The starry sky hung low, light casting shadows on the ground. Two figures were reflected below, one tall and one shorter, like they were leaning on each other, as if guardians.
The evening breeze stirred the flower clusters, rippling waves of vibrant color, carrying the scent of tulips, gently brushing against their faces.
The young man’s eyes shimmered like starlight, mist curling around them, irises glinting.
The hand Yu Zhi held no longer resisted. Yin Xu quietly lifted his head to look at him, expression somewhere between crying and smiling.
“…I really don’t want you to say things like this at a time like this.”
“You’re trying to soften me with sugar-coated words, to convince me.”
“…You’re so calculating,” he thought, ‘and it’s all aimed at me.’
Yet he couldn’t bring himself to refuse.
Yu Zhi pressed his lips together, silent, then drew him into his embrace. With a light sigh, part exasperated, part amused, he said, “Don’t doubt. Don’t misunderstand. Don’t disbelieve.”
“You know I never lie.”
“If I say this, it comes from my heart.”
Held in his arms, Yin Xu could feel Yu Zhi’s heartbeat, his breath, and the faint air currents that accompanied his words.
He instinctively reached out, closed his eyes slightly, and returned the embrace.
In this moment, it didn’t matter whether it was true or not; he just wanted to quietly savor this intoxicating warmth.
Yu Zhi’s large hand rested against the back of his head. His voice, calm and sincere, flowed slowly: “You should trust yourself. Your love is so genuine, so deep, and so dazzling. How could it not move me?”
“I’m human”
“Not a god.”
“I have feelings of joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure. Desire and emotion. Don’t treat me like a pilgrim venerating a deity.”
Yu Zhi never thought of himself as extraordinary. He had simply lived longer than most, seen more, and learned more.
Compared to being a detached, desireless god, he preferred being someone who could feel the world.
He liked, and he loved. After countless years, Yu Zhi understood one truth best: to cherish every moment. If he could only have one lifetime with him, then he would make it a happy one.
Not for the mission, but just for him.
The warmth of the embrace made Yin Xu clearly realize this wasn’t a dream or illusion. “You mean it?”
Yu Zhi smiled, letting him step back slightly, gazing at him. “Not willing?”
Yin Xu didn’t even bother hiding the redness around his eyes. He hurriedly said, “Of course not!”
He grabbed Yu Zhi’s hand and intertwined it tightly with his own, holding on firmly.
A faint smile tugged at his lips. “I… I agree.”
My boyfriend.
Yu Zhi reached out and brushed the strands of hair off his forehead, voice gentle: “So… my new boyfriend, can you agree to what I just said?”
Yin Xu’s heart, which had just been fluttering, froze. The smile at his lips stiffened slightly, and he looked away, refusing to meet his gaze.
“Will you agree or not?” Yu Zhi pressed on, insistent.
Yin Xu glared at him, annoyed. “Why do you have to say the things I don’t like at a time like this?”
Yu Zhi let out a soft sigh, a helpless smile on his face. “Maybe… because I want you to be happy.”
Yin Xu blinked, confused. “What does that have to do with anything?” To him, happiness meant being with Yu Zhi.
Yu Zhi looked at him seriously, his tone soft and earnest: “If loving me makes you happy, then please… love for a little longer.”
Even if the years stretch on, even if I’m no longer here.
Perhaps the only gift he could give after he was gone.
Yin Xu’s emotions surged, a thousand feelings coiling in his chest, too tangled for words.
Then Yu Zhi smiled again, casual and relaxed: “But… you don’t need to worry too much. Life is unpredictable. Who can say what the next moment will bring? Maybe one day something unexpected will happen, who leaves and who stays… nobody can say.”
Even though such accidents were unlikely to happen to them.
Still, Yin Xu felt a slight ease in his chest. His tension loosened a little.
“Come inside. It’s windy out here.” Yu Zhi led him indoors.
“It’s getting late. Remember to get some rest.”
Yin Xu shook his head, clutching his hand, unwilling to let go. “I don’t want to go.”
This man was a little too much. They’d just confirmed their relationship, yet he showed not a trace of lingering, coldly ordering his new boyfriend to bed.
And it wasn’t even nine yet, the night was still young for someone like him.
Young…
Thinking of that word, Yin Xu felt a lump in his chest, a little ache. He was young, but this man… was no longer.
The words he had just been about to say got swallowed back down.
After a moment, he said, “Going straight to bed after dinner… I’ll get fat.”
Yu Zhi suggested, “Then go to the gym to burn it off?”
Yin Xu didn’t care, as long as they were together.
Since confirming their relationship, nothing seemed to have changed. They still lived together, still went to the company and returned home together.
The only difference was that Yin Xu had become even more openly clingy and bold. Wherever he went, he held Yu Zhi’s hand without hesitation, even in front of others.
The assistant who had followed Yu Zhi for years was genuinely impressed.
He never would have imagined that, after so many years, the boss would really end up with Yin Xu. Back then, Yu Zhi hadn’t even acknowledged him, and there had been no contact in between.
Fate really is a strange thing.
Besides, having someone familiar as the boss’s wife was better than a stranger, especially since this familiar person had such a good personality.
Even in tense moments at the office, he would speak to lighten the mood. And though he’d only been at Yu Group a short while, he had already built good relationships with the employees on this floor.
Everyone wasn’t blind. Seeing the young man’s attitude toward the boss, they knew he liked Yu Zhi. And judging by Yu Zhi’s demeanor, it didn’t look like a rejection. Most likely, the young man had a chance. Naturally, everyone wanted to get along.
Now, watching them walk hand in hand, sweet and inseparable, coming and going together, it was obvious: they were official.
For a moment, no one knew what to say.
Although outsiders might be deceived by Yu Zhi’s appearance, he looked barely in his early thirties, employees knew his real age.
A handsome young man paired with their boss… it was impossible not to gossip.
Then some older employees noticed photos posted in the group chat and recognized the vaguely familiar young man.
“He looks like that boy we saw a few times years ago. He’s grown up… and even better-looking.”
A new wave of gossip started. They asked employees who remembered Yin Xu, and from them, learned all the old stories.
Apparently, years ago, Mr. Yin had already been by their boss’s side. He hadn’t left for all this time and now they’d made it official. What did that mean?
That was absolutely true love!
For a moment, the idle gossip quickly faded, replaced by everyone excitedly spreading the story and getting misty-eyed over this extraordinary romance that spanned the age gap.
Quietly, Yin Xu had joined the staff group chat and was reading it all with relish. Every now and then, he would share a few fanfics with Yu Zhi, even dramatically reading them aloud in the office.
Today, Yin Xu picked one that involved captivity play.
“…Click, cold handcuffs snapped onto the iron bedpost, delicate wrists mercilessly locked in front. The boy struggled violently, and faint streaks of blood appeared on his wrists, bright crimson flowing over pale skin…”
Yu Zhi lifted his head, expressionless. “They must be really bored to have time to write this stuff,” he said to Yin Xu, who was lying on the sofa reading aloud.
Yin Xu reluctantly tore his eyes from the screen, secretly a little envious of the fanfic version of himself receiving such treatment.
He knew full well that in reality, the old man would never forcibly seize the young, helpless him. Yu Zhi made him chase, made him give in, and only then would he reluctantly accept him.
Thinking this over, Yin Xu dragged the single-seat sofa closer to Yu Zhi and poked his arm with a finger. When Yu Zhi looked over, Yin Xu’s face lit with curiosity and playful anticipation.
“Do you want to try?” he asked.
Yu Zhi frowned. “Try what?”
Yin Xu held up his phone, pointing at the fiction page. “This.”
Yu Zhi: “…”
Still, Yin Xu couldn’t help but hope a little. “Sir, you probably haven’t done anything like this in your life, right? Don’t you want to try it? Play the role of a domineering CEO who forcibly takes what he wants?”
Yu Zhi lightly tapped Yin Xu’s forehead and smiled. “First of all, captivity is illegal.”
“Second, forcing someone into sexual activity against their will is called rape, and that’s illegal too.”
“And finally, someone who forcibly takes what they can’t win is nothing but an incompetent loser.”
In just a few words, the fantasy of a domineering CEO was instantly redirected to a law-and-order lecture.
Yin Xu’s earlier curiosity about the domineering CEO play completely fizzled out. He gave Yu Zhi a blank look, wondering what could possibly make this man flip his expression like that.
And what would this man even be like in bed?
Recalling Yu Zhi telling him not to treat him like a saint, Yin Xu couldn’t help but think:
Sir, it’d be easy for me not to treat you like a saint… just don’t act like one.
Besides, they were officially a couple now. Shouldn’t that kind of thing be… natural?
Biting his lip, Yin Xu kept sneaking glances at Yu Zhi, who was diligently working.
Yu Zhi put down the files he was checking and glanced at the time. He was just about to take Yin Xu to the cafeteria for lunch when he noticed Yin Xu zoning out.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing…”
“Let’s go, it’s lunchtime.”
“Oh.”
………………
That evening, Yin Xu dragged him to watch a movie. Yu Zhi offered a few titles for him to choose from, but Yin Xu picked and rejected one after another, finally putting on a film he had pre-selected himself.
When the movie music began, he suddenly asked Yu Zhi, “Wait… you actually recommend movies? I’ve never seen you watch them before.”
Yu Zhi stayed calm. “Oh, the ones I mentioned earlier are all produced by a Yu Group entertainment subsidiary.”
Yin Xu: “…” So this man was treating it like a work inspection?
Not really. The quality check happened before the films were released. Yu Zhi recommended them because he could guarantee their quality.
Still, thinking about it, Yin Xu probably wasn’t truly watching the movie either, so Yu Zhi wisely didn’t comment further.
But Yu Zhi had overestimated his patience.
Faced with a film full of plot holes and mistakes, he instinctively frowned, giving running commentary:
“This long take is poorly shot, it doesn’t fit here, a bit unnecessary.”
“The male lead screamed immediately upon entering the room. The director probably doesn’t understand that when someone suddenly faces fear, there’s a short reaction buffer. For many, silent fear is scarier. He jumped the cue, the audience’s emotions weren’t properly guided.”
“The last two shots have continuity errors; the female lead’s makeup changed…”
“Mr… Yu… !” Yin Xu’s voice rang sharply in his ear, unable to hold back. He drew a deep breath, a half-smile on his face, and said, “God gave me this mouth, and it’s not just for talking.”
Yu Zhi couldn’t help but chuckle. Slowly, he replied, “I know.”
“It’s also for kissing you.”
With that, Yu Zhi turned and pressed his lips to Yin Xu’s, which had been stubbornly pouted in anger.
They tumbled into warmth and tenderness, entwined, every touch brimming with gentle affection.
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