Autumn is the season that Li Wenshui dislikes the most. On gloomy, rainy days, the back pain from an old injury he sustained while doing heavy labor becomes unbearable.

After last night’s autumn rain, he had again been worn out by Liang Jin until the early morning. His back felt numb and almost lifeless, and in his sleep, Li Wenshui instinctively wrapped his arms around himself, curling up his body. Occasionally, he would turn uneasily. Liang Jin was disturbed by the movements in his arms and woke up. He slowly opened his eyes, his pupils dark and his gaze distant. There was no trace of a smile in Liang Jin’s eyes. Perhaps it was because last night was physically exhausting, or perhaps it was because Li Wenshui was so comfortable to hold, but when Li Wenshui was around, Liang Jin always seemed to sleep well.

Li Wenshui turned again in his sleep, now facing Liang Jin. He was sweating lightly, his soft black hair slightly damp, and his porcelain white skin marked with ambiguous traces. There seemed to be a persistent sadness in his brows, even while he was sleeping, his brow furrowed. Liang Jin’s eyes softened into a smile as he looked at him. He thought, This little trickster is just like a kitten, curling up even while asleep.*

Li Wenshui, uncomfortable from the restless sleep, felt someone pressing against his back, holding his calves, and straightening his curled-up body. This sudden movement made him snap his eyes open. Through his blurred vision, Liang Jin’s lips curled into a gentle smile, and his voice was warm and pleasant. “Good morning, baby.”

The handsome face came closer, their breaths mingling, and Li Wenshui’s lips were kissed. The kiss was brief, just a soft brush, and then Liang Jin pulled back. Li Wenshui didn’t immediately respond, blinking a few times and staring at Liang Jin. Liang Jin always kept his distance in such a way that it was easy to fall for him but equally easy to pull away, never becoming possessive, always in full control.

Li Wenshui snapped back to reality and was about to sit up, but not only did his back hurt… something else had leaked out. His face flushed, and instinctively, he tightened his legs. He didn’t even realize when Liang Jin had stopped using protection, and now he had to spend a long time cleaning up afterward.

Suddenly, a pair of long, strong arms wrapped around him as he tried to escape. Liang Jin kissed his warm neck. “Where are you going?”

Li Wenshui stared at the floor, his voice low. “To take a shower.”

“Do you want me to wash you?” Liang Jin’s hand covered his abdomen and pressed down firmly.

“Hey, stop,” Li Wenshui’s face turned crimson, and he used all his strength to break free from Liang Jin’s grasp. He stumbled off the bed. “No, I’ll wash myself.”

Li Wenshui noticed that the bed sheet he had been sitting on was now wet in a large patch. In the bathroom, Li Wenshui quickly showered, then dressed tightly before leaving. He couldn’t let it happen again.

At 23, still in the prime of his youth, Li Wenshui felt that his stamina couldn’t compare to Liang Jin’s. After leaving the old house, they didn’t meet that often—sometimes twice a week, sometimes once every two weeks. And every time they met, it was always for this kind of thing.

Growing up without love, Li Wenshui developed a tendency to be a giver, unable to refuse even the smallest gestures of warmth or the occasional small gifts that made him happy. Because of this, he had never turned down Liang Jin’s demands. Even though, deep down, he knew something about their situation wasn’t right, the busyness of life and the immense financial pressure left him no time to stop and think.

At present, he still held onto hope for Liang Jin, wishing that one day, Liang Jin would be in a good mood and, with a mere gesture, would rescue him from his struggles.

Li Wenshui entered the kitchen to make breakfast, his demeanor peaceful and gentle in the morning light.

Liang Jin sat quietly at the dining table, watching Li Wenshui. When the contract first started, he never expected that he would be with Li Wenshui for this long.

Li Wenshui’s back was not feeling well, so he just made something simple for breakfast. While eating, he scrolled through his Moments and realized that tomorrow was the Mid-Autumn Festival. In the past, he always celebrated it with his younger sister, Li Wenqing, but now that she was studying away at school, he was left alone. A strong sense of loneliness suddenly overwhelmed Li Wenshui. He absentmindedly poked at the fried egg on his plate, then fell silent for a long time. Suddenly, he looked up and asked, “Liang Jin, are you free tomorrow?”

“No,” Liang Jin lazily propped his chin up, then smiled and asked, “Why? Do you want to celebrate the holiday with me?”

“Who wants to celebrate with you?” Li Wenshui withdrew his gaze, uninterested, “I was just asking.”

Liang Jin smiled slightly, understanding but not saying anything. Li Wenshui put down his chopsticks. “I’m full, I’m leaving.”

“Don’t you want to stay a little longer?” Liang Jin asked, but there was no action to stop him, as if it was just a polite question.

“I can’t, I have to set up my stall tonight.” Li Wenshui had his own things to do and never stayed too long at Liang Jin’s place.

“How much can you make from setting up a stall?” Liang Jin lightly persuaded him, “Why not find a proper job?”

Li Wenshui thought to himself that he, of course, wanted a proper job, but that would just make the debt worse. Liang Jin, as a rich young man, clearly had no idea how it felt to be struggling. Li Wenshui didn’t tell him how he felt, because it wouldn’t make a difference and might even make Liang Jin think he was asking for money.

On the way home, Li Wenshui boredly scrolled through his Moments. He had one thing to kill time—scrolling through his Moments. He had 600 contacts on WeChat, including high school friends, university classmates, coworkers from his part-time jobs, and colleagues from a social media company. Although he didn’t have many true friends, the people who added him kept increasing, so his Moments were always lively.

The latest post was from Suge, showing off a Mid-Autumn gift his boyfriend had given him: a watch. It was just a Cartier watch, the cheaper version worth less than 20,000 yuan. Suge was a bit clueless—did he even know how to read the Roman numerals on the watch? If we’re talking about a good watch, it had to be the one Liang Jin wore, worth several million. Once Li Wenshui made a lot of money, he’d buy one too!

Li Wenshui couldn’t help but start feeling envious, thinking that he is feeling sour grapes. Suddenly, a message notification popped up—a reminder for his loan payment. Reality always reminded him not to indulge in unrealistic fantasies. Forget about the millions that were impossible to earn; once he paid off his loan, he wouldn’t even have a few hundred left in his pocket. He had saved some money from his stall, but with Li Wenqing’s growing expenses at university and the additional rent for his stall, all his savings had been spent.

However, the profit from the night market stalls wasn’t bad at all. Li Wenshui had done the math: as long as he kept going in the same direction and paid off his loan with the minimum payment, he could save 100,000 yuan in a year. But staying at the night market forever wasn’t a long-term plan. He wanted to rent a small shop and open a bakery.

The next day, at a ski resort on the outskirts of the city. Li Wenshui changed into his work uniform among the other staff. A former coworker had invited him to take this part-time job. The ski resort offered skiing, hot springs, bars, and various entertainment facilities, catering only to wealthy clients and limiting the number of people allowed. Maybe because the owner was so wealthy, a single day’s pay here was equivalent to three days at a hot pot restaurant. Li Wenshui wished he could do this part-time job every day, but it was just a temporary substitute since they were short-staffed.

Li Wenshui had never been to a ski resort before. In the summer, he had wanted to come to escape the heat, but he didn’t have the conditions to do so. Now, winter had come, and he was here, but the weather was cold. He shoved his hands into his pockets and looked at the people enjoying themselves in the resort. Then he looked at himself in his work uniform and sighed. The difference was stark.

He turned to leave, but his gaze froze when he saw someone ahead. A young man in black ski gear removed his goggles, revealing a face that Li Wenshui was very familiar with. Liang Jin was here to ski, and he was accompanied by a beautiful young man.