Temporarily shoving the interaction to the back of his mind, from the corner of his eye, Yan Lidong noticed Chen Xie getting up. Though he seemed sober, there was a nigh undetectable lilt in his steps: a tell-tale sign that he was drunk. Of course, Yan Lidong was the only one who thought this way. Anyone else wouldn't be able to see a difference.
Since he still couldn't hide how he swayed when he walked, he hoped that Chen Xie's other drunk habits were still around—namely, how he turned into a mindless puddle of affection around Yan Lidong.
Keeping his face hidden by admiring how shockingly plain the wallpaper was, Yan Lidong smoothly reached the door. Hearing chatter behind him, he held the door open for a pair of people before walking out himself.
Luckily, Chen Xie hadn't gotten far, and had only just turned down a nearby alleyway. Yan Lidong approached him with light steps.
Deciding to tease him first, Yan Lidong playfully called out, "Excuse me, sir. Do you have a moment?"
Chen Xie turned around; however, he was not greeted with the face of delight, or even mild surprise, that he expected. Instead, his expression contorted into one of disgust.
"You people are revolting," Chen Xie spat. "You got ahold of his photos, didn't you? If you're so desperate for my praise, then I'll laud you for the amount of effort you put into your mask."
Yan Lidong blinked in bewilderment. Then, he quickly realised why his plan had failed—He Jiuyu had already mentioned that Chen Xie hated it when people tried to seduce him. It seemed that Yan Lidong had subconsciously ignored the rumours of "that mysterious pretty boy the Lord was hellbent on searching for", even though, as he pieced things together in his head, he slowly came to a revelation. He looked up at Chen Xie, startled.
"...goodness, you were actually looking for me? I'm flattered."
Chen Xie frowned, his eyes narrowing. "What do you mean you? You're just a poor imitation. Don't act stupid with me—I know what you want."
Immediately, Yan Lidong realised that he messed up. "Oh, my apologies. You're right; I did plan on seducing you."
Chen Xie crossed his arms. "You're just going to admit it? Seriously, you creeps need to stop gathering around this bar just to try and ambush me."
Yan Lidong was utterly clueless. "So you're a regular here? I didn't think you of all people would take up drinking."
"I'm not! But it's right next to the Guild—wait." Chen Xie narrowed his eyes at Yan Lidong, his gaze hostile. "There's no way you didn't know that. Why am I even entertaining you? Get out."
"Next to the Guild? So I did all that walking just to end up where I started," Yan Lidong sighed. "I would've gotten farther if I didn't follow the maps."
"...are you even listening? I told you to leave."
Not receiving any proper responses, Chen Xie was fully irate. Yan Lidong noticed this, but he himself was quite irritated at that point. After their eight years of friendship, Chen Xie not only failed to recognise him, but was glaring at him with clear murderous intent. To even call him an imitation of himself—he found it hilarious.
"Alright, settle down now." He leaned closer to Chen Xie at a tantalising pace, wearing a languid smile. "Take a good look at me and repeat what you just said. If you still insist, then I won't appear before you ever again."
Chen Xie placed a hand on Yan Lidong's shoulder, intending to push him away. However, after giving him a perfunctory glance, he paused.
For a moment, they both stood in place, Chen Xie's quiet breathing gradually growing heavier. He pulled Yan Lidong closer, loosening his grip on his shoulder to avoid hurting him, as though he would shatter with a light squeeze. He carefully moved his hand to Yan Lidong's cheek, who cooperatively leaned into his touch, humming softly. Chen Xie let out a pained choke, retracting his hand as though he'd been burned.
Yan Lidong grinned. "What's the verdict?"
Chen Xie's voice trembled. "I messed up. Badly."
"My apology?"
"...I'm sorry. Really. I don't know how I managed to mistake you for even a second."
Yan Lidong wore an irritatingly smug smile. "I'm impressed. Even after losing all your memories, you can still recognise the authentic goods. I guess you really were completely charmed by my looks."
Chen Xie stared at him, stunned. "What do you mean, I lost my memories...? Wait, no—you think I liked you because of your face?"
"Goodness, I'd hope so—it's my biggest asset. My only one, actually."
"...Yan Lidong," Chen Xie breathed, "do you hear yourself right now?"
"...pardon?"
"I said—"
Yan Lidong slapped a hand over Chen Xie's mouth, who obligingly shut up. Now it was his turn to stare in stunned silence.
"...you remember my name?"
"...Lidong," Chen Xie mumbled, his voice vibrating lowly into the palm of Yan Lidong's hand. His eyes were filled with an indescribable gentleness. "How could I ever forget you?"
Yan Lidong ignored his affectionate expression and withdrew his hand with a frown. "Doesn't memory loss come with evolution? Either way, I've been gone for five years, so you should've moved on by now."
"It's been five years…?" Chen Xie wrapped his arms around Yan Lidong's waist, pulling him closer, impossibly closer, until their foreheads were pressed together. His voice caught in his throat, squeezing his words out over barely suppressed sobs. "You've been gone for five years, but finally, finally…"
Sighing resignedly, Yan Lidong patted his back with familiar ease. "Alright, I get it, so stop crying already. Save that for when I actually die."
"Don't say things like that."
"Did you not spend five years thinking I was dead?" he asked, exasperated.
Chen Xie sniffled, trying to hold in his tears. "I searched every day for even the barest trace of you… since I never found your body, I held out hope."
Startled, Yan Lidong pulled back, receiving a pitiful pout in response. "...seriously? I'm impressed. Even my parents weren't this obsessed with my appearance."
"How shallow do you think I am?!" Chen Xie exclaimed. With his arms empty, his eyes started welling with tears again. "I love everything about you! I love how irritating you are every time you open your mouth, and how silly you are when you get lost during a five minute walk—"
"And this is the sixth time you've drunkenly confessed your love," Yan Lidong interrupted, struggling to maintain a straight expression. "Even though it always sounds more like you're insulting me. Not to mention you always deny it the day after… In any case, I love you too, so cooperate with me, dear. Where's your house?"
Chen Xie's cheeks immediately heated up, though the redness was covered by the dark alleyway. He fidgeted with his hands and avoided eye contact. "...I'll take you there."
Ignoring how Chen Xie was acting like a lovestruck maiden, even when the floating lanterns strewn about only made his furious blush more obvious, Yan Lidong followed closely behind him. He simply chalked it up to the alcohol. With the day's exhaustion gradually seeping in, he also decidedly ignored the shadowed figure near the other end of the alley that seemed to be peeking in their direction.
Yan Lidong quickly lost track of time, but they eventually arrived at a house that was, much to his dismay, completely normal. Since they had walked quite a distance away from the city centre, they reached an area that was terribly reminiscent of the suburbs he was used to. Seeing the house they stopped in front of, Yan Lidong glanced around, wondering if there was a hidden mansion behind it.
Chen Xie held his hand, pulling him closer to the terrifyingly average house. "I hope it doesn't disappoint you…"
It has, Yan Lidong thought. After a moment, he decided that he was miffed enough to voice his thoughts. "Could you not afford anything better? Your old house was way more luxurious than this."
Chen Xie sighed. "I forgot that you were insufferable."
Yan Lidong's mouth twitched. He suddenly missed the lovestruck maiden from a few moments ago.
The door opened automatically in front of Chen Xie. Noticing Yan Lidong's strange expression, he casually explained, "It only opened because it recognises me. It should know you as well, if your clothes had enough residual DNA."
"...I'd prefer to ignore what you just said. Please do not elaborate."
The interior was just as plain as he feared, though knowing how boring Chen Xie was, Yan Lidong already expected it. Even more disappointingly, there were no signs of anyone else living there.
"How are you still single? I thought you already had someone, given how fervently you've been rejecting Piper and Magonia."
"I've never loved anyone other than you," Chen Xie replied matter-of-factly. "They're just my teammates."
Yan Lidong rolled his eyes. "Seventh time now… Goodness, I've only seen you drunk four times in total. How does this keep happening?"
"Because I really lo—"
He flicked Chen Xie's forehead. "Enough. Give me a room to sleep in; preferably the best one you have."
"My room, then?"
"Great. I'll also need your wallet."
"Of course. How much do you need?"
He flicked Chen Xie's forehead again. "Don't agree that easily."
Chen Xie winced, rubbing his forehead. "But you've never asked before. I just got excited."
Yan Lidong sighed. "I hope you don't act like this toward my look-alikes, too."
Chen Xie shuddered. "You've heard of those… things?"
"Hard not to, especially when you accused me of being one," Yan Lidong grinned.
"I already apologised," he mumbled, looking exceptionally wronged.
"Alright, don't worry about it," Yan Lidong chuckled, even though he had already added it to his list of unresolved grudges. "Honestly, I don't know why money is still a thing. Didn't you go through a zombie apocalypse? Weren't you all too busy trying to survive?"
"It's probably… my fault?" Chen Xie mumbled. "Ever since the apocalypse hit, I've been fighting zombies, but they're a bit too easy to kill. Since I live here, the inner cities have been pretty unscathed."
"Oh, it's your fault?" Yan Lidong tilted his head. "Never mind, then. Give me your wallet."