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Sitting in the car heading to New Life Hospital, Song Bunan rested his head on Xin Yi's shoulder, sound asleep. Xiao Mei was leaning over the front seat, engrossed in taking pictures with her phone, laughing like a pervert who had just spotted their beloved treasure. Shui Su remained calm, using one hand to protect Xiao Mei while offering an apologetic smile to Xin Yi. When their eyes met, they both understood the helplessness reflected in each other's gaze.
Song Bunan seemed to have the symptoms of a schoolchild on a spring outing. The night before their departure, the two had gone to bed early to conserve energy. Just as Xin Yi was about to drift off, he noticed Song Bunan still tapping away on his phone. Assuming he was busy with something important, Xin Yi closed his eyes and fell asleep, only to wake up in the middle of the night and find Song Bunan still glued to his screen.
It was already past two in the morning. Fighting off sleepiness, Xin Yi reached over and pulled Song Bunan's phone closer. The screen displayed a match-three game that had progressed to over nine hundred levels. If he remembered correctly, it had only been around five hundred levels just ten hours ago. Although he didn't play games himself, he knew there were stamina limits in such games, and now the stamina bar showed an infinite symbol with a countdown of ten hours remaining.
Not only was the man staying up late playing games, but he had also spent money to buy more stamina. With a mix of disbelief and annoyance, Xin Yi turned off the screen and confronted him about why he wasn't sleeping.
"I can't sleep," Song Bunan replied softly. "I'm the type who finds it hard to sleep before something big is about to happen. Just thinking about causing trouble at New Life Hospital tomorrow night keeps me wide awake."
He spoke with such conviction that Xin Yi could almost picture his expression at that moment. Holding him close, Xin Yi found his own drowsiness fading away.
"Do you see any changes in me?" Since he was wide awake now, they might as well chat. Rather than focusing on how Song Bunan viewed his own changes, Xin Yi was more interested in how he appeared in Song Bunan's eyes.
The man perked up at the question and shifted into a comfortable position under the covers before responding slowly and deliberately: "At first, I really thought you were just an attractive shell—cold and fierce, not easy to talk to, like a stone that couldn't be warmed up. But after working together, I realized you were just... too lonely. Maybe it's because of your upbringing; you're very friendly towards those you trust. When you mention the boss or the captain, your eyes light up differently, but you maintain a distance from strangers. Over our time together, I've clearly become someone you can trust—your level of concern for me has even surpassed theirs. Compared to the person you were at first, you've now stepped out of that strange cycle; you're more humanized, humorous, and possess an exceptional awareness as a boyfriend. You could easily fit the mold of a male protagonist from Brother Ming Hua's novels."
With excellent night vision, Xin Yi caught sight of a thumb raised in approval before bursting into laughter at Song Bunan's ever-present sense of humor. He held him tightly in his arms; words failed him as he could only respond with a kiss. Clearly unfazed by this display of affection, Song Bunan happily wrapped his arms around Xin Yi's waist and yawned widely for the first time in ages, admitting that he felt sleepy.
"Go to sleep; we'll visit the Jiang Family at noon," Xin Yi suggested, aware that he had also grown fond of sleeping in.
Suddenly, the Ghost Messengers' conversation location shifted dramatically; Song Bunan felt extremely uncomfortable in this unfamiliar place. A thick gray mist obscured all surrounding sights; even the ground beneath him was hidden from view—he couldn't tell if it was dirt or sand. Looking up revealed only a hazy light spot flickering in the "sky," while an oppressive atmosphere accompanied an unending chill that felt lifeless as if he were in a dead zone.
He felt cold; icy air seeped from his feet and spread through his bones until even his hair felt frozen. Wrapping his arms tightly around himself, Song Bunan glared at an old acquaintance before him and bluntly expressed his dissatisfaction with their choice of meeting place.
However, the Ghost Messenger did not mind, standing there in the mist without uttering a single word.
"This time at New Life Hospital, you need to find a way to preserve the appearances of those who have successfully had their souls swapped and hand them over to us. You don’t need to worry about the Restrictions left by the Ghost Messenger; we have already joined forces with Jiang Shui Su to remove them, leaving only the human side for you to deal with." The familiar Ghost Messenger carried a familiar aura.
Song Bunan rolled his eyes and muttered in complaint, wondering if they were still waiting for him to say thank you. The Ghost Messenger was unfazed by his sarcasm and readily replied, "You're welcome." This only frustrated Song Bunan further; he felt so cold that he couldn't even register it, and silence spread around him.
"So, do you have a plan for the Gu Family's residence? That’s their stronghold," Song Bunan said, rubbing his arms as he brought up what was on his mind. The Ghost Messengers fell silent for a moment before handing him a ring, explaining that the situation there was complicated and they would come to him with new leads when they had them.
The ring appeared to be polished from jade, smooth and cool to the touch, with engravings on the inner circle that scratched against his skin when he moved his fingers. Song Bunan gestured to ask what it was for, and the Ghost Messenger, unusually softening his tone from his usual robotic manner, replied that it was a gift from the Underworld for the two of them.
"Two of us?" Song Bunan felt his brain stall and instinctively asked who the other person was.
The Ghost Messenger seemed momentarily taken aback by his question; his tone reverted back to its usual emotionless state as he said, "You and Xiao Ke Ai."
"Xiao Ke Ai? Who is Xiao Ke Ai...?" Confused, Song Bunan initially wanted to refute this but suddenly choked on his words. He recalled some old documents he had seen at Mighty Falcon not long ago, which contained references to this name. The files related to this name were connected to Xin Yi. He gasped in realization, understanding why the Ghost Messenger referred to him and this person together.
Xiao Ke Ai was the name Xin Yi had before becoming "Xin Yi."
According to his own account, when he joined Mighty Falcon at six years old, he had only been known by the name Xin Yi since then. However, the Underworld would not recognize this as Mighty Falcon's codename; in their eyes, "Xin Yi" would always be synonymous with "Xiao Ke Ai."
This name felt ominous. Song Bunan silently rubbed the ring on his hand, twisting it until it split into two. He looked up at the Ghost Messengers and said, "So, I really should be with him."
The Ghost Messenger did not respond further; after a quiet exchange of glances with him, he turned and left. The dense mist around them dissipated, and Song Bunan felt a familiar sensation of weightlessness beneath his feet. In the next moment, he found himself falling, awakening from an instinctive protective reaction of his body.
Xin Yi slept peacefully beside him. He raised his hand, and the ring fit snugly on his finger. The light streaming through the gap in the curtains illuminated the ring, making it appear even more radiant and warmer than it had in front of Ghost Messenger.
He proudly took a photo of his hand and hurriedly sent it out with the caption: "A blessing gift from my benefactor." He even tagged Xiao Mei to share the moment. Song Bunan could easily imagine the personal attacks the child would launch at him when they met tomorrow, mentally preparing himself for that Schrödinger-like confrontation.
He had never expected to find a future partner, but now that this heavenly bond was right beside him, missing it would be a great disrespect to fate. Song Bunan eagerly marked in his mind how he would present the ring to Xin Yi, determined to create the most unforgettable scene.
However, both of them ended up being late. Their meeting with Xiao Mei was originally scheduled for nine in the morning, but due to Xin Yi's condition, it was forcefully pushed to noon. Unfortunately, when they finally opened their eyes, it was nearly one in the afternoon. Seeing over a hundred unread messages on his phone, Song Bunan knew he was in for a scolding today. He hesitated for a long time before deciding not to open Xiao Mei's message thread, opting instead for an ostrich approach to avoid the issue.
Meanwhile, Xin Yi was quite composed as he answered Shui Su's call to explain their situation. In just a few sentences, he managed to reschedule their pickup for two-thirty, leaving time for lunch in between.
"You’re quite brave; you overslept but made it sound like we just saved the world," Song Bunan remarked as he took a big gulp of water, finally feeling refreshed and fully awake.
Xin Yi, who had already finished washing up and was changing clothes, remained unruffled. He claimed he was merely stating facts with a bit of embellishment.
Yes, embellishment indeed. For instance, he turned his sleepless night into research time and changed his bedtime to six this morning. Song Bunan gave his partner a thumbs-up, praising him for his cleverness.
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