Gu Yuanting could feel Ranran’s warmth and enthusiasm, and joy welled up in his heart. While teasing Ranran, he whispered in his ear, “Ranran, do I smell good? Do you like it?”

“Mhm… I like it…” Su Yiran’s face was flushed red. Chasing after the candy-sweet scent on Ting-ge’s body, he sniffed, kissed, and licked his skin in small bites, completely unable to control himself.

“Do you love me?” Gu Yuanting, having gotten the answer he wanted, couldn’t help but curl his lips into a smile as he lowered his voice to ask again.

“I love you.” Su Yiran, seeing Ting-ge’s smile, felt dizzy and lightheaded.

Excitement surged through Gu Yuanting. Holding Ranran in his arms, he moved with him, entangling together, his desire growing stronger and stronger. Greed was born in his heart—he was no longer satisfied with only a part of Ranran’s love; he wanted to occupy all of it.

Can he love me completely? Gu Yuanting thought greedily amidst the tide of desire.

…

…

The next morning, Su Yiran woke to find Ting-ge staring at him in a daze, lost in thought. Not knowing what he was thinking, Yiran leaned over and kissed him. “Good morning, Ting-ge, I love you.”

Gu Yuanting had been looking at Ranran, his mind drifting toward thoughts of complete mutual love. Suddenly hearing such a confession early in the morning left him at a loss.

Usually, when they woke up, they would simply greet each other with “good morning” without this sort of declaration. Today… why?

“G–good morning. I… I love you too.” Gu Yuanting stammered in reply.

Su Yiran cupped Ting-ge’s face, kissed him again, and smiled with curved brows and eyes. He decided that from now on, he would tell Ting-ge he loved him more often, saying more sweet words.

Normally, he was a little reserved and didn’t often say things like “I love you” to Ting-ge. It was only recently, after noticing Ting-ge’s unstable moods, that he’d started saying it more.

If he expressed his love more often, would it give Ting-ge a greater sense of security?

“Let’s get up? Little lover, listen.” Su Yiran playfully pinched Ting-ge’s nose.

Gu Yuanting felt heat rise to his face, his heartbeat stumbling over its rhythm. When they got up together and went into the washroom, he even ended up moving in sync with Ranran, foot for foot, like an awkward pair.

They planned to return to their home country today, taking an afternoon flight. They would have lunch here before leaving.

Everything was already packed. Besides their own luggage, Gu Yuanting had also arranged gifts for Su’s parents and the baby, ready to take back with them.

But before noon, something happened at the hospital.

Gu Yuanting received a call—the condition of Gu Mingfeng had suddenly deteriorated sharply. He was in critical condition: from half-conscious to fully comatose, suffering respiratory failure, abnormal ECG readings, and was now undergoing emergency resuscitation.

Gu Yuanting hadn’t given the hospital any special instructions. They followed normal procedure for such an emergency.

He frowned. Yesterday, in the final moment, Ranran had stopped him from doing anything to Gu Mingfeng. His sudden critical state had nothing to do with him.

He was certain that when he saw Gu Mingfeng yesterday morning, the man had merely been too weak to get out of bed, but his mind was clear, and both ECG and respiratory function were normal. That afternoon, Gu Yuanting had his people sweep the hospital, and the report was that everything was fine.

The sweep wasn’t over yet. Yesterday they’d already reviewed the hospital’s surveillance and removed the people who’d sent out messages or installed hidden cameras in the ward. Suspecting more inside contacts, Gu Yuanting had ordered a second, deeper investigation.

Now, less than a day later, and before that second investigation was complete, Gu Mingfeng was suddenly dying?

Frowning, he suspected something was wrong and told his people to keep a close watch on the situation.

He didn’t tell Ranran about it. Hanging up, he returned to him with a calm expression and continued helping him arrange the villa.

Su Yiran, seeing they still had some free time this morning, made some changes to the villa’s décor, brightening it up to feel warmer—just like what he’d done with their bedroom.

But during lunch, the hospital called again. This time, they told him that Gu Mingfeng had died despite resuscitation efforts.

Hearing the news, Gu Yuanting was momentarily stunned. He didn’t feel much emotionally, only surprised.

In his previous life, Gu Mingfeng had been diagnosed with lung cancer early, recovered well, and fought him for over ten years before finally losing, ending up dying alone in a small, forgotten clinic while on the run from Gu Yuanting’s pursuit.

This life, his death had come more than ten years earlier.

Su Yiran noticed Ting-ge looking troubled after hanging up. “What happened? What’s wrong?”

“Gu Mingfeng… is dead,” Gu Yuanting said.

Su Yiran froze, taking a long moment to react. “He?”

Gu Yuanting stepped forward and hugged him, seeing the dazed look on his face and feeling tense. “I swear I didn’t do anything. It has nothing to do with me.”

The timing was too coincidental. He feared Ranran might think he’d had him killed.

Su Yiran, hearing this, snapped back to his senses. “I’m not misunderstanding you. It’s just… so sudden.”

“Yes, very sudden,” Gu Yuanting said, relieved.

So sudden it made him wonder if there was some hidden scheme. Gu Mingfeng really had died ten years earlier than before? And right before the second investigation ended? Now, there was no need to continue it.

He patted Su Yiran’s hair. “I’m going to the hospital. Stay home and don’t go out.”

“Be careful,” Su Yiran said with a nod.

When Gu Yuanting arrived, Gu Mingfeng was lying on the bed, his face covered with a white sheet. Lifting it, he saw a pale, lifeless face—no breath, no sign of life.

Whatever doubts he’d had disappeared.

Yes, Gu Mingfeng had died more than ten years earlier this time. Just like before, the cause of death was late-stage lung cancer.

Looking at him, Gu Yuanting’s lips curved in a faint, mocking smile.

In his past life, after learning about the Gu family’s history of lung cancer, he’d chain-smoked cheap cigarettes, almost self-destructively, several packs a day. Yet his lungs had stayed perfectly fine. Those who wanted to get sick didn’t, while those who didn’t want to died of it. Irony at its finest.

He didn’t plan to personally handle the funeral. After reading the hospital’s report and giving orders to his subordinates, he left and returned to the Gu residence.

With Gu Mingfeng dead, the Gu family’s troubles were over. Thinking about returning home with Ranran to live an ordinary, happy life made him feel much lighter.

“It’s all settled. Let’s go home,” he told Su Yiran.

Su Yiran, reassured, didn’t ask further about the hospital. “Okay.” Hooking his pinky finger with Ting-ge’s, he smiled. “Let’s go home.”

Feeling a rush of warmth, Gu Yuanting ordered the luggage loaded into the car. Pinkies still hooked, they stepped out to where the car waited at the main house entrance.

Just as Su Yiran was about to get in, a soft meowing caught his ears. He turned, and there on the green lawn was a snow-white kitten he hadn’t noticed before.

Its big, round eyes were sky blue, its fur fluffy and pure white. It mewed softly, melting the heart at a glance. Su Yiran instantly wanted to pet it, but stayed put.

Seeing how much Ranran liked it, Gu Yuanting walked over, picked up the kitten, stroked its silky fur, and handed it to him. “Do you like this cat? If you do, we’ll take it home.”

But Su Yiran didn’t take it. Looking at Ting-ge holding the kitten, he froze and asked in puzzlement, “Ting-ge, aren’t you allergic to cat fur?”

He remembered clearly—Ting-ge was allergic to cats. That’s why, despite loving them, they never kept one.

Allergic to cat fur?

Gu Yuanting stiffened, still holding the cat.