Chapter 71: The Hypocritical Senior 13 Part 2

“Then why didn’t you come with me back then?” Zhou Ran’s expression grew a bit more serious as he brought it up. “I told you I could give you whatever you wanted…”

“Brother Ran…” Yu Sui cut him off.

In his mind, he cursed: What an actor.

Li Xia picked up on the unusual undertone. So their relationship really was…

The conversation died after that, leaving the atmosphere strangely tense.

They ate their meal in silence.

“You can’t eat too much spicy food,” Zhou Ran said with a frown as he watched the man pick at the dishes. “Have you forgotten what happened last time you ate spicy stuff?”

Yu Sui was utterly baffled inside. What extra drama was this guy adding?

“If I hadn’t gone back early and found you rolling on the floor…”

Li Xia looked up at that. “Senior, he…”

“Xiao Sui’s pretty stubborn,” Zhou Ran said helplessly. “Sigh…”

Yu Sui kept his head down without a word.

Seeing him meekly taking the lecture made Li Xia feel irritated.

The vibe between those two was just…

After the meal, he got up and left first.

Once the person was out of sight, Yu Sui propped his chin on his hands. “You took the chance to trash me and prop yourself up. Nice move.”

“This was free help— you should be grateful,” Zhou Ran said, in high spirits. He leaned forward and reached out to straighten Yu Sui’s hair. “Someone’s peeking.”

Yu Sui stayed still, keeping up the act.

Li Xia glanced back and caught the scene, his eyes turning bloodshot.

Zhou Ran left first that afternoon, with Yu Sui seeing him off. By the time Yu Sui returned to the company, the smile on his face had shifted back to that impeccably mild one.

But Li Xia just felt like it was growing more and more superficial.

Because the two of them were in the same production crew, they had to discuss the script together.

In the break room.

Yu Sui flipped through the script without saying a word.

Li Xia was distracted. He couldn’t hold back and finally looked up to ask, “Senior, are you and Senior Zhou Ran close?”

“Brother Ran…” Yu Sui paused at the mention of him. “He just loves to lecture. Even though he isn’t that much older than me.”

His tone was helpless, more like whining than complaining.

Li Xia couldn’t stand listening to it and changed the subject.

Yu Sui saw his face had gone pale and looked concerned. “What’s wrong? Do you need to see a doctor?”

“I’m fine.” Li Xia shook his head.

Yu Sui nodded and didn’t pry further.

News of their collaboration hit the internet too.

Their CP fans went wild with joy.

Fans had been shipping them for a long time, but the two had never worked together in all these years—a huge regret. Now, it was finally fulfilling their dreams.

Su Shan looked at the online discussions. He had specifically looked into the two of them.

Their relationship was anything but ordinary.

Yu Sui got off work a bit late that evening.

“Do you think there’ll be a stranger in my house?”

[There probably will be,] the System said.

“There definitely will be,” Yu Sui said with a cold laugh.

[You… aren’t you afraid of pushing him too far, and then…]

“Anyway, I won’t die, right?” Yu Sui said indifferently. “Worst case, we both go down together.”

[You… don’t be so extreme.]

Yu Sui didn’t respond.

He shoved his hands in his pockets, lingering at the door for a moment. He lowered his head and recorded a voice message, starting and stopping several times but never sending it.

“Brother Ran… I…”

“Brother Ran, my cousin wants to meet up with you…”

“Brother Ran, do you still remember…”

Just on the other side of the door, hearing Yu Sui’s hesitant words, Li Xia—who was bundled up head to toe—had eyes blazing red. Tears streamed down his cheeks.

He bit his lip but said nothing.

He had no way back anyway. He didn’t need one.

Li Xia steeled his resolve.

Yu Sui pocketed his phone and pulled a stun baton from his trench coat pocket.

He narrowed his eyes.

He pushed the door open gently.

After stepping inside, he turned to close it.

At the faint sound of footsteps, Yu Sui crouched down slightly, then activated the stun baton.

Li Xia had no defenses up at all.

His body convulsed, and he hit the ground with a thud.

Yu Sui flicked on the light.

He went over and removed Li Xia’s hat and mask.

Li Xia just felt pain all over, sweat beading on his forehead. He couldn’t even resist.

“Li Xia.” Yu Sui’s tone held no surprise.

Li Xia looked panicked and tried to turn away, but it was too late.

“You really are…” Yu Sui sneered. He dragged him over to the sofa and found some rope to tie him up.

“Se… Senior.” Once he recovered, Li Xia gazed at him. “When… when did you figure it out?”

“I ran into Su Shan at the company, and something was off about him,” Yu Sui said. “He’d been to my place before, and I noticed your eyes—you two have the same shape.”

Li Xia hadn’t expected Su Shan to be the giveaway. He felt depressed about it.

“Haven’t given up yet?” Yu Sui squatted in front of him and yanked at his clothes. “Why are you so obsessed?”

“I’ve never failed to get what I want,” Li Xia said, staring at Yu Sui. His voice was light, but his eyes burned with obsession. “I like you.”

“So all that talk about staying away from me was bullshit?” Yu Sui didn’t budge.

“Yes.” Li Xia had never intended to leave for real. At first, he’d planned a roundabout approach, but Su Shan had ruined it.

“Compared to you, I prefer the version Su Shan played,” Yu Sui said abruptly. “He threatened me too, but at least he didn’t look at me with those creepy eyes.”

Li Xia’s face went white.

He had always compared himself to Su Shan growing up and never lost.

But now…

The person he liked so much…

Tears kept flowing.

Objectively speaking, the young man was good-looking, and his silent crying was pitiful.

But Yu Sui felt nothing. He even smirked. “Li Xia, I hate threats and lies the most. And look at that—you did both.”

“If I hadn’t lied or threatened you, I never would’ve gotten close,” Li Xia said, his gaze greedy. “I don’t regret it. I should’ve kissed you back then.”

His scorching eyes roamed over Yu Sui’s face, finally fixing on those smirking red lips.

Yu Sui’s brow furrowed, and the smirk vanished.

He let go of Li Xia. “You’re sick.”

He felt like his hands were filthy now and went to wash them with disgust.

When he came back out, his hands were red from scrubbing hard.

Seeing how much Yu Sui despised him, Li Xia’s eyes reddened intensely. His breathing hitched. “What are you going to do to me, Senior? Call the cops? Beat me? Or kill me?”

He showed no fear—only anticipation.

[Host…] The System sounded worried. [If you kill the protagonist rashly, the world might intervene…]

“Oh?” Yu Sui raised a brow. “The world?”

[The protagonist has a protagonist halo because he’s the child of destiny for this world,] the System explained. [The world favors him, so anyone against him won’t have it easy.]

[And… the next world might really…]

“I won’t kill you if you agree to one condition,” Yu Sui said. “If you can’t, put me through to the one above.”

[What is it?]

“I don’t want to run into more psychos like this,” Yu Sui said. He didn’t ask for anything else.

[I’ll go report that right now.]

Yu Sui grabbed a pair of scissors and cut the ropes binding the young man. “I won’t hit you, and I won’t kill you.”

“You’re not important to me, got it?”

Li Xia’s body stiffened as he stared at Yu Sui.

Just then, Yu Sui’s phone rang.

He blinked in surprise and quickly pulled it out to answer.

“Brother Ran?”

“Have you gotten home?” Zhou Ran’s gentle voice came through.

“Yeah.” Yu Sui didn’t care about the guy on the floor. His eyes softened with a smile as he replied tenderly.

“Xiao Sui, I didn’t expect you to reach out to me all of a sudden,” Zhou Ran said. “After all, back then we…”

Yu Sui’s eyes dimmed. “I… actually…”

“Xiao Sui.” Zhou Ran interrupted. “You’re a great junior to me—a great little brother.”

Yu Sui bit his lip. “Brother Ran’s a great senior in my heart too.”

He hung up, inwardly cursing the guy for taking advantage.

Li Xia on the floor stared in stunned silence.

The person he liked seemed to be suffering unrequited love too.

“You… and Zhou Ran…”

Yu Sui offered no explanation, his expression turning cold. “Go ahead and leak those scandals if you want.”

“You… you…” He had been so concerned about it before, but now…

Was it because of Zhou Ran’s rejection that Yu Sui didn’t care anymore?

“You… you like him that much?” Li Xia’s voice cracked. “Didn’t you say…”

“I just like him as a person,” Yu Sui said, knowing what he meant and cutting him off. “It has nothing to do with gender. You wouldn’t get it.”

“How wouldn’t I? I… I feel the same about you…” Li Xia tried to argue.

“But have you ever respected me?” Yu Sui raised a brow. “I haven’t contacted him in so long because he politely turned me down. I like him, and I respect him, so I won’t bother him.”

“Then what about now…”

“Isn’t it all because of you?” Yu Sui frowned. “I just want you to know that even if I’m rejected, I won’t like you. Got it?”

Li Xia’s lips trembled, and his eyes swelled up. “I… I…”

“Just go,” Yu Sui said. “Do whatever you want.” He sat dejectedly off to the side.

Li Xia bit his lip. Countless impulses flashed through his mind, but in the end, he held himself back.

He left in a daze.

After Li Xia had gone, Yu Sui locked the door from the inside and went off to wash up.

Li Xia left the complex like a zombie. His heart ached terribly.

When Su Shan returned home, he found the place empty. His expression darkened. Had Li Xia gone off impersonating him again?

The thought made him immediately dial Li Xia’s number.

Li Xia didn’t pick up.

Back at the apartment, Li Xia opened the door, and Su Shan’s fist came smashing toward him.

He didn’t dodge.

Li Xia staggered back several steps, nearly tumbling to the floor.

Su Shan halted his punch. “What’s this about?”

“He… he won’t like me. Never,” Li Xia said. He looked up at the face identical to his own. “He said you’re more pleasing to the eye, more likable than me.”

Li Xia forced a smile, bitter and strained. “Why… why… I… I just…”

“Just what?” Su Shan raised an eyebrow. “Just because you like him, does that mean he has to accept you?”

“You’ve been selfish and self-serving your whole life.” He coldly shattered the young man’s false facade. “How many things that belonged to me have you stolen? Hahaha… I didn’t even have the chance to live using my own identity. But now, things are looking up.”

“He likes me when I’m wearing your face. What does that tell you?”

“What he hates is your inner self—your soul.”

Su Shan was in an extremely good mood. Fantastic, even.

Li Xia’s mind buzzed, going blank.

He swayed unsteadily, on the verge of collapse.

Su Shan watched him coldly.

Thud—

Li Xia fainted right before his eyes.

Su Shan walked over and gave him a kick. “You’d better really be dead. Then this identity will belong to me.”

With that, he squatted down to check for breathing.

“What a pity.” Su Shan felt the faint breath and shook his head in disappointment.