Will Drawing the “Wife Card” Turn Me Into the Group’s Favorite? 24

Chapter 24: And Tang Yu’an Was a Marshmallow

When faced with a dying person, any expectations or resentment ultimately become meaningless.

Tang Yu’an’s anger subsided: “What do you mean? Isn’t your illness cured?”

“Only the tumor is cured.” Yu Liao took a bite of his sandwich, admitting frankly: “But my brain is deteriorating. I can feel it.”

Was it a side effect of the medication? Tang Yu’an knew better than to pressure someone who had accepted death; they feared nothing.

The previous examinations hadn’t revealed any organic damage, so he suspected it was a mental issue.

Otherwise, why would he kidnap someone and bring them to the middle of nowhere?

“Yu Liao, listen to me, your illness might be psychosomatic…”

Before he could finish, Yu Liao suddenly looked up, staring intently at him.

Tang Yu’an felt a chill, glancing at the knife and fork beside him.

If he triggered Yu Liao, causing him to attack, he could at least defend himself.

But Yu Liao didn’t attack. Instead, he burst into laughter: “See? I told you he’d figure it out!”

His laughter echoed through the empty cabin. Tang Yu’an asked weakly: “Who… are you talking to?”

Yu Liao didn’t answer, standing up excitedly, rubbing his hands, muttering: “I knew he understood me. You were right… But he doesn’t seem to want to stay. I decorated the room according to his preferences, why, why won’t he stay…”

His voice trailed off, but his erratic behavior intensified.

Anyone else would have kept their distance, but Tang Yu’an simply saw him as a spinning top.

He knew what hallucinations were like. When he was exhausted and hungry in the previous world, he would sometimes see a feast, like a mirage.

But Yu Liao’s situation was different, more severe, as he could interact with his “hallucinations,” meaning they were incredibly real to him.

Tang Yu’an stepped forward, interrupting him.

“I’m not unwilling to stay, I’m just a little upset that you drugged me.” He knew what Yu Liao wanted to hear, every word hitting the mark: “I actually quite like the cabin. The air is fresh, close to nature. It’s a nice change of pace.”

“Really?” Yu Liao clutched at his words like a lifeline, grabbing his hand: “If I don’t drug you again, will you stay with me?”

That wasn’t what he meant, but he could only nod.

“Okay, I understand!”

Yu Liao took Tang Yu’an’s plate and dumped the food in the trash.

Tang Yu’an: “…”

Thankfully, he hadn’t taken a bite.

Yu Liao said casually: “I was afraid you wouldn’t be used to it, so I added a mild sedative. No need for that now!”

Tang Yu’an didn’t know if he had been pretending all along, or if Zuo Tinghan’s collision had worsened his condition.

This time, he watched Yu Liao cook, from preparing the ingredients to the final dish, making sure he didn’t add anything before eating.

Perhaps due to the drugs, he was actually quite hungry. Although he didn’t mind the sensation, he needed to maintain his strength to adapt to the situation.

While cooking, Yu Liao would occasionally talk to the air, asking if he had overcooked the eggs, if Tang Yu’an would dislike them.

Even with Tang Yu’an standing right there, he insisted on talking to his hallucinations.

Tang Yu’an knew it was likely a habit from prolonged isolation. He had to make Yu Liao accustomed to his presence.

He didn’t know what the hallucinations were telling Yu Liao, whether they were harmful to him. Since he couldn’t control them, he could only try to join his world, making his own words carry more weight.

“No, I think they look great.” He stood beside Yu Liao, helping him organize the ingredients. “You can just ask me directly. I’m right here. Your ‘friends’ might not be accurate.”

Yu Liao chuckled: “You’re right, they’re all idiots!”

Tang Yu’an: “…”

There was no need to be so harsh. Had he offended the hallucinations now?

Yu Liao nudged the trash can with his foot: “I’m talking to you. Stop contradicting me. He clearly likes it.”

So, “idiots” was literal.

After eating his fill, Tang Yu’an asked if he could show him around.

Yu Liao, having intended to do so anyway, excitedly led him to the generator and the garage he had built.

The car inside was a common model; this must be how he was brought here.

If he knew the way, he could try to get the keys and escape, but there was no signal for navigation.

Putting everything else aside, Yu Liao was truly skilled, creating a comfortable living space here all by himself.

Yu Liao also mentioned he had set traps around the area for hunting, warning him not to wander off alone, lest he fall into one.

“This is my vacation home,” Yu Liao said proudly. “Whenever I’m tired from work, I come here to relax. I can’t see the Bureau from here, so my mood naturally improves.”

Away from all the troublesome people and things, only in this place could he truly find peace.

Judging by the direction he was looking, Tang Yu’an could roughly determine their location, but he didn’t know how far they were from civilization.

“What about your daily necessities? Isn’t it troublesome to go back and forth?”

“Not at all. It only takes a day round trip.”

So it wasn’t too far, just remote.

After some subtle probing, Tang Yu’an had a general understanding of the area – there was a small road behind the cabin, which should lead him out of the forest and to a town.

His hopes were dashed when he discovered the car had fingerprint lock.

This path was blocked. He couldn’t walk out on his own. He could only wait for rescue.

He took out his phone again, futilely searching for a signal, hoping to receive any message from the outside world, even a nonsensical text from Xie Cun.

As he put away his phone, he felt the smooth surface of the small mirror through the fabric of his pocket.

This was a last resort. He wouldn’t ask for help from this mysterious person unless he was desperate.

To his surprise, Yu Liao seemed to return to normal for the rest of the day, barely talking to his hallucinations. He even made a pot of meat stew for dinner. Tang Yu’an, both dislike his cooking and afraid he might add something to it, kicked him out of the kitchen and took over.

The stew seemed to have won Yu Liao over. He said he had been craving it ever since having Tang Yu’an’s seafood porridge.

Tang Yu’an said he was welcome to visit the building anytime if he wanted more.

Yu Liao understood his meaning, both annoyed that he wanted to leave and touched that he believed he had a future.

Unlike himself, Tang Yu’an seemed to harbor unrealistic fantasies about everything.

Like his fantasy of his teammates getting along.

Tang Yu’an was too oblivious to notice, but he saw it clearly.

Every time Xie Cun appeared before Tang Yu’an, he would unbutton his collar, and the little voice in his head would comment: “Look, the peacock is showing off its feathers.”

Wei Langxing wasn’t as scheming, but his intentions were obvious.

What proper captain would constantly talk about a teammate, practically wanting to be attached to him?

He admitted, Tang Yu’an’s appearance was conventionally attractive; it was normal for him to attract attention.

But in his eyes, it was just a shell.

He had become accustomed to seeing people as food—

The chubby convenience store owner was a greasy fried chicken burger. His perpetually gloomy colleague was a bitter melon. His always-angry boss was a tomato, his face constantly red.

And Tang Yu’an… was a marshmallow.

Soft, white, sweet, but not substantial, disappearing with a single bite.

After dinner, Tang Yu’an went to wash up. Yu Liao, watching him, suddenly said: “I want a bite.”

Wasn’t he full?

Tang Yu’an watched as he ate most of the stew and several slices of bread, marveling at his metabolism.

“Go ahead, you’re in your own home, eat whatever you want.”

No one was stopping him.

Yu Liao stared at him for a moment, then shook his head: “No, I have to save some.”

So he was frugal.

Tang Yu’an sat on the sofa, watching Yu Liao busy himself with cleaning.

Washing the dishes was normal, but sweeping the floor three times was a bit much.

As if that wasn’t enough, he then meticulously wiped every surface, neurotically repeating the same motions, clearly exhibiting severe OCD.

After finishing, he hesitated, looking at Tang Yu’an.

Tang Yu’an: “?”

Was he also considered trash that needed to be cleaned? That would be great, just throw him out.

“Just say it.”

Yu Liao asked if he could wipe his hands.

Tang Yu’an would have defended his hygiene habits. His hands were clean, not a speck of dust in sight, hardly an eyesore.

But compared to Yu Liao’s almost-white, meticulously scrubbed fingers, his hand-washing routine was indeed less thorough.

Tang Yu’an was afraid Yu Liao would pull out steel wool and scrub his hands raw, but he was even more afraid that refusing would cause this obsessive man to chop off his hands and wash them.

“Fine,” he resigned himself, extending his hand. “But be gentle.”

Yu Liao nodded, but instead of steel wool, he pulled out a clean handkerchief, carefully wiping his hands.

He gently dried the water droplets, his movements as delicate as if his hands were made of porcelain.

He spoke as he wiped: “My mother passed away early, but I clearly remember something she told me – your hands are your second face, always keep them clean.”

But he later discovered that many people didn’t think so.

Overreaching had consequences.

So, he had to protect his clean hands, preventing them from being tainted.

Chaotic memories flooded his mind, bringing him back to his darkest days.

His boss’s abuse, the discovery of his illness, the hopelessness of his life, all weighing him down.

The noise started again, pressing in from all sides.

Like sinking into water.

Until a familiar voice broke through the surface.

Tang Yu’an stood close to him, his beautiful brows furrowed slightly.

A look of concern on his delicate face. Was he imagining it?

He couldn’t help but ask: “Are you real?”

Tang Yu’an blinked, his eyelashes fluttering.

“If you can’t tell, release your mental energy and sense it.” Tang Yu’an took his hand and placed it on his chest. “I’m not a hallucination. I have body heat, a heartbeat. Can you feel it?”

He was back in reality.

His mother wasn’t entirely right, he thought. A person’s hands weren’t just their second face, but also their second heart.

And now, it seemed, their two hearts were beating in unison.