Work Text:
Slow down, lie down,
Remember it's just you and me.
Don't sell out, bow out,
Remember how this used to be.
“Excuse me, is this seat taken?”
Liu Qingge looked up to see a person with the most gorgeous pair of charcoal eyes.
“No, it’s not… It’s not taken at all…”
“Thanks!”
“Hi! I’m Shen Yuan, by the way.”
And that was the start of it all.
Liu Qingge fell in love without himself knowing in that very moment.
I just want you closer,
Is that alright?
Baby, let's get closer tonight.
“Qingge! Stop it, I mean it!’
“Liu Qingge!”
Shen Yuan was on the floor laughing uncontrollably as Liu Qingge loomed over him. Shen Yuan was ticklish, very ticklish as Liu Qingge recently found out.
Two weeks after their first meeting on campus, the two had become close.
Liu Qingge was new in town, he had moved halfway across the country to attend the prestigious Cang Qiong University.
Getting accepted into this university had been a difficult journey. The fees were sky-high but the pay-off was well worth it.
His parents had left him and his sister orphaned when they got into a car accident that took both their lives.
He was thirteen when he got that phone call in school. He came home to find Mingyan on the front porch waiting for him.
Liu Qingge did not cry that day, nor did he cry the day of the funeral. Mingyan cried and accused him of being heartless that day.
Mingyan stopped talking to him. The house had been eerily silent for the week that followed.
It wasn’t until one night, Liu Mingyan woke up to get a glass of water, that she heard her brother sobbing quietly in his room. She listened to her brother cry himself to sleep.
That night Liu Mingyan cried again. She apologised to her parents. Apologised to her brother in the darkness of her own room. No one seemed to hear either of the apologies.
The next day when Qingge greeted her like he always did, she greeted him back. Unspoken but both knew that the feud had ended.
Once he graduated High School, Qingge took a year off to work and save some money. Their parents had left them some money, but it wouldn’t be enough to fund both their educations after school.
Mingyan wanted to study Forensic Science and Qingge wanted to study Business Management. Their small town became too small for their dreams. And so once his sister finished High School, the two sold their house and moved across the country.
She lived one city away from Qingge with a roommate.
Liu QIngge needed a roommate as well, his apartment was nice but it was a tad bit expensive for one single person alone.
He was lucky enough to have gotten a scholarship for his programme. Heaven knew he wouldn’t be able to attend this University otherwise.
Cang Qiong was famous for its Business and Legal programmes. Anyone who graduated from here was guaranteed a well-paying job.
But Liu Qingge didn’t want just a well paying job. He wanted to be his own boss, he had ambition. He was at Cang Qiong not to simply get his degree but to make connections. Business was all about connections, his father had taught him that.
The problem of not finding a roommate was solved when Shen Yuan entered the picture. He had gone to school overseas and didn’t personally know anyone on campus yet.
Shen Yuan was also tired of living with his parents, he wanted to feel the independent life that his peers lived.
The two after their first meeting, gradually became close. One did not belong to this world of the elites and the other wasn’t yet familiar with his fellow elites.
Shen Yuan moved into the apartment three weeks after.
As the semester moved along, so did life on campus. They would enjoy each other’s company after class, enjoying a cup of hot chocolate that Qingge had prepared for the both.
Shen Yuan for all that he was pretty, was completely inept at cooking. How was this infuriatingly beautiful man planning to live on his own if he couldn’t make a simple plate of fried rice without burning it into a black disk?
Liu Qingge was more than happy to cook for him though. When Shen Yuan made that gorgeous sound every time he ate a bite of literally anything, was motivation and reward enough for Liu Qingge.
Shen Yuan was however more attuned to the world of business, and would gently teach Liu Qingge whatever he needed to know.
Since they both were in the same programme, the two were inseparable. The entire department thought they were dating.
Unfortunately for Qingge, they weren’t. But he desperately wanted to be.
The first time he realised he was in love with Shen Yuan was in their second month of living together.
It was a Saturday morning, the two had no classes and were enjoying the opportunity to sleep in.
Shen Yuan hated waking up early, preferring to stay up late, while Qingge was the opposite.
However, that day when he woke up to make tea and breakfast, he was met with the sight of his A-Yuan in an apron near the stove. With hair still messy and his glasses occasionally sliding down his nose, he was making eggs.
Liu QIngge had been in love with Shen Yuan from the moment he laid eyes on the man. But he had never truly realised the extent of his feeling went far beyond than plain simple friendship, as he had mistaken.
The sight of Shen Yuan looking completely at home and peaceful, wearing his apron while humming a familiar tune, was the final nail in the coffin.
Realisation hit him like a tonne of bricks. He couldn’t look at Shen Yuan without blushing for a whole week after that.
He had kept his feelings to himself, thinking them to be one-sided. He would leave it as it is, an unrequited love.
Until now.
Shen Yuan was giggling like a teenager while Liu Qingge continued to tickle him.
His breathing came out in breathless gasps, face painted a soft pink.
Liu Qingge decided to risk it all, he was never one to beat around the bush. Steeling himself he said, “A-Yuan…”
“Mmm?”
Those doe eyes made whatever doubts that had begun to sprout perish with a glance.
“A-Yuan, I like you.”
“I like you too, Qingge!”
“A-Yuan, no I mean I like you. I love you. Have been. For a very long time.”
The way Shen Yuan’s face blushed at that made Qingge's heart beat all the more faster.
“Qingge…”
“It’s fine if you don’t feel the same way. I just needed to finally confess. I’ll give you your space now.”
As Liu Qingge made to get up from his position, Shen Yuan grabbed him by the neck, pulled him down once more and kissed him.
A-Yuan was kissing him. Wait what?
A-Yuan was kissing him?
“Stupid Qingge! Listen to others before you jump to conclusions, dummy!”
“I love you too. Qingge are you listening? I love you.”
When the two showed up on campus the next day, hands laced and both blushing like a maiden, nobody said a word. After all, the two had already been dating since the beginning in their eyes.
Grant my last request,
And just let me hold you.
Don't shrug your shoulders,
Lay down beside me.
“A-Yuan, how was it?”
When Shen Yuan hid his face under the blanket, Liu Qingge just hugged the blanket burrito tighter.
“Tell me, how else can I improve?”
At that, She Yuan ripped the blanket off, face still an alluring shade of red.
“Liu Qingge, do you want to sleep on the couch?”
Taking this opportunity, Liu Qingge sneaked in a little peck. And another, and another, he had lost count by the time they fell asleep.
The next day Shen Yuan smacked his boyfriend’s arm when he noticed their neighbour staring at his neck and smiling.
“Liu Qingge you asshole.” Shen Yuan hissed as he tried to cover up any and all evidence from last night, but failed. That smug face then leaned in for another kiss which A-Yuan happily obliged.
Sure I can accept that we're going nowhere,
But one last time let's go there,
Lay down beside me
Oh, I've found, that I'm bound
To wander down that one way road.
And I realise all about your lies.
“When were you going to tell you had a fiancé?”
“I told you, I didn’t know!”
“How can you not know you have been engaged to someone since you were ten?! How?”
“I thought it was a joke! How was I supposed to know it was real?! I was TEN!!”
“Fine! Let’s say you didn’t know! But why did I have to find out about it from your fiancé? Who by the way is right outside!!”
“Qingge, will you please listen to me? I don’t want to marry him. I love you please.”
“A-Yuan, what are we going to do?”
“I’ll talk to my parents. I know they’ll listen to me. QIngge please, just trust me.”
When Shen Yuan left that night, he didn’t pack anything. He just left with the clothes on his back, his phone and his wallet.
He didn’t return that night, nor the next day. He didn't come back for one whole month. He stopped coming to class as well.
When he did come back to the apartment, he looked defeated.
He arrived with a bunch of people in grey jumpsuits. They packed up his belongings and left along with him.
The whole time the two sat across the kitchen isle, not looking at each other. The only words that were spoken in between the two was a small “Sorry.”
Shen Yuan was engaged to the heir of Huan Hua Group. One of the largest corporations in the entire country, also the world. Liu Qingge had no way to compete with that.
That hadn’t stopped him from trying though. Neither had it stopped Shen Yuan from reaching out to him.
The two had made plans to run away, but that plan lacked foresight. Liu Qingge had forgotten the world was not fair, it was cruel.
It was even more cruel when you were just a normal person with no power or position.
He was well prepared to be kicked out from campus for getting in the way of Luo Bingge, the Huan Hua heir and fiancé to his A-Yuan.
Even as Shen Yuan told him not to be reckless with his future, he didn’t care. He was young, and he was naïve, he believed in love. Believed that their love would conquer all.
Their love conquered nothing.
As Liu Qingge was sent a picture from an unknown number, his heart stopped. It was Mingyan. She was seen walking, talking and laughing with her friends on campus.
The reality of his situation finally hit Qingge.
He was in no position to bargain. Neither was Shen Yuan.
Shen Yuan’s parents were only concerned with maintaining their own status quo. They would not support him in his endeavour.
He was prepared to be disowned, he would be fine. Living a simple life with the love of his life was more than enough for him.
But he had not been prepared to be responsible for keeping the lives of two other people safe.
In no uncertain terms, he had been threatened with the safety of both Liu Qingge and his sister.
That threat was not empty. He knew full well how capable the people in his world were at handling nuisances.
Especially when those nuisances were just a pair of siblings with no backing.
Sitting across the aisle, when the two both exchanged that single ‘sorry’, it carried the weight of the world.
Neither had shed a tear at their farewell, neither had they embraced each other one last time.
In the dead of the night, if both Liu QIngge and Shen Yuan wept alone in the safety of the darkness, then no one knew and no one cared.
But I'm no wiser than the fool that I was before.
I just want you closer,
Is that alright?
Baby, let's get closer tonight.
Oh, baby, baby, baby,
Tell me how can, how can this be wrong?
Yeah, lay down beside me.
One last time let's go there,
Lay down beside me.
Shen Yuan dropped out of the programme. He was studying at some fancy university overseas. The distance did nothing to soothe the pain either felt.
When graduation day came, Qingge woke up early as usual and wore his best suit to the ceremony.
After collecting his diploma, he was planning to return to his apartment and sleep the whole week away.
He had started a small firm with one of his classmates. They had big plans for their company, it was a small beginning but it was theirs and Liu Qingge was proud. Perhaps one day, he might meet Shen Yuan in one of the business parties that were held for one thing or another.
What he didn’t expect, however, was for Shen Yuan to be standing at the back of the stage as Liu Qingge made to leave.
There he stood, dressed in a sharp suit accentuating every curve and dip in his body, was Shen Yuan, holding a bouquet of flowers Qingge did not know the names of.
For all that it was worth, Liu Qingge rushed over and hugged the man. Had he come back? Had all this been a dream?
The smile that Shen Yuan gave burnt away all of his false hopes.
“Congratulations on your graduation Qingge.”
“I heard you opened up a firm as well. I’m so proud of you.”
“A-Yuan…”
“Are you attending the graduation party?”
Liu Qingge had no interest in it and was planning to skip it. However, Shen Yuan wanted him to, so he would.
The whole time, Liu Qingge didn’t catch sight of Luo Bingge. Was he truly that unbothered that his fiancé had come here to meet his ex?
Or was he lurking in the shadows watching their every move as always?
When the party finally started, Shen Yuan asked Liu Qingge for a dance.
They had danced before in the privacy of their own home but never had an audience.
The audience, however, was far too drunk to care for two people on the floor, slowly embracing each other as the song slowed down.
The rhythm of the song mimicked their movements. Slow, yearning, refusing to part.
They swayed into each other’s warmth. Uncaring of the world around. Only they existed in their little bubble.
But just as a bubble will always undoubtedly burst, so would theirs.
No words were exchanged the whole time as the song carried the words for them.
By the time the song ended, Shen Yuan began to move away with that look on his face Qingge hated to his core. Why did he look so sad? As if this was killing him inside?
Why did he show up today, if all he was going to do was leave again?
“A-Yuan..”
“A-Yuan, please… stay…”
“Qingge, I can’t. I have to go.”
“A-Yuan… please”
His pleas went unheard as Shen yuan said, “Qingge, promise me that you’ll be happy. Please. Qingge, be happy.”
When Qingge asked the same, “Are you happy?”
His A-Yuan just smiled back.
Looking sideways and taking advantage of the crowd of drunk graduates congregating around them, Shen Yuan pulled him in, to place one final kiss on Liu Qingge’s lips as he whispered, “You have to be happy Qingge, please be happy.”
When the love of his life disappeared into the crowd, Qingge did not chase him. He knew his place.
But I'm no wiser than the fool that I was before.
I just want you closer,
Is that alright?
Baby, let's get closer tonight.
Oh, baby, baby, baby,
Tell me how can, how can this be wrong?
Yeah, lay down beside me.
One last time let's go there,
Lay down beside me.
Years later when people asked why he was so successful yet still single, he would just laugh along. He would smile and excuse himself. If that smile never reached his eyes, then nobody said anything.
When his assistant came knocking on the door reminding him of tonight’s event, he felt like faking his own death.
These parties were exhausting, it was filled with people with big fat bank accounts and even bigger egos. They came to flaunt their wealth and influence. Stroke their ego just the right amount and you would soon have a business deal the next day.
Liu Qingge hated these events with a passion but he had an obligation to his staff and his company to make an effort. Rub shoulders with a few big-wigs and climb higher.
The smell of expensive champagne and cologne assaulted his senses the moment he entered.
Time to get to work, then. The sooner he could leave, the better.
A few tables away, drunk rich assholes were laughing and whooping about something.
Something along the lines of “The Big Boss finally decided to bring his gorgeous husband out of hiding.” caught his attention.
“I can understand why you hid him from the public eye for so long. Every single person here would want to steal him away.”
A voice that he hated to his core sent out a threat disguised as a joke.
“Anyone who even looks at my husband with anything other than reverence will find themselves at the bottom of the ocean.”
The nervous laughter that rang out afterwards from the surrounding was indication enough that the message had been received.
Liu Qingge followed the source of the sound and came face to face with the man he had lost all those years ago.
The face that had tormented him every night in his sleep. With a smile so sweet yet so cruel.
There stood his A-Yuan, in the arms of another, looking like the world had wronged him.
The only thing Liu QIngge registered after that was A-Yuan mouthing ‘Qingge’ with that same hateful smile.
The rest went static.