"Gu Yansheng, how many years have we known each other?"

Before the plan could be fully explained, another more private and hot atmosphere filled the bedroom.

It was unknown who took the initiative first, perhaps it was the excitement and dependence in Gu Yansheng's eyes that had not yet faded, or perhaps it was the silent indulgence in Jiang Lin's eyes when he saw his slightly red ears, their lips naturally stuck together.

This kiss was different from the gentle comfort before, it carried a fierce confirmation of surviving a disaster and an urgent need to regain what was lost.

Gu Yansheng was almost ruthless, wrapping his arms tightly around Jiang Lin's neck, as if he wanted to embed himself into his bones and blood. As their lips and teeth intertwined, he even accidentally bit Jiang Lin's lower lip, and a faint taste of rust filled his mouth.

Jiang Lin groaned, but did not push him away. Instead, he tightened his arms around his back, allowing the slight pain to become the proof of his real possession at this moment.

He could clearly feel the slight trembling of Gu Yansheng's body, which was the loss of control after the extreme release of emotions. After all, this was the first time they were alone in a private space after the disaster, and it was normal for Gu Yansheng to show his emotions.

His broad palms patted Gu Yansheng's slightly trembling back steadily and forcefully, as if comforting a frightened bird that finally returned to its nest.

It was not until both of them were a little out of breath that they separated slightly. Gu Yansheng pressed his hot cheek against Jiang Lin's naked chest as if he was exhausted, listening to the heartbeat from inside, which was as rapid as his own but more powerful, as if he had found the perfect beat.

"Jiang Lin..." His voice was hoarse with emotion and a barely perceptible sob. "When I walked forward in the rain... I was scared... really..." He closed his eyes, as if he was back in that muddy and chaotic scene. "The feeling of the rain hitting my body... is like returning to that abandoned factory in my childhood... cold and desperate..."

He paused, buried his face deeper in her, absorbing the reassuring warmth and breath, and spoke in a low but clear voice, "But... I know you're there. I know that if I keep going forward, I'll be closer to you... closer... So, I was afraid, but I still went on..."

He raised his head, his wet eyes looking exceptionally bright and vulnerable in the dim light. He asked a question that was buried deep in his heart, a question that he had perhaps pondered on countless rainy days.

"Jiang Lin... my illness... will probably never be cured... in the future... will you get tired of me? Will you think... I'm a nuisance?"

He asked cautiously, with an almost humble tentativeness. This damn disease that followed him like a shadow was the deepest pain behind his self-confidence.

Jiang Lin did not answer immediately. He just raised his hand and ran his fingers through Gu Yansheng's soft hair, combing it from time to time, as if he was thinking or organizing his words.

After a while, his deep voice rang out in the quiet room, with a slight vibration in his chest, and he asked:

"Gu Yansheng, how many years have we known each other?"

Gu Yansheng was stunned for a moment, and subconsciously answered, "...more than 20 years."

"Yes, more than 20 years." Jiang Lin repeated, his tone calm as if he was stating an ordinary fact.

"We first met when you were seven years old, and this disease first struck. I've known it for as long as it's been with you. Over the years, I've prepared medicine for rainy days, paid attention to the weather forecast, and tried to distract you when you felt unwell... These have long become a part of my life, as natural as eating and drinking."

His fingers gently stroked the ends of Gu Yansheng's hair, and his eyes fell on a certain point in the void, as if he was looking back on the years they spent together, whether sunny or rainy.

"I used to imagine it would disappear, but as time went by, I never thought about it again." Jiang Lin's voice was steady, with a certainty tempered by time. "I just hope that no matter what the weather is like, you can be safe. As for this disease..."

He lowered his head, looked at the pair of eyes in his arms that were staring at him with anxiety, and said clearly word by word:

"I will face this with you. From the past to the present, and in the future, this is my thought. It has never changed and will never change."

There are no fancy words, no exaggerated vows, just the simplest and most direct statements, but more sincere than any love words. This is also the promise that the "social insulator" childhood sweetheart has always put into action.

Gu Yansheng's vision blurred in an instant.

The huge sourness and warmth broke down his defenses. He suddenly lowered his head and buried his hot cheeks in Jiang Lin's chest again. Then, as if it was not enough, he pulled up the quilt in self-abandonment and covered his entire head with it. He hid in the small and dark space, and made suppressed sobs.

It wasn't sadness, but a feeling of being overwhelmed by the immense sense of relief and emotion.

Jiang Lin looked at the slightly trembling "little hill" wrapped in the quilt before him, and his hard brows melted inexplicably in the night. He knew that Gu Yansheng needed this space to digest his emotions.

He didn't try to pull back the quilt, nor did he say any more words of comfort. He was not good at expressing his feelings directly.

He simply reached out his hand and, through the soft quilt, stroked the furry head over and over again, extremely gently and rhythmically.

The steady caress seemed to have magic, gradually soothing the sourness and excitement surging in Gu Yansheng's heart. The sobbing slowly stopped, and the body under the quilt no longer trembled violently, leaving only the occasional slight gasp.

He felt the head under his palm move, and the furry head cautiously poked out from the edge of the quilt. Gu Yansheng's eyes and nose were still red, like a little animal that had suffered grievances and was properly comforted. His cheeks were flushed with a healthy blush because he had been cooped up for too long.

He glanced at Jiang Lin quickly with some embarrassment, then retracted half of his face under the quilt, leaving only a pair of wet eyes looking at him.

Jiang Lin's hand did not stop, and he rubbed his messy hair, and said in a guiding and soothing manner, "Don't cry, think about where we are going. Now that we have more holidays, we can go somewhere farther away."

His voice was not loud, but it was like a solid rope, pulling Gu Yansheng steadily back to the shore of reality from the waves of emotions.

Gu Yansheng sniffed and hummed muffledly under the quilt. He slowly moved out a little, still staying beside Jiang Lin, absorbing his body warmth, but his thoughts had been brought to a sunny distance by Jiang Lin's question.

"I... I've looked up some information before, but most of it is about seaside cities in the summer. I imagine late autumn should be similar." His voice still had a hint of nasal twang from crying, but it had brightened. "There are a few places... One is to the south. I heard it's warm there in the winter, and there's the sea... The other is to the west. There's an ancient city, just like Shilong Town..."

He began to describe intermittently, and those pictures that once only existed on the web pages and in his imagination were now portrayed bit by bit with a longing for sunny weather and warm air.

People mentioned the cats lazily basking in the sun beside the stone pavement in the ancient city, as well as the special performances in the ancient city, but what people talked about most was the boundless blue sea in the south.

"Especially that city with the sea," Gu Yansheng's eyes lighted up again, as if they were filled with stars. "They said that in late autumn and even winter, the sun is shining brightly, unlike the continuous rain here... I want to go and see what the sea looks like on a clear day."

He wanted to go to a place where he could be surrounded by abundant sunshine.

Jiang Lin listened quietly without interrupting until Gu Yansheng stopped talking to take a breath due to his excitement. Then he continued calmly, as if he was just confirming an ordinary itinerary.

"Okay, let's go to the sea."

Without any weighing or comparison, he simply skipped over all other options and made the final decision, as if the city by the sea that Gu Yansheng described had already been the only and inevitable destination in his mind.

He looked down at his watch. "There's still time. I'll book the earliest flight tomorrow."

As he spoke, he was about to reach for the phone on the bedside table. His action was as astonishing as ever. Gu Yansheng didn't even need to think about it. This was also the reason why their travel plans had been implemented smoothly over the years.