Chapter 150 Infinite 04

Chapter 150 Infinite 04

Emerging from behind the door was a figure all too familiar.

Yu Bai's gaze suddenly met those beautiful blue eyes that seemed almost inhuman.

They were calm, without a ripple of emotion.

The clear gray-blue was deeper and colder than usual, carrying a hint of the eerie stillness of nightfall.

Overwhelmed by this eeriness, Yu Bai's heart skipped a beat, and his anxious thoughts were instantly replaced by a more profound confusion.

...Xie Wufang looked as if He was in a bad mood.

Was He like this yesterday?

Why did He not seem surprised or puzzled at his sudden visit...

Yesterday, he had abruptly said goodbye to everyone and rushed home alone, after which Xie Wufang hadn't sought him out.

In truth, for Yu Bai, whether it was yesterday or today, this was the first time he had seen the other since he decided to bury his head in the sand and avoid everything.

Could this really be Xie Wufang, who had returned to the past with him?

The man, whose eyes were filled with bewilderment and shock, was dazed for a moment before he stammered, "You..."

His voice trailed off into the air, leaving an awkward silence.

He suddenly didn't know how to ask.

If Xie Wufang had also come back from the future, He would surely know what had happened to him, so why hadn't He come looking for him—

"You've been standing outside for a long time," came the familiar, magnetic voice suddenly. "What's wrong? Yu Bai."

The man's tone sounded perfectly normal, and his question was genuinely concerned.

His wild thoughts were instantly interrupted, causing Yu Bai to shudder.

Then, he was struck by an overwhelming sense of embarrassment, wanting nothing more than to run away on the spot.

Xie Wufang had heard him hesitating outside the door.

...No wonder He wasn't surprised at all when he came to find Him!

Feeling both overwhelmed and strangely relieved, Yu Bai thought, This must be yesterday's Xie Wufang.

The Xie Wufang who doesn't know about the strange changes happening to him.

"I... I have something to talk to you about. Can I come in?" Yu Bai asked softly. "Are you busy? Will I be disturbing you?"

Upon hearing this, the man quickly stepped aside, a genuine look of surprise crossing his eyes. "Not at all."

Yu Bai then saw the still sparsely furnished room behind him.

There was only the most basic furniture—a dining table, sofa, coffee table, and the like—without any extra decorations.

The overhead incandescent lamp cast a cool light, illuminating the cold-toned room where the paused television screen emitted colorful rays.

This wasn't the first time Yu Bai had been to Xie Wufang's house. He had visited several times during the time loop, each time seeing the same simple and lonely space.

Speaking of the loop.

Could this be another inexplicably initiated time loop?

Would the Xie Wufang in front of him have his memories reset when the time came...

Stepping into the familiar room, Yu Bai's originally soft voice gradually rose in volume without him realizing it.

He casually remarked, "Were you watching TV?"

Almost simultaneously, another voice sounded: "I thought you were avoiding me."

Human small talk and the non-human's unusually straightforward words overlapped.

...As always, too honest for their own good.

Yu Bai froze in his tracks, ready to deny it: "I wasn't..."

He couldn't see the expression on the person behind him, but he could hear the earnestness in the other's tone.

Xie Wufang didn't comment on his clearly weak denial but instead said unexpectedly, "You mentioned going out for dinner tonight."

"…That, uh, never mind."

In front of Xie Wufang, thinking about Old Zheng still made Yu Bai feel oddly guilty: "With such heavy rain, it's better not to go out. There's nothing important that requires a meeting."

At least, he managed to change the subject from the previous one.

The man gave a brief acknowledgment.

In the short response, there was a fleeting hint of pleasure.

Before Yu Bai could make sense of it, he heard the deep, slightly husky voice pause before continuing, "What if they come looking for you?"

He seemed to care deeply about this matter.

When he first heard the question, Yu Bai felt a strange sensation, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what was odd about it.

To an ordinary person, this would have been a perfectly normal conversation.

If only.

"No, I've already told them not to come," Yu Bai said reflexively. "Even if they did, I'd send the two of them away."

Xie Wufang asked, "Why?"

Because it was a meeting whose outcome he already knew, and thus, better left unmet.

But Yu Bai couldn't bring himself to reveal that to the person before him, so he hedged, "It's just that there wasn't anything important to begin with. It was just a casual get-together. Honestly, I didn't feel like entertaining them... Anyway, we won't be seeing each other again."

The last sentence was soft, as if spoken more for his own ears.

He wouldn't have any further contact with Zheng Zhiyu.

Once Yu Bai made up his mind about something, he wouldn't change it.

Especially when it came to dealing with people he could no longer accept.

Some doors, once closed, would never reopen.

As Yu Bai spoke, his gaze was involuntarily drawn to the brightest color in the living room, and he suddenly exclaimed, "You're watching this?"

On the paused screen was a cartoon character conversing with its reflection in a mirror.

Yu Bai was intimately familiar with this anime character.

It was from that long-named animation, commonly referred to as "Yusiming."

Xie Wufang had actually been watching cartoons alone at home.

"Mm," Xie Wufang glanced over. "After returning from the previous timeline, I remembered two moments."

He said softly, "I remembered you taking me to film, and us watching cartoons together."

At that moment, there was a click.

He closed the door and turned to walk towards the human standing in front of the television.

The cool white light diffused, reflecting the gentle ripples in his gray-blue eyes.

There was nothing particularly special about these memories, and Yu Bai didn't feel nervous about them. He glanced at Xie Wufang. "So, what do you think of this cartoon? Is it good?"

For some reason, he felt that Xie Wufang seemed considerably happier.

Compared to how he looked when he opened the door earlier, he was closer to his usual self around Yu Bai.

"It's good," Xie Wufang paused, then added, "Sorry."

Yu Bai was a bit surprised. "What are you apologizing for?"

"Because back then, I didn't understand this style. I didn't really get the story, so I didn't talk to you or laugh with you," Xie Wufang said. "And you liked this animation very much."

He was apologizing for his lack of enthusiasm in response.

Yu Bai couldn't help but laugh. "It's okay, no need to apologize. I knew you didn't get it, which is why I laughed so hard... I told you, I thought that timeline was the most fun."

This earnest apology across timelines was also quite amusing.

In a strangely endearing way.

He asked curiously, "So, did you laugh when you watched it alone just now?"

"No."

Yu Bai arched an eyebrow, somewhat disgruntled. "Then you said you wanted to laugh with me, but you still didn't get it..."

"I wasn't focused on watching," Xie Wufang admitted honestly. "Because I kept thinking of you."

"This time, you weren't by my side, and you were avoiding me."

The smile froze on the human's face.

…Why did he keep bringing up the things he shouldn't!

A moment later, Yu Bai, sitting next to the man on the couch and watching TV, felt as if he were dreaming.

He didn't know why he, who had originally come seeking help, was now sitting down to watch cartoons.

Perhaps it was because he desperately wanted to prove that he wasn't avoiding Xie Wufang.

…

How did this guy manage to say such things with a straight face!

He felt embarrassed just listening!

Yu Bai subtly covered his slightly flushed cheeks, where a faint redness lingered.

He watched the nonsensical cartoon he had seen four times already, his mind elsewhere.

The dazzling screen lights illuminated their faces.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the man's chiseled profile.

The sharp, cold lines of his jaw, which were usually so severe, were unexpectedly soft now.

Yu Bai knew he should immediately tell Xie Wufang about the unexpected return to the past.

Perhaps Xie Wufang could directly resolve this issue, returning him to the normal timeline or revealing how he could do so himself.

Alternatively, just as with the initial time loop, upon Xie Wufang's realization of this situation, time might instantly reset. This meant that he couldn't let It notice any anomalies and would have to find a solution on his own.

Or perhaps, neither of these speculations were correct, leading instead to an entirely new possibility that Yu Bai couldn't yet fathom.

Regardless, he needed to take action to determine his next steps and ultimately restore everything to normalcy.

But...

The television blared with cheerful noise, while the couch was quiet. The lively story flowed silently through their eyes, their shoulders almost touching.

When the episode ended, the human, who hadn't dodged away, whispered, "This is my favorite episode. Wasn't it great?"

In truth, he hadn't absorbed a single moment of it.

The distracting heartbeat urged him to cover his ears.

But having watched it three times before, he could cheat, concealing the fact that he hadn't been focused on the TV.

Unlike some "people," who always laid bare their honesty.

"…Sorry, I wasn't really watching the plot."

The man turned his gaze towards him, pausing for a moment as if about to say something but promptly reined it in, asking instead, "Shall we watch it again?"

Those beautiful gray-blue eyes reflected the figure close by once more.

If not the plot, then what had he been watching?

The air still seemed to carry the lingering heat from a searing gaze.

In that moment of hesitation, Yu Bai turned away, as if brushing away annoying strands of hair, his cool hand passing over his flushed cheek.

To him, this was a day long past, a retread of animated plots, yet everything before him felt fresh and unfamiliar.

Unfamiliar feelings, unfamiliar atmosphere, and suddenly, even the—

A cheerful ringtone abruptly sounded.

Yu Bai, lost in thought, jumped, coming back to reality to realize his phone was ringing.

Fumbling, he pulled out his phone from his pocket, "I, I'll take this call."

He saw Xie Wufang's eyes lower slightly, without a word.

That subtle aura of ambiguity dissipated, his heart fluttering lightly.

Whether it was relief or regret, he didn't know.

It was Yan Jing's call.

Why was he calling?

Surprised, Yu Bai didn't have time to sort out his emotions, quickly answering, "Hello?"

"Xiaobai, Xiaobai!" A familiar voice boomed excitedly, "Has Old Zheng arrived at your place?"

More surprised, Yu Bai replied blankly, "No, didn't I tell him not to come?"

Yan Jing spoke urgently, "Yes, I told him it was fine too, not to bother in such heavy rain. But he said you sounded strange on the phone, like something might be wrong, insisting on coming over to check!"

Hearing this, Yu Bai was puzzled, "But I haven't seen him. Aren't you two together?"

As he spoke, he glanced towards the entrance, rising to look outside.

He hadn't heard any knocking from next door, and if Zheng Zhiyu had truly arrived, upon finding no one home, he would have called.

"What! He didn't get to your place? Then where did he go... We were supposed to come together, but when I turned around for a second, Old Zheng was gone!"

Yan Jing's voice grew increasingly incredulous and panicked.

"I thought I was hallucinating, seriously, I turned around and Old Zheng was just gone. Damn, it scared me so much!"

"I've been calling him, but there's no answer. I looked around but couldn't see him. I thought maybe he was too anxious and left me behind, rushing to find you. By now, he should have arrived."

Trembling, he asked, "…Xiaobai, seriously, Old Zheng didn't come to see you?"

"Really not, I'm not lying." Yu Bai furrowed his brows, "Try calling him again? Maybe the signal is bad because of the rain."

"I've been trying, but there's no answer! And now the wind and rain have stopped, only for him to pull this stunt. Shit, I'm freaking out, Xiaobai!!"

"He might have dropped his phone? Or maybe something urgent came up and he left without telling you. Don't scare yourself. How could someone just vanish into thin air—"

His unfinished words cut off abruptly.

Triggered by familiar words, vague, indistinct memories flickered at the edge of his consciousness.

Vanish into thin air…

Those memories, trapped deep within his mind, remained elusive, never clear.

But at this moment, Yu Bai was certain of one thing—he had definitely witnessed a similar scene somewhere.

Strange dreams sank to the bottom of the lake, residual impressions faintly shimmering in the air.

Immersed in those invisible fragments, Yu Bai's breath caught, halting his steps. Almost instinctively, he turned to look back.

The man remained seated on the couch, seemingly sensing something, lifting his gaze towards him.

The garish and clamorous TV in the background serves as a foil, while two divergent gazes collide soundlessly in the air.

And yet, His gaze remains tender and serene, unchanged amidst the chaos.