Chapter 45 part 1
Last time he had entered Bai He’s dorm too abruptly, and Qin Yao realized in hindsight that it had been a bit impolite. This time, he didn’t act rashly. He stood at the door, observing the room for a moment before his gaze fell on Bai He.
Bai He found the first aid kit from the cupboard and, turning around, saw Qin Yao still standing at the door. "Sit on the chair."
Only then did Qin Yao enter the room, and in response to Bai He, he straddled the chair. His eyes quickly caught sight of the computer on the desk, the screen displaying a livestream platform that hadn’t started yet.
He paused, then turned his gaze back to Bai He. "Bai He, I’ve listened to your livestreams before."
Bai He, sitting on the edge of the bed and looking for things to treat the injuries, merely hummed in acknowledgment.
Qin Yao had something on his mind. He wanted to see some other emotion on Bai He’s face.
He admitted to himself that deep down, he had a lot of petty thoughts. He hoped Bai He would pay more attention to him, but clearly, now wasn’t the time. He hadn’t yet won Bai He back.
"Aren’t you going to ask me what I heard?" Qin Yao leaned on the back of the chair, observing Bai He.
Bai He lifted his eyelids slightly. "What do you want me to ask?"
No words followed. Qin Yao’s gaze was deep, and Bai He couldn’t discern what lay within it.
Bai He didn’t quite understand Qin Yao's intentions. A month ago, he had rejected him, and now he was here again, saying he liked him. Even though...
Bai He’s heart twinged. He lowered his head again, falling into a long silence.
Even though he might still have feelings for Qin Yao, even if he couldn’t quite tell if it was because of the pheromones, Bai He admitted that he had softened.
But more than anything, he was still upset.
Bai He found the iodine solution, his gaze darkening.
A complicated and irritating emotion began to rise in his heart.
Suddenly, he pushed the items towards Qin Yao and stood up, looking down at the alpha sitting on the chair. "Get up, I’m going to start my livestream. You can treat your injuries yourself."
The force in his tone was enough to intimidate. Qin Yao immediately stood up and remained still at the side.
For some reason, Bai He inexplicably perceived a hint of weakness and helplessness from the towering alpha in front of him.
An illusion.
Bai He closed his eyes.
Out of sight, out of mind.
He pulled the chair over and sat at the desk. It was exactly 9 PM. His hand hovered over the start button for the livestream, then he glanced back at Qin Yao, who was still standing beside him. "You can take the first aid kit to your dorm and treat yourself."
"I’m not going back." Qin Yao blurted out, then quickly added, "What I mean is, it’s a hassle to return the kit later. I’ll just bandage myself here. Don’t worry, I won’t disturb your stream."
As he spoke, he mimed zipping his lips and then smiled, signaling for Bai He to go about his business.
Bai He said nothing. Seeing that it was already 9:03 PM, he didn’t bother to argue. He adjusted the camera to cover his eyes and clicked "Start."
"Ding—"
"[Good Night] is live! Everyone, come check it out!"
The tools needed for today’s stream had been prepared in advance. Bai He took out a small foam board, lowering his voice as he spoke. "Good evening, today’s trigger sound will be light scratching. Sweet dreams, everyone."
After the simple introduction, Bai He placed the foam board in his palm, bringing it closer to the microphone. With his other hand, he began to gently scratch the foam board from top to bottom.
To call it "scratching" wasn’t entirely accurate. Bai He didn’t keep his nails long. Every time he did a trigger sound stream, the "scratching" was actually just his fingers rubbing against various tools, creating soft friction sounds. Occasionally, his neatly trimmed nails would brush against the surface of the tools, producing a sound different from the rubbing—short and stimulating.
In the words of his fans, it was "quite tingly."
The foam board was something Bai He kept after unboxing a package. In his daily life, he would occasionally discover small objects that could be used for trigger sounds, and he would keep them to try out. Besides the foam board, he also had a cat scratcher.
Whenever he thought of the cat scratcher, Bai He would remember Ling Dang. He had bought the cat scratcher for Ling Dang, but before it arrived, he had discovered that Qin Yao was Ling Dang. At the time, he hadn’t had a chance to return the scratcher.
But later, he found that the sound of lightly scratching the cat scratcher was surprisingly pleasant, and the fans in his livestream liked that trigger sound too. So, the scratcher ended up not going to waste.
The sound of rubbing the foam board was a soft rustling, somewhat like the sound of fabric being rubbed together. Applying a bit more pressure made it sound like sand being sifted.
Switching between several different trigger sound tools, almost an hour passed before Bai He finally retrieved the cat scratcher buried at the bottom of the pile.
With both hands, Bai He gently held the cat scratcher and placed it near the microphone, positioning it at the perfect distance. He rubbed his fingers together, feeling their warmth and dryness. They weren’t sticky—just right.
His fingertips swept across the scratcher with a little more force, allowing his trimmed nails to graze the sandpaper-like surface. The sound was crisp but soft, fast but dense. Speeding up and then slowing down, the sound was already a bit ticklish, and the rhythm and intensity were just right, making the listeners feel a deep tingling sensation.
The chat in the livestream began to scroll frantically. Bai He didn’t have time to read it, fully focused on his task, entirely absorbed in the cat scratcher.
What he didn’t notice was Qin Yao, sitting cross-legged on the carpet, his vertical pupils already narrowed, eyes burning as he stared at the cat scratcher.
Upon closer inspection, it was clear that he was actually watching Bai He’s fingers on the scratcher.
Because the viewers enjoyed the sound of the scratching, Bai He spent more time on this part. When he finally snapped out of his concentration, it was nearly time to end the stream. He lifted his head and took a sip of water.
The cool water slid down his throat, and the room was silent. Bai He suddenly remembered that there was still someone else in the room. That person, from the beginning, hadn’t made a sound—not even their breathing was audible.
Bai He put down his water cup and suddenly turned around, only to see Qin Yao sitting cross-legged on the carpet, head lowered. The alpha, tall and broad, sat there quietly, looking like a giant figurine, completely still.
But not entirely motionless...
Bai He unconsciously held his breath. He stared blankly at Qin Yao, noticing the pair of cat ears on his head twitching from time to time. His eyes traveled down to the large, fluffy tail swaying back and forth, happily thumping against the floor.
And Qin Yao at that moment...
Had rolled a huge ball out of a bag of medical cotton balls, pushing it with his right hand, only to stop and push it again.
Bai He: "..."
Sensing the gaze, or perhaps because the sound of scratching had stopped, Qin Yao suddenly raised his head, meeting Bai He’s complicated gaze.
The alpha’s expression froze for a moment. His face was undeniably handsome, and in that moment of confusion, he appeared almost innocent. Bai He even saw a hint of bewilderment on his face.
An illusion, definitely an illusion.
Bai He closed his eyes and then opened them again.
His gaze immediately fell on those prominent cat ears atop Qin Yao’s head.
Bai He loved anything fluffy. He had no resistance to anything furry and cute. Seeing Qin Yao’s twitching ears, he couldn’t suppress the itch in his heart. He quickly lowered his head, refusing to look at the ears, and focused on the battered cotton ball. "Weren’t you supposed to be treating your injury?"
Qin Yao raised his bandaged hand at the mention. The bandage was wrapped haphazardly, with no sense of aesthetic. He smiled, "I’ve taken care of it. See?"
Bai He knew it wasn’t easy to treat a wound with just one hand, but still, this was...
He didn’t comment, instead glancing at the cotton ball rolling on the floor. Without making a fuss, he asked calmly, "What about the wounds on your body?"
Qin Yao’s expression faltered for a moment. "There’s nothing wrong with my body..."
Bai He quietly stared at him. Qin Yao gave in again. "It’s not serious. How did you know?"
Bai He didn’t bother explaining. It was obvious that Qin Yao had injuries. His zipper was pulled all the way up to cover his neck, and his sleeves were pulled down to hide his wrists. His entire body was covered tightly.
Anyone could tell something was off at a glance.
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