Regarding the matter of coming out, Xu Tangcheng had imagined countless scenarios in the past.

What timing would be the most suitable, what kind of tone would make it easier for his family to accept it, which things he could compromise on and which ones he could not… but now, the matter was revealed too suddenly. Without any preparations, he was "forced" to come out. And it was only at this moment that he finally understood, the reality that he truly had to face was the one that—among those countless scenarios—had eternally been the worst case scenario.

"What's going on?"

Xu Yueliang and Xu Tangxi had come running upon hearing the noise. They exchanged a look, not understanding what was going on. When he saw his wife's eyes reddened, even though he didn't know the reason, Xu Yueliang hurried towards her and tried to comfort her. But before he could reach Zhou Hui, she suddenly swung her hand and threw the thin jacket at Xu Tangcheng's feet.

Right after that, she finally let out an uncontrolled sob.

"Do you know what you're doing?"

Xu Tangxi had been coming forward and also got a shock. She stopped beside Xu Tangcheng, stunned. It should be noted that even though Zhou Hui liked to nag, she actually had a very good temper. Xu Tangxi and Xu Tangcheng were already at this age but all these years, Zhou Hui had never even spoken a single harsh word to them, let alone done something like throwing things at them.

Xu Tangxi came back to her senses. She didn't know why but when she saw Zhou Hui's expression of pain, her eyes also reddened without her realising it.

"Mum…" Her heart aching unbearably, she called out to her softly and ran towards Zhou Hui.

"Tangxi." Xu Tangcheng reached out and pulled Xu Tangxi to a stop. Looking at her slightly pale face, he said softly, "Go to your room."

"Ge…"

Xu Tangxi looked at him, then at her parents standing on the other side. She didn't move.

"What on earth is going on? Huh? Say something."

Xu Yueliang asked a few times in quick succession but neither Zhou Hui nor Xu Tangcheng answered, like they had agreed beforehand on silence. Noticing the photos on the floor, Xu Yueliang bent down but just as he was about to gather them, Xu Tangxi picked one up before him.

After seeing clearly what was in the photo, Xu Tangxi froze in the middle of passing it to Xu Yueliang. Even for her, the content of this photo was too much of a shock. For a moment, she was at a loss for what to do and she turned back in a fluster to look at Xu Tangcheng.

She subconsciously felt that she shouldn't let their parents see this photo but before she could withdraw her hand, Xu Yueliang had already taken it.

Xu Yueliang had lived for over fifty years and this was the first time he was coming into contact with this kind of matter and what was more, the person involved was his own son. He took one look at the photo and his head snapped up. The eyes he turned on Xu Tangcheng were full of disbelief and shock.

Xu Yueliang usually wouldn't expound on some principle or other to educate his children. The only thing he had seriously taught Xu Tangcheng was to tell him to be careful. Right now, Xu Yueliang also didn't immediately say anything. He looked at Xu Tangcheng with his brows furrowed. After a while, he pressed the photo in his hand down on the coffee table.

The air in the living room splintered into pieces, like it would soon be unable to support their breathing.

Xu Yueliang and Zhou Hui stood beside the sofa. Xu Tangcheng had not moved an inch since just now, standing quietly not far from them, looking at the floor.

Three people, separated as clearly as the Jing and Wei rivers, faintly forming two opposing stances.

Xu Tangxi was the only one who wanted to go to both sides but faced with this situation, the sheltered girl was also in a bit of a panic and really didn't know what to do. She didn't dare speak rashly and after some deliberation, she only quietly picked up all the photos on the floor, held them in her hand, and retreated to the side.

For a very long time, the only sound that could be heard in their apartment was Zhou Hui's stifled sobbing. The surroundings were quiet, so every sound carried clearly to Xu Tangcheng's ears, gradually depleting him of even the strength to lift his head.

"Why have you suddenly become confused?"

A condemnation that wasn't severe. Xu Yueliang could be considered to have opened up a way out for this situation.

The thousands of things Xu Tangcheng had to say were not suitable to be said at this time. He lifted his head and met Xu Yueliang's eyes. "Dad, Mum…"

"Don't call me!" Zhou Hui was not as calm as Xu Yueliang. Both her hands held Xu Yueliang's arm in a death grip, her entire body shaking and trembling like she was hanging on to one single breath, sheer will stopping her from collapsing.

Xu Tangcheng took in the sight of Zhou Hui and only felt a dull ache in his chest. He'd long expected that there would be a day when he had to lay out his cards and from the very start, his biggest worry had actually been Zhou Hui.

If there was anyone who had given the most to their family, that person was definitely Zhou Hui. By nearly all standards, she was the best mother, no one could find any fault with her.

Xu Yueliang's leg wasn't well. Xu Tangcheng remembered that when he was young, it was Zhou Hui who had rode a bike to take him to and picked him up from school. Through the four seasons in a year, the temperature hadn't always been optimal, and there had also been times of blazing sunshine and drifting snow. But in Xu Tangcheng's field of view, the look of his mother's back had never changed.

"Tangxi." Xu Tangcheng's throat was so choked-up that it hurt. He said softly, "Help Mum sit down."

Xu Tangxi nodded. She wanted to hold Zhou Hui but Zhou Hui stubbornly refused to sit. She looked at Xu Tangcheng with reddened eyes, her mouth opening and closing, but because she was choked with emotions, every word that made it to her lips disappeared between the gaps of her teeth. In the end, she wiped her tears and only said a single line.

"Break up with him."

When she said those words, she did not look at Xu Tangcheng. She dropped her head, looking at the spotless floor. Her tone had a force in it that had never been there before, yet her appearance was that of total dejection. The words sounded like an order, and also a plea.

Perhaps it was those words that made Zhou Hui unable to stop herself from recalling what she had seen just now. She covered her eyes with a hand, her emotions that had just calmed down going into upheaval again. She asked Xu Tangcheng, crying, "Do you know what you are doing?"

Xu Tangcheng wanted to say, "I know." He wanted to say that he wasn't confused, that he was just in a relationship and wasn't doing anything wrong. He could say a whole bunch of arguments, could present a whole bunch of logical reasoning to defend homosexuality, but he couldn't say those words now, and also didn't dare say them.

When it came to this matter, even though he had done nothing wrong, he had no right to criticise his parents' incomprehension of it.

"You're both men… This, what do you mean by this?"

Zhou Hui's voice gradually fell. Again and again she repeated those few lines. Xu Tangcheng did not answer, and she continued to ask repeatedly.

"Where are the photos?" Zhou Hui suddenly turned her head and called out to Xu Tangxi. "Tangxi, give him the photos."

Xu Tangxi didn't dare agitate Zhou Hui. Even though she didn't know why Zhou Hui was suddenly saying that, she still passed the photos hesitantly to Xu Tangcheng.

"Tear them up."

His gaze that had been staying on the floor suddenly flew up, landing on Zhou Hui. Xu Tangcheng never imagined that Zhou Hui would make such a request. Meanwhile, Zhou Hui took a deep breath and continued to say in an unsteady voice, "Everyone makes mistakes sometimes. Mum won't scold you. Tear those photos up, break things off completely with that child, and everything will be fine."

In any kind of deadlock, a stalling tactic was almost always effective. Xu Tangcheng knew very well that this was the moment when Zhou Hui's agitation was at its peak, when it was the most impossible to get her to understand. He clearly knew that the scene captured in the photo had given her too great a shock. He should first concede a little to Zhou Hui, let her calm down for the moment, and there would be ample time to talk later. But Xu Tangcheng still held the photos and fell into silence under everyone's gazes.

It was just a few photos. If he tore them up now, he believed that Yi Zhe would understand and that it wouldn't affect his relationship with Yi Zhe.

But he couldn't bear to.

When Yi Zhe stuck hearts on his face, his lips had been pressed together in a smile. When he put the photos in his pocket, he had even kept saying into his ear that he must not lose them, that he must keep them always.

Xu Tangcheng was not a superstitious person. But no matter how unwilling he was, he had to admit that when it came to their future, he harboured uneasiness and fear. He was afraid he wouldn't be able to settle the issue with his family properly and was also afraid of anything unexpected happening. And, under the spurring of that uneasiness and fear, or perhaps because he was in a hurry to find something that could let him feel safe, he suddenly turned superstitious at this moment. He was afraid that if he tore the photos up, their future would really contain an endless separation.

"Do you hear me?" Seeing that he was not moving, Zhou Hui asked again.

Xu Tangcheng looked at Zhou Hui silently. He didn't give a direct refusal but based on their mother-and-son understanding, Zhou Hui understood what he meant. She couldn't really believe it and also couldn't understand why her child that had never made her worried from the time he was young was suddenly being like this.

"Then, you're choosing him?"

Xu Tangcheng gripped the photos in his hand tighter and finally said his first words to defend himself. "Mum, it's not a question of choosing. I only-"

"You must choose! I'm telling you, I cannot accept this. Not only can I not accept this, no one in our family can accept this either!" Her words were interspersed with sobs. "What do the two of you think you're doing…"

"I know you guys can't accept this," Xu Tangcheng said. "I know. I've never told you guys all this while precisely because I know very well how much you can't accept this. I can understand your viewpoint, I truly can. But, Mum, can you at least give me some time and let me explain it clearly?"

"How long has it been?" Zhou Hui suddenly asked.

Xu Tangcheng was startled. Then, he understood what Zhou Hui was asking.

"More than three years."

"More than three years," Zhou Hui mumbled. "You hid this from us for more than three years?"

Someone knocked on the door, lightly, a couple of times.

The others didn't know who it was but Xu Tangcheng knew that it was Yi Zhe.

Based on their plan just now, he should open the door now and then Yi Zhe would say that he was there to give them mooncakes. Zhou Hui and Xu Yueliang would come out to welcome him, Xu Tangxi too would come running out.

But in less than ten minutes' time, the entire world had changed.

Xu Yueliang and Zhou Hui didn't move. Xu Tangxi wanted to open the door but she didn't know if she should do that given the current situation. She called out to Xu Yueliang in a soft voice, saying, "Someone's here."

Xu Tangcheng let out a soft cough. "I'll open the door."

He strode over to the door. After he steadied himself, he stuffed those photos into the pocket of his pants.

In the past, Xu Tangcheng had not realised that he actually relied so heavily on Yi Zhe. When he gripped the door handle, he felt a sense of urgency that he'd never had before—he wanted to see Yi Zhe, he couldn't wait to see Yi Zhe. He didn't need him to say anything or do anything, all Yi Zhe needed to do was to stand there and let Xu Tangcheng see him. Just like the photos that he had stubbornly preserved just now, Yi Zhe was the stabilising force in his life.

The person standing at the door was holding a small bag. When he saw Xu Tangcheng open the door, he quickly gave him a smile that was perhaps part of the plan, or perhaps an instantaneous reaction.

"I'm here to-"

Before he could say his prepared lines, Xu Tangcheng was already taking a step forward and putting a hand on his arm, a gesture to stop him.

The door happened to block the two of them. Xu Tangcheng looked into Yi Zhe's eyes, his mouth making a slight movement. "You should head back first."

Yi Zhe was stunned for the moment.

He couldn't see the situation in the apartment and could only ask softly, "What happened?"

Xu Tangcheng didn't say anything. Xu Tangxi, who had come over too, had just reached the door. She stood behind Xu Tangcheng. When she saw Yi Zhe looking over, she bit on her lower lip and raised a hand to point towards the living room.

Yi Zhe still didn't understand what was going on.

"They found out. My parents are not in a good emotional state right now." After saying that, Xu Tangcheng even forced a smile. "It isn't right for you to come in now. Go back first, wait for me for a while?"

Meanwhile, inside, Zhou Hui seemed to have figured out who the visitor was. She suddenly shook off Xu Yueliang's arm and came over quickly. When he sensed that, Xu Tangcheng quickly turned around and without thinking, out of sheer instinct, he stood in front of Yi Zhe defensively.

Seeing that, Zhou Hui came to a sudden stop and stared at him, stunned.

Xu Tangcheng's heart sank under that gaze.

"Uncle, Auntie."

After deliberating, Yi Zhe still greeted them.

Zhou Hui gripped her fists, her nails digging deep into her palms.

"Mm," she nodded. "What's the matter?"

"I…" Yi Zhe carefully opened his mouth and said, "I'm here to give you mooncakes."

"There's no need for that. Tangcheng has already bought a lot."

Zhou Hui spoke very mildly and even up to this point, she did not say anything unpleasant to Yi Zhe. Xu Tangcheng couldn't bear listening anymore. He turned around and gave Yi Zhe a slight push, indicating that he should leave for now.

Yi Zhe naturally was unwilling to leave. He had no experience in dealing with the older generation but he instinctively felt that the situation Xu Tangcheng was in was very difficult to handle and he could not leave at this moment. Xu Tangcheng couldn't explain to him right now, nor was it appropriate for him to keep talking to Yi Zhe now, so he only looked at Yi Zhe and signalled him with his eyes, telling him to listen to him.

He pushed Yi Zhe back again, then closed the door directly.

"So you're choosing him?"

A long while after the sound of the door closing had faded away, Zhou Hui asked again.

It was still the same question.

Xu Tangcheng turned around, softened his voice, and said, "Mum, there is nothing to choose here. You know that no matter what happens, I won't leave all of you."

He avoided the part that Zhou Hui was not willing to hear but Zhou Hui pressured him closely, giving him no chances to evade.

"If you're not leaving us, then break things off completely with him. If you're not leaving him, then you should leave with him." This time, Zhou Hui was being ruthless, cutting off his retreat.

In the end, things still came to this point.

Xu Tangcheng looked towards Xu Yueliang. After waiting a couple of seconds, he heard him say, "Tangcheng, we have always respected your decisions since you were young. But on this matter, this won't work."

When enemies fought, it was to see who was more ruthless, who was more heartless. But when two people who loved each other fought, it was only to see whose heart would be the first to soften.

Xu Tangcheng was soft-hearted, especially when it came to his family. There was nothing he could not agree to, nothing he could not concede. But not today.

Everything that happened today caught him unprepared, a surprise attack that left him with no time to prepare for the fight. But there was a thought that Xu Tangcheng had prepared long ago, that was his final line of defence; a thought he would hold on to even if he was in the most dire straits, at the end of his rope with no way out, even if the damage to himself was great, was enormous, was insurmountable: he would not give up Yi Zhe. Not even just to buy time, not even just a temporary break up—he would not.

Hence, he shook his head and told Zhou Hui, "I won't leave all of you and I also won't leave him."

Xu Tangcheng had never had a rebellious period. This was the first time he was stating a decision and then seeing his parents' pain.

There was a grocer in their neighbourhood. When Xu Tangcheng came out of his house, he wanted to go there to buy a pack of cigarettes but realised that he wasn't wearing a jacket and also didn't have money with him. Fortunately, he was a regular there and was acquainted with the boss, so he asked, "Can you give this to me first? I came down in a hurry and forgot to bring money. Someone'll come down later to pay you."

"Sure." The boss was playing a mobile game and didn't even look away. "What do you want?"

He was initially going to just say the name of the one he usually smoked but when his eyes swept past the selection, Xu Tangcheng thought of something and changed the name. "Soft pack Chunghwa."

Holding the cigarettes, he wandered around outside the grocer and finally picked a corner away from prying eyes. It was at the end of a small alley, walls on two sides and low shrubs on one, a world of red bricks and greenery.

Yi Zhe indeed came down very quickly. Xu Tangcheng didn't know how Yi Zhe found him. When he saw him panting for breath, brows furrowed so tightly even air could not pass through, he raised a hand and beckoned him.

Yi Zhe crouched down before him and asked, "Uncle and Auntie can't accept it?"

Xu Tangcheng nodded. "They reacted quite strongly."

The two of them were crouching but Xu Tangcheng was crouched on the brick edge so technically, his position was a little higher than Yi Zhe. But there were differences in their body shapes; due to this and other factors, their eyes were coincidentally on the same level plane.

For a long while, Yi Zhe didn't say anything. Then he held one of Xu Tangcheng's hand and swung it.

All that stuff about him being a stabilising force wasn't said carelessly. Xu Tangcheng returned Yi Zhe's grip and stared at their joined hands in a stupor.

When more than half the stick was burned through, Xu Tangcheng tilted his head and exhaled the smoke in his mouth, before turning around to ask Yi Zhe, "Did you bring money?"

Yi Zhe didn't know what he wanted to do but he answered honestly, "Yes."

"I didn't have money just now when I bought the cigarettes. Can you pay the boss?"

"Mm." Yi Zhe immediately got up. Before leaving, he passed the mooncakes he was holding to Xu Tangcheng.

While waiting for his return, Xu Tangcheng opened it for a look. There were three pieces of mooncakes in the bag and they were indeed different from what they usually ate.

As he rummaged through them, Xu Tangcheng suddenly stopped. An aching feeling rose uncontrollably to his eyes, forcing him to quickly light another cigarette and draw harshly on it.

He still could not stop that aching feeling. He moved away the hand that was holding the cigarette and buried his face in his arms, staying that way for a while.

Initially, he thought that he had bought a lot of mooncakes but right now, it seemed that they would only have these three mooncakes for this mid-autumn.

Yi Zhe came back at a brisk pace. Seeing Xu Tangcheng playing with a mooncake in his hand, he said he would open it to let him try. He knew that Xu Tangcheng must be feeling very pained at heart and he wanted to say something to distract him, so as he tore open the packaging, he chattered beside him. "Zhao Weifan said that one box has six pieces. You Fang sneakily ate two, so only four were left. I initially wanted to give them all to you but she said that it's unlucky to give someone four pieces and insisted on opening one right there and then, and split it with me."

"So she gave you three pieces in total, and you brought them all to me." Xu Tangcheng propped his head up on one hand, the cigarette burning beside his ear. He laughed and said, "Didn't you say that it was good? You should leave one piece for yourself to have at night."

"The flavours aren't the same." Yi Zhe took the other two pieces from the bag, his demeanour rather serious. He pointed out the flavours printed on the packaging to Xu Tangcheng. "See, each one is not the same. The one I ate is also different from these."

The packaging reflected the light from the setting sun, bright and golden, dazzling Xu Tangcheng into a daze.

Seeing that Xu Tangcheng was not saying anything, Yi Zhe thought that he still wasn't happy with how many mooncakes there were, so he brought the small mooncake he had already unwrapped up to Xu Tangcheng's mouth and said, "Give it a try. If you think it's not nice, then give it to me."

Xu Tangcheng had steeled his heart and walked out of his home today, leaving behind the sounds of his parents weeping and calling his name. He harboured guilt in his heart, but he had still left.

At that time, his entire reason had been love. But if he had to say exactly how deep this love was and why they—two grown-up men—couldn't even make a temporary compromise, he actually couldn't really say it clearly. He could only answer in abstract: he could not let go of Yi Zhe, and Yi Zhe also could not be without him.

And now, Xu Tangcheng understood. He understood very clearly, very deeply.

He lowered his head and took a bite. The mooncake fell into that hollow spot, and there was a sweetness there.

"Is it good?" Yi Zhe asked.