Chapter 71: Blackening Alert — “I Hate You to Death as Well” part 1
Lu Xunye slapped his own forehead, feeling utterly baffled by his own absurd thoughts.
He composed himself and fumbled in the dark to turn on the light.
His fingertips brushed against the cold switch.
Click.
The room, which had been as black as ink, was instantly flooded with light.
Lu Xunye squeezed his eyes shut. Once the stinging discomfort passed, he walked back and saw the discarded old bandages on the table.
Instinctively, he glanced at the other man’s wrist. Having been covered for several days, the skin was somewhat pale, but it seemed to have healed.
He didn’t take the initiative to ask. Instead, he casually placed the ugly clay rabbit on the coffee table and asked Shen Yunqian, “Did you eat yesterday?”
Since it was already six in the morning, Lu Xunye wasn’t sure if the other man had just woken up or hadn’t slept at all.
He leaned toward the former; after all, they used to get up at five for their morning runs… it wouldn’t be surprising if his biological clock had adapted.
On his way back from the hospital, Lu Xunye had taken a detour and managed to find an unmanned self-service clothing store. He bought a change of clothes and disposed of the blood-stained ones.
Lu Xunye had been incredibly relieved by this choice, thinking it would prevent his secret from leaking. He didn’t expect to be proven wrong in the next second.
Shen Yunqian didn’t answer his question directly. Instead, he asked out of the blue, “Those clothes?”
Lu Xunye faltered slightly, startled by his observational skills. He quickly realized that the man must have checked the doorbell camera after getting up; otherwise, how would he know what he had been wearing yesterday?
But something still felt off.
He suppressed his doubts and uncomfortably tugged at his collar, pulling it loose to hide his neck as he gave a deflective answer.
“During the Lu Corporation’s press conference livestream yesterday, my clothes went missing in the dressing room while I was getting my styling done. These were just something I grabbed randomly.”
Having said that, he sat down in a single-seater sofa next to him and reached out to pour himself a glass of water. The water in the kettle had long since gone cold; as he drank it, the chill instantly dispelled some of his drowsiness.
Shen Yunqian lifted his eyelids and scrutinized him from top to bottom.
His gaze lingered for two seconds on the red marks visible near the collar on the side of Lu Xunye’s neck before shifting away to stare at the small clay sculpture.
Suddenly, he asked: “Have you showered?”
“Huh?”
Only then did Lu Xunye remember the other man’s obsession with cleanliness.
He lifted his sleeve and sniffed, catching a faint, almost non-existent scent of blood.
Immediately feeling restless, he stood up without a second thought. “I’ll go wash up now.”
He took two steps then turned back. “I’m a bit tired. Go for your run by yourself today.”
He looked down at the young man’s calm, emotionless face, his heart a whirlwind of conflicting feelings.
Everything that had happened recently had been a constant assault on his frayed sanity, which was now at a breaking point. Especially after last night, he really couldn’t hold on anymore.
He let out a breath, seemingly to bolster his courage, though only he knew it was more an act of letting go.
“My door lock ran out of battery. Since your health is mostly recovered, I’ll call a locksmith once it’s fully light out. I won’t be staying here tonight.”
“Oh, there are still some ingredients in the fridge. Tell me what you want to eat and I’ll make it for you later. Think of it as a thank-you for taking care of me during this time—or if there’s anything else you need me to do.”
He thought for a moment and added, “As for the morning runs, try not to give them up halfway.”
Shen Yunqian remained indifferent to him throughout. Lu Xunye pursed his lips, unwilling to make a fool of himself further, assuming the man simply hadn’t fully woken up yet.
……
In the shower.
Lu Xunye tilted his head back, letting the warm water wash over his face. The sound of the rushing water gradually faded, replaced by a cacophony of loud, overlapping curses ringing in his ears.
— That kid is an ungrateful wolf. He caused his own parents’ deaths and didn’t shed a single tear. When the police told him to collect his father’s body, he wouldn’t even go. He gave him life, after all. How cruel. Who would dare marry their precious daughter to someone like him?
— That couple lived right above me. They used to be so in love. It was only after his mother gave birth to him that his father started going bad. It must have been because this kid was so troublesome that his parents couldn’t control him, breaking his father’s heart.
— Exactly. On the day of the accident, that man’s voice reached my house, yelling at his wife for not knowing how to educate their son. What kind of child constantly instigates their mother to get a divorce?
— When his mother was alive, she said herself that he and his father never got along. In our family, if any junior dared to cross the old man, their legs would have been broken long ago.
— Did you hear? His father committed domestic violence and killed his mother. Like father, like son. Don’t look at how decent he appears now; he’s rotten to the core.
— He barely even came to school in high school. I heard it was because he made his father sick with anger, so his mother had no choice but to work several jobs to pay for the medical bills. Those parents were so unlucky to be stuck with a son like him.
— What is he pretending for? If it weren’t for his decent looks, who would be friends with the son of a murderer?
The chatter of various voices filled Lu Xunye’s mind, refusing to leave, like a set of rusted steel knives churning through his brain with a dull ache.
He squeezed his eyes shut until a feeling of suffocation surged within him. Only then did he lower his head and punch the tiles with a clenched fist. The sound of the drizzling water returned to his ears.
Pain exploded across his knuckles.
Lu Xunye’s long, curled eyelashes trembled. Water blinked into his eyes, bringing a wave of bitterness.
He didn’t even understand why he had made such a meaningless gesture.
His peripheral vision caught the red marks on his neck in the wall-mounted mirror. He rubbed them forcefully, his movements laced with a sense of venting.
Under his “torment,” the skin grew redder, and a few traces of blood seeped out, looking like scratches from fingernails.
He cursed inwardly. No doubt, it must have been from when that maniac grabbed him and wouldn’t let go in front of the Lu Corporation building.
Seeing this, Lu Xunye’s mood soured even further. He hurriedly rinsed off, habitually reaching for the bathrobe hanging nearby, only to feel empty air.
?
Lu Xunye gave his own forehead a palm-strike, a look of regret and annoyance flashing in his eyes. He felt like dying.
He hadn’t mopped up the water on the floor yet, and his slippers made a squeaking noise as he stepped on it.
Turning a deaf ear to it, he tip-toed out of the shower stall. As he gripped the bathroom doorknob, he felt a slight resistance.
As he pushed the handle down, a crisp thud came from outside the door, and something fell to the floor.
Lu Xunye’s heart stopped. He waited for a moment, and when there was no other sound, he pulled the door open a crack with a racing heart. Looking down, he saw a paper bag at the foot of the door.
He instinctively looked for Shen Yunqian, but the hallway was empty.
He quickly snatched it up and closed the door. A suspicion formed in his mind. Upon opening the bag, sure enough, his pajamas were inside.
Lu Xunye’s expression was unreadable. Because he was gripping it so tightly, his fingers crumpled the paper bag.
[Why are you giving up on the mission?] The System’s mournful voice rang out unexpectedly.
Lu Xunye had just put on his trousers and was clumsily pulling on his shirt. He snapped irritably: [Can you stop appearing every single time I’m drying my hair?!]
The System sounded thoughtful: [But I can’t see you when you’re showering.]
Lu Xunye: “……”
Go to hell! You want to see me while I’m showering too?!
[Wait, that’s not the point!]
The System was indignant.
[Why are you leaving such a great opportunity to farm points?! Have you forgotten you told Shen Yunqian before that you like him, and the only reason you weren’t close to him was because you’re impotent and have hemorrhoids? We don’t have much time left. Don’t you want to go back?]
Annoyed by the questioning, Lu Xunye rolled his eyes: [It’s because I have low self-esteem, okay? I feel inferior every time I see him. Are you satisfied with that reason?]
Taken aback by his sudden harshness, the System was at a loss: [You… didn’t you promise me you’d do the tasks properly? And doesn’t he seem to like you quite a bit?]
Lu Xunye was speechless. He opened his mouth to speak, but it turned into a sigh.
How was he supposed to explain to this artificial idiot? Based on the current points, Shen Yunqian’s feelings toward him could, at best, be described as the retaliation of someone who regained their memory, realized they were emotionally manipulated, and decided to turn the tables.
Would someone really still like the person who deceived them after awakening from a lie?
Let it be…
“Love” was too distant, too heavy, and too illusory.
Besides, would anyone truly like or approach another person unconditionally, without any ulterior motive?
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