Discrepancy

Song Yu froze for a few seconds, then hastily shook his head. "No, thanks. I can support myself."

He rubbed his nose sheepishly and looked up, a little confusion in his eyes. "How did we end up on this topic? Let's change it."

Xie Sui smiled. "Okay."

Song Yu said, "You're coming to Linqing Street on Friday too, right? It'll be no fun for me if you don't."

By then, they had already entered the apartment building and reached the stairwell where they would part.

Xie Sui watched him head upstairs. "All right. I'll be there."

Having finally made it through the monthly exams, Song Yu didn't want to spend tonight doing practice questions as usual. He felt light all over and gave himself a break.

After showering, he took a bottle of yogurt from the fridge. Once he finished it, he tossed it into the trash and lay straight down on his bed.

He sent his sister a grinning yellow emoji.

[Song Yu: [Grin]]

A few seconds later, Song Wanying replied.

[Song Wanying: What?]

[Song Yu: My results are out.]

[Song Wanying: so?]

[Song Yu: Ma'am, you missed out on a hundred million. Any regrets?]

[Song Yu: All the water that flooded your brain when you refused to believe me will eventually come pouring out as tears.]

[Song Wanying: ...]

[Song Wanying: 6666666]

Song Yu decided to let the truth speak and slap her in the face with data.

[Song Yu: [Report card.xlsx]]

Before long, a call came in from City A. Song Yu answered.

A bright, clear female voice came from the other end, unable to hold back its laughter.

"Not bad! That's a huge improvement. Just how many gods did you pray to before the exams?"

Song Yu laughed, but he didn't brag. He answered honestly, "None. I got a good deskmate. He's the top student in our year, and he's really accurate at predicting exam questions."

Song Wanying clicked her tongue twice on the other end. "Oh, you've even started being modest."

Song Yu smiled, but his grades weren't the only reason he had specifically contacted Song Wanying this time.

He tried to recall the contents of that dream and asked softly, "When I was five, I spent some time recuperating at an estate outside the city. Do you remember that?"

Song Wanying paused and thought for a moment. "Huh? Recuperating at an estate? Why don't I remember anything like that?"

Song Yu said, "Then ask Mom."

Song Wanying said, "Mom's busy. She's still at the office. Wait, five? Hold on. I think I vaguely remember something."

Song Yu fell silent, giving her time to remember.

She racked her brains for ages on the other end before finally remembering, as though it had suddenly dawned on her.

"Yes, I remember now. I think it was during summer vacation. Grandpa called your brother and me overseas then. He was so strict. That was definitely the most miserable summer vacation I can remember from my childhood."

"You were supposed to go too, but Mom had just had surgery then. The doctor strongly warned her against overworking, so she handed a lot of things over to Dad and went to the estate alone to recuperate. Maybe she was afraid of getting lonely, so she took you along."

"Why are you asking about this?"

Song Yu was a little stunned. He tightened his grip on his phone, his voice somewhat puzzled. "So... I wasn't the one recuperating?"

Song Wanying sounded both exasperated and amused. "Don't you know perfectly well that you brought this illness on yourself by courting death when you were six? Instead of staying in your room during a rainstorm, you ran off to the edge of the island and nearly drowned. You were unconscious for so long that you scared the whole family half to death."

Song Yu: "..."

What the hell! Wasn't this a little different from what happened in his dream? So he had been healthy before he turned six?

But why did he remember "Song Yu" in Gentle Control having been born with his illness?

Song Yu quickly recovered from his shock and shook his head. A cannon fodder character who only appeared for a few chapters, whose illness the author hadn't even bothered to name-how many details could he remember?

He had probably only become ill after falling into the water at six.

...He really was a fucking idiot for taking a dream seriously.

Song Wanying didn't dwell on that subject. She teased, "How could you get such good grades without a reward? Yuyu, do you like Wang Houxiong more, or Xue Jinxing?"

Song Yu was utterly cold. "Neither."

Song Wanying tried to tempt him. "They can take you to the pinnacle of academic achievement."

Song Yu scoffed. "No need. My deskmate is all I need. I'd rather like Xie Sui than either of them."

Song Wanying: "..."

After hanging up, Song Yu sat cross-legged on the bed, his expression growing serious.

"008."

He called out into the air for ages, but no reply came in the room.

The system that had said three months ago that it was going to report to the main god still hadn't sent any word back.

Speechless, Song Yu wondered whether the main god had found it too unreliable and simply had it humanely put down.

Tugging at the corner of his mouth, Song Yu leaned back, his pale tea-colored eyes full of frustration and confusion.

008 had wanted him to transmigrate into the book and follow the plot set five years later, but by now, that plot had most likely gone completely off the rails.

Xie Sui wouldn't encounter those scumbags, wouldn't turn dark, and wouldn't need help letting go.

His existence would therefore be unnecessary.

Come to think of it, he still felt that the childhood friend "Song Yu" in the original novel was a character forcibly inserted just to keep Xie Sui kind at heart.

Song Yu had stopped reading at the imprisonment part. But Gentle Control had actually been tagged "deep love amid torment," so there had to be "love" and "affection." That most likely meant Xie Sui, still kind at heart, would forgive those people? Reach a happy ending with one of those scumbags?

Was turning the tables and killing them only something he had wished for in his dream?

Fuck!

At that thought, Song Yu sat bolt upright in anger!

His chest felt tight, as though a stone were pressing down on it, and his forehead ached with anger. He got out of bed to pour himself a glass of water.

Even after all this time, the plot of that fucking book could still disgust him over and over again. To think that his role was to advance that sort of plot.

Furious, Song Yu poured himself another glass of water.

-Help Xie Sui let go, my ass!

-If he was going to advise him, he'd tell Xie Sui not to let go of the past and to kill those scumbags outright!

And there was something else he had always wondered about... Why could "Song Yu" saying bullshit like "Your mother loved you. Don't hate her" to the protagonist make Xie Sui instantly understand a whole bunch of things and even let go of his hatred?

Wasn't that too contrived? Xie Sui didn't hate his mother.

...Forget it. Gentle Control had no logic.

After drinking three glasses of water, Song Yu calmed down. He lay back on the bed and opened □□, only to discover that Ma Xiaoding had sent him a group link called "Class One's Happy Family."

Song Yu: "..."

[Sadako Never Forgets the Well Digger: Brother Yu, join the class group. Everyone's discussing Friday night. Come on, come on! [Red panda happily raising a pinwheel.jpg]]

[Sadako Never Forgets the Well Digger: We're finally having a group outing. We can't just sing at karaoke. Get the playing cards ready and hide the beer.]

[Your Husband Brother Yu: .]

For now, Song Yu didn't want to open that group with its middle-aged-and-elderly-style name.

Something was stuck in his chest right now, making him terribly uncomfortable, so he could only poke Xie Sui.

[Song Yu: Do you still remember things from when you were little?]

The reply came quickly.

[Xie Sui: Why do you ask?]

Song Yu felt a little guilty.

[Song Yu: ...Nothing. Just asking.]

Xie Sui's finger rested against the screen. He wondered whether Song Yu had remembered what happened when they were five.

But would Song Yu remember something even he didn't?

...No.

As perceptive as he was, he caught that hint of something unusual almost immediately.

A trace of coldness flashed through Xie Sui's eyes. He leaned back against the bed, his expression icy, his eyes dark and fathomless.

Five years old...

He knew that he and Song Yu had known each other before.

But the period when they had known each other was a blur.

He hadn't cared before, so he hadn't thought about it closely.

Now, why did he feel as though someone had tampered with his memories?

The price of rebirth?

He didn't believe it.

Xie Sui lowered his eyes and replied to Song Yu.

[Xie Sui: I don't remember.]

[Xie Sui: Do you want to tell me about your childhood?]

Seeing him say "I don't remember," Song Yu felt both relieved and a little disappointed.

[Song Yu: No. Actually, I don't remember either.]

[Song Yu: I just asked on impulse.]

[Song Yu: You know how I like making conversation out of nothing when I'm bored, hahahahaha.]

The more he explained, the more it sounded like a cover-up, full of holes.

Xie Sui chuckled, but he had always been very patient with Song Yu and wouldn't push him.

He changed the subject very naturally.

[Xie Sui: Still not asleep?]

[Song Yu: It's still early. Exams are over. Time to have some fun.]

[Xie Sui: It's not early. Staying up late and getting up late is bad for your health.]

[Xie Sui: Go to sleep.]

Song Yu lay on the bed, holding his phone up in both hands as he typed.

[Song Yu: ...You sound so much like my dad. Uh, no, my dad has a terrible temper. My mom, then. Anyway, like my family.]

Xie Sui.

[What does your family usually call you?]

Song Yu thought about it. Sharing his childhood nickname with a friend was far too embarrassing. He shook his head.

[Song Yu: Just Song Yu.]

The reply was blunt.

[Xie Sui: You're lying.]

Song Yu was startled.

[...]

[????]

[How could you tell?]

[Xie Sui: I've been to your place. Your grandma called you]

[Xie Sui: Yuyu.]

Smack.

Song Yu's grip slipped, and his phone landed on his face.

"Fuck..."

The pain made him sit straight up. Embarrassed, angry, and frustrated, he rubbed his face-how could Grandma just use his childhood nickname in front of other people!

[Song Yu: ...You misheard. Forget it.]

[Song Yu: Don't call me that. I have my dignity!]

Xie Sui smiled, the cold hostility in his eyes melting away into tenderness.

[Xie Sui: Didn't you say I sounded like your family? Then I'll sound a little more like them.]

[Xie Sui: Be good, Yuyu. Go to sleep. Good night.]

Song Yu: "..."

He was so angry his face was practically burning!

Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!

What else could he do!

He typed in a furious fluster.

[Song Yu: Sleeping, sleeping, sleeping, sleeping, sleeping, sleeping!]

[Song Yu: Night, night, night, night, night, night!]

Just shut up!

After leaving his chat with Xie Sui, Song Yu was far too muddled inside to possibly sleep. He stared at the ceiling for ages, took a deep breath, and opened the group link Ma Xiaoding had sent him.

"Class One's Happy Family."

The conversation inside was in full swing, messages flying past so quickly that hardly anyone noticed when Song Yu joined.

He scrolled through the earlier chat history.

[Sadako Never Forgets the Well Digger: qwq Brother Yu won't come. He thinks our name sucks.]

[Lights as in Years Past: ??? Brother Yu's that cool! But who picked this name? It's so tacky, I want to hit someone too ╯^╰]

[Matcha Milk Foam Without Ice: If Brother Yu isn't coming, we can gossip about him behind his back now [Smirk]]

[Extensive Learning and Retentive Memory: ...What?]

[Hansheng: You're asking for a beating. What's there to gossip about? He looks cool fighting, is savage when he curses people out, and gets good grades. Even as a guy, I can't muster up any jealousy anymore. Brother Yu is badass.]

[Autumn Waters and Vast Sky: That's what you guys notice. When we gossip, we usually marvel at why Brother Yu gets to have a perfect deskmate like God Xie at fifteen.]

[Sharp Edge: Exactly!! And he even gets God Xie's love and tenderness. Wuwuwu, this beautiful friendship has me crying.]

The last girl simply sent a whole row of lemons, flooding the chat.

[It's Wanwan: In his first year of high school, he has a study god tutoring him and the school hunk buying him cake. I had none of that in my first year, sob sob sob sob.]

Just then, a familiar username appeared.

[Your Husband Brother Yu: Oh?]

[...] For a moment, Class One's Happy Family couldn't stay happy.

That username?

Ma Xiaoding, didn't you say Brother Yu wasn't joining the group?!

[It's Wanwan: ...Brother Yu??]

Song Yu glanced at their descriptions.

He wasn't particularly pleased.

[Your Husband Brother Yu: What's that supposed to mean?]

[Your Husband Brother Yu: You all think I'm taking advantage of Xie Sui?]

No!!

[It's Wanwan: No, sob sob sob, Brother Yu, no, sob sob sob, don't misunderstand.]

We just think it's only right for God Xie to dote on his wife!!

Song Yu went, "Heh."

[Your Husband Brother Yu: Am I somehow not as good as him?]

Wanwan was on the verge of tears.

[It's Wanwan: No, no, no! You're the nation's husband! You're way more popular than God Xie! The dream guy of every girl in school!]

Song Yu had just been thwarted by Xie Sui and had his phone hit him in the face, so he wasn't in a very good mood. Only now did he feel a little better, the corner of his lips tugging up.

[Your Husband Brother Yu: So there's no need to be jealous.]

[It's Wanwan: Huh?] She was completely lost.

[Your Husband Brother Yu: Having the school hunk as your deskmate at fifteen is pretty enviable. But getting to be in the same group as me at your young age? You're not doing too badly yourself.]

Everyone in Class One: ...After studying seriously for so long, they'd almost forgotten that Brother Yu had originally made his debut as a contrarian.

[Your Husband Brother Yu: Isn't that right, little sister?]

Little sister: tat

[It's Wanwan: Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! Oh my god, how can I be so lucky qaq! I've really accomplished so much at such a young age! Yet I didn't even appreciate how blessed I was. I was wrong, Brother Yu, please spare me!]

Author's note: Huh? I've been reading everyone's suggestions about putting comments in the author's notes or writing more little bonus scenes. I'll give it a try later~ Thank you to all the little angels who sent Overlord Tickets or watered me with nutrient solution~

Thank you to the little angel who sent [Rocket Launchers]: Hua Yev5, 1;

Thank you to the little angels who sent [Grenades]: Youyou, Lv Huli, Yaya Ya, 1 each;

Thank you to the little angels who sent [Land Mines]: Cong Mo, Yaya Ya, 2 each; 33572647, Maomao Ni Ma Jinwanbiss, Gui Jiu Shiyu_, -Jiang Qi-, Qiqi, Wo Shili, Mu Xia, demeter, 36677021, Lingluo, Yan Fengfengfengfengfeng, Abulakesasi, tui, Di Yuan Xiao Qing, Shu Li Pu Kou, Bu Neng Chi La Hao Fan Na, 1 each;

Thank you to the little angels who watered me with [Nutrient Solution]:

Xuan Ye Xue, 69 bottles; Wu Miaomiao Xi, 44 bottles; A Re, 42 bottles; Qian Yuw, 37 bottles; Liang Zai, 33572647, 30 bottles each; Hua Juan, 24 bottles; s??, Yan Fengfengfengfengfeng, He Xi, Liu Yunyunyunyun, 20 bottles each; Jintian Lili You Xiao Huolong Le Ma, Nana., 17 bottles each; Fan Fan, 15 bottles; Da Zai Jiang, Hua Hai, Si Bu Hui Gai De Rou, Yu Shun, Xiaosheng Bu Shi Huli Jing, Cang Lang Zhuo Hui, Chuai Chuai6042029849, Shi Ni De Xiao Wang Ya, Qi Li Mi, Bao Feng Cui Geng, Qing Mo Tun Yi(Xie Tui), Lingluo, tui, 10 bottles each; Lu Jinhuai, 9 bottles; Zi Bu Yu, Yin, 6 bottles each; Lang Feng, Xuan Ji, Liu Yi, Diao Diao, Jiehun Zheng, Jia Yiyi, A Luo Baba, yu_, Ta Ta Ta, Mo Anying, Ming Wang Qi Hao, Liu Shang, 5 bottles each; Xiao Yingying, 4 bottles; An Qiqi, Qing Luan, Hui Fei De Yu, ㏒, Qu Qianlin, Bai Niao, Mianmian De Xia Mie, Hei Hei Hei, 3 bottles each; Ze Qian, 2 bottles; A Di Shi Ka, Hua Shen, Xing Xin, Chi Bian Tian Xia, Liu, You Li, Xiao You, 38442264, Mai Da'an De Yaojianpan, encounter_07,, Lan Shu, Qi Ye, Mu Yu Liu Xiang, z□□66, Yan Jiang, Lan Wangji De Xianxian, Feng Lan, Long Qingyue, Chi Mu Yi Qing, zy-, Meng Da Da, Chi Juzi De Mao, Shen Lao Cang Zhou, Mi Xiao Sha, 31588052, 1 bottle each;

Thank you so much for all your support. I'll keep working hard!