Morning sunlight draped softly across the guest room. The curtains let in a golden glow, just enough to make the air feel warm and gentle.
Lin Qing Yun stretched lazily, pulling herself out of the quilt. When she walked into the living room, she froze.
Gu Ze Yan was still there.
Not in the office. Not on some business trip. Not in a meeting.
Just there—on the sofa, scrolling lazily through his phone in a casual sweater, looking very much like a man who had decided the world could wait.
"You're not going to the office?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.
Ze Yan looked up, smiling as if this were the most natural thing in the world. "No."
Qing Yun blinked. "You've been gone for a month. Now you're finally back in Liangcheng, and you're still not going to the office?"
"That's why I have Shen Qiao," he replied smoothly, as if he had just cited an ironclad law of the universe.
Her lips parted, ready with a protest, but no words came out. Instead, she stared at him in silence, utterly speechless.
He tapped his phone screen, completely at ease. "She's capable. That's why she's my partner. Why would I go in and mess up her rhythm?"
Qing Yun pinched the bridge of her nose. This is the CEO who built Luminar System? He really said that out loud?
Ze Yan stood, stretching like a cat. "Anyway, I have more important work."
"And what's that?"
He leaned forward, looking her straight in the eyes. His tone was gentle, but his words were ridiculously serious: "Taking care of you."
By noon, Ze Yan had dragged her out for lunch at a quiet little restaurant near the river.
He ordered half the menu and spent the entire time placing food into her bowl. "Eat more. You need nutrition. The hospital said rest doesn't just mean lying down. It means good food too."
Qing Yun gave him a look, but under that look her bowl filled faster than she could eat.
After lunch, he took her to the cinema. She thought he'd picked something light, a comedy maybe, but when the lights dimmed and the title appeared, her lips twitched.
A horror movie.
The first jumpscare came, and Gu Ze Yan nearly launched the popcorn bucket into the air.
A second one followed, and he jolted so hard his knee hit the seat in front. "Ah!" he blurted, then cleared his throat and tried to compose himself as the couple in the next row turned around to glare.
Meanwhile, Qing Yun sat as still as a mountain, her lips curling as if she'd seen this all before. Sometimes she even chuckled softly, like she'd already guessed the timing of the scares.
Ze Yan sneaked a glance at her, disbelieving. How is she so calm? Is it just me? Am I the only one dying here?
Another jumpscare. He flinched. She laughed.
When the credits rolled, he slouched low in his seat, feeling betrayed by both the movie and his own dignity.
As they walked out, Qing Yun covered her smile behind her hand. "You were… very expressive."
He pouted. "Cute, right?"
"Very," she said with a teasing grin, patting his arm.
Back at his apartment after dinner, Ze Yan decided to show off something safer than horror movies—his gaming setup.
"Come here," he said, patting the seat beside him.
On his sleek black PC, he loaded up a dark, moody RPG with intricate landscapes and looming bosses. "This game was developed using Luminar's AI tech, in partnership with a famous studio. It's one of our proudest projects."
She leaned in, listening carefully.
He explained the mechanics, the real-time adaptive AI, how every fight required strategy and timing. Then he demonstrated—charging into a boss battle, dodging, attacking.
And dying.
He tried again. And died again.
"This level is one of the hardest," he muttered darkly. "Even pro players struggle."
After his fifth failure, he tossed the controller onto the table with dramatic despair. "You try. Just so you can see how brutal it is. Don't worry about losing."
Qing Yun picked up the controller, repeated the functions back to him calmly, and started.
Ze Yan leaned back smugly, waiting for her inevitable defeat.
But instead—
She dodged at the perfect moment, struck with impeccable timing, used the character's skills precisely.
The boss fell.
On her first attempt.
Ze Yan sat frozen, jaw hanging open.
"Are you secretly a pro gamer?!"
Qing Yun laughed lightly. "No. As long as you understand how to control things and know your character's skills, it's just calculation." She tilted her head playfully. "Maybe I've read too many textbooks."
He blinked at her. Textbooks?
He urged her into another level. The first try she failed, but on the second, she cleared it.
"Even though the AI makes it random," he said faintly, still stunned.
"There's always timing," she replied, her voice calm as water. "If you place your skill strategically, you can do great damage."
He stared at her, a whole new level of awe dawning in his chest. What kind of genius is she, working part-time like this?
At last, she set the controller down and stretched. "I'm sleepy. I'll head to bed."
She leaned over him and, without hesitation, wrapped her arms around him in a gentle hug.
"Thank you for sharing this with me. I'm proud of you," she murmured softly.
Gu Ze Yan froze. Her warmth seeped into him like sunlight through glass. His chest ached with a swelling he couldn't contain.
He held onto her tighter, unwilling to let go, inhaling the faint scent of her hair.
This. This is what I want. This is home.
When she finally pulled back, he reluctantly released her.
She smiled, eyes half-lidded with sleep. "Goodnight."
He looked at her, his voice low and husky, the corners of his lips curving. "Goodnight… girlfriend."
She huffed softly, shaking her head, but her smile lingered as she walked away.
And Gu Ze Yan sat there, controller forgotten, heart brimming. He felt the world moving exactly as he wished—closer to her, closer to the light he had been chasing all this time.