Chapter 107 N-Mutual Dependence
The two snuggled together, and even if they did nothing, just smelling each other's scent was wonderful.
Gradually regaining his composure, Xing Yu gently patted his back: "Have dinner first."
Chu Beiling really didn't want to be separated from Xing Yu, so she decided to go all out and sit directly on his lap, saying, "I don't want to move."
With his long arms, he easily reached out and grabbed Xing Yu's cutlery from across the table: "Mr. Xing, please have your meal."
Xing Yu ruffled Chu Bei's fluffy head, letting him be as he pleased, without any objection.
Eating with everything stacked together like this was really inconvenient and uncomfortable. Chu Beiling hadn't been sitting for long when her buttocks felt like they had thorns growing on them, and she couldn't feel comfortable no matter what she did, so she kept shifting from side to side.
Xing Yu patted his buttocks and whispered, "Behave yourself and don't move around."
"Aww~~" Chu Beiling indeed stopped moving, slowly stretched out her leg to hook the chair next to her, too lazy to even stand up, and moved over like she had no bones.
Xing Yu glanced at him, then lowered his head to eat his noodles.
Chu Beiling is left-handed, but most of the designs in this world are geared towards right-handed people, making it very inconvenient to use the left hand. Therefore, he specially trained his right hand. Except for the particularly detailed painting he used in the past, he usually switched to the right hand depending on the scene.
Chu Beiling switched the chopsticks to her right hand, placed her left hand on his thigh, and rubbed it back and forth.
Xing Yu actually enjoyed it; he was like a pendant, sticking to him.
Chu Beiling had always seemed to have a skin hunger disorder, always liking to lean on him, very close, and her paws were never still, either rubbing against his arm or his thigh, touching him back and forth.
They used to live in the same dormitory and slept head to head. At night, Chu Beiling liked to squeeze through the railing and pinch his neck, cheeks, and earlobes before he could fall asleep.
Now this little habit of unconsciously getting close to him has returned.
Xing Yu was able to enjoy what he hadn't experienced in a long time—his dependence and intimacy.
After finishing their meal, Xing Yu put the dishes in the dishwasher. Chu Beiling took a call from a business partner in the study. Just as she hung up, Fu Xingzhou called again, and the call lasted for almost an hour.
Xing Yu was sitting on the sofa reviewing documents. When he saw him come over, he put the documents away and placed them aside. "It's all taken care of."
"Alright." Chu Beiling sat down beside him, close to him.
Xing Yu pulled him into his arms, gently stroking his waist and saying, "You've lost weight."
Chu Beiling raised her eyes: "You met Fu Xingzhou tonight. Don't believe everything he says. He likes to exaggerate and is as unserious as can be. Just ignore him."
"Is his statement that you can no longer paint an exaggeration?" Xing Yu asked.
The air was silent for half a second.
Xing Yu pulled his hand over and gently stroked the hand that no longer had calluses. This time, Chu Beiling did not resist and let the other's fingertips caress his smooth knuckles.
Chu Beiling paused for a moment, then said in a calm and resigned tone, "It's not an exaggeration, but it's definitely not as serious as he makes it out to be. I just don't want to paint anymore, that's all."
Xing Yu gazed at him, his chest rising and falling slightly, and then used his trump card: "Little Blueberry, I'm so sorry, these past ten years have been a blank between us..." He couldn't finish his sentence, so he closed his eyes and turned his head to the side.
Chu Beiling felt a pang of sadness and finally confessed honestly: "It's really not serious. My hand isn't injured. It's just that I feel nauseous and vomiting when I see paint. I can't even hold a paintbrush. My hand is already unsteady."
What he didn't say was that his hands trembled whenever he picked up a paintbrush, and in more severe cases, he would have panic attacks and needed sedatives to calm down.
Chu Beiling still cannot accept this fact. In the first few years, he forced himself to adapt and fight against his inner demons, but the situation only got worse.
Now, he has learned to deal with it calmly, occasionally burying his head in the sand like an ostrich and deliberately avoiding the topic.
Chu Beiling looked up at Xing Yu: "It's nothing serious, we're still in this industry after all."
Xing Yu's heart skipped a beat, feeling indescribably distressed. He couldn't accept what he had heard from Fu Xingzhou today, let alone Chu Beiling. Xing Yu could only imagine the pain Chu Beiling had endured over the years.
Hearing his little prince Fanfan speak calmly at this moment, Xing Yu felt as if his heart was being tightly gripped by two hands, so painful that he could hardly breathe. Every breath felt like someone was desperately pulling and squeezing the moisture inside.
Xing Yu slowly moved his hand upwards, placing it on Chu Beiling's wrist, feeling his heartbeat.
After a long while, he finally raised his head, his eyes red, and looked straight into Chu Beiling's eyes, "No, this is a very serious matter for you..."
Xing Yu pulled him into her arms and hugged him tightly. Her voice choked as she spoke with difficulty, "It's all my fault."
Chu Beiling laughed instead: "This is my own problem. If you really care about me..." He lifted Xing Yu's chin: "President Xing, be sweeter with your words and make me happy. It's more effective than any magic pill."
Xing Yu didn't speak, but stared intently at him with his scarlet eyes, as if trying to etch Chu Beiling into his soul. His Adam's apple bobbed violently as he suppressed countless surging emotions.
After a long while, he finally found his voice, "How do you want to coax me?"
Chu Beiling: "Think about it yourself. Telling you won't just make me fool myself!"
Xing Yu smiled and said, word by word, "Alright, then I'll coax you for the rest of my life."
In fact, they are all the same, equally uneasy, equally cautious about the past and everything that has happened to each other. They want to get closer but are afraid that they will hurt each other if they open their mouths. Even at this moment, they are still so fearful and uneasy.
Yet they were also eager to know everything about each other, wanting to squeeze in and reclaim each other's souls and bones.
only--
The void created by being apart for too long takes a very long time to be filled and gradually smoothed out.
It was at this moment that Xing Yu truly realized that even though they were separated by an irreversible span of time, their feelings had never changed; they had always lingered for each other until they met again.
Fortunately, they still have a long future ahead of them.
We can walk side by side again.
After a busy day, and with so much happening that night, both of them were physically and emotionally exhausted. They stayed in the living room for a while before returning to the bedroom.
A light rain began to fall outside the window without warning, and within moments it grew heavier.
The night was quiet, the heating was on inside, and a dimly lit nightlight circled a corner. White noise filled the air, and the whole world seemed to be enveloped in a soft, warm, and peaceful atmosphere.
Chu Beiling snuggled into Xing Yu's arms and wrapped her arms around his waist: "Xing Yu."
"I am here."
Good night, sweet dreams.
Xing Yu lowered his head and placed a kiss on his lips: "My dream has come true."
Chu Beiling raised her chin and returned the kiss lightly.
They kissed each other quietly in the warm night, feeling each other's heartbeats and breaths. The kiss was devoid of any desire or demands, like two wounded little animals gently licking each other.
After they separated, they nuzzled each other affectionately.
Chu Beiling snorted softly and said in a low voice, "Me too." Her dream had come true.
Xing Yu patted his hair again: "Go to sleep."
"Goodnight, Brother Yu." Chu Beiling pinched his earlobe.
It was such a tiring day. Chu Beiling played with Xing Yu's earlobe for a while before falling asleep, her breathing shallow.
Just like back in Zhalongkou, they painted until they were exhausted, then hurriedly washed up, climbed into bed, and spent a quiet moment of intimacy before quickly falling asleep.
Xing Yu stared at his sleeping face for a long time, then poked Chu Beiling's cheek to make sure he was sound asleep. He then got out of bed and went to the balcony to call Fu Xingzhou.
The call was answered quickly, and Fu Xingzhou said casually, "Mr. Xing, why are you calling me so late at night instead of sleeping?"
Xing Yu cut to the chase: "Could he be hallucinating or experiencing some memory distortion?"
Fu Xingzhou was taken aback, then smiled and asked, "Why do you ask that?"
Xing Yu summarized it simply: "They can't get in touch with me."
Fu Xingzhou: "Didn't you ever consider that I was lying to you?"
Xing Yu stated bluntly: "You would want me to suffer, but he wouldn't."
Fu Xingzhou laughed twice: "I've been there for him through everything, don't you think?"
Xing Yu has a plan.
Just as he was about to hang up, Fu Xingzhou stopped him in time and told him, "As for why this happened... he probably kept blaming himself for not being able to return to China. A sensitive and meticulous person will only blame himself for not doing a good enough job when something happens."
Xing Yu's mind went blank for a moment, and a stinging sensation rose in his nose.
Now that the person has taken the initiative to contact him, Fu Xingzhou is not going to let him off the hook: "President Xing, no one can say anything bad about him, especially you."
Xing Yu: "Thank you."
After hanging up, Xing Yu stood on the balcony in the cold wind for a while before returning to the bedroom. The person in bed curled up in a ball, buried under the covers. He would do this when he was so sad that he couldn't bear it and felt very insecure.
Xing Yu sighed, climbed onto the bed, pulled Chu Beiling into his arms, and gently kissed her: "Little Blueberry, Happy Lantern Festival, may you be happy from now on."
He always believed him and never blamed him.
The next morning, around 5 a.m., Chu Beiling, still half asleep, vaguely felt someone come over, tuck him in, and wrap him up in the blanket like a silkworm.
Chu Beiling stretched, as if she had radar installed on her body, and went over to find Xing Yu, precisely hugging his waist, snuggling in his arms, and greeting him in a muffled voice: "Xing Yu, good morning."
Xing Yu was already awake, leaning against the headboard, looking at emails on his phone. He looked down at him and smiled, replying, "Good morning."
"Getting up so early, is there some unexpected situation again?" Chu Beiling yawned and got ready as well.
Xing Yu pressed him down, put his phone aside, and crawled back into bed. "It's nothing. I'm used to checking emails early in the morning. I'll sleep a little longer; it's still early." He asked, "It's the weekend today. Are you going to work overtime?"
Chu Beiling snuggled into his arms: "You don't have to go."
Xing Yu said meaningfully, "Oh, I see."
A deep voice sounded above his head, and Chu Beiling's heart tightened. He quickly said, "Since our student days, we've been getting up earlier than the chickens and going to bed later than the dogs. It's perfectly normal for us to be on 007."
After saying that, he realized it wasn't right, so he added, "Fu Xingzhou is coming. He can handle anything. I don't have to go."
The art industry is notoriously hectic and busy. After working overtime all night, you'll drink a cup of coffee the next day and still be sitting in the office doing what you're supposed to do.
If a client suddenly comes up with a great idea on the spot and makes a request for a 'colorful black' to meet a deadline, then they can forget about getting any rest.
Of course, as busy as they are, once the project is over, they still have plenty of time to rest for routine maintenance.
Chu Beiling simply didn't want to stop.
Even when there's nothing to do, I'll find something to keep myself busy, never stopping for a moment longer.
Living with Xing Yu, Chu Beiling found it hard to accept and face his aloof attitude, so she buried herself in her office like an ostrich.
There's a saying that goes something like this: "There's nothing to be afraid of, as long as you're willing to run away."
When faced with a situation he doesn't know how to deal with, all he wants to do is run away.
"Okay, I admit it, I was a little reluctant to come back. Seeing your cold face, my heart sank, okay? So cold, so cold, I could freeze into an ice pop if it got any colder!" Chu Beiling's voice was still hoarse from just waking up, sounding like she was crying: "But I'm really busy. Several projects have started, and I need to keep an eye on them all the time."
He complained, looking aggrieved, "You treat me like this, when I'm weak, pitiful, and helpless. It's so unfair."
Xing Yu felt a pang of sadness, ruffled his hair, feeling both heartache and self-reproach: "It won't happen again, it won't happen again."
"That's more like it." Chu Beiling raised her chin and gave him a haughty look.
Xing Yu asked, "Is the gaming industry fun?"
"Just like you guys, I'll go bald anytime," Chu Beiling said.
Xing Yu ruffled his hair: "Not bad, you have a good amount of hair, not much less."
Chu Beiling slapped his hand away: "If you keep pulling, you'll pull my hair bald."
Xing Yu chuckled and grabbed two more handfuls.
"That's too much." Chu Beiling couldn't help but kick him. Under the covers, Xing Yu held his thighs tightly, preventing him from moving.
Unable to make a sound from the restraints, he tried to grab Xing Yu's hands, but Xing Yu grabbed his hands again, and all four of his limbs were firmly locked. Unable to move and unable to break free, Chu Beiling was panting and had no choice but to give up.
After saying that, he realized it wasn't right and added:
He wasn't going to suffer a loss, so he immediately begged for forgiveness: "I was wrong, let's call a truce."
Xing Yu let go.
The next second he launched another attack, but Xing Yu anticipated it. He chuckled and said, "Chu Beiling, why do you still only know how to use this trick? Can't you come up with something new?"
He: "..." A blatant provocation.
Chu Beiling was furious and leaned over to bite him hard on the collarbone: "Can't you let me bully you a little?"
Xing Yu's dark eyes held a hint of languor. "Let me bully you a little!"
Chu Beiling nodded vigorously.
Xing Yu smiled gently: "No."
Chu Beiling looked around: "Where's the knife? Where's the knife? Where's my knife?"
After a silent standoff, Xing Yu's phone rang. He let go of her hand, and Chu Beiling stopped making a fuss and waited quietly to the side.
After the call ended, Chu Beiling belatedly realized, "Oh dear, I missed the best time to launch a sneak attack."
Xing Yu raised his chin and said quietly, "You can now."
Chu Beiling thought to himself, "The result of a sneak attack is still the same now. I'll just get beaten up unilaterally. You're such a wicked person, so cunning and wicked."
Xing Yu laughed and said, "I gave you a chance, but you didn't want it."
Chu Beiling, being a good person, didn't argue with him and said with sympathy, "Has the client made another strange request?"
There's an animated advertisement for a fast-moving consumer goods product. The animation is halfway done, but now the overall requirements and theme need to be changed. The account manager doesn't know what to do, so he asked him for advice.
"The project we were working on halfway through needs to be revised..." This project involved confidentiality, so Xing Yu didn't go into details. He pinched Xing Yu's cheek and said, "Are you happy to see me being tormented by the client?!"
"This isn't happiness, it's a feeling of shared fate."
Chu Beiling said, "All clients are the same. They make strange and nonsensical requests. After dozens of revisions, they finally say, 'Why don't we just go back to the first version? The first version is the best.'"
Xing Yu chuckled, raised his hand and scratched his chin, "Strange, you're included as one of the clients!?"
“Yes, including myself,” Chu Beiling turned over slightly, propping her cheek with her index finger. “When I’m the client, I’m not a human being either. I’m not deliberately nitpicking, but I just feel that something is wrong here, or that something is not good there. I think it could be better, so I’ll revise it again. Maybe it will be even better. But after all the revisions, it’s still not as good as the first version.”
Xing Yu chuckled deeply, then replied, "Yeah, I definitely felt it. They're so fickle." He shook his head. "It's driving me crazy."
Chu Beiling pinched his waist: "I've been very polite to you. If you really can't separate public and private matters and joke about investment projects, I might as well quit my job, pack my bags and go home to be your househusband. I'll still have a bright future."
Xing Yu's smile deepened: "Okay, come back and have my baby. As for cooking, forget it. I want to live a good life."
Chu Beiling slapped his hand away: "Get away from me, who wants to have your child?"
Xing Yu brushed his stray hairs behind his ear: "Then who will you have a child with?"
Chu Beiling snorted twice, not responding, and directly changed the subject: "I've really been very polite. You don't know, Zhu Qing'an was really abused by me. Moreover, we had the most contact. He went crazy every day, and I might be one of the culprits."
Xing Yu knew that he was picky and fussy in this regard.
He raised an eyebrow and asked curiously, "Tell me, how bad was it?"
The time when Zhu Qing'an rebelled the most was when she designed a scene called 'Nightmare Gate', which is a passage for players to open special dimensions/dungeons and is a crucial scene in the game.
Players can draw runes to transform the door into a flowing, multicolored darkness, including the door itself, which will also become a multicolored black.
Zhu Qing'an felt that his request was unreasonable. The door was made of wood and could not be changed, yet it needed to be as crystal clear as a gemstone, and also a multicolored black with a flowing water effect.
Zhu Qing'an was desperate, feeling that it was impossible to accomplish, and her protests were rejected several times.
There was nothing they could do; he was the one who made the decisions. Zhu Qing'an could only lead the art department to revise it several times, but it still deviated from his requirements. They would change the wood material, or lose the colorful black, or the flowing effect, and it went further and further astray.
He frowned, his head aching, and Zhu Qing'an was also very angry.
After the N+1th revision, Zhu Qing'an exploded, quit, and told him, "You're making so many demands. If you're so capable, then do it yourself. Don't just talk big and talk without understanding the situation."
He really could have done it.
It wasn't something he imagined out of thin air, or something he deliberately made difficult for himself, nor was it something he suddenly became interested in. Because he knew it was possible, he wanted to present it in the best way possible.
But at that time he was no longer able to demonstrate to Zhu Qing'an, so he could only talk about it verbally.
Finally, the scene was completed only after Fu Xingzhou held Zhu Qing'an down and prevented her from resisting, and Chu Beiling provided step-by-step drawing guidance.
Xing Yu raised his hand to trace his eyebrows and eyes: "You've really worked hard."
"Perfunctory," Chu Beiling said disdainfully, then smiled and touched her lips, saying, "President Xing, the weather is nice today, how about a colorful kiss?"
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