AITFYMIBP Chapter 85

TL: Hua

After asking this, Lin Yanran felt his mind go blank, and he even felt a bit lightheaded from a lack of oxygen.

He had received countless confessions since he was a child.

But tonight was the first time he had ever taken the initiative to press someone, asking if they liked him.

If it were in the past, he would have thought he’d gone mad.

Even during his rebellious teenage years, he had rarely been this impulsive or done something so irrational.

After all, once this question was asked, there was no turning back for either him or the other person.

“Yes” or “No”—there could only be two outcomes.

Either they become strangers, or they stay together.

In truth, he could have avoided asking, remained silent, or feigned ignorance.

That way, things between them could have stayed as they were, with nothing exposed, maintaining their friendship.

Even if not that, he could have generously joked with Gu Siye to downplay the lock screen incident as if nothing had happened.

But he had asked anyway.

He had used the most direct and irreversible way to forcefully pierce through the paper-thin layer of tension standing between them.

Gu Siye, do you like me?

The interior of the car was dead silent; Gu Siye heard every single syllable of that sentence with absolute clarity.

He looked intently into Lin Yanran’s beautiful eyes, which were like a deep, clear, bright spring.

Just like his soul: brave and pure.

Having had his innermost thoughts exposed so directly, Gu Siye’s hand involuntarily tightened its grip on the steering wheel.

There wasn’t a trace of bashfulness in him; instead, he felt an overwhelming urge to gently stroke the other’s face.

He opened his mouth, wanting to confess his feelings, but a sudden, jarring flash of white light in the rearview mirror cut off the words he was about to say.

Gu Siye glanced at the car that had been tailing him, his brow furrowing with displeasure.

“There are sasaengs chasing our car.”

The atmosphere of lingering romance and ambiguity was utterly shattered by that beam of light.

Lin Yanran also temporarily forgot that he was waiting for Gu Siye’s answer and turned his head to look back.

A white sedan was getting closer and closer to them.

He had heard people mention sasaeng fans before—he knew they followed schedules, chased cars, stalked people to hotels, and even snuck into rooms to use the artists’ belongings.

But all of that had remained at the level of rumors; he had never encountered it personally.

Now, with Gu Siye’s reminder, he instantly understood: in the dead of night, the two of them were being chased.

Lin Yanran’s experience in dealing with sasaengs was zero, so he looked at Gu Siye, wanting to ask how to handle this situation correctly.

Before he could speak, the other man’s voice rang out.

“Should we go down and talk to them, or shake them off?”

Talk to them or shake them off…

Was Gu Siye asking him to make the choice?

Lin Yanran watched the distance closing in the rearview mirror and lowered his eyes, pulling up his scarf to hide more than half of his face.

In that brief moment, he made a decision. “Let’s shake them off.”

Lin Yanran’s voice sounded a bit muffled through the scarf.

But the response he received was exceptionally clear in the dark night.

“Alright.”

“The speed might get a bit fast from here, but don’t worry. I’ll ensure our safety.”

Gu Siye’s voice always seemed to carry warmth and a hint of a smile; it provided a reliable sense of security no matter the circumstances.

Lin Yanran didn’t look at him, but he felt the other man lean over to check his seatbelt.

Only after confirming the seatbelt was secure did Gu Siye restart the engine. “I’m going to drive now. Sit tight.”

Lin Yanran nodded.

“Help me call Zhong Xiao.”

The moment the car surged forward, Lin Yanran realized a phone had suddenly been placed in his lap.

He was very familiar with this phone; he had been carrying it in his bag until just before the hotpot dinner.

It was Gu Siye’s.

Lin Yanran picked up the phone and pressed the screen to light it up.

His own photo appeared before his eyes once again.

Perhaps it was because the air conditioning was on in the car, but he felt the scarf wrapped around his face was making his skin incredibly hot.

At the bottom of the lock screen was the fingerprint scanner. Just as Lin Yanran was wondering if he could use a passcode instead, he heard the other man recite a string of numbers.

“The passcode is 110211.”

Because he needed to shake off the cars behind them, Gu Siye drove much faster than before.

His speaking speed accelerated along with the car.

However, those last six digits were spoken with exceptional clarity.

The code was simple. Once Lin Yanran memorized it, he swiped up on the screen, passing the fingerprint page to bring up the numeric keypad.

He entered the password that the other person had just given him, one number at a time.

Lin Yanran’s physical movements were quick, but the thoughts flashing through his mind were even faster.

This was the second time the other man had let him use his phone to do something.

The first time was when they first met; Gu Siye had asked him to help with the navigation.

At that time, because he wasn’t familiar with Gu Siye, Lin Yanran had used his own phone for the GPS on the pretext that Gu Siye was driving and fingerprint unlocking would be inconvenient.

And today was the second time.

He didn’t use a fingerprint; he unlocked the man’s phone directly with the passcode.

The moment the phone unlocked and jumped to the home screen, Lin Yanran felt a sudden sense of enlightenment.

There was never just one way to unlock a lock; it simply depended on whether the person holding the key was willing to try different methods.

Lin Yanran smiled softly, found Gu Siye’s contacts, and dialed Zhong Xiao directly.

“Hello, Brother Zhong.”

Zhong Xiao, who was lying in bed playing on his phone, felt his soul transcend to the heavens the moment he heard the voice on the other end.

And then, after listening to Lin Yanran explain the situation, he felt his soul explode into fireworks.

It was one thing for his family’s old dog Gu to kidnap the adorable Yanran for a midnight drive instead of sleeping, but they were actually being chased by sasaengs!!

This was truly—*ptooey ptooey ptooey ptooey!!*

After finishing the call, Lin Yanran set up the navigation for Gu Siye.

Zhong Xiao had given him a location and told them to head there.

After setting the GPS, Lin Yanran looked away from the screen and turned back. He saw that the sasaeng car was still pursuing them relentlessly, and their speed had increased as well.

Lin Yanran wanted to say something to Gu Siye, but seeing that the man was working hard to both lose the stalkers and navigate the route, he kept his mouth shut.

For a moment, the only sound in the car was the mechanical voice of the GPS.

Lin Yanran stared at the source of the sound, and for some reason, the passcode to Gu Siye’s phone surfaced in his mind again.

110211.

He silently repeated the string of numbers in his head, only to suddenly realize that this seemingly ordinary number was…

The date and time of his first meeting with Gu Siye.

The reason he remembered was that he had just arrived in this world, and Yingying had reminded him many times: Do not miss the recording of “Super Idol” on November 2nd; the production team requires all mentors to arrive at 11:00.

110211. Broken down, it was 11, 02, 11.

November 2nd, 11 o’clock.

Feeling as though he had accidentally decrypted Gu Siye’s heart, Lin Yanran’s pulse suddenly skipped a beat.

“The road ahead seems blocked.”

Immersed in his thoughts, Lin Yanran heard Gu Siye’s voice and looked at their surroundings.

Before he could clearly see the scenery outside the window, he felt the car pull a sharp turn, and they entered a pitch-black road.

The signal seemed poor here; even the navigation began to glitch temporarily.

Lin Yanran gently gripped the scarf Gu Siye had wrapped around him, an indescribable feeling blooming in his heart.

It was novel, a bit thrilling, and… somewhat exciting.

It felt as though he and Gu Siye were eloping.

After Gu Siye made a few more turns, Lin Yanran looked out the window. Through the occasional streetlamps they passed, he finally made out their location.

Because they had taken a wrong turn, they were now roughly in the suburbs.

Not far away was a river, and about twenty meters from the bank was a wide, open grassland.

There was no one on this road, and the sasaeng vehicle that had been chasing them was nowhere to be seen.

Once Lin Yanran was certain they were safe, he turned to look forward. He was just about to tell Gu Siye the news when he spotted a tabby cat preparing to dash across the road.

“Watch out for the kitten!”

The moment Lin Yanran spoke, Gu Siye had already slammed on the brakes.

The inertia from the emergency stop caused Lin Yanran to lurch forward and back.

Once he steadied himself, he immediately unbuckled his seatbelt and looked toward the front of the car.

The tabby cat was now safely on the other side of the road. It let out two small meows toward the two young men before vanishing into the darkness.

“That was close; I almost hit it.”

Seeing that the cat was fine, Lin Yanran let out a soft sigh of relief.

“Yeah, I saw it ahead of time,” Gu Siye’s voice sounded beside him. He then glanced toward the rear. “They likely lost us at that last intersection.”

Having finally shaken off the sasaengs, Lin Yanran’s mood lightened.

However, he didn’t plan on getting back into the car immediately.

He and Gu Siye locked eyes. Neither spoke, but with a silent understanding, they began walking toward the nearby grassland.

Though it was the suburbs, the landscape was well-maintained. Winding paths were carved through the grass, each leading toward the riverbank.

One after the other, they followed a path to the water’s edge. Lin Yanran rested his hands on the wooden railing, watching the river reflect the shimmering lights and the stars.

The night sky was like a mirror, and a light breeze blew along the river. The night view was breathtaking.

“How did they find us?”

Although they had escaped, Lin Yanran still felt a lingering sense of alarm now that he had time to think about it.

“They’ve likely been following us since the concert ended tonight.”

Lin Yanran pondered Gu Siye’s words. Their concert had indeed drawn a massive crowd.

With so many people, it wasn’t impossible for one or two obsessed fans to stay behind and tail their schedule.

Experiencing sasaengs for the first time, Lin Yanran made a mental note of the incident, planning to ask his team later how such situations were typically handled.

After all, this time he had Gu Siye with him to face it together, but next time, he might very well be alone.

At this thought, Lin Yanran’s mind drifted back to Gu Siye’s driving earlier.

The man had been steady and fast, losing the tail with practiced ease.

“Teacher Gu, you must have encountered this often in the past?”

That would explain why he was so experienced.

In the darkness, Gu Siye nodded. “I encountered it a lot when I first debuted. It was quite terrifying back then.”

He spoke slowly, sharing a few stories with Lin Yanran. “The worst instance was when I returned to my hotel to find that someone had slept in my bed, rummaged through my clothes, and even the trash in my bin had been completely taken away.”

Lin Yanran had heard rumors of such things happening to other celebrities.

But he hadn’t expected that when sasaengs went mad, they would go as far as taking the trash.

“Why would they take that?”

Lin Yanran was baffled. Was it some kind of strange, twisted hobby?

Gu Siye turned to look at him, pausing for a moment before saying, “Probably… they wanted to sift through the trash to see if there was anything I had used…”

Lin Yanran didn’t quite catch the implication and pressed further, “What kind of things?”

A low chuckle drifted through the breeze.

Gu Siye didn’t state it explicitly but rephrased the explanation for him.

“Essentially, they wanted to use the things I’d used to determine if I was in a relationship with anyone.”

Lin Yanran carefully followed the logic of that sentence and suddenly realized what the other man was referring to.

Feeling a bit awkward, he remained silent, merely pulling his scarf further up his face to block the wind and to hide his expression.

Gu Siye noticed Lin Yanran’s reaction and didn’t push the explanation any deeper. “It got much better later on. The team addressed the sasaeng issue several times, and eventually, everyone realized my private life was very boring. I didn’t seem to have any interest in dating, so the incidents decreased.”

“Is that so?”

Lin Yanran responded softly.

It was true; in the seven years since Gu Siye’s debut, it had always been this way—no manufactured scandals, no leaked relationships.

The wind stirred the river, sending ripples gently washing against the bank.

Lin Yanran watched the distorted reflections of the lights in the water, only to suddenly hear Gu Siye speak again.

“However, I think they were wrong about one thing.”

The man’s tone rose slightly at the end, his lowered voice carrying a hint of seduction.

“It’s not that I have no interest in dating.”

On the shimmering surface of the water, the streetlamps cast two silhouettes—one tall, one slightly shorter.

Gu Siye took a step forward, standing face-to-face with Lin Yanran.

“Teacher Yanran, we were interrupted earlier. Can you give me another chance now to answer your questions?”

Gu Siye looked down into Lin Yanran’s eyes, asking with the utmost sincerity.

Lin Yanran lowered his gaze, not looking back, but he gave a soft nod.

“The moon in my heart is you.”

“I took that photo of you that day because I couldn’t help myself.”

“I use your photo as my lock screen because I can’t see you every day.”

“I was willing to go on the show with you because I wanted to pursue you.”

Following the order of Lin Yanran’s questions, Gu Siye gave him the answers one by one in a low, tender voice.

After the first four answers, Gu Siye paused.

Lin Yanran couldn’t help but look up, meeting the man’s gaze.

Gu Siye’s beautiful peach blossom eyes were shimmering, but the expression in the depths of his gaze was more serious than it had ever been.

“As for the last question…”

Gu Siye’s voice hitched for a second before becoming solemn and formal. “Yes. I like you. I’ve liked you since the very first moment I saw you.”

He didn’t give Lin Yanran a chance to respond before immediately following up, “So, can you give me a chance to pursue you?”

In the night air, Gu Siye’s voice was deep and husky, but to Lin Yanran’s ears, it felt like a hook tugging at his heartstrings.

The confession was still echoing in his ears. Lin Yanran didn’t answer immediately; his heart was thumping, its rhythm completely erratic.

He closed his eyes and began to sort through his chaotic thoughts.

He had actually felt a vague inkling of how the other man felt. But the reason he didn’t respond was because he also had many concerns and worries.

For instance, whether a relationship between two men could last.

On the other hand, given their professions, if the relationship were exposed, would it be too exhausting to maintain amidst the lack of understanding or blessings from others?

But in truth, these concerns were insignificant to him.

His greatest worry and uncertainty was that he was a “transmigrator” from another world.

If a certain condition were triggered one day, he wasn’t sure if he would suddenly vanish from this world again.

If he disappeared, wouldn’t Teacher Gu be devastated?

He had experienced a painful separation once before; he knew how agonizing the memories could be.

So, rationally, he felt he should reject Gu Siye.

He should act as he had before—feigning ignorance toward everything the man did and said.

But Lin Yanran discovered that, in the end, he couldn’t be completely rational.

He remembered clearly how much his heart had raced the moment he saw that his own photo was the other man’s lock screen.

That unspeakable joy had persisted until this very moment, breaking through all his defenses and taking the upper hand.

If reason could entirely replace emotion, perhaps he wouldn’t have so many troubles.

But the reality was that he had no way to sever his human desires.

Therefore, he admitted it: falling for Gu Siye was inevitable.

Once his thoughts suddenly cleared, Lin Yanran opened his eyes.

Against the backdrop of the starlit sky, the light of a shooting star flashed through the dark night.

The shooting star left a long trail behind it, rapidly slicing through the quiet canopy of the sky.

Watching the star fade away, Lin Yanran gave Gu Siye a low response.

“Haven’t you already caught up to me?”

He looked up and smiled at Gu Siye, the corners of his beautiful eyes curving into crescents like little moons.

“I’m going to miss my flight. Can you take me in for the night, Teacher Gu?”