Chapter 89

Chapter 89: Yellow Heart

When Lin Jianyuan entered the hospital room, Xiao Liu was standing by the window, lost in thought.

The tall, slender boy in his psychiatric hospital gown looked lonely and helpless, his back to the room as he stared out the window.

Lin Jianyuan immediately jumped to conclusions.

—Even though Wang Fu said "Xiao Liu slept with Redhead," who knows what really happened!

Xiao Liu looked so frail and pitiful, how could he possibly have made the first move?

Maybe it was that troublemaker Redhead who forced Xiao Liu... uh, forced him to, uh, sit, sit on Xiao Liu's... uh, lap...?

Lin Jianyuan: "."

He couldn't take it anymore.

He was dying to get the gossip!

Wang Fu had something else to do, so Lin Jianyuan waved him off—he wanted a word alone with Xiao Liu.

"Xiao Liu," Lin Jianyuan called, stepping into the room. "Long time no see. How have you been?"

Xiao Liu spun around, startled by his voice.

"Yuan-ge! What are you doing here!"

Now Xiao Liu was calling him "Yuan-ge" just like Pei Shuo. Lin Jianyuan felt even more sympathetic toward the kid.

He pulled Xiao Liu down to sit, clenched his fists, and got straight to the point. "What did Redhead do to you? Tell me everything. I'll help you out!"

Xiao Liu: "."

Xiao Liu gave him a look: →_→

Lin Jianyuan encouraged him, "Don't be scared. I already heard about it. So you slept with Redhead—there must be a reason. I believe you."

"...→_→"

A complicated expression flickered across his face.

Lin Jianyuan: "?"

Now Lin Jianyuan was totally lost.

At the same time,

he was even more curious!

"So what actually happened?" Lin Jianyuan asked suspiciously. "Don't tell me you two really got together?"

That can't be right.

If Xiao Liu agreed to it, why would he end up in a psychiatric hospital afterward?

Sure enough, Xiao Liu exploded as soon as he heard that. "How is that even possible!!!"

"Then just tell me already—what happened?"

Oh god, he was dying of impatience!

Xiao Liu slumped back down, looking miserable.

After a long pause, he let out a defeated sigh. "Yuan-ge, I... I really don't know what to do anymore."

A perfect opening line—Lin Jianyuan's curiosity peaked.

Lin Jianyuan sat up straight, ready for anything.

"Last time we were in the hospital together, remember how Qin Ye came looking for me?"

"Qin Ye? ...Oh, right. Redhead. Go on."

Xiao Liu corrected himself considerately. "...Redhead came to see me, and I, uh, pretended to be Diudiu and bit him. Then you caught me."

Lin Jianyuan nodded. "And then? I remember he came back for you once, and you two talked outside."

"Yeah. That time, too, he thought I was faking being sick. He dragged me to a corner and started interrogating me. I... I was afraid he'd beat me if he found out I was faking, so I slapped him. Twice."

Lin Jianyuan: "."

That sounded familiar.

So did the twist.

Lin Jianyuan was instantly reminded of the legendary story of how Xiao Liu got his reputation.

"And then?"

"Then for a long time, he left me alone. I got discharged. Staying here is expensive, after all..."

Lin Jianyuan nodded.

Xiao Liu was still a student, and student insurance didn't cover as much as regular workers' insurance.

And psychiatric hospital stays were pricey to begin with.

"So you went back to school?"

Xiao Liu nodded. "Yeah. Then one day, Redhead suddenly came up to me and told me to be his wife."

Lin Jianyuan: "What???"

Lin Jianyuan couldn't process it, thinking he must have misheard. "He told you—to be—his wife???"

Xiao Liu exclaimed, "Right?! Isn't that totally nuts?! I thought he was out of his mind too!!!"

Lin Jianyuan nodded furiously. "And then? And then?"

"I thought, this asshole who bullies people at school—he wants me to be his wife? He must be crazy! And I'm a guy! I'm not even gay! Even if I were, I'd never be the wife of someone who bullied me! So I slapped him again. Twice."

"You sure you aren't slapping him for fun at this point?"

"How did you know?"

Lin Jianyuan tried to remind himself of his professional training—usually he could keep a straight face.

He took a deep breath to calm down. "And then?"

"Then he said, 'If you become my wife, I won't bully you anymore. I'll protect you. If anyone tries to mess with you, I'll beat them up.'"

Xiao Liu's voice shook with anger, his eyes a little red. "I was so pissed! I said, 'Aren't you the one who's always bullying me? Go beat yourself up first!'"

"Yeah, he's definitely not beating himself up."

"Exactly."

Back then, Xiao Liu was so angry his fists were clenched, his whole body shaking, blood pressure and adrenaline spiking, face flushed bright red.

But that idiot Redhead was like: He's blushing. He loves me. [heart]

Xiao Liu nearly lost his mind on the spot.

Everyone knew Xiao Liu usually seemed quiet and gentle, but when he snapped, he could bite Redhead's head right off.

"So then I, uh, did it to him."

"...Huh???"

One second Lin Jianyuan was empathizing, fists clenched, the next second Xiao Liu was hard somewhere else.

Lin Jianyuan's brain short-circuited. "You what? You did what to him?"

Xiao Liu covered his face, groaning. "I did it to him! I really regret it! I swear I do! I don't know what came over me—I was just so, so angry, I really wanted to hit him. The more I saw that stupid grin, the angrier I got, and then... I just... I regret it so much!"

Lin Jianyuan: "..."

Lin Jianyuan took a deep breath and said calmly, "Well, I mean, it kind of makes sense. Violence gets your adrenaline going, maybe it triggers your sex drive too. Like how wrestlers sometimes get turned on in the middle of a match."

"Really?!" Xiao Liu looked up, eyes shining with hope and unshed tears. "So that's what happened!"

Lin Jianyuan: "."

Honestly, it didn't really feel like that was the case.

But whatever.

"So then? After you, uh, did that to Redhead, I bet he wouldn't let you go."

"Yeah..." Xiao Liu looked pained again. "That day he was on his knees, couldn't even get up, I freaked out and ran... A few days later, when he recovered, he came to confront me. Grabbed my collar, called me a dog, yelled at me for biting him like that."

Lin Jianyuan: "."

Bitten, too?!

Where and how did you bite him?!

Lin Jianyuan fought the urge to ask for details.

He forced himself to stay calm. "And then?"

Xiao Liu said miserably, "He was acting insane! I was about to lose it too! I told him he was nuts, told him to leave me alone!"

"He said, 'You fucker, you did me and now you're acting like nothing happened.'"

"I was about to snap. Then someone walked by, and he just kept running his mouth, so I had to cover his mouth to shut him up."

"Then he started struggling and bit my hand. I was afraid he'd start yelling stuff everywhere, so I dragged him to the gym storage room. Pinned him down on the sit-up mat, sat on his abs, held down his hands and feet so he couldn't make a sound."

"And then you did it to him again," Lin Jianyuan said, deadpan.

Xiao Liu covered his face in agony.

"And a few days later, when he recovered, he came looking for you again?"

"Yeah... He came to yell at me, asked why I left him alone on the mat in the gym storage... He had a huge bump on the back of his head, even got knocked out for a while..."

Lin Jianyuan: "........................"

Lin Jianyuan couldn't help but look Xiao Liu up and down.

Trying to figure out how this skinny, quiet-looking boy managed to knock out a wild wolf like Redhead.

"Bro, what am I supposed to do now!" Xiao Liu wailed, face full of despair. "I don't even dare go back to school—he comes after me every time. Lately he's been waiting outside my building. I think he's going to kidnap me and beat me to death..."

"I have a feeling you're not the one who's going to end up tied up. And if you are, I doubt it's just for a beating..."

Xiao Liu: "?"

Lin Jianyuan still couldn't figure it out. "Seriously, how do you even do it? Where do you get all that strength?"

Xiao Liu scratched his head helplessly. "Uh, I guess I just get that mad..."

"...Alright then."

Thinking back to Xiao Liu's legendary day of infamy, four incidents in four places.

Now, with him flipping the tables and pinning Redhead every time, it kind of made sense.

That was the power of rage.

"What do I do, bro? I really don't know..." Xiao Liu said miserably. "And the thing that gets me most is, I'm straight! Why would I... just... aah, why?!"

Lin Jianyuan thought for a moment. "You said in the gym storage, you sat on his abs to hold him down and beat him?"

Xiao Liu nodded.

"If I were straight, I don't think I'd say 'sat on his abs.' I'd say 'sat on his stomach'..."

Xiao Liu: "?"

Xiao Liu's eyes slowly widened in shock.

"So, you ask me what to do, honestly, I have no idea either."

Lin Jianyuan scratched his head. "Just... figure it out for yourself? Calm down, really think about your relationship. After all, he did bully you before. Nothing can erase that."

Xiao Liu fell silent.

After a while, he seemed to realize something.

He murmured, "Yeah. That can't be erased."

Lin Jianyuan patted him on the shoulder in sympathy.

It seemed like Xiao Liu didn't really need his help after all.

From here on, it was their own story to figure out.

Evening.

After a long day, the first thing Lin Jianyuan did when he got home was share this wild gossip with his wife.

"...By the end, I just thought, man, I really shouldn't get involved in the drama of those diamond boys' high schools."

In the kitchen, cooking with his wife, Lin Jianyuan said, "When I was straight, I never cared if the idiot I was pinning down had abs or not. I was too pissed off to notice, who the hell cares about his abs!"

"Oh, I see." His roommate smiled, lips curving. "I don't get it."

"Of course you don't, you're not straight either." Lin Jianyuan washed the vegetables, thinking back to his old misunderstanding about his roommate, and couldn't stop laughing.

After a bit of laughter, his roommate said, "By the way, didn't you go see that full-time fighter? What's his name, Wang Fu?"

"Oh, right. And get this—it's so ridiculous!" Lin Jianyuan turned, wearing a "can you believe this" face. "Shi Shaoning told me this guy was doing research, so I thought he was some big shot working days and pulling all-nighters for science. Guess what he's actually doing, sneaking around in his little room every day?"

His roommate: "What?"

Lin Jianyuan wailed, "He's making borderline-risque videos! Those ones where he twists around and poses all sexy!"

His roommate: "Huh?"

Lin Jianyuan wiped his hands, pulled out his phone, and showed him. "Look, this account. Never shows his face, most videos are just his arm doing calligraphy. Sometimes he does those XX dance trends—damn, why is his XX dance so popular! ...I can't believe it, he told me he was just a calligrapher, but this is what he calls calligraphy! Society is doomed! And the worst part is, his research progress is still zero!"

His roommate leaned in, watching with interest.

Suddenly Lin Jianyuan got serious. "Babe, just look on my phone, don't search for him on yours!"

His roommate: "Why?"

"Because Xiaohongshu uses big data to recommend stuff—you search or click on something, it'll think you like it, and keep pushing you more and more of the same. Don't mess up your algorithm!"

"Oh, okay."

Lin Jianyuan actually trusted his roommate on this.

After all, his roommate was an Aberrant—by human standards, he was incredibly innocent.

He didn't get any of that dirty stuff.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have made that "how many condoms" joke.

Thinking about that, Lin Jianyuan wanted to laugh again.

And he thought his roommate was just so damn cute.

Anyway, his roommate would never go looking for that kind of nonsense.

Even if the algorithm tried to tempt him, his roommate would never click.

His roommate's interests were all food, travel, and household tips.

He was a gentle, sweet, pure, thrifty, domestic little digestive system baby~

In the warm yellow sunset, Lin Jianyuan savored every moment with his roommate.

Cooking together, lively and loud.

Eating together, close and affectionate.

Showering together, sticky and sweet.

These happy days, no matter how often they repeated, never lost their joy.

After their bath, Lin Jianyuan felt a little dizzy.

He wasn't sure if it was from soaking too long, or from being devoured in the tub.

He collapsed bonelessly onto the bed, completely drained.

But even exhausted, he managed to roll over and hug his roommate.

His freshly bathed roommate was even warmer and softer than usual.

Back in their old apartment with the crappy AC, Lin Jianyuan wouldn't have been able to handle it.

But things were different now.

Now he lived in a fully smart, ultra-luxury apartment!

With the same bedding and pillows as five-star hotels!

Most importantly—

he was holding the only man in the universe who was this cute, this gentle, this amazing, and who loved him so much!

(And freshly bathed, too.)

(He felt so damn good to touch.)

He couldn't take it.

"Ah~"

Lin Jianyuan rolled around in bed, clutching his lover.

His bare legs slid between his lover and the sheets.

"Ahh~" He let out another happy sigh.

His roommate laughed, poked his cheek, and said, "Are you making sushi?"

Lin Jianyuan looked down and realized the blanket had rolled them up like sushi.

"Awesome! We're sushi!" Lin Jianyuan hugged his lover and planted a big kiss. "We're saved!"

"We're saved!" His roommate couldn't stop laughing, feeling silly but happy. "Woohoo!"

Lin Jianyuan: "Woohoo!"

The two idiots wrestled and giggled in bed.

Even rolling up in a blanket together was a joy.

After playing around, it was time to sleep.

Lin Jianyuan checked his phone before bed, as usual.

His old coworkers' group chat was as lively as ever, everyone up late roasting some idiot.

Dr. Cen messaged him, reminding him to take his meds and not to worry if things fluctuated—relapses were normal, just like emotions, which could rise and fall every day.

Shi Shaoning sent a message: "Thanks."

Nothing else, just those two words: Thanks.

Sticking hard to his cool-guy persona.

Pei Shuo asked how that patient from yesterday was doing—was he feeling any better? Did he still need comforting?

Xiao Liu: "Bro! That sachet you gave me really works, I don't have any mosquitoes anymore!"

He sent a photo—a sachet for repelling mosquitoes.

Lin Jianyuan replied, "Glad to hear it."

Xiao Liu: "What kind of sachet is this? Smells like insect repellent."

Lin Jianyuan: "If something smells like insect repellent, looks like insect repellent, and works like insect repellent, then it's insect repellent."

Xiao Liu: "?"

Just kidding.

Of course it wasn't insect repellent.

The sachet was filled with [Attraction].

It was a sudden stroke of genius on Lin Jianyuan's part.

He'd picked up [Attraction] from the Bureau because he'd thought his roommate attracted mosquitoes. Now that misunderstanding was cleared up, he hadn't had any use for it.

Honestly, the thing was pretty useless.

Its only function was to attract mosquitoes.

At first glance, it seemed like a negative skill, but flip it around—if you put [Attraction] near yourself, but not right on you...

then all the mosquitoes would go for [Attraction] instead of you.

And they wouldn't bite anyone.

Today at the Jingwei ward, Lin Jianyuan had noticed Xiao Liu was covered in mosquito bites.

The hospital grounds were lush, so there were tons of mosquitoes in summer.

Their floor was low, Xiao Liu really attracted mosquitoes, and he was miserable from all the bites.

So Lin Jianyuan had slipped [Attraction] into a sachet and given it to him.

Of course, he'd disguised it a little.

He sprayed some wake-up tonic on it.

The tonic was just a tonic, not real insect repellent. But it lasted longer than the real stuff.

And it didn't repel mosquitoes—it attracted them...

If Xiao Liu looked closely, he'd probably find it weird, but he wasn't in the mood to care.

And normal people couldn't see Aberrants, so even if Xiao Liu opened the sachet, he'd see nothing.

Xiao Liu's feedback proved Lin Jianyuan's plan had worked.

Perfect.

Another merit point for the day.

Lin Jianyuan felt completely satisfied.

"Babe, good night."

Lin Jianyuan leaned over and pressed a gentle kiss to his roommate's lips.

"Good night," his roommate said softly.

Held in his lover's soft, fragrant arms, Lin Jianyuan closed his eyes and drifted into sweet sleep.

Lin Jianyuan fell asleep quickly.

Xie Yu was still awake.

He didn't need sleep, so he just held his adorable human and kept scrolling through Xiaohongshu, head tilted.

Xiaohongshu was on mute and the screen dimmed, so he wouldn't disturb his human.

The only thing he had to worry about was not letting his intestines wiggle too much when he saw something funny.

But even if he did,

his human would just wake up, shuffle over, kiss him, and mumble, "Babe, what are you watching?"

Then they'd watch it together and laugh.

After laughing, another kiss, then back to sleep.

It was like some kind of maximalist ritual.

It felt like everything they did together had to end with a kiss.

Every single step.

So annoying.

Dating a human was such a hassle.

Xie Yu couldn't help but smile, his appendix twitching.

His intestines curled around his human, loop after loop.

His adorable human.

The human, even in sleep, sensed his warmth.

And nuzzled into his neck, cheek rubbing gently.

It was a sleeping reflex.

Xie Yu didn't actually have a heart.

But right now, he truly, truly,

felt something soft inside.

A powerful feeling of being loved flowed through him.

chu~

Chu~

He couldn't help but lean down and kiss his human again.

Thump. Thump.

His human's heart beat steadily in his arms.

Suddenly, Xie Yu wanted one too.

He wanted a heart, just like his human.

A heart... how did you grow one, again?

He exited the funny videos and went to the search bar.

He was about to type "human heart" when a post caught his eye.

It was a photo post.

The cover was simple—a plain white background with a yellow heart in the center.

The title was just one short line.

[What does it feel like when it all goes in?]

Xie Yu: "?"