Suo Ran didn't sleep.
Every time he closed his eyes, it replayed the warmth, the unsteady breath, the way Cai Lang's hand had held him like it was instinct.
The kiss.
And the name.
An Xin.
It didn't belong to him.
That was what hurt the most.
He lay awake until dawn, staring at the ceiling, wondering if Cai Lang would remember.
Wondering if he wanted him to.
Cai Lang woke up with a headache and the wrong shirt.
He sat up slowly, eyes scanning the unfamiliar fabric on his body. Not his. Not something he remembered putting on.
His memory of the night before was fragmented drinks, Lian's voice, the walk home… then nothing.
He frowned.
Something felt missing.
Downstairs, the morning light was too bright.
Suo Ran was already there when Cai Lang stepped into the lobby.
They froze.
Just for a second.
Suo Ran's heart jumped painfully. He remembers, he thought. He must.
But Cai Lang only nodded stiffly.
"Morning," he said.
No hesitation.
No tension.
No recognition.
Didn't meet his eyes for long.
Suo Ran felt his chest sink.
"Oh," he replied softly.
"Morning."
They stood there awkwardly until Cai Lang spoke again. "I'm heading out."
"…Okay."
That was it.
No apology.
No explanation.
No An Xin.
Suo Ran wanted to ask about the kiss, about the name, about everything.
But the words stayed stuck in his throat.
Cai Lang walked away.
At the gate, Lian Ziho appeared like nothing in the world was wrong.
"There you are," he said easily. "I was looking for you."
Suo Ran forced a smile.
Lian glanced back toward the building. "So how was Cai last night? He didn't embarrass himself too badly, did he?"
Suo Ran froze.
Last night.
The couch.
The kiss.
The whispered name.
"He was… fine," Suo Ran said after a moment.
"Just drunk."
Lian chuckled. "That tracks. Want coffee?"
Suo Ran nodded.
They went to a small café nearby quiet, warm, safe.
Lian talked about nothing important. Missions, food, random stories.
Suo Ran listened, nodding at the right moments, but his thoughts kept drifting back.
Cai doesn't remember.
Or worse
He does, and he's pretending.
Elsewhere, Cai Lang stood in front of a large, silent house.
His father was waiting.
The moment Cai stepped inside, the air turned heavy.
"You're careless," his father said coldly.
"I completed the mission," Cai Lang replied.
The slap came without warning.
Cai Lang's head snapped to the side.
"You're distracted," his father continued. "Weak.
Emotional."
Cai Lang didn't respond.
He didn't flinch again.
But as he straightened slowly, one thought burned clearer than the pain on his cheek.
Suo Ran.
And the strange emptiness he couldn't explain.
Cai Lang didn't argue with his father.
He stood straight, face unreadable, while the words landed like a verdict.
"Stay away from him," his father said. "That boy is not part of your world."
Cai Lang nodded once.
"Yes."
Nothing else.
He left without another word.
On the way back, the city felt louder than usual.
Every face blurred together until
He saw them.
Across the street, outside a café.
Suo Ran sat by the window, sunlight brushing his face.
Lian Ziho was laughing, leaning in, saying something that made Suo Ran smile small, unguarded.
Cai Lang stopped walking.
His chest tightened.
So this was how it looked from the outside.
For a moment, something sharp and irrational flared in him anger, jealousy, loss.
Then his father's voice echoed in his head.
Stay away from him.
Cai Lang looked away.
"It's better this way," he murmured to himself.
He turned and walked home.
The apartment was quiet.
Too quiet.
Cai Lang stood in the dark for a long time before sitting down.
His mind replayed the warning again and again.
How does he even know about Suo Ran?
That thought unsettled him more than the slap.
His father didn't involve himself without reason.
Which meant Suo Ran was already on someone's radar.
And that made Cai Lang dangerous to him.
He lay down, staring at the ceiling.
Sleep didn't come.
Instead
A memory surfaced.
Not clear. Not complete.
But enough.
Suo Ran's face close.
Warm breath.
The taste of something familiar and forbidden.
Cai Lang's eyes snapped open.
His heart started racing.
"I…" His voice cracked. "I kissed him."
The realization hit him fully this time.
He sat up, running a hand through his hair, frozen in place.
He didn't remember how it started.
Didn't remember what he said after.
But he remembered the kiss.
And the way it had felt like instinct.
Like something he'd wanted longer than he was willing to admit.
"No," he whispered.
And now....
He had promised himself to stay away.
Cai Lang closed his eyes, jaw tight maybe for himself.
Elsewhere...
Suo Ran felt it immediately.
The distance.....
Cai Lang still showed up.
Still spoke when necessary.
Still stood close enough to protect but something essential had been pulled back, carefully, deliberately.
Like a door left unlocked but never opened.
It hurt more than anger would have.
That morning, Cai Lang stopped him in the hallway.
"Suo Ran."
Suo turned, heart lifting instinctively then tightening when he saw the controlled expression on Cai Lang's face.
"I wanted to apologize," Cai Lang said.
Suo waited.
"For last night," Cai Lang continued. "I drank too much. I wasn't clear-headed."
Suo's fingers curled slightly. "That's it?"
Cai Lang nodded. "I won't let it happen again."
He didn't say what wouldn't happen again.
He didn't mention the couch.
The closeness.
The kiss.
Suo felt the confusion deepen into something sharp.
"Oh," he said softly.
"Okay."
Cai Lang hesitated, as if he wanted to say more.
Then he stepped back.
"Take care."
And just like that, he was gone.
Suo stood there long after, staring at the space Cai Lang had left behind.
Was it a mistake?
Or something Cai Lang had decided to forget?
Either answer hurt.
That night, Cai Lang sat alone, screens glowing in the dark.
He followed threads carefully financial records, old mission logs, restricted personnel lists.
He traced connections backward until one name appeared more than once.
His father's network.
Which meant the warning hadn't been personal.
It had been strategic.
"Why are you involved?"
Cai Lang murmured, staring at Suo Ran's profile on the screen.
The realization chilled him.
If his father knew
Others would too.
Cai Lang closed the file abruptly.
Staying away wasn't just restraint anymore.
It was damage control.
Next Day...
Lian Ziho noticed the change before Suo Ran said anything.
"You're quieter," Lian said one afternoon as they walked home.
"That's saying something, because you were already quiet."
Suo smiled faintly. "Just tired."
Lian frowned. "Cai Lang ?"
Suo didn't answer.
That was answer enough.
Lian felt something twist uncomfortably in his chest.
He told himself it was irritation.
Concern.
Friendship.
Nothing else.
When Suo laughed soft, distracted Lian felt relieved.
When Suo went silent again, Lian felt unsettled.
This is normal, he told himself. He's my friend.
So why did it bother him when Cai Lang walked past without stopping?
Why did he feel the urge to stay closer to fill the space Cai Lang had left empty?
Lian shoved the thoughts aside.
Feelings complicated things.
And complications had never ended well.
That night, Suo lay awake again.
This time, not replaying the kiss..
But the apology.
It felt heavier somehow.
Because it confirmed one thing he hadn't wanted to admit..
Cai Lang remembered enough to choose distance.
And Suo Ran didn't know whether to chase him...
Or let him go....