Chapter 64: The Hypocritical Senior 06 Part 1

Li Xia closed the door and pulled the letter from the drawer.

He had seen Yu Sui’s handwriting before, and now, upon closer inspection, he could spot the tells.

Disgusting…

He felt disgusted with himself.

Li Xia’s face drained of all color, his hands trembling as he stood there like a trapped beast.

No… Senior.

He gripped the paper tightly, and his eyes gradually regained their calm. A strange curve tugged at the corners of his mouth.

Didn’t like him?

Hated him?

His chest heaved dramatically, betraying that he was far from calm.

Yu Sui finished his work and returned home.

He soaked in a hot bath, then washed up and lay down in bed.

Before drifting off to sleep, he sent Li Xia another message from that anonymous number.

[Looking at him with eyes like that? Who do you think you are?]

[You’re so gross. Stay away from Yu Sui.]

He sounded just like a hardcore solo stan fan who’d watched a live stream, venting their dissatisfaction.

Li Xia’s phone kept chiming incessantly. He turned his head and stared at it on the bedside table.

As he read the messages, a pang twisted in his heart.

His eyes burned red, and he bit his lips until they were bloody and mangled.

He was shaking.

The senior was so ruthless—one sentence was enough to make his heart bleed.

In the past, he’d treated these texts like candy. Now, they felt like sharp knives plunging into him.

Bang—

He smashed the phone to the floor and yanked the covers over himself.

The next day, he dragged himself to the company, utterly listless.

Yu Sui noticed his puffy, red eyes and split lip. He was momentarily stunned. So heartbroken? They’d barely even known each other long.

Yu Sui felt a bit awkward, but his persona demanded he put on a look of concern. “What happened to you? Are you not feeling well?”

The senior gazed at him with such gentle tones, but it only made Li Xia feel worse.

He hated him so much, yet he could still pretend like…

Li Xia shook his head, unable to muster even a smile. “I have some personal matters…”

He kept his head down and hurried past.

Yu Sui watched the young man’s retreating back and let out a long breath of relief. “Looks like he’s finally given up.”

He quickly put the matter out of his mind and got back to his own work.

At noon, they ate near the company.

Li Xia saw other artists from the company chatting amiably with Yu Sui, facing each other with smiles.

So he could show that gentle expression to anyone. So he wasn’t special after all.

Suddenly, Li Xia lost his appetite. He stood and headed out, passing right by Yu Sui’s side.

The man didn’t spare him a single glance.

Li Xia’s body stiffened, and then he quickened his pace.

He had never felt so pathetic before.

Not even when Su Shan had used his name to stir up all that trouble—he’d been annoyed then, but nothing like this.

[He… he really seems heartbroken.] The System couldn’t help but remark.

“I can’t understand it.” Yu Sui truly couldn’t.

The System fell silent.

Yu Sui looked at the junior before him, his gaze growing even gentler. After all, he posed no threat whatsoever.

In the afternoon, Yu Sui’s good mood soured.

They still had to shoot an interactive video together.

This time, the two of them changed into costumes from the drama.

The lighting around them was eerie, laced with a hint of ambiguity.

The younger brother gazed with fear in his eyes as the older brother reached from behind, his hand sliding possessively onto the younger one’s neck—strong and unyielding.

It symbolized that the younger brother could never escape his brother’s grasp.

Yesterday he’d hinted at rejection, and today they had to do QueerbaitingPairing stuff. Yu Sui felt incredibly awkward.

Li Xia’s eyes were still red, his lips scabbed over. It fit the drama’s character perfectly, so no makeup was needed.

Minmin was directing again.

She noticed the weird atmosphere between them and glanced back and forth. “Did you two have a fight?”

Yu Sui kept his composure at the question. “No.”

“What happened to you, Little Xia?” Minmin turned to Li Xia.

He tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Some family issues.”

His voice was thick with congestion.

Yu Sui frowned. “Is your cold still not better?”

It sounded even worse now.

“I…” Li Xia opened his mouth, then shook his head and lowered his gaze, not wanting to say more.

Yu Sui didn’t press.

But as partners, some physical contact was inevitable.

Li Xia’s body went rigid, and Yu Sui figured he was repulsed.

He felt awkward inside but had to take the initiative, pulling the young man into an embrace. His hand gripped Li Xia’s chin, forcing him to turn and meet his eyes.

Their gazes locked, and Yu Sui quickly looked away.

This was too cringeworthy.

Their vibes were all off.

Minmin had them reshoot several times, then shook her head. “Nope, your emotions are off. Find your groove on your own.”

With that, she grabbed her camera and left with the crew.

Yu Sui: …

He released the young man and straightened his clothes before walking over to sit on the sofa.

Li Xia saw him silent, clenched his fists, and stayed rooted in place with his head down.

“If you’re not feeling well, take the day off and rest,” Yu Sui said.

His tone was caring, as always.

Li Xia took a deep breath. “I’ll get my head in the game. I won’t hold you back, Senior.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Yu Sui explained.

The man was two-faced—gentle on the surface, vicious behind his back. Li Xia should have seen him as a hypocrite, but he realized…

Even so, he still couldn’t control his heart.

Li Xia stayed quiet, picking at his fingers.

The room fell into silence, the awkwardness thickening.

Yu Sui stood. “No rush. Take your time to get into it.”

The door clicked shut behind him.

Li Xia looked over.

So he hated him so much he couldn’t even stand being in the same room.

Yu Sui found Minmin. “His cold isn’t better yet. We probably can’t shoot today. Tomorrow, instead?”

“Sure.”

Yu Sui then found his assistant. “Li Xia’s eyes are swollen—get some ice for him to put on them. And grab him a thick jacket. Oh, and cold medicine.”

Once he’d given the instructions, Yu Sui returned to his own studio.

Li Xia was still moping in the room when the assistant pushed the door open. “Drink some hot water.”

He handed over the thermos.

“Thanks.” Li Xia took it but had no appetite for it.

“No problem. Brother Sui told me to.” The assistant added, “You’re dressed too thin. Put on this jacket.”

He handed over the jacket and medicine. “Don’t stress. Brother Sui and Sister Minmin said no shooting today. Go home and rest up.”

Li Xia blinked in surprise. “Yu… Senior… he told you to do this?”

“Yeah.” The assistant nodded. “I’ve got stuff to do—heading out.”

Li Xia thanked him and clutched the jacket.

Why was he still being so thoughtful…

He found him so disgusting, so why…

His heart stirred again because of the man’s actions.

Was there some misunderstanding?

With that thought, Li Xia stood.

He took the thermos, medicine, and jacket with him.

Back home, he showered first, then slipped into the clothes Yu Sui had given him.

Even with his heart in pieces, he couldn’t bear to throw them away.

Li Xia began searching for information on Yu Sui.

His eyes were dry and sore, but he kept staring at the screen.

In the comments of some posts bashing Yu Sui, he saw fans explaining.

[Sui Sui isn’t prejudiced or discriminatory—it’s just that he was harassed before, leaving him with some trauma, so he’s a bit…]

[Yeah, some of those photos are extreme. They’re enough to make your eyes bleed.]

Li Xia gripped the mouse tightly. So… it was because of things that happened before…

He picked up his phone and called the director.

“Hello?”

“What’s up?”

“Director, can I ask you something?”

“Go ahead.”

“Is the senior… homophobic…?”

There was a long silence on the other end.

“He was targeted by a wave of harassment before, so he’s got some trauma,” the director said carefully. “Don’t worry, though—he’s a pro. He won’t let personal feelings affect his work.”

Li Xia thanked him and hung up.

He pressed his lips together.

The senior knew his orientation and had seen through his feelings, so he’d…

Li Xia patted his burning cheeks, but he couldn’t rein in his heart.

His head felt foggy.

Dazed, Li Xia crawled under the covers.

Yu Sui bundled up tightly, a twinge of guilt in his chest. “I’m such a jerk.”

The guy was heartbroken like that, and here he was scaring him.

[Just… tone it down a bit,] the System suggested.

“No way,” Yu Sui rejected.

[Then what will you say?]

“That it wasn’t really from me.”

He chatted idly with the System, unaware that someone was tailing him.

Su Shan had grown very interested in this man.

He loathed Li Xia in private, yet acted so gentle at the company.

Word of his thoughtful behavior today had spread through the office, and Su Shan had heard it too.

He couldn’t fathom how someone could act so convincingly.

Su Shan was used to lurking in the shadows, his tracking skills top-notch. Yu Sui noticed nothing amiss.

Seeing the man head to Li Xia’s neighborhood, he raised an eyebrow. What was he up to?

Yu Sui entered the complex with ease and took the elevator up to Li Xia’s place.

He unlocked the door quietly and tiptoed toward the bedroom.

It wasn’t locked.

Yu Sui pulled a glow-in-the-dark marker from his pocket, along with a doll. He pressed the doll’s handprint onto the wall.

Even he found it a bit creepy.

With last night’s setup complete, Yu Sui turned to leave.

Then he heard a cough from the bed.

Yu Sui froze, startled.

He held his breath, planning to wait until the other settled before slipping out.

But the coughing grew worse, like the young man was hacking up a lung.

Yu Sui frowned. He stood there in the dark for a good ten minutes, waiting until the coughing quieted and confirming he was asleep. Only then did he approach the bedside.

He peeled off his gloves and brushed the back of his hand against Li Xia’s cheek. It was scorching hot—he flinched.

The guy had a fever.

Yu Sui frowned, hesitating for just a second before flicking on the light.

[Host, you…] The System sounded stunned. It hadn’t expected Yu Sui to intervene instead of letting him die.

Yu Sui said nothing. He turned and headed outside to rummage for medicine.

He was grateful now that he’d bought all that random stuff last time.

As he dug through the drawer, he heard footsteps.

They started suddenly, drawing closer and closer until they stopped right behind him.

Yu Sui’s body went rigid, sweat prickling his skin. Had he been caught red-handed?

Was Li Xia putting on an act?

A flurry of thoughts raced through his mind.

He turned slowly. From the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a pair of long boots. His heart didn’t settle—instead, it pounded harder.

Su Shan.

He was sure of it.

His identity couldn’t be exposed right now. Yu Sui swallowed hard, then shot to his feet and swung a fist.

Su Shan sidestepped with ease and reached out to grab his arm.

Yu Sui kicked out with his leg.