[{"content_id":599,"novel_id":11,"chapter_no":1,"chapter_title":"Chapter 1","content":"

\"This is the room I'm living in now, I'd estimate it's no more than eight square meters.\" Yan Hang sat in the swivel chair holding his phone, tapping his toes on the ground, spinning the chair in a full circle.

-Better than before, just a bit messy, you still haven't tidied up after all these days

Someone commented on the screen.

\"Still hibernating from winter, haven't woken up yet,\" Yan Hang yawned, \"too lazy to move.\"

-Will you see that kid again today?

Someone else asked.

\"That kid... don't know,\" Yan Hang tilted his head to look towards the living room, \"let's wait by the window.\"

-Hope he doesn't get bullied again today, it's heartbreaking

Yan Hang didn't say anything, slowly getting up and sauntering over to stand by the living room window.

In his 17 years of life, following his dad moving who knows how many times, this was the latest house he'd lived in.

This time it was on the first floor, facing a small street, quite clean, much better than the previous apartment behind the vegetable market, at least there were no strange smells.

Except it got a bit noisy when school let out.

It was a large residential area, with many kids of all ages passing by this road on their way to and from school.

Yan Hang pushed open the window and sat on the windowsill.

The weather was still a bit chilly, the breeze blowing in carried a crisp coolness, taking a breath was like sucking on a mint.

He quite liked this windowsill, there were no security bars, the radiator cover connected to the windowsill, it could be considered a pseudo bay window, very comfortable for sunbathing in the afternoon.

The kid everyone wanted to see had not passed by yet.

But it should be about time, he would pass by a bit later than the other students every day, who knew if it was to avoid going home together with his classmates, or if he was held up at school by people and couldn't get out.

Yan Hang put his phone on the windowsill facing outwards, not looking at the screen or speaking again.

After just two or three minutes, a few students in school uniforms walked over, tossing a backpack back and forth between them.

Yan Hang picked up his phone and pointed it that way: \"Here they come, let's see what kind of performance these withered branches and fallen leaves of the motherland will put on today.\"

Behind the students throwing the backpack was one who was slightly shorter.

Several comments flashed across the screen:

- seems safe today?

\"Not safe,\" Yan Hang said, \"that backpack is his.\"

The backpack was quite old, changing shape as it was thrown about - square, long, slanted. Every time the backpack traced out a parabola in the air, books or pens would fall out.

But today's withered branches and fallen leaves were relatively milder compared to usual, not getting physical.

The protagonist of this live segment followed silently behind, occasionally bending down to pick up the things that fell out.

He didn't spare a single glance at those few people tossing his backpack around and jeering at him, nor at his own backpack, as if those people and things didn't exist at all. He just slowly walked like that, hands full of things. When those people stopped, he would just stand silently to the side.

There wasn't much in the backpack to begin with. After tossing it for a couple minutes it was empty. Those students threw down the backpack, one of them went over and smacked the things out of his hands, scattering everything on the ground, then the group happily walked on, trampling over the things.

As the kid squatted down to pick up his things, Yan Hang jumped down from the windowsill and went back inside the room.

-Not filming anymore?

Someone asked on the screen.

\"Nah,\" Yan Hang said, \"too depressing.\"

After saying that, he stopped looking at the screen and directly exited, tossing his phone aside and leaning back in his chair.

Judging from the uniforms, those students were probably from the junior high division of No. 82 Middle School next door. When Yan Hang went out to eat at noon and wanted to take a stroll, he got lost and passed by the gate of No. 82 Middle School three times, leaving a deep impression.

The school was quite strict. The third time he walked past the gate, the school security guard came out, glaring at him, watching him all the way until he was over a hundred meters away. Yan Hang felt like blowing him a kiss.

Starting from the day they moved in, for four days straight, whether it was noon dismissal or afternoon dismissal, he could see that kid whose backpack was thrown around getting bullied in various ways. The people bullying him and the forms of bullying were different each time.

Yan Hang poured himself a glass of water. Since the half month before and after moving, for the first time he felt a bit frustrated, probably because it was too depressing.

He glanced at the time, put in his earphones and lay down on the bed, closing his eyes.

do you love me?

do you need me?

do you want me?

do you love me?

He quietly hummed along with the music in his earphones, adding a line after each lyric.

\"no.\"

Half asleep, Yan Hang heard the door open, followed by the voice of his dad who had disappeared for a day and a half: \"The emperor has returned.\"

Yan Hang didn't make a sound, too sleepy.

\"Sweetie?\" Dad called out again as he put things down, \"Dearest crown prince?\"

Yan Hang sighed inwardly. Just as he was about to struggle to wake up, his dad walked into his room and his voice suddenly changed: \"Yan Hang!\"

Before he could open his eyes, he felt his arm being grabbed by his dad, yanking him up: \"Yan Hang what's wrong with you!\"

\"Fuck,\" Yan Hang frowned and opened his eyes, his arm numb from being pulled, his neck even cracking, \"if I really committed suicide, you would've yanked the last breath out of me.\"

\"What are you doing lying in bed at this hour?\" Dad asked.

\"Sleepy,\" Yan Hang glanced at him, \"you're in a good mood today, Your Majesty.\"

\"Made some money,\" Dad smiled and turned to walk out, \"get up, let's go out to eat... oh right, I found a set of college English books for you, the person said it was for English majors, and there was intensive reading... I couldn't understand, you take a look and see if it works for you.\"

\"Anything is fine.\" Yan Hang took off his earphones and got out of bed.

\"My son is awesome, never went to school,\" Dad said in the living room, \"but can actually read college English.\"

\"I have an elementary school certificate.\" Yan Hang leaned against the doorframe.

\"Right,\" Dad nodded, \"I've always kept it, our family heirloom.\"

\"...Let's go eat.\" Yan Hang sighed.

They had just moved here a couple days ago and didn't know where the good restaurants were. Yan Hang originally wanted to look it up on his phone, but his dad wanted to try their luck.

\"Let's go to the second restaurant on the left after going out along this road, how about that?\" Dad said.

\"Okay.\" Yan Hang nodded.

Since he was young, Dad always liked to do this, taking him to create all kinds of unknowns. It was like a game they had played for more than ten years.

Sometimes the ending was a pleasant surprise, sometimes a shock.

And sometimes... it hurt the wallet.

Like today.

When they rented this apartment, the agent boasted loudly, as if the place they were going to rent was the center of the universe. Fortunately, with years of renting experience, they could basically judge the condition of the place just by asking about the price.

Sure enough, it was just an old neighborhood.

But unexpectedly, the agent wasn't exaggerating too much, because at the end of the road Dad pointed to, there was actually a bustling modern street.

So after turning left, the second restaurant they saw was a high-end Japanese restaurant.

\"What should we do?\" Dad turned to look at him.

\"Since you picked the restaurant, let's eat here even if it pains the heart.\" Yan Hang said.

\"Let's go.\" Dad waved his hand and walked into the restaurant.

Walking in, he was quite dashing. In fact, situations like today were not uncommon. Each time, Dad was quite dashing, but coming out was a different story.

\"Your Highness,\" Dad stood by the roadside, rubbing his belly, \"do you feel like we actually ate this meal or not?\"

\"We ate.\" Yan Hang answered truthfully.

\"Do you still remember how much it was when we paid the bill?\" Dad asked again.

\"940 yuan. We got a card, put in a thousand and got a 10% discount,\" Yan Hang said. \"We spent a total of 846 yuan.\"

\"Looks like it wasn't just my imagination,\" Dad took out the card from his inner jacket pocket and handed it to him. \"There's still 154 left. Go eat when you feel like it.\"

\"Big spender.\" Yan Hang glanced at him and stuffed the card into his pants pocket.

\"Heading back?\" Dad asked.

\"Let me treat you to some noodles.\" Yan Hang said.

\"Huh?\" Dad looked at him. \"We just ate nearly a thousand yuan worth of Japanese food. Don't you think going out to eat noodles right after is an insult to that 846?\"

\"You eating or not?\" Yan Hang asked.

\"Let's go, let's go,\" Dad pushed him towards the small street they came from. \"On the way here I saw a beef noodle place...\"

This beef noodle restaurant wasn't bad. The bowl was big with lots of noodles. The key was the generous layer of large slices of beef on top, which looked very satisfying.

\"This bowl is only 15 yuan.\" Dad said.

\"Yeah,\" Yan Hang nodded while eating. \"Let's eat first. After we're done, we can go back and mourn that thousand yuan of yours.\"

\"Okay.\" Dad lowered his head and started eating in big mouthfuls.

When they were almost done, he raised his head again. \"Hang ah.\"

\"Yeah.\" Yan Hang responded.

\"Do you want to go to school?\" Dad asked. \"I think this place is pretty good. We might stay here for a longer time.\"

\"No.\" Yan Hang answered quickly.

\"Then we won't go,\" Dad was also very straightforward. \"I see you always reading at home, so I was wondering if you suddenly wanted to go to school. It would be a good opportunity to interact with more people.\"

\"Those are two different things. I can also interact with people through part-time jobs,\" Yan Hang said. \"Besides, I never wanted to go to school, not even elementary school.\"

\"Yeah, you even insisted on asking me to see if you could drop out of school,\" Dad started laughing. \"Damn, your Teacher Lü gave me a good scolding for that.\"

Yan Hang smiled.

Teacher Lü was the only teacher he could still remember. She was a very kind and amiable old lady. The last time he saw her was at his elementary school graduation ceremony.

The old lady bluntly expressed her dissatisfaction with Dad.

\"Such a good child,\" she said. \"I really worry he'll be led astray by you in the future.\"

Not long after returning home, Dad went out again without saying where he was going.

Yan Hang didn't ask. In all these years, he never asked about Dad's completely irregular appearances and disappearances, or what he went to do.

He would always come back anyway.

He was used to it.

While Dad gave him a strong sense of security, he also always brought him a deep unease.

He tidied up the things in his room a bit. Since there was a possibility they would stay here for a long time, it was best to take things out and put them away properly.

He didn't have many things. One suitcase for clothes and a bag stuffed with his various little gadgets.

Dad had even fewer things. A few pieces of clothing in a duffel bag was all he had. Sometimes he felt Dad's whole life was like a journey, and always a short one at that.

He couldn't even count all the places he had been to with Dad, all the residences they had changed. Sometimes they didn't even rent a place and went straight to a hotel. Other times, they would return to the same old place several times.

\"I want to go back to the old places,\" Yan Hang flopped onto the bed, taking out his phone to look at it. \"I want to walk on the old roads...\"

There was a bunch of private messages on Weibo. Yan Hang gave them a casual glance. Nothing interesting. He replied \"no\" to a message asking if he would livestream today, then tossed the phone aside and put on his headphones.

He had been having some insomnia lately, only feeling sleepy in the afternoon, but even that was pulled away by Dad's arm.

Yan Hang stared at the ceiling with his headphones on. To coax himself to sleep, he listened to all sorts of rain sounds, the sound of wind blowing through bamboo leaves, gentle guitar... He lay there until his back went numb, but to no avail.

So he got up, changed into a set of sportswear, and went out.

It was almost 3 a.m. now. There were no pedestrians on the street. Occasionally, a car would whoosh by under the lonely street lamps.

At the end of the road was the bustling area. At its busiest, the neon lights would turn the night sky red.

But where he was, many cities would have this - the dilapidation closely behind the prosperity, like two worlds, more like the shadow of that world.

Yan Hang put in his earphones, switched to running music, took a deep breath, and started running forward.

He quite liked running. It was the best way for him to pass the time and relieve boredom.

He ran from the old residential area where they lived to No. 82 Middle School, circled the school a few times, then turned onto the main street. When he passed the Japanese restaurant they ate at today, he ran back and forth a couple more times to commemorate it.

After running around most of the nearby roads and working up a good sweat in the wind, he finally returned home.

After showering, he rummaged through his bag, took two pills, and flopped onto the bed. Exhaustion finally let him feel drowsy as he closed his eyes.

With the help of the medication, he slept until noon before getting up. Sitting on the bed, Yan Hang was in a daze for nearly five minutes before realizing it was already noon.

His head felt groggy from sleeping, and he had no appetite. Giving up on lunch, Yan Hang casually grabbed an English book his father had brought him and sat on the windowsill.

He stayed there until afternoon, alternating between the book and his phone, reading a dozen pages and watching an extremely boring variety show.

As the usual time approached, Yan Hang fiddled with his phone. If it weren't for that kid, he would only livestream when he was extremely bored. Now, aside from his few equally bored fans, he was also somewhat curious about that kid.

Would he fight back?

To what extent would he retaliate?

Yan Hang adjusted his sitting position, leaning against the window frame, and turned on his phone.

As expected, quite a few people were anxiously waiting to watch. He silently pointed the camera at the street, and it didn't take long for people to start discussing.

Why was it like this? Why wasn't anyone doing anything?

Yan Hang sighed.

There were no answers to all the whys. He had long stopped asking.

A few minutes later, the main character of the livestream walked into the frame first, which was a first in the past few days.

He was pushed over.

From the windowsill, one could see about a hundred meters of this street outside. The situation on the stretch leading to the school before this wasn't very clear, but this hundred meters was like the climax before the end of a good show, where these little scoundrels would part ways to go home.

The main character stumbled a couple of steps and glanced back.

Perhaps it was just an unconscious action, but it was indeed the first move that could be called anything close to \"resistance\" in the past few days.

Then, a few boys walked into the frame, and one kicked him in the lower back.

Yan Hang clicked his tongue.

That was quite heavy.

Another boy followed, kicking his leg.

Based on this trend, they would probably take turns kicking him as they walked.

A couple of stall owners selling snacks on the side couldn't bear to watch and shouted a few times.

But it had no effect. The boys glared back fiercely.

After watching for a few days, Yan Hang had figured it out. This kid wouldn't fight back. He wasn't sure if it was an illusion, but he even seemed very calm, as if isolating himself in another world, unable to hear, see, or feel anything.

But for the little scoundrels, this reaction was the most infuriating. From Yan Hang's experience, they wouldn't stop until they got a reaction out of him.

As they walked and kicked their way to the opposite side, one boy took out a glass bottle from his bag and smashed it against the protagonist's shoulder.

The thick bottle actually shattered upon impact.

\"They're going a bit too far today,\" Yan Hang said, lightly kicking his feet and jumping off the windowsill.

-Is Brother Xiao Tian going to step in?

-Be careful, should we call the police?

Several comments flashed across the screen. Yan Hang put his hands in his pockets and felt around, finding only a mask, not even a key.

\"I don't know,\" he said. \"I can't stand watching this anymore. It's too depressing.\"

After crossing the street, Yan Hang saw the protagonist's face clearly for the first time in days.

It wasn't an illusion. The expression on his face was indeed calm.

Calm to the point of being very composed.

Calm to the point of making one feel extremely uncomfortable, though it was hard to say whether it was sadness or something else. After all, Yan Hang only had an elementary school diploma and couldn't find the right words to describe it.

Half of the shattered bottle had yet to fall to the ground, tied by a string on the boy's finger. As he raised his hand, ready to fling the remaining half at the main character's face again, Yan Hang whistled.

It was quite loud. Apart from spacing out while running, whistling was probably Yan Hang's greatest skill.

His dad loved whistling, and in order to find himself a partner, he had trained Yan Hang to be able to duet with him before he even started elementary school. The father and son would sit by the roadside every day, whistling at passing young ladies.

This whistle attracted the attention of the little scoundrels, who turned to look at him.

Yan Hang walked over without saying a word, placed his phone on a pile of unused bricks laid on the ground under a roadside tree, facing the livestream scene, then took out a mask and put it on. In all this time livestreaming, he had never shown his face. He had to maintain tradition.

The screen was bustling with comments, but he had no time to look. The little scoundrels had all turned around, and two of them were already walking towards him.

\"Are you sick in the head?\" one boy asked, glaring at him.

\"Starting from today,\" Yan Hang pointed at the main character, \"he's under my protection.\"

","published_time":"2024-04-30T00:00:00.000Z","paid":false,"show_flag":true,"show_scheduled_time":"2024-04-30T00:00:00.000Z","unpaid_scheduled_time":"2024-04-30T00:00:00.000Z"},{"content_id":600,"novel_id":11,"chapter_no":2,"chapter_title":"Chapter 2","content":"

The boy closest to him was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, then burst into wild laughter as if he had heard the funniest joke of the year.

The few boys behind him also started laughing uncontrollably.

Yan Hang didn't mind, as he had intentionally said it in an amusing way.

However, his main purpose in coming over wasn't just to crack a joke.

He raised his hand and punched the boy across the face.

No warm-up, no hesitation.

\"Sweetie, when you want to make a move, don't give your opponent a chance, or you'll be at a disadvantage,\" Emperor Dad had said.

So when the boy fell at his feet, the smile was still plastered on his face.

They were all young, and although everyone was stunned for a moment seeing someone smiling while being knocked down, they quickly reacted.

Yan Hang grabbed the wrist of the hand swinging half a bottle at him.

Grasp, press the joint, twist.

When his dad had taught him these moves, they were short on funds and had no props, so they practiced directly. The pain of having your arm twisted behind your back and pulled away from your body as you were pushed made him like a kung fu prodigy, quickly mastering the essentials.

When he twisted Thug No. 2's arm behind his back and pushed him towards the charging Thug No. 3, Thug No. 2 let out a mournful howl at No. 3.

The howl was miserable, making No. 3's eyes widen.

Yan Hang let go and kicked No. 2 in the lower back, causing him to fall to the ground hugging No. 3.

The remaining two rushed up together. According to his dad, when they charge at you with arms open as if to embrace you, don't refuse.

So Yan Hang didn't refuse. He first punched the one on the right in the stomach, then blocked the flimsy punch from the one on the left, shouldered him, and the two were out.

Honestly, every time he fought with these people who even describing them as having zero combat power would be flattering, Yan Hang felt like a martial arts master.

With this bunch of wastes, it took less than three minutes to deal with them. If it weren't for the fact that a few boys had been kicking the protagonist earlier, he wouldn't have even wanted to lift his leg.

A couple of slaps, a couple of punches, that was about it. This time he even used his legs. After the boys got up from the ground, they all stood in place, hoping someone else would pounce first, but unfortunately everyone had the same thought.

The scene was like a cocktail party where strangers awkwardly looked at each other.

\"Forget it,\" someone finally spoke the first sentence, \"let's go.\"

They had just been bullying the protagonist for fun since he didn't resist. Now that they had an opponent, they suddenly lost the will to fight.

But as they were leaving, the ringleader still couldn't let it go and said, \"If you have the guts, then you better wait. I'll find you.\"

\"Where do you plan to find me?\" Yan Hang smiled.

The guy glared at him in embarrassment.

\"How about I leave you an address,\" Yan Hang said as he rummaged through his pocket, \"do you have pen and paper?\"

This taunt immediately reignited the fighting spirit of the boys who had wanted to back down. They rolled up their sleeves and were about to pounce again.

\"What are you doing! What are you doing!\" A loud female voice came from the side, \"A bunch of no-good dog things! Born from your mother's cunt and raised like strays...\"

The boys all stopped, their expressions quickly changing from anger to disdain and disgust. The following content shocked even Yan Hang, who had grown up among bottom-rung shrews and ruffians, to the point he almost couldn't bear to listen.

When he turned his head, he saw an old lady with a head full of small white curls and a pale face.

She must have applied a thick layer of powder and drawn on eyebrows. Compared to the content of her cursing, this makeup made Yan Hang have an even stronger urge to turn and flee.

The old lady's makeup was probably done blind. Her left eyebrow started from the right, crossing her forehead in a trembling black line to the end. The right eyebrow, having its territory occupied by the left, could only start from the right peak and end abruptly after a brief quiver.

This bizarre, surreal look left Yan Hang unable to recover for a long time, staring at her eyebrows and unable to look away no matter what.

\"What are you looking at! You're the only one with eyes and everyone else has two holes, is that it!\" The old lady raised her mismatched eyebrows, glared at him and shouted.

Only then did Yan Hang notice that the thugs had run off, leaving only him and the protagonist at the scene.

Before he could come back to his senses from the shock and decide whether to leave or continue standing there, the old lady's target shifted again.

She pointed at the protagonist standing to the side, \"Look at how pathetic you are!\"

The protagonist didn't look at her or make a sound. He slung his backpack over his shoulder and turned to leave.

\"Where are you going!\" The old lady shouted and grabbed his arm, \"Didn't you hear me talking to you!\"

The protagonist still didn't speak, only backing up trying to break free of her grip.

\"Got bullied again, didn't you!\" The old lady's voice remained loud. There were quite a few people coming and going at this hour, and the people nearby were all watching the excitement with great interest. But unlike before, the old lady was now completely oblivious to the onlookers.

Yan Hang wanted to leave, but thinking that he had just claimed to have this person's back, it seemed a bit unacceptable to run away now just because an old lady showed up.

Hesitating, he had no choice but to keep standing there.

\"Waste! I'm going to find your teacher this afternoon! Find your principal! What kind of nonsense is this!\" The old lady continued shouting, \"See if I don't scold them until they kneel before me!\"

Yan Hang changed his mind and decided to leave. He'd cover for the guy tomorrow. Standing here was too painful. He turned around, went to get his phone, and saw several rows of ellipses scrolling up the screen.

He exited the live broadcast and put the phone back in his pocket.

As he was about to cross the street to go home, he glanced at the protagonist and suddenly found that the eternally calm expression on the boy's face had actually disappeared, his brows furrowed.

Yan Hang quickly crossed the street and went home.

However, after entering the house, he still stood by the window, looking across the street.

The old lady was probably the protagonist's grandmother or maternal grandmother. But the expression the protagonist had maintained even when being bullied was finally broken by the old lady. The power of this old lady with the long and short worm-like eyebrows was probably beyond compare.

Five minutes later, the old lady's voice that could penetrate across the street and into the house finally disappeared.

The protagonist was still standing in the same spot, looking a bit dejected, but still facing this way, staring in silence. Yan Hang stepped over the window sill and jumped out for the second time.

Only after landing did he remember that he could have used the door.

The old lady had shocked him silly.

Yan Hang slowly crossed the street and stopped in front of the protagonist, taking off his mask.

Only now did he have a chance to take a good look at this kid.

He wasn't tall, which was certainly one of the reasons he got bullied, but he had decent looks, especially compared to the old lady just now.

\"Looking for me?\" Yan Hang asked.

The protagonist glanced at him without saying a word.

\"What I said just now stands,\" Yan Hang pointed behind him at the building, \"I live on the first floor over there. You can find me if you need anything.\"

The protagonist glanced at him again, smiling but still not speaking.

This smile left Yan Hang a bit perplexed. The deep black eyes also carried a smile, as if everything that happened before never occurred, or rather, as if none of it affected him at all.

As if this was how his life had always been.

\"What's your name?\" Yan Hang asked.

The protagonist looked at him, remaining silent as if he had amnesia. Just as Yan Hang thought \"To hell with protecting you\" and was about to turn and leave, the boy finally spoke with difficulty: \"Chu, Chu... Chu Yi.\"

\"What?\" Yan Hang was taken aback. The stuttering was probably reason number two for the bullying, and maybe low intelligence needed to be added too. \"I asked your name, not what grade* you're in.\"

\"Chu, Chu Er,\" the protagonist said.

*T/N: Chu Yi can also be translated as the first year of middle school. Chu Er would be the second year of middle school.

Yan Hang looked at him.

He also looked at Yan Hang.

After a long stare-down, Yan Hang finally found his wavelength and sighed, \"Got it, your name is Chu Yi and you're in your second year, right?\"

\"Mm.\" The protagonist nodded, seeming relieved.

\"Those few idiots just now are your classmates?\" Yan Hang asked.

\"Mm.\" Chu Yi continued nodding.

\"What about that old lady?\" Yan Hang asked again, not inquiring why he was bullied. He felt he could more or less figure it out, and sometimes there didn't need to be any reason.

\"My...\" Chu Yi's eyes darkened. After a while, he said softly, \"Grandma.\"

\"Oh,\" Yan Hang responded. After responding, he felt there was nothing more to say, so he waved his hand, \"Alright, you go on home. I'm going to get something to eat.\"

\"Your name is... is,\" even after walking out ten meters, Chu Yi was still unhurriedly speaking behind him, \"is, is, is...\"

\"Yan Hang,\" Yan Hang turned his head and interrupted.

\"Yan, Yan...\" Chu Yi nodded.

\"Hang, Yan Hang,\" Yan Hang said.

Chu Yi smiled faintly.

\"I'm off.\" Yan Hang turned and walked off along the road.

When Chu Yi got home, his grandma had already returned and was sitting on the sofa watching TV while holding the family's 16-year-old dog.

His mom had also come back and was gloomily cooking in the kitchen.

\"Go wash the vegetables,\" his mom said without looking up upon hearing him enter.

\"Mm.\" Chu Yi put down his schoolbag.

\"Useless thing, never has anything going on, won't move unless told,\" Grandma said.

Chu Yi didn't make a sound. He went to the kitchen, got the vegetables and started washing.

\"Really useless!\" Grandma raised her voice from outside, \"Got beaten up again today! I said I'd go to the school and demand an explanation, but he wouldn't let me! Useless!\"

\"He thinks you making a scene is embarrassing,\" Mom said.

\"So what if I make a scene,\" Grandma stood at the kitchen doorway holding the dog, \"So what if I make a scene, no one dares to mess with me, you know!\"

\"Go watch your TV!\" Mom also raised her voice.

Chu Yi silently stared at the vegetables in his hands, quickly finishing washing them and putting them on the chopping board before walking out of the kitchen and into the bedroom.

He didn't have his own room. This one was Grandma and Grandpa's bedroom, with a sofa bed and simple cloth wardrobe added by the wall.

Actually, he should have gone to the living room to do his homework at this time. His desk was there, but he was reluctant to go when Grandma was around.

\"Not doing your homework today?\" Grandma shouted from the living room.

Chu Yi didn't respond, silently walking to the living room and sitting down. He took out his textbooks from his schoolbag, turned on the desk lamp, and quickly lay on the table to start his homework.

But his wholehearted performance couldn't get Grandma to quiet down.

\"Don't think I can't tell, you ungrateful brat! Just avoiding me! Want to go to your grandpa's place, right? Then go!\" Grandma lit a cigarette and took a couple puffs. \"Feeding you and giving you drink, but you're eager to go plant crops for them, ungrateful brat!\"

Grandpa's family didn't have land, just some vegetables planted in pots on the roof. Chu Yi quite liked that little garden, watering it every time he went. Grandma had always disapproved.

But ungrateful... probably wasn't wrong either. He was indeed closer to his paternal grandparents. To Grandma, he was indeed an ungrateful brat, no mistake.

\"Dinner's ready!\" Mom walked out of the kitchen and sat on the sofa.

Chu Yi put down his pen, got up to set up the dinner table, then brought out the rice, dishes, bowls and chopsticks. After serving rice for Mom and Grandma, he sat down and started eating with his head lowered.

\"His dad's not coming back again?\" Grandma asked.

\"Mm, something with the fleet,\" Mom said.

\"Just some crappy driver, you'd think he was a secretary in the Prime Minister's Office,\" Grandma said with the cigarette in her mouth.

\"Eat your dinner, enough smoking!\" Mom raised her voice.

\"Go buy me a pack of cigarettes after you're done eating,\" Grandma stubbed out the cigarette on the tabletop.

This was directed at Chu Yi. He nodded, took the ashtray and scraped the cigarette butt and ash into it, then rubbed at the burn mark left by the cigarette on the tabletop. It didn't come off.

Not only the dinner table, but the coffee table, sofa armrests, all the flat surfaces in his home had burn marks left by Grandma stubbing out cigarettes.

\"Smoke less, if you die it'll be from smoking,\" Mom said.

\"Am I spending your money? I know you lost your job, I have my own pension!\" Grandma said as she grabbed her cloth bag, took out a hundred yuan bill from inside and slapped it down in front of Chu Yi, \"Take this and go buy my cigarettes!\"

Chu Yi took the money and stood up.

\"Go after you finish eating,\" Mom stopped him.

\"Eat, eat.\" Grandma picked up some food with her chopsticks and threw it on the floor for the dog.

Chu Yi sat back down and continued eating with his head lowered.

\"Today Er Ping and the others insisted on dragging me out shopping,\" Mom said as she ate, \"So annoying.\"

\"Where'd you go?\" Grandma asked.

\"Where else would they go besides stores like LV,\" Mom tutted, \"Deliberately trying to annoy me, said I wouldn't go but already but they dragged me along anyway.\"

\"Just because their family has a bit of stinking money! Shaking their wallets all day long like they've been electrocuted,\" Grandma spat, \"Sooner or later it will all be squandered!\"

Chu Yi ate with his head down, not even lifting his eyes, thinking about finishing quickly so he could go out.

\"She even said she bought a gift for Chu Yi, but when I said I'd take it back, she wouldn't let me, insisting on giving it personally,\" Mom said, \"Who knows what she's thinking.\"

\"She can't have her own, so she's getting her kicks with someone else's child,\" Grandma's tone became cheerful when it came to this topic, \"I think, as fat as she is, most likely she can't have any.\"

Chu Yi finished the rice in his bowl, took a couple sips of soup, got up, took Grandma's hundred yuan and went out the door.

It was a bit chilly outside, but he felt very comfortable, breathing much more smoothly.

So every night after finishing his homework, he would come out for a run. Nine out of ten street lamps here were broken, the darkness made him feel very secure.

He came out a bit early today, there were still quite a few people outside. He walked close to the wall, not wanting to be seen.

But it was unavoidable to be seen when going to buy cigarettes. Luckily, when he walked into the shop, he was the only customer.

\"Buying cigarettes for your grandma?\" the shopkeeper asked.

\"Mm.\" Chu Yi handed over the money.

The shopkeeper took the money, and while getting the cigarettes for him said: \"Your grandma really is unchanging over twenty years, never seen her smoke any other cigarettes.\"

\"Loyal.\" Chu Yi nodded.

The shopkeeper smiled and bagged the cigarettes for him. He took the bag and walked out, continuing to slink along the wall.

He walked all the way to the riverside.

It was called a river, but actually very narrow. Although quite a few stone benches had been built by the river, basically no one would come. Too cold in winter, and the river water had a rank odor in other seasons.

Chu Yi would encounter someone passing by about once every twenty times he came.

For him, it was a great place.

He often came here. Here he had a personal tree hole that he had been using for nearly ten years.

The tree hole was a real tree hole.

An old locust tree by the river, with a hole in its trunk.

From initially needing to step on the tree roots sticking out of the ground to reach this hole, to now needing to bend down to press his face against the tree hole, Chu Yi had told it many little secrets, little wishes.

Many of the little secrets were forgotten, and not a single little wish had ever come true.

Probably because the river water was rank.

Chu Yi looked around, there was no one there. He bent down and pressed his face against the tree hole, closing his eyes.

Because few people passed by, and the tree hole faced the wall, it had always been quite clean, no strange smells, and the scent of wood could be smelled.

\"I don't, don't want, to go to, school,\" Chu Yi said very slowly in a soft voice, \"I want to go, somewhere else, work, tra-, travel, but...\"

He sighed: \"My mom wants me to go, go to college.\"

\"I can't, can't get in, definitely can't, get in,\" he lightly scratched at the tree bark, \"I simply, just, just... don't want to study.\"

This kind of unreciprocated pouring out, each time Chu Yi would mutter on for at least several minutes, and then would feel much more relaxed.

Today as well, after he finished talking, he stood up straight and stretched.

This stretch only made it halfway before he froze with his arms raised.

Someone was standing to the side.

Wearing athletic clothes and running shoes, with a mask on.

It was the person who had hit Li Zihao today, the one who said he would protect him from now on.

Yan Hang.

\"You...\" Yan Hang looked at Chu Yi, momentarily not knowing what he should say. Seeing a person sticking their butt out of a tree while running was shocking enough, but this person turned out to be Chu Yi.

\"Put your arms down first,\" Yan Hang said, \"I'm not carrying a knife either.\"

Chu Yi put down his arms.

\"You...\" Yan Hang still didn't know what to say looking at him, just looking at the ring pressed into his face he couldn't help wanting to laugh.

Finally he walked over to the tree trunk and took a look, discovering that it was quite a large tree hole.

\"You dug this?\" Yan Hang turned his head to ask Chu Yi, \"Fits your face shape so well.\"

\"No,\" Chu Yi replied, \"I have, a co-, common face size.\"

\"Any common hole fits, right.\" Yan Hang said.

\"Mm.\" Chu Yi nodded.

Yan Hang couldn't hold back and laughed, laughing for a while before patting the tree trunk: \"There must be quite a few of your little secrets in here, right?\"

","published_time":"2024-04-30T00:00:00.000Z","paid":false,"show_flag":true,"show_scheduled_time":"2024-04-30T00:00:00.000Z","unpaid_scheduled_time":"2024-04-30T00:00:00.000Z"},{"content_id":601,"novel_id":11,"chapter_no":3,"chapter_title":"Chapter 3","content":"

\"No.\" Chu Yi answered.

Once a secret is discovered by others, it's no longer a secret.

The tree hole was seen by Yan Hang, so the secrets inside were no longer secrets.

Although he couldn't remember exactly what secrets were in there.

They were all just trivial matters, insignificant like him in the eyes of others.

\"Do you have to say it out loud?\" Yan Hang leaned against the tree trunk and peered into the hole.

Chu Yi was a bit unhappy that Yan Hang was going to occupy his exclusive tree hole, but still nodded: \"I, I do say it out loud.\"

Yan Hang probably wouldn't be interested in his shabby tree hole. After playing with it once, he would likely lose interest, unlike him, a dimwit, who would come here to mutter to himself when he had nothing to do.

\"I'm so bored.\" Yan Hang said into the hole.

The tree hole was a bit low even for Chu Yi. For Yan Hang to talk into the hole, he had to stand with his legs apart in a horse stance, which looked quite funny.

But Chu Yi held back his laughter. If he laughed, Yan Hang might get upset, and he didn't want to make anyone unhappy.

Yan Hang touched the edge of the tree hole and then looked at his hand, probably checking if the hole was dirty.

This action made Chu Yi a little embarrassed, like when a guest comes to your home and first touches the chair.

He had never considered this issue before. Was the mouth of the tree hole dirty or not?

He secretly raised his hand and touched his own face. He really hadn't paid attention to that.

Yan Hang glanced at him: \"Your face isn't dirty.\"

\"Oh.\" Chu Yi smiled.

\"Are you done confiding?\" Yan Hang asked.

\"There will be time in the future.\" Chu Yi said.

\"You're quite interesting,\" Yan Hang also smiled, \"Let me ask you, if I keep going down this road, will I reach the main street?\"

\"Yes.\" Chu Yi said.

\"How much further?\" Yan Hang asked again.

\"Don't know,\" Chu Yi thought for a moment, \"Five minutes if you run.\"

\"If I run?\" Yan Hang sighed, \"Okay, at what speed then?\"

\"The speed,\" Chu Yi said, \"of running for your life.\"

Yan Hang didn't say anything and stared at him.

Chu Yi also didn't speak. Yan Hang had very strong combat skills. Chu Yi didn't even have time to see clearly how he dealt with Li Zihao and the others. Someone like Yan Hang probably couldn't understand what it meant to run at the speed of running for your life.

\"Save my number and add me as a friend,\" Yan Hang thought for a moment and took out his phone, \"You can find me if you need anything.\"

Chu Yi didn't respond. He felt Yan Hang was a bit strange.

In his memory, he seemed to have never encountered a stranger who would take the initiative to befriend him like this without the intention of further humiliating him.

\"What's wrong?\" Yan Hang looked at him, \"You don't have a phone?\"

\"I do.\" Chu Yi hesitated.

\"Have you developed a shadow from being bullied,\" Yan Hang narrowed his eyes impatiently, \"If I wanted to snatch your phone, would I need to ask you to take it out? I could take your phone, clothes, and that pack of cigarettes in less than three minutes.\"

Yan Hang's attitude made him a bit nervous, so he quickly took out his phone.

\"I'll scan you.\" Yan Hang tapped a few times on his phone.

\"Mm.\" Chu Yi pressed his phone once.

Then the two of them silently stared at the black screen of the phone together.

After five seconds, Yan Hang couldn't help but speak: \"I don't usually ask people this...\"

Do you have some kind of intellectual deficiency?

\"Wait.\" Chu Yi rubbed his nose.

\"Wait for what?\" Yan Hang said, \"Wait for you to communicate with your phone telepathically?\"

\"Mm,\" Chu Yi nodded seriously. Just as Yan Hang was about to turn and leave, his phone screen lit up, \"It's on.\"

\"...Using telepathy?\" Yan Hang asked.

\"Awe-, Awesome, right?\" Chu Yi glanced up at him.

Yan Hang didn't say anything.

Chu Yi tapped the WeChat icon on the home screen.

Yan Hang held his phone over, ready to scan, but again fell into waiting.

Five seconds later, the WeChat interface appeared. Then after another ten seconds, Yan Hang retracted his phone that was ready to scan and crossed his arms, watching Chu Yi and his phone communicating telepathically.

The screen changed. Chu Yi tapped it and waited. Finally, he got the QR code to show up.

Yan Hang sighed, held his already-locked phone over to scan it: \"Time to change your phone.\"

\"It still works,\" Chu Yi smiled, looking at the phone, \"Xing, Xing, Xing...\"

\"Xingtian.\" Yan Hang finished for him.

\"Sounds nice.\" Chu Yi said.

Yan Hang glanced at Chu Yi's nickname, just a simple \"1\". If you weren't paying attention, you wouldn't even see it. He wanted to politely compliment back but didn't know where to start.

\"How about we run for our lives and see what kind of speed it is.\" Yan Hang put his phone back in his pocket.

\"I'm going home.\" Chu Yi said, shaking the bag in his hand.

This suggestion made it seem like what he had just said to the tree hole was his true feelings. Yan Hang was probably really bored.

Yan Hang looked at the bag and tsk-ed: \"Am I seeing this right? Even little kids are smoking now, buying a whole pack.\"

\"Errand.\" Chu Yi said.

\"Buying it for your grandma?\" Yan Hang asked. After thinking, he gave a thumbs up, \"Your grandma has a lot of character.\"

Chu Yi didn't say anything, feeling unhappy.

\"You go back,\" Yan Hang waved his hand, \"I'm going to run for my life.\"

Chu Yi turned around with the bag. After walking a few steps, Yan Hang's voice came again: \"Do a lot of people usually jog on this road?\"

Chu Yi turned his head: \"No one.\"

\"Why? The environment is quite...\" Yan Hang was running sideways and looking back to talk. Before he finished, he suddenly swayed, probably stepping into a hole. He staggered a few steps, \"What the hell?\"

\"Because,\" Chu Yi looked at him, \"you'll fall.\"

Because there are no lights, the river water stinks, the road is broken, and there are rumors of ghosts.

There were many reasons, but Chu Yi couldn't express himself as freely as he thought. He usually chose short words.

\"Alright, you go, go.\" Yan Hang was probably quite depressed. He continued running forward while moving his ankle.

Chu Yi, out of old habit, walked slowly along the foot of the wall with his head down. When he reached downstairs, a car behind him honked.

Although he felt that he couldn't possibly be blocking the way in his position, he still moved to the side, his shoulder hitting the wall.

\"Puppy!\" Someone called his nickname. Chu Yi turned around and saw a white car behind him. The passenger window was rolled down, revealing a round, smiling face.

\"Auntie,\" he walked over.

Auntie was Er Ping, not his real aunt, but his mother's cousin. Grandma was Auntie's real aunt.

However, the two families had never gotten along well. Grandma and Auntie's mother would argue whenever they met, and Auntie and his mom had fought since they were young. But Chu Yi quite liked her.

\"I was just about to call you to come out,\" Auntie got out of the car, \"Where did you go?\"

Chu Yi shook the bag in his hand.

\"Buying cigarettes for your grandma again?\" Auntie said.

Chu Yi nodded.

\"Come on, get in the car.\" Auntie opened the rear door and patted his shoulder.

Chu Yi climbed into the car and greeted Auntie's husband who was driving.

\"Has Puppy grown taller? Seems taller than during Chinese New Year,\" Auntie's husband said.

\"Ill-illusion,\" Chu Yi said.

\"He is a bit taller. Starting junior year next semester. Boys shoot up around this time,\" Auntie also got in the car and took out a box from her bag to hand to him, \"Here, a gift from your auntie.\"

Without opening it, Chu Yi knew it was a cell phone.

During Chinese New Year, Auntie had said she would give him a phone. His mom had a fight with her over this on the fourth day, thinking Auntie was insulting her, while Auntie thought his mom had issues.

\"Take it and use it,\" Auntie said, \"If your mom asks, say I gave it to you. If she smashes it, tell me and I'll buy you another one.\"

\"Thanks A-auntie,\" Chu Yi said.

\"You're welcome. Auntie just wants you to be like other kids,\" Auntie looked at him and sighed, \"What a sin.\"

Chu Yi glanced out the car window. Usually Auntie would chat with him longer, but today, since he had gone out to buy cigarettes and stopped by the tree hollow to talk with Yan Hang for a bit, he had already exceeded the normal time by quite a lot. He was afraid if he didn't return soon, Grandma would explode.

But Auntie had just arrived. If he said he needed to go now, he was worried Auntie would be unhappy.

This dilemma made him feel helpless as he lightly picked at the phone box.

\"Go on back,\" Auntie said, \"You just came out to buy cigarettes. If you're late getting back, your grandma will go crazy again.\"

\"Mm.\" Chu Yi nodded.

When he got back downstairs, he first stopped by the trash can to unwrap the phone box. He took out the phone and accessories, stuffed them in his pockets, threw away the box, and only then entered the building.

As soon as he opened the door, Grandma's voice burst out from the crack: \"An old lady with bound feet could make a round trip to the crematorium faster than you!\"

\"May, maybe not,\" Chu Yi muttered.

\"What did you say!\" Grandma came over holding the dog.

\"Nothing.\" Chu Yi quickly raised a hand to protect his head while handing over the bag with the cigarettes with his other hand.

Grandma took the cigarettes, turned to walk a few steps, then turned back. \"Where's the change! Trying to pocket my money, huh!\"

Chu Yi pointed at the bag, \"Inside.\"

Grandma was probably in a hurry to smoke and didn't continue scolding him. She threw the dog on the ground and left.

The dog was old. Tossed to the ground by Grandma, it couldn't stand steady and rolled to the wall.

Chu Yi went over, picked it up and put it back in its bed, and rubbed its paws.

\"Pour a glass of water,\" his mom said behind him.

Chu Yi got up to wash his hands and poured a glass of water for his mom.

\"Do your homework,\" his mom glanced at him, \"If you get another 20 points on the midterm, I'll frame it and put it on the wall.\"

Chu Yi didn't say anything. He sat down at his desk and turned on the lamp.

He let out a sigh of relief.

Although he didn't like going to school or doing homework, at home, sitting here was his favorite, the only territory that completely belonged to him.

When the light was on, any unhappiness, tension or fear around him disappeared.

There were no rules at home about when he should sleep. He usually waited until both Grandma and Grandpa's snores were done before going to bed.

Today Grandpa had gone to stay at his eldest aunt's home, so Grandma's snores sounded a bit thin, lacking the usual vigor.

Chu Yi took out the phone. Auntie had been very generous, but he didn't dare use this phone at all.

If he dared take it out, his mom would spot it with one glance.

His mom always looked at people's phones first when she saw them, and would casually ask, \"Is it an Apple?\"

In his mom's view, only Apple counted as a phone. Pears, bananas, sugarcane were all junk.

Chu Yi took out his own phone, pried out the SIM card, and put it in the new phone.

When turning it on, he suddenly thought of something. He jumped up, covering the phone against his belly, and ran into the bathroom. He waited for a long time before realizing there was no startup sound.

Although he wasn't used to it, this phone was very easy to use. Chu Yi squatted in the bathroom fiddling with the phone.

The previous phone was a hand-me-down from his dad. It had already been used for three years before being passed to him, and he had it for over a year. He tried his best to treat that phone like an ancestor, but still couldn't stop it from entering the stage of telepathic communication.

Squatting was a bit tiring. Chu Yi sat on the floor and after some time, managed to open WeChat.

The speed was whoosh whoosh.

He looked at Moments. The newest few posts were from classmates. He never participated in discussions. His classmates had probably forgotten they had him as a friend.

He rarely looked at Moments, but today he kept scrolling down, maybe because the phone was too responsive and he couldn't stop.

He even saw a post his mom had made in the afternoon.

A few photos, all of handbags, clearly taken on display racks in a store. They were taken clearly. Even a bumpkin like him could recognize they were LV.

There was also a line of text.

-Guess how much these few bags cost?

Chu Yi sighed. This post was definitely restricted. At least his mom's most hated Er Ping's family was hidden from it.

But it still made him feel awkward.

So he quickly scrolled down.

Xing Tian.

He stopped. Only then did he realize that the continuously scrolling down wasn't because the phone was too responsive.

-time is slipping away but i could not even seize a second.

This post's content in Yan Hang's Moments was simply like it had traversed from another world. Chu Yi stared at this English sentence, somewhat shocked.

He clicked into Yan Hang's album.

Yan Hang posted to Moments at a frequency of about once per day, but he only saw the second post.

-my solitude pervades the sky when night falls

He didn't look closely at the content below, just glanced over it.

Then he exited and held the phone, feeling a bit dazed.

Yan Hang's WeChat Moments were actually all in English, without a single Chinese character.

Very high-class.

Much classier than Li Zihao and the others.

After fiddling with the phone for a while, Chu Yi switched the SIM card back to his old phone and hid this new phone in the deepest part of his desk drawer.

Yan Hang ran along the river path halfway before turning into a small alley that intersected it.

There were no street lights before, so he just ran while stepping into potholes. Now that there were finally lights, he saw a pile of garbage by the riverbank that was almost enough to complete the task of filling in the river to create land.

He could roughly understand why no one came here to jog. In a couple months when the weather got hot, who knows what the smell would be like.

Chu Yi actually picked a tree hole in this kind of place, quite creative.

For someone who had been bullied for a long time, this kind of place where no one would come was the safest.

After running out of the alley, he got lost.

He was standing on a small street he had never seen in the many days since moving here, fortunately he hadn't run very far, so even if he was lost, this place shouldn't be too far from where he lived.

He took out his phone and opened the navigation app, looking at the map.

At a glance, he found the way back.

You could say that for someone like him who could read maps at age five and had followed his dad to countless unfamiliar cities, towns and even villages, it would be very difficult to get lost. But somehow he would get lost every time he went to a new place.

Perhaps it was because of this.

Many times, before he had a three-dimensional understanding of a new environment, he would leave again. After a long time, he no longer tried to familiarize himself with new environments.

In any case, he would leave, so if he got lost then he got lost. In any case, he would forget, so if he didn't remember then he didn't remember.

When he got home, he saw the lights were on, so his dad should be back.

But out of habit, he still cautiously asked while opening the door: \"Old Yan?\"

\"Mwah.\" His dad's voice came from inside.

Yan Hang pushed open the door. His dad was sitting on the sofa watching TV.

\"Have you eaten?\" he asked, smelling the familiar scent of alcohol at the same time. \"Injured?\"

\"Yeah,\" his dad raised his arm. \"Haven't eaten. Can you whip something up? Like beef short ribs or something.\"

His arm could still move, so the injury mustn't be serious.

\"You dare to request that,\" Yan Hang took off his coat and opened the fridge. \"Or should I return you that 154 yuan card and you can order it yourself?\"

\"That bit of spare change isn't enough to order anything.\" His dad stretched and slumped back on the sofa.

\"Noodles then?\" Yan Hang said. \"I bought some pasta. I'll make you a beef short rib flavored pasta?\"

\"Okay,\" his dad nodded. \"Our prince's cooking skills can make even boiled water fragrant. After all, he's a future master chef preparing to enter the Western culinary industry.\"

\"Sounds like you're cursing at me.\" Yan Hang took the ingredients into the kitchen.

Yan Hang's cooking skills were indeed quite good. He was very clear about this even without his dad saying so.

His dad had said you should dare to face your strengths. Real strengths don't need affirmation from others, just be proud of yourself.

Yan Hang turned on the gas stove and started making the pasta.

His dad had said many things that sounded crazy, but he remembered every word he needed to remember.

He was a very obedient prince.

Yan Hang sighed softly.

The landlord had left a full set of cookware in the kitchen. Someone else might have found it inconvenient to use, but Yan Hang didn't have this concern. He was always using inconvenient things and had nothing to compare to.

When he returned to the living room, his dad had already fallen asleep on the sofa.

He walked over carrying the finished noodles. Hesitating for a moment, he reached his hand by his dad's ear and snapped his fingers.

Snap!

Then he quickly retreated.

But he was still too slow. Without even opening his eyes, his dad grabbed his wrist. Before he could break free, his dad had already twisted and pressed down.

A sour, painful and numb feeling instantly shot up to his shoulder. He could only follow downwards. In order to protect the noodles he was holding, he had no choice but to kneel on one knee and call out: \"It's me!\"

His dad opened his eyes and let go, the corner of his mouth curling into a smile. \"Trying to sneak attack your dad, still too green, little Hang Hang.\"

\"Hurry up and eat.\" Yan Hang put the noodles on the coffee table and sat down beside him, rubbing his arm.

His dad sat up, took the plate and smelled it, then slowly started eating, a look of enjoyment on his face.

Yan Hang took out his phone and looked down at it. He opened WeChat. There was a bunch of messages that he was too lazy to read. He directly clicked on Chu Yi's avatar.

Chu Yi's avatar was just like his nickname, simple to the extreme - just the number \"1\" in black on a white background.

After entering the album, Yan Hang was speechless again.

This kid had probably used up all his words when putting his face against the tree hole.

There were no photos in his Moments, no text.

Just one little emoji at a time, and he only posted one each time.

Scrolling down, a string of tiny emojis slid by.

They seemed to carry a cautious loneliness.

\"By the way, we might stay here a bit longer this time. If you're going to work,\" his dad took out something like a card from his pocket and flicked it towards him, \"use this.\"

Yan Hang didn't even have time to move his gaze away from the phone screen. He reached out and caught the card in his peripheral vision first.

It was an ID card.

Every time they stayed somewhere for a longer period, Yan Hang would go work. His dad would also give him a fake ID and get one for himself.

Perhaps to keep things fresh, the names used each time were different.

This time too, Yan Hang looked at the card in his hand.

The photo was definitely him.

Name: Yan Jidao

???

*T/N: Yan Jidao is a character from a classic Chinese book. It's like using the name 'Sherlock Holmes'.

","published_time":"2024-04-30T00:00:00.000Z","paid":false,"show_flag":true,"show_scheduled_time":"2024-04-30T00:00:00.000Z","unpaid_scheduled_time":"2024-04-30T00:00:00.000Z"},{"content_id":615,"novel_id":11,"chapter_no":4,"chapter_title":"Chapter 4","content":"

\"Were you still half asleep when you made this thing?\" Yan Hang looked at his dad, \"Yan Jidao? How am I supposed to use this when I go out? Why didn't you just write Northern Song Dynasty for the birthday? Or you might as well print a couple more words on it.\"

\"What words?\" Dad asked with interest as he ate.

\"Fake ID.\" Yan Hang said.

Dad laughed as he finished the last bite of noodles, then leaned back on the sofa and laughed for a good while: \"Our crown prince, after all, is someone who has attended elementary school...\"

\"Let me see yours.\" Yan Hang reached out his hand.

\"My what?\" Dad asked.

\"Your ID card, you always make two each time, you must have made yours too,\" Yan Hang put down his phone and walked up to him, \"Take it out and let me see.\"

\"Ah!\" Dad sighed, took out his own card from his pocket.

Yan Hang saw the name on it at a glance.

Yan Shu*.

*T/N: An actual historical figure from the Song Dynasty.

He couldn't help but curse: \"Shameless.\"

\"What's wrong? Can't I use it?\" Dad picked up the remote control, changed the channel, and put his legs on the coffee table.

\"I want to swap with you, Yan Shu sounds better,\" Yan Hang said, \"You'll be called Yan Jidao.\"

\"No, we can't swap.\" Dad shook his head.

\"Why not!\" Yan Hang said.

\"Yan Shu is Yan Jidao's father!\" Dad glanced at him, \"Illiterate!\"

\"...No, you're making a fake ID according to historical facts?\" Yan Hang was speechless, stood for a while not knowing what to say, sat back in the chair, dazed for a moment and asked again, \"Yan Shu is really Yan Jidao's father?\"

\"Yes, let me tell you more?\" Dad said.

\"Okay.\" Yan Hang nodded.

\"Yan Jidao is Yan Shu's seventh son,\" Dad said with a serious face, \"Seven children, you know?\"

\"Ah.\" Yan Hang looked at him.

\"He had six other children, the eldest was called Yan Yidao, the second Yan Liangdao, the third Yan Sandao,\" Dad counted, \"and so on, there were also Yan Si, Wu and Liudao...\"

Yan Hang opened his mouth but couldn't say a word.

\"Later, he became muddled, couldn't remember how many there were,\" Dad slapped his leg, \"So he was called Yan Jidao, remember?\"

Yan Hang nodded: \"I almost believed it.\"

\"Okay, class dismissed.\" Dad waved his hand.

Yan Hang stretched and stood up: \"I'm going to lie down for a bit.\"

\"Go ahead,\" Dad said, \"If you can't sleep, get up and chat with me.\"

\"No, you should go ahead and sleep.\" Yan Hang went into the bathroom.

Dad looked a bit tired, he probably hadn't slept for the past two days. For Yan Hang, sleep was a very precious thing.

He ran at night every day, one because he liked running, and two because he could sleep well when he was tired from running.

But today, due to choosing the wrong route, he came back after not running for long, so he wasn't sleepy at all lying in bed.

Dad had gone back to his room to sleep quite early. Yan Hang was quite envious of his dad in this regard - being able to sleep when he wanted to sleep and wake up when he wanted to wake up.

After lying until his back went numb, he turned over, picked up his phone and took a look, it was three o'clock.

Better take the medicine.

Yan Hang turned over again, reached for the small table by the head of the bed, groped a couple of times and withdrew his hand.

Forget it, let's try harder.

Dad had worried before: \"You should control your intake of the medicine and not take it all the time, otherwise you'll have one less option for suicide in the future.\"

Yan Hang closed his eyes and laughed for a while.

Chu Yi rested his chin on his hand. Although the teacher kept tapping on the blackboard and lecturing, his gaze had not moved for more than half a class, falling on a tree outside the window.

The teacher wouldn't bother with him. He didn't sleep, didn't talk, didn't move, and didn't affect other students. He was just in a daze. The teacher might not even be able to see him.

Especially the English teacher standing on the podium now, who couldn't even call out his name.

Thinking of English, Chu Yi withdrew his gaze from the tree for a few seconds and glanced at the blackboard. The strings of English made him dizzy.

But they didn't seem as advanced as those in Yan Hang's WeChat Moments.

It was probably because there were more words he didn't know.

This was the last class, with a few minutes left before school was out.

Today he planned to stand at the door of the teachers' office for a while first, and go home after Li Zihao and the others had left.

Yan Hang was too awesome. They probably couldn't cause trouble for Yan Hang, so at times like this they usually caused trouble for him.

Chu Yi leaned back against the chair, wanting to tidy up the books in the drawer first. As soon as his back touched the chair, he felt a sharp pain. He was startled and abruptly straightened his back.

A few very low laughs came from behind him.

It was probably a thumbtack. He was quite experienced with this kind of thing. Chu Yi didn't look back, nor did he feel the chair or his own back. He just lay on the desk.

At this time, there must be no reaction. Any reaction that could attract their attention would make things continue.

It would be best if he could turn invisible.

He had told the tree hole about this little wish for many years, but had never gained this ability.

The school bell rang, and the people in the classroom quickly got up and surged towards the door. At this time, everyone was hungry and most people were in a hurry to go home or eat something at the door.

A few people patted his head in passing. Chu Yi ignored it, put the things on the desk into the drawer, and then stood up.

Only then did he glance at the back of the chair.

Sure enough, a thumbtack was taped there.

Chu Yi pried off the thumbtack, pressed it against the iron pipe of the chair, bending the nail, and then threw it into the drawer.

When he left the classroom and wanted to walk towards the teachers' office, the way was blocked.

\"Where's your boss?\" Li Zihao asked.

Chu Yi didn't make a sound, nor did he look at him. He turned around and wanted to walk back.

\"Did your boss come to escort you?\" Li Zihao's good buddy blocked his way back.

He sighed and stood still.

\"Come on, let's go home together.\" Li Zihao pushed him towards the school gate.

Although Chu Yi was not very willing, he was still led by them all the way to the school gate.

He didn't really care about what would happen next, but today he had originally planned to go to the stationery store to take a look and buy a notebook.

It seemed there was no chance now.

\"Weren't you quite arrogant?\" Li Zihao pushed him as soon as they left the school gate.

Chu Yi wanted to say that he wasn't being arrogant, when had he ever been arrogant, wasn't it Yan Hang who was very arrogant... Li Zihao was indeed not cut out to be a boss, he couldn't even find the right target.

Li Zihao put his arm around his shoulder: \"Didn't your boss say he would protect...\"

Before he could finish this sentence, it was interrupted by a whistle from the front.

This clear whistle was very familiar, except for Yan Hang, Chu Yi had never heard anyone around him who could whistle so cleanly.

Li Zihao probably felt about the same, and stopped in his tracks as soon as he heard the whistle.

Chu Yi looked up and saw someone sitting on the railing of the sidewalk.

Sweatpants, mask, elbows resting on his legs, head tilted to the side looking this way, holding a phone pointed in this direction.

\"Fuck.\" Li Zihao expressed his frustration in one word.

Chu Yi was a little hesitant, he didn't know if Yan Hang appeared here to \"protect him\", or just to take a video or livestream.

After all, he had almost no experience of being \"rescued\".

They were at a standstill until Yan Hang put his phone back in his pocket and gave him a slight nod.

He lowered his head and walked over quickly.

Yan Hang jumped down from the railing, said nothing, turned around and walked straight ahead.

Chu Yi followed behind him with his head down.

They walked all the way to the intersection, Yan Hang was thinking about whether to take Chu Yi to the noodle restaurant he had been to with his dad the other day to eat something, when Chu Yi spoke up behind him, \"This, this way.\"

\"Huh?\" Yan Hang turned his head to look at him.

\"I'm going, this way,\" Chu Yi pointed to the right side of the road, opposite to the direction of his home, \"Thank you.\"

Those few little punks were still following far behind, so Yan Hang was a little confused by what Chu Yi said, he pointed to himself: \"You go that way, what about me?\"

\"Go, home.\" Chu Yi said.

Yan Hang stared at him for a few seconds before saying, \"Do you believe I'll smack you right now?\"

Chu Yi looked at him without saying anything.

\"...What are you going that way for?\" Yan Hang asked.

\"To buy pens, notebooks.\" Chu Yi replied.

\"Pens and notebooks*?\" Yan Hang was stunned, almost speechless, after a while he waved his hand, \"Let's go, I'll go with you.\"

*T/N: The word for notebook is a combination of 'pen' and 'book'. With Chu Yi's stutter, it sounded like he wanted to buy both.

\"Notebook.\" Chu Yi said again.

\"Ah!\" Yan Hang shouted, then sighed, \"I know, it's a notebook, no pens.\"

\"Mm.\" Chu Yi nodded.

Every time he arrived at a new place, Yan Hang would have a few days of being particularly bored, not knowing what to do to pass the time.

But he would go and mind Chu Yi's business, would specially come to wait for Chu Yi after school, would hold back his occasional irritation when facing Chu Yi, not entirely because he was bored.

Dad had always hoped that he could have more \"contact\" with people, he would always answer that he could meet a lot of people by working part-time, in fact he was very clear about why his dad would say that.

He had no friends.

But apart from personality reasons, he didn't seem to have the conditions to make friends either, his dad was also clear about this, so every time he would just mention it and not say much more.

Chu Yi was the most interesting of the few people he had come into contact with in the past two years, apart from his co-workers and landlords.

Chu Yi led him to the door of a small stationery store and stopped to look at him, \"Just here.\"

\"Mm,\" Yan Hang nodded, \"I'll wait for you outside, you can treat me to a meal later.\"

\"I don't, don't have money.\" Chu Yi said.

\"Ten yuan is enough for a bowl of noodles.\" Yan Hang said.

\"Oh.\" Chu Yi responded, turned around and went into the store.

Yan Hang looked into the store, there was a stool next to the checkout counter, he went over and carried the stool out, sitting at the door to enjoy the scenery.

The owner poked his head out from the store and looked at him, he glanced at the owner, \"Hm?\"

The owner didn't say anything and went back into the store.

A stationery store should be considered hell for people with decision-making difficulties, Yan Hang didn't know if Chu Yi had this condition, but he should also have to pick for a while.

Yan Hang took out his phone to check his messages, as soon as he lit up the screen, a figure stood next to him.

He looked up, it was actually Chu Yi, holding the notebook he had already bought.

\"So fast?\" Yan Hang was stunned, \"You don't have any issues choosing, you're simply blind? You just went in and grabbed whatever you touched.\"

\"Why don't you,\" Chu Yi looked at him, \"sit, for a while longer.\"

\"...Is the reason you're always bullied because you have a sharp tongue?\" Yan Hang stood up, put the stool back in the store, thanked the owner, then came out and tilted his head at Chu Yi, \"Let's go, get something to eat.\"

Chu Yi didn't say anything and continued to follow behind him.

Yan Hang said to let Chu Yi treat him, he was just casually teasing, he was going to find a place to eat, if Chu Yi was willing, they would eat together.

They walked back in silence all the way, when they reached the door of that beef noodle restaurant, Chu Yi suddenly stopped.

\"Eating noodles?\" Yan Hang asked.

Chu Yi rummaged in his pocket, took out a ten yuan bill folded in half and handed it over, \"Here.\"

\"What for?\" Yan Hang was very shocked.

\"You eat, noodles.\" Chu Yi said.

\"You watch?\" Yan Hang asked.

\"Going home.\" Chu Yi said calmly.

Yan Hang looked at him for a while before asking, \"Are you from Earth?\"

\"Mars, probably.\" Chu Yi smiled.

Yan Hang had no temper left, took the money from his hand, and looked at the price sign at the door of the store, \"Ten yuan is not enough either.\"

\"The vegetarian one is, ten, ten yuan.\" Chu Yi said without even looking.

\"...I can't survive without eating meat.\" Yan Hang said.

Chu Yi thought for a moment and beckoned to him, \"Come.\"

Yan Hang followed him and continued forward, out of this small street and into an alley, couldn't help but ask, \"Where to?\"

Chu Yi didn't say anything, walked a bit further, raised his hand and pointed to a small store next to him, \"Look.\"

Yan Hang turned his head.

It was also a beef noodle shop, more dilapidated and much smaller than the previous one, the checkout counter was placed at the door, with beef noodles written on it for 10 yuan.

\"...Fuck.\" Yan Hang was completely speechless.

\"Surprised?\" Chu Yi said.

\"Shut up.\" Yan Hang said.

When Chu Yi was about to go buy beef noodles, Yan Hang reached out and grabbed his arm: \"Classmate Chu Yi.\"

\"Hm?\" Chu Yi turned his head to look at him.

\"I was just joking,\" Yan Hang said, \"Just, joking.\"

\"Ah?\" Chu Yi's calm expression changed, and his tone was filled with sudden realization, \"Oh...\"

\"You go back.\" Yan Hang leaned back against a tree, took out a cigarette pack from his pocket, and put one between his lips.

Looking up, he found Chu Yi still looking at him.

\"What are you looking at,\" Yan Hang said, \"I'm calming my nerves.\"

\"Thank you.\" Chu Yi said.

\"What are you thanking me for, there's nothing to thank me for, you've already thanked me twice.\" Yan Hang lit his cigarette.

\"No, no need to, to go, again,\" Chu Yi said softly, \"to school.\"

Yan Hang glanced at him.

\"There's still one, one and a half years,\" Chu Yi said, \"will you go, every, every day?\"

Yan Hang suddenly didn't know what to say.

Chu Yi smiled, turned around and left.

Yan Hang leaned against the tree and finished his cigarette before patting his clothes and slowly sauntering back.

Chu Yi's words made him feel a bit uncomfortable.

When he got home, his dad was making dumplings.

\"Come, how did you make those goldfish-style dumplings last time?\" Dad said.

Yan Hang went to wash his hands, sat down at the coffee table, took a dumpling wrapper, made a goldfish-style dumpling, and placed it in front of his dad.

\"What? Didn't you go out to be a righteous hero?\" Dad looked at him, \"Failed?\"

\"Ah,\" Yan Hang responded, smiling, \"Yes.\"

Dad didn't say anything, took a dumpling wrapper and slowly made a goldfish-style dumpling, imitating him.

\"Old Yan,\" Yan Hang leaned back in his chair and looked at him, feeling the ten yuan he forgot to give back to Chu Yi in his pocket, \"have you ever seen someone who can very calmly accept their life, not affected at all?\"

\"You.\" Dad said.

\"I'm not calm,\" Yan Hang clicked his tongue, \"I just look like I don't care.\"

\"How do you know others aren't like that,\" Dad smiled, \"who really has no thoughts in their heart.\"

Yan Hang didn't say anything.

\"Did you go look for a job this morning?\" Dad asked.

\"Yeah, using Yan Jidao's ID card.\" Yan Hang said.

\"How was it?\" Dad asked with a smile.

\"I start work tomorrow,\" Yan Hang said, \"very close, a coffee shop right next to 846.\"

\"So smooth, what did you say?\" Dad asked.

\"I just said it like that, I asked if they were hiring, they asked what I could do, I said I could make everything you have to eat here.\" Yan Hang said.

\"Very good, that's the kind of shameless bragging attitude needed,\" Dad nodded, \"then what?\"

\"They had me make a cheese milk crisp cake, so I did,\" Yan Hang said, \"then the boss asked if I wanted to work in the kitchen.\"

\"You said no, you just wanted to be a waiter.\" Dad said.

\"Yes.\" Yan Hang nodded.

After a brief silence, he and his dad laughed together, cackling for a good while.

\"You're getting better and better at bullshitting.\" Dad said while laughing.

\"I'm only 17,\" Yan Hang put his legs up on the coffee table, \"just the right age for...\"

Dad kicked his legs off the coffee table with one foot.

\"Bullshitting.\" Yan Hang said.

When Chu Yi got home, his grandparents and mom were all sitting in the living room, and his mom's face was very gloomy.

In his memory, his mom had rarely smiled, most of the time she maintained a downturned expression at the corners of her mouth, and as she got older, after the these wrinkles connected with the corners of her mouth, she looked even more unhappy.

\"There are dumplings in the fridge, go boil them.\" Seeing him come in, his mom said a sentence.

\"Mm.\" Chu Yi put down his notebook, lined up the pile of shoes on the floor onto the shoe rack, then went into the kitchen.

\"No hope at all for the water station?\" Grandpa asked.

\"They said they'd give news this month, now the storefront is gone,\" Mom said, \"what hope can there be.\"

Chu Yi was boiling water to make dumplings in the kitchen while listening to the movement in the living room.

Mom had always worked at a water delivery station, last month the station said business was bad and gave a half-month vacation, so Mom was worried the station would go under, and now it seemed it really had.

\"Didn't Er Ping say she'd introduce you to a job, did she?\" Grandma asked.

\"She wanted me to be a childcare worker at her kindergarten,\" Mom's tone was full of displeasure, \"isn't this deliberately trying to anger me! Is this how you handle things!\"

\"She's a teacher, and she wants you to be a childcare worker?\" Grandpa shouted, \"What the hell!\"

\"Didn't she say before that her place was hiring kindergarten teachers! How come when it's family going it becomes childcare!\" Grandma pulled at her throat, very dissatisfied, \"This is clearly bullying people!\"

Chu Yi very lightly closed the kitchen door, standing by the stove and staring into space at a pot of water.

The water boiled, he opened the fridge and found two bags of frozen dumplings.

If he remembered correctly, this was something he had bought at the small supermarket across the street, at least three months ago.

He searched through the fridge and found there were no other dumplings, the ones his mom mentioned were these two bags.

He had no choice but to open these two bags and take a look, the dumplings had already stuck together in a clump.

He hesitated, then pulled open the kitchen door and stuck his head out: \"The dumplings are very, very old.\"

\"How old can they be! They're not spoiled, as long as they're edible it's fine, are you some young master who's so picky, if you want to be picky go to your aunt's house.\" Mom frowned.

Chu Yi didn't make a sound, retreated back into the kitchen, and poured the dumplings into the pot.

While waiting for the water to boil, he took out his phone, communicated with it using his mind for a while, and posted an emoji in his Moments.

[Strong]

","published_time":"2024-05-07T00:00:00.000Z","paid":false,"show_flag":true,"show_scheduled_time":"2024-05-07T00:00:00.000Z","unpaid_scheduled_time":"2024-05-07T00:00:00.000Z"},{"content_id":620,"novel_id":11,"chapter_no":5,"chapter_title":"Chapter 5","content":"

Yan Hang quite enjoyed working at the coffee shop. The environment was nice, there weren't many customers, and the work hours started late. After waking up in the morning, he could leisurely make himself breakfast and eat it before heading out.

Today, his dad was home, so Yan Hang made two portions while preparing breakfast.

\"What's for breakfast?\" His dad had woken up earlier than him and had already gone out and come back.

\"Big shrimp fried rice wrapped in egg.\" Yan Hang brought the plate over to him.

\"I love shrimp,\" his dad immediately picked up a fork and poked open the egg wrap, then looked at him, \"Where's the big shrimp?\"

\"Diced big shrimp fried rice wrapped in egg.\" Yan Hang corrected himself.

\"...How can you prove it's big shrimp if it's all diced up?\" His dad seemed a bit dissatisfied.

\"Don't you have taste buds?\" Yan Hang started eating from his own plate as he spoke.

\"No.\" His dad quickly replied.

\"Then it's just diced shrimp fried rice.\" Yan Hang felt he should arrange a verbal duel between his dad and Chu Yi.

\"Okay, that's acceptable,\" his dad nodded and happily started eating. \"You're going to work in a bit, right?\"

\"At 10:30.\" Yan Hang said.

\"Want me to visit?\" His dad asked.

\"Spare me, Your Majesty,\" Yan Hang sighed. \"Our boss is a man, how about you pick a different target?\"

\"No, I can go compete with him on who's more handsome.\" His dad picked out a piece of shrimp and put it in his mouth, chewing earnestly.

\"He's not as handsome as you.\" Yan Hang said.

\"I can tell this assessment is very sincere.\" His dad patted him on the shoulder and turned on the TV with the remote control.

His dad was watching the local city news channel. No matter where he went, there had to be a TV in the house, and he basically only watched the local news.

Yan Hang didn't quite understand why he loved watching local news so much.

It was still okay in big cities, but in small cities, the local news was all about neighborhood disputes, roads in disrepair here, lights not working there. In county towns it was even worse, full of trivial matters, like sitting next to old men and women chatting by the roadside.

But his dad just loved watching it. If their village didn't have its own TV station, his dad probably would have watched village news back when they lived there.

This family's cow ate that family's seedlings, this family's chicken chased that family's duck, this family's male dog impregnated all the female dogs in the village...

\"I'm heading out.\" Yan Hang put on his coat.

\"Take the card with 154,\" his dad said. \"In case your shop doesn't provide lunch, you can go next door and pretend to be posh - a coffee shop waiter eating Japanese food for lunch.\"

\"...Okay.\" Yan Hang responded and walked out the door.

After walking for a bit, Yan Hang noticed several students on the road before realizing it was the weekend. He took out his phone again to double check.

He used his phone many times every day, but rarely paid attention to the date and time.

In his life, these two things were mostly dispensable in most situations. Sometimes he couldn't even be sure of the year.

But every time he suddenly noticed the date and time like now, he would take out his phone and carefully confirm it.

Sometimes this action was needed to make himself feel grounded.

Because it was the weekend, there were more people in the coffee shop compared to when he came for the interview.

When Yan Hang came out after changing into his work uniform, he ran into the boss. The boss's surname was Li, a middle-aged man with the air of a very pretentious artist. His clothes and accessories all matched his persona, but for some reason he inexplicably got a bob-cut hairstyle.

\"Jidao ah,\" Boss Li waved at him as soon as he saw him. \"Perfect timing, can you go bake some cakes? There are a lot of people today, we're running low.\"

\"Mm.\" Yan Hang responded, cursing his dad in his mind for at least twenty seconds.

With a name like that, if his reaction hadn't been quick enough, he almost would have answered \"Not many roads ah\"*.

*T/N: Jidao can also mean 'how many roads'.

Yan Hang busied himself for a while, finished baking the cakes, and returned to the bar counter.

Helping out occasionally was fine, but if the boss wanted to hire a chef at a waiter's salary, then that was not okay.

He would cleanly and decisively quit.

That's how he viewed money as worthless.

Probably from following his dad around all these years, his dad didn't seem to save money, so he also had no concept of saving. As for money, as long as there was enough for travel expenses, rent and food, it was fine. If there was extra, they could go eat a nice meal. If there was none, they'd go make some.

His way of making money was working part-time jobs. How his dad made money, he wasn't clear about.

And didn't really want to find out.

\"Make me a latte to go.\" A young girl walked up to the bar counter, phone in hand, speaking as she prepared to scan the code to pay.

\"One moment.\" Yan Hang efficiently started making the coffee.

The coffee machine had just started grinding the beans when the girl let out an \"ah\".

Yan Hang looked at her.

\"Wait, don't make it, don't make it, my phone... is out of battery.\" The girl said.

Yan Hang didn't say anything.

\"I don't have any cash.\" The girl seemed a bit embarrassed.

When he came over earlier, he had seen a phone charger underneath, probably used by the other waiters.

He bent down and felt under the bar counter, placing the charger in front of the girl and pointing to the outlet beside them: \"Go charge it there.\"

\"...Oh.\" The girl looked at him in surprise, took the charger and walked over to the side, charging her phone while glancing over at him.

After finishing making the coffee, Yan Hang packaged it and placed it on the bar counter, waving at the girl: \"Come pay.\"

The girl, holding her phone that had charged a tiny bit, scanned the code and paid, then clutched the coffee and scurried off with quick little steps.

\"Not bad.\" Boss Li stood to the side with arms crossed and commented.

\"What?\" Yan Hang turned to look at him.

\"This is the first time I've seen someone do a hard sell so smoothly, naturally and righteously.\" Boss Li said.

\"I... just gave her a phone charger.\" Yan Hang said.

\"Saying you'll buy then not buying, believe it or not I'll smack you,\" Boss Li said. \"The expression was spot on.\"

Yan Hang thought back and figured he probably forgot to smile just now.

\"I'll pay attention next time.\" He said.

\"No need, it was pretty good,\" Boss Li said. \"Didn't this just sell an extra cup of coffee? Pretty good, gotta have this spirit of working hard to earn every penny.\"

\"Ah.\" Yan Hang nodded.

Busy until getting off work in the afternoon, Yan Hang felt his legs going a bit numb, unsure if it was because the air conditioning was always on in the shop. His head also felt a bit stuffy.

He hadn't worked this year until now and was a bit unaccustomed to standing for such a long time. Running for two hours wouldn't make him very tired, but standing like this for a few hours was exhausting.

When he changed his clothes and walked out of the coffee shop, he swung his arms, planning to run back to get some exercise.

Whenever he felt tired, his mood would change, and this change often came suddenly and inexplicably. By the time he noticed the irritability, it was often already surging. When his colleagues greeted him as he left the store, he pretended not to see them.

In this state, he usually used running to regulate his mood.

Running for an hour to work up a sweat, taking a shower and curling up on the sofa, he would feel very comfortable.

However, it wasn't easy to run at this time. It was the weekend, and there were quite a few people on the streets. If he didn't want to get lost... there was probably only that pothole-ridden, dilapidated road along the river.

The thought of running on that road made him even more irritated.

It was annoying not to run, and it was annoying to run.

When he found the entrance to the road along the river, he still hadn't decided whether to run there or not.

The entrance was a bridge. The bridge was bustling with traffic, but the narrow and broken steps along the bridge leading down to the road along the river were very inconspicuous, completely lacking the ambiance of \"I am a tree-lined riverside path.\"

After standing on the steps for a while, Yan Hang still decided to run back from here.

However, after running just over ten meters past the steps, he stopped again.

Looking down from the railing, there was actually a person on the muddy and garbage-filled riverbank.

And it looked like he was bending over looking for something.

Treasure hunting?

Yan Hang was amused by his first reaction, and his irritability was diluted a bit. He walked to the railing to see what the person was doing.

A second later, he froze.

The treasure hunter was Chu Yi.

After Chu Yi expressed his gratitude to him yesterday and politely declined his role as a righteous hero, he had thought about finding a time to return the ten yuan protection fee to Chu Yi and had no intention of continuing to have any dealings with this kid.

He never expected to run into Chu Yi again in this kind of situation.

He stepped out of the railing and stood on the riverbank, staring at Chu Yi, who was intently searching below with a stick in his hand.

After watching for five minutes, Chu Yi was still in the same posture and didn't seem to be making any progress.

He couldn't stand to watch anymore. When he ran by that night, the feeling wasn't very obvious, but today, standing here, when the wind blew, he smelled the stench wafting from the river.

\"Hey!\" He shouted down.

Chu Yi didn't react.

The stutterer was also hard of hearing.

Yan Hang squatted down and whistled down again.

Chu Yi's hand, which had been poking back and forth with the stick, suddenly stopped in midair. After two seconds, he abruptly straightened up and turned his head, then just stood there.

\"What are you doing?\" Yan Hang asked.

Chu Yi looked at him without speaking.

\"Come up!\" Yan Hang shouted.

Chu Yi looked down at his feet, hesitating.

It was only at this point that Yan Hang saw clearly that more than half of his shoes had already sunk into the black mud.

\"Damn,\" Yan Hang found it a bit unbearable, \"come up! Are you Martians so uncivilized? Isn't it dirty?\"

Chu Yi actually smiled, hesitated for a moment, then slowly walked over to the side.

Watching him walk onto the rocks at the bottom of the riverbank, Yan Hang frowned and asked, \"What are you looking for?\"

\"Th-things,\" Chu Yi looked up at him.

\"This nonsense answer of yours is very standard. Come up first.\" Yan Hang looked around. A few meters to the left on the embankment was an iron ladder, which Chu Yi must have used to go down.

The lower half of the iron ladder was rusted. One had to grab the iron bars with their hands and step on the wall to climb up. Going down wasn't difficult, just jump down, but coming up wasn't easy, especially with Chu Yi's height...

Yan Hang was just thinking about going over to see if he could give him a hand when Chu Yi jumped up from where he was standing, grabbed the last rung of the iron ladder, then tucked his legs in and kicked against the wall a couple of times. Before Yan Hang could walk to the ladder, he had already flipped over the railing and returned to the road.

\"You... have some good moves, young hero.\" Yan Hang was a bit surprised.

\"No, no need to praise,\" Chu Yi said.

\"What are you looking for?\" Yan Hang walked over to him and asked again.

\"Pen,\" Chu Yi replied, looking a bit depressed.

Yan Hang thought of his newly bought notebook. The shabby book fell down and he's still looking for it? Did he write something important in it? But after waiting for a while, he didn't wait for Chu Yi to finish speaking.

He could only supplement for Chu Yi, \"A notebook?\"

\"Pen,\" Chu Yi raised his voice slightly.

\"Oh, a pen?\" Yan Hang finally reacted.

Paper and pens were quite far from his life. He could only guess that pens were probably worth a bit more than notebooks?

But...

\"You went through all that just for a pen?\" Yan Hang simply couldn't understand the thought process of these Martians.

\"Mm.\" Chu Yi nodded and took two steps back.

\"What are you dodging for? It's not like I'm going to hit you.\" Yan Hang felt that his irritability had been shocked away by Chu Yi. He sat down on the railing beside him.

\"It, it smells,\" Chu Yi sniffed, a bit embarrassed.

\"Oh.\" He responded.

The two fell into silence.

Section 10

After a while, Yan Hang glanced at Chu Yi. \"How did your pen end up down there?\"

Chu Yi smiled and didn't say anything.

\"It was thrown down by someone, right?\" Yan Hang asked.

Chu Yi still didn't speak.

\"Was it those classmates?\" Yan Hang continued asking.

Chu Yi lowered his head and stomped the mud on his shoes.

Yan Hang felt around in his pocket and found a pack of wet wipes his colleague had given him at lunch.

\"Here.\" He handed the wipes over.

Chu Yi took them, pulled one out, and looked at it back and forth in his hand.

\"You Martians don't have wet wipes?\" Yan Hang said.

\"After coming to, to Earth, haven't, seen them before.\" Chu Yi squatted down and slowly wiped the mud on his shoes.

Yan Hang looked at him. Actually, it didn't really matter whether these shoes were wiped or not. They were a very old pair of shoes. Judging from the style, they were also very outdated, street stall goods, and the kind from rural town markets at that.

\"Chu Yi.\" Yan Hang called out to him.

\"Hm?\" Chu Yi looked up.

\"Why are they giving you a hard time?\" Yan Hang asked.

Chu Yi lowered his head and continued polishing his shoes. After blackening three sheets of paper, he finally said, \"They just hate me.\"

\"Why do they hate you?\" Yan Hang jumped down from the railing and squatted opposite him.

\"I st-stutter,\" Chu Yi said.

\"Just because of that?\" Yan Hang frowned.

Chu Yi's shoe polishing movement paused for a moment. After a while, he nodded, \"Mm.\"

Bullshit.

Yan Hang glanced at him but didn't ask further.

Although being bullied just for stuttering wasn't impossible, sometimes ten-year-old kids could hate someone for no reason at all. If everyone hated someone, they just followed along and hated them too. If everyone bullied someone, they just followed along and bullied them too, afraid that if they didn't align with the majority, they'd be pushed to the opposing side.

But Chu Yi's reaction clearly indicated it wasn't just about the stuttering.

However, Yan Hang didn't want to ask anymore. Communicating with Chu Yi was too tiring. In order to reduce the frequency of his stuttering, the kid basically never used sentences longer than five words.

Except when he was being a smartass.

...How could someone like this still be a smartass? Yan Hang couldn't help but stare at him again.

Very bizarre.

After Chu Yi finished polishing his shoes, he left. Before leaving, he stared blankly at the riverbank for a while.

Yan Hang wanted to ask if his pen was made of gold.

With that attitude, even gold-plated wouldn't cut it. It had to be pure gold, 99.99%.

He stayed there for a while longer. Estimating that Chu Yi had already walked out of this path, he stretched a bit and ran back along the road.

It was still light out today. He didn't twist his ankle and got a clear look at the general appearance of this path.

Usually, such small paths in the city were quite dirty, with people coming to vomit when they were drunk or relieve themselves when they couldn't find a toilet... But this path was surprisingly clean.

As he ran all the way back, he wanted to take another look at Chu Yi's tree hole, but couldn't find it.

When he got home, his dad had already prepared the dishes.

One dish and one soup.

Napa cabbage leaves boiled in soup, napa cabbage stems stir-fried with large shrimp.

\"See, these are real large shrimp. Touched, right?\" his dad said. \"Want to have a couple of drinks?\"

Yan Hang nodded, very touched indeed.

His dad had never considered whether it was appropriate for minors to drink alcohol. Yan Hang couldn't even remember how old he was when he had his first drink. In any case, as far as he could remember, whenever his dad said, \"Let's have a couple of drinks,\" the two of them would sit down and have a couple of drinks.

Today, his dad's mood didn't seem too good. He drank in silence, just downing the alcohol.

Yan Hang also didn't make a sound.

It wasn't until the TV news mentioned today's date that he came back to his senses.

When he left the house in the morning, he didn't even think about the date after seeing it.

Every year on this day, his dad would be down for a day or two.

He had never asked, but always guessed that this day was probably related to his mother, whom he had no impression of at all.

Because his dad was drinking in silence, the two of them drank a little too much, glass after glass. When Yan Hang dizzily collapsed on the bed, he felt a long-lost sleepiness arriving right on time.

He closed his eyes and slept until the next day when his dad came to wake him up.

Breakfast was already bought. Soy milk and fried dough sticks.

\"No napa cabbage soup to go with it?\" Yan Hang yawned.

\"I'll boil it for you in the evening,\" his dad said.

\"I'll cook in the evening,\" Yan Hang said. \"Don't cook anymore. The large shrimp won't be able to rest in peace.\"

His dad laughed for a long time with a fried dough stick in his mouth.

As Yan Hang strolled to the coffee shop, he felt the ten yuan in his pocket. He had forgotten to give the money back to Chu Yi again yesterday.

For someone who could rummage through a garbage pile for a pen, ten yuan was quite a sum.

He took out his phone as he walked, intending to send Chu Yi a message to set a time to give him the money.

Before he could even turn on his phone, he heard someone calling out in a strange tone, not loudly, from the side, \"Boss...\"

Yan Hang turned his head to look in the direction of the voice.

There were two people at the bus stop by the side of the road. After he looked over, both of them quickly turned their heads away, pretending they knew nothing.

Yan Hang wasn't good at recognizing roads, but he was still okay at recognizing people, especially since he had already run into them twice.

Small Thug No. 1 and No. 2.

Thinking of Chu Yi stepping in garbage and black mud to find his pen, he felt a bit irritated, both at Chu Yi's repressed personality and even more at these classmates who found amusement in picking on him for no reason.

He stopped and turned to walk towards the two of them.

No. 2, who was pretending to look at the bus stop sign, nudged No. 1 with his elbow. The two of them simultaneously tilted their heads a little, probably seeing him.

When Yan Hang was still a few meters away from them, the two of them turned around at the same time and took off running, even sprinting in two different directions.

\"What the fuck?\" Yan Hang quickly picked Small Thug No. 1 and chased after him.

Waste of space! You think just because you can't win in a fight, you can outrun me?

","published_time":"2024-05-14T00:00:00.000Z","paid":false,"show_flag":true,"show_scheduled_time":"2024-05-14T00:00:00.000Z","unpaid_scheduled_time":"2024-05-14T00:00:00.000Z"},{"content_id":648,"novel_id":11,"chapter_no":6,"chapter_title":"Chapter 6","content":"

That day, Chu Yi said it would take about five minutes to run that road at breakneck speed. Yan Hang wanted to ask, do you know what my speed is like when I'm running for my life?

Of course, he had never run for his life. His max speed should be called \"chasing you down to beat you up\".

If he opened up that gear, if he didn't step into a hole and fall while running along the river, it would definitely take less than five minutes.

Just seeing the posture of Small Thug No. 1 dashing off along the road into the alley, Yan Hang knew he would definitely catch up within thirty seconds.

No. 1 had just run into the alley when Yan Hang had already caught up behind him.

The wind-stepping crown prince.

But No. 1 was running very intently and didn't even look back, not realizing Yan Hang was already behind him.

Yan Hang only needed to reach out to grab him and make him fall.

But in the instant he raised his hand, he changed his mind. He suddenly sped up and shouted, \"Where should I stab?\"

No. 1 was so startled by this shout that he leaped forward at least three steps while running.

Yan Hang stopped, laughing so hard he couldn't run.

No. 1 glanced back at him and turned his head to continue fleeing.

\"I'll give you twenty meters!\" Yan Hang shouted. \"Keep going!\"

\"F*ck your ancestors!\" No. 1 angrily roared while running.

\"Go, I'll let you lead the way!\" Yan Hang shouted while laughing.

The alley had a turn up ahead. Yan Hang wasn't familiar with this place, so he took a breath and fiercely chased out again. He had to take down No. 1 before the turn.

When Yan Hang caught up to No. 1 at the turn, his speed was already slower than before. No. 1's explosive power probably only allowed him to sprint five hundred meters.

Yan Hang whistled behind him.

No. 1 paused and suddenly stopped, probably because he knew he couldn't get away. He turned around and threw a punch at Yan Hang.

Yan Hang's momentum was too strong, and inertia made it impossible for him to stop immediately.

He had no intention of stopping either.

Raising his arm to block No. 1's fist and pushing it aside, he then grabbed No. 1's shoulder, pressed down, and used his momentum to knee him in the stomach.

When he let go, No. 1 sat on the ground.

He hadn't used any force with that knee, it was all momentum.

Dad had said, when playing around, pain is enough, no need to injure people.

So No. 1 wasn't injured, but it hurt a lot.

He definitely also felt like vomiting.

\"Did you just yell at me?\" Yan Hang stood in front of him.

No. 1 didn't make a sound. After taking a couple seconds to recover, he jumped up again, looking like he was going to directly charge over.

The moment he jumped up, Yan Hang raised his foot and kicked him on the shoulder, kicking him back to sitting on the ground.

\"I'm asking you a question.\" Yan Hang said.

\"Ask my ass!\" No. 1 didn't stand up this time, but kicked towards his crotch.

Yan Hang quickly dodged to the side and threw a punch on his face. This time the hit was heavier. After two minutes, No. 1's eye sockets would turn red, then bruise for a few days.

\"Have some shame?\" Yan Hang asked. \"Do you have any f*cking shame?\"

This kind of behavior of sneakily attacking below the belt when you can't win was simply speechless.

\"What the hell do you want!\" No. 1 roared.

\"To play,\" Yan Hang looked at him and smiled, bending down and saying softly, \"Isn't this how you usually play too?\"

\"When have I ever hit someone like this for fun!\" No. 1 glared at him, spitting as he shouted.

\"You have amnesia?\" The smile on Yan Hang's face slowly disappeared.

\"You want to stand up for Chu Yi, right? Then hit me! Hit me! That's right, I threw away the broken pen he wanted to give someone, so what! If you're so great, stand up for him!\" No. 1 shouted. \"You hit...\"

Yan Hang obliged his request and slapped him across the face, cutting off his half-spoken words.

\"I'm not standing up for anyone. Chu Yi doesn't count for shit, you think I'd stand up for him?\" Yan Hang said coldly. \"Let me tell you, beating you up is just exercise for me, got it? When you see me, shut your damn mouth and go the f*ck around.\"

No. 1 glared at him without responding.

\"Do you understand!\" Yan Hang got up in his face and roared.

No. 1 didn't expect this and his pupils fiercely contracted in shock.

\"Go,\" Yan Hang patted his shoulder and straightened up, putting his hands in his pockets. \"Keep running, exercise, defend the home and country.\"

Watching No. 1 disappear from the alley entrance while running and cursing, Yan Hang happily whistled, stretched his arms, and slowly strolled towards the coffee shop.

Having vented so early in the morning, his mood could be said to be excellent.

Following the direction No. 1 ran, after a couple turns, he emerged from the alley onto the main street.

To the right was the road to the coffee shop. To the left, less than a hundred meters away, was that bridge.

Yan Hang thought for a few seconds with his hands in his pockets, then turned and walked towards the bridge.

Going down the steps and following the small path to where Chu Yi was treasure hunting that day.

Giving it to someone?

The riverbank was the same as always, black silt mixed with swaths of garbage, water meandering through the gaps in the trash. A gust of wind blew from the front... forget it.

Yan Hang turned and left.

Back on the main street, he put on a mask, took out his phone, first posting \"Come play\" on Weibo, then started livestreaming.

There weren't many people watching at this time, especially for a suddenly started livestream, but he didn't care at all. He livestreamed because he wanted to, no other reason.

-I'm here!

-Am I the first one?

There were actually a few fans who came in.

\"I'm going to work.\" Yan Hang held up his phone and panned it around. In the middle when he switched hands, the camera swept past his face.

-Eyes

-Ah ah, Brother Xiao Tian's eyes are so good-looking

\"A coffee shop,\" Yan Hang didn't respond to the words on the screen. \"The boss is a middle-aged bearded guy with a bob cut.\"

-2333333*

*T/N: \"2333333\" is a common way for Chinese internet users to express laughter or amusement. It originates from the Chinese character \"哈\" (ha), which represents laughter.

-Want to see

-What is Brother Xiao Tian wearing today?

\"Wearing clothes and pants and shoes.\" Yan Hang answered, dangling his phone down.

-Sweatpants again

\"Then I'll wear a skirt next time.\" Yan Hang said.

Just like that, chatting while strolling, by the time he reached the coffee shop door, he exited the livestream. It was work time after all, gotta be serious.

He had just put his phone back in his pocket when he heard someone shouting in the store.

\"How would I know what happened! I didn't provoke him!\" This voice sounded strangely familiar. Yan Hang walked into the store and immediately spotted the Small Thug No. 1 sitting at the bar, holding an ice pack over his eye with one hand.

\"If you really didn't provoke him, why didn't you call the police!\" Boss Li stood behind the bar. \"If you didn't want to call the police, why didn't you fight back? When I was your age...\"

Small Thug No. 1 turned his face and saw Yan Hang. His eyes instantly doubled in size. \"I'll f*ck you...\"

\"You f*ck one more time!\" Boss Li slapped his hand on the bar, glaring at No. 1.

\"It's him!\" No. 1 jumped down from the bar stool, pointing at Yan Hang, shouting so loudly that his voice cracked. \"It's him! It's him! It's him!\"

Yan Hang couldn't help singing a line in his heart.

\"It's him! Dad! It's him! Dad!\" No. 1 continued to yell.

Seeing how agitated No. 1 was, for a moment Yan Hang thought No. 1 was calling him, and wanted to say there was no need to be so polite.

Boss Li looked over in some surprise, \"Him?\"

\"It's him!\" No. 1 seemed to have forgotten how to say anything else, just repeatedly shouting this one line.

\"Jidao?\" Boss Li looked at Yan Hang. \"You beat up my son?\"

\"Ah,\" Yan Hang nodded, \"Just finished beating him.\"

This straightforward answer left Boss Li gaping for a long time before asking again, \"Why?\"

\"He said it was fun!\" No. 1 finally found some new words. \"Fun! Exercise!\"

\"You stop talking for now,\" Boss Li pointed at No. 1. \"Let me get this straight first.\"

No. 1 glared at Boss Li, picked up the chair and slammed it on the floor, then sat there silently.

\"Why?\" Boss Li looked at Yan Hang.

Yan Hang never imagined these two were actually father and son. Boss Li seemed quite calm, but after all, it was his own son who got beaten up. Even if it could be explained clearly, he probably couldn't let it go.

Besides, he had no intention of explaining.

\"Didn't like the look of him.\" Yan Hang said.

\"You beat someone up just because you don't like how they look?\" Boss Li was shocked.

\"Yeah,\" Yan Hang nodded, then looked at No. 1 again. \"Hey.\"

No. 1 turned his head and glared at him.

\"Let me give you a piece of advice. You need to have the means to back it up if you want to look down on others.\" After saying that, Yan Hang turned around and walked out of the coffee shop.

It was a busy time on Sunday, with many people coming and going on the street.

Yan Hang stood under a tree by the sidewalk, extremely bored.

So he took out his phone and sent Chu Yi a message.

- Come out, returning your money

Chu Yi didn't reply right away, probably communicating telepathically. It took quite a while before he replied.

- What money?

- The money for the noodles

- Didn't you not eat?

\"That's why I'm giving the money back to you.\" Yan Hang couldn't help but send a voice message.

- Oh

- What the heck is \"oh\"

- Noon then, I'm a bit busy now, I'll wait for you at the tree hole at noon

Looking at this message, compared to Chu Yi's speech, his typing was really smooth and fluent, giving a pleasant feeling like recovering from a cold.

But it also made him want to laugh a little.

It seemed that ten yuan was indeed quite important to Chu Yi.

Yan Hang put his phone back in his pocket and stretched. He didn't feel like going back now, so he decided to take a stroll.

He looked at both sides. The bridge's side seemed more lively than this side, so he decided to head that way.

He quite enjoyed wandering the streets. The \"streets\" of every city were different. Even if they sold the same clothes, snacks, and toys, they would still have different styles.

However, he didn't get to wander this \"street\".

Because as he was crossing the bridge, he glanced to the left.

Actually, looking from the bridge, this river wasn't that unsightly. The garbage-filled black mud riverbank was largely blocked from view by the trees along the river...

Through the gaps in the leaves, there was a small, swaying black shadow on the riverbank.

\"I'll... be damned,\" Yan Hang grabbed a stone carved peach on the bridge railing beside him and shook it. \"I'm impressed.\"

What kind of pen did you lose? I'll buy you the same one.

How much was your pen? I'll give you the money.

If I catch you rummaging through garbage again, I'll beat you.

Don't ask me why.

\"Chu Yi!\" Yan Hang called out, standing by the riverside railing.

Chu Yi wasn't in the same spot as yesterday, having shifted a bit to the right. Yan Hang frowned, suddenly suspecting that this kid didn't actually see clearly where the pen fell.

But his hearing was better than yesterday. As soon as Yan Hang called out, he turned his head.

Then he paused, and Yan Hang could clearly see him heave a sigh.

\"Come up.\" Yan Hang said.

Chu Yi hesitated for a moment, shook his head, thought for a bit, then waved at him, motioning for him to go.

Yan Hang looked at him, suddenly feeling a bit irritated. He took a deep breath but couldn't suppress it. His hand gripping the concrete railing was hurting a bit, but he still couldn't control himself.

Walking away couldn't alleviate it either.

\"F*ck!\" He cursed through gritted teeth. \"You're f*cking asking for a beating!\"

He didn't even go to the iron stairs, directly vaulting over the railing and jumping down.

Chu Yi heard the sound of him landing and raised his head, stunned in some surprise.

\"If I catch you looking for that broken pen here again,\" Yan Hang pointed at him, not caring what was underfoot, and strode over towards Chu Yi, \"I'll f*cking beat you so bad even your grandma won't recognize you!\"

Chu Yi stood still.

\"Come here!\" Yan Hang said while taking a couple more steps that way, wanting to continue walking when he suddenly felt his foot sink into something soft.

Looking down, he had already stepped into the silt.

\"Don't...\" Chu Yi hurriedly walked towards him, pulling out two plastic bags from his pocket as he walked. \"Here.\"

Only then did Yan Hang notice that he had bags over his feet, one red and one green.

\"I don't want them,\" By the time he spoke again, he wasn't even angry anymore, just feeling helpless. He didn't look at Chu Yi again and turned to walk back. \"You play by yourself.\"

After walking a few steps, he felt something in the mud on the left flash.

He abruptly stopped and turned to look.

He only saw a pile of garbage.

He adjusted his angle, tilted his head a bit, and it flashed again.

\"I think I f*cking see your precious pen.\" Yan Hang walked over that way.

Behind him, Chu Yi immediately followed, the plastic bags on his feet making swishing sounds as he stepped.

When Yan Hang bent down to pick up the half of a fountain pen sticking out of the mud, still tied with a yellow butterfly knot, he felt like he was holding the Buddha's sarira.

\"Is it this one?\" He held the pen and asked Chu Yi.

\"Yes.\" Chu Yi nodded, a bit excited as he took the pen.

\"Are you blind?\" Yan Hang asked.

\"It's, it's possible.\" Chu Yi said with a smile.

Yan Hang looked at him without saying a word, speechless.

\"Thank you.\" Chu Yi took out a piece of paper and wiped the pen.

Yan Hang took out the ten yuan bill from his pocket and handed it to him: \"Returning it to you.\"

Chu Yi didn't take it, seeming a bit embarrassed.

Yan Hang directly put the money into his pocket and turned around, walking towards the shore with difficulty.

Chu Yi silently followed behind him the whole time.

After climbing up the riverbank, Yan Hang sat on the stone bench beside him, staring blankly at the black mud on his foot.

Chu Yi took off the plastic bag on his feet, took out the pack of wet wipes Yan Hang gave him yesterday, pulled out two sheets, squatted down in front of him, and reached out to start wiping his shoes.

\"Hey!\" Yan Hang was startled, quickly withdrawing his foot, \"What are you doing?\"

\"Hel-, helping you, wi-, wipe.\" Chu Yi said.

\"No need, no need, no need,\" Yan Hang said as he took the wet wipes from his hand, \"I can wipe it myself.\"

Chu Yi looked at him.

\"You...\" Yan Hang grabbed his arm and pulled him up, \"Just sit.\"

\"This, pen,\" Chu Yi was silent for a while, took out the pen again, and wiped it with a wet wipe, \"Actually...\"

\"Is it meant to be given to a girl?\" Yan Hang asked while wiping his shoes.

Chu Yi went silent.

Yan Hang turned his head to look at him: \"Tying a bow, it's a gift right.\"

\"Mm.\" Chu Yi looked a bit dejected.

\"Just wash it, tie another bow and give it.\" Yan Hang said.

\"No, no can do,\" Chu Yi said, \"It's dirty.\"

\"What's wrong with that,\" Yan Hang tsk-ed, \"She didn't see it anyway.\"

Chu Yi looked at him.

Yan Hang stared back at him.

After ten seconds, Yan Hang narrowed his eyes a bit: \"Don't tell me you were going to give it to me?\"

Chu Yi lowered his eyelids: \"Not, not giving it now.\"

Yan Hang had never received a gift before.

With no friends, there were no gifts. Only his dad would buy things for him on his birthday, but each time it was very casual. Last year he received a pineapple with a note stuck to it that said \"The prince is the most handsome\".

\"I don't want that sissy bow.\" Yan Hang said.

Chu Yi was stunned for a moment, looking at him in surprise, then quickly untied the bow on it, holding the pen and hesitating as he handed it over to him.

Yan Hang took it and looked at it.

It was a new pen, but judging from the style, it was bought at least five years ago. Who knows if this was some kind of keepsake of Chu Yi's.

He took out his phone and posted a Weibo.

When he started the live broadcast, a few fans who were even more bored than him were there.

-Looks like Brother Xiao Tian is bored to the extreme today

-I'm even more bored, caught his stream twice already

\"I received a gift.\" Yan Hang pointed the camera at the fountain pen in his hand.

-Hand hand hand hand hand

-Haven't seen the beautiful hands in a long time!

-When are you going to livestream cooking again, want to see hands

\"That kid gave it.\" Yan Hang said.

-The poor kid?

-Ah ah! The pen the poor kid gave?

\"Yes,\" Yan Hang waved the pen, \"Just... got it.\"

-Is the poor kid beside you?

-Is Brother Xiao Tian really going to look after him from now on?

-Can we see what he looks like? Never got a clear look.

-Yeah, can we see?

\"Do you...\" Yan Hang turned to look at Chu Yi, \"mind showing your face?\"

\"Live, broadcast?\" Chu Yi asked softly.

\"Mm.\" Yan Hang nodded.

\"Many, many people?\" Chu Yi asked again.

\"Not many.\" Yan Hang glanced at the screen.

\"You live, livestream, no, one watches?\" Chu Yi was a bit curious.

\"Mm.\" Yan Hang nodded.

\"Why?\" Chu Yi also glanced at the screen.

\"Is it a bit inappropriate for you to discuss how no one watches my livestreams in front of my fans during my livestream?\" Yan Hang laughed.

\"No one's watching any-, anyway.\" Chu Yi said.

The screen was filled with a bunch of hahahaha and 233333.

\"Damn, you've got a point,\" Yan Hang sighed, \"Alright, since no one's watching, do you mind showing your face? These girls keep asking about you every day.\"

\"Mm.\" Chu Yi nodded.

Yan Hang turned the phone to face Chu Yi.

\"Thank you.\" Chu Yi said.

-！！！！！

-Handsome

-Little handsome guy!

Handsome? Yan Hang looked at Chu Yi's face on the screen, well... alright, the kid was quite photogenic.

","published_time":"2024-05-21T00:00:00.000Z","paid":false,"show_flag":true,"show_scheduled_time":"2024-05-21T00:00:00.000Z","unpaid_scheduled_time":"2024-05-21T00:00:00.000Z"},{"content_id":649,"novel_id":11,"chapter_no":7,"chapter_title":"Chapter 7","content":"

That day when Yan Hang walked over with his phone and even put it on a stand under the tree, Chu Yi guessed he was livestreaming. But it wasn't until today that he realized Yan Hang's livestreams were so boring.

And he was so casual about it, starting whenever he wanted and stopping without even saying goodbye when he felt like it.

He also didn't show his face, and when he possibly did, he wore a mask.

No wonder no one watched.

If Yan Hang was willing to show his face, he would definitely attract many young girls like his deskmate to shower him with gifts... but Chu Yi quite liked this kind of boring livestream.

It gave him a sense of experiencing a \"different life\". Maybe equally ordinary, maybe mind-numbingly boring, but different from his own.

Quite interesting.

Although he had only watched the livestream a few times in total.

His old phone couldn't handle new things like livestreaming. Every time he entered, it would lag as if using 2G data, then freeze up and not recover unless he took out the battery.

Today, he had originally wanted to watch Yan Hang's livestream on site for a bit longer, but he didn't really have enough time. He had gone out to buy oil.

His mom didn't buy oil at the supermarket, but went to the farmer's market to get those big barrels that were divided and sold, because they were cheaper.

The farmer's market was far away, so he had more time. But he had gone to find a pen and hung out with Yan Hang for a long time. If he didn't run to the market now, he would be quite late getting back.

Although his mom wouldn't hit him, he also didn't want to face her gloomy scolding.

\"Buying oil?\" Yan Hang looked at him. \"Can't you just get it at any supermarket?\"

\"It's expensive,\" Chu Yi said.

\"So you have to go to the market?\" Yan Hang asked.

Chu Yi nodded.

\"Then you should go.\" Yan Hang glanced at the time.

Chu Yi stood up and looked at him, feeling like he wanted to say a few more words, but after staring blankly for a while, he couldn't find the right ones.

\"Hm?\" Yan Hang probably found it a bit odd being stared at like this. \"Don't tell me there's another pen in the river.\"

\"No.\" Chu Yi smiled and turned to run along the path.

The fountain pen had been given to him by his aunt before. He didn't dare use it. His mom always took pens from the water delivery station - blue ones, red ones, black ones, all kinds. He had to use those.

So he had kept this fountain pen hidden. If it wasn't to thank Yan Hang, he would have already forgotten about it. Maybe he would forget about that phone in the future too.

It was best to forget about things you couldn't have. Otherwise, it would hurt to think of them. This was his experience.

Chu Yi sprinted all the way towards the farmer's market. Usually running there like this would feel tiring, but this time, it didn't seem that far while running.

Probably because he had given away the pen.

He didn't have many chances to give people gifts. Classmates' birthdays and such wouldn't include him. As for giving gifts to his parents... he had done it before.

When he was in elementary school, he had saved up his allowance for a long time, even picking up some scrap paper and beverage bottles to sell. He had pooled together enough money to buy his mom a scarf, wanting to make her happy.

Just like how he was always thrilled when his aunt gave him gifts.

But his mom didn't appreciate the sentiment.

In the end, grandma had taken the scarf and him to the store to make a big scene and returned it. Grandma used the refunded money to buy cigarettes. When they got home, mom got into another fight with grandma because she didn't get the refund.

After that, he never thought about giving anyone gifts again.

This time, giving Yan Hang a gift had taken a lot of resolve.

Li Zihao throwing away the pen, him looking for it in the mud and trash - none of that mattered much to him. What he had been worried about the whole time was that Yan Hang wouldn't accept it.

But Yan Hang took it, even after seeing with his own eyes that the pen had been pulled out of the stinking mud and hadn't even been washed, just wiped off with some paper.

Chu Yi smiled.

Yan Hang was a really good person.

After buying the oil his mom specified from the farmer's market, Chu Yi carried it and ran back.

When he passed by the building Yan Hang's home was in, he glanced over in that direction. Yan Hang's living room window faced the street with just a flowerbed and three trees in between, but the curtains were drawn.

Maybe Yan Hang wasn't back yet.

Chu Yi slowed his pace. The oil was quite heavy and he was a bit tired from running all this way.

His mom hadn't called to rush him, meaning he was still within the tolerated time range... But when he turned the corner and could see the building his own home was in, he understood why his mom hadn't called.

She probably couldn't spare the attention.

He could hear grandma's voice from far away.

Cursing vigorously, the content unclear, but Chu Yi could more or less imagine it.

His whole body instantly felt a suffocating sensation and his steps got slower and slower.

He walked slowly along the base of the wall, praying the whole time: end quickly, finish before I get to the building.

But just like the little wishes he made to tree holes never came true, his inner prayers had also never succeeded.

And today, reality was even further from his expectations than usual.

Grandma wasn't downstairs, but by the side of the road.

Her top was already off, standing with her hands on her hips in just her undershirt, a glaring white patch visible from the surrounding crowd.

Chu Yi stopped and leaned against the wall.

But he couldn't escape others' gazes.

\"Chu Yi!\" Someone called his name with a laugh. \"Aren't you going to get your grandma and take her back home!\"

\"If you're any later she'll take off her pants too!\" Someone else said with a chuckle.

Chu Yi kept his head down and didn't make a sound.

He didn't know what grandma was arguing about today or who she was fighting with to this extent. He just knew that in the eyes of these neighbors, this kind of scene was a joke that played out every few months.

Everyone knew that his grandma was a shrew who could strip off her clothes and get into arguments with people anytime, anywhere.

And this \"anytime, anywhere\" even included their school.

When Yan Hang opened the door and entered, his dad asked: \"What's that smell?\"

\"...You can still smell it?\" Yan Hang lifted his foot and looked at the sole of his shoe.

\"Yeah,\" his dad said. \"Did you get into a fight with someone in a cesspool?\"

\"It's almost time to eat, don't ruin your appetite.\" Yan Hang took off his shoes and put them by the trash can at the door. He noticed an old man who came by twice a day to rummage through the garbage.

\"Some of your classmates are really carefree,\" his dad said.

\"I got fired.\" Yan Hang went to the kitchen to wash his hands. When he came out, he felt the fountain pen in his pocket. He hesitated for a moment, then held it under his nose to sniff it. He turned around and went back to wash the pen a couple of times.

\"You don't get paid for a day's work?\" Dad didn't ask him the reason for his unemployment.

\"Even if I did, it wouldn't be enough for a bowl of noodles.\" Yan Hang sat down, looking at the pen in his hand.

It was a silver Parker pen, looking quite old-fashioned in style, but very exquisite.

Yan Hang wasn't very interested in pens usually. He didn't use pens much, having only attended elementary school. He usually preferred pencils.

But as a gift, it felt different.

\"What is this thing?\" Dad asked.

\"Can't you tell what it is?\" Yan Hang waved the pen in his direction.

\"Even if I could, I wouldn't believe my own eyes.\" Dad lit a cigarette.

\"It was a gift,\" Yan Hang said.

\"A gift?\" Dad was a bit surprised. \"From that kid you mentioned?\"

\"Yeah,\" Yan Hang nodded. \"What do you want to eat for lunch?\"

\"Pizza,\" Dad said.

Yan Hang glanced at him.

\"I saw the oven in the kitchen was usable, so I bought ingredients,\" Dad pointed to the fridge. \"I was going to have you make it for dinner, but since you're unemployed, let's have it for lunch.\"

Yan Hang opened the fridge. The crust, cheese, and sauce were all there.

\"Alright,\" Yan Hang said. \"I'll go buy some green peppers, bacon and stuff.\"

\"And bring back a bottle of red wine,\" Dad added.

\"Celebrating my unemployment, huh,\" Yan Hang said.

\"Celebrating you making a friend and receiving a gift,\" Dad said happily.

Yan Hang didn't say anything and went out the door.

He did receive a gift.

But a friend?

Chu Yi?

Yan Hang's concept of friendship was vague. What kind of relationship, what depth, could be considered friendship, he wasn't too clear.

But Chu Yi probably didn't count as a friend.

They had barely spoken. Friends should at least be able to chat. If he had to chat with Chu Yi, he'd probably be bored to death.

Turning left out the door, there was a supermarket along the road. Yan Hang had been buying groceries there the past few days. It was quite well-stocked and not expensive. The residents in this area all shopped here. It seemed everyone's income was about the same. He couldn't quite understand Chu Yi's mom insisting he go to the wet market to buy oil.

Chu Yi was indeed very obedient, running to the wet market to carry back a big barrel of oil...

It really was a very large barrel.

Yan Hang stood at the entrance of the supermarket, watching Chu Yi walking towards him with that barrel of oil in hand, almost as big as a water dispenser.

But Chu Yi's current direction was clearly opposite from going home.

Yan Hang didn't move, watching Chu Yi slowly walk over with his head down, seeming a bit depressed. Usually when bullied he wouldn't show any expression, but now his brows were furrowed.

Chu Yi never noticed him. He just walked forward with his head lowered. As he passed by, Yan Hang couldn't help but reach out and flick his head. \"Hey.\"

Chu Yi turned his head.

\"Aren't you going home?\" Yan Hang asked.

\"Taking a walk first,\" Chu Yi said.

\"Taking a walk while carrying oil?\" Yan Hang asked.

\"Yeah,\" Chu Yi nodded. \"Strengthens the body.\"

Sometimes Yan Hang didn't quite understand, in what state of mind would Chu Yi still joke around when clearly in low spirits like this.

\"Is someone blocking you up ahead?\" Yan Hang asked.

\"No,\" Chu Yi shook his head. \"They're off on weekends.\"

\"Then take your walk.\" Yan Hang didn't know what else to say and turned to enter the supermarket.

There were quite a few people in the supermarket. Yan Hang grabbed some green peppers from the crowd and also took a pack of seaweed.

Heading over to the freezer section to look for bacon, he suddenly discovered Chu Yi following behind him, carrying that 800-pound barrel of oil.

\"What the hell,\" Yan Hang was startled. \"What are you doing?\"

\"Taking a walk,\" Chu Yi said.

\"You brought that thing in without checking it?\" Yan Hang looked at the oil in his hand. \"They have oil here too. They might not let you leave with it later.\"

\"This is completely unlabelled,\" Chu Yi turned the barrel. There were no labels on it. \"No problem.\"

Yan Hang sighed and grabbed a shopping cart with wheels from the side. \"Put it in here, just looking at you carrying it makes me tired.\"

Chu Yi put the oil barrel into the cart and continued to follow him at a distance, pulling the cart.

After getting the red wine, Yan Hang continued to look for bacon. If there was no bacon, he planned to use something else as a substitute, like sausage, ham or smoked meat.

Chu Yi must have encountered something, but Yan Hang wasn't in the habit of prying. He would ask a couple questions at most, if they weren't answered, he wouldn't ask further. If it was his dad, he wouldn't even ask one question.

After buying the things and coming out, he glanced at Chu Yi. Chu Yi, carrying the oil, also seemed to have no intention of going home, just walking forward on his own.

\"Chu Yi,\" Yan Hang called out to him.

Chu Yi turned his head.

\"Have you eaten?\" Yan Hang asked a pointless question.

\"I'll drink, drink oil in a bit,\" Chu Yi said.

\"Come drink it at my place,\" Yan Hang said. \"I'll find you a cup.\"

\"Is it con-venient?\" Chu Yi asked.

Yan Hang discovered that Chu Yi was very straightforward in certain aspects. Like right now, he didn't even decline out of politeness.

Pretty good.

Dad was a bit surprised that he went out to buy groceries and came back with someone carrying oil.

\"Chu Yi,\" Yan Hang introduced. \"The kid who gave me the pen. I invited him over for a meal.\"

\"Welcome, welcome. I'm Yan Hang's dad, Yan Shu.\" Dad enthusiastically extended his hand to Chu Yi. \"So polite, and you even brought... oil?\"

Chu Yi paused for a moment before reaching out to shake his hand. \"Hello, Uncle.\"

\"The oil is what he bought to take home,\" Yan Hang said. \"Chu Yi, come here to lend a hand.\"

Actually there wasn't much of a hand to lend. He just feared Chu Yi wouldn't be used to Yan Shu's nonsense.

\"Okay.\" Chu Yi immediately put down the oil barrel. After changing into slippers, he neatly arranged the few pairs of shoes scattered on the floor.

Yan Hang glanced at his dad. His dad was also looking at him. Clearly Chu Yi's thoughtful action surprised him.

\"Let's livestream.\" Yan Hang took out his phone and set it on a stand on the counter, putting on a mask.

\"Will, will anyone watch?\" Chu Yi asked.

\"You're not letting that go, are you?\" Yan Hang looked at him.

\"Letting it go,\" Chu Yi immediately said.

Yan Hang ignored him and adjusted the phone, pointing it at the ingredients on the counter.

Chu Yi watched Yan Hang's hands.

After someone entered the livestream room, the screen kept flashing with hand emojis.

Yan Hang's hands were indeed very beautiful, especially when they were moving.

Washing green peppers, unwrapping the sausage packaging, picking up the knife...

Chu Yi watched in a daze, not only because of Yan Hang's hands, but also his knife skills.

He skillfully sliced the green peppers into strips and diced the sausage. Every movement was smooth and fluid, without any unnecessary pauses or hesitation.

The screen was quite lively. Chu Yi took a moment to glance at it.

- Brother Xiao Tian, don't be so cool, at least explain the steps and key points

- Silent cooking series

- Suddenly exiting the livestream series

- I see there's someone else?

- I see it too

- Someone's there

Chu Yi quickly exited.

Yan Hang glanced at him, reached over to take the phone, and turned the camera to face him: \"It's this person.\"

- Handsome guy

- Actually cooking together!!!

- I suddenly have some inappropriate guesses...

Before Chu Yi could adjust his shocked expression, Yan Hang put the phone back and continued preparing the ingredients: \"Pass me the baking tray.\"

Chu Yi quickly handed over the baking tray beside him.

\"There's not much to do with this kind of semi-finished pizza,\" Yan Hang said. \"Just chop up whatever you want to put on top, grate some cheese, and bake it.\"

After speaking, Yan Hang put the baking tray into the oven and set the timer: \"Alright, it'll be ready to eat in a bit.\"

Chu Yi hadn't even recovered his senses when Yan Hang already ended the livestream.

\"It's, it's over?\" Chu Yi asked.

\"Not over, there's still one more,\" Yan Hang turned around and continued working. \"The content is all the same so I won't stream it.\"

\"No one's watching anyway,\" Dad walked over and leaned against the kitchen doorway. \"Xingtian, the food blogger with the least popularity in history. Even his fans are too lazy to send gifts.\"

\"Who said that,\" Yan Hang said while slicing green peppers. \"Someone just sent an airplane.\"

\"Why?\" Dad said. \"Misclick?\"

Yan Hang glanced at Chu Yi: \"Probably because... Chu Yi showed his face.\"

Dad suddenly laughed for a good while: \"So it was for Chu Yi.\"

\"Go wait outside to eat.\" Yan Hang sighed.

Dad laughed and returned to the living room to continue watching his local news.

\"Do you, do you want it?\" Chu Yi asked softly beside him, seeming a little embarrassed.

\"Want what?\" Yan Hang was stunned.

\"Face.\" Chu Yi said.

\"Do you believe I'll dice you up too?\" Yan Hang was very shocked.

\"My,\" Chu Yi pointed at himself, \"face.\"

\"Wait a second,\" Yan Hang put down the knife and leaned against the counter. \"Let me understand this first.\"

\"If you, want, want gifts,\" Chu Yi explained, \"you can...\"

\"I get it,\" Yan Hang interrupted him. He stared at him for a while without speaking. Only after putting the second prepared pizza into the oven did he say, \"You're not trying to repay me, are you?\"

Chu Yi looked at him without making a sound.

\"You...\" When Yan Hang wanted to continue, Chu Yi interrupted him.

\"No.\" Chu Yi said.

\"Then what is it?\" Yan Hang asked.

\"Seeing you have no, no gifts,\" Chu Yi said softly, \"is pitiful.\"

\"...Get lost!\" Yan Hang said, but thought about it and laughed. \"Damn.\"

Chu Yi leaned against the wall and watched the oven together with Yan Hang.

It couldn't really be called repaying kindness. Or maybe it was simply wanting to express his own emotions.

For Yan Hang, some things weren't deliberately done, just casual. But for him, the feeling was quite different.

He just didn't dare acknowledge such feelings. He was afraid Yan Hang would find it inexplicable or think he was seeking protection.

He didn't need anyone's protection. He just wanted someone who could have the most ordinary interactions with him.

Yan Hang could give him such interactions. Although he didn't know how long it could last, he still cherished it very much.

Both pizzas were done baking. Yan Hang also made a soup. Chu Yi nimbly went to the living room to tidy up the table a bit, brought out the pizza and soup, and quickly took out the tableware as well.

Yan Hang was a little surprised by Chu Yi's observational skills. Where things were placed, Chu Yi didn't ask and didn't seem to deliberately observe, but he had already done everything before Yan Hang could say anything.

Yan Hang couldn't describe the feeling. Running around everywhere with his dad over the years, although he had no friends, he had seen quite a few people and was sensitive to many things.

Chu Yi's state was different from the usual perceptiveness. It gave him the feeling of being cautious and striving to make no mistakes, earnestly and naturally satisfying everyone.

\"Chu Yi, want to drink a little?\" Uncle Yan opened a bottle of red wine.

\"No, I don't know how.\" Chu Yi said.

\"Try a bit,\" Uncle Yan poured him a tiny amount. \"Just take a few sips.\"

\"Okay.\" Chu Yi smiled.

Aside from going to relatives' homes during the New Year, he basically had no memories of eating at classmates' or friends' homes.

As for working together in the kitchen and then sitting together at the table, eating and chatting, he had never experienced that at all. Chu Yi took a bite of pizza and felt very comfortable.

\"Do you live nearby?\" Uncle Yan asked.

\"Mm,\" Chu Yi nodded. \"Further, further ahead, south of the road.\"

\"I passed by there today when I went out for a stroll,\" Uncle Yan smiled, seeming to remember something as he nudged Yan Hang with his arm. \"Just this afternoon when I was coming back, I saw a bare-chested old lady arguing with someone over there. She was very fierce. I was too embarrassed to watch the excitement.\"

\"Huh?\" Yan Hang was stunned.

The hand Chu Yi was holding the pizza with trembled.

","published_time":"2024-05-28T00:00:00.000Z","paid":false,"show_flag":true,"show_scheduled_time":"2024-05-21T00:00:00.000Z","unpaid_scheduled_time":"2024-05-28T00:00:00.000Z"},{"content_id":650,"novel_id":11,"chapter_no":8,"chapter_title":"Chapter 8","content":"

\"Why make such a big deal out of an argument.\" Yan Hang took a bite of pizza.

To be honest, they had been to many places and had seen old ladies with their chests exposed and smoking pipes when it was hot, and had also seen people pulling hair and pants when fighting, but they had never seen anyone going shirtless during an argument.

\"I don't know, if she hadn't gone shirtless I would have gone over to watch the commotion...\" Before Dad could finish, he glanced at Chu Yi.

Dad was an old fox, and no subtle emotional reaction from childhood to adulthood could escape his eyes. He immediately knew that Chu Yi might know this old lady.

And now, the way Chu Yi was holding a piece of pizza and chewing it with difficulty in his mouth made it clear that it wasn't just a simple matter of knowing her.

Yan Hang immediately thought of that old lady with the pale face and the long and short caterpillar eyebrows.

...This was very awkward.

He exchanged a look with his dad, and was about to change the subject when Chu Yi finally swallowed that mouthful of pizza and said softly, \"That's my, grandma.\"

Yan Hang really couldn't follow up on that, so he looked at his dad.

\"Your grandma?\" Dad had no choice but to bite the bullet and face the difficulty head-on. \"Then your grandma...has quite a fiery temper, a heroine among women.\"

Chu Yi glanced at Dad and suddenly laughed.

\"Haha.\" Dad also laughed awkwardly a couple of times.

\"No, no problem,\" Chu Yi took a bite of pizza, \"everyone knows, her.\"

\"Oh.\" Dad responded.

\"Is she always like this?\" Yan Hang decided not to beat around the bush and asked directly.

Chu Yi nodded.

Yan Hang didn't say anything, but seemed to understand Chu Yi's personality a bit and why he was bullied. Grandma's behavior of going shirtless at the slightest disagreement must be a very important reason.

\"Does she have mental issues?\" Yan Hang thought for a moment and asked again.

\"No,\" Chu Yi shook his head, \"she's just, just a heroine among, women.\"

Dad couldn't help but laugh.

Chu Yi also laughed a little.

\"Some things, you have to grow up to understand.\" Dad said.

Chu Yi looked up at him.

\"For example, you are first and foremost yourself.\" Dad said.

Chu Yi didn't say anything and took another bite of pizza.

After eating in silence for a while, Dad finally found a suitable topic: \"I saw on the news that there's a music festival in a couple of days, we can go check it out.\"

\"Where?\" Yan Hang asked.

\"Some kind of square.\" Dad said.

\"What kind of what?\" Yan Hang asked while eating.

\"...Didn't remember.\" Dad replied.

\"I know, know.\" Chu Yi said.

Yan Hang turned to look at him.

After waiting for a long time, Chu Yi still didn't say anything else. He lowered his eyelids and ate a piece of pizza very seriously before looking at him and staring blankly: \"Huh?\"

\"What huh?\" Yan Hang was a little speechless, \"What's next?\"

\"Wh-what?\" Chu Yi was still looking at him.

\"He's just telling you he knows what square it is,\" Dad couldn't stop laughing on the side, \"what's next, what's next.\"

\"Then what? What square? Where? How to get there?\" Yan Hang asked a series of questions, \"Or are you taking me there?\"

\"Okay.\" Chu Yi nodded.

Yan Hang was speechless for a long time before giving him a thumbs up.

\"The kid is quite interesting.\" Dad said with a smile.

After eating, Yan Hang leaned back in his chair and slowly wiped his fingers with a napkin.

Chu Yi looked around the table, stood up, and cleared the plates and bowls on the table at lightning speed.

Yan Hang and his dad were not in the habit of cleaning up immediately after eating, and would first sit in a daze and enjoy the wonderful meal.

They had never seen the speed of this new era Chu Yi, and before they could stop him, Chu Yi had already taken a pile of plates and bowls into the kitchen.

\"Chu Yi!\" Yan Hang got up and followed him into the kitchen, \"Just put it there.\"

\"It's convenient.\" After answering simply, Chu Yi turned on the faucet of the sink and started washing the dishes efficiently.

Yan Hang walked over and leaned against the wall watching him: \"Relax, this is my house, not yours.\"

Chu Yi washed the dishes quickly, and after a while he said softly, \"Used, to it.\"

Yan Hang patted him on the shoulder and turned to go out.

\"Have you no shame,\" Dad looked at him, \"letting the guest wash the dishes like this? Not only do you not lend a hand, you don't even spectate?\"

\"I'm afraid he'll get nervous and drop the dishes.\" Yan Hang said.

\"Quite an interesting kid, being raised like this at home,\" Dad sighed, \"if he were my son...\"

Dad glanced at him and tutted: \"Seems like he's not raised very well either?\"

\"Yeah,\" Yan Hang smiled, \"so don't keep praising yourself.\"

\"Is he staying here this afternoon?\" Dad asked.

\"Probably not, he has to run home on time every time,\" Yan Hang said softly, \"he already didn't deliver the oil he bought today, and didn't even go home for dinner, he'll probably get punished when he goes back.\"

\"Sigh,\" Dad sighed, and his cell phone in his pocket rang. He took it out and looked at it, \"I'm going out for a bit.\"

\"Mm.\" Yan Hang responded.

When Chu Yi came out after washing the dishes, Yan Hang was sitting on the windowsill looking out at the street.

\"Done washing.\" He walked over to Yan Hang and said.

\"Thanks for your hard work,\" Yan Hang said, \"is it okay that you didn't go home for dinner?\"

Chu Yi didn't say anything.

Yan Hang turned his head to look at him and found that he was also looking out.

\"Want to sit?\" Yan Hang moved over to make room for him.

Chu Yi hopped up and sat down.

The two of them sat facing the street and spaced out for a while. Chu Yi turned to look at him: \"Ji, Ji, Ji...\"

\"Jijiji.\" Yan Hang said.

Chu Yi stared blankly and then laughed.

\"Ji?\" Yan Hang looked at him.

\"Ji, Dao,\" Chu Yi said with a smile, \"you're called...\"

\"I'm not fucking called Yan Jidao,\" Yan Hang said, \"don't listen to my dad's nonsense, he never says a single proper thing all day.\"

\"Oh,\" Chu Yi was still smiling, \"Uncle is very nice, fun.\"

\"He's alright.\" Yan Hang said.

\"My dad doesn't, doesn't really talk, much.\" Chu Yi said.

\"Then where did you inherit this chattiness from?\" Yan Hang asked.

\"Maybe it's because he's been holding it in.\" Chu Yi said very seriously.

Yan Hang laughed, \"You're quite funny, as they say...\"

\"No, no one talks to me.\" Chu Yi said.

\"Oh.\" Yan Hang responded, taking out a cigarette and putting it in his mouth.

He fumbled in his pocket for a lighter for a while but couldn't find it. Just as he was about to turn his head to see if he had thrown it on the coffee table, Chu Yi had already curled his legs, turned around, and jumped down from the windowsill in a series of movements. He went to the coffee table, grabbed the lighter and handed it to him.

\"Damn,\" Yan Hang couldn't help it, \"Are you a servant at home?\"

\"My mom is very, very busy, and gets tired when she comes home.\" Chu Yi didn't jump back onto the windowsill, instead resting his arms on it and lying down.

Yan Hang lit his cigarette.

\"Are those...\" Chu Yi pointed to the side of the street, \"your shoes?\"

\"Huh?\" Yan Hang looked over and saw the running shoes he had placed next to the trash can. \"Yes.\"

\"You don't want them anymore?\" Chu Yi looked at him, seeming a bit surprised.

\"They're dirty,\" Yan Hang said, \"And they're old too, I've worn them for a year.\"

\"Wow, what a pity.\" Chu Yi's tone was full of heartache.

Yan Hang glanced at the door. Chu Yi was still wearing the same old street vendor shoes as before, but... he sized them up, his shoes probably wouldn't fit Chu Yi.

\"How about this,\" Yan Hang took out his phone, \"Chu Yi, you...\"

Those girls really liked Chu Yi. If he let Chu Yi appear a few times, he could probably get a pair of shoes. If someone went crazy and gave him a yacht, he could even change his clothes.

Not only were Chu Yi's shoes old to the point of being ridiculous, his clothes were also always his school uniform, with some parts washed until they were transparent.

\"No, no need,\" Chu Yi quickly understood his meaning and reached out to stop him, \"No.\"

Yan Hang looked at him.

\"I have, I have new shoes.\" Chu Yi said.

\"Then why do you wear this pair every day?\" Yan Hang asked.

\"They're not broken yet,\" Chu Yi smiled and quickly added, \"I'll change them tomorrow.\"

Yan Hang didn't insist anymore, but was a bit confused, \"Do your parents have jobs?\"

\"Yes,\" Chu Yi nodded, \"But the water delivery station my mom works at went bankrupt, and my dad drives for someone.\"

\"That shouldn't be too bad...\" Yan Hang was even more puzzled, \"Driving should make at least a few thousand yuan a month, right?\"

\"Yeah,\" Chu Yi rested his chin in his hand, \"I don't get it either.\"

Just as Yan Hang was about to say something, Chu Yi's phone rang.

He suddenly straightened up as if startled, and after a moment of daze, took out his phone from his pocket. After fiddling with it for a while, the phone reluctantly connected the call.

\"Hello?\" He said softly.

Yan Hang saw that the caller ID said \"Dad\".

\"I'm at a classmate's house,\" Chu Yi seemed relatively at ease talking to his dad, \"I ate... I bought the oil, I'll be right back.\"

After hanging up, Chu Yi didn't even have time to explain to him and ran straight to the door.

\"Telling you to go home?\" Yan Hang jumped down from the windowsill.

\"Yeah,\" Chu Yi smiled at him apologetically, \"My mom is angry.\"

\"...I'll go back with you,\" Yan Hang felt a bit guilty, after all, it was him who asked Chu Yi to come over to drink oil, \"I'll explain to your mom?\"

\"It's okay,\" Chu Yi put on his shoes and picked up the oil, \"Don't worry.\"

Chu Yi didn't hear what Yan Hang said behind him, and hurriedly left with the oil can. Once he was sure Yan Hang couldn't see him, he started running.

Dad was back, so it would be fine to go back now. Dad would speak up for him.

Mom probably wouldn't say much. Under normal circumstances, Mom ignored his existence except to tell him to do things. Grandma was the one that made him most uneasy.

As he turned the corner and ran towards his building, someone on a bicycle came out from inside and brushed past him. As they passed, the person on the bike suddenly kicked out at him.

Chu Yi was caught off guard and was also carrying oil. He stumbled and fell to the ground.

\"Yo, your stance is so unsteady?\" The person on the bike said.

Chu Yi was a bit surprised to hear this voice. He turned his head to look and confirmed that it was Liang Bing, someone he had avoided since he was a child.

In this area, except for Grandma, no one wanted to have any conflict with Liang Bing. Chu Yi always felt that it was a miracle Liang Bing hadn't gone to prison in his twenties.

However, Liang Bing hadn't been back for two or three years. Chu Yi had always thought Liang Bing wouldn't appear again, but unexpectedly ran into him again so unprepared.

\"Long time no see.\" Liang Bing grinned at him.

Chu Yi didn't say anything. After getting up, he brushed off his pants, picked up the oil and continued running forward.

\"I'll come find you to play in a couple days!\" Liang Bing laughed and shouted behind him.

Only when Chu Yi took out his key did he find that he had scraped a large piece of skin off his left palm when he braced himself on the ground earlier. He nervously raised his hand to look at his sleeve again, and saw that there was a hole in the elbow.

He held up his hand for a long time before putting it down, and gently opened the door.

The room was dark. The living room had no windows, so the lighting was poor. Even during the day, if the lights weren't turned on, he couldn't see anything clearly.

He entered the room, and his eyes hadn't yet adapted to the dimness inside when he heard Grandma's voice.

\"You're back from whoring around!\"

Chu Yi reflexively raised his arm, but still couldn't block the plastic cup filled with water that Grandma threw at him. His forehead throbbed with pain from the impact.

Luckily it wasn't Grandpa's stainless steel one.

\"It's normal to go eat at a classmate's house,\" Dad walked out from the kitchen and stood between him and Grandma, taking the oil can from his hand, \"Next time, remember to let us know at home if you're not coming back to eat.\"

\"Okay.\" Chu Yi responded.

\"He was waiting to buy oil! Instead he went out to eat!\" Grandma walked over, pushed Dad aside, and slapped Chu Yi on the back.

\"That's enough!\" Mom shouted, \"Are you addicted to hitting people now?\"

\"What's this! You're managing your mom now?\" Grandma pointed at Mom, \"You can't teach him so I'm teaching him for you, and you're talking back to me!\"

Mom slammed the cup in her hand on the table and went into the room.

\"Come.\" Dad pulled Chu Yi, wanting to pull him into the room, but Mom pushed the door closed from the inside as soon as Dad opened it a crack. Before Dad could turn it again, she locked it from the inside.

Dad hesitated for a moment, then had no choice but to turn around and push Chu Yi into the kitchen, closing the door behind him.

Grandma didn't break down the door, but stood outside the kitchen and started scolding.

\"What's with you, how could you suddenly go to a classmate's house for dinner without saying a word,\" Dad said in a low voice.

Chu Yi didn't make a sound, he didn't want to bring up Grandma arguing with people on the street again.

\"I bought you some clothes, in a bit...\" Dad glanced towards the kitchen door, Grandma's voice coming through as if the door didn't exist, \"I'll give them to you after Grandma is done scolding.\"

\"Mm.\" Chu Yi responded.

Dad had a good temper, or... Chu Yi didn't know how to sum up Dad's personality. Anyway, from a young age until now, he had never seen Dad get angry. He was always working in vain to mediate and calm people down, but always helpless.

Grandma scolded for almost half an hour, and Chu Yi just stood there in the kitchen with Dad in a daze.

It wasn't until Grandma got tired of scolding and started nitpicking the TV drama with Grandpa that Dad finally patted his shoulder, \"I'll go get the clothes for you to take a look.\"

Chu Yi nodded.

Dad went out, and there was no movement for a long time. He probably couldn't get into the room.

Chu Yi turned to look out the window and waited a while longer before Dad returned to the kitchen with a plastic bag in hand, \"Here, try it on.\"

Chu Yi took the clothes out of the bag. It was a set of sportswear, light gray, and quite good-looking.

When he shook out the clothes, he knew they were too small, but he still silently took off his school uniform jacket and put the clothes on.

\"It seems... too small?\" Dad said somewhat awkwardly.

\"It's fine.\" Chu Yi tugged at the sleeves.

The sleeves were short and the clothes were a bit short, but if he didn't zip it up, it was passable.

The pants were also short. He couldn't bend his legs, otherwise the pant legs would ride up.

\"My son's legs are too long.\" Dad said.

Chu Yi smiled.

Dad was the only one in the family who wouldn't scold him or hit him, and would have a smile for him, but Dad didn't remember his birthday or what grade he was in. When others asked, he told people for three years in a row that his son was in sixth grade.

So Dad would buy clothes that were too small. He wasn't surprised at all.

\"Why don't we let out the pant legs here?\" Dad said.

\"No need,\" Chu Yi said, \"it's fine, thanks, thanks Dad.\"

\"Then... wear it? Or change out of it first?\" Dad asked.

\"I'll wear it.\" Chu Yi said. He didn't want to change clothes in the kitchen again.

When he walked out of the kitchen, Grandma let out a cold laugh.

Chu Yi walked towards Grandma and Grandpa's room. No one was in there at the moment. He wanted to stay in there for a bit. Mom called out from the room, \"Water!\"

He turned back to pour a glass of water and brought it into the room.

\"You went to a classmate's house for dinner today?\" Mom asked.

\"Mm.\" Chu Yi nodded.

\"Which classmate of yours on the wrong meds would invite you over for dinner?\" Mom asked again.

Chu Yi didn't answer.

\"Be careful they're setting you up. Maybe they put some laxatives in your food and you'll have diarrhea in a bit.\" Mom said with a frown.

Chu Yi turned and walked out, entering the next room.

He sat on the small bed in a daze for a while, then bent over and took out a shoebox from under the bed.

Inside was a pair of sneakers, new ones that Mom had bought for him during the New Year. Because his current pair hadn't broken yet, he never wore them.

-Did you get scolded?

Yan Hang sent Chu Yi a message, then lay down on the sofa.

He still had to go out tomorrow to look around and see if there were any suitable jobs.

The coffee shop gig was gone, but he didn't really care. However, he still had to go out and find work. One reason was that he was running low on money, and the other was that he was bored.

Dad hadn't brought him money recently, probably because he couldn't get any.

But what Yan Hang was more concerned about was Dad's state when he looked at his phone before going out today. It was a bit different from usual.

But where it was different, he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Of course this old fox wouldn't let anyone see through him at a glance. It's just that after all these years of living like this, if anything was off, Yan Hang could still sense it.

That uneasiness that had been suppressed in his heart for a long time without surfacing was starting to emerge a bit again.

-No

Chu Yi replied to him.

Yan Hang looked at this message, wanting to chat a few more lines but unable to find an opening.

-Do you often go running at night?

Chu Yi sent another message.

-Yeah

Yan Hang looked at his own reply, also in a state of killing the conversation.

Fortunately, Chu Yi was a magical person with the ability to revive the dead.

-I also often go running at night

-I can tell, you're pretty good at running

-Are you running tonight? I'll take you, I know a good place to run

-Sure, what time and where?

-I'll come get you

-Okay

Yan Hang waited a bit, but Chu Yi didn't say anything more. He put down his phone.

He had just adjusted his position to take a nap when his phone rang again.

-Do you still have those shoes?

-....I'll go check

Yan Hang got up helplessly. Chu Yi's obsession with those shoes made him want to pick them up, wash them and keep wearing them.

-Still there

-Can you get them back?

Yan Hang stared at this line of text for a long time before finally gritting his teeth, opening the door and walking out.

There were quite a few people coming and going on the street. He could only fight a quick battle. The longer he lingered by the trash can at times like this, the more conspicuous he would be.

But taking big strides over, picking up the shoes and walking away didn't look much better either. Several people still looked over.

What the hell are you looking at! These are my own damn shoes!

Yan Hang returned to the room and threw the shoes on the ground, sending Chu Yi a voice message, \"Got them back.\"

-You really don't want them anymore?

\"No, just say what you want to do with them,\" Yan Hang said. \"It wasn't easy for me to go out and retrieve them, swallowing my pride.\"

-If you don't want them, give them to me

Yan Hang wanted to say they might be too big for him to wear, but in the end didn't say it. Adding an insole would still be better than his current pair.

-Sure, come get them tonight

-Okay, thank you

Seeing Chu Yi's serious reply, Yan Hang fell back on the sofa, \"Ah...\"

","published_time":"2024-06-04T00:00:00.000Z","paid":false,"show_flag":true,"show_scheduled_time":"2024-05-21T00:00:00.000Z","unpaid_scheduled_time":"2024-06-04T00:00:00.000Z"},{"content_id":651,"novel_id":11,"chapter_no":9,"chapter_title":"Chapter 9","content":"

Yan Hang doesn't eat very regularly, especially on days when he's idle at home and his dad's whereabouts are unknown. He just eats a bit whenever he feels like it or gets hungry.

Today, it was quite touching that he could fall asleep on the sofa. So the two times he was about to wake up, he sang a lullaby in his heart, coaxing himself to continue sleeping.

When he finally woke up, it was almost nine o'clock. He picked up his phone and took a glance, there was no message from Chu Yi, so he probably didn't miss their night running appointment.

While making himself a sandwich to eat, he heard footsteps outside the door. He went to the peephole and took a look outside, seeing Chu Yi who was rubbing the soles of his shoes on the edge of the steps with his head down.

However, Yan Hang almost didn't recognize that it was Chu Yi. He wasn't wearing the unchanging school uniform for once, but a set of sportswear.

Yan Hang didn't open the door directly. He ate his sandwich while watching Chu Yi with great interest through the peephole.

Chu Yi rubbed the soles of his shoes on the steps for about a minute, as if he had stepped in poop. In the end, he even leaned against the wall and lifted his own foot to look at the sole.

After examining the sole, he stood there in a daze for a while. He straightened up and pulled his jacket sleeves, then bent down to tug at his pant legs. Finally, he reached out and knocked on the door.

\"Who is it?\" Yan Hang took a bite of his sandwich.

\"Chu Yi,\" Chu Yi replied.

\"Who's Chu Yi?\" Yan Hang asked.

\"The person who came to take you to see, see a doctor,\" Chu Yi said.

\"Get lost,\" Yan Hang laughed, Chu Yi's reactions were often surprisingly quick. \"What illness do I need to see a doctor for?\"

\"Am, amnesia,\" Chu Yi replied seriously. \"Open, the door, don't, don't neglect an illness.\"

Yan Hang opened the door with a laugh, \"You just never miss a chance to joke around whenever you get one with me, huh?\"

\"Yeah,\" Chu Yi nodded, glancing at the sandwich in his hand. \"You're going to eat before, running?\"

\"Who knew when you were coming,\" Yan Hang said. \"I haven't had dinner yet.\"

\"Then...\" Chu Yi hesitated a bit, \"Why don't we take a walk first?\"

\"It's fine,\" Yan Hang took a sip of water. \"It's just a small sandwich, even a cat would disdain it for being too small if you gave it to them.\"

Chu Yi smiled as he stood at the door.

\"Come in first, I'll change clothes.\" Yan Hang said.

\"Oh.\" Chu Yi responded but didn't move.

\"Did you step in poop?\" Yan Hang looked at him.

\"No.\" Chu Yi said.

\"Then what's wrong with you,\" Yan Hang said, \"I just saw you rubbing endlessly at the door.\"

\"You were peeping, at me?\" Chu Yi was a bit surprised.

\"Yeah, so what,\" Yan Hang nodded, \"I watched for quite a while too.\"

Chu Yi was stunned for a moment, then sighed and looked down at his shoes, \"I rubbed, rubbed a hole in the sole.\"

\"That's not rubbing a hole,\" Yan Hang said, \"That's already having a hole... Those shoes of mine are over there, try them. Don't let the soles of these worn-out shoes fall off later.\"

\"Mm.\" Chu Yi hesitated for a moment, took off his own shoes, picked up the pair of shoes placed to the side, and put one on.

\"Too big?\" Yan Hang asked, \"I have insoles here.\"

\"A little.\" Chu Yi said.

Yan Hang didn't say anything. He went back to the room, rummaged around, found a pair of insoles and gave them to Chu Yi, \"These are quite thick, if it doesn't work, add another pair.\"

\"It's about, right now.\" Chu Yi felt a bit embarrassed.

Yan Hang looked at the shoes Chu Yi had taken off. Although the shoes were quite old, the soles were still fairly thick, yet they were worn through?

\"Didn't you say you have new shoes?\" He went over and picked up the shoe that Chu Yi had lifted earlier to examine the sole.

\"Put away for half, half a year,\" Chu Yi said softly, \"Seems to have gotten a bit small.\"

\"Your feet can grow that much in half a year?\" Yan Hang put down the shoe. The soles of these shoes were worn quite badly, but the reason for wearing through was probably stepping on something, or an abrupt stop.

This good-for-nothing was probably chased by someone again.

Chu Yi sighed again, \"When bought, they were already a bit, a bit small.\"

Yan Hang looked at him.

\"On sale,\" Chu Yi explained, \"Didn't have, my size.\"

\"Is your mom saving money to buy an aircraft carrier?\" Yan Hang said.

\"Probably to buy, a house.\" Chu Yi said.

\"Oh,\" Yan Hang was a bit at a loss for words. \"I'll change clothes.\"

When he came out after changing into sportswear, Chu Yi had already put on the shoes. They looked okay, just... Yan Hang looked at his pant legs that had ridden up.

\"Are these pants also...\" Yan Hang said halfway, then saw his sleeves, \"Was this set of clothes also bought on sale without your size?\"

\"My legs, are too, too long.\" Chu Yi stretched his legs out in front of him.

Yan Hang laughed, \"No matter how long, how tall are you in total?\"

Chu Yi didn't speak and glanced at the top of his head.

\"What,\" Yan Hang walked over, Chu Yi was about up to his chest, \"I'm 183cm, you want to compare with me?\"

\"You were 183, the moment you were, were born?\" Chu Yi said, \"Impressive.\"

\"Believe it or not, I'll smack you.\" Yan Hang pointed at him.

\"Thanks.\" Chu Yi smiled.

\"Thanks for what?\" Yan Hang was stunned.

Chu Yi lowered his head to look at the shoes on his feet, then bent down to tug at his pant legs.

\"It's better to just pull them up, it's not cold now anyway,\" Yan Hang squatted down and pulled his pant legs up to near his calves, \"Same with your sleeves.\"

\"Huh?\" Chu Yi didn't understand.

Yan Hang took his hand and pushed up the sleeves on both his hands, \"This way it's not noticeable that they're small.\"

\"Oh.\" Chu Yi had a look of sudden realization.

\"Let's go, for our run.\" Yan Hang said.

Chu Yi had injuries on his hands, but he didn't ask more. Anyway, it was always those same things - being chased by people, getting away or not getting away.

This was Chu Yi's life. He was just a passerby, how much could he manage.

If he hadn't seen Chu Yi being bullied for several days in a row, just occasionally, he probably wouldn't even remember seeing such a scene after half an hour.

Chu Yi led him, not running in the direction he usually went in and out, but a fork in the opposite direction.

Yan Hang ran side by side with him. He had only strolled around here once when he first arrived. After running past two intersections, there were fewer people on the road, and joggers could be seen on the sidewalk.

\"You...\" Yan Hang turned his head and found Chu Yi was about three steps away from him, close to the wall. The sidewalk was narrow before, so it wasn't obvious, but this section of the sidewalk was very wide, with half of it being a bicycle lane, yet he was still sticking to the edge.

\"Hmm?\" Chu Yi responded.

Yan Hang went over, grabbed his clothes on the shoulder and pulled him out, \"Do you usually run on this road?\"

\"Yes,\" Chu Yi pointed ahead, \"Turn, turn in front and run in circles.\"

Yan Hang laughed when he heard that, \"People who don't know would think you'd be out of breath after running for five minutes.\"

\"I can, I can even jump.\" Chu Yi looked to be in a good mood, saying while jumping and running forward.

\"How are these shoes?\" Yan Hang asked.

\"Comfortable,\" Chu Yi said, \"Really, so comfortable.\"

Yan Hang smiled.

It could be seen that Chu Yi often ran. Plus, he usually had to run when escaping or rushing home. He ran three laps with Yan Hang, adjusting his breathing very well, not even panting much.

It was the first time Yan Hang ran with someone. Usually when running, if someone got close to him, he would feel awkward. But today, it surprisingly felt okay.

Most of the time, Chu Yi ran silently and happily, occasionally saying a word or two.

It wasn't so lonely anymore.

After running fast and slow for half an hour, the two of them stopped and walked along the road.

\"I'll treat, treat you to, water.\" Chu Yi said.

\"Let me treat you,\" Yan Hang said, \"You can't even afford two bowls of noodles.\"

\"Today I, can,\" Chu Yi smiled, \"Got my, allowance.\"

\"How much?\" Yan Hang asked.

\"Enough to buy you, water.\" Chu Yi patted his pocket.

\"I don't drink plain water,\" Yan Hang raised his eyebrows, \"I want something sweet, iced black tea.\"

\"No, problem.\" Chu Yi also raised his eyebrows, \"Have, money.\"

Chu Yi went to the nearby mini-mart and bought two bottles of iced black tea, then brought him to sit on a bench next to the greenery.

\"Big spender.\" Yan Hang twisted open the cap and took a sip.

\"Very, very big, spender.\" Chu Yi said.

Yan Hang laughed for a while. After drinking a couple more sips of iced black tea, he suddenly noticed there seemed to be shimmering water in front of the railing.

\"No way? Is that the river?\" He stood up and walked to the railing. It really was a river, but obviously cleaner than the one by the tree hole, and with more water.

\"Mm,\" Chu Yi walked over and sat on the railing, \"This is the up, upstream.\"

\"Then why don't you come here to find a tree hole to mutter in.\" Yan Hang leaned against the railing.

\"Too many people.\" Chu Yi said.

\"Not everyone...\" Yan Hang glanced at him, \"will bully you.\"

\"Used to it.\" Chu Yi smiled.

\"Actually, I don't like crowded places either,\" Yan Hang said, \"except when I'm working.\"

\"Why, did you stop, stop going to school?\" Chu Yi asked.

\"Basically never went,\" Yan Hang said, \"Anyway, I never stay anywhere for long.\"

Chu Yi looked at him for a long time without saying anything.

Yan Hang took out a cigarette from his pocket and held it in his mouth. When he went to take out his lighter, he felt a coin, took it out, looked at it and smiled, \"Chu Yi.\"

\"Hmm?\" Chu Yi looked at him.

\"Let me show you a magic trick,\" Yan Hang said, \"My dad taught me, a divine skill for picking up chicks.\"

\"Did you, pick any up?\" Chu Yi asked.

Yan Hang looked at him.

\"No?\" Chu Yi said.

Yan Hang clicked his tongue.

\"Well I'm, I'm not a, chick either.\" Chu Yi said.

\"I said I'll show you a magic trick, did I fucking say I want to pick you up?\" Yan Hang said.

\"Then,\" Chu Yi said with a smile, \"when you pick, pick up chicks, do you say, I want to pick, you up?\"

\"Do you know why you stutter?\" Yan Hang said.

\"I know,\" Chu Yi nodded, \"Too, cheeky.\"

\"If you know then shut up!\" Yan Hang held out his hand, took off the ring on his little finger, turned his hand over and gently clenched his fist, putting the coin between his fingers, \"Watch closely.\"

\"Okay.\" Chu Yi stared intently at the coin.

Yan Hang gently moved his fingers, and the coin flipped from between his index and middle fingers to between his middle and ring fingers. With another slight movement, the coin flipped to between his ring and little fingers.

\"I, can do it too,\" Chu Yi said, \"and not, not in slow, motion.\"

Yan Hang glanced at him without saying anything, sped up, and the coin continuously flipped back and forth. Seeing Chu Yi open his mouth to speak, he pointed at Chu Yi.

Chu Yi closed his mouth and continued to stare.

The coin rolled back and forth between his fingers faster and faster, then with a flick of Yan Hang's hand, the coin disappeared from beside his little finger.

Chu Yi reacted so quickly that even Yan Hang was a bit surprised. He grabbed Yan Hang's wrist and stuck his fingers into his cuff to feel around.

\"Is it there?\" Yan Hang curled his lips.

\"No,\" Chu Yi looked at him, \"Shouldn't I, I ask, where, where did it go?\"

\"Mm.\" Yan Hang nodded.

\"Where, did it go?\" Chu Yi asked.

Yan Hang suddenly thrust his hand in front of his eyes, his fingers slipped, and the coin was pinched between his index and middle fingers, \"Here it is.\"

\"Wow!\" Chu Yi exclaimed, paused for a moment and added, \"I'm not, not acting.\"

\"One more time?\" Yan Hang looked at him.

Chu Yi nodded.

Yan Hang rolled up his sleeves, exposing his arms, and placed the coin between his fingers.

Just as Chu Yi was about to focus and stare, with a flick of his hand, the coin disappeared.

\"Huh?\" Chu Yi was stunned.

\"Quick, ask.\" Yan Hang clapped his hands and held his palms out to him.

\"Where did it go?\" Chu Yi didn't even have time to stutter.

Yan Hang reached out and lightly tapped his chest, then flipped his palm, and the coin was already lying in his palm, \"Here it is.\"

\"If you pick, pick up chicks like this,\" Chu Yi looked at the coin and touched his chest, \"won't you get, beaten up?\"

Yan Hang didn't say anything, took out a band-aid from his pocket, quickly tore it open and stuck it on his mouth.

Chu Yi touched his mouth and laughed.

\"Did you see clearly how it changed this time?\" Yan Hang asked.

Chu Yi shook his head.

\"That's right, you can't see it clearly,\" Yan Hang tossed the coin in his hand, \"Do you know why?\"

Chu Yi continued to shake his head.

\"Because it's not an ordinary coin, it's a...\" Yan Hang said, \"a lucky coin.\"

At first, Chu Yi was stunned, then he tore off the band-aid on his mouth and burst into laughter, laughing so hard his voice cracked.

\"What's so funny,\" Yan Hang watched him laugh and smiled, \"Here.\"

Chu Yi kept laughing as he looked at him: \"Huh?\"

\"This is for you,\" Yan Hang said, \"My dad always tells me that coins are talismans, because they are everywhere, always there.\"

Chu Yi hadn't caught his breath yet. After taking the coin, he stared at it for a good while before raising his eyes: \"Really?\"

\"Really.\" Yan Hang nodded.

\"You, you can't,\" Chu Yi said softly, \"stay, stay here, for, for long either.\"

Yan Hang didn't say anything, just patted him on the shoulder.

Chu Yi also fell silent, put the coin in his pocket, and squeezed it through his clothes.

As they slowly strolled back, Chu Yi took the coin out of his pocket: \"Lucky, coin.\"

\"Yeah, lucky coin.\" Yan Hang said.

Chu Yi turned his head: \"Yan Hang.\"

\"What's up.\" Yan Hang asked.

\"Where, where are you from?\" Chu Yi asked.

\"From many places.\" Yan Hang smiled.

\"Then where, where is your hometown?\" Chu Yi asked again.

Yan Hang looked at him. This question wasn't particularly easy to answer. In his mind, there wasn't even a place name that would reflexively appear like for many people.

\"Where, is, your hometown?\" Chu Yi probably thought he didn't hear clearly.

\"Hometown,\" Yan Hang took a breath, looked up at the night sky, and slowly exhaled, \"I am my hometown.\"

When they parted ways at the intersection, Chu Yi took out the coin again: \"Do you, have more? Luck?\"

\"What luck.\" Yan Hang said.

\"Lucky coins.\" Chu Yi said.

\"Yes,\" Yan Hang nodded, \"That's why it's a talisman, it's everywhere.\"

\"Mm,\" Chu Yi put the coin back, \"Good night.\"

\"Good night.\" Yan Hang said.

When Yan Hang got home, his dad wasn't there, but as soon as he opened the door, he saw an envelope on the table.

His dad had come back and left again.

He was very familiar with this envelope. The paper edges were frayed and the four corners were curled. Every time he saw this envelope, his heart would feel a rush of panic.

\"If I don't come back for half a month, then open it.\" His dad said.

Over the years, he had seen this envelope several times. Although his dad always came back within half a month and he never had a chance to open it.

But he didn't want to open it, he didn't even want to see it.

Yan Hang took an English book that he wouldn't be reading recently, flipped it open to tuck the envelope inside, and then shoved it under the coffee table.

The more out of sight, the better.

When Chu Yi got home, only his mom and grandma smoking a cigarette were in the living room.

\"Where did you get those shoes?\" His mom immediately noticed the shoes on his feet.

\"From a classmate.\" Chu Yi took off the shoes.

\"New or old?\" His mom walked over and picked up the shoes to look, \"Oh, they're NBs.\"

\"Mm,\" Chu Yi responded softly, \"Old.\"

\"What about the original pair?\" His mom looked at him.

\"The soles, fell, fell off,\" Chu Yi said quietly, \"Sold them.\"

Those shoes shouldn't have been thrown away, they should have been brought back. Grandma sells junk every month and even saves medicine boxes. But he really couldn't take the shoes back in front of Yan Hang.

\"How much did you sell them for?\" His mom immediately asked.

\"Ten yuan.\" Chu Yi said.

\"You could have gotten at least 15! The soles are rubber,\" his mom frowned, \"Forget it, ten is fine, keep the money for your own use.\"

\"Mm.\" Chu Yi responded.

\"I told you, wasteful thing!\" Grandma was very dissatisfied with the cigarette in her mouth, \"Ten yuan! What's ten yuan enough for!\"

\"Your pile of cardboard boxes can't even sell for ten,\" Mom said irritably, \"Every day just harping on about money money money money!\"

\"If I don't harp on about money will you give me money? You have money? Hurry up and buy a house so you don't have to listen to me go on about money money money!\" Grandma pointed at Mom.

\"I ran to two construction sites yesterday,\" Mom sat back on the sofa, \"With the current housing prices, it's crazy, houses in Hexi are almost 20,000 per square meter!\"

\"Don't even think about houses in the city center, suburbs! County town! Anywhere works! His dad has a car, convenient for commuting,\" Grandma tsk-tsked, \"Are you insisting on buying there just because Er Ping bought a house in Hexi?\"

\"Bullshit!\" Mom said.

\"She's just relying on her dad to get her money, you watch, sooner or later she'll lose it all.\" Grandma said.

\"I think so too.\" Mom took a sip of tea.

Chu Yi sprawled on the desk, took out his phone, turned the screen to the dimmest setting, trying his best not to let his mom and grandma notice his existence.

He painstakingly opened WeChat, took ten thousand years to click into Moments, and waited another three thousand years before finally seeing the contents of Moments.

Luckily, today Brother Xingtian's Moments post was the first one.

It was still an incomprehensible advanced English Moments post.

With a picture attached.

Chu Yi clicked several times to confirm that it was just a completely black image, not that it hadn't loaded.

-the fear from deep within

","published_time":"2024-06-11T00:00:00.000Z","paid":false,"show_flag":true,"show_scheduled_time":"2024-05-21T00:00:00.000Z","unpaid_scheduled_time":"2024-06-11T00:00:00.000Z"},{"content_id":683,"novel_id":11,"chapter_no":10,"chapter_title":"Chapter 10","content":"

On the first day of school, he was a bit nervous when he left home in the morning. He knew that generally speaking, hoodlums like Liang Bing wouldn't get up this early, but if he hadn't slept at all, then it was hard to say.

When he walked out of the building, he looked left and right.

His mom also left for work today, following behind him: \"Why aren't you going? What are you dawdling here for!\"

\"Mm.\" Chu Yi responded.

His mom didn't pay him any more attention and rode off on her bicycle.

Chu Yi quickly walked out, not taking his usual route, but making a small detour to reach the main street from another intersection before heading towards school.

His mom paid no attention to his behavior, perhaps not even noticing.

But it had been many years since he told his family about constantly being bullied. How long had it been... probably since kindergarten?

After Grandma fought the principal at the kindergarten bare-chested, even if he was hit by other kids, he wouldn't make a peep.

But Grandma would still find out somehow, and even if she didn't, someone would run and tell her, just to provoke her into making a scene for their amusement.

Then when he got home, Grandma would scold him, Grandpa would pretend not to hear, Mom would mock him, and Dad... if Dad was home, he would buy him some food or things to comfort him.

Chu Yi knew from a young age that it was unlikely to get help or a sense of security from home. He had to face and resolve all these things on his own.

When resistance was futile and friendly communication failed, the only solution he could think of was silence and endurance, trying to make himself inconspicuous. For example, he was still wearing his old school uniform today.

Someone who wore old uniforms year-round would definitely stir up some trouble if he suddenly wore an ill-fitting new tracksuit.

Fortunately, he had gotten used to this invisible state after a long time.

The first time he saw the masked Yan Hang brazenly live-streaming while taking down Li Zihao and the others, his shock was indescribable.

He probably would never have Yan Hang's aura in this lifetime.

Fully confident swagger.

He didn't need Yan Hang's protection, but still wanted to get close to him. Beneath Yan Hang's brash exterior was a calm and easygoing person.

It had been a long time since anyone had spoken to him like that, very ordinary, extremely ordinary and mundane interactions.

Moreover, Yan Hang was different from his classmates. He had a unique quality that Chu Yi had never seen before.

Something that neither good students nor bad students had.

It was a pity.

If only he hadn't gotten close to Yan Hang in the first place, then he wouldn't have to worry about the fact that Yan Hang would leave someday.

Gaining something and then losing it - no, gaining something while knowing you will lose it but not knowing when, is more disappointing than never having it at all.

\"Chu Yi!\" Someone called out behind him.

Chu Yi kept his head down and didn't react. He didn't need to look to know it was Li Zihao from the voice.

It was a busy street with many people going to work and school. Li Zihao wouldn't do anything to him, at most mock him a few times, so he just needed to stay silent.

He didn't even need to run.

\"Deaf?\" Li Zihao slid up next to him on his bicycle. \"Didn't have your boss escort you to school?\"

Chu Yi kept walking forward.

\"Does your boss think hitting me once means it's over?\" Li Zihao said.

Hit?

Yan Hang hit Li Zihao?

Chu Yi was a bit surprised.

\"If it weren't for my dad stopping me,\" Li Zihao said, \"you think he could have had it so easy these past two days?\"

Chu Yi couldn't help glancing at Li Zihao.

\"He's just a waiter in my dad's shop, what's he so cocky about!\" Li Zihao sneered viciously. \"Now he's been fired, who knows which restaurant he's gone to wash dishes at!\"

Li Zihao's dad ran a coffee shop on this street. Most of their schoolmates knew about it. But Chu Yi didn't expect that the place Yan Hang worked at would be Li Zihao's family's shop.

And he hit Li Zihao?

Then got fired?

\"Did you hear me!\" Li Zihao reached out and smacked Chu Yi on the head.

Chu Yi abruptly stopped walking.

\"What?\" Li Zihao looked at him in shock. \"Oho, you want to fight me?\"

Chu Yi didn't make a sound. After a pause, he continued walking forward.

Li Zihao was alone, unlike usual when he had a few people with him, so his aura wasn't as strong. When Chu Yi didn't respond, he lost interest and rode off on his own.

After watching Li Zihao disappear, only then did Chu Yi stop walking again. He bent over, hands on knees, taking a few deep breaths.

Li Zihao was surprised, and he himself was surprised too.

It had been a long time since he felt this way, wanting to grab something and smash it on Li Zihao's head.

For so many years, he had long gotten used to and accepted this kind of life. He had also found a way to at least protect himself at this stage.

No matter what kind of humiliation or harm he faced, he could remain calm.

This was a part of his life. If he couldn't keep himself calm, then there would be no way to carry on living.

But today, his emotions suddenly fluctuated so much that it startled even himself.

Yan Hang didn't sleep all night. Only after dawn did he doze off for a bit, but it didn't last long, no more than an hour.

His whole body ached from lying down. He had no choice but to get out of bed.

The peak commute time for work and school had passed. Standing at the window and looking out, there were very few people on the street now.

The sunshine was nice though, and there was a hint of warmth in the air.

After washing up, he felt a bit more clear-headed. Yan Hang changed clothes and went out.

He made a round, buying toast, eggs, black pepper and ketchup.

After returning home, he made himself an exquisite egg toast, poured a glass of milk, and sat on the windowsill to eat it slowly and methodically.

When bored or in a bad mood, doing something meticulously could relieve quite a bit.

That's what Dad said.

Usually this trick worked passably well, but today... it was just so-so.

After eating the egg toast, he still felt very down.

After all, it was different from the usual state he was accustomed to.

That letter hidden under the coffee table was like a jar covering his head.

After finishing breakfast, he went out again, planning to wander around nearby and see if there were any suitable places to work part-time.

That commercial street with the coffee shop was still quite bustling. The other day, Chu Yi couldn't go to the other side of the bridge to stroll around because he was treasure hunting in the river.

Today, he wandered over and found it to be quite nice.

Fashionable.

Yan Hang had a clear target when looking for a part-time job - something related to Western cuisine. He had always wanted to do Western food. Although he didn't have the means now, he would try his best to keep himself in this kind of environment. What he saw, heard, and came into contact with were all related to what he wanted to do. He could learn quite a lot.

Next to the commercial plaza was a very trendy street with all kinds of Chinese and Western restaurants. Yan Hang turned in and strolled slowly.

After walking halfway down the street, he saw a Western restaurant hiring servers.

He went in.

This afternoon after school, it was the first time Chu Yi went home alone.

Li Zihao didn't trouble him. The others who usually accompanied him home either received information from Li Zihao or just followed him from a distance without approaching.

Chu Yi even felt a bit unaccustomed.

When passing by Yan Hang's home, he hesitated for a moment before crossing the street.

The curtains were drawn at Yan Hang's place. He went over and gently knocked on the door, but no one responded inside.

Chu Yi persisted and knocked twice more. After confirming no one was home, he turned around disappointedly and walked back with his head down.

After just a couple of steps, a leg stretched out in front of him, blocking his way.

He recognized the shoes at a glance - they were Yan Hang's.

Yan Hang was probably a fan of NB. All his shoes were NB.

\"Toll fee,\" Yan Hang said, extending his hand in front of Chu Yi.

Chu Yi rummaged in his pocket, took out a one yuan bill, and placed it in Yan Hang's hand.

\"Aren't you loaded?\" Yan Hang said.

\"This is pu-, public area,\" Chu Yi pointed at the ground beneath his feet. \"If you want more, go ro-, rob a few more places.\"

Yan Hang laughed, \"Have you eaten?\"

\"Eating at ho-, home,\" Chu Yi smiled. \"Did you go sho-, shopping?\"

\"No,\" Yan Hang said. \"Went to find a job.\"

\"Did you fi-, find one?\" Chu Yi immediately asked.

\"Nonsense. I'm not looking for some awesome job. How could I not find a server position?\" Yan Hang put a cigarette between his lips. \"A Western restaurant over there. I'll take you to eat sometime.\"

Chu Yi nodded. After thinking for a bit, he asked very hesitantly in a low voice, \"Did you be-, be-, beat up Li-, Zihao?\"

\"Hmm, I beat beat beat beat him, probably three or four times.\" Yan Hang counted on his fingers. After a while, he looked at Chu Yi, \"Who's Li Zihao?\"

\"The one that da-, day...\" Chu Yi pointed at the street across from them.

\"So his name is Li Zihao,\" Yan Hang said. \"Yeah I beat him. He was asking for it, coming to provoke me. I'd feel bad if I didn't give him a good thrashing.\"

\"So you, lost your jo-, job.\" Chu Yi sighed.

\"I lose my job several times a year,\" Yan Hang said. \"You'll have to sigh at least eight more times.\"

Chu Yi looked at him.

\"Besides, it's none of your business. What are you upset about?\" Yan Hang said. \"When I fight, I fight big. Whoever I don't like the look of, I beat them. There doesn't necessarily have to be a reason.\"

\"I really en-, envy you.\" Chu Yi said.

\"Envy what?\" Yan Hang asked. \"Fighting?\"

\"No, no-, not that,\" Chu Yi looked at him. \"You're very, free.\"

Yan Hang also looked at him. For a long time, he didn't say anything. Finally, he smiled and patted Chu Yi lightly on the arm, \"You don't understand shit. Go home and eat. If you're late again, you'll get an earful.\"

Chu Yi got home without being late. Mom was cooking in the kitchen, and it smelled quite fragrant.

He put down his schoolbag and went into the kitchen. Before Mom could say anything, he washed the bowl that had just been used to beat eggs.

\"Go do your homework,\" Mom said. \"I'm almost done here. If you had come back a bit later, I could have fed you the meal directly.\"

Chu Yi didn't make a sound. He tied up the already full garbage bag, found a plastic bag to put over the garbage can, and then walked out of the kitchen.

Grandma was too busy to pay attention to him today. She sat on the sofa making a phone call, \"Go make a scene. Without making a fuss two or three times, who will take care of this for you... What few working days, don't believe them! They're just deceiving us common folk... I'm telling you, just go make a scene! Sit on the floor of their lobby! See if they ignore you then!\"

Chu Yi went into his room and sat on his bed.

The sportswear from yesterday hadn't been washed yet. When he went to get it to wash, he found that the change from the pockets had been taken out and placed on the bedside table.

He froze. Without even judging if any money was missing, he reached over and rummaged through it. After confirming there were no 1 jiao coins in the pile of change, he suddenly jumped up.

The only people at home who would touch the money in his pockets were Mom and Grandma.

Grandma was on the phone... Even if she wasn't, he wouldn't have the courage to ask her. He could only go into the kitchen, \"Mom.\"

\"What?\" Mom said impatiently.

\"The mo-, money in my spo-, sportswear po-, po-, pocket...\" Chu Yi asked in a low voice. \"Was it, was it, was...\"

\"I took six yuan to buy soy sauce at the convenience store. Short six yuan,\" Mom said, turning her head towards the living room and raising her voice. \"Your grandma doesn't even have six yuan in change! So I took yours.\"

Chu Yi didn't say anything. He turned and ran out of the kitchen. Without even changing shoes or telling Grandma where he was going, he rushed out the door.

He didn't mind at all if Mom took his pocket money. After all, the pocket money was given to him by Mom in the first place.

But the six yuan today was not okay. Six yuan - a five yuan bill, and one must be a 1 jiao coin.

This wasn't an ordinary 1 jiao coin. This was a lucky coin Yan Hang gave him!

Although Yan Hang said all 1 jiao coins were lucky coins, this 1 jiao coin wasn't an ordinary lucky coin. It was a spiritual lucky coin.

Chu Yi ran all the way to the convenience store without even catching his breath. He slapped the counter, \"1 jiao coin!\"

\"Hey, what are you doing!\" The boss was startled by him.

\"My mom just bought, soy sauce!\" Chu Yi rarely felt that his stutter was inconvenient. He just needed to say fewer words or speak slower. Only now did he experience how anxious stuttering could make someone. \"Wasn't there, a 1 jiao coin!\"

The boss rummaged through his change box, looking a bit puzzled, \"There probably was. I just put away the money. There's only a bit over 20 yuan here, and just this one 1 jiao coin.\"

\"Give it to me!\" Chu Yi shouted. He took out a one yuan bill from his pocket. \"Give you, this one.\"

\"Why so anxious,\" the boss took out that 1 jiao coin and looked at it. \"If people didn't know better, they'd think this was a gold coin of yours.\"

Chu Yi took the coin back from the boss's hand, lowered his head to take a careful look. Actually, there was no special marking on this coin. He could only feel fortunate that the boss only collected this one coin at the moment.

\"Thank you,\" Chu Yi said, \"Sor, sorry, to trouble.\"

\"No worries, no worries,\" the boss said, \"Why are you sweating so anxiously over this?\"

It's a lucky coin! How could he not be anxious?

Chu Yi gripped this lucky coin tightly and returned home.

As soon as he entered the door, Grandma pointed at him and scolded him relentlessly. He didn't feel much anymore. Anyway, when Grandma scolded him, he usually didn't think too much.

Only after putting the coin into the pencil case did he feel at ease. He lay on the bed, not wanting to move at all.

The sky gradually darkened.

He slept for a while at noon. When he woke up, it was past three o'clock. Yan Hang just sat on the windowsill for a few hours, staring at the distant sky.

Sometimes, when you stare long enough, you can see the change in every frame as the sky goes from light to dark, and you can even see a slight stutter during the light-dark transition.

Perhaps only someone as bored and uneasy as him would make such meaningless observations.

After the evening rush hour, the people and vehicles coming and going on the street disappeared bit by bit into the night, and it became a bit empty in front of his eyes.

Surprisingly, he didn't see Chu Yi when school let out in the afternoon.

He jumped off the windowsill and sent Chu Yi a message.

-You didn't go home?

-I did, took another route.

-Oh, thought you got stuck again.

Yan Hang took a sip of water, pondering if he should make something to eat for dinner. Chu Yi's message came again.

-Are you going for a run tonight? I'll come find you.

-What time?

-Maybe 10 o'clock. I have to finish my homework before I can go out.

-No problem, even midnight is fine.

-Then wait for me.

-Okay.

Wait.

This word has a different meaning for Yan Hang.

He has always been waiting.

Waiting to set off, waiting to arrive, waiting for Dad to come back, waiting to face a new environment.

Waiting for the day he can stop.

Waiting for the day Dad can tell him why.

He didn't have lunch. Yan Hang felt a bit hungry now. Looks like he still needs to have dinner.

He looked at the ingredients in the fridge - cheese, butter, onions, potatoes, bacon, quite complete.

Let's make a bacon casserole.

He turned on the live broadcast on his phone, as was his old habit. He set up the phone, put on a mask, lowered his head and started cooking without saying a word.

A few old fans were still chatting enthusiastically on the screen.

-I'll lick those hands in respect first.

-Is the handsome guy not here today?

-First day without the handsome guy, miss him.

-Brother Xiao Tian seems in low spirits today.

-You can tell his mood even with such a big mask?

\"The rice is leftover from yesterday,\" Yan Hang picked up the pot and put the butter in, \"After the butter melts, just throw in whatever you want to eat...\"

-Rough.

-Very jianghu style.

\"Then stir stir stir mix mix mix...\" Yan Hang poured the ingredients and rice into the pot.

-Thought you started stuttering too.

-Infected by the handsome guy? 233333

Yan Hang smiled, \"After mixing it all evenly, pour it into a bowl and press it down, then sprinkle shredded cheese on top... Okay, bake it at 180 degrees for 15 minutes and it's ready to eat.\"

He exited the live broadcast and tossed his phone aside.

He stared at the rice and dishes in the bowl for a long time.

Only when there was a sound from the door did he suddenly turn his head and pick up the knife beside him.

He didn't know why he had such a reaction, but under Dad's intentional or unintentional training, such reactions had become ingrained in his body, just like those vague uneasiness.

\"My dear crown prince!\" Dad's voice came from the living room, \"Baby, are you home?\"

Yan Hang put down the knife and walked out of the kitchen, \"Making dinner.\"

\"Is there any for me?\" Dad kicked his shoes aside and asked.

\"Casserole, want some?\" Yan Hang looked at him and felt Dad looked exhausted.

\"Yes,\" Dad walked up to him and stared at him for a long time, \"Hang ah.\"

\"Hmm.\" Yan Hang responded.

\"Suddenly feel you've grown up.\" Dad said.

\"Then you're a bit slow,\" Yan Hang said, \"I feel I've never been young.\"

Dad started laughing. After laughing for a while, he opened his arms and hugged Yan Hang, \"I've always felt I've let you down.\"

Yan Hang paused, then also hugged Dad, and quickly felt him up and down.

\"No injuries.\" Dad said.

Yan Hang hugged Dad. After a moment of silence, he still couldn't hold back those words, \"Dad.\"

\"Hmm?\" Dad patted his back.

\"I'm scared.\" Yan Hang said softly.

","published_time":"2024-06-18T00:00:00.000Z","paid":false,"show_flag":true,"show_scheduled_time":"2024-05-28T00:00:00.000Z","unpaid_scheduled_time":"2024-06-18T00:00:00.000Z"},{"content_id":715,"novel_id":11,"chapter_no":11,"chapter_title":"Chapter 11","content":"

Fear.

The emotion that Yan Hang had always been unwilling to face.

Very afraid.

Every time he was left alone in the house, every time he left an unfamiliar city that he hadn't gotten used to yet, every time he looked forward and saw nothing, and looking back was also a blank slate.

All his emotions rose and fell due to his father's appearance and disappearance.

Except for the present, his father had never mentioned a single word about the future or the past, and he could only try hard to tell himself that he didn't need anything.

They were just a pair of father and son who walked flamboyantly in this world, wandering around, living arrogantly and willfully, not affected by even a bit of worldly influence.

Freedom.

That's what Chu Yi envied.

Actually, what Chu Yi envied was just in his imagination.

No origin, no destination, such freedom, would anyone really envy it?

Yan Hang went into the kitchen and made another meal, adding curry. Dad liked curry. After sprinkling cheese, he put it in the oven together.

After adjusting the temperature and time, he stood in front of the oven in a daze.

No matter what, as long as Dad was here, he would still feel at ease, even if this sense of security was like the cheese on the surface of the casserole.

\"Do you still remember things from when you were little?\" Dad leaned against the kitchen doorway.

\"I don't seem to remember much from before elementary school.\" Yan Hang said. Dad suddenly bringing up this topic made him feel a little panicked. He didn't have many memories of his childhood, and seemed to have a natural resistance to it.

\"When I first took you out, you couldn't even cook the noodles through. The two of us, you cooked a big pot, the water was all dried up, and the noodles were still raw.\" Dad smiled.

\"Ah,\" Yan Hang thought about it and also laughed, turning his head to look at his dad, \"You didn't teach me either.\"

\"I didn't know how myself, how could I teach you? You really became self-taught when it comes to cooking, without even a mentor,\" Dad said as he lit a cigarette, \"Want one?\"

\"What are you smoking while cooking?\" Yan Hang said.

\"So particular.\" Dad said with a smile.

Afterwards, there was another long silence. When the oven made a ding sound, Yan Hang looked back. Dad was still leaning against the kitchen doorway, but when he turned around, Dad actually didn't notice, staring out the window in a daze.

\"It's ready.\" Yan Hang said.

\"Smells good.\" Dad sniffed and turned to sit on the sofa in the living room.

Yan Hang brought the casserole out and placed it on the coffee table, sitting down beside him.

The TV was playing local news. The two of them each held a bowl, sitting on the sofa eating while watching TV. This was a fixed scene in Yan Hang's memory for many years.

Usually they didn't talk. After finishing the meal and savoring it for a while, sometimes Yan Hang would go wash the bowls after savoring, sometimes he would throw them until the next day. In the evening, Dad watched TV while he curled up beside him playing with his phone or reading a book. He would also let Dad say a few casual words, and he would translate them into English.

Today was the same, except that he curled up on the sofa holding a book for a long time but couldn't even finish two pages.

Dad had moved the books under the coffee table. The envelope he had tucked in the book must have been taken by Dad. It was like this every time. No matter where he hid the letter, Dad could always find it and take it away.

Of course, there were only so few places he could hide things. In an unfamiliar house, there were no corners he trusted, and things could only be hidden in his personal belongings.

Before, every time Dad took the letter away, life would return to normal.

But this time today was a bit different, still that indescribable feeling.

Yan Hang was a very sensitive person, able to perceive many details and emotions. Dad had even praised him: \"The insight of our crown prince is incomparable to ordinary people!\"

He actually wished he was an obtuse person, unable to feel anything, and thus wouldn't be afraid of anything.

Actually, he had speculated about Dad before, when he was younger, he had naively exhausted his imagination to arrange many cool professions for Dad.

Special police, special agent, undercover, assassin, ghost-catching Taoist priest...

Later, he stopped thinking about these things.

He had to face and ignore reality. Dad couldn't possibly have any profession, and the way he got money might not be respectable.

As for the reason, he could only wait.

Keep waiting, until now.

His unease reached its peak today.

Fear.

It was an emotion he had never been willing to show lightly, not even to Dad.

He was Yan Hang, the arrogant and unrestrained crown prince who had never been afraid of anyone since he was a child.

\"Do you still remember your maternal grandparents?\" Dad suddenly asked.

\"Huh?\" Yan Hang didn't react. Grandma and Grandpa, like Mom, had almost no impression, only vaguely appearing in some very unpleasant dreams.

Other than that, he never thought of them at all.

Even when he heard Dad mention Grandma, his first reaction was Chu Yi's family's white-faced old lady with caterpillar eyebrows.

\"Grandma passed away last year, Grandpa was last month,\" Dad said, \"Actually not that old.\"

Yan Hang looked at him, not knowing what to say.

He only knew that Dad was an orphan, he had no paternal grandparents. As for maternal grandparents, he had never even thought about it. Now suddenly mentioning it, he had no emotions and couldn't make any response.

\"Have I never mentioned it to you,\" Dad turned his head, \"I miss your mom very, very, very much.\"

Yan Hang was stunned.

When he said the three words \"your mom\", he saw tears in Dad's eyes.

This was the first time in his memory that he saw Dad's tears.

\"Old Yan,\" he was a bit at a loss, \"You...\"

Dad smiled and looked at him: \"You don't look like your mom at all, I can't even look at you and reminisce about her.\"

\"Isn't it just that I accidentally look too much like you.\" Yan Hang said.

Actually, he had the same thoughts as Dad before. He had looked in the mirror, trying to see if he could find any trace of Mom besides the parts that looked like Dad, but was unsuccessful.

He looked very much like Dad. Sometimes he would think, maybe Dad personally gave birth to him.

\"I probably won't go out these days,\" Dad lit a cigarette and moved his gaze back to the TV, \"I hope you won't repeat dishes when you cook every day, or else I'll break up with you.\"

\"Okay.\" Yan Hang smiled.

Around ten o'clock, Dad suddenly turned his head to look at the door, and then there was a knock on the door.

\"It's Chu Yi,\" Yan Hang said softly, \"He came to ask me to go running.\"

\"Running doesn't make you taller,\" Dad said, \"Tell him not to bother, he should jump instead, like high jump or something.\"

\"Then you tell him.\" Yan Hang stood up and opened the door.

Chu Yi was wearing a size too small tracksuit and those NB shoes, standing outside the door. According to the image Yan Hang designed for him, he pulled up his pant legs and rolled up his sleeves.

Seeing Dad, he smiled and said, \"Uncle, hello.\"

\"Going for a run?\" Dad asked.

\"Yeah.\" Chu Yi nodded.

\"Running is good, running can make you taller,\" Dad pointed at Yan Hang, \"When he was your age, he was only 1.4 meters tall...\"

\"What happened to the trust between father and son?\" Yan Hang turned his head in shock to look at his dad.

\"It was from running every day, later whoosh whoosh whoosh,\" Dad gestured, \"and he stretched out, amazing right?\"

\"Quite a-amazing.\" Chu Yi started laughing.

\"Let's go go go,\" Yan Hang changed his shoes. As he went out the door, he turned his head back, \"Are you going to have a late-night snack? There are a lot of barbecue stalls where we run.\"

\"Chicken wings, sausages, beef tripe, duck necks...\" Dad quickly listed a string of items.

Yan Hang ignored him and closed the door. He continued shouting from inside, \"See if they have salt and pepper duck tongues - remember to bring beer -\"

\"One point four meters tall.\" Chu Yi looked at him and sighed.

\"Are you looking for a beating?\" Yan Hang said.

\"I really am taller.\" Chu Yi said.

\"I can't see it, let's ignore this growth rate that's invisible to the naked eye for now.\" Yan Hang looked at the top of his head. Chu Yi's hair was a bit long, and when the wind blew, there were two tufts of hair on the top of his head that looked like they wanted to dance, probably because he didn't have money for a haircut.

\"I measured, compared to last year I'm five centimeters taller.\" Chu Yi jumped.

\"Congratulations,\" Yan Hang sincerely congratulated him, \"Then how short were you before?\"

\"Probably not much different from you back then.\" Chu Yi said.

\"Do you believe I'll join Li Zihao's team tomorrow?\" Yan Hang looked at him.

\"No, I don't believe it,\" Chu Yi shook his head, \"Li Zihao's English isn't good enough, you won't be able to communicate.\"

\"Damn,\" Yan Hang laughed, \"Are you good at English?\"

\"I don't have any subjects that I pass.\" Chu Yi answered very honestly.

\"...Then there's no hope for regular high school?\" Yan Hang thought for a bit, \"Vocational school? Technical school?\"

\"I want to work.\" Chu Yi said softly.

Yan Hang glanced at him without saying anything.

For a kid like Chu Yi, school probably doesn't have much appeal. Maybe being able to work and escape that environment is his most urgent need.

\"My mom will definitely be angry.\" Chu Yi said.

\"Your family is quite funny, they don't care about anything,\" Yan Hang said, \"but have so many demands, were you picked up? Or adopted?\"

\"No,\" Chu Yi smiled, \"I was an accident, my mom didn't want me, she originally wanted to study through self-study exams, but didn't succeed.\"

\"...Oh.\" Yan Hang was stunned for a moment, and reached out to ruffle his hair.

There were quite a lot of people at the running spot today, all well-equipped runners wearing headphones. Yan Hang felt quite comfortable looking at them, with a sense of reality.

As usual, Chu Yi ran and ran and then stayed on the side. Yan Hang went over and pulled him back to the middle of the track.

\"Want a drink?\" Chu Yi asked when they took a break after running for an hour.

\"Running every day and drinking every day,\" Yan Hang said, \"Do you have a lot of pocket money?\"

\"You treat me,\" Chu Yi said, \"I'll just drink plain water starting tomorrow.\"

Yan Hang laughed for a while, \"What do you want to drink?\"

\"Lemon tea.\" Chu Yi replied.

Yan Hang bought him lemon tea and got himself a can of Coke. As they sat by the river drinking, a big gust of wind blew over, and Chu Yi grabbed at his hair that was blown up in a mess.

Yan Hang looked at his bangs that looked like they had been gnawed by a dog, and couldn't help reaching out to smooth them down for him, only to find that they still looked gnawed and unchanged.

He hadn't noticed before that Chu Yi's hair was in this state.

He thought for a bit and asked, \"Do you often get into trouble and get your money taken?\"

\"When wandering the rivers and lakes,\" Chu Yi took a sip of lemon tea, \"How can one avoid being robbed?\"

\"Is it that your pocket money was taken so you don't have money for a haircut?\" Yan Hang asked.

\"I've always cut it myself.\" Chu Yi answered very calmly.

Yan Hang actually heard a hint of pride in his tone, \"Ah, do you think your skill is quite good?\"

\"This is layering.\" Chu Yi pinched his bangs and tugged at them.

\"Yeah,\" Yan Hang looked at him, \"Quite layered indeed.\"

Chu Yi smiled, and after a while asked a bit embarrassedly, \"Does it look bad?\"

\"I wouldn't say it looks bad, luckily your face is decent.\" Yan Hang said.

\"Anyway, usually no one looks at me.\" Chu Yi took a sip of lemon tea.

\"I look at you, running every day, I have to look at you every day,\" Yan Hang sighed, \"I happen to want to get a haircut tomorrow, let's go together.\"

Chu Yi didn't say anything.

\"I have a card,\" Yan Hang said again, \"You can use my card.\"

\"No, no need,\" Chu Yi was silent for a while before speaking, \"I can't help you with anything.\"

\"How about this then,\" Yan Hang realized that this kind of behavior that he didn't think much of would probably put pressure on Chu Yi. He took out his phone and tapped open the calendar, \"I'm starting work tomorrow, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays I get off work late, you can help me run errands and buy groceries.\"

Chu Yi glanced at him.

Yan Hang felt that he really had no experience in getting along with \"friends\".

Stiff and awkward.

So he also shut his mouth.

\"Then when you need to buy groceries,\" Chu Yi said, \"Tell me in advance.\"

\"Okay,\" Yan Hang nodded, thought for a bit and covered his eyes sighing, \"Damn, so awkward.\"

Chu Yi started laughing.

\"What are you laughing at?\" Yan Hang said.

\"Yan Hang, you're really good.\" Chu Yi said.

\"This I do know.\" Yan Hang said.

Chu Yi laughed again.

On the way back, Yan Hang went to the barbecue shop next door and looked around. They didn't have everything Dad wanted, but he still bought a lot. When they were almost home, he went to the supermarket and bought two cases of beer.

\"Want to come to my place for barbecue?\" Yan Hang looked at Chu Yi, \"I'll process these foods a bit more later.\"

\"Okay.\" Chu Yi didn't hesitate at all.

\"Straightforward,\" Yan Hang patted his shoulder, \"I like people like you.\"

\"I want to, to stay with you.\" Chu Yi said.

\"Really,\" Yan Hang laughed, \"I have to tell my dad, that magic trick can't charm girls, it can only charm little boys.\"

\"Can you teach, teach me?\" Chu Yi asked.

\"Who do you want to charm?\" Yan Hang looked at him.

\"No one,\" Chu Yi raised his hand and wiggled his fingers, \"Just think it's very, very cool.\"

\"I'll teach you later, it's very simple, just need to practice.\" Yan Hang said.

\"Okay.\" Chu Yi nodded happily, walking the whole way while raising his hand and moving his fingers back and forth.

When they got home, Dad had already cleaned up the coffee table, with the induction cooker and pan set up, which was their habit.

He and Dad both loved barbecue, but generally didn't eat out, always packing it up to bring home and heating it up themselves while eating.

\"Come, Chu Yi sit here,\" Dad got a stool for Chu Yi, \"Can you drink some beer?\"

\"Sip, sip a little.\" Chu Yi said.

\"Then you should at least sip two or three cans.\" Dad said.

\"Don't teach the kid bad habits,\" Yan Hang took out three plates and sat down, turning on the induction cooker and putting a small piece of butter in, \"Adding butter makes it especially fragrant.\"

Chu Yi leaned over to the edge of the pan and sniffed: \"Fragrant.\"

This scene of sitting around the table at home, without pressure, without complaints and dissatisfaction in his ears, eating barbecue and drinking slowly, Chu Yi really liked it.

There were similar scenes at Grandpa's house, but Grandpa's house was too far away, he could only go for a few days at most during summer vacation, and had to endure Grandma's cursing about him being an ungrateful wretch for a whole month before and after.

Yan Hang's dad was a bit childlike, when facing him, Chu Yi didn't have the pressure of facing elders and felt very relaxed.

He could listen to Yan Hang chatting casually with him without saying a word.

It was very interesting.

Very happy and warm.

\"How are your mom's cooking skills?\" Yan Hang's dad asked him.

\"Can cook a pot, of stew.\" Chu Yi said.

Yan Hang's dad laughed: \"Little Stutterer is so witty.\"

\"I thought it was your grandma who cooked at your house,\" Yan Hang said, \"Didn't you say your mom is quite busy?\"

\"Grandma is also, busy.\" Chu Yi sighed.

Busy quarreling, busy complaining, busy taking advantage.

\"If you have cravings, just come to our place,\" Yan Hang's dad took a sip of beer, \"We have good food and drink, no rules.\"

\"Okay.\" Chu Yi nodded with a smile.

This late-night meal was very satisfying, Chu Yi didn't even know he could eat so much, and didn't know Yan Hang and his dad could also eat so much. The beer was finished, and the barbecue was almost all eaten.

\"There are two chicken wings and one sausage left, finish them up.\" Yan Hang's dad picked up the bag and poured it into the pan.

The bag had two layers, and the two coins Yan Hang had thrown into the outer layer fell out.

\"Oh, lucky coins.\" Yan Hang's dad picked up the coins and lined them up on the coffee table.

\"I have one,\" Chu Yi smiled, \"Yan Hang gave, me one.\"

\"Really,\" Yan Hang's dad laughed, \"Let me tell you, this is very effective.\"

\"Yeah,\" Chu Yi nodded, \"Yesterday almost, let my mom spend, it, nearly scared me to death.\"

Yan Hang glanced at him: \"If it's spent then it's spent, just find another one.\"

\"No, not the same,\" Chu Yi said, \"That one is... just not, the same.\"

\"Then you have to keep it well,\" Yan Hang was amused, \"They all look the same, if mixed together you won't be able to find it.\"

Being told this by him, Chu Yi suddenly felt a bit nervous and touched his pocket.

\"Give it to me,\" Yan Hang probably saw his nervousness and reached out to him, \"I'll process it a bit for you.\"

\"How to process?\" Chu Yi took out the coin and placed it in his hand.

\"Wait,\" Yan Hang stood up, \"Old Yan, where's that little piece of leather you picked up?\"

\"It's on the table in the room.\" Yan Hang's dad said.

Yan Hang went into the room and didn't come out for quite a while.

Chu Yi and Yan Hang's dad finished the barbecue, and chatted about this and that for a long time before Yan Hang came out and put the coin on the coffee table in front of him: \"This way it won't get lost.\"

Chu Yi took one look and was stunned.

The coin was wearing a little leather jacket.

Two thin dark brown leather straps crisscrossed around the coin, with a small round piece of leather glued to the back, and a thin leather string threaded through the top, which could be worn around the neck like a necklace.

\"Nice,\" Chu Yi was a bit surprised and looked at Yan Hang, \"You made, this?\"

\"It's very easy to make, just cut the leather and glue it,\" Yan Hang said with a smile, \"If you don't dare to wear it around your neck, wrap it around your wrist, if you don't dare either then hide it, anyway it won't get mixed up with other coins.\"

Chu Yi held the coin in his hand the whole time, only putting it in his pocket when he got up to go home.

Yan Hang didn't expect someone to care so much about a coin.

\"Brother Xiao Tian, send him off,\" Dad leaned on the sofa and directed, \"That section of road inside seems to have no lights.\"

\"It's okay,\" Chu Yi was a bit embarrassed, \"I'm a, a guy.\"

\"Let's go, I'll take a stroll.\" Yan Hang said.

Dad knew that Chu Yi was often bullied, now that the weather was warm, at this time, the nightlife of little hooligans and punks had just begun, he was probably afraid that Chu Yi would encounter trouble on his way home after enjoying himself all evening.

After accompanying Chu Yi past that section of road without street lights, Chu Yi pointed to a patch of old buildings in front and said, \"My home, is right there.\"

\"Okay.\" Yan Hang looked, not knowing which building he was pointing to, but he knew Chu Yi probably didn't want people to get close to his home, so he stopped.

\"Thank you.\" Chu Yi said.

\"You talk too much nonsense, go back.\" Yan Hang said.

\"If one day,\" Chu Yi looked at him, \"You leave, I will, miss you very much.\"

Yan Hang smiled.

Chu Yi also smiled, came over to grab his hand, gently squeezed it, turned around and walked away quickly.

","published_time":"2024-06-25T00:00:00.000Z","paid":false,"show_flag":true,"show_scheduled_time":"2024-06-04T00:00:00.000Z","unpaid_scheduled_time":"2024-06-25T00:00:00.000Z"},{"content_id":742,"novel_id":11,"chapter_no":12,"chapter_title":"Chapter 12","content":"

Yan Hang stood in place until he could no longer see Chu Yi's figure, then he lit a cigarette, put it in his mouth, and slowly sauntered back.

Chu Yi's words left him with an indescribable feeling.

Sooner or later, everyone leaves.

This was the thought he had every time he arrived at a new place. Aside from the endless unknown, he wouldn't have any other feelings.

Because he had no connection to any place.

I came, I left, and the place I once lived in retained no trace of me.

So coming and going, there was nothing much to sigh about.

But now, hearing Chu Yi say such words, he felt a bit wistful.

He had left a mark here. There was a kid who would remember him.

One day, when he looked back, there would be some scenes, and the memory of a certain city would no longer be just a simple place name.

When he got home, his dad had already finished showering and changed into pajamas. The things on the table had been moved to the kitchen, but not washed, all piled up in the sink.

After his run, Yan Hang had eaten a lot. Now feeling a bit lazy, he also sat on the sofa, staring blankly.

His dad was watching the evening news. Aside from first and second-tier cities, few cities had enough news to not repeat in a day. This news had already been broadcast in the afternoon and was being replayed. There was even a weekly summary on Sundays. Yan Hang felt that as long as his dad was home, he could recite the day's news.

\"Still going running with Chu Yi tomorrow?\" his dad asked.

\"Yeah, might as well. I was going to run anyway,\" Yan Hang said.

\"That's good.\" His dad nodded and stood up. \"I'm going to bed.\"

\"Going to sleep right after eating a belly full of meat?\" Yan Hang glanced at him. \"Middle-aged people get fat easily. Aren't you going to be vigilant about your belly?\"

\"Don't be jealous of my physique,\" his dad said with a stretch and went back to his room.

Tomorrow was a workday. Yan Hang had to make himself fall asleep tonight. After playing on his phone for a while in the living room, he also went to take a shower and returned to his room.

He lay in bed for a long time, completely sleepless. He picked up his phone and opened WeChat, looking at Moments. Amidst a bunch of messages from various merchants, he saw the little emoji Chu Yi had posted an hour ago.

It was a run-of-the-mill \"smile\" emoji.

Very inconspicuous. If you scrolled a bit too fast, you wouldn't even notice it.

Yan Hang smiled, not knowing what meaning each of Chu Yi's little emojis held for Chu Yi himself.

After looking at his phone for a while, he still wasn't sleepy. Yan Hang clicked on a movie.

A horror movie.

He watched for half an hour without seeing anything, scared half to death by the background music and the female lead's screams every five minutes. So he turned it off.

He was so scared he was wide awake, practically bursting with energy.

He had no choice but to get out of bed, go to the living room to pour himself a glass of water, and prepare to take medicine.

When he returned to his room, he saw that the light in his dad's room was still on. It had been over an hour since his dad went to his room. His dad slept well, especially on nights like this when he had eaten supper and drank alcohol. He would usually turn off the light within twenty minutes of entering the room.

If he really couldn't sleep for so long, his dad would come over to see if he was asleep. If he was still awake, they would chat for a bit. But today, his dad didn't come looking for him either.

Yan Hang hesitated for a moment, then walked very quietly to the door and listened for movement inside the room.

It was very quiet. He couldn't hear any sound, but he could smell a very faint scent of cigarette smoke.

Not sleeping in the middle of the night, hiding in the room to smoke, smoking so much that you could smell it through the cracks in the door - this was a very rare state for his dad.

For so many years, aside from his whereabouts being uncertain and occasional injuries, he had always lived a relatively healthy life. Smoking like this was almost unheard of.

Yan Hang raised his hand, wanting to knock on the door, but even when his hand was sore from being raised for so long, he still didn't knock.

In the end, he returned to his own room, took two pills, and went to sleep.

The medicine was effective. At least he fell asleep, but when he woke up in the morning, he felt like his head was swollen.

Yan Hang walked out of the room slowly, his head weighing eighty-six pounds. He glanced in the direction of his dad's room. The door was already open.

He walked over and looked inside. His dad wasn't there. He looked back at the shoe rack. His dad's shoes were gone. He must have gone out.

He went into the room and opened the windows that were only open a crack.

His dad had a habit of folding the quilt when he got up, so it was impossible to tell if he had slept last night. But the lingering cigarette smell in the room that hadn't completely dissipated proved that even if he had slept, it wasn't for very long. Based on the smell, he had probably been smoking for most of the night.

With his heavy head, he finished washing up. Just as he was considering what to make for breakfast, there was a sound from the living room door. Yan Hang turned his head. His dad came in carrying a bag of steaming breakfast foods.

\"You went to buy breakfast?\" Yan Hang asked.

\"You didn't sleep well last night, right?\" His dad put the bag on the table. \"I was very considerate and went to buy it. Yesterday, Chu Yi told me there was a place over there that sold delicious breakfast foods with a wide variety.\"

\"You two even talked about this?\" Yan Hang took out the small meal boxes from the bag one by one. \"Like two old ladies.\"

\"We were talking about people's livelihoods,\" his dad said. \"Old ladies aren't as high-class as us.\"

\"...Oh.\" Yan Hang looked at the breakfast foods in the meal boxes. Indeed, there was a wide variety, and they all looked good. He took a box of his favorite pumpkin cakes and took a bite. \"Did you talk about any other livelihoods?\"

\"He also told me there were a few places selling clothes in the vegetable market. Although the location is very awkward, the clothes are of decent quality and cheap.\" His dad laughed. \"But after he said that, he felt that we wouldn't go there to buy clothes. This kid is quite poor and quite amusing, but he has an inferiority complex.\"

\"With his grandma like that, most kids would have an inferiority complex,\" Yan Hang said. \"His mom also seems to be... not very good either.\"

Usually, when talking about topics like grandma and mom, Yan Hang had no feelings. But today, he inexplicably paused.

His dad must have noticed it too. He sighed softly.

Yan Hang didn't speak again and continued eating his breakfast.

His dad stood up and walked behind him. \"Crown prince, your head is heavy again because you didn't sleep well, right?\"

\"Yeah, over two hundred pounds,\" Yan Hang said.

His dad reached out and scratched his head, with just the right amount of pressure. His scalp immediately felt relaxed. He leaned back in his chair and let his dad continue massaging him.

His dad went from the top of his head to the back of his head, then pinched the back of his neck, then his shoulders, very dutifully.

\"Bring back some dishes and wine tonight,\" Dad said, \"Let's have a couple of drinks and chat.\"

\"Chat about what?\" Yan Hang asked.

\"What do you want to chat about?\" Dad tapped on his shoulder.

Yan Hang bit his lip. After nearly a minute of making up his mind, he finally spoke: \"Let's chat about how my mom died.\"

Dad's hand that was tapping quickly on Yan Hang's right shoulder paused for a moment, then continued tapping to his left shoulder: \"Okay.\"

Chu Yi felt he was going to be late. When he got up, it was twenty minutes later than usual.

He didn't have an alarm clock. The phone alarm was too sluggish, either not ringing or unable to be turned off after ringing, so he always relied on his biological clock to wake up. If his biological clock failed, he could sleep until noon and no one would wake him up.

But if he got up late, he would be scolded.

\"Your grades aren't that good, and you still have the nerve to oversleep,\" Grandma said with a cigarette in her mouth, \"Can't even get up by yourself, useless!\"

Chu Yi didn't say anything. He quickly washed up, grabbed his schoolbag and ran out the door.

As soon as he ran out of the building, he saw a few people standing far away at the corner of the building. He braked abruptly, turned around and ran in the opposite direction.

It was Liang Bing and a few of his friends. It seemed they had just come back from playing all night and needed something to perk them up at this time. They wouldn't let him go with just a couple of kicks, so it was better for him to avoid them.

But going out from the opposite direction meant taking a detour to school.

There was no time for breakfast now, as long as he wasn't late.

From elementary school to middle school, the number of times Chu Yi had been late could be counted on one hand.

He especially hated being late, hated entering the classroom when everyone was seated and the teacher was already at the podium, so no matter what, he tried his best not to be late.

He probably wouldn't be late today. If he skipped breakfast and ran all the way, he should arrive just before the school gate closed.

He felt a bit depressed. If he hadn't been dreaming all night and slept poorly, he wouldn't have needed to sleep in until dawn.

But it was also quite magical that Yan Hang appeared in all his dreams throughout the night.

Yan Hang stood with him by the river, ran with him, ate barbecue with him. Yan Hang held up a coin and said, \"This is a lucky coin.\"

Actually, it wasn't really magical. As the saying goes, what you think about during the day, you dream about at night.

Yan Hang was someone he had always hoped to one day be able to communicate and chat with normally like ordinary people, like normal friends.

After waiting for a long time, once it happened, the impression would remain deep in his dreams.

When he ran to the school, the teacher on duty was about to close the gate. Chu Yi sprinted as if running for his life.

Four or five students ran in with him, all stopped by the teacher.

The school had strict management. Those who entered when the gate was closing were considered late and would be recorded and have points deducted.

But Chu Yi wasn't stopped. When he darted between the two teachers, it was as if they didn't see him.

Invisibility succeeded.

He pinched the little lucky coin wearing a leather jacket in his pocket.

It really had become a spirit, and it worked.

Li Zihao hadn't bothered him these past few days, nor had he come to ask if he had passed on the message to Yan Hang.

Of course, Chu Yi couldn't possibly actually convey those words to Yan Hang. In his view, that sentence was the same nature as \"you just wait\", just going through the motions.

When the atmosphere was right, it had to be said.

As for after saying it, the person who said it probably wouldn't even remember.

Compared to Li Zihao, Liang Bing was the one who made Chu Yi uneasy.

Those classmates who bullied him were fake hoodlums, not even considered fake hoodlums, just following a big shot to bully him together.

But Liang Bing wasn't. Liang Bing was a real hoodlum.

The kind you'd better avoid if you saw him.

People in that residential area would frown at the mention of Liang Bing.

Not to say he had great skills, but mainly that he had no shame.

Even Grandma, who had been invincible all her life, wouldn't normally make a scene with Liang Bing.

Chu Yi felt he was quite unlucky, running into Liang Bing on the way to school and possibly running into him again after school.

Liang Bing didn't go far, his range of activity was just around that area near home, probably considered his safe zone. If he went out of that area, he might get beaten up by others.

Anyway, when Chu Yi wanted to take the small street by Yan Hang's front door to go home at noon after school, which was his closest way home and the way he usually took, as soon as he reached the intersection, he saw Liang Bing swaggering down the street.

Fortunately, his back was to this side and he didn't see him. Chu Yi could only keep walking and take a detour home.

After making a circle and just reaching the intersection, he saw Liang Bing swaggering towards him.

Was he patrolling the streets?

\"Ah!\" Chu Yi let out a small frustrated cry and could only turn back again.

When he returned to the main street, he was a bit angry.

He no longer had the thought of going home for lunch. He took out his phone and called his mom.

\"The school has... has something, I won't come back for lunch at noon...\" Before he could finish, his mom interrupted him.

\"Okay, I know, you're not coming back for lunch, right?\" Mom said, \"Bring back some noodles when you come back in the afternoon. Do you still have money?\"

\"Yes.\" Chu Yi said.

\"Your dad is home today. When you come back, have your dad give you the money for the noodles.\" Mom said.

\"Oh.\" Chu Yi responded.

After hanging up, he had no destination. He wandered on the street for a while, crossed the bridge, and wanted to go eat a bowl of noodles.

After walking a few steps, he stopped. Yan Hang should be working at the western restaurant here?

He suddenly felt a bit excited. As he walked in, he took out his phone and sent Yan Hang a message.

-Which western restaurant do you work at?

After waiting for a long time, Yan Hang still didn't reply. He looked at the time and suddenly realized it was the peak hour for eating. Yan Hang was probably busy.

He suddenly felt a bit embarrassed, so he put his phone back in his pocket and walked along the road.

Before long, he saw a western restaurant with a hiring sign at the door.

He stopped and looked inside. It should be this one? But he didn't see Yan Hang.

He hesitated for a moment, then leaned against a tree on the side and continued looking inside.

After just two or three minutes, someone walked out. Chu Yi didn't dare to look at the face, afraid it might be a waiter coming to ask why he had been standing there for so long.

\"Going in?\" The person walked over to him and asked.

\"Ah.\" Chu Yi only raised his head when he heard this sound.

Yan Hang was wearing the restaurant's uniform, black with red edges, and also had an apron tied on.

The uniform was very ugly, able to compete with their school uniforms, but it looked quite nice on Yan Hang.

\"Treating you to a meal,\" Yan Hang tilted his head, \"Come.\"

Chu Yi followed him into the restaurant.

It smelled really good.

The entire restaurant was filled with the aroma of food, the fragrance of baked pastries, the scent of coffee, and the meaty aroma of various steaks - beef, pork and lamb.

This was his first time entering a Western restaurant.

Last year, his aunt wanted to take him to eat Western food, but his mom wouldn't let him go. In the end, his aunt could only pack two portions of steak for him.

Grandma ate while scolding for the entire evening.

Chu Yi carefully took a few bites, not even tasting the flavor.

\"Sit here,\" Yan Hang brought him to a corner by the window, \"Wait for me a bit.\"

\"Yan Hang,\" Chu Yi called out to him, \"Are you off, work?\"

\"I'm off work, it's our turn to eat now,\" Yan Hang said, \"Sit here and wait for me steadily.\"

\"Mm.\" Chu Yi nodded.

Yan Hang walked away. He was still a bit nervous. There were a few tables of customers in the shop at this time, all eating and chatting in low voices, looking very high-class.

Him sitting here in his shabby school uniform, no matter how you look at it, it seemed like he had entered the wrong place.

Fortunately, Yan Hang quickly came over, carrying a pizza in his hands, along with two drinks.

Chu Yi hurriedly stood up, preparing to go over and take them.

\"Sit,\" Yan Hang said, placing the pizza and drinks on the table, \"There's no back door to the kitchen, do you still want to go in and help wash dishes?\"

\"Also, okay.\" Chu Yi smiled and sat back down in the chair.

\"Also ordered you a steak,\" Yan Hang said, \"It'll be ready in a bit, what sauce do you want?\"

\"Sauce?\" Chu Yi was stunned for a moment, looking at the drinks in front of him, \"Isn't there already, juice?\"

\"Black pepper then,\" Yan Hang laughed, \"I like black pepper sauce.\"

Chu Yi still hadn't recovered his wits. It wasn't until Yan Hang walked away smiling that he reacted, realizing he was talking about the sauce poured on the steak.

While waiting for the steak, he saw Yan Hang serve dishes to two tables of customers.

Very good-looking.

Yan Hang's movements were very natural, but each action exuded handsomeness. He even saw a table of young ladies take out their phones to secretly take photos.

Chu Yi felt very inspired, so he also took out his phone.

Seeing Yan Hang carrying a tray with a large lid covering it, he very discreetly aimed his phone at Yan Hang.

But.

It wasn't until Yan Hang walked right up to him that the phone's shutter made a \"click\" sound.

It captured a huge, blurry lid emitting white steam.

However, compared to failing at secretly taking a photo, the \"click\" sound of the phone was what made Chu Yi most depressed.

\"Were you trying to take a photo of me or the steak.\" Yan Hang lifted the lid and glanced at him, the smile at the corner of his mouth almost impossible to suppress.

\"You,\" Chu Yi looked at the steak, \"The phone is not, co-cooperative.\"

\"You should change this phone,\" Yan Hang poured the black pepper sauce on the steak and sat down, \"My dad has a phone he just changed out of, only used for a year, why don't you take it and use it?\"

\"I, have,\" Chu Yi said, \"A new one.\"

Yan Hang looked at him.

\"Apple,\" Chu Yi sighed, \"Aunt gave it, didn't dare let, my mom know.\"

\"But last time when you took the shoes back, your mom didn't say anything. She won't even let you use a new phone?\" Yan Hang said.

\"If i-it's Aunt's, no can do.\" Chu Yi looked at the steak.

\"The steak is yours,\" Yan Hang picked up a slice of pizza, \"Let's eat the pizza together.\"

Together.

The two of us.

Chu Yi suddenly felt a very comfortable warmth.

Only after the warmth passed did he think of: \"You won't, be full... full if you don't, eat?\"

\"Are you saying a tongue twister,\" Yan Hang smiled, \"I'm in a bad mood today, can't eat much. You go ahead and eat.\"

\"Oh.\" Chu Yi hesitantly picked up the knife and fork.

He had seen on TV how to use a knife and fork, but it was still the first time eating by stabbing like this. He cut very carefully, afraid that he would accidentally fling the meat over to Yan Hang's side.

Even Yan Hang would have times when he was in a bad mood.

Yan Hang, who was so free and easy, unconstrained by anything, would also be in a bad mood?

\"What's... wrong, with you?\" Chu Yi asked softly.

\"Have to chat with my dad tonight.\" Yan Hang said.

Chu Yi forked a piece of meat and looked at him, not understanding.

\"There are some things you really want to know, but are also afraid to know,\" Yan Hang said while eating pizza, \"Feeling it's best not to know, but if you really don't know, you feel like you're not living authentically. If you do know, there's a possibility that it was all false to begin with.\"

Chu Yi was stunned for a long time and still didn't understand what Yan Hang was saying: \"Even when you speak Chi-Chinese, you, can make it sound like, like Eng-English.\"

\"Damn,\" Yan Hang laughed, \"Illiterate.\"

\"I'm in ju-junior, high,\" Chu Yi said, \"Illiterate.\"

Yan Hang couldn't stop laughing, leaning against the back of the chair for a long time before stopping.

Chu Yi looked at him, feeling that Yan Hang looked very good when he laughed, and also seemed very happy.

Then why would he still be in a bad mood?

\n","published_time":"2024-07-02T00:00:00.000Z","paid":false,"show_flag":true,"show_scheduled_time":"2024-06-11T00:00:00.000Z","unpaid_scheduled_time":"2024-07-02T00:00:00.000Z"},{"content_id":761,"novel_id":11,"chapter_no":13,"chapter_title":"Chapter 13","content":"

Yan Hang's mood was indeed not very good. To be precise, his mood could easily turn sour. Just spacing out for twenty minutes could send him spiraling down.

His emotions were quite fragile, and generally, he didn't dare to provoke himself.

After saying those words today, he originally thought he would feel much more at ease, at least having thrown the question in front of his dad, instead of the two of them tacitly avoiding the topic for so many years, pretending to ignore the thorn stuck between them.

But he didn't feel relieved. Instead, he felt a few more hints of resistance and unease.

\"Why didn't you go back to eat?\" Yan Hang looked at Chu Yi who was focused on cutting the meat.

\"Wanted to, to invite you, to eat.\" Chu Yi lowered his eyelids.

\"Then why didn't you say so yesterday, or this morning?\" Yan Hang asked.

Chu Yi didn't speak, stuffing a piece of steak into his mouth, pretending to be very invested in chewing.

\"Got blocked by someone, right?\" Yan Hang clicked his tongue twice.

\"No,\" Chu Yi shook his head, \"It's to pre-, prevent getting, blocked.\"

\"Is it that Li Dahao?\" Yan Hang asked.

Chu Yi glanced at him: \"Zi.\"

\"Oh.\" Yan Hang didn't really remember this name, always thinking of him as Small Thug No. 1.

\"Not him,\" Chu Yi said, \"No need, to avoid him.\"

\"Then it's another group?\" Yan Hang sighed.

\"From the next, building,\" Chu Yi said, \"The missing thu-, thugs have re-, returned.\"

Yan Hang looked at him, and after a while asked: \"They're giving you trouble?\"

\"If they see me, they'll want, want to find, some fun,\" Chu Yi was quite calm, \"If they, don't see, it's fine.\"

\"Never mind those useless classmates of yours,\" Yan Hang said, \"If this person gives you trouble, tell me.\"

\"You fight,\" Chu Yi took a sip of his drink, \"Always, win?\"

\"Never lost,\" Yan Hang smiled, \"I guess when I'm about to lose, I'll call my dad.\"

\"Huh? Un-, Uncle helps you, fight?\" Chu Yi was a bit surprised.

\"Yeah,\" Yan Hang leaned back in his chair, tilting his head back, \"Sometimes we're too bored.\"

Yan Hang had never seen this thug Chu Yi mentioned, but when he went to the small supermarket to buy groceries after work, he could instantly recognize this person from the crowd with a single glance.

Perhaps it was because he had been to too many places and seen too many people. Different kinds of people would have different kinds of gazes and different kinds of auras. If you paid a bit of attention, you could notice. It's just that most people were too busy to stop and look around.

This thug was a skinny, tall guy. He was squatting on the roadside smoking with a few buddies, looking no different from idle youths.

But when Yan Hang walked past them, he took a glance, and instantly several people all stared over at the same time.

As if they were all shouting in unison, what are you looking at, come on, let's fight!

Yan Hang withdrew his gaze and entered the supermarket.

It was normal for Chu Yi to avoid this kind of thug. They were not on the same level as his middle school classmates who were studying in strictly managed schools.

This kind of person couldn't be endured just by Chu Yi's silent response.

Yan Hang got off work early today. After buying groceries, he carried them home. Checking the time, it was just about when Chu Yi should be coming back from school.

He looked out the window.

\"What is it?\" Dad was playing Fight the Landlord on his phone. He took a moment to ask him, \"Waiting for Chu Yi?\"

\"If he comes back at this time, he might have trouble.\" Yan Hang said.

\"Go wait for him at the intersection then,\" Dad said, \"Hero Yan.\"

\"You wash the rice and start cooking first,\" Yan Hang turned to look at him, \"We're having rice today. I'll stir-fry a couple dishes later.\"

\"I want to eat Western food.\" Dad said.

\"You might as well just say you don't want to cook.\" Yan Hang said.

\"Our prince is so smart,\" Dad started laughing, \"Nothing escapes your eyes.\"

\"I want to eat stir-fry.\" Yan Hang insisted.

\"Okay, okay, I'll go cook after I lose this round,\" Dad said, \"You forgot to buy alcohol.\"

\"Yeah, I'll go buy it now.\" Yan Hang took another glance out the window and opened the door to head out.

At this time, a few students had already started passing by on the street. Yan Hang looked towards the supermarket. That thug was no longer squatting there. He was strolling towards the intersection with a few buddies.

The way he walked made Yan Hang very uncomfortable, like a crab with a limp leg, as if afraid that if he walked with his legs tucked in, people wouldn't be able to tell he was a thug.

Two high school-looking boys passed by them. The crab flicked his cigarette butt towards one of their faces.

The boy turned his head in anger. The crab's group immediately turned around. It was clear they were in high spirits. As long as the other side showed the slightest resistance, they would pounce.

The boy's classmate pulled him, and the two left.

The conflict didn't escalate, probably making the crab unhappy. He continued walking forward, swinging his legs and cursing.

Yan Hang arrived at the intersection before them. More and more students were heading home now. Yan Hang searched for Chu Yi among these students.

No need to look at the groups of students. Chu Yi would only be among them when he was being bullied. These past few days, Li Zihao's squad hadn't given him trouble, so he must be alone.

But after looking for a while, he still didn't see Chu Yi.

If Chu Yi hadn't passed by yet, then it could only be because he was too short to be seen.

The crab also arrived at the intersection, leaning against a signpost and chatting with people.

The intersection was quite wide. Yan Hang stood on this side. The crab didn't see him. Otherwise, with his boredom, he'd probably come over to give him trouble.

Just as he was about to call Chu Yi, his phone beeped with an incoming message.

It was from Chu Yi.

-What are you standing there for?

Yan Hang raised his eyebrows. This kid turned invisible?

He lifted his eyes to look around. The intersection was a T-junction. Heading out was a bustling main road with many people and cars. Chu Yi could only be hiding somewhere across the street, but after looking for a while, he still couldn't find him.

\"You turned invisible?\" Yan Hang sent a voice message.

-I'm behind a tree

Tree? Yan Hang was stunned for a moment. There was a row of trees across the street. When he looked at the fourth one, an arm suddenly stretched out from behind the tree and waved.

\"What the hell?\" Yan Hang couldn't help but laugh. He put his phone back in his pocket and crossed the street.

Chu Yi didn't want to get into a conflict with the crab. As long as the crab didn't actively cause trouble, Yan Hang had no intention of sticking his neck out for him. So after crossing the street, Yan Hang stood by a tree, looking straight ahead at the store windows along the road.

\"How long are you going to stand here?\" he asked.

\"If I wasn't waiting for you, I would have left long ago.\" Chu Yi faced the tree.

\"Where are you heading?\" Yan Hang asked.

\"Taking a detour is fine,\" Chu Yi glanced at him, \"Are you grocery shopping?\"

\"I'm done shopping, just out for a walk,\" Yan Hang said, \"Let's go together, I'll see how we can detour.\"

Chu Yi didn't say anything. He peeked out from behind the tree with one eye to look at the crab across the street, then turned and continued walking along the road.

Yan Hang followed, \"Is there a supermarket around here? I want to buy some alcohol later.\"

\"Yes, I'll take you there.\" Chu Yi nodded.

Yan Hang followed Chu Yi as they circled more than half way around this residential area, returning to the road they always passed when jogging.

\"So this is where we end up after going around?\" He looked at the surroundings.

\"Amazing, right.\" Chu Yi said, pointing to the side, \"Supermarket.\"

\"How long are you going to keep running and hiding like this day after day?\" Yan Hang went in and bought two bottles of erguotou*.

*T/N: A brand of Chinese wine.

\"Once I graduate, it'll be fine,\" Chu Yi smiled, \"I'll go find work.\"

\"They don't allow hiring child labor now,\" Yan Hang said, \"You can only get a fake ID, but looking at you, it's obvious you're underage, definitely won't work.\"

\"Oh.\" Chu Yi was stunned for a moment.

\"At least finish high school,\" Yan Hang said, \"Any vocational school or technical school will do.\"

\"Makes sense,\" Chu Yi suddenly seemed a bit excited, \"If I test into a technical school far away, no one will recognize me there.\"

\"What do you want to study?\" Yan Hang asked.

\"Don't know.\" Chu Yi didn't seem to care much what he studied.

Yan Hang felt that as long as it allowed him to leave his current environment, Chu Yi probably wouldn't mind even if he went to study manual labor.

After roaming in his happy imagination for a while, Chu Yi took something out of his pocket, \"For you, to take a look.\"

\"You want me to look at it?\" Yan Hang took it, \"I thought you were giving it to me, your stuttering is quite skillful.\"

\"Giving you this would be too shabby.\" Chu Yi said.

Yan Hang looked at the small object in his hand. It was a small black stone, ground into a hexagonal shape, and surprisingly finely polished.

\"Impressive,\" Yan Hang scratched the stone with his fingernail, it was quite hard, \"What did you use to grind this?\"

\"On the ground.\" Chu Yi said.

\"...You squatted on the ground and rubbed it?\" Yan Hang was quite surprised, \"You have a lot of time.\"

\"Took me a week during self-study periods.\" Chu Yi smiled.

\"What material is your school's classroom floor made of?\" Yan Hang asked.

\"Outside,\" Chu Yi said, \"When there's self-study with no teacher, I go out.\"

\"Oh.\" Yan Hang responded, roughly able to guess why Chu Yi was like this.

\"Do you like it?\" Chu Yi asked a bit hesitantly.

\"Didn't you say you weren't giving it to me?\" Yan Hang said.

\"If I polish it a bit more, it will look good.\" Chu Yi scratched his head.

\"Then give it to me when you're done polishing it,\" Yan Hang said, \"I'll drill a hole and make it into an anklet.\"

\"Okay.\" Chu Yi nodded quite happily and glanced at Yan Hang's ankle again.

\"What are you looking at,\" Yan Hang grabbed his pant leg and lifted it, revealing his ankle, \"Perfect, even a bottle cap would look good on it.\"

Chu Yi didn't say anything and applauded him.

\"Jerk,\" Yan Hang pointed at him and patted his shoulder, \"Alright, it's safe now, hurry home.\"

After waving goodbye to Chu Yi, before even turning the corner, Yan Hang's mood had already slid all the way down, anxiously shrinking at rock bottom.

But carrying the alcohol back home, as soon as he entered the door and saw his dad sitting on the sofa picking vegetables, with the fragrance of rice in the room, he felt a sense of reassurance.

This alternating tense and relaxed mood made it a bit hard for people to control.

\"Can you make another meat patty, baby?\" Dad asked.

\"Sure.\" Yan Hang put the alcohol on the table and went into the kitchen.

\"Add curry--\" Dad called out from the living room.

\"Okay--\" Yan Hang responded.

He didn't know when he started to enjoy cooking, both Chinese and Western cuisine. Standing by the counter looking at the ingredients in front of him, what each one tasted like, what kind of aroma they would have together, what colors they would create when combined, what flavors you wanted, it could all be foreseen and controlled.

Compared to many other things, it was much more simple and straightforward.

Making the stir-fry dishes today was quite effortless. Before long, he had prepared three dishes and a soup and brought them to the table.

Curry meat patties, three cup chicken, sweet and sour pork ribs, except for a seaweed and egg drop soup, it was all meat.

Dad took out two glass tea cups and filled them both to the brim with alcohol.

Yan Hang sat down. As soon as he put a piece of pork rib in his mouth, Dad had already picked up his cup and downed a big mouthful of alcohol.

\"Slow down.\" He glanced at his dad.

\"Eat big mouthfuls, drink big bowls, we only live these few decades.\" Dad smiled.

\"Aren't our goals to live past a hundred?\" Yan Hang picked up his cup and took a sip of alcohol.

Compared to erguotou, he preferred beer, but Dad's favorite was erguotou, and the cheapest kind at that.

Dad laughed and took another sip, then slowly ate a piece of meat patty. After a long while, he said another sentence, \"I've held you back.\"

This inexplicable sentence made Yan Hang's chopsticks, ready to pick up food, pause in midair, \"Why are you talking like your daughter can't get married off?\"

Dad immediately laughed, looking at him, \"It would be great if you were a daughter.\"

\"Why didn't you have two kids back then? Maybe if you had another, it would have been a girl.\" Yan Hang said.

Dad's smile froze for a moment. Yan Hang felt that his words may have been inappropriate, but he suddenly didn't know how to take them back.

He could only lower his head and take a sip of alcohol.

\"Yeah,\" Dad picked up his cup, \"It's mainly... there was no chance anymore.\"

Yan Hang looked at the alcohol in his cup without speaking.

\"When your mom died, you weren't even two years old. I wanted to wait until you were a bit older, but didn't have the chance.\" Dad smiled.

It seemed Dad had no intention of eating tonight, just drinking was enough.

Perhaps to speed up the \"chat\", he ate a small half of the meat pie and had already drunk most of the glass of wine, refilling it for himself.

\"You are indeed my son, you really know how to keep your cool,\" Dad said, \"It's been so many years and you're only asking now.\"

Yan Hang didn't say anything, just kept his head down drinking a few sips and continuing to eat.

\"When I was young, life was quite hard,\" Dad said, \"I can't even remember where your grandparents were from, I only knew that I was worried every day about how to survive, daring to do anything for money.\"

\"If you had known earlier that life would be quite good now, there would have been no need to worry back then.\" Yan Hang said.

Dad started laughing, reaching over to pat him on the head: \"You little rascal.\"

After taking another sip of wine he sighed: \"Is life good now?\"

Yan Hang was silent.

\"Your mother, actually wasn't very good-looking,\" Dad curled his lip, \"She was quite tall, had white skin, really not good-looking.\"

The topic suddenly changed without any warning, Yan Hang raised his head, looking at Dad.

This was the first time in all his life that he heard Dad mention Mom.

Indescribable feelings surged in his heart, a bit of excitement, but not as excited as he imagined, because he had no concept of Mom, no emotional attachment, he even for a moment had a kind of curiosity as if exploring a stranger.

But underneath all this, there was still a faint aura.

This quite tall woman with white skin who wasn't good-looking, was his mom, his closest relative.

Once this kind of feeling welled up, everything changed.

He suddenly felt like crying a little.

\"But her personality was especially interesting, like a wild donkey.\" Dad laughed.

\"Is it appropriate for you to describe your wife like this?\" Yan Hang also laughed.

\"It's fine, I say this to her face too,\" Dad held his glass, the wine already half gone again, \"Wild and stubborn...\"

Dad's voice lowered: \"Insisted on marrying me.\"

\"Have you no shame?\" Yan Hang said.

\"No more shame,\" Dad said softly, \"With her, what more shame do I need.\"

Yan Hang didn't say anything.

There was a slight tremble in Dad's voice.

After a good while, he tilted his head back and drank all the wine in the glass, while pouring more wine he spoke again, his voice steady once more: \"Your maternal grandparents, they treated me quite well, I helped deliver goods for the supermarket downstairs from their home, and helped them move an old fridge, that's how we met, the two of them loved to lecture people, every time they saw me they would lecture me over and over, forcefully lending me books to read.\"

Hearing this Yan Hang laughed: \"That bit of knowledge in your belly, it was all stored up from that time right?\"

\"Yeah, your mom was uneducated, unwilling to read, all the books in her home were read by me.\" Dad said with a smile.

\"Then what happened?\" Yan Hang asked.

\"Then we had a falling out, said we would never see each other again until we were old and dead,\" Dad's smile disappeared, \"And we really never saw each other again until they were old and dead.\"

\"Why?\" Yan Hang asked again.

\"Because I married your mom,\" Dad sighed, \"It would have been better if I hadn't married her, she wasn't good-looking anyway, if I had just gritted my teeth and not married her it would have been better.\"

Yan Hang looked at Dad's hand gripping the glass, his knuckles white from the force, the wine in the glass gently rippling with tiny waves, it was clear his hand was shaking badly.

\"Do you want to know how your mom died?\" Dad asked.

\"Yeah.\" Yan Hang softly replied, suddenly feeling a bit of regret.

\"That day you were sleeping especially well-behaved, so the two of us hurried out to eat some barbecue, when we finished eating and were heading back,\" Dad turned his head to look at him, \"Someone stabbed a person on the street, and robbed them too.\"

Yan Hang's heart suddenly sank.

\"Your mom just charged over, especially fierce, she was always especially fierce, she wasn't a donkey, a donkey couldn't compare to her,\" As Dad spoke he started laughing, \"I hurried over too, this kind of thing I should be the one handling.\"

Yan Hang sat frozen in his chair listening to Dad's laughter slowly disappear.

\"I was stabbed a few times,\" Dad said, \"When I woke up your mom was lying beside me, when I held her hand she was already completely cold...\"

\"Did they catch the person?\" Yan Hang asked with some difficulty.

\"No,\" Dad looked at him, \"But I remember what that person looked like.\"

","published_time":"2024-07-09T00:00:00.000Z","paid":false,"show_flag":true,"show_scheduled_time":"2024-06-18T00:00:00.000Z","unpaid_scheduled_time":"2024-07-09T00:00:00.000Z"},{"content_id":779,"novel_id":11,"chapter_no":14,"chapter_title":"Chapter 14","content":"

This was the first time Yan Hang heard about his mother, but these things had been weighing on his father's heart for over a decade.

It had been so long that he seemed to no longer know how to express it, only able to keep taking big gulps of alcohol until he finally collapsed on the table and fell asleep.

Yan Hang sat beside the table, staring blankly at the dishes and the empty liquor bottle in front of his father.

This \"chat\" lasted less than half an hour in total.

But he felt a great emptiness inside.

He knew his mother had died, but he never imagined it happened in this way.

So sudden, without any warning or mental preparation, just like an extra with a fleeting, meaningless appearance in a movie whose face you can't even see clearly.

A somewhat overly simple accident.

Aside from the closest relatives, after more than a decade, it likely wouldn't be remembered by more than a few people even if it remained an unsolved case with the perpetrator never caught.

Occasionally brought up, no one could comprehend that there were still people in this world who had suffered heavily because of it for over ten years.

His father said that after it happened, he was taken to live with his maternal grandparents, and brought back to his father's side when he was four.

\"I practically snatched you back,\" his father said. \"I should have taken you back sooner.\"

Yan Hang had no memory of this period. Early childhood memories are usually like dreams, often only preserved bit by bit with the prompting of parents saying \"when you were little\", \"when you were three\", \"when you were five\".

But his father never gave such prompts, so naturally he no longer remembered.

However, Yan Hang felt those memories were not particularly happy ones.

When his maternal grandparents were mentioned, he even felt a subtle resistance towards these two relatives who had cared for him for two years.

His father wasn't sleeping soundly, occasionally opening his eyes to glance hazily in his direction before closing them again to continue sleeping.

Yan Hang picked up his chopsticks and ate up all the cold dishes while drinking.

\"Raised a pig,\" his father mumbled.

\"Go sleep in your room,\" Yan Hang said. \"Sleeping hunched over like that must be uncomfortable.\"

\"Our crown prince is so good,\" his father patted his hand a couple times. \"So good.\"

\"Things being as they are, stop trying to flatter,\" Yan Hang laughed.

\"So good,\" his father's voice lowered. \"I ruined you...\"

Yan Hang frowned, stood up and pulled his father up by the arm, half-carrying him into the bedroom. \"Get some sleep.\"

\"Am I very selfish?\" his father continued muttering as he lay on the bed. \"I also thought forget it, for my son's sake...but I can't forget, she's right beside me...right beside me...\"

His father clenched his fists. \"Her hands were ice cold when I grabbed them...I've let you both down...I've regretted it my whole life, I wish I never met your mother, never got married, when you said you didn't want to go to school I shouldn't have given in...\"

Yan Hang sat on the edge of the bed, waiting until his father fell asleep and stopped mumbling before getting up to turn off the light and returning to the living room to wash all the dishes in the kitchen.

Usually when he was in a bad mood, things like washing dishes would definitely be put off until the next day, but tonight's meal was so depressing that he wanted to wash up quickly and erase any traces of unpleasantness.

After showering and returning to his room, it was much earlier than his normal bedtime, but he felt a bit sleepy.

Maybe it was the alcohol. He often drank with his father but rarely like this, finishing two bottles in less than an hour. He felt a bit dizzy now.

His last lucid memory was picking up his phone to glance at today's emoji on WeChat Moments.

But he didn't even remember what the emoji was before falling asleep.

Yan Hang didn't like dreaming. When he slept poorly, he would have a lot of dreams, a messy mix like watching a dozen melodramatic shows spliced together. The key thing was, after waking up he couldn't remember a single frame.

And he would feel exhausted, as if he hadn't slept at all.

But this was out of his control, even on a night like tonight when he felt he would sleep very deeply the moment he closed his eyes as if he had passed out.

He still dreamed.

An older woman, and an older man.

The two people seemed to be shrouded in a gray fog.

The woman kept crying, and would choke him while crying. He couldn't hear the sound of the sobs, and didn't feel the suffocating sensation of his neck being strangled...after all, it was a dream.

But that fear was very clear.

The man said I don't even want to look at him, then turned his head to stare at him. I don't even want to see you.

Then the scene changed.

You should be the ones to die.

It was all broken, scattered snippets.

Swaying figures, voices too faint to hear as if torn apart in the wind, scenes flashing by like an incomplete stage play.

Everything disappeared the moment Yan Hang opened his eyes and came to his senses. The surrounding chaos that was there a second before he opened his eyes instantly retreated far away.

So far it was like a dream from many years ago, the colors faded, the sounds gone, the feelings becoming hazy.

Yan Hang rubbed his eyes with a furrowed brow.

Grabbing his phone, he saw it was half an hour earlier than his usual wake up time.

He sat on the edge of the bed in a daze. Those dreams that had already faded so much a sigh could blow them away left him still feeling a bit disoriented. It took a while before he jumped off the bed.

Slipping on his shoes, he first ran to his father's room. Yesterday he had left both their doors open, wanting to listen for any movement from his dad.

The room was empty, the blanket on the bed not folded.

Yan Hang felt a rush of nervousness. He turned and walked towards the living room, calling out: \"Old Yan!\"

\"In the bathroom!\" his father's voice came from the toilet.

\"What are you doing in there?\" Yan Hang asked, inexplicably feeling relieved.

\"What kind of question is that? You think I'm eating breakfast in here?\" his father said. \"You really want me to answer honestly?\"

\"What do you want for breakfast?\" Yan Hang asked.

\"Can you wait until I come out to ask?\" his father said.

\"Sorry,\" Yan Hang chuckled and walked to the window, sitting on the sill.

It was earlier than usual. He could hear the lively chirping of birds in the big tree outside.

That sound, along with the people coming and going outside, slowly allowed him to relax as he leaned against the window frame, staring blankly.

Today he didn't see the student who passes by on the way to school again. The crab probably came back so he can't walk this way anymore, and had to adjust his route to school based on the crab's crawling path.

\"Are you going to the music festival?\" Dad stood behind him at some point without him noticing.

\"Huh?\" Yan Hang looked back at his dad. \"The music festival that the kid said he knew the location of the other day?\"

\"Yeah,\" Dad said. \"If you're going, take me with you.\"

\"You want to join in on the fun too?\" Yan Hang laughed. \"Alright then, I'll bring you along.\"

\"Do I need to prepare an outfit that fits the theme?\" Dad asked.

\"Please maintain your normal handsome uncle image,\" Yan Hang said. \"Besides, that first year either wears his school uniform or that undersized sports outfit. If you dress too uniquely, I'm afraid he won't be able to handle your roasting.\"

Dad smiled and squeezed his shoulder. \"Son.\"

\"Mm.\" Yan Hang responded.

\"I love you.\" Dad said.

Yan Hang paused and looked at him.

\"Give me some face,\" Dad tutted. \"Where's your response?\"

\"Dad, I love you too.\" Yan Hang said.

\"Can we have the baked rice a bit earlier?\" Dad said. \"You got up so early today, there's not enough time to fill if we don't make the baked rice.\"

\"...First thing in the morning and you want me to make you baked rice? I still need to cook the rice first.\" Yan Hang stared at him. \"You got all sappy just for this?\"

Dad sat down on the sofa happily laughing.

Yan Hang stared at him for a while, then finally jumped down from the windowsill, took ingredients out of the fridge and went into the kitchen.

Dad seemed to have returned to his usual state, the painful memories from last night apparently dissipated along with the effects of the alcohol.

But Yan Hang didn't find the relief and clarity he wanted.

Are you searching, or are you hiding?

What do you want to do, or what have you already done?

And what were those things in the dream?

The answer to one question pulled out even more doubts.

And now he no longer had the courage to ask again.

During self-study today, the teacher came around for a bit then left, and the classroom gradually became lively.

The first year student was sprawled on his desk doing homework. His deskmate was chatting happily with the students in front and behind, occasionally bumping into the desk. His handwriting was already as messy as if it had been struck by lightning, and with the desk shaking, the lightning wouldn't even bother striking anymore.

He glanced around, lowered his head to put his pen into his desk, and walked out of the classroom.

This week they rotated seats and he moved to a spot near the back door. This spot was great, he could enter and exit the classroom silently. Plus with his skills, every time he left it was as if he had turned invisible.

Of course, even if someone saw him, no one would pay any attention.

The side of the teaching building was the school wall. Few people went there. He usually just went there to hang out, sitting on a large rock that felt very comfortable on the butt.

Usually he would just space out or grind rocks to play with.

But today was a bit different. Yan Hang said he liked that little black rock and wanted to tie it to his ankle. He suddenly felt pressured.

Actually, he would grind rocks when he had nothing to do. Dad even gave him a small toolkit, but Grandma sold it. Luckily he took out a small file and a small drill bit to play with at the time, so they didn't get sold.

Now he usually grinds them on the ground and then uses the small file to touch up the details.

He had ground many rocks, black ones, white ones, red ones, yellow ones, and patterned ones. There were round ones, polygonal ones, and even flower-shaped and heart-shaped ones. Actually, this black one today wasn't the best looking. He had ground it casually out of boredom.

If he had known earlier that Yan Hang liked it, he would have made a more complex shape.

It had been two days since Yan Hang said he liked it. He had to finish the little rock today.

He hadn't been taking the route past Yan Hang's house to go to school, so he hadn't run into Yan Hang. But Yan Hang also hadn't contacted him at all.

The first year student was a bit anxious. He didn't know how to maintain this kind of \"friendship\", after all he didn't have much experience.

He could only quickly finish the rock and then go find Yan Hang.

He took out the small file from his pocket, trimmed the edges of the rock, then took out a piece of fine sandpaper and started polishing.

Although the shape was too simple and not good-looking enough, the texture of this rock was very nice, especially hard, and the black was very pure. After polishing it would look very beautiful with a coat of clear varnish.

Oh right, he still needed to drill a hole...

The phone vibrated in his pocket. The first year took out his phone, feeling a bit surprised. Who would send a message during class time?

No one sends him messages even when it's not class time.

The phone took a while to sluggishly open the message for him.

It was Yan Hang.

-Are you leading the way to the music festival tonight?

The first year smiled. He thought that the music festival mentioned that day was just an offhand remark. He didn't expect Yan Hang to really want to go.

-Yeah, are you going?

-Who would you take if I don't go?

-Then I'll come find you after dinner?

-Tell your family, come eat dinner here. My dad is also going, we can go together after eating.

-Okay.

The first year suddenly felt a bit excited, like the excitement of going on a spring outing in elementary school when a classmate would take the initiative to say they wanted to be in a group with him.

Although that classmate stopped paying attention to him after finishing his fried rice.

Dad was home today, so he could just go back and let Dad know.

Then he could go out and play with Yan Hang and Uncle Yan!

Go out and play!

He couldn't even find a companion to go on walks with, and now he could go to a music festival with people to join in on the fun.

His hands were even shaking a bit as he polished the rock.

\"The poor little thing doesn't even walk down this road after school in the afternoon anymore.\" Dad stood by the window looking out.

\"Afraid of running into the recently returned hoodlum next door.\" Yan Hang was dicing beef in the kitchen, and still had to mince shrimp paste in a bit.

\"Ah,\" Dad sighed, lit a cigarette and continued looking outside. \"That's why I always say, of all the people coming and going, how many don't have a story.\"

\"Old Yan! The water is boiling,\" Yan Hang called out. \"Blanch the chicken wings in water first.\"

\"Alright.\" Dad held his cigarette in his mouth, came in then went back out, put down the cigarette before coming in again and poured the chicken wings into the pot.

\"The prep work is pretty much done right?\" Dad asked.

\"Mm,\" Yan Hang nodded. \"When he comes we can start cooking, it'll be ready to eat in twenty minutes.\"

Dad stood beside, after blanching the chicken wings he scooped them all out and put them in a big bowl: \"Do you get along well with Chu Yi?\"

\"Didn't you chat with him before?\" Yan Hang said.

\"I think he's just a little brat,\" Dad leaned against the counter, \"You two are about the same age... are you?\"

\"He's probably fourteen or fifteen.\" Yan Hang said.

\"Looking at his size, standing next to you he looks like an elementary school student.\" Dad laughed.

\"The other day, who knows who was telling an elementary school student that I'm 1.4 meters tall.\" Yan Hang glanced at him.

\"Holding a grudge,\" Dad tsk-ed, thought for a bit and asked softly, \"Do you get along well?\"

\"It's alright, at least there's no awkward silence, he's quite funny,\" Yan Hang started mincing shrimp paste, \"I haven't really interacted with others like this before, so no comparison.\"

Dad didn't say anything. After a while, he picked up the pepper and looked at it: \"Let me grind it into powder for you?\"

\"Mm.\" Yan Hang responded.

The prep work was all done, neatly arranged on the counter. Yan Hang took out his phone, snapped a photo, and posted it on Weibo.

When he sat back down in the living room, Dad was watching the news again.

Yan Hang looked at his phone while listening to the news, not knowing what kind of information Dad could glean from what details in what news.

Until the news ended and the weather forecast began, Yan Hang still couldn't figure out anything.

\"Why hasn't Chu Yi come yet? Didn't he say he would come over right after school?\" Dad looked at the time, \"School's been out for over an hour now, right?\"

\"Yeah,\" Yan Hang was stunned for a moment. He had been listening intently to the news and didn't notice the time, \"Let me ask him.\"

He sent Chu Yi a message, but after nearly ten minutes, Chu Yi still hadn't replied.

Yan Hang remembered that day when Chu Yi didn't go home for lunch, he seemed a bit flustered and anxious when he ran back. Suddenly he was a bit worried that Chu Yi might have been punished by his grandma for not eating at home again today.

Thinking of that white-faced old lady with caterpillar eyebrows, Yan Hang couldn't help frowning.

He directly dialed Chu Yi's number.

\"What's up?\" Dad looked at him.

\"He's not replying to messages,\" Yan Hang listened to the dial tone on the phone, waiting until it automatically hung up, \"and not answering the phone...\"

\"He couldn't have run into the hoodlum gang on his way here, right?\" Dad said.

\"...What are the odds of that?\" Yan Hang was stunned, \"He hasn't been taking that route these past few days.\"

\"There's no way he can avoid that route to come eat here.\" Dad looked at him.

Yan Hang didn't make a sound, exchanged a glance with Dad, and the two stood up at the same time.

\"I'll go, it's fine.\" Yan Hang said.

\"I want to join in the excitement.\" Dad said.

\"Yan Hang,\" Liang Bing held his phone, looking at the screen, \"Who is this person? How come I've never heard of someone like this?\"

Chu Yi stood in the corner, the ache from his ears to his neck hurt so fiercely he could barely stand it.

\"Hey,\" a person next to him leaned over to take a look, \"You can even recognize this character 'Yan'?\"

\"Yan Zi Shi Chu*! Haven't you learned that?\" Liang Bing said, \"Illiterate!\"

*T/N: A classic literary piece.

There's also Yan Jidao.

Chu Yi reckoned Liang Bing didn't know who Yan Jidao was. Yan Shu was more famous, he might at least know of a Yan Shu...

\"Hey!\" Liang Bing shouted, \"Stop playing dead, I'm talking to you!\"

Alongside this shout was a rock hitting Chu Yi's head.

The rock wasn't big, much smaller than a brick, and Liang Bing didn't use much force when he threw it, but his head still hurt.

\"Damn, playing with this guy is no fun at all,\" a person leaning against the wall said, \"Even throwing a sandbag would make some noise, this one doesn't even make a peep... Are you mute?\"

Wrong.

I'm a damn stutterer.

Are you an idiot?

\"Let me hear if there's any sound.\" Liang Bing threw his phone on the ground and walked over.

Chu Yi felt heartbroken. With the phone thrown like that, it would be a bit difficult to communicate by telepathy anymore.

\"Make a sound!\" Liang Bing came over and kicked towards his abdomen.

Chu Yi quickly turned his body slightly and lowered his arm to block. Liang Bing's kick landed on his arm.

\"Fuck!\" Liang Bing cursed and swung a fist towards his head, \"Make a sound!\"

Chu Yi raised his arm to block again.

Liang Bing had something in his hand. When this punch landed on his arm, there was a piercing pain.

\"You're not going to make a sound, are you!\" Liang Bing grabbed him and slammed him against the wall.

Chu Yi crashed into the wall, seeing stars. Immediately after, several punches landed on his stomach and back. Liang Bing hit hard, nearly knocking the wind out of him.

\"You,\" Liang Bing tilted his head towards someone beside him, \"go take his pants off for me. His grandma loves being topless, her precious grandson must love being bare-assed.\"

","published_time":"2024-07-16T00:00:00.000Z","paid":false,"show_flag":true,"show_scheduled_time":"2024-06-25T00:00:00.000Z","unpaid_scheduled_time":"2024-07-16T00:00:00.000Z"},{"content_id":797,"novel_id":11,"chapter_no":15,"chapter_title":"Chapter 15","content":"

There weren't many people on the street at this time. Those who were eating were eating, those who had finished eating were at home watching TV, and those who went for walks hadn't come out yet.

As soon as Yan Hang went out, he swept his eyes on both sides of the road. The lights were very bright towards the main street, and everything seemed peaceful. He also looked towards Chu Yi's house. The street lights were not all on, and he couldn't see clearly if there was anything in the dark areas.

\"Let's walk towards his house,\" Dad said, \"you call him again.\"

\"Okay.\" Yan Hang took out his phone and continued to dial Chu Yi's number.

This time, it wasn't that no one answered, but the call simply couldn't get through.

\"What the hell?\" Yan Hang frowned.

\"Let's go,\" Dad said, \"let's go up ahead and take a look. There are many nooks and crannies here, maybe he's been cornered somewhere.\"

Yan Hang followed his dad and walked towards Chu Yi's house.

To find such a place to corner someone, he just needed to follow his dad. It was basically like having a radar. In the past, when his dad stood up for him, he could always hit the target with one strike.

So he always felt that his dad must have been in the mix back then.

\"The poor kid probably hasn't gone out to play like this before, he must be excited,\" Dad said as he walked and lit a cigarette, \"if he was in a hurry to come over, he wouldn't have taken a detour... over there.\"

Dad pointed to a fork in the road to the front right: \"It can't be too far.\"

That was the road to the riverside, and it wasn't far to reach the river, with few people around.

Chu Yi had been avoiding the Crab, indicating that he didn't want to have a conflict with the Crab. The Crab's means of \"having fun\" must be different from Li Zihao's. In this situation, Chu Yi would resist, and as long as he resisted, he couldn't be taken too far.

Yan Hang followed his dad and quickened his pace.

After passing the fork in the road, just as they could see the willows by the river, Yan Hang heard the laughter unique to a group of hooligans. It seemed that all the little hooligans in the world had a unified standard and could make the same laughter and cheering sounds.

\"Four people,\" Dad said, \"so easy.\"

Turning the corner, Yan Hang saw four people standing under the half-light and half-dark street lamp ahead, with a figure sitting on the ground in the middle.

That school uniform of Chu Yi's, even if it was burned to ashes and scattered in the wind, he could still recognize it.

They were still twenty or thirty meters away, and those few people didn't notice that someone was coming over. They were focused on laughing. First, someone kicked Chu Yi's back, then the Crab stepped on Chu Yi's hand with one foot, and another person went over, bent down, and grabbed the waistband of Chu Yi's pants.

\"Despicable stuff.\" Dad said a sentence.

As soon as he finished saying this, Chu Yi suddenly pulled his hand out from under the Crab's foot, and headbutted the person pulling his pants in the nose.

That person howled loudly amidst the laughter.

The Crab lifted his foot and kicked Chu Yi's head.

\"Fuck.\" Yan Hang cursed in a low voice and rushed over.

The Crab was the first to discover that someone was coming, but Yan Hang's speed made it so that even if he saw it, he couldn't react in time.

When Yan Hang rushed to his face, he only had time to raise his arm, ready to block any possible attacks.

The Crab's reaction was quite fast, but Yan Hang didn't go for his head.

Dad said that inertia is a good thing.

He jumped up and used the inertia to knee the Crab in the right rib. The Crab didn't make a sound and was directly bounced back, falling on his butt on the ground.

The Crab's two little buddies behind him surrounded him, but Yan Hang didn't look back. Dad was behind him.

His second attack used his fist, smashing the head, and he landed a punch on the face of the one who had kicked Chu Yi's back just now.

When he turned around, Dad had already kicked one away and grabbed the collar of the other, throwing him against a tree trunk on the side.

This throw wasn't forceful, and the person staggered, trying to maintain balance, but still hit the tree.

When Yan Hang pulled Chu Yi up from the ground, this person rushed back, with a flash of light in his hand.

\"Knife.\" He said.

Dad went up to meet him, chopped the person's wrist, and the knife fell to the ground.

Yan Hang hadn't even reacted yet, and Dad had already dragged this person to the railing and threw him out over the river bank amidst his constant struggles and kicking.

Splash.

This person fell into the black mud on the river beach.

Yan Hang turned his head and looked at the Crab who had just gotten up from the ground.

Chu Yi said that the Crab had just come back, and he was probably building his own prestige. If he ran away now, he would lose a lot of face.

So he charged again.

Perhaps his fighting spirit was aroused, or perhaps it was a desperate fight, but his speed as he rushed over was somewhat astonishing.

Yan Hang had just pulled Chu Yi to the side when his fist was already in front of his eyes. Yan Hang only had time to tilt his head.

He dodged the Crab's ring, but didn't dodge the unknown thing on his fingers, and a cut was made on his face.

The cut should be very shallow, and there wasn't much feeling.

He raised his elbow and smashed it against the Crab's head. The Crab swayed, and his eyes lost focus for a moment.

As the Crab raised his hand again, Chu Yi suddenly pounced over from the side.

With a pounce and a bump, Chu Yi's momentum was astonishing. He fiercely jumped up, crashed into the Crab's back, and hugged the Crab from behind with his arms and body.

This pounce and bump, the force Chu Yi used was astonishing. Yan Hang even heard a bang.

He felt that Chu Yi might have caused internal injuries to the Crab.

Then he saw the Crab lose his balance, and because his arms were restrained by Chu Yi, he couldn't support himself on the ground. In the end, he could only try to lift his face up, and his whole body fell to the ground.

Chu Yi had no experience in fighting, but he had plenty of experience in being beaten. However, it was useless now.

This was the first time in his life that he had gotten physical with someone.

He could endure many things and calmly ignore many things, but he could not endure Liang Bing's behavior tonight no matter what.

When he saw Liang Bing's ring scratch across Yan Hang's face, he felt like his blood was about to spurt out of his eyes.

Liang Bing fell to the ground, his chin hitting the ground. A few seconds later, he struggled to get up.

Chu Yi didn't know what to do, so he could only continue to lie on his back and tightly hug Liang Bing with his arms.

The two who were with him wanted to come up, but Yan Hang and Uncle Yan were standing on either side, so the two moved and then stopped.

\"I'll fuck your mom, let go!\" Liang Bing roared.

Chu Yi didn't make a sound and didn't move.

\"Chu Yi,\" Yan Hang tugged at his shoulder, \"Get up.\"

Chu Yi hesitated for a moment before letting go and getting off of Liang Bing.

Liang Bing cursed as he quickly got up and swung his hand towards Chu Yi's face.

Yan Hang grabbed his wrist, twisted it behind his back, and pressed Liang Bing back onto the ground.

\"You fucking...\" Liang Bing looked up and wanted to continue cursing, but Yan Hang slapped the back of his head, slamming his face into the ground. When Liang Bing raised his head again, he was silent.

\"Big brother,\" Yan Hang leaned close to his ear, \"There are rules to follow even in this life. He didn't provoke you, there has to be a limit to having fun.\"

Liang Bing clenched his teeth and didn't make a sound.

\"As a boss, you need to have perspective,\" Yan Hang said, \"Otherwise, even in your twenties, you'll just be stuck on these three streets. How boring.\"

After saying that, Yan Hang let go. This time, Liang Bing didn't jump up to sneak attack. After standing up, he stared at Yan Hang for a while before saying, \"I'll admit defeat today. Leave your name.\"

\"Yan Jidao.\" Yan Hang said.

Liang Bing was stunned. Chu Yi didn't know if it was because he knew of Yan Jidao, or because he had seen a surname Yan before and was surprised to see another one pop up in just a few minutes.

Liang Bing glanced over at Uncle Yan.

\"Yan Shu,\" Uncle Yan said while lighting a cigarette, \"Nice to meet you.\"

\"Fuck!\" Liang Bing squeezed out a word from between his teeth. After a while, he turned to look at Yan Hang again, \"Yan Hang, right? I'll remember that.\"

Yan Hang smiled.

\"Let's go.\" Liang Bing turned and left.

The two sidekicks pulled their companion, who was covered in mud from head to toe and had just poked his head out from the railing, up. After glaring at them, they followed behind Liang Bing and left.

The surroundings suddenly became quiet.

Chu Yi was dazed for a moment before coming back to his senses. He raised his hand and pointed at Yan Hang's face, \"Is it se-serious?\"

\"It's nothing,\" Yan Hang took out a tissue and pressed it against his face, \"It's already starting to scab over... You're not hurt anywhere, are you?\"

Chu Yi shook his head and said softly, \"I'm sorry.\"

\"You...\" Yan Hang frowned. Chu Yi felt that he probably wanted to say \"sorry my ass\", just like how he said \"thanks my ass\", but Yan Hang didn't finish his sentence. He just patted Chu Yi's head, \"Let's go.\"

\"Thank you,\" Chu Yi said, then looked at Uncle Yan, \"Thank you, Un-uncle.\"

\"Why don't you bow again.\" Uncle Yan said with a serious face.

Chu Yi bowed.

\"Okay, I accept it,\" Uncle Yan patted his shoulder, then patted his arm, \"Didn't expect it, but you've got quite some strength.\"

\"Hidden de-depths.\" Chu Yi smiled and picked up his cell phone from the ground to take a look.

The phone was intact and not broken from the fall. Knockoff phones are sturdy, but the signal seemed to be gone. He restarted it and the signal was full again.

He breathed a sigh of relief.

The three of them walked quickly along the road back towards Yan Hang's home. Only then did Chu Yi finally slowly emerge from his chaotic emotions.

Nervousness, fear, anger, anxiety...

As these emotions gradually dissipated, he suddenly felt a bit lost.

From the first time he knew what it meant to be embarrassed, the first time he knew what it meant to be bullied, the first time he knew what it meant to be helpless, he never thought that he would suddenly explode like this.

He had always believed that he could carefully persist in calmness until he left this place.

When he pounced on Liang Bing just now, his mind was filled with rage. He never realized that he could accumulate such a high level of anger.

But as his mood slowly calmed down, his whole being felt a bit empty.

Even his footsteps became a bit unsteady.

\"You haven't eaten, have you?\" Yan Hang glanced at Chu Yi.

Chu Yi had been silent the whole way, and Yan Hang was a bit worried that his brain might have been damaged from the beating.

\"No,\" Chu Yi rubbed his stomach, \"I stayed at home for a while before coming out.\"

Yan Hang sighed, \"I made a lot of dishes today, eat more later.\"

\"Mm.\" Chu Yi smiled.

When they got home, Yan Hang didn't immediately go to prepare the food. He saw that Chu Yi's pants were covered in dirt, and there was a triangular hole torn in his butt, revealing his underwear. It was actually red.

\"Don't tell me this year is actually your zodiac year of birth? 12 years old?\" Yan Hang asked.

\"14 already.\" After answering, Chu Yi froze for a moment. He felt his butt and quickly covered the hole when he found it.

\"Your school uniform is torn up like this,\" Yan Hang went into his room and rummaged through his closet, \"What should we do?\"

\"Changing to summer uniforms soon.\" Chu Yi said.

Yan Hang didn't say anything. He took out a set of his own clothes and handed them to him, \"Wear mine for now, this set is a bit small for me.\"

Chu Yi hesitated a bit.

\"Or are you going to wear those pants with the red underwear showing to the music festival?\" Yan Hang asked.

Chu Yi took the clothes and went into the bathroom.

When Yan Hang finished making dinner and brought it out, Dad had already disinfected several of the scrapes on Chu Yi's body, \"Bring an ice pack.\"

Yan Hang looked at Chu Yi.

His own clothes were a bit big on him, but after all, it was a set of normal, fashionable casual wear for teenagers. Wearing these clothes, it was the first time Chu Yi's appearance truly took shape.

Yan Hang felt that only today did he get a clear look at what Chu Yi actually looked like.

His face was pretty much the same as usual, the \"handsome boy\" that the girls talked about, but with the clothes, his whole aura was different, with a bit of coolness.

Just too short.

Tsk tsk.

\"Ice pack.\" Dad said again.

\"Oh, where do you need it?\" Yan Hang opened the fridge and took out an ice pack.

\"There's a lump on his head.\" Dad pointed at Chu Yi's head.

Yan Hang felt Chu Yi's head and found the lump, then placed the ice pack on it, \"What's that guy's name?\"

\"Liang Bing.\" Chu Yi held the ice pack in place.

\"You shouldn't take the long way tomorrow either, just walk this way,\" Yan Hang said, \"If you go around and he goes to find trouble with you again, I won't be able to help even if I want to.\"

\"Mm.\" Chu Yi responded.

Yan Hang had thought about whether he should accompany Chu Yi to and from school, but Chu Yi definitely wouldn't agree, so he didn't bring it up.

Just now, he didn't go hard on Liang Bing. In the past, if someone made him bleed, even if it was a small cut like today's that would scab over as soon as it met the wind, he wouldn't have let the person go so easily.

He didn't care about making enemies or causing trouble. Anyway, he was bored every day and didn't stay long anywhere.

But Chu Yi was different.

Since he stood up for Chu Yi, he had to leave him a way out.

\"Chu Yi,\" Dad said, \"come here and play when you're free. Uncle will teach you some self-defense moves.\"

Chu Yi looked at Dad with some confusion.

\"I see you have good motor skills, quick reactions, and enough strength,\" Dad said. \"I'll teach you a few simple moves. When you can't run, you can protect yourself and hold out for a bit to find a chance to escape.\"

\"Okay.\" Chu Yi smiled a little shyly.

\"There's no shame in running away,\" Dad also smiled. \"Of course you have to run if you can't win.\"

\"To-tomorrow,\" Chu Yi glanced quickly at Yan Hang, \"tomorrow...\"

\"Tomorrow works.\" Dad said.

\"Eat,\" Yan Hang sat down. \"No drinking today, want a soft drink?\"

\"Lemon juice.\" Dad said immediately.

Yan Hang got up, opened the fridge, took out three bottles of iced red tea and put them on the table.

\"I want lemon juice.\" Dad said.

\"Only bought this.\" Yan Hang said.

\"This guy, he likes drinking this so he only buys this,\" Dad took a bottle and twisted it open. \"Good thing I'm an amiable person.\"

Chu Yi didn't know if it was because he was hungry from being beaten or from fighting, but in any case, he ate much more today compared to last time he came.

However, Yan Hang was quite surprised when Chu Yi pounced out today.

Although he had thought Chu Yi would resist when facing thugs like Liang Bing, he was still a bit surprised to see it with his own eyes. After all, since the first time he met Chu Yi, he had been enduring calmly and silently.

\"Is the square far?\" Yan Hang took out his phone. \"I'll call a car in a bit.\"

\"No, no, no...\" Chu Yi waved his hand a little anxiously.

\"Not far?\" Yan Hang asked.

\"No taxi,\" Chu Yi said. \"The bus goes directly there.\"

Yan Hang glanced at Dad, and they spoke at the same time: \"Let's still take a taxi.\"

Chu Yi didn't say anything and sighed.

He really envied Yan Hang.

He really liked Uncle Yan and their family.

As Chu Yi ate the last fried shrimp ball, he had never experienced this kind of ease and gentleness in his own home.

When Yan Hang and Uncle Yan appeared by the river today, for a moment he didn't quite believe his eyes and wondered if he had been beaten silly and was hallucinating.

When Uncle Yan threw the person down the riverbank, when Yan Hang pulled him up from the ground, all he could think was: divine soldiers descending from heaven, divine soldiers descending from heaven, divine soldiers descending from heaven...

He was very envious. Too bad he didn't have a dad like that.

Sometimes, Dad might not even be as reliable as Grandma. At least in most cases, Grandma dared to make a scene.

And he himself wasn't like Yan Hang either.

\"Are you full?\" Yan Hang asked.

\"Mm,\" Chu Yi quickly nodded. \"Stuffed.\"

\"Let's go,\" Yan Hang stood up while looking at his phone. \"The car is almost here.\"

Chu Yi habitually glanced at the plates on the table. Yan Hang grabbed his wrist: \"Control your servant soul a bit.\"

\"Okay.\" Chu Yi nodded solemnly.

The taxi hadn't arrived yet, so they stood by the road waiting.

Yan Hang's clothes had a very nice smell. He didn't know if it was the laundry detergent, cologne, or Yan Hang's own scent.

He lowered his head to sniff his sleeve, then leaned over to Yan Hang and quietly sniffed his body.

It seemed a bit different, so he tugged at his collar to sniff again. As he tiptoed to lean over, wanting to sniff that spot between the shoulder and neck, he glanced at Yan Hang's face and froze.

Yan Hang was looking at him through narrowed eyes.

\"Your nickname must be Doggy.\" Yan Hang said.

Chu Yi gave him a thumbs up: \"Yan-half-immortal.\"

\"The clothes are washed.\" Yan Hang said.

\"No, no,\" Chu Yi quickly said. \"I mean... the clothes smell nice.\"

\"Because I sprayed cologne in my closet, you little country mutt.\" Yan Hang said.

Chu Yi started laughing, a little embarrassed.

The taxi arrived soon. Uncle Yan sat in the front while he and Yan Hang sat in the back.

After getting in the car, both Yan Hang and Uncle Yan looked at him, waiting for him to tell the driver the address.

\"Music festival.\" He said.

\"Okay.\" The driver nodded and drove off.

Uncle Yan paused: \"Actually, it doesn't matter that we don't know which square it is, right?\"

\"Right.\" Yan Hang nodded.

After a pause, the two of them started laughing. Chu Yi laughed along with them for a long time.

As the taxi crossed the bridge, Chu Yi glanced out the car window. This place that he usually only connected with through his tree hole now felt a bit complicated in his heart.

He put his hand in his pocket and felt the little black stone.

It was very smooth with a great texture.

He took out the little stone and gently placed it in Yan Hang's palm: \"For you.\"

","published_time":"2024-07-23T00:00:00.000Z","paid":false,"show_flag":true,"show_scheduled_time":"2024-07-02T00:00:00.000Z","unpaid_scheduled_time":"2024-07-23T00:00:00.000Z"},{"content_id":815,"novel_id":11,"chapter_no":16,"chapter_title":"Chapter 16","content":"

Yan Hang looked down.

In his palm was a shiny hexagonal black pebble and a thin red string.

He could still feel the delicate touch of Chu Yi carefully placing the items in his hand.

\"You finished it so quickly?\" Yan Hang picked up the pebble. The hole in the middle for threading the string had already been drilled.

\"No, not that fast,\" Chu Yi looked at him a bit nervously, \"Do you like it?\"

\"Mm.\" Yan Hang nodded and threaded the red string through the small hole.

As he tied it around his ankle, Chu Yi explained softly again: \"The hole is too small, leather string and braided string can't pass through.\"

\"This is fine.\" Yan Hang said.

\"Master, I also don't know how to braid.\" Chu Yi said.

Yan Hang laughed: \"I know.\"

This little pebble was quite cool, with a simple and generous shape, and clean color. It looked quite stylish tied around the ankle.

\"Actually your aesthetic sense is a bit stronger than what you usually show.\" Yan Hang lifted his leg, showing off his ankle to him.

\"The aesthetic of a mutt,\" Chu Yi smiled, reaching out to hold his ankle, \"Looks good.\"

\"Is there one for me?\" Dad, who had been listening in front, turned his head back and asked, \"Little mutt.\"

\"There are many,\" Chu Yi scratched his head a bit shyly, \"I'll show you the photos, you pick one.\"

\"Okay.\" Dad nodded.

Chu Yi took out his phone, pressed it, and then the three of them looked together at the black screen.

Yan Hang felt this phone had probably been smashed by Liang Bing just now and was no longer working well. The time it took to light up the screen was much longer than usual.

In the middle, Chu Yi even had time to wipe the dust off the screen with his hand.

\"What are we doing?\" Dad asked.

\"Waiting to see the photos.\" Yan Hang said.

\"Oh.\" Dad nodded.

The screen finally lit up. Chu Yi tapped the photo album. The album opened quite quickly, and the folder called \"Little Stones\" inside also opened fast. However, after opening, rows of black squares were displayed and remained unchanged for a long time.

\"There's a group photo,\" Chu Yi rubbed his nose and clicked on one of the black squares, then held the phone in one hand and rested his chin in the other, \"How time flies.\"

\"Indeed,\" Dad stroked his chin, \"My beard has grown out.\"

Finally, this photo opened. Chu Yi enlarged the picture: \"These are it, actually not good-looking.\"

\"Quite good-looking,\" Dad took the phone, \"Let me take a careful look and pick one. You drill a hole for me too, okay?\"

\"Mm!\" Chu Yi immediately nodded.

Yan Hang glanced at him, feeling that Dad calling him a poor thing was not wrong at all. He probably had never shown these stones to anyone, and no one would say they looked good, let alone say they wanted to pick one and have him drill a hole for them.

Chu Yi's pebbles were all quite small, probably because small stones didn't need to be polished for too long and were easy to hide.

But the colors and shapes were quite diverse. The more complex ones even had petal shapes. They couldn't be called exquisite, but they were all very cute.

\"Is this red one painted with pigment?\" Dad pointed to a round little stone in red with a bit of orange and asked.

\"It was originally like this,\" Chu Yi said, \"Found in the river.\"

\"I'll pick this one then. It can be worn on the hand.\" Dad said.

\"I'll bring it to you tomorrow.\" Chu Yi said with a smile.

\"Thank you.\" Dad said.

\"You're welcome.\" Chu Yi waved his hand.

The black pebble felt cool. Yan Hang could always feel it, a cool little point, not knowing if it was an illusion or real.

Before getting out of the car, he couldn't help but untie the slip knot of the red string and changed it to a fixed knot.

It would be a pity to accidentally lose Chu Yi's token.

Today was the first day of the music festival, and also Friday. There were a lot of people in the square. As soon as they got out of the car, it was as if they were thrown into a huge speaker.

Music, people's laughter and shouts.

Yan Hang stood on the sidewalk near the road in the square, feeling a bit dazed.

He didn't like the hustle and bustle very much. Most of the time, he liked to be alone and space out. Dad understood his habits very well, so he wouldn't take him to such occasions to join in the excitement.

Today's scene could be counted as the most lively one he had seen besides the New Year's fireworks party.

\"Shall we go to the front?\" Dad asked.

Yan Hang didn't speak, feeling a bit hesitant. He glanced at Chu Yi.

Chu Yi looked quite excited, constantly turning his head and looking around, his eyes shining.

\"Let's go to that tree over there. Too close and we'll only see the backs of heads. The sound isn't right either.\" Yan Hang pointed to a tree in front.

There were also quite a few people under the tree. People were even standing on a stone bench.

When they went over, someone just happened to get down from it. Yan Hang saw it and quickly pulled Chu Yi, rushing over in two steps and pushing him onto the stone bench: \"Get up, get up, get up...\"

\"Ah.\" Chu Yi also quickly stepped onto the stone bench.

However, there were a few too many people on the stone bench, and he couldn't stand steadily after getting up.

\"Hold onto me.\" Yan Hang said.

Chu Yi put his arm on his shoulder, thought for a bit, and then laughed: \"Shorty.\"

\"You fucking get down.\" Yan Hang looked at him.

\"No.\" Chu Yi shook his head with a smile.

A few drum sounds came from the stage, and the people around shouted together. Chu Yi quickly turned his head to stare in that direction.

Yan Hang felt that Chu Yi was quite a magical person.

Just an hour ago, he had been beaten by the river, had his phone smashed, and almost had his pants stripped off, but now he was completely fine.

Or rather, from the time they left the riverside and returned to his home, he had basically returned to normal.

This astonishing recovery ability made Yan Hang feel a bit emotional.

Chu Yi no longer talked more about the causes and consequences of this matter, and didn't ask how he and Dad found him. The discussion about this matter didn't even last one second.

It was tossed aside very cleanly and neatly.

Regardless of whether Chu Yi's ability was actively or passively acquired, Yan Hang felt that this kid had a remarkably awesome endurance.

Dad went somewhere and made a round, and when he came back, he had three small binoculars in his hand.

\"Use this,\" he handed the binoculars to Yan Hang and Chu Yi, \"You can see clearly.\"

\"Thanks, thank you Uncle Yan.\" Chu Yi took the telescope.

\"No need to be so formal,\" Dad said, \"it's quite a mouthful.\"

\"Thanks Uncle.\" Chu Yi said.

\"Yes, that's much easier.\" Dad nodded.

Chu Yi looked down at the telescope: \"I've never played with this before.\"

\"Well, play with it now,\" Yan Hang smiled, taking the telescope and looking towards the stage where a few bald young men were standing, \"quite clear.\"

\"Ah,\" Chu Yi also put the telescope to his eye, and after a while said, \"so far away.\"

Yan Hang looked at him.

He also glanced at Yan Hang, paused for a moment and then very calmly flipped the telescope around: \"Got it.\"

Yan Hang couldn't help but laugh: \"Country bumpkin.\"

\"City slicker,\" Chu Yi continued looking through the telescope, \"be serious.\"

By the time they arrived, the music festival had already been going on for quite a while, so the mood of the people in the square had already been stirred up. When there was a bit of movement on the stage, people below would raise their hands and wave.

When this band of bald young men started performing, the cheers from below almost drowned out the music.

The intro was very familiar, Yan Hang glanced at his dad.

This was a song Dad really liked.

Dad's knowledge of English was limited to hello and hi bye, but he could still sing this song.

\"One day, I won't be insane...\" Sure enough, Dad started singing along.

Yan Hang smiled and sang a line together with him: \"Won't play all their foolish games, we all need to pay...\"

Chu Yi also stopped looking at the stage and turned his head to look at them.

\"What's wrong?\" Yan Hang asked.

\"No-nothing,\" Chu Yi said, \"just a bit surprised.\"

After this song, the band sang one of their own originals, very fiery, everyone's hands were raised, like a small forest.

Yan Hang looked at the swaying arms in front of him, feeling a bit dazed.

The sound in his ears also slowly faded away, leaving only the swaying shadows under the strong light.

As if shouting.

Also as if struggling.

Black and white silent chaos.

Someone lightly flicked his face, Yan Hang came back to his senses, the music and shouting that instantly returned poured into his ears, he almost couldn't catch his breath.

\"Chu Yi,\" Dad called out to Chu Yi, \"how about we change locations?\"

\"Okay.\" Chu Yi agreed without thinking.

\"Let's go over there, a bit further away,\" Dad pointed to a mall across the street from the square, \"looks like there's an outdoor tea bar on the second floor?\"

Chu Yi looked through the telescope: \"Yes, let me treat you to tea.\"

\"You don't even have enough money in January to keep from getting robbed,\" Yan Hang said, \"and you're always thinking of treating others.\"

\"I don't get robbed every time.\" Chu Yi jumped off the stone stool.

\"With your uncle here, it's not your turn to treat,\" Dad smiled, \"come on, let's go sit over there for a bit.\"

Yan Hang turned and followed Dad in that direction.

After walking a few steps, someone grabbed his hand, he turned his head, it was Chu Yi.

Chu Yi smiled at him: \"Your hand is a bit cold.\"

\"Mm,\" Yan Hang responded, \"it's windy.\"

Walking a few more steps, Chu Yi showed no intention of letting go of his hand. He glanced at Chu Yi again: \"How about you call me brother and I'll hold your hand crossing the street?\"

\"Aren't you afraid?\" Chu Yi asked.

Yan Hang paused and didn't say anything.

Chu Yi still didn't let go, the two of them foolishly held hands following behind Dad crossing the street.

The outdoor tea bar on the second floor also had quite a few people, all there to join in the excitement of the music festival. If you weren't particularly fanatical, sitting here, you could hear the music, see the stage, and sit and have a cup of tea, quite comfortable.

They found an empty table and sat down. Dad ordered a pot of fruit flower tea for the two of them and a pot of green tea for himself.

As soon as the tea was brought over, Chu Yi immediately stood up and poured tea into all three cups. The waiter who was preparing to pour tea for them couldn't get a hand in and after standing there for a while could only walk away.

\"Chu Yi,\" Dad took a sip of tea, \"you haven't really come out to play like this before?\"

\"At night I'm always at home,\" Chu Yi sat down, \"j-just sitting there.\"

\"Isn't that quite boring?\" Dad sighed.

\"I-it's fun at Grandpa's,\" Chu Yi turned his cup, \"can go during vacation.\"

\"Grandpa's house is far away right?\" Dad asked again.

\"Mm.\" Chu Yi nodded.

Yan Hang listened to their chat while taking out his phone to take a few photos towards the stage.

This phone boasting a Leica lens took pretty good photos, quite atmospheric.

The stage was brightly lit, besides that illuminated colorful area, the surroundings were deep darkness, very lonely.

\"Your stuttering,\" Dad looked at Chu Yi, \"when did it start?\"

\"Since I can remember,\" Chu Yi thought, \"my dad said I started talking late, always spoke unclearly, grandma was anxious and always scolded, the more she scolded the worse I got.\"

\"So yours was from being scared.\" Dad said.

\"Mm,\" Chu Yi smiled, \"not from being dumb.\"

\"That much is clear,\" Dad said, \"try speaking slower, word by word, maybe you won't stutter then.\"

\"Re...a...lly...\" Chu Yi said.

Yan Hang opened the video on his phone and pointed it at Chu Yi.

\"See, you're not stuttering.\" Dad clapped.

\"He basically doesn't stutter when saying three words.\" Yan Hang said.

Dad laughed: \"Then try something longer, Chu Yi how old are you?\"

\"Fourteen, this, way,\" Chu Yi sighed, \"is this long enough?\"

Yan Hang laughed so hard he couldn't hold his phone steady: \"That last sentence of yours counts as long.\"

\"Alright,\" Chu Yi turned his head and saw the phone pointed at him, \"live...stream...ing?\"

\"No, video.\" Yan Hang said.

\"Why...are...you...\" Chu Yi dragged out his words, amusing himself, \"Hey!\"

\"Take it slow,\" Yan Hang said with a smile, \"If it were that easy to change back, no one would stutter.\"

\"Yeah.\" Chu Yi picked up his cup and took a sip of tea with a smile, \"This... tea... is, is very fragrant.\"

Yan Hang and his dad didn't have much sense of time. For Yan Hang, it was because of his insomnia - often the night was just a block of time opposite to the day. As for his dad, he was indifferent to everything, just letting things be.

It wasn't until Chu Yi hesitantly said he should head home that they noticed it was almost 11 o'clock.

\"Oh,\" Dad stood up, \"Hurry up and catch a cab.\"

\"Probably won't be able to get a cab at this hour,\" Yan Hang glanced at the square, still bustling with crowds, \"So many people.\"

\"Bus.\" Chu Yi said.

Yan Hang didn't like buses. He could jog for two hours, but he was unwilling to stand on a bus for ten minutes, or even sit.

But there was no choice tonight given the situation. They definitely wouldn't be able to get a cab, and walking back would take too long. The only option was to squeeze onto a bus.

And it was truly \"squeezing\".

They weren't the only ones unable to get a cab. At this time, there was only one bus route running. They were quite near the front of the line, but after getting on, Yan Hang found an endless stream of people boarding. Even though they got on first, there was no difference from those who got on later - everyone was pressed together.

\"Stay, strong, chest out!\" Chu Yi was pressed face to face with him, still trying to cheer him on.

Yan Hang sighed and laughed, \"Shut up.\"

After the bus drove for one stop, no one got off, and more people squeezed on.

Chu Yi also sighed, desperately trying to shift to the side, probably wanting to separate a bit from the older woman leaning on his back.

He had just moved a little when he suddenly stopped, abruptly raising his head to look at Yan Hang, quietly exclaiming, \"Ah!\"

\"What,\" Yan Hang was startled, lowering his voice, \"You got hard?\"

\"...No, no,\" Chu Yi lowered his head, then raised it again, \"I'm not, not an adult yet, this kind of, of topic is not, appropriate.\"

\"Then what are you making a fuss about?\" Yan Hang asked.

\"The little stone,\" Chu Yi said, \"Did, did, did it, fall off?\"

\"No,\" Yan Hang rubbed his left ankle tied with the stone against his right calf with difficulty, feeling it, \"It's here, I can feel it, tied in a dead knot, how could it fall off so easily.\"

\"Oh,\" Chu Yi let out a sigh of relief, \"I stepped, stepped on something hard, thought it was the, the stone.\"

\"Don't worry,\" Yan Hang smiled, \"Actually, I haven't received many gifts. Having received one, I won't lose it so easily.\"

When getting off the bus, Chu Yi was still squeezing through while forcibly bending down, as if having OCD, insisting on seeing clearly what he had stepped on.

\"Did you see it clearly?\" Yan Hang asked.

\"A bottle, bottle cap.\" Chu Yi tugged at his clothes that had gotten askew from the squeezing.

\"A bottle bottle cap, huh.\" Yan Hang said.

Chu Yi laughed, \"Look who's, childish now.\"

\"Let's go, hurry up, or your grandma will scold you for coming back late.\" Yan Hang said.

\"At night no, one watches, watches over me,\" Chu Yi said, then seeming to remember he should slow down, repeated, \"At... night... no... one... watches, watches, watches over me.\"

Yan Hang was smiling when a car passed by behind them, honking its horn.

\"Chu Yi!\" Someone called out.

Yan Hang turned his head. A white car drove over and stopped beside them.

The passenger window was open. Yan Hang looked inside and saw a middle-aged man also looking out.

\"My dad,\" Chu Yi walked over, \"You're, back?\"

\"Where did you go?\" Chu Yi's dad opened the car door and got out, \"Get in, I'll give you a ride.\"

After saying this, Chu Yi's dad glanced in their direction. After his gaze passed over Yan Hang's face, he suddenly froze.

Yan Hang quickly looked over at his dad, but his dad's expression was normal, even with a smile on his face, \"Chu Yi, go back with your dad. We're just up ahead, very close, a short walk away.\"

\"I...\" Chu Yi hesitated a bit.

\"Get in the car,\" Yan Hang patted his back, \"You want to walk back alone?\"

\"Oh,\" Chu Yi smiled and opened the car door to get in. He then leaned against the window, \"Today was very, happy, good night.\"

\"Good night.\" Yan Hang said.

\"Good night, Uncle.\" Chu Yi smiled at Yan Hang's dad again.

\"Good night.\" Dad waved.

After the car drove away, Yan Hang and his dad stood by the road without moving.

After a moment of silence, Yan Hang glanced at his dad, \"This shouldn't be the first time Chu Yi's dad has seen you, right?\"

\"Not sure,\" Dad lit a cigarette and continued walking forward, \"In any case, it's the first time I've seen him.\"

Yan Hang was silent for a while, then followed.

In the past, he definitely wouldn't have asked this kind of question. But now he felt like a walking book of ten thousand whys.

","published_time":"2024-07-30T00:00:00.000Z","paid":false,"show_flag":true,"show_scheduled_time":"2024-07-09T00:00:00.000Z","unpaid_scheduled_time":"2024-07-30T00:00:00.000Z"},{"content_id":833,"novel_id":11,"chapter_no":17,"chapter_title":"Chapter 17","content":"

Chu Yi was a bit excited, he had been quite excited all night.

He could sense that he was very excited, which meant he was truly excited.

He sat in the passenger seat, constantly humming songs softly.

\"Are those two your new friends?\" Dad asked.

\"Mm, Yan Hang,\" Chu Yi nodded slightly, \"These clothes, and shoes, were all given, given to me by him.\"

\"His name is Yan Hang?\" Dad glanced at him, \"Is that man his father?\"

\"Yes,\" Chu Yi smiled, \"We just went to the music, music festival together, to have fun.\"

\"When did you meet?\" Dad asked again.

\"Last, month.\" Chu Yi turned his head and glanced at his dad. Dad had a few too many questions today. Usually he rarely asked about these things. The whole family didn't have the habit of keeping tabs on his various activities.

\"I see,\" Dad drove to the bottom of the building and found a spot to stop, \"Do you know his family situation?\"

\"What's, what's wrong?\" Chu Yi frowned.

\"I feel his father,\" Dad said, \"is a bit strange. You should... interact with them less.\"

Chu Yi was stunned for a moment. Before he could ask more, Dad had already pulled out the car key and got out of the car.

\"How is he, strange?\" Chu Yi jumped out of the car and asked.

\"I'm just not at ease,\" Dad said, \"to be safe.\"

\"Oh.\" Chu Yi responded and didn't inquire further.

When they got home, Grandma and Grandpa were already asleep. Mom had just finished showering and was sitting on the sofa watching TV. As soon as she saw Dad, she frowned, \"Does your company's fleet give you overtime pay for working overtime? You said you'd be gone for an hour, but it's been several hours.\"

\"I had to pick up the person after all, the flight was delayed by an hour.\" Dad said.

\"Why did they ask you to go? Aren't you off today? Is there only one driver in your company?\" Mom was very annoyed, \"You're just a wimp, doing whatever they tell you to do, you don't even know how to refuse!\"

\"Old Ding suddenly said something came up and couldn't make it, so Boss Luo called me, what could I do.\" Dad sighed and went into the bathroom, closing the door.

\"Old Ding has been at odds with you for so long! Does your Boss Luo not know? Having you work overtime to cover for Old Ding,\" Mom persisted, \"Isn't this deliberately trying to make things difficult for you?\"

Dad didn't respond from inside the bathroom.

\"What are you standing there for! Lost your mind after going crazy all night?\" Mom turned her head.

Chu Yi quickly lowered his head, walked to the desk and sat down, turning on the desk lamp.

\"You have the nerve to go out and fool around when you haven't even finished your homework!\" Mom glared at him.

Chu Yi silently took out his notebook and lay on the desk, trying to bury his face as low as possible.

He breathed a sigh of relief only after Mom went back to the bedroom. He looked at today's homework.

There was quite a lot of homework, he might have to write until after 1 AM, but Chu Yi didn't care. Compared to going out to have fun tonight, it was no problem even if he had to do homework until tomorrow morning.

But after writing a few words, he stopped again. Mom scolding him wouldn't affect his happy mood from the whole evening, but Dad's attitude just now made him a bit depressed.

Mom said Dad was a coward, which wasn't entirely an insult. Dad was timid and cautious in everything. When encountering any issues, he would usually try to avoid them as much as possible... He was the epitome of being cowardly and afraid of trouble.

Ah.

Perhaps his own ability to endure came from Dad's genes.

Dad was also quite suspicious. Although he wouldn't regard all goodwill from others as insults like Mom and Grandma did, Dad always felt that given their family's situation, anyone who actively approached them might be trying to dig a hole for them to jump into.

Just from meeting Uncle Yan once, he had already made such a judgment about him. Chu Yi felt quite stifled.

In Chu Yi's view, even someone like Li Zihao couldn't be considered a particularly bad person. He merely followed the crowd. Only people like Liang Bing needed to be avoided.

Right, and that Old Ding.

Dad's colleague, whom Chu Yi had met once without even speaking, yet inexplicably feared. His eyes were especially fierce.

To say Dad was at odds with him wasn't accurate. In fact, it was only Dad who felt Old Ding disliked him and was hard to deal with. Old Ding had never even looked Dad in the eye. Not long ago, he had even hit Dad over whether the car had been refueled or not.

And with Dad's personality, he would still force an awkward smile when meeting him again.

In that sense, he was still stronger than Dad. Although he would endure people he disliked, he wouldn't force himself to ingratiate with them.

All sorts of thoughts swirled in Chu Yi's mind, from Dad, to the music festival, to Yan Hang.

Yan Hang was a very special person.

Not only because Yan Hang was his first real friend in the true sense since he was young.

Great at English, very handsome, sometimes very cool, and very domineering. Fought very well, cooked delicious food, and had very nice-looking ankles...

And very gentle.

Even knowing what kind of person Grandma was, knowing what his family situation was like, knowing he was someone who would endure anything without principles, Yan Hang still respected him very much.

Yes, it was respect.

Chu Yi lay on the table. Yan Hang respected him.

What a great person.

\"Want a late-night snack?\" Yan Hang asked Dad as he entered.

\"I'm stuffed from drinking tea,\" Dad yawned, \"I can't eat anymore. If you're hungry and want to make a snack, I'll eat a bit with you.\"

\"...I'm not hungry.\" Yan Hang said.

\"Then let's not eat. You still have work tomorrow, go to bed early.\" Dad went into the room.

Yan Hang stood in the living room for a few seconds, then also returned to his own room. He took a change of clothes, planning to take a shower. His mind was a bit chaotic, he needed to clear his head with a shower before sorting things out.

Or maybe not sort it out at all.

Just like tidying up a room, you can just toss things haphazardly into a box and put the lid on. As for what's inside the box, that can wait until the day the lid is opened by chance.

When he walked to the living room with his clothes, Dad also came out of the room with a change of clothes.

He looked at Dad, and Dad looked at him.

A second later, they both rushed towards the bathroom at the same time.

Yan Hang was faster than Dad, but his methods weren't as ruthless as Dad's.

More precisely, as shameless.

Just as his hand touched the bathroom door handle, Dad grabbed the waistband of his pants from behind.

He pulled down both the outer pants and underwear from behind.

\"Hey! Old Yan, aren't you being too disrespectful for an elder!\" Yan Hang felt like his butt was about to be exposed.

\"You're the old one!\" Dad continued pulling from behind.

Yan Hang had no choice but to brace himself against the doorframe with one hand while tugging at his pants with the other. \"But you're my dad!\"

\"Only when fighting over the bathroom do you remember I'm your dad!\" Dad let go.

But before Yan Hang could lift his leg to go in, his dad had already grabbed him around the waist and pinched the wrist that was holding the door.

Yan Hang gasped as a numbness spread through his wrist, making him let go.

In just those two seconds, his dad had already tossed him aside, gone in, and closed the door.

\"How dare you!\" Yan Hang pounded on the door.

\"Did you learn your lesson?\" Dad chuckled from inside.

\"You have the nerve to teach people a move like pulling down pants?\" Yan Hang rotated his wrist as he sat down by the bathroom door, the numbness still not completely gone.

In fact, every time he tried this move he couldn't quite get it right, always pinching the wrong spot.

Several times, he ended up hurting the other person before they let go.

He figured he could never compare to an old hand like his dad when it came to this kind of thing.

An old hand.

Right?

Probably.

An orphan who doesn't even know where he's from, while others are enjoying carefree, comfortable lives, he was figuring out how to survive.

Over the years, for his dad to allow him to live freely without any external harm, Yan Hang could more or less sense what kind of person he was and what skills he had.

Good at reading people, and good at disguising himself.

The change in expression on Chu Yi's dad's face today, Yan Hang noticed it with a casual glance, so there's no way his dad didn't see it.

His dad avoided this detail and only said it was their first meeting, which wasn't particularly in line with his habits. Usually he would take the opportunity to analyze the meaning behind that expression.

So his dad might not have been telling the truth.

But based on the experience Yan Hang had accumulated following him all these years, it was also possible they really hadn't met before.

Chu Yi's dad was the kind of person you might not even notice standing right in front of you. Even if you exchanged a few words, you'd forget what he looked like the next day.

Yan Hang lit a cigarette and held it between his lips.

There were many things he was unwilling to dwell on, trying hard to be like a foxtail weed his dad had planted in a pot, well-protected, taken around to see the sights every day, with the only worry being that the person carrying the pot might suddenly disappear one day.

But he still couldn't help pondering. As the days went by, this worry was no longer something he could just set aside.

After spacing out for a long time, he tossed the long-extinguished cigarette butt into the trash can.

His dad might really have never met Chu Yi's dad, but he must have appeared somewhere Chu Yi's dad could see him before, and done something that would allow Chu Yi's dad to immediately recognize him upon seeing him again and have a change in expression.

His dad opened the bathroom door and paused when he saw him. \"Are you waiting in line?\"

\"Just feeling a bit miffed about not snagging the first shower,\" Yan Hang said.

\"Go shower then. If you're miffed, shower a bit longer.\" His dad laughed and ruffled his hair, tossing his changed clothes into the hamper beside him before returning to the living room.

When Yan Hang came out from his shower, his dad was sitting on the couch with his eyes closed, not sure if he was asleep or just resting his eyes.

\"Chu Yi said he's coming over tomorrow, don't let him show up to an empty house,\" Yan Hang said.

\"Don't worry,\" his dad smiled with his eyes still closed. \"I said I'm not going out these days.\"

Yan Hang went back to his room and put in his earbuds as he lay down on the bed.

There was a message on his phone. He picked it up and glanced at it. It was from Chu Yi.

A photo.

It was of the red round stone his dad had picked out today, already drilled with a hole.

-You're working overtime, huh

Chu Yi immediately sent over another photo, still of the red stone, now strung with a red cord. But the cord wasn't a single strand through the hole, but two strands forming an X, knotted on either side of the stone.

-Drilled two holes?

-Yeah, crisscrossed holes. This way two cords can be strung through and it won't easily fall off. I'll drill a hole in the black one tomorrow too and add another cord.

-Okay

Yan Hang looked at the black stone on his ankle and sighed.

Chu Yi's state made him feel a bit off. He always felt this kid's personality of going all out for someone who treated him a bit well would get him hurt in the future.

But... someone who grew up like Chu Yi probably already had a heart of steel, right?

\"Worrying too much.\" Yan Hang closed his eyes, arm under his head.

Being able to fall asleep was a good thing, but having constant dreams after falling asleep was depressing.

Especially since he never dreamed of anything good.

He was running after his dad and a woman in the darkness, cold and afraid.

He tried hard to run faster, to get closer to his dad, wanting to see his dad's face clearly, to see the woman's face clearly, but he was always a few steps behind.

A figure appeared ahead.

He couldn't make out the face.

But he was certain it was Chu Yi's dad.

A raised hand.

A knife.

Blood everywhere.

When Yan Hang forcefully opened his eyes, he could still hear his rapid breathing, his pounding heartbeat still not calmed.

He lay in bed staring blankly for a while before slowly coming back to his senses.

It was already light out.

At least he slept for a few hours, he patted his own head in consolation.

After lazing in bed a bit longer, he got dressed and walked out of the room.

He got a fright as soon as he entered the living room. Someone was sitting cross-legged on the windowsill.

Although he knew without thinking that it was his dad, this posture that seemed like an immortal about to cast a spell was a bit too novel.

\"I discovered the air is a bit better by the living room window in the morning,\" his dad said. \"There must be someone selling fried dough sticks outside my room's window. They start frying at 4 AM every day, filling the air with the smell of oil.\"

\"Want to switch rooms with me?\" Yan Hang walked over to his side and glanced out the window. \"I'm surprised no one has stopped to watch your special morning exercise posture...\"

Before he could finish, someone did stop.

\"Who says no one has,\" his dad pointed at Chu Yi who suddenly appeared from the side, happily running. \"See, he's about to stop.\"

Chu Yi looked to be in a good mood, his steps quite light and bouncy.

However, as soon as he turned around, he saw his father sitting cross-legged on the windowsill, obviously caught off guard, and froze in place.

\"Stopped in his tracks.\" Dad snapped his fingers and extended his hand in front of Yan Hang.

Yan Hang pinched a peanut from a nearby bag and placed it in his father's hand.

\"Don't be stingy.\" Dad still had his hand outstretched.

Yan Hang clicked his tongue, took out fifty yuan from his pocket, and exchanged it for the peanut.

\"Little Chu Yi!\" Dad satisfactorily put away the money and called out to Chu Yi, \"What are you doing standing there?\"

\"Uncle,\" Chu Yi walked over and stood in front of the windowsill, \"What are you doing? You look like a hung painting.\"

Yan Hang found it amusing.

\"Even... with... a... frame.\" Chu Yi added slowly, drawing out his words.

\"I'll smack you,\" Dad laughed and jumped down from the windowsill, \"Have you had breakfast? Come in and eat with us?\"

\"I ate,\" Chu Yi said, then glanced at Yan Hang, \"But I'm still not full.\"

\"Want a sandwich?\" Yan Hang asked.

\"Yes.\" Chu Yi nodded.

Sandwiches were simple. Yan Hang opened the fridge, quickly going over the ingredients in his mind - cucumber, eggs, luncheon meat, cheese, and a bag of whole wheat bread. That would do.

He took the things and went into the kitchen. Just as he habitually arranged the ingredients neatly on the countertop, Chu Yi followed him in.

\"This is simple, no need for an assistant.\" Yan Hang said.

\"Mm,\" Chu Yi squatted down and tugged at the small stone on his ankle, \"I'll take it to drill a hole.\"

\"Oh.\" Yan Hang responded.

Chu Yi took out a small pair of scissors from his pocket, cut the tightly knotted red string, and removed the stone.

Yan Hang suddenly felt a bit uncomfortable.

","published_time":"2024-08-06T00:00:00.000Z","paid":false,"show_flag":true,"show_scheduled_time":"2024-07-16T00:00:00.000Z","unpaid_scheduled_time":"2024-08-06T00:00:00.000Z"},{"content_id":851,"novel_id":11,"chapter_no":18,"chapter_title":"Chapter 18","content":"

Actually, \"establishing a certain relationship\" is a very magical thing. When you don't have it, you feel flustered, as if you can't find solid ground. But when you have it, you also feel flustered.

Afraid of losing it, afraid of it breaking.

Chu Yi sat on the sofa next to his dad, head lowered, carefully drilling a hole in that black stone.

His dad already had the red stone tied on his wrist, and was watching Chu Yi work with great interest.

Chu Yi's tools looked quite professional. He was using a hand drill, fixing the stone on a small black base, manually rotating the drill bit, slowly drilling a small hole in the stone.

\"If you drill across like this,\" his dad said, \"how do you ensure the two holes are parallel?\"

\"I measured it.\" Chu Yi continued rotating the drill bit.

\"What did you measure it with?\" his dad asked. \"I didn't see you measure it.\"

\"My big eyes.\" Chu Yi pointed at himself.

\"Idiot.\" His dad started laughing.

Yan Hang brought out the prepared sandwiches and put them on the coffee table. \"Eat first, did you run out so early because you have something to do?\"

\"Need to go to the market, buy a foot soaking basin for my grandma,\" Chu Yi saw the sandwiches and immediately put down what he was holding, reaching out to take one. \"Looks great.\"

\"Hey,\" Yan Hang quickly flicked the back of his hand, \"wash your hands.\"

\"Oh.\" Chu Yi rubbed the back of his hand, smiling, and went to the kitchen to wash his hands.

After finishing the second breakfast, Chu Yi was full of energy and quickly finished drilling the hole in the black stone, re-threading it with two red strings.

Yan Hang tied the stone back on his ankle. The previous feeling eased a little. He hesitated for a moment and asked Chu Yi, \"What about that string?\"

\"Cut it off.\" Chu Yi looked at his ankle.

\"Give it to me, I want to... keep it.\" Yan Hang felt a bit embarrassed saying this, feeling like a sentimental little girl.

Even his dad glanced over at him.

Chu Yi gave him the cut short red string. He originally wanted to take it inside to put away, but felt awkward. After hesitating for a moment, he could only put the string on top of the TV for now.

\"Is it okay if I come over at noon?\" Chu Yi looked at his dad and asked as he was about to leave.

\"Sure, you can keep me company for lunch. Yan Hang won't be back at noon,\" his dad said.

\"I'll bring food.\" Chu Yi said again as he opened the door.

Before his dad could say anything, he ran off.

\"Where would he get money to bring food?\" His dad looked at Yan Hang.

\"Depends what food,\" Yan Hang smiled. \"Let him bring it, otherwise if you don't let him spend some money, he'll be so pent up he'll grind you a custom stone every day.\"

His dad laughed a few times and leaned back on the sofa. \"I'm going out for a bit this afternoon...\"

Yan Hang was about to take the plates to the kitchen. Hearing this, he abruptly stopped and turned to look at his dad.

\"Just going for a walk. I wanted to say you don't need to buy groceries today. I'll bring them back when I return,\" his dad said.

\"Mm.\" Yan Hang responded and went into the kitchen.

This was the first time his dad told him before going out, and even said when he would be back.

But Yan Hang didn't feel at ease from knowing in advance. Instead, he felt a bit anxious.

Hands braced on the counter, head lowered, he couldn't calm down for a long time.

He took out a cigarette from his pocket. As he was feeling for a lighter, his dad suddenly reached over from the side, holding a lighter and lighting it.

Yan Hang leaned over to light his cigarette and turned to look at his dad. \"When are we leaving?\"

His dad glanced at him and was silent for a while before smiling. \"It's up to you this time.\"

Yan Hang didn't say anything, cigarette in his mouth as he looked out the window.

Today Yan Hang ran to work to ease his mood. Otherwise, if he ran into a long-winded customer, he was afraid he might beat them up.

But there were especially many people on the weekend. He had changed clothes and before long, several tables had come in. It didn't let up until noon.

Once he really got busy, his emotions were temporarily set aside.

It's just that he didn't have much appetite at noon break. He drank a glass of milk and sat there listening to a few colleagues chat as they ate.

His phone vibrated. Chu Yi had sent a message.

He clicked it open and took a look.

It was a photo. Chu Yi was standing in front of a punching bag, striking a serious pose. It made him laugh.

- Where did my dad take you to go crazy?

- Boxing gym!

Yan Hang could feel Chu Yi's excitement overflowing from that exclamation point.

His dad would go to the boxing gym from time to time. If there was no boxing gym, he had to go to the fitness center. Each time, he had to exercise until he was exhausted before coming back.

Before, he thought his dad just liked these things. Now thinking about it, the pain his dad was suppressing probably could only be vented through such high-intensity exercise.

- Did he teach you any awesome moves?

Yan Hang sent a message back to Chu Yi.

- He taught me how to punch, and also how to block other people's punches

- Later he's going to teach me how to use my legs

- Uncle Yan Hang is really amazing!

Chu Yi sent three messages in a row. He was much more fluent at typing on his phone than speaking.

\"Then practice well. Show me tonight.\" Yan Hang laughed and sent a voice message.

- I'm afraid I'll hurt you

Yan Hang looked at this message and laughed for a long time. \"You're much more fluent at bragging than speaking. If you can land a punch on me, I'll admit defeat.\"

This time Chu Yi didn't say anything else, just sent back a little emoji.

- 【Strong】

Yan Hang also sent back a little emoji.

- 【Applause】

In the afternoon, a colleague wanted to switch shifts with him. Yan Hang agreed and got off work early.

Actually, which day he worked and which day he rested made no difference to him. Yesterday, today, tomorrow, this day, that day, any day.

When he got home, no one was there. He sat on the sofa in a daze for a while, then took the little red string from on top of the TV and put it in the compartment of his suitcase.

There were other things in this compartment - half of a broken bracelet, a paper filled with circles and dots from when he and his dad played gomoku.

After playing on his phone for a while lying on the bed, he sent a message asking Chu Yi for the location of the boxing gym.

Chu Yi quickly sent him the location. Before he could take a clear look, Chu Yi directly called him. \"You're off work?\"

\"Switched shifts with someone,\" Yan Hang said. \"I'm coming over to find you guys to hang out.\"

\"You take the bus, the bus...\" Chu Yi's voice was a bit breathless, probably from practicing enthusiastically.

\"I'm taking a taxi,\" Yan Hang said. \"Keep practicing hard. When I get there, you're done for.\"

Chu Yi laughed. \"Please spare me, hero.\"

\"Not stuttering when begging for mercy?\" Yan Hang walked out the door.

\"Afraid of stu-stuttering. Before I finish speaking, I'll get be-beaten up,\" Chu Yi said.

Sitting in the back of the taxi, Yan Hang had his legs crossed, fingers lightly flicking the small stone on his ankle.

He quite liked Chu Yi. It didn't matter whether they had a \"friendship\" before. He just found Chu Yi very interesting. Often when chatting with Chu Yi, his mood would unknowingly relax.

But after seeing the change in Chu Yi's father's expression yesterday, every time he thought of Chu Yi or saw him, his heart would panic.

This panic came with his heartbeat, pumping out with his blood the instant it rose.

\"Boss,\" Yan Hang looked at the driver, \"can I smoke a cigarette?\"

\"Go ahead, no problem,\" the driver said. \"Just open the window a bit.\"

\"Thanks.\" Yan Hang lit a cigarette.

He had been smoking a bit heavily these past few days. Before, his dad definitely would have scolded him. He sighed lightly, looking at the streets outside the car window that were still very unfamiliar.

When he arrived at the boxing gym, Chu Yi was kicking a sandbag, completely focused. Yan Hang walked right up to the sandbag but Chu Yi didn't even notice.

As Chu Yi raised his leg, Yan Hang suddenly stepped forward, using his right hand to brace against the back of Chu Yi's knee and his left hand to pull back Chu Yi's chin. Chu Yi immediately went airborne, falling back onto the mat.

Before he could get up, Yan Hang had already squatted down and tapped his forehead with a finger. \"Bang.\"

When Chu Yi saw it was him, he was stunned at first, then very cooperatively sprawled his limbs on the ground. \"...Ah!\"

\"Didn't even shout for the hero to spare you?\" Yan Hang said.

\"Are you stu-stupid? You already sh-shot me in the fore-forehead,\" Chu Yi said.

\"Damn,\" Yan Hang laughed and flicked his finger at him. \"Get up.\"

Chu Yi sat on the mat looking at his dad who was laughing on the side. \"Uncle, isn't this gap too big?\"

\"It's a ten year gap,\" his dad handed Chu Yi a bottle of water and sat down beside him. \"Your goal now is self-defense. Keep practicing. Tomorrow I'll teach you how to use your elbows.\"

Chu Yi nodded, stood up and continued kicking the sandbag, glancing over at Yan Hang every couple kicks.

Yan Hang took out his phone and snapped a bunch of photos of him, then picked a few with nice poses and posted them on Weibo.

\"Swapped shifts with someone?\" his dad asked.

\"Yeah,\" Yan Hang glanced at the flood of comments that instantly appeared and smiled, then looked up at Chu Yi again. \"Seems he's doing alright?\"

\"He has very good physical coordination and learns quickly,\" his dad said. \"In the future, practice on your own when you have time. At least you won't let people bully you so easily.\"

Yan Hang smiled.

The few little moves his dad taught Chu Yi were all very simple, but as long as the timing was right, they were all very effective.

Three-in-one self-defense, offense, and style mini-tricks.

Yan Hang sat on a chair on the side, watching Chu Yi practicing earnestly in front of the sandbag, and his dad occasionally going up to correct his posture.

For a fleeting moment, Yan Hang felt contentment.

A leisurely afternoon with nothing to do, a dad who hadn't disappeared, and an interesting friend.

A contentment that felt unfamiliar yet warm and fuzzy like being sunbathed.

A contentment he would cautiously immerse himself in despite knowing how short-lived it was.

His dad said he wouldn't go out these days, and he really didn't, except for the occasional outing.

Yan Hang didn't know where he went, but he would always return before dinner.

This was the state Yan Hang had always wanted before.

No leaving without a word, no being gone for days. They were like the most ordinary father and son living in any city on any random street in any random neighborhood in any random house.

The most ordinary kind that exists by the thousands all over the world.

Doing the most ordinary work, without lofty pursuits or distant ambitions. One or two friends, maybe occasionally feeling lonely, but dispelled with a glass of wine.

But both he and his dad knew this was just an illusion, so fake that he couldn't ignore it, couldn't pretend not to care.

His dad seemed to be going through the motions.

Doing what he said he would, or perhaps saying it in order to do it.

Those doubts weighing on Yan Hang's heart were like fertilized seeds, growing more and more robust.

Many times he would look at his dad, all the questions lining up at the tip of his tongue, as if waiting for an opportunity to erupt, to pour out regardless of consequences.

Today was Wednesday, Yan Hang's day off. He lay in bed hugging an English version of \"A Game of Thrones\", slowly nibbling at it bit by bit, his mind pondering the lunch menu in his spare time.

Chu Yi was coming over for lunch. Recently his excuse for not going home to eat was that they had final exams coming up and he needed to study in the classroom. Since he had scored shit on the midterms, he voluntarily offered to review, so no one bothered him.

Chu Yi liked pizza. There was time today to make the dough and bake one himself.

Seafood?

Fruit?

A phone rang. Yan Hang casually picked up his phone and glanced at it, only to find the screen was black with no call. The ringtone wasn't his either.

This somewhat unfamiliar ringtone was his dad's phone.

His dad's phone that only rang once in a blue moon.

Yan Hang abruptly sat up, jumped out of bed and ran to the door. As he reached out to open it, he stopped.

His dad had answered the phone.

It wasn't a telemarketer or advertisement. His dad had answered the phone.

And then he heard his dad's voice, so it wouldn't be a scammer's call either.

Yan Hang's hand on the door shook a little. In just these few short seconds, his back had already started tingling from the tension and unease.

He couldn't make out what his dad was saying, and didn't dare open the door to listen.

He just stood there frozen behind the door, a wooden board between them, his body so stiff that even breathing was a bit difficult.

He didn't know how much time passed or when his dad hung up the phone. Only when he heard the click of a lighter outside did he come back to his senses.

After staring at the doorknob for a while, he reached out, opened the door and walked into the living room.

Dad was standing at the door, about to change his shoes.

In that instant, Yan Hang felt his hands and feet turn ice cold, and an unprecedented panic suddenly enveloped him.

\"Where are you going?\" he said.

Dad paused for a moment and turned his head to look at him. \"Going... for a walk.\"

\"Where are you going for a walk?\" Yan Hang asked. \"How long will you be gone?\"

Dad didn't say anything.

\"Whose phone call was it?\" Yan Hang continued asking. \"What did they want with you?\"

Dad turned around, sighed, and slowly walked up to him.

\"What are you going to do?\" Yan Hang looked at him.

\"Hang ah...\" Dad gently patted his face but didn't say anything else.

After staring at him for a while, Dad turned and walked towards the door.

","published_time":"2024-08-13T00:00:00.000Z","paid":false,"show_flag":true,"show_scheduled_time":"2024-07-23T00:00:00.000Z","unpaid_scheduled_time":"2024-08-13T00:00:00.000Z"},{"content_id":871,"novel_id":11,"chapter_no":19,"chapter_title":"Chapter 19","content":"

The bell rang signaling the end of class just as Chu Yi was staring out the window lost in thought. He had been waiting for this bell all morning, and snapped out of his daydreaming state in an instant.

The teacher didn't hold them over and directly dismissed the class with a wave of his hand.

But when Chu Yi tried to stand up, he couldn't - it was as if his chair was stuck and wouldn't budge.

He turned his head and saw Li Zihao sitting in the back row with a slight smile on his lips. Looking down further, he saw Li Zihao's foot propped against his chair.

\"Why aren't you leaving yet,\" Li Zihao looked at him, \"You seem to be in quite a hurry.\"

Chu Yi didn't say anything and just turned back around to continue sitting in his chair.

\"Go on,\" Li Zihao said gleefully, \"What are you sitting there in a daze for, I see you lately...\"

The classmates in the front row got up and left. Chu Yi directly pushed his desk forward, stood up and walked towards the door.

Li Zihao's foot met air, making a sharp sound as the chair leg scraped against the floor.

\"You stand right there!\" This made Li Zihao lose a lot of face. He slapped the desk and jumped up.

Chu Yi didn't even look back and took off running.

He ran down the stairs in a flash and out the school gate in a blink.

Today went quite smoothly, no one else intercepted him on his escape route.

After running a good distance, he slowed his pace, but was still going much faster than usual to get home, because he had agreed to go have lunch at Yan Hang's place today.

He wanted to arrive before Yan Hang started cooking, so he could watch Yan Hang bustle about.

He liked watching Yan Hang cook with fluid motions, looking very handsome. If Yan Hang livestreamed, he could lean in and show his face, maybe helping boost the popularity of the faded masked food host who never went viral.

Just as he turned the corner, his phone suddenly rang.

Chu Yi took out his phone. Seeing it was his mom's number, he instantly felt a bit depressed.

The phone seemed to sense his depression too. After swiping some eighty times, the call was about to end before it finally connected.

\"You're out of school, right,\" his mom's voice came through, \"Go to the vegetable market, the clothes your grandma made at that tailor shop are ready, go pick them up.\"

\"I'm re-, reviewing.\" Chu Yi stuck to his previous excuse.

\"Review what! With your terrible grades, reviewing for a bit will improve them? Allow you to pass?\" Mom said, \"You think I want to ask you to run this errand for fun? Your dad said he'd go pick them up when he got back at noon, but there's no sign of him at all, and his phone is off!\"

\"I'll go get them.\" Chu Yi said.

\"Useless just like your dad.\" Mom hung up the phone.

Chu Yi furrowed his brows and stood by the roadside for a while, but in the end still turned and headed towards the vegetable market.

As he walked, he called Yan Hang, but Yan Hang never picked up.

He sent a message over.

-I'm going to the vegetable market first to pick up clothes for my grandma, will be there soon

After some thought, he added another message.

-Wait for me a bit

Yan Hang didn't reply either, not sure if he was busy or upset.

He shouldn't be upset, Yan Hang only got mad at him that time he helped search for his pen in the muddy riverbank, usually quite even-tempered.

Probably just had something to do.

Chu Yi sighed.

He pretty much knew what was sold at each stall and storefront in the vegetable market. The shop his grandma often got clothes made at was by the back entrance of the market, requiring passing through the entire market.

For the first time, Chu Yi discovered how huge this market was, how far it was from the front entrance to the back.

After finally getting his grandma's clothes, he didn't even bother opening it to take a look before immediately heading back, again at a run.

Passing by Yan Hang's place, he glanced over, the curtains were drawn.

Was Yan Hang sleeping?

He was twisting his face pondering this when a motorcycle suddenly shot out from the intersection ahead, nearly colliding with him.

Chu Yi got a fright and took two steps back before glancing at the person on the motorcycle.

It was Liang Bing.

\"You wanna die?\" Liang Bing glared at him. \"Move!\"

Chu Yi stood still. Liang Bing revved the engine and the motorcycle sped off.

He couldn't help looking back again. Liang Bing was actually so busy he didn't even stop to give him trouble.

Of course, it was also possible he had been scared off by Uncle Yan and Yan Hang that day.

Chu Yi smiled, finding himself feeling a bit smug.

\"Where's that letter?\" Yan Hang looked at his dad. \"I want to see it.\"

\"No need right now.\" Dad said.

\"Then when will there be a need!\" Yan Hang suddenly had trouble controlling his voice. \"When will it be needed? When you're gone for good?\"

Dad's head whipped around and he stared at him without a word.

Yan Hang also fell silent.

This question had been weighing on his mind for some time, like a nail being hammered deeper by time each day.

When it finally burst out, there was only blankness.

He was quiet for a long while. When he spoke again, his voice was a bit faint, as if unable to find the starting point.

\"Let's go.\" Yan Hang said.

\"What?\" Dad was stunned.

\"You said I'm in charge this time,\" Yan Hang said. \"I want to leave now, right now, immediately.\"

Dad opened his mouth but no words came out.

\"You lied to me,\" Yan Hang leaned against the wall and smiled wryly at his dad. \"Old Yan, you lied to me.\"

\"Yan Hang,\" Dad frowned, walked over and pulled him into a tight hug, patting his back forcefully twice. \"Don't say that.\"

\"Then what should I say?\" Yan Hang heard the tremor in his own voice.

He wanted to cry.

A very unexpected feeling.

Over the years, he had experienced all sorts of emotions and feelings - anxiety, irritation, nervousness, unease, fear, repression - but rarely did he want to cry.

Crying was a form of release.

But he had never found that outlet.

\"What should I say? So you won't leave?\" He closed his stinging eyes.

Dad gently patted his back without a word.

\"In your heart,\" Yan Hang said softly, \"I'm not even as good as a dead person.\"

Dad's hand suddenly froze. After a very long time, he finally let go of him.

\"In my life,\" Dad held his face, \"I've lived an especially tiring life. I've let your mom down, and let you down too... but some knots in the heart are dead knots, stuck there, unable to get past for a lifetime, and they're all there when things quiet down.\"

Yan Hang looked at his dad, seeing a pain in his eyes that he had never seen before.

\"I know I shouldn't have let you live this kind of life, really shouldn't have,\" Dad's hands were shaking, \"But... I already considered myself quite free and easy, living life until there was no path of retreat.\"

The slight trembling of Dad's hands shook from his shoulders all the way into his heart.

He felt himself sinking down bit by bit, as if he could see the sunlight in his peripheral vision changing frame by frame, just like every time he sat by the window staring at the sunset.

\"You didn't let Mom down,\" Yan Hang said, \"The only one you let down is me.\"

Dad went silent.

The room fell into dead silence, as if even the sounds from outside the window had been cut off.

Finally, Dad patted his shoulder, then grabbed it forcefully, turned and quickly walked out.

When the sound of the door closing rang out, Yan Hang sat down on the floor.

When Chu Yi brought Grandma's clothes back home in the first grade, Mom was holding her phone calling Dad.

\"Still can't get through or he's not picking up,\" Grandma took the clothes and shook them out to look, \"The workmanship from this place is still good, look at these stitches, so neat and tidy.\"

\"Not picking up!\" Mom threw the phone on the sofa, \"What's wrong with this person! Not a single reliable one in the whole family!\"

\"What are you standing there for!\" Grandma gave Chu Yi a sideways glance, \"Can't you see your mom is upset? Can't go give a hand with cooking!\"

\"I...\" Chu Yi said softly, \"I still have to go to school to review.\"

\"Review my ass!\" Grandma threw the clothes on the coffee table, \"Just being lazy!\"

Chu Yi didn't make a sound.

\"Alright, alright,\" Mom waved her hand, a bit irritated, \"I can't eat anything, I still have to go for an interview in a bit, so annoying, your grandpa isn't even coming back from playing chess. There are two steamed buns, you eat them, I won't eat.\"

\"Eat steamed buns! Eat steamed buns!\" Grandma threw things here and there, \"I might as well directly gnaw on my coffin!\"

Chu Yi hesitated for a moment, then turned and went out the door, closing it quickly behind him, but still couldn't block out the sound of Grandma's cursing.

As soon as he went out, he took out his phone to take a look.

No messages at all.

Yan Hang hadn't responded to him this whole time.

Now it had been almost an hour since he got out of school, and Yan Hang knew when he got out, but never contacted him.

He didn't know what the situation was, and could only continue to call Yan Hang while running towards his house.

He ran the whole way without even drinking any water at noon.

When he got to Yan Hang's door, the phone still wasn't being picked up.

Chu Yi knocked on the door: \"Yan Hang?\"

No movement.

He knocked a couple more times: \"Uncle! Uncle Yan?\"

The house remained very quiet.

He went to the window to take a look. The curtains were drawn but the window wasn't closed. He lifted the curtain: \"Yan Hang!\"

The lights weren't on inside. Chu Yi blinked a few times to adjust to the dimness and saw Yan Hang sitting motionless on the floor.

\"Yan Hang!\" Chu Yi got a fright and called out again.

Yan Hang still didn't move.

He braced himself on the windowsill and jumped in, rushing to Yan Hang's side and grabbing his arm: \"Yan...\"

Yan Hang suddenly fiercely flung his arm, grabbing Chu Yi's wrist with his other hand and twisting it hard.

\"Ah!\" Chu Yi cried out. The intense pain radiating from his arm forced him to fall to the floor beside Yan Hang.

\"Who?\" Yan Hang asked.

\"Chu Yi,\" Chu Yi turned his face to look at him from where he was lying on the floor, \"Yan Hang, it's me, Chu Yi!\"

Yan Hang let go: \"You're out of school?\"

\"Yeah,\" Chu Yi got up. Yan Hang's state was very strange, making him a bit scared, \"What's wrong with you? Are you not feeling well?\"

\"No.\" Yan Hang held his head, burying his face against his knees, his voice muffled as he replied.

\"I...\" Chu Yi didn't know what to say, \"Are you hungry?\"

\"Get me a glass of water.\" Yan Hang said.

\"Okay.\" Chu Yi quickly jumped up, went and poured a glass of water, handing it to Yan Hang.

Yan Hang took the glass and downed the water in one gulp, then held his head and buried his face against his knees again.

Chu Yi was at a bit of a loss, and could only squat beside him and look at him.

\"Let's order takeout.\" Yan Hang said.

\"Oh.\" Chu Yi responded.

Yan Hang took his phone and slowly scrolled through it, ordering a pizza.

\"Why don't you go sit on the sofa?\" Chu Yi lightly touched his arm.

\"Don't want to move.\" Yan Hang said.

\"Oh.\" Chu Yi picked up the empty glass, went and poured another glass of water, placing it by Yan Hang's feet, then sat down against the wall next to him.

Yan Hang sat silently without moving for a long time, then straightened up and leaned against the wall: \"I just... said something really messed up.\"

\"Huh?\" Chu Yi was a bit stunned, not understanding.

\"Really, really messed up.\" Yan Hang said.

\"To who?\" Chu Yi asked.

\"My dad.\" Yan Hang's voice was very low.

Chu Yi looked around the room. Uncle Yan didn't seem to be home.

From the sound of what Yan Hang was saying, the two of them seemed to have... had a fight?

Chu Yi had a hard time imagining it. Uncle Yan and Yan Hang were the most in-sync and friend-like father and son he had ever seen. They actually had a fight?

\"Where's Uncle Yan?\" Chu Yi asked.

\"Don't know.\" Yan Hang said.

The conversation couldn't continue. Chu Yi could only continue to sit silently beside Yan Hang.

He couldn't guess what Yan Hang was thinking, only knowing that he was in a very bad state.

When the phone call from the delivery person came, Yan Hang acted like he didn't hear it at all and didn't move a muscle. Chu Yi took the phone and answered, then carefully touched Yan Hang: \"I'll go to the door to get the food.\"

\"Mm.\" Yan Hang responded.

Chu Yi got up and ran out, got the food and quickly ran back.

\"Eat now?\" He put the pizza down beside Yan Hang.

\"Eat.\" Yan Hang said.

Chu Yi opened the box. When he was about to take a slice for Yan Hang, he stopped, ran to wash his hands, then took a slice and held it to Yan Hang's mouth: \"Here.\"

\"You're feeding me?\" Yan Hang smiled.

\"Open up,\" Chu Yi also smiled, \"Take a big bite.\"

Yan Hang took a bite: \"Aren't you going to be late for school?\"

\"I already went to one class,\" Chu Yi said.

Before getting the takeout, he had already checked the time and was late by then.

\"You're skipping class?\" Yan Hang asked.

\"Mm.\" Chu Yi nodded.

This was the first time in his life he had skipped class. With Yan Hang in this state, he didn't dare leave. Forget skipping class, he wouldn't even care much about dropping out of school.

Yan Hang could talk, laugh, and eat, and ate quite a bit.

It seemed like nothing was wrong, but Chu Yi could still sense that something was very off with Yan Hang.

After finishing the pizza, he continued leaning against the wall in his original posture, staring out the window in a daze.

After Chu Yi cleaned up the takeout boxes, he also sat back down beside him. He didn't know what he should do in this situation, or what else he could do.

For the entire afternoon, Yan Hang barely moved.

But occasionally he would say a few words to him.

It wasn't until the sky started to darken that Yan Hang finally moved, slowly changing from sitting to squatting: \"My cigarettes are by the bed, help me get them.\"

\"Mm.\" Chu Yi stood up and took a couple steps before realizing his legs were numb. Those two steps made him seem half-paralyzed. He had to lean against the wall and rest for a bit before entering Yan Hang's room.

Yan Hang's bed was a bit messy, with the pillow, towel and blankets all in a pile, and several books with English titles based on the covers. Chu Yi glanced over them but couldn't find a single word he recognized.

After getting the cigarettes for Yan Hang, he checked the time. It was past 6 o'clock.

\"You should head back. You've been here all afternoon,\" Yan Hang lit a cigarette and held it in his mouth. \"Thanks.\"

\"Thanks my ass,\" Chu Yi said.

Yan Hang chuckled.

\"What do you want to eat?\" Chu Yi asked. \"Takeout or...\"

\"I'll cook,\" Yan Hang said. \"You don't want to go home, right?\"

\"I'm not comfortable going home,\" Chu Yi said.

\"I'm fine,\" Yan Hang tutted.

\"Then I don't want to go back,\" Chu Yi changed his words.

Yan Hang slowly stood up, bracing himself against the table. He leaned against the wall, stretching his arms and legs. Taking the wallet from the table, he handed it to him: \"Go to the supermarket across the street and buy some groceries. Get whatever you want to eat. I'm going to take a shower.\"

\"Oh.\" Chu Yi took the wallet.

\"How come you're not saying you have money now?\" Yan Hang said.

\"Didn't bring any money,\" Chu Yi sighed.

\"Go on,\" Yan Hang shook his arms. \"Also buy a bottle of iced red tea. Get whatever you want to drink yourself.\"

\"Mm.\" Chu Yi nodded.

Seeing Yan Hang grab his clothes and head into the bathroom, he finally left.

The supermarket wasn't far from Yan Hang's place. You could see it right out the door.

Chu Yi quickly crossed the street. Just as he stepped onto the sidewalk, someone ran over from the side, bumping into him. He instinctively tightened his grip on the wallet.

Before he could walk forward, another person ran past.

\"Someone really died?\" Then someone shouted while running.

","published_time":"2024-08-20T00:00:00.000Z","paid":false,"show_flag":true,"show_scheduled_time":"2024-07-30T00:00:00.000Z","unpaid_scheduled_time":"2024-08-20T00:00:00.000Z"},{"content_id":889,"novel_id":11,"chapter_no":20,"chapter_title":"Chapter 20","content":"

Chu Yi had no interest in watching the commotion. Car accidents, fights, quarrels - he wouldn't go and see any of them.

Murder?

He wasn't interested in that either. A life had disappeared, what was there to be excited about? Before, when someone wanted to commit suicide on the bridge, there were also many onlookers. He heard that the person eventually jumped.

But the river was too shallow and didn't drown them, only broke their legs.

Many people treated this as a joke and laughed about it for a long time, but he felt it was quite good and breathed a sigh of relief. At least no one died.

He looked in the direction where the onlookers were running towards. It was the small street leading to the riverside.

That meant many people might have run to his tree hole now. He felt a bit unhappy. The tree hole was his little secret, and he didn't want anyone else to discover it.

He hesitated and walked a short distance towards the small street, where he saw blood on the ground.

A long trail, dripping along the way.

He stopped.

Forget it.

This kind of scene, better not to look.

He turned around and went to the supermarket. The few stocking ladies at the door were craning their necks to look in that direction. Seeing him walk over, they even asked, \"Did you see what happened? Was someone attacked?\"

\"I don't know,\" Chu Yi replied.

The supermarket was about the same as usual, with no one paying attention to the commotion outside.

Many times it's like this. Things happening right beside you, people coming and going, living and dying, but if you don't see it, it's as if nothing ever happened.

If Yan Hang hadn't seen him that day, hadn't walked up to him.

For him, it would be as if Yan Hang had never existed.

In this life, people live so selfishly.

Chu Yi clutched Yan Hang's wallet tightly as he walked back and forth among the various vegetables.

Yan Hang was in a bad mood, but it didn't seem to affect his appetite. Chu Yi wanted to buy things Yan Hang liked to eat, but after making a round, he realized he didn't know what Yan Hang liked.

In the end, he could only buy some things that could be easily prepared, like shrimp, meatballs, and some greens.

He also picked up a bottle of iced black tea.

When Chu Yi came out of the supermarket, he saw a police car with flashing lights driving towards the river.

It seemed something had really happened. He sighed and ran across the street carrying the things.

When he reached the door of Yan Hang's home, he found that Yan Hang had pulled open the curtains and was standing by the window smoking a cigarette, his hair still wet and dripping water.

Chu Yi walked over. \"I just bought some random...\"

\"What happened over there?\" Yan Hang asked.

\"Oh,\" Chu Yi glanced back. \"I didn't go over. Looks like someone died.\"

The cigarette Yan Hang was holding shook violently, and a piece of ash fell.

Chu Yi was a bit surprised by Yan Hang's reaction.

After a long while, he realized Yan Hang had no intention of opening the door for him, so he pointed at the door again. \"Open the door.\"

Yan Hang stubbed out his cigarette and went to open the door, taking the groceries from his hand. \"Chu Yi.\"

\"Hm?\" Chu Yi looked at him.

\"Do me a favor,\" Yan Hang said. \"Go over there and see what happened.\"

Chu Yi was stunned again but quickly nodded. \"Okay, I'll go look. Wait a bit.\"

Seeing Chu Yi hurrying across the street, Yan Hang finally closed the door and took the groceries into the kitchen.

When he tried to lift the bag onto the counter, he found that his hands were shaking so badly that he couldn't raise it at all.

He had to grab the bag with both hands to put the things up.

When he let go of the bag, his hands seemed to lose support and were trembling so much he felt like dancing along with the rhythm.

He leaned against the counter and lowered his head, closing his eyes and taking deep breaths, then slowly exhaling.

Inhale again.

Exhale again.

After calming down a bit, he bit his lip, turned around abruptly and walked out of the kitchen into his dad's room, turning on the light.

Everything in his dad's room was as usual - the folded quilt, the folded towel blanket, the clothes casually draped over the chair, and the lingering faint smell of smoke.

After another night, the smell of smoke in this room would dissipate completely.

Yan Hang stood in the room for a few seconds, walked to the bedside, and removed the pillow.

There was nothing under the pillow. He shook the pillow, and nothing fell out. He grabbed the pillow and squeezed it all over, but there was nothing.

He lifted the quilt, nothing. Shook it, nothing. Grabbed the quilt cover and squeezed it all over, nothing. Shook open the towel blanket, still nothing.

Bed sheet, bed board, under the bed.

All nothing.

He went over and picked up his dad's clothes draped over the chair. Nothing. He threw the clothes aside in frustration and pulled open the wardrobe.

Where on earth was that letter?

His dad couldn't possibly carry that letter on him. The envelope was very old but had no creases at all. The letter could only be in the room.

But the room was only so big, with just these few things. His dad's belongings were even fewer, like someone who only went on business trips for two or three days.

Where was it?!

He took out his dad's clothes from the wardrobe one by one and felt them, but there were only these few pieces. After a few moments, the wardrobe was empty.

He reached into the wardrobe and felt it carefully again. Nothing.

Finally, he slammed the wardrobe door shut and kicked the chair in anger. \"Fuck!\"

\"Yan Hang?\" Chu Yi's voice came from the living room.

He turned around. Chu Yi was standing outside the window. The window faced the doors of the two rooms. He probably saw what he looked like. Chu Yi's expression was a bit uneasy.

\"Did you go and see?\" Yan Hang opened the door.

\"I did,\" Chu Yi nodded. \"But couldn't get close. Police cars, ambulances, all there.\"

\"Did you see the dead person?\" Yan Hang looked at him, feeling a bit breathless.

\"Covered up,\" Chu Yi shook his head. \"Only saw a gold watch.\"

\"Wearing a gold watch?\" Yan Hang asked.

\"Mm,\" Chu Yi rubbed his hands on his clothes uneasily. \"Or I can go look again...\"

\"No need.\" Yan Hang couldn't tell if he was relieved or if his heart was even tighter. He just felt his whole being was suspended, unreal everywhere, pressing down but unable to reach the bottom.

The anxiety of always wanting to take something to fill the empty heart.

In the end, he pulled Chu Yi into his arms, pressed his head against his chest, and hugged him tightly.

Chu Yi was startled, his first reaction was that Yan Hang was going to beat him to vent his anger. He subconsciously raised his arms wanting to cover his head.

But Yan Hang hugged him, pressing his entire face against Yan Hang's chest.

His arms just froze open like that.

Yan Hang hugged very tightly. He felt his nose was flattened and breathing was a bit difficult. After waiting a while and seeing Yan Hang had no intention of letting go, he could only quietly open his mouth a little to assist with breathing.

Yan Hang lowered his head and first nuzzled the top of his head, then rested his chin on top of his head.

Then pressed down forcefully.

Chu Yi didn't know if the top of his head was too fragile or if Yan Hang's chin was too powerful, but it felt quite painful.

But he didn't make a sound.

He wasn't clear what exactly happened to Yan Hang, and wasn't clear what relationship that dead person wearing the gold watch had with his abnormal behavior.

He only knew Yan Hang's mood was very bad and his emotions were also a bit unstable.

The always arrogant and unrestrained Yan Hang suddenly becoming like this made him feel very distressed.

He hesitated for a moment, then tightened his arms, hugging Yan Hang's waist, also hugging very tightly.

After a while, Yan Hang let go of him and ruffled his hair.

He also let go, quickly glancing at Yan Hang's face, he wasn't crying.

\"Are you doing homework?\" Yan Hang went and pulled the curtains closed, then looked out from the gap in the curtains.

\"Huh?\" Chu Yi didn't react in time.

\"I'll cook,\" Yan Hang turned and went into the kitchen, \"you do your homework.\"

Yan Hang spoke very clearly, his tone also very normal, looking as if he was already completely fine.

But Chu Yi had been here since noon and skipped class the whole afternoon, where would homework come from, even if there was homework, his schoolbag was still at school.

Chu Yi walked to the kitchen doorway and looked at Yan Hang.

Yan Hang had his back to him, standing in front of the counter, neatly laying out all the ingredients.

Chu Yi went over, took a head of cabbage to the sink, quickly broke off the leaves and started washing them efficiently.

\"How do you want the shrimp?\" Yan Hang asked.

\"Blanched plain.\" Chu Yi said, simpler.

\"Mm.\" Yan Hang responded, standing in front of the stove staring at the water in the pot.

Chu Yi brought the washed vegetables to the counter.

Yan Hang's current state was strange, to be safe, Chu Yi picked up the knife and lowered his head to start cutting the cabbage.

\"How do you want this?\" Yan Hang glanced at him.

\"Stir-fried with meatballs.\" Chu Yi said.

Yan Hang didn't say anything more.

Chu Yi finished cutting the vegetables and conveniently cut the meatballs too, best not to let Yan Hang handle anything involving a knife.

Salt, scallions, ginger slices, Sichuan peppercorns, Yan Hang put all the ingredients into the pot and continued spacing out.

Wearing a gold watch.

In Yan Hang's impression, he had never seen anyone wearing a gold watch, and based on Chu Yi's reaction, it shouldn't be someone he was familiar with either.

So was what happened today just an accident?

Although he hoped that was the case, rationally it was hard to accept. When his dad left, it was too different from usual. He didn't need to think carefully to know something big was going to happen, and in the afternoon someone died by the river.

To say it was an accident, he really found it hard to believe.

The water boiled, the fragrance of the ingredients wafted out. He added some white wine, then reached out to grab the shrimp. As soon as he reached out, a plate was passed to his hand.

He turned his head to look. Chu Yi had been standing beside him the whole time and now had already passed the shrimp over.

He poured the shrimp into the pot: \"Go get ice.\"

Chu Yi immediately found the ice tray in the fridge and brought it over.

\"Pour it all in a bowl.\" He said.

\"Okay.\" Chu Yi took a large bowl and banged the ice tray against the rim of the bowl a few times.

The noise was quite loud, startling Yan Hang, who turned to look at him: \"Are you chipping ice or smashing the bowl?\"

\"It won't break,\" Chu Yi hit it again, the ice cubes from the tray all fell into the bowl, \"I, I know what I'm doing, don't worry.\"

Chu Yi worked very nimbly, understanding what he wanted to do from a single sentence. After finishing with the ice cubes, he directly went and poured some cold boiled water, placing a bowl of ice water by his hand.

Yan Hang scooped the shrimp out and put them in: \"Bring one more bowl, the shrimp meat is only tender when thoroughly chilled.\"

\"Mm.\" Chu Yi did as told.

After finishing the shrimp, he stir-fried the meatballs and cabbage together, then boiled some frozen dumplings.

Chu Yi set out the bowls and chopsticks, brought the dishes out and placed them on the coffee table, and also brought out iced black tea.

Yan Hang went over and felt the bottle, it was cold, Chu Yi must have put it in the freezer earlier.

He glanced at the spot on the sofa his dad always sat, then sat down and picked up the remote to turn on the TV.

No need to change the channel, it was directly in the middle of broadcasting the city news.

During the meal, the two of them didn't speak, eating while watching the news.

The news was trivial as always, not mentioning the murder case by the river.

The efficiency of the city station reporters wasn't even as good as WeChat Moments.

But Yan Hang felt him watching the news was just a formality, there had to be this sound while eating. He wasn't sure if he would really want to watch if there was news about this.

After eating, Chu Yi's long-term worker spirit was still present. He quickly cleared everything from the coffee table and after busying about in the kitchen for a while, wiped the entire counter clean.

The weather forecast started playing on TV. Just as Yan Hang was about to pick up the remote to change to another channel, a cell phone started ringing.

His heart suddenly jumped. When picking up his phone, he used a bit too much force, directly making two cracks appear in the tempered glass screen protector with a snap.

\"It's...it's mine ringing.\" Chu Yi stood beside him holding his phone, saying softly with a shocked expression.

Yan Hang glanced at his own phone with the black screen, peeled off the screen protector and tossed it on the coffee table: \"It's your mom calling to scold you right?\"

\"Probably.\" Chu Yi forced a smile and answered the call.

\"No need for you to come back! Stay dead out there!\" As soon as the call connected, his mom's voice exploded out, \"Each and every one of you, if you don't want to answer the phone then don't, if you don't want to come back then don't! If you want to skip class then skip! Then don't come back! Whoever dares to come back, I'll break their legs!\"

Before Chu Yi could say anything, his mom had already hung up.

\"Go back,\" Yan Hang said, \"I'm fine, just a bit irritated, sleeping a bit will be okay.\"

Chu Yi stood there without moving.

Yan Hang glanced at him: \"How long have you known me? Worrying so much.\"

Chu Yi quickly calculated in his head: \"About...about a semester.\"

Yan Hang laughed, \"For a long time?\"

\"Mm.\" Chu Yi also smiled.

\"There are many semesters in a lifetime,\" Yan Hang said, \"too many to count.\"

Chu Yi furrowed his brows but didn't say anything.

\"Thank you.\" Yan Hang said.

Chu Yi's half-furrowed brows froze, and after a while returned to their original position. Yan Hang spoke in an unpredictable way, and this sudden \"thank you\" came before he even had a chance to retort \"thanks for what\".

\"You're quite cute,\" Yan Hang said, \"it's just that others haven't seen it.\"

\"It's enough, for you, to see it.\" Chu Yi said.

Yan Hang turned his head, looked at him and smiled, \"My dad said he wanted to have another child before, it's just...he didn't have the chance. It would be great to have a younger brother like you.\"

Chu Yi suddenly couldn't understand what this \"didn't have the chance\" meant.

\"Then I wouldn't always be alone.\" Yan Hang said.

\"You, now also aren't, aren't alone.\" Chu Yi thought for a bit, \"Later I'll, keep you company.\"

Yan Hang looked at him, quite intently for a good while, then got up, came over and kissed him on the forehead.

Chu Yi's entire body froze in place.

The faint scent of Yan Hang's cologne assailed his face. Although this kiss landed on his hair, he still felt a bit dizzy.

From childhood until now, no one had ever kissed him like this. In his memory, he had never even been hugged by his family.

Yan Hang's very light touch on his forehead was the first time in his life he felt intimacy.

\"You really need a haircut.\" Yan Hang clicked his tongue.

\"Mm,\" Chu Yi smiled a bit embarrassedly, brushing the hair on his forehead, \"I'll go this weekend.\"

\"I want to be alone tonight,\" Yan Hang said, \"if anything comes up I'll message you.\"

\"Promise.\" Chu Yi said.

\"Promise.\" Yan Hang nodded.

After Chu Yi left, Yan Hang sat dazed on the sofa for a while, then got up to get a bottle of his dad's erguotou and a bag of peanuts.

Settling back on the sofa, he lit a cigarette, turned down the TV volume, and continued watching the city channel.

In the evening, the city channel would always play a melodramatic idol drama, an extremely idol type, where even the old men who appeared had soft focus and airbrushing.

After this drama finished there would also be news.

He just drank like this in the darkness, eating peanuts, staring at that square of flickering light.

This form of \"I'm in the dark\" made him feel safe.

Safe.

When his dad wasn't home, he needed this feeling even more.

Not a sense of security, but truly being safe.

Today he could have gone out himself to take a look, but he didn't, he had Chu Yi run the errand for him.

This kind of subconscious behavior of trying to hide himself as much as possible when danger might appear, his dad had never deliberately taught him.

But after so many years of this kind of life, his dad teaching him to fight, teaching him to protect himself, teaching him to read people, this kind of awareness had long ago hidden itself in his mind.

When the news music started, the hand holding his glass shook slightly.

The full glass of alcohol spilled out. He licked the liquor that had spilled on his hand, not looking at the screen, just lowering his eyes to stare at the peanuts on the coffee table.

\"This afternoon around 6 o'clock, in the eastern district of the city a suspected case of serious fighting occurred...\"

When the female announcer on the TV said this sentence, Yan Hang's heart seized. He tilted his head back and drank all the alcohol in the glass, staring at the screen.

But his ears couldn't quite clearly hear what she was saying.

\"The Linhe District police station received a report...one person died at the scene from excessive blood loss...large amount of blood at the scene...\"

Yan Hang stared at the familiar street scene on the television, cordoned off with yellow police tape.

This person died by the river. His identity hadn't been confirmed yet. Eyewitnesses at the scene said he had run out from the alley across the street.

The alley across the street.

The alley across the street was probably about 500 meters from the apartment they rented. Actually it couldn't be called an alley, it was just a passageway formed by courtyard walls on both sides. Cars couldn't pass through, only pedestrians and motorcycles.

When the footage cut to the alley, Yan Hang saw large patches of blood on the ground that hadn't been cleaned up yet.

He furrowed his brows.

In the previous shots by the river, the blood could already be seen. There was a lot, all around the person, who had probably been stabbed in the alley before running towards the river, collapsing, losing a large amount of blood, and dying.

...Then why would there still be so much blood in the alley, whose was it?

And who stabbed him?

\"The specifics of the case are still under further investigation...\"

This news segment was very short. After two or three minutes it switched to another news story about two old men getting in a fight over a seat on the bus.

\"You've really made something of yourself!\" Grandma smacked Chu Yi on the back, \"You even skipped class! Why don't you just go drop out directly!\"

Chu Yi didn't make a sound, staring at the seaweed and egg drop soup spilled all over the floor.

His legs and feet burned with pain.

The soup had been knocked over by Grandma just as he was carrying it out from the kitchen. An entire pot of soup had poured onto his pants.

It was very normal for Grandma to be angry. He hadn't come home for dinner and hadn't told his family. His mom and grandparents had waited until now and still hadn't eaten.

He had been thinking about keeping Yan Hang company all day and had forgotten to make up a lie for his mom.

\"First go rinse it with some water.\" Grandpa waved his hand to the side.

\"Rinse what water! Scald him to death, if you don't give him a bit of a lesson he'll ascend to the heavens!\" Grandma put one hand on her hip and pointed at him with the other, \"Look at him recently, if he's happy he comes back to eat, if he's not happy he doesn't even fart and disappears without a trace!\"

Actually, if he was happy he wouldn't come back to eat. Coming back to eat didn't have anything to be happy about.

Chu Yi lightly tugged on his pant leg, letting the pants not stick to his leg. Luckily the soup had been cooked a little while ago and wasn't at its hottest.

But compared to the pain on his legs, what he felt more distressed about were the pants.

These were the pants Yan Hang had given him. He hadn't dared to wear the whole outfit together. He was still wearing his school uniform top...if he had known, he would have worn his school uniform today too. He had already mended the hole on the butt himself.

Grandma scolded for a while more before resting. He went into the bathroom, took off his pants. His legs and feet were all red, but the skin wasn't broken.

He took the hose and sprayed water on his legs for a while. It felt a bit better, but as soon as the water left, the burning pain immediately returned.

He sighed, went to the balcony to get a pair of big shorts to put on. He'd go out and buy some medicine tonight.

A few people were sitting in the living room. After Grandma spilled the soup, the meal was put on pause and everyone just sat there in a daze, not moving.

Chu Yi grabbed a mop and started cleaning up the soup on the floor.

\"Should we call the police?\" Grandpa suddenly said.

\"Call the police for what!\" Mom frowned. \"What police officer has the time to deal with you just because a grown man isn't answering the home phone.\"

\"Exactly,\" Grandma chimed in from the side, \"Call the police my ass, better to find out where he's cheating instead.\"

\"That's enough from you, not a single good thing comes out of your mouth, can't you wish for the best for your own family!\" Mom said irritably.

\"That person they just talked about on the news,\" Grandpa said, \"it couldn't be...\"

\"Are you crazy!\" Mom jumped up. \"What's wrong with you!\"

\"A fool for life,\" Grandma pointed at Grandpa, \"Even my farts are smarter than you.\"

Chu Yi mopped the floor twice and brought out all the dishes before sitting down at his desk.

Listening to Grandma discuss what was going on with Dad while eating, he just felt chaotic and scared.

Dad was a timid man who was especially afraid of Mom scolding him. His phone being unreachable like this had rarely happened in Chu Yi's memory. Even if it ran out of battery, Dad would always find a way to call back.

Who knows what happened.

Mom didn't have the phone number for Dad's company or his colleagues. Now that she couldn't get through to Dad's cell phone, she had no one to even ask.

\"I'll go to his company tomorrow,\" Mom finally said. \"What a shitty company!\"

\"I'll go with you.\" Grandma said.

\"Forget it, what are you going for, let me ask about the situation first.\" Mom frowned.

Chu Yi was sprawled on his desk, flipping through his English textbook.

There was no homework to do today, so he didn't know what to do with himself.

In this home, he didn't even have a place to hide for some peace and quiet.

He could only daze off like this.

He kept spacing out until the whole family went back to their rooms to sleep. Only then did he quietly stand up and open the door to go out.

Going out at this hour, he had nowhere to go. Before, he would just go for a run and chat at the tree hole for a bit.

But today he couldn't go to the tree hole, the police tape was still there.

He wanted to go to the drugstore to buy some burn ointment first but didn't manage to. He didn't know such a small tube of burn ointment would be so expensive, much more than toothpaste...

In the end, he stood across the street from Yan Hang's home and sighed.

The lights were off at Yan Hang's place. He probably went to sleep already.

","published_time":"2024-08-27T00:00:00.000Z","paid":false,"show_flag":true,"show_scheduled_time":"2024-08-06T00:00:00.000Z","unpaid_scheduled_time":"2024-08-27T00:00:00.000Z"},{"content_id":906,"novel_id":11,"chapter_no":21,"chapter_title":"Chapter 21","content":"

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...\"

","published_time":"2024-09-03T00:00:00.000Z","paid":false,"show_flag":true,"show_scheduled_time":"2024-08-13T00:00:00.000Z","unpaid_scheduled_time":"2024-09-03T00:00:00.000Z"},{"content_id":923,"novel_id":11,"chapter_no":22,"chapter_title":"Chapter 22","content":"

As soon as Chu Yi ran to the intersection near Yan Hang's house, he saw his aunt's car driving over.

\"Puppy, get in the car,\" his aunt called out to him, poking her head out.

Chu Yi opened the door and sat in the passenger seat. Before he could even catch his breath, he asked, \"What happened to my dad?\"

\"Here's the thing, your dad still hasn't been found,\" his aunt handed him a tissue, \"but... the police saw the company car in the surveillance footage. Your dad was driving that car yesterday.\"

\"What, what surveillance?\" Chu Yi clutched the tissue, not understanding what his aunt was saying.

\"The surveillance at the entrance of the alley,\" his aunt said. \"Apparently that person ran out from the alley to the riverside. The street camera in the alley captured your dad's car going by. That person and your dad got out of the car one after the other...\"

\"Which... person?\" Chu Yi was completely flustered.

\"The person who died was your dad's colleague, also a driver,\" his aunt said. \"Your mom never met that person. I'm not clear on the specifics either. The police are still investigating and won't disclose details. Don't panic, the situation isn't figured out yet. Your dad...\"

Chu Yi stared ahead, completely dazed. He could no longer make out what his aunt was saying.

His dad had been missing for a day and night, his phone unreachable. Although this had never happened before, he wasn't too worried. His dad was timid, not daring to get into fights, lacking the guts and money to cheat, even avoiding drunk people at night for fear of trouble.

His worst imagination about his dad's disappearance this time was just a car accident.

He never thought his dad, being the way he was, could get involved in an assault and homicide case.

\"Don't pay attention to those people,\" his aunt said as she parked the car downstairs.

When Chu Yi got out, he saw quite a few neighbors gathered at the bottom of his building, giving him puzzled looks as he approached.

Some were probing, some curious, some... excited, hoping for some incident in someone's family to gossip about, taking pleasure in others' misfortunes.

\"Poor kid, Chu Yi,\" a middle-aged woman sighed loudly. \"His dad...\"

\"With parents and grandparents, three generations under one roof, how is he poor?\" His aunt didn't look that way but spoke quite loudly. \"It'd be great if you could spare some of that sympathy for yourself.\"

Chu Yi walked into the stairwell with his head down.

When he was still one floor away from home, he could already hear Grandma's voice.

\"Officer! You can't wrong an innocent man. You should go look for the missing person, how can you link him to a murder case!\"

\"Ma'am, we're just here to understand the situation. No conclusions have been made yet,\" a patient-sounding male voice said, probably a policeman.

\"Tell them what you know, say you don't know if you don't,\" his aunt reminded him in a low voice as they entered.

\"Mm,\" Chu Yi responded.

He had never experienced this kind of thing. He felt so nervous entering that he walked crookedly.

There were three police officers inside, two men and a woman, and a middle-aged man who looked a bit familiar to Chu Yi, probably a leader from his dad's company.

The police must have gone to the company first before coming to the house... He stood in the living room, head lowered in unease.

The policewoman had him sit on the sofa and said amiably, \"Hello young man, my surname is Wang. I want to understand the situation from you and see if there's anything we missed. Don't be nervous, it's just a few questions.\"

\"Mm,\" Chu Yi nodded.

\"Did your father say anything to you before going to work yesterday?\" Officer Wang asked.

\"No,\" Chu Yi thought for a moment. \"When I, I went to sch, school, he had al, already left.\"

\"Don't be nervous,\" Officer Wang said.

\"He's just a stutterer, nervous or not he's just like this!\" Grandma interjected.

\"Has your father shown any unusual behavior recently? Anything you felt was different from usual, you can say,\" Officer Wang continued.

\"You watch your mouth, don't talk nonsense!\" Grandma pointed at Chu Yi.

Officer Wang smiled, \"Grandma, could you please step out for a bit?\"

\"Me step out? Step out for what!\" Grandma instantly became very annoyed.

\"Enough! At a time like this, you're still like this!\" Mom forcibly pulled Grandma into the bedroom and shut the door.

Chu Yi breathed a sigh of relief and said softly, \"I didn't, notice any, anything different. My dad came, came home late. We didn't, talk much.\"

\"Okay, have you heard your father mention his colleagues?\" Officer Wang asked further.

\"Just... Uncle Ding,\" Chu Yi said.

\"How was his relationship with Uncle Ding?\" Officer Wang asked.

Chu Yi already had a vague feeling. When his aunt said the deceased was his dad's colleague, he didn't think too much of it. But now with Officer Wang asking this way...

He suddenly didn't dare answer.

\"It's alright, just say what it is,\" Officer Wang said. \"We're just trying to understand the situation now. We won't draw any conclusions based on a few words.\"

\"Uncle Ding hit, my dad, quite a while, ago,\" Chu Yi frowned. \"Their relationship... wasn't, wasn't friendly.\"

Officer Wang recorded while asking a few more questions.

The questions were actually quite simple, mainly asking if his dad had any abnormalities, conflicts with anyone, or recent contacts with anyone.

But Chu Yi didn't answer any of them with ease. Besides his dad's unknown situation... he never realized his understanding of his family was so lacking. Whether it was his dad, mom, grandma or grandpa, if asked this way, he probably couldn't answer very clearly.

Chu Yi felt his mind buzzing constantly, her voice sometimes far, sometimes near, hearing very unclearly, his whole self feeling like being tied to a spinning windmill.

\"Take another look at this photo,\" Officer Wang took out a photo. \"Can you recognize this person?\"

Chu Yi took the photo and looked down at it.

It was a screenshot from surveillance footage, with an unclear figure from the back at an angle, only a small part of the side profile visible.

But he could recognize the car in the lower left corner of the screenshot, one of the two company cars his dad often drove, a black SUV and a white one.

\"Can't, recognize, him,\" Chu Yi returned the photo to Officer Wang.

\"Alright, thank you for your cooperation.\" Officer Wang patted his shoulder and stood up.

Mom came out of the room: \"Officer, will he... will he...\"

\"Don't worry, we will get to the bottom of this,\" the other officer said, \"If he contacts home, you must let us know. Family members should also persuade him to come back and cooperate with our investigation.\"

\"Yes, yes.\" Mom nodded.

After the police and the leaders from Dad's company left, the house fell into complete silence.

Everyone seemed to be in a daze, standing still where they were, even Grandma was speechless.

\"I just don't understand,\" Mom finally spoke after a long while, \"How could he get involved with Old Ding... Why did he run away when Old Ding died?!\"

So it was indeed Old Ding.

Chu Yi twisted his fingers, silently staring at the floor.

\"He killed him eh.\" Grandpa said.

\"Are you really my father?!\" Mom shouted.

\"You must be tired of living!\" Grandma jumped up and slapped Grandpa's arm, \"If you can't speak properly then shut your asshole, if you can't hold your fart go out and bang your head and die!\"

\"Uncle,\" Aunt frowned, \"You can talk nonsense usually but you can't just say things like this, this is a homicide case!\"

\"Er Ping, do you have any connections that can help find out?\" Mom asked Aunt.

Aunt sighed, \"I'll try, but it may not work. It might be possible for ordinary cases, but this...\"

\"If you don't want to help, just say it directly.\" Mom interrupted her.

\"If I didn't want to help, would I have come over as soon as I heard about this?!\" Aunt said, \"I'm not the Almighty Buddha, I can't just do whatever I want!\"

\"You came to watch the show, right?\" Mom sneered.

\"Yes! I came to watch the show,\" Aunt said, \"The show at your house is really worth watching, worth me driving from the west end to the east end, right?\"

Chu Yi got up and sat at the desk, laying his head down, holding it in his hands.

Aunt had rushed over from far away, yet Mom said such things, making him feel very embarrassed.

He closed his eyes, that photo swaying in his mind.

That silhouette, he didn't know if it was because he had been pondering over it, or if it was psychological, but when Officer Wang showed it to him he didn't feel much, but now it always seemed a bit familiar.

Before long, Aunt's parents also came over, and the small living room at home suddenly became crowded.

After Aunt's mom argued with Grandma, and Aunt argued with Mom respectively, they began to discuss Dad's matter.

\"He definitely isn't injured. He was fine when he ran out. The dead person definitely wasn't stabbed by him either, how would he have the guts,\" Aunt's mom said, \"Don't make wild guesses! If you have the free time, think about where he could go instead. Finding him and having him cooperate with the investigation is the most important thing!\"

\"But he drove the car there, Old Ding got out of his car, the police said he also went into the alley behind Old Ding, and then ran out again,\" Mom said, starting to choke up, \"Now he's disappeared without a trace, how can this be explained clearly...\"

Chu Yi held his head, listening to the people in the room going back and forth making conjectures based on the limited information disclosed by the police.

He really couldn't figure it out.

Dad drove the car and took Old Ding to that alley, then followed Old Ding into the alley. Then Old Ding ran out from the other end of the alley and died by the river, while Dad turned back, drove away and abandoned the car which was later found in the suburbs, but he was gone.

There were three people involved in this matter, one was dead, and two couldn't be found.

Who exactly was that unclear silhouette?

Why did it always feel a bit familiar?

\"I'll go make some calls in the car,\" Aunt said, \"and see if I can find out anything.\"

\"Go ahead, and bring me back something to eat,\" Aunt's mom said, \"I didn't eat this morning.\"

\"Okay.\" Aunt responded and went to open the door.

Footsteps and coughing sounds came from outside the door, a few neighbors seemed to suddenly get pneumonia, coughing heavily as they walked upstairs and downstairs.

\"The people here are really enthusiastic.\" Aunt went out and closed the door.

\"You still have the appetite to eat!\" Grandma seemed to have nowhere to vent her anger and shouted at Aunt's mom.

\"I'll eat,\" Aunt's mom said, \"I want to drink beverages too.\"

Chu Yi felt an irrepressible irritation and took out his phone, wanting to send Yan Hang a message.

If Yan Hang didn't need him to go over and accompany him, he would go out and wander around. Anywhere was better than staying at home.

The phone changed slowly. The moment he opened WeChat and saw Yan Hang's avatar, his hand suddenly stopped.

That silhouette.

That silhouette!

...It was Uncle Yan!

He suddenly felt like he couldn't breathe and had to grab the edge of the table, inhaling forcefully.

His mind became a chaotic blur, as if he was about to lose consciousness.

He gasped for air. After finally coming back to his senses from the confusion, he sat up straight abruptly. How could it be? How was it possible!

How could it be Uncle Yan!

\"What are you doing!\" Grandma glared at him, \"Having hysterics?!\"

\"You only know how to scold! The child is so young, of course he's scared,\" Aunt's mom opened her fan and fanned Chu Yi a few times, \"What's wrong with your whole family?!\"

\"Chu Yi,\" Mom waved at him, looking exhausted, \"Go back to school. If you don't want to go back to school, go out for a walk. Don't stay cooped up at home.\"

Chu Yi stood up, took his phone and went out the door.

His legs kept shaking as he went downstairs, nearly kneeling down several times.

Although he didn't see the face, that familiar feeling, the kind that became especially strong once remembered, he could feel the fear and unease in his heart, like waves, hitting him layer after layer, slowly spreading to his whole body.

He never imagined that person would be Uncle Yan.

Even more so, he never thought that Dad's disappearance and Old Ding's death would involve Uncle Yan being at the scene.

And if that silhouette really was Uncle Yan, then the blood in the alley that belonged to another person...

Chu Yi didn't have the courage to think further, only feeling that in the weather right before summer vacation, he was so cold that he wanted to shiver.

\"Puppy?\" Auntie walked towards him carrying two bags with food containers, calling out to him. \"Where are you going?\"

\"Going out... for a walk,\" Chu Yi said.

\"Want me to drive you around?\" Auntie asked.

\"No, it's okay,\" Chu Yi shook his head.

\"Are you hungry?\" Auntie asked again. \"I bought some buns and other things, a whole bunch. Want to eat some?\"

Chu Yi shook his head.

Auntie sighed, patted his head, and stuffed 200 yuan into his pocket. \"Then go take a walk. If you get hungry later, buy yourself something to eat.\"

\"Okay,\" Chu Yi responded.

Take a walk.

Where to go for a walk?

As soon as he walked out of the building entrance, he felt all kinds of stares.

The entrances of several buildings faced an open space, usually filled with parked cars. Occasionally, people passing by on their way home could be seen. But today, several neighbors were standing around in small groups.

As soon as he came out, he wanted to turn around and go back inside. He really couldn't stay at home, so he gritted his teeth and continued walking forward.

When he passed the small store where he always bought cigarettes for Grandma, there were also a few people standing inside. As soon as they saw him, someone immediately called out, \"Chu Yi! What's going on with the police coming to your house?\"

He didn't say a word and quickly walked past with his head down. After leaving these few buildings, he didn't dare to take the usual route either.

He was afraid of running into people he knew. Everyone here was a know-it-all, and any news would spread overnight. His dad's disappearance and the police coming to his house - this kind of explosive news would spread everywhere in less than an hour.

He was also afraid... of walking past Yan Hang's house.

He even began to fear that Yan Hang would contact him.

He didn't know what exactly had happened, didn't know if Yan Hang was aware of the situation now, didn't know if Yan Hang would be angry, and if he would still talk to him.

He had no relevant experience whatsoever. He didn't even know how to handle arguments between friends.

He had no friends.

And now, he didn't know if he should tell Yan Hang about this.

He never dared to ask about Yan Hang's previous state, and now that he knew the reason, he didn't know what to do.

The only friend he had interacted with seriously, the only friend he always wanted to see, the only friend who was gentle and respectful to him - now it had become this kind of situation.

Dad's room had been searched for the third time, once a day. Yesterday was the third day, and Yan Hang still hadn't found any useful information from Dad's meager belongings.

Today, he no longer had the strength to search again and just sat on the edge of the bed in a daze.

His phone was right beside him. He didn't know how many times he wanted to pick up the phone to send Dad a message or make a call.

But he suppressed this thought countless times.

He had no idea about Dad's current situation and wasn't sure what consequences contacting Dad would bring to Dad and himself.

He could only endure it.

The length of Dad's disappearance this time was not long, only four days. Compared to the previous one week, it was nothing to him in terms of time.

But this time, it was no longer as simple as just waiting.

He already knew clearly that something had happened.

He even had more judgments.

Chu Yi hadn't contacted him for several days, hadn't sent any messages, let alone called.

The little emoticons in his Moments hadn't increased since the day of the incident.

But Chu Yi would appear behind a tree across the street at night, standing there for at least two to three hours. If he didn't turn off the lights all night, Chu Yi might stand there the whole night. But he had never tried it. Every time around midnight, he would turn off the lights, and Chu Yi would leave after an hour.

This matter was related to Chu Yi's father.

This judgment didn't require any further deliberation.

This kind of double torment made Yan Hang certain that his mental state was very healthy. Surprisingly, he didn't commit suicide like Dad always worried about when nothing was wrong.

He got up and very slowly tidied up the messy things in the room.

Returning to the living room, he turned on the TV.

There had been no more news in the past few days, but he would still turn on the TV during news time.

When the familiar news music started, he lit a cigarette.

Still no news. The morning news mentioned briefly that it was under investigation, while the noon news didn't even mention it at all.

Yan Hang put out the cigarette, got up, and walked to the window to pour himself a glass of water.

Just as he was about to turn around and go back to spacing out on the sofa, he saw a police car drive over from across the street, make a U-turn, and stop in front of his house through the gap in the curtains.

Before the glass in his hand fell to the ground, he put it on the table beside him.

Watching the police and a big sister with a very resident committee-like aura get out of the car and walk over step by step, he tried hard to adjust his breathing so that he could walk over steadily to open the door when the police knocked.

There was a knock on the door.

Yan Hang leaned against the wall and opened the door.

Three police officers stood outside the door, showed their IDs, and introduced themselves. Yan Hang neither saw clearly nor heard clearly.

\"What is Yan Zhiyuan to you?\" This was the only sentence he heard clearly.

\"He's my dad,\" Yan Hang replied.

\"The thing is, we have some questions that require your cooperation in the investigation,\" the police officer looked at him.

\"Okay,\" Yan Hang nodded.

After entering the house, the police first looked at the two rooms, then sat down on the sofa. Yan Hang poured water and placed it in front of them.

\"Sit down,\" the police officer said. \"Don't feel pressured.\"

Yan Hang hooked a chair over with his foot. When he sat down, he felt a sharp pain in his back.

\"First, please take a look at this photo,\" a police officer handed over a photo. \"Can you recognize this person?\"

Yan Hang took the photo and glanced at it.

It was a screenshot from surveillance footage. Only a back view could be seen.

But even with just half a back view, he could recognize it at a glance.

\"I can recognize him,\" he handed the photo back to the police. \"It's my dad.\"

\"Do you know this person?\" The police handed over another photo.

It was a work photo.

Chu Yi's father.

Yan Hang's heart suddenly clenched into a ball.

\"I don't know him,\" he said.

Indeed, he didn't know him. Having met him didn't count as knowing him. It was very normal not to remember what Chu Yi's father looked like, even if he had met him before.

\"When did your father leave?\" The police officer put away the photo.

\"Wednesday morning, around noon I think.\" Yan Hang didn't hide anything. Since the police were able to find him, they must have already known about his father's situation.

\"Did he come back or contact you afterwards?\" the officer asked again.

\"No.\" Yan Hang replied.

\"Did he say anything before he left? Like who he was going to meet?\" the officer continued.

\"No,\" Yan Hang said, \"he just said he had something to take care of.\"

\"Does he know anyone else here?\"

\"No.\"

\"Did anyone come looking for him recently?\"

\"No.\"

\"Did he receive any phone calls?\"

\"...Yes,\" Yan Hang lit a cigarette, \"he left after receiving a call.\"

\"Do you know who called?\"

\"I don't know.\"

The officer looked at him: \"You're not in school, right?\"

\"No,\" Yan Hang said, \"I dropped out due to depression. I have a diagnosis.\"

\"I see,\" the officer sighed lightly, \"do you have any other relatives?\"

\"Not anymore.\" Yan Hang answered. He didn't know how much the police had found out over the past few days, nor did he know how much of his father's past he himself was unaware of.

\"Did he ever say why he came here?\" the officer asked.

\"No.\" Yan Hang flicked the cigarette ash.

\"Have you tried to contact your father these past few days?\"

\"No.\" Yan Hang felt he should record his responses, as he could basically answer all the officer's questions with either \"no\" or \"I don't know\".

\"He's been gone for so many days,\" the officer glanced at him, \"and you never thought to contact him?\"

\"No,\" Yan Hang said, \"that's how we've always been. He tells me nothing, and I ask nothing.\"

\"Alright,\" the officer nodded and handed over a business card, \"thank you for your cooperation. If you remember any details you left out, feel free to call me anytime. We may need to contact you again to learn more. I hope you will continue to cooperate.\"

\"I will.\" Yan Hang said.

The police left.

As Yan Hang closed the door, he felt as if all his strength had been violently drained from his body.

Along with it, the air, light, and color surrounding him were also drained away.

He slowly squatted down and held his head in his hands.

","published_time":"2024-09-10T00:00:00.000Z","paid":false,"show_flag":true,"show_scheduled_time":"2024-08-20T00:00:00.000Z","unpaid_scheduled_time":"2024-09-10T00:00:00.000Z"},{"content_id":941,"novel_id":11,"chapter_no":23,"chapter_title":"Chapter 23","content":"

Yesterday the police went to Yan Hang's home.

Chu Yi now knew for certain that the silhouette in the photo was indeed Uncle Yan.

So...Yan Hang must also know whose car that was, and who the third person at the scene was.

This made Chu Yi very afraid.

What he feared even more was that Yan Hang knew Uncle Yan may have been injured, while his dad was not.

Of the three people, one died, one was injured, and one was unharmed...

Standing behind the tree, whenever Chu Yi thought of this, he would feel a wave of panic, so much that he could barely stand and had to lean against the tree trunk.

The past few days had been torturous for him. He hadn't gone to school for two days. Things were a mess at home. There was no news of his dad, he couldn't be found, and he hadn't contacted home at all.

His mom sat dazed on the couch every day, while his grandma grumbled and cursed all day long, yelling at whoever she saw, getting into arguments every time she went out.

And compared to home, the rumors outside were even more terrifying.

His dad had become a real-life version of \"don't provoke an honest man\".

He seemed like a punching bag, but when pushed to the limit, he would directly stab you to death. Killing one person wasn't enough, he could still injure another.

While there had been no progress on the case, he had already become the son of a murderer.

His WeChat, which never received any messages besides Yan Hang's, suddenly became lively, with classmates adding him as a friend every day.

The feeling of being forcibly exposed under everyone's gaze made him feel like he was standing in a transparent sealed steamer every single second.

No one could hear what he said, and no one wanted to listen, there was only layer upon layer of suffocation.

He glanced at the window of Yan Hang's house across the street. After the police left, there had been no movement in Yan Hang's house.

In fact, the so-called movement was nothing more than whether the lights were on or not, and whether Yan Hang's shadow swayed on the curtains.

Today, until 9pm, the lights in Yan Hang's house had not been turned on at all.

This made Chu Yi very worried.

Yan Hang hadn't gone out for the past few days. Chu Yi couldn't figure out his situation, and didn't even know if he had eaten anything.

He could only judge from the lights turning on and off that Yan Hang was at home and moving around.

He knew nothing else.

But he didn't dare to contact Yan Hang either. He didn't know if Yan Hang also had the same thoughts as those people, about his dad having killed someone.

He pressed himself against the back of the tree, revealing only one eye, and continued to stare at the window of Yan Hang's house, his hands tucked in his pockets, gently pinching that little coin.

Like a perverted stalker.

Fortunately, there were few people around now, and no one discovered that he came here to stick around every day.

After sticking around until 10:30, Chu Yi couldn't hold it in anymore. He ran all the way to a 24-hour supermarket quite far from home, where no one knew him.

He hadn't used the two hundred yuan his aunt gave him the other day. Now he took it all out and bought a bunch of food, snacks, sausages, small snacks, and a few boxes of self-heating rice.

He originally wanted to buy the cigarettes that Yan Hang always smoked, but after asking the price, he found that the cigarettes were too high-end and he didn't have enough money. In the end, he only bought two packs, then carried these things and ran all the way back.

Taking advantage of the fact that there was no one around, he quickly crossed the street and stood at the door of Yan Hang's house.

There was no sound inside.

Of course, he didn't dare to get too close, for fear of being discovered.

He held his breath and carefully approached, ready to rush over, put the food at the door, knock once, and then turn around and run away.

After rehearsing this process in his mind a few times, he tiptoed over.

Just as he bent down to put down the bag, the door lock clicked.

Chu Yi only felt his mind explode with a buzz, his blood rushing from all over his body to his head. He threw down the bag, turned around and ran.

He had only run out for at most five steps when someone kicked him in the butt from behind.

He staggered a few steps, and before he could fall, someone grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

\"Why are you running?\" Yan Hang's voice was a little hoarse.

\"Don't know.\" Chu Yi turned his head and saw Yan Hang's haggard face, which could be seen even in the dim street light, and immediately felt his nose turn sour.

\"With this reaction speed, I'm afraid you won't be able to make it as a thief in the future.\" Yan Hang let go of him.

\"I can rob, rob on the road.\" Chu Yi said.

\"Go collect protection fees at the kindergarten entrance.\" Yan Hang smiled.

\"Mm.\" Chu Yi responded.

Yan Hang's smile was full of fatigue. With one glance, Chu Yi couldn't hold it in anymore, and tears instantly welled up.

Gushing, like a broken floodgate.

Yan Hang didn't make a sound or move, just stood there watching him cry.

He didn't want to cry, especially not in front of Yan Hang at a time like this, but crying was like silly laughter. Once it started, it wasn't easy to stop.

In the end, he clenched his teeth and finally stopped.

It felt like in order to suppress this bit of crying, all the muscles in his body were sore from being tensed.

He lowered his head and tugged at his clothes to wipe his eyes.

Yan Hang clicked his tongue.

\"Sorry.\" He let go of his clothes, raised his hand and rubbed his eyes with his arm a few more times. As soon as he said this, tears welled up again.

He rarely cried. Even when he was beaten, scolded, or bullied, he never cried. At most, he would complain a few sentences to a tree hole, and many emotions would just pass like that.

At this moment, he didn't know what was going on. Grievance, depression, panic, uneasiness, all intertwined and surfaced at once.

\"Come in and cry.\" Yan Hang patted him on the head, turned around, picked up the bag on the ground, and went back inside.

Chu Yi hesitated for a moment and followed him in.

In just a few days of not coming in, this small house that he always felt was particularly warm and reassuring seemed to have changed.

In fact, nothing had moved, everything was still in its original place, except for a bit of mess on the coffee table and dust everywhere. Everything was still the same, but it felt different.

Particularly gloomy and cold.

\"What did you buy?\" Yan Hang put the bag on the coffee table and opened it to take a look.

\"Food,\" Chu Yi wiped his eyes and walked over to him, \"Have you not been eating at all?\"

\"Not hungry.\" Yan Hang said.

\"This is good to eat,\" Chu Yi took out a box of braised pork rice, \"I've had it before, it's especially delicious.\"

\"Is that so.\" Yan Hang took a look.

After turning on the lights in the room, Chu Yi realized that in just these few days, Yan Hang had lost a lot of weight, his chin had even become a bit pointy.

\"Have some food,\" he said, head lowered as he studied the instructions on the meal box. The meal cost 18 yuan per box, very luxurious. He had never eaten such high-end stuff before. \"Let me see how to eat it.\"

\"Idiot.\" Yan Hang took the box from his hands.

After steam rose from the rice box, the chill in the room receded slightly, but the gray tone still remained.

Chu Yi sat silently on the stool next to the coffee table, watching Yan Hang eat.

Yan Hang ate very slowly, chewing each mouthful for a long time.

Chu Yi really liked braised pork rice. His aunt had taken him to eat it before, and he had two servings. Although this box wasn't freshly made, it still smelled very fragrant.

Yan Hang was eating such fragrant food with such difficulty, likely because he had no appetite.

Eating this box of rice was probably just to give him face.

\"Want some water?\" Chu Yi asked softly.

\"Mm.\" Yan Hang glanced at him.

He took Yan Hang's cup, poured a glass of water and placed it on the coffee table, then sat back in his original spot.

Yan Hang rummaged through the bag, took out a pack of seaweed and looked at it. \"It's obvious a kid bought this.\"

\"No,\" Chu Yi smiled. \"It's obvious this was bought for a kid.\"

Yan Hang opened the packaging, took two pieces and put them in his mouth, then handed the rest to him.

Chu Yi took it, put a piece between his lips, and slowly nibbled at it.

He wanted to talk to Yan Hang, but couldn't find anything to say. Yan Hang kept silently eating, very slowly, without saying a word.

Perhaps Yan Hang didn't want to talk to him.

When the last bite was finally finished, Yan Hang put down the meal box and pointed at him. \"Don't move.\"

\"Oh.\" Chu Yi, whose butt had already left the stool, sat back down.

\"I'm fine,\" Yan Hang said. \"You don't need to worry about me. Take care of things at home first.\"

Chu Yi's heart trembled.

\"I... don't have anything to take care of,\" he sighed, lowering his head.

\"Right,\" Yan Hang lit a cigarette. \"No news at all.\"

\"Yan Hang,\" Chu Yi called out to him. \"I...\"

Yan Hang turned his head.

\"My dad... he, my dad, he, he, he...\" The more difficult it was for Chu Yi to start speaking, the less fluently he could speak. \"It's just, just, just my dad...\"

\"He doesn't have the guts,\" Yan Hang said.

\"Huh?\" Chu Yi was stunned for a moment.

\"Go back,\" Yan Hang said. \"Get some good sleep. Do what you need to do. Your dad ran off, but don't you still need to live your life?\"

Chu Yi looked at him without speaking.

\"This is for you.\" Yan Hang took out a card from his wallet. \"It's an annual pass to that boxing gym. You can go play there when you have time.\"

Chu Yi didn't move.

\"We usually don't stay in one place for long. My dad got an annual pass, so it was probably for you,\" Yan Hang said. \"I won't use it either.\"

Chu Yi took the card and gripped it tightly in his hand, feeling his hand tremble.

After a long time, he put the card in his pocket and asked softly, \"Y-you're leaving, aren't you?\"

Yan Hang didn't say anything.

He secretly glanced at Yan Hang's ankle. The little black stone was still tied there.

This feeling, he couldn't say if it was relief or a sense of loss.

\"I've discovered that although you're not very big, you think too much,\" Yan Hang patted his face. \"You probably don't grow because you think too much.\"

\"I plan to g-grow in the second half of the year,\" Chu Yi said.

\"You even have a plan for growing?\" Yan Hang chuckled.

\"Mm,\" Chu Yi nodded. \"Save up and g-grow to two meters all at once.\"

\"I'll wait and see,\" Yan Hang said.

Chu Yi didn't know why, but hearing Yan Hang say this made his nose sour.

He didn't know if it was because \"wait and see\" implied some future connection, or because it felt more like \"if one day\".

\"Go back,\" Yan Hang said. \"Get some good sleep.\"

\"Mm.\" Chu Yi responded. \"What about you?\"

\"I'll also sleep for a bit. I just took medicine before you came to rob, so I'm a little sleepy now,\" Yan Hang said.

\"Okay, sleep well then.\" Chu Yi stood up.

\"Got it,\" Yan Hang also stood up and ruffled his hair. \"Didn't you say you were going to get a haircut? Why is it still a bird's nest?\"

\"Forgot,\" Chu Yi smiled. \"I'll go in a couple days.\"

\"Don't cut it too short. If it's too short, you'll have to keep fixing it,\" Yan Hang said.

\"Mm.\" Chu Yi scratched his head.

After watching Chu Yi slowly walk towards home from behind the curtain, Yan Hang turned off the lights.

He sat back down on the sofa.

These past few days, he had been sitting here, not knowing what he was thinking about or what he should do.

Waiting was the same, but the unease before had anticipation, while the unease now was filled with confusion.

And panic.

He had lied to Chu Yi. He hadn't taken any medicine, and he didn't want to sleep.

As soon as he closed his eyes, all he saw was puddles of blood.

The surveillance in this area was inadequate. Three people had entered the alley. The one who returned from the alley was Chu Yi's father. There was surveillance in the direction of the river where the deceased went, but it only captured the deceased.

Where did Dad go?

With that much blood, someone was going to die.

Would die.

Yan Hang interlocked his fingers tightly, wrapping his fingertips in his palms, trying to warm his hands a little.

It was already July, yet it could still be this cold.

He spent this night the same as the previous few nights, sitting on the sofa.

The only difference was that the fragrance of the self-heating rice added a touch of reality to the air.

The entire room also had sound because of Chu Yi.

When dawn was about to break, he breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't know why he felt relieved, as if only when light seeped in through the curtains could he breathe again.

The sunlight leaking through the curtain gap allowed him to feel the passage of time.

He stared at that thin beam of light, meaninglessly judging the current time in his heart.

Around 8:20 AM.

Very light footsteps sounded outside the door.

It wasn't Dad.

He was too familiar with Dad's footsteps, and he was very clear that Dad couldn't possibly appear at this time.

It wasn't Chu Yi either.

Chu Yi would pause when he reached the door.

Even less likely to be the police. The police wouldn't come alone. Yan Hang got up and quickly darted into the kitchen. He grabbed a knife and leaned against the doorframe, staring at the door to the living room.

The footsteps stopped at the door, and then there was a knock.

A knock?

Yan Hang felt he might have gotten a bit too nervous. It could be the landlord, the garbage collector, or even the neighborhood committee...

\"Who is it?\" He asked without moving from where he stood.

\"Is Yan Hang there?\" It was a man's voice outside.

\"I'm asking who you are,\" Yan Hang said.

\"Your dad's friend,\" the man replied.

Yan Hang didn't make a sound.

Dad had never mentioned having any friends.

He glanced at the kitchen window. There was a small door on the security bars, probably left by the landlord as a fire escape, with the key sitting on the cupboard.

\"So vigilant...\" the man outside sighed. \"Yan Jidao, your dad sent me to find you.\"

Yan Hang was stunned.

\"Take a look at this,\" the man added.

Then he saw something being pushed in through the crack under the door. As soon as a corner was revealed, Yan Hang recognized it.

It was his dad's envelope.

Without hesitating, he strode over and picked up the envelope.

It was that very envelope, the one that filled him with unease every time he saw it, the one he never dared to look inside despite desperately wanting to, and now the one he wanted to find at all times.

He tore open the envelope and saw there was only a very thin sheet of paper inside, just as he had always sensed - at most a single page whenever he held it.

As he pulled out the paper, his heart pounded so hard his whole body shook a little.

After all these years, he was finally going to see what was inside.

The current feeling was indescribable.

Excitement, anticipation, unease, fear - all grew vigorously as if fertilized.

He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

Then he unfolded the paper.

It wasn't really proper writing paper, just a page randomly torn out of some notebook, with ragged edges as if gnawed by a dog - very much his dad's style.

There was only one sentence on it.

-Dear Crown Prince the person outside can be trusted

???

What the hell.

Yan Hang stared at this line.

A total of 9 words, including the greeting.

Never mind the lack of a signature, even the punctuation had to be mentally added while reading.

This letter he had waited so many years to finally see the contents of, turned out to be like this?

\"I haven't touched what's inside,\" the man said through the door. \"I don't know what it is either. He said you'd understand after reading it.\"

Yan Hang couldn't be sure if this person had read the contents, but he could confirm the letter hadn't been tampered with.

This kind of crazily casual content.

This kind of crazily casual wording.

This kind of crazily casual brief message.

It was exactly the consistent style of his crazy casual dad.

And that practiced-looking handwriting, he was very familiar with it.

\"You bastard,\" Yan Hang couldn't help but laugh as he looked at that line. \"Fuck you, old Yan.\"

After studying the paper back and forth for a little while, Yan Hang sighed again.

The envelope was very old, but this sheet of paper was quite new, and the ink on it was also fresh.

It could only be said that the contents of this envelope he had always wanted to know, actually never had any fixed contents all along.

Dad probably wrote different things each time based on the situation.

He put away the letter and opened the door.

Outside stood a man who looked about the same age as his dad, but it was clear at a glance that this person was not the same kind as his dad.

Dad had a free and easy jianghu air about him, while this man's face practically had \"I'm an upright person\" written on it.

It was impossible to imagine someone like this claiming to be friends with his dad.

\"My surname is Cui,\" the man walked in and frowned as he looked around. \"You can just call me Old Cui.\"

\"Full name?\" Yan Hang insisted.

\"Cui Shiyuan*,\" the man said.

*T/N: Likely a pun on Choi Siwon, from Super Junior. His Chinese name is also written the same way.

Yan Hang stared at him. The man still had that upright expression. In that instant, Yan Hang believed he really was friends with his dad.

\"Do you have any news about my dad?\" Yan Hang poured Old Cui a glass of water.

\"No,\" Old Cui said. \"He express mailed this envelope to me. Inside was this address, the date to come, and a card.\"

\"Come for what?\" Yan Hang asked.

\"To give you money, and then take you away,\" Old Cui said.

Yan Hang looked at him.

\"He called me about two months ago,\" Old Cui took a sip of water. \"Didn't tell me anything else, just said he wanted you to live a normal life.\"

Yan Hang didn't speak. After a while, he asked, \"Did you know something happened to him?\"

\"I guessed,\" Old Cui said. \"If nothing happened, he wouldn't have contacted me.\"

\"Before he reached out to you, you had no idea at all?\" Yan Hang asked.

\"I hadn't been in touch with him for five years, until that one phone call two months ago,\" Old Cui said. \"You should know better than me what kind of person your dad is.\"

Yan Hang curled up on the sofa, feeling his mind starting to get a bit muddled again.

Maybe it was because he had been in a daze so much these days that his brain had gotten a little rusty.

\"This is my business card,\" Old Cui handed over a card. \"I'm staying at the hotel next door. Just give me a call when you've made up your mind.\"

Yan Hang took the card and glanced at it. Cui Yi. A lawyer?

\"My personal advice,\" Cui Yi looked at him, \"is that you should come with me.\"

\"Why?\" Yan Hang was still looking down at the card.

\"In your current state, it might not be very suitable for you to stay here,\" Cui Yi said. \"Otherwise your dad wouldn't have sent me.\"

Yan Hang remained silent.

His current state was indeed very poor, feeling trapped in something heavy every day.

But he didn't particularly want to leave. To him, this place was different from anywhere he had stayed before.

And it was only here that traces of his dad could still be felt. If he left, he might never sense it again.

\"I'll head back to the hotel first,\" Cui Yi said. \"Give me a call when you've decided. I'll be at the hotel the whole time.\"

\"Mm,\" Yan Hang responded. \"Thanks.\"

Before leaving, Cui Yi pulled open the curtains, letting the golden morning sunlight pour in.

Yan Hang closed his eyes, like a nocturnal animal thrown under the scorching sun.

He took out the 'letter' from his dad and read it for a while, then lay down on the sofa and covered his eyes with the paper.

The letter was given to Cui Yi by his dad in advance, it seemed to have been planned long ago.

He didn't know what to do.

He wanted to leave, but he also didn't want to leave.

He wanted to find his dad.

If dead, he wanted to find the body.

If alive, he wanted to see him in person.

No matter from which angle, he wanted to find his dad.

But his intuition told him that his dad would not return here again.

Things here had already ended.

Yan Hang opened the self-heating rice that Chu Yi bought yesterday, picked a box of fish-flavored shredded pork, and ate slowly.

He could imagine what fish-flavored shredded pork tasted like.

But he couldn't taste it.

It was the same with the braised pork rice yesterday.

He had experienced losing some senses before, touch, smell, taste, occasionally or continuously over days, which would gradually make him lose his sense of reality.

This was probably what his dad was most worried about.

He unscrewed a bottle of iced black tea and took a few gulps.

After finishing the meal, he went to take a shower, changed his clothes, put on a mask and went out.

The sun outside was fierce, and his eyes could feel a strong swelling pain.

He stood in the shade of the trees for a while, adapting before slowly crossing the street and walking towards the river.

The police cordon to the riverside had been removed, and there were no traces to be seen on the road. The passing crowds were the same as usual, as if they had forgotten what had happened before.

Yan Hang looked back. Behind him was the alley where his father had disappeared.

He stood at the intersection for a while, then turned and continued walking towards the river.

Along the river, there were still no people. Now that the temperature had risen, when the wind blew, one could smell the odor from the river, making him deeply understand why there was no one on this road.

He also deeply understood Chu Yi's extraordinary loneliness, which allowed him to endure this smell and find a tree hole in such a place.

The tree hole was not hard to find, just a short walk away.

Yan Hang walked behind the tree, bent down to look at the tree hole, and sniffed it. Surprisingly, there was a fragrance of wood.

He pressed his face against it.

\"Chu Yi, you mutt,\" he said softly, \"I don't know if you can hear what I'm saying here.\"

\"I want to say that I've been to many places and met many people, but now if you let me name three names right away,\" Yan Hang lightly scratched the trunk, \"probably besides Yan Zhiyuan and Yan Hang, there's only Chu Yi.\"

","published_time":"2024-09-17T00:00:00.000Z","paid":false,"show_flag":true,"show_scheduled_time":"2024-08-27T00:00:00.000Z","unpaid_scheduled_time":"2024-09-17T00:00:00.000Z"},{"content_id":958,"novel_id":11,"chapter_no":24,"chapter_title":"Chapter 24","content":"

\"I requested a few days off for you. You can go back to school for the final exams.\" Mom sat on the sofa with a medicinal patch on her forehead given by Grandma. In just these few days, Mom's face, which always looked drawn, appeared even more haggard. Occasionally, you could see the nasolabial folds extending down to her chin.

Chu Yi didn't say anything. He didn't know what he should do now.

He didn't want to go to school in the first place, but he also felt a bit reluctant to directly take time off like this. If he did go, facing those stares and mockery at school, he would feel oppressed again. Maybe there would even be people thinking of \"eliminating harm for the people\"...

\"Go stay at your grandpa's place for a few days,\" Mom said. \"And ask them if they know of any other places your dad could have gone to.\"

Chu Yi nodded.

Normally, if he was told to go to his paternal grandparents' home, he would be very happy. But under the current circumstances, he really didn't want to see his grandparents looking sad and distressed.

\"The good son they raised,\" Grandma said while cracking sunflower seeds. She hadn't stopped all morning, as if having a compulsion. \"Such a big thing happened and they haven't come even once. Really admirable.\"

\"What's the use of them coming over,\" Mom said. \"Our family can't fit them if they come, and we'd have to take care of them too.\"

\"In your dreams! They still want to stay here? And be taken care of?\" Grandma tossed a handful of sunflower seed shells on the ground. \"With a son like that they raised, who abandoned his wife and child and ran at the first sign of trouble, they still expect me to take care of them?\"

Mom didn't say anything, furrowing her brows.

\"Do you still remember! When Chu Yi was little, he took Chu Yi on a broken bike to the market. They ran into people fighting with knives, and he threw away his son and fled!\" Grandma lit a cigarette and held it in her mouth. \"Good-for-nothing!\"

\"He said he got separated from Chu Yi while running.\" Mom said.

\"If he says they got separated, then they got separated!\" Grandma exhaled smoke from her nose and mouth, looking as if she was fuming from all seven orifices. She pointed at Chu Yi, \"You ask Chu Yi, did they really get separated!\"

Chu Yi didn't make a sound.

He couldn't remember this incident clearly. Maybe he was too young at the time.

\"You're not a stutterer!\" Grandma said. \"You're a damn mute!\"

Chu Yi couldn't stand being at home, but he didn't dare go out during the day, firstly because of the neighbors, and secondly because of Grandma.

He could only stay cooped up at home, communicating telepathically with his phone for a while.

Yan Hang's WeChat Moments hadn't been updated for a long time. Chu Yi had read through the old posts countless times, even though he couldn't understand them. He also went to look at Yan Hang's Weibo. Yan Hang's username was always Xingtian, very easy to find.

There was no content on Weibo either, even earlier than the WeChat posts. His fans checked in every day under his last Weibo post - good morning, good afternoon, good night. There were no more livestreams either.

-Can't remember how many times he's suddenly disappeared. Remember to come back.

Chu Yi stared at this comment for a while. It seemed Yan Hang had always been like this, suddenly disappearing, and maybe also suddenly reappearing.

Chu Yi quietly followed Big Brother Xingtian's Weibo with his own account. He had never used his account before, and the username was just a string of random numbers.

In order not to be mistaken for a fake fan account, he specifically changed his username to \"New Year's Day\", and also reposted a few funny Weibo posts with a string of \"hahahaha\".

It seemed to look more authentic this way... So he reposted again, adding an extra word to the laughter - \"hahahaha\".

A little better perhaps.

He originally wanted to tell Yan Hang that he was going to stay at his grandpa's for a couple of days, but then felt it was very silly. With Yan Hang in his current state, how could he be in the mood to care where Chu Yi was going.

Besides, Chu Yi didn't dare contact Yan Hang. Other than secretly observing, he didn't know what other appropriate way there was to handle this awkward relationship.

He had never had friends to begin with, and now that he had one, it had turned out like this. Whenever Chu Yi thought of Yan Hang, he would feel a sense of helpless panic.

Grandpa's home was in a town on the outskirts of the city, quite difficult to get to, requiring a bus ride.

But today Mom called Aunt, and Aunt drove him there.

\"Look at your mom,\" Aunt said. \"Not hesitating at all when she needs me.\"

Chu Yi smiled a little embarrassedly.

\"It's just because I'm sending you. If she needed the car herself, I wouldn't bother,\" Aunt took out a red envelope from her pocket and handed it to him. \"Here, your aunt is giving you this to calm your nerves.\"

\"Thank you.\" Chu Yi held the red envelope.

\"It's good for you to go settle down at your grandpa's for a couple of days, and comfort your grandparents while you're at it,\" Aunt said. \"Your dad is fine, we just don't know why he ran off. Just tell them, he's a grown man, as long as he's not dead, there's nothing to worry about.\"

\"Mm.\" Chu Yi nodded.

As the car passed by Yan Hang's doorstep, he turned his head and peeked out.

The curtains in Yan Hang's home were half open, but he couldn't see clearly inside.

However, Chu Yi felt this was a good sign. There was light in the room, which could greatly improve one's mood.

Aunt dropped him off at the bottom of Grandpa's building and left. Chu Yi knocked on the door upstairs for a long time before Grandma came to open it.

As soon as she saw Chu Yi, Grandma's tears started flowing.

\"Don't cry,\" Chu Yi quickly hugged Grandma. \"It's, it's okay.\"

\"Don't keep crying, it's not good for your health,\" Grandpa came down from the balcony and patted Chu Yi's shoulder. \"Your grandma has been missing you these past few days.\"

\"You're not going to school?\" Grandma wiped her tears.

\"Took a few, days off,\" Chu Yi said. \"Will go back, for the final exams.\"

\"Look, even the child's schooling is being delayed.\" Grandma said.

\"It's not, a delay,\" Chu Yi said. \"I didn't, want to go anyway.\"

\"Stop crying,\" Grandpa patted Grandma. \"Go make something for the child to eat.\"

\"Okay, I'll go now.\" Grandma went into the kitchen, wiping her tears.

\"Any news of your dad on your side?\" Grandpa pulled Chu Yi to the side and asked softly.

Chu Yi shook his head. Grandpa was in very good health. He could easily tend to the flowers, plants and vegetables he grew on the balcony. But now, he seemed to have aged.

Chu Yi frowned, suddenly feeling a bit dissatisfied with his dad.

All these days, he had been worried, afraid that something had happened to his dad, constantly guessing the responsibilities his dad would have to bear in this incident, hoping he could come back.

Until now, seeing his grandparents looking pained and haggard, he suddenly felt anger.

Anger towards his dad.

Even if he killed someone! He has to take responsibility for what he did!

Running away like this, what kind of man is he!

In the past, grandpa and grandma's place was a quiet haven for Chu Yi.

Grandma would be busy in the kitchen, making delicious food for him. He would sit on the small stool on the balcony, watching grandpa tend to the flowers and plants, occasionally helping to water them or move a flowerpot.

It was never boring, and his heart was especially calm.

But this time, there was only torment.

Grandma holding back tears, grandpa sitting in a daze on the balcony.

Every minute and second was filled with heartache and anger.

He didn't dare imagine what the consequences would be if his dad never came back.

The day before the final exam, Chu Yi returned home.

Before leaving, grandpa stuffed some money into his pocket, as was always the habit.

\"I reckon your mom and grandma are too preoccupied to take care of you, with such a big thing happening at home,\" grandpa said. \"Take care of yourself, and take care of your mom and them. No matter what, you have to take responsibility, don't be like your dad.\"

\"Mm.\" Chu Yi nodded.

Sitting on the bus ride home, his mind was racing.

What his dad did was no longer the most important thing.

His mind was filled with screaming, where did his dad go! Where could he go!

The journey home was extremely difficult. From the moment he turned the corner, he couldn't tell if it was his imagination or real, but he could feel all kinds of stares.

The small shops on both sides of this road were mostly run by neighbors in their area. Thanks to grandma, almost everyone knew their family and recognized him.

He didn't even dare to look to the side, afraid of meeting someone's inquisitive, mocking, or disgusted gaze.

He didn't even dare to go over when he passed by Yan Hang's house.

When he reached the convenience store, he breathed a sigh of relief. He was almost home, although home was just like that, but at least he was used to it.

\"Chu Yi,\" the store owner sat at the door, holding a small electric fan, \"where have you been?\"

Chu Yi didn't answer and walked forward with his head down.

\"That Liang Bing kid is back. The police called him in for questioning, seems he wasn't involved. Looks like your dad really has a problem, huh?\" the owner said.

Chu Yi turned his head and glanced at the owner.

The owner wanted to say something more, but opened his mouth without speaking.

When Chu Yi got home and was changing shoes at the door, he glanced at himself in the mirror beside him.

It startled him.

The gloomy complexion, furrowed brows, slightly reddened eyes.

The owner was probably scared by him just now, and didn't continue speaking.

Grandma and mom weren't home, only grandpa was sitting on the sofa watching TV. When Chu Yi entered, he said, \"Liang Bing hid for a few days and was found by the police. Heard they didn't get much out of him, he wasn't very involved, just ran errands for that Ding something. Looks like your dad...\"

Chu Yi didn't make a sound. He put on his shoes, turned around and went out the door again.

He really didn't understand grandpa's mentality. Besides not knowing how to talk, he seemed to lack normal emotions too. At a time like this, coming home and still hearing the same kind of gossip and speculation as outsiders was really unbearable for him.

There was nowhere to go after leaving the house. It was still light out, he didn't dare go find Yan Hang, and didn't dare wander around, afraid of hearing something else that would make him gasp for air.

He went to the riverside.

From a young age, whenever he had nowhere to go, he would come here.

Talk to the tree hollow for a bit, then stare blankly at the aesthetically lacking riverbank.

Or grind some pebbles to pass the time.

\"I want, want to have su-super, powers, that would, be great,\" Chu Yi pressed his face against the tree hollow and said softly. \"Then I could find, my dad, and ask, ask him why, why he's so use-useless.\"

\"I'm afraid grand-grandpa and grandma can't, can't take it...\" He furrowed his brows. \"I want to find, my dad.\"

\"I'm going to find my dad.\" Chu Yi gritted his teeth and repeated.

Surprisingly, he said it very fluently. It must be because he was so determined.

Chu Yi stroked the tree hollow and walked over to sit on the railing by the river.

Liang Bing was called in for questioning by the police, indicating he knew something, he just wasn't at the scene when it happened, so he's off the hook for now.

Chu Yi stared at the river. How much did Liang Bing really know?

Did he know the relationship between Old Ding, his dad, and Uncle Yan? Was his hurried departure that day related to this incident?

Chu Yi squeezed the lucky coin in his pocket repeatedly.

If he wanted to figure out what was going on with his dad, the only relevant person he could think of now was Liang Bing.

Yes.

Only Liang Bing.

Chu Yi jumped off the railing and turned to walk upstream along the river.

He knew where Liang Bing might be. One of Liang Bing's underlings opened a motorcycle repair shop. It didn't seem to have much business usually, it was pretty much just his hangout spot. A few thugs would squat inside, scaring away any business that came.

He used to avoid Liang Bing when he saw him, but today he walked straight to the repair shop entrance without any hesitation.

There was a pretty big empty lot in front of the door, with two disassembled unrepaired motorcycles.

Liang Bing wasn't inside, only his three underlings were sitting at the door.

Seeing Chu Yi, they were a bit surprised, but sat still.

Chu Yi didn't go over either, just stood under the tree on the sidewalk looking at them.

As long as Liang Bing came back, he wouldn't be alone. He would definitely come here to meet up with his underlings.

\"Here for a beating?\" One underling yelled at him with a cigarette in his mouth.

Chu Yi didn't make a sound, still standing quietly.

\"Your dad killed someone, not you,\" another underling said. \"How much courage did Liang Jingru* give you?\"

*T/N: A famous singer who sang the song \"Courage\"

Chu Yi remained silent.

He always thought he wouldn't change, that he would silently hide in the corner until the day he left.

He never thought he would have such anger.

After charging at Liang Bing by the river that day, for the second time he had the uncontrollable urge to take action regardless of the consequences.

It's just that Liang Bing hadn't shown up yet, he had to endure it.

Perhaps because of the major incident, perhaps because Liang Bing was called in for questioning by the police making them more restrained, the three underlings didn't seem to want to make a move, just sat there smoking and mocking him.

It wasn't until Liang Bing's motorcycle pulled up that they stood up together and pointed at the tree over here. Liang Bing cursed \"fuck your mother\" as he turned his head.

Chu Yi didn't hear it, but could read his lips.

He walked over.

\"Are you sick?\" Liang Bing looked at him. \"You two aren't done yet, are you?\"

Chu Yi didn't understand what Liang Bing meant by \"you two\" and \"not done\".

But he didn't intend to figure it out. He looked at Liang Bing, \"What happened?\"

\"What the fuck happened!\" Liang Bing said. \"I'll give you ten seconds. If you don't fucking get lost, don't blame me for being rude!\"

\"Old Ding,\" Chu Yi said, \"what happened?\"

\"Go ask the police!\" Liang Bing yelled. \"Who the fuck are you? You think I have to tell you if you ask? Your dad killed someone and you're still throwing your weight around?\"

Your dad killed someone.

Chu Yi had heard this countless times in the past few days.

These two words that should never have any connection with his dad in this lifetime were put together, pressing heavily on his nerves that were already stretched to the limit.

Liang Bing's combination accurately ignited his anger.

Without thinking, he rushed over and slammed his fist hard into Liang Bing's stomach.

Liang Bing apparently never expected him to do this. He didn't even dodge and took the punch head-on, his face instantly turning pale.

This punch was taught by Uncle Yan. It wasn't just the force of the fist, but also borrowed the strength of the waist, back and shoulders. When the fist smashed over, it even hurt from being jabbed by the buttons on Liang Bing's shirt.

\"Fuck!\" A lackey reacted and slapped Chu Yi on the head.

Chu Yi raised his arm to block. This move wasn't taught by Uncle Yan, but came from years of experience being beaten.

After blocking the slap, he threw another punch at Liang Bing's lower abdomen.

Liang Bing couldn't catch his breath and staggered back a step, sitting on the ground.

Chu Yi pounced on him, grabbed his collar and pressed him to the ground.

Another punch landed on his face.

\"Pull him off!\" Liang Bing finally shouted, struggling to pull out his arm pinned by Chu Yi's knee.

\"I'm asking you!\" Chu Yi's voice was hoarse as he threw another punch. \"Huh!\"

Blood spurted from Liang Bing's nose.

Several lackeys rushed up to grab Chu Yi's arms, trying to pull him off Liang Bing.

For the first time, Chu Yi discovered he had so much strength when he was angry. He shook off the hands grabbing his arms and punched Liang Bing in the nose again.

The splattering nosebleed made the anger that had been suppressed for the past half month, no, for more than a decade, erupt from his body.

He single-mindedly focused on smashing Liang Bing's face two more times before finally being kicked aside by a flying kick to the head from a lackey beside him.

Liang Bing was pulled up from the ground by a lackey, while two others rushed over and started kicking Chu Yi.

His back, shoulders, and arms were all kicked.

But Chu Yi didn't feel the pain. He didn't dodge the kicks from the two lackeys either, but got up and pounced on Liang Bing again, grabbing his wrist.

\"Just grab it and twist it up like this,\" Uncle Yan said. \"But you're short, so you don't have enough upward force. You have to twist his wrist and press down, then he'll immediately kneel down on one knee for you.\"

He fiercely twisted Liang Bing's wrist back and forcefully pressed it down.

Liang Bing cried out as his body followed the force downward and one leg knelt on the ground.

The lackeys came over and kicked Chu Yi a few times. Seeing that Chu Yi wouldn't let go, they had to grab him and drag him back.

But Chu Yi was still twisting Liang Bing's wrist. With this pull, Liang Bing immediately howled in pain.

The lackeys quickly let go again.

Chu Yi suddenly pressed Liang Bing to the ground. Liang Bing's face was pushed down as he was pinned, and Chu Yi yanked up the arm he had been twisting.

Liang Bing was in too much pain to make a sound.

\"Talk,\" Chu Yi grabbed his hair and pulled his head up from the ground. \"Old Ding!\"

A lackey picked up a large wrench and smashed it on Chu Yi's shoulder. This time he finally felt the pain.

In order to prevent his stutter from wasting time, he chose the shortest way to ask.

\"Fuck off!\" Liang Bing cursed through gritted teeth.

Chu Yi slammed his head into the ground.

This move was learned from Yan Hang.

Liang Bing's nosebleed instantly bloomed into a small flower on the ground.

\"He fucking told me to let him know if I saw the guy surnamed Yan at home, then go block the intersection to stop him from going that way!\" Liang Bing finally couldn't hold out and spoke. \"I didn't block the person! He didn't come this way!\"

\"Really?\" Chu Yi asked.

\"I fucking told the police the same thing!\" Liang Bing roared. \"Go ask the police! Ask Yan Hang!\"

Chu Yi let go. The lackeys behind him rushed up, pulled him away and started punching and kicking like crazy.

A few uncles from the shops nearby who were watching the commotion ran over at this point, shouting a few times to pull the people apart.

Liang Bing wiped the blood from his face and glared at Chu Yi.

\"Didn't expect that,\" someone said in a low voice. \"This kid used to get bullied all the time.\"

\"Pushed to the edge,\" another person said. \"When pushed to the edge, one can even kill.\"

Chu Yi turned his head to look to the side. There were quite a few onlookers, but he couldn't find the ones talking.

However, the sound of discussion stopped.

He shook off the people holding him, lowered his head to dust off his body, gave Liang Bing a stare, then turned and walked towards the riverbank.

As he passed by the onlookers, some people moved aside to let him through.

Chu Yi didn't look back or around. He stared at the ground and kept walking forward until he reached a deserted spot by the river before stopping.

His mind was blank.

There was a buzzing in his ears.

He couldn't even fully recall Liang Bing's words.

He was completely dazed.

After a long time, he slowly came back to his senses due to the intense pain all over his body.

His shoulders hurt, arms hurt, head hurt, back and legs all hurt a lot.

He moved his arms and legs. They could still move.

Only then did he slowly go over Liang Bing's words again and suddenly realized what Liang Bing meant by \"you two\" and telling him to ask Yan Hang.

Yan Hang had already gone to see Liang Bing!

Maybe beat him up too.

Getting beaten up twice in a row right after coming back... for a local boss, it was a huge humiliation. Chu Yi suddenly felt a bit excited and thrilled.

He turned around and wanted to run to Yan Hang's house, but hesitated for a moment before taking out his phone.

The phone screen was cracked.

He frowned and tried it out. It was still usable, but a bit glitchy. Before he could even tap on it, several apps on the screen opened by themselves.

His hands were also shaking a bit, not knowing if it was from using too much force earlier or from being injured. He lost the battle of hand speed against the phone.

Sending a message was too difficult. He could only pull up Yan Hang's number and hit dial before the phone jumped back to the home screen on its own.

Seeing the screen display \"dialing,\" he finally breathed a sigh of relief and put the phone to his ear.

\"Sorry, the user you have dialed is powered off.\"

Chu Yi paused for a moment, brought the phone in front of his eyes, and confirmed that he had dialed Yan Hang's number correctly.

Powered off?

Chu Yi stood there for more than ten seconds before suddenly breaking into a run towards Yan Hang's house.

A phone being powered off wasn't really a big deal. It would power off if the battery died.

But even when Yan Hang was in such a poor state a few days ago, he didn't forget to charge his phone. He could order takeout and play games on it. How could it suddenly be powered off now?

Deep down, Chu Yi had a vague premonition.

But he didn't dare to think about it.

He just kept his head down and ran forward.

It was only when he ran all the way to Yan Hang's doorstep and saw the wide open door that his legs went weak. He staggered a few steps before coming to a stop.

\"Who are you looking for?\" A woman walked out from inside and paused upon seeing him. \"This family has moved away.\"

Chu Yi looked at the woman, continuously gasping for breath, unable to speak.

As if he would faint from suffocation in the next second.

","published_time":"2024-09-24T00:00:00.000Z","paid":false,"show_flag":true,"show_scheduled_time":"2024-09-03T00:00:00.000Z","unpaid_scheduled_time":"2024-09-24T00:00:00.000Z"},{"content_id":976,"novel_id":11,"chapter_no":25,"chapter_title":"Chapter 25","content":"

Yan Hang had followed his dad to many places, but this was his first time on a plane.

His dad was afraid of heights. Once when he took Yan Hang on a Ferris wheel, his dad nearly recited his last words when they were only halfway up, while Yan Hang didn't feel much at all.

Yan Hang smiled.

The plane hadn't taken off yet. He gazed out the window at the ground that looked bleached white under the sun.

\"Do you want a blanket?\" Cui Yi asked. \"It's an hour and a half flight, you can sleep for a bit.\"

\"An hour and a half, flying back and forth three times is about enough time to wait for a miracle to appear where I get a bit sleepy,\" Yan Hang said. \"I'll just space out for a while.\"

\"I contacted a doctor for you,\" Cui Yi said. \"After we arrive, rest well for a week first, then go have a chat?\"

\"Okay.\" Yan Hang nodded.

\"I thought you would refuse,\" Cui Yi smiled. \"So cooperative.\"

\"Who wouldn't want to feel better if they could,\" Yan Hang said. \"It's not like I really want to die.\"

Cui Yi didn't say anything and just patted him on the shoulder.

Today's flight was delayed by half an hour, which was still considered fast.

When the broadcast told everyone to turn off their phones, Cui Yi glanced at him. \"Phone off?\"

\"It was already off when I came to find you, hasn't been turned on since.\" Yan Hang said.

\"Did you say goodbye to your friends?\" Cui Yi asked.

\"...Friends,\" Yan Hang paused, feeling a wave of melancholy as soon as he thought of Chu Yi. \"I didn't.\"

Cui Yi was stunned. \"You didn't tell any friends you were leaving?\"

\"No.\" Yan Hang said.

Cui Yi looked at him without speaking.

\"I... actually,\" Yan Hang spoke hesitantly, his voice very soft, \"I don't know how to say goodbye.\"

\"You've never said goodbye to anyone?\" Cui Yi also lowered his voice.

\"Yeah,\" Yan Hang turned his head to look out the window at the slowly moving scenery. \"Wherever I went, I never got to know anyone, so there was no need to say goodbye to anyone.\"

\"Oh.\" Cui Yi responded, thought for a moment and sighed again.

\"I don't even know what to say,\" Yan Hang said, \"so that he won't be sad.\"

\"Who?\" Cui Yi asked.

\"A little kid.\" Yan Hang smiled.

Cui Yi's home was in a peaceful second-tier city. Yan Hang had never been there with his dad, but had been to a nearby small town with beautiful scenery and a river much prettier than the one by Chu Yi's tree hole.

They only stayed there for about half a month. Yan Hang would sit by the river for a while every day.

The day they left, he saw two sand dredging boats, instantly stirring the clear river water into a muddy soup.

It would have been better if they had left a day earlier, then the image of that clear and pleasant river would remain forever in his memory.

\"I rented an apartment for you in the same community as my home,\" Cui Yi said. \"Actually, I live alone, so you could stay at my place too, but I figured you wouldn't want to.\"

\"Yeah.\" Yan Hang smiled.

\"I'll take you there first. When you're rested and want to go out later, give me a call and I'll take you to eat.\" Cui Yi said.

\"Thank you.\" Yan Hang said.

\"You're welcome.\" Cui Yi replied.

This standard response amused Yan Hang.

The community Cui Yi lived in was an old one, but very large with an excellent internal environment. The landscaping was done very diligently, with water features and small woods inside the community.

The apartment he rented for Yan Hang was at the very back of the community, a small one-bedroom unit on the top floor, close to a low hill and very quiet.

\"Is it okay?\" Cui Yi opened the door and handed him the key.

\"It's great.\" Yan Hang looked around. The bedroom balcony faced the hill, and he could imagine how refreshing it would feel to wake up to a view of lush greenery in the morning.

\"Then rest for a bit first,\" Cui Yi said. \"The place was cleaned before, so you can stay right away. Everything is provided, and I bought some daily necessities too. If you're still missing anything, there's a supermarket in the community.\"

\"Okay.\" Yan Hang responded.

Cui Yi didn't say anything else and turned to leave very decisively.

Yan Hang sat down on the sofa and closed his eyes.

Cui Yi made him feel very relaxed, without any excessive courtesies from an elder to a younger person. He said what he needed to and left.

The so-called rest was actually just sitting for a while, walking around the apartment to see what else he needed to buy, since this time... it might be the longest he would stay in one place, so he would need more things.

The apartment was fully furnished and decorated, with all the furniture and appliances provided, even the wooden floors that Yan Hang liked most.

Yan Hang walked around the place barefoot and stood on the balcony for a while.

Then he went back inside and took out his luggage.

Clothes, books, small trinkets, that was it.

There was a small bookshelf in the bedroom. Yan Hang put the books on it, arranging them neatly in a row.

These books were all found by his dad for him. Normally, if there were books he didn't need, he wouldn't take them when moving.

But this time he brought all the books, as they all carried traces of his dad. If discarded, they would be gone forever.

There was also a small tin box on the bookshelf. Yan Hang picked it up and looked at it. It was empty, with a picture of a little flower fairy printed on the lid... He didn't know if it belonged to the landlord or the previous tenant.

Little flower fairy it is then. Yan Hang put his small trinkets inside.

In addition to the previous items, there was also a fountain pen and a small piece of red string.

Seeing these things, Yan Hang suddenly felt alarmed and quickly felt his ankle. The small stone was still there, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

After struggling for a long time between the two options of putting the small stone in the box or continuing to tie it around his ankle, he still chose the latter.

It took less than five minutes to organize the simple luggage. He went to the kitchen and saw that cooking for himself would be no problem at all. There was even a whole case of iced red tea in the fridge.

This must have been instructed by his dad.

He stared at the iced red tea. The longing for his dad that he had been trying hard to ignore these past days suddenly surged up without warning.

He closed the fridge door and leaned against the wall, spacing out for a long time.

He had no clue whether his dad was alive or dead, or where he was.

He was too clear about his dad's abilities. If he was still alive and didn't want to be found, then it really wouldn't be easy to find him.

He had looked for Liang Bing two days ago, but there were no more clues on Liang Bing's side.

The only thing that could be known was that Old Ding wanted Liang Bing to block his father's retreat, after all, that side was a busy street, with many people, making it too easy to either escape or seek help.

But his father didn't walk in that direction.

As for why, Yan Hang could probably guess, because further in were all old residential areas and old streets, with incomplete surveillance coverage. Based on Yan Hang's understanding of his father, whenever he went out for a stroll, checking out places without surveillance was just a casual thing, after all, he was an old fox who remained three parts alert even in his sleep.

But that blood.

Such a large amount of blood, indicating that he was severely injured. How could he, with such injuries, avoid surveillance and disappear?

What Yan Hang could determine now was that someone had picked him up.

The person who called before he left was the one who picked him up.

Who was it?

Yan Hang returned to the living room, knowing that for the time being, he couldn't possibly analyze anything useful out of this matter.

He checked the time, it was time for dinner. Cui Yi was still waiting to have dinner with him. Although he could now fast for half a month, Cui Yi needed to eat.

Yan Hang took out his phone to make a call, but hesitated after taking it out.

Chu Yi should already know that he had left, right?

He left without saying goodbye, without even leaving any message.

He was afraid, not knowing how to face such a farewell.

He had never left any memories anywhere, or with anyone, except for that place, and Chu Yi. But it was precisely these memories that made him have no idea what to say or do.

And Chu Yi didn't know.

Chu Yi only knew that he had left without a word.

Yan Hang held the phone, turning it over and over in his hand.

After several minutes, he saw a small paper bag on the coffee table.

It was a phone card.

It should have been prepared by Cui Yi.

This person was very thoughtful. Yan Hang had taken a look in the bathroom earlier, not only were shampoo, shower gel, toothpaste and toothbrush all prepared, even shaving cream was there.

What a huge contrast to his father. How could two such people be friends, and even have a relationship where one could... entrust the other with his child.

Although the two had very consistent tastes when it came to choosing fake names.

Yan Hang put the new card into his phone. He didn't throw away the old card, but put it in that small box. And he knew that he would always keep that card topped up.

But he also knew it wasn't for his father's sake, because if his father wanted to find him, he definitely wouldn't contact him directly, but would contact Cui Yi first.

It was probably for Chu Yi.

Even though he couldn't find the right way to say goodbye, he would keep the means of contact.

It was a bit funny.

Cui Yi lived in the building next door. After receiving his call, he was waiting for him downstairs.

When he went downstairs, Cui Yi was taking a photo of a flower in front of the building with his phone.

\"Taking a photo of the flower?\" Yan Hang asked as he approached.

\"Shh.\" Cui Yi said.

As soon as he finished shushing, a butterfly flew up from the flower, flapping its wings and flying into the flowerbed.

\"Sorry.\" Yan Hang said.

\"Just taking a casual shot,\" Cui Yi said, \"The fairies in my friends circle are all posting flowers and plants. It's really too discordant for me to keep posting skewers.\"

Yan Hang smiled.

\"Let's go, time to eat.\" Cui Yi put away his phone.

\"What are we having?\" Yan Hang asked.

\"Skewers,\" Cui Yi said, \"Or is there anything you want to eat?\"

\"Just skewers.\" Yan Hang said.

Cui Yi seemed to be a regular at this skewer restaurant. As soon as they entered, all the servers recognized him. After ordering the skewers, the boss personally brought over a large fruit platter.

\"You're actually not alone today?\" The boss said.

\"Yeah,\" Cui Yi pointed at Yan Hang, \"My godson.\"

\"Looks quite like you.\" The boss said.

\"How have you managed to keep the restaurant open for more than a decade with this level of emotional intelligence.\" Cui Yi sighed.

The boss was stunned for a moment before reacting, and laughed, \"I mean, both handsome, both handsome.\"

\"Hurry up and grill.\" Cui Yi waved his hand.

After the boss left, he looked at Yan Hang, \"You really do look exactly like your dad.\"

\"How long have you two known each other?\" Yan Hang asked.

\"Longer than you've known him,\" Cui Yi smiled, \"Those years when he was at his most arrogant in the jianghu.\"

\"How did you two meet?\" Yan Hang asked again.

\"About that,\" Cui Yi paused for a moment, his eyes drifting a bit, as if recalling, but in the end, he just smiled, \"It's too long a story to tell.\"

Yan Hang didn't ask further.

\"Your birthday is next month, right?\" Cui Yi asked.

\"Yeah,\" Yan Hang glanced at him, \"Did my dad tell you?\"

\"No, I always remembered,\" Cui Yi said, \"Just couldn't remember the exact date. I went to see you when you were born, tiny little thing, really ugly. Never thought you'd grow up to be like this.\"

\"...Oh.\" Yan Hang didn't know how to respond.

\"If you want to find a place to work, I can ask around for you,\" Cui Yi said, \"Have you thought about it?\"

\"I've always wanted to work in a Western restaurant,\" Yan Hang said, \"A proper one, just don't know if it's possible.\"

\"Your English is pretty good, right?\" Cui Yi said, \"Your dad bragged about it to me.\"

\"Not bad.\" Yan Hang laughed, unable to imagine what his father looked like when bragging about him to others.

\"I'll ask around for you,\" Cui Yi pushed the plate in front of him, \"Eat.\"

Chu Yi was pressed against the back of a tree, staring at the door of Yan Hang's home.

No, that place was no longer Yan Hang's home.

The landlady said that he had already moved out in the morning.

Already moved out.

Although Yan Hang had told him from the beginning that they wouldn't stay in one place for long, and he had a strong premonition a few days ago that Yan Hang would leave.

But he didn't expect it to be so sudden.

Yan Hang didn't even leave him a single word before leaving.

Chu Yi felt very upset.

Very upset.

He had never experienced this kind of feeling before. This upset even overshadowed his father being involved in a murder case, overshadowed him being called the son of a murderer.

In addition to being upset, there was also an indescribable feeling of being stifled.

Yan Hang had only left this morning.

Just this morning.

While he was sitting on the bus back, Yan Hang had left.

If he had come back a day earlier, contacted Yan Hang a little earlier, would it have been so sudden?

At least they could have seen each other one more time.

Asked him if he would come back, asked him where he was going.

And now, he didn't even have a single photo of Yan Hang left.

The only thing stored in his phone was the huge steaming pot lid he captured when secretly taking a picture of Yan Hang.

It hurt.

Having never had a friend before, only now did he realize for the first time how painful it was to lose one.

Late at night, with no one left on the streets, he emerged from behind the tree and ran across the road.

He took out a card he had randomly picked up from the ground earlier, which had \"24-hour locksmith\" printed on it.

After looking around, he inserted the card into the door crack next to the lock, gently shook it, pushed it in, and the door opened.

The lock was very old, so the landlord had installed three latches and a padlock inside to reassure the tenants. But now, with no one living there, naturally it wasn't locked.

Chu Yi entered the house, closed the door properly, and stood in the middle of the living room.

In the darkness, he could smell the faint, almost imperceptible scent of smoke.

He walked into Yan Hang's bedroom and struggled to turn on the light on his phone, looking at the now empty room.

Everything was gone. Although there wasn't much in Yan Hang's bedroom to begin with, the emptiness now made it hard to breathe.

The light from the phone illuminated the empty bed, the empty desktop, the empty chair back, and the empty wardrobe one by one.

After turning around, he suddenly stopped, but the phone went dark. He anxiously pressed the phone's buttons while walking towards the desk, reaching out to feel the tabletop.

Just as his hand touched the small bottle, the phone lit up.

Yan Hang hadn't taken the sleeping spray with him.

Looking at the sleeping spray in his hand, Chu Yi suddenly felt a sense of ecstasy.

He gently shook the bottle; at least more than half was left!

Opening the lid, he sprayed it once, and the air was filled with a faint fragrance, instantly reminding him of the night he lay beside Yan Hang.

He put the sleeping spray in his pants pocket.

Although he didn't know why Yan Hang hadn't told him when he left, hadn't said goodbye to him, he could forcibly assume that this sleeping spray was specially left for him by Yan Hang.

On the day of the final exam, Chu Yi went downstairs to the sound of his grandmother arguing with the neighbors.

The road from home to school felt a bit unfamiliar to him, as if he hadn't walked it for a long time.

He ran into Li Zihao on the way.

Li Zihao was a bit unusual. Normally, when they met, Li Zihao would definitely come over to mock him a few times and slap him a couple of times, but today he only glanced at him.

When Chu Yi looked at him, his eyes even seemed a bit evasive.

It wasn't until he was almost at the school that Chu Yi suddenly realized.

It was probably because he had beaten up Liang Bing.

Pretty good.

Chu Yi felt a bit happy; at least Li Zihao probably wouldn't easily cause trouble for him in the future.

However, this happiness was a bit hard to maintain after entering the school.

Chu Yi didn't think his hearing was particularly good, but in the short distance from the school gate to the classroom, he heard his name being spoken in a tone of horror and disgust at least four times.

The son of a murderer who had suddenly erupted with a violent nature.

That was probably the image of himself in everyone's eyes at this moment.

In this atmosphere, Chu Yi almost couldn't even hold on for the three days of the final exam.

From a young age, he had tried to make himself invisible, to not be seen by people, to not appear in everyone's sight. He was used to quietly staying in a corner by himself.

And now all of this had been shattered. No matter where he went, he could feel the stares.

After the last subject was over, he returned home, and even when his grandmother asked him to go buy cigarettes, he was a bit reluctant.

Whether it was being the son of a murderer or a \"honest person\" who solved problems with violence, he found it hard to adapt.

\"What are you dawdling for!\" His grandmother glared at him with a cigarette in her mouth. \"Your father has made this family like this! Are you trying to throw your weight around too? Will running an errand scrape the skin off your balls?\"

Chu Yi jumped up, grabbed the money his grandmother had thrown on the table, and went out the door.

As he went downstairs, he violently shook the stair railing a few times and kicked it twice.

The irritation in his body made him feel like his back was covered in sweat.

When he walked to the entrance of the convenience store, a few people swayed out from inside.

It was Liang Bing and his lackeys.

\"Well, well.\" Liang Bing's eyes changed the moment he saw him.

Chu Yi habitually stopped and took a step back.

Liang Bing casually grabbed a mop from the side of the convenience store and rushed over.

As Chu Yi turned to run away, the mop hit him on the waist.

His body was covered in injuries from the fight with Liang Bing the other day that hadn't healed yet. When he showered, he could see large bruises all over his body.

The mop hit the largest bruise on his waist.

The pain that had already become blurry instantly awakened, piercing through him.

\"You don't have anyone to back you up now, do you!\" Liang Bing followed up with a kick to his back. \"Let's see if you're still so damn arrogant!\"

Chu Yi's neck jerked back from the kick, and he fell to his knees on the ground. Then, following the momentum, he lunged forward, stirring up a cloud of dust as his hands hit the ground covered in gravel.

\"Hey!\" The convenience store owner ran out. \"What are you doing! You're beating someone up right here! Liang Bing, you're too much of a thug!\"

\"Shut up!\" Liang Bing glared at the owner.

The convenience store was right next to a few buildings, and quite a few neighbors who had known each other for over a decade were coming and going, all looking over here now.

Liang Bing threw down the mop, glanced at Chu Yi, turned around, and walked towards the street with his lackeys.

Chu Yi slowly stood up and picked up the mop from the ground.

Back him up?

He had never needed anyone to back him up. Yan Hang helping him wasn't backing him up; that was a friend.

But since this had already started, Chu Yi stepped on the mop head with his foot, grabbed the handle with his hand, and snapped it with a crack.

Then so be it.

He picked up the stick and walked after Liang Bing. \"Liang Bing.\"

Liang Bing turned around.

Chu Yi swung the stick and smashed it into his face.

When the stick hit Liang Bing's head, it made his back go numb.

Shocked cries rang out all around.

Liang Bing seemed to be stunned by the blow, standing there motionless. A few seconds later, blood flowed down from his hairline.

\"You... mother... fucker...\" Liang Bing said in shock and bewilderment. Chu Yi snapped back to his senses as one of the henchmen rushed towards him. He swung the stick again, charging forward and smashing it against the henchman's shoulder.

The stick shattered with a loud crack.

Half of the broken stick flew towards the convenience store owner, who jumped up as if he had been stabbed. \"Chu Yi!\"

As Chu Yi prepared to swing a third time, the owner stepped in front of him. \"Chu Yi! What are you doing?\"

\"Oh my goodness!\" an elderly woman shrieked in terror.

Chu Yi pointed at Liang Bing. \"From now on, when you see me, walk the other way.\"

Liang Bing seemed to be in a daze from the blow, staring at Chu Yi for a long time without moving.

\"Go,\" the owner turned his head and yelled at Liang Bing, \"or do you want to fight more?\"

Liang Bing finally raised his hand to touch his face, staring at his blood-covered hand for a moment before saying in a dreamlike state, \"Let's go.\"

The owner took the stick from Chu Yi's hand and looked at him. \"Are you crazy?\"

\"No.\" Chu Yi smiled.

\"Then why did you beat someone up?\" The owner was still staring at him.

\"Ah,\" Chu Yi responded, walking into the store. He took out money from his pocket and placed it on the counter. \"Cigarettes.\"

The owner handed him the cigarettes, still looking shocked.

Chu Yi put the cigarettes in his pocket and walked out, not heading home but onto the small street instead.

After delivering those two blows, Liang Bing seemed to be in a daze, but Chu Yi suddenly felt as refreshed as if he had drunk a basin of cool oil, so clear-headed that he could feel his eyes shining.

He could no longer be the old Chu Yi. If he couldn't, then so be it.

Yan Hang had left without telling him anything.

But Yan Hang was the most beautiful scenery in his life for so many years.

He admired Yan Hang's boldness and free-spiritedness. He was attracted to his gentleness, even knowing that Yan Hang could also be fragile enough to fall into darkness. He still wanted to be like Yan Hang.

To be like Yan Hang.

Chu Yi wandered aimlessly on the street for a few rounds before finally entering a stationery store.

He bought the cheapest spiral notebook and returned home.

\"Buying a pack of cigarettes took you over an hour!\" Grandma sat on the sofa. \"Did you go and grow the tobacco yourself?\"

Chu Yi didn't say a word. He put the cigarettes next to Grandma's hand and sat down at the small desk.

He opened the notebook.

He planned to write something, not quite a diary, but just to record a few things.

- Get a haircut tomorrow.

- Go boxing.

- Yan Hang.

Yan Hang, Yan Hang, Yan Hang.

","published_time":"2024-10-01T00:00:00.000Z","paid":false,"show_flag":true,"show_scheduled_time":"2024-09-10T00:00:00.000Z","unpaid_scheduled_time":"2024-10-01T00:00:00.000Z"},{"content_id":993,"novel_id":11,"chapter_no":26,"chapter_title":"Chapter 26","content":"

On the first day of school, he got up early, while everyone else at home was still sleeping. He took his money pouch and left the house.

The money pouch was just a bag with a little bit of money he had saved up. However, after his mom casually using it and his classmates snatching it, plus normal expenses, there was very little money left in it.

He took out all the money in the hallway and counted it. There was less than 30 yuan. For him who rarely had any expenses, it was enough to use.

But he wasn't sure if it was enough for a haircut.

After all, he had never been to a barbershop in his life.

When he was little, his dad would just use a razor to shave his head bald. After starting school, he no longer shaved his head bald, but his dad would just take scissors and snip around his head. After third grade, his dad became very busy driving for this company and no one managed his hair anymore. Maybe because grandma and mom both had long hair, and grandpa was bald, they didn't know there was such a thing as getting a haircut.

From then until now, he always cut his own hair in front of the mirror. There was no design or anything, just using the standard of not covering his eyes or poking his neck. Usually no one looked at him anyway.

\"I look at you every day.\" Yan Hang had said before.

He sighed, feeling a bit regretful for not getting a haircut earlier. Yan Hang never even got to see what he looked like after a haircut.

But it's okay, he planned to take a few selfies after the haircut to keep and show Yan Hang if there was a chance in the future.

...Would there still be a chance?

As he walked towards the street, he pondered what hairstyle to get. Yan Hang had said before not to cut it too short, as it would need frequent trims if too short.

Then he'll keep it a bit longer.

Actually, he had no concept of hairstyles, whether long or short.

However, after standing in front of two barbershops for a while, he discovered that compared to hairstyles, prices were the thing he had the least concept of.

68 yuan for a haircut!

The one for 48 yuan was considered cheap!

Robbery!

Were they using pure gold scissors?

Would he become an immortal after the haircut?

Although he initially felt that barbershops on the main street and in commercial plazas might have higher skill levels, in the end he still found an ordinary barbershop on a more remote small street.

The kind of shop where you could tell at a glance the hairstylists weren't returning from working in Hong Kong, and the hairstylists weren't named Tony or Kevin.

25 yuan.

Compared to the previous 48 and 68 yuan, this 25 yuan price looked very sweet.

Okay, this is the place.

\"Shampoo or haircut?\" A young woman asked him.

\"...Haircut.\" He replied.

\"Then let's shampoo first.\" The young woman said.

He felt a bit confused. Then what was the point of the previous question?

The young woman was very cool. She didn't say a word while shampooing, just kept grabbing at his head. She only asked three questions.

\"Is the strength okay?\"

He didn't hear clearly. So he didn't answer.

\"Is the water too hot?\"

He still didn't hear clearly.

\"Should I keep massaging?\"

He felt that this was probably his first time in a barbershop in this lifetime, and he was a bit overly nervous, so nervous that he lost his hearing.

In the end, when the young woman handed him over to the hairstylist, he suddenly realized what she had asked. But unfortunately, the time for the questions had passed.

The hairstylist was called Ah Chao.

Ah Chao was also silent. He picked up the scissors, grabbed his hair and snipped away.

He felt his eyes were so shocked they popped out. He quickly said: \"Not too short.\"

\"Mm.\" Ah Chao glanced at him through the mirror and continued snipping away very coldly.

He couldn't be bothered to say more. It was tiring to speak. No matter how ugly, it couldn't be worse than his own haircuts.

...He wondered if Yan Hang would have designed a hairstyle for him if he was here?

Yan Hang might have helped him design a very good-looking hairstyle.

Yan Hang's own hairstyle was very good-looking. Yan Hang's clothes were also very good-looking. Although they were basically super casual sportswear, Yan Hang made them look great. Yan Hang also used cologne. He was a very vain person.

Thinking about it inexplicably made him want to laugh. After a while, he felt he couldn't laugh anymore.

Depressing.

Yan Hang left.

All his imaginings of hanging out with Yan Hang this summer had come to nothing.

Before, he thought even if Yan Hang would leave, it would be after the summer vacation.

He stared blankly at the scissors in the mirror.

\"Done.\" After snipping, shaving and trimming all over his head and even blow drying it, Ah Chao removed the cloth that had been tied around his neck the whole time.

He quickly stood up and looked at his head in the mirror.

Very...handsome.

It wasn't cut too short. There was some bangs on his forehead, much better than his self-mangled looks. He seemed very spirited and it wasn't the mushroom cut he hated, which 9 out of 10 vocational school boys sported that made him cringe whenever he saw it.

He made note of Ah Chao's name, planning to request him again next time.

Stepping out of the barbershop, the wind blew by and he felt his whole body become lighter. For a long time now, his head had felt too heavy to lift each day.

Although there were only 3 yuan left in his pocket, he walked with a bounce in his step. After walking for a bit, he felt someone looking at him and became a little embarrassed, lowering his head.

There was no one by the riverside, but there were people in the river. Some workers were cleaning the mud and trash along the bank. The area where he and Yan Hang had looked for a pen was already cleaned up, the river water glimmering under the sunlight.

Chu Yi stood there watching for a while before taking out his phone.

After resting for a few days, his phone had stopped randomly turning on by itself, but it had become sluggish, barely responsive. He grimaced while trying to take a selfie several times but didn't succeed.

Finally his phone went black. He kept pressing the power button repeatedly, feeling like he was giving it CPR.

But by the time he returned home, his phone still hadn't woken up.

The atmosphere at home was still oppressive as usual. With his dad gone missing, it felt even more unbearable.

His grandparents were actually alright. His grandma smoked and watched TV. His grandpa went out to play chess and chat about his son-in-law's murder case with other old men.

It was mainly his mom.

Before the incident, she had been busy looking for a job. Afterwards, there were no more developments about her job search and she just sat at home spacing out every day.

When he entered the door in the first year of middle school, his mom glanced over at him.

He suddenly felt a bit nervous.

He had just spent 25 yuan to get a haircut at this time, which was something very likely to provoke anger.

\"Oh, got a haircut,\" his mom said with a cold laugh as expected, \"quite a waste of money.\"

Chu Yi didn't say anything and sat down at the small desk.

\"Squandering money like his dad,\" Grandma said. \"We provide for your food, drink, and schooling, and with such a big thing happening in the family, you're still living quite extravagantly.\"

Chu Yi didn't listen closely to what else Grandma and his mom said, flipping open that small coil notebook, lost in thought as he stared at the words he wrote yesterday.

After quite a while, he turned his head: \"I won't, go to, an ordinary high school.\"

His mom was stunned, and Grandma also seemed to not react for a moment, glaring at him while pinching a melon seed.

\"Won't go to, college either,\" Chu Yi said.

\"Talking long-term plans so confidently, can you even test in?\" After coming back to her senses, Grandma continued cracking melon seeds.

His mom suddenly jumped up and rushed to the desk in two steps.

Chu Yi swiftly lay prone on the desk hugging his head.

His mom's endless slap attack rained down on him at eight times the speed, the sounds blurring together to where you could barely make out that it was a slapping sound.

Chu Yi gritted his teeth.

His mom unleashed a storm of slaps on his head, shoulders, back, arms, and finally when she stopped, she asked: \"What did you say?\"

\"I also won't test, into them,\" Chu Yi said. \"Won't study anymore.\"

His mom seemed to have used up all her strength, turning around and heavily sitting back down on the sofa.

Chu Yi stood up straight, leaning against the chair as he continued staring at his notebook.

The only sound in the room was the TV.

He didn't know how much time passed when Chu Yi opened the drawer, took out the cell phone he had hidden inside, and walked in front of his mom.

When his mom saw clearly that he was holding a cell phone, her eyes widened.

\"Trade with you,\" Chu Yi said. \"Yours to me, you use this one.\"

\"Where'd you get it?\" his mom asked.

\"Must be from Er Ping!\" Grandma snapped as she threw down a melon seed shell. \"Who else could it be!\"

\"Throw it away for me!\" His mom reached out to snatch it.

Chu Yi quickly pulled his hand back. \"My phone is broken.\"

His mom stared at him, her entire face gloomy as if a typhoon red alert was swirling over it.

\"If you don't use it I'll, I'll use it,\" Chu Yi said.

His mom kept staring at him.

Chu Yi waited for a bit, then turned around and went back to the desk. He took out his old phone, took out the card and put it into the new phone, then turned it on.

After seeing the home screen, he put the phone back in his pocket and stuffed the old one in the drawer. After all, it was given to him by his dad.

He couldn't bear to throw it away.

The room was still silent. Chu Yi didn't take the phone back out to go find a place to take selfies.

From saying he didn't want to go to an ordinary high school to taking out the phone to now, he had basically used up all his courage. Now other than nervousness and unease, he didn't have any other emotions.

His whole person seemed to have collapsed.

He slumped onto the table, closing his eyes.

It wasn't until Grandpa came back from playing chess outside near dinnertime that there was finally some sound in the house.

\"Is dinner ready? I'm starving,\" Grandpa said.

\"Then starve,\" Mom said.

\"Did you eat gunpowder?\" Grandpa said, \"Is this little thing worth it? You're all acting like you're about to die. Worst case, you remarry. Is he the only man in the world?\"

\"Why aren't you dead yet?\" Grandma said.

\"It's still too early!\" Grandpa said.

Chu Yi stood up, went into the kitchen, opened the fridge to look, and took out some meat and vegetables, along with a big bag of steamed buns.

He started steaming the buns, and as he was cutting the meat, Yan Hang's hands flashed before his eyes.

The fingers looked long and strong, handling ingredients as if dancing, every small movement making one want to watch it on repeat.

He sighed softly.

Suddenly, he missed Yan Hang terribly, for no apparent reason.

He didn't even miss his dad as much; towards his dad, he felt more anger and worry.

But he missed Yan Hang.

Many times he would unconsciously think of Yan Hang, want to be by Yan Hang's side. Just a casual word from Yan Hang could make him relax.

Although in the days without Yan Hang, he had been living just like this.

But Yan Hang appeared and then disappeared, and everything changed. Things he used to be able to endure, to bear, to suppress and never think about again, gradually became sharp.

Having and then losing, this was what he feared most.

He didn't know if he was being too selfish, that more than wanting to find his dad, he wanted to find Yan Hang.

For dinner, he casually stir-fried two dishes. After the family silently finished eating, Chu Yi went out.

He understood his mom well enough. After hitting him, she hadn't paid any attention to him, and this state might last for a long time - days, months, even a year or two wasn't impossible.

He sighed softly.

He had experienced too little in life, not knowing that once some changes occur, it's a chain reaction, stirring up waves far bigger than he could imagine. Any wave could easily overwhelm his height of just...

One meter fifty-eight?

Chu Yi stood on the measuring device in the boxing gym, looking at the numbers on it.

How sad, Chu Yi!

Isn't two meters a bit too far away?

\"Coming alone today?\" someone asked behind him, \"Your uncle didn't come with you?\"

Chu Yi quickly covered the numbers with his hand before turning around, seeing it was a coach from the gym who had chatted well with Uncle Yan before.

Uncle Yan was a magical person, seeming able to chat with anyone as long as he wanted to.

\"Mm,\" Chu Yi responded, \"From now on it's just, just me alone.\"

\"I see,\" the coach smiled, \"Then you can...\"

Chu Yi knew what the coach meant. The gym offered individual coaching sessions.

But.

\"I don't have, money,\" he answered honestly.

\"Ah,\" the coach laughed, \"No worries, then just practice on your own. If there's anything you don't understand, you can ask us.\"

\"Thank you.\" He smiled a bit.

Uncle Yan hadn't taught him for long, but had taught him some basics and told him the general direction for practice. He just needed to follow these to practice.

\"You don't have to train to become a boxer,\" Uncle Yan said, \"Doing this over time will improve your reaction speed and strength. It will definitely give you an advantage if you get into a fight with someone. You see how fast Yan Hang's reactions are. And he grew taller too.\"

Chu Yi stood in front of the punching bag, earnestly recalling every word Uncle Yan had said. He followed the instructions closely with every punch that landed on the bag.

With each blow, he felt an exhilaration he had never experienced before. Although his body still ached from injuries, he no longer felt the pain of his muscles stretching. All he sensed was the sweat, his breathing, and that one loud \"bang\" when strength erupted from him.

The coach came over twice, probably because he was hitting with too much gusto and his form had gone askew. The coach corrected the angle of his punches.

After an hour, Chu Yi leaned against the punching bag and stopped.

He watched two people sparring nearby.

They were decent, but still not as good as Yan Hang.

\"I'll just clean up and tidy things in the evening, okay? Ask if that works,\" a young woman in the gym's uniform talked on her phone as she walked past him. \"The former cleaning lady said she has to cook and look after her grandkids at night. It's really hard to find someone for the evening shift...\"

Chu Yi turned his head, his heart stirred.

He watched as the young woman finished her call and went to the front desk before mustering up the courage to approach her.

\"Excuse me,\" he said softly. \"I'd like to ask, to ask...\"

\"Yes?\" The young woman looked at him.

\"Are you looking for someone to clean, in the evenings?\" Chu Yi asked.

\"Yes,\" she replied. \"From 7pm to 10:30pm. Mainly sweeping, mopping, and keeping the changing rooms and showers clean. Are you referring someone?\"

\"I,\" Chu Yi hesitated, speaking softly. \"Would I work?\"

\"You?\" The young woman was taken aback. She turned to glance at another older girl before looking back at him. \"Are you looking for a summer job?\"

\"Mm,\" Chu Yi nodded slightly.

The young woman seemed confused, likely because she had never encountered this situation before. \"We've never hired summer help here. And we usually get laid-off older women to do the cleaning...\"

\"What's going on?\" The coach from earlier walked over.

\"Well, we're trying to hire an older lady to clean at nights,\" the young woman gestured at Chu Yi. \"But this young boy would like the job instead.\"

The coach looked at Chu Yi in surprise: \"Aren't you here to box?\"

\"No, just watching.\" Chu Yi was a little nervous.

He didn't have the confidence Yan Hang had. Yan Hang had been through a lot, traveling far and wide, even picking up fluent English along the way. He could easily find a job just by taking his ID as Yan Jiu Dao. But Chu Yi didn't have that ability.

\"Wait, is your...\" The older girl suddenly looked at him. \"Is your dad the one who... There was a murder near our home recently...\"

Chu Yi instantly deflated. This gym was four subway stops away from home, yet he still managed to run into someone from the neighborhood.

\"What?\" The coach asked, looking at her.

\"There was a murder around our place not long ago,\" the girl said hesitantly.

\"I...\" Chu Yi turned to walk towards the exit. \"Nevermind.\"

\"The evening job is pretty tiring. You'd have to wait until everyone's done showering before you can clean the bathrooms. You'd probably finish very late,\" the coach called out from behind. \"Can you handle it?\"

Chu Yi whipped around immediately. \"I can.\"

\"Register him,\" the coach told the young woman. \"We haven't found anyone else anyway.\"

\"Alright,\" she nodded.

Chu Yi looked at the coach in surprise. \"Really?\"

\"That's the boss,\" the young woman said. \"If he says you can do it, then you definitely can!\"

After finishing his last set of barbell squats, Yan Hang sat up and watched Cui Yi mess around with parallel bars nearby.

\"That doctor you've been seeing the past two months,\" Cui Yi spoke while pushing himself up. \"How's it going?\"

\"Are you showing off that you can still talk without panting?\" Yan Hang said.

\"Answer the question,\" Cui Yi jumped down and sat next to him.

\"It's going okay,\" Yan Hang replied. \"I've been following the doctor's advice to make adjustments and taking all my meds.\"

\"You'll need her clearance before you can start working again,\" Cui Yi said. \"I've already spoken to the hotel. You can start anytime.\"

\"Isn't that a bit too much for me?\" Yan Hang asked.

\"How much can a server be?\" Cui Yi laughed. \"One more or less doesn't make a difference there. Just listen to me.\"

\"Mm,\" Yan Hang lay back down on the bench, ready to train some more.

He used to mainly go running. His dad would have to drag him to the gym for him to drop by occasionally. Now, visiting three times a week with Cui Yi - he wasn't sure if it was due to boredom or because he missed his dad.

\"I got your library card ready,\" Cui Yi said. \"Go read books whenever you want.\"

\"Thanks,\" Yan Hang smiled. \"Really.\"

\"You're so polite I don't even know how to respond,\" Cui Yi laughed.

Yan Hang just smiled without replying.

After leaving the gym, Cui Yi couldn't resist taking him out for skewers.

\"Eating like this right after working out,\" Yan Hang said as he ate. \"What was the point of the last two hours then?\"

\"Mainly psychological satisfaction,\" Cui Yi replied.

When they exited the restaurant and waited for Cui Yi to get the car, Yan Hang stretched lazily.

His body felt a little tired but his mood was decent.

Emerging from darkness once more, he mused to himself.

As he glanced back at the skewer restaurant's signage, he suddenly thought of Chu Yi.

He remembered their post-run midnight snacks of barbecue takeout... Chu Yi could really eat.

He smiled to himself and took out his phone, snapping a picture of the barbecue sign.

After hesitating for a long time, he finally just posted it on Weibo without reading any comments.

He was actually somewhat afraid to see comments marveling at his \"return\" as a missing person, even lighthearted ones. It would make him feel melancholy.

It would make him inevitably think of Chu Yi.

Summer break was almost over. What was Chu Yi up to?

Was Liang Bing still bothering him?

Were his classmates gossiping?

How were things at home?

When Chu Yi got home, there would be the usual silence. Nowadays he came back late every day, so everyone was asleep. That was good.

He took a shower and sat down at his desk, opening up the small spiral notebook.

There were already several messy pages written. He slowly flipped through them. Some he no longer knew what he was trying to express, while he could still recall the feelings behind others.

- A Chu Yi with a job

- The girls' shower room is much cleaner than the boys'

- My shoulders are so sore

- My legs hurt, my side kick isn't powerful enough

- Yan Hang Yan Hang Yan Hang Yan Hang

- I'll have money soon

- 166.5cm???? Chu Yi has grown????

- School is starting soon, haven't done my homework haven't haven't

- Yan Hang Yan Hang Yan Yan Yan Jidao

- Found a spotted rock today

- There's a wasp nest above the tree hollow!!!

He didn't know when this wasp nest appeared. It wasn't there last week when he went, but when he spoke there yesterday the wasps overheard everything.

He sighed and picked up his pen.

- Dreamed about Yan Hang yesterday

Feeling a little embarrassed after writing this, he put down his pen and took out his phone.

He randomly tapped the screen a couple times, originally wanting to open a game to play. But when it loaded, he realized he had opened WeChat Moments instead.

Yan Hang was still silent without a trace.

The chat box still quietly held the new haircut photo he had sent last month.

He had taken selfies for nearly two hours until his phone died before finally picking one.

After sending it to Yan Hang he waited a long time, constantly opening WeChat in fear of missing a notification tone, but there was still no response from Yan Hang's end.

The only thing letting him breathe easy was that Yan Hang hadn't blocked him or deleted him.

After staring at Yan Hang's name for a while, he opened Weibo.

The system had forcibly recommended some new follows for New Year's Day again. He stubbornly deleted them one by one, leaving only Brother Xingtian.

Just as he was about to exit, his eyes swept over Brother Xingtian's name again.

Then he grabbed his phone and abruptly stood up.

His heart was beating intensely. If his throat had more room his heart would've leapt up to his crown, and he was also a little short of breath.

The latest content under Brother Xingtian's name had changed!

Brother Xingtian updated Weibo!

When he tapped on Brother Xingtian's name, Chu Yi's hand shook like he had grabbed an electric fence.

There was no WiFi at home, and the mobile data signal wasn't great. After entering Brother Xingtian's Weibo, it was just blank, perpetually loading.

Holding up his phone, he ran to the kitchen and climbed onto the counter, sticking half his body out the window before the content finally loaded.

Not a single word.

But just one photo was already making him want to scream.

The photo showed a barbecue restaurant sign with just four characters: Little Li Barbecue.

Little Li! Barbecue!

Shaking, he enlarged the photo and looked over every centimeter, wanting to find something related to Yan Hang.

But there was no success.

The photo was pretty clear, but it was just a sign with nothing else. If it were a storefront window he might've been able to find Yan Hang's shadow in the glass, but it was just a sign.

Crouching on the counter, he looked back and forth at the photo several more times.

The photo was posted over a week ago. Chu Yi felt somewhat downcast, it had been so long yet he was only seeing it now!

There were already several hundred comments below!

Do these girls have nothing better to do!

Chu Yi opened the comments and carefully read them one by one.

From the first to the last, he didn't find anyone who knew where this was.

Little Li Barbecue.

With such a mediocre name, there was surely more than one in every city, even if it were called Little Chu Barbecue...

","published_time":"2024-10-08T00:00:00.000Z","paid":false,"show_flag":true,"show_scheduled_time":"2024-09-17T00:00:00.000Z","unpaid_scheduled_time":"2024-10-08T00:00:00.000Z"},{"content_id":1010,"novel_id":11,"chapter_no":27,"chapter_title":"Chapter 27","content":"

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.

","published_time":"2024-09-24T00:00:00.000Z","paid":true,"show_flag":true,"show_scheduled_time":"2024-09-24T00:00:00.000Z","unpaid_scheduled_time":"2024-10-15T00:00:00.000Z"},{"content_id":1027,"novel_id":11,"chapter_no":28,"chapter_title":"Chapter 28","content":"

Chu Yi only realized what was happening after he fell onto the boxing ring - Coach He's shout of \"Dang!\" was the opening bell.

\"Count, count!\" Coach He gripped the railing.

Still counting?

Chu Yi quickly bounced back up before his nemesis could start counting.

Moon Moon still had an arrogant expression, probably feeling a great sense of accomplishment from knocking the floor sweeper down with one punch. His eyes were full of disdain.

\"Watch your footwork,\" Coach He said from the side.

Footwork?

What footwork?

He hadn't practiced footwork or movement at all.

Could he kick? He did kick the punching bag every day...

It seemed that as a floor sweeper, he had to figure out all the moves himself while sweeping.

Five hundred yuan, not just one five hundred, but many five hundreds.

\"Dang!\" Coach He shouted again.

This time Chu Yi didn't freeze, but after all, he had no real combat experience. He could only quickly raise his hands to block when Moon Moon's straight punch came at him again.

Actually, if it weren't for that first \"dang\" that he didn't know what the heck it meant, he should have been able to block the first punch too. He had no real combat experience in boxing, but he had a very rich experience of being hit by fists.

When Moon Moon attacked again with a swing punch, he ducked down, then immediately straightened up, taking advantage of his lower position to quickly throw out a hook.

Moon Moon could have protected himself from this angle, but Chu Yi's punch was very powerful. After all, he was a floor sweeper. His fist went straight through Moon Moon's defending fists and hit him on the chin.

\"One!\" Coach He shouted.

Chu Yi could guess this was counting effective points, but shouting like this was especially like when they did military training before, and the instructor would shout \"one\" and they would all kick forward together...

Moon Moon's fist came over again. He immediately defended, and this punch hit the boxing glove.

But the next punch followed closely, hitting his chest, then another on his arm. His defensive posture was broken, and he was finally hit again in the face.

Fortunately, the amateur boxing gloves were thick.

Chu Yi steadied himself. For five hundred yuan, he decided to go all out.

Moon Moon had only practiced for a few months. He hadn't been idle either during these months. He knew all the basic moves, he just didn't know how to use them.

But Moon Moon had already demonstrated for him, so he just had to follow along.

He imitated Moon Moon, hopping left and right feet alternately in a feint, then threw a right straight punch to the face, left fist defending, a right straight to the chest, followed by a left swing, but not hitting the arm, hitting Moon Moon's head instead. As Moon Moon staggered, he threw a simultaneous right straight to Moon Moon's face.

Combo punches, perfect.

\"Nice!\" Little Lin shouted.

\"Good!\" Coach He applauded.

Moon Moon, after being attacked by his own upgraded moves, was a bit disgruntled and immediately attacked again.

Chu Yi dodged and defended while retreating quickly to the corner of the railing. Coach He clapped his hands: \"Don't keep retreating! Attack, attack, sweep, sweep!\"

He immediately copied Moon Moon's previous attack. Although it wasn't fully up to par, it still hit.

Chu Yi was very experienced in getting beat up. He would always pay attention to the other person's movements while being hit, although it was to predict in advance to protect himself. But this kind of experience was surprisingly useful in this kind of confrontation.

After two rounds of attacks, Moon Moon was a bit anxious. Chu Yi could see that his footwork was not as steady as before. Just as he thought to seize the opportunity for another round, his nemesis shouted, \"Dang! First round ends.\"

\"This, so fast?\" Chu Yi was stunned and looked back at Coach He.

\"Come here.\" Coach He waved his hand.

He walked to the corner. Coach He gave him a thumbs up: \"I saw early on that you had talent, kid.\"

\"How many, how many rounds?\" Chu Yi asked.

\"For little newbies like you, two rounds is enough, just playing around, sparring a bit,\" Coach He tilted his head towards Little Lin, \"Explain to him.\"

\"You did great just now, learned really fast,\" Little Lin said. \"When you dodge, don't always retreat, try bending down. You... are short, and you can take advantage of this. Actually, it's not easy for him to defend against you.\"

\"Mm.\" Chu Yi nodded.

\"Also, maintain your mindset. I noticed you're quite calm,\" Little Lin glanced at Moon Moon, \"That kid is a bit anxious. When anxious, it's easy for movements to deform. Watch him closely and attack more from below.\"

\"Okay.\" Chu Yi bumped his gloves.

Calm? Of course he was calm. He had seen this kind of scene many times, and each time he was the one taking the beating. After so many years of tempering, it would be hard not to be calm.

\"Five hundred yuan.\" Little Lin patted his shoulder.

\"Five hundred yuan.\" Chu Yi jumped a little.

It would be great if Yan Hang was here.

If Yan Hang could see how he was learning on the spot and boxing with Moon Moon, he would definitely be pleasantly surprised.

His movements were certainly not as good-looking as Moon Moon's, but every punch he threw was solid and real. And this feeling was completely different from when he fought Liang Bing.

Although there was defiance, provocation, and contempt, there was no anger or fear, just a very refreshing feeling.

When the second round \"dang\" sounded, he bumped gloves with Moon Moon.

A total of two rounds, three minutes per round, one minute rest, less than ten minutes of confrontation in total, Chu Yi felt he had already broken out in a sweat.

Coach He checked the points with his nemesis. Chu Yi actually had one more point.

\"How did you count?\" The nemesis said.

\"Counted like this, one, two, three,\" Coach He was very happy, \"How was my floor sweeper?\"

\"Quite a good seedling. You didn't have him practice with you?\" The nemesis looked at Chu Yi.

\"He has no money,\" Coach He said, \"He works for me.\"

The nemesis looked at Chu Yi again in some surprise, \"Young man, why don't you practice with me? I won't charge you.\"

\"No thanks,\" Chu Yi smiled, \"I have to work. Just got a raise.\"

Coach He was a man of his word. He said he would add five hundred to the salary if he won, and he really did. Once added, it didn't change for two or three months. Chu Yi became the floor sweeper with the highest salary and shortest working hours in the boxing gym.

Very rich now.

He went to change to a data plan for himself, so he could continue to smoothly search for clues about \"Little Li's BBQ\" at home.

There were no shortcuts. He could only keep using the most foolish method. For every city listed in the review app, he would search one by one. For each Little Li's BBQ that came up in the search results, he would carefully look at the photos.

For those with storefront photos, he could compare them with Yan Hang's photo. For those without, he would write down the address in his spiral notebook. After searching through all of them, if he still couldn't find it, he planned to check each address one by one using the street view map.

Day after day, it was like a procedure that had to be completed. There was no disappointment or anticipation. In any case, he wouldn't stop until he found it.

In all his life, he had never put so much effort into doing anything.

If he had put this much energy into studying, he definitely would have had no problem getting into university.

\"I'm going back to work the day after tomorrow,\" Mom said during the meal.

Chu Yi looked up at his mom. It felt like he hadn't heard her voice in a long time. He was at school during the day and only came home for lunch. After school, he went to the boxing gym. By the time he got home, the whole family was already asleep.

\"Where to?\" Grandma asked.

\"A former colleague from the water delivery station referred me to a store selling water purifiers,\" Mom said. \"There's a base salary each month, and I'll get commissions for selling machines.\"

\"Selling water purifiers?\" Grandma clicked her tongue. \"How much money can that make? With your gloomy face, you think you can sell any machines?\"

\"Otherwise Grandma, Grandma, why don't you go?\" Chu Yi glanced at Grandma.

Mom was stunned and looked at him.

Grandma was also extremely shocked. She froze for at least three seconds before swinging her chopsticks to smack his head.

Chu Yi grabbed Grandma's hand.

\"The world has gone mad!\" Grandma shouted and stood up, about to grab a stool.

Chu Yi quickly kicked the stool away with his foot.

\"Do you see your son?!\" Grandma was so shocked that her voice doubled in volume. She glared at Mom, pointing at Chu Yi. \"What kind of thing have you raised?!\"

\"I didn't raise him,\" Mom picked up some food with her chopsticks. \"I lost control of him long ago and don't want to manage him anymore.\"

Grandpa, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly jumped up and flipped the table by its edge.

The table was overturned, bowls and plates crashing to the ground.

The whole family froze in place, staring at Grandpa.

Chu Yi felt that Grandpa probably didn't even know what he was doing or what he wanted to express. Anyway, he was often like this - erupting suddenly, leaving everyone baffled.

Then he himself would stand there not knowing what to do next.

Chu Yi got up, grabbed his phone and went out the door.

There was still time before afternoon classes started. He had nowhere else to go, so he had to go to the riverbank.

The north wind was blowing fiercely. In previous years, Chu Yi paid close attention to the weather. He didn't like winter much, because his two down jackets that he had worn for several years couldn't withstand the wind. Winter was too miserable for him.

But this year, he hadn't paid much attention. He didn't notice when the autumn breeze turned cool, or when the north wind started blowing. Perhaps it was because this year he had secretly bought himself a few new pieces of clothing, so he didn't feel the cold.

It was also possible that his mind was too preoccupied with other things, leaving no room to ponder the weather.

He was busy with his part-time job, busy with boxing, busy searching for Little Li's BBQ.

If Little Li knew that someone was so persistently searching for his BBQ restaurant every day, he would definitely be very touched. When the time came, he would go and ask Little Li for a VIP BBQ card.

Chu Yi opened his arms to stretch in the wind, took out his phone, and snapped a few photos of the scenery by the river, avoiding the riverbank.

The trash that had been previously cleaned up from the riverbank had returned.

Chu Yi looked at the large expanse of garbage. Fortunately, the weather was cold now, so there wasn't much smell.

He turned around. The tree hollow was quietly waiting for him.

\"I don't want to celebrate the New Year,\" when he pressed his face against the tree hollow, he truly felt that he had grown taller. Although it wasn't as strenuous as Yan Hang before, he still had to properly assume a horse stance.

\"I want it to be quick, quickly take the high school entrance exam. I want to go to an out-of-town school, and then continue working part-time. During the holidays, I'll go traveling.\"

After saying that, he couldn't help but smile, feeling a sense of liberation.

\"If I leave,\" he stroked the tree trunk, \"I will miss you. You are the hollow spirit that knows all my secrets.\"

After thinking for a bit, he took out the little coin from his pocket and pressed it against the tree trunk: \"This is lucky coin. You two get acquainted.\"

After saying that, he waited a while. After letting them get acquainted, he put the coin back in his pocket, turned around and leaned against the tree trunk, sighing softly.

The atmosphere at school was already very tense. The self-study classes were cancelled, and physical education classes were also cancelled. Only Chu Yi remained calm.

In order to ensure that he could at least get into a vocational high school, he would listen in class. The rest of the time, he remained calm and spaced out as usual.

Now, no one ridiculed his grades anymore. No one nagged about what would happen if he couldn't get into high school. Chu Yi felt it was quite good. Mom didn't even ask about his midterm exam results. The final exams were coming up soon, but no one mentioned it.

However, when he went to the boxing gym, Coach He asked, \"Aren't you going to high school next year?\"

\"Mm.\" Chu Yi nodded, leaning on the mop.

\"You only have half a year left. Will you continue working part-time? You won't have time to review.\"

\"I won't review,\" Chu Yi said. \"For me, reviewing is a waste of time.\"

\"Your family doesn't care about you?\" Coach He asked.

\"They don't care.\" Chu Yi smiled.

\"You kids these days, each have your own ideas,\" Coach He said. \"But it's also good. If you choose your own path, you have no one to blame if you can't walk it.\"

\"I can walk it.\" Chu Yi said.

I can walk it.

He had never felt as energetic as he did now. Let alone walking, he could even run.

When he ran to Aunt's car, Aunt sighed as soon as she saw him: \"You change every day. Why don't you send me a selfie each month? I'm afraid I won't recognize you if I don't see you for a long time.\"

\"Am I handsome?\" Chu Yi asked.

\"So handsome and good-looking,\" Aunt smiled and pointed to the back seat. \"I brought some New Year goods for your family. I guess no one at your home is managing this anymore, right?\"

\"I manage it,\" Chu Yi said. \"I used to be the one running errands before too.\"

\"Aren't you busy saving money to become a tycoon now? Take it,\" Aunt said. \"When you have time during the New Year, give me a call. I'll take you out for a big meal.\"

\"Mm.\" Chu Yi opened the rear car door and took out a large bag of New Year's goods.

If one day he could really leave this place, grandpa, grandma, and his aunt would be the people he missed the most.

People are strange. This place held too many dark memories for him, but in the end, what he could remember was all good.

Grandpa treated him well, grandma treated him well, his aunt treated him well, Coach He, Little Lin and the receptionist all treated him well.

And Yan Hang too.

In previous years, his dad would bring back some money, the company would give out some New Year's goods, and he would run some errands to buy some more. On New Year's Eve they would set off firecrackers, eat dinner in a daze, then have a meal with his aunt's family, argue a few times in the process, maybe even get into a fight if the timing was right, and that's how they would spend the New Year.

This year it wasn't so complicated. With the situation at home, there was no need to celebrate the New Year at all.

On the first day of the lunar new year, he went to buy a scarf for his mom. For some reason, he originally wanted to find the shop from before, but it had been demolished along with that whole area long ago.

The scarf for his mom, two packs of cigarettes for grandma, a thick woolen hat for grandpa. None of the items were expensive, but this was the first time he had bought gifts for his family since his mom returned that scarf he gave her years ago.

He also took out 1,000 yuan from his savings, put it in a red envelope, and placed it inside the scarf.

After finishing the New Year's Eve dinner, he brought out the gifts and placed them on the table, taking them out one by one.

\"These are for Grandma,\" he took out the cigarettes, \"smoke less in the future.\"

\"Then why did you buy me cigarettes?\" Grandma tutted, took the cigarettes to have a look, then tutted again. \"Look at you, coming here to show off now that you have money.\"

\"I bought them at the convenience store,\" Chu Yi looked at her, \"you can return them for money if you want.\"

Before he could take out the hat, grandpa had already reached into the bag himself. \"This hat is not bad, but not as good as the one I have now. Things nowadays just aren't up to par. I've been wearing this hat for over ten years and it still hasn't broken.\"

\"Then don't take it, give it back to him.\" His mom said.

Chu Yi placed the box containing the scarf in front of his mom. \"Happy New Year.\"

His mom glanced at him and opened the box. She frowned when she saw the scarf inside, staring at it for a while before taking it out. When she saw the red envelope underneath the scarf, she sighed.

The gifts were all given out.

Except for his dad's share.

Chu Yi didn't say anything more. He picked up the remote, turned on the TV, and started spacing out at the Spring Festival Gala.

\"Light it--\" Yan Hang shouted at Cui Yi. He was standing at the edge of the hill holding a string of firecrackers, waiting for Cui Yi on the other side to light them.

The community management had cleared out an area by the hill for residents to set off firecrackers. By now, firecrackers all around were being lit, only the two of them were still standing there.

\"The fuse is a bit short--\" Cui Yi shouted back, studying it with a lighter, \"Let me make it longer--\"

\"Old Cui!\" Yan Hang said, a bit exasperated, \"I really didn't realize you were such a coward--\"

\"This is called being cautious-- what if it explodes on me--\" Cui Yi shouted.

\"I'll do it!\" Yan Hang put down the pole holding the firecrackers and walked over, shouting next to Cui Yi's ear, \"You go hold it!\"

Cui Yi went over and picked up the pole.

Actually, it would be fine to just put it on the ground, but for some reason, the people in this community all held up poles. Maybe it was part of the community culture?

Yan Hang looked at the fuse. It was indeed a bit short. Using a lighter to light it would probably blow up his hand. He took out a cigarette, lit it, then used the lit end to touch the fuse.

This fuse was not only short, but also burned extremely fast, far exceeding Yan Hang's expectations. When he saw the sparks flash out, he quickly tossed the firecrackers to the side.

But he didn't pay attention to the direction, tossing it towards Cui Yi.

As the firecrackers exploded, Cui Yi jumped, turned around and ran while carrying the pole.

Yan Hang was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but burst out laughing. He squatted on the ground looking at Cui Yi, laughing so hard he could barely stand up.

After running a dozen meters or so, Cui Yi finally remembered to throw the pole on the ground. He ran back and kicked Yan Hang in the butt. \"You little rascal! You did that on purpose!\"

\"Lawyer Cui,\" Yan Hang laughed uncontrollably, \"you really opened my eyes today. I've never seen a grown man afraid of firecrackers like you.\"

\"Let's go!\" Cui Yi grabbed his clothes, \"Go back and eat.\"

They had the New Year's Eve dinner at Cui Yi's place, just the two of them, no one else.

Yan Hang made a menu, Cui Yi bought all the ingredients as requested, and he spent two hours making a table full of dishes.

It had been a long time since he put in so much effort to cook. In previous years, he and his dad would go to a restaurant for New Year's Eve dinner, for a more lively atmosphere.

This year, he was still thinking about how to spend the New Year alone, whether he should apply with his supervisor to work on New Year's Eve. He didn't expect Cui Yi to also be alone.

An orphan like his dad?

Or was his home too far away to go back?

Or had he fallen out with his family?

He didn't ask. He was already used to not asking about anything.

\"I haven't been home for many years,\" Cui Yi picked up his wine glass, \"This is the first time in so many years that I'm not spending the New Year alone.\"

Yan Hang clinked glasses with him.

\"Thank you.\" Cui Yi said.

\"You're welcome.\" Yan Hang took a sip of wine.

Like his dad, Cui Yi was used to having a big meal and drinking baijiu for the New Year.

After dinner, Cui Yi sat down on the sofa and beckoned to him, \"Come, kowtow to me.\"

\"Let's not take advantage like that.\" Yan Hang went over and sat beside him.

Cui Yi laughed and took out two red envelopes from his pocket, handing one to him, \"This is the New Year's money I'm giving you.\"

\"Thanks uncle,\" Yan Hang took it, \"Happy New Year Uncle Cui.\"

\"This one is from your dad,\" Cui Yi handed over the other red envelope, \"He told me to give it to you until you're 22.\"

Yan Hang was stunned for a moment, his eyes suddenly feeling a bit sour. It took him a while to take the red envelope.

\"Based on the timeline of finishing university and starting work, you'll only be considered employed at 22. At that time, I'll stop giving you New Year's money.\" When did his dad say this? Yan Hang could barely remember.

Yan Hang didn't open the red envelopes from Cui Yi and his dad. After watching the Spring Festival Gala with Cui Yi and returning to his own place, he put the red envelopes under his pillow.

It was already past midnight. The sound of firecrackers outside, which weren't very dense to begin with, slowly died down.

Yan Hang stood on the balcony, gazing at the mountains shrouded in a thin veil of mist outside.

Another year had passed.

A truly unforgettable year.

He lit a cigarette and sat down on the chair beside him, staring into the night sky, his fingers gently caressing the small stone on his ankle while also feeling the rope, checking for any wear and tear.

However, the rope he had chosen at the beginning of the year was just like him, exceptionally sturdy. Apart from a bit of fraying, it was in perfect condition.

Chu Yi.

Yan Hang propped his legs up on the balcony edge, looking at the small stone.

What was Chu Yi doing at this moment?

Little Li Barbecue.

Chu Yi lay on the bed. During these few days of the New Year, the boxing gym was closed, and he didn't have to go to school or the gym, so he could only stay at home.

Outside, the sound of firecrackers filled the air, creating a lively atmosphere.

Only his home had not even bought firecrackers this year.

Little Li Barbecue.

He had lost count of how many cities he had searched. In any case, apart from the words he had jotted down, the spiral notebook in his hand was filled with Little Li Barbecues from all over the country.

Where on earth was Yan Hang?

Was he in the next Little Li Barbecue or in one of the Little Li Barbecues in the spiral notebook?

Where is Yan Hang, where is Yan Hang, Yan Hang is right there in that Little Li Barbecue...

The song kept playing in Chu Yi's mind as if it were stuck on repeat.

This was the sixth Little Li Barbecue today.

Chu Yi sighed softly and clicked on the photos of this Little Li Barbecue.

A bunch of barbecued food.

Various meats, vegetables, seafood...

Then there was a storefront painted in red, with four black characters written on it: Little Li Barbecue.

Chu Yi took a glance, and his hand suddenly trembled.

Yan Hang was right there, in that Little Li Barbecue!!!!!

","published_time":"2024-10-01T00:00:00.000Z","paid":true,"show_flag":true,"show_scheduled_time":"2024-10-01T00:00:00.000Z","unpaid_scheduled_time":"2024-10-22T00:00:00.000Z"},{"content_id":1044,"novel_id":11,"chapter_no":29,"chapter_title":"Chapter 29","content":"

At this moment, Chu Yi's mind was spinning, his eyes didn't know where to look, and his fingers kept trembling a little. This feeling reminded him of the girl sitting at the next table, who said she was so excited when she went to see her idol's concert that she couldn't see anything and kept shaking like a sieve.

To confirm, Chu Yi opened the album. He was afraid that Yan Hang would delete the post, so he saved the photos.

He clicked open the photos to take a look. They were all in red background with black text, and the font... He switched back to the photo of the storefront to take a look, and the font was the same! Below the storefront... He switched back to the photos. The main subject of the photos was the storefront, with only a small corner of the walls on both sides visible, but it was roughly clear that they were red.

But he still couldn't be sure, after all, he had seen quite a few similar storefronts after searching for so long, and they were all the most common combinations.

After switching back and forth several times, Chu Yi finally found the definitive detail. He discovered that in the photo taken by Yan Hang, the hook below the character for 'Li' was missing a small piece, revealing the white underneath, while in the photo from the store, although it was taken from a distance, it could be also seen that the hook was round and had no point.

It was this one!

Chu Yi felt that he was a little too excited to know what to do now. He threw down his phone and jumped off the bed, punching the air a few times.

Still unable to vent, he bounced and punched all the way from the bedroom to the living room.

Grandma was watching TV in the living room, and when she looked at him, her eyes seemed to be looking at a lunatic, with contempt and shock: \"Who knows what poison he's taken.\"

Chu Yi was in a very good mood and happily punched a few times at Grandma, even adding sound effects: \"Swoosh swoosh! Swoosh!\"

\"With this energy, go out and beat someone up!\" Grandma shouted, \"Eating a little shit can make you so inflated! Don't chicken out when you go out!\"

Chu Yi wanted to say that he had already beaten someone up, but in the end, he still bounced back to his room with \"swoosh swoosh swoosh\" punches.

There was no point in telling Grandma about such things. He didn't want to explain himself to anyone, and Grandma might not understand and might even say something more unpleasant.

Besides, he had things to do.

He lay back on his little bed and picked up his phone.

The Little Li's BBQ that Yan Hang photographed was in a coastal city. He first opened the weather app and added this city.

The real-time temperature was 6 degrees, with today's low being minus 2 degrees, sunny, and north wind at level 4-5.

After staring at the weather for a while, Chu Yi smiled and clicked open the city map.

After entering the address of Little Li's BBQ, he switched the map to street view and looked at it bit by bit, feeling as if he was walking on this street and standing at the door of this store.

He fiddled with the map, adjusting the angle. This was the spot, right? Where Yan Hang stood that day when he took the photo?

Chu Yi propped his phone up on the head of the bed and lay on his arms to look at it.

He had always thought that for a persistent pervert like himself, once he found the place, he would have a strong urge to go and see it right away.

But now he found that he didn't feel that way.

The moment he opened the map and saw the street view, he suddenly calmed down.

He looked at this street bit by bit. This store didn't seem to be some very impressive place that was worth making a special trip to eat at, so Yan Hang might live nearby.

This street was a place he would often pass by.

It seemed that this was enough.

Chu Yi stared at his phone. This was enough.

Just looking back and forth on this street and the surrounding few streets, the stores, offices, hotels, and residential areas on both sides, he felt very satisfied.

After looking for half an hour, he finally put his phone on the head of the bed, turned over and lay on the bed, looking at the flashing light and dark spots on the ceiling due to his eyes being dazzled.

Actually, it wasn't enough.

He just didn't dare to think about taking a step closer.

Between him and Yan Hang, there was a homicide case and two disappeared fathers.

The question he had never dared to think about carefully before still stuck in his heart.

Before his dad was found, he had no idea if Yan Hang would even be willing to see him again.

\"Are you going to the supermarket?\" Cui Yi called and asked.

\"Huh?\" Yan Hang glanced at the time. It was nine o'clock in the evening. He was actually thinking about whether to order takeout for a late-night snack or make something himself, but there were no more supplies at home.

With Cui Yi asking like this, he sat up, planning to go to the supermarket to buy some ingredients: \"Yeah, let's go buy some food.\"

\"That's great,\" Cui Yi said, \"Help me bring back some noodles and leave them with the security guard downstairs. I'll pick them up tomorrow.\"

\"...Lawyer Cui,\" Yan Hang was very speechless, \"You're really amazing.\"

\"Wide noodles are best,\" Cui Yi said, \"I like to eat wide noodles.\"

\"Will your legs break if you go with me?\" Yan Hang asked.

\"Yes,\" Cui Yi laughed, \"I have a pile of documents to read here and don't have time to go out.\"

\"Wide noodles, right?\" Yan Hang stood up.

\"Right.\" Cui Yi said.

Yan Hang opened the fridge and took a look. Generally, after the New Year, people would eat leftovers for at least half a month, but he and Cui Yi, let alone eating together only once during the New Year, even if they were partners, there wouldn't be much left.

He calculated what he needed to stock up on, then went out.

There were still quite a lot of people in the supermarket across the street at this time. Most of the people living in this area were young and got off work late, so they only came out to buy things after eating.

Yan Hang pushed a cart and strolled slowly.

After walking a few steps, the cart was grabbed by someone.

Before he looked up at the person, he first glanced at the hand. It was a girl's hand. He inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief. Perhaps it was because of what Cui Yi had said earlier that made him very vigilant.

The owner of the hand was the smiling Zhang Chen.

\"You actually came to buy groceries!\" Zhang Chen looked at the things thrown in his cart, \"It's amazing.\"

\"What else can I eat if I don't buy groceries?\" Yan Hang said.

\"Don't you single guys all eat fast food, instant noodles, instant rice?\" Zhang Chen said with a smile.

\"I'm at least a single guy working in a Western restaurant.\" Yan Hang said.

\"Can you cook?\" Zhang Chen picked up a piece of cheese and looked at it, \"Are you going to venture into Western food?\"

\"Just picked it up randomly,\" Yan Hang looked at her empty hands, \"Why are you here?\"

\"My grandma lives around here. I'm off tomorrow, so I'll come over to keep her company and make a meal while I'm at it...\" Zhang Chen said, glancing at him. \"Do you know what ingredients to buy for pizza?\"

\"I do,\" Yan Hang said, pushing the cart forward. \"Let's go.\"

\"Thanks.\" Zhang Chen followed.

Pizza, huh.

Yan Hang had made many sophisticated pizzas before, but right now his mind seemed to be stuck, only able to recall the ones he had made for Chu Yi previously.

No matter how hard he tried to remember, he couldn't break out of it.

The memories were as if trapped in a tiny passageway, and all he could recall was just this little bit, going back and forth in the Linhe District where Chu Yi lived.

Ah.

He could even remember it was the Linhe District.

Of course he remembered. The memories there, good or bad, were pretty much the most profound period for him in over a decade.

\"Is it?\" Zhang Chen said beside him.

\"Hm?\" Yan Hang came back to his senses and glanced at her.

She was holding a package of sausage. \"Is it this kind?\"

\"This smoked sausage has a strong flavor. If you like it, it's fine. If not...\" Yan Hang looked at the pile of sausages on the shelf and pointed, \"That one works too.\"

\"Let's go with this. I like it,\" Zhang Chen said. \"Do you have something on your mind? If you do, just give me a general idea and I can find things myself.\"

\"I'm fine,\" Yan Hang said. \"What's up?\"

\"You're seriously spacing out,\" Zhang Chen laughed. \"But you always seem to be like this, the image of a mysterious, melancholic handsome guy.\"

\"You're writing a novel,\" Yan Hang casually picked up a package of cheese and handed it to her. \"When using this, just shave it down.\"

\"Okay.\" Zhang Chen nodded.

Actually, Zhang Chen was a girl with a great personality. Among the group of young colleagues, she had the best interpersonal relationships - cheerful, easygoing, and willing to take a loss.

If it were someone else, Yan Hang wouldn't be leading them around to buy things like this.

But that was about it. Yan Hang used to think that he didn't have friends probably because he lacked opportunities to make friends. Later, when the opportunity came, he had Chu Yi.

After coming here, he would have more opportunities to make more friends.

But now it seemed that this wasn't quite the case.

Except for a few colleagues who were slightly closer than before, he still had no friends, nor did he have the inclination to move in the direction of friendship with anyone.

It appeared that Chu Yi was a special case.

\"They say eating fish makes you smart,\" Zhang Chen said beside him. \"My nephew eats fish every day, but I don't see him getting much smarter.\"

Yan Hang didn't know what her previous topic was, and wasn't even sure if he had responded, so he could only pick up from here: \"Is that so?\"

\"Yeah, he's taking the high school entrance exam this year,\" Zhang Chen sighed. \"I don't think it looks good. He won't get into a regular high school. All that fish eating was for nothing.\"

\"When is the exam?\" Yan Hang asked.

\"End of June,\" Zhang Chen said.

\"Is it the same everywhere?\" Yan Hang asked again.

\"Yeah, it's those few days everywhere,\" Zhang Chen looked at him. \"Do you have a kid taking the exam?\"

\"...No,\" Yan Hang smiled. \"Just asking.\"

\"Oh,\" Zhang Chen thought for a moment. \"I heard them say before that you don't have formal education?\"

\"I don't.\" Yan Hang nodded.

\"That's amazing,\" Zhang Chen clicked her tongue in a string of admiration. \"People like you who are self-reliant... that doesn't seem quite right, self-taught geniuses, I really admire you so much.\"

When he finished shopping with Zhang Chen and walked out of the supermarket, Zhang Chen pointed to a dessert shop next door. \"Want to have a late-night snack? My treat.\"

\"No thanks,\" Yan Hang said. \"I'm stuffed from dinner. Can't eat anything right now.\"

\"Then I'll go eat by myself,\" Zhang Chen waved. \"Thanks for helping me shop.\"

\"You're welcome.\" Yan Hang smiled.

It wasn't until he reached the entrance of the residential complex that he remembered he hadn't eaten dinner.

When he entered the complex, the security guard saluted him. Yan Hang smiled back at him. As he turned his head, he saw someone standing on the other side of the gate.

He looked over there again.

That person turned and walked away.

Yan Hang didn't move. He took two steps back and stared at that person.

Actually, with his experience, he could tell at a glance that this was just a passerby, standing by the gate only to look at the bus stop, and now was just walking over to the bus stop.

But he was just so easily nervous now.

He didn't even know what was going on with himself.

He had even stopped posting on Weibo because of this nervousness, and hadn't used WeChat at all since leaving.

He had thought about whether to contact Chu Yi.

Many times.

He wanted to tell Chu Yi that he was doing well, wanted to tell Chu Yi that when he left, he just didn't know what to say, so he had told... the tree hole.

But in the end, he didn't make contact.

He trusted his judgment. Following his dad around for so many years wasn't for nothing. So he didn't believe Chu Yi's dad could do anything major. But it was precisely because of this that he was also very afraid of continuing to get the completely innocent Chu Yi involved.

He sighed and turned to walk through the complex gate.

He put Cui Yi's noodles in the security room downstairs, then went back to his place.

Let's make a small pizza to eat, the kind he used to make for Chu Yi.

Every time Chu Yi took out his phone, he would habitually check the weather first.

The temperature on Yan Hang's side was slowly rising day by day. Occasionally there would be a drop, then it would rise again. Actually, the weather was the same everywhere, but he just found it particularly interesting to look at the weather there.

Like a lunatic.

It warmed up a bit faster there than here. When they still needed a jacket here, Yan Hang should be able to just wear a long-sleeved shirt there.

The seaside, ah.

Chu Yi leaned back in his chair, looking at the slogan written above the blackboard. Sometimes he would have the illusion that this tense atmosphere was as if he was about to take the college entrance exam.

The seaside, ah.

He had never been to the seaside before. To be precise, the farthest place he had been to in all his life was his grandfather's home.

Let alone an airplane, he had never even taken a train.

The seaside scenery only existed in landscape videos and photos. The scenery he had seen the most with his own eyes was the river view.

Well, the river view was actually very beautiful too.

The seaside, ah...

He couldn't remember exactly when the idea first came to him, but as the high school entrance exam approached, the thought grew stronger and stronger. Finally, when he saw the introductions in the promotional materials of various schools, he suddenly made up his mind.

He wanted to go to school by the sea.

And there seemed to be a suitable vocational high school by the sea where he wanted to go.

Perhaps he had this idea the day he confirmed the location of Little Li's BBQ, but he never dared to think about it and just forced himself to pretend he had never considered it.

But once he realized that all of this could really become a reality, the idea could no longer be suppressed.

Besides, he had always hoped to leave home, leave this place, and go somewhere without all those past memories.

\"Are you sick in the head?\" his mother looked at him, \"What are you thinking about every day? Going so far away to school? The travel expenses are higher than the tuition!\"

\"And the accommodation fees,\" Grandpa said while peeling shrimp, \"You can live at home if you go to school here, no need to pay for accommodation.\"

The shrimp were specially bought by him at the seafood market, hoping that if the family had a pleasant meal, they would agree to his request to go to school in another place.

\"I can't afford that much money,\" Mom said, \"Tuition, travel, meals, accommodation, buying this and that...\"

\"No need for you,\" he gritted his teeth, \"No need for you to pay, I'll pay for it myself.\"

\"Oh my! Listen to him, pay for it himself!\" Grandma laughed with disdain while biting into a shrimp, \"This child, swept floors for a few days and got the illusion of financial independence.\"

He ignored Grandma and just looked at his mom, \"I saved some money...\"

\"How much money can you save? How much money can you save? You dare to mention you saved some money?\" Mom frowned, \"Do you know how much I earn in a month now? There's no news at all from your dad's side, don't even know if he's dead or alive, and here you are, saved a bit of money and want to run off?\"

He looked at the steamed bun in his hand and didn't say a word.

\"I don't want to talk about it anymore,\" Mom said, \"I can't be bothered to care if you don't go to a regular high school, and you insist on running off? Who will we find in the future to run errands and handle things for the family?\"

\"Now that's getting to the point,\" Grandpa said while eating, \"And your mom doesn't have money either, that little bit of money still needs to be saved, in case your dad...\"

He knew what Grandpa wanted to say, and at this moment he wanted to shove the steamed bun in his hand into Grandpa's face.

Mom acted before him, picking up the bowl in her hand and smashing it on the ground, shouting, \"Are we still eating this meal or not!\"

He knew the family would never agree to him going to school elsewhere, and it wasn't just a matter of whether they would pay. Even if it was local, Mom probably wouldn't pay anymore. After all, for most of the past six months, besides being responsible for his own expenses, he would also give her some money.

But he didn't really care whether the family would pay or not, he wasn't a little kid anymore, he could figure it out himself.

Although the ways he could think of weren't many.

He worked part-time at the boxing gym and had also saved some money. The past expenses should be about enough. As for future expenses, he would continue working part-time.

\"Not going to school here anymore?\" Coach He looked at him, \"Going so far away?\"

\"Mm,\" he nodded, \"I want to go to the sea, the seaside.\"

\"How romantic, I want to go see the sea?\" Coach He said.

He smiled a little embarrassedly.

\"Your family agreed?\" Coach He knew a bit about his family situation.

\"They don't agree,\" he frowned, \"But I still want to go.\"

Coach He looked at him for a long time without saying anything. After a while, he asked again, \"So do you have enough money?\"

\"Enough.\" He said.

\"Going to find a place to work part-time there too?\" Coach He asked again.

\"Mm.\" He smiled.

Coach He didn't say anything else, patted him on the shoulder, and got up to leave.

He also stood up, planning to go clean. He could still work here for less than a month, and suddenly felt a bit reluctant to part with his mop and bucket...

As if his ideal was to be a cleaner.

When he went to get the mop, Coach He called out to him from behind, \"Chu Yi.\"

\"Huh?\" He turned his head and saw Coach He walking over with a wad of cash in his hand. He immediately understood what was going on and hurriedly backed away while waving his hands, \"No no no no no no no need...\"

\"Take it,\" Coach He grabbed his arm and stuffed the money into his pocket, \"Let me tell you, when I left the countryside back then, I was about your age, on my own.\"

He was stunned for a moment.

\"On your own, with no one to rely on, everything is quite hard,\" Coach He said, \"I just see that spirit in you, always reminds me of myself back then... Take this money, consider it a loan from me. In the future when you make it, come back and pay me back.\"

He was silent for a long time before softly saying, \"Thank you.\"

He felt like his family was the least like a family with a child about to take the high school entrance exam among all the 9th graders in the school.

Mom wouldn't even look at him anymore.

No one cared if he went to school or if he sat at home studying after returning from school.

No one even asked on the day of the exam.

But he felt it was very normal that no one asked him. He reckoned no one in the family even knew which day he was taking the exam.

However, when he went out, he ran into the owner of the small shop. The owner gave him a pack of instant noodles.

\"Tongyi 100,\" the owner said, \"There are several kids from around here taking the exam today. I give a pack to everyone who passes by, for good luck.\"

He smiled and put the instant noodles into his schoolbag, \"Thank you, Uncle.\"

With this pack of instant noodles, his mood improved quite a bit. Before entering the exam room, he took out the instant noodles and munched them down.

\"You're really in the mood, huh?\" Li Zihao looked at him, \"Still eating at this time?\"

He took out a bottle of water and took a sip, \"I'm still drinking too.\"

As for the two and a half days of exams, if you asked if he was nervous, he wasn't nervous. Although his grades weren't great, his goal wasn't a regular high school, so it wasn't a big problem. Besides, he had listened quite earnestly in class.

But if you said he wasn't nervous at all, he was nervous.

The first time seeing the ocean.

The first time living on his own.

The first time traveling far from home.

The first time taking a train... What a country bumpkin.

Yan Hang was totally right in calling him that.

Oh right, also the first time going to eat at Little Li's BBQ.

Little Li's BBQ, he could even recite the address of Little Li's BBQ by heart.

Although no one in the family agreed with him going to see the ocean, after the results came out, Chu Yi still wrote down the name of that school when filling out his aspirations.

Afterwards, he went and bought a suitcase by himself, packed his things and put it under the bed.

It wasn't until she saw this suitcase that his mom seemed to come to her senses, rushing over to try to drag the suitcase out.

\"You're really something now, huh!\" Mom shouted, \"What I say is just fart to you, right!\"

Chu Yi blocked his mom without saying a word.

\"Throw this suitcase away for me!\" Mom roared, \"Who gave you the guts! Who in this family agreed to let you go!\"

\"I,\" Chu Yi grabbed her hand, \"myself.\"

\"What are you? What are you!\" Mom wanted to shake off his hand, \"You yourself, you yourself! What are you yourself!\"

\"Mom,\" Chu Yi still held onto her tightly, \"I have nothing, j-just nothing, even with nothing, nothing, I will still go.\"

Mom was stunned, staring at his face, taking a while before speaking: \"Are you crazy? Why are you doing this!\"

\"You know.\" Chu Yi said.

\"You see,\" Grandma had leaned against the door frame at some point, \"I said long ago, this son of yours is just a waste, useless, can't count on him in the future.\"

\"Shut up.\" Chu Yi turned to look at her.

\"What did you say!\" Grandma looked at him in shock.

\"I said, shut up.\" Chu Yi said.

\"Did you hear that?\" Grandma looked at his mom, \"Did you hear that? Did you hear that? Did you hear...\"

\"I heard it!\" Mom shouted.

\"This family is done for!\" Grandma walked out with a cigarette in her mouth, shouting, \"This family is done for!\"

Mom sat on the edge of the bed, silently staring at his suitcase.

Chu Yi wanted to say something, but really didn't know what else he could say. In these more than ten years, he never had any normal communication with his mom.

Even though he felt some reluctance to part and it pained him to see his mom like this, he couldn't find any words to say.

\"If you want to go then go,\" Mom said, \"But don't expect the family to be able to help you if anything happens, you know this family is like this.\"

\"Mm.\" Chu Yi responded.

","published_time":"2024-10-08T00:00:00.000Z","paid":true,"show_flag":true,"show_scheduled_time":"2024-10-08T00:00:00.000Z","unpaid_scheduled_time":"2024-10-29T00:00:00.000Z"}]

A Lucky Coin

A Lucky Coin

Chapter 28 - Chapter 28

Fishsticks