Xing Yan said he would slowly make it up to him in the future.

Qin Fang laughed silently, then stood up and said, "I understand."

Xing Yan was still sitting there looking at him. Qin Fang waved his hand and said, "Go to sleep, get some rest early."

After he finished speaking, he returned to his room and didn't continue chatting with Xing Yan. He didn't give an answer as to whether he was doing well or not now, leaving only Xing Yan by himself in the living room. That night, he sat on the sofa for a long time.

An excessive conversation in the darkness was more like a fantasy that appeared due to a bias in human memory. When dawn came, it dissipated, as if it had never happened.

After chatting those few sentences, Qin Fang seemed the same as before. When facing Xing Yan, he acted both calm and natural. He had to leave tomorrow.

Zhou Siming had already left early in the morning before anyone else had gotten up.

"He gave me ten thousand yuan to transfer to you. I'll send it to you on WeChat." Han Xiaogong told Qin Fang after he got up.

Qin Fang raised his eyebrows, "Zhou Siming?"

"Yeah, you gave it to him back then, right?" Han Xiaogong said.

Qin Fang blinked, "Why is he giving me money?"

Han Xiaogong laughed, "He said that originally you two were even, but he was too poor at the time, so when you gave him money, he just took it."

Qin Fang had forgotten about that little matter, it was too long ago. Actually, Qin Fang didn't want it, but based on Zhou Siming's personality, he probably wouldn't take it back, so he just accepted it. But being able to directly talk about the past hardships was still a bit unexpected.

"He really has changed a lot." Qin Fang put his phone aside after receiving the money, "Feels like he's become a different person."

"Everyone has to grow up eventually." Han Xiaogong smiled, "Leaving us behind, no longer chased by debts, living a steady life, gradually he put away those twisted emotions."

"That's great." Qin Fang said.

"Yeah." Han Xiaogong nodded, "As long as your eyes aren't always fixed on the black, you can see the colors."

"What about you? Have you seen it?" Qin Fang asked him.

"Of course I have," Han Xiaogong said with a smile, "My life has always been quite colorful. There have indeed been many sad things, but I'm still a person who is very good at finding fun for myself."

Qin Fang nodded. Han Xiaogong said, "The general direction is good, life can't possibly get worse and worse as you live. Si Tu was an exception, he ran off halfway."

Mentioning Si Tu still made one feel sad, but what remained after the sadness was all warmth. Mentioning this name would make people feel very gentle inside, faintly, and very composed.

Xing Yan was setting up a frame outside, and Gong Qi was there too. There was a flower bed that needed a flower frame, and she said that Si Tu had never finished it. Xing Yan actually wasn't very good at these things either. He worked on it with Gong Qi for a whole morning and it looked presentable.

Gong Qi waved at Qin Fang, greeting him.

Qin Fang smiled at her. Gong Qi's eyes were still swollen, but she didn't look very depressed, quite energetic.

Xing Yan's hands were covered in dirt. He went inside to wash, holding up his hands. When he came out after washing his hands, Qin Fang asked him, "Have you eaten yet?"

"No," Xing Yan said, "What do you want to eat?"

"What are you doing? You're going to buy it for me?" Qin Fang asked with a laugh.

Xing Yan didn't say anything. Qin Fang was already walking towards the courtyard gate, saying as he walked, "Let's go, Yan-ge."

Xing Yan pursed his lips, but still followed, "Coming."

These past two days, Xing Yan was afraid that Qin Fang would feel uncomfortable being alone with him, so he more or less avoided him a bit. When the two of them were eating, Qin Fang said, "Don't avoid me anymore, I'm not feeling awkward or uncomfortable."

Xing Yan glanced at him and said, "Okay, got it."

"Have you been very busy recently too?" Qin Fang asked him.

Xing Yan said, "Yeah, I'll be very busy these two months. I originally planned to come back in June."

Qin Fang nodded, took a bite of food, and asked him again, "So are you still coming back in June?"

"I'll be back." Xing Yan looked at him, answering very seriously.

Qin Fang laughed, "Okay."

When chatting, Qin Fang didn't mention the future to Xing Yan, as if what would happen to each of them in the future was their own business and had nothing to do with the other person. The conversation sounded very familiar, but in fact, he was also deliberately maintaining a distance. He didn't say a single sentence with a hint of ambiguity like last night.

Both intimate and distant. Qin Fang was too good at chatting, he controlled this balance too well.

Xing Yan was not a talkative person to begin with, and he wasn't that good at chatting. Before, when he wanted to chat, he could only be direct, saying straight out what he was thinking.

But now he couldn't say what he was thinking, and Qin Fang didn't want to hear it. The result of chatting like this was that Xing Yan was too passive, and the rhythm was completely controlled by Qin Fang.

Qin Fang suddenly remembered what Han Xiaogong said yesterday, that he had never seen Yan-ge so timid.

Thinking of this, he felt a bit sour in his heart again, and didn't feel like continuing the conversation.

This state between the two of them lasted the whole day. Before, when they were still brothers, Qin Fang was a straightforward guy, and the rhythm was led by Xing Yan. Now, after a few years, Qin Fang had instead become the one in control of the rhythm.

Han Xiaogong, as a bystander, understood by the afternoon. He shook his head with a smile and went to lie down in Si Tu's room. There was still the scent of this person in the room, that faint medicinal smell that never dissipated no matter what.

Those two outside were sitting on the sofa, occasionally saying a few words. Later on, Qin Fang got a bit sleepy and fell asleep leaning his head back on the sofa. When he fell asleep, Xing Yan could actually sit beside him more openly, and his gaze didn't need to be restrained.

The north had just started to warm up, and the big boy who tanned easily as soon as the sun came out wasn't very tanned yet. There was still a youthful air between his brows, and he looked both handsome and steady when sleeping quietly.

This face was engraved in Xing Yan's heart, and he had to go over it in his heart almost every night. Looking at it now, it actually hadn't changed much, almost no difference from the him in his memory, just a tiny bit more grown up.

"Regretting it?" Han Xiaogong leaned against the doorframe and asked him.

Xing Yan didn't look up, and shushed him.

"He won't wake up, he's sick." Han Xiaogong looked at Xing Yan, glancing at him sideways, "Does your heart ache?"

Xing Yan also didn't speak, only silently watching Qin Fang. The room was a bit hot, and there were small beads of sweat behind his ear. Xing Yan subconsciously blew towards that spot, a bit of cool air blowing on that part of Qin Fang's skin.

"If you miss it, it'll be gone... You're still ruthless." Han Xiaogong said.

Everyone thought Xing Yan was ruthless, throwing away a relationship and saying it was over. Now looking back, being thrown away by someone else could only be what he deserved.

Qin Fang's hand was casually resting on the side, his pinky finger pressed underneath. Xing Yan reached out and gently laid Qin Fang's hand flat, pulling out the pinky that was trapped.

He scratched the back of Qin Fang's hand with his finger, and Qin Fang unconsciously grabbed back, catching Xing Yan's hand. Xing Yan didn't dare move again. Qin Fang didn't wake up, and they remained frozen there, Xing Yan's hand held by Qin Fang, both their palms very hot.

The sudden skin contact had a tremendous impact, and Xing Yan's heart raced.

It was like going back to the initial stage, where every touch was exciting.

Qin Fang was sleeping deeply, perhaps dreaming of holding hands, and his grip never loosened.

Xing Yan sat with Qin Fang like this for two hours.

When Qin Fang woke up, his palm was slightly warm, but no one was beside him.

Xing Yan was sitting on the steps by the door, looking at his phone, probably sending messages. Qin Fang glanced over at him, and Xing Yan seemed to sense it, turning his head. Their eyes met, and Xing Yan flashed him a smile.

No matter when, his smile was always pleasing to the eye. Qin Fang smiled back at him and stood up to stretch his waist.