Yu Bai suddenly felt that if he could just fall asleep right now, that would be perfect.
Or if someone would come along and knock him out with a solid punch.
Looking at Xie Wufang standing by the door at that moment, Yu Bai couldn’t help but recall how, not long ago, the man who had rushed over after receiving his distress text had done exactly the same thing—his gaze indifferently sweeping across the entire scene, including Yan Jing standing beside him.
Then, amid the silence, Xie Wufang had said to him in a calm, matter-of-fact tone: “You’re avoiding me.”
Oh, to be precise, it wasn’t “not long ago”—it had been just yesterday.
…
And yet that incident had happened only yesterday!!
Why did it feel like half a lifetime had passed?
He had nearly forgotten all about that damned “run off with the ball” cliché!
But now, it was the same reason, the same person, and even the same third wheel, Yan Jing.
No way—why the hell was this crap happening for a second time?!
Yu Bai had only been out of the time loop for two days, but somehow the non-human was catching him every single day using sleep as an excuse to dodge people.
…Was he about to tank humanity’s reputation entirely?
The thought jolted Yu Bai wide awake. His hands, still gripping the game controller, twitched. Almost on instinct, he shoved the device—
Behind the sofa cushion. Then he dragged over Yan Jing, who had gone as limp as a dead fish suddenly stiffening up, positioning him to block the entire cushion—and the controller hidden beneath it.
Now with empty hands, Yu Bai flashed an innocent smile. “Yeah, I’m heading off to sleep.”
“…” Yan Jing, just recovering from that bizarre choking sensation, fell silent for a beat. He forgot whatever he’d been about to say and asked, stunned and a little disappointed, “You’re done playing already?”
Without even turning around, Yu Bai punched him. “Shut up!!”
It was all this guy’s fault for tempting him with the game!
Xie Wufang, standing off to the side, also paused in silence for a moment before murmuring lowly, “I already saw it.”
He gazed at the two of them huddled together on the sofa, hesitated briefly, and then continued, “I saw it that day too—you stuffing the Doom Orb into the sofa—”
“I’m going to sleep right now! For real!”
Yu Bai cut off his calm words in a frantic rush, his ears red enough to bleed.
Enough already—stop talking!
…Yeah, this wasn’t even the first time he’d hidden something right in front of Xie Wufang.
So what if he’d seen it? Why did he have to spell it out—and dredge up ancient history, no less!
Didn’t the guy know the meaning of a tactful silence?!
How was he supposed to pass for human like this?!
Yu Bai raged internally, but on the outside, his expression turned as sweetly obedient as if he’d just spotted a doting elder. He hopped right up from the sofa and made a show of heading for the door. “I’m so sleepy. Time to wash up and hit the hay.”
At the sight, the utterly baffled Yan Jing blurted out a question that sealed his fate: “Little Bai, which room are you washing up in? You aren’t sleeping here with me?”
When the two of them had first burst into the room and hastily staged a cozy TV-watching scene, they’d taken a moment to admire the setup.
Not only did it boast a massive screen TV and the latest gaming console, but it was also a full suite, complete with two adjoining bedrooms. Each one held a big, comfy-looking bed, and all the other furniture was top-notch.
It was the dream spot for gaming sessions or hangouts with friends.
Who would’ve thought that amid this quaint, antique-style Chinese courtyard, there’d be such a modern, youth-friendly design tucked away?
Back then, Yu Bai and Yan Jing had both felt a surge of respect for Zhang Yunjiang. They’d even casually agreed to crash in the suite that night—no need to hog extra rooms and feel bad about it.
But now…
The words had barely left his mouth when Yan Jing sensed something was off.
He couldn’t quite put his finger on it.
The inscrutable non-human remained stone-faced. The guilty Little Bai kept up his fake nonchalance. The game music blaring from the TV was still cheerfully tempting.
And Yan Jing, fresh off his near-death escape…
Shit!
He was gonna die again!
That horrifying suffocation washed over him anew. In this do-or-die moment, Yan Jing unleashed the greatest burst of potential in his life. He shot straight up from the sofa.
“You sleep here—I’m done with games!” Clutching his throat as he struggled to breathe, he barreled toward the door like a hurricane, howling, “Fuck, this room’s cursed!!”
Like an animal dodging danger on pure instinct, Yan Jing narrowly escaped disaster.
Yu Bai, having no clue what was going on, stared at his friend’s scrambling, desperate retreat. A massive question mark slowly formed in his mind.
“…What the hell is his deal today?”
In his astonishment, Yu Bai couldn’t help but sigh from the heart: “Not bad for a fitness coach.”
How did anyone cross-legged on a sofa, spring up like that, land perfectly, and sprint off so smoothly?
It defied Earth’s gravity!
Amid his shock, Yu Bai suddenly realized that the spacious, luxurious suite now held only him and Xie Wufang.
And Xie Wufang hadn’t spared a glance for the bizarrely afflicted human. He simply kept watching Yu Bai, quietly and steadily.
…
Yu Bai halted mid-stride, the stride he’d been taking toward the door. Calmly picking up where Yan Jing had left off, he said, “Then I’ll crash here.”
He eyed the two bedrooms side by side, hesitated, and asked softly, “So, where were you planning to sleep tonight?”
Humans needed food, sleep, and entertainment. Under the old man’s generous hospitality, they’d planned out their evening and rooms early on.
But the non-human before him seemed to need none of that.
Xie Wufang’s answer to the question was simple: “Don’t know.”
As expected—he hadn’t given it a thought.
So Yu Bai pondered for a moment and took the initiative. “Why don’t you stay here too? We can each take a room. No need for Uncle Ah to have someone tidy up extras.”
They couldn’t impose too much.
And he couldn’t just leave the out-of-place non-human to fend for himself.
Besides, they were neighbors anyway, separated only by a wall.
Yu Bai asked as if it were the most natural thing in the world. The man replied just as naturally.
“Sure.”
And just like that, in a total haze, their sleeping arrangements for the night were set.
Five minutes later, as Yu Bai stood in the bathroom foaming at the mouth over his toothbrush, a subtle, peculiar sensation finally bubbled up in his chest, belatedly.
He really was planning to wash up properly and go to bed. He had no idea what Xie Wufang was doing out in the main room—he couldn’t see from the mirror.
Yu Bai paused his brushing and listened carefully. Not a sound.
He was curious.
Okay, fine—more than curious.
What did a non-human who didn’t need sleep do during these long, lonely nights?
He’d wondered about it more than once.
Tonight seemed like his best shot at an answer.
Sharing neighboring houses was one thing. Sharing adjacent bedrooms in a suite was another.
Right now, they even shared a living room.
And the bedroom doors didn’t have to be closed.
Gripping his toothbrush in front of the mirror, Yu Bai wrestled with himself for all of two seconds.
Then he quietly turned around, deciding to finish brushing in the living room.
…Humans wandered around while brushing their teeth all the time, right?
But just as Yu Bai was about to leave the bathroom, his phone—casually set on the counter—let out a short, sharp message notification chime.
Followed by a rapid series of pings.
Yu Bai stopped in his tracks and picked it up.
Messages from Yan Jing.
[Little Bai, I’m finally alive again! I really almost died back there!!]
[I thought it over carefully. It wasn’t the room. Everything was fine until that Xie guy showed up!]
[Hey Little Bai, where are you now? You still alive?!]
Yu Bai found himself swamped by a torrent of frantic words. He recognized every character, but he still had no idea what Yan Jing was on about.
Seeing his friend in such a panic, with messages piling up one after another, he fired off a quick reply.
[That Xie guy?]
Yan Jing was clearly glued to his phone. The response came lightning-fast.
[Yeah yeah! Thank god you’re okay!!]
[Stay far away from that guy! I’m serious! He’s terrifying!! Want me to come rescue you?]
[Though I don’t dare go near now aaaaa it’s way too scary!]
Yu Bai blinked in confusion at first. Then a mischievous impulse struck. His fingers danced lightly over the screen.
[The message above was from Xie Wufang.]
[I’m fine, just brushing my teeth. What’s gotten into you today? Want me to come over?]
He’d barely hit send on the first one when Yu Bai watched, wide-eyed, as the long string of messages on the left side of the screen vanished one by one, withdrawn.
Beneath a flood of “Yan Jing withdrew a message” notices popped up an exclamation-point explosion of a new one.
[Brother Xie!! Daddy!! Grandpa!!! I didn’t mean it like that!!!]
“……”
Yu Bai really couldn’t hold it in. He burst out laughing, but he didn’t forget to take a screenshot to preserve the moment for future blackmail material.
In the bright, warm light of the bathroom mirror, a brown-haired young man was reflected, toothbrush clenched between his teeth as he intently stared down at his phone. Notifications kept popping up, and in an instant, his eyes crinkled with mirth.
After a brief silence, a knock sounded from right outside the door.
Only then did Yu Bai pause his furious texting. A little dazed, he turned his head to look.
It was Xie Wufang.
He hadn’t even had a chance to sneak out and see what the non-human was up to, but the other man had come over first.
Did he want to wash up too?
Yu Bai blinked in surprise. He quickly set his phone down and sped up his brushing, blurting out on instinct, “I’ll be done soon—just give me a second!”
His words came out muffled around the toothpaste foam, but Xie Wufang at the door didn’t seem inclined to hurry him along.
The man’s face showed no particular expression, but a subtle ripple stirred in his gray-blue eyes. In a low voice, he said, “May I ask you a question?”
“What?” Yu Bai looked surprised but answered promptly. “Sure, go ahead.”
He couldn’t even remember how many questions he’d casually answered for this ever-curious, studious non-human. Why was he suddenly asking for permission first?
Xie Wufang, who had apparently picked up this habit from somewhere, continued now that he had the go-ahead.
“Why is he your best friend?”
He?
The question caught Yu Bai completely off guard. He took a moment to process it before realizing Xie Wufang meant Yan Jing.
That was how he’d introduced him yesterday.
—“His name is Yan Jing. He’s my friend… my best friend.”
Xie Wufang had responded at the time with a thoughtful echo: “Best friend?”
Yu Bai had wanted to explain, but he hadn’t been sure what the key point of that question was.
Best? Or friend?
Either way, it was one of those everyday concepts for humans that was actually hard to pin down precisely. Unsure how to clarify, Yu Bai had just changed the subject.
Xie Wufang had remembered it after all.
Such a quick study.
This time, Yu Bai knew he couldn’t brush it off.
“Wait till I finish brushing—almost done,” he said hurriedly, mouth full of foam. “It’s not easy to talk like this.”
Because this wasn’t a question he could sum up in a single simple sentence.
Xie Wufang waited quietly.
He watched as a serious light passed through those pale, warm eyes, gradually giving way to a smile tinged with the flavor of fond memories.
“Because one day when we were kids, I accidentally flew a paper airplane right into his chicken coop head, and that’s how we became best friends.”
As he spoke, Yu Bai thoughtfully added, “Chicken Coop Head is… well, a way to describe hair that looks all messy and tangled.”
When he finished, a flicker of bewilderment indeed surfaced in those deep, inscrutable blue eyes, just as expected.
No logic to it, right?
Seeing Xie Wufang’s expression, Yu Bai’s smile widened. He went on, “That’s how I always answer whenever someone asks me that.”
“Always?” Xie Wufang asked.
“Yeah. From childhood on, tons of people have asked me something similar—and always when Yan Jing wasn’t around.”
Like the teachers at school, who were so concerned about their star pupils. They’d pull him aside privately: Why do you always hang out with that kid who’s dead last in scores? Why are you so close to this dim-witted slacker?
Yu Bai wasn’t some flawless top-of-the-class genius with perfect scores, but between his unusual hair color and everything else, he was seen by teachers and classmates alike as a mature, bright kid with a promising future.
Add in his unique family situation, and the teachers kept a close eye on every detail of his life, terrified he might go astray or turn out wrong.
