City A.

Yu Nian swiped his access card, the elevator showed the 16th floor, and Qi Wang stood beside him. The silhouettes of the two people were faintly reflected on the silver doors of the elevator.

Yu Nian draped his gray coat over his shoulder with one hand, feeling a bit awkward for some reason. It had just rained outside, and he accidentally left the car window open halfway, so his hair was slightly damp and darker than usual.

A tiny droplet of water fell from his hair and landed on his neck, sending a shiver down his spine.

Returning from Jiangyang County to City A, he originally just wanted Qi Wang to drop him off, but when the car reached the underground garage, Qi Wang naturally followed him upstairs.

Originally, the two of them were very comfortable being alone in Jiangyang County, but now that they were back in City A, back to the building where he lived, life seemed to have returned to normal after escaping from a journey. Standing side by side in the spacious and quiet elevator, Yu Nian inexplicably felt a bit shy and uncomfortable.

He thought, did he and Qi Wang just reconcile?

He accepted Qi Wang’s fluorite, accepted Qi Wang’s roses, and also accepted him as a person.

No matter how you look at it, it’s a definite relationship.

So, were they… lovers now?

This word popped into Yu Nian’s mind, making his back tingle.

This word seemed too unfamiliar to him.

He had been alone for so many years, from hope to despair. He seemed to have defaulted to not having such an intimate relationship anymore.

Before, his entanglement with Qi Wang was unclear, but in the end, it was just a layer of bedding covering the core.

He could be reckless, pretend to be indifferent to hide his true feelings, attribute all emotions to desire, and pretend that it was just a physical affair.

But now, that thin layer of armor had shattered, and Qi Wang knew everything. He no longer had any weapons to resist Qi Wang.

Thinking of this, Yu Nian even felt a bit dejected, like a student whose review materials were taken away before an exam.

He lowered his head, frowned, and looked somewhat distressed.

What should love be like?

After such a long time apart, he seemed to have forgotten. He could still remember how he used to snuggle in Qi Wang’s arms, stay up late watching horror movies, go to the movies hand in hand on weekends, and even detour to buy egg puffs on their way back.

But what used to be so natural now seemed like a blurry fog in his memory.

Sometimes, he even felt like he was watching someone else’s movie.

It was unbelievable that it was actually him.

The person who used to laugh recklessly, full of pride and confidence, loved and even indulged by Qi Wang, was actually him.

Yu Nian thought of this, turned his head to look at Qi Wang, and unexpectedly found Qi Wang looking at him too, his deep black eyes staring at him, obviously watching him for quite some time.

Yu Nian was startled for a moment, then turned his head away again, feeling a bit embarrassed.

Within a few seconds, the elevator dinged, indicating they had reached the 16th floor.

“Let’s go.”

Seeing that Yu Nian seemed to be still processing, Qi Wang held his hand and led him out of the elevator.

Even when Yu Nian sat on the sofa at home, holding a cup of water and watching Qi Wang familiarly moving around the house, opening windows for ventilation, and even tidying up the magazines on the table, he felt a bit confused.

He couldn’t help but wonder, whose home was this anyway? Why did Qi Wang act like he was back on his own territory?

Perhaps his suspicion was too obvious, as Qi Wang noticed it and adjusted the luggage slightly before walking over to him.

The sofa sank a bit where he sat, and Qi Wang reached out to touch Yu Nian’s hair. “Why are you staring at me?”

Yu Nian, holding the warm water, lips against the edge of the glass, asked softly, “Are you… also planning to stay here today?”

“Yeah.”

A brief moment of silence followed.

Qi Wang looked at Yu Nian and asked again, “Don’t you want me to?”

Yu Nian shook his head. “No.”

He hesitated for a moment, closed his eyes, and said somewhat resignedly, “I’m just not used to it. I haven’t gotten used to suddenly becoming… lovers with you again.” Yu Nian paused here for a moment, finding it difficult to say the next few words naturally, “I haven’t been in a romantic relationship with anyone for a long time, I don’t even know what normal couples should do anymore.”

Before, when Qi Wang came to his house, they would either go to bed or do their own things in the same space. Sometimes Qi Wang cooked dinner, sometimes they went out to eat.

He was very accustomed to this life, and he would watch a movie side by side with Qi Wang and discuss the pros and cons of certain plot techniques.

But should couples be more intimate… like they were eight years ago?

Yu Nian looked at Qi Wang with a troubled expression. “Although I agreed to be with you, there’s something I may need to be honest with you about. You’ve probably noticed it already. I’m not the same person I used to be. I’m not good at being cute anymore, I’m not clingy, not cheerful, not enthusiastic. I’ve changed a lot. I know you still love me, but if you start dating me again, it may not be as beautiful as you remember. You should have felt it during our previous interactions.”

This was one of the reasons why he couldn’t bring himself to talk to Qi Wang earlier.

These eight years were too long, and he had changed completely. When he first reunited with Qi Wang, he really doubted whether Qi Wang was just nostalgic for their initial love, nostalgic for his naive and passionate self. He was afraid that if they spent enough time together, Qi Wang would be disappointed and withdraw. This made him even more anxious, like a hedgehog.

Now he understood that Qi Wang genuinely wanted to be with him.

But deep down, he still harbored a profound sense of unease.

As Yu Nian spoke, his face grew slightly colder again. He knew it was not good, but he was used to thinking the worst about everything now.

“If you…” He whispered two words, but couldn’t continue the sentence.

If what?

If Qi Wang was disappointed in him, could he let go at any time and move on?

He would never allow such a thing to happen.

Qi Wang clearly saw Yu Nian’s annoyed expression, but he couldn’t guess what was going on in Yu Nian’s mind.

For many years, Yu Nian had been like a light and airy puzzle to him.

Their environments were too different, and Yu Nian was so delicate and naive. Holding Yu Nian in his arms was like holding a precious pearl; he didn’t know how to handle it properly.

But after all these years, he had made some progress.

He asked Yu Nian, “Do you think you’re very different from before?”

Yu Nian looked puzzled. “Not really, anyone with eyes can see that, right?”

Ying Quanshen and Zhang Yunyao had been joking behind his back, saying that he had transformed from a sweet little bean into a sinister villain, capable of scaring children with just one glance.

Qi Wang reached out to touch Yu Nian’s face, his fingers entwined in his hair.

“You still like sweets, you like walking barefoot at home, you feel a bit down on rainy days, but it doesn’t affect you much, you’re delicate, can’t even cut apples properly, messy, like buying blind boxes, sulking if you don’t get what you like, easily feeling wronged, getting low when facing difficulties at work…”

Qi Wang listed a bunch of things.

Yu Nian’s face turned black.

He sneered inwardly, thinking how unfair it was to him.

He was about to speak when he heard Qi Wang continue, “All these things about you are exactly the same as before. The only difference is that you’ve grown up and learned to hide them.”

Qi Wang’s eyelashes drooped as he gazed at Yu Nian’s face. Yu Nian, who was about to get angry, was interrupted and stared blankly at him. His eyes widened slightly, rounder than usual.

Yu Nian was now sitting on the sofa with one leg bent, his chin lightly resting on his knee as he tilted his head to look over.

Qi Wang wondered, what had changed?

This innocent look was still exactly the same as before.

At least in his eyes.

He said, “Yu Nian, you haven’t changed as much as you think. You’ve just grown up and need new armor to face the outside world, and also face me, who once hurt you. If we’re talking about changes, haven’t I changed too? Maybe I’m not as good as you remember. You spend every day with me, maybe you’ll find more flaws in me. I’m even more stubborn than before, still rigid, never accommodating.”

His fingertips brushed Yu Nian’s face. “I also wish you didn’t grow up, because that would mean you haven’t suffered too much in these years. But how could a person’s adolescence and youth remain unchanged? Everyone changes at different moments in life. And a partner is someone who witnesses these moments.”

Yu Nian blinked his eyelashes, the confusion fading from his face, but there was still some awkwardness.

Qi Wang held his face, and the two gradually leaned in, noses almost touching.

“I’m very clear, whether you’re eighteen or twenty-six, I love you,” Qi Wang said. “I’m almost thirty now, I won’t confuse what I want. I want you, every moment of you, to belong to me. My desire for you might scare you.”

As Qi Wang said this last sentence, his voice lowered, almost indistinct.

He kissed Yu Nian’s lips.

Yu Nian hesitated for a moment, then also parted his lips, accepting Qi Wang’s kiss.

Qi Wang’s lips were thin and cold, but gradually warmed up in the entanglement. Yu Nian’s lips were always soft, more plump and tempting than his current distant and cold demeanor. They had an irresistible allure.

In his heart, Qi Wang thought, he forgot to mention that Yu Nian was a bit clumsy when it came to changing breath while kissing, just like before.

It was easy to be kissed until breathless, cheeks flushing, only able to make little humming sounds, like begging for mercy, but only making the other person want to tease more.

And he hadn’t made much progress compared to before either. The wicked genes in his bones would easily be ignited in front of Yu Nian.

It wasn’t until he had kissed Yu Nian breathless that Qi Wang stopped, but several buttons on Yu Nian’s collar had already been undone.

Qi Wang’s kisses lingered on Yu Nian’s cheeks.

He said, “It’s okay, forgetting how to love for a while is not a big deal. I’ll help you remember slowly.”

Before, Yu Nian had always pursued him without hesitation, clinging to him, relying on him.

Now it was time for him to be the guide, to be the proactive one chasing after Yu Nian.