That night.
When Ye Songhua found You Fuzhou at the observatory, he was gazing at the Milky Way together with Mianmian, whose condition had already improved greatly.
She sat down a short distance away from him—about four body lengths apart.
“Fuzhou-ge.”
Ye Songhua called out to You Fuzhou.
You Fuzhou turned his head, pulling himself out of his reminiscence of that hug from Yu Yan last week. He cleared his throat lightly. “Mm?”
Ye Songhua was equally direct. “Do you like Mr. Yu?”
You Fuzhou: “.”
He got along well enough with Ye Songhua. After all, she was like a little sister to him, and they’d known each other for many years. “Why do you ask?”
He hadn’t denied it right away.
Ye Songhua stared at You Fuzhou, her heart already settling on an answer. “Because I think Mr. Yu seems to like you.”
You Fuzhou: “…”
Ye Songhua pressed her point confidently. “His attitude toward you is completely different from how he treats other Sentinels!”
You Fuzhou tried… well, he wasn’t even sure what he was trying to do. “That’s because I was the one who fished him out.”
“No, it’s not the same! It’s just different! He doesn’t treat you like it’s just gratitude for saving his life.”
Ye Songhua continued, “And you treat him completely differently too! You’ve saved so many people—I’m not saying anything bad, but there are plenty worse off than him. Yet you’re more concerned about him, and you value him more.”
Truth be told, she didn’t know why You Fuzhou was so particularly drawn to Yu Yan either. But sometimes, that was just how it worked—only the person who was attracted could pinpoint what exactly about the other drew them in.
You Fuzhou had no counter. “So what are you trying to say?”
Ye Songhua said earnestly, “If you like him, just tell him.”
You Fuzhou: “…”
He pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m not even that old, and you’re already pushing me to get married? Other families have the eldest sister acting like a mom—ours has the little sister turning into one, huh?”
Hearing him joke like that, Ye Songhua knew that ever since Yu Yan had appeared, You Fuzhou’s condition was genuinely improving.
She was thrilled at the thought of them together. Yu Yan was a good person, and he liked You Fuzhou—why shouldn’t they seize the chance? What if they took it too slow and missed out?
Ye Songhua said seriously, “Bro, don’t think I’m just being a silly kid. Let me ask you this: Isn’t Mr. Yu super handsome? Isn’t he really captivating? You saw how eagerly Li Santian fawns over him. If you keep bottling it up, aren’t you afraid Mr. Yu might think you don’t like him, miss this connection, and end up with some other Sentinel?”
You Fuzhou didn’t respond right away.
That instant of panic and collapse in his heart was enough to tell him exactly where his feelings were headed.
“…I’m afraid it’s the compatibility influencing me.”
You Fuzhou let out a soft breath as he gazed at the vast starry river of the cosmos. “You know he’s an adaptive-type Guide. Every Sentinel has over 90% compatibility with him. Which means, if this were a game, with affection maxed at a hundred, everyone would start with over ninety points for him.”
It was the natural pull between Sentinels and Guides.
“But out of all those ninety-percent matches, he’s the only one willing to make up for that last ten points even the heavens didn’t give you.”
Ye Songhua looked anxiously at her oblivious cousin. “And even if it is the compatibility? Every meeting is fate arranged by the heavens. People with fate keep crossing paths; those without just keep missing each other. The heavens gave you this fate, so you’re destined!”
You Fuzhou: “…”
Where had she been going to school? Her mouth was getting more and more silver-tongued.
Ye Songhua truly didn’t understand. “You don’t dislike him, and deep down, you don’t even want to see him with another Sentinel. Even if it’s compatibility influencing you, with your personality, you’d never bully or hurt him later. I just don’t get what you’re hesitating for.”
You Fuzhou fell silent for a few seconds, then finally told the ever-chattering Ye Songhua, “…I’ve promised to be his guard.”
Ye Songhua froze, then her eyes lit up. “Then why hasn’t it been made public… Oh, I get it.”
She looked at You Fuzhou with envy. “He loves you so much.”
You Fuzhou: “?”
How had the conversation swerved here?
Ye Songhua declared emphatically, “He must have considered that you’re shy, so he didn’t say anything! If I were dating a Sentinel like you, I’d be shouting it from the rooftops with a megaphone!”
You Fuzhou struggled, his head throbbing. “It’s just as a guard… not dating…”
“You’ve never been anyone’s guard before!”
Ye Songhua had jumped to her feet in excitement. “No, I have to go tell him!”
You Fuzhou: “？!”
He called after her, “Ye Songhua!”
But Ye Songhua had already bolted. “I won’t listen, I won’t listen!”
You Fuzhou sent Mianmian after her, but the girl was crafty. She’d already reached out mentally to Yu Yan. “Mr. Yu! Save me!!! My bro’s gonna silence me—”
Bewildered, Yu Yan: “?”
What were this pair of siblings up to now?
Last time, it had been the same. Ye Songhua had been picky about food and refused all veggies. You Fuzhou had given her a choice between nutrient fluid and greens. She wouldn’t listen, they started arguing in the cafeteria, and she’d mentally yelled to him that her brother was trying to poison her.
—After You Fuzhou had Ye Songhua teach him how to use mental power, their relationship had improved.
Yu Yan was good at hiding things. He hadn’t let on that he already knew how, so Ye Songhua thought she’d taught him everything. She was over the moon, chattering every day about “Mr. Yu’s a genius, and so am I.”
She was easy to coax.
Just like You Fuzhou.
That was how Yu Yan had gotten a lot of info on You Fuzhou from her. Ye Songhua had even eagerly shared old photos of him—mostly ones she’d snuck with Rong Yao.
The young You Fuzhou had a boyish innocence and awkwardness about him. He looked full of youthful vigor, and that face was genuinely striking—handsome enough to evoke every word for beauty tied to freedom.
Like the sun, like a grassland, like a scorching wind, like a cheetah…
Impossible to look away from.
Back then, You Fuzhou had loved to smile.
In the photos snuck by Rong Yao and Ye Songhua, he was mostly smiling—whether from good grades and high spirits, laughing at a friend’s joke, or flashing a bold, confident grin with a touch of teenage arrogance and challenge…
Seeing them made Yu Yan’s heart itch.
It stirred an urge to wonder why he hadn’t met You Fuzhou sooner. He wanted to claim even that version of him, to possess it.
It all should be his.
.
By the time Yu Yan arrived, Ye Songhua had already been blocked by Mianmian.
Spotting him, the Century Egg perched helplessly on Ye Songhua’s shoulder began to cheep.
Yu Yan paused briefly.
He admitted he wasn’t a magnanimous person. Even knowing You Fuzhou and Ye Songhua were siblings, and that she supported them being together, he still felt his mood sink whenever You Fuzhou play-fought like this with her.
Yu Yan masked the dimness in his eyes and walked over. He naturally reached out to stroke Mianmian’s head. The White Lion wagged its tail and, under Ye Songhua’s wide-eyed stare, stepped aside at Yu Yan’s cue.
Ye Songhua was incredulous. “You can actually pet its head!”
Yu Yan curved his eyes in a slight smile, and Ye Songhua couldn’t help bursting out, “None of us has ever touched its head!”
You Fuzhou coughed.
Emboldened by Yu Yan’s presence, Ye Songhua showed no fear. “What are you coughing for? You’re an S-Class Sentinel, bro! You don’t catch colds or cough!”
You Fuzhou: “…”
Yu Yan chuckled at her, glancing at You Fuzhou—who was already pondering where to bury Ye Songhua—and his smile deepened.
Yu Yan’s smile was beautiful.
You Fuzhou loved watching him smile.
So You Fuzhou halted there, momentarily forgetting to scold his sister as he simply watched Yu Yan.
Of course, Yu Yan sensed the ripples in You Fuzhou’s heart-lake. The dark mood from his jealousy faded away, and he smiled at Ye Songhua. “So, what happened?”
Ye Songhua said, “I had no idea my bro is your guard now… He’s never been anyone’s guard before!”
Her eyes sparkled. “Mr. Yu, why didn’t you tell me?”
Yu Yan tossed the blame to You Fuzhou. “I thought he’d tell you… I figured since he didn’t, he didn’t want others to know.”
He lowered his gaze, his voice softening. “Maybe I’m not worth showing off.”
Ye Songhua turned to You Fuzhou, already siding with the outsider. “Bro! Say it! Is Mr. Yu not worth showing off!?”
You Fuzhou: “…”
His head ached as he looked at Ye Songhua, who seemed to have drunk too much tonight. He frowned. “You, go back to your room first.”
Ye Songhua picked up on You Fuzhou’s sudden bad mood—she was a Guide, after all. She could tell when he was just playing along versus truly unhappy.
Her bravado vanished in an instant. She obediently took her Century Egg and left.
And what she could sense, Yu Yan naturally perceived as well.
Yu Yan walked up to You Fuzhou and asked softly, “Did I do something to upset you?”
You Fuzhou paused. “…No.”
Hearing that, a chill settled half a degree deeper in Yu Yan’s eyes, but on the surface, he merely said, “I’m sorry.”
You Fuzhou: “…?”
Yu Yan murmured gently, “Don’t be mad… I’m sorry.”
“No.”
Seeing him apologize a second time, You Fuzhou cut him off. “Why are you apologizing?”
“You’re upset.”
When Yu Yan hung his head, he seemed just a bit shorter than You Fuzhou, accentuating a vulnerable posture. “Even if you won’t tell me why, it must be something I did wrong to make you unhappy… I’m sorry.”
…
You Fuzhou was at a loss. “Stop apologizing.”
He sighed inwardly. “I’m just… are you like that with everyone?”
He still couldn’t hold back from asking.
Even though he felt it was pointless.
Yu Yan froze slightly. “…?”
He truly hadn’t caught on. “What?”
You Fuzhou wanted to say forget it, it’s nothing—but he knew if he did, Yu Yan would apologize again. And even if they glossed over it today, with this Guide’s personality, he’d bring it up tomorrow, saying sorry until You Fuzhou explained.
Yu Yan had always been a bit like that. If he wanted something, he would scheme relentlessly until he got it.
He could even resort to a hunger strike.
You Fuzhou could only swallow his embarrassment and say, “It’s just… the way you were talking to Ye Songhua earlier.”
Was Yu Yan like that with everyone?
He really wanted to know.
Yu Yan paused for a moment, realization dawning, and couldn’t hold back a laugh. “Instructor Xiao You.”
His eyes curved into smiling crescents. “You’re jealous.”
