He was probably married already, right?

The man before him was tall, with a relaxed yet upright bearing. Standing there, he seemed to carve out a little space of his own amid the noisy crowd.

Within that space, time stood still, allowing Yu Nian to keep his gaze on him and study him closely.

With the light behind him, Yu Nian could barely make out his expression, seeing only the sharp contours of his features along the faint boundary of shadow.

Yu Nian no longer felt nervous or afraid around Qin Yuheng, but at that moment, his heart still abruptly skipped half a beat, as though it had stalled along with time.

The sensation passed just as quickly, without him noticing.

"Wh-what is it?"

There was a hint of uncertainty in Yu Nian's voice.

Qin Yuheng stepped forward and pinned a velvet flower hair clip to his coat collar, his voice low and gentle. "It suits you."

Yu Nian instinctively looked down. Qin Yuheng had chosen a jasmine velvet flower hair clip, which looked no different from a brooch at first glance when pinned to his clothes.

The flowers were small and exquisite, one in full bloom and the other half-open, accented by a few green leaves and scattered buds. The design was simple and elegant.

The white petals had a hint of green, with a very natural transition between the colors that showed the maker's fine craftsmanship.

The velvet material softened some of that cool elegance, lending it a gentle liveliness. It looked beautiful against his blue-gray coat.

Qin Yuheng had not lied. It really did complement his clothes.

It was just that...

Yu Nian parted his lips, wanting to ask something. Seeing his hesitation, Qin Yuheng asked, "You don't like it?"

Yu Nian instinctively stroked the fine, soft fuzz on the petals. They rested close to his heart, and for a moment, he felt as though he were touching his own heart rather than the flowers.

Yu Nian shook his head and smiled sincerely. "Thank you. It's beautiful."

"But, Brother Yu... people buy these for their girlfriends."

Yu Nian teased him quietly. Although the vendor had never said that only couples could buy them, most of the people at the stall were couples, and today was a holiday. Giving him something at a time like this could easily cause a misunderstanding.

Of course, Yu Nian himself had not misunderstood. He figured Qin Yuheng probably never paid attention to such things. Perhaps he had simply thought this brooch... uh, hair clip would suit him, so he had given it to him.

A subtle smile curved Qin Yuheng's lips. "It looks good on men too."

"..."

All right, now he was completely certain Qin Yuheng really had not been thinking along those lines. It was just a casual gift.

That meant there was even less reason to feel burdened. He could simply accept it graciously.

"Where did Assistant Yin go?"

Yu Nian looked around, only then noticing that someone was missing.

Qin Yuheng said, "He went to look at the other stalls."

Yu Nian found that surprising. "I wouldn't have guessed Assistant Yin enjoyed this sort of thing."

Still, it was hardly strange. Assistant Yin had been the one to persuade Qin Yuheng to visit the night market earlier. He had probably wanted to browse it himself.

Without Assistant Yin there, Qin Yuheng stopped discussing business and instead accompanied Yu Nian around the night market.

Despite it being Singles' Day, the streets were full of young couples out shopping.

Walking beside him, Yu Nian saw two young men buying animal-ear headbands at a stall up ahead.

The young man in white picked up a puppy-ear headband to put on the man beside him. Finding him a little too tall, he naturally asked him to lower his head.

The other man looked at him helplessly, though anyone could see he was smiling.

The taller young man obediently lowered his head and waited for him to put it on.

Satisfied, the young man in white asked the other to pick one for him. He chose a bear-ear headband, whose round, fluffy ears suited him well.

The young man in white smiled too. After paying, he slipped his arm through the taller man's and walked away with his headband on, unconcerned with what anyone around them might think.

Yu Nian loved seeing things like this. The happiness radiating from others always spread to those watching.

But then he suddenly remembered something, and his heart lurched. Slowly, he turned to look at Qin Yuheng.

He knew his own sexual orientation and found a scene like that perfectly normal, but what about Qin Yuheng?

What would he think of it?

He did not know much about Qin Yuheng's relationship status, only that he was about ten years older than Qin Yu.

At that age, most people were probably married, right?

And they had been right behind that same-sex couple just now. Qin Yuheng must have seen everything clearly too.

With those intimate, familiar gestures, someone as clever as Qin Yuheng must have guessed their relationship, right?

Would he find it repulsive? Disgusting?

The more Yu Nian thought about it, the more frightened he became. He realized he had overlooked a very important issue.

He had avoided contact with Qin Yuheng before not only because he refused to get entangled with anyone connected to Qin Yu, but also because he feared Qin Yuheng finding out that he had dated his younger brother. Would he find Yu Nian disgusting too? Would he think Yu Nian had led Qin Yu astray?

Yu Nian's worries were by no means groundless.

After all, when he and Qin Yu had been together, Qin Yu had repeatedly warned him that they absolutely could not let anyone know they were dating. If his family found out, the consequences would be very serious.

Yu Nian did not know what those serious consequences might be, but if Qin Yuheng truly intended to turn against him over this, they should not have been here together now.

"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

Seeing his pale expression, Qin Yuheng gave him a concerned look and even moved to reach out and steady him.

But Yu Nian abruptly recoiled as though startled.

Qin Yuheng's hand froze in midair.

"Sorry, I... I'm feeling a little unwell."

Qin Yuheng pressed his thin lips into a straight line, his expression growing more grave. "I'll have Assistant Yin come over. We'll take you to the hospital right away."

Yu Nian shook his head, panic churning inside him as though he had done something wrong.

"No need. I just need to sit for a while."

Yu Nian headed toward a bench at the side, planning to sit down first and then find an excuse to slip away.

He did not notice that Qin Yuheng had followed quietly behind him the whole time, his eyes gradually darkening.

A few minutes later, Qin Yuheng called Assistant Yin over anyway.

Yu Nian seized the opportunity to say, "It's getting late. I should go home."

Qin Yuheng said, "I'll take you."

Yu Nian immediately resisted. "No!"

Realizing he had overreacted, he swallowed and calmed himself a little. "Thank you, Brother Yu. I've already put you to so much trouble. I can just take a taxi home."

This time, however, Qin Yuheng did not insist. After a moment of silence, he agreed.