At this moment, there was a knock on the door behind Lin Feiran, and Gu Kaifeng’s mother could be heard, “Kaifeng, Feiran, we are going to the company. You guys make sure to get your homework done this morning, you hear?”

Gu Kaifeng halted abruptly. Gritting his teeth, he straightened up and replied, “Got it, Mom.”

Lin Feiran took this opportunity to push Gu Kaifeng away. Opening the bedroom door, he smiled and said, “Goodbye, Auntie.”

She nodded, the corners of her lips curling into a smile as she turned and walked away.

Lin Feiran’s heart was beating ferociously; his thoughts were somewhat disoriented and his face felt a bit hot. He felt like Gu Kaifeng’s interrupted actions just now were very strange, but he dared not think too deeply about them. He bent over and picked up the obedient Xia Xia, who had remained near his feet the entire time, and teased him a couple of times. Still looking down at Xia Xia he asked Gu Kaifeng, “Where’s the leash? I’ll keep him tied up to prevent him from running away.”

Gu Kaifeng had no choice but to go search for the leash, and finding it he fastened it on Xia Xia’s collar.

Lin Feiran changed his clothes and checked for his phone and wallet. He then looped the leash around his own wrist twice before he picked Xia Xia up and gave him a kiss, “Today you’re hanging out with Bro Ran~.”

Xia Xia barked cheerfully.

“See you this afternoon.” Lin Feiran rushed past Gu Kaifeng, waving his hand with an earnest expression. “Stay home and diligently do your homework. If you have difficulty, you can reference mine... but you can’t look at my literature workbook.”

Lin Feiran felt embarrassed with his answer for the classical Chinese poetry appreciation!

Gu Kaifeng was leaning on a wall in the front hall, arms crossed as if hugging himself. “Got it,” he smiled gently, “See you this afternoon.”

Lin Feiran carried Xia Xia and left the estate. He called a taxi and, about two hours later, reached his family’s ancestral home.

There did not appear to be any changes since he last returned. Green hills and clear water stretched into the distance. The bird on the peach tree in front of the door flapped its wings and hopped from branch to branch, settling on the ridge of the roof. The air carried the faint scent of the dying embers of burned incense, which was dispersed by the wind blowing from the banks of the lake. Lin Feiran pushed open the door to a familiar courtyard. Within the courtyard came the sound of Da Huang’s vigilant barking.

Xia Xia whimpered, scared by the sight of a dog several times his size. His small claws clung to Lin Feiran’s shoulder, wanting to scrabble his way up. Lin Feiran used one hand to comfort Xia Xia and the other to rub Da Huang’s head. He looked around inside the courtyard and felt relieved when he noticed that there was a fresh steamed bun and an unfinished meat bone in Da Huang’s food bowl. Pushing open the door to his ancestral home, Lin Feiran inhaled the cool air in the house and walked in.

Grandpa is definitely still here, Lin Feiran thought.

Inside his ancestral home, Lin Feiran closed the door to keep Da Huang outside. Carrying the still frightened Xia Xia, he walked up to the second floor and entered his grandpa’s room. Lin Feiran put Xia Xia on the floor and tied one end of the leash to the bedpost, moving a bit away so that Xia Xia could not bump into him. He looked at the bed that his grandpa slept on when he died. At this moment, Lin Feiran felt at ease.

Lin Feiran was scared of ghosts to the extent that he could not possibly be more afraid. The terror persisted despite him having seen ghosts for weeks now, and each time he saw them his heart would tremble. However, if it were his grandpa and grandma, Lin Feiran believed that even if they looked scary, he would not be afraid.

Time elapsed in seconds then minutes. After approximately five minutes had passed, a sudden cold chill like freezing water washed through Lin Feiran’s body. Lin Feiran took a deep breath and looked up to see two figures sitting on the bed by the window. Their translucent bodies swayed and shimmered, seeming as if they would dissolve into the brilliant rays of light that penetrated through the window.

Lin Feiran’s breath caught in his throat. His eyes turning red, he called out in a hoarse voice, “Grandpa! Grandma!”

Under the light, the two translucent old people were no different from other ghosts. They were also pale and lifeless, but their two deathly pale faces wore kind smiles. Grandpa nodded towards Lin Feiran and got to his feet with his hands clasped behind his back as he said to his grandson, “RanRan came to see Grandpa and Grandma.”

His movements, expressions, and intonation were just like when he was alive, as if they were meeting each other under normal circumstances.

“Grandpa, I missed you...” Lin Feiran’s voice was filled with emotion. He dashed to his grandpa, trying to touch his arm and hug him.

His grandpa stepped back, waving his hand, “Don’t, you’ll get chilled.”

Lin Feiran turned to look at his grandma who was standing next his grandpa. His grandma passed away early, so Lin Feiran forgot many details of their time spent together. Nevertheless, their reunion still brought him a keen sense of poignancy and his eyes shimmered with tears as he called out, “Grandma.”

His grandma smiled and nodded, “Ai, good boy.”

Lin Feiran turned his face away, clenched his teeth, and sniffled. The grievances and fears that he had suppressed over the past few days instantly burst out, and big drops of tears fell like rain. Lin Feiran pursed his lips and sobbed wretchedly like a spoiled child, “Grandpa, I have been scared to death this past half-month, what is going on...”

“RanRan,” Grandpa sighed, “this is something beyond Grandpa’s control.”

Lin Feiran took out some tissues and blew his nose, lamenting through his tears in an inarticulate and incoherent manner, “My dormitory is full of ghosts and I am almost scared to the point of losing my sanity....sob... fortunately I have this classmate — I can block out those sights the moment I touch him so I have been sticking around him every day, 24 hours a day. I am afraid to be away from him... Today, I borrowed his dog...”

Grandpa turned to look at Xia Xia, “This dog’s Yang energy is pretty dense.”

“Woof?” Xia Xia watched Lin Feiran talking to the air with a dumbfounded expression!

“Is it really Yang energy?” Lin Feiran wiped his tears. “My classmate’s Yang energy is also strong. Grandpa, what’s going on with my body?”

Grandpa sat back on the edge of the bed and slowly recounted, “Actually, if you want to ask what this thing is and how it came about, even Grandpa cannot clearly explain.”

“......” Lin Feiran instantly collapsed.

“This was also transferred to me by my father when he passed away,” Grandpa continued. “This thing has been passed down in the Lin family for many generations. Because living people are restricted on what they can disclose, no one is able to explain it clearly. I only know that this thing recognizes its own master. Back then, your great grandfather had three sons, including me, and two daughters. I am the fourth in line, with an older brother and two older sisters ahead of me. Whether appropriate or not, this thing settled on me of all people. I felt this was because I do not have conflicts with these things. You see, this time was also the same. It did not settle on your dad but settled on you.”

Lin Feiran sniffled and nodded his head, “...En.”

He dared not imagine what it would be like if the Yin-Yang eyes settled on his dad...

Grandpa said, “My personal thoughts are that this is a type of Yin constitution. Whoever has this type of constitution will have half their foot in the underworld; that’s why they have the ability to see, hear, and touch ghosts.” He paused, “Actually, when your great-grandpa had just passed away, I was even more frightened than you. During this time, my mother and siblings all thought I went crazy. However, I did have a benefit in that your great-grandfather stayed by my side to accompany me. Even so, it took me quite a few months to adapt to this ability. RanRan, you are very brave and very steadfast. You are much stronger than Grandpa.”

Lin Feiran immediately felt wronged and bitterly stated, “Great-Grandpa accompanied you, so why didn’t Grandpa accompany me?”

Thinking about it, if some of the ghosts he saw were his own relatives, then he would have been less afraid.

Grandpa sighed and pointed at their ancestral home, “Grandpa cannot be more than one kilometer away from here. There are three types of souls that do not enter the cycle of reincarnation, and they are categorised by the degree of their lingering attachment. The first kind only has a slight longing for the world; they don’t feel much for the human world, so they are able to go anywhere. When their attachment to the world disappears, they can enter the cycle of rebirth.

“The second kind has a stronger attachment. When they died, they still had unfinished business. These souls would continue to remain in the place where their attachment lies and cannot go far until someone resolves it for them. Then they would have the ability to change into the first kind of spirit.

“The third kind is those who either died a violent death or committed suicide — they have the strongest grievances and can’t stray too far away. These souls will maintain the appearance they had at their time of death. For instance, a person who dies after he was suddenly hit by a car would retain the bloody appearance from his time of death because of his hatred. He hates how he had died so suddenly, and he hates the person who hit him with the car. If there comes a day when he no longer harbors any hatred and can come to terms with his death, he’d be able to regain his normal appearance.”

Grandpa took a pause before continuing, “The things that Grandpa talked about are human souls. Humans have many desires so they have deeper lingering attachments. Even a heartless person would not have a heart as blank as a sheet of paper. But animals are not the same. You should have noticed that there are particularly few animal souls in this world; their lingering attachments fade quickly, so most of them are able to enter the reincarnation cycle shortly after their deaths.”

Lin Feiran seemed to half understand, and nodding his head he asked, “Grandpa is the second type? What about Grandma? What lingering attachments do you have?”

“Mine ah, this.” Grandpa revealed a smile that Lin Feiran was very familiar with. Like a mischievous child, he surreptitiously tugged on Lin Feiran’s grandma’s sleeve.

In a half embarrassed and half bashful manner, Lin Feiran’s grandma shook off Grandpa’s hand, complaining, “You should act more dignified in front of our grandson.”

“......” Lin Feiran was caught off guard and was fed a big mouthful of dog food! In his weakened state, he suffered double damage!

“Grandpa didn’t stay away from you on purpose.” Saying this, Grandpa felt it was still a bit inadequate, so he added, “I also missed you, but our subjective wills don’t have the last say in deciding what our attachments are. I felt that I had to see my grandson, but it was useless. As long as the strongest desire in my heart is not resolved, I cannot leave. Your Grandma also cannot leave because her lingering attachment is here. When she was approaching death, her wish was to stay in this room and continue to accompany me.”

Lin Feiran calmed down. Wiping his tear-covered face, he asked,“Grandpa, you were actually able to see Grandma the entire time, right? I remember you always used to be alone talking to yourself. You were actually talking to Grandma?”

Grandpa grinned and nodded, confessing, “This old lady followed me around every day. As soon as I drank just two extra sips of wine or ate some roasted chicken, she would grab my ear and scold me. Now it’s great! She doesn’t need to nag since there are no more of those! All I get is a bunch of steamed bun offerings on my grave; who likes to eat that?”

Grandpa had always been unhappy when he did not have meat. The corners of Lin Feiran’s lips curved upwards as he rushed to say, “Then I will go buy some alcohol and roasted chicken for you. Would you be able to eat them?”

“No hurry,” Grandpa waved his hand, “focus on yourself first.” As he spoke Grandpa stood up, pointing to the bed below him, “Lift up the mattress and open the bed board. There’s something underneath.”

At a glance, it appeared there would be some sort of secret inheritance. Grandpa must have put in MAX effort to leave him a legacy!

Lin Feiran clumsily lifted the mattress, set it aside, and found a loose bed board underneath that seemed to open like a cabinet door. Digging his fingertips into the small crack, he lifted the board and discovered a small notebook. The book looked awfully old-fashioned: it had a bright red cover embossed with the portrait of a leader above a slogan that encapsulated the feelings of a bygone era. Lin Feiran picked it up and opened it carefully, the pages yellow and brittle with age. Glancing through, he found it was full of records of magic spells and the like.

What ‘black donkey hoof wards off evil’? What ‘draw a cup of chicken blood and splash it in the southeast direction at maoshi? .....

“What is this?” Lin Feiran asked.

“The contents were passed down by your great-grandpa, I copied them myself.” Grandpa looked at the book with nostalgia. “The notes recorded inside... can be thought of as magic and stuff. However, most of them are for exorcising particularly resentful and malicious spirits. You don’t have to learn them; even if you do, about eighty percent are useless. Grandpa also does not expect you to pass this down, just take it and keep it with you just in case.”

Lin Feiran made a weak sound of agreement.

Inheriting his deceased grandpa’s secret manual for exorcising ghosts or whatever originally should have marked the beginning of an upgrade streak. Wouldn’t it be reasonable to say that Grandpa’s manual was a golden finger that would blast open the path to exorcising ghosts and spirits with the utmost ease? That would just feel awesome, awesome, and even more awesome! However, Lin Feiran was terrified of ghosts, and just hearing the two words “malicious spirits” was enough to make his heart jump in fright. If he could simply live a normal life even while seeing ghosts every day, then he would be more than satisfied.

Lin Feiran placed the palm-sized book into his pocket. “Grandpa,” he asked, “Am I unable to tell these things to others? Each time I try to speak, the words won’t come out. I can’t even write about it.”

Grandpa shook his head, “You can’t do anything about it, and there is no way to convey it to others. If there were a way, why would I not tell your Dad? That stinky boy!”

Lin Feiran lowered his head in disappointment, thought about it, and said in a depressed tone, “In fact, I haven’t seen ghosts that often since that day. My classmate has very strong Yang energy; if I touch him once, I can go for five minutes without seeing the ghosts. The same goes with his dog, so I have to either stay close to him or his dog every day. Yesterday, I even stayed over at his house. Do you have any ideas on how I could stop being like this? It’s terrible for me to always be bothering others like this every day.”

Moreover, Gu Kaifeng seems as if he’s a little... Lin Feiran’s heart suddenly jumped. Shaking his head vigorously, Lin Feiran tried to disperse that blush-inducing thought.

“Yang energy can temporarily decrease the effects of your Yin constitution.” Grandpa stroked his beard. “Since your friend’s Yang energy is so strong, there should also be residual Yang energy in the things he used. It’s just that the Yang energy is too little, so you can’t see it. Still, it should be able to temporarily suppress your Yin energy.”

The things that Gu Kaifeng used are also effective? Lin Feiran’s eyes brightened as a door to a new world opened!

If that’s the case, then I have to think of some ways to take one or two of Gu Kaifeng’s things and secretly send them back once the Yang energy is consumed. Isn’t this so much better than sticking to him 24 hours a day?

“However,” Grandpa coughed heavily, before continuing solemnly, “Grandpa recommends that you don’t do this. The best method is for you to gradually adapt and get used to it. Otherwise, don’t tell me you’re going to follow this classmate your entire life...” Pausing, Grandpa confirmed, “Is the person you spoke of a male student?”

Lin Feiran was startled. He heard the implications of Grandpa’s words and blushed slightly, “Yes, a male classmate.”

“Then are you planning on taking a pet everywhere in the future? You’ll bring a dog to school or to work?” Grandpa asked.

Lin Feiran deflated, as the little hope he had left completely vanished, “No.”

It truly was impossible. In the future, he still had university and then work. How could it be possible to guarantee he would not see ghosts under all circumstances?

“It is normal for you to be afraid now. It is also a good thing to have a person with such strong Yang energy shield you in the beginning.” Grandpa softened his tone, “However, you cannot be too dependent on him. Eventually, you will need to face this alone.”

Lin Feiran nodded weakly. He said, depressed, “Got it, Grandpa.”

Afterwards, Lin Feiran chatted with Grandpa for a long time and listened as Grandpa shared some anecdotes from his past. He hadn’t known that his Grandpa used his Yin constitution to do so many things. As he listened, he began to understand why his Grandpa had wanted his Dad to inherit his “legacy.”

“.... The Heavens must have their own reason for why people like us exist. Perhaps right now you don’t want to understand and feel this is burdensome. Later you will understand.” The two continued chatting and at the end of the conversation, Grandpa placed his hand about one centimeter above the top of Lin Feiran’s head. Patting the air above Lin Feiran’s head, he murmured, “Just do good things, don’t ask about the future.”

Confused, Lin Feiran nodded, “En.”

Before heading back, Lin Feiran took Xia Xia with him to the village’s delicatessen. He bought some of Grandpa’s favorite foods that he hadn’t dared to eat when he was alive due to bad health: roasted chicken, pig head meat, duck neck...

After he finished there, he went to buy 500 grams of liquor, and then he went to Grandpa’s grave. Following Grandpa’s method of making an offering to spirits, he placed the items in front of the tomb. Then, he silently pictured Grandpa’s image in his head while he lit two incense sticks and prayed.

“This time, you can eat without restraint.” Lin Feiran picked up Xia Xia — who was staring attentively at the meat while drooling — and smiled at the empty space in front of him. “From now on, I will frequently take time to come back and give you delicious food.”

Lin Feiran stood up after making the offerings. Carrying Xia Xia, he took out a small piece of chicken from another bag in his hands and tore it into shreds for Xia Xia to eat. While feeding Xia Xia, he walked back to his ancestral home and added a big portion of chicken to Da Huang’s meal. From what Grandpa said, Da Huang’s spiritual sense was relatively strong. Every night from 11:00 pm to 1:00 am — the darkest part of the night when Yin energy is the most concentrated — Da Huang was able to sense Grandpa and Grandma’s presence. Therefore, Da Huang vehemently refused to be taken back and raised by other relatives. Helpless, everyone ultimately allowed Da Huang to stay in the courtyard of the ancestral home with a distant uncle coming by every day to bring food for him.

In the evening, after Lin Feiran sent Xia Xia back to Gu Kaifeng’s home, Gu Kaifeng’s mother drove the two of them back to campus. Upon reaching the dormitory, she opened the car trunk and pointed to large and small packages of various imported snacks and fruits. “I bought you guys a few things to eat at school,” she said.

“I’ll carry them.” Gu Kaifeng rolled up his sleeves, wanting to carry up this mound of ‘a few things’ by himself. Lin Feiran hastily took a couple bags from Gu Kaifeng. He wanted to take another but Gu Kaifeng dashed up the stairs like the wind, taking the big packages and small bundles with him. Lin Feiran thanked Gu Kaifeng’s mother, said goodbye, and turned around to chase him upstairs.

In the dormitory, Gu Kaifeng took out a large fruit bowl and brought the fruits to the washroom. Lin Feiran also stickily went over to help. Taking blueberries out from a small plastic tub, he put them under the water and rubbed them gently before dropping them into the bowl. Gu Kaifeng also followed these steps, but each time he went to put the washed fruits into the bowl, Gu Kaifeng would deliberately touch Lin Feiran with his fingers and then glance at him with an ambiguous gaze. Without Xia Xia for support, Lin Feiran’s courage shrank into a small ball. Even though Lin Feiran felt Gu Kaifeng’s actions were strange, he could only put up with Gu Kaifeng’s teasing and dared not ask any questions!

After teasing him a few times, Gu Kaifeng was amused by Lin Feiran’s ‘dare to get angry but don’t dare to say it’ expression. He smiled and asked, “Where did you take Xia Xia today?”

Lin Feiran was reticent and faintly said, “Heaven’s secrets cannot be revealed.”

“Little cutie.” Gu Kaifeng only thought he was being playful and used his wet fingers to pinch Lin Feiran’s angelic little face.

Lin Feiran: “......”

It really is something that cannot be revealed, okay! Do you think I’m selling meng?

They went back to their room to eat some of the fruit. Filled with worry, Lin Feiran grabbed his mobile phone and climbed to the upper bunk bed.

Right. As a good boy who listened to Grandpa, Lin Feiran decided that from today forward he would start practicing how to adapt to seeing ghosts. He had always understood that sticking to Gu Kaifeng was not a real solution. Previously, he was simply too terrified, so he did not want to address this point. He’d hoped he would be lucky when he saw Grandpa and that he would have some method to help him stop seeing ghosts. However...

Lin Feiran looked at the time on his mobile phone; he had decided he would begin training himself by looking at ghosts for five minutes. Unfolding the quilt that he had left neatly folded on the bed, he bundled himself up, leaving only his head and hands exposed. Then, he bowed his head to play on his phone, trying to distract himself.

Several minutes passed and the familiar ice cold feeling invaded. Lin Feiran bit his lip, then cautiously and solemnly extended his head to look down. The sun had just set and the nocturnal ghosts in the dormitory still had not gotten up. They were either lying on the ground in every direction or sleeping on the table. The room was filled with the sounds of successive breathing and snoring, and sometimes even some mumbled words spoken in sleep. The faces of these sleeping ghosts were still just as scary, but at least when sleeping they were a little less threatening.

Lin Feiran forced himself to look for half a minute. His heart pounded erratically and his complexion became pale. He took one deep breath through his mouth after another and huddled in the corner by the wall.

On the one hand, he comforted himself, it will get better after I get used to it. Ghosts are just scary to look at, they won’t actually hurt me.On the other hand... he lowered his head and rigidly stared at his cell phone screen. After the five minutes training time he assigned himself were up, he would immediately get out of bed and absorb Gu Kaifeng’s Yang energy.

However, before the time was up, a voice floated up from the lower bunk. It belonged to Gu Kaifeng. “Did you see the school forum?”

“No. What happened?” Lin Feiran tried to make his voice steady, not wanting Gu Kaifeng to hear it tremble.

Gu Kaifeng did not respond and instead climbed directly to the upper bunk. He did not bat an eye as his gaze swept across Lin Feiran, who had wrapped the quilt around himself like a small cocoon. Gu Kaifeng placed his mobile phone before Lin Feiran’s eyes and said, “Look.”

The effects of the Yin-Yang eyes disappeared the moment Gu Kaifeng came over.

Rescued, Lin Feiran relaxed and took a closer look. Gu Kaifeng’s phone was showing a post on their school’s forum. The post was titled “818 Sophomore class has CP that is cute enough to cause you to shoot blood.” The contents were mostly YY about Lin Feiran and Gu Kaifeng by various fujoshi classmates.

“Uh...” Lin Feiran’s eyes widened uncomfortably.

Gu Kaifeng swiped his fingers upwards to scroll down the post. Lin Feiran saw that someone had released a picture of him and Gu Kaifeng from the backstage of the Arts Festival two days ago. The picture was taken secretly after Lin Feiran finished his piano solo, when Gu Kaifeng had walked down from the stage, held Lin Feiran, and spun him around in a circle.

By chance, Gu Kaifeng was directly facing the camera in this picture. His pair of black eyes were curved gently as he gazed at Lin Feiran, held in his embrace. The depths of his eyes glowed with restraint and a soft radiance, his expression full of pampering indulgence and affection.

The time Gu Kaifeng had spent holding and spinning Lin Feiran was very short, and Lin Feiran’s thoughts were also not on Gu Kaifeng at the time. Therefore, he had not noticed the other’s expression. But now... Lin Feiran’s eyes locked with the eyes of Gu Kaifeng in the picture and his face, which had been ghostly pale just a moment ago, suddenly reddened.

Lin Feiran lowered his eyelashes, his gaze moving about erratically. Even his voice was weak as he laughed dryly and struggled to find something to say. “What’s up with this post? How did we become a CP...”

“Someone posted on the forum just a few days after you transferred.” The corners of Gu Kaifeng’s mouth tilted slightly upwards and he said with a smile, “All of them are saying I am the gong and you are the shou.”

“I am definitely not a shou.” Lin Feiran’s nervousness and unease were written all over his face. “I am straight as a pen, straight as a pen...”

Gu Kaifeng chuckled and uttered cheerfully, “Like hell you’re straight.”

Lin Feiran choked and blushed as he protested, “Is it proper for you to so simply and rudely deny other people’s sexual orientation?”

“Stop playing, I’m about to go crazy.” Gu Kaifeng’s voice was very low. His gaze swept across Lin Feiran’s crimson face and he changed the subject. “Why are you bundled up in the quilt? Cold?”

What playing? What about to go crazy? Lin Feiran vaguely felt something was off and hastened to follow the new topic. He nodded and said, “Cold. These days, there is a drastic difference between daytime and nighttime temperatures— What are you doing?”

“Helping you warm up.” Gu Kaifeng had peeled off the quilt that was wrapped around Lin Feiran, trapped his slender body against the wall, and gave no explanation as he pressed his body against Lin Feiran’s. Using his fingers to flick Lin Feiran’s deep red earlobes, he smiled lightly and asked, “Is it warm?”

Lin Feiran was in a daze from being pressed down and his bright black eyes widened into perfect circles. Although he had the feeling that a disaster was about to occur, in a futile attempt to maintain the ‘conversation between ordinary friends atmosphere,’ he stammered, “Quite, quite warm, it’s just, it’s just that I’m a little out of breath...”

“Lin Feiran,” Gu Kaifeng’s deep gaze was entirely focused on Lin Feiran. He gently pinched his chin and asked, “Can I call you RanRan from now on?”

Lin Feiran swallowed stiffly, his face so red that even a monkey’s butt could not compare. “Only my, my family calls me that.”

“A boyfriend can partially count as a family member,” Gu Kaifeng spoke vaguely. Under the deer-like watery, panicked, and watchful gaze of Lin Feiran, he moved a little closer to him and asked the question that he had been suppressing deep in his heart these days. “Let me ask you something... Don’t you like me?”

Lin Feiran was so shaken by these words that his soul nearly flew away. “What?”

Gu Kaifeng ignored Lin Feiran’s question and smiled faintly, stating seriously, “I like you. Let’s be together, okay?”

His voice was soft and magnetic with each and every word clearly articulated, and each and every one was like a grenade that instantly exploded on Lin Feiran.

“Wait, wait—” What he originally thought to be the least probable guess suddenly turned out to be the truth. Lin Feiran was dumbfounded and wanted to refute, but Gu Kaifeng clasped his face in his hands, leaned his head forward, and firmly planted a kiss on Lin Feiran’s lips.

Lin Feiran had not yet finished saying “wait” and his lips were slightly parted. This presented the perfect opportunity to Gu Kaifeng and the soft, moist tip of his tongue gently and clumsily probed the inside of Lin Feiran’s mouth. As soon as it touched Lin Feiran’s tongue, it amateurishly and bashfully retreated. However, this bashfulness did not last for even one second before it was dispelled by a more intense and scorching emotion.

The feeling of intertwining your lips and tongue with the person you like is wonderful. Gu Kaifeng felt as though he was bewitched. There was a thunderous roar of blood rushing past his eardrums, and for several seconds he felt like he was losing his hearing.

The whole world seemed like it was enclosed inside a very small eggshell, leaving only him and the shy, struggling teen beneath him. Except, there was very little strength put into that struggle, like how a butterfly held in one’s hand would weakly flutter its wings a few times before becoming motionless.

“Mmm...” Lin Feiran’s eyes widened in bewilderment. The shock he was experiencing at this very moment was no less than when he first saw ghosts. For this reason, for a moment he actually did not know what to do. He wanted to break away, but his arms were securely pinned. He wanted to push out the tip of Gu Kaifeng’s tongue with his own, but it ended up working against him; it seemed instead as if he were being indulgent.

In the end, even Lin Feiran did not know whether or not he was being indulgent.

Pressed beneath Gu Kaifeng, his body was rapidly heating up and his four limbs softened, unable to exert any strength. His entire body felt as light as a feather. In his daze, Lin Feiran even had the illusion that should Gu Kaifeng let him go, he would float to the ceiling like a balloon.

Gu Kaifeng thought that Lin Feiran’s wide-eyed expression when they kissed seemed very adorable, and his eyes curved with his smile. He reached out to cover Lin Feiran’s eyes with his hand, and deepened their kiss.

It wasn’t until they were both gasping for breath that Gu Kaifeng reluctantly ended this first kiss that was perfect enough to be the subject of his reminiscence for one hundred years.

“RanRan?” Gu Kaifeng reached out his hand and waved it in front of Lin Feiran and said softly, “Wake up.”

The corners of Lin Feiran’s eyes were damp. He pursed his lips, which were somewhat red and swollen from being kissed. His expression was sluggish for a few seconds and he only now spoke the words he could not get out in time earlier: “I, I don’t have that kind of interest in you. You... What are you doing?”

“Do not have that kind of interest?” This time it was Gu Kaifeng’s turn to see ghosts. “Say that again?”

Lin Feiran shook his head like a drum-shaped rattle, his heart beating violently.

Silence hung in the air for a few seconds. The situation suddenly became embarrassing; the first kiss had instantly turned into an awkward kiss.

Gu Kaifeng took a deep breath and, clenching his teeth, asked, “Then what are you trying to do by teasing me every day?”

“I...” Lin Feiran had only finished saying the word “I” before the subsequent string of words pertaining to Yin-Yang eyes and Yang energy became stuck in his throat. Not a single word could come out.

Seeing that Lin Feiran was not speaking, Gu Kaifeng’s face sank and he forced himself to ask, “Do you think it’s fun to tease me?”

“No!” Lin Feiran hastily and loudly denied, “Definitely not!”

Gu Kaifeng observed Lin Feiran, who appeared eager to plead his innocence, and felt his expression was not faked. He also believed Lin Feiran was not that kind of person. This small thing is usually so adorably foolish; toying with someone’s feelings is something beyond his capabilities. Thus, Gu Kaifeng’s expression gradually returned to one more mild. With mixed feelings of love and hate, he pinched Lin Feiran’s chin and swayed it to and fro, asking, “Then why won’t you own up to it after teasing me this much? Heartless little thing.”

Lin Feiran said guiltily, “I was not purposely trying to tease you. I didn’t know you’re gay. Two straight men being this way is normal, right...”

As he was speaking, he recalled the things he had done. The more he thought about it, the more unreasonable he found himself to be. Consequently, the volume of his voice grew fainter as he spoke. Towards the end, he was practically communicating by telepathy.

Gu Kaifeng was angry enough to grind his teeth. “Two straight men being this way is normal? Want to try saying that again?”

Lin Feiran summoned up the courage to be defiant. “Two straight men...”

Even with straight men, it seemed to be very abnormal! Lin Feiran felt as if the heavens had just poured a bucket of cold water over him, leaving him in utter disappointment.

Gu Kaifeng said resentfully, “If you dare to repeat it, I will kiss you to death.”

Lin Feiran immediately shut his mouth.

Gu Kaifeng got straight to the point, “Even if you felt this was normal, why aren’t you like this with other male students?”

Lin Feiran had no way to answer this question, so he could only let his head droop listlessly and remain silent.

His appearance highly resembled a soft and deflated sticky cake!

Seeing him like this, Gu Kaifeng forcefully restrained his anger and softened his tone a bit. “Was it that I was too rough just now and scared you?”

Lin Feiran thought about it, then shook his head.

He actually was more than a little frightened, but this was not the reason he rejected Gu Kaifeng.

Gu Kaifeng eagerly tried to guess again, “Is it because you were a straight man before so even though you like me, your heart still feels uneasy?”

Lin Feiran was distressed enough for tears to form. “I don’t like you...”

“Don’t cry.” Once Gu Kaifeng saw Lin Feiran’s crying appearance, he itched to ruthlessly push him down and ravage him thoroughly. He used his thumb to wipe the corners of Lin Feiran’s eyes. In a soft and patient voice, he mentioned the one possibility that remained after all the other possibilities were eliminated. “What you want is for us to progress slowly and have me court you, right? If so, then just admit it. This older brother has never courted anyone before, so this is the chance to experience it.”

Lin Feiran once again denied, “How could that be?”

“Then you tell me why you have been teasing me for half a month.” Gu Kaifeng gnashed his teeth and said, “If you cannot give me a reasonable explanation within one minute, then I will go with this one.”

Lin Feiran thought for a while, but his mind was blank. Without any other option, he withered and shrank his neck, timidly apologizing and begging for mercy. “I’m sorry. I’m truly sorry. I didn’t realize you would think this way. It’s entirely my fault. From now on, I will keep my distance from you, okay...”

Gu Kaifeng looked at Lin Feiran’s appearance that was as pitiful as a little rabbit’s. On the inside, he wanted to laugh a little, but on the outside, he looked completely callous as he bowed his head and clutched his watch. “Not okay. There are still ten seconds left. 10, 9, 8...”

Lin Feiran tugged on Gu Kaifeng’s arm and worded carefully, “I have been having nightmares every day lately and was particularly frightened. That’s why I have been bothering you. I feel as though our school is haunted. Honestly, the dormitory, the classrooms — the entire place is eerie...”

Gu Kaifeng gave a frigid smile. “Are you trying to deceive an idiot?”

Lin Feiran desired to weep, but failed to shed a tear: “......”

This was actually the closest to the truth!

“Time is up.” Gu Kaifeng asked, “What is the reasonable explanation?”

Unable to give an explanation, this Lin Feiran brand of little sticky cake wore a vacant expression as he collapsed in a corner, a limp heap that could not be made to stand.

Gu Kaifeng drawled, “Then that means you—”

Lin Feiran gave his dying struggle. The usually arrogant and narcissistic Young Master Lin wept blood as he self-deprecatingly said, “I remembered now. Actually, my brain is extremely abnormal.”

Gu Kaifeng disregarded this absurd explanation of mental retardation and, emphasizing each word, continued to speak, “—You don’t mean what you say. You’re playing hard to get.”

Lin Feiran was silent for a moment. Then, gritting his teeth, he recklessly and resolutely went ahead and said, “I admit it! I was actually just toying with you. Beat me to vent your anger!”

“Oh?” Gu Kaifeng kept his gaze fixed on Lin Feiran.

The blush on Lin Feiran’s cheeks, caused by Gu Kaifeng’s kiss, had not yet faded. His eyelashes were damp and his expressive face — which could not hide his inner thoughts — was revealing the expression of someone who was ready to die a martyr. Agitation caused his chest to beat like a drum, and the corners of his mouth were pulled into an aggrieved frown. This kind of look clearly indicated that his ruthless words were spoken in a fit of anger.

Lin Feiran raised his eyes and met Gu Kaifeng’s gaze for an instant, then grit his teeth and shut his eyes, giving off the image of someone ready to take a beating. Tilting his head to the side to expose half of his face to Gu Kaifeng, he prepared himself to receive a punch.

Gu Kaifeng had harbored such doubts earlier, but these suspicions vanished once he saw Lin Feiran’s appearance.

“I don’t want to beat you.” Gu Kaifeng did not believe Lin Feiran’s words, but he played along and said, “I just want to f**k you once to vent my anger.”

Lin Feiran trembled in alarm and his eyes flew open.

The corners of Gu Kaifeng’s lips curved up, revealing a ruffian-like smile. “Lin Feiran, I have been teased like a dog by you. Ask yourself this, have your actions towards me been normal? Therefore, no matter what, you have to be responsible for me. Are you still a man if you run away after you’ve finished teasing me?”

Lin Feiran, who had never thought there would actually be a day where he found himself responsible for a man who was ten centimeters taller than himself: “......”