These three words were something Xie Jinghe had once begged him for—

And Shi Linchuan had refused to give them.

The reasoning was simple: If a murderer commits an intentional crime and afterwards offers the victim a light, casual “I’m sorry,” can the past harm be wiped clean with a single stroke?

It cannot.

The same applied to what he had done to Xie Jinghe.

Putting himself in the other’s shoes—if someone had treated him in the exact same manner he had treated Xie Jinghe, or used the exact same lies he had told Xie Jinghe to deceive him, Shi Linchuan would have long used a knife to chop that person into seven or eight pieces.

What was the point of an apology?

Debts of blood had to be paid in blood.

Yet, at this very moment.

Shi Linchuan was still thick-skinned enough to apologize.

Back then, he had truly never intended to leave himself a retreat, nor had he ever intended to continue playing the good guy in front of Xie Jinghe. Like a cold-gleaming arrow, once drawn from the bow, there was no turning back.

Yet, even though he had displayed his bad behavior to the absolute extreme, he still hadn’t managed to scare that person off or drive him away.

As time drifted by,

He gradually began to feel that Xie Jinghe deserved better.

Precisely because of this, Shi Linchuan had pushed Xie Jinghe away even harder, repeatedly shoving him outward, genuinely believing the other would be far better off far away from him.

They say mountains and rivers are easy to change, but a person’s nature is hard to alter.

His temper was truly awful, yet Xie Jinghe didn’t know how to guard himself. Instead, he honestly and naively offered his entire heart right into Shi Linchuan’s hands…

Allowing him to play with it and knead it at will, without ever crying out in pain.

Foolish.

To be honest, the thought would occasionally pop into his head unbidden: Maybe if Xie Jinghe left me, he would achieve a far better life than he has now. Given his original personality, he likely would have made the decision unilaterally, naturally carving out a way to step back, while using a harsh attitude to disguise his inner feelings.

However, Shi Linchuan was actively working hard to overcome this flaw, and it was beginning to show results.

Mainly because…

In reality, he didn’t want to leave Xie Jinghe at all.

Not this year.

Not next year.

Not ever in the future.

However, he couldn’t travel through the past and future using some special ability to change his own destiny and the destinies of others, preventing regretful events from ever happening—the way the high school student Xie Jinghe played in the movie could.

So, he could only force himself to be just a little bit more honest.

…He regretted it.

Shi Linchuan held the person curled up in his arms. Unable to kiss the tattoo, he kissed the corner of his forehead, the space between his brows, and the bridge of his nose instead. Only when both of their fingers had grown wrinkled from the water did he hastily bring this washing session to an end.

The grime of the past was left behind in the water.

·

Outside, the sky was on the verge of turning dark.

Xie Jinghe had taken a vacation for several months straight, spending all his time busy falling in love. Only after the movie he shot last year finished editing and passed censorship did he reappear before the camera lens.

For half a month straight, he had been following the film crew to promote the movie.

He had returned in a hurry today, having had no time to take off his makeup or change clothes. That high school uniform on his body wasn’t a deliberate attempt to play a kink with the man; it was actually his styling for the roadshow that day.

In the movie, the main character he played was indeed a high school student.

This look had also appeared on the promotional posters, gaining massive popularity.

It could even be said to have received widespread acclaim.

Wrapped in a summer air-conditioning quilt, Xie Jinghe lay on the edge of the bed sipping his boba tea—which had returned to room temperature—unable to stop himself from giving himself a mental thumb-up.

The effect had been too good; his legs were completely weak.

However, he and Shi Linchuan were right in the middle of their passionate honeymoon phase. They were at a stage where a single glance could set off a spark. After being separated for nearly ten days, losing control slightly upon meeting was only natural. Today’s little episode had at most served to make the scorching atmosphere even hotter.

…The tattoo that had been kissed countless times was still burning hot and numb.

The sensation spread all the way to his heart, lingering for a long time without dissipating.

Thus, when Shi Linchuan wrapped himself in a bathrobe after cleaning up the messy study and returned to the bedroom holding the soiled school uniform with a missing button on the collar, this was the scene that met his eyes—

Xie Jinghe was lying face-down on the bed with damp hair. The dark, thin quilt covered only his midsection, leaving both his upper and lower ends carelessly exposed. His long, slender calves were crossed, swaying with a gentle arc.

Shi Linchuan couldn’t help but stop by the doorway.

Even though Xie Jinghe hadn’t taken on work projects over these past few months, he hadn’t been idle either. Instead, he had very regularly resumed his workout routine. Consequently, when he propped both elbows on the pillow and raised his upper body slightly, the posture highlighted his upper arm muscle lines exceptionally well. His shoulder blades were sharply defined, scattered with marks of varying intensity, their edges soft and hazy.

However, Shi Linchuan’s focus wasn’t on this.

The main point was…

While Xie Jinghe was drinking boba tea, his other hand was clutching his phone. From Shi Linchuan’s standing angle and with his restored eyesight, he could clearly see his phone screen displaying the search results from a certain orange shopping app.

Shi Linchuan: “…”

He silently walked over and added an item of clothing that the other had skipped past right into the shopping cart.

Xie Jinghe added it to the cart, placed the order, and selected discreet shipping all in one fluid motion. He then tossed both the phone and the empty boba tea cup into the man’s hands, before slowly shifting to lie on his side, resting his head on the man’s lap. He let out a couple of soft laughs and asked:

“Linchuan, do you like that one?”

Shi Linchuan threw away the trash, connected his low-battery phone to the charging cable, and finally smoothed down Xie Jinghe’s neatly trimmed, messy hair a few times. Only after a long pause did he respond:

“Not really.”

“…I’m just a bit curious about what you’d look like wearing it.”

Xie Jinghe remained quiet for two minutes before picking up the conversation:

“Does this prove that you simply like me for me?”

Shi Linchuan didn’t refute it.

He pinched Xie Jinghe’s earlobe with neither too much nor too little force, unable to suppress a couple of silent chuckles himself. “When you were taking a bath just now, it seemed like water got into your ear. Do you want me to clean it out for you?”

Xie Jinghe agreed instantly: “Yes!”

Hearing this, Shi Linchuan pulled open the nightstand drawer, retrieved a box of cotton swabs from inside, and began cleaning out Xie Jinghe’s ear canal. He listened to Xie Jinghe softly humming for a good while before the younger man asked him,

“Linchuan, summer break is coming up real soon.”

“Do you have time to go watch my movie’s premiere?”

Hearing those two sentences back-to-back made it sound as if Shi Linchuan were about to go on summer break as well.

He held the thin cotton swab between two fingers, gently scraping inside Xie Jinghe’s ear canal. A moment later, he gestured for the other to switch sides to clean the other ear hole before softly letting out a “Mm.”

Afterward, Xie Jinghe rambled on incessantly again,

“The director said he’s very confident in this movie and plans to submit it for awards…”

Shi Linchuan wasn’t as talkative as him, keeping his replies very brief.

After a long time.

The air settled into quietness.

Time seemed to move a little slower. It was best if it stayed slow.

The sky outside the window had completely darkened, leaving only a few strands of residual glow smeared along the edge of the window frame. Shi Linchuan felt the weight on his lap. Lowering his eyes, he gazed at Xie Jinghe, who had inadvertently fallen into a nap, and casually pulled the thin quilt wrapped around his waist and belly a bit higher.

How strange.

The one who had fallen asleep was clearly Xie Jinghe…

Yet Shi Linchuan felt as though,

The heart resting inside his own chest had fallen asleep right along with him, even letting out soft little snores.

·

The summer season arrived on schedule.

As a prime period of the year, the number of movies scheduled for the summer slot was vast, including many high-quality, large-scale productions. The competition was fierce to the extreme, with the fanbases of several lead actors practically beating each other’s heads in.

Xie Jinghe’s ability to carry the box office remained formidable.

Not to mention everyone from the director to the screenwriter, all the way to the other departments, had exerted every ounce of effort to polish this movie. Who knew how much money had been burned on marketing and promotion alone? Fortunately, funding was abundant, and the investing company was extremely supportive.

Netizens had long since dug up all the details online.

[Saw the name of NO.1 in the end credits…]

[The movie is great, already watched it twice.]

[The expired candy still tastes amazing, taking another bite.]

[Has half a year passed already? It feels like another lifetime. [Dazed]]

[There’s fresh candy, sisters! Hurry over and taste it! Go to the Shi-Xie Super Topic, a video clip of Film Emperor Xie being questioned by an audience member during a recent roadshow.]

[Seen it, LMAO 233]

[Passersby have seen it too, Hahaha! The girl’s hidden agenda was revealed way too fast! First, she praised the Film Emperor’s IRL state as insanely good and asked how he maintained it. As expected, she heard him say, ‘Keep a happy mood,’ and then the very next question went straight for his lead actor face!!]

[That sentence aside, she even asked later what he thought of the non-celeb guy… Honestly, the Film Emperor is pretty good at playing tai chi with the media, but faced with the girl’s completely skill-less question, he actually stammered! In the end, he just held the mic, pursing his lips and smiling!]

[They’re back together, confirmed.]

[??? Pay more attention to the movie itself. Maybe he didn’t answer just because he didn’t want to bring that up. After all, those two loved each other so deeply back then. That accident video still shocks me when I watch it now. Not responding might just mean he doesn’t want to use the other person as gossip or a topic.]

[That makes sense too.]

[Then let’s talk about something happy—]

[The movie box office hit number one! A league of its own, absolute number one!!]

[…]

·

Shi Linchuan had also watched that widely circulated roadshow video online.

In the video.

Xie Jinghe was dressed in a fresh, vibrant high school uniform. Hearing the audience call out that name that was branded onto him yet hidden by his clothes, the person who had been chatting eloquently just a moment ago suddenly stumbled over his words, stammering several times and instinctively raising a hand to cover his lips…

Combined with his outfit,

He genuinely looked like a shy, reserved high school student.

Only Shi Linchuan knew that after this guy returned home, he didn’t seem shy in the slightest—every word and action was bold and provocative.

Thinking up to this point, he raised his eyes slightly.

The lights in the walk-in closet were bright.

The floor-length full-body mirror reflected Xie Jinghe’s figure.

He looked great in a suit—crisp, sharp, and radiating masculine charm, completely different from his image in the movie. Shi Linchuan felt the profession of an actor was truly marvelous, especially with someone like Xie Jinghe, who effortlessly embodied whatever role he played…

At certain moments, it was quite thrilling.

Xie Jinghe was attending a film awards ceremony tonight. To look good in the suit, he hadn’t even bothered eating dinner. He had changed into his suit and leather shoes early on and was currently picking out cufflinks, yet he remained indecisive for a long time, insisting that Shi Linchuan help advise him.

After trying out several pairs in a row, Shi Linchuan made the decision for him.

Dressed in formal attire, Xie Jinghe slowly turned a circle in front of the man, the sapphire cufflinks sparkling brilliantly under the lights. His neatly trimmed hair had grown longer by now, combed up to reveal his smooth, full forehead.

“The host said the awards ceremony will be livestreamed. How do I look?”

How else could he look?

Having skipped dinner, his waist was just a slender, narrow strip.

Shi Linchuan measured him up and down twice, drawing out his tone as he drawled,

“You look like you have a big ass.”

Xie Jinghe: “…Be serious, Le Yan is waiting for me downstairs.”

Having a big ass and not even letting people say it.

Shi Linchuan let out a light, quiet click of his tongue, evaluating him twice more before giving a serious critique: “It looks like something is missing.”

Xie Jinghe believed him completely and asked,

“What’s missing?”

Shi Linchuan shuffled closer in his slippers, staring at him for a good while, before telling him in a calm tone to close his eyes. This prompted Xie Jinghe to instinctively make a joke, “What for? Lines like that sound as if you’re about to slip a ring onto my hand in the next second.”

Shi Linchuan: “…”

The man was casually dressed, resting one hand in his pocket.

Upon hearing those words, the hand he was just about to pull out abruptly froze, and that cold, handsome, nonchalant face turned equally sour.

Xie Jinghe’s pupils dilated in shock: “…Wait, this reaction from you?”

Shi Linchuan turned around to walk away.

Xie Jinghe hurriedly lunged forward, disregarding his image to wrap his arms around the man’s waist from behind, “Wait wait wait wait! I’m closing my eyes right now!”

Having waited for a long time, the moment Le Yan walked up the stairs, she ran right into the two men tangled together in a embrace, both looking out of breath. Her Xie-ge was tightly clutching the man’s arm, pleading endlessly,

“Linchuan—”

Yet his eyes were sparkling brightly.

The man’s hand was stuffed inside his pocket, likely clenched into a fist, making a bulging lump.

Le Yan: “…”

Seriously, what time is it already?

And you’re still here flirting and being in love!!