Chapter 57

Chapter 57 5. Curve-03

Qi Shanyu moved with the speed he usually used to leave within two minutes after taking a call. In the living room, he quickly changed clothes, grabbed his phone, and hurried out of the room.

By the time he reached the stairwell, he realized he had forgotten the key card, which meant he would have to ask Liu Yi to let him back in later.

Qi Shanyu irritably scratched his head.

He had cut his hair just before the new year, almost shaved close to the scalp, so it hadn’t grown much. Even so, it was still wet to the touch.

Even though he was frustrated, he hadn’t lost his mind enough to dash out into the freezing, minus-ten-degree weather wearing only a turtleneck and a down jacket with wet hair.

He stood in the elevator hall, pacing in circles, suddenly remembering there was a café on the first floor. It had heating, Wi-Fi, and chargers—perfect for sitting for a while… how he would face Liu Yi when he returned could be figured out later.

With that thought, Qi Shanyu pressed the down button.

The door opened quickly, and the elevator was empty.

It was snowing outside. Given H City’s climate, the snowfall wasn’t heavy, but not many people would choose to go out for a walk in this weather.

Qi Shanyu stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the first floor.

The elevator descended and soon reached the bottom.

The doors opened, and Qi Shanyu, head slightly lowered, walked out absentmindedly.

But someone was already standing outside the elevator.

The man seemed in a hurry, trying to get in. Before Qi Shanyu could step out, the man squeezed in.

Qi Shanyu couldn’t avoid him and bumped into him.

The man had a small but heavy-looking single-shoulder bag. The collision produced dull clanging, as if metal objects were inside.

Qi Shanyu, reacting with a detective’s instinct, turned to look at the man.

It was a man, about 1.7 meters tall, shoulders slightly hunched. He wore a black fleece jacket, a light gray earflap hat, and a thick scarf wrapped up to his nose. Only his eyes were visible, and he kept his head down, avoiding eye contact.

His clothes were so bulky that Qi Shanyu couldn’t judge his age accurately. He held a wet folding umbrella, and his hat, shoulders, and shoes were damp—obviously he had just come in from the snow.

Even after the bump, the man didn’t apologize. Instead, he pressed the elevator close button repeatedly with force.

The elevator doors slowly closed, cutting him off.

Qi Shanyu watched quietly until the elevator began to ascend, then turned and continued toward the café.

The café was quiet. By a window, a tall, blond, fair-skinned foreign middle-aged couple sat enjoying hot chocolate and mince pies, chatting intimately.

At the counter, a young woman in a server uniform was bored, watching a drama on her phone. When she saw Qi Shanyu enter, her eyes lit up. She paused the video and put on her brightest professional smile, asking the handsome customer what he would like.

Qi Shanyu ordered a latte.

The young woman quickly prepared it and, seeing no one around, quietly added a small plate of delicate cookies.

Qi Shanyu sat in a corner, holding the hot coffee, sipping slowly, eyes unfocused, lost in thought about his relationship with Liu Yi.

He really didn’t want to tear through the thin window of ambiguity between them this way.

If they hadn’t kissed, even with the subtle flirting, their relationship could stay a little closer than friends without crossing the line, without risking a step from which they couldn’t return, possibly even losing their friendship.

Thinking this, Qi Shanyu unconsciously raised a finger to lightly touch his lower lip.

The lingering sensation from their previous kiss—the softness and sweetness of Liu Yi’s lips and their tongues—still remained, even after the heat of the coffee had dissipated.

At that moment, he was tempted to throw caution aside and give in to desire…

…but then what?

If he had surrendered, and afterward Liu Yi only wanted a fleeting pleasure with no intention of a relationship, how would they continue to get along?

Qi Shanyu frowned, hands on his forehead, face buried, heart torn between confusion and a twinge of sadness.

He had to admit—he liked Liu Yi very, very much.

So much so that he couldn’t accept being just a casual hookup. What he wanted was to be with Liu Yi for the long term, possibly a lifetime.

…

Lost in thought, his phone suddenly dinged. He pulled it out and saw a WeChat message from Liu Yi.

【Hey, you didn’t run outside, did you? Be careful not to catch pneumonia!】

Qi Shanyu stared at the screen, frowning deeper.

Before he could decide how to reply, another message arrived.

【Come back, let’s have a proper talk.】

&&& &&& &&&

Ten minutes later, Qi Shanyu stood in the top-floor corridor, knocking on his room door.

After only two knocks, the door was pulled open from the inside.

Liu Yi stood there, smiling, showing no embarrassment, and pulled the awkwardly standing Qi Shanyu inside.

He touched Qi Shanyu’s shoulder and upper arm, feeling the warmth, and nodded approvingly. “Smart, didn’t run out into the cold.”

Qi Shanyu lowered his eyes, quietly saying “Mm,” unable to act as nonchalant as Liu Yi.

“Alright, come over.”

Liu Yi dragged Qi Shanyu to the bar.

On the counter were small bottles of liquor and a clean set of bar tools.

“My cocktail skills are mediocre, but enough to impress you.”

Liu Yi sat Qi Shanyu on a high stool at the bar, joking with himself as he took a shaker. His fingers danced across bottles like playing strings, selecting two to pour into the shaker with ice. He shook it, then theatrically tossed it.

But rusty from not practicing, he slipped slightly, almost dropping it, ruining some of the earlier flair.

“Tsk tsk, getting old, really useless now!”

He shook his head, poured the cocktail into two glasses, added an olive to each.

“Here, try it.”

He slid one glass to Qi Shanyu and lifted his own.

Qi Shanyu rarely went to bars, couldn’t judge the cocktail, but drank it down and nodded. “Tastes good.”

“Mm, good you like it.”

Liu Yi smiled, then began mixing another.

They continued drinking glass by glass. By the sixth, Liu Yi didn’t hand over the next drink. Instead, he sat beside Qi Shanyu, hand on the bar, smiling. “Can you tell me something?”

“Hm?”

Qi Shanyu, tipsy, cheeks flushed, raised his eyes slightly. “Tell you what?”

Liu Yi offered the drink. “I feel like you like me a lot, but don’t seem willing to sleep with me. Why’s that?”

Qi Shanyu took the glass, fingers tracing the cool surface, then quietly answered: “I don’t want to sleep with someone casually…”

Liu Yi’s expression shifted, complicated.

In their circle, casual hookups were common; he hadn’t expected Qi Shanyu to see their previous interactions as anything “casual,” not “natural progression.”

“Alright…”

Liu Yi sighed, sipping his drink. “Can you tell me why?”