Awake

"Aah!!!"

Piercing screams erupted all around them.

Lin Xingye had cracked a wine bottle over Cheng Yu's head.

Shards flew everywhere, and the terrified diners scattered in all directions. Qin Ke quickly darted out from behind Cheng Yu. He had no desire to get caught in the crossfire.

A waiter trembled beside them. "If this keeps up, we're really going to call the police!"

"Don't!"

The waiter stared in disbelief. "What are you saying, Mr. Cheng?"

Cheng Yu's head felt as though it were splitting apart, and he was utterly agitated. It wasn't because of the bottle. Lin Xingye's blow had looked frightening, but he hadn't actually used much force.

The real cause of his headache was Qin Ke.

He had finally come back to his senses, only to feel as though someone had repeatedly forced him into mud and sand, blocking all five senses and turning him into a soulless marionette.

It was almost beyond his comprehension.

Fragrant wine and blood streamed down his forehead, staining the crisp white shirt beneath his suit. The shirt was probably ruined.

He reached up and undid his buttons. The wet fabric clung to his skin, making him deeply uncomfortable.

As he unbuttoned his shirt, he stared straight at Lin Xingye, a smile actually lingering on his lips. The madness in his eyes was on the verge of spilling over.

He stuck out his tongue to lick the wine running down to his mouth, wiped his face, and pressed a bloodstained hand beside the furious man's face, a wicked grin on his own.

"Baby, use a different bottle next time. This one tasted pretty good. What a waste~" Anger churned in his eyes, but his tone was exceedingly gentle. "Don't be mad. Let me go make him pay for you."

Lin Xingye had already braced himself for a fight with Cheng Yu. This sudden reversal caught him completely off guard.

[Did I knock him stupid?]

An Shi stepped forward at just the right moment, pulled a tissue from his pocket, and wiped Lin Xingye's face. "You knocked him awake."

Cheng Yu shook the remaining glass out of his hair, grabbed a nearby napkin to wipe his face, and walked toward Qin Ke, who had fled a short distance away, with a savage grin.

"Hey. How did you do it?"

Qin Ke couldn't help swallowing. Cheng Yu looked positively murderous, and his tone sounded as though he were asking when Qin Ke planned to go to hell.

A chill crawled over him. He frantically prodded the system. What the hell was going on? How had Cheng Yu suddenly escaped his control?

That useless system only told him it might have something to do with Lin Xingye. It also said it had detected an enormous threat and urged him to run. How was he supposed to run?!

"Ah! Cheng Yu, have you misunderstood something? Let me explain..." Cheng Yu grabbed Qin Ke by the collar and lifted him clean off the ground.

Qin Ke tried to reach out and grab him, but a moment later, Cheng Yu flung him a considerable distance.

The nearby diners hurried away. Had Cheng Yu gone mad?

Cheng Yu pushed back his wet hair. Blood kept streaming down, yet his whole body felt blazing hot, as though every part of him had begun to boil.

"Heh. Sorry, I've never met anyone like you before. I'm curious. Tell me, how did you do it?"

"I, Cheng Yu, have never been screwed over this badly." His gaze was vicious, as though he were looking at a piece of trash.

Qin Ke scrambled to his feet in panic. "What are you trying to do?! We live in a society governed by law!"

Cheng Yu even nodded. "You're right. I'm a Model Citizen. Let me help you up. Sorry about that. My hand slipped."

Qin Ke crawled backward in terror, looking utterly pathetic. "Hurry up and stop him!"

The waiters couldn't pretend not to see it. They could only gather around and block his way. "Calm down, Mr. Cheng! Whatever it is, let's talk it out!"

Cheng Yu looked ready to devour someone. "Can't you see? I suspect he can..."

He discovered that he couldn't get any of it out.

"Fuck!" Beside himself with rage, he drove his fist into a glass display case.

In an instant, the gleaming glass shattered piece by piece, as thoroughly as the waiters' hearts.

You lunatic! What are you doing, you lunatic?!

He closed his eyes in frustration, then apologized sincerely. "I'm sorry. I scared you. I'll pay for it."

The waiters: Your Grace! Right this way, Your Grace!

Knowing there was nothing he could do to Qin Ke for now, Cheng Yu went to the register to pay. He covered not only the property damage, but also gave every waiter present a substantial sum for emotional distress as an apology.

"Sorry for interrupting your meals. Everything tonight is on me." After paying with his card, Cheng Yu leaned against the wall and smiled at everyone.

The spectators: A free dinner and a spectacular helping of drama tonight. This is the life.

Lin Xingye watched, dumbfounded, and cautiously edged backward.

[No way, no way. Did I seriously lose my mind and say I wanted to fight him?]

[He can lift Tea Bag off the ground! His entire body!]

[I'm sorry. I apologize for my earlier arrogance.]

[I was way too loud.]

Cheng Yu burst out laughing over there.

An Shi sighed and pulled Lin Xingye farther away. "Careful. There are shards all over there."

Lin Xingye obediently followed him. "Okay. What were you going to say earlier?"

An Shi studied him. "Is it possible you have bipolar disorder? You seem completely unable to control yourself."

He brushed it off. "Plenty of people can't control their emotions..."

"But you're not one of them, Lin Xingye. I've known you for over twenty years. You don't remember me, but I remember you."

His expression remained as detached as ever, but his gaze was unwavering.

"I've been paying attention to you for twenty years, ever since the day we met."

The palm gripping his hand was hot, almost burning.

"Come see me at the hospital next time. Remember to make an appointment." An Shi had no intention of waiting for an answer. With that, he strode toward Cheng Yu and produced some gauze as though performing a magic trick.

"Lower your head so I can bandage it. Come back to the hospital with me afterward. Whatever happened, tell me there. You can say it to me." He was as calm as ever, having already anticipated everything Cheng Yu wanted to say.

"All right. Doctor's orders." Cheng Yu found a chair and sat down.

While no one was paying attention, Qin Ke quietly slipped downstairs and fled. He had thought escaping would solve everything, but before he even reached the door, the system delivered bad news.

It said his reputation had suffered, and winning over anyone else would only become harder from now on. He gritted his teeth in fury. That damned system was usually useless enough, and now it was making things worse!

As he went out, he happened to bump into someone. After being beaten and humiliated, Qin Ke had been looking for someone to take it out on. "Are you blind?! Don't you know to get out of the way?!"

The waiter who had hurried after him to ask whether he needed help stopped short. Hearing his tone, the waiter silently tucked the handkerchief back into a pocket and turned away.

With someone like that, no wonder he'd been beaten.

"Open those damned eyes and look at who I am."

Only then did Qin Ke properly look at her. That familiar face and disdainful tone-it was unmistakably Qi Sinian, whom he had tried to frame last time.

Qi Sinian shoved him, using real force this time. "You're a grown man. First you tried to frame me, then you went after my brother? And now you're trying to seduce my dream guy too?"

"Do you think I'm dead?"

Several tall, burly bodyguards in black stood behind Qi Sinian.

"Y-you... what are you trying to do?" Qin Ke was on the verge of breaking down. Why were more people coming after him?!

Qi Sinian slapped him across the face. "Now that's a hit! Playing the innocent little schemer, are you? Go on, keep pretending!"

Passersby thought a fight had broken out and rushed over to mediate and watch the drama. "Young lady, let's talk this out!"

Qi Sinian looked at the person who had spoken. "He publicly slandered me, hit on my own brother, and now he's going after the man I like. Am I not even allowed to hit him?"

Hearing that, the passerby gave an awkward laugh. "Sorry for interrupting. Please, carry on."

The passersby began talking among themselves, every word laden with condemnation of him.

Qin Ke knew that as long as he survived, he could make a comeback. Qi Sinian might humiliate him now, but one day, he would repay her a hundredfold, a thousandfold!

He grabbed a passerby at random, swiftly moved closer, and whispered beguilingly into the person's ear, "Go..."

Inside the restaurant, Lin Xingye hadn't moved from where he stood. He felt a little dazed himself, until Xu Chen came rushing over after hearing the commotion and tried to take him away.

"Lin Xingye!"

It was Cheng Yu calling him.

"That person just now wasn't me."

The remark came out of nowhere. Xu Chen frowned, made no attempt to respond, and ushered Lin Xingye away.

On the way home, Lin Xingye said nothing, silently watching the bustling scenery flash past the car window.

He thought,

He had understood.