Chapter 80 If Line Extra

Chapter 80: Alternate Timeline Side Story

Xing Hui was perpetually curious about You Miao. No matter how many times You Miao recounted his life before transmigration, it never felt like enough. Holding You Miao close, he'd confess his longing to visit You Miao's original world and see him there. Then he'd ponder aloud what You Miao would be doing now if he hadn't traveled through time—would he be married with children? What kind of wife would he have? As he spoke, a wave of anger would wash over him, and he'd declare that You Miao wasn't allowed to love anyone else, nor marry or have children with anyone else. They had met across dimensions, and You Miao was destined to be his.

You Miao found it amusing. He hadn't said a word, yet Xing Hui had managed to work himself into a fit with all his self-talk, assumptions, and hypotheticals.

"You're so convinced I'm a time traveler. Don't you think I might just be mentally ill?" he asked Xing Hui.

"I'd love you even if you were an alien," Xing Hui declared with unwavering conviction. He told You Miao he was a traditional alpha, and once they'd been intimate, he had to take responsibility.

You Miao couldn't help but retort, "If I hadn't traveled here, today it would be you and Zhou You."

"To me, you are Zhou You, my wife." Xing Hui kissed You Miao's hair and began to talk about how, if they could return, they would go back together.

You Miao smiled. Though Xing Hui's words sounded incredibly naive, he felt the same way.

"Time to sleep. We have to go to the lab tomorrow." You Miao turned over, found the most comfortable position curled up in Xing Hui's arms, and closed his eyes.

Just as he was drifting off, Xing Hui stroked his hair and murmured, "If time could rewind, I would never let you shed so many tears after coming to this world."

Even on the verge of sleep, You Miao didn't leave Xing Hui's words unanswered. He hummed softly in acknowledgment.

Xing Hui looked down at him, then kissed his hair again. "Sleep well. Good night."

When Xing Hui opened his eyes, he was still a bit disoriented. He reached out to touch You Miao, who was still asleep beside him. Yes, he confirmed, this wasn't a dream. But he couldn't understand why, upon waking, the bedroom had changed.

Which unruly person had moved them while they were asleep?

However, his head was spinning and aching, like a hangover, making it impossible to think clearly. Xing Hui closed his eyes again to rest for a moment, then reopened them and looked at You Miao, still sound asleep beside him. He gently brushed aside the strands of hair on You Miao's forehead and leaned in to kiss him.

One kiss wasn't enough, so Xing Hui leaned in again to kiss You Miao's lips. The moment their lips touched, You Miao's eyes snapped open, clearly not fully awake, his expression bleary and bewildered as he stared blankly at Xing Hui.

It wasn't until Xing Hui deepened the kiss, his tongue exploring You Miao's mouth and tangling with his, that You Miao jolted awake. His eyes widened in shock, his mind exploding in panic. He pushed Xing Hui away in terror, scrambled out of bed, and retreated as far as he could.

Xing Hui was taken aback by You Miao's reaction, looking stunned and horrified.

"Honey, what's wrong?" he asked, puzzled and concerned, quickly getting out of bed and stepping forward.

"Don't come any closer!" You Miao shouted immediately. "I'll call for help!"

Xing Hui stopped in his tracks, looking at him with surprise and confusion. "Honey, what's going on?"

You Miao watched him warily, frowning at the word "honey," his face clearly showing disgust. "We're both men. What kind of pervert are you?" he snapped.

Xing Hui looked bewildered, seeing the all-too-familiar expression of aversion on You Miao's face. In an instant, he grew anxious. "Are you rejecting me again?" He took two large strides toward You Miao. "Honey, why are you pushing me away again after waking up? Don't scare me like this."

You Miao was furious, his eyes red with anger. "If you keep harassing me, I'll call the police!"

He deliberately raised his voice, and sure enough, someone soon knocked on his dorm room door. "You Miao, what's wrong? What are you shouting about?" It was the RA's voice.

You Miao immediately called back, "RA, there's a pervert in here!" He dodged past Xing Hui and ran toward the door.

Five minutes later.

The RA, Li Cheng, was shaking with laughter. "You Miao, you've got to be kidding me."

You Miao's expression was grim, clearly harboring negative feelings toward the student who kept calling him "wife."

He had just started his first year of graduate school. The day before, the RA and a few other classmates had insisted on dragging him to a mixer with a neighboring military academy.

You Miao had always harbored a dream of being a soldier, so the chance to interact with military academy students and broaden his horizons made him willing to attend.

But he couldn't hold his liquor, and after just a couple of drinks, he was drunk. The RA said everyone had drunk quite a bit, and You Miao had been carried home by a student from the military academy.

"You Miao, you should really thank him," the RA went on, explaining to the two who seemed to have blacked out what had happened the previous day. He then added, puzzled, "Buddy, after you brought my classmate back, did you stay here?"

But seeing Xing Hui's dark expression, he fell silent. There was no helping it—Xing Hui's aura was too intimidating. The RA couldn't help but think inwardly, *No wonder he's from the military academy.*

"Since it's a misunderstanding and it's cleared up, I'll take my leave." He glanced at You Miao, his tone amused. "There are no classes today. If you're not feeling well, get some more rest."

As soon as the RA left, You Miao heightened his alertness, looking at Xing Hui with timid, fearful eyes. Considering that Xing Hui was from the military academy and taking in his height and build, You Miao softened his tone slightly. "Thank you, classmate. Um... could you leave now?"

Leave? Go where?

Xing Hui's scattered thoughts began to coalesce. He finally realized he had traveled through time—to You Miao's hometown.

His feelings at that moment were complex. Seeing You Miao was a welcome surprise, but he quickly realized that only he had traveled through time. You Miao and their child hadn't come with him. But then it occurred to him that You Miao was originally from this world. If You Miao was alive and well here, it meant he hadn't traveled through time yet, which meant...

In an instant, Xing Hui's expression grew even darker.

You Miao noticed his shift in mood and cautiously asked, "Are you okay?"

Xing Hui seemed not to hear, only staring at his familiar yet unfamiliar wife. For the first time, he truly understood how helpless and scared You Miao must have felt when he first traveled through time.

The thought made his heart ache terribly.

You Miao, seeing how pale the man looked, worried that he might have some underlying condition. The last thing he needed was for someone to die right in front of him. So he asked with concern, "Are you all right? You don't look well. Are you feeling unwell? As a medical student, I recommend you go to... the hospital."

Xing Hui finally came back to his senses. At that moment, he could no longer hold back. He took a large step forward, sweeping You Miao into a hug. "Wife, my heart aches for you."

You Miao was startled and frantically pushed against Xing Hui's chest, breaking free from his embrace. He raised his fist and landed a solid punch on Xing Hui's face before dashing out of the dorm room in fear.

Xing Hui watched him disappear like a startled rabbit, his face contorted in confusion. Then, realizing his mistake, he wanted to kick himself. It was too late to undo the damage, but he still chased after him.

A few minutes later, Xing Hui was detained by campus security for harassing a student.

Xing Hui's expression shifted several times—from initial shock to finally looking wounded, his eyes brimming with grievance as he stared at You Miao.

You Miao seemed not to understand why this pervert was looking at him like that. He lowered his gaze, avoiding Xing Hui's eyes.

After asking You Miao about the situation, campus security sought his opinion on whether they should involve the police.

You Miao finally looked up, glancing at Xing Hui. Seeing him still watching with a mix of grievance and sadness, he frowned but ultimately chose not to file a report.

Security instructed Xing Hui to apologize to You Miao, which he immediately did, his attitude sincerely apologetic. However, his eyes remained fixed on You Miao, not shifting away for a second.

You Miao, uncomfortable under his gaze, thanked security and hurriedly left.

As soon as Xing Hui saw his wife running off, his feet instinctively followed, but security stopped him. They were about to lecture him when Xing Hui's expression turned cold, and he said impatiently, "Move!"

"What kind of attitude is that? Don't think I won't report this to your school. You'll regret it!"

Xing Hui was already exercising considerable restraint. Since childhood, when had anyone ever dared to detain him or speak to him like this?

It was new, really new. Time travel had certainly given him a novel experience.

But Xing Hui had no patience for their nonsense. Finding his wife was priority. Tossing out a "I don't care," he ran in the direction You Miao had gone.

Lately, You Miao had been bothered. That man kept appearing in his field of vision. He wanted to ignore him, but the man was too hard to ignore.

He was utterly fed up and called campus security again, but by the time they arrived, the man was gone.

You Miao was quite frightened, realizing he had encountered a stalker. Moreover, when he reported it to the military academy, they found no record of such a person, meaning this was an off-campus stalker.

Various terrifying scenarios flashed through You Miao’s mind, each one enough to shake him with fear.

One day, just as he left the lab, he was startled by the sudden appearance of Xing Hui.

“Are you working in the lab so late?” Xing Hui frowned. “It’s already 1 a.m.”

You Miao eyed him warily, backing away two steps. The thought of running away crossed his mind, but before he could act, Xing Hui added, “It’s so late—what if you run into trouble?”

You Miao thought to himself, *You’re the biggest danger here.*

“It’s pouring outside. I’ll walk you back to your dorm. Let’s go,” Xing Hui said.

You Miao instantly got chills. *What does this guy want?* But he didn’t dare refuse. With just the two of them there, and considering their height and build, he knew he was no match for Xing Hui.

You Miao hadn’t brought an umbrella. Since Xing Hui took one from the communal umbrella stand at the school cafeteria entrance, he couldn’t help but ask, “Why didn’t you take two?”

Xing Hui looked at him and replied bluntly, “Because I want to share an umbrella with you.”

You Miao was stunned, feeling a strange emotion stir inside him. He said nothing more and reluctantly stepped under the umbrella, thinking he just had to endure until they reached the dorm building. After all, the guy couldn’t get inside, and once he was back in his room, he would call the police.

Two guys, both nearly six feet tall, sharing one umbrella was indeed pretty cramped. At one point, Xing Hui pulled You Miao closer and said, displeased, “Do you want to get soaked?”

You Miao didn’t answer. He frowned, wondering why such a tall guy would wear floral-scented perfume. At such close proximity, the fragrance was unmistakable. It wasn’t that he disliked it—it just seemed odd that a creep would be so vain.

*A creepy gay guy who wears floral perfume.* That was You Miao’s verdict of Xing Hui.

When they reached the dorm building, under the light from the hallway, You Miao noticed that one of Xing Hui’s shoulders was soaked. But that wasn’t enough to soften his heart. So, as soon as he returned to his room, he called the police.

Late that night, in the pouring rain, Xing Hui was invited to the police station for a "chat."

Sitting on the cold chair at the station, Xing Hui almost laughed to himself. *Just like before, he called the police. Well, he’s not wrong.*

Since Xing Hui hadn’t done anything to physically harm You Miao, he was let off with a warning after being lectured.

Xing Hui had time-traveled to this world and had no real identity here. He had no money and nowhere to stay. Having grown up with a privileged background, he was now experiencing hardships he had never faced before.

Fortunately, thanks to his looks, he found a job at a supermarket near the graduate dorm. The owner, a a kind woman in her forties, was impressed by him at first sight. Sure enough, since Xing Hui started working, the number of students visiting the supermarket noticeably increased.

Xing Hui was indeed good-looking—the kind of striking handsomeness that made people do a double-take upon first sight. It was only natural that college students, especially those who appreciated attractive guys, would come to the supermarket just to see him.

But Xing Hui’s mind was entirely focused on You Miao. He took the job just to make ends meet, and the owner let him sleep in the supermarket’s break room.

Of course, this was only temporary for Xing Hui. His ultimate goal was to sleep in You Miao’s bed.

He recalled the night before his time travel, holding You Miao and telling him that if he could turn back time, he would never make him shed so many tears again. He wanted to properly pursue You Miao.

But You Miao was very resistant to him, treating him like some kind of creep whenever they met.

Xing Hui realized that winning over You Miao was incredibly difficult, both in the past and now.

The police incident also made Xing Hui aware that he couldn’t crowd him anymore, or he’d risk being reported as a stalker by his own wife and sent back to the police station.

But not seeing You Miao for even a short while made him miserable, to the point where he couldn’t eat or sleep properly. So, he had to resort to stalking from a distance.

For the past couple of days, You Miao finally hadn’t seen that creepy homosexual. *So calling the police really worked.*

During the National Day holiday, he decided to go home, mainly because he was concerned about his mom’s health.

The night before returning home, he inexplicably dreamed of the creep. In the dream, he and the creep fell in love—deeply in love. They got married and even had an adorable child together.

When You Miao woke up, he was dazed because the dream felt too real.

He didn’t understand why he had such a dream. For starters, how could two men get married, let alone have a child?

And worse, *he* was the one who gave birth.

The mere thought made You Miao’s expression twist in disbelief.

He hitched a ride home with a junior from his hometown whose father came to pick him up. The junior warmly invited him along and took the opportunity to ask for advice about grad school applications.

They took the highway, but along the way, they encountered a sudden heavy downpour and had to pull over and wait it out. Unexpectedly, they found themselves caught in a flood.

You Miao witnessed floodwaters rushing into villages and roads firsthand. They got out of the car and ran, watching as it was swept away by the current. The water quickly rose to his calves, and they ran toward higher ground.

It was nearly Cold Dew season, and the water was freezing. You Miao shivered uncontrollably. In the distance, houses and roads were washed away by the flood, as if the area had suddenly turned into a vast yellow ocean.

They couldn’t outrun the flood. During their escape, You Miao was separated from the junior and his father. He clung to a large tree. Although he had contacted rescue services, saving anyone in such raging floodwaters was no easy task.

You Miao held on tightly to the tree trunk, watching the water keep rising. Suddenly, a flashback of experiencing a flood before flashed through his mind.

You Miao knew very well that he had never been through a flood. So why would he imagine something so vivid?

Had he experienced it before? But why couldn’t he remember any of it?

He stared blankly, unsure how much time had passed. The turbulent floodwaters gradually calmed, and the water level seemed to go down a bit.

“Help! Is anyone there?” he yelled. “Help!”

His phone had gotten wet and was no longer usable.

You Miao observed the water level and breathed a small sigh of relief, but as the rain intensified again, he started to panic again.

He didn’t know how long he had been clinging to the tree when his arms began to go numb. He felt like he couldn’t hold on much longer. Glancing at the shore not far away, he wondered if he could swim to safety—but he couldn’t swim.

As the sky grew darker, just when You Miao was about to give up hope, he saw a man swimming strongly toward him through the floodwaters.

*Could it be a rescuer?*

You Miao immediately called out, “I’m here!”

“You Miao!” a familiar voice shouted his name.

You Miao recognized it—it was that creepy homosexual. He froze, feeling both shocked and confused. *How did this guy know where I am? Is he still following me?*

Before he could find an answer, Xing Hui swam up to him, climbed onto the tree, and looked at You Miao looking relieved but tired. “You scared me to death,” he said. “I finally found you.”

You Miao remained in shock, staring at him in disbelief. For some reason, an indescribable emotion welled up inside him—was it gratitude? Not exactly, but he couldn’t quite put it into words.

“Do you still have strength? Can you swim?” Xing Hui wasted no time. “We should swim to shore now while the rain hasn’t worsened and the flood isn’t too strong. If we wait, this tree might not last.”

“I can’t swim,” You Miao said with difficulty.

“I’m a strong swimmer. I’ll take you across,” Xing Hui said, telling You Miao to let go of the tree and grab his hand.

You Miao’s arms were stiff. He struggled to release his grip but, before he could take Xing Hui’s hand, lost his footing and fell into the water. Fortunately, Xing Hui grabbed him just in time, preventing him from being swept away.

That was a close call. Xing Hui jumped into the water, grabbed him in a tight embrace, and told You Miao to relax, then swam his heart out toward the shore.

Although he knew this person was that creep who'd been bothering him, strangely, You Miao trusted him completely, putting his life in this guy's hands without hesitation.

From the moment Xing Hui learned that You Miao had been separated from the others, he had been wound up tight. Even now, having found You Miao, he didn’t let his guard down. He kept going until they reached the shore and made it to a safe area before finally allowing himself to relax a little.

They were on a hillside where the water level wouldn’t rise for a while, so they could only wait there for rescue.

Both were exhausted and ploppped down without a word in the muddy ground. As soon as You Miao settled, Xing Hui pulled him into an embrace.

You Miao stiffened and was about to struggle when he heard Xing Hui say, "I'm not going to try anything. Just let me hold you for a while."

Perhaps it was the way he begged, or the slight trembling in his arms, but You Miao stopped resisting and let him hold him quietly. The embrace brought warmth to his chilled body.

Night had fallen completely, and everything around them was pitch black. Fortunately, the rain had stopped.

After who knows how long later, Xing Hui was still holding him. You Miao finally spoke up, "How long do you plan on holding me like this?"

Xing Hui shot back, "You Miao, do you really not remember me?"

He always had a strong feeling that You Miao had come back with him through time, only that part of his memories was gone.

You Miao frowned. He didn’t know this person at all, so how could he remember him? But then he thought of the dream and the flood scenes in his mind.

In the end, though, You Miao said nothing.

Xing Hui wasn’t discouraged. Even if You Miao didn’t remember, he felt sure he could get this person to fall in love with him again.

"You Miao, then remember this now: my name is Xing Hui, the 'Xing' from criminal law, the 'Hui' like salmon swimming upstream. I’m your future husband." Xing Hui said seriously, refusing to let go of You Miao.

You Miao thought of that dream again, his heart did a little flip and his face growing warm. Luckily, it was dark, so no one could see—otherwise, his face would surely be bright red like a tomato.

What threw You Miao off was why, when faced with a man saying such things to him, he didn’t feel the anger or disgust he expected.

As a straight man, shouldn’t he feel grossed out? But he didn’t feel disgusted at all—all he felt was his face heating up, and he didn’t know what to say, so he stayed silent.

They were rescued in the early hours of the morning, just before dawn. Throughout that time, You Miao had been held by Xing Hui. They shared each other's warmth, getting through the cold night together.

After being taken to the hospital, You Miao learned that his junior and the junior’s father had been rescued earlier. Then, he passed out into a deep sleep.

He dreamed again. In the dream, he was in an ABO world. The scent on Xing Hui wasn’t perfume—it was called pheromones. In the dream, he and Xing Hui did the deed.

When he opened his eyes again, the smell of disinfectant made You Miao cough a few times. He seemed to have caught a cold; his body felt unwell, but his mind was clear, and the dream was vivid, so his face was still warm when he woke up.

It wasn’t until he noticed that Xing Hui was gone from the next bed that his face fell. He immediately got up to ask the nurse, but just as he was growing anxious, he heard Xing Hui’s voice: "Are you worried about me?"

You Miao looked at the handsome man before him. The words to refute him were on the tip of his tongue, but thinking of how Xing Hui had saved his life, he said without much feeling, "You saved me. It’s only right that I worry about you."

That day, You Miao contacted his parents and older brother to let them know he was safe. After staying in the hospital for a day, he pitched in with the rescue work, with Xing Hui accompanying him.

By the time the holiday ended, You Miao still hadn’t made it home. However, his participation in the rescue earned him a reward from the university—a bonus of 20,000 yuan.

As soon as the money came in, Xing Hui asked to borrow some, saying he was pretty much broke, had nowhere to live, no clothes or shoes, etc.—pitifully destitute.

You Miao frowned, sighed, and eventually gave him 10,000 yuan. He told Xing Hui it wasn’t a loan but a gift, since Xing Hui had also taken part in the rescue.

Xing Hui smiled and said, "My wife's the best."

You Miao’s face darkened. "If you keep calling me that, I’ll call the police."

Xing Hui told him, "Same as you've always been."

You Miao looked puzzled. "Before? When was that?"

Xing Hui looked at him, his expression turning serious. "What if I told you I time-traveled here? Would you believe me?"

For a moment, You Miao’s face went blank, and he looked at Xing Hui as if he were insane. But soon, meeting Xing Hui’s gaze, his thoughts uncontrollably drifted to those dreams, and his mood began to feel strange.

With that 10,000 yuan, Xing Hui quit his job. He bought new clothes, shoes, socks, underwear, and toiletries, hauling everything in a big plastic bag. Then, bold as brass, he showed up at the door of You Miao’s dorm.