ROBEPTQ chapter 23

As soon as the words left his mouth, Bai Sijun felt like he was the one who should see a psychiatrist. Lately, he often couldn’t understand what he was thinking.

However, even though he said something so lacking in principles, Mei Yuchen didn’t immediately agree. Instead, he raised an eyebrow and asked, “Who was that woman with you in the hospital just now?”

Recalling the gaze he felt in the hospital lobby, Bai Sijun realized it was Mei Yuchen looking at him. He couldn’t help but think it was quite a coincidence.

“Hmm, an ex-girlfriend,” Bai Sijun honestly replied.

After saying this, for some reason, he quickly explained, “She’s already married. Something happened earlier, and I just went to help her out.”

Mei Yuchen stood still, seemingly undecided whether to let him in or not.

After a moment of silence, Bai Sijun asked, “Were you upset yesterday because of Qi Yun?”

He only half-stated this, not expecting Mei Yuchen to answer. However, Mei Yuchen pursed his lips and emotionlessly said, “You clearly said I was your only hope.”

While saying this, he emphasized the word “only.”

Bai Sijun did say that. At that time, the chief editor had given him an ultimatum, and if he didn’t get Mei Yuchen’s manuscript, he would leave. At that moment, Bai Sijun had indeed placed all his hopes on Mei Yuchen.

He didn’t expect him to take his casual words to heart and get angry about it.

Awkward, yes, it was indeed awkward, but…

Also a bit cute.

Bai Sijun couldn’t help but curl his lips and intentionally said, “Qi Yun was arranged for me by the current chief editor later. He’s much easier to deal with than you.”

Upon hearing this, Mei Yuchen’s face did darken.

Bai Sijun, however, felt somewhat amused. It seemed he was getting better at pinpointing Mei Yuchen’s points of displeasure.

“He’s easy to deal with, so I don’t have to worry about him,” Bai Sijun took the keys from Mei Yuchen’s hand, walked to the door, and added, “You’re not easy to deal with, so I can’t help but care about you.”

The door clicked open, but Mei Yuchen remained in place without moving. His gaze looked elsewhere, and he awkwardly said, “You said yesterday that you couldn’t be bothered with me.”

“I can’t be bothered, yet I came all the way to find you in the middle of the night?” Bai Sijun entered the door and turned around. “Are you coming in? If not, I’ll close the door.”

Mei Yuchen frowned, took big strides to catch up with Bai Sijun, and reminded him unhappily, “This is my house.”

Bai Sijun suppressed a smile and didn’t respond.

Mei Yuchen went to the second-floor bathroom to freshen up, while Bai Sijun went to the guest room on the first floor and brought up a bedsheet.

After running around the city all night, he was already exhausted, but the daunting task of coaxing Mei Yuchen to sleep kept him alert.

It was his first time entering Mei Yuchen’s bedroom. The furniture in the room was minimal, and the decoration style, like downstairs, was an elegant Japanese style. Besides the built-in wardrobe, the most prominent feature in the bedroom was the entire wall of bookshelves.

Bai Sijun stood in front of the bookshelf and took a look. Mei Yuchen’s taste was indeed unique; there were hardly any bestsellers, and most of the books were unknown to him, even as an editor.

However, upon closer inspection, many of the books were related to Mei Yuchen’s works, such as the book “Contemporary Astrology Research,” which Mei Yuchen had written a few years ago.

After scanning the room, his gaze finally landed on the two-meter-wide bed.

Now he understood why Mei Yuchen always called him over in the evening at the beginning. Mei Yuchen had insomnia and wanted something to pass the time.

Bai Sijun half-lay on the bed, took out his phone and checked it. Xiao Ai had sent him a message saying that she had decided to call a friend over and would report to the police early the next day

That’s for the best. Bai Sijun replied briefly. At this moment, the bedroom door opened, and Mei Yuchen, who had finished showering, walked in.

Bai Sijun remembered the last time he sneakily watched Mei Yuchen typing; Mei Yuchen had turned around and said his body smelled good. In fact, it was the scent of Mei Yuchen’s shower gel. This fragrance still smelled good on Mei Yuchen as well.

Bai Sijun put away his phone. When Mei Yuchen lay beside him, he tentatively asked, “do you want to listen to a story today?”

Mei Yuchen just turned his head slightly to look at him without saying anything, as if lost in thought.

Bai Sijun wasn’t good at storytelling, so he randomly picked a topic, asking, “was that cherry blossom pastry tasty?”

When he was downstairs earlier, he caught a glimpse of the pastry box in the trash can, and besides the used spoon, there was nothing else inside.

Mei Yuchen turned over, facing him. He wrapped the blanket tighter around himself and said with lowered eyes, “Not at all.”

Bai Sijun pursed his lips. He thought if he were really “picky but fair,” as mentioned by Liang Ru, Mei Yuchen would undoubtedly be the industry’s representative of being picky but fair.

He deliberately said, “Nothing tastes good when you’re in a bad mood.”

Mei Yuchen looked up at him, seemingly catching the sarcasm in his words. Without much expression, he said, “Turn off the lights.”

Bai Sijun silently laughed and pressed the switch next to the bed.

The room was immediately covered in darkness, with only the faint moonlight shining through the glass. The bed was large, and even though the two didn’t squeeze together, Bai Sijun could still clearly hear Mei Yuchen’s breathing.

He didn’t know the extent of Mei Yuchen’s insomnia, so he dared not speak recklessly, fearing he might disturb his sleep. However, not long after, the person beside him took the initiative to speak, breaking the silence of the night.

Mei Yuchen whispered, “The snacks you brought earlier were tastier.”

Bai Sijun, lying flat, glanced at the dark silhouette beside him and suddenly felt the atmosphere comforting. He replied, “I’ll buy you more of that next time.”

Mei Yuchen didn’t say anything more, and Bai Sijun lost track of time. He vaguely felt his eyelids getting heavy. Unconsciously, he turned over, and just as he was about to enter the realm of dreams, he suddenly felt the person behind him move.

Mei Yuchen lifted his blanket and moved closer, tightly pressing his entire front against Bai Sijun’s back.

The unfamiliar body temperature came from behind, and Bai Sijun almost woke up immediately. What startled him even more was that Mei Yuchen actually wrapped his arms around his waist.

Without thinking, Bai Sijun grabbed Mei Yuchen’s arm and pushed it back while turning his head to ask, “What are you doing?!”

“Bai,” Mei Yuchen softly called out from behind, resting on his neck.

Bai Sijun’s movements froze in place, and he could sense that Mei Yuchen had something to say to him.

In that instant, his mind was flooded with countless chaotic thoughts, but none of them were clear. It felt as if he were in a dense fog, always sensing something around him, wanting to reach out and grasp it, yet only encountering emptiness.

Nervously, he asked, “What’s wrong?”

The words came out with an unexpectedly dry tone.

Bai Sijun’s heart rose to his throat; he was afraid Mei Yuchen would say something he couldn’t handle or make a request he couldn’t accept.

However, Mei Yuchen remained silent for a moment and then muttered, “Don’t leave me.”

Warm breath brushed against the back of his neck, and Bai Sijun’s stiff body immediately softened. He felt as if something in his heart had been touched.

A person who was once so proud could also become fearful and uneasy after being abandoned by others. The thorns he carried seemed to be a shrewd disguise, telling others on the surface that he didn’t care, but in reality, he felt more helpless than anyone.

An indescribable discomfort and heartache lingered in his chest. Bai Sijun allowed Mei Yuchen to hold him, patting his back soothingly, and softly reassured, “Don’t worry, I won’t leave you.”