Chapter 96: Call me ge and listen.
Shen Ti stood frozen in place.
This kiss came completely out of his expectations.
Before being with An Wujiu, he had always secretly thought that this person was unromantic, at least when he was in a kind state, because he was too calm and upright.
But the reality was contrary to his expectations. Or rather, An Wujiu’s two sides had merged so quickly, beyond his imagination.
An Wujiu stepped back a bit; the corners of his mouth curled up, and his bright eyes were full of laughter.
In comparison, Shen Ti realized that, in terms of being a lover, he still had much to learn.
Shen Ti reached out his hand, just about to pull An Wujiu into his embrace, when he suddenly sensed someone in the living room. Turning his head, he saw it was Noah.
“Wujiu-ge, aren’t you going to sleep yet?”
An Wujiu’s face instantly showed some embarrassment because they were too close. He hurriedly pushed half of Shen Ti’s body away and stood up, “We’re going to sleep soon; good night, Noah.”
Noah had just returned from the bathroom. She rubbed her sleepy eyes and replied with an “oh,” then turned and went to the guest room.
After she closed the door, Shen Ti slowly stood up, still wrapping his arm around An Wujiu’s waist.
“Going to sleep, Wujiu-ge?”
Upon hearing this address, An Wujiu instinctively glared at him.
His eyes were already large, and now they seemed even larger, his brows and eyes looking more lively than ever.
“Don’t call me that.”
“Right.” Shen Ti, holding him, led him back to the guest room, “I should be older than you; you’re only twenty.”
An Wujiu was somewhat curious, “Really? How old are you?”
“I…” Shen Ti was stunned; he didn’t even remember how old he was.
“Anyway, I’m definitely older than you.” He said it casually.
Although he didn’t remember his age, recalling his endless, boundless suffering, it felt like he had lived for thousands of years, or even longer.
So long that he couldn’t remember what that suffering was anymore.
An Wujiu didn’t argue; for some reason, he felt he agreed with Shen Ti’s statement, even though he also didn’t know how old Shen Ti was.
He half-turned to close the door, leaning against it, “Then when is your birthday?”
Shen Ti turned around and saw An Wujiu’s slightly parted lips and the half-revealed tip of his tongue as he spoke.
“Birthday?”
He took a step forward, hands in his pockets, his hips almost pressing against An Wujiu’s.
A date suddenly popped into his mind.
But now he didn’t want to talk, didn’t want to chat.
An Wujiu’s heartbeat quickened as Shen Ti lowered his head, coming closer. Usually, he had a faint, calming scent, similar to sandalwood, but now it seemed to be burning, growing stronger.
Shen Ti didn’t reach out to hug him, just pressed him against the door with his hips. At first, he only lowered his head and brushed his lips lightly, once, twice.
Their lips slightly stuck together and then parted.
When they parted, An Wujiu felt like his heart was being drawn away, Shen Ti’s pupils like a lake, pulling him in.
Originally, he thought the third time would be the same light touch, but without warning, the thin layer was broken. An Wujiu almost couldn’t breathe.
His tongue was entwined, Shen Ti’s sudden fierceness unexpected, his senses magnified infinitely. An Wujiu raised his hand to push him away, but this hand was also held by Shen Ti, fingers tightly interlocked and pressed against the door.
The veins on the back of An Wujiu’s hand stood out, marked with the number “99”.
The hot breath they exhaled was humid, their eyelashes briefly sticking together and then parting quickly.
An Wujiu’s hand was tightly held by him, his thoughts tangled in contradictions, feeling like he wanted something from Shen Ti, but also hoping Shen Ti wouldn’t give up anything.
The door wasn’t soundproof; he heard noises outside, and reason suddenly broke through the sensory shroud. An Wujiu came back to his senses, pushing Shen Ti away with the hand that was holding his.
Shen Ti’s other hand was on An Wujiu’s waist, already under his shirt. But since An Wujiu called a halt, he chivalrously obeyed.
“If you say no, then no it is, but you have to compensate me.”
“Compensate what?” An Wujiu locked the door, turned to look at him.
Shen Ti sat back on the bed, chin raised, “Call me ge.”
An Wujiu was silent for a while, his whole face clearly showing refusal. After a moment, he found an excuse for himself.
“You haven’t answered my question just now.”
Shen Ti tilted his head in confusion, “What question? Right now, all I can think of is the expression you had when you kissed me just now, your neck and ears are all red…”
“Shen Ti.” An Wujiu crossed his arms, took a few steps closer to him, wearing a “don’t try to fool me” expression.
Shen Ti shrugged, thinking he hadn’t lied.
“Birthday, right…”
That date popped into his mind again.
“April 2nd.”
An Wujiu suddenly froze.
Shen Ti looked up and saw the confusion and doubt on An Wujiu’s face, even suspicion, so he reached out and held An Wujiu’s hand, softly asking, “What’s wrong?”
“That’s my birthday.”
An Wujiu calmly told him.
Shen Ti was stunned for a second.
How could that be?
“Really?”
An Wujiu nodded, “Even though my memory has a lot of issues, I remember my birthday in all of them.”
For a moment, Shen Ti paused, not just mentally, but his entire body seemed to freeze for two seconds, although his thoughts were flowing normally.
Two seconds later, he returned to normal.
He was like a robot that had lost power and then resumed, or a human whose soul had briefly left and then returned.
“That’s not my birthday,” Shen Ti told him honestly, “it’s just that when you asked me about my birthday, this date was the only one that came to mind.”
A trace of suspicion arose in An Wujiu’s heart.
And Shen Ti voiced this suspicion first, “Is it possible that we have met before?”
Despite An Wujiu’s incomplete memories, with perhaps a fragmented life, he still felt it was impossible.
Very frankly, he shook his head at Shen Ti, “If I had met you, I wouldn’t forget you.” This sounded ridiculous, something anyone else could say, but it seemed inappropriate coming from someone like An Wujiu, who couldn’t even control his own memories.
But if he had really seen Shen Ti, seen his eyes, how could he forget?
From the moment Shen Ti instinctively said An Wujiu’s birthday, he too felt something was off.
He didn’t believe they had met before, but intuition told Shen Ti there was an unknown connection between him and An Wujiu.
“Maybe it’s fate,” Shen Ti smiled.
The brightest thing in the dark night was the ceiling, a white expanse. Lying in bed, An Wujiu couldn’t help but think about his past, trying hard to search his memories for anything related to Shen Ti, but it was futile. Whether the memories were fake, filled in, or real and fragmented, none of them had those green eyes of Shen Ti.
He couldn’t recall and couldn’t close his eyes because whenever he did, he saw his sister leaning at the vent.
The confusing past made him feel like he was in a thick fog, with an unknown past and an unknown future, gradually spreading fear.
But just when he was most lost, Shen Ti pulled him into his arms, “Wujiu.”
“More than your past, I want your future.”
His voice was low, dispelling the haze swirling in An Wujiu’s mind.
An Wujiu felt safe. He buried his face in Shen Ti’s neck, his voice muffled, “Can you read minds?”
Shen Ti laughed, kissed the top of An Wujiu’s head, “You really think I’m a deity.”
An Wujiu was just joking. He knew how smart Shen Ti was, that he and the many humans Shen Ti spoke of were essentially no different, perhaps all transparent in his eyes, just needing a few more glances.
“Sleep.”
He gently patted An Wujiu’s shoulder.
Only when he felt An Wujiu’s breathing gradually steady did Shen Ti stop and placed his hand on An Wujiu’s shoulder.
“I love you.”
Shen Ti suddenly said this, neither learned nor mimicked, surprising even himself.
Fortunately, An Wujiu was asleep and didn’t hear this hasty and unprepared confession.
That night, they both slept peacefully and safely in that position, embracing each other tightly.
In the master bedroom next door, Zhong Yirou was not as peaceful. She felt thirsty and struggled for a while before getting up, planning to go to the fridge for a bottle of water.
But as soon as she opened the door, she was blinded by a strong light.
The source of the light was Yang Erci’s studio.
The closed door was almost translucent from the internal light, with glowing streaks spilling out from the door gap.
That wasn’t the room where Noha was staying…
Zhong Yirou suddenly remembered that eerie book was in there.
Gathering her courage, she walked over, reached out, and tried to push open the door.
Unexpectedly, the door wasn’t locked!
As she pushed it open, Zhong Yirou’s eyes were nearly scorched by the golden light. She squinted and could only see Noha lying flat on the bed, like a sacrificial offering.
And that book was open, its pages flipping rapidly.
Then suddenly, with a snap, it closed.
At that moment, Zhong Yirou felt as if she had fallen into a deep abyss, and then she abruptly opened her eyes.
She was back in bed.
Zhong Yirou panted heavily; the dream had been so real that her legs were still weak, unable to stand up and check Yang Erci’s studio.
Turning her head, she saw Yang Erci sleeping beside her, the thin blanket half-covering her, her sleeping face much softer than her usual stern look.
She suddenly felt a bit safer, snuggling into the blanket and pressing close to her, face to face.
Please, no more nightmares.
A night of good dreams followed. An Wujiu didn’t wake up early, and when he opened his eyes, he was alone in bed.
Having grown accustomed to Shen Ti’s presence, realizing he wasn’t there made An Wujiu fully awake, so he got up and went out.
As soon as he stepped out, he saw Shen Ti and Zhong Yirou carrying plates in the kitchen.
“Morning, Wujiu.” Zhong Yirou handed a fried egg to Noha, who was sitting on the sofa, then turned to An Wujiu, “Any plans for today?”
An Wujiu, still a bit groggy from sleep, replied, “Hmm, maybe visit the black market.”
“Black market?” Zhong Yirou frowned, “You’re not planning to buy anything illegal, are you?”
“I don’t have a citizen chip.” An Wujiu spoke while glancing towards Shen Ti.
Yang Erci, pouring milk for them, seemed unsurprised about him not having a chip.
“Great, I’ll go too.”
Suddenly, an air raid siren blared outside.
Shen Ti walked over as well, “So noisy.”
Yang Erci sensed something was wrong and commanded the AI housekeeper to play the news.
“At 6:39 this morning, dozens of citizens gathered at the city square, attempting public self-immolation. When other citizens tried to stop them, the group began an armed riot.”
Armed?
An Wujiu frowned.
“According to reports, five of them are Union police officers and government officials. It’s currently unclear…”
