It Turns out that I am Beautiful, Strong and Miserable [Quick Wear] - 198

 

ITOTIABSAM | Extra | 198

As the setting sun descended in the west, Xie Ye stood outside Gu Cong's company building, holding a small bag of ingredients he would use tonight.

He couldn't quite understand why he had come here.

Perhaps it was because someone had muttered about a headache before leaving this morning. Xie Ye had initially just wanted to go to the supermarket in the neighborhood and then snapped out of it, finding himself on the subway.

—Their new house was close to Gu Cong's company, making it more convenient to take the subway than to drive.

His formerly emaciated figure had returned to a normal male physique, and his skin was almost translucently white. Even with a mask on, Xie Ye's tall and imposing figure attracted the attention of passersby.

But Xie Ye was far more composed than he had been when he first crossed over.

In recent years, Xie Ye had been managing the Y-site account left behind by his alternate self. 

He posted a weekly update on cooking tutorials, live-streamed two hours of gaming every weekend, and occasionally uploaded couple vlogs featuring Gu Cong without showing his face.

—Even though his boyfriend was undoubtedly handsome, Xie Ye wanted to avoid bringing any trouble to Gu Cong's real life, especially considering his past experience with being harassed by crazy fans in a certain small world.

Most of his time was spent at home, with the occasional outing to the nearby park with Gu Cong dragging him along. 

Despite this, Xie Ye was familiar with the building in front of him, thanks to Gu Cong constantly sending him photos and videos of his workplace — the desk, the coffee, the greenery, the lunch… as if he wanted Xie Ye to experience the office environment firsthand.

Of course, most of these glimpses were of the relaxed and pleasant moments.

Knowing that Gu Cong's independent game studio generally had regular working hours without the habit of working overtime until 9 p.m., Xie Ye checked the time on his phone and sent a message at a specific time:

【I'm downstairs.】

Perhaps silently waiting for Gu Cong to come out would have been more of a surprise, but he was standing in a slightly off position, and with a group of people leaving work at the same time, there was a good chance of being missed.

He selfishly wanted Gu Cong to be the first to see him.

Sure enough, almost as soon as Xie Ye had this thought in his mind, his phone vibrated twice, indicating three silent exclamation marks:

【!!!】

He could completely imagine how hurriedly Gu Cong must be rushing downstairs at that moment. Xie Ye smirked and sent another message: 【Take your time, no rush.】

Scrolling further up, there was their chat from earlier in the day, discussing that his colleagues have invited him to drink milk tea, with Gu Cong mentioning the fantastic taste. 

They also planned to check out some stores while shopping over the weekend, thinking it was time to add some new clothes to their wardrobe for the upcoming autumn.

It was a very ordinary conversation. Before meeting Gu Cong, Xie Ye had never imagined that the once drifting and wandering person in the online world would become such a normal part of someone's life.

Before he could even put his phone away, hurried footsteps approached.

Suddenly, he was enveloped in a tight hug.

"Why did you come? Are you feeling hot? How long have you been standing here? You didn't get sunburned, did you?" A man, visibly delighted and wanting to kiss him, stopped abruptly, bombarding Xie Ye with questions.

However, Xie Ye remained silent, just raising his empty hand to gently touch the other's forehead.

As expected, Gu Cong's forehead was a bit warm.

"It's a slight fever, just a slight fever," caught off guard, Gu Cong inexplicably felt guilty and took the shopping bag from Xie Ye's hand. "I took medicine at noon, so I'm fine."

Usually, it was Gu Cong who would fuss over Xie Ye's health. Suddenly switching roles, Gu Cong found it a bit awkward, yet deep down, he was extremely happy.

While they were talking, Gu Cong's colleagues began to leave the building one by one. The company had a relatively young age demographic and an open-minded culture. Plus, Gu Cong had never hidden his sexual orientation, so everyone knew that their team leader had a deeply affectionate boyfriend, even though they had never seen him in person.

Now, seeing Gu Cong standing affectionately with a cool-looking young man, everyone understood the situation. One of Gu Cong's closest subordinates took the initiative to greet them, asking knowingly, "Team Leader."

"This is..."

Gu Cong cut in confidently, "My boyfriend."

"He came to pick me up after work."

Even with half of his face obscured, one could still sense the star-like beauty emanating from the young man, especially with those slightly raised phoenix eyes. As they drew closer, his contrasting elegance became even more apparent.

In an instant, everyone understood why Gu Cong had kept his partner hidden like a treasure. They exchanged knowing glances and chuckled kindly, "No wonder brother Gu rushed down so quickly after work."

"Yeah, if the elevator hadn't been empty, he probably would've taken the stairs."

Teased by their colleagues, Gu Cong remained unfazed, smiling warmly as they bantered. Xie Ye graciously introduced himself, exchanged pleasantries, and then they walked hand in hand towards the subway station.

Since appearing on the livestream, Xie Ye always kept individually packaged masks in his coat. He pulled one out and handed it to Gu Cong, the color contrasting with his own, almost like a couple's set.

But the stubborn man, in the midst of his cold, refused to take it, instead leaning his handsome face closer, "My hands are full."

With one hand carrying their belongings and the other holding Xie Ye's, there was no room for him to take the mask.

Facing his blatantly stubborn boyfriend, Xie Ye sighed inwardly before demonstrating the skill of one-handedly unwrapping the mask and carefully looping the ear straps over Gu Cong's ears. "Childish," he remarked.

Gu Cong stood firm, unabashed, "Exactly, childish.”

At thirty, he had a loving boyfriend to shower him with kisses. On their way back, the subway was noticeably more crowded. Gu Cong and Xie Ye couldn't find seats, so they stood near the door, holding onto the cold metal pole nearby.

Naturally, Gu Cong reached around Xie Ye's back, grasping the pole with his arm to create a small semi-circle, enveloping Xie Ye within it and shielding him from the surrounding crowd as much as possible.

In a soft voice, he remarked, "We should have driven this morning."

Usually one to enjoy silence, Xie Ye simply replied, "It's okay."

"After all, it's only three stops."

Their interaction was natural, displaying the affection of any ordinary couple, but not excessively so. It was genuine and unpretentious. Occasionally, curious passengers would glance over, but most were simply intrigued, without any hint of disdain or aversion.

With Gu Cong being a handyman around the house, the first aid kit in the living room was always well-stocked, and he made sure to replace any expired medications before they went bad. So, when they got home, they went straight to cooking.

Considering that Gu Cong was sick today, after making sure he finished his cold medicine, Xie Ye insisted on washing the dishes himself. But not long after, the affectionate "big puppy" took advantage of his distraction and snuck up on him again.

They intentionally chose a few light dishes for dinner, making cleanup easy. Xie Ye didn't even bother with gloves as he turned on the warm water.

As he was washing, Gu Cong wrapped his arms around him from behind, pulling him close like a doll. Xie Ye turned his head, almost bumping noses with the man resting his chin on his shoulder. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Are you feeling okay?"

"No, it's just..." Gu Cong gently swayed his head, his arms still wrapped around Xie Ye's waist, feeling the slight coolness of his body. "I just feel so happy," he murmured softly. "Xie Ye, I'm so happy."

Xie Ye, seemingly focused on washing dishes with the sound of rushing water, responded with a casual "I know." 

After a moment, he added in a quiet voice, "...me too."

For Xie Ye, if he had to describe happiness, it would be the days spent with Gu Cong by his side.

Year after year.

Every single day.

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