DILLYH Chapter 11

TL: Hua

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Chapter 11: Recollection

Yu Haozhou’s phone blew up ten minutes after he shared Zhou Zizheng’s wedding announcement. His screen was flooded with questions from friends who knew he and Zhou Zizheng didn’t get along.

His best friend, Han Jin, sent him a text with a profound question: “You better give me a good explanation.”

Yu Haozhou scratched his head.

“Don’t play dead,” Han Jin insisted.

Yu Haozhou threw caution to the wind. “Just like you saw. Yep, Zhou Zizheng and I got married.”

“Are you crazy?” Han Jin couldn’t understand. “You two are constantly bickering. We don’t even dare to invite you to hang out together. And now you’re telling me you married him? You’re stabbing me in the back, Yu Haozhou.”

It was the first time Yu Haozhou had been left speechless.

Han Jin continued his assault. “Are you okay? Did he put a spell on you? Why would you marry him? If you’ve been kidnapped, just blink.”

Yu Haozhou was at a loss for where to even begin.

“Bro, calm down. Just listen to me first.”

“Fine,” Han Jin said, looking disdainfully at him. “I’ll see what kind of garbage you come up with.” He felt betrayed, like his friend had turned his back on him and sided with their mutual enemy.

“Do you know about the whole ‘billion-dollar heir’ thing?” Yu Haozhou asked.

“Yeah,” Han Jin replied. “My dad was talking about it. The Xie family is holding a ‘family reunion banquet’ soon. Even our small family, on the outskirts of the elite circle, got an invitation. My dad was flattered and said the richest man is taking this long-lost son very seriously.”

That’s right, they take it very seriously.

Most importantly, this heir is my husband.

Yu Haozhou grumbled inwardly.

“Hey, hey, we’re getting off track,” Han Jin said, pulling the conversation back to his anger. “What does any of this have to do with Zhou Zizheng? Don’t try to change the subject.”

Yu Haozhou calmly explained, “The heir they just found is Zhou Zizheng.”

Han Jin immediately retorted, “You’re completely out of it.”

Yu Haozhou was silent.

Thinking the conversation was over, Yu Haozhou went to explain the situation to his other friends, including a girl who used to pursue him. After she was rejected, they became friends.

“Why’d you marry Zhou Zizheng? Don’t you hate him?” Xu Laizi asked.

Yu Haozhou was numb to the question. “Something happened… and now we’re married.”

Xu Laizi’s face got closer to the camera. “What kind of accident? It’s not like you got pregnant and his parents forced you to marry him, right?”

Yu Haozhou grimaced. “I’m a man! How can a man get pregnant?!”

“Exactly!” Xu Laizi became even more confused. “How can a man get pregnant? Did he blackmail you?”

“No, not really…” Yu Haozhou hesitated.

He wondered if he should tell her that he actually liked Zhou Zizheng. Girls were more sensitive than guys, so maybe she wouldn’t laugh at him.

“Oh! I know!” Xu Laizi suddenly realized something, her face lighting up with surprise. “Zhouzhou, you’re a transgender man, right? That’s why you like guys! You accidentally slept with him and got pregnant!”

“….”

Yu Haozhou sighed. He knew better than to have any expectations for Xu Laizi. He almost let the secret slip. He fought the urge to roll his eyes. “Get lost!” he said, hanging up the phone.

Xu Laizi sent a bunch of cute emojis begging for forgiveness. [My bad. I was just teasing you. Why are you so angry?]

[Anyway, congratulations to you and Zhou Zizheng. Happy wedding!]

Yu Haozhou’s mood improved. [Thanks.]

Xu Laizi sent a few crying emojis. [Zhouzhou, I’m heartbroken. You really didn’t want me, and now you’re married to another man.]

Yu Haozhou couldn’t help but smile. […Drama queen.]

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An hour later, Yu Haozhou woke up from his nap and saw a flurry of new messages from Han Jin. The first one was an apology.

[My bad. I was blind. Turns out you saw his greatness from the start and did everything you could to get his attention.]

[I truly admire you for your vision.]

Yu Haozhou was confused and video called him directly, “What are you talking about? Are you crazy?”

Han Jin smiled, looking very punchable. “Since you’re with a billionaire heir now, why don’t you share some of that wealth? I saw a sports car I want, and my allowance isn’t enough.”

Yu Haozhou’s eyes rolled so far back they almost hurt. He couldn’t believe his friends were all so ridiculous. “Get lost.”

“Just kidding,” Han Jin said, getting serious. “So, what’s really going on? Why did you marry him? Are you in a financial bind? How much do you need? I’ll help you out. You’re walking into a death trap by marrying your arch-enemy.”

Yu Haozhou felt a warmth spread through his chest and smiled. “That’s the first decent thing you’ve said all day.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Han Jin said, his concern genuine. “This whole situation is weird. So what’s the deal?”

Yu Haozhou scratched his head again. “It’s complicated. I can’t explain it all at once.”

“Then give me the highlights!” Han Jin demanded.

Yu Haozhou ignored him. He thought about his time with Zhou Zizheng and tried to say something fair. “You know, Zhou Zizheng isn’t as bad as you all say. He’s actually very caring and attentive.”

“…”

Han Jin’s face fell as if the sky were crashing down. He looked at Yu Haozhou like he was an infuriating friend with a lovesick brain. “Oh no… you have that… what’s it called?” He couldn’t remember the term but tried to describe it. “It’s like when you fall in love with your abuser.”

“Shut up!” Yu Haozhou felt his eyes were going to strain from all the eye-rolling. “What weird stuff are you thinking about all day?”

“No, but seriously, don’t you think this is strange?” Han Jin analyzed the situation. “Think about it. You and Zhou Zizheng were fighting tooth and nail for years. Why didn’t he want to marry you then, and now that he’s found his family, he immediately wants to? There’s no logic here. He must have a motive.”

Han Jin’s words completely got to Yu Haozhou. He bit his finger nervously. “What motive?”

“Are you stupid?” Han Jin asked, annoyed. “Something’s not right here. There are only two possibilities. Either he likes you, or he wants revenge. Which one do you think it is?”

Yu Haozhou’s heart skipped a beat. Could Han Jin also see that Zhou Zizheng liked him?

Did that mean Zhou Zizheng was being sincere all this time, and his claim of love at first sight was real? Yu Haozhou’s heart started racing. He sat up, legs crossed, wanting to ask Han Jin when he figured it out.

Then Han Jin said, without a doubt, “Don’t even think about it. It has to be revenge!”

“….” Yu Haozhou gritted his teeth. “Why can’t he like me?”

Han Jin was shocked. “Is he crazy? Falling for his arch-enemy? What kind of normal person would do that?”

Damn, this idiot right here would.

Yu Haozhou thought. He was so caught up in the rivalry that he went and gave himself up to his enemy. He rubbed his face, thinking the words sounded familiar. He vaguely remembered something from his sophomore year of high school. It wasn’t the first time someone had said this to him.

Back then, he and Zhou Zizheng were desk mates. When Yu Haozhou sprained his ankle playing basketball, it was Zhou Zizheng who took care of him, even helping him to the bathroom. Yu Haozhou was embarrassed at first, but Zhou Zizheng was so serious and insistent that it would have been foolish to refuse.

Even though Zhou Zizheng still talked to him in a teasing way, Yu Haozhou noticed something was wrong with himself. He found himself looking at Zhou Zizheng more and more. He was shocked when he realized what was happening. Zhou Zizheng was his rival, his enemy. To like his enemy was perverse.

Yu Haozhou tried to suppress his feelings, but Zhou Zizheng’s face kept popping into his mind. During that time, Yu Haozhou was nearly driven insane, especially when he dreamed every night of doing that kind of thing with Zhou Zizheng. When he woke up in the morning and found his underwear wet, he felt like a pervert.

It got to the point where he’d blush whenever Zhou Zizheng spoke to him.

Even Zhou Zizheng noticed something was up. He reached out and touched Yu Haozhou’s forehead. “Yu Haozhou, are you running a fever?”

He weakly pushed Zhou Zizheng’s hand away, complaining in his heart that it wasn’t a fever, it was just that he was h*rny.

Yu Haozhou had no choice but to go find a friend of his nicknamed “Intimate Brother”.

He started with the line “I have a friend” and briefly talked about what it’s like to fall in love with your rival.

His friend immediately said, “What? That person’s a pervert. They must have a mental problem.”

Yu Haozhou was devastated. From then on, he avoided Zhou Zizheng even more, convinced that Zhou Zizheng was just trying to confuse him with his kindness.

Yu Haozhou’s sudden coldness confused Zhou Zizheng. After several attempts at being friendly, Zhou Zizheng got angry. “Trying to help a dog is pointless.”

Yu Haozhou ignored him, almost breaking the pen in his hand.

“Some people are just ungrateful,” Zhou Zizheng continued. Yu Haozhou ignored him still, even drawing a line on the table between them.

Zhou Zizheng felt that his behavior of always being so eager to please was degrading, and he said to Yu Haozhou, “I must be a masochist.”

That night, Yu Haozhou hid under his blanket and cried. He did nothing wrong; he just didn’t want to be seen as crazy.

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