41. So eager.

Yu Yue felt like he was drunk.

But it seemed that he wasn’t completely drunk. After finishing that glass of whiskey, he felt dizzy and wanted to sit down, but unexpectedly, he ended up sleeping with his head on the table.

However, the sleep wasn’t particularly peaceful.

In the semi-conscious state, Yu Yue felt that his whole body was burning up. He also heard the sound of Shan Hang talking to his girlfriend on the phone, something about sending a friend back and calling a designated driver…

It was a bit noisy.

Yu Yue lightly furrowed his brows and buried his face deeper in his arms.

Later, he didn’t know what happened, but Yu Yue felt that the surroundings had quieted down.

Shan Hang didn’t make any more phone calls and started talking to another person.

However, Yu Yue didn’t know who that person was because they didn’t speak much.

After that, Yu Yue felt like someone was lifting him up.

He wanted to wake up but couldn’t. He felt weak and limp all over.

Yu Yue seemed to catch a whiff of a very familiar lemon scent.

This fragrance was reminiscent of… a long time ago, the scent of lemon shower gel and shampoo that Xu Yuanzhe used. It was refreshing and pleasant, and Yu Yue also liked using it.

Wanting to continue smelling this scent, Yu Yue buried his face in the person’s neck. Indeed, he caught a more familiar aroma.

Perhaps because of this lemon fragrance, Yu Yue got pulled into a distant dream. He fell asleep on the person’s back, sinking into a deeper dream where he wasn’t aware that Xu Yuanzhe had put him in the car and fastened his seatbelt.

The inside of the car was very quiet.

Xu Yuanzhe was driving, and Yu Yue was sleeping in the passenger seat.

Yu Yue’s head rested against the car window, in the intermittent neon lights flashing by, feeling as if he had just had a dream.

He dreamt that he returned to the small house where he used to live with Xu Yuanzhe.

He dreamed of the bits and pieces of those two-plus years.

At first, the dream was filled with sunlight, the laughter of two people playing and teasing each other. Then gradually, as if the light had been cut in half, and one foot stepped into the shadows, Yu Yue saw the always broken bathroom light, saw himself getting angry with Xu Yuanzhe after being left in the dark halfway through a shower, started arguing with him.

He saw the first “quarrel” over buying late-night snacks for the crew, and later, due to an unrepaired bathroom light, Yu Yue quarreled with Xu Yuanzhe again. And more and more little things began to pile up…

In the dream, Yu Yue saw that the one who eventually said goodbye was Xu Yuanzhe.

Different from reality.

Xu Yuanzhe returned to that home, took all his belongings, leaving nothing behind except for a photo of him and Yu Yue.

Yu Yue had never been so heartbroken.

In the dream, he cursed Xu Yuanzhe, smashed the photo of the two of them, and later cried while trying to pick up the pieces of the photo. Unexpectedly, the glass of the photo cut his hand, and blood started flowing.

It hurts so much.

Yu Yue thought in his dream.

Xu Yuanzhe carried Yu Yue on his back, walked through the corridor where the motion sensor light was broken, and opened the door with a key.

When he closed the door, he felt Yu Yue move on his back.

Xu Yuanzhe turned his head and saw Yu Yue still lying on his back, still asleep.

But even though Yu Yue was still asleep,

Xu Yuanzhe saw tears on Yu Yue’s face.

A tear slid down from the corner of Yu Yue’s eye, slid down to the tip of his nose, swayed precariously, and finally fell on Xu Yuanzhe’s shirt, rapidly spreading into a dark stain.

Xu Yuanzhe stood there without moving.

He had originally planned to put Yu Yue back on the bed in the bedroom.

But before taking a step, the person on his back suddenly started struggling.

Xu Yuanzhe heard Yu Yue mumble in his dream, “Bastard…”

Immediately after, another tear fell on Xu Yuanzhe’s shoulder.

Xu Yuanzhe thought it might be better to put Yu Yue on the sofa first.

His palm cradled Yu Yue’s neck, about to gently place him down, but Yu Yue opened his eyes.

In the dim and hazy light, Yu Yue saw Xu Yuanzhe’s face, the same face from the dream—the face that said they should break up, the face that cleared out everything from the house.

This face, which Yu Yue had remembered for five years.

In reality, Yu Yue couldn’t quite distinguish which night it was, nor could he figure out if it was the present or a dream. As for the dream, it was all blurry.

Because he had dreamt of Xu Yuanzhe too many times.

Staring at Xu Yuanzhe for a long time, Yu Yue finally asked in a soft voice, “How dare you come back?”

Xu Yuanzhe’s figure paused slightly.

Yu Yue continued, “You took everything away, left me alone. What’s the meaning of that?”

Xu Yuanzhe lowered his eyes, silent.

After a while, he asked, “What do you mean, took everything away?”

His voice was hoarse.

Yu Yue didn’t plan to explain anything to Xu Yuanzhe.

What he believed now was that Xu Yuanzhe broke up with him and heartlessly took away everything in the house that was worth reminiscing about.

Yu Yue said, “You took everything, and only left behind a photo. What does that mean? Are you tormenting me?”

Xu Yuanzhe remained silent.

Yu Yue reached out, lightly pinching Xu Yuanzhe’s shirt, squeezing it in his hand. “If you dared to break up with me, why come back now? Are you enjoying seeing me unable to forget you?”

Xu Yuanzhe’s figure twitched slightly.

Yu Yue continued, “You took away everything, and now you’re back. What do you want?”

Xu Yuanzhe’s thin lips pressed into a tight line.

He reached out, wanting to grasp Yu Yue’s hand that was holding onto his shirt. But the moment he touched Yu Yue’s fingers, Yu Yue suddenly shook him off and said, “Ouch! Don’t touch me!”

Xu Yuanzhe’s hand froze in mid-air.

Yu Yue clenched his fingers tightly, the pain making his body almost tremble. Slowly opening his hand, expecting to see a wound oozing blood, he found no injury or blood on his fingers.

For a brief moment, Yu Yue seemed to wake up, realizing he wasn’t in a dream. He gradually became aware that he was the one who initiated the breakup, moved out of that home, took everything away, and left only a photo. It was him.

But for some reason, recalling these harsh realities made Yu Yue feel even more agonized.

His heart twisted in pain, as if a hand was squeezing it, determined to wring blood from it before letting go.

Yu Yue felt suffocated.

Lowering his head, tightly clutching his hand, his shoulders trembled slightly.

Where was he now? What time was it? Why was Xu Yuanzhe by his side?

Yu Yue didn’t know.

He knew nothing.

The living room clock ticked away, echoing in the silence.

Yu Yue’s peripheral vision caught a glimpse of Xu Yuanzhe’s hand, so close yet so far. Even though Xu Yuanzhe was right in front of Yu Yue, it felt as if he couldn’t touch him.

“How can I be free from this…?” Yu Yue’s eyelashes trembled lightly, a tear falling into his palm. “Xu Yuanzhe, what do I need to do to forget you?” He paused, “I’ve been to so many places, seen so many landscapes, met so many people. Why couldn’t any of it help me forget you?”

Silence filled the living room for a long time.

Finally, Xu Yuanzhe spoke.

His voice was hoarse, losing its original tone. “Baby, I’m sorry.”

As if a taut string had suddenly snapped.

Yu Yue sat on the sofa, almost face to face with Xu Yuanzhe. However, he kept his head lowered, sitting in front of Xu Yuanzhe, still gripping his hand. “Sorry… Xu Yuanzhe, besides saying sorry, what else can you say? Have you ever thought about what you did wrong to me?”

Xu Yuanzhe remained silent.

Yu Yue, still with his head lowered and fueled by alcohol, couldn’t distinguish between dream and reality. He spoke lightly, “You owe me an apology for all the grievances I endured for you.”

The fingers that Xu Yuanzhe had placed beside him curled slightly.

Yu Yue raised his eyes, staring into Xu Yuanzhe’s eyes. “Do you think that following you was never a hardship for me? Have you always thought that? Do you really believe I was never unhappy? Did you think it was easy when we lived in that 40-square-meter apartment? Did you think it was painless every time I bumped into the leg of the table? Did you think I felt no discomfort when using that broken bathroom light?”

Xu Yuanzhe’s fingers trembled slightly.

It had been a long time since Yu Yue had let out his emotions like this. He looked at Xu Yuanzhe, tears continuously sliding down his face, dripping into his own palm. “I was truly unhappy. Everything during our time together was a hardship. But why did I never complain? Why did I always tell you it was okay? Have you ever thought about that?”

After a brief pause, he sniffed lightly, followed by a more intense burst of tears. “Because it was you. Because you were Xu Yuanzhe. Being with you, I felt all those grievances were nothing compared to just being with you. I believed I could endure those hardships because every day, I woke up and saw you making breakfast in the kitchen. Every day after school, you carried me over that small path. Every night, you watched the stars with me on the balcony. I felt those grievances were insignificant compared to you. Moreover, didn’t we say we had a long future ahead of us? What would happen in the future? Who knows? I thought we would become better and better, so those grievances seemed trivial. I could be with you for a long, long time, so those hardships were just a fleeting moment in our lives.”

“But what have you done?” Yu Yue’s gaze blurred. He could no longer see Xu Yuanzhe clearly. “You told me you regretted it.” He paused for a moment. “No, you didn’t say it; you just showed it. You’d rather tell me you don’t like me anymore, that you’re tired of me, instead of using the words ‘I regret it.’ You felt sorry for me, pushed me away, and then spent five years reminiscing about me, acting as if you loved me so much!”

Yu Yue had completely lost control of his emotions.

He knew many of the things he said might not be right. Perhaps it was just rambling, and when he sobered up, he would remember that he, too, had said that breaking up was a decision they made together, and regret wasn’t solely Xu Yuanzhe’s.

But Yu Yue didn’t want to be clear-headed now.

He wanted to vent against the dream version of Xu Yuanzhe.

“Xu Yuanzhe…” After a long silence, Yu Yue seemed to calm down a bit. His voice softened, “For five years, do you know how I lived through them? You used to tell me that if, one day, you weren’t by my side, and I happened to hear the rustling of leaves in the wind, it would be you missing me. On that day… I don’t remember which country I was in, but it seemed like it was winter. I passed by a path and saw that the leaves on a tree hadn’t completely fallen. When the wind blew, the leaves rustled, and I thought, ‘Are you thinking of me?’ I wanted to hear that sound a bit more, so I sat on a nearby bench. The next thing I knew, I closed my eyes, opened them again, and found myself sitting on that bench all night. It had snowed that night, and I was covered in snow. When I woke up, all the leaves had fallen. Do you know how I felt then?”

“…Stop talking.” Xu Yuanzhe’s voice was extremely hoarse, and his fingers began to shake violently.

But Yu Yue continued, “Another time, my phone was stolen, and I got caught in a storm. My friend had warned me that the street was dangerous, but I never thought my phone would be stolen. I was in a hurry to get home, wanting to log into the cloud because I was afraid of losing the photos inside, especially those with you. I rushed back in the pouring rain, and the fever lasted for three days. The place was at a high altitude, and I was feverish while downloading the photos from the cloud with my laptop. Many things weren’t lost, but I lost your phone number…”

“Stop talking,” Xu Yuanzhe said.

Yu Yue originally wanted to say more.

However, in the next moment, Xu Yuanzhe suddenly reached out, his trembling fingers gripping the back of Yu Yue’s neck. He pulled him close abruptly, as if to prevent Yu Yue from saying anything more, and kissed him deeply, stifling all of Yu Yue’s words.

In Yu Yue’s widened eyes, he saw the reddish color in Xu Yuanzhe’s eye sockets and the tears sliding from the corners of his eyes.

Xu Yuanzhe kissed him wildly, almost as if he wanted to reclaim everything lost in the past five years. It was unclear who was intoxicated with alcohol, but the air was filled with the scent of it. Their soft but fervent lips intertwined and collided. Though they had kissed frequently before, for Yu Yue, this touch felt completely unfamiliar, perhaps because it had been too long or for some other reason.

Xu Yuanzhe had never kissed him like this before.

It was a kiss that seemed to want to swallow all of Yu Yue’s breath, accompanied by the salty and bitter taste of tears, a kiss that completely lacked reason.

Yu Yue had to exert all his strength to push Xu Yuanzhe away.

The next moment, his actions were faster than his brain. A slap landed on Xu Yuanzhe’s face.

A crisp sound, extremely clear, seemed to instantaneously silence the entire living room.

Yu Yue felt his palm tingling, and his lips felt numb.

He stared motionlessly at Xu Yuanzhe.

Xu Yuanzhe, slightly tilting his head from the force of the slap, kept his eyes down, motionless and silent.

It was uncertain how long the silence lasted.

In the end, Yu Yue spoke, “I’m not the same…,” a slight pause, he suppressed the choked feeling in his throat, “I’m not the same Yu Yue who would reconcile with a kiss from you.”

After saying that, he stood up and unsteadily walked back to his room.

Yu Yue slept until noon.

When he woke up, he felt sore all over, especially his head, throbbing as if it might explode.

The sunlight was good, but it was too bright for his half-opened eyes.

Yu Yue lay on the bed for a long time, feeling like he had missed a piece of last night. It was not that he couldn’t remember; it was that he didn’t want to remember.

Yu Yue felt like he dreamed of Xu Yuanzhe again.

He slowly got up and found that he hadn’t changed his clothes from last night.

So, Yu Yue went to freshen up, took a shower, washed his hair, cleaned himself up, and finally felt refreshed.

When he opened the bedroom door, Yu Yue caught a whiff of fragrance lingering in the air.

He hesitated for a moment.

The aroma of braised pork ribs filled the air.

Yu Yue’s eyelashes trembled ever so slightly.

He began to doubt whether he had dreamed or really seen Xu Yuanzhe last night. But before he could fully question it, Yu Yue’s steps involuntarily led him to the kitchen.

As he approached the living room, where he could see the kitchen, Yu Yue came to a complete halt.

Xu Yuanzhe was simmering pork ribs in the kitchen. Perhaps he was waiting, so he remained still, gently supporting himself on the countertop, quietly waiting with slightly lowered eyes, lost in thought.

Yu Yue stood there, motionless.

This was a scene he couldn’t see even in his dreams.

Sunlight streamed in from the balcony’s French window, casting a diagonal beam that landed right in front of Yu Yue’s toes. Yu Yue stood in the shadow, while Xu Yuanzhe stood in the kitchen bathed in sunlight.

This beam of light seemed to stretch between Yu Yue and the kitchen, as if it also stood between him and Xu Yuanzhe.

After what felt like a long time, Xu Yuanzhe seemed to sense something and turned around.

He saw Yu Yue.

Yu Yue also gazed at Xu Yuanzhe.

For a moment, many fragmented scenes rushed into his mind, including those from last night that Yu Yue thought he had missed. This included him questioning Xu Yuanzhe while shedding tears, admitting how much he had missed Xu Yuanzhe over the years, and finally…

That almost suffocating, crazy kiss.

All the memories flooded back.

Oh, right, and that slap.

Yu Yue’s fingers unconsciously tightened.

He didn’t say anything. He didn’t know what to say to Xu Yuanzhe at this moment. He just felt his throat tightening, wanting to speak but unable to.

Perhaps the ribs weren’t ready yet.

Xu Yuanzhe turned around and walked towards Yu Yue.

Yu Yue felt an urge to step back.

Although he didn’t know why he wanted to step back.

As Xu Yuanzhe crossed the boundary between light and shadow, he approached Yu Yue.

Yu Yue somewhat wanted to step back.

His eyelashes quivered, and he lowered his head, indeed intending to take a step back.

But at this moment, Xu Yuanzhe reached out and gently embraced Yu Yue.

Yu Yue’s eyelashes quivered intensely.

Since it was a winter morning, and Yu Yue had just taken a shower, he was dressed lightly. Xu Yuanzhe, too, was without a winter coat, wearing only a thin black shirt.

As Xu Yuanzhe held Yu Yue, Yu Yue almost felt the warmth and heartbeat of their skin against each other.

The living room was silent, with only the ticking sound of the clock.

Xu Yuanzhe had one hand against the back of Yu Yue’s head and the other around his back. This position seemed to tighten the embrace, making it more secure.

Yu Yue’s chin rested on Xu Yuanzhe’s shoulder.

His eyelashes trembled continuously, and the sunlight in front of him gradually became blurred. Memories of last night flooded into his mind, accompanied by the pain of the past five years. Tears were on the verge of welling up.

Yu Yue had waited too long for an embrace like this.

Waited until he felt somewhat despondent.

Xu Yuanzhe was still not good with words.

They stayed in the embrace for who knew how long. Xu Yuanzhe’s fingers gently passed through Yu Yue’s damp hair, giving it a light rub. In a low voice, he said, “Dry your hair, and then we can have a meal.”

Yu Yue pushed Xu Yuanzhe away.

He looked at Xu Yuanzhe. “You should go.”

Xu Yuanzhe stood there without moving.

Yu Yue draped the towel over his head, turned away to prevent Xu Yuanzhe from seeing his reddened eyes, and said softly, “I don’t like braised pork ribs anymore.”

Yu Yue returned to the room to blow-dry his hair. When he walked out of the kitchen again, he found that Xu Yuanzhe had already left. The living room was empty.

Yu Yue stood in place, looking at the spot he had just occupied, as if through the slanting sunlight, he could see himself being held by Xu Yuanzhe. He witnessed the scene, like a movie being replayed before his eyes.

He stood there for a long time, gently placing the towel on the chair and sitting down.

After a while, he finally got up and walked towards the kitchen. In the kitchen, the rice was cooked, and the pork ribs were stewed, placed in a warming steamer. Next to it, there was a sticky note:

“Be careful, it’s hot.”

Yu Yue stared at the sticky note, Xu Yuanzhe’s handwriting, without moving for a while.

He truly didn’t like braised pork ribs anymore, even though he used to love the ones Xu Yuanzhe made. But over the years, his taste had changed.

But wasting food wasn’t an option.

In the end, Yu Yue still prepared the meal, scooped out the braised pork ribs, and sat at the table to eat. After having a drink last night, although not much, his stomach wasn’t feeling great.

The warm rice and pork ribs were comforting.

Yu Yue lowered his eyes, sat quietly at the dining table, and started to eat the braised pork ribs piece by piece.

For a moment, he raised his eyes and saw Xu Yuanzhe sitting across from him, just like many years ago, holding a bowl of rice. During the most difficult days, Xu Yuanzhe picked through the ribs for a long time, giving the best parts to Yu Yue. He used only a few pieces of pork ribs and gave a lot of white rice. In the end, he added sauce as a finishing touch.

Back then, Yu Yue saw it all, felt a pang of jealousy, and intentionally claimed he couldn’t eat much, giving the best ribs to Xu Yuanzhe.

They endured the most trying times like that. At that time, Yu Yue thought that when things got better, he would buy lots of pork ribs so that Xu Yuanzhe wouldn’t have to give him the best parts anymore. Both of them could enjoy a full meal.

Yu Yue lowered his eyes, looking at the ribs in the plate.

After some time, a tear fell into the plate.

Subsequently, more and more tears uncontrollably rolled down.

Yu Yue lightly pinched the chopsticks, using his knuckles to gently press against his burning eyelids. Silently shedding tears, he didn’t know how long he cried before muttering:

“Xu Yuanzhe, you bastard…”

After two days, Steven arrived in City A.

As soon as he landed, he called Yu Yue, saying, “I’m in City A! Come out, let’s hang out, eat, and drink!”

When Yu Yue heard the mention of drinking, he felt a bit of a headache.

For the past few days, he locked himself at home, not going anywhere. Besides editing footage, he continued to edit, sometimes getting lost in it until two or three in the morning. His eyes were so sore that he remembered to sleep.

Several times Single Han wanted to make plans with Yu Yue, but he was refused.

Because Yu Yue knew that Single Han’s invitation was just to inquire about his relationship with Xu Yuanzhe. Yu Yue also guessed that the night he got drunk, it was Single Han who called Xu Yuanzhe to come over.

Yu Yue didn’t hold any grudge against Single Han. He just felt that, for now, he didn’t want to face anything related to Xu Yuanzhe.

So he didn’t accept Single Han’s invitation.

It was Steven’s invitation that Yu Yue thought was acceptable. He felt that he could go out with the carefree and foolish Steven, who probably wouldn’t bring up anything related to Xu Yuanzhe. Moreover, Yu Yue could discuss the film project with Steven.

Yu Yue agreed to Steven’s invitation.

Steven booked a Japanese restaurant, and a few other people from the film team joined. They were all team members who had met abroad and appreciated Yu Yue’s talent, so they decided to follow Yu Yue.

Yu Yue was the last to arrive.

After sitting down, Steven asked him, “Why are you wearing glasses? Huh? There are no lenses.”

“My dark circles are a bit heavy,” Yu Yue said. “I’m afraid of scaring you guys.”

Steven clicked his tongue. “Staying up late to edit again, huh? Are you tired of living? Why are you working so hard all the time?”

Yu Yue also wondered, yeah, what was he doing so diligently for these past five years?

He didn’t use the money from home. Working abroad, he earned money to buy his first set of equipment. Later, he started from scratch, establishing his first film team. With some support from Eden, he began shooting movies.

Yu Yue has traveled to many countries, but it has always been for shooting or taking on various film-related jobs. He has visited numerous film crews to learn and has gone through many hardships with his own team. Those days of hard work were truly indescribable, as if he wanted someone to empathize with him.

While having dinner, Steven suddenly asked, “By the way, how’s the talk going? Is the Film Emperor willing to star in this movie?”

Yu Yue: “…”

He thought Steven wouldn’t bring up Xu Yuanzhe.

Seeing Yu Yue’s silence, Steven became somewhat anxious. “He’s not planning to act, is he? Really not acting? Should I go persuade him? We can’t let this slip away. I was so looking forward to it, how could he…”

“Not saying he won’t act.” Yu Yue struggled to pick up a piece of ginger for a while, then, somewhat childishly, he put down the chopsticks. “But, it’s not certain he can act.”

After all, his relationship with Xu Yuanzhe now is worse than when they first reunited.

Xu Yuanzhe sought reconciliation with Yu Yue, but Yu Yue rejected him.

The kiss that night and the embrace the next morning spoke volumes, but Yu Yue rejected it all.

He even gave Xu Yuanzhe a slap and sent him away.

No matter how good-tempered one is, there’s a limit.

Steven continued to chatter, ready to use his mouthpiece skills to persuade Xu Yuanzhe. Yu Yue hadn’t spoken yet when suddenly the door of the adjacent private room opened.

The person inside had just finished their meal.

Yu Yue casually glanced.

With just one look, he froze.

Xu Yuanzhe came out of the private room.

He was wearing a white sweater with the sleeves slightly rolled up. He had a beautiful and valuable watch on his wrist, appearing pure and clean. The person he was talking to seemed older, possibly a senior in some industry.

Looking closely, it seemed to be a familiar old actor.

Steven looked up and was stunned.

He said, “Oh my god.”

Yu Yue and Xu Yuanzhe locked eyes.

Quickly, Yu Yue averted his gaze, bowing his head to continue trying to pick up that stubborn piece of sweet ginger.

Steven rubbed his eyes. “Isn’t that the Film Emperor? I shouldn’t be face-blind and mistaken, right?! That’s the Film Emperor! Oh my god, I have to go get his autograph… no, I need to talk to him about our movie.”

After saying that, Steven ran out.

No one could stop him.

Yu Yue didn’t intend to stop Steven.

After all, there was no stopping him.

Yu Yue didn’t know if Steven had talked to Xu Yuanzhe, but he probably did, because Steven hadn’t come back for a long time. It took about half an hour before he returned to the table.

Steven seemed very excited. “The Best Actor said he will definitely come to act. He even guaranteed it, so we can rest assured!”

Others also cheered.

After finishing the meal, Yu Yue went to pay the bill.

But when he reached the counter, the waitress checked the table and smilingly told him, “The bill for table 37 has already been paid by a gentleman.”

Yu Yue was stunned.

The waitress even added, “The gentleman wearing a white sweater with a black mask.”

Yu Yue returned to the table, holding the bill, and looked down at the relatively expensive meal cost on it.

After a while, he asked the people around him, “Does anyone have Xu Yuanzhe’s WeChat?”

Several people were at a loss.

Even Steven didn’t know.

But Steven was thinking about something, rubbing his chin and murmuring, “I seem to have seen the Best Actor somewhere, and it seems like a long time ago. It’s strange; where could it be…”

No one had Xu Yuanzhe’s WeChat, so Yu Yue had no choice but to contact Zhou Ling.

Soon, Zhou Ling sent Xu Yuanzhe’s WeChat.

Yu Yue never thought that one day he would have to contact Xu Yuanzhe over the bill for a meal.

He added Xu Yuanzhe, and after a few minutes, Xu Yuanzhe added him back.

While Steven and the others were shopping ahead, Yu Yue followed behind, looking down at his phone.

After Xu Yuanzhe added Yu Yue, there was no communication.

After some thought, Yu Yue didn’t say anything either. He directly initiated a money transfer and sent the cost of the meal to Xu Yuanzhe.

For some reason, he didn’t want to owe Xu Yuanzhe a single penny.

Seeing that Xu Yuanzhe accepted the transfer without any response, Yu Yue added, “Thank you.”

Polite yet distant.

After a while, Xu Yuanzhe finally replied.

He said, “Do you have to make it so clear with me?”

Yu Yue lowered his eyes to read the message.

After a while, he replied, “Otherwise?”

Ex-partners who have broken up should make things clear, shouldn’t they? What’s the point of dragging it on?

This time it took a long time, and Xu Yuanzhe didn’t reply.

Yu Yue thought Xu Yuanzhe wouldn’t reply.

He put away his phone and caught up with Steven and the others.

As they were about to leave the mall, Yu Yue took out his phone and glanced at it.

He saw a message from Xu Yuanzhe.

He said, “Come to the rooftop, and I’ll accept this money.”

It was half an hour ago.

Yu Yue held his phone, unsure if Xu Yuanzhe had waited for half an hour or had already left.

Steven urged him, asking why he was standing still.

After a brief silence, Yu Yue finally said, “I need to meet someone, you guys go ahead and have fun.”

After speaking, he pinched his phone and went to the rooftop of the mall.

Pushing open the heavy door to the rooftop, a cold night breeze swept in. It wasn’t snowing this evening, but it seemed colder than before, shaking one to the core.

On the rooftop, Yu Yue quickly spotted a flash of crimson light.

Leaning against the rooftop’s wall, Xu Yuanzhe took a drag from a cigarette. His breath, mixed with white mist, dispersed with the night wind. His arm hung down, fingers gripping the cigarette.

Yu Yue approached Xu Yuanzhe.

He looked into Xu Yuanzhe’s eyes as if gazing at distant stars in the sky.

In fact, the two of them were like two stars, close yet seemingly unreachable. So near, yet so far.

Silence lingered for a while.

Yu Yue asked Xu Yuanzhe, “Is there something on your mind?”

Xu Yuanzhe looked at Yu Yue.

In the quiet night sky, a few stars dotted the scene, others obscured by faint clouds.

Xu Yuanzhe’s gaze resembled that from many years ago.

Suddenly, Yu Yue found it challenging to decipher this gaze. Was it regret?

He had been waiting for Xu Yuanzhe to speak.

After a long wait, Xu Yuanzhe finally straightened up slightly, and the fingers holding the cigarette lifted.

Leaning forward, his dark eyes lowered, and he softly said, “Nothing important.”

In the moment before Yu Yue could react to this, Xu Yuanzhe tilted his head and lightly kissed Yu Yue’s lips.

He covered Yu Yue’s lips gently, his eyelashes slightly drooping. Just like that, in a low voice, he said, “Just missed you.”

There was a slight pause, and his voice became husky, “Missed you a lot.”

Author’s Note:

After a long wait for everyone, here’s the concluding chapter. Grateful for the companionship, grateful for the subscriptions. Thank you all! (づ￣3￣)づ╭