Chapter 79

Chapter 79

Qi Yanyu didn’t have his phone. He couldn’t locate it, though he had originally wanted to take a photo of the flowers.

He picked up the tulips—a huge bouquet, likely pre-ordered by Gu Jinglan.

Qi Yanyu carried the massive bunch of tulips to the mirror, looking at them again and again. They were incredibly beautiful.

Then, he quietly put them back in place, acting like he hadn’t seen them.

Returning to the living room, Qi Yanyu picked up the fox-ear and bunny-ear plush hair clips, studying them closely.

Lying on the long sofa, Qi Yanyu waited for Gu Jinglan to finish showering. Beside him was one betel nut left—he had bought three in total.

He thought to himself, *Why does betel nut hit like downing straight liquor, with the aftereffects rushing in immediately?*

The chewing sensation was similar to chewing on tree bark, and the juice was bitter. The old lady had even given him slender green leaves to wrap around the betel nut while chewing.

The first two times, he hadn’t used the leaves—he’d forgotten. Could that be why it felt like drinking alcohol?

True to his curious nature, Qi Yanyu wrapped the betel nut in the long, thin leaf like wrapping a zongzi and placed it between his teeth. He took a bite, but it still tasted the same—like tree sap.

He couldn’t tell if it was any different from before. No matter how he chewed, he couldn’t discern any distinct flavor.

Frowning, Qi Yanyu examined the bitten betel nut. It looked like a green olive—pointed at both ends and round in the middle, with a green outer skin. The inside was pale yellow like wood.

*Maybe I need to chew slowly?* He took a few gentle bites, having heard that the juice was the key.

Making a face, Qi Yanyu pushed himself up from the sofa and spat the half-chewed "olive" into the wastebasket, along with the juice.

The heartburn flared up instantly, making him so nauseous that he rushed to the fridge, unscrewed a water bottle, and immediately rinsed his mouth before gulping down large mouthfuls.

Lightheaded and shaky, Qi Yanyu stumbled back to the sofa. He couldn’t even muster the strength to climb onto it, so he just collapsed on the floor, covering his face with his forearm.

His throat felt clogged, burning fiercely. His stomach and chest were on fire, and sweat poured down his body.

Rolling onto his side, Qi Yanyu felt the urge to vomit but couldn’t. Groaning, he pushed himself up a little, still sitting on the floor, but his head was now buried in the sofa.

He waited for the effects to fade. The burning in his stomach and chest made the world spin, and Qi Yanyu could feel his clothes dampening with sweat.

When Gu Jinglan stepped out of the shower and saw him still slumped on the floor, he chuckled. “You still haven’t recovered?”

Qi Yanyu buried his face in his arm. “I ate another one.”

“Brother Yu’s really something else,” Gu Jinglan said, wrapping an arm around Qi Yanyu’s waist and lifting him onto the nearest armchair. Leaning down, he kissed him. “That rough?”

“It’ll pass in a few minutes. Just sweating a lot, nauseous, dizzy, throat on fire.”

“You’ve had one before. Didn’t you know how it’d affect you?” Gu Jinglan laughed, running a hand over Qi Yanyu’s back—his undershirt was drenched, like after a workout.

Qi Yanyu kept his hand over his face, too dizzy and queasy to even gag properly.

Gu Jinglan gently pulled his arm away to look at his face—his brows were furrowed, eyes shut, lashes slightly damp, cheeks an unnatural shade of red.

His lips, stained by the betel nut juice, had a shiny, pinkish tint like oleander.

“Total lightweight. Can’t take it but won’t quit.”

Teasing his overheated face, Gu Jinglan undid his clothes a bit to help him cool down.

Qi Yanyu’s own hands moved to take off his clothes, and Gu Jinglan watched as he peeled away layer after layer until almost nothing was left. He teased, “Keep going like this and you’ll catch a cold.”

When Gu Jinglan was pulled close to his neck, he understood what Qi Yanyu meant. “Then take the rest off yourself,” he said.

Hearing that, Qi Yanyu suddenly didn’t feel like undressing anymore—he just wanted a little pampering. Still, Gu Jinglan picked him up and carried him to the armchair. “I’m going to grab something,” he said.

Left on the sofa, Qi Yanyu wondered where he had gone. Soon, he felt a kiss brush against his cheek. Gu Jinglan lifted his legs and began removing the remaining obstacles from his clothing.

Half-reclining on the armrest of the chair, Qi Yanyu grew nervous again. Gu Jinglan covered his eyes and rubbed a bit of lubricant between his fingers.

...

The next morning, they returned by high-speed train. Qi Yanyu had originally wanted to bring the tulips back with him, but he wasn’t sure where he’d keep them at school. Later, after finding his phone, he took many photos of the dusky violet tulips and posted them on his private account before deleting all the photos from his album.

So when Gu Jinglan later checked his phone, he asked, “Didn’t I see you taking pictures of the flowers earlier? Why did you delete them all?”

The night before, Gu Jinglan had dressed Qi Yanyu in his police attire again, carried him in front of the mirror, and told him to take a selfie.

Qi Yanyu couldn’t bring himself to do it, so Gu Jinglan nuzzled his cheek and whispered, “Why not? A photo of your blushing face would be perfect.”

On the train, Qi Yanyu hadn’t slept much the night before, leaning against his seat the whole way, his head drooping heavily. Eventually, Gu Jinglan pulled him into his arms and let him rest against his shoulder.

After arriving, Gu Jinglan first accompanied him for a meal near campus before heading to class together.

Qi Yanyu only attended one morning class. In the afternoon, there was a gross anatomy lab session.

He walked with a slight limp and arrived early at the dissection classroom. Gu Jinglan mainly answered questions from Huang and Qi—what to cut and what to avoid.

Qi Yanyu kept his head down, silently cutting through tissue, blood vessels, and nerves, his mind wandering elsewhere.

Gu Jinglan’s guidance had its limits, especially when Qi Yuanhan accidentally sliced a blood vessel, filling the air with the heavy, coppery stench of a slaughterhouse.

Though Huang Shaoze hadn’t done much better, he was drenched in sweat. Their once-pristine white gloves were now drenched red, like they’d been soaked in dye.

“No. 3, our usual critic, isn’t scolding me today,” Qi Yuanhan joked, nodding toward the unusually quiet Qi Yanyu. Not long ago, Qi Yanyu would’ve definitely criticized his technique. “No wonder our lab group is so quiet.”

Gu Jinglan scoffed lightly. “You miss getting yelled at? Can’t function without it?”

It sounded like flirty teasing. Meanwhile, the subject of their conversation kept his eyes lowered, focused on snipping nerves and vessels, the mask covering the lower half of his face hiding his expression. When someone seemed to call his name, Qi Yanyu finally lifted his lashes and looked up blankly.

“Right, No. 3? Doesn’t he deserve it?” Gu Jinglan teased him into answering. Qi Yanyu gave a faint nod—he hadn’t really heard anything, but if Gu Jinglan said so, then it must be right. He lowered his gaze again, determined to finish early and save trouble before finals. But as he glanced sideways at Qi Yuanhan, another nerve was severed with a sharp *snap*.

In truth, most other groups made plenty of mistakes too. Across the entire class, probably only Qi Yanyu, Gu Jinglan, and a few others were dissecting accurately.

Before Qi Yanyu lay the fleshy tissues of the cadaver, yet his mind wandered—back to another scene entirely.

Gu Jinglan had lifted his legs and revealed what he had fetched: lubricant and a condom. Murmuring soothing words, he alternated between lingering kisses and quick pecks.

After several attempts, Qi Yanyu finally lay fully reclined on the couch. Gu Jinglan kissed him again, whispering for him to relax.

When they finally came together, Qi Yanyu instinctively covered his furrowed brow with both hands. After some time, when he had adjusted slightly, Gu Jinglan carried him over to the full-sized sofa and held him tightly.

By evening, after two grueling anatomy lab sessions, Gu Jinglan was the first to leave the classroom. Qi Yanyu walked slowly behind, nearly the last to exit.

Instead of following the other students to the cafeteria or back to the dormitory, Qi Yanyu turned into the lab building and found Gu Jinglan deliberately waiting for him in the lobby.

Seeing how he limped, Gu Jinglan stepped forward to support him, chuckling softly. “Sorry, I’ll be gentler next time.”

Qi Yanyu flushed deep red. He looked at Gu Jinglan for a moment, steadying his breathing before murmuring, “….”

"Say something, why the silent treatment?" Gu Jinglan took his hand, smiling as he studied Qi Yanyu's face—worried he might be upset. "Why didn’t you respond to me during anatomy lab earlier?"

"Wait, were you talking to me?" Qi Yanyu asked belatedly.

Gu Jinglan looked at him, realizing he was probably sleep-deprived and dazed. "Alright, Brother Yu, what’s for dinner tonight?"

"No clue. I’m dead on my feet." Qi Yanyu just wanted to go back to his dorm and lie down.

"Let’s just book a hotel room. You can rest, and we’ll order takeout." Gu Jinglan was already pulling him close and calling a ride.

"..."

It was just a short walk from the lab to the campus gate. Gu Jinglan half-carried, half-guided Qi Yanyu, occasionally shifting to support him fully—each adjustment dictated by Qi Yanyu’s unspoken cues. They hopped in the ride and headed straight for a nearby five-star hotel.

The moment they left the elevator, Gu Jinglan swept Qi Yanyu into his arms, swiped the keycard with one hand, and carried him to the bed. "What do you want to eat?"

"Lemme check." Qi Yanyu, now in brighter spirits, lay on the bed scrolling through food delivery apps.

Gu Jinglan automatically fetched him water and checked the fridge—if there was fruit, he’d slice some up for Qi Yanyu without thinking twice.

Lately, if Qi Yanyu slacked on assignments, Gu Jinglan would do them for him—sometimes even two copies. He knew Qi Yanyu’s email and course platform passwords by heart, logging in and submitting work for him like second nature.

While Qi Yanyu browsed food options, Jiang Tiyan called. Qi Yanyu instantly swiped to decline—no hesitation. No surprise, considering he played Xin Zhao.

Torn between Northwestern dishes or Korean BBQ downstairs, Qi Yanyu pondered—then remembered: maybe too caught up in the moment, why would Jiang Tiyan be calling?

Gu Jinglan was still in the living room; they had booked a suite. Qi Yanyu hung up a second time.

A text buzzed in immediately: "Playing clueless? Shacking up with some twink?"

Second message followed: "How do you think Qi Muyao would react if he found out you're holed up with him?"

Third… no need for a third. Qi Yanyu stepped into the bathroom and called Jiang Tiyan. "What do you want?"

"Where are you?" Jiang Tiyan’s tone was smug.

"...Just say what you need."

"Did you just ignore what I told you the other day?" Jiang Tiyan had noticed Qi Yanyu hadn’t sought him out—clearly not taking him seriously.

Qi Yanyu’s voice was quiet, possibly due to poor reception. "Cut me some slack here."