Cen Zhisen returned on Wednesday. After landing, he went straight to the company and stayed busy until evening. Before leaving work, he messaged Ning Zhiyuan, reminding him of dinner and offering to help with moving.

Ning Zhiyuan had just finished discussing a project with someone, and when invited for dinner, he was indifferent. However, upon seeing his lit-up phone screen, he smiled and directly declined, “Sorry, I have plans for the evening.”

For a rare occasion, Ning Zhiyuan left work on time, feeling triumphant. As he left, he even received some teasing remarks from his colleagues.

— The news of him ending his single status just before Singles’ Day was widely known among the employees. Even though the identity of his partner remained a mystery, it was certain that the person was no ordinary individual.

Zhou Haocheng and Ning Zhiyuan took the elevator together. Zhou Haocheng noticed the tail ring on Ning Zhiyuan’s hand and casually asked, “I’ve been away for a few days, and I hear you have a new girlfriend now? What about the one you rekindled with before? Did you break up again?”

“It’s him,” Ning Zhiyuan looked at the descending floor numbers in the elevator, a smile playing on his lips. “And it’s not a girlfriend, it’s a boyfriend.”

“What?” Zhou Haocheng looked surprised.

“It’s true.”

Seeing his old classmate’s astonishment, Ning Zhiyuan kindly clarified his confusion before getting into the car, “Someone you know.”

Zhou Haocheng blurted out, “Is it Mr. Cen?”

Ning Zhiyuan raised an eyebrow, unexpectedly not unexpected, “You knew?”

Zhou Haocheng suddenly realized, “I knew it. How could there be such intimate brothers like you guys? So, this kind of relationship, it’s not surprising.”

“Don’t misunderstand,” Ning Zhiyuan explained with a smile, “It developed into this kind of relationship after we knew we weren’t biological brothers.”

“There’s no misunderstanding,” Zhou Haocheng sighed, “But I always thought you cared too much about your brother, so it’s not particularly surprising. Do you remember one time when we all went on a vacation together, and we arrived at the destination, but you insisted on going back because your brother suddenly went there to see you?”

Ning Zhiyuan recalled the incident and chuckled, “Well, he is my brother, after all.”

Zhou Haocheng couldn’t stand his tone, “Stop showing off.”

“Sorry, I forgot you’re single now.”

“…Are you doing this on purpose?”

“Just try to understand.”

After a few jokes, Zhou Haocheng said finally, “Anyway, I wish you happiness. Don’t let me delay your date. I’m leaving.”

“Thanks.”

Ning Zhiyuan drove alone to Cen An. After waiting in the parking lot for a while, Cen Zhisen came down, opened the car door, and sat in the passenger seat.

The gift he handed over was a box of candy he bought there.

Ning Zhiyuan took it and asked, “I was in that country. Do I need you to buy me a gift?”

“Someone recommended it to me. The stuff from this candy shop is delicious; you should like it. Try it,” Cen Zhisen said.

Ning Zhiyuan unpacked it, peeled off a candy, and tossed it into his mouth. “Not bad. Who recommended it to you?”

“Not the person you told me to stay away from. Don’t worry.”

Ning Zhiyuan glanced at him, then peeled off a second candy, extending his hand with a meaningful look.

Cen Zhisen chuckled, lowered his head, and took the candy into his mouth using Ning Zhiyuan’s hand.

Indeed, very sweet.

As Ning Zhiyuan started the car, he said while reversing, “If you feel that I’m interfering with your social life, you’ll have to bear with it. That’s just how I am, and I’ll interfere even more in the future.”

Cen Zhisen chewed the candy a few times, “Hmm.”

Ning Zhiyuan looked at him, “Hmm, what?”

“I’m okay with that. In fact I like it that way,” Cen Zhisen teased.

Ning Zhiyuan couldn’t be bothered with him, started the car, and drove out of the underground parking lot.

They found a restaurant for dinner, and around seven o’clock, they returned to Ning Zhiyuan’s home to pack his things.

He didn’t have many belongings to take; just some clothes, personal items, and the books he frequently read. Everything else was already at Cen Zhisen’s place.

“When you initially gave me two choices,” while packing, Ning Zhiyuan suddenly asked, “Now that I’ve made the second choice, can those things be returned to you?”

“Do you have to make such a clear distinction?” Cen Zhisen squatted in front of him, flipping through his books, then looked up.

“I said one thing leads to another,” Ning Zhiyuan insisted. “If I don’t return these things, I don’t seem to have the confidence to tell my dad about our relationship.”

Cen Zhisen nodded helplessly, “Let’s talk about it later. No rush.”

“Do you read these every day?” he changed the subject.

Looking at the books in Ning Zhiyuan’s bookcase, besides textbooks and reference books, the only leisure books were probably biographies of famous people.

“Isn’t it boring?”

“Not really,” Ning Zhiyuan chuckled.

Perhaps he had lived a too uneventful life before, so he didn’t have thoughts of romance. Recently, he felt life wasn’t as dull as it seemed, aside from work.

“If you say so,” Cen Zhisen chuckled and helped him pack the books into boxes.

In total, they packed four large boxes, and everything was nearly ready.

“Bring the clothes for this season first, and we can get the others next time,” Ning Zhiyuan covered the last suitcase and sighed in relief. “When I went abroad, it was a few boxes like these. Over a decade later, when I returned to China, it was still the same. I moved in here alone in less than a week after returning. Now I’m moving to your place with these boxes again.”

“This is the last time we move,” Cen Zhisen said casually, helping him zip up the suitcases one by one. “No need to run around anymore.”

“That’s not necessarily true. Don’t speak too soon,” Ning Zhiyuan laughed.

His gaze shifted, and he smiled sarcastically, “What I mean is, your apartment doesn’t seem like a place we can live for fifty or sixty years. It’s too high. When we get older, I don’t want to live there. What if the elevator breaks down, and we can’t climb up?”

“Fifty or sixty years?”

“Yeah,” Ning Zhiyuan nodded. “Isn’t it?”

Cen Zhisen also smiled, “It can be even longer, but that’s for the future.”

The one driving was still Ning Zhiyuan as they left the underground parking lot of his apartment. It was already past nine in the evening.

He turned to Cen Zhisen, “I’ll drive. Your jet lag hasn’t fully adjusted.”

Cen Zhisen was indeed a bit tired, but he didn’t want to waste time, so he insisted on helping Ning Zhiyuan move today.

The weather was good before, but suddenly it started raining.

Waiting at the traffic light, Ning Zhiyuan looked at the windshield wipers swiftly moving back and forth and sighed, “It’s good we left early; it would rain even harder if we were late.”

Cen Zhisen, listening to the sound of rain, seemed to enjoy it, “Zhiyuan.”

Ning Zhiyuan turned his head.

“Give me your hand,” Cen Zhisen gestured.

Ning Zhiyuan didn’t understand, obediently extending his right hand, which was on the steering wheel. Cen Zhisen held his hand, fingers slowly rubbing from the scar to the ring on the little finger, and finally, their palms pressed together, holding onto his hand.

Ning Zhiyuan wanted to laugh, “Ge, the light turned green.”

Cen Zhisen let go of his hand, “okay, focus on driving.”

Ning Zhiyuan took back the steering wheel, laughing, and stepped on the gas again.

He knew what Cen Zhisen was thinking. On such a damp rainy night, Cen Zhisen wasn’t the only one with such thoughts.

After that, the journey was silent. They listened to the sound of rain outside the car window together, and Ning Zhiyuan gradually accelerated the speed.

After entering the Cen Zhisen’s apartment, they embraced each other eagerly, too impatient to turn on the lights. They kissed while untying ties and taking off clothes, heading towards the bedroom.

When their bodies tangled into the bed, Ning Zhiyuan cupped Cen Zhisen’s face with both hands, fingers gently sweeping across his sharp eyebrow bone. “Ge.”

“Hmm?” Cen Zhisen held his back, both hands slowly roaming around his body. It wasn’t as impatient as the night in Prague, and finally, he could touch him properly.

“I love you,” Ning Zhiyuan said, and even his gaze looking at Cen Zhisen’s eyes was particularly sincere and eager.

Cen Zhisen chuckled softly, kissing him, “I know.”

Ning Zhiyuan loved him, something he had always known.

The direct approach was still quite exciting; Ning Zhiyuan’s legs were wrapped around Cen Zhisen’s body, barely holding on, slipping a few times. He was then pinched by Cen Zhisen’s legs and pulled back up.

Heavy rain poured down.

The incessant damp stickiness gradually enveloped their entire bodies. The tattoos on their waists and hips connected and separated repeatedly, becoming increasingly inseparable, forming a unity.

After showering, Ning Zhiyuan went back to the living room to tidy up his things.

Cen Zhisen followed to help.

“If you’re tired, go to sleep first,” Ning Zhiyuan reminded him. “I can handle it myself.”

“The walk-in closet is half yours, and the little-used entertainment room has been transformed into your study.” Cen Zhisen said, showing no intention of going to sleep.

Ning Zhiyuan didn’t mind. Sometimes he had to work when he came home, and Cen Zhisen probably did too. There was no need to separate their study rooms.

Speaking of this, he suddenly remembered something he forgot to ask before, “You haven’t brought anyone here. What’s the guest room for, decoration?”

Unlike his place, which was designed without a guest room since he knew he wouldn’t bring anyone home.

“Not exactly.”

“What is it then?”

Cen Zhisen asked, “Do you really want to know?”

“I do.” Ning Zhiyuan was getting more curious.

“Buying this house, I thought I could occasionally invite my younger brother to stay, but unfortunately, for several years after moving, it hasn’t happened.” Cen Zhisen told the truth, sounding quite regretful.

At that time, he thought Ning Zhiyuan would move out from home after returning to China, and maybe he could move in and live together.

But Ning Zhiyuan was unwilling. The second day after returning to China, he told their dad about moving, saying he wanted to live alone.

Before, Cen Zhisen thought Ning Zhiyuan couldn’t stand having him as an elder brother. Perhaps, but what Ning Zhiyuan couldn’t stand wasn’t Cen Zhisen himself; it was just the people and things that diverted his attention.

“…” This answer was indeed unexpected for Ning Zhiyuan. “You’ve never invited me. Why did you think I would refuse?”

Cen Zhisen admitted, “Yeah, that was probably my mistake for assuming that.”

“Ge, you’re quite weird too. We’re evenly matched,” Ning Zhiyuan teased.

Cen Zhisen didn’t deny, “That’s true, at least with you.”

“Come on, let’s not talk about this.”

Ning Zhiyuan felt it was meaningless and squatted on the ground, looking up at the person who not only didn’t help but kept talking, “Are you really not going to sleep?”

Cen Zhisen said, “I still need to unpack my things as well.”

He had just returned to China today and had been busy the whole day, without any time to unpack.

Cen Zhisen opened his suitcase and took out a crystal photo frame from it. It was entirely transparent, containing the photo they took in Prague.

Ning Zhiyuan took a look. The photo frame had a good texture, “Did you buy it there?”

“I saw it when I went shopping before coming back, so I bought it.” Cen Zhisen explained.

Ning Zhiyuan stared at the photo for a moment and asked, “Where should we hang it?”

“Up to you,” Cen Zhisen said.

After thinking for a moment, Ning Zhiyuan got up and went back to the master bedroom, placing the photo frame on the bedside table.

“Cen Zhisen,” he turned around and said to the person following him, “Although I don’t have a whole album, having this photo frame is not bad, right?”

“Satisfied with this?” Cen Zhisen laughed and asked.

“Okay, a bit more would be nice,” Ning Zhiyuan admitted.

Cen Zhisen handed him the Polaroid, “You keep this.”

Ning Zhiyuan took it and said, “Let’s go check the study.”

His study was almost a duplicate of his own living space. After entering, Ning Zhiyuan looked around and was quite satisfied.

He placed the brought books on the bookshelf, walked to the desk, and turned on the table lamp.

There was a window beside the table, and outside the window was the cold night rain. In this room, warm-colored light poured down. Ning Zhiyuan spread his palm, letting the light fall through his fingers.

Since childhood, he liked playing this game. In those lights, under the sun during the day, and under the moon at night, he was always tirelessly trying to grasp something.

It seemed that today, he had truly grasped what he wanted.

Cen Zhisen watched his movements, “Zhiyuan, what did you catch?”

Ning Zhiyuan smiled, “Everything.”

After a moment, he withdrew his hand and asked, “Do you have a hole punch and a thin rope?”

“Wait a moment.”

Cen Zhisen went to his own study to fetch the things for him. Ning Zhiyuan picked up the Polaroid, made a small hole in the upper right corner, threaded it with a thin rope, and hung it under the desk lamp.

So, the light also poured onto this photo.

Similar to that time in the office, Cen Zhisen reached out, pulled Ning Zhiyuan’s waist, lifted him to sit on the desk, leaned forward, hands on both sides of his body, looking at him.

“You don’t plan to have a round here, do you?” Ning Zhiyuan also put his hands on his shoulders, pinching a couple of times unhurriedly. “Really don’t want to sleep?”

Cen Zhisen kissed him, first the lips, then the neck, the red mole on the neck, the Adam’s apple in front, and finally landed on the collarbone, sucking hard.

Ning Zhiyuan’s hands on his shoulders slowly tightened. When Cen Zhisen’s kiss returned to his lips, he asked, “Ge, is this going to be my home from now on?”

Cen Zhisen’s voice melted between their intertwined lips, “It’s our home.”