So he’d been wearing it all along…
Chi Zhan had only meant for the hug to be brief, and was about to step back when a hand tightened around his waist, halting him. Startled, he looked up.
Half of Qi Song’s face was cloaked in shadow—only the bridge of his nose, the curve of his lips, and the arc of his cheek were faintly visible. Long lashes framed eyes that seemed carved by the gods themselves. The distance between them was practically nothing, and something unreadable flickered in Qi Song’s eyes.
Their bodies were pressed almost flush together, breaths intermingling. Chi Zhan couldn’t see his expression clearly, but a strange sense of danger prickled down his spine.
It was pure instinct.
“If Tao Ran finds out I hugged Seven, he’ll be green with envy,” Chi Zhan tried to break the tension with a light-hearted remark, but his throat seized. The words caught halfway, refusing to come out.
The hug had happened. But now… was it time to let go?
Qi Song seemed to lean in just a fraction closer, narrowing the space between them even further. Chi Zhan instinctively held his breath.
They’d just had hot pot, and Chi Zhan had indulged in the spiciest dishes, even skewers drenched in chili oil. His lips were still flushed red, his eyes dewy—whether from spice or something else, it was hard to tell. He’d downed several glasses of water just to regain some composure.
Qi Song studied him quietly.
“You already knew I was Song Guang… didn’t you?” he murmured, eyes lowered.
“I did have a suspicion, but—”
He hadn’t expected Seven to bring it up now. Their current closeness wasn’t something two acquaintances would share—this was a space only couples occupied.
Voices drifted closer.
Sounded like a group of university students. A dozen or so people were approaching from the other side of the corner. Chi Zhan quickly warned, “Someone’s coming.”
But the arm around his waist didn’t budge. Instead, it tightened again, keeping him rooted in place.
“That match today was amazing! I’m still buzzing from it—what a rush!”
“Right? My god, my idol is back! When he went on hiatus, I thought that was it. But after tonight? Seven’s still my number one!”
The students turned the corner and caught a glimpse of two figures entwined in an embrace. It was too dim to make out their faces. Assuming it was just another couple being sweet in a dark nook, they didn’t linger—just a quick glance before they moved on.
Silence returned to the little corner.
Chi Zhan was frozen stiff the entire time, terrified they’d recognize that the “Seven” they’d been talking about was right here. But Qi Song seemed utterly unbothered, his attention solely on Chi Zhan, as if the world around them didn’t exist.
“When you broke up with me… was it because you didn’t like Song Guang, or because you didn’t like Seven?”
Chi Zhan fell silent.
Clearly, Seven’s nerves were made of steel—far better than his own.
But how the hell was he supposed to answer that?
It was like being presented with two impossible choices. Pick either, and you’d be wrong. Don’t pick, and you’d still be wrong.
Chi Zhan didn’t answer right away. After a long pause, he finally looked up and spoke seriously.
“Before I broke up with you, I didn’t know you were Seven. I just thought… I’d end up holding you back. I don’t actually remember anything about our past together,” his voice was quiet. “I don’t remember why we were even a couple in the game, how we met, or how it all started. When I logged back in… it was just on a whim. I asked you to pretend to be my boyfriend. But—”
But Chi Zhan could feel it: Song Guang had truly liked him.
Unlike the aloof, restrained Seven, Song Guang had always shown affection without hesitation. He could’ve hidden it under the guise of being a “fake boyfriend,” but there are three things in life no one can truly hide—
Poverty. A cough. And love.
Chi Zhan wasn’t some relationship expert. He couldn’t tell whether the affection had been genuine or just an act to bait him. But once he found out Song Guang was Seven, the possibility of it being fake vanished entirely.
Which made things even more complicated—he hadn’t been prepared for this.
“So you broke up with me because you liked me?” Qi Song asked calmly. “Is that it?”
Chi Zhan said nothing.
“If you tell me you don’t like me,” Qi Song continued, “I won’t believe you.”
“……”
Clouds drifted across the sky, parting to let the moonlight spill through. In Qi Song’s eyes, that pale light reflected only one thing—Chi Zhan.
“I’m not in the right place for a relationship right now,” Chi Zhan said with difficulty. Saying those words to Qi Song’s face took every ounce of willpower he had.
After all—
Romance targets and NPCs weren’t meant to be together.
If they crossed that line, the whole world might collapse.
Only the system’s ever-looming warnings kept Chi Zhan grounded.
Qi Song gazed at him in silence. Then, quietly, he said, “Look me in the eye… and say that again.”
Qi Song could feel it—Chi Zhan had feelings for him too. Love was a two-way street. If only one person was willing, the relationship would inevitably grow strained and awkward. But that had never been the case with them. Their time together had always felt easy and natural.
Yet Chi Zhan looked away, lips pressed tight.
“Chi Zhan,” Qi Song said his full name for the first time, “I know you—better than you know yourself. If you want to say no, then push me away.”
He leaned in.
The jade pendant at his neck glimmered in the moonlight. It was the only gift Chi Zhan had ever given him, and Qi Song wore it every single day—never once taking it off.
Chi Zhan was suddenly seized by a feeling—
Qi Song was going to kiss him.
The next second, his intuition proved correct. Qi Song cupped his face gently and pressed a kiss to his eyelid. Reflexively, Chi Zhan shut his eyes and tried to step back.
But the wall was right behind him.
There was nowhere left to go.
This really was the perfect place for a kiss. Quiet, secluded. No one could see them behind the wall. Not a soul in sight.
Kiss more!!!