Chapter 3

Chapter 3: 1. deep rising-02

Li Jin, thinking about these matters, took out his phone and opened WeChat.

The message he had sent half an hour ago still sat alone at the end of his chat history with Qi Shanyu, containing just one line: “Are you free tomorrow?”

“Go to hell!”

Li Jin slammed his phone onto the desk and muttered under his breath.

He felt his boyfriend was utterly terrible; he had been foolishly blinded by infatuation to persistently chase him.

Yes, he had been the one to actively pursue Qi Shanyu.

He was two years younger than Qi Shanyu, and they met at school.

The Police University and Xinhai Medical College were only a kilometer apart, and most students at the Police University needed basic forensic knowledge, so they were often sent to Xinhai Medical College to audit courses and use the labs alongside forensic students.

Qi Shanyu’s appearance was striking. He was 187 cm tall, with excellent proportions, broad shoulders and a narrow waist, sharp and handsome features, a perfect pair of sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, a straight nose—put him in a wig and fitted martial arts outfit, and he would look like a young hero from a wuxia novel roaming the rivers and lakes.

Even in the Police University, known for its exceptionally handsome male students, Qi Shanyu was the kind of man who could grab attention at first glance.

Li Jin, a standard member of the “appearance appreciation society,” had noticed Qi Shanyu immediately in a large lecture and was smitten.

During forensic classes, a large portion involved cadaver dissection.

Because there were few cadaver instructors, students were split into groups: forensic students performed dissections while Police University students observed.

Li Jin joined Qi Shanyu’s group and, like a noisy sparrow, constantly circled around him, chattering without pause.

His persistence paid off: by the first class’s end, he obtained Qi Shanyu’s phone number and considered them friends, visiting the Police University three times a week.

In a social circle full of “zeros” and “lonely ones,” a beautiful, well-proportioned top student like Qi Shanyu was a rare and high-quality resource. After testing and confirming Qi Shanyu was gay, Li Jin escalated from “friendship” to relentless pursuit, and after two years of elaborate courtship, finally won him over early this year.

But their relationship progressed awkwardly.

Although Li Jin had actively pursued Qi Shanyu, after he became his boyfriend, he realized they had very different attitudes toward relationships.

Li Jin was lively, playful, loved attention, and enjoyed showing off his tall, handsome boyfriend to friends.

Qi Shanyu, however, was a practical, straightforward man who longed for a stable life.

He worked tirelessly, wishing for a forty-eight-hour day, and had little enjoyment from spending his rare downtime entertaining his boyfriend. Li Jin could clearly see Qi Shanyu’s exhaustion and lack of interest, which frustrated him.

The biggest obstacle between them was their very uncoordinated sex life.

Yes, they had been dating for six months and had never slept together.

Despite Li Jin’s repeated attempts, Qi Shanyu always found excuses to avoid intimacy, which seriously damaged Li Jin’s confidence and left him sexually frustrated.

Growing increasingly angry, Li Jin grabbed his phone and called, regardless of whether Qi Shanyu was busy.

The phone rang twice before Qi Shanyu answered.

Li Jin heard a noisy background, mixed with car horns and engines—he seemed to be on duty outside.

“Hello, Ah Jin, what’s up?”

Qi Shanyu skipped greetings and got straight to the point.

Li Jin felt a surge of anger. “Did you see the message I sent you?”

“I’m busy right now. What’s up?”

Qi Shanyu didn’t seem to notice his boyfriend’s mood and seemed eager to end the call. “If it’s not urgent, I’ll call you later, okay?”

“No!”

Li Jin’s voice rose sharply.

Jiang Xiaoyuan, busy at his own work nearby, was startled by the shout, turning toward Li Jin with wide eyes filled with curiosity and confusion.

Li Jin forced a smile at Jiang Xiaoyuan, grabbed his phone, and moved to the corner by the elevator. “I’m asking, are you free this Saturday?”

“Saturday? No, I can’t.”

Qi Shanyu quickly explained, “I have duty during the day, and at night Zhenzhen will come back from school, I have to…”

“That’s enough!”

Before Qi Shanyu could finish, Li Jin shouted, “Besides work and your sister, have you ever thought about anything else!? How long has it been since we last met, don’t you have any idea?!”

Qi Shanyu seemed to realize this call was probably to pick a fight.

He paused briefly, then softened his tone, not debating meeting or not, but soothing: “Sorry, I’m still on duty. When I finish, I’ll call you back immediately, okay?”

“Fine! You work! Work, work, work!” Li Jin roared. “Just never contact me again!!”

He hung up without waiting for a response.

Fuming, he wanted to throw his phone to the floor, but remembered it was a new model bought three months ago, costing nearly ten thousand yuan, and restrained himself. Instead, he kicked the elevator fire door with a heavy thud.

“Cough, cough.”

A familiar cough came from behind.

Li Jin froze, turned, and saw Liu Yi standing by the elevator door, arms crossed, having just come out, witnessing his destructive impulse.

“S-Sorry!”

Li Jin’s face turned deep red; he felt utterly humiliated, especially in front of Liu Yi.

“Cough, Xiao Li.”

Seeing the intern about to cry, Liu Yi coughed and smiled gently. “It’s okay, everyone needs to vent sometimes.”

He stepped forward, ruffling Li Jin’s soft hair. His deliberately lowered voice was both magnetic and gentle, sending shivers down Li Jin’s spine.

“But now it’s work time. Don’t let your little temper affect your job, okay?”

Li Jin kept his head down, unable to look up at Liu Yi.

He forgot completely about the earlier outburst at Qi Shanyu; his mind was filled with Liu Yi’s gentle smile.

Today, Liu Yi wore a camel-colored plaid long coat, B brand classic academic style, adding intelligence and elegance. Li Jin could only think: “So handsome,” blushing and flustered, unsure what to do.

…Usually polite and distant with everyone, yet so gentle with me… that hair-ruffling moment, was that already “intimate”?

Li Jin stared at the coat hem, heart pounding like a rabbit.

…If… just if…

…Liu Yi also liked men, could it be possible that Li Jin was exactly his type?

“All right, I’m about to do a dissection. Come along.”

Unaware of Li Jin’s thoughts, Liu Yi assumed he was just embarrassed. He moved his hand from Li Jin’s head to his shoulder, patting lightly. “Also, help me notify Xiao Jiang.”

“O-Okay!”

Li Jin nodded quickly and ran back to the office to find Jiang Xiaoyuan.

Watching him rush off, Liu Yi thought silently: young people really do have energy.

Back when he was a student, wrapped up with cadavers daily, he had no time for romantic affairs…

Of course, this complaint was utterly unreasonable.

Liu Yi had built a persona of complete dedication to science and detachment from romance, conveniently ignoring his own terrible luck in love, which had left him single all these years.

He shook his head theatrically and strode toward the dissection room.