Nanke Yifu Chapter 21

Yan Laixi (II)

Chi Fu opened his eyes. Before his brain was fully awake, he saw a baffling photograph and became even more confused.

It wasn’t just one photo, but several, covering the entire room. Every single one was a picture of him with the same person—the same stranger, the same extremely good-looking stranger.

Chi Fu flopped back onto the bed, pulled up the blanket, and decided that if he wasn’t awake yet, he should just sleep some more.

However, when he sat up from the bed the second time, he still didn’t feel awake.

He could sleep again if he wasn’t awake, but he couldn’t sleep forever.

Chi Fu pinched himself. He didn’t use much force, but there was a slight sting. It shouldn’t be a dream.

Besides the photos, there was a note stuck on the door telling him to read the diary before leaving the bedroom. Chi Fu didn’t remember ever writing a diary, but there was indeed a diary hanging on the doorknob.

He opened the diary and learned that the person in the photos was Yan Laixi, that he was his lover, and that his Anomaly was forgetting his lover.

Chi Fu accepted this information quickly, so fast that he found it unbelievable himself. His brain couldn’t quite keep up; he only registered the “surprise” and missed the “problem.” With a surge of excitement, he took a deep breath and pulled open the bedroom door, only to find his enthusiasm met with emptiness.

The living room was quiet. Forget Yan Laixi; besides Chi Fu himself, there wasn’t a single living thing.

He searched every corner, unwilling to give up: the photos in the bedroom that didn’t exist in his memory, the non-matching ornaments on the desk, the matching pajamas in the closet, the throw pillow lying on one end of the living room sofa, the two water cups that could be put together, the two chairs pulled out facing each other by the dining table, the books in the Study Room whose contents he didn’t know, the unfamiliar handwriting, the cute little dog figurine on the bookshelf, the two sets of toothbrushes and rinsing cups lined up in the bathroom, the clothes that weren’t his, long dry but not put away on the drying rack, the somewhat monotonous ingredients in the kitchen fridge, the ill-fitting shoes by the door…

Right, the last two pages of the diary said that he hadn’t seen Yan Laixi.

There was no contact information for Yan Laixi himself on his phone. He had left silently, cutting off all avenues to find him, yet leaving traces all over the house.

Chi Fu returned to the bedroom and meticulously reread the diary from beginning to end. Then, he changed his clothes and went out.

He and Yan Laixi might not know many people in common, but there couldn’t be none. Even if there were none, Yan Laixi couldn’t possibly have cut off contact with everyone outside of him. It just wasn’t the right time yet. Rashly seeking out Yan Laixi might push him further away.

For the past two days, he had been alone at home. Most people were resting late at night, so there wasn’t much he could do. Chi Fu had been sleeping earlier and earlier, though the shop’s operating hours hadn’t changed yet. Going out at this hour was basically just wandering around.

There was always a voice in his mind telling him that Yan Laixi hadn’t gone far. So whenever Chi Fu had free time, he would stroll the streets, trying his luck.

Trying to accidentally run into someone on the street who likely didn’t want to see him was like searching for a needle in a haystack, except the needle wouldn’t hide, and the person would.

Chi Fu didn’t expect to actually run into Yan Laixi, nor did he plan to keep him if he did. He just wanted to see him from afar, confirm that he was doing well, and that his health wasn’t so poor anymore. That would be enough.

But when he saw that strange yet familiar back, his body acted independently of his thoughts. He hadn’t even seen the person’s face—just a back wrapped in thick winter clothing—but it was enough for him to reach out.

And that face confirmed that even if it was just a back, he wouldn’t mistake it.

“Laixi…” Surprise, anticipation, and disbelief flashed across Chi Fu’s face, but they all vanished after he clearly saw the emotion on the other person’s face.

Evasion, resistance, tension, panic, anxiety, and perhaps a hint of fear—there was not a single positive emotion to be seen.

Chi Fu’s fingers loosened slightly, a movement so small he didn’t even notice it, but the wrist he was holding was swiftly pulled away. Yan Laixi didn’t spare him a glance. Clutching the wrist Chi Fu had held, he fled quickly.

His wrist was grabbed, pulling his body backward, but his head instinctively turned further away. Yet, upon hearing the incomplete “Laixi,” he couldn’t help but turn back.

Yan Laixi didn’t know what his expression looked like at that moment, but judging by the change on Chi Fu’s face, it must not have been pleasant.

The fingers wrapped around his wrist loosened for a split second. Yan Laixi pulled his hand back. The warmth of the other person still lingered on the spot he was held. He didn’t dare look again or hesitate. He took the longest strides possible, running until his mouth was full of the taste of blood, his throat felt like he had swallowed razor blades, his chest and lungs burned, and his legs felt like lead, unable to lift another step. He collapsed on the steps, feeling like he was about to die.

He gasped for air, his eyes brimming with tears. It must have been from the pain, but he didn’t know where the pain was coming from—his legs, throat, eyes, chest, heart. Everything hurt, but his heart hurt the most. He clamped his hand over his mouth, his fingers digging into his face, trying to stifle the sound back into his throat despite his body’s protest against the lack of oxygen.

Yan Laixi didn’t let himself lie on the ground for too long. He didn’t want passersby to worry. He struggled to his feet and stumbled toward a deserted area.

He hid in a dark alley, leaning against the wall to regulate his breathing. Something felt stuck in his throat, perhaps from breathing too fast. His hands, feet, and cheeks were slightly numb, and his right hand was a little unresponsive; his fingers couldn’t move well.

Yan Laixi asked himself, What are you doing now?

You wanted to vomit when he didn’t remember you, and now that he remembers you, what kind of fit are you throwing?

Hadn’t you decided to let go? What is this now?

He wiped his face, shook his head, took a deep breath, mixed all the thoughts in his head together, and then spat them out.

The immediate priority was to get to the pharmacy, finish the task quickly, and go home.

He reopened the navigation. Yan Laixi didn’t know where he had run off to in his panic, so he simply searched for the nearest pharmacy. Following the directions, he looked up when he arrived and realized fate was playing another joke on him.

As someone with severe picky eating habits, Yan Laixi, unsurprisingly, disliked anything too sweet but couldn’t tolerate anything bitter. He could only drink coffee that was practically coffee milk. For such a person, taking medicine was naturally difficult. Every time, he had to hold the medicine in his left hand and a cup in his right, with a piece of candy positioned in his left hand to grab immediately after finishing the first task. He would take a few deep breaths, close his eyes, hold his breath, and gulp it down in one go. If he couldn’t swallow it all at once, it would be bad; the second gulp would be agonizingly difficult.

This was why, when Yan Laixi saw Chi Fu emerge from the pharmacy carrying two bottles, even though the bottles looked like children’s drinks, he couldn’t stop himself from looking at Chi Fu with the eyes one reserves for a lunatic.

The bottles were gourd-shaped, decorated with cartoon flowers, with the words “Honeysuckle Dew” written next to them. The cap was a pull-out type, meant for sipping. Aside from where it came from, it looked exactly like a children’s drink.

But even if it were a bottle of sparkling cola bought from a pharmacy, Yan Laixi would still suspect it contained carbonated medicinal soup.

“I can accept that you have a weird habit of drinking medicine when you go out for fun,” Yan Laixi said. “But you must also allow me not to be assimilated by your weird habit.”

“What weird habit? Do you even know what it is?” Chi Fu tucked one bottle into his pocket, opened the other, and held it to Yan Laixi’s mouth. “It’s not good to be prejudiced against the unknown, Little Book. Come on, tilt your head back, open your mouth.”

Yan Laixi pushed the bottle away with one hand and covered his mouth with the other, retreating backward with his head and shoulders, his entire body screaming resistance. “Prejudiced? Who buys medicine at a pharmacy to drink when they aren’t sick?”

“It’s for clearing heat, and it’s not bitter. Didn’t you complain that the milk foam tea was too sweet just now? This is perfect.” Chi Fu took a sip himself, then handed the unopened bottle to Yan Laixi. “Try it. Seriously, it’s fine. It’s sweet. Just look at the packaging; how could it be bitter?”

“Even if it was packaged like a cake, it still came out of a pharmacy.” Yan Laixi complained, but his hand still reached for the bottle, though he took the opened one.

The liquid was fragrant upon entry, perfectly sweet—not cloying, and not so weak that it couldn’t mask the slight bitterness. It was a taste Yan Laixi could accept.

But he still didn’t particularly like it. If he had a choice, he would rather be holding a bottle of cola, but there was no convenience store nearby. He drank about half the bottle as they walked. The cloying sweetness from the milk foam tea was completely gone. Just then, Chi Fu finished his bottle. As his left hand tossed the empty bottle into the trash, his right hand was handed the half-full bottle.

“You don’t like it?” Chi Fu asked.

“It’s okay,” Yan Laixi answered honestly. “I can drink it, but I don’t love it.”

“Alright. I was thinking this would be healthier than drinking sweet drinks every day, but it looks like that’s not happening. Getting you to eat healthily is a long and arduous task,” Chi Fu said with a drawn-out sigh, reaching into his satchel. Like a magic trick, he pulled out a small bottle of cola. “Then drink this.”

Yan Laixi’s eyes immediately lit up. “If you had something good to drink, why didn’t you take it out earlier! You had to make me drink that little medicine water.”

“Well, I’ve taken it out now,” Chi Fu said. “Can I have a reward?”

Yan Laixi felt that today he was probably destined not to enjoy a perfect drink smoothly. He couldn’t open a simple bottle cap even after his hand was chafed. He tried through his clothes, but it was no use. He had no choice but to ask for help: “Wait for the reward. Help me twist this open first.”

Chi Fu took it, holding it casually. He actually wanted to tease Yan Laixi about his muscle weakness, unable to open a bottle cap, but since he hadn’t gotten his reward yet, he could only express his mockery through his expression, keeping his lips tightly sealed.

The saying “getting carried away” described Chi Fu perfectly. Others might get carried away after feeling proud; he got carried away before even feeling proud. When he couldn’t open it on the first try, Chi Fu mentally excused himself, saying the posture was wrong and he hadn’t gripped it properly. He adjusted his fingers, gripped the bottle tightly, and circled the cap with his index finger and thumb. He still couldn’t open it and, to his delight, earned a scrape similar to Yan Laixi’s.

Yan Laixi spoke the words he had wanted to say but didn’t when he took the cola: “Can’t even open a bottle cap?”

Chi Fu was still trying stubbornly, muttering, “You couldn’t open it either?”

Yan Laixi reached out, crooked his finger, and said, “Give it here.”

He gave it, since he hadn’t managed to open it anyway.

Yan Laixi wiped the bottle cap, held the bottle with both hands, opened his mouth wide, and brought the capped bottle to his lips. Seeing this, Chi Fu quickly raised his hand to stop him: “If we can’t twist it open, we can’t just chew on plastic!”

“Who’s chewing on plastic?” Yan Laixi rolled his eyes at him. He bit the cap with his molars, twisted his wrist, and with a click, the stubbornly sealed cap was easily bitten open.

Chi Fu looked at the indentations on both sides of the cap and suddenly felt grateful that Yan Laixi didn’t like biting people.

Coincidentally, Yan Laixi asked him right then, “What were you trying to say just now?”

Biting the cap worked, but it made his teeth ache a little. Yan Laixi bit the soft flesh inside his cheek to relieve the discomfort, making his speech slightly muffled. Because he spoke this sentence faster than usual, the words “wanted” and “say” ran together, and Chi Fu only heard “wanted.”

“I wanted to ask if you would bite me?”

Yan Laixi: “…”

“No, no, I meant a pet,” Chi Fu explained, making things worse. “I’m afraid a pet will bite me.”

Yan Laixi: “Are you treating me like a pet?”

“Not you! It’s me…” Chi Fu was truly getting tangled now, somehow turning it into a mutual pet relationship. “What the hell, not me either. It’s that I want to adopt… I want you to help me raise a pet.”

“Oh,” Yan Laixi nodded. “The reward is for that? Isn’t that a bit too big of a reward?”

“Then can I save them up? Can I redeem several rewards at once?” Chi Fu leaned in, hugging and swaying Yan Laixi’s forearm.

Yan Laixi held his hand back, smiling very gently, and said decisively, “No.”

Chi Fu whined, his voice twisting three ways, and clung to Yan Laixi bonelessly, asking, “Why? Even a little fish or a hamster would be fine. It’s not troublesome.”

“No,” Yan Laixi said, emphasizing each word righteously. “Anything that breathes is a no. I’m afraid it will get lost, and even more afraid it will die.”

“Fine,” Chi Fu didn’t press the issue. He suddenly remembered the “pet theory” from earlier, and a thought struck him. He said to Yan Laixi, “Then you raise me! I won’t get lost, and I probably won’t die anytime soon.”

“Okay, I’ll raise you,” Yan Laixi said, also drawing out his words. He reached out and scratched Chi Fu under the chin like petting a kitten. “How should I raise you? Feed you on time every day, take you for walks on schedule?”

Chi Fu: “I’m the kind of breed that prevents aging. You can come and play with me whenever you’re free. I can do everything else myself, and I can run errands for you, cook for you, and clean the house for you.”

Yan Laixi laughed and said, “Then raising you is quite cost-effective, isn’t it?”

“That’s right,” Chi Fu lifted his chin. “Super cost-effective!”

Then, he changed the subject: “But let me be a little less cost-effective today. I don’t feel like cooking. Should we eat out before going back?”

“Sounds good,” Yan Laixi said. “Let’s go for barbecue. It goes well with drinks. I’ll drink my cola, and you can drink your heat-clearing medicine water.”

“Clear the heat after getting heated up, then go home after clearing the heat.”

Yan Laixi left the pharmacy and followed the path he had taken before, passing the barbecue restaurant they had visited. He stopped at the intersection, facing the direction they had gone home that day, then turned around and walked away in the completely opposite direction, toward his temporary residence.