Ye Xi stayed at Bai Yue’s home for three days. During those days, they were like any newly established couple, spending almost every moment together.
During this time, classmates did try to reach out to Ye Xi, but sitting in Bai Yue’s arms, he awkwardly lied, “Uh… I’m out of town right now, traveling… I can’t come for now, you guys go ahead and have fun.”
“Fine,” the class monitor grumbled on the other end. “What’s with you? You and Li Rui—one abroad, one out of town. Haven’t seen either of you lately. Traitors. At least try to come hang out more.”
Ye Xi could only rub his nose sheepishly.
He might have been a hopeless slacker back in the day, sneaking off to internet cafés, but he truly wasn’t good at lying.
When he hung up, he overheard Bai Yue also being invited out.
But Bai Yue was far calmer. “Mm… not going. I have to be with my partner.”
“?”
Ye Xi’s eyes widened, staring at him in disbelief.
Partner?
How could he say that word so lightly?
On the other end of the phone, the reaction was clearly the same as Ye Xi’s.
Ye Xi could even hear the shrieks through the receiver.
“What the hell??”
“You have a partner?! Since when? Who is it?!”
“Man, you move fast!”
Unfortunately, Bai Yue had no intention of satisfying anyone’s curiosity. Expressionless, he hung up, then lowered his head to kiss Ye Xi again.
Ye Xi reacted instinctively—whenever Bai Yue leaned in, he leaned up, lips parting obediently. Even when his lower lip was bitten, he only looked up at him innocently.
When the kiss finally ended, Ye Xi was left conflicted.
He asked, “Bai-ge, is it really okay to just say you have a partner like that?”
“Why not?” Bai Yue countered.
Ye Xi couldn’t explain. He wanted to say: Because I’m a guy. Being in love is fine, but being with another boy—well, that’s bound to cause a stir.
Who knew whose ears it might reach, what kind of waves it might cause.
He himself didn’t care about public opinion, nor his parents’ thoughts.
But Bai Yue was different…
Yet when he thought about it, Bai Yue hadn’t mentioned his partner’s gender. Nobody could possibly guess the truth.
That thought reassured him.
He shook his head. “Nothing. I was just overthinking.”
At this time, he still didn’t know Bai Yue had long since come out.
Nor that Bai Yue had already prepared his family, who even faintly suspected who his love interest was.
Ye Xi was still sincerely worrying, thinking Bai Yue’s family background must make coming out difficult—like Zheng Yang’s family.
But it wasn’t something they could solve right away. They had just started dating.
Ye Xi looked at Bai Yue for a moment, then set the thought aside.
….
On the fourth day of their relationship, the mountain villa Bai Yue had booked didn’t go to waste.
Bai Yue drove Ye Xi three hours away to Yong City.
The villa was part of a resort developed years ago. Half the mountain belonged to the resort, but it only hosted up to fourteen guests at a time. Each villa was set far apart, with clear boundaries—peaceful and secluded.
It was a trip just for the two of them.
Ye Xi sat in the passenger seat. They had just come off the highway, the window rolled down. The temperature wasn’t high, and the breeze poured in, calming his heart.
A quiet country ballad played in the car.
The atmosphere fit perfectly.
Ye Xi looked at Bai Yue in the driver’s seat.
They had known each other for years, yet this was their first trip alone together.
Before, no matter what feelings they harbored, they always needed Zheng Yang as an excuse—only then could they meet openly.
He had stolen glances at Bai Yue from the stairs at home.
Bai Yue had chatted distractedly with Zheng Yang in the living room.
Even under the same roof, their only direct greeting lasted a few minutes at the door.
But now…
Ye Xi lifted a magazine to cover the lower half of his face, but his eyes curved into a smile.
He thought: love is wonderful.
He even wanted to message Li Rui, to share that after all his persistence, he had finally, joyfully, won over his crush.
But considering the time difference in London, Li Rui was probably still asleep.
So Ye Xi set his phone down again.
He thought, better to wait until Li Rui returned, so he could tell him in person.
He imagined Li Rui screaming loud enough to pierce his eardrums.
That thought made Ye Xi laugh quietly.
Bai Yue heard and glanced over. “What is it?”
Ye Xi shook his head and looked out the window—only to spot something interesting.
He pointed ahead. “What’s that little house? A cake shop?”
It was an old-fashioned wooden cabin by the roadside, with a sign painted with a milk bottle.
There was a bench at the entrance and a small flowerbed beside it.
Bai Yue slowed the car, his eyesight sharper than Ye Xi’s. He read the sign: “It’s for selling fresh milk. They have milk tea too—looks like it’s a local specialty.”
He smiled and asked Ye Xi, “Do you want it?”
Of course, Ye Xi did.
A few minutes later, Ye Xi was sitting inside. He ordered iced milk as well as a cup of milk tea.
He was also wearing a white hat. The shop had only a fifty-year-old granny inside, no air conditioning, just an old-fashioned ceiling fan whirring overhead.
But Ye Xi fanned himself with his hat, sipping iced milk, and didn’t feel all that hot.
He and Bai Yue sat by the window, looking out at the road outside, the thick forest, and people nearby walking little dogs.
Ye Xi took another sip of milk tea.
Although they hadn’t yet arrived at the mountain villa, to him, it already felt like vacation had begun.
…..
After finishing their drinks, Bai Yue took Ye Xi back on the road. They arrived at the resort at exactly 3 p.m., where the butler was already waiting for them at the entrance.
Bai Yue had reserved Villa No. 1, located at the foot of the mountain.
The butler led them inside, introducing all the services one by one before disappearing.
That was because Bai Yue had checked off “no butler on standby” and “no staff interruptions.”
He would only ring the bell when he needed something.
Ye Xi was studying the handcrafted Florentine copper lamp on the villa wall, thinking it was quite beautiful. When he moved into an apartment one day, he’d like to have one at home too.
The resort also provided a welcome gift: a bottle of champagne and a three-tiered tower of pastries.
He picked one from the bottom tier, popped it into his mouth, then raised an eyebrow: “Tuna?”
Not unpleasant, but not really to his taste either. So he didn’t try a second piece.
That night, Bai Yue prepared a barbecue himself.
They sat in the garden while the butler delivered fresh ingredients, juice, and an entire baked blueberry pie.
When Bai Yue placed a halved lobster on the grill, Ye Xi finally began to feel a little hungry.
Biting into a piece of blueberry pie, he mumbled, “It’s so quiet here.”
He had noticed it ever since they arrived—this place was different from hotels he’d been to before. It was too quiet.
It felt like genuine seclusion in the mountains, with not another soul in sight.
Around them stood only their solitary villa; there was no chance of bumping into other guests.
Only staff appeared when needed, discreet and silent, finishing their tasks before vanishing again.
Ye Xi even had the illusion that this mountaintop belonged only to him and Bai Yue.
Bai Yue said, “That’s the purpose of this resort—to escape people. It’s meant for those seeking seclusion, guaranteeing absolute privacy. The service is designed so you barely notice it. That’s why there aren’t any public areas. From check-in to check-out, aside from the staff, you might not see a single person.”
He paused, the corners of his lips lifting faintly.
“They say the resort was first built because the owner himself wanted a place free of worldly concerns, where he could avoid meeting people. But after he opened it to guests… quite a few came here to meet their lovers.”
Ye Xi almost choked on the pie.
He stared at Bai Yue in shock.
Bai Yue flipped a wagyu steak on the grill, letting the fat sizzle before placing it on Ye Xi’s plate.
He said, “Is that so strange? With privacy this good, total freedom, of course it’s perfect for hiding certain… unknown romances.”
He added a grilled oyster to Ye Xi’s plate and casually dropped a bomb:
“I have an elder who came here with his lover for ten years. Every summer, they’d meet here.”
Wow…
Ye Xi bit into the steak, a little stunned.
He thought, Gossiping about your own elder so casually, is that really okay?
But as he listened, his lashes lowered slightly.
He certainly knew that in social circles like the Bai and Zheng families, extramarital affairs were nothing new. Many couples turned a blind eye to each other’s affairs.
Including his own mother—that was how she rose in status.
Which was exactly why he usually avoided such stories.
He didn’t like them, nor did he want to become such a person, no matter how commonplace it was for others.
But the next second, Bai Yue said, “Actually, that elder is my second uncle. Back then, he fell in love with another young man. The man wasn’t from a humble background either, but a carefully groomed family heir. They had almost no chance of being together.”
“So every summer, they’d meet here. In winter, they’d go to a small town at the foot of the Alps, to spend a rare, unobserved holiday together.”
Ye Xi: “……”
You could have said that earlier.
And here he was, imagining yet another cliché extramarital affair.
But now his curiosity was piqued.
“And then?” he asked.
In those days, two men in such a relationship rarely had happy endings.
But still, he wanted to know.
Bai Yue gave a soft laugh, looking at him. “Later… they eloped to the Netherlands. They held a wedding there, gave up their inheritance, gave up everything. But to this day, they’re still together.”
Ye Xi froze.
Then he remembered—oh right, Bai Yue’s second uncle’s family lived in the Netherlands.
He had always assumed his uncle had married a well-matched wife. But in reality…
He stared blankly at Bai Yue.
Bai Yue only smiled back at him, lowering his voice. “Someday I’d like to take you to meet them. My second uncle may seem unreliable, but he’s a very good man. His partner too—I call him Little Uncle—he’s incredibly gentle.”
Ye Xi felt his heart stir.
Maybe it was because Bai Yue’s tone was so natural.
He really did feel that one day, he would go with Bai Yue to the Netherlands, see the beautiful giant windmills, and visit the elder couple who had eloped all those years ago.
