TLDMDTBS Chapter 58

Chapter 58

Ji Ruan instantly woke up.

At the same time, he felt as if he were dreaming.

“You…?” Ji Ruan sat up straight, “What are you doing here?”

He touched Gu Xiuyi’s bicep in disbelief, then poked at his abs, “Ah, you really are here.”

Gu Xiuyi: “…”

Gu Xiuyi was both amused and helpless, ignoring the apparently flirty behavior of this little one, he pinched his face softly and said, “I came to wait for you after school.”

Ji Ruan was still sleepy, his eyes shimmering with moisture, “… Didn’t I tell you that I’d be late due to extra classes? Didn’t you receive the message?”

As he spoke, he immediately wanted to confirm; he took up his phone only to remember it had run out of battery long ago.

The teacher at the podium played a video, the loud volume instantly drowning out the murmurs in the classroom.

Ji Ruan was initially very sure that the message had been sent successfully, but now seeing Gu Xiuyi, he began to doubt himself slightly. He subtly moved back a bit and anxiously asked, “You didn’t come here to kill me again, right?”

“No…” Gu Xiuyi helplessly said, “I got the message, that’s why I said I came to wait for you after class.”

He emphasized the word “wait,” then supported Ji Ruan’s chin and shook it gently, “Still not awake? Wake up a bit, little one.”

Ji Ruan stared for a second, and then silently recited that phrase in his heart before finally realizing Gu Xiuyi’s intent.

He blinked, “So you specifically came here to accompany me to class?”

Gu Xiuyi chuckled softly and nodded, “Yeah.”

It was common for couples in college to accompany each other to classes; sometimes when Ji Ruan was in a professional course, he would see girls in his class with their boyfriends accompanying them.

But it was his first time experiencing this scenario.

Ji Ruan’s lips curled up slightly, but he restrained himself from smiling, although his little dimples betrayed him, conspicuously appearing on his cheeks.

He turned his eyes away, rubbing his nose, “How did you get in? Did the security let you through?”

Gu Xiuyi rested his chin on his hand, smiling as he looked at Ji Ruan, touching his dimples, “I occasionally come to school for speeches, getting a daily pass isn’t difficult.”

The video on the podium ended, and the classroom suddenly fell silent, causing Ji Ruan to momentarily forget what he wanted to say.

“——Alright, students, please join the group number on the blackboard!” The teacher called out with a microphone.

“In this course, we still have a few more weeks; the specific times aren’t fixed, after joining the group, we’ll regularly notify you in there. If not, we’ll announce it in your respective class groups. Everyone must join!”

Ji Ruan snapped back to reality, just as he took out his phone, he once again realized it was out of battery.

He sighed; it felt like in modern society, it’s really hard to survive without a phone.

At that moment, a phone appeared in front of him; Gu Xiuyi was holding it by one corner and shaking it, “Take a picture first, charge it when you get back, then join.”

The teacher provided a QQ group number, but Gu Xiuyi didn’t use that software; downloading it again was troublesome, so having Ji Ruan take a picture and send it to his phone was the simplest way.

“Alright, thank you.”

Ji Ruan took it, saw the pitch-black screen, and paused again, “Unlock it—”

“001028,” Gu Xiuyi replied, “That’s my password.”

Ji Ruan froze.

Gu Xiuyi told him the phone password?

But isn’t this something that should only be shared between couples?!

Why did Gu Xiuyi tell him?

So annoying, it made him feel embarrassed…

Ji Ruan’s ears flushed again, and he lowered his head to avoid looking at Gu Xiuyi. After unlocking, he took the picture and handed it back to him, face still burning.

He cleared his throat, trying to sound natural as he asked, “How do you use this number?”

Gu Xiuyi smiled lightly, “I got used to it. When most passwords were four digits, I used 1028; later it became six digits, but I was too lazy to change it, so I just added two zeros in front and kept using it.”

“Oh~”

Ji Ruan nodded in understanding.

Then there was nothing more to say.

Damn it, it seemed like the temperature on his face hadn’t cooled down.

But Gu Xiuyi seemed to find it amusing and reached out to touch Ji Ruan’s face, playfully teasing, “Why are you turning red so often today? Did you eat cherries again?”

Ji Ruan: “…”

Ji Ruan choked, “Y-You don’t need to worry about it.”

·

But Gu Xiuyi knew that Ji Ruan’s seemingly angry but actually shy moments were quite easy to coax.

With just a charming cherry cake, he managed to win back Ji Ruan’s proudly raised little chin and his reluctant forgiveness.

After some sincere apology, by evening he was able to hold Ji Ruan while drinking milk.

Ji Ruan comfortably sat on his lap, sipping milk in small sips, feeling immensely content.

The feeling during the first time sitting on Gu Xiuyi’s legs was like sitting on needles, but once he got used to it, it was surprisingly comfortable.

After all, where else could you find such a firm yet soft seat that didn’t require charging and had built-in heating?

Ji Ruan found it magical that although they were drinking the same brand of milk, it tasted better at home than in the dormitory; each sip was so delightful that it made him squint his eyes in enjoyment.

“Ji Ruan?” Gu Xiuyi gently pressed his earlobe.

This was also a way of touching that Ji Ruan liked very much; he hummed softly, “What’s up?”

Gu Xiuyi supported his back to sit up straighter, “I have something to tell you.”

His tone sounded somewhat serious, causing Ji Ruan to open his eyes.

“Tomorrow, I have to go out of town for a business trip,” Gu Xiuyi said.

But tomorrow is the weekend…

This was Ji Ruan’s first thought.

Weekends were the days when Gu Xiuyi would be home to accompany him, and sometimes they would even go on outings.

Ji Ruan seemed to have gotten used to the feeling of Gu Xiuyi being by his side, and upon hearing the words “business trip,” he clearly froze.

“I see…” Ji Ruan clasped the milk cup on his lap and after a moment asked, “How long will you be gone?”

Gu Xiuyi paused, a hint of guilt in his brows: “One week.”

“That long?” Ji Ruan blurted out, then realizing, he lowered his head, “Okay…”

Gu Xiuyi gently stroked his back, “I’m sorry. Next month is my grandfather’s 80th birthday, and there will be a lot to handle, so I need to sort out other matters first.”

“No…” Ji Ruan shook his head, “You don’t have to explain so much; I understand.”

He knew that Gu Xiuyi was usually very busy, and recently he had been on fewer business trips than before, so Ji Ruan couldn’t stop him from going.

It was just that he didn’t know why, upon hearing this news, a vague yet undeniably present unease rose in Ji Ruan’s heart.

That unease felt like a beast lurking in the dark, trying to find an opportunity to pounce, making him anxious day and night.

“Ji Ruan,” Gu Xiuyi lifted his face to make them meet eyes, “If you’re bored on the weekend, you can go out with friends. If you want to stay at Cheng Miss’s place for a while, or go back to the dorm, that’s fine too.”

Ji Ruan indeed liked the Han embroidery studio and enjoyed spending time with Cheng Zizhang and her mother. His nightmare would be going there and then disappearing.

After thinking for a bit, he said, “Then I’ll go to my senior’s place.”

“Okay,” Gu Xiuyi smiled and touched his face, “I’ll take you there before I leave tomorrow.”

Ji Ruan gazed into Gu Xiuyi’s eyes, making an effort to smile.

·

After Gu Xiuyi left, Ji Ruan spent every day doing embroidery with Cheng Zizhang and eating out with Han Xiaolin and the others, but he always felt unable to find joy.

It was like a big stone was hanging in his heart, unclear why, but it caused a constant feeling of impending panic.

At first, Ji Ruan thought it was because he had become reliant on Gu Xiuyi. However, even nightly video calls with Gu Xiuyi couldn’t ease this emotion.

Until the third day of Gu Xiuyi’s business trip, the nightmare came rolling back.

This time Ji Ruan finally saw the complete dream clearly and realistically, vivid in his mind.

In the dream, he was bound in a dark, damp place, with ropes as thick as his thumb tying his hands and feet, unable to move at all.

His cochlear implant had been removed, leaving him unable to hear anything; the coldness crept up from his fingertips, spreading throughout his body and piercing his heart.

——His heart was beating violently from panic.

It seemed to be an abandoned warehouse, with a small window high up in the distance, letting in a dim light.

Ji Ruan could only rely on that little bit of light to make sense of his situation.

But even though his eyesight was good, it was impossible to see everything clearly in such darkness; all he could make out were a few blurry silhouettes.

He counted, there were four.

One of them was closest to him, with a sharp chin, smooth necklines, and a meticulously pressed shirt and tie.

It was Gu Xiuyi!

Ji Ruan’s eyes widened suddenly, as though he had grasped a lifeline, and he cried out loudly.

He desperately called Gu Xiuyi’s name, wanting him to untie the ropes binding him.

Help me!

Save me!

He couldn’t hear his own voice, but he knew he was shouting loudly because his throat felt like it was being torn apart with pain.

But it was useless.

Gu Xiuyi just stood there silently, unmoving.

Then another silhouette moved; someone approached with a Swiss Army knife, playing with it as they slowly walked in.

The blade reflected a sharp white glow in the dim light.

He squatted down in front of Ji Ruan, pointing the blade’s tip at Ji Ruan’s trembling chest, and then turned his head back with a smile to Gu Xiuyi, whistling.

Gu Xiuyi stood cold like a statue.

In the next moment, the sharp blade pierced straight into Ji Ruan’s heart with a force meant to kill him.

Ji Ruan opened his eyes in agony.

Cold sweat streamed down, his heart pounded painfully, irregular and frantically beating.

Instinctively, Ji Ruan curled up, pressing tightly against his heart, his brain went blank, unable to breathe.

He stayed stiffly curled in the corner for an unknown amount of time until the palpitating symptoms gradually eased.

Ji Ruan closed his dry eyes and slightly relaxed his body, gasping with his mouth open; his throat felt so dry it seemed it would bleed.

But he had no strength to get up and drink water.

.

The next day, Ji Ruan took a leave of absence and didn’t go to class.

He was in a bad mental state but didn’t dare to stay under the blanket, fearing he might fall asleep again and relive that nightmare.

He rested in the dorm until the afternoon, forcing himself to wash up and went to the studio.

The peaceful and warm environment of the studio provided Ji Ruan with a moment of solace; he curled up on a rattan chair by the window, carefully falling asleep for a while.

Fortunately, this time there were no nightmares.

In a daze, he heard the wind chime at the door and the sound of steady footsteps.

He slowly opened his eyes and saw a strange man.

Almost simultaneously, his heart began to pound violently.

As if sensing something, just from that single glance, Ji Ruan immediately guessed who the person in front of him was.

He was very certain.

The newcomer had black hair and black eyes, wearing a thin beige long coat, with a gentle smile on his face.

“Hello, is this Cheng Yunxiu’s studio?” he asked.

Not sure if it was the world’s will at play, but at that moment, the atmosphere gave Ji Ruan a tremendous sense of pressure.

His fingers clenched tightly, and he gathered all his strength to stand up without changing his expression: “Yes, may I ask what business you have?”

The man had his hands in his pockets, casually looking around: “I heard that you here customize Han embroidery pieces?”

Many wealthy individuals or collectors would seek out Cheng Yunxiu for custom pieces, and Ji Ruan had already met three or four in recent days; he nodded, “That’s correct.”

“Great! I’d like to order one,” the man smiled back at a picture of mandarin ducks.

He had a tall, slim figure with an elegant posture; whenever he smiled back, the curve of his shoulders looked graceful, giving off an air of elegance while his eyes and brows carried a hint of coldness.

Ji Ruan felt a slight headache, vaguely understanding why such a person would be set as the ‘white moonlight’ in the story.

Cheng Zizhang had just returned from outside and approached, asking, “Sir, what kind of work would you like to customize?”

The man smiled subtly, “Next month is my good friend’s grandfather’s 80th birthday. We haven’t seen each other in a long time, and I want to bring a gift.”

“I see,” Cheng Zizhang replied with a smile, “However, the teacher has some matters today and won’t be coming. If you’re interested, you can leave a contact number, and I’ll reach out to you tomorrow.”

The man politely nodded, “Thank you, but no need.”

He looked at Ji Ruan, “Is this young man a disciple of Teacher Cheng? I find him very pleasing to the eye; can I request his assistance?”

“This…” Cheng Zizhang hesitated slightly.

Logically, their disciples could indeed take on designs; Cheng Zizhang herself started doing so several years ago. However, Ji Ruan had never taken on a custom order before, and she wasn’t sure if he would be willing.

She looked at Ji Ruan questioningly, who responded with a faint smile.

Then, he retracted his smile and looked at the newcomer: “Please follow me.”

The man followed Ji Ruan to sit on a nearby sofa while Ji Ruan took out a notebook from the drawer.

“What type would you like to customize?”

The young boy in front of him looked very young, slender, and seemed not to be in great health; his face lacked color, and his voice was quiet.

Yet, his features were exceptionally handsome; without a smile, he even looked somewhat sharp, and his fingers holding the pen were impeccably clean and delicate.

“Aren’t you going to ask me my name first?” he suddenly felt the urge to ask.

The boy looked up from the notebook, his eyes were light, just responding politely as if it was a casual question:

“May I ask how to address you?”

Having received the answer he wanted, the man relaxed his shoulders: “You can call me Arthur.”

“Oh, and by the way,” he smiled, “my last name is Bai.”