When Pei Yubai woke up, the room was already completely dark.
He didn't know how long he had slept.
Consciousness slowly returned.
Qiguan Yuan sat next to him, leaning against the low table on the couch, one leg bent and the other straight.
He was holding a book in his hand; the cover was blue, the pages were yellowed, and it looked very old.
His eyes were half-closed, his gaze fixed on the pages of the book.
His ears twitched intentionally or unintentionally as he read.
Several tails also peeked out from behind, draped loosely over the edge of the tatami mat, their tips slightly curled, swaying slowly and deliberately.
A furry tail draped over Pei Yubai's calf, pressing down on the blanket.
Qiguan Yuan did not notice that he had woken up.
He was reading a book, and he was reading very attentively.
Pei Yubai did not disturb Qiguan Yuan's reading, and quietly watched Qiguan Yuan.
Qiguan Yuan looked quiet as he read with his eyes downcast, unlike his usual lazy demeanor.
His eyelashes were long, casting shadows under his eyes when they drooped down; the line of his nose bridge stretched from his brow to the tip; and his lips were slightly pursed.
The sound of the pages turning was very soft, a gentle rustling.
Qiguan Yuan turned a page, looked up from the book, and glanced down at Pei Yubai.
Pei Yubai's eyes were open, staring directly at him.
Qiguan Yuan, without putting down the book in his hand, asked, "Awake?"
Pei Yubai nodded.
His face was still buried in Qiguan Yuan's waist; he touched it once and then buried it back in.
Qiguan Yuan felt the tip of his nose brush against his clothes, making it ticklish, and put the book down.
Qiguan Yuan ran his fingers through Pei Yubai's hair and slowly combed it. "Would you like something to eat?"
He only realized it while he was reading.
He doesn't usually need to eat much, and he doesn't even know if he's hungry. He only eats a little when he remembers.
Pei Yubai is no good. Pei Yubai currently has no magical power or divine status, and he gets hungry and needs to eat to survive.
Qiguan Yuan went through all the things she could do in her mind and realized that none of them were really suitable for entertaining her boyfriend who had just woken up from his sleep.
Because he doesn't know how to do it.
He began to consider the possibility of using magic to capture Jixian from the Yue Lao Temple.
Jixian is a decent cook; he would occasionally cook during his years at the Yue Lao Temple.
Pei Yubai lifted his head from between his waist and abdomen. "I can't eat anymore, we're running late, we need to get to the airport as soon as possible."
He reached for his phone from beside the couch, turned on the screen, and the light made him squint.
The screen showed a time of slightly past 9 p. m., less than a few hours before his flight was scheduled to take off.
It takes three hours to drive from here to the airport; he needs to leave.
Pei Yubai put down his phone and sat up from the couch.
" Yuanyuan, I need to get to the airport. My flight is at midnight."
Qiguan Yuan looked at the few strands of hair sticking up and didn't reply.
Pei Yubai looked at him, and Qiguan Yuan glanced down at his fingers before retracting the tail that was draped over Pei Yubai's calf.
He tossed the book casually onto the couch Qiguan Yuan asked, "Can you walk out by yourself?"
In Qiguan Yuan's opinion, getting out of the forest would still be quite difficult.
Without the Dust-Settling Red Cord, he could easily get lost.
However, Pei Yubai probably wouldn't, because he has a very good memory, and Qiguan Yuan is very clear about Pei Yubai's memory.
Pei Yubai looked at him and decisively shook his head.
Qiguan Yuan tilted his head slightly, not exposing him. "Then let's go, I'll take you out."
Qiguan Yuan got off the bed, walked to the door, picked up the outer robe draped on the screen, and put it on.
The belt was tied casually, with a knot at the side of the waist that hung down, swaying gently.
Pei Yubai got off the couch, put on his shoes, and followed behind Qiguan Yuan.
Moonlight bathed the courtyard, and the moss in the cracks of the blue brick paving shimmered with a faint green hue under the moonlight.
After the two left the door, they walked out of the woods.
Qiguan Yuan walked slowly, and Pei Yubai was not in a hurry either; the two walked side by side.
Pei Yubai grasped Qiguan Yuan's hand, their fingers intertwined.
This is the only stretch of road he can spend with Yuanyuan.
It will be a long time before I see Yuanyuan again.
Qiguan Yuan didn't bother to memorize the route; he simply had Dust-Settling Red Cord lead the way.
It took the two about an hour to walk from the depths of the forest to the edge.
Qiguan Yuan slowed his pace and stopped beside a rock at the edge of the woods. Moonlight streamed down from above, and without the obstruction of leaves, his silver hair appeared to glow softly.
Pei Yubai stood beside him, the moonlight casting their shadows on the ground. The two shadows were close together, looking like one person.
"We've arrived." Qiguan Yuan turned around and looked at Pei Yubai.
Pei Yubai didn't look at the road ahead.
He looked at Qiguan Yuan.
Qiguan Yuan stood in the moonlight, his silver hair hanging over his shoulders, swaying slightly in the night breeze, his red robes fluttering in the wind.
Pei Yubai took a step forward, shortening the distance between them.
Qiguan Yuan looked up at him slightly, the moonlight shining on Qiguan Yuan face. Pei Yubai, put one arm around Qiguan Yuan's waist, and held the back of his head with the other, kissing Qiguan Yuan's lips.
It wasn't like Bai Qiguan Yuan's light peck; it was a real, forceful kiss on the lips.
The two had already kissed twice.
But the first time was when Qiguan Yuan unexpectedly kissed him when he was leaving the show.
Because it was under the camera's view, Qiguan Yuan only touched on the subject briefly, and before Pei Yubai could react, Qiguan Yuan withdrew.
The second time was during the day, and Yuanyuan's kiss was still very light. Just for a fleeting moment.
Therefore, this time Pei Yubai took the initiative to kiss Qiguan Yuan, leaving Qiguan Yuan no room to escape.
Finally, it's no longer just a superficial attempt.
Qiguan Yuan's lips were soft and cool.
Qiguan Yuan did not dodge; his fingers rested on Pei Yubai's arm.
Qiguan Yuan Guanyuan's lips were slightly brushed by Pei Yubai's teeth, and he frowned slightly.
Pei Yubai sensed it, loosened his grip slightly, and moved his lips from Qiguan Yuan's lower lip to the corner of his mouth, finally stopping at the corner of his eye.
His lips were pressed against Qiguan Yuan's eyelids, and he could feel Qiguan Yuan's eyelashes trembling slightly beneath his lips.
Qiguan Yuan's fingers slid from Pei Yubai's arm to the back of his hand and gently squeezed it.
Pei Yubai stepped back slightly and looked at Qiguan Yuan's expression. Qiguan Yuan's eyes were slightly red at the corners, from being rubbed red by Pei Yubai's lips.
Pei Yubai said, "I'll come find you after I finish filming my scenes, Yuanyuan."
Qiguan Yuan looked at him, a slight smile playing on his lips, "Alright, don't keep me waiting too long, Pei Yubai."
Pei Yubai glanced at him again, then turned and left.
He took long strides and walked very fast.
The moonlight stretched his shadow long across the dirt road.
After walking for a while, he stopped and turned around.
Qiguan Yuan was still standing beside that rock, his red robes glowing like a dark flame in the moonlight.
Pei Yubai glanced at it for two seconds, then turned around and continued walking.