PPS Chapter 152

Chapter 152: The Closer You Get, the More the Real You Resembles an Intruder

Chu Zhaoyi was in poor spirits. He was awake for a while before curling up and falling asleep again.

Gu Yusenreluctantly rallied himself and returned to the hospital room, picked up the roses from the floor, placed them in a vase by the window, and sat by Chu Zhaoyi’s bed, quietly gazing at the young man’s face.

No matter what, it was good that he had woken up.

However, Dr. Liu Haitao would have to be delayed further. Zhang Anru had also explained the situation to Dr. Liu Haitao.

Liu Haitao expressed his understanding and said he wanted to visit Chu Zhaoyi to see if this episode had affected his ears, so treatment could begin early if there were any effects.

Zhang Anru thought it made sense and agreed.

However, the surgery would have to be delayed, at least until after the New Year.

Mason said that a familiar environment would make Chu Zhaoyi feel at ease and would be conducive to recovery.

Considering the doctors’ advice, they planned to return to A City tomorrow, to Gu Yusen’s apartment near the university.

After all, the crux of Chu Zhaoyi’s issues lay with Gu Yusen, something Zhang Anru and the others couldn’t interfere with.

*

The next day, Chu Zhaoyi opened his eyes in a daze and saw a person sitting on the chair beside him. Feeling familiar, he subconsciously thought it was twelve-year-old Gu Yusen: “Brother Sanmu…”

“Ayi? You’re awake?” Gu Yusen squeezed the boy’s hand in his palm after hearing that, “Are you feeling unwell?”

After a moment of confusion, Chu Zhaoyi recognized that the person in front of him was the strange man from yesterday. He immediately became alert and scanned around, seeing the twelve-year-old Gu Yusen standing by the window, looking at the rose.

He pouted in grievance.

“Brother Sanmu?”

“Here! Little beggar~ You’re awake~” Before Chu Zhaoyi woke up, twelve-year-old Gu Yusen was a bit bored, looking around. Seeing Gu Yusen standing motionless by the bedside, he unhappily ran to the furthest place from Gu Yusen – the window.

There, he saw the withered rose and amused himself by counting the petals. Only when he heard Chu Zhaoyi’s voice did he happily come closer.

“Awake, hungry,” Chu Zhaoyi said, ignoring Gu Yusen and focusing his gaze on the twelve-year-old Gu Yusen. Seeing the smile on Brother Sanmu’s face, he unconsciously felt better.

Chu Zhaoyi was like this; he would ignore anyone he didn’t care about.

Gu Yusen never expected to receive this treatment one day. He used to be the most special person to Chu Zhaoyi. His face darkened, but he was helpless and could only sigh and accept his fate.

Twelve-year-old Gu Yusen patted his pockets, but found nothing. He wanted to touch the apple on the table, but his transparent fingers passed right through it. He looked at his transparent fingers with confusion for a long time.

He suddenly turned to Chu Zhaoyi and smiled, his white shirt translucent in the sunlight: “Apples need to be peeled, let me find a fruit knife…”

Before he finished speaking, Gu Yusen had already offered an apple carved into the shape of a rabbit to Chu Zhaoyi’s lips.

“Have a bite of apple first, breakfast will be here soon.”

The twelve-year-old Gu Yusen stared blankly at his own non-existent fingers and the rabbit-shaped apple in Gu Yusen’s hand.

The porcelain plate clinked against the metal bed frame, making a crisp sound. Chu Zhaoyi suddenly curled up into the blankets, the protruding bone at the back of his neck pressing against the snow-white pillow, like an agitated hedgehog knocking the apple to the ground.

“Who exactly are you?” Chu Zhaoyi’s voice was frighteningly cold, his rejection and vigilance towards Gu Yusen overflowing.

“I am…” Gu Yusen swallowed his name, not daring to continue speaking. He lowered his eyes, and an empty, throbbing pain in his heart made it difficult to breathe.

“I’m the Snail Prince, Ayi,” he said, thankfully possessing a strong ability to accept things, soon regaining his smile, his tone carrying his usual teasing.

“Brother Sanmu… he…” Chu Zhaoyi’s current perception of himself was stuck in his childhood. He had heard the story of the Snail Fairy, and now, suddenly seeing a Snail Prince appear before him, he was somewhat confused and subconsciously wanted to seek help from the twelve-year-old Gu Yusen.

“He… he is the Snail Prince,” the twelve-year-old Gu Yusen said, putting away his disappointed expression and moving closer to Chu Zhaoyi, patting Chu Zhaoyi’s head with his small hand.

“Little beggar, aren’t you hungry? Let him peel another apple for you!” The twelve-year-old Gu Yusen had realized something.

The twelve-year-old Gu Yusen could no longer protect his little beggar, not even able to simply grab an apple, let alone anything else.

“Snail… Prince?” Chu Zhaoyi repeated blankly, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed. He suddenly grabbed the phantom boy’s clothes, his curled knees pressing against Gu Yusen’s warm palm, feeling somewhat curious.

“Then can you conjure up candy? Brother Sanmu said you’re the Snail Prince.”

Sunlight filtered through the twelve-year-old boy’s swaying legs, casting butterfly-shaped patches of light on the back of Gu Yusen’s hand.

He looked at Chu Zhaoyi completely relying on another version of himself and suddenly remembered what Mason had said in the hallway last night: “In a dissociative state, his brain is using the illusion of your twelve-year-old self as a painkiller—the closer you get, the more the real you resembles an intruder.”