When Xing Yan walked over to Qin Fang, he asked him: "Still have a fever?"

Qin Fang shook his head: "No fever."

Xing Yan nodded and went inside.

When they were eating, Qin Fang sat on the sofa listening to them talk, glancing over from time to time. Occasionally he would make eye contact with Xing Yan, and the two would briefly gaze at each other across the room before Xing Yan looked away.

He felt that Xing Yan had distanced himself a bit more compared to before because of that one sentence about him not being single, and this was even less natural than when they were on the phone before.

Qin Fang sighed inwardly.

Zhou Siming was leaving tomorrow, Han Xiaogong's time was flexible, and Xing Yan had three more days including today.

Qin Fang's ticket was booked for the day after tomorrow.

Then they would each leave and go their separate ways again, not knowing when they would meet next. So no one went out that day, they all stayed on the first floor, although for a long time no one spoke to anyone.

It seemed like a lot was missing with one person gone from this house. The one with the best temper had left, as if the most central thread was gone, and although the others' tempers weren't very bad now, they couldn't naturally bond.

Xing Yan sat in the yard, and later Qin Fang still went out and sat next to him.

Qin Fang was dressed in layers because he was uncomfortable, feverish and feeling cold. Normally the weather here was very hot now, Han Xiaogong and Zhou Siming were both wearing short sleeves, only Xing Yan was still dressed warmly.

When Xing Yan looked at him, Qin Fang asked, "Aren't you hot?"

"It's okay." Xing Yan said.

"I thought you would have a very scholarly air now." Qin Fang joked with him, "But now you look very scruffy."

Xing Yan went along with his words and smiled, "Really?"

"Yeah, like you'd get into a fight at the drop of a hat." Qin Fang said.

"Because of the hair?" Xing Yan touched the top of his head.

Qin Fang thought for a moment, "Maybe, why did you shave it? Do you ride motorcycles there too?"

Xing Yan shook his head, the corner of his mouth curling up, "Getting a haircut there is too much trouble, and expensive, so I bought clippers and shaved it myself in the mirror."

Qin Fang laughed for a long time because of his words, imagining Xing Yan shaving his own hair in the mirror, thinking it would be quite...sexy.

Because of a few light-hearted exchanges, the atmosphere between them also became more natural, no longer tense.

"You haven't changed much," Xing Yan said to him, "still the same."

"What's the same?" Qin Fang asked him.

Xing Yan lowered his head and laughed, saying, "If I praise you now, you'll probably feel awkward, so I won't say it."

So Qin Fang laughed again.

In fact, they didn't have much to talk about. Xing Yan could take the initiative to bring up very few topics. Talking about the past two years when they didn't see each other would infinitely widen the distance between them, reminding each other that they had been apart for two whole years. It was even more inappropriate to mention anything related to the past.

Qin Fang's one sentence "not single" meant that in the future they wouldn't even be able to call each other. That sentence was like a knife hanging over their heads, falling and leaving people feeling empty.

Xing Yan was not candid enough and couldn't see things clearly. He was still stuck in the past, but Qin Fang had already moved forward.

Qin Fang could even calmly smile and ask him, "Do you have a partner?"

Xing Yan looked at him and shook his head, "No, too busy."

Qin Fang nodded, "There must be quite a few pursuing you, right?"

Xing Yan said, "I haven't paid attention to that."

Qin Fang chatting about these things was too natural, as if they were really just a pair of friends who hadn't seen each other for a long time. His candor made the other's inner ugliness and embarrassment seem improper.

Xing Yan was never someone who made people feel uncomfortable to be around. Since Qin Fang was not single and had a partner, then he was just an ex-boyfriend, and many things were inappropriate.

That night, he didn't even go into the room, but went straight to Si Tu's room.

Han Xiaogong and Zhou Siming returned to their respective rooms, and the dark first floor was again left with just the two of them.

When Xing Yan was taking a shower, Qin Fang sat on the sofa in the living room. When Xing Yan finished showering, he was only wearing pants, his upper body bare. He thought Qin Fang was already asleep.

As a result, when he opened the door and saw Qin Fang, he was stunned for a moment. When Qin Fang looked up at him, Xing Yan quickly closed the door, and when he came out again, he was already dressed.

"Not sleeping?" Xing Yan asked him.

"Not yet." Qin Fang said.

"Then you...rest early." Xing Yan said softly.

Although it wasn't completely dark in their line of sight and they could see what they should see, it could still provide some cover. Qin Fang sat there, took a deep breath, and suddenly asked a question that was very impactful for them now.

"That question from back then - have you figured it out?"

Xing Yan stood in place, pursing his lips, looking in Qin Fang's direction. After a long time, Xing Yan said, "It's useless now, right?"

Qin Fang said, "I want to hear it."

Xing Yan walked over silently and sat on the far right sofa. They each sat on one side with a long empty space between them. Xing Yan said in a deep voice, "Let's not talk about those things."

Qin Fang didn't make a sound. Xing Yan touched his own head, the feeling was the same as when he used to touch Qin Fang's head. He often did this action now.

"Now I have to think before I say every sentence, whether it's appropriate to say it or not. What I'm going to say next may not be very appropriate, but I'll say it once." Xing Yan leaned against the sofa. In the darkness, he no longer had to keep himself very straight.

He tilted his head back, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly as he spoke, "I hope you...are well. I figured out the answer long ago, but if you have let go and moved on, if you are doing well now, then it's all in the past and doesn't matter."

Qin Fang turned his head to look at him, "What if I'm not doing well?"

"If you're not doing well, tell me." Xing Yan also looked over at him. Their gazes met directly in the hazy moonlight. "The answer I owe you, the mistakes I made - I'll slowly make it up to you in the future."