The lingering though they never become a couple:(

I feel like they’ve been a couple pretty much since Jian ye confessed, zhen xi was really trying to get him to say it out loud straight up (along with all other thoughts he’d been hiding) after the kiss, it’s not like a case of pretending it didn’t happen and staying friends, he just silently accepted his confession and they’ve been constantly promising to be together always along with small romantic moments between them(holding hands hugging etc, and some kinda shy physical contact moments liek in public bath or he tian’s brother’s house bath, plus now zhen xi is just casually accepting of jian ye’s random weirdness and touching, he used to fight him about everything now he’s letting him get away with it all) , and it’s definitely already romance between them and not just friendship cause after the confession zhen xi turned down the girl that liked him when jian ye was tryna push him to her assuming his own rejection except zhen xi said “then what about you?” Basically saying he didn’t reject him, he’s not gonna leave him and go be with some girl, he’s choosing him, and now they’re literally gonna live together with all that “I was serious about taking care of you” stufff
Mo and he tian just happen to be a bit too mature for their age and their relationship dramatic and passionate with bigger fights but getting way closer, jian ye and zhen xi are just taking their time as their relationship evolves