Restore memory
After regaining his memories, what troubled him the most was that he didn't know how to face Xiao Yuan and Xiao Jin.
He knew they were the two little snow leopards, knew how many years they had been searching for him, and knew how they took over everything he had left behind after he "disappeared," and how they cautiously approached him again when he had lost his memory and was confused, using their clumsy yet forceful methods to bring him back into their world.
He knows everything now. He knows the depth of their affection and unwavering devotion, he knows how cruel he had been to them, and he knows how much unease they harbor beneath this seemingly peaceful and warm facade.
“…What should we do?” he said in a low, hoarse voice, his tone filled with confusion and helplessness, as if he were seeking an answer from the only old friend who knew the whole truth, even if it was just a direction.
Years of tacit understanding allowed Gu Yingshen to instantly understand what he was asking. He looked at the designer in front of him who had just regained his edge but was now trapped by his emotions.
“Chen Yanzhi told me that day,” Gu Yingshen’s tone remained flat, “that you two are very destined for each other.”
He paused, looked at Lu Zhian, as if stating an undeniable objective fact: "Now that things have developed this way, just accept it, Mr. Designer."
He seemed to think that wasn't enough, so he added casually, with a touch of the wicked humor of an "artist": "Those two used to be like little dogs, always following you around, but now they're just..." He paused subtly, as if searching for the right word, "...in a different way."
Lu Zhian was taken aback by the overly vivid yet somewhat derogatory metaphor, and subconsciously retorted weakly, "It's not a puppy..."
It's a snow leopard...
Gu Yingshen remained noncommittal to his feeble rebuttal, merely raising an eyebrow slightly, the meaning clear: Is there a difference? You can't shake him off anyway.
The room fell silent for a moment, with only the faint noise of the city coming from outside the window.
Gu Yingshen's gaze swept over Lu Zhian's face, a mixture of frustration, guilt, and bewilderment. As if finding the expression amusing, he curled his lips slightly and, in a calm, academic tone, posed an even more crucial question:
“How was it?” he asked. “What did the puppies taste like?” He paused deliberately, watching Lu Zhian freeze abruptly, before slowly adding, “Two of them.”
Lu Zhian: "!!!"
He felt his ears suddenly burn, and blood rushed to his face. What on earth was this?! How could Gu Yingshen ask such a question with such a serious face!
“You…” He opened his mouth, but found that he couldn’t find any effective way to refute or deny it. Certain overly specific tactile sensations and memories surged up uncontrollably, making him even more embarrassed.
Gu Yingshen seemed quite satisfied with his reaction and continued to bombard him with bombs in that calm tone, with a touch of nostalgia: "If it were the old you, designer," he deliberately used the old title, "you wouldn't be trapped by them like this. You would have whipped them to their knees long ago."
Lu Zhian took a deep breath. He couldn't continue on this topic, or he might completely lose his temper in front of Gu Yingshen.
He abruptly changed the subject: "I saw it as soon as I walked in. Now... you don't live alone, do you?"
He threw the question back at Gu Yingshen, trying to shift the focus away from his own tangled love life.
Gu Yingshen glanced at the "evidence" following his gaze. The slight teasing look on his face faded, and he returned to his usual calm, even becoming more silent.
He neither denied it nor offered a detailed explanation, but simply gave a very soft "hmm" as a response.
This ambiguity only piqued Lu Zhian's curiosity, and he seemed to have finally seized an opportunity to retaliate, "So what's going on with you?"
Gu Yingshen looked up at him, his tone as calm as if he were talking about someone else: "I almost died, but he brought me back to life."
Lu Zhian: "?" The answer was too concise and shocking, but upon closer inspection, it seemed quite reasonable for Gu Yingshen to be the case. He could only reply dryly: "...Okay, that's definitely your style."
"We've known each other before," Gu Yingshen added, a rare occurrence, serving as a vague footnote to their relationship.
Lu Zhian pressed on, his tone a mix of concern and gossip: "So how does he treat you?"
Gu Yingshen thought for a moment, "It's alright." He paused, as if he had thought of something, and then added without much emotion, "He just worries too much."
As soon as he finished speaking, a slight "click" came from the door lock, and it was opened from the outside. Yin Qin, who had just finished work and returned home, had only stepped one foot inside when he clearly heard his wife commenting on him in her usual calm tone that he was "a worrier."
Yin Qin: "..."
Lu Zhian turned around when he heard the noise and saw Yin Qin, who was tall and composed, standing at the door. He immediately recognized him as the "worrying" person Gu Yingshen had mentioned.
He turned back, lowered his voice, and quickly said to Gu Yingshen, with a hint of triumph in his voice: "I think yours is more like a puppy." Or rather, a large, loyal, and clingy dog.
Yin Qin closed the door, changed his shoes, and walked in, his gaze falling on Lu Zhian with a hint of scrutiny. He had never seen Gu Yingshen bring anyone home before; this was a stranger.
Gu Yingshen glanced at Yin Qin, who had walked up to him, and introduced him, "He's my friend." His gaze fell on Yin Qin's hand, and he added, "The ring on your hand was designed by him."
Yin Qin instantly understood. This was the mysteriously missing "designer," the friend Gu Yingshen had only mentioned briefly.
Mentioning the ring, Lu Zhian subconsciously glanced at Yin Qin's hand. The ring he had personally designed, crafted from Gu Yingshen's ashes, was now on Yin Qin's wrist…
“Wait a minute,” Lu Zhian frowned, his instinctive attention to detail as a designer prompting him to blurt out, “Shouldn’t it be worn on the middle finger?”
Yin Qin was taken aback by his question and subconsciously rubbed the ring on his ring finger.
She had always worn the ring on her little finger, but when Gu Yingshen came back, she silently slipped it onto his ring finger while playing with his ring one day.
The ring finger symbolizes marriage. But realistically, given his current relationship with Gu Yingshen, he should probably wear it on his middle finger, since they aren't officially married yet…
Yin Qin was still pondering the subtle differences when he saw Gu Yingshen suddenly grab a cushion from the sofa and throw it swiftly and forcefully at Lu Zhian, his tone unusually tinged with almost imperceptible embarrassment and annoyance:
"Lu Zhian! Don't teach me anything wrong!"
Lu Zhian reacted swiftly, dodging the pillow attack, and scurried towards the door with a smile. In the last moment before closing the door and escaping, he didn't forget to turn back and shout to Yin Qin, "Remember to change it!"
With a "bang," the door slammed shut, cutting off Lu Zhian's gloating laughter.
The living room fell silent instantly.
Gu Yingshen looked at the closed door, took a deep breath, and turned to Yin Qin, trying to salvage the situation: "Don't listen to his nonsense."
However, Yin Qin knew him very well. Gu Yingshen wouldn't act so erratically for no reason.
He keenly sensed that this was probably not a simple case of "misleading teaching," but rather touched upon a point that Gu Yingshen cared about deeply, yet was reluctant to discuss openly.
He sat down next to Gu Yingshen, gently took her hand in his, and raised his other hand to show her that he had moved the ring from his ring finger to his middle finger. His voice was gentle, yet carried an undeniable probing:
“Shen Shen,” he called out in his intimate nickname, “What does this mean?” His gaze fell on Gu Ying Shen’s face, not missing a single subtle change in expression.
They await answers that belong only to the two of them regarding this ring and the difference between the "ring finger" and the "middle finger."
Gu Yingshen looked at the ring he was wearing on his middle finger. His lips moved slightly, but he was speechless for a moment. A crack appeared in his usual calm mask.
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