Yin Yue stood in front of the mirror. Again.
This time, he was wearing his third outfit of the evening. The first had a look like too desperate. The second, too relaxed. This one? Possibly cursed.
"Okay," he whispered. "This is fine. I'm fine. You're just going to dinner with your boss who is maybe your boyfriend but definitely kissed you twice. Probably counts as dating."
> 💻 SYSTEM 520:
🎉 RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Emotionally Committed / Logistically Unspoken
📈 Holding Hands Index: 1
💬 Official Label: Undefined Situationship With Lip Activity
💕 Mood Forecast: 70% Date / 30% Chaos
"I hate you," Yin Yue muttered.
> 💬 SYSTEM 520:
But you love him.
He screamed quietly into his hands.
Jiang Mei appeared at the doorway like a feral emotional support animal. "Did he ask you out yet?"
"It wasn't phrased like a date," Yin Yue said, fidgeting with his collar. "He just said, 'Want food.'"
Jiang Mei gasped. "That's date code. That's boyfriend dialect. You've been accepted into the Relationship Cult."
"I don't know what to wear."
"Wear something that says, 'I want you to kiss me again but also respect me as a domestic partner.'"
Yin Yue glared. "That's not a dress code, that's a Pinterest board."
> 💻 SYSTEM 520:
💬 Suggested outfit: Soft sweater. Casual jeans. Biteable neckline.
📸 Vibe Tag: Boyfriend Material, Extra Toasty Edition
"I will walk into traffic," Yin Yue said to no one in particular.
A notification pinged.
[LIANG YU]: Outside. Don't take too long.
Yin Yue stared at it.
Then whispered: "Okay. It's fine. I'll be normal."
He left the bathroom.
Then immediately doubled back to spray cologne in a panic spiral.
Then left again.
Outside, Liang Yu was waiting by the café door, dressed in black jeans and a plain white shirt, sleeves casually rolled, hair slightly tousled.
Yin Yue stopped walking.
Just..stopped and looked.
> 💥 SYSTEM 520:
⚠️ VISUAL THREAT LEVEL: MAXIMUM
💘 AFFECTION: 100/100
🫠 HOST IQ TEMPORARILY SUSPENDED
"You're staring," Liang Yu said, not looking up from his phone.
"You're rude."
"You're late."
"You're too hot."
That last one came out by accident.
Liang Yu finally looked up.
Smirked.
And reached out briefly, gently taking Yin Yue's hand like it wasn't even a question.
Yin Yue stared at their joined hands.
"You're doing it again," he whispered.
"Walking?"
"Touching me like we didn't spend fews day in denial."
"Then do you want me to stop?"
"…No."
> 💻 SYSTEM 520:
✅ HAND-HOLDING PHASE: ACTIVE
💬 Relationship Trajectory: Ascending
🍜 Estimated Time To Ramen: 6 minutes
Yin Yue smiled.
And this time he didn't let go either.
The ramen shop was cozy. String lights overhead. A lazy ceiling fan turning like it had nothing better to do. Booth seats worn soft from too many first dates, breakups, and spicy regrets.
Yin Yue was doing his best not to spiral.
"So," he said, sipping miso broth through a ceramic spoon, "this is a date, right?"
Liang Yu glanced up from his bowl. "Do you want it to be?"
Yin Yue fumbled his chopsticks. "That's not how dates work!"
Liang Yu raised an eyebrow. "How do dates work?"
"I don't know, I've never had one where the other person didn't try to sell me essential oils."
> 💻 SYSTEM 520:
💘 Relationship Vibe: Flirting over Fermented Eggs
🧠 Host Emotional Stability: Wavering
💬 Suggested Action: Confess how soft his forearms look in this light (optional)
They ate in easy silence for a while, Liang Yu look calm and focused, while Yin Yue attempting to not inhale noodles like a raccoon. Occasionally their knees bumped under the table. Neither moved away.
Yin Yue smiled.
This is nice. This is dangerous. This is..
Then the check arrived.
Liang Yu reached for his wallet.
Paused.
Patted his pockets.
Paused again.
"…It's not here," he said.
Yin Yue blinked. "What?"
Liang Yu checked again. Nothing.
Then looked at him. "I forgot it."
Yin Yue stared. "You forgot your wallet?"
"Apparently."
"You..." Yin Yue's voice pitched up. "You took me out. You asked me to dinner. You initiated a relationship while defining meal experience and then you forgot your wallet?"
Liang Yu nodded. "Correct."
Yin Yue buried his face in his hands. "I'm paying for our first date. I'm the man now."
> 💻 SYSTEM 520:
🧾 SUGAR DADDY MODE: ACTIVATED
💳 Expense Logged Under: "Emotional Leverage"
💬 New Tag Unlocked: He Owes You Forever
Yin Yue paid. Reluctantly.
Liang Yu waited until the receipt printed before saying, "I'll cook next time."
Yin Yue paused. "Wait, is this… domestic compensation?"
"Is it working?"
"…Yes."
Then they stood up, heading for the door. Yin Yue shook his head dramatically. "You forgot your wallet. I'm never letting you forget about this."
"I didn't forget."
Yin Yue stopped walking. "What?"
Liang Yu smirked. "I wanted to see how you'd react."
"You emotionally manipulative noodle demon."
"Worked, didn't it?"
Yin Yue growled. "You owe me dessert."
"Already planned."
They stepped outside into the cool night air Yin Yue still muttering, Liang Yu smug and silent, their shoulders brushing.
And still they didn't let go.
The park glowed in soft amber streetlight.
Yin Yue and Liang Yu walked side by side along a gravel path, trees rustling gently above them, the night air full of chirping bugs and makes soft heart attacks.
Yin Yue glanced at their hands.
Still linked, still warm and still… real.
He turned away before he did something embarrassing like say I like you again in the exact same tone he says please pass the syrup.
> 💻 SYSTEM 520:
🫶 HAND-HOLDING STREAK: 56 minutes
💘 AFFECTION STABILITY: Secure
📷 Warning: Incoming Public Affection Ambush
"Excuse me!"
They both turned.
A woman in a cardigan and camera harness jogged up to them, a DSLR bouncing against her chest. "Hi! Sorry.. I know this is random, but I'm doing a photo series on couples and the way people hold each other. Would you two be willing?"
Yin Yue blinked. "I.. I'm sorry, what?"
"You two just have this vibe," the woman said. "You're so… soft together. It's very 'accidental soulmate who didn't expect to fall in love in a ramen shop.'"
Liang Yu said, "We just came from one."
The photographer gasped. "Perfect."
Yin Yue flailed. "Wait.. no, we're not dressed for this. I'm sweaty. He's smug. There's..there's a vibe?!"
Liang Yu pulled out his wallet this time and somehow he had that now and handed over cash.
Yin Yue turned on him. "You're paying for this?"
"You said I owed you dessert."
"This is an emotional experience!"
Liang Yu looked at the photographer. "We're ready."
Pose one: walking slowly, with hands intertwined.
Pose two: Yin Yue laughing, while Liang Yu looking at him.
Pose three: Liang Yu brushing imaginary dust off Yin Yue's collar.
Pose four: their foreheads nearly touching, both startled and smiling like idiots.
Yin Yue whispered, "This is your fault."
Liang Yu whispered back, "You're the one blushing."
> 💻 SYSTEM 520:
📷 Emotional Exposure: 87%
💘 ML Affection: Still Maxed
🧠 Host Status: Malfunctioning Softly
Finally, the photographer handed them a Polaroid.
It was small. Faintly overexposed.
But in the picture, Yin Yue's head was tilted back in mid-laugh, eyes half-closed.
And Liang Yu was looking at him, not smiling exactly but seeing him. All of him.
And that was somehow much better.
Yin Yue tucked the photo into his pocket like it was something sacred.
Liang Yu didn't say anything and he didn't need to.
Then they go to the ice cream shop. The ice cream shop had fairy lights and too many flavors.
Yin Yue ordered a scoop of mango lavender and immediately regretted sounding like a walking Instagram post. Liang Yu didn't comment, he just paid (again), handed Yin Yue a plastic spoon, and sat across from him.
They shared the bowl between them.
"I haven't had ice cream on a date before," Yin Yue blurted. "Not a real one. Last time someone bought me dessert they tried to sell me into a pyramid scheme."
Liang Yu raised an eyebrow.
"I'm serious! I thought we were flirting, but she pulled out a brochure halfway through and said, 'You could be your own boss.' I cried."
> 💻 SYSTEM 520:
🧠 Host Emotional Filter: OFF
💘 ML Affection: +1 (He likes the oversharing, actually)
💬 Note: Pyramid scheme trauma filed under "Endearing Baggage"
Liang Yu took a slow bite of ice cream. "You cried?"
"Quietly."
He paused. "That explains your trust issues."
"Explains some of them," Yin Yue muttered. "There was also the time I got brain freeze so bad I thought I was dying. Like, full dramatic collapse in the middle of a food court."
Liang Yu's mouth twitched. "How old were you?"
"…Seventeen."
A pause.
Liang Yu leaned back. "You're still dramatic."
"And you're still emotionally flatlined."
They made eye contact over the spoon.
Liang Yu didn't blink.
Then—
His hand reached out and rested on Yin Yue's shoulder.
Just there.
Warm, solid and no pressure.
Just a touch. A reminder.
Yin Yue froze. "What's that for?"
"You looked like you were going to spiral."
"I'm always spiraling."
"I like the noise you make when you do."
Yin Yue blinked. "You like… my spiraling?"
"You talk too much," Liang Yu said, thumb brushing once against fabric. "But you talk like you trust me."
Yin Yue's throat went tight. "That's because I do."
Liang Yu didn't respond.
But his hand stayed.
And that said everything.
The walk back to the café was silent.
Not the awkward kind but the good kind.
Yin Yue's fingers curled around Liang Yu's loosely, palms brushing now and then. Every so often, their shoulders bumped, and neither of them apologized.
The street was empty. The air tasted like leftover city light and sugar.
Yin Yue didn't want the night to end.
He also didn't want to admit that out loud.
So instead, he said, "So what now? Are we dating? Do I get a key to your apartment? Do we go to IKEA?"
"You're not allowed in IKEA," Liang Yu said, deadpan. "You'd start a pillow war in the bedding section."
"Correct," Yin Yue said proudly. "And you'd lose."
"I never lose."
"You lost your wallet."
Liang Yu gave him a look. "That was strategy."
Yin Yue smirked. "So you admit it was a date?"
"I admitted it three cappuccinos ago."
They reached the café steps.
Stopped and just stood there.
The city buzzed distantly around them. But here under the flickering café light, next to the locked glass door and a potted plant in the corner, everything was still.
Liang Yu turned to him.
Didn't speak and didn't move. Just waited.
Yin Yue inhaled and exhaled.
Then stepped forward, closed the space between them, and kissed him.
Soft. Steady. Sweet.
No surprises.
No chaos.
Just lips and warmth and the quiet certainty that yes, this is what we are now.
Liang Yu didn't rush.
Didn't lead.
He just met him there.
Kissed him back like he'd been waiting for this exact moment, and would wait again if he had to.
When they finally broke apart, Yin Yue stayed close.
Breathless. Bright-eyed.
Liang Yu rested his forehead lightly against his.
"Still too much cinnamon," he murmured.
Yin Yue smiled. "Still worth it."
> 💻 SYSTEM 520:
✅ WORLD 1 COMPLETE
💘 ROMANCE LEVEL: FULL
🎉 ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: Soft Boy Endgame
📸 Last Saved Image: Polaroid photo in wallet
💬 Preparing next transfer…