Back to the Dormitory!
“Going back?”
“Yeah.”
Just as they stepped out of the breakfast shop, Bai Yao could not wait to go back.
He started to walk away, but his hand was grabbed again.
Turning his head, he saw Qiu Ye grinning shamelessly.
“We are already out, so why the rush to go back?”
“Where can we go this early in the morning?”
Bai Yao’s gaze drifted toward the sky, too embarrassed to look at Qiu Ye’s face.
He had managed to suppress his deep blush with great effort, but as soon as he saw Qiu Ye, that shy feeling surged up again, making him flush and leaving him unsure of where to put his hands and feet.
“Let’s just walk around.”
Bai Yao did not object and allowed himself to be pulled along as they strolled through the streets.
The shops along the road were opening one after another, and the street began to feel a bit more lively.
Bai Yao kept his head lowered the entire time.
His hanging bangs covered half of his flushed face, but his exposed ears were a vivid red, looking particularly enticing.
He had always been a shut-in and hated leaving the house for no reason.
But wandering the streets with Qiu Ye, even without much conversation, his busy inner thoughts were enough to fill his mind, preventing him from feeling bored.
‘Is he about to confess?’
Bai Yao could sense what Qiu Ye was trying to do.
This guy was intentionally flirting with him — wasn’t he trying to deliberately create an ambiguous atmosphere for a confession?
To be honest, even without a confession, wasn’t their current state no different from a couple?
After all, saying things like ‘friends should hold hands’ only applied to small children.
Bai Yao could not help but feel a little expectant about what the scene of his first confession would be like, yet he could not quite imagine it.
If it were him, he would definitely send a message online to confirm the relationship.
Facing each other… just thinking about it was awkward.
Given his personality, if he really gathered the courage to confess to someone, he probably would not be able to say it to their face.
“Do you like cats or dogs?”
Qiu Ye suddenly asked.
“I like cats.”
“Hmm…”
He paused for a moment, peeking at Bai Yao’s expression, and asked tentatively, “Then… should we get a cat together in the future?”
“I guess that’s fine?”
Bai Yao kept his head down, preventing Qiu Ye from seeing his expression.
But not only were the tips of his ears bright red, even his neck was stained a lovely shade of pink.
His walking posture became a bit more fidgety, and he followed beside him with small, stiff steps, unable to relax.
Qiu Ye’s flow of conversation suddenly stalled.
He racked his brain to find a topic, but his usually quick mind now felt as though it had rusted over.
Instead, it was Bai Yao who asked first, “Where is your hometown? Is it far?”
“Dongbei.”
“I don’t hear much of a Dongbei accent?”
“I heard there are domestic violence rescue centers for men in Dongbei?”
Qiu Ye did not know whether to be proud or miserable.
“Anyway, my dad gets beaten by my Mom every day…”
“What about you?”
“Me? I’m thick-skinned; you can hit me however you like!”
Qiu Ye rolled up his sleeve, flexed his biceps to show he was ready to take a hit, and patted his arm.
“Come on! Hit me hard!”
Bai Yao looked hesitantly at the bulging muscle.
He reached out, but with a speed Qiu Ye did not expect, he suddenly pinched the skin at his waist.
“!!! Holy crap!”
Qiu Ye jumped from the pain, hissing as he rubbed the soft flesh on his side.
“Are you a devil?”
Bai Yao looked at him with an innocent face.
“You said however I liked.”
Qiu Ye did not hold a grudge.
He simply grabbed Bai Yao’s hand again, naturally lacing their fingers together.
“Then… will you marry me in the future?”
Bai Yao froze.
Wait, wasn’t this topic progressing way too fast?
The already ambiguous atmosphere between the two grew even thicker.
The air seemed to be filled with a sweet, pink haze.
“But my family probably can’t help much…”
Qiu Ye showed a bit of a nervous expression, trying his best to put it nicely.
“Buying a house might be difficult? When the time comes, we can save up for a down payment. If you want to buy one in your hometown, that’s fine too. Maybe I can just marry into your family instead?”
“Buying a house?” Bai Yao asked blankly and innocently.
“Isn’t renting better? Houses are so expensive; I don’t want to be in debt with a loan.”
“It’s not like you’ll be the one paying it back anyway.”
“Why wouldn’t I be the one paying? And I heard house prices have dropped significantly over these past two years?”
“Then it’s up to you. Renting is easier for me anyway.”
Qiu Ye spent too much time online and had seen too many people trying to ‘strike it rich’ through marriage.
He was actually a bit unaccustomed to Bai Yao’s attitude.
From the beginning, Bai Yao had been more generous than him.
Not long after they met, Bai Yao had covered several thousand in medical expenses for him.
Later, when he tried to treat him to meals, Bai Yao was always somewhat reluctant to accept.
‘Well, he counts as half a wife, right?’ Their values were quite consistent.
“Yeah, renting is fine,” Bai Yao muttered.
“Sharing a rental would be cheaper for two people.”
“Sharing a rental?”
“Otherwise?”
He wore a simple expression as if he did not understand, gazing blankly at Qiu Ye.
But Qiu Ye saw through his act of playing dumb.
Perhaps it was to save a sense of surprise, or maybe he just wanted to brush it off.
He rolled his eyes and fumbled in his pocket.
Suddenly, he took a large step forward, turned to block Bai Yao’s path, and abruptly dropped to one knee.
Seeing Qiu Ye suddenly kneel, Bai Yao flinched in surprise.
Although he had expected Qiu Ye to confess, his mind went blank seeing him perform such a grand gesture.
In his panic, he almost felt like kneeling down as well.
But Qiu Ye had already pulled a small black box from his jacket pocket, holding it up with both hands.
“Bai Yao, be my girlfriend.”
Qiu Ye looked earnestly into Bai Yao’s eyes and spoke solemnly.
When this moment actually arrived, Bai Yao froze in place.
He had thought that no one would ever like him in this lifetime.
He had thought that he did not like so-called ‘rituals.’
He had thought that when faced with a confession, he would only nod calmly, following his usual style.
But at this moment, his heart surged uncontrollably — happiness?
Excitement?
Shyness?
All sorts of indescribable emotions rushed up at once.
Bai Yao wanted to restrain himself, but the corners of his mouth still curled upward uncontrollably.
He smiled until his eyes narrowed into crescents, revealing his cute aegyo-sal.
He could only cover his mouth and nose with his hand, afraid that laughing too much would look unsightly.
“Yes!”
His brain seemed to have lost the ability to think.
All his previous worries and concerns were thrown to the back of his mind as he nodded vigorously.
Qiu Ye opened the box.
Inside was an exquisite white wireless mouse.
“Your old mouse is double-clicking; I got you a replacement.”
For a gamer, it was indeed very practical.
Bai Yao was about to take the mouse joyfully, but Qiu Ye immediately pulled a small ring from the box and opened his right palm toward him.
“And a ring~”
“A ring…”
Qiu Ye looked up at Bai Yao, seeing that shy, shimmering face, and smiled brightly and gently.
Under the morning sun, the person before him seemed to be draped in a holy, hazy veil.
That slender figure was cramped and flustered, placing both hands into his palm.
He gently cupped Bai Yao’s right hand and slipped the ring onto his slender ring finger.
Bai Yao stared blankly, lifting his hand to examine the ring before looking back down at Qiu Ye, who was still kneeling on one knee before him.
Qiu Ye’s eyes were filled with a warm smile.
He finally understood what ‘eyes full of love’ looked like.
“Get up quickly.”
Bai Yao took a step forward, trying to help Qiu Ye up.
“That won’t do. What should you call me now?”
Qiu Ye remained kneeling there firmly, acting like a rogue and refusing to get up.
“You have to call me something nice before I stand up.”
“Eh!”
Bai Yao shrank his neck and glanced at the passing bystanders who had stopped to watch.
His face turned even redder.
“…Husband?”
“That’s right~”
Cute. Thanks for the chapters!
Qui Ye moves fast lol