A month later, they finished dealing with a series of follow-up matters and then moved together to the town of C in F state.

It was a quiet and peaceful coastal town, with a slow pace of life, limited vehicles on the roads, and residents who enjoyed walking and cycling. There was a low hill, a few woods, and several long flower streets and tree-lined paths.

As a result, everyone fell in love with this place without hesitation as soon as they arrived, and willingly settled down here.

Xia Chuan took Shen Lan and Xia Liang back to his previous house.

The previous Wes Company was no longer possible to stay in. Dennis quickly found a new job, still related to his old profession, and the company was very close to the town. He bought an apartment in a place very close to the city in the town, and drove between the town and the city every day, which was quite convenient.

Professor Linton simply let go and started his retirement life early, saying that he would take a year off to recuperate before making plans. He lived very close to Dennis, just across a street.

Gerald simply reopened a clinic in the town. In the start-up phase, Xia Chuan and the others went to help, and because of their extensive experience, the small clinic quickly took shape.

"We two undocumented people also need to find a job." Xia Liang sighed.

When he made this sigh, he had just wiped his hands clean and came out of the kitchen. His tall and sturdy figure was wrapped in a smoke-gray blue shirt and black trousers, looking particularly stylish, not at all like he had just finished preparing lunch for the whole family, but more like he had just come out of a conference room.

Xia Chuan and Shen Lan were very tactful and went in to bring the lunch he had prepared to the dining table.

Although Xia Liang verbally disdained Shen Lan, in the first few days, when cooking, he always took into account Shen Lan's taste and made Western food. Later, on a weekend, it happened that Dennis, Gerald, Professor Linton, including the grandmother living next door, all gathered together. Only then did Xia Liang try to make a table of Chinese food to change their taste.

Just that one time made Shen Lan completely defect, and from then on, he wanted to eat Chinese food every two or three days.

Of course, Xia Liang and Xia Chuan were more than happy to oblige.

Xia Chuan held his chopsticks and said to Xia Liang with a straight face, "Why don't you open a Chinese restaurant in town, the business should be good."

Xia Liang gave him a white look without hesitation, and said unhappily, "I cook out of necessity. Would anyone dare to eat the things you two make?"

Xia Chuan raised his eyebrows, "Yes, Shen Lan and Dennis."

Xia Liang chuckled, his seemingly elegant laughter full of thick sarcasm, "That's because they're stupid."

"..." Shen Lan was not very good at using chopsticks and could only use a spoon to scoop and eat little by little. When he heard this, he switched from a big dog to an overlord in a second, and raised his head aggressively, wanting to earn some face for Xia Chuan.

As a result, he heard Xia Liang turn his head and ask him, "That time when I wasn't home, did you and Dennis go straight to Gerald's place to report after eating?"

Shen Lan coughed, touched the bridge of his nose with his index finger, and the high morale that had just risen instantly deflated with a "poof". He obediently lowered his head and continued eating, no longer making a sound.

Xia Chuan said with a calm face, "I said my cooking is not edible, and all consequences are at your own risk."

He could never gain any face in cooking, and had no intention of struggling to put gold on his face.

He simply changed the subject and said, "Actually, you don't have to keep thinking about finding a new job. The money I saved before is enough for the three of us to live on for half a lifetime. You can consider such things when you have recuperated."

To be honest, he himself was planning to take a year off. Before, when he took on tasks and did things, he picked the exciting and adventurous ones, because he was alone and had no attachments. Now he had a lover and a pair of parents, especially one of the parents who had not regained consciousness, plus those few friends...

He suddenly went from being alone to having attachments all over his body. To continue living the kind of life where he licked blood on the knife's edge every day was obviously not suitable.

Of course, some people didn't think so.

Shen Lan had even mentioned before that he wanted to replace Xia Chuan's job, and Xia Liang actually nodded and said, "You might as well take on the tasks, and we'll go and execute them, it's quite cost-effective."

Xia Chuan unhesitatingly objected with a cold face, "Don't dream about it, is eating bullets very interesting?"

Shen Lan and Xia Liang both opened their mouths at the same time, but before they could speak, Xia Chuan cut them off, "Don't tell me you won't encounter such situations. There are too many uncertain things in this world. What makes you think you won't be at a disadvantage? Just because one of you is thirty tons and the other has eight hands?"

Shen Lan: "..."

Xia Liang: "..."

"If you want to find a job, find something you're interested in. There's no need to work yourself to death." Xia Chuan concluded.

However, Xia Liang quietly looked at Shen Lan, who was only thirty percent full after eating a whole table of dishes, and said, "You obviously have seven people to feed, and he alone can count for five, conservatively estimated."

Shen Lan: "... I can still go to the sea."

Xia Liang was actually also quite keen on the sea, but he was restrained by his identity as an elder, and generally would not be so direct. He always liked to express it in a different way, such as, "If you go alone, neither of us will be at ease. What if you can't stop and eat up a whole sea area? I'll go with you."

The corner of Shen Lan's mouth twitched, and he said, "No, when your octopus claws are exposed, I think of a certain kind of street food, and I get even hungrier."

Xia Liang rarely had an interest in those snacks, and didn't react for a moment, "What snacks?"

Xia Chuan raised his hand to hold his forehead and said in exasperation, "Last time we went to the cinema, there was a row of food stores on that floor. One of them was run by an Asian and sold octopus balls. I don't know why he likes to eat that stuff."

Xia Liang: "..."

Sometimes Xia Chuan felt that if it weren't for him standing in the middle, Xia Liang and Shen Lan would probably want to fight every day.

Grandma Elsa next door had observed a few conversations and commented with a smile, "What a harmonious family."

The days in the small town passed quickly and slowly every day, and they kept a yard full of flowers and plants.

In the morning, one can sleep until naturally waking up, with thin and clear sunlight warmly shining in, making one feel lazy all over. Sometimes he would cut a lily that Grandma Elsa liked and place it on her windowsill, or clean the house for her, repair electrical appliances, or go shopping for daily necessities for both sides.

During the sunflower blooming season, they often stopped by the cemetery, placing a few flowers in front of Shen Lan's mother's tombstone, chatting for a while, and then strolling back home.

After lunch, Xia Liang always went to Gerald's clinic, because Anyao and Gardner were still there. Sometimes Xia Chuan and Shen Lan would go together, sometimes just him alone.

He often held Anyao's hand for an entire afternoon, telling interesting things that happened at home, things seen on TV or online, things heard in town... Sometimes he would space out for a long time, sometimes he would change the water and flower branches in the vase in the ward. Rain or shine, not a day missed.

He did this firstly because he wanted to accompany his wife, secondly to avoid being idle at home, and thirdly... to give those two boys some time alone together.

Of course, Xia Chuan and Shen Lan did not let his painstaking efforts go to waste, enjoying their time together to the fullest. It's not that it was particularly exciting or romantic, as both were less romantic than the other, and didn't care for those things. They just felt that doing anything together became interesting.

Most things couples do, like watching movies and eating out, like walking and hiking, they would do. Of course, this also included some more intimate things on a deeper level...

The soundproofing of this house was amazingly good, so they always went wild with abandon when they got crazy.

Of course, it was mainly Shen Lan who was crazier. Perhaps due to the primitive beast nature inside him, he especially liked seeing Xia Chuan so anxious that he couldn't breathe, with a vacant look in his eyes, almost suffocating. So he always liked to make some other moves at critical moments, adding fuel to Xia Chuan's fire, especially during the day.

As soon as Xia Liang left the house, he would quickly take Xia Chuan back to the room on the second floor, sometimes stripping Xia Chuan's clothes off in three or two moves like unwrapping candy, sometimes leaving Xia Chuan wearing a seemingly impeccable shirt. Xia Chuan found this hobby of his both laughable and irresistible, after all, he definitely couldn't beat him in a fight.

Shen Lan's inhuman strength and physique were simply unfair at times like this. He carried some of the nature of beasts, never hiding his desires, expressing them directly and fiercely, even with a hint of aggression.

He would lightly bite Xia Chuan's Adam's apple while thrusting, restraining Xia Chuan's wrists with one hand, holding him tightly, while the other hand roamed between Xia Chuan's chest and abdomen.

As Xia Chuan's breathing grew heavier and more urgent, only then would he release the Adam's apple and neck, kissing his way down, past the protruding collarbones, past the heart, and then stopping at the chest.

When desire and pleasure burned, Xia Chuan's whole body became extremely sensitive. With Shen Lan's slightest teasing, layers of flushed redness would spread across his neck.

At the most intense moment of pleasure, Shen Lan would abruptly lift Xia Chuan off the bed. The instant they stood up, Xia Chuan would always gasp urgently, his eyes suddenly fogging over. When walking, he would arch his back, stretched taut like a tightened bowstring.

Shen Lan would always press him against the wall by the window, the window half open, the curtains occasionally lightly stirred by the breeze outside.

Sometimes Shen Lan would move in time with the curtains, slowly teasing a certain spot inside Xia Chuan, teasing until Xia Chuan opened his misty eyes, furrowed his brows and leaned in for a kiss, urging against his lips for him to go faster.

Sometimes people would pass by on the street outside. Although they couldn't be seen, Xia Chuan would still be enveloped by an extremely deep sense of shame.

But this was precisely when Shen Lan was most excited. He would speed up his thrusting, and before long, Xia Chuan would tilt his head back, the back of his head pressed against the hard wall, even the top of his feet tensing up, unable to make a sound for a long time.

A moment later, he would hold Shen Lan tightly, heavily panting, evening out his breathing.

But besides this, they often had other plans, like going scuba diving, listening to an opera, or accompanying Shen Lan to see places he still remembered...

With the destruction of Wes Company's mainframe, the devices inside each person lost their effect, and the previous impacts caused by these devices were slowly fading away, although at a pace so slow it was almost imperceptible.

Fortunately, Shen Lan had always been very carefree and had no obsession with his past. After all, his current life already made him feel extremely happy.

One weekend with very nice weather, they saw online that the museum in the neighboring K City was holding an exhibition. Thinking they had nothing else to do, they simply booked two tickets online. They also went to find Dennis for a meal, since he worked in that area.

The museum was large in scale, with five floors and a unique, creative design. This exhibition was related to the history of biological civilization, spanning from ancient to modern times from the first to the top floor.

As soon as Xia Chuan and Shen Lan entered, they saw two huge dinosaur fossil models placed in the center of the first floor.

In fact, among various ancient biological fossil exhibits, dinosaurs are the most common. However, every visitor still can't help but let out a soft gasp. But for Xia Chuan and Shen Lan, looking at those fossils, the emotions in their hearts were much more complex, because they had lived in a world where dinosaurs roamed.

Every time they saw a familiar shape, it would overlap with their memories.

They browsed this floor very slowly, but still only finished three-quarters of it. There was still an area they temporarily gave up on due to the large crowd gathered there, choosing to go upstairs first.

The entire exhibit's order was roughly as they had expected, gradually progressing from ancient to modern times in different periods.

By the second floor, it basically transitioned from ancient creatures to humans. They made their way through the exhibition halls one by one.

When they reached the last hall, they were momentarily stunned. This was the Stone Age hall, and the museum staff had specially decorated it to look like a tribal setting.

For a moment, Xia Chuan and Shen Lan almost thought they had returned to that world. The same low houses, half above ground and half underground. The same dressed primitive human models.

Only the expressions were slightly stiff. In their memories, they had the most simple and genuine enthusiasm, with both sadness and joy being extremely vivid.

Around those models, in the glass cases encircling the exhibition hall, various excavated items were on display.

They walked along the glass cases, looking...

"Hey! Look at this!" Shen Lan suddenly patted Xia Chuan's shoulder, pointing to the glass case in front of him.

Xia Chuan leaned over to take a look, and saw two perforated animal teeth in the glass case, painted with primitive and strange patterns that looked like eyes or water drops.

The patterns were extremely familiar to Xia Chuan and Shen Lan, because the animal teeth worn around Aegon's neck were just like this. He originally only wore one, but after burying his son, he put on another one.

Looking at these two animal teeth, they suddenly had an illusion, as if through these two teeth and the many models here, they were greeting friends from tens of thousands of years ago...

There were too many things in the entire museum. They went there after lunch and didn't finish browsing through everything until evening.

When they returned to the first floor, most of the crowd was heading towards the exit, and the previously crowded exhibition area was much less busy, so they simply went over.

That area was similar to other places, still with glass display cases divided into sections, leaning against the wall, with restoration diagrams and text descriptions next to them. However, because most of the exhibits were dinosaur fossils, the display cases were much larger than those upstairs. Xia Chuan and Shen Lan walked counterclockwise towards the exit, stopping and going.

Just as they stopped in front of a display case looking at the dinosaur leg bone fossils inside, they suddenly heard a childish voice coming from the display case next to them: "Mom, I like this dinosaur."

They subconsciously looked up and were stunned for a moment.

In front of that display case stood a woman holding a child's hand, with a gentle and bright smile on her face.

It was Laura, who had previously experienced two worlds together with them, and the little blond boy Allen, whom they hadn't seen for a long time, was holding her hand.

Laura obviously noticed their gaze, looked up and smiled at them politely, then lowered her head to tease Allen: "Why do you like it?"

"Tsk--she really doesn't remember." Shen Lan muttered in a very low voice.

Perhaps because their gaze lingered a little too long, Laura couldn't help but look up at them again and said with a smile, "Have we met somewhere before?"

Xia Chuan and Shen Lan were stunned for a moment, then shook their heads and also said with a smile, "It's just that you look a bit like a friend of ours."

"Haha, I don't know why, but I also feel very close to you. I don't know if it's because you're handsome." Laura replied with a laugh.

"Mom, look, this dinosaur has a scar above its eye." Allen raised his hand and pointed to the dinosaur fossil.

Hearing this, Xia Chuan and Shen Lan couldn't help but walk over to take a look. They saw that on the skull fossil of the dinosaur, there was a discernible groove where the eye was, as if it had been injured.

They both thought of the shark-toothed dinosaur Yaya they encountered in the dinosaur world, which followed them all the way and was eventually left in that world. It also had an old scar on its eye that looked very fierce, in the exact same position as the one on this skull...

"I suddenly feel that it was destined by heaven for us to be looking at the exhibition information of this museum today..." Shen Lan stared at the skull without blinking and said in a low voice.

Xia Chuan curled the corner of his mouth: "Maybe."

After all, this world is often very gentle, and encounters and acquaintances are always so wonderful. Maybe it's giving them a chance to make up for their regrets.

In a blink of an eye, it was almost closing time for the museum. The exhibition hall was playing a loop of reminder broadcasts. Laura tugged on Allen's hand, indicating that it was time to go.

Allen clung to the glass and stared at the skull fossil for a good while, then reluctantly took two steps back and followed Laura towards the exit. However, after only a few steps, he suddenly stopped, as if he had remembered something, turned his head, waved at the glass case, and said, "Goodbye."

This was the moment when light and darkness intersected in the city. From where Xia Chuan and Shen Lan stood, they could see the square and sky outside through the museum door.

Some lights had already lit up around them, in patches of yellow and white. Further away, the sunset burned from one end of the sky to the other, brilliant and gentle.

Tomorrow will still be a sunny day, beautiful and worth looking forward to...

Author's note:

Orz, I originally planned to add the extras directly under the final chapter, but when I tried to edit the chapter, a prompt popped up saying the chapter review did not pass, so I couldn't edit it. So I had to start a new chapter.

But I'll only put the minimum number of words required for a V chapter in the main text, and the rest will be in the author's notes. I adjusted the font to make it easier to read.

This is one extra, and there will be another one around midnight or early tomorrow morning. It will be added directly after the first extra~

You can read them together in the morning~

Enjoy, mwah!

The following is Extra 1: An Autumn Like Spring →_→

"Spring is here, everything is coming back to life, it's time for—" Before the narrator on the documentary channel could finish, the TV was abruptly switched to another channel with a click.

Xia Chuan put down the remote, picked up the fork next to his plate, and said in an annoyed tone, "You're lively enough as it is, what kind of weird taste is it to keep watching this channel?"

Shen Lan swallowed the seafood pasta in his mouth and said with a straight face, "Oh— no, I just don't get it. They say people only get restless and lonely when spring arrives, but now it's almost winter, how come everyone is running off to mixers one after another? I can understand someone like Dennis who can't sit still and flirts everywhere, but how come even Professor Linton couldn't resist?"

Xia Chuan found his mentality of being content after eating his fill and not approving of others finding partners quite ridiculous. He took a bite of the pasta, glanced at him and said, "What's so hard to understand? Aren't you a living example yourself? It's like spring all year round for you."

It was a noon in late autumn and early winter. Shen Lan had gone a bit overboard last night, causing Xia Chuan to wake up late this morning. By the time he opened his eyes, washed up and went downstairs, it was almost lunchtime. Shen Lan was the only one home, with no sign of Xia Liang.

He originally thought Xia Liang had gone to Gerald's place to see Anyao again and would be back for lunch. But then he saw Shen Lan go into the kitchen and whip up two plates of seafood pasta after a while.

Only then did he realize that before Xia Liang went out earlier, he had told Shen Lan he had something to do and might not be back for lunch, so the two of them should make do with something to eat first.

In terms of cooking skills, Shen Lan and Xia Chuan were two complete opposites, and the food they made was almost entirely different—

The dishes Xia Chuan usually spent hours making looked almost identical to those sold in restaurants or pictured in cookbooks, with bright colors and proper presentation that made people's mouths water and appetites soar... but the actual taste?

Xia Liang's comment: "No need for much, one bite and you're a goner."

It was clearly so indescribably bad that even his own dad didn't dare to compliment it.

As for Shen Lan, whenever he cooked, you could smell a rich aroma from far away. The seasonings were just right, and both the texture and flavor were quite good... but the biggest problem was that it looked ugly, really ugly.

So ugly that the first time Xia Chuan ate it, he had to do a lot of mental preparation at the dining table before he could bring himself to start. In the end, Shen Lan directly scooped up a spoonful and fed it into Xia Chuan's mouth without giving him a choice.

Xia Liang's comment: "When you're hungry, one glance can tide you over for an afternoon."

It seemed that being a diehard face-con was also a family trait.

Later, when Xia Liang wasn't home and they cooked for themselves, they simply divided the labor. Xia Chuan was responsible for the prep work and final plating, while Shen Lan handled the seasoning. The food made this way, although not as good as Xia Liang's cooking, was at least pleasing to both the eye and palate.

Dennis happened to come across this scene once when he came to see them. He immediately ran away covering his eyes, whining that he had to find a girlfriend no matter what.

Ever since that day, Dennis had become especially enthusiastic about mixers. Whether it was a company gathering or a friend's party, he would dress himself up like a peacock on display.

In Xia Liang's words, "This kid may be a joker, but if he properly styles his hair and wears decent clothes, he won't have to worry about not having girls chasing after him."

The first time Dennis met Xia Chuan, he didn't think Xia Chuan looked like someone who could fight at all. Xia Chuan's first impression of Dennis was also somewhat similar. He felt that the way Dennis behaved there made him look more like a playboy than a serious researcher.

Recently, as his spring fever hit, he had taken this impression to the extreme, as if afraid the girls wouldn't notice him. He practically shed a few peacock feathers with each step he took.

"Lately, gatherings and mixers haven't been enough to satisfy him. He said he hasn't met anyone he fancies. I heard he wanted to hit up some bars yesterday, don't know how that went." Shen Lan polished off a plate of pasta in no time and was about to go for another.

Xia Chuan tapped on his phone screen on the table while suggesting without looking up, "Why bother plating it one dish at a time? Just bring the whole pot over and eat from it. We're not out, what are you pretending to have no appetite for?"

Shen Lan: "..." His image as a foodie was probably ruined for life.

In fact, in the past two years, because he rarely transformed back into a mosasaurus, his energy consumption had decreased significantly, and naturally his appetite had also shrunk dramatically. But compared to Xia Chuan and the others, he was still a big eater.

After finishing his words, Xia Chuan put the phone to his ear.

"Who are you calling?" Shen Lan asked curiously.

"Dennis." Xia Chuan replied, "Checking on his situation, and if he's not going to bars tonight, we can have a family dinner together."

Over the past two years, Xia Chuan's personality had also become a bit warmer compared to before. At least occasionally on weekends, he would take the initiative to call and invite Dennis and the others over for a meal.

The phone rang for a while before it was answered. Dennis' voice sounded listless on the other end, with none of his usual flirtatious energy.

Xia Chuan raised an eyebrow and asked, "What's wrong with you? Craving a fix?"

Dennis: "... Reality won't give me a chance to get high."

Xia Chuan said, "So you were out at the bar all night and didn't sleep?"

"Forget the damn bar! Just mentioning it pisses me off!" Dennis' half-dead voice suddenly rose a decibel as he complained, "I had just entered the bar and hadn't even sat down or ordered a drink yet, when that German guy with the poker face somehow found me and dragged me out without a word!"

Xia Chuan still raised his eyebrows, looking both surprised and unsurprised: "...That's it?"

"What else could there be! You know, in my whole life, I'm not afraid of anyone except doctors, especially his type. I cower as soon as I see him," Dennis's voice sounded dejected.

Xia Chuan thought to himself that there were many people Dennis cowered at the sight of, he was just especially timid when it came to Gerald.

"Doctors at most manage your diet, how can he even control my girlfriend search..." Dennis muttered a few sentences, suddenly startled, his voice trembling: "Oh my god! Could it be that he has some special thoughts about me?!"

Xia Chuan: "..."

His voice was so loud and lacking in restraint that Shen Lan, with his superior hearing, naturally heard every word clearly. He put the pot filled with seafood pasta on the table with a "clang", and very boldly raised his fork, sneering: "You think Gerald's brain was shot?"

Xia Chuan: "..."

Shen Lan pondered as he ate, and after a few seconds, suddenly tsk-ed and said, "Maybe it really was shot."

Xia Chuan: "..."

He was a bit speechless by the back-and-forth state of Shen Lan and Dennis. Just as he was about to ask that guy a few more questions, he heard a male voice suddenly join in on Dennis's side of the phone call, interjecting: "Tell me what special thoughts you think I have."

Before Xia Chuan could react, he heard Dennis howl in a voice like his butt was on fire, rapidly saying: "Holy shit, the devil is here, I'm hanging up first!"

Xia Chuan: "..."

Shen Lan raised his head with noodles in his mouth, slurped them in, and pointed to Xia Chuan's phone: "You can put it down now."

"Was that... Gerald just now?" Xia Chuan glanced at the already hung up phone interface and tossed it back on the table.

"Yes." Shen Lan gloated: "I reckon Dennis won't be able to escape a beating."

That night at the weekend gathering, only Professor Linton showed up alone with a bunch of ingredients he brought along the way. As for Dennis and Gerald, both were absent.

There was only one text message from Gerald, sent to Xia Chuan's phone. The content of the text message was:

Dennis and I will discuss my thoughts on the issue. We won't be coming over tonight. Enjoy yourselves.

After reading the text message, Xia Chuan turned to look at Shen Lan. Shen Lan shrugged: "Looks like he really was shot, no escape. Should we buy some candles for Dennis tomorrow?"

Xia Chuan: "..."

This autumn was just as vibrant as spring.

Dennis silently raised two middle fingers: "Bullshit."

Extra 2: Christmas Gift

In Shen Lan's eyes, except for Xia Chuan, probably everyone's brains were shot. That's how straightforward he was.

Naturally, the first among this group of people was the German guy Gerald who had his eyes on Dennis. In Shen Lan's words, he probably lived his first 30-plus years too strictly and meticulously, and wanted to find some fun for himself.

Coincidentally, Dennis himself was a source of amusement. It's just that Dennis suffered. Ever since being swiftly taken down by Gerald, his heart was pounding with excitement every day...

Next was Professor Linton.

In terms of actual age, Professor Linton was not actually that old, but his appearance was already approaching that of a 60-year-old, suddenly skipping more than a decade and prematurely entering the ranks of the sunset years.

To a certain extent, he spent half his life for the sake of Xia Liang and these few friends, missing out on the best years to go out and flirt like Dennis, stewing himself into an older unmarried bachelor.

Although this bachelor had a prosperous life, was knowledgeable, had a humorous and interesting personality, and was a tasteful petit bourgeois...

"So why can't the professor get married?" Dennis, who had already married himself off, started to meddle in the professor's lifelong affairs whenever he had nothing to do.

"Maybe because his mouth isn't sweet enough?" He speculated.

Xia Chuan and the others glared at him impatiently: "Who says those girls only like sweet talkers."

"What else could it be?" Dennis said, "Don't tell me he's destined to be a bachelor?"

Not long after Dennis said this, at an afternoon gathering, the professor announced while rubbing his hands a bit embarrassedly: "I think I've found a girl who is willing to spend the rest of her life with me."

At this point, no one felt there was anything wrong.

However, after a short while, the professor said to Xia Liang: "As my best friend who is still awake, can you set a time for me to introduce that girl to you first?"

Everyone: "..."

The professor's idea was actually quite simple. After all, none of them had met the girl before, and not all of the younger ones here were the type to be immediately familiar with strangers. It wasn't very appropriate to suddenly bring her to the gathering, so he wanted to let Xia Liang have a look first.

However, Shen Lan and Dennis, the two guys with somewhat straightforward minds, had surprisingly consistent thoughts: If you bring a friend with a disastrous face like Xia Liang, that girl will turn around and run off with Xia Liang! Are you stupid?

Although Xia Chuan and Gerald didn't say it out loud, they did indeed have this thought and were somewhat worried.

Who knew, the girl the professor mentioned really didn't turn around and run off with Xia Liang, and still got along very well with the professor. The two of them occasionally went out for walks, watched movies, listened to operas, and enjoyed doing the things young couples liked to do. They lived very comfortably.

A month later at the weekend gathering, the professor brought his lover named Blanche to meet everyone as promised.

She was a woman who looked about the same age as the professor. Of course, looking about the same meant that she was actually much older than the professor, but neither of them minded. Blanche appeared elegant and poised, with age only adding to her charm. Even every wrinkle and her silver hair pulled back looked very gentle and beautiful.

Throughout the gathering, when the professor called her, he always addressed her as "girl". By the end, even Blanche was a bit embarrassed, laughing: "At this age, still calling me girl."

The professor said solemnly: "In my eyes, you will always be a girl."

Shen Lan covered his teeth and said to Xia Chuan: "Who said the professor's mouth was clumsy, it's much sweeter than mine."

Xia Chuan glanced at him: "Oh, you even know that?"

It was another winter, exactly one year since Dennis and Gerald had been together. It seemed that in every such cold season, there would always be something happening that made people feel warmth from the bottom of their hearts.

"There's less than a week until Christmas Eve. I bought a truckload of Christmas trees and will bring them back for you guys," Gerald said while sipping red wine.

Their small group didn't have many people, but they had quite a few houses - the Xia family's, the maternal grandmother's, Gerald's clinic, Dennis' home, and Professor Linton's house - all needed a Christmas tree. Every year, the person buying would directly bring back a truckload, which looked quite spectacular.

During this final week, they were always running around, decorating for you and then for him, busy but enjoying it. Because there were many houses and trees, they often had to work until Christmas Eve, and then gather together for a big meal.

Today, the last week before Christmas passed by in a rush as usual, and in the blink of an eye, it was Christmas Eve.

As night fell, it began to snow lightly as expected, falling in tiny flakes, light and floating. Most of the stores on the street had closed their doors, but without exception, they left a few warm yellow lights under the display windows, which were spray-painted with red and green candy canes and mistletoe, as well as exaggerated Santa Claus faces.

Everyone had already arrived and was busy preparing Christmas Eve gifts and the big dinner.

Xia Liang put on a dark gray woolen coat, wrapped a navy blue scarf around his neck, and stood at the door holding a paper bag. "I'll go over first and come back later," he said before going out the door and onto the street.

He was going to the second floor of Gerald's clinic, where Anyao and Gardner's hospital rooms were located.

This was an old tradition every Christmas Eve. In his bag were two Christmas stockings with thick white edges, each containing a gift - two recorded CDs with various life snippets about Xia Chuan and Shen Lan, about himself, and about Professor Linton, Dennis, and the others.

For the sleeping ones who couldn't see or hear the world, he would record it for them, the people they loved, he would see for them.

Gerald's clinic was only two streets away from where Xia Chuan and the others lived, not far. Along the way, five or six passing children sang Christmas carols to him and then ran off laughing and playing, full of life, a pleasant good omen.

When Xia Liang arrived at the hospital room, it wasn't completely dark yet. The snowflakes on his body had soaked into the shoulders of his coat, leaving a slightly darker trace.

For some reason, his heart inexplicably skipped a beat as he pushed the door open, causing him to pause for a moment. He quickly shook his head and laughed at himself, then gripped the doorknob again and pushed the door open.

Like the more than a thousand days and nights before, the two hospital beds in the room were extremely quiet, with the white quilts bulging, revealing the shape of people. The various instruments were all operating quietly without making any particular sounds. Everything seemed to be as usual.

Xia Liang turned around, about to gently close the door, when he suddenly heard an extremely faint sound coming from the direction of the beds. If it weren't for his exceptional hearing, he wouldn't have noticed it at all. It sounded like skin rubbing against fabric.

His entire body froze abruptly. For a moment, he didn't even know how to close the door.

He stood in that posture for a very, very long time, almost as long as a century, and then slowly turned his head and stared intently at the bed where the sound had come from, his eyes filled with utter disbelief.

Just as he didn't dare to believe it and didn't even dare to approach to check, he clearly saw that on the bed where Anyao was lying, a gap suddenly appeared on the side of the white quilt, and the tip of a pale, slender finger slightly peeked out from inside...

Outside the window, the snow suddenly became much heavier, falling in a vast expanse, but under the illumination of the dim yellow street lights below, it seemed to have an inexplicable warmth.

If he wasn't mistaken... Anyao had moved.

The person he had been waiting for had finally woken up. Able to smile and open her eyes again, to take a good look at this world.

He always believed that this world was very gentle and might one day give him a gift. Apparently, he hadn't believed wrongly. On this Christmas Eve, the heavens had indeed wrapped a big present for him.

Since one had already shown signs of waking up, then the other surely wouldn't sleep for much longer either...

With that, both extras are finished~ It's basically come to an end. I'm going to mark it as completed. See you in the next story! Kisses!