Chapter 10: You Came Out Dressed Like That?

At that thought, Duan Qiong suddenly felt the towel in his hand turn scorching hot.

He squeezed the towel hard, forcefully banishing the chaotic thoughts from his mind, then raised his hand and knocked twice on the bathroom door.

Yu Huaili’s muffled voice came through the sound of splashing water: “Who is it? I’m showering.”

“Towel.” Duan Qiong lowered his arm, and only when he spoke did he notice his voice was a little hoarse.

Yu Huaili apparently didn’t catch it clearly. “Brother Duan Qiong? What did you say?”

The sound of running water poured into his ears. Duan Qiong gripped the towel and repeated in a low voice: “You left your towel outside.”

Yu Huaili, who genuinely couldn’t hear clearly: …

His hearing was perfectly fine, but what the hell was the protagonist top mumbling about? Was he desperate for the bathroom?

Rinsing the foam off his hands, Yu Huaili turned off the showerhead: “Forget it, bro. The bathroom door isn’t locked. Come in if you’re in a hurry.”

Duan Qiong: …

He wasn’t in a hurry. He’d thought Yu Huaili would be the one in a hurry.

But Yu Huaili was in the shower, and his sexual orientation was men. So it would be very inappropriate for Duan Qiong to go in.

…But then again, without the towel, Yu Huaili couldn’t exactly come out soaking wet after his shower, could he?

In the time Duan Qiong spent lost in thought, his hand had already wrapped around the bathroom doorknob.

But standing outside the bathroom door in silence for half a minute, Duan Qiong’s hand relaxed. In the end, he let go.

…It felt like the downside of being reborn was that he now knew Yu Huaili wasn’t straight.

Although Yu Huaili’s sexual orientation had nothing to do with him, it was really awkward.

Duan Qiong had never been an indecisive person. But when it came to his one and only friend, he always found himself hesitating and overthinking.

He said, “I don’t need to come in. You left your towel outside. I’ll hang it on the door—”

But before Duan Qiong could finish his sentence, the door in front of him was yanked open with a whoosh.

“Bro, you—” Yu Huaili looked up at Duan Qiong while tying his bathrobe shut. “I thought you’d left since you didn’t say anything.”

Looking at Yu Huaili, who was radiating the faint scent of body wash, all the words in Duan Qiong’s throat got stuck at once.

He’d seen it…

Though it was only a fleeting glance, Duan Qiong’s eyes had automatically recorded that patch of pink.

How could it be pink? Was it really possible for a man to be pink…

Was it because Yu Huaili was still… a virgin? That he’d never been with a man?

Duan Qiong’s tongue suddenly tied itself in knots. He felt his brain tying itself in knots as well, but at least he managed to keep his expression steady.

His voice came out dry. “You… you came out dressed like that?”

“My clothes are in my room.” Yu Huaili tilted his head, looking at Duan Qiong with some confusion. “I thought you’d left already, Bro. Have you been standing at the door for a long time? And… what do you mean ‘like that’? Is something wrong with me?”

As he spoke, Yu Huaili glanced down at his lean muscles.

Mm, they looked pretty good.

“Jiang Qing and I are both… men!” Duan Qiong looked away, a strange hint of irritation in his lowered voice. “How can you come out like that?”

Duan Qiong narrowed his eyes, thinking: it would be one thing if he saw Yu Huaili like this—after all, he and Yu Huaili were friends. But if Jiang Qing saw…

Hearing this, Yu Huaili raised an eyebrow and actually understood what Duan Qiong’s disjointed rambling meant.

Duan Qiong had been reborn from the previous life, so of course he knew Yu Huaili liked men. It’s just that Duan Qiong now seemed more concerned about Yu Huaili’s sexual orientation than he was in the plot.

But every time he thought about it, Yu Huaili couldn’t help but mentally object.

The Empire recognized over three hundred genders, and before he’d signed a contract with the live stream company to do missions, he’d thought he was asexual.

But in the missions he’d completed, he couldn’t seem to escape those gay men no matter what.

Sigh… He didn’t know if he was just not working hard enough at his job or if this was some kind of twisted luck. The protagonist top right now still looked like a pure straight man.

This made Yu Huaili breathe a sigh of relief while also feeling a bit anxious about the mission that still had no traction.

“I can see that you’re a man.” Yu Huaili glanced at Duan Qiong, who was frowning. “Bro, why are you holding my towel?”

“I saw you’d left it in the living room and was going to bring it to you, but it turned out you didn’t need it.” After explaining, Duan Qiong furrowed his brow again. “Then why did you come out without any clothes on? What if a man saw you?”

Yu Huaili: ?

Dude, that was caring a little too much.

“I’m wearing a bathrobe.” Yu Huaili said casually. “There’s only you and Jiang Qing in the dorm. Jiang Qing does this all the time and you’ve never said anything to him. And what’s the big deal even if you did see? Don’t you watch fitness bloggers and thirst-trap guys on short videos, Bro?”

Duan Qiong wanted to say: how could Yu Huaili be compared to Jiang Qing?

Jiang Qing’s preferences seemed to be all over the place, but at least they were girls. Yu Huaili, though—Yu Huaili liked men.

But what came out was: “I haven’t seen those. Do you watch those thirst-trap guys often?”

“No.” Yu Huaili raised an eyebrow. “They’re not in as good shape as I am.”

Duan Qiong instinctively glanced down at Yu Huaili’s abs.

They had a nice shape. They’d probably feel firm to the touch.

But if Yu Huaili didn’t watch them, how would he know those men weren’t in as good shape as he was?

Not wanting to continue this mindless topic, and with the nonstop work making him want nothing but rest, Yu Huaili reached out and squeezed Duan Qiong’s shoulder. “Bro, your phone’s been buzzing a lot. I’m sleepy, so I’m heading to bed.”

Duan Qiong glanced down at the spot where Yu Huaili had squeezed, and said quietly, “…Goodnight.”

Watching Yu Huaili go into his room, Duan Qiong stood in the living room for a while before picking up his phone again.

There were more messages from Sister Chen.

[Ms. Chen: Alright, good. As long as you have that awareness.]

[Ms. Chen: After all, Solaron-X is a boy group. We can’t have a “Pretty Man” situation playing out in real life.]

[Ms. Chen: Oh, right. Have Yu Huaili and Jiang Qing gone to bed? Why haven’t they replied?]

[Duan Qiong: Yu Huaili was just showering; his phone is charging in the bedroom. He’s asleep now.]

[Ms. Chen: And…?]

[Duan Qiong: What else?]

[Duan Qiong: Mm… Yu Huaili looked really tired, so he probably fell asleep without looking at his phone. I’ll remind him tomorrow.]

[Ms. Chen: No, I mean, what about Jiang Qing?]

[Duan Qiong: Oh.]

[Duan Qiong: Don’t know.]

[Ms. Chen: …]

[Ms. Chen: Duan Qiong, you know that if an idol gets caught dating, it’s all over. You have a sense of boundaries, right?]

[Duan Qiong: I know.]

Of course Duan Qiong knew.

In the previous life, Solaron-X disbanded because Jiang Qing got caught soliciting prostitutes and Yu Huaili was exposed for stringing along multiple people…

The moment an idol started dating, it was over.

Duan Qiong gripped his phone tightly, his eyes dark and heavy on Yu Huaili’s tightly shut door. Inexplicably, that faint shade of pink flashed through his mind again.

At this moment, Duan Qiong thought: he finally understood the meaning of his rebirth.

He was here to save Yu Huaili.

Yu Huaili was driven and outstanding. On stage and off, he shone just the same.

But Yu Huaili’s ambition was a little too big. Of course, Duan Qiong didn’t think ambition was a bad thing.

On the contrary, on Debut Night, when Yu Huaili had said with firm eyes that he would climb up step by step, Duan Qiong’s heart felt like it had been stung.

It went numb.

That numbness spread rapidly. The half of his body bathed in Yu Huaili’s gaze couldn’t stop tingling.

In the end, Duan Qiong had lost control and lightly touched Yu Huaili’s fingertip on stage.

The previous life’s Yu Huaili had merely been a bit too aggressive, so he’d chosen the wrong path. But he hadn’t become a bad person.

He couldn’t bear to watch someone as dazzling as Yu Huaili end up in that kind of ending.

Maybe his rebirth existed so that, at the fork in the road of life, he could help Yu Huaili choose the right path.

First and foremost: don’t let Yu Huaili go off playing with men.

Not even looking at them was allowed.

Those things completely corrupted a person’s mind.

Yu Huaili slept very well that night. As usual, he said good morning to his live stream audience, then shuffled out to the living room in his slippers.

Duan Qiong was making breakfast.

After debut, their diet was much more relaxed compared to the trainee period. Even though Sister Chen knew they’d secretly bought ingredients for the fridge, she only turned a blind eye.

“Morning.” Yu Huaili sounded a bit surprised. “You can cook, Bro?”

“Mm.” Duan Qiong slid a perfectly fried sunny-side-up egg onto a plate and handed it to Yu Huaili. “Eat. There’s toast, milk, and ketchup on the table.”

After one bite of the fried egg, Yu Huaili’s eyes lit up.

It wasn’t that Duan Qiong’s cooking was some culinary masterpiece—it was that Yu Huaili had been eating only boiled vegetables lately to look good on camera, his mouth nearly forgetting what flavor was. Getting something with oil and salt for once, he actually felt a little moved.

“Bro, you’re amazing.” Yu Huaili gave Duan Qiong a thumbs-up.

Looking at Yu Huaili squinting his eyes in sincere praise, Duan Qiong’s fingers twitched, and a hint of warmth crept into his eyes. “If you like it, I’ll cook for you from now on.”

“Sure, but Sister Chen can’t find out.” Yu Huaili took a sip of water and added with a grin.

Speaking of Sister Chen, Duan Qiong finally remembered what she’d said last night.

“Sister Chen messaged you last night.” Duan Qiong said. “Did you reply?”

“No…” Yu Huaili said. “Let me check my phone.”

The moment he opened his phone, messages from the work group and Sister Chen popped up.

2:34 AM

[Ms. Chen: Asleep?]

[Ms. Chen: Queerbaiting is only a small part of daily work—a minor tactic you can use or not. Yu Huaili, I have high hopes for you. Be mindful of your boundaries.]

8:50 AM

[[Solaron-X Work Group (5)] Ms. Chen: There’s a promotional event at noon at the company. You all need to attend. There are more schedules this afternoon. The driver will pick you up at ten. Be prepared. @everyone]

[[Solaron-X Work Group (5)] Ms. Chen: The Chairman will also be present to guide the company’s promotional event. Don’t mess up. @everyone]

He glanced through Sister Chen’s messages and raised an eyebrow.

He had to admit, Sister Chen was a good judge of people. It was just that in the plot, his character couldn’t listen to her at all.

In the plot, after he and Sister Chen were photographed meeting at a villa, rumors spread. It was also because Sister Chen found out he was dating and being kept by Wen Zheng, so she personally went over to reprimand him.

[Motivational Master (No-Carb): I understand, Sister Chen. I’ll be mindful of my boundaries with the other members.]

[Ms. Chen: You need to be mindful of your boundaries with Duan Qiong… Oh, and cooperate more with Xingheng on your end.]

[Motivational Master (No-Carb): Got it.]

Just as Yu Huaili put down his phone, Duan Qiong peeled a boiled egg for him and placed it on his plate. “What did Sister Chen send you last night?”

“Telling me to watch my boundaries.” Yu Huaili picked the yolk out of the boiled egg and put it in Duan Qiong’s bowl, eating only the white. “Too many calories. Not eating that. After this, I still need to go train.”

It seemed Sister Chen had told all the Solaron-X members not to date.

Duan Qiong noticed that the yolk of the fried egg was also left untouched on Yu Huaili’s plate. He didn’t say anything, just ate the leftovers of Yu Huaili’s breakfast.

“Why didn’t you call me when you made breakfast?” Jiang Qing came out of his room, yawning as he sat down and tore open a bag of toast. “Did Sister Chen message you guys last night?”

Duan Qiong ignored Jiang Qing.

Jiang Qing was long used to it. If Duan Qiong suddenly started talking to him out of nowhere, THAT would warrant suspicion that he’d been possessed by a ghost.

Yu Huaili smiled. “She did.”

Well, that was a relief.

Jiang Qing felt somewhat balanced. As long as he wasn’t the only one being scolded.

Sister Chen had told him not to let his eyes practically stick onto any good-looking fans. The other fans weren’t blind—they could see his preferential treatment.

Jiang Qing thought good-looking fans were obviously more eye-catching than those other fans, and he was only looking, not doing anything.

But he didn’t dare talk back to Sister Chen.

“What’s this company promotional event she mentioned in the group? Is it a big deal? Even the Chairman’s coming.” Jiang Qing bit into his toast and said, “Looks like those other trainees are going too… Sheng Fang and them.”

Duan Qiong frowned and picked up his phone to look.

Sure enough.

The Chairman was Wen Zheng. In the previous life, he was rumored to be Yu Huaili’s financial backer.

Sheng Fang—a guy Yu Huaili had tried to hook up with in the previous life. It seemed he hadn’t succeeded?

Tsk. At the very least, he couldn’t let Yu Huaili get in contact with them like he had in the previous life.

At that thought, Duan Qiong couldn’t help but think of something else. He narrowed his eyes, put down his phone, and said to Yu Huaili, “I want to borrow your phone.”

“Hm?” Though puzzled, Yu Huaili handed it over. “Sure.”

Yu Huaili’s phone was on silent. The moment Duan Qiong opened the short video app, the first recommended video was a shirtless man thrusting his hips.

Duan Qiong: …

He felt like he needed to wash his eyes after seeing that. Did Yu Huaili like these kinds of shameless, ugly, thirst-trapping men?

He narrowed his eyes and rapidly tapped “Not interested” and “Never recommend this type of video again.”