Chapter 25 – Since You’re Here

————Six Years Later————

Bright sunlight streamed into the room as the two sat facing each other, eating noodles. The orange cat curled under the table, lazily flicking its tail now and then.

Halfway through his noodles, Chu Yin suddenly said, “Back then, after you found the furball for me, I hid under the covers and cried.”

Wei Lai paused, then said proudly, “Were you so moved you couldn’t handle it?”

After years of being together, Chu Yin had long since realized that although Wei Lai was a gay man through and through, his heart was as big as the sky, and their thought processes rarely aligned. So, Chu Yin had gradually learned to express himself more straightforwardly. He thought for a moment and said, “Mostly, I was sad.”

Wei Lai: “???”

Chu Yin continued, “You just said goodnight and left. I thought about how I’d never get to drape my legs over you while sleeping again, and you’d never pinch my neck or stroke my back, and I felt so sad.”

“Then I thought, were you in such a hurry to return the furball because you hated me? Didn’t want to sleep with me anymore, didn’t want to be my manager. The more I thought about it, the more I cried.”

Wei Lai: “…”

At the time, Wei Lai had gazed at his own reflection—his hair dyed a subtle yet striking shade of purple—and felt like some kind of magical guardian of justice and peace. He had triumphantly pulled the covers over himself like a hero fastening his cape and drifted off to sleep, content and serene. He had no idea that Chu Yin next door was crying so hard he nearly passed out. The next morning, when he saw Chu Yin’s eyes swollen like walnuts, he simply assumed it was because he was overwhelmed with emotion at getting his furball back.

Wei Lai: “Your heart is as unfathomable as your chrysanthemum… So, you’re saying I already meant that much to you back then?”

Chu Yin narrowed his eyes. “Because I liked you.”

Wei Lai froze. Chu Yin was an extremely tsundere man. In the early years, he was completely incapable of expressing his feelings. He rarely said “I like you,” and even during sex, he’d just whimper and lick him, calling him annoying.

Chu Yin set down his chopsticks. “But you didn’t like me back then.”

Wei Lai, acutely aware that this was a life-or-death question, answered without hesitation, “I definitely liked you.”

Chu Yin pursed his lips. “Then when did you start liking me?”

Wei Lai: “…Probably… Uh… Let me think…”

Chu Yin said angrily, “I knew it! Madam Wei, you only got with me because of my dick!”

Wei Lai’s survival instincts kicked into overdrive: “Wait, I remember now!”

————Six Years Ago————

After Chu Yin got his furball back, Wei Lai no longer had to sleep with him.

Wei Lai had returned late one night after dyeing his hair, braving the cold wind, hoping to be a wild party boy. Instead, a few days later, he came down with a cold so bad he couldn’t even get out of bed.

After the second episode aired, many fans who genuinely shipped the ChuLai CP tasted bitterness, and the legendary toxic solo stan wars erupted.

Wei Lai’s fans thought Chu Yin was too high-maintenance and didn’t deserve him.

Chu Yin’s fans thought Wei Lai was an idiot and demanded a new manager.

The atmosphere between Chu Yin and Wei Lai was also strange. Wei Lai felt that Chu Yin couldn’t be spoiled, or else he’d become insufferable, while Chu Yin was struggling to suppress his feelings for Wei Lai, which made him seem cold on the surface.

That day, Chu Yin went to Beijing to shoot a magazine cover, with Wei Lai accompanying him.

Wei Lai lethargically sorted through Chu Yin’s outfits, his throat so sore that speaking felt like being sliced by knives. Yet he still managed to smile and greet everyone on set.

Chu Yin hadn’t wanted Wei Lai to come along in the first place. Seeing him push himself, acting like he’d die if he didn’t work, only made him angrier. “Why did you even come? I told you I could handle this alone.”

Wei Lai thought about Chu Yin’s complete lack of life skills and his explosive temper, but he didn’t have the energy to argue. He just rolled his eyes.

Chu Yin said, “You look awful. Rolling your eyes makes you look like a zombie. Get out of here and go to the hospital. I don’t need you.”

Wei Lai, his voice hoarse, retorted, “If you can handle it alone, why the fuck do you need a manager?”

Hearing Wei Lai speak made Chu Yin ache with frustration. “Then leave! I don’t want you anymore.”

Wei Lai: “…”

Many years later, Chu Yin could still vividly recall Wei Lai’s expression at that moment. His face was flushed with anger, the whites of his eyes bloodshot. His lips trembled, but before he could speak, he covered his mouth, bent over, and erupted into a violent coughing fit.

Only after speaking did Chu Yin realize he’d said the wrong thing. Flustered, he patted Wei Lai’s back, only to be shoved away.

“I didn’t mean… I just wanted to say…”

Wei Lai growled in a low voice, “…Get lost. I’m just… cough… a fucking idiot. Chu Yin, cough cough… just spend the rest of your life with that damn furball!”

As soon as Wei Lai finished cursing, a staff member came in and asked if Chu Yin was ready. Without turning his head, Chu Yin snapped, “No! Everyone wait!”

Wei Lai nudged him and forced a strained smile. “He’s ready. Sorry for the wait, just a bit nervous.”

Chu Yin: “Wei Lai, I—”

Wei Lai said wearily, “…Just go.”

Work was still work. No matter how exhausted Wei Lai was, physically or mentally, he wouldn’t just abandon his responsibilities. He forced himself to stand to the side, taking photos of Chu Yin on set with his phone.

Chu Yin wore a loose black sweater and cradled a white ragdoll cat, posing absentmindedly under the lights.

Chu Yin wasn’t in the right headspace, so the shoot dragged on. The bright flashes of the strobe lights flickered rapidly, making the world in Wei Lai’s vision flicker between light and dark. Chu Yin’s figure distorted before his eyes. His head felt heavy, his feet light. The last thing he heard before passing out was Chu Yin’s piercing scream: “WEI LAI!!!”