Breaking up

Realizing this, Yu Nian felt deeply embarrassed.

He had actually slept for so long in someone else's car. That was terribly rude of him.

And not only had Qin Yuheng not woken him, he had waited until Yu Nian woke up on his own?

Wasn't he supposed to go to the office?

What if he had kept sleeping?

Yu Nian had so many questions, and he had no idea what Qin Yuheng was thinking.

But he didn't like dwelling on things. All he knew was that, thankfully, Qin Yuheng had been there. At least he kept tonight's birthday party from feeling like a complete waste.

He saw that Qin Yu had messaged him over ten minutes ago, asking whether he had gotten home.

Yu Nian slipped his phone back into his pocket without replying.

Once home, Yu Nian took a shower. His head felt fuzzy. He checked tomorrow's class schedule, set an alarm, and went to sleep.

After his eight a.m. class the next morning, Yu Nian still had a bit of a headache.

He rubbed his head, thinking of that glass of red wine last night. It had really packed a punch.

A message from Qin Yu arrived on his phone, telling him to meet him at the sports field.

Yu Nian had been very drunk last night, and he wouldn't make a decision lightly when he wasn't thinking clearly.

But now that he was sober, he went over last night's events again and found that his thoughts hadn't changed.

Even if Qin Yu hadn't contacted him, he would have sought him out to talk things through face-to-face.

He figured it would be almost noon by the time they finished talking, so instead of heading back, he went straight to find him with his books in his arms.

Qin Yu was playing basketball with some people on the court, with a few male and female admirers watching from the sidelines.

Qin Yu really was handsome and had a good build. Add his wealthy family to the mix, and he was very popular on campus.

Yu Nian had once seen a message on his phone from a younger male student at their university asking to hook up. He had even sent his hotel room number, leaving Yu Nian utterly stunned.

Qin Yu had shown it to him unprompted, then blocked the guy right in front of him.

Yu Nian appreciated his faithfulness, but he disliked Qin Yu's air of "I'm such a catch, yet I turned someone else down for you."

Apart from his family not being as wealthy as Qin Yu's, he didn't feel he was unworthy of him, nor would he be eternally grateful just because Qin Yu had rejected someone's advances for him.

Yu Nian stood near the basketball court and called out to Qin Yu during a break in play.

Qin Yu waved at him, signaling for him to wait until the game was over.

Yu Nian sat down to wait. After a moment's thought, he went to buy him a bottle of water anyway.

Yu Nian waited for over ten minutes, until the cold wind began to chill his hands.

The temperature had dropped so quickly lately that he hadn't had time to buy gloves.

Qin Yu finally finished playing and took a towel from his bag to wipe off his sweat. Yu Nian stepped forward to hand him the water, only to see him accept a bottle from an unfamiliar girl first.

Yu Nian paused, then withdrew his outstretched hand. With an indifferent smile, he unscrewed the cap and drank it himself.

Qin Yu walked over with his bag, still a little out of breath. "Hang on. I'm going to get changed."

Yu Nian's voice was calm. "Go ahead. Don't catch a cold."

Some other guys from the university team walked past. They knew Yu Nian too, and teased, "Brother Yu, you and Yu Nian seem pretty close lately. Are you two dating?"

Qin Yu clicked his tongue, reacting strongly. "Get lost. Don't talk nonsense!"

Only once the guys had walked away did Qin Yu turn to him with a placating look. "Baby, don't read into it. I'm just worried those rumors will reach my family."

Yu Nian smiled, but a chill entered his eyes. "Since when did our relationship become a rumor?"

Qin Yu sucked in a breath. Not noticing anything wrong with Yu Nian's mood, he coaxed, "That came out wrong, baby."

He put an arm around Yu Nian's shoulders. To anyone else, it looked like an ordinary gesture between two guys who were good friends, and it was the most intimate thing Qin Yu could do with him in public.

"It's not a rumor. It's the truth. But you know we can't really go public yet. You'll have to put up with it for now."

Yu Nian pulled his hand away without any reluctance and said in an unreadable tone, "Go get changed first."

"Okay, I'll be right back."

Qin Yu jogged off to the changing room with a smile on his face.

That was the good thing about dating Yu Nian. He wasn't fussy, had a gentle temper, was easy to soothe, and went along with whatever Qin Yu said.

Yu Nian waited there a little longer. He had drunk half the bottle of water, and his knuckles were red from the cold.

Qin Yu finally returned. "Let's go."

"Nian Nian, why didn't you reply yesterday?" Qin Yu asked as they walked. "I got drunk last night and fell asleep afterward, so I didn't call you either."

"A friend recommended a really good restaurant. You don't have class until after three this afternoon, right? I'll drive you there and bring you back after we eat."

Qin Yu made the decision all on his own without asking whether Yu Nian had other plans.

By the time he noticed something was wrong, he had already followed Yu Nian onto a quiet, tree-lined path.

Qin Yu looked puzzled. "Nian Nian, why are we here? Aren't we supposed to be going to the parking lot?"

The tree-lined path was quiet and wide. Most of the leaves had fallen, and bare branches jutted out at stark angles, cutting wounds across the dark, cold sky.

Yu Nian stopped, tightened his grip on the water bottle, and exhaled a cloud of white breath. As though he had finally made up his mind, he told him solemnly, "Qin Yu, let's break up."

Qin Yu stared at him, stunned, unable to process it for a moment. "Wait." Seeing that there was no one around, he took the opportunity to catch his hand, looking unsure whether to laugh or cry. "Baby, what are you talking about? I get it. You're joking to test my reaction, right?"

Yu Nian pulled his hand free. There was nothing lighthearted about his words, but he didn't shout or make a scene either.

There was no smile on his face. "Would I do something that pointless?"

Only then did Qin Yu realize something was wrong. Yu Nian was very mild-tempered, and Qin Yu rarely saw him angry. Seeing how serious he was now, his own expression grew solemn. "Then why do you suddenly want to break up? Haven't things been going well between us?"

Yu Nian suddenly laughed, a bitter edge to the sound. "Do you really think so?"

He had thought he had compromised more than enough for this relationship, putting up with Qin Yu's bad temper and disrespect until he finally couldn't take it anymore.

But he hadn't expected Qin Yu to see it all as perfectly normal.

"Haven't they? We've been together this long without ever having a fight." Qin Yu thought Yu Nian was much more compliant than the high-maintenance people he had dated before and never gave him attitude. He thought for a moment, seeming to recall something.

"I get it. You didn't have a good time last night, did you?"

When Yu Nian said nothing, Qin Yu knew he had guessed right, and his expression relaxed.

"It was my fault. There were too many people last night, and I couldn't look after you for a while. But you know everyone I invited was a good friend. Some of their families even do business with mine. I couldn't just leave them hanging. You understand, right?"

"I understand you. But who understands me?"

Yu Nian hadn't expected him to still be making excuses for himself. He pressed his lips together, his expression hurt, but more than anything, disappointed.

"Qin Yu, I sat on that couch alone all night yesterday." He pointed at himself, his eyes reddening despite his efforts. "Did you think of me even once?"

Seeing Yu Nian like this made Qin Yu feel guilty, but he had grown up with everyone revolving around him, and he found it difficult to truly see things from someone else's perspective.

Apologizing to Yu Nian and offering a few soothing words was already the limit of his patience. He wasn't about to let Yu Nian lead him around by the nose. A moment later, he found another argument. "Baby, you could have made an effort to join in. My friends are all easy to get along with."

Yu Nian thought of Xie Lingfeng's mockery and found it bitterly ironic. It was one thing for Qin Yu to be selfish and do whatever he pleased in everyday life, but Yu Nian had been bullied so blatantly yesterday, and Qin Yu still hadn't realized how serious the problem was. He was still defending his friends.

So in Qin Yu's eyes, was he just a plaything anyone could amuse themselves with?

"When you say they're easy to get along with, are you talking about how Xie Lingfeng treated me?"

"I don't believe you couldn't see it. Everything he said yesterday was aimed at me."

Qin Yu wanted to argue, but he also remembered what Xie Lingfeng had said last night, and for a moment he looked embarrassed.

He realized Yu Nian was genuinely angry this time, and the problem was a little more serious than he had thought. All he could do was rein in his temper again and coax him gently. "All right, I know you were hurt, baby. It was my fault. I won't do it again, okay?"

Yu Nian had only wanted to calmly tell him they were breaking up. He hadn't intended to argue.

Now, though, he was so angry he laughed, even as the hurt and disappointment in his eyes deepened.

"You said you were afraid your family would find out you had a boyfriend, so we couldn't go public. Fine, no problem. You're all part of high society, and I'm just an ordinary person, so I get excluded. Fine, I had it coming. But what about when they tried to set you up with someone? Why didn't you refuse?"

"Qin Yu, do I matter to you at all?"

Qin Yu hadn't expected this to be what was bothering him. In the end, wasn't he just jealous?

Qin Yu softened a little again. "I was just humoring them. I didn't actually intend to date anyone."

"Nian Nian, you're the only one I have."

Qin Yu held his shoulders and leaned in to kiss him, but Yu Nian turned his head away. His voice was cold. "Do you dare open your contacts and show me?"

Qin Yu froze.

He didn't dare.

Last night, Qin Yu had indeed added plenty of people on WeChat whose profiles others had sent him. Yu Nian had seen it with his own eyes, and there was no way he could deny it.

And so Yu Nian watched him lose patience and lash out in humiliation. "Yu Nian, enough already. We're all friends. What's wrong with getting to know people? You're overstepping!"