TGBOG Chapter 17

This isn’t a complicated story. Ye Luan spoke quickly, leaving out many details, but Tian Gai was still left in a daze.

“Sixteen years… this is like Yang Guo and Xiao Longnu…” Tian Gai sighed, then added, “Actually, you could tell Zhao’er, it would definitely move him.”

Ye Luan shook his head. “… Remembering it is my business. It doesn’t matter if Zhao Zhao forgets. I don’t want these sixteen years to become a burden or use them to manipulate Zhao Zhao’s feelings.”

This was why Ye Luan had never mentioned this to Zhao Yijia. He had only fallen in love with him after meeting him again. While there was surely an emotional carryover from their childhood, he preferred this memory to be a little hidden gem between them—if Zhao Yijia ever recalled it.

Tian Gai shrugged. “Alright, I get it now. I’ve asked all my questions.”

“Are you sure? You’ve only asked four.”

“Can you cut me some slack? I just learned so much gossip, I’m in pain having to digest it all!”

Ye Luan didn’t mind. “I’m not worried even if you tell.”

Tian Gai immediately responded with an exaggerated hush. “Hush—Twelve Ye, don’t act so cool. Zhao’er hasn’t even agreed to be with you yet.” Then he straightened up, “But seriously, I have one request—”

Ye Luan looked at him.

“—For the love of all that is holy, don’t project you two onto Shen An and Duan Ruxing’s bed scene.”

Ye Luan raised an eyebrow. “Thank you for giving me a new idea.”

Just as Ye Luan finished confessing to Tian Gai, they heard a cough from the living room. The two exchanged a glance before Tian Gai calmly walked out of the study, followed by Ye Luan.

Zhao Yijia, who had just choked on water, coughed even harder when he saw Ye Luan. Ye Luan quickly stepped forward and patted his back. “Slow down.”

Zhao Yijia stiffened and gently pushed Ye Luan’s hand away.

Ye Luan hesitated and looked at Zhao Yijia. Perhaps due to the intensity of the coughing, his face and the corners of his eyes were tinged with red. Zhao Yijia felt Ye Luan’s gaze on him but didn’t look back. Tian Gai, with his innate gossip instincts, sensed something off. He quickly stepped forward and threw an arm around each of them, laughing, “Zhao’er, you didn’t tell me Twelve Ye was coming over! Tonight, we’re going to have a feast!”

Whatever weirdness was going on, they’d eat it away!

Zhao Yijia turned to Tian Gai with a smile. “Weren’t you always saying you’ve never tried my cooking and wanted me to make you a meal?”

Ye Luan softly suggested, “Let’s go out to eat instead. Don’t trouble yourself.”

Tian Gai nodded vigorously like a bobblehead. “Yes, yes! Give me a chance to treat Twelve Ye… and besides, I’m planning to leave tomorrow afternoon. We need a big meal!”

Zhao Yijia was surprised. “Weren’t you supposed to leave the day after tomorrow?”

Tian Gai thought to himself, *Do you think I dare stay? Twelve Ye probably wants to launch me into orbit! But internally complaining is one thing, so he said aloud,* “I’ve had enough fun, and if I don’t head back, my mom will come after me.”

Zhao Yijia nodded and didn’t say anything more.

To be honest, this meal was exhausting for Tian Gai. Zhao Yijia kept zoning out, and Ye Luan, aside from talking to Zhao Yijia, barely spoke. Tian Gai felt like he was performing a solo comedy routine, desperately trying to salvage the sinking atmosphere.

But to no avail.

Tian Gai figured there was definitely something between them, so the next day, he packed his bags and left without a fuss. Before leaving, he looked at Zhao Yijia meaningfully and sighed, “Zhao’er, you’ve grown up.”

Zhao Yijia was creeped out by his look. “… Are you sure you’re not confusing me with Shen An and Duan Ruxing?”

With that reminder, Tian Gai suddenly remembered something and, gripping Ye Luan’s hand, earnestly said, “Twelve Ye, don’t forget the bed scene—arrange it soon.”

Ye Luan pulled his hand back. “If you don’t leave now, you’ll miss the bus.”

After sending off Tian Gai, a strange silence settled between them, with a vague tension hanging in the air. Ye Luan felt a bit frustrated, sensing that Zhao Yijia was avoiding him.

Everything seemed normal during their phone call before he came back. But when they met in person, instead of the joy he had hoped for, he felt like they had grown apart. The more Ye Luan thought about it, the more he believed it was his impulsive action last time that scared Zhao Yijia. Originally, he had planned to explain and confess his feelings properly this time, but seeing Zhao Yijia’s reaction now made him hesitant. He remembered how, as a child, Zhao Yijia would cling to him, always talking while he barely responded. Now, it was his turn to try hard to get close to Zhao Yijia.

He was certainly in debt to him.

The only solace was that Zhao Yijia was still willing to cook with him, but the meal was hardly enjoyable. After thinking it over, Ye Luan couldn’t help but speak up, “I’m sorry. You don’t have to be afraid of me.” His voice was so dejected that one would doubt this was the ever-confident Twelve Ye.

Zhao Yijia seemed a little confused. “What?”

“The other day when I came back, I…”

Zhao Yijia tightened his grip on his chopsticks. “Oh, that…”

Seeing his indifferent reaction, Ye Luan felt his heart sink. It seemed like he was always doing the wrong thing and could never find the perfect moment—when the environment, mood, and both of their emotions were just right. But he really didn’t want to wait any longer.

“I—”

“I…”

They both spoke at the same time, their eyes meeting. Ye Luan smiled and gestured for Zhao Yijia to go first.

Zhao Yijia’s gaze shifted slightly. “I’m thinking of starting a new novel.”

Ye Luan nodded. “If you’re inspired, go ahead.”

Zhao Yijia looked at him but didn’t speak.

Ye Luan thought there might be something off about the new idea and asked, “What’s wrong? Need any advice?”

Zhao Yijia took a deep breath. “I’m thinking of writing a detective novel.”

Ye Luan was surprised. “A detective novel? Are you wanting to try a different genre?” As he spoke, he picked up some food and placed it in Zhao Yijia’s bowl. “That’s my specialty. I can help you with—”

Zhao Yijia interrupted him, “The protagonist is a police officer with the surname Ye!”

Ye Luan’s hand paused. He looked up at Zhao Yijia, seeming a bit confused.

Zhao Yijia stared at Ye Luan seriously, his eyes gradually misting over:

“Do you want to be a police officer in my book?”

Zhao Yijia had woken up just as Ye Luan and Tian Gai were discussing the fairy tale that was “plagiarized.”

The couch was no bed, and as he slept soundly, he almost rolled off, waking up.

At first, he was still groggy, but when he heard the low voice from the room say, “Because this story was something we made together,” Zhao Yijia’s heart skipped a beat. It was Ye Luan’s voice.

Had Ye Luan come back? Who was he talking to? Was it Tian Gai?

He hurried over, forgetting even to put on his shoes. But just as he reached the doorway, he heard Ye Luan say again, “I met Zhao Yijia when I was fourteen.”

Zhao Yijia froze in place.

He doubted his own ears: Ye Luan met him when he was fourteen? When he was probably seven or eight? They knew each other back then? But he had no memory of it! Struggling to keep his shock in check, he quietly hid behind the door and listened with Tian Gai to the whole story.

Zhao Yijia’s emotions were complicated.

He remembered the villa in the mountains that Ye Luan had mentioned. Every summer when he was little, he would stay there for a while. After that summer, his family had gone through a change, and they ended up selling the villa. Later, when he thought of it, all that remained were the dappled shadows of sunlight through the lush leaves, shaking and swaying as if they were about to fall.

Zhao Yijia had written many stories, stories of fated encounters, tragic farewells, all kinds filled with emotion and drama. But in the real world, most things are mundane—like birds that meet by chance in the sky, only to fly away on their own paths. If it weren’t for that fairy tale, he and Ye Luan would have flown away on their own paths in this world.

How lucky he was that someone had remembered him for sixteen years;

What had he done to deserve someone remembering him for sixteen years?

Zhao Yijia quietly retreated to the table, staring blankly at the glass of water, his eyes slowly reddening. Emotions welled up inside him: sadness, regret, bitterness, and an inexplicable sense of grievance… They surged in his heart, like dark clouds on a summer afternoon—he had to control himself not to let the storm break. There was a moment when he really wanted to rush into the room, but once inside, he didn’t know what to do. Until he had sorted out his feelings and figured out how to face Ye Luan, he chose to avoid him.

After dinner, Zhao Yijia returned to his room and sat on the bed for a long time, then opened the drawer in his bedside table and took out a piece of paper.

It was the slip of paper with his name on it.

Zhao Yijia didn’t know why he had secretly taken that piece of paper. Every time he saw it, he couldn’t help but wonder: What was Ye Luan thinking when he wrote this name?

Zhao Yijia was pretty sure that Ye Luan liked him. Even though he lacked experience in love, the kiss had made something clear. But it was like a file download stuck at 99%—without that last 1%, the file wasn’t complete. For Zhao Yijia, that 1% was the confirmation of Ye Luan’s feelings.

And what about his feelings for Ye Luan? Or rather, was he holding some kind of expectation for that 1%?

Zhao Yijia took out his laptop and opened the document for *The Villain Strategy Guide*. Every week, Tian Gai would consolidate the chapters, making it easier for everyone to reference while writing. After all, with five people co-writing, it was easy for characters and plot details to get mixed up. He couldn’t resist flipping to the part he had written, where Shen An held Duan Ruxing, and all he could think of was the time Ye Luan had held him and said he had found him.

He wrote about Duan Ruxing pretending to be calm while his heart raced; how Duan Ruxing’s hands fluttered about, unsure of where to rest; how Duan Ruxing finally admitted that Shen An was something special…

By the end, he didn’t know if he was writing about Duan Ruxing or himself.

Zhao Yijia’s heart suddenly softened.

He thought, *What am I hesitating for?*

He thought again, *I want to give Ye Luan a gift.*

A gift to fulfill a dream that could no longer come true, the dream fourteen-year-old Ye Luan had spoken of so earnestly in that lost summer.

“Do you want to be a police officer in my book?”

Let the regrets scattered throughout time be made whole with his pen!

Before Ye Luan could react, Zhao Yijia blurted out, “That day, Tian Gai only asked you four questions, but there was one left. I’ll ask it for him.”

Ye Luan suddenly felt a bit panicked. He opened his mouth, but no words came out.

Even though he had practiced his words countless times, Zhao Yijia’s eyes were still red when he finally spoke: “… Jia Jia… really forgot a lot of things… He didn’t mean to… He’s not as perfect as Lin Songyue… He’s really just an ordinary person… He… you… is it…”

He stumbled over his words, a little incoherent, but Ye Luan understood. He couldn’t help but think: *Some things never change; Jia Jia is still so adorable.*

The person in front of him was still stammering, not getting to the point, but Ye Luan was already running out of patience. “Zhao Yijia—”

Zhao Yijia froze, looking up at Ye Luan with red eyes, stunned.

Ye Luan propped his head on his left hand, his lips curling into a smile:

“I like you. I want to be with you.”