Chapter 60: The Hypocritical Senior 02 Part 1

Yu Sui averted his gaze, afraid he couldn’t keep his emotions in check.

“I started from bit parts too,” he said. “But you’re incredible for your very first acting gig. Real natural talent.”

Li Xia’s lips twitched at the praise, his smile impossible to suppress. “Have a seat, Senior. I’ll go make dinner.”

The young man headed into the kitchen.

Yu Sui flipped through a book while glancing toward the kitchen. “Did you end up buying any of those?”

“What?” Li Xia poked his head out, looking at him. “What do you mean, Senior?”

“You know, those little pamphlets.” Yu Sui gestured vaguely.

“They should be on the desk in my room, Senior. Feel free to take a look.” With that, Li Xia ducked back into the kitchen to keep working.

Something flickered in Yu Sui’s eyes as he stepped into the bedroom.

He rummaged around casually for the pamphlets, his gaze scanning for anything useful.

Nothing suspicious on the surface.

His eyes landed on the locked drawer, and Yu Sui raised an eyebrow.

Li Xia was a decent cook, but Yu Sui’s appetite wasn’t great. He only managed a few bites.

“Thanks for coming to check on me, Senior.” Li Xia spoke up again as Yu Sui rose to leave, expressing his gratitude once more.

“If you really want to thank me, get better soon.” Yu Sui reminded him.

Li Xia nodded and watched him go.

The elevator doors only opened once Yu Sui was inside, and then Li Xia finally shut the door.

Li Xia pulled a key from his pocket. He found the ink pad in the drawer under the TV and stamped it neatly.

Then he sent Yu Sui a message.

[WeChat] Li Xia: Senior, you left your key here. Want me to drop it off?

Yu Sui, now in his car, saw the message and frowned slightly. He patted his pockets—sure enough, the key was gone.

He suspected Li Xia had taken it on purpose, maybe to lure him back to the apartment.

He called out to the driver. “Hold on a second.”

[WeChat] Yu Sui: I’m still downstairs. Can you bring it down?

[WeChat] Li Xia: Of course!

Gripping the key, the young man dashed down in a rush, not even bothering with his jacket.

Yu Sui lowered the car window. He stared for a moment at Li Xia’s disheveled hair and panting breaths.

“Here you go, Senior.” Li Xia handed over the key.

Yu Sui took it.

Perhaps from exhaustion, Li Xia’s hand trembled slightly, brushing against Yu Sui’s fingers.

Yu Sui stiffened. He snatched the key and pulled his hand back in a flash.

“See you later, Senior.” Li Xia waved.

Yu Sui grunted in response. He gripped the key tightly and forced a smile.

The window rolled up. Yu Sui slipped on a mask, and the smile vanished.

Li Xia watched the car drive away, hands in his pockets, then turned and headed back into the complex.

Once home, Yu Sui took a shower and changed into comfortable clothes. He lounged on the sofa, laptop in his lap as he bought accounts online.

[Host, you…] The System hesitated to speak. Its memories from the previous world weren’t blocked, and right now, the Host felt terrifyingly unfamiliar.

Once again, it was ignored.

Puzzled, the System began reporting the situation.

Ding—

It quickly pieced it together.

In the first two worlds, the Host’s personality had been shaped by implanted memories, though underlying traits like being a “straight guy” still shone through.

False personality or real—it could be swapped with main and sub-personalities.

Previously, the Host had been dormant, and the sub-personality emerged to awaken the main one. That process required bonds with those fragmented souls.

Now that he was awake, there was no need to alter his personality anymore.

But was this cold demeanor his true nature, or lingering influence from the plot?

The System wasn’t sure. It decided to observe a bit more.

Yu Sui didn’t act rashly. “Can you give me a golden finger?”

[What? Me?] The System was stunned.

“Yeah, something to let me hack into his computer.” Yu Sui stared at his screen, looking expectant.

[Sorry, our lane only provides various play props.] The System replied.

Yu Sui’s mouth twitched. “Figures…”

Then something else occurred to him. “System, are you male or female? Do you even have a gender?”

[What’s this about?] The System was baffled.

“I’m homophobic.” Yu Sui said. “If you’re male and bound to me, isn’t that a bit too intimate?”

[…] The System was speechless; it never imagined the Host coming up with that word.

“Say something.” Yu Sui grew wary. “And when I shower or change, do you watch?”

[First off, AI has no gender and doesn’t understand human emotions.] The System explained. [Second, everything below the neck is mosaiced, so relax. Finally, guys being close can just be pure bromance.]

“I don’t buy it.” Yu Sui shot back.

[You…] The System suspected it now knew Yu Sui’s true personality: a homophobic straight guy through and through.

That would explain the paranoia—no way he’d ever get cozy with the protagonist.

But somehow, it felt more at ease with him like this.

“You think that Li Xia has a thing for me…?” Yu Sui started suspecting again.

He kept rambling.

[Why’d you ignore me earlier?] The System asked, confused. The Host was like a different person now.

“I was observing this world. Observing you.” Yu Sui said. “I’ve read books about systems crushing on their Hosts, or cannon fodder characters everyone loves. So I played it cool to see if you’d secretly tuck me in.”

[…]

The System was at a loss for words.

[You’re not some heartthrob everyone falls for.]

“But Li Xia…”

[The protagonist only falls for the protagonist.] The System reassured him, though inwardly it felt a twinge of guilt from the last world…

Yu Sui’s eyes narrowed at the guarantee, and he relaxed. “Good to know.”

He’d gone in such a massive circle just to hear that.

Not pure narcissism after all—he’d been playing it to draw it out.

Too bad, though…

Some scenes in this drama required specific weather, but the forecast called for rain over the next two weeks.

Yu Sui was in high spirits. He planned to ruin Li Xia utterly within that time.

No more sharing a set.

Li Xia sent a regretful message, and Yu Sui smiled, replying with a sigh. “No worries. We can still run into each other at the company.”

He shut off his phone, eyes glinting.

Getting hold of Li Xia’s schedule was a breeze. The guy had no defenses up, and everyone at the company knew they got along as senior and junior.

Yu Sui had monthly goals, but he crushed them easily, so no rush.

Today, he skipped the company. Holding the duplicate key to Li Xia’s place, he changed outfits and strolled into the complex.

He hunched his back, donned a wig, and moved with natural ease.

The door clicked open, and Yu Sui beelined for the bedroom.

He knew the young man never locked it.

He tore through the place.

Nothing under the pillow or bed. No weird clothes in the closet. No secrets in the books. Finally, that drawer.

Yu Sui pulled out a piece of wire.

[You… you know how to do that?] The System was shocked.

Yu Sui stayed silent, focused intently as he fiddled with it.

In the end, he gave up. “TV makes it look so easy. All lies.”

[You…] The System went quiet.

Yu Sui tried the computer next. Not the birthday.

He checked the other rooms too—no signs of a boyfriend or sugar daddy.

He restored everything and left, disappointed.

In the elevator downstairs, a man got on at the stairwell, masked and capped, eyes full of curiosity.

Yu Sui exited the complex and hailed a cab home.

[Aren’t you worried about getting caught later?] The System thought he was both meticulous and reckless.

“Eh, I’ll get exposed eventually anyway. Whatever.” Yu Sui shrugged.

[Then why all the caution? Why put up with the discomfort to get close to him?] The System didn’t get it.

“The script glosses over it in a few lines, but pulling it off takes real groundwork.” Yu Sui said solemnly. “I had to earn his trust to snag that key and map out the place.”

[Didn’t it make you uncomfortable?]

“Of course it did. But when you’re grinding for a paycheck, when does it ever feel good?” Yu Sui grumbled.

[Fair point.] The System agreed.

Back home, Yu Sui pondered how to crack the computer, drawer, and phone.

Start with the phone, maybe.

As he mulled it over, his phone buzzed.

Yu Sui arched a brow and saw it was Li Xia calling.

He answered. “Yeah?”

“Senior, why didn’t you come to the company today?” The young man’s voice held genuine concern.

“Taking the day off.” Yu Sui replied.

“Oh, got it.” Li Xia sounded enlightened. “By the way, the director brought back some tea from out of town. He said you like it. I’ll swing by after work.”

Yu Sui’s expression soured. “Sure.”

He gave the address anyway.

After hanging up, Yu Sui looked guarded. “He’s definitely up to something.”

[You’re overthinking it.] The System said. [Even if you’re hot, even if he’s giving you stuff, it doesn’t mean he likes you. Could just be sucking up.]

“You wouldn’t get it. Call it intuition.” Yu Sui insisted.

The System couldn’t shake his suspicions and sighed inwardly. It had tried its best; there’d be a replay later.

Once Li Xia wrapped up, he grabbed the tea and cabbed it to Yu Sui’s complex.

He texted on arrival.

Soon, the man came down.

He wore a loose camel-colored sweater with a V-neck that bared a wide swath of skin. The slightly long sleeves covered most of his hands, fingertips faintly flushed as they gripped the umbrella handle.

Black casual suit pants hugged his long, straight legs, his perfect build drawing lingering glances from passersby.

The black umbrella obscured most of his face. Li Xia gripped the umbrella handle tightly, staring fixedly at Yu Sui’s collarbone. It was so white—dazzlingly white.

The umbrella lifted, revealing a sharp chin, pale thin lips, a perfectly sculpted nose bridge, and those deep eyes sparkling with amusement.

He belonged on the big screen.

“Senior,” Li Xia thought to himself.

He hurried forward. “Why aren’t you wearing a jacket?”

He glanced down again. Yu Sui was wearing cloth slippers with no socks—clearly, he’d rushed downstairs the moment he’d seen Li Xia’s message.

“Thanks for making the trip,” Yu Sui said, eyeing the tea leaves in Li Xia’s hand. “He certainly knows my preferences.”

“Are you two close?” Li Xia didn’t hand over the tea right away. Instead, he fell into step beside Yu Sui, his actions clearly signaling that he wanted to go inside with him.

Yu Sui kept smiling, but inwardly, he vented to the System. “Look at this.”

[It’s probably because you’re too gentle,] the System replied. [Handsome, kind, and full of career advice—who wouldn’t fall for that?]

The words soothed Yu Sui’s mood. “So, I need to be utterly detestable from here on out.”

He pressed his fingertips together slightly. “My place might be a bit messy. Don’t mind it.”

“No need to stand on ceremony with me, Senior,” Li Xia said, shaking his head.