Chapter 88: Out of Control Photobook (END)
Cheng Zhi Chu stood outside the door and noticed the bad expression on Bai Yi"s face. He suddenly started to feel nervous and secretly felt relieved that Bai Yi didn"t witness him kiss the other soul fragments.
He suspected that he felt this way because he still subconsciously considered them as separate individuals. But like what the system had said before, he shouldn"t think this way. It must start from him and he should treat them all like they are Bai Yi.
Thinking this, Cheng Zhi Chu pursed his lips. He tossed away all the useless thoughts in his mind and then led the others into the house.
His parents saw Cheng Zhi Chu returning with a group of people after only heading outside for a moment and was very surprised. Cheng Zhi Chu gave them the excuse that he had thought of beforehand. He told them that they were friends that he met in a game and had come over to visit him.
"I didn"t expect Zhi Chu to bring back so many friends today. I didn"t prepare enough dishes….." Mother Cheng looked very pleased. She got up and prepared to go back into the kitchen, "Sit down first. I"ll cook up a few more dishes."
"Aunty, thank you for your kindness but you don"t have to worry about us. We have already eaten." Joshua said with a smile. "We are just here for a quick visit. We will be leaving soon."
"Okay then."
Mother Cheng didn"t stay idle. She brought out lots of fruits and snacks and said with a smile: "But you should stay a little longer to accompany Zhi Chu and us. It"s been a long time since our family has been this lively."
"No problem."
Joshua politely responded. Compared to him, the other fragments acted rather awkwardly. It has been a long time since they have interacted normally with ordinary humans.
Cheng Zhi Chu saw that his parents didn"t appear to be surprised by the groom"s and Bai Yi"s similar appearances and secretly let out a sigh of relief. He sat back down next to Bai Yi and quietly whispered a few things to him.
He quickly explained to Bai Yi that he had acquired a new ability from the system that allowed him to temporarily turn the fragments human. It was also prepared to help with Bai Yi"s future integration with his soul fragments.
"I understand." Bai Yi smiled at Cheng Zhi Chu. He said very gently, "Thank you for doing so much for my sake."
Cheng Zhi Chu was a little embarra.s.sed. He also smiled at Bai Yi. Inside, he felt that this was something that he should do for Bai Yi.
But the next second, Bai Yi moved over to his ear. In a low voice, he said: "But I am very jealous, and very angry………..Zhi Chu, you better compensate me later."
As he said this, he placed his hand onto Cheng Zhi Chu"s hand under the table and gently interlocked their fingers.
Cheng Zhi Chu"s face was completely red. He quickly increased the distance between the two and guiltily looked over at his parents. Seeing that they weren"t acting any different, he felt relieved. He wanted to quietly move his hands away, but Bai Yi held tightly onto his hand for a while before finally loosening his grip.
"Go eat."
Cheng Zhi Chu"s face was flushed. He mouthed a few words to Bai Yi and then quickly finished off the rest of his meal. At this moment, everyone present was also about to finish their meal. When they were done, Cheng Zhi Chu and his sister cleaned the table up together.
"Brother, since you"re back you can wash the dishes. You can use this chance to show off in front of your friends." Cheng Ling Ling stuck out her tongue and pushed the job to Cheng Zhi Chu before slipping out of the kitchen.
"You"re pushing it onto me again."
Cheng Zhi Chu felt a little helpless but he had always been spoiling his sister so he couldn"t get angry. He accepted his fate and began to wash up. His mind however was still on the situation outside. Every now and then he would check on the situation. Fortunately, Bai Yi and the others didn"t do anything in front of his parents and nothing happened.
He washed for a while when he heard someone suddenly open the door from outside. Bai Yi rolled up his sleeves and walked in. He smiled and said to him: "I"ll help."
"No need. You"re a guest. How can I make you wash the dishes……."
Cheng Zhi Chu originally wanted to kick Bai Yi out but, with the latter"s insistence, he could only let him do as he pleased. The moment he saw Bai Yi squeeze out half a bowl of detergent, Cheng Zhi Chu couldn"t help but laugh. He patted Bai Yi"s shoulder and said: "Just leave it to me. You probably haven"t washed dishes before?"
After all, Bai Yi"s family background is extremely remarkable. He is a young master that had grown up with a silver spoon in his mouth so he must have never done these ch.o.r.es……
He couldn"t help but start laughing again. It was purely because he found the gap between Bai Yi"s perfect demeanour and his inability to do basic housework cute.
"…………" The handsome man fell silent for a moment. He seemed to realise that the reason he was being laughed at was because he had squeezed out too much detergent, so he poured half of it out into another bowl. He then said, "You can teach me how to clean. I can learn."
"I"ll teach you next time. I"ll wash these up first." Cheng Zhi Chu had a bright smile on his face. Because his hands were wet, he used his arm to gently nudge Bai Yi and gesture to him to move aside, "You can just go and wait outside."
"I don"t want to go out." Bai Yi said. "Did you want me to look at them?"
"But it"s boring watching me clean dishes." Cheng Zhi Chu stood at the sink washing the dishes and responded casually.
"No. As long as I can watch you, no matter what you do everything is interesting."
Bai Yi suddenly moved forward from behind Cheng Zhi Chu and embraced him in his arms. With both his hands on Cheng Zhi Chu"s hands, he gently kissed his ears and said with a gentle voice: "Zhi Chu….."
Cheng Zhi Chu"s face immediately went red. His hands trembled and he almost dropped the bowl into the sink. He panicked and said: "Outside, my parents…………"
"It"s okay. They can"t see."
Bai Yi guided Cheng Zhi Chu"s hand to put down the bowl and turned him around. Like this, he trapped him between himself and the sink. He gently smiled and kissed him on his lips. He held onto the back of Cheng Zhi Chu"s head and deepened the kiss.
Cheng Zhi Chu was both nervous and shy. He closed his eyes and his eyelashes gently trembled. He awkwardly responded to Bai Yi and felt himself immersed with sweetness.
But they didn"t kiss for long when the door to the kitchen once again opened. The two quickly separated and saw that it was Joshua who had come in.
"Why are you here?" Cheng Zhi Chu tried to cover things up with a few coughs. He turned over and didn"t dare look at Joshua directly in his eyes.
"To see what you"re doing. We don"t feel comfortable letting the two of you be alone together." The golden-haired young man smiled, "You should be glad that the person entering is me and that I"ve stopped the others from coming in. If I didn"t………."
He didn"t finish speaking but the meaning in his words was self-evident. He then raised his hand and pointed to his own lips. With curved eyes he said to Cheng Zhi Chu: "You should wait a little before going out. It"s still a little swollen."
"Cough, cough cough………!"
Cheng Zhi Chu"s face turned bright red.
"Don"t tease him." Bai Yi looked at Joshua coldly.
"I was just speaking the truth." The golden-haired young man shrugged, "You should come out soon. I won"t be able to stop them later."
Bai Yi didn"t respond. Joshua also didn"t care. He walked out of the kitchen, returned to his seat and continued to chat with Cheng Zhi Chu"s parents. The atmosphere was very harmonious.
Cheng Ling Ling sat next to Su Ling. She had thought that since Su Ling and herself are of similar ages, they would be able to get along well but, after chatting for a while, she realised that Su Ling"s personality was rather introverted, and he didn"t seem to like communicating with others. Every time she said ten sentences, he would only say one.
He seems to be constantly looking at the kitchen………..
Cheng Ling Ling wasn"t angry. Instead, she watched the teenagers movements with great interest. When she saw that the teenager"s attention was directed to the kitchen, she suspected that he was looking at her brother.
Why does he care so much about her brother?
The young girl muttered. She then grabbed a handful of toffee from the table and gave some of it to Su Ling. "Here, want one? This candy is very good."
Su Ling moved his line of sight. Before he was able to look at her face to face, he had already subconsciously shaken his head. Cheng Ling Ling again pushed the candy over. She smiled and added: "My brother also likes to eat this. You should give it a try."
"………..Thank you."
Seeing the candy in her hand, Su Ling hesitated for a moment. He then reached over to accept them. Holding onto the candy in his hand, he noticed the packaging and couldn"t help but widen his eyes in shock.
In his world, Zhi Chu also liked to eat this toffee brand.
He held tightly onto the toffee. His heart inexplicably started to sting. He slowly removed the wrapping and placed it in his mouth. In an instant, his mouth was filled with its sweet taste.
To him, this taste was too sweet. Like "Bai Yi", he similarly didn"t understand why Zhi Chu liked to eat something so sweet.
……….But did this mean that, no matter where it is, some things cannot be changed?
For example. Zhi Chu always liking the same toffee.
Or for example………The person that he goes out with is Bai Yi, not him.
And it will never be him……..
"Huh? Wh-what"s wrong?"
Cheng Ling Ling saw that the eyes of the boy before her had suddenly turned red and for a moment she didn"t know what to do. She had never seen another boy cry. Why was he crying? Was it because it was too sweet?
If Su Ling hated sweets yet he still ate it because she mentioned that her brother liked it………Does this mean that he has feelings for her brother?
The girl couldn"t help but become vigilant ————-She thought of Gu Zhen. This man also likes her brother.
But even if you wanted to get in a relationship with her brother, it"s not an easy feat. They will need to get through her first. She won"t easily let her brother become someone else"s!
Thinking this, Cheng Ling Ling looked suspiciously at her brothers" friends. She started to feel that they were all dangerous. They all seemed to have bad intentions towards her brother……
Bai Xi Xing who sat not far away suddenly shivered. He had a strange feeling.
Cheng Zhi Chu finished washing up the dishes and came out from the kitchen. He immediately heard his mother once again asking that question.
"Are you all single? Do you have someone that you like?" Mother Cheng smiled and asked the people who arrived later.
"Mum………" Cheng Zhi Chu called out to her. He spoke helplessly, "Stop asking about these things."
He was worried about it possibly triggering something terrible…..
Mother Cheng complained: "What"s wrong with asking? If they don"t want to answer, Xiao Xie and the others can just not reply. I won"t force them."
But even though she said that, her expectant look made it hard for the others to refuse.
"I have someone that I like." Xie Yuan Huai nodded slightly. He quickly glanced over at Cheng Zhi Chu before politely answering.
"Me too." The groom smiled and said, "I am soon to marry him ———-Ouch, what are you doing?" He glared at Joshua who suddenly pinched him. The latter however didn"t pay him any attention.
The groom was about to get angry, but Mother Cheng happily gave him her congratulations, so he didn"t dare explode. He continued chatting with Mother Cheng ——— It is never wrong to please one"s mother-in-law.
"……….Yes, me too." The ghost with the appearance of a young teenager solemnly nodded. At the same time he revealed a depressed look, "But I think he probably doesn"t like me…….."
Mother Cheng saw this and tried to comfort him: "Don"t worry. As such a handsome boy like you, the person that you like will definitely like you too. It"s just a matter of time."
"I also have someone that I like, but it is unrequited."
Joshua smiled. He replied and said: "But I have never asked for him to respond to my feelings. Because I"m afraid of not even being able to be friends."
"How can that be?"
Mother Cheng was surprised. Even Father Cheng who sat to one side and was too embarra.s.sed to join in turned his head over and interjected: "You"re too pessimistic. You can still be friends. Young girls have always been more tolerant towards handsome men. If you don"t believe me, ask Ling Ling."
"Dad!" Cheng Ling Ling cried out.
"No, I"m not being pessimistic. It"s………" Joshua lowered his eyes. His smiled bitterly and said in a small voice, "The person that I like is a man."
The room suddenly quietened down. Cheng Zhi Chu widened his eyes. He looked over at Joshua with a look of disbelief ———– This guy can"t be thinking of confessing to him right in front of his parents?!
"Did I make it awkward for everyone?" Joshua said apologetically. "Sorry, I shouldn"t have mentioned it."
"……….No, of course not. Liking someone is a natural thing. How can we feel awkward?"
Mother Cheng was stunned for a few seconds before she quickly recovered. She patted Joshua"s shoulder and gently comforted him: "You just happened to like someone of the same gender. This isn"t illegal or immoral. It is just instinct. Everyone is equal. No one is qualified to blame you of anything."
Father Cheng nodded. He echoed: "That"s right."
"But like this, you have to consider a lot of things." Mother Cheng said, "You must first figure out whether or not the person that you like can accept you. You also need to take into consideration the environment around you and your family"s response…..It won"t be easy. You should have a long-term plan."
"Yes, that"s right." Father Cheng added.
"Uncle, aunty, you……" Joshua appeared to be moved. He asked, "Don"t you think that I"m………."
"We are not old-fashioned people." Mother Cheng smiled and said, "In our opinion, it doesn"t matter whether you like the same gender or the opposite gender. It doesn"t matter if you don"t want to get married or have children. The most important thing is to be happy. It"s not like they"re criminals. Their decisions should be respected."
"Your aunt is right." Father Cheng nodded."
"You really think this?" Cheng Ling Ling sat up. She said with surprise, "Mum, I"ve always thought that you trusted the media."
"As long as the conditions are right, I am willing to help make a difference. This isn"t something that surprising. Stop overreacting." Mother Cheng poked her daughter"s forehead.
"No, I just found it strange. You have never told brother and I about it."
Like his sister, Cheng Zhi Chu was also very surprised. At the same time, he was moved. His heart felt very warm inside.
Although he had only just gotten together with Bai Yi and had not had the time to consider what his family"s reaction would be, he was indeed subconsciously worried about it and would intentionally avoid his parents. He had never thought that his parents would be so open-minded.
It looks like, as long as his parents approve of Bai Yi, they would allow them to be together. From the looks of it, his parents seemed to like Bai Yi so that wasn"t a problem at all.
"Thank you, uncle and aunty."
The golden-haired young man revealed a moved expression. He then turned around and winked at Cheng Zhi Chu with a grin on his face. Seeing this, Cheng Zhi Chu understood. Joshua was deliberately acting to test out his parents" att.i.tude towards h.o.m.os.e.xuality.
The other"s also fell into deep thought. Time pa.s.sed by quickly and it was already late. Cheng Zhi Chu, Bai Yi and the others left and planned to stay the night at a hotel owned by the Bai family.
Because he was worried that something could happen, Cheng Zhi Chu also decided to stay at the hotel for the night. After telling his family that he wanted to catch up with his friends, his parents naturally didn"t refuse.
Under Bai Xi Xing"s arrangement, they occupied the top floor of the hotel and each had their own rooms. Cheng Zhi Chu"s room was in the middle of all the rooms.
Cheng Zhi Chu finished showering and he walked out of the bathroom while drying his hair. Standing at the window, he appreciated the night view. Just when he was contemplating over whether or not he should check on the situation outside, the system suddenly appeared. It spoke joyfully:
【The photobook is finally fixed. You can now once again store the soul fragments inside. Go to their rooms now and kiss them!】
Bai Yi"s Diary (Part 88)
Tonight probably won"t be very peaceful. I plan to go find Zhi Chu later and sleep with him but I am certain that the other "me""s would also have the same idea.
Bai Xi Xing"s Diary (Excerpt)
I don"t know if Junior Cheng is worried about things like this. For example, after getting together with my cousin, the elders in the family would throw credit cards with tens of millions at his face and force him to leave my cousin.
But in reality, this is something that won"t happen——-The elders in the family have already come to an agreement. With my cousin"s personality, he would definitely live his entire life alone. (Cousin is too restrained. Apart from me, no one else in the family knew about his feelings for Junior Cheng. He would always show a cold and indifferent look.) Now that there is suddenly someone who is willing to spend their entire lifetime with my cousin, they would probably tearfully shove credit cards with hundreds of millions in Junior Cheng"s hand and beg him not to leave my cousin.
And the money matter is easy to negotiate. If several hundred million isn"t enough, they can give him more.
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KK has something to say:
I"m getting second lead syndrome because of Joshua……