Chen Zhou’s throat felt tight, leaving him unable to speak.
He roughly understood why Xu Nian had been so intense yesterday. It was probably because he always felt insecure, which was why he resorted to that kind of method.
Right now, Chen Zhou probably still had Xu Nian’s bite marks on him, on his collarbone, his lower abdomen, and even at the root of his thighs.
Enduring the discomfort, he shifted slightly and stretched out his neck to kiss Xu Nian.
Xu Nian kissed him back, pressing closer, but before things could escalate further, Chen Zhou covered his mouth with his hand. “Brother, I’m still sore.”
Xu Nian placed a hand on Chen Zhou’s shoulder blades. “Where does it hurt?”
Playing dumb on purpose!
Chen Zhou lowered his head and let out a vague, muffled hum.
Xu Nian’s hand slid downward, pausing in the middle of his spine. “Here?”
Chen Zhou’s face burned with embarrassment.
Seeing that he didn’t answer, Xu Nian slid down further, finally stopping at his tailbone to gently and ambiguously massage the spot.
Too embarrassed to speak, Chen Zhou clung to Xu Nian’s shoulder and bit him lightly.
“Old scumbag…”
Xu Nian gave a low chuckle and finally let him go. “Eat something and rest in bed a bit longer. I’ve already told your mom, so you don’t need to rush back.”
Chen Zhou let out an “Mn,” started picking up food to eat, and watched Xu Nian go back to work.
The lingering soreness in his body made movement a bit difficult, and Chen Zhou could not help letting out a soft hiss.
[Host, do you need help?]
126’s sudden voice startled Chen Zhou.
Clatter! The item in Chen Zhou’s hand dropped to the floor.
[126?! Don’t tell me you…]
126 sounded quite calm. [Rest assured, Host, I voluntarily went into sleep mode yesterday.]
Chen Zhou breathed a sigh of relief. [Good, good.]
He gave a couple of fake, awkward coughs. [Well, thanks a lot, 126, but I don’t need it.]
Chen Zhou still felt too flustered; it was probably best not to let 126 get involved in this kind of matter.
[Alright, then please take your time eating, Host.]
[Thank you.]
As Chen Zhou slowly ate his meal, 126 spoke up again after a quiet moment.
[Host, you have your own choices, and I respect them. We will not interfere with your wishes, but I still hope you get your heart’s desire.]
Chen Zhou was stunned for a long time, but finally smiled and thanked 126.
He would also work hard to get his heart’s desire.
After finishing his meal, Chen Zhou told Xu Nian and headed to the hospital.
Chen Hui had recovered quite a bit over the past few days, and by the time Chen Zhou arrived, she looked full of spirit. However, her expression toward Chen Zhou was still a bit cold.
Chen Zhou bought some food, walked over in silence to take care of her, but unexpectedly, Chen Hui spoke first.
“Xiaojia, come here.”
Hesitatingly, Chen Zhou walked over.
Chen Hui looked at him for a moment before slowly speaking.
“Xu Nian came today. He told me a lot.”
Chen Zhou twisted his hands together, listening in silence.
“Mom… Mom honestly never expected this.”
In truth, Chen Hui was not an overly rigid person; back when she was young in the village, she had been a dazzling presence. But she had poured too many expectations into her son, which was why things had reached this impasse.
Chen Hui rambled on about many things, some of which were in the original body’s memories, while others were things that had never happened before. Listening to another person’s life, Chen Zhou found himself feeling deep empathy.
He chimed in with a sentence or two from time to time, chatting and perhaps finding a sense of mutual closure for them both.
Until his mother finally said, “Mom just wants you to be happy.”
“If you two can keep going on like this well, Mom has no objections, but what if someone has a change of heart a few years down the line…”
Chen Hui’s voice softened at last. “What will you do then?”
Chen Zhou understood the good intentions behind Li Jia’s mother’s words.
He looked at the evening glow on the horizon and the blue roofs, which dyed everything in breathtakingly beautiful hues.
He said, “Mom, it won’t happen.”
So, as the twilight of sunset fell, Chen Zhou settled everything and went to find Xu Nian. Everything around them was painted in brilliant shades of gold and red, a mixed palette that evoked the most beautiful moments of the day. Not far away, a group of children gathered to play, their laughter mingling with the shouts of adults, creating a warm and cozy atmosphere.
When Chen Zhou reached the house, Xu Nian wasn’t there, so he asked Wang Qi. Wang Qi looked extremely impatient; just as he wanted to pull Chen Zhou over to catch up, Chen Zhou rushed off to find Xu Nian.
Wang Qi scolded him, “I really admire you. Spinning around the boss all day, are you the boss’s little wife or something?”
Chen Zhou just grinned foolishly and didn’t argue back.
Then Wang Qi mentioned that Xu Nian had gone down by the railroad tracks. Before he could even finish speaking, Chen Zhou took off running.
Wang Qi was driven utterly speechless.
The original small railway had been changed, making way for that patch of farmland, and the memories of that area remained vivid in Chen Zhou’s mind. Back in the scorching midsummer, every time Chen Zhou ran into Xu Nian coming here to help out, he would tag along.
This time, as soon as he hurried over, he saw Xu Nian busy at work, just like every time before.
Chen Zhou hugged Xu Nian from behind as usual. “Brother!”
Hearing that familiar voice, Xu Nian finally relaxed a fraction. Ever since Chen Zhou had left, he had been feeling restless and uneasy. If the other person hadn’t come back, wouldn’t that mean there was no hope left?
Fortunately, he had still come to give him an embrace.
Xu Nian turned around and hugged him back, and Chen Zhou buried his face in his shoulder.
“Brother.”
“Mn?”
“Let’s stay together forever.”
Xu Nian’s eyes widened sharply. “What did you say…”
Chen Zhou smiled. “I said, Xu Nian, will you marry me?”
“Or, should I marry you?”
The setting sun inched lower and lower, the surrounding landscape visibly shifting from golden-yellow to fiery red, before finally preparing to plunge into the dark of night.
Fortunately, Xu Nian didn’t make him wait long.
He heard Xu Nian’s trembling voice finally say, “Okay.” Xu Nian never cried, but people could shed tears when happiness reached its absolute peak.
At last, in the season of late autumn, they had obtained their heart’s desire.
That evening, Xu Nian pulled Chen Zhou back to live at the restaurant. Chen Hui was also preparing to be discharged from the hospital, and Chen Zhou had already arranged everything.
“Brother, I’m going to eat something.”
As soon as they arrived at the restaurant, Chen Zhou rushed to eat, but Xu Nian had been acting a bit strange ever since a moment ago.
Wherever Chen Zhou walked, Xu Nian followed, staring at him intently as if afraid that if he looked away for even a second, Chen Zhou might vanish.
“Eat up. Brother is watching.”
Chen Zhou understood Xu Nian’s sense of insecurity, so he simply decided to stay glued to Xu Nian’s side.
After dinner, the staff downstairs were still busy bustling about. Feeling a bit guilty, Chen Zhou planned to go down and help, but Xu Nian wouldn’t allow it no matter what.
“Brother, isn’t this a bit much?” Chen Zhou lay in his arms.
Xu Nian kissed his cheek. “It’s fine. Wang Qi can handle it.”
“Alright.” Chen Zhou apologized silently to Brother Wang Qi.
However, human joys and sorrows are not always connected. Downstairs, Wang Qi was practically working up a sweat.
Busy as he was, he muttered to himself in his heart: It is one thing for the boss to slack off, but why isn’t that kid Li Jia helping out since he came back? Is he planning not to work anymore? Usually, he would pitch in with things. What is going on this time?
And of course, there had to be so many customers today of all days.
Unable to take it anymore, Wang Qi decided to go upstairs and see what on earth that kid Li Jia was up to.
He rushed up in a huff to the second floor.
The door to Xu Nian’s room wasn’t actually latched shut, and at that moment, Chen Zhou was kissing Xu Nian by the window in the quiet room.
So the moment Wang Qi stepped upstairs, he caught that exact scene through the gap in the door.
Xu Nian was cupping the back of Chen Zhou’s head, kissing him earnestly, his slender fingers resting near Chen Zhou’s neck while his other arm wrapped around Chen Zhou’s waist, pulling him closer.
“Damn!” Wang Qi gasped in a low voice.
It was hard to describe what Wang Qi felt at that exact moment. He stood frozen in place for a long time, his jaw practically dropping off his face.
Recalling all the previous clues, sudden enlightenment hit him: So that is how it was.
Before long, however, his soul finally returned to his body. He looked away, gently pulled the door closed, and walked back downstairs.
Best to leave them to their own peace and quiet.
The next morning, Chen Zhou woke up very late once again, for no other reason than Xu Nian.
Ever since he had broken his abstinence, he had only grown more relentless. Every time Chen Zhou cried out that it hurt, Xu Nian would end up doing it anyway.
Muttering under his breath, Chen Zhou sat up, tidied up the bedding, and went downstairs.
“Morning, Brother Wang Qi.”
Chen Zhou rubbed his eyes as he greeted Wang Qi, but the other man looked deeply preoccupied, casting a single sideways glance his way and keeping his mouth shut.
“?”
Not paying it much mind, Chen Zhou prepared to help out. “Brother Wang Qi, let me take over.”
Instead, Wang Qi refused to let him touch anything. “Hey, it’s fine, I’ll do it. You go rest.”
Chen Zhou froze for a second. “…Oh.”
A short while later, Wang Qi was giving Xu Nian a report on the recent state of the restaurant.
Chen Zhou shuffled over to hand Xu Nian a cup of water, only to be grabbed by the hand and trapped in place.
“What do you want to eat for lunch?” Xu Nian asked him in a low voice.
Wang Qi: “This month…”
Chen Zhou thought about it and honestly replied that he didn’t know.
Xu Nian suggested, “How about fish?”
Wang Qi kept his eyes fixed straight ahead, pretending not to see anything while speeding up his speech. “The situation is like this…”
As soon as he finished speaking, he bolted.
Chen Zhou: “??”
He had originally paused to wait for Wang Qi to finish talking, but he hadn’t expected things to wrap up so fast!
Xu Nian continued, “Then let’s make fish for lunch.”
“Oh, okay,” Chen Zhou replied.
Still, he remained rather concerned about what on earth was going on with Brother Wang Qi.
Life at Xu Nian’s place passed quickly. Later, when Chen Hui was discharged from the hospital and had fully recovered her health, Chen Zhou began a routine of running back and forth between two places.
In his spare time, he would go home with Xu Nian, and usually, he would help out around the restaurant.
A life like this made Chen Zhou realize that three meals a day and all four seasons could be so ordinary yet so happy.
As the days ticked by, the end of the year quickly approached.
Winter had arrived, and the jasmine flowers had ultimately withered. Xu Nian cared a great deal about this and fretted over it for a long time.
Chen Zhou laughed at him from the side, asking if there were any flowers that didn’t fade.
Feigning anger, Xu Nian bit him playfully, and Chen Zhou laughed while hiding in his arms.
Finally, Chen Zhou promised, “It’s fine, we’ll just buy a new pot every year.”
Only then did Xu Nian let him go. “Alright.”
That winter, Xu Nian stayed up past midnight for the first time into the New Year, and made a wish when the new year arrived.
Chen Zhou had already fallen asleep by then. Watching his sleeping face, Xu Nian leaned in close and whispered softly, “I love you.”
In truth, Chen Zhou wasn’t fully asleep. That voice felt like a cluster of fireworks, carrying warmth as it seeped through his skin and straight into his marrow, making his entire body heat up. Then, amid the New Year countdown:
4
3
2
1
They finally bloomed together.
Chen Zhou smiled and drifted into the best dream of his life.
In the dream, he had gone back to his school days. Back then, even though he seemed quite popular on the surface, he was actually still very lonely, without a single close friend to confide in.
During that time, he must have been quite unhappy. No one understood him, and no one was willing to spend time listening to him talk.
His main pastimes back then were just reading books or going out to take photographs.
It was spring. In the dream, he must have gone on a school spring outing, hiking outdoors. Amidst a sea of flowers, he met someone tall who looked like he was in the same grade.
Chen Zhou raised his camera to take a picture of him, and the moment the shutter clicked, the person turned his head back.
The sunlight happened to favor the youth, but Chen Zhou couldn’t clearly make out his face.
The scene felt so familiar that he couldn’t help asking, “Who are you?”
The person didn’t answer him, just looked at him amidst a hazy blur, until finally, he heard the other person’s pleasant voice: “I’ve come to find you.”
Then, he was embraced by warmth.
Half-asleep and half-awake, knowing it was Xu Nian, he drifted back off to sleep with complete peace of mind.
From now on, he would never be lonely again.