Where was Song Qinglan taking Ji Yushi?

Originally, Ji Yushi had been asleep, and Song Qinglan had planned to take him home and cook something for him when he woke up. But since Ji Yushi had already woken up halfway, Song Qinglan changed his mind.

“I’m taking you to dinner,” Song Qinglan said. “What do you feel like eating?”

Ji Yushi had been starving—he had actually woken up from hunger—so he played along and said, “I want hotpot.”

“Hotpot?” Song Qinglan asked.

“Yeah, the really spicy kind,” Ji Yushi confirmed.

Song Qinglan was very familiar with Jiangcheng, so this request was no problem for him. After spending so much time together during their vacation, he had already figured out Ji Yushi’s tastes—unlike typical couples who gradually learn about each other’s preferences, they had gotten together first and only then started to discover what the other liked in daily life.

Ji Yushi liked spicy and sweet foods, which was quite the contrast to his calm and cold appearance. Song Qinglan, on the other hand, wasn’t picky at all; he not only enjoyed eating but also cooking. Surprisingly, they got along very well.

At an intersection, Song Qinglan turned the car and headed to a hotpot restaurant that stayed open late into the night. They found a quiet private room.

Ji Yushi seemed to have a better appetite than ever, burying himself in the food until his eyes were red from the spice, his nose sweating, and he even drank a bottle of cold beer.

During their meal, someone came into the private room to greet Song Qinglan. It turned out that the owner of this restaurant was yet another one of Song Qinglan’s former comrades.

The three chatted briefly, and this friend didn’t seem curious about Ji Yushi’s identity at all, which made Ji Yushi think of Xue Zhao, whom they had met at the parachuting club last time.

It seemed that the news of Song Qinglan coming out and having a boyfriend had already spread within his social circle.

After the friend left, Ji Yushi asked, “Quite a few of your comrades have changed careers.”

Song Qinglan ordered a drink, twisted off the cap for Ji Yushi, and handed it to him to cool off from the spicy food. “Not many, actually. Most who did had old injuries and had to retire. Old Zhou and I were relatively lucky. In fact, to them, even being a Guardian is considered a career change—there’s still a difference from being in the military.”

Ji Yushi’s lips were bright red from the spice, his eyes clean as if washed with water: “If you weren’t a Guardian, what would you be doing?”

Song Qinglan thought for a moment: “There’s probably no such possibility.”

“Why not?” Ji Yushi asked.

“Because if I weren’t a Guardian, how would I have met you?” Song Qinglan replied.

It made sense.

If Song Qinglan hadn’t become a Guardian, Ji Yushi would have remained just a distant memory for him.

Ji Yushi drank his beverage and noticed that Song Qinglan was still looking at him: “What is it?”

Song Qinglan’s gaze was much deeper than usual.

Experiencing that separation had changed him significantly.

For him, just sitting here, in this down-to-earth hotpot restaurant, watching the living, breathing Ji Yushi eat was already a luxury.

Time had changed the world and had also gifted them this moment.

Regardless of the causes and effects, regardless of how one circle connected to another, as long as they were still together, that was enough.

“I was thinking,” Song Qinglan said, “What would’ve happened if I had stayed in Ningcheng as a child and gone to the same elementary and high school as you?”

Ji Yushi had never considered that possibility.

He couldn’t imagine what it would’ve been like to have Song Qinglan around all his life.

“You asked me earlier what I thought when I saw the seventeen-year-old you,” Song Qinglan continued. “I had only one thought—if I had never left Ningcheng, maybe we would have gotten together much earlier. In that case, you wouldn’t have been so lonely. I could have been there for your coming-of-age ceremony, helped you get into Sky Vault, and whether or not I became a Guardian wouldn’t have mattered.”

Ji Yushi thought for a moment and then seriously said, “Maybe in another parallel world, things really did happen the way you described.”

The universe was infinite, the worlds countless.

Different choices people made might create countless parallel worlds, each with a different version of their lives.

And he and Song Qinglan just happened to be one of those pairs.

Song Qinglan smiled, “If there’s a chance, I’d like to visit that parallel world.”

By the time they finished their hotpot, it was close to midnight.

Song Qinglan drove the car into the garage, took the elevator, and directly entered his apartment.

Due to work, Song Qinglan had only moved out of his family home in recent years, and this apartment bore no trace of anyone else living there. Even Old Zhou and a few teammates rarely had the chance to visit, and Ji Yushi had never been here before.

As soon as they entered, the smart system activated automatically, revealing a spacious and bright living room to Ji Yushi.

The apartment was decorated in a minimalist style with predominantly white tones. The living room had only a carpet and a sofa, while the floor-to-ceiling windows, three meters high and seven or eight meters wide, offered a view of Jiangcheng’s night skyline, becoming the apartment’s best decoration.

The household robot glided over, automatically taking their items and hanging them up, then, according to Song Qinglan’s habits, it moved to the bathroom to prepare the bath.

Ji Yushi entered the living room and first walked over to the floor-to-ceiling window to take a look.

He noticed that from this angle, he could see the elevated railway tracks circling Jiangcheng and heading into the distance.

A pair of arms wrapped around Ji Yushi from behind, and then his ear was lightly nibbled by teeth, causing a tingly sensation to spread behind his ear.

Song Qinglan showed no restraint, nor did he think it was too abrupt. Taking advantage of his height, he openly took advantage: “In that bubble world, after you left, I stood here imagining whether the next train would bring you from Ningcheng.”

Ji Yushi’s Adam’s apple bobbed, but his expression remained calm.

Song Qinglan asked again, “Would you have come?”

Just as Ji Yushi was about to respond, Song Qinglan kissed his neck and then licked it with his tongue, the subtle sound of water falling into Ji Yushi’s ear, making him forget what he was going to say.

Song Qinglan whispered between kisses, “Consultant Ji, it’s late.”

“Mm.” Ji Yushi’s back shuddered lightly from the kisses. “Go take a shower.”

His voice was a bit light, his breath unsteady.

The content of his words, however, was full of disdain, as Ji Yushi couldn’t tolerate the smell on himself.

In fact, both of them smelled like hotpot, which wasn’t exactly pleasant.

But Song Qinglan didn’t mind at all; he buried his head in Ji Yushi’s neck, liking the earthy smell on him.

He didn’t stop teasing, mischievously watching Ji Yushi’s expression in the reflection of the window: “Shower together? Maybe do something to help with digestion?”

Ji Yushi looked at Song Qinglan’s expression in the glass: “…”

Being together naturally meant doing what needed to be done; neither of them intended to beat around the bush—otherwise, why would they be dating?

He just regretted having hotpot; wouldn’t it have been better to come straight here?

“Together,” Song Qinglan persisted, still watching him through the reflection, wickedly egging him on. “It’s not like we haven’t showered together before.”

The closest they had gotten so far was that night at the parachuting club.

Song Qinglan had been helping Ji Yushi shower, but things had quickly escalated, and they had left the bathroom in chaos.

Before Ji Yushi could refuse again, Song Qinglan bumped into him from behind, demonstrating just how eager he was.

Ji Yushi was pressed so hard that his scalp tingled, and he instinctively braced himself against the glass: “You better—”

“I can’t hold back,” Song Qinglan said. “You can feel it.”

Ji Yushi was flipped around and pressed against the glass.

“Being able to see but not touch—you’ve been torturing me in those loops.” Song Qinglan pressed his body against Ji Yushi again, his eyes deep as he looked at him. “So, how does it feel? Is it urgent?”

Song Qinglan’s eyes seemed to be burning with fire, his words lewd and blunt, his actions aggressive.

But when their eyes met, he only lowered his head and lightly kissed Ji Yushi’s lips, like touching a treasured possession, full of reverence.

This man had been so exhausted that he had fallen asleep in the command center.

Even on the way home after eating hotpot, he had been constantly dozing off, and his periods of alertness were always brief. It seemed like he was trying to catch up on all the sleep he had missed over the past decade in one go. If Song Qinglan didn’t do something while Ji Yushi was still awake, he wouldn’t have the heart to wake him up later.

Song Qinglan kissed him again: “Ji Yushi…”

Soft lips touched and then parted.

It was very much like their first kiss.

Ji Yushi’s heart was racing. Thanks to his memory, just that shallow kiss made him automatically recall every detail of Song Qinglan’s kisses. He knew what Song Qinglan was likely to do next, how he would be kissed until his whole body softened, and how that feeling would strip him of all his strength, leaving him limp and at Song Qinglan’s mercy.

As a result, his body began to heat up.

He asked Song Qinglan, “Do you know what really helps with digestion?”

After asking, he suddenly felt his body lift off the ground as Song Qinglan picked him up. “I’m all ears.”

As he spoke, Song Qinglan was already striding toward the bathroom, forcing Ji Yushi to wrap his arms around his neck to steady himself, barely managing to keep his voice steady as he whispered three words into Song Qinglan’s ear.

Song Qinglan suddenly stopped in his tracks, his entire body tensing up, his voice turning hoarse: “Are you sure?”

“In any case,” Ji Yushi muttered softly, “…I don’t want to get chafed this time.”

Hearing those familiar words brought Ji Yushi’s thoughts back to everything that had happened between them at the club last time.

He had expected things to progress to the final step that night, but the outcome had surprised him. He had thought that Song Qinglan didn’t know what to do, but when he recalled everything that had happened that night after waking up, he realized how much restraint Song Qinglan had exercised.

Ji Yushi wasn’t a person who adhered to abstinence, nor did he place much importance on certain concepts.

He didn’t care about who was on top or bottom, or whether things were romantic or not. If he desired it, he would act on it, as long as the person was the one he wanted, and he could accept anything.

Ji Yushi sounded calm.

But for Song Qinglan, it was a moment of intense emotion.

He came to his senses and roughly pulled Ji Yushi’s long legs around his waist: “You said it yourself. I’ve never heard such an invitation.”

Ji Yushi replied with a blank expression, “You can always refuse.”

“Refuse?” Song Qinglan sneered, “It seems you’ve misunderstood your own appeal.”

Perhaps the teasing earlier in the car had already ignited the fire, and Ji Yushi knew that he was in a somewhat dangerous situation.

Song Qinglan carried him to the bathroom like a child, and midway through, Ji Yushi began to reflect, realizing he was being too kind. So he took the initiative and kissed Song Qinglan’s lips.

This attempt at appeasement didn’t seem to work, as Song Qinglan responded with even more intensity, returning the kiss as he shrugged off his shirt.

Ji Yushi remembered that they had kissed in this position at the club. The showerhead had soaked Song Qinglan’s clothes, causing them to stick to his body. The water had flowed between their entwined lips and tongues, leaving a hint of sweetness that Song Qinglan had eagerly swallowed.

Song Qinglan’s hands slipped under Ji Yushi’s shirt, causing his heart to race wildly.

Those hands were large enough to completely encompass Ji Yushi’s slender waist, covered in firm muscle, easily fitting within Song Qinglan’s grasp.

While returning the kiss, Ji Yushi’s hands were also busy.

The sound of a zipper being undone echoed.

“Your reaction is huge,” Ji Yushi said with his lashes lowered.

“I already told you,” Song Qinglan didn’t deny it at all.

Ji Yushi’s hand was grabbed, much like the last time he was turned into a “tool.”

But he quickly took control of Song Qinglan’s hand, mimicking his movements: “Don’t just focus on yourself.”

Song Qinglan chuckled lowly, fully complying with the request.

The sensation was like scratching an itch through a barrier, leaving Ji Yushi a bit frustrated.

Because of their position, he couldn’t fully exert himself. Not only were his hands getting sore, but he couldn’t control the rhythm as Song Qinglan could. It wasn’t until Song Qinglan released his hand and joined their hands together that Ji Yushi felt slightly satisfied.

The household robot was still in the bathroom, waiting to test the water temperature once the bath was ready.

At that moment, it stood cluelessly in the corner, its camera glowing red, like a spy observing the two.

Ji Yushi lay against Song Qinglan’s shoulder, finding it hard to concentrate: “It’s watching us.”

Song Qinglan glanced back: “Damn.”

He let go of Ji Yushi and picked up the household robot, tossing it outside the bathroom and then shutting the door: “Don’t worry, I’ve scared it enough. It won’t tell anyone.”

Ji Yushi: “…”

Now, only the two of them remained in the bathroom.

Song Qinglan removed his clothes and turned back, walking toward Ji Yushi without any concealment.

He was tall, his solid chestnut-colored chest, well-defined abs, and v-line, making his well-trained body resemble that of a perfect sculpture. With just one look, Ji Yushi could etch the image deeply into his mind.

It was undeniable—Ji Yushi was very much attracted to Song Qinglan’s body.

And the touch of roguishness that Song Qinglan carried made him all the more irresistibly sexy.

At this moment, this man was like a powerful leopard, moving toward his prey with a hunter’s precision.

The water temperature wasn’t too high, just right even in the summer, but the slow process still caused a thin layer of sweat to form on Song Qinglan’s forehead.

Ji Yushi bit down on his shoulder, his usually calm and rational face now relaxed, his eyes half-closed, mingled with a touch of pain, his long lashes casting a shadow over his eyelids, making him seem cold and untouchable.

But they didn’t stop.

The household robot was locked outside, and perhaps sensing water overflowing, it began to bang on the door, trying to enter to shut off the tap.

Bang, bang, bang.

It struck the door repeatedly, loud and heavy, before finally stopping.

…

This unfamiliar loss of control frightened Ji Yushi.

His fingers were entwined with Song Qinglan’s.

He could feel Song Qinglan’s fingers interlace with his, holding them tightly together.

“Look at me.”

He heard Song Qinglan’s deep, hoarse voice whispering in his ear.

“You’ll remember our first time, won’t you?”

Song Qinglan switched to a declarative tone: “You’ll remember… the shivers I gave you.”

“So, look at my face.”

Ji Yushi opened his eyes.

His eyes were tinged with red.

The mist swirled around them.

The long night was filled with romance and tenderness.

Song Qinglan softly called his name: “…Han Han.”