"I don't have parents, no one will come to bail me out."

"Pay compensation? I don't have money either."

"Detention? Then detain me, I won't apologize to those bastards."

Xie Yu sat in the interrogation room. When his fist hit someone earlier, it had struck a schoolbag zipper, scraping off a coin-sized piece of skin. It had stopped bleeding now, and a thick scab covered it, forming a dark red crust.

The clerk typed on the keyboard with a headache, "Looking at your uniform, you're still a high school student, right? We have to notify your parents about this..."

"I said, I don't have parents."

Xie Yu interrupted, his tone stiff. His hair seemed like it hadn't been cut in a long time, hanging down to half-cover his eyes. A pair of eyes stared dead straight at the clerk, looking inexplicably gloomy.

"Alright, then I can only issue the detention paperwork for you..."

The clerk sighed, entering the document in front of Xie Yu. Neither of them spoke, and the small interrogation room was completely silent, leaving only the sound of fingers tapping on the keyboard.

Click-clack, click-clack.

Xie Yu kicked the ground aimlessly, feeling agitated and restless.

He didn't know what this person was writing in the record—whether it said he bullied classmates and violated discipline, or was insubordinate and paranoid. Either way, it wouldn't be anything good.

The clerk typed mechanically. After an unknown amount of time, they suddenly paused, then double-clicked the screen, as if confirming something.

Xie Yu rubbed his school uniform pants and stood up nonchalantly. "Done? Where am I going to be detained?"

He would rather go in right away than be looked at with surprised and pitying gazes.

"No, wait a moment while I confirm. Someone has come to bail you out."

"Someone?" Xie Yu sneered and sat back down. "Your system made a mistake. I don't have parents."

Unexpectedly, the clerk tapped twice. "No, there really is. You can go out. Someone paid your fine for you and is waiting for you in the lobby right now."

Xie Yu wondered who was playing a joke on him, or if it was a case of mistaken identity due to the same name. He stood up. "Who bailed me out?"

The other party tapped lightly on the screen. "Let me see—oh, his name is Shen Ci."

Xie Yu saw Shen Ci in the service lobby.

When he came out, this man with a nice-sounding name was flipping through the bail documents. He wore a suit and old-fashioned silver-framed glasses. His face was noble and gentle; he didn't look like he was sitting in a noisy service lobby reading bail documents, but rather like an ancient scholar reading poetry in a courtyard full of plantains.

Xie Yu didn't know someone like this. His high school days were like a puddle of sewage in the gutter, with absolutely no intersection with the suit-and-tie man in front of him.

Xie Yu thought, 'It must be a mistake.'

He picked up his schoolbag, planning to go back and clarify with the clerk that he didn't know this Shen Ci, and the other party wasn't here for him. He wanted to get the detention paperwork done quickly; he couldn't be bothered to waste time.

But Shen Ci had already looked up and seen him.

The moment he saw Xie Yu, his eyes suddenly burst with astonishing brilliance—like pleasant surprise, and also like nostalgia. He carefully traced Xie Yu's silhouette with his gaze, as greedy as a thirsty traveler in the desert.

Xie Yu felt extremely uncomfortable.

He inconspicuously examined himself: his school uniform had been worn for a long time and was already old, faded, and rolled up at the edges, draping loosely over his body. There were bloodstains on his hands and schoolbag. At first glance, he was clearly a delinquent.

If they met on the street, Shen Ci would probably want to walk around him.

The teenager's self-esteem was instantly stung. He sat down cross-legged across from Shen Ci, deliberately tossing his schoolbag onto the stool next to him with a loud bang, before speaking carelessly, "Who are you? What do you want with me?"

Shen Ci's peripheral vision had been lingering on the wound on the back of his hand. Only then did he raise his hand to push his glasses up, smiling gently. "Your father has some matters to attend to and asked me to take care of you for a while. Don't go home these next couple of days, come live with me."

Saying that, he even pushed over a phone showing a screen recording. A drunken man was swaying unsteadily on a couch, murmuring like he was sleep-talking, "Shen Ci... is your, dis... distant older male cousin. He's recently in Jiang City. I a... asked him to take care of you."

Xie Yu almost laughed upon hearing this.

For a moment, he couldn't tell which was more ridiculous: whether his ancestral grave in the middle of nowhere had suddenly emitted green smoke to produce a wealthy or noble figure like Shen Ci, or whether his completely toxic biological father had a crossed wire in his brain, remembering to temporarily find a guardian for him while drunk.

Shen Ci said, "If you don't believe me, you can give your father a call. He really did entrust me to take care of you."

Although he had somewhat used some methods.

Xie Yu couldn't be bothered to talk to his biological father. He picked up his schoolbag. "Fine, then where are we going?"

He scrutinized Shen Ci, dragging out the last syllable, "Cousin?"

Shen Ci's turning motion paused.

He quickly covered up this insignificant pause and naturally took the schoolbag from Xie Yu's hand. "I drove here, get in the car."

Xie Yu's breath hitched, and he snatched his schoolbag back from Shen Ci's hand. "I don't need you to carry it!"

He was a high school student, not an elementary schooler. He was even taller than Shen Ci; it wasn't the place of his frail-looking cousin to carry his bag.

Shen Ci was pulled by him and stumbled slightly, but he didn't say anything, just smiling good-naturedly. "Alright, carry it yourself."

"..."

Xie Yu felt even more displeased.

This cousin who had popped out of nowhere seemed to treat him like a three-year-old, his helplessness laced with indulgence, as if Xie Yu still needed to be coaxed into cooperating.

But you can't hit a smiling face. With Shen Ci acting like this, Xie Yu couldn't well act up. He could only pull a long face, watching Shen Ci open the trunk to put his schoolbag away, then walk around to open the passenger door for him.

"..."

It felt even more like taking care of a three-year-old child.

A fire rose in Xie Yu's heart. He sat down abruptly and sulked. Shen Ci got in and reminded him softly, "You need to fasten your seatbelt."

Xie Yu's fire was then extinguished.

This feeling was truly bizarre. In the past ten-odd years of Xie Yu's life, his biological father treated him like an enemy, teachers and classmates avoided him, and the rest of his relatives acted like strangers. Yet, an unseen "cousin" was speaking kindly to him, telling him to fasten his seatbelt.

He muttered, "I know, stop nagging," but still obediently buckled up.

Shen Ci held the steering wheel and drove to a certain riverside residential area.

This place was adjacent to a commercial district and surrounded by two top-tier elementary schools. The housing prices remained high. Xie Yu thought to himself, 'He really is either rich or noble.'

The other party lived in a large riverside single-floor apartment. When Xie Yu entered, Shen Ci pointed out a room for him. "You will live here from now on."

He led Xie Yu around to look, smiling apologetically. "Time was tight, so I didn't have time to decorate properly. I bought you some little things, see if you like them."

It was impossible for Xie Yu not to like them; Shen Ci had bought them exactly according to his preferences.

Xie Yu didn't have many hobbies. He liked playing games, and there was a floor-standing monitor and matching controllers in the room. Xie Yu liked riding motorcycles, and there were a limited edition helmet and motorcycle keys in the room. Shen Ci was even perfectly clear on the drinks and snacks he liked.

"..."

Xie Yu looked around and said stiffly, "Thank you."

He didn't say this word often, his expression stiff and posture awkward. Shen Ci didn't point it out. He was just about to leave and give Xie Yu some private space, when he suddenly remembered something. "By the way, you're about to take the college entrance exam, right?"

He scrutinized Xie Yu's uniform and the name tag on his schoolbag. "I remember your dad saying you're about to enter your senior year? Then you need to restrain your gaming time. You can only play after finishing your test papers."

Xie Yu was already uncomfortable beyond measure.

He didn't know how this cousin could be so meddlesome. Taking care of his food and lodging was one thing, but to actually manage his studies too? Xie Yu hadn't studied for over a year.

But Shen Ci was serious.

That very night, he really brought test papers to knock on Xie Yu's door, asking, "Do you want to give it a try?"

Shen Ci's gaze was sincere, and Xie Yu was soft-hearted. Moreover, since he was eating and living on someone else's dime, he felt quite embarrassed. Thus, he was in a daze as he was pressed down beside the desk and had a pen stuffed into his hand.

This was a diagnostic test for the comprehensive science subjects. Xie Yu groggily began to write. The entire set of test papers was seven or eight pages long, but Xie Yu understood less than one page. He scribbled random answers, and just as he was about to pack it away, the papers were pulled away by Shen Ci.

Shen Ci began to grade them.

He sat on the chair, his silver-framed glasses reflecting the warm white light of the desk lamp. Even his posture holding the pen was elegant and beautiful. Thinking of his own dogshit-like test answers, Xie Yu lightly curled his fingers.

—Shen Ci would probably think he was an ignorant and incompetent piece of trash.

Strangely enough, his teachers and classmates all considered him an ignorant and incompetent piece of trash, and Xie Yu thought of himself that way as well, but now, he suddenly felt a little sad.

However, Shen Ci finished grading the set of papers with his usual expression, circling and dotting to make marks, before looking up at Xie Yu. "Are you tired?"

Xie Yu: "...What?"

Shen Ci: "Do you want to come sit over here and listen to me explain?"

Silence.

Shen Ci didn't rush him, just sitting quietly. Instead, it was Xie Yu who couldn't sit still and scooted his chair over.

He had encountered so little kindness in his life that just a couple of gentle words from someone else made it impossible for him to refuse.

Holding the pen, Shen Ci began to explain fluidly and eloquently.

He enunciated clearly, his tone gentle, and his explanations smooth. He hit the difficult points right away, breaking down the knowledge points layer by layer. Xie Yu hadn't wanted to learn at first, but as he listened, he actually absorbed more than half of it.

Seeing that the time had passed midnight, Shen Ci capped the pen and gave Xie Yu's shoulder a push. "Go to sleep. I'll wake you up for breakfast tomorrow."

A completely unfamiliar bedroom, a completely unfamiliar bed. Xie Yu thought he wouldn't be able to sleep, but there was an exceptionally peaceful and gentle aura around Shen Ci. The moment his head hit the pillow, he actually fell straight into a deep sleep.

For the next three hundred or so days and nights, Xie Yu went to school, and Shen Ci went to work.

Their lives became increasingly synchronized, and they grew more and more intimately close.

Xie Yu didn't know exactly what this cousin did, only that he always wore a crisp suit and went in and out of high-rise buildings; he should be a busy business elite. Yet every night, Shen Ci would unfailingly come back to teach him how to do his homework, breaking down and explaining each question one by one, even turning down invitations over the phone, as if teaching him homework was the most important thing. For 365 days, it was like this every single day.

Occasionally, on weekends, they played games together. Shen Ci made a mean soup, being especially skilled at radish and pork ribs. Every time he wore an apron and cooked in the kitchen, with the rising white mist blurring his noble and elegant eyes, and the aroma of pork ribs filling the living room, Xie Yu had the impulse to rush over and hug him. He absentmindedly had the illusion that Shen Ci was his family, and that they had already spent many years like this, ordinarily yet warmly.

...Family?

Could a distant cousin be considered family?

Xie Yu was a little confused.

His bipolar disorder hadn't flared up once since he came to this house. His grades got better and better, fighting his way from the bottom of his class to the top ranks of his grade. His rate of progress was astonishing. He gave up games and motorcycles, sitting from morning till night like an ascetic monk. Even his teachers marveled at his perseverance, even asking him to impart the secret of his self-discipline to the whole class.

Xie Yu shook his head and refused.

It was embarrassing to say, but a large part of the reason Xie Yu suddenly enlightened himself to study was because every time he made progress and brought his report card to Shen Ci to sign, Shen Ci's smile was truly beautiful.

He was genuinely and completely happy for Xie Yu's progress.

Xie Yu didn't want to disappoint the only person in the world who treated him well.

As the days passed one by one, the college entrance exam rolled around. Shen Ci didn't go to work that day, specially keeping Xie Yu company. Like other parents, he waited at the entrance to drop him off and pick him up. As soon as Xie Yu stepped out of the examination room, he could walk shoulder-to-shoulder with him.

Xie Yu had changed a lot this year. He cut off his excessively long hair, his clothes were all picked out by Shen Ci so the taste wasn't bad, and he had gained some flesh on his cheeks, giving him quite a radiant, youthful feel.

Shen Ci spotted Xie Yu in the crowd at a glance. He was tall and his looks stood out. So, Shen Ci squeezed through the crowd to his side, inquiring about his well-being just like the other parents, before asking, "What do you want to eat tonight?"

Xie Yu tilted his head in thought and said, "Anything is fine."

Anything was fine. As long as he was eating with Shen Ci, he wasn't picky.

That being said, Shen Ci still cooked quite a bit. He rarely opened two bottles of red wine, lightly clinking glasses with Xie Yu as a celebration.

During the two days of the college entrance exam, Xie Yu hadn't slept well. After finishing this meal and drinking some wine, he hit the pillow and fell right asleep at night. Halfway through his sleep, he groggily started dreaming again. In his dream, Shen Ci leaned into his embrace, his noble and beautiful eyes holding a pool of spring water. They pressed against each other, hugging, and finally kissing. Shirt buttons were undone, and the quilt slipped to the ground.

...

Only then did he suddenly understand what the palpitations in his heart were every time he stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Shen Ci.

He liked this sole person who treated him well, and wanted to be intimately close with him, skin touching skin.

Xie Yu woke up and was stunned for a long time. Suddenly, he raised his hand and gave himself a slap in the face.

He didn't hit himself lightly, and a red mark instantly appeared. Xie Yu went to the sink to wash his face with cold water. Looking up to meet his wretched face in the mirror, he suddenly pulled out a trace of a mocking smile.

He thought self-deprecatingly, 'I am indeed nothing good.'

Shen Ci was his cousin. Out of care for a relative, his cousin had provided him with food and shelter, and managed his studies, only to raise a cousin with wolfish ambitions, coveting things he shouldn't covet.

Shen Ci really shouldn't have been so good to him.

He washed up in silence, and taking advantage of the night, stuffed his messy bedsheets into the washing machine. When he clicked start, the sound of the machine starting up was deafening, especially obvious in the dark of night. Xie Yu guarded the washing machine, praying that Shen Ci would sleep a little more soundly, just a little more soundly, so that he could hide his dark thoughts away without having to expose them.

But behind him, someone turned on the light.

Pure white light poured down instantly, the darkness retreated and disappeared, and everything had nowhere to hide.

Wearing only his pajamas, Shen Ci stood in the corner of the living room, looking surprised. "Why aren't you asleep so late?"

Xie Yu stiffly blocked the washing machine, lowering his eyes. "I couldn't sleep at night."

Shen Ci showed worry, walking forward and reaching out to touch Xie Yu's forehead. "Were you nervous about the exam? It's normal to be nervous after finishing the college entrance exam."

Xie Yu didn't speak. Shen Ci hesitated for a moment before asking, "It's so late. If you really can't sleep, do you want to... do you want to sleep with me?"

Xie Yu closed his eyes, wanting to laugh even more.

He wondered what Shen Ci was thinking. He was a high school graduate, not still in elementary school. If he couldn't sleep, did he need his mommy to coax him, clamoring to sleep with mommy? Or did this incredibly distant cousin really treat him as his own child?

Then did Shen Ci know what kind of filthy thoughts this "child" in front of him harbored towards him?

And if he knew, what would he do? Would he panic, avoid him like a snake or scorpion, or would he... feel disgusted?

Shen Ci was evidently entirely ignorant of Xie Yu's secret thoughts. He even reached out and grabbed Xie Yu's wrist, wanting to lead him into the room. "Come on, I'll keep you company and chat with you. Everyone goes through the college entrance exam like this, don't be nervous."

It was like inviting a wolf into the house.

An unnamed anger rose in Xie Yu. He flipped his hand and threw Shen Ci off, his force surprisingly strong. "I'm not coming!"

Shen Ci looked back in astonishment.

Ever since they had started living together, Xie Yu hadn't spoken in this tone for a very long time.

The surprise in his eyes clearly stung Xie Yu. Xie Yu suddenly smiled bitterly, "Shen Ci, do you really treat me as a child?"

Shen Ci blinked and said hesitantly, "...No?"

—How could he treat Xie Yu as a child? During every sleepless night on a lonely pillow, he had missed the warmth of an embrace so much, missing it to the point of near madness.

It was just that Xie Yu hadn't graduated from high school yet. He was afraid that saying it too early would make him seem like he had ulterior motives and would scare him away.

Who knew that the self-mockery in Xie Yu's expression would grow even stronger. He stepped forward, trapping Shen Ci within his heavy shadow, almost interrogating, "If you know I'm not a child, how dare you invite me to sleep with you?"

Shen Ci: "..."

—Why wouldn't he dare?

But Xie Yu's expression was truly awful, so Shen Ci didn't ask anything. He merely changed the subject, saying with a good temper, "Are you feeling unwell? Do you want to eat something?"

Xie Yu was under too much pressure from the college entrance exam, and right now he couldn't kiss or hug him. If he wanted to comfort him, the only method Shen Ci could think of was feeding him.

—But this appearance looked even more like a parent worrying about their child's mental state.

Xie Yu squeezed his eyes tightly shut.

He watched Shen Ci turn around, really about to tie on an apron to steam pastries. A sense of absurdity, powerlessness, and pain suddenly washed over his heart, burning until his internal organs began to ache with a dull pain.

Prolonged loneliness made Xie Yu unaccustomed to interacting with people. He hadn't received even a fraction of favoritism from his father, so he had always kept his expectations low. He didn't expect others to treat him very well. Now that Shen Ci was treating him well, he didn't dare to believe that this kindness would continue on and on. He could barely feign it before, but that filthy dream suddenly made him realize that he couldn't pretend to be the obedient cousin anymore.

Everything in front of his eyes was like a mirage. The day the bubble burst would be the time he lost everything.

And Xie Yu suffered immensely in the process.

He didn't want to wait any longer; he desperately needed an answer. Thus, he suddenly had an impulse to expose all these unbearable, unspeakable filth, leaving them blatantly under Shen Ci's nose, pointing and questioning him—'Look, the child you raised is this kind of thing at his core. Are you still going to treat him so well?'

If you had seen his inner heart, would you still be willing to treat him so well?

So he suddenly reached out, grabbing Shen Ci's wrist. Under Shen Ci's astonished gaze, he grabbed the back of his head and suddenly kissed him.

Parting at a single touch.

This brief, dragonfly-skimming-the-water-like touch exhausted all of Xie Yu's courage. He took two steps back, waved his hand with difficulty, and smiled bitterly. "Now, do you still want to invite me?"

Shen Ci was completely stunned for two full seconds.

Finally, under Xie Yu's deathly still gaze, he raised his hand and placed his fingers against his lips, where there was still a slight glisten of moisture, moist and shiny.

"Oh my." Shen Ci hesitated for a moment, but still told the truth,

"Xie Yu, your kissing technique... is as awful as before."