Chapter 174

Friendly reminder: This extra chapter takes place in a parallel world after Allen’s death, when Su Bin travels back to the past. Please do not confuse it with the main plot.

In the dimness, Su Bin smelled the familiar scent of wooden furniture in a hotel room. He opened his heavy eyelids, stared blankly for a while, then realized he was lying in a room that was both familiar and strange.

It was familiar because he had been here before; he remembered it well. But it was strange because so much time had passed that he had almost forgotten—this was the youth hostel he stayed at on the night he first arrived in B Country.

The memories quickly flooded back as he tried to recall them, and Su Bin’s heart sank painfully. He covered his face with his hand… Allen was dead.

Yes, Allen had been attacked by thugs at the “Boss Su” restaurant. After being sent to the hospital, he died. At that time, Su Bin had been hiding in L City, avoiding Allen’s “crazy love.” It was only when he received the news of Allen’s death that he realized how much he loved that man—so much that he would rather die with him.

But he had treated their relationship like an oath, and from the very beginning, had taken the wrong approach. In the end, he hadn’t been able to express his feelings to Allen properly.

He never had the chance to give him the ring, never had the chance to say “I love you”… Regret and sorrow overwhelmed Su Bin, drowning him in pain and guilt.

Perhaps because of the exhaustion from these recent days, he suddenly lost consciousness.

…But why was he awake here?

Su Bin blinked, propped himself up, and looked around. Then he saw his luggage.

Weird, why was the suitcase still so new? And the coat hanging on the back of the chair—why did it look so familiar? Su Bin suddenly leapt up from the bed and rushed to the suitcase to check the airline tags on the handle—20p, 200x.

“…!!!”

What was going on? This was the tag from the days when he first arrived in B Country. Why was it here?

Next, Su Bin rummaged through his bag and found two packs of instant noodles… He pulled out his “old” phone and checked the time!

Several minutes later, Su Bin slumped back into a chair, sweating profusely—Holy shit, he had traveled back in time!

He was back to September three years ago, the very first day he arrived in B Country, before he had moved into his shared apartment, before he knew Yang Chengzhe or Jin Fei, and before he had met Allen!

…So Allen was still alive!

Realizing this miraculous turn of events, Su Bin initially thought he was dreaming. After pinching his arm hard enough to leave marks, he finally accepted the reality, tearfully.

Without wasting a moment, Su Bin rushed to the rental agency!

Cooking instant noodles for Tyler? Registering at the international student center? Picking up the “international student guide”?… Su Bin had already thrown these tasks aside and jumped straight into “experienced player mode.”

After the agony of losing Allen, Su Bin now understood his primary mission upon returning to the past—chase after Allen!

Allen, Allen, Allen… Amitabha, thank you, Lord, nothing in this world is more important than seeing you alive and being with you!

While mentally rehearsing his confession, Su Bin breathlessly burst into the rental agency’s door—“I want to rent a place!”

The staff member, startled by the sudden shout, regained composure and asked, “Rent a place? Oh! What are you looking for?”

Su Bin quickly blurted out, “A house at X street number X, four kilometers from M University, all the tenants are Chinese. There’s a southeast-facing second bedroom available, shared bathroom, rent is xxx…”

Staff member: “…”

Su Bin took a deep breath, patting his chest, “This house just came available yesterday, this one, I’ll take it!”

Staff member: “…”

A few minutes later, the staff member found the property and looked at Su Bin in shock, uncertainly asking, “Do you… know the landlord?”

Su Bin nodded, then shook his head violently. He remembered the staff member would need to call Allen to confirm, and since Allen “didn’t know him” yet, knowing Allen’s cautious nature, he might refuse.

The staff member gave Su Bin a suspicious look and dialed Allen’s number.

However, shortly after, the staff member gave Su Bin a regretful expression, saying, “I’m sorry, sir, the landlord didn’t pick up the phone. How about you leave your phone number, and we’ll contact you once we reach him, to see if he’ll allow you to visit the house?”

Su Bin: “…”

—Dammit, the time difference!

The last time Su Bin visited the agency was around noon, and Allen had answered the call right away. But now it was morning!

Su Bin impatiently checked the time, then begged the staff, “Please hold this house for me, I’ll go get my student card and SIM card, I’ll be back in an hour!”

Staff member: “…”

While buying the SIM card, Su Bin inevitably saw all his messages and call logs, including the unsent message from when he boarded the plane. Damn it, he just realized—he hadn’t even broken up with Chen Xiaotian yet!

After switching to a new card, Su Bin hesitated for a moment, then dialed Chen Xiaotian’s number—“Chen Xiaotian…”

“…Why are you calling so late? I waited for you until 2 AM last night,” Chen Xiaotian’s concerned voice came through.

The response was just as Su Bin remembered, the same worried tone, but it couldn’t move him anymore. He paused, then calmly said, “Chen Xiaotian, let’s break up.”

Chen Xiaotian: “…”

“I know you like Huang Zhengming, he told me. Maybe you’ve always seen me as a little brother, so my feelings and attachment have just become a burden to you. Day by day, it’s too much for you… If I made the mistake now, you wouldn’t hate me this much and try to get rid of me. I wouldn’t have been foolishly devoted, like a fool being manipulated.” Su Bin said sincerely, “Thank you for being with me before. I hope you’ll be happy with Da Huang. Goodbye.”

“Su Bin…” Chen Xiaotian’s voice had a hint of awkwardness, but before she could say anything else, Su Bin hung up the phone.

If given another chance, he would never repeat the mistakes of the past.

Returning to the agency, this time, the staff member successfully got Allen on the phone.

Su Bin eagerly awaited the staff member to relay Allen’s requirements, having already practiced in his mind how to respond. However, after the staff member explained Su Bin’s intention to rent the room, he unexpectedly handed the phone over to Su Bin: “Mr. Su, the landlord would like to speak to you directly.”

Su Bin: “……” Q_A_Q What?

He shakily took the receiver, suddenly flustered. What was going on? This wasn’t how the script went!

Last time, Allen only let him answer the phone after deciding to let him view the room. Why was he handing him the phone right away this time? Did he come across as too eager? orz

“Hello…” Su Bin’s voice trembled involuntarily.

“Hello, I’m Allen.”

Hearing that polite yet distant voice on the other end of the line, Su Bin’s eyes instantly became misty. Q_Q… (Staff member: “……”)

Allen, Allen, Allen…

I miss you…

There were so many things Su Bin wanted to say, his feelings of love and affection, everything he wanted to pour out all at once. He couldn’t afford to miss this chance, couldn’t bear to lose him again… this person was his.

But no matter how much he wanted to speak, he couldn’t find the words.

Because if he said those things, Allen would surely think he was crazy.

Su Bin’s tears flowed freely. π_π… (Staff member: “……”)

“It’s nice to meet you, Allen,” Su Bin forced himself to suppress the rising emotions in his heart and choked out, “I’m a quiet person, I don’t keep pets, I can cook… I just… broke up with my ex-girlfriend in China…”

Allen: “I’m sorry.”

Su Bin: “…” Why was he apologizing? Did he just get rejected? Was Allen not going to rent him the room? Q口Q No, that’s not it! Where did things go wrong?

After a brief pause, Allen spoke again: “Your voice sounds sad. I hope meeting new friends will make you feel better.”

Su Bin: “…” Oh, Allen was comforting him… about the breakup? 囧

Allen: “If it’s convenient, you can come see the house today. My roommate is home.”

There were no demands, no tricky questions, no obstacles—Allen naturally accepted this new roommate without hesitation.

After handing the phone back to the staff member, Su Bin was left feeling a bit dazed.

Although the process of renting the room was slightly different this time, Allen’s first impression still left him with a warm feeling.

Without delay, Su Bin grabbed his suitcase and went to “view the house.” Yang Chengzhe was somewhat surprised by this new roommate’s bold approach, but he soon realized that Su Bin, being new, showed no signs of being awed by his surroundings. Instead, he seemed completely at ease, as if he was already familiar with everything.

However, all doubts vanished after Su Bin made a “delicious meal” for Yang Chengzhe, and the latter let out a relieved sigh, glad to have escaped any awkward situation.

After the meal, the two sat on the sofa, chatting casually. Su Bin suddenly spoke up: “Cheng Ge, could I ask you for a favor?”

“What do you need? Just ask,” Yang Chengzhe said, rubbing his round belly, clearly charmed by this humble, cooking-skilled young man.

Su Bin: “Could you not swap rooms with Allen?”

This question caught Yang Chengzhe off guard. He had just mentioned to Su Bin that Allen had a need for privacy and a severe cleanliness obsession. He had thought that, given Su Bin’s personality, he would prefer to share the suite with him instead.

“To be honest, I can’t promise that,” Yang Chengzhe scratched his head, looking embarrassed. “Although Allen isn’t difficult to negotiate with, before I agreed to let my friend rent that room, I promised Allen that he would have absolute choice over the room. So…”

“I understand,” Su Bin nodded, interrupting Yang Chengzhe. “I’ll do my best to get along with Allen. If he really can’t get used to having a roommate and insists on living alone, then there’s nothing I can do. But, please don’t bring up the idea of swapping rooms first, okay?”

Yang Chengzhe: “So you mean… let things take their course?”

“Yeah.” Su Bin recalled how he had attracted Allen’s attention last time, during the “cliff idiot post” incident, where he had suspected his roommate of being a vampire. But that kind of foolishness was something Su Bin would never repeat, especially not on purpose.

Su Bin was also a bit concerned about his actions in changing the course of history. He wasn’t sure if, without the same experiences, he would still be able to draw Allen’s special attention.

To be honest, even last time, Su Bin didn’t fully understand why Allen had chosen him. Allen’s answer had been “destiny,” but Su Bin didn’t think there was much to that explanation. Still, if love was at the core of everything, then maybe things would become simpler? Su Bin encouraged himself.

 

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