"Brother, I'm done washing up."
Lu Xiangyang came out of the bathroom, wiping his hair dry.
Only then did Shen Kuangye shift his gaze away from the heart-shaped lock, though his hand still didn't want to let go.
Everything that happened tonight felt like a dream to him. Even with the lingering redness in his eyes, it still didn't feel entirely real.
Lu Xiangyang sat down beside him, freshly showered, wearing sleepwear with a fairly loose collar. Shen Kuangye noticed the faint marks still visible on his pale neck.
He suddenly felt a twinge of guilt, yet his eyes couldn't help but drift back to Lu Xiangyang's neck.
The body wash Lu Xiangyang had used tonight still smelled nice.
Shen Kuangye's thoughts wandered aimlessly.
Both of them were clearly not in the right state tonight. The fact that Lu Ning had already accepted them was surprising enough, and now she had even brought out something as significant as the heart-shaped locks. That represented acceptance and approval.
Lu Xiangyang's post-traumatic joy slowly surfaced. He naturally leaned into Shen Kuangye's arms and shared his feelings: "Brother, you know? When I first went in, Mom's voice was really cold, telling me to sit down. I thought she was going to make us separate."
Shen Kuangye held his hand and gave a hum of acknowledgment. "And then?"
"And then Mom said she already knew and asked how long I intended to keep hiding it. She also said that this kind of relationship isn't right." Lu Xiangyang lowered his eyes. "I knew it might not be entirely right, but I tried to change… drank all that medicine…"
He faltered, muttering, "But if it doesn't work, it's not my fault."
Shen Kuangye was silent for a moment. Then he heard Lu Xiangyang quietly say, almost with a mischievous joy, "Luckily, I've got some good luck… and luckily, you're soft-hearted."
Shen Kuangye chuckled.
They whispered back and forth, and night gradually deepened.
On New Year's Eve, the three of them went to visit Xu Wen.
The hospital was even busier during the New Year. Xu Wen's chemotherapy results had stabilized, and her spirits had improved significantly.
When they arrived, Xu Wen was chatting and laughing with Xia Zhan. Even Xia Zhan, rarely smiling, had a happy expression.
Seeing Lu Ning and the others, Xu Wen raised her voice, overjoyed: "You came?"
"Came to spend New Year's Eve with you," Lu Xiangyang said.
Lu Ning went up to ask Xu Wen about her condition.
Xia Zhan buried himself in studying nearby.
When Lu Xiangyang had previously chatted with Xu Wen, she would proudly say, "Xia Zhan is a student in the Qingbei class. In mock exams, he always starts at 660! Do you know what that means?"
"..."
Lu Xiangyang, a poor student, had no idea. His combined scores probably didn't even match Xia Zhan's main subject.
A moment later, Xu Wen happily added, "He's 300 points higher than me!"
Lu Xiangyang: "?"
He suddenly felt he wasn't such a poor student after all.
Xu Wen was very different from before. When she knew her illness had almost no chance of cure, she only thought about surviving day by day. But now, she dared to dream about the future.
She also sometimes couldn't hide things: "Once I recover, I'll start a business, repay your money, and make sure Xia Zhan can focus on school."
It was through Xu Wen that Lu Xiangyang learned that she and Xia Zhan were from the same welfare institute. Xia Zhan had been taken in by a wealthy family as a child, and Xu Wen thought he would have a better life. But even the Xia family had its own hardships.
Now Xia Zhan had completely cut ties with his foster parents and was under heavy pressure. But his stubborn personality made him unwilling to accept even a little help, relying on his artwork to make a living.
Xu Wen had witnessed all his struggles and silently resolved to work hard herself.
At the end, Xu Wen said gratefully, "Although this might sound cheesy, I really want to thank you and Shen Kuangye. My language skills aren't great, but I want to say that what you brought me is the realization that as long as you're alive, there's hope."
Lu Xiangyang and Shen Kuangye, having nothing else to do, opened their phones to play a few rounds of games.
They had been a bit lazy lately, and Lu Xiangyang wanted to duo with Shen Kuangye to get back into the rhythm.
He also had a bit of selfish desire, since he often watched videos of other people playing Love and Fifth, and wanted to experience it himself.
Their ranks were very high, so matchmaking took a long time and they often encountered fans or old acquaintances.
Lu Xiangyang made a decision: "Brother, let's make new accounts."
Shen Kuangye efficiently created the accounts immediately.
They planned to raise their ranks first.
After two hours, they went from Rank 1-3 to Rank 3. But Lu Xiangyang had underestimated the awareness and skill of low-rank teammates, and after reaching Rank 3, they frequently got griefed.
[Deceiving Perfume Execution [Sorcerer]]: What? Prophet, what are you doing? Pressing the machine? I fell over and you didn't activate it? And the hitter, what are you touching? Performing for me?
[Instant Knockdown Don't Blame Me [Mercenary]]: You two should go back to the tutorial and practice more.
Lu Xiangyang was furious. He shouldn't have played Dead by Daylight.
[A Little Sunshine Makes Everything Bright [Prophet]]: You got hit by the land trap and fell at the basement stairs, of course you have to force it.
[Deceiving Perfume Execution [Sorcerer]]: Land trap? The killer has a cooldown! You know nothing!
[Deceiving Perfume Execution [Sorcerer]]: Making up excuses for your own mistakes, thinking you're a pro player?
Lu Xiangyang: "..."
He quit the post-game lobby.
He opened another match to try again, still holding onto the dream of duoing romantically with Shen Kuangye, only to encounter a couple's ID. The opponent instantly swapped to the forward and little girl, possessing the generator.
Lu Xiangyang: "..."
He played the Composer the entire game, without any romantic feeling.
After the whole night, not only did they fail to achieve their initial goal, but their low-rank teammates mocked them post-game. Lu Xiangyang said wearily: "I'm done with Dead by Daylight."
Better to survive than be angry.
At this point, he was curious how Shen Kuangye could remain so calm playing ranked games every day. He had never seen Shen Kuangye angry over a game.
"How about Survivor and Hunter?" Shen Kuangye suggested quietly. "Duo as Night Watch and Siren."
Lu Xiangyang's eyes lit up. "Good."
During the New Year, matchmaking was fast. In minutes, they were in a game.
Shen Kuangye played Night Watch, Lu Xiangyang played Siren. Their pursuit was fast and highly coordinated.
The survivors were helpless, ultimately pleading: "Night Watch, please spare me!"
Shen Kuangye's brow twitched, a chill ran down his spine. He mercilessly downed the Perfumer and hooked him.
Even on the hook, the Perfumer harassed Shen Kuangye, crooning: "Brother, you're so handsome. Can you open your mic so I can hear your voice?"
Shen Kuangye ignored him, muted him, and went after the next target, eyes fixed on the eight-kill goal.
Lu Xiangyang, meanwhile, guarded the corpse nearby, pacing angrily. "Brother? Brother? Who do you think you're calling that?"
The Perfumer, noticing Night Watch ignored him, tried to direct Lu Xiangyang: "You're duoing, right? Can you call him over?"
Their duo IDs had been painstakingly chosen to reflect a couple. Since the Perfumer noticed, he could tell.
Lu Xiangyang only had four words in mind:
Stick. Face. Open. Mic.
He unmuted and snapped one word: "Go away."
It was the first time Lu Xiangyang ever yelled over mic while playing Fifth.
The Perfumer paused a few seconds, then crooned again: "Siren brother, your voice is so nice. Can we add each other after the game?"
Lu Xiangyang: "..."
How many more monsters would he have to deal with tonight?
After finishing the match, Lu Xiangyang, slightly annoyed, said: "No more."
"Okay," Shen Kuangye replied. "Then no more."
His calmness made Lu Xiangyang feel he had overreacted. After all, he was the one who suggested duoing; now the sulking one refusing to play was also him.
Just as Lu Xiangyang was scolding himself, Shen Kuangye suddenly held his hand, leaned close, and whispered: "Don't be angry."
"I'll only ever be your brother."
He seemed to instinctively understand what made Lu Xiangyang uncomfortable.
Lu Xiangyang admitted he was possessive now and didn't want anyone, even verbally, to take him away.
Shen Kuangye's soothing words calmed him instantly.
By the time they finished playing, it was nearly dinner.
The five of them gathered by the hospital bed for New Year's Eve. The table was small, so they stood, eating and chatting.
Lu Ning asked everyone about their New Year's wishes.
Xu Wen wished for her illness to improve.
Xia Zhan wished to successfully enter a top 2 medical school.
"What about you two?" Lu Ning asked.
Lu Xiangyang smiled: "Our wish is to win the Abyss Championship!"
Everyone laughed and chatted until midnight, fireworks going off outside, and people shouting Happy New Year.
Shen Kuangye watched the sky silently, making a wish:
To win the championship this year.
And to keep Lu Xiangyang safe.
Xu Wen's energy didn't allow her to stay up too long; she fell asleep around 12:30.
Xia Zhan tucked her in, then resumed studying. Lu Ning placed a red envelope in her hand.
Xia Zhan's eyes widened slightly. She instinctively tried to push it back, but Lu Ning held her hand: "Take it. This is from me."
"Exams are stressful lately. Rest well, okay?" Lu Ning smiled.
Xia Zhan bit her lip, nodded: "Okay."
"Then rest well. I'll leave now." Lu Ning gently patted her shoulder.
Even after Lu Ning left, Xia Zhan stared at the envelope.
Back home, after tidying up, it was nearly 2 a.m. Since Lu Ning already knew, Lu Xiangyang openly stayed with Shen Kuangye.
Considering the cold winter, they moved into Lu Xiangyang's air-conditioned room.
Shen Kuangye came back from the shower to see Lu Xiangyang wearing headphones, seriously staring at his phone.
He saw Lu Xiangyang browsing New Year bundles and returning collaboration skins he had hesitated to buy multiple times.
While Lu Xiangyang was hesitating, a friend request notification popped up.
He checked and saw that Shen Kuangye had gifted him not only those three skins, but every New Year limited gold and collaboration skin.
Lu Xiangyang turned, surprised, realizing Shen Kuangye had already finished his shower and sat beside him.
"I—brother, you didn't need to send so many."
Even though he really liked them.
Shen Kuangye propped himself on the bed with one hand and claimed the skins with the other, casually saying: "If you like them, that's what matters."
He set the phone down, looking at Lu Xiangyang: "Want to practice solo a few rounds?"
Lu Xiangyang, excited with the skins he'd long coveted, immediately said: "Yes!"
They played until 2 a.m., when Shen Kuangye finally made him reluctantly put down the phone.
But without the game, he still had a handsome brother to cuddle, so it wasn't a loss.
He lay in Shen Kuangye's arms, starting to drift off. Suddenly, he remembered something.
"Brother." He lifted his head and kissed Shen Kuangye on the cheek, eyes shining: "Happy New Year!"
Shen Kuangye lowered his gaze, smiling softly:
"Happy New Year."
"Baby."