"Mm..."
Xia Shule was asleep in the lounge attached to Yan Zhiyi's office when the call came, sleeping so soundly that a little snot bubble had formed.
He had spent the past few days with Yan Zhiyi, eating when he was hungry and sleeping when he was tired. Under Yan Zhiyi's watchful care, his wrist had improved considerably. With no awful people or awful situations to deal with, his spirits had lifted too.
The only thing was that Yan Zhiyi had been rather busy these past two days. Xia Shule had no idea what he was busy with, but from something he had overheard the other day, it seemed to involve the Jiang Corporation.
He answered the phone groggily. The bandages on his hand had already been removed, leaving only a thin layer of gauze.
"Lele, it's me, Song Dimu."
"?"
Xia Shule suddenly perked up. He checked the unfamiliar number on the caller ID, then put the phone back to his ear.
"Dimu? What's wrong?"
On the other end, Song Dimu began to sob. "Sob... Lele, I'm so scared... I'm so scared..."
In truth, Song Dimu had felt utterly lost in that moment, because he realized he had no friends in this world, and this was something he couldn't tell his family.
Aside from making money, his life seemed to revolve entirely around Jiang Gechen. At that moment, the only person he could turn to was Xia Shule.
The person who had once bullied him, yet had also protected him without regard for his own safety.
Xia Shule shot upright, a little worried. Who knew whether Jiang Gechen had done something inhuman again?
"What happened? Don't cry, don't cry. Where are you? I'll come find you right now!"
"I... I..."
Once Song Dimu sent him the address of his rented apartment, Xia Shule put on his shoes and headed out.
Hearing the movement, Yan Zhiyi looked over. "You're awake?"
"Yeah, something came up, and I need to go right away. Don't worry, I'll absolutely avoid anything I shouldn't eat, I won't let anything happen to my wrist, and I'll come straight back once it's over!"
That stream of promises was meant to reassure him, and the faint flicker of panic in Yan Zhiyi's heart vanished. "All right. Let me know when you're done, and I'll pick you up. Have Li Changbin drive you."
After spending the past two days with Xia Shule, he had discovered that he was developing something of a Xia Shule craving. He couldn't bear to be too far from him or let him out of his sight for too long. Even while working, he needed to see him nearby.
That feeling was growing stronger, as was his desire for control. But... he kept himself in check and hadn't let his little darling notice.
What troubled him was that it had only been a few days. Had it already reached this point?
Li Changbin: Another day of the executive assistant being reduced to a chauffeur...
Still, Li Changbin was quite happy about it. One thousand per trip meant another easy thousand today!
In the car, Xia Shule sent Song Dimu reassuring messages on WeChat.
Lele [crown]: Don't be scared. I'll be there soon.
Lele [crown]: Don't be scared~ King Lele is here! I'll beat fear's stupid head in! [clenched fist]
As he was messaging Song Dimu, a notification suddenly caught his attention. It was a text from an unfamiliar number. The message was brief, but the sender's anger came through clearly.
Unknown number: Xia Shule, your dad can't beat me. Give up.
????????
Xia Shule scrutinized the sentence so closely his eyes nearly fell into it. It wasn't a message sent to the wrong person, because it had his name-King Lele's name-in it.
After examining it, Xia Shule concluded that the sender was Jiang Gechen.
He had blocked Jiang Gechen's accounts on every platform long ago, which was why he was using an unfamiliar number.
Besides, Jiang Gechen was the only person at odds with his dad. His dad was a kind man who never picked fights with anyone. Only Jiang Gechen got on his nerves.
What was going on? What was this lunatic losing his mind over now?
Me: Is your persecution complex acting up? Yeah, sure, everyone's out to get you. Stop throwing accusations around. My dad has no time for you. Go crawl off somewhere and die!
Me: Who do you think you are all day long? The male lead of a TV drama? Having fun putting on your little show? You could try acting in short dramas. Everyone would probably praise your acting, since you'd just be playing yourself.
Me: If all else fails, I'll find you the best psychiatric hospital. You're always imagining people are out to get you.
After sending the messages, he blocked the number immediately. Enough of that disgusting nonsense!
On the other end, Jiang Gechen stared at those replies, dumbfounded. He began to doubt himself again. If it wasn't Xia Shule, who else could it be?
Unknown number: It wasn't you? {Message failed to send! You have been blocked by the recipient!}
????
"Fuck!" Jiang Gechen tossed his phone onto the desk, seething.
Xia Shule hadn't contacted him in ages. He didn't believe Xia Shule would really stop chasing him just because he claimed he no longer liked him. He was merely playing hard to get.
Giving me the cold shoulder? Well played, Xia Shule. I won't let you get away with this.
By the time Xia Shule put down his phone, they were nearly at Song Dimu's rented apartment. There was a market downstairs, with vendors' calls ringing deafeningly through the air. He had to pass through an area where fish were being butchered to reach Song Dimu's apartment building.
There was no elevator, but thankfully, it was only on the second floor.
"Knock, knock."
The door opened as soon as he knocked. Song Dimu must have been waiting right beside it. In a flash, Xia Shule was pulled inside.
"Are you okay? Did Jiang Gechen do something again? Or are you under some other kind of pressure? What happened? You can't bottle things up. You need to let them out sometimes. If you have no one to talk to, talk to me."
Hearing that barrage of questions, Song Dimu felt an unprecedented sense of care and comfort. It had been a long time since he had felt this relaxed. Ever since meeting Jiang Gechen, his nerves had been stretched taut every day.
Tears spilled from Song Dimu's eyes, and he threw his arms around Xia Shule.
"Stay with me. Please stay with me..."
Xia Shule hugged Song Dimu back and patted his back. "Okay. I'll stay with you."
They sat on the sofa, and Song Dimu told Xia Shule every detail of his dream.
The more Xia Shule heard, the graver his expression became. This was exactly like his previous life, exactly like the plot! Had a bug appeared in this world, causing Song Dimu to awaken too?
Especially the story after his death as Jiang Gechen's "unforgettable first love." Jiang Gechen had mourned him for a while, to the point that he had treated Song Dimu particularly badly.
Later, Song Dimu had been unable to endure it any longer and wanted to end his life. Only then had Jiang Gechen realized he should cherish the person still by his side.
Then came the desperate pursuit to win him back, reconciliation, and a happy life together.
It was the quintessential angst-romance cliché: a male lead supposedly put through hell to win back his lover, yet who actually suffered no punishment at all, and another male lead who had been put through the wringer only to forgive him in the end.
But... Xia Shule noticed something wrong.
Just now, Song Dimu had said, "I don't want to spend my whole life being tormented by him because of money. I want to earn money and escape his control."
"You... don't like him?" Xia Shule asked.
Song Dimu looked at Xia Shule through tear-filled eyes. "I don't like him. I've never liked him. He said he would give me a lot of money, enough to save my mom and support my little brother. That was why I... I wasn't thinking clearly. Since I took his money, I should have made him happy."
Xia Shule's eyes shifted. If he didn't like him, this would be much easier. Getting out from under Jiang Gechen's control was simple~
"How much does he give you?"
"One hundred thousand a month."
Mm~ That part was the same as the plot.
"Does that hundred thousand cover everything?" Things like his mother's medical bills, his brother's tuition, and his own living expenses.
"Yes, everything."
Xia Shule cursed inwardly. Stingy bastard! A handsome guy at his beck and call for a hundred thousand a month? Jiang Gechen was getting the deal of a lifetime!
"I'll give you five hundred thousand a month. Come work with me? That won't include medical bills or tuition. My only condition is that once you become successful, we split what you earn sixty-forty, with sixty for you and forty for me." By putting it this way, Xia Shule was actually taking a lot of pressure off Song Dimu.
An artist had to give half their earnings to the company. In other words, of everything Song Dimu earned, fifty percent would go to the company and forty percent to Xia Shule, leaving only ten percent for himself.
Song Dimu's eyes shone. He was genuinely considering whether a split like this would leave Xia Shule losing money.
Really? If I went with Xia Shule, I would definitely be much happier than I was now!