Chapter 171. Where Is The Basic Integrity?

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Arc 9: Real World.

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Behind the building, the atmosphere was tense, ready to explode at any moment.

The man wearing a mask frowned. People came up from the left, back, and behind him and surrounded him. He looked up at the person standing directly in front of him.

Two seconds later, that man leaped up, grabbed a sign on the building, and jumped into the open window. His speed far exceeded the limits of human capability.

This all happened in the blink of an eye, no one had time to react, and by the time they tried to take countermeasures, the person had already disappeared.

The men in suits on all three sides felt as if a hand was gripping their necks, lifting them into the air, making it difficult for them to breathe. They dared not struggle and could only hover on the edge of life and death.

Li Yan took one hand out of his pocket, pulled the trigger and one fell to the ground, dead.

Everyone present stared wide-eyed, sweat beading on their backs.

Li Yan sheathed his gun and said expressionlessly, “If the person escapes, you’ll end up like him.”

The sound of footsteps was deafening. Everyone was on high alert. First, they sealed off the building, then checked every single one of the buildings, leaving no stone unturned.

Li Yan leaned against the wall, smoking. His cigarette had a small dark patch, then two, then three. He looked up and saw a white flake swirling in the air—it was snowing.

The phone in his pocket rang, it was a specific ringtone, meant for a specific person.

Li Yan, a cigarette between his fingers, asked, “Are you back?”

Chen You was submitting resumes and looking for a job on his computer. When he got bored, he browsed some forums and found out that it was snowing outside. He then called Li Yan to share the exciting news, saying, “Came back early.”

“The snow is falling so heavily, Mr. Li, have you seen it?”

Li Yan flicked his cigarette, and a small wisp of ash fell at his feet along with the snowflakes, “Hmm.”

Chen You also said he wanted to go back to his home in the afternoon, “My dad has bad legs and can’t walk in the snow. If he accidentally falls, there will be no one by his side, and I’m worried about him.”

Li Yan agreed, “Stay a couple more days and spend time with your dad.”

Chen You was taken aback. These words didn’t seem like they would come out of this man’s mouth. Could something be wrong? Just as he was about to ask, he heard the man say, “I’ll meet with your Dad before the New Year.”

He asked in shock, “So soon?”

“That matter at hand is almost resolved.” Li Yan put a cigarette in his mouth, took a drag, and exhaled a cloud of smoke, “Wear more clothes when you go out, and wear a scarf and gloves. If you catch a cold or fever when you return, I won’t agree to it next time.”

Chen You, “…” It’s fucking unreasonable. A cold and fever are like the weather turning into rain or a mother getting married—can I control that?

After hanging up the phone, Chen You turned off the computer, ransacked the bedroom, grabbed his backpack, and went out.

The butler stood at the top of the stairs with his hands at his sides, “Mr. Chen.”

Chen You looked at him, “Butler, will you see me off?”

The butler said, “It’s snowing outside and the wind is strong. The master asked me to tell you that the hats I bought for you are in the second compartment of the wardrobe.”

Chen You’s lips twitched, and he silently went back, pulled a gray hat out of the closet and put it on. He had a problem, he would get a headache whenever he was exposed to wind, feeling half-dead and nothing he did could help. He would only feel better after a good night’s sleep. But he is a man, and he couldn’t possibly be dying from just a little wind, so he always tried to convince himself to ignore it.

“Butler, I’ll take Xiaojin and Laifu with me.”

As Chen You walked, he said, “Could you please help me tidy up their belongings?”

The butler asked, “Will you bring that little snake too?”

Chen You nodded seriously, “Yes, we must treat everyone equally and not let it be misunderstood that it has a lower status than Laifu at home, otherwise its childhood will be unhappy.”

The butler said, “…it’s just a snake.”

Chen You went down the stairs, “You, me, and them, are all species, the same.”

The butler shook his head. Humans are a higher species, and cats and dogs cannot be the same as humans. He didn’t offer much of an opinion on this point.

Everyone has an independent way of thinking, which forms a world that cannot be imposed upon by others.

The snowfall wasn’t heavy, and the ground wasn’t white. It seemed as if Mother Nature, bored, staged this grand magic show, snowflakes vanished the moment they touched the ground, leaving no trace.

Chen You sat in the back seat with a yellow puppy in his lap and a small golden snake on his finger. He felt very rich, stroking the dog’s head one moment and the snake’s head the next, not neglecting either side.

To be honest, he used to have a really bad impression of snakes. When he was a child, he would be so scared when he saw water snakes in the river that he would wet himself. One summer, he was urinating by the vegetable garden. After he finished urinating, he pulled up his pants and found a fiery snake coiled up in the grass, with its head facing his manhood.

Chen You was so scared that his bile almost came out. He ran backwards all the way home and had nightmares for several days in a row, dreaming that a snake opened its mouth and ate his precious thing in one bite. It was terrifying.

Chen You lowered his head and touched the little golden snake. Strangely enough, he wanted it after just seeing a picture, but now that he had actually seen the real thing, he held it in his palm and watched it wrap around his finger in a dependent way. At that moment, he felt no disgust or fear, but rather a lot of happiness.

Perhaps it’s because of its good looks. This golden snake looks like a gold bar from afar and still looks like a gold bar up close. It’s understandable that people like it.

The butler asked if he wanted to buy something.

Chen You said, “Let’s go to xx supermarket. It’s close to my school. I’ll go check on my dorm.”

Upon arriving at the supermarket, Chen You put the dog and snake in the car and asked the butler to look after them. He then rushed off to buy ingredients such as mushrooms, vinegar, and tomato sauce for his father.

The butler sat in the front and looked through the rearview mirror at a dog and a snake on the seat. Judging from the size, the dog clearly had the upper hand, but it was avoiding the snake, showing fear.

With a flick of its tail, the yellow puppy leaped down, its body pressed against the car door. The little golden snake coiled up, its head casually tilted, its golden eyes staring out. From the butler’s perspective, it was indeed somewhat eerie.

Snakes, as reptiles, are far more dangerous than dogs.

After buying what he needed, Chen You got back into the car and got out again less than fifteen minutes later. He went to the dormitory and heard Wang Yao howling in the corridor. Poor thing, he was the only single guy in the dormitory now. He deserved encouragement and comfort.

Wang Yao was playing a game, and the fat on his face was twitching, bouncing in rhythm with the tapping on the keyboard. He was the worst at maneuvering, so he had marked the keys corresponding to several important skills with wax, so that they would have different tactile sensations when touched.

If that kind of dedication, perseverance, and hard work were used to woo girlfriends, he wouldn’t have trouble finding one.

Chen You rummaged through the table, taking some miscellaneous items back with him, “Old Wang, have you settled on a job yet?”

Wang Yao was furiously typing on the keyboard, “Selling fertilizer! I’m just inheriting the family business.”

Chen You rolled his eyes, “Don’t be impoverished.”

Wang Yao pushed the keyboard forward and hung up. He said he might go to H City and that his family had found him a job at the TV station. He had to get in whether he wanted to or not, and he was determined to earn back the tens of thousands of yuan he had spent on finding connections.

Tens of thousands? That much? Chen You clicked his tongue. Finding connections is really expensive these days, but it’s better to be able to find them than to have money but not know where to start. He has neither. No, he has both.

“The TV station is good.”

“The salary isn’t high. It was my Jiu who put in the connections. One of the directors is his classmate.” Wang Yao slumped in his chair, “What about you, Youzi? Are you going to officially enter the entertainment industry and act? Being a star would be great. Once I’m settled with wife and kids, I’ll point to the handsome guys on TV and proudly tell them, ‘Look, this is my classmate, my good buddy, a true friend.’”

Amused by Wang Yao’s description, Chen You laughed heartily, but then sighed, “Acting isn’t that fun. It’s boring to film the same scene over and over again. Besides, my dad’s condition is unstable. Right now, I’m just living one day at a time and don’t dare to think too far ahead.”

He carried the two bags in his hands and said, “I’m leaving now. Call me if you need anything.”

Wang Yao stopped Chen You, “I heard Ren Wu was hospitalized, but she’s alright now, right?”

Chen You said, “Still not awake.”

“No way, what’s wrong with Old Pang…” Wang Yao’s face twitched, “He’s in the game right now. I saw that his location shows he’s in the Land of Ice and Snow. He’s been moving around and flying back and forth. Maybe he’s taking pictures of the snowy scenery.”

Chen You and he said in unison, “Scumbag.”

Wang Yao escorted Chen You downstairs, then bought some tomato and egg noodles to take back to his dormitory, where he remained alone, guarding his small plot of land.

The snow keeps falling, but it maintains its current pace, slowly and leisurely. People who want to wake up tomorrow morning to find the whole world white are getting impatient because the snow is falling so slowly.

When they arrived at the building, Chen You greeted the butler and went into the building.

The butler took out his phone and dialed a number to report, “The person has been dropped, yes, understood.”

As soon as he entered the house, Chen You warmly introduced his Da Didi Laifu and Xiao Didi Xiaojin to his father, hoping that everyone would get along peacefully and not cause any trouble.

Chen Weidong liked local dogs but disliked snakes, so he took Laifu back to his room, leaving Xiaojin, the snake, all alone on the cold living room floor. It crawled and crawled to the kitchen, climbed up the young man’s trouser leg, and stopped on his shoulder, propping up its upper body.

“Why did you come to the kitchen? It smells awful.” Chen You turned and kissed the little snake on the head, “Don’t crawl around like that, it’s dangerous.”

The little snake tilted its head to look at the young man and rubbed its head against him.

A cool sensation ran down his neck, like a block of ice had been placed on it. Chen You shivered, goosebumps rising on his skin, “Put on some clothes, you absolutely have to put on some clothes! Damn, you’re not wearing anything in winter, it’s so cold! Wait here, Xiaojin, I’ll look for something online for you. Ai, I wonder what Li Yan is up to…”

He reached out to call Li Yan, but the caller said the phone was out of service. He tried again a while later, but got the same message.

That’s strange, where did he go…?

In a basement, Li Yan sat in a chair, his long legs crossed, the crimson flame flickering between his fingers. He took a drag of his cigarette, his sharp gaze piercing through the smoke, sweeping over the person on the ground inch by inch.

The man’s mask was removed, revealing a well-defined face. Something had somehow fallen off his pupils, exposing their original color, light gray.

He doesn’t have an asian face, a mixed race, but not like a typical mixed-race person. His facial features are extremely well-proportioned, to the point that they seem to have been carefully measured with a ruler, the data recorded, and then constructed.

There was a bloodstain on the left side of the man’s forehead, with a few strands of hair stuck to it. He had been shot in one leg and one arm, and blood was flowing all over the ground.

Li Yan chuckled, “So you guys are different after all.”

He flicked the cigarette away, the tip of his shoe grinding against it. He stood up from the chair, walked over, raised his leg, and stepped on the man’s leg, pressing heavily on the wound, “Where did you come from?”

The man groaned, beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.

Li Yan removed his foot, then kicked out with all his might the next second, looking down at the other person who was convulsing, “Ren Wu was acting under your orders, and her target was me, wasn’t she?”

The man’s face was tense, every corner of the basement was reflected in his pupils, including the dozen or so people outside.

Li Yan stepped on the man’s leg bone. It sounded like a fantasy that one person could bring another to the brink of death with just a little scent and blood, but it had actually happened. There were many things he was still unsure about, but one thing was certain, Ren Wu could only hurt him through Chen You.

Chen You’s existence is like a line.

Ren Wu’s blood almost cost him his life. For more than half a month, he went through several brushes with death, but ultimately survived.

Blood dripped from the soles of his leather shoes. Li Yan squinted, his eyes half-closed. He didn’t know what he had done that night, he had only felt anger and entered a strange space, surrounded by dense code and data, as if it were a domain.

Ren Wu is no ordinary person, nor is the person in front of him.

Perhaps he was among them.

Li Yan’s patience ran out. He removed his foot from the man’s leg bone, turned around without a word, and walked outside, leaving a trail of bloody shoe prints on the ground.

The sounds of fists and kicks hitting flesh echoed from the basement and continued for a long time.

A man in a suit spat on the ground, sweating profusely, and went out to say, “Sir, the person has passed out.”

Li Yan raised his hand, and the man in the suit retreated away.

Three days later, Li Yan went to the basement again. The stench filled the cramped space and was nauseating. The man on the ground was covered in blood, as if someone had splashed several bottles of red ink on him from head to toe.

“I’ve been thinking about this for the past few days, and I think you might be an organization.”

Li Yan took off his leather gloves and said in a low voice, “Ren Wu is an experiment, and you are her controller.”

He crouched down and patted the man’s face, “What I said, wasn’t it right?”

The man’s eyes were lowered, and strands of hair fell across his forehead, congealed with blood. Everything was blurred by the lingering smell of blood, including the expression on his face.

Li Yan mentioned a name, “Chen You…”

The man’s eyelids twitched slightly, very slightly, but it did not escape Li Yan’s notice. It seemed that the young man was not just a simple person involved in this matter.

“You know Chen You.”

The man remained unmoved, showing no further change.

Li Yan seemed to be in a better mood. He sat down in a chair and said slowly, “Still not saying a word? Then I’ll have to try another method.”

Shortly after, two people in white coats came in and injected the man with a drug.

Li Yan glanced at his watch, “Five minutes.”

Time ticked by, one minute, two minutes, three minutes, five minutes. As soon as the minutes were up, a look of struggle appeared on the man’s face, as if something was eroding his brain. He uttered two words, “Mission (ren wu(homophone))…”

“Ren Wu?”

Li Yan’s gaze was like a knife. After a few seconds, or perhaps a few minutes, he entered that space again.

Just then, the man suddenly opened his eyes, a light flashed in his light gray pupils, all sound disappeared, and he lost consciousness.

Li Yan frowned, his face full of gloom. This was the most troublesome thing he had ever encountered. If he could kill it, he would not have left any survivors that very day.

Once it’s injected into the body, it will actively tear open the deepest corner of a person’s heart within five minutes, rendering even the strongest willpower futile.

It could be used on the person on the ground, but the effect was not ideal, only one name was mentioned.

Li Yan’s aura was gloomy, “Give him another injection.”

A doctor in a white coat said, “Mr. Li, ordinary people can only have a second injection a week later.”

Li Yan said, “One hour.”

The doctor in the white coat hurriedly said, “But doing that could cause the recipient to suffer mental breakdown at best, and self-harm and death at worst…”

His next words were swallowed back down by a cold gaze, and he dared not voice any further objections.

An hour later, a man in a suit rushed to see Li Yan, saying that the person in the basement had disappeared.

Li Yan lifted his eyelids.

The man in the suit swallowed hard, trembling, “I…we were all guarding outside the door, we didn’t leave for a moment. We don’t know how he escaped. No, no, he couldn’t have escaped. There’s only one door, not even a window.”

Li Yan’s voice was icy cold, “Disappeared into thin air?”

The man in the suit’s legs trembled, “It, it should be.” The more he thought about it, the more his scalp tingled. That man not only had gunshot wounds on his arms, but also on his legs, which were severely inflamed and rotting. He had been beaten multiple times and hadn’t had a drop of water for days. After going through that kind of thing, let alone running, it was a question whether he could even stand up.

So what exactly happened? How could a dying person manage to pull off something so unusual in a closed space? A miracle? A ghost!

Li Yan slammed the teacup face down on the table, “Go and search.”

The man in the suit didn’t linger for a second and quickly left.

In a certain district, a man was walking and coughing. He suddenly stopped and said in an alley where he was all alone, “What? Haven’t you had enough of the jokes yet?”

A line of text appeared in the void

【Old 4, all the data in this world is connected to your brain, yet you still got captured. 】

Si Sisi gave a forced smile, “Why don’t you try it and see if you can evade KM’s invasion?”

【No, I don’t want to have any contact with that thing. 】

Si Sisi leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. Two bullets from his arm and leg emerged from his flesh, falling to the ground with a crisp sound. He gasped for breath, “Damn!”

【The fact that the main system mobilized data to bring you out means that the higher-ups understand your failure and won’t blame you. This time, they might even grant you more permissions. 】

Si Sisi scoffed. They are probably afraid that if he delayed any longer, his data would be altered by the KM virus carried by Li Yan. They deliberately waited three days before taking action. Wasn’t it because some people were using their position for personal gain and wanted to get rid of him?

KM evolved too quickly, he dared not make a sound, lest the other party discover the entrance and invade his database.

“I don’t care about the permissions, I’m just glad that the bonus is still paid to me as usual.”

【Don’t blame me for not reminding you, you’ve already broken the rules for your lovely host, letting him take things from the mission world. The purpose of this trip is to make amends and destroy KM. Your every move in this world is being monitored by the main system, so don’t do anything stupid, or you’ll have a hard time explaining yourself when you get back. 】

Si Sisi grabbed a strand of hair from his forehead, his hand smeared with blood. A tissue appeared out of thin air in his hand, which he wiped vigorously with disgust, “Get lost if you have nothing else to do.”

【You should just keep your temper in check. You brought this mess on yourself. By the way, the latest software crashed, and KM is threatening the main program. They’re holding an emergency meeting right now, they’re probably furious. 】

【You still have an hour and ten minutes to come back. If you’re bored, just clap your hands and play by yourself. 】

【If the software crashed, just uninstall it. 】

Si Sisi didn’t respond. He rested there for a while, then went somewhere to try his luck.

Less than an hour later, Li Yan received a phone call, and his brows furrowed instantly. He took the coat handed to him by his subordinate and strode out the door.

Two people stood on the open ground by the roadside, one restraining the other, but the atmosphere was strangely devoid of tension.

Chen You was in a terrible mood. He cooked low-sodium dishes at home, and his mouth was so bland that he was thinking of going out to buy a bag of spicy strips to get through the long night. But then he ran into a strange man and was taken hostage.

Isn’t that hilarious? It could easily be the number one joke of the year.

Chen You couldn’t laugh. Damn it, even buying spicy strips these days has such a big risk. His mouth was covered, so he could only make muffled noises, creating a duet with the sound of the wind.

A warm breath sprayed on the back of his neck, and the person behind him moved closer. Chen You felt itchy and shivered. He thought to himself, whether it’s robbing him of money or raping him, they should do something. What’s the point of just covering his mouth like this?

Did I run into a pervert? Does he like to cover people’s mouths and play with them?

A voice rang in Chen You’s ear, “I’ll let go. If you don’t scream, nod in agreement.”

He immediately nodded vigorously, yes, yes, I definitely agree. Anything is better than suffocating.

Before Chen You could catch his breath, his mouth was covered by another hand. “…” Aiyo MF, are you kidding me?

Several young people, men and women ran over from the front, seemingly jogging at night, their speed only slightly faster than walking. They chatted and laughed as they ran, unaware of the two figures in the open space.

Chen You mumbled, they’re all gone now, so you can let go of your hand, right? I promise I won’t yell or scream.

He cursed and muttered, damn it, even if I yelled my lungs out, it wouldn’t make a difference. After those few people, there wasn’t a single dead bird around, let alone any night owls.

With his breathing no longer obstructed and returning to normal, Chen You took deep breaths, only to gasp sharply the next second. Why? The strange man behind him had somehow acquired a flashlight, its light blue, which he pointed directly at his face. The man deliberately lowered his head, his eyes wide open, revealing two light gray pupils. Not only that, but he also stuck out a long tongue, looking exactly like someone hanging upside down.

He glanced at it casually and was startled.

Damn! Chen You wanted to cry. Dude, you’re so perverted and so childish, what am I supposed to do with you? Hmm?

He figured this guy was probably mentally ill, on medication, and had sneaked out of his house because he wasn’t being watched. He figured he might as well play along, after all, even if the other guy killed him, the court might not do anything.

So Chen You gathered his emotions and spoke in a trembling voice, “I’m a good person, the wronged have their grievances, the debtors have their debts, don’t hurt me…”

The blue light disappeared, and darkness returned, accompanied by laughter, “Your acting is still so terrible.”

Chen You, “…” An acquaintance? He frowned. The other person was a head taller than him, with light gray pupils. Such distinctive features would definitely make him memorable. He was certain that he did not have this person in his memory.

Looks like he’s still mentally unstable. Let’s just keep going with the show and treat it as practice to improve his adaptability.

“Acting skills are something you can’t grasp all at once. You have to figure it out slowly. You might look the same for a day or two, but there won’t be much change.”

“It’s the same whether you live one life or two.”

“…” I can’t continue this conversation. His ability to spout nonsense is truly impressive. I wonder which TV series he learned those lines from.

Chen You exhaled another puff of white breath. Strangely enough, his situation should have been very bad, but he felt no unease whatsoever. He was very relaxed, as if he were chatting with an old friend. It was really eerie.

The person on the other end spoke again, “Have you heard of the song 《The Fireworks of Last Winter》?”

Chen You searched through his lyric library and found, “Never heard of it.”

The sound of a car engine came on the wind, and soon the outline of the car could be seen with the help of the headlights shining in front.

Chen You saw the car pull up, the door open, and Li Yan got out and headed straight for his spot. As he got closer, he could see the worry and… panic on the other man’s face.

It felt so real, like the strength of being held tightly in someone’s arms.

Li Yan breathed heavily, his nerve endings, which had been stretched to the limit when he arrived, only relaxed slightly after confirming that the young man in his arms was not injured.

Chen You patted the man on the back, and peeked out, huh? Where did he go?

Li Yan pressed the young man back into his chest, sniffing against the young man’s neck. There was a different scent. His fingers on the young man’s waist tightened, “Why didn’t you shout?”

Chen You was taken aback. Did he know he had encountered a lunatic, which was why he rushed over in such a hurry? But what was with the anger in his voice? He wasn’t having a secret rendezvous with his mistress here.

After briefly recounting what happened, Chen You scratched his face and said, “He’s just a mentally unstable person. He was here a moment ago, and now he’s gone off somewhere to go crazy. It’s dark in the back, so he might have fallen into a pit.”

Li Yan asked in a deep voice, “Did you get a good look at the other person’s face?”

Chen You thought back for a moment, “The pupils were light gray, I didn’t notice anything else.”

Li Yan didn’t ask any more questions. “Go back.”

Chen You said, “I’ll call my dad and tell him.”

He took out his phone and dialed home, “Hey Dad, I won’t be coming home tonight. Okay, Xiaojin is sleeping on my bed, and Laifu is there too. He doesn’t poop or pee anywhere, he knows how to use the toilet. I’ll come back tomorrow morning and take him out for a walk. Don’t go downstairs, there might be heavy snow tonight. Okay, you go to sleep early.”

After finishing his call with his father, Chen You looked up and found the man staring at him, his gaze empty. His breath caught in his throat, “What’s wrong?”

Li Yan withdrew his gaze, “Get in the car.”

For some reason, Chen You felt that the man was in a bad mood, or rather, a very bad mood. It had nothing to do with him, right? They hadn’t seen each other for several days, only communicating by phone and text message. There was no way he could have caused it.

When Chen You got back, he leaned against the windowsill and realized he was wrong, terribly wrong.

He stayed up until late at night, witnessing a silent, heavy snowfall that kept flashing across his vision.

The next morning, Chen You turned over and felt someone watching him. He opened his eyes and met a pair of phoenix eyes. The man was indeed looking at him, and it seemed he had been looking at him for a long time.

Want more? That can’t be right.

Chen You moved back in fear, but a large hand pulled him back to his original position. A voice sounded above his head, “What did you say when you first met me?”

After saying this, Li Yan stared intently at the young man.

Chen You remembered it very clearly, there was no way he could forget, “I said, have we met somewhere before?”

Li Yan’s lips slowly curved upwards, and he smiled, “Yes, I think we’ve met before.”

Chen You immediately asked, “Really? Where?”

Li Yan wrapped his arm around the young man and repeated the words he had just said in a hoarse voice.

Chen You was bewildered. Really? He couldn’t remember anything. Was it from his childhood?

No matter how he asked, Li Yan didn’t seem to have any intention of giving him a detailed explanation.

That evening, Ren Wu’s vital signs disappeared, she was dead.

Although she was an actress without any representative works, Ren Wu had gained a large following of male fans who regard her as a goddess since her personal photos were exposed. 《The Fifth World》 was her first and last drama. There were many related reports, and some even say that the news is fake and that the company is just trying to promote the drama and generate buzz, which is quite regrettable.

Ren Wu has no relatives, and Pang Yilong arranged the funeral which was attended by four of them from their dormitory.

Zheng Shuai and Wang Yao didn’t have much of a feeling for the other person, since they had only danced together once and had very little contact.

Chen You is a bit different. He acted in a movie with Ren Wu, they have the same idol, they get along well, have eaten together, drunk coffee together, and he even received an autographed CD from her.

After Zheng Shuai and Wang Yao left, Chen You patted Pang Yilong on the shoulder, offering silent comfort, the dead can not be brought back to life, there’s nothing that can be done.

When his mother passed away, he thought that there are countless worlds in the universe, and the number of parallel universes is also incalculable. People who have died may have gone to live in some other world, in some other form, but the people still living in this world don’t know it.

Pang Yilong’s throat was dry, “Youzi, Ren Wu is dead, and I’m not sad at all. What I’m thinking is…” You’re still here, that’s good.

Chen You didn’t hear clearly, “Huh? What?”

Pang Yilong shook his head and said it was nothing.

Chen You mistakenly thought that his friend was too heartbroken and hadn’t recovered yet. He himself was also in a daze, “Old Pang, try to think more positively.”

Pang Yilong looked up and said, “I’m really not sad.”

Chen You still felt his friend was lying, “Then why are you acting like the world is ending?”

“Really?”

Pang Yilong murmured, yes, for me, it’s like the end of the world, “Youzi, can I…”

Chen You’s phone vibrated in his pocket. He took it out to check the text message, “Hmm?”

The next moment, Pang Yilong had already hugged him.

Chen You hadn’t checked his text messages when his friend’s hug disrupted his thoughts, patting each other on the shoulder and putting their arm around each other’s necks was a common occurrence between them.

However, it has never been this tight before. Yes, it was so tight that Chen You was a little caught off guard.

“What are you doing? Damn it, I just bought this down jacket. If you dare to put your snot and tears on it, I’ll never forgive you.”

Before he could even push, Pang Yilong ran away, and ran incredibly fast, as if a mad dog was chasing after him.

The problem is, there were no mad dogs behind, only him.

Chen You pulled his jacket down further, wondering what was going on.

After that day, Pang Yilong never appeared in the group again, didn’t log into the game, didn’t go to his dormitory, and ignored his laptop and other belongings. It was unclear what he was doing.

Zheng Shuai and Wang Yao were both complaining in the group chat that they hadn’t even graduated yet, and Pang Yilong was already ignoring them.

Chen You typed: Maybe busy at home.

Zheng Shuai: No matter how busy you are, you can’t always stand someone up, right? That’s so unfair.

Wang Yao sent a mischievous emoji: Of course.

Pang Yilong arrived at the last dinner before the New Year, and he started drinking as soon as he sat down at the table.

Wang Yao has decided to go to the TV station, and he said there are several pretty girls in the office. Zheng Shuai is having a good time with the girl he met online, and they’ve already agreed that he’ll bring her home to meet his parents after graduation.

Chen You has a good relationship with Li Yan, his father’s health is not a big problem, and there’s no direct confrontation between Xiaojin and Laifu. Overall, he is living a pretty good life.

So the atmosphere at the dinner table should have been pleasant, but it wasn’t, and the reason lies with Pang Yilong.

The negativity, depression, decadence, and chaos emanating from him ruined the entire table of delicious food.

Chen You and the other two had asked him and tried to persuade him, but to no avail. They could only watch him drink himself to death.

Zheng Shuai, “I’ve never seen Old Pang like this before. Has his family gone bankrupt?”

Wang Yao, “No, he’s doing fine. I even saw a news report about his father today, about his investments.”

Chen You, “Was it caused by Ren Wu’s death?”

Zheng Shuai and Wang Yao both shook their heads. It can’t be that bad. Back when she was in the hospital, Old Pang was still playing games.

Pang Yilong stood up, reeking of alcohol, and said, “YouYouzi, help me to the restroom.”

Seeing that his friend was swaying and could fall while walking, Chen You helped him to the restroom.

Someone was urinating in the restroom, and left without washing their hands afterward.

Pang Yilong suddenly closed the door, the turbidity in his eyes receding, “Youzi, I’m sorry.”

This situation came suddenly, and Chen You was startled, “Don’t scare me! What did you do?”

Pang Yilong hung his head, “My thoughts are filthy, my heart is ugly, I am not human, fuck, I’m a beast.”

As he said this, there was a heavy breath in his throat, tinged with self-mockery.

At this moment, Chen You vaguely guessed a certain possibility. He did not intend to continue the topic. He only had three XiongDi and did not want to lose any of them, “Old Pang, didn’t you come to pee? If you keep nagging, you’ll wet your pants.”

Pang Yilong suddenly looked up and abruptly asked, “Youzi, are you?”

Chen You feigned ignorance, “What is it?”

Pang Yilong answered himself, “You are. I am really an idiot. You said it to me twice, and I thought you were joking. Haha, mine is a joke.”

Chen You had two causes of headache, the smell of the toilet and his Xiong Di’s wrong turn.

Pang Yilong was still talking, laughing as he spoke, “That time I saw the ring in the internet cafe, both sizes were men’s, and I was so stupid that I didn’t think of it that way. So you’ve been that kind of person for a long time.”

He looked at Chen You and said, “The other one is your boyfriend, right? The one who gave you a hickey?”

Chen You was completely confused, “A ring? What ring?”

Pang Yilong continued, lost in his own thoughts, “It’s that agent, it must be. His motives for getting you to shoot that ad weren’t pure, I should have realized it sooner…”

Chen You then seized on that previous point, “You’re saying I have a ring?”

Pang Yilong clutched his hair and muttered, “What else can I say? It’s all the same no matter what I say.”

As he spoke, he slid down to the ground and fell asleep.

“……”

Chen You then called Zheng Shuai and asked him to take Wang Yao to the restroom to get rid of Pang Yilong, send him home, and also mentioned the ring.

Zheng Shuai said, “Yes, there are two in total. You treasure them.”

Chen You took a breath, “I don’t remember anything at all.”

Zheng Shuai joked, “Youzi, have you lost your memory?”

Chen You said, “Are you kidding me? If I had amnesia, wouldn’t I know?”

That’s not right. He has amnesia, so naturally he wouldn’t know.

Zheng Shuai chuckled, “I think you’ve gone crazy in love.”

Chen You’s mind was in turmoil, “Why haven’t any of you talked to me about the ring?”

Zheng Shuai said, “Before, we would talk about it more than ten times a day, but you would never pay attention to it. You would either touch your ring and talk to yourself, or sigh and be very sad.”

Damn it, I can’t remember a single thing. A complication of depression? Chen You asked, “Do you know where I put the ring?”

Zheng Shuai said, “In the closet.”

Chen You ran back to his dorm and rummaged through the closet. He found two rings lying in the innermost corner.

With his chest heaving, Chen You stared at the rings for a long time before finally reaching into the wardrobe.

The touch is cold and hard, it’s not an illusion.

Chen You stared at the aesthetic ring, trying to unearth forgotten fragments of memory.

But it really didn’t exist. He thought about it until his head was splitting, but it was no use.

Chen You tried putting the ring, which was a size too small, on his ring finger, and to his surprise, it fit perfectly. He murmured, “When did I buy this ring…”

Who is the ring that’s a size bigger for?

Chen You quickly searched online and found information that said certain stimuli could lead to selective amnesia.

Is he one of those cases?

Then Chen You remembered something, so he took a taxi back to Li Yan’s place and, without saying a word, put a ring that was much larger on Li Yan’s ring finger.

Not too loose, not too tight, just right.

Chen You was stunned.

Li Yan was more or less the same, “This ring…”

His voice trailed off, not because he didn’t want to speak, but because he didn’t know where to begin or what to say.

A drop of warm liquid landed on the back of his hand. Li Yan looked up and saw that the young man’s face was covered in tears.

Chen You waved away the man’s outstretched hand and sat down on the sofa, “Don’t worry about me. I don’t know what happened either. My eyes are watery.”

He propped his head up with his hand, tears streaming down his face uncontrollably.

Did his depression worsen unintentionally? Come to think of it, he hasn’t been taking his medication lately.

Li Yan walked over, pinched the young man’s chin, and wiped his face with a handkerchief, “Alright, stop crying.”

Chen You said no, “Wait a little longer, I haven’t finished crying yet.”

A dark shadow appeared between Li Yan’s brows as he pulled the young man into his arms and patted him gently.

Chen You could cry whenever he wanted, and stop crying just as easily, once the floodgates were closed in his eyes, he was fine.

He went to wash his face, “Mr. Li, could you find me a doctor?”

Li Yan raised an eyebrow, “What for?”

Chen You said, “I may have lost some memories.”

He raised a hand and pointed to the ring on his ring finger, “About this.”

Li Yan said, “Didn’t you buy this?”

“I bought them.” Chen You said, “The one you have is the same. These two are a pair, but I can’t remember when I bought them.”

Li Yan was silent for a few moments, then said, “Think about it slowly.”

Chen You said, “About the doctor…”

Li Yan said, “I will make an appointment, but you have to think about it yourself.”

Chen You said he understood, and then he reached for the ring on the man’s hand, saying, “This ring is silver, it doesn’t suit you.”

Li Yan said, “It suits.”

Watching the man’s retreating figure as he went upstairs, Chen You twitched his lips then thought, forget it, let it be, wear it, he will wear it too. Maybe then he’ll remember.

Chen You turned on the computer and played some music. The song that the stranger had mentioned came to mind, 《The Fireworks of Last Winter》.

“Is this the name?” He thought, searching online on a whim, and sure enough, it appeared.

Chen You has a habit, when he wants to listen to a new song, he will look up the lyrics as soon as possible and listen to them line by line. Doing so makes him more immersed in the song.

After listening to 《The Fireworks of Last Winter》 once, Chen You clicked his tongue and said, it’s really nice. The lyrics are just so-so, like a dialogue.

After listening to it a second time, Chen You started listening to it a third time, “Mr. Li, get me a bag of potato chips.”

Li Yan’s voice came through, “Only sausages.”

“There’s ham sausages? King of Kings brand?” Chen You turned his head with great joy, then slammed the mouse down the next moment.

Holy crap, can you even do this right? Is that a sausage you’re holding? The color is way off, it’s expired!

Where is the basic integrity of being a human being?

Chen You turned his head away, “I don’t want sausages, and potato chips won’t either. Sandwich cookies, pork jerky, or beef jerky will do.”

Li Yan said, “Ham sausage or grilled sausage, choose one.”

Chen You snorted, “I choose to go hungry.”

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Chapter 170. Dating

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Arc 9: Real World.

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【Ding, scan complete. 0 viruses detected. Do you need to do a full scan again? 】

【Yes】

Ren Wu lowered her eyelids, her face expressionless, and she entered a strange state.

Seeing that Ren Wu was completely still, as if frozen in time, the agent reached out and pushed her, saying, “What are you doing standing here like a wooden stake? Let’s go.”

A few seconds later, Ren Wu lifted her eyelids, and both eyes were completely black, with no whites. Her manager was so frightened that he held his breath. He shook his head and looked again, and the whites of her eyes were back, “Damn, I’m seeing a ghost in broad daylight!”

Ren Wu turned around and frowned as she looked at the person who was almost at the corner.

“Alright, hurry up, Grandma, you still have to go to the next film set.” The agent also craned his neck to take a look, “You’d better not even think about Li Yan. There are countless people in the industry who have been watching him all these years, and no one has benefitted at all.”

He said that a few years ago, so-and-so faked a fall at a banquet in an attempt to get close to Li Yan. As a result, she was unlucky and her dress ripped in the back, exposing herself on the floor of the hall. Many guests took pictures with their phones, and it even made the headlines. Although so-and-so became famous later, that incident still became a black mark on her reputation.

Ren Wu took two steps, then stopped moving again, and screen text appeared in the void. 【Ding! The software has encountered an error. Do you want to restart now, or wait a bit? 】

She responded 【Restart immediately 】

The next moment, Ren Wu fell forward, but her agent caught her in time, called her assistant and staff, and put her in the dressing room. Just as they were about to call an ambulance, she woke up.

The agent breathed a sigh of relief, “How are you feeling?”

Ren Wu said she was fine. When her agent asked why she fainted, she said it was because of low blood sugar.

The agent asked her assistant to get Ren Wu some juice, and seeing that Ren Wu was in a daze, he said, “Ren Wu, I feel like you’ve been acting really strange ever since you met Li Yan.”

Ren Wu smiled and said, “That’s normal.”

The agent thought about it and agreed. If he were a woman, he would also be captivated by Li Yan, who was rich and powerful, and has an appearance better than that of actors in the industry. He was not close to women, a rare gem.

On the other side, Chen You was held very tightly by Li Yan, his chest ached and he could hardly breathe. He had just opened his mouth, but before he could utter a sound, he was kissed so passionately that the world seemed to collapse and the earth cracked.

“I…I’m almost dying…”

With intermittent gasps for breath, Chen You desperately tried to breathe in the thin air. He ran his hands through Li Yan’s dark hair, making the hair that had been combed back of his head look messy.

Stepping back a few paces, Li Yan brushed the young man’s glistening lips with the pad of his thumb. His face was pale, but his expression was excellent, one might even call it joy, like a general returning victorious from a battle.

Chen You thought he had come back to life. The man’s face drew closer, and all he could see in his vision again were two rows of long, curly eyelashes. Again?

Holy crap! I don’t need to eat lunch, I’ll just eat some saliva and be full.

When Hu Wei knocked on the door and came in, Chen You was slumped in a chair, hiccuping. He had no idea how it happened. It was very sudden. Just as he was getting intimate with Li Yan, a hiccup came out of his mouth, and he immediately went limp with fright.

However, his softening didn’t have much of an impact, because Li Yan was simply in charge of handling everything.

Then things got really intense. Chen You kept hiccuping as he continued, and Li Yan became even more excited. He was like a madman when he got going, and his perverted tendencies were constantly evolving and impossible to count. It was terrifying.

After entering, Hu Wei didn’t ask any questions. He sensed the smell in the air and left. He went directly to discuss with the director about rescheduling Chen You’s two scenes that afternoon to tomorrow. The director had no objections, since the investors were paying for it anyway.

“Mr. Li didn’t say anything else, did he?”

“No.” Hu Wei loosened his collar and said to the director, “Shoot first, then check in post-production. If any shots are not suitable, delete them. Don’t be reluctant to cut them.”

The director was a sensible person, he said, “I understand.”

Hu Wei patted the director on the shoulder and said, “There’s still a little over a month left. Just keep your guard up and it’ll be over soon.”

In the break room, Chen You was hiccuping uncontrollably. A bottle of water was handed to him, and after hiccuping twice, he took it, unscrewed the cap, and gulped down several mouthfuls of water. It didn’t help, he was still hiccuping.

Li Yan leaned back in his chair and scrolled through his phone. After a moment, he went to get Chen You a glass of warm water and told him to follow the steps online.

Chen You did as instructed, drank a few sips of warm water, swallowed them slowly, and then did the 90-degree bend over motion. He counted in his mind and did it a hundred times in one go.

Hiccups are not fatal, but incessant hiccups are.

Li Yan reached out and brushed the stray hairs from the young man’s forehead, staring at his eyebrows and eyes, noticing the beauty mark at the corner of his eye, seemingly lost in thought.

Chen You looked up, his eyes still red. He cried while being violated, not because he was weak, but because the man was too rough. The more he begged for mercy, the more violent the other person became. It was so depressing that it was impossible for the other person to say or do something like, “Crying? Then I won’t do it anymore.”

Now, almost every time he sees the person, he experiences three symptoms in sequence, first, his legs go weak, then, his heart races, and finally, he feels itchy. These are the so-called aftereffects.

So, a little bit of fun is fine, but too much is harmful to your health, it’s really not advisable.

Chen You’s thoughts were pulled back by a slight pain on his forehead. He frowned and glared at him defiantly, damn it, why did you flick my forehead for no reason?

Li Yan did not answer. He rolled up the sleeves of both of the young man’s hands to reveal the cinnabar birthmarks, which were in very close positions, both on the wrists near the pulse points.

Chen You was a little confused when he saw the man kissing his wrist. Then it hurt. His birthmark had been bitten on both sides. He couldn’t figure out what was wrong with the other person. The fact that he wasn’t emitting any dark energy meant that everything was fine.

As they were leaving, Li Yan tried to carry Chen You on his back, but Chen You stopped him. Absolutely not! If anyone saw him on the other person’s back, the public opinion would be in an uproar by tomorrow. People would use their imaginations to embellish the story, and by the time it reached his father, it might be that Chen You was being sexually exploited by a wealthy businessman, shamelessly clinging to a rich man’s coattails, and selling his body before even graduating from university. And that wasn’t even the worst of it, if it really happened, the language would be incredibly vulgar.

Before Li Yan would take action, the news would have already spread. In a big forest, there are all kinds of birds, and there will always be one or two who will do stupid things or be unaware of their own mortality.

If Li Yan were to publicly announce their relationship and come out as gay, it would be good, as they wouldn’t have to hide it anymore, but… His father would be furious.

Chen You felt a chill run down his spine. The situation was difficult. Why didn’t he have a Didi or Meimei?

His nose was pinched, making it difficult to breathe, and the man’s voice was in his ear, “When are you planning to tell your dad about us?”

Chen You, “…” He had the illusion that his girlfriend was complaining about him, as if he was a scumbag who only enjoyed his girlfriend’s tenderness and did not consider their future.

“You know about my dad’s brain hemorrhage surgery. The doctor said he couldn’t be stimulated.”

Li Yan groaned, “So?”

Chen You opened his mouth to breathe, so, I don’t know either. I admit that my idea was unrealistic. I just wanted the best of both worlds, for the whole family to be reunited. But I really can’t lose either side.

One is his only father, and the other is the only person he loves. Both are important, and he doesn’t want to see them have a falling out, or have to resort to the melodramatic situation of having to choose between them.

Li Yan said, “Chen You, being a filial son and being with me are not in conflict.”

It’s a huge conflict, a really big one! My dad is now counting on me to marry a female classmate and give him a big, fat grandson, Chen You sighed heavily.

Li Yan said, “I’ll handle it.”

Chen You suddenly looked at the man, “Mr. Li, what are you going to do?”

“I know what I’m doing.” Li Yan withdrew his fingers from the young man’s nose and instead pinched his cheek, “After a while, once I’ve resolved one issue, I’ll talk to your dad then.”

Chen You glanced, unable to picture the scene of their conversation, the outcome seemed ominous.

Without saying another word, Li Yan extended an index finger and pressed it against Chen You’s nose.

Chen You instantly transformed from a handsome guy into a pig, “…”

He suddenly remembered something, “Mr. Li, did you see Ren Wu when you came over just now?”

Li Yan remained calm, “I saw her.”

Chen You said, “I asked others, and only I can smell the fragrance on her. Even her boyfriend, Old Pang, can’t smell it. Isn’t that strange?”

He started talking to himself, pouring out all the doubts he’d had for the past two weeks. He couldn’t talk to anyone else about it, so he’d been keeping it all bottled up inside, almost to the point of making himself sick, “Also, she’s a singer, she’d never acted before, and she’s not a professional actress. This is her first film, just like mine. But from the very first day of filming, she was like a Golden Horse Award winner. Her grasp of the character’s expressions and movements was impeccable. I don’t think it’s a matter of talent…”

“Mr. Li, I’ve said a bit too much. Are you not annoyed?”

Li Yan said he wasn’t annoyed, and even adopted a patient posture, waiting to hear what was to come.

Seeing this, Chen You continued, recounting all the little details of his interactions with Ren Wu. For example, Ren Wu would occasionally exhibit strange behavior, such as not being able to hear him no matter how he called her, remaining motionless as if on standby. He also mentioned their many shared interests, as if they were a clone of each other.

Li Yan smiled enigmatically, “If you have common topics, you’ll definitely get along very well.”

Chen You’s eyelids twitched. “Mr. Li, you don’t mind, do you?”

Slightly bending down, Li Yan’s nose was almost touching the young man’s. Instead of answering, he asked, “What do you think?”

Chen You straightened the man’s suit jacket, saying, “You certainly won’t mind.”

The smile on Li Yan’s lips vanished abruptly, “I mind.”

Looking at the man who could change face any moment, Chen You, “……”

He pinched a patch of skin on the young man’s neck, then glanced at his watch, it was past midnight, “You go out first and wait for me on xx Road.”

Chen You put on his military green jacket, wrapped the scarf around his neck twice, opened the door, peeked out and looked left and right. There was no one in the corridor. He casually put his earphones in his ears, put his hands in his jacket pockets, pretended to listen to music, and left without looking back.

The surveillance cameras in the corridor outside the lounge were compromised, so no one will know what happened during that time.

Chen You waited by the roadside. When the car arrived, he got in, pulled out his earphones, and stuffed them into his pocket, “Mr. Li, where are we going now?”

Li Yan turned the steering wheel, “A date.”

A date? Chen You turned his head sharply to make sure the other person wasn’t joking. He said, “You don’t look too well. Aren’t you going home to rest?”

Li Yan said, “No need.”

Chen You turned his face back and ran his hand over his jeans. He knew that this man had been hiding something from him during his more than two-week business trip, and the sad thing was that he couldn’t help him at all.

Ai, he should try to make money. The card the other party casually gave him has a lot of zeros in it, more than he could earn in his entire life as an ordinary white-collar worker. As for buying a house and a car, the other party has several garages, and the house is so big that it would be difficult to find a housekeeper or servant.

How can he possibly get this done? It’s truly impossible.

If it were someone else, they would be so ashamed that they would shrink into their crotch. Although Chen You was shameless, he was under a lot of pressure. Who would want to be a pet every day, being taken care of by someone else? He watched his parents argue, make up, and argue again, and he came to a conclusion, in a marriage, only when the couple is economically independent can they be independent in personality, and their status in the family will also undergo a dramatic change.

So, I still need to save up some money as soon as possible. Chen You secretly made up his mind that after the movie was finished, he would divide all the remuneration into two parts, one part to his father as an expense for recuperation, and the other part to save.

Li Yan glanced at the young man out of the corner of his eye, “You’re fine as you are now.”

Chen You was taken aback. How did this man know what he was thinking? Was it written all over his face? He swallowed hard, tilted his head to look out the window, and after a while, he curled up the corners of his mouth and hummed a song, looking happy.

Dating is all about routines, and going to the movies is the first step in that routine.

Chen You and Li Yan didn’t follow the second step of the usual routine, choosing a horror movie to gain attention.

The problem is that the movie is from abroad, and the two main characters speak English.

Chen You struggled to read the subtitles, unable to lose focus to keep up with the plot. But the sounds of a young couple in front of him kissing were even more intimate than in the movies. He glanced over, his eyes widening – holy fuck! Wasn’t that Old Shuai?

In the front row, Zheng Shuai was kissing a girl he met online. This was their third date, and instead of the relationship ending badly, they felt an instant connection and regretted not asking the other out sooner.

On their first date, they didn’t do anything except have a meal. Zheng Shuai paid for it, and the girl he met bought him a coffee before leaving, telling him to go home early and not to catch a cold.

After a pleasant first meeting, Zheng Shuai and the girl he met online quickly went on their second date. As usual, they had dinner together, but this time they didn’t go home immediately. Instead, they strolled around together, chatting about high school, college, and even kindergarten. Finally, they found an opportunity to hold hands.

The third time is like this.

Zheng Shuai didn’t notice Chen You. In his eyes, ears, and world, there was only the online girl, who was also his first love, and the two had just started dating.

The movie had been playing for over ten minutes, and the kissing hadn’t stopped. Chen You twitched his lips. Who would believe it, that Old Shuai’s lung capacity was this good? The girl was just as good. The two of them were even more enthusiastic and got excited here.

Not only Zheng Shuai’s side, but also the side at the nine o’clock direction, when the movie theme song started playing, beautiful and tender, all the couples in the audience were filled with pink bubbles. People in love always have a kind of idealistic color of “I hope world peace lasts forever”.

Chen You hesitated, wondering if he should follow suit and secretly give his man a kiss. A weight settled on his shoulder as the man leaned closer, his eyes closed, “Mr. Li?”

No response, asleep.

Chen You rolled his eyes. For some people, watching a movie is like sleeping in a different place. No problem.

As the movie ended, Zheng Shuai’s close-fitting cotton pants were a little damp, but fortunately, he was wearing many layers in winter, including thermal underwear and long pants, so it wasn’t noticeable. He solemnly led the girl he met online away, unaware that Chen You had witnessed the whole thing behind them.

When Li Yan woke up, his phoenix eyes turned into double eyelids, which amused Chen You. Every time he saw it, he laughed. He had never seen anyone like this before. It wasn’t just when he was sleeping, whenever he was uncomfortable, his eyes would turn into double eyelids.

Li Yan rubbed his temples and said helplessly, “Is it that funny?”

Chen You smiled and nodded, “Mr. Li, please wait a moment, let me take a picture of it for you…”

His phone was taken away, and the man’s ears turned slightly red, he was embarrassed.

Chen You still hadn’t taken a single photo before Li Yan’s eyes returned to single eyelids. What a pity, he was thinking that if he had taken one, he could take it out and look at it from time to time.

As is customary, after watching the movie, the next step is to eat.

Chen You and Li Yan had just sat down at the restaurant when Lin Fuxing made a phone call, saying he was nearby. Before long, there was another person at the table, and their time together was over.

Lin Fuxing took a sip of water and said that he found a small snake at the entrance of the hospital this morning. He also said that the snake was golden. He didn’t throw it away and is keeping it at the hospital for the time being. He doesn’t know what to do with it.

Chen You asked Lin Fuxing for the photos to look at, and after just one glance, he said, “I want it.”

He turned to look at the man, unusually serious, with a hint of pleading, “Mr. Li, I want this little golden snake.”

Li Yan said, “Okay.”

Lin Fuxing, “…” Did I say I agreed? Are you two treating me like I don’t exist? I came here to eat steak, not to eat dog food. Can you please not give me extra food?

Obviously not. Once he is at this table, he has to eat the dog food, whether he wants to or not.

Soon, Lin Fuxing regretted coming to join the table. The two people opposite him, one big and one small, were just each other, and they were showering him with displays of affection that never stopped.

Li Yan doted on the young man, Lin Fuxing knew that, but he found that the level of doting had increased again. If this continued, the two of them would definitely get married before he even got his marriage certificate.

The man hadn’t touched a woman for thirty years, but one day he suddenly encountered one, and from then on he was hooked. It was like stepping into a swamp, he quickly became deeply involved, without resisting or struggling, which was exactly what he wanted.

The little snake was in Chen You’s hands. It coiled around his fingers three or four times, its cool touch on his skin was indescribable in the dead of winter. He looked at the golden snake’s body and said, “It’s really beautiful.”

Lin Fuxing delivered the snake, along with some supplies and instructions on how to care for it, “If the snake or the puppy have any problem, you can come to me. There’s no need for yours. I’m just an old bachelor, there’s nothing I can do to help.”

He glanced at the young man looking at the snake, then at the young man’s friend, paused slightly, shook his head, and walked away.

That evening, after settling the little golden snake in, Chen You took a shower and lay in bed. He then posted some lovey-dovey emojis in the group chat, saying that he was watching a movie on the third floor of xxx Plaza that day, and that a couple in front of him had been kissing for almost the entire movie.

Zheng Shuai: …Damn it.

Wang Yao dug deep and found out everything. Zheng Shuai posted photos of a girl he met online. She was very cute, innocent, and fair-skinned. She looked like a good girl. He wondered how he managed to get her.

Zheng Shuai said that developing online friendships into real-life relationships wasn’t as bad as he imagined, and even suggested that Wang Yao, the remaining single guy in the dorm, should give it a try. He added that one can’t predict fate, and who knows where it might be waiting for them.

Just as Chen You was about to close the group chat, Pang Yilong came online and posted an emoji of someone collapsing and vomiting blood. He probably saw the chat history and knew that Zheng Shuai was no longer single. He immediately perked up and started teasing him relentlessly. While sharing his experience, he also promoted that brand of T. Anyone who didn’t know better would think he made a living by advertising.

After chatting in the group for a while, Pang Yilong messaged Chen You privately, asking if he knew anything about Ren Wu’s situation, as he couldn’t reach her by phone and she wasn’t at her apartment.

Chen You typed back: I don’t know. We parted ways after filming our last scene together this morning. I hope nothing bad has happened.

Pang Yilong replied with a split smoking emoji: We’ll talk about it tomorrow. You should go to sleep early. I’m going to look at some documents. Damn it, my dad wants me to write some kind of business plan. It’s so annoying.

Chen You sent another emoji of someone pumping air: Look for related things online, maybe a white light will appear and ideas will flow like a spring. I’m logging off now, let’s chat later.

He tossed his phone onto the bedside table, hooked his leg under the covers, snuggled deeper into the blankets, rolled over, and nestled against the man. He propped his legs up on the blankets, grabbed the other person, okay, this is the position.

Li Yan’s voice was hoarse, “Don’t you want to sleep?”

Chen You quickly loosened his grip, and even boldly patted his little head, hugged him with both hands, and murmured, “Goodnight, my darling.”

Li Yan heard this and chuckled, “How about a goodnight kiss?”

Chen You，“……”

Haha, forget it. Last time he was excited before bed and gave me a late-night kiss, going right down his throat. He was about to fall asleep and had even drunk half a glass of milk.

The next day, Chen You got up to go see the little golden snake and feed water to it.

The yellow puppy was in a bad mood when a little guy who couldn’t walk and could only crawl around came along. It was slippery, but his little owner liked it very much and doted on it, ignoring him completely. Usually, the owner would call him “Laifu” (a play on words, meaning good fortune), but today he didn’t even glance at him.

The yellow puppy’s dad was also in a bad mood.

He had already restrained himself, letting a puppy cuddle with the young man, but now there’s a snake, which is even more audacious than the puppy, and is now crawling directly into the young man’s clothes.

The man and the puppy sat in opposite corners of the sofa, both looking in the same direction.

Chen You was stroking the little golden snake, muttering about what name to give it, “How about I call you Xiaojin? Do you like that?”

The little golden snake was wrapped around his index finger, but it wasn’t very lively, perhaps because of the season.

Chen You then turned the air conditioner up two degrees and said to the yellow puppy, “Laifu, come here and say hello to your Didi.”

When the yellow puppy heard its owner calling it, it happily let out a howl, jumped off the sofa, and ran over wagging its tail.

Chen You squatted down, pointed to the snake on his finger for the yellow puppy to see, “This is Didi, why don’t you two shake hands and be friends, okay?”

The yellow puppy barks, No way! It doesn’t want to be friends with this little thing!

Chen You patted its head, “Don’t be like that. You’ll be less bored with a companion. And when you grow up, you can take your Didi out to play, chase butterflies and the sunset. Don’t you think that’s wonderful?”

Not interested, the yellow puppy lay on the ground and chewed on Chen You’s slippers.

Chen You had no choice but to say, “Then promise your Gege you won’t bully your Didi. It’s not a man’s job to bully the younger one.”

The yellow puppy stopped chewing on the slipper, looked up at the snake on its owner’s finger, let out a warning wheeze, and barked loudly, “Woof!”

The little golden snake remained listless, ignoring it.

Chen You laughed heartily, feeling that his life was complete with these two adorable children. He didn’t know why, but he was just happy and content.

On the sofa, the dog’s dad, completely ignored, started reading the newspaper.

The maid prepared breakfast and then went off to do other things, she couldn’t be found, and the butler wasn’t there either.

Only Li Yan’s family of four lived in the hall. He has a young man, and the young man has a dog and a snake.

Before 7:30, Chen You went to the set, where Li Yan was also there.

Last night, Chen You reviewed the script and even rehearsed his lines with himself. However, when filming started, Chen You was still very nervous. He mispronounced his lines several times and apologized to the actor playing the car dealership owner. He then went to get the script and tried to memorize it, desperately trying to find the right feeling.

It’s all Li Yan’s fault, standing there like a giant billboard, and he can’t help but look at him.

Hu Wei coughed and said, “Li Ge, Chen You is usually a good actor. Today, he probably wanted to perform even better because you were here, but it turned out to be a complete mess.”

Li Yan said, “I don’t expect him to achieve much in the entertainment industry.”

This answer was both unexpected and expected by Hu Wei: “Then you…”

Li Yan looked at the young man who was frowning and reciting his lines, his gaze gentle, as if he were looking at his own possession, “Whatever he wants to do, I will remove the obstacles for him and let him do it.”

For some reason, Hu Wei suddenly remembered a book he had read during his school days, which was quite inappropriate at this moment. The reason why it left such a deep impression on him was that the content of that book overturned his worldview and left an indelible mark on his ignorant years.

The book is titled “Urban Romance,” and it unfolds from the male protagonist’s perspective. He had a girlfriend, and the two had a very good relationship.

The male protagonist was always willing to grant the female protagonist’s every wish. He said affectionately, “Whatever I have, you can have it.” The female protagonist was touched, and their relationship became more and more stable. On the day their wedding was approaching, the female protagonist said that her current life was not what she wanted. She was tired of the life that was arranged for her and said that she felt like a bird in a cage.

The sweet, loving scenes were gone. The male protagonist couldn’t tolerate the female protagonist’s resistance and escape. His desire for control and possessiveness become twisted, and he locks the female protagonist in the house, preventing her from going out and cutting her off from contact with the outside world.

One day, when a friend came to visit, the female protagonist took the opportunity to escape, but the male protagonist caught her and blinded her.

The ending is that the male protagonist kills the female protagonist, cuts, kicks off the flesh and blood, stir it, grinds it into pieces, mixes it into mud, and makes several mud dolls to display in the room.

Hu Wei broke out in a cold sweat. After so many years, he still hadn’t seen any book that could surpass the content of that one from back then and take the top spot. There was no air conditioning on set, and it was very cold. He shivered.

Li Yan embodies the spirit of the male protagonist in the book. If you love me and are willing to stay with me, then I can give you the whole world. But if you want to run away or give up, I will destroy the whole world that has you in it.

However, Chen You burst into tears the first time he met Li Yan, his eyes filled with intense emotions, as if he had known Li Yan for lifetimes. He seemed to have long been accustomed to Li Yan’s control and did not resent it, so the ending should be good.

After Hu Wei finished agonizing over it, Chen You’s scene was over.

After filming the car dealership scene, the next scene was a murder scene. The set was an interior scene, and according to the original script, the scene was set at night and on a rainy day. However, since the weather forecast showed that there would be no rain for the next few days, the crew decided to create artificial rain.

Chen You changed into the black raincoat prepared by the costume team, pulling the hood up so that the shadow cast by the brim covered his eyebrows and eyes. The look was fine, but he lacked the aura of killing.

Killing a chicken or a fish is commonplace for him, but killing a person is something he’s never even dreamed of. He doesn’t know how to handle the psychological changes involved.

If Li Yan were covered in blood, he wouldn’t even need to act, the moment he held the knife, he would be a killer.

Chen You’s filming didn’t go smoothly. The first time, he didn’t use the gun properly, which was a mistake. The second time, he didn’t stick the blood pack in the right place for another actor, which was incredibly embarrassing. In the following few times, his performance was also off.

When the director yelled “cut,” Chen You went to Li Yan to ask for advice.

Li Yan said, “I have never killed anyone.”

Chen You, “…” Why is there no credibility to your words at all? It feels like you’re blatantly lying.

He flipped through the script, looking worried, and said, “How can I get into character?”

Li Yan stroked his fingers, which had slight calluses, “Your character is different from ordinary murderers. It’s because your whole family was murdered when you were young, and the misfortune caused psychological distortion. It’s a premeditated revenge, not just a simple venting of anger.”

Chen You nodded, “Go on.”

Li Yan raised an eyebrow. “I think he wouldn’t be hysterical when he killed someone, but rather very happy, even excited.”

Chen You quickly glanced at the script. What the man said was exactly the same as what was written in the script. He clicked his tongue and asked, “And then? What else do you think they’ll do?”

Li Yan’s gaze shifted to the void, “If it were me, I would first stab the other person in the neck with a knife, then watch him bleed profusely while laughing and kicking him, listening to him beg for mercy at my feet like a dog. Doesn’t that sound wonderful?”

Chen You swallowed hard, it was a perfect match, “Mr. Li, have you read the script?”

Li Yan shook his head, “I haven’t seen it.”

Chen You shrugged, ai my Shu, you’re awesome.

He went to a corner to compose himself before rehearsing his scene with the actor who played the drunkard.

When filming started after everyone had rested, Chen You was in the right state. However, when the drunkard had a problem and his drunken walk wasn’t convincing enough, the director stepped in and acted it out himself, then discussed it with the actor.

They kept shooting back and forth like this. Either Chen You wasn’t good enough, or the other actor’s emotional delivery wasn’t right. The point where the two of them would explode just wouldn’t come through. It was very troublesome, and it took more than two hours to get it right.

To save time, the director added an extra take, which was the first meeting between the senior and junior students.

The attraction is on the street, and there are many pedestrians craning their necks to watch. Although there are no famous actors, watching a film being shot is lively enough, and it’s easy to post it on social media.

The script says that the junior student broke up with her boyfriend and lost her job selling mobile phones at a large supermarket because of her complicated feelings for the senior student. She is currently sending out resumes. She wants to go to the senior student’s company, but she is afraid that it will be awkward if she sees him.

This time, the two met by chance on the street. There were no lines, the entire scene relied on the expressive eyes when their gazes met.

Ren Wu plays the junior student, and she was already fully prepared even before Chen You got into character.

Chen You was hopping. It was freezing cold, and the north wind was blowing hard. He was very afraid of the cold, and he was wearing a thin white shirt with the top two buttons undone and the cuffs rolled up to his forearms. He was freezing to death.

Hu Wei asked the staff for two hand warmers, and Chen You put one on his chest and one on his back, waiting for them to heat up.

Ren Wu came over and joked, “I’m wearing a dress, but I’m not as cold as you.”

Chen You rubbed his hands together, DaJie, I can’t compare to you. I saw it long ago. You’re not an ordinary person. You’re from Mars. You can generate your own electricity and heat.

The director was accompanying Li Yan, praising the show to the sky and predicting how many views it would get after its premiere.

Li Yan’s gaze fell on the young man, not caring about the ratings. Just like Hu Wei said, he didn’t care if he lost money on every show he invested in.

Li Yan was present in every scene that followed.

Others thought the investor was interested in the film, but actually he was interested in his own wife.

Strangely, every time Chen You finished filming with Ren Wu, Li Yan would call him over, and then leave without a word, not knowing what he was up to.

More than a month later, filming wrapped up, and the main cast members invited each other to dinner. One of them was the one who played the role of detective, the senior student’s XiongDi. Chen You was going to leave with Li Yan, so he said he wouldn’t go, “You guys have fun.”

Unexpectedly, he and Li Yan ran into Ren Wu, and the atmosphere became quite awkward.

Chen You didn’t know how to explain having dinner alone with the investor. Ren Wu had already opened her mouth, holding back, simply saying, “Chen You, I didn’t expect to run into you and Mr. Li here.”

He secretly glanced at the man and was surprised that the man didn’t exude any dark energy or have a stern face, he didn’t seem to be hostile.

So the three of them ate at one table.

Chen You felt that the atmosphere around him was strange, but he didn’t know why. It wasn’t the smell of vinegar. He was thinking about something and didn’t feel comfortable eating. Not long after, he got up and went to the bathroom.

Only Li Yan and Ren Wu remained at the table, eating their food without exchanging a word.

【Ding, software error, error code 2020, force close. 】

【Restart. 】

In the blink of an eye, Ren Wu dropped her knife and fork. She wiped her mouth with a tissue, “Mr. Li, I have something to attend to, so I’ll be leaving now. Please tell Chen You.”

Li Yan nodded.

After leaving the restaurant, Ren Wu walked laboriously to the park and sat on a bench to rest for a long time before she recovered. She took a taxi back to her apartment and sensed a murderous aura about ten meters away from the apartment complex.

With a furrowed brow, Ren Wu quickened her pace, but a sudden, sharp pain shot through the back of her neck. She swayed and collapsed to the ground.

A black leather shoe and black trousers emerged from the shadows, followed by a tall figure with an expressionless face.

Li Yan turned off the electric shock and hit Ren Wu’s head with a baton. He continued to strike her head repeatedly, the sound of the baton hitting her head being exceptionally clear in the silent surroundings.

A strange thing happened, there wasn’t a drop of blood on Ren Wu’s head.

Li Yan gripped the stun baton, and he chuckled softly, a chilling sound, “Just as I thought…”

【Ding! Warning! An unknown level of virus has invaded. Please immediately activate one-click removal to prevent the virus from damaging the program. 】

【Ding! One-click removal is ineffective against viruses. The program has been corrupted. Force uninstallation is requested. 】

【Ding! The virus has spread widely, and the program has completely crashed. 】

More than an hour later, a passerby saw the woman lying on the ground, called out to her twice but received no response, and then quickly called the police.

Ren Wu remained unconscious, but all her physical indicators were normal, and the cause of her coma could not be found.

Chen You only found out about the news this morning while he was still on the toilet, and he hurriedly notified Pang Yilong, “Have you seen the report? Ren Wu is in the hospital.”

Pang Yilong was sleeping and said he didn’t see it, “I’ll check it out in a bit and see what’s going on.”

Chen You also went. He asked Li Yan, who didn’t object and even considerately arranged for the driver to take him to the hospital, saying, “Come back early and don’t wander around outside.”

“Okay.”

Chen You hugged Li Yan’s neck, kissed him on the cheek and lips, then put on his down jacket and went out.

Li Yan got up, took a coat from the wardrobe, stood in front of the mirror, slowly and methodically buttoned it up, smoothed out the wrinkles at the collar, and smiled silently as he curled the corners of his lips.

The fog was very thick today, and visibility was low. Chen You and Pang Yilong met at the hospital, and both of them looked like they hadn’t woken up yet.

It’s understandable that Chen You is alright, since his relationship with Ren Wu is at most that of friends who get along well. But it’s unreasonable for Pang Yilong, as her current boyfriend, to be so indifferent.

When they entered the ward, the nurse had just taken Ren Wu’s temperature and said it was normal and there was no problem.

Ren Wu lay on the bed, with no visible wounds on her body. It didn’t seem like she had suffered some kind of fear that had caused her to be greatly traumatized and fall into a coma, as netizens had speculated. She seemed to be asleep.

Pang Yilong exhaled white breath, “Youzi, does Ren Wu have family?”

Chen You was speechless, “Old Pang, your question doesn’t make sense. You’re her boyfriend, and if you don’t know, how would I know?”

“What logic is this? I don’t know.” Pang Yilong scratched his head, “Who paid for the medical expenses?”

Chen You said, “The report said that the doctor contacted the last number she dialed, which was her agent. I guess that’s who paid for the medication, otherwise, it would have been someone else.”

Pang Yilong was silent for a moment, then reached out to touch Ren Wu’s face, “Don’t you think she looks like a porcelain doll?”

Chen You’s mouth twitched slightly, “A little.”

Pang Yilong said, “To be honest, Youzi, she’s similar to you in many ways. Sometimes, when I’m with her, I think it’s you, which scares me so much that I almost fainted on the spot.”

Chen You’s expression immediately turned strange. He wanted to ask something, but he didn’t ask anything. He looked again, hoping that he was just overthinking things.

Pang Yilong went to the nurses’ station, gave them his number, and said he was the boyfriend of the patient in ward 5b06. He told them to contact him directly if she needed anything, and that he would take care of her medical expenses.

That’s done quite well.

Shortly after Chen You and Pang Yilong left, a man wearing a white coat and a mask pushed open the door and closed it behind him.

The man walked to the hospital bed, leaned down, and placed his palm on Ren Wu’s head. After a moment, he removed his hand, “The newly developed software, while killing KM, also accelerated its evolution. This is troublesome.”

It’s unclear who he was referring to, the man only uttered one sentence in a magnetic voice.

In less than two seconds, a large screen appeared in front of the man, displaying several different icons. He pointed to the first icon, and a pop-up window appeared, indicating that a file was missing.

The man frowned, and his finger tapped something on the screen, prompting a message that it was under repair. A second later, a transparent progress bar appeared, connecting the screen to the woman on the hospital bed.

The progress bar was over 50%, the elevator door at one end of the corridor opened, and someone walked out, heading towards the ward they had come to.

Pang Yilong, who had returned, stood at the door of the ward, looking around strangely. He pushed the door open, but there was no one there, “Damn, this hospital is really weird…”

On the street behind the hospital, a man who had taken off his white coat and was wearing a black overcoat walked with his head down. The road, pedestrians, and vehicles behind him were all reflected in his pupils, including the person following behind him.

The man was still wearing a mask, which he had changed from a medical mask to one for smog protection, leaving only his eyes visible. His eyes seemed to encompass everything in the world. He quickened his pace, crossed the road, and disappeared behind a building.

The man suddenly stopped and looked at a figure not far away, who had been waiting for him there all along.

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Chapter 169. Very Jealous

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Arc 9: Real World.

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The night was long.

In a daze, Chen You stretched his legs and found his hands empty, the big Li Yan he had been holding was gone. He reached under the covers to feel around, but found nothing, only a cold touch.

Li Yan was not in bed.

Chen You yawned, threw off the covers and got out of bed. He found the man on the balcony, who was soaking in the smoke and looking at the moon.

His raised leg froze in mid-air, like a television screen suddenly distorting, the person in the rocking chair becoming blurry and disappearing. He closed his eyes, then opened them again. Everything was fine. It must be because he hadn’t woken up properly.

Upon seeing the young man, Li Yan stubbed out his cigarette, his voice hoarse, “Why aren’t you sleeping in the room? What are you doing out here?”

Chen You glanced at the cigarette butts on the ground. How many cigarettes had he smoked? He walked over, sat on the man’s lap, and looked out the window at the moon with his back to him, “How can I sleep without Mr. Li?”

Li Yan hugged the young man from behind, his nose brushing against his back, “Troubling matters.”

Chen You was taken aback and asked what it was about, perhaps he could help.

Li Yan stroked the young man’s waist and said in a low voice, “It will be solved soon.”

Upon hearing this, Chen You didn’t ask any more questions. He shifted his position, turned around, faced the man, and leaned in to kiss him. The smell of smoke was strong, “Smoke less, it’s bad for your health.”

The young man’s concern was genuine, without any pretense or flattery, which pleased Li Yan. He pulled the young man into his arms and pressed his soft lips against his.

The rocking chair rocked and swayed for more than two hours.

After finishing their business, the two slept in each other’s arms until dawn. As usual, Li Yan stayed overnight at Chen You’s bed and left in the morning, looking back every few steps.

A few days later, Chen You received a call from Hu Wei, asking him to meet at the company, not at Li Yan’s place.

Hu Wei’s glasses perched on his nose, and he had dark circles under his eyes. He hadn’t shaved his chin. He usually paid great attention to his appearance, being very particular about his appearance from head to toe. But this time, his clothes were wrinkled, his hair was greasy, and strands of hair were stuck to his scalp. He looked haggard and tired.

Chen You clicked his tongue, “Mr. Hu, are you alright?”

Nope, MF, not alright at all. Hu Wei wiped away a handful of bitter tears. It’s all that person from your family’s fault.

Chen You was glared at for no reason and guessed that it might be related to Li Yan, “Mr. Li changed his mind and no longer agrees for me to act?”

Hu Wei waved his hand and said that it was not true, “Li Ge agreed.”

Chen You breathed a sigh of relief, “That’s fine then.”

Hu Wei took off his glasses and started doing eye exercises. To show his sincerity, he went to find the screenwriter in person, wanting the two of them to sit down and discuss the script in detail. As a result, his leather shoes were badly scratched by tree branches and stones, and he was bitten by unknown insects. If he hadn’t gone to the hospital in time, he might be half-dead now with red and swollen skin all over his body.

It’s such a mess, not even a single tile can be seen. Who knows where that screenwriter lives?

Hu Wei frowned. The place was a desolate, uninhabited mountain forest, a place even birds wouldn’t bother with. How could that person not be afraid of being eaten by tigers and wolves? If the address wasn’t fake, then he was incredibly naive and foolish.

There’s a saying that God opens a door for you while closing a window. No one is perfect, for example, Li Yan is not a patient with severe epilepsy yet.

Chen You shook his head inwardly. That’s some serious trouble for a gold medal screenwriter. Was he really short of oil and had to use his hair to be self sufficient? “Mr. Hu, you’ve lost several eyelashes.”

Hu Wei didn’t seem to notice, “Really?”

Chen You nodded, “I’ll remove it for you.”

After he finished speaking, he propped himself up on the table and stood up from his chair, reaching out his hand.

Hu Wei immediately leaned back, looking terrified, “Don’t touch me! Li Ge is incredibly jealous. I don’t want to get into any more trouble.”

Chen You blinked, “He won’t know.”

Hu Wei put on his glasses, saying, “It’s better to be safe than sorry.”

Chen You, “…” Too nervous. It’s making him nervous too. That man isn’t air. He can’t be everywhere.

A knock sounded on the door, and Hu Wei called him in. Then he said to Chen You, “Your leading lady has arrived.”

Chen You’s bewildered expression vanished completely when he saw the woman who appeared. He jumped up and exclaimed in surprise, “Ren Wu, it’s you?”

Ren Wu pouted her red lips, also surprised, “I didn’t expect to work with you.”

She extended her hand, “Chen You, I hope we can have a pleasant collaboration over the next two months.”

Just as Chen You was about to reach out and touch the hand, Hu Wei subtly pulled him away with such speed that it caught everyone off guard, “Come over here, let’s all chat.”

Chen You’s clothes zipper was ripped open by Hu Wei, and he glanced at Hu Wei, sensing something was wrong.

Hu Wei wiped his forehead, relieved that it had been stopped. The contract clearly stated that if he breached the contract, he would lose a family fortune and still not be able to pay the damages. But Chen You is a living, breathing person, not an object, and can do whatever he wants. How could he be controlled every time? So why did I sign it in the first place?

I can’t take it anymore, my chest hurts.

Hu Wei clutched his chest, leaned back on the sofa to rest, and, probably because he was too tired, he fell asleep as soon as he relaxed.

When he opened his eyes, the other two were already chatting enthusiastically, laughing and talking in front of the video, gesturing with their hands from time to time, humming a few lines of a song, and having a great time.

Hu Wei, “……”

It’s okay. Chen You is gay, so at most he just gets along well with Ren Wu and they’ll just be friends. That’s how he comforted himself.

Li Yan must have investigated Ren Wu and agreed to Chen You joining the group, which means he wouldn’t have any other suspicions. He’s just jealous, he gets jealous of everything—a puppy, a tree, a sofa, a piece of clothing.

After spending some time in the office, Hu Wei took a shower, cleaned himself up, and then took Chen You and Ren Wu to take promotional photos.

The only voice in the studio was that of Hu Wei, the great agent, who acted like a doting patriarch, afraid that his own kid might be taken advantage of in the slightest.

“Ren Wu, don’t hold Chen You’s hand.” “Ren Wu, stand up straight, don’t lean your head on Chen You’s shoulder.” “Ren Wu, don’t get your lipstick on Chen You’s tie.” “Ren Wu…”

The photographer had worked with Hu Wei many times and they were old acquaintances. This was the first time he had been so annoyed by Hu Wei that he wanted to throw the camera, “Old Hu, what’s wrong with you? I’ve never seen you so bossy before. If you keep doing this, I can’t shoot.”

Hu Wei pulled the photographer aside to whispered in his ear.

The photographer backed away, his face full of vigilance, almost crossing his arms to block the two red—no, black—diamonds, “Speak properly, why are you getting so close?”

Hu Wei rolled his eyes, “Why are you hiding? I’m gay, but I only eat lean meat. You’re too fat and greasy. I won’t eat you because I’m afraid I’ll get indigestion.”

Photographer，“……”

Hu Wei grabbed the person and explained the situation. Upon hearing the name, the other person exclaimed “Oh my god!” without asking any questions. During the subsequent filming, the person was even more nervous than Hu Wei, acting like the second patriarch.

After filming, Chen You went home.

He was flipping through the script on the bus. The play was called 《The Fifth World》, a strange name that could pique one’s curiosity and make one wonder why it was the fifth world and not the first. What were the previous four worlds?

Perhaps the screenwriter is terrible at naming things, and this is just a name he came up with randomly, or perhaps it’s just a way to create suspense. In any case, once the title and stills were posted online, the public opinion surrounding the show has already surpassed that of several other popular IP shows this year, attracting the attention of a large number of viewers.

The momentum is strong. The two leads are both newcomers, unlike established veteran actors, they haven’t yet settled into certain roles and have great potential.

That was a brilliant hand.

The bus stopped at xx station, and a woman wearing sunglasses got on. She had an exceptionally hot figure. Her appearance was like a fire, instantly igniting the atmosphere in the bus. The men all turned to look, and many of them secretly got hard, including some who had girlfriends present.

Chen You was listening to music with his headphones on when a faint fragrance wafted to his nose. He twitched his nose, unable to recall where he had smelled this fragrance before.

When Chen You felt a tap on his shoulder, he turned around, thinking it was the person next to him who had something to say. But when he saw Ren Wu, he was stunned for a moment and pulled off his headphones. This was the second time he had been dumbfounded today, and it was because of the same woman.

Ren Wu gripped the chair with one hand, her upper body leaning slightly forward, a pose that was incredibly alluring.

The person next to Chen You had his eyes wide open, his face flushed, his breathing rapid, and he was making a sound that looked like “Wow!” He looked like he was about to faint from excitement.

Ren Wu smiled and said, “Excuse me, could I have this seat?”

The lad’s face turned even redder, and he stammered, “Y-yes, that’s fine.”

Ren Wu said thank you and stepped aside to make room for the lad. The lad hunched over, crossed his legs, and grabbed the overhead handrail, openly flaunting himself in the bus. The women turned their heads away, their ears turning red, and cursed him for being shameless.

The lad was completely focused on the orbs, oblivious to everything else. Let them curse all they wanted, he’d never seen such a big orb in his life. And it wasn’t just him, all the other guys were visibly moving towards the orbs.

They couldn’t help it, they couldn’t control themselves.

Seeing this, Chen You’s eyes twitched. Pang Yilong was truly confident. If it were him, and if he weren’t gay and had a girlfriend like Ren Wu, he would be on edge every time he went out, afraid that a high-quality groper would have his eye on orbs.

In contrast, Ren Wu, the owner of the orbs, showed no awareness of the potential for conflict. She casually carried the two big orbs onto the bus, acting purely on her whims. This simple attitude towards life is something worth learning from.

A sweet voice announced the stop in the bus. Ren Wu settled in, placing her purse on her lap. She was wearing black stockings and a short skirt, the fabric barely concealing her figure, which was incredibly alluring.

Under the envious, jealous, and hateful gazes of his compatriots, Chen You wanted to get off the bus, damn it, are you blind? There’s absolutely no connection between us!

Fellow countrymen are blind, it’s all the orb’s fault.

Ren Wu smoothed her hair, revealing her two fair ears, and adjusted her tassel earring, “Chen You, what song are you listening to?”

Chen You said it was his idol’s new song.

Ren Wu started chatting with him, saying that once she met her idol and screamed excitedly from afar, not noticing that there was water on the ground and slipping and falling, which was very embarrassing. But her idol was very approachable and came over to ask her if she was alright.

Chen You liked this topic, his idol was indeed down-to-earth. He chatted with Ren Wu for a bit, then remembered something, “Didn’t you leave early?”

Ren Wu said she had arranged to have dinner with a friend, but he had something come up halfway there and dropped her off near xx. She put her purse in his car and only had a few yuan on her, so she couldn’t take a taxi and had to take the bus. She never expected to run into Chen You.

“This isn’t the way back to school?”

Chen You, still fiddling with his headphone cord, said, “Yeah, I’m going home for a bit, then I’ll go back to school.”

Ren Wu said, “I heard Yilong mention your girlfriend. When are you going to invite her out so we can all have a meal together?”

“…” Chen You chuckled, “Let’s do that when he has time, he’s very busy.”

Meal my foot! Just thinking about eating gives him a headache. His old father can’t handle any kind of stimulation right now, otherwise it’ll be very dangerous for him. He doesn’t know how he’ll get through this.

If Pang Yilong and his group found out that he is homosexual, then they wouldn’t be XiongDi anymore.

Life is always molesting Chen You, and he can’t resist it at all.

As the bus turned, the lad holding the handrail leaned against Ren Wu’s legs, while Ren Wu leaned against Chen You.

This was the bus’s inertia, what could Chen You do? He couldn’t curse or shove the person away. He sneezed, inhaling a fragrance that was unpleasant, a scent he couldn’t quite place—was it floral, fruity, or medicinal?

When the lad arrived at his stop, he reluctantly got off the bus. As soon as he left, that prime spot became a battleground for other passengers, resulting in an unusual situation in the bus, the front was very empty, while the back was very crowded.

Tragedy struck.

A rugged man, relying on his muscular physique, successfully defeated his opponent and stood on the most advantageous spot. He then noticed a beautiful woman about to get off the bus, and watched helplessly as the orbs rolled past him. He felt he had missed a chance to change his life and redefine his worldview, and was filled with unbearable pain.

The many men in the car felt it was a pity, they hadn’t seen enough

The women have many concerns. Would they lose their balance when walking? Would they be able to run? And turning over in bed must be very difficult.

Chen You jumped out of the bus and found Ren Wu behind him. He looked at her questioningly.

Ren Wu said, “Aren’t you going to invite me up for a cup of tea?”

Chen You has a bewildered expression, teasing me.

Ren Wu laughed heartily, “Just kidding. I came down with you because I didn’t like the atmosphere in the bus.”

Chen You thought to himself, I thought you were carefree and didn’t care about anything. He took out his wallet and gave Ren Wu two hundred yuan, “It’s easy to get a taxi here.”

Ren Wu took the money, “Thank you. I’ll pay you back when I join the crew.”

Watching the young man cross the road and walk into the residential area, Ren Wu brought the money to her nose and sniffed it. She closed her eyes, placed a hundred-yuan bill flat in her palm, and ran her other hand over it from bottom to top, smiling silently.

Chen Weidong was reading the newspaper in the living room, trying to keep his mind sharp, worried that he might lose his voice again one day and suffer the consequences. He had just finished reading a report when his son came home.

As soon as Chen You entered the room, he checked to see if his father had eaten anything he shouldn’t have behind his back. After confirming that his father hadn’t, he grinned and gave him a reward, “You did a good job today. I’ll make you some minced meat and egg custard later.”

Chen Weidong sighed, “If Dad can manage his own affairs, you don’t need to run back and forth between school and home every day. It’s tiring.”

Chen You said it was nothing. He went to boil water, and when he came back, he massaged his father’s arms and legs, and told him about his work. This show is different from public service advertisements. It wasn’t gay-theme. Even if it was filmed and broadcast, and turns out to be terrible. At most, the neighbors would think that the son of the xxx family was not suitable for acting. There wouldn’t be much gossip.

Chen Weidong’s legs were numb and his feet felt heavy. He looked at his son, who was massaging and kneading his feet, and said, “When you applied to the film academy, I knew you were destined for that path and would eventually go back to it.”

Chen You didn’t believe it, “Really? You knew that back then?”

Chen Weidong, feeling utterly embarrassed, realized his boasting skills had deteriorated, leaving him far behind his son. He said, “What Dad wants to say is, do whatever you want, but don’t neglect the girl. Even if you don’t have time to meet, you must keep in touch via WeChat and phone calls.”

Chen You coughed, “I know.”

We even had sex last night.

Right now, it’s like he’s having a secret affair with Li Yan. Pang Yilong and the others think he’s back home at night, and his old father thinks he’s in his dorm. Once the two sides communicate, it’ll be all over, and he’ll have a hard time finding an excuse to cover it up.

Or should he have Li Yan disguise himself as a woman and temporarily fool his old father? Chen You rubbed his goosebumps, how terrifying, don’t scare yourself.

Besides, who has ever seen a female classmate who is nearly 1.9 meters tall, strong, with large hands, distinct knuckles, and stubble, and who urinates standing up?

Chen You sighed, massaged his father a few times, then went to clean the house, took out the trash, and dusted his mother’s photo frame, “Mom, what should I do? Why don’t you tell me in a dream?”

The photo in the frame is a black and white picture. The woman has striking features, upturned eyes, and a mole at the corner of her eye. She is very beautiful.

Chen You pursed his lips, “Mom, to be honest, if you had been born a few decades later, you would definitely have been discovered by a talent scout if you had just stood on the street, become a huge star, had so many roles that you couldn’t keep up, and become an immortal legend in the hearts of a generation.”

He spread the rag in the trash can, shook it, and continued wiping away the dust, “To be honest, I’m not that interested in the entertainment industry. It was the script that really captivated me. It was so well-written that I cried while reading it.”

To be precise, he cried uncontrollably and even dreamed about the scene from the script, the very last shot.

Execute the death shot, and in the blink of an eye, the struggle ceases, and the body falls into an eternal slumber.

The text automatically transformed into images that played repeatedly in Chen You’s mind, which is why he had a dream. After waking up, he became even more determined to make this film a success.

Chen You stayed at home until evening, then left again to return to school, giving his father some words of advice out of concern.

Lying on the bed, Chen Weidong rambled on, his eyes reddening. His son hadn’t gone astray, he was very sensible.

Chen You saw a person at the bus stop across from the residential area. He didn’t see her face, but he recognized her bright red high heels first. It was Ren Wu, the woman he had encountered for the third time today.

It seems the other party never left at all.

Chen You walked over, half-squatting down to ask what was going on, “Ren Wu?”

Ren Wu, who was sitting on the bench, looked up. Her face was pale and her lips were also pale, “Chen You, it’s you. I’ve finally seen someone I know.”

Chen You then asked, “Are you alright?”

Ren Wu said she just had a stomachache and wanted to sit down and rest for a while, but she ended up resting until now. She slowly got up.

Chen You didn’t know what to say. Seeing that the woman looked like she was in a lot of pain, he said, “Where do you live? I’ll take you home.”

Ren Wu said, “Then I’ll trouble you.”

You know it’s troublesome, huh? LaoZi is worried that Old Pang would misunderstand. Honestly, now that he’d seen it, he couldn’t just ignore it. Chen You sent a text message to Pang Yilong, saying that Ren Wu was with him and explaining the general situation.

Pang Yilong didn’t reply, probably because his phone wasn’t on him and he didn’t see it.

Just as Chen You was about to put his phone in his pocket, it rang. It was Li Yan calling, and he was about to answer it.

There was a set of steps on the platform. Ren Wu stood still, as if she had received some instruction. Her high heels moved forward on the steps, but she suddenly lost her balance and fell to her knees with a thud.

The sound was loud, startling the other people waiting for the bus on the platform. Chen You heard it and felt pain in his ears. He turned off his phone, thinking he would call Li Yan later, and went to pull Ren Wu, who was still kneeling, up.

There was blood on the ground. Chen You’s eyelids twitched, “There’s a hospital nearby…”

Ren Wu interrupted him, “It’s okay, no need to go to the hospital, I’ll be fine after I go back and lie down for a while.”

Chen You’s lips twitched. Fuck, that’s amazing! DaJie your leg is bleeding, and lying down will automatically stop the bleeding and heal it?

After calling a taxi, Chen You helped Ren Wu into the back seat. He sat in the front and quickly called Li Yan, but hung up just before the call connected. Women are usually very perceptive, and if Ren Wu found out anything, it would be troublesome.

After careful consideration, Chen You sent Li Yan a text message to explain, adding a kiss emoji, mwah mwah.

He received Li Yan’s reply after two traffic lights had passed, no mwah.

Staring wide-eyed, Chen You read those two words stroke by stroke, his nose practically flaring with anger. Just you wait, I’ll come back to see you kiss or not!

Upon arriving at their destination, Ren Wu asked Chen You to go upstairs and sit down before entering the building.

Chen You didn’t go upstairs, he wasn’t going to cause trouble for himself. He just called Pang Yilong after the elevator doors closed. This time, the call went through immediately, “Old Pang, did you see the text message I sent you? Ren Wu injured her leg. Can you come and take a look?”

Pang Yilong rushed over quickly, “How is it?”

Chen You said, “She bled a lot, but she won’t go to the hospital.”

Pang Yilong grabbed Chen You’s arm, “No, I’m asking you, are you injured anywhere?”

Chen You said, “I didn’t. What injury could I have? It was your girlfriend who knelt on the ground, and I was standing by. I didn’t have time to help her up. You won’t blame me, will you?”

Pang Yilong breathed a sigh of relief, “That’s good.”

He flashed a bright white smile, “Don’t overthink it, I won’t blame you.”

Chen You pointed to the apartment building behind them and asked, “Aren’t you going up to check on Ren Wu?”

“The fact that she was able to walk into her house by herself means that her leg injury is not serious.” Pang Yilong said strangely, “She’s not that simple.”

Chen You didn’t understand, “What do you mean?”

Pang Yilong ruffled Chen You’s hair, “I don’t understand it right now. I’ll tell you when I figure it out.”

Still trying to be mysterious? What you said is as good as saying nothing. Chen You slapped his hand away. Fuck, I dressed up nicely before going out, just to look good in front of Li Yan. Now look what’s happened, it’s turned into a fucking chicken coop. He said, “Ren Wu’s perfume smells awful. You should buy her something better.”

Pang Yilong said strangely, “What perfume? I’ve never smelled it on her. I bought her a bottle, but she said she didn’t need that stuff.”

A strange feeling flashed through Chen You’s mind.

Ren Wu lied, Pang Yilong lied, and his nose lied, it can only be one of these three possibilities.

Pang Yilong put his arm around Chen You and asked, “How’s the car?”

Chen You glanced at it, “Cool.”

Pang Yilong pushed Chen You into the car, closed the door, and went around to the other side to get in, “I just got this car this afternoon, the keys are still warm. You’re the only exception who rides first in this car.”

Chen You fastened his seatbelt, saying, “That’s truly my honor.”

Pang Yilong chuckled, “Happy, huh?”

Happily scared! My man is so petty. I hung up the phone, and he won’t even talk to me anymore. Now I don’t know what to do when I get back. Chen You is so annoyed, “Where are we going?”

Pang Yilong said, “I used all the money I’ve saved up from New Year’s gifts over the years to buy a bar. Let me show you.”

After learning to walk, Chen You, who had never received New Year’s money, became unwilling to speak.

The bar was on xx Road. Inside, it’s brightly lit and colorful, with bass blasts that make people dizzy. Everywhere you look, there were men and women relaxing. Business was booming.

Pang Yilong was the new boss, and his demeanor was different from that in front of Chen You and his buddies. He had the air of a social elite even before graduating. After all, he was the son of a big company and has been influenced by his wealthy family background.

He was handsome, had a bold and unrestrained demeanor, and was very popular with women. He made a name for himself as a playboy as soon as he arrived.

Chen You was too lazy to say anything. It’s not good to interfere too much between XiongDi, it will affect their friendship. He drank half a glass of wine, ate some fruit, and wanted to leave. He felt like he was being scratched by a cat, he really missed that man.

Pang Yilong shook off the girls and went over, “Are you going back to the dorm?”

Chen You said he was going home.

Pang Yilong propped his head up with his hand, straining his wrist as he watched the wine glass spin in his hand, “Youzi, it’s already the end of junior year, and I’m only now realizing how skilled you are at lying.”

Chen You’s heart skipped a beat. Oh no, his father and Old Pang had chatted on WeChat.

Pang Yilong pulled a box of T from his pocket, talking nonstop, “I often use this brand, it’s trustworthy, it won’t leak, remember to use it.”

Chen You，“……”

He swallowed hard, and after a long pause, said, “Don’t tell my dad.”

Pang Yilong asked why, “Your dad will be overjoyed.”

Chen You said seriously, “He can’t get too excited.”

Pang Yilong slammed his glass down on the bar, “Fine, I won’t say anything.”

Chen You breathed a sigh of relief, “Then I’m leaving.”

Pang Yilong poked at the T with his finger, “This one.”

Chen You grabbed it and stuffed it into his pocket, but Pang Yilong stopped him, saying, “Renting a hotel isn’t a long-term solution. It’s more cost-effective to rent a place. Let me know if you need anything.”

He turned around and went all out, “Old Pang, actually I’m gay.”

Pang Yilong didn’t hear him clearly, it was too noisy around him, “What did you say?”

Clearing his throat, Chen You shouted, “I said I’m gay!”

Everyone nearby turned to look.

Pang Yilong finally cursed after a long while. He jumped off the bar stool and rushed to Chen You in a few steps, “…Damn it, what nonsense are you talking about? Go find your girlfriend and play with her.”

Chen You sighed, ai, say it once, people will take it as a joke, say it twice, people will still think that way

Has his straight male image become so deeply ingrained in people’s minds?

Chen You took a bus and then a taxi to save money. When he arrived at Li Yan’s place, the butler was waiting outside the door, along with two servants.

That’s strange.

As darkness fell, the butler’s white hair was particularly striking, and Chen You, not wanting to be outdone, asked, “Is it hereditary?”

The butler said, “It’s dyed.”

Haha, that’s funny. The hair that grows out is all white. How did you dye it? Do you think I’ve never dyed my hair before? Chen You pursed his lips, “Oh, that’s quite unique.”

The butler said that the master had not eaten yet.

Chen You then asked, “Where’s Laifu? Has he eaten?”

The butler said no, “The dog food hasn’t been touched, Laifu doesn’t like it.”

Chen You suggested changing flavour, he went to see Laifu and then Laifu’s dad.

In the study, Li Yan was looking at something on the computer when he heard a knock on the door. He then shut down the computer and went out.

As soon as the door opened, Chen You reached out and wrapped his arms around the man’s neck.

It was the same scent from last night. Li Yan paused slightly, then lowered his head to kiss the young man, “Wait for me downstairs.”

Just as Chen You was about to turn around, his hand was grabbed. He saw the man staring at his hand with a strange look, so he looked at it and was startled.

There was blood on the edge of his left little finger, but there was no wound. How did this happen?

Chen You said, “It might be Ren Wu…”

Before he could finish speaking, the man took out a handkerchief, wiped the blood off his hands, and pushed him out the door.

Half an hour, an hour, two hours passed, and the person in the study still hadn’t come out.

Chen You ate a few bites of food and went to the bedroom to wait. He felt that Li Yan had been acting strangely since last night.

First, he inexplicably went berserk, self-harming and leaving the bathroom covered in blood. Then he stayed up all night, sitting on the balcony smoking almost a whole pack of cigarettes. Tonight, he’s locked himself in his study.

“What’s wrong…?”

Chen You was a little worried. Could the condition have worsened? Complications? He hesitated whether to call Lin Fuxing, but the other party is a veterinarian, and Li Yan is not a cat or dog.

After silently offering a prayer, Chen You opened his laptop, which he had brought from the dorm a few days ago. Everyone was busy sending out resumes and looking for jobs, so there was no time to play games.

He doesn’t usually keep his computer organized. When there’s a problem, he just reinstalls the system. He doesn’t touch any of the drives or even check them. Who knows how much junk he puts on them?

After clicking refresh a dozen times on the desktop, Chen You, having nothing else to do, went to open a forum and browse around.

With his eyelids drooping, Chen You still hadn’t seen Li Yan return. He fell asleep without realizing it and woke up the next day, still slumped over the table.

In other words, Li Yan didn’t return to his bedroom all night.

Chen You was sore all over from sleeping in the wrong position. He went to knock on the door of the study and heard the butler say, “The master left very early.”

“……”

Chen You scratched his head, thinking, take care of whatever it is, just please don’t cause any trouble.

For the next week, Chen You didn’t see Li Yan. Why? He was away on a business trip. There were no phone calls or text messages. It was definitely a sign that they were about to break up.

Amidst this unease that sensed something big was about to happen, filming for《The Fifth World》 began.

Chen You thought that he was a newcomer, as was Ren Wu, so they were on the same starting line, jumping and skipping forward together. Little did he know that the other could fly. She was pure, mischievous, cute, and melancholic, and could do everything. As soon as the director yelled “action,” she would immediately get into character. Every time, it was because of him that she had to do NG.

His acting was completely outclassed, it was so embarrassing.

Hu Wei has managed many artists, including film emperors and actresses. Even he exclaimed, “Ren Wu was born to be an actress.”

To put it another way, it seems that every emotion Ren Wu experiences corresponds to a precise set of data, and she performs it perfectly without any deviation.

Chen You then asked, “And what about me?”

Hu Wei said, “You were born a person.”

Chen You，“……”

Hu Wei gave him a stick and then a candy, saying, “The current investor is Li Ge. He’s not short of money. As long as he invests, even if you flop a dozen or twenty movies, it won’t matter. Don’t worry.”

Chen You refused to eat the candy, afraid it would get stuck in his teeth.

Half a month later, the filming progressed smoothly. Chen You and Ren Wu had not had any physical contact, but they were about to have a bed scene written in the script.

It’s just a scene with the lights off, showing the two of them lying in bed. Chen You rolls over and pins Ren Wu down, the blanket moves, and the next shot is the curtains being drawn open, indicating it’s daytime.

Chen You’s body portrays the senior student, but his heart is that of Ren Wu’s junior student. He can’t help but try to understand that character.

And he even empathized with it, not sure what’s going on.

Chen You took off his shirt and trousers, leaving him in only a pair of black boxer shorts. Some staff members gasped, it’s one thing for a woman to stare, but why are the men staring too?

He lay down in bed with a dark expression on his face, and Ren Wu followed, wearing only a white camisole nightgown.

This scene was just the two of them sleeping, so there’s no need to clear the set. Everyone was watching from different corners.

Chen You rolled over, propping himself up on his elbows, and looked at Ren Wu, imagining him as a background figure.

The cameraman was finding the right angle so that when the shot aired, it would look like he had really pressed down. He gave the monitor an OK sign.

Hu Wei was covered in sweat, alright, director, I’m afraid Li Yan will punish me.

The director was also worried, so he let the take pass.

When the stagehands called out, chaos ensued. People moved chairs, drank water, talked, walked around, and opened snacks—all sorts of noises filled the air.

Chen You sat down on the edge of the bed. He had two more scenes to shoot today, one was going to the car dealership to ask the manager about bicycle parts, and the other was him killing someone. He didn’t have to act with Ren Wu, so he was much more relaxed.

Ren Wu suddenly said, “You have a nice figure.”

Chen You almost choked on his saliva.

Ren Wu stopped teasing him, “You’ve seemed a bit distracted lately. What’s wrong? Did you have a fight with your girlfriend?”

Chen You said, “Fight my ass? I can’t find him anywhere, I don’t know where he ran away.”

Ren Wu’s expression seemed to change slightly, “Really? Ran away…”

When she saw the young man looking at her, she burst out laughing, “You must have made the person angry. You men are so oblivious, you don’t notice.”

Chen You was unable to refute it.

They didn’t chat much. Ren Wu went to the dressing room to touch up her makeup, and Chen You put on his clothes and sat down on a small stool to relax.

A short while later, Hu Wei came over and handed over his phone, “Your phone is ringing. It’s Li Ge calling.”

Chen You immediately left the small stool and found a quieter place, “Mr. Li, you’re back?”

There was a horn blaring from the other end of the line. Li Yan was in the car, “I’ll be at the film set later.”

Chen You then asked, “Are you done with everything?”

Li Yan said, “Soon.”

That meant it wasn’t settled yet. Just as Chen You was about to say something, he caught a glimpse of red on the corner and hung up the phone. There was no one.

Among the crew members wearing red today, Ren Wu is the only one?

Chen You pressed his temples. He wasn’t sure if his depression was better or not. He felt fine, but the doctor said there was something wrong with him and that he must continue taking his medication and cooperate with the treatment so that he could recover as soon as possible.

Now, even Chen You doesn’t believe in himself anymore.

On the other side, Ren Wu was touching up her makeup in the lounge when a line of code appeared out of thin air on the mirror. Her lips moved, and the code turned into text: Ding, accept version update?

Ren Wu: Accept.

The words on the mirror disappeared and were replaced with another line: Ding, update complete, one-click virus removal and deep scan functions added.

Once the break was over, they had to get busy again, this time shooting separately.

The car rental was arranged, and it looked legitimate. Chen You was acting in this scene, and Ren Wu was going to sell mobile phones at a large mobile phone market. The film crew had booked a shop on the first floor of the market.

“Chen You, see you tomorrow.”

Chen You was rehearsing his lines with the actor playing the bank manager when he casually said, “See you tomorrow.”

The actor said, “You young people have such a good relationship. I see you have a lot in common, you’re both fans of so-and-so’s songs.”

In short, it’s very gossipy.

Chen You smiled, Shu, can we go over the lines properly? He turned his head and saw Hu Wei winking at him. Well, his partner had arrived.

In the corridor, Ren Wu was talking to her manager, her voice tinged with emotion, she seemed to be dissatisfied.

The agent, while watching a football game, remarked that with such great potential, there was no reason for her not to be popular. He couldn’t understand why the woman he was managing wasn’t willing to rely on her figure to generate buzz.

This is real, not photoshopped. With just a little bit of news, she can become famous.

Footsteps approached from afar, and a man in a suit and tie walked towards them. He had one hand in his pocket, his face was expressionless, and he exuded a powerful aura. However, his lips were pale, as if he had just recovered from a serious illness.

Ren Wu stopped in her tracks.

Upon recognizing the person, the agent immediately composed himself and respectfully greeted, “Mr. Li.”

Li Yan didn’t stop, he strode forward and brushed past them.

Ren Wu lowered her eyes and remained motionless, seemingly lost in thought or perhaps doing something else entirely.

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Chapter 168. Like You So Much

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Arc 9: Real World.

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When the ambulance arrived at the hospital, Chen You got out of the ambulance with the paramedics. His eyes were on his father on the stretcher when his arm was suddenly pulled. Without turning his head, he could tell from the force of the pull who it was.

Li Yan followed Chen You into the building.

He made a phone call, and several directors of the neurology department rushed over from their homes, including the Dean. After examination, it was confirmed that Chen Weidong had a cerebral hemorrhage of 40 ml. After checking the relevant indicators, they rushed him into the operating room.

Chen You stood in the corridor, his young and supple back bent over, wisps of hair falling over his eyes, and most of his still-childish face hidden in shadow.

Li Yan frowned, raised his hand and placed it on the top of the young man’s head, patting it, “Go sit down on the bench and wait.”

Chen You was pulled to the bench in a daze. He stood with his legs together and his hands on the bench, looking extremely helpless and panicked, “Mr. Li, will my dad be alright?”

Li Yan nodded and said, “Nothing will happen.”

The man’s reply had a remarkable effect. The tension that had been nagging at Chen You’s mind all the way to his head finally subsided. He wiped his face, took out his phone, and searched online for information about brain hemorrhage surgery, including whether recovery was possible and to what extent. The results were quite objective, stating that the assessment would depend on the patient’s physical condition, the amount of bleeding, and the location of the bleeding.

The phone was taken away by a hand, accompanied by a voice saying, “Don’t overthink it.”

Chen You’s gaze fell on his fingers. He couldn’t help but overthink. His mother was gone, leaving only his father. His father had been in good health before, getting up early every day to exercise and going out to dance in the square at night. He was much more active than him and walked faster. How could he suddenly have a brain hemorrhage?

At that moment, Chen You suddenly remembered something. Back then, his mother was still alive. One night, they were watching a legal program on a certain channel. It was showing a human tragedy caused by a lack of attention. The host said, “You never know which will come first, an accident or tomorrow, so what we need to do is live each day to the fullest.”

As his mother watched, her eyes reddened. She sighed and said that people nowadays are not as good as the previous generation. The standard of living is higher, the environment is worse, people’s hearts are darker, and the food, clothing and daily necessities may be mixed with things that are harmful to health. It is not comparable to the past.

She also said that she would find time before the new year to go to the hospital with his father for a full check-up, so as not to hold her son back.

Less than a week after that, his mother fell ill and didn’t even have time to have a full check-up.

Chen You shivered and instinctively reached out to grab the man, gripping his large hand tightly until his nails dug into it.

Li Yan’s brows furrowed even more. He led the young man to the restroom at one end of the corridor, closed the door behind him, silently held the young man in his arms, and awkwardly patted his back.

Chen You buried his face in the man’s chest, his hands tightly gripping the shirt, his shoulders trembling slightly as he suppressed his inner panic and unease.

Neither of them spoke, they simply embraced each other quietly. One longed for someone to lean on at this moment, while the other was happy to be relied upon. They were like two semicircles that, once joined together, would be complete, without even the slightest gap.

In the middle of the night, the operating room lights went out, and the doctor came out and said the surgery was a success.

Chen You thanked the Almighty Lord in his heart, thanking God for being merciful and letting his father go. He thanked the doctors and nurses several times. If Li Yan hadn’t been holding him back, he would have excitedly gone up to the surgeon and bowed to him.

The next morning, Chen Weidong was conscious, but his eyes were closed and he could not speak.

Chen You stood by the bed, not daring to move his hands, afraid of accidentally touching the tubes attached to his father. His eyes were bloodshot, “Dad, how are you feeling?”

Chen Weidong’s eyelids twitched.

This small reaction was enough to make Chen You happy. He went to call the nurse, and after she finished the examination, he said to his father, “Have you ever had headaches before?”

After a long pause, Chen Weidong nodded.

Chen You frowned, blaming himself for not paying attention. He always just played around and fooled around, otherwise he would have definitely noticed. He felt terrible and uncomfortable, “The doctor said the surgery went smoothly, Dad. Don’t be afraid, I’m here. Don’t worry about the money either, we have enough.”

Chen Weidong nodded again.

After staying in the ward for a while, Chen You opened the door and went out, saying to the man in the corridor, “Mr. Li, my dad has woken up.”

Li Yan took his hand out of his pocket and gently patted the young man’s arm.

Chen You then noticed several bloody marks on the man’s hands, which he had scratched himself. His expression changed, “You’re bleeding. Why didn’t you stop me when I scratched you?”

Li Yan said calmly, “As long as you don’t hurt yourself.”

Chen You’s face flushed slightly. If his father were at home, fast asleep, instead of having just woken up after surgery last night, he would definitely be overjoyed to hear the man say that and rush over to give him a kiss.

After returning home from the hospital, Chen You took out his key to open the door and said to the man who followed him in, “Mr. Li, please make yourself at home.”

As he spoke, he went into his father’s room to get some clean clothes and personal items, including his own. With his mother gone, he had to take care of his father by himself. There was enough time during the summer vacation, and he didn’t have anything to do.

His only hope now is that his father can recover and be like before.

Li Yan went to the bathroom and saw the young man rummaging through a plastic basin, with a large bag next to him, “The hospital has them.”

Hearing the sound, Chen You was startled. A basin? He hadn’t paid much attention to the equipment in the ward at the time, his eyes were all on his father, “A water bottle too?”

Li Yan said, “Yes.”

Chen You rummaged through the large bag, took out a red water bottle, and put it back on the table. He was completely unaware of his dependence on this man, “So what should I bring?”

Li Yan’s eyes darkened slightly. He took a large step, pinched the young man’s face, and leaned down to kiss those slightly dry lips. Without taking too much, he pulled away after a few moments, “Undergarments and identification documentation.”

Chen You then asked, “That’s all?”

Li Yan pressed down on the young man’s lips, “I’ve already arranged caregivers for your father. They’re very professional, so you can rest assured.”

Upon hearing this, Chen You looked at the man with gratitude and said, “Thank you.”

His mind has been in turmoil since last night, but thankfully this person is here, patiently comforting him and staying by his side. Whenever he feels anxious, the other person immediately suppresses and calms him down.

Li Yan said nothing, but simply kissed the young man again.

Chen You emptied the contents of the large bag and put them away wherever they were needed. Then he went to the kitchen, put the braised fish head out of the pot, scrubbed the pot and the cutting board, and cleaned the sink. He calmed himself down by doing these trivial but real things.

There were three caregivers, one woman and two men, all of whom were top professionals in the field. They were very polite and knew how to maintain appropriate boundaries, and would not do anything inappropriate.

For the first week, Chen Weidong was very irritable and needed sedatives to calm down.

Gradually, he no longer needed sedatives, and he could open his eyes. However, his language ability had not fully recovered, and no one could understand what he was saying.

Chen You relied on guessing, and occasionally he could guess what his father meant, “Dad, don’t worry, just rest and recuperate in the hospital. Once you’re better, you can go square dancing with Zhou Ayi and the others.”

Chen Weidong was anxious. His tongue was no longer under his control, and his mind was a mess. Every day, the caregiver turned him over, patted his back, and made him defecate all over the bed. Wasn’t he just a useless person? Sometimes he wanted to lose his temper, but he held back when he saw his son, who had become much thinner.

His son has depression, and the doctor said the impact could be big or small. Family members must not transmit negative emotions. If he, a man with one foot in the grave, were to harm his son, he would have no face to face his wife in the afterlife.

After a month, Chen Weidong’s swallowing function recovered relatively well, the frequency of vomiting decreased, and his condition began to improve little by little.

Chen You moved a chair to the bedside and told his father the day’s news to pass the time.

Shortly after, the door to the ward opened, and Li Yan walked in.

Chen You’s nerves tightened. He scratched his palms. What should he do? His father couldn’t handle even the slightest stimulation.

Chen Weidong shifted his gaze and saw that the newcomer was dressed in extraordinary clothes and had the air of someone in a superior position. He was no ordinary person. He then turned his gaze back to his son and looked at him questioningly.

Chen You quickly said, “Dad, this is my boss.”

Chen Weidong frowned, and he couldn’t help but have doubts about the place where his son worked. This boss exudes a murderous aura, carrying a bloody stench even stronger than his coach’s. His hands aren’t clean, and he doesn’t seem like a proper businessman.

Chen You winked at Li Yan, somewhat reproachfully, why did you come up here? Didn’t I tell you to wait for me downstairs at the hospital?

Li Yan’s face darkened, and the air pressure around him became extremely low.

Chen You swallowed hard, his eyes twitching. Quickly, take back the dark energy, damn it! Don’t scare my dad! If you still want to come out with me, then listen to me!

After placing the fruit basket and high-end gifts on the table, Li Yan said, “Chen Shushu, I’m Li Yan, surname Li.”

Chen Weidong pondered that this surname was rare. He greeted him, saying “Hello,” but his pronunciation was unclear.

A brief silence followed.

Chen Weidong remembered that he had heard voices outside a few days ago. He thought he was dreaming, but it turned out that the nurses were talking about his son’s boss. He was tall and handsome, wearing a suit and tie. It made sense.

So this person has been here before, probably more than once or twice.

What is the other person doing here? Who is he visiting? This old man? Or does the other person also have a sick family member living on this floor? Chen Weidong couldn’t help but wonder.

They were father and son, after all. What others couldn’t see through, Chen You could. He discerned something from his father’s several changes in expression, and his heart jumped into his throat, “Dad, when I brought you to the hospital that night, the boss happened to be there too. Time was of the essence, and I had no one else to ask, so I asked the boss. That’s why he knows about you.”

“The boss knows the hospital director and often comes here to have tea and chat with him. Also, the money for the hospitalization was borrowed from the boss.”

After spouting nonsense, Chen You felt even more guilty. He absolutely couldn’t let his father notice anything was wrong. He silently said to himself, “I’m sorry, forgive me, Dad, I really love Li Yan so much.” He loved him so much he could die happy.

Upon hearing that the money was borrowed, Chen Weidong asked his son how much it was.

Chen You whispered a number in his ear, blinked, and said, “I couldn’t find the savings book at home, besides, didn’t you tell me you put it in a fixed-term deposit? There’s still plenty of time. I asked the boss, and he said it’s not urgent and I can pay it back slowly. I’m about to start my internship and work for him, so I can pay it off with my salary.”

Chen Weidong blinked, his son had an idea, and he supported it.

After dealing with his father, Chen You noticed the man was still in the ward and hadn’t left, so he quickly gave him a “get out of here” look.

Li Yan pursed his thin lips, “Shushu, I have something to attend to. I’ll come see you again next time.”

Chen Weidong was shouting something in a hurry, but it was hard to hear clearly. It seemed like he wanted Li Yan to take the gifts away.

“They’ve already left. Since the boss is well-off, the gifts aren’t expensive.” Without batting an eye, Chen You patted his father’s chest, saying, “Dad, take your time, don’t rush, you might bite your tongue.”

Chen Weidong took a breath and decided to let it go.

In the afternoon, Chen You left the hospital, got into a car that had been waiting for him, and went back to Li Yan’s place.

The weather is so hot that even doing nothing but breathing quietly makes your back feel like it’s on fire, and all your senses feel like they’re being roasted. It’s not a good time to get anything done.

Chen You didn’t do anything with Li Yan. He just ate a purple corn cob, which took him an hour and a half. By the end, his mouth was too tired to eat anymore. But with the attitude that wasting food was shameful, he made sure not to miss a single kernel.

After rinsing his mouth in the bathroom, Chen You lay down on the floor, put his hands behind his head, and relaxed in a state of complete blankness while enjoying the air conditioning.

“Woof~”

There was a barking sound outside. The yellow puppy was standing at the door. When Chen You looked over, it wagged its tail vigorously, wanting to come in but not daring to.

Chen You propped himself up on his elbows and said, “Oh, it’s Laifu. Did your dad have a big act of kindness today?”

He smiled and waved, “The air conditioning is on in the room, it’s very cool. Laifu, come in quickly and play with Gege for a while, Gege is so bored.”

The yellow puppy didn’t go into the room immediately. Instead, it turned its head to look in one direction, and after confirming something, it let out a howl and ran happily towards the young man.

Outside the door, Li Yan pinched the bridge of his nose. He couldn’t figure out why he bought the puppy back then, but after seeing the young man interact with the puppy like family, he suddenly understood. It all seemed like it was all preordained.

The puppy and the young man will both appear in his life. He bought the puppy in order to wait for the young man to arrive. It sounds magical, but it gives him a strange sense of certainty.

Li Yan turned his head to look and saw the young man on the floor rubbing the puppy’s fur. The puppy broke free and rolled around on the young man, who kept laughing.

The reason for bringing the puppy in this time was to keep the young man entertained, and it seems to have worked well.

Sunlight streamed in, spreading out in a fan-shaped pattern, sweeping over two shadows, one large and one small. The young man and the yellow puppy lay side by side on the floor, paws outstretched, perfectly in sync.

Chen You yawned, “Laifu, why do people have to go through birth, aging, sickness, and death?”

The yellow puppy’s eyes were already squinted into slits.

Chen You narrowed his eyes, “Why can’t we just stay together and be happy together forever?”

He asked and answered himself, “Because the Earth is only so big, this is the rule of nature, and you, me, your dad, my dad, my mom, Pang Yilong, Zheng Shuai, Wang Yao, we all have to abide by it. Even God can’t change it arbitrarily.”

“This rule is utter bullshit, no, it’s even worse than your fart.”

The yellow puppy was asleep, its soft fur lying flat against its body, its little body rising and falling slightly, sleeping quite soundly.

Chen You tilted his head, his face pressed against the cool floor, facing the yellow puppy, “Laifu, what do you think I should do? How can I be honest with my dad about my relationship with your dad so that it doesn’t end in bloodshed, but rather in a peaceful and happy ending?”

“It’s difficult, but no matter how difficult it is, I don’t want to break up with your dad. Is there a way to have the best of both worlds? I need to think about it carefully…”

He murmured something, then lowered his voice, and his breathing became even.

Footsteps came from outside the door. Li Yan squatted down in front of the young man, raised an arm, and gently stroked the beauty mark at the corner of the young man’s eye with his fingers.

Chen You had a dream. In the dream, he was in an unfamiliar room, and strangely, he was wearing two rings on his ring finger.

When Chen You woke up, he stared blankly at his empty ring finger. Why did he suddenly dream about a ring? Could it be that he couldn’t wait to marry Li Yan? No way, he hadn’t thought that far ahead.

The yellow puppy was lying on a slipper, chewing on it with great enthusiasm, completely absorbed in its task.

Not wanting to disturb it while it was doing something important, Chen You went barefoot to the bathroom and started scrolling through his phone while squatting on the toilet. It’s said that doing these two things at the same time can lead to a tragedy, developing hemorrhoids.

So far, Chen You has not gotten it yet. Perhaps he is exceptionally talented? After all, even such a big Li Yan can be accommodated.

His phone rang. It was Pang Yilong calling, asking if Chen You was free to come out for dinner, saying everyone should come.

Chen You said he was going to the hospital later, “My dad had a brain hemorrhage last month and is in the hospital. He’s recovering quite well. Hmm, he’s been exercising regularly, so he’s in good physical condition and his mindset is also positive.”

Pang Yilong said Chen You was being unfair, not telling them about such a big thing, “If you need money, just say so, I have some in my account.”

Chen You said it wasn’t necessary, he had enough money.

Pang Yilong didn’t say anything more, telling Chen You not to shoulder everything alone and to share the burden with the rest of the gang, it’s all our father, and send greetings to that mysterious girlfriend of his.

After hanging up the phone, Chen You clicked his tongue. Is it okay to have a girlfriend with super big pecs?

Definitely not. When those three and his old father find out the truth someday, tears won’t fall, he will be beaten.

Three months later, the tail end of the sweltering summer was nowhere to be seen. The weather turned cool, and an occasional breeze would blow by. There was no longer any fiery heat, and the breeze was cool but not cold.

Chen You from the school remembered the time and went to the hospital early to complete the discharge procedures for his father.

Chen Weidong was looking at the bill. Being sick is all about two things, trouble and money. He folded up the bills and put them in his pocket. He could speak without any problems and his spirits were good. He would just follow the doctor’s advice and pay more attention to his daily life. It wouldn’t have too much of an impact.

The father and son took a taxi home. When they were almost at the market, Chen Weidong asked his son, “Do we have any pig’s trotters at home?”

Chen You said no.

Chen Weidong told the driver to drop them off at the vegetable market, “Youyou, make braised pig’s trotters for Dad at noon. Add plenty of rock sugar and braise it well. Dad’s been so bored in the hospital.”

Chen You then told the driver to go directly to xx residential area, saying, “Why are you eating pig’s trotters? They’re so oily. Have you forgotten what the doctor said?”

Chen Weidong, “…”

“Okay, you just got out of the hospital, so oily food isn’t suitable for you. Listen to me.” Chen You coaxed him like a child, “We’ll have braised beef for lunch, not the kind you buy at the supermarket, I’ll make it for you.”

Chen Weidong reluctantly agreed.

With his son’s cooking skills, even a plate of vegetables wouldn’t taste bad.

Speaking of which, his son didn’t do well on his college entrance exam, so he went to work as a waiter in a restaurant. He only learned a skill in order to win over a girl. Luckily, this happened, otherwise, after his wife passed away, even the pots and pans in their house would have rusted.

The taxi was parked at the entrance of the residential area. While giving change, the driver said, “Your son is so good to you. Unlike my son, he only gives me a nice look when he asks for money.”

Chen Weidong took a handful of the change and thought to himself, envy me, of course my son is the best, the best in the world.

When Chen Weidong went to the usual place to get the wine at lunchtime, it was gone. He thought he had remembered wrong, so he looked around but still couldn’t find it. Now he was in big trouble.

“Youyou, where’s my wine?”

Chen You put the bowl and chopsticks on the table, saying, “Given to Liu DaYe.”

Chen Weidong glared at his son, then, as if remembering something, hurried to his room. He ran out, his eyes widening even more, “Where are my cigarettes? You didn’t give them to Liu DaYe too, did you?”

Chen You chuckled, “Dad, you’re so smart.”

“…” Chen Weidong grabbed the table and sat down, “Is Liu DaYe your dad?”

Chen You coaxed, “Be good! Health comes first.”

Chen Weidong sighed, saying that’s true, but he shouldn’t give it all away at once, and kept nagging, “That old Liu is so stingy. His son brought him a bottle of Moutai from out of town and kept bragging to me about how delicious it was, but he didn’t let me have a single sip.”

Chen You twitched his lips and chatted with his father, putting the braised beef into his bowl, “Really? That Liu DaYe is really stingy. There’s still a bottle of unopened Wuliangye in the cupboard. I haven’t given it to him yet, so I won’t give it to him. I’ll give it to Zhou Ayi instead.”

Chen Weidong immediately dropped his bowl and chopsticks. When he saw his son slowly looking over, he pouted aggrievedly, picked up his bowl and chopsticks again, and continued eating.

After the meal, Chen You returned to school.

In his junior year, Chen You had few classes and was busy with internships and job hunting. Whenever he had time, he would come back to be with his father, take him to the hospital regularly for check-ups and blood pressure checks, and urge him to exercise every day and stick to a low-salt, low-fat diet.

Chen Weidong was going to dance in the small square, and Chen You was going too. He squatted on the steps next to the square and sent a text message to Li Yan, saying that he missed him very much.

Less than a minute after the text message was sent, Li Yan called, asking Chen You to go to the Big Ant’s in the community.

Chen You went over and saw the man leaning against the Ant logo smoking. He paused for a second, then grinned and ran over as fast as he could.

Li Yan stubbed out his cigarette, opened his arms, and caught the young man who was like a night breeze.

Chen You was surprised to find the man in the neighborhood. He was overwhelmed with emotion, so much so that he unconsciously blurted out, “Chang Qin, I love you so much.”

The atmosphere around them suddenly changed.

Li Yan lifted the young man from his chest, a deep shadow appearing between his brows, “Who did you call?”

Chen You opened his eyes innocently.

Li Yan closed his eyes briefly, released the young man’s hand, and turned to leave without a word.

Chen You froze for a moment, then, seeing the man’s figure about to disappear from sight, he chased after him without thinking, tugging at his sleeve, “Mr. Li, what’s wrong?”

Li Yan’s voice was icy cold, “Let go.”

Chen You then said, “I won’t.”

Li Yan stopped in his tracks, tilted his head to the side, and a cold glint flashed in his phoenix eyes, “Then tell me, who is Chang Qin?”

Chen You frowned. Chang Qin? He quickly searched his memory, but the name wasn’t there. He was certain he didn’t know him, “I don’t know.”

“What a convenient excuse, ‘I don’t know’!”

A chilling smile curled at the corner of Li Yan’s lips. He patted the young man’s cheek and pinched it hard, “Little liar, how long do you intend to keep lying to me, hmm?”

Chen You’s face stung from being pinched. Damn it, LaoZi really don’t know any Chang Qin, okay? “I’m not lying… ouch…”

His neck was bitten.

A moment later, Li Yan’s lips parted, taking with them the slightly warm blood and faint scent of soap. His sharp gaze scrutinized the young man, his thoughts unclear.

Chen You felt around in his pocket, all he had was a cell phone. He reached into the man’s pocket, found a handkerchief, unfolded it to cover the wound on his neck, and when he took it off, he saw the bloodstains on it. He really didn’t know what to say.

He’s been spending most of his time at home lately, and the man has returned to a state that can only be suppressed with sedatives and medication, so the situation has probably gotten worse again.

“Mr. Li, I really haven’t heard of the name Chang Qin. I haven’t lied to you,” Chen You said earnestly, “If I have lied to you, then let me…”

His next words were sealed by the man’s lips.

At the small square, Chen Weidong overheard his neighbor saying that he saw his son with a man and they were even hugging. He didn’t think much of it, saying, “It’s common for kids to pat each other on the shoulder and hug.”

The neighbor said, “He was holding him the whole time.”

Chen Weidong’s expression changed slightly, and he lost all interest in dancing. He went to the Big Ant and saw his son, but didn’t see any other man.

Chen You then asked, “Dad, weren’t you dancing? What are you doing here?”

Instead of answering, Chen Weidong asked, “Weren’t you watching your dad dance? What are you doing here at Big Ant’s?”

Chen You said his legs were numb from squatting, so he just walked around a bit.

Chen Weidong looked around, but the light was poor at night, and he couldn’t make out any figures, “Where’s that man?”

Chen You exclaimed, “Oh, you mean Da Niu? He’s a junior high school classmate of mine. I haven’t seen him for many years. I just happened to see him while I was taking a walk. It was quite a surprise.”

Chen Weidong said, “Youyou, it’s been several years since you were junior high school classmates, how can you still recognize him in the dark?”

Oh no, I should have said high school. Chen You laughed, “How could that be? The other person recognized your son. It took me a while to remember that there was such a person. It was so embarrassing.”

Chen Weidong stared at his son with suspicion.

Chen You’s face showed no sign of distress, but his back was already sweating. Damn it, who snitched? Did I give myself away? No, no, if I did, his old father would definitely be rolling up his sleeves.

Chen Weidong didn’t see anything wrong, “You were hugging someone?”

“Yes, he hugged me. We were classmates, and we hadn’t seen each other for years. So excited,” Chen You said. “Dad, you’re an enthusiast person, you understand.”

Chen Weidong’s face twitched, I don’t understand. What’s the meaning of two men hugging each other so late at night?

Come to think of it, his son hasn’t shown any signs of depression.

“Youyou, didn’t you say you had someone you liked last time? How’s it going?”

Chen You was absent-minded, “Huh?”

Chen Weidong tugged at his son’s arm, “What are you staring at? You look silly. Dad’s asking you, have you managed to win over that girl you’re pursuing?”

Out of the corner of his eye, Chen You glanced at something and suddenly felt a chill. He shivered, “Dad, let’s talk about it when we get back.”

Chen Weidong said, “It’s been a few months now. Why are you shaking? Your health isn’t even as good as your dad’s.”

Chen You was speechless. Really, ai  Dad, have you forgotten what you looked like in the hospital a while ago?

“Don’t even think about hiding it from your dad. I chatted with Pang Yilong on WeChat, and you and that female classmate have been dating for a while now.” Chen Weidong snorted, “If it weren’t for Pang Yilong, I wouldn’t know anything.”

“My son is dating, and I, this father, actually had to ask around from other people. Youyou, it can’t be like this next time. This is a good thing, there’s no need to hide it. Dad will support you 200% in terms of material things.”

Chen You, “…” Dad, let’s go, let’s go. Didn’t you notice your son’s legs are shaking? Why bring this up? I’m so afraid that my boyfriend will cause trouble when he gets angry. I can’t beat him, I can’t run away, and I can only wait to die.

Perhaps because he had just danced and warmed up, Chen Weidong was in good spirits, “When are you going to bring your female classmates to meet Dad? They don’t have to be super pretty, just about the same age as your mom.”

“Uh-huh.”

Hearing his father say he was going back, Chen You secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He was scared half to death. He reached behind his back and waved his hand slightly. He quickly sent a text message to explain what had happened, adding a kiss at the end.

Behind the Big Ant, Li Yan stepped out. He took out his phone to check a text message, put his hands in his pockets, and stared in the direction the young man had left, not looking away for a long time.

One morning, Pang Yilong received a phone call and went downstairs to register on the first floor before leading Ren Wu into the dormitory.

Chen You was washing his hair, Zheng Shuai was doing laundry, and Wang Yao was mopping the floor, all three were quite busy. That kid Pang Yilong didn’t even bother to tell them beforehand, their blankets weren’t even made.

Ren Wu didn’t come empty-handed, she brought a large bag of snacks, all imported. She did a great job, and Chen You and the other two’s goodwill towards her skyrocketed, instantly reaching a level that none of Pang Yilong’s previous girlfriends had ever achieved.

There was no way around it, a bag of snacks was enough to win over the three foodies.

Ren Wu’s outfit this time was very simple, a denim dress, pencil pants, and high heels. But since she’s an E cup, even without showing any skin, she’s still a dazzling sight, especially for guys who haven’t had much sex appeal.

The neighbors across the hall usually don’t come very often, but today they’ve been coming unusually frequently, it’s shameless.

Pang Yilong sat with his legs crossed, smoking a cigarette. He had the air of a carefree young master, showing off his good stuff. He seemed to say, come on, take a look, don’t miss out! He was very proud of himself. No one but him had ever seen this beautiful woman bend over, lying on the ground barking like a dog, begging him to do it.

Ren Wu maintained a smile throughout, giving Pang Yilong ample face.

That’s great! Zheng Shuai exclaimed to Wang Yao, wanting to drag Old Pang into the toilet for advice. Where did you find such a wonderful woman?

Chen You was eating cookies and had no time to care about anything else. He had Li Yan, the best, and no one else could compare to him.

Pang Yilong suddenly remembered something, “Oh right, Youzi, you and Ren Wu have the same idol. She also likes his songs. She went to his concert on the 15th and even filmed it. Do you want to see it?”

With a cookie stuffed in his mouth, Chen You mumbled something indistinctly.

Ren Wu took out her phone, found the video, and said, “Here it is.”

Chen You moved his chair closer to see, and when he saw his idol on the stage, he excitedly waved his arms.

And so this scene unfolded, a handsome young man and a beautiful woman huddled together, their four eyes watching the video, humming a song in perfect unison, as if it were coming from the same person.

They’re such a perfect match! They’ve only met twice, is it really not love?

Zheng Shuai said, “Old Pang, your girlfriend and Youzi are alike in many ways, exactly the same.”

Wang Yao said, “It’s like a female version of Youzi.”

Pang Yilong rubbed his arms, unable to bear it any longer, “This sounds so strange. Can’t it just be that they share similar interests?”

He forced his way in, but soon found the concert boring and couldn’t understand his girlfriend and buddies’ enthusiasm. As someone who idolizes himself, he wouldn’t have any sense of admiration for others.

Ren Wu’s manager needed to talk to her. When she left, she mentioned that she had an autographed CD of their idol and asked Chen You if he wanted it.

Of course Chen You wanted it, he couldn’t refuse at all.

After everyone left, Chen You patted Pang Yilong on the shoulder and said sincerely, “Really, the girlfriend you’re dating this time is better than any of the previous ones.”

Pang Yilong was amused by his friend and couldn’t help but say, “That’s amazing, do you want to try it?”

Chen You also joked, “Are you willing to do that?”

Pang Yilong shrugged, “If you want it, I’m willing to give it up.”

Chen You，“……”

Zheng Shuai and Wang Yao were both heartbroken, these days, scumbags are everywhere.

Chen You climbed up to the top bunk and lay down. He pulled out the script Hu Wei had given him from under his pillow, flipped through a couple of pages, and then became engrossed in it.

After Chen You finished reading the script, he called Hu Wei and said that he was somewhat interested in taking the role. To be precise, it wasn’t just a little, it was a strong desire to do so.

This script tells the story of a senior and a junior. The senior suffers from psychological trauma due to a tragic family event in his childhood, which leads him to embark on a revenge plan that lasts for more than ten years.

When the senior met the junior, he initially intended to tease her, but later he questioned, hurt, and imprisoned her. Gradually, he couldn’t let go and fell in love. So he planned to fall off a mountain, pretend to have amnesia, escape his predicament, and go abroad with the junior.

In the end, justice prevailed, the senior was sentenced to prison, and the junior raised the child alone.

Chen You couldn’t quite describe how he felt while reading the script. He found it very strange that he wasn’t empathizing with the senior student, but rather with the junior student.

However, this kind of subject matter is only suitable for online broadcasting, it would absolutely not pass the censorship of television stations.

On the other hand, Hu Wei and Chen You spoke on the phone, and then Hu Wei went to find Li Yan. This was like a homeroom teacher talking to the students’ parents about some activities and trying to get their consent.

Li Yan listened to what Hu Wei said without saying a word.

The air pressure was terrifyingly low. Hu Wei forced himself to say, “Li Ge, he’s not a kitten or a puppy, he has the rights that a person should have.”

Li Yan pointed at the script with his finger, “Who wrote it?”

Hu Wei said it was a young screenwriter, “That person has a somewhat eccentric personality, lives in the mountains, and doesn’t like to interact with people. He sent this to xxx, and then the other party contacted me, saying they wanted to film this together.”

Li Yan’s eyes lowered slightly, a hint of something flashing within them, “Find someone else.”

This answer was exactly what Hu Wei expected. He rubbed his hands together, they were covered in sweat. He didn’t even know why he had come looking for trouble. Li Yan didn’t want the kid to act and said he would replace him, so he would. There were so many male actors in the entertainment industry, Chen You wasn’t the only one suitable for the role.

God knows why he’s so fixated on Chen You. He’s either possessed, or his brain has been interfered with by some aliens, with other brainwaves getting in, which is why he’s acting so strangely.

Hu Wei sighed, “Li Ge, this is the first time I’ve heard Chen You say he wants to take on this role with such a happy tone. He really likes it.”

“Although I’ve never been in a relationship, I’ve met quite a few people, and I think that letting the other person do what they like is also a kind of happiness.”

Li Yan leaned back, his back against the chair, his fingers clasped together on his abdomen. He remained silent, exuding a chilling aura.

Hu Wei swallowed hard, sweating profusely. It seemed this trip was hopeless. He would ask Fuxing to speak to him, and if that didn’t work, he would let Chen You speak up himself. Perhaps Li Yan’s attitude would change if he spoke up.

“Um, Li Ge, I’ll go first…”

Li Yan spoke up, “Can you guarantee me there won’t be any physical contact?”

Hu Wei’s face, covered in a fine layer of sweat, twitched violently, “Yes.”

Li Yan said, “If you go back on your word?”

Hu Wei exhaled again and again, even harder than before, and said in a deep voice, “I’m leaving the circle of top agents.”

Li Yan tapped the chair armrest with his stern fingers.

Hu Wei’s heart was pounding. After a while, he heard Li Yan’s voice. His assistant came in and drafted a contract on the spot according to his verbal request.

After reading the contract, Hu Wei knew he shouldn’t sign it, but he couldn’t control himself and signed it anyway.

Li Yan put the contract in the drawer, “Go out.”

Stepping out of the office, Hu Wei was both amused and exasperated, damn it, what happened? This is completely unnecessary! Are you crazy? Playing this game so big, aren’t you trying to kill yourself?

The director and investors are fine, but the eccentric screenwriter is a bit of a problem. What if he doesn’t agree to change the script…

He rubbed his forehead, he knew he was in for a lot of work.

Around 7 p.m., Li Yan waited for Chen You to return from school. After having dinner together, the two went upstairs to rest.

After entering the room, Chen You clung to Li Yan and kissed him. He was happy to know that the man had agreed to let him act in the movie. But he was pushed away forcefully after only a short while.

Li Yan covered his head with his hands, his brows furrowed, his jawline taut, and he was breathing heavily.

Chen You was pushed back several steps, slumping onto the bed with a thud. The man looked extremely unwell, even more distressed than during his rage. He hesitated, wondering if he should run out now to get some tranquilizers.

I’m afraid that before I even get to the door, I’ll be dragged back and given a good beating.

Li Yan hurried to the bathroom and slammed the door shut.

Hearing the roar coming from the bathroom, Chen You was terrified. He imagined a wild beast enraged by something, and his scalp tingled. He took the opportunity to grab a tranquilizer.

Several tens of minutes later, Chen You saw the man come out, his hands covered in blood. His breath caught in his throat, and he quickly went to get the first-aid kit.

Li Yan let the young man clean his wounds, “Who did you have physical contact with today?”

Chen You added, “There are quite a lot.”

Li Yan asked who they were.

Chen You thought for a moment, “Old Pang patted my shoulder and put his arm around my neck, Old Shuai pulled me, and Old Wang, I watched TV while lying on his back.”

His brow furrowed, but his stern voice betrayed no sign of distress. “Besides the three in your dorm, is there anyone else?”

Chen You thought for a moment, then suddenly said, “Ren Wu.”

While watching the video, he was very close to the other person, and their hands touched each other when they got excited, which happened two or three times.

Upon noticing that the man remained silent, Chen You immediately explained that Ren Wu was Pang Yilong’s girlfriend, and recounted everything that had happened in the dormitory during the day, including watching concert videos and eating snacks.

Li Yan narrowed his eyes and touched the young man’s face, “Go take a shower and change your clothes.”

Chen You then said, “But the injury on your hand…”

Li Yan patted his buttocks, “It’s alright, be good.”

Chen You took his clothes to the bathroom and glanced at the toilet. There were bloodstains on the floor and walls, and blood in the pool. His stomach churned, and he felt like vomiting.

After closing the door, Li Yan stood in the corridor and called Hu Wei to ask if the actress had been confirmed.

Hu Wei said it was a singer named Ren Wu. She had her makeup and image perfectly suited for the audition. He asked, “Li Ge, do you have any other recommendations?”

Li Yan said no, “Ren Wu is good. I heard Chen You mentioned her before, so that’s it.”

When Chen You came out after taking a shower, he saw the man packing his medicine kit. He wasn’t sure if he was seeing things, but the man looked cheerful, like a fisherman casting a long line and waiting for a big fish to bite.

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TN:- 3 Chapters!!!

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Chapter 167. Possessiveness

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Arc 9: Real World.

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Chen You was dumbfounded, “Mr. Li, move where?”

Li Yan said, “On my end.”

Chen You remained dumbfounded, “Why do I need to move to your place?”

Li Yan said, “You fell in love with me at first sight.”

So what? What’s the connection? Chen You looked completely bewildered.

Li Yan touched the young man’s lips, his thumb pad gently tracing them from left to right, “Moving into my place is to give you a chance to get to know me.”

Chen You twitched his lips, “…Why don’t you just say that you want to know me?”

Li Yan said, “Yes, I want to know you.”

Chen You stared blankly, his mouth agape.

Li Yan’s stern eyes lowered slightly, landing on the young man’s small part of tongue, pink in color and slightly moist, just like him. It was not aggressive, but rather made people want to do something, such as wetting the corner of his mouth.

Chen You’s senses were all drawn to the finger in his mouth. He longed to taste it. He stuck out his tongue and tasted it—a flavor that excited his soul.

A slight dampness on his fingertips instantly shot into his brain, causing Li Yan’s breath to catch in his throat. He grabbed the boy’s chin with one hand, leaned closer, and repeatedly reprimanded the naughty boy.

More than half an hour later, Chen You slumped back in his seat, panting heavily.

Although he didn’t kiss anyone other than this person, he had seen many couples kiss frequently but for short periods of time, which was completely different from what he had experienced—kissing so passionately.

He almost suffocated just now. If something unfortunate had happened, there would be a news story tomorrow about a college student dying from a kiss.

The news might even end with a significant message, warning couples that for their partner’s safety, they should refrain from deep throating during kissing.

Li Yan did something very dangerous, driving while still having an erection, “Well then, tomorrow morning at eight o’clock, the car will be parked downstairs in your apartment complex. Don’t bring any of your things, just come over.”

Chen You gasped, “No!”

Li Yan frowned.

The atmosphere inside the car suddenly shifted from ambiguous to oppressive, as quickly as a tornado.

Chen You pursed his lips and explained to the man, “My dad will not agree.”

Li Yan remained calm, “I’ll talk to him.”

Chen You was startled and sat up straight abruptly, “Please don’t, Mr. Li. My dad doesn’t know my sexual orientation and is hoping that I can have a proper relationship with a girl.”

His stern voice betrayed no emotion, “Do you still want to get married and have children after graduation?”

Chen You remained silent.

This is a common phenomenon in ordinary families. It’s perfectly normal for parents to think this way. They hope their children grow up safely, start a family smoothly, have a stable job, and live a peaceful life. Nobody wants their children to cause trouble.

Li Yan spoke again, “You don’t plan to tell your father anytime soon?”

Chen You remained silent, his face burning with embarrassment at having his thoughts exposed.

No one tried to change him, he became gay on his own, inexplicably and strangely. He searched online and even created alternate accounts to secretly browse some posts, but he couldn’t find any like-minded friends and is still single.

He had no other feelings for the male students around him, and felt that he would never fall in love with anyone. It seemed that his only pleasure was visiting the flower and bird market, and he even claimed that he would see a thousand birds before graduation.

These thoughts all came before he met this man named Li Yan.

After encountering this, Chen You was troubled. He had read several examples in the posts, all of whom were overwhelmed by socieal pressures and succumbed to reality. He came to the conclusion that timing was key to whether coming out would be successful. He thought that he would not do anything for the next few years, first settle down with a job, then instill knowledge about the existence of the gay community in his father, and see how things went later.

With a sudden stop, Chen You was startled.

Li Yan loosened his tie and took it off from under his collar.

Chen You stammered, “Mr. Mr. Mr. Mr. Li, what are you going to do?”

Li Yan turned sideways, restraining the young man’s two hands, and wrapped his tie around them. He did this slowly and gracefully, like a gourmet preparing for the next dish.

Knowing what the man was up to, Chen You rolled his eyes. What a waste of your time. There was no need to tie me up. I won’t run away at all, really.

A few minutes later, Chen You was slapped in the face repeatedly, his face was so sore from the slaps that it hurt so much, the man was eating him.

The so-called “eating” is not about messing around, it’s literal eating.

Chen You was in a hurry to leave and didn’t bother to dress up properly. He was wearing a white tank top and loose gray shorts that his father had bought for him, along with a pair of ten-yuan flip-flops, which had all fallen under the seat.

The man’s mark with blood, his feet, legs, hands, arms, chest, back, neck, ears, and face were all covered in blood.

The darkness obscured people’s vision and interfered with their thinking. Occasionally, passing vehicles would not be curious about the car parked on the side of the road. No one would have thought that just a door away, the car was filled with an extreme stench of blood.

With his hands freed, Chen You’s vest and shorts returned to their proper places. He rested his legs on the chair, hunched over, his entire body covered in patches, utterly ruined.

The fierceness between Li Yan’s brows faded somewhat, and his aura was no longer dark and murderous. There was still a hint of young man’s taste on his lips, with a faint sweet and metallic scent. He closed his eyes briefly, “You’ll be a junior next semester. It’s time to get used to society. Summer vacation is a good opportunity to get out and train. Talk to your father, and he’ll agree.”

Chen You glanced at the mark on the instep. He wasn’t stupid, the man’s words were a statement of intent—he had to move in, no matter the excuse. He pursed his lips and said, “Mr. Li, are you going to keep me as your sugar baby?”

Li Yan frowned, dissatisfied with the boy’s choice of words, “It’s not ‘keeping’, it’s ‘dating’.”

Chen You turned his head abruptly and stared blankly at the man. Dating? Is he… going to date him? Without thinking, he asked, “Mr. Li, how old are you?”

Realizing what he had asked, Chen You was mortified, extremely embarrassed.

He mentally slapped himself. Such a perfect atmosphere, practically a confession! And you, you idiot, asking age? Don’t you know it’s incredibly rude to ask an older man’s age? What a spoilsport!

Li Yan fastened the young man’s seatbelt, saying, “Older than you.”

Chen You sniffed, inhaling the man’s scent, “How much older?”

Li Yan raised an eyebrow slightly, “How much older do you want me to be?”

“Age isn’t a problem, I was just asking casually.” Chen You scratched his face, “You’re not older than my dad, are you?”

Seeing the man’s darkening expression out of the corner of his eye, he immediately burst into laughter, saying in a very obsequious manner, “Of course not, I was just kidding. Mr. Li, you look only a few years older than me, no more than twenty-five, really, believe me.”

When the young man smiled, his eyebrows and eyes lit up, and those who saw him were also infected, their lips unconsciously curving upwards.

After a long silence, Li Yan grabbed the young man’s stray hairs, moved his lips to the side of his neck, and said slowly in a low, husky voice, “I wish I had met you sooner.”

Chen You’s heart was pounding, and he said foolishly, “Me too.”

The next moment, he was pulled into the man’s arms, his waist was restrained, the force was terrifying, and he gasped for breath. Damn it, his first love was a pervert who would go crazy at the drop of a hat. He was the one who started it, so even if he cried his eyes out, he would still go along with it.

Without eating, Li Yan took Chen You for another drive around the suburbs. After they finished messing around, they went to the city. With his arms and legs exposed and covered in marks, Chen You couldn’t go to ordinary public places, so he followed him to a restaurant with a unique style. The lighting was dim, and each table was separated, creating an air of mystery.

Chen You was also worried that if people came to eat here, they might not be able to find their seats after going to the restroom, especially those with poor eyesight, who might get distracted while eating and stick their forks into their noses.

After he sat down, he put on a pair of special glasses placed on the table as instructed by the waiter. His vision turned blue, and he realized that he was a country bumpkin. Luckily, he hadn’t done anything embarrassing.

Seeing the boy’s curiosity about everything around him, Li Yan asked, “Do you like it here?”

Chen You didn’t try to hide anything and openly admitted, “I’ve never been to a restaurant like this before, it’s very interesting.”

He excitedly examined the glasses, completely ignoring the food on his plate, “What’s the name of this restaurant? I’ll bring Old Pang and the others here next time.”

Li Yan said, “You guys have a good relationship.”

Chen You said yes, “Going to a junior college and staying there for three years, time flies by. You don’t really learn much. The most important thing is the small group in the dormitory. There’s really nothing else fun.”

Li Yan put down his wine glass, placed his hands on the table with his fingers interlaced, and said, “Tell me about your story.”

As Chen You ate, he talked about how, at the beginning of his freshman year, he had conflicts with his three roommates, disliked each other, and secretly tripped each other up. But later, they became close friends and promised to be Xiongdi for life, sharing both good times and bad.

Li Yan remained silent, listening to the young man describe his two years of university life, his words filled with youthful exuberance and impulsiveness.

After dinner, Chen You said bye to Li Yan. Unlike ordinary couples who hugged, kissed, and hugged again, reluctant to part, they weren’t clingy. One got out of the car and said, I’m going up now, while the other drove away.

“……”

Chen You smacked his lips. Older people can’t compare to young ones. By the way, how old is Li Yan exactly? Thirty? He put his hands in his pockets, thinking he’d have to ask Hu Wei for the answer next time.

At this hour, his father was still dancing outside. Chen You came in and went straight to the bathroom, stripped off his clothes to check.

The young man’s ghost cry and wolf howl echoed from the bathroom, and even the voice-activated birds on the coffee table chirped.

After coming out of the bathroom, Chen You took half a watermelon from the refrigerator, ate a couple of bites with a spoon, and then texted Zheng Shuai to ask him what his usual salary was when he worked outside.

Zheng Shuai quickly replied to the text message: 1500 to 2000.

Chen You: So low?

Zheng Shuai: Not bad. When doing internships, there isn’t this much.

Chen You tossed his phone aside, ate some watermelon in silence, then went back to his room to find long-sleeved clothes and pants to wear, and even sprayed some floral water on himself.

Before ten o’clock, Chen Weidong returned from dancing and, as usual, went for a stroll around his son’s room. He smelled the pungent odor and exclaimed, “Youyou, did you break the floral water?”

“No.” Chen You lay on the bed fiddling with his phone, “I went outside for a walk and got bitten all over by mosquitoes.”

Chen Weidong happened to see his son’s ears and neck covered in red marks, some of which had bled, “Why are you wearing long sleeves? It’ll only make it hotter and itchier. Take your clothes off.”

Chen You was still lying there, take off clothes my foot, there’s not a single patch of intact skin on his arms and legs. I’m afraid of scaring you, elderly, in the middle of the night, “I’ll take them off before bed. I feel embarrassed with you here.”

Chen Weidong, “…”

Summer is the season when mosquitoes are rampant, as he knows all too well. Even dancing can result in mosquito bites in many places, and there’s no way to avoid them.

“Dad, I found a job.” Chen You opened a game and said in the background music, “I talked to a friend on the phone tonight, and I’m going to work tomorrow.”

Chen Weidong paused in tidying his desk, “What kind of work?”

Chen You added, “The odd jobs, all kinds of work.”

Chen Weidong frowned and said that as a man, he needs to mature. He also mentioned that he would be doing an internship in his junior year of college. Finally, he brought up the family rule of settling down before starting a career, saying that dating is not an option and that this is the most important thing.

Chen You thought to himself, I’m going there precisely because of this important matter.

After asking what time he was leaving the next day and whether he would be staying in the city, Chen Weidong instructed, “Take your medicine on time. Don’t skip it today and then not tomorrow. You’re new there, so don’t get into conflicts with your colleagues. Be humble and don’t be loud or boisterous. Work hard and steadily. If you suffer any injustice, come back. Dad will take care of you.”

Ultimately, he is still worried about his son’s depression, afraid he’ll be bullied, and also afraid that someone or something might worsen his condition.

Chen You hummed in agreement. He hadn’t even come out yet, but he already felt guilty. What could he do? Lying was really hard. Whether he succeeded or not, it was unpleasant. He frowned and scratched his head. His mother wasn’t here, otherwise she could have given his father some advice.

Let’s wait until he graduates.

The next day, Chen You set off with a suitcase to Li Yan’s place to begin his first love and first time cohabitation.

He doesn’t need to cook or buy groceries, nor does he need to mop the floor or do laundry. All he needs to do is play with the yellow puppy and its owner. To say it is easy, but it’s not.

Because the yellow puppy’s owner holds a high position of power, is elegant and abstinent during the day, but is an irrational pervert at night.

How perverted was he? The moment Chen You stepped out of the room, Li Yan would go berserk, furious, drag him back, choke him, and ask him why he ran away.

Chen You was on the verge of tears, saying that he hadn’t run away, he had just gone downstairs to get some food.

Li Yan couldn’t hear him, but he muttered that if he ran away again, he would lock him up. His hands didn’t stop moving as he tied Chen You to the bed, completely restraining him.

At this point, Li Yan will smile, a very happy smile.

Chen You was being violated with his arms and legs spread wide. Every time a ray of white light appeared, he felt as if he were in a dream. Then he would struggle with his hands, trying to hug the man lying on his chest.

Although the process of cannon fire was quite bloody, it still gave people a strange sense of satisfaction. However, Li Yan asked Chen You many times who Chang Qin was, and Chen You was completely confused. He had never heard of that name before, so how would he know who it was?

Chen You said he didn’t know, and then was tortured to death.

A week later, Chen You got used to Li Yan staying at his house after finishing his business, sometimes all night, until dawn. When he left, he would show a reluctant expression, like the child selling matches, yearning for light.

When Hu Wei and Lin Fuxing arrived, it was raining, and they were all wet.

As soon as they entered the hall, they saw the young man playing with a yellow puppy on the sofa. The young man’s t-shirt was rolled up a bit, revealing a section of his fair waist, which had several very deep marks on it, declaring the ownership.

“Woof woof”.

The yellow puppy poked its head out from Chen You’s arms. It wasn’t even two months old yet, but it was already making a show of warning. They wonder who it was trying to scare.

Lin Fuxing placed the umbrella outside the door and teased, “Little thing, what are you yelling about? It’s been a few days, and you don’t even recognize me anymore? Last time, I was the one who gave you the injection and fed you the medicine.”

Hu Wei said from behind, “I bought the dog food.”

The two of them took advantage of their day off to travel a long way, partly because they really had something to do, and partly to check on how Li Yan and the boy were getting along. Who knows how shocked they were when they learned that the two were living together?

Lin Fuxing and Li Yan went upstairs to talk, while Hu Wei talked to Chen You in the lobby, saying that there was a script that was very suitable for him and asking if he wanted to take it.

Chen You placed the yellow puppy on his lap and stroked its fur gently, like a noble, “What script is it?”

Hu came prepared, taking out a script from his briefcase, “It’s a web series.”

He made it clear that the show was worth the wait, “Take your time reading it. If you find it fun, give me a call and we’ll talk about what happens next.”

Chen You then said, okay.

After a few seconds of silence, Hu Wei said, “Chen You, Li Ge, he is now…”

Chen You, “Hmm?”

Hu Wei shook his head, “It’s nothing.”

Chen You continued stroking the fur, “Mr. Li hasn’t used any sedatives or medication at night, he can sleep, and he even snores. There are no problems so far.” The point is, I have to mess around with him, if I don’t stay in his house, he would not be able to sleep.

Hu Wei’s eyes snapped open, silently conveying holy shit!

When Lin Fuxing came downstairs, Hu Wei shared the news with him, let’s all be holy shit together.

They glanced at Li Yan, then at Chen You, and silently cursed, damn it! They left without lingering, desperately needing some peace and quiet.

Chen You couldn’t understand the way the two people looked at him as they left, as if they were looking at a Buddha or Guanyin who could save people from suffering, “What’s wrong with them?”

Li Yan closed the door, “Rainwater got into their brain.”

Chen You，“……”

He moved aside to let the man sit down, and the yellow puppy was so startled that its fur stood on end.

Li Yan ignored him, crossing his long legs as he flipped through a magazine.

Chen You chatted casually with the man, and when he learned that the yellow puppy didn’t have a name yet, he blurted out without thinking, “How about Laifu?”

“Sansan is fine, and Sisi is also an option.”

He paused for a moment, … Sisi(44)why does this number seem so strange?

Li Yan looked at the magazine, “It sounds awful.”

Is it awful? It’s quite nice. Chen You asked, “Which one?”

Li Yan said, “Numbers.”

Chen You said oh, not arguing with the man, “Then let’s go with Laifu.”

He patted the yellow puppy’s head and said with a smile, “Laifu, do you like this name?”

The yellow puppy lay down and rubbed against the young man’s arm, its tail wagging back and forth.

Chen You felt a little itchy from being rubbed against it, “It likes me.”

Li Yan said calmly, “It’s not surprising, its owner likes you too.”

Chen You was caught off guard by the sudden sweet talk. He coughed, a blush creeping onto his cheeks. Feeling embarrassed, he pulled Laifu onto the man’s lap and said, “I’m going to the bathroom.”

The yellow puppy trembled, wanting to jump down but too scared to.

Li Yan pretended not to see it, “You can like him, but you can’t leave a trace on him, otherwise, I won’t keep you.”

Animals, like humans, fear and panic when faced with powerful beings. The yellow puppy, standing on the dangerous human’s lap, trembled even more violently, and then it defecated.

Chen You, who was in the bathroom, heard the dog barking and hurriedly ran out, pulling on his pants. He saw the man with a livid face and was about to speak when he caught sight of two small black things on the sofa.

The culprit was hiding under the sofa, lying flat like a pancake, completely motionless, terrified.

“Laifu, you’re a little constipated. Gege will take you to get some medicine.”

Chen You quickly picked up the yellow puppy and slipped away, afraid that the man would kick him and the dog out the door together.

From that day on, the yellow puppy could only roam in its own little kennel and outside the house, and could no longer enter the living room. Poor thing, its Ge wanted to try to persuade it to come back, but he didn’t know how.

Chen You tried several more times, but either he was arrested and forced to kiss, and he couldn’t get a breath of fresh air.

He had to worry about Laifu, and also talk nonsense to his father. They talked on the phone every day, and it was nothing more than what time he got up in the morning, what he ate for lunch, what time he worked overtime until, how his relationship with his colleagues was, and whether he still had his medicine.

Chen You simply couldn’t imagine what would happen to him if his father found out. He’d probably suffer a terrible fate.

Let’s talk about it on that day. Things will work themselves out, and the Almighty will protect him.

Chen You also likes living with Li Yan. He really likes it. The first thing he does when he wakes up in the morning is to drag the other person out of his house. The last thing he does before going to sleep is to mess around, and then he falls asleep exhausted.

As the days went by, he became less and less afraid of Li Yan, sometimes even daring to act recklessly and take advantage of him. During the day, he was a normal lover, always granting his requests and spoiling him, but at night, things changed.

The butler and servants here are all elusive, communicating via communicators, they’re really something.

Chen You couldn’t figure out what Li Yan did for a living. He didn’t have to go to get off work or come home every day, his study wasn’t piled with documents to deal with, and he didn’t need to go on business trips, yet he could live in such a big house. It was as if money fell from the sky.

On a cloudy day when it wasn’t too hot, Chen You wandered around the house and unknowingly wandered into a maple forest. He got lost, forgot his phone, and fell into a pit. The situation was very bad.

The pit was quite large and deep. When Chen You fell in, he relied on his quick reflexes to grab a vine and slide down, which prevented him from falling directly in. Otherwise, he would definitely have twisted his leg.

After wiping his face, Chen You screamed at the top of his lungs, “Help——”

He had barely finished shouting when a shadow loomed over him from above—it was Li Yan.

Emerging from the pit, Chen You brushed off the rotten leaves from his clothes, still shaken. “Mr. Li, how could there be such a big pit in the woods?”

As Li Yan walked, he said, “To bury the body.”

Chen You’s face suddenly stiffened.

Seeing that the young man had stopped in place and hadn’t left, Li Yan reached out to hug him, saying, “Just kidding.”

Chen You，“……”

He whirled around. The maple forest was eerily silent, with a faint, eerie wind blowing by. Damn, goosebumps rose on his skin.

Not daring to linger, Chen You grabbed Li Yan and hurried away, vowing never to run around again.

After returning home, Chen You went to the bathroom to take a bath. He leaned against the edge of the bathtub, feeling drowsy, when he suddenly opened his eyes. Wait a minute, what the hell? He felt like he stepped on something hard when he was in the pit. Could it be a bone?

Humans have boundless imaginations, they can scare themselves to death.

Chen You couldn’t stay in the bath any longer, so he hurriedly got dressed and came out. The room was empty, and the living room was deathly silent, not even a dog barked.

He rubbed his arms, his scalp tingling. Just as he was about to call one of the Sanbao of the dormitory, he heard a voice outside the door, “Why aren’t you wearing shoes?”

He screamed reflexively, then turned around and saw the man standing in the doorway, his eyes dark and brooding, his hands covered in blood. He staggered back a few steps, his back slamming hard against the wall, “You…you…you…”

Li Yan said, “I’m cleaning the fish in the back.”

Chen You cursed, damn it, why are you making it sound like you’re killing someone when you’re just killing fish?

He put on his shoes and followed the man closely to the back, where he found a bucket of fish on the ground. The pool was large, filled with fish entrails and a bloody knife.

Li Yan continued to kill the fish, seemingly in a good mood, a smile played on his lips as he gutted it.

Chen You watched from the side, wondering if all these fish were going to be given away.

He was overthinking things. He ate fish for lunch and dinner every day, and the next day, the third day, and the fourth day, until he felt like throwing up.

On the other hand, the man killed so many fish and didn’t eat a single bite, that’s excessive.

A few days later, Pang Yilong posted a photo in the group chat. It was a picture of him with a beautiful woman. He said the woman was a singer and mentioned what songs she had sung. The key is the other person’s ‘E’.

Chen You rested his chin on a cushion and said via voice message, “How did you know it was an ‘E’? Did you measure it by hand?”

Pang Yilong said he measured it with his mouth.

“Your skill is really awesome.”

After sending the message, Chen You reached out and touched the side of the bed, but after searching for a long time, he couldn’t find anything. He then realized that this wasn’t his own room, and snacks wouldn’t be left on the bed. Sigh, that’s the downside, he couldn’t even have a snack if he wanted to.

Pang Yilong replied, saying it’s a family tradition. Zheng Shuai and Wang Yao in the group were extremely envious and jealous. E! That’s an E! My God!

Chen You wasn’t envious, he had pectoral muscles he could touch.

That weekend morning, Chen You didn’t immediately drag Li Yan out of his house, but let him stay there instead, saying, “It’s Pang Yilong’s birthday, and a few of us agreed to go to his house to celebrate.”

Li Yan stroked the young man’s hair, his slender fingers running through it, his fingertips brushing against the young man’s warm scalp.

Chen You invited the man to stay a little longer, saying, “Twentieth birthday is very important.”

Li Yan tightened his grip, pulling the young man into his arms, kissing his neck, his lips not leaving but tracing that spot.

Chen You shrank back, “Don’t bite there, others will see.”

He had barely finished speaking when his neck was bitten.

After finishing, Li Yan withdrew, rolled over and lay down beside him, pulling the young man into his arms, “Have you bought the gift?”

Chen You grabbed the blanket and wiped his mouth haphazardly, since he was going to change it anyway, “Not yet, I discussed it with Zheng Shuai and Wang Yao, and we’ll go to the mall to buy one for him.”

Li Yan shrugged, then spoke after a long pause, his voice low and somewhat hoarse, “I’ll have the driver take you there this afternoon.”

Chen You cheered inwardly. He thought it would take a lot of effort, but he didn’t expect it to be done so easily. After all, the pervert at night was too terrifying. His possessiveness was so strong that it was a disease.

Li Yan got out of bed, took out a card, and handed it to Chen You, “The password is your birthday.”

Chen You glanced at the card, but didn’t take it. Am I still being a sugar baby? Don’t do this, I’m panicking.

Li Yan frowned, already displeased, “Take it.”

Chen You slowly took the card and casually asked, “How much money is in the card?”

Li Yan said he didn’t know, “Go ahead and swipe.”

Chen You’s face twitched. When would he ever have such a bold spirit…?

In the afternoon, Chen You met up with Zheng Shuai and Wang Yao. The three of them ran up and down the mall. Pang Yilong’s family was rich and he lacked nothing, so it was difficult to buy him a birthday present.

If it’s too cheap, it’s embarrassing to present, if it’s too expensive, they’re just putting on a show, and the other party will think it’s unnecessary.

Chen You bought Pang Yilong a model airplane set, which cost several thousand yuan. When he swiped his card, the clerk’s eyes and attitude changed when he saw the card. He respectfully saw him off.

Chen You knew that the card represented power and influence. Fortunately, Zheng Shuai and Wang Yao were elsewhere picking out gifts and didn’t witness this scene. Otherwise, he would have had a hard time explaining it and it would have been difficult to fool them. He went downstairs to the ATM to check the balance on the card.

Zheng Shuai and Wang Yao walked down the escalator, “Youzi, what are you dawdling for? Let’s go.”

Chen You was interrupted and started counting the zeros again. When he finished counting them all, he suddenly felt that he was not carrying a thin card in his pocket, but a warehouse full of cash.

Hearing Zheng Shuai’s shout, Chen You snapped out of his daze and followed them as if nothing had happened.

The three arrived at Pang Yilong’s house, a villa with a garden, swimming pool, and fountain. There were quite a few people there, including Pang family’s business partners and relatives. Pang Yilong’s new girlfriend was also there, wearing a black bodycon dress that looked very sexy.

Chen You said, “Why do I see a ‘F’?”

Zheng Shuai’s eyes didn’t scan up and down, but stopped on the upper middle part, “If you bury your face in there, you’ll suffocate.”

Wang Yao swallowed hard, “I want to suffocate.”

Pang Yilong walked over and patted Wang Yao on the back of the head, “You rascal, wipe the drool off your mouth.”

He took the wine from Chen You’s hand and gave Wang Yao and Zheng Shuai a look, telling them to keep an eye on things, “Youzi, the pastry chef we hired this time, just came back from abroad. Some of the desserts taste really good. Go and try them.”

Chen You was pushed to eat dessert, “Have you done it?”

Pang Yilong said, “I have done.”

Chen You shifted his gaze from the beautiful woman, and for a few brief seconds, he felt as if she were staring at him, whether it was his imagination or not, “You brought her home, and your father didn’t give you a hard time?”

“Today is my twentieth birthday, and my family will give me face.” Pang Yilong shrugged, “I have an agreement with him that after I turn twenty and start working for the company, he won’t interfere with my private life.”

“Go ahead, have some dessert here, don’t wander off.”

Chen You was placed in a quiet corner, facing a row of desserts. He picked up a piece of cake, ate the strawberry on it, and soon after, Zheng Shuai and Wang Yao also came over. The two of them didn’t stay long before suddenly leaving, as if they were wearing the same pair of pants, their actions were very synchronized.

Zheng Shuai found Pang Yilong with a strange expression, “Old Pang, there’s a strawberry on Youzi’s neck.”

Pang Yilong raised his eyebrows, “What the heck? Strawberries? You must be seeing things.”

Zheng Shuai said, “It’s true, Old Wang and I, all four eyes, saw it.”

Wang Yao nodded, “Youzi is wearing a collared t-shirt, so you can’t see it unless you look down, but once you look down, it’s very clear.”

Pang Yilong pondered, “Have you asked yet?”

Zheng Shuai and Wang Yao both shook their heads, saying they came to find Pang Yilong after discovering it.

Pang Yilong took the two of them to Chen You’s side and directly grabbed his collar to look. Sure enough, there were strawberries, and more than one, “Youzi, you’re so disloyal. You didn’t even tell your Ge.”

Chen You was caught off guard and caught red-handed and could only utter the two universally applicable words, “Hehe.”

Pang Yilong and the other two were speechless, “…” Hehe my foot! You think you can get away with this?

Chen You wiped cream on the corner of his mouth, and his balls hurt. It was all that man’s fault. He said he shouldn’t bite his neck because he would be discovered if he went out, but he still bit him. He bit him so hard, as if he wanted the whole world to know.

He thought for a moment and said that they had just talked about it.

Zheng Shuai asked, “When are you bringing the person to introduce us guys?”

Wang Yao said, “Old Pang changes girlfriends several times a year, and he brings each one out to eat with us. You should learn from him.”

Chen You replied dismissively, “Maybe next time.”

He dared not imagine what it would be like to introduce that man to Sanbao—or rather, what Sanbao’s expression would be when they found out he was gay.

Perhaps they will drift apart.

Pang Yilong had a sharp eye and saw through Chen You’s perfunctory attitude, so he didn’t press the matter, “Don’t spoil her too much. Look how badly she bit you, she even drew blood. If it were me, I would have slapped her already.”

Wang Yao said, “How can a man slap a girl’s face?”

Pang Yilong chuckled, “I said to slap the face? You’re obviously a pathetic wretch who’s only ever seen pigs run but never eaten pork. There are plenty of places on a girl’s body that you can hit, right, Youzi?”

Chen You thought to himself, I don’t know. I only know that there are many places on a man’s body that can be hit.

Having never eaten a single bite of pork, Wang Yao felt wronged and asked Zheng Shuai for a shoulder to lean on.

Zheng Shuai said disdainfully, “Please let go of my shoulder.”

Wang Yao，“……”

Pang Yilong brought his new girlfriend over and introduced her to Chen You and the others, “Ren Wu, she’s four years older than me.”

Chen You took the lead, followed by Zheng Shuai and Wang Yao, who all introduced themselves. Upon closer inspection, they discovered that this beautiful woman was the one with the best face and figure among all of Pang Yilong’s girlfriends.

Ren Wu’s short hair suited her face shape better, highlighting her large, bright, and expressive eyes. With her cheerful personality and radiant smile, she quickly became acquainted with Chen You and the others.

Not long after, Pang Aiguo asked Pang Yilong to receive a boss of a certain company, hoping to get him into the family business as soon as possible so that he could take over smoothly. So this birthday party was also a simple business meeting.

After Pang Yilong left, Zheng Shuai went out to answer a phone call, Wang Yao went to the bathroom, and Chen You was eating dessert alone. No, there was another person there too, who didn’t speak but was humming a song.

Chen You asked in surprise, “You like 《Nunchucks》 too?”

Ren Wu smiled and said, “Yes, that’s my favorite song.”

Chen You found another like-minded friend, and they started chatting non-stop. It turned out that Ren Wu also loved cooking, was passionate about dancing, and even had some knowledge of breakdancing.

If it weren’t for his father’s call, Chen You would have continued chatting with Ren Wu. It’s amazing how, as soon as he felt a little bored, she would show him something that interested him, so he didn’t seem to want to stop chatting.

They hit it off, and Chen You had a strange feeling that Ren Wu had every interest of his, as if she were a friend tailor-made for him.

Ren Wu blinked, “Your idol has a concert next month. Did you get tickets?”

Chen You said he hadn’t yet, and before the other person could say anything, he hurriedly put away his phone, saying, “I have to go. Please tell Old Pang for me.”

“Never mind, I’ll say it myself.”

Chen You went to find Pang Yilong, but seeing that he was surrounded, he raised his hand and waved, mouthing the greeting before leaving. He also mentioned it in the group chat, informing Zheng Shuai and Wang Yao.

The birthday party ended around 7 p.m., and guests gradually left. Servants busied themselves cleaning, and faint sounds could be heard from the villa’s back garden.

Pang Yilong pressed on the woman’s back casually, “What, are you interested in my buddy?”

“What are you talking about? I like you just the way you are.” Ren Wu giggled, “Why are you bringing up other people now? How boring. I’ve booked a room at the hotel tonight. We’ll have plenty of time later. I’ll show you something.”

Pang Yilong chuckled from his throat, “Okay.”

Ren Wu turned around, her slender white hands hooking around Pang Yilong’s neck, pulling him towards her, and pressing her red lips to his.

At the same time, Chen You was busy in the kitchen at home. His father said he wanted to eat his sweet and sour pork ribs and fish head tofu soup, so he rushed back home, and even sent a text message to Li Yan in the middle of the trip.

“Dad, we’re out of salt. Have you bought any?”

There was no response from outside, so Chen You opened the glass door and peeked out. He saw a pair of feet on the balcony floor tiles, and the spatula in his hand fell to the ground with a thud.

After standing there for less than a minute, Chen You ran to the balcony, squatted down, and called out, “Dad? Wake up.”

Chen Weidong was unconscious.

Chen You’s eyes reddened. He called his father several times but couldn’t wake him up. Not daring to move his father’s body, he called 120. The ambulance arrived relatively quickly.

The doctor performed a brief examination on Chen Weidong and then placed him on a stretcher.

Chen You followed him into the ambulance in a daze, his hands trembling. Scenes of his mother suddenly falling ill, enduring the pain, and passing away flashed through his mind. After a while, he finally dialed a number, his voice still trembling, “Mr. Li, my dad fell.”

Li Yan said from the other end, “I’ll be right there.”

Chen You clutched his phone, tears streaming down his face. He wiped his eyes with his arm, thinking, What a wimp! Dad just fell, what’s there to cry about? It’ll be alright, it’ll be alright.

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Chapter 166. Love At First Sight

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Arc 9: Real World.

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Several tens of minutes later, Chen You stood in the unfamiliar large house. He looked at Lin Fuxing on the sofa and recognized him as the one he had seen in the studio last time, who had appeared with Li Yan.

However, this time the other person had a wound on his forehead, and the blood had already dried, it’s unclear how he got it.

As Chen You looked over, Lin Fuxing was also looking at him, his gaze sharp and penetrating, as if investigating something.

The atmosphere was rather strange.

Hu Wei glanced upstairs and asked, “How is it?”

Lin Fuxing sighed, “I just came down, and the situation is even worse.”

Hu Wei sighed, “And doctor?”

Lin Fuxing said, “He has multiple fractures throughout his body, and the wound on his back is quite deep. He has been taken to the hospital.”

Hu Wei took off his glasses and smoothed his hair, “What injuries does he have?”

Lin Fuxing shook his head and said he didn’t know, “No one can get close.”

“When I went in, he attacked me. If I hadn’t dodged in time, I would have been lying on the ground, half dead.”

Chen You was completely bewildered.

Who are these two people talking about? Didn’t Hu Wei bring him to see Li Yan?

So this is Li Yan’s home? Where is Li Yan?

Oh right, what did Hu Wei say about Li Yan? He didn’t hear it at the time.

Chen You touched his nose, “That…”

Lin Fuxing interrupted, “Let’s go.”

Hu Wei and Lin Fuxing exchanged a glance, let’s give it a try.

If this young man doesn’t work either, then they’ll have no choice but to resort to violence and force their way in.

Li Yan was incredibly skilled. When he goes berserk, he attacks anyone he sees. He’s no longer human, he’s a wild beast, much more difficult to deal with than in his normal state. The two of them won’t be enough, it would take at least a dozen of them, and a vicious battle, to even attempt to knock him unconscious.

The house was too big, and it was windy and gloomy.

Chen You followed Hu Wei and Lin Fuxing upstairs. He suddenly looked down at the living room and wondered why he heard a sound like a puppy barking.

Hearing this again, Chen You stopped in his tracks, “Are there dogs around here?”

“Yes.” Lin Fuxing said, “A mongrel.”

Chen You’s mouth twitched, feeling sorry for the stray dog. It would probably suffer from acclimatization issues in such a large house with very few people.

He came to his senses and found himself alone on the stairs. Hu Wei and Lin Fuxing had already gone up and were looking down at him with an urgent and serious gaze.

“……”

Why do I suddenly feel nervous?

Chen You looked at Hu Wei and felt deceived. He was supposed to be looking for Li Yan, but he hadn’t seen a trace of him. It was so late, and his father would be worried if he was out wandering around. He had also promised to be home before eleven o’clock.

“Where is Mr. Li?”

Hu Wei said, “I’m taking you there now.”

Chen You was slightly taken aback, but his body acted before his brain, and he ran up to him, unable to hide his excitement, “Where is he?”

Hu Wei said, “Just ahead.”

Upon hearing this, Chen You started running down the corridor.

Hu Wei and Lin Fuxing watched the young man’s happy back as he walked away, looking as eager as a young wife about to see her husband. They were both stunned.

Lin Fuxing asked, “Have you explained Li Yan’s situation clearly?”

Hu Wei said, “Hmm.”

Lin Fuxing found it unbelievable, “Then he’s not afraid at all?”

Hu Wei said, “I don’t think he listened.”

“…” Lin Fuxing looked at the young man who had stopped in front of Li Yan’s door, “Then, say it again?”

Hu Wei asked, “Is it necessary?”

“Li Ge cares a lot about this kid, but that’s when he’s sober. Right now, he doesn’t recognize anyone.” Lin Fuxing said, “If he does anything to harm this kid, he’ll definitely blame you and me.”

Hu Wei shuddered, called out to the young boy standing at the door, and repeated what he had said on the phone.

Chen You’s scalp tingled with shock. Bipolar disorder? He wanted to search on his phone, hoping to find some information online, but Hu Wei and Lin Fuxing were watching him, and the timing wasn’t right.

Hu Wei didn’t say anything more, he just patted the young man on the shoulder.

Lin Fuxing stood with his hands in his pockets, waiting for the young man’s decision. Once inside, their safety was not guaranteed, and it was absolutely impossible to escape unscathed.

That doctor is the best example.

Chen You’s rational mind told him not to be foolish, that talking to a madman was pointless, and that he should go back—it was too dangerous. But his body wouldn’t listen, he wanted to go see that man.

“I’m not familiar with Mr. Li, I’ve only met him twice.”

Hu Wei and Lin Fuxing asked in unison, “Twice?” Wasn’t it only once?

They looked at each other, realizing that Li Yan had been in contact with the young man without their knowledge, and that something had happened.

No wonder, he personally asked for a set of photos yesterday.

Hu Wei broke the awkward atmosphere by saying, “We’re looking for you because Li Ge has a severe case of mysophobia. The fact that he can touch you means he’s not averse to you, so we wanted you to try and see if you can calm him down.”

Chen You raised his eyebrows in surprise. Did that man have a cleanliness fetish? Then why wasn’t he pushed away when Chen You leaned in to kiss him? Maybe he didn’t realize what was happening.

A loud bang came from inside the room, startling the three people outside the door.

Chen You’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he tried to hide behind Hu Wei, but damn it, he couldn’t control himself and ended up standing at the very front.

Something vague replaced his instincts.

Hu Wei and Lin Fuxing were both impressed by the young man, despite his young age, his courage was not to be underestimated.

Chen You chuckled. Don’t look at me like that. I can’t control my legs at all. He swallowed hard, staring at the wooden door in front of him. The scent of wood filled his nostrils, faintly tinged with the scent of killing intent.

Lin Fuxing raised his voice and shouted, “Li Ge, Chen You is here.”

Hu Wei followed closely behind, adding as much information as possible to the person inside who was in a period of loss of control, highlighting key words, “It’s that new person I’m mentoring, a sophomore, the one who had his photos taken yesterday.”

Chen You’s throat was dry, “Mr. Li, I am Chen You.”

The three of them each said a sentence, and after they finished speaking, there was no sound from inside the door.

Lin Fuxing and Hu Wei exchanged a heavy glance. The young man’s arrival couldn’t even awaken a trace of Li Yan’s consciousness, so tonight would be very difficult to get through.

Chen You, who was at the front, stared longingly at the door. His nose was so straight it almost poked the door, “Mr. Li, I haven’t apologized to you for what happened in the hallway last time. I don’t know what I was thinking at the time, I just wanted to do that to you, and I don’t regret it afterwards.”

Lin Fuxing and Hu Wei, standing behind, exchanged bewildered glances, feeling they had missed a fascinating moment. What did the young man do to Li Yan? They couldn’t help but wonder.

Chen You was mentally confused and didn’t know what he was babbling about. He couldn’t control his mouth and tongue, “I received a call from Mr. Hu tonight. I knew you weren’t feeling well, so I came over with him.”

As he spoke, a sob rose in his throat, “You don’t want to see me, do you?”

Hu Wei and Lin Fuxing were both impressed by the young man’s quick wit and his first-rate ability to spout nonsense. Unfortunately, the other party was Li Yan, who would not give them a response.

The door opened the next moment.

“……”

As soon as the door opened, a pungent smell of blood rushed out. Before Chen You could think, a large hand reached out from the door and pulled him into the room, slamming the door shut behind him.

Hu Wei and Lin Fuxing were caught off guard. They heard a scream, the voice of the young man, filled with terror.

“Chen You? Are you alright?”

Inside the room, Chen You, who had been pushed to the ground, felt a sharp pain in his back. Something was embedded in it, a shard of metal, and warm liquid was seeping out. He cursed inwardly, isn’t that obvious? Laozi screamed like that, how could he be alright? Of course I’m not alright!!

A pure white crystal chandelier, composed of several small lights, hung from the ceiling, splattered with blood droplets. The walls were even worse, covered in small patches of blood and large splatters of blood, making it a scene of horrific violence.

Chen You didn’t faint at the sight of blood. He often gets caught in the crossfire and even watched pigs being slaughtered when he was a child. He didn’t find it scary when the pig’s neck was hooked and blood spurted out. But the feeling he has now is completely different.

He was so scared that he felt nauseous, his stomach was in turmoil, and he wanted to vomit.

The blood on his back soaked his t-shirt. Chen You was in so much pain that he kept gasping for breath and dared not speak. He just lay there motionless under the man.

Li Yan stared at the young man on the ground, holding him between the floor and his chest. Not enough, his breathing became heavy. He suddenly reached out and grabbed the young man’s ankle, imagining putting a shackle on it with an iron chain, which would tie the young man to the room, leaving him nowhere to escape.

The bones in his ankles were creaking from the tightness of the constriction, and Chen You’s scalp tingled, “Li, Mr. Li…”

His nostrils flared, and the air he breathed was murky. His gaze swept across the man’s pants and he saw blood on them. The blood hadn’t dried and was seeping out, and the color of the blood was increasing.

Not only his legs, but also his arms and other parts of his body were bleeding.

In that instant, Chen You was so startled that he bent over.

Li Yan, oblivious to the wound on his leg, pressed the young man back to the ground. His thin lips were pursed, and his face was covered in blood, making him look exceptionally ferocious.

Unfortunately, Chen You was pricked by that shard again, in the same spot. He cursed in pain, his skin practically groaning, “Mr. Li, you’re injured. I’ll go get someone to come in and treat your wound.”

As he spoke, Chen You began to struggle, trying to sit up.

The darkness in Li Yan’s eyes faded, replaced by crimson. Something surfaced in his mind, taking over his thoughts. This person wants to run away, chains couldn’t hold him back. He has plenty of ways to break free of his shackles and escape. He is very disobedient.

What should he do then?

With his pupils constricted, Li Yan suddenly laughed, reaching out his hands to grab the young man’s throat.

Chen You’s breathing became thin instantly. He kicked his legs and tried to grab the hand on his throat with both hands, but the man was unmoved. The color drained from his face, and he became frantic and distorted.

Soon, the rise and fall of Chen You’s chest became extremely small, the force of his leg kicks slowed down, his hands fell down, and his face turned purple.

I’m going to die.

This was Chen You’s last consciousness. He was awakened by pain, and when he opened his eyes, he found himself still in the room, with the man ravaging him in a pool of blood on the floor.

After a moment of stunned silence, Chen You slowly opened his eyes and saw that the man had his eyelids slightly closed, with deep lines between his brows and long, upturned eyelashes that would make any girl jealous.

He really wants to touch those two rows of little brushes and count them one by one.

Chen You’s head throbbed with pain. He unconsciously reached out to hug the man’s neck, pressed his face against it, and murmured through trembling lips, “Chang Qin…”

Li Yan suddenly lifted his eyelids, pulled the young man off his lap, and said in a hoarse, indistinct voice, “Make sure you know who I am.”

Meeting the man’s bloodthirsty eyes, Chen You suddenly snapped out of his daze, “Li… Mr. Li…”

Li Yan pressed the young man back onto his lap, silently possessing him.

At that time just as he saw the young man’s breath fading, he let go, suddenly realizing that besides death, there was another way to possibly possess the young man.

Chen You was tightly restrained, his mind a mess. Any normal person would fiercely resist in this situation, but he didn’t hate it. In fact, he was quite happy about it, and his mind and body were sending a come on, come on, hurry up and come to me signal.

That’s insane.

After a while, Chen You lowered his dark head, rested his chin on the man’s shoulder, gently rubbed it, and couldn’t help but curl the corners of his mouth up, “I like you, I only like you, I like you the most.”

Li Yan’s movements stopped abruptly, including his heartbeat and breathing.

A moment later, Chen You was picked up and thrown onto the bed. A shadow loomed over him, and the man’s voice forced him to call out his name. He did.

Li Yan seemed to be smiling, “Continue.”

Chen You did as instructed, repeating the call countless times until his voice became hoarse.

He didn’t know how much time had passed, but he felt dizzy and realized that he was very heavy. The man was lying on his chest, asleep.

“……”

Chen You was both amused and exasperated. You’ve messed with me, and now you’re sleeping soundly? Is that appropriate? He reached out to push the person in front of him away, but his hand froze in mid-air. He then lowered it and instead touched the other person’s short hair.

“I heard from Hu Wei that you lose control every night and need sedatives to calm down. Now that you’ve messed with me, when it’s dawn tomorrow, you’ll know what you’ve done. You won’t think I seduced you and beat me to death, will you?”

Chen You was a little scared. His fingers ran through the man’s hair, “To be honest, I have your suspicion.”

That day, the opening line in the corridor was the old way of picking up girls. Not long after, he took the initiative to go up and kiss him. Recently, he has been dreaming about doing things with him in different ways every day.

By any measure, he had ulterior motives towards this person.

“It’s strange. This is my first time. When you were doing it to me, it felt like I’d been doing it with you countless times. You didn’t do anything, but I just collapsed. Could it be because of those dreams that I got used to it beforehand?”

Talking to himself, Chen You’s thoughts were interrupted by the wound on his back. The man was asleep, but his arms were tightly wrapped around him. He was sure that as long as he moved, the other person would wake up.

Forget it, just bear with it.

But… you could have pulled it out before sleeping. Chen You rolled his eyes. Anyone would find it impossible to close their eyes while eating.

Outside the door, Hu Wei and Lin Fuxing each lit several cigarette butts. There was no sound coming from inside the room. What did that mean? They couldn’t speculate until they saw it for themselves.

“Li Ge didn’t take any tranquilizers, and he’s quiet now?”

“It should be.”

“What about Chen You? Is he dead?”

“Probably not.”

Lin Fuxing lowered his voice, “Let’s go downstairs and talk about it.”

The two tiptoed out of the corridor and down the stairs. The butler appeared from somewhere and asked, “Mr. Lin, Mr. Hu, would you like something to drink?”

Lin Fuxing and Hu Wei were still on edge when they suddenly heard the voice, and their faces turned pale, “Butler, why aren’t you asleep yet?”

The butler was dressed in black, with prematurely white hair, making it difficult to tell his age, “I’m used to going to bed at three or four in the morning.”

“What time do you get up every day?”

“Get up around 5:30.” The butler said, “An hour or two of sleep is enough, if you sleep too long, your reactions will become sluggish.”

Lin Fuxing and Hu Wei, who need to sleep more than eight hours a day, twitched their lips silently. They didn’t drink much. After staying in the lobby for nearly an hour and not hearing any unusual sounds, they went home and decided to come back early the next morning.

At four in the morning, the butler went up to the third floor for the last time. There was only one room on the entire floor. The master didn’t like to hear any noise, so he was usually the only one responsible for cleaning this floor. The servants would not sneak up here, because if they were discovered, the consequences would be dire.

The corridor was quiet, as was the room. The butler paused at the door for a moment before going back to his room to sleep.

As dawn broke and the sky began to lighten, Chen You’s arms and legs were numb. He scratched the man’s neck, but when there was no reaction, he slowly pushed the man to the bed.

The man’s thin lips moved slightly, he was awake.

Chen You stiffened, still holding a tissue in his hand, about to clean himself. He was now very embarrassed. He forced a smile and said, “Good morning, Mr. Li.”

Li Yan did not sit up, his face expressionless.

The two were not being completely open with each other in the traditional sense. Li Yan was only showing his face, still wearing his blood-stained pants, which looked both menacing and dangerous.

Chen You felt very uncomfortable being stared at, so he turned his head away and bent down to pick up the clothes on the ground. A large hand pressed down on his back.

“Ow, ow, ouch! Be gentle!”

Chen You turned his head and saw the man looking at the wound on his back, you can look at it, but why are you picking at it with your hands? You get hard as soon as I bleed. What does that mean?

Li Yan said in a hoarse voice, “Sit still.”

Before long, the smell of iodine spread, forcibly mingling with the floating smell of blood, the two smells filling the room and refusing to dissipate.

Chen You looked into the void, and the man was cleaning the wound on his back with very gentle force, which seemed to be his imagination.

He fired one shot—no, several shots. He thought it would be awkward, but it didn’t seem so. The feeling was hard to describe, it was like… ah, the long-awaited cannon fire.

It’s just as weird as hitting on someone for the first time with a tired old pickup line like, “Have I seen you somewhere before?”

Chen You suddenly remembered something. Oh no! He had promised his dad he’d be home by 11 p.m. last night, and now it was the next day. It’s over! It’s over! It’s over! He jumped out of bed, his bones cracking twice.

“Mr. Li, may I use your computer?”

Li Yan held a cotton ball in one hand and gauze in the other, his brows furrowed together.

Chen You said, “If it is not possible, then forget it.”

Li Yan threw the cotton ball into the trash can and went to the bathroom to treat his wounds. Before closing the door, he said, “On the table on the left.”

After a moment of stunned silence, Chen You turned on the computer. The man hadn’t set a password, and the desktop was clean and tidy, with only a few default icons. Without pausing, he quickly downloaded CF (Crossfire), logged into his account, and only after getting to the interface did he call his father.

As soon as the call connected, Chen Weidong’s anxious voice came through. Normally, he would be sleeping at this time, but since his son hadn’t come home for the night, he couldn’t sleep at all, he wasn’t a dead pig.

“What happened to you last night?”

Chen You felt guilty and said, “I’m at a friend’s house.”

Chen Weidong pressed for details, “Which friend?”

From childhood to adulthood, his son has been raised in a very free-range manner, reading novels and playing games as he pleases. He hasn’t really interfered much. Now his son has depression, and the doctor said it’s quite serious, having already caused complications such as delusions. He’s worried that he might have self-harm tendencies and go to extremes. He wants to take care of him, but it’s not easy for him, it’s very difficult to find the right balance.

“A friend who is already working.”

Chen You then fabricated a story, saying, “I was looking into internships, and by chance, I met this friend.”

Chen Weidong was startled. His son, an optimist who always lived for the day and didn’t care about tomorrow, suddenly started thinking so far ahead. Was he provoked by his classmate, or did he say something?

“Youyou, don’t put too much pressure on yourself about work. Your major has good job prospects. Dad thinks you can handle things well whether you work in a travel agency or a hotel.”

Chen You nodded, not bad my foot. Tourism management is tough. He’s already prepared to switch careers.

After exchanging a few words, Chen Weidong brought up the topic of not returning home last night, asking, “Did you stay overnight at a friend’s house?”

“Yeah!” Chen You said, “I was playing games with my friends last night and completely lost track of time.”

As he spoke, he yawned at his phone, then turned the computer volume up to the maximum and played the background music from CrossFire.

Chen Weidong heard “fireinthehole” coming from the other end of the phone. He recognized the voice, he often heard it from his son’s room. He believed his son was playing games, “Come back early. You have been playing games all night, that’s about enough.”

“I know,” Chen You said, “I’ll go back this morning.”

Chen Weidong said, “I’ll invite your friend over for dinner another day.”

Chen You managed to fool him, saying it was no problem. He looked up and noticed the bathroom door was still closed, so he sneaked out of the room, intending to go home.

Chen You gently closed the door, then turned around and saw a figure. He jumped back in fright, exclaiming, “Holy crap, who are you?”

The figure spoke, “I am the butler.”

Chen You swallowed hard. “You walk without making a sound?”

The butler walked over to show Chen You. There was a sound, and his feet touched the floor, he wasn’t floating.

It was good that it wasn’t a ghost. Chen You breathed a sigh of relief. People can scare each other to death. He and the butler looked at each other, realizing that there was no chance of them running away.

The butler asked in a low voice, “How was master at night?”

Chen You said, “He’s doing great, he slept soundly until dawn.” It’s just that I’m not doing well, I was being used as a pillow and hugged so tightly that I was sweating all over.

The butler’s expression was strange, “You mean, the master went to sleep last night?”

Chen You looked at him strangely, “Yeah, he was even talking in his sleep.” Who knows what he was saying? He not only talked, but he also laughed, laughing like a little kid.

The butler was utterly shocked.

Chen You was even more shocked than him. What’s wrong? Is it strange? Doesn’t everyone sleep? Talking in one’s sleep is a very common phenomenon.

The butler looked at the young man meaningfully, “Master needs medicine to fall asleep.”

Chen You was taken aback. He had thought that Hu Wei’s mention of sedatives was simply to prevent Li Yan from losing control, nothing more. Did he really need medication to sleep? Was his illness that serious? “Not bipolar disorder?”

Butler: “…No.”

Chen You sensed that the butler had something difficult to say, so he didn’t ask further. Even if he did ask, the butler wouldn’t explain it to him clearly. Servants dared not discuss their master’s affairs at will.

“Perhaps Mr. Li was too tired last night and slept very well.”

The butler turned his head and his face twitched. You don’t know this, when the master goes crazy at night, he doesn’t feel tired. If he doesn’t take sedatives, he can go crazy all night.

He looked at the young man again, thinking that perhaps the master no longer needed medication since last night.

Chen You then said, “Butler, I’m going back now.”

The butler didn’t move away. “What does the master wish?”

Chen You, “…”

After a brief standoff, Chen You gave in, “Can I change into some clean clothes and get something to eat?”

The butler’s gaze swept over the young man, his eyes like rulers, instantly revealing the size of his t-shirt and pants. He then took out a communicator-like device and gave the order.

Chen You was dumbfounded.

Come to think of it, when he came over last night, he didn’t see a single servant or the butler. Where did they all hide?

When Chen You changed out of his blood-stained clothes, put on a designer outfit, and sat down at the dining table to eat breakfast, the butler was nowhere to be found.

After swallowing a piece of bread, his mind raced. Running from the dining table to the door would take about two minutes at normal speed, but getting from the door to the outermost gate, through the garden and woods, would take at least ten minutes.

Forget it, I’m not going to court death.

Chen You took another sip of milk when he heard a dog barking outside. He followed the sound and found a puppy in the bushes.

A Chinese rural dog, yellow-haired—isn’t this the one he wanted to buy but couldn’t get?

Chen You excitedly reached out to hug the puppy, when a voice suddenly sounded behind him, “This is the master’s pet.”

It was the butler, always appearing and disappearing like a ghost. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he glared at the young-looking man with a full head of white hair. Damn, you almost scared Laozi again!

The butler looked somewhat innocent, “It bites, so be careful.”

Chen You asked how big the puppy was, then half-squatted down, opened his arms, and said with a smile, “Come into Gege’s arms.”

The yellow puppy whimpered twice, and under the butler’s surprised gaze, wagged its tail and walked towards the boy.

The butler clenched his fingers. Luckily, the master, who usually found it difficult to even touch the puppy, hadn’t seen this scene, or he wouldn’t have been able to accept it. He looked up and saw someone standing on the balcony—it was none other than the master.

Chen You didn’t notice, and instead picked up the yellow puppy and stroked its fur, asking, “What’s your name?”

The yellow puppy licked the back of Chen You’s hand.

Chen You chuckled and rubbed the yellow puppy’s head, saying, “You’re just like me, so affectionate with strangers.”

The butler next to him has disappeared again.

How terrifying, appearing and disappearing without a trace. Chen You shook his head. He looked around with the yellow puppy in his arms, but couldn’t find any chairs, so he simply sat down on the grass.

The sun is shining brightly.

The young man was playing with the yellow puppy on the grass, unaware that the person on the balcony was watching him with a complicated expression.

About half an hour later, the butler appeared and said that the driver was waiting at the door.

Chen You was reluctant to part with the yellow puppy, and also reluctant to part with its owner. He looked up and saw no one on the balcony, “Where is Mr. Li?”

The butler did not respond.

Chen You pouted and put the yellow puppy on the ground, saying, “Gege’s leaving.”

The yellow puppy barked at Chen You and chased after him. The butler glanced in a certain direction, waiting for instructions, and then forcibly picked up the yellow puppy and took it back to its little kennel.

Chen You took two more steps, then suddenly turned around, feeling as if a pair of eyes were watching him. He got into the car and watched the outline of the big house become increasingly blurry until it disappeared from sight.

The driver remained completely silent throughout the entire process, driving the car into the residential area and leaving after Chen You got out.

When Chen You arrived at his house, the door was open. His father was chatting with two fellow villagers. He politely greeted them and went into his room, where he lay down on the bed and fell asleep immediately.

If Chen Weidong hadn’t called him for dinner, Chen You could have slept for a long time.

Chen Weidong’s cooking skills were terrible. He didn’t waste the ingredients, so he ordered takeout. There were two dishes, and he cooked the rice, but he added too much water, making it mushy like porridge. He did his best.

As Chen Weidong handed the chicken leg to his son, he said, “Why do I feel like you’re different?”

Chen You munched on a chicken leg, things are different now. Your son lost his virginity. He was taken advantage of and is still satisfied. This must be a problem, it must be.

He finished the chicken leg, threw away the bone, and said, “Dad, I’ve fallen for someone.” He was smitten the first time they met, gave him his first kiss the second time, and even gave himself to him the third time. If this isn’t love, then what is?

Upon hearing this, Chen Weidong immediately stopped eating, “That’s great! Youyou, I’m so happy that you have this awareness.”

Chen You looked at his father, “You really support me?”

Chen Weidong said he had to support him, and with a wave of his hand, he said, “Don’t worry about your dad, just go for it without hesitation.”

Chen You thought to himself, “Oh, then I’ll definitely pursue him properly.”

Chen Weidong was pleased and said that boys should be more generous. When treating people to a meal, don’t be stingy. Give gifts that are appropriate. Gifts don’t have to be expensive, but they should be thoughtful.

Not daring to say that the person he liked was a man, Chen You silently made a prayer. Almighty Lord, please bless my dad, and I hope he won’t faint from anger when I come out.

In the afternoon, Chen You kept checking his phone. Besides text messages starting with 100, the only other thing was Zheng Shuai and Wang Yao flooding the dorm group chat with emojis. Pang Yilong wasn’t there, there was a family banquet, and he had a bunch of other things to do.

Hu Wei didn’t call to ask anything. Chen You found the other party’s number and hesitated whether to call. If he did, his intentions would be very obvious.

By the time he realized what was happening, he had already dialed.

There was not much surprise in Hu Wei’s voice, “Li Ge is on a business trip.”

Chen You felt a pang of unease, “Oh.”

There was a commotion on Hu Wei’s end, he seemed busy. He looked like he wanted to say something but hesitated, and finally just said he would contact him later.

After the brief call ended, Chen You tossed his phone back onto the table. Had that man finished having sex, gotten bored, and decided to pretend nothing happened? He patted his face. Forget it, let’s play games. Yes, let’s play games.

One day, two days passed, and he still couldn’t hear the man’s voice or see the man.

Chen You felt like a fish struggling on the shore, belly up, being baked by the scorching sun. No one would come to save him. If he were put back into the water, he would turn into a dried fish.

By the fourth day, Chen You’s back injury no longer hurt unless he pressed on it. An unfamiliar number appeared on his phone screen.

Chen You was playing a game, surrounded by red names. He was wearing headphones, and all he could hear was Pang Yilong’s heart-wrenching roar. When the other guy was giving commands, he was constantly swearing, and even a pack of throat lozenges wasn’t enough for him. His shouts were deafening.

After finishing a round, Chen You went to the restroom and when he came back, his phone rang. He glanced at the number and, for some inexplicable reason, thought it was that man, so he quickly answered.

A deep voice came from the other end of the phone, “Get down.”

Chen You’s heart raced, his blood rushed to his head, and he hurriedly said in the group that he was done playing, then immediately logged off, grabbed his t-shirt, and ran out the door.

Around 7 p.m., not long after it got dark, a car parked downstairs.

Chen You then tried to open the back door, but couldn’t. He then tried the front door, and it opened easily.

The car was very quiet.

After Chen You got in, he was still panting and sweating profusely. Damn it, in his excitement, he forgot about the elevator and ran down the stairs.

He’s never been in a relationship, but this idiotic behavior…maybe that’s what being in a relationship looks like?

Li Yan didn’t start the car, he simply lowered his head and lit a cigarette. After a popping sound, a cluster of orange flames shot out, flickering on and off.

Chen You unconsciously looked over. Pang Yilong and the others smoked almost every day, but none of them could match the skill of this man. He was so engrossed in watching that he suddenly heard a voice beside him, “Four days.”

He didn’t understand, “What?”

Li Yan lowered his eyes and smoked, one hand resting on the steering wheel, remaining silent.

Chen You licked his lips, his urge flaring up again. He desperately wanted to kiss the man’s phoenix eyes and the mole on his face, and even bite it to leave a mark. He pinched his palms to clear his head. What the other person had just said referred to as four days since that night?

Li Yan took a few puffs of his cigarette, held it between his fingers, and used one hand to pinch the young man’s chin, putting the cigarette into his mouth.

Chen You subconsciously took a puff and ate the saliva on the cigarette butt.

Li Yan turned his gaze back, drove away from the residential area, and drove at a moderate pace on the neon-lit road. He kept an eye on the young man, knowing that the young man didn’t smoke much, and also knowing that the young man liked his cigarette.

Actually, Chen You didn’t like it, he just liked the saliva on the cigarette.

How strange! This man’s saliva even feels strangely familiar.

As the car drove onto the overpass, Chen You checked his phone and found two missed calls from the same number. He pursed his lips, unable to imagine what the man’s expression would be if he called once, no one answered, and then called a second and third time.

The other party is definitely not the type to do such a thing.

Chen You had difficulty chatting with the man, so he just chatted with Pang Yilong and the others in the group chat, laughing and shaking his shoulders, not caring who was next to him.

A stern voice rang out, “Don’t play on your phone, or you’ll be fined and have points deducted from your license.”

Chen You rolled his eyes. Do you think I’m stupid? Driving without a phone has nothing to do with me. A fine and points deduction, do you know how ridiculous it is to hear those words from you?

Noticing the tense atmosphere in the car, Chen You put his phone in his pocket and stopped looking at it.

The car stopped by the roadside. Li Yan turned to the side and stared at the young man without saying a word. His eyes were unfathomable, and it was impossible to tell what was inside them.

Chen You felt uneasy under that gaze and couldn’t help but ask, “Mr. Li, why are you staring at me?”

After a long pause, Li Yan finally spoke, “Why did you kiss me?”

Chen You ，“……”

Aiyo, hey, you’re bringing up old grievances with me, aren’t you? I haven’t even asked you why you messed with me yet, and you’re asking first.

Li Yan pinched the young man’s face, forcing him to look directly at him, “Answer me.”

Chen You replied, “I don’t know.”

Li Yan frowned, and a chilling aura emanated from him.

Dissatisfied or what? Who are you trying to scare by suddenly releasing dark energy? Chen You looked at the man’s face so close to him and said honestly, “I feel a sense of familiarity when I look at Mr. Li.”

He blinked, “Mr. Li, I wanted to ask you this last time, have we really never met?”

Li Yan’s brows were still furrowed, and instead of answering, he asked, “Can you do that to strangers?”

“How could that be? It’s not like I’m lacking affection.”

Chen You glanced at the man, wondering if he was seeing things, but the man seemed to be in a very pleasant mood. He said seriously, “I kissed Mr. Li because I feel comfortable with you. I would never do that kind of thing with someone hateful.”

Li Yan’s brows twitched, it was unclear whether he believed it or not, “I’m not a hateful person?”

Chen You twitched his lips. What exactly do you want to hear from me? Let me tell you, don’t push me. If you push me too far, who knows what I might do.

Li Yan stroked the young man’s face, something flashing in his eyes, “That night, I was very sober.”

Chen You opened his eyes, and his heartbeat became erratic again. If this continued, he would probably get a heart attack from this man.

Since you were fully conscious, did you genuinely want to get back at him? That’s why you did it?

Chen You sighed. That’s one thing, but shouldn’t we talk about such a highly dangerous act as choking? He almost died at the man’s hands. The man tightened his grip while laughing and saying something that was chilling to think about.

Having narrowly escaped death, he strangely wanted to get closer, believing that the man wouldn’t kill him, he didn’t know where this confidence came from.

Li Yan said calmly, “I’m waiting for your answer.”

The man’s warm breath brushed against his mouth and nose, and Chen You was pulled by an inexplicable desire. His soul trembled uncontrollably, and he wanted to hug the other person. He leaned closer and grinned, saying, “I fell in love with Mr. Li at first sight.”

Li Yan’s brows relaxed, “Move over tomorrow.”

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Chapter 165. Smacking

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Arc 9: Real World.

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Chen You’s waist was being held, and a shiver ran through him from the part that was being touched, spreading uncontrollably throughout his body and then gathering from his limbs to his heart.

He stared at the unfamiliar face so close to his own, meeting those narrow eyes. Where had he seen them before? Where exactly…?

I can’t remember, I have absolutely no recollection of it.

Chen You’s breathing paused for a moment, then became rapid again. He opened his mouth as if trying to make a sound or call out a name, but forgot.

What’s going on with him? Am I suddenly going crazy? Even though I’ve never been in a serious relationship, it’s not like I’d want to pounce on every handsome guy I see, right? I’m really not that desperate.

My eyes are stinging, why do I feel like crying? Don’t cry, you idiot, there are other people watching, don’t embarrass yourself. Chen You tried his best to hold back, but tears streamed down his face uncontrollably.

The man’s face became blurry, and Chen You realized he was crying. Tears streamed down his face and chin uncontrollably. He gasped, his eyes widening, unsure of what to do.

A tear fell onto his arm, and Li Yan felt as if he had been burned. He immediately pulled his hand away, his fingertips tightening slightly as he tried to touch it again, but the young man had already run into the bathroom.

Standing there, Li Yan stared blankly at his palm. After a long while, he used his other hand to wipe away the tear, his fingertips gently stroking it. His brows were furrowed, filled with confusion.

Hu Wei and Lin Fuxing, who were standing nearby, were frozen in shock.

WTF, what’s going on?! They need to calm down and analyze the situation.

The people at both ends of the corridor stared wide-eyed, their expressions blank, forgetting to exchange glances or whisper among themselves.

Is Mr. Li gay? And has his eye on a young man?

It shouldn’t be. Given Mr. Li’s wealth and status, if he were gay, countless people would fawn over him. Based solely on the young man’s appearance, he still showed signs of immaturity and naivety, and was far from outstanding enough.

That is, the young man learned of Mr. Li’s power from elsewhere, so he had other ideas, got emotional for no reason, and even tried to use tears to gain something for himself.

This kind of scheming is quite common.

As for Mr. Li, he is a man of great composure and high moral character. Perhaps because he couldn’t just stand by and watch the boy fall in front of everyone, he casually helped him up.

Without any prior communication, everyone reached a consensus.

The young man’s acting was good, his tears came easily, and his sad expression was mixed with excitement and joy, like a long-awaited reunion. He was afraid of mistaking someone, wanted to confirm, but didn’t know what to say or where to begin. There was a sense of pain that came from a long separation and the memory had become blurred.

In such a short period of time, the young man’s emotions underwent multiple changes, and these emotions were handled very well. If the other person was not Mr. Li, they would all believe it.

He was personally brought in by a top agent, and he’s definitely got some skills.

In the bathroom, Chen You squatted on the floor, leaning against the door. His heart was pounding so hard, pounding against him repeatedly. A dull pain came over him, and he clutched his chest, panting heavily, with beads of sweat on his forehead.

Almost, almost kissed him.

Chen You swallowed hard, licking his dry lips, so salty. He felt like he was going to die. In front of so many people, he was crying to a man he didn’t even know, and he was crying like a dead dog.

He must have looked absolutely awful back then.

Chen You grabbed a strand of hair from his forehead, repeatedly belittling himself. It was too weird just now. He admitted that he was a bit perverted, but when he first saw the man, his whole world consisted only of those eyes. He didn’t even think about looking at the man’s pants.

He felt a strong sense of familiarity, not like they had met once by chance in a certain place, but like they had met many times, so many that he had the illusion that they were from a past life.

Chen You leaned back, his head hitting the door repeatedly. He longed to touch the man’s eyes, to touch the mole on his face, and to kiss him. He wanted to be held in his arms, to be tightly embraced, and to kiss him until he was almost suffocating.

He slapped himself hard across the face, yelling, fuck, forget about it!

A faint taste of blood lingered in Chen You’s mouth, yet he couldn’t stop thinking about it, thinking it frantically. He was even confused by the fantasies in his mind, imagining the man right in front of him, looking at him with burning eyes, and unconsciously opened his arms, waiting to be embraced.

“You’re insane…”

Suddenly jolted awake, Chen You couldn’t help but continue slapping himself. He only had depression, not skin thirst or infatuation. Why was he experiencing this? What was with this extreme desire to be fucked?

Enough is enough!

Chen You got hard. He wanted to cry but had no tears. Before that man appeared, he was fine. After he appeared, his body and mind went out of sync. He didn’t know what he was doing or thinking.

“Take your medicine, go take your medicine quickly, you’ll be fine after you take it.”

Chen You muttered to himself, “Where is the medicine? In my backpack? Yes, it’s in my backpack.”

He braced himself against the ground, straightened up, rubbed his face, composed himself, and went to open the door. There was no one left in the corridor.

He felt relieved, but also disappointed.

In the office on the 21st floor, Lin Fuxing and Hu Wei stood and sat respectively, each smoking a cigarette, their gazes fixed in one direction through the smoke.

Li Yan stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, his back to them, his expression unreadable.

Lin Fuxing exhaled a cloud of white mist into the air and exchanged glances with Hu Wei, “Go and test the waters to see what’s going on.”

Hu Wei, sitting on the sofa with a cigarette between his fingers, shook his head and said, “I’m not going. You go if you want to.”

Lin Fuxing propped himself up on the table with one hand, the toe of his leather shoe tapping the floor. He didn’t dare to ask. Li Yan had a physical obsession with cleanliness, whoever touched him would be either dead or crippled. Not long ago, the other party actually took the initiative to touch that young man.

Pinching his cheeks is one thing, but then he put his arm around his waist too.

That next action just seemed really strange.

Lin Fuxing stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray. He walked around the desk, sat down in the leather chair, and spun around a few times before deciding to speak, because the atmosphere in the office was just too oppressive.

This is his office, yet he can’t relax at all.

Having made his decision, Lin Fuxing cleared his throat and asked casually, “Li Ge, should we call the person over?”

The man by the floor-to-ceiling window didn’t turn around, “No need.”

The conversation suddenly stalled, and it was hard to continue. Lin Fuxing scratched his chin and gave Hu Wei a look that said, that’s your person. Don’t think you can stay out of this.

Hu Wei coughed. He had been in this circle for a long time, and what Lin Fuxing couldn’t see, he could see.

The magnetic field between people of the homosexual is quite special.

In just a short while, Hu Wei had already determined that Li Yan had become interested in Chen You, although he was also surprised, shocked, and unable to understand it.

After thinking it over, Hu Wei began to explain what he had investigated, “Chen You is a local, nineteen years old, a sophomore majoring in tourism management. His three roommates are Zheng Shuai, Wang Yao, and Pang Aiguo’s son, Pang Yilong. The four of them get along well.”

“He is outgoing, optimistic, and good-looking. He is very famous in the college and has many female admirers. However, he has never dated a girl or had a boyfriend. He is gay.”

Lin Fuxing made an exaggerated wow expression.

Hu Wei kept an eye on the person by the French windows. Seeing that he wasn’t interrupted, he continued, “Chen You’s house is in Unit 1, Building 30, 601 of XX Community. His mother passed away early due to illness, and his father, Chen Weidong, retired early. His hobby is dancing, and he has a very good relationship with his neighbors.”

“The father and son have a good relationship, which is closer than that of ordinary families. Chen Weidong has been alone for many years to accompany Chen You as he grows up. After he went to university, Chen You went back almost every weekend to buy groceries and cook for Chen Weidong. Everyone at the market knows him.”

Only Hu Wei’s voice could be heard in the office, the other two remained silent.

“I bumped into Chen You by chance at a Starbucks on xx Road. The first time I asked him to shoot an advertisement, he didn’t agree. I only convinced him the second time.” Hu Wei’s eyes showed admiration, “He is a good prospect with unlimited potential, and can be shaped into many possibilities.”

Li Yan remained silent.

Out of respect for his childhood friend, Lin Fuxing asked, “Does that guy Chen You want to be a star?”

“I think so.” Hu Wei said, “Chen You was a repeat student. He applied to the xx Film Academy the first year of college entrance exam, but was rejected and then repeated the year, eventually getting into a junior college. I personally think that once a dream of becoming a star takes root in one’s heart, it will follow one’s entire life.”

He flicked his cigarette butt, “Besides, Chen You is very talented. He has something that others don’t. He’s a breath of fresh air. Watching his performance is refreshing.”

“Given the opportunity, Chen You will definitely establish himself in this industry, and this advertisement may be a turning point.”

Li Yan remained silent.

Lin Fuxing looked at his childhood friend and asked him to continue.

Hu Wei spread his hands, at a loss.

A short while later, Li Yan left without uttering a single word.

Lin Fuxing tossed another cigarette to his childhood friend, saying, “You put on quite a show this time.”

Hu Wei tossed the cigarette aside, not wanting to smoke anymore, as he still had to go to the studio later, “By chance, to be honest, I didn’t expect Chen You to suit Li Yan’s taste.”

Lin Fuxing teased, “I think it’s Li Yan who suits Chen You’s taste. Didn’t you see? He was looking at Li Yan with tears all over his face and he was trembling. If he hadn’t run away, he would have definitely rushed into Li Yan’s arms.”

Hu Wei’s face twitched slightly. “Can we be objective? If Li Yan doesn’t want to, he won’t allow Chen You to pounce on him.”

“Yo, you just took the kid, and you’re already starting to protect him?”

Lin Fuxing raised an eyebrow, “But you’re right. Chen You took the initiative to strike up a conversation, but it was Li Yan who made the first move.”

He sighed, “Why am I so excited?”

Hu Wei said, “I feel a little bit too.”

What will happen when someone who has always been indifferent to everything becomes interested…?

Inside the studio, Chen You had just finished taking his medicine and was sitting on a small stool drinking mineral water. The staff around him walked around, glancing at him every now and then, laughing and chattering away.

What are you laughing at? Chen You rudely wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Even though he didn’t understand his feelings for that man, so what?

Is there a law that says you can’t like someone? That’s ridiculous.

Jiang Shaonan emerged from the dressing room, followed by two assistants. He said something, and one of the assistants pulled out a small fan and ran to the front, holding it up.

There’s no air conditioning in the studio, it’s unbearably hot.

Jiang Shaonan complained, and someone quickly brought him a chair and laid out a cool cushion. One assistant knelt on the ground holding a fan, while another opened a notebook and carefully read out today’s schedule.

Chen You glanced at it, arrogant.

His idol would never put on airs like that. Someone who can write such great lyrics and sing such beautiful songs would also be a lovely person in real life, not an annoying guy like Jiang Shaonan.

“Hello.”

The sound above Chen You’s head startled him. He looked up and saw the youngster looking at him with a contemptuous gaze. He wanted to roll his eyes at him, but in the end he didn’t. He didn’t care.

“I heard about what happened in the corridor. I didn’t expect you to have such big ambitions. I wouldn’t dare to do that.”

Jiang Shaonan chuckled, “I really didn’t realize that you, an ordinary college student, have such good connections. You even know Li Yan.”

Chen You was taken aback. So the man’s name was Li Yan. Li Yan, Li Yan, Yan Li? He twitched his lips, this name really was indescribable.

Jiang Shaonan patted the boy on the shoulder, “If you could get in touch with Li Yan, you could make a name for yourself in any field, not just in this one. You could make anyone kneel at your feet and call you grandpa. So before you, there have been many people who tried it, willing to pay any price. So why hasn’t anyone done it yet? Don’t you find that strange?”

Chen You thought to himself, dude, can you take your hands off me? You’re making LaoZi sick. I ate some wife cakes(Laopo Bing) I bought before I came here, and I don’t want to throw up.

Jiang Shaonan didn’t continue, out of both apprehension and fear.

He had only been with the company for a short time, and his agent often took him to high-society dinners, where he would drink with people and be played around. In addition to getting opportunities, he also learned a few things, when those important figures accidentally mentioned the name Li Yan, everyone’s expression would change, as if a knife was held to their throats, and they would immediately change the subject.

There’s no such thing as true innocence in this world, that person was just a businessman? Nobody would believe that.

Jiang Shaonan said he wanted to go over the lines with Chen You, but before Chen You could even prepare, he started. The smile on his face disappeared, and the corners of his lips turned down, “Why is everyone criticizing us? Why? What did we do wrong?”

The mentally retarded Chen is online, “I don’t know.”

Jiang Shaonan, “…”

He ruffled Chen You’s hair and said, “You’re so cute.”

He then asked his assistant to bring him a pen and signed his name on Chen You’s collar, “Although you are very cute, you still need to memorize your lines. Good luck, classmate Chen.”

Looking at the scribbles on his collar, Chen You had a look of utter disgust on his face.

He quietly flipped through the script. It was supposed to be an advertisement, but it listed quite a few scenes, almost as many as the short films he had seen. He figured a lot of them would be cut during post-production.

Investors have money to burn.

Chen You muttered something, but before filming started, the investors arrived. They were the ones who put the money in, so they acted like royalty. The director showed them the progress and even mentioned that the upcoming kissing scene was in preparation.

An investor came by and said he wanted to take a look.

Hu Wei told Chen You the news, acting as if nothing had happened, as if the scene in the corridor had never occurred.

Chen You peeled off a piece of chewing gum and popped it into his mouth. Hu Wei didn’t mention it, and neither did he. It was awkward, even the thickest skin would feel embarrassed.

Hu Wei said, “Relax.”

Chen You chewed his gum and blew a bubble, and said, “This is my first kiss.”

Hu Wei said, “Your first on-screen kiss is meaningful. Appearing in this advertisement can be considered a beginning for you.”

“Not on the screen.” Chen You stuck out his tongue, rolled the popped bubble into his mouth, and continued blowing, “I’ve never kissed anyone?”

“That’s normal, you’re still young.”

Hu Wei looked at the boy and said, “As someone who’s been there, let me tell you, most puppy love relationships don’t end well. If you become friends, that’s considered good. There are quite a few who never speak to each other again.”

Chen You ignored it completely. No, I don’t want to give my first kiss to Jiang Shaonan. He suddenly stood up and ran outside.

“Hey, we’re about to start filming, you little rascal…”

The young man had already disappeared. He was young, had long legs, and ran like the wind. Hu Wei called Lin Fuxing and told him that the boy had run away.

On his way to the veterinary hospital, Lin Fuxing saw a Samoyed that had been hit by a car and brought in. The dog was in bad condition, and he had to rush back to perform surgery, “I can’t reach Li Ge. He might still be at the company. Keep an eye on him.”

Hu Wei listened to the beeping sound in his ear, watch over,  How could he watch over? If the little one misbehaved and ran around, he could scold him a couple of times, but the big one, no one dared to stop him from going wherever he wanted.

At this moment, Chen You ignored the stares of others and ran up and down the stairs. When he was too tired to run anymore, he sat on the steps of the fifth-floor stairwell, panting heavily.

His t-shirt was soaked through, and beads of sweat rolled down his back, making him feel itchy and uncomfortable.

Reaching behind his back, Chen You grabbed at the collar of his t-shirt and wiped his face haphazardly. In his nineteen years of life, he had never been as stupid as he was today. Knowing only a name, he acted like a lunatic, trying to find the other person.

“You left long ago, right…?”

Chen You muttered to himself, then suddenly twitched his nose and smelled a faint wisp of smoke, wafting from somewhere.

In his daze, Chen You sniffed the smoke, and all he could think of were those phoenix eyes. He jumped up from the steps and rushed downstairs. He ran from the fifth floor to the first floor before realizing he was going the wrong way.

Without stopping to rest, Chen You turned around and ran upstairs, from the first floor to the fifth, sixth, and seventh floors. He supported himself on his knees with both hands, half-squatting and panting. Damn, this is really tiring.

The smell of smoke was strong, coming from upstairs.

Chen You swallowed hard, shook his sweaty hair, and with a strong will, he gripped the cigarette smoke tightly and slowly moved forward until he saw the man’s back.

That silhouette…

A sense of familiarity washed over him once more. Chen You wiped his face, his hands were covered in sweat. Outside, the sun was blazing, and he felt like he was being drenched in rain.

Without immediately approaching, Chen You breathed heavily. Once his breathing had calmed down a bit and he could speak in complete sentences, he finally spoke, “I’m currently filming a gay-themed advertisement, and I’ll have a kissing scene with another person in the film later.”

“The investors are here. They want to see the actual scene. Not staged, they’re here for real.”

His stern face was shrouded in smoke, obscuring his expression.

Chen You didn’t know why he was telling this to a stranger. He just said it because he felt like it. The other person could think he was talking nonsense or that he was crazy.

Anyway, he will do everything he has to do. Heaven knows how tiring it was to find this person, he almost broke his legs from running around.

A breeze blew in through the window, dispersing the smoke.

Chen You took a deep breath. The man’s scent stimulated his senses and stirred his soul. He couldn’t help but take a step forward, as if an invisible rope was pulling him forward.

Just then, Li Yan turned around, a cigarette between his fingers in one hand and the other hand in his pocket. His brows were furrowed as he looked down at the young man whose cheeks were flushed and whose face was covered in sweat.

Chen You met that sharp gaze. Just as he was about to speak, his phone rang in his pocket. It must be Hu Wei, calling him back to film that damn kissing scene. He gritted his teeth, stared at the man’s two light-colored thin lips, and leaned in the next second.

After smacking his lips to the other person and giving a quick peck, Chen You ran off, afraid that if he was even a step too slow, he would get beaten up.

If he turned around, he would surely find a complex look in Li Yan’s eyes, and even see him pursing his thin lips, as if he were pondering something or savoring something.

A moment later, Li Yan took out his phone and dialed a number.

Two men in suits went to the company’s security room, negotiated with the security guards, and took away the surveillance video from the eighth floor.

After giving his first kiss to the person he wanted to give it to, Chen You returned to the studio, his mood improved, humming a song and smiling broadly. He greeted all the staff members he saw.

Hu Wei, “…”

The script for this advertisement is based on a true news story. The two male protagonists met in college and fell deeply in love with each other. Due to public opinion and pressure, they committed suicide together. If the people around them had shown a little tolerance and understanding, they would not have taken such a tragic path.

Chen You then pulled out a half-empty bottle of cola from his backpack.

Jiang Shaonan’s expression was unpleasant, and he tried to take the cola from Chen You’s hand.

Chen You looked confused.

Jiang Shaonan said, “I hate the taste of cola.”

Without saying a word, Chen You removed his hand from the cola bottle, unscrewed the cap, took a big gulp, and grinned at the youth, full of provocation, as if to say, it’s none of your business.

Jiang Shaonan acted like a big shot, demanding that Chen You rinse his mouth, otherwise he wouldn’t film.

The staff were used to it and didn’t dare to say anything. There was nothing they could do. Although some fans were very rational, many more were quite crazy.

Hu Wei pulled Chen You to the restroom.

Chen You frowned, “He’s only a minor celebrity, how can he be so arrogant?”

Hu Wei said, “He has a good face, is delicate, and his group does a good job of hyping him up. The company is willing to cultivate him and establish a gentle and refined image for him, which is what fans like.”

Chen You was annoyed, “Someone like him is supposed to be gentle and refined? I don’t even recognize those words anymore.”

“Calm down.” Hu Wei said, “Once your fan base surpasses his, you can walk sideways too.”

Chen You rinsed his mouth, not wanting to continue the conversation with Hu Wei, it was pointless. He was thinking about the man’s eyes, face, lips, warmth, breath, and the cigarette between his fingers.

That’s so perverted.

According to the script, the kissing scene was very beautiful. Jiang Shaonan was standing on the rooftop, with his back to the railing and facing Chen You, smiling at him. His smile was pale and had a sense of fragility that seemed to vanish with the wind.

Chen You stood opposite him, looking at Jiang Shaonan, slowly approaching, stopping an inch away, their eyes filled with anxiety.

When filming, he was stuck on the tension, he couldn’t achieve the desired atmosphere of mutual understanding and immersion, where the whole world consisted only of the two of them—a despairing, poignant, lingering, and resolute feeling.

The production assistant called ‘cut’ several times, and the director, getting impatient, asked Chen You to get back into character with Jiang Shaonan while he talked to the investors about the profound meaning of the advertisement.

Chen You tried to step back, but his hand was grabbed. Caught off guard, he bumped into Jiang Shaonan.

“Stand still, if you throw yourself at me like that, I’ll be scared.” Jiang Shaonan said with a smile, “Chen You, you have so little body hair, even less than a girl, tsk tsk, it feels so smooth, really interesting.”

The staff thought they were just rehearsing a scene and thought it was going very well.

Chen You grabbed Jiang Shaonan by the collar and shoved him backward. Jiang Shaonan walked to the lounge with a stern face, kicking an innocent chair along the way.

Less than five minutes later, Hu Wei came in and said, “Go back to school.”

Chen You asked curiously, “Not shooting anymore?”

Hu Wei rubbed his temples, “I can’t explain it to you in a short time. You should go back now.”

Chen You didn’t ask any more questions. It was good that he could leave. He said goodbye to Hu Wei, picked up his backpack and left. He seemed to hear the staff discussing something about “withdrawing investment”.

The next day, Jiang Shaonan made headlines because he was exposed for various shocking things, such as acting like a diva. The entire idol group’s schedule for the second half of the year was either canceled or replaced by other artists. Fans caused trouble and hurled insults at the company online, including allegations that Jiang Shaonan had concealed from his manager that he had paid for online trolls.

That afternoon, a set of photos were released showing Jiang Shaonan playing with several foreign friends. His female fans were heartbroken and saddened. They could forgive their idol for having a bad temper and for bossing around his assistant, since he was paid, but the fact that he was gay and had such an immoral private life shifted the focus of public opinion.

Chen You sighed, the entertainment industry is truly terrifying, it’s so unpredictable.

Pang Yilong, clipping his toenails, asked, “So, are you still going to shoot the ad?”

Chen You said, “I don’t know.”

He couldn’t understand why he had taken that kind of advertisement. It would be better if he couldn’t do it, because his father would never approve of it.

Zheng Shuai, whose account was swarming around, said, “That arrogant Jiang Shaonan must have offended someone. He has only one goal, to kill him.”

Chen You shrugged. Who knows? It’s none of his business.

He logged into CrossFire and called out to Pang Yilong and the others, “Let’s go into room 101, play a few rounds, and then go eat.”

Room 101 was set up on a pirate ship. It wouldn’t be fun if the four boys weren’t all on the same team. They were split into pairs, Chen You, Pang Yilong was in one, and Zheng Shuai and Wang Yao were on the other.

Chen You was using a sniper rifle. He loved to sneak around in a corner and aim at the heads of bouncing enemies, it felt amazing.

Pang Yilong liked to charge ahead with his gun, he would run in front, killing many people, but also dying many times.

“Holy crap! Youzi, Old Shuai is behind you!”

Upon hearing Pang Yilong’s reminder, Chen You turned around, quickly switched his sniper rifle to a dagger, and stabbed Old Shuai multiple times. After Old Shuai lay down, Chen You jumped up and stomped on him a couple of times.

Zheng Shuai coughed up blood and roared, “Damn it, why did you step on Laozi’s face? You’re just jealous!”

Chen You squatted down, brandishing the dagger, wondering where to start. The next moment, he riddled Zheng Shuai with holes, “Aiya, can I stab his balls? I really want to prick Old Shuai couple of times.”

Shaking slightly, Zheng Shuai was still loading the message. He slammed his fist on the table, stood up, and yelled, “Old Wang, what are you doing here? Hurry up and get over here and kill Youzi—”

Wang Yao said quietly, “Kill my ass, I got beaten to death by Old Pang.”

Zheng Shuai, “…”

He sat back down, rolled his eyes, and realized he couldn’t play anymore.

The four regrouped and infiltrated other rooms. It was not uncommon for Chen You and Pang Yilong to be on different teams. When they fought, they showed no mercy and their strengths were evenly matched.

When Zheng Shuai played alone with Wang Yao, he did well and could occasionally beat everyone. But when he encountered these two guys, he was completely helpless.

Chen You’s chances of headshots are terrifying, he hits the target every time. Pang Yilong is incredibly fierce.

After playing a few rounds, Pang Yilong went out to answer a phone call and didn’t return until dark. He first banged on the door, then started yelling.

Wang Yao was engrossed in a novel when he heard a noise and jumped in surprise, “What’s wrong?”

Chen You, with his legs crossed on the bed, joked, “What else could have happened? Comrade Pang’s face is as green as rapeseed flowers. He’s obviously been cuckolded.”

Seeing his friend sitting silently in the chair, he stopped joking and asked, “It can’t be true, can it?”

Scratching his head, Pang Yilong explained what had happened. His fellow villager had informed him that he had seen his girlfriend with another guy. He rushed over and bumped into the two of them hugging. Enraged, he kicked the guy on the spot.

The three confronted each other, and Pang Yilong realized that things were much more complicated than he thought. His girlfriend was playing a very serious game, the guy was her high school sweetheart. After graduation, they went to different universities in different cities. At first, they corresponded by letter, but later it turned into text messages and phone calls.

His girlfriend was quite shrewd. She wanted to see how things develop before making a decision. She’s dating Pang Yilong on one hand, and keeping her high school sweetheart on the other. To avoid making the wrong choice without careful consideration, she’s keeping both of them under her control. She’s really clever.

Unaware of what was happening, Pang Yilong cursed under his breath, “Fuck.”

Wang Yao remarked, “Reality is full of uncertainties. I’d rather just read my novels, the endings are mostly happy ones.”

Zheng Shuai said, “That’s why I don’t take anyone seriously. I don’t trust the other person, and I don’t trust myself either.”

Chen You didn’t bring up that. He’d never been in a relationship and didn’t know anything about it. He just climbed down from his bunk and said, “Let’s go eat, it’s on me.”

Upon hearing that someone was treating them to a meal, Wang Yao and Zheng Shuai were more enthusiastic than anyone else.

Pang Yilong didn’t move, “You guys go ahead, I’m not going. Darn it, I’m so angry.”

Chen You hooked his arm around his neck, “What’s there to be angry about? What’s that song lyric again? Dating is not as good as dancing. From now on, follow me, and I’ll teach you breakdancing.”

Pang Yilong said, “Forget it, I still prefer girls to dancing.”

Chen You，“……”

Across the street from the back gate of the school were restaurants. Chen You and his friends crossed the street and headed towards their usual restaurant, which was affordable, clean, and whose signature dish, sauerkraut fish, was delicious.

A car was parked on the side of the road where there were no streetlights and the light was dim, making it difficult for people to notice it.

Li Yan, sitting in the back seat, turned his head and saw four boys in his line of sight. The one in the middle had his hands in his pockets, grinned, and was chatting and laughing with his companions on either side of him, looking very cheerful.

While crossing the street, Chen You suddenly turned his head.

A car was approaching, and Pang Yilong quickly pulled him over to his side, asking, “What are you spacing out for?”

Chen You snapped out of his reverie, “It’s going to rain tomorrow, isn’t it? It’s so stuffy.”

Li Yan, who was in the car, put his hand back on the car door. The moment he saw that the young man might be in danger, he was about to open the car door, get out, and run over.

That strange behavior still only existed in his mind, but the act of not going back and instead having the driver park the car in front of the school had already become a reality.

Li Yan pinched the bridge of his nose, “Drive.”

The driver responded, and the car disappeared into the traffic like a ghost, quickly vanishing around the street corner.

Around nine o’clock, Chen You and the other three finished eating and drinking and headed back to school. He put his hands behind his head and asked, “Summer vacation is coming soon, do you have any plans?”

Zheng Shuai said, “My Ge is going to take me to L City to work.”

Wang Yao said, “I will run the shop from home. My ma said that whatever amount of fertilizer I sell is mine.”

Young Master Pang Yilong said, “I’m doing nothing, just eating and drinking.”

Chen You glanced at the night sky. According to his usual routine during winter and summer vacations, he would play games, sleep, play games. For some reason, he wasn’t very enthusiastic this year and wanted to do something else.

Suddenly, the man’s face appeared in his mind.

Chen You slapped himself.

Pang Yilong and the other two, “…”

Holy crap, depression has self-harm tendencies? What were those things they searched for last time? All three of them are academic failures, they’ve forgotten what they read.

Back in the dorm, Pang Yilong, who had just been cheated on, didn’t have time to act melancholy. He offered up the dragon fruit he hadn’t eaten yet, cut it open, and put it on Chen You’s table, saying, “Youzi, eat it.”

Wang Yao’s monthly living expenses are very low, and he barely makes ends meet even without treating others. All he has is his physical labor, “Youzi, are your socks dirty? I’ll wash them for you.”

Zheng Shuai was tilting his head back to change the channel, and he found a singing program that was being replayed. This channel would be playing for the next month. He had discussed it with Pang Yilong and Wang Yao, and they would let Youzi listen to the songs.

Pang Yilong inexplicably stuffed a dragon fruit into Chen You’s mouth. While eating, Chen You watched Wang Yao tidy up his dirty clothes, and Zheng Shuai was clowning around, doing some kind of robotic dance, and occasionally asking questions, clearly trying to make him happy.

Are Sanbao treating him like a fragile little baby?

Chen You had a headache. It seemed that his depression was very serious, so serious that even Sanbao had noticed it and was still very uneasy.

For a period of time afterward, Chen You felt the brotherhood, which moved him deeply. He vowed that when he became successful, he would make sure his XiongDi lived a life of luxury.

After the exams, summer vacation began.

Chen You was bored at home for a few days when he received a call from Hu Wei. This was the first time Hu Wei had contacted him since the advertisement fell through. Hu Wei got straight to the point and said that he wanted to take a set of photos, with a generous reward.

Chen You wasn’t concerned about the reward or the photos, he wanted to find out about Li Yan from Hu Wei, so he went.

After the photos were taken, Chen You didn’t even have a chance to ask a single question.

He walked irritably down the street, having been having recurring dreams about that figure. When it turned around, it was a stern face with cold phoenix eyes and a beautiful mole on its face. The look in its eyes was complex.

These past two days, Chen You has been having some really shameless dreams. In his dreams, he and Li Yan are doing all sorts of crazy things, changing the scenes constantly – one minute it’s an ancient pavilion, the next it’s a modern windowsill, and then it’s a lush green lawn. The variety of scenes is terrifying.

The scariest part wasn’t the scene itself, but the fact that he was sexually assaulted in his dream and woke up with his pants actually wet.

Chen You was walking alone on the street.

Is it because of puberty? Five finger girl is no longer useful, so I need to find someone to date? No way, I tried last year, but it didn’t work out, and I still have lingering trauma.

Chen You sat on the platform, and he called out a name, “Li Yan…”

Almighty God, please bless me and let me see Li Yan soon. I hope it will be tomorrow.

The next evening, Hu Wei called Chen You, his tone different from the last time, urgent and serious, “Chen You, where are you now?”

Chen You said, “At home.”

Hu Wei said, “I need to talk to you about something.”

Chen You got out of bed, glanced at the alarm clock, it was almost ten o’clock, “What’s up?”

Hu Wei explained the matter.

Upon hearing Li Yan’s name, Chen You ignored what Hu Wei said next and agreed immediately. When Li Yan got crazy, even Hu Wei couldn’t control him.

Chen Weidong, who was in the room, heard the door open, “Youyou, where are you going so late?”

Chen You quickly changed his shoes, and said, “A friend of mine ran into trouble, I’ll be back later.”

Upon hearing his son’s reply, Chen Weidong opened the door and went out. His son had already left. He went to the balcony and soon saw his son get into a car.

“When did Youyou get friends outside of school?”

Chen Weidong frowned and texted his son, telling him he had to be home before 11 o’clock.

After fastening his seatbelt, Chen You texted his father, saying okay.

Hu Wei turned the steering wheel, his face grim. The photo yesterday was requested by Li Yan. He even told Fuxing that Li Yan was really serious this time, and that the advertisement couldn’t be shot because the other party had interfered.

Unexpectedly, Li Yan had an accident tonight. His episodes of madness were almost always at a fixed time, and the doctor would prepare in advance every night to give him sedatives.

The second time Li Yan was given a sedative, the doctor accidentally bumped into a photograph on the table, and Li Yan lost control.

When Hu Wei and Lin Fuxing received a call from the housekeeper, they went to the hospital. The doctor was covered in blood, some of it his own, and some of it that Li Yan had inflicted on himself. It was a shocking sight.

Upon hearing the doctor’s explanation, Hu Wei came here. Without an injection of sedatives, Li Yan couldn’t calm down and didn’t know what would happen. Now, he could only rely on this young man.

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Chapter 164. Reunion

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Arc 9: Real World.

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Chen You felt that making public service advertisements to do good deeds was definitely fine, but the problem was that he couldn’t handle LGBTQ+ themes.

Such subject matter is restricted and generally won’t pass censorship. It won’t be broadcast on television but will instead be available online, which would be even more terrifying, as it would be impossible to avoid being spread and discussed.

His old father dances in the small square every day, where all the gossips in the neighborhood gather.

If public opinion emerges like, “Ai ai ai, my daughter told me that so-and-so’s son is filming that kind of advertisement with a man, and they even want to educate people about homosexuality, how shameless!”

That’s terrible.

His old father, prioritizing his dignity, would first ask that old lady about the situation. Once he confirmed the truth, he might even climb up to the school even if he has to crawl and hack him to pieces.

Thinking of this, Chen You felt a chill on his neck. He reached out and touched it, then walked outside without looking back.

The bespectacled man calmly replied, “Classmate, you’re also part of that community.”

Chen You paused in his steps.

Four-eyed handsome guy, you have good eyesight! Here’s a rocket for you, go have some fun in the sky.

“Since you’re one of them, I think you should have some understanding.” The bespectacled man tapped the table with his finger, “Nowadays, our community is labeled with words like dirty, chaotic, and disgusting. Outsiders think we all lead immoral lives and have AIDS.”

He shrugged, “That’s incredibly ignorant, isn’t it?”

We? Chen You clung to this word, letting it linger on his tongue before swallowing it. He didn’t want to continue the discussion with this person. The other person had suddenly appeared and mentioned advertising. He hadn’t quite caught up yet and didn’t want to expose his stupidity by saying too much and fall into a trap.

Seeing that the boy remained unmoved, the bespectacled man leaned back and crossed his legs, saying, “Don’t you want to dispel the discrimination your family and friends have against homosexuality?”

He sighed, “You must be terrified to find out that your sexual orientation is different from your friends’.”

Chen You rolled his eyes. That’s pretty impressive, the sense of immersion is quite strong.

“Every day, you carefully hide your feelings, not daring to show your affection for someone, for fear of being discovered by those around you, being ridiculed, ostracized, or even insulted or beaten.”

The bespectacled man paused, a glint of light flashing behind his lenses, his persuasive skills were top-notch.

“People are just afraid of the unknown. Once those people have a better understanding of this community and realize that it’s nothing special, they won’t be so resistant anymore, and they might even be able to accept it.”

Without interrupting, Chen You listened patiently to the end, then said, “My family won’t agree.”

“You should be an adult now and able to make your own decisions.”

As if he had anticipated the boy’s response, the bespectacled man calmly said, “Whether you get the part after the audition is still uncertain. In any case, enriching your life experience will be beneficial for you.”

He sized up the tall, slender young man in front of him, who was over 180 cm tall. He was youthful, sunny, and spirited, with a touch of mischief. Upon closer inspection, he noticed a hint of melancholy in his clear black and white eyes. The advertisement in his hand seemed tailor-made for him.

“However, given your qualifications, barring any major mistakes, you will be the choice for the male lead.”

“I’m sorry, I can’t agree.”

Chen You took two more steps, turned his head and grinned, “Mr. Hu, my personal suggestion is that you don’t cross your legs when you’re outside, it makes your legs look even shorter.”

The bespectacled man, “…”

He was about to speak when his phone buzzed in his pocket. It was his childhood friend, “Hey, Fuxing, why are you calling me at this hour?”

It was Lin Fuxing’s voice, visibly shaken, on the other end of the line, “Li Ge bought a puppy yesterday, and it had diarrhea this morning. He called, and I jumped out of bed, rushed over without even brushing my teeth or washing my face. Guess what happened? The little mongrel was fine, it was just scared.”

“Let alone dogs, even a person would be scared out of their wits if Li Ge stared at them.”

Hu Wei couldn’t understand, “I saw the photo, isn’t that just a mongrel? There are plenty of those in the countryside. If it were me, I wouldn’t even take it for free.”

“Who knows? Li Ge is a germaphobe, and he’s not the kind of person who has the heart or time to raise cats and dogs.” Lin Fuxing sighed, “Luckily, the puppy started eating again later, otherwise my veterinary hospital would have had to close down.”

Hu Wei said, “Take care of yourself.”

“I just hope that Li Ge bought the puppy for fun, keeps it for a couple of days, and then forgets about it. Otherwise, my enthusiasm for the pet clinic will be worn down by him sooner or later.”

Lin Fuxing suddenly brought up a matter, “Old Hu, I remember you once said that you met a friend abroad who had made considerable achievements in psychology. Do you still keep in touch?”

Hu Wei’s expression changed slightly. Li Yan was no different from an ordinary person during the day, but at night he would enter a state of madness, becoming furious and bloodthirsty. He needed sedatives to calm down, and the next day he would be fine. This situation repeated day after day. Only he and Fuxing knew about this, and it would never be revealed to anyone.

Li Yan’s moods were unpredictable, even when he was with Fuxing, he would remain vigilant and cautious.

“My friend emailed me last month saying she’s getting married this year, so let’s not let her take the risk.”

Hu Wei said half-jokingly, “After all these years, neither you nor I know where Li Ge’s sore spot is. What if my friend goes back to China to see Li Ge for treatment and something unpleasant happens during the process, and happens to touch Li Ge’s sore spot, turning her happy event into a tragedy? Then I would be in big trouble.”

Upon hearing this, a bloody scene involuntarily surfaced in Lin Fuxing’s mind. It happened many years ago when he, Hu Wei, and Li Yan were still teenagers, dressed as rich kids, and were targeted by thugs.

At that time, Lin Fuxing was skinny and didn’t dare to fight back in that situation. He handed over all the cash he had on him, afraid of being beaten. Hu Wei was a bit stronger than him. He swung his fists and feet a few times and was knocked down.

When the thugs saw that Li Yan was not cooperating, they went up to threaten and coerce him.

It’s unclear whether one of the thugs said or did something inadvertently that offended Li Yan, but he suddenly went berserk, snatched the steel pipe from one of the thugs, and swung it at him with all his might.

After beating those people until they were covered in blood, Li Yan threw away the steel pipe and turned around. His face was stained with blood, his eyes gleaming with a bloodthirsty light, and his lips were curled up in a smile. He was laughing, which was extremely eerie.

A chill ran down Lin Fuxing’s spine, and he couldn’t find the right words for a moment.

Even now, he still can’t understand what that thug did to offend Li Yan back then.

Some say Li Yan wields terrifying power, while others say he possesses all three, and which aspect carries more weight depends on his mood.

Lin Fuxing’s temple throbbed as he thought of his reckless Meimei who still wanted to become Mrs. Li. Is she courting death?

After a brief silence, Hu Wei changed the subject, “I just met a rare talent. He’s excellent in every way, and he’s more suitable than Jiang Shaonan for that advertisement.”

Lin Fuxing knew his childhood friend didn’t want to continue, so he didn’t want to cause trouble, “Really? When is the audition? Bring him over so I can see him.”

Hu Wei said, “He didn’t agree.”

Lin Fuxing was surprised, “There are still people who don’t buy you, Gold Medalist Hu?”

Although he is the young master of xx company, he has no interest in entertainment. His lifelong ambition is to become a veterinarian. Only this year did he open a hospital at home. As for the company, he can rest assured with his trustworthy and capable childhood friend.

“That child is still in school and has a strong sense of self-protection.” Hu Wei said, “It’s a pity, let’s wait and see.”

Lin Fuxing ended his call with Hu Wei, came out of the bathroom, and bumped into the yellow puppy in the hallway. He immediately flashed a friendly smile, waved, and said, “Hi, little guy, how are you?”

The yellow puppy took a few steps back and then ran off in a flash.

Lin Fuxing’s face twitched. Women are easier to please than puppies. If he smiled like that in front of any woman, she would have already gone limp in his arms.

The living room was bright and spacious. The man sat deep in the sofa, frowning silently at the yellow puppy huddled in the corner, lost in thought.

When Lin Fuxing arrived, this was the scene he saw. He looked at the trembling yellow puppy, then at the expressionless man, and it all seemed very strange.

The house was too big, and the butler and servants appeared and disappeared unpredictably, making it seem extremely eerie.

Lin Fuxing wasn’t here for the first time, but he still couldn’t get used to the atmosphere. He coughed twice, cleared his throat, and asked, “Li Ge, have you named the puppy yet?”

Without answering this, Li Yan said after a long pause, “It’s very afraid of me.”

Lin Fuxing thought to himself, isn’t this obvious? Even ghosts are afraid of you. He said, “It’s normal. Dogs are similar to people. When they go to an unfamiliar environment, they will inevitably feel nervous and uneasy. They’ll get used to it.”

Li Yan put down his crossed legs, stood up from the sofa, and walked towards the yellow puppy.

The yellow puppy had its tail tucked behind its buttocks, its legs and body were trembling, and it was making soft whimpering noises.

Lin Fuxing couldn’t stand it anymore, “Li Ge, this puppy is only a month old. It’s very timid and easily frightened.”

Without a word, Li Yan bent down and reached out to hug the yellow puppy.

Sensing danger, the yellow puppy instinctively opened its mouth to bite, but was immediately swung away. Its small size meant it was sent flying against the wall.

Lin Fuxing sighed and asked, “Li Ge, can I ask you why you bought a puppy?” He really doesn’t seem to like small pets at all.

Li Yan’s brows furrowed, and a dark glint flashed in the depths of his narrow eyes.

Yesterday, as the car passed a pet store, Li Yan, who was in the back seat, happened to see someone carrying a puppy out. At that moment, an inexplicable impulse took over his mind, prompting him to get out of the car and go into the store.

There were many puppies, but the moment Li Yan’s gaze inadvertently fell upon the yellow puppy, his eyes froze.

He sat in the car, his eyes constantly lingering on the yellow puppy, a mixture of disgust, resistance, and, most of all, confusion.

Lin Fuxing waited for a while, but didn’t get a response. He scratched one eyebrow and said, “Li Ge, I can take the puppy to the hospital. There’s a place for it.”

Li Yan turned his head.

A chill ran down his spine. Lin Fuxing’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he chuckled dryly, “Such a small puppy is delicate and requires a lot of time to care for. It’s troublesome to raise. What I mean is, I’ll bring it to you once it’s healthy enough.”

Li Yan straightened up, glanced at the terrified yellow puppy, his pupils contracted slightly in an instant, and said, “Leave it.”

Before long, a servant appeared out of nowhere, cleaned up the light yellow water stains on the floor, and then quietly floated away.

Lin Fuxing couldn’t help but start to speculate. Could this be related to an old story? If they follow this line of reasoning, the little mongrel was actually a substitute dog. A certain woman owned a similar one, and Li Yan was seeing the dog and thinking of her.

That’s not right. He’s known Li Yan for years, but he’s never even heard of his romantic history, let alone met the other person. So, like everyone else, he thinks Li Yan has some hidden illness or some psychological trauma that prevents him from having a normal life, which is why he lives a life of asceticism.

When the hospital called, Lin Fuxing didn’t linger. He changed his shoes in the entryway and, as if possessed, looked back, catching a horrifying sight.

Li Yan’s stern gaze locked onto the yellow puppy, yet a hint of tenderness flickered within it.

That’s terrifying.

Lin Fuxing drove away, a cigarette dangling from his lips. The role of pets was immeasurable, they could cure loneliness and dispel negative emotions. He wished that the puppy could become a special presence in Li Yan’s life.

If there is even one exception, Li Yan will slowly become more like a human being, instead of a perfect walking corpse, a blood-soaked, terrifying madman.

A thunderstorm extinguished the heat from the ground and swept away some of the sweltering heat, allowing people to quickly catch their breath.

Chen You and his friends returned to school, only to be caught in a downpour as soon as they entered the school gate. They ran wildly through the rain, and by the time they reached the dormitory building, their underwear was soaked.

The dorm was on the seventh floor, and there was no elevator, so they had to walk up and down.

Pang Yilong pulled off his soaking wet t-shirt and twisted it into a pretzel shape. Water dripped down, leaving a trail of water on the stairs. He was shirtless, and as he wrung out his t-shirt, his muscle lines were clearly defined.

Loves sports, has a great figure, and can take his clothes off easily.

Zheng Shuai, Wang Yao, and Chen You are all the same type. They are the type who would rather lie down than sit, and rather sit than stand. They have muscles, but they are not suitable for casually taking clothes off.

Other boys from the class would occasionally brush past them, greet them, and go downstairs.

The stairwell was stuffy and damp, with a musty smell mixed with the stench of garbage. Every floor was piled with garbage bags, clearly indicating a life of emptiness and loneliness, waiting for the building manager’s “kind greetings”.

The four of them returned to their dormitory and took turns showering.

Chen You had taken off all but his underwear. He squatted on the chair, turned on his computer, and planned to search for that company, “Chang Qin, I want some water.”

Unconsciously blurting out the words, Chen You’s eye twitched. Fearing someone would hear, he immediately corrected himself and said loudly, “Old Wang, get me a glass of water.”

Wang Yao was admiring his belly fat in the mirror, lamenting that yet another layer had appeared, making it impossible to leave his stomach, “Old Pang, pour Youzi a glass of water.”

Pang Yilong rummaged through the clothes, stuffing them all into a plastic bucket, intending to take them to the washing machine and wash them all at once, “Old Shuai, get Youzi a glass of water.”

Zheng Shuai’s voice came from the bathroom, “I’m taking a shower, do you want some bathwater?”

“……”

Pang Yilong put down what he was doing, went to the water dispenser to fill half a cup with hot water and half a cup with cold water, mixed them up, and gave them to Chen You, “What are you looking at?”

Chen You was scrolling through the mouse again, saying that so-and-so was also an artist of xx company, how awesome.

Pang Yilong leaned halfway down Chen You’s chair, craning his neck to look from behind, “It’s pretty impressive. It seems like the dancer you like is also signed with this company.”

He asked curiously, “Youzi, why are you suddenly interested in entertainment companies?”

Chen You didn’t hide anything and said, “When I was at Starbucks, I left for a short time. I ran into an agent from xx company who wanted me to audition for an advertisement.”

Pang Yilong hummed in agreement, “And then?”

Chen You pursed his lips, “It’s a gay-themed.”

Wang Yao, looking in the mirror, interjected, “Comrade theme? Veteran soldiers?”

(同志 (tóngzhì): While originally meaning “comrade” or “people with shared ideals” (especially in a political context), this term has been widely adopted in modern Chinese slang, particularly in Taiwan and Hong Kong, as an in-group term for “LGBTQ+ individuals,” “gay,” or “queer”. So Wang Yao misunderstood)

Chen You and Pang Yilong, “…”

Wang Yao hadn’t even figured out that this “people with shared ideals” was not the same as that “people with shared ideal,” but he excitedly said, “Many celebrities are just out on the street, doing something casual, when they are spotted by talent scouts or agents, shoot an advertisement, and enter the entertainment industry. Even if they can’t become superstars, they can still be artists and appear on TV.”

He got more and more excited as he spoke, “Youzi, listen to me, you can sing and dance, you’ll definitely be fine, you should become famous as early as possible.”

Chen You had a headache, so he put on some clothes and went out without taking a shower. Pang Yilong followed behind him, and the two of them didn’t go far before going up to the rooftop, which was a large and quiet place.

Pang Yilong said, “That subject matter is quite special, very few people can accept it, and many people are disgusted by it.”

“I know.”

Chen You said, “I didn’t want to accept it, I’ve already refused.”

Pang Yilong stared at Chen You and said, “I’m curious, what did that agent think about you that fit the gay community that led them to ask you to shoot the ad? I don’t think you have any gay vibes.”

You’re blind, really. I’m gay from head to toe. Chen You said, “Because I’m handsome.”

“Is being handsome enough?” Pang Yilong said shamelessly, “Then why not come to me?”

The day after he made that joke, he was cornered on a tree-lined path by a man who claimed to be an agent surnamed Hu.

The bespectacled man’s gaze swept up and down. Pang Yilong rubbed the goosebumps off his arms and said frantically, “Laozi can’t take it anymore, leaving first.”

He ran away without any loyalty, abandoning Chen You, Zheng, Shuai, and Wang Yao.

Hu Wei felt a little regretful. That tough-looking young man was quite suitable for another protagonist, but the other party was straight. Judging from his appearance, he was from a wealthy family and didn’t lack money. He also had a fiery personality and was difficult to tame, so he decided to pass.

“Hey classmate, we met again.”

Chen You turned around and left.

Hu Wei chased after him with a grin, “I came to your school to try my luck, I didn’t expect to see you again, what a coincidence…”

Zheng Shuai and Wang Yao stood there dumbfounded.

“What advertisement was that guy with glasses talking about with Old Pang? How come I didn’t know?”

“It should be the one Youzi mentioned yesterday, comrade-themed, you know what I mean.”

“Pfft, hahahahahaha—” Zheng Shuai burst into laughter, squatting down from laughing so hard he was out of breath, “Old Wang, you shouldn’t stay in the tourism management department. Go perform in a skit. You have the potential to make people laugh to death.”

Some classmates glanced at him, and Wang Yao kicked his friend who was laughing hysterically, and said, “Are you out of your mind?”

“Hold on a while.”

Zheng Shuai continued to laugh. When he had laughed enough, he wiped away his tears and said, “Ai, I’m almost twenty years old, and I’ve never heard such a funny joke before.”

“So-called comrade-themed content is just homosexuality, understand? Comrade Old Wang.”

Wang Yao’s face turned purple with embarrassment, “…Damn it!”

On the other side, Chen You walked to the playground, still with a tail behind him. Although he was not an easily angered person, he still had a temper. Playing like this was no fun.

“Mr. Hu, I have said everything I needed to say.”

“I see.”

Hu Wei kept walking.

Chen You turned around and said, “What do you understand?”

Hu Wei not only didn’t mind, but was also very excited, “Okay, that’s the feeling. Remember this feeling when you audition, and you’ll definitely be fine.”

Chen You didn’t want to talk anymore. Damn it, someone come quick and drag this lunatic away!

“Classment, first of all, I apologize for checking your information without your consent.”

Hu Wei pushed his glasses up a bit, “You’re a repeat student. Before your first college entrance exam, you applied to the xx Film Academy. Because of your outstanding appearance, you passed the preliminary exam smoothly. However, you were eliminated in the second round because of a crying scene. You didn’t even get to the third round.”

He continued, “You signed up voluntarily, what does that mean?”

Chen You chuckled, it means I’m out of my mind.

Hu Wei narrowed his eyes, “This means that a seed has been planted in your heart without you even realizing it. You like acting, you want to be a star, and you are willing and eager to enter the entertainment industry.”

Chen You laughed, “Mr. Hu, are you the same person you were three years ago as you are now?”

Hu Wei was stumped by the boy’s question. Everyone is different at a certain stage. He was silent for a moment, then said, “To be honest, I came all this way just for you. Classment, while you’re young, if you don’t try something new, you’ll regret it when you’re my age.”

The inspirational story is already in the pot, simmering.

Hu Wei talked a lot, but it was nothing more than how many opportunities he missed when he was young, so now he can only work for others. He also said that he had an income during his school years, which could ease the burden on his family. As for public opinion, he wondered how many artists had to pay money to have it.

As he listened, Chen You suddenly paused. If he accepted the advertisement, the level of discussion and popularity he would receive would be directly proportional, since black and red are always inseparable.

That man might be able to see him.

Even if he forgot it, he should still feel familiar, right?

Hu Wei noticed that the boy’s demeanor had changed, he seemed to be immersed in some kind of emotion. He didn’t disturb him and just waited for a reply.

Good prospects deserve his time and effort.

Hu Wei was 80% sure the boy would agree, and nearly ten minutes later, his guess was confirmed.

Two days later, Chen You went to the location Hu Wei had mentioned. He stood at the foot of the company building, dressed in a white t-shirt, jeans, and basketball shoes, looking very refreshed. His hair was soaked with sweat, and the hot air stung his eyes.

Hu Wei led Chen You to the photography studio and said to a young man, “Take him to change his clothes first.”

The young man responded and led Chen You into changing room number 3.

Chen You was worried about what kind of tight pants to wear, or if they would add lace or cutouts, but it turned out to be a school uniform, only not the kind of casual sportswear they wore at school. It was a dark blue suit with a white shirt.

Hu Wei was chatting with the director when he saw the boy come out. His eyes lit up and he was very satisfied.

Next came the audition.

The director chose one of the shots, the scene was in a dormitory, a set similar to a regular university dormitory. According to the script, Chen You was going to portray coming out, the side of being abandoned by the whole world, in short, it was very complicated.

Hu Wei, along with the director and producer, sat in front of the monitor, watching the boy on the screen.

At this moment, facing multiple cameras, Chen You was in a real bind. Damn it, how am I supposed to portray the heartache of being closeted? I don’t know how.

Hu Wei grabbed the back of his left hand with right hand, start, classmate Chen, stop daydreaming.

A few dozen seconds later, the boy moved. He raised one hand and unbuttoned his school uniform shirt one button at a time, took it off and draped it over the back of the chair. Then he unbuttoned his shirt cuffs, rolled them up, and went to get a basin and towel to wash his face at the sink.

The boy lowered his head, his back bent slightly, revealing a youthful and supple curve, like a green bamboo stalk.

The next moment, a loud bang startled Hu Wei and the others in front of the machine.

They went to look at it at the same time and saw the basin being thrown out, shaking a few times in the pool. The boy’s two hands were gripping the countertop, his fingers clenched, his knuckles protruding. He was panting, suppressing something.

The camera zooms in, giving a close-up of the boy’s profile. They can see his flaring nostrils, tightly pursed lips, and reddened eyes. A tear slides down his beauty mark. Despair, pain, and anger intertwine and surge onto that childlike face, spreading slowly and silently.

The director and producer exchanged glances and reached a consensus, “He’s the one.”

Upon hearing a “cut,” Chen You wiped his face, put his head under the tap, and rinsed himself with cold water for a while before he sobered up. He didn’t know what to feel. Old 4, did you see that? I’m an actor now.

Ai, I don’t want to think about it anymore. Old 4 is wicked. He doesn’t want to run into that person again, because if he does, it means his man is going to get into trouble.

Hu Wei stepped forward and tossed Chen You a towel, and said, “Wipe your face and come with me to see the director and producer.”

Chen You pulled the towel off his head and wiped his face haphazardly. He was young, so his skin was great, he didn’t even need makeup.

Having met the director and the others, Chen You was a well-behaved child throughout, answering every question thoroughly and accurately. He kept the mentally challenged Chen You under control, preventing him from being released, otherwise he would have surely terrified these big shots.

Chen You passed the audition and was told to come back next Wednesday to officially join the filming crew. Everything went smoothly.

Hu Wei said he wanted to celebrate with Chen You, but Chen You politely declined. He said he was too emotionally invested during the audition and needed to go back and watch an action movie to clear his mind.

Chen You went back to school and was caught by Pang Yilong and his friends. When they found out that he had succeeded, they dragged him to treat them to a meal.

The four of them devoured several pounds of crayfish and a dozen beers. Because of their youthful arrogance, they went wild and fearless.

Chen You had drunk too much. He was slumped on the table, playing with a beer bottle and muttering something under his breath.

Zheng Shuai hiccuped, “Youzi, are you sure you can handle it? If not, let Old Wang carry you.”

Wang Yao was only slightly better off than Chen You. He could walk, but he was unsteady. He didn’t dare to carry him on his back, afraid that he would fall and knock out his front teeth along with Chen You. Heaven knows how obsessed he was with his front teeth, thinking that they were the best-looking part of his body.

“Let, let Old Pang do it.”

Wang Yao slurred, his eyes suddenly widening, “Holy crap, Old Shuai, quick, stop Youzi, he’s about to pee!”

Zheng Shuai looked over at the sound, and what he saw shocked him. His friend had already pulled his pants down a bit, revealing his V-line, which caused the girls to scream. This pervert was really something.

Pang Yilong went to the restroom, and when he came back, he saw his three buddies on the table in complete chaos. One of them was pulling on his belt, about to pee in public, while the other two were trying to stop him. The three of them were shouting and yelling, and everyone around them was just watching the show, laughing like idiots.

“What are you looking at?”

With a roar, Pang Yilong grabbed Zheng Shuai and Wang Yao, pulling them apart and carrying the drunken Chen You towards the door, “Damn it, this is so embarrassing! Old Shuai and Old Wang, hurry up and catch up, stop dawdling!”

It’s windless tonight, and hot and humid.

Four teenagers lay on the grass by the lake. Three of them quietly released the smell of alcohol into the night sky, while the other kept humming 《Nunchucks》.

Zheng Shuai, “Why does Youzi like 《Nunchucks》 so much?”

Wang Yao, “I want to know too.”

Pang Yilong, “Same.”

The three of them listened to their buddy humming and hawing, and to be honest, their heads were really starting to hurt. They’d been listening to him since their freshman and sophomore years, and there was no doubt that he’d be doing it again in their junior and senior years. The horrible sound was hard to shake off.

The singing faded, replaced by a boy’s choked sobs, “Old 4, why hasn’t my man come yet…”

Pang Yilong, who was closest, heard it immediately. He turned his head in bewilderment and nudged the person next to him, “Youzi, what are you talking about? Who’s Old 4? And who’s your man?”

This shout also drew the attention of Zheng Shuai and Wang Yao.

No matter how the three asked, the young man didn’t give an answer. To be precise, he didn’t pay any attention at all. He was playing a role from beginning to end that no one else could stop or get involved in.

Chen You slept until noon the next day. He stared at the ceiling with his eyes open, his mind blank, as if a storm had swept through him sometime ago. He felt like he had forgotten something, but he couldn’t remember it. He only remembered a pair of phoenix eyes and a face with a mole and indistinct features. Who was that? He couldn’t remember.

Probably seen it on TV or at school.

Chen You rolled over, face down, his nose filled with the smell of his own sweat mixed with the scent of the bamboo mat. There were still a few arena matches to play, and he also had to play the 3-3 match. His score hadn’t gone up yet, which was troublesome.

Let’s just play all night this Friday and Saturday and arrange a time with the other guys.

Chen You thought this way, then inexplicably dismissed the idea, and a thought popped into his head, staying up all night for several consecutive nights could lead to sudden death.

He scoffed, it can’t be that bad. I stayed up all night at an internet cafe for several days in a row last time, and nothing happened to me. I’m still perfectly fine.

The knocking came suddenly, jolting something out of Chen You’s head. He muttered, “Who is it?”

The dormitory manager is at the entrance, checking the rooms.

Chen You cursed, jumped out of bed in a hurry, stuffed the electric heater on the balcony into the closet, and hid the electric rice cooker on the table.

The dormitory manager came in to take a look, found nothing prohibited, and left.

Chen You tugged at his vest, breaking out in a cold sweat. They’d bought dozens of electric kettles and at least five pots for their dorm this semester, vowing not to get caught again this year.

As a result, they didn’t pack it carefully before going to class, they didn’t learn his lesson.

Chen You went to wash his face, because he felt terrible after getting drunk.

To what extent? It’s so bad that even taking a breath of air makes him feel nauseous, not to mention feeling weak in his limbs and dizzy.

Chen You was lying dead on the top bunk when he remembered that he had an English class in the morning, and they always attended. He hoped that Sanbao could cover for him.

The key turned, the dormitory door opened, and Wang Yao returned alone, bringing with him bad news, “During roll call this morning, Old Shuai covered for you, but Teacher Huahua called on you to answer a question later.”

Chen You, “…”

“Where are Old Pang and Old Shuai?”

“Get up and eat.” Wang Yao placed the packed food on Chen You’s table, “Old Pang has a meeting, and Old Shuai’s club also has something to do.”

Chen You grabbed the bed railing and climbed down, asking, “Where’s my braised pork with preserved mustard greens?”

Wang Yao gagged, “Don’t even mention it! When I was waiting at the window, I saw someone order braised pork with preserved mustard greens, and there was a huge turd fly in it! Hey, Youzi, where are you going to throw up? The toilet’s in there!”

Chen You vomited at the door. After he finished vomiting, he went to clean up. When he rested, he didn’t even want to drink water and lay back on the bed half-dead.

Chen You felt a little better in the evening and called his father to chat.

Chen Weidong reminded him over the phone, “Remember to take your medicine on time and try to keep a positive attitude.”

After hanging up the phone, Chen You was stunned for a few moments before realizing what kind of medicine his father was talking about. He had depression, but why? What was the reason?

Before the age of twenty, do you get Alzheimer?

Chen You scratched his head, forget it, if I can’t remember, I won’t think about it anymore. I’ll take it slow. It’s like looking for something. He often finds something right in his hand when he’s exhausted from looking for it.

On Wednesday, Chen You checked the class schedule and thought, thank goodness, I can skip class.

After greeting Pang Yilong and the others, Chen You went to find Hu Wei. This time it was for real, and he was a little nervous, knowing there would be many people filming and scenes to rehearse.

The other lead actor has already been chosen, he’s a member of an idol group. He accepted the advertisement purely because he was tricked by his own manager, and he’s extremely unhappy about it.

The investors’ funding has all gone into that idol, there’s no other way, someone has to drive the fan effect.

Hu Wei led Chen You over, saying, “This is Xiao Chen.”

Jiang Shaonan was scrolling through his phone and didn’t even glance at him, only making a sound from his nose as a response, as if he were sulking.

Chen You was adept at flattery and a sycophant, but he was selective about who he approached. He didn’t want to acknowledge this man, who was about his age, and simply watched him act arrogantly.

After playing on his phone for a while, Jiang Shaonan stretched and turned his eyes to the boy not far away. He was a fan of back views, and the boy’s back view could stir up the dormant blood in his veins.

With a silent laugh, Jiang Shaonan discovered a new toy. He walked over to the boy and asked, “Are you gay?”

Chen You ignored him.

Jiang Shaonan gave a signal with his eyes, and his assistant quickly carried a chair over and placed it for him. He sat down, told the assistant to move away, and asked the young man, “Is it innate?”

Chen You still ignored him.

Jiang Shaonan breathed into his ear, “Is this your first time? Want Ge to teach you some tips? If Ge is in a better mood later, might give you an autograph.”

Chen You pushed the man’s head away, ignoring the autograph automatically, and said, “Nan Ge, I’m not gay.”

He left after saying that.

Jiang Shaonan’s tongue was pressed against his teeth. Not gay? Who are you kidding? He could smell it with his nose.

In the lounge, Chen You listened to Hu Wei’s words, his eyes blazing with murderous intent, “Holy crap, there’s even a kissing scene? Isn’t the purpose of an advertisement to popularize knowledge about homosexuality? Who can accept something this big?”

Hu Wei said, “It was just added, and it might not be used even if we shoot.”

Chen You glared at him, “Then why shoot?”

Hu Wei remained calm, saying that since he wasn’t the one directing, “The investors want to see the results.”

Chen You plopped down on the stool, shaking his leg, looking like he had no room for negotiation, “I’m not shooting.”

Hu Wei had seen this kind of situation many times and handled it with ease, “You have to get used to it. There will be many more of these kinds of things in the future. No one can avoid it in the entertainment industry.”

Chen You glanced sideways and said, “When did I say I wanted to enter the entertainment industry?”

Hu Wei calmed the jumping cat, “Don’t be nervous, that scene is coming later. You film the rest first. By the time the day comes, the investors might have a new idea and think the kissing scene is vulgar, so they’ll cut it.”

Chen You was speechless, it seems being an actor isn’t easy either.

Hu Wei said in an elderly tone, “You need to adapt as soon as possible.”

He crossed his arms and said, “I think once you step into this circle, you’ll never leave. I have a good eye for people.”

Good eye my foot, Chen You snorted.

The first shot was Jiang Shaonan and Chen You exchanging a smile, and it was done in one take. There were blind people in the studio who said they had great chemistry.

Hu Wei selected a picture and sent it to Lin Fuxing, also making a phone call to remind him to look at it and offer his suggestions.

Lin Fuxing looked at the pictures on the screen. The two boys were about the same height, one gentle and the other handsome. Both of them exuded youthful energy, making people sigh that youth is wonderful, allowing one to be brave, fearless, wild, and to cry and laugh heartily.

“Who is he?”

The voice behind him came suddenly, and Lin Fuxing realized that Li Yan had come over. He said, “Which one are you asking about?”

A hand reached out and took the phone from Lin Fuxing’s hand.

Li Yan stared at the photo, his gaze falling on the handsome young man. When his eyes swept over the beauty mark at the corner of the young man’s eye, his breathing became noticeably different, “This one, where is he now?”

Lin Fuxing glanced at him and said, “That kid’s name is Chen You. He’s a sophomore and he’s in the photography studio right now.”

Li Yan turned and left, taking large strides, his back showing a hint of inexplicable anxiety.

Lin Fuxing’s lips twitched. What was going on? Ever since that yellow puppy appeared, he had become even more unable to figure out Li Yan’s thoughts, and he had the illusion that his IQ had dropped.

The photography studio was noisy.

Hu Wei received a call from Lin Fuxing in advance, so he grabbed Chen You and made him wait at the door. He also told Chen You that two people would be coming later, and who they were and what their names were.

Chen You nodded absentmindedly, his mind filled with that dog show and the way Jiang Shaonan looked at him. In short, he wanted to mess with him.

Two sets of footsteps approached from afar.

Chen You’s arm was tugged by Hu Wei, and he was startled. He looked up and saw two men walking down the corridor. One was dressed casually, handsome and elegant, while the other was wearing a black shirt and black trousers, with his hair combed back. His phoenix eyes were sharp and fierce, making people afraid to look directly at him.

Hu Wei went up to greet him and called out Li Ge, then called the young man to introduce.

Chen You’s eyes widened, his vision filled only with the strange man’s phoenix eyes and the beautiful mole on his face. His head throbbed slightly, and he blurted out, “Have I seen you somewhere before?”

The atmosphere became subtle, just like Hu Wei’s face. How could he not know that the young man liked Li Yan, this eccentric and crazy type?

Lin Fuxing laughed heartily, “Kid, your way of flirting is so old-fashioned, Li Ge, you…”

His words abruptly stopped, and he could no longer laugh. In sync with Hu Wei, he was so shocked that his mouth dropped open.

Under the gaze of both eyes, Li Yan strode closer, grabbed the boy’s face with one hand, and lifted it up slightly. His jawline was taut, his face was expressionless, and there was something in his eyes.

The distance shortens, draws them closer, and becomes ambiguous.

There were whispers in the corridor, and everyone fell silent as soon as they recognized the man.

This scene was truly bizarre.

Lin Fuxing looked at Hu Wei questioningly, but Hu Wei shook his head, indicating that he was also completely confused.

Li Yan’s unusual behavior was related to this young man, but they didn’t know why.

Chen You’s face was pinched out of shape, and he made a muffled sound, “What are you doing?”

Li Yan remained in the same posture, his face unchanged, as if he had become a sculpture, or as if he was trapped in some indescribable situation and could not get out.

Chen You’s face hurt a lot. He shook his head, but couldn’t break free from the man’s grip, so he reached out to grab the hand on his face.

The next moment, he was pushed away.

Caught off guard, Chen You fell backward, his head about to hit the wall, but just before the pain hit, a large hand caught his waist.

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Chapter 163. Advertisement

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Arc 9: Real World.

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For Chen You, the three most enjoyable things in summer are drinking iced cola, consuming cold drinks, and enjoying air conditioning.

He paid while carrying the herbal tea he bought for his dad in one hand and a small bottle of cola in the other. The cool, refreshing feeling spread from his palms to his entire arm, which felt very comfortable.

The area is close to the hospital, and you’ll often see people passing by with their medical records rolled up in their hands. Some look relaxed as they call home to let their families know they’re safe, while others look worried and anxious.

The phrase “everyone has their own destiny” suddenly popped into Chen You’s head, catching him completely off guard. He tilted his head back, gulped down a few mouthfuls of cola, but his head still ached, offering no relief whatsoever.

When Chen You passed a pet store, he stopped and stood there for less than a minute before taking a step into the store.

It’s quite large inside, not a small storefront, and the environment was very nice. There’s no musty smell in the air, which is completely different from the cat and dog shops Chen You had encountered in the flower and bird market. It looks very professional.

There were several female shop assistants in the store, all wearing matching red uniforms. When they heard the door open, they stopped chatting and turned to look. The young man who came in was tall, handsome, and very sunny.

Chen You let go, and the glass door closed automatically. He smiled at the young women, revealing a row of neat teeth, and said, “I’ve come to see the puppy.”

The young man’s smile was very warm and pure, and the beauty mark at the corner of his eye even shone. Several women immediately lost their ability to think and rushed to greet him.

Why are you being so enthusiastic? Chen You’s lips twitched. He really just wanted to come in and see the puppy. He only had a little over twenty yuan left in his pocket and didn’t plan to buy it for the time being.

However, if Chen You sees a puppy that catches his eye, he will call his father and buy it immediately, not wanting to miss out.

One young woman asked the boy which breed of dog he wanted to see, and then professionally mentioned several of the more popular breeds in the shop.

Chen You said, “Purebred Chinese country dog.”

The young women were stunned for a second before leading the young man inside. They were all surprised at the same time. The country dogs weren’t fancy enough, and there weren’t many in the store. Usually, no customers would ask about them, but they had sold one half an hour ago, and now a customer was asking for it again.

Is the market for mixed-breed dogs about to open up?

Chen You followed the young woman to a row of cages containing several mixed-breed puppies, some black and some white, some squatting and some lying down, not afraid of strangers. He asked, “Aren’t there any yellow puppies?”

One young woman said, “What a pity, the only yellow puppy has just been sold.”

Chen You responded with an oh, unable to hide his disappointment.

He frowned, annoyed that someone else had beaten him to it.

The young woman faces all sorts of customers every day. They can tell at a glance who truly loves dogs and takes care of them like family, and who just keeps them as pets for fun. The young man in front of them belongs to the former.

“Both Shiba Inus and Akita Inus are quite similar to Chinese country dogs. Would you like to take a look?”

Chen You shook his head. He was an extremely nostalgic person. No matter how cute or beautiful other puppies were, he didn’t want to raise them. He only liked the yellow puppy.

He doesn’t know who bought the only one, but he hopes they take good care of the yellow puppy.

After watching the boy leave, several shop assistants couldn’t help but chat while leaning against the counter.

“If I had a Didi that handsome, I would definitely buy him lots of delicious food and take him everywhere to play.”

“Forget it. Don’t think we don’t know what you’re thinking. You’ve taken a liking to that boy and are hoping that if you go out together, someone will mistake you for a couple.”

“Just know it, why say it out loud? Aren’t you all the same as me?”

“The two people who came to ask about the country dog today, one was a sunny and warm guy, radiating a warm and cozy aura, and the other was an aloof and cold guy, keeping everyone at arm’s length. They are two extremes.”

“Speaking of which, they both have moles on their faces, one at the corner of his eye and the other on his cheek, near his cheekbone, each one a different kind of beauty.”

Chen You left the pet store. He thought he would wait a little longer. He had two more years until graduation, and he wanted to get a yellow puppy by then. He hoped his boyfriend would be there too, so they could take the dog for a walk after getting off work and go to the countryside together on Saturdays and Sundays.

Just thinking about it made Chen You’s lips curl into a smile.

He saw his father still squatting on the steps, and the corners of his mouth, which had been turned up, slowly turned down as he sighed silently.

Ai, if only the two-child policy had been introduced a decade or two earlier, Chen You would have had another meimei or didi, and could play gay.

Whether someone is selfish or not is hard to say.

Chen Weidong was still lost in his thoughts. No matter what, he just couldn’t accept reality. His son has such a good attitude that he has never seen anyone more optimistic than him. How could he get depression? Has God’s eyes been blinded by something?

A bottle of herbal tea was handed over. Chen Weidong looked up and saw his son. His still-childish face was red from the sun. His eyes were like his mother’s, with the corners of his eyes turned up. Even when he wasn’t smiling, he looked like he was. And that mole, it was in almost the same place.

Youyou’s mom! Our son has depression. Maybe it’s because of puberty or the pressure of studying. Please watch over him from heaven. If you have time, come and talk to him in his dreams.

Chen Weidong murmured something to his deceased sweetheart in his heart before reaching out to take the herbal tea.

Chen You squatted down next to his father.

Neither the father nor the son spoke, one drank herbal tea, the other drank cola, silently inhaling the car exhaust fumes for more than ten minutes.

Chen Weidong stood up, “Youyou, it’s getting late. You should go back to school.”

Chen You tossed the empty cola bottle into the trash can in front of him. It landed with a thud, very accurately. He put his hands in his pockets, “It’s not high school anymore. There’s no evening study session. I’ll go back tomorrow morning.”

Chen Weidong asked, “Will you make it on time?”

Chen You said, “I’ll take a taxi.”

Chen Weidong glanced at his son and said, “You used to think that taking a taxi was not worth it, saying that you would rather use the money to buy game tokens or snacks.”

Chen You chuckled, “It’s good to treat yourself sometimes.”

“Dad agrees, but…” Chen Weidong said, “You’re already quite a homebody. When you’re not in class, you’re always glued to the computer playing games. You don’t make many new friends. So Dad thinks you should seize this opportunity to meet a lot of people, especially female classmates, by taking the bus or walking around.”

The second half of the sentence is the key point, the words “female classmate” are highlighted.

“…” Chen You scratched his face, “Oh right, I borrowed two hundred yuan from Pang Yilong when I came back last night.”

Chen Weidong said, “It will be deducted from your living expenses next month.”

He finished speaking as usual, then suddenly his expression changed. His son is suffering from depression, so he can’t keep doing this. He needed to show more care and tender fatherly love.

“I’ll give you an extra 500 yuan for living expenses next month.”

Chen You looked up abruptly, staring at his father in disbelief. Realizing something, he was moved to tears. Depression, I love you.

On the bus he took back, there were no female classmates, only older women and middle-aged ones.

Chen You sat in the back with his father. He lazily propped his head up and looked out the window at the road, buildings, pedestrians, and vehicles. His memories of the real world became clearer and clearer, while his memories of the mission world became increasingly blurry.

This is not a good sign.

Chen Weidong said, “Youyou, I ate the last bit of fermented bean curd last night as a dish. Buy me another bottle, and it has to be that brand. I won’t eat any other brand.”

Chen You nodded, “Tell me if you run out of anything else, and I’ll buy it for you online. It’s cheaper than in the supermarket, and there are discounts for orders over a certain amount.”

“Let me think about it.”

Chen Weidong said, “When you came back last time, you brought me some beef jerky, which I liked. You also bought me small red dates, the kind you put in porridge. I’ve left my house key at your Zhou Ayi’s shop twice recently, so I was thinking of eating some walnuts to boost my brainpower. I heard that Liu Walnuts are pretty good, so buy a case to try it out first.”

Chen You then tallied it up, “Beef jerky, red dates, walnuts, is that all?”

Chen Weidong said, “You can look and buy anything else.”

“…” Chen You rolled his eyes, “Dad, so that’s why you are giving me an extra 500 next month, huh?”

Chen Weidong said, “Once you bring your female classmate home, I’ll send you two thousand every month.”

Chen You said, “Can’t male students do it?”

Chen Weidong said, “No.”

Chen You rested his chin on his hand and muttered, “Why does it have to be a female classmate? Being too stubborn will make you grow gray hair.”

When Chen Weidong heard this, he could only sigh. Depression is terrible. He couldn’t even keep up with his son’s thinking. What does it mean that it has to be a female classmate? Isn’t this something that any normal person can understand?

“By the way, your Zhou Ayi drank the honey you bought me a few days ago and said she wanted to buy a jar too. You can search online and buy a few more jars so I can give them away as gifts.”

Chen You turned his neck and gave his old father a strange look.

Chen Weidong felt inexplicably guilty, “What are you looking at? Your dad’s body and soul belong to your mom alone.”

“Really?”

Chen You said slowly, “Then why do I always see you dancing in the square, getting very close to Li Ayi, Zhou Ayi, and all the other Ayi, even putting your arms around their waists?”

Chen Weidong, his old face not even blushing, said, “That’s art.”

Chen You scoffed, ghosts would believe that.

He took out his phone and went to Taobao, adding everything his father needed to his shopping cart. Then he looked at men’s summer socks, the two pairs hanging on the balcony were showing their big toes, and the other party didn’t bother to go to the supermarket to buy new ones.

The death of his loved one was a huge blow to Chen Weidong. He was depressed for a long time, and one day on his way home from getting off work, he was so disoriented that he almost got into a car accident.

Since then, Chen Weidong has sold his car and takes the bus to and from work.

When his son was a freshman in college, Chen Weidong looked at the amount in his savings account and estimated that it was about right, so he retired two years early to relax at home and think that he would no longer have to put up with his boss’s temper for the rest of his life and could live a more comfortable life.

He used to work at a movie theater, where he was a manager, and he had no problem using the computer.

It wasn’t until one day, when nearly 100,000 yuan was swindled from Chen Weidong’s card, that he realized he was getting old, making mistakes, and no longer able to act recklessly. Over time, he developed a dependence on his son, feeling content as long as his son was around.

“Youyou, what was that discount you mentioned, how much was it again?”

“Spend 288 and get a 50 discount.”

Chen You sighed, Dad, thank goodness I came back. If I had failed my mission and become a wandering ghost, and Pang Yilong and the others had found me dead in an internet cafe and notified you, how would you have survived alone….?

Chen Weidong leaned closer and asked, “Did you buy it?”

Chen You said no, “I have less than a hundred left on my card. I’ll wait for you to transfer the money to me.”

Chen Weidong looked outside and told Chen You to get off at the next stop and go to the CCB to transfer money, “Youyou, as long as you have a girlfriend, you can take this card from Dad.”

Chen You ignored him.

Summer is hot, and it’s also accompanied by an indescribable stuffiness and dryness.

Around 9 p.m., the father and son finished enjoying the fan in the living room, ate half a watermelon, and then went to their respective rooms.

Chen You opened his phone and found six missed calls, all from Pang Yilong. He called back and asked if he wanted to drink some milk.

Meanwhile, Pang Yilong, the overgrown baby, was outside feeding mosquitoes with his girlfriend, in a terrible mood, “Drink milk my ass! Do you remember that beautiful flight attendant? She confessed to you downstairs in our dorm around 8 o’clock.”

“Wait, I’ll send you the video.”

Chen You quickly saw the video. It wasn’t very clear, and it was noisy. The video showed a tall, beautiful girl with long hair, dressed in flowing white, holding a bunch of red roses, standing inside a heart shape made of candles, and shouting loudly, Chen You, I like you——

Not only that, the girl also led everyone in the class to shout in unison. The volume and the effect were amazing. The balconies of both dormitory buildings were full of people.

Chen You’s eye twitched. Luckily, he wasn’t there, otherwise the other dorms would definitely have broken down the threshold to come and play, and they could have sprayed him to death with their spittle.

Pang Yilong cursed, “Damn it, I told that girl you weren’t here, but she just wouldn’t believe me and kept shouting. It’s extremely provocative, and the onlookers are calling you a coward.”

Chen You said, “Yi Long, I’m gay.”

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, then it was Pang Yilong’s voice, “Actually, me too.”

The next moment, deafening laughter erupted, “Hahahahahaha, what kind of joke is this? Do you even know what gay is? Next time, try to fool Old Shuai and Old Wang , maybe they’ll believe you for a few minutes.”

Chen You muttered under his breath, “Idiot, I really am.” If you guys found out one day that you have a gay roommate, always hanging out with him, it would be disgusting, wouldn’t it?

After ending the call, Chen You deleted the video. He looked at the anime stickers on the wall in his room. They were all memories. He couldn’t bear to tear any of them off. He decided to keep them and tell the man about the anime each sticker represented when he came.

Chen You pulled out a chair, sat down, and propped his legs up on the desk, humming 《Nunchucks》,”The smell of smoke from the barbecue restaurant fills the air, next door is a martial arts hall, and the madam inside has tea ceremony skills…”

“Chang Qin, don’t blow on my neck, it tickles.”

He turned around, but there was no one behind him, not even a ghost, let alone Chang Qin. Only the electric fan blew his stray hairs, gently brushing against his neck, as if a warm breath was brushing against him.

Fuck!

Chen You covered his face, gritting his teeth, “Damn it, I told you what I look like, my features, my address, and the name of my school. I’ve been back for two days now, why haven’t you come to find me? Have you forgotten everything?”

He let out a soft sob, his heart heavy with sorrow, “Chang Qin, if you forget me, even after I die and become a ghost, I will not let you off the hook. I will never let you go.”

In the small room, the electric fan whirred incessantly. Chen You always felt someone talking in his ear and touching his lips. He couldn’t tell if it was real or not. Like a mental patient or a madman, he talked to himself, laughed and joked, and even made a hugging gesture.

Compared to depression, mental disorder is the most terrifying.

Chen You couldn’t take it anymore. His face turned pale as he went to knock on the door across the hall. “Dad, I want to sleep with you.”

Chen Weidong’s voice came from inside, he wasn’t asleep, “Come in.”

Chen You lay down on the bamboo mat, grabbed the fan from his father’s hand and fanned himself, “Why don’t you turn on the electric fan?”

Chen Weidong tossed a cooling pillow over, saying, “After ten o’clock, this room gets quite cool. If you leave the fan on and forget to turn it off, you’ll easily catch a cold.”

Chen You crossed his legs, “Can’t it be timed?”

Chen Weidong, “…I forgot.”

Chen You said, “I was wondering why I sometimes act like an idiot, but now I know why.”

“You brat, your Dad is getting old!” Chen Weidong reminisced about the past, beaming with pride, his eyes still showing a hint of arrogance, “Back in the day, your Dad was the first college student in the whole township. He was a role model for so many people, even your Mom looked at him with admiration.”

“Later, your Dad went to practice Sanda (Chinese kickboxing), and that was even more amazing. Do you know what the coach said? He said your Dad is a once-in-a-century genius, born for Sanda…”

Chen You shook his legs, “Wow, that’s amazing!”

“That’s right,” Chen Weidong also crossed his legs and shook them, “Don’t you even look at yourself? Your face and your figure are all thanks to your Dad.”

“Who knew you wouldn’t use your own advantages? You’ve wasted your handsome looks. You’re a sophomore and you’ve never even had a girlfriend. It makes me unhappy.”

Chen You’s face darkened. Then let’s not talk about it anymore. Really, I’m not happy either.

The room fell silent.

Chen Weidong talked too much and got sleepy, and soon fell asleep. Not long after, he asked his son, who was tossing and turning, “Do you have sores on your back?”

Chen You couldn’t remember how many times he had turned over in bed, “I think I’ll go back to my own room.”

He moved the electric fan onto the chair, adjusted its direction, set the timer, and left with his head drooping.

The lowest setting of the wind blew, slowly drying the sweat on Chen Weidong’s body. He was no longer sleepy, his son’s symptoms didn’t seem like depression.

After a moment’s thought, Chen Weidong went to his study, took out his glasses from a drawer, put them on, turned on his computer, and searched online for information on the problems teenagers encounter and how parents should handle them.

He discovered that there were quite a few cases of depression among his son’s age, some of whom had already had suicidal thoughts, and others had already suffered tragic consequences. Looking at the answers from doctors and netizens below, most of them were related to stress.

Chen Weidong took off his glasses and put in two drops of eye drops. What kind of pressure would his son be under? He didn’t do well on the college entrance exam the first year. His score in the academic subjects was less than 400 points, and he failed the professional subject because of a crying scene. As a result, the other party came back and played games without showing any signs of being down. Chen Weidong didn’t say a harsh word to him.

If it’s not studying, then what is it?

Chen Weidong closed his eyes to catch his breath, then continued moving the mouse, flipping through page after page, looking at each piece of information.

Because he had four classes the next morning, Chen You calculated the traffic time from home to school, so he got up at five o’clock and met his father across the corridor as soon as he opened the door.

“Holy crap, Dad, what were you doing out last night?”

With dark circles under his eyes, Chen Weidong waved his hand and said, “Don’t even mention it. I really don’t know how you managed to sit in front of the computer for so long. I only used it for a few hours, and I felt dizzy and weak all over.”

Chen You followed behind, sighed, and said, “You’re getting old.”

He asked curiously, “No, Dad, what are you watching on the computer so late at night? And for hours at a time. Oh, I know. Aiya, Mom’s been gone for a while now, so I can understand. I’m a man too, but it’s better to watch fewer action movies, they can make your kidneys weak, really, trust me, especially not at night. Next time there’s something good, I’ll call you, and we’ll watch it together.”

Chen Weidong, “…”

Chen You hurriedly made breakfast for his father, but didn’t even have time to eat it before grabbing his backpack and heading out.

At seven o’clock, Chen You stood at the dormitory door. Usually, Sanbao would still be asleep at this time. He was about to take out his key to open the door, trying to be as quiet as possible. But to his surprise, the door opened from the inside, and Sanbao were standing inside. Their eyes looked at him with disbelief, solemnity, sympathy, and pity.

It’s very complicated.

Chen You’s eye twitched violently. Oh no, his dad must have told these three about his depression.

He didn’t know what to say. Depression might be a big problem for others, but for him, it was really nothing.

The atmosphere in the dormitory is strange.

Chen You tossed his backpack onto the table, glanced at them sideways, and said, “What are you three doing? Are you all constipated?”

Pang Yilong stepped forward first and patted Chen You on the shoulder without saying a word, followed by Zheng Shuai and Wang Yao.

Chen You looked confused.

Holy crap, what’s going on here? Even if LaoZi really does have depression, does it have to be this serious? It’s not like having depression means I’ll think about jumping off a building or cutting my wrists to commit suicide.

“You guys……”

Pang Yilong went to get the book and took it from Chen You’s shelf as well, “Come on, let’s go to class. It’ll be too crowded in the cafeteria if we go too late, and we won’t be able to eat breakfast.”

Zheng Shuai and Wang Yao followed closely behind.

The four of them bought breakfast and sat in the last row of the lecture hall, where the aroma filled the air.

Chen You rested his forehead on one hand, biting the straw as he drank his taro milk tea, lost in thought.

Pang Yilong and the other two exchanged glances, and Wang Yao stepped forward, handing over a meat bun, “Youzi, have this.”

Chen You glanced at Wang Yao, who was smacking his lips, clearly not full, “You eat, I’ve already eaten at home, I’m not hungry.”

Wang Yao said oh, took back the meat bun, and began to gnaw on it in large bites.

He noticed that Pang Yilong and Zheng Shuai were both looking at him, so he shrugged innocently, as you can see, Youzi isn’t interested in meat anymore, there’s nothing I can do about it.

Chen You opened his mouth, about to ask if his father had called, when Pang Yilong said, “Youzi, don’t say anything, we, your Ge can understand.”

Zheng Shuai and Wang Yao nodded, saying, “We understand.”

Chen You felt a mouthful of blood stuck in his throat, so he decided to drink some milk tea to calm his nerves.

The sound of female students laughing and talking came from the classroom door. They saw four boys inside and whispered among themselves. Someone had arrived before them. They weren’t a couple, but four boys. Apart from the chubby boy, the other three were all very handsome.

They glanced at them discreetly more than ten times and recognized that the young man drinking milk tea was the most handsome guy in the Tourism Management Department. After what happened last night, he would be the talk of the town for the next two days.

Chen You ignored the stares from those people, “Last night I read a novel. The protagonist, like us, was a sophomore in college. At the beginning, the protagonist suddenly died and was bound to a system…”

Zheng Shuai interrupted, his mouth still full of uneaten egg pancakes, “Quick transmigration, there are so many novels of that genre, it’s just the protagonist doing missions in one world after another, it’s boring.”

Chen You, “…”

Zheng Shuai grinned, “Go ahead, go ahead.”

Chen You continued, “The protagonist is taken to the first mission world, where he contacts the target according to the system’s requirements to acquire evil points. Then comes the second world, the third world, and gradually, he discovers that the targets he’s trying to conquer are all…”

MF, he was interrupted again and it was still cheap-mouthed Zheng Shuai, saying, “It’s the same person. The author makes all the targets the same and calls it some kind of split personality. It’s even more boring.”

Chen You got angry and glared at him.

Pang Yilong, who never reads novels, thought it was alright. He covered Zheng Shuai’s mouth and said, “Shut up, let Youzi finish.”

Wang Yao shared the same thought, although it’s quite common now, there might be a big surprise coming.

Chen You then shared his experiences with a few of his XiongDi in the form of a novel, which was a kind of catharsis in another sense. He felt that the burden on his heart had been lifted a lot, “The author hasn’t finished writing it yet. The latest chapter is about the protagonist returning to the real world ahead of time, becoming mentally unstable, and unable to distinguish between reality and fantasy. What do you think will happen in the end?”

Zheng Shuai brushed Pang Yilong’s hand away, then scratched his chin with a finger, “Based on my years of experience reading quick transmigration stories, there are generally only two endings.”

Chen You, trying to control his emotions, asked, “Which two?”

Zheng Shuai said, “The first ending is that the female protagonist finds the male protagonist in the real world in various magical ways, and they will reunite later and have a happy ending. The second ending is hard to say. Depending on the author’s style, there is a high possibility of an Easter egg or a plot twist, which is also called a divine development.”

He crossed his arms, “Youzi, didn’t you say that the male protagonist developed a mental illness after returning to the real world? I think the author’s choice of this setting is quite insane.”

Chen You added, “It’s quite outrageous.”

Zheng Shuai suddenly said, “If the female lead is a virus, she will most likely be formatted.”

Chen You was stunned, “Really…?”

He was familiar with the word “format,” having done it to USB drives countless times. Once it was confirmed, everything was gone. His temples throbbed, “Shuaishuai, please continue.”

Glancing at Pang Yilong and Wang Yao, who were engrossed in listening, Zheng Shuai coughed and pretended to be thinking seriously, “According to the author’s insane formula, the virus in that story, that is, the female protagonist, will lose all her marks due to data incompleteness and code problems while escaping the main program. Even if she meets the male protagonist face to face one day, she won’t recognize him.”

“Moreover, the male protagonist himself has a mental illness, so his memories of the mission world will definitely become more and more blurred until he can’t remember them at all. There is no sudden death, no mission, no system, no goal, no rebirth. He is just an ordinary college student.”

Chen You sat there blankly, listening to Zheng Shuai say, “In my personal understanding, the author wanted to reveal that if one day the male and female protagonists who have lost their memories can fall in love with each other again, they will both regain their memories. If not, they will just be strangers. The female protagonist will stay in her own world, and the male protagonist will live his own life.”

His head was throbbing with pain, a piercing pain, like a sharp awl was stabbing hard at the top of his head.

Don’t overthink it. These are just Shuaishuai’s guesses, there’s no basis for them. But why hasn’t Chang Qin shown up yet? Maybe he doesn’t remember…

“Don’t worry, the author set it up that way, so the male and female protagonists will definitely meet again, fall in love again, and remember everything.”

Hearing Zheng Shuai’s last words, Chen You felt a sense of redemption. He then realized that he was covered in sweat and his fingertips were trembling. Damn it, I should have known better than to say it. I was almost scared to death.

Zheng Shuai asked curiously, “Youzi, which novel were you talking about? Is it from xx website? What’s it called? I’ll go check it out.”

Chen You wiped his face, removing the fine sweat, and said without batting an eye, “Not a good read, a waste of time.”

Zheng Shuai twitched his face, “So you read until almost the end?”

Chen You chuckled, “I have OCD. Once I’ve read the beginning, I want to see the ending.”

Pang Yilong, who was standing next to Zheng Shuai, asked him about a quick transmigration novel. He searched for it online, and a few minutes later, he threw his phone down, saying, “It’s so boring. What kind of crap is this? It’s like people who read novels have never done this before. It’s not realistic at all.”

“When it’s a guy’s first time, it’s unlikely to last very long, it’s usually very quick.”

Pang Yilong glared at Chen You and the other two, “What are you looking at? My first time was already far beyond ordinary people, I lasted half an hour, okay?”

Zheng Shuai clapped his hands, “Awesome!”

Wang Yao gave a thumbs up, “Awesome.”

Chen You scoffed, “Only half an hour…!” Every time he went to a new world, the first time he had sex with his man, it always lasted at least two hours.

Pang Yilong snorted through his nose, “You bastard, how long will it take you?”

Chen You smiled and said, “Let’s talk about the longest one, from the afternoon to the next morning.” Let’s fool around.

Pang Yilong and the other two all thought he was joking and laughed along.

Chen You, “…”

Wang Yao also searched for Pang Yilong’s novel, but his reaction was different. He exclaimed holy crap, holy crap, holy crap! and said, “You guys have to read this!”

Not to mention Pang Yilong, even Chen You and Zheng Shuai thought Wang Yao was just an ignorant peasant who had never seen the world, and that he was just a fool. Why make such a fuss?

Wang Yao had never done this before, but he read with great interest, his phone glued to his hand. He didn’t even lift his head for the entire class, silently getting an erection in the classroom.

Chen You, Pang Yilong, and Zheng Shuai on both sides ignored him.

After the two classes ended, they changed classrooms. One continued reading novels, one continued sleeping, one continued daydreaming, and one continued chatting with their girlfriends on WeChat.

After class, Chen You saw the flight attendant girl at the classroom door, she had come to wait for him.

Aiya, he’s so handsome, he’s never short of girls who like him. When he told his man about it, he didn’t believe him.

A tall girl stood there, her long hair cascading down her shoulders. She had an oval face, big eyes, red lips, and white teeth. She wore denim shorts and a fitted white t-shirt, and her legs were long, straight, and white. She had a fantastic figure, and all the girls in the class couldn’t help but stare. It wasn’t just the boys who liked looking at beautiful women, they liked it too.

Chen You put one hand in his pocket, his brow slightly furrowed.

The tall girl’s aloofness vanished instantly upon seeing him, a blush creeping onto her pretty face, “You really weren’t in the dorm last night?”

Chen You said, “Yes, I went home.”

The tall girl bit her lip, a little shyly, “Then your roommates must have told you, right?”

Chen You nodded, “Yeah, I watched the video, thank you for liking me.”

He glanced at Pang Yilong and his two companions out of the corner of his eye, pretending to leave first, while they were actually eavesdropping, and said to the girl, “I have someone I like.”

Upon hearing this, the tall girl took a few steps closer, almost touching him.

Chen You was over 1.8 meters tall, and the girl in front of him was 1.7 meters tall. When he looked down, he could see the other person’s collar, which wasn’t good, since he is gay.

Chen You stepped back, creating distance between himself and the girl.

The tall girl looked embarrassed, it was the first time she had ever been so proactive, and the other person wasn’t buying it.

“Chen You, you don’t need to use that kind of excuse to reject me.”

I’m telling you the truth, you don’t believe me. Chen You was too lazy to explain.

The tall girl stared straight at the tall young man in front of her. Among the boys who pursued her, there were some who were even more handsome and from better families, but they lacked the feeling she wanted and were not pure. The young man in front of her, she felt at first sight that he was someone she could confide in.

Perhaps it was because his eyes didn’t harbor any other thoughts that other boys might have.

The tall girl said, “Can I kiss you?”

Chen You replied without hesitation, “No.”

Don’t be ridiculous. Even if he didn’t die suddenly, never did any missions, and met his man, he still wouldn’t agree to be with her.

Isn’t this just playing rogue?

The tall girl’s eyes dimmed. She was unwilling to give up. With her looks and even what she did last night, she still couldn’t move this person, “Then a hug is okay, right?”

Chen You smiled and said apologetically, “The person I like is very possessive and won’t allow me to do this with others.”

A hint of surprise flashed in the tall girl’s eyes. She looked at the young man with a happy expression and was sure he wasn’t lying.

“I envy the person you like. Can I find out which department she’s in?”

Chen You said, “You’ll see him if you have the chance.”

After the tall girl left, Pang Yilong and his two companions came up and looked at Chen You in an ambiguous manner.

“The flight attendant has a great figure, her legs are so damn long. I wonder what it would feel like if they were wrapped around the waist.”

These words were said by Pang Yilong, he’s truly shameless.

Zheng Shuai was concerned about something else, “A ‘D’ cup, right? It was almost touching Youzi just now. Youzi, does your chest hurt? Did it get pressed?”

Wang Yao didn’t say anything, remaining quietly erect.

He was in this state all morning, which was tough on his big XiongDi.

Chen You didn’t want to reply to any of them. His chest was actually a little sore. Luckily, his man wasn’t there, otherwise that girl would be in big trouble. The smell of vinegar would fill the entire teaching building.

Pang Yilong and the other two caught up with him, “Youzi, who is the person you like?”

Chen You walked quickly, “Stop your curiosity, I don’t want to tell you.”

“……”

Forget it, having depression makes you a big shot.

There were only two classes in the afternoon. After they finished, the four of them went out to play. Pang Yilong, Zheng Shuai, and Wang Yao thought that there are several types of people with depression. One type is cheerful on the outside but depressed on the inside. Youzi might be that type.

The treatment is to go out more, go to places with lots of people, and be infected by the lively atmosphere, so that you won’t have time to isolate yourself.

Pang Yilong also invited his girlfriend, who thoughtfully brought along three other female classmates from her dormitory.

Four men and four women, apart from the two well-known couples, the others are all single. It would be great if they could all be paired up, making their families even closer. This is Pang Yilong’s idea with his girlfriend.

Obviously not.

Chen You is gay, Zheng Shuai’s standards are too high, and as for Wang Yao, well, although fat guys have a certain market and some beauties like fat guys, unfortunately, none of the three girls liked him. Their eyes were all on Chen You and Zheng Shuai, scanning back and forth without stopping.

Pang Yilong’s girlfriend is a hot girl, hot all over. She wrapped her arms around Pang Yilong’s arm and leaned most of her body against him, being very affectionate.

As a typical example of male chauvinism, Pang Yilong prefers this type of woman—one who is easy to control. He doesn’t like it when his girlfriend becomes independent.

The other three girls walked together, whispering to each other.

Chen You walked between Zheng Shuai and Wang Yao, with his bodyguards watching him the entire time, fearing he might have a seizure in the street.

There’s really no need for that, he’s not crazy.

Thinking this, Chen You shoved Zheng Shuai and Wang Yao aside and ran out like a madman, grabbing the arm of a man in a suit, shouting, “Chang Qin!”

The man in the suit was on the phone when his arm was suddenly pulled. He turned his head to look and saw a strange teenager calling out his name.

When someone grabbed him on the street, the man in the suit was quite composed, he didn’t immediately push the person away but instead looked at him questioningly.

Chen You stared intently. There was no mole, nor were they phoenix eyes. He felt no familiarity whatsoever. The curve of his lips froze, slowly disappeared, and then he forced it out again, his voice trembling with tears.

“I’m sorry, sir, I’ve mistaken you for someone else.”

The man in the suit said it was okay.

Chen You let his hands fall limply to his sides. He had run too fast, and his heart was pounding wildly, as if it was about to burst out of his chest.

A few moments later, Chen You couldn’t stand up and squatted down on the ground, leaving a small patch of water on the ground.

Pang Yilong, being the most athletic and with the longest legs, was the fastest to run over. He half-squatted down, grabbed Chen You’s shoulder, and asked, “What happened, Youzi?”

With his head down, Chen You said it was nothing.

Pang Yilong glanced at the man in the suit’s back, then looked at his buddy, “Why are you shaking? Who’s that guy?”

No response, turned deaf.

Pang Yilong half-carried Chen You into the Starbucks next door, saying, “Take a break in the air conditioning, I’ll go buy you a drink.”

Chen You’s face was as white as a ghost, and his body was still trembling. He was grabbing his hair and muttering unconsciously, without any rhyme or reason, almost like he was talking nonsense.

“There’s a mole, yes, there’s a mole, I remember it very clearly, which side was it again, the left? No, no, it’s the right side…”

Chen You clenched his hands to calm himself down. Many things were blurry, but he still remembered the people in his dreams.

That certainly didn’t happen without a reason.

Chen You clenched his fist and pounded his head, recalling how Chang Qin reacted when he first talked about his dream.

He was excited and thrilled, and even messed around with him.

There’s no mistake, the person in the dream is another Chang Qin, perhaps his true self.

Chen You was covered in sweat and collapsed backward onto the sofa, looking utterly exhausted.

The people who came in later all sat down and chatted with each other about their concerns. One girl asked if Chen You had heatstroke, and Pang Yilong and the other two said they would take Chen You to the hospital.

Chen You waved his hand, why go to that hospital? It’s because he lost control of his emotions, “I’ll be fine after a while.”

Hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. They were just students, and they were all a bit overwhelmed and confused by this unexpected situation.

Zheng Shuai and Wang Yao were still shocked. Chen You had pushed them away with tremendous force, he was acting crazy.

Can depression cause this?

They contacted Pang Yilong via text message. After a brief exchange, the three decided that if any girl asked about the man in the suit or inquired about who Chen You had mistaken for, they should immediately change the subject.

As it turned out, someone actually asked, and it was Pang Yilong’s girlfriend. He gave the person a warning glare.

After that, no one brought up the topic again.

After finishing a cold drink, Chen You nudged Zheng Shuai and said, “Let’s go to the bathroom together.”

Zheng Shuai would have refused if it were anyone else, since they weren’t girls and he didn’t need to go to the bathroom with someone else. But he could forgive Youzi for making this request, mainly because he was used to it.

There were two people in the toilet, and there were clattering sounds coming from the stall.

Zheng Shuai changed his mind at the last minute, went to the cubicle, and said he wanted to squat for a while, telling Chen You not to wait for him.

Chen You’s mouth twitched, I can’t wait any longer, it stinks too much.

He finished quickly, zipped up his jacket, and went out. In the corridor, he ran into a bespectacled man dressed in an elite style. When the man looked over, his eyes behind his glasses seemed to light up.

The bespectacled man strode towards Chen You and politely handed him a business card, “Hello, classmate, I’m an agent from xx agency, my surname is Hu.”

Chen You knew this company, it was quite famous, with top celebrities working there. He blurted out, “Young Master Hu?”

The bespectacled man pushed up his glasses, “No.”

Chen You replied, “Oh.”

The bespectacled man said, “It’s like this, there’s an advertisement that’s missing two main characters, and your image fits one of them perfectly. I wonder if you, classmate…”

Chen You said he wasn’t interested.

The bespectacled man said, “It’s a public service announcement.”

Not long after, Chen You was sitting in a coffee shop with the bespectacled man.

The bespectacled man took a sip of his coffee, smiled, and said slowly, “The advertisement is about homosexuality, its purpose is to raise awareness among viewers about this group…”

Chen You got up and left.

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Chapter 162. Depression

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Arc 9: Real World.

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TN: Sorry for delaying the update. No excuse!!! I was using my free time in watching some adapted drama and series after reading their respective novels. Still waiting for To My Shore series to finished releasing, so I can watch it start to end in one go.

Now some points to consider while you read this arc.

1. Chen You called his three dorm friends Sanbao which means three treasure of buddhism.
2. Chen You’s friends called him Youzi which means Pomelo. Character ‘You’ is different in both name. Only his three dormmates called him by this name.
3. Chen You’s father and other called him Youyou.
4. As you know word ‘Old’ is used with name for endearment, so sometime it is used with last name and other time with first name. Don’t get confused.

Posting 6 chapters in one go.

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It was the height of summer, and it was already past four in the morning when it was already dawn.

On the street behind the university campus, there were seven or eight internet cafes. Students were coming out one after another, their faces strangely haggard, as if they had been drained of their life force by thousands of demons overnight.

In one of the internet cafes, on the second floor, on the left side, sat four teenagers. The handsome guy with the earring was chatting with several girls, coughing incessantly—he was busy. His name was Zheng Shuai, and true to his name, he was really handsome, ranking second in the class in terms of charm.

However, he has a peculiar habit, he only flirts, but never talks about love.

The fat guy next to Zheng Shuai is named Wang Yao. His two layers of belly fat seem to have a deep affection for him, something he just can’t shake off. He’s a gaming god, but a loser in real life. Right now, bored, he’s playing a friendly match with a little girl in the open space in front of the city gate, and incidentally, flirting with her.

Wang Yao was afraid he might accidentally kill the cute little girl, and in a fit of anger, she would ignore him. So, he not only specially acquired a set of really bad equipment to wear, but also didn’t use his powerful skills—it was quite a feat.

Wang Yao’s side was a boy with a buzz cut named Pang Yilong. He has a twin meimei. The first thought at home was that a dragon(long) and a phoenix(feng) were born, so they named him that. That’s how he got his name.

They were all around the same age, but Pang Yilong exuded the most youthful vigor. He had a tough appearance, acted rather roughly, and was unmatched in his narcissism. He was a forward on the school basketball team, played basketball very well, worked in the student council, was loyal, and had many friends. He was only a sophomore, but had already changed girlfriends three times.

Because Pang Yilong touched the steering wheel very early, he is the best driver in the dormitory. His driving skills are so amazing that he can make the other three people dizzy with foam at the mouth and paralyzed on one side, just by talking.

Right now, Pang Yilong is watching an action movie with headphones on, his eyes wide open like light bulbs, completely absorbed in the film, as if he’s in a surreal state.

Sitting at the very back was a handsome young man. He had one hand clutching a wisp of black hair across his forehead, while the other hand held two silver rings. His expression was somewhat bewildered.

The next second, a tear rolled down the corner of the young man’s eye, slid across his beauty mark, and left a faint watermark on his face, a blend of childishness and sorrow. It was dried by the air in the blink of an eye.

“Youzi, do you want to go to the lavatory?”

Seeing that the person was sitting motionless and in a daze, Pang Yilong reached out and nudged him, “Muddleheaded? Hey, where did this ring come from? I’ve never seen you take it out before.”

Hearing Pang Yilong’s scream, Zheng Shuai and Wang Yao craned their necks to look, but even from a few seats away, they couldn’t see it. They stood up and walked over to Chen You, where their eyes widened in disbelief. Holy crap, these were a couple rings!

The three exchanged furtive glances, finally confirming one thing, their Youzi had someone he liked, had bought a ring but hadn’t given it to the other person yet, and they knew absolutely nothing about it.

A minute or two later, Chen You, who had been sitting in the chair, suddenly grabbed Wang Yao and started cursing, repeating the same few words over and over, “Fatty…you dare hit me…Fatty…”

When did I hit you? Wang Yao was dumbfounded, unsure whether to push him away or hug him, he was completely at a loss.

Pang Yilong pulled the person to his side, “Youzi, explain yourself clearly. When did Fatty hit you? Was it in the bathroom last night? You…Youzi?”

The person in his arms choked back a sob. Pang Yilong stopped speaking, his playful smile vanished, and his brows furrowed in confusion.

Zheng Shuai and Wang Yao exchanged bewildered glances.

Youzi cried, and cried very hard. The problem was, they didn’t know why Youzi was so sad. Could it be that he was rejected after giving the ring? But that doesn’t seem likely. He is crying so hard, as if he has a lot of grievances and seems to be in great pain.

Wang Yao was glared at by Pang Yilong and Zheng Shuai. Feeling wronged, he shook his head and said he really didn’t hit Youzi, even holding up four fingers to swear.

Pang Yilong and Zheng Shuai believed that although Youzi had repeated a year of high school, he had started school earlier than the rest of them, and was several months younger than them. He had never been aggressive, let alone fought with them. Most importantly, he had a good personality, was a cheerful person, and no one disliked him.

So, what exactly happened?

A while later, Chen You had cried enough. His eyes were swollen. He sat back down, slumped onto the table, buried his face in his arms, and remained motionless.

Pang Yilong’s t-shirt, bought by his girlfriend, was covered in snot and tears, but he didn’t pay much attention. He was worried about his friend’s unusual behavior, which was really too abnormal.

They’ve known him since they met, and have never seen him shed a tear before. Whether it was when he was drunk and hit his head and bled, or when he was hit and broke his leg while saving a classmate on the street, he never had a red eye. This time, he cried like this, even though nothing happened at home. Around 7 o’clock, he called home and was all smiles.

Has staying up all night for several days in a row damaged your brain?

The atmosphere was tense. Pang Yilong joked, “Youzi, did someone beat you up in the game? Tell your Long Gege, and your Long Gege will bring your Shuai Gege and Yao Gege to go and kill that bastard!”

Two Gege Zheng Shuai and Wang Yao, were both eager to get started.

In the past, Chen You would chuckle and boast that no one in the game, except the server, dared to bully him. Now, he just lay there, muttering incoherently to himself, “I thought I would have to go through two more worlds. I didn’t expect so much time to pass. In this world, it’s just a second. What about him? Did he follow me? What if he can’t find me? No, I gave him my address. He has the Golden Man. He’ll definitely find me. Yes, he definitely will.”

Pang Yilong and the other two were speechless. “…” What movie is this script from?

Shoot! Youzi’s brain has really broken.

They figured that leaving the smoky internet cafe and getting some fresh air would make the person feel better, so they briefly reached an agreement to forcibly drag and pull the person outside.

At this time, there’s a slight chill in the wind, which feels like being patted by a drizzle when it hits you.

Chen You put the ring back into his pants pocket, pressed it in, and nervously made sure it was safe before taking his hand out. He looked up at the Sanbao of the dormitory, and slowly curled the corners of his mouth into a smile.

Long time no see! I’m back.

The guy smiled, as sunny and bright as ever. Pang Yilong, Zheng Shuai, and Wang Yao all breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed like everything was alright. These days, it’s unbelievable that no one has ever experienced heartbreak. That thing is agonizing, and it takes time and a new relationship to heal. It’s okay, there are so many beautiful girls in this world, can’t even keep up with them all.

Chen You kicked away a pebble at his feet, “Does anyone have cigarettes on them?”

“I just opened a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes.” Pang Yilong patted his pockets, only to find them empty. He slapped his forehead, “Damn it, I left it at the internet cafe. Wait, I’ll go back and get it.”

When he ran out of the internet cafe, his three buddies were squatting in a row, heads drooping, puffing on cigarettes, looking like idiots, “……”

Zheng Shuai exhaled a smoke ring, “The Zhonghua cigarettes weren’t taken? Tsk tsk,  Old Pang, you’re lucky. It would be a shame not to treat us, right, Youzi? Old Wang? If you ask me, we don’t need anything fancy. Just breakfast later will do. A bowl of porridge, a few steamed buns, and a plate of pickled vegetables for each of us. It’ll cost less than ten yuan.”

“You stingy guy, I’ve never seen you treat anyone even once.” Pang Yilong kicked him, “Move aside and make room for your Pang DaYe.”

“Pooh——”

Zheng Shuai spat, shifted his feet back and forth, and half-squatted up, making room between himself and Chen You.

Pang Yilong went over there. He was tall and strong, weighing over 180 pounds. He couldn’t move his arms and legs much in such a small space, “Go a little further over there.”

Zheng Shuai flicked his cigarette ash onto the ground, “Your butt is bigger than mine and Youzi’s combined.”

Wang Yao said, “Count me in.”

Pang Yilong flicked the cigarettes out of the pack, picked one out with his teeth, and said, “Envious, aren’t you?”

Wang Yao and Zheng Shuai rolled their eyes at him.

Pang Yilong squatted down next to Chen You, lit a cigarette with a snap, and coolly flaunted the lighter—one of his flirting skills, “Youzi, Ge will treat you to breakfast later, order whatever you like.”

Zheng Shuai and Wang Yao, with their sharp ears, heard it all. The two shamelessly came over, grinning like dried flowers, “Old Pang.”

Pang Yilong grinned at his two buddies, giving them a look that said, “You two are really something.”

Zheng Shuai and Wang Yao nodded in unison toward the suddenly depressed teenager. They had only learned the basics from him, they were still far from mastering the essence.

With his eyelids drooping, Chen You smoked. Perhaps the smoke went down his throat too fast, because he choked and coughed incessantly. He had choked and cried while in prison, and even after returning, he still hadn’t mastered the technique.

Pang Yilong snatched the cigarette from Chen You’s hand, threw it on the ground, and stomped it out with his shoe, “Forget it, Youzi, if you can’t learn to smoke, then don’t smoke.”

Chen You stood up, dusted off the cigarette ash, and brought himself back to reality, “I’m hungry, let’s go get breakfast. You said you’d treat me.”

Pang Yilong stood up and put his arm around Chen You’s shoulder. “I said you can eat whatever you want. Just don’t try to save your Ge’s money, or Ge will be unhappy.”

Zheng Shuai and Wang Yao walked behind, rubbing their arms and legs, unable to bear Pang Yilong’s incessant chatter.

Zheng Shuai, “How could Old Pang, that scumbag, have a girlfriend?”

Wang Yao, “It’s a society that judges people by their looks, huh? No, you’re way more handsome than him, how come you’ve never had a girlfriend?”

Zheng Shuai, “Let me correct you on one point. It’s not that I don’t have it, it’s that I don’t want to have it, understand?”

Wang Yao, “Bad habit.”

All the food options are across the bridge – restaurants, noodle shops, hotels, you name it, they have it all. There are several schools nearby, and students flock here every day. Instead of lingering around, most young couples will head straight to a nightclub, which is affordable and convenient.

Just after crossing the bridge, Pang Yilong’s phone rang. It was his girlfriend calling. He stood to the side and answered, “Why are you awake so early? Me? Yes, I’m not in the dorm. I came out and played games all night with Youzi and the others. Really, why would I lie to you? Okay, Jie, I obey you more than anyone else. Just wait.”

Pang Yilong handed his phone to Chen You and mouthed, “My girlfriend is checking up on me.”

This wasn’t the first time Chen You had done this. He cleared his throat and spoke into the phone, “Good morning, Saozi.”

“Yeah, a few of us stayed up all night at xxx internet cafe.”

Pang Yilong took the phone away, “Is that alright now? Go back to sleep. Okay, I got it.”

He hung up the call and muttered to himself, this is weird. All the girlfriends I’ve dated have one thing in common, they like to check up on me, and they only believe Chen You. They don’t believe anything Zheng Shuai or Wang Yao say.

In terms of looks, Zheng Shuai is no less handsome than Chen You. Perhaps it’s a woman’s intuition that’s making them think Chen You wouldn’t lie.

Zheng Shuai yawned, “Old Pang, do you know why your girlfriend always checks up on you?”

Pang Yilong said, “Aren’t all women like that?”

“That’s really not it.”

Zheng Shuai and Wang Yao said in unison, “It’s because you have the qualities of a scumbag.”

Pang Yilong touched his face, quite surprised, “Really? I’m that handsome?”

A handsome guy isn’t necessarily a scumbag, but a scumbag is definitely a handsome guy—that’s his personal understanding.

Zheng Shuai and Wang Yao had nothing to say anymore.

Chen You, who was a few steps behind, suddenly blurted out, “That scumbag played with Qi Rui. He was so immoral. The day after he saw me at the company, he died in a car accident.”

Pang Yilong and the other two didn’t hear clearly, they were chatting and laughing, otherwise they would have been scared to death.

Chen You stopped, his brow furrowing. In one world, to prevent Xiaoming from going to the battlefield, he separated his soul from his body for a period of time. The system had told him that he would be affected to some extent when he returned to the real world.

It seems he has lost his mind.

He was talking nonsense and couldn’t control himself at all.

Chen You patted his face. Cheer up, you idiot! You died suddenly, and you’ve been reborn here. That’s incredible luck that most people wouldn’t even dare to dream of. Don’t be gloomy. Think positively. You’re back now, aren’t you? As long as you keep praying every day, the Almighty will bless you and your man.

He was terrified of forgetting everything, of having no memory of anyone or anything in the mission world. This was Chen You’s biggest worry after returning, and it seemed to have caused him mental problems.

No one knows if anything will change tomorrow.

Chen You took out his phone and found it was out of battery. He borrowed Pang Yilong’s phone to call his father, but no one answered. He was probably still fast asleep and had no idea that his son had died once.

Four teenagers were eating breakfast inside a small shop. They had crab roe buns, porridge, pickled vegetables, spring rolls, glutinous rice cakes, and fried dough sticks.

Zheng Shuai is stingy and incredibly cheap. Wang Yao is genuinely poor. Chen You occasionally treats people to meals, but it can’t compare to the frequency of Pang Yilong’s treats. Pang Yilong is the wealthiest and most generous. He puts a lot of thought into every girlfriend he dates.

Without realizing it, Chen You broke the crab roe bun in half, blew on it, and handed it to the other person.

Pang Yilong, sitting opposite him, blinked, his face twitching, “Youzi, are you alright?”

Chen You seemed to realize the abnormality, and said it was nothing, just that his arm was sore, and then he did two stretching exercises.

Pang Yilong exaggeratedly wiped his forehead, “Holy crap, that scared me to death! I thought you were going to feed me.”

Zheng Shuai and Wang Yao were also scared half to death.

Chen You thought to himself, fuck, I was even more frightened than you guys, okay? It’s so annoying, I’m afraid this kind of thing will only happen more often in the future.

The inability to distinguish between reality and fantasy indicates a serious condition.

All four of them have computers, but they still maintain the habit of going out all night every Saturday. The dormitory lights go out on time, so they have no choice but to go to internet cafes to play Arena.

The feeling of staying up all night is complicated. Before going, you’re excited and thinking about how to make the most of the night—playing games, watching movies. But when you get sleepy in the middle of the night, you go out to pee and smoke a cigarette, forcing yourself to stay awake. It’s such a waste of money! If you want to sleep, go back to sleep. When you come out the next morning, you’re completely out of it.

Back in his dorm, Chen You couldn’t sleep. He kept calling the system the whole way, but there was no response. He felt like an idiot. If it weren’t for the ring in his pocket, he would have thought it was all just a dream.

Thankfully, it wasn’t a dream.

He could wait with anticipation for that man to appear, or hope that one day at some point, he would bump into him on the street or in a shop, and that they would recognize each other, hug, kiss, have sex, and then find a good day to come out to his father.

There are plenty of obstacles, but they’ll get through them.

There are only four people in the dorm. Two bunk beds are placed together on the right side of the entrance. Opposite them are a row of wardrobes and computer desks, also four. The balcony is next to the toilet. The space is not big. The chairs and beds are piled with clothes, pants, smelly sneakers, basketballs stuffed under the beds, and smelly socks that someone else has abandoned. It’s an eyesore.

Zheng Shuai and Wang Yao were the first to arrive at the dormitory and occupied two lower bunks. Chen You and Pang Yilong were on the upper bunks. There were two boards separating the two beds, and there was room to put some things on the boards.

On Chen You’s side of the partition, there was a short, chubby piggy bank, a small handful of gold coin chocolates, half a pack of Old Beijing crispy noodles (rolled up and stuffed in a corner for later), and a bag of spicy strips to keep him awake at night when he felt sleepy.

In comparison, Pang Yilong’s bedside table was much emptier, with only a couple’s cup and a roll of toilet paper. He didn’t like eating snacks, and he especially didn’t like eating before bed because it made his mouth feel uncomfortable.

He wasn’t planning to sleep, he’d promised to go shopping with his girlfriend, and if he slept, he wouldn’t be able to get up.

As Pang Yilong climbed the ladder to get his cup down and pour himself some water, he was startled when he poked his head out, “Why are you keeping your eyes so wide open instead of sleeping?”

Chen You’s eyes were opened, his view blocked by Pang Yilong’s face, “Move aside, don’t block my view of the spider.”

Pang Yi followed Chen You’s gaze and saw a small spider with a piece of thread hanging down. Without saying a word, he grabbed a piece of toilet paper and crushed the spider to death.

Well, that’s it. Chen You could only stare at the white ceiling.

Pang Yilong said, “Youzi, your eyes are very bloodshot. Don’t stay up all night again this month, or you might die suddenly.”

Chen You, “…”

He sighed, “I know, I won’t do that again.”

Pfft, Pang Yilong burst out laughing, “You are more diligent than a female classmate’s aunt Flo, several times a month.”

Chen You rolled his eyes, “Scrammm, stop spitting on LaoZi’s face. You haven’t even brushed your teeth, stink to death.”

Pang Yilong blushed, it’s as if you brushed it. What right does someone who eats snacks and stuffs chocolate in their mouth while sleeping have to criticize others?

“Hey, do you have cavities?”

“……”

Chen You turned over, pulling the thin blanket over himself, ignoring him.

Pang Yilong took the cup down and filled it with more than half a cup of water from the water dispenser. Zheng Shuai and Wang Yao went back to sleep without taking a shower or brushing their teeth, they wanted to get some rest first.

After stripping off his t-shirt, which was covered in the smell of smoke, snot, and tears, Pang Yilong went to the bathroom to shower, changed into clean clothes, admired himself in front of the mirror for a while, and then went out to meet his girlfriend.

The dormitory quieted down, with only the whirring of the electric fan.

Chen You, with his eyes still closed, mumbled, “It’s so hot, Chang Qin, turn the air conditioner down a bit.”

He opened his eyes, his breathing a little rapid. Damn it… it’s insane.

After a while, a cacophony of sounds filled the corridor, people walking in slippers, talking, closing doors, making phone calls—it was a constant stream of noise. This was what it felt like to be alive.

Chen You was lying flat when he suddenly sat up in bed, grabbed the bed railing and jumped to the ground. He quickly took out paper and pen from the drawer, then, as if remembering something, tossed them aside and went to turn on the computer.

Doing the same thing a second time brings completely different feelings.

Chen You’s fingers tapped on the keyboard, sorting through the memories in his mind and writing them down before his mental illness became uncontrollable.

This isn’t a mission world, so the system can’t interfere. As long as he writes it down, even if he forgets it or it’s all jumbled up, accidentally discovering this might awaken something.

Hearing the clattering of the keyboard, Zheng Shuai thought he was still in an internet cafe. It wasn’t until he felt that his legs could straighten without feeling uncomfortable that he realized he was in his dormitory and lying on his bed.

Yawning, Zheng Shuai scratched his head. His eyelids would turn double when he first woke up, then slowly revert to single eyelids—it was quite magical, “Youzi, what are you busy with?”

The people behind him leaned closer, and Chen You’s finger paused. He clicked on a webpage and said, “Can’t sleep, got up and played for a while.”

“Still playing? You’re amazing, I don’t know where you get so much energy.”

Without looking for long, Zheng Shuai went to the sink on the balcony, got some toothpaste and a toothbrush, and quickly washed up, “I’m going to the cafeteria to buy food. What do you want me to bring?”

Chen You said he didn’t want to eat.

Zheng Shuai tossed the towel onto the rack. Heartbreak = poor appetite = not wanting to eat, which is understandable. He put on his sneakers and said, “How about I bring you corn, two tea eggs, and a pancake? It can last until the afternoon, so you can eat it when you’re hungry.”

Chen You said okay, “Shuaishuai, thank you.”

Zheng Shuai’s face darkened. He wondered if he had misheard. He usually called him Shuai Ge but today he was using a reduplicated form? “What did you call me?”

Instead of answering, Chen You asked, “Aren’t you Shuai?”

Zheng Shuai raised an eyebrow, “I’m Shuai.”

Chen You said, “You think you’re Shuai and I think you’re Shuai too. Together there’re two Shuai, so I call you Shuaishuai.”

Zheng Shuai gave a thumbs up, “Awesome.”

He grabbed a handful of change, opened the door, and went out, telling Chen You that he might be late because he needed to talk to a fellow villager about something.

Chen You didn’t care, he really wasn’t hungry.

The deafening snoring came from the bed closest to the toilet. Wang Yao was still asleep. He was the fattest and weakest. Staying up all night would ruin him, and he needed a whole day to recover.

No one bothered him, so Chen You continued typing. When he stopped, his fingers cramped up a bit. He couldn’t keep up with the fast typing speed.

After thinking for a while, Chen You logged in to cloud drive, put the eight text files into it, and after finishing, he was still not at ease, so he took screenshots and saved them. In the past, he was careless and sloppy, but he was unusually careful about this matter.

It was so hot in the summer. When Chen You got up from the chair, his butt was soaking wet. He took his toiletries to the bathroom and was a little uncomfortable with the cramped space when he first entered.

A showerhead and a squat toilet – if someone slips and falls while showering, they might end up with their face in the pit.

The water heater wasn’t provided by the school, it was bought by the dormitories pooling their money. It was based on their wishes. Students don’t have much money, and not many families are like Pang Yilong’s. Chen You and his friends discussed it several times before deciding to get a water heater, which was expensive because it used a lot of water and electricity.

Summer is fine, but winter is troublesome.

However, after Chen You discovered that he was a little perverted, he stopped showering in the dormitory during the winter and would go to the public bathhouse even in the wind and snow.

Stopping his random thoughts, Chen You rinsed himself under the showerhead. It wasn’t until he heard Zheng Shuai’s voice that he realized he hadn’t applied any shower gel or shampoo, as he was used to the man applying them for him.

“Look what you’ve raised me into! You have to take responsibility!”

Chen You muttered to the air, “You promised to walk with me, don’t make me wait too long. At the latest, after graduating from university. If it’s any later, I’m afraid I’ll forget you. Even if I still remember you, Dad will still force me to get married.”

“You don’t know Dad. He’s even harder to deal with than Mom. He’s got so many tricks up his sleeve. He’s always coming up with a number, and you can never win an argument with him.”

He tilted his head back, letting the warm water wash over him, blurring his features.

While getting dressed, Chen You glanced at the cinnabar mole on both wrists. He was a little worried, when it got cold and he wore long sleeves, the two marks would be covered. His head started to hurt again, damn it.

A sudden ringing sound rang in his mind, and Chen You almost slipped. He steadied himself and asked, “Old 4, is that you?”

The mechanical voice said, “I am not 444.”

Chen You’s face changed. Are you kidding me? “Then who are you?”

The mechanical voice said, “You don’t need to worry about it. I’m just here to tell you something. Just listen.”

“A crucial piece of code has been leaked from above, infiltrating the main system and destroying all system code. The virus KM has escaped and its whereabouts are currently unknown. Due to a work error, 444 has been ordered to retrieve it and completely eliminate it.”

For some reason, Chen You blurted out, “You, you are Mr. Wu?”

His feeling was strange, without any basis, but at this moment, what appeared before his eyes was the man in the long robe.

Unfortunately, there was no sound left in his head.

Chen You was overwhelmed with emotion, experiencing both great sorrow and joy in an instant. Suddenly, everything went black before his eyes, and he lost consciousness.

When Chen You woke up, he was lying in the school clinic. He rolled his eyes and saw that all three of his dorm mates were there, none missing. They were really loyal.

Zheng Shuai was doing his hair in front of the mirror when he heard a loud bang. He kicked the door, and then Wang Yao, the “dead pig,” was woken up by the other person’s howling. The two of them panicked and were completely at a loss. They hurriedly called Pang Yilong and said that Youzi had fainted and asked what to do.

As a result, Pang Yilong scolded the two of them. Of course, they sent him to the infirmary. He also told his girlfriend and rushed back to school.

Above Chen You’s head was Pang Yilong’s frantic voice, “Damn it, a hypoglycemic episode, fainting, isn’t that something that only happens to girls? Old Zheng, Youzi isn’t eating, why didn’t you talk to him about it?”

“I talked about it, and I even brought him food. How was I supposed to know he’d faint in the bathroom?”

“Yes, you don’t know, when you and Old Wang sat down for breakfast this morning, you just buried your heads in your food. Youzi only ate two bites of the bun. He didn’t eat anything for lunch either. He has been staying up all night. Can his body handle it?”

“Is it my fault? If you care about him so much, then stay by his bedside and don’t go out and play with women.”

“What nonsense are you spouting? When we swore brotherhood, we promised to be XiongDi for life and treat Youzi like a Didi. Have you lost your memory, or is your brain filled with shit?”

Wang Yao yawned repeatedly, clearly not having had enough sleep, “I said, can you two stop arguing?”

Pang Yilong and Zheng Shuai looked fierce and menacing, “Shut up!”

After a long pause, Wang Yao finally managed to utter his catchphrase, “Bad habit.”

He wiped away the tears that streamed down his face from yawning, “Keep arguing. The nurses outside will be here soon and tell us to get lost, and take Youzi with us.”

Pang Yilong and Zheng Shuai instantly fell silent, like two roosters having their necks choked.

A voice came from the bed, “I’m sorry.”

Pang Yilong and the other two were stunned. They saw the young man sit up, his face even whiter than the white t-shirt he was wearing.

“I brought this on myself.”

Chen You clicked his tongue, “I really can’t stay up all night for several days in a row. I feel like I’m just too weak right now.”

He stretched and grinned, “Let’s go back. If the other classmates see me fainting due to low blood sugar, it’ll damage my image as a man.”

Pang Yilong and the other two exchanged glances. Their Youzi is really doing well this time. He’s still a warm little sun, completely free of the inexplicable depression and sadness he had shown in the morning. It seemed that he had just been dizzy and his mind had cleared up, and he had come out of his heartbreak.

Pang Yilong said, “Can you walk? If not, let Old Wang carry you.”

Wang Yao: “…Yes, I’ll carry.”

Chen You’s lips twitched. He stood up straight, taller than Wang Yao, and patted him on the shoulder, “Good buddy, carry me back to the dorm. Half an hour to an hour, I don’t mind.”

Wang Yao kicked him, saying, “You wish!”

Chen You dodged away, hooking his arms around Zheng Shuai and Wang Yao, one on each side, saying, “What happened to me today fully illustrates one point, eating on time is very important.”

Pang Yilong walked behind, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, “Aiyo, this is incredible! Our Youzi is about to make some heartwarming chicken soup for the soul! Quick, quick, let’s clap our hands and welcome!”

Chen You’s eye twitched, and he stretched his leg back, leaving a shoe print accurately on Pang Yilong’s pants.

Before they even got to the dorm, Pang Yilong and Zheng Shuai were already fine. Between bros, things are straightforward, if there’s something to say, say it. Once it’s said, don’t keep it bottled up. You have to get rid of the trash that needs to be thrown out.

Chen You needed to go home, but he didn’t have enough money, so he borrowed from Pang Yilong, as was his habit.

Pang Yilong was used to lending him money. Without saying anything, he rummaged through his wallet and said, “Is five hundred enough? If not, I’ll take you to the ATM to withdraw a thousand.”

Chen You said he didn’t need that much, and took out two hundred from Pang Yilong’s wallet, saying, “I’ll pay you back when I get back.”

Pang Yilong was about to go back to his dorm when, for some reason, he turned around and caught up with Chen You. He’s a straightforward person who doesn’t mince words, trying to put things in a tactful way is much harder than taking the CET-4 (College English Test Band 4).

“Youzi, although I’m a few months older than you, I had a girlfriend back in middle school, so I have a lot of experience. When it comes to relationships, it’s all about feeling and fate, don’t force it.”

Chen You’s eyes twitched, “Old Pang, go back, wash up, and go to sleep.”

Pang Yilong stared blankly, thinking, damn it, god knows how hard it was for LaoZi to say that? And this is your attitude?

Chen You knew what he was thinking, “I’m really fine.”

Pang Yilong didn’t believe him, “What about the pair of rings?”

Chen You laughed, his eyes crinkling at the corners, “Of course, I bought it for my future wife.”

Pang Yilong clicked his tongue twice, “You’re quite romantic, aren’t you? Do you know the meaning of a ring? All the girlfriends I’ve dated, they all intentionally or unintentionally wanted me to buy them one to wear. I’m fine with necklaces, bracelets, earrings, anything, but not rings.”

Chen You thought to himself, I bought it precisely because I knew about it.

“I took a size estimate of the ring by wrapping it around your finger. Try it on and see if it fits…”

Unconsciously uttering a sentence, Chen You’s expression changed. He glanced at Pang Yilong, but thankfully the other was lost in thought and didn’t hear it.

In the community square, middle-aged women were dancing to little apple. Among them was a tall, middle-aged man standing at the front, dancing very seriously. He had a robust appearance and was clearly the focus of the group.

An older woman walked over and said, “Old Chen, I saw your Youyou at the entrance of the community.”

Upon hearing this, Chen Weidong stopped jumping, greeted the women, and went home to open the door for his son.

Chen You went to the door and saw it was open. He opened it and went inside. Seeing the middle-aged man arranging fruit in the living room, his nose suddenly stung with tears, “Dad.”

Chen Weidong dropped the apple from his hand, picked it up and put it back in the fruit bowl. He turned to look at his son and noticed his eyes were red, “What’s wrong? Were you bullied at school?”

Chen You shook his head and did something childish, he hugged his father.

To be honest, Chen Weidong was a little scared. His son didn’t cry often, but his current aggrieved look seemed really off. Had he broken up with his girlfriend? That was a real shame, since he hadn’t even seen her.

“Youyou, you suddenly came back from school, are you really okay?”

“Isn’t this Saturday? There are no classes tomorrow.”

Chen You changed out of his sneakers and walked barefoot into the living room.

Chen Weidong, who was behind him, quickly grabbed the slippers on the ground and said, “Put your slipper on, the floor tiles are cold.”

Chen You felt a warmth in his heart as he heard the commanding voice in his ear. When he was on a mission, he always thought about what it would be like when he returned. He was afraid that his father had been lying in the hospital for many years, that his health was failing, and that he was getting old.

Thank goodness.

He woke up in an internet cafe, and everything was fine.

Chen Weidong sat next to his son, repeating the same old things over and over again, “Youyou, play fewer games and spend more time with your classmates, especially the girls.”

Chen You took a bite of the apple. He had run all the way back from school just to torture his ears.

“By the way, that Pang Dalong in your dorm, when Dad went to your school last time, he was chatting and laughing with a female classmate, not the one I saw the time before last.”

Chen Weidong’s implication was, look, you’re all in the same dorm, how come you’re so different from everyone else?

Son, give it your all. Even if you don’t surpass others, you can’t fall behind by a large margin.

Chen You’s voice was muffled, “Dad, I’m not getting married.”

Chen Weidong said, “Go become a monk?”

Chen You said no.

Chen Weidong said, “That means you felt your mom is lonely underground and wanted your dad to keep her company.”

Chen You, “…”

He put the apple on the coffee table, “Dad, I’m serious.”

Chen Weidong said, “I’m serious about this too.”

Chen You had a headache. Life was already so hard, why did men have to make things harder for each other? He had been reborn and could no longer live according to his original path.

“Dad, listen to me. This is what I’m thinking. After graduation, I’ll find a job in this city so I can take good care of you and let you enjoy dancing with all DaMa in the square every day.”

“That’s not important.”

Chen Weidong’s eyes shone brightly, “Son, your dad is easy to talk about in other ways, but what I want most is to hold my grandson.”

The conversation couldn’t continue.

Chen You grabbed his backpack, “Let’s leave this topic for now and continue next time.”

Chen Weidong ate the apple his son had left over, and his head started to hurt. He brought up that topic as soon as he got back. Could it be that he really doesn’t want to get married? That won’t do.

The Chen family only has this one son, and the family line must continue.

Chen Weidong went to his son’s bedroom door, knocked, and said, “Youyou, call your classmates and tell them to contact you if anything comes up.”

A reply came from inside the room, “I know.”

Lying in his room, Chen You still couldn’t fall asleep. He thought he might need sleeping pills, he couldn’t stay awake any longer.

His mind was in turmoil, but two things were very clear, a pair of sharp, cold phoenix eyes, and a face with blurred features and a mole.

Before he knew it, dawn had broken.

Chen You took out the two rings, opened his palm to look at them. Many novels describe a powerful being’s soul residing within an object, could Chang Qin…?

Damn it, Chen You, you’re hopeless.

Chen You sat on the floor, lost in thought, thinking about all sorts of things. He only got up when he heard a noise outside, his legs were numb.

Chen Weidong, outside, assumed his son was still asleep and moved about quietly, wanting him to sleep a little longer.

Chen You opened the door and went out, “Dad, what do you want to eat? I’ll make it for you.”

“Scallion oil noodles”.

Chen Weidong was cleaning and didn’t notice the sudden change in his son’s expression.

Chen You went to the kitchen, turned on the tap and let the water run for about a minute before filling a pot with water. While waiting for it to boil, he chopped scallions and prepared the seasonings.

Scallion oil noodles—that’s the dish he’s made the most times. He could make it with his eyes closed.

Chen You couldn’t concentrate, he braced himself on the table with both hands, feeling like he was going to die.

After an unknown amount of time, Chen Weidong, who was on the balcony, smelled something burning, “Youyou, the pot’s burnt!”

Chen You suddenly woke up with a start. He looked at the blackened noodles and realized that the water had boiled away right in front of him. Damn, mental derangement is terrifying.

After soaking the pot in water, Chen You composed himself and said, “Dad, let’s go out to eat.”

Chen Weidong glanced at his son and said, “That’s what I wanted to say too. Don’t waste the noodles, it breaks my heart to see them go to waste.”

The father and son went to a noodle shop outside their residential compound and ordered two bowls of wontons.

No one knows a son better than his father. Chen Weidong noticed his son’s unusual behavior over the course of a bowl of wontons. His son was not only saying strange things but also doing strange things.

The more he thinks about it, the more restless he becomes. He needs to go to the hospital for a checkup to see if it’s a complication caused by ADHD.

In the morning, Chen Weidong took Chen You to see a doctor.

When he heard the diagnosis from the doctor, he was about to fly into a rage. What nonsense! His son was so outgoing and cheerful, always laughing and joking. How could he possibly have depression? Wasn’t that just a lie?

Chen You forcibly dragged his father out of the consultation room and apologized to the doctor, saying sorry.

After leaving the hospital, Chen You sighed by the roadside, “Dad, I might really have depression.”

Chen Weidong was stunned for a long time before he came to his senses, “Son, what did you say?”

Chen You pulled up his collar and wiped his sweaty chin, “It’s just like the doctor said.”

He had heard of depression before, but this was the first time he had experienced it himself. He never imagined that he would get it one day.

Life is just so damn messed up.

Having already faced death once, depression wouldn’t frighten Chen You, he knew the cause of his illness.

“Dad, depression isn’t that scary.”

“…” Chen Weidong waved his hand, his strong body bending slightly, “Son, don’t say any more, let your dad take a break.”

Chen You asked, “How long should it take? Is half an hour enough?”

Chen Weidong remained silent.

That’s not enough, Chen You said, “I’ll go to KFC and get a hamburger.”

Chen Weidong stopped his son, “At a time like this, you still have the appetite to eat a hamburger?”

Chen You twitched his lips. Otherwise, dad, what can I do? I can’t help it. It’s really your son’s fate to have depression. Medication can only suppress it. This illness won’t get better until your son’s man appears.

“Forget it, you should just go eat a hamburger. It’s making me dizzy by you flashing in front of me right now.”

Chen Weidong squatted down on the steps, his expression solemn.

Chen You rubbed the soles of his shoes on the grass, “Dad, I’ll go buy you a cup of herbal tea.”

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