Editor and proofreader: Oceanblue

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A few days later, Ye Qingyun realized he couldn’t just sit and wait. He had to take action.

That evening, he purposefully put on a troubled expression, stirring his soup with his spoon in a pensive manner.
Here, all the meals were made by Gu Shenyuan, and in just a few days, Ye Qingyun witnessed his cooking skills transform from average to chef-level.

Ye Qingyun once praised Gu Shenyuan for his rapid improvement, asking him how he managed it. Gu Shenyuan had simply replied, “I used to cook just for myself, so I didn’t put much thought into it.” His expression remained calm. “But for you, it’s different.”

Hearing this, Ye Qingyun felt complicated emotions. Since that day, he made sure to show enthusiasm when eating, so today, when he appeared to have lost his appetite, it quickly caught Gu Shenyuan’s attention.

“Not feeling well?” Gu Shenyuan asked.

‘Sigh,‘ Ye Qingyun replied with a sigh. “…It’s nothing.”

Gu Shenyuan didn’t believe him and furrowed his brow, asking again.

After some persistent questioning, Ye Qingyun finally pretended to answer reluctantly, “I’ve been researching the Stone of Love a lot lately, maybe too much. I feel like my hair is falling out more than before… I’m worried—could I be going bald?”

Gu Shenyuan paused, glanced at Ye Qingyun’s hair, and after a moment replied, “No, it looks the same as before.”

“You’re lying!” Ye Qingyun put his head down on the table in mock sadness. He knew he hadn’t lost any more hair; he was just playing it up. He had anticipated Gu Shenyuan’s response and continued pressing, “I’ve been checking the fallen hairs in the house lately. It’s basically all mine. You don’t have that worry!”

Feigning distress, Ye Qingyun wiped his eyes as he heard Gu Shenyuan’s resigned response:
“…I don’t shed any.”

Ye Qingyun raised his head, grabbed Gu Shenyuan’s sleeve, and demanded, “Tell me your secret to not losing any hair. Hurry up!”

A gentle, exasperated look crossed Gu Shenyuan’s face. He reached up, plucked two strands of hair from his head, and held them in his palm. Ye Qingyun watched as a thin layer of energy enveloped the strands, causing them to quickly dissolve and disappear.

“As you can see,” Gu Shenyuan replied, “that’s how.”

Ye Qingyun: ‘…?’

That’s the reason he doesn’t lose hair?

Why go to the trouble of dissolving every stray hair with an energy barrier?

Gu Shenyuan explained calmly, “Back when I was young and still with the Gu family, I encountered many people with ulterior motives. Some of them, who believed in strange practices, secretly took my hair, hoping to use it in spells to make me fall in love with them.”

“Oh!” Ye Qingyun’s heart skipped a beat. “So… did anything happen to you?”

Gu Shenyuan looked at Ye Qingyun and gave a small smile.

Remembering that he was the first person Gu Shenyuan had shown interest in, Ye Qingyun relaxed and speculated, “So you discovered this and, to prevent it from happening again, you use your ability to automatically dissolve any fallen hair?”

Gu Shenyuan nodded.

“But that still isn’t completely safe!” Ye Qingyun added anxiously. “There are plenty of other things people could use besides hair!”

After all, if he wanted to pull off his secret plans, hair wasn’t the only option; there was also blood, saliva, and more.

“You’re right,” Gu Shenyuan replied. “So it’s not just hair. Blood, saliva, sweat, and any shed skin tissue from injuries—anything that leaves my body is dissolved by my power.”

Hearing how thoroughly protected Gu Shenyuan was, Ye Qingyun breathed a sigh of relief.

Of course, a treasure like Gu Shenyuan should take good care of himself—

Wait a minute. If he’s that well-protected, how was Ye Qingyun supposed to get anything from him?

Should he just ask Gu Shenyuan to help him gather some samples?

Knowing how cautious Gu Shenyuan was, if he asked outright, he might never even see a single strand of hair.

Ye Qingyun furrowed his brow in frustration, just as Gu Shenyuan reached out to tuck a stray lock of his hair behind his ear, saying softly, “It’s still beautiful, and even if you went bald, I’d still like you.”

Ye Qingyun felt his ears grow warm. He shifted in his chair to escape Gu Shenyuan’s touch, lowering his head to sip his soup.

So, how was he supposed to get what he needed?

Then an idea struck him.

There was still one thing Gu Shenyuan hadn’t mentioned.

That particular thing had seemed impossible from the start, so he hadn’t considered it.

Feeling awkward but sensing this might be his only chance, Ye Qingyun bit the bullet and decided to ask.

After finishing his bowl of soup and giving himself a mental pep talk, he put on a curious look and asked, “I mean no offense—just curious. If everything that leaves your body is dissolved, then… your… um, crystal fluid—is that destroyed too?”

Gu Shenyuan’s gaze darkened, but he didn’t respond.

Ye Qingyun pressed on, despite his nerves: “It would be dissolved too, right? It’s simple enough to activate your ability when it’s no longer in your body, right? Haha.”

After speaking, he prepared to assume that Gu Shenyuan’s silence meant that crystal fluid was dissolved too.

But then, just as he was about to clear the table and stand up, he heard Gu Shenyuan say, “No.”

“Huh?” Ye Qingyun blinked, then realized that Gu Shenyuan meant he didn’t dissolve that.

Curious, he asked, “Why not?”

Gu Shenyuan’s dark eyes lingered on him for a moment without speaking.

Just as Ye Qingyun was about to give up on receiving an answer, Gu Shenyuan finally replied.

“No one else would ever come into contact with it,” he said, staring directly at Ye Qingyun with a steady, serious gaze. “It belongs to you. There’s no need to dissolve it.”

Standing under the shower in the bathroom, Ye Qingyun let the hot water wash over him, rinsing away the day. But he couldn’t ignore the awkwardness creeping up at the thought of having to go back and share a room with Gu Shenyuan afterward.

Gu Shenyuan’s words earlier were just too smooth! How was he supposed to compete with that?

“Maybe it’s not just smooth talk,” the system commented. “Perhaps it’s just the truth from the heart.”

Ye Qingyun’s face flushed hot alongside the water. He hurriedly scrubbed the foam from his body and hair, intending to turn off the water and get dressed, but his foot slipped, sending him crashing sideways.

His waist collided right on the edge of the tub, and he gasped, falling to the floor. Pain seared through his back, making his vision blur and his ears buzz.

No big deal, he thought. At least he hadn’t hit his head; he’d just lie here until the pain faded. Modern medicine could handle this—just apply some ointment, and he’d be fine.

He definitely wouldn’t call Gu Shenyuan. Seeing him in this condition would only make everything worse.

He shut his eyes, waiting for the pain to subside. Just then, the shower water stopped, and a hand gently pressed on his bruised side.

Ye Qingyun groaned and opened his eyes to see Gu Shenyuan crouched beside him, a serious expression on his face.

Ye Qingyun jolted. “Why—why did you come in without saying anything? I’m still showering!”

Gu Shenyuan didn’t answer, just frowned deeper, assessing the injury before standing up and leaving the bathroom.

When he returned, he had a bottle of spray. He dried Ye Qingyun’s skin with a towel, applied the medicine, and massaged it to aid absorption.

The medicine worked wonders, easing the pain significantly, and yet the warmth of Gu Shenyuan’s hand lingered, filling his senses.

Ye Qingyun attempted to rise. “I’m fine now. You… you can go back to what you were doing…”

But the next moment, Gu Shenyuan lifted him with ease.

“Don’t move,” he commanded, ignoring Ye Qingyun’s squirming as he carried him to the bed and laid him down.

Gu Shenyuan’s gaze was intense, almost dangerous. Feeling flustered, Ye Qingyun pulled the blanket up and stammered, “I-I-I’m okay. You can…go about your business.”

Gu Shenyuan paused, then finally turned and left.

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Gu Shenyuan leaned against the bathroom wall, recalling what he’d just seen.

The panic he’d felt over Ye Qingyun’s injury had faded, but now… another feeling lingered.

So that’s what the full design of his tattoo looked like.

Ye Qingyun’s skin was so fair, his waist so delicate, his limbs slender. The red tattoo spanned his lower back, adding an unexpected allure.

Normally, Ye Qingyun seemed a bit distant, but just now, he’d looked like someone who could pull a person into an intoxicating reverie.

The tattoo suited him perfectly.

Gu Shenyuan closed his eyes, his breathing growing heavy.

He was a man, after all. Seeing his beloved in that state had stirred thoughts he couldn’t ignore.

It took a while, but once he had finally calmed down, he was just about to clean up when he heard something fall in the bedroom.

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Ye Qingyun had accidentally rolled off the bed while sleeping.

When he saw Gu Shenyuan rush in, he flushed, hastily grabbing his blanket to cover himself.
“C-can you leave for a minute? I need to…get dressed.”

After Gu Shenyuan left, Ye Qingyun went back to the bathroom to retrieve his clothes. Once inside, a familiar scent caught his attention.

It was a scent any man would recognize.

He scanned the room, and his gaze landed on a small spot nearby.

Since it was just the two of them, he could tell that it wasn’t from him.

Gu Shenyuan actually…!

Shocked, Ye Qingyun approached, prodding the spot with his fingertip. It was real; it wasn’t his imagination!

Quickly returning to the bedroom, he grabbed an empty container and carefully collected the sample, hiding it away.

Somehow, he’d managed to get his hands on… the one thing he’d thought was impossible to obtain.