Chapter 11: A Little Experiment in Love

So Qiao Xingzhou and Li Zhiyi began to “give it a try.”

Qiao Xingzhou pondered for a moment. “So, where do we start with dating?”

Li Zhiyi thought about it. “Maybe… holding hands?”

“Ah, so you actually want to hold hands with me?” Qiao Xingzhou’s eyes widened.

He had expected Li Zhiyi to argue, but after a moment of silence, Li Zhiyi replied:

“Yes. I want to hold hands with you.”

Qiao Xingzhou felt a bit uneasy. “Have you ever held hands before?”

Li Zhiyi replied, “No.”

“Me neither.”

Another brief silence followed.

Qiao Xingzhou’s ears turned red as he hurriedly extended his hand. “Then… let’s hold hands.”

“Hmm? Hmm.” Li Zhiyi also extended his hand.

He carefully took Qiao Xingzhou’s hand.

Qiao Xingzhou grew even more nervous. “How does it feel to hold hands, Brother?”

“Not bad, it’s quite… interesting.” Li Zhiyi acknowledged the significance of holding hands.

Qiao Xingzhou asked again, “Then… how about we keep holding hands for a bit longer?”

“…Alright.” Li Zhiyi coughed lightly. “Let’s hold hands a little longer, then.”

The two of them ended up staring into each other’s eyes while holding hands for quite a while, until they finally couldn’t hold back their laughter.

“Haha, no, this is too silly,” Qiao Xingzhou spoke first. “Who just stares blankly while holding hands?”

Uh… so what are we supposed to do next?

Li Zhiyi quietly protested, “Actually, I think holding hands like this… is quite nice.”

“No, no,” Qiao Xingzhou replied. “Brother, we can’t just keep holding hands and staring at each other like this. How about you let go, and we go for a walk? Let’s treat it as a date.”

Li Zhiyi seemed a bit fixated on holding hands. “Can’t we go for a walk… while still holding hands?”

For a moment, Qiao Xingzhou felt a bit dazed. Wasn’t he the one who suggested trying this? Now it almost seemed like it was Li Zhiyi’s idea.

Qiao Xingzhou replied subtly, “Alright, we can hold hands.”

Li Zhiyi readily agreed. “Mm, then I’d be happy to go for a walk.”

—

The two didn’t wander far, just strolling around the villa neighborhood.

This area was home to the rich and powerful, and many were acquaintances. They had only taken five steps and had already greeted three people.

“Brother, we agreed to ‘quietly’ try this, but it doesn’t seem very ‘quiet’ this way, does it?” Qiao Xingzhou asked tentatively. “Aren’t you worried about being seen?”

“There’s nothing to hide,” Li Zhiyi didn’t see anything wrong with it. “Or do you think dating me is something shameful?”

Qiao Xingzhou quickly shook his head and explained, “Of course not! I’m just worried about you, Brother…”

“But I’ve already shared my thoughts. I think walking with you like this is… very nice,” Li Zhiyi gently interrupted. “Are you still worried now?”

Qiao Xingzhou answered honestly, “I’m not worried anymore.”

Li Zhiyi was satisfied. “Mm, that’s good.”

After a while, Qiao Xingzhou spoke again, “It’s just… I keep feeling like someone’s watching us.”

“Is that so?” Li Zhiyi replied calmly, “That’s normal. Those are looks of envy and blessing.”

Qiao Xingzhou was a bit skeptical. “Eh, really?”

Li Zhiyi kept a straight face. “Of course.”

Qiao Xingzhou asked again, “And Brother Tianhao’s look… that was envy and blessing too?”

“Yes.” Li Zhiyi suddenly paused, realizing. “Wait, who?”

Before Qiao Xingzhou could answer, Hu Tianhao had already walked up to them.

“I knew there was something going on between you two!” His voice was so loud that it startled the sparrows from the trees.

Li Zhiyi’s ears hurt a bit. “Stop, hold on, what I have with Zhouzhou doesn’t count as ‘something going on.’”

Hu Tianhao fumed, “Yesterday he was still ‘Young Master Qiao,’ and today he’s already ‘Zhouzhou’? If that doesn’t count as something going on, then what is it?”

Li Zhiyi took over smoothly, “It’s called a friendly interaction between two single young men, perfectly reasonable and above board, with a high probability of developing into a future partnership.”

Hu Tianhao was completely sidelined. “Fine, fine, you two, singing in perfect harmony! Just bullying a single guy like me, huh?”

Qiao Xingzhou looked at him curiously. “Brother Tianhao, why are you so sharp about this? Could it be… you secretly like Brother? Are you my love rival?”

For the second time, Hu Tianhao was accused of being overly sensitive, leaving him nearly choking on his words.

“Pfft, no way! That’s an insult to our ten years of brotherhood! I just… I’ve read too many dramatic novels, so I’m, uh… sensitive to these things…” It was only at the end that Hu Tianhao realized what he’d just admitted.

“Pffft, hahaha—” Qiao Xingzhou burst into laughter, clutching his stomach as he looked at Hu Tianhao, whose tough exterior clashed completely with his inner personality. “You, a 1.88-meter tall, cunning and domineering urban elite, are actually a fan of dramatic novels?”

Hu Tianhao defended himself vigorously, “What do you know? That’s literary art! Literary art! Can you call art ‘dramatic nonsense’?”

“Oh no, Brother, Brother Tianhao is yelling at me.”

“Hu Tianhao, your expression is too fierce. Don’t scare my boyfriend.”

“You two damn lovebirds!!”

A chaotic scene ensued.

—

After the commotion died down and Hu Tianhao had left, Qiao Xingzhou finally turned his attention back to Li Zhiyi.

“You don’t have any love rivals,” Li Zhiyi said.

Qiao Xingzhou didn’t quite catch it. “Hm? What did you say?”

Li Zhiyi looked at him quietly. “I said, you don’t have any love rivals. I’ve never let anyone else get close to me.”

Qiao Xingzhou smiled. “That’s good, it shows you have a strong sense of self-protection.”

“And what about you?” Li Zhiyi hadn’t forgotten. “Last time, you praised Hu Tianhao…”

Qiao Xingzhou shook his head with a smile.

“Didn’t I already explain that? Why are you still holding onto it?” he chuckled. “Brother, what kind of relationship do we have here? Mutual love rivals?”

“We’re trial-period lovers,” Li Zhiyi replied honestly. “Zhouzhou, when are we officially getting together?”

Being a trial-period couple had its perks. He could hold his hand, stand openly by his side, and call him “Zhouzhou” instead of “Young Master Qiao.”

“Isn’t it better to keep experiencing it a bit longer? Who knows, maybe after more time, you might have other thoughts, Brother.” Qiao Xingzhou realized that he now held complete control in this situation. “After all, this way you still have more chances to back out, so you won’t lose out.”

Li Zhiyi was silent for a moment, then decided to speed things up. “Zhouzhou, I’m a bit impatient, and I won’t back out.”

Qiao Xingzhou found this side of Li Zhiyi rare and couldn’t resist teasing him. “I know you’re in a hurry, Brother, but don’t rush. You can’t eat hot tofu if you’re too eager.”

“What… eat tofu?” Li Zhiyi coughed softly. “Ahem, Zhouzhou, when it’s rightful, it’s not called ‘eating tofu.’”

Qiao Xingzhou was stunned by his train of thought. “What are you even thinking about, Brother!”

“Let’s not talk about that…” Li Zhiyi quickly changed the subject. “I have three cats at home; I gave you a brief introduction last time. So, would you like to come over and see them?”

Qiao Xingzhou, who really liked animals, replied, “Sure! I want to see the cats.”

At that moment, Li Zhiyi suddenly yawned.

“What’s going on? Did you catch a cold?” he rubbed his nose, looking genuinely puzzled.

Qiao Xingzhou turned on his phone and glanced at it. “Let me check the time… six-thirty, hmm, right on time.”

“Why are you checking the time?” Li Zhiyi was a bit confused. “Does yawning have anything to do with the time?”

“Around this time, my big brother should be getting home from work,” Qiao Xingzhou said confidently. “He probably noticed I ran off with you, so you’re getting ‘scolded’ on my behalf.”

“Ahem…” Li Zhiyi looked a bit embarrassed. “Zhouzhou, I feel like your brother has a bias against me. I’m clearly an upright person, and I’ve never had any conflict or business rivalry with him. Yet every time he sees me, he looks at me like I’m a thorn in his side.”

“No way around it. In my brother’s eyes, anyone who might whisk me away is his enemy.” Qiao Xingzhou knew Qiao Minglang all too well. “And besides, you’re the one most likely to actually succeed.”

Li Zhiyi caught on to the part he cared about. “Then, when will I succeed?”

“I already told you, let’s see the cats first.” Hearing the meowing of cats nearby, Qiao Xingzhou couldn’t help but smile and joke, “Brother, it’s been less than five minutes since I last answered that question, and yet you’re more insistent than the cats.”

“I’m not… alright, maybe I am.” Li Zhiyi shook his head, a bit helpless with himself. “Zhouzhou, forgive me for that.”