Wenhao floated back to his room that night.
He couldn't stop smiling. His cheeks hurt from smiling. His heart was doing flips and somersaults and he couldn't make it stop.
He lay on his bed and hugged Gerald the puppy close. The little brown ball of fur licked his chin and wagged its tail and Wenhao giggled.
"He gave you to me," Wenhao whispered to the puppy. "He named you after a crack in the ceiling. He remembered. He actually remembered."
He rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling. His own ceiling. The one without Gerald the crack. But now he had Gerald the puppy and that was so much better.
He thought about Zhenlong. The way he had signed the papers without hesitation. The way he had looked at Wenhao with those soft eyes. The way he had said I remember everything.
Wenhao giggled again and buried his face in the pillow.
"What is wrong with me," he mumbled. "Why am I so happy? I should hate him. He kidnapped me. He threatened to cut off Shen Wei's fingers. He made my dad sign away everything."
But then he thought about the cinema room. The haircut. The storm. The way Zhenlong had carried him to bed.
His heart did another flip.
He was in trouble. So much trouble.
---
The next day, Wenhao was at the airport.
Shen Wei was leaving. He had gotten a scholarship—thanks to Mr Liang's connections and a generous recommendation. It was a full ride to a prestigious medical school overseas.
Wenhao was proud of him. So proud. But he was also heartbroken.
"I can't believe you're leaving," Wenhao said. His voice was thick and his eyes were already wet. "Who's going to make me terrible eggs? Who's going to listen to my complaints? Who's going to tell me I'm being dramatic?"
Shen Wei laughed but his eyes were wet too. "You're always being dramatic. That's not going to change just because I'm gone."
"But who's going to be there to witness it?"
"Write me letters. Send me voice messages. I'll call you every week."
"Every week? That's not enough. I need daily updates. Hourly. I need to know everything."
Shen Wei pulled him into a tight hug. "I'm going to miss you too."
Wenhao hugged him back and the tears started falling. "You better come back. You better finish that degree and come back and be the best doctor ever. I'm going to be your first patient. I'm going to have so many fake illnesses just so you can take care of me."
"You're ridiculous."
"I know. That's why you love me."
Shen Wei laughed again and pulled back. He wiped his eyes and took a deep breath. "I have to go. The gate is closing."
Wenhao nodded. "Go. Be amazing. Make me proud."
"I always do."
They hugged one more time and then Shen Wei walked away. He turned back once and waved and Wenhao waved back with tears streaming down his face.
He watched until Shen Wei disappeared through the gate.
And then he stood there for a long time, alone in the crowded airport.
---
The days after that became something Wenhao never expected.
He and Zhenlong grew close. Closer than Wenhao had ever imagined.
They spent almost every day together. Zhenlong would pick him up in the morning and they'd get breakfast at a small café. They'd walk through the park and talk about nothing and everything. They'd watch movies in the cinema room and Wenhao would fall asleep on Zhenlong's shoulder and wake up tucked in his own bed.
Hua Cheng noticed.
"Why are you spending so much time with the kid?" he asked one day. "You have business. Work. Things to do."
Zhenlong shrugged. "He's fun to be around."
"Fun? You used to say he was annoying."
"He's still annoying. But he's also fun."
Hua Cheng stared at him. "Zhenlong. Be honest with me."
Zhenlong looked at him for a long moment. Then he said, "I don't know what it is. He just... makes me feel something. Something I haven't felt in a long time."
"Like what?"
"Like... alive."
Hua Cheng shook his head and walked away.
But Zhenlong didn't care. He just smiled and went back to planning the next thing he was going to do with Wenhao.
They went to amusement parks. Zhenlong won him a giant stuffed bear at a carnival game. They went to the beach and Wenhao splashed water at Zhenlong until he was soaking wet. They went to fancy restaurants and cheap street stalls and everywhere in between.
Zhenlong spoiled him. He bought him clothes and jewelry and books and anything Wenhao even glanced at.
Wenhao tried to protest but Zhenlong just said, "You're my friend. I want to take care of you."
And Wenhao let him.
Because deep down, he was getting attached too.
He looked forward to every moment with Zhenlong. The way Zhenlong would laugh at his jokes. The way he would play games with him and let Wenhao win even though they both knew Zhenlong was better. The way he would look at Wenhao with those soft eyes.
Wenhao's heart was a mess.
He didn't know what they were. Friends? More than friends? Something in between?
He just knew that when he was with Zhenlong, everything felt right.
And he didn't want to question it.
---
Meanwhile, things were changing at the Liang mansion.
Mr Liang had been discharged from the hospital. He was still weak. Still recovering. But he was determined to rebuild his power.
One evening, he called Xinyi into his study.
"I need you to do something for me," he said. "A business alliance. Marriage. You'll marry the son of one of my business partners. It will strengthen our position."
Xinyi's face went pale. "Marriage? Father, I don't want to marry someone I don't know. I have someone else. Someone I—"
"It doesn't matter what you want. This is about the family. About rebuilding what we lost."
"But Father—"
"The decision is made."
Xinyi walked out of the study with tears in her eyes.
Ruifen was waiting in the hallway.
"What happened?" Ruifen asked. "What did he say?"
Xinyi shook her head. "He wants me to marry some business partner's son. For the family. For power."
Ruifen's face fell. "No. That's not right. You can't just—"
"I don't have a choice. You don't understand. This is how it works for people like us."
Ruifen grabbed her hand. "Then let's find a way. We'll figure something out. Just tell me everything. I'll help you."
Xinyi hesitated. Then she told Ruifen everything.
Her old classmate. The one she loved. The one she had kept secret all these years.
Ruifen listened and held her hand and promised to help.
She kept her promise too.
Ruifen had never betrayed Xinyi's trust before.
But this time, she told the wrong person.