When He Juan snapped back to his senses, he was already pushing Mu Yuze’s door open by a crack. Through the light spilling in from the hallway, he could see a small lump on top of the bed, covered tightly by the blanket from head to toe.

Creases formed between He Juan’s brows when he saw this. Mu Yuze still had difficulty sleeping after all this time? Why? Was the bed not comfortable enough, or was he struggling with some problems He Juan was not privy to?

With their current relationship, would Mu Yuze answer honestly if He Juan were to ask him about it?

Of course, the answer was no. He Juan did not even need to think to guess what the boy’s answer would be. Otherwise would he have chosen to keep this matter to himself, rather than to confide in He Juan? Sighing, He Juan crossed the room with light and soundless steps and once he arrived by the bed, he abruptly yanked Mu Yuze’s blanket down without a warning, revealing the boy’s messy hair that spread all over the pillow and a pair of huge startled eyes.

He Juan couldn’t resist a smile. "Can’t sleep?" he asked softly.

Sure enough, Mu Yuze replied to him in a stiff and clipped tone, "I was just going to sleep when you came in."

’Little liar,’ he thought with fond exasperation. Taking a seat beside Mu Yuze, he asked with the most casual tone he could muster, "How are you settling in? The bed is comfortable enough, right?"

He pretended not to notice Mu Yuze’s little sigh of relief when he saw that He Juan did not intend to press for details. Oh, He Juan was so going to do it. But not tonight, he told himself. Perhaps it was because he was still feeling melancholic after discovering Mo Feng’s lie, he felt very reluctant to confront Mu Yuze and risk another argument breaking out between them. Tonight, he only wanted to bask in the calm tranquility he always found around the boy.

How could Mu Yuze ever think that he was useless, when his mere presence offered He Juan peace like no one ever did before? What a foolish boy.

Mu Yuze nodded and ran his hand across the soft mattress in a subconscious move. "It’s comfortable... much more comfortable than the bed I used to have before." There was a wistful look in his eyes when he talked about the past, and He Juan was abruptly seized by fierce yearning to take all of Mu Yuze’s sadness away and make it his own. He did not want to see such a look in Mu Yuze’s face – ever.

He Juan hummed softly. "If there’s something you are not comfortable with, just tell me, okay?"

Mu Yuze ducked his head in response to that and mumbled under his breath, his voice oh so small and fragile like the seed of dandelion that swayed against the chilly night breeze. "You have already done more than enough..."

A hint of helplessness surfaced in He Juan’s silver eyes. How could it be enough? There were still so, so many things he had not given Mu Yuze yet, and everything he had done until now did not even cover the tip of the iceberg. How could it ever be enough?

Oh, if only Mu Yuze knew...

Well, it was not like He Juan was going to tell him anything. Putting on an easy smile that betrayed none of the emotions he was feeling within, he reached out to tug Mu Yuze’s blanket up to his neck. Somewhere inside his heart twinged when he noticed how it made the boy look even smaller than he already was. "Look at me. Isn’t it my fault to disturb your rest, then?" he chuckled. "How about this? I will sing a song to you as a compensation?"

A hint of surprise flashed through Mu Yuze’s eyes before he quickly dropped them. He offered no words of refusal and thus, He Juan took it as a yes and started singing.

I am wandering, always wandering

He Juan only had fond memories regarding this song. The first time he heard it, he was still a child, much younger than Mu Yuze was right now. His father had sung it to him back then, and after both his parents passed away, he started to sing it to comfort his little brother who would often be plagued by nightmares following the horrid accident. It lasted until a few years ago when his brother grew up and refused to let He Juan sing to him again, claiming that he was no longer a child. After that, the habit was completely broken when He Juan joined Xuanlong and he had to keep a distance from his brother at all times.

Who could have guessed that he would have the chance to sing it to someone again?

He masked his nostalgic chuckle with a cough, then continued with the next verse,

The world is vast, and the sky is clear blue

Yet I walk alone on this lone bridge

Searching for the light that can guide me home

He Juan closed his eyes and hummed the song wholeheartedly, reveling in the serenity that washed over him and dispersed the lingering gloom.

He had no idea how long he had been singing and when he opened his eyes again, Mu Yuze was already sound asleep, his breathing long and deep.

"You are the light..." he sang the last verse softly as he reached out to brush his fingertips against the fading bruise on Mu Yuze’s cheek. "You are the light that guides me home..."

The song ended and silence rushed in to fill the empty space in the room. But at this moment, He Juan was feeling lighter than ever. He felt like he could tackle all problems in front of him with boundless energy.

Chuckling softly, he curled his fingers and brushed his knuckle ever so gently against Mu Yuze’s thick lashes, watching it quivering like the flutter of butterfly wings. He took his hand away and stood up. "Goodnight, Mu Yuze," he told the sweetly sleeping boy.

.

After taking a brief shower, He Juan returned to the study and read through the remaining files about Mo Feng until a crack of dawn appeared far in the horizon.

He walked to the kitchen to get his daily caffeine and happiness bloomed in his heart when he found Mu Yuze there with a cup of steaming coffee sitting on the counter. "Good morning, Xiao Ze!" He greeted cheerfully, and received a shy and tentative ’good morning’ from Mu Yuze in return.

As He Juan sipped on the coffee he hated down to his core, a faint thought slipped into his mind. ’Ah,’ he sighed in utter bliss and contentment. ’I could get used to this forever.’