HIDE AND SEEK

You are my sunrise at dawn, and my sunset in the late afternoon.

-From me. To You.

Hao Mingyu rolled his eyes as he walked past Lianhua, then into the acute space living room and sat down on the sofa. With Lianhua close behind him. When they got close to the sofa, Hao Mingyu came to a halt, causing Lianhua to bump into his back and groan in pain.

"Hm? " Hao Mingyu frowned and stared at something.

Lianhua peered around the corner.

"What? What exactly is it? " Lianhua inquired, peering around behind his brother.

Hao Mingyu ignored him and continued on his way. Lianhua quickly followed suit. However, Hao Mingyu came to a halt near the table. He knelt down and reached for something. Lianhua, who was standing behind him, peered around the corner. His calm heart leapt and panicked as soon as he saw what was on his brother's hand. It was a smartphone, a mysterious phone.

'shoot!'

"Does this belong to you?" Hao Mingyu inquired, holding the phone and looking at it suspiciously, turning it around his hand.

'No! That's Mr. Bao's phone! ' Lianhua screamed inside his head, panicking like a helpless cub.

"Yeah.. Newly bought.. one," Lianhua struggled, his eyes fixed, leaving no doubt in his words.

'Newly purchased, what? Is it a phone or a case? 'Lianhua pondered.

Hao Mingyu took his gaze away from the phone and peered behind him at Lianhua.

"Did you buy a new case?" Hao Mingyu inquired.

Lianhua quickly nodded his head.

"Y..yeah. I bought a new one," Lianhua says. He crossed his index and middle fingers behind his back to indicate that he was lying.

"Oh," Hao Mingyu said as he lifted the phone and looked at it again.

"But why black? Didn't you despise black phone cases?" Hao Mingyu inquired as he turned the phone upside down.

'shoot!'Lanhua.

"Oh.. it's just that.. I– I had grown tired of other colors because– because they get dirty easily," Lianhua explained. Half-true, half-fake

"Oh," Hao Mingyu said as he walked over to the couch, still holding the phone, and slumped down on it. Lianhua followed suit and took a seat on the opposite side of the sofa.

"Why are you still looking at it?" Lianhua inquired, attempting to appear natural and calm.

"Oh, it's just that, I'm surprised you didn't buy the usual," Hao Mingyu replied, finally setting the phone down on the table.

"Oh, the yellow one," Lianhua exclaimed.

"Yeah... Anyway, let me ask you this," Hao Mingyu sat properly and looked Lianhua in the eyes, making the other nervous once more.

"What is it?" Lianhua asked, trying not to stutter and avoid his brother's gaze.

"If the yellow represents happiness to you, what does the black represent? Sadness?" Hao Mingyu asked, making Lianhua laugh.

"Oh shut up," Lianhua said, crying with laughter.

"What are you laughing about?" Hao Mingyu inquired, perplexed.

"Hahahaha... Nothing," Lianhua said.

After a brief pause, Lianhua looked up at his brother again, as if he had realized and remembered something.

"Now that I think about it, why are you here, Ge?" Lianhua inquired.

Hao Mingyu exhaled a sigh.

"I'm just worried about you; I thought you wouldn't listen and go back to the village," Hao Mingyu said, his face concerned.

"Well, I'm here in front of you, safe and sound," Lianhua replied, smiling at Hao Mingyu, who smiled back.

"The village... I don't think we can go there for the time being; I'll never be at peace if we're attacked again," Hao Mingyu said, his brow furrowed.

"Yeah... Fortunately, we managed to–" Lianhua began, but was cut off by Hao Mingyu.

"Escape... Yeah," Hao Mingyu added. As he stared at Lianhua's hazel eyes, his eyes grew cold.

"Right," Lianhua agreed, seemingly reluctantly.

"Anyway, do you remember the new kid in town?" Hao Mingyu inquired.

"Who?" Lianhua inquired, but Hao Mingyu simply ignored him and stared at him.

"You mean, A'Shan? Why? What about her?" Lianhua inquired.

"She was taken by those vampires as well," Hao Mingyu stated flatly.

After Hao Mingyu said those words, they were startled by a faint sound coming from Lianhua's bedroom. They both came to a halt and gazed into the bedroom, in unison. Lianhua's heart jumped once more in fear.

'shoot! Mr.Bao had completely slipped my mind!

"What was that just now?" Hao Mingyu inquired, casting a glance at his younger brother, who wore and looked at him nervously.

"I... I'm not sure," Lianhua replied nervously.

"Don't worry, I'm here," Hao Mingyu attempted to stand.

After Hao Mingyu told him those things, Lianhua had an idea.

"Wait. W-what if... What if it's them again?" Lianhua asked, pretending to be terrified.

He stood up, approached Hao Mingyu, and ran behind him.

"I'm capable of dealing with them. Don't be concerned," Hao Mingyu reassured him.

"Really?" Lianhua inquired once more.

"Yeah. Take a seat. They will be recognized immediately if they come through the window. Apart from that, the door is closed, and we've been sitting here since earlier," Hao Mingyu explained.

Lianhua nodded and moved closer to the sofa. He fixed his gaze on Hao Mingyu, who was walking towards the door of his bedroom. Lianhua's heart thumped even louder when Hao Mingyu finally opened the door and entered.

'Oh my goodness! Mr.Bao! What have I gotten you into? ' While biting and fiddling with his fingers, Lianhua yelled inside his head.

From the outside, it may appear that Lianhua was scared, but he was actually nervous.

Hao Mingyu appeared after a minute and closed the door behind him.

Lianhua was perplexed.

"It was raining hard outside and the wind was strong, and because you didn't close your window, the wind wiped out almost all of your things on the shelf," Hao Mingyu explained.

"Was my window open?" Lianhua inquired.

"Mn," Hao Mingyu hummed as he looked down at his watch.

"I've already closed it," he added.

'Please don't tell me that what I'm thinking is what I'm thinking.'

"I must have forgotten to close it earlier," Lianhua pretended.

"Yeah, you're so preoccupied with your session that you forgot to wipe your sweats," Hao Mingyu laughed, slightly teasing his younger brother.

"Oh, shut up," Lianhua replied.

Hao Mingyu laughed, slightly teasing his younger brother.

"I'll be leaving now; let's talk later, perhaps tomorrow?"

"All right, I'll wait for your call," Lianhua said.

Hao Mingyu walked towards the door, followed by Lianhua.

"You're such a good kid, opening the door for me when I arrived, but you didn't even give me a snack, let alone water," Hao Mingyu said.

"You can get your own snack; you know where the refrigerator is," Lianhua replied.

Hao Mingyu had arrived outside the door. He turned around to face Lianhua.

"About the village," Hao Mingyu said,

"let's talk tomorrow."

"You don't have to say it again," mumbled Lianhua.

"You're really mean," Hao Mingyu remarked, smiling.

After a brief assertion, Hao Mingyu finally departs after hugging Lianhua. They both said their goodbyes, and Lianhua shut the door.

After that, he dashed into his bedroom and opened the door to find Hei Bao sitting in his bed, clutching a book. Lianhua finally calmed down and walked slowly towards Hei Bao, who was engrossed in his book. It was Lianhua's favorite supernatural beings book. Werewolves, vampires, shape-shifters, witches, warlocks, fairies, and other supernatural beings.

Hei Bao heard the door creak, but he didn't look because he knew who it was based on the person's strawberry scent. Lianhua had left the door unlocked.

"Do you like this kind of book?" Hei Bao inquired, not looking at Lianhua. He removed the bookmark and placed it on the page where he had stopped reading before closing the book to inspect the cover.

Lianhua sat silently beside Hei Bao. He then sighed and looked at the book as well. Before opening his mouth to speak, he swallowed a lump in his throat.

"Yeah," he said after a pause.

Hei Bao remained silent while listening.

"When we were younger, our mother used to tell us stories about supernatural beings," Lianhua replied, his gaze fixed on the book and a soft smile on his lips. He recalled times when he and his mother were reading a book together when he was younger.

Hei Bao became aware of Lianhua's abrupt change in tone. He frowned, but ignored what he notice. Hei Bao's silence was started to notice by Lianhua. Assuming Hei Bao is still listening, he decided to continue what he was saying earlier.

"Actually, I didn't like reading books before, but when they left us, I remembered the times I spent with them reading books, so I figured I should try reading again to lessen the sadness inside my heart, until reading books became one of my hobbies," Lianhua said softly.

'Are they no longer alive?'Hei Bao was baffled. He wanted to ask, but he was afraid of offending Lianhua. It's natural to be curious and sentimental about the people you care about, but in some cases, being considerate and patient about other people's flaws is the best thing to do, especially if the other person is expressing discomfort about the subject.

Furthermore, based on the reactions of the young man beside him, he could tell that his question was no longer required to be answered; his expression said it all.

Hei Bao looked at Lianhua, causing the latter to look at him as well. They locked gazes once more. Hei Bao could see his sadness and pain as he gazed into Lianhua's beautiful hazel brown eyes. They are currently only a few inches apart. As Hei Bao breathed, Lianhua could detect a minty scent.

"If you miss them that much, you should pay them a visit," Hei Bao advises.

"It's not easy, Mr. Bao; I can't do it," Lianhua said sadly.

Hei Bao furrowed his brows.

'I despise people with weak hearts.'

'But why do I feel sorry for him?' Hei Bao pondered.

"Why can't you do it?" Hei Bao asked, slightly tilting his head to examine Lianhua's face more closely.

"I might not leave if I see them again," Lianhua said.

"It must have been very difficult for you both," Hei Bao said, referring to Hao Mingyu.

"It's not that difficult; we're old enough to look after ourselves," Lianhua explained, smiling at Hei Bao.

Hei Bao reciprocated the smile.

"They did an excellent job raising you two," Hei Bao stated, raising his hand.

He stroked Lianhua's hair. Hei Bao was moved by the softness of Lianhua's hair, and he wanted to do more.

"They did," Lianhua said in response to Hei Bao.

Hei Bao finally stopped patting Lianhua's head after a few seconds.

"I'm sure they're keeping an eye on you both from above," Hei Bao said.

"...Pardon?" Lianhua was perplexed.

"Aren't they... dead?" Hei Bao inquired.

For a brief moment, Lianhua was taken aback.

Then he burst out laughing, which caused Hei Bao to furrow his brows in confusion.

"M..Mr. Bao.. You thought– HaHaHaHa! You... You thought they were dead, didn't you?" Lianhua asked, still laughing.

Hei Bao remained silent, attempting to process the situation. Lianhua looked at Hei Bao and noticed the others' serious expressions as they looked at him. Lianhua stopped laughing and looked down at his feet, realizing what had just happened.

"I must've gotten too comfortable with you," Lianhua apologized.

Hei Bao smiled slightly when he heard him.

"It's okay; I like that you feel at ease around me," Hei Bao said, smiling slightly.

Lianhua raised his head and tilted his head to face Hei Bao. He looked into Hei Bao's eyes, which radiated hope. He was now warm and at ease. When he looked into Hei Bao's eyes, his sadness and problems vanished. He then smiled. One that is genuine. Lianhua felt as if he had discovered a new sign of inspiration.

"So, where are they now?" Hei Bao inquired.

"They're outside the country; Mom has to work there because Dad's company is doing well there; they rarely meet, so Mom just goes with him and stays with Dad," Lianhua responded.

"Hm," hummed Hei Bao.

Ringg! Ringg!

The ringing of the phone startled the two. Because the door was open, the sound from the living room could be heard. Hei Bao rose and took his tuxedo from the chair on Lianhua's study table. He turned around to face Lianhua, who was now looking down.

"I think I need to leave now," Hei Bao said.

To be continued.

Author: Ho! I made it! I MADE IT THANK YOU PAPA GOD T_T

Hello I... T_T I'm crying and happy at the same time. I made it and I manage to update. I... I apologize for the late update. It's been stress lately in our house environment I needed to rest and let loose a bit, then I forgot. Again I apologize.