Extra Chapter: If Line is Like a Dream (2)
Qi Xu held him and comforted him for a long time.
Xie Yang buried his face in Qi Xu’s chest, listening to the strong and steady rhythm of his heartbeat, but his emotions still hadn’t settled.
He didn’t know how to describe the feeling he had now.
Perhaps it was like a dream of his secret love coming true.
He mustered up the courage to reach out and wrap his arms around Qi Xu’s waist.
After a while, Qi Xu gently picked him up and laid him back under the covers, tucking him in. He said, “You mentioned yesterday that you wanted crab roe buns. I’ll go get them for you. Sleep a little longer, and when you wake up, they’ll be ready to eat.”
Xie Yang instinctively wanted to say something, to tell him it wasn’t necessary to go to so much trouble.
Qi Xu kissed him and said, “For lunch, I’ll ask the auntie to make your favorite scallion oil shrimp, braised eggplant, and cola chicken wings. Is there anything else you want?”
Xie Yang’s heart trembled slightly. These were all dishes he loved.
So, in two years, their relationship had grown close enough that Qi Xu knew what he liked to eat, and even if he just mentioned wanting something, Qi Xu would go out and get it for him.
Does that mean they’re living together now?
He grew increasingly curious about what had happened over the past two years.
When Qi Xu left, it gave Xie Yang a moment to breathe and a chance to search for clues about the past.
After Qi Xu left, Xie Yang got out of bed.
He still felt sore all over, weak and lacking energy.
He slowly walked to the bathroom.
Looking at himself in the mirror, he hardly recognized what he saw.
He had gained a significant amount of weight and was no longer as skinny as before.
His long hair had been cut short, leaving him with a neat and tidy hairstyle, and the old-fashioned glasses were gone. His entire appearance was completely different from what it used to be.
He also noticed the mottled love marks on his neck.
Not just his neck—his shoulders, chest, arms, thighs, and even his ankles bore various marks.
Xie Yang ran his hand through his messy hair, and when he saw a glint of light in the mirror, he noticed the ring on his ring finger.
He took the ring off to examine it, and saw a few letters engraved on the inside of the band.
Because he had worn the ring for so long, there was a deep imprint on his ring finger.
It was the English initials of his and Qi Xu’s names.
Xie Yang remained silent for a moment before putting the ring back on his ring finger.
Was this ring a gift from Qi Xu?
How had he felt when he first put it on?
He suddenly found himself with a mix of indescribable emotions toward his future self.
Envy? Jealousy?
Or perhaps both.
Xie Yang carefully observed the room’s furnishings, taking in all the items on the shelves.
His heart was filled with conflicting emotions.
He could clearly sense that the style and arrangement of the room were tailored to his preferences.
Even the everyday items like cups, toothbrushes, and towels were matching couples’ sets.
On the nightstand, there was a photo of him and Qi Xu.
In the photo, he was being held in Qi Xu’s arms, shyly looking at the camera, while Qi Xu wore a look of doting affection.
Whether from the photos or the signs of everyday life, he could feel the sweetness between them.
He felt happy, but there was also a deeper sense of bittersweetness filling his heart.
In the future, Qi Xu must have really liked him.
Xie Yang found his phone on the bed, eager to look through their chat history, hoping to uncover traces of their past.
The password was Qi Xu’s birthday.
Even though the phone model had changed, his habits hadn’t.
When he opened WeChat, the first thing that caught his eye was the pinned contact. The small profile picture was clearly a photo of the two of them, and the nickname displayed was [Clingy.]
For him to use such a nickname, it was easy to imagine that his relationship with Qi Xu was very good now; otherwise, he wouldn’t have dared to tease Qi Xu like this.
Xie Yang clicked on their chat window and began scrolling through their chat history.
They didn’t chat every day, but from the frequent voice messages and video calls, it seemed they met often.
He was still living in the dormitory, only occasionally staying at Qi Xu’s apartment.
When they weren’t together, Qi Xu would frequently message him, and they had many small conversations. They would even discuss which brand of water tasted better.
However, their chat history didn’t include the process of how they met, got to know each other, and fell in love.
So Xie Yang decided to check his Moments to see if he could find any clues.
To his surprise, he found that he had posted many “showing off love” updates.
He wasn’t someone who liked posting on Moments, let alone sharing this kind of content.
And yet, he had posted these updates regularly, without blocking or setting any privacy groups.
Qi Xu had liked and commented on every single one of his posts.
It wasn’t just him; many friends would join in, liking and commenting with playful remarks.
The ones who frequently commented seemed to be his college roommates.
There were also a few friends who felt unfamiliar to him, so he clicked on their profiles to take a closer look.
One of them was Qi Xu’s mother.
From their chat history, it was clear that they had a good relationship. Qi Xu’s mother often sent him small gifts or snacks and occasionally transferred money to him, calling it pocket money from an elder.
Their chat history left Xie Yang astonished. It turned out that, in the next two years, he and Qi Xu had already met each other’s parents.
And it was evident that Qi Xu’s mother liked him very much.
This information was crucial for Xie Yang, as it indicated that their relationship was approved by their family and friends.
He felt a bit more at ease.
It seemed their relationship was indeed stable.
Thinking about this, Xie Yang felt happy.
If they had the approval of their parents, did that mean they wouldn’t break up?
Next, he opened Qi Xu’s Moments.
Qi Xu hadn’t posted much, but every post was a picture of the two of them together. Even his profile background was a photo of Xie Yang.
How wonderful.
Xie Yang couldn’t help but tear up as he looked at that photo.
He kept scrolling down through Qi Xu’s Moments until he reached a post from Christmas two years ago. It was a bouquet of knitted roses.
[My little pudding.]
Xie Yang suddenly remembered his own WeChat nickname: Caramel Pudding.
So, was “Little Pudding” referring to him?
Xie Yang quickly reopened his Moments and scrolled to the post from that Christmas two years ago.
[It feels like my heart is dying.]
Why…
So, what exactly happened before Christmas?
Xie Yang hurriedly searched for the “Notes” app.
For years, he had the habit of jotting down special events or important days, like keeping a diary.
This habit likely hadn’t changed.
The Notes app was well-hidden, and it took Xie Yang some time to find it.
As expected, it contained many records of his experiences with Qi Xu.
Xie Yang started reading the entries, carefully going through each one from the end of the college entrance exams.
[School started, and I never expected to be in the same dorm as Su Huai. We even became good friends ^^]
[I heard that Qi Xu also applied to S University. I wonder which major he chose. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen him; I really hope to see him again.]
It seems that at this point, he and Qi Xu were not together yet, and their relationship was still as it used to be.
[More and more people are starting to like him.]
[I ran into him at the bakery where I work part-time. It turns out he lives in a nearby neighborhood. He bought a few desserts—are they for someone special?]
[I accidentally overheard him talking to someone in the backstage rehearsal room. It seems I upset him. I’m so sad T^T]
[I just wanted to see him, but it seems he doesn’t want to see me.]
Xie Yang felt a pang of sadness, but mostly, he was numb.
[Actually, I heard him say he doesn’t like me.]
Seeing this sentence, Xie Yang paused, unable to stop the tears from rolling down his cheeks.
After that day, he didn’t write in his diary for a long time.
After a long while, he started updating it sporadically again.
[Today, I made a new friend while playing a game. His name is CX330. Does that ID mean ‘a lonely star’?]
[He’s really good at the game, and he’s very patient. Just following him leads to easy wins.]
[Every day at eight, I wait for CX330 to log in.]
[I want to learn how to play other heroes. I wonder if CX330 would be willing to teach me.]
[Today, CX330 used voice chat. His voice sounds a lot like Qi Xu’s. I asked him a few probing questions, but the details didn’t match. It turns out there really are people who sound this similar.]
Xie Yang noticed that at that time, he had posted several updates related to this CX330.
[I think CX330 might like me, but maybe it’s just my imagination.]
[It’s strange, but after getting to know CX330, it feels like I’m gradually letting go of my past feelings.]
[Sometimes they really are so alike—so much so that it makes me feel as if he is Qi Xu, and that I still like Qi Xu. But it’s just an illusion.]
[CX330 isn’t a replacement for anyone, and Qi Xu is irreplaceable too.]
[But I always end up thinking of Qi Xu because of CX330.]
[CX330 said he wanted to start an online relationship with me, but I didn’t know how to refuse.]”[I really want CX330 to stay with me forever.]
[I agreed.]
Xie Yang stared in shock at these diary entries, rereading them several times. He couldn’t believe that he had actually started an online relationship with someone he had never met in person.
Had he really given up on Qi Xu like that?
But why did Qi Xu end up being with him in the end…
[Every day with CX330 is filled with happiness, not much different from the days when we used to play together in duo queue.]
[Although the future is uncertain, we’re both working hard for each other.]
Xie Yang could feel that he was getting along very well with this online relationship partner named CX330.
He eagerly continued reading.
[It turns out, CX330 is Qi Xu.]
Xie Yang carefully examined the entry. This was from two days before Christmas.
He understood now.
This was the turning point.
After deciding to give up on liking Qi Xu, he met the same Qi Xu online, who was also using an alias, and they developed feelings for each other.
So, in reality, he had always liked Qi Xu.
Suddenly, he remembered that post in his Moments that was visible only to himself.
[I deleted Qi Xu from my WeChat contacts. What I once dreamed of, I’ve now deleted on my own.]
[He said he didn’t like me. If he knew his online partner was me, what would he think?]
[Forget it.]
[I hope he likes the roses I sent him, as a thank you for keeping me company during this time.]
[Goodbye, CX330.]
Xie Yang felt a sharp pang in his chest, his eyes dry and aching.
[He sent me many messages. I don’t dare to read them. He knows who I am now.]
[I don’t understand. If he knows it’s me, why does he still want to find me?]
The following diary entries had the date marked prominently, as if it had become an anniversary.
[Qi Xu said he likes me. It’s something I never dared to hope for.]
[We kissed.]
[I still can’t believe this is real.]
[In just that short hour, we kissed countless times. Even I lost count.]
[I hoped he would reconsider, but he said that I was the only one breaking up, and he didn’t agree.]
[In the end, we got together anyway.]
[I want to be in a relationship with him.]
[I think I could never refuse Qi Xu.]
Xie Yang stopped reading at this point.
Following the clues from his diary, he logged into his alternate account and reviewed all the chat history between him and Qi Xu.
For a moment, he didn’t know what to say.
It all felt so dramatic.
But the ending was unexpectedly beautiful.
Being with Qi Xu was an unexpected surprise for him.
When Qi Xu came back, he saw Xie Yang sitting on the bed, his eyes were red, and he looked like he had been crying for a long time.
He hurriedly walked back to the bed, picked him up, wiped his face distressedly, and said, “Did you have a nightmare again?”
Xie Yang shook his head.
He didn’t know how to explain to Qi Xu.
Time travel was too bizarre, he didn’t know how to tell Qi Xu, not to mention he didn’t know if he would suddenly travel back.
Xie Yang lay in his arms, his voice was very light: “Thank you for liking me.”
Let his secret love come to a perfect end.
“Then how do you want to repay me?”
Qi Xu pinched his face, Xie Yang was a little stiff, Qi Xu thought he was just shy.
Xie Yang thought of those diaries, he and Qi Xu would kiss many times every day.
But for him now, it was just that the person he had liked for a long time suddenly became his boyfriend.
Without his knowledge, they had countless experiences of kissing and hugging, and even…
Thinking of this, Xie Yang’s face turned red.
He was now in Qi Xu’s arms, and just hugging made him nervous.
Thinking of the ambiguous traces on his body, Xie Yang swallowed his saliva.
Qi Xu pinched his chin and kissed him: “Why don’t you speak?”
The sudden kiss made him a little overwhelmed, and the violent heartbeat made him confused.
Qi Xu: “So shy.”
Xie Yang’s dazed look made Qi Xu feel very funny, as if he had returned to the time when they were just together.
Qi Xu held the back of his neck and forced him to raise his head slightly.
The gentle kiss continued to fall, fitting and caressing, and gradually became unsatisfied with this, and the gentle kiss became strong and turned into a entanglement between lips and teeth.
Xie Yang did not dare to move or struggle, but just opened his thin lips stupidly and let him bully at will.
Qi Xu didn’t let him go until he couldn’t breathe.
The gentle and lingering kiss continued to fall on his cheek, ear, and all the way down.
Through the clothes, Xie Yang could feel Qi Xu’s burning heat.
Qi Xu’s hoarse voice sounded: “Xie Yang.”
Xie Yang’s face was flushed, and his thoughts were occupied by his kiss. He asked confusedly: “What, what’s wrong?”
Qi Xu: “Don’t worry, as long as it’s you, no matter when you are, I like you very much.”
The author has something to say
I actually haven’t finished writing it. I have been thinking about whether to put a part of the plot in it for a day, but I strained my right neck while taking a shower last night. I want to go to bed!
The last time I ate duck feet, I strained my left neck…
It turns out that the neck is so fragile, light a cigarette.
There are still birthdays and work to write about later. I feel that I should not continue this part. The main reason is that there is a word limit. If I continue to write, I can’t write other things.
This book has a word limit of 250,000 words, and I have to leave a little bit of words for you to write ABO (I will ask the editor if I can write the bonus chapter if it is not on the list. If not, I will change to something else)
I know what type of ABO you want to see, but I won’t tell you (hehe), I will wait until one day I make an ABO for you to see.