No combination

Xu Youling's heart beat twice quickly, and he couldn't tell whether it was happiness or nervousness. He calmed down for a moment, leaned on Pei Zhi's chest and looked up at him.

The remaining water color was so shivering and pitiful that Pei Zhi narrowed his eyes under the stare. He lifted him up slightly and said, half asking, half threateningly, "You're not talking again. Am I wrong?"

When Pei Zhi got serious, he would purse his lips involuntarily, and his cold and fierce face would then reveal a sense of concentration. Seeing that Xu Youling didn't respond, he hugged her tighter and asked in a whisper, "Hmm?"

"I'm not showing sympathy indiscriminately," Xu Youling felt the need to defend himself and explained slowly, "I made an exchange with them. If I could save Shen Jiayi..."

"Can you save me too?" Pei Zhi's voice deepened.

Xu Youling felt guilty for no reason, lowered his head and said "hmm" softly.

Pei Zhi didn't like being "saved" by his beloved, but when he saw the soft black hair on his head and felt his hands clinging to his shoulders, he couldn't vent his anger no matter how big it was, and it could only turn into another kiss on the top of his head.

"Did I ever tell you that you could come with me?" Pei Zhi reached out and lifted Xu Youling's face. "Did you hear that?"

Knowing that he meant escaping from the White Tower and living somewhere else, Xu Youling blinked twice quickly: "That wouldn't be very good."

Pei Zhi was almost laughing at his anger. He pinched his face and said with a bit of regret: "Why are you so cowardly?"

"I'm sorry." Xu Youling showed weakness.

He had no idea where Pei Zhi's fate would lead, and it seemed that all this was not subject to the will of an outsider like him.

Only by being obedient and getting closer to Pei Zhi, it seemed that this way they would never be separated again.

Xu Youling was a little absent-minded, and Pei Zhi didn't remind him. He just looked at his drooping eyelashes thoughtfully, then bent down and kissed him between the eyebrows lovingly.

"Go to sleep." Pei Zhi whispered, "Don't you have to get up early tomorrow?"

Xu Youling was almost about to forget everything except Pei Zhi. Only when he asked her something close to her face did she nod blankly.

However, Pei Zhi felt satisfied even when he saw him in a daze. He patted him on the back twice and said, "Go to sleep."

The night is still dark, and without windows, I can't feel the passage of time.

I don’t know whether this lingering love will be short or long, light or heavy, I only know that the other person’s embrace is warm and trustworthy, so I deserve to sleep until dawn.

-

When Xu Youling woke up the next day, Pei Zhi was gone.

The room was empty, and the bed sheet beside him had a slight dent. He turned over and sat up, stunned for a moment.

Pei Zhi.

Pei Zhi is back. Pei Zhi remembers everything. Pei Zhi is beyond redemption.

Many thoughts were tangled together, making her feel confused. Xu Youling jumped out of bed lightly, opened the door and went downstairs.

"Awake?" Lu Heng sat in his old seat and raised his eyebrows lazily at him. "It's rare."

"Well, I didn't sleep well last night, so I got up late." Xu Youling tried to cover up his mistake, but it only made it more obvious.

Lu Heng did not comment, his eyes swept around Xu Youling ambiguously, but he did not seem to find what he expected, so he turned his face away regretfully.

Xu Youling pretended to be busy and started wiping the counter, running back and forth to wash the rag. The "thump thump thump" footsteps startled the orange cat who was sleeping like a pig, and it yawned in dissatisfaction.

"Awake." Xu Youling greeted the orange cat with a guilty conscience, "Well, next time, I'll let you sleep upstairs."

"Don't let the children watch those." Lu Heng said suddenly.

Xu Youling immediately turned her face away and continued to wipe the counter.

"What do you mean? Can he do it?" Lu Heng didn't intend to let him go. "How far has he gone?"

Looking like an experienced person, Xu Youling paused and hummed "It's okay" like a mosquito.

"I knew it!" Lu Heng snapped his fingers. "You're still pretending, saying you want to give him mental hints... Ahem, he does seem okay. You rarely get up this late."

Xu Youling pursed his lips, almost teasing her. He glanced furtively at the door to make sure Pei Zhi or Duan Xingzhi wouldn't show up. Then he dropped the rag and sat down next to Lu Heng, trying his best to appear calm. "I have some questions."

"Ask." Lu Heng was very generous.

"Were you and Duan Xingzhi lovers before?" Xu Youling asked cautiously.

Lu Heng seemed to be in a genuinely good mood today, her tone quite relaxed, unlike before when she would get angry whenever Duan Xingzhi was mentioned: "It depends on how you define a lover. If having sex is considered a lover, then so be it."

Xu Youling's face flushed red, and she stammered, "I'm not asking that... Well, okay, even if you are lovers, then you, then you..."

"I rode it once, faced it twice, and then I don't remember anything." Lu Heng remained calm and collected. "I fainted."

"That's not what I'm asking!" Xu Youling rushed over and covered his mouth.

"Then what do you want to ask?" Lu Heng smiled unkindly, "I can't tell you any more details."

Xu Youling was filled with shame and anger, wishing she had never asked that question, or simply disappeared into the cracks of the ground: "Stop talking... I wanted to ask, that is..."

"What was your first kiss like?" Xu Youling scratched his hand and asked in a very low voice, "Was it him who initiated it or... you?"

"Cough cough!" Lu Heng was choked by him and coughed violently for a while, "You haven't kissed yet?"

He thought that what was supposed to happen had already happened!

"Keep your voice down, keep your voice down!" Xu Youling was so anxious, "What's wrong with not kissing? We haven't confirmed our relationship... Not at all, not at all..."

"Combination." Lu Heng said it for him, shaking his head with a look of regret. "I thought you were finally brave enough."

Xu Youling stopped talking, stood up angrily and went to the operating table to clean up this and that: "I don't want to talk to you anymore!"

Lu Heng was surprised to be given the cold shoulder by the rather tepid Xu Youling, and couldn't help but tease him: "It wasn't going well? He didn't want to? Not really~"

"I'm not unwilling, how could I be unwilling!" Xu Youling pouted.

"Is this true? Maybe he really didn't want to, and the system forced him to be assigned a guide he didn't know at all. Out of a sense of responsibility, he ran to the other person's store, and then..." Lu Heng continued to talk nonsense.

"No way!" Xu Youling turned back angrily, "He missed it so much! He's been holding her all night, how could I not know?"

Lu Heng suppressed a smile and nodded: "Yes, yes, he thinks so much."

"He really, really likes me." Xu Youling's anger subsided a little, and he said seriously with his back to the door, "So it's understandable that he wants to kiss me."

Lu Heng didn't respond. Xu Youling raised his head, a little dissatisfied: "What's wrong? Was I wrong?"

"I really miss it." Pei Zhi said.

Xu Youling froze instantly, not daring to move. It was completely unbelievable... He should have been able to easily sense Pei Zhi's approach!

He is obviously a guide!

Pei Zhi's expression remained unchanged. He simply placed the shopping bag he had purchased on the counter and began to take out the small items inside and put them away, as if he was particularly familiar with this store and was another owner of it. "Why don't you sleep in a little longer?"

"Well... I'm not sleepy." Xu Youling's face was very red, and he was as obedient as a quail.

Pei Zhi didn't say anything, so he could only pretend nothing happened and slowly restocked the detergents and air fresheners with Pei Zhi, occasionally glaring at Lu Heng who was still trying to hold back her laughter.

The two stood very close, so Pei Zhi's hand touched his wrist from time to time. Once, when he handed him a cleaning tool, he even pinched his fingertips quickly.

Xu Youling suddenly turned his head to look at him, but Pei Zhi continued to clean up with his head down, not even looking at him, as if he had never done anything that was enough to cause misunderstanding and ambiguity.

“…”

For some reason, the heat on my cheeks suddenly subsided a little, and I felt dizzy.

Xu Youling stood beside Pei Zhi, but felt no signs of any unnecessary emotion. The sentry was calm and indifferent, and aside from whispering, "Put it here," he made no other move.

The embarrassment of realizing it belatedly and Lu Heng's unintentional words just now came to his mind, making Xu Youling stunned for a moment.

Yeah... after all, since we haven't confirmed our relationship, I shouldn't say that anyway.

It shouldn't be heard by Pei Zhi.

This is so embarrassing. What would Pei Zhi think? If you put yourself in his shoes, you will definitely think that he is a strange person.

Very strange, very strange person.

When Xu Youling was in a daze, his beautiful eyes would become a little empty and unfocused. He turned his head to look at Pei Zhi for a while, then turned his head back.

Forget it, it’s said. What can I do about it now that it’s out there? Just don’t say it again next time.

And Pei Zhi didn't say anything, maybe he didn't mind.

Xu Youling thought so in his heart, but when he went back to the task at hand, he began to daydream again. Pei Zhi had already arranged the things, but he was still standing there stupidly looking at his fingers.

Pei Zhi put his things away and came back, staring at the dazed pretty little guide for a while, then suddenly grabbed Xu Youling's waist and brought him to his side, tilted his head, and gave him a loud kiss on the face.

“!”

Xu Youling was caught off guard and was held close to Pei Zhi's waist with her eyes wide open. She only raised her head with a look of horror after the sound.

Pei Zhi's face was calm, but his tone was a little resentful: "What's that expression? Actually, you don't want to do it."

"No, no..." Xu Youling's face was red as blood, and she wanted to run away, "Can you please not do this in front of others..."

"You can say those things to him, is he still considered a normal person?" Pei Zhi lowered his head and kissed his forehead again, this time with a little less movement.

Lu Heng's expression changed from watching the show at the beginning to being completely speechless.

Xu Youling was too embarrassed to speak. Like a clumsy kitten, she let Pei Zhi pinch her face again before being reluctantly let go. Everything she did felt like she was walking on clouds, her feet feeling light and airy.

Pei Zhi gave him a funny look and suggested sympathetically, "Why don't you go upstairs and sleep for a while?"

"I'm not going to sleep anymore...I'm going to work." Xu Youling insisted weakly.

Pei Zhi went to open the door readily, so Xu Youling turned around quickly and wiped his flushed face with his sleeve again, feeling the warmth on his wrist.

Are you thinking too much?

The tall sentry was busy in his shop like any ordinary person. Xu Youling raised his head from his sleeve to take a look, and his heart beat faster.

I miss it so much too.