Qian Wang came for the second time in the early morning, when the day was still cloaked in dimness. It was so early that the shop hadn’t opened yet, and Zhao Ziqiang hadn’t crawled of bed.

As soon as Zhao Ziqiang opened his eyes, he almost jumped out of bed, but he couldn’t, as a large white arm and leg were pressing down on his neck and waist.

“Damn… no wonder I was having trouble breathing in my dreams,” he muttered to himself.

Sun Wanjue, looking harmless, was still sound asleep, hugging Zhao Ziqiang without any signs of waking up. Of course, nothing inappropriate had happened between them; it was just that a little kid who relished deep kisses had staged another nighttime ambush.

Last night, Sun Wanjue quietly went to Zhao Ziqiang’s room in the middle of the night, but instead of calling for someone to accompany him to the bathroom, he silently leaned over and pressed his lips against the sleeping man’s. However, Zhao Ziqiang’s mouth was tightly closed in sleep, and no matter how hard Sun Wanjue tried, he couldn’t get his tongue inside, so he had to give up.

Just as he was about to leave, he heard the sound of the master bedroom door opening. To avoid trouble, he simply climbed onto Zhao Ziqiang’s small bed and sleepily cuddled up to him.

Zhao Ziqiang was completely unaware of this.

He glanced at his watch and saw it was nearly time to get up, so he decided to shake Sun Wanjue awake with some effort.

In fact, Sun Wanjue was a light sleeper; as soon as Zhao Ziqiang turned over, he woke up. After playfully shaking Zhao Ziqiang a few times, he opened his eyes and propped himself up. Zhao Ziqiang felt a bit awkward facing a boy of the same gender; it seemed like no matter what he said, he wouldn’t have the upper hand. So, he simply flipped over and got out of bed, hastily throwing on his pants and clothes in a disheveled manner.

Sun Wanjue, on the other hand, calmly tidied up his pajamas and leisurely walked toward his bedroom, leaving Zhao Ziqiang standing there in a daze, feeling as if he had done something shameful.

The morning commotion passed quietly. As Zhao Ziqiang busied himself with opening the shop, he furrowed his brow, contemplating the reasons that had led to this situation.

He thought to himself that he couldn’t eat, sleep, and work as an apprentice in someone else’s home while also leading their only son astray. Besides, a fifteen-year-old kid—what did he really understand? Curiosity, while it couldn’t be completely snuffed out in its infancy, could certainly be curtailed along the way.

Just as he was thinking this, when he opened the roll-up door and the glass door came into view, Zhao Ziqiang’s temples began to throb more energetically. Qian Wang stood at the entrance like an ice sculpture, and the moment his eyes detected Zhao Ziqiang’s voice, they nearly softened to the point of watering.

However, Zhao Ziqiang, who had mild nearsightedness, didn’t notice.

Ignoring the gaze directed at him from outside the door, Zhao Ziqiang naturally turned around and pulled down the chairs one by one from the table. He then went to the back kitchen to grab a cloth and began wiping each table. Finally, he took a large basket of vegetables and sat at the back kitchen door, sorting through them without glancing once at the main entrance.

Qian Wang carried several large shopping bags. The chill of the spring morning was still quite heavy. It was only when he felt that the temperature in his hands was dropping toward freezing that he hesitantly pushed the door open and stepped inside.

Zhao Ziqiang greeted him with a slick voice,

“Sorry, but the chef hasn’t arrived yet, and the boss isn’t here either. You’ve come a bit too early for meals and ordering.”

Qian Wang tried hard to make his expression gentle as he said,

“I went to X City a few days ago, wandered around the shopping mall, and brought you some local specialties.”

Zhao Ziqiang slapped his forehead and went to the back kitchen to fill the salt container, bringing it out one by one to place on the table.

“There are also a few pieces of clothing, all in beige tones, which should be your style. Why don’t you try them on?”

Zhao Ziqiang adjusted the chopstick holder on the table and continued,

“That big cotton hat you brought in winter is indeed out of style. I bought you one in this style; take a look.”

As Qian Wang spoke, he took out a hat from the shopping bag, which was casual for spring and autumn.

Zhao Ziqiang dropped the task in his hands and leisurely walked up to Qian Wang,

“Professor Qian, what do you mean by this? Are you ignoring the cries of the newcomers and reminiscing about the smiles of the old ones?”

Qian Wang felt a heavy knot in his heart. He knew that Zhao Ziqiang wouldn’t forgive him just because of these things, but coming here to hear his sarcastic remarks felt much better than the emptiness of being at home alone.

He nonchalantly smiled and said,

“Let’s make up.”

Zhao Ziqiang raised an eyebrow, looking at him with disbelief, as if mocking how unreasonable that statement was.

“We’ll make up, and we’ll get back together. I’ll be good from now on, and I’ll do whatever you say… Is that okay?”

Zhao Ziqiang’s expression grew cold.

“Qian Wang, what do you think you’re doing? Filming a ridiculous romantic comedy? On what basis do you think I’d end up turning back to embrace the very rock that tripped me up and left me bloodied and bruised?”

He fumbled in his pocket, realizing he had forgotten to grab his cigarettes from the bed, so he could only change his posture and cross his arms.

After a moment, Zhao Ziqiang asked,

“Did you break up with Sun Kan?”

A flash of surprise crossed Qian Wang’s eyes as he eagerly nodded. Zhao Ziqiang shrugged.

“So what does that have to do with me? Do you think I have an obligation to come back and warm your bed when you don’t have a new partner?”

“No, it’s not like that! We’ll make up, and we’ll be together from now on. I won’t look at anyone else; it’ll just be the two of us moving forward,” Qian Wang explained, his words tumbling over each other.

Zhao Ziqiang, feeling irritated, raked his fingers through his hair and said,

“Professor, how old are you? Can you at least think before you speak?”

Qian Wang lowered his head, feeling like he had already humbled himself enough. He acknowledged his mistakes and made changes, but why couldn’t the one who had always accommodated him forgive him just this once?

“Take me to school.”

As the two were locked in a stalemate, Sun Wanjue ran out to interrupt them. He didn’t look at Qian Wang but instead fixed his gaze on Zhao Ziqiang. Zhao Ziqiang touched his nose and patted Sun Wanjue’s shoulder in response.

“Wait for me to go upstairs and get dressed.”

Watching the two of them head upstairs, Qian Wang decided to leave. Zhao Ziqiang had initially wanted him to take all the things he bought, but on second thought, he knew Qian Wang wouldn’t take them. They would probably just end up pushing each other to take them back and forth, so he decided to leave them there.

Half-heartedly pushing the bike while walking with Sun Wanjue toward the school, Zhao Ziqiang actually really wanted to say thank you. But when they reached the intersection, Sun Wanjue swiftly hopped onto his bike and pedaled off without even saying goodbye, leaving Zhao Ziqiang so frustrated that he just wanted to yell curses at his retreating figure.