Darkness can, to some extent, deprive people of their perception of the passage of time. Tao Fengche didn’t know why he hadn’t broken the silence, so the two of them walked for quite a while in silence.

As they walked, Sui Yuesheng suddenly heard the sound of flowing water and was led up several flights of stairs by Tao Fengche, which gave him some guesses about their destination.

“We’re here.”

Before Sui Yuesheng could speak to test the waters, Tao Fengche suddenly spoke up. Then, he carefully helped him sit down on a chair and actively untied the satin ribbon.

“Look!” Tao Fengche said impatiently, his tone hiding a hint of pride.

Sui Yuesheng slowly opened his eyes—

They were sitting side by side in a pavilion on an artificial lake.

The water rippled, glimmering like a layer of crushed gold under the moonlight. The pavilion was unlit, relying solely on the lamps along the shore and the bright moonlight for illumination, yet it didn’t appear dark at all. On the stone table, there was a four-tier wooden food box, and Tao Fengche was busy taking out the food inside.

Mooncakes, lotus flower pastries, salted egg yolk pastries, osmanthus cakes… in addition to these traditional pastries, there was also a pot of green tea and two bowls of glutinous rice balls with osmanthus.

Next to the stone table, there was also a bottle of milky-white osmanthus wine. Sui Yuesheng glanced over and understood: “Are we celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival?”

“Mm.” Tao Fengche looked eagerly at Sui Yuesheng, “It’s the first traditional festival since reuniting with you Ge, and I didn’t want to miss it.”

Tao Fengche skipped over the Qixi Festival and still called Sui Yuesheng ‘Ge.’ Sui Yuesheng smiled but didn’t point out his mistake.

After all, during Qixi, he was still on the West Continent. And if he didn’t call him Ge… what else could he call him?

Like others in relationships would call their partners “baby”? “Dear”? “Boyfriend”?

… Each of those sounded so strange.

Sui Yuesheng pursed his lips, unable to imagine how he would react if Tao Fengche called him something like that—too awkward; he would definitely end up wanting to hit him.

Calling him Ge was pretty good.

He had gotten used to it and liked the bond that this title represented, along with its underlying meaning.

Sui Yuesheng took a piece of mooncake and silently thought.

At that moment, he had no idea that not long after, he would regret this decision profoundly.

The new-style custard mooncake had a moist, soft crust, and biting into it revealed gritty salted egg yolk particles. He was pleasantly surprised by the first bite, but by the second piece, it felt a bit too sweet.

Sui Yuesheng frowned slightly and instinctively reached for the wine to quench his thirst, but he didn’t see any wine cups on the table.

He looked suspiciously at Tao Fengche: “Where’s the wine cup?”

“I didn’t prepare any.” Tao Fengche said matter-of-factly, “You’re injured and can’t drink alcohol.”

Sui Yuesheng: “…”

He withdrew his hand in exasperation: “Since you didn’t prepare wine cups, why put the wine out at all?”

“The custom of the Mid-Autumn Festival is to drink osmanthus wine.” Tao Fengche reasoned, “Even if we can’t drink, just displaying it is a way to seek good fortune.”

“…”

Sui Yuesheng was speechless.

He wasn’t from Kyushu, so he couldn’t understand Tao Fengche’s pursuit of traditional customs, nor could he empathize. He could only reach for the glutinous rice balls with osmanthus again, but once more, he found nothing.

“No!” Tao Fengche nervously protected both bowls of rice balls, “These have alcohol in them, which isn’t good for your wound healing.”

The two pieces of mooncake he had eaten earlier were stuck in his throat, and Sui Yuesheng felt uncomfortable from the sweetness. He became a bit impatient as Tao Fengche continued to block him: “Then you…”

“Rituals, rituals.”

Tao Fengche, observing Sui Yuesheng’s mood, hurriedly fished out a teacup from the food box and made a cup of tea for him: “Ge, have some tea!”

Sui Yuesheng shot him a cold glance but still drank the tea.

“You made this?” He put down the teacup and met Tao Fengche’s expectant gaze, raising an eyebrow.

“Mm, I brewed it after dinner and had them send it over. It’s not bad, right? I used to learn from the old man specifically.”

“Actually, I don’t know much about tea.” Sui Yuesheng smiled, “But the tea is clear and has a sweet aftertaste… it tastes good.”

“Then I’ll make it for you every day.”

“Let’s skip that.” Sui Yuesheng chuckled, “Just study well; leave these things to the servants.”

Unconsciously, he took on the role of a guardian again. Tao Fengche felt a bit uncomfortable with the change in his attitude, reluctantly nodded, and softly said “Okay.”

Tao Fengche’s whole demeanor drooped, looking like a wilted vegetable. Sui Yuesheng found it amusing and couldn’t help but pinch his face: “Alright, are you not happy because I’m not letting you work? If you want to drink, you can drink by yourself.”

He awkwardly changed the subject.

Sui Yuesheng gave him a way out, but Tao Fengche didn’t appreciate it and moved the wine bottle further away: “No, I’ll share your hardships. When your injury heals, I’ll drink with you. There are several types of osmanthus wine for the Mid-Autumn Festival; besides this osmanthus rice wine, there’s also plum wine with osmanthus added, which tastes pretty good.”

“Hey, I haven’t reminded you that minors shouldn’t drink. You’re getting ahead of yourself?” Sui Yuesheng shot him a glare, “You can drink if you want; I’m not stopping you. What do you mean by ‘sharing hardships’? You’ve got some guts now, daring to provoke me?”

He narrowed his eyes: “As if I’m a drunkard. When have you ever seen me drink voluntarily, except for unavoidable social obligations?”

Sui Yuesheng spoke with conviction, but little did he know it struck a nerve with Tao Fengche.

He had indeed seen!

Not only had he seen it, but it left a deep impression.

Tao Fengche couldn’t help but recall that midnight in July when a drunken Sui Yuesheng was completely intoxicated, clinging to him and speaking sweetly as if dripping with honey…

Of course, there was also that detestable, rose-scented alpha who had called Sui Yuesheng ‘baby’ and had seen him just yesterday…!

Tao Fengche looked like he had soaked in a jar of vinegar, remaining silent for a long time before finally glaring fiercely at Sui Yuesheng, then leaned in as if to kiss him.

Their lips brushed briefly before separating, and Tao Fengche angrily sat back in his seat: “You know it yourself.”

… What do I know? What’s he angry about now?

Sui Yuesheng couldn’t understand what Tao Fengche was thinking. He was annoyed that he would suddenly come over to kiss him, but since there was no one around, he didn’t say much, only patiently asking: “What?”

Tao Fengche let out a cold snort.

He knew it! Sui Yuesheng wouldn’t remember anything when he was drunk! Not a shred of vigilance at all!

Sui Yuesheng’s patience was quite limited. After asking once and seeing Tao Fengche remain silent, he was too lazy to ask again. He poured himself a cup of tea and sipped it slowly, deciding to let Tao Fengche be for a while.

Tao Fengche was lost in a fit of jealousy and only after a while did he realize that Sui Yuesheng hadn’t spoken for a long time.

He turned to look at Sui Yuesheng— the evening breeze brought a chill, and Sui Yuesheng had already taken the hot water bag the servant had placed for him and was holding it tightly in his hands.

The pavilion was breezy on all sides and close to the water. Sui Yuesheng, who usually feared the cold, said nothing at this moment.

Tao Fengche’s heart softened, and he no longer cared about being jealous: “Shall we go back?”

“Don’t you want to look at the moon a bit longer?” Sui Yuesheng turned to look at him.

He was indeed a bit cold, but it wasn’t a big deal. Moreover, since today was a make-up for the Mid-Autumn Festival, just looking at the table filled with food showed that Tao Fengche had prepared for a long time. He didn’t want to let Tao Fengche’s hopes go to waste.

Tao Fengche looked up at the sky.

The sky was clear without a cloud, and a round, golden moon hung among the stars, like an old-fashioned golden mooncake that made one want to take a bite. The evening breeze was gentle, and the bright moonlight created a truly beautiful scene.

But Tao Fengche had already lost interest.

“No, thanks.” He turned his head and looked seriously into Sui Yuesheng’s eyes: “The moon isn’t as good-looking as you Ge.”

Smooth talker!

Sui Yuesheng moved his ears awkwardly and stood up expressionlessly: “Then let’s go.”

Tao Fengche stared at the tip of his ears, wanting to say something but hesitating. Earlier, Sui Yuesheng had casually tucked his hair behind his ear, and without the obstruction, the hint of red on his ear became particularly noticeable.

He wanted to take a bite. Tao Fengche’s gaze darkened.

On the way back, without the blindfold, the two walked side by side. Sui Yuesheng suddenly spoke up: “I’ll send a message to your homeroom teacher tomorrow to ask for a sick leave for you. You should rest at home for a week, okay?”

It was clearly a question but came out with a definitive tone.

Tao Fengche had no strong feelings about it, his attention quickly drifting elsewhere. He nudged Sui Yuesheng with his elbow and began to act cute: “Will you keep me company?”

“…Sure.”

Sui Yuesheng remained silent for a long time before agreeing.

···

Tao Fengche never expected that Sui Yuesheng would only accompany him for three days.

On the first day after the Mid-Autumn holiday, Tao Fengche got up early and wanted to invite Sui Yuesheng for a walk. However, after searching the upstairs and downstairs, he couldn’t find him anywhere. It was only after asking Xu Song that he learned that Sui Yuesheng had gone to work.

“Master Sui said that the Tao corporation has urgent matters to handle, so you should stay at home,” Xu Song added. “It’s best if you don’t leave the mansion.”

He still remembered how angry Tao Fengche had been the last time Sui Yuesheng restricted his movements. As soon as Xu Song finished speaking, he held his breath to sneak a glance at Tao Fengche’s expression, preparing a whole basket of comforting words.

Tao Fengche lowered his head and thought for a moment before asking, “Is it that I shouldn’t go out before he comes home, or can I not go out even after he’s back?”

“Before he comes home.”

Xu Song was on high alert, already prepared for Tao Fengche to explode in anger, but was taken aback when he suddenly smiled.

“Alright, then I’ll head back to my room. If he says this to you again next time, just remind him to come home early—I’m still stuck at home because of him.”

With that, Tao Fengche really turned around and went upstairs, looking particularly calm, even showing a hint of obedience.

Xu Song looked at Tao Fengche’s back in astonishment, feeling a sense of unfamiliarity—was this still the Tao Fengche he had watched grow up?

Little did he know that Tao Fengche had cleared up his misunderstandings about Sui Yuesheng, and their relationship had undergone a tremendous change. Consequently, his attitude and views on being “grounded” were naturally different as well—

Previously, it felt like being held captive, but now it was his lover constantly worrying about his safety, occasionally showing excessive protectiveness.

What should I do if my brother loves me too much? Tao Fengche tilted his head slightly, pretending to be distressed.