After wiping the tears from the corners of Gu Xingyi’s eyes, Xia Xiyao hurriedly tried to wipe her own away too. She was afraid Gu Xingyi would find her annoying for crying so much—until she heard him speak those trembling words.

And in that moment, she couldn’t stop her tears at all.

She sniffled, then looked up at Gu Xingyi cautiously.

She had never known—was it really okay for her to cry and throw tantrums in front of someone? If she did… would Gu Dizi think she was too much?

But Gu Xingyi answered her with action.

He pulled her into his arms in one motion, forcing a smile on his face.

“See? Isn’t this you at your best? And me… I’ll only love you more.”

Xia Xiyao looked up, her teary eyes staring blankly into his. He was still that same gentle Gu Daizi.

“Gu Daizi~ Waaah~”

Xia Xiyao couldn’t hold it in anymore and burst into tears in his arms, sobbing freely and without restraint.

Gu Xingyi gently patted her back, then leaned down and whispered in her ear.

“I have a song I want to sing for Xia Xiyao—and only for Xia Xiyao.”

Xia Xiyao clutched the edge of Gu Xingyi’s pajamas tightly with both hands, her pout pressed into his chest as she rubbed her cheek against him. But her little head still nodded out of habit.

Gu Xingyi let out a soft laugh, rubbed her head, and with a tender gaze, began to sing softly:

    “I want to see you smile, I want to play and tease, I want to hold you in my arms~
    One second we're blushing in a fight, the next we’re laughing and everything's right.
    I’m not afraid of your tears, not afraid of your cries, because you are my pride~
    These eyes always chasing after you, this heart's already… standing by!”

As Gu Xingyi’s gentle voice echoed beside her ear, Xia Xiyao lifted her tear-stained face, her red eyes staring dreamily at him.

So… she really was someone who could be cherished now?

Xia Xiyao sniffled again, and the grip she had on his pajama edge only tightened.

Now she could cry like others. Now she could fuss and make noise—because Gu Daizi was telling her he’d always be there, staying by her side, never letting go.

Gu Xingyi looked down at Xia Xiyao’s misty eyes and pressed a soft kiss to the corner of her eye.

Then he stopped.

Xia Xiyao pouted in dissatisfaction—she could tell the song wasn’t finished!

“Gu Daizi~ Keep going~”

She reached out and poked Gu Xingyi’s stomach with her finger. This was a song Gu Xingyi had written just for her. It belonged to her—and she wanted to hear it all.

Gu Xingyi chuckled, gently pinched Xia Xiyao’s cute nose. Truthfully, letting her get hurt only to understand afterward—making her remember it deeply—was the most powerless thing he’d ever done.

But he didn’t have a better way.

He believed he could slowly help Xia Xiyao change through the long years ahead. But that path would mean she’d still suffer many moments of grievance, still hold back her feelings again and again.

And he never wanted to see her silently swallowing her sadness again.

Gu Xingyi gazed at Xia Xiyao with deep affection, feeling her grip on his clothes tighten even more. Then he continued to sing softly:

    “Just once is enough, to take you where time stands still.
    To laugh freely in sunlight, with hearts full of thrill.
    To bicker and play in the breeze with no care,
    Did you know—
    You're the only one I wish for, I swear.”

Xia Xiyao stared at Gu Xingyi with even more infatuation. Her fingers slowly loosened from his clothes—and instead, she wrapped her arms around his waist, leaning fully into his embrace.

As she listened to the song, it was like she could see their future together.

Bickering, laughing, full of joy.

It was a kind of life Xia Xiyao had never imagined before—not because she didn’t want to, but because she’d never dared to.

But now, with him holding her close… she suddenly dared to dream it.

    “The world is still small, I’ll go with you to the ends of the earth.
    In a corner where worries don’t exist, we’ll stop searching.
    In a time without cares, we’ll slowly grow old together.
    Do you know?
    My every heartbeat follows yours~”

She carefully, clumsily tried to express her love to him, even going as far as to offer her body to please him. And each time, he gently dissolved it with sincerity. This time, he even used a song to convey his heart to her.

When the song ended, Gu Xingyi let out a soft breath. Holding the delicate body in his arms that was hugging him tighter and tighter, he spoke gently.

“The reason I sang this song was because I wanted Xia Xiyao to know—I’ll always stay by Xia Xiyao’s side, be her support. No matter what, I won’t leave. You don’t have to bottle up all those things and grievances inside anymore.”

“In my heart, my dear wife is even more important than myself. I hope you don’t have to be so careful all the time anymore. Love is about both sides moving toward each other. My love for my dear wife will only grow deeper.”

Xia Xiyao just kept her head buried in Gu Xingyi’s chest, listening. It wasn’t until a while after he finished speaking that she lifted her little face, pouted, and softly murmured:

“Gu daizi~ you’re so annoying!”

Gu Xingyi put on a deliberately hurt expression.

“Where am I annoying?”

“You just are. You clearly knew I wanted you to come with me to the competition, and you still deliberately upset me!”

“Oh? So that’s why you called me husband?”

The moment he said that, Xia Xiyao’s face flushed bright red. With teary eyes, she glared at Gu Xingyi fiercely, then angrily tackled him onto the sofa and covered his mouth.

“You’re not allowed to say anything more!”

Gu Xingyi’s eyes sparkled with amusement. He gave a symbolic struggle and quickly nodded, signaling he wouldn’t speak anymore.

Only then did Xia Xiyao let go of him, but the embarrassment in her eyes couldn’t be hidden no matter what. Sitting on top of Gu Xingyi, she puffed up her cheeks and glared at him angrily.

“So my dear wife does have a bit of a temper, huh? Seeing this side of you makes me really happy! In the future, if anything happens, I hope you can tell me this confidently too.”

Gu Xingyi, pinned on the sofa, smiled gently. Being able to see this side of Xia Xiyao filled him with joy.

“Life is short. Dear wife, you have to consider yourself first before thinking about others. You are you, I am me. Only when we are together do we become us, not just me. If you only think about me, then how could that truly be you? Besides, it would hurt me to see you like that.”

Xia Xiyao looked at Gu Xingyi like that and nodded vigorously. Her hands, which were propped on his chest, cupped his face, and her lips quivered like she was about to cry again.

How could she like such an annoying Gu daizi this much?

Xia Xiyao kneaded his face, cheeks slightly flushed, then suddenly covered his eyes with her hand and leaned down to kiss him.

“Mmph~”

Was that… a forced kiss?

Gu Xingyi was stunned. Was his move really that effective? And kind of surprising too?

The night was alluring, but Xia Xiyao in this moment was even more so.

A long, passionate French kiss left Gu Xingyi dazed and intoxicated. Even his hands had unknowingly slipped into her loose pajamas.

It wasn’t until they were about to reach the peak that Xia Xiyao finally snapped back to her senses.

She dazedly lifted her head, her eyes glistening, and stared blankly at Gu Xingyi’s large hand inside her clothes.

The soft touch on his lips vanished, and Gu Xingyi blinked in confusion—only to see his own mischievous hand at work.

The next second, his face turned awkward.

“Ahem… do you think… maybe this hand has a mind of its own?”