Chapter 42: Don’t Be Afraid of Me Part 1

Li You tried on seven or eight sets of clothes and came out, only to see that Li Ye was still wearing that wine-red deep V-neck outfit. He dodged around evasively, clutched the clothes, and hurried to checkout. In his rush, he even forgot to put on his sunglasses.

The salespeople at the checkout counter stared at him in a daze and packed up the clothes for him. Just as Li You prepared to grab the clothes and slip away, Li Ye had already approached and placed the wine-red deep V-neck set he had changed out of on the counter. “This set too.”

The salespeople all turned to look at Li Ye, their gazes shifting back and forth between the clothes, Li Ye, and the boy whose face was flushed bright red. Upholding the principle of customer first, they suppressed their overwhelming curiosity and began packing that set of clothes as well.

Li You sneaked a glance at Li Ye, then withdrew his gaze, only to sneak another peek before shifting sideways. “Actually, this outfit doesn’t really match your style.”

Li Ye lifted his eyelids slightly. “Didn’t you say it looked good?”

“…It does look good.” Li You’s mind kept replaying the scene he had just witnessed earlier, his brain heating up as if it were about to smoke. He shifted another step sideways, took the packaged items from the salesperson, turned, and bolted. “I’m heading back to the hover car first!”

【No no, I need to replan my strategy. The situation is way too unfavorable right now!!】

This inner thought faded along with the retreating Li You. Li Ye took the packaged clothes, turned, and followed at an unhurried pace. He glanced at his light brain and booked an appointment in advance at a hair salon.

Styling his hair didn’t take much time. The stylist for Li You was a young man with excellent technique. He trimmed the overly long hair into fluffy, curly short locks that looked exceptionally refreshing and perfectly accentuated Li You’s youthful vibe.

After finishing the haircut, the stylist applied some refreshing essential oil and stood behind him, examining the mirror in front of them. “Young sir, are you satisfied with the look?”

Li You tilted his head up. “Yeah! Thanks.”

The stylist curved his eyes in a gentle smile. He glanced at Your Highness Li Ye in the nearby lounge seat, then back at the boy in the chair. After a moment’s consideration, he asked softly, “Young sir, if I may be so bold, could I ask your name?”

Li You paused while fiddling with his hair.

“Oh, that was presumptuous of me.” The stylist smiled amiably and explained, “It’s just that your appearance is so strikingly similar to Your Highness Youyou. When I first saw you, I thought it was Your Highness Youyou in person. And since you’re here with Your Highness Li Ye, I’m a bit excited right now… Yes, I really like Your Highness Youyou.”

Li You forced a smile but didn’t give his name. Instead, he countered, “Why do you like Your Highness Youyou?”

The stylist didn’t hesitate. “Because he’s the hero who saved us all, the empire’s savior. Without Your Highness Youyou, we wouldn’t have our lives today. He’s our idol, and we’ll support him forever.”

After hearing this string of declarations, the smile on Li You’s face gradually faltered. He struggled to maintain the last bit of it. “But Your Highness Youyou isn’t around anymore.”

“That’s truly regrettable.” The stylist sighed softly, then immediately brightened into a smile. He clutched his chest devoutly. “But that’s okay. Your Highness Youyou lives on in our hearts. We’ll all remember his greatness.”

That’s not right. Why is it like this?

Li You pressed his lips tight and forced out a smile uglier than crying.

You weren’t like this before. You clearly hated me back then. Why worship someone who no longer exists now?

This shift in attitude brought an immense sense of imbalance, making Li You’s chest feel heavy and suffocating, as if countless steel needles had pierced it with fine, stinging pain.

He couldn’t bear to listen to the stylist’s praise for Your Highness Youyou anymore. He stood up, head down, and walked over to Li Ye. “I’m done. Let’s go.”

Li Ye immediately set aside what he was doing, put away his light brain, looked up at Li You, paused in surprise, then frowned and rose, pressing his shoulder. “What’s wrong?”

Li You tilted his head up with a smile. “What’s wrong?”

He turned and walked out, muttering as he went. “Next, we need to buy cake, then go eat the steamed fish at Dong’s. I also want to get a fishing set. We might be back pretty late today, so let’s hurry.”

Watching the boy put on his sunglasses and quicken his pace until he was out of sight, Li Ye’s brows furrowed tightly. He scanned the area, then approached the stylist who had just done Li You’s hair.

The stylist turned and startled upon seeing Li Ye, then smiled. “Hello, Your Highness Li Ye.”

“What did you two talk about just now?” Li Ye asked.

The stylist blinked, then recounted his entire conversation with the boy. He smiled afterward. “That young boy is the spitting image of Your Highness Youyou—the most similar I’ve ever seen. It’s almost unbelievable, like they were cast from the same mold.”

Observing Your Highness Li Ye’s reaction, he probed cautiously. “If I may be so bold, Your Highness, that boy is your…?”

Li Ye turned his head to look outside. “Little brother.”

The stylist let out an “oh” and watched as Li Ye strode away. He scratched his head in confusion. “Does Your Highness Li Ye have another little brother?”

Inside the hover car, Li You finally turned to the driver’s seat as Li Ye returned. “Why’d it take you so long?”

“Went to buy something.” Li Ye handed over the small paper bag in his hand.

“What?” Li You took it, opened it, and looked. “Ice cream balls!”

He looked at Li Ye in delight. “Thanks, bro!”

“What’s next? You plan it.” Li Ye told him.

“Hmm… Maybe skip the cake.” Li You scooped a spoonful of ice cream and offered it to Li Ye. Still giving the first bite to bro, as always. After thinking, he said, “Let’s get the fishing gear first, then go eat.”

He asked again, “You’re really not busy?”

“Not busy.”

“Alright.” Li You buried his head and took a bite of ice cream. “If you get busy, you have to tell me, okay.”

“Yeah, got it.”

Li Ye drove the hover car to buy fishing gear. After ordering the full set of equipment, he had the store deliver it directly to the Imperial Palace. Then the two headed straight to Dong’s, got a private room, and ordered a huge table of dishes.

Steamed fish, braised prawns, steamed crabs, stir-fried clams, stir-fried squid, garlic oysters. Li You ordered all the dishes he had been craving, opting for small portions since there were so many. After eating his fill, he lounged in the booth for a break, rubbed his belly, stared blankly at the hazy crystal chandelier, sighed wistfully, and suddenly called out, “Bro.”

Li Ye across from him looked up. “What’s up?”

“I originally really wanted to go back to living in the Sunlight Palace.” Li You stared unblinkingly at the chandelier.

Li Ye waited quietly for more.

“But now I don’t want to.” Li You sat up straight and gazed earnestly at Li Ye. “I’ll stay in the Imperial Palace. I want my old room, to retrain in combat with Teacher Moger, and to learn mecha piloting.”

He gritted his teeth, his expression serious and a bit fierce, like a bristling cat. “I want to go to work with you, fight alongside you beyond the stars, take a position in the Imperial Military, and be your partner!”

Li You huffed in frustration. “I don’t want to be the savior everyone talks about, like I have to die to achieve anything. It’s really annoying.”

Li Ye paused for a moment, then his brows relaxed. “Alright, I’ll make the arrangements.”

Li You studied Li Ye’s expression, then broke into a grin. “Bro, you were just worried about me, weren’t you?”

“Yeah, very worried.” Li Ye lowered his gaze and placed a plate of peeled shrimp in front of Li You. “But I believe you can regulate your emotions yourself.”

“Of course.” Li You puffed up proudly, speared a shrimp with his fork, and mumbled around it, “After all, I’m Your Highness Youyou.”

“Yeah, you’re the greatest Your Highness Youyou.” Li Ye removed his disposable gloves. “But still, I hope that when you’re in a bad mood or face something hard to resolve, you’ll come talk to me.”

Li You froze, lowered his head, poked at the shrimp on his plate with his fork, and softly said, “Oh.”

A few seconds later, he looked up. “Bro.”

“Yeah?”

Li You’s expression turned solemn and utterly serious. “Teach me how to work out.”

Li Ye’s brow arched slightly. “Didn’t you say you wanted to retrain combat with Teacher Moger? You know combat classes already include physical training and conditioning. Why learn it separately?”

Li You pinched the soft flesh on his abdomen, his eyes drooping. “I want a physique like yours. It doesn’t have to be exactly eight-pack abs like you, but at least not like now, with this much belly fat. It’s not warrior-like at all.”

“…” Li Ye looked at him quietly, his mind flashing to Li You’s flat, slightly soft abdomen, then suddenly asked, “You seem awfully familiar with how many abs I have.”

Li You instantly froze stiff.

Oh no!

Li Ye raised a brow, as if recalling something, and crossed his arms. “Oh right, before I realized that cat was you, there was that one time you snuck into my bathroom…”