The phone kept ringing over and over, but Ye Leyao never pressed the button to answer the call.
Qin Yao's gaze fell on Ye Leyao, and noticing his tension, he gently offered, "Do you want to answer it for you?"
eting Qin Yao's soft eyes, Ye Leyao felt a warmth bloom in his heart. In a low voice, he said, "I’m just a little worried..."
Two years ago, Ye Leyao, Qin Yao, and Huo Yan had suddenly announced their withdrawal from the show *Let’s Travel Together*. The fans and other guests on the show were shocked by the news, finding it hard to believe.
At first, neither the fans nor the guests thought much of it. They assud that Ye Leyao and the others were just skipping one episode and would be back for the next one.
But Ye Leyao didn’t appear in the sixth episode, nor in the seventh. By the ti the final episode was being recorded and Ye Leyao still hadn’t shown up, both the fans and the guests began to realize sothing wasn’t right.
Yes, Ye Leyao was a university student, but wasn’t his military training over by now?
More importantly, so ti ago, a curious netizen had called the admissions office of the university where Ye Leyao had supposedly been enrolled, and they had confird that Ye Leyao had never officially checked in.
So where had Ye Leyao gone?
During the earlier episodes of the show, there had already been endless discussions online about "Where did Ye Leyao go?" But soon, the buzz was suppressed, as if soone had deliberately cooled down the conversation to stop it from spreading too fast.
As the attention died down, fewer people talked about it.
But everyone knew the matter wasn’t over yet. Fans and netizens were just waiting for the right ti to bring it up again.
So, as soon as the final episode aired and the audience noticed that Ye Leyao was still missing, the floodgates burst open. The comnt section exploded with questions.
The production team tried to steer the conversation away, but it was useless.
The fans who had been watching *Let’s Travel Together* weren’t just there for the travel content—they loved following Ye Leyao’s playful antics and his "lon-eating" gossip adventures.
But ever since the fourth episode, they hadn’t seen Ye Leyao at all.
And they noticed that, for the past two months, Ye Leyao’s Weibo account hadn’t been updated either.
So, where had Ye Leyao disappeared to?
So netizens and fans even started crafting conspiracy theories.
Did Ye Leyao offend soone and get blacklisted?
That theory was quickly dismissed by others.
For one thing, Ye Leyao was dating Qin Yao. Besides, Huo Yan was still busy filming with the crew, which proved that Ye Leyao hadn’t been blacklisted.
But if that was the case, why had Ye Leyao missed so many recordings?
At the height of the online speculation, Qin Yao finally posted on his private Weibo account, announcing that Ye Leyao had gone abroad to study. This bit of news cald most of the fans and netizens.
Though so still had their doubts, the majority accepted the explanation.
The only ones who didn’t fully believe it were the other guests who had interacted with Ye Leyao.
While the fans had to rely on whatever information Qin Yao and the Huo family chose to reveal, the guests had direct contact with Ye Leyao.
Right after Ye Leyao missed his first recording, Li Siyuan had sent him a WeChat ssage.
But after that ssage was sent, Ye Leyao never replied.
Li Siyuan kept sending ssages every now and then, whenever he thought about it, but it was like his words were sinking into the void—no response ever ca.
Zhou Zijian and Wen Xiangyue had also tried calling Ye Leyao after the sixth episode, inviting him to dinner.
The call went through, but the person who answered wasn’t Ye Leyao—it was Huo Mom.
Over the phone, Huo Mom told them that Ye Leyao had gone abroad to study and couldn’t make it to dinner.
Zhou Zijian had then asked if she could give them Ye Leyao’s current contact information.
There was a long pause on the other end of the line, before Huo Mom politely apologized and hung up.
Liu Yan hadn’t called much, but she had sent a few ssages. Shen Chong had called several tis, only to be answered by Huo Mom, Huo Dad, or soone else in the Huo family. But no matter how many calls were made, none of them were ever answered by Ye Leyao himself.
It was as if Ye Leyao had disappeared.
The guests had long noticed that sothing was off.
If Ye Leyao had truly gone abroad, as the Huo family and Qin Yao claid, then why hadn’t he contacted any of them?
After all, going abroad didn’t an being cut off from the world.
Surely, he could still go online, right?
Or... could it be that Ye Leyao never really considered them friends in the first place?
As soon as this suspicion was raised, both Li Siyuan and Song Zhehan spoke up at the sa ti:
"That’s impossible."
"No, that’s not it."
Li Siyuan frowned at Song Zhehan, then suddenly asked, "Song Zhehan, do you know sothing?"
Song Zhehan’s expression didn’t change at all. He raised his eyes and glanced at Li Siyuan indifferently. "What would I know? I just know Ye Leyao well enough to say he’s not that kind of person."
"Of course I know he’s not like that."
That’s why Li Siyuan felt even more puzzled.
The other guests nodded in agreent.
Even though their ti spent with Ye Leyao wasn’t particularly long, they had all gotten a good sense of his character.
So what could the real reason be?
They had asked the Huo family and Qin Yao, but the answer was always the sa:
Ye Leyao had gone abroad to study.
In the first year, Ye Leyao’s phone rang frequently.
Huo Dad and Huo Mom answered all the calls they heard, but no one ever responded to the WeChat ssages.
In the second year, the calls beca fewer, and the WeChat ssages also less frequent.
However, during holidays, Ye Leyao’s phone would always light up with WeChat notifications.
Even though he hadn’t responded to any of them in two years, their ssages never stopped.
Not only were Ye Leyao’s family and loved ones waiting for him to return, but so were his friends and fans.
This afternoon, there had been many people on the film set, including not only the crew mbers but also a lot of extras.
It wasn’t long before soone posted vague rumors online about two actors from a certain set being cheated on by the sa person.
Before long, the post was flooded with curious comnts from netizens.
At the request of many users, the blogger soon provided more details, but they left out the nas of those involved.
However, modern-day internet users are all like Sherlock Hols. It didn’t take long for Ling Feng and Cao Qu’s nas to hit the trending topics.
As the buzz grew, more people ca forward with even more gossip, and a few photos from the scene began circulating.
Since none of the photos captured the key players, most people just skimd through them... until soone noticed sothing.
Wait a minute!
Those two people in the background... don’t they look familiar?
Quickly, netizens scrolled back to take a closer look, and when they did, countless people let out a collective gasp:
"Ye—Le—Yao!"
"Isn’t that Ye Leyao?!"
"Is it really him?!"
"It’s him! And that person next to him is Qin Yao!"
With that realization, even more netizens flocked to the post.
Two years had passed—neither long nor short.
The internet had evolved at a rapid pace, and the entertainnt industry’s hot topics changed even faster.
But strangely enough, no one had forgotten about Ye Leyao.
He had left too deep of an impression on everyone.
Even this year, so marketing accounts had re-edited clips from the first four episodes of *Let’s Travel Together* to earn views.
It didn’t take long before that photo hit the top of the trending list.
And right behind it ca the exaggerated trending phrase:
**Let’s Give a Warm Welco to the Return of the lon King**
The mont Ye Leyao appeared in the trending topics, the guest group chat for *Let’s Travel Together* exploded.
Calls started flooding into Ye Leyao’s phone.
Not only that, but his WeChat was blowing up with ssages, too.
No wonder Ye Leyao was so tense!
"Maybe we should just turn off the phone?" Qin Yao suggested.
Ye Leyao thought for a mont before saying, "Let’s make a group chat."
Understanding his intention, Qin Yao’s eyes softened with a smile. He nodded, took out his phone, which was also ringing incessantly, and quickly created a group chat.
As soon as the group was made, Li Siyuan hurriedly initiated a video call.
At last, the ringing on Ye Leyao’s phone stopped. He exhaled slowly, then finally accepted the video call.
Five faces imdiately popped up on the screen—Li Siyuan, Zhou Zijian, Liu Yan, Song Zhehan, and Qin Yao.
The mont Ye Leyao appeared on the screen, his ears were nearly assaulted by the noise:
"Two years!"
"Ye Leyao! It’s been two years! You’ve finally learned how to answer the phone, huh?!"
The aggressive, sharp tone could only belong
to Li Siyuan.
"Ye Leyao, this is really not cool! We’ve been ssaging you for two years. You’re just studying abroad, right? Why couldn’t you reply to even one ssage?"
"Or did you find so hot foreign guys over there and forget all about Qin-ge?" Zhou Zijian added, teasing.
In the two years that had passed, even Zhou Zijian had learned how to poke fun at others.
While the two n vented their frustrations, Liu Yan’s voice ca in, slow and steady:
"Ye Leyao, you really were in the wrong."
"But we won’t hold it against you anymore. Just explain why, after you ca back, you didn’t contact us first. Instead, you went off to watch so drama unfold. Was the gossip more important than us?"
Even though Ye Leyao had advanced processing capabilities, he still felt a bit overwheld by the noise.
But Ye Leyao was no longer that emotionally clueless system from before. So even though he was feeling dizzy from all the shouting, he wisely kept quiet.
It wasn’t until everyone in the group had more or less cald down that Ye Leyao finally spoke softly:
"It was my fault."
"Of course it's your fault!" Li Siyuan snapped angrily.
Zhou Zijian added, "Well, at least you know you’re wrong now."
Liu Yan spoke gently, "We’re not really mad at you. It’s just that when you disappeared without saying a word, who wouldn’t be worried?"
And with that, the conversation quickly turned into another round of complaints.
By the ti the complaints had run their course, Ye Leyao and Qin Yao had already arrived ho.
Huo Dad and Huo Mom noticed that Ye Leyao was on a video call, but didn’t say much, only reminding the two to rest early before heading upstairs.
As for his three brothers, they each had their own affairs to attend to, so none of them were ho that evening.
Holding his phone in one hand and Qin Yao's hand in the other, Ye Leyao made his way to their room.
As they walked, Ye Leyao sincerely apologized to everyone on the video call, and then suggested they et up for a al soti soon.
By now, everyone had let out their emotions, and they all agreed.
Just before the video call ended, Li Siyuan suddenly asked, "Strange, why hasn’t Song Zhehan said anything tonight?"
A slight smirk appeared on Song Zhehan’s lips.
Ye Leyao’s eye twitched.
His instincts scread at him that Song Zhehan’s smile was anything but innocent.
Before he could stop him, Song Zhehan chuckled and said, "It’s because I already got my turn to complain earlier. Didn’t you guys know? The film set he was watching today was Zhang Qiran’s."
Ye Leyao closed his eyes in despair.
In the next mont, he heard a fresh round of complaints echo through the phone, this ti even Liu Yan joined in.
Ye Leyao: "..."
**Damn you, Song Zhehan! You sneaky black-bellied jerk!**
By the ti the video call finally ended, it was already midnight.
Exhausted both physically and ntally, Ye Leyao collapsed onto the bed and didn’t want to move an inch.
Qin Yao walked over, scooped him up effortlessly, and kissed him gently on the lips. "Aren’t you going to take a shower?"
Ye Leyao hooked his arms around Qin Yao’s neck and lazily murmured, "I don’t want to move."
They were close, nose-to-nose, so close they could feel each other’s breath on their faces.
Qin Yao gazed at him, a soft laugh escaping his lips. "Want to carry you?"
Ye Leyao was about to agree when he suddenly rembered last night.
Quickly, he flipped over and slipped out from beneath Qin Yao’s hold with surprising agility. "On second thought, let’s not trouble you…"
But Qin Yao caught Ye Leyao’s arm in ti and, with a strong pull, brought him back into his embrace.
Wrapping his arms around Ye Leyao’s waist, Qin Yao easily lifted him up, and before Ye Leyao knew it, he was clinging onto Qin Yao.
Though they were almost the sa height, with Qin Yao being only a little taller, his muscles weren’t just for show.
With a bit of force, Ye Leyao was trapped in Qin Yao’s hold, unable to move.
And once again, Ye Leyao thought back to last night.
Every ti he had tried to escape, Qin Yao would firmly grip his waist and pull him back, not giving Ye Leyao a single chance to slip away.
Of course, this only worked because Ye Leyao didn’t really want to escape.
After all, as a system, Ye Leyao was still quite capable. It was only in those intimate monts, when their bodies were close, that he could feel the subtle insecurities within Qin Yao’s heart.
Two years may have passed in the blink of an eye for a system like Ye Leyao, but for Qin Yao, as a human, those two years had been long and difficult.
The abrupt loss had left a scar in Qin Yao’s heart that couldn’t be easily healed.
It seed that only by keeping their bodies close, only when Ye Leyao laid himself bare before Qin Yao, could so of that inner turmoil be soothed.
Ye Leyao wasn’t incapable of breaking free; he just didn’t want to.
It was his choice to allow Qin Yao to get closer, step by step, and take what he wanted.
Sensing Ye Leyao’s calmness, Qin Yao placed a hand on the back of his head and showered him with heated kisses from top to bottom.
Before they even reached the bathroom, their clothes had already started coming off, revealing Ye Leyao’s delicate and pale collarbone.
Ye Leyao pushed Qin Yao’s head away, his eyes misty as he gasped lightly. "Qin Yao…"
"Hmm?" Qin Yao humd in response, biting down gently on Ye Leyao’s lower lip. "What’s wrong, Yao Yao?"
Ye Leyao shifted slightly, avoiding him. "Don’t bite …"
Qin Yao let out a low chuckle, his chest vibrating with laughter as it transmitted through the thin fabric between them.
Annoyed, Ye Leyao smacked him lightly. "Don’t push it too far!"
Qin Yao smiled in agreent, then carried Ye Leyao into the bathroom.
By the ti the bedroom lights were turned off, it was deep into the night.
Ye Leyao, too exhausted to keep his eyes open, mumbled sleepily, "Tomorrow… gathering…"
Qin Yao gently rubbed his back, soothing him as if comforting a child. "I’ve already arranged it. Now sleep."
Ye Leyao mumbled sothing incoherently, then added, "I can’t believe… they still…"
"Hmm?" Qin Yao leaned in closer to hear him.
Ye Leyao’s lips were slightly swollen, and his eyes were tinged with red. His breathing had already evened out.
Qin Yao’s eyes softened with affection as he pulled Ye Leyao closer, pressing a light kiss on his forehead.
"Of course," he whispered softly, "after all, you are the amazing, unbeatable Ye Leyao."
The night was quiet, and they slept soundly.
Ye Leyao didn’t wake up until almost noon the next day. By the ti he had washed up, it was late, and he and Qin Yao hurried downstairs to leave.
When they reached the dining room, they saw Huo Dad and Huo Mom having lunch.
The two knew that Ye Leyao and Qin Yao had plans to go out, so they didn’t try to hold them back. However, just before they left, Huo Mom casually ntioned, "Little Yao, now that you’re an adult, the house we bought for you is ready. When do you plan on moving out?"
Ye Leyao froze. "Huh? I just got back! Mom, are you trying to kick out already?"
Huo Mom chuckled. "Of course, I don’t want to kick you out. But now that you’re in a relationship, why are you still living at ho?"
Her eyes twinkled mischievously as she glanced between the two of them.
Ye Leyao: "..."
On the way to the restaurant, Ye Leyao’s face was still red as he complained to Qin Yao, "It’s impossible… Our house must have good soundproofing. And I even turned off mind-reading mode last night! How did they find out?"
Qin Yao, holding Ye Leyao’s hand, gently rubbed his fingertips, patiently repeating sothing he had said several tis already, "It’s probably just adult experience."
"But I didn’t act any differently, did I?" Ye Leyao asked.
Qin Yao replied calmly, "Then we should just move out sooner."
Ye Leyao’s face scrunched up in frustration.
A waiter guided them to a private room, and as soon as the door opened, they were greeted by a loud "Bang!"
Ye Leyao’s eyes widened as countless colorful ribbons rained down from above.
He scanned the room and saw Li Siyuan, Song Zhehan, Zhang Qiran, Zhou Zijian, Wen Xiangyue, Liu Yan, Shen Chong, and even Duan Tingyan.
Applause broke out, and everyone shouted in unison, "Let’s give a big round of applause for the return of the lon King!"
The phrase was clearly cringeworthy, but for so reason, hearing it made Ye Leyao’s eyes sting with emotion.
"Co on, sit down!" Li Siyuan marched over and, without hesitation, pried Ye Leyao’s hand out of Qin Yao’s and dragged him to the center seat.
Li Siyuan sat down right beside him, and Zhou Zijian quickly claid the seat next to that.
Ye Leyao smiled at Qin Yao.
Qin Yao gave a resigned smile back and took the seat across from him.
Even though two years had passed, there was no awkwardness between them. Once seated, they imdiately began sharing funny stories about the last two years.
Ye Leyao listened attentively, but eventually, he couldn’t help but notice how Duan Tingyan kept piling food onto Li Siyuan’s plate. Unable to resist, he interrupted the conversation and asked, "Did Ting Ting finally win him over?"
Duan Tingyan’s movents paused, and after a long mont, he replied with a helpless tone, "It’s been years since I’ve heard that nickna. Can we please let it go?"
The others burst into laughter.
Li Siyuan couldn’t hold back his own laughter either. "What? You don’t like the nickna I gave you
?"
Duan Tingyan’s face instantly broke into a smile. "How could I not like it? It’s my favorite nickna."
"Alright, Ting Ting." Ye Leyao took a sip of his drink.
The others followed suit. "Alright, Ting Ting."
Duan Tingyan: "..."
Fine.
**Ting Ting** had officially beco the only one suffering in this world.
The lunch reunion stretched on until 3 PM, but still, no one was ready to part ways. So they made plans to head to a resort together.
That evening, Zhou Zijian manned the barbecue grill, with Li Siyuan and Duan Tingyan bickering beside him.
Song Zhehan and Zhang Qiran worked together to carefully prepare skewers, while Liu Yan supervised Shen Chong as he cooked.
Ye Leyao and Qin Yao moved around, helping wherever they could.
Before long, the barbecue was ready.
The five couples sat together, raising their glasses and enjoying their skewers.
Liu Yan suddenly remarked, "It feels like we’re back to the days of filming two years ago."
Everyone turned to look at her, and then they all smiled.
"Yeah," Zhou Zijian agreed, glancing at Wen Xiangyue. "Honestly, I miss it a little."
" too," Wen Xiangyue nodded firmly. "Filming *Let’s Travel Together* was the most relaxing show I’ve ever worked on."
"So, are we doing a sequel?" Song Zhehan asked Qin Yao.
Qin Yao didn’t answer right away. Instead, he glanced at Ye Leyao.
Ye Leyao held Qin Yao’s gaze for a couple of seconds before suddenly bursting into laughter. "Even if we fild a sequel, we couldn’t call it *Let’s Travel Together* anymore."
Li Siyuan raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Why not?"
Ye Leyao explained, "We’d have to rena it *Couples’ Travel Diaries*!"
The whole group erupted into laughter once more.
"No lies detected!" Zhang Qiran exclaid.
"I’d go as far as to say we should rena *Let’s Travel Together* to *Let’s Fall in Love*," Zhou Zijian joked.
"Tingting, did you hear that? They’ve already picked out the title for you," Duan Tingyan added with a grin.
Qin Yao chuckled and nodded, his gaze landing fondly on Ye Leyao.
He rembered.
At midnight, netizens suddenly discovered that, after two long years, Ye Leyao had logged back into his Weibo account.
He stayed online for only a minute, long enough to post a single update.
There were no words in the post, just a group photo of the ten of them.
They were sitting together, raising their glasses and laughing freely, enjoying barbecue under the starry sky.
The beauty of the mont was forever captured, as the laughter and the mountain breeze, tinged with the sll of wine, drifted into the distance.
The most beautiful and brilliant mont was forever frozen in ti.
Ye Leyao, holding his phone, paused his smile for a mont. Leaning in close to Qin Yao, he whispered softly, "Qin-ge, the final storyline has ended."
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