437.
The car moved slowly and steadily. Gu Yiliang said nothing, and I didn’t dare to speak either.
It was quiet—too quiet.
Quieter than my veins, quieter than Jingxiang (NT: literally "quiet alley" ), quieter than Jing’an District, even quieter than tranquillizers.

 

438.
I felt extremely tense, a sense of crisis wrapping around me like a rope.
Aside from the hum of the engine and the buzz of the electronics, I could swear I could hear my own heart pounding violently in my chest.
It wasn’t that I was weak—it’s just that the atmosphere was way too strange!
Why were the fingers holding his steering wheel so pale, why was his back so stiff, why were his ears red, and why was his Adam’s apple bobbing like that?!

 

439.
This situation, this silence, this tension…
I narrowed my eyes, and my gaze suddenly sharpened.
—Could Gu Yiliang be planning to harm me?!

 

440.
Did he want to sell my organs? Sell me to a circus or deep in the mountains? Or did he just want to kill me and eat me?
After we turned two corners, I managed to come up with a more “reasonable” theory: recently he’d been so nice to me—maybe he was just trying to lower my guard so he could find the perfect moment to kill me with one decisive blow, eliminate an enemy, and advance his career.

 

441.
That sense of danger hit its peak when I saw the same billboard outside for the third time.
I pressed almost my entire body against the car door, ready to jump out of the window and escape at any moment, and cautiously asked, “We… we’re going in circles, aren’t we?”

Gu Yiliang seemed to tense up even more, and replied even more cautiously than I had: “There are some things missing at home, I wanted to take the chance to look for… uh, a supermarket.”

 

442.
What exactly was “missing” that could make him this nervous and flustered?!
Duct tape? Nylon rope? Bone cutters? An electric saw? Plastic tarps? Black garbage bags?
Officer, I’m scared!

I pressed myself even closer to the door, lowering my voice to the bare minimum, trying to soothe his nerves: “There’s a little shop just to the right over there, I just saw it.”

He turned his head slightly to glance at me, and his face suddenly seemed much calmer.
The car turned right and came to a stop.
He said, “I’m going to run an errand, wait for me in the car.”

I nodded, trembling, watched him get out and walk into the little shop—then immediately rushed over to the other side to frantically try to unlock the door.

 

[Yiliang’s Phone Memo – Excerpt 1]
As expected, the other party wants to come to my place.
I am very nervous.
There are no proper supplies at home—that’s my oversight.
The enemy remains much calmer than me; he knows I’m unprepared, and is even trying to comfort me.
Stay calm, stay composed, I must absolutely remain calm and composed.
I should always carry my notebook with me, otherwise I wouldn’t even know how to organize my thoughts.

 

443.
When Gu Yiliang returned with a large plastic bag, I had just unfastened my seatbelt and was about to throw my elbow into the window.

Him: “…?”

I quickly fastened my seatbelt again, straightened up, and smiled at him. “You’re back already? So fast?”

He nodded calmly, sat in the driver’s seat with an elegant, natural air, radiating a sense of calm and complete control—as if he had nothing whatsoever to do with the nervous, flustered man from earlier.

 

444.
Could it be he’d gone down to secretly take a tranquillizer?

 

445.
As he set the plastic bag on the back seat, I followed his movements with my eyes, scrutinizing the contents.
The bag was full, and I could make out packs of tissues, paper napkins, chips, zero-calorie cola, frozen pizzas, disposable cups…

 

446.
Huh?
What’s this? The standard kit for a man watching a late-night soccer game?
So earlier, he was worried his preparations for hosting a guest wouldn’t be good enough?

I looked at him questioningly, and he returned a reassuring look, using his eyes to tell me that everything was fine.

Huh? What do you mean “everything’s fine”?

 

447.
The car started up again. Gu Yiliang was driving with full concentration, still without saying a word.
Although the atmosphere was still a little strange, it was already much better than before.
I kept wondering what exactly felt off, when suddenly, a brilliant thought struck me.
I knew now!
The background music! It’s definitely because there’s no background music!
Silence should be softened and filled in with background music; emotions should be amplified and guided by background music. And me—whether as an actor, no, as someone in the film industry—I had actually forgotten something so important!

 

448.
The realization hit me all at once, and I cursed myself for being such an idiot.
I reached out to press the car’s radio button and politely asked Gu Yiliang: “Can we put on some music?”
Gu Yiliang replied with a low “Mm,” so I pressed play, and soothing, gentle music began to flow out.
The moment I recognized the song, I fell into complete silence.
Ah, so this was the problem.
Do you know what that “dang dang dang dang…” is?
That “dang dang dang” is—

 

449.
In a moving, enclosed space, sitting less than a meter away from me was a top-quality idol whose single glance or smile could wipe my brain clean.
And we were listening to ‘Only You’ in 3D surround, dripping with tenderness and romance.
I was in a daze, sitting on a bed of needles.

 

450.
The atmosphere instantly became even more awkward—oh my God!!
This background music was completely wrong!!
It wasn’t supposed to intensify the ambiguous vibe!
Pink bubbles were starting to float up between us!!
Don’t take any sharp turns on this straight road!!
Stop!! This isn’t the road to friendship!!
If I keep listening, I’m going to end up seeing a romantic montage of my “god” looping in my head!
Trembling, I pretended to “accidentally” switch the song, fumbling over the buttons.
But—same tricks don’t work twice.
So, for the next ten minutes, still dazed, my lips and hands trembling, I ended up listening to ‘Wonderful Tonight’, ‘Say You, Say Me’, ‘Nothing’s Gonna Change My Love for You’, ‘Can You Feel the Love Tonight’, ‘Quando Quando’…
In a trance, with trembling lips and hands, my eyes sparkled like they were full of lightning while I sat there like I was standing on burning coals…

 

451.
I was dying to shake Gu Yiliang and ask him where he found this playlist?!
Is this the Top 50 of Western romantic classics or something?!!

 

452.
When the intro of Careless Whisper began, I was even more tempted to jump out of the car than before.
Gu Yiliang, on the other hand, seemed completely calm, his fingers lightly tapping the steering wheel to the beat as if in a zone where nothing could dim his light.
At every red light, he would even give me a small smile.

 

453.
The pink bubbles in the air were almost fully formed over my head.
I struggled. I resisted. I felt powerless. I began to sink, slowly.
Oh my God—even a straight little tree will bend in a storm!
Gu Yiliang, can you please stop softly singing ‘Make You Feel My Love’ in a whisper ?!
I may not be a tree, but you are definitely a storm! I can’t take this anymore!!
Step on the gas before the frozen pizza melts!!

 

454.
I have no doubt now—I think he’s not just trying to touch me, he’s really trying to melt me.

 

455.
No, no, there must just be too much drama in my head.
Anyone could be driving this car. The music isn’t necessarily for me.
After all, this is “Sanhao” Yiliang—born under the red flag, raised in the spring breeze—Gu Yiliang, a model man!

(NT: "Sanhao" (三好) refers to the concept of "three merits," which include: excelling academically, being morally upright, and being physically fit.)
How could he possibly be thinking anything inappropriate about his work partner and CP partner?
As a proper man, he always remembers that he’s in work mode, diligently studying novels and different work approaches, carefully discussing how to improve together, all while tirelessly handing out candy to me and the people.
How could I have such a malicious thought about him?!
This pure, sincere friendship—it’s truly touching!

 

456.
Fortunately, fortunately, before ‘Make You Feel My Love’ ended, the car turned into an underground parking garage.
Gu Yiliang hummed softly as he parked with precise skill, and I let out a long sigh of relief as I unbuckled my seat belt.
Just when I thought the storm had passed, he unbuckled his belt and turned to grab a plastic bag from the back seat. Our eyes met at that exact moment.
He paused, then smiled with squinted eyes, and—perfectly in sync with the soft background music—sang the last line of the song: “…To make you feel my love.”

 

457.
His voice wasn’t on pitch at all, his breathing was uneven—he was singing as if reciting a line of dialogue—but it was terrifyingly captivating, like a spell that had me completely under its thrall, reducing me to nothing, destroying me.
I locked eyes with his bright gaze, and there was only one thought left in my mind.

 

458.
This degraded friendship—was an offense against morality and justice.

Translator : DarNan