Domestic time: January 17th.

The period of “Sijiu” (the coldest days of winter).

In the early morning, Shi Linchuan woke up in a bedroom equipped with a fixed camera.

The curtains were drawn halfway, while the other half stood obediently at the corner of the wall, completely motionless. The Nordic-style textured glass refracted the morning sunlight, casting a pattern onto the wooden floor. Shi Linchuan gazed at the snow piling up on the window frame, then withdrew his eyes, letting his gaze slowly fall upon the other person sharing his bed.

Xie Jinghe was still asleep.

After spending a few days in the hospital to ensure their physical conditions were stable, the production crew had arranged this two-person apartment close to the hospital for them. It offered convenient access and pleasant scenery.

Although their phones had been confiscated once again, the staff and follow-up cameramen were highly alert and took exceptional care of the two injured men. In particular, Xie Jinghe’s assistant, Le Yan, would frequently drop by with purchased supplies and lived right next door, never leaving their side.

In the blink of an eye, the two had been living in this Nordic cottage for over two weeks. The production crew hadn’t intentionally arranged any specific segments, treating it entirely as a record of their daily recovery—an incredibly laid-back approach.

Because of this, Xie Jinghe had even joked about it a few times.

“The footage of the two of us will probably be really short after editing, right?”

“We just lie around boringly every day, and even walking takes effort.”

As he spoke, he retracted his own thought, casting a meaningful glance at the man. “Then again, not necessarily. The two of us should technically count as the ‘royal family’ of this variety show, right?”

Looking at him, Shi Linchuan could only think: Xie Jinghe has truly lost his mind.

Knowing full well that he would absolutely choose to divorce, Xie Jinghe seemed to have reverted to his past self—the guy whose threshold for happiness was incredibly low. Completely disregarding the running cameras, he wantonly displayed his clingy, affectionate side in front of Shi Linchuan.

It was as if he were drunk on fake wine.

Or like a child drawing on the beach with a small wooden stick. Clearly knowing that the tide was rising and the blue ocean water would soon submerge the shore, washing away all traces, he didn’t rush to run away. Instead, he just kept swinging his stick, stubbornly trying to finish his drawing.

Generally speaking, Shi Linchuan’s role should have been the annoying adult standing by with his hands in his pockets, watching and throwing cynical remarks. Yet, Xie Jinghe’s madness seemed contagious, making him act abnormally as well…

The concrete manifestation of this?

During this period, living under the same roof and being inseparable twenty-four hours a day, they hadn’t fought a single time. Shi Linchuan would always lose his temper for no apparent reason, like an active volcano completely doused by a bucket of water.

He had gone quiet, only emitting a bit of smoke.

The bedroom was warm and cozy.

Shi Linchuan pulled back his wandering thoughts and slowly sat up.

He glanced once more at Xie Jinghe’s cheeks, which were flushed a faint pink from sleep. Lightly and slowly, he pulled away the arm draped across his waist. Just as he was about to tuck it back under the blanket, his movements suddenly froze when he caught sight of the tender white scar on Xie Jinghe’s palm.

Xie Jinghe had just gotten his stitches removed two days ago.

It was only then that Shi Linchuan saw the full extent of the scar.

The shattered glass fragment had been as sharp as a blade. It slashed from the webbing of his thumb all the way to the base of his pinky finger, crossing three palm lines and severing them entirely, leaving behind only a slightly raised scar.

Holding this hand, Shi Linchuan’s thumb unconsciously rubbed back and forth over the scar.

Perhaps having a dream, Xie Jinghe curled his fingers in his sleep like a knee-jerk reflex, gently gripping Shi Linchuan’s thumb. Finding it difficult to break free, it took Shi Linchuan quite a while to untangle himself from this “big trouble” and successfully get out of bed.

He stepped into his plush slippers and walked into the bathroom.

The mirror reflected the man’s silhouette.

Shi Linchuan’s internal bleeding symptoms had resolved a few days ago. The truly troublesome part was the torn muscle and fascia, which still throbbed with a dull ache. His entire arm could only perform daily movements at a very slow pace, let alone lifting heavy objects.

The doctor said it would take at least three months to fully recover.

By that time, his divorce task would have long been completed… Shi Linchuan thought aimlessly as he brushed his teeth. Suddenly, he heard a noise outside. A moment later, a bleary-eyed Xie Jinghe walked in supporting himself with a crutch. Without a word, he wrapped his arms around Shi Linchuan from behind.

Shi Linchuan ignored him and bent down to rinse his mouth.

Xie Jinghe bent down with him, burying his face into Shi Linchuan’s back, his two hands sliding improperly beneath the hem of Shi Linchuan’s shirt. The scar on his palm possessed a strong sense of presence, bringing waves of strange sensations.

It was a bit itchy.

This was a scene that used to happen frequently in their past married life—the person who had tossed and turned wildly the night before would lazily cling to him the next morning, as if still savoring the deep, bone-melting taste of the night.

Normally, Shi Linchuan wouldn’t mind letting something happen.

But today was definitely an exception.

Shi Linchuan dried his face with a disposable towel and said in a cool voice, “If you really can’t hold it in, touch yourself. Did you forget you have an appointment with the doctor to remove your cast today?”

Xie Jinghe’s voice was slightly raspy. “I didn’t forget.”

The sound seemed to hum out from his nose, heavy with sleepiness.

However, their recovery routine lately had been exceptionally disciplined. Every night, right after filming the traffic light segment that symbolized their marital choice, they would basically fall asleep immediately.

Therefore, Shi Linchuan was completely baffled. Xie Jinghe had clearly slept earlier than him last night, so being this exhausted now was truly bizarre.

Imitating a pig really does bring divine retribution.

Thinking up to this point, Shi Linchuan straightened his back, about to poke fun at him. But as he raised his eyes, he caught sight of the mirror reflection: a few strands of curled chestnut hair peeked out from behind his shoulder, and a pair of unruly hands under his clothes were pulling up the hem of his pajamas…

A section of his side-waist was faintly visible.

Despite the thick pajamas, they couldn’t block certain physical reactions.

Shi Linchuan’s temple throbbed. He couldn’t help but turn his head to glare at the person behind him. Just as he opened his mouth, Xie Jinghe suddenly tilted his neck up, resting his chin on Shi Linchuan’s shoulder. He let out a dazed, ambiguous chuckle, and then pressed his soft lips against the side of Shi Linchuan’s neck, one kiss after another.

Xie Jinghe’s expression was incredibly sincere, akin to a pilgrimage.

Yet, his words were incredibly scandalous.

He said:

“It’s a bit itchy.”

Shi Linchuan was certain that Xie Jinghe’s “itch” and his own “itch” were two entirely different concepts.

Private areas like the bathroom did not have fixed cameras installed, and combined with their incredibly quiet voices—talking almost entirely in whispers—this kind of restricted topic would basically not be picked up by the equipment.

Of course, even if something was recorded, the production crew wouldn’t dare broadcast it.

However, Shi Linchuan simply turned the faucet to the cold water side, thoroughly soaked the face towel, and slammed it right onto the face of the man behind him, rubbing it fiercely a couple of times. “It’s early morning. What kind of madness are you throwing?”

Shocked by the cold, Xie Jinghe’s features scrunched up from the rubbing, but he still stubbornly defended himself in a small voice, “It’s not madness, it’s rutting.”

Shi Linchuan’s movements paused for two seconds, choosing to pretend he hadn’t heard.

Xie Jinghe was lying.

It wasn’t an itch; it was reluctance.

Time was a thief, stealing away their remaining time together bit by bit. So, Xie Jinghe subconsciously wanted to hold him tighter, unsatisfied with a simple embrace, craving deeper touch and sensation.

After all, there weren’t many days left.

The day they filmed the prologue was the Winter Solstice.

On December 21st, the two went to the Civil Affairs Bureau to sign the divorce agreement. The system automatically registered their application, and the countdown began. The production crew’s [Final Choice Day] was set for January 20th, which happened to be the day right after the 30-day cooling-off period ended.

The three pairs of guests needed to return to the starting point to make their final, unalterable choice.

Because of their injuries, the two had stayed in Dodan for a long time, missing the mid-to-late stages of the recording process. However, they absolutely could not be absent from the final day of filming. According to the crew’s schedule, they had to catch a long-haul flight on the 19th at the latest to fly back to the country for the final day of shooting.

In other words…

They only had today and tomorrow left to spend together.

Xie Jinghe had likely realized this, which was why he held onto him tightly and refused to let go, his mouth full of seductive words while his expression remained as innocent as a child begging for candy.

Shi Linchuan looked down at him, silencing him with a single sentence.

“Stop acting up.”

“Be good. I’ll take you out on a date after your cast is removed.”

On the way to the hospital.

Xie Jinghe sat in the back seat, looking at the street scenery outside in a great mood. He hummed a couple of tunes indistinctly, leaving Shi Linchuan quite speechless. Shi Linchuan couldn’t help leaning over to chide him, “Believing me so easily? Aren’t you afraid I’m lying to you again?”

“I have a criminal record, you know.”

Shi Linchuan raised an eyebrow at him.

Hearing this, Xie Jinghe turned his head to glance at him. As if suddenly remembering something, his expression instantly turned serious, and his tone became remarkably solemn. “I forgot to ask…”

“Where do you plan to take me for our date later?”

Shi Linchuan rolled his eyes, completely discarding his image.

Clutching the scarf wrapped several times around his neck with one hand to cover the lower half of his face, Xie Jinghe repeated with irrepressible excitement, “Going on a date! Going on a date!”

One person shouting with the momentum of a hundred people.

Glancing at his profile, Shi Linchuan didn’t say anything discouraging.

Just consider it compensation for causing him to break his leg.

Removing the cast didn’t take much time.

By the time the two walked out of the hospital side by side, it wasn’t even noon yet.

Xie Jinghe felt much lighter, and no abnormality could be seen in his movements. The doctor instructed him to be slightly careful within the next two months, a situation largely identical to Shi Linchuan’s.

In short, it meant: No strenuous exercise.

When Shi Linchuan translated the doctor’s words into Chinese and read them to Xie Jinghe, the latter seemed to recall the little episode in the bathroom this morning. He unconsciously pursed his lips and smiled at the man, while guiltily smoothing his slightly curled bangs twice.

Just as they stepped out of the hospital gates, Shi Linchuan saw the man—who had finally unburdened his leg—loop around to stand in front of him. Tugging at Shi Linchuan’s sleeve, Xie Jinghe walked backward, asking directly, “Where are we going next?”

A light snow began to fall from the sky.

The ground was a bit slippery.

The sunlight spilled ruthlessly across the ground, stepped into different shapes by passing pedestrians.

The hot breath exhaled by Xie Jinghe formed plumes of clear mist, yet it couldn’t obscure his bright eyes. The smile on his lips seemed entirely out of place with this freezing season.

Shi Linchuan looked at him, quietly watching him.

He only felt that winter was about to pass, and spring was coming soon.

It was hidden inside Xie Jinghe’s body, hidden within the wings of a Siberian butterfly. And Shi Linchuan could no longer ignore its beauty, let alone falsely claim that he didn’t care about it at all. As for the word “disgust,” it was entirely out of the question.

“…”

He probably… liked Xie Jinghe a lot.

Admitting it secretly for just one second shouldn’t matter.