Today the customers left the boxing gym early. After Chu Yi finished cleaning, he went home half an hour earlier than usual.

The main hall outside was already empty, with only the front desk girl who was waiting to lock the door at the scheduled time still sitting by the entrance, talking on the phone with a big smile on her face.

She was probably talking to her boyfriend, smiling very shyly.

Young girls always get particularly shy when they fall in love, as Chu Yi had noticed since the beginning of this semester.

The girl sitting in front of Li Zihao in class smiled at him like that.

Chu Yi found it quite amazing. Last semester the two of them had even quarreled, but after a summer vacation, they got together. After being together, they exchanged glances for half a month, and now they hold hands and walk together as soon as they leave the school gate.

Li Zihao doesn't even have time continue on his path of pseudo hoodlum development anymore.

Chu Yi sighed, his future is ruined.

But now even if Li Zihao's gang wanted to study it, they wouldn't come to him anymore. The whole school in this area knows about the two times Chu Yi beat Liang Bing until his face was covered in blood, and the story has even spread further.

His days are much better than before now, with everyone staying far away from him.

The loneliness before was him hiding, the loneliness now is others avoiding him, the two feelings are quite different.

The hat of his father being a fugitive murderer is stuck on his head. Even if one day the case is cracked, even if his father is innocent, it will be hard to take off. After all, the police won't come to their place beating gongs and drums to announce the result. At most there will be a few sentences in the newspapers and on TV. Those who see it will say "oh", those who don't will carry on as usual.

Under the "halo" of his father, the matter of Chu Yi beating Liang Bing has been infinitely magnified. If it weren't for Liang Bing still wandering around this area every day, everyone would firmly believe that Liang Bing had already been killed by him.

Chu Yi sat on the edge of the boxing ring, spacing out for a while before realizing that he had gone off topic.

Love.

Many people fall in love after starting junior year. He doesn't know what love feels like, but everyone seems addicted to it. Even when their parents are called by the teacher, they are still eager to give it a try.

He had never thought about these things before. It was meaningless to think about it. He used to be shorter than all the girls, and he was a stutterer... So until now, he can only guess. Maybe everyone gets lonely. When you get lonely enough, you want to find someone to be with.

Like he wants to be with Yan Hang, even if they don't talk... Oh, now he's thinking about love, it has nothing to do with Yan Hang...

But if Yan Hang was always around, he wouldn't need to think about love.

But what about Yan Hang? Chu Yi stood up, straightened the crooked mat on the ground, and started punching the sandbag. Yan Hang is so handsome and suave. You can tell from his fangirls that it would be too easy for Yan Hang to fall in love. Maybe he has been in love before.

No, no no, he hasn't. Yan Hang said he had never received a gift. If such a handsome guy really had a girlfriend before, how could he have never received a gift?

Chu Yi smiled and kept punching the sandbag.

Uncle Yan was right. This practice seems boring, but it really works. He can feel the increase in speed when he punches now, and he can clearly feel the power when he kicks the sandbag.

As for growing taller, he doesn't know if it's useful. Is he growing because it's time or because of the practice... He's really not sure. Anyway, when the boys in the class came back to school after a summer vacation, they all seemed to have been rolled out, all stretched out. Li Zihao is like a fishing rod, heading straight for 1.9 meters, becoming the tallest in the class.

Although he has also stretched a lot, he is still among the short ones.

But for his aunt who hasn't seen him for three or four months, the fact that he has grown a little more since the summer is very shocking.

When he got out of school at noon, his aunt, who was passing by on business, said she wanted to take him out to eat. The car was parked across the street from the school. He walked all the way to the side of the car and his aunt didn't see him. It wasn't until he opened the car door that she was startled: "Oh my! Who is this big boy?!"

"Robbery." Chu Yi poked her arm with his finger.

"My God," his aunt laughed and patted his face, "I haven't seen you for a few months, I didn't recognize you at a glance! You've grown so tall, taller than me now."

"That's because you're too, too short." Chu Yi got in the car and said with a smile.

"Okay, impressive," his aunt started the car, "Even the puppy can make fun of others for being short now... You must be over 1.7 meters, right?"

"Haven't measured," Chu Yi said, "Pro, probably. My legs hurt at night when I sleep. My mom says I'm growing too fast."

"Yes, your uncle also had a growth spurt at this time. His bones hurt so much he couldn't sleep," his aunt looked at him, "Your clothes are too small, right? Can't wear your school uniform anymore, right?"

"Mm." Chu Yi looked down. Now he was wearing his dad's old clothes. His dad didn't buy many clothes either. The jacket was from who knows where, with words printed on it, xx air conditioning.

The pants were very cool though. The pants were the sports pants Yan Hang had given him before. Now that the weather is cool, it's just right to keep wearing them. Actually, he doesn't really want to wear them out. He's always afraid of wearing them out.

"After we eat, auntie will take you to buy a few sets of clothes," his aunt said, "You're a big boy now. You need to have style when you have style, and you're about to have a good figure. Wearing work clothes is too unseemly."

"I have money," Chu Yi said, feeling a little proud after thinking about it, "I have a job."

"Really?" His aunt was a little surprised, "Where?"

"A boxing gym," Chu Yi pinched his pant leg and rubbed it lightly, "Cleaning. Over a thousand."

His aunt didn't say anything for a long time before finally saying, "Puppy is really growing up, really..."

"I'll treat you to dinner." Chu Yi patted his pocket.

He has been saving money for the past few months. Every month when the boxing gym pays him, he takes 800 to his mother and keeps 500 for himself, all saved in his card.

Saving money is not for anything else. If he just wants to go to a vocational high school, his mother might get angry and stop paying his tuition, so he has to find a way to prepare for himself first.

If he doesn't follow his mother's requirements, he may have to rely on himself in the future.

And with his mother's personality, even if he follows her requirements, who knows when she will get angry.

Like Yan Hang, earning his own money and spending it himself will be much safer.

His aunt did not refuse his request to treat her. The two of them went to eat at a small hot pot place.

"Any recent news?" Aunt asked, "Did the police come looking for you again?"

"No," Chu Yi sighed softly.

"Sigh," Aunt frowned, "Your dad, really... but don't feel burdened, whether he did it or not, whatever he did, it has nothing to do with you."

"Mm," Chu Yi responded.

You are first and foremost yourself.

For some reason, he thought of Uncle Yan's words.

Now he clearly understood the meaning of these words, but putting them into practice was not easy.

"Let's go," Aunt took a sip of tea, "Let's go to the mall and buy you some clothes."

"Let's not go to the mall," Chu Yi thought for a moment, "Let's go to the pedestrian street."

"Why?" Aunt laughed, "Trying to save money for me? Come on, there are discounts at the mall too. Anyway, we're just buying you sportswear, it's the same few stores no matter where we go."

On a rare day off, Yan Hang originally wanted to go back and sleep, but a few colleagues dragged him out to play. He had already refused twice and couldn't find any more excuses.

If it were before, he wouldn't even bother finding excuses. Maybe with just ten days or half a month of knowing each other, it wouldn't be necessary.

But now it's different. No one takes him around anymore. The time he will live here is no longer at his whim. He has to learn to adapt to this kind of life.

Learn to get to know many colleagues and neighbors, learn to see familiar faces every day, learn to walk among the crowds on the street like an ordinary person.

This was the life he had once looked forward to.

But he didn't know if it was because during the years when he was most likely to have profound memories, he was always on the road, or because Dad was gone. Now that this kind of life had truly arrived, he always found it difficult to fully engage himself.

After eating, his colleagues said they would find a place to play mahjong. When they passed by a clothing store, the two girls couldn't resist going in.

He and another male colleague sat there watching them try on clothes.

"Does it look good?" A girl changed clothes and walked up to the two of them.

"Looks good," the male colleague nodded, "especially makes you look fair, and you're already especially fair to begin with."

The girl smiled and looked at Yan Hang again.

"Fair," Yan Hang nodded.

These two were in the stage of secretly making eyes at each other. He didn't plan on saying much to steal the show.

But when the other girl named Zhang Chen came over, Yan Hang felt awkward. Although he had never been in a relationship and had no opportunity to properly experience so-called "good feelings", he could still perceive some things.

"How is it!" Zhang Chen put her hands on her hips.

"Step on it again," Yan Hang hooked a small stool next to her with his foot, "Grab a knife and you can say your lines."

"This mountain is mine," Zhang Chen stepped on the stool, "This stool is mine. If you want to pass this way, you must praise my beauty."

Yan Hang gave her a thumbs up: "Beautiful."

"Thank you," Zhang Chen said.

"Doesn't rhyme at all," the male colleague beside said.

"Let me tell you, with your EQ," Zhang Chen sighed, walking towards the mirror, "You don't even need palace dramas. Brainless idol dramas can kill you in less than two episodes."

"What a sharp tongue," the male colleague sighed.

Yan Hang laughed.

The two girls tried on clothes for half an hour without buying anything.

As they walked out the store door under the sales associate's complex gaze, Yan Hang sighed, "Does this count as exercise to aid digestion?"

"Smart," Zhang Chen snapped her fingers, "It also counts as mental comfort. Just now, the two of us already finished taking selfies in the fitting room. Some clothes don't need to be bought, just taking photos is enough."

"...Oh," Yan Hang smiled.

The next activity was playing mahjong.

They found a tea room and started playing mahjong.

Yan Hang felt it was quite boring. Given the time, he would rather go for a run or flip through a few pages of a book, or even just space out.

But the others were all in high spirits. He could only grit his teeth and bear with it so as not to spoil the fun, playing mahjong while listening to them chat about things in the restaurant.

The restaurant Cui Yi introduced him to was a five-star hotel's Western restaurant, incomparable to the miscellaneous small restaurants he had worked at before.

Perhaps it was because Cui Yi had bragged for him. During the interview, the supervisor used English with him from the time he called to make an appointment. The interview process was also like a duel, constantly speaking in English. For the first time, he felt that interviews were really fucking painful.

Fortunately, he safely passed without embarrassing Cui Yi.

But after officially starting work, he discovered that the English of the other waiters was probably just enough to take orders.

He suddenly felt that he had gotten a very poor deal.

"Is Sister Chen pregnant?" Zhang Chen said.

Sister Chen was their supervisor, an especially strict older sister, but very beautiful. Yan Hang quite enjoyed listening to her lectures.

"Seems so," the other girl said, "Then isn't she about to resign? Her previous supervisor resigned due to pregnancy."

"Probably not. She's a workaholic," Zhang Chen said. "I really feel she can work up until the moment before entering the delivery room. I've never seen someone so driven."

"Someone will still have to replace her," the low-EQ male colleague who wouldn't survive two episodes in a brainless idol drama said, "Don't know who it will be. Hopefully not as fierce as her."

"Him," Zhang Chen pointed at Yan Hang.

The others looked over together. Yan Hang didn't raise his eyes, looking at the tiles in his hand, "You can't just point at me for everything because I'm handsome."

The others all laughed. Low-EQ said, "Exactly, why him?"

"Last week when the new boss came for a secret inspection," Zhang Chen said, "If not for Yan Hang, we would have gotten scolded."

"It wasn't that exaggerated," Low-EQ said, "Wasn't it just nitpicking on various things and asking about side dishes..."

"But you couldn't answer either. You didn't even understand what he was saying," Zhang Chen rested her chin in her hand, "At that time, I thought, ah, this Little Brother Yan, simply devastatingly handsome."

"You..." Yan Hang played a tile. Just as he was about to speak, his cell phone rang.

He took out his phone and looked. It was Cui Yi. He answered the call.

"Out playing?" Cui Yi asked.

"Yeah, with a few colleagues," Yan Hang said, "What's up?"

As he asked "What's up", he felt a bit nervous. Cui Yi normally wouldn't call him except to tell him to go to the gym.

The call came right when he was supposed to be busy in the office, and Yan Hang's mind was instantly filled with suffocating speculations.

"Give me a call when you're heading back then," Cui Yi said, "I..."

"I'm coming back now." Yan Hang put down his tiles and stood up.

"Urgent matter?" Zhang Chen asked quietly.

He nodded.

"Then hurry and go," Zhang Chen said, "I'll help bring the money over for you tomorrow when I go to work to settle the bill."

"You keep it," Yan Hang grabbed his coat and smiled at the few people, quickly walking out while lowering his voice, "Is there news about my dad?"

"No," Cui Yi said, "Don't be nervous."

"Oh." Yan Hang responded, standing by the roadside, unclear if he felt relieved or a bit disappointed upon hearing this.

He wanted news about his dad, but was also afraid it would be bad news.

During this time, his condition was basically normal, but he would still have nightmares on restless nights about his dad and blood, then wake up in a cold sweat.

"How about I come find you," Cui Yi said, "Where are you?"

"The intersection across from the Wanda behind our hotel." Yan Hang said.

"That's very close, I'll be right over." Cui Yi hung up after saying that.

Yan Hang felt an indescribable unease. To comfort himself, he went to the snack shop behind him and bought a box of marshmallows, squatting on the roadside steps and slowly eating.

After a couple bites, he felt someone watching him.

Turning his head, he saw a little boy in a school uniform, probably in second or third grade.

His clothes were a bit dirty, and his face was also a bit dirty.

Seeing him turn around, the little boy lowered his head in slight embarrassment.

When he turned away, the little boy looked at him again.

He didn't know why he saw a shadow of Chu Yi in this little boy. He passed over the marshmallows in his hand, "My treat."

The little boy looked at him without moving.

"I don't like eating the blue ones," Yan Hang said, "Help me eat them."

The little boy hesitated for a moment, came over to look in the box, and put a blue one in his mouth.

"Come here, squat for a bit." Yan Hang waved.

The little boy walked over and squatted down next to him.

"Help me eat the pink ones too," Yan Hang said, "I only eat the white ones."

"Okay." The little boy nodded.

The two of them just squatted like that on the steps, slowly eating the marshmallows.

Before long, Cui Yi's car drove over. Yan Hang put the box in the little boy's hands, "Thanks for keeping me company."

The little boy probably didn't understand, holding the box and looking at him.

"I have to go," Yan Hang got up, ruffling the boy's hair, "It's all yours."

"Thank you, brother." The little boy said.

Yan Hang smiled and ran over to get in Cui Yi's car.

"The police contacted me." Cui Yi said while driving forward.

"Contacted you?" Yan Hang was stunned.

"Not about this case," Cui Yi said, "It's... from before."

Yan Hang looked at him.

"Did your dad ever tell you," Cui Yi glanced at him, "About your mom..."

"He mentioned a bit," Yan Hang said, "Isn't that why he had Old Ding come find him? It was Old Ding, right?"

"Mm," Cui Yi pressed the cigarette lighter, "But it wasn't just him."

Yan Hang stared at the lighter, his hand trembling slightly.

"There may be some clues about the other one," Cui Yi took out a cigarette and tossed it on his lap, "I'm not too clear on the specifics, and though there shouldn't be any issues... you should still be careful."

"What do you mean?" Yan Hang lit the cigarette.

"If your dad is still alive," Cui Yi frowned, "he'll definitely keep pursuing it. If they're pushed into a corner, who knows what will happen. Otherwise your dad wouldn't have had me come get you."

Little Li's BBQ.

Chu Yi lowered his head, holding his phone, and typed these four characters into the search bar.

He didn't know how many times he had searched already, but still hadn't given up. The gym had WiFi, much faster than using his data. He would usually search whenever he was tired from training and resting.

Yan Hang's cooking was delicious, and his tastes were pickier than most. The BBQ restaurant he was willing to eat at must have good flavors. Such a shop might be mentioned on local forums and such.

Although it was like searching for a needle in a haystack, Chu Yi still wanted to try.

In any case, there was no other way at the moment.

Besides searching like this, he also went on various food review apps to look. He didn't know why he had to find Yan Hang.

Yan Hang still had his WeChat, but never contacted him. Most likely, Yan Hang simply didn't want to contact him anymore. Even if he found out which city Yan Hang was in, there was nothing he could do.

But he still wanted to find him, even if he couldn't do anything.

At least he could check the weather forecast.

As for why Yan Hang left without a word, why he refused to contact him again.

He never thought too deeply about it.

He didn't dare to.

"Chu Yi." Coach He called out to him from the boxing ring.

"Hm?" Chu Yi walked over, "T-time to clean up?"

"What are you cleaning up now," Coach He smiled, "It's not your turn to clean up at this time. Come up."

"For what?" Chu Yi was stunned, glancing up at the boxing ring.

There were still two people on the ring, but not the few he knew. He was familiar with the students Coach He usually trained.

"Spar a few rounds with that guy." Coach He pointed at a person over there.

Chu Yi looked over. It was a boy about his age.

"Who is he?" Chu Yi asked in a low voice.

"My archrival's new disciple," Coach He also lowered his voice, "Just trained for a few months and thinks he's so amazing he can fly around the moon. Go do him in."

This was a challenge match. Chu Yi had seen it a few times, happening once every month or two.

The so-called archrival wasn't a real enemy, just acquainted coaches who loved to compete with each other. The challenge of course wasn't a real challenge either, but winning or losing still affected the coach's reputation. Losing would definitely lead to being mocked.

"Are you, drunk?" Chu Yi looked at him.

"Huh?" Coach He looked at him.

"O-or do you not want to take on new students anymore?" Chu Yi said.

He didn't have any systematic training, just practicing on his own all the time. Coach He would come over to give him some pointers when he was free, and sometimes other students would teach him too.

But that was it. Now he was supposed to go up against someone who had proper training and was so good they could circle the moon?

And do him in?

How could he do him in, he didn't even want to do this guy, okay? He wasn't even good-looking.

"Little Lin," Coach He didn't say anything more to him, gesturing to one of his old students, "Get some gloves for Chu Yi."

"Coming," Little Lin immediately grabbed the gloves and walked over. "I'll help you."

"No," Chu Yi looked at him, "Will I be, be beaten up, reimbursed for, for medical, medical expenses?"

"No reimbursement, I'll use my internal energy to heal you," Coach He said. "If you win, I'll give you a raise."

"A raise, how much?" Chu Yi immediately asked.

"Money-grubber." Little Lin laughed.

"Five hundred." Coach He said.

"I'm going to beat, him." Chu Yi put on the gloves, clapped his hands together, and jumped into the ring.

Circle the Moon guy wasn't very pleasant-looking, with an arrogant expression on his face.

Yan Hang was also arrogant, but arrogant in a handsome way.

Probably because he was handsome to begin with.

Circle the Moon guy had already walked over, standing in the middle bouncing lightly a few times, looking at him with his chin raised.

He walked over and bumped gloves with Moon Moon.

"We're both beginners," his nemesis said. "Let loose, don't be nervous."

"Chu Yi, show them what a floor-sweeping monk is." Coach He said.

"You're all talk." His nemesis said.

"Dang!" Coach He shouted.

What the hell was "dang"?

Before Chu Yi could react, Moon Moon had already nimbly jumped over. Just as he was about to defend, a straight punch landed on his face.

This punch was very beautiful. After the floor-sweeping monk entered the ring, he was knocked down before he could even bounce once.

This boxing gym was going to close down.