Chapter 70: Shopping (Date)

Bai Yao woke up first.

Opening his eyes, he realized he was leaning on Qiu Ye’s shoulder, and something heavy was resting on his head.

He turned his head.

The distance between them was so close he could see the pores and fine hairs on Qiu Ye’s skin.

At that movement, Qiu Ye was startled awake.

He looked up and let out a yawn.

Bai Yao rubbed his head, which was sore from the pressure.

Although Qiu Ye had leaned on his shoulder before, this was the first time he had leaned on someone else’s.

He kept quiet, feeling a bit awkward, then moved the mouse to light up the screen and check the time.

Was it 2:00 PM already?

He had accidentally slept for so long.

His whole body felt stiff…

Bai Yao couldn’t help but stretch.

A soft cracking sound came from his neck, and he let out a yawn of his own.

Still a bit dazed, he stared at the computer screen with tears in the corners of his eyes.

“Is it about time to log out and go to the hospital?”

Qiu Ye turned on his phone and logged into the hospital’s online platform to check the results.

“The X-rays are out, too.”

He looked at Bai Yao’s blank, confused face.

His eyes were watery and out of focus.

This dazed look was much cuter than his usual demeanor.

It was as if Bai Yao had some high network latency; it took half a minute before he let out an “Oh.”

He raised an arm to rub his eyes and slumped lazily back onto the desk.

“So sleepy…”

“Then do you want to sleep a bit longer?”

Qiu Ye’s hand couldn’t help but fiddle with the short ponytail on the back of Bai Yao’s head.

“No, just give me a moment…”

Bai Yao’s voice was also lazy and soft.

“Don’t touch my hair.”

He unhappily slapped Qiu Ye’s hand away.

“Are you a middle schooler?”

Those immature middle schoolers loved playing with the hair of the girls sitting in front of them.

‘Wait, I’m not a girl, so it doesn’t matter.’

After a brief recovery, Bai Yao stretched again.

His chest rose high, making those small hills much more prominent, creating a tall and alluring curve.

Qiu Ye stole a quick glance.

“I also made an appointment for you this afternoon.”

“Eh?”

Bai Yao’s face stiffened.

He muttered, “I told you there’s no need.”

“What if the doctor makes me take off my clothes?”

Although Bai Yao wasn’t the type of man who was too conservative to be shirtless, his body had become like this.

He couldn’t bring himself to undress in front of anyone anymore.

“Are you shy?”

“It’s not exactly that…”

Rather than being shy, it was more like the shame of having a body that was different from others.

A faint blush rose to Bai Yao’s cheeks.

Thinking about undressing in front of a stranger and potentially being touched made his toes curl in embarrassment.

He shook his head vigorously.

“Forget it! I’m not going! Not even if you kill me!”

Qiu Ye sighed, feeling a headache coming on.

“Then at least come with me for my follow-up.”

“Fine.”

They logged out and left the internet cafe.

Only then did Bai Yao finally regain some energy.

He followed Qiu Ye like a little sidekick, his face a mask of cold indifference.

Arriving at the hospital’s Orthopedic Outpatient Clinic, Bai Yao found a seat in the corner to play on his phone.

Qiu Ye went to register and then came back to sit beside him.

“How long will it take?”

“About 30 minutes.”

Bai Yao shook his leg out of boredom.

In the morning, he had been able to lead Qiu Ye around the hospital like a reliable man, but now that Qiu Ye was familiar with the whole process, he seemed to have no use.

Logically, there would be no problem even if Qiu Ye came for the follow-up alone.

His only role was probably just for companionship.

“Let’s get this over with quickly so we can go back to class.”

“We’ve already skipped, so we might as well go shopping.”

Bai Yao frowned, troubled.

“What if the counselor catches us?”

“Do you still want to get a scholarship for perfect attendance?”

That had been impossible for a long time.

They had skipped 2 full days of classes while staying at the hospital.

After waiting for 30 minutes, Qiu Ye heard his number called and stood up to see the doctor.

Bai Yao quickly stood to follow him but stopped at the door of the consultation room.

He peeked through the half-open door, looking inside curiously.

It wasn’t long before Qiu Ye came out with a relaxed smile.

“How was it?”

“Recovering well.”

Qiu Ye joked, “The doctor said my girlfriend took good care of me.”

Bai Yao rolled his eyes.

“Let’s go, then.”

“Where to?”

“Didn’t you want to go shopping? Oh, and cancel my appointment.”

Qiu Ye helplessly canceled Bai Yao’s appointment.

Previously, he could have been forceful and dragged Bai Yao to climb a mountain, but now, every time he saw that troubled, aggrieved, and reluctant expression, he couldn’t be firm anymore.

“There seems to be a Walmart nearby.”

“Yeah, it’s not far from the place where we bought clothes last time. Do you want to buy another set of women’s clothes?”

“I don’t need any!”

“Just try some on — what if they look pretty?”

‘If he wears a mask, he really does look quite beautiful.’

‘But maybe he would look even better now?’ After all, his appearance had become a bit more feminine, and his hair was long enough to be tied into a short ponytail.

A spark of interest flashed in Bai Yao’s heart, but he still refused without hesitation.

“I don’t have money.”

‘I can’t get addicted to women’s clothes! No matter how much I’m tempted, it’s not happening!’

To be honest, Bai Yao quite liked shopping.

But that was only if it was with friends or alone, not with family members or elders.

It was a weekday, so there weren’t many customers in the Walmart.

As soon as they stepped through the mall’s main entrance, Bai Yao immediately spotted the ice cream stand by the door.

He excitedly wanted to run up and buy a scoop to beat the heat, but he held back his footsteps.

“Do you want some ice cream?” he asked, turning to Qiu Ye.

“It’s so hot today.”

“It’s too expensive. I don’t like it.”

Bai Yao pursed his lips into a flat line and walked deeper into the mall, though his gaze never left the ice cream stand.

Qiu Ye noticed his expression.

“If you want to eat it, just go buy it yourself. Why are you asking me?”

“It is a bit expensive…”

Because of the price, he needed to find a reason to buy it to alleviate the guilt of spending money.

“Then I’ll treat you.”

“You’re acting as if you’re rich.”

Bai Yao turned to leave.

“If you run out of money, won’t you just have to borrow it from me again?”

But Qiu Ye grabbed him by the arm.

His shoes slid on the smooth tile floor as he was practically dragged to the ice cream stand.

In moments like this, Qiu Ye could be rightfully assertive.

“Two scoops. What flavor do you want?”

“I said I wasn’t eating any…”

Even as he said it, Bai Yao’s eyes brightened.

He leaned over the glass panel of the freezer, excitedly picking and choosing.

“Vanilla? Matcha seems good, too. Do you like durian? I don’t like it anyway. Cocoa flavor is also quite nice…”

“Vanilla and cocoa, then.”

Qiu Ye made the decision for the indecisive Bai Yao and scanned the code to pay.

He only had a few dollars left in his account, but fortunately, he still had Huabei to fall back on.

Bai Yao took the ice cream, scooped out a bit with the small spoon, and let it melt in his mouth.

His eyes curved into crescent moons with happiness.

“The Maotai ice cream I had last time was terrible! This tastes much better.”

“Only an idiot would buy that stuff.”

“My cousin wanted to buy it…”

Bai Yao cleared himself of responsibility.

Then, feeling it wasn’t right to eat alone, he scooped up a spoonful and looked up.

“Do you want some?”

‘Are we this close now? Is he actually going to feed me?’

Qiu Ye felt conflicted.

He felt that being fed ice cream by a man was a bit too gay, but this was Bai Yao; he could completely treat him like a girl.

“Boss, give me another spoon.”

Qiu Ye scoffed.

“No need. You eat.”

“Oh.”