The next day, Ye Ran and An Yu went to the airport to see Shen Shi and the others off. Before leaving, the group had lunch at a small restaurant nearby.
The place was crowded, the diners all looked tired, and conversations were kept quiet.
Ye Ran and Shen Shi sat together, both subdued. Shen Shi lowered his gaze to look at him, voice soft as he spoke.
They finished the meal quickly.
Their flight was at three in the afternoon, and it was time to head into the airport.
An Yu and the others deliberately walked ahead, leaving a bit of space between them.
The young couple had only been together a few sweet days before having to part, surely they had much to say.
Outside, the wind and snow had lightened.
Tiny snowflakes drifted down, melting into droplets as they landed on their coats.
Ye Ran had a scarf wrapped snugly around him, three full loops of a red-brown plaid that covered the lower half of his face completely.
Whether from the cold or something else, his eyes were faintly red as they approached the terminal.
Beside him, Shen Shi suddenly stopped walking.
Ye Ran blinked quickly, trying to clear the mist in his eyes, and looked up in confusion.
Shen Shi bent slightly toward him; under the drifting snow, his eyes and brows were as dark as ink. “I just remembered,” he said. “What about our two agreements?”
Ye Ran froze. After a long pause, he croaked, “…You’re really thinking about that now?”
At a time like this, who still cared about “big kisses” and “small kisses”?
“This is important,” Shen Shi replied evenly, then offered a suggestion: “How about we owe them first?”
Ye Ran’s eyes went wide, the sadness gone in an instant. “You can’t owe kisses!”
It was just a long-distance relationship, not a breach of contract.
They could fulfill the “agreements” once they met again.
Shen Shi seemed to read his thoughts and nodded. “You’re right. We can’t owe them.”
Watching Ye Ran exhale in relief, he added calmly, “Then let’s make up for it now.”
Ye Ran: “?”
He instinctively took a step back, eyes darting nervously around. The airport road was dusted with thin snow; travelers hurried by, dragging suitcases past them.
Not far away, others were saying goodbye by their cars.
Ye Ran didn’t even dare raise his voice. “…Keep it down!”
“Oh,” Shen Shi murmured, then continued, “So, shall we make up for it now?”
“How would we even do that?” Ye Ran said quickly, flustered.
“There’s still a few hours before boarding,” Shen Shi replied. “We have time.”
Ye Ran: “…No way!”
Normally gentle and mild-tempered, Ye Ran often found himself both exasperated and helpless in this relationship. Sometimes he wondered how Shen Shi who used to be so warm and reliable had turned into someone completely different after they started dating.
A little sly.
And not even bothering to hide it, just showing it right to his face.
When he wore that calm, serious look while teasing, Ye Ran didn’t even have time to react.
Just like now.
The more he thought about it, the more anxious he became. Knowing Shen Shi’s stubborn nature, always following through on what he said, Ye Ran went from admiration to dread.
Seeing Shen Shi actually lean forward as if he might kiss him right there in front of everyone, Ye Ran panicked. Backing away, he blurted out, “We’ll owe it!”
“Let’s just owe it first!”
Shen Shi paused, a faint smile tugging at his lips. “Mm. And how exactly do we owe it?”
He hadn’t expected even the word “owe” could be turned into something like this.
Ye Ran: “…Go ahead.”
It was as if Shen Shi had been waiting for those very words. His smile deepened, eyelids lowered slightly as he leaned in close to Ye Ran’s ear and murmured, “Take it… and send it to me.”
Ye Ran: “?”
Ye Ran: “???”
His face went blank for a full minute before the meaning of Shen Shi’s words finally sank in. From his neck to his eyes, a thin blush spread upward mixed with the damp flush of humiliation. He stared at Shen Shi, shocked and trembling. “You…”
In that moment, the image of Shen Shi as cold, restrained, and self-disciplined shattered completely in Ye Ran’s mind. He had already known Shen Shi could be mischievous, but never, not in his wildest imagination, had he thought those kinds of filthy words would come out of his mouth.
Yes, that’s right. Filthy words.
Even worse than last time, enough to make Ye Ran’s face burn with shame and outrage.
He felt like he was about to explode. He couldn’t even get the words of accusation out. “…No! Shen Shi, you’re not allowed to say things like that!”
Shen Shi looked at him unhurriedly, his gaze steady. “Oh,” he said mildly, showing no disappointment. “Then I’ll just kiss you now.”
He’d already found Ye Ran’s weakness, being kissed in public was utterly against Ye Ran’s gentle, well-mannered nature.
Ye Ran was, at heart, a little traditionalist. If Shen Shi hadn’t been so assertive, never allowing him to retreat when it came to intimacy, their relationship might still have been stuck at holding hands.
Ye Ran immediately covered his mouth, his eyes tinged pink at the corners, glancing around in panic for fear anyone might overhear.
“…Stop talking!” he said anxiously.
“What now, then?” Shen Shi asked lazily, as if just realizing it. “Baby, are you stalling for time?”
Ye Ran: “I’m not!”
Shen Shi: “Then let me see it?”
Ye Ran: “No!”
Shen Shi: “Then let’s make up for it now?”
Ye Ran: “Absolutely not!!!”
The amusement in Shen Shi’s eyes slowly faded. He sighed lightly, and just as Ye Ran grew even more flustered, Shen Shi seemed to come up with another idea and leaned in again.
Ye Ran instinctively hunched his shoulders, feeling a warm, steady breath brush against his ear as Shen Shi said softly,
“If you won’t let me see it, then…”
A pause.
“Hm? Baby, how about this instead?”
***
Inside the airport, An Yu and the other two were sitting in a row, playing a multiplayer game together.
Before the match began, An Yu had been full of confidence. After all, both Yu Ting and Jiang Yun looked like the type who stayed up late gaming or climbing the digital walls to play. But the moment they formed their team, silence fell over them.
The chosen heroes floating above their avatars were—
Daji, Wang Zhaojun, and Angela.
All squishy mage types, utterly helpless against assassins. If any of them played even slightly poorly, the enemy’s assassin could slice through them like vegetables.
An Yu: “…”
Yu Ting: “…”
Jiang Yun: “…”
“Wait,” Jiang Yun said incredulously, “you two grown men aren’t picking tanks or assassins, you’re fighting me for mid-lane mages???”
Yu Ting, righteously: “You’re a grown man too.”
An Yu: “I’m gay.”
Jiang Yun: “So what if you’re gay? Gay guys can still—”
“I’m the bottom,” An Yu said flatly.
The words dropped, and both Yu Ting and Jiang Yun felt their scalps tingle and their shoulders shudder.
All that for the right to play Angela?!
An Yu gave them a blank look and opened the ranked lobby, but before they could enter, two familiar figures appeared one after another.
“Ranran?” An Yu quickly pocketed his phone. Seeing Ye Ran’s expression, he hurried over, gently lifting Ye Ran’s chin to check his face. “What’s wrong?”
Ye Ran’s cheeks were buried in his scarf, his lashes damp as if brushed with mist. His dark eyes, normally so clear, looked dazed: clean, pure, yet flickering with something else beneath the surface.
“Ah… nothing.” Ye Ran gave him a small smile.
That smile, however, looked so pitiful it made An Yu’s heart lurch like the expression of a man watching the fall of the Qing dynasty. “Baby, are you sure you’re okay?”
Ye Ran shook his head again. “I’m fine.”
Not far away, Yu Ting and Jiang Yun spotted Shen Shi approaching. Their energy immediately perked up.
“An Yu! Come over here!” they called. “We’ve got a jungler now, Shen Shi’s amazing! He’ll carry us for sure!”
An Yu sneered. “Then what are you playing, Jiang Qila?”
Jiang Yun choked. “I’ll… I’ll play the healer then.”
Shen Shi had already taken a seat beside Jiang Yun. He looked to be in a good mood, lips faintly curved. Tapping his fingers lightly on the armrest, he turned to Ye Ran. “Wanna play?”
Ye Ran met his gaze for two seconds, then answered slowly, “…Okay.”
He sat beside Shen Shi but deliberately kept a little distance between them. Shen Shi didn’t mind. He simply leaned over and whispered something to Ye Ran.
As An Yu sat down, he happened to catch two words—
“Take a photo?”
He frowned slightly, puzzled. Take a photo? Of what?
Ye Ran suddenly looked flustered, eyes darting toward An Yu, his face pink with embarrassment.
Suppressing his curiosity, An Yu asked casually, “What’s up? What were you two talking about?”
“Nothing,” Ye Ran said quickly, exhaling a small sigh of relief. “I was just… discussing strategy with Shen Shi.”
His excuse was clumsy, and he didn’t notice that, over his head, An Yu and Shen Shi locked eyes.
An Yu’s gaze was openly suspicious.
Shen Shi’s face, as always, remained unreadable, cool and calm.
…What the h*ll?
An Yu felt like there was a cat scratching inside his chest, but he also knew this wasn’t the time to ask questions.
The three of them started playing games together to pass the time.
When it was time for boarding, Ye Ran and An Yu stood by the departure gate, watching from afar as Shen Shi and the others left.
That feeling of parting welled up again.
Ye Ran buried his face in his scarf, staring at the tall, upright figure disappearing into the crowd.
Another hour and a half later—
A plane flew across the sky; the fine snow in the air wasn’t enough to affect the flight.
Ye Ran’s phone had long since received several messages.
[Shen Shi]: Be good.
[Shen Shi]: Go home.
[Shen Shi]: I’ll contact you again once I reach Haicheng.
***
The next day, An Yu noticed Ye Ran seemed distracted in everything he did.
By dusk, the sky was wrapped in heavy black.
Outside, the wind howled and swept up snow; inside, the heating made the room feel like spring.
An Yu lay sprawled on the sofa, scrolling on his phone. The warm yellow light cast soft outlines on the furniture.
The sound of running water came from the bathroom, Ye Ran had been showering for a long time. When he finally came out, he didn’t even dry his hair before flopping straight onto the bed.
An Yu jumped up in alarm. “What’s wrong? Did you get dizzy from the steam?”
Ye Ran buried himself in the blanket, motionless. His voice came muffled and distorted: “…I’m fine. I just need to lie down for a bit.”
An Yu didn’t feel reassured. “I’ll go downstairs and get you some water, wait for me.”
He hurried out, not noticing the phone in Ye Ran’s pajama pocket.
A few seconds later, the phone vibrated.
Ye Ran still didn’t move. The tips of his ears were flushed deep red, and his fingers clenched tightly around the blanket, knuckles white against the fabric.
***
At the Shen family mansion—
Shen Shi and Jiang Jun had arrived in the afternoon. After resting a bit at home, they joined the family for dinner.
After dinner, the living room buzzed with voices.
A few kids were making a racket, demanding to watch TV. The adults, too lazy to deal with them, dumped the children into Shen Shi’s and Jiang Jun’s arms before going off to play mahjong.
Jiang Jun was soon frazzled, trying to keep the kids calm with a few of the cousins.
Shen Shi, however, suddenly got up and went upstairs.
“Hey?” One sharp-eyed cousin called out immediately, “Where are you going, Shen Shi?”
Without looking back, Shen Shi’s low, slightly hoarse voice floated back: “Something to take care of.”
His retreating figure carried a faint chill.
His steps seemed unhurried, but in moments he had disappeared from sight, leaving his cousins puzzled.
“What’s up with him lately? He’s acting weird,” one cousin muttered, frowning toward Jiang Jun.
As the only person who actually knew what was going on, Jiang Jun smiled faintly. “I don’t know either.”
Just went to fool around with his boyfriend, no need to be so shocked.
When no more could be learned from him, the cousin sighed and turned back to the kids. “Baby, what do you want to eat? How about I buy you some candy?”
“Don’t you dare, if Aunt finds out, you’re dead.”
….
Upstairs, Shen Shi closed the door. His breathing was low and uneven.
He took a couple of deep breaths, eyes closing as his Adam’s apple bobbed once, twice. After a long moment, he opened his phone.
On the screen was the photo Ye Ran had sent a few minutes earlier.
It was of two small flower buds in the backyard, long unseen, still unchanged.
Soft and pinkish red, two tiny petals closed shyly together. The shot was a bit blurry, taken in haste, but it didn’t lessen the image’s impact in the slightest.
Just looking at it, one could easily imagine how breathtaking it would be when fully in bloom.
Shen Shi unconsciously reached out with his long fingers, eyes darkening, as though he could already smell the faint sweetness of those tiny buds.
Ten whole minutes passed before he calmed his heartbeat and breathing. Expression unchanged, he locked the photo in an album and set a password.
A minute later—
He replied to Ye Ran.
[Shen Shi]: Very cute.
[Shen Shi]: Just like before.
If you know you know
I DO NOT KNOW WHAT DID THEY TALK ABOUT 😭😭