[It’s already 11:00 AM! You’re only just waking up?!]
[Even though you’ve quit smoking, drinking, and lust, staying up late is still bad for your body. You even ate a high-calorie late-night snack…]
[Please maintain a healthy sleep and diet schedule! Go to sleep before 12:00 AM every day and ensure you get at least 8 hours of sleep. Maintain this for 5 days to receive a reward of 100 cash!]
[Yesterday, your relationship with Qiu Ye heated up! Congratulations! Congratulations!]
[Yesterday, you obtained the Easy Makeup Artifact. Even if you’re clumsy and have no makeup experience, you can use this tool to easily possess a world-shaking beauty! Go ahead and try it—Qiu Ye will fall in love with you!]
Bai Yao had stayed up late for once.
Waking up, he was immediately scolded by the System.
Bai Yao had forced himself to stay awake until 3:00 AM before he finally fell asleep.
He didn’t know how Qiu Ye had so much to say; even when Bai Yao was dazed with sleep, the guy kept rambling on.
Then he had gotten hungry in the middle of the night, and Qiu Ye had dragged him into ordering takeout for a late-night snack.
“Haaa…”
Giving a long stretch, Bai Yao pulled back the bed curtains.
Rubbing the corners of his eyes, he stared blankly at the glass letting in the light.
He wasn’t quite awake yet…
Yawning, he poked his head out from the curtains and looked at Qiu Ye across from him.
The guy was still fast asleep.
Even though Bai Yao’s movements had shaken the bed frame when he woke up, it hadn’t disturbed Qiu Ye at all.
He was sleeping like a log.
This was the first time Bai Yao had taken a close look at Qiu Ye’s face.
He had to admit, when Qiu Ye closed his eyes and slept peacefully, he looked much more pleasant than usual.
At the very least, the aggression between his brows had faded, and with his mouth slightly open, he looked a bit silly and thickheaded.
His face was narrow and long, with slightly prominent cheekbones that gave him sharp, masculine lines.
His features were very three-dimensional, and his nose had a high bridge—though it had a slight, hawk-like bump.
While his double-lidded eyes were deep and beautiful, they were a bit small, which made him look somewhat fierce and aggressive, like someone who was hard to get along with.
‘Like a handsome villain from a movie?’
‘Qiu Ye’s skin is actually quite good…’
He didn’t seem to use any skincare products and stayed up late often, yet there were basically no pimples.
From this close range, Bai Yao could even see the faint peach fuzz on his face…
Bai Yao suddenly snapped out of it and hurriedly retracted his head into the curtains.
Staring at a sleeping man for so long—he was practically a pervert!
If Qiu Ye found out, he would probably doubt Bai Yao’s sexual orientation!
He hid inside the curtains for a few minutes.
Only after confirming that Qiu Ye hadn’t noticed his peeping did Bai Yao breathe a sigh of relief, get out of bed, and go wash up.
‘I have to pick someone up at the airport today…’
Bai Yao continued to look at guides online with a look of distress.
He wanted to prepare for every possibility in advance so he wouldn’t panic when the time came.
He didn’t even have his cousin’s phone number. What if he couldn’t find him?
The airport was so big.
What if he got lost and couldn’t find the arrivals gate?
“What time did you get up? You didn’t even wake me,”
Qiu Ye muttered, having woken up as well.
Stretching and yawning repeatedly, he walked out to the balcony.
“Just now,” Bai Yao replied with his usual cold, brief tone.
“Move over a bit.”
Qiu Ye walked to the sink and bumped into Bai Yao with his hip, making him stagger as he seized the spot.
“There’s so much space, yet you have to block it.”
“…”
‘As expected, Qiu Ye is more likable when he’s asleep!’
Bai Yao had just been staring at the guy for a long time, so he felt a bit guilty and didn’t bother arguing.
He lowered his head to spit out the foam in his mouth, stealing a glance at Qiu Ye.
The guy’s forearms were tanned a wheat color, with bulging muscles and smooth, powerful lines.
Then Bai Yao looked at his own thin arms—soft and tender like tofu, not looking like a man’s arms at all.
‘They’re not even in the same league… I’m so jealous!’
Qiu Ye had a thin layer of stubble on his chin.
He had a habit of using a razor every morning, but Bai Yao only had some tiny, translucent fuzz on his upper lip.
You couldn’t even see it without looking closely.
‘A bit of a beard makes you look more masculine… I’m so jealous!’
“What time are you planning to head out?”
Qiu Ye asked, cleaning his electric razor after finishing his shave.
“Which airport?”
“The one in the city center. It’s 40 minutes by taxi, but it probably takes 2 hours by bus.”
‘Is Qiu Ye actually concerned about my business?’
Bai Yao’s heart stirred, and the thought of asking Qiu Ye to go with him suddenly popped into his head.
But then he felt he was being too fussy—like a little sidekick dependent on Qiu Ye, unable to do anything without him.
He opened his mouth but felt embarrassed.
As a man, needing help with everything…
“Then you’ll have to leave after 4:00 PM, right?”
“Yeah.”
Qiu Ye urged, “Then hurry up. After we eat, we can still play games for 4 hours.”
‘So you aren’t worried about my business at all, you just care about the game!’
Bai Yao rolled his eyes silently and quickened his washing.
In the afternoon, they played games until nearly 5:00 PM.
Bai Yao changed his clothes, shoes, and socks, making final preparations to head out.
Quite self-consciously, he checked himself in the mirror to see if the pattern on his T-shirt could hide the rising curves of his chest.
He parted his long hair into a three-seven split and leaned closer to the mirror, worrying about the slight spots and acne marks on his cheeks.
It had been a long time since they last met.
He wanted to leave a cool, handsome impression on his cousin.
He didn’t want his cousin to think, ‘How did my little cousin turn into this ghostly appearance after a few years?’
“Does this look okay?”
Bai Yao asked Qiu Ye hesitantly.
“Are you going on a date? Why don’t you spray some perfume while you’re at it?”
Qiu Ye sat sideways, resting his chin on his hand as he watched him.
“Straighten your back a bit. Open up your shoulders.”
Bai Yao straightened his back and opened his shoulders, but the curves of his chest also poked out with the movement.
Even with a large pattern, it was hard to hide.
The next second, his shoulders slumped back inward, and he guiltily hunched his back and waist again.
In Qiu Ye’s eyes, he looked exactly like those junior high school girls who had just entered puberty—always feeling that development was abnormal and unconfidently covering up by intentionally slouching.
Well, for a man, it really was quite abnormal.
“Never mind… I’m going to wash my face.”
Bai Yao specifically used a facial cleanser to wash his face thoroughly, removing the slight oiliness on his nose and forehead to look more refreshed.
‘Although the System rewarded me with a skin improvement once, it didn’t fix everything in one go… I wonder what kind of quest could improve my skin again.’
“I’m leaving.”
“If you get back early tomorrow, remember to bring me some food.”
“Yeah, okay.”
Bai Yao took his laptop bag, stuffed in his ID, charger, and other knick-knacks, and left the dorm carrying the bag.
‘After finishing the System’s quest, I have to face my mother’s quest…’
He sighed inwardly.
Leaving from the school’s front gate, he stood at the bus stop waiting for the bus heading to the city center.
He gripped his phone anxiously, checking the navigation every now and then.
He paced nervously in small steps.
Since there was no one else around, he didn’t bother trying to control his feminine mannerisms.
‘Cousin must have made a lot of money abroad, right?’
Bai Yao could only force himself to look forward to something.
‘Maybe he’s become a huge hunk?’
‘I shouldn’t have to pay for the hotel tonight, right?!’
Chapter 38 is missing.