By Zephyria 
The man standing not far away was tall, wearing a hat and mask, dressed in an unfamiliar all-black outfit, his face obscured.
Despite the noisy corridor, at this moment, every sound seemed unusually clear.
Jing Mian’s pupils contracted slightly.
He wasn’t a member of their team.
Jing Mian quickly averted his gaze. Perhaps the coin he had dropped had merely intercepted this unfamiliar passerby by chance.
The man bent down and picked up the coin.
As the other approached and extended his hand to return it, Jing Mian’s Adam’s apple bobbed once before he murmured, “Thank you.”
Backlit by the overhead lights, in the dim haze of his vision, Jing Mian faintly sensed that the man seemed to be looking down at him.
…
Ash.
The person watching him… might be Ash.
An absurd intuition suddenly surged inexplicably in his mind.
Without any basis, yet overwhelming, clamoring, even he himself didn’t know where it came from.
Fortunately, the man didn’t linger for long. Instead, he turned and entered a private room. Jing Mian’s gaze followed, landing on the door number.
—2034.
Exactly the same as the number on his coin.
Indeed.
His heart pounded heavily.
The young man stood rooted for a few seconds, his right hand slowly tightening around the coin. Soon after, he strode straight toward that room and pushed open the door.
The moment his teammates saw him, their eyes lit up, beckoning him inside. “MianMian’s here!”
“Got stuck on the overpass?”
“Come sit, have some fruit to soothe your throat.”
Red Hair patted the empty seat beside him. Once the boy sat down, he cleared his throat, barely containing his excitement. “Uh, MianMian, let me introduce you.”
“This is Ash.”
Then, He Jing lowered his voice to a volume only the two of them could hear: “The number one god on the PK leaderboard, your Shadow Guard!! Aahhh!”
Jing Mian lifted his gaze, meeting the man’s eyes.
It was the same person from earlier.
His voice inexplicably dry, Jing Mian spoke softly, “Hello.”
The man gave a slight nod.
Jing Mian had arrived the latest. Not long after he sat down, the team began taking turns picking songs. Background music filled the room, the dim flickering lights casting most corners in shadow, as if isolating them from the surroundings.
Jing Mian sat there, separated from Ash by a few people, yet in his senses, it felt as if only the two of them remained in the quiet.
Before long, the waiter arrived with the pre-ordered items—iced beers and a few bottles of refreshing fruit juice, placing them on the small glass table nearby.
Once everyone had taken their share, Jing Mian stared at the cans of iced beer, his throat inexplicably parched. He swallowed unconsciously.
Soon, the young man stood and walked toward the glass table.
Lowering his gaze, he silently picked up a can of beer. Just as his fingers hooked around the pull-tab, the weight in his hand suddenly lightened.
The next second, the cool sensation slipped from his palm.
Jing Mian froze. As he turned his head, his pupils gradually constricted.
Ash was standing right behind him.
They were so close that the man now held the iced beer he had just taken.
A familiar, pleasant scent enveloped him. Jing Mian stiffened, suddenly at a loss for words. In that moment, he could hear his own roaring heartbeat.
Then, the iced beer in his hand was replaced with an opened bottle of blueberry juice.
Jing Mian stood motionless in place.
When he returned to his seat, the young man held the opened blueberry juice, taking small sips. His lashes lowered as his pupils trembled uncontrollably.
“……”
What was going on?
There was a familiar scent on Ash.
And it was one he knew all too well.
……
It couldn’t be.
Dim light cast shadows over the young man’s figure. Jing Mian sat frozen in place for a long time, only standing up when another round of song requests ended, excusing himself to go to the restroom.
No.
He needed to call his husband.
Perhaps too many coincidental hints had misled him, but he could no longer remain certain. Yet this sudden thought was so absurd he couldn’t bring himself to believe it for even a second.
All he knew was—
Right now, immediately, he had to contact Mr. Ren.
He couldn’t wait another moment.
When Jing Mian’s footsteps stopped, he had reached the end of the hallway. The restroom was nearby, its secluded location leaving it mostly empty.
He lowered his head, pulling out his phone. The screen’s glow illuminated his face.
Even though he knew the number by heart, his fingers seemed to disobey him now. Pressing his lips together, Jing Mian fumbled several times before finally managing to dial.
……
How could it be?
How was this possible?
His breath turned cold at his lips, yet an inexplicable urgency burned in his chest, ice and fire clashing as if his very soul trembled. Even among countless possibilities, the one he now suspected should have been the most impossible.
The dial tone rang in his ear.
And at that very moment—
A familiar ringtone abruptly sounded from behind him.
The young man froze.
The moment the dial tone stopped, signaling the call had connected, Mr. Ren’s deep, magnetic voice reached his ears through the phone:
“Hello.”
Jing Mian’s pupils shook faintly.
Because the voice didn’t just come from the receiver—
It also came… from behind him.
His lashes fluttered as he lifted his gaze and turned around, meeting the eyes of Mr. Ren, who stood holding his phone, his mask now pulled down.
He watched as his lover lowered his voice and slowly parted his lips,
“It’s me, Ash.”