The next day, when Chu Lai woke up, Cen Wei was already home. The man was dressed in casual clothes, his hair messy, as if he had just taken a shower not too long ago—his bangs were still damp.

Chu Lai wasn’t fully awake yet, his pajama pants sagging over the tops of his slippers, and his voice was still tinged with sleepiness, “When did you get back?”

Cen Wei, still feeling a bit embarrassed to look at him, replied in a low voice, “Half an hour ago.”

“I just took the dog out for a walk.”

Today, they were going out to take their fake wedding photos. While pouring dog food, Cen Wei said, “Get ready, we need to head to the styling studio.”

The tall man squatted in front of the dog, and even the dog seemed to sense something strange about him today. While eating, it would glance at Cen Wei every now and then.

Da Cai and Cen Wei were getting along quite well now. It seemed like Cen Wei, who used to be afraid of dogs, had completely desensitized. Chu Lai didn’t even need to buy dog toys anymore since every few days, Cen Wei would bring a new one home.

The little dog was easy to bribe, and sometimes when Chu Lai looked up after finishing a game, he’d see Cen Wei holding the dog on the sofa, watching TV. Da Cai would be sprawled out, and Cen Wei would even help it switch positions.

However, today, Cen Wei was acting so unusually that even though Da Cai had already accepted him as part of its pack, it still seemed to suspect that Cen Wei might be eyeing its breakfast. Before Chu Lai could look away, he saw the dog pick up its food bowl and turn around.

Cen Wei: “…”

Chu Lai couldn’t hold back his laughter. The man sighed helplessly but couldn’t resist glancing at the young man standing nearby.

The kiss from last night still lingered in Cen Wei’s mind. He couldn’t help but let his gaze fall on Chu Lai’s lips again.

It was as if he could still feel Chu Lai’s warm breath on his neck. After talking with Jiang Liyong last night, he had returned to the Cen family, but naturally, he couldn’t sleep.

When he came downstairs in the morning, he had startled Xuan Rongqing.

His mother had hesitated for a long time, and even Cen Jiansun seemed to want to say something, but Grandma Hong had pinched his arm, forcing him to shut up.

Chu Lai asked, “How much time do we have?”

Cen Wei: “What?”

He hadn’t stopped staring, and even Chu Lai felt a bit stiff. “To go to the styling studio. I want to grab some breakfast first. Have you eaten?”

Cen Wei nodded. “What do you want to eat? I’ll get it for you.”

Chu Lai replied, “Anything is fine. I’ll just grab a biscuit.”

As he went to change clothes, Cen Wei fell silent at the thought of the strange snacks Chu Lai had bought. “Let me make something for you.”

Chu Lai responded with a slight lift in his tone, “What will you make?”

The question wasn’t much on its own, but Cen Wei’s odd silence gave the words an unintended weight, leaving Chu Lai at a loss for words.

In the end, breakfast consisted of a single slice of toast made by Cen Wei. Both of them sensibly remained silent, trying to avoid the awkward, romantic tension that seemed to linger no matter how the conversation started.

On the way, Chu Lai was still reflecting on what he had said to Liu Yuan in the middle of the night. Yesterday’s events with Cen Wei could only be described as a moment of confusion. Now that he had calmed down, Chu Lai had a feeling his once peaceful life was about to be completely disrupted.

When they arrived at the styling studio, Chu Lai and Cen Wei separated to change clothes. Xuan Rongqing had come along today as well, dressed up as if she had an event to attend later.

Noticing that Chu Lai was constantly yawning, Xuan Rongqing asked, “Lai Lai, what time did you go to bed last night?”

Chu Lai replied, “I forgot.”

Liu Yuan’s last message had come in after 1 a.m., reminding him not to waste time, but by then, Chu Lai had already fallen asleep.

Those four words had made Chu Lai feel particularly embarrassed. He didn’t often have such moments of desire, and the experience had never been great for him. Though he appeared easy-going on the surface, he wasn’t immune to feeling shy, especially when discussing such matters with Liu Yuan.

Earlier, Chu Lai had messaged Liu Yuan: Don’t take what I said yesterday seriously.

At this hour, Liu Yuan wasn’t awake yet, and based on his usual routine, he probably wouldn’t reply until the afternoon.

Chu Lai still looked low on energy, and seeing him like this reminded Xuan Rongqing of the scene she had witnessed at home earlier with Cen Wei. She assumed the two of them had had a fight.

She couldn’t get much out of asking Cen Wei, so she turned to Chu Lai instead. “Did you and A-Wei have a fight? He came home in the middle of the night yesterday.”

Given Cen Wei’s obvious reluctance toward romance and past history, plus Xuan Rongqing’s strong liking for Chu Lai, she feared something might go wrong with their marriage. So she asked with great caution.

Chu Lai shook his head, lying effortlessly. “No, he was working late.”

“When I fell asleep, he wasn’t home yet. He probably didn’t want to wake me when he came back.”

His explanation was so thoughtful that Xuan Rongqing was touched. She thought to herself, Cen Wei can actually be this considerate?

Then she went off to chat with Cen Wei again.

The wedding photo shoot that Xuan Rongqing had arranged wasn’t the traditional kind with a wedding dress and suit; it was more like a casual photo session. The stylist chose a look for Chu Lai that really suited his vibe, making him look so young it seemed like he hadn’t graduated from college yet.

Since the shoot would take the whole day, the crew had brought along several outfit options. The whole process gave Chu Lai the feeling that he had switched careers to become an internet influencer.

Xuan Rongqing only stayed to watch them get styled and dressed. She didn’t plan to accompany them for the whole shoot, but before sending the two of them off, she reminded them, “I’ve also made lunch reservations, so don’t push yourselves too hard. Make sure to rest.”

Looking at his overly youthful outfit, Chu Lai asked, “Does Auntie have some special preferences?”

If this were a real wedding between a loving couple, they probably would’ve chosen everything themselves. But Chu Lai and Cen Wei weren’t too invested, and they’d left most of the decisions to Xuan Rongqing and Grandma Hong, except for picking a general style.

In addition to this high school-themed look, there was also an ancient tea house set. Chu Lai almost couldn’t hold it in; he’d only ever seen Liu Yuan in such costumes before.

Cen Wei, with his brows furrowed, didn’t seem at ease at all. “If you don’t like it, we don’t have to shoot.”

Knowing that this shoot cost a fortune, Chu Lai, remembering their marriage agreement, shook his head. “I want to bring the dog along. Can you ask if the restaurant allows dogs?”

Cen Wei nodded and asked his assistant to call the restaurant.

Xuan Rongqing had an elite flower arrangement team that handled all kinds of high-end events. The assistant accompanying them today was part of her team.

The assistant, a year younger than Cen Wei, was already married and very capable. It was her first time seeing Chu Lai in person, and she couldn’t help but take a second glance.

The car had the heater on, so Chu Lai wasn’t wearing a jacket. Dressed in a white shirt and black pants, he had a classic, retro, campus-style look.

Cen Wei, wearing the same outfit, had even changed his usual slicked-back hairstyle, making him look like he had just stepped out of a student ID photo, losing some of his usual sharpness.

Although they didn’t exchange looks, there was no awkwardness between them either, which was odd.

After confirming the restaurant allowed dogs, the assistant informed Cen Wei, and he said, “Let’s swing by our place and bring Da Cai along.”

Chu Lai asked, “Is that okay?”

He glanced at Cen Wei, whose jaw was clenched. Though the morning’s weariness was masked by makeup, the low mood was still apparent.

Cen Wei replied, “It’s fine.”

It wasn’t easy to talk in the car, and though the morning’s awkwardness had mostly dissipated, Chu Lai still felt too self-conscious to ask directly. Instead, he sent a WeChat message: Are you mad? Yesterday was my fault. I’m sorry.

Chu Lai was still typing, If you need… when the person next to him responded aloud, “I’m not mad.”

Instinctively, Chu Lai glanced at Cen Wei, only to catch his gaze.

Today, Chu Lai was wearing contact lenses, and the close distance made it hard not to lock eyes. Cen Wei quickly looked down.

He couldn’t help but think about the look in Chu Lai’s eyes after their kiss last night, slightly red and hazy, making him want to get lost in them and kiss him again.

Even though… it had already happened once.

With his head down, the slight part in his bangs only emphasized the sharpness of his features. Despite feeling a bit awkward, Chu Lai found this contrast with Cen Wei’s usually composed demeanor to be highly amusing.

Cen Wei was older, more experienced, and yet, when it came to matters like these, he was unexpectedly pure, almost easy to tease.

Chu Lai sent another message: Did you really work overtime yesterday?

Lowering his head to look at the new message, Cen Wei replied: No, I went to meet a friend.

Chu Lai: What friend?

As soon as he sent it, he felt it was a bit too much. Even though he quickly tried to retract it, Cen Wei had already seen it.

Sitting next to each other, both of them had their heads down, texting each other despite being in the same car.

Cen Wei: Jiang Liyong, you’ve met him before—the guy I was with at the bar.

Chu Lai didn’t bother replying by text this time and asked out loud, “Am I causing you trouble?”

Just as the car made a turn, Chu Lai, who hadn’t fastened his seatbelt, leaned into Cen Wei. Instinctively, Cen Wei caught him and, without realizing it, asked, “What did you say?”

The car headed toward the outskirts of town. On his phone, Cen Wei received work-related notifications about an office team-building event from one of the studio groups he oversaw. Apparently, someone had added him to the group chat, but no one dared remove the boss, leading to an awkward situation.

The group had already arrived at Xunxi, and a bunch of them were crammed together, not knowing what to do next.

Little did they know that their boss was in a much worse state, fighting the temptation to push the person next to him away. Yet Chu Lai’s mere breathing was enough to drive him crazy.

How could someone’s breath be like a spark? Cen Wei thought back to what Jiang Liyong had said when they parted ways.

“Isn’t this what love is?”

“Isn’t it normal to feel this way around someone you like?”

Is this normal?

“Maybe this time will help you move on.”

“You’ve trapped yourself, Cen Wei. Honestly, what you had with Shen Ke didn’t even count as a relationship.”

“Love always involves wanting something.”

“So, what do you want from Chu Lai?”

After talking with Jiang Liyong, Cen Wei hadn’t gone straight back to the Cen family. He first took a taxi to his apartment and stood downstairs for a long time.

There was only one bed in the apartment, and although Chu Lai rarely suffered from insomnia, he was a light sleeper. Not wanting to disturb him, Cen Wei didn’t know how to face him.

Late at night, only a few scattered lights were on in the high-rise buildings. After standing for a while, Cen Wei turned around and hailed another cab, heading home.

Now, as Chu Lai repeated his question, his tone filled with heavy guilt, all that ran through Cen Wei’s mind was, No, no, but no words came out. Instead, he instinctively grabbed Chu Lai’s hand and held it tightly.

Perplexed, Chu Lai looked over at Cen Wei, who avoided his gaze and stared at the hand he was gripping.

With his large frame and equally large hands, Cen Wei could easily envelop Chu Lai’s hand, and even though their fingers were intertwined, it gave the impression of being completely swallowed up.

The car was nearing its destination. The cityscape gradually shifted to the countryside, with distant mountains in the background.

Before Chu Lai could say anything, the person next to him spoke first, “It’s not a bother.”

“It never will be.”

The word “never” felt a bit too heavy.

In today’s world of fleeting relationships, “never” was tossed around too lightly, making it seem flippant.

But “flippant” wasn’t a word that could be associated with someone like Cen Wei. In Chu Lai’s eyes, he had always been solid, patient, and gentle.

Even though Cen Wei’s appearance far exceeded Chu Lai’s ideal partner standards, his height was far above the “equal footing” Chu Lai had envisioned, and his wealth was almost absurd—nothing like the ideal fantasy of a romance that goes from rags to riches.

Cen Wei was even more fantastical than a dream partner, like pulling a rare hidden character from a street-side gacha machine.

It was like a lottery win for someone who’d always had terrible luck.

After a few seconds of silence, Chu Lai didn’t let go of his hand either.

The feeling of their skin touching was intoxicating. Shen Quanzhang never gave him the chance to hold hands like this for so long.

Despite everyone playing games, they always claimed that Chu Lai neglected them because of gaming.

Whenever Chu Lai reached out, there was no response, so eventually, he stopped expecting anything.

Now someone was holding on tightly, but they didn’t dare look at him.

In a voice only Cen Wei could hear, Chu Lai whispered, “It’s not forever. We only have a year, at most.”

His lips were soft, and when teaching Cen Wei how to kiss, he would instinctively chase after him. This was in stark contrast to his usually cold demeanor—a deep, hidden desire. Just like when they slept in the same bed, Chu Lai would unconsciously seek out the warmth and habitually curl up in Cen Wei’s arms.

Yet now, Chu Lai seemed to have reverted to his initial attitude. He didn’t let go, but his words were laced with contradictory finality: “You know that.”

Then why won’t you let go? Cen Wei wondered.

He didn’t call out Chu Lai’s conflicting desires, but a small ache of pity bloomed in his heart, suspecting that Chu Lai’s reactions were the result of never being properly loved.

The car came to a stop at their destination, by a creek in the winter. The distant mountains still held a kind of unique beauty.

Coincidentally, across the creek, the team-building group had also spotted the luxury car that had pulled up. Those who had been thinking about how to discreetly exclude their boss from the event all turned to look.

“Wow, what a setup. Are we seeing some celebrity photoshoot?”

“I remember there’s an abandoned elementary school nearby. Some people have taken photos there before.”

This team-building event had roped in a department from the headquarters downstairs, so there were quite a few people, making the barbecue scene lively. Shen Quanzhang stood with an intern rumored to have studied abroad.

The group across the way caught everyone’s attention. Someone from the other department happened to have binoculars. “Let me see if it’s a big star.”

Just as Cen Wei got out of the car, even with a different look, his face was unforgettable.

A loud exclamation of disbelief erupted from the crowd.

“What happened? Is it a male star? A boy band member?”

“Should I leak some photos…?”

“Why is it President Cen?!”

“No way, let me see. Why would President Cen be here?”

“Isn’t that his fiancé next to him?”

Shen Quanzhang looked up abruptly. He gazed across the creek at the two men, dressed in matching outfits, holding hands as they walked together. One of them had his head down while the other looked up. They appeared perfectly in sync.

Even without binoculars, Shen Quanzhang could recognize Chu Lai’s figure.

The green pepper he was about to skewer fell to the ground, and the intern beside him, noticing, called out in surprise, “Shen-ge, you dropped the pepper.”

Shen Quanzhang suddenly thought of how much Chu Lai loved green peppers. He remembered the arguments they’d had over them.

Well, not arguments. Chu Lai never argued—he would just silently turn away, as if Shen Quanzhang’s complaints were a joke.

Spoiled him too much, Shen Quanzhang thought. Who goes to the supermarket and buys a whole basket of green peppers? Even a green pepper spirit wouldn’t do that.

Now, he wondered, can someone like Cen Wei tolerate Chu Lai?

Of course, such a large group would attract attention. The photography team was also puzzled. “Are they camping and grilling over there?”

Chu Lai glanced across the creek. It wasn’t very wide, and with the water level low in winter, he could see the people on the other side quite clearly. One of the men by the barbecue looked familiar.

He recalled the team-building event mentioned in Cen Wei’s message and thought, No way.

He looked again. It really was Shen Quanzhang.

Noticing his brief pause, Cen Wei asked, “What’s wrong?”

Chu Lai shook his head. “Nothing.”

Cen Wei glanced over as well, but before he could get a closer look, the assistant called them, so he had to look away.

Just then, his phone vibrated—a private message notification from an app.

A message from user 030218666:

Your fiancé’s ex-boyfriend is right here at the scene.