"Where did I lose out? Why would anyone want a blond punk like that?"
"I'm jealous! A scumbag like him has a girlfriend?"
"What leverage does that beauty have in his hands? Damn it, I want to rescue that innocent girl."
Walking shoulder to shoulder with Ye Yuyan, Ye Qing received both envy and hostility from passersby.
Ye Yuyan had deliberately put on light, innocent-looking makeup, raising her beauty to another level. She had the air of a fresh, pure white moonlight.
And Ye Qing? With that genuine blond hair of his, it was hard not to stereotype him as suspicious.
"Did you notice? People around here keep looking at us," Ye Qing said suspiciously, stroking his chin.
"Huh? Did your tattoo not wash off? Are you scaring people? Let me check!" Ye Yuyan decisively grabbed his clothes and leaned in to inspect his neck.
"It definitely washed off. It was just a sticker; it couldn't withstand washing." Ye Qing took the initiative to show both sides of his neck.
"That's more like it." Ye Yuyan gave a soft huff.
Their sudden horseplay made the single onlookers, who had already been paying attention, feel even more miserable.
They had no idea where they had lost. Losing to a blond thug was simply too painful.
They each carried a bag of gifts to bring home for their parents. Just buying those things had taken them an entire day.
They had left early in the morning and could only take the train home at night.
Under the pretense of buying gifts, Ye Yuyan always dragged Ye Qing out to have fun all day.
Under the lofty banner of being filial to their parents, he could think of no excuse to refuse. In truth, he enjoyed it and did not dislike it at all.
After dull workdays, even a homebody occasionally wanted to live like a social butterfly.
"We had so much fun." Ye Yuyan swayed from side to side.
"Where are we going next week?" Ye Qing asked.
"Hm? We'll see." Ye Yuyan raised a finger and carefully counted.
"I want to go to Wild Boar Park, Happy Valley, ride a roller coaster, or maybe admire the scenery and climb a mountain. It's so hard to choose."
Each time she named a destination, she held up another finger. Clearly, with one hand carrying a shopping bag, one hand was not enough.
Unable to decide, Ye Yuyan chose to ask Ye Qing's opinion.
"What do you think of Wild Boar Park? I spent ages making plans for it."
Wild Boar Park, BoarsLand, was Bailan City's famous couples' amusement park.
After saying that, Ye Yuyan covered her face with a hint of shyness, waiting for someone's reply.
"BL, huh? As a man, I don't know much about BL," Ye Qing said after serious consideration.
"Could you please stop abbreviating it like that?" Ye Yuyan's expression instantly changed into the cold indifference that came after extreme speechlessness.
"On the other hand, GL is pretty great. I know quite a bit about it," Ye Qing continued.
GreenLakePark, Bailan City's Green Lake Park, was famous for its sea of flowers and ancient architecture. Taking a little boat on the lake let visitors feel embraced by nature and cultivate their sentiments.
"I told you not to abbreviate it like that, idiot!" Ye Yuyan reached out, tugged on Ye Qing's face, and kneaded it without restraint.
"What's wrong with that? What's wrong with it? Men know about GL, women know about BL, but I'm telling you, BG is the king of tourist attractions..."
Ye Qing's face was stretched apart like noodles as he spoke indistinctly.
S-so they were tourist attractions. Anyone who didn't know better would have thought they were tourist attractions. An office worker who had accidentally overheard the conversation silently looked away.
It was not until the subway arrived and the passengers getting off gave him strange looks that Ye Qing finally escaped her clutches.
"You are not allowed to speak anymore!" Ye Yuyan angrily issued a gag order.
Some things were practically a "don't be shy challenge" when discussed outside. Her skin was not that thick.
"Roger that." Ye Qing snatched an empty seat and answered lazily.
After spending a whole day shopping with a girl, anyone who was not tired deserved a thumbs-up.
After walking around all day, Ye Yuyan was tired as well. She stopped talking and gently leaned against Ye Qing's shoulder to rest.
The apartment they rented was not in the same area. To make commuting easier, Ye Yuyan had rented a place in a residential complex near the subway station.
Ye Qing's place was more remote. The environment was still decent and clean, but the location was worse. It was all about value for money.
The subway was packed with people, yet Ye Yuyan seemed to shut out everything around her. Breathing in that reassuring scent, she quietly savored this tender moment.
Time passed quickly. Every Saturday, Ye Yuyan felt that the residential complex next to the subway station had an especially terrible location.
The next stop, less than five minutes away, was her terminal for the day.
"I'll come see you tomorrow. Be mindful of the time when you play those games tonight. Don't forget we're going to see Mom and Dad." Ye Yuyan clenched her little fist in warning.
"You know what happens if you stay up late and sleep like a dead pig, right? Heh heh."
"I don't even have the energy to play tonight." Ye Qing answered in the tone of a sage.
Qingmei had drained him dry.
"See you tomorrow, bye-bye."
"See you tomorrow."
The nights in the various cities of District 28 were very safe, though compared to Ye Qing's previous life, the security was slightly worse.
When returning home from the subway station, calling a ride or having one of the motorcycle taxi drivers at the exit take you the rest of the way was the most correct and efficient choice.
Unlike usual, Ye Qing scanned a shared bicycle.
He had not eaten his fill at dinner and planned to go to a twenty-four-hour convenience store to buy some food to satisfy his hunger and cravings.
The night breeze was hardly pleasant; it brought quite a bit of chill.
Perhaps his mental state was poor, so he could not be bothered to appreciate life's beauty.
He had thought he did not have much strength to pedal, but Ye Qing discovered that his physical condition was far better than before.
He rode the entire way without getting tired, even when pedaling up steep slopes.
There were not many convenience stores open all day, but there happened to be one in a neighborhood more than ten minutes' ride from his home.
Ye Qing did not really have much of an adult demeanor. The things he did were childish, and the things he thought about were naive.
He was forever an overgrown child who played all kinds of games and often even played little browser games. His tastes were childish too.
Hamburgers, grilled sausages, and other such junk food were the things he often ate and loved.
Ye Qing emerged from the convenience store looking thoroughly pleased. In his left hand was a cheap drink jokingly called national cellar reserve, with a plastic bag containing two grilled sausages dangling from his fingers.
In his right hand, he held a cup of oden filled with rich broth. Having this sort of late-night snack when he got hungry after dinner made him unable to suppress a smile.
It was as if all his mental exhaustion had been swept away by the food.
Stare...
A burning gaze remained firmly fixed on Ye Qing—or, more specifically, on the grilled sausages in his hand.
A cute young girl rested a finger against her chin and stared longingly at Ye Qing's sausages, practically drooling.
"Want some?" Ye Qing crouched halfway down and shook the plastic bag.
"Mhm, mhm." The girl nodded her little head vigorously.
"Call me something nice, and I'll let you have one." Ye Qing took out a sausage and held it before her.
"Hubby!" The girl called out sweetly, imitating her mother.
At that, Ye Qing's heart clenched. He nearly died of fright, and before he knew it, the sausage had fallen into the girl's hands.
What was wrong with little girls these days?
He had only wanted to hear her call him big brother. Wasn't that form of address a little too...
Feeling someone lightly tap his shoulder, Ye Qing turned around in confusion.
Two police officers wore kind, friendly smiles as they displayed their badges.
"Hello, number 13769, you damned lolicon. Please come with us."
"This is a misunderstanding. Officers, do you believe me?" Ye Qing forced a stiff smile.
Soon after, a brief pig-slaughtering scream rang out through the residential complex at night.
"Yuyu, where did you get that grilled sausage?" A beautiful woman hurried out of the convenience store and asked sternly.
"A kind big brother gave it to me. He was right there." The girl pointed toward the original spot, but there was no one there. "Big Brother disappeared."
"Next time, you're not allowed to casually take food from strangers..."
Before she could finish speaking—
"I've been wronged! I've truly been wronged!!!"
A man's miserable scream drifted over from afar. Having come over after hearing the noise and sensing something was wrong, the woman said no more and hurriedly took her daughter away.
The odds of running into a lunatic at night were not zero. It was better to hurry home.
Before you continue