TT Chapter 30. Cool Guy’s Idea of Romance

A soft breeze brushed past his ear.

Chen Ting took the hand Pei Yiyao offered and climbed through the window, landing steadily by his side. The whole thing felt a little surreal. He had always been a good kid, and this was the first time in his life he had ever climbed out of a window.

Pei Yiyao, on the other hand, looked like he had done it a hundred times. Still holding Chen Ting’s hand, he led him over a row of shrubs, across the tree-lined path, heading straight for the school gate.

“Where are we going?” Chen Ting asked, heart racing. The two of them could have easily walked out like normal people, but for some reason, this sneaky escape felt like… an elopement.

Pei Yiyao answered plainly. “Going for a ride.”

Chen Ting quickly tugged his hand. “Let me text Yang Shulin first. Otherwise he’ll start looking for me.”

At that, Pei Yiyao finally stopped. Chen Ting fired off a message right away. So much for eloping. It was more like a fake-out escape in broad daylight.

When they reached the gate, Chen Ting saw that Xu Yiming was there too.

“Yo, Ting-ge!” Xu Yiming was dressed in full motorcycle gear tonight. It looked a little too tight, like he was cosplaying a superhero on night patrol.

Chen Ting smiled and greeted him, just about to ask if he was coming along, when Pei Yiyao reached out and said, “Keys.”

Xu Yiming tossed the motorcycle key over and said, “I’m only lending this because it’s for Ting-ge. Bring it back tomorrow! I just got it serviced.”

“You can go now,” Pei Yiyao replied, completely unmoved.

“Wow, Ting-ge, look at this guy. No brotherhood left in him. Got a boyfriend and forgot all his friends!” Xu Yiming let his mouth run wild since Chen Ting was there to back him up, but his body got the message. He hopped off the bike, took three quick steps, and got far enough away to avoid being kicked.

Chen Ting couldn’t help laughing and stepped forward like he was going to shield Pei Yiyao with his body.

Pei Yiyao still wore that cold face of his, but he didn’t dare push back. After all, Ting Ting was his boyfriend now. He stepped up, inserted the key into the ignition, and grabbed the helmet hanging from the handlebar. Then he handed it to Chen Ting. “Ignore him. Let’s go.”

But Chen Ting didn’t take it. “Why is this helmet pink?”

Did Pei Yiyao actually like pink?

“You look good.” Pei Yiyao didn’t wait for a response. He reached out and took off the reindeer antlers, then helped Chen Ting put on the helmet himself. The clasp clicked shut with a crisp snap, and a stray curl poked out rebelliously from under the edge.

As Chen Ting tucked the curl back in, he found himself wondering—did Pei Yiyao mean he looked good, or that he looked good in pink?

Xu Yiming thought both were true. After all, he had picked out that helmet himself. No wonder it looked so good. Now that Yao-ge owed him another favor, he figured he had scored big.

Pei Yiyao knew exactly what Xu Yiming was thinking. He didn’t say a word. He just revved the engine and took off with Chen Ting on the back, leaving Xu Yiming in the cold to hail a ride.

A few students passing by at the campus gate paused to look curiously at Xu Yiming, assuming he worked for some delivery service. After all, in everyone’s eyes, that motorcycle belonged to Pei Yiyao.

As for Pei Yiyao and Chen Ting, no one was surprised. The only time people would start whispering was if they ever went more than three days without sticking together.

By 10:30 p.m., the streets had emptied out.

The roar of the motorcycle echoed through the night as it sped down the road, carrying Pei Yiyao and Chen Ting out of the university town and into the open. Chen Ting pressed himself against Pei Yiyao’s back, arms wrapped tightly around his waist, watching the scenery rush past in a blur. Eventually, he even forgot to ask where they were going.

Life was like wandering with no fixed destination, and wandering had never needed one.

But when they passed a brightly lit shopping mall, Pei Yiyao suddenly brought the bike to a stop. He swung one long leg over and dismounted with ease. Then, through the helmet, he reached out and gave Chen Ting’s head a quick pat. “Wait here. I’ll be right back.”

Before Chen Ting could even nod, he was already walking off. Left with no choice, Chen Ting sat obediently on the bike and waited.

Pedestrians passed by now and then, casting curious glances at the boy sitting on the sleek black motorcycle in a pink helmet. His posture was slightly awkward, which only made the whole image funnier. A few people passing by even let out quiet chuckles.

Chen Ting heard the quiet laughter clearly, but it wasn’t like he had any choice. The bike didn’t have a toolbox or anything he could lean on, so he stayed in the same position, perched on the back seat, his body gradually leaning forward.

He shifted a little, then inched up again. When he tried tipping his toes downward, he realized he could just barely touch the ground, and that discovery made him absurdly happy.

Cool bikes like this always had a mysterious pull for guys, and Chen Ting was no exception. He glanced in the direction Pei Yiyao had gone, guessed that he probably wouldn’t be back too soon, and reached for the handlebars to test the grip.

“Biu—”

He made the sound effect himself.

Then immediately cut it off.

Alright, time to behave. Chen Ting straightened up and sat properly again, legs swinging as he waited for Pei Yiyao to return. But it was the end of December, and the night had turned cold. Even with his fleece-lined hoodie, he couldn’t help shivering.

He didn’t know how much time had passed before Pei Yiyao finally came back.

He returned at a jog, carrying a cream-gray cashmere scarf and wrapped it gently around Chen Ting’s neck. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of fuzzy mittens with little bunny faces. He just tugged them firmly onto Chen Ting’s small, soft hands.

“I can’t move anymore,” Chen Ting said, stiffly wrapped up like a little robot.

“As long as you can still hug me later, that’ll do.” Pei Yiyao pulled a cup of hot milk tea from a plastic bag, inserted the straw, and held it up to Chen Ting’s lips.

He didn’t seem to realize what he had just said. Chen Ting gave him a glare, but it was pointless. In the end, he simply opened his mouth and took a long sip.

One of them stood in front of the bike feeding, the other sat and drank, lost in their own world under the shelter of the night.

Pei Yiyao looked at Chen Ting’s slightly pink nose and the way his lips puckered from drinking. Even though he hadn’t taken a sip himself, his mouth already felt sweet and sticky. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Chen Ting’s legs swinging again, and somehow, it felt like his heart was swinging right along with them.

Before long, Chen Ting stopped drinking. He pushed the milk tea toward Pei Yiyao with his hands bundled in thick mittens, soft and round like steamed buns. “Aren’t you going to have some?” he asked.

“I don’t like milk tea,” Pei Yiyao replied. And that was true. Not only did he not enjoy it, but he also didn’t feel cold. Watching Chen Ting drink it was enough for him. So Chen Ting ended up coaxed into finishing the rest of the cup, and let out a small burp.

He froze.

Image maintenance really wasn’t going so well lately, he thought.

Pei Yiyao had no idea what was running through his head. He simply tossed the empty cup and got back on the bike. “Hold on tight.”

Chen Ting obediently wrapped his arms around Pei Yiyao’s waist, his hands resting quietly against his front. When Pei Yiyao looked down, he caught sight of the pink bunny ears on those gloves. He tightened his grip on the handlebars and set off again, driving with steady control, never once pushing the speed.

Little by little, drowsiness began to set in.

The scarf, gloves, and milk tea left a lingering warmth in his body, and with Pei Yiyao’s steady presence right in front of him, Chen Ting felt completely at ease.

He caught a burst of light in the distance. A glittering ribbon of brightness slowly entered his field of vision, snapping him back to alertness. He looked more closely at the scenery around them and caught the scent of river water drifting through the wind. It didn’t take long for him to realize where they were.

So this was it. The Cool Guy’s idea of romance was a midnight ride to see the Yangtze River Bridge.

But Pei Yiyao didn’t stop. Parking illegally for the sake of romance was out of the question. As a disciplined and self-respecting university student, even late at night, he would never break the rules.

Not that it mattered to Chen Ting. Just sitting on the back of his boyfriend’s motorcycle, catching the river breeze, and watching the lights on both banks sparkle like stars was already enough.

Every time he went home, Aunt Wang from next door would ask if he had been to see the Yangtze River Bridge yet. She had gone once, tagging along with a group of elderly friends on a temple trip, and wouldn’t stop talking about it for months.

In movies, there were often scenes just like this, where the two main characters rode a motorcycle or drove across a long, sweeping bridge. Stars scattered across the river’s surface, city lights flashing around them, a blend of nature and human creation stirring something in the audience’s chest.

And in those scenes, the person on the backseat always opened their arms to embrace the night.

Chen Ting did the same. He stayed pressed close to Pei Yiyao’s back, careful not to shift his weight, and simply stretched his arms outward, flapping twice like a baby bird just learning how to fly.

Pei Yiyao caught sight of Chen Ting waving through the rearview mirror, and a faint smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

The short ride, barely fifteen minutes, passed in a flash. By the time they pulled off the bridge, it was already past midnight.

Pei Yiyao had no intention of sending Chen Ting back to the dorm. It was late enough already, so he decided to bring him back to the villa near the mountain. But Chen Ting resisted. “It’s so late now. Uncle and Auntie are probably already asleep. You can’t just show up at someone’s house in the middle of the night.”

It’s not visiting. It’s coming home.
Pei Yiyao made the correction silently but didn’t say it out loud.

Chen Ting felt a little uneasy. Now that he and Pei Yiyao were officially together, facing Uncle Pei and Aunt Ruan wasn’t the same anymore. On top of that, it was Pei Yiyao’s home, and he’d be sleeping in Pei Yiyao’s bed.

“We’ll keep our voices down,” Pei Yiyao offered.

“That’s still not okay.” Chen Ting shook his head. Then something lit up in his mind. “The dorm’s locked, but hotels are always open. We could stay at a hotel.”

“Alright.”

Whatever Chen Ting wanted, Pei Yiyao would agree. As long as he was with him, anywhere was fine.

But it didn’t take long for Chen Ting to regret it. A couple checking into a hotel room sounded even more suggestive than going home with him. Still, what’s said is said. There was no taking it back now.

“One room,” he said.

With his scarf pulled up over most of his face, Chen Ting hid behind Pei Yiyao and pretended he didn’t exist. But it was no use. Both IDs were required for check-in.

The woman at the front desk gave them a polite smile. “We’re out of standard rooms. There’s still a king bed available. Is that alright?”

Pei Yiyao nodded. “That’s fine.”

Once the room was booked, Chen Ting took back his ID without looking up and walked straight ahead.

Pei Yiyao followed at a steady pace, not rushing. The entire way, he kept his eyes on the strip of ear exposed beyond the edge of Chen Ting’s scarf. His gaze never wavered. When they reached the room, he didn’t go in. Instead, he handed the key card to Chen Ting.

“I’m going to the convenience store nearby to grab a few things. Go ahead and shower. If you get tired, go to sleep first, alright?”

“What are you going to buy?”
Chen Ting had been nervous just a moment ago, but now he didn’t want Pei Yiyao to leave him alone in the hotel room.

“Essentials,” Pei Yiyao said, offering no further explanation. He reminded Chen Ting not to leave the room, then turned and walked away.

Chen Ting stared after him, deep in thought. Essentials? What kind of essentials? What do couples need at a hotel? What could it be?

This was bad.

He had really stepped in it this time.

What now?

Chen Ting closed the door, then shuffled into the room. The bed was enormous, easily big enough for three people. He froze where he stood, face burning in an instant.

No, no, no—

He started pacing back and forth, sitting on the bed one moment, walking over to the window the next. He pressed his face to the cold glass, peering out to see if Pei Yiyao was back yet, and accidentally left a foggy circle where his cheek had touched.

After a long internal struggle, that reckless part of him started to stir again.

Whatever. May as well get it over with. Sooner or later, it was bound to happen.
Wearing an expression of noble sacrifice, he marched into the bathroom like a condemned monk.

Ten minutes later, he made a terrible discovery. He didn’t have any clean underwear.

Meanwhile, Pei Yiyao had successfully picked up a new pair. He was standing at the convenience store counter with a small order of oden in hand, just about to pay, when something near the register caught his eye.

What is Chen Ting doing right now?
Pei Yiyao couldn’t help wondering.

At that moment, Chen Ting was in the bathroom, deep in self-reflection. He stayed inside the whole time until Pei Yiyao returned, and even took the opportunity to wash his underwear. Life without clean underwear felt incomplete, especially when you were spending the night in the same room as your boyfriend.

Losing your underwear might lead to losing something even more important.

Knock knock.
A sudden knock came at the door, followed by Pei Yiyao’s voice. “I’m coming in. I left the stuff on the sink.”

The bathroom was full of steam, and the curtain was drawn, so the two of them never saw each other. Everything remained safe and decent. Chen Ting waited until the sound of footsteps faded before cautiously peeking out. When he saw what had been left on the counter, he finally let out a sigh of relief.

So that was what Pei Yiyao meant by essentials. He had misunderstood him completely.

This was all Yang Shulin’s fault. Always watching those dirty shows and dragging him down too. Just now, his head had been full of nothing but smut.

“I’m done. You go ahead,” Chen Ting said, stepping out in a loose bathrobe, trying his best to look calm.

Pei Yiyao was sitting on the sofa. He glanced up at the sound of Chen Ting’s voice but didn’t linger. Instead, he pointed to the oden on the table and told him to eat if he was hungry, then headed into the bathroom with long, steady strides.

See?
The cool guy clearly wasn’t thinking anything like that.

Chen Ting picked up the bowl of oden, sat cross-legged on the bed, and started digging in. By the time he finished, another question popped into his head.

Was Pei Yiyao trying to fatten him up like a pig or something?