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    Chapter 136 Ophelia

    "What are you doing?"

    Without even looking up, Yan Zhoubai knew it was Zhan Jiayu; there was no one else there.

    "What time does the convention end tomorrow?"

    Zhan Jiayu's lips traced a path from Yan Zhoubai's ear down to his neck and collarbone, asking the question without pausing his kisses.

    "It ends in the evening... Hey, stop messing around, I want to keep watching."

    Yan Zhoubai flinched, tickled by Zhan Jiayu's nuzzling, unable to focus on his *Kitten Kia's Adventures*.

    Yan Zhoubai's obvious resistance displeased Zhan Jiayu. He was already feeling pent-up, and Yan Zhoubai had been engrossed in this *Kitten Kia's Adventures* since returning home, paying him no attention. Tomorrow, he was even going to the convention with Bu Qiran.

    The more he thought about it, the more upset he became. Zhan Jiayu snapped shut the tablet in front of them, then, with a swift movement, pushed Yan Zhoubai down beneath him.

    ...

    When Yan Zhoubai woke up the next morning, he was still in a daze. Zhan Jiayu had worn him out again last night. It wasn't that he disliked such intimacy with Zhan Jiayu, but he couldn't stand Zhan Jiayu's intensity in bed, which seemed to be escalating.

    Not only did Zhan Jiayu possess boundless energy, but lately, he'd started teasing Yan Zhoubai in various ways, denying him satisfaction until Yan Zhoubai begged and uttered words that made his cheeks flush and heart race.

    Yan Zhoubai wanted to kick Zhan Jiayu to vent his frustration, but Zhan Jiayu had already gotten up. Now, only he remained in bed, sitting with his messy bedhead, trying to wake himself up.

    When Yan Zhoubai went downstairs, he saw breakfast was already prepared—hot white porridge and several appetizing side dishes. Just the sight of it made him imagine how comforting such a breakfast would be.

    "What are your plans for today?" he asked.

    Yan Zhoubai took a sip of the porridge. It was perfectly thick, leaving a white film around his lips, which he licked off with his tongue.

    Zhan Jiayu picked up a cucumber strip with his chopsticks and spoke leisurely, "Today, I'm meeting with those restless uncles of mine."

    As he spoke, his gaze flicked unintentionally toward Yan Zhoubai, but Yan Zhoubai was too focused on eating his porridge to notice.

    "What have those uncles of yours done now?" Yan Zhoubai was peeling a hard-boiled egg.

    "Same as always," he replied, "always trying to cause trouble for me, but they can't really stir up any big waves. I might be back late tonight, so I won't be able to pick you up from the convention. Be careful on your way back."

    Zhan Jiayu had almost finished eating and was now propping his chin in his hand, watching Yan Zhoubai.

    "Okay."

    Yan Zhoubai readily agreed without a second thought. In the past, no matter how busy work kept him, Zhan Jiayu would always make time to pick him up. He never said anything about Yan Zhoubai returning on his own—it was always Yan Zhoubai who thought it was too much trouble and insisted on coming back alone. But Yan Zhoubai didn't notice this small detail.

    Today, all his excitement was focused on the prospect of meeting the main creative team behind *Kitten Kia's Adventures*.

    ...

    The apartment they lived in was quite far from the costume studio Bu Qiran had sent the address for. Before heading out, Yan Zhoubai took forever getting his things together. Over the past couple of days, he had prepared a lot of *Kitten Kia's Adventures* merchandise to give to fellow fans at the convention—so he ended up leaving later than planned.

    By the time he arrived at the costume studio and found Bu Qiran, Bu Qiran's cosplay makeup was already halfway done. Beside him was a thoroughly impatient Zhang Lin.

    Zhang Lin was sitting on a nearby sofa, playing a game on his phone. Whether it was due to annoyance from waiting or something else, his game volume was on, and as soon as Yan Zhoubai entered the room, he could hear the game's sound effects. Though the volume wasn't loud, the room was quiet, making it particularly noticeable.

    *This person has no manners,* Yan Zhoubai noted silently.

    As soon as Zhang Lin saw Yan Zhoubai, he immediately put away his phone, not caring whether his game was finished or not—his teammates were probably screaming at him through the headset by now. The bored expression on his face vanished the moment he laid eyes on Yan Zhoubai.

    *This fake young master is so fair-skinned,* he thought. *His neck practically glows. He'd never seen a guy so pale before.*

    Yan Zhoubai was dressed adorably today—yellow overalls paired with a white T-shirt. The overalls were capri-length, revealing a section of his slender, pale calves. He wore yellow canvas shoes and a yellow beret, looking ridiculously cute.

    Bu Qiran was in the middle of getting his hair styled and couldn't turn around, but he saw Yan Zhoubai through the mirror.

    *So yellow, like a silly little yellow duck,* Bu Qiran couldn't help but laugh to himself.

    If Yan Zhoubai knew Bu Qiran thought he looked like a little yellow duck, he would definitely smack Bu Qiran upside the head.

    *What little yellow duck?* he would retort. *Today, I'm clearly wearing the color scheme of Kitten Kia—Kia is a yellow kitten! And I even have a Kitten Kia keychain on my bag today. How does that look like a duck?* "Nonsense!" he muttered.

    "Your styling is coming along fast. I'm only about ten minutes late, and it looks like you're almost done."

    Yan Zhoubai walked over to where Zhang Lin was sitting and took a seat on the sofa.

    There was plenty of space on the sofa, but as soon as Zhang Lin saw Yan Zhoubai approaching, he quickly shifted to the side, seemingly to make room for him.

    "I got here an hour ago. Did you really think all this could be done in just ten minutes?" Bu Qiran gave a light laugh.

    The makeup and styling for the character Ophelia were quite complex and would take at least two hours. But Bu Qiran didn't want Yan Zhoubai to wait too long, so he had told Yan Zhoubai a time that was actually an hour and a half later than when he himself had arrived.

    However, he had given Zhang Lin the same time as himself. So Zhang Lin's impatience stemmed from having already waited nearly two hours.

    Zhang Lin had agreed to come mostly because of some complicated feelings he couldn't explain—he wanted to see this fake young master but didn't want to admit it, since he had previously disdained him for taking someone else's place.

    But after arriving, Bu Qiran told him Yan Zhoubai wouldn't be there for another hour and a half because he didn't want Yan Zhoubai to wait too long. *Seriously?* he complained inwardly. *This is how you treat your bro? You don't want Yan Zhoubai to wait but you're fine making me wait this long?*

    When he asked about it, Bu Qiran simply said someone had to stay and help him—once he put on Ophelia's costume, even going to the bathroom would be difficult. Shouldn't a bro help a brother out?

    *Well, Bu Qiran sure is a great friend,* Zhang Lin thought dryly.

    In the end, Yan Zhoubai indeed didn't have to wait long, especially since he arrived late. About half an hour later, Bu Qiran's styling was completely finished. When Bu Qiran stood in front of the mirror, Yan Zhoubai had to eat his words—Bu Qiran really could cosplay a female character like Ophelia.

    Ophelia was designed as an angelic raid boss, incredibly tall—nearly two meters in the game's setting. If an average girl were to cosplay her, she'd need significant height boosts in heels. But Bu Qiran was already over 180 cm tall, so with just a bit of elevation, he matched the height perfectly, and the overall proportions looked harmonious.

    Cosplay makeup tends to be heavier, which helped soften Bu Qiran's sharp masculine features while still retaining some edge, giving him an ambiguity that transcends gender. Truly advanced and beautiful looks often possess this gender-ambiguous quality, regardless of gender, so Bu Qiran's portrayal of Ophelia was exceptionally striking.

    Even though Yan Zhoubai and Bu Qiran didn't always get along, he had to admit the moment Bu Qiran stood up after finishing the styling, he was completely stunned—it was genuinely impressive.

    Ophelia was a female character, but Bu Qiran didn't wear fake breasts. Yet at first glance, it wasn't noticeable at all because the overall effect was so captivating.

    When Yan Zhoubai had first seen the character's artwork, he noticed Ophelia was beautiful, but the illustration didn't emphasize her chest or hips, focusing more on her divine aura.

    "Why aren't you wearing fake breasts?" Yan Zhoubai finally asked, curious.

    He had wondered about this before—Bu Qiran had a fondness for wearing dresses and owned many, but he had never seen him wear fake breasts.

    "I just like wearing skirts; it doesn't mean I want to become a woman. Get that straight, okay?" Bu Qiran was admiring himself in the mirror, quite pleased with today's look, somewhat lost in his own beauty.

    "Fake breasts?! What's that?" Zhang Lin interjected, puzzled.

    "You're really quite ignorant," Yan Zhoubai remarked as he passed by Zhang Lin, leaving the comment hanging in the air before bouncing away cheerfully.

    Zhang Lin had a very burly build; he looked really strong at first glance—he might even practice boxing or something similar. However, he seemed not the sharpest tool in the shed.

    The journey to the comic convention was quite challenging. Yan Zhoubai finally understood why Bu Qiran needed assistance.

    Ophelia is designed as an angel-like character, complete with wings and a halo. Bu Qiran went all out recreating these details, so he was carrying two large pieces on his back. Getting into the car was extremely difficult, as he was terrified of accidentally damaging his wings or the halo.

    "Do you really have to be this accurate?"

    Yan Zhoubai struggled to squeeze Bu Qiran into the car and couldn't help asking.

    "If I'm going to do it, I'll do it to the best of my ability. Otherwise, I won't do it at all."

    Bu Qiran lifted his chin slightly, clearly very pleased with his outfit for the day.

    "But you're not the best at home—that would be our eldest brother."

    Yan Zhoubai blinked his large eyes and delivered the most savage burn, adding another sting:

    "You're just slightly better than me, at most."

    -----------------------

    Author's Note: Xiao Chuaner's getting savager with his comments [dog head]

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