Luo Binghe did not expect or require this apology, but it surprises him how good it feels to hear it. The idea that Shen Qingqiu's unwanted presence between them is a shared burden eases some weight he did not know he was carrying. "My love," he says, his voice tight. "The benefit is that it's you. I don't care if Shen Qingqiu is attractive or unattractive"—he is unattractive—"but his body allows you to be here with me, and for that I would even thank the heavens for his existence."