Chapter 187. Journey To Earth (II)

---

Arc E: Extra.

---

---

The alley was silent, the air damp, and the wind, passing from one end to the other, brushed against two figures, approaching them stealthily and with a touch of mischief.

Pang Yilong looked at the hand that was extended towards him, it was whiter and more slender than any woman’s hand he had ever seen, as if it had been measured and drawn inch by inch with a ruler.

He looked up at the owner of the hand, but the tall, slender, dark-haired young man was not someone he recognized from his memory.

Seeing that the boy did not accept his help but instead stood up by supporting himself against the stone wall, Chen You looked at Li Yan, who was not far ahead.

Li Yan didn’t say or do anything, he was letting the young man know that caution is for strangers, and that to gain someone’s trust, one must first do things that make the other person willing to give that trust.

There are many kinds of friends. Whether you use your heart or material things, and what your initial attitude is, will determine what kind of friends you end up with.

Chen You frowned slightly and shifted his gaze to the boy, “Do you need me to take you to the hospital?”

Pang Yilong stood inside the protective barrier, not letting strangers in, nor going out himself, “No need.”

He limped forward, supporting himself against the stone wall, and collapsed to the ground in less than two minutes.

When Pang Yilong woke up, he was in the hospital, with an IV drip in his hand, smell of medicine all around, and his various superficial wounds had been treated. He hissed, “Fuck, let LaoZi knows who’s behind this… Who the hell are you?!”

After the screaming stopped, Pang Yilong finally remembered that the young man by the door was the one from the alley, whose hair was as black as ink. He wondered what kind of shampoo he used to have such good-quality hair.

However, the young man’s hair was so dark that it made his face look even paler, and his lips were completely colorless, giving him a distinctly unhealthy appearance.

Pang Yilong wasn’t stupid, by now, he pretty much knew what had happened. He sat up and asked, “Did you bring me to the hospital?”

Chen You said, “You could say that.”

It was that man who carried Pang Yilong into the car and brought him to the hospital. The man belonged to him, so it can be understood that he was the one who brought him there.

Pang Yilong ran his fingers through his hair with his free hand, “You paid for my medical expenses, right? How much was it?”

Chen You went outside and asked the man in the hallway, “How much are the medical expenses?”

Li Yan stated a number, and Chen You went back to the ward and repeated the number.

Pang Yilong’s face immediately turned ugly. He yanked the needle out of the back of his hand, his emotions running high, “Holy crap, this is outrageous! So much money? Why don’t you just rob a bank?”

Chen You didn’t react much, and it was unclear what he was thinking.

Clearing his throat, Pang Yilong coughed, “What’s your surname, buddy?”

Chen You said, “My surname is Chen, and my given name is You.”

“Chen You…” Pang Yilong said, thinking the name was good and easy to remember, “It’s like this, I’m a bit short on cash right now. Could you give me your bank account number so I can transfer the money to you when I get paid next month?”

Without hesitation, he said, “Of course, if you’re worried I’ll run away, I can tell you my address.”

Chen You said, “Go on.”

Pang Yilong’s face twitched as he gave an address.

Chen You noted it down, stored it in his memory, and marked it as a friend.

Pang Yilong waited for a while, but the young man didn’t say anything. He gritted his teeth and asked, “Then what’s your account number?”

Fuck, his injury isn’t serious compared to before. He just had an upset stomach these past couple of days, didn’t eat much, and collapsed from exhaustion after the fight.

Who knew the medical bills would be so high? After a month, even after sending money home and covering his own living expenses, the little money he has left isn’t even enough to satisfy his girlfriend’s needs. She’s never satisfied, and that’s going to cause problems.

Instead of answering, Chen You asked, “This is my first time in Changsha, and I’m not familiar with the area. Could you show me around?”

So you want me to be your tour guide? Pang Yilong readily agreed, “Sure, no problem.”

He burst into laughter, “Meeting each other is a matter of fate, we are all XiongDi from all corners of the world. Chen You, I’m very happy to have met you.”

Chen You reached out his hand again, this was the second time.

Pang Yilong was taken aback for a moment, it seemed the black-haired young man in front of him placed great importance on this gesture of friendship. He grasped the offered hand and smiled, a bright smile despite his bruised lips.

Influenced by him, Chen You’s lips twitched, forming a brief smile.

Before leaving the hospital, Pang Yilong asked for the relevant receipts. It was impossible for him to get reimbursed by the restaurant, so he would take them back and put them in the drawer of his bedside table. He would flip through them when he had nothing to do, to remind himself that he would get his revenge sooner or later.

“I have something I need to take care of, so I have to go back for a bit. Here’s my phone number. Let’s meet at Orange Isle at 1 p.m., okay?”

“Ok.”

Chen You didn’t have a cell phone, and being lazy, he only remembered the number, so he turned his head and told the man.

Li Yan took out his phone and entered the number.

After walking some distance, Pang Yilong suddenly remembered that he had forgotten to ask Chen You who the man next to him was. He realized he should have greeted him.

The three met at 1 p.m.

Pang Yilong changed his clothes, he had some bruises on his lips and face, but he still looked handsome. He scrolled through his phone. He had come to Changsha for university, and four years had passed, but he hadn’t had the chance to properly explore the city because he lacked both money and time.

Life is full of stress, things are constantly going wrong everywhere.

Pang Yilong asked the man next to Chen You and learned that his name was Li Yan. He couldn’t help but despise his own name, what kind of name is Yilong? It sounds awful. Look, look, how nice are other people’s names? Yan Li is the opposite, and so easy to remember!

“Go that way, there’s a grassy area where you can sunbathe.”

Composing himself, Pang Yilong led the way, introducing the scenery along the route as they walked, “You’ve come at the wrong time. If you had come two months later, in May, you could have seen fireworks on Saturday night.”

Chen You asked, “What are fireworks?”

Li Yan said, “A flower that blooms in the sky.”

Chen You looked up. The sky was very blue with fluffy white clouds. He looked around and saw that the place had a wide lawn, a park, mountains and water, and beautiful scenery.

Chen You yawned, feeling sleepy.

Li Yan handed over a piece of chewing gum, the outer paper had already been peeled off.

Chen You took it and put it in his mouth. It was fine until he started chewing, but then he felt even sleepier. He stopped walking, his eyelids drooping heavily.

Li Yan supported the young man, holding his arm and putting his arm around his waist, ignoring the stares from those around them, and led him to a nearby restroom.

Pang Yilong, who had walked a long distance ahead, was talking so much his mouth was dry. He vaguely sensed something was wrong, and when he turned around, there was no one behind him.

Where the hell is everyone?

Pang Yilong stared wide-eyed, completely dumbfounded. He didn’t know whether to leave or stay. He gritted his teeth and decided to wait a while, since the other party had taken him to the hospital and paid his medical bills, so he was considered a benefactor.

Pang Yilong sat down on the lawn, propped his knees on his elbows, and started scrolling through his phone.

After about half an hour, Pang Yilong finally saw the two figures. He was surprised. Something wasn’t right. Chen You’s lip color was the palest he had ever seen, which was why he remembered it so clearly. But now, they were red, as if they had been bitten forcefully, and even broken.

Pang Yilong looked at the man standing next to Chen You and felt that something was off, but he couldn’t ask anything, so he could only keep his doubts to himself.

Upon reaching the statue, Pang Yilong spontaneously offered to take photos of Chen You.

Chen You stood there with a large statue behind him.

Click, click, Pang Yilong snapped a few photos, then turned and asked, “Mr. Li, would you like to come along?”

Li Yan remained motionless, his gaze fixed on the young man before the statue.

After a while, Chen You said, “Take a picture.”

With a slight smile, Li Yan strode over and walked at a leisurely pace to the young man’s side, standing beside him.

Pang Yilong was even more confused, Chen You seemed to be giving orders at the same time, yet also making an invitation.

He had just finished taking the photos, and before he even had a chance to select any, he was told by Li Yan to send them all over.

“……”

Pang Yilong took Chen You and Li Yan to the small square and said that so-and-so used to stand there and talk big, pointing out the flaws in the country.

Chen You closed his eyes, took a deep breath, the wind messed up his hair, casting shifting shadows across his face. His lips, slightly upturned at the corners, gave him an unexpectedly innocent expression.

At that very moment, Li Yan pressed confirm, freezing the scene in time.

When they left, the three of them rode in a small train.

Chen You propped his head up, and the scenery outside flashed by in his pupils, not disappearing, but being recorded deep in his mind.

He glanced at the man and said, “Give me your phone.”

Li Yan placed the phone in his hand, “Do you know how to unlock it?”

Chen You lowered his head and tried to swipe the screen with his index finger, but it didn’t open. He tried again, but it still didn’t open.

Li Yan pressed his brow, “Slide it upwards.”

Chen You moved his index finger up, and the phone screen appeared, showing his photo.

He was sleeping on the man’s lap, his face turned to one side, holding the man’s fingers.

“What’s this?”

“Photo.”

Li Yan said, “There are many in the picture library, take your time to look through them.”

Chen You then found the picture library, which was full of his photos—close-ups, distant shots, sleeping, eating—this man was doing this kind of thing anytime, anywhere.

His face was expressionless, “Who gave you that right?”

Li Yan’s gaze was deep, and his tone was slow and gentle, “You…!”

Chen You paused for a moment, then turned his head to look outside.

Pang Yilong, sitting in the back, was listening to music with earphones in his ears and uploading photos to Weibo, immersed in his own little world.

After leaving Orange Isle, Pang Yilong had no idea where to take the two of them at this hour, so he decided to take a walk first.

Passing by an internet cafe, Chen You stopped.

Pang Yilong tentatively asked, “How about we go in and play a game?”

Before long, the three of them were sitting in front of a computer on the second floor of the internet cafe.

Pang Yilong quickly turned on his computer and logged into the game. While the game was loading, he took a moment to glance around.

The man was looking at something on his phone with a pleased expression, while the young man with black hair had his eyelids closed, appearing to be on the verge of falling asleep.

Neither of them touched the computer.

Could it be that he was simply tired and wanted to find a chair to sit down and rest for a while, which is why he come to the internet cafe?

What happened to playing games? Was this all just a joke?

Pang Yilong didn’t care anymore, he started playing the game himself, returning to his guild to complete quests.

Hearing the sound of keyboard clicks, Chen You opened his eyes and turned his head to look.

His fingers twitched, he turned on his computer, clicked on the same game, and registered an account.

Li Yan’s attention was focused on the young man, he watched as the other person explored, familiarized himself with, and accepted it.

After Pang Yilong finished his mission, he glanced at Chen You doing his mission, he clicked his tongue in admiration, thinking, he’s quite skilled, I really wouldn’t have guessed.

After watching for a while, Pang Yilong turned to Chen You and, after a long pause, blurted out, “I have a feeling that in a past life, you were my buddy.”

Chen You replied, “Mm.”

Pang Yilong was stunned for a while, then he burst out laughing, “You’re really funny.”

Chen You said, “Not as funny as You.”

Pang Yilong，“……”

He lowered his voice and gestured towards Li Yan with his lip, “What’s your relationship?”

Chen You pressed the space bar, “Because your question involves personal information, I’m sorry I cannot answer it.”

Dude, are you looking down on me? You’re trying to tell me the answer in a roundabout way, thinking I won’t understand? Pang Yilong clicked his tongue, confirming his suspicion about their relationship.

I’ve long suspected it.

While playing with the mouse, Pang Yilong asked, “How old are you?”

Chen You said, “Very old.” He had forgotten his exact age and couldn’t remember.

Pang Yilong rolled his eyes.

After leaving the internet cafe, Pang Yilong asked if they wanted to go to Huo Palace for something to eat.

Chen You said, “Go.”

Pang Yilong noticed that Li Yan offered no opinions throughout the entire process, as if he was fine with going wherever Chen You suggested.

For no apparent reason, he thought of kings and knights.

Huo Palace is located on Pozi Street, with red walls and green tiles, and its local snacks are famous far and wide.

When the three arrived, the place was already bustling with people.

Chen You, invigorated by the aroma, headed straight for the stinky tofu.

After finishing a bowl of stinky tofu, Chen You wanted more, but Li Yan didn’t give him any money, saying he had already eaten too much and couldn’t eat anymore.

Chen You’s face was grim.

“I’ll treat you to…” Sensing a gaze as sharp as a knife, Pang Yilong’s words took a sudden turn, and he almost bit his tongue, “Sugar-coated glutinous rice cakes.”

“You’ve never tried it before, have you? Come on, let’s go, I’ll take you to buy some.”

Chen You asked, “How does it compare to stinky tofu?”

Pang Yilong chuckled, “Baba is Baba, but it’s different. I guarantee you won’t regret eating it.”

Chen You went with him.

Shaking his head, Li Yan kept a close watch on his family’s big mouse, afraid it would be lured away by food.

After strolling around and enjoying the aromas, Pang Yilong took Chen You and Li Yan to eat spicy crayfish. He and his girlfriend often came here because the prices were reasonable and there was a wide variety of options.

The crayfish at this restaurant has a tomato sauce flavor that’s infused with delicious taste, and the broth is fantastic.

Pang Yilong would practically suck his fingers off every time he ate, asking as he ate, “How is it? Delicious, right?”

Chen You ate politely, saying, “Delicious.”

After finishing what was in his mouth, he sat and waited.

Li Yan, who was standing next to Chen You, did not eat. Instead, he slowly peeled the shrimp shells. When the bowl was full of shrimp meat, he put it in front of Chen You.

Chen You continued eating.

Pang Yilong, watching from the opposite side, clicked his tongue in amazement.

While Li Yan went to wash his hands, Pang Yilong couldn’t hold back any longer and said to Chen You, “To be honest with you, I can’t even do that for my girlfriend. Yours is really good to you.”

Chen You replied, “Mm.”

I just can’t control him, can’t beat him, and can’t put him in the cryogenic sleeping chamber. I have to do it with him every day, whatever he was doing, he would get to work without a second thought.

Around 10 o’clock, Chen You fell asleep while standing. Li Yan caught him in time to prevent him from falling down.

Pang Yilong’s eyeballs almost popped out several times today, he had never seen anyone fall asleep while walking.

That’s awesome.

Li Yan took Chen You to hail a taxi.

Pang Yilong’s tour guide job ended, and he kept asking for the account number. He said he was poor, but he wouldn’t stoop so low as to cheat on medical expenses, he couldn’t do something so unethical.

Li Yan said, “You should tell him yourself next time.”

Pang Yilong was taken aback. Will there be a next time? Could it be that this wasn’t just a chance encounter?

He was about to ask something when the taxi had already left.

Chen You was carried back to the hotel by Li Yan.

Although he doesn’t need to work, he still needs to use his brain to make friends and he still needs to sleep.

After entering the room, Li Yan put the young man on the bed, took off his outer clothes, and said, “Wash your face before you sleep?”

Chen You unconsciously made a sound, almost muttering, “No.”

Li Yan said, “Behave.”

Chen You stopped moving.

Li Yan kissed the tip of the young man’s nose.

The next morning, Chen You woke up, and the first thing he said was, “Tomorrow we’re going to Nanchang.”

Li Yan nuzzled against his neck, “Let’s go to the hospital.”

Chen You pushed the man away, frowning as he asked, “Are you feeling unwell?”

Li Yan then approached the young man again, saying, “It’s you.”

Chen You pushed the man away again, his eyes questioning.

After being pushed away twice, Li Yan sighed, “You’re constipated.”

Chen You said, “It’s nothing.”

Li Yan explained to the reckless young man, “If things don’t go well, you can only eat liquids for a short period of time and can’t eat any spicy food. Also, I won’t stop touching you just because you’re constipated, when that happens, you will bleed.”

He smirked, “Master, have you made up your mind? To go or not to go?”

Chen You’s lips twitched slightly. Then let’s go.

After getting the medicine from the hospital, Chen You returned to the hotel and asked Li Yan to go out and run an errand. He didn’t give any specific instructions, just spoke in a normal tone.

Li Yan did not question him and quickly got the matter settled.

In the afternoon, Chen You went to the restaurant where Pang Yilong worked and asked, “What is your dream?”

Pang Yilong was extremely irritable after being scolded by his manager. The reason was that a wealthy woman offered to be his sugar mama, which he refused. The woman then came to the restaurant to cause trouble, affecting other customers, and the manager pinned the blame on him.

Upon hearing Chen You’s question, Pang Yilong casually replied, “Be a rich person.”

Chen You said casually, “How about I take over this restaurant and let you run it?”

Pang Yilong couldn’t believe it, “Are you serious?”

Chen You then magically produced a document, saying, “Sign your name here, and you’ll be a partner in the restaurant.”

Pang Yilong gasped. A domineering CEO? He frowned, it was like a huge pie had suddenly fallen from the sky, and it was hard to swallow, “Why?”

Chen You didn’t explain further, but said directly, “The restaurant’s profit sharing is all in the contract. You transfer the money to this card, and I’ll come here from time to time throughout the year.”

As he spoke, he placed the paper with the card number written on it on the table.

Regardless of the authenticity of the contract, and since the manager hadn’t revealed anything, Pang Yilong couldn’t understand the man’s trust in him, “Aren’t you afraid I’ll embezzle it?”

Chen You said, “We are friends.”

Pang Yilong said, “…” We only met yesterday, can we call each other friends?

Before he could finish speaking, his phone rang. It was his girlfriend calling. It was the usual conversation between young couples, what are you doing? Have you eaten? Have you missed me? Are you dressed warmly enough so you don’t catch a cold?

When Chen You heard Pang Yilong calling the person on the other end of the phone “wife,” he instinctively looked at the man.

Li Yan hardened his heart, pretended not to see, and waited for the young man to take the initiative again.

Chen You looked away, completely unaware of the disappointment in his eyes.

---

---

---

---