Others…
The words sounded just like someone seamlessly transitioning to a new relationship after a breakup, but it wasn’t like the other guy didn’t know that the only people Qiu Sui could hang out with at this school were Qiao Keren and Qiu Shun.
Qiu Sui couldn’t help feeling a bit speechless. He pulled his small suitcase into the open elevator and simply said, “Yeah.”
Seeing this, Shen Zhixiao hurriedly tried to follow. Qiu Sui pressed the elevator button and noticed, his expression turning somewhat stern as he prepared to warn him: “Go back. Don’t forget what you said.”
But it was already a bit too late. Shen Zhixiao stumbled into the elevator just before the doors closed.
Meeting Qiu Sui’s displeased gaze, the Alpha lowered his head uneasily. Stray strands of messy hair fell over his face, and his tall frame looked awkward and tense. In a small voice, he said, “I-I’ll just see you downstairs and then go back…”
Qiu Sui glanced at the other’s bare ankles, frozen pale in the cold, and ultimately didn’t kick him out. He simply pressed the close door button again and said in a low voice, “When we reach the first floor, you don’t step out of the elevator. Go sit back upstairs yourself.”
Shen Zhixiao stared at half of Qiu Sui’s face buried in his scarf, bitterness tugging at his lips as he let out a soft hum of agreement.
If only the elevator would descend slower, he thought desperately. But the early morning elevator was clear and unobstructed, arriving at the first floor even faster than usual.
As Qiu Sui pulled his suitcase to leave, Shen Zhixiao couldn’t hold back and reached out to hook the handle.
Qiu Sui’s hand rested right above it on the grip, but Shen Zhixiao didn’t dare touch upward.
He used to often cradle Qiu Sui’s cold fingers in his palm to warm them, but now his own hands were freezing—maybe even colder than Qiu Sui’s had been back then.
Qiu Sui didn’t immediately shake off the hand gripping the suitcase pole. It was as if he was certain the other wouldn’t do anything drastic. He pressed the open door button and glanced back at him.
Shen Zhixiao’s eyes felt dry and gritty. Lacking the courage to meet Qiu Sui’s gaze, he stared only at the hand on the suitcase and murmured, “Can I… know where you’re going with your friends…?”
There was a faint note of hope in Shen Zhixiao’s tone. From Qiu Sui’s angle, he could see the Alpha’s pale face, his cautious eyes, the faint fading bruises on his cheeks.
It had been a long time since Qiu Sui had seen the other looking high-spirited. The usual aggressive edge of an S-Rank Alpha was completely gone, replaced by a humble posture brimming with longing.
Qiu Sui’s lips pressed together almost imperceptibly, but he replied somewhat heartlessly, “No.”
If he told Shen Zhixiao the location, the guy would just follow right over.
Shen Zhixiao’s lashes trembled at the response. He let out a muffled “oh,” the sound so low it barely registered, as if stifled in his chest.
His stiff, cold fingers slowly released the pole. He forced a smile and said softly, “Holidays mean crowds. Be careful and stay safe with your friends.”
Qiu Sui hummed in acknowledgment, lowered his head, and pulled his suitcase forward. Just as he stepped out of the elevator, he suddenly stopped as if remembering something. He turned back to the dejected Alpha. “I didn’t touch the New Year’s Eve gift at the door. Take it back yourself.”
Shen Zhixiao’s face grew even more defeated at his words. He lacked even the strength to part his lips, managing only a low response.
“Put it away properly. Give it back to me in person when the holiday ends.”
Qiu Sui continued pulling his suitcase outward. The disheartened Alpha froze for half a second at those words, then his eyes widened in surprise. He instinctively wanted to chase after Qiu Sui’s footsteps.
Qiu Sui keenly turned back, shooting him a warning glare.
Shen Zhixiao halted in place, staring fixedly at him. Color gradually returned to his previously pale, worn face.
Before leaving, Qiu Sui softly said bye-bye. The tall Alpha in the elevator stared blankly at his back, frozen for several seconds before reacting and waving goodbye.
Qiu Sui didn’t turn around, but as he rounded the corner, he caught a glimpse of the other’s arm waving nonstop from the corner of his eye. He’s such an idiot, he thought, unable to stop himself.
The delay with Shen Zhixiao had made Qiu Sui a few minutes late. By the time he exited the dorm with his suitcase stowed in the car, Qiao Keren and Qiu Shun had been waiting and were already playing cards in the back seat.
“We said you’d come down ages ago. How come you’re just now out?”
Once Qiu Sui climbed in, Qiao Keren looked up from the stinky hand of cards with confusion.
Qiu Sui let out an unnatural “ah” and rummaged for his phone in his pocket. “Did we?”
“Four and a half minutes,” Qiu Shun chimed in.
He felt too awkward to admit he’d just been tangled up with Shen Zhixiao. Chin dipping slightly into his scarf, he mumbled, “I walk slow…”
The driver soon started the car. As Qiu Sui joined the card game, he glanced toward the dorm entrance—no sign of the Alpha. He must’ve gone back obediently.
The trio had planned a trip to the nearby province. Qiao Keren handled all the itinerary, hotels, and flights; Qiu Shun and Qiu Sui just paid and followed orders.
They arrived in Jiangshi by late morning, ate lunch at the hotel, and didn’t head out right away. Instead, they holed up in the room for a nap.
The resort hotel Qiao Keren picked was right in the scenic area—they could nap, wake up, and cab straight to sightseeing. They spent the afternoon hitting several popular spots nearby and returned to the hotel as night fell, starving and beelining for the buffet dinner.
“The lobby manager said someone’s booked a fireworks show and drone light performance at ten. You can see it straight-on from the lobby bar,” Qiao Keren said, lounging lazily on the sofa after stuffing himself, excitement creeping into his voice. “I bet it’s a proposal. This kind of setup is always for proposals. Wanna go watch?”
With nothing else going on that night, Qiu Sui figured spectating would be relaxing. But when they reached the lobby bar, the terrace spots were packed. Kids chattered noisily everywhere, making it chaotic.
The trio instantly lost interest and turned down the manager’s offer to reserve seats. They could see from the hotel corridor anyway—just farther away, with a worse view.
New Year’s Day holiday meant the hotel was full of families vacationing and New Year’s couples. Exhausted from marching around like commandos all afternoon, their legs wobbly, the three retreated to their suite to rest.
Qiu Shun had brought his laptop and was now at the desk fixing homework. Qiao Keren sat outside on the balcony, filling the hot tub while on the phone with Lin Kai, the two being all lovey-dovey since getting together last night.
Qiu Sui sprawled half-reclined on the sofa, legs finally free, idly watching a New Year’s gala rerun on TV.
Soon, Qiu Shun finished his homework and took a call, heading to the next room. Qiu Sui was left alone in the living room.
The TV’s festive performances made his mood stuffier by the minute. A bit annoyed, he pulled out his silent phone from his pocket. Seeing the Do Not Disturb icon next to the contact name killed his budding dissatisfaction over no notifications.
Almost forgot I set Shen Zhixiao to silent, he realized. Even if he messaged, it wouldn’t ring.
Qiu Sui eyed the red dot on Shen Zhixiao’s avatar, licked his lips, and tapped into the chat to see what the guy had sent that day.
The first message was from morning, asking if he’d arrived safely and eaten.
No reply, so the Alpha went quiet for hours out of fear of annoying him, then tentatively messaged again: Eaten dinner? Gone anywhere fun with friends?
Though it had been a while since the last one, Qiu Sui replied curtly: At the hotel.
The response came almost instantly, typing bubbles popping up repeatedly before settling on one line.
Stupid Liar: Not out playing with friends?
Qiu Sui checked the time—nearly ten fifty. The hotel was in a scenic spot, far from downtown; nothing much open this late, though there was the fireworks and light show.
Stupid Liar: Fireworks show? Bet it’ll be pretty.
Sea City banned fireworks in lots of places; Shen Zhixiao probably wouldn’t see any.
Qiu Sui arched a brow and typed generously: I could snap a few photos for you…
Halfway through, he felt it was too indulgent, so he deleted it bit by bit.
Qiu Sui: Yeah.
The single-word reply made the other tense up, thinking Qiu Sui was annoyed. Silence stretched before a cautious message.
Stupid Liar: Going to watch the fireworks? Sorry, won’t bother you…
Qiu Sui frowned in confusion, about to reply, when Qiao Keren came in from the balcony and waved. “Almost ten. Wanna hit the corridor for fireworks?”
Qiu Sui paused, deleted his text, and followed to the corridor.
But the opener wasn’t fireworks—it was the drone light show.
Their corridor faced the big platform from afar, giving a full view of the performance.
Qiu Sui wasn’t big on light shows but leaned on the railing anyway, snapping a few pics for the family group chat.
The drones formed pretty patterns, then ended with a line of green text near the finale.
Happy New Year’s Day, baby.
The drones descended. Qiao Keren, who’d recorded it all, sighed, “So romantic. But green text? Kinda tacky?”
Qiu Sui kept his opinion to himself. It’s pretty corny.
Drones down, fireworks followed fast. Qiu Sui quickly hit record.
Golden sparks shot skyward like swimming fish, scattering into bright trails before bursting into a massive deep blue bloom. Clusters fired in sequence, colors shifting gorgeously to deep red—visually stunning.
Even from afar, excited gasps carried over.
Qiu Sui couldn’t help thinking this outshone the distant fireworks he’d glimpsed at Le Yuan Hotel last time.
The beautiful display continued, streams of light exploding into pale green clusters that dazzled endlessly in his pupils, trailing vibrant hues that mesmerized him.
Only as it neared the end did Qiu Sui realize he’d been recording the whole time—no photos taken. He stopped and started snapping.
Amid the fading booms, someone suddenly shouted, “Baby!”
Qiu Sui’s heart clenched hard. His phone nearly slipped; he clutched it tight and whipped around.
“Holy shit! Y-you’re here…?” Qiao Keren gaped at the dark-skinned Alpha holding flowers, phone in hand, mouth covered in disbelief.
“I wanted to see you, so I secretly booked a flight…”
Qiu Sui’s racing nerves quieted as his two friends embraced affectionately. His fingers still trembled faintly.
Of course. I never told Shen Zhixiao where I am. How could he show up?
Even if he tried, one guy couldn’t search a whole province. Plus, Shen Zhixiao wouldn’t dare call out “baby” to him now.
And I hate being called baby anyway!
Qiu Sui fumed at his own overreaction, eyes dropping to Shen Zhixiao’s chat. He jabbed the avatar hard.
He recalled their old promise to ring in the New Year and New Year’s Day together, then all of Shen Zhixiao’s stupid screw-ups. I wanna drag him here and beat his ass.
But that was impossible. Qiu Sui shelved the thought for the holiday’s end—and decided against sending the fireworks pics.
