Throughout the journey, Gu Yuebai had glanced repeatedly at Yan Mingyue, who sat obediently in the passenger seat playing with his fingers.
The drunken Yan Mingyue had flushed cheeks and a dazed, innocent look in his eyes, resembling a young deer that had wandered out of the forest. Looking at him, Gu Yuebai recalled the video he had seen that afternoon. The Yan Mingyue in that cosplay costume, with his stubborn gaze, was entirely different from the person sitting here now.
Gu Yuebai kept a stoic face, but the tips of his ears turned a subtle shade of red. He quickly caught himself and felt a surge of self-loathing for such a reaction. However, the memory of that photograph made his breath hitch, and he felt a rush of heat toward a certain part of his body.
Get a grip, Gu Yuebai! You are a straight man! And this person is your roommate!
As these thoughts flashed through his mind, he finally managed to suppress that restless fire.
“Gu Yuebai,” a hand smelling of alcohol touched Gu Yuebai’s burning cheek.
Gu Yuebai turned his head to see Yan Mingyue tilting his head and looking at him. Yan Mingyue asked softly, “Brother, can I sleep with you?”
When sober, Yan Mingyue could restrain himself. But once drunk, all his buried negative emotions erupted. He was afraid to sleep alone because it reminded him of his roommates who had died one after another in his past life. He remembered Rong Xie, Zhou Chenfeng, and the others. He feared the loneliness.
Do not leave me. I do not want to be alone.
Yan Mingyue clung tightly to Gu Yuebai’s arm and acted spoiled. “Please, Brother Gu.”
Gu Yuebai was so startled that he slammed on the brakes, nearly veering into the roadside greenery. It was late, and the traffic on the road was thinning out. The surrounding air was silent.
With veins popping on his forehead, Gu Yuebai tried to calm himself. He said to the little drunkard, “Do you know how dangerous that was? If there were many cars right now, we could have hit someone.”
“I am sorry,” Yan Mingyue lowered his head obediently, picking at his fingers nervously. He looked quite pitiful.
Gu Yuebai sighed helplessly but eventually brought Yan Mingyue back to his home.
Jin Xi had his own apartment and did not live with Gu Yuebai. Consequently, the other bedrooms were not made up. This meant Yan Mingyue would have to sleep in the same room as Gu Yuebai.
Expecting Yan Mingyue to wash up on his own was clearly unrealistic. Gu Yuebai had lost count of how many times he had sighed that night, but he still went in to supervise Yan Mingyue’s bath. He feared the boy might accidentally hit his head against the wall and then blame it on him.
“Gu Yuebai?”
Gu Yuebai responded with a grunt.
“Gu Yuebai, you are a good person! Hehe!”
Yan Mingyue sat obediently in the bathtub, covered in white bubbles, with a dollop of foam even resting on top of his head. He hid half his face in the bubbles, looking incredibly happy.
Gu Yuebai stood leaning against the door, occasionally replying to messages on his phone. He felt he owed a debt of thanks to that cosplay photo. If he had not seen it and stayed awake, he would never have caught the live broadcast of these two drunks, Yan Mingyue and Lu Beichen. If he had not stepped in to separate them, they likely would have become infamous within a few hours.
He felt he was truly kind-hearted for bringing this little troublemaker home. Gu Yuebai stared thoughtfully at his phone screen.
Yan Mingyue, currently acting like a child, noticed Gu Yuebai ignoring him. He pouted and quickly finished his bath. Despite his silent complaints, he obediently changed into the pajamas Gu Yuebai had prepared.
What? They are not Spongebob Squarepants pajamas! Gu Yuebai’s taste is terrible.
The kind-hearted Gu Yuebai had no idea his fashion sense was currently being insulted.
After his bath, Yan Mingyue stuck to Gu Yuebai like a kitten, following him wherever he went.
“It is time for you to go to sleep.” Gu Yuebai had no choice but to take Yan Mingyue by the hand and firmly tuck him into the bed.
It was strange. He used to detest Yan Mingyue, so why was he now willing to let the boy sleep in his own bed?
Gu Yuebai seemed to have a particular preference for black and white. If the sheets were black, the quilt had to be white. It was no wonder Yan Mingyue often whispered behind his back that he dressed like a Grim Reaper.
The bedroom was large and featured a spacious terrace filled with various plants and flowers. A swing set stood among the greenery, swaying gently whenever the wind blew.
Gu Yuebai stood on the terrace, leaning down to carefully water each plant. In the few memories he had of his mother, she was a lady who loved flowers. The backyard of their manor was filled with flowers his father had planted for her.
His father always said that his mother was a vibrant rose. Such a flower should not be kept in a greenhouse but should find its own value in the wider world. His gaze was gentle as he looked at the flowers, and the irritability in his heart seemed to vanish.
Gu Yuebai put away the watering can, closed the balcony door, and walked to the bedside. He looked at Yan Mingyue, who had fallen fast asleep with his face buried in the pillow. He whispered a soft goodnight and lay down on the nearby sofa.