When You Zhengping had drunk the water, he didn’t know what he ought to say, so he stared blankly at Yu Hua, his expression foolish. 

You Zhengping had been like this when they had been dating, always zoning out looking at Yu Hua. Yu Hua had felt awkward at the time and had pretended not to notice You Zhengping looking at him. He would either look at the directions on his phone, or crouch over his computer pretending to be busy with work, or send his subordinates messages, resolving some small issues there was no need to deal with outside of the working day, giving himself a very awesome and professional look. 

He enjoyed You Zhengping’s gaze but was unwilling to confront his own true inner vanity, so he could only cover up his expression with other things, looking unflustered, making You Zhengping praise him even more adoringly: “You’re so professional!” 

At times like these, Yu Hua would usually answer modestly, “Just trifles, nothing important.” 

He would give a subdued and restrained smile, but inside he would be as pleased as though a hundred fireworks were going off in his heart. 

Now, seeing You Zhengping’s expression just the same as it had been at the beginning, Yu Hua’s hand holding the paper cup tightened, and the cup wrinkled. 

Yu Hua tossed the paper cup in the garbage and stroked You Zhengping’s forehead. “Are you dizzy?” 

“A bit.” You Zhengping wasn’t lying. Anyone who’d spent an hour not moving while pretending to be unconscious would be a bit dizzy.

“I’ll call the doctor.” Yu Hua pressed on the call button at the head of the bed, and soon the doctor on duty came over. 

As usual, there was an examination; as usual, there was nothing much the matter. He could leave the hospital in the morning. One week of light foods to reduce the burden on the liver and kidneys, and that would be it. 

Both of them knew why they were in the hospital, and both knew they had to pretend not to know anything and ask about it, but they were both unwilling to be the first to speak. 

The first to speak would be the first to pretend to be clueless and lie to his husband. Neither wanted to actively dupe the other. They were each waiting for the other to ask first, but this led to neither of them speaking. 

The atmosphere in the hospital room became awkward. You Zhengping looked at Yu Hua, licked his dry lips, and was about to say something, when the hospital room door opened and Cen Xiao walked in. 

“You’re finally awake.” Cen Xiao was carrying health-restoring congee. “Have some congee to warm up your stomachs.” 

Yu Hua’s gaze fell on Cen Xiao’s pants. These were army green slacks, and he was wearing black sneakers, different from the handsome uncle. 

Naturally Cen Xiao had changed into different clothes from the ones he had been wearing at the amusement park, and he had taken off the nanotech mask, restoring his own features. He had been worried that You Zhengping wouldn’t be able to lie to Yu Hua, so when the interrogation had ended, he had rushed over to the hospital. 

As he carried over the congee, he said, “You two really are unlucky. You arrange to go on a nice date, and you run into wanted criminals being arrested. Of course that’s because you chose a bad place. That amusement park that a bird wouldn’t shit on is very dangerous.” 

With Cen Xiao leading the way for the two of them, You Zhengping said, “What wanted criminals?” 

“Don’t you guys remember what happened at the amusement park?” As he spoke, Cen Xiao deliberately avoided You Zhengping, fixing his gaze on Yu Hua. 

Yu Hua took the bowl of congee, tested the temperature, then fed You Zhengping a spoonful. As he fed him the congee, he said to You Zhengping, “I don’t know what happened. It feels like one second we were at the amusement park with bubbles all around us, and the next second I was waking up at the hospital.” 

“Me too.” You Zhengping avoided his husband’s line of sight as he ate. 

When these words had been spoken, Cen Xiao could explain. He told the two of them that the drug squad had been carrying out a secret operation to arrest a gang of vicious drug dealers. The bubbles hadn’t been let out by the already closed down amusement park; they had been the doing of the criminals. There was a hallucinogen in the bubbles, so whatever they had seen before they had fainted or while they had been unconscious, it had all been a hallucination.

“Bubbles can hold drugs?” Yu Hua asked. 

“I’m only an auxiliary police officer. This is as much as I can know about. The rest is confidential. Modern technology develops so fast, any kind of biological weapon is possible, right?” Cen Xiao said. 

He was only responsible for explaining this much. For the rest, he didn’t know anything, and if he was asked, then it was confidential and he wasn’t allowed to talk about it. 

“Oh, I see,” said Yu Hua. “Before I fainted, I vaguely saw Xiao You…like some kind of trained solider, aiming a weapon like a cross between an arrow and a gun at me. That must have been a hallucination.” 

“A hallucination, definitely a hallucination.” At Yu Hua’s questioning gaze, Cen Xiao’s forehead broke out in cold sweat. 

You Zhengping gave a dry laugh. Hugging Yu Hua’s arm, he said, “Of course it was a hallucination. How could I hurt you?” 

“Of course you wouldn’t,” Yu Hua said confidently. 

Hearing his firm tone, You Zhengping suddenly felt distressed. He quickly picked up the bowl of congee and said, “You’ve been feeding me this whole time. You haven’t eaten any yourself.” 

Yu Hua took the bowl and said as he ate, “You and Cen Xiao are both auxiliary police officers. Did you have any general idea about this business?” 

“Hahaha, how could I?” Cen Xiao scrambled to say before You Zhengping could open his mouth. “I only found out when the police bureau notified me that you’d been injured.” 

Since they had both been injured simultaneously, the police bureau or the hospital would have to notify their relatives or friends. As You Zhengping’s best friend and an irregular employee of the police bureau, it was very suitable for Cen Xiao to be notified. 

“Really? You’ve always worked in the same place, even after changing jobs. I thought that if you knew something, then Xiao You would know it, too. I’ve always thought the two of you were hiding some little secret from me,” Yu Hua said casually. 

Cen Xiao sucked in a breath and smiled awkwardly, saying, “Haha, when you say it like that, I feel like you’re jealous.” 

“I’ve always been a little jealous,” Yu Hua said directly. “I thought you knew.” 

Cen Xiao truly couldn’t bear the pressure inside the room. Just helping his brother cover some things up, he was already feeling guilt and shame towards Yu Hua. As a primary party, he didn’t know how much of that You Zhengping would have to bear. 

“I’ll leave you two to rest. Call the doctor if you need anything. I’ll come to pick you up from the hospital in the morning and take you to sign confidentiality agreements at the police bureau on the way.” 

Cen Xiao left, and only the melancholy husbands remained. You Zhengping swallowed and said to Yu Hua, “I didn’t think you’d be jealous of Cen Xiao, haha.” 

Yu Hua stroked his head and gently said, “How could I be? I was joking.” 

Liar! You Zhengping accused inwardly, but on the surface he still had to act like he didn’t know. “I knew you wouldn’t be. I’m a little tired. I’m going to sleep. Why don’t you go back to your hospital room?” 

“You know that we aren’t in the same hospital room?” Yu Hua asked uncertainly, tilting his head. 

You Zhengping: “!!!”

“Isn’t there only one bed in this room?” You Zhengping said dryly in explanation. 

“You’ve observed it pretty carefully,” Yu Hua said, getting up. “I’ll go and rest, too. Press the call button if you need anything. See you tomorrow.” 

He bent down and kissed You Zhengping’s face, then quietly left the observation room, considerately closing the door. 

As soon as Yu Hua left, You Zhengping fished out his phone at top speed and sent Cen Xiao a message: I’m so sad. 

Cen Xiao: What’s the matter? Yu Hua looked very concerned about you. 

You Zhengping: He trusts me so much, but I’m always lying to him. I feel awful. If this continues, I might not hold out and tell him the truth. 

Cen Xiao: Many people working for State Security or the Intelligence Department will go their whole lives without telling their family their identity. Some people are only identified years after their death.  

You Zhengping: …

Cen Xiao: You’re not only part of the security department, you’re also a special ability user. Could an ordinary person accept that? He doesn’t even know what a special ability is.

You Zhengping: I don’t know what the best thing to do is. 

Cen Xiao: Keeping the secret is a way to protect him. 

You Zhengping: How long do I have to conceal it?

Cen Xiao: …I don’t know. My parents don’t even know what I do. They think I laze around all day. When I switched to the auxiliary police, they were beside themselves with happiness and said that while I didn’t have a regular position, at least it was decent work.

The two of them sighed at the same time and automatically deleted their chat log. They didn’t keep talking.  

The next day, the melancholy husbands were released from the hospital and taken by Cen Xiao to the police bureau where they were instructed regarding confidentiality and signed an agreement. 

The police told the two of them that the hospital fees and other losses would be undertaken by the government, and another hundred thousand yuan award would be deposited in their account. 

This award came from You Zhengping’s private savings. He had finally found a reasonable method for subsidizing his household. At first he’d been planning to deposit a million yuan award, but Director Xiao hadn’t agreed. There was no precedent for this. So You Zhengping could only get a hundred thousand. 

“With this money, we don’t need to worry about the loan this year, and you can take your time developing the studio, and if our jobs really don’t suit our tastes, we can quit,” You Zhengping said happily. 

“That’s right, it really is a lot of money.” Yu Hua looked at the new sum in his bank card and for some reason thought of the hundred million he had hidden in Zhen Li’s account. 

The police told Yu Hua and You Zhengping that it was best to rest quietly for a few days, not to engage in too much activity, not to stay up late. 

Yu Hua called and asked for some days off. President Zhen and Director Yuan were being held at the Protection Organization’s base, anyway. The company wouldn’t be open for business. 

Zhen Li took the call under observation from the Protectors and very happily gave him the days off. He also said he wouldn’t be deducting his wages, but he couldn’t give him the bonus for full attendance. 

The two of them returned home only after a day of bustle. Yu Hua didn’t cook in the evening. They ordered take-out. 

After a night of rest, early the next morning while You Zhengping was still sleeping, Yu Hua got up and slowly did the housework. 

While cleaning up garbage, he saw the receipt and the label. His eyes flashed faintly. His mood, which had been gloomy for the past couple of days, finally relaxed a little. 

He went through the cabinet and didn’t find the stained pants; his heart sank again. 

You Zhengping walked out of the bedroom, yawning, and stretched in the direction of the balcony. Seeing Yu Hua crouching in front of the cabinet, he indolently said, “Didn’t the doctor tell us to rest? Don’t do the housework for now. We just got a reward, let’s get an hourly worker in to clean for the next few days.” 

“Doing housework isn’t hard labor, and I don’t feel comfortable asking someone to do it.” Yu Hua clutched the receipt and the label in his hand. “Breakfast is ready, restorative red date congee, and I made some chicken broth with the oil cooked out. You can have one bowl, but not more than that.” 

He was standing in the living room wearing an apron, holding a cleaning rag in his hand, and smelling of cooking. This was home. 

Seeing him, You Zhengping felt that the fight the day before yesterday was like a dream, and this, right here, was reality. 

You Zhengping went over and encircled Yu Hua’s waist, dropping his head on Yu Hua’s shoulder and rubbing. “Let’s eat together.” 

“All right. My hands are dusty, I’ll wash them first. You wash up and brush your teeth. Be sure to do a good job,” Yu Hua said, smiling faintly. 

You Zhengping stealthily kissed his face, clutched at his head, and obediently went to wash up. 

Yu Hua saw his husband go into the master bedroom’s bathroom, then quickly went over to the second bedroom’s bathroom, closed and locked the door, tore the receipt and the label into bits, threw them into the toilet, and flushed. 

Seeing the bits disappear along with the water, Yu Hua covered his forehead and crouched down. What was he even doing? 

When he had showered, You Zhengping went to the kitchen. Not seeing Yu Hua, he called to him twice. Only then did Yu Hua slowly get up and wash his hands, then go out to eat breakfast with You Zhengping. 

The congee had been cooked for a long time. It was savory, but the texture wasn’t especially good, and the taste was very dull. You Zhengping didn’t like to eat food without meat. Even for breakfast he had to eat a meat-filled bun. Today, pretending to be treating his injury, he had a hard time swallowing. Luckily Yu Hua had made chicken broth. You Zhengping alternated a mouthful of congee with a mouthful of broth, using the broth to get the congee down. 

Though it was chicken broth, Yu Hua still only let him have one bowl. After the meal, You Zhengping felt that he’d eaten emptiness. It seemed like he had eaten a lot, but it also felt like he hadn’t eaten anything. 

This was the price of his lie, then. You Zhengping sighed. 

After eating, Yu Hua continued cleaning the room, while You Zhengping lounged on the sofa playing games. He saw that the trash had already been taken out and wanted to know whether Yu Hua had found the receipt and the label, but he couldn’t come out and ask. He felt nervous and played his usual game until his head was empty. When he came around, his character in the game had been beaten to death, and he was roundly cursed out by his teammates playing with him. 

Yu Hua saw him holding his phone and not letting go and pretended he was going to clean the bedroom. He went in with the vacuum cleaner, looked under the bed, and found that the box with the phone had once again turned up.

Yu Hua opened the box in happy surprise, saw the perfectly intact phone, and felt a mixture of complicated emotions. He was happy that the phone had not only been returned to its rightful owner, it had also been repaired; he was concerned, because apart from Xiao You, who would have been considerate enough to repair the phone for him? 

He restrained himself and put the box back in its hiding place, pretending he hadn’t found it. He stuck his head out of the bedroom and said to You Zhengping, “We need to buy some things for the house. I’m busy cleaning. Could you go out and buy some stuff for me?” 

“No problem!” You Zhengping was hungry less than an hour after eating. He’d just been considering how to sneak out and get some snacks. Yu Hua words suited him perfectly. 

Yu Hua put together a list. When he had watched You Zhengping go out, he brought out his “time replay” ability. 

It was already more than twenty-four hours since they had been released from the hospital, exceeding the effectiveness range of the time replay. Yu Hua could only see back to yesterday morning, when the receipt had already been on the table. Presumably the Protection Organization had snuck into his home while he had been unconscious. 

Yu Hua was silent for a moment. He got a household medicine chest out from the storage closet and took out a bottle of vitamins. 

He poured a vitamin out onto his palm and squeezed his fist, turning the vitamin into poison. 

This was Yuan Luori’s ability. After removing the power of his System, Yu Hua kept this ability. 

Yu Hua didn’t want it to hurt others. Yuan Luori’s poison could control the awakening of his abilities. As long as it was used purposefully, he could awaken the abilities he wanted. 

He took the “vitamin,” used the trace of poison to control the power hidden in his body, then used that power on the time replay, extending the playback time to forty-eight hours. 

This time, Yu Hua saw the Protector with the handsome uncle’s face come to his home, put away the phone, drop the label and the receipt, then leave. 

During the playback, the Protector was still wearing the light gray pants with the stain on them. The corners of Yu Hua’s mouth twitched as he stared at his pants. 

You Zhengping took some time out of buying things to secretly go to a fast food restaurant and eat some barbecue. Then he cautiously put some mint-flavored gum in his mouth, worried that Yu Hua would find out he had been sneaking greasy food. 

The guilty You Zhengping smelled smoke as soon as he walked through the door. He was surprised; could there be a fire? 

“Yu Hua? Yu Hua?” You Zhengping anxiously looked for Yu Hua and the location of the fire. 

He followed the smell to the apartment’s largest bathroom and saw Yu Hua crouching inside it with the fan turned on, a stainless steel pan by his feet, and a burning pair of pants in the pan. 

“What…are you doing?” You Zhengping noticed that those pants were the light gray ones that Lian Yufan had bought, which he had worn home. He became alarmed at once. What had Yu Hua discovered? 

“Oh, it’s nothing.” Looking at the fire in the pan, Yu Hua was unusually calm. 

He stare at the firelight from the pants, then used water to douse the flames and tossed the ashes into the toilet. 

“Why, why did you burn those pants?” You Zhengping stammered. 

Yu Hua sighed. “We went out on a date for once and ran into such an unlucky circumstance. I thought that the clothes we wore that day were inauspicious, so I thought of burning them to improve our luck. I didn’t think that the fire from burning just one pair of pants would be so big. It’s too dangerous. I’m not going to burn the rest. I’ll wash them and then donate them.” 

“Oh, all right. That’s, that’s pretty superstitious of you.” You Zhengping looked at the scorched black stainless steel pan and actually felt relieved. 

It was a pretty good thing that those pants had been burned now. 

---

Author's Note

Yu Hua: The little home wrecker’s pants are getting burnt up!