Urban Chapter: "Qin Zhenyi's Deep Affection" Officially Announces Romance

In the afternoon, the warm sun filtered through the curtains, casting a soft and lingering glow over the room.

Qiao Zhen had been asleep for a very long time. When she blearily opened her eyes, she felt completely dazed, lost, and bewildered. Her pillow felt slightly damp, as if it had been stained by many tears.

She turned over gently, and in the next second, a wave of soreness surged through her entire body, as if she had been crushed by a heavy vehicle.

"Hiss... it hurts."

"Baby, are you awake?" The man’s voice was bewitching and seductive, carrying the satisfied tone of one who has been well-fed.

Qin Yichi adjusted the soft cushions for her and pulled her into his arms, letting her sit against the headboard. The ache in Qiao Zhen’s waist made her gasp, and memories of the previous night’s absurdity suddenly flooded her mind.

Qin Yichi had been truly ruthless. He had forced her to cry and say she liked him, that she loved him, and even to call him "Brother" in a pitiful, pleading tone. Even well into the night, when her voice had grown hoarse and her body was trembling, she had tried to crawl away, only to have her ankles pinned and be dragged back into an endless abyss. Even at the very end in the bathroom, just when she thought it was finally over, who could have known that Qin Yichi would... again and again.

It was countless. She couldn't even begin to count.

Recalling it now, Qiao Zhen still felt breathless; she could even feel her legs still trembling. Her face flushed red, and she turned her head slightly, unwilling to engage with him. He was just too wicked. He would coax her with tenderness in his words, but his actions were an entirely different story.

Qin Yichi sat on the edge of the bed, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he pulled her gently into his embrace and picked up a glass of water. "Be good, drink some water."

Qiao Zhen peeked at him. The man was wearing deep gray silk pajamas, his head slightly bowed, a smile lingering on his lips. His usual sharpness and arrogance had softened significantly. His face was clearly written with the word "satisfied." It was as if he had transformed from a ravenous wolf with bared fangs into a loyal dog wagging its tail.

Qiao Zhen was unbearably thirsty, so she simply buried her face in his warm chest and opened her mouth slightly. Qin Yichi patiently fed her the warm water. Qiao Zhen bit onto the straw and drank it all, only then feeling her throat grow much more comfortable.

She took a deep breath, nudged his chest with her head, and whispered, "I’m hungry."

She seemed to catch a faint, delicious scent. She remembered there was something she needed to tell him, what was it again... Oh well, never mind. She would fill her stomach first.

Qin Yichi set the glass down. "I bought you some wontons. Brush your teeth first."

With that, he picked her up and carried her into the bathroom. Along the way, they passed scattered pieces of fabric—shredded white silk and maid outfit remnants from the night before. Qiao Zhen’s ears began to burn.

In front of the bathroom mirror, she realized she was wearing a beige camisole nightdress, and her fair neck was covered in pink marks, like red plum blossoms blooming incessantly against pristine snow. Qiao Zhen glared at him with resentment, a silent accusation.

Qin Yichi deliberately looked away, pretending not to notice. He squeezed toothpaste onto the brush and pinched her cheek with one hand. "Open up."

Qiao Zhen obediently opened her mouth, even making a sound as if acting spoiled: "Ah—"

Qin Yichi was once again melted by her cuteness. He brushed her teeth for her in front of the mirror, leaning down slightly, his chin resting lightly against her head. He brushed carefully and thoroughly. Every now and then, he would nuzzle her affectionately, his dark eyes filled with sparkling light as a chuckle escaped his throat.

"Qiao Xiaozhen, I am so happy."

***

Hearing this, Qiao Zhen’s mouth was full of foam, leaving her unable to speak. Looking at his happy and content expression, she felt the ache in her waist grow even worse.

After she rinsed her mouth, Qin Yichi wiped her face with a towel and couldn't help but hold her, nibbling on her for a while in the bathroom before finally stopping. Qiao Zhen, feeling dizzy from his kisses, pushed him away lightly and complained in a low voice, "Qin Yichi, I’m covered in your bite marks. Are you part dog?"

Qin Yichi carried her back to the bed and smiled faintly. "My back is covered in your scratch marks, too."

Qiao Zhen shook her head vigorously. "I don't believe it!"

No sooner had she spoken than Qin Yichi deftly took off his shirt and turned around, revealing a large expanse of tan back. Several red claw marks were strikingly visible; they looked like they had been made by a kitten, and some had even drawn blood—it was quite shocking.

Qiao Zhen suddenly froze, her eyelashes fluttering, her expression one of astonishment. Had she really been that heavy-handed yesterday?

She reached out to touch them gently and asked, "Does it hurt?"

Qin Yichi put his shirt back on and turned to look at her. Qiao Zhen sat on the bed, her head bowed slightly, her eyes filled with heartache and worry, looking at him like a small animal that had done something wrong, aggrieved.

Qin Yichi rubbed her head and curled his lips. "Don't worry, it doesn't hurt at all."

"Because these are the marks of love."

The more she gasped, the more she trembled, and the more she reached out to scratch him, the more excited he became...

Qin Yichi sat by the bed, feeding her the wontons one by one, enjoying the sense of accomplishment that came with taking care of her. Suddenly, Qiao Zhen looked up at him sharply. "I remember now!"

Qin Yichi put down the bowl, his eyes filled with doting affection. "Remember what?"

"The official announcement!" Qiao Zhen hurriedly grabbed his hand. "Qin Yichi, I want to announce our relationship!"

As she spoke, she felt a wave of regret. Oh, how could she have forgotten something so important? She had reported it to her agency and studio not long ago and had been dying to tell Qin Yichi. But she felt it wouldn't be formal enough to say it over WeChat, so she had planned to give him a huge surprise when they met. Who would have thought that the moment she entered the hotel, she would be pinned to the door and kissed so fiercely by Qin Yichi that her brain turned to mush. It was all his fault!

Hearing this, Qin Yichi’s heart skipped a beat, then slowly returned to a steady rhythm. He asked in a deep voice, "Does your company agree? And won't it be bad for your career?"

Qiao Zhen poked his face earnestly. "It doesn't matter. After the national tour, I’ve already established myself. Besides, my mouth is on my own face; even if they wanted to stop me, they couldn't."

"And I’ve always wanted to tell the whole world—Qin Yichi is my boyfriend~"

Her clear, sweet, and charming voice echoed in his ears. Qin Yichi felt his heart beating wildly and powerfully with every word she spoke...

***

Yesterday’s record-breaking trending topic about Qin Yichi was still hanging on the charts, gaining him countless fans. The super-topic was flooded with new followers: "aesthetic" fans posting custom wallpapers and avatars, career-focused fans listing all of Qin Yichi's medals, and casual fans who just wanted to save his photos. The gender ratio was almost perfectly split.

"Why doesn't Brother Chizi post about winning the championship? There's only the system-generated post."

"LMAO, you must be a new fan, brother. He only logs into Weibo once every six months..."

However, in the next second:

【@QinYichi】: "Long-planned, secret crush come true. [Heart]"

"I will always be the princess's knight. @QiaoZhen"

The time was set exactly at 13:14, and he even added a burning red heart, making it exceptionally eye-catching. The post included nine photos: a naive childhood picture, a high school photo in blue and white uniforms, a photo of her in red historical costume from Luocheng, and a heart-shaped silhouette of them traveling by the sea...

Fans subconsciously assumed it was a high-imitation account, grinning as they clicked on the profile. The next moment, the smiles on their faces gradually froze, their eyes turning to disbelief.

This damn thing was actually the real deal!

At the same time, Qiao Zhen’s ten million fans in her super-topic were the same. They were happily enjoying a video from her last tour when suddenly, a notification popped up. The "Pearls" (her fan base) eyes lit up as they happily rushed to boost the stats.

The next second, they were collectively stunned.

【@QiaoZhen】 reposted the official announcement and commented:

"I’ve plucked the hottest sun!"

After the two posts were published, countless people's brains crashed, clicking on their homepages over and over again.

Huh?

Huh??!!

The retweets, likes, and comments skyrocketed instantly, quickly climbing to the top of the trending list.

#QinYichiQiaoZhen Officially Announce Relationship# [Explosion]

The top spot on the trending list was firmly occupied.

Passersby were full of question marks: "Wait... who? You said who is together with whom?!"

【My husband and my wife just announced they’re dating?! [Panic]】

【Damn, these are two people who seemed to have absolutely nothing to do with each other, and they just got together like that~】

【As a 'mom fan' of Qiao Zhen, I woke up and the sky fell, my home was robbed.】

【Ahhhhh, dual-fan heaven! And they’re childhood sweethearts, so sweet! Fierce racer vs. sweet singer O(≧v≦)O】

【"Long-planned, secret crush come true"... No, brother, you’re playing the 'secret crush' card with that face?】

【God Chi has the face of a cold-hearted heartbreaker, but he’s actually a pure-love warrior. I’m dying.】

Qin Yichi’s racing fans didn't really care about his dating life; they only cared about whether he could win a medal in the next GP race. Qiao Zhen had always relied on her talent, but she had massive traffic; most of her fans were career-focused or "mom fans" who, after the initial heartbreak, immediately recovered and chose to offer their blessings.

Netizens: Wait, why are they actually kind of shippable?

Just as everyone was marveling at the fact that these two were actually together, the [QinZhenYiQie] CP super-topic appeared out of nowhere.

How was it so fast?

Everyone looked closer and realized that this super-topic had been created back when Qiao Zhen first debuted.

What a prophet!

Meanwhile, Chen Meixiang had already burst into laughter: "Hahahaha, who would have thought? Now I’m a head moderator of a super-topic! Come and worship me!"

The three roommates had created countless alt accounts to build this super-topic; all these years, it was for this very moment.

#QinZhenYiQie CP Super-Topic# [Explosion]

***

After the official announcement, Qiao Zhen put down her phone, exhausted, her eyelids fighting to stay open. Having been tormented by Qin Yichi until the early hours, she was still so sleepy and tired, her whole body aching with no strength left.

After Qin Yichi tucked her in, he turned off the lights, lay down beside her, and pulled her into his arms. "Goodnight, sleep."

Under the covers, Qiao Zhen wrapped her arms around him, burying herself in his chest in a daze, and nuzzled him. "Mm..."

Qiao Zhen fell into a deep sleep almost as soon as she closed her eyes, her breathing even, sleeping with exceptional sweetness.

But Qin Yichi couldn't sleep at all. Even if he stayed awake all night, he didn't feel sleepy or tired; instead, he felt more energized and clear-headed than ever.

Happiness had arrived far too suddenly.

They had been inseparable for so many hours, and now everyone knew about their relationship. After all these years, his wish had finally come true.

Qin Yichi carefully held the girl in his arms, turned on his side to kiss her forehead lightly, his voice deep with affection and lingering emotion:

"I love you."