When Qi Wang arrived at their destination, it was already late, and Yu Nian had been working all day and was clearly too tired to go night skiing.

So, they decided to have dinner first.

Yu Nian had been to this area with friends before. Back then, there was no ski resort; it was a camping business. Unfortunately, the owner at the time wasn’t good at managing it, and it soon went under.

Now, with the new ski resort, vacation hotel, and various entertainment options like indoor rock climbing and shooting nearby, along with scattered restaurants, the area had become quite popular.

They had dinner at a restaurant specializing in hotpot.

Having just eaten two pieces of pastry on the way, Yu Nian wasn’t hungry and ate slowly.

He sipped sake, gazing at the bright lights outside, while outdoor patrons wrapped in thick down jackets passed by in small groups.

He noticed a mural on the wall and asked Qi Wang, “You haven’t been going abroad lately, have you? I remember you had an art exhibition scheduled for March in New York, right?”

Qi Wang’s hand holding the wine glass paused.

He hadn’t expected Yu Nian to know about his recent activities, indicating that Yu Nian had been paying attention to his news.

He nodded and replied, “The main arrangements have already been made, and the rest is being supervised by my studio staff. I don’t need to worry about it. However, the hotel in Paris is about to open, so I may need to make several trips there.”

Yu Nian was also aware of this matter.

The renowned artist Qi Wang not only had his own art studio but also had several other businesses under his name, which was why he attracted so many people.

“You’re quite adept at managing,” Yu Nian said with a slight smirk. “To amass such wealth in just a few years. Song Yunchun really wasted your talent when she suggested you become a barista.”

But as he said this, he felt a sense of irritation.

Qi Wang’s appearance and demeanor alone were attractive enough, not to mention his gentle and considerate nature in relationships. Now, with his prominent status, he was like a piece of irresistible meat thrown into the capitalist world overseas.

Yu Nian couldn’t help but feel somewhat resentful, speculating whether, despite Qi Wang’s claim of having no past relationships, he had been taken advantage of by someone in the art circle.

How could he not be aware of the intentions of those famous and influential figures?

While appearing elegant and poised on the surface, they might be licentious and arrogant behind closed doors.

His gaze fell on Qi Wang’s hand and then slowly moved up to his face.

After all these years, he still harbored possessiveness towards this person.

Even though he knew that this person had been absent from his life for eight years, even if they were sitting together at a table now and would share a bed later at night, he, in his current position, had no right to claim ownership.

But he couldn’t help but feel resentful, even speculative, about this, causing a sourness to rise in his stomach, making this meal particularly unpleasant, yet he couldn’t show it.

After dinner, it was not suitable to immediately soak in the hot springs, so Yu Nian and Qi Wang went for a walk on a nearby mountain trail to aid digestion.

Walking along the mountain path, they came across a small wooden bridge, once a filming location for the popular movie “North of the River” ten years ago, attracting quite a few tourists who wanted to take photos.

Next to the wooden bridge was a small cabin selling hot cocoa, hot tea, and coffee, as well as various beautiful aromatherapy products and tea sets.

With nothing else to do, Yu Nian went in to take a look. He picked up a vintage teacup and was studying the floral patterns on it when he heard an excited voice from beside him, “Mr. Yu.”

Both Yu Nian and Qi Wang turned their heads.

They saw the door of the cabin being gently pushed open, and a tall figure walked in. He was young and handsome, with a head of brown curls and bright eyes.

“You are…” Yu Nian looked at him, feeling that he was very familiar, but couldn’t remember his name for a moment.

However, Qi Wang had a deep impression of him. He had seen this young man before.

On the top floor of the hotel, this man was wrapped in a bathrobe, looking disheveled and shamelessly hiding behind Yu Nian, appearing timid and innocent as he gazed at him.

This made Qi Wang even more disdainful, and he stared coldly at the man.

But at this moment, the young man’s eyes were only on Yu Nian, and for a moment, he didn’t even notice who was staring coldly at him from the side.

“It’s me, Mr. Yu. I’m Li Lai,” he scratched his head, a little shyly. “We, we met over a month ago. Since that day, I’ve been wanting to see you again and thank you in person. My sister is about to undergo surgery soon. But I couldn’t find a way to contact you. I didn’t expect to meet you here.”

Yu Nian let out a soft sound as he remembered.

The sister was undergoing surgery.

This was the little model who almost ended up on his bed, with eyes slightly resembling Qi Wang’s, but only when he looked up at people, did he have a slight resemblance.

He couldn’t help but glance at Qi Wang.

Now that he had the rightful owner by his side for comparison, Li Lai seemed even more innocent and non-threatening. His eyes were also rounder than Qi Wang’s, and the two could be said to be completely different.

He nodded, still without much of a smile. “It’s you.”

He glanced at the young model and said, “No need to thank me, it was just a small favor. But what about you? Did you terminate the contract with that company?”

Li Lai became even more excited. He nodded and looked eagerly at Yu Nian. “Yes, I terminated it, thanks to Mr. Yu’s help.”

He wasn’t ungrateful.

He wanted to terminate the contract with the company, which would have cost him dearly. Now that he could do so smoothly, if it weren’t for Yu Nian’s secret instructions, how could he be so lucky?

This made him feel extremely grateful to Yu Nian.

As Li Lai took another step forward, before he could express his gratitude to Yu Nian again, he felt a sharp gaze like a blade stabbing at him from the side.

He hesitated for a moment, then turned his head and immediately met Qi Wang’s cold and gloomy eyes.

He couldn’t help but shiver involuntarily.

Although they were about the same height, as a model, he had the inherent advantage of being able to look down on most people. However, standing in front of Qi Wang, he inexplicably felt shorter.

Qi Wang didn’t say anything, just stared at him quietly. His black cashmere coat set off his pale, almost jade-like face. Despite being incredibly handsome, his demeanor was icy and tough, with a hint of condescension.

The words Li Lai wanted to say got stuck in his throat.

He recognized who this was—the Mr. Qi who had a close relationship with Mr. Yu and who had been in the adjacent suite at the hotel that day.

Seeing the two of them standing side by side now, although Li Lai wasn’t particularly astute, he quickly realized what was going on and dared not be overly familiar with Yu Nian anymore.

“Sorry, I didn’t realize you were here with friends. I disturbed Mr. Yu,” Li Lai apologized awkwardly. He wasn’t in love with Yu Nian, but he was clear about his own feelings.

He bowed sincerely to Yu Nian again. “Thank you, Mr. Yu. If I have the chance, I will definitely find a way to repay your help.”

His earnestness even made Yu Nian chuckle.

Putting down the vintage tea set in his hand, Yu Nian’s expression softened under the lamplight.

“Got it, I’ll be waiting,” he said leisurely.

After saying these words, Li Lai tactfully stopped bothering them and bid farewell to Yu Nian before leaving on his own.

Yu Nian wandered around the shop, feeling a sudden urge to shop and ended up buying a bunch of random items, which he handed over to Qi Wang as they left.

But as they walked down the mountain path, Yu Nian noticed that Qi Wang was unusually quiet.

He glanced at Qi Wang curiously and saw that his eyelashes were slightly drooping, his expression melancholic, lost in thought.

“What’s wrong with you?” Yu Nian asked.

Qi Wang shook his head. “Nothing.”

They returned to their room and soaked in the hot spring.

Qi Wang had booked a private hot spring, which was in their room.

Yu Nian took off his bathrobe and leaned against the edge of the hot spring, his medium-length hair hanging over his shoulders, dampened by the steam. In the cold night, soaking in the hot spring was always comforting.

But after a while, he opened his eyes slightly and looked at Qi Wang opposite him.

Qi Wang still seemed lost in thought.

The steam from the hot spring rose up, giving his pale face a faint blush.

But Qi Wang, when silent, always seemed as cold and lonely as a mountain rock, even amidst a bustling crowd, he remained quiet as if in a vacuum.

Yu Nian felt somewhat unhappy and lightly kicked Qi Wang underwater.

“What are you daydreaming about?” he asked, somewhat dissatisfied. “You’re the one who invited me out, but now you seem distracted.”

He looked at Qi Wang’s face. “What are you thinking about?”

What was he thinking?

Qi Wang looked at Yu Nian through the mist-like fog.

Yu Nian leaned against the edge of the hot spring, his eyes blurred as he looked at Qi Wang.

Qi Wang’s gaze fell on Yu Nian’s lips, which had just sipped an icy drink and were then steamed by the hot air, redder than roses crushed for juice, painted on his lips.

He knew Yu Nian had always been charming.

Both in the past and present.

And of course, he knew that these eight years had been too long, with people coming and going around Yu Nian, leaving no room for him to harbor narrow-minded jealousy.

But just seeing Li Lai earlier, his ugly and dark thoughts still emerged like muddy water bubbling up from the depths of his heart.

He shouldn’t have spoken.

Speaking would only expose his lack of self-awareness.

Yet he couldn’t help but ask hoarsely, “Do you keep in touch with that person from earlier? Is he also your… bed partner?”

Qi Wang felt a hint of reluctance as he uttered the last two words, pressing them beneath his tongue, reluctant to say them aloud.

Yu Nian was taken aback.

He raised an eyebrow. “What bed partner?”

He had remained celibate for so many years that he was almost rumored to be impotent in his circle.

Qi Wang, on the other hand, didn’t distinguish between right and wrong and would easily spread rumors about him.

He almost wanted to curse again, but the words stopped abruptly.

He had forgotten that he had brought Li Lai back to the hotel suite in front of Qi Wang, even though Li Lai had only slept on the sofa all night, Qi Wang didn’t know.

Not only that, but he had also told Qi Wang that he had never lacked people wanting to climb into his bed over the years, establishing his reputation as a flirtatious playboy.

This made his expression somewhat unpredictable.

This was the nature of lying—saying one lie required hundreds more to cover it up.

For someone like him, who wasn’t good at lying, it was undoubtedly challenging.

He pursed his lips, and a few words rolled back and forth on his tongue, but he couldn’t easily spit them out.

He could continue his own lie.

He now held the power of life and death, with Qi Wang admiring him, wanting to stay by his side in humility.

With just a casual word, he could hurt Qi Wang deeply like an arrow.

But looking at Qi Wang’s almost stagnant eyes, he couldn’t bring himself to hurt him so recklessly.

He lowered his head, avoiding Qi Wang’s gaze, and said softly, “If I said yes, would you mind?”

“Yes,” Qi Wang replied without hesitation.

Yu Nian stared at the ripples on the water’s surface. The hot spring water seemed a bit too hot, making him feel uncomfortably warm all over, even his brain felt a little swollen.

He heard Qi Wang say, “I’m far from as magnanimous as I’d like to think. If I see that person around you, I’ll still feel pain.”

Yu Nian blinked lightly.

He lifted his gaze from the water and met Qi Wang’s eyes.

He saw a faint twitch at the corner of Qi Wang’s mouth, with dewy moisture clinging to his black eyelashes, dampening them together. Whether it was due to the dampness or the heat, Qi Wang’s eyes seemed to be slightly reddened at the corners.

Qi Wang said, “But when I was looking at that person called Li Lai just now, for a moment, I was thinking, if I had come back earlier, would there have been no one else by your side?”

After this sentence was uttered, there was only the faint sound of flowing water in the room.

Qi Wang also felt that he had spoken out of turn and added in a low voice, “Sorry.”

This assumption was actually meaningless.

It was he who had wasted all the opportunities in these eight years.

He thought his betrayal was unforgivable to Yu Nian, and he thought his presence would only add to Yu Nian’s pain, which led him and Yu Nian to where they were today.

He now regretted it, but it was already too late.

Yu Nian’s lips curved slightly.

He really wanted to tease Qi Wang a bit, like saying, “You can’t even tolerate a ‘supposed bed partner,’ what will you do if I really find true love one day? Are you prepared to step aside?”

But in the end, he just stood up, wrapped himself in a bathrobe, and got out of the hot spring pool.

As he sat in front of the mirror blow-drying his hair, Qi Wang also approached, taking the hairdryer from his hand.

Yu Nian’s hand dropped, the noise of the hair dryer buzzing in his ears. He stared at the carved patterns on the mirror, his eyelashes gently covering his eyes.

When the hair dryer stopped, and the room fell into a quiet atmosphere, he suddenly whispered, “There was never anyone else.”

Qi Wang, still emotionally entangled, felt suffocated with every breath, but he turned his head to look at Yu Nian, concealing his emotions perfectly, with gentle eyes, and asked again, “What did you say?”

Yu Nian still didn’t look at Qi Wang.

He wore a bathrobe one size too big, his shoulders thin and bony, as if the torment of these years had absorbed the nutrients from his body.

He whispered, “I said, in all these years, there has never been anyone else.”

Finally, he looked up at Qi Wang, and his lips curled slightly.

“All those things I said before were lies.”