Chapter 29: This Cat Refuses—Screw It! Part 1

Li Ye was very strange.

Extremely strange!!

Li You could not describe what this feeling was. He had feared his brother before, truly worried back then that his brother might one day snap and devour him, but the fear at this moment was different from before.

He always felt that Li Ye had changed. He was still gentle, yet somehow chilling.

Li You did not know who the culprit behind creating the Illusion Realm was, so he had no idea whether those deeply hidden relics belonging to him that Li Ye kept would be recreated by the Illusion Realm.

If they were not recreated, then there was nothing to worry about.

If they truly were, then the problem was huge.

The one who created the Illusion Realm definitely had some skill, managing to breach Li Ye’s defenses to find and replicate those items. In that case, this Illusion Realm was purely a provocation!

Li Ye would surely be furious, and if he accidentally got dealt with in the process, that would be disastrous.

He would be so innocent, extremely innocent!

No way!!

Li You resisted going further down, but now it was not up to him. Li Ye directly bound him with tentacles and dragged him along.

He had no power to struggle or fight back.

There was another situation now—Li You himself did not even know what relics he had left behind.

He glanced at Li Ye walking ahead, then withdrew his gaze and looked down at the thick tentacle wrapped around his waist, carefully placing both hands on it.

His palms could not even fully grip it; he could only hold half.

The dark tentacle resembled the vine of some giant plant, yet its surface was extremely smooth, somewhat sticky, cool and icy to the touch.

It was called dark, but upon closer inspection, it had a purple undertone. Some segments even bulged with vein-like ridges, looking full of strength, but this time it wrapped around him without being as tight as last time.

Li You held his breath and glanced at his dangling shoe tips, then looked resentfully at the person ahead. “I can walk by myself.”

Li Ye: “Mm.”

He was not put down.

Li You sulked and pouted, simply letting go of all his strength and allowing Li Ye to bind and carry him along.

He let his gaze go vacant, then suddenly spoke up. “Hey.”

Li Ye turned back for a glance. “What?”

“You’re not hiding this at all?” Li You patted the tentacles around his waist with both hands. “How many people know now?”

Li Ye stopped. “No need to hide it. Lots of people know.”

“Then you…”

“Li You proved my existence to everyone with his life. Why should I hide it?” Li Ye turned back and looked into his eyes. “Anyone not convinced can just get beaten into submission.”

“That’s pretty rough.” Li You pursed his lips. After a moment, he could not help but quirk the corner of his mouth. To cover up his smile, he quickly turned his face away and pretended to rub it with his hand.

The fake action was too obvious. Li Ye raised a brow. “What’s so funny?”

“Not laughing. You saw wrong.” Li You covered his face with both hands.

Li Ye: “You think I’m blind?”

“Then can’t you just pretend you didn’t see?” Li You declared righteously, parting his ten fingers slightly and peeking at Li Ye through the gaps. “I was thinking, to get this effect now, everything Li You did was pretty worth it.”

Li Ye looked at those beautiful blue eyes, then shifted his gaze away. “Not worth it.”

“Why?” The words slipped out of Li You’s mouth before he realized they were a bad question.

He knew Li Ye had been deeply grieved by Li You’s death, so he quickly changed the topic. “Never mind, never mind. Let’s go look at the relics…”

“Li You shouldn’t have gone to his death because of me.” Li Ye turned back and continued forward. “He should have had a good life.”

Li You was stunned, dragged along further. He stared down at the floor, and after a long while, he clenched his fists. “That’s not necessarily true. Weren’t there lots of people who hated him before? Staying behind might not have made him happy.”

Li Ye fell silent. Only after a long time did he speak again. “But he forgot he still had me.”

“…”

No one spoke again. Li You stared blankly at Li Ye walking ahead, his emotions incredibly complex, his heart even aching with twinges.

The passage was not actually long; it was just that their conversation made the trip feel drawn out.

When they arrived below, it was a room arranged exactly like Li You’s old room down to the last detail—even the angle of the wall hangings was perfectly replicated.

Li You looked around in surprise, then followed his brother to the side table and watched as he took a square box out of the storage cabinet.

Before it was opened, countless possibilities flashed through Li You’s mind. When he saw it was empty inside, he first froze, then completely relaxed with a relieved laugh, his tone rising. “There’s nothing, huh.”

Li Ye glanced at him, put the box away, and stored it back. “Mm, nothing.”

He turned and approached Li You. “Then why could it replicate the basement layout?”

Li You’s smile froze. “…”

Damn it, which bastard was trying to screw him over?!!

The eye contact grew increasingly awkward. Li You turned his head away. “Don’t sweat the small details. Anyway, no valuables were peeked at.”

Li Ye fell silent and lowered his gaze to the tail wrapped around his arm.

It was a cat tail.

Perhaps because Li You was too nervous, the tail had emerged and wrapped around Li Ye’s arm without him noticing.

Li Ye’s hand pressed down on the tip of the tail, his fingertip deliberately rubbing it a few times.

Li You jolted and looked down, his pupils shaking.

“What’s this?” Li Ye grabbed the tail and asked him.

“This is…” Li You’s throat bobbed as his mind raced, blurting out, “A toy!”

Li Ye raised a brow.

“Uh… this…” Li You smacked his lips, trying to cover it up. “Have you been to an amusement park? They have those wearable ears and tails that move on their own, just like this.”

“Soft? Warm?” Li Ye asked again.

“They made it super realistic, right.” Li You reached out, yanked the tail back, and hugged it to his chest. “It’s an Illusion Realm, after all. Anything’s possible.”

Li Ye did not press further and released the tentacles wrapped around Li You.

His feet finally touched the ground. The solid feeling gave Li You a lot more sense of security. He stood there hugging the tail, feeling awkward and dazed in this incredibly familiar yet slightly strange room, then snapped out of it and looked around.

Driven by curiosity, he asked, “So in reality, you really set up a room like this in the basement?”

He looked at Li Ye. “Why?”

Li Ye stood behind the side table, his hand touching a doll on it—one of the dolls Li You had owned in life. Hearing this, he only said flatly, “To keep certain people from taking his things.”

Certain people?

Li You recalled how his big brother, second brother, and third sister had gone to see Li Ye before.

“You say that, and now I’m really curious what Li You’s relics are.” Li You glanced at the box his brother had put away, his heart itching.

Li Ye released the doll in his hand. He moved with steady steps, his shoes thudding dully and heavily on the floor, yet not disturbing the somewhat dazed person.

Li Ye came before Li You, raised a hand, pinched his face, and lifted it until those beautiful, bright pale blue eyes held only him.

His scarred fingers lightly tapped that delicate little face, reminding Li You to snap out of it.

Li Ye’s gaze fell on the boy’s plump, rounded lip mound, his eyes dark and inscrutable, still as a pool of dead water.

Li You’s eyelids trembled. “…W-What are you doing?”

Li Ye stated calmly, “I deluded myself that he was still alive. If he were still alive, I might have locked him up here, so he could never leave me.”

“I’m reflecting.” Li Ye’s face was backlighted, his expression indistinct. “If ten years ago, I had locked Li You up sooner, this wouldn’t have happened.”

A chill ran down Li You’s back, but his heart pounded wildly. He pursed his lips, nervously gripped Li Ye’s wrist, and said softly, “In that case, Li You might get angry, you know.”

Yes, Li You would get angry.

Li Ye closed his eyes, released his hand, stepped back, and said no more.

The surrounding scene gradually twisted and disintegrated. Li You watched Li Ye fade away a few steps ahead and called out, “Li Ye.”

Li Ye looked over.

Li You curved his eyes and gave him a smile. “You’re a good person.”

And a good brother too.

He raised a hand and waved at Li Ye. “See you again if fate allows.”

Once the person fully vanished, Li Ye lowered his gaze to the hand that had just touched the youth, a numbness surging through his heart. “Good person?”

He was no good person.

He had harbored many vile thoughts, all those sinful ideas buried deep in his heart, never to see the light of day, never to be known by Li You who lived under the bright sun.

It had been that way once. He had thought there would be no chance now.

But now, those awful notions were surging outward again.

Yet he was the brother.

Li You’s brother.

–

The sunlight blazed, the wind and sand still howling outside the window. The cat slept sprawled on its back. Upon waking, it rolled over and, squinting instinctively, began kneading the soft surface.

The cat was not fully awake yet, yawning as its meat pads rhythmically kneaded. When the softness under its paws suddenly stiffened, it blearily opened its eyes to meet a pair of red eyes right in front of it.

Li Ye’s eyes were very intimidating, but they were truly beautiful too.

Li You retracted the paws that had been “rampaging” all over his brother since early morning, wriggled toward the edge of the bed front paws then hind, preparing to leap down and flee—only to be easily caught by Li Ye pinching the back of his neck and yanked back.

The world spun. The cat was flipped over belly-up, its four upward paws flailing helplessly a few times. Before it could react, his brother’s face buried right in.

“Meow??”

Its four legs instinctively hugged Li Ye’s head as it stared blankly at Li Ye, who had buried his face in its belly but stayed perfectly still.