Young People Have Ideas

"You... this is the reward you meant?"

Looking at the black fabric spread out before him, Ye Qingpu felt his temples throbbing on their own.

"Big brother likes it, right?"

Pei Jiaqian crouched in front of Ye Qingpu, holding up the rabbit ears with expectation in his eyes.

"Impossible."

Ye Qingpu turned his head away, his tone resolute.

Making him wear that would be worse than sending him into the Amazon rainforest to snatch a grass skirt from some native.

Absolutely not.

Not even if he died.

Not in this lifetime.

"Ah... Big brother doesn't like it..." Pei Jiaqian rested both hands on Ye Qingpu's crossed legs.

"I thought Big brother would like it, so I bought it... Turns out I still don't understand Big brother well enough... I really am selfish..."

"Just because I like it, I tried to force it on Big brother... I must not be a qualified partner..."

"Big brother, don't hate me. I'll change..."

"Even if I really like it, if Big brother doesn't, it's okay even if I'm sad..."

Pei Jiaqian spoke with such sorrow.

Ye Qingpu sucked in a cold breath.

Why did he feel a little... guilty for no reason?

"Sigh."

Pei Jiaqian lightly sighed and silently folded up the rabbit ears and lace trim.

Ye Qingpu said nothing.

"Sigh..."

Pei Jiaqian secretly glanced at the person sitting on the sofa.

Ye Qingpu's brow twitched, his lips pressed tight.

"Sigh... tsk."

Pei Jiaqian slowly picked up the little whip.

"Enough." Ye Qingpu's face stiffened, and he gave a forced smile. "You like it, right?"

"...Ah, maybe I don't like it that much anymore..."

Seeing that terrifying look on his face, Pei Jiaqian grew a little uneasy.

"How could that be? You clearly like it~"

Ye Qingpu smiled kindly, took the pink rabbit ears from his hand, and put them on Pei Jiaqian's head.

"Society is open-minded. People are free to wear what they want. If you like cosplay, then wear it. I won't say anything."

"Huh?"

"Go change, good puppy."

Ye Qingpu patted Pei Jiaqian's shoulder, the smile on his face alluring.

Pei Jiaqian felt as if his soul had been hooked away. Gritting his teeth, he thought, They're just rabbit ears. If Big brother wants to see, I'll wear them for him~

He gave a mischievous grin and grabbed the hem of his thin shirt, pulling it off right in front of Ye Qingpu.

"Hey..." Ye Qingpu said helplessly, nudging his knee with his toe. "Go change in the room."

"Big brother, don't be shy."

Pei Jiaqian smiled and pulled on the black fabric with its incredibly bold design right in front of him.

Once he was done, he pinched the squeaky rabbit ears on his head and knelt over Ye Qingpu's crossed, slender legs.

The visual impact was a little too strong. Ye Qingpu despised those people with bizarre fetishes. Ye Qingpu understood them. Ye Qingpu's stern face turned red.

"Big brother, do I look good~"

Pei Jiaqian gently shook his leg, resting his chin on Ye Qingpu's knee, his smile utterly captivating.

"It's... it's alright."

Ye Qingpu silently looked away.

One must not look at impropriety.

Civilized and harmonious...

Holy shit, this was thrilling.

"Big brother, look at me."

A little dissatisfied, Pei Jiaqian cupped his face and made him meet his gaze.

Ye Qingpu awkwardly glanced around. Then, as if he had finished mentally preparing himself, his gaze landed directly on Pei Jiaqian.

"You look good. Wear it more."

Ye Qingpu smiled and silently gave him a thumbs-up.

A V-shaped body with rabbit ears... it was a different sort of sexy.

"I've satisfied Big brother's wishes, so shouldn't Big brother satisfy mine too?"

Pei Jiaqian smiled innocently. If not for the fact that what he took out was as lethal as his face, Ye Qingpu might actually have believed he was just a cheerful puppy.

"Just how many weird things did you buy..."

Ye Qingpu smiled helplessly, a little embarrassed.

A red cheongsam, a hollowed-out design, sheer knee socks, lace garter straps.

Every piece was perfectly proper on its own, but together they created a sense of helplessness elevated by fashion.

He had lived for thirty years and had never even imagined such things, yet now they were right in front of him... Ye Qingpu panicked.

"Big brother has such a good figure. You should wear something nice."

Pei Jiaqian hugged his arm, coaxing and sweet-talking him.

"I should be wearing Prada and Saint Laurent. White, black, even colorful clothes are fine, but I won't wear something this outrageous."

Ye Qingpu refused no matter what.

Unexpectedly, the other man said nothing more.

Ye Qingpu turned back to look. Pei Jiaqian was resting his chin on his knee, tilting his head up slightly as he looked at him.

The sorrow in his eyes lent an added fragility to his pale, bloodless face.

"You... are you alright?"

Ye Qingpu raised a hand and touched his forehead.

"Do you have a fever?"

"No. An Enigma's normal temperature during a special period." Pei Jiaqian smiled. "Actually, I'm a little embarrassed to wear this in front of Big brother."

"You know how to be embarrassed? You have no shame at all."

Though Ye Qingpu said that, his hand moved worriedly to touch Pei Jiaqian's neck—he really did seem a little feverish.

Pei Jiaqian's eyes looked weary as he quietly watched Ye Qingpu with pursed lips.

"Was Big brother scared back then?" he suddenly asked.

"Scared of what?"

Ye Qingpu held Pei Jiaqian's chin and examined him from side to side. The stitches on his neck were rather glaring. The injury had been in a dangerous spot. If it had gone even a little lower, or a little deeper, it would have hit the carotid artery.

Pei Jiaqian tilted his head away, not wanting Ye Qingpu to look.

He considered that scar the shameful mark of his weakness. Back then, he had been tortured so brutally that he was numb with pain and his mind was clouded. He grabbed a shattered glass cup and stabbed himself with it. The instant it tore through flesh, he dragged it downward in front of his family.

Sister Pei Shuang had rushed forward crying and thrown herself over him. The moment he fell to the floor, he regained his senses.

Hurting himself had been nothing more than an impulse in that instant. His mind had been completely blank, as though his body had acted without passing through his brain.

It had felt as though he were in a blank void...

There was no bloodline, no self... not even Ye Qingpu...

That dreamlike feeling was the most terrifying thing of all.

That was why Pei Jiaqian found the scar shameful.

"When Big brother was with Pei Louxuan, what were you thinking about?"

When he had been tied to the operating table, on that rainy night twelve years ago... what had Big brother been thinking?

Ye Qingpu fell silent. After a moment, he said, "Back then, I wanted to be with you."

Pei Jiaqian froze. Then he rubbed his head against Ye Qingpu's leg, his voice muffled.

"I'm sorry. I got there too late."

Why were there always people coveting Big brother? Why did people always want to hurt him?

Should he tie Big brother to his side and keep him from coming into contact with anyone, or should he get rid of all those irritating things?

Such a hard choice.

"But you went. You went to save me. I was very happy."

Ye Qingpu stroked his hair.

"...Then Big brother should reward me."

"Hey... don't push your luck."

"Big brother's happiness is just something you say..."

"Have you ever seen anyone wear... these things when they're happy?"

"I have. To make Big brother happy, I can wear them every day. I could even wear them out for a walk."

"...That won't be necessary."

Ye Qingpu was left speechless. Then he sighed helplessly and finally relented.

"Just... just wear it once..."

"Really?!"

Light appeared in Pei Jiaqian's eyes.

"Just once... I'll change out of it after wearing it once."

"Okay~"

Pei Jiaqian replied with a beaming smile, watching Ye Qingpu grab the clothes and head into the bedroom.

He sat cross-legged on the floor, leaning back against the sofa with a heavy sigh, then raised a hand to rub his throbbing brow.

Every inch of his body felt like it was being pricked with needles. Filled with exhaustion, Pei Jiaqian stared at the glaring ceiling lights.

"I-I'm changed..."

Ye Qingpu's voice pulled him back from his thoughts. Pei Jiaqian looked up, and his eyes immediately went wide.

"Once you've seen it, I'm going to change..."

Ye Qingpu was fair-skinned, and the red set him off beautifully. Embarrassment had turned him entirely red, like a cooked shrimp. Because of his leg injury, he supported himself with a black cane, which somehow added another kind of charm to the outfit.

He awkwardly tugged at the uneven hem, his gaze darting everywhere but never daring to meet Pei Jiaqian's.

Pei Jiaqian chuckled, picked up a fallen red hair clip from the floor, and walked over at an unhurried pace. He clipped it into Ye Qingpu's hair by his temple.

Ye Qingpu felt a little awkward and silently pressed his lower lip tight.

But that reluctant yet inviting look made Pei Jiaqian's nose heat up.

The next second, red liquid flowed out.

"You have a nosebleed..."

Ye Qingpu's expression immediately became tense.

"It's fine. Too much internal heat."

Pei Jiaqian leaned forward slightly and pinched the bridge of his nose.

Ye Qingpu hurriedly grabbed tissues and wiped him clean. Neither of them noticed how... interesting their current scene looked.

Until the tightly shut door was suddenly pulled open, and a figure in white appeared in the doorway.

"Surprise!"

...A muscular bunny boy...

...A man in a cheongsam...

Surprise became scare...

Jiang Jifu silently closed the door.

One burst of courage, then it faded, and by the third time, it was gone—

"Four-meter mosaic... Wrong room."