《Beneath the surface - ZhanYi version》

《Chapter 9》

"Our days on this earth won't go past a hundred years, yet we always worry about things that are thousands of years into the future. If the days are so short and the nights are so long, why not take a torch with you and have fun all the time . . . ?"

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The little prince's POV

I glanced up from my book, pushing my thin-framed glasses higher as I looked at Yibo, who kept scrolling down his phone.

The glasses were a bonus to some outfits, but lately, I had chosen to pick them up more often than not, just feeling a soft, glowing warmth pooling inside my chest; it felt right.

I quietly chuckled under my breath, shaking my head while closing my book and placing it on the table as I stretched my body.

Yibo's phone had absorbed his attention; he hadn't moved in hours, and I knew his legs would tingle everywhere when he decided it would finally be time for a stretch. Yibo always hated that feeling, but really, who did enjoy that feeling?

I walked over, and Yibo didn't budge, which was my first indicator; most of the time, Yibo had to draw me away from my books.

He was like a ball of sunshine on an overdose of sugar, unable to sit still or focus on a task longer than a few minutes before needing stimulation.

I shook my head, finally understanding what Yibo's father meant when he said that Yibo, once invested, would be focused on one thing and emerge himself until he would forget the world around him.

A thought popped up: if I did not distract Yibo, would he even notice it if I left the room?

I smiled at the silly thought, knowing Yibo could somehow always sense my presence; this felt especially true when we were younger. I used to hate sleeping with someone else in a bed.

Whenever Yibo was asleep, I would slowly crawl away, but Yibo would always wake up, as if he had a third spider sense for it, and he would pull me back, mumbling about needing a pillow.

The season would not matter; it could be the bloody summer heat, and he'd hug me, or the coldest windy nights in the middle of the winter, and he'd still hug me like a koala; up to this day, he still does it.

I don't know whether it's more out of habit or because he actually likes it.

Over time, it grew onto me, and nowadays, I could not sleep without Yibo, not that I would admit it.

"That's more than enough screentime for you, Yibo." I swiftly took his phone as Yibo squealed like a baby bunny with his teeth bared; when his eyes found mine, he stared at me, a pout adorning his lips.

Whenever Yibo would make that expression, I couldn't help but lean in and snatch a kiss, and this time was no exception.

Yibo kept his pout as he mumbled, "I know it's just been ages since I've seen the world come together like this." I hummed, glancing at the video still playing on Yibo's phone, the familiar soft notes of the background song reaching my ears, causing my heart to squeeze tightly.

It was a video of the crowd, all standing at the billboard staring at the video when the frame cut and showed all the tributes placed there for Haoxuan and A-Qing.

I let out a shuddering breath, my heart feeling too big for my body as my head pounded a little at recalling the past few days.

Everything had gone by so quickly that it felt like a fever dream; if it weren't for Chen Jie lately smiling so much more and leaving work earlier to catch up with Song Jiyang, I would have sworn it was all inside my mind.