Chapter 93: Beauty 14 Part 2

So, Li Nanxiao probably didn’t need to make the trip anymore.

No need to trouble him further.

But…

Yu Bai got out of bed and got dressed, then dialed the number as he did.

“Uncle Li, have you had lunch yet?”

“Not yet. You just woke up and saw my message?”

“Yeah.” Yu Bai laughed as he replied, “Want to come over to my place for some? I recently found this amazing baozi shop.”

There was always that short addictive phase after discovering a food you loved, where you craved it every single day.

The middle-aged man on the other end of the line paused, clearly caught off guard, then chuckled warmly. “Sure, I’ve been craving baozi anyway. I’ll be there in about twenty minutes—meet at the neighborhood entrance?”

“Sounds good. See you soon!”

Fifteen minutes later, Yu Bai—dressed in a simple white T-shirt and shorts—slipped on his shoes at the entryway, slung his backpack over one shoulder, and headed out the door.

He walked lightly down the hallway, about to turn into the elevator area, when he heard the sound of a door opening behind him.

Followed by a familiar low voice.

“Yu Bai.”

He turned back in mild surprise.

There stood a tall man in a black T-shirt, gazing at him with a calm expression.

Huh?

He wasn’t wearing a white dress shirt for once.

Black really suited him better, though.

Too bad it was summer—no high-neck sweaters in this heat.

“Good morning,” Yu Bai blurted out.

Then he reconsidered. “Actually, it should be ‘good afternoon.'” His voice was light and cheerful. “You heading out too?”

Xie Wufang’s gaze drifted faintly over the backpack on Yu Bai’s shoulder. “I heard you leaving,” he said honestly.

“Oh.” Yu Bai didn’t think much of it. “I made plans with Uncle Li to grab baozi at that shop.”

“Want to come along?”

In this world, Li Nanxiao and Xie Wufang had met once before.

After seeing and speaking with him in person, the Criminal Investigation Captain had felt at ease about Yu Bai’s mysterious neighbor. He’d even encouraged Yu Bai to make more friends—after all, a close neighbor was better than a distant relative.

Five minutes later, Li Nanxiao arrived right on time at the neighborhood entrance. He checked the time on his wristwatch, then raised an eyebrow in surprise at the sight of the two figures approaching side by side.

One in black, one in white—surprisingly harmonious.

Beyond that striking first impression, a flicker of complex doubt stirred in his chest.

He remembered Yu Bai’s blue-eyed neighbor.

He knew they’d gone to the North Pole together, so they were clearly friends now.

But…

Li Nanxiao had always seen the young man as harmless—a reserved, safe sort of person.

Yet ever since that strange morning when everyone inexplicably started panic-buying down jackets, Li Nanxiao had felt an inexplicable sense that Little Bai’s neighbor was dangerous.

And yet… deeply trustworthy.

It was an odd impression, almost like déjà vu.

He had no idea where it came from.

“Uncle Li! This is my neighbor from next door—you should remember him, right? His name’s Xie Wufang. Xie as in ‘nothing there,’ and Fang as in the square next to the sun radical.”

They’d reached him by now, and Li Nanxiao snapped out of his thoughts, smiling as he greeted Yu Bai’s new friend. “Hey, good to see you again. Joining us for food?”

“Mm.” Xie Wufang’s tone toward him was mild enough to count as warm. “Hello.”

On the sunlit street, the sign for Beautiful Breakfast gleamed brightly.

Li Nanxiao held a plastic bag in one hand and popped another Chicken Wing Bun into his mouth, thinking to himself that they really were delicious.

He and Yu Bai had similar tastes in food, so back when Yu Bai was little, whenever he had time, Li Nanxiao would take the kid around town, hitting up all the best spots.

Now, here was grown-up Yu Bai treating him instead. A wave of nostalgia washed over Li Nanxiao.

Yu Bai had changed quite a bit since their last meeting.

He was more outgoing now, more carefree.

And faintly, Li Nanxiao felt like he’d seen Yu Bai like this somewhere before.

So it didn’t feel all that surprising.

He had no idea why, but he was happy to see it.

The Baozi Shop Boss Lady, though? She might not share the sentiment.

Li Nanxiao munched on his bun while listening to Yu Bai chat with her, a mix of helplessness and amusement softening his mild expression.

This capable, efficient Boss Lady clearly wasn’t much for small talk—her demeanor even bordered on sullen. Yet here she was, cornered by a chatty customer buying baozi.

…Yu Bai seemed a little unsure of what to say himself.

But he was still trying hard to keep the conversation going.

“Boss Lady, these buns are delicious as always.”

“Thanks.”

“Nice weather today, huh? Not too hot.”

“Mm.”

Yu Bai fell silent for a moment, then decided to ask something more sincere.

The difference in her mood—good days versus bad—was night and day.

“Why the bad mood today? Did something happen?”

“…” The expressionless Boss Lady seemed to take a deep breath, her lips twitching into a stiff smile. “Nope. I’m in a great mood.”

A great mood.

Delivered in the most unconvincing, icy tone.

Li Nanxiao, watching from the sidelines, nearly burst out laughing.

He coughed lightly, glanced at his watch, and decided to rescue the talented Boss Lady.

“Already half past twelve? Time flies. Little Bai, shall we head to that young lady’s place after this?”

As Li Nanxiao spoke, the Boss Lady behind the steaming baskets finally exhaled in relief. She instinctively glanced at the clock on the shop wall.

A hint of confusion crossed her face.

“It’s not even noon yet,” she said.

Li Nanxiao, who had been waiting for Yu Bai’s reply, froze.

He looked at the wall clock too—it definitely read just after eleven.

It had been well before noon when he’d met up with Yu Bai at the neighborhood entrance.

Li Nanxiao lifted his wrist, puzzled. “But my watch says half past twelve.”

The Boss Lady peered over. “Your watch must be broken. I checked my phone earlier—it’s just after eleven.”

It all happened so fast. Before Yu Bai could react, both of them had already noticed the anomaly on the watch face.

The wall clock ticked to 11:41:02—the proper noontime in this timespace.

But the watch showed 12:37:11—a time deeply familiar to Yu Bai.

“Don’t look at that—”

The warning came too late, so Yu Bai gritted his teeth and stared straight at Li Nanxiao’s watch instead, his words shifting.

“Don’t be scared later. I’ll come find you!”

Xie Wufang had noticed the watch even sooner than anyone else.

Under the stunned gazes of the Criminal Investigation Captain and the Baozi Shop Boss Lady, a wave of dizziness crashed over them.

In that fleeting darkness, Yu Bai had only one thought.

We were supposed to have some temporary peace!!

It had only been three days since returning from the last timespace.

Way too temporary!!

His thick lashes trembled in fury.

When he opened his eyes again, the baozi shop’s rich aromas were gone.

But a simple, homely scent of rice and dishes lingered in the air.

All around were quaint, antique-style buildings, and extras in costume clustered together, eating boxed lunches.

…Vertical Store Film and TV Base.

The timespace where Yu Bai had brought Xie Wufang to learn acting.

As the dizziness faded, Yu Bai let out a genuine sigh of relief.

At least it wasn’t some other timespace.

Twelve thirty-seven was the standard endpoint for a time loop’s normal conclusion. After he’d mastered the rules within the loops, most timespaces ended right on schedule. So this timestamp alone didn’t reveal the destination.

All in all, thank goodness it was this one—a perfectly normal timespace where he’d already explained things to Xie Wufang.

The few minor roles they’d played involved all-night exterior scenes. They’d wrapped at dawn, and afterward, agents had swarmed them with business cards and hellos. They’d ended up hanging around the base all morning.

Yu Bai remembered that at this point, they had just finished lunch and were wandering around.

His mind raced as he processed the sudden shift to this timespace, sorting out the situation while fuming at the Doom Orb for messing things up again.

This time, it had dragged in Uncle Li—who knew nothing about any of this—and the Baozi Shop Boss Lady.

How was he supposed to explain now?

…Damn you, Doom Orb!!

As his thoughts churned…

Whoosh—

Maybe he was so mad he was seeing things, but the world around him seemed to refresh itself.

Dazed, Yu Bai turned to Xie Wufang, who he knew was right beside him.

The man had changed out of his costume and removed his makeup, back to his familiar handsome face and serene gaze.

“Is this the timespace where we were filming?”

“Yeah.”

Yu Bai rubbed his eyes but noticed nothing out of the ordinary.

The man who had been quietly watching him suddenly frowned in confusion.

“What is that?”

The abrupt question snapped Yu Bai out of his thoughts.

Xie Wufang reached out, as if to touch something hovering next to Yu Bai’s head.

But his hand met only empty air.

His long, elegant fingers froze in midair, a flicker of bewilderment rising in those beautiful, profound eyes.

Yu Bai blinked around in equal confusion. “What?”

Then he caught sight of his reflection in the glass door nearby.

There really was something there.

Right in the air next to his temple.

Exactly where Xie Wufang’s hand had paused.

A black blob, swaying gently…

???

As Yu Bai’s eyes widened in shock and his emotions shifted, the bulging-vein well marks symbolizing his anger vanished from view.

In their place appeared a tangle of chaotic lines spinning wildly across his forehead, accompanied by a spray of little stars bursting outward.

At the sight, Yu Bai—whose mind was an utter mess right then—couldn’t help but blurt out a curse.

“…Holy shit!”

He gawked, dumbfounded. “It’s a cartoon!!!”