run too fast, Lian Yu's forehead was covered with a layer of sweat, which looked shiny under the neon lights at night.
Qin Yi pulled out a tissue and gently wiped away the sweat from Lian Yu's face. The scent of tea from the tissue gently brushed against Lian Yu's nose. He heard Qin Yi ask, "Why are you so anxious?"
Lian Yu blinked. "Because I want you and my dad to be happy."
Qin Yi's wiping hand suddenly stopped.
Sensing the subtle change in the atmosphere, Lian Yu rubbed the seam of his pants with his fingers. Did he say something wrong?
A shrill phone ring sounded, and Lian Yu's heart trembled suddenly. He quickly took out his cell phone and pressed the answer button in a panic.
Qin Yi took a step back and looked at him.
"Where are you? I can't find the way!" Zhou Fei's unclear sobbing voice came from the other end of the phone: "I'll throw it away after I use it. Where have you been, you scumbag?"
Lian Yu:?
I always feel that this statement is a bit ambiguous, but after all, it is just the nonsense of a drunkard and there is no need to delve into it. The most important thing right now is to prevent Zhou Fei, the drunkard, from running around and accidentally dying on the street.
"Are you still there?" Lian Yu reacted quickly. He asked while opening the taxi app and hailing a car. "Wait for me where you are and don't run around. I'll be there in ten minutes."
The advantage of the business district is that the car responds very quickly. Seeing that the car would arrive in 2 minutes, Lian Yu hung up the phone and walked to the side of the road.
"Have you been with him all the time?" Qin Yi suddenly spoke, his voice was very cold, like a cold wind mixed with snow particles, which made people's skin hurt.
Lian Yu paused. Now? Asking this?
"You went drinking with him? He's your current boyfriend? You left your boyfriend to come to me. Didn't you think your boyfriend would have any objections?"
"He is not--" Lian Yu wanted to deny it.
etc.
If he admitted that Zhou Fei was his boyfriend now, wouldn't that prove to Qin Yi that he had completely cleansed his act and would never again betray her? Before, Qin Yi had been asking him so many questions about why he'd come looking for her, wasn't it because he was afraid he was still watching her? Now, Qin Yi should be able to put his mind at ease.
Brother, I have no choice but to sacrifice you.
"Yes, he is my current boyfriend." Lian Yuxin made up her mind and smiled happily: "How is it? Very cute, right?"
Seeing Qin Yi staring at him without saying anything, Lian Yu felt a little uneasy for a moment. Fortunately, the car had already reached the roadside and honked twice at him.
Lian Yu said goodbye in a hurry, but he bent down and got into the car. Just as he was about to raise his hand to grab the door handle, the door was suddenly pulled by someone.
Qin Yi got into the car expressionlessly and gave out Lian Yu's cell phone number.
Lian Yu opened his mouth.
As if he knew what Lian Yu wanted to ask, Qin Yi didn't turn around, only giving Lian Yu a cold look: "Why, I want to meet your boyfriend, but I can't? Or is it that I am not worthy of meeting him?"
“No, no, no, he doesn’t exist.” Lian Yu waved his hand, leaving an afterimage. “It’s just that he’s a little…”
"Brother Yu!"
After getting off the car, before Lian Yu could even pay, Zhou Fei rushed over and hugged his neck, howling like a ghost: "How could you leave me here? When I turned around, you were gone. I thought you were kidnapped by aliens. Everyone has left. I'm so scared. "
Zhou Fei hung on Lian Yu like a sloth, causing Lian Yu to stagger and barely hold on to him.
Lian Yu gave Qin Yi an awkward smile: "He relies on me more."
The muscles at the corners of Qin Yi's lips moved. Maybe he wanted to laugh, probably.
“Who is this?” Zhou Fei finally noticed that there was someone following Lian Yu. He squinted his eyes and moved closer: “He looks a little familiar——Hmm!”
Lian Yu covered Zhou Fei's mouth and pulled him away, coaxing him like a child: "Okay, okay, I'll take you home."
In just those few seconds, he had already broken out in a layer of cold sweat on his back. If Zhou Fei recognized that the person in front of him was Qin Yi, he might not be able to control the situation.
"I don't want to go home! I haven't had enough fun!" Zhou Fei stomped his feet, which made people inexplicably think of a little brat playing tricks.
Zhou Fei suddenly jumped up and broke free from Lian Yu's control.
If people become their true selves after getting drunk, then Zhou Fei's prototype must be a running monkey.
"Hey! Zhou Fei!"
Two sober people were forced to run after a drunk man.
Lian Yu suspected that Zhou Fei was not drunk at all, otherwise how could he climb up the two-person-high wall so smoothly and sneak into the abandoned park.
Lian Yu gritted his teeth as he looked at the huge red words "No Entry" posted on the wall. After stabbing Zhou Fei's little paper man a few times in his heart, he climbed to the top of the wall in one go.
Qin Yi stood at the foot of the wall, his expression unclear in the dim light.
"Hold my hand!"
Lian Yu extended his hand to Qin Yi.
Qin Yi was stunned and looked up at him. The moonlight fell on his dark eyes, like a clear pool of water. Qin Yi just looked at him like this, without saying a word or reaching out.
Lian Yu thought Qin Yi was hesitating. He took a deep breath and leaned down even lower. "Trust me, I will hold you tight."
Qin Yi finally reached out his hand. Lian Yu firmly grasped that thin hand and lifted it upwards. Qin Yi quickly sat on the top of the wall, but he couldn't control his strength. Perhaps Lian Yu had pushed too hard, but they suddenly lost their balance and tumbled off the top of the wall.
In the crisis, Lian Yu hugged Qin Yi tightly.
He closed his eyes.
The expected pain did not come. The two of them bounced for a moment and then stopped.
An old mattress caught them.
Qin Yi's head was nestled against his neck, his warm breath warming his skin. Lian Yu felt his pulse beating rapidly in his neck.
"Come and play hide-and-seek with me!" Zhou Fei jumped onto the mattress with a roar.
Faced with the big face that suddenly appeared in front of him, Lian Yu was so scared that he dropped the person in his arms and sat up suddenly: "What kind of hide-and-seek is this? It's too late, let's go back quickly."
Zhou Fei frowned.
Lian Yu suddenly remembered his own personality. Facing Qin Yi's scrutinizing gaze, he suppressed his nausea and raised his voice, "Okay, then let's just play once and then go back, okay, Xiao... Fei?"
Lian Yu recited it with gritted teeth.
Qin Yi's gaze was almost enough to stare a hole through his face.
"I'll give you thirty seconds!" Zhou Feixing turned around and faced the wall, "Hide quickly."
“Thirty seconds!?”
Without giving people any time to react, Lian Yu was stunned for a moment, then quickly pulled Qin Yi's hand and ran.
In the center of the abandoned park is a slide, its surface covered with mud, water, and rust, looking strangely creepy in the cold moonlight.
But now Lian Yu only wanted to hide quickly and let Zhou Fei, that brat, have fun before ending this farce quickly, so without thinking, he pulled Qin Yi and bent down to the bottom of the slide.
The space was smaller than he had imagined, and the ground was covered with weeds, but it was enough for two grown men to sit upright in a not-so-comfortable position for a while.
"Let's just make do for a bit. We'll leave when Zhou Fei's had enough." Lian Yu peered over to observe Zhou Fei leaning against the wall. Numbers echoed in the empty park, like something out of a midnight horror story. "He was really drunk, and it's taken you so long. I apologize on his behalf."
The only answer to Lian Yu was the rapid breathing behind him.
Lian Yu was stunned for a moment, then turned around quickly: "Qin Yi?"
The space under the slide was low and narrow, and the moonlight could barely penetrate. The only remaining ray of light drifted like a gossamer onto Qin Yi's pale face. Qin Yi curled up, his hands clenched into fists, but he couldn't stop shaking. He gasped for breath, his eyes red.
"What’s wrong with you?"
Even Lian Yu, no matter how dull he was, could tell something was amiss. He had never seen it before, but he had read similar descriptions in books. Qin Yi's condition was like a PTSD attack.
He quickly hugged Qin Yi, whose body was as cold as a corpse just pulled from the water. Lian Yu pressed their chests together, and he could hear Qin Yi's abnormally fast heartbeat. He held his arms tighter, caressing Qin Yi's trembling back. "Don't be afraid, I'm here. No one will hurt you. I'm here."
Qin Yi finally reacted. He raised his hand slowly and hugged Lian Yu back.
"Don't leave me again."
Qin Yi buried his head deep into Lian Yu's neck, took a deep breath, and the ups and downs of his back slowly stabilized.
Seeing Qin Yi's condition gradually improving, Lian Yu finally breathed a sigh of relief. He patted Qin Yi on the back and soothed him, "Don't worry, it won't happen again..."
Again?
Lian Yu blinked and suddenly felt his brain freeze.
At this moment, a beam of dazzling lightning shot in: "Who is in there?"
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