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墨書 Inktalez
On that day, Zeus was busy moving and hardly touched his phone. It wasn't until most of his things were packed that he finally had time to check his messages.
After replying to a few texts, he scrolled through his social media and noticed that Yun Li had posted a status a few hours ago. The photo showed a crying emoji, accompanied by the caption: "Shanghai loves me too much; I've been left behind in Shanghai."
How did Xiao Li end up being left in Shanghai?
Just then, he saw that Yun Li was live streaming, so he quickly logged in with his alternate account.
Listening to Yun Li recount his unfortunate journey back to Hangzhou, Zeus couldn't help but think: What a unlucky kid.
But why was he running to Xiao C? And why was he staying in a double room??????
Zeus felt a pang of discomfort in his heart. But what could he do? The kid was so tired that his eyes were barely open. What could he say? He really wanted to message Yun Li to tell him to end the stream if he was too tired, but as a fellow streamer, he understood the difficulties of making up for time at the end of the month. Being tired was unavoidable; all he could do was feel sorry for him.
So, Zeus continued to hang out in the live stream while packing the remaining few items.
Until Yun Li suddenly called out "Brother."
[What?????
Why is he calling someone else brother?
Haha, I've never been called that way!
He’s calling you brother and you seem so happy about it, your eyes are squinting with joy!
Someone is peeling an orange for you and you’re enjoying it, huh?
What brother? Are you really getting used to it? Letting someone call you brother, tsk!]
After Yun Li ended the stream, Zeus's mood settled down a bit.
Although the jealousy still lingered, he couldn't help but worry about this unfortunate kid. He picked up his phone and hesitated for a long time before finally dialing Yun Li's number.
The phone rang a few times before Yun Li's slightly fatigued voice came through: "Hello, brother Si?"
Zeus cleared his throat, trying hard to make his voice sound casual: "Yeah, it's me. Did you just finish streaming? I heard you got left behind in Shanghai today?"
Yun Li replied with a soft "Mm," followed by a light laugh: "Yeah, Shanghai loves me too much. I’m completely exhausted today."
Hearing his slightly accented tone, Zeus felt a significant portion of his earlier irritation dissipate. The way the kid spoke was so endearing; concern slipped into his voice without him realizing it: "So how have you been adjusting these days in Shanghai? Have you eaten yet?"
Yun Li sighed: "Not yet. I just finished streaming and I'm planning to go out to eat something with Xiao C."
Upon hearing this, Zeus felt a surge of jealousy, his voice rising a few notches. "Is it just the two of you?"
Yun Li hadn't expected such a strong reaction and quickly explained, "No, no! We're with a few others; we're just waiting for them!"
Zeus's heart eased slightly at this. "Then how come I saw on social media that you haven't eaten properly for two days? What's going on? How can you not take care of yourself?"
Yun Li felt a warmth in his heart but also a hint of bitterness. He had been trying to distance himself from this relationship, so while he was pleased by Zeus's concern, he felt more anxious and insecure. "It's just a special situation. I wasn't really hungry those two days and didn't have much of an appetite, so I didn't eat. I just got hungry again and managed to mooch off a few meals in Shanghai; it was fine."
Zeus didn't catch onto Yun Li's underlying feelings and simply said, "Make sure you eat more; don't let yourself go hungry."
Yun Li remained silent for a moment before responding, "Yeah, I know."
On the other end of the line, Yun Li seemed to shift positions, his voice becoming slightly muffled. "It's a pity you can't make it this time. They even mentioned the annual meeting; it seems like we won't all be able to meet up. This is our last gathering this year since everyone will be busy next month. Everyone misses you; actually..."
"Actually what?" Zeus asked awkwardly.
Yun Li forced a smile. "Nothing much. By the way, how did your move go today?"
Zeus replied, "Most of my things are packed up now. Moving is really exhausting; it's tiring as hell."
Yun Li expressed concern, "You need to take care of yourself and rest; don't wear yourself out."
Zeus responded with a simple "Mm," and an uncomfortable silence fell between them.
After a while, Zeus broke the silence. "What are your plans for tomorrow? If the high-speed train isn't running, will you stay in Shanghai?"
Yun Li paused before saying, "I'll see how it goes. I need to find a way back; I still have hours to make up—I haven't completed my hours yet."
Zeus said, "Be careful and stay safe. If anything happens, call me. And don’t drink if you're out late."
Yun Li replied, "Got it; don’t worry too much."
Zeus huffed lightly, "Who’s worrying? Not me."
Yun Li chuckled softly, "Alright, alright, you're not."
Zeus tightened his grip on his phone, hesitating for a moment before saying, "And, and don’t let anyone call you 'brother' casually! And don’t call anyone 'brother' either!"
Yun Li looked puzzled. "Huh?"
Zeus panicked slightly and quickly added, "Oh, it’s nothing. Let’s not talk about that. Just go eat and get to bed early; you need to deal with the high-speed train stuff tomorrow."
Yun Li obediently replied, "Okay, you should also sleep early. Moving today must have been tiring. Good night."
"Good night." Zeus hung up the phone and collapsed onto his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. He let out a long sigh, wondering why he couldn't help himself. Would Xiao Li think he was being too controlling? Would he feel that it was too forward of him? He recalled Yun Li mentioning wanting to share a room with Xiao C, and the small flame of jealousy flared up within him. Frustrated, Zeus ran his fingers through his hair and tossed and turned on the bed, his mind filled with thoughts of Yun Li.
Meanwhile, after hanging up the phone, Yun Li's smile slowly faded, leaving him feeling confused inside.
On one hand, he felt warm and happy from Zeus's concern; on the other hand, he couldn't be sure if Zeus's care was just a friendly gesture or if there was something deeper behind it.
He had been trying to detach himself from these thoughts, not to overthink or cross any boundaries, but each time Zeus showed concern, it made the walls around his heart start to crumble.
"Maybe he's just nice to everyone. Yun Li, why do you think you're special? But sometimes I really can't control my feelings." Yun Li turned over in bed and slapped his own face lightly, trying to wake himself up a bit.
"If he feels the same way about me, that would be wonderful. But what if it's just my one-sided affection? What if we can't even be friends afterward?" The more Yun Li thought about it, the more tangled his emotions became.
Finally, he sighed deeply and decided not to speculate on Zeus's thoughts anymore. He would let things unfold naturally; after all, there were many real-life issues he needed to face right now—like getting back to Hangzhou quickly and making up for lost time.
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