Chapter 26

Chapter 26

"I’m going crazy."

Li Yang listlessly lowered his eyelids, feeling flushed and overheated from the heating. He shrugged off his coat, leaving only a thin beige sweatshirt.

Perhaps because he was sitting sideways, or maybe because the sweatshirt’s neckline was too wide, Ying Xi caught a glimpse of a dark mole near his collarbone out of the corner of his eye.

Against his fair skin, it stood out starkly, like a drop of ink on pristine snow—irresistibly tempting to reach out and touch, to smudge the surrounding skin with color.

"What are you looking at?" Li Yang was acutely sensitive to his gaze and followed his eyes downward.

From that angle, he saw nothing.

"You have a mole here," Ying Xi said, pulling at his own collar and pointing to his collarbone.

The sudden movement made Li Yang flustered, looking away and stammering, "Just say it—don’t pull at your clothes."

Ying Xi paused for a second before realizing Li Yang didn’t dare look at his body.

He smiled, edging closer. "Yangyang, it’s not like I took anything off. Why won’t you look at me?"

Playing dumb. Li Yang wanted to retort stubbornly, but he noticed the driver’s head bobbing slightly, clearly eavesdropping.

Without lifting his head, Li Yang held up a hand to stop him.

Ying Xi didn’t push further, keeping ten centimeters between them.

Even so, Li Yang still felt it was too close—close enough to feel the body heat radiating from Ying Xi.

For some reason, he grew even hotter, tugging at his sweatshirt before cracking the window for air.

The wind ruffled his hair. Li Yang ran his fingers through his bangs, noticing they’d gotten too long and needed a trim.

A fierce gust rushed in, chilling the exposed skin on his neck, making him shiver slightly—along with that conspicuous black mole.

"Why did you go to the hospital?" Ying Xi’s throat moved as he fixed Li Yang’s askew collar.

Caught by the question, Li Yang didn’t stop him. "Some trouble sleeping, so I went to check it out."

Ying Xi paused. "You have insomnia?"

Last night, Li Yang had fallen asleep so fast that he remembered it clearly.

"Yeah." Li Yang studied his dark circles. "But mine isn’t as bad as yours."

Ying Xi took him at his word easily.

Li Yang couldn’t help but think: *If I told him aliens were invading Earth, would he believe that too?*

The window rolled up, and the car fell silent, leaving only the faint sound of breathing.

Li Yang felt sleepy. Shifting his posture, he rested his cheek on his hand, intending to nap. As he drifted off, he heard himself mutter, "Actually, I’ve mutated."

It was the truth, but he said it jokingly on purpose—something no one would take seriously.

Ying Xi thought for a moment. "It’s okay. I’ll like Yangyang no matter what he becomes."

The soft, sincere words carried a soothing magic.

Li Yang’s sleepiness vanished instantly. He shot Ying Xi a strange look. "Thanks."

No suspicion. Complete belief.

Those words settled Li Yang’s anxious heart and confused thoughts.

*Whatever. It’s normal for Ying Xi to affect me like this. No one can resist that face anyway—no need to overthink it.*

Rather than resisting, he might as well accept it. Successfully brainwashing himself, Li Yang closed his eyes and feigned sleep.

The car soon arrived.

When they stepped out of the elevator, Li Yang saw Assistant Min waiting at the door right away.

"I came to deliver something." Assistant Min handed Li Yang a set of documents.

"What’s this?" Li Yang looked down, puzzled.

"Completed property transfer documents. You can take a look."

Hesitantly, Li Yang opened them—and was overwhelmed.

In short, the Ying family had gifted him two luxury villas in prime locations. Li Yang knew the area—each was worth at least tens of millions.

The current apartment, Unit 601, and the neighboring Unit 602 were now in his name. They’d even included a card with a million yuan.

Since he hadn’t accepted the money yesterday, they’d switched to gifting a card instead.

He’d never had this much money in either of his lifetimes.

"I don’t need this." Li Yang straightened the papers and handed them back. "I won’t use any of it."

"It’s a token of appreciation." Assistant Min smiled. "Please accept it."

Ying Xi mused. "Do you think it’s too little? Don’t worry, there’s more later."

"It’s not too little." Li Yang didn’t know how to explain. "This is plenty, but really—I don’t need it."

Too much money, and he wouldn’t even know how to spend it.

Though he’d once fantasized about what he’d buy if he hit the jackpot, now that he actually had the means, he couldn’t care less.

In the end, Li Yang accepted the gifts and sent messages thanking Li Xu and Ying Sui.

Their lengthy, delighted replies praised him endlessly, followed by eager money transfers they insisted he accept.

Li Yang refused, but they said they’d deposit it directly into his account.

Feeling conflicted, he turned to Ying Xi. "I won’t use this money. You take it."

"I have enough," Ying Xi said. "Keep it for now. You might need it later."

Suddenly remembering something, he pulled Li Yang to the bedroom. "Oh, right—I had those two plushies delivered."

In the center of the bed lay two pink rabbit plushies.

Li Yang blinked, his gaze shifting from the toys to Ying Xi’s hand gripping his. He tried to pull free.

Ying Xi instinctively tightened his hold. "Your parents won’t disturb you anymore. You can relax now."

"You locked them up?" Li Yang said.

"No," Ying Xi said quietly. "I tipped off your dad’s creditors, and he ran away immediately. Your mom divorced him but’s scared too, so she moved to a neighboring city for now."

Li Yang muttered absentmindedly, showing little interest.

As long as they stayed away, he never wanted to see those two again.

"Let’s eat," Ying Xi said, leading him to the dining table.

Li Yang had been waiting for his hand to be freed, but recalling yesterday’s scene, he suddenly stood up. "Stay out of the kitchen."

"Relax, I know what I’m doing," Ying Xi said, opening the kitchen door.

Inside, everything was brand new—no sign of yesterday’s near-disaster remained. New utensils had been added, along with a hefty cookbook.

Li Yang wasn’t buying it. "I’ll do it."

"Just let me cook," Ying Xi insisted, picking up a spatula. "Just relax over there."

Half an hour later, three dishes and a soup—nothing fancy—were laid out on the table.

The smell was amazing. Li Yang stared in disbelief at the enticing shrimp on the plate. "You’ve been practicing?"

"The book spelled it out—easy enough," Ying Xi replied, putting on gloves and peeling shrimp with practiced ease.

After peeling one, he automatically held it to Li Yang’s mouth. He caught himself—maybe that was too much—but Li Yang had already taken a bite.

"Thanks," the boy said, clearly enjoying the shrimp, his focus entirely on its flavor. "It’s delicious. You worked hard."

His eyes crinkled with a smile, his smile radiant, lips glistening slightly.

Ying Xi, suddenly hyper-focused, went all-in on peeling shrimp, his speed increasing. At first, he fed Li Yang, but eventually, Li Yang caught on and stopped him.

Within minutes, Li Yang’s bowl was packed with shrimp—no room left.

Li Yang tried to intervene. "Stop peeling. Let’s eat."

Ying Xi just switched to deboning the fish.

Li Yang squirmed. No one had ever doted on him like this, and he didn’t know how to react, only instinctively trying to stop Ying Xi.

"The food’s getting cold. Let’s eat."

"Stop it, Ying Xi."

"..."

In the end, Li Yang gave up. Not wanting to freeload, he peeled the remaining shrimp and handed them to Ying Xi.

Ying Xi, mid-fish-deboning, froze. "For me?"

"Yeah, just eat already. Stop picking at the fish." Li Yang pulled off his gloves, not giving him a chance to continue. "Next time, let’s just make two dishes."

Thank god one dish was vegetables—no peeling required—or else they might have been at it until the food went completely cold.

Li Yang couldn’t shake the weirdness.

Before moving in, he had assumed they’d eat out or have a chef at home. He never expected Ying Xi to cook himself.

Not what he expected from a rich guy.

"Thanks, Yangyang," Ying Xi said, savoring the shrimp.

He ate it like it was gold, savoring each bite with reverence. The sight made Li Yang’s skin crawl, leaving him torn between laughter and exasperation.

If things kept going like this, would he really be able to leave Ying Xi’s side in five years?

The whole thing was… weird.

Li Yang noticed a new dishwasher in the kitchen—no more scrubbing dishes.

After putting the dishes away, he went to shower first. When he came out, Ying Xi was on his phone, face unreadable.

If Li Yang didn’t know him better, he’d never believe they had any connection just by looking at that aloof, aristocratic face.

He radiated 'stay away' just by standing still, making people want to stay far away rather than approach.

Yet, that image completely vanished when facing Li Yang—replaced only by gentleness and indulgence.

Li Yang let out a breath. "What are you looking at?"

His hair was dry, still a little tousled, his pajamas clinging to his still-flushed skin from the shower. His eyes shone, still damp, as if veiled in a hazy mist—enough to melt anyone’s heart at a glance.

Ying Xi stepped closer in a flash and pulled him into a tight hug.

The smell of soap hung between them. Ying Xi cleared his throat, voice rough. "Okay."

As he passed by Li Yang, he couldn’t resist reaching out.

Before he could touch him, Li Yang’s body tensed—but the touch only gently smoothed his hair before Ying Xi deliberately averted his gaze, stiffly walking into the bathroom.

Weirdo.

Li Yang touched his bangs, his eyes landing on a pair of scissors nearby.

When Ying Xi came out, Li Yang was sitting on the edge of the bed, back turned, holding a mirror—dead silent, like time stopped.

Something was off.

Ying Xi approached slowly.

In the lamplight, the boy’s fair skin glowed, his slender neckline strikingly elegant.

Hearing the movement, Li Yang shifted, setting the mirror down without a word before burrowing under the covers.

"Night," he muttered, pulling the blanket over his head.

Ying Xi frowned, baffled. The mirror looked fine, but he sat beside Li Yang. "Are you feeling unwell?"

"No," Li Yang said vaguely. "Sleep."

Ying Xi nodded, then paused. "I’ll go to the study for a bit."

His footsteps faded, then the door clicked shut. Then, quiet.

Buried under the covers, Li Yang didn't have time to think too much. He was stifling under the blanket, so he kicked off the blanket and sat up. He grabbed the mirror again to see how he could fix his bangs—only to lock eyes with Ying Xi’s stunned face.

Li Yang quickly raised his hand to press down his bangs, but it was useless. Ying Xi had seen everything and even gave him a grin.

"Your new bangs are cute."

Li Yang gave up trying and picked up the mirror, gawking at the butchered mess. "...Are you serious?"

The scissors were way too sharp. Li Yang hadn’t paid attention at first, and three quick cuts later, his bangs were completely ruined.

He figured if he couldn’t fix them, he might as well trim them straight—but he lost control, afraid that further cutting would make things worse, leaving him with this wonky, uneven disaster.

"Let me fix them for you," Ying Xi said, struggling not to laugh as he waved Li Yang over.

After a moment’s hesitation—since his bangs couldn’t possibly get any uglier—Li Yang got out of bed and followed Ying Xi to the living room.

Ten minutes later, Li Yang stared at his new bangs in the mirror, his eyes lighting up a little.

Way better than before.

His original bangs had been so long they nearly covered his eyes. Now, with his eyebrows exposed, it felt weird at first, but he’d get used to it.

His soft black hair clung neatly to his head, and those beautiful eyes were no longer obstructed. When he looked directly at Ying Xi, light flickered in his eyes, glistening faintly, making it seem as if he were always smiling.

Ying Xi reached out and mussed up his hair, turning the smooth strands into a messy fluff.

Li Yang blinked in confusion, looking downright adorable. Ying Xi couldn’t help pinching his cheek.

His skin was crazy soft, and his fingers sunk right in, as if being pulled in. He didn’t use much force, yet the spot he pinched turned red instantly.

Ying Xi immediately let go and apologized.

The mark slowly darkened, but Li Yang didn’t really care. He rubbed the spot lightly, only feeling a slight warmth. "Let’s sleep. It’s late."

His skin was too pale and perfect, making the red mark stand out even more, hard to miss.

Ying Xi’s gaze lingered on the mark, his eyes deepening, unreadable.

*I really like Li Yang.*

Noticing his weird look, Li Yang couldn’t be bothered to think about it. Yawning, he headed to the bedroom.

Ying Xi followed shortly after.

The lights went out, drowning the room in darkness.

This time, Li Yang couldn’t fall asleep quickly.

The sound of another person’s breathing was so close that he thought Ying Xi was right beside him—until he reached out and touched the plush toy, realizing he was just overly aware of Ying Xi’s presence.

He shut his eyes tightly, willing himself to sleep.

---

Li Yang woke up with a start.

Sunlight poured through the window. He couldn’t remember what he’d dreamed about, only that it vaguely involved his parents.

Lately, he kept dreaming he was the original owner, reliving childhood memories.

*Were his and the original owner’s memories merging?*

He shoved the blanket aside and noticed Ying Xi’s bed was already neatly made.

Opening the door, he found the living room empty—but the study door was closed.

The next second, the study door opened. Ying Xi, in gray sweats, smiled at him. "Morning. I was reading for a bit."

Perhaps because he’d just woken up, his voice sounded lazy and slow.

"Did you have trouble sleeping again?" Li Yang asked.

Ying Xi pointed under his eyes. "No, I slept well last night. The dark circles are gone."

*Though he’d had chaotic dreams.*

Li Yang just grunted in reply, took two steps forward, then suddenly spun around.

For some reason, Ying Xi had been actively avoiding his gaze—which was very unlike him.

Li Yang made a simple breakfast.

While eating, Ying Xi sat diagonally across from him, occasionally zoning out while staring at him before suddenly snapping back and looking away.

Li Yang glanced down several times, wondering what was up with Ying Xi staring at his neck—until he stood in front of the mirror, tugged his collar down, and spotted a mole on his collarbone.

*He had the same mole in real life.*

Li Yang was stunned. He’d barely noticed it before, and since the mole was barely visible—only visible from certain angles—he’d never even noticed it till now.

*Was Ying Xi avoiding him because of this mole?*

*Why?*

Li Yang couldn’t figure it out, but then again, he didn’t understand Ying Xi very well to begin with. The curiosity faded fast, and he yawned, about to fix his shirt when the door flew open.

Ying Xi stood at the doorway, his eyes zeroing in on the bare skin.

The new hairstyle made Li Yang seem sweet and docile, his eyes bright and clear—completely different from before.

Li Yang straightened up and quickly fixed his clothes.

"I didn’t knock. Sorry," Ying Xi apologized, looking away.

He sounded weirdly tense. Li Yang put on his jacket and noticed Ying Xi’s ears going red for no reason.

"...What weird thoughts are you having?" Li Yang tilted his head.

No way he bought Ying Xi was blushing just from seeing his bare chest.

"Nothing," Ying Xi said solemnly. "I was thinking about a math problem."

Li Yang’s face was full of disbelief, but he didn’t press further. Before leaving, he glanced at the hat Ying Xi had given him the night before and put it on.

*Perfect—it successfully covered the bangs he still wasn’t used to.*

Ying Xi picked up a scarf, mimicking how Li Yang had tied it the day before, and followed him out.

*Freezing cold out.*

The short walk left Li Yang's ears aching from the cold, but the moment he got into the car, he started overheating.

The place he lived in was called City A, in southern China.

Only the south could have this kind of damp, penetrating cold at just a few degrees—the kind that felt like it could chill you to the bone, completely unlike the dry cold of the north.

Li Yang looked out the window.

He wondered if it would snow.

The car soon arrived at school.

Li Yang had already stepped out when he caught sight of Wen Yun, who was yowling from the cold as he sprinted. On instinct, he tugged on Ying Xi’s scarf.

Both of them turned their heads toward the car, their backs facing Wen Yun’s direction.

Wen Yun, who hadn’t thought much of it at first, suddenly noticed the two of them being weird.

Were they… bowing to the car? Or contemplating their misdeeds while facing it?

Wen Yun blinked, failing to recognize Li Yang at first but immediately spotting Ying Xi, who always stood out.

Ying Xi bowing to a car—now that was interesting.

He hurried over and, for some reason, crouched down, ducking his head in to meet their faces at eye level.

The sudden appearance of Wen Yun’s head sideways at eye-level gave Li Yang a fright.

Wen Yun was equally shocked. "I was wondering who’d be accompanying Ying Xi in his car-bowing meditation—didn’t expect it to be you!"

Li Yang let go and straightened up, playing it cool. "We were just whispering something."

"Whispering what?" Wen Yun asked, then suddenly the lightbulb went off. "Oh, I get it."

His expression turned odd, and Li Yang could roughly guess what he was thinking. "Don’t get any weird ideas."

"No, no. But it’s freezing out here—aren’t you guys going inside?" Wen Yun changed the subject.

Li Yang nodded, chafing his frozen hands before quickly heading into the school.

Wen Yun hung back and asked Ying Xi, who was even slower, "So, you and Li Yang…"

He wanted to ask about their relationship status, but Ying Xi, blatantly deflecting, said, "We didn’t come together."

Which definitely meant they *had* come together.

Wen Yun didn’t know how to respond, his mouth quirking as he struggled to hold back laughter.

"Alright," he replied before catching up to Li Yang, eyebrows waggling. "You two came together?"

Li Yang didn’t stop walking. "What makes you say that?"

His expression was calm, though his fingers twitched at his sides.

"Your scarf and hat look like they match," Wen Yun said, his attention diverted again. "Are they a matching set?"

That stopped Li Yang in his tracks.

He took off his hat to check the brand, recalling the logo he’d seen when tying the scarf yesterday.

They were indeed the same brand.

Li Yang had clearly forgotten the main point of wearing the hat—the moment he took it off, Wen Yun’s eyes widened, his jaw slowly dropping.

Seeing that gaping expression, Li Yang knew he was done for.

He raised a hand to cover his bangs, pretending to be cool. "I just cut it randomly."

"It suits you so well!" Wen Yun didn’t tease him at all—instead, he raved excitedly. "This hairstyle suits you way better than before!"

"Why?" Li Yang glanced at him, confused by the praise.

"It makes you look ridiculously cute!" Wen Yun exclaimed, meeting those bright, dark eyes. "Can I just—"

Li Yang jammed the hat back on and sped up. "No."

He wasn't about that cute life.

"But you really are cute," Wen Yun insisted, dogging his steps. Then, remembering something, he asked, "Has Ying Xi seen it yet?"

"What does that have to do with him?" Li Yang said.

"Doesn’t he like you?" Wen Yun replied. "If he sees you looking this adorable, he’d probably be itching to kiss you. Forget him—*I* want to kiss you. Li Yang, do you like Omegas? What about me?"

Li Yang tuned out the latter part of his sentence, his mind slowly replaying the way Ying Xi had looked at him last night.

So… he’d wanted to kiss him?

That explained the weird vibe.