Bai Qi saw a Weibo post from half an hour ago: a celebrity studio said they had seen his edited photos and wanted to hire him as a personal photo editor.
His eyes lit up.
There were many small-time freelance photo editors like him. They usually relied on luck to get orders. On good days, they might get several orders, while on bad days, none at all. He couldn’t take many urgent orders because of his classes.
To earn more money, he often had to sit in front of his computer after class, waiting for orders and taking them immediately to avoid clients finding someone else in their urgency.
On average, he earned about 4,000 yuan a month, which was a lot for a student, but he needed to support himself and his mother and repay 1,000 yuan to a relative each month, making ends meet a struggle.
But a celebrity studio was different; fewer orders, more money, and stability. He could use his free time for other part-time jobs.
Bai Qi excitedly added the person on WeChat. The other party replied almost instantly: “Hello, I’m from Bo Yan’s studio.”
Attached was a cute emoticon.
Huh?
He couldn’t help but look at Bo Yan, who was asleep beside him, surprised that his studio would specifically hire an outsider for photo editing. There was no need for this, was there?
While he was hesitating, the other party sent a salary slip: a monthly guaranteed salary of 5,000 yuan, plus a 1,000 yuan bonus for good results.
Bai Qi was instantly energized. This was equivalent to the treatment of a regular employee, and since Bo Yan was focusing on his studies recently, there wouldn’t be much work, practically a guaranteed salary.
In need of money as he was, Bai Qi felt a little embarrassed.
Bo Yan didn’t know his Weibo account, so he shouldn’t know it was him who edited the photos. He decided to ask Bo Yan’s opinion tomorrow.
That night, Bai Qi was in a good mood and slept soundly. Thinking that the person lying beside him might be his future boss, he gradually adapted to the aura of money emanating from him.
He slept dreamlessly.
It should have been a good night’s sleep, but the next morning, Bai Qi opened his eyes to a chilly breeze and a throbbing headache; his arms ached so much he could barely lift them.
Oh no.
He struggled to lift his head and saw that the window had been blown open at some point, a howling wind pouring in.
The old dormitory windows had always had problems. It had rained last night, and the room was now cold and damp.
The others were asleep and didn’t feel anything, but Bai Qi was weak; the wind blew him until he felt increasingly hot, feeling cold and hot at the same time, terribly uncomfortable.
Sigh.
He was a little glad he had turned his head towards Bo Yan’s side; otherwise, facing the wind would have been even worse.
He tried to get up to close the window, but he had no strength; his thin white arms trembled, and he lost his balance, falling sideways, causing the bed to creak.
Bo Yan instantly opened his eyes.
His dark eyes reflected Bai Qi’s unnaturally red face, like a ripe cherry, trembling slightly, yet exquisitely beautiful.
Bo Yan’s pupils dilated slightly, his eyes shining for a moment.
Then he suddenly came to his senses, realizing what was happening, and immediately went to close the window with a grim expression.
The wind finally stopped.
However, the room was still damp and cold, and Bai Qi’s thin body couldn’t withstand it. Bo Yan frowned, his eyes showing suppressed rage.
He walked to Bai Qi’s bedside, his heart rate slowing. His usually indifferent and calm voice was inexplicably tense: “Where does it hurt?”
Bai Qi was listlessly lying on the bed, his voice small and hoarse: “I think I have a fever.”
At this time, the others woke up one after another. Zhang Cheng covered his head and complained: “This broken window is broken again. When will the old campus fix it?”
Zhao Bin carefully looked at Bai Qi and noticed his flushed face: “Go to the infirmary for an IV drip. It’s Saturday, so there are no classes.”
“It’s okay, I’ll just take some medicine,” Bai Qi shook his head. His roommates had their part-time jobs on weekends and couldn’t accompany him, and he had no energy to go himself.
He could go later in the evening when he felt a little better.
After saying this, Bai Qi got out of the covers to get his medicine. As soon as he lifted the blanket, he shivered, his face turning even paler.
The next moment, he was wrapped in a thick coat.
Bo Yan’s voice was cold and unquestioning: “Change your clothes, we’re going for an injection now.”
Bai Qi froze. Bo Yan was going to accompany him?
“Oh, oh, thank you so much,” Bai Qi said blankly, wrapping himself in the coat. Under Bo Yan’s watchful gaze, he slowly got out of bed, his slender body seeming to sway at any moment.
Finally, when his pink and white feet stepped into the slippers, both of them seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.
Zhang Cheng on the side opened his mouth in surprise.
He had to go for driving practice in the morning, and Zhao Bin had a part-time job. They were both in a hurry. He had intended to let Bai Qi take some medicine and sleep, and accompany him to the infirmary when he returned at noon. He didn’t expect Bo Yan to help proactively.
When did Bo Yan become so helpful?
This was someone who remained unmoved by others’ pleas, always exuding a sense of detachment. The fact that his antis constantly criticized him for being cold and inhuman wasn’t entirely without reason.
Even Zhang Cheng, a fan of Bo Yan, didn’t expect to be close to him.
Looking suspiciously for a while without seeing anything unusual, Zhang Cheng scratched his head and stopped thinking about it.
After a simple wash, Bo Yan helped Bai Qi out.
Bai Qi’s arms were thin, resting softly on Bo Yan’s arm without any weight. Under the sunlight, his delicate white skin seemed to break at any moment.
Bo Yan’s arm muscles tightened, his sharp Adam’s apple bobbed, and he lightly exhaled.
After walking for a while, Bai Qi suddenly remembered last night’s events and looked up, asking: “Last night, your studio sent me a message on Weibo, offering me a job editing photos for you. Is that alright?”
His eyes held an unconscious nervousness and anticipation, reflecting the morning mist, stunningly beautiful.
Bo Yan paused, then came to his senses: “Yes, there’s nothing wrong with it.”
Bai Qi was relieved, excitedly discussing starting work tomorrow with the studio, announcing on his Weibo account that he was no longer taking orders, suddenly feeling like he had a new job.
Actually, he didn’t like editing people’s faces casually. It forced him to look for flaws, scrutinizing strangers with almost nitpicking precision, which made him feel uncomfortable.
Bo Yan was different; his face was impeccable.
With his work settled, he didn’t even feel his headache. A smile involuntarily graced his lips.
“Thank you so much.”
His voice, with a slight nasal tone, was carried away by the wind.
A strand of Bo Yan’s stiff black hair was blown by the wind. He nonchalantly hummed, but his earlobes were slightly red, and his demeanor was no longer so cold.
It was a little past six in the morning on Saturday; it was too early, and there weren’t many people on the road. The two quietly entered the infirmary, where a smiling middle-aged doctor sat—someone Bai Qi was already familiar with.
Upon seeing Bai Qi enter, he took off his glasses and rubbed his temples, looking somewhat helpless: “Your body…”
Bai Qi was a little embarrassed, quietly saying he had a fever.
He did get sick easily. He had frequently visited the infirmary during his two years of university and had become quite familiar with Dr. Jiang.
At this moment, Bo Yan also followed into the infirmary. He was wearing a black mask, tall and slender, with deep, captivating eyes.
Dr. Jiang looked at him again, then at Bai Qi, and while writing the prescription, he advised, “You should go out for a walk and run more. You’re too weak; you can’t not exercise.”
Bai Qi nodded in agreement, thinking he would soon be able to exercise.
Before, he was either in class or in the dorm waiting for photo editing work. Now he had time and could try going out for a part-time job, at least walking more each day.
Dr. Jiang handed the prescription to Bai Qi. While he went to the next room to pay, he turned to the handsome and somewhat sharp Bo Yan, smiling: “You’re his boyfriend, right?”
Bo Yan didn’t deny it.
“Let him rest more and pay attention to a balanced diet. Make sure to take him for more walks after he recovers.”
“Okay.”
Dr. Jiang thought for a moment and then whispered, “This child is a bit sensitive and thoughtful, so he may be quite averse to contact. But the more so, the more you need to help him come out of it. Otherwise, he’ll keep replaying memories in his head. That’s not good.”
Bo Yan nodded seriously: “I will.”
Dr. Jiang smiled.
Soon Bai Qi returned, and the three went to the infusion room. As soon as they opened the door, the cold hospital smell filled the air. The room was empty.
The smell of disinfectant made Bai Qi’s feverish head feel much more alert. He was a little afraid of needles, but having someone with him made him feel better.
As the cold needle pierced his skin, Bai Qi’s body stiffened. After Dr. Jiang finished and left, his face had turned completely pale.
Looking at Bo Yan beside him, he realized that having someone to keep him company during an IV drip was reassuring, and allowed him to sleep peacefully. But Bo Yan had been waiting for too long.
“Thank you for bringing me here, why don’t you go back first?”
Bo Yan covered Bai Qi with a blanket and shook his head.
Bai Qi felt a little embarrassed: “The doctor said I might need several sets of IV drips.”
Bo Yan didn’t waver at all, coldly expressing his concern: “I can read the script anywhere. You should sleep.”
Bai Qi knew he was cold on the outside but warm on the inside. He was incredibly grateful and repeatedly promised: “I will definitely help you with any rehearsal scenes you need.”
“Okay.”
Seeing that there was still a long time before the current IV drip was finished, Bo Yan got up and went out to buy food. Bai Qi sat alone in the empty infusion room without feeling lonely; instead, his heart felt warm.
He liked Bo Yan’s personality; he wasn’t too enthusiastic or too distant. Unfortunately, there was little he could do to help him.
Just as he was thinking this, a young nurse snuck in.
The young nurse looked at the boy by the window, beautiful like a porcelain doll, and her face flushed red: “Bai Qi, was the person who just came with you Bo Yan?”
“Yes.”
“Really?!” The young nurse’s face turned even redder; even her mask couldn’t hide her excitement, and she couldn’t help but exclaim, “Wow, you two are so good together!”
Seeing Bai Qi’s light, beautiful eyes looking at her, she immediately became embarrassed and hurried away.
Bai Qi didn’t pay attention, but he faintly heard her excitedly talking in the corridor: “Wow, so he really canceled his schedule, what a wonderful friendship!”
Bai Qi froze; his head boomed, and he was full of remorse.
He was so feverish and muddleheaded, he completely forgot Bo Yan had a schedule for the weekend. He shouldn’t have asked him to come.
As soon as the nurse was far enough away, he immediately made a voice call to Bo Yan.
The call was answered instantly, with some background noise, followed by Bo Yan’s low, cold voice: “What do you want to eat?”
Bai Qi hurriedly apologized, “I’m sorry, I didn’t know you had a schedule. Don’t accompany me, just go.”
“It’s okay, I just didn’t want to go.”
This time, Bai Qi wasn’t so easily fooled. If he didn’t want to come, Bo Yan could have easily pushed back earlier, given his personality. But it seemed he had only done so recently, otherwise the nurse wouldn’t have heard.
He had noticed Bo Yan’s kindness these days and knew he was a kind-hearted person, but Bai Qi felt incredibly guilty. No one had ever been so kind to him before; he was so remorseful that his voice trembled slightly.
“I’m sorry, I’ve caused you so much trouble.”
The other side was silent for a moment, then suddenly said: “I have selfish reasons. I canceled my schedule so you could help me rehearse.”
Bai Qi’s eyes lit up, and he immediately agreed: “Okay.”
Bo Yan continued, “It’s not ordinary rehearsal; it’s a bit difficult, and we need to simulate the script scenes. We’ll have to stay outside for two days this weekend, and there may be some excessive physical contact.”
Hearing that it was difficult, Bai Qi felt relieved. He didn’t pay attention to the other words; as long as he could help, that was all that mattered.
His voice was obedient: “I’ll cooperate fully.”
Hearing Bai Qi’s ready agreement, the other side fell silent again.
After a long time, Bo Yan’s voice was a little hoarse, and a little uncertain.
“I’m booking a room now. Is it okay if we share a room?”
