1.18 You're So Cruel

Ren Zexi's long eyelashes quivered as he wrapped his arms around Lu Yizhou's broad shoulders. His mind turned blank and all of his nerves were concentrated on the soft sensation on his lips. This was Lu Yizhou's lips...the lips he had always been dreaming about for years….

He couldn't help but kiss the man deeper, gasping. His heart almost exploded from the love and affection within. "I like you, Uncle Lu… I love you, I love you so much… What should I do?"

Lu Yizhou snapped out of his reverie at the sound of Ren Zexi's voice. He pushed the teenager away with too much strength than expected, taking the latter off guard that he stumbled back and fell on his butt. However, Lu Yizhou couldn't care less. His mind was a jumbled mess. Standing up, he covered his mouth with the back of his hand, his furious eyes boring down at the dumbfounded Ren Zexi. "What are you doing?!"

Ren Zexi gaped, flabbergasted. Lu Yizhou seldom raised his tone. He could count how many times the man did in the past eleven years with one hand. Three times. The first time was when he was bullied in elementary school, the second time when they bumped into a gossip paparazzi who wanted to snap a photo of Ren Zexi and the third time in the company. All those times...it was never directed toward Ren Zexi.

His heart trembled. "Why… Why are you so angry?"

Lu Yizhou pressed his lips tight together, his heartbeat increasing in frequency to the point where it hurt. He tried to be cool headed but the memory of the kiss kept on coming back again and again, disrupting his composure. "I have told you before that you're not allowed to kiss me on the lips again! Don't you remember that?!"

Ren Zexi scrambled to stand up, disbelief in his eyes. "Why are you bringing up the past?! I am not allowed to kiss you? Why?!"

[System notification: Warning! Warning! Host's condition is unstable. Please take a rest promptly!]

"You're asking why?" Lu Yizhou scoffed in incredulity and massaged his brows. "Do you think that's a question that should be asked? What the hell is going on with you?"

Hurt and apprehension flashed through Ren Zexi's eyes, so vivid and striking that it sent waves of shock through Lu Yizhou's mind.

[666, what the fuck going on...?!]

However, the system that was usually noisy and lively was nowhere to be found. The only thing that's ringing on his head was a stupid system notification.

[System notification: Warning! Warning! Host's condition is unstable. Please take a rest promptly!]

Ren Zexi took a step back, a layer of mist covering his eyes. His lips quivered violently as a mocking laugh escaped his mouth. "You're seriously asking that when you clearly know my feelings? Lu Yizhou, are you cruel or are you really that clueless? I have even—" He braced himself to lift his head and look into Lu Yizhou's eyes, yet what he found was nothing except extreme shock, anger and a tinge of confusion. In an instant, Ren Zexi's heart sank. "Don't tell me, y—you have no idea at all…? How could this be? Last time, you encouraged me and told me to be more confident about myself!"

"That—" Lu Yizhou held his forehead and leaned on the armchair, his head pounding in pain. "I thought you're talking about someone else…"

"Someone else…?" Ren Zexi's mind turned blank. So, all these while, Lu Yizhou had never known? When he thought that the man finally realized his feelings and would give him a chance, everything was just his own imagination? The happiness he felt when he fantasized about their future, the giddiness, anticipation and bliss, everything was a...lie?

No. He couldn't accept it…

"Zexi, I honestly didn't know—" He let out a long sigh. "You're my family and—"

"Shut up!" Ren Zexi hollered and without giving Lu Yizhou any time to react, slammed the door open and dashed out.

"Ren Zexi!" Lu Yizhou chased after him without thinking. He couldn't leave the teenager alone, not when he's too agitated to think straight.

The hallway was empty and the sound of thumping footsteps came from the direction of the stairs. Lu Yizhou cursed and ran after him, barely catching up when Ren Zexi was already halfway through the stairs. "Ren Zexi, stop right there!"

The commotion they caused in the library had already attracted the servants' attention. Flustered, they went to get Butler An who was already resting in his room. An Kequ instantly rushed over and coincidentally saw Ren Zexi who was running down the stairs with tears streaming down his face.

"What's going on?!" He asked anxiously yet the servants gave no answer except, "Master and Young Master are arguing."

Hearing Lu Yizhou's holler, Ren Zexi indeed halted in his tracks. He clenched his fists tight, eyes blurry with tears.

"Where do you want to go, Zexi?" Lu Yizhou tried hard to regain his breath. Just sprinting for a few seconds was enough to render him breathless. His chest felt so heavy that he couldn't breathe. "It's late already. Come on, if you have something to say, I will listen—"

"What's there to say?!" Ren Zexi cried out amidst the sobs. "I have already said everything I want!" His heart ached with so much pain. He wanted to leave this place right now — anywhere, as long as there was no Lu Yizhou — when the man's next sentence rang out, the content was akin to the last straw which broke the camel's back.

"Ren Zexi, if you still have me as an uncle in your heart, stay right there."

"Ha…" Ren Zexi let out a derisive sigh, the tears that slipped into his mouth were bitter and astringent, washing away the tinge of sweetness he felt earlier during the kiss. "Uncle...? Lu Yizhou ah, Lu Yizhou. You're truly cruel…" His throat constricted painfully and he shouted atop of his lungs, the words that he never meant to say, the words that tore pain straight to the deepest recess of his soul. "From the start, I have never considered you as my uncle, let alone my family!"

After that, he ran down the stairs as fast as he could, disregarding Lu Yizhou's calls and the servants' effort to calm him down. That was, until Butler An's shouts reverberated through the air, filled with so much horror and panic. "MASTER LU!"

Ren Zexi turned around by reflex and the sight in front of him was akin to a bucket of cold water that poured over his head, instantly dousing his anger and sorrow, replacing it with a fear that he had never experienced before.

Lu Yizhou clutched his chest, his brows knitted in pain. His complexion which was already pale to begin with turned ashy and a bluish tinge colored his lips. He gasped out Ren Zexi's name before his legs gave out beneath him.

[System notification: Warning! Warning! The danger of Host's condition has reached past the critical threshold! Recovery operation is in progress. Commencing shutdown in three...two...one…]

In the end, the last thing he saw before everything turned dark was Ren Zexi reaching out toward him with much dread and desperation.