After a night of sweet dreams, soft morning light filtered through white curtains.
Luo Xiao, amidst the pile of dolls, opened his eyes. His broad hand reached instinctively for Wen Ran—empty.
No one beside him. Only he was in bed.
“Huh?”
Luo Xiao, still a bit sleepy, lifted his head. The room was empty, so he assumed Wen Ran had gone to the bathroom.
When he turned, he noticed a small white slip of paper on the pillow Wen Ran had been sleeping on. Reaching out, he picked it up and saw it was a note from Wen Ran: “I’m stepping out, be back soon.”
A little doodle of a pouting figure giving a kiss accompanied the message.
Luo Xiao smiled, letting the note rest on the bed as he closed his eyes for a few more moments, waiting for Wen Ran to return.
He wondered why Wen Ran had gone out so early. Was he pulled away by those amusing friends of his? Did he have something to do? Or maybe he just whimsically went out to buy breakfast?
Luo Xiao chuckled to himself.
It was a perfectly ordinary morning, yet it felt completely different from the past. He was used to waking up alone, getting up, following his schedule, running, calling family, or doing whatever he wanted.
Now, he lingered in bed, lazy, unwilling to rise, wanting to stay close to Wen Ran—or simply lie there, waiting for him to return.
After a while, fully awake, Luo Xiao reached for his phone on the bedside table. He sent a message to Luo Feng:
“Wen Ran was worried you appearing on his friends’ livestream might cause trouble or be recognized. Is that a problem?”
Then he browsed his photo gallery, mostly photos of Wen Ran or their selfies. He finally chose a shot of Wen Ran painting from behind and set it as his phone wallpaper.
Luo Feng replied: “Nope.”
Just as Luo Xiao was about to reply, the bedroom door opened.
The first thing he noticed wasn’t Wen Ran’s face—but a huge bouquet of flowers.
Luo Xiao set down his phone, astonished.
The oversized bouquet, cradled in Wen Ran’s arms, revealed Wen Ran’s smiling face behind it.
“Ta-da! Pretty, right?” Wen Ran asked, obviously speaking to the flowers.
He explained cheerfully: “I got up around six and went straight to the flower market. Picked the freshest flowers of the day. These were all handpicked and arranged by me. Pretty, right?”
Luo Xiao looked at the flowers, then at Wen Ran, his expression softening in surprise.
Wen Ran bent down, placing the flowers in Luo Xiao’s arms.
“You gave me the card, right? I thought, the first time I spend on something with it, it should be special. So I decided… flowers.”
“It’s beautiful. Romantic enough,” he said, eyes taking in the scene: Luo Xiao, muscular and honey-toned, lying on the bed, cradling a pale-toned bouquet, looking like a living painting.
Wen Ran quickly pulled out his phone and snapped photos, delighted: “This is too perfect!”
Luo Xiao’s expression shifted from surprise to gentle warmth. He had received countless bouquets in his life, but this was the first time someone had swiped a card for him, framing it as a romantic gesture. The first time waking up to a bed full of flowers.
He raised an arm, signaling Wen Ran closer. Wen Ran leaned in, and Luo Xiao pulled him near, kissing him softly.
“Thank you… it’s really special. I’m surprised.”
Wen Ran looked at him affectionately, smiling with sparkling eyes.
“I’m just spending a little to win your heart,” he said.
“After flowers, I’m going to splurge even more.”
Luo Xiao laughed, kissing him again: “Buy whatever you want. Even the Mona Lisa from the Louvre—I’ll make sure the money’s ready.”
Half-lying over the flowers, Wen Ran teased: “Do you know what you look like right now?”
“Hm?”
Luo Xiao’s hand stroked Wen Ran’s face, small enough to fit entirely in his palm.
Wen Ran whispered: “Like a lion, mesmerized, not knowing which way is north.”
He tilted his head, kissing Luo Xiao’s hand on his face.
“And I…” he continued softly, voice clear and gentle, “I’ll be the wind across the savannah guiding the lion.”
“Why wind?” Luo Xiao asked.
“So I can kiss you anytime. The wind moves the lion’s mane—that’s me kissing you.”
Luo Xiao felt his stiff composure melt.
He grinned, thinking of the phrase “wind guiding the lion,” and said: “Ask your friends what model MacBooks they want.”
Wen Ran laughed, nearly toppling over onto the flowers.
“One person succeeds, everyone rises?” he joked.
Luo Xiao, lying with the flowers on his chest, kissed Wen Ran:
“The one succeeding… is clearly me.”