Translator: StormFrost

Editor: Misogi

Illusory Reality [5]

Bare bottomed, Zhou Yi, whose swimming trunks had been pulled off, climbed out of the water and chased Chen Liguo. After catching him he carried Chen Liguo back to the pool. Then as Chen Liguo yelled miserably, he threw him into the swimming pool.

Zhou Yi stood outside and laughed heartily. He taunted, "Chen Liguo, look, haven’t you lost something?"

Chen Liguo looked down and found that his trunks were gone. He said angrily, "Give it back——"

Zhou Yi beamed at him and flung around the trunks in his hand. He refused, "Not giving."

Chen Liguo yelled, "Ahhhhhhh!"

Zhou Yi said, "Call out a ’Husband’ for me to hear and I’ll give it back to you."

Chen Liguo fell silent for a moment then raised the pitch of his voice and said, "Husband, if you want it then why not say it sooner. If you don’t tell me how is this one supposed to know you want it. Hus-ban-d"

Zhou Yi’s level was clearly not as high as Chen Liguo’s because after hearing Chen Liguo’s voice he felt a layer of goosebumps appear on his body. He said, "Who did you this learn from?"

Chen Liguo successfully got back his little pants and after putting them on, he said, "Self-taught ah."

Zhou Yi laughed.

The two played the entire day. At night Zhou Yi sent Chen Liguo home on the bicycle. Chen Liguo held Zhou Yi’s waist and thought, ’Zhou Yi’s waist is so thin ah, his back is so wide ah, hugging him feels so good ah.’ Then he thought and thought and nearly fell asleep, almost falling from the bike.

Zhou Yi was given a scare by Chen Liguo’s actions. He asked, "What are you thinking? Sit steadily."

Chen Liguo wiped away the saliva from his mouth and mumbled, "Almost fell asleep."

Hearing this, Zhou Yi said helplessly, "How can you fall asleep even like this."

Chen Liguo said, "Isn’t this pretty good....."

The corner of Zhou Yi’s mouth curved up.

After winter break was the intense second year.

The first string of the basketball team was usually made up of first years and second years in their first semester as the pressure to study was relatively low and some time could be squeezed out for training but once the second semester began for the second years it was different. The whole grade’s atmosphere would suddenly become inhibited.

The high school that Chen Liguo attended was one of the best in the city. Because it was the best, some students with particularly good results would be given free tuition or even gain subsidized living expenses.

The original world’s Chen Liguo had occupied such a position, otherwise he would not have had the opportunity to go to school.

When school began Zhou Yi asked Chen Liguo if he was going to retire from the basketball team.

Chen Liguo thought about it then said that he wasn’t. Going to play occasionally was still alright.

Zhou Yi asked, "Your mother doesn’t have any objections?"

Chen Liguo said, "No ah."

Zhou Yi said, "That’s good then."

When he visited Chen Liguo’s home last time he felt that Chen Liguo’s mother greatly cared about her child’s education. He didn’t expect that she would be so tolerant on this matter.

Chen Liguo said with a laugh, "My mom is really great." Even though his parents often told him to study properly they would not force him to do anything. In their opinion, the path he took was his own choice. So long as he didn’t regret it later what he decided to do now was his own business.

Chen Liguo felt proud of having such parents.

After school commenced once again the atmosphere in the classes also became tense. Teachers of various subjects left nothing untried to take up the time of other classes. What music class ah, what phys ed class ah? Any class that could be taken over was taken over.

In the same way, students were also required to attend self-study classes at night. With the exception of those who lived particularly far away.

Chen Liguo had been on tender hoods because he had been inexplicably kidnapped before. However, after a long time passed without anything happening, he relaxed.

He thought that the person must have caught the wrong man. If not, why would they bring him back without doing anything?

As a result, Chen Liguo once again used himself to prove what ’having such bad luck that one could even get food stuck between their teeth drinking water’ was not long later.

It was a bit late when school finished today. After class they went to play basketball for half an hour.

After playing Zhou Yi had even asked Chen Liguo if he wanted him to send him home but Chen Liguo said, "No need, I’ll just take the bus."

Zhou Yi said, "Then be a bit more careful."

Chen Liguo responded, "En." magic

The two bid farewell at the school gate and Chen Liguo watched as Zhou Yi’s figure disappeared at the end of the road.

There were no people left at the school gate at this time. Chen Liguo chatted with the system.

The system didn’t have to look at mosaics recently, so its temper was a lot better. It told him that ’If you were like this a long time ago then we wouldn’t be how we are now.’

Chen Liguo asked, "So, how exactly are we now?"

The system said, "We could have been friends."

Chen Liguo asked, "Then what are we now?"

The system faintly spewed out three words, "Father and son."

Chen Liguo who usually took the lead to call the system ’Daddy’ found that he really couldn’t refute......

As the two chatted jovially, Chen Liguo heard the system suddenly warn: "Careful!"

Chen Liguo was stunned. He turned and saw a car rush over in his direction. This scene felt too familiar, so much that his body couldn’t react and he was rooted in place.

Fortunately, in this critical moment, the system took over Chen Liguo’s body.

It directly controlled Chen Liguo and made him jump behind the bus stop. The car brushed Chen Liguo’s legs then with a ’bang’ ran into the bus sign.

Chen Liguo fell to the ground, his face covered in cold sweat. His entire body was limp, unable to stand up.

The driver immediately got out of the car, his face also covered with sweat. He asked, "Student, are you all right?"

"How do you drive?" Chen Liguo exclaimed angrily. "If I had moved just a little slower I would have been killed by you!"

The driver grimaced and said, "I’m sorry, I’m sorry. It was my fault. Something went wrong with my car’s brakes. I’m really sorry."

Chen Liguo scolded a few more words angrily.

The driver hurriedly called the police and ambulance.

Chen Liguo calmed down and began to feel pain from his left thigh. The side of his leg was snagged by the car earlier. His pants were already ripped and a large amount of blood was spilling out. Evidently, he was injured.

The driver kept apologizing at the side.

The crash attracted a lot of people’s attention. Chen Liguo saw that the drivers of several cars were peering over.

Chen Liguo hurt so much that he was covered in cold sweat. As a result the heavens were also against him. The originally clear sky began to rain lightly and it was unknown when the ambulance would arrive.

The driver stood next to him with a distressed expression, wanting to stop a car to take Chen Liguo to the hospital first. In the end, he tried for a long time but didn’t see anyone stop.

Chen Liguo was already in so much pain that he was becoming a little delirious. The system could block his pain in the previous world but it couldn’t in this one. Chen Liguo became a little dizzy and had a hard time keeping his eyes open.

In the midst of his dizziness Chen Liguo felt someone pick him up and put him in the car.

He was a little uneasy at heart but his eyelids were too heavy and he couldn’t open them at all.

Chen Liguo woke up the next day surrounded by a thick disinfectant smell.

He didn’t expect that the first person he’d see upon waking would be Zhou Yi.

Zhou Yi was in the middle of cutting an apple for him. Seeing him wake up he asked lightly, "Up?"

Chen Liguo hoarsely asked, "How come you’re here?"

Zhou Yi asked, "Why can’t I be here?"

Chen Liguo asked, "You’re not going to school?"

Zhou Yi said, "Can school be more important than you?"

Chen Liguo thought, ’Big Brother your mouth is too sweet, you know how to speak too well.’

Zhou Yi asked, "How did the accident happen?"

Chen Liguo also felt that this was an unexpected disaster and angrily explained the driver’s story in a nutshell.

Listening to this, Zhou Yi frowned, "Brakes didn’t work? The chance of that is too low."

Chen Liguo said, "I think so too."

"Right." Zhou Yi suddenly said, "Do you know the guy who brought you to the hospital?"

Chen Liguo asked, "Who?"

Zhou Yi observed Chen Liguo’s expression and found that he looked bewildered. This expression wasn’t false. He wondered if it could it be a coincidence, but if it was, then it was too coincidental. He said, "Lin Zhaorong...... Do you recognize this name?"

Chen Liguo was still confused. He shook his head, "Don’t know it ah."

So Zhou Yi briefly described Lin Zhaorong’s look. Chen Liguo wondered why Zhou Yi cared so much about this man. He asked, "What’s up with this person? Does he have something to do with my car accident?"

Zhou Yi said, "No..... He....." He seemed to want to speak but was hesitant.

Chen Liguo rarely saw Zhou Yi so hesitant. He asked, "What in the world is the matter? Say it ah."

"It’s nothing." Zhou Yi said. "It’s just I know him. I didn’t expect that it would be him who brought you to the hospital, such a coincidence."

Chen Liguo intuitively felt that Zhou Yi was hiding something. However, seeing Zhou Yi’s expression, it was clear that he wouldn’t be able to make him give away anything.

So Chen Liguo simply went to the system and asked if it had seen the Lin Zhaorong that Zhou Yi spoke of.

The system was very straightforward and said, "Saw ah."

Chen Liguo probed, "Ah?"

The system said, "You’ve met him twice."

Chen Liguo: "...... Who?"

The system said, "He struck up a conversation with you at the bus stop the first time you went home. He drove a Cayenne."

Only then did Chen Liguo dimly remember.

The system said, "The second time was when he kidnapped you. They drove a Rover."

Chen Liguo: "......"

The system said, "The third time is today."

Chen Liguo asked, "What did they drive?"

The system said, "A Grand Cherokee."

Chen Liguo shed a tear and thought, ’My family’s system really is different from those pretty and cheap goods outside, the focus of concern is actually what kind of car others drive.’

Chen Liguo asked, "So, which brand do you like best?"

The system said, "You can’t afford any that I like."

Chen Liguo: "...... Dad, Son has been unfilial ah."

However, this matter of him meeting Lin Zhaorong three times really was beyond Chen Liguo’s expectations.

Chen Liguo tentatively asked Zhou Yi, "This Lin Zhaorong, what sort of person are they?"

The apple in Zhou Yi’s hand was already peeled. He cut it into chunks and started feeding it to Chen Liguo. He said, "Him? He’s not a good person to provoke. Especially recently......"

Chen Liguo asked, "What happened recently?"

Zhou Yi lightly said, "This person has been a lunatic recently."

Hearing this Chen Liguo’s heart was alarmed. He felt as though he had provoked someone he shouldn’t.

Zhou Yi asked, "Why do you ask this?"

Chen Liguo chewed the apples as he vaguely said, "Curious."

Zhou Yi sighed and said, "You really shouldn’t be interested in him."

Chen Liguo thought that this apple was both crisp and sweet, so he asked him where he bought the apple from.

Zhou Yi said that it was brought over from his house. Chen Liguo said to bring him some other fruits too. Zhou Yi said that he had never met someone as shameless as him.

Chen Liguo said, "Husband, you’ve already seen this one bare yet don’t want to take responsibility for this one."

Zhou Yi said, "What does seeing count for? Only after one’s been eaten can they be counted as my own person."

Chen Liguo continued, "Come then, don’t pity this delicate flower of mine."

Seeing this Zhou Yi laughed and the haze between his brows dispersed quite a bit. He said, "Guoguo, I told you to be careful."

It was still alright when he didn’t mention it but as soon as he did Chen Liguo remembered the last time he had encountered an accident Zhou Yi had also told him to be careful.....

Chen Liguo: "I feel that my beloved Yiyi has gotten a terrible curse."

The system asked, "What curse?"

Chen Liguo said, "An as soon as he says I need to be careful, I will encounter an accident curse."

The system said, "Yama wants you to die at midnight, you won’t live past dawn?"

Chen Liguo: "......" Big brother, how do you want me to answer these words of yours.

After Chen Liguo finished eating the apple, his father, who completed all the hospital procedures, returned. Seeing that Chen Liguo was awake and had a good complexion, he said, "You, not being careful. Your mother’s crying miserably yet you’re still here eating apples."

Chen Liguo opened his big eyes and sobbed, "Dad, I’m hungry."

His father immediately renounced his sermon and said, "Hungry? I’ll get you some food. What do you want to eat? Would you like some soup?"

Chen Liguo felt that having a father was wonderful so he said anything was fine. His father turned and left to buy him some food.

Chen Liguo had always thought that he had only suffered a minor skin injury. Later he heard from Zhou Yi that his injury wasn’t light at all. He had bled too much and if he weren’t sent to the doctor in time perhaps he would have died midway.

Looking at it this way, it seemed like that person named Lin Zhaorong had saved his life.

Zhou Yi seemed to sense what Chen Liguo was thinking. He sighed and said, "Don’t think about thanking him. Stay further away from him if you meet him in the future..... Chen Liguo, I’m not joking with you."

Chen Liguo asked, "What kind of person is he really?"

Zhou Yi said, "Not a good person." He stopped here and henceforth wasn’t willing to say more.

Chen Liguo was helpless and could only switch the topic.

Later, Chen Liguo’s mother came. Upon seeing Chen Liguo she began to cry, saying that this child, he didn’t let people be at ease at all. He really scared them to death.

Chen Liguo was held in his mother’s arms and felt that even though he was injured he was still very happy......

The next few days Zhou Yi would come to see Chen Liguo after school, along with his classmates and members of the basketball team.

All in all, the person in the ward was not given up on.

It was Chen Liguo’s first time thinking that he could still be so happy even while being injured.

According to the doctor, though Chen Liguo didn’t injure his muscles or bones he still needed to rest for a few months and had to sit in a wheelchair after being discharged.

As soon as he heard this Chen Liguo said with a trembling voice, "Doctor, I want to play basketball."

The doctor stared at him and said, "It just so happens that the Paralympics Games are going on right now. How about you strike while the iron is hot and saw off your leg and go play basketball there?"

Chen Liguo: "......." How come doctors these days were so savage.

The doctor said, "Don’t think about playing too much while recuperating. If you really play and break something it’ll last a lifetime."

Chen Liguo said, "Okay okay okay."

The doctor said, "Okay what?! Are you still going to play basketball?"

Chen Liguo: "...... Not playing anymore, I was wrong."

Only then did the doctor snort and turn away.

Chen Liguo looked at her graceful back and thought that if he weren’t GAY, he’d definitely want this kind of girl.

After learning about what Chen Liguo was thinking the system sneered at him and said, "And you said that you’re not a trembling M."

Chen Liguo exclaimed, "You even know what a trembling M is?"

The system said, "I even know what trembling S is ne."

Chen Liguo: "......" It seems that these journeys have changed both of us a lot.

Chen Liguo stayed in the hospital for a dozen of days before he was discharged. Chen Liguo, who loved studying, profoundly felt that he had been left behind by the times. He was determined to invest even more effort into studying to catch up to everyone.

Chen Liguo said, "System, the midterms are coming up, are you ready?"

System: "......"

Chen Liguo asked, "Do you want to eat fruit? Would you like some milk? Do you need a Life No. One?"

The system said, "I need you to shut up."

Chen Liguo: "......"

After he was discharged, Chen Liguo returned to his class and was warmly welcomed by his classmates.

In particular, the class representative for their English class who often urged him to finish his homework cried and said that she would never urge Chen Liguo to hand in his homework again. She was afraid to leave a regret in Chen Liguo’s life.

The system had nothing to say to her.

Ever since Chen Liguo’s car accident his father came to pick him up from school every day. One reason was because his legs were inconvenienced and the second was his mother who was afraid that something would happen to him again.

Chen Liguo said that ’I’m not so vulnerable, I’m very strong. It was just an accident.’

His parents and Zhou Yi both expressed: If you were strong enough you would not have been in a car accident.

The driver who had hit Chen Liguo had a very good attitude. He paid for both his medical and nutritional costs. After the police checked they found that the brakes of his car really weren’t working properly, causing such an accident to occur. Fortunately, the consequences were still within the tolerable range.

Chen Liguo was regarded as porcelain and was protected like this for a few months.

When summer break was nearing Chen Liguo’s legs were just about as good as they were before.

He enjoyed first-class treatment for the past few months. Zhou Yi would even push him to the washroom when Chen Liguo needed to go. At first Chen Liguo had been a little embarrassed. Later, he was mocked by Zhou Yi a few times and calmed down.

Zhou Yi said, "Everything that should and shouldn’t be seen has already been seen by me, what is there for you to be embarrassed about?"

Chen Liguo said, "What have you seen that shouldn’t be seen?"

Zhou Yi sighed, "Ai....."

Chen Liguo: "....." It’s very easy to lose my friendship with a sigh like that you know?

The Lin Zhaorong that Zhou Yi spoke of did not appear before Chen Liguo. In fact, Chen Liguo was in a twitter for several months but after seeing that nothing had happened he began to think that Lin Zhaorong would not come again.

However, one day when summer break was about to start, something cropped up for Chen Liguo’s dad and he couldn’t come pick him up. While waiting for a taxi at the school gate he saw a face that he couldn’t really remember too well anymore.

"Are your legs fine?" There was a Porsche sports car parked behind Lin Zhaorong. Chen Liguo looked at it carefully but unexpectedly couldn’t recognize the model. He asked the system, "H-how much is it?"

The system sighed deeply and said, "Don’t ask. You can’t afford it anyway, why do you want to hurt yourself?"

Chen Liguo: "....." Sounds reasonable.

Lin Zhaorong found it a little funny. He didn’t expect for this boy to be so easily distracted. He said, "Chen Liguo?"

Only then did Chen Liguo return to his senses. He asked, "Ah? What did you ask just now?"

Lin Zhaorong patiently repeated, "I asked if your legs are fine now."

Chen Liguo said, "They’re fine they’re fine. Thank you for sending me to the hospital."

Lin Zhaorong said, "En, I just happened to come across you and sent you over."

Chen Liguo said, "Oh, if there’s time I’ll treat you to a meal!" He just said this casually, thinking that this man was so rich, he wouldn’t need to rub a meal off of him.

As a result, Lin Zhaorong, this man, was especially good at climbing up the offered pole and after hearing Chen Liguo’s words, his next sentence was, "It’s better to run into an auspicious day than to choose one, I have time today, how about we eat together?"

Chen Liguo wanted to find an excuse to push it off but heard Lin Zhaorong say, "You skipped self-study class, presumably you don’t have anything you need to do."

Chen Liguo: "......"

Thus Chen Liguo depressedly got onto the car.

Lin Zhaorong saw his appearance and found it a little funny. However, he did not intend to let Chen Liguo slip away, so he simply started the engine.

When they arrived at the restaurant Chen Liguo silently touched his wallet. He felt that his wallet might become deflated.

When he sat down inside and saw the prices on the menu he felt that it wasn’t a matter of his wallet being deflated or not but a matter of selling a few kidneys......

There was a laugh in Lin Zhaorong’s eyes. In a single breath he ordered a dozen dishes.

Chen Liguo said, "Can the two of us eat so much......"

Lin Zhaorong said, "We can, the portions here are small."

Chen Liguo touched his stomach and thought: Kidney, I am going to lose you......

Lin Zhaorong asked, "What? Reluctant?"

Chen Liguo said with an expression full of a strong sense of righteousness, "Not at all ah. You saved my life, what does a meal count for?"

So Lin Zhaorong called the server over and said to open a bottle of Lafite.

Chen Liguo’s tears almost fell out. He thought, ’Big brother, you might as well take my life.’

Lin Zhaorong said, "My name is Lin Zhaorong. You probably know already?"

Chen Liguo took a sip of water and thought that this expensive restaurant really was different. Even the water tasted so good.

Lin Zhaorong said, "I also know what your name is. Chen Liguo, it’s a very cute name."

Chen Liguo drank all the water. His brain was filled with bills. He couldn’t even hear what Lin Zhaorong was saying.

Lin Zhaorong evidently also noticed that Chen Liguo was absent-minded and said a little helplessly, "Enough, you don’t need to pay the bill. Don’t think about your wallet anymore."

Chen Liguo asked, "Really?"

Lin Zhaorong said, "Really."

Chen Liguo immediately rolled up his sleeves and said, "Waiter, bring the menu for me to look at again!"

Lin Zhaorong: "......" You’re really something, Chen Liguo.

The Author has Something to Say:

The promised meat will be written but it’s uncertain as to when. It should be soon I guess. I’ll say when I’ve written it. Happy Mid-Autumn festival everyone! Xi Zixu is sweet today as well ne (surprise)

Thank you darlings for the mines, grenades, and rockets. Special thanks to dear XiaoZhuZi’s deep-water torpedo. Thank you lululu!!! =3= A Muah.

StormFrost: Sorry guys I’m going to need to cancel Tuesday’s chapter. Suddenly got a headache yesterday and it’s just gotten worse today, I’m hoping it’ll pass soon. I’ll see you all with chapter 140 on Saturday May, 9