They walked for half a day and only stopped when they felt extremely exhausted. They drank some water and once again roasted some meat for lunch. While waiting for the meat to be cooked, they leisurely talked and laughed together.
Wang GuiYing was rather surprised to see that they hadn't come across as many beasts as they should have but although he was surprised, he did not find it suspicious nor did he question Xin about it.
After the short rest, they continued on their way and by the time they had reached the mountains, the sky had already turned dark and it was night once again.
Looking for Li Ling and Zhihao in the night was going to be much harder than looking for them when the sun was still up and shining. Hence, Wang GuiYing and Xin decided to rest for the day.
Along the way, they had collected some fruits that they had come across and now, since they didn't want to eat anything heavy, they created a small fire and sat near it, snacking on the fruits that they had collected.
"Why did you steal someone's gaming ID?" Wang GuiYing casually asked as he looked over at Xin.
By now, Wang GuiYing felt as if he had gotten closer to the man and hence he could ask such questions without offending the man and feeling awkward.
Xin looked at the stars in the sky and seemed to be in deep thought but for the first time, Wang GuiYing was patient as he waited for an answer, not daring to rush the man.
"I wanted to meet someone," Xin spoke after a long pause.
For some reason, Wang GuiYing was surprised to hear this and although he wanted to know more, he also felt a little disappointed as he asked, "Is it someone you cared about?"
Xin unconsciously smiled as he heard this question and nodded his head, truthfully answering, "It is someone I love."
The man didn't use the past tense so it wasn't hard to guess what feelings he still harbored for that person.
Wang GuiYing couldn't help but frown a little as he heard such a firm confident response.
"Did you meet that person?" Wang GuiYing carefully asked as he kept his eyes on the man's face, looking to catch every single expression displayed on the man's face.
Xin turned his head sideways and looked into Wang GuiYing's eyes with a smile as he spoke, "I met him."
Wang GuiYing gulped as he heard this response. He didn't know why but his heart skipped a beat. He felt flushed and at the same time, he reminded himself that the man was talking about someone else. As soon as he had reminded himself of that important fact, he couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed.
"What happened to him?" Wang GuiYing asked as he tried not to let his feelings show on his face.
Xin took a deep breath in and sighed as he closed his eyes, taking a few minutes to respond, "I love him but he doesn't feel the same. You can guess the rest."
Wang GuiYing's eyes slightly widened as he heard this and he immediately felt even more interested. He didn't want to guess the ending between the two, he wanted to know it!
"Did you confess??" Wang GuiYing enthusiastically asked.
Xin smiled but there was a hint of sadness in that smile as he asked, "Sometimes feelings don't need to be mentioned. They can be seen and they can be felt."
Wang GuiYing frowned as he heard this but before he could say anything, the man continued.
"He's not blind so he knew and yet, he decided to ignore it. That was his choice and this is mine. Why should I confess when I already know how it's going to end?"
"Because the ending can always change," Wang GuiYing spoke, without even thinking about it, sounding as if he was stating the obvious.
Xin was a bit surprised to hear this response and he gulped as he met Wang GuiYing's innocent enthusiastic eyes that looked directly at him with raw emotions and feelings.
"The ending can change?" Xin repeated as he questioned.
Wang GuiYing bobbed his head up and down as he agreed, "You are reading too much into it. Sometimes feelings can be seen and they can be felt as well but without proof, you can never be sure of it. He might have known how you felt and yet, there is also a chance that he might have doubted it, thinking that it was his own wild imagination. In the latter case, it is only natural that the person would try to ignore it without even being sure of his own feelings."
Xin wondered if he should laugh or cry as he heard this advice.
Did Wang GuiYing even know that he was talking about himself...?
Did he even know that the situation was about them and not someone else...?
If he did, would he have said the same thing?
"You should have confessed!" Wang GuiYing exclaimed and although he didn't like the thought of Xin confessing his love to someone else, he was still quite honest with his advice, "If you did, the ending might have changed. Communication is always key!"
Xin suddenly chuckled as he heard this and for some reason, when Wang GuiYing saw the man chuckling so freely like this, he felt as if he had achieved something great. He felt happy from the bottom of his heart and the atmosphere also seemed to have gotten warm.
"I wonder..." Xin muttered as he slowly stopped chuckling, "Can I change the ending? Is it worth it?"
"It's worth a shot. I mean, what do you have to lose?" Wang GuiYing casually asked, shrugging his shoulders.
The smile from Xin's face suddenly dropped as he heard this and he spoke, "Everything."
"..."
"He's a friend whom I treasure more than my own life," Xin spoke and every word that fell out of his mouth was dripping with sincerity, "He's someone I cannot live without. If I confess and lose our friendship... I might really die of a broken heart."
Wang GuiYing's eyes twitched as he heard this and he had a disgusted expression plastered on his face as he heard the man's cheesy words.
"You've got to be kidding me," Wang GuiYing sneered, "At this time and age, there are people still worrying about losing a friend over such trivial things? You're not a main character from a tragic one-sided-crushing-on-a-friend type of novel! If he's such an important friend, he would not want to lose your friendship either! And if he really does break off your friendship over this then it's better for you to not be friends with such bastards."
"..." Once again, Xin was left to wonder if Wang GuiYing would say the same after knowing who the other person was.
"If Zhou Xinyi confessed to you, would you be able to remain friends with him?" Xin asked.
Wang GuiYing paused and felt a little dumbfounded as he repeated the question in his mind.
That was a scenario that he had never thought about...!
Wang GuiYing's silence gave the answer that Xin had expected to hear.
With a scoff, Xin looked away as he spoke, "See, you can't even say the same when it comes to your most precious best friend and yet you want to give me such advice."
"If he confessed to me, of course, we would not be friends anymore!" Wang GuiYing exclaimed with a frown as he tried to defend himself, however, he didn't dare voice out the latter half of what he wanted to say.
'We would start dating! I'm not blind nor am I an idiot. If he confessed, there's no way in hell I would let go of such an amazing man!' If Xin were to hear Wang GuiYing's thoughts, he would certainly be shocked but more than that, he would have been ecstatic and would have confessed the truth right here and now.
"Our situation is different," Wang GuiYing spoke with a sigh as he tried to explain himself in the vaguest manner possible, "It's something that I've never imagined and Zhou Xinyi isn't the type who'd confess to me out of nowhere. To speak frankly, I can't even imagine my reaction."
"That person would also think the same," Xin closed his eyes and sighed out, "Because that person is also like you. He had never looked at me like that."
Wang GuiYing felt a little heartbroken as he heard this.
"That's tough..." Before Wang GuiYing could think it through, his hand had already reached out to pet the man's head, "One-sided love is beautiful but it's also heartbreaking as well. Out of everyone on this earth, I, a fellow member of the one-sided lover's society, am more clear on this than anyone else."
Xin let out a small chuckle and asked with a bit of sadness, "You like somebody too?"
Wang GuiYing mischievously smiled and his hands covered Xin's eyes as he spoke, "I'm gonna keep it a secret from you."
'Because I don't think I can say it to a face that reminds me of Zhou Xinyi,' He thought.