Chapter 140 War of Words

Chapter 140: A War of Words

Even though Zhan Jiayu knew his actions would greatly surprise Yan Zhoubai, he hadn't anticipated such an intense reaction.

In the past, he had always been the one to initiate kisses with Yan Zhoubai, whose occasional reciprocation was usually brief and reserved. This was the first time Yan Zhoubai had taken the initiative for such a passionate, lingering kiss.

"What are you doing here, and cosplaying as Ural, no less?"

After the kiss, Yan Zhoubai belatedly realized how impulsive his actions had been and suddenly felt a little embarrassed, taking a small step back.

But Zhan Jiayu certainly wasn’t going to let him escape. He reached out an arm, wrapped it around Yan Zhoubai's lower back, and pulled him into his embrace.

"Because someone came to the comic con without me, I had to find my own way here to give that someone a surprise."

Zhan Jiayu lowered his head, pressing his forehead against Yan Zhoubai's. They stood tightly pressed together in that confined space.

"Don’t put it like that. I thought you weren’t into these things, and besides, someone else invited me. Why are you so clingy?"

Yan Zhoubai felt as if Zhan Jiayu was blaming him, and he wasn’t about to take the fall for that.

However, Zhan Jiayu had specifically cosplayed as Ural for him—going to such lengths made it impossible for Yan Zhoubai not to feel happy and excited. So his tone wasn't one of complaint; it sounded more like playful teasing.

"If you're going out with Bu Qiran, of course I have to be vigilant," Zhan Jiayu's tone gradually cooled.

"Bu Qiran? What's wrong with going out with Bu Qiran?"

Yan Zhoubai looked up at Zhan Jiayu, his face full of confusion.

"Nothing."

Zhan Jiayu ruffled Yan Zhoubai's hair and pressed him against his chest.

He inwardly scoffed at Bu Qiran's youth and lack of courage. Daring enough to try to steal someone right under his nose, yet not brave enough to openly confess, resorting only to what he thought were clever little tricks.

Yan Zhoubai had always been rather oblivious in these matters. If things weren't explicitly stated, he wouldn't overthink any indirect hints.

So, the cleverly hidden message in the "meow" language—Yan Zhoubai would only take it at face value and never delve deeper. And Zhan Jiayu had even less reason to translate it for him.

"Did you come alone? And this outfit—was it custom-made?"

Yan Zhoubai slipped out of Zhan Jiayu's embrace and looked him up and down, taking in his full cosplay appearance.

"I came with Jasmine. She's quite fond of this; she often attended comic cons when we were in the US," Zhan Jiayu explained.

"Really? Where is she? Is she cosplaying a character today too?"

Yan Zhoubai sounded thrilled. He was surprised to learn Jasmine also liked anime. He hadn't seen her since that airport encounter and was eager to meet her again.

"She said it's a female character named Kara from a game called *Eternal City*."

Zhan Jiayu recalled. Although he didn't play games and wasn't very familiar with the scene, he had an excellent memory and could generally recall anything he heard or anyone he met.

"What a coincidence!"

Yan Zhoubai's eyes widened when he heard *Eternal City*.

"What coincidence?"

"Well, I came with Bu Qiran today, and he's also cosplaying a character from *Eternal City*. That game is really popular," Yan Zhoubai explained.

"Is that so?"

Zhan Jiayu let out a cold, ambiguous chuckle.

They had only hidden behind the stage curtain for a short while before the fans' excitement to see Zhan Jiayu’s Ural cosplay began to wane.

While everyone was pleasantly surprised by the cosplay, they weren't worked up to a fever pitch. Besides, the main reason everyone was there was for the official event, and as soon as the next act began, their attention was drawn away.

So, once Yan Zhoubai and Zhan Jiayu noticed the commotion outside had quieted, they stepped out from behind the curtain and made their way around the stage to leave.

The crowd was left behind. Yan Zhoubai glanced back—on stage, the main creators were doing a live voice-acting session, and everyone’s attention was captivated. Even if someone noticed the Ural beside him again, they would only take a second look.

But they hadn’t gone far before someone stopped them. Standing right in front of them were Bu Qiran and Zhang Lin.

"Xiao Bai, the event isn’t over yet. Why are you rushing off? Didn’t we agree we’d go meet the main creative team together later?"

Bu Qiran spoke to Yan Zhoubai with a smile, but as soon as he finished, his expression turned cold when he looked at Zhan Jiayu.

Bu Qiran wasn’t as tall as Zhan Jiayu—he had realized that the first time he met him.

But today was different. To cosplay as Ophelia, he had worn lifts that made him nearly two meters tall. There was no way Zhan Jiayu was taller than him today.

Two tall figures in elaborate cosplay costumes standing face-to-face quickly attracted attention.

After a series of events, Yan Zhoubai had developed an automatic response. As soon as he saw these two in the same frame, he quickly pushed them away.

Better to move them to a corner first. Besides, two hulking guys standing in the middle of the pathway were blocking the way.

When Zhan Jiayu saw the nearly two-meter-tall figure with huge wings and a halo standing before him, he was shocked. Especially when he realized it was Bu Qiran, he felt like he had truly seen something eye-opening.

So, when Xiao Chuaner said Bu Qiran was also cosplaying a character, he meant a female character.

It suddenly occurred to him that this guy had once tricked Yan Zhoubai into wearing a dress—seemed like he was into cross-dressing.

"I didn’t say I wouldn’t meet them. The event isn’t over yet, is it?"

"So this is why Young Master Yan invited Xiao Chuaner out? If Xiao Chuaner wants to meet the main creative team of *Kitten Kia's Adventures*, I can arrange it for him. There’s no need for Young Master Yan to trouble himself."

Zhan Jiayu finally understood what kind of temptation Bu Qiran had used to lure Yan Zhoubai out—it was this. He could have arranged it too. The problem was, he hadn’t known Yan Zhoubai wanted this.

This time, coming to the comic con as Ural to surprise Yan Zhoubai was his way of realizing that there was a gap in interests between him and Yan Zhoubai. These gaps could become obstacles to their relationship in the future, and he wanted to eliminate them as soon as possible.

"Getting in touch with the main creative team isn’t difficult, of course. Someone as capable as Mr. Zhan could definitely do it. But the hard part is knowing that Xiao Bai likes this."

Bu Qiran showed no mercy, deliberately hitting Zhan Jiayu where it hurt.

"Mr. Zhan is so much older than Xiao Bai and busy with work all the time. I imagine you’re not very familiar with anime, are you? I happen to like these things too, so I can guess Xiao Bai’s thoughts more accurately."

Youth was an advantage. This old man had no idea what Yan Zhoubai wanted. As for the gap in influence between them, he would work hard to close it in the future.

Ural’s costume was a black wizard robe, so when Zhan Jiayu stood normally with his hands hanging down, they were hidden by the robe’s wide sleeves. No one could see his gradually tightening fists.

Well, he had been too hasty earlier when he said Bu Qiran was timid. This kid was not short on nerve—he deliberately said whatever Zhan Jiayu didn’t want to hear.

"But the surprise you prepared for Xiao Chuaner is clearly not as good as mine."

When it came to cutting remarks, Zhan Jiayu was no less skilled than Bu Qiran. If they were really comparing, Bu Qiran was the one having the worst day today—the little surprise he had prepared was completely lost on Yan Zhoubai.

Yan Zhoubai didn't expect that in just two minutes, Bu Qiran and Zhan Jiayu had already exchanged so many verbal blows. Moreover, Zhan Jiayu wasn't acting like himself today—normally, he wouldn't engage in such pointless arguments with Bu Qiran.

As Zhan Jiayu approached, Zhang Lin suddenly realized he had seen this man before. Although he was wearing cosplay makeup, his facial features were still recognizable. Wasn't this the man who had dropped Yan Zhoubai off on the first day of school?

He had accidentally bumped into Yan Zhoubai in the dormitory lobby, which left an impression of the two of them. At the time, he thought Zhan Jiayu was Yan Zhoubai's older brother or some kind of elder, never imagining he was actually his boyfriend.

He had heard from Bu Qiran that Yan Zhoubai had moved out and no longer lived with the Yan family, so did that mean when he didn't come back to the dorm at night, he was with this boyfriend?

Zhang Lin didn't know why, but he suddenly felt a strange pang in his chest, yet he had no right to feel that way. He had just criticized Bu Qiran's behavior as acting like a homewrecker, but here he was, indulging in his own fantasies.

Bu Qiran was truly struck a nerve by Zhan Jiayu's words because what Zhan Jiayu said was true—Yan Zhoubai had been completely unmoved by the message hidden in the cat-speak.

Now, facing a love rival like Zhan Jiayu made him feel like a clown, so Bu Qiran looked at Yan Zhoubai, determined to get an answer from him today.

"Xiao Bai, you could tell that segment of cat-speak from Teacher Xingxing was what I wanted to say to you, right? Don't you have anything to say to me?"

Bu Qiran persisted, staring at Yan Zhoubai despite Zhan Jiayu's death glare.

Yan Zhoubai scratched his head. To be honest, that segment had touched him, but hiding it in cat-speak and having it spoken publicly through Teacher Xingxing left him feeling equal parts amused and embarrassed.

"I'm quite happy. Even though we never really had much of a rivalry from the start, and it wouldn't have mattered if our relationship stayed bad, if we can reconcile, why not? If you stop being such a pain in the future, I might consider being friends with you."

The part about becoming friends sounded almost guilty, and he emphasized it loudly, as if afraid someone might miss it.

In reality, the smooth delivery of his little speech had built up the atmosphere, and this line was needed to wrap things up.

But his rationality, along with the system's reminder in his mind, told him that Bu Qiran was the real heir, while he was the impostor. The fact that they weren't fighting was already good enough—being friends was out of the question.

But the words were already out, and it was too late to take them back, hence his reaction.

"Is that all?"

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Author's note: And now they're fighting. [dog head emoji]