Chapter 113: Dimension 20

Huh?

Yu Bai instinctively said, “I didn’t…”

But halfway through, he stopped himself.

He truly had no intention of asking this timeline’s Yan Jing for help.

That said, he had indeed chatted with Yan Jing on his phone while waiting for Xie Wufang at the Broker Company, and that’s how he’d learned about Yan Jing getting sent home to reflect after fighting with some club members.

Whenever he had free time, Yan Jing would drop by on a whim to hang out, and Yu Bai never minded.

After all, they were best friends.

Living alone could get pretty lonely.

…But why, at this exact moment, did he feel this inexplicable panic?

His rebuttal trailed off, his long lashes trembling under the hallway lights, betraying a subtle hint of guilt.

His emotions in a jumble, Yu Bai hesitated briefly before continuing his explanation in a quiet voice. “I didn’t know he was coming over.”

He hadn’t even gotten around to answering Yan Jing’s question.

No response came from beside him—just silence.

Yu Bai glanced up, sneaking a peek.

The familiar profile was as sharp and handsome as ever, but now it seemed taut. The smooth line of his jaw was cast in especially harsh relief by the light, his gaze icy cold. Even without a word, he exuded a suffocating pressure.

…He really did seem upset.

“You—” Yu Bai started, only for a low voice to cut him off.

Xie Wufang suddenly said, “You didn’t finish what you were saying earlier.”

“Huh?”

Yu Bai blinked, then caught on.

He’d originally wanted to invite Xie Wufang over to watch the ad footage together.

But…

Yu Bai glanced awkwardly at Yan Jing, who was standing right there at his door.

Yan Jing’s eyes darted back and forth between them, his expression shifting rapidly.

First came the surprise and curiosity of seeing a stranger for the first time, then bewilderment and scrutiny when he noticed Yu Bai’s odd demeanor.

This atmosphere felt oddly familiar somehow.

What was it called again?

Then he met his best friend’s troubled, helpless gaze, and all other thoughts flew out of his head. He snapped to attention.

Little Bai was definitely asking him for help!

Who was this intimidating stranger, popping up out of nowhere? He didn’t look like good news.

Yu Bai had never mentioned him before, so he probably wasn’t a classmate or friend.

Was he here to cause trouble?

Could he be one of Tian Ge’s enemies?

Yan Jing’s thoughts ran wild as alarm bells rang in his head. He immediately set down the bag of fried chicken, turned without a trace of fear, and strode toward them.

He clenched his fists on purpose, tensing his body. His well-built arm muscles bulged impressively, making him look quite formidable, his steps solid and powerful.

“I’ve been waiting for you forever,” Yan Jing said with a frown, deliberately putting on a grumpy, fierce face. “Weren’t we supposed to play games tonight? Get inside already—stop dawdling!”

“…” Yu Bai was even more caught off guard.

He stared in shock, unable to fathom what his all-brawn-and-no-brains friend was up to.

Who said we made plans?!

But before Yu Bai could explain, a faint breeze brushed past him.

In that instant as they passed shoulder to shoulder, he heard an extraordinarily calm voice.

“I’ll head home first.”

Xie Wufang didn’t press for the rest of his unfinished sentence.

Instead, he walked straight to his own apartment.

Yan Jing, still on high alert, watched wide-eyed as the stranger stopped at the door next to Little Bai’s.

Then he pulled out a key, utterly expressionless.

“So he’s your neighbor, huh?”

Yan Jing paused, his flexed muscles twitching as he relaxed all at once. He let out a sigh of relief. “Man, you scared me. I thought he was someone sketchy. Wasn’t I super intimidating just now? Heh.”

“No!” Watching Xie Wufang’s retreating back, Yu Bai blurted out on reflex, “…He’s more than just a neighbor.”

Yan Jing froze. His heart leaped back up into his throat, fist clenching tight.

The man’s movements as he unlocked the door paused ever so slightly.

The humid summer night air carried their overlapping voices.

“He’s my friend too.”

“Huh? How come I didn’t know? When did you meet this guy?”

“…It’s a long story. Happened a little while ago.”

“Damn, you didn’t tell me! Doesn’t matter if it’s long—spill it. This fried chicken’s gonna get cold. Come on, back to your place. We can eat and talk.”

As he spoke, the door not far away clicked shut soundlessly.

The familiar figure vanished completely behind it.

Yu Bai, who had just fished his own keys from his pocket, zoned out for a moment.

A faint, inexplicable sense of loss washed over his heart.

Eager to save the fried chicken, Yan Jing snatched the keys from his hand and unlocked the door with practiced ease.

Glancing back, he saw Yu Bai still staring blankly and asked in surprise, “Little Bai, what’re you looking at?”

He scanned the area himself but saw nothing, so he studied his friend’s expression instead. “You look just like… yeah! Like someone eyeing the pot while eating from the bowl.”

Yu Bai snapped out of it amid Yan Jing’s rambling, bewildered as he pulled his gaze away. He hadn’t caught a word. “What do you want to eat?”

That sparked an idea in Yan Jing. His eyes lit up with excitement. “I remember what that vibe earlier was now!”

“It’s a Shura field!”

He slapped the door in glee, words tumbling out. “In a group of three, one has to get eliminated!”

The door shuddered.

Yu Bai shuddered too.

…

What the hell was this nonsense?!

He sighed, closing the door with deep exasperation. “Enough with the cringey memes already.”

“No, wait—I don’t mean the novel kind of Shura field.”

Yan Jing tried to defend his lame brainstorm. “I mean the literal term! For real, your neighbor looks terrifying—like a demon from hell or something. That aura of his is no joke.”

“So,” he said smugly, showing off, “it’s a double pun!”

“…” Yu Bai shot him an irritated glare. “Put away the puns too!!”

“No, no—speaking of puns—”

With a whole week off work, Yan Jing was bursting with energy, ideas popping nonstop like fireworks. He couldn’t stop.

“You know what else puns are called?”

“No.” Yu Bai cut him off firmly. “And I don’t want to know.”

Yan Jing announced triumphantly anyway: “They’re also called 2D!”

“Huh?” Yu Bai, lost in his train-of-thought nonsense, asked on instinct. “Why?”

“Because ‘double’—that’s two, like 2D. And D is a unit too!”

Yan Jing cracked up, slapping his thigh at his own brilliant flash of genius. “Damn, how’d I come up with that? I’m a genius!”

“…”

Yu Bai’s mouth twitched. He buried his face in his hands, utterly done with life.

He’d never felt this speechless in his entire life.

If this were an anime, black lines would be raining down his forehead like instant noodles.

Stop with the lame memes, puns, and dad jokes already—it’s freezing cold!!!

He was about to call the cops!

Still, Yan Jing’s interruption had chased away the weird mood lingering in his heart.

Back inside, amid the pervasive aroma of fried chicken, Yu Bai stared at his clear-eyed, blissfully dumb friend for a moment. In the end, he decided to come clean.

“There’s something I need to tell you. It sounds unbelievable, but I’m dead serious—no joke.”

Yan Jing grabbed a piece of fried chicken, a little thrown by his unusually grave tone. “I’m listening. Lay it on me. How unbelievable can it be—”

Fifteen minutes later, he was still clutching that same cold, uneaten piece, jaw dropped. “Th-this… yeah, that’s pretty unbelievable.”

Yu Bai couldn’t help chuckling at his brain-fried expression.

With a sigh, he said, “Yeah. I never imagined the guy next door isn’t even human.”

At the same time, Yan Jing blurted out in disbelief, “No way I’d be scared of him! Am I really that chicken?!”

“…” Yu Bai fell silent. “Why is that your takeaway?”

“It’s important, okay?!” Yan Jing argued vehemently. “Look how heroic I was earlier! I didn’t look scared at all. He’s obviously not as jacked as me! I buy everything else you said—except that.”

…Fine.

At least he believed the neighbor-not-being-human part, plus the time loop and timespace travel bits.

Not bad for a best friend who’d believe him no matter what.

Except when it came to muscles.

Deeply touched that Yan Jing hadn’t doubted the key stuff, Yu Bai felt a surge of warmth.

Yan Jing was still hung up on Yu Bai saying he’d been scared of Xie Wufang, digging for more intel. “Little Bai, are you scared of him?”

Yu Bai shook his head. “Nope.”

At first, when he knew nothing about his mysterious neighbor, Yu Bai wasn’t afraid.

Later, as he gradually realized the other was a blank sheet of paper who never lied, he became even less likely to feel any fear.

And now…

Yan Jing noticed his hesitation and asked curiously, “What are you thinking about?”

Lost in thought, Yu Bai replied offhandedly, “I’m wondering why a person would suddenly develop secrets.”

Yan Jing was suddenly baffled.

He couldn’t figure out why the conversation had jumped from Non-Human to humans, but he could tell Little Bai was genuinely troubled by it.

Still, this hardly seemed like a real problem.

Yan Jing stated the obvious. “Because he has something he doesn’t want to tell anyone else!”

…

Listening to you feels just like listening to nothing at all.

Yu Bai sighed wistfully. “That’s exactly what I want to know—why he has secrets in the first place.”

“What’s the mystery there?” Yan Jing looked puzzled. “Everyone has secrets. It’d be weird if they didn’t.”

But Non-Human had originally been a transparent and honest god.

Today, however, he seemed rather strange.

It was as if a veil of mist had descended, too thick to see the far shore.

Yu Bai didn’t feel afraid because of it.

He simply felt suddenly… at a loss.

Unknowing bewilderment and melancholy swirled in his light brown eyes, plain as day to the man sitting across from him.

Yan Jing paused, as if discovering a new continent, then blurted out in realization, “—Little Bai, you really are acting kind of strange.”

Yu Bai blinked in confusion. “Me?”

“Yeah! Since when are you so curious about other people’s business? Wondering why they even have secrets?”

Little Bai usually only stumbled into trouble by accident. He preferred to keep his distance from everyone and rarely even left home—how could he possibly take an active interest in someone else?

A possibility suddenly struck Yan Jing. Shocked, he shot to his feet. “Holy crap! Don’t tell me you’ve got someone you like?!”

Those words hit Yu Bai even harder. He sprang up without thinking. “How could I possibly like an elevator!”

He couldn’t even imagine dating an elevator.

A human and an elevator? That was beyond absurd!

The words had barely left his mouth when both chairs clattered to the floor.

The two men, who had risen for no reason at all, stared at each other.

Yan Jing couldn’t wrap his head around it. He stared, utterly baffled. “…An elevator?”

Yu Bai caught himself and looked away awkwardly. “…Cough, just a figure of speech.”