Editor and proofreader: Oceanblue

Ye Qingyun used his best acting skills, pretending to be a patient who rapidly recovered from a life-threatening condition.

He hurriedly comforted Gu Shenyuan, “It’s okay, it’s okay, don’t worry. I don’t feel any discomfort at all, I’m completely fine!”

Gu Shenyuan’s eyes were still red, his lips pressed together in silence as he quickly took Ye Qingyun to the treatment room. Only when the doctor finished all the tests and confirmed that Ye Qingyun was perfectly healthy did Gu Shenyuan’s tense expression finally ease a little.

After the doctor left and the space was left for the two of them to be alone, Ye Qingyun tugged at Gu Shenyuan’s sleeve and whispered, “It’s not your fault. Don’t be angry. I was just careless. But now, it’s all fine. Smile for me.”

Gu Shenyuan gave a faint, humorless tug at the corner of his mouth, but it quickly faded.

Last time, when Ye Qingyun was about to die, he had been lying on the ground with a pained expression, just like this.

Gu Shenyuan thought he could protect Ye Qingyun, but he didn’t succeed.

Being around him seemed to put Ye Qingyun in danger all the time.

Gu Shenyuan clenched Ye Qingyun’s hand. That hand, slender and warm, always held him gently, but he almost made that hand cold again.

And this time, he hadn’t even noticed the enemy’s approach.

Ye Qingyun watched Gu Shenyuan’s expression closely and then reassured him, “Don’t think too much. That person came here with the mindset of dying. Maybe he used some forbidden method to drain his life force. Not noticing it in time is normal. It’s not because you’re weak, you’re the strongest.”

Ye Qingyun sat up from the examination table, wrapped his arm around Gu Shenyuan’s shoulder, and continued, “Think positively. If I recover my memory now, you’ll know I wasn’t lying to you.”

These words immediately pierced through the issue Gu Shenyuan had been avoiding in his heart.

The day Ye Qingyun regains his memory might very well be the day their relationship falls apart. The better Ye Qingyun treats him now, the greater the contrast when that day comes.

—

“I didn’t lie to you,” Ye Qingyun repeated.

Gu Shenyuan looked at Ye Qingyun for a long time, then slowly smiled and said,

“I know.”

——

Ye Qingyun spent the day with Gu Shenyuan and noticed that Gu Shenyuan’s emotions were gradually returning to normal, which reassured him.

By now, with everything that had happened, anyone with normal curiosity would want to know the truth.

Gu Shenyuan might be afraid of a bad ending, but at the same time, he would also hope for a good one. The two conflicting emotions kept him from falling into despair; at most, they pushed him to research an antidote just in case the situation took a turn for the worse. That way, there would be a backup plan.

And when his memory fully returned and the truth was revealed, Gu Shenyuan would certainly be surprised. Everything would be perfect and smooth, proving he was a genius!

Thinking this, Ye Qingyun peacefully closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Time passed quietly and slowly. As the night deepened and most people were asleep, there were still some who couldn’t sleep.

Ye Qingyun lay facing Gu Shenyuan, his eyes tightly closed, his expression serene. But just a short distance away, Gu Shenyuan was wide awake, staring at him without blinking.

Gu Shenyuan stayed in that position for a long while, before slowly shifting his gaze toward the ceiling.

All the moments of happiness felt like they were stolen. His good days were coming to an end.

When they first met, Ye Qingyun hated him. By the end of this story, Ye Qingyun would still hate him; nothing would change.

If there was any difference, it was that, in the end, there was someone who followed Ye Qingyun everywhere, trapping him in a cage while also imprisoning himself in Ye Qingyun’s cage.

In the silent deep night, without anyone by his side to soothe him, Gu Shenyuan’s despair overwhelmed him.

He hadn’t even married Ye Qingyun yet.

He wanted to marry Ye Qingyun.

He couldn’t wait any longer. There was no more time to wait.

But what if Ye Qingyun didn’t want to?

A sharp pain struck Gu Shenyuan’s heart, and he closed his eyes, not daring to think any further.

——

The next morning, Ye Qingyun woke up to find that Gu Shenyuan was already awake, sitting at the head of the bed, looking at something on his terminal.

“You’re awake?” Gu Shenyuan noticed his gaze and reached out to ruffle his hair.

“Do you prefer the day in seven days or the one in ten days? I’ve checked; there will be a seven-colored meteor shower in seven days and a five-star alignment in ten days. Both sound good.”

Ye Qingyun: ‘…?’

Ye Qingyun was confused and had no idea why Gu Shenyuan was asking this. Did he suddenly decide to take him on a trip?

“Either works, they both sound nice,” Ye Qingyun suggested.

“We can watch one first, then the other. It’s not a conflict.”

Gu Shenyuan lowered his eyes to look at him, his dark eyes filled with unspoken words, but Ye Qingyun didn’t understand them at all.

In fact, due to the angle, Ye Qingyun even found Gu Shenyuan somewhat intimidating at that moment.

Gu Shenyuan smiled, easing the strange atmosphere.

“That works too,” Gu Shenyuan said.

“Then, as you suggested, in seven days, we’ll have our first wedding, and in ten days, our second.”

Ye Qingyun: ‘…????’

What was Gu Shenyuan talking about? Had he woken up and suddenly jumped a year ahead?

Ye Qingyun stared at him, dumbfounded, while Gu Shenyuan, unusually chatty, continued: “We won’t be rushed. I’ve been planning the wedding since the day you came back. Everything, the scale, the arrangements, nothing will be missing. If you like something lively, we can invite all the famous people in the galaxy. If you prefer something quieter, then—”

“Wait, wait a second?” Ye Qingyun interrupted him. “Wedding?”

Gu Shenyuan paused, then nodded, “Mm.”

Ye Qingyun was stunned. He subconsciously said, “But we haven’t even discussed the wedding—”

Before he could finish, Ye Qingyun glanced at Gu Shenyuan’s hand.

Gu Shenyuan’s hand was trembling slightly. Even though he was gripping his hand tightly, his fingers dug into his palm, trying to stop the tremble, but it didn’t work.

Gu Shenyuan was afraid.

That thought flashed through Ye Qingyun’s mind, and he looked up at Gu Shenyuan’s face again.

With the strength Gu Shenyuan was using, it must have hurt, but there was no sign of pain on his face. Instead, he appeared calm.

Gu Shenyuan was like someone wearing a mask. But it wasn’t a perfect mask. It revealed the vulnerable truth behind it.

Ye Qingyun silently met Gu Shenyuan’s gaze, and after a while, Gu Shenyuan was the first to look away.

As if nothing had happened, he pulled back the covers and got up. “You sleep a little longer. I’ll make breakfast and come get you later.”

Gu Shenyuan didn’t manage to leave, as Ye Qingyun grabbed his clothes from behind.

Gu Shenyuan gave a bitter smile. What would Ye Qingyun say to him? Based on Ye Qingyun’s personality, he probably wouldn’t say anything rude but would explain and tell him the reasons for not wanting to get married.

There were many reasons, and Gu Shenyuan could think of them all: not enough time together, not the right age, feeling unprepared, and so on.

These reasons were all perfectly reasonable and convincing.

But he didn’t want to hear any of them.

“Ye Qingyun, let go,” Gu Shenyuan said, his voice strained.

He needed to leave this place to calm down, but if Ye Qingyun kept holding on, he wasn’t sure what he might do.

Ye Qingyun refused to let go, so why didn’t Gu Shenyuan just turn around, pin him to the bed, and force him to cry, taking the first step in their married life?

Several unspoken, dark thoughts passed through Gu Shenyuan’s mind. He frowned, once again trying to force himself to leave.

But Ye Qingyun wouldn’t let him go.

“You’re leaving just like that?” Ye Qingyun’s voice came from behind, filled with strong confusion and a hint of dissatisfaction. “Are you secretly keeping a mistress outside?”

Gu Shenyuan couldn’t help but admire Ye Qingyun’s talent for turning things around. He turned back, his gaze growing deeper.

He wanted Ye Qingyun, badly, more than anything, a desire that spanned both mind and body.

In the past, he had hoped that the two of them would be in sync, reaching the final step of intimacy at the right moment, so he had been waiting.

But now…

If there was no hope of mutual affection, he feared that sooner or later, he might be unable to resist forcing the situation.

“You haven’t even proposed to me, but you’re already talking about marriage and casually notifying me in bed, isn’t that a bit too casual?” Ye Qingyun mumbled, his voice tinged with grievance.

“If I were the one proposing to you, I’d find a way to surprise you. But you… just like this?”

Ye Qingyun wasn’t lying. The night before falling asleep, he had thought about pretending not to have regained his memory after recovering it. He planned to express his wish to be together forever to Gu Shenyuan, and then, when Gu Shenyuan was happy, reveal that he had regained his memory—creating a joyful double surprise.

Ye Qingyun continued, “I haven’t even said anything, and you’re already leaving? Where are you going, to marry the next person?”

Gu Shenyuan was completely stunned. He listened to Ye Qingyun’s words, his mind unable to process the massive influx of information, a jumbled mess of happy confusion, and he completely forgot to explain. In the end, he could only say, “I’m not… I’m not rushing to marry someone else.”

“I know.” Ye Qingyun released the grip he had on Gu Shenyuan, but this time, Gu Shenyuan didn’t leave. Instead, he remained as if still tethered.

Gu Shenyuan held his breath, waiting for Ye Qingyun’s next words.

“Forget it, I’ll just assume you had no experience the first time. I forgive you,” Ye Qingyun said. “But the second time, you need to treat me well. Then I’ll agree to your proposal, understand?”