The air was heavy, almost unbearably still.
Those eyes staring at him were so bright and dazzling, streams of light rippling in their depths, winding and tender in their gaze.
Hearing those words, Yu Zhi knew exactly who Ji Xingyu was thinking of. Naturally, he averted his eyes, unwilling to meet that pair of shimmering orbs.
“It’s just… what should be done,” he said lightly.
“Then that’s how it should be if you care.”
As for love… he couldn’t give an answer. Perhaps he didn’t even know himself. For Yu Zhi, once responsibility crept in, the line between liking and loving blurred into near invisibility.
These weren’t the words Ji Xingyu wanted to hear, but in truth, he didn’t need to ask, the answer was already in his heart.
Yu Zhi was deliberately avoiding his eyes.
“Yu Zhi, aren’t you tired?” Ji Xingyu asked.
Restraining desire and affection, bearing a responsibility that wasn’t truly his, Yu Zhi, though younger than him, seemed like someone who had lived many long years. Serious, restrained, careful; impulsiveness seemed a concept foreign to him.
It made Ji Xingyu wonder: if back when Yu Zhi had jokingly suggested plastic surgery, he hadn’t opposed it so firmly… would Yu Zhi have actually gone through with it?
The thought flickered through his mind and disappeared. There was no going back.
Yet he truly longed to see Yu Zhi unrestrained, acting on impulse and desire. A lifetime was still ahead, they would have opportunities, wouldn’t they?
Thinking of a lifetime together, Ji Xingyu couldn’t help but smile, his gaze on Yu Zhi filled with quiet serenity and enduring warmth.
The man who had once been brooding and quick to anger had learned to smile, learned to be happy, learned to control his temper, striving to show the best version of himself to the person before him.
If he went back to more than a year ago, Ji Xingyu probably wouldn’t have imagined that someone like him could exist; himself included. There was simply no comparison; the difference was too great.
“Why would I be tired?” Yu Zhi didn’t feel it. After all, he had always been this way. Nothing had changed, and he didn’t think it was bad. Perhaps it was just habit, he had never felt exhaustion.
It was like asking someone who had never exercised to go for a run, they’d naturally feel fatigued. But if someone who had trained consistently were asked to exercise deliberately, it would feel like nothing more than an ordinary daily routine.
Yu Zhi asked Ji Xingyu, “How did you meet Miss Bai? Did you know I was invited here by her, so you went looking for her?”
He thought it was possible, yet it didn’t feel quite right, there had been no warning. Instead, Miss Bai taking the initiative to invite someone sparked a few thoughts in him.
Ji Xingyu answered candidly, “She asked me to come. Said she wanted to use you to make me mad.”
Then he laughed, collapsing onto Yu Zhi, “But now, in this world, the only person who can truly make me angry… is you.”
My joys, sorrows, and every emotion; they only concern you.
Hearing this, Yu Zhi knew he hadn’t lost anything, and so he relaxed and advised, “This isn’t the land, you can’t just leave easily. Keep a low profile.”
Ji Xingyu nodded casually. Right now, all he could think about was Yu Zhi; he didn’t care about anyone else. If he could, he would spend three days and three nights locked in a room with Yu Zhi. Too bad the other person probably wouldn’t agree.
After saying that, Yu Zhi pushed the body draped over him upright. “No hands-on, restrain yourself. We—”
“We’re not a couple. I know.” Ji Xingyu cut him off, curling his lips in a playful smile. “But you can’t deny that I like you, and you can’t make me give up getting close to you. I can’t control my feelings for you.”
“If you don’t want this, then stop me yourself. Every time I come near, you push me back. I pursue my side, you refuse yours. We don’t interfere with each other, that’s fair.”
Yu Zhi: “……”
It was the first time he had seen someone harass him so boldly yet justify it so openly, with such righteousness.
Of course, it was because Ji Xingyu knew Yu Zhi was attracted to him and thus felt emboldened.
For the first time, Yu Zhi slightly regretted being honest.
Some people may be gentlemen, but the other party isn’t necessarily one.
For the sake of his principles and his own integrity, Yu Zhi pushed Ji Xingyu out of the room and sent him back to his own.
Ji Xingyu didn’t want to leave, yet Yu Zhi had made up his mind. This wasn’t just any ordinary place; if they started pushing and shoving here, it would look terrible. Helpless, Ji Xingyu was expelled from the room.
Back in his own space, Ji Xingyu clutched the blanket and rolled around on the bed, a constant smile lingering on his face.
He felt that coming on this cruise hadn’t been in vain. Who would have expected that something like this would happen with Yu Zhi here?
Suddenly, he realized that he probably wouldn’t need a lifetime to win this person over.
He had already discovered the correct strategy to get to Yu Zhi.
Since Yu Zhi refused to be with him for someone else, Ji Xingyu would cultivate affection right in front of him. As long as he could make Yu Zhi love him more, it was only a matter of time before Yu Zhi would take the initiative to come closer on his own.
The more Ji Xingyu thought about it, the brighter his eyes shone. There was little else of note on this cruise, but plenty of entertainment activities, he needed to carefully plan his next moves.
Strike while the iron is hot; who knew what unexpected events might follow.
Meanwhile, Yu Zhi was on the phone with his manager, discussing follow-up work. With his current popularity, he hadn’t yet reached the household name level. He had only completed the second of two assignments.
Riding the coattails had been a loophole he exploited during the arrangement with Ji Xingyu, barely managing to pull it off, but reaching the household name status couldn’t be shortcut.
By his estimation, the series 《Evolution》 would become a huge hit. Once that momentum was established, he could ride the wave to shoot a high-quality film. After its release, he’d likely reach that household name level.
So he instructed Chen Yue to decline unnecessary appearances and, once he returned, pick two carefully timed events to maintain his public heat between the two projects.
It wasn’t that Yu Zhi disliked being a celebrity; he simply preferred to achieve his goals with maximum efficiency.
As for other less essential work, he neither needed nor wanted to do it.
Chen Yue, however, was slightly worried. “You don’t have that many projects right now. If you don’t keep busy, and with the industry moving so fast, I’m afraid…”
“I’m aware of all that. Don’t worry, I’ve thought it through,” Yu Zhi replied.
Chen Yue could only sigh and say, “Fine, I’ll push it through.” He knew he couldn’t persuade Yu Zhi, so there was no point in wasting words.
Yu Zhi was pleased with Chen Yue’s understanding. After hanging up, he turned his thoughts elsewhere.
Originally, he had planned to finish this world’s mission and leave. But now that Ji Xingyu had placed his heart on him, what would happen if Yu Zhi left without warning? Would Ji Xingyu still be happy?
Since he couldn’t do it, his mission had failed.
It was an unsolvable problem, unless he stayed behind, just like he had in the previous world.
Yu Zhi felt a wave of helplessness. Clearly, he had completed his mission seriously and meticulously, yet every time toward the end it always ended up like this: pledging himself, leaving the other person to a lifetime of happiness.
What kind of solution was that?
Moreover, he didn’t think of himself as someone fickle or frivolous, yet in two consecutive worlds, he had fallen for someone else. That wasn’t reasonable.
After thinking it over for a long while without finding any answer, Yu Zhi could only set the matter aside.
He had spent the morning in his room. In the afternoon, he wandered through other parts of the cruise ship. Everything one could imagine was here. Every guest seemed in high spirits; even after a full day, the excitement hadn’t waned, and every corner of the ship was bustling with energy.
“What are you doing?” Passing by, he noticed a waiter pushing a service cart stacked with candles.
“Is there going to be a blackout?” he asked politely.
The waiter smiled and replied, “No, sir. One of the guests ordered the Sea of Lights package, so we’re setting up the scene for them.”
Yu Zhi glanced at it and said, “Then I won’t keep you. Go ahead and get it ready.”
“Yes, sir.” The waiter departed.
Not finding Ji Xingyu outside and suspecting he might have already returned to his room, Yu Zhi decided not to waste any more time wandering and went back.
Dinner had been ordered through room service, yet when the waiter knocked on the door, he wasn’t pushing a dining cart.
Yu Zhi froze for a moment before saying, “If I remember correctly, I did order dinner?”
The waiter maintained a flawless, polite smile and bowed slightly to Yu Zhi. “Sir, a certain Mr. Ji has invited you to a place. May I ask if you would like to go?”
Yu Zhi’s brow furrowed briefly. What had Ji Xingyu planned this time?
Even though he could guess the other was probably preparing a surprise, the exact details were unknown to him.
Should he refuse?
Did he even want to refuse?
If he went, could he still ensure his heart would remain as steadfast as before?
Yu Zhi asked himself these questions and pondered many possibilities, yet none yielded an answer.
Only by experiencing it firsthand could he truly know the state of his heart.
And experience, inevitably, required taking that first step.
After a brief pause, just as the waiter thought he might fail, a single word came: “Alright.”
The cruise was brilliantly lit at night, almost like daylight, yet the guests were far freer than they were in the daytime. As they walked along, Yu Zhi had already witnessed several couples kissing openly.
The privacy here was high, and everyone was smart enough not to worry about leaks.
By day, all the guests were polished and courteous, the epitome of successful people. But at night, it was as if a thick fog descended over everyone, allowing them to release their true selves. Every bizarre, untamed impulse, every monsters of human desire was exposed.
Yu Zhi wasn’t interested in these displays, yet he could not help but see many of them, some truly shocking to the eyes.
Finally, the waiter stopped walking. “We’re here.”
Yu Zhi returned to himself and looked carefully. He froze.
The waiter bowed out gracefully, leaving Yu Zhi alone with the scene before him.
On the calm, undisturbed sea, floating lotus lanterns drifted gently. Each delicate, beautiful pink lotus cradled a single red candle. Dozens of lotus lanterns illuminated this stretch of night ocean, their light soft and enchanting.
Ji Xingyu wasn’t on the cruise deck. Instead, he sat on an inflatable boat that seemed to have come from somewhere on the ship itself. He was positioned in the center of the floating lotus lanterns, surrounded by a warm wash of pink and golden light. His hands moved continuously, lighting the candles atop the lotus flowers and setting them afloat, letting them drift and scatter across the water.
“Want to come down?” Ji Xingyu invited Yu Zhi. His deep-sea-blue clothing was obscured by the darkness, but those eyes, always bright and sharp, stood out clearly.
Yu Zhi couldn’t help but recall the night Ji Xingyu first confessed to him, red candles filled the room then too, beautiful and celebratory.
Only back then, the atmosphere and their relationship were far less harmonious, far less intimate than tonight.
A small, amused curve tugged at Yu Zhi’s lips. “You really do have a thing for red.”
Facing Ji Xingyu’s invitation, in this moment, under this scene, Yu Zhi found he didn’t want to refuse.
Ji Xingyu reached out and guided him onto the inflatable boat.
This wasn’t solid ground, nor the sturdy deck of the cruise. The small inflatable had to bear both their weights, and as Yu Zhi stepped aboard, it wobbled slightly, tightening his nerves.
Instinctively, he gripped Ji Xingyu’s hand a little more firmly.
Ji Xingyu’s lips curved ever so slightly.
The boat was small, just enough for two, leaving little room to create any physical distance between them.
Perhaps it was the rocking beneath them, or perhaps the beauty of the floating lotus lights, but for a moment, Yu Zhi felt his own heart sway.
“Were you the one who bought this Sea of Lights package tonight?” Yu Zhi asked, quickly recalling the waiter from earlier that day.
Ji Xingyu nodded. “Yes, it was me.”
The display truly came alive only at night. During the evening, most other guests had retreated to their rooms or gone dancing, and few would choose to come out to the sea in this weather. Ji Xingyu had taken advantage of this; the area was almost empty, with the rest of the guests still on the cruise.
“Is it beautiful?” he asked.
Yu Zhi nodded. “Yes.”
“And do you like it?” Ji Xingyu asked again.
Yu Zhi looked at him but did not answer.
Ji Xingyu wasn’t disappointed. Thinking back to before, he smiled. “I knew, the first time you saw this, it would probably remind you of that night.”
“In fact,” he said softly, “that was exactly my intention.”
“Yu Zhi, I’m not going to ask you useless, foolish questions like whether you’ll regret it later, or what you would do if you could start over. Today, right here, I just want to ask, will you consider saying yes to me today?” Ji Xingyu’s tone was serious, his bright eyes quietly fixed on him.
Yu Zhi looked up at him, and his attention immediately landed on the phrasing of that question.
“Consider… today?”
“Do you mean you will ask the same thing every day from now on?”
Ji Xingyu’s expression remained perfectly earnest. “Exactly. So if you don’t want to hear me nag forever, the best solution is to say yes right now.”
Yu Zhi couldn’t help but smile.
And when he really laughed, he hardly thought about anything else.
In a moment like this, at a time like this, facing someone so stubbornly unwilling to compromise, it was nearly impossible to think of anything else.
He studied Ji Xingyu for a long while, looking so intently that the other began to squirm, almost ready to drop the act of quiet, elegant composure, ready to give in and let his true self show, before Yu Zhi finally spoke.
“Then… I suppose I’ll reluctantly consider it,” Yu Zhi said, feigning hesitation.
At his words, Ji Xingyu’s carefully suppressed temper finally burst forth. He leaned in, grabbed Yu Zhi’s shirt, and scowled, “And with me like this… you still want to consider it?”
Yu Zhi tilted his head, calm. “Isn’t that what you asked?”
Ji Xingyu was momentarily struck dumb.
The two of them were so close that any slight intentional movement, even a whisper, could be heard.
A subtle lean forward could bring them into touch.
The sea breeze was sharp and cold, and normally would bite at the skin, yet they felt nothing of the chill. Instead, the air around them seemed to grow warmer, the temperature rising with every passing second, the space between them charged with heat.
A fresh, delicate scent of lotus lingered between them, subtle yet intoxicating, like a spell, like a gentle coaxing.
Unconsciously, Ji Xingyu edged closer… closer…
Until finally, he touched the warmth of those lips.
Both of them kept their eyes open, staring at each other’s faces so near, yet neither moved.
After a brief moment, it was Yu Zhi who first reacted. He pushed Ji Xingyu back just slightly, lips parting.
A chill ran through Ji Xingyu. When he looked at Yu Zhi, the man’s eyes had hardened, sharp and pressing, exuding an almost overwhelming intensity.
Could it be that this man was about to refuse… or change his mind?
“Ji Xingyu, I want to know, are you really sure about this?” Yu Zhi held his hand, yet did not let go.
“I’ve always been sure,” Ji Xingyu replied instinctively, sensing the turning point, before his mind could fully catch up.
“Even if I still have feelings for someone else, you wouldn’t mind?” Yu Zhi asked seriously.
“I would mind, but if that person isn’t here, I can accept it.” Who wouldn’t mind if the one they liked still had feelings for someone else, perhaps even more than for them?
Yet Ji Xingyu was willing to accept and understand.
“I just don’t want us to have feelings for each other and yet miss out because of things that can’t be changed or undone. Don’t you think that would be a shame?”
Yu Zhi smiled faintly. “A shame? Perhaps. But you seem to have forgotten, you could always find someone else if I weren’t here. It’s not like you’re endlessly waiting for me. Yet when it comes to me still loving someone else, there’s no room for negotiation or retention.”
“You’re at a loss.”
Completely at a loss.
Ji Xingyu caught the slight admission in Yu Zhi’s voice and struck while the iron was hot: “There are many others, but the one I like… is only you.”
“From the very beginning, it’s always been you.”
Yu Zhi raised an eyebrow slightly, a trace of puzzlement in his gaze.
Only him… but what about that White Moonlight?
He knew the White Moonlight didn’t exist. Ji Xingyu shouldn’t have known that, yet why did he say it so confidently?
A flicker of doubt crept into Yu Zhi’s mind, only to be pushed aside as he refocused on the person in front of him.
Ji Xingyu feigned composure, yet his hands gripped Yu Zhi’s tightly, betraying the storm of emotion beneath the surface.
After a long moment, Yu Zhi finally smiled resignedly. “It seems… I have no reason to refuse.”
Originally, he had intended to refuse because he felt it would be unfair to Ji Xingyu, that it would cause him some grievance.
But over this period, Ji Xingyu had gradually persuaded himself to accept reality. Even if he could not forget the past, he was willing to embrace the present.
He did not want the past to ruin the future.
That, Yu Zhi realized, was his answer.
So how could he possibly refuse?
“Ji—” he began, opening his mouth as if to declare that from this day forward, they would be a couple.
Bang—!
Brilliant fireworks exploded in the sky above, dazzling and magnificent, as though celebrating this moment of romance.
Yu Zhi’s expression, however, remained serious. Instantly, he pulled Ji Xingyu into his arms, holding him tightly.
Ji Xingyu, who had been waiting for Yu Zhi to speak, froze in surprise. “What’s wrong?”
“There’s trouble!” Yu Zhi said, not giving himself time to explain further. “Just now… it wasn’t only the fireworks… there were gunshots!”
At this, Ji Xingyu’s heart tightened, and instinctively he clutched Yu Zhi. “There are so many people up there!”
Not just many people, these were influential, high-ranking figures, prominent and well-connected.
The guests on the cruise were slower to react than Yu Zhi, but when they saw someone get shot in broad daylight, chaos erupted almost immediately.
“Ah—!”
Screams and shouts rang through the entire ship.
A group of people dressed as waitstaff appeared casually, guns in hand, laughing brazenly, delighting in the panicked, frantic attempts of the high-society guests to escape.
As if their amusement could be derived solely from the fear and confusion of their victims.
“Yo! Yo!”
They fired at anyone who caught their eye, stalking behind like hunters chasing lambs, calm yet relentless.
Miss Bai was beside herself. “Are you all idiots? How did these people get onto this cruise?!”
This ship held so many important individuals; if anything happened to them, the Bai family would suffer immense losses. She had an idea who was behind this, and she wished she could deal with the fool herself.
“Call the police!” Miss Bai shouted.
But even if the police raced over, it would be at least ten minutes before they arrived, and in that ten minutes, how many people on this cruise could survive?
Miss Bai could hardly bear to think.
And she didn’t want to dwell on it, grabbing her delicate silver pistol, she rushed outside.
She aimed carefully, and every shot struck its target, each assailant dropping dead with precision. Yet the attackers, though not many, were scattered across the deck and water, and for a time, she couldn’t take them all out at once.
These were no ordinary thugs. They were chaos-loving terrorists, utterly fearless of death.
Some guests attempting to flee had already grabbed life rings, rubber dinghies, and escape boats, preparing to leave via the water.
But the terrorists fired at the water, not at people, aiming to destroy the escape tools, watching the victims struggle helplessly in the sea.
Unluckily, Yu Zhi and Ji Xingyu were out on the water too.
Seeing that the terrorists had noticed them, Yu Zhi acted instantly. He grabbed Ji Xingyu in his arms. “Jump!” he commanded.
Bang!
The rubber dinghy was hit, punctured, and leaking.
Both were capable swimmers. They held their breath underwater for a moment, while Yu Zhi tried to speak to Ji Xingyu, still clutching the stubbornly resisting dinghy, but in the sea, every word he opened his mouth to say only drew in seawater.
After another moment, they surfaced. Yu Zhi said with difficulty, “Back to the cruise!” Only by neutralizing the terrorists could they survive.
The shore was still some distance away. Swimming back wasn’t guaranteed, and there was no telling whether the attackers would fire at them in the water.
Ji Xingyu understood immediately what Yu Zhi intended. He grabbed onto his clothes, trying to hold him back.
He knew that if Yu Zhi got onto the cruise deck, he would inevitably confront the terrorists directly, it would be far too dangerous.
“You’re unarmed! It’s too risky!” Ji Xingyu warned, worry sharp in his voice.
The distance from the yacht was still considerable. Yu Zhi didn’t waste time reasoning or negotiating, he simply said, “Hold on tight!”
Ji Xingyu wanted to say something, but suddenly he felt the water surge around him. In the darkness, he couldn’t see clearly, yet he felt a sharp pain in his hand.
The sensation of teeth piercing his skin shot into his mind. Before he could even react, a wave of numbness spread through his body, and his brain felt heavy, like it had been weighed down!
Waves of palpitations hit him, while it felt as if every muscle and drop of blood had tensed to the limit.
After a moment, his dulled mind slowly registered what had happened.
He had been bitten by a sea snake.
A venomous one.
At first, he simply thought, Oh, so that’s what’s happening.
Then, How could this be?
Noticing Ji Xingyu’s sudden stillness, Yu Zhi paused, concern flickering in his eyes. “What’s wrong?”
Ji Xingyu shook his head, unable to speak. He felt too weak to break the surface and breathe on his own; all he could do was cling to Yu Zhi, drawing on his strength.
His mind moved sluggishly, yet one thought persisted: This is going to hold him back, isn’t it?
He parted his lips as if to speak, only to swallow a mouthful of briny seawater.
Meanwhile, Miss Bai and her team had taken control, turning the tide in their favor. Yu Zhi realized they no longer needed him yet and didn’t rush onto the yacht.
He clung to the yacht ladder, holding Ji Xingyu so they could rise above the water to breathe.
The palpitations grew worse. Ji Xingyu could feel his blood racing, carrying that unknown toxin through every vein and muscle.
His eyes barely stayed open, his voice faint. Yu Zhi, thinking he was simply exhausted, tried to comfort him. “It’s almost over. The police are surely on their way. Hang in there a little longer.”
But Ji Xingyu knew: He couldn’t hang on.
Never before had he felt so clearly, so utterly, that his strength was failing him.
As expected, he was the one who understood himself best.
The police arrived quickly. In the distance, flashing lights danced across the water. Ji Xingyu finally felt relief, Yu Zhi would be okay, he would be safe.
His voice, barely above a whisper, trembled like a tiny mosquito’s buzz: “Yu Zhi… I want to hear… the words I… like the most…”
Yu Zhi froze at the sound. He bent his head, trying to see him in the dim night, but the darkness revealed nothing, only the weight of the body in his arms, growing heavier with every passing second.
For the first time, Yu Zhi felt panic tug at him. He moved his lips, voice soft yet firm: “I like you… Ji Xingyu. I like you.”
Ji Xingyu closed his eyes, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “What a coincidence… me too…”
But how unfortunate…
Sorry, I guess I’ll have to leave you behind.
Ji Xingyu felt his consciousness slowly sink, fading bit by bit.
Finally, there was nothing.
Golden, glowing specks of light drifted out from his body, dissipating into the midnight air.
Yu Zhi hadn’t even had a chance to assess Ji Xingyu’s condition before this scene struck him like a blow!
In that instant, he even forgot about his own body. Unaware, his grip loosened, and Ji Xingyu plunged into the deep sea. Yu Zhi himself also tumbled back into the water.
Stars…
Like…
Only you…
Images and fragments played in his mind like scenes from a film.
It was as if his heart had been clutched by invisible hands, crushed, shredded, stirred into chaos…
The police arrived, spotting someone in the water, and immediately launched a rescue.
Yu Zhi was pulled up, stunned and disoriented. Concerned, an officer asked, “Are you okay? We’re in the middle of apprehending the criminals, but if your body’s hurt, you can head to the hospital afterward.”
Yu Zhi closed his eyes briefly, a flicker of grief crossing his face. He gazed at the now-calm sea and gave a bitter smile. “Sorry… looks like you’re doing this for nothing.”
The officers didn’t yet grasp the meaning of his words when Yu Zhi leapt again, plunging straight into the water, chasing after the deep-sea blue.
Moonlight poured down, the candlelight still flickered.
The surface of the sea settled once more.
Police: “!!!”
“Quick! Rescue him!”
====================
