The return flight was on time. After saying "goodbye" to Sydney, the plane's wheels retracted as it soared into the clouds. During the flight, having finished the book about Gann Theory, Qi Shi'an felt somewhat idle.

But glancing at the person beside him, he could sense the other's evidently good mood.

"Team Leader Shen, what are you so happy about?" Qi Shi'an asked teasingly. "Did you find someone special on the return trip? You seem happier than when we left."

Shen Duoyi fearfully turned his head to check if Supervisor Qin and Xiao Wang had heard, only relaxing after confirming they hadn't. He pretended to be serious through gritted teeth, but his lips still curved slightly upward: "Because I'm going to pick up my grandfather and bring him home. I've missed him after not seeing him for a week."

Qi Shi'an asked with a smile: "Does your grandfather dote on you a lot?"

"Of course, I'm his precious grandson." Shen Duoyi pulled out the airline's promotional magazine to read. "But he also loves to argue with me, and while he agrees to whatever I tell him, he secretly does the opposite when I'm at work, thinking I don't know."

After saying this, he asked: "Is your grandfather like that too?"

Qi Shi'an pursed his lips: "My grandfather doesn't need anyone telling him what to do; he's the one bossing everyone around. He's stubborn with everyone in the family except my father because he says my dad's a post-doctoral researcher and contributes to military industrial design as a technical expert, so he needs to be treated with respect and can't be messed with."

Remembering his last visit to the retirement home and how amusing General Huo had been, Shen Duoyi said: "Auntie's personality is just like your grandfather's. Doesn't your father find it stifling being with her?"

"On the contrary, my mom says she was completely smitten when she first met my dad." Qi Shi'an also found it bewildering and felt somewhat embarrassed saying it. "A while ago when I told her I'd found someone I liked, she even told me to be more proactive."

Shen Duoyi felt both touched and anxious, knowing the elders would never imagine that the "someone" was a man, and when the time came to be honest about it, they would surely be heartbroken.

Qi Shi'an seemed to see through what Shen Duoyi was thinking, and leaned closer to whisper: "Let's divide the work - you focus on the present, and leave the future matters to me."

Shen Duoyi looked up at him: "But I want to handle things together."

Qi Shi'an was silent for a moment before agreeing: "Then let's start by taking a nap together."

The cabin gradually quieted down as passengers fell asleep one after another, with clouds rolling past outside in a sea of white. When meal time came, flight attendants pushed their carts distributing food, and everyone slowly awakened.

When Shen Duoyi woke up, his eyes were still half-closed as he yawned and wanted to pull up the blanket for another nap. Qi Shi'an grabbed the blanket and ordered: "Eat first, then sleep."

"You're controlling my eating too?" Shen Duoyi opened his meal box, pretending to be regretful. "Are you very controlling? If you're going to manage this and that, I won't be able to handle it."

Qi Shi'an said: "Too late to complain now, who was it that said they'd accept delivery? No returns or exchanges allowed."

As they bantered, Shen Duoyi's drowsiness faded. He stirred the mashed potatoes with his spoon and suddenly seemed to remember something: "Kids all seem to like stir-fried potato strips. I loved them when I was little, but later when I was changing my front teeth, potato strips would keep falling out, so my mom made me mashed potatoes instead."

Qi Shi'an passed his portion over: "Then have some more." After a pause, he carefully asked, "What kind of people were uncle and auntie?"

Shen Duoyi answered: "They were colleagues. After my dad and Uncle Fei finished their military service, they went to work at the Railway Bureau, and that's where he met my mom. My dad's name means 'born of clouds,' and my mom's means 'auspicious rain.' My grandfather said their names were perfectly matched, that it was destiny, and neither could live without the other."

Shen Duoyi smiled slightly: "When they passed away, my grandfather made a comment. He said when clouds disperse and rain scatters, they left together, and they could still be husband and wife in the other world."

Qi Shi'an reached for Shen Duoyi's hand: "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked about these things."

"It's nothing, this is the first time I've told anyone about this. Beautiful story, isn't it?" Shen Duoyi kept smiling, showing no grief, only carrying a heavy nostalgia.

After the plane landed, Qi Shi'an, being the boss who always followed his heart, simply grabbed both their luggage and walked out. Shen Duoyi quickly caught up, hurriedly trying to take his suitcase: "Mr. Qi, I can handle it myself. Or should I carry yours instead?"

Qi Shi'an knew what he was nervous about but still said matter-of-factly: "What's the big deal? It's just carrying luggage."

Supervisor Qin and Xiao Wang were right behind them. Shen Duoyi took his suitcase and fell back a few steps, beginning to worry. Last time Qi Shi'an had asked about his preferred type in front of colleagues, and now he was doing manual labor for him in front of colleagues. If he continued being so unrestrained, it would eventually be exposed at the company.

They were both men, and others might not guess that aspect, but they would definitely say they had a close relationship.

Shen Duoyi wasn't overthinking; he had previous experience. When he was at the insurance company, he had faced gossip because of Meng Ping's special treatment, and it was the same with Meng Liang - to avoid people assuming he was using connections, it took him that long to be promoted to Senior Actuary.

Qi Shi'an looked back and saw Shen Duoyi's worried expression. He turned to Supervisor Qin and Xiao Wang: "The weekend's coming up, perfect time to adjust to the jet lag, but make sure to complete the business trip report and submit it to me on Monday."

Leaving the airport terminal, they each took separate taxis. Qi Shi'an's driver got out to help with the luggage, and he directed: "Put Team Leader Shen's suitcase in too, we'll give him a ride."

He opened the door, ushering Shen Duoyi in, then lowered his voice to comfort him: "I get it, I'll be more careful in the future. Don't worry so much, like an emperor worried for his people. Aren't you going to pick up your grandfather? Cheer up."

Shen Duoyi could only smile: "If I were emperor, I'd definitely be a diligent ruler who worries day and night."

Give him a bit of sunshine and he blooms - now he's talking about being emperor. Seeing the mood lighten, Qi Shi'an asked: "Straight to Qiuye Hutong, or to Wenhu Apartments first?"

Shen Duoyi thought for a moment: "Wenhu Apartments first. I'll drop off my luggage then drive to pick up grandpa."

Qi Shi'an also pondered for a few seconds: "So we have to part ways now." With the driver in front, he discreetly squeezed Shen Duoyi's knee, making him turn to look, then slowly mouthed: "Re-mem-ber to miss me."

Shen Duoyi felt he would eventually die from such stimulation. He nodded with gritted teeth, then suddenly slapped his thigh, remembering to add the title: "Mr. Qi, aren't you going to visit the retirement home? Isn't your brother taking the college entrance exam these days?"

Qi Shi'an said indifferently: "Who hasn't taken the college entrance exam these days? Watching him won't add ten points to his score, that's just his level."

After dropping off Shen Duoyi, the driver turned around and left. Qi Shi'an was in a good mood as he looked out the window, but then changed his mind: "Let's go to the retirement home after all. I haven't seen my dad since he returned from his research trip."

The driver turned at the next intersection, and half an hour later slowed down to enter the retirement home gates. Qi Shi'an went straight to his parents' place. This time of year, the peach blossoms in Grandpa Huo's yard had already fallen, but the red azaleas in his parents' yard were blooming vigorously.

Huo Xin was delighted to see him return unexpectedly and immediately asked: "Son, are you going to stay at home for a while?"

Qi Shi'an put down his luggage and joked: "The company went bankrupt, I'm back to rely on you."

"No problem, your dad's bonus alone is enough to support our whole family," Huo Xin happily went to pour tea. "Your brother's about to finish his college entrance exam, let him go work and earn money."

Qi Jingtang patted the seat beside him, gesturing for Qi Shi'an to sit down, and said to Huo Xin: "You're quite open-minded. Anyone who didn't know better would think he's your biological son and you're Xiao Chuan's stepmother."

Huo Xin said: "I don't care about biological or step, whoever satisfies my vanity is who I'll dote on. All these years in the family quarters, people always say your Shi'an studies so well, your Shi'an is so handsome, your Shi'an earns so much money - even if I were an evil stepmother, I'd be brainwashed."

Amid the chatter, Qi Shi'an drank his tea and listened to his mom singing his praises, then chatted with his dad about work until dusk fell and he remembered the fourth member of the family.

"Where's Xiao Chuan? Aren't you concerned about his college entrance exam?"

"Your grandfather has him under house arrest. You'll see him when we go over for dinner."

Grandpa Huo's retirement life was quite colorful; when bored, he would torment his grandson. When Qi Shi'an went with his parents for dinner, they entered to find Huo Xuechuan hunched over memorizing vocabulary.

"Brother!" Huo Xuechuan threw down his book and ran over. "That day when you asked me to send photos, was there an opportunity to join an entertainment company?"

"No opportunity." Qi Shi'an casually picked up the vocabulary book. "Duoyi asked for you, but whether they'll accept you is another matter. How did today's exam go?"

Huo Xuechuan immediately deflated: "It was okay, I guess. I can't really tell."

Two households were having dinner at the same time. Shen Duoyi had bought gifts in Sydney and was asked to share his experiences during dinner. He gave a vivid account and finally proposed taking the three elders on a trip during the holiday, delighting Lin Yuzhu and Fei De'an.

Grandpa Shen said: "It's a shame my legs aren't good, otherwise since I have nothing to do, I could join tour groups and travel around all day."

Lin Yuzhu quickly waved her hand: "Tour groups move too fast. Last month our work unit organized a retiree tour group, but several elderly members couldn't handle it halfway through and had to be sent back."

"That's true, those of us with high blood pressure and cardiovascular problems aren't suitable for long-distance travel." Grandpa Shen showed no regret. "Anyway, there's a lake in the community, I can just fish there."

After dinner, as Shen Duoyi and Grandpa Shen prepared to leave, Lin Yuzhu called him aside and asked: "Duoyi, was everything okay with grandpa's physical examination last time?"

"Yes, just the same old problems." Shen Duoyi said, "What's wrong, Auntie?"

"Nothing, I noticed his feet were a bit swollen, probably a side effect from taking medicine all these years. Next time you should ask the doctor if they can change his current blood pressure medication to sustained-release tablets, that might help. But that's just my guess, better listen to what the doctor says."

"Alright, I understand. Thank you for your concern." Shen Duoyi thanked her, then supported Grandpa Shen out the door. Grandfather and grandson strolled along the wall to the entrance of the hutong, then drove back to Wenhu Apartments.

After helping Grandpa Shen to bed that night, Shen Duoyi half-reclined on the sofa to write his business trip work summary. He placed his laptop on his stomach, had just typed out the words "Work Summary" when he received a message.

Qi Shi'an sent: "I found another interesting book, want to read it?"

Shen Duoyi replied: "Is it related to finance? Then I don't want to."

Just after sending it, his phone rang. Looking at the nearly blank document, he answered but remained silent, waiting for Qi Shi'an to make small talk. Qi Shi'an didn't disappoint, saying: "It's a short travel essay, written by Mao Dun, very interesting."

Shen Duoyi finally responded: "What's it about?"

"Fish." Qi Shi'an was currently reclining in a hanging chair on the second-floor terrace. "The article says, 'With so many fish in the sea, whether they can fulfill their lives and build their tombs in human bellies depends on their fate.'"

Even the most boring topic seemed fascinating when coming from someone you like. Shen Duoyi deliberately changed the subject: "Seafood is delicious, the meat is especially tender."

Qi Shi'an said helplessly: "Did you also like to derail your teachers' lessons when you were in school?"

"You're not a teacher, although you do love to lecture." Shen Duoyi nervously glanced at Grandpa Shen's door, then lowered his voice to call out, "Teacher Qi, I only like derailing conversations with you."

Qi Shi'an suddenly felt as if the moon had become fuller.

A busy tone came through the phone, and Shen Duoyi looked puzzled at the hung-up screen, wondering what had happened on Qi Shi'an's end to make him hang up so rudely.

He tossed his phone aside and continued writing his work summary, first outlining a general framework, then breaking down the steps, and finally filling in the specific content would make it much easier.

Less than fifteen minutes after finishing the outline, his phone rang again. Shen Duoyi picked it up and saw it was the same rude person from before.

As soon as he answered, Qi Shi'an said: "Come down, I'm at your door."

"You came over right after hanging up?"

"Mm, I realized I haven't kissed you today."

Shen Duoyi was exasperated. Even if he ate several bags of sugar cubes, he couldn't say something so sickeningly sweet, yet Qi Shi'an said it so rightfully and openly. A man in his twenties, absolutely shameless!

He put down his laptop and went out, jogging in the cool breeze, his forehead unstoppably hot and sweaty. Shen Duoyi thought he was too helpful - since Qi Shi'an had no shame, he had to feel embarrassed on his behalf.

Running out of the apartment building, he saw the SUV in the shadows across the street. Qi Shi'an was leaning against the hood playing with a lighter, a flame dancing in his hand.

Shen Duoyi ran over quickly, and the wind from his sudden stop extinguished the flame.

Qi Shi'an wiped the sweat from his forehead, pretending to be serious: "I haven't finished telling you about that article, do you want to hear the rest?"

"Aren't you afraid I'll derail the conversation?" Shen Duoyi's face was covered in sweat, glistening in the faint moonlight.

They sat in the car with the air conditioning on for a while, then turned off the engine after cooling down. Qi Shi'an reached out to touch his cheeks, and after confirming the sweat had dried, began to speak: "That article says that fish in the sea are like people in society, probably having different ways of living and beliefs."

"Then what do you believe in?" Shen Duoyi asked curiously.

Qi Shi'an answered: "I believe in following my heart. Both my 'id' and 'superego' follow my heart. When I see a story I want to tell you, I call you. When I hear your voice and want to see you, I immediately come over."

Shen Duoyi said: "Then I'll follow my heart too, and correct one of your mistakes."

"What mistake?"

"About this article - I suddenly remembered I think I've read it before. Isn't it about Fuxian Lake's fish?" Shen Duoyi sat sideways, his shoulder against the car seat. "Wasn't it written by Jia Pingwa?"

His expression was extremely self-satisfied, like a proud elementary school student who had won a jar of marbles in a bet.

Qi Shi'an raised his hand and "click" lit the lighter. They stared at each other across the dancing flame, both their eyes gleaming. Looking into Shen Duoyi's confident eyes, he said: "Bad students are always so smug when correcting their teacher's mistakes."

Shen Duoyi blew out the flame with a "whoosh": "Haven't you heard? There are no bad students, only poor teachers."

There was still a faint light in the car, but when the wind moved the canopy of trees along the street, that thin moonlight was obscured by the swaying leaves against the night sky. The closed lighter fell on the floor mat with a muffled thud. Qi Shi'an struck like a lurking leopard - shoulder, arm, wrist - grabbing any part would let him pull his prey into his embrace.

Shen Duoyi struggled in the darkness. He could comfortably argue and talk back in the car, but didn't dare do anything bold. Unfortunately, his shoulder immediately lost its position against the backrest, and his whole body lost balance and fell forward.

Even though the SUV was spacious, the driver's seat was still cramped with two men. Qi Shi'an had already firmly embraced him, and finally responded: "A poor teacher might give bad lectures, but his grappling skills are still good."

Shen Duoyi's heart rate accelerated dramatically, partly due to the environment.

Suddenly his ear felt hot as Qi Shi'an began to kiss him. The thin shell of his ear was disturbed first, then moved down to his sideburns. He thought Qi Shi'an would kiss his cheek next, so he couldn't help but turn toward him.

Unexpectedly, Qi Shi'an returned to ambush his earlobe, nibbling continuously, even licking the heated skin behind his ear several times. Shen Duoyi lowered his head, his upper body beginning to soften and tremble. He was almost ready to surrender to the other's predatory tactics.

With his last remaining willpower, he asked: "How many people have you kissed? How are you so... sensual..."

Qi Shi'an was still close to his ear: "This hardly counts as sensual. Compared to what's coming later, this is just innocent."

Shen Duoyi keenly caught the key point: "You didn't answer the first half. Please answer the question directly."

"How many people I've kissed?" Qi Shi'an turned his head away, nuzzling Shen Duoyi's hair, looking out at the occasional cars speeding past. "Three or four, I guess - there's Shen Duoyi, Duoyi Shen, Team Leader Shen, and Duoduo—"

His mouth was forcefully covered. Qi Shi'an felt like Shen Duoyi wanted to smother him. He didn't resist, instead deliberately rubbing against the other's palm. After a while, Shen Duoyi let go and said, unable to take it: "Only my mom calls me by my nickname, and I'm grown up now - what kind of grown man goes by Duoduo?"

Qi Shi'an pretended to be extremely hurt: "I really can't call you that?"

Shen Duoyi fell for his act instantly, changing his mind in less than a second: "...Do as you please, but don't use it too often."

Qi Shi'an said very seriously: "Actually, you can call me by my nickname too, then it'll be fair."

Shen Duoyi asked: "You have a nickname?"

"Yes," Qi Shi'an seemed to have a death wish, "my nickname is 'husband'."

"But don't use it too often, I'm afraid I can't handle it."