Chapter 61 part 1
It was deep into the night.
Qin Yao was incredibly gentle, as if he wanted to melt Bai He into his very flesh and blood.
It continued for an unknown amount of time until Bai He drifted into a hazy sleep, submerged in Qin Yao’s pheromones, all the physical exhaustion from his body vanishing like smoke.
They slept until dawn. Qin Yao woke first. He turned his head, his eyes tracing Bai He’s features, his gaze finally resting on the mole on Bai He’s earlobe.
It was exactly the same. The face, the body—every place Qin Yao had seen and touched was identical. Bai He was Bai He, no matter which world he was in.
In his memory, on New Year’s Eve—which was actually just a day ago—Bai He’s sudden disappearance had thrown Qin Yao into chaos. Panic had crowded his mind, seizing control of his nerves. On the verge of madness, he forced himself to calm down, his racing brain providing him with a specific name.
Zhang Yao.
Some time ago, Zhang Yao had sent him three friend requests. In the message for the third request, Zhang Yao had asked him if Bai He had told him something.
It seemed like an inconspicuous sentence, but Qin Yao’s intuition screamed that something was wrong.
He had returned to the garden. Seeing his expression was off and Bai He was missing, his Little Dad asked what happened. Qin Yao had no choice but to reveal everything. Fortunately, his family believed him.
After that, Qin Yao searched for Zhang Yao like a madman. Throughout New Year’s Eve, he utilized every police force and connection he could mobilize, but it was as if Zhang Yao had evaporated from the face of the earth.
It wasn’t until the latter half of the night, four or five hours later, that Zhang Yao came to find Qin Yao himself.
At that time, Qin Yao was at Bai He’s apartment. Zhang Yao arrived wearing a black down jacket and knocked on the door. When Qin Yao opened it and saw him, his eyes turned bloodshot. He slammed the man against the wall, barely restraining the urge to punch him in the face.
“Where is Bai He?” he asked, his voice hoarse.
Zhang Yao looked extremely remorseful, constantly repeating a few sentences.
“I thought if I swapped him back, the previous Bai He would return…”
“Who knew this world had already completely accepted his existence…”
“You all remember him… I didn’t expect it to turn out like this either…”
Qin Yao had no patience for Zhang Yao’s ramblings, but he had to understand the situation. suppressing the manic rage inside him, he withdrew the oppressive pheromones pinning Zhang Yao down and forced himself to calmly get the details.
He then reached a rare agreement with the dazed Zhang Yao: Bai He had to come back, and Qin Yao had to be the one to retrieve him. With no time to wait, Qin Yao dragged Zhang Yao back to the Qin home. In the early hours of the morning, under the watchful eyes of his entire family, Qin Yao set off.
Zhang Yao was temporarily detained at the Qin residence. Until Qin Yao returned, Qin Wei would not let him leave.
The recollection ended there. Qin Yao’s arm was wrapped around Bai He’s waist, his hand stroking it gently. It felt the same as before, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that his Xiao Bao seemed mentally exhausted.
He would have to question that guy Zhang Yao when they got back.
Qin Yao slowly withdrew, getting out of bed. In his sleep, Bai He frowned slightly. Qin Yao paused, leaning down to place a light kiss between Bai He’s brows.
As Bai He’s breathing steadied again, Qin Yao stood up. Shirtless, he slowly walked around Bai He’s home a few times.
Bai He’s home wasn’t big. The natural lighting was good, but his Xiao Bao didn’t seem fond of opening the curtains. It was bright outside now, but with the curtains drawn, only a muffled, dim light filtered through.
It was a one-bedroom apartment, smaller than the one Bai He had lived in back in the other world. It was arranged very neatly and cleanly, but the overall atmosphere felt somewhat lifeless and dreary. Qin Yao picked up the clothes scattered on the floor one by one. He went to Bai He’s closet and found the loosest piece of clothing to put on, though it was still a bit tight on him.
Qin Yao carried the laundry to the bathroom, sorting it into the washing machine. He picked out Bai He’s underwear to wash by hand in a small basin. After finishing the laundry, he turned to the kitchen. He opened the fridge; it was packed full of ingredients. That was Bai He’s style—he couldn’t cook well, but the supplies had to be there.
His Xiao Bao must have tried hard to learn how to cook.
The diet needed to be light after that. Qin Yao prepared some simple lean pork porridge. Once the porridge was ready, he prepared to wake Bai He up.
Before he could untie his apron, the door was banged on loudly—bang bang bang. Qin Yao’s expression faltered slightly. Before the jarring noise could sound a second time, he went to open the door.
Click. The door opened.
The people standing outside seemed ready to shout, but upon seeing a stranger, their voices stuck in their throats.
Qin Yao narrowed his eyes at the middle-aged man in front of him and the woman standing behind him. He spotted some resemblance in their features, but he didn’t speak first.
“We’re looking for Bai He,” the man spoke first. He craned his neck, trying to peer inside, looking suspicious. “Who are you? His friend?”
Qin Yao stood up straight. He was very tall, almost filling the door frame. His eyes were calm, devoid of any emotion. “Yes, I’m Bai He’s friend. Bai He is sleeping. I think you’ll have to wait.”
“We are his parents. What is there to wait for? Go wake him up. We have things to discuss.”
The middle-aged man’s voice sounded like an order, instantly disgusting Qin Yao. He leaned against the door frame, not moving. Then he heard the woman speak in a conciliatory tone, “Sorry, Xiao He’s dad always talks like that. We really do have something to discuss with Xiao He today. If he’s tired from work and still sleeping, we can just go inside and wait.”
Qin Yao’s expression softened slightly. He was about to step aside, but an inexplicable intuition made him stop.
“Auntie, what is it you need with Bai He?” Qin Yao asked with a calm smile. “You haven’t lived with him for a long time, right? Isn’t there anything you can’t just say over the phone?”
“…We indeed haven’t lived with him. We didn’t make it clear on the phone yesterday, and when we came to find him last night, he wasn’t home.” The mother stammered.
The middle-aged man, pushed to the back, seemingly couldn’t stand being kept out any longer. He put one hand on his hip and pointed at Qin Yao’s nose. “We are his parents. You, as a friend… didn’t your family teach you manners? Not letting people inside? Is there something we can’t discuss inside? You’re making your elders stand outside!”
The mother kept patting the father’s shoulder in a low voice while apologizing to Qin Yao with a smile.
This couple was like a comedy duo performing a skit. Their push-and-pull act seemed designed to pressure Qin Yao, but it was really just a performance for appearances.
This time, Qin Yao refused to budge. He was tall and broad, exuding plenty of intimidation. Blocking the door like that, the parents didn’t dare to physically force their way in.
Unable to break the stalemate, Bai’s father began to make a scene. “How could Bai He make a friend like you! He’s really gone bad! Bringing people like this home!”
Qin Yao tilted his head, his expression darkening. “Uncle, it’s my fault for not letting you in. You can consider me ill-mannered, but this has nothing to do with Bai He.”
“How does it have nothing to do with him?! If he wasn’t just like you, how would he have a friend like you? I knew his wings were getting harder these past years! He doesn’t listen to me or his mother at all!!”
The man’s voice was loud. Qin Yao frowned. He held the door frame with one hand and said coldly, “I’ve never seen parents undermine their own child’s dignity like this. This is the hallway, not your house. If you want to make a scene, go somewhere else. Bai He won’t be entertaining you.”
Saying this, he moved to close the door. Seeing this, the man flew into a rage, pressing both hands against the door frame and roaring, “Bai He, get out here! Damn it, don’t think I can’t control you anymore!!”
Qin Yao had never seen parents like this. He used a little force to shove the unreasonable man out. The door slammed shut. Outside, earth-shattering curses continued to penetrate the door panel, vibrating the eardrums and seemingly shaking the floorboards.
And those curses were extremely insulting. Who would imagine these were words from a father to his son?
Qin Yao clenched his fists, wanting to go out and teach the man a lesson. But remembering that this was Bai He’s father, and strictly speaking, he was only guessing the relationship dynamics, he couldn’t be certain of Bai He’s attitude toward him.
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