TWSITAOCP Chapter 48

Yu Sui’s mind went blank. Holding the blanket, he belatedly realized the foolish thing he had done.

This person.

The person standing in front of him.

His newly acquired, barely-warmed, puppy love.

He had actually made another bed for him.

Yu Sui felt he must look pretty silly now, but the moment that name popped into his head, a sense of delight floated up and fluttered to the flagpole.

Yu Sui quickly cleared a spot and let out an “ah,” saying, “I forgot.”

“…” Yan Xiu looked like he wanted to punch him, but since there was so much luggage in the way, he didn’t rush to do it. He just clicked his tongue: “You forget everything.”

He hooked a towel and casually wiped the mist from the side of his face, then leaned over to lay the suitcase flat on the other bed.

The shape of Yan Xiu’s shoulders and back was particularly good-looking. They had a bit more power than a typical teenager’s posture, filling out his casual homewear.

Yu Sui squinted as he watched, then looked down at his phone and started typing away.

Yu Zhen had just told him to do well in the competition and asked how the environment was here.

Fish Can: [Everything’s fine]

Yu Zhen: [Mm]

Yu Zhen probably had nothing left to say to him. She sent a money transfer and ended the conversation.

Yu Sui felt a sense of relief.

In the past, he always felt that Yu Zhen might have been better suited for the military as a scout. She was too good at digging out specifics from vague details—Yu Zhen was the one who found the very first confession note Yu Sui ever received when he was a kid.

Kids at the Affiliated School generally matured early. Luckily, Yu Zhen had distinguished the direction of that one-sided crush back then, knowing it was the girl who had stuffed it into Yu Sui’s hand and that Yu Sui probably didn’t even remember what she looked like.

She firmly believed that her lazy, “zen-like” younger brother was too lazy to experience his first awakening of love. She was convinced that anyone in this world who could pry Yu Sui’s eyes open would have to be a deity descending to earth or Doraemon reincarnated, so she had never misunderstood Yu Sui regarding such matters.

But things were different now.

His deity had descended to the mortal world.

Yu Zhen’s sudden, out-of-the-blue mention of “you two” made Yu Sui’s heart skip a beat.

He hadn’t thought about the deeper implications yet; he was simply following his instinct to avoid any uncertain factors. No one wants outside interference during the early stages of a changing dynamics.

Yan Xiu finally finished organizing his luggage, driven by his OCD satisfaction and went to the sink to wash up.

Yu Sui leaned back halfway, glanced at him, then opened a game.

He didn’t want to stay up too late, so he started a game that he could quit at any time.

On the same floor, there were plenty of others who had climbed into bed early like him but couldn’t fall asleep. They knew they needed to rest, but their usual sleep schedule had been fixed for so long that it was hard to adapt to a sudden change.

However, the group that couldn’t sleep were all active on social media, leaving his game friend list empty.

Yu Sui swapped his gun and hid behind a building, waiting for his opponents to come down from the mountain, when he suddenly felt the bed sink beside him.

He caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye—Yan Xiu had gotten into bed.

Yu Sui’s hand slipped, accidentally firing a shot. Startled, he immediately turned around and hopped in a car, leaving the lively city erupted with gunfire and bullets.

Finally running to a safe place and getting down, the sharpshooter Yu found an empty building and hid in a corner.

Yan Xiu turned off the main light in the room, leaving only the warm bedside lamp on this side. He glanced at Yu Sui, then at the seemingly tense game interface, before silently touching Yu Sui’s forehead and neck.

His hands were cold, so he couldn’t tell much at first. After a while, the room filled with the beeping sounds of adjusting the air conditioning temperature.

When Yan Xiu was about to pull his hand back, it was caught—Young Master Yu lowered his head, resting his chin on the back of Yan Xiu’s hand, only letting go after two seconds.

So childish.

Yet so adorable.

Although hotel standard rooms always have two beds set up as double rooms, the beds inside are usually big enough for two people to sleep together, so it wasn’t crowded for them to lie on one bed.

This wasn’t their first time sleeping together. The last time was on Yu Sui’s bed. But this time neither of them were tired yet, and while last time, Yan Xiu was a family friend and a deskmate, now things had changed—they were closer.

When he was initially told to take care of the young master, no one had imagined that caring would lead to this.

Yan Xiu had long given up trying to measure or plan this thread of events.

His hand against Yu Sui’s neck curved slightly, cupping Yu Sui’s chin.

In the game, footsteps constantly echoed outside the monotonous buildings.

Yu Sui was having incredibly good luck—he’d run straight into the center of the poison circle. And after several rounds, he still hadn’t managed to die. Those who recklessly charged into the buildings left the game peacefully.

But as the number of survivors dwindled, and more people approached the circle, he wouldn’t be able to stay much longer.

Yu Sui opened his scope to check outside the window, then honestly put his gun away and went back to crouching in the corner.

“Someone come along and take me out naturally,” Yu Sui thought to himself.

After waiting all this time, was he really going to have to toss a grenade and end it himself?

This was the first time he’d ever been so desperate to quit.

Perhaps he really had been playing for a long time, because the hand under his chin withdrew. The rest time on the schedule didn’t apply to others, but it did apply to Yan Xiu. His “old-fashioned” routine lined up perfectly with it.

But, there was still a little time left, and Yan Xiu didn’t plan on interrupting Yu Sui’s game. He cradled Yu Sui’s head with one hand and down, brushing lips lightly to his hair, his cheek, his jawline, and the side of his neck.

Then, thinking he had hidden his emotions perfectly, he calmly instructed, “Remember to turn off the lights.”

“…”

Yu Sui’s finger rested on the screen, not pressing down for a long while. Finally, as the next person rushed into the building, he turned into one of the many loot boxes scattered across the final circle in a way that looked exactly like his game had lagged out.

Immediately after, the screen went from bright to dark, and a red button jumped at the bottom of the screen.

It was a video call from Ji Jiangwu.

The tingling itch in Yu Sui’s heart was abruptly replaced by shock. He instinctively glanced toward the door, only then remembering that Ji Jiangwu said he’d be logging on tonight to check up on him and would even be eavesdropping at the door.

Fuck?

Yu Sui quickly hung up the phone, just in time to see Ji Jiangwu throwing a fit in the group chat. First, he posted a screenshot proving Yu Sui was online, then launched into a critique of Yu Sui starting at six hundred words with no upper limit based on that image. Finally, he tagged Yan Xiu, straight up asking, “What happened to being the ‘official partner’? Can’t even the Minister keep him in line???”

The rest of the group didn’t dare reply to Ji Jiangwu in the chat for fear of getting caught in the crossfire, but they all messaged Yu Sui privately, flooding him with screens of “hahahahaha.”

Yu Sui couldn’t help but glance at Yan Xiu.

Yan Xiu was reclining, looking quite calmly at his phone screen, typing.

“What are you sending?” Yu Sui asked.

Yan Xiu looked up. “Are you done playing?”

“Yeah.” Yu Sui paused, just realizing that he had hung up so fast he hadn’t even given the other side a chance to ring. Yan Xiu didn’t even know Ji Jiangwu had called him.

“Finished it a while ago,” Yu Sui said, pressing the power button and tossing his phone onto the table. He then leaned down to look at Yan Xiu’s screen, witnessing firsthand the great Minister Yan openly clashing with the teacher.

Ren Mu: [There are still fifty seconds left]

The crowd that had been playing dead just a moment ago all suddenly popped up.

Zhao Ru: [Exactly, there are still fifty seconds until break time]

Yi Tian: [In fifty seconds, we’ll all be asleep]

Yang Feiwen: [Mother Hen, you’re in too much of a hurry]

Ji Jiangwu was left speechless by the “fifty seconds” remark, and the group was actually quite obedient. After fifty seconds, not a single new message popped up.

“Light,” Yan Xiu said, glancing at Yu Sui.

Yu Sui reached out for the bedside lamp. The switch for their lamp was a dial design; turning it clockwise made it brighter until it hit the maximum, while turning it counter-clockwise made it dimmer until it clicked off.

Yu Sui turned it down low, pausing for a moment to let it stay at a point where the light was faint and blurry.

“…Minister, I just lost,” Yu Sui said, hesitating.

Hearing this, Yan Xiu opened his eyes. “Hmm?”

Then, it clicked for him: “Because of me?”

Yu Sui nodded. “Take some responsibility.”

The lighting was actually quite nice.

Yan Xiu looked at him for a couple of seconds, then hooked his hand to pull him over.

Ji Jiangwu’s advice for them to go to bed early was sound, because the first match the next day was scheduled very early.

Thanks to his old cadre, Yu Sui managed to go to sleep and wake up on time for once. When he woke up, there was no one beside him, but he could hear the sound of someone rinsing their mouth in the bathroom.

Young Master Yu sat at the head of the bed with his legs spread wide, clutching the quilt. He groggily scratched his messy bird’s nest of hair, his gaze locking onto the other pillow that had somehow returned to the other bed.

“Minister—” Yu Sui called out.

Yan Xiu walked out of the bathroom.

Yu Sui glanced toward that pillow.

For a moment, Yan Xiu looked speechless. After a long pause, he went back into the bathroom without saying a word.

The young master originally only felt a hint of subtle annoyance, but now it had multiplied. He couldn’t understand why someone who was so affectionate yesterday would turn cold after a night’s sleep.

However, before he could charge into the bathroom, he remembered the bad habit that had first surfaced the last time he shared a bed with Yan Xiu. He slammed on the brakes and stopped in his tracks: “…”

Yan Xiu happened to come back out, having just used a towel to push his bangs back. He was covered in a cool mist from the water. Pausing, his clear eyes looked at Yu Sui with a hint of amusement.

“Coming to settle the score?” he asked.

Yu Sui stood quietly for a moment before quickly changing the subject. “Oh, no… Did you switch body washes lately?”

Yan Xiu used to always smell like medicinal herbs, but that scent had faded significantly recently.

Yan Xiu didn’t call him out. He went back to his luggage and took out a bag, before tossing it to Yu Sui; inside were some medicated bath supplies for skin allergies.

Yan Xiu said, “I haven’t had an allergic reaction lately.”

Yu Sui was a perfectly healthy kid and had absolutely no concept of this. “Allergic to what?”

Yan Xiu paused. “Paint.”

“…” Yu Sui looked completely bewildered. “Huh?”

Yan Xiu wasn’t surprised by his reaction. In the past, when people found out by chance, their reactions were even more exaggerated than Yu Sui’s.

He took the bag back and raised an eyebrow slightly. “Do you want me to help you wash your face?”

Yu Sui: “…”

He scratched his hair and turned to walk into the bathroom.

Aside from the opening recitation where everyone was present, the event was later split into two competition areas.

Recitations are always hard to innovate, given all the constraints. Most of the time, they only survive as a mandatory school project and aren’t actually popular among students. Many people neither enjoy reciting things over and over again, nor do they like sitting in the audience listening to others do it.

Once again, No. 26 High was scheduled last. They took the stage only after the previous schools had successfully droned on long enough to lull the audience and judges into a daze.

The judges were still feeling groggy, when they suddenly heard a slight commotion ripple through the crowd of students behind them.

Usually, at a time like this, it meant something sensational was happening or a campus celebrity had arrived.

However, they looked around and didn’t see anything particularly out of the ordinary. Though they did notice a handsome, fair-skinned boy standing right in the center.

Yu Sui had been positioned in the middle, a microphone standing before him and a cardboard book held in his hands for show. Wearing a vest, he looked tall and radiant.

From the stage, the crowd below looked like a vast, dark sea, but he still cast a glance toward the section where No. 26 High was seated.

The group from No. 26 High raised their hands and cheered.

Yan Xiu watched silently. He pulled a tablet out of his bag, then put it back and took out a camera instead. He was still young, yet he inexplicably felt the swelling pride of an old father.

“Spring is here—”

Summer is here, Young Master Yu added in his head, before following with the next line: “Spring is here—”

“We children take off our cotton-padded jackets, ruch out of the house, run into the fields, to search for spring!”

So why on earth are we reciting elementary school texts? Yu Sui sighed inwardly, lowering his voice to a deeper register: “The spring rain gave the willow tree a bath.”

The rest of the recitation group followed: “The spring rain gave the willow tree a bath.”

Yu Sui: “As it washed and washed,”

The group continued to follow: “As it washed and washed—”

Yu Sui pursed his lips: “The little willow branches, oh, they grew soft.”

The group: “The little willow branches, oh, they grew soft—”

The audience was dead silent. A moment later, a stifled laugh burst out from somewhere, and the students collapsed into fits of laughter.

“Grass!” Yang Feiwen said.

Liang Wen immediately chimed in: “The grass grew soft, too.”

The teachers in the front row looked back, confused, as the discipline teachers from each school stood up.

Ji Jiangwu, never one to manage discipline well, went to look for the head of the disciplinary committee.

Minister’s seat was empty.

No. 26 High School was the last to recite. Once it ended, they had to split up and head to two different competition zones. Time was tight; there was no time other than for the transition.

Before heading backstage, Yu Sui was still marveling at No. 26 High School’s luck. By the time he rushed back to his seat, Yan Xiu was just leaving—what a beautiful near-miss.

Then, he was grabbed by Yan Xiu.

Yu Sui couldn’t help but curl his lips: “What are you doing over here?”

Yan Xiu was holding a thermos, and he raised an eyebrow at that: “Not happy about it?”

“How could that be?” Yu Sui took the thermos and glanced around. There were still quite a lot of people, so he clicked his tongue dejectedly and whispered, “… Isn’t this a bit too lovey-dovey for us?”

“…” Having delivered the thermos, Yan Xiu shoved his empty hands back into his pockets, looking completely deadpan as if to say, “What kind of bullshit are you talking?“

So, Yu Sui’s “lovey-dovey” comment sent Minister Yan packing early. After changing his clothes and heading back to his seat with the thermos, Yu Sui realized that the group of students who had been with Yan Xiu were already gone.

“It seems like they’re on a tight schedule. Yan-ge left as soon as the recitation ended,” Yang Feiwen took the chance to tell him.

Yu Sui rubbed his nose guiltily.

Yang Feiwen didn’t press further. He patted the back of the chair for Yu Sui to come over and asked casually, “You brought your own water? What’s in it?”

Yu Sui unscrewed the lid and took a look: “Monk fruit.”

The Yan family sure were experts at brewing healthy teas.

“Monk fruit?” Yang Feiwen poked his head over to look, then immediately pulled out his phone. “Monk fruit is great. Tiantian said she was going to brew some for me too.”

But after typing, he suddenly remembered Young Master Yu’s lazy personality. There was no way he’d remember to brew something for his throat. His naturally sharp nose for gossip twitched, and he turned to glare at Yu Sui: “Damn, are you seeing someone?”

This paparazzi had been very sensitive lately. He and Tiantian were in a very flirtatious stage, but Tiantian was constantly worried that puppy love would affect her studies, so they were stuck in a line.

“No,” Yu Sui said without thinking.

Yang Feiwen didn’t believe him: “Then, who brewed that monk fruit for you?”

Yu Sui: “Hold on.”

Yang Feiwen: “Hold on?”

Yu Sui looked down and sent a WeChat message.

Fish Can: [A-Wen asked me who brewed the monk fruit]

Ren Mu: [?]

Fish Can: [Can I say it was you?]

Ren Mu: [……]

Ren Mu: [Am I someone who can’t be seen in public?]

Fish Can: [I’m afraid of ruining your noble and cold image as Minister Yan]

Ren Mu: [.]

Ren Mu: [The earless cat brewed it]

Yu Sui looked up: “Your Yan-ge brewed it.”

Yang Feiwen: “……”