Li Shu turned his head slightly and gently rubbed Li Heyuan’s palm.
Supporting him steadily, Li Shu picked up the porcelain bowl from the coffee table and brought it to Li Heyuan’s lips. “Have some first, sober up a bit.”
Li Heyuan tilted his head, parted his lips and murmured softly, “I don’t want to drink.”
Only when he was drunk could he see Sir. He didn’t want to wake up from this dream. If possible, he would even be willing to live in this dream forever.
“Be obedient, or you’ll feel uncomfortable.” Li Shu supported Li Heyuan’s head with one hand and gently turned his head back. In his memory, Li Heyuan had always been obedient and sensible. No matter what Li Shu asked, he would do it obediently, and never refused him in a coquettish way like he did now.
Though surprised, Li Shu wasn’t angry about this small matter. He softened his voice and reassured, “Don’t worry, I’m here. I won’t leave.”
“Really?” Li Heyuan grabbed hold of Li Shu’s sleeve, hope lingering in his eyes. “Sir, you’ve promised me that you won’t leave.”
“Yes, drink the sobering soup quickly. I’m right here, I won’t go anywhere.” Li Shu pushed the bowl closer.
Li Heyuan looked at him, as if he was confirming something. He tightened his grip on Li Shu’s sleeve and finally, under Li Shu’s encouraging gaze, leaned closer to the porcelain bowl.
He had no intention of holding the bowl himself, so Li Shu assisted him, feeding him the medicine in this position.
After finishing the drink, a brown residue of the medicine lingered around Li Heyuan’s mouth. Li Shu took a tissue from the side and carefully wiped it clean for him. “Are you feeling better now?”
Li Heyuan nodded. In truth, he still felt quite dizzy, not much better. But under Li Shu’s gentle gaze, all discomfort seemed to vanish. What were the lingering effects of drinking too much compared to this? Even if someone cut him right now, he wouldn’t feel the pain.
Setting the bowl aside, Li Shu sat beside Li Heyuan, thinking of how to take him to freshen up. It would be uncomfortable to sleep with this strong smell of alcohol. But Li Heyuan was clearly not clear-headed at the moment. Even if Li Shu told him to wash up, he couldn’t trust him to go to the bathroom alone. What if he got hurt?
As soon as he sat down, Li Heyuan snuggled up to Li Shu’s side. He first glanced at Li Shu cautiously, seeing no signs of impatience on his face, he bravely moved a little closer. He observed him while moving closer until he rested his head in Li Shu’s arms, and then closed his eyes contentedly.
Li Shu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at Li Heyuan’s series of actions. At this moment, the usually aloof Li Heyuan resembled a child who hadn’t grown up, seeking warmth from his elders.
He gently stroked the man’s hair. Compared to his youth, Li Heyuan’s hair was a bit coarser now. The hair that had been sprayed with hairspray was prickly and felt far less comfortable than when he was a teenager.
Li Shu was immersed in memories of the past as he caressed him and didn’t notice when the man opened his eyes. The drunkenness in his eyes gradually faded, replaced by clarity. But this clarity didn’t remain for long and quickly disappeared.
The position was rather uncomfortable; Li Heyuan was too tall. He squeezed himself into Li Shu’s arms with legs hanging off the edge of the sofa, and his whole body was twisted. Unable to endure it any longer, he squirmed.
Although the movement was very subtle, Li Shu was awakened. He snapped out of his thoughts and realized that Li Heyuan was uncomfortable in this position. He poked him on the shoulder to prompt him to sit properly.
Li Heyuan was reluctant and tried to protect his benefits, “Sir, can you let me lie down for a while?”
Even though it was a playful request, Li Heyuan said it with a soft tone. But Li Shu was unmoved and was extremely firm and ruthless: “Sit down properly.”
“No,” emboldened by the alcohol, Li Heyuan was bolder than usual, or maybe he knew this was a dream, and that Sir would go along with him no matter what he did. “Sir, let me lean on you for a bit, just a little while. Otherwise, when I wake up, I won’t see Sir anymore. It’s been so long since Sir visited me…”
Li Heyuan rambled on, expressing his longing and affection for Li Shu. In this dream, he boldly poured out his feelings. Actually, he didn’t know when he began to harbor such feelings for Sir. He was certain that initially, he had no such thoughts. Sir was someone he looked up to, someone he needed to aspire to spend his life with. As long as he could stand by his side, he would be content.
When did this change start? He hoped to become stronger, to hold up a safe sky, and to protect Sir under his wings. He was no longer satisfied with watching from afar, and hoped to walk to Sir and be the one who could stand beside him. He wanted to stand by Sir’s side, yearned to have him, to have him all to himself, to embrace him, and hoped that Sir would only have him in his eyes and heart.
But before he could figure out his feelings, Sir left, leaving him alone in this cold world. After countless days and nights, he finally understood his feelings for Sir. But by then, it was too late.
He would never see that person again.
Li Shu’s eyes gradually turned red as he listened to his chatter. He knew that his departure would bring the boy pain, but he had never imagined that this pain would be so deep. He thought that time could heal all wounds, but he had overlooked the fact that some wounds could never heal, even if there were no visible signs, the inner wounds had long since festered.
He touched the cheek of the person in his arms, comforting him repeatedly, “I’m here, I’m back, and this time I won’t leave again, Xiao Yuan.”
The man rubbed his cheek on Li Shu’s hand, feeling warm. It had been a long, long time since he had been this happy. Even if this happiness came from falsehood, he didn’t care.
Li Shu was helpless; Li Heyuan was clearly lost in his own thoughts now. He stubbornly regarded everything happening now as a dream. If he didn’t want to wake up, Li Shu couldn’t wake him up from the outside.
Worried that this position might strain his body after a while, Li Shu had to adjust his posture to make him more comfortable. But Li Heyuan thought he was trying to escape and hugged Li Shu’s waist, not letting go.
“I’m not leaving, I’m just changing positions so you can sleep more comfortably, Xiao Yuan, loosen your grip a bit.”
But no matter what Li Shu said, Li Heyuan stubbornly believed that the other wanted to leave him and refused to let go of his hand. Not only that, Li Heyuan tightened his hold even more, clinging tightly to Li Shu’s waist, as if letting go meant losing him forever.
After a brief struggle, Li Shu admitted defeat. Li Heyuan was really strong, and after all the commotion, Li Shu was sweating profusely.
He stayed still, and Li Heyuan settled down as well. They stayed in this position for a while, but it was Li Shu who couldn’t endure it first.
He had just taken a bath and was wearing loose and comfortable home clothes. He had just sweated a lot, and the clothes stuck to his skin uncomfortably. Li Heyuan hugged him with a satisfied look on his face. Li Shu hesitated, but finally couldn’t bear to wake him up.
The hotel sofa was large enough for two grown men, and Li Shu sat upright while Li Heyuan lay on his side, resting his head on Li Shu’s leg and holding Li Shu’s waist with both hands.
This position made it impossible for Li Shu to sleep, so he took out his phone and played with it for a while.
He had already confirmed that this was the world he had experienced, only the timeline had been pushed forward by ten years. The affairs of the Li family had been arranged before he left and now he had nothing to do with the Li family. There was no need to pay attention to what was happening there.
He had fulfilled his obligations as family head and he was now just an ordinary college student.
B University had a dedicated forum. Thinking of someone who seemed to have had a similar experience to him, Li Shu clicked on the forum. As expected, posts related to Ruan Muyan were still floating on the homepage.
Just as he was about to click on it, a private message from a Penguin account came in. Li Shu opened it.
[Li Shu, what else do you want?]
Li Shu: “???”
Li Shu was confused by the sentence with no context. His finger hovered over the screen as he prepared to reply, but another message came in.
[People like you shouldn’t have any desire for Muyan. If you know what’s good for you, you should quit early.]
This sentence flashed briefly and was quickly retracted, and then a new message came.
[Muyan is very sad. Come and see her.]
Li Shu: [What does she have to do with me?]
He clicked send.
There was no reply from the other side. Li Shu smiled, closed his phone, and had no intention of continuing to play with it.
[1314, what is the matter with Ruan Muyan? Is her situation similar to mine?] Li Shu closed his eyes and asked the system in his mind.
[In theory, it’s impossible,] 1314’s tone was uncertain, [each small world can only accommodate one host carrying a system into it. If there are too many outsiders, it may have a negative impact on the small world, and may even cause the collapse of the newly born small world. I didn’t feel the presence of a similar entity from Rusn Muyan.]
[Are you sure?] The extra power that Ruan Muyan possessed was not something that people in this small world could possess. Also, the things that happened around her seemed a little abnormal.
[I can’t be certain. Next time the host encounters her, I can investigate in detail. Some systems have anti-surveillance programs.]
[There is such a thing?] Li Shu was curious.
[Yes, every system has one, but the levels vary. The higher the level, the better the effect. If the protection level of the system on Ruan Muyan is too high, I may not be able to investigate it, but I have a way to determine if she is a tasker. The host needs to have close contact with her.]
Ruan Muyan absolutely couldn’t be left unattended. From the memories of the original owner, the two would have a lot more interaction in the future.
Li Shu looked at the ceiling for a while, the overhead light was bright but not too dazzling. He rubbed his forehead and felt that this wouldn’t work. He pushed Li Heyuan’s shoulder, “Let’s go rest in the room.”
The bedroom was a few steps away from the living room. If Li Heyuan didn’t let go of him, he wouldn’t be able to get him into the bedroom. This time, Li Heyuan seemed to feel a bit more secure and didn’t resist as much, he followed Li Shu’s push and shifted his body.
Li Shu stood up first, stretched his body, and helped Li Heyuan up.
“Sir, where are you taking me?” Li Heyuan leaned on Li Shu’s shoulder, his breath spraying on Li Shu’s neck, making it ticklish.
“Taking you to sleep. How did getting drunk make you so clingy?”
After helping him sit on the bed, Li Shu stood up to prepare to freshen up, but he was suddenly held back.
“Don’t leave.”