Luo Binghe had been trying not to overwhelm him—he knows Shen Yuan is easily embarrassed, especially around emotions—but he can feel Shen Yuan wavering through the dreamscape even before he hears his choked voice. At the sound of it, Luo Binghe's heart fully breaks. He throws his arms around Shen Yuan again and squeezes, leaning down to press kisses all over his cheeks, full of tenderness and longing for this person who no longer fully exists.

"I'm so glad you showed me," he says, between kisses—"so glad, I'm so happy I get to see you—" He gets his hand into Shen Yuan's hair and holds him there too, shuddering. It is like holding sand, or water—Shen Yuan cannot stay like this, already gone even while he's right here. Luo Binghe can hardly stand it. "It looks more like you. It looks like you. I love how you look now, I've told you how beautiful you are, but I wish... What happened? To this body?"