On this day, based on his own merit, Lin Zhu once again became the focal point of discussion in the upper-class circles of Northern Capital.

In the eyes of outsiders, the once dissolute and decadent Lin Zhu had spent nearly a year in silence, seemingly having turned over a new leaf and started his life anew. He had not only proven himself with his college entrance exam results but had also earned the unanimous recognition of the Yan family, no longer being treated as a laughingstock by other second-generation heirs.

—He had completely achieved a total reversal of public opinion.

Of course, coincidentally, Yan Ruojun’s reputation also underwent some indescribable changes, mainly because his performance at that graduation banquet was simply too eye-catching, refreshing the worldviews of the invited guests time and again.

Especially for those peers who were close to Yan Ruojun in age.

After all, Northern Capital is only so big; people in the same circle mostly know each other since childhood. Even if they don’t hang out often, the number of times they’ve crossed paths isn’t small, and they have some understanding of each other.

Yan Ruojun just happened to be the “neighbor’s kid” that elders always praised since he was little.

As an Omega who successfully inherited the family business, he always had a strong presence among elders, peers, and younger generations alike. He was haughty, self-restrained, shrewd, and capable—a top-tier Omega in the eyes of many Alphas, a high-mountain flower difficult to approach.

So, tell me… who on earth is that super-high-level “love-brained” person who hides in corners to hold fingers with a young Alpha and whose eyes practically trail threads of silk when they look at each other across a room?!

However, neither Lin Zhu nor Yan Ruojun, both of whom had seen their personas collapse, took the outside world’s noise to heart. Because they were simply too busy—busy living their own lives, with no time to pay attention to those trivial, unimportant matters.

The day they received the acceptance letter from A-University was a weekend in mid-August.

It was just after 11:00 AM.

The heat outside was intensifying, and Lin Zhu had just returned from driving lessons. He was covered in sweat. As soon as he entered the door, he took off his black baseball cap, his hair messy and damp, looking like a hedgehog that had been caught in the rain.

He used the cap to fan his face while walking into the house, his other hand not idle either, carrying a container of pork rib and lotus root soup he’d picked up from a famous old restaurant.

Yan Ruojun hadn’t liked lotus root before, but lately, he had suddenly developed an insatiable craving for it, leading Lin Zhu to secretly ponder: whether it was psychological or physiological, pregnancy really had a huge impact on people…

“Ge, are you in the study or the bedroom?”

Seeing no one in the living room, Lin Zhu placed the large portion of soup, enough for both of them, on the dining table, leaning his body as he called out toward the two tightly closed doors.

“Come out for lunch.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the man, dressed in loose loungewear, emerged from the study. Seeing Lin Zhu drenched in sweat, he walked directly behind him and pushed him toward the bedroom bathroom.

“Puppy Lin, the house has the AC on. Hurry up and wash up; at least wipe off the sweat.”

“Mm. The soup is on the table, hurry and eat.”

“…It won’t kill me to be a few minutes late.”

Hearing this, Lin Zhu paused, glancing back at the man behind him with a deadpan expression.

The next second.

Yan Ruojun pressed his lips together, silently hugging Lin Zhu’s waist from behind, pressing half his face against his back.

Lin Zhu grabbed the wrists that were wrapped around his waist and gave a gentle tug. They didn’t budge. His tone was full of helplessness:

“Ge, I’m covered in sweat. It’s dirty.”

“I don’t mind,” Yan Ruojun replied.

There was no helping it.

Lin Zhu had to take him into the bathroom to shower together, only to discover that the man was wearing his clothes both inside and out. He tested the water temperature before pointing the showerhead toward the man.

Yan Ruojun was two months pregnant. At this stage, it wasn’t yet visible, and the embryo in the reproductive chamber was only the size of a grape. The results of the pregnancy checkup a few days ago showed that both the fetus and the mother were perfectly normal.

However, there were some changes in the man’s physical features.

The words Lin Zhu had written on Yan Ruojun’s lower back with a black marker had already faded to the point of being invisible. At this moment, the warm water mist from the showerhead covered the man’s skin, tracing transparent water marks.

“Ge, turn around.”

Lin Zhu held the showerhead. As the stream of water hit the area just below the man’s collarbone, his gaze followed involuntarily, noticing two anomalies.

Yan Ruojun’s skin was very fair—so fair that any trace left behind would be obvious… It was just that this “pigment diffusion phenomenon” before his eyes clearly wasn’t caused by Lin Zhu, but by physiological changes during pregnancy.

Like two drops of red ink, blurred by the warm water.

Lin Zhu’s breathing tightened slightly. He forced himself to look away, quickly finished showering both himself and Yan Ruojun, and the two walked out of the bathroom wrapped in bath towels.

Yan Ruojun put on his clothes again.

Watching him pull on his sleeveless undershirt and knee-length shorts, Lin Zhu couldn’t help but ask: “Ge, we’re at home. Why do you keep wearing my clothes?”

Yan Ruojun answered casually: “I don’t know. I just feel like I want to.”

He paused, his peach-blossom eyes tilting up as he glanced at him. He stepped closer, rubbing against Lin Zhu’s lips, his voice low but his words incredibly straightforward, “You love looking at me, don’t you? It’s convenient for you to see.”

Lin Zhu choked, unable to find a rebuttal.

Lunch was warm and quite palatable. But halfway through the meal, the doorbell suddenly rang.

Lin Zhu put down his chopsticks to open the door. Outside, a postal courier was holding a file package, checking the address information. After confirming the recipient, Lin Zhu took the thin package, bid him farewell, and closed the door.

“Puppy Lin, is it a package?”

Yan Ruojun asked, holding his chopsticks and tilting his head.

Lin Zhu’s expression was normal. He walked back in his slippers, calmly replying with an “Mm.”

Before he could sit down, the man asked again: “What did you buy?”

Lin Zhu sat down opposite Yan Ruojun. He remained silent for a long time before placing the item on the corner of the table, whispering:

“…It’s the acceptance letter.”

As soon as he said it, he saw the man freeze. His peach-blossom eyes widened, his gray-green pupils deep and bright, clearly reflecting his own silhouette.

In that moment, Lin Zhu felt it truly—his life was about to enter its next phase.

And he would no longer have to travel through the stars and moon, walking all alone.

Because there was someone…

There was such a person, someone who knew where Lin Zhu came from, who was willing to become his destination, and who sincerely treated his joy as his own.

A very relaxed smile appeared on Lin Zhu’s face, natural and comfortable. His tone was light—as light as a cloud in the sky or a breeze passing by.

He had so much he wanted to say, so much it overflowed from his chest, floating in the air like transparent bubbles, leaving only one sentence—

“I love you.”

“Just as you love me.”