Chapter 27

"Are you drunk?"

Qin You gave a soft chuckle. "No. But you can think of it that way."

Like alcohol, the drug needed time to take effect.

The past hour had been enough for the inhaled substance to fully metabolize within him, producing the exact effects the system had described—

His consciousness was gradually fading.

The heated room only intensified the drug's effects.

Beside him, Yan Tingshen watched his face as he spoke.

His thoughts weren't scattered—nothing like being drunk.

Moreover, there wasn’t a trace of alcohol on Qin You, and the wine exhibition had ended early, so he couldn't have gotten drunk.

Yet his current state bore an uncanny resemblance to that night after drinking.

Even more careless than usual, his breathing uneven, like he was being reckless.

Yan Tingshen’s gaze shifted to the wrinkled, disheveled shirt on him, and his frown deepened. "If you're not going to wear your coat, then go back inside."

Qin You sighed. "I’m really not cold."

Quite the opposite.

If Qi Xianghe hadn't messed with the villa and there weren’t too many people around, he would’ve already taken a cold shower to cool the burning heat on his skin.

Yan Tingshen said, "I'm not asking."

Qin You glanced at him, then stepped forward and obediently put on the coat, holding up his hands slightly. "Satisfied?"

Yan Tingshen swept a glance over his front. "Fix it properly."

Qin You laughed helplessly and fastened the buttons as instructed.

As he did, Yan Tingshen asked, "Where do you want to go?"

A thin coat, no matter how tightly worn, was useless against the winter chill. Something else must be going on with Qin You tonight.

Qin You said, "I've already asked President Qi to find me another place. For now, let's just take a walk."

After a pause, Yan Tingshen replied, "There are no available places nearby. If you want to move, you’ll have to go to a hotel further out."

"A hotel?"

Qin You looked toward the distant high-rises. "I remember it’s a twenty-minute drive. How inconvenient."

Yan Tingshen turned to his profile. "Why not leave with Mr. Qin? Other villas might have space."

"Stay with the old man? No way."

Qin You looked away and met Yan Tingshen’s gaze. "Since there are empty rooms in other villas, why don't you put me up instead?"

Yan Tingshen pressed his lips together.

Qin You looked at him with a smile: "It's freezing cold out here. How could you make me take another twenty-minute ride to the hotel?"

Yan Tingshen said, "You said you weren’t cold."

Qin You replied, "Just because I’m not cold now doesn’t mean I won’t be in twenty minutes. You live close by—might as well take advantage."

Yan Tingshen glanced ahead. "At the speed you’re going, walking there would also take twenty minutes."

Taking his silence as agreement, Qin You’s smile deepened. "Don’t worry about it. The car’s right behind us. If we get tired, we can just ride back. We’ve got plenty of time."

Yan Tingshen didn’t say another word.

The two walked side by side along the path lined with trees at a leisurely pace.

The warm yellow light illuminated the way ahead, their long shadows blending together among the trees.

Everything was dead silent.

Only the occasional rustling of leaves in the breeze drowned out their quiet footsteps.

Qin You’s breathing slowed.

The cold air dulled the drug’s effects, easing his discomfort.

Glancing at Yan Tingshen beside him, he even felt a rare moment of peace, as if appreciating the scenery.

In both this life and the last, never had there been a night like this—just taking a walk, free from work or interruptions.

In his past life, relaxing was a luxury.

In this one, even when he sought it, trouble always came knocking.

Though playing games at Zeshui Bay killed time, he wasn’t used to living like that—with no purpose.

Having someone around, someone to talk to—that wasn’t half bad.

Suddenly.

A leaf drifted down.

As Qin You moved forward, he felt a slight weight atop his head. Raising his hand, he realized Yan Tingshen had plucked a leaf from his hair.

His fingers accidentally brushed Yan Tingshen’s hand, and Qin You quickly withdrew.

Yet Yan Tingshen frowned at him.

Qin You asked, "What?"

Yan Tingshen countered, "This is your so-called 'not cold'?"

Before Qin You could respond, Yan Tingshen seized his hand.

He paused, then slowly tightened his grip, as if absorbing the sudden, scorching warmth into his palm.

The furrow between Yan Tingshen’s brows remained.

Qin You’s hand was ice-cold.

He was freezing, but still pretending to be fine.

"You—"

Yan Tingshen barely got a word out when he realized his grip was tightening uncontrollably. "Qin You?"

Qin You abruptly looked up.

He released his hold, but the lingering warmth in his palm seemed to seep into his veins, setting off a quiet buzz under his skin.

Even the cold air seemed to heat up.

Pushing down the unwanted warmth, Qin You continued forward. "I'm fine."

"Fine again?"

Yan Tingshen caught the slightest rasp in his voice and grabbed his arm to stop him. "You can't keep walking."

With that, Yan Tingshen signaled behind them.

The shuttle that had been following them immediately accelerated toward them.

Hearing the noise, Qin You turned to Yan Tingshen and gave a tired smile. "I really—"

His words were cut off by the sudden heat wrapping around his neck.

Qin You stared at the man right before him.

Yan Tingshen was still frowning, yet his movements were unhurried, as calm and deliberate as ever, taking the scarf from his own shoulders and winding it around Qin You's neck.

The warmth, carrying Yan Tingshen's body heat, was given freely.

Qin You's fingers twitched slightly. He had intended to remove this extra layer that would only make the medicine hit harder, but as he watched Yan Tingshen's focused expression up close, he exhaled and dropped his hand.

Yan Tingshen didn't notice the movement beyond his line of sight.

The car pulled up beside them, and the driver had already opened the door. He gestured for Qin You to enter first before following him inside.

The car's warmth wrapped around them.

With no choice but to go inside, Qin You had to ride to the destination villa.

When they stepped out of the car, other cars were waiting at the door.

Not looking, he banged his shoulder on the door.

Yan Tingshen turned to him at the sound.

Qin You swallowed another "I'm fine" under that look and instead asked, "Do we have guests?"

Yan Tingshen ignored the question, his eyes locked on Qin You's unusually flushed lips. He reached out to check the temperature of his wrist and frowned again. "You're running a fever?"

When they had entered the car, Qin You had been cold as ice. Now, after just two or three minutes, he was burning up.

Qin You's arm tensed. He raised his hand to Yan Tingshen's forearm, meant to push him off, but his hand just stayed there.

"About time you showed up!"

By the entrance.

Qi Yan’s voice approached.

"The doctor is right—" His voice trailed off abruptly.

Qi Yan stared blankly at the two men by the car.

In broad daylight, pulling and tugging like this?

This couldn’t be Yan Tingshen, could it?

Qin You brushed off Yan Tingshen's hand and went inside first.

"Xiao Qin—"

Before Qi Yan could finish his greeting, Qin You had already passed him by.

He scoffed in exasperation, then turned to Yan Tingshen, but before he could protest, Yan Tingshen also walked past him into the house.

"..." Qi Yan gritted his teeth.

If he ever greeted these two again, he’d eat his hat!

After that silent vow, he headed back inside the villa. In the front hall, the butler hung up Yan Tingshen’s coat, while the doctor had already approached Qin You.

Soon after, Yan Tingshen and Qin You sat down on the sofa together, and the doctor gave him a quick check-up.

Pei Sheng zoned out staring at Qin You’s scarf, only snapping back when the doctor finished. "How is he?"

"Fast pulse, high temp—classic fever signs. However..."

The doctor glanced at Qin You. "Are there any other discomforts? If he only walked outside for a few minutes, it shouldn’t have hit him this quickly."

Qin You opened his display and rattled off some system-detected compounds.

After hearing them, the doctor hesitated. "This..."

Yan Tingshen frowned. "Spit it out."

The doctor instinctively looked at Qin You.

Qin You simply said, "Just traces. Treat what’s there."

Seeing that he was lucid and showed no obvious abnormalities, the doctor, to respect privacy, said to Yan Tingshen, "It’s not a serious issue. The patient just needs to drink more glucose water to flush it out faster!"

Yan Tingshen turned to Qin You.

Qin You smiled. "Told you I’m fine."

Yan Tingshen faced the doctor again. "Are you sure?"

The doctor replied, "...If there are no other physical discomforts and it’s just a mild fever, the patient will be fine. Keep an eye on him later if you’re truly concerned."

After the doctor left, Qin You reassured the target before saying, "Alright. Everyone, out."

"..." Qi Yan grumbled to himself, then signaled the butler to escort the doctor out before turning to leave with Pei Sheng.

Pei Sheng glanced back and said to him, "I'll go get the glucose solution."

Qi Yan replied, "Just have someone bring it over."

Given Qin You's attitude toward the two of them, Pei Sheng's efforts would be futile. In Qi Yan's opinion, why bother subjecting himself to that?

Pei Sheng shook his head. "You go rest. I'll handle it myself."

Knowing his temperament, Qi Yan gave a shrug and they went their separate ways at the door.

—

Inside.

The entrance hall.

Qin You looked at Yan Tingshen. "Satisfied now?"

Yan Tingshen stared at him.

Outside, Qin You had insisted he was fine, refusing even to put on the coat in his hand.

Now indoors, despite clearly burning up with fever, he remained buttoned up.

Besides, what kind of illness could be alleviated just through metabolism?

The room fell silent. Qin You met Yan Tingshen’s unwavering gaze, his lightly pressed lips—

"What did you mean earlier?"

Qin You averted his eyes.

He closed them briefly, his jaw tightening for a moment before he replied, "Nothing. Just the aftermath of that little mess."

Getting set up like that was too embarrassing to make dinner-table talk.

Given the target’s personality, he wouldn’t be digging for details either.

Yet, unexpectedly—

The target pressed further. "What kind of aftermath?"

Qin You looked back at him.

Yan Tingshen said, "Qi Yan told me Qi Xianghe tried to mess with you again."

Qin You was surprised by his unusually nosy curiosity today.

But since he wanted to know, there was no reason to hold back. "Yeah, he hid a woman in my room."

Yan Tingshen’s eyes narrowed slightly. He shifted forward and poured a glass of warm water. "Qi Yan did mention seeing a woman in a bathrobe at your place. A honey trap?"

Qin You said, "Something like that."

Yan Tingshen paused, tilting his head slightly without looking at him. "Did you bite?"

Qin You chuckled. "No way. If I had, would I still be sitting here chatting with you?"

Yan Tingshen turned and handed him the glass of water. "So what went down?"

Seeing that he was determined to get an answer today, Qin You had no choice but to tell him the truth: "Besides the woman, he also laced the room with drugs."

Yan Tingshen frowned. "What?"

Qin You took the water from him. "Relax, as I said earlier, it was only a trace amount. It’s barely affecting me."

Yan Tingshen wasn’t buying it.

If it truly had little effect, Qin You wouldn’t have been acting so unlike himself, staying out so late.

But since the doctor had confirmed it posed no health risks, and Qin You wouldn’t joke about his own well-being, Yan Tingshen didn’t press further.

Noticing Qin You set the cup down, Yan Tingshen locked eyes with him again.

Qin You explained, "I need ice water."

Yan Tingshen nodded to the butler, then caught the sheen of sweat at Qin You’s hairline. "Lose the coat."

Qin You sighed, remaining silent.

He said to Yan Tingshen, "I’m not hot."

Yan Tingshen replied flatly, "You’re sweating."

Qin You said, "Cool mind, cool body."

Yan Tingshen let his gaze drop and dropped it.

The implication was obvious—what kind of drug Qi Xianghe would have used in the room when setting Qin You up with a woman needed no explanation.

Qin You didn’t get into it further. "Go on, get back to work. I’ll rest here for a while."

Yan Tingshen said, "You call this resting? Go upstairs first."

The butler arrived with the ice water.

Qin You reached out, took it, and downed it almost in one gulp.

Letting the chill steady him, he thought for a moment, then nodded. "Let’s go."

Yan Tingshen stood up with him, but before Qin You could steady himself, he suddenly grabbed the armrest of the sofa.

"Qin You?"

Qin You raised a hand to massage his temples.

The indoor heating was too strong and wasn’t doing him any favors. He needed to lie down, ASAP.

Yan Tingshen moved to steady him but, remembering the cause of his discomfort, pulled back and instead tugged off Qin You’s scarf.

Then he said to the butler, "Tell the kitchen to send up a bowl of ginger soup."

"Make it two."

Qin You added with a smile at Yan Tingshen, "Might as well both enjoy it."

The butler hesitated, eyes on Yan Tingshen.

Yan Tingshen said, "Two bowls, then."

The butler said, "Okay."

Qin You was already heading up the stairs.

Yan Tingshen walked behind him, watching his back. Only when Qin You paused on the last two steps did he move forward, pause for a moment, then reach out to steady his right arm and help him up.

Qin You let out a quiet laugh.

Yan Tingshen looked at him. "What's so funny?"

Qin You smiled. "Talk about role reversal."

Yan Tingshen also lowered his gaze briefly.

Indeed, it was just like their roles at Zeshui Bay—only reversed.

From Qin You helping him to now him helping Qin You.

Qin You wasn’t as stubborn as Yan Tingshen. With the help given, he used it to finish climbing this level.

At the corner, Yan Tingshen had just withdrawn his hand when he noticed Qin You hadn’t seen the ornament beside him. He reached out again, grabbed his arm, and pulled him aside.

Qin You, caught off guard, stumbled and took an extra step to the side.

Yan Tingshen didn’t have time to move away and bumped into him lightly. Instinctively, he caught Qin You by the waist. "Are you all right?"

Qin You had already turned away.

But the other’s warm breath brushed his ear, as if slipping under his collar—

"Qin You?"

Qin You closed his eyes, remaining still. Sensing Yan Tingshen about to speak again, he muttered, "...Move away."

Even this close, Yan Tingshen couldn’t make out his words. Just as he was about to ask again, he noticed the flicker of change in Qin You’s expression and released his hold, stepping back half a pace.

But it was too late.

His barely eased restlessness flared again when the nearby warmth abruptly withdrew.

Frowning, Qin You seized Yan Tingshen’s wrist and pulled him back in front of him.

Yan Tingshen tried to break free, only to be pinned against the wall—

"Qin You!"

Qin You lifted his gaze, meeting the fury burning in those dark eyes mere inches away. His movements paused slightly.

Pinned in Qin You’s arms, Yan Tingshen found his movements restricted. The right arm held by Qin You’s left hand was unshakably steady, and the chest pressed against him didn’t give an inch.

Meeting Qin You’s gaze, his breath grew slightly heavier as he spoke again. "Let me go."

Qin You’s left hand pressed against Yan Tingshen’s lower back, his arm tightening slightly.

This warmth, better than any ice water, brought more relief the closer they were.

Common sense said he should listen, yet the sensations of his body were impossible to ignore. His foggy mind drowned in the rising heat coursing through him.

"Qin You!"

Qin You's gaze swept over Yan Tingshen's moving lips before meeting his eyes.

As their eyes met, Yan Tingshen looked away instinctively. "Let go."

Qin You chuckled.

He tilted Yan Tingshen's chin with two fingers, forcing that evasive gaze back.

Unable to break free, Yan Tingshen, seeing no trace of delirium in him, spoke with barely contained anger, "Qin You, do you even realize what you're doing?"

Qin You took in his unusually animated expression.

Suddenly, he leaned in, his breath warm against Yan Tingshen's lips as he asked with a smirk, "This is enough to anger you? Didn’t you say you’d help me with any trouble I had?"

Yan Tingshen's back stiffened, his grip on Qin You's arm tightening. "I didn’t mean this kind of trouble."

"Then what should I do?"

Qin You murmured again, "I need your help right now."

Yan Tingshen pressed his lips together, silent.

After a long pause, Qin You laughed lightly. "Alright, just kidding."

As he spoke, he loosened his hold to step back—only for anger to flash in Yan Tingshen's eyes, his grip on Qin You's hand tightening abruptly.

"You—!"

The force pulled him even closer, their movements tangling until his lips landed on Yan Tingshen's mid-sentence.

Yan Tingshen's eyes widened in shock.

Qin You went still as well.

Moments later, before Yan Tingshen could push him away, a hand locked behind his neck, pushing him firmly against the wall as Qin You kissed him again.

"Qin—"

Maybe the drugs were kicking in.

Qin You held back his weakening resistance in his arms, his fingers trailing from Yan Tingshen's waist to his collar—when the system's voice suddenly interrupted.

"Host, stop kissing! The protagonist is here. Hurry and complete the mission!"

The warning snapped Qin You out of it.

He halted, turning to see the stunned protagonist indeed standing at the corner, watching them.

Yan Tingshen still hadn't noticed.

Belatedly, the lingering anger on his face flickered into complete bewilderment. "Qin You, let me go!"

The system showed the script on the panel:

"A Sheng, I love you so much! Whatever you want, I can give it to you. Please accept me, won’t you? Leave Junmin and come to me. Trust me, anything Yan Tingshen can offer, I can do even more! You belong to me - only me!"

Nearby, Pei Sheng, oblivious to the scene, clutched a bottle of glucose water, gripping it so hard his knuckles turned white.

Qin You withdrew his gaze and looked back at Yan Tingshen.

Having already pushed things this far, one more word wouldn't change anything.

"A Sheng."

His voice came out hoarse between their heated breaths. Yan Tingshen pressed his lips into a thin, tight line.

"...I really like you. You—"

At this, Qin You hesitated.

Pei Sheng remained rooted to the spot. Upon hearing these words, he was about to leave when he noticed Qin You's gaze sweeping toward him again.

Those piercing, ink-dark eyes, usually somewhat veiled, today for some reason seemed to revert to their true nature when they landed on him—barely restrained, razor-sharp and unrelenting—forcing him to hold his breath instinctively, unable to meet Qin You's stare.

Fortunately, that gaze didn't linger, just grazing over him before returning to Tingshen's face.

The intensity of that gaze was a stark contrast to before.

He heard Qin You continue.

"—will be mine alone."