Page 32

"This is a thunderstorm. It probably won't last long." Wenren Yan, who had seemed pleasantly tipsy at the celebration banquet, leaned back in his seat and lazily curled his lips. "No matter which fellow cultivator it is, becoming a spirit isn't allowed after the founding of the nation. This fellow cultivator must be skilled and bold to dare undergo a tribulation beneath the imperial capital."

"It gets a little cold when it rains." Ao Qingyuan glanced at Wenren Yan in his suit and took credit for himself. "Good thing I was thoughtful enough to prepare a jacket specially when I came to pick you up."

"Very thoughtful!" Wenren Yan gave Ao Qingyuan a thumbs-up.

Ao Qingyuan smugly wagged his nonexistent tail. "I'm quite the boyfriend material, aren't I?"

Could he really praise himself like that?

Wenren Yan smiled and nodded. "Mm. Very considerate and attentive."

Ao Qingyuan took out the honey water he had prepared beforehand and handed it to Wenren Yan. "I can be even more considerate and attentive."

Wenren Yan studied the little man before him, whose brows could barely contain his delight as he waited eagerly for praise, and suppressed a laugh. "Mm. You really were even more thoughtful. You made this yourself, didn't you?"

"Of course." Ao Qingyuan nodded, looking utterly serious. "If I'm making honey water to sober up my boyfriend, naturally I have to do it myself to show my sincerity."

The driver in the front rubbed his arms, unable to stand Ao Qingyuan's mushiness any longer.

Wenren Yan smiled. "Where are we going?"

Ao Qingyuan chuckled. "Back to my place."

Wenren Yan raised a brow and gave Ao Qingyuan a meaningful look. Ao Qingyuan pretended not to understand and turned to look out the window.

The van drove all the way to the foot of Ao Qingyuan's building. Wenren Yan assessed the neighborhood's location and security, then nodded in satisfaction. "Not bad."

"Paparazzi definitely can't get in." As Ao Qingyuan spoke, he carried out the beer, snacks, and assorted ingredients he had bought.

Looking at Ao Qingyuan laden with bags, Wenren Yan reached out and took a few from him. "Are you planning to have a late-night snack?"

"If we're hungry, we eat." Ao Qingyuan said. In truth, he felt that since this was their first time alone together, it might be awkward if they did not have something to eat. Besides, wasn't that how it always went on TV?

Wenren Yan smiled. "No more dieting?"

"My next drama is a modern one. Filming doesn't start until next month, so I can rest for over half a month. Besides, modern dramas aren't as strict about weight. It's fine to indulge once in a while," Ao Qingyuan said.

They chatted as they went upstairs. When they reached Ao Qingyuan's floor, he entered the password while telling Wenren Yan, "The password is our two birthdays added together."

That was rather ceremonial.

Ao Qingyuan entered first and set out the slippers by the door. Wenren Yan lowered his head to look at the slippers covered in cartoon patterns, slightly surprised.

Noticing Wenren Yan's gaze, Ao Qingyuan said a little shyly, "A lot of the things here were prepared by my mom. I don't actually like this kind of style much, but you know... it's her thoughtfulness! She'd be unhappy if I refused."

Wenren Yan nodded. Once inside, he found that it was indeed as Ao Qingyuan had said. The overall decor was especially cozy: sky-blue walls, pale yellow sofas and furniture, with several watercolor paintings and handicrafts hanging on the walls. Wenren Yan stepped closer to inspect them carefully and discovered that they were all Ao Qingyuan's "masterpieces" from childhood.

Ao Qingyuan blushed a little. "Well, actually, I was pretty talented when I was little too."

"Mm!" Wenren Yan nodded, his eyes full of amusement. "They're very cute."

Ao Qingyuan was somewhat unwilling to leave it at that, so he pointed toward the study and gym. "Those rooms have posters and official character photos of me dancing and acting. They're cool. Super handsome."

Wenren Yan followed Ao Qingyuan into the study. Looking at the enormous official character poster for Immortal-Demon Duel hanging on the wall, he nodded in agreement. "You really are handsome."

As for the posters in the gym of him dancing and holding concerts, they went beyond handsome. They were practically overflowing with hormones.

Yet what caught Wenren Yan's attention most were the various chibi merchandise and standees of Ao Qingyuan displayed in the study and gym. Ao Qingyuan immediately explained, "They were all gifts from the brands. There was nowhere else to put them, and my mom insisted I display them at home."

"You could give me some." Wenren Yan reached out and poked one of the little dolls.

Ao Qingyuan did not know what he thought of, but his eyes suddenly lit up. "Sure!"

Under Ao Qingyuan's guidance, Wenren Yan toured the apartment. Though the decor was somewhat beyond his expectations, he had to admit that this sort of home would be especially comfortable to live in. It would put one in a good mood too. For some inexplicable reason, Wenren Yan felt that this style suited Ao Qingyuan better.

"Your mother must understand you very well." Wenren Yan smiled. "She must love you very much."

"My dad says the same thing. Every night, my mom goes square dancing with her best friends. Unlike the other aunties, they dance to all my songs. Lots of young men and women dance with them too. People film my mom dancing every day, saying that her Sunset Defies Age Dance Troupe is the most beautiful sight among all the square dancers." Ao Qingyuan smiled, a little proud. "My dad says I'm such a good dancer because I inherited my mom's genes."

Wenren Yan leaned against the bookshelf and quietly listened as Ao Qingyuan animatedly talked about his family and childhood. His expression grew softer and softer.

Ao Qingyuan rambled on for a while before suddenly realizing that Wenren Yan had been silent for quite some time. He silently reflected on himself and felt that he had been saying nothing but pointless nonsense. Worried that Wenren Yan might find him childish and boring, he racked his brains for a change of topic. "I saw in the news that the stock market's been especially chaotic lately. A lot of people have been arrested."

Although Ao Qingyuan did not know much about the professional side of stock trading and market manipulation, he called Wenren Yan every day after work, so he had learned more or less what those people had once done to Yan Feng Capital. He was very curious whether these people had ended up this way because Wenren Yan had made a move.