Hengtu Technology's new building had been completed. Towering and imposing, its brand-new glass facade refracted dazzling light, drawing the eyes of passersby. It stood amid the heavy traffic of the city center, a new landmark in Li City.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony was a lively affair. Reporters from various media outlets came armed with cameras of all sizes, and many prominent figures in the industry had been invited.
Zhao Pingchuan stood in the center, his manner polished and a measured smile on his face as he calmly answered the reporters' questions.
This time, Ji Ran, as the second-largest shareholder, also took part in the entire ribbon-cutting ceremony.
This new building was even more eye-catching than the old Pingchuan Technology building, and he had accompanied Zhao Pingchuan every step of the way to this day.
Ji Ran felt proud, but even more than that, he was proud of Zhao Pingchuan.
Everything had settled, bringing the best possible outcome.
Only one last thing still weighed on Ji Ran's mind.
After the ceremony, the crowd dispersed. Colorful scraps of confetti littered the ground, and the staff were busy cleaning up the venue.
Zhao Pingchuan and Ji Ran held hands as they looked at the brand-new building from outside.
Ji Ran's heart surged with emotion. "Brother, you did it. You got back everything that belonged to you."
Zhao Pingchuan tightened his grip on his hand. "Mm, and I have to thank the angel Ranran for saving me."
"What angel?" Ji Ran blushed, feeling that the nickname was a little too cheesy. "I was just a poor college student back then."
"To me, you were an angel," Zhao Pingchuan said earnestly.
He had always had many questions about their first meeting at the bar that day, but he had never dared ask them, because he had a vague sense that they touched on something taboo.
He was afraid that if he spoke of it, their present happiness would collapse and shatter like a dream.
Perhaps their hearts were in tune, because Ji Ran spoke up of his own accord just then. "Brother, do you want to know how I found you back then?"
Zhao Pingchuan tightened his hold on his hand, his heart lifting slightly with both anticipation and unease. "Are you willing to tell me?"
Ji Ran turned to look at him, his smile warm and open. "Of course. As long as you want to know, I can tell you anything."
Reassured by his steady gaze, Zhao Pingchuan ultimately followed his heart and nodded.
Ji Ran wrapped himself around his arm and leaned against him, tipping his head back slightly to smile at him. "Then let's talk when we get home."
His transmigration into a book seemed like a huge secret, but explaining it didn't actually take much time.
It was as simple as a joke.
After he finished explaining, no one spoke for several seconds.
Ji Ran watched Zhao Pingchuan's expression, feeling uneasy.
Zhao Pingchuan didn't think it was a joke. He listened intently to the end, then frowned and fell into thought, trying hard to understand Ji Ran's astonishing words.
After a while, he finally looked up. "So you came from another world?"
He had never read that kind of novel, but he could more or less understand what "transmigration into a book" meant.
Ji Ran thought for a moment and said, "It's not quite like traditional transmigration. It's more like two worlds merged, because my past exists in this world too."
Zhao Pingchuan understood and gave some examples. "Like your teachers and classmates at school, and your major."
Ji Ran nodded.
It was an incredible story, and very close to what he had guessed before.
That explained why Ji Ran had seemed so familiar with him from the start, why he had been so wary of Gu Xingye and Jiang Jinyue when they were complete strangers, and why Ji Ran had sometimes been able to foresee certain things.
"Then what happened to me in the book?" Though he had his suspicions, he still asked the question.
Ji Ran answered truthfully, "You didn't start another business in the book. You might also have faced some kind of suppression, and you didn't accomplish anything significant, so there wasn't a detailed account."
Zhao Pingchuan understood. In the original book, he had been utterly defeated and had never gotten back on his feet.
That was only natural. If Ji Ran hadn't supported him, how could he have found the courage and drive to try again? He would still have ended up with the same fate as in the book.
"What about Gu Xingye?" Zhao Pingchuan asked.
"He absorbed Pingchuan Technology and made the Gu Group even bigger, but things were still complicated between him and Jiang Jinyue. I guess they ended up together in the end."
Zhao Pingchuan nodded and summed it up. "So events in the real world deviated from the plot."
Ji Ran said, "Right. I didn't expect that either, because judging by how things developed at first, the plot had a very strong restrictive force."
"Maybe it was the butterfly effect," Zhao Pingchuan speculated. "Your appearance caused a few small changes that ended up affecting the whole plot."
Ji Ran felt a little embarrassed. "Am I really that amazing? Maybe there were other factors too."
Zhao Pingchuan chuckled, pulled him onto his lap, and kissed his forehead. "I don't know about anyone else, but you completely changed me."
Ji Ran smiled too and hugged him tightly.
Zhao Pingchuan stroked the back of his head soothingly.
In fact, Zhao Pingchuan had breathed a great sigh of relief when he learned that Ji Ran hadn't transmigrated into a book, but that their two worlds had merged. He had been afraid that one day, Ji Ran would suddenly disappear without warning, just as he had appeared. Where would he go to find him then?
Even though he had so much now, it all seemed so small and insignificant compared to Ji Ran.
Curled up in his arms, Ji Ran felt completely at ease. "Brother, I don't have any more secrets from you now."
He didn't like keeping things from Zhao Pingchuan. If it hadn't been so unbelievable, and if he hadn't been afraid that telling him might cause some unexpected change, he would have told Zhao Pingchuan long ago.
Now that everything had settled, he could finally get it off his chest.
Zhao Pingchuan kissed his forehead. "Good. Now it's a secret for the two of us."
He wouldn't blame Ji Ran for keeping it from him, because he understood completely. But when Ji Ran was willing to share the secret, he felt the weight of his trust.
Ji Ran felt happy for no particular reason and leaned over to kiss him. When he had first transmigrated here, who could have imagined that he would find the love of his life here?
Zhao Pingchuan readily kissed him back, and as they kissed, the two of them tumbled together on the sofa.
Ji Ran had nothing else on his mind. He simply enjoyed the feeling of pressing close to his lover, with no space between them, as though they were meant to be one person, their body heat passing through their clothes.
He called out to Zhao Pingchuan. "Brother."
"Mm?" Zhao Pingchuan's voice rose at the end.
He called again. "Brother."
"Mm." Zhao Pingchuan answered patiently.
Smiling, Ji Ran called him again and again, and Zhao Pingchuan didn't mind. Every time he called, he answered.
The smile on Ji Ran's face grew wider and wider. Finally, he said, "I'm really, really happy."
"Are you?" Zhao Pingchuan gazed at him dotingly.
Ji Ran nodded firmly and added, "And I love you very, very much."
Hearing that, Zhao Pingchuan's smile deepened. "I'm very, very happy too, and I love you very, very much."
Thank you, fate, for bringing you to me. Thank you for your efforts and for never giving up. Thank you that I was lucky enough to keep you by my side. Thank you for loving me, and I love you just as much.
--the end