Su Yiran remembered that watch — it was one of those then-new smartwatches, and it had been a birthday present from Gu Yuanting on his sixteenth birthday. The watch cost dozens of yuan, which, for a student from a poor family at the time, was quite expensive. He knew Ting-ge had painstakingly saved up the money bit by bit to buy it for him, so he treasured the gesture and wore it all the time.

Later, he accidentally broke it. Since Wang Mingzhi’s family owned a watch shop, Wang Mingzhi took it home to repair. A few days later, Ting-ge brought it back to him and put it on his wrist again.

Later still, he accidentally dropped it into a glass of water and it was completely ruined. He regretted it for a long time. Ting-ge then gave him a new one, which he wore up until last year’s wedding anniversary — when Ting-ge returned from Country D with yet another watch, which he had been wearing ever since.

But now, Wang Mingzhi was saying… that the old watch had a tracking and monitoring system inside it?

Su Yiran read the text message again. Gu Yuanting noticed that Ranran had been staring at his phone without doing anything else and seemed off, so he grew worried.

“Ranran, what’s wrong?” he asked, coming closer to see what the message said. But before he could look, Su Yiran lowered the phone.

After thinking for a moment, Su Yiran asked directly,
“Ting-ge, that watch you gave me for my sixteenth birthday — my birthday gift — did it have a tracking and monitoring system inside?”

Gu Yuanting froze. Sixteenth birthday. Gift. Watch… Tracking?? Monitoring???

Tracking???? Monitoring????

When Ting-ge didn’t answer, Su Yiran explained that Wang Mingzhi had once helped repair the watch and discovered a tracking system inside. He had just told Su Yiran about it today.

Gu Yuanting’s chest heaved violently. “…” Given what he knew about the original Gu Yuanting — that perverted lunatic — he was sure this was 100% true.

Sixteen-year-old Ranran… had been tracked? Monitored???

His brain went numb with anger, his temples throbbing. That bastard!

Su Yiran noticed Ting-ge’s reaction — it didn’t look like the reaction of someone caught red-handed. He wasn’t sure anymore, but Wang Mingzhi’s tone in the text had been sincere, and there was no reason to lie about something like this. After a pause, he asked again,
“Ting-ge, is it true?” Then, to prevent Ting-ge from lying, he added,
“I think I still have that old watch. I can get it tested. Tell me the truth.”

Since Ranran had put it so plainly, and because he didn’t know if the original had disposed of the watch properly, Gu Yuanting realized that lying now and getting caught later would make Ranran even angrier.

Silently grinding his teeth at the original, he finally swallowed his frustration and took the blame for this massive, dirty mess:
“It’s true… I’m sorry, Ranran.”

Su Yiran: “…”

Although he had suspected it after the text, hearing Ting-ge admit it made him pause in silence. His feelings were complicated — he didn’t even know what to say.

So Ting-ge had been tracking him? Watching him?

Wasn’t that… like a stalker?

For now, Su Yiran didn’t press further. He shelved the matter and switched back to the earlier topic:
“Then… Wu Lanlan’s transfer — was that your doing too?”

Gu Yuanting: “…Yes, I’m sorry.”

Su Yiran: “…”

He was about to continue when suddenly, scenes from earlier today — and one from just before his return from Country D — flashed through his mind. That day in D Country, as they were about to leave for the airport…

No way. The thought hit him like lightning.

Could it be… that the cat hair allergy was fake?

Earlier at Wang Mingzhi’s house, Ting-ge had been in the same yard as Mao Tuan the cat, only a few steps away, with no allergic reaction.

And back in D Country, he had casually picked up that ragdoll cat without issue. It was only after Su Yiran mentioned it that Ting-ge began sneezing, itching, and showing mild redness — symptoms so faint they were hardly noticeable.

Thinking back, even the family doctor’s diagnosis had seemed… off.

Could it be?

Gu Yuanting stiffened. How did Ranran figure that out? Although it had originally been the original’s doing, he had later gone along with the lie to keep up the act — deceiving Ranran together.

He glanced at Ranran, trying to read his expression.

Su Yiran met his eyes and already knew it was likely true.
“…Tell me, was it fake?”

The tone in Ranran’s voice sent a shiver down Gu Yuanting’s spine. He no longer dared to lie. Heart pounding, he admitted,
“It was fake. I’m sorry.”

Su Yiran: “…………”

Taking a deep breath, Su Yiran sat down and calmed himself before going through everything in his head.

Ting-ge had seemingly given him a birthday gift, but in reality, it contained a tracking device so he could follow and monitor him.

Wu Lanlan had been forced to transfer schools — likely because she had gotten too close to him and there were rumors about them.

But Mao Tuan the cat? She had done nothing wrong. Why had Ting-ge gotten rid of such a sweet, adorable pet? And even faked a cat hair allergy to do it?

Su Yiran hadn’t been angry about the first two incidents — just felt guilty toward Wu Lanlan and planned to apologize to her.

He knew Ting-ge’s past. After the class reunion and the depression incident, he understood Ting-ge had always been unstable, insecure.

But the thing with Mao Tuan… that genuinely made him angry.

Gu Yuanting saw Ranran’s little face stern and silent for a long time, and panic rose in his chest. He stood awkwardly, like a child being punished.

“Why pretend to be allergic to cats?” Su Yiran asked. “If you didn’t like Mao Tuan, you could’ve told me from the start. You didn’t need to happily bring her home with me, only to secretly try to get rid of her.”

Hearing the hard tone, Gu Yuanting’s heart went into chaos.
“I… I…” I wasn’t, I didn’t — that wasn’t even me.

He had only gone along with the lie later, forced to help deceive Ranran.

Seeing Ranran upset, he felt both wronged and flustered. He almost blurted out the truth, but caught himself in time.

Lowering his head, he went quiet, his fingers twitching uncontrollably at his sides — almost neurotic.

If Ranran left him over this… then…

Su Yiran saw how pitiful Ting-ge looked and his heart softened. He reached out his arms.
“Ting-ge, come here.”

Gu Yuanting shuffled forward and slowly hugged him, burying his head in Ranran’s shoulder and rubbing gently, breathing in his scent.

Dark, twisted thoughts began to swirl in his mind.

Heh…