After sending the parents off to the airport, Chu Lai and Cen Wei entered their true two-person world.

The Cen family house was a bit too big for Chu Lai’s liking—he still preferred something smaller. There were plenty of activities in the city during the New Year, but Cen Wei could easily spend an entire day at home with Chu Lai. However, after walking the dog, he couldn’t resist asking, “Wanna go out for a walk?”

Chu Lai was busy playing the game that Cen Wei had completed a couple of days ago. While he didn’t care much for competition in most areas, when it came to gaming, his competitive side was quite strong. He didn’t even hear what Cen Wei said, his eyes glued to the screen without sparing him a glance.

“Chu Lai,” Cen Wei called out.

“Hm? What is it?” Chu Lai finally responded, clearly not having heard anything before. Currently, Cen Wei’s study had unofficially become Chu Lai’s gaming room, complete with top-tier headphones.

Realizing that Cen Wei had been standing next to him for a while, Chu Lai finally took off his headphones and asked, “What’s up? Haven’t we already walked the dog?”

For a moment, one might have thought Chu Lai had taken Cen Wei for a walk too. The subject of the conversation stayed silent for a bit, his eyes fixed on Chu Lai. Thinking for a second, Chu Lai leaned over and gave him a kiss.

But even after that, Cen Wei didn’t move. Chu Lai thought some more, then reached out as if to grab his belt, but Cen Wei quickly grabbed his hand. “That’s not it.”

It was already past seven in the evening, and they’d received confirmation that his grandparents and mother had arrived at the airport safely. Chu Lai recalled their earlier conversations, but nothing special seemed planned. He pursed his lips, his headphones hanging around his neck, and looked up at Cen Wei. “Do you want to change things up again?”

Cen Wei: …

Taking a deep breath, he said, “Of course not. It’s still early.”

Chu Lai glanced at the time. “You really don’t care about the time, do you?”

At this point, Cen Wei felt like he must seem like a beast in Chu Lai’s eyes. He paused, then asked again, “Wanna go out for a walk?”

Chu Lai glanced at the game, then considered the fact that this man had probably wandered in and out of the house countless times while he was playing, and likely even hit the gym. Was he really that bored when he wasn’t working?

Observing Chu Lai’s expression, Cen Wei said, “Of course, if you don’t want to…”

But Chu Lai nodded, “Where do you want to go?”

Despite his indifferent demeanor, Chu Lai was actually very considerate and never the type to ignore someone when playing games. The only time he ever got upset was when they played Overcooked together—it really lived up to its name for them.

“I haven’t thought about it yet,” Cen Wei admitted.

Chu Lai didn’t say much. At home, he was too lazy to even change out of his pajamas. At most, he’d throw on a jacket when heading to the workshop. Now that the house was just the two of them, without even the housekeeper around, he was even more carefree.

While not streaming, Chu Lai had his sleeves rolled up while gaming, red marks visible on his arms, making him look like someone who had just been thoroughly examined from head to toe. The marks were so obvious that even the culprit, Cen Wei, hadn’t realized it would be so noticeable. As Chu Lai stood up, he noticed Cen Wei’s gaze drifting, so he reached out and pinched his chin.

Looking down at him with gentle eyes, Chu Lai opened his arms, and the two embraced. However, Cen Wei didn’t let go, instead swaying back and forth while holding Chu Lai, resembling a bear hug from a kindergartener.

Chu Lai sniffed him—despite being at home, Cen Wei never wore pajamas or lounged around sloppily, hinting at the strict discipline in the Cen household. But he never interfered with Chu Lai’s freedom and even bought him new pajamas frequently. Even Xuan Rongqing had commented that he treated Chu Lai like a child.

“I need to change clothes, Mr. Cen,” Chu Lai remarked.

Cen Wei corrected him, “We’re going on a date.”

He was the one who mentioned the date, yet he was also the one refusing to let go of the hug. Chu Lai was already used to this kind of behavior from him.

It was hard to say what kind of person Cen Wei really was—sometimes, in bed, he’d say things that were a bit…off, only to ask the next day if Chu Lai didn’t like that sort of talk. In response, Chu Lai would draw on his vast reservoir of knowledge from adolescence until now and hit him back with some specific terms, which would leave Cen Wei blushing even more.

Now, Chu Lai asked, “What’s with this date? Haven’t we gone on dates before?”

“It just sounds more official,” Cen Wei replied.

Chu Lai chuckled, “Were we sneaking around before?”

There was no response from Cen Wei, so Chu Lai added, “Do you want to help me change clothes or something?”

Not giving him the chance, Chu Lai had already decided on what he wanted. “I want to go to the ice room.”

“In this cold weather, you want ice?” Cen Wei asked.

“Once you exercise, you warm up,” Chu Lai replied. To prevent any misunderstanding, he quickly added, “To the ice rink.”

“The ice rink at the mall?” asked Cen Wei.

“Have you been there?” Chu Lai asked back.

“No,” replied Cen Wei. “Have you?”

“Nope,” said Chu Lai.

His tone made him sound like a regular, and it made Cen Wei laugh. “I thought you went often.”

Chu Lai took off his pajamas, revealing his pale skin covered in kiss marks, a testament to how intense things had been. “I just wanted to go with you.”

Rubbing his chest, Cen Wei watched as Chu Lai put on his pants and turned around. He smiled at how innocent he looked and commented, “You don’t seem that innocent.”

Chu Lai gave a sarcastic hiss, “You should learn to control yourself.”

He glanced in the mirror and noticed a handprint on his butt. Silently, he looked at the reflection of Cen Wei, who averted his eyes as if he weren’t the one responsible.

“I think you need to show some restraint,” Chu Lai stated.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” replied Cen Wei, before adding slyly, “It’s just that you’re really good at biting.”

Chu Lai grabbed some clothes from Cen Wei’s wardrobe to wear. He’d always preferred oversized clothing, so wearing Cen Wei’s clothes didn’t feel out of place. But standing next to a man like Cen Wei, who always exuded a refined, elite vibe no matter what he wore, only highlighted their age difference.

“You should dress more casually too. No overcoats,” Chu Lai suggested.

But Cen Wei’s natural demeanor couldn’t be changed. He had always seemed mature—even at 20, he looked like an old soul. By 30, even if he dressed like a college student, the mature aura remained.

Chu Lai booked time at the ice rink and held hands with Cen Wei as they entered. At first glance, Chu Lai looked like the experienced one, but in reality, he held hands because he was afraid of falling.

The ice rink in the mall was large, with bystanders watching from the sides. Kids were already starting to practice, with little ones barely reaching Cen Wei’s knees, fully suited up in protective gear, looking adorably cute.

Even Chu Lai, who didn’t usually like kids, glanced over at them several times.

Noticing his gaze, Cen Wei asked, “Do you like kids?”

Shaking his head, Chu Lai replied, “Just looking, they are pretty cute.”

He then turned to Cen Wei, “I’ve never asked you—how did you figure out you liked men?”

After thinking for a moment, Cen Wei said, “After my dad’s accident, I lost interest in relationships. While studying abroad, I’d occasionally get invitations, first from girls, then from boys.” He paused, then looked down at Chu Lai. “But none of them ever made my heart race like you do.”

Chu Lai felt his teeth ache from the sweetness of it all. He looked up at him, amused, “Made your heart race?”

Since they were going ice skating, Chu Lai had put in some non-regular contact lenses. His usual lenses were still in Cen Wei’s apartment, so today he wore some that Liu Yuan had pushed him to buy just to fill an order. Unlike Liu Yuan’s preference for strange colors like blue coconut jelly that could frighten children, Chu Lai’s choice was more subtle.

When they made eye contact, his eyes were clear and transparent like amber. His usual almond-shaped eyes, often hidden behind black-rimmed glasses, could only be fully appreciated when he was at home.

Cen Wei loved lying in bed, staring at Chu Lai’s face. In their intimate moments, his eyes, combined with the faint blush on his cheeks, were enough to send his heart racing.

Chu Lai lightly pushed at his firm chest, just as a pair of high school students holding hands skated past, giggling and laughing.

Cen Wei was about to say something more when Chu Lai cut him off. “Enough. This is embarrassing.”

“Embarrassing?”

“Okay, fine. It’s awkward,” Chu Lai mumbled. “There are so many people. Can you not look at me like that?”

This was Chu Lai’s first time at the ice rink. Despite being a native of S City, a big city, his life had been rather dull, and he hadn’t been interested in activities like this before. His typical mall trips involved browsing toy stores and restaurants, then heading home alone to conclude his day.

But now things were different. Since being with Cen Wei, he’d experienced many “firsts.”

Chu Lai wobbled forward on the ice, feeling unsteady. The next second, someone reached over and held his hand, helping him glide forward.

The warmth of Cen Wei’s hand, with their fingers interlocked, gave Chu Lai a sense of security. He could feel the ring on Cen Wei’s finger, and the man couldn’t help but explain, “That’s because you’re beautiful.”

There were many people on the ice—some practicing slowly, and others, like the children, performing skilled moves. Cen Wei looked particularly adept, his hair blowing gently in the breeze.

For the first time, Chu Lai felt like he could completely relax, because being with this person gave him unparalleled security.

“Stop it. No one’s ever called me beautiful,” Chu Lai said, pausing. “If they said anything, it’d be that my eyes are okay.”

“That’s ‘okay’?” Cen Wei laughed. “They just don’t know how to appreciate beauty.”

He pushed Chu Lai forward, and as the other waved his arms for balance, Cen Wei wrapped him in a hug from behind, drawing teasing sounds from the nearby kids.

“Have you practiced this before?” Chu Lai asked.

“Well, I finally have a date,” Cen Wei replied. “Isn’t it fun?”

Chu Lai nodded, laughing as he looked at him, “Can we try it again?”

“If you ask like that…” Cen Wei paused, “Leave out the last three words.”

Chu Lai got the hint. When the session ended, and he was too exhausted to move, he called out to him, “Hold on.”

As Cen Wei turned around, Chu Lai rested his chin on his shoulder, “Let me lean on you.”

He looked genuinely tired, which made Cen Wei chuckle. “You should join me at the gym.”

“It’s you who makes me like this at night,” Chu Lai muttered. “I didn’t use to be this way. I didn’t even rank low in fitness tests before.”

It was hard for Cen Wei to imagine that, but the next second, Chu Lai pinched his waist, the one leaning on his shoulder asking, “Don’t believe me?”

“Wouldn’t dare,” laughed Cen Wei, wrapping his arms around Chu Lai’s waist, uncaring about the passing crowd. Closing his eyes, he soaked in the unique moment of their date.

“When’s the last time you went ice skating?” Chu Lai asked.

Thinking back, Cen Wei replied, “When I was abroad, with some partners.”

Chu Lai could hardly imagine it, “Why with partners…?”

Noticing what he was implying, Cen Wei quickly added, “Of course not like this. There were some private gatherings where they’d bring their kids. It wasn’t a formal occasion, so things were pretty casual.”

His past had nothing to do with Chu Lai, but Chu Lai loved listening to him recount those stories. He even asked if there were photos of the dachshunds they used to have.

In private, Chu Lai was nothing like the cold and uninteresting person he seemed on the surface. He was so lively that Cen Wei wished he could keep him close forever, never letting anyone else touch his priceless treasure.

Chu Lai let out a small “oh,” just making conversation as he caught his breath. He then started browsing for ice room options on his phone, while Cen Wei stood by, saying, “I think your idea is great.”

“What idea?” Chu Lai didn’t look up, still focused on what to eat.

“About studying the subject you’re interested in.”

Chu Lai stopped in his tracks, “Seriously?”

A second later, his face fell, “It’s really hard, Cen Wei. My learning ability is average at best. It’d be like starting over.”

With a chuckle, Cen Wei draped his arm over his shoulder and continued walking. “Every time Grandpa sees the two of us standing together, he sighs and says you look like a high schooler, like I snatched you away.”

“No need to worry,” he added. “If you go abroad for your studies, you’ll see people who’ve worked for over ten years going back to get their master’s degrees. Life is long. There’s time for lots of choices.”

“Grandpa said the same thing to me. He even asked if you look too old,” Chu Lai teased.

That stung. “Do I?” Cen Wei asked, genuinely concerned.

The Cen family had excellent genes. In corporate group photos, Cen Wei always stood out, looking like a model. However, his serious demeanor when not smiling gave off a very stern, elite vibe.

Chu Lai sighed, thinking back to the subtle glances they got from others while skating. He was still a bit troubled. “You’re too eye-catching. It’s really not my ideal type.”

Unable to resist, Cen Wei remarked, “Not many people marry their ideal type.”

Curious, Chu Lai asked, “So, what’s your ideal type?”

Without missing a beat, the man replied, “But I’m one of the lucky ones who did.”

This kind of sweet talk was something Chu Lai had grown used to. Instead of reacting, he calmly reminded him, “We’ve walked too far.”