Chapter 66 The Attic Hearth

Chapter 66 The Attic Hearth

Ye Man ought to feel guilty, scared, and anxious at this moment.

He had every reason to worry that after today, he might be deemed mentally unstable and locked away in a psychiatric hospital.

Being caught red-handed here meant that his entire night's efforts had been laid bare.

In their eyes, he must seem very unreasonable and irrational.

Demanding to come to the Arctic during the New Year, refusing to smile or cooperate along the way, doing all sorts of strange and senseless things.

Not sensible, considerate, or understanding enough—useless, offering no value.

...And burdening them with his antics, only causing trouble for everyone.

He had too many reasons to feel panicked about his current situation.

But the heart that had been hanging in his throat, against all logic and intuition, slowly settled.

A familiar warmth wrapped around him from behind, and a delayed wave of bitterness and resentment washed over him.

Ye Man didn’t turn to face Xu Huaiting, keeping his back to him, head against the door, as if all his strength had vanished, his tense shoulders finally easing.

The attic was still as dark as ever, but Ye Man was no longer too frightened to utter a word. He seemed to have found an outlet and said, "You must have guessed, I've always wanted to sabotage the villa's power supply, planning to seize the opportunity to do something with Meng Yao, just like on the boat before. I insisted on Meng Yao coming because I still haven't given up on him."

Ye Man confessed with a touch of resignation, "I’m with you, but I still have feelings for Meng Yao. Now that you've caught me, what do you want to do? Break up with me, or punish me to teach your 'unfaithful' boyfriend a lesson?"

The defeated tone made it seem as if it wasn't him who brought up the breakup, but Xu Huaiting.

Xu Huaiting's hand on the door tightened slightly, his voice icy cold, "Six times."

"What?"

"This is the sixth time you’ve lied to me," Xu Huaiting whispered in his ear. "Do you remember our agreement?"

Ye Man hung his head, listening to his words, as if unable to comprehend what he was saying, and muttered numbly, "I have feelings for Meng Yao..."

Xu Huaiting: "I warn you not to say the next sentence, or I will really get angry."

The rustle of fabric behind him, followed by a gentle weight resting on Ye Man’s shoulder.

"Still nothing to say?" The voice behind him was weary.

Ye Man’s hands at his sides slowly clenched into fists, his silence deafening.

"I don’t want to blame you, I just..."

Xu Huaiting hesitated, as if searching for the right words.

But in the end, he simply murmured, "I like you."

"I don’t know if you understand this feeling, but when you truly care for someone, you want to be their support."

"I want you to think of me first when you face challenges."

He said slowly, "I want you to feel free with me, to share everything, to let me protect you, to confide in me, to trust and rely on me..."

Ye Man’s body trembled violently, his emotions overwhelming him.

"The most important thing is..."

"Don’t keep your sadness to yourself anymore."

His eyes suddenly burned with an unbearable ache.

Ye Man’s breathing grew shakier, and hot tears spilled uncontrollably onto the arm draped across his chest.

One after another, they fell, unstoppable.

Growing up, Ye Man always had to weigh his options and make compromises.

He had to meticulously plan every detail of his life, prioritizing what mattered most and pouring all his limited energy into the most critical tasks.

He constantly had to make choices—small ones, like whether to walk home or take the subway, or whether to eat expired instant noodles someone gave him or splurge on a pancake, and big ones, like money and health.

Over a year ago, one night, he clutched a bag with thirty thousand yuan, endured six kicks, and watched as a bottle fell from the table, shattering and sending glass shards into his eye. Blood poured out, blinding him.

Even then, he refused to let go.

Through a haze of blood, he heard the man let out a strange cry, terrifying him so much that he dropped the money and fled in panic.

At that time, that money meant more to him than anything else—even his own sight.

Only those who’ve mastered life can avoid constant compromise, avoid telling themselves it’s not that great, it’s fine if they don’t have it, and can openly show their pain without fear of ridicule or rejection.

If Brother Tong returns, he’d have to tell him: Because it wasn’t there, he spent the night in a cabinet, went to a freezing place, and struggled to finish a task all alone.

These troubles are so trivial that bringing them up as serious issues would only invite laughter and scorn.

...But Brother Tong would care, wouldn’t he?

But will the system ever come back?

Despite all his efforts, no one could give him a definite answer.

The system vanished one day, just as silently and unexpectedly as it had appeared.

Ye Man didn’t even know why it left.

He was just making one last effort.

No one to lean on, no one to confide in.

Ricardo was right, and so was the system.

He didn’t trust him—or anyone else, for that matter.

How could he trust them? Sometimes he even wondered if he was losing his mind!

Hearing the sobs, Xu Huaiting nervously turned him around, grabbed his sleeve, and bent down to wipe his tears. But the more he wiped, the more they fell, leaving him speechless.

"I only said a few things to you. You lied to me, talked about ‘cheating’ right in front of me, and even brought up breaking up. I didn’t cry, but here you are, crying."

On a blizzard-swept night, in a pitch-black attic, Ye Man stood before Xu Huaiting, sobbing uncontrollably: “My system’s gone—”

The hand wiping his tears froze.

Ye Man cried even more desperately, his voice breaking: “The system... it made me do tasks... but it’s gone! I’ll do tasks, anything, to bring it back! I need my system back!”

See, who would believe this!

Everyone would think he's sick or mentally unstable!

Who can he count on? It's all a lie; who would believe something so outrageous—

"Is it enough to just stay in the attic like this?"

"What?"

Xu Huaiting continued to wipe his face with his sleeve, looking intently: "I'm asking, is it enough to just stay in the attic like this? Do you need to do anything else? To get your... system? To make it come back."

Ye Man shed a tear, dumbfounded.

"Don't stay silent, it'll make me look really foolish for taking it seriously," Xu Huaiting said, then added threateningly, "Don't tell me you were just messing with me earlier, or you'll be crying all night long."

"You believe me...?"

"Honestly, not really. The system you mentioned, is it the kind I understand? Artificial intelligence? Or what? Where do you usually keep it? When I kiss you like this... is there someone else watching?"

Xu Huaiting rambled on, losing track of his words by the end, and pressed his forehead in frustration.

"So... are you lying to me?"

"No! Everything I said is true!"

"...Since you're not lying to me, of course I should believe you. If I don't believe you, who else should I believe?"

Ye Man was even more dumbfounded.

He had never imagined the answer could be so simple.

It should be complicated, requiring guesses, doubts, and judgments about many things. If it were him, he wouldn't believe someone so easily either.

Xu Huaiting hugged him and said, "My lover may be blind, but his mind is quite sound. I can still judge that much. So, what reason do I have not to believe the words of the person I love most?"

"Have I become so powerful that I can unravel all the unknown sciences and truths of the world, confident that nothing I don't understand could ever happen?"

"That would be too arrogant. Please differentiate between confidence and arrogance."

"...I need some time to accept this," he said, somewhat helplessly after his bold statement, "but that doesn't stop me from helping you when you ask for my help. You have to trust me, no matter what, I will definitely help you."

He tugged at his completely soaked sleeve, "Stay here, don't move."

He took half a step but couldn't go any further.

The hem of his clothes was being tugged.

The person tugging at him sobbed, "Then come back quickly."

Xu Huaiting hesitated.

At that moment, only three words crossed his mind: I'm done.

What's worse is, he felt no reluctance.

He was done, and he was happy about it.

After a few breaths, he thought without any psychological burden, "After all, in this lifetime, one has to be done for a few times. This is nothing major."

Without hesitation, he acted on his impulse, turning around decisively to kiss Ye Man.

While kissing him repeatedly, he thought: In life, you have to meet someone like this, someone to cherish and hold dear, to make it all worthwhile.

Just the thought of him existing in this world made him feel an uncontrollable surge of joy.

"Okay."

To someone like him, he couldn't possibly give any other answer.

...

The villa was entirely made of wood, with a somewhat old attic that conveniently had a fireplace, firewood already stacked beside it.

In such extreme cold, a stove and firewood worked better.

Crackle— The warm orange light swayed, dispelling the darkness.

After lighting the firewood and tossing it into the fireplace, Xu Huaiting made sure it was burning properly, then walked back to Ye Man, pulling him to sit by the fireplace.

Ye Man hesitated, at a loss, but Xu Huaiting had already casually sat down on the carpet and pulled Ye Man onto his lap, the warmth gradually driving away the chill.

"Tell me more about that system?"

Ye Man's guards were still up, and it was hard to change that overnight, but he still wrapped his arms around Xu Huaiting's neck and softly explained a couple of things.

The matter wasn't complicated to begin with, and sticking to the essentials made it even briefer.

After speaking, he waited nervously for Xu Huaiting's reaction.

Xu Huaiting's attitude remained unchanged, as it had been.

In Ye Man's imagination, this night he would have to endure the cold, loneliness, and darkness alone; deal with the anxiety of not knowing what would happen; and face the howling, biting wind outside the window.

It was uncomfortable, but he could handle it.

Just like sleeping in a closet isn't as comfortable as sleeping in a bed, but as long as he thought one night wouldn't be the end of him, he figured he could tough it out.

But on a night that felt like it might never end.

Sitting by the warm fire, gently leaning on Xu Huaiting's shoulder, he suddenly didn't feel like putting up with it anymore.

"I don't like Meng Yao," he said.

"I know."

"I wasn't really into him; he's going to be with my second brother."

"Even if you thought about it, it wouldn't matter. I'm right behind you. You think Meng Yao would dare lay a finger on you?"

They didn't know how long they would have to stay here to qualify, and for Xu Huaiting, staying forever didn't seem so bad.

He didn't know how long they would have to stay, and Ye Man, the one who came up with the plan, couldn't give a definitive answer either.

All they could do was wait for a possibility that might never come.

But being together made Ye Man realize that it wasn't so bad after all.

Xu Huaiting wrapped his arms around his waist, his palm slipping under the hem of the shirt, his fingers idly tracing the delicate waistline beneath the fabric: "However, the fact that you lied to me won't be let off so easily."

A shiver ran up his spine from the touch.

Ye Man could only muster a faint, trembling voice: "Ricardo—"

Xu Huaiting: "I told you, if you lie to me again, I'll make sure you learn your lesson."

"Of course, I also said, it won't be a painful lesson."

Though not painful, it was still quite tormenting.

"Xiao Man, let's play a game of truth, since we have plenty of time," Xu Huaiting said, holding the trembling figure who buried his head in his chest.

Ye Man: "Truth or dare?"

Xu Huaiting: "No dares, just truths. I'll ask, you answer, and I'll decide if you're telling the truth."

Ye Man: "Uh, you ask..."

Xu Huaiting increased the pressure in his palm, deliberately teasing: "Have you ever done it on your own, boyfriend?"

Ye Man, his ears red, buried his face in Xu Huaiting's neck.

Xu Huaiting steadied his trembling waist: "Seven times."

Before he could answer, Xu Huaiting accused him of lying, Ye Man: "...You're teasing me."

"Mm, you're right."

Ye Man's face burned with embarrassment, wanting to run, but ultimately chose to hold him tighter, "I'll figure it out."

He said he might not understand what it means to like someone.

"I'll try my best to like you, Ricardo, just like you like me."

"So... so you have to keep holding me, kissing me... no matter what, never leave me."

Xu Huaiting leaned in and kissed Ye Man's neck.

He was filled with insecurities and doubts, but Xu Huaiting would spend a lifetime proving himself over and over.

The Arctic night is endless, with the next sunrise two months away.

In this seemingly endless night, Ye Man lay on the soft carpet, warmed by the fire, wrapped in Xu Huaiting's clothes, and fell deeply asleep in Xu Huaiting's arms.

Xu Huaiting rested his chin on his hand, watching Ye Man sleep, the fire crackling beside them.

Half-asleep, Ye Man heard a faint beep.

Exhausted, his eyelids fluttered, and he drifted back to sleep.

In his dream, he clung to someone, muttering endlessly: "You weren't there, I slept in the closet all night, so pitiful."

...

"That's really pitiful."