Chapter 52.1
(Do you know how he broke up with his little girlfriend?)
What did Yang Ye mean by that?
Was he asking if he was concerned about the lady liking him, or the fact that he had done those actions just now?
Did he kiss my hair just now?
Although it seems like he didn’t really touch it, since there wasn’t any perceivable sensation…
Gu Liang froze for a moment before he looked towards Yang Ye.
His right leg was in an awful condition from the swell, and he was resting his entire body weight on his left foot. His left hand was gripping on the door frame, his face had a smattering of cuts, and his right arm was an absolute tragedy to look at.
Gu Liang walked up to support his left arm and brought him to the sofa to sit down. “Don’t let it touch water again for the next few days. Rest well. I’m leaving.”
“Hey Gu Liang—”
“Pa!”
The door closed.
* * *
The next morning.
Because of the newly arrived players, the restaurant became a lot noisier.
The entire resting area no longer retained its dead atmosphere, and became full of life and energy.
In the seats close to the window, Yang Ye and Professor w.a.n.g were already getting along like a house on fire.
The two of them were easygoing to begin with. Barely two sentences into their conversation, they had good feelings for each other, like they were close brothers they could share drinks with.
After talking for a long time, Yang Ye looked towards the clock hanging in the main hall. “It’s already ten, and Gu Liang hasn’t come down yet.”
Professor w.a.n.g said: “He likes getting up late. Tsk, you can’t ask much from these young people who sleep late and get up late.”
Laughing, Yang Ye bought Professor w.a.n.g a gla.s.s of body nouris.h.i.+ng fruit juice and personally handed it to him. Then, he said, “Huh, weren’t you talking about the Doctor Xu in your script just now, she and Gu Liang…”
Professor w.a.n.g became enthused: “Right, that matter was quite interesting. She probably took a liking towards Gu Liang, so she double-crossed Scientist Li at the turn of the eye, and even said that Scientist Li was the murderer. On the other hand, Scientist Li probably came to the realisation that she was treating him like a spare tire in the past. Once she found a new target, he immediately became refuse. It’s truly tragic.”
Yang Ye wore an expression that was br.i.m.m.i.n.g with curiosity. “It seems like she really likes Gu Liang?”
Professor w.a.n.g sipped on his coffee, saying: “They just met, there’s no liking or not liking to speak of. It goes without saying that Gu Liang is a handsome individual, and attracting the fancy of girls is a matter of course. However, it’s more probable that Doctor Xu’s main consideration was that his overall quality and prospects was comparatively better. After all, she wants to play this game to the end, and she must have felt that Gu Liang would bring her greater benefits as a partner by comparison. While Scientist Li possesses the EQ, his reasoning and a.n.a.lysis is slightly worse off. Tch…”
Professor w.a.n.g shook his head: “Frankly speaking, she wanted to use her female charm to ingratiate herself to Gu Liang as well, with every intention to make use of him later. Unfortunately, she treated them like idiots and overreached herself. Not only did she fail to leave a good impression on Gu Liang, she even lost her spare tire Scientist Li. In addition to giving away the bride, she lost the army too.”
Yang Ye cooperated with him by nodding his head. “So Gu Liang doesn’t possess any intentions towards her at all?”
“Let alone that kind of intention, a person like him couldn’t even make a friend, to say nothing of having a girlfriend.”
Professor w.a.n.g sighed with emotion: “Truth to be told, I do admire his strength. But that personality of his… It’s terrible.”
It’s fine if he can’t find a girlfriend.
Wouldn’t everything be solved if I dote on him alone?
Yang Ye laughed. He was planning to probe for more information when Professor w.a.n.g peered out of the window, complexion changing as he said: “Hey, we were just talking about them. Why are they both together? Gu Liang and Doctor Xu! That’s in the direction of the garden! Gu Liang, this late sleeper who is unshaken by thunder, he’s strolling the gardens with Doctor Xu early in the morning? I was wrong? Doctor Xu actually holds a high position?”
Strolling the gardens?
What’s going on?
Even I haven’t strolled the gardens with Gu Liang.
Yang Ye propped up his gla.s.ses and gazed out of the window immediately.
* * *
On the other side, Gu Liang’s temples pulsed, constantly feeling like he had a headache.
Today was one of the rare instances where he woke up early. Having considered that Yang Ye’s arm and leg were an inconvenience to him, he wanted to go to the restaurant to pack some food and send it to him.
Who could have expected that just as he stepped out of the door, he would meet Doctor Xu crying like raindrops on pear blossoms at the corridor.
“You were looking for me?”
“Inspector Liu, say, was I wrong? Why am I being isolated? Why is everyone ignoring me?”
Gu Liang did not respond.
Doctor Xu continued to speak: “Everyone is condemning me. That sort of game scenario was oppressive and uncomfortable. And yet I was misunderstood by my teammates. I might as well die! I… All of you don’t care about me any more…”
When he heard that, Gu Liang’s eyebrows were furrowed.
Because he had tried to commit suicide.
He did not succeed because he realised that he wanted to live at the very last moment. He had the desire to live.
When a person who wants to commit suicide tells another person that they want to suicide, it was their body reflexively begging for help.
Hence, Gu Liang coaxed her with a few words: “You’re mistaken. My personality has always been like this, I have the habit of coming and going alone. With regards to Scientist Li, however, I feel that it’s a problem between the both of you. And perhaps, Professor w.a.n.g didn’t find you on his own accord—”
Doctor Xu took a step forward, “My real name is Dong Wan, what’s yours?”
“Gu Liang.”
“Then Mr. Gu, could I… find you to talk? It’s been a few days but no one has spoken to me. The staff in this hotel don’t speak either. I’m really… really very depressed. It isn’t ideal here, could you accompany me for a walk?”
When Gu Liang committed suicide, someone had saved him.
There was no reason to not save the dying in the game either, so he nodded his head and agreed, deciding to accompany Dong Wan in strolling the surroundings of the hotel.
The two of them did not go to the garden, only walking to the end of the long street before turning back to the hotel once they came in contact with the thick fog.
Presently, at the entrance of the restaurant.
Dong Wan tidied her hair. “Thank you for easing my anxiety. I feel a lot better.”
Gu Liang said placidly, “You’re welcome.”
“That, I…” Dong Wan knitted her eyebrows together.
“What’s the matter?” Gu Liang asked her.
The knit of Dong Wan’s eyebrow became even tighter. “I think I caught a slight cold.”
Gu Liang was uncertain about the underlying meaning of her words. He paused for a long moment before he replied in a sincere manner: “Then… Drink more hot water?”
Dong Wan: “……”
Yang Ye approached them from Gu Liang’s back.
Yang Ye was initially wearing a serious expression, armed with the intention to beat down his enemies like an autumn gale sweeping out the fallen leaves. However, just as he reached Gu Liang, he overheard him saying “drink more hot water”.
His steeled and strict expression shattered in an instant as he pinched his nose bridge with his fingers and burst out into laughter.
Gu Liang turned his head back immediately to look at Yang Ye as slight confusion flitted into his gaze. “Why are you here?”
After saying that, Gu Liang scrutinised him for a few seconds. “Isn’t your leg in pain?”
“It’s fine, it doesn’t hurt, it’s not serious. I am capable of strolling the garden with my wife!” Yang Ye hooked his neck, “Have you eaten breakfast?”
Wi… Wife?
Dong Wan froze.
Naturally, Gu Liang’s first reaction was to reject it.
But then he remembered how Yang Ye had used him as a s.h.i.+eld to block an arrow last night.
In the zombie scenario, Yang Ye’s act of saving the beauty had caused the beauty to lose herself in her wild and fanciful thoughts.
But Yang Ye was bent; he could not string a family’s daughter along and he had to break those delusions as soon as possible. Hence, he had called Gu Liang his “wife” in front of said lady.
Needless to say, Gu Liang felt that his situation was completely different from Yang Ye’s.
He did not play the hero to save the beauty, and he did not think that he possessed the ability to make a woman fall in love with him at first sight.
It was just that with Professor w.a.n.g’s opinion of Dong Wan echoing in his ears, Gu Liang did not want to tangle with her over much, to say nothing of the ambiguous and murky layer in the relations.h.i.+ps between a man and a woman. After being mired in it, a lot of things would become incredibly troublesome.
Thus, he glanced at Yang Ye, merely saying: “Your leg is still swollen, what are you strolling the gardens for? Let’s have breakfast first.”
Having said that, Gu Liang followed Yang Ye back to the restaurant, and happened to walk past the wide-eyed Professor w.a.n.g, whose jaw was close to dropping from the shock.
In Gu Liang’s mind, he was a straight man. Moreover, his lack of a romantic relations.h.i.+p had never been in doubt.
But in front of Su Lan, Dong Wan, and Professor w.a.n.g, he had come out of the closet inexplicably.
Despite that, Gu Liang was not overly concerned.
The only thing he wanted to protest was, for which reason was he the “wife”?
* * *
Everyone returned back to the restaurant one after another.
Perhaps because Su Lan had found a fellow sufferer to commiserate with, or that she had found another woman after much difficulty, she started to talk to Dong Wan on her own accord.
Honestly speaking, Yang Ye’s leg was still giving him grief, and once Gu Liang noticed that, he supported him back to the dining table close to the window and the pair sat side by side.
Professor w.a.n.g followed them back to the dining table, seating himself opposite of Yang Ye and Gu Liang while maintaining his jaw dropped expression.
And when Yang Ye briefly conversed with Professor w.a.n.g, it was Gu Liang’s turn to be surprised.
— When did the two of them meet? They were already on such friendly terms after one morning?
After he was done speaking to Professor w.a.n.g, Yang Ye told Gu Liang: “I just ordered a few dishes for you, they should suit your tastes.”
“Thanks.” Gu Liang yawned, “Did you help me order coffee?”
“Is black tea fine? You should drink coffee less.” Yang Ye said.
“Sure.” Gu Liang nodded before he slanted his head to look at the scenery outside the window.
He always had a feeling that the resting area was too silent; quiet to the extent where it did feel like reality.
He understood why now. There were red flowers, greenery, rockery and lakes, but there were no flying birds, nor was there an ant.
The entire world seemed exquisite but it was made from false stage props.
Yang Ye followed his gaze to look outside, “You went out in the morning?”
“Mn. I was walking along the streets.” Gu Liang replied.
“That lady…” Yang Ye asked.
“Just met her in the recent scenario.” Gu Liang gave Yang Ye a sidelong glance, “What about it?”
“Nothing really, why did you go out so early today? I thought you were sleeping.”
“I was going downstairs to buy breakfast but I b.u.mped into her on my way out. She was taking things too hard and wanted to commit suicide, so I shared some of my experiences with her.”
Yang Ye furrowed his brows.
His line of sight lowered, landing on the red cord on Gu Liang’s wrist, and some grimness seeped into his visage.
Gu Liang’s eyebrows arched up.
Yang Ye tried his best to bury the worry in heart. Subsequently, he raised his hand to touch Gu Liang’s hair. “No. I’m not worrying about you.”
Gu Liang eyed him, before he chuckled out of amus.e.m.e.nt.
“What are you laughing about?” Yang Ye asked.
“Laughing at myself. It seems like my temper and personality is really bad.”
For some unfathomable reason, Gu Liang felt a little embarra.s.sed. Someone was worrying about him, but he did not dare to allow him to know about it.
It probably stemmed from the fact that Yang Ye was present when Xun Feng was talking about his psychological problems, and his att.i.tude had been exceptionally awful then.
Very quickly, the server brought their breakfast over.
Gu Liang raised his tea cup, wanting to drink it.
Quick-eyed and deft of hand, Yang Ye moved it away. “Your stomach isn’t the best, eat your breakfast first before drinking the tea. I ordered some noodles for you, it helps with your stomach.”
“Sure. Thanks.” Gu Liang accepted the bowl of noodles. Conforming to his habits, he twirled the noodles around his chopsticks first before he ate it in small bites.
As Gu Liang lowered his head to eat, Yang Ye watched him partaking in his meal from the side.
Yang Ye’s right arm was still in pain. With his left elbow propped on the table and his palm bracing his face, he continued to stare at Gu Liang without straying away once.
— Although Gu Liang Liang looked high and cold, the impression that he gave as they spent more time together was that he was very well-behaved and obedient.
As he continued to stare, Yang Ye suddenly thought of an important question. Thus, he opened his mouth to ask: “Previously you said that… you woke up early today to buy breakfast? Since when did you start waking up so early?”
Gu Liang swallowed a mouthful of noodles and picked up a tissue to wipe his mouth. “You’re being inconvenienced by your leg, no?”
So… he woke up early because of me.
Yang Ye’s heart was on the verge of melting when he heard Gu Liang faintly say: “But it seems like your leg is a non-issue. You can buy it by yourself tomorrow.”
“Buy, I’ll buy it. I’ll send some to you after buying it.” Yang Ye said smilingly.
Gu Liang shot him an incredulous look, then shook his head. “No need. It’s not like I’m injured.”
Yang Ye: “I can’t buy it for you when you’re not injured? You’re making it sound like you didn’t mooch any breakfast from me when we were sharing the same bed in the past.”
Gu Liang: “……”
Professor w.a.n.g almost choked on the mouthful of tea he was drinking.