Chapter 68

Chapter 68

Ning Qiuyan didn’t understand what Guan Heng meant by “you still need to prepare.”

Because unhealthy images had been popping up in his mind lately, he vaguely guessed that it had something to do with *that* aspect of their relationship.

Ning Qiuyan knew that intimate acts between humans and Vampires could never achieve perfect harmony. He also knew that such things were extremely dangerous for humans. If a loss of control turned a romantic scene into something out of a bloody horror movie, it was something neither he nor Guan Heng wanted to see.

In fact, as a human, Ning Qiuyan had no way to truly “be prepared.”

Because the disparity in their strength was too great, all the initiative lay in Guan Heng’s hands. No matter how Ning Qiuyan “prepared,” he would never be more solid than marble.

Therefore, he wasn’t entirely certain about this guess.

Back near the school, Ning Qiuyan handed several large bags of clothes to Qu Shu and asked for her help in taking care of them. He only kept the small black leather suitcase Li Tang had given him at the end and a few home decor magazines. The small suitcase was quite light-not even as heavy as the magazines. Not knowing what was inside, Ning Qiuyan simply stacked them together and carried them, his fingers tucked into his sleeves to hide from the cold.

Everyone was in the dorm when he returned. Rong Qi and one roommate were playing games, while the other was on the phone with his girlfriend.

After living in the same dorm for a few days, the boys had become quite close. The new roommate joked that Rong Qi and Ning Qiuyan were indeed the freshmen who appeared on the Confession Wall most frequently; as soon as he moved in with them, girls started asking him for their contact information.

Rong Qi had no interest in dating for the time being, and this time, Ning Qiuyan didn’t hide anything either, honestly telling his roommates about his sexual orientation.

At first, everyone was a bit uncomfortable-not out of discrimination or resentment, but they would deliberately avoid his shower times and pay more attention to what they wore in the dorm. Later, Rong Qi talked to them about something, and the dorm quickly returned to its previous natural mode of interaction. Ning Qiuyan was very grateful to Rong Qi.

“Have you eaten?”

When a round of the game ended, a roommate greeted Ning Qiuyan.

“We’re going to the cafeteria. Do you want us to bring something back?”

“Yes, please. Thank you,” Ning Qiuyan said, noting how late he’d returned. “I’ll go tomorrow.”

Rong Qi chimed in, “Get a portion for me too.”

In the end, one roommate represented the entire hungry dorm, trekking out alone into the deep winter cold.

Ning Qiuyan placed his things on his desk. The space under his lofted bed was a bit messy, cluttered with books and cables, and he couldn’t stand up straight underneath it. After sitting down, he first took off his scarf and hat. Ignoring the home decor magazines, he pulled the small suitcase toward him, intending to see what was inside.

The small suitcase had metal buckles that felt cold to the touch.

Just as he opened it for a peek, Rong Qi’s voice came from behind him: “What’s that?”

Ning Qiuyan jumped, snapping the suitcase shut with a loud *thud*. “Nothing!”

Ning Qiuyan had covered it too quickly; Rong Qi hadn’t actually seen what was inside. Seeing Ning Qiuyan’s face flush a deep red that spread all the way down his neck, Rong Qi asked suspiciously, “If it’s nothing, why are you so nervous?”

Unable to come up with a lie on the spot, Ning Qiuyan could only clumsily fasten the metal buckles and set the case aside. Forcing himself to change the subject, he said, “Let me borrow your software for a bit.”

The demo he had been working on at his senior’s studio was nearly finished, and he wanted to add the sound of rain he’d recorded in the park. Rong Qi had a great piece of software that could extract a clearer dry signal.

Rong Qi didn’t press further, readily opening the software and lending his computer to Ning Qiuyan.

It wasn’t until late at night that Ning Qiuyan climbed into his bed, carrying the small suitcase with him.

With his back to the other beds and facing the window, his cheeks burned just looking at the case. He felt another wave of that indescribable heart-fluttering anxiety. If his first glimpse hadn’t been mistaken, the suitcase contained things he had never encountered-and never imagined encountering.

Driven by a mix of confirmation and curiosity, he used the light from the streetlamps outside the window to open the suitcase again.

Why would Li Tang give him something like this?

Ning Qiuyan lowered his eyes, his eyelashes trembling along with his fingers.

So, when the man talked about a “burst of inspiration” and “spending a lot of effort working day and night to finish it,” he was referring to these things!

And then there were those “unacceptable” shirt stays from last time.

Ning Qiuyan collapsed onto the bed, burying his face in his pillow. He thought that Li Tang was truly an indecent person…

It took a full ten minutes of cooling down before Ning Qiuyan slowly let go of the pillow and steadied his breathing.

Something like this wouldn’t have been done without Guan Heng’s permission. The man wouldn’t have taken it upon himself to do this.

In that case…

Was this what Guan Heng meant by “you still need to prepare”?

But Guan Heng wasn’t here right now.

Ning Qiuyan wondered: *Does this mean I have to carry these things with me when I go back to Du Island for the holidays?*

Just imagining it made him feel like he should just smother himself with his pillow and be done with it.

Su Jianzhou had come to Sujing for his studies, and it wasn’t until the night before he left that he found an opportunity to meet with Ning Qiuyan. Ning Qiuyan consulted some local classmates and booked a restaurant with very authentic flavors, intending to treat Su Jianzhou to a proper meal.
He had originally intended to bring Rong Qi along and had already cleared it with him, but when it was time to head out, Rong Qi was nowhere to be found.

“Peng Kaile and I have something to take care of unexpectedly,” Rong Qi said. “You guys go ahead. I’ll treat your friend next time.”

Peng Kaile was the new roommate who often played video games with Rong Qi. He had large eyes that narrowed into slits whenever he smiled.

Ning Qiuyan could only say, “Alright then.”

Ning Qiuyan arrived at the restaurant early, but Su Jianzhou was delayed for a while after being called in for a talk by his supervisor at the last minute.

He went outside to wait for Su Jianzhou.

The sky was darkening, and the wind blew with tiny grains of ice.

Wrapped in a thick coat, Ning Qiuyan’s lean figure looked quite frail. He sat hunched slightly at one end of a bench, a small red ember flickering between his fingers.

When they finally met, Su Jianzhou’s first words were: “Since when did you learn to smoke?”

They were in a smoking area, but Ning Qiuyan knew that Su Jianzhou, being a doctor, disliked the habit. He stood up and stubbed out the cigarette. “Just an occasional one.”

His attitude was upright, and he still looked as well-behaved as ever.

Su Jianzhou couldn’t help but chuckle, then asked, “Your hair has grown long, too. What’s going on? Are you going for a ‘brooding artist’ look lately?”

“I’ll go get it cut tomorrow,” Ning Qiuyan replied.

Having not seen each other for several months, the two had as much to talk about as always, though most of it revolved around work and school. Su Jianzhou had finished his internship at the hospital and become a full-fledged doctor, and Ning Qiuyan was no longer a high school student. Naturally, their conversation circled around the future. They had both been young piano students when they first met, and in the blink of an eye, they had reached their current ages. Without realizing it, they had both grown up.

“My house is a bit far from the hospital, so I applied for a dormitory after getting my permanent position. I’ll probably be staying there most of the time from now on,” Su Jianzhou said. “But don’t worry, I went to your place a few days ago to check on things. The doors, windows, water, electricity, and gas are all fine.”

When Ning Qiuyan left Wutong, he had turned down Su Jianzhou’s suggestion to rent the house out, but he had given Su Jianzhou a spare key. Hearing this, he nodded. “Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.” Su Jianzhou ruffled his hair. “I’ll definitely be on duty during the holidays. If you really want to thank me, come back during your break and stay at the dorm with me for a few days.”

Knowing that Su Jianzhou was worried he would be lonely, Ning Qiuyan agreed, “Sure.”

Then, remembering something else, he told Su Jianzhou, “I might have to go to Du Island around then.”

“Du Island?” Su Jianzhou stopped his chopsticks, looking quite surprised. “Isn’t your blood donation business over?”

Su Jianzhou was Ning Qiuyan’s best friend, the person who had provided significant help when his life had been devastated.

He had actually thought many times about whether to tell Su Jianzhou everything that had happened, but he could never make up his mind. It was only now that he truly understood Guan Heng’s reluctance to let him know the truth back then.

Once someone learns about the other side of the world, regardless of how well they might accept it, human curiosity alone is enough to lead them into dangerous situations. Sometimes, not knowing is much safer than knowing.

Furthermore, no matter how much Ning Qiuyan trusted Su Jianzhou, he couldn’t just reveal the secrets of Guan Heng’s identity. Concealing the truth was, in a way, a form of protection for Guan Heng.

Su Jianzhou asked again, “Is it because Mr. Guan’s health is having problems again?”

He frowned.

“Can’t they just find another compatible donor as soon as possible? Long-term blood donation is hard on the body to begin with. You’ve only rested for a few months and haven’t even fully recovered yet, and they’re already coming for you again?”

Ning Qiuyan had originally intended to follow Su Jianzhou’s lead and say he was going back to donate blood, but seeing this reaction, he changed his mind. “No, Mr. Guan’s health is much better now. He hasn’t asked me to donate blood again.”

“Then what is it for?” Su Jianzhou said. “I thought you two weren’t in contact anymore.”

Su Jianzhou had witnessed those grueling six months after Ning Qiuyan left Du Island and finished his donations; he had long since sensed Ning Qiuyan’s feelings for Guan Heng. However, since the two were worlds apart in terms of age, status, and identity-and even Ning Qiuyan himself seemed aware that there would be no future for them-Su Jianzhou had never asked as long as Ning Qiuyan didn’t bring it up.

Omitting the cause and effect, Ning Qiuyan said, “We met a while ago-it was when the dormitory caught fire.”

Su Jianzhou: “That’s quite a coincidence.”

Ning Qiuyan gave an affirmative hum. “Yes, he came to Sujing to see me.”

Su Jianzhou was astonished. His intuition told him that things weren’t simple. His first thought was that Ning Qiuyan was too young and naive, making him an easy target for being taken advantage of.

Ning Qiuyan didn’t elaborate further. He lowered his head to eat, seemingly thinking about how to phrase his next words.

After a minute or two, he simply looked up, his dark eyes filled with earnestness.

He told Su Jianzhou, “I like him.”