On the day of school, the marks on Yu Li’s body hadn’t faded yet. But in the middle of summer, it wasn’t practical for him to wear a turtleneck to school. 

Not to mention he didn’t have any summer turtlenecks, even if he did, it would probably attract a lot of attention. Fortunately, there weren’t too many hickeys left on his neck, and if anyone asked, he could just brush it off as an allergy.

Arriving just in time at the bottom of the teaching building, Yu Li got out of the car and went upstairs by himself, not letting Lu Qing see him off. When he reached the classroom, he paused, realizing that Lu Qing hadn’t mentioned the morning kiss the entire morning. It felt a bit strange.

Yu Li rubbed his wrist and walked into the classroom. Xu An was sitting near the back door and waved when he saw him, “Yu Li, you’re here. We saved you a seat.”

“Thanks.” Yu Li nodded at Xu An and walked over to the seat by the wall. Xu An added, “But we got here pretty late too, so we couldn’t get a front-row seat. We had to sit here.”

Yu Li waved it off, “It’s fine, this spot is good.” With a neck full of hickeys, sitting in the corner made it less likely for him to attract attention. But Xu An, sitting closest to him, couldn’t resist his curiosity after a few glances and asked, “Uh… Yu Li, if you don’t mind me asking, what happened to your neck?”

Yu Li’s expression didn’t change, and he lied smoothly, “Allergic reaction.”

Xu An blinked, “Allergic reaction?”

Yu Li nodded, “Yeah. I’m weak, lots of allergens.”

Xu An’s eyes darted around, and he just said, “Alright then, take care of yourself. If it gets bad, maybe see a doctor for some meds.”

Yu Li kept a smile on his face but cursed Lu Qing a hundred and eighty times in his heart. Next time, he couldn’t let him kiss his neck. Anyone with a bit of experience would know these weren’t allergies but hickeys, way too obvious.

On the podium, the teacher had already started the PowerPoint presentation. Yu Li focused his attention on the lecture. But as he listened, his thoughts began to drift. Why didn’t Lu Qing ask for a morning kiss today?

…

“Hey, I’m downstairs at the company, but I don’t see your car?”

“Next to the traffic light, the one honking.”

“Oh, oh, oh, I see it now, it was blocked by the billboard.”

Click, the car door unlocked, and a man in a casual suit opened the door and sat in the passenger seat.

“I sent you the address of the beauty salon on WeChat. Just navigate there. I booked a VIP room for you, and the beautician is an expert. You’ll be using the top-notch equipment, guaranteed to make you look eighteen again.”

Lu Qing started the car, “Let’s book a quarter first, I’ll go by myself later.”

Qin Yue paused while fastening his seatbelt, looking at him as if he’d seen a ghost, “I thought you were just doing this on a whim. Are you really planning to do this long-term?”

Lu Qing gave a nonchalant “hmm.”

Qin Yue scratched his head, utterly puzzled, “What’s the reason? Who changed you from a rough man into a refined boy?”

Though Qin Yue asked, he knew in his heart that the only person who could make Lu Qing compromise like this was Yu Li. But he couldn’t guess what exactly happened, hoping Lu Qing would drop his pride and tell him the truth.

Under Qin Yue’s relentless questioning, Lu Qing finally relented, though with some hesitation and embarrassment, “Yesterday… Xiao Li said my face was dry.”

Qin Yue: “So?”

Lu Qing: “Last night, he put a face mask on me and applied essence.”

He added two more words, “By hand.”

Even at a time like this, he had to show off his affection. Qin Yue was utterly speechless, “Are you crazy? What does this have to do with your appearance anxiety? Did the mask’s moisture seep into your brain?”

The car turned onto the main road, and as the road widened, Lu Qing had the chance to glance at Qin Yue, “The point is Xiao Li dislikes my dry face.”

“Just hydrate if you’re dry.” Qin Yue didn’t understand, “Didn’t Yu Li put a mask on you?”

Lu Qing: “He later asked me to apply sunscreen with him, but I didn’t want to.”

Qin Yue: “And then?”

Lu Qing: “Then he said…”

Qin Yue crossed his arms, waiting leisurely for him to continue.

Lu Qing looked troubled, “Then he said if I don’t apply sunscreen and get ugly, he won’t kiss me anymore.”

Qin Yue: “…”

Qin Yue wanted to jump out of the car.

“Then just apply sunscreen obediently. Why suddenly have appearance anxiety?”

“Just anxious.” Lu Qing didn’t dare to admit that he was momentarily shattered because his kissing requests were rejected twice, leading him to not dare to ask for a morning kiss when he watched Yu Li get out of the car for school this morning. He just said, “Did you buy the skincare products?”

“Bought them. I also got you a beauty device. Use it when you’re free, the more you use it, the tighter your skin will get.” Qin Yue propped his face, a bit gloating, “You know, I gave you face cream before, and you didn’t use it. Now look, you’re being disliked for being old and ugly.”

This hit Lu Qing right in the heart. He cursed, “You’re the one who’s old and ugly. I’m only twenty-five this year, nowhere near old and ugly.”

“You know you’re twenty-five, right? At twenty-five, you should start anti-aging.” Qin Yue glanced at him, “Yu Li is only eighteen this year, at the age where he’s fresh and tender. There’s a seven-year age gap, you better take good care of yourself. When Yu Li is twenty-five, you’ll be thirty-two, an old man, eating young grass, shameless.”

Lu Qing: “…”

Lu Qing wanted to drive the car into the lake and perish together with Qin Yue and his big mouth.

…

The beauty salon owned by the Qin family was quite famous in Jiang Cheng. It was fully booked, but Qin Yue used his boss privileges to squeeze in an extra slot for Lu Qing.

After getting out of the car, Lu Qing followed Qin Yue to the third-floor VIP room.

Today’s guest was personally brought by President Qin, making the director nervous and personally coming out to greet them.

Not long after, Lu Qing entered the VIP room and began his first-ever facial treatment.

Qin Yue sat outside, sipping tea while waiting. An hour and a half later, Lu Qing finally emerged.

Qin Yue immediately stood up, walked over, and observed him closely, rubbing his chin.

Lu Qing was unusually nervous.

The beauty salon director was also waiting nervously.

After a moment of scrutiny, Qin Yue nodded, “Not bad, a bit whiter, a bit more tender.”

Lu Qing breathed a sigh of relief.

The beauty salon director also relaxed, smiling brightly, “Mr. Lu is naturally beautiful, just a bit rough-skinned. A few sessions will fix it.”

“Great. Charge this session to my account. In the future, when he comes, deduct the money from my account.” After speaking with the director, Qin Yue hooked his arm around Lu Qing’s shoulder and walked out, praising him along the way, “Did you hear that? Naturally beautiful. With your looks, even a little change is a big change. When Yu Li sees you, he might kiss you a few more times.”

Lu Qing was a bit disgusted by his flattering tone, “Just say it, what do you want?”

Qin Yue chuckled, “Can I borrow your McLaren from the garage? You don’t need it now, and it’s a waste just sitting there.”

“…” Lu Qing: “Take it, take it. The keys are in the second drawer of my room.”

Qin Yue’s smile grew even brighter, “I won’t be taking your car later. My assistant is picking me up for a meeting. You can head back yourself.”

Lu Qing agreed.

Qin Yue: “I’ve already sent out the invitations for the banquet. The one for Yu Li has been sent to Yu Huaiyuan. You can come in with Yu Li’s invitation.”

After saying that, he walked towards a business car parked by the roadside.

Lu Qing stood there for two seconds before opening the door of the Maybach. He initially planned to drive to the school, but his phone buzzed at that moment.

It was a message from Yu Li.

Little Treasure: [No need to pick me up for lunch. I’m going to the cafeteria with Xu An and the others, and then I’ll head back to the dorm for a nap.]

Staring at the message, Lu Qing felt a bit sour, secretly thinking like a resentful husband: Why aren’t we even having lunch together? Is it because after spending a morning in a campus full of eighteen-year-old college students, he doesn’t want to see this twenty-five-year-old old man anymore?

But what he sent was: [Got it, Xiao Li. Let me know if you need anything (smiley face).]

Jiang University, third-floor tiered classroom.

Xu An watched Yu Li send a message on his phone and asked quietly, “Are you messaging your boy… bodyguard?”

Yu Li nodded, “Yeah. I told him not to pick me up for lunch.”

Xu An tentatively asked, “He won’t be upset if you have lunch with us, right? I just thought our dorm hasn’t had a meal together yet, so I wanted to invite you.”

Yu Li looked down at Lu Qing’s reply and shook his head.

“It’s fine, just a meal. You guys always save me a seat, so lunch is on me.”

But he thought to himself: He does seem a bit upset. I’ll have to ask him properly after school.

…

The skincare products Qin Yue ordered arrived quickly, along with several boxes of face masks and a small home beauty device.

Lu Qing placed each item on the shelf, took a shower, changed into clean clothes, and then headed out, driving to the art building.

Having no classes on Monday meant Yu Li’s schedule was packed, with the entire afternoon spent in the studio for basic courses.

When Lu Qing arrived, it was five minutes past the end of class, but only a few students were trickling out of the art building.

He sent Yu Li a message, but there was no reply. Lu Qing guessed he was probably drawing and hadn’t checked his phone.

So he got out of the car, carrying a large cup of three-sugar, no-ice boba milk green tea, and went upstairs.

Yu Li had mumbled about wanting to drink it when he woke up in the morning, so Lu Qing bought it on his way.

The studio Yu Li was in was located at the end of the second floor of the art building, occupying the largest space on the floor by combining two classrooms.

As soon as he reached the door, he could hear the sound of pencils scratching on sketch paper.

Ten minutes after class, the teacher had left, but the studio was still packed. Lu Qing didn’t go in, just stood at the back door, peering inside.

Unfortunately, the studio was too crowded, with easels blocking his view.

But while he couldn’t find Yu Li, the people inside noticed him, and the studio buzzed with whispers.

“Hey, isn’t that Yu Li’s boyfriend?”

“Definitely. Who else in our school has that face and body?”

“He’s here for Yu Li, right? And he brought milk tea.”

“Of course, who else would he be here for?”

“Oh, they’re so sweet. My boyfriend, that pig-possessed deadbeat, rushes to the cafeteria after school and never thinks to pick me up.”

“Join our CP fan army. We even have fanfiction in the group.”

“Wow… you guys are too strong. There’s even fan content for this.”

Amidst the chatter, a student looked up at the tall figure at the back door and then glanced at a corner of the studio.

He wanted to run over to Yu Li, but with art supplies and water buckets scattered everywhere, he couldn’t find a path. After thinking for a moment, he raised his voice slightly, “Yu Li, Yu Li!”

But Yu Li kept his head down, focused on his drawing, not responding to the voice.

The student called a few more times without a response, then raised his voice, “Yu Li! Your boyfriend is here for you!”

The shout was a bit too loud, and suddenly, students from all directions looked over.

Yu Li finally lifted his head from the paper. When their eyes met, the student awkwardly gestured an apology to Yu Li, then pointed to the back door before quickly sitting down.

Now, all those gazes naturally focused on Yu Li.

Yu Li was momentarily stunned, then put down his pencil, looking in the direction the student pointed.

A group of people followed Yu Li’s gaze to the door.

The tall, handsome man stood at the back door, holding a cup of milk tea. Despite being suddenly showered with attention, he showed no discomfort, standing there quietly, posture straight.

Yu Li glanced at his nearly finished practice piece, put away his pencil, and packed his sketchbook into his bag. He told his three roommates, “I’m leaving.”

Xu An waved at him, “Go on, don’t keep your boy… bodyguard waiting.”

Under the watchful eyes of the studio’s gossiping crowd, Yu Li walked to the back door. Lu Qing naturally took the bag from his hand, slinging it over his shoulder, and handed the prepared milk tea to Yu Li.

With that, the two disappeared through the back door.

Realizing they couldn’t see Yu Li’s back anymore, Xu An retracted his gaze, clicking his tongue.

Someone had asked him for Yu Li’s contact information recently, but he hadn’t given it.

Now, it seemed like not giving it was the right choice.

These two were a perfect match, written all over their hair: compatible!

After dating such a top-notch handsome guy, how could Yu Li settle for anything less?

Thinking this, he flipped to the next page of his sketchbook, sneakily glanced around, then quickly snapped a photo with his phone and closed the book.

Not long after, the picture appeared in a group chat named “Li Meow Meow × Our Yet Unknown Name Doggo Sugar Sharing Group.”

It was the most active time after school, and soon the group chat was flooded with messages.

[The court’s relief grain has arrived! Blue sky, great lord!]

[Howling, so howling.]

[You’re an octopus, aren’t you, producing content again? This size difference, this height difference, awsl.]

[Mommy, I want to follow you forever.]

[Fragrant, the first sister to start shipping is a genius.]

In front of the screen, a glint flashed across Xu An’s glasses.

From the first day Yu Li and the bodyguard arrived at the dorm, he knew these two were hard not to ship.

As Yu Li’s roommate, he had the advantage of proximity, seizing every opportunity to ship them.

The genius who started shipping was none other than himself.

…

“Why did you bring milk tea?” Yu Li asked, settling into the passenger seat, chewing on boba.

“You said you wanted it when you woke up this morning.” Lu Qing reached over to fasten his seatbelt, answering softly, “I came to pick you up after school, so I bought it on the way.”

Yu Li was a bit confused, unable to recall saying he wanted milk tea.

He guessed he must have said something in his half-asleep state, but Lu Qing had taken it to heart, remembering it from morning till now.

A warm feeling spread in his heart. Yu Li looked up at Lu Qing, about to say something, but as he did, he paused.

He placed the milk tea in the cup holder, suddenly pinching Lu Qing’s chin and leaning closer.

Lu Qing’s waist stiffened as he leaned forward. Though he didn’t know why Yu Li was doing this, he obediently didn’t resist, letting Yu Li scrutinize him.

After a moment of close examination, Yu Li switched from pinching his chin to cupping Lu Qing’s face with both hands, gently rubbing it. His eyes shifted, hesitating as he said, “Your face… seems a bit more tender?”

Not only tender, but the dry skin from yesterday had become soft, like a dried leaf rehydrated and turning green again, no longer rough to the touch.

Lu Qing didn’t expect him to be so perceptive. He turned his head, clearing his throat, “Is that so? Maybe it’s the skincare you gave me working.”

“No.” Yu Li shook his head, his tone certain, “You weren’t like this last night. Did you do something behind my back today?”

Honestly, Lu Qing felt embarrassed about going for a facial just because of Yu Li’s comment. Not that facials were embarrassing, but his reaction was.

Hearing Yu Li’s question, Lu Qing’s first instinct was to deny it. But before he could speak, Yu Li gave him a faint look, “No lying.”

“I hate being lied to.”

His heart skipped a beat, and Lu Qing’s hand tightened, slamming on the brakes, swallowing the denial that almost slipped out. He confessed, “After dropping you off at school this morning… I went to Jiang Ting for a facial for an hour and a half.”

Yu Li narrowed his eyes at the mention.

Jiang Ting was a well-known beauty salon in Jiang Cheng, usually fully booked. Not to mention how Lu Qing managed to get a last-minute appointment, a session there easily cost five figures.

Recalling his visit to Lu Qing’s rented apartment, Yu Li couldn’t help but ask, “You went to Jiang Ting for a facial, where did you get the money?”

“And appointments there need to be booked at least a week in advance. How did you get one?”

Lu Qing: “…”

Lu Qing started sweating profusely.

He had hidden his true identity from Yu Li since becoming his bodyguard. Yu Li only knew him as a poor bodyguard, naturally questioning his slip of the tongue.

One lie begets countless others. Yu Li hated being lied to, but Lu Qing had no choice but to continue the charade.

“President Yu pays me well. I’m not as broke as before.”

He forced himself to say, “As for the appointment, I have a friend at Jiang Ting. A customer canceled today, so I asked him to squeeze me in.”

“Really?” Yu Li looked at him, suspicion in his eyes.

“Really.” Lu Qing changed the subject, “I wasn’t planning to tell you, but I didn’t expect you to notice.”

Having told several lies, Lu Qing appeared calm, but his back was drenched in cold sweat. Fortunately, Yu Li didn’t press further, only asking, “Why did you suddenly decide to do this?”

Lu Qing was embarrassed, “Do I have to say?”

Yu Li didn’t speak, just silently stared at him.

After a while, Lu Qing gave in.

He confessed, “You said last night that if I got ugly, you wouldn’t kiss me… I’m twenty-five now, didn’t know about skincare before, but I will from now on, Xiao Li… I, I…”

The more he spoke, the more he stammered. By the end, Lu Qing didn’t even know what he was saying, closing his mouth in frustration.

Yu Li’s eyes glinted with amusement, and when he spoke again, his tone was teasing, “So, is that why you didn’t ask for a morning kiss today?”

Lu Qing mumbled a “hmm.”

“I was just saying it to remind you to use sunscreen.” Yu Li laughed louder, “Lu Qing, you’re so sensitive.”

“…” Lu Qing was at a loss for words, wanting to argue but not knowing what to say. Yu Li’s words had shattered him, he was indeed sensitive.

Yu Li’s eyes curved, releasing his face, smiling brightly, “Let’s drive home. I’ll make it up to you later.”

Hearing this, Lu Qing’s eyes lit up instantly. He straightened up, asking softly, “Really?”

“Really.” Yu Li picked up the milk tea again, his voice muffled, “Why would I lie to you?”

After all, they’ve kissed so many times, one more wouldn’t hurt.

At that moment, Lu Qing wanted to floor the gas pedal, fly home, and hold Yu Li tightly for a long kiss.

The Maybach, parked under the art building for a while, finally started, accelerating out of the school gate. But it was rush hour, and the road was a bit congested. Lu Qing was anxious, frequently glancing at Yu Li.

Yu Li, annoyed by his gaze, glared at him sideways, “Stop looking, I’m not going anywhere.”

Lu Qing pursed his lips, reluctantly turning his gaze back to the long line of cars ahead.

Why aren’t we moving?

Why aren’t we moving?

So anxious!

…

A minor accident on the overpass outside Jiang University delayed them until dusk.

Finally back at Epiphyllum Mansion, Yu Li looked up, seeing the lights on the first floor of the villa from afar.

He asked, puzzled, “Did you forget to turn off the lights when you left?”

Lu Qing couldn’t quite remember what he did before leaving, hesitating, “Maybe I forgot…”

His mind was entirely on getting home to kiss Yu Li, not thinking about the lights.

When the Maybach finally parked in the garage, neither noticed the extra car there.

Pulling the handbrake, Lu Qing immediately leaned over, eagerly unbuckling Yu Li’s seatbelt.

Yu Li was a bit speechless at his impatience, “Why are you so eager, like it’s our first kiss?”

“It’s different.” Lu Qing mumbled, raising his arm to cup Yu Li’s soft cheeks, repeating, “It’s different…”

“Alright.” Yu Li sighed, “Hurry up, I’m a bit hungry.”

Every time they kissed, Lu Qing would hold him and kiss repeatedly. Yu Li guessed by the time they finished, it would be completely dark.

Under the boy’s urging, Lu Qing tilted his chin, leaning forward.

Just as the distance between them closed, a “thud thud” sounded in the quiet garage.

The passenger window was knocked on.

The sudden noise startled Yu Li, making him jump.

He instinctively leaned towards Lu Qing, looking warily at the window.

Lu Qing wrapped an arm around Yu Li’s shoulder, squinting as they both looked over.

One second, two seconds.

Under the dim streetlight, they finally recognized the person.

Buzz…

Buzz…

The window slowly rolled down.

Without the glass barrier, Yu Huaiyuan’s handsome, stern face appeared in their view.

The air was silent.

Deadly silent.

Yu Huaiyuan squinted, his sharp gaze locking onto Lu Qing’s hand gripping Yu Li’s shoulder.

His voice was cool, like a ghost:

“You two.”

“What were you two just doing?”