Gu Xingyan stepped out of the bathroom soon after. Carrying a chill from the cold shower, along with the fresh scent of body wash, he immediately leaned in close to Ruan Zhao. Droplets of water dripped from his damp hair, landing on Ruan Zhao’s arm—so icy that he shuddered on impact.
With an expression of pure disgust, Ruan Zhao shoved his face away, clearly not in the mood for his antics. Taking a cold shower in the middle of winter? If he caught a cold, he deserved it. Though he thought that, he still couldn’t help but grumble, “Your hair’s dripping. Aren’t you going to dry it?”
Gu Xingyan obediently went to the storage cabinet, pulled out a blow dryer, plugged it in—then handed it straight to Ruan Zhao, clearly expecting him to do the honors.
Ruan Zhao raised a brow. “Are you actually dumb, or just pretending to be? Can’t you tell I’m mad at you?” To make sure Gu Xingyan got the message, he tugged his collar down, exposing the obvious red marks blooming across his collarbone. His tone was merciless. “You left me looking like this, and now you want me to dry your hair? Keep dreaming.”
Gu Xingyan’s gaze dropped to Ruan Zhao’s neck, his expression shifting slightly—something flashed in his eyes. And for a second, his body stiffened, as if he’d just thought of something he really, really shouldn’t.
Before he could make another mistake, he forced himself to look away and murmured, “You can leave marks on me too, I don’t mind.”
???
You don’t mind? And did you ever think to ask if I mind? Ruan Zhao instinctively wanted to snap back, the words right on the tip of his tongue—but at the last second, he swallowed them down. His eyes flickered with a sudden thought. A brilliant idea.
He curled his fingers slightly, palm facing up, and motioned for Gu Xingyan to come closer—like he was calling a puppy. “Come here.” His voice was soft as cotton.
Gu Xingyan obediently leaned in, eager as ever. Then—Ruan Zhao shoved him down onto the couch, straddled his waist, and yanked at his collar.
Gu Xingyan’s skin was pale and smooth, a stark contrast against Ruan Zhao’s fingertips as they trailed slowly across his neck. Left to right. Down, then back up, searching—for the perfect spot.
The moment his gaze landed on Gu Xingyan’s Adam’s apple, subtly shifting with each swallow, his eyes brightened. Found it.
And without warning—he bit down. Hard. Not like Gu Xingyan, with his teasing kisses and lazy licks—Ruan Zhao wanted this to hurt. A lesson, so he’d never leave those messy marks on him again.
A low groan escaped Gu Xingyan’s throat.
Ruan Zhao, thinking it was from pain, smirked in satisfaction and pulled back. A few small bite marks lingered on the skin, two of them deep enough to leave a faint red imprint. With each movement of Gu Xingyan’s throat, the marks shifted slightly, like they were alive.
Ruan Zhao paused—then, on impulse, he licked it. Gu Xingyan’s hands immediately clamped around his waist. Firm. Possessive. Like he was about to pull him down.
Sensing danger, Ruan Zhao straightened up immediately, voice sharp with warning: “Move me one more time, and we’re breaking up.”
Sure enough, Gu Xingyan didn’t dare move again. But the way he held himself back was dangerous. His dark eyes shimmered faintly, clouded with an emotion so intense it felt almost unnerving. His breathing grew heavier. “Why do you like biting so much?”
Ruan Zhao huffed, completely justified. “Well, whose fault is that? You messed up, so you deserved it.”
He barely had time to gloat—before Gu Xingyan flipped him over in one swift motion.
The whole world tilted. Ruan Zhao’s back landed on the soft couch, his vision scattering for a moment. His hands flew to Gu Xingyan’s chest, trying to push him away.
But—the moment his fingertips touched his skin, he flinched. It was hot. At some point, the cold from the shower had faded, replaced by a feverish heat. And the weekend—was still far from over.
……
Final exams were over, which meant—finally—the long-awaited winter break. But with college entrance exams looming, the break only lasted fifteen short days.
From the very first day, Gu Xingyan’s parents kept calling, urging him to come home. He stalled for as long as he could. But in the end, on the eve of the Lunar New Year, he finally boarded a flight back to Beijing.
Ruan Zhao saw him off at the airport. Once again, he’d wrapped himself up like a fluffy ball of fur, only his light-colored eyes peeking out, wide and clear as he stared at Gu Xingyan without blinking. “You didn’t forget anything, did you?”
“…No.”
The boarding announcement echoed through the terminal. Gu Xingyan gently tugged down Ruan Zhao’s scarf. Then, amidst the noisy background of travelers and flight calls, he leaned in and kissed him.
Soft. Quick. Fleeting.
“I’ll be back in a couple of days,” he murmured.
All around them, people bustled past, dragging suitcases, lost in their own goodbyes. Had anyone seen? Ruan Zhao pressed his lips together, a faint flush creeping up his face. Hurriedly, he yanked his scarf back up, as if hiding the warmth spreading across his cheeks. “It’s okay if you stay a little longer,” he mumbled. “They… probably miss you a lot.”
Gu Xingyan didn’t say anything. Instead, Ruan Zhao nudged him forward. “Go already.”
Gu Xingyan walked away—but kept turning back. Ruan Zhao stood there, waving goodbye. The roar of the engines filled the air. After a short sprint down the runway, the plane lifted off, a massive bird with white wings, soaring into the sky. Higher. Until it vanished beyond the horizon.
Ruan Zhao pulled out his phone, opened the pinned chat at the top and typed out a single message. “Safe travels.”
……
Gu Xingyan came back sooner than expected. On the night of the second day of the Lunar New Year, he arrived at Ruan Zhao’s door, dusted in fresh white snow, and knocked.
Ruan Zhao was home alone—his parents had gone out for a little “couple’s time.” When he heard the knock, he thought they’d come back early. Still wearing his slippers, he hurried to the door—only to freeze in place when he saw who was standing outside.
Gu Xingyan.
Most of the snow on his head had already melted, leaving only a few crystal-like flakes clinging to his dark hair. It looked like he had run all the way here. His breathing was uneven, the rise and fall of his chest slightly erratic. A droplet—snowmelt or sweat, it was hard to tell—slid slowly down his cheek.
Ruan Zhao’s fingers tightened around the doorknob. “You—”
Gu Xingyan’s clothes were damp, so he didn’t dare hug him. Instead, he just reached out, his fingers brushing against Ruan Zhao’s cheek. It wasn’t quite a pinch—just a soft, lingering touch, barely pressing into his skin. Gentle. Tethering. A little reluctant to let go. “Zhaozhao, did you miss me?”
If he was being honest… Ruan Zhao hadn’t really missed him much. After all, it had only been four days.
And besides, they video called every day. Through that small, square screen, they could see each other’s faces clearly—so really, Ruan Zhao never had the chance to miss him.
But Gu Xingyan still looked at him with quiet anticipation, as if waiting for the answer he wanted to hear. Ruan Zhao sighed inwardly and humored him. “Yeah, I missed you.”
A smile bloomed in Gu Xingyan’s eyes, rippling like light across the water. Softly, he murmured, “I missed you too.”
……
After the college entrance exams, they both got into the same university. At their graduation party, Chen Feng was completely wasted. He burped mid-sentence, slurring, “I knew there was something off about you two… hic… When the hell did you start messing around… hic… Come on, confess already!” With the stench of alcohol clinging to him, he threw an arm around Ruan Zhao’s shoulder.
Ruan Zhao, thoroughly disgusted, shoved him away. Chen Feng toppled onto the table and immediately started rambling nonsense. “Man, I never would’ve guessed… You used to hate his guts! And you even photoshopped all those chat logs… If that’s not fate, I don’t know what is—”
Ruan Zhao’s eyes twitched in surprise.
Wait. He knew? He knew the chat logs were fake?
Ruan Zhao had always assumed Chen Feng was completely in the dark. Turns out, he knew everything. Ruan Zhao pressed his lips together, sighed, then carefully pulled Chen Feng’s arm out from under him, adjusting his posture so he wouldn’t wake up with a sore neck.
“Ruan Zhao…” Chen Feng grabbed his wrist, his voice slurred with drunkenness. “If you two really end up together, don’t forget to send me some wedding candy, alright? After all, I’m basically your matchmaker.”
Matchmaker? Ruan Zhao was both amused and curious. He dug into his pocket, pulled out a lollipop, and stuffed it into Chen Feng’s hand. “Here, consider this an early wedding candy.” Chen Feng didn’t respond—he had already passed out.
From a short distance away, Gu Xingyan approached. His gaze flicked toward Chen Feng, who was clinging onto Ruan Zhao, and his brows knitted slightly, clearly not pleased. “He’s drunk. You should stay away, or he might throw up on you.”
“I don’t think he will—he’s already asleep.”
Gu Xingyan let out a flat ‘oh’, then casually asked, “What was he saying to you just now?”
Chen Feng had never liked him, so Gu Xingyan couldn’t help but be suspicious—what if he had badmouthed him behind his back? Maybe even tried to break them up?
Gu Xingyan tried to act indifferent, but Ruan Zhao saw right through him. He curved his lips into a mischievous smile and deliberately teased, “He said we’re not a good match and that we should break up sooner rather than later.”
Gu Xingyan’s hands subtly clenched into fists. Ruan Zhao grinned and added, “Just kidding. He didn’t say that.”
Their conversation was a bit too loud, waking Chen Feng. Still holding the lollipop, he wobbled to his feet, slammed his hand on the table, and shouted at Gu Xingyan.
“Ruan Zhao already gave me his wedding candy. What about yours? Why haven’t you given me any yet? Trying to cheat me out of it?”
So that’s what this was about… just wedding candy.
Gu Xingyan’s brows relaxed, and he said, “I’ll get you a whole truckload tomorrow.”
……
[Congratulations, Host! Mission complete.]
[Mission Grade: A]
[Points Settlement: Total Earned—13,500 points.]
The system’s notification chimed just as Ruan Zhao sipped from a glass of fruit juice, taking small, careful sips. Maybe it was because he had gotten too drunk last time, but this time, Gu Xingyan had made sure to keep him away from alcohol.
System: [Our first mission is officially over. You did great. The main system didn’t deduct any points.]
System: [So, Zhaozhao, are you leaving this world now?]
Ruan Zhao’s fingers tightened around his glass. The smile on his lips slowly faded.
The mission had ended too abruptly—he hadn’t even had time to mentally prepare. Why did it end so fast?
For a moment, his mind was a complete mess, and he had no idea what choice to make.
Gu Xingyan seemed to sense something and looked over at him. His gaze was gentle and steady, the dim light casting a faint shadow beneath his eyelashes. He thought Ruan Zhao was uncomfortable in this atmosphere—that he didn’t want to stay any longer.
“Heading home, Zhaozhao?”
Ruan Zhao shook his head.
Gu Xingyan gently touched his cheek, but Ruan Zhao didn’t react—he just stared at him in a daze. Gu Xingyan let out a small sigh, looking as if he had completely run out of ways to deal with him. In the end, he handed Ruan Zhao his own wine glass. “Drink,” he said. “But just a little.”
Ruan Zhao lowered his gaze, watching the deep red liquid swirl inside the glass. It was as if his mind was filled with countless thoughts—or maybe, completely blank. He simply sat there, lost in thought.
After a while, he spoke.
[System, I choose…]
[To stay.]
The system wasn’t surprised at all and responded effortlessly: [Alright. I’ll return to the main world first. When your character reaches the end of their lifespan, I’ll come back to take you.]
[Zhaozhao, goodbye. I hope you live happily here, and have a life full of love and joy.]
[Beep beep beep… System 0606 has temporarily signed off. Leave a message if needed.]
……
The system that had always been by his side was gone. Ruan Zhao’s nose stung with emotion, and he threw himself into Gu Xingyan’s arms.
Like a clingy little cat, he nuzzled against Gu Xingyan’s neck, then wrapped his arms tightly around his waist. His voice was muffled as he spoke. “Gu Xingyan, you have to be good to me.”
“No—wait, not just good… you have to be super good to me. Otherwise… I won’t like you anymore.”
Gu Xingyan chuckled softly, gently ruffling his hair as he answered with warmth—“Alright.”
…Outside the window, the cicadas sang endlessly. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled, shifting shadows across the room—whispering the arrival of summer.
They would go on to experience countless summers together.
A love so long, so vast, that it stretched beyond the horizon.
Even death would not tear them apart.
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