Chapter 7

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4k word hell…everything is 4k…but I figured I needed to complete something at least. Hope you’re not getting comfortable though because my updates are sporadic.

Also, another teaser is up if anyone cares.

Chapter 7, Confession

Ye Zi began thinking about the matters surrounding Hare seriously.

Without a doubt, the two of them should not be coming into contact at all. He himself would be put into considerable danger if Hare’s behavior was exposed, and he might even get dragged in if Hare becomes a suspect. The strongest evidence the police can have are the text messages between the two of them, the phone calls, and their chatlog on QQ. With the so-called “data recovery tools” the police had, they’ll definitely be able to recover the data if he simply deleted them.

So, how will he stop Hare with his extremely stupid behavior? And how will he keep himself from being thrown into the pit as well?

First off, he had to get rid of the chat records between the two of them completely, physically. But how should he do that?

Ye Zi asked on the net and found many adverts that claim to be able to remove the records completely, but none of them seemed trustworthy. So, he took the initiative to contact Hare and told him what he wanted straight out.

Very soon, Hare replied.

Hare: I’m so happy! Ah Zi took the initiative to message me!

Hare: Just trust me. I’ll help you achieve your every wish, so just leave it to me. You don’t have to worry at all.

Ye Zi did not fully believe him, though. What if he was just trying to fool him?

But an hour later, his phone suddenly shut off by itself. When it turned on again, all the texts he had relating to Hare had all disappeared, and the records on his computer were gone as well.

Hare: It’s done ^^

But Ye Zi was still skeptical.

He spent some money to hire a hacker and used an excuse to have them check whether the data was completely deleted. The hacker studied the data for a long time, and his reply was—the person who deleted the data was simply a genius. His work was comparable to actually physically destroying the data. The hacker was unable to find any traces both on his laptop or his phone. Moreover, as soon as the new messages are read, they will automatically be deleted from both of their QQ accounts. Even his phone no longer left any traces.

Ye Zi was really surprised.

But after that, he felt scared and worried.

What kind of person was Hare? How much skill did he really hold as a boy who was only 17? That he could be called a “genius” by the hacker, able to get rid of so many things in just one short hour, ande being able to change the settings even on his phone and laptop?

There was yesterday as well. Quite frankly, when he bought that medicine and came over to take care of him, he actually felt quite grateful to him. However, he actually broke the dorm room’s locks. Could a normal person do that? Wouldn’t they just ask the dormitory caretaker? They wouldn’t try to pry open the door, right?

So…What else did he do, really, that he had no knowledge of?

Dealing with that guy is too dangerous.

For a long time, Ye Zi thought about how he was going to reject him completely without sending that dangerous guy into a rage. What if he gets revenge on him?

He typed down many possibilities, but he deleted all of them.

Then, for some reason, he typed out a single line on his phone: Why are you doing this for me?

Ye Zi wanted to know why he was so unwilling to let go of him, and why he was peeping at him from the back of the classroom. Why did he follow around every day? Why did he bring him food and that umbrella? Why did he take care of him?

However, Ye Zi immediately erased that sentence.

Why?

He was just a high school student. What sort of intentions could he have?

Was this a game for him?

A game of cat and mouse?

That’s seriously bad taste. Even if you wanted to play a game like that, you should be doing it with a pretty girl. Even though that brat was pretty crazy, he’s still pretty good with the ladies.

Unless…Was it the excitement he wanted to gain from the danger of playing this game with him?

Ye Zi finally calmed down and wrote down a large paragraph seriously.

“Hare, I’m very grateful for what you’ve done for me during this time. If what happened in the past never was, then maybe I could’ve seen you as a little brother, but you should know too that both of us are treading on wires. We could fall and be engulfed in the flames at any moment. I think we should stop contacting each other for the sake of our own safety. We need to stop talking. It may not bother you so much, but this matter has caused me fear, worry, and robbed me of sleep. I know that it’s selfish of me to say this, but I have my own circle and the things I want to protect. I just want to live a calm and simple life in the future, maybe get married to my girlfriend after I graduate, find a good job, and support my family. It makes me feel like my sins are taking over me if I have just that slightest connection left with you, so just forget about everything. Go back and focus on your studies. You’re only in your second year, you still have a bright future ahead of you.”

Then, he pressed send.

The second he sent the message, it was automatically deleted from Ye Zi’s phone. But Ye Zi knew that he had received it.

When he thought about how that last sentence felt like a teacher trying to persuade his student away from pursuing his puppy love, he couldn’t help but find it amusing.

This time, Hare did not respond.

However, he no longer sent Ye Zi messages anymore, nor did he appear in the school.

Clearly, Ye Zi’s message worked.

Though Ye Zi would still look behind him out of habit every so often, or peer at the back door of his classroom, and even thought about that black umbrella when it snowed, Hare never appeared. He really seemed to have disappeared.

But of course, that was only what it seemed.

During their winter vacation, his girlfriend went back home. Meanwhile, Ye Zi went to a local company for an internship. The first week was easy, but things got a little busy on the second week. He had transformed into a peon and was now in charge of serving drinks, doing the calculations, working the printers, and translating. Several of his seniors would slack off with their legs folded and throw a few documents to Ye Zi from time to time, which really worked him to the bone.

The busiest hours were from 11 in the morning to 5 in the afternoon, so he rarely had the time to grab lunch. By the time he realized it, it was already two in the afternoon. His stomach was grumbling and he wanted to eat, but his supervisor came again and dumped a bunch of tasks on him.

During one noontime when he was feeling quite depressed, one of his female colleagues put down a lunchbox in front of him and said, “Ye Zi, eat up!”

Ye Zi was already starved to his limits. After opening the box, he scarfed down all of the food and drank up the pickled vegetable egg drop soup in big gulps. He really looked like he was enjoying his meal.

Several of his female colleagues were laughing. “Say, Xiao Ye, your friend is seriously nice to you, huh? He came all the way just to bring you food.”

The first person Ye Zi thought about was Jiang Wen, but that didn’t seem to be possible on second thought. Wasn’t Jiang Wen traveling right now?

Then, Ye Zi looked at the cup of classic milk tea with only coconut jelly in it and his actions stopped.

His female colleagues giggled. One of them said, “Actually, we noticed him a long time ago. As you all know, I sit right next to the window. I see him standing down there quite often, just under that really tall parasol tree, and he’s always looking over. But he’s really easy on the eyes!”

“It’s actually his first time coming to our office today. Gosh, when you look at him up close he’s simply to die for. Is your friend a model? Can you introduce us?”

“Woah, the old cow’s dreaming of grazing that tender grass, huh?”

“Cough! What’re you saying! I think he probably just doesn’t want to disturb you. He kept standing at the front desk with the lunchbox and that girl at the front desk was staring at him till she was cross-eyed! But after that, he told us to heat up the food and bring it to you. I asked him why he didn’t do it himself, but he just smiled.”

“Then he sat on that sofa over there, watching you gobble up the food…”

“He actually just left. I think he must have reached the ground floor now? Hey Ye Zi, do you want to go say hi?”

When he heard that, Ye Zi instantly stood up and went over to the window, looking down.

The office was placed on a prosperous commercial street filled with people and cars coming and going. There was only an old man and a couple basking in the sun under that tall tree. He did not see Hare.

During a night shift, the subway had already stopped running by the time he was heading home. So, Ye Zi could only walk.

He had a deep impression on that night, January 18th. While walking, he felt that someone was following him. Then, the shadow on the wall confirmed his thoughts. Ye Zi felt a little creeped out. Then, he felt something moving slightly at his back. It seemed like someone had unzipped his bag.

He turned his head abruptly, only to see two tall foreign men that looked very aggressive.

“What’re you doing?” Ye Zi asked in a quiet voice while thinking of a way to get away from them.

“Hey bro, why don’t you give us some new year’s money? The celebration’s right around the corner and we’re a bit tight on cash right now. You’re dressed pretty well, buddy. You’ll at least have a few hundred on you, right?”

Ye Zi was just about to blow up on them when their faces suddenly changed.

They were staring at Ye Zi, no, behind him. They were still looking fierce earlier, but now their eyes were wide with dilated pupils. Their mouths were wide open and their behavior seemed uncoordinated, clearly appearing quite scared.

“Haha…We didn’t mean it…We’ll get out of here immediately…”

Then, the two of them turned and ran. They were running in such a hectic fashion that the shoes of one of them actually fell off onto the streets.

Did the police come?

Thinking that, Ye Zi turned around.

However, the only thing behind him was the dim street lights and fluttering snowflakes. Nobody was there.

Another five days passed after that, and Ye Zi saw Hare again. It was on the subway on his way to work.

The trains were always packed to the point of bursting when the clock hits 8.

Ye Zi was luckily able to find a seat and sat down, satisfied, but he was overcome with boredom. Then, he began to observe the passengers around him. There were some elegantly-dressed ladies, sloppy old men, office workers who were still on their phone, and a few children who were giggling happily.

But among all the passengers, he saw a familiar figure standing by the door.

Dressed in a blue-grey western-style uniform with a long grey scarf around his neck and a black shoulder bag, he had a tall figure and pale-colored hair.

Ye Zi’s chest felt tight.

The passengers in the car would move occasionally, and they soon blocked his view.

Ye Zi frowned and turned his head over to look at that person.

Unfortunately, a passenger that was just about to get off went squeezed towards the door, and he was left only being able to see a small trace of the boy at any given moment. Then, he saw him raise his hand to hold the safety handle above. His hand was very fair.

Then, he was able to see half of his head.

Soon, the subway stopped and a gentle female voice sounded:

“We have arrived at XX Station, please leave the train after the doors are fully open. Please mind the gap, thank you.”

By the time the doors closed, the boy had disappeared.

Ye Zi suddenly stood up, walked towards the door, and looked out.

That boy was walking away in the crowd. Then, he took a right and got on the elevator.

That profile was Hare. There was no doubt about it.

But he wasn’t trailing him today. Ye Zi suddenly recalled that Jiang Wen had once mentioned that Hare went to a prestigious private school, and that school really was near here. So, was he just going for his holiday courses? Then it really must be coincidence that he bumped into him.

Ye Zi was finally relieved.

But then, he immediately remembered that if Hare really did go to that school, it took at least 40 minutes for him to get to his campus. And if you add on the walking distance…Maybe an hour? It was so far away, but he still went every day…

Ye Zi shook his head to stop himself from thinking about it.

Then, he would always pay extra attention on his way to work. He realized that he really did meet Hare quite often.

Hare would always be wearing his uniform in the morning, standing by the door with his bag slung over his shoulder, and he would have a pair of earphones on, looking like he was going to fall asleep. He had no idea how he slept at night, but he would often find his hair sticking out at the back. It almost seemed like he never noticed Ye Zi’s existence. He never ever looked in his direction.

Ye Zi really did not understand why Hare was so popular. There were always more female students in whichever car he was in, but none of them ever went to talk to him. They just looked at him from afar. This guy was clearly alone all the time, though. He didn’t look like he had many friends.

There were less people on the subway at night, so Hare would sit in the corner of the car, playing on his phone, listening to music, or sleeping. At first, Ye Zi would change cars whenever he saw him, but since Hare never looked his way, he just let it be. But he would still sit far away from him while he texted his girlfriend.

On the evening of January the 28th, Ye Zi took a quick nap and found Hare sitting just diagonally across from him, also sleeping.

If it was before, then Ye Zi would definitely get the shivers.

However, it might be because he was asleep, or that his face was just too gentle that Ye Zi did not move. He just sat across from him, watching him sleep.

Hare was sleeping with his head inching back slightly. His chestnut hair that looked very soft was sticking to his cheek and there was a light blush at the tip of his nose. His mouth was slightly open as well. With the light shining down on his uniform and grey scarf, it looked nice and fluffy.

There were many moments where Ye Zi thought that his hair shined lightly gold, and that his face was charming and pure. He really looked like…a child, ignorant to the world; like an angel with a halo atop his head. It was a completely healing sight. Girls these days probably liked his type. Gentle, dazzling, tall, handsome.

Looking at that face, Ye Zi couldn’t help but wonder. Maybe everything that happened before was just a joke from God?

But he could only laugh at himself.

Perhaps he was getting infected by the person in front of him as well. Gradually, Ye Zi bean to feel sleepier, and sleepier…

But he couldn’t help it. He really was worked to death during these times. He had to get up so early that it felt worse than the days when he had to prepare for his exams at school. Sometimes he felt like he could even fall asleep standing. But Ye Zi had always been the tense type. No matter how sleepy he was, there was no way he would fall asleep on the subway. It’s just like how some would sleep during their exams, but you wouldn’t even hear a yawn from Ye Zi.

But strangely enough, he actually fell asleep that day.

He slept so soundly that it almost felt like he was floating.

He had many dreams. Familiar ones, unfamiliar ones, dreams that made him sad for some reason, dreams that made him happy. It was all mixed together.

The people around him changed, over and over again, their shadows swaying in the lights.

He had no idea how long had gone by, but his phone rang.

Ye Zi woke up, rubbed his eyes, and picked up without even checking at the caller.

He could hear a lot of noise coming from the other end of the call.

Then, he heard that voice. It was clear and familiar.

“It’s your stop, Ah Zi.”

That person was no longer there across from him, and the doors were open. It really was his stop.

He immediately ran out, panting.

When he put the phone close to his ears again, he heard the noise from the other side again. That noise was in harmony with the sound he heard from his side without any contradictions. Ye Zi knew that he might be calling himself just nearby from here.

And in that crowd, he really did see him.

Hare stood there, ten meters away from him, with his phone to his ear. Passersby would turn to stare at Ye Zi occasionally, but they couldn’t make out his expression.

The soft voice sounded again. “I’m sorry, Ah Zi. I can’t promise you after all. You can tell me to delete any connection we have between us. You can ignore me, scold me, hate me, or even use me however you please. You can tell me to fulfill any one of your wishes, but you can’t tell me to leave you.”

“…”

The cold wind breezed through the subway station, causing his hair to flutter. They were clearly standing so far away, but Ye Zi seemed to be able to see a smile on Hare’s face. “I’ll protect you. I’ll never let any harm come to you. Trust me.”

Hare lowered his voice, and he could detect a hint of hoarseness in it.

“Ah Zi, I like you.”

|TOC|

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