Yu Sen chewed on his chopsticks thoughtfully and said, “Come to think of it, I was the one pursuing you. You’ve never pursued me, which seems unfair…”

Si Xuanyang paused his actions, amused, and said, “Have a bit of conscience, Yu Sen. Were you really pursuing me during that time? You were torturing me, pretending to be a couple with my brother while flirting with me. I was about to lose it! It was just a step away from moral degradation!”

“That was pursuing in a different way…” Yu Sen mumbled defensively.

Si Xuanyang curled his lips and stopped arguing, using his chopsticks to seriously point at Yu Sen’s bowl, “Focus on eating. My mom won’t be so naive as to break us up. She’ll just be shocked for a while.”

“Really? Your family is that open-minded?”

Si Xuanyang thought for a moment and replied calmly, “It’s not about being open-minded. It’s that I tend to be irritable and stubborn, and they can’t control me, so they direct all their strategies at Si Nan.”

“……”

Yu Sen fell silent, feeling a bit sorry for Si Nan who had such a brother like Si Xuanyang.

He decided to be kinder to him in the future!

Leaning towards Si Xuanyang, Yu Sen whispered in his ear, “Eat slowly. Auntie hasn’t seen you for a while; she probably wants to have a meal with you.”

Warm breath brushed against Si Xuanyang’s ear, making his heart contract. He looked at Yu Sen, his eyes glinting, “You’re being so considerate all of a sudden; it makes me a bit heartbroken.”

Yu Sen didn’t speak, lowering his eyes and lightly kissing Si Xuanyang’s chin, soft and gentle.

Then he sat back down, focusing on his meal. His black hair fell softly over his pale forehead, some strands dipping into his collar, next to the crimson kiss mark, adding a touch of sensuality.

Si Xuanyang’s mind immediately became agitated, his gaze deepened, “How can you be so seductive?”

Yu Sen gave him a light, teasing look, his eyes like hooks, “Same to you.”

“Do you know what I want to do right now?” Si Xuanyang rested a hand on Yu Sen’s chair back, like a restless beast enclosing his territory.

He leaned in slightly, “I almost want to strip you naked and ravage you right here, making sure you don’t sleep for three days and nights.”

Yu Sen nearly dropped his chopsticks.

A few awkward coughs came from behind. Si Xuanyang turned around to see Shu Yuqing with a complex, shocked expression, her gaze repeatedly darting between Si Xuanyang and Yu Sen, as if she was seeing her son in a new light.

It was clear she had heard his earlier remark.

Shu Yuqing had always thought her younger son might end up lonely, as he had rarely shown a good face to anyone throughout his life.

It might sound severe, but according to official checks, he wasn’t a psychopath. He could interact normally with others and appear normal in those interactions.

Shu Yuqing’s main concern was—patience.

While a person’s character is often complex and variable, one thing she was sure of was that her younger son definitely wasn’t a patient person.

This impatience didn’t manifest in his work but in his dealings with people.

Shu Yuqing had even worried long ago whether Si Xuanyang would ever become interested in love and relationships, whether he would find someone he liked, and if so, how he would handle parenting and whether his child would be scared by such a father.

Every program seemed difficult.

But now, there was no need to worry, only shock remained.

Her irritable baby was not only extremely patient with the person in front of him, paying attention to every detail and being so gentle that it was almost like water could drip from him, but he also had a strong desire in that aspect.

It was as if he had become a completely different person.

Shu Yuqing’s feelings were very complicated at the moment, and what she hadn’t expected was that amidst these complicated feelings, there was also a hint of joy.

Just now, Si Nan had talked a lot with her, explicitly and implicitly indicating that Yu Sen was as important to Si Xuanyang as life itself.

Perhaps, even more important than his own life.

Si Nan didn’t say this directly, but Shu Yuqing could see it clearly from Si Xuanyang’s eyes.

Her son, whom she had raised for over twenty years—how could she not understand him with just a little observation? No matter how much time she needed to accept it in her heart, at this moment, she couldn’t let her child be hurt.

Shu Yuqing sighed and glared at Si Xuanyang, “Isn’t he still sick? Can’t you take it easy?”

Si Xuanyang: “…Yes, you’re right.”

Yu Sen: “…”

As expected of mother and son, their tactics were exactly the same as Si Nan’s!

Yu Sen glanced at her nonchalantly, then lowered his eyes, poking at the vegetables in his bowl, slowly putting down his chopsticks with a lack of energy.

Si Nan, standing behind Shu Yuqing, had an expression of disbelief—if he hadn’t known Yu Sen for so many years, he might have believed this weak and docile act!

If you’re not at the Oscars this year, I’m not watching!

But Shu Yuqing happened to be one of those who “believed.”

In her eyes, this child had just looked at her with such cautious eyes, and according to Si Nan, had been seriously ill recently, even entering the emergency room, barely escaping death. After being nursed back to health for so long, he still looked sickly, as pale as snow, as if he would melt if held in the palm of her hand.

There were even red marks on his snow-white neck, caused by “rough treatment.” She heard that Si Xuanyang had been tormenting him all afternoon, and he had only just woken up, even requiring a doctor to be called…

Shu Yuqing’s heart skipped a beat, and the more she thought about it, the more scared she became. She waved him over, “Eat, eat more… Is the food enough? Why is everything so bland? Aunt Zhang, make a few more dishes!”

Si Nan almost fainted from anger behind her! Shu Yuqing hadn’t treated him and Luo Yu like this before!

It’s simply outrageous!

“No need, Mom,” Si Xuanyang stopped Aunt Zhang, “Yu Sen’s stomach isn’t good. If he eats too much variety at night, it’ll be hard to digest. The doctor said even large chunks of meat should be eaten less, so don’t make too much and tempt him.”

“What? Oh… that bad?” Shu Yuqing moved to sit opposite Yu Sen, her eyes filled with even more pity.

“It’s fine, Auntie. These dishes are pretty good. Yang Yang said that with time, I’ll definitely get better,” Yu Sen gave a standard gentle smile, clean and pure.

Si Xuanyang remained calm, though just yesterday Yu Sen had dramatically complained to him about the ‘blood-boosting meal’, saying “I’d rather suffer in pain and eat hotpot and ice cream!”!”

But given the good atmosphere at the moment, he decided not to expose him.

…

The meal left Si Nan dumbfounded, watching Shu Yuqing’s attitude change little by little—it was practically a qualitative leap; she was just short of holding Yu Sen’s hand and calling him ‘son.’

Yu Ge is truly a marvel!

He was impressed.

After the meal, they saw Shu Yuqing off, and Si Xuanyang led Yu Sen for a walk along the artificial mountain path behind the house. Remembering Shu Yuqing’s instructions at the dinner table, Yu Sen smiled with crescent eyes, “Your mom is even more worried about my health than I am.”

Si Xuanyang also smiled, “Because she loves me.”

“So she loves me because of you?”

“That’s part of it. My mom is actually very perceptive,” Si Xuanyang held Yu Sen’s hand, his thumb slowly rubbing over each of his knuckles, his gaze fixed on the warm yellow lights along the path, his voice calm, “She’s more afraid that if something happens to you, my entire life will collapse.”

He paused, then added, “And she’s right to worry.”

Yu Sen felt a sudden tremor in his heart, and even his steps unconsciously halted.

The cool autumn breeze brushed past his neck, seeming to extend that shiver through his entire body. He shrank his neck, turned to hug Si Xuanyang’s waist tightly, drawing warmth from him, his voice tinged with bitterness, “You have that feeling again, don’t you? Is it almost time?”

Si Xuanyang buried his head deeply into Yu Sen’s neck, inhaling hard, hoping the scent of Yu Sen would permeate his entire being: “…Yes, it’s just a few days away.”

Yu Sen’s heart tightened abruptly.

In fact, he was naturally carefree, believing in fate and thinking that as long as you did your best, it was enough.

But after being with Si Xuanyang, his understanding and fear of death deepened day by day. In the world of the clock, he always held onto a glimmer of hope, thinking he would only get hurt at most, just injured.

But people had died there.

Those deaths were real, and their accounts on the real-world forums turned gray the moment they died, never to light up again.

He kept thinking that accidents wouldn’t happen to him, but when they did, it was a hundred percent real.

Si Xuanyang realized this problem earlier than he did and faced it head-on before he did.

But for them now, it was an unsolvable problem.

Yu Sen, lost in thought, slowly kneaded the soft, warm skin at the back of Si Xuanyang’s neck. After a long silence, he suddenly chuckled softly, his tone unusually gentle, “Even if I can’t give you a promise, I just made a promise to Auntie. I said I would slowly get better and always stay by your side. Did you forget?”

Si Xuanyang, like a child clutching his favorite toy, held Yu Sen tightly, and there was a noticeable trace of grievance in his muffled voice, “I didn’t forget. You promised the first part, but never said the second.”

“Hey! You’re so stingy, isn’t it the same meaning?”

“…Was your Chinese taught by a P.E. teacher? They didn’t teach you well…”

Yu Sen couldn’t help but laugh. He feigned anger and gently pushed Si Xuanyang away, lightly tapping his shoulder.

The evening wind grew colder, and after being held for so long, his body felt stiff, his heartbeat irregular, and it seemed like there wasn’t enough blood flow. Yu Sen’s head gradually became dizzy.

He lowered his eyelids, extended his hand towards Si Xuanyang, and helplessly said, “It’s too dark, baby. I’m night-blind and can’t see the way clearly. What should I do?”

“I’ll carry you back.”

Si Xuanyang took a step forward, pressed the back of Yu Sen’s neck, kissed his pale lips, and quickly turned around to crouch down, slightly raising his hands behind him.

Yu Sen sniffled, feeling a bit emotional, and gently lay on Si Xuanyang’s back. He clasped his hands tightly around him and softly asked, “Am I heavy?”

Si Xuanyang stood up, adjusted his grip under Yu Sen’s knees, and carefully observed the path below, making sure each step was steady:

“How could the weight of my whole world not be heavy?”

^[1]Author’s Note:

Your boyfriend: “You’re as heavy as a pig.”

Yu Sen’s boyfriend: “How could the weight of my whole world not be heavy?”