Flirted Then Forgot Everything - Chapter 21.2

He tapped his fingers against the screen but couldn’t come up with a reason. He habitually went to send a meme of a pig being thrown at the recipient, but he quickly hit “unsend.”

Must remember the mission to raise favorability!

He scrolled through his flashy collection of stickers and found one of a child pouting for a kiss.

Jian Li: [Sends a “muah” sticker]

Yu Cheng: [The “opponent throws a pig at you” sticker]

Jian Li: “…”

Jian Li: “See you tomorrow, Yu Cheng.”

He tossed his phone aside and snuggled into the blankets. Feeling much better, he soon fell into a deep sleep.

As soon as he drifted off, the System began to beep frantically. “Warning! Energy low! Energy low!” After a string of curses, it began shouting at him.

“Host! Host!”

Jian Li was jolted awake, bleary-eyed, as the System’s volume spiked.

“Host, turn to your right! Now!”

“What?” Jian Li’s eyes cracked open. It was dawn, and the room was still dark behind the heavy curtains.

“Quick! Move to the right!” the System urged.

Instinctively, Jian Li rolled to the right. Suddenly, the decorative painting above the headboard fell, slamming onto the soft mattress. The glass frame shattered across the bed, and several shards sliced into Jian Li’s arm, leaving small, stinging cuts.

Now fully awake, Jian Li lunged for the bedside lamp. He stared at the face-down painting in the middle of the bed, unable to wrap his head around it.

“System, was this an ‘accident’ too?” Jian Li was terrified.

“Yes,” the System answered firmly.

The painting hadn’t been hanging very high, and the bed was soft. Jian Li couldn’t understand how the glass had shattered so violently—it was as if the soft mattress had momentarily turned into stone, attempting to crush him along with the frame.

He looked around the room. He had thought the hotel was safe, but now every corner felt like a death trap. If this kept up, he really might choke on his own spit!

He couldn’t stay there. Grabbing his phone and room card, he ran out and stood in front of the door next door. He raised his hand to knock, but hesitated. Yu Cheng was likely sleeping after the all-night shoot; was it wrong to disturb him?

Seeing him falter, the System reminded him: “Host, your life is more important.”

Jian Li took a deep breath and sent a message first.

Jian Li: “Are you awake?”

Yu Cheng replied with a question mark.

Jian Li hesitated, then typed: “I’m outside your door.”

Yu Cheng didn’t reply, but the door opened almost instantly. Wearing a loose bathrobe, he saw Jian Li standing there barefoot, his pajama sleeves torn and stained with blood.

Yu Cheng’s pupils contracted. Without asking a single question, he reached out and pulled Jian Li into the room.

As the door clicked shut, Jian Li let out a sigh of relief. At least for now, he was safe. He sat obediently on the sofa as Yu Cheng brought over that same rabbit-eared medical kit.

“How did this happen?” Yu Cheng asked.

Jian Li couldn’t tell him the truth, so he had to make up an excuse.

“I accidentally broke a glass and fell on it.”

The excuse was clumsy, riddled with holes.

Yu Cheng didn’t say whether he believed him or not; he simply stopped prying.

Jian Li’s pajama sleeve was in tatters, so Yu Cheng simply cut the rest of it off. He meticulously cleaned the wounds and applied ointment.

The cleaning process stung. Jian Li winced, his eyelashes trembling slightly as he bit his lip in silence.

Yu Cheng became even more careful, blowing gently on the cuts as he dabbed them with a cotton swab. The cool breath effectively dulled the pain, but it sent Jian Li’s thoughts drifting in a dangerous direction.

Yu Cheng’s fingers kept accidentally brushing against the red mole on Jian Li’s wrist. It made Jian Li’s toes curl; he pressed his lips together, stifling any sound. That mole was his weakness—the slightest touch made him unbearably sensitive.

He turned his head away, his ears flushing first.

Once Yu Cheng finished dressing the wounds and applied bandages, he looked up to see the soft pink hue staining Jian Li’s neck. He paused for a heartbeat, then looked away as if nothing had happened, tossing a loose T-shirt toward Jian Li.

“Wear this.”

Jian Li hesitated as he gripped the hem of his ruined shirt. They were both men; he shouldn’t have been hesitant. Yet, given the ambiguous tension between them, hesitation felt only natural.

Fortunately, Yu Cheng headed to the bathroom to wash his hands, whether by chance or design, giving Jian Li some privacy. Jian Li quickly changed into the shirt, not forgetting to scan his surroundings.

“System,” he whispered in his mind, “the light above me, it won’t suddenly fall, right?”

System: “As long as the Host stays by the target’s side, your life is not in danger.”

Jian Li let out a long breath of relief.

When Yu Cheng returned, he saw Jian Li sitting obediently in his clothes. His fingers twitched. Jian Li’s hair was light-colored, matching his eyes—both natural features. He sat on the sofa with his hands on his knees, waiting. The moment Yu Cheng appeared, Jian Li’s eyes fixed on him with a gaze full of focus and reliance.

He looked like a soft, vulnerable little animal—the kind that made you want to pull them close and squeeze.

Yu Cheng managed to restrain himself. He said, “I’ll take you back to your room.”

Jian Li bolted upright. Yu Cheng looked at him, puzzled.

“I.” Jian Li was flustered. He didn’t know how to explain that he intended to sleep here.

“What is it?” Yu Cheng asked.

Jian Li scrambled for a lie. “I want to sleep here. My room is too drafty.”

Yu Cheng: “Did you leave a window open?”

Jian Li: “No, they’re closed.”

Yu Cheng: “Then where is the draft coming from?”

Jian Li ruffled his messy hair and scanned the room until his eyes lit up. “The decorations in my room are too ugly!”

Yu Cheng glanced around his own room and replied calmly, “Our rooms are identical. The decor and layout are the same.”

Jian Li was speechless again. Looking at Yu Cheng just a few steps away—and thinking of his precarious life—he threw shame to the wind. He stepped forward and grabbed one of Yu Cheng’s hands.

Yu Cheng let him hold it, though he frowned slightly. Jian Li’s hands were ice-cold.

“Didn’t Director Yang tell us to nurture our chemistry? I don’t think a ten-minute hug a day is enough,” Jian Li said, lying through his teeth with a straight face.

“I think it’s plenty,” Yu Cheng replied with an equally straight-faced rejection.

Jian Li shook Yu Cheng’s hand up and down like he was acting spoiled. “It’s really not enough. Ten minutes passes in the blink of an eye. I think we should hug for much longer.”

Yu Cheng raised his other hand and slowly began to peel Jian Li’s “paws” off. “Like how much longer?”

Jian Li’s eyes sparkled. “An entire night?”

Yu Cheng pried one hand loose, but Jian Li immediately latched back on. “It’s already dawn.”

Jian Li quickly pivoted. “How about a ‘six hours on, six hours off’ schedule? Two rounds a day?”

Yu Cheng shook his head, cold and heartless. “Not even one round.”

He firmly detached Jian Li and placed a hand on the younger man’s back, guiding him toward the door. Jian Li pulled a long face, looking back at Yu Cheng with piteous, resentful eyes. His mind raced.

Just as Yu Cheng reached for the door handle, Jian Li spun around and lunged at him, wrapping his arms and legs around him like a piece of sticky rice cake.

“I’m too deep in character! I’m stuck in Li Xiaoli’s personality and I can’t get out! Li Xiaoli can’t survive without Gao Mochen!”

Jian Li was truly terrified of falling lights, falling paintings, or whatever else might come for him next. For the sake of his life, he abandoned his dignity entirely. He clung to Yu Cheng with all his might, bracing for the moment he’d be peeled off.

But Yu Cheng didn’t pull him away. Instead, he reached down to support Jian Li’s weight.

The “sticky rice cake” lived up to its name—clingy and soft—though it had been out of the steamer a bit too long and felt chilly to the touch. Yu Cheng tightened his grip and asked, “Can’t survive without him?”

Jian Li nodded frantically, his mouth moving a mile a minute. “Yes! Not for a single second! People will die if I leave!”

It wasn’t a lie. If he left Yu Cheng, someone—him—really would die.

Yu Cheng remained by the door, but suddenly released one hand to grip the handle. Jian Li gasped, tightening his hold and hitching himself higher. “Believe me! I really can’t be away from you!”

Yu Cheng turned the handle slightly. “Is it Li Xiaoli who can’t be away, or Jian Li?”

Jian Li’s eyes went wide. He squeezed Yu Cheng’s neck and rubbed his cheek against Yu Cheng’s like a pleading puppy. “Li Xiaoli! Li Xiaoli can’t leave Gao Mochen!”

Yu Cheng opened the door.

The hair on the back of Jian Li’s neck stood up as he thought of the shattered painting in his room. Abandoning the last shred of his pride, he cried out:

“It’s me! It’s me who can’t be away from you! Jian Li can’t leave Yu Cheng!”

“Congratulations, Host. Target Yu Cheng’s favorability +2. Current score: 68. Keep up the good work!” the System suddenly chimed.

Jian Li was overjoyed.

THUD.

Yu Cheng slammed the door shut again.

He turned and carried Jian Li into the bedroom, setting him on the bed and rolling him into a “burrito” with the duvet. He even took care to tuck the fabric so only Jian Li’s face was peeking out.

Jian Li stayed perfectly still, letting Yu Cheng wrap him up. The duvet held the lingering warmth of Yu Cheng’s body, making it incredibly cozy. Once the “burrito” was secure, Yu Cheng told him to get some sleep and headed to the living room.

Jian Li whispered to the System, “System, is this distance okay? He’s in the living room and I’m in the bedroom. I should be safe, right?”

The System, still savoring the two-point increase, was in a good mood. “You are currently safe.”

Jian Li relaxed. Surrounded by Yu Cheng’s scent, he soon drifted off.

Yu Cheng eventually returned to the bedroom. He unrolled the “burrito” to cover Jian Li properly and touched his forehead. Then, he quietly took the room card from Jian Li’s trouser pocket.

Yu Cheng went next door. He saw the shattered decorative painting on Jian Li’s bed. The nail on the wall was perfectly secure; there was no way it should have fallen, let alone loosened on its own. The way the glass had shattered was equally bizarre.

Yu Cheng walked a circuit around Jian Li’s bedroom before returning to his own.

In that short time, Jian Li had already begun to have nightmares. He was sleeping fitfully, his eyes darting beneath his lids and his forehead beaded with cold sweat.

Yu Cheng sat by the edge of the bed and leaned over Jian Li. He heard him murmuring in a low, broken voice, sounding almost like a plea.

“Please, save me. I don’t want to die, help me.”

“Yu Cheng, I have to go back to see Yu Cheng.”

Yu Cheng reached out and gently wiped the cold sweat from Jian Li’s brow. Finally, unable to help himself, he leaned down and pressed a light kiss to Jian Li’s forehead.

He asked the sleeping man in a soft whisper, “Since you can’t be away from me, why did you run?”

Feeling Yu Cheng’s touch, Jian Li gradually quieted down, seemingly escaping the nightmare.

Unfortunately, no one was there to give Yu Cheng an answer.

A soft sigh echoed through the dim bedroom. Yu Cheng didn’t leave after all; he pulled back the duvet and lay down beside Jian Li.

Like a puppy that loves its nest, Jian Li immediately drifted closer and burrowed into Yu Cheng’s embrace with practiced ease. Yu Cheng held him, lightly patting his back to soothe him.

The two snuggled together and eventually fell into a deep sleep, and the room grew silent.

The morning light gradually brightened. By 9:00 AM, the two who had worked through the night appeared to still be fast asleep, though there were faint dark circles under Yu Cheng’s eyes.

Jian Li was a restless sleeper. One moment he was throwing a leg over Yu Cheng, the next he was wrestling for the duvet. He eventually managed to hog the entire thing, but didn’t even use it, kicking it off to the side instead.

For what felt like the dozenth time, Yu Cheng sat up and dragged the duvet back over both of them.

Jian Li stayed still for barely two minutes before suddenly lunging with his leg and kicking Yu Cheng right off the bed.

“Who dares to rob me! The Great Hero Jian is here!”

Yu Cheng slowly sat up amidst Jian Li’s sleep-talking. Propping himself up on the cold floor, he glared gloomily at the man on the bed. Jian Li was still flailing his arms and legs; apparently, his dream was quite intense.

Yu Cheng rose slowly, his expression looking somewhat terrifying. He knelt on the bed, looming over Jian Li and staring down at him, his gaze heavy with suppressed morning grumpiness.

Perhaps Yu Cheng’s gaze was too piercing, as Jian Li actually drifted awake. With his eyes half-open, he didn’t quite register the fact that Yu Cheng’s face was inches away. Instinctively, he reached up to hook his arms around Yu Cheng’s neck. Before his consciousness had fully returned, he began calculating for his life.

“You’re awake? Let’s discuss extending our hugging time today, okay?”

Yu Cheng didn’t move, letting Jian Li hang off him.

As Jian Li slowly woke up, he finally saw the repressed fury in Yu Cheng’s expression. He recoiled in horror and let go, trying to scramble away, only to be dragged back and pinned down by Yu Cheng.

Jian Li struggled but couldn’t budge him. His voice began to tremble.

“Yu-Yu Cheng, what’s wrong? Why are you being so scary!”

Yu Cheng’s voice was low and slightly raspy as he spoke slowly. “Having a dream?”

Jian Li swallowed hard and gave a hesitant nod.

“A martial arts dream?” Yu Cheng asked again.

Jian Li nodded again.

Yu Cheng suddenly curled his lips into a smile—a smile that made the hair on Jian Li’s neck stand up.

“In this one martial arts dream, you hogged the blanket eight times, punched me thrice, and kicked me off the bed six times.”

Jian Li tried to slide downward to escape Yu Cheng’s control, but Yu Cheng gripped him firmly by the waist.

“Remembered now?”

Jian Li remained stubborn. “H-how could I remember that! It was a dream! Things in dreams don’t count! Yu Cheng, you have to be reasonable!”

Yu Cheng smiled, but his eyes remained terrifying, like those of an elegant executioner. With one hand pinning Jian Li’s waist, his other hand moved slowly downward, slipping under the duvet.

Sensing Yu Cheng’s hand moving under the covers, Jian Li’s voice shook. “C-calm down! Doctors say morning grumpiness is bad for you! You have to endure it! Getting angry all the time leads to baldness!”

“Baldness?” Yu Cheng tilted his head slightly, as if taking the advice to heart.

Jian Li glanced at Yu Cheng’s thick, dark hair and nodded against his better judgment, spewing nonsense. “Yeah, look at your hair—is that a sign of a receding hairline I see?”

Yu Cheng’s hand had already slipped past the elastic waistband of Jian Li’s pajama pants, accurately grabbing a certain bare area.

“Is that so?” Yu Cheng’s voice sounded like it was draped in frost.

His fingers slowly applied pressure, and he watched as Jian Li broke into a nervous sweat.

“Jian Li, did I mention that I never take a loss?” Yu Cheng squeezed the last few words out through gritted teeth.

The next second, a scream from Jian Li nearly took the roof off.

At noon, Yu Manman arrived to deliver lunch and found Jian Li lying face-down on the sofa.

When he saw her enter, Jian Li scrambled up and perched in a squat on the sofa cushions.

“What did you buy? Let me see, I’m starving!”

Yu Manman laid out the lunch boxes in front of him, eyeing his squatting position suspiciously. “Brother Jian, what are you doing?”

Jian Li let out a dry laugh. “Heh, nothing. I just prefer squatting while I eat.”

Yu Manman nodded hesitantly, figuring that celebrities just had their own weird quirks.

Jian Li picked up his chopsticks and snapped a small cucumber in half with a single vengeful jab, cursing Yu Cheng in his heart.

The grudge of the butt-pinch! We are now mortal enemies!