Li Baixi’s touring art exhibition spanned several countries over two months.

When he returned to her home country, Ma Koukou finally fulfilled her promise, taking him to a Michelin-starred restaurant and generously declaring, “Order whatever you want.”

Li Baixi: “… Judging by your glee, I guess your ‘god’ wasn’t scared off by you.”

Ma Koukou, happily playing with the lemon slice in her water with a straw, said, “Oh, it all worked out. He even praised my cooking…”

Li Baixi: “That’s enough, no one wants to hear it.”

Ma Koukou ignored him, “… He’s teaching me English, learning Chinese from me, asking when he can visit my place, even wants to meet my family…”

Li Baixi: “Shut up.”

Ma Koukou sighed contentedly, “I used to think waiting for his love to fade would be too painful. Now, I’m willing to endure the process, just to have had him.”

Li Baixi raised an eyebrow, “Why don’t you believe he truly loves you?”

“I do believe. True love is a powerful illusion.”

“…”

Ma Koukou noticed Li Baixi’s expression and laughed, “Don’t worry, I won’t let go on my own. I’ll hang on as long as I can.”

Li Baixi still felt something was off but decided not to argue, “Then I wish you luck.”

Ma Koukou sensed a shift, “What are your plans, master? Are you leaving again?”

Li Baixi: “Not yet. The exhibition just ended, I have some matters to handle here, and I need to attend Xiao Yang’s wedding.”

Ma Koukou: “And then?”

“Then,” Li Baixi smiled, “I’ll continue my ‘immortal cultivation’.”

Ma Koukou’s smile faded, “What about Cheng Ping? The ‘golden text’ who dominated your live stream, others might not know who it is, but you can’t fool me.”

Thinking about the golden text, Li Baixi remembered the two question marks he sent during the live stream that went unanswered.

His expression unchanged, he said, “Worry about yourself.”

Yang’s wedding was held on an island.

Li Baixi knocked on the bride’s hotel room door early in the morning.

By the time Ma Koukou sneaked in, Yang’s bridal makeup was half-done. Ma Koukou marveled, “Master, how long has it been since you touched a makeup brush? What if it turns out badly?”

Li Baixi was cutting false eyelashes one by one, not looking up, “Don’t worry, even if you fall into the Mariana Trench, I won’t mess up.”

Ma Koukou: “Xiao Yang has been out of apprenticeship for three years, let her do it herself.”

Li Baixi was applying the individual lashes, “It’s different. This is the family sending off the daughter. Should we put on lower lashes?”

Yang held her pose, not daring to blink, “Yes, put a few at the outer corners, it’s sparse there.”

Ma Koukou admired her bright eye makeup, “Very nice, still got the touch.”

The groom, a very artistic young man, was busy coordinating wedding matters. Ma Koukou, after observing for a while, whispered, “How did you two meet?”

“On set. I was following Cheng Ge into a group, and he was the photographer.”

Hearing the keyword, Li Baixi’s actions paused slightly, but he said nothing.

Yang seemed to sense something, smiling, “By the way, Cheng Ge might drop by briefly, but he doesn’t want to draw attention, so he should only be around for a few minutes.”

Li Baixi: “Why are you looking at me?”

Yang: “Just letting you know.”

Li Baixi: “.”

“Oh, just like my Albert,” Ma Koukou said joyfully, “I told him not to come, but he said everyone worked together in ‘Crane Umbrella’ and wanted to congratulate you… What if someone catches us whispering?”

Yang: “?”

Li Baixi: “Get out.”

Albert indeed caused a stir at the wedding.

Being the only blonde and blue-eyed guest, he couldn’t help but be the focus. Once recognized, guests were amazed at Yang’s connections.

Ma Koukou, anxious, clung to his side, trying to block some of the gazes. Fortunately, Albert’s aloof demeanor preemptively deterred any attempts to chat.

Li Baixi’s table, however, was bustling with people wanting autographs, photos, and gossip. He smiled and handled each request, occasionally scanning the crowd but finding nothing.

It wasn’t until the host began reciting the vows that Cheng Ping slipped in.

With extensive disguise experience, Cheng Ping used a nose bridge and fake mustache to alter his appearance, quietly sitting in the back without attracting attention.

The host stood before the radiant couple, reciting the vows, “Do you take this woman to be your wife, to live together in holy matrimony…”

Li Baixi felt a gaze on his back.

“…to love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health…”

Li Baixi slowly turned around.

“…for richer or poorer, forsaking all others, be faithful to her as long as you both shall live?”

Through the crowd, their eyes met, expressionless.

“I do!” The groom smiled.

Applause thundered, petals flying in the rosy sunset.

By the time the ceremony ended, Cheng Ping was gone.

Night fell, and guests began dining.

The island wedding buffet was set up in the garden, with scattered tables for flexible seating. There was also a winding path decorated with twinkling lights for post-meal strolls.

Li Baixi found a table at the edge, and as soon as he sat, Albert asked, “May I join?”

“Of course.” Li Baixi knew Albert only recognized him among the guests, offering timely support for his social anxiety, “Where’s Ma Koukou?”

“Getting ice cream.” Albert tried to sit in the shadows.

Li Baixi: “Not often at weddings?”

Albert: “No, just wanted to meet his friends.”

Li Baixi was touched, “I’ve never asked, what attracts you to Ma Koukou?”

Albert: “… And you? Why do you like Cheng Ping?”

Li Baixi looked at his plate, silent.

” Liking Cheng Ping” had become so ingrained, almost like breathing, that he nearly forgot the original reason.

Finally, he said, “He’s more real than anyone.”

Albert made a subtle expression, raising an eyebrow at Li Baixi.

Li Baixi: “Also braver than anyone.”

Albert raised his eyebrows higher, “And you wonder why I like Ma Koukou?”

Li Baixi paused.

Albert clearly disliked discussing himself, quickly changing the subject, “I hope the bar incident didn’t trouble you.”

Li Baixi: “… No.”

Albert: “When ‘Crane Umbrella’ won an award and you weren’t there, Cheng Ping visibly struggled. I couldn’t ignore it, so I asked him where you were. He said he didn’t know. I thought of Ma Koukou and asked, in your culture, is disappearing a normal way to break up? He said…”

Li Baixi looked up slightly.

Albert: “He said you didn’t break up.”

The gentle sea breeze rustled the trees, swaying the lights on the branches.

“I asked why he didn’t find you, and he said he couldn’t for now. What do you think he meant?”

For a few seconds, Li Baixi didn’t react. Then he felt someone tap his shoulder.

The disguised Cheng Ping had returned, “Let’s talk.”

They walked along the path to a garden’s far end, finding a bench behind an unlit fountain. Cheng Ping removed his disguise.

They were far from the wedding, the music and crowd noise faint, the nearby waves clear.

Cheng Ping didn’t speak at first. Li Baixi sat beside him, listening to the soft surf.

Li Baixi: “Have you eaten…”

Cheng Ping: “After you left, Emperor Lu advised me.”

Li Baixi: “…”

Cheng Ping’s opening words felt like a return to his direct, unfiltered past, “He said I couldn’t have both you and acting, I had to choose. Do you know what I answered?”

He answered: I’ll choose a third way.

“If I reach your heights, no one will care about my private life. I can be a dignified actor, never making him worry again.”

Emperor Lu paused, softly saying, “Then you must be very, very lucky and work incredibly hard.”

Cheng Ping: “Honestly, I’ve always been lucky. As for hard work, I’m prepared.”

He began working tirelessly.

In the time he seamlessly joined sets, though Li Baixi was far away, it felt like he never left. Tu Jian helped with high-end endorsements, while directors keenly watched his progress, offering suitable roles.

Yet, the path was longer than he imagined. Aiming for the top actor position, he realized how much he lacked. The bravado he showed to Emperor Lu felt like a distant dream.

The mental pressure became unbearable, and in a performance backstage corridor, he saw Li Baixi.

“Seeing your expression, I knew you came to say goodbye. But then… I had no strength for farewells.”

Cheng Ping smiled, “I wanted to grab you, shout, ‘Wait for me, don’t leave me so quickly…’ But what right did I have to ask you to wait? You were so far, on your long journey.”

Li Baixi opened his mouth.

Cheng Ping looked directly at him, “Were you there to say goodbye?”

Li Baixi closed his mouth again.

Cheng Ping’s honest eyes shone like mirrors, reflecting his cowardly image.

He heard his weak voice, “

No. Just to see you.”

Cheng Ping exhaled.

He resumed speaking, as if to unload three years of burden.

“The moment my parents suggested matchmaking, I refused. I said being single isn’t shameful, liking men isn’t shameful. Shameful is not facing your true self, not raising your head to love.”

Li Baixi couldn’t take it.

Music softened, people dispersed, and the night wind scattered the reflections in the fountain, weakly flickering like late-summer fireflies.

Cheng Ping waited for him to speak.

Li Baixi’s lips felt rusty.

To not keep him waiting and to fill the gaps, he began recounting his experiences over the years. Some adventures, some dangers, a couple of near-death encounters.

He spoke for a long time, until the lights dimmed, people left, and darkness enveloped them under a vast starry sky.

“I met many people.”

“Yes.”

“They… inspired me, some becoming muses.”

“I know, I can tell.”

Li Baixi spoke slower, but with more warmth, “But every time I made a stroke, I thought of you.”

Cheng Ping: “Li Baixi, have you noticed, since we reunited, we’ve said a lot, but it all boils down to one thing.”

“What?”

“We’re saying: tell me you still love me.”

Cheng Ping leaned closer, sighing, “I’m tired.”

Li Baixi slowly tightened his arms, securing him in an embrace, “I still love you.”

“Yes, me too.”

The next morning, wedding guests checked out. Yang and the groom sat in the restaurant, occasionally waving goodbye.

Someone tapped her, “I’m leaving.”

Yang looked up, stunned, “You’re still here?”

Cheng Ping, wearing sunglasses and a cap, mumbled, “Stayed an extra night.”

The groom greeted him, apologizing, “During our honeymoon, I’m afraid you’ll need another makeup artist.”

Cheng Ping: “No worries, I now have a backup.”

Groom: “?”

Yang turned suddenly, looking out the glass.

A figure waited outside, hands in pockets, nodding at her.

Cheng Ping jogged to join him, walking away together.

【The End】