Chapter 107: Dimension 14

Chapter 107: Dimension 14

Yu Bai had only graduated recently and was often mistaken for a college student. Hearing this question, he wasn't surprised.

He smiled and shook his head. "No, we're not actors, nor are we classmates."

Agent Xiao Ming responded with an elongated "oh," his tone lingering. His gaze held a hint of curiosity, but he maintained his composure and refrained from pressing further.

The interplay of expression and tone conveyed unspoken subtext, a common human method of communication.

Thus, Yu Bai casually replied, "We're neighbors."

"Neighbors... huh?" Yu Si Ming was genuinely taken aback by the answer. "Neighbors?!"

"Yes, I live next door to him," said Yu Bai. "By chance, we met and gradually became friends."

There was no need to hide this fact. If they truly became acquainted in the future, Yu Si Ming would find out eventually.

As for what kind of chance encounter it was...

If not absolutely necessary, it was best not to reveal something that could shatter a normal person's worldview.

Yu Bai spoke casually, but Yu Si Ming grew increasingly astonished. "To be next-door neighbors by coincidence and become such good friends is truly rare."

He could see that their relationship was strong and that they were well-coordinated.

It just sounded a bit too dreamlike.

Two handsome strangers becoming neighbors first, then inseparable friends later...

It was like something out of a novel.

Xiao Ming pondered for a moment before asking somewhat wistfully, "Are there any vacant apartments for rent nearby?"

Yu Bai was slightly surprised. "I think so. The occupancy rate in this neighborhood isn't high. Are you looking for a rental?"

"My lease is about to expire, and I've been thinking about moving," Yu Si Ming said cheerfully. "I have a feeling that your neighborhood might be full of hidden talents. My professional instincts are kicking in, and I really want to take a stroll around. Who knows what kind of luck I might stumble upon."

Yu Bai could tell he was joking and smiled. "After I moved in, I did indeed get lucky."

Meeting a deity from another world had turned his life upside down, transforming it completely.

"Really?!" Yu Si Ming suddenly became serious, his eyes brightening. "Which neighborhood is it? Is the rent expensive? By the way, have you seen any other handsome men or beautiful women in the neighborhood?"

Yu Bai couldn't help but laugh. Since they were waiting for someone, he decided to answer his questions seriously.

From the neighborhood's rent to its surroundings and living experience, he patiently introduced everything. As he explained, he secretly marveled at how Yu Si Ming was the most enthusiastic person he'd ever met regarding his career.

It was a genuine passion and drive that came from within.

Compared to the alien prince who was easily distracted by mundane affairs, Yu Si Ming truly embodied the pursuit of opportunities in every moment of his life.

He was indeed worthy of being the chosen one with a significant name, destined to become a focal point of time and space.

Once the conversation about the neighborhood concluded, the two of them naturally became more familiar with each other, no longer feeling as distant or restrained in their interactions.

While chatting, Yu Si Ming led Yu Bai on a tour of the entire company, briefly introducing its achievements and strengths.

As Yu Bai listened, his gaze occasionally swept over the dimly lit office.

In truth, Yu Si Ming did the same.

He kept an eye on the situation there, noticing that the conversation behind the glass door seemed to continue. Unable to resist, he remarked, "Sister Hong is truly remarkable; I can't compare to her."

Yu Bai noticed where his gaze lingered and sensed the underlying meaning. He played along and asked, "Why?"

"Well... it's a bit embarrassing to talk about."

Yu Si Ming scratched his head and lowered his voice. "When you left to attend to something earlier and Mr. Xie came alone, for some reason, I felt intimidated by him. That little receptionist girl stood up straight as if she had seen the big boss."

"Earlier, when we were all together at the elevator entrance, I didn't feel that way, and during our phone call, it wasn't obvious either." He was genuinely puzzled. "Just now, I didn't even dare to speak much, as if I was under a spell."

Although Yu Bai hadn't witnessed the scene firsthand, he had seen Xie Wufang's aloof demeanor when he was sick, as well as Yan Jing and Yuan Yuhang's nervousness in his presence. Therefore, he could roughly imagine the picture.

Fragile humans, in the face of an omnipotent deity, were enveloped by an instinctive sense of awe. There was nothing strange about that.

If he had to say, Yu Bai sometimes felt it faintly.

But when they weren't familiar with each other, his mind was preoccupied with figuring out how to calmly endure day after day. He didn't care who Xie Wufang was, nor was he scared.

Once they became harmonious friends, he no longer felt afraid.

Fear seemed to be a concept almost absent from his mind.

But other ordinary humans would undoubtedly experience an inexplicable sense of fear.

"I saw Sister Hong pause for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure and continued talking to Mr. Xie as if nothing happened," Yu Si Ming marveled. "Of course, you're even more impressive than Sister Hong. I can't even begin to imagine how you managed to become such good friends with him..."

As Xiao Ming spoke, he couldn't help but indulge in a bit of gossip, whispering, "I also can't imagine how he interacts with his girlfriend."

Given his appearance, he must have had plenty of admirers growing up.

There's no way he hasn't been in a relationship, right?

Yu Si Ming mentioned it offhandedly, but he caught the young man beside him suddenly stopping in his tracks out of the corner of his eye.

He turned to look, somewhat startled, only to find Yu Bai wearing an even more astonished expression than himself.

Yu Siming suddenly felt apprehensive, rapidly replaying every word he had said in his mind at light-speed. Without hesitation, he slid to his knees and admitted his mistake, "What's wrong? Did I say something wrong? Please don't take it to heart—"

"It's not that, it has nothing to do with you." Yu Bai wore an odd expression, struggling to find the right words for a long while before saying, "…it's just the first time I've heard that word associated with him. It's a bit strange."

It wasn't just a little strange; it was like hearing a fairy tale.

Considering the time spent in the loop, he had known Xie Wufang for quite some time now.

But from the very first day they met until this moment, he had never once linked the concept of love with the other party.

Because Yu Bai knew He was not human.

He didn't know Xie Wufang's exact origins, didn't know His past, and didn't even know what He was supposed to look like.

As neighbors and friends, Yu Bai felt these details were unimportant, and he hadn't pried for answers. As long as they got along well in their daily interactions and he knew that the other wouldn't pose a threat to humans, that was enough.

If he were to imagine how Xie Wufang interacted with a significant other…

What was the difference between that and trying to imagine how one elevator might date another?!

Utter confusion.

Wait, what kind of bizarre metaphor was that?

Yu Bai was amused by his sudden flight of fancy, his lips curling into a small smile as he whispered, "He probably can't imagine it himself either."

A deity needn't sleep, didn't require food, and existed outside the common language of people. Unmoved by the mortal cycle of life, aging, sickness, death, love, hate, joy, and sorrow, He enjoyed an endless eternity.

He was so different from humans.

The concept of love, defined by humans, likely didn't exist in His heart at all.

Just like He once didn't know what "best" meant.

Little Ming, who thought he had accidentally misspoken, watched Yu Bai's face, which looked as if he had just heard a mythological story, stunned for a long moment before joining in the laughter.

Now, that was truly unimaginable!

On the other side of the frosted glass covered in a thin veil of mist, the office revealed vague outlines of figures outside, among them a particularly familiar silhouette.

The gray-blue eyes silently retracted from there, refocusing on the human who had been talking nonstop across the desk.

Sister Hong, who had been chattering incessantly, noticed his wandering gaze and suddenly paused, propping her chin in her hand with a sigh, "Are you finding this pretty boring?"

She had deliberately shared many stories about artists promoted by this company to help Yu Siming. Normally, plain individuals filled with aspirations would experience some emotional fluctuations as a result.

But according to her observations, the other party showed no interest in this content, his eyes remaining calm, probably only listening out of politeness.

Only when she occasionally mentioned acting and scripts did his gaze flicker slightly.

"…" The man opposite her was silent for perhaps a second before responding, "Yes."

Sister Hong was momentarily surprised by his honesty, quickly recovering and thinking for a moment before saying, "Although you weren't listening too attentively, I feel like you remembered everything."

This was because every time he spoke, it was to ask about some industry jargon she had casually mentioned.

Amateur? Paparazzi? Juggling roles? Eighteenth-tier?

At first, this led her to believe he was showing interest, so she became more enthusiastic in her storytelling.

Yet those unique heterochromatic eyes grew increasingly distant.

Except when she explained the Method and Experience schools of acting, he listened with particular focus.

…So those questions were simply because he didn't understand those terms?

Xie Wufang nodded gently, acknowledging the entire statement, perhaps apologizing for the first half, "Sorry."

Direct and honest, without any pretense.

Sister Hong stared at him thoughtfully for a moment, murmuring, "I think Old Yu misunderstood your intentions…you don't want to be an artist, you just want to learn something you originally didn't know how to do."

Hearing her say this, a ripple of surprise passed through the calm eyes.

"That's exactly what I told him," Xie Wufang's tone carried a hint of puzzlement, "Didn't he understand?"

Sister Hong: "…"

Indeed, it was Old Yu who had gotten ahead of himself!

Causing her to get excited for nothing.

…But honestly, since he had requested help in contacting a teacher, even declaring he didn't want to be an artist would be seen as a mere reservation, leaving plenty of room for persuasion.

That wasn't misunderstanding, but overthinking.

Of course, she could see now that Xie Wufang was sincere.

Straightforward and truthful, not a single word false.

Sister Hong fell silent for a moment, deciding to drop the meaningless chatter and changed the subject as if in casual conversation, "When Old Yu called me earlier, he said you have great talent. The director showed you a reference clip, and you immediately knew how to act. He went on and on, lamenting that I couldn't witness it firsthand."

"But coincidentally, I'm quite familiar with Director Ge. On my way here, I sent him a message to inquire, and he happened to be in high spirits. He specifically took his phone and snapped a few clips from the monitor screen to send me. There are scenes from both of your acts."

The man, who had remained composed throughout, was slightly taken aback, lifting his eyes to meet hers.

"It's clear that the young man hasn't studied acting and is indeed here to play, and he seems to be having a lot of fun," Sister Hong spoke matter-of-factly. "You did indeed nail it in one take, you're very talented."

"…but not in acting talent, rather in learning talent."

Her eyes sparkled with interest. "You were just imitating the person in that reference clip, weren’t you?"

Xie Wufang didn’t answer her question.

After a brief silence that seemed to imply acquiescence, the voice that sounded again was tinged with faint confusion. "When you arrived, you looked like it was your first time meeting us."

First, she complained in a familiar tone about Yu Siming’s hasty summons, saying she didn’t know who she was supposed to be teaching.

The next moment, after she noticed these two young people she was meeting for the first time, her expression and tone changed instantly.

She became as excited as Agent Xiao Ming, blurting out a subtle compliment that would please most people: "Ah, I see, I see. Your eye is still sharp, Old Yu!"

Sister Hong recalled the scene from earlier without any hint of embarrassment.

"Yes, I did it on purpose," she said with a curved smile and a leisurely tone. "It was an act."

"Or rather, something you want to learn how to fabricate."

This teacher whom Yu Siming had specially invited now abandoned her roundabout way of speaking and took the initiative to explain why she acted that way.

"The preparations I made in private couldn’t be known to you, and that reaction was also to make you both happy, feeling appreciated and valued. Ideally, you’d feel a little giddy, making further communication easier."

"But it seems neither of you fell for it." At this point, Sister Hong’s smile grew even wider. "Especially you."

"For you, understanding such convoluted thoughts must be difficult, right?"

It was a definitive question.

She gazed at the extraordinary young man opposite her, a few traces of envy flashing across her charming face. She whispered, "You’re the second person with this kind of personality I’ve ever met."

At this moment, Xie Wufang’s expression was much more focused than before. Hearing this, he seemed somewhat surprised, with a glimmer of light flickering in his calm eyes.

"She was a classmate of mine a long time ago." Without waiting for him to ask, Sister Hong continued. "She was someone who said whatever came to mind and asked directly for what she wanted, barely concealing her emotions, not good at lying, and often unable to understand the complex subtext in others’ words."

"At the time, the first reaction of our classmates was amusement and puzzlement, followed by varying degrees of dislike. Some thought she was deliberately pretending to be naive and arrogant, while others thought she had low emotional intelligence… But later on, everyone was left with only envy and jealousy."

"Why?"

"Because she wasn’t pretending or lacking in emotional intelligence; she simply never had the chance to learn those things."

Sister Hong smiled slightly, her tone gentle. "She had a very good family background and was particularly fortunate. Her life had always been lucky and smooth, a girl truly raised like a princess, with everyone around her catering to her every whim."

"She didn’t need to act or lie to effortlessly obtain everything. How could she develop the personality of an ordinary person?"

Life was full of twists and turns, with countless unattainable desires and helplessness. Thus, the initially innocent and unrestrained travelers gradually learned to flatter and cater to others as they were constantly buffeted by the storms of life. When even that failed them, they finally resorted to flights of fancy.

But some people were born without needing to curry favor to possess anything.

The world was already in their arms.

Sister Hong didn’t yet know the origins and background of this young man before her, but relying on her intuition and senses, she could vaguely perceive that he was likely more than just well-off and fortunate.

There was something about him she had never seen in anyone else, a truly captivating and ethereal quality.

As if the sun and moon were within his grasp.

At this point, Sister Hong chuckled softly, her gaze sweeping meaningfully over the frosted glass window behind him.

"She was already the luckiest person I’ve ever met, and your personality is even more extreme than hers… I guess there must have been nothing you couldn’t get in the past."

It sounded unbelievable, but it was a sincere conviction she held inexplicably.

The scenery and figures outside the window were blurred, and after her words fell, the room was silent for a moment before another voice sounded again.

"In the past."

The man repeated the word softly, his eyes deep and his voice slightly hoarse.

"But not anymore."