Gu Xueping called to ask how his son, Gu Pan, planned to spend the short vacation.

　　Gu Pan explained that a friend had an urgent matter and needed his help, so he wouldn't be coming home for the break.

　　There was a brief silence during the call.

　　But his father didn't pry for details or press further; he expressed understanding. "Your friend's business is your business. A man should take responsibility. Dad supports you!" Before hanging up, he mentioned that it was Li Danxia who encouraged him to call, saying she missed their son.

　　Gu Pan acknowledged this. Yet, he understood that this didn't mean his mother would relent. In his memory, once she decided on something, his mother never compromised, especially on matters that forced others to abandon their beliefs. She often tasted the sweetness of victory from others' concessions. So, the fact that her own son faced setbacks here meant she would never forgive it. Having his father make this call was simply to gauge the truth.

　　Gu Pan wasn't lying. His friend in need was Su Chiyuan.

　　"It'll be about three days round trip. Let's join a tour, be lazy for once, no need to plan, what do you say?" Su Chiyuan had informed Gu Pan about his travel plans a week ago. If Gu Pan agreed, Su would book immediately due to limited spots.

　　Without hesitation, Gu Pan agreed. He didn't even care where exactly Su Chiyuan's three-day trip was headed. He had grown accustomed to treating accompanying Mr. Su on seemingly unrelated travel tasks as a responsibility. This time was no different. Gu Pan firmly believed that only with him present could Mr. Su mend a certain regret in his life. This conviction grew stronger over time.

　　2

　　After the tour bus started moving, Gu Pan learned from the guide's skilled commentary that their destination was a drifting base in another province. The river there alternated between narrow and wide, its waters crystal clear in some parts and murky in others. Sharp bends and treacherous rapids were perfectly scattered along the river. Surrounding them were lush green mountains, and nestled among them were ancient temples and a bamboo forest that became famous on social media five years ago when discovered by a group of hikers.

　　"Mr. Su, is this also recommended by your friend?" This kind of question had almost become Gu Pan's most natural opening line whenever invited on a trip.

　　"Haha, you always remember my friends," Su Chiyuan chuckled.

　　Su Chiyuan reached out to ruffle Gu Pan's hair, but the young man quickly dodged and accidentally bumped into the window with a loud thud, startling the elderly passenger in the front seat who turned around. She shook her head and muttered in a dialect from the East, "Oh my, young man, you scared me half to death!"

　　The incident would have passed unnoticed, but it seemed to trigger a moment of reflection in Su Chiyuan.

　　"Mr. Su?" Gu Pan's right hand was still gently rubbing the bumped head, while the sudden silence from Su Chiyuan beside him caught his attention.

　　"Oh, I..." Su Chiyuan pressed his index finger to his lips, signaling for quiet, then typed on his phone, "The way that old lady up front talks reminds me so much of my grandma. Back when I was a kid, I used to get scolded just like that for playing around, although my grandma's scolding was even fiercer!"

　　After finishing the letter, Gu Pan couldn't help but wonder if his recent actions had inadvertently mirrored a role from Mr. Su's past. The longer he knew Su Chiyuan, the less he saw him as just a psychotherapist; their relationship seemed to transcend that initial dynamic of seeking help.

　　But where did this shift originate? Gu Pan was relieved he hadn't delved deeper into prying. He disliked it and couldn't stomach it.

　　Six hours later, the tour bus pulled up at a modest hotel arranged by the travel agency.

　　Their standard room faced the street. Past 10 PM, the noise of traffic and the distant music from square dancing gradually faded. Gu Pan then demonstrated to Su Chiyuan how quickly he could fall asleep, reminiscent of his teenage years when he could sleep anywhere, anytime. Within five minutes, the room, situated 500 kilometers away from A City, echoed with his soft snoring.

　　"Heh, this kid sure knows how to catch some Zs," Su Chiyuan chuckled softly, feeling both content and nostalgic. This young man had once sought him out for help with insomnia. Now, it was clear he had grown indispensable.

　　With these thoughts, he settled down at the edge of the bed.

　　3

　　In the past few months, Gu Pan had been able to sleep through the night almost every night, but this small town couldn't keep up his streak.

　　In the dead of night, all was quiet. The only sound in the room, the steady snoring, abruptly stopped. Gu Pan half-awoke and opened his eyes, only to find a face frozen in place, staring back at him. At first blurry, the face came into focus as he adjusted his gaze, and they locked eyes.

　　Their gazes met, startling each other. They instinctively recoiled.

　　"Mr. Su, uh... you..." Gu Pan brightened the bedside lamp, the sudden light stinging his eyes, distorting his features into a mess. "Have you been sitting there like this all along?"

　　"Oh, no, not really. Just got thirsty, so I boiled some water to drink. Thought I heard you talking in your sleep, so I came over to check..." Su Chiyan stretched his arms, propping himself up straight at Gu's bedside. His posture was unusually formal for the late hour, but it bolstered his explanation. "Yeah, just making sure you're okay."

　　"I see. I'm not sure why I suddenly woke up. I think I dreamed someone was touching my hair. Maybe it's just a hallucination from being on the road all day?"

　　“Mm-hmm.” Su Chiyuan's fingers trembled slightly as he pinched the bedsheet. Just a minute ago, that hand had been gently brushing back from Gu Pan’s hairline.

　　“Mr. Su, what did I say in my sleep? You mentioned you heard something…”

　　“Didn’t really catch it. Go back to sleep, we have an early start.” Su Chiyuan stood up and tucked the blanket around Gu Pan with a tenderness that felt almost paternal.

　　“Did you finish boiling the water? I’d like a drink too.”

　　“Oh, right, the water… How about I just dump that and boil a fresh pot? You know, it’s not good to keep reboiling water. Hold on a sec!” Su Chiyuan quickly stepped away from Gu Pan’s bed and grabbed two bottles of purified water from the table. The sound of water being poured into the kettle masked some of his nervousness.

　　Gu Pan tried to suppress his thoughts, but he couldn’t shake Lu Yitong’s wild comment about “lovers.” He felt that any mention of “male lover,” whether straightforward or hinted at, might trigger something deep within Su Chiyuan, turning this into a night of endless soul-searching. But what then? Would Gu Pan continue to play the role of Mr. Su’s lover’s stand-in? Help Mr. Su keep the secret that his wife was just a cover? No, a man needs more than just principles; he has to be calm and avoid jumping to conclusions.

　　“Here, kid, drink up!” Su Chiyuan placed a glass of water on Gu Pan’s bedside table and then moved over to the other bed in their shared room.

　　4

　　---

　　When Gu Pan was jolted awake by his alarm, Su Chiyuan had already been standing by the window for ten minutes.

　　“Mr. Su, did you not sleep at all last night?”

　　“Nah, I slept. Just didn’t sleep very deeply and woke up early. Not my usual. Maybe it’s just being in an unfamiliar place…”

　　“Mr. Su, do you have trouble sleeping in beds that aren’t your own? You know, like, anywhere other than your bedroom?”

　　“Maybe. But it’s fine, just happens now and then, no big deal.”

　　Su Chiyuan kept his gaze fixed on the space beyond the curtains, which made Gu Pan follow his line of sight.

　　“What’s outside?”

　　“Rain.”

　　In the middle of the night, Su Chiyuan got an alert from the local weather station about heavy rain. After that, he couldn’t fall back asleep. When he booked the tickets, he’d done his homework and the forecast showed good weather ahead. Sure, there were warnings online about how unpredictable the weather could be after May, but he chose to bet on the low chance that bad weather wouldn’t mess up their plans. Fate had a different idea.

　　“Is it still raining hard?” Gu Pan asked, pushing himself up and trying to shake off his sleepiness.

　　“It poured all night. The rain's eased up now, but I'm thinking we might need to cancel our plans...”

　　“Wait, what?” Gu Pan was still half-asleep, slow to grasp what Su Chiyuan was saying.

　　Su Chiyuan turned and saw Gu Pan sitting cross-legged with slightly puffy eyes and a sleepy, pouty expression—he looked like a meditating monkey. Su couldn’t help but laugh softly. “Heh, kid, just to be safe, let’s call off the rafting trip!”

　　“What? Cancel? No way.” Gu Pan tumbled out of bed and shuffled toward the bathroom. “A senior in the mountaineering club told me that rafting in light rain is totally safe. Our outdoor gear is waterproof, and as long as we have our life jackets on, we’ll be just fine.”

　　Only Gu Pan understood why he was more adamant than Su Chiyuan about sticking to the plan. It wasn’t just the excitement of an adventure.

　　Ever since he joined Su Chiyuan on that trip to the countryside to find those mangroves and those cheese-shaped rocks, he had sensed that the seemingly random “activities” Su organized always happened at meaningful places or times. Even if he couldn’t quite figure out why. Rock climbing, playing at amusement parks, sharing dinner on the first snowy night—were these moments part of Su’s memories with someone else, or were they wishes left unfulfilled?

　　“Mr. Su, let’s go, please!” Gu Pan’s voice was almost pleading.

　　“You really want to go that badly, kid?”

　　“Yes, really badly!”

　　5

　　The tour bus had plenty of empty seats, including those up front. Some passengers, due to their age or health, had opted out of the rafting trip. Among them was the elderly man who had voiced his displeasure in an Eastern dialect the previous day.

　　Gu Pan glanced around the bus. Aside from him and Su Chiyuan, there were about twenty other people, mostly sitting in pairs that looked like couples.

　　They arrived at the rafting site.

　　By this time, the rain had mostly stopped, and the dark clouds were clearing away, hinting at sunny skies. After a brief conversation between the tour guide and the site staff, it was confirmed that the conditions were safe for rafting. The guide then rounded up the young adventurers, instructing them to line up and change into their gear.

　　Su Chiyuan meticulously checked Gu Pan’s life jacket straps, just as he had done back at the climbing gym.

　　“Mr. Su, the boat’s ready!” Gu Pan pointed at the inflatable kayak in front of them.

　　“Yeah!” Su Chiyuan responded with a hint of hesitation. He patted Gu Pan on the shoulder. “Let’s go!”

　　Passengers boarded the rafts one by one. Gu Pan and Su Chiyuan settled into a blue-and-white inflatable kayak. The group slowly drifted from the narrow starting point, fanning out as the river widened.

　　At first, before hitting any sharp turns or rapids, everyone treated their rafts like leisurely paddle boats on a serene lake. A girl fished a camera out of the waterproof bag inside her jacket and began snapping photos of the other rafters and the picturesque scenery. She waved at Gu Pan, who was brimming with anticipation, and Su Chiyuan, who looked like he was preparing for a battle. The sight of these two good-looking men on the same kayak seemed to captivate her. She eagerly captured a few shots, adding to her collection.

　　But the calm didn’t last long. In less than a minute, the water turned turbulent, and the girl’s relaxed photo session was abruptly interrupted. Startled by the sudden rush of water, she fumbled and dropped her camera, letting out a startled scream.

　　The river's peace shattered, and the atmosphere shifted to a mix of thrill and anxiety as the real adventure kicked in…

　　After maneuvering through two sharp bends, Su Chiyuan was relieved that their kayak had stayed upright. Gu Pan wiped the splashes off his face and flashed a bright grin at Mr. Su, showing off his teeth. “See? Good call on coming. This weather turned out great!”

　　“Yeah, but hang on tight and stay alert…” Su Chiyuan warned, his eyes scanning the rapidly shifting currents.

　　Before he could finish his sentence, the kayak lurched violently. A massive wave crashed into them, and the sturdy raft that had just been confidently slicing through the water now felt like a fragile toy. Water rushed in from one side like a burst dam, throwing them into a wild, chaotic dance. Su Chiyuan’s eyes went wide with shock.

　　Barely two seconds passed before he shouted in panic, “Gu Pan—!”

　　The boy who had been sitting across from him was gone! This wasn’t a joke, and there was no magical trick involved. They were in the middle of a river that could swallow them whole in an instant!

　　Su Chiyuan felt a cold, paralyzing terror shoot through him, making every hair on his body stand on end. He cursed himself for letting Gu Pan be so carefree, ignoring the ever-present danger. His frantic screams caught the attention of others. The rafts nearby, which had narrowly escaped flipping over, started calling out as well. A tourist on another boat was waving desperately toward the shore, signaling for help.

　　Caught in the swift current, Su Chiyuan couldn’t stop the wave of panic and dark thoughts swirling in his mind. He looked around frantically, but the chorus of shouts all around him received no response, deepening his despair.

　　“Please, don’t leave me… don’t leave me again…” Su Chiyuan muttered under his breath, his voice cracking. He was utterly lost and helpless, tears streaming uncontrollably down his cheeks.

　　As the rafts flowed downstream, Su Chiyuan was swept along with them, aimless and adrift. His vision blurred, and despite the bright sun and gentle breeze, all he could see was a dismal gray.

　　So, when that small patch of orange finally appeared in the distance, Su Chiyuan was still buried deep in his sorrow and regret.

　　“Look! Is that him? Is it?” The girl’s voice cut through the air, jolting everyone around. They all turned in the direction she was pointing, and there, sprawled out on a distant concrete platform, was a bright orange shape.

　　“It’s a life jacket! Just like ours!”

　　“Yeah, yeah! I think their arm’s moving... Oh, I was so worried!”

　　“Look, the rescue team’s here! It’s going to be okay now, we’re safe!”

　　But Su Chiyuan was still out of it. By the time he reached the shore and snapped out of his foggy despair, a crowd of tourists had already surrounded the platform.

　　Moments later, two paramedics jumped out of an ambulance, carrying a stretcher.

　　Su Chiyuan’s eyes locked onto their white uniforms as they hurried through the crowd. It was only then that his brain started to process what was happening.

　　Gu… Please, don’t let anything happen to you!

　　Whether driven by a flicker of hope or sheer terror, Su Chiyuan sprinted forward, shoving through the throng. There, lying on the ground, drenched and disheveled, was the boy. But he was smiling, his lips pale, breaths shallow, and utterly exhausted.

　　“You little rascal!” Su Chiyuan gasped, giving Gu Pan’s life jacket—a jacket he had fastened himself—a gentle, relieved punch. Overwhelmed with joy and relief, he cupped the wet, messy head in his hands and kissed his forehead.