Chapter Eleven

Just in an instant, the air grew quiet and there was no trace of Tao Ran's weak sobbing in his throat. The long and thick soft brown carpet spread out on the floor seemed to absorb all the sounds, leaving only the slight and unsteady sound of Li Zekun's breathing.

Li Zekun is no longer a young man in his early twenties. Even if he truly despises and detests someone, he can still suppress his emotions without showing them. However, now he's inexplicably angry with a teenager, which has brought out his pent-up frustration. If it wasn't for how much he cared about the matter, why would he be taking it so seriously?

Li Zekun didn't dare to think deeply. He had no desire to seriously pursue another romantic relationship, nor did he need a counterfeit. The year that Cheng Xia left, Li Zekun was dragged by Song Yu and his friends to a bar where they cleared out all the customers and stationed a row of boys in front of their booth. Song Yu didn't dare to provoke them like Cheng Xia, but each one of them looked like Cheng Xia with similar eyes, nose, mouth, and voice. There were even two who looked better than Cheng Xia. However, Li Zekun went crazy and smashed up the place, stubbornly believing that if it wasn't Cheng Xia, then it wasn't good enough.

Until meeting Tao Ran, who looked completely different from Cheng Xia, Li Zekun's heart inexplicably softened. He wanted to protect him, to be a little nicer to him...like an uncontrollable instinct.

Li Zekun felt his heart was in a bit of a mess. He watched as Tao Ran hung his head in complete silence, and just like a conditioned reflex, he felt pain in his chest. He couldn't bring himself to coddle Tao Ran, and his rational mind told him not to spoil him too much.

Li Zekun grabbed Tao Ran's wrist and brought it to his chest, saying, "If you're going to stay by my side, don't act so affected all the time, got it?"

Tao Ran remained silent for a long time, and Li Zekun thought he wouldn't speak. But unexpectedly, Tao Ran spoke up in a soft, yet surprisingly clear voice: "I understand."

It was as if his crying and weak plea like that of a young animal just now were all just illusions in Li Zekun's mind.

The first thing that could not be obtained after seeking it, even if one is desperate, he won't reach out for it a second time. This is dignity, the same kind of stubbornness as Cheng Xia.

Li Zekun really couldn't stay any longer this time. He handed the room key to Tao Ran and pushed him away from his embrace, saying, "I'm still busy, so I'm leaving first."

When Tao Ran lifted his head, he saw Li Zekun's back, which was very resolute and upright, but also strangely imbued with a sense of desolation and loneliness. Could he also have unfulfilled desires? Could he also be cautiously fond of someone?

Tao Ran held a thin room card in his hand and slowly walked toward his room number. No matter how bitter the things that had already happened were, he could only bear them. He no longer had the extra leisure to be sad. But at a certain moment, a fleeting moment like lightning, Tao Ran also thought, if only the original host's identity had been higher, at least they could have met someone truly deserving of them cleanly instead of being degraded by a beast and becoming a cheap person in everyone's eyes.

The suite that Li Zekun left for Tao Ran was actually very nice, with a different decor than the typical hotel room. It had been refurbished by someone a long time ago and was in fact better than the previous apartment.

Tao Ran didn't have the mood to appreciate the decoration, so he went straight into the bedroom and wrapped himself tightly in the covers. He actually wanted to be with Li Zekun, not just to get close to him... Tao Ran was really afraid. He couldn't find his own memories and didn't know anything, didn't recognize the roads, and didn't know the phone numbers of the people he knew. He didn't dare to obtain too many memories of the original owner, because the more he experienced another's feelings, the more he accumulated over time, and the more he felt like they were the same person. The constant self-doubt and disgust were enough to drive someone crazy.

Taoran's comfort all exists in his dreams. In his dreams, there's someone waiting for him for a very long time, who will leave him the tip of the watermelon, a soup of sugar mixed with tomato, and the crispy bones of Coca-Cola chicken wings...who will leave him all the best things. The man in his dreams is handsome, with sword-like eyebrows and shining eyes, exuding passion. He speaks in the authentic Beijing accent so naturally when comforting him, and speaks so fast with a heavy accent that Taoran always wants to straighten his tongue…

Upon waking up, all the dreams were forgotten, leaving only a lingering feeling of peace and happiness that made it difficult to endure the entire day. Later on, Tao Ran began waking up in tears every day, as he tried to hold onto his happiness, but missed it every time.

Tao Ran stayed at the hotel for seven days without leaving his room, and his meals were directly delivered to him by the lobby. He felt extremely empty inside. When he picked up the phone to call Li Zekun, he inadvertently pressed a few random digits - 1564761... What would happen now? And why did he dial this seemingly random number?

Tao Ran's headache felt like it was about to explode. He curled up at the head of the bed and took a deep breath. The memories in his mind were disordered, and he couldn't distinguish whether they were from this body or his own.

Tao Ran felt dazed and lethargic for a few days. As time passed, he lost track of the days. He had a feeling that Li Zekun didn't want him anymore, but he didn't have the courage to leave, so he just kept wasting time.

The second person he saw, other than the hotel waiter, turned out to be Yang Yanxue.

Yang Yan comes from a family of scholars. His parents are both in the field of education and academia. When he appears serious, he exudes an elegant and refined manner, sporting thin-rimmed gold glasses. He seems to be accustomed to being in an office, even in the month of August, where he still wears a suit despite the heat.

"Tao Ran...?" Yang Yanxue was also appraising Tao Ran. The day Li Zekun first took away Tao Ran, Yang Yanxue left early with his lover and did not see Tao Ran. Upon careful observation today, Tao Ran's appearance was different from what he had imagined.

"Who are you?" Tao Ran only opened the door slightly, looking very sensitive and vigilant.

"Kun's trip was delayed for two days in Zhuhai, so he asked me to take you to school on the first day." Yang Yanxue touched her phone screen to show him the date - it was indeed August 16, and school would start tomorrow.

"Isn't it tomorrow?"

Yang Yanxue's smile was gentle and kind: "Tomorrow, I will go to the Ministry of Education to attend the senior high school entrance exam teaching and research conference with the advanced teachers in charge of the third grade. Actually, it doesn't matter who takes you there, does it?"

He didn't say anything particularly harsh, but Tao Ran felt as though he had been jabbed. He understood that sometimes, a disdainful attitude, even without profanity, could be more vicious than anything else.

Tao Ran bit his lip and forced himself to lift his chin slightly, saying, "It's alright, you tell me. I'll go on my own."

Yang Yanxue's eyes were a little blurred, and the look in Tao Ran's eyes made him think he was seeing Cheng Xia. Upon closer inspection, Tao Ran didn't really resemble Cheng Xia in appearance, but his demeanor coupled with some unconscious movements could easily fool someone.

It's no wonder... Li Zekun is not flipped but is clearly unable to forget. He doesn't want to see a similar face suffer anymore, so he found this rare little toy.

"I'll have someone pick you up tomorrow and bring your school uniform along." Yang Yanxue was actually curious about Li Zekun's mysterious preferences that even ghosts couldn't figure out. He happened to be free and stopped by to take a look after finishing his business on the way.

Tao Ran nodded and said, "I understand... When will Li... Young master Li come back?"