The street was empty and quieter than usual at this time, after all, someone had died here in the afternoon. There were already few people on the street when Chu Yi came home earlier.

Chu Yi wasn't too scared. With fewer people around, at least no one would think there was something wrong with him for standing here.

But the evening breeze blowing on his legs didn't feel cool at all, his legs still stung.

If only he had applied a layer of toothpaste before leaving home.

Chu Yi sighed.

After standing for a while longer, he felt a bit tired. Checking his phone, he realized he had been standing for half an hour already.

He hopped and jogged a few steps to the left, then hopped and ran back to the right. Running back and forth like this made him feel much more comfortable.

Yan Hang's home remained dark without any movement, it seemed Yan Hang was indeed asleep, and had probably been for a while. Yan Hang hadn't contacted him all night.

Normally, he would have gone back after standing for a bit.

But today was different.

Yan Hang's state was too strange. Although he didn't know exactly why, it must be something big. Standing here couldn't solve any problems, but it still made him feel more at ease than going home.

Home was quiet now, but he didn't want to go back. His dad suddenly becoming unreachable put him in a bad mood too. No one at home had any real ideas about the situation, except his mom saying they would ask at the company tomorrow, everyone else just cursed and complained.

Just thinking about it made him feel dispirited. He bent over to rest his hands on his knees, but quickly removed them as soon as he pressed down.

Ouch ouch ouch.

Just as he was about to continue running left and right, a small light suddenly appeared behind the curtains of Yan Hang's home across the street.

Then his phone rang.

It was Yan Hang!

He quickly took out his phone, and sure enough it was Yan Hang.

He fumbled with it for a few seconds but couldn't answer, so he just stuffed the phone in his pocket and ran across the street.

"Yan Hang?" He called out softly at the window.

The curtains parted and Yan Hang opened the window. "I give up on you."

"Were you, were you not sleeping?" He smiled.

"No, I've been standing here for an hour." Yan Hang said.

"Huh?" He was stunned.

"Wanted to see when you would go back." Yan Hang said.

Chu Yi gaped, unable to say anything for a moment.

"What happened to your legs?" Yan Hang asked.

"My legs are, are quite beautiful." Chu Yi said.

"Oh," Yan Hang responded, staring at him eye to eye. After a while, he pointed at the door, "Come in."

Chu Yi entered and smelled cigarette smoke. Yan Hang smoked occasionally, but not much. Today, you could smell it as soon as you opened the door...

"Should I turn on the light?" He asked after changing shoes.

"Go ahead," Yan Hang said, "Let me see what's wrong with your legs, are you injured? You're even wearing shorts."

"It's hot." Chu Yi pressed the switch and the lights came on. He immediately saw the liquor bottles on the coffee table and the ashtray filled with cigarette butts.

Yan Hang's face also looked very tired, his complexion dull.

"Scalded, right?" Yan Hang looked at his legs, somewhat surprised, "Scalded this badly and you didn't apply medicine?"

Chu Yi didn't know what to say, whether he should say he forgot to apply medicine, or that the medicine was too expensive so he didn't buy it...

"Sit down, I have burn ointment." Yan Hang rummaged through a drawer in the TV cabinet and took out a small gold tube of ointment.

Chu Yi had seen this ointment at the pharmacy today, it cost over thirty yuan.

Although the salesperson said this medicine was very good and wouldn't suffocate the wound, he still thought it was too expensive!

Extremely expensive!

The toothpaste at his home didn't even cost ten yuan!

However, he was quite surprised that Yan Hang's family had burn ointment in their medicine kit. He looked at Yan Hang, "You have t-this at home?"

"Bought it last week," Yan Hang went to the kitchen to wash his hands, then squatted down by his legs, holding the ointment ready to apply it, "My dad got splattered by some oil while stir-frying, insisted he was scalded, so he went and bought a tube."

Chu Yi laughed upon hearing that.

"Delicate." Yan Hang also chuckled, but after laughing, he held the ointment without moving.

Chu Yi tilted his head and glanced at his face, noticing Yan Hang's eyes were a bit red, but he couldn't tell if it was from lack of sleep or wanting to cry.

But before he could continue studying him, Yan Hang had already lowered his head and started applying the medicine.

"It's not too bad," Yan Hang said while applying the ointment, "Not considered severe. What did you do to scald such a large area?"

"I spilled some soup, didn't hold it steady." Chu Yi hesitated for a long time but decided not to tell the truth in the end. He didn't want Yan Hang to know it was because he forgot to mention not coming home for dinner.

Yan Hang smiled.

After applying the ointment to one leg, he spoke again, "Your grandma hit you, right?"

Chu Yi didn't expect Yan Hang to guess it directly, and could only remain silent.

"I can always guess right," Yan Hang said, "Impressive, huh?"

Chu Yi started laughing, "Impressive."

"After staying out for so long, will your grandma hit you again when you go back?" Yan Hang asked.

"No one manages me at night." Chu Yi said.

"So," Yan Hang looked at him, "Don't tell me you're not planning to go home tonight?"

Chu Yi kept his head down, and after a long while, silently nodded.

"Running away from home," Yan Hang finished applying medicine to the top of his foot and stood up, "Ran away after getting scalded... This must be the first time in your life, skipping class and running away."

Chu Yi smiled without saying anything.

Yan Hang washed his hands and returned to sit in the living room, looking at the dazed Chu Yi beside him.

Growing up, there were only two situations at home - either he was alone, or he was with his dad. No one else had ever stayed overnight at his place.

But if Chu Yi was going to stay here, he wouldn't refuse.

He always felt he was completely used to being alone, but today's situation wasn't just loneliness, but also a deep fear of the unknown. At a time like this, having someone by your side, even if not saying a word, would make it less terrifying.

"You can squeeze in with me," Yan Hang said, "This couch isn't big enough to sleep on, and my dad's room..."

He didn't want to disturb his dad's room.

"Okay." Chu Yi nodded.

"Then go to sleep," Yan Hang could see Chu Yi was already quite sleepy, "You still have class tomorrow, right?"

"You're not sleeping?" Chu Yi looked at him.

"I... will sleep." Yan Hang stood up and went to the bed to continue spacing out.

Yan Hang always stacked the two pillows on the bed, as he liked to sleep a bit higher. But giving one to Chu Yi today wouldn't affect him, since he definitely wouldn't be able to fall asleep anyway.

"Want to c-chat for a bit?" Chu Yi asked after lying down on the bed.

"Little Stutterer still wants to chat with people," Yan Hang leaned against the headboard, reached out to turn off the light, and took out his phone. "Just go to sleep."

"Oh," Chu Yi smiled, "Good night."

"Good night." Yan Hang said.

There was still a previous page open on his phone, a local news forum. In addition to various transaction posts, ads, and rumor posts, there were also all kinds of gossip about breaking events.

When he saw Chu Yi standing across the street, he was just about to go to the bathroom and then check out the post titled "Has anyone heard about the murder in Linhe District".

As for why he didn't click it open right away and had to go to the bathroom first...

It was because he was afraid.

Before, he was only afraid that his dad wouldn't come back. Now, there were more and more things he feared. Any little bit of information might make his heart feel like it was grabbed by someone.

After saying good night, Chu Yi didn't make any more sounds, not even moving.

Yan Hang clicked open the post.

Quickly scanning it, it was all discussions and questions about the specifics. At a glance, there was no useful content, but he breathed a sigh of relief.

- That guy was targeted for revenge! My friend hangs out in that area! Don't ask me, I don't know anything else!

Yan Hang's scrolling finger suddenly stopped.

To be honest, this reply looked very much like bragging, especially that last sentence of "don't ask me". Put somewhere else, it would be "hurry up and ask me, if you don't ask me how can I continue bragging".

The people replying below clearly had this thought, and no one paid attention to this comment.

But Yan Hang's intuition told him that this person was telling the truth.

A friend who hangs out in this area.

Hangs out in this area.

Liang Bing.

Yan Hang had only dealt with Liang Bing face-to-face once, but the only one he usually saw "hanging out" on these few streets was indeed Liang Bing.

There was another sentence in the reply, "I don't know anything else".

This should also be the truth.

From the looks of it, even if Liang Bing was a hooligan, he could only strut around these few streets. With that temper, if he went out, he'd get beaten to a pulp.

At this level, even if he knew a bit, he wouldn't know much.

But knowing a little was still knowing something.

And with such a big incident happening on his 'turf', Liang Bing had never shown up...

Yan Hang frowned and pondered for a while, then turned his head wanting to see if Chu Yi had fallen asleep. Chu Yi should know something about Liang Bing's situation.

As soon as he turned his head, he heard Chu Yi sigh softly, "Yan Hang."

"Hm?" Yan Hang responded, "I thought you were asleep."

"Can't sleep." Chu Yi turned his head to look at him.

"Is my phone too bright?" Yan Hang looked at the screen, it was already at 50% brightness. He turned it down a bit more, "Or are you picky about the bed?"

"No," Chu Yi frowned and struggled for a long time before saying softly, "My dad didn't come home today."

Yan Hang's phone slipped and hit him on the bridge of his nose.

A sour pain.

"Buy a phone stand." Chu Yi reached over and touched his nose bridge.

"Doesn't your dad often not come home?" Yan Hang asked.

"When he goes out of town, he doesn't come back, but he always tells my mom," Chu Yi sighed, "Today he didn't say anything, and his phone is unreachable."

Yan Hang felt like he had been thrown into an ice cellar.

The chill didn't strike suddenly, but slowly seeped into his body from his feet and fingertips.

With so many things happening, it couldn't be a coincidence.

What he had always been worried about seemed to have already... happened.

The only thing he couldn't figure out was what connection Chu Yi's father could have with this matter.

"Did your dad's colleagues or superiors not ask what happened?" Yan Hang asked in a low voice, suppressing his own panic.

"No p-phone calls," Chu Yi said, "My mom will go to the company tomorrow to check."

"Mm." Yan Hang wanted to find something else to say, to not let his anxiety show so obviously, but after opening his mouth for a long time, he couldn't find a single word.

"I shouldn't have said this," Chu Yi said softly, "You were already unhappy."

"It's okay, I... it's no big deal," Yan Hang said, "I've always been very emotional, quite sentimental."

"No." Chu Yi said.

"No what?" Yan Hang asked.

"No," Chu Yi tugged the corner of his mouth in a smile, "You're very carefree."

"Carefree my ass," Yan Hang also smiled, "You're still young."

Carefree.

He used to think he was especially carefree, and his dad exuded it from his bones.

Actually, it was just that they both used the same way to cover it up.

"Yan Hang," Chu Yi's hand reached over, tapping his arm a few times before grabbing his wrist, "If you have anything unhappy that you want to talk about, you can always tell me."

"Mm," Yan Hang smiled, "Little angel."

Yan Hang's wrist was quite thin, and when grabbing it, one could feel the wrist bone in the palm.

Chu Yi felt very comfortable. He closed his eyes, his fingers lightly tapping a rhythm on Yan Hang's wrist.

Sometimes when he couldn't fall asleep, he would tap out a rhythm like this. Under the monotonous repetition, it was easier to fall asleep. He just didn't know if this method would work for Yan Hang.

After tapping for a while, he suddenly felt that there was something different on the inside of Yan Hang's wrist.

It seemed there was a very thin raised line.

A scar?

His first reaction wasn't very good, but this small raised line was vertical...

Just as he was about to feel it again, Yan Hang withdrew his hand and tapped Chu Yi's forehead with the back of his hand, "Go to sleep."

"Mm." Chu Yi responded.

After a while, Yan Hang said again, "It's a small scar, from being scratched by a nail when I fell before."

"Ah, did it hurt?" Chu Yi asked.

"It didn't hurt, actually didn't feel much." Yan Hang said.

Chu Yi wanted to turn on his side to face Yan Hang, but when he tried, he found it would put pressure on his leg, so he had to lie on his back again.

Yan Hang reached for a small bottle next to the pillow and sprayed something on Chu Yi's pillow.

It smelled very nice, a faint fragrance mixed with Yan Hang's scent. Sleepiness slowly washed over him.

"Is it some kind of sleeping spray?" He asked.

"Have some self-respect, you mutt," Yan Hang said. "It's lavender spray, to help you sleep."

"...Oh." He smiled with his eyes closed.

That forum post was quite long. Yan Hang read it over and over from beginning to end. There were all kinds of theories - robbery, revenge, gang fights - but they were basically all speculation.

Except for that one poster who said "don't ask me", no one really had any reliable information.

When Yan Hang refreshed again to see if there was any new content, the system showed that the post had been deleted.

He frowned and tossed his phone aside.

There was no way he could sleep now. He hadn't been able to sleep for several days, and today he didn't even feel a second of drowsiness. It was maddening.

He leaned against the pillow and closed his eyes, rubbing the scar on his wrist.

After spacing out for a while, he sat up gently again. Chu Yi was already asleep beside him, his breathing relaxed and calm.

Yan Hang sat cross-legged on the bed and closed his eyes.

Letting his mind slowly empty.

This was difficult. Every time Dad said "let's meditate", he couldn't do it.

Although he had the whole night, he knew he wouldn't be able to do it before he even started. He couldn't do it normally, let alone in this situation.

It could only be used to kill time.

His mind was full of things.

Dad.

The dead man.

Chu Yi's father.

Liang Bing.

He wanted to connect these things, but couldn't find the thread.

After leaning against the head of the bed all night, he felt like he couldn't move at all when dawn came, his back aching badly.

What impressed him was that Chu Yi didn't even turn over the entire night, maintaining the same supine position for hours without snoring, teeth grinding, or sleep talking.

As quiet as if he didn't exist.

He must have slept quite soundly.

Yan Hang checked the time. Based on the normal school schedule, Chu Yi could sleep for another half an hour, but he didn't know if he should wake him up now to go home first.

Just as he was hesitating, Chu Yi's phone, which was next to the pillow, rang.

Yan Hang glanced at it. The screen displayed "Mom".

"Hey, Chu Yi." He quickly pushed Chu Yi. "Your mom is calling."

"Mm..." Chu Yi responded groggily without opening his eyes.

"Your grandma is going to beat your ass!" Yan Hang picked up his phone, wanting to answer it for him first. He fiddled with it for over a dozen times, but the phone seemed to be frozen, not responding at all, the screen going black.

"I got it." Chu Yi woke up, rubbing his eyes and taking the phone. As if by luck, he first turned on the screen, then pressed and slowly slid the answer circle to the side. This time it connected. He sat up. "Hello?"

"If you dare come back at noon today, I dare to chop you up!" The voice on the other end blasted out. "Are you trying to go crazy? Your dad has been missing for a day and night! You're joining in, huh? If you have the guts, don't come back at all!"

Before Chu Yi could say a word, the other side hung up.

Chu Yi's mother must have been extremely angry. Her voice was loud, and Yan Hang could hear it clearly beside him.

"I'll go back with you," Yan Hang said. "I'll explain it to them. It's my fault, I should have let you go home yesterday."

"No, no need," Chu Yi shook his head. "Besides, even if you didn't let me stay, I wouldn't have gone back."

Yan Hang looked at him without speaking.

Chu Yi felt that he had been a bit unreasonable these past two days.

It wasn't that he was being unreasonable, but that he suddenly stopped following the routine he had for more than a decade.

He didn't know what was wrong with him either.

It was as if he had suddenly entered a rebellious phase that he had never experienced before and thought he would never have.

He couldn't tell if it was because of Yan Hang, or the suffocating atmosphere at home that had become unbearable due to his father's sudden disappearance.

He suddenly became a bit reckless. His mother's long face, his grandma's raised arm, his grandpa's eyes like black holes...

However, after getting up and eating the breakfast Yan Hang made, he still decided to go to school.

After all, there were issues at home now, so he should put his rebellious phase on hold for a bit. His mother was indeed very upset.

"Don't come over at noon," Yan Hang said. "Go straight home after school."

"Okay." Chu Yi nodded.

"Let me know if there's any news about your dad." Yan Hang said.

"Alright," Chu Yi responded. "If you have anything, give me a call."

"Okay." Yan Hang patted him on the shoulder.

Chu Yi was a bit reluctant to leave when he walked out of Yan Hang's house.

He liked being with Yan Hang, even if Yan Hang was a bit gloomy right now, he didn't mind.

As he walked to school, he took out his phone and looked at it again, not knowing what he wanted to see.

In such a short time, neither his mother nor Yan Hang would contact him again so quickly.

He sighed and put the phone back in his pocket.

When he arrived at school and entered the classroom, he felt that the atmosphere was a bit more lively than usual.

As soon as he sat down, Li Zihao from behind leaned over, "Hey, Chu Yi."

Chu Yi didn't make a sound or move.

"Someone died by the river yesterday. Do you know what happened?" Li Zihao asked. "Your house is closest to that area, and you skipped class yesterday afternoon. Did you see anything?"

"Didn't." Chu Yi replied. Sure enough, everyone was discussing this matter.

"Fuck!" Li Zihao gave him a shove. "What are you acting cool for?"

"Really didn't." Chu Yi said.

"I heard it was a gang fight. You didn't hear any commotion at all?" Li Zihao's gossipy curiosity overrode his annoyance as he continued to ask, "Then what did you do yesterday afternoon?"

"Had a fever," Chu Yi said. "Slept at home."

"Had a fever, slept at home," Li Zihao mimicked his way of speaking, and the people around laughed. Li Zihao shoved him again, "So dull, I'm afraid even if someone died under your building, you wouldn't know."

Chu Yi didn't say anything more. The people around laughed for a while and then changed the subject, continuing to discuss the gang fight by the river.

Chu Yi didn't quite understand what these people were so excited about. Were they imagining themselves as the one chopping people, or the one being chopped? Or were they simply excited because someone had died in such a bloody way?

For two classes in a row, the discussion around him didn't stop.

At the end of the second class, the homeroom teacher entered the classroom. After scanning the room twice, her gaze finally fell on Chu Yi. "Chu Yi, come here for a moment."

Chu Yi was stunned. He had never been called out of the classroom by a teacher before. Sometimes he even felt that the teachers might not know who he was.

The people around him were also a bit surprised. As he stood up, someone said, "Could it be that Chu Yi was the one who killed that person?"

A group of people burst into laughter.

Chu Yi glanced at the person who spoke and walked towards the classroom door. The homeroom teacher pointed at those few people, "Don't joke about this kind of thing!"

Chu Yi followed the homeroom teacher downstairs with some unease. At the bottom of the stairs, the teacher stopped, "You should go home first. Something happened with your family. Your aunt just called the school and asked for leave for you."

"Wh-what happened?" Chu Yi was stunned upon hearing this, suddenly feeling very flustered.

"She didn't say," the homeroom teacher said. "Don't panic first, go home and see what the situation is."

"Th-thanks..." Chu Yi stammered even more when he was anxious.

"Go on, don't say anymore," the homeroom teacher waved her hand. "Be careful and stay safe on the way!"

Chu Yi didn't say anything more and turned to run towards the school gate.

What happened?

What could have happened at home?

Even grandma stripping naked and fighting with someone wouldn't be considered an incident, so what else could it be?

...Dad?

What could have happened to Dad?

A car accident?

He didn't dare to think too much. While running, he took out his phone. He didn't dare to call his mom now, so he could only call his aunt first.

The phone that had no response for a long time made him want to throw the damn thing away for the first time.

He ran out half a block before the call finally went through.

His aunt picked up the phone immediately, "Puppy?"

"What happened!" Chu Yi shouted.

"Don't panic, don't panic," his aunt hurriedly said. "I'm at your house. I'll wait for you at the intersection. Don't panic!"

"Is it my dad?" Chu Yi couldn't help but ask. "Was it a car accid-"

"It wasn't a car accident, no, it's just the police asking some questions," his aunt said. "The specific situation is still unclear now..."