Can You Believe It? I Ran into My Ex on a Dating Variety Show - Chapter 18

Shi Yu looked at him with a gaze full of doubt, as if he did not understand why He Xingzhi had suddenly made such a remark. It seemed to come out of nowhere.

He Xingzhi hung up on his manager and looked at Shi Yu. “My manager just said that since I am participating in a dating show, I should not act alone. She told me to ask someone for a morning run. I am not familiar with the others; can you help me out? I did let you use my bathroom, after all.”

The image of Sister Kelly flashed through Shi Yu’s mind. He thought about it for a moment; this did indeed sound like something she would do.

Shi Yu replied, “Then can you wait for me for a moment? I need to brush my teeth and change my clothes first. It will take about ten minutes.”

Leaning against the wall, He Xingzhi looked down at Shi Yu and said, “Hurry up. I will wait for you here.”

Shi Yu quickly returned to his room, grabbed his toiletries, and headed straight back to the bathroom in He Xingzhi’s room.

Seeing him running back and forth with his things every time, He Xingzhi followed him inside and said, “Why do you not just leave your toiletries here? You are going to be using this place from now on anyway.”

While brushing his teeth, Shi Yu turned to look at him. His mouth was full of foam as he responded unclearly, “Okay.”

He Xingzhi did not leave; he sat on the sofa in the room, passing the time on his phone. He logged into Weibo, intending to browse casually, but accidentally logged into a secondary account he had registered a long time ago. He was the only one who knew about this account; even Shi Yu was unaware of it.

He scrolled through it with his fingertips. The latest update had stopped three years ago. The account was filled with sweet snippets of his and Shi Yu’s relationship. There were no photos, only text, recording his increasingly uncontrollable love.

Until the very last post: “We broke up. He said he does not love me anymore.”

Underneath this post were comments comforting him. One person wrote that they were sending hugs to the original poster and that time heals everything. Another mentioned that his words showed how deeply he loved him and that it hurt to see him go through this. Someone else asked if they had really broken up, noting that their happiest daily routine was following their love stories. Another user commented that they did not believe it and asked how such a perfect love could have a bad ending.

He Xingzhi watched for a while, his throat feeling dry. After a moment, he posted a new update.

“I Have a Baby: Reunited, but strangers.”

A moment later, the comments began to pour in. One follower exclaimed that the couple they followed three years ago had actually updated, but questioned why the text was still so sad. Another said they were tearing up, noting that the fact he posted this proved he had not let go of him at all over these three years. Someone asked if he could win him back or if he was no longer single. Another mentioned that the words were so cold that their heart was breaking. One long-time follower said it was as sweet three years ago as it is bitter now, but they did not regret following the story back then. Finally, someone expressed hope that they could rekindle their relationship, stating that while they had followed other couples in these three years, none were as good as those two.

He Xingzhi did not dare look back at the old memories. He only dared to glance at the comments under the latest update. Seeing those accounts that had been active three years ago, he briefly reminisced about those days. But after just a moment, he forced himself to pull away and face reality.

He Xingzhi closed the secondary account. He took a lollipop out of his pocket, peeled off the wrapper, popped it into his mouth, and crunched it loudly.

Shi Yu finished washing up and came out just in time to hear the sound of the candy being crushed. Just like before, when this man was unhappy or when his desires were not met, he would silently bite down on hard candy to vent.

“But was he not fine just a moment ago?” Shi Yu wondered. “How did he become unhappy just in the time it took to brush my teeth and wash my face? It could not be because he got impatient waiting, right?”

Leaving his things behind, Shi Yu walked out. As he passed him, he took an extra look and said, “I am going back to change.”

He Xingzhi turned toward him somewhat mechanically. Looking at Shi Yu’s face, he bit down hard, even flattening the small plastic stick of the lollipop. He pulled the plastic stick out, tossed it into the trash, and suddenly walked toward Shi Yu.

Shi Yu stepped back. He Xingzhi pressed forward. Shi Yu retreated until he hit the edge of the bed, yet He Xingzhi kept coming. Shi Yu plopped down onto the bed. He Xingzhi continued to lean in. Shi Yu leaned his body backward.

He Xingzhi braced his hands on either side of Shi Yu, staring intensely at his face like a provoked wolf. “Shi Yu, did you ever love me three years ago?”

“He Xingzhi? What is wrong? Why are you not saying anything?” Seeing that his state was not right, Shi Yu patted his muscular arm.

He Xingzhi suddenly snapped back to his senses. Only then did he realize that he had not actually spoken those words aloud. He did not have the courage to ask because he was afraid to hear Shi Yu say that he never loved him. Without an answer, he could occasionally use the sweetness of those two years to heal himself. But if it were an answer he did not like, he might truly go crazy.

“Shi Yu, tell me the truth. Since we broke up, have you dated anyone else?” He Xingzhi asked, his voice hoarse.

“No. I do not like physical contact with people,” Shi Yu said.

When he first started interacting with He Xingzhi, he had been very uncomfortable as well. If it had not been for the fact that the system’s missions had to be completed, he would not have been able to persevere. Of course, there was another very important reason: He Xingzhi was handsome. That was a vital reason why he could stick through the missions. If the target had been ugly, Shi Yu would have preferred to be electrocuted rather than be touched by the other party.

“Can I interpret those words to mean that I am the exception?” He Xingzhi looked at Shi Yu with a faint sense of anticipation.

Worried that he was falling for it again, Shi Yu answered ambiguously, “It is because you are good-looking enough. I like beautiful people and things.”

He had a very beautiful collection room, filled with gorgeous treasures he had gathered from all over the world. If there were a chance, he truly hoped He Xingzhi could be in the same frame as that room full of treasures; it would surely be an exquisite sight. Unfortunately, that was impossible. That room of treasures was in another world, in his home in the real world before he transmigrated into this book.

He Xingzhi was merely an important character in this book. And he was a quester. A selfish quester.

Shi Yu watched with his own eyes as the light in He Xingzhi’s gaze vanished bit by bit. He Xingzhi clenched his fists, the veins on his forehead bulging from his restraint. After a moment, he lowered his eyes briefly, then looked up again, staring at Shi Yu coldly before letting out a burst of chilling laughter.

“Hahaha! Then should I be grateful that I am good-looking enough to catch Young Master Shi’s eye?”

Shi Yu forced himself not to soften his heart. He looked at He Xingzhi with a calm, rippleless gaze and said, “Did you not say we were going for a run? It is getting late.”

A sudden sense of powerlessness washed over He Xingzhi. He let go of Shi Yu and turned his back.

“Go change your clothes,” he said. His voice was hard and cold, masking his reddening eyes.