Chapter 18: Are You That Afraid I’ll Do Something to You?

Chapter 18: Are You That Afraid I'll Do Something to You?

A servant stepped forward respectfully and said, "Young Master, breakfast is ready. Please come to the dining room."

Qin Yan gritted his teeth and muttered angrily under his breath, "Pack two breakfasts to go. Make it quick, I'll eat in the car."

The servant looked surprised for a moment, then nodded in acknowledgment. "Very well, Young Master."

Qin Yan walked out carrying two portions of breakfast, and the driver had already swapped it for a low-key luxury car as ordered.

"Quick, go after Su Zhiyu."

Qin Yan jumped in the car.

Su Zhiyu had just left. The area around the villas was pretty open, so even on foot, the nearest station was at least ten minutes away.

Sure enough, that slim figure soon came into view.

The black luxury car pulled up in front of Su Zhiyu. The window rolled down, and Qin Yan tapped the window frame with a cocky air. "Get in."

Su Zhiyu lowered his gaze, his expression a bit stiff. "No need. I've got time."

So stubborn, huh?

Qin Yan glanced at his watch and shot back, "You sure you want to cut it that close? I heard Line 5's having issues and is under repair."

The driver up front thought: Huh? Since when does the young master care about the subway?

At that, Su Zhiyu's hands tightened slightly. After a moment's hesitation, he muttered "Thanks" and got in.

Qin Yan: ...

Too easy to fool.

He'd get sold and never even see it coming.

Su Zhiyu sat stiffly in the corner, hands folded, pressed against the window, head turned away—like he was scared of getting too close to Qin Yan.

Qin Yan looked at the gap between them—big enough for two more people—and went speechless.

"So..."

The second he opened his mouth, he saw Su Zhiyu's shoulders flinch, and the hands on his lap suddenly clenched.

"..."

Seriously? This jumpy all of a sudden? So insulting.

Qin Yan's eyes darkened. He deliberately slid over, one hand against the window to box Su Zhiyu in, and stared at that calm, blank face. "Are you that afraid I'll do something to you?

Or... scared you'll lose control and kiss me again? Hmm?"

His teasing gaze burned Su Zhiyu's cheeks. The boy's pale neck flushed bright red, and he shot back, half embarrassed, half pissed, "I'm not."

Flustered, his breathing quickened, lips parted, chest rising and falling fast.

Qin Yan's casual move had basically trapped him in the corner. Their breaths were inches apart, close enough to see the tiny fuzz on each other's faces.

They both froze.

Qin Yan's eyes drifted, dark and unreadable.

A faint scent of rum began to spread, drifting into Su Zhiyu's nose.

His pupils narrowed, and he shrank deeper into the corner, on guard.

The temperature in the car seemed to go up too.

The driver glanced in the rearview mirror and almost dropped his jaw at what he saw.

The young master had one hand against the window, head tilted—from this angle, it looked like they were... kissing?

No way, was he trying to get it on in the back seat?

That look was way too obvious. Qin Yan turned, annoyed, and his eyes met the driver's in the mirror.

The driver quickly looked away, not daring to peek again, and focused on the road.

Snapped out of it, Qin Yan only then realized how suggestive their position looked.

"*Ahem.*" He put his hand down with a fake cough and a smug look, teasing Su Zhiyu. "Is this how a rabbit looks when it gets riled up?"

"Qin Yan!"

"What? You like my name that much?" Qin Yan raised an eyebrow, totally shameless.

Su Zhiyu opened his mouth to say something, but faced with that thick skin, he just shut up.

Forget it.

When he went quiet, Qin Yan leaned over again. "Are you a gecko? Gotta stick to the door to sit still?"

Su Zhiyu almost choked, then flatly said, "No."

"Then move over. There's plenty of space."

Qin Yan yanked him over and shoved something warm into his arms.

Su Zhiyu held back the urge to shove him off and let himself be pressed into the seat. Only when Qin Yan pulled back a little did he see it was food.

"Eat."

Qin Yan opened his own portion too, like that awkward moment earlier was nothing.

Su Zhiyu held the bag, noticing the rum smell in the car slowly fading.

No one said anything. The two of them ate in silence in the back.

Then a phone rang. Qin Yan answered, stretching his long legs lazily and leaning back. "Yeah, I'm almost there. Wait for my signal."

Su Zhiyu perked up his ears and vaguely caught the other side mentioning something about a production crew.

Probably about that thing.

The car drove smoothly. Su Zhiyu was quiet for a moment, then said softly, "The production crew came to me yesterday."

Qin Yan turned. "What?"

He didn't sound surprised, just curious why Su Zhiyu suddenly started talking to him on his own.

Su Zhiyu looked straight ahead and said, "The production team told me not to speak out—to stay silent."

At that thought, Su Zhiyu found it somewhat ironic.

They wanted to take someone down, yet they didn't even bother with basic background checks—they didn't even know that Qin Yan was the younger brother of the biggest shareholder of his agency—and still had the nerve to threaten him so arrogantly.

What did they even have to threaten him with?

At worst, they could make things difficult for him, eliminate him in the first round, and drag his name through the mud.

Qin Yan fell silent for a moment, his playful expression fading into seriousness. "Then why are you still speaking out?"

"I've told you, I don't like lying."

"Keeping quiet isn't lying either. This is directed at me, and no one is forcing you to respond."

Su Zhiyu was momentarily stunned.

Qin Yan lowered his voice, a hint of excitement tucked under his calm tone. "So you're still speaking out to defend me, aren't you?"

"Su Zhiyu, why are you helping me?"

Su Zhiyu instinctively tried to deny it. "I didn't—"

"Don't be so quick to deny it, and don't call me full of myself." Qin Yan cut him off with a light laugh. "The facts are staring you in the face. You're even willing to defy the production team just to help me."

Their eyes met.

The silence in the car was so thick you could choke on it.

For the first time, Su Zhiyu felt that even Qin Yan's harmless smile was somewhat glaring—that naked, unguarded stare almost suffocating him, pressing down until he could barely breathe.

He quickly tore his gaze away, his voice cold and hard. "I don't want to owe you anything."

Qin Yan blinked. "Owe me?"

Su Zhiyu's expression had already returned to calm, and he explained matter-of-factly, "You were attacked and schemed against because you were trying to save me. I'm clearing your name—consider us even."

Qin Yan let out a wry laugh.

So that was it.

Sometimes having too strong a moral compass was a real pain.

For instance, this Omega lead's moral compass was so overdeveloped that he was almost at a loss.

"Su—"

"Qin Yan."

They spoke at almost the same time. Qin Yan stopped, and Su Zhiyu closed his eyes, softly finishing the rest of his words. "Just let me be."

He opened his eyes, his melancholic gaze empty and hollow—like a bottomless abyss, or a traveler trudging through a desert, utterly exhausted, yet never able to reach the other shore.