Why? What exactly was happening to him?

A dull ache throbbed in Gu Yuanting’s head. As he tried to think deeper, he suddenly felt a sharp prick at his temple, making him frown before he could react.

Su Yiran noticed that Ting-ge’s complexion had gone slightly pale, and the hand intertwined with his own had turned cold. His heart tightened. “Ting-ge, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”

He reached out to touch Ting-ge’s face. Seeing no response, he called again, worried. “Ting-ge?”

Hearing Ranran’s voice finally pulled Gu Yuanting back to his senses. He tightened his arms around him. “I’m fine. Just zoned out.”

He didn’t dwell on it any further. It was probably just him being overly sensitive and on edge these past two days, acting abnormally. Overthinking had only tied him in knots without giving him any real answers.

Su Yiran clasped both of Gu Yuanting’s hands, feeling their chill. He quickly kissed them and rubbed them between his palms to warm them up again. “Don’t apologize. You haven’t done anything wrong at all, Ting-ge.”

“We’ll take things slowly. It’ll only get better from here, okay?” He looked straight at him as he spoke.

Gu Yuanting met Ranran’s gaze and finally gave a slow nod. “Okay.” Ranran was right—they would get better.

He didn’t say anything more, just lifted Su Yiran’s chin and lowered his head to kiss him. Their lips pressed together, tasting and entwining, until the tension left his body. The discomfort in his head faded, and the troublesome doubts he’d had earlier scattered like dust in the wind.

Ranran accepted him and loved him unconditionally.

Warmth swelled in Gu Yuanting’s chest, and as his body thawed, he ran his fingers through Ranran’s hair and kissed him deeply. Su Yiran responded to him with tender affection.

When Gu Yuanting wanted to take things further, he stopped, panting slightly.

He still had matters to attend to.

Caressing Ranran’s face, he kissed him once more. “Stay here and be good. I’ll take care of something and be right back.”

Su Yiran nodded. “Alright, go ahead—but be careful.” He didn’t ask what Ting-ge was going to do. Thinking of Gu Xinrong downstairs, and that text message and surveillance footage, he could already guess.

With their return to China scheduled for tomorrow, he started packing in advance.

He didn’t have to wait long—just over half an hour later, Gu Yuanting returned.

Seeing his normal expression, Su Yiran asked, “How did it go? Was it smooth?”

Gu Yuanting nodded. “All handled.” Gu Xinrong’s “unstable” mental state had been taken care of—he had sent her to the place she belonged. He had also sent people to re-check the hospital where Gu Mingfeng was staying.

Previously, his approach toward Gu Mingfeng was simply to let him rot in the hospital without deliberately keeping him under tight surveillance. As long as he remained there and within his control, that was enough. But now, things were different.

Not wanting to dwell on Gu Mingfeng anymore, Gu Yuanting took Ranran’s hand. “Let’s go down for lunch.”

Once downstairs, Su Yiran noticed that Gu Xinrong was gone, along with the butler. In their place was a new face. The villa had regained the quiet it had before Gu Xinrong’s arrival.

They weren’t used to being disturbed by outsiders, so most of the time, it was just the two of them. After serving the dishes, the new butler and staff left to wait outside until called.

Su Yiran didn’t ask anything and simply enjoyed a warm lunch with Ting-ge before pulling him to take an afternoon nap. In bed, Gu Yuanting inhaled the clean, comforting scent at Ranran’s neck and quickly drifted into a peaceful sleep.

In his dreams, he seemed to see many moments from his past life—how he had come into this world, how he had gained Ranran, and even what Ranran was like as a child—so adorable it made his heart melt.

He dreamed of something else as well, but a hazy mist shrouded the dream. As he walked through it, he vaguely saw two figures in the distance. Everything else blurred away, the dream growing muddier…

Gu Yuanting awoke from the foggy dream, his mind still clouded. Realizing his arms were empty, he opened his eyes—Ranran wasn’t there.

He bolted upright. The familiar yet strange luxury of the room felt cold, extravagant, and hollow. The only sound was the sun streaming in through the curtains, motes of dust floating in the light.

In his previous life, countless mornings had started this way—waking up alone to this scene.

A wave of dizziness hit him. Panic surged as he flung back the covers, rushing around the villa to find Ranran. Upstairs, downstairs, with no plan—he searched frantically, but the villa was empty.

Frozen in place, it felt like ice water poured into his veins. His mind went blank, a ringing filled his ears, and for a moment he thought he’d gone back to his past life—or that everything, from being reborn to meeting Ranran, marrying him, and falling in love, had been nothing but a beautiful dream.

“Ting-ge, you’re up?”

The voice cut through his thoughts. Gu Yuanting almost thought it was a hallucination, but he turned sharply to see Ranran walking in from outside, holding a large bouquet of flowers.

He stared blankly as his body began to tremble. Then he rushed forward, wrapping Ranran in a crushing embrace, terrified he would disappear again.

Feeling the tremors, Su Yiran’s heart ached in confusion. The flowers in his arms were slightly crushed. He hugged Ting-ge back, rubbing his back in soothing strokes. “What’s wrong? It’s okay, Ting-ge. Everything’s fine…”

Gu Yuanting held him so tightly he couldn’t speak, burying his face into Ranran’s neck. Moisture welled in his eyes, and after a long while, he managed to choke out, “W-where did you go?”

Hearing his choked voice, Su Yiran’s heart squeezed painfully. He hugged him tighter. “I went outside to pick flowers. I didn’t leave—I’m right here.” He stroked his hair. “See? You’re holding me right now.”

Feeling Ranran solid in his arms finally calmed the trembling in his body. His breathing eased, and relief seeped into his chest.

Once Su Yiran sensed that Ting-ge had settled down, he cupped his face and wiped away the wetness on his cheeks. Without saying anything, he kissed him gently for a while, then rested his forehead against his. “Better now?”

Gu Yuanting’s mind cleared, realizing how foolish he had been, like some lovesick idiot. Embarrassed, he tried to explain. “I had a nightmare—that’s why I suddenly…”

“Nightmares are normal,” Su Yiran interrupted softly. Seeing his reddened eyes, he traced his lashes with his fingertips, comforting him. “They’re not real. Don’t be afraid.”

Gu Yuanting nodded, gazing at him without blinking. “Mm.”

Su Yiran went on, “When I woke up and saw you were still sleeping, I didn’t wake you. I heard there was lavender in the flower field, so I went to pick some.”

He’d asked the butler and learned that there was a greenhouse with lavender in the estate. Knowing lavender could calm and aid sleep, he’d gone to gather some.

Only then did Gu Yuanting remember the flowers. Looking down, he saw that many stems had fallen to the ground, and some small blossoms were crushed. Letting go of Ranran, he crouched to pick them up. Su Yiran joined him.

Looking at the wilted blooms in his hands, he felt regret. “The flowers are ruined. Let’s go pick some fresh ones.”

Su Yiran smiled and shook his head. “It’s fine. These are for drying, not decoration.”

Most of what he’d picked were lavender, with some small chrysanthemums—both calming herbs. He planned to make sachets for Ting-ge to put under his pillow so he could sleep better, especially when traveling.

Hearing this, Gu Yuanting’s heart warmed, and together they picked up the flowers. Sitting side by side at the table, they plucked the blossoms to prepare for drying.

Su Yiran kept glancing at Ting-ge’s expression, relaxing only when he saw the nightmare’s shadow had lifted.

Tomorrow they would return to China. His occasional emotional breakdowns must be tied to depression. Su Yiran already wished they could fly back immediately and get him proper medical care.

Once the blossoms were ready, Su Yiran put them on a plate and took them to the kitchen. Using the microwave, he quickly dried them, completing the lavender and chrysanthemum sachets.

Following him into the kitchen, Gu Yuanting asked, “What are these for?”

Su Yiran picked up a few dried flowers and inhaled their gentle scent. “For your pillow. They’ll help you sleep better.” He held them under Ting-ge’s nose. “Smell—how does it feel?”

Realizing they were for him, Gu Yuanting’s heart softened. Breathing in the delicate fragrance, he felt instantly relaxed. “Feels great. Much better.”

“Good.” Su Yiran found some gauze, filled it with the dried flowers, and made several sachets. Together, they went upstairs and slipped them into the pillows. The flowers would last about a year before needing replacement.

After that, they spent the rest of the day and evening together. Su Yiran had planned to redecorate Ting-ge’s room since the day he arrived, brightening the dull atmosphere. Now that everything he’d ordered had arrived, they got to work.

A few small changes—swapping out ornaments, shifting furniture, adjusting lighting—made the room brighter and more inviting. Warm decorations transformed its feel entirely.

Working side by side with Ranran felt like decorating a new home together. Seeing the refreshed space, Gu Yuanting couldn’t help but exhale in relief.

Before bed, Su Yiran showered first and lay down to rest.

In the bathroom, Gu Yuanting paused at the sight of the shower caddy. After a moment’s hesitation, he bypassed his usual body wash for the candy-scented one tucked in the corner.

Ranran liked the sweet scent of candy…

Lathering himself with the sugary fragrance, he hoped Ranran would love him even more.

When he finished and wrapped himself in a towel, he went to the bed, looked at Ranran, and climbed in, kissing him. “Ranran.”

Su Yiran, waiting for him to sleep, hugged him back and kissed him softly. Gu Yuanting’s anticipation grew, his touches becoming bolder.

Would Ranran like the candy scent? Would he love him more?

As they kissed, Su Yiran noticed the enticing sweetness coming from him, making him want to kiss deeper. His lips wandered down to Ting-ge’s skin, and he couldn’t stop himself from kissing and breathing him in, murmuring between licks—

Mm… why… why did he suddenly want to eat Ting-ge all up?