NOVEL WEB Chapter 41 - Leaving Me is Not an Option.
…
Even though he didn’t quite understand, nodding seemed like the best choice.
Yan Mei was still holding both of his hands tightly.
Seeing this action, he slowly loosened his grip a little, allowing one of Ye Jishu’s hands to slip free and rest at his side.
Ye Jishu’s now-free hand instinctively reached into his coat pocket—only to touch nothing.
He suddenly remembered.
This wasn’t his original timeline, so the gift wasn’t in his pocket.
Just as he lifted his head, he met Yan Mei’s gaze.
At such a close distance, the other was watching him, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he lowered his eyes, as if deep in thought.
It made one instinctively want to reach out and touch him.
But before he could raise his hand, Yan Mei spoke again.
“Wait for me. I’ll come pick you up soon.”
“…”
Pick him up…?
Come to think of it, Ye Jishu himself didn’t even know where the Control Bureau had taken him.
Yet Yan Mei seemed to know very clearly.
Now that he thought about it, no matter where he had gone before, the other always managed to find him quickly—without needing to ask anyone, as if he knew exactly where he would be.
…As for the reason why.
Some things were better left unthought. To be honest, thinking too much about it was terrifying.
“…Mm.”
Ye Jishu shook his head, clearing his thoughts.
However, just as he spoke—
Before he could even check Yan Mei’s reaction, his vision suddenly blurred.
He could feel his body sinking, a heavy force pressing down on his limbs, dragging him downward.
Yan Mei kept his eyes lowered.
As he collapsed, a hand reached out and interlocked their fingers.
—
When he opened his eyes again, the scene before him had changed.
Above him was a pristine, spotless white ceiling.
He was lying on a bed, his coat spread beneath him now warm from his body heat. But because of that, the surrounding temperature felt even colder, making goosebumps rise on his arms.
Ye Jishu slowly sat up.
He didn’t need to look around—he already realized he was back in the room assigned by the Control Bureau.
He had returned.
Would there be a delay? He wasn’t sure. But in any case, it was over.
[I should’ve made my feelings clear to Yan Mei, right? If not, I’ll just say it again.]
But—
Even though Ye Jishu’s mind hadn’t fully processed everything yet, his instincts had already picked up on something different.
Because the air was no longer filled with a dull, monotonous white noise.
Instead, it was the deafening sound of a torrential downpour.
Rain pounded heavily against the window sill. At some point, the window had been thrown open, and the curtains fluttered violently in the howling wind.
…What was going on?
Before he had fallen asleep, the window hadn’t been open this wide, nor had there been such a heavy rainstorm.
Ye Jishu stared blankly outside.
“Jishu’s awake.”
Suddenly, a gentle and familiar voice spoke beside him.
Even Ye Jishu flinched from the unexpected presence.
He immediately turned toward the sound—
And locked eyes with a familiar gaze.
At some unknown point, Yan Mei had already appeared by his bedside, long lashes lowered, watching his expression.
Ye Jishu: “…”
He had no idea when the other had arrived. Or how long he had been watching.
But judging from his reaction, it definitely wasn’t just a moment ago.
Which meant that ever since they had crossed paths in the past due to the Control Bureau’s interference, Yan Mei had already been by his side in reality.
[…]
His heart suddenly pounded uncontrollably.
It was a normal human reaction to fear—hormones surging beyond his control, heat rushing unbidden to his cheeks.
A terrifying thought popped into his head.
If he hadn’t answered correctly back then, even if he had returned to the present…
Would he have been devoured anyway?
[I won’t let you go.]
[You’re mine.]
For the first time, Ye Jishu understood this clearly.
And yet…
How should he put it?
Setting aside the fear—he felt a little happy.
“Are you surprised to see me here?”
Seeing that he hadn’t spoken, Yan Mei paused, then leaned down, inspecting his hair and wrists.
“So easily swayed by those humans… I don’t even know if you got hurt…”
“As I thought, you really can’t survive without me. You need me, Jishu. That’s the only explanation. If you leave me, you won’t make it…”
He murmured these words.
[Jishu needs me.]
[Without me, he won’t survive. He can’t live without me.]
Perhaps it was because of Ye Jishu’s particular condition that Yan Mei had to check for injuries this way.
And this kind of interaction wasn’t unfamiliar to him.
All along, whether it was forgetting a pen after class, daily routines, meals, or walks to the dorm—Yan Mei had always taken care of everything meticulously, without a hint of impatience.
Anyone who admired Yan Mei for the first time would be shocked to see it.
Ye Jishu knew, of course.
To outsiders, he must seem like someone who simply couldn’t function without Yan Mei.
However—
Ye Jishu stared at him.
At Yan Mei, who kept repeating those words over and over.
[…It’s the other way around.]
[Yan Mei needs me.]
[Yan Mei can’t live without me. Without me, the one who won’t survive is him.]
That was the truth. But there was no need to say it out loud.
“…Mm.”
The voice above him abruptly stopped.
Ye Jishu grasped the wrist of the hand that was brushing his forehead. He lifted his eyes.
“If I don’t have you,” he said, “I won’t be able to live.”
As soon as the words fell—
He clearly saw the way Yan Mei’s movements halted, a fleeting trace of satisfaction surfacing in his eyes.
Yan Mei seemed to try and suppress his expression, forcing down the corners of his lips.
But that smile still appeared on his beautiful face.
So beautiful.
Ye Jishu found himself staring absentmindedly.
“I’ll walk you back to your dorm.”
“Mm.”
“Don’t stay up too late on your phone tonight.”
“Okay.”
“If you see anyone suspicious again, make sure to message me.”
“Mm.”
No matter what, just answering “Okay” or “Mm” would suffice.
To be honest, Yan Mei had already made up his mind long ago—what he probably needed was just his response.
Gradually, Yan Mei regained his previous confident expression—the familiar [Yan Mei.] He seemed to be convinced of Ye Jishu’s words, and the feeling of being watched intently disappeared.
Ye Jishu got up from the bed, picked up his coat, and was about to pull up the zipper.
But suddenly, a hand reached over.
Yan Mei helped him zip up his coat, then adjusted the collar.
Ye Jishu lowered his head, watching the hands moving around his chest and body.
“……”
It felt like he was being taken care of even more than before.
And, it was just putting on a coat—some places shouldn’t be touched, right?
[The hand slipped inside.]
Although Ye Jishu felt a bit confused inside, he ultimately chose to let it be.
He didn’t know how much time had passed.
Until Yan Mei finally let go, satisfied, then took his hand and led him toward the door.
Ye Jishu didn’t ask how Yan Mei planned to leave.
Because somehow, it felt like another question best left unthought of.
Outside the door, the hallway was silent.
No bloodstains, no rainwater—just complete, utter stillness.
Yan Mei’s expression remained unchanged the whole time, as if he had already anticipated this.
But perhaps for Ye Jishu’s sake, he still smiled and said, “No human would dare to appear before me.”
Ye Jishu was stunned for a moment before realizing—
[Right, Yan Mei is a monster. And probably a very high-level one.]
Although he didn’t know exactly what kind, judging by Professor Chen’s extreme reaction, he must be capable of driving humans insane with ease—without even speaking.
No one dared to appear before him when he was uncontrolled. Except for Ye Jishu.
“……”
Ye Jishu didn’t say anything, just held Yan Mei’s hand tighter.
The two quickly left.
—— [Containment Site 192].
This was the label on the outermost corridor.
Ye Jishu withdrew his gaze.
Only when he stepped onto the dirt ground did he feel the fresh air in the rain.
Raindrops slid off the eaves, like broken blood vessels from the dark clouds.
In front of them were only a few scattered trees—this was clearly the outskirts.
Suddenly, the phone in Ye Jishu’s coat pocket vibrated.
He took it out and looked at the screen.
It was an unknown number, no caller ID.
The message was brief, but it immediately brought to mind the face of that woman known as “Captain.”
[Thank you for your contribution to the Control Bureau. We have acknowledged your decision and will no longer interfere. However, if anything happens, please send a message. We will send help immediately.]
But the message didn’t end there.
Ye Jishu kept scrolling down—only to find nothing but blank space.
Until he reached the bottom.
[The following content will be deleted in thirty seconds. Please read carefully.]
The tone changed abruptly.
It was like a system notification—cold and emotionless.
[The creature has been classified as a “Source of Infection.” The presence beside you has been confirmed as the first of its kind, with an infection level a trillion times higher than normal sources, thus partially suppressing your erasure effect.]
So that explained why Yan Mei was the first monster Ye Jishu had ever seen.
Only he could reveal his true form before Ye Jishu.
As for other monsters, they couldn’t even display any abnormality under his gaze—forced to remain in a normal state.
There was a strange, indescribable feeling.
In other words, in Ye Jishu’s world, Yan Mei would be the only monster.
[But… isn’t that the same as before?]
In Ye Jishu’s monotonous life, Yan Mei had always been different from everyone else—always paying attention to him, always finding him in unnoticed corners.
To the point where he stood out—completely out of place.
Thinking of this, Ye Jishu suddenly felt relieved.
…Yeah.
That was how he had always seen it.
Yan Mei had always been a “monster” in his eyes.
That’s why he accepted it so quickly.
Others found his tolerance strange, but he was too lazy to explain.
He had been thinking about it for a long time.
The movement ahead suddenly stopped.
Ye Jishu looked up—only to see Yan Mei frozen in place, turned slightly toward him.
…?
What’s wrong?
Ye Jishu was confused.
The next moment, a shadow fell over him.
Yan Mei stared at him without blinking. “Smile again, Jishu.”
“……”
Did he smile just now?
Even he hadn’t noticed.
“Smile again.”
“……No.”
Although he refused, Yan Mei unexpectedly looked delighted.
Those black eyes, unblinking, were like the most beautiful glass beads—reflecting Ye Jishu’s figure.
Holding Ye Jishu’s hand, he walked straight into the raging storm.
Ye Jishu didn’t stop him.
He was already prepared to get drenched… if that’s what Yan Mei wanted.
However, unexpectedly, not a single raindrop touched Ye Jishu’s body.
Despite the pouring rain, loud as it crashed down around them, every drop veered away from them.
As if, in this little world, only the warmth and sound between them remained.
In the darkness of the stormy night, Ye Jishu could feel Yan Mei’s ice-cold palm.
[That’s not a human temperature—it’s easy to tell.]
But…
He gripped Yan Mei’s hand tighter.
[But I won’t let go either.]
…
Ye Jishu fell asleep in the car.
Calling him sleepy was an understatement, but he had been tense for too long.
Once he relaxed, sleep came easily.
When he woke up, the car had just come to a stop.
Just as he was about to move, Yan Mei leaned over and, with a soft “click,” unfastened the seatbelt on the passenger seat for him.
“Rest early. Tonight.”
“Mm.”
Still drowsy, Ye Jishu only gave a simple response.
His unconscious hand reached toward the glove compartment in front of him, trying to find the umbrella he had left there.
“In three days, isn’t it the first final exam for the mathematics department?”
Upon hearing those words, Ye Jishu suddenly snapped awake.
No student could hear that sentence without their brain going blank for a moment.
Exams… were coming up? He had almost forgotten about that.
[Even though I often rank first in my major… this means…]
The School of Mathematical Sciences was always strict. It had already been announced beforehand—meaning that the early morning and evening self-study sessions, which had been canceled at the beginning of the semester with great effort, would now be reinstated.
During these self-study sessions, teachers would supervise, and students would not be allowed to do anything unrelated to studying.
For Ye Jishu, this was practically no different from being imprisoned.
His biological clock and plans would be forcibly disrupted, leaving him exhausted for the entire day. He would have to spend hours lying in bed in his dorm or playing mobile games just to barely recover.
[And I won’t be able to see Yan Mei either.]
Just when they had finally resolved their misunderstandings, now they had to—
Yan Mei: “I’ll pick you up and drop you off.”
Hearing this, Ye Jishu barely perked up and glanced at the person beside him.
“I’ll also do your daily tasks in the game,” Yan Mei added. “The banner you’re pulling is a limited-time summer event, right? Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you get what you want.”
But Ye Jishu just stared at him, not agreeing right away.
“…”
Yan Mei: “…”
Ye Jishu: “You… better not touch my gacha pulls.”
“…”
Previously, during midterms, Ye Jishu had entrusted his game account to Yan Mei for a while.
Yan Mei had said the same thing back then.
And when Ye Jishu logged in, he did indeed find the SSR characters he had wanted. But—
It was only when he accidentally opened the recharge page that he realized the truth.
He had never imagined…
That so much money would be spent.
It was obvious that Yan Mei hadn’t relied on the free daily rewards to get those characters. Instead, he had forcibly obtained them by spending money. Not only that, but his luck didn’t seem to have been very good… After quickly glancing through the transaction history, Ye Jishu could tell that all the SSRs had been obtained at the guaranteed pity pulls.
Yan Mei smiled. “Money is just a number. I can have as much as I want.”
“…” Ye Jishu said, “No. Just no.”
Even though it wasn’t his own money being spent, he still felt a little heartache.
Ye Jishu pushed open the car door.
When he stepped out, the rain outside had lessened.
Yan Mei: “Even though I’ll be picking you up during the day, don’t forget to think of me tonight. Don’t pretend nothing happened.”
“…Mm.”
Pretend nothing happened? That wouldn’t be possible.
Even though he denied it in his heart, he didn’t say it out loud. A simple response was enough.
Ye Jishu vaguely sensed that Yan Mei was even more sensitive than he appeared to be. That’s why, even when something seemed like unnecessary chatter, he would still answer honestly, no matter how many times he had to repeat it.
The rain had stopped.
After taking one last look at Yan Mei, Ye Jishu pulled up the hood of his jacket instead of using an umbrella.
Just like before.
After entering the corridor, he leaned against the wall, quietly watching Yan Mei’s car drive away before finally turning to walk up the stairs to his dorm.
It was almost as if Yan Mei could sense his movements.
The moment he turned around, his phone vibrated in his pocket again.
The message had no contact name.
But the unfamiliar number looked oddly familiar.
Earlier, the Control Bureau had contacted him using this number. Did they still have unfinished business?
With that thought, Ye Jishu unlocked his phone screen.
[Even if you don’t care, please believe this.]
[From the very beginning, the Control Bureau has hoped that the two of you could stay together.]
“…”
What was this?
Ye Jishu felt utterly baffled.
But before he could react, the message disappeared from his screen on its own.
He glanced at it one last time, then withdrew his gaze and continued walking down the corridor.
…
“The message has been sent.”
Wei Yangze looked at his phone screen, which confirmed that the message had been delivered.
But this wasn’t a message he had intended to send.
To be honest, even while he was typing it out, he couldn’t understand why he had to send such words.
But this had been a direct order from the Control Bureau.
He set down his cup.
The water inside rippled from the movement.
Sitting across from him was the woman known as “Captain,” with Lin Lin standing upright behind her chair.
“Making you type it out was just to reinforce the idea in your mind,” she said. “I hope you understand that this is what the Control Bureau has been doing all along. That’s all there is to it.”
Wei Yangze was momentarily stunned before he immediately spoke. “Wait. So from the very beginning, you never actually intended to separate them—”
The image flashed before his eyes.
He suddenly understood. He realized the Control Bureau’s true purpose.
That entity was an immensely dangerous being, surpassing all comprehension. No human could possibly stand against it. And yet, it had fallen hopelessly in love with someone who was destined to cross paths with the Control Bureau. It was almost like fate.
But that entity was like a god of chaos. Its emotions were the most unpredictable factor of all.
The Control Bureau wasn’t trying to force Ye Jishu and that entity apart—they were taking an enormous risk to confirm whether its feelings were genuine.
And now, the Control Bureau had confirmed it—
[Yan Mei] undoubtedly loved him.
That was enough.
“You people are insane!” Wei Yangze’s eyes widened in disbelief. “You went through all this trouble, expending all these resources, just to test whether a god has genuine feelings?!”
Was this some kind of joke?
This was reality, not some light novel or a children’s fantasy story!
“Love can save the world.”
That kind of nonsense wouldn’t even fool a child these days.
It made him feel like the Control Bureau’s actions were nothing more than a ridiculous game.
He couldn’t help but stand up.
“You’re letting the person the Control Bureau cares about most stay with the most dangerous being in this world. What the hell are you thinking—”
“This is entirely reasonable,” the woman said coldly, staring at him. “You really should revisit the origins of the Source of Infections. It was precisely because humans possessed such overwhelming emotions that they created beings capable of destroying them. The higher-ups never considered emotions to be cheap or something to be taken lightly.”
Even unknown entities could be ensnared by emotions.
Unlike humans, their emotions were even more intense and devoted, unaffected by material things.
The facts proved that they had made the right gamble.
And this also confirmed that as long as [Yan Mei] was by his side, Ye Jishu would always be the safest.
Because that being, which could overturn everything, would never allow anyone or anything to harm him—it would cherish him as its [everything.]
“You must be very disappointed with this outcome, Employee Wei Yangze.”
At those words, Wei Yangze’s body trembled violently.
He lifted his head and found himself staring straight at the barrel of a gun.
At some point, Lin Lin had already drawn his firearm, raised his arm, and aimed directly at his head.
At such close range, even a well-trained person would have no chance of survival once the trigger was pulled.
“…What is the meaning of this?”
Wei Yangze fixed his gaze on the gun barrel.
The woman pushed the table aside and stood up.
“You didn’t tell the truth about what happened that night,” she stared at Wei Yangze and said. “Ye Jishu’s existence has been the highest-level secret within the Control Bureau. The Source of Infection you shot before did not have clearance to access any of that information. No matter what, it should not have been able to detect his presence—”
“So, how did it know that Ye Jishu was possibly in this area?”
[Originally, Wei Yangze was only a step away from becoming a special-grade employee—the most likely person to have accessed the files.]
I see.
I see—
The corners of Wei Yangze’s mouth curled slightly. Now he finally understood everything.
That was why they had him send the message. It was a warning—reminding him that the Control Bureau would not leave any loopholes.
“You’ve been investigating the source of Ye Jishu’s leaked records all along. Was it to prevent other sources of Infections from finding him? And now, looking at the situation, his presence isn’t a threat—rather, it actually ensures Ye Jishu’s safety.”
Those so-called [Source of Infections] who thought they could get close to Ye Jishu were completely oblivious. The moment they approached him, they were walking into the abyss of death themselves.
Because He—that being—would undoubtedly be possessive enough to ensure that no one else could touch Ye Jishu.
In other words, physically speaking, Ye Jishu was absolutely safe.
Wei Yangze sat back down.
“It wasn’t me who leaked the information. But I do bear some responsibility,” he said in a low voice. “That’s why I’ve been searching for [Ye Jishu]—to make amends, and to warn him about something—”
“As far as I know, a [Source of Infection] has already taken action. And that is… the person closest to him.”
Even the most well-trained Control Bureau employees sometimes struggled to eliminate an [Source of Infection], because occasionally—it was someone close to them who had transformed.
It was a purely emotional wound.
The question was whether Ye Jishu—someone who never showed any emotional fluctuations—had a weakness when it came to emotions.
[What a strange person.]
Anyone who met Ye Jishu for the first time probably had that thought cross their mind.
But Wei Yangze knew—
A person like that had weaknesses even more fragile than others, weaknesses that were difficult to detect.
Like a ticking time bomb.
And if he truly did have such a weakness…
Then, with that being beside him, the consequences might be catastrophic beyond imagination.