Blocked

"Dad, are you going to get up early to take me to school every day from now on?"

Yes, Shen Zeyu had gotten up early again today.

Remembering what had happened last night nearly drove him crazy.

Every time. Something like this happened every single time. He really didn't want to face Lu Cizhou anymore.

"Just today. I'm going to hang out with a friend for the next few days, so I probably won't come home." Shen Zeyu told Lu Yu first that he would be away for a few days.

"How many days are you going to spend with your friend, Dad?"

"Hmm, I'll be back by the evening on the weekend."

Lu Yu counted. Today was Wednesday, so including today, Dad would be away for three days. But he didn't see much of Dad while he was at Kindergarten anyway. Thinking about it that way, he could accept it. "Okay~"

"Good boy." Smiling, Shen Zeyu stroked Lu Yu's head.

When Lu Cizhou came downstairs and couldn't find him, he asked, "Did he take Xiao Yu to Kindergarten again?"

The butler nodded, feeling a little puzzled himself. Mr. Shen really had been getting up unusually early these past few days.

Lu Cizhou hadn't expected him to actually hide from him.

After Lu Yu went into Kindergarten, Shen Zeyu thought it over and decided he should spend the next few days with Bai Yi.

Luckily, Bai Yi's part-time job had just ended, and he hadn't had time to find a new one yet. Otherwise, he might not have been able to make time when Shen Zeyu contacted him out of the blue.

After having the driver take him there, Shen Zeyu sent him home.

Once he got out of the car, Shen Zeyu saw Bai Yi standing downstairs, waiting for him.

Shen Zeyu walked over and patted his shoulder. "Come on, let's go up."

Bai Yi jumped. "You scared me to death."

"Why are you so easily scared?" Shen Zeyu asked with a laugh.

"Come on, let's go upstairs."

As they headed upstairs, Bai Yi kept worrying that Shen Zeyu would turn his nose up at his small place. After all, he knew there was a gap between them.

When Shen Zeyu stepped inside, he found a clean, bright apartment. Though it wasn't very big, it had been decorated to feel warm and cozy.

When Shen Zeyu remained silent, Bai Yi thought his fears had come true. He wanted to say something but didn't know how. To his surprise—

Shen Zeyu exclaimed, "Wow, your place is so cozy! Just being here puts me in a better mood."

Bai Yi looked at him in disbelief. He hadn't expected Shen Zeyu to say that.

He really is different from other people, Bai Yi thought.

"Do you have any water? I'm a little thirsty," Shen Zeyu said.

"Just a moment. I'll pour you some," Bai Yi said happily.

"Here." Bai Yi handed Shen Zeyu a full glass of water and explained, "Since I'm an actor, I don't keep any other drinks at home, just plain boiled water."

"Plain water is my favorite."

Feeling a little bored, Shen Zeyu took out his phone and asked Bai Yi whether he played the game. To his surprise, Bai Yi played it too, so he eagerly invited Bai Yi to join him.

"Aah, Bai Yi, save me! Save me!"

"On my way." Unlike Shen Zeyu's shouting, Bai Yi's voice was steady.

When the word "Victory" appeared, Shen Zeyu cheered, "We won! We won!"

Listening to Shen Zeyu's cheers, Bai Yi slowly began to smile too. It had been a long time since his apartment had sounded so lively.

"And you said you weren't good at this! You're clearly great. You single-handedly turned things around at the last second."

As Shen Zeyu kept praising him, Bai Yi's face gradually reddened. "Not really."

"Of course you did. Have some confidence."

"Come on, let's take a photo." With that, he put an arm around Bai Yi and took one.

In the photo, Shen Zeyu was beaming, while Bai Yi looked a little dazed from being pulled over so suddenly.

Shen Zeyu wanted to keep playing, but Bai Yi checked the time. "Let's stop. It's time for lunch."

"Huh? Already? Do you have ingredients at home? If not, let's eat out."

"I do. I can cook."

"Let's do it together. I can cook too."

That surprised Bai Yi. He had assumed Shen Zeyu couldn't cook.

Seeing Bai Yi's surprised expression, Shen Zeyu decided to show off and let him see what he could do.

Looking at the table laden with three dishes and a soup, Shen Zeyu took a photo with his phone, then eagerly called toward the kitchen, "Let's eat already! I can't wait any longer."

Once Bai Yi brought out the rice, Shen Zeyu's first bite was of the Kung Pao Chicken Bai Yi had made. "Ah, delicious," he said with satisfaction.

Bai Yi tried Shen Zeyu's braised pork ribs too. "Yours is delicious too."

"All right, let's stop complimenting each other and eat."

After lunch, they washed the dishes together. Bai Yi suddenly remembered that he was supposed to visit his grandmother at the hospital today. He had already called and told her. He had only himself to blame for forgetting.

Bai Yi visited his grandmother at the hospital every week whenever he had time. After what had happened last week, he had stayed away because he didn't want her to worry. That was why he had planned to go today, but since this wasn't his usual visiting day, it had slipped his mind.

He was afraid his grandmother would worry about him if he didn't go today, but this was Shen Zeyu's first visit to his home. He couldn't just leave him there alone.

Bai Yi berated himself inwardly.

In the end, visiting his grandmother won out. Bracing himself, he said, "Zeyu, would you be okay staying here by yourself this afternoon? I need to visit my grandmother at the hospital. It's my fault for forgetting. I'm really sorry." His voice was full of apology.

"I'm the one causing you trouble." Seeing Bai Yi's expression, Shen Zeyu didn't give him a chance to continue and asked, "What's wrong with your grandmother?"

At the mention of his grandmother, Bai Yi's spirits sank a little. "She's getting old and has a lot of health problems. The main one is lung cancer."

Shen Zeyu didn't know how to comfort him. Only someone who had been through something like this could know how it felt.

But he thought that, as a friend, he ought to visit his friend's sick family member. He completely forgot that he and Bai Yi had only met a few times.

He looked at Bai Yi and asked, "Can I go with you?"

Bai Yi agreed without hesitation. His grandmother had always thought he had no friends. Having Shen Zeyu visit would cheer her up a little.

"Let's go, then."

Nanyu Hospital was the best hospital in A City. The fact that Grandma Bai was staying here showed how devoted Bai Yi was to her.

Shen Zeyu actually disliked hospitals. Every day, they were filled with scenes of separation and death, and he hated that.

Following Bai Yi into a private room, Shen Zeyu saw an elderly woman who looked to be in her seventies propped against the headboard, watching television intently.

"Yiyi, you're here."

After greeting his grandmother and asking how she had been over the past few days, Bai Yi introduced Shen Zeyu. "Grandma, this is my new friend, Shen Zeyu."

"Hello, Grandma." Shen Zeyu greeted Grandma Bai with a smile.

Seeing that her grandson had made friends with such a sunny, handsome young man, Grandma Bai looked delighted too. "Hello there. What a handsome young man."

"Thank you for the compliment, Grandma. Here, have a banana." Shen Zeyu handed her a peeled banana.

"All right, all right." Grandma Bai smiled happily.

Looking at the kindly, talkative, smiling Grandma Bai, Shen Zeyu would never have guessed she was ill if he hadn't known beforehand.

Shen Zeyu kept telling jokes to make Grandma Bai happy, and for a while, the room was filled with their laughter.

After they left the hospital, Shen Zeyu asked, "Would it be okay if I stayed at your place for the next few days?"

"Of course." He felt especially happy around Shen Zeyu and was more than willing to have him stay.

Shen Zeyu took out his phone to let Lu Cizhou know, but couldn't find him anywhere. What had he saved him as again? Shen Zeyu scratched his head and thought.

"Wasn't it something like Great Demon King?" Shen Zeyu muttered.

"What are you saying?" asked Bai Yi, who was sitting beside him. Neither of them had felt like walking, so they had simply hailed a taxi.

"Nothing. I'm trying to remember a contact name."

"I remember. Heartless Great Demon King. Why can't I find it?"

Wait. A memory suddenly flashed through Shen Zeyu's mind.

"Don't you think it's going too far to save someone as Heartless Great Demon King?"

"It is."

Then Shen Zeyu remembered how he had ended up criticizing himself, and how Lu Cizhou had kept holding back his laughter.

Aah, that was so embarrassing! It's all Lu Cizhou's fault.

Shen Zeyu suddenly remembered that Lu Cizhou had borrowed his phone and used WeChat last night. He quickly took a closer look and discovered a new contact name.

The instant he saw it, Shen Zeyu's face burned, but for some inexplicable reason, he didn't change it back.

He's so shameless, Shen Zeyu cursed inwardly.

The more Shen Zeyu thought about it, the angrier he became, though he also felt a little guilty. After all, he was the one who had first given Lu Cizhou a ridiculous contact name. He couldn't even get angry without feeling embarrassed.

With mixed feelings, Shen Zeyu sent Lu Cizhou a message saying he would be staying at Bai Yi's place for the next few days and wouldn't be coming home, then put his phone away.

Noticing Shen Zeyu's odd expression, Bai Yi asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I just remembered something unpleasant," Shen Zeyu said listlessly.

After receiving the message, Lu Cizhou was about to ask when he would be back. The moment he sent it, a notification popped up.

The message was sent, but the recipient refused to receive it!

Lu Cizhou: ???