After a long day of labor, the old lady cut open a few large watermelons. The electric fan was turned up to level 3, but it still couldn’t hold back the sweat.

Several heavyweight players were sitting on the stone brick wall. Behind them, Li Xiaoming was being chased around by the old lady and her little grandson. Xu Yi held a slice of watermelon and took a big bite.

“So refreshing.”

Yi Yu brushed Xu Yi’s messy hair behind his ear. “Tired?”

Watermelon juice had stained Xu Yi’s shirt, but he didn’t care at all. Instead, he offered the slice in his hand to Yi Yu.

“Have a bite.”

The sun overhead was still shining brightly. Not far off, foxtail grass swayed in the breeze. Sitting beside him was the person he loved the most—Xu Yi couldn’t help but think, it wouldn’t be so bad to stay like this forever.

“In the afternoon, let’s get back to harvesting the wheat,” Wang Qiang said after his nap. He put on a straw hat and got ready to go.

“Is it really just harvesting rice this time?” Despite everyone’s doubts, the system remained silent. Is it really going to end after we finish harvesting?

Just then, a chicken strutted past and provocatively pooped two centimeters in front of Li Hai’s shoe.

“Don’t stop me, I’m eating chicken tonight!” Li Hai threw down his tools and gave chase. Fei Ye laughed so hard he couldn’t breathe. The others hadn’t even processed what had happened.

“Auntie, is that guy crazy? Running barefoot like that?”

The village women’s committee head was munching on sunflower seeds as she watched Li Hai sprinting off into the distance.

In the foxtail grass, Yi Yu was weaving something while Xu Yi lay back comfortably, whistling. Soon, he felt something slip onto his finger. He lifted his hand—it was a ring made of foxtail grass.

Yi Yu smiled and said something that made Xu Yi’s heart skip a beat:
“Now that you’re wearing this ring, you’ve got my label on you.”

Xu Yi gave him a polite grin in return. “You wanna check the marks under my shirt first before you say that?”

Then both of them burst out laughing. They looked at each other, not knowing what the other might say next—but at the same time, they both said:

“I love you.”

Just three simple words. Xu Yi moved first, grabbing Yi Yu by the collar and leaving a kiss on his lips. Yi Yu gradually shifted from passive to active.

Out of sight, two dragonflies flew together, heading off toward the distant sky.

“This drumstick’s mine—no one better try to steal it!”

Li Hai chopped onions as tears streamed down his face. The barbecue was a spur-of-the-moment idea. Xu Yi sat on a stool while Yi Yu played the role of chef. Fei Ye sighed.

“You two are always glued together—have you ever considered us poor single folks?”

“But lately I’ve been having dreams. In them, I feel like I’m your enemy.”

As soon as Fei Ye said that, everyone playing cards started chiming in.

“Same here. In my dreams, I’m a national-level mid-laner, totally crushing it in-game.”

A guy munching on chives replied, “Then I must be a Michelin three-star chef.”

Yi Yu turned to Xu Yi with concern. “You’ve been dreaming too?”

Xu Yi thought for a moment. “Maybe… but the images are all fragmented. I can’t piece them together.”

After lights out, Yi Yu couldn’t sleep. The window was still open. He got up and went outside. Fei Ye was by the flowerbed, smoking. When he saw Yi Yu come out, he looked up.

“Can’t sleep. Just came out for a smoke.”