AAUMOBIP C38

Chapter 38

Before the night shoot began, Yun Jingqiu had a two-hour break.

Knowing that Liu He had come to see him, he chose not to eat at the set and had Song Zhiyuan drive him back.

He carried dinner for two and opened the door.

The room lights weren’t on; it was a little dim.

No one came to greet him.

Had Xiao Song reported false intel?

Yun Jingqiu was puzzled.

The sound of the door woke Liu He. He sat up, the quilt sliding down, and stared blankly at Yun Jingqiu standing at the door: “You’re back.”

Yun Jingqiu turned the lights on, walked in, and smiled: “I’m back.”

He cleared the table a bit and took out the dinner for two. “Come eat.”

Liu He nodded and got up to wash.

He was wearing one of Yun Jingqiu’s T-shirts and his own underwear, and hadn’t put on any of his other clothes.

When he got out of bed, his two pale legs swayed right in front of Yun Jingqiu.

Yun Jingqiu’s Adam’s apple bobbed; desire gradually filled his eyes.

He had been too busy lately—no time for release; even showers were quick tactical scrubs before collapsing into bed.

The pent-up desire nearly broke free the moment he saw Liu He’s bare legs swaying in front of him.

Did Xiao He not realize how tempting he was?

Crossing his legs, Yun Jingqiu coughed lightly and forcibly dragged his gaze away from Liu He, laying out the dinner carefully on the table.

When Liu He came out from washing, he still slipped on a pair of pants, then sat beside Yun Jingqiu.

The spread on the table was on the light side but varied and quite meaty.

Not the stereotypical fat-loss meal.

Noticing what Liu He was wearing, Yun Jingqiu was a little surprised.

Over the phone last time, he had coaxed Xiao He for ages before he’d agree to wear his clothes; now he’d put them on directly?

“Wearing my clothes?” Yun Jingqiu asked with a smile.

Liu He lied without changing expression: “I forgot to bring clothes.”

“Little liar.” Yun Jingqiu chuckled, clearly in a good mood.

Liu He buried his head in his bowl as if he hadn’t heard.

So what if he’d brought clothes?

This hotel was a ways from Yun Jingqiu’s home—even by car, it was an hour. Fetching clothes and coming back would be a hassle.

Given the atmosphere now, even if he had brought clothes, he would have chosen not to.

He wanted to wear Yun-ge’s clothes.

“Slow down,” Yun Jingqiu reminded gently.

Liu He slowed his pace a bit.

The shame of being caught wearing his boyfriend’s clothes faded slightly, and only then did he take a careful look at Yun Jingqiu.

Compared to last time, Yun Jingqiu looked thinner; even when relaxed, his face carried palpable weariness, and the darkness beneath his eyes was obvious.

Lack of sleep and high-intensity filming—no matter how resilient, he was exhausted.

Eat quickly so Yun-ge can rest earlier.

With that thought, Liu He sped up again.

Suddenly, Yun Jingqiu got up and brought him a bottle of water from the mini-fridge.

Liu He drank to swallow his mouthful of rice.

“Why are you eating so fast?” Yun Jingqiu scolded, lightly.

“So you can rest sooner,” Liu He mumbled.

Smiling, Yun Jingqiu reached out to stroke Liu He’s soft hair.

Since seeing him in his room, his mood had been buoyant.

“I’ve got two hours to rest. No rush,” he soothed.

But Liu He did not feel soothed.

Only two hours, and then Yun-ge had to go back to set.

He was even busier than Liu He had imagined.

Having witnessed it firsthand, Liu He’s heart ached deeply.

Two hours—eating took time; touch-ups and styling took time; going to and from the set took time—leaving less than an hour for real rest.

“Hurry and finish. Then nap for a bit,” Liu He urged. “I’m fully rested; I’ll wake you later.”

Yun Jingqiu didn’t refuse—he really was sleepy.

During previous nights shoots, he used that two-hour window to nap in the set lounge.

Today, he’d made the trip back to the hotel on purpose, knowing full well he might not get any rest.

He didn’t regret it.

He wanted to see Xiao He as soon as possible.

After dinner, when Yun Jingqiu started to clean up, Liu He pushed him toward the bed, tugged off his outer clothes, and urged, “Sleep a bit—however long you can.”

Yun Jingqiu’s gaze softened. “Okay.”

He rinsed his mouth and fell into bed.

He hadn’t removed his makeup; that would save time later—just a touch-up before shooting.

Sleeping with makeup on wasn’t good for the skin, but he was too tired to care.

The moment his head hit the pillow, he drifted off.

Quietly, Liu He tidied the table, packed the empty meal boxes into a trash bag, and set it aside to toss later.

Then he went to sit by the bed, and his heart softened.

Seeing him again made him miss Yun-ge even more.

After an hour, Liu He checked the time and woke Yun Jingqiu.

He reached out and pushed him gently, calling, “Yun-ge, time to get up.”

The man’s lashes trembled; his eyes opened slowly, still dazed.

He sat up. “What time is it?”

“Seven-thirty.”

He nodded and went to the bathroom to wash.

Liu He sent Song Zhiyuan a message: [Yun-ge is awake.]

[OK]

[On my way.]

[Want to come along, sister-in-law?]

[No, I’ll wait at the hotel for you to come back.]

He strolled around the area for a bit.

After Yun Jingqiu left with Song Zhiyuan, Liu He lingered in the hotel a while longer, then, after asking what time Yun Jingqiu would be back, he left.

By seven-thirty, the night market nearby was in full swing, crowded and lively.

Liu He bought some snacks as he wandered.

He didn’t buy much—just sampled a bit from a few stalls that interested him, noting the really good ones, then slipped into the mall next door.

After shopping, he came out with his purchases and roamed for a while. Once he received a message from Song Zhiyuan, he returned to those tasty stalls to buy more food.

A little past eleven, Liu He returned to the hotel.

Yun Jingqiu had arrived before him and was showering in the bathroom.

Liu He set the things in his hands on the table and listened to the water running, his mood calm.

Soon, the water stopped. Yun Jingqiu came out wrapped in a towel, hair half-dry.

He yawned, looked at Liu He, and asked, “Have fun out there?”

Liu He smiled. “I did.”

Then he beckoned Yun Jingqiu over. “I brought you some food—eat while it’s hot.”

He opened the items he’d bought at the mall—one was a small massager. “Use this—it’ll help.”

Sitting down, Yun Jingqiu eyed the glistening, oily food, instantly tempted.

There was some barbecue, a portion of crispy fried pork, oil-slick fried mushrooms, and two deep-fried starch sausages.

He grabbed a skewer and started eating, brain chanting: cheat meal, cheat meal.

“Thanks, Xiao He,” he murmured around a mouthful, not caring about anything else.

Liu He couldn’t help but laugh.

He’d brought enough for two, yet Yun Jingqiu devoured more than half in a flash.

Seeing that, Liu He gave up on eating and surrendered his share.

It had been too long since Yun Jingqiu had touched such oily, salty food; once he started, he couldn’t stop.

After polishing off the late-night snacks, he leaned back in the chair, satisfied.

Liu He stood and blow-dried his hair, carefully drying it completely.

“Go brush your teeth and rest early,” Liu He said.

Yun Jingqiu followed his instructions—brushed, washed, then lay in bed.

The massager was tucked under his legs, loosening the aching muscles.

Liu He chose one of Yun Jingqiu’s shirts and went to shower.

When he came out, he wore a white dress shirt; his underwear was white cotton, too.

Leaning against the headboard, fighting off sleep, Yun Jingqiu saw Liu He’s outfit and asked in a slightly hoarse voice, “Xiao He, are you seducing me?”

Liu He looked down at himself and nodded frankly. “Yes.”

Then he glanced up, a sly smile in his eyes. “Question is—can you handle it?”

There was no “can’t.” He was just too tired.

Yun Jingqiu closed his eyes in despair, refusing to look.

Plan successful, Liu He finished drying his hair and climbed into bed.

By then, Yun Jingqiu was already almost asleep.

Once Liu He slid into the covers, Yun Jingqiu instinctively pulled him close, pressing him into his arms, and fell completely asleep.

A peaceful night.

At dawn the next day, Yun Jingqiu’s alarm blared.

A hand snaked out from the blankets, grumpily silenced it, then retreated to the warmth.

Compared to Yun Jingqiu, Liu He was better at resisting an alarm.

At the first ring, he blinked awake, vaguely aware of the movement beside him.

Realizing Yun Jingqiu had fallen back to sleep, he pushed him gently, voice still thick with drowsiness: “Yun-ge, wake up…”

“If you don’t get to the lab, all those bacteria are going to die,” Liu He mumbled, clearly not fully clear on where he was—apparently thinking he was still at school.

Finding him noisy, Yun Jingqiu tugged Liu He into his chest to stifle him.

With his face buried in solid muscle, Liu He couldn’t breathe well and woke up more.

He pushed himself free, rolled away—taking the quilt with him in one smooth sweep.

It was November; the temperature had dropped, dew heavy in the morning. Without the cocoon of the blanket, the chill seeped in bit by bit.

Jolted awake in such a rough way, Yun Jingqiu wasn’t pleased.

“Xiao He, give me the blanket.”

Rolled up like a dumpling, Liu He refused to share.

With no way to steal it back, Yun Jingqiu could only go wash, using cold water to shock himself awake.

“You’re not coming with me?” he asked.

The dumpling on the bed wiggled; Liu He propped his head against the headboard and shook his head. “No.”

He yawned. “I’m exhausted. I need more sleep. You go by yourself.”

“Everyone else has fans and family visiting set. Only me—lonely and forsaken,” Yun Jingqiu said softly, a melancholy hard to ignore in his voice.

Liu He ignored him, burrowing deeper into the blanket to keep sleeping.

“Really not coming?” Yun Jingqiu came to the bedside.

He unrolled the blanket burrito and asked again.

Liu He shook his head.

If not for the alarm and Yun-ge failing to get up, he’d still be asleep.

“I’m sleeping.” This leave was hard-won from his advisor—what was the point if he still had to wake up at dawn?

He was going to sleep until he woke naturally!

He wasn’t like Yun-ge, a corporate wage slave!