369: 7.59 Is That You?

7.59 Is That You?

Moshe was struck speechless. "You…"0

"I don't want to wait anymore." Lu Yizhou continued with a soft voice. "This time, you're not allowed to run away from me."

"This time…?" Moshe blinked as he caught on the crux of Lu Yizhou's sentence. "What do you mean by that? Have we met before? No, I would have remembered this face." Moshe's eyes raked across his features and his expression was tense with anticipation. "We haven't met before but somehow… you know me, and you know that Zion is my enemy. Are you ready to tell me who you are, Lu Yizhou?"

Lu Yizhou reached for Moshe's hand and slowly stroked the hard knuckles so that he would loosen his fists, keeping his eyes on those searing golden eyes to convey his sincerity. "The second thing I have to apologize to you about… is to hide the truth because I unilaterally judge that you will not be able to trust me. I know," he sighed. "I shouldn't have made this decision for you. No matter what, you deserve to know everything."

Carefully, Lu Yizhou said, "What I am about to say may be a little unbelievable but please… listen to me until I am done, okay?"

Moshe's brows furrowed and his lips parted seemingly to say something but in the end, he thought better of it and merely gave a brief nod. 

So Lu Yizhou told him about the simulator, the system in him, the world they were in and the original plot in which he had to save the villain from. He shelved the discussion about bugs for later, for just the basic fact was already enough to overwhelm anyone unassuming. His throat was parched by the time he finished speaking and he poured himself another glass of water. All this while, Moshe was silent and his expression was kept blank, rendering Lu Yizhou unable to guess what he was thinking about. 

He had a déjà vu that this was awfully similar to the fifth world when he told Terra the truth for the first time. But Moshe was different from Terra. Lu Yizhou had a hunch that this time, his lover wouldn't be able to accept the truth so easily.

And he was spot on.

"So you're saying that…" Moshe said slowly. "This world is supposed to be a… simulator and everyone isn't real except for you and me. I am actually not Moshe, but someone named 'Z' who is currently in a coma in a place called 'rest station' and you're here to save me from my demise?"

Lu Yizhou was lowkey impressed. He had talked for almost half an hour but Moshe could conclude everything in just two sentences. "You're right. I know it's a little hard to believe but—"

Moshe lifted a hand, his expression shuttered. "Stop." 

Before Lu Yizhou could react, Moshe jumped off his lap, leaving him bereft of the man's solid weight and warmth. Lu Yizhou subconsciously reached out for him only for his hand to be swatted away. His heart jolted in his chest. Had it been a bad idea to tell Moshe afterall?

"Just… a second." Moshe blew out a breath and raked his fingers through his half-dried hair. Seemingly unable to resist, he shook his head and let out a brief chuckle, wry and humorless. But at least, there weren't any signs of mockery or derision in them. He might not be able to believe Lu Yizhou fully, but at least he didn't dismiss him just like that. Lu Yizhou secretly heaved out a sigh of relief at that. "You're just telling me something so… bizarre and expecting me to accept it just like that?"

"No," he replied quietly. "I know it's very hard to believe. You may take as long as you need."

Moshe's eyes were perplexed as they flicked to him, searching for a hint of lie and found none. "Give me some time alone. In the meantime, you… I will tell Kaede if I need you for something." After saying that, he turned on his heels and walked away. 

He brought a piece of Lu Yizhou's soul with every step he took to increase the distance between them. Lu Yizhou clenched his fists. He had to give Moshe some space. That was the right thing to do, no matter how much he yearned to hold the man close, no matter how much he loathed the space between them. But still…

"Moshe."

Moshe halted in his tracks but didn't look back.

"Just this one time. This is the last time I will wait. No matter what…" Lu Yizhou didn't plead, but that was a near thing. If it could make Moshe turn to him, he would do it in a beat. "Do not run away. As long as you're ready, find me and I will be here."

Moshe let out a snort, more amused than offended. "You don't get to order your Master as you please, pet." He disappeared beyond the privacy screen, voice drifting across the air. "Go get some sleep. You can only get out of this room after 7 am. Do you hear me?"

The door closed with a soft click and Lu Yizhou let himself fall back to the bed. His eyelids fell shut and slowly, a small smile curled on the corner of his lips. His whole body felt lighter as if he was letting go of a heavy backpack after a long, torturous mountain climbing to finally let the warm sunshine wash over him. 

He had passed the most perilous hurdle. There was no need to hide anything from Moshe any longer.

Yes… he believed they would be okay from now on.

***

Even though Moshe said he needed some time alone, it didn't mean that he would let Lu Yizhou out of his sight without supervision. Five minutes past seven am, Lu Yizhou opened the door of the private room, only to have the hair on the back of his neck rising as soon as he took a step outside.

He felt eyes on him, even though the hallway was empty. 

Lu Yizhou merely tensed for a split second before he continued walking with a casual air. As he rounded the corner, he swept his gaze unobtrusively and spotted at least two hidden cameras expertly hidden on the ceiling that he was certain weren't there the day before. He resisted a helpless smile. Somehow, he had expected this coming. 

Along the way, he found a bunch of hidden cameras spread evenly throughout the mansion; on the ceiling lamps, behind the antique vase, on the painting frame… if not for Lu Yizhou's cautiousness and sensitivity to things like this, he wouldn't have spotted them. 

He made his way to Cheryl's room and knocked. 

Last night, it was too chaotic for him to truly fathom why Cheryl could appear in the charity event and he was sure that Moshe had no time to question her about it either, judging from how he had spent almost all the time with Lu Yizhou. "Cheryl, it's me. May I come in?'

There was a pitter patter of soft footsteps before the door clicked open. "Brother!" Cheryl threw herself into him and sobbed dramatically, still dressed in soft cartoon pajamas with her hair mussed up from sleep. "Brother, how are you? I was so afraid last night! You're right, there are so many bad guys out there in the world! So scary!"

Lu Yizhou scooped the little girl into his arms and brought them inside. He once again swept his gaze around and pinpointed two hidden cameras, one above the bookshelf while the other… inside the eye of Cheryl's teddy bear. Lu Yizhou couldn't help but curse Moshe's madness. He had only stayed in the private room for… what? Less than three hours? And every corner of the mansion had suddenly transformed into a huge CCTV for Moshe to track his movement with. 

"Don't cry," Lu Yizhou patted the girl's back. 

"How can I not!" Cheryl hollered into his ear and he winced. "Look at your face, your handsome face!" Cheryl cradled his face carefully with her little hands and turned him side to side, gasping. "Goodness, look at this terrible bruise. Do you fight with Brother Moshe again?!"

Lu Yizhou huffed out a laugh. "Just a small fight." He sat Cheryl on the bed and pretended to smooth over the rumpled sheet and blanket. He yanked the teddy bear by its leg so it was laying on its back, beady black eyes facing the ceiling. After that, he pulled a chair to the bedside and sat down with his back facing the bookshelf, effectively covering what he had to do from a certain pair of eyes that were currently monitoring him. 

Cheryl gave him a dubious look. "Are you sure? It doesn't seem like it."

Looking at this little chubby face, Lu Yizhou couldn't help but feel amused. How could he not realize it sooner? All those moments of deja vu and the familiarity in their behavior, everything had pointed him to the truth. He reached out to flick Cheryl's forehead, mirth dancing in his eyes.

"Owww!" Cheryl held her forehead with an aggrieved look as if Lu Yizhou had dealt a lethal offense to her. This drama queen, Lu Yizhou mused, he didn't even put in any strength in that one flick. Exactly where had she gotten this trait from? Not him for certain, then the only possibility left was his lover. "Brother is so mean! What was that for?!" She demanded with a pout. 

"Don't you know how dangerous it is to go out at night? Why did you do it?" Lu Yizhou said while his hand fished out Aiden's half-dead archaic phone that could only be used to call and message others. 

He typed discreetly. [Is that you, Bianca?]

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