As soon as the kitchen door opened,

Li Yu'an smelled a rich sweet aroma. He was originally concentrating on the competition materials, but his attention was instantly drawn to

Yan Cen, who walked to the dining table with a small bowl of steaming food. He turned around and met Li Yu'an's eyes, chuckling, "Are you hungry? Come here."

Li Yu'an stood up and walked faster, "Did you cook glutinous rice balls? Isn't the Lantern Festival a few days ago?"

"Who said that sweets can only be eaten on traditional festivals?" Yan Cen asked back, handing him the carefully prepared dessert, "I made you sweet glutinous rice balls with milk. I saw that the online tutorials have good reviews."

Li Yu'an looked at the round balls in the bowl and said with some anticipation, "Oh."

"I didn't dare to cook too much, for fear that you would get sick of it." Yan Cen gestured, "Try it? If you don't like it, I'll make you something else."

Li Yu'an took a bite with a spoon. It was soft and sticky, sweet but not greasy, and his eyes and eyebrows were unconsciously smiling, "Don't you want to eat it?"

Yan Cen pulled out a chair and sat next to him, "No."

He was not particularly keen on sweets, but Li Yu'an loved them, so he had been searching for tutorials online in various ways during this period.

Seeing that Li Yu'an was eating vigorously, Yan Cen asked casually, "Have you booked the flight ticket? How many days will you be gone?"

Li Yu'an couldn't stop eating, and his voice was a little vague, "We'll leave tomorrow, about a week, Pei Yi and I will go, and Sister Yang and the others will stay to monitor the progress of version 2.0."

YWY Studio's "End of Fog" has received countless praises since it was launched on New Year's Day.

As leaders, Pei Yi and Li Yu'an were not satisfied with ordinary small games, but planned a long-term plan with "End Fog" as the theme game. Their next step is to make "End Fog" into a larger mobile game.

As an independent portal studio, YWY's current popularity is far from enough, and it must rely on external platforms to expand its popularity. Therefore, after a discussion among the core members of the studio, it was decided that

Pei Yi and Li Yu'an would jointly take their carefully prepared mobile game "End Fog 2.0" to Haishi to participate in the original game design competition.

The first round of preliminary screening has ended, and the various on-site selections will start soon.

Yan Cen nodded and asked, "Have you booked the hotel? Have you packed your luggage?"

Li Yu'an gradually got used to Yan Cen's worry hidden under his gentle appearance. "The hotel was booked by the organizer. I should live with Pei Yi. As for the luggage..."

He took another bite of the glutinous rice ball and said a little lazily, "I'll pack it before going to bed tonight. There's no rush."

​​Yan Cen laughed, "You are so efficient in work, why do you procrastinate in personal life?"

Li Yu'an looked over, "Is it?"

"No?" Yan Cen asked back, with a hint of deep meaning under his lens, "Isn't it delayed enough?"

From the beginning of the year to now, there is no definite news.

Li Yu'an reacted belatedly, his cheeks slightly hot, "No, didn't we agree..."

You can wait as long as you want? Aren't you in a hurry to get his answer?

Yan Cen changed the subject at the right time, "Well, it's settled."

He didn't mean to blame Li Yu'an, but when facing someone he likes, no matter how calm and steady he is, he will occasionally have uncontrollable emotional fluctuations.

During this time, Yan Cen could feel that Li Yu'an was slowly trying to open up his heart and accept his kindness. He was no longer cautious and nervous as before -

these were all progress.

Even if this battle line was drawn out, as long as the ending was what he wanted, Yan Cen was willing to wait.

Li Yu'an swallowed the last glutinous rice ball whole, his eyes wandering around, hiding a little guilt, "I'm full, I'm going to take a shower first, you can do what you want."

Sizzle.

When he stood up, the corner of the chair rubbed against each other and made a sound.

Yan Cen raised his eyes helplessly, watching the fleeing figure in front of him, "Be careful, you still have to pay attention to your right foot."

"Oh."

"——Bang!"

The answer came together with the sound of the bathroom door closing.

The shower was turned on, and the sound of the shower echoed in the ears, temporarily blocking the movement outside the bathroom door.

Li Yu'an was submerged in the hot water mist, and felt the heartbeat in his body becoming clearer and clearer.

In fact, he knew better than anyone that even if Yan Cen said "no hurry", such "pursuit" must have a deadline, whether long or short.

He took advantage of the annual leave and the foot injury to acquiesce to Yan Cen's approach.

The two did not confirm their relationship as a couple, and did not do anything out of the ordinary, but these days of getting along made Li Yu'an feel the taste of "home".

Li Yu'an admitted that he had selfish motives -

he wanted to keep living like this, to stay in this "unclear" relationship forever, without becoming a couple, without revealing his feelings, and without worrying about a possible breakup in the future.

Li Yu'an knew that his thoughts were "bad" and even more unfair to Yan Cen. Sooner or later, he would have to give him an answer, either an impulsive and sincere agreement, or a rejection forced by fear.

But until the last moment, Li Yu'an himself did not have an accurate answer.

...

When Li Yu'an came out wrapped in a pajamas, Yan Cen was still sitting in the living room.

"Have you finished washing? Come to the bedroom, it's warmer." Yan Cen stood up and approached, and picked up the hair dryer in the bathroom cabinet with ease, "I'll blow dry your hair before you leave."

Li Yu'an tried to refuse, "No, I'll do it myself."

He needed to find a balance between the two of them, instead of letting Yan Cen give all the time.

"Why? It's not the first time I blow dry your hair." Yan Cen's eyes were slightly fixed, and there was a subtle desire for control in his voice, "Be good, sit down."

"..."

Li Yu'an instinctively followed his command and answered a little late, "This is not good."

The next second, the sound of the hair dryer rang.

Through the hair and the wind, Li Yu'an heard Yan Cen ask, "What's wrong with that? If you think our current relationship is not suitable for this kind of thing, then change it?"

The last half of the sentence was said with a smile, not pressure, but teasing.

Li Yu'an's ear tips were tagged with red, and the heat from the hair dryer made his scalp numb, "What?"

Yan Cen bent slightly and combed his hair back. "Playing dumb?"

Li Yu'an didn't dare to look Yan Cen in the eye, his eyes slightly lowered, "No."

Yan Cen changed his words, "Does your right foot still hurt?" Li

Yu'an quickly changed the subject, "It's almost healed."

After applying the ointment for half a month and rubbing the medicinal wine many times, the swelling had long disappeared.

"It takes a hundred days to heal a broken bone. You should be more careful when you go back to Haishi."

"Yeah, I know."

Li Yu'an nodded in response, and was so taken aback by Yan Cen's words that he forgot whether he should help blow dry his hair.

After a while, the hair dryer was turned down, and Li Yu'an heard Yan Cen's very obvious sigh above the sound of the wind, which hit his ear heavily.

"..."

Li Yu'an's heart was filled with uncertainty, "Yan Cen?"

Yan Cen met his eyes and asked seriously, "This foot injury is all healed. When you come back from your business trip, what new excuse should I use to come to your house?"

Li Yu'an hesitated, "I..."

Without waiting for his answer, Yan Cen moved closer, "Mr. Li, when will you show me your identity and come to your house openly?"

The hair dryer tilted its arc and blew down through the collar.

Li Yu'an sensitively shrank his neck, but the collar of his nightgown fell down again. The graceful neck line extended to the clavicle, and the white with pink was eye-catching.

It was not intentional, but it was more deadly than intentional teasing.

Yan Cen's eyes dimmed, less restrained tenderness, more wanton desire.

Li Yu'an sensed the "danger" coming, and stood up in a panic, instinctively raising his hands to resist, but he obviously forgot the distance between himself and Yan Cen and the big bed that blocked his retreat. The moment he stood up,

the too-small standing space made Li Yu'an lose his balance. He wanted to push Yan Cen's hand away, but he changed his grip and pulled him down.

Yan Cen could clearly keep his balance, but the impulse took over his mind, and he "fell" down along with Li Yu'an's pull.

"..."

"Hmm."

The back of his head touched something soft, but the weight of his body still startled Li Yu'an and made him groan.

The hair dryer fell to the ground, like a drum announcing the start.

The moment he saw the person in front of him clearly, Li Yu'an felt that all the blood in his body rushed to his head, and even his breathing stopped.

Yan Cen was half "pressed" on him like this, and the wire-rimmed glasses on his nose were about to fall off. The lenses were like a barely placed transparent barrier. As long as a "bang" broke,

the desire hidden under the lenses and in the dark pupils would pour out and completely occupy him.

"Yan, Yan Cen."

Li Yu'an tried to push him away, but he was so panicked that he couldn't use any strength, and even the tail tone was trembling.

Yan Cen frowned slightly, and his breathing became heavy for a moment, "Don't move!"

It was not the gentle tone of the past, but the hoarse voice squeezed out of his throat with all his strength, and it was also forced down by gnashing teeth.

The two were so close to each other that Li Yu'an sensed something was going on and immediately froze with a red face. Their

intertwined breaths swirled around, burning the air.

Li Yu'an's eyes lost focus, but he was afraid that something might happen so he tried to keep them focused. "Yan Cen, I..."

Yan Cen, who was so close, came closer.

His heavy breathing fell into his ears, and it seemed as if he had used up all his strength, turning into a light and cherishing kiss that gently fell on his hair.

"Sorry, I crossed the line."

"..."

Yan Cen propped himself up, and veins appeared on the back of his usually good-looking hand, with a wildness that was completely different from his elegant appearance.

Yan Cen pushed his glasses, trying his best to hide his anger, "I'm leaving first."

After saying that, he rushed out of the door without waiting for Li Yu'an's answer, his back showing unprecedented urgency and concealment.

Li Yu'an was still lying on the bed in a daze, the heat beside his ears spreading like a prairie fire, he could only roll up the quilt out of habit, wrap himself in it and savor it.

It was less than a minute of close contact, but every second it extended to an explosive taste.

Zizi, Zizi, Zizi -

the mobile phone on the bedside table rang and vibrated.

Li Yu'an poked his head out of his little nest, picked up the phone to check, it was a message from Yan Cen.

"Your hair should be blow-dried enough. Find a dry spot on your body. Don't catch a cold."

"While you were taking a shower, I checked the weather forecast for Hai City for the past week. It's a little warmer than Dijing. Just bring a sweater and coat."

"I was wrong just now. Don't be angry with me, okay?"

Li Yu'an stared at the last line of the message. He inexplicably thought of Yan Cen's expression and tone when he said this, and then thought of the brief but straightforward contact of desire just now.

Li Yu'an didn't feel the slightest bit of disgust. Instead, his mind was occupied by subtle thoughts -

it turned out that Yan Cen would have such an impulse towards him?

Li Yuan, who used to think for a long time before even expressing his blessing, now had an unprecedented "bad" thought and typed:

"Mr. Yan, calm down before driving."

Yan Cen on the other side of the screen "showed that he was typing", but he didn't send a single word back after "typing" for a long time.

It was a complete failure.

Li Yuan threw down his mobile phone, rolled himself up in the quilt, and laughed even more happily.

...

The next afternoon, Li Yuan and his good friend Pei Yi took a flight to Hai City together.

It was already very late when they arrived. The two successfully completed the information registration, ate something, washed up and went to bed, preparing for the opening ceremony the next day.

Li Yuan had difficulty waking up, and Pei Yi woke him up the next day. He found his way into the bathroom to wash up while feeling sleepy, and then returned to the hotel master bedroom sober——

There was a faint sound of communication coming from the cloakroom. Li Yu'an listened carefully for three or four seconds before realizing that it was Pei Yi hiding and making a video call with Bo Yueming, seemingly discussing what to wear today.

Is it that serious? Even

the smallest things should be shared with each other.

Li Yu'an had received a lot of dog food early in the morning, and he grumbled jokingly in his heart. He picked up his phone and found that Yan Cen had also sent him a message twenty minutes ago.

-Are you awake? Good morning.

-I saw on the official website that the opening ceremony of the competition starts at nine o'clock? Didn't you oversleep?

Li Yu'an stared at the two lines of words, his lips curled up without him even noticing, "I didn't oversleep, good morning."

Yan Cen on the other side of the screen seemed to be paying attention to the messages on his mobile phone all the time, and responded immediately, "Have you eaten? I found a new breakfast shop today, and I saw the reviews that their bean paste buns are very good. I'll order some for you when you come back."

Li Yu'an didn't think twice and sent a reply, "Not yet, I'll eat when Pei Yi comes out."

"You don't know, he..."

Li Yu'an paused before typing half of the line.

Eating breakfast, sharing delicious bean paste buns, and even wanting to share the greasy "dog food" of friends after getting up early.

Isn't the chat between him and Yan Cen also a trivial matter?

Sweetness filled his heart.

Li Yu'an suddenly missed Yan Cen thousands of miles away, which was a more direct concern than years of secret love.

——Click.

The door of the cloakroom suddenly opened. Pei Yi looked at Li Yu'an, who was holding his phone in a daze

, with a smile on his face. "Liyuan, what are you doing? Haven't you woken up yet?" Li Yu'an quickly hid his thoughts and coughed. "No, I'm awake. It's almost time. Let's go?"

Pei Yi was still immersed in the joy of the video call just now. He was completely unaware of his friend's brief panic. He nodded and said, "Let's go out."

"Oh."

Li Yu'an deliberately slowed down his pace and replied to Yan Cen secretly, "I'm busy."

It was not until the message was sent that he quietly breathed a sigh of relief and put on a serious face to keep up with Pei Yi's pace in the front row.

...

The original game design competition is the most valuable competition in China so far. With the support of relevant departments, it has been held for nine consecutive sessions.

As the core architect of the game "End of Fog", Pei Yi came here for the award. Li Yu'an and his friend were of the same mind and were equally confident.

Although there were some minor incidents during the competition, the two still lived up to the expectations of the entire YWY studio and won the top three places together.

Pei Yi was thinking about his lover Bo Yueming who was far away in the Imperial Capital, and he was eager to return home. Li Yu'an didn't say it, but he was also thinking about Yan Cen's birthday.

The two hit it off and rushed back to the Imperial Capital as soon as the closing ceremony of the award ceremony was over.

Pei Yi heard that Bo Yueming was coming to pick him up at the airport, and he wished he could grow wings and fly over.

Li Yu'an saw that his friend was impatient, so he had to use "going to the bathroom" as an excuse to signal Pei Yi to go first. In fact, he deliberately left some intimate time for each other.

People were coming and going in the airport.

Li Yu'an stroked the phone in his pocket. Somehow, he suddenly wanted to send a message to Yan Cen. During the few days he stayed in Hai City, he often thought of him -

he would think of Yan Cen's cooking when he was eating, Yan Cen's care when he was blow-drying his hair, and Yan Cen's affirmation of his excellence when he won an award.

It was no longer a vague concept of secret love in the past, but a real integration of these thoughts into reality.

Li Yu'an was walking and thinking, and he arrived at the exit of B2 unconsciously. His good friend Pei Yi's joking voice came into his ears, "Oh, I forgot to say, Li Yuan is still in Haishi and hasn't come back yet."

"..."

What nonsense is this guy talking about again?

Li Yu'an chuckled, quickened his pace and turned, "Pei Yi, who are you kidding again? Why didn't I come from Haishi..."

His eyes bypassed the exit and fell on Yan Cen's familiar figure with natural attraction.

"Come back?"

Li Yu'an's voice dropped instantly, and he was a little unresponsive.

Why did Yan Cen come back to pick up the plane? He didn't say it before.

The two people's eyes lingered in mid-air, and there was an inexplicable feeling of being inseparable.

Pei Yi, who was still holding Bo Yueming's hand, asked Yan Cen knowingly, "Boss Yan, you haven't told me what you are doing here?"

Yan Cen gave a good reason, "We are here on behalf of GM to welcome you and celebrate your success, okay?"

Pei Yi threw the topic to Li Yu'an again, "Okay, of course I have no problem, what do you think, Boss Li?"

Li Yu'an coughed, "I, have no problem either."

The person he wanted to see was right in front of him, what could he have a problem with.

Bo Yueming picked up the small suitcase that his lover had thrown aside, and said, "Let's go first, I'll take you to the restaurant to eat something, and then you can go home to rest."

"Okay!"

...

The airport was only half an hour's drive away, and Bo Yueming and Yan Cen had booked a restaurant for the celebration in advance.

Yan Cen took the initiative to raise the glass and explained in a gentle voice, "I have a slight cold these two days, so I won't drink for the time being. Let's drink juice instead."

"..."

Cold?

Li Yu'an looked over, with a trace of worry in his eyes.

Yan Cen gave him a "reassuring" look and said, "Come on, let's celebrate your award, let's have a drink?"

Pei Yi was the most fond of wine, so he took this opportunity to say, "Okay, we must drink tonight."

Bo Yueming kept him company, and it was rare for him to drink together.

When Pei Yi saw that he had obtained the permission of his lover, he pulled Li Yu'an to drink two more glasses to celebrate.

The four of them got familiar with each other, and they ate and talked, and the atmosphere was harmonious until the end of the dinner.

Pei Yi drank the last bit of wine, tore off a piece of candy from the corner of the table and put it in his mouth, "Liyuan, how are you going back?"

"This restaurant is in a remote area, and it's hard to get a taxi." Yan Cen took out the words he had prepared early in the morning and indicated his action, "I didn't drink, I'll take him there."

Pei Yi glanced at Yan Cen's wine glass and finally understood -

no wonder he said he had a cold and didn't want to drink for the time being as soon as he sat at the table? Tsk tsk!

Yan Cen wiped his hands with a wet towel and cast a glance at his friend opposite.

Bo Yueming understood the eye hint and assisted without any deliberate effort, "Then you two go first? I notified the driver to pick you up half an hour ago, and it is estimated that he will be here soon. Pei Yi and I are not in a hurry, so we will sit for a while."

Yan Cen looked at Li Yu'an, and it came naturally, "Let's go?"

Li Yu'an looked at the "reunited" couple opposite him, and it was obvious that he couldn't leave with them, so he had to nod, got up and left with Yan Cen.

…

As soon as they left the restaurant, Yan Cen asked concernedly, “Is it cold?”

Li Yu’an replied, “No.”

The weather was gradually warming up, and it would soon be his favorite spring.

Li Yu'an followed Yan Cen to the parking lot, and when there was no one around, he asked, "Why didn't you tell me that you had a cold?"

Yan Cen heard the hidden complaint in this sentence, and explained with a chuckle, "It's not serious. I was sweating after working out yesterday, and I didn't take a shower before I took a conference call. I guess I caught a cold, so I felt a little dizzy when I woke up this morning."

Li Yu'an frowned, "How about now? Are you still feeling uncomfortable?"

Yan Cen's eyes fell steadily on his face, and his words were both sincere and love words, "I'm glad to see you."

"..."

Li Yu'an's heartstrings were slightly pulled, and his wrist was suddenly pulled by Yan Cen, "Yu'an."

"Huh?"

Li Yu'an stopped, only to realize that he had arrived at Yan Cen's car unknowingly.

Yan Cen did not stop immediately, but added a little more strength without leaving a trace, with a little expectation, "Have you missed me these days? Even a little?"

It is said that being in a different place is the best way to test the strength of feelings.

Even if the two are not together yet, Yan Cen hopes that he will have a little weight in Li Yu'an's heart.

Li Yu'an's eyes were slightly lowered, and the feelings buried in his heart were about to come out.

He was thinking about how to express it most appropriately.

Yan Cen waited patiently for a while, the expectation in his eyes gradually faded, and pretended to let go of his hand easily, "I just asked casually, don't feel pressured, on the way to pick you up at the airport today, Yue Ming was showing off to me, so I..." "

I miss you."

The two words of affirmation interrupted Yan Cen's self-arranged steps.

Yan Cen was suddenly stuck, afraid that he was hallucinating, "Yu'an?"

"I said, I thought so too."

Li Yu'an mustered up his courage and grabbed his wrist, "Yan Cen, let's... give it a try? Okay?"

Yan Cen didn't say anything, but suddenly moved closer to trap Li Yu'an between the car door and himself, and took a deep breath, "What are you thinking? Try what? Speak clearly."

Li Yu'an's Adam's apple rolled slightly, trying to explain his thoughts to Yan Cen, "...I don't want to drag you down deliberately, and I don't want your efforts to go unrewarded."

"I know you are waiting for my answer, but I'm not sure if this answer will apply to your whole life."

"Yan Cen, can we try dating for a month first?"

For this one month, he is willing to reveal his true self to Yan Cen, the good and the bad. If Yan Cen is disappointed with the real him, then at most one more month will be wasted.

Li Yu'an is still afraid that this relationship will end in a breakup. He knows that the real choice has always been in Yan Cen's hands. But no matter how scared he is, it can't match the impulse and desire -

Yan Cen is the person he has liked for six or seven years, the person who occupied his entire youth, and the person who pulled him out of the abyss of despair. As long as the other party opens his mouth, Li Yu'an knows that he can't hide.

Even if it's just for this one month, he is willing to be crowned with the identity of "lover" with Yan Cen.

"..."

The night wind blows, blowing people's hearts numb.

Yan Cen saw Li Yu'an's seriousness through the dim light, and at the same time saw through his deep-hidden uncertainty.

In this extremely short silence, Li Yu'an once again handed over the decision-making power, "Yan Cen, is it okay?"

Yan Cen let out a faint smile, hiding his answer in temptation, "Mr. Li, you take the initiative to express your feelings?"

Li Yu'an understood his hint and felt shy.

He looked at the handsome face close to him, mustered up the courage to kiss the corner of Yan Cen's mouth, nervous and restrained with a little joy, "So, does this count as expressing your feelings?"

Yan Cen's heart was shaken, but he was afraid of scaring the other party, so he could only coax him softly, "It's not enough, help me take off my glasses."

"Hmm?"

Li Yu'an didn't understand his intention, but still did it obediently, "Okay, okay, you... um!"

Before the last word fell, Yan Cen suddenly lowered his head and kissed him, grabbing the lips he had longed for.

——Pah!

Li Yu'an's eyes suddenly widened, and his glasses fell to the ground. He grabbed them with his hands helplessly, not knowing whether to advance or retreat.

But Yan Cen did not give him a chance to react. He changed his gentle posture, and relied on instinct to pry open the resistance of lips and tongue, kissing deeper and deeper, wishing to rob him of his breath and heartbeat.

One month, three months.

As long as the person in front of him gave this answer, he would try to extend this deadline -

until the moment when the other party is willing to say "forever".