The sky had fallen

A badge for the head of the imperial kitchens?

So being around Qin Yuheng let you experience what it felt like to be an emperor?

Still, since the business card had been offered to him, refusing it wouldn't be very nice.

He wouldn't have any use for it anyway.

"Thank you."

"It's what President Qin instructed me to do." Assistant Yin wore black, square-framed glasses and looked like a proper, even stern sort of person.

Then again, anyone working for Qin Yuheng probably wouldn't dare be anything less than proper.

After they left the restaurant, Qin Yuheng drove him home again.

Unable to refuse, Yu Nian had no choice but to get into the car.

Over the course of the evening, though, his bad mood had scattered like dust in the wind. He no longer felt hurt or wronged.

Only once he was in the car did Yu Nian have time to check his phone. Little Huang had sent him several screenshots. Apparently, President Ding had found out about the incident and was holding people accountable, requiring everyone involved to submit a statement. It looked fairly serious.

Yu Nian: Will you get dragged into this?

Little Huang: I'm fine. The people handling the in-person interviews messed up. It has nothing to do with me.

Little Huang: But do you know President Ding? Otherwise, this wouldn't have blown up like this.

Yu Nian: Sort of.

Little Huang: ?

Little Huang: What the hell does "sort of" mean?

Yu Nian's fingers paused. Explaining it properly would be a little complicated, so he considered his wording.

Yu Nian: I happened to run into your President Ding and told him about it.

Little Huang seemed to have plenty more questions, but looking at his phone for too long made Yu Nian dizzy. He found an excuse to slip away.

Yu Nian looked out the window to clear his head, remembering firmly this time that he mustn't fall asleep in Qin Yuheng's car.

Otherwise, Qin Yuheng really would just let him keep sleeping.

Perhaps it was because they had shared a meal, but even with Qin Yuheng sitting beside him now, he no longer felt that earlier tension and pressure.

It was still awkward, though. He and Qin Yuheng still didn't have much to talk about.

Yu Nian clasped his hands together, wondering what he could treat Qin Yuheng to next time to show his sincerity and end their association as soon as possible.

It wasn't that he was ungrateful. As far as Qin Yuheng himself was concerned, Yu Nian had no complaints. In fact, he had quite a good impression of him.

But if Qin Yu found out that Yu Nian was still in contact with his older brother after their breakup, it might cause unnecessary trouble.

"I noticed your destination is the entrance to a residential complex, Mr. Yu. Do you not live on campus?"

Yu Nian came back to himself and realized Assistant Yin was speaking to him. He answered softly, "No. I stream at night, so the dorm isn't convenient."

Assistant Yin glanced at Qin Yuheng in the rearview mirror, then asked, "What sort of content do you stream, Mr. Yu?"

Yu Nian idly fiddled with his fingers. "Games. Mostly Divine Call, though sometimes I play some casual games for fun."

"With classes during the day and streaming at night, isn't that a lot to manage?"

Yu Nian hadn't expected the proper, taciturn-looking Assistant Yin to be so talkative. He explained, "It's not too bad. My contract is flexible, so I don't have to stream as many hours as other streamers."

They chatted like that, one asking and the other answering. Outside, a light rain began to fall again, sliding silently down the windows.

Gradually, Yu Nian's voice grew quieter.

He had always been prone to carsickness. After spending the entire day out without much rest, he finally couldn't hold on any longer and fell asleep against the seat.

This time, he woke quickly, but the situation seemed even worse than last time.

A sharp turn had jolted him awake.

When he woke, Qin Yuheng already had an arm around his shoulders.

Yu Nian saw the dark gray suit jacket right in front of him, carrying a faint, cool fragrance.

He recalled that, in his drowsy haze, he seemed to have been leaning against something all along. He had slept quite comfortably, too. Even when the car swerved, he hadn't moved much, merely tipping forward with the motion.

Then had he been...

"Sorry, President Qin. A car suddenly pulled out in front of us," Assistant Yin said abruptly from the front.

Yu Nian snapped back to his senses and sat bolt upright, hurriedly retreating into the corner on the other side. He even stumbled over his words. "S-sorry. I didn't mean to."

From Qin Yuheng's perspective, all he saw was Yu Nian scrambling to get away the moment he woke. His brows drew together slightly.

His already expressionless face became a little colder and harsher.

Seeing that Qin Yuheng was angry, Yu Nian was filled with frustration at himself. Why couldn't I have held on instead of falling asleep?

It made sense, really. Falling asleep right on the shoulder of someone he barely knew was terribly rude.

And Qin Yuheng clearly looked like someone who disliked too much physical contact. How could I repay his kindness like this?!

He saw that he had even left creases in Qin Yuheng's suit jacket. Although he knew the man's clothes must be expensive, he still admitted honestly, "Your jacket seems to have... I think I've wrinkled it."

"If you don't mind, I could take it home and iron it for you..."

But after he said that, Qin Yuheng's expression seemed to darken further. His tone reverted to its usual curt chill. "No need."

Yu Nian tightened his fingers and lowered his head guiltily.

"President Qin, we've arrived at Mr. Yu's home."

Assistant Yin's words broke the awkward silence.

Yu Nian felt cowardly for acting like this, but he truly didn't know how to face Qin Yuheng. The man looked frightening when he was angry.

He placed his hand on the door handle, not daring to meet Qin Yuheng's eyes. "Thank you both for driving me home. I'll just-"

The door didn't open.

"It's raining outside, Mr. Yu. Please wait a moment," Assistant Yin said.

Assistant Yin took two umbrellas from a storage compartment, opened one, then went around to Yu Nian's side to open the door for him.

"You can get out now, Mr. Yu."

Unused to such attentive care, Yu Nian got out a little bashfully.

Assistant Yin handed him the other umbrella. "The ground is slippery in the rain, Mr. Yu. Please watch your step."

Yu Nian accepted the umbrella in a fluster. "Thank you, Assistant Yin."

He turned back and hastily said to Qin Yuheng, "Sorry for all the trouble today, Brother Yu. I'm really sorry. See you next time."

Then he hurriedly opened his umbrella and walked away at a brisk pace.

Assistant Yin looked at Qin Yuheng, a little troubled. "Boss, Mr. Yu..."

Qin Yuheng's gaze followed that figure all the way into the dark curtain of rain before he casually looked away. "Let's go back."

"Yes, sir."

As though a ghost were chasing him, Yu Nian rushed inside. Only after taking a moment to steady his heartbeat did he recover.

Qin Yuheng really was angry... Maybe he really hated people taking liberties with him like that?

Yu Nian felt a little hurt. He truly hadn't meant to, but Qin Yuheng hadn't seemed interested in hearing his explanation.

Forget it. What's done is done. I'll explain properly next time I treat him to a meal.

He let out a long sigh. Today really had been a roller coaster.

After changing his shoes and taking a few steps into the living room, he suddenly remembered something.

He felt in his pocket and, sure enough, found a handkerchief.

Oh no. I didn't return this either.

Yu Nian examined the handkerchief. It was a small, silvery-white square, its fabric smooth, soft, and fine, with a sprig of lily of the valley embroidered on it.

A closer look revealed slight wear. It wasn't particularly new.

It looked rather delicate and didn't match Qin Yuheng's outfit that day.

Yu Nian guessed it was probably a handkerchief that meant something to him.

That thought only made him feel guiltier.

Qin Yuheng had kindly offered his favorite handkerchief for Yu Nian to wipe his tears, and Yu Nian had actually pocketed it and brought it home.

Yu Nian wanted to contact him, only to realize that he had never gotten his contact information.

The sky had fallen.

That meant even seeing Qin Yuheng again would come down to luck.

Feeling glum, Yu Nian went to the bathroom for a shower, then came back and looked up how to wash a silk handkerchief. After carefully cleaning it and hanging it up to dry, he stood on the balcony in a daze.

He had promised to treat Qin Yuheng to a meal, yet not only had he walked off with the man's belongings, he hadn't even gotten his contact information. Even he thought he seemed insincere.

That was just awful.

He silently berated himself.

Rain drifted outside, and the wind blowing in was bitterly cold. Yu Nian shivered, hurriedly shut the window, and returned to bed.

Huddled under the covers, he searched for good restaurants in the city.

He couldn't afford anything too fancy. Besides, Qin Yuheng was so sharp that he would know at a glance what Yu Nian could afford. There was no need to go overboard and make a fool of himself.

Yu Nian picked out several restaurants specializing in regional cuisine with good online reviews and saved them in his notes.

In the end, he grew so sleepy that he fell asleep holding his phone.