While Chen Yijing was showering, Zhang Chenyan sent a voice message to Xie Han, explaining the current situation and telling her that he might not be home for the next couple of days.
Although worried, Xie Han was a reasonable person. She simply gave a few words of caution and didn't say much more.
When Chen Yijing came out wrapped in a towel, he saw Zhang Chenyan just ending his call with Xie Han. Zhang Chenyan rarely found himself alone with strangers, and he hesitated for a moment when he saw Chen Yijing.
The boy's skin was very fair, and his figure was slender. Previously, the lighting had been too dim or he had been too busy running away, so Zhang Chenyan hadn't noticed Chen Yijing's appearance. Now, having time to take a closer look, he realized that Chen Yijing was quite good-looking, clean and delicate, especially with a tear mole under his right eye, making him unique.
"The way you're looking at me... I feel like something's about to happen..." Chen Yijing stammered, stepping back a few steps and pulling at his collar.
"Relax, I'm straight," Zhang Chenyan replied smoothly.
With that, he was ready to take his shower.
He wasn't a neat freak, but the smell on him was really unbearable.
What was he thinking, picking kitchen waste? Zhang Chenyan pondered this as he showered. He could smell the remnants of food on himself, knowing someone had eaten sweet and sour fish, someone had eaten spicy shredded potatoes, someone had eaten mapo tofu...
Having too keen a sense of smell was a curse sometimes.
When Zhang Chenyan came out, he expected to see Chen Yijing either in a pod or rummaging around. To his surprise, he saw Chen Yijing sitting obediently on a chair, staring into space.
"What are you doing?" Zhang Chenyan's heart skipped a beat. You could never predict what a teenager might be thinking; if this kid suddenly got depressed, what would he do?
"Waiting for you," Chen Yijing replied naturally, "The pod requires a wristband for identification. I can't open it."
"The wristband is in my coat pocket; you could have just taken it," Zhang Chenyan said, retrieving the wristband and tossing it to Chen Yijing.
Chen Yijing muttered, "It's your stuff; I shouldn't just rummage through it..."
"Oh, not the rebellious teen anymore? Now you're all about manners?" Zhang Chenyan teased.
While using the wristband to open the pod, Chen Yijing replied, "I was always good and well-behaved. It's just that after meeting too many crazy people, I started to go a little mad myself."
There were so many things to nitpick in that sentence that Zhang Chenyan didn't know where to start.
Seeing the boy about to lie down in the pod, Zhang Chenyan quickly added, "I'll give you one of my less-used avatars later. Change into it and cover your ID."
"Why? I meticulously crafted my avatar," Chen Yijing was puzzled, "And I haven't done anything wrong, why cover my ID?"
Thinking about Chen Yijing's colorful and bizarrely designed avatar, Zhang Chenyan felt a twinge of heartache. He couldn't understand this creative trend; to him, it seemed like the boy had just piled up a bunch of cheap stuff in an unbelievable way to create a unique monstrosity.
Normally, Zhang Chenyan wouldn't care; everyone had their own taste, and Chen Yijing had the right to shape his avatar as he pleased.
But today, Zhang Chenyan had to intervene. It wasn't about beauty or ugliness; it was about safety. The avatar was too unique, and Chen Yijing would easily expose himself. Safety was paramount, individuality was secondary.
"Your avatar is fine, unique, and special. You haven't done anything wrong," Zhang Chenyan first reassured him before continuing, "But we're two people now. If they track the pod's physical address, we'll both be in trouble. For my sake, please change your avatar, okay?"
"Alright." This time, Chen Yijing agreed swiftly, looking somewhat embarrassed as he faced Zhang Chenyan, showing a hesitant expression.
Seeing Chen Yijing sitting in the pod without making any connection and just staring blankly at him, Zhang Chenyan couldn't figure out what the kid wanted now.
Don't guess a teenager's mind!
After half a minute, Chen Yijing still maintained his original posture, motionless. If not for confirming he hadn't made any connection, Zhang Chenyan would've thought he was stuck in a bug.
"You... You're not thinking about crying, are you?" Zhang Chenyan asked tentatively, "Need me to leave? Give you some space to shed a tear? It's okay for men to cry."
"Is this how you comfort people? Haven't you ever been punched?" Chen Yijing retorted.
Knowing he was bad at comforting people and often came across as awkward, Zhang Chenyan felt a bit embarrassed but said, "If something's bothering you, just say it. We're both men."
"There's nothing bothering me. I'm quite happy," Chen Yijing said seriously, with a solemn expression.
In his whole life, Zhang Chenyan had never seen anyone say they were "quite happy" with such an expression. If he didn't have some intelligence, he might have believed it.
Seeing Zhang Chenyan's expression, Chen Yijing suddenly laughed, "Seriously, I'm happy, genuinely happy. It's been a long time since someone was this kind to me and went to such lengths to help me."
"If you say that, it means you've met good people before," Zhang Chenyan tried to find a way to heal the boy's mind.
"Yeah, the couple who sent me to the orphanage! They were good people. If they hadn't found me and taken me there, I'd probably be dead," Chen Yijing said calmly. Many people avoided talking about life and death, but this boy could speak about it with such tranquility.
"You'll meet more good people in the future," Zhang Chenyan felt awkward saying something so simple, but it came out sounding like he was reciting a lesson.
"Maybe not," Chen Yijing joked, "This experiment has some risk... but don't worry, I'm willing to give all my luck to you, to ensure you get through it safely."
Touched yet annoyed, Zhang Chenyan wanted to scold the kid. How could he mix good and bad omens together, making it hard to know how to respond?
"We'll both be safe!" Zhang Chenyan said firmly, then quickly pointed to the pod, "Go play, I'll send you the avatar."
He entered his pod, made the connection, and logged into the digital world.
The first thing he did was retrieve an old avatar, input Chen Yijing's ID, and gift it.
The avatar was cheap and retro. Zhang Chenyan had bought it during a phase when he liked black for its low profile and coolness. He wore it a few times before outgrowing his teenage phase and letting it gather digital dust.
Seeing the avatar now useful, Zhang Chenyan felt satisfied.
Watching Chen Yijing wear the gifted avatar and cover his ID, Zhang Chenyan was pleased and prepared to enter sleep mode.
Unexpectedly, Chen Yijing called out, "How long do you plan to hide?"
"Until the interview," Zhang Chenyan had thought it through, "It's not safe right now. Today is too late. Tomorrow I'll go to work, then buy some disguises and clothes after work. By then, this should have blown over a bit, and we can go to the interview together."
"You planned this much?" Chen Yijing was surprised, "You're really going all the way."
"Am I meddling too much?" Zhang Chenyan was a bit annoyed.
"No, I'm just... really touched and can hardly believe it," Chen Yijing said, looking genuinely moved.
"Well, believe it. It's real," Zhang Chenyan was exhausted, "Rest assured, you'll see me tomorrow morning."
With that, he prepared to enter sleep mode.
Sleep mode wasn't just like physical sleep. For someone like Zhang Chenyan, who often suffered from insomnia, sleep mode was a blessing. It offered scientifically proven sleep aids and created an optimal sleep environment, whether white noise or gentle rocking.
In sleep mode, one could sleep more comfortably and relax completely.
"Wait!" Chen Yijing suddenly called out.
Already ready to switch rooms and enter sleep mode, Zhang Chenyan was exasperated, "You're not asking to sleep with me, are you? Need me to tell you a bedtime story?"
"No, I just wanted to make sure... you won't leave me, right?" Chen Yijing asked nervously.
"I promise!" Zhang Chenyan said, then realized a verbal promise might not suffice. Knowing how much Chen Yijing overthought, he showed him his ID, "Here, now you know my identity. Can you relax?"
Chen Yijing nodded heavily, "Okay, I won't bother you. Rest well."
"Yeah, I have to work tomorrow. Life of a wage earner, have some sympathy," Zhang Chenyan patted Chen Yijing's shoulder and disappeared.
That night, Zhang Chenyan slept exceptionally well, dreamless and deep.
When the alarm rang the next morning, he was reluctant to get up but had to. He needed to earn money. Fortunately, most of his work was done in the digital world, so he didn't need to leave home or commute. If he could bear hunger and ignore the "skipping breakfast makes you stupid" curse, he could start working immediately.
Normally, Xie Han would wake him for breakfast, claiming it boosted his learning abilities. Zhang Chenyan didn't believe in such unfounded claims but couldn't resist Xie Han's persistence and always got up for breakfast.
Now, away from home, he could follow his own habits and skip breakfast since Xie Han wasn't around.
However, he was woken up.
Literally, shaken awake.
Groggily opening his eyes, he saw a delicate face close by.
Not Xie Han's face, a man's face.
In nearly twenty years, Zhang Chenyan had never experienced this, and he shot up. Memory quickly returned, and he realized it was Chen Yijing, whom he had helped last night.
"Are you crazy?" Zhang Chenyan's morning greeting was special.
"I ordered breakfast with your ID. No one will notice," Chen Yijing said warmly, unfazed by Zhang Chenyan's morning grumpiness.
Zhang Chenyan swallowed numerous curses. Deep breaths, patience, telling himself this was a kind gesture.
But he couldn't hold back.
"What were you thinking? Getting up early? You slept late last night," Zhang Chenyan fired off, his morning temper flaring.
Chen Yijing remained calm, "I'm really tired but you said you had to work. You should eat breakfast. It prevents stupidity."
"What?" Zhang Chenyan was stunned.
"Skipping breakfast makes you stupid," Chen Yijing repeated, "Haven't you heard that?"
Zhang Chenyan now suspected Chen Yijing was Xie Han's spy. How did this unfounded belief spread so widely?
In frustration, Zhang Chenyan devoured his breakfast, then reconnected to the digital world.
When he appeared in his office, 0810 was already there.
"Something up?" Zhang Chenyan felt something was off.
"I saw you," 0810 said coldly.
Well, duh, I'm right in front of you, thought Zhang Chenyan.
But he dared not say that. He awkwardly waited for 0810 to continue.
"I saw you in a video outside the Tels Company. The line for human trials."
0810's words were clear and direct.