Chapter 3
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As per Xie Min’s study with just one sample, the LEGO rabbit with a human soul had a strong need for sleep. It fell asleep and slept deeply.
In the morning, Xie Min initially felt Sui Yang shaking him but didn’t want to respond. After some time, he heard Sui Yang calling him. Sui Yang’s voice varied, sometimes sounding anxious and other times showing evident self-doubt.
Xie Min still wanted to sleep and found Sui Yang’s noise bothersome. He kicked his legs a few times, attempting to push away Sui Yang’s hand poking him. Sui Yang held onto him, lifted him up, and shook him in the air without any hint of respect, which woke him up.
However, right after Xie Min woke up, he still felt dizzy and wasn’t ready for an argument. He watched Sui Yang put him down with satisfaction after saying, “Don’t make noise,” and then Sui Yang went to freshen up.
After a while, Sui Yang returned. Xie Min’s morning annoyance had mostly faded. Sui Yang picked him up and took him to the dining room. He didn’t resist anymore.
The chef prepared breakfast and placed it on the table.
Sui Yang asked the chef to leave first, put Xie Min next to his coffee cup, and ate breakfast while informing Xie Min about his plans for the day.
After breakfast, he went to the company for a morning meeting, accompanied important people to visit the new factory area, attended a networking session in the afternoon, and had dinner plans in the evening. Dinner was supposed to finish before nine, and then they would head to Yuhai for an overnight stay.
He didn’t have much free time. He had to go back to Yuangang tomorrow night.
Sui Yang explained everything in great detail, but Xie Min thought it was a bit too much and unnecessary. So he stayed silent, just listening.
Sui Yang’s career and busy schedule, even though Xie Min tried to avoid it, he still heard about them.
After his father’s legal case ended, Sui Yang and his mother moved south, inheriting the only remaining factory in the family. Many years had passed since then, and during those years, Xie Min sporadically heard about his experiences and knew that he had become successful.
As for their past relationship, just like Sui Yang had said at the time, it was merely a fling, not something to be taken seriously. Both of them got back on track, and they were doing well now. There was no need to dwell on or mention the past.
After Sui Yang finished explaining the schedule and finished breakfast, Xie Min was on the verge of daydreaming. Seeing him put down the chopsticks, Xie Min asked casually, “So, should I stay at your place today?” And Sui Yang coincidentally replied, “I’ll take you along.”
Sui Yang heard his words, looked at him, and explained, “I don’t feel comfortable having you at my place. The housekeeper takes care of the cleaning. You can’t wander around freely, so it’s better if you come to work with me.”
Sui Yang wiped his hands with a hot towel, reached out, and touched Xie Min’s rabbit back, muttering to himself, “It’s a good thing you’re small now. I can put you in the inner pocket of my coat. It won’t be too noticeable.”
Xie Min felt that Sui Yang’s remarks were somewhat insulting and didn’t bother responding.
Sui Yang’s hand seemed to have forgotten to move away and remained on Xie Min. Xie Min’s line of sight was partially obscured by fingers, only able to see Sui Yang’s chin but not his eyes.
After being touched for quite a while, Xie Min felt that Sui Yang’s touch had exceeded the boundaries. He moved his body and started to resist, “Could you please stop touching me all the time?”
Upon being reminded, Sui Yang withdrew his hand. “Sorry, I was lost in thought and didn’t pay attention.” He picked up Xie Min, walked to the door, put him in the inner pocket of his coat, and then put it on.
Inside the pocket, there was no light. The gentle fabric of the cashmere inner pocket rubbed against the plastic body of the small LEGO rabbit.
Xie Min listened to the changing background sounds around him. From the elevator to the car, Sui Yang didn’t speak again because the driver and secretary were by his side.
It only took fifteen minutes from Sui Yang’s home to the company. Whether he forgot or was simply confident, Sui Yang didn’t take Xie Min out and went straight to the meeting. Xie Min stayed in his pocket, eavesdropping on the morning meeting for over half an hour and acquiring several confidential pieces of information about Sui Yang’s company.
After that, they went to the new factory area in another district for a visit.
Sui Yang’s pocket was dark. Muffled voices from different people came through from outside the coat. In a semi-conscious state, time slipped away for Xie Min.
After lunch, Sui Yang sent the guests to rest and went to the lounge himself. He sat down and took out Xie Min, who had stayed in his pocket for the whole morning.
Xie Min saw the daylight again, basking in the January sun of Yuangang.
Sui Yang placed Xie Min on the coffee table and softly called his name.
Xie Min couldn’t be bothered to speak, so Sui Yang poked his back and gently pushed him in circles under the sunlight, resembling manually operating a toy carousel.
After being forced to spin a few rounds, Xie Min felt dizzy. He cursed, asking what Sui Yang was doing. Sui Yang smiled gently at Xie Min, speaking to him like one would soothe a child, “I wanted Xiao Tu (little bunny) to receive sunlight evenly.”
“……” Xie Min couldn’t help but curse Sui Yang, calling him “crazy.” However, Sui Yang didn’t get angry at all. He simply stopped spinning the little bunny and lightly touched its ears.
It had been ten years since Xie Min had thought about Sui Yang. Although Sui Yang had never been normal before, Xie Min still couldn’t immediately determine if Sui Yang had always been this abnormal.
“Xie Min.” Sui Yang reached out and covered Xie Min’s rabbit head, then suddenly called his name.
Sui Yang’s voice seemed to have become slightly deeper, completely losing the accent of Yuhai’s northern region, making Xie Min feel unfamiliar.
Xie Min ignored him as his phone began to vibrate. Sui Yang withdrew his hand and answered the call on speakerphone. The voice of the private investigator, Chen Liao, whom he had contacted last night, came through the phone.
“Mr. Sui, there was indeed a car accident four days ago, but it occurred in a remote area on Shanyu East Road. There were hardly any pedestrians or vehicles around at the time,” Chen Liao informed Sui Yang. “The driver didn’t flee, and the traffic police determined it was an accidental collision. I confirmed it through video surveillance. It was Mr. Xie’s car, and the accident was severe. The ambulance took Mr. Xie to Renshan Hospital.
“In addition, I asked some friends in the media. It’s not that no one noticed this incident, but the news was suppressed from above. Executives and secretaries both claimed he was on vacation, both inside and outside the company. I think it’s because his company recently went public, and if it were reported, it could easily cause stock price fluctuations. They plan to wait until the situation stabilizes before making it public.”
“How is he doing?” Sui Yang interrupted him.
“He’s out of the ICU,” Chen Liao replied. “His vital signs are stable, but he hasn’t woken up yet. He was admitted to room 1201 on the VIP floor of the hospital’s inpatient department. There are security guards stationed outside the room now.”
Sui Yang pondered for a moment and asked, “Has anyone visited him in the hospital?”
“To my knowledge, not yet. However, an acquaintance of mine at the hospital informed me that there was a small altercation at the room entrance last night. Mr. Xie’s brother wanted to go in but was stopped by Mr. Xie’s assistant. The assistant called Mr. Xie’s father to mediate, and in the end, the brother didn’t enter the room,” Chen Liao paused slightly and inquired, “Mr. Sui, are you considering visiting him?”
Sui Yang asked Chen Liao to wait for a moment, muted the call, and asked Xie Min, “What do you think?”
Xie Min heard about his own car accident and family disputes through the phone. Suddenly, he realized that his situation resembled more of a horror story than a fairy tale.
Everything around him—the plants, furniture, and decorations—appeared oversized, making it difficult for Xie Min to adjust. He suddenly felt overwhelmed, his mind filled with chaotic information and pessimistic predictions.
It took Xie Min quite a while to snap out of it, and he reluctantly answered, “I don’t know.”
Sui Yang seemed to sense his distress and didn’t force him to make an immediate decision. He told Chen Liao that he needed more time to consider.
After ending the call, Sui Yang picked up Xie Min, placing him in the palm of his left hand and gently moving his small front rabbit legs with his right hand.
Xie Min was feeling agitated and lightly tapped Sui Yang’s fingertip, wanting him to keep his distance. But then he heard Sui Yang say, “Xie Min, there’s no need to worry too much.”
“It’s not like it’s you who turned into a toy.” Xie Min wasn’t comforted by his words.
“At least you still have vital signs. Maybe if I take you to the hospital, you can return to your own body,” Sui Yang said softly. “Right? Have you ever seen those zombie movies where some people possess other bodies to protect themselves? You’re possessing a rabbit body.”
“You’re the one possessing a rabbit body.” Xie Min felt that Sui Yang was intentionally speaking nonsense. He had been like this before, sometimes reliable and sometimes unreliable, but Xie Min was handling it better now.
Sui Yang’s rest time quickly came to an end when the secretary knocked on the door of the lounge. Xie Min returned to his pocket and spent a rather uneventful afternoon and dinner gathering.
They boarded the plane at half past nine in the evening.
In order to leave early, Sui Yang had consumed quite a bit of alcohol, making his breathing slightly heavier.
Xie Min wasn’t sure when Sui Yang learned to drink or how much alcohol he could handle, but he felt like Sui Yang was somewhat intoxicated. As the plane began to accelerate during takeoff, Sui Yang suddenly grabbed Xie Min in his palm, pressed against Xie Min’s rabbit ear, and said in a hushed voice, “Is it that you can’t tolerate flying on a mid-sized commercial aircraft?”
Perhaps because it was a night flight, the seat next to Sui Yang was unoccupied, but there was a girl sitting by the window on the other side. If she turned her head, she would see Sui Yang’s weirdness.
Unable to hold back, Xie Min whispered, “Just act normal and don’t talk to me.”
Sui Yang tightly held Xie Min in his palm and lowered his voice a bit more. “Alright.”
Then, “But I didn’t have a chance to tell you this afternoon. I informed Jiang Ci that I was coming over. He insisted on picking me up, so now I need to get some sleep.”
If Xie Min had a sense of touch and smell, he was certain he would have detected a strong scent of alcohol and felt a painful grip from Sui Yang. Fortunately, he didn’t possess those senses. He only experienced a discomfort that was within his tolerable limits.
“Xie Min, can I go to sleep?” Sui Yang seemed to have not heard his words at all and began seeking his opinion once again.
Xie Min felt that Sui Yang’s lips were almost touching his rabbit ear and said helplessly, “Just go to sleep already.”
Sui Yang finally opened the blanket and covered himself, covering a large portion of Xie Min as well.
As the plane took off, Sui Yang fell asleep, but his grip didn’t loosen.
Xie Min lifted his head and could see the night sky outside the window, along with some stars.
To the tiny LEGO rabbit, this mid-sized aircraft seemed as large as a spaceship. Xie Min had never experienced anything like this before, and even at this moment, he still felt like it was a strange dream.
The reunion with Sui Yang, entering Sui Yang’s home, Sui Yang’s touch, Sui Yang’s help, Sui Yang’s attention—these were all things Xie Min had never admitted to occasionally desiring.
Xie Min made an effort to free his front paw from Sui Yang’s hand and raised his body slightly, looking up at Sui Yang’s sleeping figure, thinking to himself, “Damn, this is really messed up.”
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