Gu Kaifeng’s ancestors chased him from the second floor to the first, then from the first floor to the third. No amount of explaining was helping. The ancestors’ feudal mentality was deep-rooted and could not be changed by just a few words.

As an Adonis who valued his image very much, it was the first time in Gu Kaifeng’s life being this pitiful. Seeing that he really had no way of explaining himself, he relied on his fast running to flee again from the third floor to the first. By the time the ancestors had stumbled over, he had shut his eyes for ten seconds and turned the Yin-Yang eyes off.

Lin Feiran hurried to catch up. He hugged Gu Kaifeng, whose face was pale and frozen from being hit and touched by his ancestors. He was so pitiful!

“Your lips are trembling.” Lin Feiran, heart pained, stretched out to touch Gu Kaifeng’s lips.

“Hss–freezing, so cold I’ll die. Being touched by them is like falling into an icy hole.” When the Yin-Yang eyes were turned off, Gu Kaifeng’s Yang energy returned. When the Yang energy returned, he should have stopped feeling cold, but Gu Kaifeng still followed the situation and hugged Lin Feiran’s waist with one hand, the other catching Lin Feiran’s right hand which was still on his own lips. “Come, use your mouth to warm your husband’s.”

Lin Feiran froze for a moment. He couldn’t believe his ears. “You’ve just seen all your ancestors, and that’s all you’re thinking about?”

Gu Kaifeng’s psychological constitution was too strong, wasn’t it?

Gu Kaifeng’s expression went grave and he said seriously, “I just meant warming my mouth. What are you thinking about?”

“The ancestors will be angry if they see it.” Lin Feiran averted his head, trying to escape, but Gu Kaifeng’s lips had already found him.

“Next time I won’t let them see,” Gu Kaifeng murmured indistinctly as his mouth held Lin Feiran’s soft and slippery lips. He carried Lin Feiran several steps, pushing Lin Feiran into the corner by the window, then pulled the floor-length curtains. The heavy material cascaded heavily from above and the afternoon sun spilled in through the floor-length windows like radiant golden gas, filling the whole space surrounded by the curtain. Outside the window was a little garden, desolate with falling snow, and the well-made fence cut it off from the outside world. With the window, it created a little space of their own.

Lin Feiran’s eyes had been open wide and round, and now they half-closed. Eventually he just shut his eyes, his fingers skimming across Gu Kaifeng’s face, as he passionately reciprocated with his tongue.

After a while, the housekeeping aunt’s voice permeated their little private space. “Food is ready. Come eat while it’s hot.”

“Mm.” Gu Kaifeng dragged out the sound gently. The two sat at the dining table and Gu Kaifeng picked up the ladle to get soup for Lin Feiran.

Lin Feiran took the bowl, worried. “Just now... you weren’t scared too much, were you?”

“Just a little, not too much.” Gu Kaifeng looked indifferent, certainly not like someone who’d just seen a ghost. He tsked with melancholy and said, “These ancestors of mine. They just think about hitting me and don’t communicate.”

Lin Feiran found it funny: “In future, don’t open your Yin-Yang eyes at home.”

Gu Kaifeng nodded obediently. “I won’t open them for now. I’ll just pretend I don’t know... but I discovered something just now.”

“What?”

Gu Kaifeng frowned. “I found that my ancestors are all male. Where did all my grannies and great-grannies go?”

Lin Feiran was speechless. “......”

“Quite strange, isn’t it?”Gu Kaifeng’s eyes flickered around and he was silent for a moment before saying, “Never mind, let’s forget it for now. No matter what I ask them, they’ll probably just chase and hit me.”

Lin Feiran said thoughtfully, “Indeed...”

“Let’s not think about it. Eat some more.” Gu Kaifeng picked up a big chicken drumstick from the plate and gave it to Lin Feiran. He signed, “If only you had told me earlier. While I was being chased just now I was thinking about you the whole time. You’re so timid and must have been scared silly by these ghosts. And you couldn’t even talk about it. When I think about it my heart hurts.”

“I’m not actually that timid. Just not as brave as you,” Lin Feiran retorted. In order to be more persuasive, as he ate, he recounted to Gu Kaifeng the stories of him helping the ghosts. From the cat mom to the driver uncle’s wife, from the little girl’s ghost to the old principal. He did not exaggerate his own usefulness in these stories, he only told them objectively.

As he told these stories, some of his movements which had previously seemed strange now became clear. For example, that day when it was raining, why he had suddenly run out of the classroom and found that nest of kittens. Or that day why he had bought a pile of snacks and dolls at the flea market. Or, at the 95th anniversary celebration, why he had done everything he could to invite those old alumni to speak...

Gu Kaifeng listened to Lin Feiran telling the stories, remembering these things. Every unassuming clue, every tiny detail, all returned to their rightful place, like a puzzle gradually being finished. And the last thing that emerged out of the puzzle was a youth’s clear and shining eyes, radiating youthfulness and unease, and the bravery and gentleness those things could not hide.

They’d eaten most of the food on the table, and the remaining soup in the pot had gone cold. Lin Feiran finished his last sentence: “On Christmas Eve, she left a set of footprints in the snow. Even without the Yin-Yang eyes I could see them. But you didn’t notice...”

Gu Kaifeng nudged his chair in Lin Feiran’s direction. When the two were next to each other, Gu Kaifeng pressed down on the back of Lin Feiran’s neck, placing Lin Feiran’s head on his own shoulder.

“From now on, I’ll be around.”Gu Kaifeng’s voice was low and gentle. He used the words Lin Feiran had used before. “Let’s help ghosts together.”

Lin Feiran smiled. “Mm, all right... when I saw those things, I was very moved. I kept wanting to tell you.”

Gu Kaifeng lowered his head, kissing Lin Feiran’s hair which smelled faintly of shampoo. He gritted his teeth and said ardently, like he wanted to eat Lin Feiran whole:“My RanRan is so kind, so gentle, and so loveable.”

Lin Feiran’s face went red from the praise.

If he had been praising something else, like Lin Feiran’s looks or his abilities, Lin Feiran might not have been shy, and would instead proudly quirk his tail. But now that he had been complimented for his kindness and gentleness, he was shy. He shook his head: “I’m not all that like you said. Anyone would have done the same thing.”

“Not possible.” Gu Kaifeng snorted. “What if I don’t believe that anyone would?”

After a pause, Gu Kaifeng continued praising: “I discovered today that my RanRan has another virtue: humility.”

—A loyal and obedient bootlicking!

Lin Feiran couldn’t take the praise and buried his head in Gu Kaifeng’s chest.

“I’m yours for life.” Gu Kaifeng’s palm smoothed over Lin Feiran’ slender back. “I love you to death. It’s incredible. Before this, I thought I loved you as much as I could have, but today I found that I can still love you even more.

Lin Feiran’s face lay on Gu Kaifeng’s chest, and he could hear Gu Kaifeng’s heart pounding wildly.

“Me too.” Lin Feiran closed his eyes, reassured, and nudged his face against Gu Kaifeng’s body. “I’m yours for life.”

“I know,” Gu Kaifeng said with certainty. “You can only use that spell of yours once in a lifetime, right? So you used it on me. Rest assured. I’ll definitely stake my life on being good to you, and won’t let you regret it.”

Lin Feiran was amused. “Don’t stake your life. This much is good enough.”

After finishing dinner, Lin Feiran lent Gu Kaifeng his grandfather’s notebook. In the book was written some basic knowledge about souls. If Gu Kaifeng read it, he wouldn’t have to ask Lin Feiran about everything.

The eventful day passed. The next morning, the two went to the shopping mall and bought some things for their vacation to H City, like couples’ swimming trunks of the same color and cut, sunglasses, bug spray and so on.

At two o’clock on the third day, their plane reached H City. The four boys got off, collected their baggage and walked towards the rental car stop.

The whole way, Wang Zhuo was so excited he kept jumping up and down, his mouth running non-stop. He Hao on the other hand faded into the background, only murmuring assent gently every time Wang Zhuo spoke.

“When we leave the hotel later, we’ll split up.” Gu Kaifeng worried Wang Zhuo’s chatter would disturb Lin Feiran, so he bent down and whispered to him.

“Mm.” Lin Feiran glanced back with a smile. Wang Zhuo was wearing a very flashy Hawaiian shirt and a pair of pastel shorts beneath that. He Hao had a bag in both hands. Wang Zhuo twisted open a bottle of sunscreen, squeezed out a big dollop, and rubbed it joyfully on his face and arms. When he was done, he even put the rest on He Hao’s face and said, “Come, Day Sky, put on some sunscreen.”

He Hao, both of whose hands were laden with bags, could only stand on the spot and let Wang Zhuo’s hands move all over his face. “......”

Perhaps it was because he himself was gay, but Lin Feiran now thought that perhaps Wang Zhuo was also gay...