Translated by Eve

Edited by s.h.i.+rubame & Karasunofight

Welcome Karasunoflight aboard this angsty trainwreck~

Zhou Yizhe did not go back to his guest room but instead immediately drove Xie He home that very night.

Xie He was like a soulless doll, letting Zhou Yizhe manipulate him. Zhou Yizhe carefully helped him wash, changed his clothes, carried him to bed and held him in his arms while speaking in a soft coaxing voice that was akin to what one would use on a child, "Sleep, ba. I'm here with you."

Xie He looked at him in a daze, eyes unfocused. He stared for a while, appearing to ascertain that this person won't leave before slowly closing his eyes.

Zhou Yizhe hugged the youth and watched him sleep. Eyes full of adoration,he then gently kissed his forehead.

Xie He slept well through the night. The next morning when he woke up, Zhou Yizhe had already disappeared. He muttered to himself for a moment before pus.h.i.+ng the door open and running out of the room.

Hearing the noise, Zhou Yizhe walked out from the kitchen. He saw the youth standing at the door, pale-faced and barefooted, looking at him with a frightened and desolate gaze. This look pierced his heart, and his fingers tightened into a fist. He walked forward and softly asked, "What's wrong?"

Xie He abruptly charged into him, arms wrapping around Zhou Yizhe. He silently buried his face into the other's chest, his whole body slightly trembling.

Zhou Yizhe hesitated for a second and then returned his embrace, "Don't be afraid. I'm here."

This seemed to appease Xie He. He gradually stopped trembling and looked up at Zhou Yizhe with watery eyes. His bloodless lips were slightly pursed.

Zhou Yizhe studied the teary boy in his arms. Clearly, the youth before him made for an alluring scene, but he unexpectedly did not have an urge to do anything to him. He just wanted to treat this person, who he held in his heart, with extreme tenderness. This feeling he had for Xie He no longer was simply a s.e.xual desire, but love.

"Be good. Sit here. Breakfast will be ready soon," Zhou Yizhe gently said to him.

Xie He nodded and sat in the dining hall like an obedient and lovable child.

The breakfast Zhou Yizhe made was simple but tasted quite good. Xie He lowered his head to eat, silent throughout the whole process.

Zhou Yizhe fixed his eyes onto the youth. Regret and distress slowly filled his chest. Since they had come back last night, the youth had yet to utter a single word. It was as if he had closed himself off, isolated from the rest of the world.

In his world, there was only one other person. What was terrible though was that Zhou Yizhe felt an unexpected sick sense of satisfaction, because from now on, the youth would truly belong to only him.

He won't leave him anymore. He won't want anyone else anymore.

He was only his.

After eating, Xie He took the initiative to clean the dishes. Zhou Yizhe smiled, hugging him to his chest and kissing the corner of his lips, "Go rest. I'll do it."

This was the person he wanted to properly treasure and protect after all.

Xie He stared at him vacantly. A moment later, he obediently went to sit on the sofa.

After Zhou Yizhe dealt with the dishes, he walked into the living room. When he saw the youth sitting there lovably, he walked over to kiss him with great affection, "Do you want to go out and take a stroll outside today?"

'Go out' was like a magic spell. The youth who was previously calm suddenly exposed an alarmed expression, and he abruptly grabbed onto Zhou Yizhe's hand with great force, shaking his head as if his life depended on it!

Zhou Yizhe's grasped hand hurt quite a lot. It was clear that the youth was putting all of his strength into his grip, but even that pain could not compare to the one in his heart.

He absentmindedly recalled the youth's original appearance, the one that was br.i.m.m.i.n.g with energy like suns.h.i.+ne; how his dimples used to show when he smiled and how his clear-like-water eyes would draw him in. There had been an unbounded beauty that evoked yearning in other people…however, that beauty was personally destroyed by him in the end because of his selfish possessiveness.

"If you don't want to go out, we won't go out," Zhou Yizhe wrapped his arms around the youth's shoulders, concealing the pain in his eyes and speaking in a loving tone, "We'll stay at home."

【444：Host Dada, you don't seem to be in good mood these days? 】

【Xie He：I think that there was a slight miscalculation in my a.n.a.lysis of the situation.】

【Xie He：It's already been one week, but Zhou Yizhe's Favorability Value has stayed at 98 points. That means that there was an error in my previous calculations. 】

【444：I'm all ears~】

【Xie He：My original plan was to reach 100 in one spurt. However, it seems that it's impossible now. It seems that with someone as rational and self-controlled as Zhou Yizhe, if you want to raise his Favorability Value to 100, it's not enough to just have a good strategy. It seems that we need to give these feelings time to ferment and rise on their own…In any case, it doesn't matter. It's but a small mistake. There's still time for revisions. I just have to waste a little more time, that's all.】

【444：(⊙o⊙) Oh. What are you going to do?】

【Xie He：We should break up for a while. Smile.jpg.】

When Zhou Yizhe got off work and returned home, he saw the youth waiting for him at home as usual. These days, the youth seemed to have started returning to normal and would occasionally say a sentence or two.

After they ate dinner, they were intimate for a while and then went to the bedroom.

Zhou Yizhe was afraid of upsetting Xie He, so he hadn't gone all the way these past few days. Only, the youth seemed a bit different today. He looked at Zhou Yizhe with watery eyes and quietly stammered, "I—I only have you now…."

Zhou Yizhe's heart softened at that and he embraced the youth, "I'm here."

Xie He stared at him stubbornly and bit his lip, "I only have you…" He repeated these words once more as if he could only say this one line. He actively raised his neck and lightly kissed Zhou Yizhe's lips.

I have nothing else but you….

Please don't throw me away….

Zhou Yizhe understood the implication behind his words. His gaze deepened, and he paused, "Are you sure?"

Without any hesitation, the youth nodded.

Zhou Yizhe set his gaze onto him and said, "OK."

He carried the youth onto the bed and gently took off his clothes. He felt the trembles from the body under him. The desire he had suppressed before surged forth like a powerful river, shattering the dam that held it back.

His last shred of rationality allowed him to hold back, so as to avoid treating the person below him cruelly on account of his longing. Xie He also relaxed and welcomed him.

Zhou Yizhe held the youth, who he loved deeply in his arms, feeling greatly satisfied. Both his body and mind experienced an unprecedented happiness. He placed his hands on either side of the youth and lowered his head to softly kiss him. This kiss was full of his love. It was scorching as if it would melt everything.

He gently licked the tears from the youth's face, and his hoa.r.s.e voice whispered, "I love you."

The youth's eyelashes slightly quivered. He then slowly opened his eyes.

These eyes were like the world's purest gemstones. However, because they were this pure, the changes in his emotions were clearly exposed.

Zhou Yizhe usually loved his eyes. Just one look would cause him to drown into them…However, at this moment, he suddenly wished he couldn't understand the meaning in them.

Because there was no love in those eyes. Only coldness.

Tears silently streamed down the youth's cheeks. He looked at him and slightly parted his lips, "I still can't do it…."

"I want to accept you, to try to love you, but I—I really can't…It's so difficult to bear…so painful…" The youth's face gradually morphed into an expression of pain. His broken murmurs cut Zhou Yizhe's heart to pieces, "I'm sorry. I can't do it…I hate you…."

You turned me into something that I hate….

I'd rather have nothing at all. There's no way I can bring myself to love you.

This kind of pain simply drives people mad.

Zhou Yizhe suddenly closed his eyes. He had not expected that he would see the day where he would try to deceive himself. He thought that by closing his eyes, he would not have to face reality.

Only…this time, he had already deceived himself for too long. He could no longer continue on like this. He slowly withdrew from the youth's side and left without a word.

【444：My heart feels like it's sitting on a rollar coaster! Σ( °△°

)︴Host Dada, you're really seeking a beating here! Aren't you afraid of taking things too far….】

【Xie He：Did the Favorability Value fall? 】

【444：No….】

【Xie He：Then it's fine. Relax, I know propriety. 】

【Xie He：Moreover, this temporary period of separation is for the sake of mutual love ? 】

444：Please throw away the word 'mutual', thank you very much

Since that day, Zhou Yizhe disappeared and did not return. Xie He stayed in Zhou Yizhe's home for three days and then unhesitatingly left.

He returned to the little nest that he and Zhou Yian had shared. Because it was left uninhabited for a long period of time, everything had acc.u.mulated a thick layer of dust. Xie He personally tidied things up and then leisurely settled down.

【Xie He：One's own shack is better than another's mansion.】

【444：What a luxurious shack (≧▽≦)/. It has the Nebula Empire's newest S series smart ma.s.sage bed that will adjust to the user's body worth 500 experience points, a holographic online game console worth 100 experience points, ingredients from the imperial court's plantations that costs  200 experience points, and…. 】

【Xie He：Baby, are you feeling unhappy because I didn't buy you anything? 】

【444：I absolutely did not think that….】

【Xie He：Actually, I did look at something with you in mind. 】

【444：What is it? Starry-eyes.gif】

【Xie He：The system AI promotion package, valued at 50,000 points. It's said that it can greatly increase the AI's intelligence. Only, it's a bit expensive, so you'll have to wait until I can gather up the money to buy it for you. Smile.jpg. 】

【444：……】Inside, I'm already crying a river of tears….

Items from the system store were all extraordinary items. Xie He laid down on the bed and played his game—he simply couldn't be any happier.

However, he recalled he still had a mission to complete in the end, so after a week, he donned an old outfit and went searching for work.

With Chairman Xie's skills, it would be no problem to do even Zhou Yizhe's work. However, he was currently Zhao Qing, so he had to act within Zhao Qing's competencies.

Since his requirements weren't high, Xie He very quickly found a simple job. It was more or less the same as his previous work. Work was busy as the various ch.o.r.es were never ending. However, the salary was not high at all.

When Xie He went to work on the second day, he heard 444 speak to him in his mind.

【444：Host Dada! You have incredible foresight! There's someone tailing you, hey! 】

【Xie He：Where? 】

【444：On the right side, 100 metres away. The youth in a white s.h.i.+rt wearing a baseball cap that's currently playing on his phone! 】

Xie He swept a glance and quickly identified his target. He looked away and continued on as if he hadn't seen anything. From time to time, he would show off his side profile in that direction. His pure handsome side profile, fair skin, and melancholic expression….

The man in the white s.h.i.+rt quickly snapped a few shots and discovered each picture looked like it could be a poster. No matter what angle, Xie He still looked good. This was the first time he was able to capture such beautiful art-like photos while tailing someone and secretly taking photos! This was incredible!

【444：Host Dada, he secretly took pictures of you, hey! Isn't this serious?】

【Xie He：It doesn't matter. The photos definitely turned out well. The Heartthrob Pedigree has a 360 degree cover. It's an essential product when being photographed on the streets.】

444：I feel that we're worried about two different things_(:зゝ∠)_

【Xie He：Baby, you…did you really think that I actually wanted to draw a line between Zhou Yizhe and myself? 】

【444：……】

【Xie He：Truly naive and adorable :)】

【Xie He：For men, distance makes the heart grow fonder when there's separation at a suitable time. To completely break things off means that they're being thoroughly rejected. In this kind of situation, most men will shrink back. Although I'm not by his side, my beautiful image exists within his heart. He even hired someone to follow me, so, of course, I should cooperate and occasionally give him a little sweet taste so that he won't forget me. I bet that tonight he'll jerk off to my photo.】

444 was speechless.

Xie He calmly ignored the person following him from beginning to end. Once in a while, when his mood was good, he would let him take a picture of his face from the front.

Time pa.s.sed very quickly. In a blink of an eye, half a year pa.s.sed.

That day, Xie He suddenly heard the system's notification.

【Ding. Zhou Yian's Favorability Value +5. The current Favorability Value is 100.】

【Xie He：Don't I have to be near Zhou Yian to know his Favorability Value? Why can I hear this notification even though I don't see Zhou Yian?】

【444：Yes, it's as you say! Before the metre is filled, you can only find out the Favorability Value when you are within range. However, when a person from this world has been successfully captured (namely, when the Favorability Value reaches 100), no matter where or when, regardless if you see them or not, you will still receive the system's notification. ╰(*°▽°*)╯】

【444：But, Host Dada, you haven't done anything. Why did Zhou Yian's metre max out? 】

【Xie He：You'll know why very soon. 】

Xie He got off work and returned home like always. When he reached his apartment though, he saw a man by his door, watching him with a complicated gaze.

The author has something to say:

Hee hee hee, why did the Favorability Value suddenly max out? Babies must have definitely already guessed what happened~~~╰(*°▽°*)╯

Eve: I made it back safely from my trip ╰(*°▽°*)╯