Chapter 72.2 – 008

translator: xiin
editors: butter & XavierForest

The ambiguous atmosphere between them became as thin as a piece of paper, but no one pierced it.

They interacted the same way as usual at home. Xie Sui’s behavior was very natural; it was as though he was patiently accommodating him.

Song Yu was completely confused. He even turned to Song Wanying, who was on her honeymoon, for advice on this matter, explaining the situation with a mixture of half-truths and lies.

Song Wanying couldn’t stop laughing, “They’re already living in your house—if it’s not a romantic relationship, then what is it? Don’t think about it so much. Go to her room tonight and settle the relationship.”

Song Yu: “…… Forget it.”

When there was a vacation at the company, Song Yu proposed going to Jing City with Xie Sui.

In fact, his entire heart was filled with unease when he asked this question. He wanted to learn more about Xie Sui, but he also knew that Xie Sui’s youth hadn’t been a beautiful one. Jing City may be a nightmare memory for him.

He looked tentatively at Xie Sui, his gaze bumping into a pair of lacquer black eyes that held a smile within.

The man across from him laughed and said, “Okay.”

The corners of Song Yu’s lips kicked up happily.

He followed Xie Sui’s life path and saw everything, starting from Lianyun Street to Jingcheng No.1 High. No.1 High’s school gate had been renovated, and the outer wall had been repainted to cover up the old graffiti.

Xie Sui’s former classroom had already been abandoned.

It was just that, in every place, there was nothing worth remembering for him.

Song Yu sometimes felt that he could see that silent, lonely, and dreary teenager from over ten years ago when he walked across the playground.

His grandmother lived in Jing City.

When they went to stay for a day and visit, the elderly woman greeted them with eyes that were red with excitement. After half a beat, she smiled, shook off her tears, and invited them in

Summers in Jing City were hot during the day and cool at night.

Grandma Meng had gotten older and liked to listen to plays. While they were waiting for dinner, <The Unicorn Purse> was playing on TV. The sounds of singing were gentle and long.

Song Yu sat on the sofa and remained in a daze for a long time. Suddenly, he sat up straight, as though taken over by something, and tilted his head to say, “If you’d told me back then when you moved to Jing City with Aunt Xu, I probably would’ve followed.”

Xie Sui never liked to hypothesize, but this time, he only smiled lightly and went with his words, “Mm.”

Song Yu continued, “Then, my mother probably would’ve agreed. After all, my grandmother is here.”

Xie Sui: “Yes.”

Song Yu was also amused by his own childish ideas. He joked, “Then, I would transfer to your school, transfer to your class, and become your desk mate.”

Xie Sui smiled lightly, “That’s all one could wish for.”

Song Yu quipped, “I would definitely be very nice to the you from that time, protecting you from those bad things and terrible people.”

Xie Sui laughed. The light from the lamps shone down, showing the tenderness and affection in his eyes.

Song Yu said, “Then, maybe we’ll have gotten together in high school.”

“Mm.” He could no longer resist the tenderness in his heart. Xie Sui leaned over to kiss the young man’s lips, his smile showing in his voice, “Love at first sight.”

Song Yu was almost scared to death. He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry as he pushed him away, “Don’t mess around, my grandma is still here.”

Xie Sui chuckled quietly.

There were scattered stars in the night outside the window. The singing on TV was gentle, sounding as though it had travelled slowly through time, flowing like water. The singing was slow, “He taught me to set away hate, avoid spoiled anger, transform myself. Change my temperament, rest by passing water, turn back in the bitter sea, understand cause and effect.”

Turn back in the bitter sea, understand cause and effect.

Song Yu felt cold all over.

It was like his entire person had sunk into the deep sea. He had a splitting headache and couldn’t even breathe.

The suffocating coldness, indescribable sadness and regret made his heart seize. In the end, all the contents of his dream were forgotten, and only the words from the play rang in his mind.

He felt terrible everywhere.

There was even the faint taste of blood in his mouth. It was very light, but the scent filled his nose.

His thinking felt slow and stiff, and his brain seemed filled with heavy, black mud.

Finally, he was awakened by a complex sound.

“Host.”

Song Yu woke up abruptly, opened his eyes, and sat up, gasping and gulping big mouthfuls of air.

His hair was wet with sweat, and there was a kind of sadness in his heart that wouldn’t go away.

There was a faint blue figure in front of his bed. It was ‘Song Yu’, wearing blue and white hospital clothing, the 008 who had disappeared for who knew how long.

Song Yu didn’t have time to pay attention to him now.

He covered his head and tried hard to recall the contents of his dream, but he was unable to remember it.

008 sighed, his expression very complicated. He reached out and touched Song Yu’s brow.

The pale blue light was very faint.

The taste of blood in his mouth gradually faded away, and the sadness and regret in his heart was expelled by some reassuring force. His brain also recovered its clarity.

Song Yu slowly put his hands back down. His light colored eyes were no longer filled with pain. He calmed down and looked up, but the first question he asked was, “What did I dream of?”

008 shuddered briefly, then hesitated and quibbled, “Nothing much. A nightmare. I was just helping you eliminate those negative emotions.”

Song Yu’s gaze was extremely cold.

008 gritted his teeth and said, “There’s no use looking at me. You already forgot the dream when you woke up, and it’s not like I can help you get it back.”

Song Yu stared at him for a long time. The truth in the dream that repeated ceaselessly finally came out and revealed itself.

He was too lazy to continue talking nonsense. He said calmly, “You’ve come back just in time. I’ve always wanted to ask you something.”

008’s expression stiffened instantly.

Song Yu spoke directly and frankly, “In fact, I’m actually Song Yu, right?”

008’s pale and weak face showed a moment of panic, but he soon managed to pull out a smile, “What are you saying? I’m Song Yu.”

Song Yu was in an extremely bad mood. He sneered, “Fake goods, don’t pretend anymore.”

008 grew anxious, “Host, why would you have this idea? Don’t you remember Song Lan? Have you forgotten your family and memories from your previous life? Also, you transmigrated after reading a book. This is the world in the book. How could you be Song Yu.”

Song Yu: “Don’t. Your acting is really bad.”

Song Yu stared at him coldly, “If you don’t tell me the truth, I’ll go and have a showdown with Xie Sui right now.”

008 grew angry as soon as he heard the words ‘Xie Sui’. The blue light that surrounded him flashed twice, violently.

“What’s the difference between this and having a showdown! What have you been doing while I was away! The protagonist must know that you’re Song Yu now, A City’s Song Yu! I told you not to get close to Xie Sui for your own good. What are you doing!”

Song Yu raised his eyebrows, “For… my own good?” Was there something wrong with your brain?

008 was so angry he was about to spin in circles.

“Cough, how did you just! How did you get to this point again! Forget it.” He sounded dejected as he spoke to Song Yu, “Why do you think I was gone for so long? It was all because of the things you did. The Lord God doesn’t know how to end this situation, since the plot has thoroughly changed after you came to Jing City. The development of many things can only develop as they will. Now, we can only cure a dead horse like it’s a live one1.”

The corner of Song Yu’s lips twitched, “Speak in human words.”

008’s expression was almost pleading. He looked close to collapse and helplessness, “It’ll be fine as long as you don’t get together with Xie Sui.”

Song Yu: “……” 008 had become even more stupid after coming back.

008: “It’s such a small request. Consider it as me begging you. The Lord God and I are both desperate. Boss, host, dad, just leave after the end of this semester. Xie Sui isn’t a little pitiful guy anymore, and you’ve already helped him wherever you could. There’s really nothing worth staying in Jing City for.”

Song Yu frowned. “What the hell.”

008: “Boss, just hold on for a while, just a while. If it wasn’t that the conditions don’t allow for it, the Lord God would want you to leave right now.”

Song Yu froze for a moment. Leaving, or not leaving? He even seemed to have a subconscious resistance to this question.

008: “When this semester is over! Just this semester! I’m just begging you not to get together with Xie Sui during this period of time. Don’t start liking him!”

Song Yu looked at this face, which was as alike as two peas with his own, stayed silent for a long time, and then asked the question that was in his heart.

“Why do you keep emphasizing this?”

008 was about to cry.

“Well, in any case, you just have to listen to me. I’m really doing it for you.”

The faint blue light that surrounded the system shone on Song Yu’s face, making his skin pale and translucent, morbid and harsh. He spoke faintly, “I’ll promise you if you tell me the truth.”

008 screamed like a cat had stepped on his tail, “No way!”

Song Yu wasn’t messing around with him, “Oh, I’ll go and confess to Xie Sui tomorrow.”

“!!!”

“……”

008 was already so angry that he wanted to go into seclusion, “In any case, you’ll be the one who regrets it when the time comes!”

With that, he no longer paid Song Yu any attention and drilled back into his head.

Song Yu was stunned for a moment, then called out twice, but 008 refused to come back out. His heart, which had been all confused and messed up by the dream, had calmed down thanks to the stupid system.

He thought to himself, it turned out that he was indeed Song Yu.

What could the dreams be considered as? He felt that they had always deviated from <Gentle Control>…

Was it his previous life? In his dream, he’d seemed to be a sick child in his previous life.

“008.”

Song Yu said softly, “I’ve changed my mind. Tell me what kind of illness I have and I’ll promise you.”

The faint blue light shifted slightly. 008 seemed to have been moved by his words and sighed in his mind.

He didn’t even know how many times he’d sighed tonight.

008 said, “You’re not sick now. If you’re sick, then it’s because you’re crazy!”

The word ‘crazy’ was spoken through gritted teeth and held untold amounts of resentment.

“I already said that I’m Song Yu, not a fake. The terminal illness that you originally should have had is in my body. Originally, it wasn’t a big deal at all. You just had to casually say some words to Xie Sui five years later, and you could return to reality. Yet you insisted on making things turn out like this.”

He continued gloomily, “Also, I’m really not fake.”

But he never once denied Song Yu’s guess.

Song Yu stilled slightly, “Terminal illness…”

008 said, “The Lord God and I are both regretting it, really regretting it. I’m so angry. Why does he have to be so obsessed? You’re clearly already… sigh, so annoying.”

008 shut up just in time and continued closing himself up in his mind.

—

Butter’s Thoughts:
I am confusion.