The dining room in the guesthouse next door was quite lively. Seven or eight young people were sitting there, chatting around an earthen stove with a large fireplace nearby.

Seeing the two of them walk in, they didn’t care whether they knew them or not, and simply waved: “Hi—”

“Hi.” Zou Yang also raised a hand.

“Come warm up by the fire,” one of the guys called out. “We’re eating soon.”

There was a large pot on the earthen stove, steaming hot, filled with meat and ribs. On a small, low wooden table next to it were vegetables and staple foods, like various kinds of flatbreads.

“Anyone want some wine?” Boss Ding walked out of the kitchen carrying two small kegs. “I brewed it myself.”

“Drink—” the whole group cheered.

“Grab your own glasses from the sterilizer cabinet,” Boss Ding said, walking over and sitting next to Fan Jun.

“I’m not drinking,” Zou Yang whispered.

“Do you have any soft drinks?” Fan Jun turned and asked Boss Ding in a low voice. “Neither of us drinks.”

“Oh, no drinking, okay, no drinking… you’re injured, no drinking…” Boss Ding looked at the two of them. “We have soft drinks, in that freezer over there…”

Fan Jun didn’t wait for him to finish; he got straight up, opened the freezer door, and looked back at Zou Yang.

Lemonade.

Zou Yang mouthed the word through the noisy chatter.

Fan Jun brought over two bottles of lemonade.

Zou Yang wasn’t actually very used to this kind of environment, where nobody really knew each other but everyone acted as if they were perfectly familiar social butterflies.

As he ate, he found himself constantly flashing polite, toothy smiles at whoever was grinning enthusiastically at him from the side.

By the end of the meal, his brain physically hurt from all the socializing, and his teeth had been bared so much they felt like they were going to catch a cold.

In comparison, Fan Jun had it much easier. Boss Ding was on his left, Zou Yang was on his right—he had no neighboring seats that required mandatory socialization. Plus, just a few minutes into the meal, he used an opportunity when a guy across the table spoke to him to announce to the entire group that he couldn’t hear.

A very practical disability.

Zou Yang almost regretted not immediately announcing to everyone that they were fellow patients.

However… even though Fan Jun wasn’t participating in the chatter, he seemed to be listening to everyone’s conversations quite intently.

It wasn’t too late after dinner, and the group had no intention of going back to their rooms to rest; they were all heading up to stargaze.

As Zou Yang and Fan Jun walked back into their guesthouse with a group trailing behind them, Zou Yang had barely turned halfway toward his room when someone behind him asked, “Are you guys going to sleep? Not coming to see the stars?”

It was a perfectly normal question, but it didn’t sound normal to him at all.

Zou Yang had no choice but to say, “I need to deal with this ice pack.”

“Oh, then we’ll wait for you on the roof! Boss Ding is coming up to do some barbecue later,” someone else added.

“Okay.” Zou Yang sighed.

Once inside the room, he collapsed onto the bed. Only when he heard the chaotic footsteps slowly retreating upstairs did he let out a long breath.

“Get me a bottle of water,” Zou Yang said. “How much MSG did the auntie put in that pot of food? I’m dying of thirst…”

“I’m thirsty too.” Fan Jun handed him a bottle.

Zou Yang twisted it open and chugged half the bottle, finally feeling like his system was cleared out. Fan Jun tipped his head back and drank the remaining half.

“…I’m so stuffed,” Zou Yang sprawled out on the bed.

“Tired?” Fan Jun walked over to the side of the bed and looked at him.

He was a bit tired. But Zou Yang could tell Fan Jun wasn’t tired at all; in fact, he seemed quite happy.

“No,” Zou Yang wiggled his foot. “Help me take the ice pack off. It doesn’t seem swollen anymore, and it hardly hurt when I was walking just now.”

“Mm.” Fan Jun crouched down and unfastened the ice pack. As he stood back up, he asked, “Do you want to go up and see the stars?”

“It seems…” Zou Yang looked at him, testing the waters, “…pretty interesting?”

“Mm.” Fan Jun smiled.

Fan Jun wanted to go stargazing. So, they would go.

“Let me find a scarf before we go up,” Zou Yang said, sitting up.

But before he could sit up straight, Fan Jun grabbed his shoulder, pushed him back onto the bed, and pressed down on top of him.

“Not going anymore?” Zou Yang naturally wrapped his arms around his waist, slipping his hands under his shirt to touch his back.

“We are,” Fan Jun trailed kisses from the corner of his mouth down to his earlobe. His lips still carried the damp coolness of the water he had just drank, intertwining with his warm breath. His voice brushed low against Zou Yang’s ear. “We have time for a kiss before we go up.”

“Mm.” Zou Yang turned his head, the tip of his tongue lightly touching the scar at the corner of Fan Jun’s mouth. His hand slid straight down, slipping under the waistband of his pants to give his ass a hard squeeze.

“Hiss…” Fan Jun reached back, grabbing his wrist and pinning it to the bed. “What’s wrong with you?”

“Feels good,” Zou Yang smirked.

Fan Jun lowered his head and kissed him, his hand retaliating with a hard squeeze to Zou Yang’s waist.

There were quite a few people on the rooftop, including some who hadn’t been at dinner—likely those who had gone out exploring and returned late.

Seeing the two of them come up, the group launched into their usual chorus of greetings. Since they had shared a meal, they were all acquainted now, making the greetings even more familiar than before.

It seemed a lot of people really did come here for stargazing; Boss Ding had even set up two large astronomical telescopes at the edge of the roof.

The rooftop was spacious. Half of it was a sunroom where you could lie on lounge chairs and view the starry sky through the glass ceiling, and the other half was open-air, where those who weren’t afraid of the cold could use the telescopes.

If there hadn’t been so many people, Zou Yang would have been more than happy to lie there with Fan Jun, having some snacks and drinks while gazing at the Milky Way. After all, looking up at the heavy, pitch-black night sky, the sweeping clusters of haloed stars offered a breathtaking sight.

But he could feel that Fan Jun genuinely liked this atmosphere. Even though he didn’t like to speak much, he enjoyed being in a crowd.

“This feeling…” Fan Jun sat in a chair, slowly peeling an orange. “Being in a strange place, running into a group of strangers… it just… really feels like traveling.”

“Yeah,” Zou Yang leaned back in his chair, turning his head to look at him. “That’s what traveling is. Going to strange places, seeing strange things, meeting strange people.”

“But you have to be here,” Fan Jun said.

Zou Yang didn’t say anything, just lightly trailed his finger across Fan Jun’s hand.

When peeling the orange, Fan Jun deliberately used his left hand, only using his right for assistance. His hand still trembled slightly, but it looked alright and didn’t seem too strenuous.

“I used to dislike crowded places,” Fan Jun finished peeling the rind and began meticulously peeling off the white pith. “It made me feel uneasy. When there are too many people, I can’t hear clearly, and I can’t keep an eye on everything…”

“It’s different now,” Zou Yang said. “Right?”

“Yeah,” Fan Jun nodded. “Especially when you’re beside me, it’s… pretty interesting.”

Zou Yang smiled.

Fan Jun didn’t say anything else. After carefully picking off all the pith, he placed the perfectly clean orange segments into Zou Yang’s hand.

“Wow.” A girl who had run over to grab some fruit let out a gasp of awe before running off again.

“I’ve never eaten an orange peeled this cleanly before,” Zou Yang took a bite, eating half the orange in one go.

“Neither have I,” Fan Jun chuckled. “The doctor told me to practice fine motor skills like this in my daily life. Before, I couldn’t even pinch a coin.”

“That’s a huge improvement then.” Zou Yang offered the remaining half to his mouth. “Taste it. Peeled like this, there’s no stringy bits at all. It’s good.”

Fan Jun leaned in and plucked the half-orange right from his hand with his mouth.

Then, the two of them leaned back in their chairs and watched the starry sky together.

It wasn’t actually the best time to see the Milky Way clearly yet; Boss Ding said that would be toward the end of the month. Still, they could already see a massive swath of the Milky Way slowly rising from the east. Beneath the black canopy of the sky, it was a scene of quiet, teeming vibrancy, sliding by piece by piece with the passage of time…

The people on the roof had mostly dispersed by the time Fan Jun finally stood up and looked down at Zou Yang, who was sleeping soundly.

The guy had fallen asleep less than ten minutes into stargazing, and the loud chatting and barbecuing afterward hadn’t managed to wake him up. Fan Jun had even gone back down to the room to fetch a blanket for him at one point.

Right now, aside from the two of them, the only people left on the roof were a couple bravely defying the cold to cuddle in front of the telescope.

“Zou Yang.” Fan Jun lightly patted his cheek.

“Hm!” Zou Yang’s eyes snapped open, and he sat bolt upright.

Fan Jun was startled by his instant transition to full wakefulness. He stood with his hand raised, staring at him for a long moment before asking, “Were you asleep or not?”

“I was asleep,” Zou Yang blanked for a few seconds, then lowered his head and rubbed his face. “Fuck, I kept telling myself not to fall asleep.”

“If you fell asleep, you fell asleep,” Fan Jun said. “Why force yourself not to?”

“I was supposed to be watching the Milky Way with you,” Zou Yang sighed. “If I fell asleep, wouldn’t you just be watching it by yourself?”

Fan Jun laughed. “Just knowing you’re right next to me is enough.”

“Where is everyone?” Zou Yang looked around.

“Just those two and us left,” Fan Jun tugged at his arm, pulling him to his feet and draping the blanket over his shoulders. “Let’s go back to the room and sleep.”

“What time is it?” Zou Yang yawned, his footsteps a little unsteady.

“Three thirty,” Fan Jun replied.

“Holy… fuck,” Zou Yang was shocked. “Aren’t we supposed to go see that other tree tomorrow? Didn’t Boss Ding say we have to get up early?”

“Yeah,” Fan Jun nodded. “I’ll wake you.”

“…Isn’t bringing me on a business trip kind of holding you back?” Zou Yang sighed, clutching the edge of the blanket as he trudged downstairs.

“It’s not a big deal. If I’m held back, I’m held back,” Fan Jun said.

“He Chuan would cry if he heard that,” Zou Yang laughed.

But He Chuan would definitely smile if he saw the tree.

Even though he had been woken up bright and early by Fan Jun, had his ankle wrapped in a bunch of kinesiology tape, and endured over three hours of driving and hiking deep into the mountains, Zou Yang was still stunned when he laid eyes on the lightning-struck wood.

The tree must have continued to grow for quite some time after being struck. The way the blackened carbonized veins crawled and expanded across the trunk was hauntingly beautiful, carrying a bizarrely oppressive presence.

One look, and you knew it could definitely ward off evil spirits.

After Fan Jun made a call to He Chuan, he and Boss Ding marked the tree and finalized the logistics for transporting and delivering the wood.

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on things here. There won’t be any mistakes,” Boss Ding assured him.

“Thanks for the hard work,” Fan Jun said.

“It’s my job,” Boss Ding said, pulling out his phone. “If there are more opportunities to collaborate, please keep me in mind, Boss Fan. We have quite a few of these strange and rare items around these parts… Shall we add each other on WeChat? It’ll be easier for me to send you pictures.”

“Sure,” Fan Jun agreed.

Fan Jun’s WeChat Moments were actually quite deceptive these days. It was full of the shop’s premium items, posting almost exactly the same content as He Chuan—after all, whatever He Chuan promoted, Fan Jun posted too. But because Fan Jun wasn’t as talkative as He Chuan, his extremely minimalist captions made his profile look far more like that of an enigmatic, behind-the-scenes boss.

Boss Ding took them back to the guesthouse and immediately went to contact people and arrange trucks for the delivery.

Zou Yang had his student teaching practicum early the next morning, so after wandering around the area and taking some photos, it was time for them to head back.

“Can you drive?” Fan Jun peered through the window at Zou Yang, who was sitting in the driver’s seat.

“I can,” Zou Yang said. “Did my walking look abnormal to you just now?”

“Just checking to be sure.” Fan Jun walked around to the passenger side and got in.

“What about your hand?” Zou Yang asked as he started the engine.

“I put some kinesiology tape on it, it feels okay,” Fan Jun said. “It’s not shaking as violently as it was last night, just twinges occasionally.”

“Mm.” Zou Yang was very satisfied with the detailed answer.

By the time they returned to the city, the sky was already turning dark. Fan Jun went back to the shop to give He Chuan a brief report on the trip, then switched Xiao Bai to his leash and handed the lead to Zou Yang.

“Hm?” Zou Yang looked at Fan Jun, who was straddling the electric scooter, a bit confused.

“Sit on the back and hold his leash,” Fan Jun instructed. “We’ll let him run alongside the scooter for a bit so he can poop, then we can head home.”

“Oh.” Zou Yang laughed.

Xiao Bai loved this method of running with the scooter. He sprinted vigorously; anytime the scooter slowed down even slightly, he would overtake it and pull ahead.

“Good boy, Xiao Bai. Keep going.” Zou Yang turned his head, resting his chin on Fan Jun’s shoulder as he watched the dog. He felt like Xiao Bai was constantly smiling, his one eye shining brightly.

He wrapped his arms around Fan Jun’s waist, slipping his hand under his shirt to trace slow circles on his stomach with his fingers.

“Don’t distract the driver,” Fan Jun pressed down on his hand.

“You’re calling yourself a driver for riding a little electric scooter?” Zou Yang teased.

“Should we just order takeout for dinner when we get back?” Fan Jun asked.

“Yeah,” Zou Yang agreed. “Just grab whatever, I’m not that hungry.”

“Okay,” Fan Jun reached back and lightly tapped his cheek.

“Drive properly, driver,” Zou Yang said.

This business trip had been much more relaxing than the last one, and neither of them felt particularly tired upon returning.

Zou Yang casually ordered two portions of mixed noodles for them. After eating and taking a shower, he collapsed comfortably onto the sofa and stretched luxuriantly. “You go shower, I’ll find a movie for us to watch later.”

“Okay.” Fan Jun got up, grabbed his clothes, and headed into the bathroom.

Zou Yang had just finished showering, so the bathroom was still filled with warm, damp steam.

As Fan Jun applied a waterproof patch over his wound, he examined it closely. It was healing well; in a few more days, it should be fully scabbed over. Deep inside, it still hurt a little when he moved, but his arm was alright. Aside from a heavy, aching soreness—like the aftermath of doing heavy bicep curls—there was no other obvious discomfort.

He turned on the showerhead, rotating his shoulder a few times under the running water.

After his shower, he walked out to the living room with a towel draped over his head, planning to put a movie on for Zou Yang before drying his hair.

He had just reached for his phone on the coffee table when he noticed a paper delivery bag from a pharmacy sitting there, flanked by several small boxes…

“Are you feeling unwell somewhere?” Fan Jun rushed over, picking up one of the boxes to check.

But the moment it touched his hand, he realized it wasn’t medicine. One glance at the label confirmed it…

“Zou Yang?” He looked up at Zou Yang in absolute shock.

“What?” Zou Yang was leaning back on the sofa, inspecting a small packet he had just opened.

“Did you…” Fan Jun didn’t know what to say. He looked at the other boxes scattered on the table and couldn’t help but marvel, “Did you buy a box of every single brand?”

“Not quite, some have different thicknesses.” Zou Yang pushed up his glasses. “Plus, they aren’t all condoms…”

Fan Jun took another look. Indeed, they weren’t all condoms. “Pretty comprehensive?”

“Mm,” Zou Yang squeezed the small packet in his hand, tilted his head back, and looked at him. “I don’t fight unprepared battles.”

After Fan Jun’s initial shock faded, the emotion that washed over him was incredibly complex.

A faint spark of excitement, like a distant flame whipped up by the wind, rapidly consumed him. In just a matter of seconds, it burned so hot he felt feverish.

“Who… is fighting?” His throat felt tight when he spoke.

“Come here,” Zou Yang reached out a hand.

Fan Jun grabbed it.

Ignoring the coffee table between them, Zou Yang pulled him forcefully toward him.

Fan Jun had to swiftly swing his leg over the table, bracing his hand against the wall behind the sofa just in time to stop himself from crashing down, straddling Zou Yang’s lap.

Zou Yang grabbed the towel that had slipped down to Fan Jun’s neck and pulled downward.

Fan Jun bent over, leaning in close.

Zou Yang cupped the back of his neck, his voice dropping to a low murmur right next to his ear. “Me.”

That single syllable, quiet as a whisper, landed lightly against the side of his neck like a tiny spark.

Certain desires, as if wired to nerves running through his entire body, instantly ignited the moment that spark fell.

It burned him completely off guard. His heart rate spiked violently, sending scalding blood rushing to his eyes and a loud buzzing to his ears.

Before he could react, Zou Yang raised his hand and chopped the inner side of Fan Jun’s right elbow—the one bracing against the wall. His support gave out instantly, and he pitched forward onto Zou Yang.

Using the momentum, Zou Yang flipped him over, pinning him onto the sofa.

“Wait,” Fan Jun’s mind was completely scrambled.

Zou Yang rolled over, pressing down on him. His hand, blazing like fire, swept down from Fan Jun’s waist, trailing heat lower and lower. “Be good.”