Because the afternoon nap was so comfortable, Qin Fang couldn't fall asleep until very late. He went out for a walk by himself, wandering around the surrounding area. In fact, he had always liked it here, but Xing Yan didn't.

He had to leave tomorrow. There was quite a lot going on at the school, and he had left temporarily without any instructions. Hua Tong had asked him today when he would return.

When Qin Fang returned, Xing Yan was sitting in the courtyard. Han Xiaogong had gone upstairs, seeming to intentionally leave them a lot of time alone together. It was very late, and Qin Fang went straight to take a shower.

Xing Yan went in after him, and about three minutes later, Qin Fang knocked on the door.

The sound of water stopped inside, and Xing Yan asked, "What's the matter?"

Qin Fang said, "I forgot to take my phone."

Xing Yan paused for a few seconds before asking, "Can you wait until I'm done showering?"

"I have something to take care of," Qin Fang said.

"Okay, wait a moment," Xing Yan said from inside.

The sound of water started again, stopping after about ten seconds. After another half a minute, Xing Yan opened the door and handed Qin Fang his phone. He was already dressed.

Qin Fang raised an eyebrow. "Actually, you could have just cracked the door and passed it to me."

Xing Yan didn't say anything, wiping the water from his face and head with a towel.

Qin Fang kept looking at him until Xing Yan became uncomfortable. He looked up, smiled, and asked, "What's wrong?"

Qin Fang called out to him, "Yan-ge."

"Mm," Xing Yan responded.

Qin Fang turned to walk away first. Xing Yan didn't follow, so Qin Fang stood at the bedroom door and called to him again, "Come."

Xing Yan sighed softly and took a step to follow.

Qin Fang pointed to Xing Yan's bed, indicating for him to sit.

Xing Yan was still holding the towel as he sat on the bed, looking at Qin Fang, following each command with action, like a primary school student.

Qin Fang closed the bedroom door behind him.

The atmosphere was a bit ambiguous. A pair of former lovers, behind closed doors in a room together, no matter how you looked at it, it was too much.

Qin Fang sat on his own bed, looking at Xing Yan from a distance, and threw out a word from between his lips—

"Strip."

Xing Yan blinked, stunned.

Qin Fang said, "Take off your clothes."

The development was too bizarre. Xing Yan, holding the towel in his hands, didn't know how to respond.

"Should I help you take them off?" Qin Fang raised an eyebrow.

Xing Yan looked into Qin Fang's eyes, probably understanding his meaning. He pressed his lips tightly together and lifted his hands to take off his T-shirt.

Qin Fang looked at Xing Yan's bare upper body. The light was very bright, and everything could be seen clearly.

Qin Fang held his breath and asked hoarsely, "...How did this happen?"

Xing Yan was about to put his shirt back on, but Qin Fang walked over and grabbed it in his hand, asking again.

Qin Fang's voice was nasal, and his eyes were red.

His gaze remained fixed on Xing Yan's body, the irregular patches of abnormal white burning Qin Fang's eyes.

"Burned. My team member didn't adjust the equipment properly," Xing Yan said softly. Since he had already stripped and everything had been clearly seen, Xing Yan simply stopped hiding. What he was afraid of him seeing wasn't this in the first place.

"...An explosion?" Qin Fang asked softly.

"Mm, a small accident, not serious. Don't... worry," Xing Yan said lightly.

There was a patch of scarring on Xing Yan's body, from his arm to his left chest, an irregular scar. Xing Yan's skin was originally very white, but the scar tissue was even whiter than his natural skin tone.

Qin Fang squatted in front of Xing Yan, placing his hand on his arm, and touched the scar.

His touch made Xing Yan a bit itchy. In fact, what Xing Yan minded wasn't this in the first place. He shrank back a little and asked, "Can I put my shirt back on?"

Qin Fang sniffed and didn't answer him. His hand lifted higher, pressing against Xing Yan's heart.

"Then what is this?"

— Beneath Qin Fang's palm was Xing Yan's heartbeat, separated by a layer of scar tissue. There was a star in the middle of the scar.

Qin Fang squatted in front of Xing Yan, looking into his eyes, and asked him, "What is this?"

Their current identities were actually very unsuitable for chatting like this, half-naked, and the posture was also very ambiguous. Qin Fang's palm was pressed against Xing Yan's chest, his hand so hot that it made Xing Yan's heart tremble.

If Qin Fang hadn't said yesterday that he was no longer single, Xing Yan could have said many things now. He could have spoken very sincerely, very directly. He could have brought up everything he had originally planned to say when he returned in June.

But the message Qin Fang conveyed to him was that he had already moved on and didn't want to hear Xing Yan say those things.

Xing Yan's eyes also reddened.

His heartbeat was transmitted to Qin Fang's palm, held in his hand, beat by beat.

Qin Fang's posture never changed. He kept looking at Xing Yan.

Xing Yan saw himself in his eyes. Finally, he let out a soft sigh, lowered his gaze, and said in a deep voice—

"It's you."