CH 36

Not happy to have been woken so roughly from his sleep, Yu Youzhi’s discomfort was only amplified by the cold, hard floor underneath his butt.

On the bed, Yu Le was in a sorry state after having woken from his nightmare. His hair was tangled and covered his eyes, revealing only his slight profile. Meeting his gaze, the corners of his lips tightened unconsciously, and he hugged a pillow on his lap tighter.

Why did he look like that?

Just in case, he cautiously asked, “Yu Le, do you know who you are right now?”

Upon hearing this, the man trembled like a bird frightened by the spring breeze, but there was nothing on his face. But with an accuracy befitting of the main character, he threw the pillow he had been holding towards him with murderous intent.

His teeth gnashed together violently as he shouted, “I am your father!”

Yu Youzhi quickly caught the pillow and looked at his face carefully, “Why did you suddenly wake up in the middle of the night and lose your temper to me? Huh?” He sniffed as he spoke, looking very aggrieved.

“I’m sorry,” Yu Le rubbed his brows and finally recovered from the panic in his dream, “I just had a nightmare.”

“What nightmare?” Yu Youzhi looked as though he was joking, but only he knew just how anxious he was just now. He spread his hands in an exaggerated manner, “Wasn’t it the same as before, with the sub personality appearing?”

“No,” he looked away. He really didn’t want to look at Yu Youzhi’s face. That face had done so much damage to him in his dream, he honestly didn’t want to tell the other person why he had had such a large reaction, “It was just an ordinary nightmare.”

Obviously not believing him, Yu Youzhi stared at him suspiciously, his eyes unblinking.

Yu Youzhi looked more normal now. After he had woken up, he immediately changed into the usual annoying look he kept during the day, but it felt somehow different. Yu Le felt a kind of scrutiny from Yu Youzhi’s eyes.

Without his notice, this person must have triggered his nerves.

Not wanting to continue like this, he got straight to the point, “There’s no need to test me like this, I haven’t been replaced by a different personality. Go back to sleep, it’s still early.” Pausing, Yu Le couldn’t resist asking, “Has anyone ever told you how bad your sleeping posture is?”

“Ah…” Yu Youzhi was stunned and smiled, “Brother Song often says that.”

Yu Le nodded, pointed at the end of his bed, and in a stern tone clearly not up to discussion he said, “Stay over there. If you don’t want me to kick you out of the bed in the middle of the night, don’t cross into my side.”

It was early the next morning when Yu Le woke up.

Slightly chilly air rushed in from the window but Yu Youzhi merely pulled the quilt tighter around himself as he huddled in a ball of warmth.

Putting on his clothes and washing up, the rustling sounds of his movements bothered Yu Youzhi. Failing to drive out the noise, he reluctantly sat up, staring sleepily at Yu Le as he busied himself in the room.

His mind was still muddled by sleep. Softly, he asked, “What are you doing up so early?”

“I’m going to work the morning shift.”

Yu Youzhi was lost, “…What morning shift?”

Yu Le rolled his eyes, “The morning shift at the convenience store.”

Before Yu Youzhi could quite process this information, he had already dressed in himself up. Before leaving, he looked at the grown man on the bed and said, “You can take care of your own breakfast. Do whatever you want, but please don’t make trouble in my house.”

After saying that, he closed the door with a bang.

The sound of the door made Yu Youzhi wake up completely.

He buried his head back into the pillow for a while and when he raised his head again, his light grey eyes were no longer sleepy at all, and he climbed out of the quilt neatly.

Just then, his cell phone rang. Frowning as he saw that it was Brother Song, he hung up.

Beginning to look for suitable clothes to wear, Yu Youzhi ran into his first stumbling block that morning. Yu Le’s clothes were too small to fit him well and his own had not been washed.

His phone rang again.

Reluctantly staring at the screen for a while, Yu Youzhi pinched his nose and pressed answer.

“Yu Youzhi!!! Why didn’t you answer my call!? Where did you go last night!?” Brother Song’s angry voice blared out of the phone.

Yu Youzhi skillfully made a nasal sound and said in a daze, as if he had just been woken up, “Ah…Brother Song? Who told you to call me so early? Don’t you know that disturbing someone’s dreams is equivalent to killing their parents? Ah, I never got to tell my mother…”

“Yu Youzhi! Where are you now?!”

He looked at his clothes from the night before with disgust, held his cell phone against his cheek as he yawned, “I’m at Yu Le’s house. Brother Song, please come over with some breakfast and two to three clean sets of clothes. Come quickly thought, I’m so sleepy…actually, I think I’ll take a quick nap, take your time.” Without waiting for the short tempered assistant to respond, he immediately cut off the call.

Yu Le couldn’t help his uneasy feeling as he organised the water in the back of the store. With Yu Youzhi at home, he was constantly on edge that something would go wrong.

Finally, he couldn’t hold back and called him.

“Beep – beep – beep -”

After the call was connected, there was the sound of chewing and the big star seemed to be having breakfast. In the background, an angry roar came through, and Yu Le subconsciously moved the phone away.

He frowned, “Is there someone else there?”

Yu Youzhi took a sip of water and said matter of factly, “Ah, it’s my assistant. He sent me two pieces of clean clothes and is nagging me to go back to work.”

Silent, Yu Le saw his chance, “I think your assistant is right.”

After ending the call with him, Yu Le stood in place, ruminating over his life these days. Qi Dongyi, who was beside him, noticed and came over to pat his shoulder, “What’s wrong, Xiao Yu? Are you feeling unwell?”

He blinked and stabilised his body, “It’s okay, I guess I didn’t sleep well last night.”

The colleague glanced at him, as if unintentionally, “Xiao Yu, who were you talking on the phone with just now? Why do you have such an indescribable expression on your face?”

“Is it that obvious?”

Qi Dongyi nodded, “Yeah, very.”

Yu Le held the Mei Meibo water in his hand, staring at the spokesperson printed on it—Yu Youzhi had put on such a refreshing face in front of the camera. With a sour taste in his teeth, he moved his eyes away, “It wasn’t anyone important, someone I know is staying over at my house, and I was a bit worried.”

Seeing that Yu Le didn’t want to talk anymore, Qi Dongyi went back to work, moving the cargo frame.

Not wanting to be bothered by Yu Youzhi’s smiling face any longer, Yu Le quickly finished setting up the bottles. If only Yu Youzhi would stay out of trouble today, it would be the best gift he could ask for.

Just as he was thinking this, a new customer entered.

Yu Le called out a “welcome” skillfully, but as he saw the familiar hat, mask and sunglasses, he swallowed the rest of his greeting down his throat.

Even though he was wrapped up like a mummy with only a pair of eyes exposed, Yu Youzhi still looked extraordinary wherever he went. Standing at the door, he scanned the entire convenience store with his light grey eyes hidden under the brim of his hat. Focusing on Yu Le, he walked straight towards him.

Like a typhoon approaching, Yu Youzhi seemed to be at the centre of a storm, carrying a heavy weight as he slowly came over. Yu Le had a strong urge to turn tail and run away.

But before he could even turn around, the tall man was already standing in front of him, “Yu Le, your work clothes suit you very well.”

His voice was melodious, so beautiful that it urged the listener to ignore the meaning of the words it said.

Holding an empty box, he didn’t want to respond at all, but with this man, that was never an option. “What are you doing here?”

Yu Youzhi grabbed his chest, as if in pain, “Did you forget already?! I told you that I’ll stay by your side these days.”

Sighing, Yu Le seemed helpless, “Where is Song Fangba?”

“Of course, I sent him back after he brought me some clothes. Don’t worry, Brother Song is very reasonable.”

Rolling his eyes, Yu Le didn’t believe it at all, he just felt pity for the little assistant.

Seeing the man following Yu Le, Qi Dongyi, who had just finished organising the bread aisle, came over and looked at them curiously, “Xiao Yu, who is this?”

Yu Le nodded at him, “Brother Qi, this is the person I was talking about, the guy living at my house.”

Qi Dongyi blinked his eyes as he examined Yu Youzhi, “A handsome guy’s friend is indeed a handsome guy.”

Smiling brightly, Yu youzhi’s whole person became very gentle, “It’s embarrassing for you to say that.”

“No, no, no. Seriously, you and that star…” Qi Dongyi thought about it but his brain was stuck, and he couldn’t remember the name for a moment, so he spoke around what he meant, saying, “You give off a similar feeling as that big star surnamed Yu.”

“Yu Youzhi?” The man actually tilted his head in acknowledgment and a smile showed from inside his mask, “People often say that.”

Yu Le couldn’t watch anymore and interrupted the conversation between the two, “I still have work to do, please don’t disturb us.”

“Okay,” Yu Youzhi nodded calmly and found a seat to sit down. “I’ll just sit here and wait for you to get off work. Let’s go have lunch together once you’re done?”

Not wanting to get into more trouble with him, Yu Le agreed half heartedly.

Throughout the morning, Yu Youzhi watched him quietly, his clingy gaze following him like a shadow.

During his break, he took out two more small white pills and took them under Yu Youzhi’s disapproving eyes. Then, in the middle of his job, something happened.

While going to the toilet, he suddenly felt dizzy. Yu Youzhi, who was standing behind him, caught him in time and asked with concern, “Are you okay?”

Yu Le straightened his dizzy head and stood up straight, out of Yu Youzhi’s arms, “I’m fine.”

After that, he continued to work as if nothing had happened.

A week passed like this, and Yu Youzhi followed him around as if he didn’t mind the trouble. He would sit quietly at the side and wait for him to have lunch while he worked the morning shift and head home with him in the evening.

By this point, even Qi Dongyi realised that something wasn’t right. After holding it in for several days, he finally couldn’t help but ask, “Xiao Yu, this friend of yours…does he like you?”

Yu Le glanced at him out of the corner of his eyes, “Why do you think so?”

Qi Dongyi frowned, “It’s just so weird. If he’s not chasing you, why would he be so sticky?”

“He doesn’t like me,” Yu Le said almost matter of factly, “as for why he sticks with me all the time, it’s probably because he thinks I’m interesting.”

In the evening that day, Yu Le told Yu Youzhi about this conversation and asked him to stop staying at the convenience store so as to avoid misunderstandings.

Saying this, he followed the doctor’s advice and took two more pills.

So far, he had been taking the pills before and after meals for a week, but the personality from the dream never appeared again. Instead, he had to deal with some side effects. As soon as he swallowed the pills this time, he felt dizzy and stumbled.

Yu Youzhi frowned and supported him, “Can you really make that personality come out by doing this?”

Yu Le’s vision turned black, touching his flushed forehead, he closed his eyes and said weakly, “Of course I can.”

The man seemed a little angry, “If he doesn’t come out, will you keep taking this medicine until you become a fool?”

“Do you think I’m that stupid?” Yu Le didn’t want to explain anymore, but after thinking about it, he still said, “I really cherish my chance to live again…I’m not stupid, but neither is the secondary personality. He can’t afford the gamble to keep waiting much longer.”

Opening his eyes, he heard Yu Youzhi sigh, seemingly giving in, “You are so perverted—but I like it.”

Having heard this line so many times, Yu Le could no longer get mad at him, and the side effects were really too serious this time, he wouldn’t be able to hit him even if he wanted to, so he just said coldly, “Then I really have to thank you.”

Yu Le was right, the sub personality really couldn’t afford it.

That night, he returned to his small room in early autumn in his dream. The ginkgo leaves outside the window were floating in the wind like running water and the dime blood coloured sunlight shone on the table.

Sitting in front of the desk was a familiar yet unfamiliar young man. He looked back at him with tired, bloodshot eyes. The anger and resentment on his face erupted like a flood, silently blending into the strange aura around them.

Looking at this scene, Yu Le smiled sincerely for the first time in many days, almost complaining as he greeted, “Long time no see, I’ve really been waiting for you for a long time.”