Yu Qingchuan felt as though his whole body were on fire. He lay face down under the covers, not daring to move.
He suspected Brother Yi had done it on purpose. Why else would he make a single sentence sound so suggestive? But he had no proof.
The room was quiet, yet an unspoken intimacy spread through it, sending his heartbeat into ever greater disarray.
Yu Qingchuan wanted to fight back, but he simply couldn't think of anything to say. In the end, he could only close his eyes and put on a sleepy voice. "Brother Yi, I'm tired. I'm going to sleep now. Good night."
Lu Shiyi didn't expose him. His original goal had been to coax Yu Qingchuan over here anyway. His voice carried a smile. "All right. Good night, Qingchuan."
Yu Qingchuan lay on one side pretending to sleep, but then he felt movement beside him again. He immediately pricked up his ears, going on alert.
Soon, a warm body pressed against his side, startling him so badly he nearly jumped. "B-Brother Yi?"
"Qingchuan." Lu Shiyi sounded a little troubled. "I can't recover if you don't touch me."
Oh, right. That was how it worked. Only then did Yu Qingchuan realize he hadn't been touching Lu Shiyi at all.
He had grown used to snuggling up to Lu Shiyi, but Brother Yi's presence was entirely different awake than asleep. Yu Qingchuan wasn't sleepy in the slightest.
"You're not used to this, are you, Qingchuan?" Lu Shiyi was always so considerate. "I can still separate my consciousness from my body. I'll fall asleep first, and then you can rest. Would that work?"
He could do that too! Yu Qingchuan nodded repeatedly. "Yes."
The next instant, the man beside him closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
He looked exactly as he had in his vegetative state.
Was it really that amazing?
Yu Qingchuan propped himself up to look. Lu Shiyi really did seem completely unconscious.
Seeing Lu Shiyi in this familiar state, Yu Qingchuan slowly relaxed. He shifted away and called his name twice, then even told him a very funny joke, but Lu Shiyi didn't react at all.
At last, Yu Qingchuan stopped feeling nervous. He closed his eyes and slowly let sleep settle over him.
Before long, Yu Qingchuan fell asleep. Out of habit, he moved over on his own to snuggle up to Lu Shiyi.
In the darkness, Lu Shiyi opened his eyes. His lips curved in a soft chuckle as he gathered Yu Qingchuan into his arms.
From his looks to his personality, from the shape of his hands to his talent, everything about Yu Qingchuan matched what he envisioned in a partner.
He had to weave a net that would hold him fast.
Just then, Yu Qingchuan suddenly heard Lu Shiyi's voice. "Qingchuan, wake up. Are you having a nightmare?"
Yu Qingchuan woke with a start and snapped his eyes open, only to discover in shock that he was sprawled entirely in Lu Shiyi's arms.
Last night, after holding his wife for a while, Lu Shiyi had fallen asleep with him. Who would have thought that before he even woke up, Yu Qingchuan would suddenly start flailing,
mumbling something that sounded very urgent.
"Brother Yi, I, I..." Yu Qingchuan stammered, unable to get anything out no matter how long he tried. Wouldn't this behavior make him look crazy?
Yu Qingchuan was utterly despairing.
Why couldn't a dream just stay a dream? Why did it have to spill over into reality?
"Don't worry, Qingchuan. I don't blame you." Lu Shiyi soothed him gently. "Can you tell me what you dreamed about?"
Looking as though he might cry, Yu Qingchuan told Lu Shiyi what had happened in his dream.
After listening, Lu Shiyi smiled. "Thank you, Qingchuan. You only did that for my sake. I never expected to be lucky enough to have you save me even in a dream."
Oh, how could Brother Yi be so wonderful!
Even something this embarrassing could be smoothed over in his hands.
"Brother Yi, I'm hungry. I'll go make breakfast."
It was Monday, so Lu Shiming couldn't come over. He only sent Yu Qingchuan a greeting on WeChat. After replying, Yu Qingchuan patted his cheeks and started making breakfast.
Since Lu Shiyi still consumed only nutritional formula, Yu Qingchuan simply cooked himself a bowl of noodles.
Yu Qingchuan sighed softly. He was probably a goner.
After all, he hadn't been all that straight to begin with, and Lu Shiyi happened to be exactly his type.
Most importantly, being with Lu Shiyi really made him happy and content.
It was just that... he wasn't worthy of Lu Shiyi as he was now.
Although he was now the Eldest Young Master of the Yu Corporation's family, he didn't place much importance on that himself. Besides, Su Ningyue was watching from the sidelines, ready to pounce. If he couldn't beat her, he would be kicked out of the family.
As for looks, although he had slimmed down and was much better-looking than before, Lu Shiyi was the truly exceptional one. His features were handsome, his bearing elegant, and his abilities were ridiculously impressive. He could make millions in minutes.
Meanwhile, Yu Qingchuan was just someone who painted, with no idea whether he would ever make a name for himself.
If Lu Shiyi hadn't been in a vegetative state before, he would never even have had a chance to get close to him.
Yu Qingchuan pressed his lips together. He should improve himself first. Once he had earned a little recognition, he could try confessing his feelings to Brother Yi.
Having made up his mind, Yu Qingchuan began looking into painting competitions in this world, preparing to enter one.
But before he could start searching, he happened to notice a new announcement in his class group chat: "Everyone, the time has come to bring glory to Z University's oil painting department! Submit your best work in one week! The theme is the world of dreams. We can definitely crush Q University next door!"
Only because a group task had been set did Yu Qingchuan open the chat he had long since muted. The unread message count was already at 999+.
Ever since transmigrating here, Yu Qingchuan hadn't opened his class group chat. After all, he had never even attended classes.
But after scrolling through the chat history, Yu Qingchuan understood what had happened.
The cause was simple. Z University's and Q University's fine arts departments had always been rivals, refusing to acknowledge each other and competing behind the scenes. But their students were evenly matched in painting ability, and neither side would concede.
With the rise of short-form videos in recent years, many fine arts students had started accounts, attracting countless followers with their painting talents.
The two most famous creators among them were Qi Bai from Z University and Ashley from Q University. Each had over five million followers across the internet and was widely recognized as the best in their respective program.
Both creators studied oil painting, and their works shared somewhat similar styles, so comparisons were inevitable. Their comment sections were often battlegrounds.
This time, they had posted new works at almost the same moment, both themed around nirvana. Qi Bai's style was more realistic and striking, depicting a phoenix reborn in flames with rich, vivid colors that packed a powerful visual punch. Ashley's was more dreamlike and beautiful, boldly contrasting red and blue to make the phoenix undergoing nirvana look like something out of a dream.
No one knew whether they had planned it or had genuinely been on the same wavelength for once. Either way, the shared theme sparked another round of vicious arguments, even escalating into accusations of plagiarism. Qi Bai's fans said Ashley had copied him. Ashley's fans naturally disagreed, claiming Qi Bai had stolen their favorite creator's idea.
Students from both schools joined the fray, once again arguing over the old question of who truly reigned supreme in oil painting.
The argument raged for days, growing increasingly heated. Finally, Qi Bai and Ashley used their family connections to invite Mr. Chen Shujun, a leading figure in the nation's oil painting world and a genius painter, to serve as judge. A theme was set, and students from both schools were free to enter. Each school would ultimately select ten works to send to Mr. Chen Shujun for judging.
This was a battle for honor. They had to charge into it!
After reading everything, Yu Qingchuan's eyes lit up slightly.
He wanted to enter this competition.
If he was lucky enough to receive guidance from Mr. Chen Shujun, he would surely benefit greatly.
But after looking at Qi Bai's and Ashley's paintings, he felt uncertain. He had never received formal training or studied under a master, nor did he come from an artistic family like they did. Could he really do it?
Instinctively, Yu Qingchuan went to Lu Shiyi to confide his worries.
Lu Shiyi smiled gently and encouraged him. "Qingchuan, whether you succeed or not, what matters is doing it. Besides, I've seen your paintings. Your fundamentals are very solid. If you're already this good without a teacher, won't you become the next young painting prodigy once you receive some guidance?"
Yu Qingchuan had received far too little encouragement like this in his life. His eyes began to sting again. He fought it over and over, but in the end, he couldn't stop himself from asking, "Brother Yi, c-can I hug you?"
He wasn't greedy. Just one hug would be enough.
Lu Shiyi saw the unease and inferiority hidden in Yu Qingchuan's hopeful gaze, making him want all the more to understand his past and soothe it with tenderness.
So Lu Shiyi reached out and embraced the beautiful young man, offering him the warmest support. Then he murmured in his ear, "Qingchuan, if your work gets selected, I'll give you a kiss on the forehead. Would you like that?"
With him, Yu Qingchuan could always be willful, clingy, and greedy. He never needed to hold himself back.
Before you continue