The first rays of morning sunlight filtered through the sheer curtains into the room.

The person on the bed was disturbed by the light; their eyelashes, which had been quietly resting, fluttered slightly, and they furrowed their brow. Though not fully awake, their sleep was no longer as peaceful as before.

They had gone to bed late the previous night, but Song Qinglan had maintained the habit of rising early for many years. He quietly got out of bed, adjusted his pillow, and picked up the cushion that had fallen onto the floor last night, stacking it to block the sunlight from shining on Ji Yushi’s face. In about ten minutes, the light would shift to the wall above the headboard and no longer bother him.

Ji Yushi didn’t sleep well, yet he didn’t use blackout curtains, which was a sign of deep insecurity.

Adding to that, living alone meant that while he disliked waking up in darkness, he might dislike waking up in darkness even more.

Song Qinglan quietly left the bedroom, gently closing the door behind him.

The three cats that had been in the living room scattered in all directions, each taking a position to observe this outsider.

Their food bowls were all empty.

Song Qinglan found the cat food and filled their bowls before going to wash up.

When Song Qinglan came out after freshening up, the “exes” no longer seemed as afraid of him.

These pitch-black furballs, indistinguishable from one another, circled around him at a distance, keeping a curious eye on him.

Song Qinglan began his morning warm-up routine.

He wasn’t the type with bulging muscles but rather had a lean, well-proportioned physique. He didn’t pursue heavy strength training, so his morning routine consisted of simple bodyweight exercises like close-grip push-ups and crunches, which were enough to wake up his body and didn’t require much space.

In Ji Yushi’s living room, aside from the sofa and books, there was a small open area that Song Qinglan could use.

By the time he officially started his workout, the cats had gathered around, sitting in a row beside him, turning their heads in sync with his movements.

This was the first morning after Song Qinglan had officially entered Ji Yushi’s life.

Quiet, leisurely, everything felt perfect.

After finishing his workout, he waved to the cats, and one of them tentatively approached him. As soon as Song Qinglan started scratching its chin, the cat quickly surrendered, losing all its previous aloofness.

Just like its owner, after determining that this outsider was trustworthy, it allowed itself to be carried by Song Qinglan into the kitchen.

The refrigerator was well-stocked, filled with a variety of food.

Song Qinglan gathered the ingredients he needed on the countertop and then set the cat down.

The cat didn’t leave but stayed on the counter, watching him.

Song Qinglan gently shooed it away, and it finally jumped down, freeing up some space.

But when Song Qinglan returned from the refrigerator with the milk, another cat had already taken its place on the counter.

Sunlight also poured into the kitchen, making the metal fixtures and glass light fixtures gleam, and the black fur on the cat’s body shimmered as well. The cat curiously lowered its head, sniffing each piece of food with its whiskers, letting out a questioning “meow,” as if wondering when breakfast started being prepared in this house.

Song Qinglan smiled, petting its head, “Why are you up here again?”

Black Cat: “Meow?”

At the same time, another meow sounded from near his feet: “Meow~”

Song Qinglan looked down and saw that the cat on the floor was rubbing against his pant leg, showing affection. He immediately realized that the cat on the counter wasn’t the same one as before; the one on the floor was.

The doorbell rang from the entryway.

The cat on the counter gracefully jumped down, and along with another cat that had been hiding somewhere nearby, the three black shadows quickly ran to the entryway.

Was someone visiting?

Song Qinglan put down what he was holding and followed the cats out.

The cats seemed to sense something, their heads lifted excitedly, meowing near the door.

Ji Yushi had already been woken up by the doorbell. He stood in the bedroom doorway, casually draped in a gray bathrobe. Seeing Song Qinglan, he said, “There goes our quiet morning.”

His expression was lazy, his face marked with the red imprints from sleeping.

His voice was as cold as usual, but there was a clear tone of complaint in it.

Song Qinglan walked over, pulled him into a hug with his long arms: “Not fully awake?”

The doorbell rang again, accompanied by the faint sound of a dog barking.

The person outside seemed very patient.

Ji Yushi sighed and said helplessly, “It’s my brother; he has the door code. He’s here to see you.”

Ji Minyue entered the moment he opened the door, leading a dog, which immediately put Erhei on high alert. Erhei shot up to a high perch, growling, clearly not getting along with the corgi. The corgi, in turn, started barking, and soon the previously quiet house was filled with noise.

It was Song Qinglan who opened the door for Ji Minyue.

In the narrow entryway, they stood quite close to each other, and Ji Minyue had to look up to see the other man’s face. It seemed to him that Song Qinglan was at least 1.9 meters tall.

Seeing Song Qinglan for the first time, any dissatisfaction or suspicion that Ji Minyue had felt disappeared. The other man’s sharp features and commanding presence immediately imposed a sense of pressure, the kind of demeanor that comes from years of experience and countless dangerous missions.

“Mr. Ji.” Song Qinglan greeted him politely, “Please come in.”

Ji Minyue was startled: “Have we met?”

They had indeed met in the bubble world.

But in reality, they had not.

Song Qinglan said, “I’ve heard about you from Ji Yushi. Hello, I’m Song Qinglan.”

At this, the small amount of dissatisfaction and suspicion in Ji Minyue’s heart re-emerged. He responded subtly, “When Xiao Ji was transferred to Jiang City, he mentioned you as well.”

In Ning City, it was common to refer to the youngest daughter in the family as “Nannan” and the youngest son as “Xiao Ji,” and sometimes the whole family would use these as nicknames.

Song Qinglan had also been called “Xiao Ji” when he was young in Ning City, but as he grew up, the nickname fell out of use.

He hadn’t expected Ji Yushi’s nickname to be kept.

In comparison, “Ji Yushi” felt much less intimate than “Xiao Ji.”

Second Black and the corgi were still engaged in a heated standoff.

The two men exchanged glances and both moved away from the entryway.

“I used to have some misconceptions about clerical workers, thought too highly of myself.” Song Qinglan didn’t shy away from the topic. “But fate had me take a big fall, and now I’m tied to Consultant Ji for life.”

He smiled, revealing white teeth, which softened his previously sharp demeanor, making him look more approachable and handsome.

Ji Minyue: “…”

He didn’t know how to respond to that.

Thanks to Minister Wang’s thorough guidance, Song Qinglan added, “In any line of work, it’s not enough to just have people charging forward; you need people like you and Consultant Ji in clerical positions to back us up. The fact that we returned safely is all thanks to Consultant Ji.”

Ji Minyue felt much more comfortable hearing this and couldn’t maintain his tough stance: “Where’s Xiao Ji?”

It was almost funny; for the first time at his brother’s place, he felt out of place.

Song Qinglan replied, “He just woke up and is getting dressed.”

Ji Minyue stiffened: “Just waking up now?!”

Song Qinglan frowned slightly: “Does he usually wake up early?”

Ji Minyue had already imagined an entire scenario, his chubby frame almost trembling from the strain: “Well… sort of. He doesn’t sleep well. Sometimes he’s up by two or three in the morning.”

As he spoke, Ji Yushi emerged from the bedroom.

He was dressed simply in a white T-shirt and shorts, looking very casual, much like one of Ji Minyue’s seemingly well-behaved but actually rebellious students.

Ji Yushi: “Brother, you’re up early.”

Ji Minyue replied seriously, “I was walking the dog and happened to pass by your place, so I thought I’d stop by and see if you wanted to go out for breakfast. I didn’t expect Captain Song to be here too!”

Ji Yushi’s tone was full of disbelief: “Oh.”

“Mr. Ji hasn’t had breakfast yet?” Song Qinglan said naturally, “I was just about to make some; why don’t we all eat together?”

Song Qinglan’s skill at making fried eggs was indeed impressive; Ji Yushi hadn’t been lying when he mentioned it before.

This time, Song Qinglan also prepared toast and made sandwiches. Even though it was just a simple Western breakfast, Ji Minyue was quite surprised, as he had expected Song Qinglan to be a very macho man based on his reputation.

It was obvious that people in love could show their affection in subtle ways.

The three of them sat around the table, and even though there was no overt interaction between the couple, Ji Minyue could sense that something was different.

Two men dating didn’t involve any mushy displays of affection; they just chatted normally over breakfast.

After breakfast, Ji Yushi even took the initiative to clear the dishes and went to wash them.

Originally, Ji Minyue had come over out of concern, but now that his worries were alleviated, he planned to leave.

Before leaving, while Ji Yushi was still in the kitchen with the sound of running water, he asked his brother, “You’re not coming over tomorrow, right?”

Ji Minyue: “Why can’t I come tomorrow? I just won’t bring the dog.”

Ji Yushi heartlessly replied, “I’m on vacation, and so is my boyfriend. If you’re so free, you should go for a few extra runs.”

Having a boyfriend really did change things.

Ji Minyue felt aggrieved: “I’m leaving.”

Ji Minyue led the corgi to the door, and Song Qinglan, having changed his shoes, followed him, saying, “Mr. Ji, I’ll walk you out.”

Ji Minyue felt a bit awkward about the surprise visit and said, “No need, it’s too much trouble.”

Song Qinglan, more direct than Ji Minyue expected, had already opened the door while saying, “I actually have something I want to ask you; we can talk on the way.”

Ji Minyue agreed, “Alright then.”

The two of them went downstairs.

At this time of day, the elevator was full of people heading to work, making it inconvenient to talk. It wasn’t until they reached the shaded area of the neighborhood that Song Qinglan took something out of his pocket: “Mr. Ji, I’ve noticed that Ji Yushi has a dependency on this medication. I want to help him stop, but I’m worried that doing it the wrong way might cause side effects. He told me that your father has been overseeing his condition, so I’d like to get his opinion on how to handle this.”

Ji Minyue took the item, his expression changing slightly: “He’s still taking this?”

“Yes.” Seeing his reaction, Song Qinglan had a moment of doubt. “Is something wrong?”

Ji Minyue said, “He used to take this regularly when he was a child, but my father stopped it when he got older. His psychological evaluations and physical health checks have been fine in recent years, and he scores high on his psychological assessments every year in Sky Vault. I didn’t know he was still taking this medication.”

Song Qinglan clenched his fist.

He understood Ji Yushi’s reasons better than anyone.

As he pondered, Ji Minyue said, “Thank you for telling me. I’ll inform my father right away and work with you on figuring out how to help him quit it completely.”

They exchanged phone numbers.

Before parting, Ji Minyue called out, “Captain Song!”

Song Qinglan stopped.

Ji Minyue said, “Our Xiao Ji… he doesn’t easily accept people.”

Song Qinglan nodded: “I know.”

“So, there must be something special about you that he really likes.” Ji Minyue continued, “When he was young, he was lonely for various reasons, and even as an adult, he carries a heavy heart, never having a day of real comfort. I know he secretly loves excitement and thrills, and there’s a childish, innocent side to him too. Since you’re on vacation and you’re here with him, why not take him out and have some fun? Trust me, you’re the only one who can get him to go.”

After Ji Minyue left, Song Qinglan stood alone on the shaded path for a while.

When he returned, Ji Yushi was sitting cross-legged on the floor, playing a video game.

Song Qinglan sat down next to him, petting the black cat that had come over, and glanced at the screen: “What’s going on, Xiao Ji? Is there something you need to distract yourself from?”

Ji Yushi’s fingers kept moving, but his concentration was disrupted by Song Qinglan. The nickname was clearly something Song Qinglan had picked up from Ji Minyue.

A misplaced block caused the game to be over in seconds. Ji Yushi set down the console and asked, “What did Ji Minyue say to you?”

“Are you nervous?” Song Qinglan chuckled, wrapping his arms around Ji Yushi from behind, “Afraid he doesn’t approve?”

Ji Yushi didn’t deny it.

He wasn’t entirely confident about introducing his boyfriend to his family.

“How could he disapprove? I’m tall, handsome, and the perfect match for you.” Song Qinglan said, “He also mentioned that since I’m new in Ning City and unfamiliar with the place, you should take me out while we’re on vacation.”

Ji Yushi: “Really?”

Song Qinglan: “Really. Consultant Ji, we’ve got some time off—where do you plan to take me?”

Ji Yushi asked, “Where do you want to go?”