Chapter 21

Qin Heng took the gold medal to the study, closed the door, and as if possessed, rolled up the ribbon and brought it to his nose for a sniff.

It smelled nice.

That kid might not have much sense, but his nose was sharp.

Chi Ning really did smell nice.

Qin Heng paused in silence, his ears turning bright red.

What the fuck is wrong with me, sniffing something someone else wore behind his back?

He folded the ribbon and placed the gold medal upright in a transparent storage box, then went downstairs to turn on the air conditioner.

Chi Ning was unbearably hot and dizzy.

Assembling things was physically demanding work. Tightening screws had left him sweating all over.

But he couldn't just stop halfway through putting the table together, so he could only grit his teeth and continue.

Qin Heng took off his suit vest and shirt as well, revealing the black tank top underneath.

Chi Ning glanced at him, feeling a little envious. Those pecs and back muscles, along with the faint outline of eight abs beneath his tank top, were the most direct proof of strength on the body.

Envious... Coach Han had said it was because of his genes that gaining muscle was difficult for him. Being able to develop visible abs would already be pretty good.

Chi Ning gathered his thoughts and worked with Qin Heng to finish assembling the table. He was so exhausted that he didn't want to move a single finger. Putting this thing together felt more draining than combat training.

He sat there and checked the time. It was half past midnight; even going out to hail a cab wouldn't be safe. There were more than a dozen missed calls on his phone, from both his brother and his father. He had put it on silent and hadn't heard them.

Sitting on the floor, Chi Ning rapidly typed a message to his father: [I'm at a classmate's house celebrating his gold medal. He treated us to dinner, so I won't be coming home tonight.]

Beep.

Message sent successfully.

Chi Ning smiled at the icon.

He had always been tricked by others in his previous life, but in this life, he had finally learned how to trick people too.

And he was getting better at it.

Wonderful.

"How should we arrange the tables?" Qin Heng asked.

"Set them up parallel. I'll do it."

The two of them worked together to arrange the three lab tables in the hall. The moment Chi Ning let go, he sat down on the floor, panting. He was soaked through and sticky with sweat, and there was still so much equipment in the hall to assemble. Tonight, he probably wouldn't get more than a few minutes of sleep.

If he'd known this would be so exhausting, he wouldn't have let Qin Heng throw out the sofa. At least they would have had somewhere to rest temporarily.

Chi Ning turned and asked, "Did you move any furniture into the bedroom? What's in there?"

Qin Heng said, "Nothing. I asked the agent, and the owner said I could sell the furniture and keep the money, so I sold it all."

Chi Ning: ?

You could even make money off that?

"Not even one sofa?"

Qin Heng smiled. "No."

The reason he had asked was because he had anticipated this situation as soon as he saw how much equipment there was.

Chi Ning took his work seriously and didn't like being interrupted. Once he got busy, he would definitely lose track of time and might have no choice but to stay the night.

If he hadn't sold the sofa, Chi Ning would definitely sleep on it.

He had selfish motives, big and small. He hadn't kept a single one.

Qin Heng feigned indifference. "What is it? Is there a problem?"

Chi Ning said, "I want to clear out some more things. I might not go home tonight, but there's nowhere to rest here, so maybe I should just take a cab home after we're done..."

"It isn't safe to go out that late." Qin Heng raised a hand to wipe the sweat dripping down his temple. "There are brand-new blankets and bedding, so you can sleep here. There are new pajamas too. I bought them a while ago but haven't worn them. You can also use the new towels and toothbrushes."

Chi Ning said, "Oh..."

Why did this feel like...

Something was a little off?

Wasn't there only one bed in the bedroom?

"Qin Heng..." Chi Ning hesitated. "Where am I supposed to sleep?"

Chapter 21

Qin Heng paused for a moment, looked away, and said flatly, "You sleep on the bed. I'll sleep on the floor."

Chi Ning froze.

Judging from the clean change of clothes and toiletries Qin Heng had prepared, he had clearly made preparations for someone staying over.

Since he had anticipated that a visitor might stay the night, yet sold every piece of furniture that could be slept on, leaving only one bed...

Such a contradictory choice seemed to have no explanation other than wanting to sleep in the same bed as the overnight guest.

Yet Qin Heng had volunteered to sleep on the floor, making Chi Ning seem as though he had judged a gentleman with the heart of a petty man.

Chi Ning stared at Qin Heng. "Then... then I'll sleep on the floor."

Qin Heng turned his head and examined him carefully.

After a whole summer, some of Chi Ning's uniquely youthful frailty had faded. Lean muscles clung to his arms, waist, and abdomen, while a vibrant, distinctive vitality poured from him. He was beginning to grow up.

The thin white shirt draped over him made him look like a delicate soup dumpling, thin-skinned and bursting with broth. A gentle tug would make savory juices spill out.

His thoughts were anything but pure.

Qin Heng lowered his head, his voice slightly hurried. "The floor is uncomfortable. You won't be used to it."

Chi Ning was taken aback. "And you are?"

Qin Heng hummed. "I slept on the floor all the time when I was little."

Qin Heng's tone was steady, as if he were talking about something utterly ordinary, but it made Chi Ning's heart tighten.

Chi Ning's mouth moved faster than his brain. "How about we sleep on the bed together? You have new bedding anyway. We can use separate blankets and turn the air conditioner down a little."

Qin Heng said, "Oh."

Now that he had put it that way, refusing would just seem pretentious.

The two of them gathered the waste cardboard and foam padding from the first floor into a pile, then went upstairs to shower and sleep.

It was past one in the morning. Chi Ning was so sleepy that he barely rinsed himself after soaping up, and only when he changed clothes did he realize that Qin Heng's clothes didn't fit him at all.

The oversized T-shirt was one thing, but the pants slid down every time he pulled them up. He could only tie a small knot in the elastic waistband, barely managing to keep the pants hanging around his hips.

He walked out, climbed under the covers in a daze, and said with narrowed eyes, "I'm done."

Qin Heng glanced at his wet hair and frowned. "Sit up. Dry your hair before you sleep."

Chi Ning was exhausted and didn't want to move in the slightest. He gave a vague hum, then closed his eyes.

A perfect example of saying yes and doing the exact opposite.

Qin Heng stood by the bed for a while, suddenly beginning to doubt himself.

He had once thought about what kind of person he might like. Looks were secondary; the most important thing was that they had to be easy to take care of and willing to endure hardship with him.

It didn't matter whether they could do physical labor, since he could do it anyway. But they couldn't be delicate or spoiled, not some young master or princess pampered by their family.

It would be best if they could support each other, though he wouldn't force it if they couldn't. Most importantly, they couldn't go to bed with wet hair, because it would make the pillow and bedding damp and dirty.

Looking at it closely, Chi Ning didn't meet a single one of those standards.

Yet what he was thinking now was, Fuck...

"Chi Ning, get up and dry your hair. The air conditioner is set too low, and you'll catch a cold easily."

To hell with enduring hardship. Like hell he could bear to make him suffer.

Qin Heng gritted his teeth, grabbed the hair dryer, and reached in to pull him out from under the covers.

Chi Ning sat on the edge of the bed as the hair dryer whirred loudly. It left his head buzzing, chasing away about half his drowsiness.

Thinking of Qin Heng's fierce tone just now, he felt inexplicably aggrieved through his sleepiness.

In his previous life, Qin Heng hadn't been this fierce even when forcing him to eat carrots. Now he had to suppress his anger just to dry his hair.

Hmph. Men.

Warm air streamed through his hair. Chi Ning felt Qin Heng's fingers slide into it, gliding slowly against his scalp from the roots to the ends, then pressing lightly against the nape of his neck with a little force.

It was somewhat like getting one's hair dried at a salon. Hairstylists would press a couple of times too, but generally, they pressed the scalp rather than the nape.

And when a stylist ran their fingers through someone's hair, they wouldn't deliberately use their fingertips to gently knead the roots.

It was as if some boundary had been broken through their repeated contact. Vague, indistinct feelings were wrapped in the warm air like a fine, dense net that enclosed him so tightly no air could pass through.

"Done." Qin Heng reached out one last time to smooth Chi Ning's dry, soft, silky hair. "Go to sleep."

Chi Ning curled up beneath his blanket, but now he found himself unable to sleep.

Why was this guy both fierce and nice?

It was so confusing and absurd.

Why?

People capable of achieving something in scientific research were always curious and fond of novelty, always liking to get to the bottom of things. Chi Ning knew he was the same.

He tossed and turned for a long while before suddenly feeling the space beside him sink. The sheets rustled softly, and a damp warmth came from beside him.

Qin Heng had lain down too.

What little sleepiness Chi Ning had left instantly vanished without a trace. Feeling awkward, he shifted a little farther toward the edge.

Qin Heng paused. "Did I wake you?"

"No." Chi Ning hesitated, then couldn't help asking, "Do you dry Zhang Qiuwen's hair too?"

Qin Heng froze. Just imagining that scene gave him a headache.

Chi Ning waited a while without receiving an answer and took it as an admission.

He relaxed. Thinking that Zhang Qiuwen had been through life-and-death situations with Qin Heng, he suppressed the inexplicable irritation in his heart. "I get it. If you're brothers, you can dry each other's hair."

Qin Heng said, "..."

Brothers?

He turned over. By the faint moonlight outside the window, all he could see was the little puff of Chi Ning's hair, like a tiny turtle hiding its head and tail.

Being brothers was not what he wanted.

Qin Heng answered ambiguously, "You're not my brother."

Chi Ning said, "Oh," and the irritation he had suppressed rose up a little again.

Not brothers meant their relationship wasn't even as good as Qin Heng's relationship with Zhang Qiuwen?

Then they were just ordinary friends. No wonder Qin Heng was both fierce and nice.

Because their relationship was unstable now, not even at the level of brothers, much less close friends, Qin Heng's emotions were unstable too.

That made sense.

Having solved the problem, Chi Ning closed his eyes and ultimately slept more soundly than anyone.

Qin Heng lay on the other side, his nose filled with Chi Ning's scent.

Logically, Chi Ning had showered at his place, used his soap, and worn his clothes, so that fragrance should have disappeared. Yet now it was even more distinct, mixed with a trace of unfamiliar scent, drifting into his nose in cluster after cluster.