It Turns out that I am Beautiful, Strong and Miserable [Quick Wear] - 48

 

ITOTIABSAM | Landlord Tenant | 48

Despite not knowing exactly what had happened, Xie Ye lifted one hand and gently encircled the other's shoulder.

Gu Cong's body temperature was high, and even through two layers of fabric, Xie Ye could feel it. The refreshing and familiar scent of laundry detergent lingered in the air. Almost involuntarily, he began to pat the other's back slowly.

The next moment, he found himself uncontrollably leaning backward, only to be promptly caught by arms that didn't belong to him. His feet were still resting on the other person's legs, making the whole situation rather awkward.

 Yet, Gu Cong seemed oblivious to it all, or perhaps he noticed but didn't care. He held onto Xie Ye tightly, so tightly.

"I'm feeling a bit sad," he heard the young man say softly next to his ear.

1101 sighed. "He searched a lot about you."

But Xie Ye didn't use the reminders provided by the system to expose Gu Cong. Instead, he tried to make his hoarse voice sound gentle as he softly replied, "Today, it seems like you've asked me several times if I am okay."

"Only twice," as if a breath of spring breeze had blown away the gloom, Gu Cong successfully diverted his attention, emphasizing, "They were both very important questions."

The words escaped his lips before he fully came back to his senses, realizing what he was doing and who he was holding onto.

The jet-black, soft hair brushed against the snowy-white, delicate nape, emitting a faint woody fragrance. His chin rested on the other's shoulder, the distance so close that with a slight tilt of his head, he could kiss that small patch of cool skin.

His breath momentarily halted, then subtly quickened. Rationally, Gu Cong understood that he should avert his somewhat impolite gaze, but when it came to actions, he just sluggishly blinked.

It felt like he was reluctant to let go.

Xie Ye was a man, lean and angular, naturally lacking in any soft, plushy texture. However, their figures seemed to fit together perfectly, as if they were meant to be held in each other's arms.

Cool to the touch, like a piece of jade.

Gu Cong had no desire to let go.

The breath, hotter and itchier than his own, brushed against his neck in rapid succession. Sensing the shift in the other's emotions, Xie Ye moved his leg and kicked him lightly. "Get up."

—Cats will get anxious if they are rua too much.

Gu Cong completely understood. Taking advantage of the youth's lack of force, the kick was neither painful nor itchy. He tightened his arms again, pulling the person closer to him.

Now, Xie Ye's knees involuntarily bent, propped up against Gu Cong's legs, almost sitting on him.

Unable to break free, he couldn't help but raise his hand and lightly hit Gu Cong's back.

"Ow, ow, ow."

Pretending to be in pain, Gu Cong, emboldened, used his fingers to poke at the slightly raised end of Xie Ye's hair that was disrupted by the youth's movements. With no rhyme or reason, he asked, "Xie Ye, how about being an anchor again?"

The young man nestled in his arms fell silent.

"There are many fans who genuinely like you, and there are also many fans who have been waiting for you," knowing that the safest choice was to say nothing at all, Gu Cong couldn't help but do something that might make the other dislike him, as if possessed by a demon. "You look really handsome when you're serious, whether it's cooking or playing games, you're captivating."

Xie Ye: "Even if I weigh two hundred pounds?"

Gu Cong: "Even if you weigh two hundred pounds."

"Of course, I'm not trying to interfere with your life plans," feeling clumsy with his words for the first time, Gu Cong earnestly organized his thoughts, "I just feel that, as long as it's within the bounds of law and order, everyone has the right to do what they love."

"Sure, having a beautiful virtual image helps to attract millions of followers, but the most important thing is what's beneath the surface, and that's you."

It's Xie Ye who spends days chatting with fans, it's Xie Ye who carries the game.

"As for those extreme Gu Chen fans and bystanders, you were just expressing your own feelings. If anyone goes crazy, I'll help you clap back."

Stupid or not.

How can someone who has never even used dirty words out-argue a troll?

The dark lashes fluttered, and Xie Ye lowered his gaze. "Don't you find it terrifying?"

Those relentless bombardments of messages, the repeated names, desperately grasping at a lifeline that was destined to slip away—it was probably a futile and pathetic sight.

The one being manipulated by the plot was the alt self.

But in a sense, it was still him.

"Not at all," shaking his head vigorously, Gu Cong's fluffy hair brushed against Xie Ye. It was slightly stiff but not prickly, much like the person himself. "I'm just jealous."

Jealous that Gu Chen was confessed to by Xie Ye first.

"And also heartbroken."

Heartbroken that this precious confession hadn't been reciprocated.

"And... a little bit of relief," the last few words were spoken with a particularly guilty tone. Gu Cong cleared his throat softly and quickly, "If he had agreed, I wouldn't have had a chance to meet you."

Would not have had a chance.

Xie Ye thought, besides this silly dog in front of him, who else would willingly run towards this neither human nor ghost version of himself, holding him tightly as if he were a treasure?

With a mischievous intent to tease the other, Xie Ye hummed softly, "Not afraid?"

"Then, the little black room should work too?"

The dog holding onto him froze.

He had no knowledge of LGBTQ literature before, but after realizing his feelings for Xie Ye, Gu Cong indeed made up for his lack of understanding by studying a lot of related knowledge. The "little black room," a common label in such literature, was something he had come across.

So, Xie Ye liked that kind of thing?

The thought of a pitch-black underground room felt really scary.

But to confine someone, to only have them look at oneself, that must require a love so deep and unyielding.

If Xie Ye were willing to do that to himself...

With a burst of wild thoughts, Gu Cong hesitated for two seconds, then said firmly, "I'm willing."

Pfft.

Xie Ye burst into laughter, fully aware of what the other was imagining.

It was the first time Gu Cong had seen Xie Ye laugh so happily. Leaning on his shoulder, trembling with delight, his slightly hoarse voice carried a tingling sensation as it seeped into Gu Cong's heart.

"Muah."

A light kiss landed on the boy's ear, but because of the proximity, it sounded exceptionally clear, especially loud like a thunderclap to Gu Cong.

The mischievous cat, having done something naughty, remained calm. Successfully breaking free from the other's completely petrified embrace, Xie Ye slipped on his bunny slippers and walked away gracefully. "Goodnight."

—Xie Ye kissed me.

I got kissed by Xie Ye.

"Click."

It wasn't until the faint sound of the master bedroom door closing nearby that Gu Cong snapped out of his daze. His left ear, where the young man had touched, felt like it was on fire. He didn't need a mirror to know it was probably bright red.

The variety show was still playing on the TV, with the hosts and guests laughing heartily, but he had no interest in watching. He pulled out his phone, his fingertips trembling as he typed a question into the search bar:

"My crush kissed me"... does it mean we're in a relationship?

As soon as he typed a few words, a series of suggestions popped up below. He randomly clicked on a few lucky websites, intending to seek advice, but found that they were all talking about kisses on the lips.

The dog, who had been excited enough to wag his tail just a moment ago, immediately deflated.

But soon, remembering the minutes-long embrace he shared with Xie Ye, Gu Cong's lips involuntarily lifted into a smile. Skillfully opening the dormitory chat group, he quickly typed:

【I confessed to the person I like.】

After a brief silence, Gu Cong's phone began to buzz like crazy.

【Boss: ??】

【SanSan: Am I seeing things? Truth or Dare?】

【XiaoEr: Even though I told you to treat me to dinner, you don't have to be this quick.】

"Not official yet," despite feeling reluctant, Gu Cong clarified cautiously, "but we went to an exhibition together today, and the atmosphere was really good, so I acted on impulse."

Thank goodness for that impulse.

Gu Cong: "Does that count as a date?"

【XiaoEr: I suspect you're here to show off your relationship.】

【Boss: Thanks for the invite, but I'm already full.】

【SanSan: Let's tally it up, of course it counts, and then what?】

And then?

On that day, there were so many sweet, cute, heartwarming, and heart-wrenching details about Xie Ye that made Gu Cong feel overwhelmed with emotions. Suddenly, he felt an urge to keep these moments to himself and not share them with anyone. Gu Cong summed it up succinctly: "I hugged him."

【Five minutes.】

【I've decided to keep this outfit forever.】

Making typos in daily chats was as normal as it could be. Completely oblivious to any mistake, they all responded with six dots, representing their speechlessness at this childish behavior. But the conversation didn't end there: "Ah... I regret not kissing him back just now."

A kiss on the lips.

Roommates: Understood, this is specifically for feeding dog food.

Only XiaoEr was unimpressed: "Go for it! Go for it, Gu Cong! Are you up to it or not?!"

However, after waiting for a while without receiving any response from the other side of the screen, Gu Cong, taking advantage of the empty living room, stood up and purposely tugged on the T-shirt he was wearing:

"See this? It's the shirt that Xie Ye hugged."

He was someone who had been hugged by Xie Ye. Although they hadn't held hands yet, he had been kissed on the ear. Someday, he would become the closest person to Xie Ye.

In the depths of his consciousness, 1101, who was secretly observing, increasingly understood the feeling of human auntie laughter.

If it had a physical form, it would be smiling so much that its mouth would ache, showing its teeth but not its eyes.

On the other side, the young man who teased and then ran away was lying on the bed. The room was dark, and he lay on his side, hugging a large pile of blankets. Though Xie Ye usually slept like this, tonight he felt a bit uncomfortable, finding the blanket too cold and the bed too hard.

"You can go to the next room," 1101, no longer the innocent and clueless system it once was, showed its extensive inventory to the host: "This time, I've prepared hundreds of terabytes of novels, TV shows, and data snacks. You can spend not just a few hours, but half a month with them."

Xie Ye: "A good system should know when to be quiet."

In this world, he didn't suffer from insomnia.

"Oh," reluctantly closing its mouth, 1101 held back for a few seconds before couldn't resist asking, "What do you think about resuming the livestream?"

Compared to the original plot where the alt Xie Ye was forcibly exposed due to case updates and the revelation that "Xi Zhu" and "Big Eater" were the same person, admitting it themselves undoubtedly gave them more control.

At first, Xie Ye's only goal was to stay away from the plot. Later, it evolved into staying away from the plot with Gu Cong. But that hug just now seemed to give him a different kind of motivation.

He didn't want to become a hidden danger that might hurt Gu Cong one day.

This thought was unstoppable, no one could prevent it, not even the world consciousness.

"Let's talk about it later," releasing the blanket and lying flat, the black-haired youth gazed up at the pitch-black ceiling, hands folded on his stomach, eyes closed:

"I'll consider it."

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Author's Note:

As it's widely known, when it comes to Gu Cong, Xie Ye's "I'll consider it" is equivalent to "I agree."