Chapter 77
The moonlight was gentle.
Ye Yuyuan froze completely.
Fang Huai was slightly shorter than him. When he leaned in for the kiss, the soft tips of his hair brushed against Ye Yuyuan’s cheek, and his lips carried the faint, clean scent of warm milk.
“……”
Fang Huai had never kissed anyone before.
Right now, he felt as though every pore on his body was releasing heat, like he was about to overheat and explode!
His touch was clumsy—just a light press of lips. Then, near Ye Yuyuan’s ear, he spoke seriously:
“I do like you.”
“……”
“I like you, Ye Yuyuan. Be my boyfriend—date me?”
His voice trembled slightly, his nerves getting the best of him, and even his hometown dialect slipped out.
This time, it was Ye Yuyuan’s turn to fall silent.
He lowered his eyes, staring at Fang Huai, his lips pressed tightly together.
So… they were going to be together now? He was Ye Yuyuan’s boyfriend?
Fang Huai felt a little dizzy. Could they even get married here? Where should they go for their honeymoon?
Just as these thoughts flashed through his mind, he suddenly looked up—and realized something shocking.
Ye Yuyuan’s eyes… were slightly red.
Fang Huai panicked.
“What’s wrong?” He quickly reached out, taking Ye Yuyuan’s hand and squeezing it. “Are you… not happy?”
Ye Yuyuan shook his head.
A moment later, he suddenly lifted Fang Huai up.
Fang Huai’s legs instinctively wrapped around his waist, his chin resting against Ye Yuyuan’s hair. This tall, broad-shouldered boy, just over 1.8 meters, had picked him up effortlessly—like he weighed nothing at all.
“I’m very happy,” Ye Yuyuan finally murmured, his voice rough. “It feels like a dream.”
He was afraid that by the time morning came… he’d wake up, and it would all disappear.
Ye Yuyuan had never been this happy in his entire life.
Most of his life had been bitter.
Fang Huai was the only sweetness he had.
Fang Huai felt both sour and sweet in his heart, unsure whether to laugh or cry. He didn’t know what to do with himself at all.
He could feel the damp spot on the collar of his shirt.
“Don’t… don’t be afraid,” Fang Huai said with absolute seriousness. “I won’t leave. Let me kiss you.”
He had realized something—his boyfriend seemed to have a serious lack of security.
Ye Yuyuan was silent for a moment before slightly raising his eyes to look at him. His expression remained neutral, but sure enough, his eyes were red.
Fang Huai lowered his head, somewhat clumsily pressing a kiss to his forehead, then to the corner of his eye.
As he moved further down, intending to kiss him on the lips, his heart pounded like he was about to have a cardiac arrest. He hesitated and said, “Let’s go back… it’s getting late, and, um…”
Ye Yuyuan, still holding him with one arm, gently cupped the back of Fang Huai’s head with the other, tilting his face down—before lifting his own and kissing him.
“…”
It was brief, just a touch, and then they quickly pulled away, both blushing as they averted their gazes.
That night, Fang Huai tossed and turned for over an hour before finally falling asleep.
Oh my god.
Ye Yuyuan is my boyfriend now.
This is unreal.
Fang Huai had an overwhelming urge to tell someone. He even drafted a Weibo post in the middle of the night before regaining his senses and deleting it.
As soon as he closed his eyes, his thoughts started running wild. What if we fight in the future? If we get married abroad, do I have to immigrate? But I still want to be a Chinese citizen—I love this country.
Wait, wasn’t there news recently about same-sex marriage legalization?
He recalled vaguely skimming through an article before, so he sat up in bed, grabbed his phone, and searched for updates. By now, he was fairly proficient with these apps, and finding information was no challenge—he was never a fool, after all.
But the search results left him a little disappointed.
The legalization of same-sex marriage had made significant progress, with numerous public organizations actively pushing for it. It was just one step away from passing—but then, a single official rejection had indefinitely stalled the process.
As a result, even discussing LGBTQ+ topics had become a bit sensitive in the country these past few days.
This wasn’t something he could control. Fang Huai scrolled through articles, slowly drifting off to sleep.
*
The Next Morning
The first thought Fang Huai had when he woke up was:
Today, I am Ye Yuyuan’s boyfriend. I have to treat him well.
Then, he smelled breakfast.
It seemed to be crab roe soup dumplings, crystal shrimp dumplings, half a poached egg, and… hot milk.
“Awake?” Ye Yuyuan placed a tray down and looked at him, appearing as calm as ever. “Breakfast is ready.”
“Oh.” Fang Huai nodded, still a little dazed from just waking up.
Ye Yuyuan then walked over and helped him button his shirt, put on his sweater, and slip into his shoes.
He didn’t bring up last night’s events.
It was a workday. Ye Yuyuan was dressed in an impeccably tailored suit, layered with a wool coat and gloves. When he knelt on one knee to tie Fang Huai’s boot laces, he looked just like a handsome butler.
Bit by bit, Fang Huai fully woke up.
He looked at Ye Yuyuan for a long time before finally squeezing out a question:
“Is there… anything you want to say to me?”
Ye Yuyuan’s hands paused for a moment.
“Yes,” he said.
“…”
“I love you,” he murmured, his ears slightly red.
“…Oh.” Fang Huai hadn’t expected that. His heartbeat picked up speed again, and the atmosphere suddenly became overwhelmingly intimate. His words came out haltingly, “I—I do too.”
*
7:30 AM, Signal Cabin, First Floor Living Room
This year, the Lunar New Year came early, practically right on the heels of New Year’s Day. Because of that, many workplaces had already begun their holiday break, and things had slowed down significantly.
For people like Feng Lang and Duan Yang, their workloads were never heavy to begin with. Yin Wanyue, a fashion designer, was also relatively free. Only Lin Huan and Ye Yuyuan still had to clock in for work.
At this moment, the atmosphere in the first-floor living room was lazy and relaxed.
Then, Ye Yuyuan and Fang Huai entered together.
Yin Wanyue suddenly dragged out her voice: “Ohhh—”
Everyone turned to look. The livestream wouldn’t start until eight, so they were all still in a laid-back mood.
“President Ye,” Yin Wanyue drawled, “are you treating us to a meal?” The classic “we’re celebrating you getting a partner” meal.
Lin Huan immediately coughed violently, Duan Yang raised an eyebrow, and Feng Lang leaned back in his chair, gripping his magazine while flashing an amused glance between Fang Huai and Ye Yuyuan.
Fang Huai, a little embarrassed, squinted his eyes with a smile and said, “I’ll treat. What do you all want to eat?”
Ye Yuyuan: “…”
“That works.” He gave Yin Wanyue a slight nod.
At that moment, there was a knock at the door.
A Michelin three-star chef from the city bowed as he entered, followed by several attendants carrying trays of food.
Everyone: “…”
Yin Wanyue actually hadn’t meant to tease them too much. Her beloved little cub was now in a relationship, and she couldn’t help but feel a bittersweet sense of empty nest syndrome. As she ate the Michelin three-star breakfast, she sighed, thinking about how this was the price of “selling off” her cub.
After breakfast, there was still a little time left before the livestream started.
Fang Huai received a call from Shi Feiran.
“I have something to tell you.” They both spoke at the same time.
“You first,” Fang Huai said. “Fang Huai, about Abyss Moonlight…”
Fang Huai immediately sat up straight.
He hadn’t checked Weibo yesterday and wasn’t aware of the latest updates, but he didn’t expect much to have changed.
Thinking about Abyss Moonlight’s poor sales, he figured he’d have to work extra hard in the future to make up for the gap. He also felt guilty toward the rest of the production team.
But just as his mind was spiraling with anxiety, he suddenly heard Shi Feiran’s excited voice, “It blew up! You became rich overnight!!!”
Although Abyss Moonlight hadn’t broken Drug’s single-day sales record from the past, it had already become one of the top-selling albums both domestically and internationally.
Duan Yang was a genius—and a bit of an eccentric. He had only released one or two albums, yet even a year later, Drug was still topping charts.
Of course, Shi Feiran was certain that Fang Huai’s talent was in no way inferior to Duan Yang’s.
Strangely enough, their music styles carried an uncanny sense of continuity—almost as if they had once lived the same life.
What was even more remarkable was that Abyss Moonlight’s sales weren’t just a fleeting surge. Even after the initial spike, it didn’t quickly fade into obscurity. Instead, as more people listened to it, word-of-mouth continued to build, and sales kept rising steadily.
“Rich overnight?” Fang Huai scratched his head blankly. “How much?”
Shi Feiran told him a number.
Fang Huai stared, counted the string of zeroes, and fell silent.
Originally, his plan was simple: become a celebrity, make some money, fulfill Fang Jianguo’s last wish, and save up enough funds. Then, in a few years, he’d return to his hometown, buy a few acres of land, and start a chicken farm—living a self-sufficient life.
Now, with his current wealth, he could buy one, two, three… millions of acres.
“Oh, right. You said you had something to tell me. What is it?” Shi Feiran, having calmed down, asked.
“Oh,” Fang Huai was still dazed by the unreal feeling of overnight wealth and replied nonchalantly, “Ye Yuyuan and I are together now.”
Shi Feiran: “…………”
Fang Huai: “Can I post it on Weibo?”
“…”
Shi Feiran roared, “Absolutely not!! Calm down!!!”
At this moment, he deeply regretted letting Fang Huai participate in Signal of the Heart. It was definitely that damned show’s fault.
While Fang Huai had talent, his foundation in the industry wasn’t solid yet. Right now, a huge portion of his fanbase consisted of girlfriend fans and wife fans. If he announced his relationship all of a sudden, what would happen to them?!
More importantly, there was something the public didn’t know, but Shi Feiran had already been informed in advance.
In recent years, due to the rapid progress of same-sex marriage legislation, many believed legalization was inevitable. The entertainment industry had also become more lenient, allowing LGBTQ+ themes to gain some visibility. Five or six years ago, same-sex stories could never have aired on mainstream platforms—let alone made it to the big screen.
But now, there were signs that things were shifting again. The atmosphere was becoming more restrictive. It was best to tread carefully.
*
Meanwhile, on the Internet
The trending tag for Abyss Moonlight was still dominating the top of the charts. Three of the top five trending topics were related to the album: #Abyss Moonlight is actually amazing# #Godly Pretty Boy Fang Huai# #Silver Birch Awards Nomination List Revised#
On the same day, while Abyss Moonlight remained a hot topic, the official teaser and theme song for Frost were released!
This project had been a massive controversy before. Everyone knew that Fang Huai had composed the score for Frost, and rumor had it that he even played a role in the film.
[I’m so happy! Just yesterday, I listened to Abyss Moonlight on repeat over a dozen times, and now we’re getting new music today!]
[Uh… no offense, but can Fang Huai actually act? Is this one of those cases where a singer suddenly thinks they can be an actor?]
[This role was originally meant for my dear Shushu, but he got pushed out by some random newcomer. Tsk.]
[The person above needs a mental health check. Your ‘dear Shushu’ breached his contract first and left the project hanging. My boy Fang Huai stepped in to save the day. Understand?]
People had heard Fang Huai sing, seen him dance, but no one had ever considered what his acting might be like.
There had been other singers who transitioned into acting, but most only performed mediocrely at best. After all, no one is a god. To reach the pinnacle of one art form was already an incredible feat.
And Frost’s character, Lin Shuheng, despite having relatively few scenes, was notoriously difficult to play.
Even Xu Shu thought so.
—In his eyes, the role of Lin Shuheng was nothing more than trash he had discarded, and Fang Huai was just a trash picker.
Thus, with various expectations—skeptical, hopeful, or outright dismissive—people clicked on the video.
*
At 8:00 AM, Signal of the Heart aired on time.
With only a month left, everyone was feeling reluctant to part ways. The show’s audience numbers had been breaking records daily, and today was no exception. Despite being a weekday, the moment the broadcast started, there were already 300,000 viewers tuned in—an official backstage count, no fake numbers.
“We’ve discussed this in advance,” the director said. “Today, we have a little surprise for everyone— a career swap!”
Everyone: “…”
The six guests stared at him blankly.
“Ahem, here’s how it works. Each of you has a different profession. We’ve already made preparations, and since your workloads today aren’t too heavy, we thought this would be a fun little experiment.”
In short, each person would draw a lot, and whatever profession they picked, they would experience a day in that job.
For example, if Fang Huai drew Yin Wanyue’s name, he would have to take her place at her company and work as a fashion designer for the day.
“…”
[Exciting!!!]
[OMG, whoever gets President Ye’s job is gonna be living the dream!]
[Straight to the top as a CEO 23333]
[I swear Ye Yuyuan and my baby Fang are secretly dating. They barely interact, but even their eye contact is so sweet 555]
[Two more hours until the Frost trailer drops! I just wanna see Film Emperor Feng and Fang Huai’s visuals… so far, so good.]
The drawing process was quick.
Fang Huai looked at the slip in his hand. “…”
“What did you get?” Ye Yuyuan lowered his eyes and asked softly, “Huaihuai—”
Fang Huai waved him off.
“You have to call me Mr. Ye.”
Clearing his throat, Fang Huai straightened his lips into a neutral line, mimicking Ye Yuyuan’s cold expression. He gave a slight nod, imitating his detached demeanor.
On his slip of paper, three bold characters stood out: “Ye Yuyuan.”
[HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA]
[This is such a soulful imitation, 666!]
[Okay, I’m officially not worried about Fang Huai’s acting skills anymore.]
After finishing his act, Fang Huai felt a little embarrassed and rubbed his nose.
Ye Yuyuan gazed at him, his eyes softening as if he wanted to say something—but in the end, he didn’t.
Meanwhile, Ye Yuyuan wasn’t so lucky. He had drawn Lin Huan’s name.
Lin Huan was an elementary school teacher who had recently taken on a volunteer teaching assignment. Today, he was scheduled to teach Chinese at an orphanage in the county.
Twenty minutes later, everyone set off on their respective tasks.
Fang Huai felt a little out of place. To be honest, he didn’t really want to do anything—he just wanted to spend every day with Ye Yuyuan.
But then he thought about how he was about to go to Ye Yuyuan’s company and play the role of a big boss. Hmm, that actually didn’t sound too bad.
There weren’t any major events happening at Ptah recently, and since it was impossible to let an outsider access real business secrets, whoever took on Ye Yuyuan’s job today was just there to play the part. No real work would be involved.
On the other side, Feng Lang and Ye Yuyuan happened to be heading in the same direction.
Their relationship with Duan Yang was a bit complicated— not exactly friends, but not enemies either. More like business partners with aligned interests.
There were no cameras following them at the moment.
Feng Lang twirled his phone in his hand and said lazily, “Congratulations.”
Ye Yuyuan responded indifferently, “Mm.”
Feng Lang stared at him for a long moment. Then, the smile on his lips deepened, tinged with a bit of schadenfreude. “Are you scared? Let me see… hmm, he likes you.”
Like—it was a nice word.
But not quite good enough.
It wasn’t love.
For young people, falling for someone was the easiest thing in the world. They might like a person’s looks, admire their talent, or simply be drawn to the dimples that appeared when they smiled. When hormones were running high, they’d swear their love was eternal, declare they wanted to be together forever—but that wasn’t real.
Even Fang Huai himself couldn’t be sure of his feelings, let alone Ye Yuyuan.
Ye Yuyuan didn’t respond. He simply stopped walking.
What Feng Lang had thought of, he had already considered.
It was a crisp winter morning. The sky was a vast, high expanse of deep blue, and the sunlight cast a soft, golden glow over everything.
After a moment of silence, Ye Yuyuan pressed his lips together slightly and said, “I don’t mind.”
His dark eyes, once always cold and distant, now held an undeniable warmth.
Feng Lang looked at him. “What do you mean?”
Ye Yuyuan didn’t answer.
But the meaning was clear—anything was fine.
If Fang Huai really liked him, he would stay with him for a lifetime.
If Fang Huai’s feelings were just a passing whim, he would still stay with him for a lifetime.
