"Don't move. Let me buckle you in."
Bai Yuqing's hand, pale and slender with well-defined knuckles, brushed against his cheek.
It left a faint, ticklish tingle.
Xiao Qinghe shivered.
Bai Yuqing chuckled softly. Ignoring the protest messages flooding the phone, he gazed at Xiao Qinghe with gentle eyes.
"Where would you like to go?"
Xiao Qinghe hugged the Peony tighter and said softly, "Home. I still need to fix the system. Master and my junior disciple are waiting for me."
Bai Yuqing paused, then rubbed his head with indulgent affection.
"All right. I'll take you home."
The junior disciple in his pocket was vibrating furiously.
Xiao Qinghe pressed a hand against her.
"Behave."
Disgruntled, Xie Jun nestled against his chest and finally settled down.
Xiao Qinghe's mind was a jumble. He stared blankly at the Peony in his arms.
Before he knew it, he had fallen asleep.
After an unknown stretch of time, the car stopped.
Bai Yuqing looked over. He did not wake him, only quietly studied his sleeping face.
How long had he been watching him like this?
A full three years?
No.
Longer than that.
Besides the three years they had spent together day and night in the system, there had been countless days and nights before its development, when a distant glimpse of him had lodged him firmly in Bai Yuqing's heart.
His Qinghe was so oblivious. He had never noticed that someone had always been beside him, secretly watching him.
If Qinghe had been just a little more perceptive, would he have had to resort to this method, carefully plotting every step?
*But thank goodness he was so slow on the uptake. Otherwise, with how lovable and captivating he was, wouldn't all those people dropping hints or openly expressing their interest have stolen him away