133: Guess

The army's lunch today was pretty good, and since the two of them had come early in the morning and were already starving, Yan Zhuohua ate with great relish.

"Slow down, we're not in a hurry," Yan Qinghe advised with an amused smile as Yan Zhuohua ate in large mouthfuls.

"I'm hungry," Yan Zhuohua swallowed a huge mouthful of rice, almost choking, "and aren't we going to the company this afternoon?"

"Even if we set off now, we wouldn't get to the company until past three o'clock. There's no point," Yan Qinghe quickly handed him a bowl of soup, "We have time. After our nap, I'll take you somewhere."

"Where to?"

Yan Qinghe looked up at him with a meaningful glance, then lowered his head with a mischievous, teasing smile, refusing to speak.

"Hey, don't be like that, it's making me nervous. You're not taking me to some weird place, are you?" He couldn't be blamed for being suspicious! Every time Yan Qinghe kept him in suspense like this, wasn't it for something... certain?

Yan Qinghe remained silent, still smiling.

This lunch turned Yan Zhuohua from happily content to anxiously on edge. He kept trying various methods to pry an answer from Yan Qinghe, but right up until they returned to their dorm for the nap, Yan Qinghe was determined not to say, keeping him in suspense.

Lying in bed, Yan Zhuohua still couldn't sleep a wink because of what had just happened, constantly fidgeting and poking at Yan Qinghe.

Yan Qinghe grabbed his mischievous hand in one swift motion, "Don't want to sleep?"

Yan Zhuohua humphed twice, pulled his hand free, and continued his mischief.

"Are you taking advantage of the fact that Big Brother forbade me from making a scene here, so you just have to provoke me?" Yan Qinghe grabbed his hand again, and this time simply flipped over, pinning him beneath, securing his wrists above his head.

"Let me go." A rather feeble statement.

"No." Yan Qinghe leaned down, his breath hitting Yan Zhuohua's face, "I'm going to bully you, what can you do about it?"

It seemed he really couldn't do anything. Yan Zhuohua tensed up instantly, unconsciously holding his breath.

"You... you let me go, I'm sleepy, I want to sleep!" Yan Zhuohua blustered weakly, "Be careful, or I'll tell Big Brother."

"Tell on me?" Yan Qinghe's tone was dangerously low. He ran his tongue over his back teeth, lowering his head again until the distance between them was less than two centimeters, "How would you tell him? Say you were being disobedient and causing trouble, so I had to discipline you?"

As he spoke, Yan Qinghe's smile widened again, "Besides, this situation right now is a direct result of your actions just now. Even if I really couldn't hold back, who do you think Big Brother would side with?"

Yan Zhuohua tried to turn his head away from the ticklish airflow, but after struggling a few times, he remained firmly pinned.

This position was too dangerous; the slightest misstep could lead to trouble. And although Big Brother had given prior warning, if Yan Qinghe really threw caution to the wind, given Big Brother's current unresolved anger towards him, the one who'd likely end up suffering and getting scolded would still be himself.

His thoughts raced through several possibilities in mere seconds. At this moment, Yan Zhuohua finally realized he seemed to have trapped himself.

"I was wrong," Yan Zhuohua decisively surrendered, "I shouldn't have done that. Will you let me off this time?"

A wise man knows when to yield.

"Giving up so easily? What happened to that smugness from just now?"

Yan Zhuohua looked at him pitifully.

It was getting late; after the nap, he still had to take the person somewhere. So, Yan Qinghe didn't press his advantage further or push his luck.

"If you know you were wrong, then behave and sleep. Otherwise, I won't be so easygoing." Yan Qinghe freed one hand to stroke Yan Zhuohua's face for a long while, then leaned down to kiss him, "Understood?"

Yan Zhuohua's eyes lit up, and he nodded repeatedly.

Satisfied, Yan Qinghe, who had been pinning him down, lay down beside him, pulling him into his arms for a hug.

"Sleep. I'll wake you up later."

They slept straight until two o'clock.

Yan Zhuohua was indeed woken up by Yan Qinghe. When he got up, Yan Qinghe was already dressed and ready.

"Go wash your face. We're heading out directly."

"Where are we going, exactly? We're about to leave and you still won't tell me?"

"Nope. I just want to see when you'll figure it out."

Unbelievable. He's really doubling down on this.

Yan Zhuohua sighed, "Forget it, I won't ask. Just take me wherever and do whatever."

"Aren't you afraid I might have prepared some exciting, fun activity?"

"... As if you'd stop even if I refused," Yan Zhuohua rolled his eyes, "Didn't you lay down the rule that you're in charge in bed? I'm being obedient."

Yan Qinghe really couldn't hold back anymore. He simply found a place to pull over and laughed for a long time.

Yan Zhuohua quietly watched his fluid movements until he could no longer stand the prolonged laughter.

"Are you done yet?" His hand itched, wanting to hit someone.

Yan Qinghe actually wanted to laugh a bit more, but sensing the restless fist beside him, he wisely stopped.

"No, no more laughing." Yan Qinghe rubbed his stomach, which ached from laughing, then started the car, "My wife is truly the most well-behaved and obedient person in the world."

"Get lost."

The fact that Yan Qinghe was still alive was entirely thanks to Yan Zhuohua's good temper.

They had actually been driving for quite a while already, so within half an hour, their car arrived at the destination.

Contrary to Yan Zhuohua's expectations, it wasn't any of the strange places he had guessed, but a shop.

"Let's go in." Yan Qinghe pulled him inside.

As soon as they entered, Yan Zhuohua saw a dazzling array of various accessories. And all kinds of earrings.

"Remember now?"

He remembered. On Valentine's Day, when Yan Qinghe went to the Military Camp to see him, among the gifts he prepared was a pair of earrings. At the time, they even said they would each wear one.

"You could have said so earlier, making me misunderstand for so long," Yan Zhuohua muttered somewhat sheepishly.

"I just wanted to see what kind of places you'd guess."

Such a wicked sense of humor!

Yan Zhuohua said irritably, "... So, are you satisfied?"

"Very. Not just satisfied, I've also gained a lot. Next time, I'll look into one of those places you guessed and take you there for a proper visit."

"That's completely unnecessary!"

Yan Qinghe certainly wouldn't care about Yan Zhuohua's refusal. He directly ignored Yan Zhuohua's response, silently making a decision in his heart, then took his hand and walked further into the shop.

"The earrings I prepared for you last time were custom-made and a bit troublesome to put on, so we might as well get our ears pierced here and have the staff help us put them on directly."

Yan Qinghe took a small box from his pocket, handed it to the approaching staff member, then led Yan Zhuohua upstairs together.

By the window on the second floor, there was a dedicated space for ear piercing. As soon as they entered, the technician, who was already prepared, directed them to sit down separately.

"Which side?"

"Left for me, right for him."

Hearing the answer, Yan Zhuohua couldn't help but glance sideways at Yan Qinghe, "You remember I wanted the right side?"

"Of course. I remember everything about you."

Hearing this, Yan Zhuohua blushed and lowered his head, soon breaking into a smile.

"What made you think of buying earrings?" While the technician was disinfecting the newly received earrings, Yan Zhuohua leaned over to ask Yan Qinghe.

"Although we wear rings every day, many people don't notice them. So, I prepared a pair of earrings so that everyone who sees us will notice this mark at first glance."