Chapter 168

Chapter 168

A week later, Lu Yunsheng showed up at Lou Sheng's place, holding a basket of fruit.

Lou Sheng had taken a week off without explaining why. But knowing his workaholic friend, if it wasn’t due to his health deteriorating, he wouldn’t have missed so many days at the company.

He pressed the doorbell.

A few seconds later, the door swung open.

Lu Yunsheng froze for a moment when he saw who answered the door.

It was a strikingly handsome young guy, cradling a white cat. He looked like he’d walked straight out of a painting.

They locked eyes, Ji Mian staring back at him.

“Oh, you’re Mr. Lu, right?” Ji Mian greeted him with a smile.

He remembered Lu Yunsheng well.

Back when Lou Sheng was in the hospital, Lu Yunsheng had visited him often.

Chang Sheng, usually wary of strangers, stayed put in Ji Mian’s arms, burying his head in Ji Mian’s chest.

Lu Yunsheng stood there, baffled. Did he have the wrong place?

“You’re here for Lou Sheng?”

“Yeah,” Lu Yunsheng nodded, hesitating, “You’re his…?”

Ji Mian hesitated briefly, “…boyfriend.”

Lu Yunsheng’s eyes went wide.

Boyfriend? He looked way too young, like a college kid.

He forced a polite smile and, once inside, casually asked how old Ji Mian was.

Ji Mian answered without hesitation, “Nineteen.”

Lu Yunsheng’s breath hitched.

Nineteen!? That’s his little brother’s age.

Just then, Lou Sheng emerged from the kitchen, done with whatever he’d been doing.

Lu Yunsheng shot him a sharp look.

You’re a real piece of work…

Lou Sheng looked confused but came over anyway. “What’s up? Something going on at work?”

“Not really, I thought you were sick.”

You’re a real piece of work.

After letting Lu Yunsheng in, Ji Mian took Chang Sheng back to the room and started boiling water for tea.

Lou Sheng wanted to help him, but the teapot could only be carried by one person.

All he did was get in the way.

Lu Yunsheng could almost see Lou Sheng’s imaginary dog tail wagging so hard it might spark, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

He’d only come to check if Lou Sheng was sick. Seeing that the other was very healthy and clearly head over heels in love, he instantly understood the situation.

A few minutes ago, Lu Yunsheng was still worried that Lou Sheng might have deceived a college student, but now he realized his worry was probably overkill.

Looking at the situation now, if anyone was getting fooled, it was Lou Sheng.

Lu Yunsheng stayed, sipped his tea, feeling a mix of emotions.

When leaving, Lou Sheng walked him downstairs.

Before getting into the car, Lu Yunsheng asked him, "All these years, the person you’ve been waiting for—is it him?"

Lou Sheng kept a lot of secrets. Especially about his romantic experiences; no matter how people asked, he never said a word. From university to now, there were many excellent girls chasing him, but Lou Sheng just brushed them off.

Even as his best friend, Lu Yunsheng only knew that Lou Sheng was waiting for someone, and had been waiting for a long time.

Lou Sheng nodded. "Yes. It's him."

Lu Yunsheng smiled slightly. The guy was only fifteen or sixteen back then...

"You’re a real piece of work."

Lou Sheng: "..."

...

A few months later, Lou Sheng received a delivery message.

He hardly ever shopped online, so he asked Ji Mian, "Mianmian, did you order something?"

"Huh?" Ji Mian peeked over to look, "No..."

The two of them stared at the message for a few seconds, trying to remember what they’d ordered lately.

"Ah—" Ji Mian suddenly remembered something.

"Maybe it’s that signed photo from the system." When the system left, Ji Mian didn’t have a phone, so he left Lou Sheng's number.

Lou Sheng had never seen Ji Mian's system, and honestly, he wasn’t exactly eager to.

The system had been with Ji Mian through five worlds, day in and day out, spending more time with him than Lou Sheng had...

"...Oh."

"I’ll grab it." Ji Mian wanted to see what the system looked like as an adult.

Of course, Lou Sheng tagged along.

The two of them picked up the package at the delivery station.

Ji Mian opened it, and inside was a sturdy photo, just as expected.

The photo showed a young face, with a bold, striking look, just as good-looking as any idol, raising his chin and flashing a peace sign at the camera. His eyebrows were raised high, and his smile... was very familiar, hinting at the system’s mischievous personality.

As an idol about to debut, this kind of facial expression control can be considered quite a failure. This photo was likely intended solely for Ji Mian.

Ji Mian stared at it in surprise for a moment.

Lou Sheng also saw it, glanced at it, and then looked away to avoid criticizing the system in front of Ji Mian.

Below the photo was a flourished signature.

The stage name he chose was quite charming, but it didn't seem to match his personality, being a very quiet name.

Ji Mian couldn't help but smile.

The letter also included a piece of paper with the system's private number, address, and his official social media account.

Ji Mian searched for the system's account. It had a few hundred followers, but it was unclear how many were real.

Ji Mian clicked follow; his account name was "009017."

A few minutes later, a message popped up in his private chat. The system sent him a string of numbers.

132-0129.

The system's old code, a secret only Ji Mian knew.

Ji Mian instantly felt relieved.

Lou Sheng, the system, and Chang Sheng, the most important people in his life, were now all living under the same sky.

He and Lou Sheng were in no hurry to return home. After picking up the system's signed photo, they stopped by a nearby supermarket to pick up dinner ingredients.

Lou Sheng carried a heavy bag with new freeze-dried snacks for Chang Sheng.

As they passed Xianyuan Bridge on their way home, they saw street vendors again, selling the usual jewelry and beads, but the love locks were missing. Hanging locks on Xianyuan Bridge had been banned for the past two years.

Ji Mian's eyes lingered there a little longer. It was here that his extra question had cost Lou Sheng a life.

Suddenly, someone pressed down on his head.

Ji Mian turned around. "Brother?"

Lou Sheng gazed at him intently: "What are you thinking about?"

"I..."

"Don't dwell on that."

"...Oh."

As they stepped onto Xianyuan Bridge, Ji Mian murmured: "Was it wrong to tell that lie?"

He had told Lou Sheng he'd be a bit late. He was three years too late.

Lou Sheng halted.

"It wasn't wrong."

"But I kept you waiting for so long."

Lou Sheng held his gaze.

"017..."

Ever since I met you, my life has been filled with only beautiful things.

Even during the waiting days, just thinking about the day you'd show up made the wait beautiful.

Lou Sheng's unfinished words turned into a kiss on Ji Mian's lips.

Ji Mian looked down.

After a moment, he said, "Chang Sheng's probably hungry."

"Yeah."

Lou Sheng grabbed his hand.

Ji Mian held the package in his left hand, Lou Sheng carried the shopping bag in his right, and their other hands were tightly clasped together.

As they walked down the street, they were just another ordinary couple in the world.

"Let's head home."

...

(The End)

Author's Note:

Wishing the two of them eternal happiness!!

Goodbye, everyone~

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