“Will you?”
Xu Nian did not let go of his hand. His shirt was pulled up slightly, revealing his well-defined muscles.
Chen Zhou uncharacteristically shifted his focus. “Ge, you have abs.”
And a V-line, too.
Xu Nian smiled and placed Chen Zhou’s hand on his waist and abdomen. “Do you like them?”
Chen Zhou’s face grew hot as he let out a soft “mm.”
Leaning in closer and growing bolder, Xu Nian murmured, “Ge will let you touch them, so will you help Ge out?”
Taken aback by those words, Chen Zhou was left speechless. He had not expected Xu Nian to be so…
“Ge, why are you so…”
“Why is Ge what?”
Guiding Chen Zhou’s hand downward, Xu Nian asked, “Unwilling? Then will you let Ge touch you instead?”
“!”
Embarrassed, Chen Zhou protested, “No.”
He had no choice but to let Xu Nian lead him into mischief. Beneath the bright moonlight, Chen Zhou saw Xu Nian’s chiseled features right before his eyes.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
Xu Nian panted lightly while gently peppering kisses along Chen Zhou’s cheek and neck.
“Ge, you are so handsome.” Chen Zhou spoke from the bottom of his heart, causing Xu Nian to freeze mid-action for a fraction of a second.
Laughing softly, Xu Nian’s body trembled slightly. “Ge wants to bully you even more right now.”
After a long while, when Chen Zhou could barely stand on his feet anymore, Xu Nian finally let him go. Both of them were drenched in sweat.
Chen Zhou felt sticky with sweat and covered in mosquito bites.
“Ge, I have to go back,” Chen Zhou said while scratching his back. “I still have to work tomorrow.”
Reluctantly, Xu Nian loosened his grip, though he ultimately let him leave.
“Ge will come find you tomorrow.”
“Okay.” Chen Zhou stood on tiptoe to kiss Xu Nian’s cheek. “Goodnight, Ge.”
Xu Nian almost pulled Chen Zhou back and forbade him from leaving.
It was quite late by the time Chen Zhou arrived home. Wanting to chat with 126, he briefly greeted Li Jia’s parents before heading straight to his room.
Sitting cross-legged on the bed, Chen Zhou held the small wooden bird carved by Xu Nian in his hand.
[126.]
126 responded promptly this time: [I am here, Host.]
[Can we talk?]
Hearing that, 126 felt a mild wave of tension: [Sure.]
[You said my mission was completed today, but I refused to fake my death and escape, right?]
[Yes.]
[You better keep your word. I do not want to die by accident.]
[Rest assured, Host.]
Gazing at the chubby, adorable little wooden bird in his hand, Chen Zhou thought of Xu Nian. [Do you think Xu Nian was chosen by you guys to come here just like me?]
After a brief silence, 126 replied, [I do not have the authorization to tell you that, Host. But I find it quite surprising. None of the hosts before you have ever made a choice like yours.]
Chen Zhou was not surprised. Perhaps very few people could remain as carefree and open-minded as he was. Besides, there was hardly anyone in the real world worth holding onto for him.
Yet here, there was Xu Nian.
[I know… but I just want to know, when this world is recycled, will Xu Nian disappear too?]
[In a sense, yes. But that does not mean he will cease to exist entirely.]
Quickly catching the underlying meaning in 126’s words, Chen Zhou asked, [You mean this is not entirely virtual, right? Is it possible for me to run into Xu Nian again?]
Smart as he was, Chen Zhou pieced things together from stray hints. [That means you guys are not completely fictional either, right? Otherwise, why would you need a living human being like me to play a cannon fodder role?]
126 fell completely silent.
After a long pause, Chen Zhou heard a sigh. [Host, I really cannot tell you these details. However, I hope you will not go OOC in the future, and it is best not to get entangled with anyone else either.]
Chen Zhou challenged him, [Why?]
[Because due to certain actions of yours, the protagonist has developed thoughts and behaviors that shouldn’t exist. If left unchecked, this world might collapse. Furthermore, if you form entanglements with people in this world and can never see them again in the future, what will you do?]
Every word carried heartfelt sincerity, even if it sounded unappealing. Right now, Chen Zhou was undeniably the chief culprit. Though he still harbored plenty of doubts about the system, it did not change the fact that he disagreed with 126.
He had not even done anything wrong.
Realizing his tone might have sounded a bit harsh, 126 tried to backtrack, [Still, don’t worry. When you leave in the end, we can help erase your memories if you wish.]
[No.]
Rejecting the offer instantly and more firmly than before, Chen Zhou replied, [Do you know why human memories are so precious, 126?]
[Because they are unique and one-of-a-kind. Even if the future is full of unknowns, I am still willing to keep these memories. They are very precious to me. Good memories matter so much to me that I do not want anything fake, vanishing, or trying to replace them.]
Though his thoughts tumbled out a bit disjointedly, Chen Zhou made his stance clear before hugging the little wooden bird and falling asleep.
No matter what, he believed he would meet Xu Nian again, and he believed Xu Nian was not fake.
Regardless of what this world was like, everything happening right now was completely real.
Chen Zhou woke up early the next morning without any desire to linger in bed.
Bounding out of bed, he walked out to find Chen Hui preparing breakfast.
Looking at this woman who had worn herself out for her son for the better part of her life, Chen Zhou suddenly found the words stuck in her throat. If he told her her son’s true feelings, would she accept it?
Chen Zhou had treated everything here as real, including these people.
That was precisely why it hurt so much more.
Halfway through, he lost his nerve. He had just lied yesterday about staying to rest for a bit before returning, so he figured he had better keep quiet for now.
“Mom, I am heading out to the fields to work.”
Autumn had officially arrived, and looking out at the vast expanse of golden crops, Chen Zhou felt a deep sense of fulfillment. Though lacking experience in rural life, he had genuinely come to appreciate the sense of hard-earned satisfaction over this period.
Planning to head into the cornfields to harvest some corn, Chen Zhou had not taken two steps before he spotted Xu Nian standing beside a cow.
Standing sideways with a piece of straw dangling from his mouth, Xu Nian was gazing around listlessly, presumably waiting for someone.
With a smile, Chen Zhou walked over and wrapped his arms tightly around Xu Nian’s slender waist from behind.
Startled by the ambush, the blade of grass slipped from Xu Nian’s mouth and fluttered down between their feet.
Grinning broadly, Chen Zhou asked, “Ge, were you waiting for me?”
Without a word, Xu Nian turned around and pulled him straight into his embrace.
Leaning in as if to kiss him, Chen Zhou blocked his mouth with a hand, protesting, “No, Ge, someone might see us.”
Chen Zhou was doing it on purpose.
Ignoring him entirely, Xu Nian brushed his hand away. “Doesn’t matter. Let Ge kiss you, Ge will block them.”
Xu Nian got his wish, though Chen Zhou’s lips ended up slightly bruised.
Eventually, the two of them sat down on the ridge instead. Work had not even started yet, and they were already taking a break.
“Ge.”
“What is it?”
“I do not know how to talk to my mom about certain things.”
Chen Zhou had never possessed much capability for communicating with his family back home, either they missed each other or ended up arguing. While he could chat easily with strangers, dealing with parents was a different story altogether, especially facing the original host’s parents right now.
Looking at him, Xu Nian grasped his thoughts almost instantly.
“About working away from home?”
“Yeah.”
Reaching out, Xu Nian interlocked his fingers with Chen Zhou’s. “Tell the truth. Don’t be afraid, Ge is right here.”
“Make your thoughts clear to your mom, they will support you. Besides, hanging out with Ge is great, countless people would kill for that opportunity.”
Letting out a sudden chuckle, Chen Zhou pinched Xu Nian’s fingers.
“Ge.” Scratching his back a moment later, Chen Zhou added, “There are so many mosquitoes here, let’s go to work. My back is itching.”
A dark spark flickered in Xu Nian’s eyes. “Turn around, let Ge take a look.”
“No way, you are definitely going to grope around.” Knowing Xu Nian’s wandering thoughts, Chen Zhou refused. “I am afraid you will act like a hooligan.”
Laughing, Xu Nian abruptly lifted the back of Chen Zhou’s shirt and leaned in close to his ear. “Ge is going to act like a hooligan with you.”
After lingering for quite a while longer to inspect Chen Zhou’s back, the two of them finally got around to harvesting the corn.
The autumn heat was blistering, and Chen Zhou was sweating profusely, but the work still had to get done.
He managed a portion of it himself, while Xu Nian handled the bulk of the heavy lifting. The tall cornstalks shielded them from view, leaving the two of them to alternate between working and chatting. Xu Nian kept his gaze fixed on Chen Zhou, while Chen Zhou frequently found himself spacing out at those handsome features.
Beauty truly could cloud one’s judgment.
On the way back, Xu Nian carried Chen Zhou on his back, with Chen Zhou dangling his feet while clinging happily to his shoulders.
It was the first time Chen Zhou had ever been carried on someone’s back, having never experienced such tenderness before. For the first time, he realized how wonderful it felt to rely on someone else.
“Ge.”
“Hmm?” Pausing the tune he had been humming, Xu Nian immediately stopped walking upon hearing his name.
“Thank you.”
Catching him off guard, Xu Nian asked, “What for?”
Tightening his grip around Xu Nian’s neck from behind, Chen Zhou replied, “Nothing, just wanted to say thank you.”
Without speaking, Xu Nian resumed walking after a brief pause. “Yeah, Ge likes you too.”
Shifting Chen Zhou higher up, Xu Nian offered, “Come over to Ge’s place tonight, Ge will cook for you, sound good?”
Chen Zhou wanted to go, yet he also wanted to return home and clear things up with the original host’s parents first, leaving him uncertain.
Guessing his hesitation, Xu Nian suggested, “After we eat, Ge will go down with you to talk to them, how’s that?”
That made sense. Perhaps having Xu Nian around would make it easier to talk. Feeling considerably more relaxed, Chen Zhou replied, “Okay.”
When Xu Nian led Chen Zhou back, Aunt Wang was already resting.
Fearing they might wake her up, the two of them crept quietly over to the stove area.
Pulling Chen Zhou down to sit beside him, Xu Nian began preparing dinner.
Xu Nian’s cooking movements were far more practiced than Chen Zhou’s, though he looked casual standing there, his hands moved with steady precision.
Taking advantage of the wait, Chen Zhou reached out to grab Xu Nian’s hand. “Ge, who else do you cook for? Can you cook exclusively for me from now on?”
Realizing how silly the question sounded the moment it left his mouth, Chen Zhou instantly regretted it.
Squeezing Chen Zhou’s hand tighter, Xu Nian lowered himself so they were at eye level. “What, starting to boss Ge around now?”
Muttering a soft “no,” Chen Zhou shook his head.
Yet Xu Nian answered him with infinite patience, “Ge will cook for you from now on, alright?”
With that, he picked up Chen Zhou’s hand and pressed a kiss to his palm. “Who else could make Ge want to spoil them this much?”