Ruan Xinyuan’s eyes widened, his heart suddenly filled with colorful bubbles, only to have them burst instantly, as if foam was spilling from his mouth. He couldn’t help but open his mouth slightly in surprise.

He looked down at the hand with the silver ring on the ring finger, his eyelashes trembling as he vaguely recalled the feeling of his hand being completely held twice before.

Warm, irresistibly so.

He never imagined he could “cheat” from the start, yet Qi Xun had opened a VIP path for him.

Qi Xun… was really tolerant of him, Ruan Xinyuan thought.

He licked his lips, freed a hand, nervously fiddled with the shopping cart handle, then stepped back to stand shoulder to shoulder with Qi Xun.

Ruan Xinyuan’s arm swayed, purposefully brushing against Qi Xun’s skin. The moment he held Qi Xun’s hand felt like a slow-motion movie scene, each touch vividly clear to him.

He didn’t dare grip too tightly, holding Qi Xun’s hand lightly, praying his palm wouldn’t sweat.

Neither spoke for a moment, the atmosphere turning a bit awkward, the air seemingly frozen, as Ruan Xinyuan heard his heart beating faster.

Passersby couldn’t help but glance at them, and Ruan Xinyuan felt his right hand heating up like a stove, his ears turning pink under the bright lights.

In those few hesitant seconds, Qi Xun tightened his grip, enveloping Ruan Xinyuan’s hand like before, taking the shopping cart with his other hand, and said warmly, “Let’s go in.”

“Oh, okay.” Ruan Xinyuan responded softly, his palm growing warmer, but he could still feel the coolness of Qi Xun’s ring.

The sensation was strange; he shouldn’t have felt such breathless emotions from a simple hand-hold.

Maybe it was guilt… or perhaps Qi Xun’s openness and indulgence left him at a loss.

Even though he pretended to be at ease, his heart was sweating, especially with people occasionally glancing at them, making him more anxious.

But Qi Xun remained calm, seemingly oblivious to the surrounding gazes, pushing the cart forward naturally.

After some internal struggle, Ruan Xinyuan decided not to dwell on it, gradually getting used to holding hands under such “indulgence,” his mind relaxing.

Qi Xun matched his pace, the two strolling leisurely past colorful shelves, as if they weren’t shopping but taking a sunset walk by the river.

“Any fruits you like?”

Passing the fruit and vegetable section, Qi Xun’s voice pulled Ruan Xinyuan’s wandering thoughts back from the river to the supermarket.

He stopped in front of the fruit section, scanning for something, then his eyes lit up. He led Qi Xun to a pile of round, golden oranges.

“Like oranges?” Qi Xun tilted his head, looking down at him.

“Yeah.” Ruan Xinyuan nodded like a pecking chick, grabbing a shopping bag, releasing Qi Xun’s hand, and carefully selecting oranges.

Qi Xun’s palm felt empty, his fingers unconsciously curling. He stared at Ruan Xinyuan’s dimples for a few seconds, lost in thought.

The sound of rolling oranges brought him back, and he joined in picking oranges.

There wasn’t much technique; Ruan Xinyuan was a fruit aesthetics enthusiast, picking the prettiest ones for the bag since he couldn’t taste them there.

With just the two of them, Ruan Xinyuan didn’t buy much, fearing they couldn’t finish them. He picked ten of the prettiest oranges and ran to weigh them.

Once the staff labeled them, Ruan Xinyuan twirled the plastic bag, leisurely placing it in the empty cart, casually brushing his hair aside, revealing half his face.

“Besides oranges, any other fruits you like?” Qi Xun arranged the orange bag in the cart and asked.

Ruan Xinyuan’s favorite fruit was oranges, followed by strawberries, but it wasn’t strawberry season. He couldn’t think of anything else he particularly wanted, so he shook his head.

However, he noticed a pile of red apples across from the oranges and couldn’t help but laugh. “I have a roommate who loves apples, eats one every day, sometimes three. We thought his family sold apples. He once brought a big box to the dorm, gone in less than a month.”

Qi Xun wasn’t interested in others Ruan Xinyuan mentioned, but he smiled and replied, “Then your roommate must be very healthy.”

“Yeah, but for me, apples are the most boring fruit. Bananas too, not juicy enough to be fruit. Mangoes are tasty, but the pit’s too big. Watermelons have seeds to spit, and seedless ones aren’t as good…”

Ruan Xinyuan rambled, then smiled at Qi Xun, “What about you? What’s your favorite fruit?”

Qi Xun stopped, momentarily lost in Ruan Xinyuan’s clear eyes, his soul drawn into the bright river of his gaze. A century-old memory flashed in his mind.

At a spring banquet, peach blossoms fluttered with orioles and butterflies, laughter and poetry celebrating.

The person across called his name, tossing a fresh, perfectly colored peach into his silent hands, landing in his palm.

A thousand years had passed; he no longer remembered the peach’s taste, only the smile.

Memory and reality overlapped, Qi Xun returning from Ruan Xinyuan’s eyes, silently holding his breath for a few seconds. His Adam’s apple bobbed twice, honestly answering, “Peaches.”

“Peaches…” Ruan Xinyuan looked around, “There are some over there. What variety do you like? There are still plenty this season.”

“White peaches are fine.” Qi Xun followed with the cart.

The peaches looked even bigger than the oranges. After picking four, Ruan Xinyuan felt the bag getting heavy.

“If you don’t like them, just take a few,” Qi Xun reminded from the side.

Ruan Xinyuan shook his head slightly, smiling brightly, “Peaches are good too, my… second favorite. I’ll pick six.”

He secretly moved strawberries down his mental list.

After all, Qi Xun was so good to him, it was only right, Ruan Xinyuan thought.

“Okay.” Qi Xun swallowed, moistening his dry throat.

This time, he took the bag to weigh, placing it next to the oranges.

Since Qi Xun was a decent cook, he often made meals when free. They picked some vegetables they both liked, leaving the fruit and vegetable section for daily necessities.

Qi Xun’s place lacked nothing, so Ruan Xinyuan picked new toothbrushes, cups, and towels, choosing simple, inexpensive ones, tossing them into the cart.

Originally, Qi Xun pushed the cart, but later Ruan Xinyuan eagerly took over, leaning on it leisurely as he walked.

Qi Xun followed, his gaze lingering on Ruan Xinyuan’s cat-like soft waist.

Ruan Xinyuan was oblivious, spotting a shelf full of chips, and told Qi Xun, “Brother Xun, look around. I’ll get some chips.”

Qi Xun glanced at him, nodded, and turned to browse the wine section.

Ruan Xinyuan had always loved chips, especially cucumber-flavored ones, never tiring of them.

He grabbed three large bags of cucumber flavor and one of tomato, satisfied, placing them in the cart, now half-filled.

Ready to find Qi Xun, he turned, pausing.

A tall, elegant girl with long, ink-black hair stood by Qi Xun, saying something with her phone out. Qi Xun looked down at her, expressionless.

Though he couldn’t hear their conversation, the girl’s disappointed look and departure suggested she was hitting on Qi Xun, who declined.

Ruan Xinyuan oddly felt Qi Xun seemed cold and distant, unlike his usual polite self.

Maybe it was an illusion?

His openly observing gaze was caught when Qi Xun turned his way.

Realizing he was caught, Ruan Xinyuan pushed the cart over, teasing, “Professor Qi is too handsome.”

Qi Xun looked at him silently, his gaze meaningful.

Ruan Xinyuan pondered, realizing he had spoken too casually, like a bystander.

That wasn’t how someone who liked him would react!

He quickly recovered, “Ahem, what did you say to her?”

Qi Xun stared at his rosy lips, “She asked if we could be friends. I said sorry, I’m married.”

A simple answer, Ruan Xinyuan nodded, then playfully complained, “I can’t leave your side for a moment without someone eyeing you. I don’t like this feeling.”

He glanced at Qi Xun’s ringed hand, an idea sparking, “So let’s not separate unless necessary!”

Saying this, he firmly grasped Qi Xun’s hand, intertwining their fingers tightly.

The moment their fingers interlocked, Qi Xun’s human heart trembled violently, flashes of fragmented images passing before settling on Ruan Xinyuan’s smiling face.

This very moment.

Ruan Xinyuan had never held hands so intimately with anyone. Perhaps due to the initial experience, he wasn’t nervous this time, finding it enjoyable.

After all, good friends hold hands too.

“Let’s go.” This time, Ruan Xinyuan took the lead.

Qi Xun murmured an “Mm,” feeling his left arm stiffen slightly.

It had been so long… this feeling of being closely held.

Palm to palm, fingers entwined, joints rubbing, air unable to squeeze in. A bit closer, and Qi Xun could hear Ruan Xinyuan’s heartbeat.

Something he couldn’t feel as a ghost.

“Should we check out? I think we’re done,” Ruan Xinyuan said, glancing at the cart, unable to think of anything else to buy.

Qi Xun thought for half a second, agreeing, “Okay, let’s go. I’ll pay.”

Ruan Xinyuan didn’t argue, and they queued at the checkout, still holding hands.

The shelves by the register always caught attention. This time, Ruan Xinyuan didn’t just glance but was drawn to something.

If they were to do what couples do… this was necessary, right?

So many different kinds, even strawberry-flavored.

Wait, they might need more than this. For guys, they’d need lubricant too?

Great, lubricant was on the lower shelf, all set.

Should he buy them now…

Qi Xun was right beside him. Wouldn’t it be too forward to grab them? Though Qi Xun agreed to hold hands, it didn’t mean he’d agree to this so easily, even if he wasn’t opposed.

And Qi Xun seemed really reserved… maybe not keen on this.

Tsk, maybe next time!

“Xiao Yuan, what are you… staring at?”

Qi Xun’s voice was light as a feather, brushing softly into Ruan Xinyuan’s ear.