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The novel starts as a story about a very beautiful relationship. Two college boys fall in love with each other and, despite opposition from the family, manage to stay together happily. After college the ML builds a company and becomes very successful, but still pampers the MC dearly.

Everything seems to be going more than well. But ML can't resist the temptations of his new privileged life and cheats on the ML with a younger man. MC finds out immediately and is crushed by the betrayal but ends up forgiving the ML after the latter shows his remorse. Unfortunately, the ML cheats again a few months later (with the same person) and this time the MC is in despair. He visits a bar to get drunk but ends up ingesting a date r*pe drug and is r*ped. It turns out later that the rapist was HIV positiv and infected the MC.

After this, both MC and ML are in shambles. ML is feels incredibly guilty and tries to fix their relationship and make amends for his mistakes. But the MC can't trust him anymore.

After MCs HIV positiv status becomes known, he faces pressure from the ML family as well as ML affair to leave ML (they curse at him as shameless, bc he is HIV positiv, basically 'an outcast' and still stays with the ML). As a result he becomes clinically depressed and refuses his HIV treatment and subsequently dies.

Later, after ML organized MC funeral he also commits su*cide.

The story is an absolut tearjerker.

As beautiful and wholesome as the relationship between the ML and MC starts, it is shattered to pieces by ML repeated betrayal. And even if the ML tries to find its pieces and stick them back together perfectly in form of caring and pampering the MC with utmost care, the cracks will remain. Not just as the MCs inability to trust the ML ever again but even more tragic, as the virus that the MC is infected with and that will slowly kill him.

Much more terrible and impactful than 'Gazing at the scenes of debauchery' or a 'Decade of deep love' bc the ML in this novel is much less flawed and the original relationship much more equal and beautiful compared to the other two novels.

Although there wasn't a tag mentioning "cheating"..

This novel is incredibly realistic.

It shows us that even great love wilt.

No matter how much you love that person.. There's still going to be a day where you grown used to they're presence and the sense of excitement eventually faded.

That's sadly the case.

Like any another relationship, there will be a honeymoon phase, and so challenges. Unfortunately even after everything.. ML indulge himself in temptation. He didn't pass the test.

Even so, he can't let MC go- not because he "love" him that he is unwilling to let go (because if his still in love in full sense then they wouldn't be in this situation in the first place) then again, that falls in the category that although he still loves him, the reason he doesn't want to let him go was "in fact"

His just sorry that he was caught cheating, otherwise if MC didn't fall sick.. I doubt he'll change

"His regretful, he blames himself for putting him in such pain-" the real reason why he stayed with MC.

At first I blamed it all on Yang Yiqian (ML) because if he didn't cheat, none of that would have happened in the first place. But there're no ifs in this world. That's something we all know but refuse to believe. That if contains many possibilities within, where we can say even if ML cheated but Qin Cang (MC) didn't get infected with HIV, they might or might not stay as a couple. Maybe since ML doesn't have any guilt without HIV they would have separated. My point is, it is not all ML's fault that MC got infected. But it was one of the biggest turning points in this plot where it drowned the ML in guilt.

As for the MC he is mostly a victim here. First of all he was betrayed, broken hearted then r*ped, got infected with HIV. His whole life went downhill just from one decision he made. But does that justify the rest of the story where he clinged on to the ML till the end, even he passed his disease to the ML? That is also an if question which leaves many possibilities. It is completely understandable his dependency on ML because he was all he had, all he loved in his life. He was betrayed by his only belief. But does that make himself clinging to the ML reasonable? I think that is where love and obsession comes. That can also be seen as a way of selfishness. But the MC did suggest ML breaking up. The MC was not selfish. He did leave a leeway. However at his dying moments as a human he clearly voiced out his possessiveness over the ML by telling him not to like, not to love, not to have any physical attachment with anyone after his death.

The ML who was regretting his mistakes took his words by heart and probably made his decision to follow him to death as a proof of his love and also as a punishment of his crimes. He was willing, he was not forced. So ML being infected cannot be blamed on MC. I would rather like to say this was love than saying MC's selfishness.

"In another way they are still together, sleeping in the eternal night". This one ending sentence gave the whole heart wrenching story a peaceful ending.