Yu Xi began searching through Yi Chen’s Moments for this woman.
But he didn’t find many photos.
The woman only appeared in the first few Moments after Yi Chen went abroad, with very few appearances.
The pleasant mood from scrolling through Yi Chen’s Moments seemed to be cut off halfway by the woman’s appearance. When he reached the bottom of the feed, there were no more updates. Yu Xi stared blankly at the screen for a while, not knowing what else to do. He turned off the screen, leaned back onto the bed, and chose to sleep.
The cicadas in summer night were always too noisy. Even after closing the windows and drawing the curtains, their sounds still seeped in from the corners in tiny fragments.
Yu Xi didn’t sleep very soundly.
Perhaps because he had run around too many places all day and was exhausted, in the dream, Yu Xi was also too tired to muster any energy. He walked a very long road and finally found a bench to sit down on, wanting to rest properly.
Then the woman’s voice suddenly appeared by his ear.
Very soft, very gentle: “How can you rest, little Xi?”
Yu Xi jolted in shock, abruptly straightening his back and whipping his head around.
He couldn’t see her face clearly, only a woman in a red dress, revealing a hollow black smile: “For you, I gave up my life and lost my job. How can you rest… You can’t rest, okay…”
“Little Xi, get up, keep practicing, don’t waste time resting…”
Perhaps from excessive fear, or maybe his brain’s protective mechanism made him unwilling to recall, a needle-like pain stabbed the back of Yu Xi’s neck. A dense chill crawled up the back of his head like insects crossing, the air seemed instantly drained, the scene vanished, and amid a dizzying spin, Yu Xi woke up in the hospital.
No, it wasn’t exactly waking up. Yu Xi clearly realized that he was still dreaming.
The thick, pungent smell of disinfectant. The woman in the dream was still so gentle and beautiful, but she gripped the arm of the IV-dripping Yu Xi, her meticulously manicured nails nearly piercing into his flesh: “How did you get sick? Didn’t you eat the supplements I prepared for you properly? You actually let yourself get sick? You’re doing it on purpose, aren’t you?”
“Do you know how much time being sick wastes! The time you’re wasting isn’t your own! It’s the time I gave you! It’s the time I earned for you by losing everything!”
“For you…”
“Little Xi, it’s all because of you…”
“If not for you…”
“If there was no you…”
The woman’s voice layered upon itself in his ears, pressing down until he couldn’t breathe. Yu Xi felt like he was in a whirlpool, dark waters surging fiercely into his nostrils. He struggled desperately, trying to swim to shore, desperately grasping for something to support his whole body. When he finally breathed fresh air, he saw the woman at the edge of a high-rise building.
Still that beautiful red dress.
She was really so thin, her skirt fluttering, swaying precariously in the wind.
“Little Xi, why can’t you be a little more outstanding?”
“Why can’t you try a little harder?”
“It’s you—because I gave birth to you, my life was ruined!! Why can’t you live the way I want you to live!”
“Why are you never good enough! Why are you never outstanding enough!”
“Not enough! No good! Unacceptable!”
“Little Xi, Mom has decided to abandon you.”
Yu Xi abruptly sat up from the bed.
His nape burned with waves of stinging pain, and strands of gardenia scent wafted from it.
The Pheromone Blocker Patch had lost its effect; it was time for a new one.
Yu Xi was dazed for a good while.
Only when the air conditioner above his head suddenly ramped up with a buzzing sound did he snap back to reality.
He was awake now; it was no longer a dream.
Yu Xi got up and changed out of his sweat-soaked pajamas, wanting to apply a new Pheromone Blocker Patch.
He stood in front of the mirror and carefully peeled off the patch from the back of his neck.
In truth, Alphas didn’t need to keep a blocker patch on at all times. Outside of the Susceptible Period, Alphas could control their pheromones. Even minor leaks stayed at a concentration that wouldn’t draw excessive attention and wouldn’t cause major issues.
Flaunting pheromones everywhere like a peacock spreading its tail was rogue behavior.
Only Yu Xi layered on several patches every day.
—To cover the mark on his gland.
With the blocker peeled off, on the smooth gland was a bite mark.
The bite mark left by Yi Chen.
Damn it.
Yu Xi gnashed his teeth, angrily slapping on a new patch, and recalled the scene when Yi Chen had viciously bitten the back of his neck all those years ago.
What a total bastard.
–
In the following days, Yu Xi’s schedule was packed, and he stayed very busy. His gland throbbed with pain from time to time, but it didn’t greatly affect his daily life or work. Following the doctor’s orders, Yu Xi continued to monitor it.
Soon, the first episode of Where to Go This Weekend was about to air.
The gathering point for the first episode was at the foot of Cloud Mist Mountain. Once everyone arrived, the first episode officially began.
The host said: “Dear viewers, our first stop is K City, Cloud Mist Mountain.”
【Aww yeah!! The first episode is finally airing!!!】
【Oh my god! In K City! M-m-me, I’m from K City!!】
【So happy, wonder if there’s a chance to bump into our baby Yu Xi later!!】
【Hope Yu Xi and Yi Chen keep fighting this episode, amen!】
【By the way, didn’t something happen with Song Xuan? Will the regular cast change again? Who’s the replacement this time, any sisters know?】
The host: “Due to some well-known unavoidable factors, we’ve got a newcomer!”
The host turned around, and the camera followed from the host’s perspective, panning toward someone not far away.
A nineteen-year-old boy in all black clothes and pants walked toward them with a cold expression, looking both listless and icy, exuding a world-weary vibe: “Hello everyone, I’m Wen Yimeng.”
【AHHHHHHHH!!! It’s our Dream Bao!!!】
【Never thought our Dream Dream would be on Where to Go This Weekend! Dream Dream’s made it!!】
【AHHHHH I really love our Dream Bao’s gloomy world-weary face! It gets me hard!!!!】
【Dream Bao look at me look at me look at me!!】
【How did Wen Yimeng end up here? Hasn’t the talent show wrapped yet? The company’s playing favorites too much.】
【Our Dream Dream earned it himself, okay! Rumors, take a left at the door to the local police station and turn yourself in, thanks!】
The camera timely cut to Yi Chen. The host asked: “Our Dream Dream classmate, I think Teacher Yi Chen is quite familiar with you, right?”
Yi Chen cooperated with the answer: “Wen Yimeng classmate is a contestant from the live selection variety show Chase Dream Star that I participated in. I really didn’t expect to run into you here. Have you completed all the homework I assigned you?”
“I have.” Wen Yimeng politely shook hands with Yi Chen. “Thank you, Teacher Yi Chen.”
Wu Zhiqi extended her hand to Wen Yimeng: “Hi Dream Dream! We’re sort of seniors and juniors, so take care of me!”
Wen Yimeng shook her hand back: “Thank you, Sister Zhiqi.”
Fang Peng: “Welcome. Hope we can have fun together on the show.”
Wen Yimeng: “Thank you, Teacher Fang.”
Fu Le sidled up close to Wen Yimeng: “Wow, you’re so handsome! No wonder you’re so close with Brother Yi Chen! He even gave you special lessons and homework. I wanna get closer to Brother Yi Chen too—can you hook me up?”
Wen Yimeng’s brow furrowed slightly.
Fu Le didn’t realize he’d said something wrong: “What’s up?”
Wen Yimeng no longer looked at Fu Le but turned to the camera: “Teacher Yi Chen treats every contestant equally. There’s no special treatment, no private contact, no relationship beyond mentor and contestant. Everyone, don’t come at me—come at him. He’s the one talking nonsense; it has nothing to do with me.”
Fu Le: “…”
Yu Xi: “Pfft.”
Yu Xi walked up to Wen Yimeng: “You sure know how to talk. Teach me how to clap back sometime.”
Wen Yimeng: “Sure. Your relationship with Teacher Yi Chen isn’t good, and he’s my mentor, so when you fight with him, I’ll clap back at you. You can learn then.”
Yu Xi: “…”
Wen Yimeng extended his hand to Yu Xi. Yu Xi reached to shake it, but Yi Chen slapped it away: “Please don’t get between me and Yu Xi.”
Yi Chen looked at Wen Yimeng very solemnly: “As for fighting, I have to do it myself. Only wins I get personally count for bragging, right, Teacher Yu Xi?”
Yu Xi (with the back of his hand red from the slap): “…Childish.”
After the simple newcomer introductions came the ever-popular room assignment process.
The production team prepared four rooms. They were all homestays at the foot of the mountain: Rooms 1 and 2 were singles, Rooms 3 and 4 were doubles. The guests drew lots to choose.
The host placed the draw box in front of the camera and asked: “Any thoughts on the rooms you’re about to live in?”
Fang Peng: “Something quiet and spacious. Us old folks have light sleep.”
Wu Zhiqi: “Hope the bed’s soft, and the decor’s cute! Small is fine too!”
Fu Le: “Something high-end, at least not worse than what I sleep in at home.”
Wen Yimeng: “Anything’s fine.”
It was Yu Xi’s turn. Without thinking, Yu Xi blurted out: “As far from Yi Chen as possible.”
Yi Chen: “Why?”
“What’s your AC temp?” Yu Xi asked.
Yi Chen: “Twenty-four.”
Yu Xi: “I like twenty-three point five. Our AC tastes don’t match.”
Yi Chen: “…”
“Do you sleep on your left side or right?” Yu Xi asked again.
Yi Chen: “Left.”
Yu Xi: “I like to sleep flat on my back. Our sleep positions don’t match.”
Yi Chen: “…”
Yu Xi asked: “Before bed, do you scroll short videos or read books?”
Yi Chen said: “Read books, physical ones.”
Yu Xi: “I like ebooks. Our reading tastes don’t match.”
“…Stop making excuses and draw.” Yi Chen directly shoved the draw box over.
Yu Xi didn’t hold back and drew one at random: Room 3.
A double. As long as it wasn’t with Yi Chen, it was fine.
The draw box made a full round, with everyone revealing their rooms in front of the camera one by one.
Yu Xi: “My luck can’t be that bad. With so many people, no way I actually draw the same room as Yi Chen.”
Three minutes later, seeing the 3 on Yi Chen’s paper.
Yu Xi: “…It’s fine. The production team probably prepared a standard double. Throw up a divider in the middle, and it’s two new rooms.”
Ten minutes later, seeing the big floral bedding, big red “double happiness” characters, big red decorations, and the bed piled with red dates, longans, peanuts, and lotus seeds in a wedding-themed double room.
Yu Xi: “…”
Yi Chen: “…”
Production team: “Ahem.”
Barrage: 【Whoa~~~~!】
