Su Yiran felt too embarrassed to be more affectionate with Ting-ge in front of his parents, so he only gently kissed the back of his hand to comfort him.

Gu Yuanting looked at him and took the initiative to interlock their fingers, kissing his hand gently. “I’m fine, Ranran.”

Su Mama had calmed down after being comforted by everyone earlier. She wiped away her tears with a tissue and, seeing the two of them like this, couldn’t help feeling regret again.

Tingting, the one who was hurt the most, was right next to them, and yet she had brought up such painful memories.

Su Mama quickly said, “Oh dear, look at me. At my age, I’m still being so disgraceful.”

She smiled. “The past is long gone. Seeing how sweet and loving you two are now, how happy—what’s there to be discontent about?” Su Papa quickly echoed her sentiments.

Gu Yuanting nodded. “That’s right.” The past truly was in the past.

Thinking of that, he couldn’t help but kiss Ranran’s hand again.

Only when Su Yiran saw that Ting-ge was genuinely relaxed did he feel at ease.

Su Mama quickly changed the topic. She recalled something from later on and couldn’t help laughing: “Your dad was right. We really didn’t expect you two would end up getting married. Back in high school, your dad and I once caught you two hugging. We didn’t think much of it at the time.”

Su Yiran also remembered that incident. His face flushed from his mother’s words.

Back then, he and Ting-ge weren’t dating yet. Ting-ge had suddenly confessed to him. The confession startled him, and it felt like all the vague, ambiguous feelings between them had been exposed at once. He panicked and kept avoiding Ting-ge.

Then one time, when his parents weren’t home, he got cornered at home by Ting-ge, who looked terrifying with red eyes. Ting-ge forcefully hugged him and even tried to kiss him.

Just as he was panicking, his parents came home and walked in on the two of them hugging. He was so scared he nearly died. He still remembered that incident clearly.

Su Papa nodded with a smile. “Boys hugging and such—what’s weird about that? But then you two went off to college, and one day you told us you were dating. That’s when your mom and I realized, ‘So they were dating back then, just hiding it from us!’ Hahaha.”

Gu Yuanting listened to all these past stories about Ranran and the original him and tried to suppress the bubbling sourness in his heart: “……”

Su Yiran heard his dad say that again and couldn’t help but explain, “We really weren’t dating back then…”

It was because of this that his parents always thought he and Ting-ge had started dating secretly in high school. His mom had even scolded him about it. He’d explained it many times, but his parents still didn’t believe him and would bring up all kinds of “evidence” to refute him.

The worst part was, as he listened to the details they listed, they all sounded pretty convincing—he couldn’t refute them.

Sure enough, Su Mama chimed in: “Ranran, who are you trying to fool? Do you think I’ve lived all these years for nothing? I remember in your second year of high school, there was a time when you two would always come home holding hands. And you say you weren’t dating?”

Su Yiran couldn’t deny it: “……”

That was before Ting-ge confessed. During that time, Ting-ge always liked to hold his hand while walking around the school and even on the way home. At first, he thought something was off, but Ting-ge explained it away seriously, and he didn’t think much of it. Only later did he realize what was really going on.

Su Yiran gave up on explaining. Let them misunderstand—it didn’t really matter anymore…

Gu Yuanting: “……”

Every day… holding hands…

Gu Yuanting’s chest heaved sharply.

The original him.

Held Ranran’s hand every single day—those soft, tender teenage hands.

He suddenly grabbed Su Yiran’s hand, held it tightly for a moment to feel better, then still felt unsatisfied. So he intertwined their fingers fully, each one closely touching.

That made him feel a little better, but still not enough.

Not enough. Not nearly enough.

Su Yiran noticed Ting-ge’s little gestures but didn’t think much of it. Neither did Su’s parents. The group continued chatting, eventually shifting topics to recent events and future plans. Before they knew it, it was time for dinner.

Since Su’s parents were leaving early the next morning, dinner that night was especially lavish. On their last day, Gu Yuanting didn’t let them help in the kitchen and took full responsibility for the cooking, planning to make a feast.

During the meal prep, Su Yiran, feeling sentimental about their impending departure, went into the kitchen and told Gu Yuanting, “Let me make a couple of dishes for my parents too.”

This time, Gu Yuanting didn’t object. He just helped him wash and chop the vegetables, prepared all the ingredients, and let him stir-fry the dishes himself.

Seeing the two boys cook for them made Su’s parents happily relax and enjoy their evening.

After dinner, Gu Yuanting gave them several carefully prepared gifts to take home.

Ever since Su’s parents had announced they were visiting A City, Gu Yuanting had been nervous, preparing gifts in advance. He not only asked Su Yiran for advice but also researched online about what gifts were suitable for elders and even had someone investigate their preferences.

Su’s parents were delighted with the gifts. Seeing that, Gu Yuanting finally breathed a sigh of relief.

—

That night, Gu Yuanting and Su Yiran were in their room. Before bed, they started on homework.

Gu Yuanting pulled Su Yiran onto his lap, wrapped his arms around him, and kissed him. After finishing their assigned practice problems, he added a bonus question—another kiss.

After a long kiss, Su Yiran leaned against Ting-ge, dazed and thinking that since homework was done, it was time to sleep.

Then he saw Ting-ge pick up his right hand, kiss it, and not let go. He stared at it closely, his eyes deep and unreadable, as if he were lost in thought.

Su Yiran looked at Gu Yuanting in confusion. “Ting-ge, what’s wrong?”

Gu Yuanting smiled warmly. “Nothing.”

Su Yiran: “…” That definitely means something!

Then he watched as Ting-ge kissed his hand again… and then licked the back of his hand. Seemingly satisfied with the taste, he licked it several more times.

Su Yiran: “…” Um… are you okay?

He tried to pull his hand away, but Ting-ge held on tightly. He couldn’t budge at all.

Gu Yuanting, seeing Ranran struggling, gently coaxed him: “Be good, Ranran. Don’t move.”

As soon as Su Yiran heard that tone, he froze. That voice always made him nervous. He immediately stopped resisting.

Gu Yuanting carefully and thoroughly licked Ranran’s entire hand.

Su Yiran: “…”

Great. Ting-ge must be sick…

Good thing he had washed his hands properly during his shower.

Su Yiran looked at Ting-ge, completely bewildered.

Noticing Ranran staring, Gu Yuanting leaned down and gave him a kiss, then asked, “Did I ever do this before?”

Su Yiran replied numbly, “No…” Back then, you could still be considered a normal person.

Hearing that, Gu Yuanting lit up with excitement. He carefully licked Ranran’s other hand as well, his breathing becoming rapid.

Su Yiran could feel Ting-ge getting increasingly excited: “???”

…He wiped both wet hands on Gu Yuanting’s pajamas like they were a dishcloth.

Gu Yuanting saw Ranran wiping away all his affection but didn’t care. He was far too excited.

Not just the hands. He wanted to lick every inch of Ranran’s body.

Su Yiran was still sitting on his lap and could soon feel Ting-ge’s arousal—he stiffened.

Su Yiran: “…”

Gu Yuanting, acting on impulse, pinned Su Yiran down on the bed, stripped off his soft cotton pajamas, and stared at his body like a starving wolf seeing meat, eyes practically glowing green.

Su Yiran, meeting his gaze, felt both fear and a strange anticipation. He didn’t know what to do.

Gu Yuanting lowered his head and began licking Ranran.

Su Yiran: “…Mmm…”

As things grew more heated, Su Yiran accidentally brushed against his belly, and suddenly remembered something. He came back to his senses and quickly pushed Gu Yuanting away: “No—we can’t. I’m still carrying the baby. Don’t mess around.”

He remembered the doctor’s orders. Due to his special condition, intimacy was strictly forbidden during pregnancy.

Gu Yuanting: “…”

His eyes, already green with desire, now seemed about to burst into flames.

The baby. The baby.

He felt like every breath he took was soaked in vinegar—each inhale and exhale was so sour it burned, making him feel on fire and out of control.

Gu Yuanting ignored Ranran’s protests and, acting on his feelings, licked every inch of his body—except for the part with the baby.

At first, Su Yiran kept protesting. But gradually, Gu Yuanting’s actions overwhelmed him, making him forget everything else. His eyes welled up, his face flushed, and eventually, he was so limp he couldn’t move.

Gu Yuanting licked his lips, having finally gotten a taste of Ranran. Although he hadn’t fully satisfied himself, his craving eased a bit, and his inner fire calmed slightly.

Still, he was caught up in his rivalry with the original version of himself. He stroked Ranran’s waist and asked, “Ranran, did it feel good?”

Su Yiran, still recovering, murmured, “Mm… it felt good…”

Gu Yuanting pressed further: “Did I… ever do this before?”

Su Yiran blushed at the memory. Thinking he was teasing, he shyly nodded.

Gu Yuanting: “…”

He held back his frustration and asked, “Was I better back then, or now?”

Su Yiran instinctively thought it over and, being honest, said, “Both were good, but your technique before was more…” Skilled. Today was more straightforward.

Halfway through his sentence, he suddenly realized what he was saying, panicked, and stopped mid-sentence. He looked at Ting-ge in horror, trembling inside.

No way… not again?

But it was too late. Gu Yuanting had already heard enough and mentally filled in the rest.

Gu Yuanting: “…”

Before… better.

Ha. Ha.