Night market

After their few encounters, Yu Nian felt that Qin Yuheng was a genuinely good person. He really admired him.

And he could tell that Qin Yuheng was quite fond of him too.

After all, he hardly believed someone of Qin Yuheng's stature would have so little to do that he would come have dinner with him and talk to him at such length.

Once two people opened their hearts and treated each other sincerely, neither status nor age was an issue in Yu Nian's eyes.

Halfway through their meal, a server brought over two drinks.

Yu Nian was a little puzzled. "We didn't order these."

The server explained with a smile, "Gentlemen, we're running a Singles' Day promotion today. Every guest who dines here without their partner receives a complimentary drink made specially by our restaurant."

Qin Yuheng: "..."

Yu Nian blinked. "It's Singles' Day today?"

The server nodded and added, "We'll also be running a Christmas couples' promotion later. You're both welcome to bring your loved ones here for a meal."

There was nothing to fault in the server's words. They hadn't implied that everyone who came without a partner was single, while still giving the guests a pleasant surprise with the complimentary drinks.

No wonder the reviews online were so good. The restaurant certainly knew how to do business.

After the server left, Yu Nian picked up a drink and took a sip. It was icy cold, with a fruity fragrance and a faint hint of alcohol. It tasted pretty good.

Yu Nian mused aloud, "Good thing I came to dinner with you today, Brother Yu. Otherwise, I wouldn't have gotten to try this."

Qin Yuheng lowered his head and took a sip of soup without saying anything.

Seeing that he hadn't touched the drink in front of him, Yu Nian asked, "Brother Yu, aren't you having yours?"

Qin Yuheng said, "I don't like cold drinks."

Yu Nian nodded, but a scene suddenly flashed through his mind:

On the night of Qin Yu's birthday party, when Qin Yuheng came home, hadn't a servant poured him a glass of ice water? Or had it been chilled liquor?

Yu Nian remembered there being an ice sphere in the glass.

He couldn't help feeling puzzled.

Why had the servant given Qin Yuheng something cold to drink?

Surely Qin Yuheng didn't seem like someone who would be bullied in his own home.

"Who were you originally planning to have dinner with?"

Before Yu Nian could work out the answer to his own question, his thoughts were interrupted. He hesitated for a moment before realizing what Qin Yuheng meant.

But in Qin Yuheng's eyes, that hesitation seemed to take on a different meaning.

His brow furrowed slightly, and his expression, which had just softened, grew a little tense again.

Yu Nian didn't notice his expression and answered without thinking, "No one. If you hadn't had time to eat with me today, Brother Yu, I probably would've gone home to eat. Hmm, but I don't really cook that often, so I probably would've ordered takeout instead."

Qin Yuheng's expression eased a little, but then his voice deepened again. "Do you eat takeout often?"

Yu Nian sighed and smiled helplessly. "When you live alone, you tend to keep things simple and make do. Besides, I have to stream at night after getting back from class, so a lot of the time I don't feel like spending time cooking."

Qin Yuheng said nothing more about it, only adding, "Cold drinks are hard on your stomach. Don't have too much."

Surprised that Qin Yuheng would actually show concern for him, Yu Nian nodded repeatedly. "Okay, I'll just have this one."

Assistant Yin had already eaten nearby. When he saw Qin Yuheng and Yu Nian come out chatting and laughing, he could hardly believe his eyes.

What had happened to his boss in there?

Had he been reprogrammed?

Or had someone switched him out?

Assistant Yin approached uncertainly. "Mr. Qin?"

One second, Qin Yuheng had been beaming at Yu Nian. The next, he turned his face, every trace of a smile gone, and simply looked at Assistant Yin with frost-cold eyes.

Assistant Yin: "..."

He pushed his glasses up his nose and glanced at Yu Nian, his knowing gaze seeing through everything.

Thank goodness. At least his boss hadn't been switched out.

This was a busy street lined with restaurants, packed with people. With Singles' Day falling today, the nearby square was hosting all sorts of events, its lights dazzling and its atmosphere lively.

As times changed, Singles' Day was no longer a holiday for single people. More and more, it featured commercial events tailored to couples, with little gimmicks promising romantic bliss that plenty of people were happy to pay for.

Yu Nian looked as though he wanted to join the fun, but with Qin Yuheng beside him, he felt awkward bringing it up.

Seeing Qin Yuheng stand there waiting for a couple of seconds, Assistant Yin immediately stepped forward. "Mr. Qin, it's quite lively today. You rarely get a chance to relax. Would you like to take a look?"

Yu Nian looked at Assistant Yin in surprise.

He had always thought that someone as composed and meticulous as Assistant Yin would say something like, "Mr. Qin, you still have a few documents to approve today."

This was completely out of character.

Even more unexpectedly, Qin Yuheng gave a quiet "Mm."

Then he looked at Yu Nian.

Yu Nian: "..."

Yu Nian couldn't help reflecting on himself. Was he relying too much on stereotypes?

Even a domineering CEO was human. There was nothing wrong with him browsing a night market, was there?

Yu Nian smiled, his little canine teeth gleaming white. "Then let's go take a look together."

But Yu Nian soon realized that he had still underestimated Qin Yuheng. With him and Assistant Yin walking beside him, they looked exactly like officials on an inspection tour.

And that was despite Qin Yuheng wearing a black cashmere coat today rather than a suit.

The thing was, Qin Yuheng kept looking around as he walked, discussing something with Assistant Yin. Yu Nian moved a little closer and heard him say, "We could learn from their approach to marketing our new products... this one... with a few improvements, we could..."

Yu Nian stopped listening and drifted away, feeling inadequate.

His horizons had been too narrow. Other people came to night markets for fun; Qin Yuheng came to explore business opportunities.

Yu Nian couldn't really understand what they were discussing, so he didn't interrupt. He simply looked at the colorful goods laid out on the little stalls, finding them fascinating.

His family had been poor when he was little, and he had rarely traveled far from home.

His university was out near the suburbs, without even a subway station. If there hadn't been a university town there, it probably would have been even more desolate.

Lots of people headed into the city to have fun on weekends, but Yu Nian didn't have the time. He was busy working part-time jobs, and once his streaming career became steady, he went out even less at night. He hadn't had many chances to visit night markets.

Yu Nian noticed a stall offering flower hair ornaments and thought it looked rather interesting.

The stallholder was a clever, dexterous young woman who made velvet flowers into all kinds of hairpins and clips.

They were exquisitely crafted and came in many styles. Among those Yu Nian recognized were moth orchids, peach blossoms, begonias, roses, and peonies, all astonishingly lifelike.

Quite a few young women were drawn over and stopped to look.

The stallholder seized the opportunity to encourage couples to buy one, saying that a boyfriend placing a flower in his girlfriend's hair symbolized love in full bloom: passionate, sweet, and everlasting.

Yu Nian thought the stallholder was quite smart. Flowers like these lasted longer than real ones, and their symbolism was lovely too.

Having a young man put one in his girlfriend's hair himself also gave couples a chance to share an intimate moment. It was the sort of thing plenty of people were willing to pay for.

Yu Nian noticed one girl whose hair was too short to tie up. Her boyfriend bought a little velvet flower clip and fastened it beside her ear, making her look all the more lovely.

The girl shyly took her boyfriend's hand, and after paying, the two left with smiles.

The corners of Yu Nian's mouth lifted slightly in a smile tinged with both warmth and envy.

In the end, he was still young, and he still had hopes and a certain fascination when it came to love.

But he was also very cautious and wouldn't let himself get close to someone easily.

In the beginning, it had been Qin Yu's passion and sincerity that moved him.

He had once been astonished that Qin Yu could tell him so openly that he liked him and wanted to be with him, seemingly unafraid of society's judgment.

In that moment, he had thought Qin Yu was brave.

He had also thought that the sincere passion of that moment could last forever.

But he had misjudged him.

Qin Yu was a coward, afraid to face anything.

Yu Nian couldn't even tell how much of the emotion Qin Yu had felt when confessing had been genuine.

He pressed his lips together and smiled, letting it go. Just as he was about to leave, a flower was held out in front of him.

Yu Nian went still. His gaze followed that slender hand, and he froze in place.