Chapter 41: Strategy. Lou Dong likes him.

He Guan had never heard Lou Dong sound so...

So... affectionate.

If he couldn't decipher what Lou Dong was up to now, he'd seriously question his own manhood.

But He Guan couldn't turn off the device.

If he shut down the robot, it would emit a shutdown sound, and He Guan wasn't sure if Lou Dong would hear.

He sat frozen in his seat, compelled to listen to the entire sequence.

The journey from the city to his home usually took about an hour. He Guan never felt the first half of that trip to be so unbearable before.

And all the while, Lou Dong was calling his name.

Over and over.

At first, it was "He Guan."

If the actions grew intense, there would be a pause, a syllable held in the balance, with the next coming after a tantalizing delay.

Then it became "Ah Guan."

He called out with the tenderness and urgency of a lover.

As if he couldn’t have him, yet couldn’t stop yearning either.

He Guan had never heard him talk so much at home. Yet now, on his way home, he was compelled to continuously hear his own name being called out.

The robot's audio reception was impeccable.

Too good, in fact. It picked up even the sounds of rustling sheets and crumpling paper.

It felt like torture for He Guan, hearing everything through the headphones.

"Why isn’t he in the bathroom?"

He Guan wiped his face, recalling the earlier moment when he had found him in the bathroom, and felt a choking sensation.

Having previously worried He Guan by being in the bathroom, Lou Dong probably chose to avoid it this time, not wanting to cause more concern.

He Guan's ears burned red. He placed his phone aside and covered his face.

If he couldn’t avoid hearing, he could at least avoid watching.

But even without the visual stimulus, all his senses seemed to be drawn even more intently to the sounds he heard.

"Is he still calling out…?"

He Guan's name had always been simple.

From a young age, he introduced himself as "He from 'helicopter' and Guan as in 'switch'."

Some found his name meaningless, which troubled him as a child, but as he grew older, he came to accept it.

A name is just a label, and the simpler it is, the easier it's recognized.

At dinner parties, he'd seen many with complex names mistakenly called by newcomers.

Yet, how could such a simple name, when spoken by another, make him feel so unsteady?

As if through just a name, unspoken desires were being conveyed.

Midway, the voice finally ceased.

It took He Guan a while to recover. He grabbed a cushion, placing it between his legs and pressing down on it with his arms before picking up his phone to check if Lou Dong had left. He prepared to turn off the robot.

Lou Dong returned after washing his hands.

He moved quickly. Before He Guan could shut down the robot, Lou Dong returned, sitting directly in front of it.

The robot’s view was focused on him from his abdomen up to his chest.

He was wearing a cotton loungewear, its creases bunching around his waist. His freshly washed hands were still damp, which he lightly wiped on his pants.

He Guan collected himself, curious about Lou Dong's next move.

“Why hasn’t he returned yet…”

The person in the video was whispering, but through He Guan's quality Bluetooth headphones, the words came through clearly, causing him to clench his fingers.

He wanted to respond, but he couldn't.

Emotionally, He Guan was usually slow to react, but even he understood the implications of someone uttering his name during such a moment.

Lou Dong liked him.

But why?

Should he respond?

No.

Because his feelings for Lou Dong were familial. To respond otherwise would be absurd.

He Guan swallowed his urge to reply and turned off the microphone.

He waited a long time, until the person inside closed the door of the master bedroom to feed the birds outside. Only then did he switch off the robot's camera.

*

Everything was in order when he arrived home. Thanks to Uncle Yue's efforts, the pine tree that He Guan had transplanted earlier had taken root well.

The begonia bulbs still hadn't been planted. Uncle Yue had placed them in a shaded pot for the time being, so the seedlings wouldn't die.

However, the person who usually waited for him wasn't there today.

He Guan hesitated for a moment, then headed to the first floor to assist Uncle Yue.

Uncle Yue asked with a puzzled look, "The sun rose from the west today, did it? Why didn't you check on Young Master Lou first?"

He Guan was taken aback by Uncle Yue's familiar tone, "I always come down to help, don't I?"

Uncle Yue nodded, "You do. But you usually seek out Young Master Lou as soon as you get home. Why did you head straight to the kitchen today? Did you two have a disagreement?"

He Guan responded, "… He didn't wait for me either today. I just came to help you first; it doesn't mean I wasn't going to find him."

Uncle Yue gave him a glance, "Why didn't he come down to wait for you?"

Unable to answer, He Guan quickly put down the vegetables he was holding and bolted.

How could he explain? Admit that he misunderstood a confession and misspoke the day before?

Besides, deep down, He Guan knew he had understood.

But he hadn’t allowed himself to think in that direction, instinctively avoiding the implication.

In He Guan's mind, Lou Dongzang was family, but not a lover.

Moreover, if not for Uncle Yue's words today, He Guan would never have realized that he always rushed to the second floor as soon as he got home.

Was he really... that eager?

Always rushing to the second floor upon arrival?

Without even greeting Uncle Yue?

Wandering around the first floor, he noticed that Uncle Yue had been busy. There weren’t even fingerprints on the first-floor windows. Finding no chores left for him, he eventually sat down on the living room sofa.

If he wasn't spending time with Lou Dongzang after returning home, what was he doing?

Busy days meant work; on quieter days…

He'd write songs.

Three songs had been decided for his debut album. He Guan had only finished the title track. The secondary track and another song were yet to be started.

The title song was the most crucial, so it had been sent to the studio for arrangement and mixing. The vocal coaches in the company would soon get involved, teaching the members to sing it to perfection.

Songwriting had gone smoothly before, but today, as He Guan sat at the piano, his fingers only produced disjointed notes. His mind was clearly elsewhere.

He pressed a piano key, staring blankly at the empty sheet music in front of him.

He couldn't write.

And as He Guan played, his concentration continually wavered—

There were three people in the house.

Only two of them could play the piano.

He had been playing for at least ten minutes now, yet the person upstairs hadn't come down.

He had clearly asked in the surveillance feed why he hadn't returned, but now that he was back, there was silence.

With a click of his tongue, He Guan gave up on writing and began playing Bach.

He played the Passion, transitioning from St. Matthew to St. Luke.

He then shifted to playing concertos, going through all six of the Brandenburg Concertos consecutively.

But given these were concertos, playing them on the piano alone felt monotonous. Growing bored, He Guan decided to stop and stand up.

As he was about to rise, He Guan heard someone step back behind him.

He quickly turned and found Lou Dongzang standing right behind him near the floor lamp, having arrived unnoticed.

He Guan: "...When did you get here?"

Lou Dongzang's reply was still succinct: "Just now."

Lou Dongzang had always been a man of few words, which He Guan was aware of. But when such brevity hinted at indifference, it saddened He Guan.

He Guan: "You always move so silently..."

Lou Dongzang: "You were too loud."

He Guan: "?"

What did you say?

Say that again?

I'm loud?

Lou Dongzang: "Stop playing, you'll make me deaf."

He Guan: "...Oh."

Lou Dongzang automatically translated this "oh" to mean "okay," didn't engage further, and asked Uncle Yue, "Butler, when's dinner?"

Uncle Yue's voice echoed from the kitchen, "It'll be ready shortly. Please have a seat."

Lou Dongzang: "No need, I'll head upstairs."

He Guan was taken aback.

The number of times he was stunned today surpassed even his experiences since arriving in this world.

Why wouldn't he even dine with him?

"Has your affection gone to the dogs?" He Guan pondered, feeling as if he was being avoided even at meal times.

Was he some kind of plague?

Before He Guan could muster up a thought, Lou Dongzang had already taken his meal from Uncle Yue and turned towards the stairs.

But from the kitchen to the staircase, his pace was unusually slow. Perhaps because he was holding his meal, Lou Dongzang seemed to struggle with finding his way.

Following behind, He Guan nudged Lou Dongzang's slipper whenever he veered off course.

Lou Dongzang stopped in his tracks, pausing for a moment before muttering, "Thank you."

He Guan was astounded.

A thank you for such a trivial gesture? After all that had transpired before...

Engulfed in his bewilderment, He Guan allowed Lou Dongzang to proceed upstairs by himself.

When He Guan finally snapped back, his first instinct was to check on Lou Dongzang, noticing his stable hold on his meal.

Lou Dongzang's lips moved slightly as if he was counting something.

It didn't take long for He Guan to realize what he was counting.

The number of stair steps.

Whenever He Guan was with him, all he had to do was hold onto He Guan; when He Guan paused, so would he.

He Guan withdrew his gaze, suddenly understanding the indifferent behavior of many towards him.

Out of sight, out of mind. If they didn't see, they wouldn't feel pity for Lou Dongzang's struggles.

It was easier to bury one's head in the sand.

He Guan followed him up the stairs, but after just two steps, he was halted.

Lou Dongzang: "Don't come any further, He Guan."

He Guan: "...Why?"

Have I lost even the right to help you?

Lou Dongzang: "It's too crowded."

He Guan felt rooted to the spot.

Lou Dongzang meant the table they shared was too cramped for the two of them.

Yet, He Guan still ascended the stairs.

Lou Dongzang set his meal on the small table.

He Guan bypassed him, heading straight for the bedroom.

Holding his pillow and clothes, he paused as he passed Lou Dongzang's dining spot, wanting to speak but ultimately remained silent.

From Lou Dongzang's perspective, this approach seemed entirely fitting.

Lou Dongzang was distancing himself.

Since He Guan hadn't responded to his veiled hints, he took the initiative to push He Guan away.

Predicting that He Guan might feel awkward or distant, he took the first step.

He actively reverted their relationship to its prior state.

Love can breed resentment; fondness can lead to aversion. It isn't without reason.

Pausing for a moment with his clothes and pillow, He Guan, in the end, descended without uttering a word.

He placed his clothes atop the piano, inadvertently striking a cacophony of notes, and looked up towards the second floor.

This time, the person above didn't chide him for the noise.

After Lou Dongzang finished his meal, Uncle Yue came to clear the dishes.

Seeing Lou Dongzang sitting pensively with his head down, Uncle Yue didn't interrupt, simply collecting the used dishes.

Suddenly, Lou Dongzang asked, "Was I too demanding?"

Even in his blindness, Lou Dongzang had always been prideful.

For him to use the word "demanding" was akin to challenging his own self-respect.

Uncle Yue stacked the dishes and said, "He avoided you once, but how many times did you avoid him today? And those things you said – haven't you now squared things up, and even owe him an apology?"

Lou Dongzang: "Is that all?"

Uncle Yue: "Should I suggest that since things have come to this, you two shouldn't continue?"

Lou Dongzang: "...That's not possible."

Uncle Yue: “I don’t interfere with him, just occasionally with you. You overstep, and he’s oblivious. Tell me, haven't you deceived him enough that now you want to manipulate him further?”

Lou Dong: “…”

Uncle Yue: “Retreating to advance can work. Just don't upset him.”

Lou Dong: “I don’t know.”

Uncle Yue: “What?”

Lou Dong: “I don’t know what works on him. The most intense emotion I’ve seen from him these past days was his anger towards me. There’s no other way.”

The only way for him to make He Guan realize his significance in his life was by angering him.

Uncle Yue: “... Always resorting to destructive tactics.”

Lou Dong raised his head: "Uncle, help me."

Uncle Yue: "..."

So he had been waiting for him here.

Author's Note:

Happy Labor Day! Put in some effort.