Chapter 19: Not My Type

The night deepened.

Yu Huaili was woken by thirst. He sat up in a daze, rubbing his hair and shuffling into his slippers to get water, when he suddenly noticed something off.

“Bro?” Looking at Duan Qiong, who had fallen asleep sitting on the stool with his arms crossed, Yu Huaili frowned and nudged his calf. “Why didn’t you sleep on the bed?”

Duan Qiong opened his eyes and looked at him. For the first time, confusion appeared in those dark, black eyes. “Hm?”

Yu Huaili placed his water glass gently on the nightstand, raising an eyebrow. “I asked why you didn’t sleep on the bed. Doesn’t your neck hurt from sleeping sitting up like that?”

Hearing this, Duan Qiong’s gaze unconsciously fell on the room’s only pillow and blanket. His Adam’s apple moved, and he explained in a low voice, “I just had a burst of inspiration. I was writing songs and lost track of time, so I…”

Before Duan Qiong finished, he heard a laugh from above him. His explanation stopped short as he looked up and met Yu Huaili’s eyes.

Yu Huaili curved his eyes and said something confusing. “Bro, did Sister Chen tell you from the very beginning?”

Duan Qiong froze for two seconds, vaguely feeling Yu Huaili must have misunderstood something. “Hm? Tell me what from the beginning?”

Yu Huaili narrowed his eyes and made it plainer. “That I like men. Did Sister Chen already tell you?”

Knowing in his heart that Yu Huaili liked men and hearing Yu Huaili admit he liked men with his own ears were two different feelings. Duan Qiong froze for two seconds. “She didn’t tell me.”

Yu Huaili took a sip of water and speculated slowly. “Oh… But Bro must have known about this for a long time, right? Because Bro knows my sexual orientation is men, you’re always telling me I can’t do this in front of you, can’t do that in front of you—because you’re a man too. And now it’s the same. Because I like men, so Bro doesn’t want to share a bed with me? You’re disgusted by me.”

As soon as Yu Huaili’s words fell, Duan Qiong hurriedly explained. “I did know you like men. But I’m not disgusted by you. We’re friends. I’m just worried—”

“Then you’re not disgusted, so why did Bro lie to me just now?” Yu Huaili interrupted Duan Qiong’s words with a raised brow. “Your laptop wasn’t even open. Your phone was charging over there. How exactly did you write songs?”

Duan Qiong: …

He opened his mouth, then closed it.

Who made him actually lie to Yu Huaili?

Just now, for who-knows-what reason, before Yu Huaili woke up, he sat on this stool staring intently at Yu Huaili’s sleeping face. It wasn’t until he sensed signs of Yu Huaili waking that he pretended to be asleep…

Duan Qiong thought—he couldn’t say that kind of thing to Yu Huaili.

It sounded like something a pervert would say.

Unable to explain his recent and earlier behavior, Duan Qiong tacitly accepted Yu Huaili’s guess and apologized in a low voice. “I’m sorry. But I absolutely don’t mean to disgust you. I promise.”

“I know. And you don’t need to apologize, Bro. Now that it’s out in the open, everything’s fine.” Yu Huaili nodded, then lightly patted Duan Qiong’s shoulder. He smiled. “I understand your concern, but you really don’t need to worry.”

He paused for two seconds. Under Duan Qiong’s puzzled gaze, Yu Huaili added with a sincere tone, “Because Brother Duan Qiong is completely not my type. You’re not within my dating criteria at all.”

Duan Qiong: “…”

Yu Huaili yawned and pulled open the blanket. “Bro, bear with it tonight. Just rough it for one night.”

After a pause, Yu Huaili added, “Next time this kind of situation comes up, if someone asks you to swap rooms again, don’t agree.”

For some reason, Duan Qiong felt as if a heavy boulder had fallen onto his heart, clogging his chest and leaving something stuck in his throat. Saying even one word was painful.

“It’s not roughing it.” Duan Qiong used his own clothes as a pillow, speaking hoarsely. “And it’s not bearing it either.”

His nose was full of Yu Huaili’s scent. Duan Qiong kept his hands and feet properly placed, his gaze fixed on the back of Yu Huaili’s head.

He knew Yu Huaili wasn’t asleep.

“Bad Pear…” Duan Qiong swallowed—it felt like swallowing a razor blade, his throat aching more and more—and forced the words out from between his teeth. “Then, then what type of men do you like?”

Seeing that Yu Huaili didn’t respond, Duan Qiong added, “I’m just asking casually. You don’t have to answer. I didn’t mean anything by it… Good night.”

Hearing this, Yu Huaili rustled around and turned over to face Duan Qiong.

Yu Huaili’s striking features suddenly enlarged before Duan Qiong’s eyes. Duan Qiong’s pupils shrank, and a breathy sound escaped his throat. “Huh…”

“Asking what type I like?” At this topic, the tips of Yu Huaili’s ears turned red. He looked a little embarrassed, touching his mouth. “My type is so tacky and broad. I don’t want to say.”

Duan Qiong murmured, “Broad…?”

“Right.” Yu Huaili touched his nose. “I like younger guys. But sometimes I think men much older than me are nice too. And they have to be good-looking, gentle-tempered, and even-tempered.”

Younger guys?

That would be Sheng Fang?

Much older than him?

That would be… Wen Zheng?

Duan Qiong suddenly clenched his hands, fingernails digging deep into his palms.

“Bro, why did you suddenly bring up President Wen?” Yu Huaili asked in a low, puzzled voice.

Only then did Duan Qiong realize he’d accidentally blurted out Wen Zheng’s name. Looking at Yu Huaili with his shining eyes, he forced the corners of his mouth. “…If you’re dating, it’s still more compatible to be with someone your own age.”

“Oh.” Yu Huaili thought for a moment. “Bro, are you talking about someone like Brother Xingheng?”

Duan Qiong: …

He wasn’t.

Duan Qiong swallowed again and asked, “You… like Xi Xingheng?”

After a pause, he added, “That type?”

“It’s not like that, it’s just…” Yu Huaili clearly didn’t want to continue this topic. He pinched Duan Qiong’s mouth shut. “Bro, you’re being too gossipy today. And I just debuted. I haven’t thought about dating. Let’s sleep.”

With that, Yu Huaili turned back around.

Duan Qiong couldn’t sleep at all.

With dark eyes, he stared at Yu Huaili’s back for a long time.

His mind churned over Yu Huaili’s unfinished words.

“It’s not like that…”

What did that mean? So did he like him or not? If he didn’t like him, why did Yu Huaili let Xi Xingheng put medicine on him tonight?

He’d be back soon anyway.

Could it be that Yu Huaili thought Wen Zheng and Xi Xingheng had gentle temperaments?

But Duan Qiong only thought they were both pretending. Both of them were terrible people.

Could it be that he wasn’t gentle enough with Yu Huaili…?

Listening to the breathing beside his ear settle into a steady rhythm, Duan Qiong unclenched the palm he’d dug blood from and gently wrapped his arms around Yu Huaili.

He lowered his head, burying his face deep in Yu Huaili’s neck, pressing a damp kiss to his neck as well.

He would never allow any man to have the chance to hold Yu Huaili this tightly.

Those greedy men would only harm Yu Huaili.

There were no schedules these two days, so Solaron-X’s four members often stayed in the practice room, dancing to the new album’s choreography over and over.

“Whoa.” Seeing the obvious dark circles under Duan Qiong’s eyes, the posture coach, who hadn’t seen them in a while, was a bit shocked. “Duan Qiong, what have you been up to lately? Robbing graves at night?”

Duan Qiong touched his eye and said flatly, “I haven’t been resting—”

Seeing Yu Huaili and the others look over, Duan Qiong paused and squeezed out a smile that could almost be called gentle. “I’ve been so busy lately. Haven’t been resting well.”

The posture coach’s expression looked like she’d seen a ghost in broad daylight. But a lightbulb suddenly went off in her head, and she whispered mysteriously, “Duan Qiong, did you run into something unclean?”

The entertainment industry was very superstitious about this. The posture coach said enthusiastically, “Want me to recommend an exorcist master to you?”

The smile at the corner of Duan Qiong’s mouth twitched. He glanced at Yu Huaili, who had gone into the lounge, and the smile faded from his face. “I’m not possessed. I don’t believe in that… The microwave’s food is ready. I’ll go check.”

The posture coach narrowed her eyes.

Watching Duan Qiong squeeze into the lounge, Yu Huaili opened the microwave and asked casually, “Bro, did the posture coach scold you just now?”

“No.” Seeing Yu Huaili reach for the reheated sweet potato, Duan Qiong said, “It’s too hot. Let me get it.”

Yu Huaili didn’t argue with Duan Qiong over such a small thing. He released his hand and crossed his arms. “I feel like you’ve been weird these past two days. Brother Xingheng also told me you’ve been weird lately.”

Actually, Xi Xingheng’s exact words had been asking Yu Huaili whether he’d offended Duan Qiong recently—why did Duan Qiong look at him like he wanted to drown him in a pond?

Duan Qiong: …

“A gentle, polite person wouldn’t speak ill of others behind their backs.” He peeled the hot sweet potato and handed it to Yu Huaili. “It’s a bit hot. Let it cool.”

Yu Huaili took it. Just then, Xi Xingheng walked into the lounge to get a glass of water, and naturally took a bite of the sweet potato in Yu Huaili’s hand.

Yu Huaili: …

Ever since that night he applied the medicine, Xi Xingheng had become especially familiar with Yu Huaili. Maybe he’d developed a habit of queerbaiting.

Yu Huaili clicked his tongue. “Take it. I don’t want it anymore.”

“Disgusted by me, boss?” Xi Xingheng said with a grin. “Then let me trade you mine… Oh right, I found a moving company. After we finish filming the variety show, could you trouble yourself to come back to the dorm with me?”

Probably because the group variety show was about to be filmed, Sister Chen had told them Xi Xingheng would be moving back into the dorm soon. Yu Huaili nodded. “Sure. Transfer me fifty.”

Xi Xingheng immediately burst out laughing. He’d just pulled out his phone when Duan Qiong frowned, staring straight at Xi Xingheng. “You’re moving into the dorm?”

In the past life, Xi Xingheng had never moved back into the dorm.

“Mhm, so you didn’t know?” Xi Xingheng smiled. “Solaron-X is recording a group variety show. From what Sister Chen said, it’ll be in live stream format. It wouldn’t be right for me not to go back.”

Duan Qiong hadn’t known.

These past few days, he’d been learning how to be a gentle person.

He narrowed his eyes, his tone turning a little dark and cutting. “There are only three bedrooms in the dorm. Are you going to live in the bathroom?”

“Here’s the thing.” Sensing the growing tension between the two, Yu Huaili blinked and said, “Brother Duan Qiong, don’t I live in the master bedroom? Sister Chen said she’d change the master bedroom’s bed into two single beds. I thought, since you’re the only one who knows my situation… why don’t you room with me? And give the room to Brother Xingheng?”

Xi Xingheng raised an eyebrow. “That’s Sister Chen’s solution? Not you rooming with me in the master bedroom?”

“I have no problem with that.” Duan Qiong answered, then turned to Xi Xingheng, showing him the first truly gentle smile of his life, his tone extremely mild. “When are you moving? Tonight? Need any help?”

Duan Qiong changed faces so fast that Xi Xingheng suddenly found the sweet potato in his hand tasteless.

And there was an uncomfortable feeling, like a fish bone stuck in his throat.

He said flatly, “After we finish recording ‘Love Song of Life’ tomorrow.”

Duan Qiong nodded.

But thinking about that show, a flicker of hesitation crossed Duan Qiong’s mind.

When Solaron-X recorded the show, something did seem to have happened… but because it had little to do with him in the past life, he only had a vague impression.

What was it that happened…?