"In the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make." — The Beatles
At the airport lounge while waiting for his flight back to China, Pei Hao posted a social media update. Two pictures: one of the starry night from last night and the other showing his hand intertwined with Mo Xi's.
No text, no privacy settings, no concealment—visible to everyone.
Chen Xu was the first person to see this status. He clicked on Pei Hao's profile and noticed that his signature had been changed to: "May I win one person's heart, and never be separated."
Seeing this sentence, Chen Xu's first thought was the person whom Pei Hao was constantly concerned about in the hospital. It must be him; Pei Hao's eyes held only him.
Although feeling somewhat disheartened, Chen Xu consoled himself that his luck was actually not bad. At least he hadn't fallen for a straight guy. He silently exited Pei Hao's profile, closed his phone, and prepared to go out for lunch.
During his lunch break, Da Bai, who was playing on his phone in the office's pantry, recognized Mo Xi's hand at a glance—the back of his hand had a thin, long white birthmark. Da Bai had witnessed this relationship develop over almost eight years, through ups and downs, and now, they had finally come together. He wasn't particularly emotional about it. He had dated over ten boyfriends himself and was still single, so in a way, he envied Mo Xi.
There were many words he wanted to say, but none were sent out. He simply liked the status and then sent a private message to Pei Hao: "You must treat him well."
Pei Hao quickly replied: "I will."
Soon after, Pei Hao's social media exploded with reactions. There were likes, congratulations, and more people asking who it was. Those who knew him a bit better inquired if he was a young man from somewhere, while those who were more familiar joked whether he was a beautiful girl. Pei Hao didn't reply to any of them.
It was Egg Brother's WeChat that appeared next: "Is it Xiao Xi?"
Pei Hao: Yeah.
Egg Brother: Damn, you managed to win him back!! Xiao Xi must be blind...
Pei Hao: ...
Pei Hao: Get lost.
Egg Brother: Just kidding. Wishing you both a lifetime of love, unity, and early parenthood...
Pei Hao: ...
A day later, Pei Hao was in a meeting room waiting for Fu Bing to begin the meeting. He glanced at his phone and coincidentally saw a comment on that status from Song Wanqin: "Mom hopes you're happy."
When Fu Bing opened the door, he found Pei Hao, who usually wore a cold expression, staring at his phone. His eyes seemed moist, and he couldn't help but ask in confusion, "Hey, what's going on?"
"Nothing," Pei Hao wiped the corner of his eye and closed his phone, "It's a bit windy outside."
"Oh..." Fu Bing glanced at the tightly closed window nearby but didn't press further.
Long-distance relationships were challenging, just the mention of these three words indicated as much, and even more so when there was an entire Pacific Ocean between them.
Pei Hao managed to find ways to visit him in the U.S. from time to time, and Mo Xi didn't feel the need to meet too frequently, but he did think Pei Hao's constant flying was exhausting. Once, when Pei Hao was clearly suffering from a stomachache, he still insisted on taking a more than ten-hour flight to come over. As soon as he arrived home, he lay down on the sofa in pain. Mo Xi was both anxious and angry but couldn't do much about it.
He gave him medicine, made porridge, and spoon-fed Pei Hao bit by bit. Seeing him gradually feeling better, Mo Xi couldn't hold back his temper and scolded, "If you keep risking your health like this, maybe we should separate for a while."
His intention was for Pei Hao to take care of his health and not take such risks for him. What he said was for Pei Hao's own good. However, by the time it reached Pei Hao's ears, only the latter half remained, making it sound like Mo Xi wanted to break up.
A lump formed in his throat, and he didn't know how to respond. Pei Hao turned red in an instant, his eyes welling up.
Mo Xi froze, realizing he had misspoken. After a moment of calming himself down, he hugged the person on the sofa and comforted him. Pei Hao finally fell asleep with a sense of security.
Two months later, the company Mo Xi interned at offered him a full-time position with a salary much higher than his previous one in China. Just a few years ago, he was love-struck and would have unquestionably placed Pei Hao first in his priorities, but this time he weighed many factors—career prospects, family, and love.
In the end, Mo Xi decided to return to China, a decision made after careful consideration of various aspects. He wanted to see Xiao Pengpeng grow up, wanted to work in a game company, and wanted Pei Hao to stop wearing himself out flying back and forth.
In the summer of 2019, under the blazing June sun, Mo Xi returned to City X with a few large suitcases. He and Pei Hao moved to a larger apartment and resumed their cohabitation.
Egg Brother organized a gathering with a few old friends to welcome Mo Xi. Privately, he asked if they should invite Fu Yan. Pei Hao thought about it and decided against it, fearing that Mo Xi might have some thoughts.
That day, Pei Hao booked a suite in a resort. They played games, sang songs, and Mo Xi prepared a few simple dishes with Pei Hao in the kitchen. When Egg Brother entered the room, he saw Mo Xi washing vegetables, with Pei Hao's arm around his waist and feeding him grapes.
"Oh my god..." Egg Brother quickly covered his eyes and shut the door, wishing he could immediately pull his girlfriend away from this scene that reeked of romantic intimacy.
As longtime friends, they had attended gatherings together back in the day, often bringing their partners. Eight years had slipped away in the blink of an eye—graduation, work, the passage of time—and out of everyone, only Pei Hao was still with the same person.
It was indeed astonishing how fate worked.
A few friends who wanted to propose a toast to Mo Xi were all blocked by Pei Hao. They joked about how Pei Hao was becoming more and more protective.
As they got more spirited, someone began recounting the foolish things Pei Hao had done during the years he was separated from Mo Xi—getting drunk and shouting Mo Xi's name on the streets, secretly flying to the U.S. and causing Pei Yi to scold him at a company annual meeting...
Pei Hao didn't get annoyed. Under the table, he held Mo Xi's hand, occasionally making a defense but mostly remaining silent.
Mo Xi listened with a faint smile, not very surprised. After all, Pei Hao had done crazier things right in front of him.
Halfway through the meal, someone posted on social media, and Fu Yan saw it. He considered Pei Hao
and Egg Brother to be like brothers, so he felt a bit uncomfortable, but he also understood that this wasn't his place to appear, so he quietly sent Pei Hao a message saying congratulations.
Later, when Mo Xi learned about it, he generously invited Pei Hao to call Fu Yan over.
Pei Hao wiped away the sweat that had formed on his forehead, unsure if Mo Xi meant his words sincerely or sarcastically.
Mo Xi raised an eyebrow, not avoiding the subject, "If I were still hung up on your past, we wouldn't be sitting here now."
Of course, Fu Yan never showed up in the end. Instead, a few months later, his wife gave birth to their first child. Those who were on good terms with him went to visit, and Mo Xi and Pei Hao bought some baby items and sent them over.
The streets of the northern city were torn down and rebuilt, and many authentic street food stalls disappeared among the towering new buildings. The city underwent rapid changes, and no one could escape the relentless march of progress.
One day, Mo Xi passed by the private kitchen restaurant that Jin Yu used to run. He noticed that this restaurant was also in the alley that was about to be demolished. It was said that someone took over the restaurant after Jin Yu left. Since it had been popular before, the new owner kept the same name. The wooden sign was covered in dust and bore two characters in an antique seal script—Poetic Charm.
Mo Xi suddenly had a realization, as if he understood the meaning behind the name Jin Yu had chosen for the restaurant back then: Poetic Charm, which could be understood as "think of you, remember you."
However, he couldn't verify this idea anymore, because Jin Yu seemed to have disappeared from the world, leaving no trace. Some said they saw him in a southwestern town, pushing a handsome boy in a wheelchair—probably Cheng Yi. Others said he hadn't found Cheng Yi and was still waiting for him in a small Nordic country as they had agreed.
Of course, these were just rumors, and their authenticity was unclear.
Mo Xi eventually joined the game company he had wished for. When he got busy, he would return home after 10 p.m. every night. Pei Hao was even busier; he flew everywhere when the company's peak season arrived, often disappearing for days.
But these things didn't affect their relationship. As Egg Brother put it, they were getting stickier as time went on. When they both had free time, Pei Hao would take Mo Xi out for walks or they'd lie at home watching TV shows and playing games. During vacations, they would travel the world together.
The ring was finally put on, and they did eventually see the Northern Lights in Iceland. They never got the certificate though—Mo Xi felt they didn't need that piece of paper for now.
Many years later, Pei Hao took over Pei Yi Xin's company, and Mo Xi earned some money after working on several game projects. He quit his job and became a university professor. One night, as Mo Xi lay in bed looking at the person sleeping beside him, he thought it over and had to admit that the main reason he had returned to China back then was Pei Hao.
Loving someone was probably about being willing to disregard everything for them when I was young and ignorant. And even after I've seen the world, you're still my first choice.
After countless storms and challenges, I'm fortunate that it's still you.
—The End—