Su Yiran waited for a long time without getting a response from Ting-ge, and couldn’t help but look up at him—only to see Gu Yuanting smiling at the corner of his lips.

Su Yiran: “…”

His heart skipped a beat, and he panicked instantly. No way…

He quickly stammered, “T-Ting-ge, what are you thinking? Don’t misunderstand, please don’t misunderstand! I just had a craving for these, b-because they really taste good…”

He thought he had done a good job being subtle, just casually bringing them up, and he didn’t even mention anything overt like pig kidneys or bull penis—how could Ting-ge possibly have noticed?

Gu Yuanting listened to his explanation and nodded seriously, as if agreeing with him. Su Yiran breathed a sigh of relief.

But before he could fully relax, he heard Ting-ge speak to him in a gentle voice:
“Good boy, Ranran, we have new assignments now. We can start learning a new course. Are you excited?”
As he spoke, he smiled warmly at Su Yiran, looking gentle and easygoing.

Su Yiran: “…”

He was doomed…

He instantly panicked, unsure what to do with his hands and feet, and really wanted to run. He grabbed the table beside him, trying to find an excuse to escape:
“I-I-I want some water, I’ll go get a glass…”

Gu Yuanting took two steps to block his way, and before Su Yiran could react, he scooped him up in a bridal carry and headed upstairs to the bedroom. As Su Yiran struggled to break free, Gu Yuanting gently said,
“Be good, don’t move, Ranran.”

Su Yiran shuddered at his voice and dared not move anymore, afraid he’d trigger something in Ting-ge again. He just curled up helplessly in his arms, trembling inside.

He felt wronged. Who had he bought all that good food for? Wasn’t it all to help Ting-ge’s health? Ting-ge had indeed gotten faster last night—clearly, he’d been overworked and sleep-deprived recently, harming his kidneys.

And to protect Ting-ge’s masculine pride, he hadn’t even said anything out loud, planning to sneakily help him recover.

As they neared the bedroom, Su Yiran racked his brains to save himself and tried to comfort Gu Yuanting:
“Ting-ge, you misunderstood! I wasn’t implying anything—being faster isn’t a bad thing. Don’t dwell on it. We can slowly work on your health—there’s no need to rush the training…”

He widened his eyes, trying to look sincere as he gazed at Ting-ge.

Gu Yuanting: “…”

Gu Yuanting lowered his head and gave Ranran a firm kiss.

Good.

Su Yiran: “…” Wuwuwu…

---

That night, Gu Yuanting seriously “did his homework” on Su Yiran, going over lesson one, lesson two, and enthusiastically tackling the newly added lesson three. He was especially diligent on the new assignment for lesson three.

Even after the “assignments” were finished, there were still make-up classes, tests, and pop quizzes. Su Yiran was reduced to tears several times, but no amount of begging worked.

He felt like he had been buried in the pit he dug for himself—so deep even his hair wasn’t showing. The last remaining hair strand poking out had been fully claimed by Ting-ge.

---

The next day, Su Yiran woke up in Gu Yuanting’s arms. His mouth ached, his hands ached, the insides of his thighs were red and sore, and he could barely get out of bed. He lay limply in Ting-ge’s arms, feeling like he had lost his soul.

Regret. Deep regret.

He should never have doubted Ting-ge’s ability…

Gu Yuanting, fully satisfied, held Ranran lovingly. Seeing how weak he was upon waking, he kissed him tenderly and said:
“No energy? Then don’t get up today. Stay in bed and rest.”

Su Yiran: “…” You big fake wolf…

Su Yiran had no energy to argue, so he just rolled his eyes and stayed put, not wanting to move.

Gu Yuanting saw him roll his eyes and actually found it adorable—feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. He kissed Ranran’s eyes and gazed at him affectionately:
“Ranran, I love you.”

Su Yiran: “…”

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to respond—it was that he could already feel that Ting-ge was reacting again…

What just happened…?

He didn’t do anything! All he did was roll his eyes!

Su Yiran twitched at the corner of his brow. He didn’t even know what to say anymore and didn’t dare move, afraid of triggering anything else. Might as well go back to sleep—he was tired anyway.

Gu Yuanting saw that Ranran closed his eyes again and clearly wanted to sleep, so he didn’t disturb him. He didn’t bother controlling his own reaction either. He just quietly held him, feeling incredibly content.

Only when Ranran’s breathing steadied, clearly falling asleep again, did Gu Yuanting get up gently to cook.

---

Su Yiran woke again around 10 a.m.—he’d basically slept through to midday.

Ting-ge wasn’t beside him. He got up, washed up, got dressed, and went downstairs, immediately smelling the aroma of food. As expected, Gu Yuanting was cooking in the kitchen—clearly preparing a brunch-style meal.

Gu Yuanting was slicing vegetables. When he saw him come in, he immediately asked,
“Why are you up? Hungry?”

Su Yiran replied, “I slept enough. A little hungry.”
He saw soup simmering in the pot and curiously asked,
“What kind of soup is that?”

Gu Yuanting put down the knife, wiped his hands, and went to pour him a glass of warm water:
“Perch soup.”

Su Yiran took the water and nearly spat it out mid-sip. What kind of soup?! Perch what now? Perch what fish?!

Su Yiran: “…”

A terrifying thought crept into his mind. He drank half the water, then opened the fridge—and sure enough, he saw it filled with all the items he’d casually mentioned yesterday: beef, perch, oysters, and yes—even pig kidneys.

Su Yiran: “…”

Gu Yuanting was now preparing milk. Seeing him looking into the fridge, he knew he’d found out and casually explained:
“I went grocery shopping this morning and picked up the things you said you wanted to eat yesterday.”

Su Yiran asked uncertainly,
“Ting-ge… who exactly are these for?”
After last night’s thorough test, he was sure Ting-ge didn’t need any of this—any more would be lethal.

Gu Yuanting handed him the milk and some toast and said:
“Have a bite to tide you over—lunch isn’t ready yet.”

Su Yiran took the food, but his eyes were filled with unease.

Gu Yuanting finally said:
“You wanted to eat it, so of course it’s for you. You need to take care of your body,”
He gently stroked Su Yiran’s startled little face, smiling warmly.
“Of course, I’ll eat some too. After all, we have a lot of assignments every day.”

Su Yiran’s legs went weak again: “…”

Sure enough, Gu Yuanting made sure that Su Yiran ate all the food he’d asked for—to “nourish his kidneys.” He personally watched him eat it at every meal, and joined him, becoming increasingly energetic… and increasingly “diligent” with the assignments.

Su Yiran deeply regretted everything. The last remaining hair strand peeking out from the pit was now fully buried, and the Ting-ge living in the pit had taken him over completely.

---

Finally, mid-March arrived.

The weather was warming up, though there were still chances of a cold snap. So for now, both Su Yiran and Gu Yuanting still wore coats instead of spring clothes.

According to Gu Yuanting’s original plan, March marked the official start of Gu Group’s domestic investments. The most important step: establishing their domestic headquarters in City A, setting up a division there.

It was a major move. Though the preparations were nearly complete, Gu Yuanting still needed to personally travel to Country D to oversee the process.

He felt incredibly reluctant. They were right in the middle of their honeymoon phase—and even a two-day, one-night business trip felt like too long.

If he could, he’d give up everything and stay with Ranran forever.

But he had to go. Though he’d suppressed the rest of the Gu family, they were still lurking, waiting for him to slip up. If he wanted to protect Ranran and the peaceful life they’d built together, he had no choice.

On the day of departure, Su Yiran accompanied him to the airport. They hugged at the security gate, saying their goodbyes.

Gu Yuanting clung to him, unable to let go. He kept delaying, whispering:
“When I’m not around, go to bed on time, no sneaking sweets. If you want anything, have the housekeeper make it…”

He’d secretly arranged security to protect Su Yiran and hired a housekeeper to look after him full-time.

Su Yiran nodded obediently. He’d been hearing these things over and over for days now—Ting-ge’s endless worrying and constant reminders—but it was all love.

Still, seeing how unwilling Ting-ge was to part with him, Su Yiran felt a little guilty.

Because honestly, he wasn’t sad at all about the trip—in fact, he was quietly relieved. After being tortured by Ting-ge for days, he could finally breathe a little…

When Su Yiran found out Ting-ge’s true identity, he was shocked at first—but after moving, he realized nothing had really changed. Life was still the same.

Time was running out. Gu Yuanting finally let go of him and gave him a last kiss:
“I love you, Ranran.”

Su Yiran, still feeling guilty, quickly responded:
“I love you too.”
He kissed him back and said,
“Go ahead now. Take care over there. You’ll be back soon.”

Gu Yuanting nodded, took a deep breath, and finally turned away.

As soon as he passed through security, he couldn’t help but look back—and there was Ranran, still standing where he left him, smiling and waving.

Gu Yuanting stood frozen for a moment and waved back, heart aching.

Finally, he forced himself to look away, not daring to turn back again, afraid that if he did—he wouldn’t be able to leave.

Even after the plane took off, he regretted it. Regretted not looking back again, not stealing another glance.

The plane flew toward Country D, back to the world he once knew. The clouds outside were grey and gloomy, and he was leaving behind City A, his home, and the life he had with Ranran.

It felt like waking from a beautiful dream—returning to a cold, meaningless reality.

He took out his phone and scrolled through Ranran’s photos, thinking of him, comforting himself.

Just a short separation. Just one day. They’d be back together soon.

Once the plane landed, he immediately video-called Ranran.

He missed him like crazy.

Photos weren’t enough to soothe that longing.

The more he looked, the more he missed him.

In the end, Gu Yuanting couldn’t take it anymore. He put down his phone, opened his briefcase, and took out a bundle of soft yarn.

Sitting alone in his private jet, he lowered his head—and began knitting a sweater for Ranran again.

The off-white yarn fluttered in his fingers. As he knitted, his heart finally began to settle.