Since Ji Xie had already woken up, there was no longer any need for the funeral parlor services. Otherwise, if the staff arrived and saw the corpse suddenly moving around, it would scare them to death.
Though Xu Yizhu himself had been frightened quite a bit just moments ago.
Xu Yizhu said, “Hello, please cancel the funeral arrangements at Qinghe Residence; you don’t need to come anymore. I will settle the fees as agreed.”
The staff member on the other end was still asking for the reason. Xu Yizhu glanced at Ji Xie and said expressionlessly, “Oh, I suddenly feel that cremation is too easy on him.”
Ji Xie: “…” His heart fluttered with panic and trembling.
Since Xu Yizhu held such a grudge, perhaps he should hold off on confessing his love for now.
After pondering it, Ji Xie decided to give him the cold shoulder for a bit; otherwise, he would end up completely wrapped around the other man’s finger in the future.
With a stern tone, Ji Xie declared, “Xu Yizhu, you went too far. I’ve decided not to confess to you right now.”
Xu Yizhu had no time to entertain him; the burial casket he had spent tens of thousands of yuan on was still sitting glaringly in the living room.
How was he supposed to deal with such a massive object?
Seeing that Xu Yizhu was ignoring him, Ji Xie raised his voice in frustration, “Xu Yizhu!”
His ears ringing from the noise, Xu Yizhu glared at him with complete impatience. “I know, I know!”
Just past seven o’clock, Zhou Yi brought Ji Xie’s parents over.
The moment the door opened, Zhou Yi was startled by Ji Xie standing in the living room, his legs going weak as he collapsed to the floor.
“Wha, what is going on here?”
Seeing their son return from the dead, Ji Xie’s parents were equally shocked, freezing in place.
It took Ji Xie’s mother a long time to react. With trembling hands, she threw her arms tightly around Ji Xie and burst into loud sobs. “Son, you scared your mother to death.”
Reaching out to pat her back, Ji Xie offered gentle reassurance. “I’m sorry, Mom, I worried you both. Don’t cry, I’m completely fine now.”
Tears continued streaming down Ji Xie’s mother’s face, as if she wanted to cry away all the terror and anxiety of the past few days.
A film of moisture rimmed Ji Xie’s father’s eyes. His tone heavy yet filled with the relief of a miraculous recovery, he said, “As long as you’re safe. My boy escaped death, so great blessings are bound to follow.”
Still worried, his mother insisted on taking him to the hospital for a full medical examination.
Stopping her, Ji Xie took his mother’s hand and pressed it against his cheek, his tone soft. “I really am fine.”
Overwhelmed by a mix of grief and joy, Ji Xie’s mother muttered repeatedly, “As long as you’re fine, as long as you’re fine.”
After Ji Xie patiently coaxed them for a long while, the elderly couple finally steadied their emotions and accepted the fact that their son had miraculously come back to life.
Yet Ji Xie’s father remained curious, asking him, “Xiaozhu said you had already lost all vital signs at the time. How on earth did you suddenly wake up?”
Shaking his head, Ji Xie replied, “I have no idea either.”
Though Ji Xie had come back from the dead, Xu Yizhu still felt apologetic about the entire mishap.
Plagued by guilt, he stumbled over his words for a moment before saying, “I am sorry, Auntie. I didn’t mean for this to happen.”
“Silly child, how could this ever be your fault?” With a kindly expression, Ji Xie’s mother gently comforted him. “It was just an accident, and besides, isn’t he standing right here safe and sound?”
“Yes, fortunately so.”
Casting a sideways glance at a certain someone, Xu Yizhu felt a subtle shift in his mood.
Seeming to just remember something, Ji Xie asked, “Mom, Dad, why did you two suddenly return to the country?”
Glaring at him, his mother scolded, “Don’t even start! When we heard you had an accident, your father and I were scared half to death!”
Smiling with satisfaction, Ji Xie remarked, “Not bad, my status finally surpassed the family dog.”
“You’re still laughing! Running back to the country without a word to open some bar—I haven’t even settled accounts with you yet, and now you pull a stunt like this.” Coughing slightly, Ji Xie’s father reprimanded, “If Yizhu hadn’t made that call, and you had run into someone else who dragged you straight to the crematorium, what were you expecting your mother and me to do?”
The underlying tone of doting affection far outweighed any reproach.
Knowing he was in the wrong, Ji Xie dared not talk back, leaving him no choice but to cast a pleading look toward Xu Yizhu.
Pretending not to notice, Xu Yizhu ignored him entirely.
Gnashing his teeth inwardly, Ji Xie thought what a petty, vengeful fellow.
Having taken half a day to calm down and finally grasp the sequence of events, Zhou Yi sighed, “Good grief, this is truly bizarre.”
Since it turned out to be a false alarm, Xu Yizhu’s guilt lessened, though he grew even more wary of Ji Xie.
“What should we do with all these things?” Zhou Yi looked at the large coffin, funeral portrait, white and yellow chrysanthemums, and various funerary supplies piled in the living room, looking troubled. “This… won’t be very easy to dispose of, right?”
The other items were easy enough to handle, but the massive coffin could neither be returned nor thrown away without regretting the tens of thousands of yuan spent on it.
Tapping the edge of the coffin lid, Ji Xie clicked his tongue and mused, “The material is actually quite nice. Shall we keep it for me to use after I kick the bucket a century from now?”
Xu Yizhu: “…!!!”
That was entirely unnecessary.
“You old fool, can anything decent ever come out of your mouth?” Frowning and glaring at him, Ji Xie’s mother snapped in displeasure.
Having experienced a rollercoaster of emotions over the past two days, Zhou Yi was stuttering slightly from exhaustion. “It, it, it can be resold secondhand!”
After pondering for a moment, Ji Xie suggested, “Let’s put it in the storage room for now and list it on a secondhand platform to see if anyone needs it.”
“That works too.”
Working together, the three young men hauled the coffin inside. The so-called storage room was actually a small second bedroom in Xu Yizhu’s rented two-bedroom apartment, which contained no bed and only a pile of useless clutter.
“Though if we leave it here, won’t Xiaozhu be scared living here all by himself?” Ji Xie’s mother asked, looking rather concerned.
Feeling it was no big deal, Xu Yizhu replied, “It’s fine, Auntie, I’m not scared.”
“Xiaoxiao, why don’t you have Xiaozhu stay at your place instead? That way you can keep an eye on him, and we’ll feel more at ease too.” Glancing at her son, Ji Xie’s mother offered her suggestion.
“Of course I’d love that. After all, Mr. Xu hasn’t agreed to my pursuit yet, so living together would be a great way to cultivate our relationship.” Letting his gaze linger on Xu Yizhu, Ji Xie’s tone sounded rather expectant.
Sighing deeply in his heart at Ji Xie, who was once again scheming something up, Ji Xie’s father shook his head.
Curling his fingers slightly at his side, Xu Yizhu suppressed the sudden flash of irritation in his chest and refused, “No need, Auntie. Living here is quite nice and convenient for me.”
Seeing that Xu Yizhu was firm in his decision, Ji Xie’s mother dropped the subject.
“Auntie, Ji Xie just woke up and still needs to recover his health. Why don’t you take him back first, and I will treat you and Uncle to dinner tonight?”
Ji Xie’s father agreed readily. “Right, right. He’s been lying down for three days without a drop of water and needs to rest. Let’s take him back first.”
“Mm, alright.”
Ji Xie wanted to say more, but noticing Xu Yizhu’s somewhat pale complexion, he clamped his mouth shut and obediently let his parents take him away.
Only Xu Yizhu and Zhou Yi remained in the living room.
“What is going on?” Zhou Yi asked him. “What do you mean he hasn’t agreed to his pursuit yet?”
Taking down the funeral portrait hanging on the wall and stashing it away in a cabinet, Xu Yizhu maintained a calm expression. “It doesn’t matter anymore. It was just a moment of impulsive foolishness on my part anyway.”
Seeing Xu Yizhu retreat back into his shell once more, Zhou Yi felt a twinge of sourness in his heart. “Then forget about it. You’ll find someone good eventually.”
Xu Yizhu was secretly grateful for Ji Xie’s sudden amnesia. The atmosphere between them that day had been far too warm, causing him to lose his head and speak impulsively—thinking back on it now, it truly felt irresponsible.
“Thank you for running around with me these past few days,” Xu Yizhu smiled and said. “Go back and spend some quality time with your girlfriend. Don’t let her stay mad at you because of me.”
“My little Jing would never stay mad at me.”
“Fine, fine, your little Jing is the best in the world. Hurry up and go, I want to get some sleep.”
Xu Yizhu nudged him toward the exit.
Unable to win against him, Zhou Yi relented. “Alright, I’m leaving then. Call me if anything comes up.”
“Yes, yes, Mother Zhou, hurry along now.”
“Sigh…”
Sighing helplessly, Zhou Yi closed the door behind him and left.
The bustling apartment instantly grew dead quiet. Xu Yizhu surveyed the messy room.
Never mind, he would just call a housekeeping service in the afternoon.
Dragging his exhausted body, he dived straight under the covers and plunged into a deep slumber without even bothering with breakfast.
The sudden relaxation of his overly tight nerves left him feeling weak and boneless from head to toe, as if every ounce of spirit had been drained from his body.
It was a rare, restful sleep for Xu Yizhu, and when he finally woke up, it was already past lunchtime.
He got out of bed, intending to head to the living room for a glass of water, only to hear movement coming from the main room.
The sounds were very light, as if taking care not to disturb his rest.
Curious, Xu Yizhu opened his bedroom door to check. The living room had already been cleaned to a pristine shine, though no one was in sight. However, the clatter of dishes drifted from the kitchen.
“You’re awake?”
A familiar figure wearing his own apron around the waist stepped out holding a pot of simmering lotus root and pork rib soup. Seeing Xu Yizhu emerge, the man smiled and asked.
“Why are you here?” Xu Yizhu bit his lip, his expression turning dark.
Busy serving the dishes, Ji Xie answered as if it were the most natural thing in the world, “Since you wouldn’t come over to my place, I had no choice but to come over and pester you.”
Was that even the main point?
Speechless with exasperation, Xu Yizhu demanded, “Didn’t I tell you to go home and get some proper rest?”
“I’m completely fine now. You haven’t been eating properly these past few days anyway.” Untying the apron and tossing it onto a dining chair, Ji Xie walked over to him, took his hand, and gently guided him to a seat. “You must have been terrified.”
A tug pulled at Xu Yizhu’s heartstrings, and he mumbled stupidly, “I wasn’t.”
Ignoring his stubborn denial, Ji Xie smiled. “Good if you weren’t. Our Mr. Xu is brave indeed.”
His tone was like one used to coax a child, yet it carried no trace of annoyance.
Xu Yizhu remained silent.
“Hurry and try this. If you don’t like it, I’ll change it next time.” Ladling out a bowl of lotus root and pork rib soup, Ji Xie carefully selected a few tender pieces of meat and placed the bowl before him.
“Oh.”
Xu Yizhu was indeed quite hungry. Having skipped breakfast, his empty stomach had long since begun to clamor.
Sitting right across from him, Ji Xie kept replenishing his food, occasionally offering gentle reminders to eat slowly.
“Is my cooking alright?”
“It’s fine.”
“Is the housework cleaned up decently?”
“It’s fine.”
“Can we be friends now?”
“It’s fi—” Xu Yizhu raised his gaze. “No.”
Undeterred, Ji Xie continued his lobbying efforts. “I can manage the parlor and the kitchen, and I can even keep the bed warm. Think about it, how about we be friends?”
The utensils in his hands were set down. Xu Yizhu leisurely wiped his mouth clean, stood up, and offered a polite yet distant smile. “No.”
“Don’t be so stingy, Mr. Xu!” Tugging lightly on his sleeve, Ji Xie gave it a gentle shake.
When a burly man acts coquettishly, your life is practically forfeit.
Stepping closer, Xu Yizhu had to stand on tiptoe due to the height difference between them, whispering right into his ear:
“I said no.”