CH 25

“Is that okay? Ye Fei,” Yan Xiao got closer and repeated, “I want to be with you.” He continued to stare at Ye Fei with those quiet and sincere eyes.

Yan Xiao lacked the determination of his words earlier, and he appeared to be shrouded in expectation, an aura which made people unable to refuse. Ye Fei could not handle this sort of Yan Xiao, and wanted to give him everything he wanted. However, losing a person that you once liked, and losing a person whom you loved were two separate things. 

The former would cause regret, and fill one with ‘what-can-you-do’s, but the affected person would never sink too deeply. But the latter would cause a heartache so deep that it cuts into you, and would haunt you for the rest of your life.

Birth, old age, sickness and death; these were the most powerless yet the most equal things in the world. No matter how rich you were, you would meet with the same fate. When faced with death, there was nothing you could do but accept. He could not do this to Yan Xiao; it was enough for him to bear the burden on his own.

“I’m sorry, President Yan,” Ye Fei ruthlessly pushed the other man’s hand off his shoulder, “You’re not my type.”

Yan Xiao seemed to have suffered a heavy blow in an instant, and his whole person turned gloomy. But Yan Xiao did not move, but chose to straighten his back, as though maintaining his composure, and stubbornly asked Ye Fei,”Then what type do you like?” 

Ye Fei leaned his back against the kitchen door, turned his head away from him, and said, “I like those who can play and have fun.”

“What do you want to play, I’ll accompany you.” Yan Xiao’s lips thinned.

Ye Fei’s heart hurts. In his two lifetimes, Yan Xiao was the only person who dug out his heart for him without reservations. He was so sincere that he willingly placed his heart in Ye Fei’s hands, but Ye Fei had to reject that heart. Ever since he was a child, Ye Fei had never done evil or troubled anyone, but now he lacked the qualifications to even like someone.

Ye Fei swallowed, and lowered his eyes. “President Yan is joking.” He pulled the tassels stuck on the kitchen door and smiled carelessly at him.

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that. We’ll treat it as an impulse. For this kind of feeling like ‘love’, it comes and goes away quickly…”

“I’m not impulsive,” Yan Xiao interrupted and asked again, “How will it go away?” He chased Ye Fei’s gaze with determination, causing Ye Fei to look away. “Then can you like me sooner? Ye Fei.”

Ye Fei was left lost for words. He remained silent, before words emerged from his throat with difficulty, like pulling at honey. “Don’t be like this, who hasn’t liked a few people? They’ll forget easily.”

“I won’t forget,” Yan Xiao said, “I always remember you.” Ye Fei felt something was wrong with what he said. What does ‘I’ll always remember you’ mean? His brain was foggy, and left him unable to think. Thus, he left the topic aside. Instead, he had to attempt to convince a protesting and persistent Yan Xiao. How could he talk about that looming darkness in the distance? Should he just say “I’m ill, will die in two years?” 

What about that perfectly healthy test report?

In the end, he could only say powerlessly, “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Yan Xiao answered immediately, as if no matter what Ye Fei did to him, he would accept it completely and accept his action, “Don’t apologize.”

It was Yan Xiao who was insufficient. That was why Ye Fei could not like him. As long as he worked hard, there will always be a day when Ye Fei’s mind would be changed. 

When he was a child, he wanted to go to college; after meeting Ye Fei, he wanted a lot of money, and was he not the fulfillment of his dreams? It did not matter if Ye Fei did not like him, he was sure that their situation would improve.

“Ye Fei,” Yan Xiao called his name, “Can I still come to your house in the future?” Ye Fei could not meet Yan Xiao’s eyes. Instead, he whispered, “No.”

Yan Xiao had originally thought that Ye Fei’s claim that he was sleepy was a pretext to send him away. But Ye Fei was saying the opposite of what he wanted. It must be because he was too sleepy. So he pretended not to hear Ye Fei’s refusal, and said calmly, “Then you sleep, I’ll go first.”

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As soon as the security door was closed, Yan Xiao immediately took out his mobile phone and called Cheng Minghao. He first reported the name and unit number of the condominium Ye Fei was in, and then said, “Help me buy an apartment here.”

“Huh?” Cheng Minghao almost thought he heard it wrong. He made a gesture to quiet down the laughing people around him, and asked in confusion, “Don’t you like the city center and are too noisy?”

“I changed my mind.” After a while, he continued, “The sooner the better.”

“Okay,” Cheng Minghao did not know what Yan Xiao was doing, but buying a house? Not a big deal. “I’ll give you a letter tomorrow.” 

Yan Xiao gave a “hmm” and hung up the phone. He got into the car, told the driver to drive. He did everything in an orderly manner, and it seemed no different from usual. only–

The driver looked at Yan Xiao several times in embarrassment. Finally, he gritted his teeth and reminded his boss, “President Yan, your seat belt is not fastened.” President Yan paid the most attention to traffic safety. Not only did he have strict requirements on the speed of the car, but the first thing he would do when getting in the car would be to wear a seat belt. What happened today?

Yan Xiao paused for a few seconds, before buckling his seat belt without changing his expression. “Thank you.”

The sky was growing dark, and the shadows of the trees on both sides of the road swayed with the wind, dancing in various strange shapes under the illumination of the street lamps. The black car whizzed through and soon disappeared into the night. 

The next day, as soon as Ye Fei arrived at the company, Gu Ruijia grabbed him and held his hand.

“I thought I was the only one who couldn’t sleep. You were the same too!” Gu Ruijia put Ye Fei’s palm on his heart and frowned, “Just feel my heartbeat, I’m almost dead nervous.”

Upon looking at Ye Fei’s dazed face, Gu Ruijia let out a snort. “Aren’t you? Today is the premiere day of <<Please Sober Up>>.”

Ye Fei finally came to his senses. He pinched the bridge of his nose tiredly, “I almost forgot.” 

“Why don’t you ‘Please Sober Up’?” Gu Ruijia slapped Ye Fei’s arm hard, “What’s going on with you these days? It’s like you’re on opium or something.”

“Hey—” Ye Fei gasped in pain, but Gu Ruijia did not show mercy, and had hit his muscle biopsy wound.

“Does it hurt that much?” Gu Ruijia glanced at him suspiciously, and mocked, “Hey Ye Fei, I find that you are becoming more and more feminine.”

“Really?” Ye Fei narrowed his eyes. 

Just as Gu Ruijia was about to nod his head, he heard Ye Fei ask again, “Then where are you most afraid of pain?”

“It must be the head.” Gu Ruijia thoughtfully replied.

“I see.”

“So your arms are the most sensitive portion—” Before Gu Ruijia finished speaking, Ye Fei slapped the back of his head. The scream of pain was almost enough to pierce through the ceiling. Ye Fei pulled out his chair and sat down, before sarcastically hinting “Am I still feminine now?” 

“No, you’re not, have mercy.” Gu Ruijia’s eyes welled up with tears. After this bout of violence, the anxiety in Gu Ruijia’s heart went away. Instead, he continued to attach himself to Ye Fei with the ferocity of a limpet, intending on forcing Ye Fei to watch the premiere data of <<Please Sober Up>> that night.

Ye Fei had been suffering from insomnia recently and did not want to be alone, thus he agreed.

In the evening, Gu Ruijia went out to buy food, and Ye Fei opened the Feixiao Video app and waited for the premiere at 8 o’clock. As soon as the mouse was placed on the icon of Feixiao Video, he thought of Yan Xiao.

The pressure of the whole day surged into his heart instantly, and Ye Fei could barely breathe. He rubbed his temples and wanted to go to the window for some fresh air, when a news notification suddenly popped up in the lower right corner of his computer. 

Ye Fei found these inexplicable pop-up windows annoying, and was about to close it. But as his eyes glanced across the downloaded summary, his face turned white in an instant.

The one mentioned was none other than Yan Xiao.

Yan Xiao’s car had been driving normally on the road before iit was hit by a falling billboard. The damage to the car was extensive, but the specific injuries of the victims were unknown at the time of reporting. Ye Fei’s brain buzzed with emotion, and he used both hands to support himself on his table. But it was this motion that caused him to realize how numb his body felt, as though he could not stand up on his own will.

He took a deep breath and grabbed his phone several times with shaking hands before finally gripping it, and dialed Yan Xiao’s number. 

While waiting to be connected, Ye Fei’s thoughts wandered. What if something had happened to Yan Xiao? Has this happened in his past life? Is this the butterfly effect brought about by his rebirth?

Fortunately, Yan Xiao’s familiar voice interrupted his thoughts. Ye Fei’s floating heart finally sunk back into the cavity it belonged.

“Ye Fei.” Yan Xiao called him, his tone as smooth as ever.

“I saw the news,” Ye Fei tried to restrain himself, but his voice was still shaking, “Are you alright?” 

It’s okay,” Yan Xiao complained, sounding a little dissatisfied, “I’ve already asked to retract the news report.”

“That’s good,” Ye Fei heaved a sigh of relief, leaning on the table for a while before continuing, “Are you injured? Where are you now?”

“In the central hospital, it’s just a scratch, I will go back to the company immediately,” Yan Xiao answered.

“Have you found out why the billboard suddenly fell?” Ye Fei felt nervous when he said this. What if it had been an opponent? No matter what, it was the unseen motive of others that was the most to be feared, especially in the world of competition. 

A voice suddenly came from Yan Xiao’s side, as if the doctor was calling him to turn his face, but it soon became quiet.

“Yes, it was caused by the typhoon a few days ago,” Yan Xiao paused for a few seconds and asked Ye Fei, “Ye Fei, are you concerned about me?”

Ye Fei took a breath and remained silent. Yan Xiao did not continue to ask questions. For a while, only the breathing of the two could be heard. In the end, it was Ye Fei who broke the peace first.

“That’s it,” Ye Fei commented, “You get yourself treated, I won’t disturb you.” After hesitating for a while, he could not help but exhort, “Have a good rest after leaving the hospital, and don’t be in a hurry to work.” 

Yan Xiao agreed, saying that he would do as Ye Fei said.

After hanging up the phone, Ye Fei went out without delay. Although Yan Xiao said it was fine, he could not relax without seeing it with his own eyes. He walked faster and faster, and in the end he almost ran, and did not even listen to Gu Ruijia when the latter called him back.

Ye Fei stopped a taxi on the side of the road and went straight to Feixiao Technology. He had calculated the route, finding it faster to get to Feixiao Technology from here compared to the Central Hospital. He would get there before Yan Xiao.

Ye Fei did not enter the Feixiao Science and Technology Building, but went straight to the parking lot. Outsiders cannot enter the Feixiao Technology parking lot, but his face was an immediate visitor pass. 

After greeting the security guard, Ye Fei found Yan Xiao’s exclusive parking space, leaned against the pillar and took out his mobile phone.

He received many messages from Gu Ruijia on WeChat, all of them scolding him for not keeping his promises and not being loyal enough as a buddy. Ye Fei smiled and was about to give him a reply to explain the situation when the sound of the car engine could be heard.

The dark blue commercial vehicle slowly approached and stopped in the parking space. Ye Fei was stunned for a moment before remembering that this should be Yan Xiao’s new car. Sure enough, a few seconds later, the car door was opened, and Yan Xiao walked down.

The tall concrete column perfectly blocked Ye Fei’s figure, such that Yan Xiao would never notice his existence. Ye Fei held his breath in, and stared at Yan Xiao without blinking. Apart from a finger-long scratch on his face, there was nothing wrong with him. 

He walked freely and was dressed neatly. Yan Xiao was not lying, he really was fine. The stone that weighed Ye Fei’s heart down was finally lifted, and he left after watching Yan Xiao enter the lift. He could not be seen; otherwise Yan Xiao’s thoughts would go in an unprovoked direction he did not want.

In Yan Xiao’s office, Cheng Minghao dragged him to take a closer look before saying, “My phone is about to explode, they are all asking me for updates.”

Yan Xiao gave a “hmm” and sat down in his chair.

“What kind of luck do you say you have, even a billboard could fall on you.” Cheng Minghao sighed, “Fortunately, it was only a mild loss.” 

It was also lucky that Yan Xiao’s car had been refitted. If it were an ordinary private car, he probably would be left helpless in the incident. Yan Xiao opened his laptop, but before the screen turned on, he closed it as if thinking of something.

“What are you doing?” Cheng Minghao was bewildered. Has this workaholic gone crazy? Does being hit by a billboard have such an effect?

“Of course I want to work,” Yan Xiao’s lips curled imperceptibly, “but Ye Fei told me to take a rest.”

Cheng Minghao paused, “Brother Fei knows about this?” 

“Yes.” Yan Xiao agreed, and emphasized to Cheng Minghao, “He cares about me very much, so he called and talked a lot.”

Cheng Minghao did not speak. Instead, he looked at Yan Xiao with pity, and softly chastised, “Brother Xiao, if he really cared about you, he would come in person instead of just calling.”

Upon hearing these words, the smile at the corner of Yan Xiao’s mouth slowly and slowly disappeared.