He draped the clothes in his hand over Yu Qingyue’s shoulders and then went to the wardrobe to take a thick jacket for himself.

Yu Qingyue touched the soft jacket on his body and walked into the room. “What do you need me for?” Yu Wanlai opened the balcony door and stood in the dim light of the night, waving at Yu Qingyue while lowering his voice, “Come over here.”

Yu Qingyue walked over, and Yu Wanlai grabbed a star-shaped firework stick from the small table on the balcony and handed it to him. Yu Qingyue lowered his gaze to the iron stick in his hand, furrowing his brow. “What’s this?”

Yu Wanlai thought, ‘He doesn’t recognize this? Wow, how did he even get a wife with such a lack of knowledge? No wonder they wanted to arrange a marriage.’

“You’ve never seen it? It’s a fairy stick… also called a big sparkler.”

Yu Qingyue frowned even harder at the strange name. “I’ve never seen one. So, what’s this…”

Yu Wanlai grabbed Yu Qingyue’s hand, then picked up a lighter from the side table and lit the stick.

“It’s a firework.”

In an instant, the star-shaped tip of the stick emitted a dazzling golden light, and sparks started to fly from both ends. Yu Qingyue’s eyes sparkled with excitement as he looked at the object in his hand. “Wow, this… is so beautiful.”

Yu Wanlai stood behind him, gently touching Yu Qingyue’s cool cheeks with his hands, then leaned his head close to Yu Qingyue’s ear. “Not angry anymore?”

“If you ever want to eat something, just tell me. I can’t say everything will be delicious, but I won’t let you go hungry.”

Yu Qingyue pressed his lips together, thinking, ‘That’s not what this is about!‘ He leaned back against Yu Wanlai’s chest, shaking his head. “I’m not angry anymore.”

He hadn’t been angry for a long time. As he moved, his lips brushed against Yu Wanlai’s palm. Yu Qingyue froze for a moment, then his body became stiff again.

Yu Wanlai only felt softness in his hand, but that feeling quickly faded. In that instant, he strangely wanted to put his hand back on Yu Qingyue.

When he heard Yu Qingyue say, “The light’s gone,” he snapped back to reality, a strange sensation flashing through his mind. It was so quick that he didn’t have time to catch it before it disappeared.

Yu Wanlai then shoved the remaining sparklers from the table into Yu Qingyue’s hand, some were just plain sticks, while others were heart-shaped. “No worries, there are plenty more.”

Yu Qingyue lit two more and asked Yu Wanlai to hold them for him. “Bro, can you hold these? I want to take a picture.”

Yu Wanlai thought he wanted to take pictures of the fireworks, so he followed Yu Qingyue’s instructions and stepped outside.

Yu Qingyue looked at Yu Wanlai’s face illuminated by the sparks, tilted his phone slightly upward, and pressed the shutter. He checked the photo and, seeing Yu Wanlai in the shot, felt relieved and began to focus on taking pictures of the fireworks.

After finishing the fireworks, Yu Qingyue walked over to Yu Wanlai. “Bro, let’s take a picture together.”

Yu Wanlai looked at the excited expression on Yu Qingyue’s face and nodded in agreement.

Yu Qingyue handed his phone to Yu Wanlai, asking him to take the photo. He stood lower than Yu Wanlai, so it was easier for him to take the picture.

After taking the picture, Yu Wanlai returned the phone to Yu Qingyue, who looked at the photo, smiling contentedly as he noticed the people in the picture. He thought, ‘How did I never realize how handsome Yu Wanlai is? His high nose, deep-set eyes, and the lower lip slightly thicker than the upper, in a deep red—’

Yu Qingyue pressed his lips together, looking at him… it made him want to kiss him.

Realizing his thoughts were straying, Yu Qingyue quickly turned off his phone screen, not daring to look further.

After the fireworks, it was already past midnight. But Yu Qingyue was still excited. He lay on Yu Wanlai’s bed, holding his pillow, and changed his WeChat profile picture to the sparklers he had taken earlier. He also posted both their photos and the one of Yu Wanlai alone on his Moments, setting it to “Visible only to me.”

Yu Wanlai threw away the used sparklers. He had intentionally gone downstairs to throw them in the trash can outside because the smell of gunpowder was too strong inside.

When he returned upstairs and opened the door to his room, he was surprised to see Yu Qingyue still there. “It’s late, why aren’t you going to sleep?”

Yu Qingyue heard Yu Wanlai’s words and fell silent for a moment. He tugged at the corner of the pillow under him, not looking at Yu Wanlai. “My room is cold, I want to sleep here…” He had thought that Yu Wanlai would object to him sleeping in his room, but apparently, he hadn’t even noticed.

Yu Wanlai glanced at Yu Qingyue. Although he felt his room was probably colder with the balcony door left open, he had no intention of making Yu Qingyue leave. He went to wash his hands in the bathroom first, then walked over to the bed, pulling the blanket over Yu Qingyue. “Alright, then cover up with the blanket. You said you were cold.”

Yu Qingyue felt the weight of the blanket and was immediately enveloped in its warmth. He lay on the bed, absentmindedly scrolling through Moments while listening to Yu Wanlai turn off the lights, get into bed, and pull the blanket on his side before lying down. He wasn’t usually someone who checked Moments, but for some reason, tonight he felt like looking.

Suddenly, two familiar photos caught his eye. One was of the plump Yuanxiao dumplings placed in two ceramic bowls, and the other was a photo of Bai Jian and Jiang Cheng together. Yu Qingyue: “…”

He quickly sat up, looking again at the Yuanxiao photo. He confirmed that the filling spilling out of the dumpling was the same one they had made.

Yu Wanlai glanced at the shadow beside him. “What are you doing? Why aren’t you sleeping?” A cold grunt came from the darkness.

Yu Qingyue quickly flipped through his phone album but didn’t find the photo of the Yuanxiao. He clicked his tongue, thinking that he should have taken pictures of the food and the dumplings that Yu Wanlai made last night.

He threw off the blanket and started to get out of bed. Yu Wanlai thought he was going to the bathroom and didn’t stop him, but then he heard the sound of the door opening. Yu Wanlai didn’t even have time to call out before the door closed again.

Yu Wanlai: …Did he regret sleeping here and go back to his own room? A feeling of loss flickered in his heart.

Suddenly, the “ding-dong” sound of a phone notification came from the dark. The phone screen lit up. Yu Wanlai grabbed his phone and opened the link.

It was a series of Moments posts, the latest one being from Yu Qingyue. One photo showed the leftover Yuanxiao in the fridge, with a corner of Yu Qingyue’s clothing visible in the picture, and another was of the fairy stick Yu Qingyue had made his profile picture.

Yu Wanlai furrowed his brows, confirming he hadn’t mistaken anyone. So, he hadn’t gone back to his room; he had gone downstairs to take pictures. A slight smile tugged at his lips as he looked at the phone screen. His little brother was even more adorable than he thought—always with that cold face, every button on his shirt perfectly fastened, yet he liked sweet food, wore SpongeBob pajamas, and now was running downstairs in the middle of the night to take pictures and post on Moments.

He slowly scrolled up and saw the next post, which was Jiang Cheng’s Moments. It was also about Yuanxiao—one was raw, the other cooked and placed in two bowls. Yu Wanlai thought, ‘Those few he gave away to others? Should’ve taken more, but then he remembered the angry look on Yu Qingyue’s face earlier.‘

Yu Wanlai kept scrolling and returned to Yu Qingyue’s post. He thought, ‘Did he only suddenly want to take pictures because he saw Jiang Cheng’s photos?’

Then he found the answer in the next post. Bai Jian had also posted, so Jiang Cheng had shared the Yuanxiao with Bai Jian. Yu Wanlai stared at the three consecutive Yuanxiao posts on his Moments feed in silence.

On the first Saturday morning in March, Yu Wanlai carried a sports bag and dragged a small suitcase downstairs, with Yu Qingyue following behind him.

In the living room downstairs, Qin Shuang and Yu Cheng were there. Qin Shuang was feeding the cat some cat treats. The little kitten had grown a bit, but because of its short legs, it still crawled on the floor. The Samoyed was even bigger now, lying quietly at Yu Cheng’s feet while Yu Cheng watched the morning news.

When Qin Shuang heard the noise, she looked up at the two of them. “You’re leaving this early? Didn’t you say you’d only stay one night? Why so much stuff?”

Yu Wanlai quickly waved his hand and pointed at Yu Qingyue. “The suitcase is his; I only have this bag. I told him to pack light, but he didn’t listen, and he even brought a set of bed sheets and a duvet.”

Yu Wanlai was dressed all in black: a high-collared jacket and loose cargo pants, with his sports bag, looking cool and stylish. Yu Qingyue, on the other hand, wore a long light gray coat with a matching base layer. The two of them looked like Yu Qingyue was the older brother.

His face flushed, and he gave Yu Wanlai a glare. “It’s just for one night… it’s not full.”

Qin Shuang nodded. “Alright, take care on the road, and let us know when you arrive.”

After a pause, she emphasized, “Both of you check in.”

Yu Wanlai and Yu Qingyue both nodded.

Outside, Bai Yi had already driven up and was waiting for them.

Yu Qingyue had planned for them to just ride in Bai Yi’s car, but as soon as he opened the car door and saw who was inside, he immediately slammed it shut, so fast that Yu Wanlai behind him didn’t even get a chance to see what was going on.

Yu Wanlai: … “What’s going on? Not getting in the car?”

At this moment, Bai Yi also rolled down the car window and called out to the two of them, “What are you dragging your feet for? Are you going or not?”

Yu Qingyue glared at Bai Yi angrily. He hadn’t been told that Bai Jian and Jiang Cheng were also in the car. He left a remark, “We’ll drive ourselves, just follow behind you later.” After saying that, he tugged at Yu Wanlai’s sleeve and walked towards their garage.

Bai Yi: ………

Inside the car, Bai Jian watched as the door opened and then slammed shut, not having had the chance to say anything. Jiang Cheng, looking through the car window, glanced at Yu Wanlai. “Then should I ride in that car?”

Bai Jian: ………

She immediately held him back, rolled down the window, and called to the two of them walking away, “…Qingyue, Wanlai, just ride in this car. It’s a two-hour drive, and someone can take over if you get tired!”

Yu Wanlai was also puzzled, wondering why the male lead seemed to avoid the female lead. He grabbed Yu Qingyue, who was still walking, and said, “How about we just sit in Bai Yi’s car? Otherwise, you’ll have to drive for four hours round-trip.”

Yu Wanlai awkwardly scratched his nose. He had never planned on staying here long enough to need a car, so he hadn’t bothered to get a driver’s license. Now, thinking back, maybe he should get one—it’s not like it’s uncommon in the world. “…I don’t have a license. If you’re tired, I won’t be able to help.”

Yu Qingyue looked up at Yu Wanlai. He didn’t like driving, but he also didn’t want Yu Wanlai to interact with Jiang Cheng and Bai Jian.

Seeing that Yu Qingyue didn’t reject the idea, Yu Wanlai pulled his wrist and turned back to the car.

Coincidentally, the car they got into was the same seven-seater business vehicle that they had taken on Bai Yi’s birthday.

Yu Qingyue and Yu Wanlai were the last two, so they both sat in the last row. Bai Yi was in the driver’s seat, clicking his tongue, watching as Yu Qingyue moved to the back. “I said, can’t one of you sit in the front? I’m the only driver here.”

Yu Qingyue turned his head and ignored him.

Bai Jian leaned forward and spoke softly between the two front seats, patting Bai Yi’s shoulder with a pointed tone, “Can’t be helped, bro. We’re both a pair. Don’t worry, when you’re tired, someone will take over for you.”

Bai Yi snorted lightly. “Nonsense, we’re all the same!” We’re all single dogs!

Bai Jian shook his head and leaned back in his seat, realizing that nothing could save him.

After Yu Wanlai put the suitcase in the car, he sat next to Yu Qingyue. The back seat was actually quite spacious, enough for three people, but Yu Wanlai had placed his sports bag on his side, so their legs occasionally brushed against each other.

Yu Qingyue hadn’t said a word since getting into the car, just silently gazing out the window. Familiar scenes seemed to evoke memories more easily. Yu Qingyue struggled to control his thoughts, but the previous images kept intruding into his mind. The heated breath from that night, the scorching palm of Yu Wanlai’s hand—how could he remember it so vividly, even though he hadn’t had such feelings at that time?

He shifted his legs closer to the car door and simply closed his eyes.

Yu Qingyue leaned his head against the seat, swaying with the movement of the car.

Yu Wanlai glanced over and thought Yu Qingyue had fallen asleep. He then gently supported Yu Qingyue’s head, letting him rest on his shoulder, his arm slipping through the space between the seat and the gap behind them, holding Yu Qingyue tightly in his embrace.

The faint scent of laundry detergent, a hint of freesia, filled Yu Qingyue’s nostrils. Even though they used the same detergent, why did Yu Wanlai smell so good?