On both sides of the road, the restaurants and apparel businesses that had not yet closed for the day shed a light. Even though it was becoming dark, there were still a lot of people walking around window shopping and conversing about their lives.
"You're by yourself today, right? Would you like to eat with me?" Yi Yan suddenly inquired.
"Ah!?" Bai Yu, who was lost in his own thoughts, was taken aback and felt he had overreacted. He was flustered as he peered at Yi Yan's countenance. Yi Yan was constantly smiling, but this moment he was more tolerant and gentle than normal, which helped to alleviate his awkwardness.
He was dressed in a mandarin jacket, primarily-gray-with-some-black hair pulled back into a pigtail on the back of his head. He resembled someone from the Republic of China era, which drew a lot of attention from pedestrians, but he didn't care. His soft gaze was fixed on Bai Yu.
Bai Yu felt valued at this time. He was being appreciated, as if someone cared deeply about him.
"...Okay."
Bai Yu nodded, unsure where to put his hands and feet. In his thoughts, he was letting his imagination go wild.
Teacher... Aren’t you too concerned about me? Why are you so nice to me? He not only accepted him as an apprentice, but he also took great care of him...
He had been Yi Yan's student since Wang Xiaomie and Boss Wen left and referred to Yi Yan as his teacher.
Ten days had passed, and he had been quite good to Bai Yu during that time. So good that he prepared hot milk for him every morning, so good that he had especially made room in the refrigerator that only contained materials and odd bones to store a lot of fruit candies, beverages, and snacks for Bai Yu.
Yi Yan wished him good night on WeChat in the evening, and in the morning, while wishing him good day, he also shared the day's weather prediction, urging him to bring an umbrella and dress warmly when it was expected to rain.
So nice that Yi Yan had previously invited him to see a movie. Bai Yu couldn't stop laughing when he imagined Yi Yan dressed up like this and watching The Avengers with 3D glasses while carrying a Coke and popcorn.
They headed to the amusement park after watching the movie. Before leaving for home, Yi Yan took the ticket and swapped it for an amusement park key chain as a souvenir for him after conquering all of the rides.
He was enjoying cotton candy bigger than his head at the time and almost cried when he spotted the keychain in Yi Yan's palm.
It was only the second time in his life that he had eaten cotton candy. His grandfather vanished while he was a child, and his father was obsessed with finding him. His father later disappeared as well. His mother became ill in bed after a few years of searching and died soon after.
The family's bad luck was constant, and everyone was too busy and stressed to properly raise a child. Because Bai Yu was a male, it was all the more easier for everyone to ignore him. As a result, he had rarely had such a sweet feeling since he was a child.
In some ways, Yi Yan had used these ten days to fulfill all of his boyhood dreams...
Yi Yan afterwards purchased clothes and shoes for him and gave him red envelopes via WeChat for various reasons. As though he had foreseen Bai Yu's refusal, the amount was never substantial. Nominally, he was asked to run errands to buy various types of food, then he was told that the leftover money was the payment for running errands. The snacks also ultimately entered Bai Yu's tummy...
What does it signify when a man is so wonderful to you while simultaneously invading your life using various reasons?
Bai Yu covertly went online that day to seek the wisdom of the vast number of netizens.
Netizen A: "Of course he likes you!"
Netizen B: "Tsk, another dog food spreader!"
Bai Yu: "..."
Could it be that Teacher truly has feelings for me?
He made the mistake of following Yi Yan to KFC. The guests and servers in the store were astonished by this unusual duo. Bai Yu had no idea Yi Yan would bring him to enjoy fast food. After all, Yi Yan didn't appear to be the type to eat this sort of food.
Further, Yi Yan ordered him a children's set meal.
"Uh..."
"Teacher... I.. I'm in my twenties!" Bai Yu exclaimed, staring blankly at the hamburger with the small flag and soft little lion toy on the table.
Forget the kids' meal, you even asked the salesperson for a toy! The salesgirl is looking at me and laughing!
"What, you don't like it?" Yi Yan asked with a frown, even more surprised than he was.
"It's not..." Bai Yu scratched his face with a curled finger. "All of these are toys for children. I don't need..."
Yi Yan brows relaxed and smoothed out. He reached over and rubbed his stiff, short hair with his warm palm.
"In my eyes, you’re also a child who deserves to be cherished."
With a 'clink,' the ice cubes in the coke melted.
Bai Yu snapped back to reality, and his face turned red. Given his dark skin, his moist black and white eyes stood out even more, and he abruptly buried his head, eating quietly.
And Yi Yan was uninterested in those foods as expected. He simply smiled and remained by his side as company.
Most guys eat quickly, and Bai Yu was the sort to wolf down his food. Yi Yan nonchalantly said as he popped the last piece of hamburger into his mouth:
"Stay at my house till they return."
"Cough, cough, cough!”
"Eat slowly. Are you choking? Quickly drink some water."
Yi Yan handed Bai Yu the iced Coke and added, "I thought you said they’d be gone for a month. Will you cook for yourself or order takeout this month?"
Bai Yu: "...Order takeout."
Yi Yan sighed, "It's fine to eat fast food occasionally, but try to cook as much as possible at home. You are my disciple, and I cook every day anyway, so why not live with me for the time being?"
Bai Yu opened his mouth to object: "But..."
"There is no need to discuss," Yi Yan narrowed his eyes and declared, "It's settled."
Bai Yu: "..."
… … ...
Bai Yu followed Yi Yan home.
When it comes to dealing with bothersome people, there are a plethora of reasons to refuse or ignore them, even if it is as simple as sharing a meal or chatting on WeChat.
But, in the face of someone you like and trust, even if he says, "Come home with me," you won't feel the other party is being rash. Instead, you'll blush, your heart will race, and you'll secretly anticipate it.
Bai Yu held the unfinished Coke and walked behind Yi Yan, his head bent, his face flushed like a monkey's butt, and peeking at Yi Yan's tall back. He felt like a girl going home for the first time with her boyfriend.
He liked Yi Yan very much...
…and also had some delusions about Yi Yan. Persons who lacked family warmth as children are more likely to admire mature, gentle, and tolerant people who are older than them.
They long to be loved, after all.
Previously, Bai Yu expected to find a mature yujie[1], but after so many years, he discovered that girls were more like gold bars in a treasury, and far more difficult to obtain than said gold bars...
And Yi Yan seemed to have ‘that kind’ of feeling towards him. It meant that Bai Yu, who was in his twenties and waiting for his better half, was both tangled and hopeful.
The straw's vacuum hunted down the last few droplets of Coke with a fierce slurp.[2]
Vague actions and ambiguities will inevitably make people miserable.
After much deliberation, Bai Yu decided to not fool around and just be forthright to see if the other party meant what he thought.
However, it was better to make insinuations first. It would only embarrass both of them if he had misunderstood.
So Bai Yu first psyched himself thoroughly and questioned, "...Teacher, why are you being so good to me?"
Yi Yan did not turn around. "Because you are my disciple," he whispered, his footsteps accompanied by only a soft voice.
"Even though I'm your disciple, you're being too good... You're about to completely spoil me like a child." He was still carrying the lion toy figurine in his rucksack at this time.
"Um... I guess I am." Yi Yan cocked his head slightly, a faint gleam buried in the corners of his narrow eyes. "Maybe because you are so well-behaved, I can't resist caring about you when I see you and think it's alright even if I spoil you all my life," Bai Yu couldn't tell if he was joking or serious.
Bai Yu: ...... This means that you like me, right!? That’s what you’re saying, right!? Bai Yu, calm down! Don’t be anxious; chill. Check out your straight serve!
Bai Yu blushed and murmured, "Is there a girl that Teacher likes?"
He was too preoccupied with shyly bending his head to notice that Yi Yan's face had stiffened and his fingers curled and extended after he asked this question. He recovered and smiled again, but his eyes were filled with what appeared to be a painful memory as he answered, "There is."
There is...
There is...
Bai Yu accidentally crushed the Coke paper cup in his hand, causing the plastic cover to pop up with the straw. He tossed the cup in the nearest garbage can after a few drops of brown liquid dropped on his hand.
F*ck! Dumped before dating.
Bai Yu was heartbroken.
"Hehe, so you already have someone you like. So how come I haven’t seen her come over? Is she a non-local?"
Bai Yu remarked casually, not wanting to disgrace himself.
The two resumed walking, and this time Bai Yu felt as though his footsteps were loaded with lead.
Yi Yan, who was walking in front, shook his head, "No, that's not the case. She has passed away. She’s been dead for a long time."
Bai Yu: "!!!"
For the first time in his life, he secretly rejoiced in the death of another person. Bai Yu silently spurned himself, but small red flowers danced over his head.
"Speaking of which, you two are strikingly similar, with the same large eyes, skin that tans more easily than average people, and the same cute and silly personality." Yi Yan remarked, smiling.
What?!
What does this even mean? Don't tell me I'm a stand-in?!
Bai Yu now realized why the buddies who have lovers constantly have heart-saving meds on hand. Shit! Who can stand these ups and downs that were like riding a roller coaster?
"So you take me as her substitute?"
"No, of course not."
Yi Yan turned around, surprised. "Why do you think so? You are you, she’s she. I won’t be confused. She’s been dead for many years, and my memories of her are mostly nostalgic."
"Then, then, then..." Bai Yu stammered excitedly for a long time.
"Then what?" Yi Yan inquired, amused.
"Then, do you like me?!" He yelled loudly and immediately regretted it. He wished he could drop everything and flee as he saw Yi Yan turn around.
If Yi Yan showed a disgusted expression, Bai Yu thought he’d jump into a river and drown himself.
But there wasn’t.
Yi Yan was neither disgusted nor repulsed, nor was he overly surprised.
He was simply stunned for a moment before smiling softly, reaching out his hand and lightly booping Bai Yu's glabella...
"I'm honored," he said.
"......"
At that moment, the spring flowers bloomed and a hundred birds chirped.
Bai Yu plunged into his arms right away.
… … …
"It's over."
"Mn."
"It's all over!"
"Mn."
"......"
"Can you please stop mn-ing! Shouldn’t we hurry back? God knows what Yi Yan's intention is! What if he took Bai Yu on as an apprentice solely to deal with us?!"
Wang Xiaomie was really quite apprehensive. An Kai had already left, but he had left a bunch of clues, claiming that killing 'monsters' had become Yi Yan's insane obsession. Even after twenty years, he still traveled to Qishan frequently with the aim of killing An Kai.
Wouldn't Yi Yan be even more eager to get rid of him and Wen Fengjin, these monsters who'd appeared on his doorstep?
In light of this, even the reason why the other party accepted Bai Yu as his apprentice had to be considered.
Wang Xiaomie was nervously running in circles, while Wen Fengjin was rubbing Mu Yi's large lizard head and seemed to be in a strangely happy mood.
"Wen. Feng. Jin!!!"
Wang Xiaomie snarled, prompting Mu Yi to turn and run. Wen Fengjin's hand hung in the air, and his only reaction to Wang Xiaomie's anxiety was to pull back his hand, tilt his head, and murmur indifferently "Mn" once more.
That’s it.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Wang Xiaomie exploded in anger.
What a perfunctory response!
Wang Xiaomie: ...you're dead meat! Prepare to be beaten to death!
Seeing that Wang Xiaomie was really pissed off, Wen Fengjin lazily beckoned the little monsters in the distance, and after Mu Shi came over, Wen Fengjin stated while patting it, "He indeed wants to deal with us, but it’s also true that he will not hurt Bai Yu."
Wang Xiaomie frowned, "Why?"
Wen Fengjin sneered.
"Oh, because he..."
Footnotes:
[1] "The royal elder sister" type. It refers to mature and strong, beautiful and seductive women who give the impression of an older sister. This term also appeared in Chapter 55.
[2] This was supposed to be a simple "the straw sucked in air and produced a 'hululu' sound," but I love sucking those last drops noisily and got carried away. lol
Translator:
I have a bad feeling about this. What do you think is going on, guys?