Chapter 3223: Saving the Zero‑Protein Bai Ze Love Story 24

The scene in the dream shifted again.

Baize had disappeared for several days.

Yiqi went to that little house every day only to find it empty; the slight sense of security he felt was gnawed away by the endless waiting, leaving it in tatters. He didn't know where Baize had gone, what he was doing, or whether he would return, and he didn't even know if he had done something wrong that made others avoid him.

That night Baize returned, Yiqi pushed open the door and saw him sitting at the table, holding a pen and scribbling something on paper.

He stood in the doorway for a few seconds before daring to believe it wasn't his eyes playing tricks, his mouth twisting in hurt as he said, "Brother, where did you go?"

Baize lifted his head, set down the pen, and quietly looked at him.

"Ailinuo," he said, "I'm going back to Huaxia Didu."

"I might not come back for a long time… tonight… I've come to say goodbye to you."

Baize's voice was calm, but Yiqi noticed that he didn't meet his eyes while speaking, as if he feared he couldn't continue once their gazes locked.

Baize seemed to anticipate Yiqi's sadness and comforted him, saying, "Ailinuo, I won't forget you."

Yiqi tilted his head, not feeling very upset, just moved close and pressed against Baize, asking solemnly, "Is that why you disappeared for several days?"

Baize nodded gently, his tender gaze falling on Yiqi's face, hiding a sorrow the boy neither understood nor noticed.

Yiqi raised the corners of his mouth, smiling with eyes curved like crescents, "It's fine, I'll go with you to Didu!"

Baize frowned, about to say his mission was a bit dangerous and not suitable for bringing Yiqi along, when he heard Yiqi say the next second.

"I'm powerful in Didu… no, wait, it's my stepfather who's powerful—he's the big boss of the Jin consortium, Brother, I can protect you."

At that moment, Baize was stunned for a long while.

He stared at Yiqi in disbelief and bewilderment, as if he'd heard some world‑shaking news, his whole body going stiff and even feeling cold.

Yiqi was puzzled and quickly reached out to poke him, "Brother?"

Baize came to his senses, his expression turning complex; he raised his hand as if to touch Yiqi's hair, but it hovered in mid‑air for a moment before he lowered it.

He suddenly stood up and pushed Yiqi out the door.

The door slammed shut in front of Yiqi.

The hair of Yiqi, locked outside, was blown up by the wind into a stray strand, "?"

Is Brother happy or not?

Yiqi didn't know what fear and shock Baize had endured that night.

The next day, he prepared to look for Baize again… when a sudden change occurred.

Recalling this dream, Yiqi instinctively did not want to continue.

——

Outside the dream, Yiqi jolted awake.

Before him was the gray‑white ceiling of the rest room, the air‑condition vent blowing straight toward the bed, the cold air puffing onto his face and making him slightly shrink his neck.

Yiqi drew two shallow breaths, his heartbeat not yet fully calmed, a thin layer of sweat appearing on his forehead and his back damp.

He stared at the ceiling for a while, waiting for his heartbeat to slowly settle, then turned on his side to look at Baize, who was still holding him.

Baize slept deeply, appearing completely defenseless, his arm still resting on Yiqi's waist, holding him especially tightly.

Yiqi turned over, facing Baize, and made a few small movements.

In his sleep Baize sensed it, perhaps thinking Yiqi was restless, and instinctively pressed the approaching person into his embrace, gently patting his back.

Yiqi's face was suddenly buried in the soft chest, his nose sinking in.

Yiqi: "……"

His face warmed slightly in the darkness.

The familiar scent enveloped him, bringing a real sense of security; Baize's body heat passed through the pajamas, warm and cozy.

But Yiqi hadn't forgotten he was still angry—how could Baize sleep so peacefully while he had to endure those messy dreams!

Yiqi opened his mouth, intending to bite down hard to wake Baize, but when he saw the gauze still wrapped around Baize's back, his bite softened considerably—he only took a small bit and ground his teeth against it in retaliation.

The feeling of revenge amounted to almost nothing.

Instead, Baize slept even more soundly, even shifting toward Yiqi and tightening his arm a little more.

Yiqi kept grinding his teeth in anger, moving his bite to several spots—on Baize's collarbone, shoulder, and chest—leaving light tooth marks, as if he were marking territory.

But each tooth mark was shallow, just enough to leave a trace, making them seem ambiguous yet infinitely precious.

After a long while, light seeped through the curtain gaps, turning the sky a pale gray‑blue.

The phone on the nightstand vibrated; Yiqi reached over and saw it was a message from his cheap Dage, saying a car had been sent to pick him up, telling him to come home once he was awake because there was something to discuss.

Okay, okay, my cheap Dage is terrifying—he'd dare to drive and crash into people while setting fire—but it's better to obey.

Yiqi put the phone down, finally releasing the bit of flesh he'd been holding in his mouth, and slowly wriggled out of Baize's embrace to sit up.

Baize woke almost instantly, groggily leaning in to kiss Yiqi's cheek and whispering, "Xiaoqi……"

Before the affectionate words were finished, he reacted half a beat late and suddenly became sober.

Baize looked at Yiqi, his eyes carrying a hint of unease, as if he were a prisoner unsure whether he had been forgiven.

Yiqi snorted, wiped the kissed spot with the back of his hand in a deliberate, exaggerated motion, then got out of bed and dressed.

Baize sat up, the blanket that had been covering him sliding off with the motion, leaving faint red marks on his skin—he himself unaware, merely staring at Yiqi's back and anxiously asking, "Where are you going?"

Yiqi refused to look at him, continuing to lower his head as he dressed, "My older brother won't let me play with a liar anymore."

He said that angrily, but it was obvious that to Baize's ears it didn't mean that.

Baize didn't know how to interpret it—probably thinking that not playing with a liar meant cutting ties, so he barefoot stepped out of bed, walked a few steps to Yiqi, grabbed his hand, and insisted, "Xiaoqi, I won't agree to calling off the engagement."

Yiqi: "??"

Yiqi snapped his head back angrily and bit down hard on Baize's shoulder, snarling, "You person, why do you keep bringing up calling off the engagement?! Have I ever said that?!"

He glared at Baize, picked up his phone, and walked away without looking back.