Chapter 48 Extra 2: Twice Heartbroken

Chapter 48 Extra 2: Twice Heartbroken

"Where is Yan Mei? Is he not here?"

"I came here because of Yan Mei—"

...

"Why is it you?"

Bao Zhehan was bombarded with questions, and the air felt thick with tension. Everyone was staring at him with hostile eyes, as if he were the one to blame for everything.

If only he could just get past this.

But the problem was, Bao Zhehan didn’t know what expression to put on right now.

Why am I the one who’s cornered...

However, the anxious, restless looks on their faces made sense.

Because today was Yan Mei’s birthday. It was a special occasion. But the guest of honor was nowhere to be found.

"Yan Mei"

No matter how many times he heard it, even if it was just the name, it stirred a deep infatuation that made his heart race. Just thinking about that person filled him with boundless excitement and joy—that person had a charm that could completely captivate anyone.

Bao Zhehan believed that no one in this world could remain indifferent to that face.

Those dirty, obsessive desires gushed out uncontrollably like a flood toward that person.

Yet, no one dared to approach.

The most they could do was steal glances, but when it came to action, they hesitated.

He thought everyone would just admire from afar, breathing the air where that person existed, but then, out of the blue, a classmate no one recognized or had ever heard of showed up, becoming that person's official boyfriend.

"What kind of cheesy novel plot is this...? Could something like this actually happen in real life? The two of them are so mismatched, it just feels wrong."

It was hard to picture Yan Mei in a relationship.

But seeing the other person picking him up and dropping him off, with such a strong protective streak, it made sense.

So, it was no surprise that others kept watching, sparking the delusion that 'maybe I could have a shot too.' At least, that's what Bao Zhehan thought a month ago—now, looking back, he felt like a complete fool.

"Because of a series of coincidences, I ended up as Ye Jishu’s roommate."

"So when Yan Mei came looking for him, I was also present, which is why those people cornered me."

However, the others once again strangely and unanimously ignored Ye Jishu, who should have been the focus, and instead thought he might know something, which is why Yan Mei wasn’t at the villa and they came to ask him.

But—

Bao Zhehan showed a pained expression.

"Who am I? Do I even deserve to be caught between my idol and my past obsession?!"

Every time he saw the two of them together, Bao Zhehan’s heart would rise with an indescribable, unspeakable subtle feeling.

Although his infatuation with Yan Mei still dominated his heart, he had a vague sense that Yan Mei was definitely not as simple and approachable as he appeared. Staring at him for too long instead evoked a deep fear in his heart.

Was it because he’d recently run into stuff that didn’t make any sense?

Even though he hadn’t seen Yan Mei actually show up in the weirdness, he just had this gut feeling...

Yan Mei is dangerous, very self-centered.

So, he’d totally ditch everyone, not caring about the obsessed crowd around him.

"He was right here a second ago..."

Yeah, that’s right.

Yan Mei would previously respond with a few words and a smile, leaving everyone spellbound. In this villa, specially equipped with an indoor swimming pool, billiards room, game room, and movie theater, no one could focus on anything else.

Bao Zhehan had no clue why he did this.

Was he just trying to keep up a 'normal' life?

But now, he probably got sick of it, or maybe he had other pursuits.

In any case, while everyone was spaced out, he, as the protagonist, had already disappeared from sight. When they came to their senses, no one even noticed when they’d looked away, and they’d missed him without realizing it.

Finally, someone blurted out.

"Let’s go look for him!"

Hearing this, Bao Zhehan gasped and stepped back.

"..."

If you’re looking to die, leave me out of it...!

He’d planned to just sneak off, but pushed by the crowd, he ended up wandering the villa.

Yan Mei’s family must be loaded.

So the villa’s huge, with four floors.

Each floor has big, shiny living rooms. The bedrooms are lined up like dominoes on both ends of the long corridor—there’s gotta be at least twenty rooms.

"Are we seriously gonna check every room?"

Someone hesitated to say.

"We’ve got nothing better to do."

Bao Zhehan’s eyes wandered over the crowd, and then he suddenly realized something. Ye Jishu had disappeared at some point—so why didn’t he notice it immediately? And only now did he remember...

Yan Mei is not here.

Ye Jishu is not here either...

Bao Zhehan’s brain short-circuited.

It was as if something was about to burst out, nailing his movements in place, no longer following the footsteps of others.

However, from beside him, a voice suddenly spoke.

"I think I heard something."

"..."

Ah, what? It couldn’t be this much of a coincidence, right?!

Even with the air conditioning on, Bao Zhehan felt a wave of heat.

For some reason, his cheeks turned a faint red.

On his birthday, both of them had vanished without a word and were now alone in a confined space.

"...It feels like a scene I shouldn’t be thinking about."

But it was too late to stop the thought; his head snapped forward just in time to see the person in front twist the door handle and push it open, revealing the scene inside to everyone.

Sure enough, Yan Mei and Ye Jishu were both there.

But the first thing that caught his eye, and the first thought that came to mind was—

That’s a huge screen!

But it was hooked up to an ongoing game.

Yan Mei was seated on the sofa.

And Ye Jishu... was actually playing the game.

"..."

Playing a game—he was actually playing a game!

Yan Mei’s phone was off to the side, and from where Bao Zhehan stood, he could see the barrage of comments rapidly scrolling on the screen.

"I heard the door open..."

"Seems like there’s a bunch of people... is yjs outside?"

"It was quiet earlier."

Bao Zhehan’s body jerked violently.

If they could hear their footsteps, it meant the mic was still on, which meant—

Someone couldn’t help but speak up.

"Yan Mei... uh, what are you guys doing here?"

It’s over! We’re done for!

"Names are out."

Bao Zhehan felt a wave of dizziness wash over him.

Though he didn’t know what the Bureau of Infection Management and Control was thinking, if they went viral online, their anonymity would be completely gone. And needless to say, it wouldn’t be good for Yan Mei’s unique identity to be exposed online either—

The barrage of comments paused briefly, then surged instantly.

Bao Zhehan quickly decided, stepped forward, and said, "Alright, stop playing, don’t bother Teacher yjs anymore."

"..."

His voice was unmistakable.

Unlike that classmate's vague comment, Bao Zhehan was immediately recognized, and everyone's attention was instantly diverted. The chat exploded with questions like "What’s the young master doing here?" and "Do you guys know each other in real life?"

Bao Zhehan didn’t give a damn. He quickly kicked all the classmates out of the room and then slammed the door shut.

"Bang—!"

The door slammed shut, echoing in the small room.

Bao Zhehan let out a sigh of relief. He whipped his head around, only to see that the previously lit game screen had been turned off.

Ye Jishu had abruptly ended the live stream, not caring at all about the audience’s reaction.

It was so typical of him...

However, as Bao Zhehan unconsciously stared at him in a daze, he suddenly felt a cold gaze coming from his side.

He shivered uncontrollably.

He didn’t need to look to know who was staring at him.

In an instant, countless thoughts flashed through Bao Zhehan's mind, and his survival instinct kicked in, and he blurted out, "I'll explain everything later. Although we know each other offline, there's absolutely nothing between us. Don’t read too much into it—and yes, you do have a boyfriend...!"

Ye Jishu: "..."

He hadn’t even said a word.

However, Bao Zhehan seemed to have flipped a switch and vented his inner frustrations: "To be honest, I've long been dissatisfied with that Bai Feng. A heartthrob isn’t someone who twists things to make themselves look good. If anyone deserves that title, it’s got to be Yan Mei... So, if it weren't for the special circumstances, I’d love to show them Yan Mei’s pictures—"

Anyone who’s seen Yan Mei couldn’t possibly say they don’t like him.

"No."

But before he could even finish, Ye Jishu had already directly cut him off.

"But..."

"No."

"I just—"

"I said, no."

"..."

Another flat-out refusal hit him.

Bao Zhehan's voice abruptly stopped.

Yeah, it was just a thought.

Yan Mei’s identity couldn’t be revealed. Especially since it would drag Ye Jishu into it.

However, seeing Ye Jishu’s slight frown after saying "no," he suddenly understood the real reason behind it.

"This is... possessiveness."

Ye Jishu didn’t want anyone else near Yan Mei.

Reaching this conclusion, Bao Zhehan couldn’t help but be surprised. Although he hadn’t known Ye Jishu for long, it was hard to imagine such emotions coming from someone who always wore a blank expression... To put it another way, the latter was more accurately described as robotic.

After all, Bao Zhehan rarely saw him show much emotion.

Sometimes, seeing him sleep in class, Bao Zhehan would wonder if the guy was even alive, because he didn’t even move.

Yet, someone so seemingly emotionless had developed human-like emotions towards "Yan Mei."

...

In fact, Bao Zhehan had always suspected.

That is, Yan Mei might belong to "that world" he had stumbled into. In other words, the meaning of non-human.

But Yan Mei—

Seemed to have more emotional depth than Ye Jishu, and was easier to read.

He could clearly feel that the other party liked Ye Jishu very much, to the point of not letting anyone come between them. And the latter seemed oblivious that he was in such danger, acting quite freely, thus giving the illusion of being emotionally slow.

Therefore, the scene that Bao Zhehan inadvertently stumbled upon today hit him hard.

"Ye Jishu, has always known."

Moreover, he also had this feeling. It was just hidden.

Only today, under the attitude of resolute refusal, Ye Jishu’s true feelings abruptly surfaced.

"He also, really likes Yan Mei."

All kinds of complex, indescribable emotions surged.

Finally, Bao Zhehan’s chaotic brain left him blurting out in despair: "Who gets their heart broken twice in one go..."