In Order To Ascend, I Became A Modern Wage Slave - Chapter 33: Elemental True Monarch 6

Chapter 33: Elemental True Monarch 6

With one tug, reality pulled them back.

Xi Yu leaned against the door, arms crossed, watching him. He felt like Lian Bei wanted to say something but ended up saying nothing.

When Lian Bei turned the corner, he paused for a moment and asked, “Leaving?”

Xi Yu smirked and raised an eyebrow, “Leaving.”

“Lian Bei, if your mouth is useless, you might as well donate it to someone in need,” Bai Fan rolled her eyes dramatically. “So you’re just going to keep quiet while he doesn’t recognize you? What’s your plan? To disappear again like before once everything is over?”

Lian Bei waved dismissively, “Who knows how much longer I’ll live?”

Bai Fan retorted, “What if he already recognized you but is holding back, waiting for you to speak first? You two should sign up for a breath-holding contest; you’d sweep the top three places.”

Lian Bei poured himself a glass of water. “I watched him grow up. Don’t you think I know what he’s like? If he recognized me, he’d say it outright—he can’t hold back.”

“After all these years, Xi Yu has been through so much. Don’t you think it’s possible he’s matured a little?” Bai Fan chuckled, deciding this was probably some kind of strange dynamic she shouldn’t interfere with too much. A bit of teasing would suffice.

“On a serious note, I let Yuan Xu go. Whatever he plans next, we can’t get it out of him. That kid’s got his own ideas—let him handle it himself,” Bai Fan tapped the table and smiled. “As for Xi Yu, that Luo Yang is clearly useless. This is yet another opportunity.”

Xi Yu knocked on the door for a long time but got no response.

Thinking Luo Yang might have gone out to look for him and hadn’t returned yet, Xi Yu sat on the stairwell to wait. Through the fogged-up window, he looked up at the stars in the sky.

After waiting for who knows how long, boredom began to set in, and he yawned, feeling Luo Yang probably wouldn’t be back.

Luo Yang, the kind of person who loved nothing more than clinging to anything in the house that could be sat or lain on, would never be wandering outside at this hour, even if he were looking for someone.

Especially since he was as timid as a mouse.

In this case, the only possibility was: Luo Yang was probably in trouble.

After thinking for a while, Xi Yu got up and went downstairs.

The neighborhood was old, and most of the streetlights were broken. Some of the broken ones flickered eerily in the dark. The cool summer evening breeze brushed against his face as Xi Yu strolled leisurely with his hands in his pockets.

After turning three corners, he finally saw a store with its lights on and door wide open.

The store clerk, who had been dozing off, suddenly perked up when she saw a handsome guy standing in front of her. She immediately jumped up and, seeing Xi Yu’s posture, tentatively asked, “Which pack of cigarettes do you want? I’ll get it for you.”

“No need. I want to borrow something,” Xi Yu confirmed in his mind before saying, “Your phone, do you have one?”

“Borrow my phone? For what?”

Though she asked, the clerk picked up the phone from the table, unlocked it, and handed it to Xi Yu.

Xi Yu glanced at it but didn’t take it. Instead, he said something that shocked the clerk, “I’m not very good with it. You do it for me. I need to make a call to find someone.”

“Oh, okay.” The clerk couldn’t help but glance up at Xi Yu.

Xi Yu recalled a string of numbers and recited them. After finishing, he confirmed with the clerk, “This is the right number, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it’s correct.” The clerk hesitated for a moment before pressing the call button.

“Beep—beep—”

The phone rang twice before it was picked up. On the other end was a slightly deep male voice, “Hello?”

The clerk instinctively replied, “Hello?”

The other end politely asked, “Who is this?”

“Xi Yu,” Xi Yu answered directly. “Luo Yang’s gone. I’m tired. Come pick me up and take me home.”

“Where are you?” There were more noises on the other end.

Half an hour later, Lian Bei successfully picked Xi Yu up. Before leaving, Xi Yu took a liking to a drink by the clerk’s counter, so Lian Bei bought it for him. Xi Yu drank it as they walked away.

Watching their backs, the clerk’s imagination ran wild, and she started typing furiously into her WeChat, crafting an entire romantic novel in her head.

The area around Lian Bei’s home was much better than where Xi Yu was currently living. There were no messy trash piles outside, no broken, creepy streetlights, and no arguing couples or crying children in the middle of the night.

However, as soon as they entered the house, Xi Yu quickly determined that Luo Yang’s place was better. “Are you a ghost? Why is it so dark and cold in here?”

“I turned on the air conditioning before coming,” Lian Bei turned on all the lights. Xi Yu began scanning the place and critiquing it. For example, the table next to the kitchen was so clean it looked lifeless, with nothing on it. The kitchen itself was empty—no pots, pans, or bowls. The fridge had no food. The orange on the table in front of the TV was just decoration and inedible. The sofa was slightly softer than Luo Yang’s, but it wasn’t as comfortable to lie on.

Xi Yu concluded, “This place has no warmth at all. I’d think I was living in a coffin.”

Xi Yu always spoke without a filter, but it was harmless. Lian Bei followed behind him, listening patiently. “Teacher, how should I improve it?”

“Buy more food.”

“Got it.”

The royal younger brother finished inspecting the living room and kitchen and headed for the bedroom. There, he discovered something startling. “Why is there only one room and one bed in your place?”

“Because I live alone,” Lian Bei replied.

“Well, now I’m moving in.”

Lian Bei chuckled, “I can’t exactly conjure another bed out of thin air for you.”

Xi Yu, without hesitation, swaggered into the bedroom and was about to lie down when Lian Bei handed him clothes and a towel. “Take a shower first. Sleep after.”

“So strict,” Xi Yu muttered, his drowsy mind already fading. He murmured, “Rise at dawn, wash, study, rest at noon, two hours…”

Mumbling unintelligibly, he stumbled into the bathroom. Half-asleep, he finished showering and came out with his clothes on backward, collapsing onto the bed.

Even in such a sleepy state, Xi Yu still half-squinted at Lian Bei to see what he was doing. Then, he immediately turned over, sat up straight, and looked at him. “You’re even taking that thing into the bathroom to shower? How ashamed of yourself are you?”

With a wave of his hand, he nonchalantly said, “Forget it. Just go in like that. I don’t believe you’ll come out later and still wear it to bed.”

By the time Lian Bei came out, Xi Yu was already asleep. Standing by the bedside, Lian Bei thought for a moment, left a dim light on for him, and prepared to sleep outside. But suddenly, a ghostly hand reached out, firmly grabbed his arm, and yanked him onto the bed with surprising strength.

Xi Yu had always had this habit. Back in the day, whenever Lian Bei came home late, even if Xi Yu was already asleep and Lian Bei tried not to disturb him, Xi Yu would always pull him onto the bed.

Straightening the covers and clinging tightly—his moves were smooth and practiced.

Even after all these years, the habit remained.

Lian Bei couldn’t help but laugh and rub his forehead. Then, he couldn’t laugh anymore.

Not only had the habit persisted, but it had also gotten worse!

Xi Yu turned over and directly draped himself over Lian Bei.

Lian Bei shook his shoulders twice to no avail; Xi Yu had become an octopus.

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Lian Bei was just about to close his eyes when Xi Yu’s hand began pawing at his face. Lian Bei looked at him, confirmed that Xi Yu was indeed asleep with his eyes closed, and didn’t stop him. He let Xi Yu pull off the mask he was wearing.

The moment the mask came off, Xi Yu suddenly opened his eyes, staring straight into Lian Bei’s. He curled his lips into a smile and softly asked, “Do you recognize me?”

Lian Bei finally realized something was off. In his heart, he wondered if that drink earlier had been alcohol.

Most people drink to let loose, but when Xi Yu drinks, it’s like lifting a seal—a very peculiar one at that.

“Xi Yu,” Lian Bei called to him.

“You do recognize me.” Xi Yu smiled even wider. “So you’ve been wearing that thing all day because you were afraid I’d recognize you?”

Leaning close to Lian Bei’s ear, Xi Yu whispered, “Then you should’ve gotten rid of that mole by your eye. Or better yet, you shouldn’t have come to find me.”

Lian Bei’s hand pressed against Xi Yu’s waist, trying to push him down.

The current situation was getting a bit dangerous.

But Xi Yu was as stubborn as a mule—the more you pushed, the more he resisted.

Failing to grab onto his clothes, Xi Yu tried to slide his hands underneath for a tighter grip. Lian Bei had no choice but to relent.

Inwardly, he thought Xi Yu would just throw out a few harsh words and nothing more. Fine, let it go; he’d roll off on his own if he felt uncomfortable in the middle of the night.

“Sleep. We’ll talk tomorrow.” Lian Bei ruffled Xi Yu’s hair, and Xi Yu’s expression softened, clearly pleased.

However, just as Lian Bei closed his eyes, he felt something off again.

When he opened them, Xi Yu’s eyelashes were right in front of him.

Xi Yu was now biting his lips!

Lian Bei was about to lose his mind.

Was that something you could bite?