Editor and proofreader: Oceanblue

---

Once the heat from the tattoo subsided and he regained his strength, Ye Qingyun pulled himself from Gu Shenyuan’s embrace.

“Not bad. Piece of cake,” Ye Qingyun bluffed, “Is that all you’ve got?”

Gu Shenyuan simply looked at him. “There’s more, want to try it?”

Ye Qingyun, not daring to go any further, quickly brushed it off, saying, “Forget it. You look tired. Let’s give you a break—no more playing with the tattoo.”

Gu Shenyuan didn’t argue, just gently helped Ye Qingyun straighten his clothes before heading off to cool down.

Though Ye Qingyun had recovered, Gu Shenyuan hadn’t quite regained his composure. Ye Qingyun was unaware of his impact, but to Gu Shenyuan, facing him directly, it was all too clear.

His slightly misty eyes, his breath catching softly, and his warm arms wrapped around him—they all felt like a fire, ready to consume him.

Gu Shenyuan didn’t want to rush their relationship too quickly. Without proper preparation, Ye Qingyun could get hurt, and without learning more, he might not have given him the perfect first experience he deserved. He decided to wait a little longer.

One day soon… he’d be Ye Qingyun’s first, leaving his mark forever.

As Gu Shenyuan was about to leave, Ye Qingyun grabbed his hand. “Leaving already? Aren’t you forgetting something?”

He raised his other wrist, still bound by Gu Shenyuan’s ability—its dark energy binding his pale skin to the bedpost, restricting his movement.

Ye Qingyun wrapped his arms around Gu Shenyuan’s waist and looked up with flushed eyes. “You’re not worried I’d run away, are you? I’m already yours.”

Gu Shenyuan paused, then finally released the binding around Ye Qingyun’s wrist. But his possessiveness got the better of him, and he encircled Ye Qingyun’s ring finger with a small band of energy, forming a simple ring.

“Keep this on,” Gu Shenyuan murmured, lowering his gaze. “I’ll always be able to find you.”

He stole a glance at Ye Qingyun, nervously pressing his lips together.

His possessiveness and insecurities wouldn’t let him give Ye Qingyun full freedom. No matter what, he needed some way to keep him close.

Would Ye Qingyun think he was too controlling or unreasonable?

If this made him upset…

“A promise ring?” Ye Qingyun asked, glancing at the energy ring around his finger. He thought, ‘Wow, we’re moving fast. One moment, we’re official; the next, we’re practically engaged.’ 

“I’ll get one for you, too, someday.”

Just after he said it, Gu Shenyuan, apparently affected by something, tilted Ye Qingyun’s chin up for a deep kiss.

When it ended, Gu Shenyuan quickly let go and turned to leave, needing a moment alone.

Ye Qingyun, realizing where he was going, called out, “Wait—do you… want help?”

Flushing at his boldness, Ye Qingyun reasoned that this was his boyfriend’s duty and asked earnestly.

Gu Shenyuan took a deep breath, gathering himself as he replied, “No need. If you don’t want to end up bedridden, don’t say things like that now.”

Ye Qingyun immediately fell silent.

After Gu Shenyuan left, Ye Qingyun lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling, and called out to his system: “System, you saw that, right?”

“What? I saw nothing!” the system exclaimed. “You can’t accuse me—I’ve blocked it all!”

Ye Qingyun: “…I wasn’t talking about that.”

They had agreed that after three months, Ye Qingyun would die according to the plot and receive a new body from the system. But if he died now, Gu Shenyuan would be devastated.

He had two options: reveal his body-switching to Gu Shenyuan or give up the body-swap altogether.

Ye Qingyun told the system his thoughts, and it replied, “About that… when I saw you getting closer to Gu Shenyuan, I reported it to the main system. First, you absolutely cannot reveal our system’s existence, but if you come back after switching bodies, you’ll need a convincing excuse.”

Ye Qingyun agreed and asked if he could cancel the body switch altogether.

The system paused, as if processing instructions, then responded, “It’s possible, but… to be honest, since you’re a minor character entangled with the protagonist, if the world’s consciousness awakens, it may create significant trouble for you. So…”

Ye Qingyun: “So?”

System: “So, we recommend a compromise removing the restriction of dying in three months while allowing you to keep your body. If you encounter trouble, this gives you a fallback.”

Ye Qingyun, shocked: “You can do that? Why are you so agreeable? I’ve seen other systems that aren’t like this at all. Are you up to something?”

System: “… Do we look like exploiters to you?”

These systems maintain world stability and gather energy by having their hosts complete storylines. However, due to miscalculations, this world was unstable from the start due to an unfinished plot, making energy gathering extremely difficult. They had initially considered abandoning efforts to gather energy here, but unexpectedly, during the short time Ye Qingyun and Gu Shenyuan were together, they accumulated a substantial amount of energy.

The main system immediately ordered the best possible conditions to be given, ensuring Gu Shenyuan and Ye Qingyun could stay together.

Ye Qingyun had never encountered the world’s malicious intent, but the systems had seen it often. Even with these conditions, there was no certainty that Ye Qingyun would survive from start to finish. They couldn’t prepare multiple bodies for him either—he had only one rebirth chance.

The system sighed quietly and explained the situation to Ye Qingyun.

Looking at the black ring on his hand, Ye Qingyun smiled: “No problem. If that day ever comes, I’ll make sure to shove the antidote down Gu Shenyuan’s throat before I die.”

Gu Shenyuan might choose to follow him out of grief, but it should never be from the pain of a bloodline curse forcing him to die with him.

He didn’t want Gu Shenyuan as a funeral companion.

For now, he resolved to ensure his safety, live healthily, and not give Gu Shenyuan any chance for such thoughts.

Ye Qingyun looked at the ring on his finger and had a new idea. 

He had promised to buy Gu Shenyuan a ring before, so why not just buy a matching pair for both of them to wear as couple rings?

He could even modify them so they could locate each other. This way, not only could Gu Shenyuan find him, but he could also easily find Gu Shenyuan.

Perfect!

———

When Gu Shenyuan returned, Ye Qingyun shared his idea.

Gu Shenyuan looked at him deeply, his eyes filled with undisguised joy and excitement: “Are you proposing to me?”

Ye Qingyun: ‘…???’

Startled, Ye Qingyun nearly dropped the snack he was holding.

Wait, he hadn’t said that. He just mentioned rings, so why did Gu Shenyuan bring up marriage?

He had only just confessed and gotten together with Gu Shenyuan. Was he already headed toward marriage?

Not that he was unwilling, but wasn’t it too soon?

“Only spouses wear matching rings.” Gu Shenyuan took Ye Qingyun’s hand, firmly separating his fingers and slotting his own between them. “You must have known that, right, Qingyun?”

Ye Qingyun was speechless; he honestly didn’t know. He wasn’t exactly an expert on customs.

Was it that couples here didn’t wear rings, only married people?

Ye Qingyun tried to explain, “Actually, I wasn’t—”

Gu Shenyuan held Ye Qingyun’s hand tightly, cutting him off, his gaze intense: “I accept, Qingyun. You can’t take it back now.”