They were settled in an ice house not far from the center area, and there, Cheng Xu finally met Ma Liu. After nearly ten days apart, Ma Liu looked quite downcast. His once-smooth chin was now covered in stubble, and his eyes were red and puffy, clearly showing signs of sleepless nights due to worry over his situation. When he saw Cheng Xu enter, he paused for a moment before rushing over and grabbing Cheng Xu’s hands tightly, saying in a hoarse voice, “Cheng Ge, why are you here?”

Yan Qi pulled Cheng Xu’s hand away, frowning as he said, “Of course, I’m here to find you.”

Ma Liu, confused by the unfamiliar Yan Qi, asked, “Who is this?”

Cheng Xu replied, “Let me introduce you.” He briefly explained Yan Qi’s identity. Upon hearing that Yan Qi was the boss of Li An, Ma Liu’s eyes lit up with excitement, trembling slightly as he reached out to shake hands. But before he could, Cheng Xu asked, “How are you? Are you hurt? Did you accidentally injure the long-haired horse?”

At this question, Ma Liu’s expression immediately drooped. “I didn’t mean to! Towards the end of the journey, I was really tired and dozed off, slowing the snowmobile down to the lowest speed. I didn’t expect to encounter a long-haired horse, and before I knew it, the snowmobile ran over a foal.”

Cheng Xu felt a pang of regret. “If I had known this would happen, I would have come with you.”

The long-haired horses here coexisted peacefully with the locals, no longer fearing humans and even showing curiosity towards human tools. There were no snowmobiles when Ma Liu arrived, so the horses were naturally curious about this strange object. The snowmobile wasn’t fast, but it wasn’t smart enough to stop automatically when encountering obstacles. The adult long-haired horses could dodge, but the young foal couldn’t, which is why it got seriously injured.

Ma Liu had previously come here for a population survey and, although he didn’t have the best rapport with the locals, there hadn’t been any major issues. However, this time, he accidentally injured a foal, and the locals became furious, locking him up in this room immediately.

“I guess if the foal doesn’t survive, I might be trapped here for the rest of my life,” Ma Liu said, a hint of despair in his voice.

Yan Qi sarcastically remarked, “Aren’t they going to use you for some kind of sacrificial ceremony?”

Ma Liu replied seriously, “The people of the Xier tribe wouldn’t do something like that! They may be traditional, but they aren’t savage; they cherish animals. How could they treat their own kind like that?”

“Oh,” Yan Qi said with a mischievous grin, “staying here might not be so bad. Who knows, they might even pair you up with a partner.”

Upon hearing the word “partner,” Ma Liu’s face flushed, but he quickly became serious. “I still have my own tasks and goals to complete. How can I stay here?” He turned to Cheng Xu anxiously, “Cheng Ge, that medicine should work, right? I really hope the foal can be saved. I didn’t mean to hit it.”

Cheng Xu reassured him, “If we can get through today, there should be hope.”

By the time they arrived, it was already noon, and after a bit of fuss, it became afternoon. The ice house was spacious, with windows, and almost empty inside—only thick straw on the floor and a piece of animal skin that likely served as a blanket. The temperature was freezing outside, but it wasn’t too cold inside the house. Cheng Xu sat down on the straw pile and asked Ma Liu, “Have you been sleeping here all these days?”

“Yeah, I couldn’t find a signal to contact you, so even though I had a communication device with me, it was useless.” He quickly brightened up, pointing at the walls. “Cheng Ge, look at their craftsmanship! Isn’t it amazing? If this were applied in Ice City, it would definitely attract tourists.”

Cheng Xu nodded. “I noticed that too.”

As they chatted idly, the door opened when dusk began to fall. A man entered, carrying three bowls of a mushy substance and a jar, placing them on the ground. As he turned to leave, Cheng Xu hurriedly asked, “How is the foal doing?”

The man didn’t answer and walked away. Yan Qi commented, “Since they haven’t ‘judged’ us yet, the foal must still be alive.” He leaned in to look at the mushy food on the ground, frowning deeply. “What is this stuff? Can it be eaten?”

Ma Liu quickly explained, “Young Master Yan, this is potato paste, the staple food of the Xier tribe and the main food source on the Geothermal Planet.” The tuber plants had been developed to adapt to various temperatures, but it was still too cold here to grow anything. They could only be planted during the warmest months. The people of the Xier tribe aimed to harvest enough potatoes during those months to survive the cold winters.

Clearly already starving, Ma Liu didn’t care about how it looked and dove right in. After finishing, he poured himself a cup of hot water from the jar, enjoying it. Yan Qi initially had no intention of touching the mush, but when Cheng Xu whispered, “Eat up,” he reluctantly picked it up and wrinkled his nose as he finished it.

Aside from the time spent “requesting” to use the bathroom, they had no chance to leave the ice house, and they could only sleep there at night. Thankfully, the Xier tribe members were somewhat understanding and tossed in two pieces of animal skin. They felt soft and warm. Yan Qi examined them carefully and asked, “Is this long-haired horse skin?”

Ma Liu replied, “Yes, it’s from a naturally deceased long-haired horse. They never hunt living long-haired horses.” He was quite diligent, almost as if he were being a good host, quickly arranging the straw neatly. “I’ll sleep on the left, Cheng Ge can sleep in the middle, and Young Master Yan can sleep on the right. We’ll huddle together; it should be warmer this way.” He looked a bit shy. “To be honest, I’ve been waking up frozen every night.”

Yan Qi decisively said, “I’ll sleep in the middle.”

Ma Liu paused, instinctively glancing at Cheng Xu’s face before stammering, “I-I just thought Cheng Ge might be more sensitive to the cold, so it would be better for him to sleep in the middle… Does Young Master Yan feel colder?”

Yan Qi grinned sarcastically, “Yeah, I’m especially afraid of the cold!”

Cheng Xu said, “Let him sleep in the middle.”

When Ma Liu lay down, he muttered softly, “Wealthy young masters just don’t understand empathy.” He hugged his animal skin tightly, trying to curl up, but just as he was about to move closer to the warmth, Yan Qi said quietly, “I don’t like being too close to people when I sleep; it makes it hard for me to rest.” Ma Liu stiffened, not daring to move again.

The ice house was dark, almost pitch black. Cheng Xu lay on the straw; although it was thick, he had lived too comfortably before, and it didn’t feel right. The areas not covered by clothing felt like they were being bitten by insects, making him itch. He took a deep breath, fighting the urge to move around, but then an arm slid across his waist, pulling him close. In the next moment, a large source of warmth pressed against him, even draping the animal skin over him.

Overwhelmed by a familiar scent, Cheng Xu was dazed for a moment before he lowered his voice and said, “Aren’t you the one who doesn’t like being too close to others?”

Yan Qi replied, sounding a bit aggrieved, “That doesn’t include you.”

Cheng Xu’s feelings were complicated; he didn’t know whether to be relieved or frustrated. He had already mentally prepared himself for Yan Qi’s true nature to be revealed. This man was terrible at pretending; he was always the one in a position of power, and it was hard for him to hold back.

How should he respond?

Before he could think of an answer, Yan Qi’s warm lips pressed against his, gently at first, with a hint of hesitation. He rubbed his lips against Cheng Xu’s for a moment before tentatively slipping his warm tongue along Cheng Xu’s lips. After a while, when Cheng Xu didn’t respond, he couldn’t help but press his entire mouth against Cheng Xu’s, seemingly unable to restrain himself anymore as his tongue pushed into Cheng Xu’s mouth, tasting and exploring.

The kiss escalated from cautious to fierce in just a matter of seconds. Yan Qi’s kiss was as domineering as he was. It wasn’t until the root of Cheng Xu’s tongue felt numb from being sucked that he finally confirmed it was indeed Yan Qi.

And he hadn’t changed at all.

But Cheng Xu found himself powerless to resist; not only was his fate once again in Yan Qi’s hands, but there was also a simple Ma Liu nearby, and he didn’t want to be discovered. So he could only passively endure, and when Yan Qi’s hand reached under his clothing, he grabbed Yan Qi’s wrist, catching his breath before softly saying, “No!”

“I miss you.” Yan Qi buried his head in Cheng Xu’s neck, his breath warming his skin as he spoke in a tone devoid of the earlier dominance, almost sounding a bit wronged. “Xu Ge, I really miss you. When I heard about your vehicle accident, I was terrified.”

His voice was low, whispering directly into Cheng Xu’s ear, each word clear and straightforward. Cheng Xu closed his eyes, unsure how to respond, so he chose to remain silent. Yan Qi was displeased with Cheng Xu’s silence. He felt like he was the only one pouring his heart into this relationship. On the surface, it looked like he held the advantage, able to keep Cheng Xu by his side, but deep down, he knew he was the vulnerable one.

Cheng Xu was like a bird that had escaped the cage, soaring freely in the sky, no longer longing for the confines. But without Cheng Xu, Yan Qi felt like a fish out of water, each breath painful to endure.

“I like you. I used the wrong approach before. I’m sorry, Xu Ge, but I will change. Can you trust me just this once?” Yan Qi hurriedly sought out Cheng Xu’s lips again, sealing them with another deep kiss, as if he feared that if he didn’t seal them tightly enough, he might hear something he didn’t want to.