A warm sensation spread across Ji Yushi’s lips, causing his breath to catch, and the water bottle in his hand fell to the floor.

Clear water spilled everywhere, gushing out of the bottle and spreading across the floor, alarming the robotic arm, which moved to grab a towel.

No one paid attention.

It was just a light kiss, as fleeting as a dragonfly touching the water.

So gentle that it almost felt like it hadn’t happened.

As their lips parted, they lingered for a moment before fully separating.

Song Qinglan had only brushed Ji Yushi’s lips, as if he were touching something precious that he cherished deeply, unable to resist as someone who held it dear.

The place where he had been kissed tingled with electricity, the sensation lingering on his lips—soft, warm, and slightly damp.

Ji Yushi was stunned.

Song Qinglan’s voice was hoarse as he spoke: “You agreed.”

His breath was hot.

Ji Yushi’s face was burning as well.

Because Song Qinglan had used a declarative sentence.

The question that required 24 hours of consideration had already been answered when Ji Yushi reintroduced himself to Song Qinglan, so he moved the time forward, subtly telling Song Qinglan, “Okay.”

With no way to avoid being pinned by Song Qinglan, Ji Yushi couldn’t express himself subtly any longer. He responded as straightforwardly as possible: “Yes.”

Their noses touched, their breaths mingled, inseparable.

Hearing this, Song Qinglan tightened his grip on Ji Yushi’s wrist, tilted his head down, and asked again, “Why did you move the time forward?”

As he asked, he gently kissed Ji Yushi again.

His tone was calm, as if he couldn’t resist doing this even while asking the question.

Ji Yushi heard his heart pounding in his ears.

He said four words: “Time is too slow.”

His lips felt warm.

This time, Song Qinglan’s kiss landed hard, unrestrained, unskilled, fiercely capturing Ji Yushi’s lips.

Caught off guard, Ji Yushi let out a short gasp, which was quickly swallowed by Song Qinglan.

In that instant, it was like a bolt of lightning striking the earth, igniting a wildfire.

Their lips pressed tightly together, shifting angles as they tried to get even closer to each other.

Waves of electricity shot up their spines during the kiss, straight to the cerebral cortex, leaving Ji Yushi completely disoriented, unable to think, only feeling the onset of oxygen deprivation and instinctively wanting to breathe.

As soon as he parted his lips, Song Qinglan’s breathing grew heavier, and the moment fresh air filled Ji Yushi’s lungs, the kiss deepened.

His wrist was released.

Ji Yushi, no longer restrained, slid back as if he had lost his strength.

Noticing this, Song Qinglan quickly wrapped an arm around his waist, while the other hand cradled the back of his head, embracing him with a tenderness and possessiveness that left Ji Yushi feeling both secure and overwhelmed.

As their tongues touched, Song Qinglan, guided by instinct, explored every corner of that soft mouth, ultimately chasing after Ji Yushi’s tongue.

Ji Yushi trembled all over, completely unaware that kissing could bring such intense shivers.

His eyes half-closed, unsure how to respond, he could only grasp Song Qinglan’s t-shirt at his lower back, using it as a makeshift hug.

He felt like he was drunk.

And Song Qinglan was the one who intoxicated him.

The kiss, steamy and lingering, finally ended, and the air around them had quietly grown warmer.

Both were slightly sweaty, breathing in small gasps.

Song Qinglan’s arms remained around Ji Yushi as he pressed his forehead against Ji Yushi’s, saying, “What should I do, Consultant Ji? I want to kiss you again.”

Ji Yushi’s tongue was slightly sore, and he didn’t feel like talking: “Mm.”

He felt it.

Song Qinglan lowered his head and kissed him once more, even longer than the previous one, allowing Ji Yushi to clearly feel the changes in Song Qinglan’s body.

When they finally parted, Song Qinglan said, “How about we consider this our first kiss? I think I did better this time.”

Ji Yushi’s heart was still pounding: “Why?”

“I hurt you the first time,” Song Qinglan admitted with a self-deprecating smile, “I blame my lack of experience.”

This sentence carried so many ambiguities, making it sound awkward no matter how you interpreted it.

Ji Yushi didn’t bother correcting this still very straight-laced captain, only asking, “Didn’t you have a ‘first love’?”

The implication being, if you had a first love, how could you have never kissed?

“My first love is you, isn’t it?” Song Qinglan replied, “Those bastards already told you all my secrets, so what first love could I have?”

Song Qinglan, the only virgin in Team Sky Vault Seven.

A genuine solo for 26 years.

Ji Yushi’s beautiful eyes looked at him, clearly pointing out, “Your ‘first love’ in Ningcheng, she even cried when you left, that really pretty girl named Hanhan.”

The corners of Song Qinglan’s mouth lifted, and his brows arched as he laughed. The low laughter came from his chest, growing more pronounced, making Ji Yushi nearly angry with embarrassment, not understanding what was so funny.

After laughing enough, Song Qinglan stopped and said, “Consultant Ji, you look so cute when you’re holding a grudge, but how did you remember even that?”

The complimented Ji Yushi: “…”

Song Qinglan defended himself: “Isn’t it unfair to count something from kindergarten? How can that even count?”

Ji Yushi turned his face away: “Didn’t you say you’d go find her if you got the chance? So you’re not keeping your word?”

“I admit I was just trying to show how charming I am, so you’d look at me a few more times.” Song Qinglan turned Ji Yushi’s face back to face him, “How could I dare to go after someone else? If I don’t keep an eye on you, you’ll run away. I can’t even keep up with you.”

What was inevitable was bound to happen.

Ji Yushi knew that once the 24-hour consideration period that Song Qinglan gave him was over, he would be waiting here.

Dating was one thing, but settling the scores was another, and this time was only a temporary reprieve.

He didn’t say anything.

He didn’t know where to start.

Song Qinglan’s gentle expression turned serious, a heavy emotion in his dark eyes that made Ji Yushi unable to look away: “You said you never intended to come back.”

The situation returned to the moment when Ji Yushi had just returned from 1439.

For nearly a day, Song Qinglan’s anger hadn’t subsided in the least. Whenever he thought about Ji Yushi’s mindset back then, he couldn’t help but feel a cold fear.

Song Qinglan demanded answers, his soul questioning: “What were you planning to do? Foolishly try to change history or become a deserter?”

Every word struck at Ji Yushi’s thoughts at the time, making him want to defend himself: “I—”

“What does ‘Hasalamu‘ mean?”

Song Qinglan interrupted him.

Ji Yushi froze, the lingering blush returning to his face, and he looked astonished, as if someone had struck a nerve.

Before he could speak, Song Qinglan accurately accused him: “Did you think I wouldn’t understand and dared to confess in front of everyone? Consultant Ji, you were really bold. Were you thinking that even if you didn’t come back, there wouldn’t be any regrets?”

Ji Yushi: “…”

“Let me tell you, you were wrong.” Song Qinglan stared intently at his face, “If you didn’t come back, you’d never know that I had already fallen for you.”

Hasalamu.

I like you.

Ji Yushi’s subtle confession had already been known by Song Qinglan, or rather, by the whole team. After Ji Yushi returned, no one had mentioned it, not even jokingly. Because Song Qinglan had already taken control of the situation, confessing to Ji Yushi in front of everyone.

Song Qinglan wanted everyone to know—Ji Yushi was the object of his ardent pursuit and affection.

A warm current flowed through Ji Yushi’s heart.

He said, “I thought you would never like someone of the same sex.”

So, he never had any hope.

Just walk away.

Seeing that he had calmed down considerably, Song Qinglan’s anger suddenly diminished, and he asked, “If I didn’t like the same sex, what would you have done when you came back? Would you have stayed around as a friend, or would you have gone back to Ningcheng and never seen me again?”

The thought of such a situation happening to Ji Yushi made Song Qinglan’s heart ache.

Ji Yushi was already someone who was very restrained and not good at expressing himself. It seemed that for Ji Yushi, one more or one less thing like this wouldn’t make a difference. Even if the person he liked misunderstood him as dating three boyfriends at the same time, he wouldn’t bother to explain, as it wouldn’t change anything anyway.

But Ji Yushi said, “No.”

He denied Song Qinglan’s assumption and then added, “You’ve got it backward. I came back because I planned to give it a try.”

Song Qinglan scoffed, “Try what?”

Ji Yushi replied, “Chasing you.”

His lips, still flushed from the kiss, were beautifully shaped as he softly spoke the most heartwarming words: “Song Qinglan, it seems… I succeeded.”

“It’s almost 8:30, why isn’t Captain Song up yet?”

In the morning, everyone gathered at the training ground.

Tang Qi said, “Old Zhou, go check if he overslept?”

“Are you joking?” Zhou Mingxuan replied, “Have you ever seen Captain Song oversleep?”

“Damn, could it be that he did too many weighted push-ups last night, overexerted himself, and now he can’t get up?” Li Chun suddenly realized, “But there’s a psychological evaluation report at 9 o’clock. Is Captain Song going to stand the expert up?”

“Wait a minute, Consultant Ji isn’t up yet either!”

As everyone exchanged their remarks, the training ground door was kicked open.

Song Qinglan strode in with his long legs, carrying a paper bag in one hand and holding a cup of coffee in the other: “What are you all yelling about?”

“???”

“Captain Song, did you bring us breakfast?”

“Damn, it smells so good! How come there’s only one serving of the fried egg pancakes?”

The group crowded around.

Song Qinglan, towering over them, easily raised the items in his hands and spun around, glaring coldly at them: “If you’re not fully awake yet, wake up. What I have has nothing to do with any of you.”

The door to the private training room opened.

Ji Yushi walked out.

He had changed into a new gray training suit, wearing white sneakers, and his hair seemed freshly washed, looking black, clean, and slightly damp. When he saw everyone, he calmly greeted them: “Morning, sorry, I overslept. Shall we go?”

“I saw you were sleeping soundly, so I didn’t wake you up,” Song Qinglan said naturally. “Next time, go to bed earlier.”

That statement carried a lot of information.

Everyone was filled with confusion and shock, wondering what had happened between the two of them overnight.

Wait, wasn’t the time for Consultant Ji to give his answer to Captain Song still not up?

Ji Yushi nodded.

Song Qinglan handed him the breakfast and even held the coffee for him.

He glanced at the group of single people around them, looking very satisfied, and said, “Eat something before we go, my boyfriend.”