Paper Life 26

Shang Nan took the dust cloth from Yu Zhibai's hand and covered 'Shang Xuan' again. "I don't need this kind of gift?"

Yu Zhibai was puzzled. "Is it because it's not realistic enough?"

"When a person dies, they are dead. Nothing can replace a dead person. Moreover," Shang Nan told the truth, "I don't have any feelings for him."

Putting it this way, Shang Nan thought, Yu Zhibai might still feel confused. He changed his way of expression and said, "If I died, would you make a..."

"No." Yu Zhibai answered before Shang Nan could finish. If Shang Nan died, there would be no more Paper People in the world. He would hold a grand funeral ceremony for Shang Nan and burn all the Paper People to accompany Shang Nan in burial, including himself.

As his voice fell, Yu Zhibai raised his hand. His palm gently pushed 'Shang Xuan's' face. The neatly arranged Paper People fell continuously like dominoes, creating a huge echo inside the villa.

Before Shang Nan could see clearly, he saw Yu Zhibai take something out of his hand. With a flick of his finger and a crisp sound, the unclasped lighter streaked across the air like a meteor in a smooth arc. The tongue of fire bit into the dust cloth, spreading instantly.

The Paper Person's face flickered in the gradually brightening firelight. He leaned over and kissed the center of Shang Nan's brows. When looking down at Shang Nan, his eyes were written with devotion. "Things Nannan doesn't like don't need to be kept."

Shang Nan turned his head abruptly. White smoke rose into the air. Paper People needed time to burn; the dust cloth was ignited first. Without the cover, Shang Nan clearly saw these Paper People lying on the ground.

There was not only Shang Xuan, but also Dai Lili, Zhang Hu, his childhood friend Meng Xiao, and several classmates who were enthusiastic towards Shang Nan, both male and female.

It had to be said that Yu Zhibai's paper crafting skills were consummate. Everyone's expressions were lifelike, matching how they appeared in person. They lay motionless on the ground, leaning against each other, sticking to each other, smiling as they waited for the fire to spread.

Shang Nan opened his mouth. Watching this scene, he felt more touched than afraid. Paper People were just a different way of expression. As long as they didn't hurt anyone, it... it wasn't unacceptable, just slightly clumsy and eerie.

"Fire!!!!!!" A shout from outside brought the two back to their senses. The fire had started; people outside would inevitably see it.

"Run!" Shang Nan pulled Yu Zhibai and rushed out. Yu Zhibai looked at his hand holding Shang Nan's and laughed.

Running into the corridor, Shang Nan paused. "Wait for me here, I'll be right back."

Yu Zhibai waited obediently on the spot.

Soon, Shang Nan ran out holding the oil painting of Yu She from her high school days. His face was full of happiness. "Take this with you."

Just as the two opened the main door, they saw several people running towards them from the distance. They couldn't let anyone discover them, otherwise, they couldn't explain it, especially since Shang Nan had stolen something from the villa.

However... Shang Xuan's things were originally his, so it didn't count as stealing.

"Let's leave through the back door." Shang Nan retreated. He didn't deliberately try to recognize the path, but his body had an impression of this villa. Soon, he led Yu Zhibai out of the villa.

Behind the villa was a desolate area. The fire grew larger. The great fire in the second-floor studio broke through the windows, looking like a flower blooming abruptly in the boundless dark night.

Shang Nan stared blankly at the villa. Suddenly, he felt a cold touch on his face. He shivered and found that Yu Zhibai had reached out and wiped his face.

Receiving Shang Nan's puzzled look, Yu Zhibai gestured, "You had something on your face."

It was likely that when Shang Nan ran back, he had rubbed against something black somewhere. Shang Nan's skin was naturally white, so anything on it was particularly obvious. Yu Zhibai saw it at a glance, but Shang Nan was completely unaware, staring blankly at the sky-filling fire.

Shang Nan handed the painting over. "Your mother's portrait. You take it."

Yu Zhibai took it in his hands and looked down for a few seconds. "She is really beautiful."

By the time Zhang Hu remembered to contact the two, Shang Nan was already on his way home. Zhang Hu shouted angrily on the other end, "You two are so boring. It hasn't even started yet, and you ran home!"

"That dog Zhu Mai actually left you there and ignored you. I asked him where Shang Nan was, and he just said 'ah', 'ah' my ass. But Yu Zhibai also ran off at some point. Luckily you two are together. I just heard a commotion outside saying a fire broke out at Number 11. They're still putting it out now."

Shang Nan told Zhang Hu not to worry. "You guys have fun. It's not like you're missing me and Yu Zhibai anyway."

"We are missing you! How could we not? Two more people means two more laborers," Zhang Hu wailed.

After joking with Zhang Hu on the computer for a while, the taxi drove towards Xizhou Private Hospital. Shang Nan wanted to give the painting to Yu Changyue.

Yu Zhibai's home was destitute. Yu She only had a black and white photo standing on the incense table. Such a youthful Yu She should be preserved.

Since they got in the car, the driver kept glancing at the two through the rearview mirror. He glanced constantly, several times, until he finally couldn't hold it back. "You two are a couple, right?"

Shang Nan and Yu Zhibai looked up at the driver together.

Seeing the tacit understanding between the two, the result was obvious. Although the driver guessed right, he wasn't that happy. "My daughter has also been very close with a boy recently. That tacit understanding is incredible. But I dare not ask. That girl has a huge temper. I can only observe the passengers I drive every day. At first, I would guess wrong, but now I guess right every time. It's really a sin!"

After listening, Shang Nan and Yu Zhibai looked at each other and smiled.

The driver soon stopped the car at the hospital entrance.

As soon as the taxi left, Shang Nan and Yu Zhibai saw Dai Lili standing at the hospital's main entrance. The relaxed joy on their faces vanished instantly. Dai Lili wouldn't come to the hospital for no reason.

The woman was wearing gray fur, her long hair pinned behind her head. Her high heels stepped on the shiny floor tiles at the entrance, exuding an aloof indifference and superiority. Shang Nan's facial features were very similar to hers, but the feeling they gave off was completely opposite.

Dai Lili was like a biting cold winter, while Shang Nan was like a winter day after the snow had just melted.

She walked towards Shang Nan.

......

"It's been a long time. I went to the city center to see you, but you weren't home. I called the company's special assistant, and he said you might be here, so I came early to wait for you," Dai Lili said in a mild tone.

Then, upon seeing Yu Zhibai, she suddenly became hysterical. Her expression twisted for a moment, but in public, she wouldn't allow herself to lose her posture as a noble lady. She held her shoulders and smiled at Yu Zhibai, "You look very much like your mother."

Especially with the physical comparison right there—Yu Zhibai was holding Yu She's portrait. Yu She at eighteen, exactly right; Yu Zhibai was also eighteen now.

Dai Lili looked at Shang Nan, her eyes sharp. "This afternoon, I had tea with the dean for a while. He told me that you brought a patient in. I thought you were doing charity, so I asked the dean to show me the patient's information."

She took a deep breath.

"Shang Nan, you dragged Yu Changyue right under my nose. Are you trying to anger me to death on purpose?"

Being close, Shang Nan could even hear the sound of her grinding her back teeth.

Shang Nan signaled Yu Zhibai with his eyes, telling him to go in first.

But Yu Zhibai didn't understand, or perhaps, he didn't want to understand.

Dai Lili reached out and pointed her index finger at Yu She in the painting. "Do you know that it's because of her that your father stayed out all night, separated from me, and ignored you? If it weren't for her, your father wouldn't have died either."

Her finger shook as it moved up, pointing at Yu Zhibai's face. "Do you have any conscience at all?"

Shang Nan pulled Yu Zhibai behind him. He looked at Dai Lili. "Please get it clear, it was my dad who had a crush on Yu She. She didn't even bother with him. Also, what you need to get clear is, if it weren't for my dad, Yu She wouldn't have died either."

Dai Lili looked at Shang Nan's indifferent face. Her expression was in a trance for a moment because Shang Nan had never talked back to her before, let alone say such ruthless and cold words.

"Good, good, good," Dai Lili said 'good' several times. She took a few steps back and smiled strangely, "I will go tell the dean to stop all treatment for Yu Changyue right now. Let's see if she dies."

Shang Nan called out to her, "Have you forgotten that I am the head of the Shang Family?"

He protected Yu Zhibai. "Without my permission, who dares to stop the treatment? You go ahead and try, see if they dare to execute it."

Dai Lili's back stiffened. She looked back at Shang Nan in disbelief, slowly turned around, and after a long while, suddenly walked quickly towards Shang Nan.

The speed of her slap was so fast that Shang Nan was completely unprepared and could only subconsciously close his eyes. The imagined pain did not come. He opened his eyes and saw Yu Zhibai blocking in front of him.

Dai Lili had done her nails. Her long nails dragged a long bloody scratch across the face. Yu Zhibai didn't even frown. His head was knocked to the side by the hit. When he turned back, he asked in a low voice, "Why did you hit him?"

Dai Lili was practically laughed into anger by his innocent appearance. "You don't know? Because I hate Yu She, so I also hate you. As a mother, I also don't want you two together. Do you think you deserve him?"

"All the halos of ordinary children are useless things to families like ours. We need icing on the cake, but we won't use rotten, inferior flowers that are found everywhere. You should understand this principle."

"Also," Dai Lili narrowed her eyes, "Have you forgotten how your mother died? It's hard for me not to suspect that you harbor some ulterior motives for approaching Shang Nan."

Shang Nan wanted to step forward, but was stopped by Yu Zhibai. He didn't like Shang Nan standing in front of him.

Dai Lili's thoughts were those of a normal person. Shang Xuan had killed Yu She while drunk driving. As Yu She's son, how could Yu Zhibai treat Shang Nan sincerely?

But not only was Yu Zhibai not a normal person, he wasn't even human.

"I have no motives," Yu Zhibai said softly. It was Shang Nan who approached him first.

Dai Lili had never thought that the two people who shouldn't be together the most would actually stand on the same side. How could Shang Nan have such a good relationship with Yu Zhibai?

And she couldn't communicate with Yu Zhibai. This was a very obvious intuition. The other party had no hatred at all, peaceful and tranquil, even submissive, yet impervious to reason.

Dai Lili returned in low spirits. She didn't come to see Shang Nan; she rushed over only because she found out Shang Nan was hanging out with Yu Zhibai now.

She had to find a way to break these two up.

The heir of the Shang Family couldn't be with someone who had nothing.

......

In the ward, Shang Nan gently dabbed iodine on the deep scratch on Yu Zhibai's face. Yu Zhibai lowered his eyes to look at Shang Nan. As long as it was Shang Nan, he could apply anything to his face.

Yu Changyue leaned against the headboard in the back. Having been hospitalized for only two days, her spirit was much better. It was true when she said she was dying before, because it was true that she was sick to the point of dying.

Watching this scene, Yu Changyue smiled, revealing her last few teeth, but the smile was mocking and complicated. "It's not human. It's useless even if you smear iodine all over its face."

Yu Zhibai liked being with Shang Nan. As long as they were together, doing anything was fine, even if the facts were indeed as Yu Changyue said.

It was just a cut; it might heal itself by tomorrow morning.

"How is Xiao Bai not a human?" Shang Nan raised his eyebrows. "From now on, Xiao Bai will be a human with me."

Yu Zhibai nodded, meeting Shang Nan's gaze. "Okay."

"By the way, Grandma, I brought you something." Shang Nan stuffed the iodine on the coffee table and cotton swabs into the drawer, stood up, went outside, and brought that painting in.

Standing in front of the sickbed, the back of the painting faced Yu Changyue. Yu Changyue was old, and her health was just like that. She wasn't curious about anything, nor interested. Her face was written with boredom until Shang Nan showed her the front of the painting.

Yu Changyue was stunned. She subconsciously raised her hand. "Let me see, this looks like Ah She?"

The moment she touched the canvas and saw the painting, Yu Changyue distinguished who the owner of this painting was, but she didn't care. Around the time of Yu She's car accident, she had divined that calamity for Yu She, but despite all precautions, she still failed to pass it. She had never blamed Shang Xuan.

And at the first sight of Shang Nan, she also recognized that he was Shang Xuan's child. The temperament of the Shang family was easy to identify; they were unique in Huinanfang. Clearly the most wealthy enterprise, yet every descendant gave people a gentle and intimate feeling that was unassuming. Only after contact could one experience their innate, casual nobility.

The paint on the painting had dried long ago. Probably some special spray or something similar was used, so the colors of the oil painting looked as if it had just been painted yesterday. Plus, Yu She's expression was vivid and lively, making this painting even more beautiful.

Cloudy tears rolled down the corners of Yu Changyue's eyes. She placed this painting on the bedside table, cherishing it like a treasure.

"We were poor back then, the family didn't have any photos of her," Yu Changyue muttered. But before she could be kindly for long, she said viciously, "What's the use of growing up so beautiful for nothing." After speaking, she spat heavily.

Shang Nan: "......"

In order not to make Yu Changyue awkward, Shang Nan and Yu Zhibai slipped into the caregiver's room next door. The caregiver didn't live here at night; her family member was also hospitalized. She slept in her own family member's ward at night. If there was anything, she could be called at any time. There were also nurses patrolling every hour at night.

Turning on the light, Shang Nan threw himself onto the bed and rolled over. "Exhausted!"

From exploring, to being scared by Yu Zhibai's Paper People, to setting the fire, and then arguing with Dai Lili, Shang Nan felt that being busy couldn't get worse than this.

Yu Zhibai sat beside him, looking at him quietly.

The cut on his face seemed to have healed a little by itself; the color wasn't as deep as before. However, it didn't affect Yu Zhibai's handsomeness. Yu Zhibai had a face that made you think he was a good boy at first glance. Even with an injury on his face, he didn't look like a bad student; instead, it added a bit of fragility.

"Your mother said we don't match," Yu Zhibai suddenly spoke up.

Shang Nan was about to fall asleep and half-lifted his eyelids. "What?"

"Just now, your mother said we don't match. I thought about it seriously, and actually, we really aren't suitable," Yu Zhibai's voice was soft, landing slowly like a feather, and also landing in Shang Nan's ears. "The Shang Family is hot property in Huinanfang. No enterprise in the local business world of Huinanfang can be mentioned in the same breath as yours. And you are the sole heir of the Shang Family. Everyone in the class is currying favor with you, haven't you noticed?"

Shang Nan slowly sat up, but just propped his chin on the bed. "And then?"

When Yu Zhibai was a human, he was actually much smarter than others. This was a talent he originally had. Whether he was a Paper Person or not didn't affect his excellence.

"And then..." Yu Zhibai's tone was unhurried, "Apart from having good grades, I have nothing that can match you."

If Dai Lili hadn't pointed it out, he wouldn't have thought about this at all, because he never thought that two people who liked each other could have the issue of being 'unworthy' for reasons other than not liking each other.

Shang Nan: "And then?"

"No more."

"?" Shang Nan suspected that Yu Zhibai was pouring his heart out to him like a human, but actually hadn't made any decision like 'breaking up'.

Yu Zhibai's hand moved along the edge of the bed and rested on Shang Nan's knee. "I will work hard to become suitable for you."

Monsters wouldn't break their word; monsters did what they said.

......

Sleep, for Yu Zhibai, was optional. He didn't strictly need to sleep. Humans would develop various problems if they didn't sleep, but he wouldn't, though his spirit would be slightly worse than if he slept.

Before Shang Nan went to sleep, he was browsing webpages on the computer in the room. After he fell asleep, Yu Zhibai turned off the computer, opened the door, and went out.

He walked to Yu Changyue's ward, sat on the chair, reached out, and patted Yu Changyue.

Yu Changyue woke up when he came out. The elderly slept lightly, but she didn't want to pay attention to Yu Zhibai, so she pretended to sleep.

Seeing she ignored him, Yu Zhibai made a move to take away the painting.

Yu Changyue woke up immediately.

"Put it down, put it down for me!" The old lady hit the back of Yu Zhibai's hand hard several times.

"In the middle of the night, what are you doing?" Yu Changyue's tone wasn't very good. She turned on the bedside lamp and looked at Yu Zhibai. "That kid is asleep, why aren't you sleeping with him?"

She knew the Paper Person she made best.

So when she saw Yu Zhibai treating Shang Nan as the whole world, she actually didn't feel very good in her heart. This also fully demonstrated that Yu Zhibai had completely turned into a Paper Person. Only monsters would hold up the person they liked as their entire world.

"I am very distressed." Yu Zhibai frowned slightly. The young man's eyebrows were delicate, resembling Yu She somewhat, only Yu She was more bright and beautiful, while Yu Zhibai was more exquisite and introverted.

"You aren't even human, what distress can you have?" Yu Changyue would rather look at the white wall opposite than look at Yu Zhibai.

"I feel like I like him very much, but sometimes he seems to be scared by me," Yu Zhibai said.

With some very intimate behaviors, Shang Nan would also show a slight look of fear and need a certain amount of time to recover before smiling at him. Tonight was even worse; he didn't like the gift he gave him at all.

Before this, what he learned were the means and methods for humans to live in society, the ways of communication between people, methods of learning, and ways to eat, drink, and carry out all daily activities. He hadn't learned how to fall in love yet. Teachers wouldn't teach it either; the school prohibited puppy love.

However, he had seen two boys hugging on the rooftop before. He knew how to do this, but when he told Shang Nan later, the other party ran away directly. Presumably, he was scared again.

Yu Changyue had also attended school when she was young. Her thoughts were clear. She patted the quilt, looking like an old scholar. "State your appeal. Don't talk nonsense. What problem did you encounter, how do you want to solve it, and what result do you want to achieve?"

Yu Zhibai sat straight and upright. "I want to know what Nannan is thinking."

Yu Changyue: "......"

A long silence lingered in the ward. It took Yu Changyue a good while to hold back from cursing. Her spirits were good now, and her voice was much stronger, but seeing Yu Zhibai's somewhat downcast mood, Yu Changyue couldn't bear it.

If not for that car accident, or if Yu Zhibai had survived that car accident, would he also be this excellent when he grew to eighteen, and would he encounter similar distress?

Thinking like this, Yu Changyue called out 'Xiao Yu'. Yu Zhibai looked up at her instinctively. Actually, in such a long time in the past, Yu Changyue hadn't called him Xiao Yu since she made the Yu Zhibai Paper Person.

"Xiao Yu, you don't need to know what he is thinking. As long as you are sincere, he will feel it. Sincerity can be exchanged for sincerity," Yu Changyue said earnestly.

Yu Zhibai meeting Shang Nan was completely unexpected for Yu Changyue. She had Yu Zhibai prepare a vessel carrying resentment in advance. She hoped Yu Zhibai could live out this life steadily and plainly like a human. As for after death, who discovered he was a Paper Person, that was a matter for after death and didn't need to be cared about.

She never thought Yu Zhibai would meet someone he liked. And what was more absurd than this was that someone wouldn't flee in shock after knowing Yu Zhibai's true identity.

She didn't even dare to imagine what Yu Zhibai would do if one day that child Shang Nan didn't want Yu Zhibai anymore.

Yu Zhibai sat in front of Yu Changyue's bed thinking about this question for a long time.

In the room, Shang Nan had his ear against the door. After there was no sound of talking outside, he tiptoed to the computer.

Shang Nan slept lightly; he woke up as soon as Yu Zhibai went out.

[14: 'The Paper People nowadays are so peaceful.']

Shang Nan turned on the computer. This was the hospital's computer, automatically connected to the hospital network, and had no password. Anyone could use it. Yu Zhibai had just used it, and the webpage was blatantly hanging on the desktop.

The search term remained in the search box: What gifts should I give to my boyfriend?

Yu Zhibai had sat at the computer for a long time; there should be more than just this one entry. Shang Nan dragged the mouse and clicked on the history.

Sure enough, there were others.

- Can roses be given to boys?

- When should gifts be given?

- When is it okay to kiss?

- What to do if my boyfriend is too rich?

......

Shang Nan saw that the earliest search record was: Is it okay to not wear clothes when sleeping with my boyfriend?