Gu Yuanting suddenly found the wooden carving in his hand prickly and uncomfortable. He placed it on the table beside him, the lingering sensation of its rough edges still tingling in his palm.

Su Yiran looked at Gu Yuanting expectantly, hoping Ting-ge would be pleased.

The name “Yi Ting” was originally a combination of their two names. It held special meaning. Now that Ting-ge was no longer running the shop with him, making this figure they crafted together the store’s mascot felt just right.

Gu Yuanting looked into Su Yiran’s sparkling eyes. In the end, he didn’t want to see disappointment in them. So he said, “Thank you, I… I’m really happy.”

Su Yiran beamed.

Gu Yuanting knew he thought he had successfully surprised the “original” him.

His heart felt like something inexplicable had spilled inside it. He turned his gaze away, deliberately avoiding even a glimpse of the wooden figure from the corner of his eye.

Gu Yuanting said, “But this piece… isn’t quite perfect. In a few days, I’ll give you a better one.”

Su Yiran was surprised. “I think it’s great,” he said, picking up the figure and examining it carefully. “Besides, this one was made by the two of us. I like it. A store-bought one wouldn’t mean the same.”

Gu Yuanting replied, “…Then in a few days, let’s make a new one together.”

He added, “One even better than this.”

Su Yiran nodded when he heard that. “Okay.”

“For now, let’s keep this one at the counter. We can replace it when we finish the new one.” He looked down at the wooden carving in his hand again, clearly reluctant to part with it. Honestly, he was already quite satisfied.

Still, making a better one together wouldn’t be bad either. Last time didn’t go well—this time they could aim to get it right, so the store staff wouldn’t have to fix it again.

As Su Yiran was turning the figure over in his hands, lost in thought, it was suddenly snatched away. He looked up to see Gu Yuanting taking it from him.

“…” Gu Yuanting casually set the figure down on the counter and said, “Let’s head home.”

Gu Yuanting drove while Su Yiran sat in the passenger seat. On the way back, Su Yiran remembered something he had discussed with his senior earlier that day. “Oh right, I posted a short video on Apple Live today. It got a good response.”

He shared his plan with Gu Yuanting: “I want to try doing live streams on Apple. What do you think?”

“Live streaming?” Gu Yuanting nodded. He didn’t see a problem. “Go for it—do what you want.”

Su Yiran turned to look at him and smiled. “I thought you’d try to talk me out of it by listing all the drawbacks again.”

Again? Gu Yuanting glanced at him while driving.

Su Yiran said, “Don’t you remember? Back when we were in college, about five or six years ago…”

He recalled, “There was a time I wanted to try streaming. You analyzed all the drawbacks for me back then, trying to talk me out of it. Then something else came up, and I got too busy, so I dropped the idea.”

Back then, they had only been dating for less than a year. Things had just begun to stabilize. He didn’t want to upset Ting-ge, and then life got hectic—so he gave up on the idea.

But now it was different. They were practically an old married couple. Su Yiran felt like even if they had differing opinions, they could talk it out easily.

Gu Yuanting couldn’t understand why the original version of himself would object to Su Yiran doing live streaming. After all, he wasn’t the original.

So he said, “If you want to do it, go for it. I support you.”

Su Yiran then chatted with Gu Yuanting for a while about streaming. As they passed a large supermarket near their apartment complex, Su Yiran said quickly, “Wait! Let’s grab some groceries. The fridge at home is almost empty.”

They parked on the roadside and headed straight to the supermarket’s underground produce market.

It was evening, and prices were cheaper than in the morning. After all, if the vegetables weren’t sold by night, they’d no longer be fresh the next day and harder to sell.

Su Yiran strolled the aisles, carefully checking the freshness and asking about prices, while Gu Yuanting quietly followed behind.

Before they knew it, Su Yiran had filled several shopping bags and casually handed half to Gu Yuanting.

Gu Yuanting took them, then reached out to carry the rest of the bags from Su Yiran’s hand as well. Su Yiran smiled slightly at him and didn’t argue, then walked ahead toward the meat section. Gu Yuanting quietly followed behind, carrying all the bags.

Once the groceries were bought, they went home to cook dinner.

Su Yiran’s stomach was already growling. He set the rice cooker going and asked Gu Yuanting, “What should we cook?”

Gu Yuanting said, “Stir-fried potato slices with meat—it’s quick.”

Su Yiran replied, “Great. I also want stir-fried lotus root, pan-fried tofu, and tomato egg soup. We should eat the tofu soon—it goes bad quickly in the fridge.”

Gu Yuanting said, “Alright.”

He handed three potatoes from the fridge to Gu Yuanting, who stood by the trash can to peel them. Meanwhile, Su Yiran washed and drained the tofu, then cut it into cubes and started pan-frying it.

He heated the pan, added oil, lowered the heat, and gently placed the tofu inside. When the bottoms turned golden and fragrant, he flipped them over. Once both sides were golden, he added soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, and a bit of water. After reducing the sauce, he turned off the heat. A crispy-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside tofu dish was done.

While he cooked the tofu, Gu Yuanting sliced the potatoes and lotus root beside him.

The two of them worked side by side in the kitchen, chatting occasionally. The smell of food and the soft clatter of cooking filled the warm and peaceful air.

Dinner was ready quickly. Su Yiran brought the three dishes and soup to the table, while Gu Yuanting served two bowls of rice and carried them out of the kitchen.

The meal was delicious, and Su Yiran ate until he was completely full.

Afterward, Su Yiran cleared the table, and Gu Yuanting quietly washed the dishes.

When everything was tidied up, Su Yiran sprawled on the sofa watching TV, too full to move.

He called out, “Ting-ge, let’s go downstairs for a walk, help with digestion.”

The two went downstairs. Their neighborhood always had lots of people out for walks. Right now, many residents were already in the square—parents with kids, a few joggers doing laps.

The square was too noisy, so Su Yiran and Gu Yuanting walked toward a quieter area. The chatter and laughter slowly faded behind them.

A cool breeze blew, and the air was fresh and clean—it was a lovely night.

Gu Yuanting glanced at Su Yiran walking beside him and felt unexpectedly relaxed.

They walked into a small garden at the edge of the complex. It was secluded, lit only by two dim street lamps near the entrance. No one else was around.

Su Yiran looked up at the sky. It had been cloudy during the day, but now the night sky was dotted with stars. He stopped in his tracks and said, “Ting-ge, look at the sky. There are actually stars tonight.”

Gu Yuanting looked up and saw the starry sky too—it was beautiful against the darkness. “Yeah.”

Su Yiran looked at him. Under the soft glow of the streetlight, Gu Yuanting’s usually sharp features appeared gentle.

Just like his personality—he looked cold, but he was actually very tender.

Su Yiran suddenly felt a surge of emotion. He reached out and hugged Gu Yuanting, looking up at him.

Gu Yuanting felt the embrace and lowered his gaze, then gently returned the hug.

The two stood there, arms wrapped around each other, eyes locked. No one spoke, but warmth flowed quietly between them.

Su Yiran wanted to kiss him. He said, “Ting-ge, kiss me.”

Gu Yuanting paused, stared at him, then gently cupped Su Yiran’s face and lowered his head.

A soft kiss landed on Su Yiran’s forehead.

But Su Yiran wanted more. He wrapped his arms around Gu Yuanting’s neck and kissed him on the lips, gently sucking on his soft lower lip with his eyes closed.

Gu Yuanting could hear his own heartbeat clearly.

Su Yiran kissed him for a while, but felt too shy to go further.

Blushing, he pulled away and mumbled, “Sh-should we head back?”

Gu Yuanting: “…Okay.”

The two walked back slowly along the winding path in the garden. A light breeze played with their hair. Shoulder to shoulder, their hands would occasionally brush.

Maybe the wind was too gentle.

The next time their hands brushed, Gu Yuanting suddenly reached out and held Su Yiran’s hand.

Su Yiran looked up at him and smiled, continuing to walk hand in hand.

Gu Yuanting laced their fingers together tightly.

His heart fluttered wildly, like something small was bouncing around inside.

His palms were damp with sweat.

Even the autumn breeze felt sweet.

It was like falling in love for the very first time—his heart stirred.