After the New Year, they stayed relaxing at home for a few more days, and soon the day of the fireworks festival arrived.

Li Hanqiu’s home was in a slightly remote area, a bit of a drive away from where the festival would be held. She had highly recommended the location, mentioning that there were also hot springs and various entertainment options nearby, making it a great place to visit. With her persistent persuasion, the two decided to drive there a day early and stay overnight before returning.

Sitting in the car, Ji Yuzhou asked Li Hanqiu one last time, “Mom, are you sure you don’t want to come with us since you speak so highly of it?”

“No, no,” Li Hanqiu waved her hand like a fan. “I’ve been there plenty of times. Besides, the flowers and plants at home still need tending. You two go and enjoy your time together.”

Hearing the phrase “time together,” Jiang Xunyu, sitting in the passenger seat, blushed and lowered his head awkwardly. Ji Yuzhou shook his head helplessly. “That’s not the right term to use.”

Li Hanqiu smiled knowingly and waved them off. “Off you go, and drive safely.”

Ji Yuzhou nodded, rolled up the car window, and started the engine.

He didn’t drive often, but his skills were steady. The ride was so smooth that Jiang Xunyu, sitting in the car, soon began nodding off, his head bobbing like a little chick pecking at grains.

“Sleepy?” Ji Yuzhou quickly noticed. “If you’re tired, take a nap.”

Jiang Xunyu jerked awake, hastily forcing his eyes open and shaking his head. “I’m not tired.”

It felt impolite to doze off while Ji Yuzhou was focused on driving.

Ji Yuzhou didn’t say much and continued driving quietly. After a while, Jiang Xunyu couldn’t help but start nodding off again.

Ji Yuzhou chuckled, switched to autopilot mode, and pulled out a blanket from a small compartment, gently draping it over Jiang Xunyu. “Get some rest. It’ll be a while before we arrive.”

Jiang Xunyu was simply too tired.

On the first night, they had made do with one room, but the next day, Li Hanqiu had arranged for a new guest room for Jiang Xunyu. The bed was soft, and the blankets were cozy, but the excitement of finally going out with Ji Yuzhou had left him secretly too thrilled to sleep properly for days.

Now, sitting in the car, the overwhelming drowsiness finally caught up with him.

Half-conscious, Jiang Xunyu let out a few soft hums, his fingers instinctively clutching the blanket. Though he tried to protest, his exhaustion soon overcame him, and his breathing became steady.

Ji Yuzhou glanced at him briefly, then closed his eyes to rest as well.

He hadn’t been sleeping well these past few days either, but it was an old issue for him—light sleep. Despite how quiet it was at night, the occasional distant sounds of firecrackers and fireworks were all too clear to his sensitive ears.

Listening to Jiang Xunyu’s soft breathing beside him, Ji Yuzhou felt a rare sense of relaxation, his usually stiff nerves finally loosening a little. He thought back, realizing that the only restful night he’d had in a long time was the one he had spent sharing a bed with Jiang Xunyu.

Though he couldn’t quite explain why.

….

As the sky darkened, the two finally reached their destination.

Jiang Xunyu was still curled up, sound asleep. Ji Yuzhou patted his shoulder gently, and he woke up instantly, instinctively shielding his head with one hand and grabbing Ji Yuzhou’s wrist with the other.

Ji Yuzhou’s heart clenched. This must have been a common reflex from his time in the welfare home. The others had likely found Jiang Xunyu unlucky, attacked him constantly and refused to share a bed with him, often driving him out. The memory seemed to be etched deeply into his body, still lingering even after half a year.

Jiang Xunyu blinked groggily and, realizing what he had done, let go awkwardly. “H-Have we arrived?”

“Yeah.” Ji Yuzhou didn’t say much else and they made their way out of the car and walked to the hotel.

The room had been booked in advance, and for security reasons, Ji Yuzhou had used a pseudonym. They had reserved a twin room.

The receptionist was particularly enthusiastic. When handing over the room card, she leaned in and whispered to Ji Yuzhou, “Sir, the twin beds in the standard room are movable. If needed, you can rearrange them however you like—perfect for any kind of… activity.”

Ji Yuzhou: “…”

He had specifically booked a twin room, yet the receptionist clearly misunderstood it as some kind of special arrangement.

Did he really look like a middle-aged man indulging in a sugar baby?

Frowning, he led Jiang Xunyu to the elevator without a word.

The room itself was quite nice—spacious and bright, more like a boutique guesthouse than a standardized hotel. Outside the window was a bamboo forest, and beyond it lay the hotel’s hot spring baths.

Except… the receptionist had evidently leaned into her misunderstanding. She had even gone so far as to decorate the room.

Both beds were covered in bright red bedding, with fresh rose petals scattered across them.

As the door opened, the most conspicuous thing on the cabinet was two boxes of 0.02(condoms with a thickness of 0.02), while the snacks on the table consisted of a plate of dried dates and peanuts.

Jiang Xunyu, still half-asleep and groggy, hadn’t fully come to his senses. Ji Yuzhou, on the other hand, rarely felt a twinge of awkwardness. He set his things down and walked to the bed to brush away the rose petals.  

Jiang Xunyu finally reacted and joined him in tidying up the bed.  

The rose petals were swept into a corner, taking up quite a bit of time. By the time everything was cleaned up, it was already past midnight.  

Ji Yuzhou had originally planned to take Jiang Xunyu to the hot springs since the kid had never been before. But seeing how late it was, he had to give up on the idea. Jiang Xunyu, being his usual considerate self, even turned around to comfort Ji Yuzhou, saying there would be another chance.  

Having slept for most of the car ride, neither of them was particularly tired. They lay on their respective beds, chatting idly in a rare moment of leisure.  

Ji Yuzhou asked, “Have you decided which direction you want to study in the future?”  

After their first year of training, cadets in the Corps were assigned to various specialties to continue focused learning.  

Jiang Xunyu hesitated, stammering, “Ex-except for photon guns…”  

He knew Ji Yuzhou was an excellent marksman and secretly hoped to follow in his footsteps. However, the photon gun was something he truly struggled to master.  

Ji Yuzhou didn’t seem to mind. While it would’ve been nice, he didn’t want to pressure him. “It’s okay, you still have half a year to figure out what suits you best.”  

After a pause, Ji Yuzhou added, “But I do hope you’ll stay with the Second Corps. It’ll make things more convenient.”  

Training locations for different specializations varied, with some even spanning across star systems. Ji Yuzhou preferred to keep the kid close.  

Without hesitation, Jiang Xunyu replied, “As long as you’re willing, I’ll always stay by your side.”  

Ji Yuzhou chuckled lightly, saying nothing. But deep down, he felt reassured. After all, this was the kid he had personally picked—completely different from everyone else.