On that Friday, Ning Zhiyuan attended an investment summit held locally.

During the forum discussion, while he was eloquently talking about topics related to industrial investment and transformation, he suddenly heard a faint laughter. Subconsciously, he looked up and saw Cen Zhisen, who had been away on a business trip for almost a week, sitting in the back row of the venue. Cen Zhisen was smiling and looking at him.

Meeting eyes, Cen Zhisen nodded, indicating him to continue speaking without minding him.

Ning Zhiyuan had no intention of bothering him. However, even after consciously trying to ignore him, Cen Zhisen’s intense gaze lingered on him. The presence was too strong. Despite it being winter, he felt unusually warm and restless.

The event concluded in the evening.

After exchanging pleasantries with colleagues, when Ning Zhiyuan turned around, he saw Cen Zhisen standing there, waiting for him.

“When did you come back?”

“Just arrived in the afternoon.”

“Why would President Cen bother to attend such a small summit?”

“Just passing by, thought I’d drop by.”

After a few words, they laughed together, and Cen Zhisen gestured, “Let’s go home.”

They walked side by side towards the exit. Ning Zhiyuan turned his head and asked in Cen Zhisen’s ear, “What did you come for?”

“To see you,” Cen Zhisen replied with a low laugh.

Ning Zhiyuan, feeling a bit ticklish from his laughter, asked, “See me for what?”

Cen Zhisen didn’t answer immediately, seemingly savoring the moment.

When he came in and took a seat in the back row, his gaze had lingered on Ning Zhiyuan. He probably hadn’t paid much attention to what others were saying, as his eyes were solely fixed on Ning Zhiyuan, who confidently and eloquently discussed topics during the forum.

Compared to before, Ning Zhiyuan seemed more relaxed, having toned down the excessive sharpness. Yet, this version of Ning Zhiyuan was even more eye-catching.

“Your outfit looks good today,” Cen Zhisen said.

Ning Zhiyuan glanced down at his attire – a regular gray overcoat over a casual suit and sweater. Nothing particularly special.

“Want me to strip you naked,” Cen Zhisen suddenly became less serious.

Ning Zhiyuan chuckled, “Is that what you were thinking the whole time you were sitting there?”

“Why, is there a problem?” Cen Zhisen didn’t feel embarrassed at all.

“Cen Zhisen,” Ning Zhiyuan reminded him, “stop acting like a hooligan.”

“I’m not. Seriously,” Cen Zhisen said. He just never bothered to conceal his true desires.

Ning Zhiyuan reached out, pointedly tapping on the back of Cen Zhisen’s hand. “Then let’s go home.”

Cen Zhisen’s hand slid from his shoulder to his waist, giving it a brief squeeze before letting go. “Sure.”

As they got into the car, Ning Zhiyuan suddenly remembered to ask, “Didn’t you drive here?”

“I said I was passing by. Had the driver drop me off and then leave,” Cen Zhisen took Ning Zhiyuan’s car keys. “I’ll drive.”

As the car pulled out of the underground parking lot, Ning Zhiyuan asked Cen Zhisen to pull over because he wanted to buy some water.

“Didn’t you have water at the venue?” Cen Zhisen asked.

“I couldn’t drink with you staring at me the whole time; it was too much pressure,” Ning Zhiyuan laughed.

“Really?”

“No, I was just busy talking to people. I’ll be right back.”

Ning Zhiyuan said and got out of the car, entering the convenience store on the street.

Cen Zhisen glanced at the front of the car. The evening sky was crimson with a fine mist of rain, and the weather was changing rapidly.

He loosened his tie and turned his neck, completely relaxing.

A few minutes later, Ning Zhiyuan returned, holding a bottle of mineral water and casually grabbing a brochure, stuffing it into the armrest.

Seeing Cen Zhisen’s tie, he hooked it around his fingers, feeling the lingering warmth from the person next to him.

Cen Zhisen restarted the car and drove forward.

At the next intersection waiting for traffic lights, a large group of young people with trendy and unique outfits flooded the street. Ning Zhiyuan saw the exhibition hall ahead and casually said, “There seems to be a comic expo here today.”

Cen Zhisen glanced at it, not particularly interested. “Are you into these things?”

“Not really,” Ning Zhiyuan explained. “But do you remember the social app for the second dimension that my friend created? I helped Tang Shiqi and her friends connect. They invested five million together. They are the sponsors of this event. My friend’s app is doing well, and several major companies are interested in investing. He’s still negotiating. If it goes through, Tang Shiqi and the others can make a decent profit if they withdraw now.”

Cen Zhisen raised an eyebrow, “You have a good eye.”

Ning Zhiyuan retracted his gaze, smiling at the memory of when Cen Zhisen mentioned this matter to someone else. It was the first time he realized that Cen Zhisen didn’t disdain him as much as he thought.

As the car continued to move forward, Ning Zhiyuan, bored, looked at the brochure he had just picked up at the convenience store.

“What’s that?” Cen Zhisen asked.

“A tourism brochure,” Ning Zhiyuan said, swinging his tie. “There are routes for both domestic and international trips.”

“Interested in going somewhere? Do you have time?” Cen Zhisen inquired.

“I have time during the Chinese New Year,” Ning Zhiyuan thought for a moment. “I should be available. My parents are planning to travel this year, have some private time together. No need for me to accompany them.”

“Good,” Cen Zhisen said. “Then let’s go. Where do you want to go?”

Ning Zhiyuan pondered for a moment, about to say something, when Cen Zhisen’s tie, swaying in his hand, slipped away. A gust of wind from the partially open car window suddenly blew in, swiftly carrying the tie away.

Cen Zhisen burst into laughter.

Ning Zhiyuan: “…”

“Zhiyuan,” he teased, “you’re becoming more childish.”

Ning Zhiyuan didn’t want to bother with him, turned to look, and saw the tie being carried away by the wind and rain, quickly disappearing from sight.

“Let it go,” Cen Zhisen said.

Stuck in traffic, their car moved slowly among the congested flow. After a moment of hesitation, Ning Zhiyuan unbuckled his seatbelt.

Cen Zhisen pressed down on his arm. “Don’t pick it up; it’s just a tie.”

“Anyway, we’re waiting.” Ning Zhiyuan dropped this sentence, insisting as he pushed open the car door.

Cen Zhisen’s gaze followed his back as he ran quickly towards the rear of the car. Ning Zhiyuan distanced himself, his steps light and swift, as if carried by the wind in the rain.

Picking up the tie might not be important; he just wanted an opportunity to do something out of the ordinary.

Cen Zhisen’s mouth curled up, and when Ning Zhiyuan returned, he honked the horn twice.

Ning Zhiyuan opened the car door and sat back in, bringing in the mist on his body. He reached back, grabbed a handful of his wet hair, and handed the retrieved tie back to Cen Zhisen. “Here, yours.”

Cen Zhisen didn’t take it. “Was it fun?”

“It was quite fun.” Ning Zhiyuan smiled. Being able to let loose in front of Cen Zhisen, things felt much easier.

Cen Zhisen pulled out a tissue and pressed it against his face. “You’re getting more and more like your old self.”

“Ge,” Ning Zhiyuan looked at Cen Zhisen, who was close by, “be a little more forgiving.”

Cen Zhisen chuckled, carefully wiping the water off his face and hair.

Back home, it wasn’t completely dark yet, and it was raining. However, outside, there was half dusk and half lights, an unusual sight.

Ning Zhiyuan took out his camera, switched to photography mode, and as usual, took a picture from the same angle, facing outside through the glass wall.

Cen Zhisen walked over, embraced his shoulders from behind. “Let’s take a shower first.”

Ning Zhiyuan, however, asked, “Haven’t had dinner yet. Aren’t you hungry?”

“Forget about that,” Cen Zhisen said. “You just got wet in the rain. Shower first, then dinner.”

Ning Zhiyuan turned around, facing him, and got closer. When their breaths almost touched, lips against lips, he whispered, “What if I want to get a bit naughty? Didn’t you say you wanted to strip me earlier?”

Cen Zhisen asked, “You really won’t shower?”

“We’ll do that later.”

Pushed against the glass wall, Ning Zhiyuan chuckled, letting Cen Zhisen help remove his coat and then his sweater. As Cen Zhisen leaned down to bite the buttons on his shirt, Ning Zhiyuan hugged his head with both hands. “Ge, talk to me first.”

Cen Zhisen’s movements stopped, he exhaled, stood up straight, and leaned against him. His palm came back to gently stroke the side of Ning Zhiyuan’s neck. “What do you want to talk about?”

Ning Zhiyuan looked at him. “I don’t know what to say; I just want to hear your voice.”

Cen Zhisen asked, “We’ve only been apart for a few days, and you miss me this much?”

“Yeah,” Ning Zhiyuan admitted without reservation. “Ge, if I could, I wouldn’t want to be away from you even for a day.”

He probably wasn’t as carefree as he appeared on the surface. All along, he deeply relied on Cen Zhisen, hopelessly so.

Cen Zhisen’s gaze softened a bit more, and he kissed his lips.

“Then we won’t be apart.”

The kiss went from initially light to gradually deepening, and Cen Zhisen’s tongue hooked into his mouth, causing a tingling sensation. Ning Zhiyuan’s back was against the glass wall, and he felt somewhat weak.

He continued to caress Cen Zhisen’s broad back, like when he was very small, and Cen Zhisen held him. Only in Cen Zhisen’s embrace could he find the long-sought peace.

—This person he loved, his brother, his everything.

Finally, the clothes were tangled messily, bodies entwined closely, and Cen Zhisen hooked one of Ning Zhiyuan’s legs around his waist. In a hoarse voice, he said, “Zhiyuan, during my business trip to London, I roamed around during my free time. Although it was a place I lived for many years, this time it felt strange and uncomfortable. Later, I remembered a phrase, ‘the heart yearns to return like an arrow.’ I wanted to come back, to see you. I felt the same way, I don’t want to be away from you for even a day.”

He was the same, deeply and uniquely in love with this person.

As their chests collided, desire surged. Ning Zhiyuan groaned, his tense calf muscles pressing against Cen Zhisen’s waist, unconsciously moving, “Ge—”

“Zhiyuan.” Cen Zhisen spoke his name, responding in the scalding heat of love and desire.

Outside, rain poured like a torrent, and strong winds howled, relentlessly beating against the glass wall.

Ning Zhiyuan felt his body swaying dangerously, but he wasn’t alone; he still had Cen Zhisen holding him.

Since the moment their destinies were rewritten at birth, they were destined to be entwined.

Because of the close embrace, they feared neither the silent night nor the pouring rain.

In front of the abyss, it was nothing more than holding hands and falling together.

END OF THE MAIN CHAPTERS.

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