CH 65

Pei Yi slept soundly and woke up naturally.

The sound of dripping water came from the bathroom. He turned around lazily while regaining his senses, and also remembered what happened the night before—

On a whim, he and Bo Yueming had gone to the terrace to drink and look at the stars.

The wine was not all drunk, and the stars were not seen, but the heart moved intensely.

He even tried to do bad things, but fortunately, he was inexperienced and lacked courage, so he gave up at the last moment.

Bo Yueming had carried him back to the master bedroom. After the two washed up briefly, Pei Yi unknowingly fell asleep.

As for what he said at the beginning, “I’m not used to sleeping with strangers,” this sentiment had long since disappeared with the deepening of their relationship.

“Meow-wu, meow~”

Inspector jumped onto the edge of the bed, lending close to Pei Yi to sniff him.

“Hey, Inspector, stop making trouble.”

Pei Yi’s cheek was tickled by his pet, and he retracted most of his head back into the quilt.

The fluffy quilt carried the scent he had been used to as a child, and was also mixed with the faint aroma of mint from Bo Yueming’s body, creating a subtle fragrance.

Pei Yi had read popular science magazines and books before—

Everyone had a specific and exclusive scent. As long as a pair of lovers lived together for a long time, each other’s scents would gradually permeate into everyday objects.

The most obvious was the quilt that the two of them slept under together.

Lovers?

Pei Yi thought of this strange and exciting word and couldn’t help but rub the quilt again, humming in satisfaction. “It seems to smell quite nice.”

The sound of water in the bathroom stopped.

Having gotten up early, Bo Yueming had already finished showering.

Pei Yi simply climbed up to a sitting position. While rubbing Inspector’s furry body, he glanced at the bathroom door and inwardly brainstormed—

There was a high probability that their two minds were the same.

But everything must go through a process, from awareness to pursuit, from confession to love, and from communication to the future. Everything should be done step by step in order to be logical.

Pei Yi was a person who would do practical things with a clear mind. He didn’t want to blur the boundaries of his relationship with Bo Yueming because of the current “marriage relationship,” causing them to be together in an unclear manner.

That being the case, a confession was definitely needed, but who was going to say it first?

The bathroom door opened.

As soon as Bo Yueming went out, he met Pei Yi’s eyes. “You’re awake so early?”

Pei Yi was full of energy, and didn’t feel uncomfortable after drinking. “It’s not early, I have to go to the studio.”

“Go with me? I’ll have Lao Fu drop you off first.” Bo Yueming remembered today’s temperature, and specially reminded him, “Wear more, it’s cold today.”

Pei Yi replied, “Okay. Then I’ll go wash up first.”

Under Bo Yueming’s gaze, he trotted to the bathroom of the master bedroom, and less than three seconds later, turned around abruptly. “I went the wrong way.”

After “losing face,” he rushed back to his small room in big strides.

“Ao-wu~”

Inspector stared at Pei Yi’s back with wide eyes.

Bo Yueming stepped forward and rubbed its little head, and couldn’t help but ask in a whisper, “You think he’s cute too, don’t you?”

Inspector seemed to understand something, and lay down on the spot with a meow.

. . . . . . .

Taking advantage of breakfast time, Pei Yi deliberately mentioned the fact that YWY Studios was going to be branching off.

As one of GM’s executives, Bo Yueming agreed very freely, and the reason was simple—

The Last Fog series originally belonged to YWY Studios, and GM’s investment only involved the game itself.

As long as there was no problem with the division of Dawn Games and YWY Studios themselves, then everything would be easy to handle.

Bo Yueming took a sip of coffee. “Won’t the game be released on New Year’s Day? It’s best to deal with it before then.”

Pei Yi nodded, in sync with his thoughts.

Lin Zhong on the side couldn’t help but say, “Little Sir, why is your studio called YWY? Does it stand for something?”

“…….”

Did it stand for something?

What meaning could there be from a naming waste?

Pei Yi took a bite of poached egg and didn’t have the confidence to talk about the naming process. He expressed, “The studio logo was designed by Sister Yang, what did she say……”

“I hope that the games produced by our studio will conquer the world just like cats conquer people’s hearts.”

Hearing this design idea, Bo Yueming laughed. “Compared to the two of you naming wastes, this concept can be regarded as turning the tide.”

“…….”

Pei Yi thought of Bo Yueming’s “cat slave” attribute that was hidden in the original text, and stuffed the remaining half of poached egg in his mouth. He muttered faintly, “Is being a naming waste so obvious?”

For him, the name of the studio was not important. The game itself was the most important thing!

. . . . . . .

Pei Yi hadn’t lived a nine-to-six life for a long time, but fortunately, “The Last Fog” was progressing smoothly—

Not only had the stand-alone game of the first series been fully formed, but even the mobile game of the second series had taken its basic shape.

The heat for the first launch of the stand-alone game started smoothly and attracted enough players and users, and they could launch the upgraded version 2.0 mobile game version within half a year.

In the blink of an eye, it was the agreed upon “Next Saturday.”

Having finished his review of the work at hand, Pei Yi left work early. He looked at the receding scenery outside the car window and asked uncertainly, “Lao Fu, aren’t we going to the group to meet Er-ge?”

Why were they getting farther and farther away? They were almost on the highway.

Lao Fu glanced at him through the rearview mirror. “Little Sir, don’t worry. Second Young Master asked me to bring you here.”

Not long after saying this, Lao Fu parked the car next to a temporary parking lot on the side of the road, and there was a heavy black off-road vehicle parked on their right.

The windows of the two vehicles rolled down one after another.

Not understanding, Pei Yi glanced sideways and suddenly realized—the person in the driver’s seat of the off-road vehicle opposite them was actually Bo Yueming!

“Er-ge?”

Bo Yueming met his shining eyes. “Come over here.”

Pei Yi got out of the car without a word and climbed into the passenger seat of the off-road vehicle.

He looked at the layout of the vehicle with surprise and delight, and finally turned to Bo Yueming. “You’re going to drive yourself today? What if Bo Guancheng and the others find out?”

“En.”

Bo Yueming responded, then tossed the question back, “I thought you didn’t want others to disturb tonight’s plans?”

No matter how conscientious driver Lao Fu was, he was still a third wheel.

As for whether it would be discovered by people they knew? This was not within Bo Yueming’s considerations for the time being. He wanted to drive Pei Yi and enjoy this rare “date.”

Pei Yi’s heart was slightly hot, and he agreed to this statement by default.

“Where did this vehicle come from? I don’t think I’ve seen it in the garage before.”

“I bought it not long ago. It’s been parked at the sale and service shop, and I haven’t driven it back.”

As Bo Yueming spoke, the sense of long-accumulated vinegar overflowed. “When Mr. Qin drove this kind of vehicle last time, I saw that you liked it very much.”

“Ah?”

Pei Yi was taken aback for a couple of seconds, and could barely recall what had happened.

When they first met Qin Yishun, the other party was driving a modified hardcore off-road vehicle.

It was handsome and stylish, a guy’s dream car!

He had admired it in front of Bo Yueming? Hadn’t it just been one short word?

This person couldn’t have had thoughts about him at that time, right?

Pei Yi raised his eyebrows. “Er-ge, you…..”

“We’re driving on a mountain road today. This vehicle can climb it easily.” Bo Yueming interrupted his unspoken teasing, then neatly started the car.

“It will take about three hours to get there. I bought afternoon tea for you in the back seat. If you get hungry later, you can fill your stomach first.”

He had clearly been jealous but wouldn’t admit it, and changed the subject quite obviously first.

Pei Yi’s eyes overflowed with delight. “Oh.”

Thinking of everything that could happen that night, he had never looked forward to the darkness so much.

. . . . . . .

When the two arrived at the campsite halfway up the mountain, the sun had completely set, and there was a wide-open scene in front of them—

The soft afterglow of the setting sun scattered across the sky, presenting clear and beautiful pink and blue colors. Looking down from the viewing platform of the campsite, there was a meandering river at the foot of the mountain and tall urban buildings standing in the distance.

“— Ah~”

Pei Yi jumped out of the vehicle at once and took a deep breath. “It feels so good.”

The wind was cool and penetrating, and the exhaustion from days of work was wiped away in one breath.

Bo Yueming glanced at the time. “Pei Yi, let’s go in and have something to eat first. Don’t stand outside all the time, be careful not to catch a cold in the wind.”

They would wait for the sky to darken later, when the stargazing would officially begin.

A trace of nervous expectation flickered in Pei Yi’s eyes. He turned around, restraining himself completely. “Okay!”

The two stepped into the service hall of the campsite.

The boss greeted them immediately, regarding them with polite eyes. “Welcome, both of you. Do you want to handle your camping business, or do you want to come in and eat?”

“Our ingredients are all shipped from the foot of the mountain on the same day, and are very fresh.”

Pei Yi met the boss’s gaze, and his eyes flickered slightly.

Then he heard Bo Yueming beside him answer calmly, “We’ll eat.”

Bo Yueming had planned to take Pei Yi to the top of the mountain to see the starry sky, so he had also brought a camping tent that was specially thick and windproof.

Of course, even if it was too cold to stay in the tent that night, the off-road vehicle could serve as their exclusive residence.

. . . . . . .

In less than ten minutes, a simple and delicious meal was delivered.

Pei Yi looked around the service hall where there were few people, and took the lead to ask the boss, “Boss, isn’t today Saturday? Why is there no one here?”

“It is cold here at night. There are usually a lot of people in summer, but in winter, it is basically only people who come to take pictures.”

The boss was originally one of those astrophotography enthusiasts.

In the early years, he discovered by accident that Yanshan Mountain was a rare place to observe the starry sky, so he invested with his friends and cooperated with the local tourism department to create this campsite.

The boss looked back and forth between Pei Yi and Bo Yueming. “Which side are you planning to go to later? There are viewing platforms on the west and north summits, and you can get there by driving slowly.”

“The west summit is the best for photography, and there are six or seven photographers going to shoot there tonight, but no one is going to the north summit.” When he said this, the boss even took a special look at Pei Yi.

The main peak of Yanshan Mountain was the west summit, and there was a large area of grass that opened up the field of view more. The driving conditions were also very good, so it was generally chosen by photographers and tourists.

The north summit was relatively remote, and the journey was far. Apart from the bare rocks, the destination had a small viewing platform.

Pei Yi shifted his gaze to the boss again and took a sip of hot soup. “Er-ge, why don’t we go to the north summit?”

Bo Yueming listened to him. “Alright.”

To be honest, neither of them had come here for photography. As long as they could look at the stars, the fewer people the better.

The boss chuckled as if he had expected this. “Okay, you two eat slowly, I won’t bother you~”

. . . . . . .

There was still some distance between the north summit and the campsite, and it was already nine o’clock in the evening when the two arrived at the end of the road.

Further on, it was blocked by a low grove of trees, but signs and lights could be seen.

Bo Yueming decisively parked the vehicle in the “open space” parking lot. “Shall we get out of the car and take a look?”

“En.”

Pei Yi opened the door and immediately shivered in the cold wind.

Sure enough, the night wind on the top of the mountain could not be underestimated. Even though he was already wearing a windbreaker to keep out the cold, he still felt his breathing freeze for a moment.

“Pei Yi, turn around.”

“Ah?”

Pei Yi complied obediently, and the second he turned around—

Bo Yueming wrapped a scarf prepared in advance around his neck and covered half his face.

Bo Yueming let out a breath of cold air and changed his plans, “The temperature difference on top of the mountain is greater than I imagined. We’ll either stay in the car later or go back to the campsite halfway down the mountain.”

The scarf blocked the cold wind, and his obstructed breathing was finally relieved.

Pei Yi let the person before him arrange their accommodations for the night and took the initiative to hold his hand. “Er-ge, let’s go take a look first.”

“Okay.”

The two walked through the small grove according to the signs.

In an instant, the scene before them suddenly became clear—

In the completely empty night, there was a well-built viewing platform on one side and uneven piles of rocks on the other.

The nearby mountains were unfathomably dark, while in the distance were condensed fragments of human life. The wind around them was lonely, coming and going who knew where.

When they raised their heads, the universe and galaxies were presented before their eyes.

“God.”

Pei Yi let out his heartfelt admiration.

The always calm Bo Yueming was astonished by the scene in front of him, and lost himself for a moment.

His tightly held arm was suddenly jostled as Pei Yi moved closer to him. “Er-ge, isn’t it beautiful?”

“En.”

Bo Yueming didn’t deny it.

The stars here were even more shocking and beautiful than the ones he saw at the seaside when he was young.

“Want to sit and look?”

The two walked to the bench at the viewing platform, sat down, and silently gazed up at the starry sky.

After a long time, Pei Yi broached the first sentence, “Er-ge, do you still think of her?”

No name was mentioned, but Bo Yueming knew who he was talking about.

The night breeze stopped for a moment.

Bo Yueming replied very lightly, “Occasionally. On my sixth birthday, she took me to the deserted seaside, and we sat on the rocks like this. The breeze was very cool, and smelled of salt.”

Several times, Bo Yueming felt that the surging waves in the distance would swallow them up, but because his “mother” was by his side, the fear in his heart was not enough to sustain itself.

“She taught me to identify many of the stars that night.”

Bo Yueming couldn’t quite remember the names and locations of those stars. Probably due to a mother-and-child connection, he felt at that time that the other person’s words revealed a sadness that she tried her best to hide.

“We went home after looking at the stars, and then she picked up her luggage and said she was going to work, but I refused to let her go.”

Bo Yueming remembered that it was the first time he had been willful when he was a child.

“She said she wouldn’t leave, but when I woke up, she was still gone.”

Bo Yueming paused for a moment, then continued, “She never came back again. It’s been so many years, and I don’t even know if she’s dead or alive.”

He had secretly tried to send some to look for her, but there was no news.

“……”

Pei Yi’s heart clenched in pain.

Compared with him, who from birth had never met his biological parents, Bo Yueming’s abrupt separation was more desperate and painful.

Bo Yueming, who was only six years old, took the remaining pocket money from his piggy bank and lived alone for a week with the little white cat he had picked up, and then an auntie friend came to the door—

The other party took him to China and to the Bo family.

Bo Yueming murmured uncertainly, “It was a long time later that I vaguely understood that she might have wanted to ‘leave’ with me that night, but left me behind in the end.”

Back then, Bo Lihong had used the ring he bought casually to deceive her feelings and delay her life. She gave birth before marriage and was likely to be pointed at wherever she went.

The other party persisted for six years, and finally could not go on.

Bo Yueming couldn’t blame her for being heartless—

He knew that the mother in his memories had exhausted her strength to accompany him as he grew.

“The main branch secretly detests me, and the second branch clearly doesn’t like me. In the first year I came back to the Bo residence, Grandma threw a big birthday party for me.”

“It was only that I didn’t have any friends. The children of the same age who came either spent time with Bo Guancheng or talked with the second branch son and daughter.”

After the banquet, the jealous and angry Bo Wang had ruined many of his presents.

That night, having seen Bo Yueming’s disappointment, Old Mrs. Bo secretly gave him another birthday.

“I knew that all of this had nothing to do with Grandma, but two years of unhappiness in a row made me resist spending more effort on this kind of day.”

Pei Yi unknowingly clenched Bo Yueming’s hand. “It’s okay, it’s over.”

“Yes, it’s all over.”

Bo Yueming was not someone who would wallow in the pain of the past. Compared with the unretainable past, he preferred to grasp the present and create the future.

Bo Yueming turned his eyes from the starry sky back to his side, as if searching for an answer in his eyes. “Pei Yi, you’re the one watching the stars with me now. Will you leave?”

There was less than a month before the New Year’s Day they had agreed upon.

“Er-ge.”

Pei Yi didn’t give a direct answer, but asked rhetorically, “You took me to see the stars, so I’ll give you a gift too, okay?”

Bo Yueming was taken aback. “A gift?”

Before he could fully react, Pei Yi suddenly let go of his hand and ran straight toward the uneven piles of rock to the right.

“Pei Yi?!”

Bo Yueming held his breath for a moment and stood up, chasing after him. “Come back!”

There was only a lone lamp lighting the viewing platform. The side with the rock piles was almost completely dark, and if you weren’t careful, you may stumble and fall.

“Er-ge, just stand still and wait for me!”

Pei Yi turned his head to stop Bo Yueming from chasing after him. He walked nimbly across the rocks looking for something, and crouched down again.

Bo Yueming was terrified at the sight. He couldn’t bear it anymore, and was seconds away from bringing back the disobedient kitten.

Before he could take a step, the crouching Pei Yi stood up and ran back. “Er-ge! Catch me!”

Taking the last step down, Pei Yi threw himself into familiar arms without a trace of fear.

“Careful!”

Bo Yueming opened his arms at once and caught him firmly, too scared to breathe. “What were you doing?”

As soon as he spoke, six beams of light shot into the sky behind the two of them.

Bo Yueming looked up subconsciously, and before the conjectures in his mind had time to emerge, colorful fireworks suddenly bloomed in the starry night sky.

“Er-ge, happy birthday.”

The fireworks rushed to the sky, and he was determined to rush to the person he liked.

“…….”

Bo Yueming’s heart contracted fiercely, and he looked down at the person in his arms in disbelief. “How did you prepare these?”

Pei Yi pushed Bo Yueming back a few steps to the viewing platform. “Are you surprised? I talked with the boss a long time in advance before he agreed to take care of it for me.”

The drop under the rock pile was not high, just a small slope. Pei Yi only dared to be so reckless because he knew the environment in advance.

As early as last week when he agreed to come to Yanshan, Pei Yi had begun his own plan.

He and the boss confirmed that there were no “anti-firework” regulations here, and Pei Yi immediately started to buy fireworks, asking the other party to help arrange them.

The most important thing was that he also “bought out” the boss, who invited all the tourists and photographers who were likely to come to the north summit to the west summit instead.

God knows how nervous Pei Yi was when he met the boss at the service hall halfway up the mountain and spoke in code. He feared that the clever Bo Yueming would notice everything.

Fortunately, he hadn’t revealed his secrets. All of his preparations were for this moment.

The fireworks all over the sky were all gifts from Pei Yi.

Bo Yueming pressed close to his ear. “Why did you prepare these? Did Grandma tell you?”

He had thought Pei Yi chose this Saturday just because he had the day off, but now it seemed—

The other party knew his birthday long ago, and planned all of this carefully.

The sound of the blooming fireworks was deafening, and Pei Yi had to speak loudly. “The Old Madam said that you don’t like to celebrate your birthday, so you’ve avoided it for the past twenty years.”

Pei Yi didn’t know the reason at first, and only now did he understand the deep entanglement in Bo Yueming’s heart—

The day of his birthday was also the day his mother chose to leave him.

Pei Yi understood the shadow and harm this day caused to Bo Yueming, but even so, he decided to celebrate his birthday in his own way.

He wanted to scrub away all the pain and sadness from this day for the other person, and create memories together.

The fireworks bloomed in the sky together with the stars, against the lights of the world.

Pei Yi looked up at Bo Yueming, and his eyes were more moving than the fireworks, stars, and lights. He gave him a long-prepared answer.

“Er-ge, I won’t leave.”

— Now you’re the one watching the stars with me. Will you leave?

—I won’t leave.

Bo Yueming’s pupils trembled uncertainly. He was afraid he might have misheard, so he tightened his arms around this person. “What did you say?”

Pei Yi had bought a total of twenty-six fireworks, magnificent and vast, one for each year, which lasted until Bo Yueming’s twenty-sixth year of life.

After the last bouquet of grand revelry, everything was silent.

Pei Yi met Bo Yueming’s soulful eyes, and repeated in a voice that both of them could hear clearly, “I said, I won’t leave.”

If possible, Pei Yi wanted Bo Yueming to have him in his future birthday memories. Every year, they could watch the stars, set off fireworks, and try many new things that only couples could do.

“……”

“Bo Yueming.”

“En?”

“I like you.”

Pei Yi smiled sincerely and with a hint of shyness. “Do you want to be my boyfriend, ah?”