《Heart Like Brilliant Words》


 CH 1

    It was Lin Yuyan¡¯s first time coming to such a place.


    In the narrow corridor, many kinds of miscellaneous knick-knacks were placed inside, while the yellow walls surrounding them were covered with thick oil stains.


    At the end of the corridor was a pool that should be open to the public. In there, several unwashed tablewares and chopsticks were thrown in. It was unknown how long those items were left in there.


    Lin Yuyan took out a piece of toilet paper from his school bag, placed it on the faucet, and then turned off the tap water that had been leaking for a while now. After that, he took out his notebook, compared it to the address above before he proceeded to walk up to the next floor.


    Upstairs was in a similar state. The simple, crude stairs creaked as Lin Yuyan stepped on them. A section of the wooden stair was rotten, as it was exposed to the rain and the sun, yet nobody repaired it. He could only step over it and take two more steps before he finally reached his destination.


    The door of this house was fairly clean. An old-fashioned rusty lock hung on the green painted iron door. There was dust everywhere. It was as if nobody had opened this door for a very long time.


    There weren¡¯t any curtains inside the room. Lin Yuyan stood outside of the window and looked in. It was empty, only a single bed and a few unwanted clothes remained.


    ¡°Hey, who are you looking for?¡± At this moment, the door next door opened.


    Lin Yuyan turned his head around and saw a thin young man walking out of the door with a cigarette in his mouth. He had a head full of dazzling dyed yellow hair with a weird tattoo on his arms.


    ¡°Hello.¡± Lin Yuyan said, ¡°Excuse me, does Gu Yaoyang live here?¡±


    Huang Mao looked at him for a while before asking, ¡°Who are you?¡±


    Lin Yuyan also looked at him, feeling a little bit of familiarity with the stranger in front of him. He hesitated for a while before he stretched out his right hand and said politely, ¡°My name is Lin Yuyan, Gu Yaoyang¡¯s classmate.¡±


    ¡°Classmate?¡± Huang Mao choked suddenly. He asked incredulously, ¡°What are you looking for him for? Do you want him to go back to school? ¡°


    ¡°Is there something wrong?¡± Lin Yuyan saw that he didn¡¯t intend to accept his handshake, so he pulled his hand back again. ¡°He didn¡¯t go to school last semester, he¡¯ll be in his third year of high school in the second half of the year. His teacher hoped that he could return.¡±


    Huang Mao looked like he had just heard a joke. ¡°Is your teacher sick in the head or something? You didn¡¯t care about his first two years in high school, but now you came all the way out here just to spew some bullsh*t?¡± His voice showed contempt and his eyes carried an unfriendly gaze. He then said to Lin Yuyan, ¡°Get out, Gu Yaoyang doesn¡¯t live here anymore.¡±


    Huang Mao didn¡¯t want to continue talking to Lin Yuyan. He turned around and was about to leave when Lin Yuyan caught him and hurriedly asked, ¡°Do you know where he lives now?¡±


    Huang Mao had run out of patience with him. ¡°I don¡¯t and even if I do, I won¡¯t tell you.¡± He was too lazy to deal with him anymore, so he pushed Lin Yuyan off of him, nearly pushing Lin Yuyan onto a pile of trash right behind him.


    Lin Yuyan staggered a few times before stabilizing his foothold. He thought for a bit before he decided to follow him from a distance to go downstairs together.


    Summer in Linzhou was very hot, oftentimes there Was barely any wind blowing by. The scorching heat of the sun landed on the ground. If you cracked an egg onto the ground, you could hear a ¡°Zizi¡± sound as the egg cooks.


    Lin Yuyan never knew that there was such a place.


    Dilapidated houses, messy shantytowns, and cobweb-like wires hung around in the air. The streets were filthy with rubbish scattered around. As he was looking around, Lin Yuyan saw something that made his face turn red.


    It was a poster with a woman named Miss Bao on it. She was wearing no clothes and had her butt up, facing the camera.


    Lin Yuyan hurried away from the poster and started to walk on a different side.


    Huang Mao went downstairs to eat, so he entered a small restaurant on the opposite side of the road. Lin Yuyan had a nagging feeling of familiarity with this man. After he thought about it carefully, he really did see him once.


    He should be Gu Yaoyang¡¯s friend. If he followed him, maybe he could find him.


    ¡°Beep Beep.¡± His phone was ringing. Lin Yuyan glanced at his phone before he immediately connected the call. ¡°No, I might not be able to go today.¡±


    The caller was his friend, Zhuo Hang. The two originally made an appointment to watch a stage play together, but because he hadn¡¯t found Guo Yaoyang yet, it seemed like they had to delay the appointment.


    ¡°Haven¡¯t found him?¡± Zhuo Hang¡¯s voice came from the other side of the phone. Lin Yuyan said, ¡°Not yet, he doesn¡¯t seem to live here anymore.¡±


    ¡°Ah? Then where does he live?¡±


    Lin Yuyan said, ¡°I don¡¯t know either.¡±


    Zhuo Hang then said, ¡°Then what should we do? Don¡¯t look for him? I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll go to school even if he¡¯s found and he¡¯s so fierce. What if he gets upset and beats someone up?¡±


    Lin Yuyan said, ¡°But Teacher Li especially tasked me to give that item to him.¡±


    Zhuo Hang was puzzled: ¡°Why did Old Li have you go? You guys have nothing to do with each other, right?¡±


    Lin Yuyan didn¡¯t say a word. He really had nothing to do with Gu Yaoyang. They didn¡¯t have anything to do with each other, but there was a little bit of¡­ personal hatred.


    He pursed his lips and remembered something he wasn¡¯t very happy about. Gu Yaoyang was the worst person he had ever seen in his life and he was also the first person he hated in the seventeen years of him living his life.


    Just as he was about to answer Zhuo Hang¡¯s question, Huang Mao walked out of the small restaurant. He hung up the call and stared closely at him.


    Huang Mao didn¡¯t go far. Wearing his slippers, he returned back to his place. Lin Yuyan didn¡¯t know when he would come out, so he decided to try his luck and wait downstairs.  While waiting, Lin Yuyan became hungry, so he went to a small store nearby and bought a pack of biscuits. The dry biscuit had no flavour as he chewed on them, but it wasn¡¯t particularly unpalatable.


    Lin Yuyan actually didn¡¯t have to wait. After all, summer vacation was still long. When he had nothing to do, he could always try to find him then.


    But he didn¡¯t want to come here in the future. He just wanted to finish the task entrusted to him by his teacher today and create a clear divide with Gu Yaoyang.


    Even if he can¡¯t wait for Huang Mao to go downstairs today, he doesn¡¯t want to come back there again.


    Fortunately, in the evening, Huang Mao changed his clothes and came out again. Lin Yuyan¡¯s legs were numb from waiting. He stamped his legs on the spot before following behind him secretly, entering a festive bar street.


    At seven or eight o¡¯clock, the sky darkened. The streets were bustling with activity and there were already many customers. Lin Yuyan followed Huang Mao all the way, but he ended up standing still at the intersection of the road. The lights in front of him were dazzling bright and the background noise was very loud. The men and women there hugged unscrupulously, making him hesitate whether to follow him any further.


    At this moment, a beautiful long-haired woman came over, said nothing, and grabbed his hand. She asked coquettishly, ¡°Hey, where is this handsome guy from?¡±


    Lin Yuyan was taken aback. He hurriedly broke free and took a few steps back in a panic.


    ¡°So shy? Your face is all red.¡± The woman wore a low-cut red suspender, her twin peaks stood up, looking like they were about to pop out. Her long black wavy hair was draped over her shoulders. She flashed a charming smile to him.


    She asked Lin Yuyan, ¡°Little handsome guy, where are you going?¡±


    Lin Yuyan was too flustered to speak. He had never encountered such a situation before. He was so nervous he could only whisper, ¡°I, I¡¯m here to find someone¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡± She didn¡¯t seem to hear clearly. She leaned in front of Lin Yuyan, poked his face with her scarlet fingernails, and asked with a teasing tone, ¡°Still carrying a schoolbag? Are you still in school?¡±


    Lin Yuyan didn¡¯t respond to her. He stepped back again and whispered, ¡°Yes, can you let me go?¡±


    ¡°Let you go?¡± The closer she got, the deeper the smell of the low-quality perfume penetrated into his nose. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid little bro, why don¡¯t you let this big sister accompany you? This big sister of yours is very skilled, I¡¯ll help you open up your bud for free okay?¡±


    O  ¨C open his bud?


    Lin Yuyan didn¡¯t understand what she was saying at first, until she traced her fingers down his neck, and into his shirt. His eyes widened in horror as he realized what she meant, immediately causing him to run off to the distance.


    Huang Mao had long since disappeared. Lin Yuyan wasn¡¯t sure if he found out he was following him and brought him to this place on purpose. The woman¡¯s sweet and melodious laughter sounded as if she was mocking his ugliness when he fled. Lin Yuyan¡¯s face was pale, his eyes were red. He looked just like a frightened rabbit.


    He desperately wanted to go home. but as he was running, he accidentally bumped into someone. He apologized in a hurry but didn¡¯t get a response. He raised his head and was about to say it again, but he stood frozen in shock as he saw a familiar face.


    The person he was looking for the entire day, Gu Yaoyang, was standing in front of him. looking at him with the corners of his mouth hooked upwards. ¡°Now, who do we have here?¡±


    ¡°Ah, it turned out to be Miss Lin who likes to cry. Lin Jiaojiao (making fun of him for being frail and pampered)?¡±

 CH 2

    Lin Jiaojiao was Lin Yuyan¡¯s nickname. Growing up to be a healthy young man,  this was the first nickname that he got from another person.


    His originally pale, white face became red in an instant. He clenched his fist tightly as he said through gritted teeth. ¡°My name is not Lin Jiaojiao.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang lit a cigarette in front of him and asked lightly, ¡°Really? Then what¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°My name is-¡±


    ¡°Crybaby Lin?¡± Gu Yaoyang raised his eyebrows as he cut him off, not letting Lin Yuyan finish his sentence.


    Lin Yuyan didn¡¯t want to argue with him anymore, so he opened up his school bag, fished out a handwritten letter from the homeroom teacher, and handed it to Gu Yaoyang. He then reluctantly said to him, ¡°Teacher Li hopes that you could go back to class. You¡¯ll be in your third year of high school soon. She hopes that you won¡¯t waste your studies.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang glanced at the envelope but didn¡¯t accept it.


    Lin Yuyan continued, ¡°Everything Teacher Li wants to say to you is inside. You can read it for yourself. I¡¯m going home.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang ignored him and walked to the bar street with a cigarette in hand.


    ¡°Please, accept it.¡± Lin Yuyan frowned. He caught up to him and handed him the letter again.


    Gu Yaoyang asked him, ¡°Why should I accept it?¡±


    Lin Yuyan said, ¡°This is a letter the teacher gave to you.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang said, ¡°So what? She gave it to me, so I must accept it?¡±


    ¡°Then, why won¡¯t you accept it?¡± Teacher Li has tried to call you many times, but she can¡¯t get through at all. She¡¯s also pregnant and has no way to come to you in person, so she entrusted me to deliver it to you¡­¡±


    Gu Yaoyang asked, seemingly puzzled, ¡°Why would she entrust it to you?¡± Lowering his head, he faced Lin Yuyan while he breathed in the smoke emitted from his cigarette, ¡°What is your relationship with me?¡±


    Lin Yuyan choked on his breath and took a step back.


    Although Gu Yaoyang had a terrible personality, he was very handsome. With a pair of black, slender eyes that shone like the brightest star in the night sky, a sharp nose, and a pair of painted eyebrows, he possessed a kind, harmless yet dazzling appearance


    That¡¯s what Lin Yuyan thought about him on their first day of high school.


    At that time, he wanted to befriend Gu Yaoyang. After all, everyone liked good-looking people, and Lin Yuyan was no exception. Thus, he paid close attention to Gu Yaoyang and found an excuse to chat with him.


    There wasn¡¯t any chance to talk at all during the day. All-day, Gu Yaoyang slept, regardless of whether the class was over or not, He didn¡¯t wake up until after school was over, then walked out of the school gate.


    The two happened to walk on the same road. Lin Yuyan followed him, thinking about some opening remarks to start a conversation, but he didn¡¯t expect that when they were crossing an overpass, they met a group of gangsters holding rods, gathering to smoke.


    He heard that the gangsters were arrogant, often fighting and robbing people. Although Lin Yuyan had not personally experienced it, he would avoid them once he saw them.


    Gu Yaoyang didn¡¯t seem to see them though. he continued to walk towards them calmly and was about to walk to their side. Lin Yuyan also forgot what he thought about at that time. Probably because he was afraid that Gu Yaoyang was going to get bullied, he rushed over to stand in front of him, completely forgetting the fact that Gu Yaoyang was a head taller than himself and looked much stronger than himself.


    Thinking carefully, that yellow hair guy was also a part of those gangsters. He had grabbed Lin Yuyan by the collar and asked him what he meant by doing that. Lin Yuyan didn¡¯t understand. After breaking free, he grabbed Gu Yaoyang¡¯s hand and ran to a safe place. When he thought about it now, he still felt ashamed. While running, he told Gu Yaoyang not to be afraid. As a result, when Huang Mao and his group of gangsters caught up after him, they called Gu Yaoyang ¡°Ge.¡± (Older brother)


    This kind of mistake, if it was explained clearly, then it was fine; although Lin Yuyan never thought that Gu Yaoyang would be in the same group as those gangsters.


    At first, he thought that there were good and bad people. Even if Gu Yaoyang and the gangsters were in the same company, there should be some differences, thus, he had no prejudice against him.


    But it didn¡¯t occur to him then that he was blind.


    After that, Gu Yaoyang¡¯s few days at school became his nightmare.


    For example, on a cloudy and rainy day, Gu Yaoyang tricked him to go to the rooftop. He wasn¡¯t allowed to go back to class. Knowing that he was afraid of the dark and ghosts, he¡¯d tell him ghost stories. With the wind and rain on the roof, the lightning and thunder flashing occasionally, coupled with his cold and gloomy voice, it made the story even scarier for Lin Yuyan. After that, Gu Yaoyang called him a crybaby, mocking him for easily crying like a little girl.


    Lin Yuyan was aggrieved. He didn¡¯t even shed any tears that day. Later, there were more nicknames: Miss, Young Master, and Squeamish Bag. He counted on his fingers and calculated that for two semesters, Gu Yaoyang went to school for less than ten times. But as soon as he appeared, Lin Yuyan would suffer.


    So he came to really, really hate Gu Yaoyang and wanted to avoid him at all cost.


    However, in the eyes of the homeroom teacher, he had a good relationship with Gu Yaoyang, saying that he was the only person in the class who could talk to him. Thus, she entrusted the letter to him, and persuade Gu Yaoyang to go back to school.


    Forget persuading him to go back to school, he couldn¡¯t even deliver the letter!


    ¡°I have nothing to do with you.¡± Lin Yuyan slapped the letter onto Gu Yaoyang¡¯s chest. He angrily said to him, ¡°If you want to read it, just read it. If you don¡¯t want to read it, then you can just forget it.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang stayed silent. He stood up, letting the envelope fall to the ground.


    Lin Yuyan didn¡¯t care. Turning away he was about to leave when he heard Gu Yaoyang ask him, ¡°You just said that Teacher Li is pregnant?¡±


    Lin Yuyan subconsciously responded with an ¡°en¡±.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a few months?¡±


    Lin Yuyan said, ¡°She¡¯s about to give birth.¡±


    ¡°Oh? How dedicated.¡± Gu Yaoyang said, ¡°Sitting at the desk while being pregnant with a child, writing and worrying about her students. She sure has my respect.¡±


    Lin Yuyan clutched the strap of his schoolbag and replied to him, ¡°It¡¯s good that you know.¡±


    So why don¡¯t you quickly pick up the letter?


    ¡°However, it¡¯s a pity.¡±


    Lin Yuyan didn¡¯t stop walking. He didn¡¯t want to entangle with Gu Yaoyang on this issue. The letter had been sent and the task given to him by the teacher was considered complete.


    ¡°A good letter fell into the puddle and the ink is melting away, what a waste of Teacher Li¡¯s hard work, tsk¡­¡±


    What puddle? Lin Yuyan turned around abruptly and saw that Gu Yaoyang had an extra bottle of mineral water in his hand. He was twisting the bottle cap, about to pour the water inside onto the envelope.


    He had to run back to pick up the letter and angrily asked him, ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you throw the letter away? Why do you care what I do with it?¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Lin Yuyan said, ¡°I didn¡¯t throw it away! You¡¯re the one who didn¡¯t catch it and then it fell to the ground.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang said bluntly, ¡°I didn¡¯t want to catch it in the first place.¡± He lifted the corners of his mouth slightly and said, ¡°You better take the letter back. After all, if it rains tomorrow, even if it falls on the ground now, it will be washed away by the rain tomorrow. Maybe it will be washed into the sewer, maybe even into a garbage heap.¡±


    He turned Lin Yuyan¡¯s shoulders and had him face the noisy bars across the street. He whispered to his ear, ¡°There are many people on the street and there are quite a few drunk people. If a person¡¯s feet steps on the envelope, at most, it¡¯ll be filthy, but what if someone spat at it? The teacher wrote it word by word, pouring all her love and energy into it, isn¡¯t it too precious to be destroyed this way?¡±


    Had Gu Yaoyang not said anything, Lin Yuyan could still pretend that he didn¡¯t know the fate that will befall upon the letter. Whether he read it or not, and whether it was thrown away or not, it had nothing to do with him.


    But now, he made it clear that he wouldn¡¯t accept this letter. If it was forcibly given to him, then he would experience the consequences on his own. He would also waste the kindness of the homeroom teacher and hurt her feelings.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± Lin Yuyan looked back at him.


    Gu Yaoyang seemed to have had enough fun. The cigarette in his hand was nearly finished. He glanced at Lin Yuyan and asked him, ¡°You just want me to accept this letter?¡±


    Lin Yuyan said, ¡°It was entrusted to me by Teacher Li.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter who entrusted it to you.¡± He said, ¡°But I don¡¯t want to read it today.¡±


    Lin Yuyan said, ¡°Fine, then I¡¯ll read it to you.¡± As he was about to open the envelope, Gu Yaoyang suddenly covered both of his ears, with an exaggerating tone he said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear it either.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Lin Yuyan had never seen such a scoundrel. Feeling anxious and aggrieved, his face flushed with anger. This expression pleased Gu Yaoyang. He smiled softly, raised his hand, and flicked Lin Yuyan¡¯s forehead.


    Neither light nor heavy, but strong enough to leave a little red mark on his forehead.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear it today. If you really want to read it to me, then come over tomorrow.¡±

 CH 3

    The next day, Lin Yuyan didn¡¯t go.


    He knew what kind of person Gu Yaoyang was. Even if he went, the result would¡¯ve been the same. He didn¡¯t want to make a joke out of himself. After he thought about it, he called Teacher Li and conveyed to her what had happened.


    Although Teacher Li felt regretful, she didn¡¯t say much. Maybe she had expected this result but as a teacher, she wanted to do her best for her students.


    ¡°Perhaps, he isn¡¯t suited for campus life.¡± she sighed. She then thanked Lin Yuyan and hung up the phone.


    There were indeed people who are just not suited for school. They don¡¯t like studying and do not study voluntarily. Oftentimes they were being forced to do so. Everyone had different ways to deal with this problem.


    Although Teacher Li felt regretful, Lin Yuyan didn¡¯t feel the same way. On the contrary, he was happy inside. He hoped that Gu Yaoyang would never come back to school again. It would be best if they never met ever again.


    Now that he had solved this matter, his vacation had now officially begun! He happily rolled in his bed wearing his pajamas. After he finished rolling about, he walked into his bathroom.


    Lin Yuyan was born in a pretty decent family. His father was a businessman, owning a star-rated hotel chain that was spread all over the country, and was one of the best hotels in Linzhou. His mother was a well-known designer, who also owned her own clothing brand. Although she was not as busy as his father, she barely had any time for him. The family would occasionally have video calls together, which was already very good considering their tight schedules.


    Today, his mother had some free time and sent a video call to Lin Yuyan during lunchtime. Lin Yuyan called to her with a smile, ¡°Hi, mom.¡± His voice was clear and sweet, having the unique characteristic voice of a teenager.


    His mother¡¯s name is Xu Jinglan. This year she was thirty-eight years old. She possessed beautiful looks and a gentle personality. She kissed her son through the camera and asked him his plans for this summer vacation.


    Lin Yuyan had already sorted out his plan for this vacation. He told her that he would spend most of his summer vacation at home reading books and he would also occasionally go out with his classmates. Xu Jinglan felt sorry for him, she softly said. ¡± I¡¯m sorry Yanyan. It¡¯s because your parents are busy right now that we don¡¯t have the time to accompany you.¡±


    Lin Yuyan hurriedly shook his head and said with a smile,¡± I¡¯m already this old mom, I don¡¯t need you to accompany me.¡±


    Xu Jinglan felt guilty. She thought for a bit and said to him, ¡± Why don¡¯t you come over here for a few days? We could go to the amusement park. There¡¯s a concert here as well, we could go check it out as well.¡±


    Lin Yuyan¡¯s eyes flickered. Just as he was about to reply, he heard a series of phone rings in the background of his mom¡¯s call. His mother went up and answered the call. When she returned to the screen, she said in a dry voice, ¡± Yanyan, i-¡°


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to come over!¡± Lin Yuyan cut his mother off. He acted willfully as he said, ¡± I¡¯ve already arranged my schedule and invited my friends over to go out together, I don¡¯t have time to go over.¡±


    The corners of Xu Jinglan¡¯s eye quivered, there was a tinge of redness in the corners of her eyes. ¡°Then¡­ Well, make sure you take care of yourself. Have Auntie cook what you want to eat and have the driver drive you to where you want to go.¡±


    Lin Yuyan nodded obediently and hung up the phone. The smile plastered on his face disappeared as the call ended.


    He really wanted to go over. It¡¯s been a long time since he last saw his mother. But if he came over, his mother would have to squeeze out some time to accompany him. She was already busy enough, she should use that spare time to have a good rest.


    There was nothing to do in the afternoon. Lin Yuyan walked down the stairs, then went up the stairs. To facilitate him to go to school, his parents bought a house in the villa area near the school. There was a small yard in front and in the back of the house, it was surrounded by walls, flowers, and plants of many kinds.


    Lin Yuyan laid on the carpet. He read a book for a while before going to the studio to paint. Maybe it¡¯s because he was influenced by his mother since he was a little child, but he also liked to paint, but had no talent for it.


    At this point, Lin Yuyan looked down on himself. After all, not everyone was born with talent, but they can achieve it with hard work.


    When he was little, his dream was to become a painter. But because he had no talent for it, he gradually gave up on his dreams.


    Zhuo Hang said that he wasn¡¯t passionate enough. If he was really passionate about art, he would¡¯ve stuck to it no matter what. For example, he liked to play games. One time his father chased him down two streets for that, but it didn¡¯t hinder his determination to stay up late past his bedtime to play games.


    But Lin Yuyan was afraid of pain. If one day his father slapped him and asked him to give up something, then he would let it go without saying a single word.


    As he sat inside the studio, time seemed to pass by faster. Lin Yuyan was so immersed in his painting, he even forgot to eat.


    Although he wasn¡¯t talented, he enjoyed the process. The feeling of brushing against the canvas with his brush felt pleasant to him. By the time he finished the painting, the sun had already set, and the sky had completely darkened.


    Lin Yuyan looked at his painting. It looks good, he thought as he nodded in satisfaction. Now he was going to go downstairs and grab something to eat.


    He stood up and stretched his stiff body when he suddenly heard the window rattle.


    It stopped for a second before it rattled again


    He blinked. He thought that it might be some bored kids pulling a prank on him, so he opened the balcony door to take a look when he saw a black shadow passing by him, jumping over onto the balcony.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°G- Gu- Gu Yaoyang!¡± Lin Yuyan froze in shock. He pointed at the window to the balcony, before finally settling his fingers to point at Gu Yaoyang in shock.


    ¡°Y- you¡­¡±


    He kept saying ¡°you¡± for a long time. No other words except for ¡®you¡¯ came out of his mouth.


    Gu Yaoyang was wearing a black sweater with a pair of black shoes that¡¯s convenient for climbing. He raised his eyebrows as he finished Lin Yuyan¡¯s sentence. ¡°How did you get up?¡±


    Lin Yuyan nodded repeatedly.


    ¡°Climbed the wall¡±


    Lin Yuyan couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡± Then you- you-¡°


    Gu Yaoyang finished his sentence for him again, ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    Lin Yuyan responded with an ¡± Mhmn.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang responded with his own question, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t i be the one asking you this?¡±


    Lin Yuyan was confused, ¡°Wh- what do you mean?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang slowly approached him step by step. He asked. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you go to deliver the letter?¡±


    ¡°I- I didn¡¯t say I was going to deliver it. You- you trespassed into my house,¡± said Lin Yuyan as he stepped back nervously. Forgetting the fact that the house Gu Yaoyang trespassed through was his.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Gu Yaoyang smiled, ¡°You took my letter and didn¡¯t give it to me, so I came to pick it up in person, how could this be considered an intrusion?¡±


    Why not?! thought Lin Yuyan as he leaned against the corner. Feeling a slight sense of security, he regained his composure and calmly asked, ¡°Are you really here to pick up your letter?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang asked him, ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I be?¡±. He glanced at the canvas that was held up by the easel and commented, ¡°I see you¡¯re painting a guinea pig?¡±


    Lin Yuyan suddenly went silent. He was quiet for a few seconds before he stared into Gu Yaoyang¡¯s eyes with a furious gaze. He angrily said,  ¡°It¡¯s a Miniature Pinscher.¡±

 CH 4

    ¡°Pfft!¡± Gu Yaoyang laughed.


    Lin Yuyan asked him, ¡°What are you laughing at?¡±


    ¡°Would a Miniature Pinscher look like that?¡± Gu Yaoyang walked towards the easel. He pinched his chin as he carefully looked at the painting. A large area of the canvas was left blank and there was a round fat ball on the middle of it, with four legs sticking out under the ball, a round nose with its nostril facing up the sky, and finally, two little black bean-like eyes with harsh highlights on top of its face.


    To say that this painting was a painting of a Miniature Pinscher¡­


    ¡­It barely resembled one


    Lin YuYan wanted to refute him, but he didn¡¯t. While there was some distance between him and Gu Yaoyang, he sneaked to the door and ran to his bag. There, he took out yesterday¡¯s letter and also his cellphone. If Gu Yaouyang bore no ill intentions, he¡¯ll give him the letter. Otherwise, he¡¯ll have to call the police immediately.


    Lin Yuyan didn¡¯t want to tell the cooking auntie that there was an uninvited guest in the house as it might cause her unnecessary worry. Although he was a head shorter than Gu Yaoyang, if they fought¡­


    Forget it, he¡¯ll just grab the baseball bat in the corner.


    He knew that Gu Yaoyang should be pretty fierce. Although he had never seen him in action before, Zhuo Hang said that even those arrogant bullies would scoot away once he¡¯s near them.


    So, in conclusion, he is definitely not a good guy.


    Lin Yuyan returned to the studio with his self defence tools. He wanted to hand over the letter as soon as possible so that he would quickly leave his house, but once he stepped inside the studio, he saw Gu Yaoyang sitting in front of the easel with a pencil in hand.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Lin Yuyan was about to ask him what he was doing, but when the words reached the tip of his tongue, it changed into, ¡°You can draw?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang ignored him. He stroked the pencil onto the canvas and drew a simple outline. His strokes were quick and concise, soon a vague outline of what he was drawing appeared on the canvas.


    Lin Yuyan was stunned. He watched as Gu Yaoyang drew a lovely Miniature Pinscher on his canvas with a few strokes. The muscle lines on its body were very lifelike.


    ¡°I heard that your mother is a fashion designer?¡± Gu Yaoyang asked as he looked at him.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Lin Yuyan responded before asking his own question, ¡°How did you know?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang placed the pencil down. He briefly glanced at the baseball bat in Lin Yuyan¡¯s hand. He stood up and said, ¡°I know where your family lives and as for your parent¡¯s job¡­ Well, isn¡¯t it quite easy?¡±


    Lin Yuyan¡¯s family background wasn¡¯t a secret. It was also pretty easy to look them up on the internet. He glanced at the canvas and slightly blushed. Gu Yaoyang pointed at the drawing he had just finished and asked him, ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    Lin Yuyan reluctantly answered him, ¡± A Miniature Pinscher.¡±


    Then he pointed to Lin Yuyan¡¯s painting, ¡°And what about this?¡±


    Lin Yuyan pursed his lips and stayed silent. The two drawings that were placed together formed quite a contrast. With a quick glance, people could tell that one was a drawing of a Miniature Pinscher, and as for the other one¡­


    He felt a little bit embarrassed, so he gave Gu Yaoyang the letter in his hand and left a, ¡°you can go now¡± before turning his head and running away.


    At about ten o¡¯clock in the evening, a yellow-haired man stood under the streetlamp at the north gate of the villa area while smoking a cigarette in his hand. He saw someone walking towards him. Seeing who it was, he hurriedly put out his cigarette and greeted him, ¡°Yaoyang!¡¯


    The envelope in the other¡¯s hand was thrown to him, asking him to hold it for him.


    Yellow hair¡¯s name was actually Shao Zheng. He was the man Lin Yuyan met in the tube-shaped building. He followed Gu Yaoyang and asked him, ¡°He gave you this?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang lazily responded to him with an ¡°En.¡± They walked out of the area from the north gate. The security guard stationed at the door didn¡¯t seem to see them passing by. They closed the door behind them as they left the villa area.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know that it was actually him that day.¡± said Shao Zheng. He knew that Gu Yaoyang didn¡¯t intend to read the letter, so he folded it and stuffed it inside his pocket. After waiting for a few minutes for Gu Yaoyang¡¯s reply which didn¡¯t come, Shao Zheng followed him and stayed silent as well. Generally speaking, it¡¯s better to shut up in this kind of situation. He had known Gu Yaoyang for many years by now, so he naturally knew that he wasn¡¯t a talkative person.


    But of course, there were exceptions to this. Such as that boy named Lin Yuyan.


    Shao Zheng had only met Lin Yuyan two or three times. Frankly, he wasn¡¯t really impressed by him, but he knew that this boy was Gu Yaoyang¡¯s newly discovered toy.


    He¡¯ll be in a good mood once he¡¯s finished with him. It was like keeping a kitten or a puppy as a pet.


    Shao Zheng sometimes felt that Lin Yuyan was unlucky. It wasn¡¯t a good thing to ¡°save¡± Gu Yaoyang; but he actually went and did just that, saving Gu Yaoyang in their first year in high school. Now he was targeted by him. Even if he wanted to get rid of him, he could only wait for Gu Yaoyang to get tired of him. Or else? Try to run away from him? Even if he hid under three feet of solid ground, Gu Yaoyang would still manage to find him and pull him out.


    He couldn¡¯t help shivering as he looked at Gu Yaoyang¡¯s back. He then glanced at Lin Yuyan¡¯s house and shrugged his shoulders.


    On the third day of summer vacation, Zhuo Hang thought about this good friend of his. So, with a pair of dark circles under his eyes that he got from playing games late into the night, he called Lin Yuyan and asked him out to eat dinner together.


    They both grew up together and their parents also had business dealings with each other. Although the two of them had different hobbies, they were still able to talk to each other and make good friends with each other. The two of them didn¡¯t go to any expensive high-end restaurants for dinner. Instead, they found a fast-food restaurant near their school and ordered a couple of hamburgers, drinks, and some chicken nuggets. Zhuo Hang arrived several minutes late for their appointment. His skin was tanned, with a few red spots around his face. It looked like he was sunburned.


    Lin Yuyan asked this good brother of his, ¡°What¡¯s up with your face?¡±


    Zhuo Hang answered him, ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. Yesterday, my dad disconnected my internet cable. He forced me to carry my computer and squat in front of the neighbor¡¯s house the whole day and night! The sun was so hot at noon, it toasted me dry and peeled a layer off of my skin!¡±


    Lin Yuyan¡¯s mouth twitched at his answer. He pushed the drink in front of him and continued chatting with Zhuo Hang.


    During the holiday, the businesses around the school were practically deserted. There wasn¡¯t anyone in the restaurant, only a few scattered tables inside it. Near their table were other boys who attended the same high school as them. They were in the same grade as Lin Yuyan. They had met before, but they weren¡¯t familiar with one another.


    One of the boys at the table mysteriously said, ¡°Guys, guess where I went yesterday?¡±


    One of them casually asked him, ¡°I don¡¯t know. Where did you go yesterday?


    The boy held on to the climax for a bit, then revealed in an impressive manner: ¡°Wenchang Street.¡±


    ¡°Holy sh*t! Really?¡± The boys at the same table weren¡¯t interested earlier, but now all of them leaned over with surprise.


    One of them asked him, ¡°How did you manage to get in there? I thought that place doesn¡¯t allow strangers to enter?


    ¡°Yeah, how did you get in and how did you get out of there alive? We¡¯re not talking to a ghost right now, right?¡±


    Zhuo Hang placed his drink down. He continued to listen with his ears pricked up.


    The boy smugly answered their questions, ¡°I went there with my brother.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± A few people didn¡¯t believe him and curiously asked him, ¡°So, how¡¯s it like in there? Is it like what people said about it in the forums?¡±


    ¡°Just about.¡± The boy stated. He continued on and said, ¡°Actually, it isn¡¯t really that scary. It¡¯s just some ordinary old street. The buildings were a bit old and crowded and it looked like it hadn¡¯t really developed much in the last decade. There were also some shoe repairers around there.¡±


    ¡°Never underestimate the skill to repair shoes okay, who knows, it might just be those big bosses who had retired.¡±


    Lin Yuyan was also curiously listening to the conversation, but he didn¡¯t understand what they were talking about, so he asked Zhuo Hang. ¡°Where¡¯s this Wenchang street they¡¯re talking about?¡±


    Zhuo Hang asked him, ¡°You didn¡¯t know?¡±


    Lin Yuyan shook his head.


    ¡°It makes sense, that place isn¡¯t on the map in the first place anyway.¡± Zhuo Hang mysteriously said to him.


    Wenchang street was located at the northwest corner of Linzhou city. On the map, it appeared as an undeveloped vacant land. A group of people lived there, though most of them were gangsters and thugs. There were also former prisoners who were recently released and thugs and felons who fled from jail.


    Zhuo Hang mysteriously whispered to him, ¡°I heard that the police couldn¡¯t control the people there, life or death, they had nothing to do with the people outside the area.¡±


    Lin Yuyan felt incredulous, ¡°Is there really such a place here in the city? How did the felons escape in the first place? Could they commit more crimes there?¡±


    Zhuo Hang said to him, ¡°Although you could indeed commit crimes there, you shouldn¡¯t forget that the people living on that street are different from soft tofus like us. It isn¡¯t certain who¡¯ll be the cat and mouse after entering that street. You know, last time, I saw a piece of news in the forum. It said that there¡¯s a prisoner who escaped jail for a week. Apparently, he went into hiding on that street. But a week later, he came out and surrendered himself to the police. At that time, he was practically covered in injuries all over his body, and he also had a broken arm.¡±


    ¡°Wait, there¡¯s a forum about that street?¡±


    ¡°Of course there is, but it has to be outside the wall. There are also only about a few dozen members and it¡¯s also expensive and confidential.¡± The boy sitting close to them was still talking to his friends about his trip to the street. Zhuo Hang was eager to try and go there. He wanted to go over to the boy and ask about his expedition to Wancheng street yesterday. High school students liked these kinds of things. The more mysterious they are, the more they yearn to explore it.


    Lin Yuyan asked this buddy of his, ¡°Do you also want to go and have a look inside?¡±


    Zhuo Hang excitedly said, ¡°Of course, my idol lives there!¡±


    Lin Yuyan was dumbfounded, ¡°Your idol is a felon?!¡±


    ¡°How could that be!¡± Zhuo Hang then explained to him, ¡± He¡¯s the local snake (local bully who oppresses the people) on that Wancheng street. You see, his parents died when he was just twelve years old, so he ran to that street to survive.¡±

 CH 5

    Lin Yuyan couldn¡¯t understand why Zhuo Hang would have such an idol. Well, maybe it¡¯s because people would always look up to the strong.


    He placed himself in his buddy¡¯s shoes and thought about it. It was indeed remarkable that he was able to survive in that kind of environment at the young age of twelve.


    ¡°But it doesn¡¯t mean that I want to live in that kind of place just because my male god lives there.¡± Zhuo Hang stated, he continued and said. ¡°I¡¯m just curious. After all, he¡¯s so amazing and everyone wants to meet him.¡±


    Lin Yuyan said, ¡°Since it¡¯s just a rumor, maybe this street doesn¡¯t exist at all?¡± Lin Yuyan never believed that there would still be areas where thugs could run wild in this era, not to mention how dangerous they are.


    Zhuo Hang answered him, ¡°Actually, I¡¯m a little doubtful about it. But, the forum would occasionally post some photos, street fights clips, etc. There¡¯s also that prisoner who got beaten into a pulp with his hands and feet broken which could be found in the news.¡± He took out his phone as he said that. He then opened a few clips and photos to show Lin Yuyan.


    The photo wasn¡¯t anything special. It was just like what the boy next to their table had said, it was an old commercial street that sold everything. There was a pork stall next door that actually sold clothes, very casually as well.


    ¡°That guy said he¡¯s been there just now. Though, I don¡¯t know if it is true or not.¡± He lowered his voice and said, ¡± But if I didn¡¯t guess incorrectly, 80% of it should be nonsense.¡±


    Lin Yuyan asked him, ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because nine out of ten people in the forum said they had been there before, but then the moderator showed up and said that none of it was true.¡± Zhuo Hang frustratingly said, ¡°Although I am curious about it, I don¡¯t dare to find out.¡±


    The group of boys next to their table left after chatting. Lin Yuyan sipped on the straw, taking the last sip of his drink. Acting as if he had just heard a story, Lin Yuyan asked Zhuo Hang, ¡°Do you have any plans this afternoon?¡±


    Zhuo Hang answered him, ¡°Playing games.¡±


    Lin Yuyan knew that he had nothing else in his schedule, so he asked, ¡± Do you want to go to an art exhibition in the West District?¡±


    Zhuo Hang said, ¡°No, watching a drama is good enough. The art exhibition would probably be too boring.¡±


    Lin Yuyan didn¡¯t force him. He took out his phone and looked up the address. After he parted with Zhuo Hang, he took a taxi by himself.


    The west district being the old city district, the construction here had always been slow. There were nail houses and ancient buildings, which weren¡¯t easy to construct. Lin Yuyan had never been here before except for that one time he went to look for Gu Yaoyang and today to see the art exhibition. Since the location of the exhibition was more than ten miles away from the slums and the bar street, Lin Yuyan wasn¡¯t afraid of meeting Gu Yaoyang again.


    When he thought about Gu Yaoyang, he remembered the contrasting painting he saw that night. Lin Yuyan pursed his lips as he passed the gate of the exhibition hall. He stood at the entrance and called the auntie at home, asking her to help contact the community management and install some anti-theft facilities on the wall, making it so that no one could jump inside.


    The painters who held this exhibition were not well known and there weren¡¯t many people who came to this exhibition. Although Lin Yuyan had experienced a setback last night, he still liked painting. Looking at each painting, his mood slowly became better.


    At around five o clock, the gallery closed.


    Lin Yuyan came out of the building and wanted to stop a taxi to return home. But in the middle of the road, he saw an old grandma who was looking around as if she was lost.


    Running towards the grandma, he asked her, ¡°What are you looking for?¡±


    The old grandmother was holding a note in her hand. She handed it to him and asked, ¡°Child, do you know how to get to this place?¡±


    A name of a district was on the note.


    Lin Yuyan was also not familiar with this place. So, he took out his phone and searched up the place and determined a route to go there. He said to the old lady, ¡°I¡¯ll take you there.¡±


    The location of this district was a bit hidden. After reaching the designated location, Lin Yuyan was prompted to plan a new route. He took the old grandmother around to walk a few more laps there before finally sending her to her destination. When he was about to go home, Lin Yuyan found that he was lost.


    There were many alleys around here. The navigation either pointed in the wrong direction or led people to the construction section. He thought for a while and simply decided to not look at it. He chose a small alley at random, intending to walk towards the end, go to a place and ask the driver to come and pick him up.


    As a result, after he walked in the alley he chose for a few minutes, he ran into a group of gangsters in the middle of their fight.


    Well, to be precise. It was four or five people against one.


    And the person they¡¯re currently fighting now was Gu Yaoyang?


    Lin Yuyan took a second to cover his eyes, a sentence popping into his mind.


    Meeting enemies on a narrow road.


    It has been three days in a row. How could he meet Gu Yaoyang wherever he goes?


    Lin Yuyan wanted to leave this place immediately. But looking at the current situation, he stayed for a few seconds. Although he hated Gu Yaoyang, he didn¡¯t want to see him being beaten to death. After all, if he saw a stranger getting beaten up, he would try to help out and even if he couldn¡¯t, he would help them contact the police.


    Lin Yuyan hesitated for a while before hiding behind a locust tree to observe the situation on both sides.


    Gu Yaoyang really knew how to fight. He was able to deal with five people on his own. He even kicked two people down. Lin Yuyan thought for a while. He didn¡¯t know who he would be helping if he actually called the police now. So he placed his phone away, planning to go back from where he came, but unexpectedly, Lin Yuyan met Gu Yaoyang¡¯s gaze.


    Lin Yuyan instantly had a terrible hunch. He found that there was now a smile plastered on Gu Yaoyang¡¯s previously cold face. He panicked and wanted to leave immediately, but it was too late for him.


    Gu Yaoyang threw the enemy in his hands away and dashed towards Lin Yuyan, slamming him onto the ground.


    Lin Yuyan was about to cry. He asked Gu Yaoyang in horror, ¡°What are you doing?!¡±


    Gu Yaoyang gave up all his self-defense. He got hit in the back with a stick as he said to Lin Yuyan, ¡°Saving you.¡±


    Lin Yuyan was even more terrified. He said with a trembling mouth, ¡°What do you mean saving me?! I can run by myself!¡±


    Gu Yaoyang took another hit. He said with the corners of his mouth hooked with a smirk plastered on his face. ¡°Too late. Because of you now, I¡¯m hurt.¡±

 CH 6

    When Shao Zheng arrived, the gangsters surrounding Gu Yaoyang had all fallen to the ground. He wasn¡¯t worried about them at first, but when he saw Gu Yaoyang hanging limply onto Lin Yuyan¡¯s body, he immediately ran over and worriedly asked him, ¡°Is Yaoyang okay?¡±


    Gu Yaouyang kept his eyes shut and remained silent. He asked Lin Yuyan again, ¡°What¡¯s the matter with him?¡±


    Lin Yuyan also recognized Shao Zheng. After all, he had always been beside Gu Yaoyang every time they met. He supported Gu Yaoyang¡¯s body with both his hands before saying, ¡± He- He got beaten twice before fainting.¡±


    Fainted? Shao Zheng¡¯s face darkened. He was about to pick up Gu Yaoyang from Lin Yuyan when he glanced at Gu Yaoyang¡¯s slightly moving fingers and stopped.


    Lin Yuyan asked him, ¡°Are you his friend?¡±


    Shao Zheng answered him, ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Well then, could you take him to the hospital?¡±


    Shao Zheng asked, ¡°How did he get injured? As far as I know, these little fries on the ground aren¡¯t his opponents at all.¡±


    Lin Yuyan didn¡¯t want to admit it, but he still reluctantly answered, ¡°Because he saved me¡­¡±


    Shao Zheng gave an ¡°Oh¡± before saying, ¡°Well, since he got injured saving you, shouldn¡¯t you be the one sending him to the hospital?¡±


    That is indeed the reason why he¡¯s injured¡­ But it¡¯s not like he wanted to get rescued anyways. He got rescued forcibly ah!


    Lin Yuyan couldn¡¯t express just how bitter he was. And he also wasn¡¯t sure if Gu Yaoyang had really fainted or was just pretending for the time being. But getting hit with a stick on the back would have been really painful.


    He thought about it before saying to Shao Zheng, ¡°Then, could you help me call an ambulance?¡±


    Shao Zheng glanced at Gu Yaoyang and said, ¡°There¡¯s no need for an ambulance. He just needs to go home and get some good rest.¡±


    A van was parked at the end of the alley. Once he got inside, he saw a nine or eight-year-old boy sitting at the co-pilot seat. The little boy was a little curious when he saw Lin Yuyan dragging Gu Yaoyang into the car. He looked at the back row as he asked him, ¡°Brother Yaoyang got beaten?¡±


    Shao Zheng told him to fasten his seat belt and sit down. The little boy responded with an ¡°oh¡± and turned his head obediently for a few moments, but ultimately failed to restrain his curiosity. He knelt on the chair as he looked back towards Lin Yuyan and asked him, ¡°What¡¯s your name, big brother?¡¯


    At first, Lin Yuyan was a tad bit nervous. After all, yellow hair didn¡¯t look like a good person, and neither was Gu Yaoyang in his eyes. At this moment, a little child was talking to him, so he felt a lot easier and began introducing himself before asking the little child¡¯s name, ¡°And what¡¯s your name?¡±


    The little boy answered, ¡°My name is Hu Dongdong! Dong as in winter!¡±


    Lin Yuyan grinned as he greeted him.


    Hu Dongdong asked him, ¡± Big brother, are you going home with us?¡±


    Lin Yuyan answered him, ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Really? Great!¡± Hu Dongdong looked very joyful. His little feet swayed very enthusiastically as he said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll take you to buy the roast pork belly from Uncle Zhu! It tastes really delicious and smells so good!¡±


    Lin Yuyan asked him, ¡°Who¡¯s Uncle Zhu?¡±


    Hu Dongdong answered his question, ¡± Uncle Zhu is a meat seller! He¡¯s fat, has a big face like a steamed bun, and he has two dimples. I could squish half of his face with my fingers!


    Before Lin Yuyan could answer the child, Shao Zheng had already scolded him rudely and ordered Hu Dongdong to sit down again.


    Hu Dongdong was unwilling, but he then heard Shao Zheng say, ¡°If you¡¯re not obedient, I¡¯m not gonna take you with me next time I go out.¡±


    Children are most afraid of these kinds of threats, and Hu DongDong was no exception. Soon he unwillingly sat down on his seat.


    The van drove for a while, driving in the city for around 40 minutes. It went further and further away, going through the slum that day and turning at an unrepaired road that was a bit bumpy. Lin Yuyan became nervous once again. He clutched onto Gu Yaoyang¡¯s clothes tightly in an attempt to find some support for himself.


    Fortunately, the road wasn¡¯t long. After passing through, Lin Yuyan saw a wide street with people around.


    Shao Zheng parked the car at the entrance of a small supermarket. First, he took out a couple of boxes from the trunk before carrying Hu Dongdong down the van and letting Lin Yuyan get off of the vehicle.


    Since Gu Yaoyang hadn¡¯t woken up, Lin Yuyan had to help him again. He stood at the center of the street and felt oddly familiar with it.


    He¡¯s sure that he¡¯s never been here before. So, where does this inexplicable feeling of familiarity come from? He looked around the area and saw a butcher¡¯s shop right next to a clothing store. Cold sweat immediately ran down his body. He stuttered as he asked Shao Zheng, ¡°This- Where is this place?¡±


    Shao Zheng led him forward and casually answered him. ¡°Wenchang street.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡±


    Lin Yuyan thought that he had misheard him. That is until Shao Zheng repeated his answer again, frightening Lin Yuyan so much his feet softened, nearly falling to the ground.


    Is that the one Zhuo Hang told him about earlier? That Wenchang Street?


    He was really terrified inside, wanting to turn around and leave immediately. But unfortunately for him, there was still a person hanging onto his body, so Lin Yuyan decided to send him back before leaving immediately.


    He followed Shao Zheng into a large yard. There were six seven-story slab buildings crowded together. Gu Yaoyang lived in one of the buildings on the top floor. When he finally got to the door, Shao Zheng handed him the key before leaving him on his own.


    Lin Yuyan was so exhausted that he was practically out of breath. He hurriedly opened the door and placed Gu Yaoyang on the sofa in the living room.


    Lin Yuyan wanted to drink some water, but unfortunately for him, the owner of the house was still fainted in the living room so he didn¡¯t have his permission to do so. Thus, he also couldn¡¯t casually stroll around the house.


    Gu Yaoyang¡¯s home wasn¡¯t very big. It consisted of one bedroom and living room. The furniture here was all old-fashioned cabinets, it had everything you needed inside and was also very clean. There was a sandbag hanging on top of the balcony and a few pairs of boxing gloves were lying on the ground.


    Lin Yuyan was really thirsty. He weakly sat on the sofa before saying, ¡°Hey, I want to drink.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang didn¡¯t respond, and neither did he open his eyes. But his eyelids moved a little. It was obvious that he was awake.


    Lin Yuyan asked him once again, ¡°Hey, where¡¯s the water?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang remained silent.


    Lin Yuyan frustratingly asked him, ¡°Do you want to dehydrate me to death?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang raised his eyebrows as he slowly opened his eyes. He said to Lin Yuyan, ¡°I¡¯m not called Hey?¡±


    He really was faking it this whole time! Lin Yuyan glared at him.


    ¡°There¡¯s water inside the kitchen, the kettle¡¯s still warm, and the disposable paper cups are in the cabinet.¡±


    Lin Yuyan didn¡¯t rush to argue with him. He hurriedly scampered to the kitchen to fetch some water to drink. After a while, he came out with his mouth wet. There he saw Gu Yaoyang standing up and stretching himself.


    Lin Yuyan said, ¡°Since you¡¯re fine, I¡¯ll go first.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang asked, ¡°So you already knew that I was fine?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not stupid.¡± Lin Yuyan answered him.


    ¡°Then why did you send me back?¡¯


    Lin Yuyan felt helpless as he answered, ¡°If I didn¡¯t send you back, would you be willing to get off of me?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang decisively said, ¡°No.¡±


    Lin Yuyan said, ¡± Well, I had no other choice.¡± He looked at Gu Yaoyang while he thought about it. He then seriously said, ¡°Well, now that I¡¯ve sent you back, could we act like we don¡¯t know each other after this?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change as he remained quiet.


    Lin Yuyan spoke again, ¡°We¡¯re not familiar with each other in the first place. I don¡¯t know why you find me amusing, but I hope you will stop teasing me. I don¡¯t like it.¡±


    ¡°In the future, you won¡¯t go back to school again anyways and I¡¯ll never come to see you again. So, could we be strangers from now on?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang lightly asked him, ¡°These are your thoughts?¡±


    Lin Yuyan nodded, ¡°Well, then, if there¡¯s nothing wrong, I¡¯ll head back now.¡± Lin Yuyan hesitated for a few seconds before finally saying in concern. ¡± Although you didn¡¯t really faint, your back should still hurt, right? You should find someone to apply some medicine for you.¡±


    After he finished speaking, he went out of the room without waiting for Gu Yaoyang¡¯s answer.


    It was already dark by now. Lin Yuyan stood at the door of the building. He took out his phone to call his driver. Then he saw the entertainment info that Zhuo Hang shared with him. He suddenly wanted to say something about it.


    There were indeed felons and thugs who lived here, and they would fight once in a while. Although there were also ordinary people living here, they practically never went out at night. Oftentimes, when they got up early in the morning, they would see the streets filled with blood. Looking from above, it must have been a scary sight.


    Lin Yuyan couldn¡¯t help but nervously gulp at the thought of it. His whole body trembled as his face turned deathly pale. He didn¡¯t know how many terrible things hid in the darkness of the night. Even if the driver came, there would still be danger lurking around. He hurriedly called the auntie at home before quickly scampering upstairs and frantically knocking on Gu Yaoyang¡¯s door.


    Gu Yaoyang didn¡¯t expect him to go out only to return back so soon. He leaned against the door as he hugged his chest and asked, ¡°What?¡±


    Lin Yuyan gave a flattering smile. His eyes bent into crescents as he said, ¡°How about we start being strangers tomorrow? Can I please stay at your house tonight? Please?¡± he dragged out his voice, making it a little long, similar to a child acting coquettishly.


    Gu Yaoyang curled his lips as he asked, ¡°Why?¡±


    Lin Yuyan answered him, ¡± Well, you got injured because of me. So, of course I have to take care of you.¡±

 CH 7

    How could Young Master Lin take care of other people when he couldn¡¯t even take care of himself?


    But once his big talk got out, he had to fulfill it. Gu Yaoyang went to take a bath and told him to go to the kitchen to cook.


    Lin Yuyan had never stepped his foot inside a kitchen his entire life as his aunties would always bring his meals to the dinner table with bowls and chopsticks in hand. If he wanted a particular meal, he could straightforwardly order her to cook it for him.


    It¡¯ll be hard for him to cook on his own.


    But he had eaten pork and had seen the pig run (proverb is often used to describe people who have not experienced things personally , but have heard of it , seen it, and have a little understanding). He can also still recognize basic seasonings such as oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and white sugar.


    Gu Yaoyang¡¯s kitchen wasn¡¯t very spacious. It was just a narrow square with simple kitchen utensils and a small refrigerator with a single door.


    Lin Yuyan walked around inside the kitchen, opened the fridge, and looked inside. There were mainly beers, a few bottles of sealed pickles, and chili sauce. They didn¡¯t look like they were bought from the store, so someone should¡¯ve made it themselves.


    Could it be Gu Yaoyang? Lin Yuyan imagined a scene of Gu Yaoyang cooking and wearing an apron on his body then thought that it was unlikely to be true. There weren¡¯t any vegetables inside the fridge, just tomatoes and a bag of dry noodles.


    The noodles were thin. If Lin Yuyan guessed correctly, he just needed to place them in boiling water to cook them.


    He was afraid that he would be wrong about his guess, so he took his phone out and checked it on the internet. The results were about the same, and he could also add the tomatoes as a topping.


    Lin Yuyan silently snapped his fingers before beginning to cook on his own for the very first time.


    When the water was about to boil, Lin Yuyan realized that he hadn¡¯t cut the tomatoes yet. He hurriedly pulled out a cutting board he found along with a knife for cutting the vegetables and started to busy himself.


    Gu Yaoyang came out of his bathroom after finishing his shower. He didn¡¯t blow dry his hair, merely placed the towel around his neck before going to his bedroom to find a black T-shirt to wear. There was a ¡°ding ding¡± sound coming from the kitchen. It sounded like something had fallen there.


    He frowned before walking over to the kitchen. There he saw Lin Yuyan bending over to pick up a fallen spoon.


    The water inside the pot was already boiling. The noodle soup had lost the tomato toppings because it had long overflowed along with the lid of the pot, flowing all over the ground. Lin Yuyan was about to lift the lid, but Gu Yaoyang was a step ahead of him as he turned off the fire.


    The noodles inside the pot were boiled into lumps, and there was only a little bit of soup since the remaining soup had long been drained. Gu Yaoyang was a little bit disgusted as he asked Lin Yuyan, ¡°Is this for pigs?¡±


    Lin Yuyan whispered as his big eyes darted all around the place, ¡°It¡¯s actually for you.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Gu Yaoyang frowned as he took a step closer to Lin Yuyan, who waved his hand and frantically said, ¡°No, no, no, I didn¡¯t say anything-¡±


    But before Lin Yuyan finished speaking, he abruptly looked as if he had remembered something before he hurriedly hid his hands behind him.


    But he was still a step too late. Gu Yaoyang instantly grabbed his wrist and stretched his left hand out, and saw Lin Yuyan¡¯s bleeding index finger.


    Lin Yuyan wanted to pull his hand back but got dragged by Gu Yaoyang into the living room and was pressed firmly into the sofa.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me that you¡¯re injured?¡± Gu Yaoyang said as he took out a medicine box from the cabinet. Inside the box were iodine, gauze, hemostatic drugs, and some band-aids. It¡¯s as if there was a small pharmacy inside the box.


    Lin Yuyan¡¯s wound wasn¡¯t deep. Gu Yaoyang glanced at him as he disinfected the wound. Lin Yuyan¡¯s face wrinkled, wanting to retreat into the sofa. The disinfectant hurt a little, making him let out a gasp of pain.


    Lin Yuyan seemed to notice the other¡¯s gaze and quickly lowered his head. But because Gu Yaoyang was squatting in front of him, he only needed to lower his head to get a clear look at his face, making Lin Yuyan raise his head in a panic.


    Gu Yaoyang asked, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me that it hurt?¡±


    Lin Yuyan pursed his lips, hesitating for a few seconds before replying, ¡°If I said that, you¡¯re gonna mock me for being squeamish again.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang was stunned. He gently tended to the other¡¯s wound in silence for a few seconds before finally saying two words.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    This time, it was Lin Yuyan¡¯s turn to be stunned. He hurriedly lowered his head and incredulously asked him, ¡± You- What did you just say?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang blankly said to him, ¡± I¡¯m sorry, I shouldn¡¯t have teased you and called you squeamish¡­¡±


    Gu Yaoyang¡¯s attitude towards him abruptly changed, catching Lin Yuyan off guard. Lin Yuyan hurriedly said, ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t matter. I don¡¯t really care about it.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang nodded before lifting Lin Yuyan¡¯s injured finger and helping him to blow on it. Gu Yaoyang asked, ¡°Does it hurt?¡±


    Lin Yuyan was afraid of the pain at first, but getting cut by a knife was even more painful than this. He endured it for a while without daring to say anything about it before finally giving in and aggrievedly saying to Gu Yaoyang, ¡°It hurts¡­¡±


    After he said that, he immediately regretted it. A smile was now plastered on Gu Yaoyang¡¯s former indifferent face. He blew Lin Yuyan¡¯s finger again before saying, ¡°Sure enough, you really are a squeamish bun.¡±

 CH 8

    Gu Yaoyang cooked the dinner the same way he did, but it was still better than his. It was a bowl of white noodles with a little bit of clear soup.


    There wasn¡¯t any topping on the noodles because the only tomatoes he had were wasted away by Lin Yuyan, so he could only make do with this.


    The taste was surprisingly good. Lin Yuyan didn¡¯t know what Gu Yaoyang put inside the soup to make it taste good. When Lin Yuyan was still observing the soup, Gu Yaoyang had already finished eating. Seeing this, Lin Yuyan hurriedly drank the last mouthful of soup before following him.


    ¡°Let me take a look at the injury on your back.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang sat on the sofa. He didn¡¯t respond to Lin Yuyan as he packed the medicine box. Lin Yuyan could see that he would only open his mouth when he wanted to speak and ignore people when he didn¡¯t want to.


    This habit was simply too willful. Lin Yuyan pouted and walked over to the other party and said, ¡°Let¡¯s look at your wound. Your back will definitely hurt after taking those two hits.¡± Gu Yaoyang continued to ignore him. Lin Yuyan hesitated for a bit before seating himself on the sofa and lifting the other¡¯s T-shirt.


    Sure enough, there was a red mark on his back. It was a little bruised, but it shouldn¡¯t be too serious. However, Lin Yuyan was still shocked. Gu Yaoyang had more than one injury on his back. His sturdy back was mottled with scars, some deep, others shallow. One of them seemed to be cut flat. The scar stretched from left to right across his shoulder blades.


    ¡°Pain, is it painful?¡± Lin Yuyan subconsciously asked.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Your injuries on your back.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt.¡±


    Liar, How can it not hurt? The skin on his finger bled, making him feel like he was about to cry in pain, not to mention this deep and long scar. Although it looked like an old wound and should be fine by now, Lin Yuyan couldn¡¯t imagine how painful it must¡¯ve been.


    Without waiting for Gu Yaoyang¡¯s consent, Lin Yuyan brought the medicine box over, found a bottle of blood activating and stasis removing spray, and asked, ¡°Can I spray it for you?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang stared at him for a few seconds, that should be a silent acceptance.


    Lin Yuyan nodded back at him before rolling up the other¡¯s T-shirt and spraying a few times on the spot where he was injured today.


    This should be enough, right? Are there any more steps I need to do?


    The cold sensation on his back stopped. Gu Yaoyang waited for Lin Yuyan to return the spray, but after waiting for a few seconds, there were no movements behind him.


    He turned his head around and found the other party holding onto his mobile phone, earnestly searching for information online.


    After a while, he raised his head and embarrassedly said, ¡°It seems that we¡¯re supposed to use a hot compress first¡­ we did it in the wrong order.¡± After he finished his sentence, he was about to go to the bathroom to find a towel when Gu Yaoyang pulled his clothing down and stood up while saying, ¡°Forget it, this is enough.¡±


    Lin Yuyan asked him, ¡°Is this okay?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang¡¯s eyes met the others suspicious gaze as he indifferently said, ¡°It¡¯ll be fine even if nobody helped.¡±


    At night, Lin Yuyan slept in Gu Yaoyang¡¯s bedroom. There was only a single bed and a wardrobe inside the room. Since Gu Yaoyang only had one bed, Lin Yuyan offered to sleep on the floor using a mattress. The thin cotton mattress on the floor felt very hard. Lin Yuyan couldn¡¯t fall asleep even after tossing and turning around looking for a comfortable position. He was afraid of disturbing Gu Yaoyang¡¯s sleep, so he could only close his eyes and resort to silently counting sheep.


    Lin Yuyan seldom slept outside, traveling didn¡¯t count though. After all, the conditions of the hotels were excellent and the beds were also soft. The only few times the conditions were bad was when he went on the study trips organized by his school. The purpose of the trip was for him to experience a different life, and the bed was also hard there. At that time, he couldn¡¯t sleep either, so he counted up to 10,000 sheep. In the end, he lost count of them and messed up the count.


    When he thought about it now, the hard wooden bed they provided then was quite comfy; they had at least three layers of cushion on the wooden frame. After thinking about it, he ended up falling asleep. He was stupefied to find that the floor didn¡¯t seem to be so hard anymore. It was quite alright. After murmuring two inaudible words, Lin Yuyan turned over before falling into a deep slumber.


    The next morning, Lin Yuyan woke up. He didn¡¯t need to get up so early during summer vacation and he actually wanted to sleep in for a while before remembering that he was at Gu Yaoyang¡¯s home and hurriedly got out of the mattress and got out of the bedroom.


    He sensed something was wrong before coming back inside the bedroom again.


    The cushions on the floor were already rolled up, but the blankets on the bed were scattered about. He slept there all night and didn¡¯t even tidy them.


    Gu Yaoyang wasn¡¯t there. Lin Yuyan didn¡¯t know when he woke up and left. The sun shone through the window. Lin Yuyan looked out of the window and saw that there didn¡¯t seem to be any blood splattered on the quiet street.


    Lin Yuyan only rinsed his mouth and prepared to leave. After thinking for a bit, he still had to leave a message for Gu Yaoyang. He found some paper and pen but before he could finish writing a single word he heard a knock on the door.


    A little boy stood outside. He was holding two skewers of roasted pork belly in his hands as he shouted joyfully, ¡°Big Brother!¡±


    Wasn¡¯t this the little boy he met in the van yesterday, Hu Dongdong


    Lin Yuyan was a little surprised. He squatted down, leveling himself to the other¡¯s height before smiling and greeting the child, ¡°Good morning, Dongdong.¡±


    Hu Dongdong said, ¡°It¡¯s not morning anymore, it¡¯s already half-past ten! Big Brother slept in today!¡±


    Lin Yuyan was a little bit embarrassed as he touched his hair.


    ¡°I got up at eight o¡¯clock today and went to Uncle Zhu¡¯s house to ask him for some roasted pork belly! But he slept in late like Big Brother, so I poked his dimples and woke him up!¡± Said Hu Dongdong as he passed a skewer to him.


    Lin Yuyan took it and asked, ¡°Why did you go there so early?¡±


    Generally speaking, barbecues are normally eaten at noon or night, right?


    ¡°Big Brother Gu Yaoyang said that you¡¯re leaving today. I bought them now because I¡¯m afraid that you won¡¯t be able to eat them before you leave.¡±


    Lin Yuyan was stunned. He didn¡¯t really take yesterday¡¯s promise seriously. He merely thought it was a kid who was only joking around and only mentioned it casually. He couldn¡¯t help but rub his hair apologetically. The roasted pork belly was already cold. He didn¡¯t know how long this child had been waiting for him outside.


    Hu Dongdong said, ¡°Try it, Big Brother! I have a pretty good relationship with Uncle Chu so every time he makes this for me, he¡¯ll always brush two layers of honey on it. It¡¯s so sweet!¡±


    He always went to relatively clean restaurants when he ate outside with his friends. His auntie also told him that street food outside is unsanitary. If he wanted to eat something, he should ask her to make it for him.


    But at this moment, Hu Dongdong¡¯s eyes flashed with some kind of urgency. It¡¯s probably the kind of gaze that was eager to share the things he likes, hoping for other people to like it as well.


    Without thinking any further, Lin Yuyan took a bite.


    It tasted really great. Although it was a little cold, it wasn¡¯t greasy at all.


    Hu Dongdong asked him, ¡°How is it? How is it? Does it taste delicious?¡±


    Lin Yuyan nodded and said with a smile plastered on his face, ¡°It¡¯s delicious.¡±


    ¡°Haha! It tastes great right! I also think it¡¯s delicious!¡± said Hu Dongdong before he ate his own piece of pork belly. ¡°Big Brother, when are you leaving?¡±


    Lin Yuyan answered him, ¡°I¡¯ll be leaving in a while.¡± He then asked Hu Dongdong, ¡°Dongdong, do you know where Gu Yaoyang went?¡±


    Hu Dongdong said, ¡°To catch Xiao Huang (little yellow).¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Lin Yuyan blinked: ¡°Who is Xiao Huang?¡±


    ¡°Xiao Huang is a kitten raised by my grandmother. It was stuck on a tree last night, it couldn¡¯t come down.¡±


    So, Gu Yaoyang left to help a cat?


    Lin Yuyan was a little stunned. He couldn¡¯t think of how he was going to climb a tree. He was curious about it and also wanted to say goodbye to him while he¡¯s at it. Although Gu Yaoyang had a bad personality, he couldn¡¯t be as bad as he thought of him to be. No matter what, he did stay at the other¡¯s house for a night, plus, it was more polite to say goodbye in person.


    ¡°Then where is he?¡±


    Hu Dongdong answered him, ¡°He¡¯s just behind this building, you should be able to find him easily.¡±


    Lin Yuyan wanted to ask Hu Dongdong to lead the way for him, but he couldn¡¯t find Gu Yaoyang¡¯s keys. He was afraid that Gu Yaoyang forgot to take it with him, so he had to entrust Hu Dongdong to watch the door for him.


    As soon as Lin Yuyan left, a man ran upstairs and snatched Hu Dongdong¡¯s roasted pork belly. He left only one piece for the little boy¡­


    Hu Dongdong was so angry that he was about to cry. He yelled at him, ¡°Big Brother Four Eyes!¡±


    The visitor was holding a computer, with black-rimmed glasses and a square face, with a lot of acne scattered all around his face.


    Fang Siyan mischievously laughed. He sat on the doorstep, then turned his laptop on before asking Hu Dongdong. ¡°That person just now, was he brought back by Gu Yaoyang yesterday?¡±


    Hu Dongdong refused to tell him, ¡°I won¡¯t tell you.¡±


    Fang Siyan said, ¡°Five roasted pork belly skewers .¡±


    Hu Dongdong hesitated for a while before saying, ¡°Ten skewers!¡±


    ¡°You little hairy kid, still haggling?¡± Fang Siyan tapped on the keyboard, opening a forum where there were only a few dozen active users. There were not many people, but it was still quite lively.


    ¡°Ten skewers it is then, but you¡¯ll have to answer my questions honestly.¡±


    In the end, Hu Dongdong was still bribed.


    ¡°Yesterday you went to the wholesale market, what happened?¡±


    Hu Dongdong said, ¡°I was in the car, and I saw someone chasing Brother Yaoyang.¡±


    Fang Siyan asked, ¡°How many people? ¡°


    ¡°Five¡±


    Fang Siyan asked, ¡°What about that guy?¡± He was referring to Lin Yuyan.


    ¡°Brother Yaoyang saved that Big Brother.¡±


    Fang Siyan understood and posted a new post on the forum.


    [Wenchang Express]


    The boss went out yesterday and encountered an enemy blocking his road. One person got singled out by eight strong men. He should have retreated, but he got seriously injured in order to save someone¡¯s life. Still, in a coma, it is unclear if he can pass this calamity.


    Immediately someone replied: Who got saved?


    The moderator said: Judging by his clothes, they should be a rich young miss in the city. Short hair, white skin, big eyes, pale pink lips, inlaid with a cute lip bead (the part that sticks out on your lip in the middle), petite body swaying.


    Another thread replied: Young miss? Shouldn¡¯t it be a ¡°her¡±


    The moderator replied: don¡¯t mind the details.


    A follow-up thread said: I went to Wenchang with my brother last week, and it felt very peaceful, just like an ordinary old street.


    Moderator laughing: Ignorance and sin are hidden in darkness. The world would be bright in broad daylight! I suspect you¡¯re not looking in the right place at all! Or you come back to explore at night, but I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯ll be able to return alive.


    A thread asked: My friend also wants to become a forum member, can¡¯t an account be cheaper?


    Moderator: 3000 for one, no bargaining.

 CH 9

    Behind the building was a path that was not too wide, with two rows of poplar trees towering above it.


    Lin Yuyan didn¡¯t have to carefully look for the other party. When he turned into a corner, he saw an elderly grandmother looking up at one of the trees.


    Lin Yuyan walked towards her. He followed her gaze as he raised his head.


    Gu Yaoyang had changed into a new T-shirt, though it was also black in color. He was sitting on a thick branch over ten meters high above the ground. One of his legs was bent, and the other was left to casually hang in the air.


    He was biting onto a gauze as he held a frightened yellow cat in his arms. The yellow cat meowed as Gu Yaoyang examined its injured front leg before bandaging it.


    Lin Yuyan was stunned at this scene. The sight before him was like a colorful ink painting that he could never draw. A blue sky background, surrounded by leaves as the wind blew from the southeast, making the leaves produce a rustling sound as it passed by.


    Grandma Hu was a small woman. She was wearing a cotton blouse as she held her hands up, afraid that the two young ones would fall off the tree, urging them to come down first, ¡°Come down first, come down here and let me see its injury. There¡¯s no need to worry, so get down here first.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang didn¡¯t answer. Instead, he lightly glanced at Lin Yuyan. His gaze wasn¡¯t any different from usual, but Lin Yuyan was a little dazed. It¡¯s as if he didn¡¯t know Gu Yaoyang anymore.


    Excluding their first meeting, he never saw Gu Yaoyang as a good person inside his heart. He was a loner, he hung out with gangsters outside of the school, and he also liked to bully people. But it seemed that Gu Yaoyang¡¯s victim was only him.


    At least in school, he didn¡¯t see how the other party treated other people.


    So, obviously, Lin Yuyan thought that he wasn¡¯t a good person. He even hated him, feared him, wanted to avoid the other party as much as possible.


    But at this moment, he was holding the kitten before placing it on his shoulders. He allowed the frightened kitten to treat him as an enemy as it scratched and bit him, yet still rescued it down the tree before handing it to Grandmother Hu.


    Grandma Hu checked him over first. She made sure that he didn¡¯t suffer any injuries from rescuing the kitten before taking Xiao Huang from him. She coaxed the little kitten while repeatedly thanking Gu Yaoyang for his help.


    Gu Yaoyang patted off the leaves sticking onto his body and remained silent. He walked to Lin Yuyan and asked, ¡°You haven¡¯t left yet?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Lin Yuyan came to his senses and replied, ¡°I was about to say goodbye first before leaving.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang nodded, indicating that he understood.


    ¡°I¡­¡± Lin Yuyan moved the corners of his mouth as if he wanted to say something. But just as his thoughts were at the tip of his tongue, he didn¡¯t know how to say it to him.


    He didn¡¯t know Gu Yaoyang that well before and seemed to have drawn the wrong impression of him inside his mind and felt a little bit guilty about it. But at this moment, Grandma Hu went up to them. She looked over at him curiously as she asked, ¡± Who are you?¡±


    ¡°Hello,¡± Lin Yuyan greeted her politely as he bent down to the older woman before introducing himself, ¡°My name is Lin Yuyan.¡±


    The wrinkle on her face seemed to form a smile. The corners of her eyes looked particularly deep as she continued to ask, ¡°Are you Gu Yaoyang¡¯s friend?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m just his classmate.¡±


    ¡°Classmate?¡± Said Grandmother Hu as she thought out loud. She thought for a bit before asking, ¡°Aren¡¯t they the same?¡±


    Strictly speaking, they aren¡¯t really the same¡­


    But Lin Yuyan understood a few things about elderly people since he often talked to them. In the end, he followed the elder¡¯s wishes and replied with a ¡®yes¡¯


    ¡°Good, it¡¯s good to know that Yaoyang has friends now.¡± Said Grandma Hu as she kindly patted Lin Yuyan¡¯s shoulder before saying to Gu Yaoyang, ¡°I made some pickles a few days ago and they¡¯re all sealed up now. I¡¯ll tell Dongdong to send them to you on another day, you have to remember to eat them.¡±


    Pickles? Lin Yuyan remembered the bottles of chili sauce inside Gu Yaoyang¡¯s refrigerator, was that from Grandma Hu?


    Grandma Hu reminded Gu Yaoyang again, ¡°Don¡¯t always go by yourself,  you haven¡¯t been going to Xiao Ling¡¯s place recently, and no one took care of the meal. If you don¡¯t want to make it yourself, just wait until I¡¯m finished cooking and I¡¯ll tell Dongdong to deliver them to you.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang casually responded with a look as if he didn¡¯t take note of what the elder reminded him.


    Grandma Hu helplessly shook her head before leaving after she finished explaining. She probably had a bad leg looking at how she limped as she left.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang said, ¡°I¡¯ll take you to the intersection. You can¡¯t take a taxi here.¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay.¡±


    On their way to the intersection, neither of them spoke.


    Lin Yuyan attempted to start a conversation as they walked, ¡°The people here seem¡­ to be good people.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Lin Yuyan said, ¡± I heard from Zhuo Hang that this street is a little chaotic.¡± He asked Gu Yaoyang, ¡°Do you know Zhuo Hang? He¡¯s-¡°


    ¡°Your friend.¡± Said Gu Yaoyang as he lit a cigarette. His expression didn¡¯t change as he said that, but the tone he used when he said these two words seemed a little odd.


    ¡°Yeah,¡±  Lin Yuyan didn¡¯t seem to care as he continued, ¡°He told me that this street is quite dangerous but it seemed like he was not entirely correct. It¡¯s pretty calm here and the people I met were all pretty nice.


    For one, Hu Dongdong and Grandma Hu were both very kind and enthusiastic about him.


    Gu Yaoyang asked: ¡°What did he say?¡±


    Lin Yuyan thought for a while before repeating Zhuo Hang¡¯s word¡¯s almost exactly as he said it, ¡°I actually didn¡¯t believe that such a place still exists until now where fighting, killing, and arson can happen. Obviously, these kinds of things would only appear in movies-¡±


    But before he finished speaking, Gu Yaoyang¡¯s expression abruptly changed. He suddenly grabbed his wrist before quickly running away. He was fast. Gu Yaoyang¡¯s legs were slender yet powerful at the same time, just like a nimble leopard. Lin Yuyan had no idea what was happening, so he simply followed behind Gu Yaoyang with some difficulty. He panted as he asked the other party, ¡°What- What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang didn¡¯t answer, but he solemnly said, ¡°Don¡¯t look back.¡±


    Don¡¯t- don¡¯t look back?


    Lin Yuyan had a bad feeling for a split second. Could it be that what Zhuo Hang said was¡­ was true? The fear inside of him nearly made his heart jump out, he closely followed Gu Yaoyang, not daring to relax his guards for even a second. He didn¡¯t know how long he had been running, and his heart felt like it was about to jump straight out of his chest. He was finally dragged into a small alley that could only accommodate two people with how narrow it was.


    Lin Yuyan was so tired that he almost directly sat on the ground. Just as he was about to speak, Gu Yaoyang pressed him against the wall and slightly covered his mouth  with his hands.


    Lin Yuyan was a little scared that they weren¡¯t hiding well enough, so he tugged Gu Yaoyang¡¯s shirt as if he was asking him, ¡®what¡¯s the matter?¡¯


    Gu Yaoyang glanced at the entrance of the alley for a few seconds without making any movements when he suddenly turned his head to face him. He laughed as he whispered to his ear, ¡°He lied to you.¡±

 CH 10

    Th- Then why did he drag him and run?!


    Lin Yuyan jumped in anger. He raised his imaginary hands and tore off the other¡¯s image inside his mind.


    Gu Yaoyang had already gone ahead, leaving him to sit angrily in the small alley near the street.


    It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t want to follow the other, it¡¯s just that he got too tired from running around just now and had to catch his breath.


    Lin Yuyan sat on his knees with a pathetic face, and for the first time in his life, he felt that he had poor physical fitness. It¡¯ll take at least an hour for the driver to arrive. The sun was too hot outside, so he stayed here and waited while furiously scolding Gu Yaoyang in his mind. He could only think about it though, since, after all, he couldn¡¯t beat the other party.


    A ¡°meow,¡± sounded as a kitten slipped inside the narrow alley. Its glossy brown eyes stared at Lin Yuyan.


    Is that Grandma Hu¡¯s cat? Did it run away again?


    Lin Yuyan stretched out his hand toward the cat. The kitten probed him for a while before slowly walking to him. Indeed, The kitten¡¯s front legs were injured, tied up with gauze. A simple bow tie was tied to keep the gauze in place.


    Lin Yuyan silently stared at the bow. He couldn¡¯t understand why Gu Yaoyang was so attentive to a small animal, yet so cruel to him¡­


    ¡°Big Brother Yuyan? Why are you here?¡± At this moment, someone called out to him. Lin Yuyan raised his head and saw Hu DongDong running towards him.


    He didn¡¯t know how to explain to Hu Dongdong how he got here, so he only said, ¡°I¡¯m just here to enjoy the shade.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Hu Dongdong continued to say, ¡°I¡¯m here to look for Xiao Huang! Grandma said that he wanted to find a wife recently, so he¡¯s always running around!¡±


    Lin Yuyan laughed as he handed over the kitten to him. Hu Dongdong didn¡¯t leave, saying that he wanted to accompany Lin Yuyan to enjoy the shade before sitting on a stone on the ground.


    The little boy probably often ran around in the sun. His skin was a little dark, highlighting his pearly clean white teeth as he smiled, which Lin Yuyan found very cute. Lin Yuyan was fond of the little boy. He also liked to chat with him. After talking for a while, he came to the topic of Gu Yaoyang.


    The little bunny had been bullied by him for a long time, and had begun to hold some grudges against the other party. Not just today¡¯s grievance, but also all of his previous ones. He wanted to avoid the other party, but it was useless to avoid him.


    Lin Yuyan asked Hu Dongdong, ¡°Since you know Gu Yaoyang, do you know anything he is afraid of?¡±


    Hu Dongdong tilted his head as he pondered his question before answering, ¡°Big Brother Yaoyang is really strong! I don¡¯t think he has anything he¡¯s afraid of.¡±


    ¡°Then, is there anything he likes?¡±


    Hu Dongdong thought again before blankly saying, ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything he likes in particular. Does smoking count? He always smokes.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Gu Yaoyang likes smoking, but he can¡¯t afford to buy all of the cigarettes in the store, which makes him unable to smoke, right?


    Lin Yuyan felt distressed. Lin Yuyan didn¡¯t know anything about Gu Yaoyang. He didn¡¯t know what the other party liked and disliked, and his weaknesses as well. If he wanted to take his revenge on the other party at this exact moment, then he wouldn¡¯t stand a chance.


    Hu Dongdong said, ¡°If Big Brother wants to know, you can just ask Big Brother Yaoyang in person.¡±


    Lin Yuyan was frustrated as he replied, ¡°He probably won¡¯t tell me.¡±


    ¡°Then you can just follow him every day!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Hu Dongdong explained, ¡°If you want to understand someone, you have to be a part of their lives and buy off their friends!¡±


    ¡°Is this¡­ Is this okay?¡±


    ¡°Well, why not? Otherwise, how can you understand him?¡±


    Lin Yuyan thought about his suggestion for a while before he suddenly stood up and pulled Hu Dongdong in a hug as he excitedly said, ¡°Hu Dongdong, you really are a genius!¡±


    Hu Dongdong giggled as he said, ¡°Big Brother Siyan taught me that and he always bribes me too.¡±


    Before the driver arrived, Lin Yuyan sent him a message, saying that he would not go back home for the time being. After doing so, he followed Hu Dongdong to the small supermarket at the intersection. He bought a few toiletries and a charger before returning to Gu Yaoyang¡¯s house.


    Seeing him return, Gu Yaoyang lightly asked, ¡°Forget something?¡±


    Lin Yuyan held the plastic bags in his hands as he shook his head before flashing a smile to the other party and saying, ¡°Can I please stay at your house for a few more days?¡±


    ¡°Reason?¡±


    Lin Yuyan had already thought about it as he walked back here. He was afraid that the other party wouldn¡¯t agree, so he stepped one foot inside Gu Yaoyang¡¯s house and said, ¡°I saw how you drew very nicely last time, so I want to ask you for some advice.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang snorted before bursting into laughter. He ignored whether the other¡¯s reason was reasonable for him to stay at his house or not and staggered as he let the other person inside.


    Now that he found his excuse, Lin Yuyan earnestly asked for advice. He was a little afraid that Gu Yaoyang didn¡¯t have any drawing paper at home, so he bought some at the small supermarket earlier, but he didn¡¯t have a drawing board¡­


    ¡°Have you learned how to draw before?¡± Lin Yuyan proactively asked.


    Gu Yaoyang stood behind him as he answered, ¡°It took me a few days to learn.¡±


    Lin Yuyan was surprised, ¡°Only a few days?¡±


    ¡°Two or three months.¡±


    Lin Yuyan was a little envious. It was already outstanding that he was able to draw well in a mere two or three months. As for him? He was nothing compared to Gu Yaoyang. For a long time, his progress had been slow, and he always felt self-defeated because of this. He always felt like he was still painting terribly under such good learning conditions, which made him more discouraged.


    He lightly sighed as he fiddled with the blunt pencil using both of his hands, feeling a little bitter.


    ¡°It¡¯s actually pretty simple.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang took the pencil in his hands and took a pencil sharpener from somewhere as he said, ¡°If you can¡¯t draw the Miniature Pinscher yet, try drawing a fawn dog.¡±


    Lin Yuyan lowered his eyes as he dully said, ¡°You¡¯re mocking me again¡­¡±


    Gu Yaoyang bluntly said, ¡°No.¡± He handed him the sharpened pencil after a while before lightly saying, ¡°Fawn dogs are also cute.¡±


    Lin Yuyan probably understood his intentions. Although he didn¡¯t want to admit it, he really wasn¡¯t able to paint the dog.


    Maybe he should draw something else. Would it be better if he tried a new style of drawing? He hesitated for a while before raising his pencil. Just as he was about to draw, his stomach began to growl. He only ate some noodles last night, and he was already hungry.


    He abruptly stood up and asked Gu Yaoyang. ¡°Have you eaten yet?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang answered him, ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll cook.¡±


    ¡°You will?¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Lin Yuyan ran into the kitchen ahead of him and said, ¡°I¡¯ve learned how to cook. There won¡¯t be any problem for me to do it now, after all, I can¡¯t live in your house without doing anything.¡±


    Since he was so eager to cook for him, Gu Yaoyang excused him, letting the other rummage around his kitchen. There weren¡¯t any tomatoes today, no vegetables in the fridge, no kitchen knife, so naturally, he wouldn¡¯t have any chances of hurting his hands. That is, unless he¡¯s an idiot, there won¡¯t be any problem.


    Obviously, Lin Yuyan was quite clever. He came out, holding two bowls of noodles in his hands after spending ten minutes in the kitchen.


    One bowl was placed in front of Gu Yaoyang, and the other was reserved for himself.


    ¡°Try it,¡± he said, looking a little awkward.


    Gu Yaoyang didn¡¯t move.


    He urged him again.


    Gu Yaoyang hesitantly picked up his chopsticks. Lin Yuyan¡¯s eyes flashed as he had an urge to feed the other party himself.


    It wasn¡¯t until Gu Yaoyang dangerously narrowed his eyes that Lin Yuyan realized that his thoughts were shown on his face. He hurriedly lowered his head as he pretended as if nothing had happened.


    But his unusual behavior was still discovered by the other party.


    Gu Yaoyang raised his eyebrows as he thought to himself. He was really pitiful just now, I¡¯ll let him be happy this time.


    He then picked up his chopstick as he took a bite of the noodles.


    Lin Yuyan immediately put on his usual face as he asked with a grin, ¡°So? How¡¯s the food?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Gu Yaoyang swallowed with great difficulty, and said, ¡°It¡¯s so salty.¡±

 CH 11

    It was the first time Lin Yuyan failed miserably in something he did. He had no experience in cooking and made many mistakes. After Gu Yaoyang finished speaking, the lazy smile he had on his face completely destroyed Lin Yuyan¡¯s self-confidence.


    He thought that the other party knew it was a trap meant for him, but who would¡¯ve thought he actually went right in and jumped into it. He held his chest and admired the other¡¯s naive and ridiculous methods.


    Lin Yuyan felt that he was too sure of his success, so he embarrassedly went back into the kitchen and helped him fill a new bowl.


    That night, Lin Yuyan slept in the living room. The small sofa in the room was a curved two-seater with soft cushions,  just enough for one person to lie down on it. Although it was a little narrower, it was much more comfortable than sleeping on the ground. That morning, Lin Yuyan woke up on the bed. He didn¡¯t have to think hard to figure out that it was Gu Yaoyang who had moved him to the bed while he was asleep.


    He already had some guilty conscience from staying over at his place, and he didn¡¯t want to occupy the host¡¯s bed while he was here; that¡¯ll only make him feel more guilty.


    But why did Gu Yaoyang move him to the bed? Was he worried that he wouldn¡¯t sleep well?


    But how could that be¡­ Gu Yaoyang only teased him, and wouldn¡¯t care about him.


    The next day, Lin Yuyan got up early and waited around the bedroom door for a long time, but Gu Yaoyang didn¡¯t come out the whole time he was waiting for him. So, he could only go wash up. He even thought about going back home to grab a few clothing pieces.


    Ah¡­ Lin Yuyan thought that his imagination was quite baffling, was he planning to live there longer?


    At around ten o¡¯clock, Gu Yaoyang woke up once. He didn¡¯t use his phone much and continued to sleep most of the time. He would occasionally glance at Lin Yuyan, but didn¡¯t pay any attention to what he was doing in his house.


    There weren¡¯t any noodles inside the refrigerator. Although Lin Yuyan was very active in helping Gu Yaoyang cook, he didn¡¯t have any ingredients, so he couldn¡¯t do that. He wanted to take Gu Yaoyang out to buy some, but the other obviously didn¡¯t want to go.


    ¡°I can only cook noodles.¡± Gu Yaoyang stated, ¡°How about you?¡±


    Lin Yuyan said, ¡°I¡¯ve¡­ recently learned how to cook noodles.¡±


    ¡°So it isn¡¯t necessary to buy them, it¡¯s also a waste to keep them.¡±


    ¡°But, I also have to eat¡­¡± His stomach growled as he said that. Lin Yuyan eagerly looked at him and said, ¡°Just take me there once and I won¡¯t bother you again next time.¡±


    ¡°Next time?¡± Gu Yaoyang lightly chuckled before asking, ¡°How long do you plan on staying here?¡±


    Lin Yuyan said, ¡°Not long¡­¡±


    Gu Yaoyang remained silent, but he put on a thick coat and followed him out of the door.


    At four or five o¡¯clock, the sun was still high and there were a little bit more pedestrians around. Only then did Lin Yuyan notice that there were mostly old people and children on the street. Though occasionally some young men dressed like Huang Mao would show up that looked like gangsters.


    The place to buy vegetables wasn¡¯t far from the small supermarket. Stalls were lined up there one by one. Lin Yuyan had never bought vegetables before, nor could he choose them. He randomly weighed a few of his favorites and planned to go back and learn how to cook them. He thought that cooking was quite interesting, and was not too much trouble as well.


    Gu Yaoyang didn¡¯t follow him the whole time he was shopping. He mostly told him the location and stood waiting in the distance. When he came back with a few vegetables and planned to go home, Lin Yuyan ran to the butcher shop on the street again and wanted to buy a piece of lean meat.


    Although the difficulty of cooking was a bit big and wasn¡¯t at his level, he still wanted to try and cook it.


    After calling the boss over, a tall and stout, brawny man came out. The boss looked very fierce, especially with the horizontal scar on his forehead. He threw a machete onto the oil-coated chopping board and asked, ¡°How much?¡±


    Lin Yuyan was a little intimidated and turned his head to glance at Gu Yaoyang. Seeing that he wasn¡¯t far away from him, he confidently said, ¡°Enough for two people to eat.¡±


    The boss took out the toothpick in his mouth before slicing some meat with a knife. Without weighing it, he directly threw the meat to Lin Yuyan.


    Lin Yuyan quietly said, ¡°Yes, this is¡­ a little too much.¡±


    The boss fiercely said to him, ¡°What¡¯s too much? This is enough.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Lin Yuyan was instantly relieved, he didn¡¯t dare to refute the butcher so he directly asked for the price, ¡°Then, how much does this cost?¡±


    The boss glanced at him before throwing his knife aside and harshly said, ¡°I¡¯ll give it to you for free.¡±


    Give, give it to me? For free?


    Lin Yuyan hurriedly waved his hand, feeling that it was inappropriate, but the boss slightly frowned. The scar on his face contorted as it followed. Lin Yuyan became frightened, so he didn¡¯t dare to forcibly give the other party his money. He quickly rushed to Gu Yaoyang, handed the meat to him, and said, ¡°The, the boss doesn¡¯t want the money.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang was happy as he replied, ¡°Since he doesn¡¯t want the money, then we won¡¯t pay him.¡±


    Lin Yuyan worriedly said, ¡°But wouldn¡¯t that be bad?¡±


    ¡°Then you can return this to him.¡±


    Lin Yuyan carefully looked back and saw the boss was still there, standing by the door. He hurriedly took Gu Yaoyang¡¯s wrist as he walked, ¡°Well, that¡¯s fine then. He has my thanks.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang glanced at the back of Lin Yuyan¡¯s fair hand. He smiled imperceptibly as he said, ¡± Didn¡¯t you feel powerful when you poisoned me earlier? Why are you afraid now?¡±


    Lin Yuyan muttered in a low voice, ¡°I¡¯m not afraid.¡± and continued to say, ¡°And don¡¯t wrong a good person, just when did I poison you?¡±


    ¡°Adding more salt is also poisoning.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re talking nonsense, it¡¯s your fault for dragging me to run all over the streets, it made my legs hurt.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang replied, ¡°Have you ever taken a PE class? It wasn¡¯t even 800 meters in total.¡±


    Lin Yuyan said, ¡°Isn¡¯t 800 meters far? I was practically running out of breath.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang mocked him, ¡°Squeamish sack.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Lin Yuyan retorted with no confidence, ¡°I¡¯m not.¡±


    With the ingredients now available, Lin Yuyan searched for the recipe on his phone. He placed his phone on the cupboard and followed it step by step. Gu Yaoyang had no plans of helping him. When Lin Yuyan clumsily finished chopping the vegetables, Gu Yaoyang answered a phone call and left. He should be on the balcony as he could vaguely hear his voice from there.


    Lin Yuyan wanted to secretly eavesdrop, but Gu Yaoyang didn¡¯t say anything except for, ¡°En,¡± and, ¡°Ah.¡± After a few minutes, he hung up and went to his bedroom.


    Even when he was at his home, they didn¡¯t spend much time together.


    If this was the case, then even if he lived here for half a year, he wouldn¡¯t necessarily find out much about Gu Yaoyang. After he thought about it, Lin Yuyan became a little distracted. During this period, he forgot whether he followed the steps written in the recipe. When he regained his senses, he had already served the dish. Seeing how it didn¡¯t look bad, he nodded in satisfaction and resumed cooking the next dish.


    After busying himself for 40 minutes, he only cooked two plates of vegetables. He didn¡¯t dare to cook the meat he had gotten for free. He wanted to test the waters first and planned to cook it tomorrow.


    Today¡¯s Lin Yuyan was much more sincere. He handed the chopsticks to Gu Yaoyang, a look of anticipation and nervousness was plastered on his face. It was as if he was waiting for the final judgment.


    Gu Yaoyang was very cooperative and tried both dishes. He chewed slowly, making Lin Yuyan unable to wait any longer before finally nodding and saying, ¡°Good, it¡¯s very delicious.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Lin Yuyan immediately became pleased with his review. He placed a green vegetable in his mouth and chewed on it twice. A ¡°Click.¡± sounded as his chopsticks mercilessly fell onto the table.


    Lin Yuyan was stunned, his tears were practically forced out by the salty taste in his mouth as he blankly said, ¡°You¡­ Didn¡¯t you say it was delicious?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang leaned on the back of his chair, took a cup of warm water, and took a sip before sincerely saying, ¡°I think it¡¯s delicious.¡±

 CH 12

    Only one of the two dishes was barely edible for them to eat, and the remaining one was really unbearable. Fortunately, Lin Yuyan didn¡¯t cook too many ingredients and didn¡¯t waste too much food. Eating it with rice was still pretty bearable for him.


    Gu Yaoyang finished his meal before him. He took his tableware and went into the kitchen to wash it. He then went into the bathroom to wash his hands, it seemed like he was planning to go somewhere.


    Lin Yuyan stood up and asked him, ¡°Are you going out?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang changed his shoes and opened the door before responding to his question.


    ¡°Can I come?¡± Lin Yuyan also wanted to change his shoes to go out. The slippers on his feet were newly bought. They had plastic soles and were a bit too stubby and small for him to wear.


    Gu Yaoyang bluntly said, ¡°No.¡±


    Lin Yuyan asked him, ¡°Why? Do you have anything important you need to do? If you¡¯re only going out for a walk, I could accompany you-¡°


    ¡°I said no.¡± But before he could finish his words, Gu Yaoyang rejected him again while he glanced at him. His eyes were firm and indisputable, and his tone was cold and emotionless as he talked.


    Lin Yuyan was stunned. He looked at his departing figure downstairs, not daring to follow the other any longer.


    Strictly speaking, although Gu Yaoyang liked to tease him, he had never hurt him. Let alone hurting him, Gu Yaoyang hasn¡¯t even humiliated and embarrassed him too much in public.


    So all this time, Lin Yuyan only thought that the other was annoying. He never thought that the other was dangerous or even dreadful.


    Before vacation, the teacher had asked him to deliver a letter to him. Although he was very reluctant to do so, he still did it in the end. Although he got timid when he saw the fierce-looking uncle who sold meat, when he looked back and saw Gu Yaoyang standing behind him, he thought that there was nothing to be scared about.


    This was the first and only time so far that the carefreeness in his eyes disappeared and got replaced by a fierce gaze that he had never seen before.


    Lin Yuyan felt a little regretful. Just as he was about to close the door, he saw a figure dashing upstairs. This person wore black-rimmed glasses on his face and went up and greeted him.


    Lin Yuyan said, ¡°You¡¯re¡­¡±


    The person wearing black-rimmed glasses introduced himself, ¡°My surname is Fang, and my full name is Fang Jie.¡±


    Lin Yuyan greeted him, ¡°Hello,¡± before asking the other party, ¡°Are you looking for Gu Yaoyang? He had just left.¡±


    Fang Jie looked a bit messy with some stubble on his face, it was as if he hadn¡¯t shaved for a few days. He quickly said, ¡°No, no, no. I¡¯m here to look for you.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡±


    Fang Jie got straight to the point and bluntly said, ¡°I know your name and why you¡¯re here.¡±


    Lin Yuyan cautiously asked him, ¡°You, how do you know?¡±


    Fang Jie smiled as he answered, ¡°Hu Dongdong told me about it.¡±


    Lin Yuyan was stunned, ¡°Dong¡­ Dongdong? He, how did you get him to tell you?¡±


    Fang Jie didn¡¯t hide anything from him as he bluntly answered, ¡°Oh, that greedy little cat? I only needed to give him a few skewers of roasted pork belly for him to spill out any secrets he knew.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Lin Yuyan carefully scrutinized him for a while before uncertainly asking, ¡°Are you the four-eyed brother Dongdong told me about?¡±


    ¡°Yep, that¡¯s me. So, what will it be? Do you want to follow Gu Yaoyang?¡± Fang Jie carried a computer on his back as he cautiously looked downstairs. It¡¯s as if he was afraid that Gu Yaoyang would suddenly return and catch him in the act.


    Of course, Lin Yuyan wanted to follow him. After all, Gu Yaoyang rarely went out, so he would definitely make new discoveries about the other if he followed him.


    ¡°But he said¡­ not to follow him.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you being too obedient?¡± Fang Jie frowned as he continued, ¡°Do you really want to get to know him?¡±


    ¡°Of course I do.¡±


    ¡°Then learn to be flexible. For one, I happen to know where he¡¯s going. I¡¯ll take you there.¡±


    Lin Yuyan asked him inexplicably, ¡°Why are you taking me there?¡±


    Fang Jie patted his shoulders as he casually said, ¡°Since you¡¯ve moved here, you¡¯re a buddy of mine. Besides, everyone living here helps each other out.¡±


    At around 8 o¡¯clock at night, Wenchang street became empty, though a few shops were still open. The lights were dim and there were no customers inside them.


    Although what Zhuo Hong said to him wasn¡¯t true, Lin Yuyan was still a bit curious about this street. After all, when you search for it on a map, it¡¯s shown as an open space.


    Fang Jie owned a car. It was an old car that looked like it got passed on to him after seven or eight owners, and it often made squeaking noises when he drove it, though the seatbelt was still in good condition.  There were no street lights in the long street of Wenchang, it was like an abandoned city.


    Lin Yuyan asked him why he was doing this.


    Fang Jie answered him, ¡°It¡¯s because the folks here don¡¯t go out here often to take care of themselves.¡± He glanced at him again and felt his doubts, but it looked like he didn¡¯t give a shit as he asked him, ¡°What do you think about Hu Dongdong?¡±


    Lin Yuyan answered him, ¡°He¡¯s very cute.¡±


    ¡°What about Grandma Hu? Have you met her?¡±


    ¡°En, she¡¯s a very kind old woman.¡±


    Fang Jie lit a cigarette as he said, ¡°But before they came here, they were begging for food on the streets.¡±


    ¡°Beg- begging?¡± The word felt foreign to Lin Yuyan, he hurriedly asked, ¡°But what about Hu Dongdong¡¯s parents?¡±


    Fang Jie answered him, ¡°They¡¯re in jail for scamming.¡±


    Lin Yuyang was stunned, he didn¡¯t know what to say for a moment.


    ¡°Don¡¯t hate the people here after I say this, but the folks who live in this street are more or less related to these things. Some of them got dragged down by their children, and some came out of jail. There¡¯s too much gossip outside. Not many people are willing to believe that they can correct their mistakes and be a better person.¡±


    ¡°Then, what about Gu Yaoyang¡­?¡±


    ¡°Him? Oh, he¡¯s different.¡± Fang Jie breathed out a ring of smoke as he recalled a memory, ¡°He was cut down before getting thrown on the side of the road.¡±


    Lin Yuyan suddenly remembered the scar on Gu Yaoyang¡¯s back as he asked in a daze, ¡°Why, why was he thrown on the side of the road?¡±


    Fang Jie answered him, ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m also curious about it.¡± He then put out the cigarette butts he smoked and threw them out of the window. He drove for another 40 or so minutes before stopping.


    Lin Yuyan got out of the car and found that the place in front of him seemed very familiar. He never thought that it would be the bar street where he met Gu Yaoyang on his first day of vacation.


    Fang Jie led him through the noisy crowd and got into a hidden alley. There was a small shop with no signs or customers. The furnishings inside the shop were like an ordinary coffee shop, which made Lin Yuyan relax a lot.


    The bartender asked for his age before letting him in. Fang Jie seemed to know the people inside this store very well.


    The bartender nodded and held up his five fingers.


    Fang Jie said, ¡°Fifty thousand?¡±


    The bartender smacked his lips and whispered, ¡°Five million.¡±


    ¡°D*mn!!¡± Fang Jie was shocked, ¡°Which second generation could save up this much money?¡±


    The bartender replied, ¡°I don¡¯t know, but there are a lot of people signing up now. It¡¯s estimated that the arena on the second floor will be opened.¡±


    Fang Jie said, ¡°Five million is a sky-high price.¡± Then he gossiped, ¡°Is Yaoyang going to participate this time?¡±


    The bartender shrugged as he answered, ¡°Sister Ling thinks so, but Brother Xiao Yang ignored her.¡±


    Fang Jie asked him, ¡°Then why did he come here today?¡±


    The bartender handed him an elevator card as he replied, ¡°There are many people who have signed up this time, and it¡¯ll get messy below. The competition hasn¡¯t even started yet, but I¡¯ve already beaten a few of the rowdy ones earlier. Sister Ling called him to come and keep a watch, but told him to not beat all of them up. Or else, what will the audience be watching?¡±


    Fang Jie took the card and thanked the bartender before taking Lin Yuyan into the elevator.


    Although Lin Yuyan listened for a while, he didn¡¯t really understand what they were talking about. He only knew that there might be a match here, and he was a little curious about it.


    The elevator didn¡¯t go up, instead, it went down to the second basement floor.


    When he came out, Fang Jie seemed to remember something and stopped him as he asked, ¡°You.. What hobbies do you have?¡±


    Lin Yuyan answered him, ¡°I like to draw.¡±


    ¡°Well..¡± Fang Jie pondered for a moment before asking again, ¡°Anything else?¡±


    Lin Yuyan said, ¡°Reading books?¡±


    Fang Jie said, ¡°Anything else? Like¡­ fighting?¡±


    Lin Yuyan shook his head. That was too violent for him, he didn¡¯t like it.


    Fang Jie coughed a little unnaturally before saying, ¡°Then if you see something you can¡¯t stand, you can wait for me at the elevator.¡±


    ¡°What about Gu Yaoyang?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s either in B1 or B2, I¡¯ll look for him first.¡±


    Lin Yuyan nodded and followed behind him.


    Compared to the floor above, this place was more spacious. The bar counter and wine cabinets had everything you needed. There weren¡¯t any messy lights and there weren¡¯t even any guests. There were two closed doors in front of it. Fang Jie pushed the doors gently, and in an instant, the sound of a messy and harsh fight penetrated his eardrums.


    Lin Yuyan didn¡¯t dare to take a step forward, but he saw a man covered in blood laying on the ground. His entire face was swollen, and he lost a few of his teeth. He tried to get up, but it seemed like his bones were broken.


    Lin Yuyan was completely shocked. He¡¯d never seen such a scene before. He wanted to leave, but he couldn¡¯t move his legs. The man seemed to see the door opening, and with all his might, he dashed out from the inside, but he was so severely injured that he fell down in front of Lin Yuyan¡¯s feet in a daze. He grabbed his ankles tightly and kept muttering, ¡°I can¡¯t compete- let me go¡­ please let me go¡­¡±


    He was surprisingly strong. His hands, which were covered in blood, slowly went up to Lin Yuyan¡¯s legs.


    Lin Yuyan couldn¡¯t break free from his grip, and his eyes went red with fright. He was a timid person and had never seen such a scene before. His whole body shook like a sieve and he stayed quiet in fright.


    ¡°Lin Yuyan!¡±


    Suddenly, someone called his name.


    He hurriedly raised his head and saw Gu Yaoyang standing in the distance, he eagerly stretched his hand towards the other as he shouted ¡°Gu-¡°


    But before he could finish his words, the grip on his feet vanished. Gu Yaoyang caught his arms, pushed the person on his feet away, pulled him into his arms, and frowned as he said, ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you not to follow me?¡±


    ¡°Did you think I was joking?¡±

 CH 13

    Chapter 13


    Lin Yuyan knew that he was wrong, but when he wanted to find Fang Jie, the other was nowhere to be seen.


    In the end, it was he who wanted to come here. It was no wonder that he encountered this kind of situation, but he didn¡¯t expect that the game they were talking about was related to a black market boxing match.


    Lin Yuyan had heard about this match. It was rumored that the contestants would fight freely without any rules and it was a match that could kill people without paying them for their lives.


    Most of them are games saved for the rich, and they were not games where it is publicly announced for participattion. Lin Yuyan didn¡¯t understand why anyone would like to watch these kinds of matches, it was even more brutal than a deathmatch set in a colosseum.


    Gu Yaoyang took him to a lounge. He leaned against the wall and remained silent.


    Both of his hands were wrapped in professional protective bandages. Gu Yaoyang¡¯s eyes were lowered and Lin Yuyan couldn¡¯t tell what was on his mind.


    Lin Yuyan calmed down, it all happened so suddenly, and he was caught unprepared. He secretly peeked at Gu Yaoyang and stayed quiet.


    He remembered that there was a sandbag at Gu Yaoyang¡¯s house hanging on the balcony. He thought that he was only using it to temper his body, but it seems that he wasn¡¯t just using it for that.


    At this moment, somebody opened the door.


    A woman wearing a long black dress walked inside. She first glanced at Gu Yaoyang before noticing Lin Yuyan sitting on the sofa. She said in surprise, ¡°Yo, isn¡¯t this the handsome guy I met a few days ago?¡±


    Lin Yuyan immediately stood up. The woman¡¯s bright red lips and black curly hair made him recall where they had first met. Now, carefully scrutinizing the other under the light of the lamp, she looked to be around thirty years old.


    ¡°You- Hello¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, now aren¡¯t you polite.¡± She walked over and wanted to poke Lin Yuyan¡¯s face but met with Gu Yaoyang¡¯s gaze. She put her hand down in embarrassment before saying with a smile, ¡°You can call me Sister Ling.¡±


    Before Lin Yuyan could reply, Gu Yaoyang walked over and said, ¡°Go back.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡°Go back now. Go back with whoever you came here with.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang was stern and didn¡¯t want to say more. Lin Yuyan had no choice but to purse his lips and nod before silently walking out of the lounge.


    There were only two people left in the lounge.


    Gu Yaoyang asked Sister Ling, ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    Sister Ling found a place to sit down and poured a glass of water before replying, ¡°This is my place, why can¡¯t I come?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s you,¡± Sister Ling sharply said as she turned around and faced him. Her expression became stern as she said, ¡°What do you want to do? You don¡¯t want to fight in the arena, don¡¯t want to sign up for a career, and we still let you go to school and meet some normal peers. Do you even know there the gate of the school campus opens?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang lazily replied to her, ¡°It¡¯s all open in the south, east, north, and west.¡±


    Sister Ling angrily laughed before turning her phone on and saying, ¡°You¡¯ll be eighteen in a week, do you really plan to live in such a messy way?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang lit a cigarette and replied, ¡°Otherwise? I¡¯m a dead person. How do you want me to live my life in a worthwhile way?¡±


    Sister Ling looked at him for a while and tried to advise him, ¡°The past is over and it¡¯s useless to hold on to it in your mind. You¡¯ll have to live a new life okay? I¡¯d thought you¡¯d figure it out in the past two years, yet you didn¡¯t work hard in anything. And now¡­¡±


    Gu Yaoyang didn¡¯t let her finish her sentence and cocked his chin, indicating for her to leave.


    Whose territory is this? Sister Ling rolled her eyes as she got up and left. Gu Yaoyang was now left alone in the lounge, standing still in his spot for a long time.


    At around four or five o clock in the morning, the noisy street bar finally quieted down. The midsummer sky was already bright and the shining sun was hidden among the thin clouds, it shined hazily and was not too dazzling.


    Gu Yaoyang came out of the elevator and happened to meet a service staff who was cleaning on his way. The other greeted him politely, ¡°Brother Yang.¡±


    He pointed at a table leaning on the wall.


    There was a person lying on the table, their head was slumped into their arms, it looks like they were asleep.


    Gu Yaoyang quietly watched the other for a few seconds before walking over.


    The boy seemed to be dreaming. He was slightly frowning and mumbled something under his breath.


    The first time they met was under the overpass near the school. At that time, before Gu Yaoyang could even see what the other looked like, he was already dragged around and ran over a dozen meters while being told to not be afraid. They were all covered in sweat and the other looked like he was panicking.


    The expression he had at that time was very interesting. It was the first time Gu Yaoyang saw this kind of thing. He was really curious to know what this person was thinking about to try and ¡®save¡¯ him when he himself was so scared.


    No one had ever rescued him after all, this person was the first person to do it.


    The more he got to know him, the more amusing he found the other to be. Turns out, he was a very timid guy, like a timid bunny with red eyes. He was obviously a young master from a rich family but he didn¡¯t act arrogantly at all, except for being squeamish, there doesn¡¯t seem to be anything bad about him.


    Gu Yaoyang pulled a chair and sat down, his eyes were downcast as he waited for the other to wake up.


    Half an hour later, Lin Yuyan opened his eyes in a daze and saw Gu Yaoyang sitting in front of him. Recalling what had happened yesterday, Lin Yuyan vaguely asked him, ¡°Are you off work?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang didn¡¯t answer his question, instead, he asked Lin Yuyan, ¡°Do you like sleeping on the floor, sofa, and table?¡±


    Lin Yuyan answered him, ¡°No, I don¡¯t¡±


    ¡°Then why were you sleeping here? Where¡¯s Fang Jie?¡±


    ¡°He went back.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to go back with him? Why didn¡¯t you leave?¡±


    Lin Yuyan hesitated for a while before answering him, ¡°I¡­ I wanted to apologize to you.¡±


    ¡°Apologize?¡±


    Lin Yuyan said, ¡°For not listening to you and following you secretly¡­ And for seeing things I shouldn¡¯t see..¡±  He knew that the black market boxing match was a secret and Gu Yaoyang wouldn¡¯t want other people to know about it.


    Gu Yaoyang frowned and asked, ¡°So you stayed here all night?¡±


    Lin Yuyan said, ¡°Yeah¡­ I didn¡¯t know when you were going home, so I wanted to wait for you here.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang asked him, ¡°Are you an idiot?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Lin Yuyan lowered his head as he continued, ¡°It¡¯s my fault for coming here yesterday, I¡¯m sorry for that.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ just wanted to get to know you¡­¡± Lin Yuyan hurriedly said before suddenly regretting it, but it was too late for him to take it back.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Gu Yaoyang abruptly approached him and asked him in a teasing tone, ¡°Want to get to know me? Could it be that¡­ you have some unspeakable thought about me?¡±


    Lin Yuyan hurriedly waved his hand as he said, ¡°No, no, no, we¡¯re all boys, what unspeakable thoughts would I have about you?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang was stunned for a while but his expression remained unchanged. He leaned back on his chair and slightly tapped his finger on the table as he asked, ¡°Then why?¡±


    Lin Yuyan hesitated for a few seconds before saying a half-truth,  ¡°It¡¯s because you¡¯re always teasing me and I want to know why.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    Oh?!


    Lin Yuyan said, ¡°I¡¯ve just asked you directly, can¡¯t you explain why?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang answered him, ¡°Do you need a reason?¡±


    ¡°Why not? Like if a person hates someone, they need a reason for them to hate that person.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s necessary.¡± Gu Yaoyang lightly replied before standing up and asking him, ¡°Are you coming?¡±


    Lin Yuyan said that he was coming, but then he took two steps before his legs froze. He had laid there all night, making his whole body numb.


    Gu Yaoyang waited for Lin Yuyan for a while. When he saw the other dawdling behind him he casually stretched his wrist and carried him on his back.


    Lin Yuyan was shocked and hurriedly said, ¡°I can walk myself.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang told him to shut up. He struggled a few times but didn¡¯t dare to move.


    Firstly, he was afraid that Gu Yaoyang would accidentally drop him and second, he was afraid that he¡¯d increase his weight if he moved around.


    Gu Yaoyang looked tall and thin, but he had a wide back. He didn¡¯t notice before but there was a small mole in his left ear, and today he also had an inconspicuous piercing inserted.


    ¡°Gu¡­ Gu Yaoyang,¡± Lin Yuyan gently shook his legs that were feeling a little better and asked in a low voice, ¡°You¡­ Have you played that game before?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang knew what he was asking about, ¡°I have played before.¡±


    ¡°Ah, to make money?¡±


    ¡°Otherwise?¡± Gu Yaoyang asked him, ¡± Do you think I¡¯d play for fun?¡±


    That¡¯s right, Lin Yuyan asked him, ¡°Then, why aren¡¯t you fighting now?¡±


    ¡°En.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you short on money now?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s mainly because I¡¯m afraid of death.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± He seemed to find something in common between the two of them as he leaned into his ear and excitedly said, ¡°You¡¯re also afraid of death?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang stopped in his tracks and turned his head around to glance at him. Worried that he couldn¡¯t see him clearly, he tilted his head and met the other¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid?¡± Gu Yaoyang asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid of death too!¡± Lin Yuyan said before laughing suddenly. His mouth stretched into a grin and his eyes were curved, it was like the warm sun emerging from the clouds.


    Gu Yaoyang didn¡¯t say anything and turned his back on him before walking towards a huge trash can in the distance.


    Lin Yuyan stopped laughing for a moment and tightly clung to his shoulders before asking in a panic, ¡°You¡­ What are you doing?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang raised his eyebrows before saying in a deep voice, ¡°Can¡¯t you tell? Of course I¡¯m gonna throw you in there.¡±

 CH 14

    Chapter 14


    After hearing his words, Lin Yuyan immediately begged for mercy. He even said a few nice words to escape this disaster.


    Shao Zheng¡¯s van stopped at the intersection near them. He opened the car door and prepared to go out when he saw this scene in front of him, making him slip and nearly fall butt-first to the ground.


    ¡°You- Why are you here?¡± Let alone getting carried by Gu Yaoyang, he didn¡¯t even expect Lin Yuyan to be here. Could he be ¡°injured?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang bluntly said, ¡°No.¡± He placed the young man on the ground, letting him walk on his own before getting on the van.


    Lin Yuyan was a little embarrassed and didn¡¯t explain too much. He obediently walked over and said to Shao Zheng, ¡°Thank you.¡± before getting into the car together.


    He¡­ hasn¡¯t left yet? Shao Zheng was puzzled as he held the steering wheel and looked at them through the rearview mirror.


    Gu Yaoyang slept in the back of the car with Lin Yuyang sitting next to him. Shao Zheng grimaced. He didn¡¯t dare to openly look, so he only sneakily glanced at them. Maybe he looked at them too obviously, because Gu Yaoyang opened his eyes and stared at him. He immediately turned his head around and looked at the window, watching the scenery outside.


    But what freaking scenery is even outside for him to see? It was just a shantytown that got demolished not long ago because a car ran over it with yellow sandy soil as far as one can see.


    ¡°Yaoyang.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Shao Zheng saw that Gu Yaoyang was awake and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to Uncle Zhou¡¯s later to fix something for him, do you wanna come?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang casually replied with an affirmative, ¡°En.¡±


    Shao Zheng glanced at Lin Yuyan who had pricked up his ears as he listened to their conversation and asked, ¡°Is he going too?¡±


    Lin Yuyan immediately replied, ¡°I¡¯m going!¡±


    Gu Yaoyang chuckled as he asked, ¡°What are you? My follower?¡±


    Lin Yuyan snorted twice, not wanting to admit it, but unfortunately, his current behavior was indeed quite similar to one.


    Uncle Zhou didn¡¯t seem to live on Wenchang street, as his place was even more remote than Wechang street. In fact, it was almost in the suburbs. The van drove through an abandoned train lane before stopping at a tree-lined road, a few dozen meters away.


    At ten o clock in the morning, the sky was getting hot again, and the tree around them made a ¡°Zhili zhili¡¯ sound as the wind blew around them, making the temperature quite chilly. Shao Zheng took out a toolbox from the car before stepping on the steps in front of him.


    The steps weren¡¯t too wide, with simple self-built installations on both sides. Uncle Zhou¡¯s house was on the left side. There was a bamboo and rattan chair near Uncle Zhou¡¯s red-painted door with more than a dozen potted flowers next to those chairs.


    Shao Zheng knocked on the door. After waiting for a few minutes, an old man in a wheelchair came and opened the door.


    ¡°So early today.¡± Said the old man as he glanced at Shao Zheng before turning his head and seeing Gu Yaoyang. He seemed a little surprised and said with a smile, ¡°Yaoyang is here too?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang nodded before lightly saying, ¡°To see if you can walk.¡±


    Uncle Zhou¡¯s trousers were both empty. After hearing what Gu Yaoyang said, the joy in his eyes vanished before he unwillingly turned his wheelchair and went away.


    Shao Zheng coughed and stepped into the room first. Lin Yuyan blinked before following behind Gu Yaoyang and entering the room together.


    Uncle Zhou¡¯s house was a bit special. It wasn¡¯t big, but it was full of plants and potted flowers, especially sunflowers. There were many plants that Lin Yuyan didn¡¯t recognize here.


    The light in Uncle Zhou¡¯s house was broken and his water pipe was also blocked. Shao Zheng went to fix the water pipe while Gu Yaoyang replaced the broken lightbulb. He picked up a chair and placed it down before standing on it and unscrewing the lightbulb.


    Lin Yuyan couldn¡¯t help them, so he squatted among the flowers as he looked at him, still thinking that he should be a good person.


    ¡°Drink some tea.¡± Said Uncle Zhou as he turned his wheelchair over and handed him a cup of fragrant flower tea.


    Lin Yuyan quickly thanked him and sat down on the small bench that Uncle Zhou had handed over.


    ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve seen you.¡± Uncle Zhou looked like he was in his fifties, but his face had many wrinkles. His eyes were sunken in his eyebags, his hands were rough, but he had a refined temperament. He asked. ¡°Are you Yaoyang¡¯s friend?¡±


    Lin Yuyan was worried that he¡¯d repeat Grandma Hu¡¯s situation, so he directly nodded and introduced himself with a smile.


    Uncle Zhou seemed relieved as he said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s rare for Yaoyang to make new friends.¡±


    This sentence sounded familiar, Grandma Hu had also seemed to say this to him.


    Lin Yuyan inexplicably asked, ¡°Why¡­ is it rare?¡±


    Uncle Zhou stayed silent as he basked in the sun with him for a while. His eyes were fixed on Gu Yaoyang and he looked as if he was remembering something.


    He said that it was around five or six years ago. At that time, Gu Yaoyang was only twelve or thirteen years old. When he found him, he was lying at the corner of Wenchang Street. His upper body was bandaged, but a lot of blood kept seeping out of him.


    If this kind of thing had happened somewhere else, someone might have rescued him or at least called for an ambulance. But the people living on Wenchang Street have more or less experienced some things and have suffered from people¡¯s scorn outside; they have long lost their feelings of sympathy.


    Even if someone pitied him, they wouldn¡¯t dare to go and help him. He was injured too badly and it didn¡¯t look like it came from a normal fight. No one wanted to get into trouble. He had probably laid there for a whole day when he finally regained a little bit of strength. He got up and slowly walked to the place where he lived now. Uncle Zhou was his neighbor at that time and his legs were still in good condition. When he went out, he was startled by his pitiful appearance. He wanted to go around him, but Gu Yaoyang had stopped him from doing so.


    At that time, Gu Yaoyang had handed him some money and asked him to help buy some medicine for him.


    Uncle Zhou thought for a while before finally agreeing to his request. He took the money and went to a nearby hospital to buy some wound medicine and bandages. He watched as the boy applied the medicine himself.


    Uncle Zhou asked Lin Yuyan if he had ever been injured before.


    Lin Yuyan stretched out his index finger that was about to fully heal, he wasn¡¯t sure if this kind of wound counts. If bruises and scratches didn¡¯t count, then he doesn¡¯t seem to have been injured before and was well protected ever since he was a child.


    Uncle Zhou nodded and said, ¡°Then you probably haven¡¯t experienced this type of pain yet. The feeling of a thin gauze sticking to a cracked wound, attached to a newly grown tender meat under it, and having that gauze peeled out little by little. My heart trembled when I saw that, but he didn¡¯t utter a single word.¡±


    His heart tightened as he listened, he knew that the scar would definitely hurt.


    Uncle Zhou continued, ¡°Later, I helped deliver meals for him a few times. There was also Mrs. Hu, who was also kind-hearted. Knowing that such a child was on this street, she followed me and delivered a meal in turn.¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t refuse, but he never said thank you.¡± Uncle Zhou smiled before continuing, ¡°I have met too many white-eyed wolves like him in my life, so I didn¡¯t take it to heart.¡±


    Uncle Zhou said that he had also been in prison before, arrested for a major economic case. He was framed, and after he got out, his wife and family separated. He couldn¡¯t find a job and had no place to live, so he went to Wenchang Street and rented a house.


    About half a year later, Gu Yaoyang¡¯s body recovered, but he didn¡¯t go out or go to school. When he brought food for him, he began to refuse, and his attitude was always cold.


    Uncle Zhou took the food back, but he didn¡¯t take it to heart, thinking that maybe one day, the child would leave on his own.


    ¡°Then, then what?¡± Lin Yuyan asked.


    Uncle Zhou was silent for a long time before saying, ¡°Then, I had a car accident. My lower body got paralyzed and needed to be amputated.¡±


    Lin Yuyan¡¯s eyes moved to his legs, not knowing what to say.


    ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t remember what happened during that time. After all, I had been lying in the intensive care unit the whole time. When I woke up, my legs were gone. Later, it was Mrs. Hu who said that the money was paid by Yaoyang.¡±


    Lin Yuyan asked: ¡°Is he¡­ rich?¡±


    Uncle Zhou answered him, ¡°Should be a little bit rich, but at that time, he only had enough money for himself. The medical bills were so expensive and he earned it all together, wanting to pay me back. The kindness of giving him a few meals, helped me¡­get it together.¡±


    Uncle Zhou vaguely said, but Lin Yuyan was still stunned. Its as if he knew why Gu Yaoyang would participate in that kind of competition¡­


    After ten minutes, the lights and water pipes were all fixed. Gu Yaoyang washed his hands and called out to Lin Yuyan, ready to leave.


    Before Lin Yuyan stood up, Uncle Zhou whispered a few words to him, ¡°Yaoyang is a bitter child. Don¡¯t look at his cold face and foul mouth, he is a good person. You guys should get along well in the future¡­ ¡°


    Lin Yuyan smiled at him, but did not respond immediately.


    When he went back, Shao Zheng was still driving. He was idle and bored. He waited for the neutral position at the red light, and glanced at the back seat. Gu Yaoyang fell asleep again, and Lin Yuyan came close to him and looked at him quietly.


    He looked like there were flowers blossoming on his face.

 CH 15

    Shao Zheng sent them downstairs and left. Fang Jie¡¯s car was also parked there when he came back last night.


    When Gu Yaoyang went upstairs, he glanced at the door of his house but said nothing. Walking up to another floor, he took out a key and opened the door.


    When Lin Yuyan wore his shoes, he felt like he had a strange smell on his body. He had been wearing these clothes for three days. Although he borrowed Gu Yaoyang¡¯s bathroom to take a shower, he never changed his clothes during his stay.


    The light-colored T-shirt was wrinkled, and there were oil spots on the shirt that got accidentally spilled while he was cooking. Lin Yuyan lifted his shirt and smelled it before moving away in disgust. This was the first time he got so dirty, he couldn¡¯t wait to go back and change his clothes.


    So, he stood in front of Gu Yaoyang¡¯s room and flatteringly said, ¡°Could you lend me your clothes? I¡¯m about to stink¡­¡±


    Gu Yaoyang looked at him and took out a thin shirt from his closet, it¡¯s color was also black. Lin Yuyan said, ¡°Thank you.¡± and just as he was about to leave, Gu Yaoyang asked him, ¡°Do you want underwear?¡±


    ¡°A¡­ Ah?¡± Lin Yuyan¡¯s eyes opened wide as his face became a little red.


    ¡°Don¡¯t need it?¡±


    ¡°Um¡­¡± No.


    ¡°Or do you want to leave your lower body naked while waiting for your underwear to dry before wearing it?¡± Gu Yaoyang said with an expressionless face. He didn¡¯t look at Lin Yuyan when he said this, but was rummaging in the closet instead and handed him an unopened pair of underwear.


    Lin Yuyan hesitated for a while before saying ¡°thank you¡± and hurrying into the bathroom.


    Lunch was brought by Hu Dongdong who was running errands. Grandma Hu made two dishes and one soup, she also made some dumplings.


    The child wanted to chat with Lin Yuyan, but unfortunately, he had to leave again.


    Just as he was about to close the door, Shao Zheng returned. Listening to the sound of showering inside the bathroom, he asked Gu Yaoyang, ¡°He¡­ He has been living in your house these past few days?¡±


    He received no answer to his question.


    Gu Yaoyang sat on the floor mat on the balcony. Shao Zheng followed him in, patted the sandbag before sitting down, and asked him, ¡°Did Sister Ling look for you again?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gu Yaoyang took a lighter, turning it on and off.


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to consider her words?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang raised his eyes and said, ¡°She told you to be a lobbyist?¡±


    Shao Zheng smirked and replied, ¡°I can¡¯t say anything to move you. I just think it¡¯s better to play the game than being in the black market.¡± He and Gu Yaoyang met at Sister Ling¡¯s bar. Sister Ling wasn¡¯t an ordinary person. She opened an inconspicuous bar on the surface, when in reality, she was doing some bigger business transactions. This black market arena was the only one in this city. It was rumored to not exist, but practically everyone in the circle knew about it. Every once in a while, there would be many professional players, who had received special training in the past, appearing in this arena. It didn¡¯t matter if they were disabled or ruined, they just needed to win.


    But unfortunately, ever since Gu Yaoyang joined, no one had been able to win.


    They didn¡¯t know where the other learned his self-defense skills. Even if he found himself in a disadvantaged situation, no one could win against him in these past few years. He struck, elbowed, kicked, and was especially ruthless.


    Gradually, some agents from pro leagues wanted to recruit him. But for some reason, Gu Yaoyang never agreed.


    Shao Zheng said, ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to ask and don¡¯t think I¡¯m talking nonsense, but did you and Sister Ling know each other long ago?¡± Otherwise, why would she let him go to school, keep on nagging him to get a job, and to grow well.


    Gu Yaoyang didn¡¯t plan to tell him and had him leave.


    The boxing gloves lying on the floor were now covered in dust, it looked like they had not been used for a long time. Gu Yaoyang glanced at it before closing his eyes again, leaning against the wall to sleep.


    It had nearly been half an hour, but Lin Yuyan still hadn¡¯t come out yet. After taking a shower, he also washed his clothes.


    This was the first time he washes his clothes himself. He didn¡¯t use the proper amount of laundry detergent, and nearly flooded Gu Yaoyang¡¯s old house into ruins. The other walked over with a cigarette in his mouth and slipped. In the end, he helped him clean up the mess he made for a while.


    Lin Yuyan¡¯s trousers were also washed. He was only wearing a shirt, leaving his thin white legs bare.


    The shirt was a bit too big for him, just enough to cover the base of his thighs. His face was red, and he looked a little awkward. When he sat down to eat, Lin Yuyan buried his head down and stayed silent.


    Gu Yaoyang ignored him and didn¡¯t go straight to bed after eating. Instead, he sat on the sofa and turned the TV on, which he rarely did.


    Lin Yuyan chewed on the green vegetables for four or five minutes, wanting to wait for the other to return to his room before standing up, but when he waited, he found that the other had found a three-hour soundtrack movie and was watching it in relish.


    ¡®No way, I couldn¡¯t sit at the dining table for the whole movie.¡¯


    Lin Yuyan pursed his lips and thought for a while before slowly standing up and walking to the kitchen door. Step by step, his legs were tense as he got out of the kitchen and sat on the sofa.


    A classic romance movie was playing on the TV screen. The male and female protagonists grew up together. After endless conflicts and separation, they reunited once again. Lin Yuyan accompanied his mother to watch this movie a long time ago, but he didn¡¯t understand it at that time. After sitting for a while, he ran off to go painting. He didn¡¯t even know what it was talking about.


    Now that he had the opportunity to watch it again, he accompanied Gu Yaoyang to watch the movie. When he saw the part where they separated and reunite, his eyes went red secretly, and when he saw the bold and explicit sex scene after the reunion, he immediately lowered his head in a panic.


    He didn¡¯t expect the volume of this movie to be so loud. The living room got filled with the sound of the male protagonist¡¯s low panting accompanied by the female protagonist¡¯s moaning.


    What should he do while he waited for this scene to pass?


    Lin Yuyan casually picked up the blanket lying on the sofa. The blanket he had been using these past two days was a diamond-patterned blanket with gray-blue coloring.


    Ah, great! There¡¯s a thread here, let¡¯s pull it off first.


    ¡°Are you trying to remove my blanket?¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang abruptly said.


    The male protagonist on the screen was still embracing the female protagonist.


    Lin Yuyan¡¯s wandering eyes focused. Seeing how the thin thread on the edge of the blanket was about to get pulled off by him, he hurriedly stopped his actions and smiled embarrassedly.


    Gu Yaoyang sighed helplessly, took a cup, and handed it to him, ¡°Pour me some water.¡±


    He immediately threw the blanket away and stood up, walking to the kitchen to help the other get a warm cup of water. He waited in the kitchen for a while until the shameful sounds outside stopped. After it stopped, he walked outside, handed the cup to Gu Yaoyang with a grin on his face, nearly thanking the other.


    Gu Yaoyang took the water glass and stood up as he smiled at him.


    Lin Yuyan didn¡¯t notice that something was wrong at first, but Gu Yaoyang¡¯s smile was so dazzling that he instantly became vigilant. He wanted to prevent chaos from happening in advance when he abruptly remembered something. He hurriedly squatted on the ground and grabbed the loose panties slipping down his legs.


    The underwear that Gu Yaoyang kindly gave him was a bit too big for him. His waist was too thin and it couldn¡¯t hold the underwear at all.


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Gu Yaoyang took a sip of the warm water before lowering his gaze to see the other¡¯s blushing face. He held back, but couldn¡¯t help himself and ended up laughing with a ¡°poo-¡°. He loudly laughed as he squatted down and poked the tip of the other¡¯s nose and thoughtfully said, ¡°Well, should I buy you a smaller one?¡±


    Lin Yuyan tugged his underwear before hurdling himself up on the sofa. He quickly covered his head with the blanket and said in a low voice, ¡°No, I don¡¯t need it!¡±


    ¡°This, this size, I can wear it too!¡±

 CH 16

    With the cup of water in his hand, Gu Yaoyang returned to his room in a happy mood.


    Lin Yuyan peeked his eyes out after he heard the door closing. He wanted to turn off the TV to sleep, but there was still a few minutes until it ended. Lin Yuyan wanted to finish the movie but was afraid of Gu Yaoyang coming out of the room and laughing at him, so he had to cover his head and be alert until the ending song played.


    The movie was still great.


    It¡¯s just that the panties¡­ were really a bit too big for him.


    Lin Yuyan was jealous, but after thinking that he was only seventeen years old and that there was still some room for growth, he became hopeful for the future.


    He turned his mobile phone on and opened the memo he edited last night. The memo had no title to it and they were just records of what he had experienced these past few days.


    In fact, merely one or two things were enough to change one¡¯s opinion of a person. Although he still couldn¡¯t understand why Gu Yaoyang would always use him as some form of amusement for himself, at least he knew that he wasn¡¯t an idle uncultured street gangster.


    He could draw, understand western movies without reading subtitles, live alone, and maintain good hygiene at home. He should be working at the bar since he¡¯s very skilled, so he was a staff member who helped maintain order in the black market arena? When he teased him, he would always laugh, but when he didn¡¯t want to talk, his deep eyes looked as if they didn¡¯t contain any light in them.


    He harbored something deep inside his heart that he wasn¡¯t willing to share with anyone.


    Lin Yuyan stopped guessing and placed down his phone. He remembered the image of Gu Yaoyang sitting on a tree and bandaging the yellow cat¡¯s wound. He didn¡¯t hesitate to get up from the sofa while he grabbed the panties hidden under his shirt tightly, and sat in front of the simple drawing board.


    He thought to himself to try harder. After all, he¡¯s only seventeen years old. Even if he couldn¡¯t be a widely renowned painter, he could still be a small painter with some reputation.


    He painted all night and didn¡¯t lie down and sleep until the early hours of the morning. A sketch was already drawn on the drawing paper, outlining a bright blue sky, green trees, and a handsome boy holding a cat as he sat on a tree.


    The drawing wasn¡¯t bad this time. He wanted to let Gu Yaoyang take a look at it and show it off to him, but after he thought about it, something came to mind and he hid the sketch again.


    Forget it, it¡¯s better not to let him see it.


    The relationship between the two wasn¡¯t that good so he was embarrassed that he secretly drew the other.


    The next day, Lin Yuyan got awakened by the continuous ringing of his mobile phone. He was still half asleep. Thinking that he was sleeping at home, Lin Yuyan turned over and ended up falling to the ground with a thud. The pain caused him to instantly wake up. He wasn¡¯t happy when he answered the phone and said, ¡°What are you doing? It¡¯s still early in the morning.¡±


    Zhuo Hang replied with a shout, ¡°It¡¯s still early? It¡¯s already eleven o clock!¡±


    Lin Yuyan¡¯s upper body slumped into the sofa.


    Zhuo Hang asked him, ¡°Where have you been?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Huh, Huh, what? I¡¯m asking you where you went to fool around.¡±


    Lin Yuyan sat upright as he stammered up a response, ¡°Wh- who¡¯s fooling around.¡±


    ¡°Um-humph.¡± Zhuo Hang then said in a tone as if he already knew all about it, ¡°I called you today and auntie picked up.¡±


    Back when they were small, during the holidays, they would usually use their home phone to communicate with each other and they still retained this childhood habit until now.


    Lin Yuyan blinked and thought about it.


    He didn¡¯t return these days and lied to his auntie about going to Zhuo Hang¡¯s house, yet he didn¡¯t care to hide his head and tail during the time he was out. he neglected to tell Zhuo Hang to cover for him, and he frantically asked the other,  ¡°Then, what did you say?¡±


    ¡°Without me saying anything she immediately opened her mouth and asked if you needed something and also if you wanted the driver to help bring it here.¡± Zhuo Hang replied with loyalty, ¡°Who do you think am I? I instantly found out that something was wrong and helped clean up your mess.¡±


    Lin Yuyan instantly breathed a sigh of relief, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem if he went to a friend¡¯s house to have a sleepover, but if his parents found out that he was living with Gu Yaoyang, then things would get a little difficult for him.


    His mother is okay, but his father has always been strict when it comes to the friends he makes.


    He gratefully said thank you to Zhuo Hang.


    Zhuo Hang asked him again, ¡°Won¡¯t you tell me where you run off to?¡±


    Lin Yuyan was about to say something when he remembered that the other didn¡¯t seem to like Gu Yaoyang either. After a moment, he vaguely said that he was with a friend.


    Zhuo Hang obviously didn¡¯t believe him, ¡°Which friend do you have that I don¡¯t know about?¡± He then smiled mysteriously as he said, ¡°Lin Yuyan.¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡±


    ¡°Are you dating?¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s that possible? Don¡¯t go around making random guesses.¡± Lin Yuyan breathed a sigh of relief as he went to the balcony to get his clothes.


    Zhuo Hang became sure about it and said, ¡°That must be it! Otherwise, where are you living now? Are you living in your girlfriend¡¯s house?¡±


    ¡°Of course not!¡± Lin Yuyan got a little shy and said, ¡°I- I haven¡¯t gone to college yet, ho- how could I be dating?¡±


    Zhuo Hang turned a deaf ear to his reply, he was sure that the other had a partner and earnestly reminded him to use protective measures. Before ending the call he said, ¡°D*mn, the condoms he stored three years ago still haven¡¯t been used yet.¡±


    Lin Yuyan couldn¡¯t completely wash his clothes clean this time. He changed his clothes and laid down on the sofa for a while when he heard some movement in the kitchen. Hearing the noise inside, he stood by the door and peeked inside.


    Gu Yaoyang was cooking. He was following the instructions written in the recipe and the fragrant smell of the food he was making had already wafted out of the kitchen.


    Lin Yuyan gulped. Before he was even ordered, he took the initiative to run inside and help the other with the dishes.


    Half an hour later, the food arrived at the table. One meat and one vegetable dish accompanied with some moderately soft and hard fragrant rice.


    The two had nothing to talk about. Lin Yuyan thought about something for a while before deciding to tell him about Zhuo Hang¡¯s misunderstanding. Humiliating himself to the other, he said, ¡°I¡¯m definitely not in a relationship, I¡¯ve never even liked anyone.¡±


    It was strange to say, but the people that Zhuo Hang has had a crush on could form a long queue starting back in kindergarten. Today he would like Xiao Mei sitting next to his table, and tomorrow he would like Xiao Ying at the front. Besides being interested in drawing, Lin Yuyan didn¡¯t seem to be interested in any girls. Although they¡¯re cute and beautiful, at most, they could only be ordinary friends.


    He had been very passive in making friends for many years because of how strict his father was, and only Zhuo Hang had a good relationship with him. Zhuo Hang knew a few people that had some collaborative business relations with his family, so they weren¡¯t out of the circle.


    The first friend he wanted to make behind his father¡¯s back was Gu Yaoyang.


    But in the end, he was still a bad guy, always bullying people around.


    Lin Yuyan secretly pouted. He took a piece of braised pork and tasted it. His eyes lit up and he took another piece, praising the delicious taste of the meal inside his heart, then he curiously asked, ¡°Have you ever dated?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang sat opposite him and only ate a few bites of the braised pork, he didn¡¯t seem to like meat. Gu Yaoyang casually replied, ¡°No.¡±


    Lin Yuyan calmed down, it turns out that both of them were the same. He then asked the other, ¡°Then do you have anyone you like?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang placed his chopsticks down before he leaned back on his chair and deeply looked at him.


    This deep look¡­ He obviously has someone he likes!


    Lin Yuyan looked forward to it a little. Although he might not know who Gu Yaoyang likes at all, it couldn¡¯t stop him from being curious!


    ¡°I like you.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang lightly said, ¡°I like you.¡±


    ¡­


    Time seemed to stand still for a moment.


    Lin Yuyan was stunned, the lump of rice he held at the tip of his chopsticks fell back into his bowl.


    ¡°You¡­¡±  He seemed as if he believed the other. Blankly meeting Gu Yaoyang¡¯s eyes, he remained silent, unable to say a word.


    The two fell silent at the same time, it went on until Gu Yaoyang¡¯s fingers slightly moved when Lin Yuyan suddenly grinned at him. Imitating the other, he lifted his chin and briskly said, ¡°Do you think you¡¯ll fool me?!¡±


    After saying that, he laughed ¡°Hahaha¡±. Showing a silly expression, it was as if he finally seized the opportunity to get his revenge on him.


    Gu Yaoyang waited for him to finish laughing before he stood up and raised his hand to rub Lin Yuyan¡¯s soft hair and said, ¡°Idiot.¡±


    Then he went out.

 CH 17

    Lin Yuyan¡¯s answer didn¡¯t seem to affect Gu Yaoyang¡¯s mood. His reply to the other¡¯s question seemed very casual.


    Just like how they would usually chat, he asked and the other would answer.


    But whether this was true or not, nobody would know except for Gu Yaoyang himself. He didn¡¯t care how Lin Yuyan would perceive it and he also didn¡¯t care if he would get a response.


    The two of them didn¡¯t even come from the same world and that was fine by him.


    Gu Yaoyang¡¯s phone rang a dozen times in a row as he stood under the tree downstairs. He didn¡¯t take a look at his phone even after he finished his last cigarette.


    A few days later, Lin Yuyan hadn¡¯t gone back home yet. Gu Yaoyang¡¯s black T-shirt was worn by the other as he washed his own clothes. He also wore the large underwear casually, stretching the excess fabric and tying it into a knot so that it wouldn¡¯t fall off his waist.


    He didn¡¯t leave and Gu Yaoyang didn¡¯t chase him away. He just switched the romance movie with a  horror movie, allowing the ghosts and the wolves inside the movie to wail all day long, making the atmosphere seem a little gloomy.


    Lin Yuyan actually hated his small courage. Sometimes he was even more of a scaredy cat than a girl; it¡¯s no wonder why Gu Yaoyang would call him a pampered delicate Young Master. Seeing how he was huddling himself on the sofa as he shivered in fear, even he thought that Gu Yaoyang did have some truth in his insults.


    Gu Yaoyang didn¡¯t let him watch the movie. Before the movie started, he thoughtfully handed him a pair of earplugs and told him to close his eyes and sleep.


    But Lin Yuyan wanted to work on his courage, so he decisively refused the other¡¯s thoughtful offer.


    One could already imagine the result, Young Master Lin¡¯s howl¡¯s were louder than the ghosts inside the movie.


    Gu Yaoyang laughed at him while he held the remote control and increased the TV¡¯s volume. Plugging his ears with the earplugs he offered Lin Yuyan earlier, he started to play the next episode of the series.


    The plot of this movie was tense, exciting and also slightly suspenseful. Lin Yuyan wanted to give up and go out to play with Hu Dongdong instead, but he couldn¡¯t walk away after sneaking two glances at the movie. He hugged his legs as he rubbed Gu Yaoyang¡¯s side, indicating to the other that he wanted to hide behind him.


    There was only so much space on the sofa. Lin Yuyan squeezed around, but couldn¡¯t find a suitable place, so he simply laid himself on Gu Yaoyang¡¯s back and grabbed the other¡¯s clothes with both of his hands.


    All human beings have a common trait, they keep away from danger when they sense it, but if it is gone, they would relax their guards, even letting it all go.


    In the past few days, Gu Yaoyang¡¯s image had already changed inside Lin Yuyan¡¯s heart. Which was why at this moment, the safest place in this room for him was behind Gu Yaoyang.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    ¡°Ah, ah, what¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang abruptly shouted. Lin Yuyan was so scared he broke out into a cold sweat. Tugging at the other¡¯s arms tightly, he watched the movie that had just ended, and the source of the shout, blinked, ready to flee at any given moment.


    Gu Yaoyang raised his hand, turned the TV off, got up and lightly said, ¡°It¡¯s alright, clear your throat.¡±


    Lin Yuyan was stunned for a few seconds before reacting so angrily that he completely forgot his fear of the other party. He pulled Gu Yaoyang back into the sofa as if he was floundering about and started to wrestle him.


    Well, at least he thought it was a wrestle. If he ignored his pinned hands and his trapped feet, he could¡¯ve won.


    Originally, he didn¡¯t want to talk to Gu Yaoyang anymore, but later at night, he couldn¡¯t hold himself back anymore. The room was dark, and there wasn¡¯t any moonlight outside the window. When he closed his eyes, he could see those ghostly images and bloody scenes. In the end, he got up, turned the light on, ran to the bedroom door and knocked on it.


    Gu Yaoyang hadn¡¯t slept yet, so he quickly opened the door before leaning on it and asked, ¡°What?¡±


    Lin Yuyan didn¡¯t want to admit that he was afraid, so he randomly came up with an excuse and said, ¡°Your shout today has seriously traumatized me, making me very timid. You- you have to take responsibility for this!¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± said Gu Yaoyang before asking him, ¡°And how should I be responsible for this?¡±


    Lin Yuyan answered him, ¡°My heart is applying to sleep in the bedroom.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang generously nodded, ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll sleep in the living room.¡±


    Just as he was about to leave, Lin Yuyan hurriedly grabbed his arm and said, ¡°No, no, no, no, you have to sleep in the bedroom too.¡±


    After thinking for a while, Lin Yuyan returned to the bedroom. He was still sleeping on the ground this time, but now he didn¡¯t care about how hard the ground was as long as he had someone to accompany him.


    After turning the lights off, he couldn¡¯t fall asleep. When he realized that Gu Yaoyang wasn¡¯t sleeping either, he started a chat with him.


    ¡°Mrs. Li¡¯s letter, have you read it?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang replied with a short, ¡°No.¡±


    Lin Yuyan said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you take it?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang said, ¡°Taking it doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯ll read it.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ You aren¡¯t going to class this semester?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang answered his question, ¡°Not going to class. Aren¡¯t you happy with this?¡±


    Lin Yuyan frankly said, ¡°I¡¯d thought so a few days ago, but now, i think you¡¯re not that annoying anymore.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but it would be better if you could tease me less. Maybe then, we can even be friends.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang chuckled: ¡°Then let¡¯s not be friends.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Lin Yuyan propped his elbows up. Pouting after hearing the other¡¯s answer, he laid back and whispered, ¡°You¡¯re really..¡±


    Hateful?


    Unfriendly?


    Lin Yuyan didn¡¯t know which word to use to describe him. Saying all that, isn¡¯t it obvious what he means? Sighing heavily, he turned around, letting his back face the bed.


    He really wanted to be friends with Gu Yaoyang.


    That¡¯s what he first thought when he saw him for the first time.


    The next morning, Lin Yuyan woke up on the bed again. Gu Yaoyang wasn¡¯t at home. At around seven eight o clock, it seemed that he received a call to go to work.


    He was doing nothing by himself, just sitting in front of the drawing board and continuing to draw the unfinished piece.


    At this moment, his phone suddenly rang; it was the auntie at home who was calling him.


    She asked Lin Yuyan when he would go home because tomorrow his father had a day off and would go home for dinner.


    It seems that it¡¯ll be impossible for him to continue living here. Lin Yuyan stood up and looked around. Except for the few pieces of drawing paper, he didn¡¯t seem to have anything to pack. He flipped through the memo on his phone, took Gu Yaoyang¡¯s house key and walked to the street, stopped a taxi, and went to the Bar Street.


    During the day, the bar street was almost empty. Lin Yuyan went to Sister Ling¡¯s shop based on his memories from that day. The bartender was dozing off behind the bar. Lin Yuyan was thinking about how to wake him up when the familiar elder brother woke up first.


    ¡°Yo, isn¡¯t this the little child Fang Jie brought?¡±


    Lin Yuyan politely greeted the other, ¡°Hello.¡± Then he asked, ¡°Is Gu Yaoyang here?¡±


    The bartender seemed to know that he knew Gu Yaoyang, so he picked up the phone and said, ¡°Wait a minute, I¡¯ll call him for you.¡±


    Lin Yuyan nodded, found a vacant seat and sat down. The bar was so quiet, it was impossible to imagine that there would be a hidden arena below. He thought that if Gu Yaoyang stayed to work here , he might get himself in danger¡­


    But there was no relationship between them and he couldn¡¯t unreasonably tell him to stop working here.


    A few minutes later, Gu Yaoyang came out of the elevator, still wearing professional protective bandages on his hands. He asked him what he was doing here.


    Lin Yuyan smiled at him and said that he was going home before handing him his  keys.


    Gu Yaoyang nodded, without any intention of holding him back. His attitude was still cold and indifferent, he didn¡¯t even say goodbye to him.


    On the other hand, Lin Yuyan was carrying a small delicate box in his hand. When he came over, he asked the driver to go around and go to the largest shopping mall nearby. The driver said that it was the largest mall around, but it wasn¡¯t that big. Fortunately the item he wanted to buy wasn¡¯t anything special, and was also easy to find.


    He handed it to Gu Yaoyang and said, ¡°This is for you.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang didn¡¯t answer him, instead, he looked at him suspiciously.


    Lin Yuyan had no choice but to open it for him and asked, ¡°Is it your birthday today?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang was stunned and remained silent.


    Lin Yuyan was used to this and said, ¡°If it¡¯s early, I¡¯ll give this in advance, and if it¡¯s late, then count it as me making it up.¡±


    He took out a dark blue diamond earring from the box. Afraid that Gu Yaoyang didn¡¯t know how he knew, he explained, ¡°When you asked me to go back with Fang Jie that day, I accidently heard Sister Ling mention it.¡±


    ¡°She didn¡¯t say the specific date, so I¡¯ll just give it to you today.¡± It should be a few days before or after. Lin Yuyan held the earring up, but Gu Yaoyang frowned and didn¡¯t receive it.


    ¡°You, don¡¯t think that it¡¯s too valuable.¡± Lin Yuyan said before continuing, ¡°This isn¡¯t expensive, it should be made out of artificial diamonds and I earned the money to buy this myself.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang looked down at him: ¡°You earned the money?¡±


    Lin Yuyan answered him, ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate me, many competitions organized in school have prize money and I¡¯m not particularly bad at them, okay?¡± Gu Yaoyang had no intention of accepting it, so Lin Yuyan tentatively raised his hands and touched his left ear.


    Seeing how the other didn¡¯t evade him, he took off the pin sticking in his ear and stood on his tiptoes slightly, helping the other wear the new earring he bought.


    ¡°Why give me a gift?¡±


    Lin Yuyan stared at him, thinking to himself how it¡¯s really suitable for him; it was shining in the sun and was very dazzling.


    He grinned again: ¡°Do you need a reason?¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you need a reason? You aren¡¯t¡­¡±


    Before he finished speaking, Lin Yuyan took the lead and triumphantly said, ¡°I don¡¯t think you need one.¡±

 CH 18

    After Lin Yuyan left, Gu Yaoyang returned to the basement floor, to the office area. Sister Ling was there. Several contracts were lying on the table, all of them were invitations from top clubs in the circle, wanting to sign Gu Yaoyang into their club.


    Sister Ling said to him, ¡°These are all great offers, but their headquarters are a bit far away, all abroad, but there are enough guarantees in terms of treatment, which makes it much better than the black market.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang pulled a chair, sat down, picked up a copy of the invitation, and looked at the contract.


    Sister Ling was a little surprised, he would usually ignore these invites, but today he had actually shown a little bit of interest in them. ¡°What do you think¡­ Yo-?¡± She switched her question as her eyes fell on Gu Yaoyang¡¯s ear and asked, ¡°Where did that earring come from? A gift?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang raised his eyebrows but didn¡¯t answer the question, but she could obviously see the joy in his eyes.


    Sister Ling was stunned for a moment before leaning on the chair and lit a lady¡¯s cigarette, feeling a little relieved. After so many years, she finally saw a little light in Gu Yaoyang¡¯s eyes.


    Sister Ling¡¯s real name is Zou Yuling, She¡¯s too old-fashioned and never disclosed it to the public. She had been working hard from the bottom ever since she was a teenager and knew some people from both the black and white sides of the world. Naturally, she also knew Gu Yaoyang¡¯s father. He was a formidable character. Back when he was alive, he could cover the sky with one hand in Linzhou.


    But after all, this is a messy world. He had done all kinds of illegal and chaotic things. It was his fate to live, and it was also his fate to die.


    Although Gu Yaoyang never got involved in his father¡¯s affairs, as his son, from the moment he was born, the knife was already placed right above his neck, ready to kill him at any given moment.


    He couldn¡¯t go to school outside, and it was also impossible for him to have normal peers. In addition to learning self-defense skills every single day, he took classes with private teachers. No matter how many things he learned, it didn¡¯t mean much to him.


    After all, there was a good chance that he wouldn¡¯t survive to see tomorrow.


    When he was twelve years old, the unexpected happened. His father was killed by his enemy and his mother was implicated as well, even Gu Yaoyang got sliced and was left alive with only a single breath remaining.


    Sister Ling didn¡¯t know how he escaped. When she saw him again, she was already in the black market arena. More or less, the Gu family was kind to her but she couldn¡¯t repay them at the time, so for the time being, she let him stay at her bar.


    ¡°Do you think that old man Gu Hong will come out of prison?¡±


    Sister Ling breathed out a ring of smoke, a light lipstick stain was left on the cigarette holder.


    Gu Yaoyang flipped through the contract and answered, ¡°Don¡¯t know.¡±


    Sister Ling: ¡°I don¡¯t think it would affect you if he couldn¡¯t come out, right?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang seemed to be studying the terms of a certain contract and didn¡¯t reply to Sister Ling¡¯s question.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been messing around for these past few years. Do you want to wait for him to come out to avenge your parents? Or are you afraid he¡¯ll come out and give you another bullet?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang remained silent.


    Sister Ling continued, ¡°I advise you not to wait. How long would it take for him to get out of there? Maybe one day he¡¯ll get cancer and die? You¡¯ve just turned eighteen and your life has just begun, you can¡¯t always be like this¡­¡±


    ¡°You sound like a good person.¡± Said Gu Yaoyang as he coldly glanced at her.


    Sister Ling didn¡¯t have any self-consciousness and asked him, ¡°Why? Am I not a good person?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang didn¡¯t want to talk nonsense with her. He placed a contract on the table before standing up and said, ¡°This one.¡±


    Sister Ling blinked, not responding to his words. Her gaze seemed to ask him, ¡°What is this?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang didn¡¯t explain, he merely turned around to leave and said, ¡°But I won¡¯t be a player.¡±


    Not a player¡­


    Does he mean that¡­ he agreed to sign the contract?


    Sister Ling was left shocked in the office for more than ten minutes. Unexpectedly, after talking about it for more than ten years, Gu Yaoyang agreed so deftly?! She hurriedly stood up on her ten centimeter high heels and ran to the door, shouting at the empty corridor, ¡°Then what are you going to do?!¡±


    No one paid her any attention, except for the empty echo.


    Lin Yuyan arrived home at noon and changed his clothes after arriving. It was only about a week, but it felt like a whole year had passed, and every day he spent there was very fulfilling. He saw many things he had never seen before, met people he would never meet in his usual life, and learned how to cook noodles, stir fry vegetables, and wash his clothes. Although the food tasted really bad and the clothes weren¡¯t fully clean, at least these were all his own handiwork.


    Looking at the time, he wanted to send a text to Gu Yaoyang just in case, but he abruptly remembered that he had never asked for Gu Yaoyang¡¯s phone number.


    Never mind then.


    Lin Yuyan closed his eyes, thinking that they would never contact each other again in the future. It probably didn¡¯t matter if he reported that he safely arrived back home to the other.


    After lying down for five minutes, he abruptly got up, ran to his bag, and found a note.


    On the note was the written address Gu Yaoyang had left for the school, and a string of cell phone numbers. Lin Yuyan happily laughed and saved the cell phone number, sending a text message to report that he had safely arrived home.


    After waiting a long while, nobody replied. Lin Yuyan placed his phone aside and went back to his room.


    The next day, his father came back home on time. He had always been punctual, arriving at exactly seven o¡¯clock in the evening.


    Lin Yuyan stood in the living room, obediently waiting for his father to enter the door to greet the other, ¡°Dad.¡±


    Lin Zhiyuan was in his forties. He was wearing an iron gray suit, glasses, and a serious look on his face. He hadn¡¯t seen his son for a long time but didn¡¯t show any happiness upon meeting him. He slightly nodded to him and directly went to the dining room.


    ¡°Have you been to Zhuo Hang¡¯s house recently?¡± Lin Zhiyuan¡¯s voice was like a deep bell, with a shallow furrow between his eyebrows.


    Lin Yuyan responded with an, ¡°En.¡± Afraid that he would say something wrong, he didn¡¯t dare to add any explanation.


    Lin Zhiyuan seemed a little dissatisfied with this matter, he looked at him and said, ¡°I won¡¯t stop you from being friends with him, but don¡¯t get too close to him. You¡¯ll become competitors with him in the future. Don¡¯t forget this fact just because you have a good relationship with him.¡±


    Lin Yuyan gave a reply but did not refute his father¡¯s words. Inside his heart, he muttered to himself that his father had always been like this, which is why he had no friends now.


    ¡°Have you chosen a university yet?¡± Lin Zhiyuan asked again.


    Lin Yuyan replied, ¡°Currently. I haven¡¯t started applying yet.¡±


    ¡°Study management.¡± Lin Zhiyuan didn¡¯t listen to him and decided on his son¡¯s major on his own, ¡°I¡¯ve already found the university for you, it¡¯s the one in this city. You can¡¯t go too far and also go to the company for an internship during the holidays.¡±


    Lin Yuyan was stunned. He placed his chopsticks down and hurriedly said, ¡°But Dad, I want to major in art¡­¡±


    Lin Zhiyuan frowned and interrupted him again, ¡°Do you still want to learn painting?¡±


    Lin Yuyan nodded.


    Lin Zhiyuan unceremoniously asked him, ¡°Are you good at painting?¡±


    After saying that, Lin Yuyan completely fell silent. His father left straight after dinner. He still had a meeting to attend. He didn¡¯t even wait for his son to finish his meal.


    Lin Yuyan listened to the heavy sound of the slamming door, keeping his head faced down to the table. There were still half of the shrimps left on the plate.


    It was true that he wasn¡¯t any good at painting, but his father¡¯s blunt words still made him uncomfortable.


    The phone kept ringing and his aunt helped him bring the phone upstairs. Lin Yuyan thanked her and left the dining room to answer the call.


    The call was from Gu Yaoyang, he only just had time to reply when he received the text.


    Lin Yuyan greeted the other in a heavy nasal voice, ¡°Hello.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang immediately asked him, ¡± What¡¯s wrong with your voice?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Lin Yuyan immediately came up with a random reason, ¡°I¡¯ve just got a cold.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang¡¯s background noise was noisy, it sounded like he wasn¡¯t home, ¡°Are you in the bar?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang answered him, ¡°No.¡± He didn¡¯t know what to say, so he changed the topic, ¡°What¡¯s the matter with your text?¡±


    Lin Yuyan answered him, ¡°It¡¯s nothing, just wanted to tell you that I¡¯m home.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    He was still aggrieved inside his heart, but he didn¡¯t dare to utter a sound about it. He pretended to sneeze covertly before sniffing and said, ¡°Well, it¡¯s nothing, I¡¯ll hang up first.¡±


    ¡°En.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang said en and hung up the phone at the same time as he did.


    Lin Yuyan softly sighed before opening the door to his studio. He sat down on the ground and started to flip through the things he had painted since childhood, some of which were okay, and some of which weren¡¯t really okay. The confidence that he regained a few days ago was brought back down to the bottom by his father¡¯s words. He felt ashamed and wanted to find someplace to hide, and inexplicably, he thought about Gu Yaoyang. He felt safe behind him, if he was here, he would hide behind him for a while.


    After an unknown amount of time passed, with a thud, the balcony window seemed to be smashed open. Lin Yuyan stood up in confusion and walked over, pushing open the glass door in front of him.


    The wind outside was a bit cold, it seemed to be cloudy outside, and there was a protective net on the fence outside the yard, which he asked the auntie to put on a few days ago. She said that the electricity was turned on. and no one would dare to climb inside.


    He lowered his head and saw a person standing under the streetlamp just outside the wall with a suitcase beside him.


    It was Gu Yaoyang.


    ¡°You- Why are you here?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang sat on the lamppost and lightly answered him, ¡°I¡¯m here to see you cry.¡±


    Lin Yuyan nearly forgot about this, he hurriedly wiped his swollen red eyes and pressed down the rising grievance inside his heart, and choked up a denial, ¡°I- I didn¡¯t cry.¡±


    Right after he finished speaking, his tears fell with no shame, and with even more turbulence than before.


    Lin Yuyan randomly rubbed his face, thinking that it was odd. He had no idea where this extra feeling of grievance came from, but from the second he saw Gu Yaoyang, it just inexplicably came to him.

 CH 19

    Chapter 19


    Gu Yaoyang stood outside his house as he couldn¡¯t just climb up like the last time he visited, so Lin Yuyan changed his clothes and went down. The auntie had already fallen asleep, and there was no need for him to tell her about this late-night guest of his.


    Lin Yuyan¡¯s voice was still nasalie and a little heavy, but his tears had already stopped. The inexplicable emotion he felt just now confused him. He became a little embarrassed when he stood in front of Gu Yaoyang.


    He glanced at the suitcase beside the other and asked him, ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang gave him a short answer, ¡°Overseas.¡±


    Lin Yuyan was stunned as he asked, ¡°Are you traveling?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang replied with a no.


    Lin Yuyan thought about it for a short while before widening his eyes and saying, ¡°You can¡¯t be¡­¡±


    Gu Yaoyang asked him, ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to go pro!¡±


    Gu Yaoyang seemed surprised at his guess and said, ¡°How did you guess that?¡±


    Lin Yuyan wiped the corners of his eyes, feeling a little proud as he said, ¡°Sister Ling mentioned it.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang pinched the tip of his red nose and asked, ¡°How much did you manage to eavesdrop on?¡±


    Lin Yuyan quickly grabbed his nose and angrily said, ¡°I only heard a few things¡­ The important thing is¡­ is it true?¡± Lin Yuyan eagerly asked.


    The surprise in his eyes couldn¡¯t be missed, he had finished crying messily just now, yet he was back to happily laughing in the next second.


    Gu Yaoyang said, ¡°Basically.¡±


    Lin Yuyan was very happy. He was worried that Gu Yaoyang would be in danger if he stayed in the black market, but it would be different if he went to play professionally. At the very least, his life would be guaranteed.


    Although getting punched by his opponent would definitely hurt, it¡¯s better to play professionally as it could guarantee his life, which is clearly more important here.


    ¡°Why were you crying?¡± Gu Yaoyang asked in a deep voice when he saw his slightly swollen red eyes.


    Standing so close to each other, there was no way to hide it anymore. Lin Yuyan sighed and honestly explained to the other, ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ a conversation with my dad¡­¡±


    He thought that Gu Yaoyang would laugh at him for being a crybaby, for crying after his father said a few meager words to him. He was brooding about it when the other seriously asked him, ¡°What did he say?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ he didn¡¯t agree with me applying to major in arts. You know that I¡¯m not good at drawing, but I want to continue learning¡­ He- he thought that it would be a waste of my time.¡± Lin Yuyan explained with a bitter smile, lowered his head and clasped his fingers, ¡°But I¡¯m used to it, he¡¯s just like this, and what he said is true¡­¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Lin Yuyan raised his head and heard Gu Yaoyang say, ¡°He¡¯s not telling the truth. You draw very well.¡±


    Lin Yuyan curled his lips from hearing the other¡¯s words, there was also a thin layer of mist in his eyes as he said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to comfort me.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang said, ¡°No.¡±


    Lin Yuyan stayed quiet for a few seconds, a stifling feeling seemed to be stuck in his throat as he choked up a bit. He tried to talk in his normal voice as he said, ¡°But you said that¡­ my dog looked like a guinea pig.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang laughed out loud with a ¡°poo¡± before saying, ¡°They do look a bit similar.¡±


    Lin Yuyan turned his head angrily when Gu Yaoyang suddenly opened his arms to him.


    Lin Yuyan asked, ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang said, ¡°Hug me, I¡¯m leaving.¡±


    Lin Yuyan gave him a big hug without any hesitation. He felt the other gently stroking his hair as if he was comforting him.


    ¡°Gu Yaoyang.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    Lin Yuyan asked, ¡°Am I really good at drawing?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang said, ¡°Really.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t lie to me?¡±


    ¡°Guess.¡±


    Lin Yuyan placed his face on the other¡¯s shoulder and muttered, ¡°I knew you were teasing me.¡± But right now, he really needed the comfort, so he softly said, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    He asked when Gu Yaoyang would return to China, but Gu Yaoyang wasn¡¯t sure, so Lin Yuyan asked again, ¡°Then can we keep in touch by phone?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang said, ¡°Yes.¡± and stretched his arms and pressed his forehead. He asked with a half smile on his face, ¡°You want to contact me so much?¡±


    Lin Yuyan blinked, ¡°Is there something wrong?¡±


    With a little strength, he pushed Gu Yaoyang¡¯s forehead back, imitating him. Raising the corners of his mouth, he said, ¡°Ordinary friends can contact each other occasionally, and besides, I- we have even lived together.¡±


    He knew this sounded a bit ambiguous, but he still said it on purpose, mainly to practice, so that he could get better at insulting the other.


    It would be better if Gu Yaoyang got flustered after hearing this.


    But Gu Yaoyang was not flustered at all. He flicked his forehead, checked the time, and was ready to leave.


    Lin Yuyan¡¯s mood was much better now. He stopped joking and asked him to take care of his health abroad.


    Gu Yaoyang nodded and left. He turned and took a few steps back to him, and said, ¡°The sketch you drew a few days ago is really good.¡±


    How many days ago? Wait- Isn¡¯t that¡­


    ¡°But you made me stand out a little bit. The cat looked like a pig, and the tree was crooked. Aren¡¯t you afraid of me falling from that tree?¡±


    ¡°You, you¡­¡± Lin Yuyan¡¯s pupils trembled: ¡± How can you peek at my private stuff?¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Gu Yaoyang asked suspiciously, ¡°When did I become a part of your private stuff?¡±


    Lin Yuyan couldn¡¯t explain it at all. He ran behind him, pushing him away as he said, ¡± Hurry up, or you¡¯ll miss your flight.¡±

 CH 20

    The city Gu Yaoyang is going to is called Mostine.


    It takes eleven hours to go there by plane, and there¡¯s also a severe temperature and eight-hour time difference from Linzhou. It was summer here, but winter there.


    Lin Yuyan had never gone there before, but he had read a travel guide about the place and knew that there were beautiful houses with breathtaking views of the aurora in the sky and cool snowdrifts there. He mentioned this place to his parents a few years ago, wanting the three of them to go on a vacation and visit this city together.


    But after several years of waiting, his father got busier, and his mother couldn¡¯t find the time for them to go either.


    Moreover, his father never liked to waste his time on meaningless things. Traveling was on that list, and now eating at the same table with his son had been included on that list as well.


    Lin Yuyan sat in the study, turned the computer on, and searched for blogs about Mostine. He took a look at the weather outside. It was cold and the temperature nearly reached minus twenty degrees.


    He didn¡¯t know if Gu Yaoyang would get used to the weather there. If he¡¯s afraid of the cold, he would have a hard time getting used to the place. Will there be an air conditioner and a fireplace in his new home? Could he get used to the food there? He heard that the people there liked to eat raw food¡­ Fortunately, Gu Yaoyang could cook. If his circumstances allow him to do so, he could cook a meal for himself, right?


    Lin Yuyan entered a few more keywords and looked for news about some boxing competitions. He didn¡¯t know much about the industry, so this was the first time he sat in front of a computer to search for information regarding the boxing industry. According to normal procedures, Gu Yaoyang should go to a certain club and receive training first, then he would be recommended by the club to enter the professional arena.


    What are the specific conditions for him to receive a recommendation? It would be bad for him if he didn¡¯t receive one.


    Ah, found it! Lin Yuyan clicked on a dense recommendation guide, which contained more than ten pages of description in total. He carefully read the guide line by line on his computer, he even created a document and pasted some of the more important conditions into the document. Just when he was about to click on the next page, his hand abruptly stopped.


    Strange, what¡­ is he doing?


    Lin Yuyan was stunned. He looked at the empty notebook lying on the table and the professional info document displayed on the computer screen and scratched his head in confusion. He wasn¡¯t the one participating in the arena. Knowing so much about it now, what was he going to do with this information?


    Late at night, Linzhou Airport was bustling with people.


    Sister Ling sat in the VIP area, fixing her cosmetics with her suitcase filled with winter clothing beside her. Next to her was Shao Zheng, it was his first time flying on an airplane and his first time dressing properly. If there were enough time, she would¡¯ve dyed his hair dark and styled it as well.


    Two hours have passed, yet Gu Yaoyang hasn¡¯t come back. Seeing how the puffy-eyed group in front of them had already had their tickets checked and was ready to fly, but his figure was still nowhere to be seen, Sister Ling threw her eyebrow pencil into her makeup bag and asked Shao Zheng, ¡°He won¡¯t turn back on this, right?¡±


    Shao Zheng answered her, ¡°No, Gu Yaoyang always sticks to his words.¡±


    The deal with the club was finalized this morning, and it was already announced this afternoon, so they hurriedly booked this flight. Sister Ling followed the inspection procedures and brought Shao Zheng with her to run some errands.


    Initially, the group should be flying in the sky right now, but Gu Yaoyang got a phone call along the way and said that he¡¯d take the next flight and left. The two of them were still waiting for him, they didn¡¯t dare to rush the other.


    Shao Zheng didn¡¯t dare, and Sister Ling couldn¡¯t budge him.


    She tied her loose curly hair up into a ponytail, making her look much younger than her age. At first glance, people wouldn¡¯t guess that she was the person in charge of the city¡¯s black market arena. She asked Shao Zheng, ¡°Do you know the person who called Gu Yaoyang?¡±


    Shao Zheng had actually guessed it at one point. He was 70% sure that it was Lin Yuyan, but he also felt that Lin Yuyan wouldn¡¯t have the great ability to make Gu Yaoyang leave them after a meager phone call. After all, Gu Yaoyang usually wouldn¡¯t bother to answer the phone, and it was impossible for him to take initiative to contact anyone.


    But before Shao Zheng could respond, Sister Ling asked him another question, ¡°His earrings are also pretty strange, are they from¡­ that kid surnamed Lin?¡±


    Shao Zheng had no idea of this, so Sister Ling thought for a bit before taking out her phone and calling the bar. She contacted the person on duty this morning and asked them to confirm her guess.


    And the result came out true.


    She glanced at Shao Zheng and asked him in a gossipy tone, ¡°That little Lin kid, is he Yaoyang¡¯s classmate?¡±


    Shao Zheng answered with a ¡°Yes¡± before he recounted the story of how they became acquainted.


    After hearing this, Sister Ling crossed her legs and tapped her slender fingers on her knees as she whistled meaningfully.


    Seeing her expression, Shao Zheng knew that she had misunderstood him. Everyone here was more sensitive to these matters than the normal person, but he still thought that it was impossible for Gu Yaoyang to have these kinds of thoughts, so he hurriedly tried to explain, ¡°Yaoyang thought that it was fun teasing him, he¡¯ll probably get bored soon.¡±


    But as soon as he finished speaking, Gu Yaoyang dragged his luggage in, holding an unlit cigarette in the non-smoking area. He coldly said, ¡°Who told you that I wasn¡¯t interested in him?¡±


    Shao Zheng blinked his eyelids incredulously as he said, ¡°You aren¡¯t¡­ aren¡¯t you just teasing him? You¡¯ll kick him out after you¡¯ve had your fun with him¡­¡±


    Gu Yaoyang asked, ¡°Am I a scumbag?¡±


    Shao Zheng was stunned for a moment.


    Gu Yaoyang looked at him coldly, his eyes were full of disgust as he said, ¡°If I¡¯m not interested in him, why would I tease him? Have I teased you before?¡±


    The next day, Zhuo Hang finally saw Lin Yuyan.


    The two were sitting at the fast food restaurant outside the school again. They planned to ask some of their good friends out to play with them. At this time, the water park had just opened. Zhuo Hang made up a little scheme in his mind and invited a senior sister he had a crush on for two weeks to join them.


    Lin Yuyan was late to their appointment and it was rare for him to do so. He had arrived half an hour after the appointed time with his two big eyes resembling a couple of walnuts with two prominent dark circles beneath his eyes.


    Zhuo Hang asked, ¡°Did you become a thief last night?¡±


    Lin Yuyan sat on a chair and listlessly answered him, ¡°No.¡± He didn¡¯t sleep well last night, and he couldn¡¯t understand the baffling act he did with his own two hands. To say that he cared about Gu Yaoyang as an ordinary friend didn¡¯t seem right. Zhuo Hang had also played in video competitions before, but he didn¡¯t even watch him. It may sound a bit wrong, but he really had no interest in these kinds of things.


    But wasn¡¯t he even less interested in fights?


    Lin Yuyan didn¡¯t understand, so he went back to his room to sleep, but he fell onto his bed and thought about the time he spent with Gu Yaoyang these few days and the first time he saw him.


    He didn¡¯t know why he could remember that moment clearly when it happened a long time ago. It was as if that scene was deeply embedded into his mind.


    Zhuo Hang was also acting a bit weird today. He wasn¡¯t playing games but was reading an architectural illustration book with relish.


    Lin Yuyan read it for a bit before asking him, ¡°Do you want to learn architectural design?¡±


    Zhuo Hang said, ¡°No, no, reinforced concrete is too dull and uninteresting.¡±


    Lin Yuyan asked him, ¡°Then why are you reading this?¡±


    Zhuo Hang said: ¡°Of course, it¡¯s to pursue someone.¡±


    ¡°Pursuing someone, who are you courting?¡±


    A senior in school, they¡¯re about to start college, so I have to seize every opportunity I have these last few days.¡±


    Lin Yuyan didn¡¯t understand his answer and asked, ¡°Why would you want to pursue someone?¡±


    Zhuo Hang said, ¡°How can you find a partner being this stupid?¡±


    Lin Yuyan helplessly said, ¡°I told you that I¡¯m not in a relationship¡± before asking again, ¡°You¡¯ve pursued so many girls before, are you serious this time?¡±


    Zhuo Hang continued to immerse himself in reading as he answered his friend¡¯s question, ¡°Of course it¡¯s serious this time, I really like her. When did you see me find info so actively? I don¡¯t know much about architecture except that this house is well built, and so is that one. I don¡¯t know the theories or concepts behind these works at all. I stayed up all night just for her, and I even checked the accommodation conditions of the university she wanted to apply for. I heard it was bad and I became worried for her. I was afraid that she wouldn¡¯t be able to eat. I don¡¯t know if she can cook or not, what if she starves herself¡­¡±


    With a loud ¡°bang¡± the chair opposite to him fell to the ground. Zhuo Hang was startled and hurriedly raised his head. He didn¡¯t know when Lin Yuyan stood up, leaning against the wall, looking at him with a look of horror plastered on his face.


    Zhuo Hang worriedly asked him, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡±


    Lin Yuyan was still stunned for a while before shaking his head and saying, ¡°Nothing, I¡¯m fine.¡±

 CH 21

    Impossible.


    Lin Yuyan held his chair and sat back down again. Although his actions were somewhat similar to what Zhuo Hang did, he definitely didn¡¯t like Gu Yaoyang.


    They were both boys, and they¡¯ve only been friends for a short while. They¡¯re also not familiar with each other, so how could they have feelings for one another?


    Lin Yuyan felt that his thoughts were right and looked at the time again, thinking that Gu Yaoyang should have gotten off his plane.


    Sure enough, within a few minutes, Gu Yaoyang sent a reply to his message last night. He sent him the information he sorted out yesterday. It didn¡¯tMay  matter whether Gu Yaoyang already knew about it or not, it¡¯s all useful information so it doesn¡¯t matter if he reviewed it again.


    After deciding that he¡¯ll go out to play the day after tomorrow, Lin Yuyan went home and slept for a while in the afternoon. After the nap, he got up and started painting again.


    He reviewed some drawings and techniques for a while, but because he wanted to try every style, he couldn¡¯t draw any of them well. At one point, he used to have a teacher who taught him how to draw. Because of the relationship between his parents, the teacher never said a single harsh word to him. Occasionally, he might write a few pointers for him. One day, he heard the teacher speaking on the phone with his friend. On the call, he said that he wouldn¡¯t dare mess with the rich brat. Even if he painted like a piece of sh*t, he would still praise him to the sky. He also said to his friend how his mother was a famous designer, so he spared some time to teach his son, and that he could¡¯ve taught him better, but Lin Yuyan was just a paycheck for him, so he didn¡¯t care if he improved at all.


    After he finished speaking with his friend, he turned his head around and saw Lin Yuyan sitting on the stairs. He hurriedly hung up the phone and started clarifying himself in a panic. Lin Yuyan listened to him carefully and just smiled awkwardly, but since that incident, he never asked for a teacher again.


    He wasn¡¯t afraid that other people would laugh at him for his horrible drawings, but he was afraid of embarrassing his mother.


    Sitting in front of the drawing board, he sketched Gu Yaoyang¡¯s appearance on the paper and improved it bit by bit according to the mistakes he picked out yesterday.


    When he drew his eyes, he stuck his tongue out at him, and when he drew his mouth, he put a seal on it.


    In the early morning, Lin Yuyan hadn¡¯t fallen asleep. He would occasionally glance towards his phone as he yawned several times.


    Two hours ago, he sent a message to Gu Yaoyang, asking if he was going to arrive at his destination soon, but he hadn¡¯t gotten a response. If the flight hadn¡¯t been delayed, he would¡¯ve arrived by now. He thought of waiting for the other to reply, but after waiting for another hour, Gu Yaoyang still hasn¡¯t replied to his message yet.


    He was so sleepy that he couldn¡¯t even open his eyes. He placed his paintbrush aside and sent another text message, ¡°Are you there yet?¡±


    He didn¡¯t wait for too long this time to get a reply. The moment he sent that message, Gu Yaoyang called him and asked, ¡°You haven¡¯t slept yet?¡±


    Lin Yuyan tiredly rubbed his eyes and answered, ¡°Waiting for your response.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± said Gu Yaoyang before falling silent for a long time. When he spoke again, he shockingly said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°I thought you were already asleep.¡±


    ¡°So you were afraid that you¡¯d wake me up by calling me?¡± The sentence sounded very novel and he suddenly regained some energy to talk to the other. He asked with a smile, ¡°Have you arrived yet?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang responded with an ¡°En¡±, but he didn¡¯t refute his previous words.


    Lin Yuyan asked him, ¡°Is it cold over there?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang said, ¡°Fortunately, it¡¯s snowing.¡±


    Lin Yuyan said, ¡°It¡¯s not unusual for the city to snow, but it¡¯s unusual if it doesn¡¯t snow.¡± before asking him, ¡°Have you visited the club?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang replied with a short, ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Lin Yuyan asked him, ¡°I forgot to ask you this yesterday, but what¡¯s the name of the club you¡¯re going to?¡±


    ¡°Light3.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I know it!¡± Lin Yuyan had already checked this club out, it was said to be the top and most authoritative fighting club in the area. The name means ¡°Light and sun¡±.  He heard that the ancestral home of the person in charge was also in Linzhou City. Nobody knew why the location of the headquarters was located in such a remote foreign snow village.


    However, the conditions and treatment should be good. Lin Yuyan asked, ¡°Is the environment in the dormitory okay?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang hung up the call and switched it to a video call. Lin Yuyan immediately waved to him and said with a smile plastered on his face, ¡°Good evening.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang stared at the screen for a few seconds before asking him, ¡°You¡¯re still in the studio?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Lin Yuyan said, ¡°I¡¯ve been painting and I lost track of time.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang should be outside, he had a black coat wrapped around his body and a down jacket with its fluffy collar stained with freshly fallen snowflakes. He really likes black, all his clothes were black, both on the inside and the outside.


    Lin Yuyan asked, ¡°Have you arrived in the dormitory yet?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang took out a key and flipped the camera to show him the house in front of him. It was a two-story villa with thick snowflakes on the roof and a doorway with a hanging wall lamp with a hollow spire.


    Looks alright? Lin Yuyan tilted his head from side to side and looked at the house for a long time. He really wanted to go there and visit the other, but he was afraid that it would be a collective dormitory, and it would be bad for him to spy on a stranger¡¯s privacy.


    Gu Yaoyang knew what he was thinking and raised his eyebrows as he asked, ¡°Wanna come here and take a look?¡±


    Lin Yuyan said, ¡°It won¡¯t be polite of me to do so if there are strangers¡­¡±


    ¡°There won¡¯t be any strangers, I live alone here.¡±


    Lin Yuyan blinked before asking, ¡°You¡¯re living by yourself? Are boxers treated so well?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m special.¡±


    Lin Yuyan suspiciously asked, ¡°How are you special?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang turned the camera back at him and said with a sneer on his face, ¡°I¡¯m not a stranger.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re so immature.¡± Lin Yuyan was stunned for a few seconds before understanding what the other meant. He quickly changed the subject and urged him to enter the villa.


    Gu Yaoyang said, ¡°Go wash your face and brush your teeth first, then go back to your bedroom.¡±


    But Lin Yuyan wanted to see the house first.


    Gu Yaoyang replied with a short, ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll hang up.¡±


    ¡°Okay, don¡¯t hang up, I¡¯m going now.¡± Lin Yuyan said as he rushed to the bathroom with his mobile phone. He hurriedly finished washing and immediately jumped on his bed before asking, ¡°Could you open the door now?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang gave him another order, ¡°Lie down.¡±


    He obediently laid down and waited for the other to open the door.


    Although he was prepared to see the interior of the house as he looked at it from the inside, Lin Yuyan couldn¡¯t help but sigh as Gu Yaoyang opened the door and walked into the villa.


    Dark coffee-colored floor, warm yellow lights, a thick blanket thrown on the classic leather sofa, there was also a fireplace placed in front of the sofa. Although it had a simple design, it should ensure that the room wouldn¡¯t be cold. Lin Yuyan continued to scrutinize the room as Gu Yaoyang took off his coat and placed it aside.


    Lin Yuyan asked him, ¡°Are you really the only one living in this villa?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Why? According to the information I got yesterday,  players usually live together.¡±


    Gu Yauyang didn¡¯t tease him this time and said, ¡°I¡¯m not here to be a player.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Then, what are you going to do?¡±


    ¡°Guess.¡± Gu Yaoyang took him for a walk around the house. Lin Yuyan became more and more energetic, he didn¡¯t want to miss any corner. Gu Yaoyang glanced at him. Looking at the time, it was already three in the morning in his country.


    But a certain somebody didn¡¯t want to sleep and kept asking things, practically curious to death. He poked at the huge dark circles on the screen and walked over to an old-fashioned gramophone.


    Lin Yuyan asked, ¡°Can this also be used?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang said, ¡°It should be possible.¡± before picking up a record and playing a slow and gentle melody.


    Lin Yuyan listened to it for a few minutes, he wanted to look around upstairs but he was so sleepy he couldn¡¯t open his eyes. He asked in a daze, ¡°Is the second floor your bedroom?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Can I visit it? ¡°


    Gu Yaoyang said yes, but he kept lingering beside the gramophone. The song he just played was a famous local good night song.


    At this time, he was leaning the microphone into Lin Yuyan¡¯s ear, coaxing him with a strong mindset until he fell into a deep sleep.

 CH 22

    The next day, Lin Yuyan went to the amusement park and joined Zhuo Hang in the hot weather, a good 38 degrees.


    There were a few of Zhuo Hang¡¯s friends and the third-year senior sister the other had successfully made an appointment with. All of them were wearing swimsuits as they profusely sweated under the scorching rays of the sun.


    Among them was a boy named Xu Ze, who was a fair and tidy guy. He had a good relationship with Lin Yuyan, and they had talked a few times before.


    It was a bit of a shock for him to see the other today. Normally, Xu Ze wouldn¡¯t go out in sunny weather like this.


    Holding an umbrella to shield himself from the sun, he greeted Lin Yuyan.


    Lin Yuyan smiled at him and before he even opened his mouth, he was pulled under the other¡¯s umbrella.


    Xu Ze: ¡°Don¡¯t stand under the sun, you¡¯ll get as dark as Zhuo Hang, just stand here for a while.¡±


    Lin Yuyan smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯ll be fine for a small while.¡±


    Xu Ze dragged a large bag, full of skin care products and sunscreen inside. He knew he was here to play in the pool, but the people who didn¡¯t know him would probably think he was going on a long trip.


    He pulled out a bottle of sunscreen and smeared it on the back of his hand before giving some to Lin Yuyan, ¡°It¡¯s alright, although we¡¯re all guys, we¡¯re still allowed to take care of ourselves.¡±


    For some reason, some people think it¡¯s appalling or unmanly for a guy to take care of themselves the way Xu Ze did. But Lin Yuyan thought it was fine, after all, it¡¯s natural for people to take care of themselves, there¡¯s no reason for it to be a bad thing just because you¡¯re a guy and there¡¯s no need to have a disagreement over this topic. It¡¯s not like there¡¯s a law that says every boy has to grow up into a tall, strong, and¡­ rough man.


    Xu Ze also liked Lin Yuyan very much, he joined him every time he went out to play, and this time was no exception. Zhuo Hang always said that he was attached to him. One time, Xu Ze glanced at him and said that it was rare to meet someone similar to him amongst the vast sea of people roaming about, so of course, they would have a good relationship.


    Lin Yuyan also agreed to that, because just like him, Xu Ze also liked to draw and had no talent for it just like him.


    It was full of people in the park, and the swimming pool was also filled. They looked like dumplings swimming in soup, they couldn¡¯t squeeze through at all. Xu Ze thought it was dirty, so he took Lin Yuyan to sit in a nearby cafe to escape the summer heat. It was a bit pricey so there weren¡¯t a lot of people. You could see people running around in swimsuits near the pool through the window. Zhuo Hang was chatting in the pool with his senior sister, it wasn¡¯t clear what they were talking about, but judging by the way he was talking eloquently, he must¡¯ve read through the whole architectural illustration book.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    Xu Ze laid on the window and looked out it for a long time before letting out a long sigh. Lin Yuyan asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Sure enough, I shouldn¡¯t have come.¡± Xu Ze sucked the straw of his iced coffee and took a sip before saying,  ¡°In this kind of place, I can¡¯t see those beauties at all.¡±


    Beauties? Lin Yuyan blinked: ¡°You, what are you looking for?¡±


    He regretted asking. What could people miss in a swimsuit?  After a dry cough, he picked up the coffee and wanted to change the subject, but Xu Ze glared at him and said softly, ¡°Looking for a man.¡±


    Lin Yuyan sprayed out his iced coffee and wiped his mouth in a hurry. He hurriedly apologized to Xu Ze, who asked him, ¡°Why did you react so badly?¡±


    Lin Yuyan shook his head quickly, horrified, he never expected that Xu Ze would actually like men, ¡°Why did you react so badly?¡±


    In fact, it wasn¡¯t uncommon to like men. In many places abroad, same-sex marriage was legal. Lin Yuyan had never discriminated against this kind of relationship, but he was a little surprised to learn that his friend would be like this too.


    After calming down a little, he found that Xu Ze was squinting at him.


    Lin Yuyan hurriedly waved his hand: ¡°I definitely didn¡¯t mean to discriminate against you.¡±


    After listening to him, Xu Ze was stunned for a few seconds, the corners of his mouth twitched, and he muttered: ¡°No way¡­¡±


    Lin Yuyan asked, ¡°What?¡±


    Xu Ze was silent for a long time, looked at him from beginning to end, and then said: ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Then he asked casually, ¡°Do you have someone you like?¡±


    Lin Yuyan said, ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Never?¡±


    Lin Yuyan raised his head to think about it, and said with certainty, ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be.¡± Xu Ze said, ¡°I have met many people since I was a child, and there are always people who have a crush on someone they admire, right?¡±


    ¡°Does it count if it¡¯s a painter you like?¡±


    Xu Ze said bluntly, ¡°Do you want to be with him? Want to bed him?¡±


    ¡°No, no, I don¡¯t want to, I just, I just like his paintings.¡±


    Xu Ze felt like he was going to have a headache as he said, ¡°Then you like their paintings, not the person himself.¡±


    Lin Yuyan was confused, ¡°Then¡­it doesn¡¯t seem like it.¡±


    Xu Ze thought for a while before asking, ¡°Do you have anyone you¡¯re paying special attention to?¡±


    Lin Yuyan was stunned, does Gu Yaoyang count?


    Xu Ze noticed the difference and immediately asked, ¡°Male or female?¡±


    Lin Yuyan felt that there was nothing wrong, and told him, ¡°It¡¯s a boy.¡±


    Xu Ze snapped his fingers, sure enough. He ordered another cup of coffee for him and asked him, ¡°Do you know how I found out I like men?¡±


    Lin Yuyan, ¡°Don¡¯t you just naturally know it?¡±


    ¡°Of course not, it takes time to find out about it.¡± Xu Ze wanted to help this idiot friend of his and explained, ¡°I was just like you at that time. I wasn¡¯t interested in any girls and all my friends had crushes, but I didn¡¯t¡±


    Lin Yuyan said, ¡°It could also be that¡­I haven¡¯t met someone I liked yet?¡±


    ¡°Of course, that¡¯s also a possibility, but the most unfathomable thing is that for some reason I can¡¯t have any kind of relationship with girls.¡± Then he asked Lin Yuyan to look out the window. ¡°What about you? Do you feel like you have the drive to look at those long legs and plump chest?¡±


    Lin Yuyan didn¡¯t move but blushed as he stared outside.


    He felt that it was very rude of him to stare at others so blatantly, so he quickly looked away and shook his head.


    Xu Ze looked at him and said meaningfully, ¡°This is very abnormal.¡± He sent a few pictures to Lin Yuyan, all of them were pictures of naked and muscular men, and asked excitedly, ¡°What do you think?¡±


    Lin Yuyan honestly commented, ¡°Their bodies are in good shape.¡±


    ¡°Is there nothing else?¡±


    Lin Yuyan looked at it for a few more seconds, ¡°um.¡±


    Eh? Xu Ze was puzzled. Could it be that he guessed wrong? But it shouldn¡¯t be. Obviously when they first met, he sensed the same kind of ambiance in Lin Yuyan.


    For a whole afternoon, the two of them discussed this issue in the coffee shop. Xu Ze sent Lin Yuyan countless large-scale photos of men, and his stock was almost drained, but he felt nothing about them except saying that they had good bodies.


    When he left the amusement park, it was past five o¡¯clock, and Lin Yuyan had dinner with his friends before returning home.


    He fell onto the bed and thought of Gu Yaoyang. He wanted to know what he was doing, so he typed a text message and sent it.


    A few seconds later, a video call came from the other side.


    ¡°Just came back?¡± Gu Yaoyang asked casually, knowing that he had gone to the pool.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Lin Yuyan saw that there were many cabinets behind the other, and asked, ¡°Are you in the dressing room?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang said yes. His hair was wet and he was sweating a lot. He pushed his wet hair to the back, revealing his clean forehead to the camera.


    Although he didn¡¯t know what he was doing, it seems like he had just finished training. The black vest on his body was clinging to his body, his sweat beads flowed down the side of his face into his neck socket, and then slowly seeped into his skin.


    Only at this time did he realize that his shoulders were wide but his waist was narrow, and there were obvious muscle lines hidden under his close-fitting clothes, which made him look particularly good-looking


    Lin Yuyan swallowed inexplicably and stared at him motionless.


    Maybe he thought this video was inconvenient, so Gu Yaoyang found a chair casually, put his phone on it, bent his long legs, sat on the bench in the locker room, and removed the protective bandages on his hands round by round.


    After he finished dismantling one, he looked up at the video call again, only to see the person in the video call gone.


    After waiting for a long time, there was a sound of dawdling footsteps on the opposite side, and he asked, ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    Lin Yuyan¡¯s mouth was a little wet. He held a glass in his hand, and said with a blushing face, ¡°Drinking water¡­yeah- just a little bit thirsty.¡±

 CH 23

    After a simple chat, Lin Yuyan hurriedly hung up the video. Lin Yuyan was acting a little odd today as he stared at the empty glass by his bedside in a daze.


    Last time, when he searched for information about boxing, he felt that it was just him helping a friend out, but looking at Gu Yaoyang¡¯s body this time¡­ He had a strange feeling about it, but what does that mean?


    Was he envious? or was it something like¡­ Like a sexual urge?


    Lin Yuyan is not stupid. Although many things weren¡¯t clear to him in the first place, if the facts are in front of him, he wouldn¡¯t overly reject them.


    But it was very strange.


    It doesn¡¯t matter if he likes boys or not, but if he does, his crush shouldn¡¯t be Gu Yaoyang, it¡¯s just not reasonable at all.


    Obviously, he hated him a few days ago and he just changed his attitude towards him a little bit, but now he likes him? Isn¡¯t that too easy? Although he couldn¡¯t deny that Gu Yaoayang has many positive traits to him, isn¡¯t it impossible for him to suddenly develop feelings for the other?


    It¡¯s not love at first sight.


    Wait, love at first sight¡­ Lin Yuyan hesitated for a while on these four words, then quickly shook his head.


    Impossible,  it¡¯s probably because they¡¯ve frequently been in touch recently and him seeing Xu Ze¡¯s photos as well. It also coincided with the fact that he was very envious of Gu Yaoyang¡¯s figure, so it must have made him yearn for it.


    ¡°Yes?¡± Lin Yuyan suddenly grinned. Yes, this should be why!


    If that¡¯s the case, he shouldn¡¯t contact Gu Yaoyang for a few days. If there is less contact, then naturally there will be no more messy thoughts.


    The next day, Lin Yuyan got up early in the morning. He was going to see an art exhibition not far from his home, so he could go there by bike.


    The bicycle in the garage was bought a few days ago, but he hasn¡¯t ridden on it much. Today, he moved it out to bask in the sun as he wiped the dust around it.


    The body was black and white, and the flywheel and disc were limited components. Lin Yuyan thought the bike was very suitable for Gu Yaoyang. If he rode it, he would probably look much more handsome on it than him.


    He thought this as he took out his phone and took a picture of the bike. When he got to Gu Yaoyang¡¯s chat and he remembered he wouldn¡¯t contact him for a few days, he stared at the chat with a little worry and hesitated for a while before sending it to Zhuo Hang


    Zhuo Hang didn¡¯t reply, but Lin Yuyan didn¡¯t care. He ran upstairs and changed his clothes before rushing to the art exhibition. This exhibition was much more high-end than the last one, it brought many famous painters from home and abroad, and some collections were also on sale. Lin Yuyan had been looking into this for a very long time.


    When he arrived, there were already many people from the exhibition hall. They walked and went around before finally settling in front of an impressionist oil painting.


    This painting was a bit special. A thin back was standing in a boxing ring. On the opposite side stood a huge chimpanzee. The size of the ape was dozens of times that of the teenager standing in front of it. It exaggerated the entire background.


    The name of the painting was called ¡°The Ring¡±, and there were countless audiences around the orangutan clapping their hands and applauding.


    Lin Yuyan couldn¡¯t see the young man¡¯s face, he could only see a vaguely existing scar on his back that was not deliberately displayed.


    ¡°Do you like this painting very much?¡± At this moment, someone walked up to him.


    Lin Yuyan turned his head and saw a gentleman in a suit wearing a bell hat on his head.


    He looked to be in his fifties, and the beard around his mouth was finely shaped. One side of it was black and the other was white, it was neatly trimmed and recognizable.


    ¡°You are¡­¡± Lin Yuyan¡¯s eyes widened: ¡°You¡¯re Mr. Zeng Yi?¡±


    Mr. Zeng Yi, the author of this painting, smiled at Lin Yuyan and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d know about me.¡±


    Lin Yuyan excitedly said, ¡°I like your paintings very much, I¡¯ve bought every one of your collections.¡±


    ¡°Oh, really?¡±


    Mr. Zeng laughed as he rubbed the small goatee on his chin, ¡°Am I really that famous in China?¡±


    Lin Yuyan said, ¡°It¡¯s not a matter of fame, I¡¯ll like a painting even if you¡¯re not famous.¡±


    Mr. Zeng laughed again, patted Lin Yuyan on the shoulder, and looked at the painting on the wall, ¡°I like boxing very much. If it weren¡¯t for my poor physique and the wrong career, I would have liked to break a sweat on the ring like this young man.¡±


    Lin Yuyan felt that this painting was somewhat familiar, especially the young man with a scar on his back. He wanted to ask in detail, but Mr. Zeng had already left; he didn¡¯t even ask for a photo.


    But this didn¡¯t stop Lin Yuyan from being in a happy mood. After watching the exhibition, he ran out in a hurry, wanting to share his joy with Gu Yaoyang. He just took out his phone when he stopped.


    After he thought about it, he decided to send it to Zhuo Hang with a sad face.


    Zhuo Hang slept at one and got up in the middle of the night. He picked up his phone and checked the time. A dozen messages popped out of his notification. He thought it was the older sister who missed him, but he didn¡¯t have time to be happy when he found out that it was Lin Yuyan.


    ¡°What¡¯s this all about¡­¡± Zhuo Hang raised his eyebrows and flipped through his mobile phone: bicycles, art exhibition halls, little ants on the side of the road, blooming little wildflowers, strange-shaped clouds, broken traffic lights, and braised pork for dinner?


    Zhuo Hang replied in horror, ¡°You¡¯re cooking?¡±


    Lin Yuyan replied in seconds, ¡°Good night, I¡¯m going to bed.¡±


    Zhuo Hang scratched his head, thinking that Lin Yuyan wasn¡¯t acting right today, but he didn¡¯t take it to heart.


    Who would have thought that it would be like this every day for the next two days, with more and more text messages and the corresponding sentences being inexplicable? Zhuo Hang couldn¡¯t bear it anymore and called Lin Yuyan, ¡°What do you mean by sending those pictures? Have you fallen from a tree?¡±


    Lin Yuyan was painting, and sighed at Gu Yaoyang¡¯s face before replying, ¡°Nothing.¡±


    Hearing the tone, it didn¡¯t seem like he was okay. Zhuo Hang thought about it, and suddenly realized, ¡°Did you fall out of love?¡±


    Lin Yuyan dipped the paintbrush in paint before emphasizing, ¡°I¡¯m not in a relationship.¡±


    Zhuo Hang had long been accustomed to his blunt words and comforted the other, ¡°It¡¯s just a broken heart, no big deal. You¡¯ll just have to wait it out for a few days before you completely forget about it. You can tell me about it, about how you miss her or something. As a good friend, I¡¯ll lend my ear to you and keep all your secrets to myself. Nobody will know about it.¡±


    ¡°Who- Who said I miss him?¡± The words seemed to trigger him, and he reacted as if he was pierced by someone.


    He hung up on Zhuo Hang and found a missed call in his address book. It turned out to be from Gu Yaoyang.


    Just as he was thinking about whether to reply or not, the phone rang again. Lin Yuyan hesitated for a while before he put his phone on the bed tremblingly, and hid at the door.


    He can¡¯t pick it up, he must hold on. Two days have passed, and in another two days, he will definitely not think and miss him.


    With a ¡°snap¡±, Lin Yuyan patted the hand he wanted to answer the phone. His eyes were red with pain. He really didn¡¯t mean to think about Gu Yaoyang, but he couldn¡¯t control it at all. He just wanted to talk to him, to know what he was doing? He wanted to ask him if he was eating well. Is he used to the temperature there?


    After more than ten seconds, the ringing stopped. Lin Yuyan laid on the doorstep and waited for a while until Gu Yaoyang didn¡¯t call again. He was relieved, followed by another inexplicable sense of loss. He sat at the door and grieved.


    What¡¯s the matter with him? He wouldn¡¯t really like Gu Yaoyang, would he?


    After dinner, his mother was finally free and took the time to send a video to Lin Yuyan, asking him how he was doing recently.


    Lin Yuyan forced a smile on his face and repeatedly answered her questions.


    Although Xu Jinglan wasn¡¯t at home very much, she could detect her son¡¯s abnormal mood and asked tentatively, ¡°Yanyan, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Lin Yuyan was distracted, and after several calls, he answered slowly, ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°Really? Are you alright?¡±


    Lin Yuyan shook his head and said something out of nowhere, ¡°Mom, can I go out to play?¡±


    Xu Jinglan said, ¡°Yes, where do you want to go?¡±


    ¡°I¡­I want to see the snow.¡±


    This sentence was said suddenly as if he was out of his mind when he said that. When Lin Yuyan reacted, he was already wearing a thick down jacket, dragging his suitcase, and standing at the door of light3.


    The distance was very close, only separated by a road, and the ground was covered in thick snow.


    Lin Yuyan couldn¡¯t understand why he made such a decision, but since he had already come, he wanted to clear it up on the way. He wanted to find out what kind of feelings he had towards Gu Yaoyang¡­ So that he won¡¯t think about it all day long and finally get a peaceful sleep.


    He just didn¡¯t know if Gu Yaoyang would welcome him.


    Although light3 was considered to be a top club, it did not have a luxurious impression. The ordinary three-story building was completely integrated into the city of snow.


    At three o¡¯clock in the afternoon, the door of the club opened with people coming out one after the other. They were all tall people and looked quite buff even as they wore their thin coats. Some were grinning, some were covered in injuries, and some couldn¡¯t even walk properly. They were supported by their peers who wore the same team uniform. It seems like they were players who are training here.


    Lin Yuyan took half a step back while he held onto his suitcase. He heard a player, who had a bruised nose and swollen face, saying in a sulky voice, ¡°I say, he¡¯s not a human at all, he¡¯s the devil! It¡¯s not like you didn¡¯t follow him when you went to China for special training. Has he ever been soft-hearted? Am I a sandbag? No! I am a dignified Linzhou District League A-level champion! But do I not need face? Beating me up like this, did my mother send me all the way here from home just to get beaten? Aren¡¯t I being a disgrace?¡±


    As he spoke, he wiped away the tears that were threatening to fall down from the corner of his eye. The man walking next to him wasn¡¯t faring any better, the corners of his mouth were broken and his eyes were swollen as he said, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Didn¡¯t he look fine two days ago? I thought that the coach would treat us better, but why is he still so ruthless to us?¡±


    ¡°I suspect the phone calls were the source of the problem.¡± Said a dark-skinned and pink-haired foreigner, ¡°He made two calls a day but the other side didn¡¯t answer. The air was tense at the time, it made me so scared I didn¡¯t even dare to go to the toilet.¡±


    ¡°Really? Who dared not to answer his call?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t block the door.¡± As soon as the voice fell, the several players who were blocking the door and whispering to each other instantly scurried away. They ran faster than a rabbit getting chased by a predator despite their injured appearances.


    Lin Yuyan raised his eyes as he exclaimed. He saw a familiar figure walking out of the club with a gloomy face and a cigarette in his hand.


    It was incredible how with one glance, all of his frustrations these past few days were immediately swept away.


    But Lin Yuyan didn¡¯t notice this detail at all.


    He happily called out to the other party, ¡°Gu Yaoyang!¡±


    Gu Yaoyang was obviously startled. The cigarette in his hand fell to the ground. He instantly caught Lin Yuyan¡¯s gaze, squinted his eyes for a while hesitating, then strode over.


    Before Lin Yuyan said hello to him, he felt that his cold ears were being pushed into his hot palms. Gu Yaoyang frowned slightly and asked in a low voice, ¡°Is it cold?¡±


    ¡°Not cold.¡± Lin Yuyan rolled his eyes and said with a smile: ¡°You¡­ Shouldn¡¯t you ask something else first?¡±


    ¡°Like why am I here?¡±

 CH 24

    Chapter 24


    Gu Yaoyang didn¡¯t ask him any questions, the answer could only be one of two anyways. It was either to play or to travel.


    He dragged Lin Yuyan all the way back to the dormitory, without even saying a word. This little idiot of his was already spewing out all kinds of stuff. He told him to wear a hat, a scarf, and such, but forgot to look after himself, evidenced by his rosy nose going redder by the second due to the chilly weather.


    He didn¡¯t know if the other could even feel his freezing nose. He couldn¡¯t retract his curling mouth, making him look a little stupid.


    Lin Yuyan saw Gu Yaoyang¡¯s new home through their video calls, so he wasn¡¯t unfamiliar with it. He opened his suitcase first and pulled out a pair of cotton slippers to wear.


    ¡°Do you usually get off work at this time?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang grabbed a remote control and turned the air conditioner to the highest setting as he answered, ¡°It gets dark earlier here.¡±


    Lin Yuyan checked the information he found before, it did say that it usually became dark a few hours earlier compared to his home. Lin Yuyan looked at the window to see the outside view, he couldn¡¯t help but sigh in awe, ¡°It¡¯s beautiful here.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang didn¡¯t answer, he was merely standing in front of the phonograph as he quietly gazed at the other.


    Lin Yuyan turned his head and met his eyes. He stared at him for a few seconds before looking away embarrassedly. He asked, ¡°Are you hungry?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Gu Yaoyang answered, ¡°What? Do you want to eat?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s in the fridge? Why don¡¯t we cook for ourselves?¡±  He seemed to be addicted to cooking, especially when he was cooking with Gu  Yaoyang.


    Gu Yaoyang opened the refrigerator and let him see for himself. The top half was filled with beer and the bottom half had seven to eight packs of cigarettes. Lin Yuyan¡¯s mouth twitched, he didn¡¯t expect it to be worse than when the other lived on Wenchang street, at least there were pickles made by Grandma Hu before.


    ¡°Even if-¡± He spoke as his stomach rumbled with a ¡°Gulu-Gulu¡± sound. He faced the fridge as his voice became smaller and smaller before he could barely hear it due to his stomach.


    Gu Yaoyang asked, ¡°What?¡±


    Lin Yuyan dryly coughed and stared at the ground as he repeated in a small voice, ¡°Even if you live alone, don¡¯t smoke and drink too often¡­ it¡¯s not good for your body.¡±


    Afraid that Gu Yaoyang would think he was being fussy, he ran to the door without waiting for a response and put on his jacket, ¡°Let¡¯s go to the supermarket and have a look there? We could buy something for us to eat.¡¯


    Gu Yaoyang nodded and put on his hat before walking out together.


    The city of Mostin has many nicknames. It usually snows half the year, so most people like to call it the snow village because of how small it is. It wasn¡¯t as big as the two districts of Linzhou city combined, but it¡¯s beautiful: the scattered spire houses, the unique streetscape design, and even the roadside benches and lights paired. Snowflakes fell in clusters, falling onto the benches as the light shone on them, illuminating them into a glowing rhombus crystal.


    There weren¡¯t many people in the supermarket, and they were all residents living nearby. Lin Yuyan saw several young people of the same skin color and guessed that they were all students. After all, very few people immigrated here. Although the scenery here was mesmerizing, the quality of life here wasn¡¯t very high.


    Lin Yuyan carefully scanned the shelves, there were many oils, salt, sauces, vinegar, okra, mushrooms, and bloody fresh steak slices¡­ many of which he couldn¡¯t cook yet, but he wanted Gu Yaoyang to improve his diet, although he didn¡¯t know how he has been eating ever since he joined the club. Regardless of the meal, when he¡¯s alone he¡¯ll definitely not cook. The steak will be a little bit difficult, so Lin Yuyan turned his head and asked, ¡°Can we cook together?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang helped push the cart and glanced at the ingredients in the cart, ¡°Are you sure we¡¯re cooking together and not me cooking while you stand on the side to avoid making trouble?¡±


    Putting the steak slice into the shopping cart, he muttered, ¡°Am I really that bad at cooking? Besides, do you think anyone could be as good as you, learning a recipe at a glance? You should give others time for them to practice.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang was originally expressionless, but after listening to him, he abruptly laughed. Lin Yuyan instantly became nervous, he stammered as he asked, ¡°You- what are you laughing at?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang pushed the cart past him and lightly said, ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    Lin Yuyan didn¡¯t believe it and stared suspiciously. Looking at his back, he carefully recalled their conversation and hurriedly covered his mouth.


    Their walk back to Gu Yaoyang¡¯s place was much quieter. Lin Yuyan held a heavy bottle of olive oil and followed behind Gu Yaoyang. When they were near his home, he walked past him and glanced at the other¡¯s raised mouth, he dimly said, ¡°You laughed all the way back from the market.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang asked, ¡°And what¡¯s the problem with that?¡±


    He was the one who complimented the other without giving it much thought, yet now he¡¯s feeling a little embarrassed.


    Lin Yuyan didn¡¯t want Gu Yaoyang to know what he was thinking. If he knew, he would definitely laugh at him for a long time.


    The two of them cooked dinner together. Gu Yaoyang was in charge of frying the steak, and Lin Yuyan stood by as a mobile phone stand. He¡¯d turn the page when the other ordered him to and read the instructions to him when the other asked.


    It seems that Gu Yaoyang became tired of laughing as he now returned to his usual indifferent expression. Lin Yuyan happily hummed and relaxed around him.


    Though, there was no denying that he looked really handsome when he smiled.


    ¡°What else?¡±


    ¡°Huh? ¡°


    ¡°Side dish.¡±


    Lin Yuyan said, ¡°I want to eat asparagus.¡± Then he asked, ¡°I hear them say that you came here to be a coach at the club¡¯s entrance today?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gu Yaoyang boiled some water and touched his trouser pocket. There was a pack of cigarettes in it. He was halfway to pulling them out of his pocket when he placed them back inside. He then took apart the fresh asparagus and threw it into the water to clean it.


    Lin Yuyan said, ¡°Why did you choose to be a coach? Don¡¯t you have a chance to be a player?¡±


    Generally speaking, if this opportunity is presented to other people, most people would choose to be a professional player, not to mention that Gu Yaoyang was still so young and capable. He could climb all the way up to the top of the circle and become a much-anticipated boxing star. On the other hand, being a coach doesn¡¯t have many benefits, they couldn¡¯t stand in the ring and could only do some behind-the-scenes work.


    Gu Yaoyang didn¡¯t speak, he merely took out the blanched asparagus and drenched it in cold water according to the recipe.


    After waiting a while, he heard the other say, ¡°I¡¯m not worthy.¡±


    When he said that, he kept looking at Lin Yuyan as if he was conveying another hidden reason to him.


    It was also as if he was speaking to the spectacular boxing ring.


    He grabbed the fried steak and walked out regretfully. He wouldn¡¯t have asked if he knew about it earlier, so how could he cheer up the other now? He thought for a long time but couldn¡¯t come up with anything when he suddenly saw two red wine bottles in the corner. His eyes lit up as an idea popped up in his head.


    Didn¡¯t they say that drinking could relieve a thousand sorrows? He can forget the sadness by having a drink with him!


    Yes! That¡¯s it!


    Gu Yaoyang randomly cooked another dish before coming out of the kitchen. Lin Yuyan was already sitting at the dinner table. There were two wine glasses on the table, he didn¡¯t know where the other had gotten it from.


    Gu Yaoyang asked, ¡°Do you want to drink?¡±


    Lin Yuyan nodded solemnly, ¡°To celebrate me coming here.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang asked, ¡°You can drink?¡±


    Lin Yuyan answered, ¡°Of course, I can, don¡¯t look down on me.¡± He poured the wine into his glass as he said that. His posture was quite professional. When his parents were not busy, they would occasionally hold a cocktail party in a villa in the outer suburbs. In fact, he had secretly tasted some.


    But today, in order to comfort Gu Yaoyang, he was ready to go all out and hope that he could drink more and sleep well.


    ¡°Cheers.¡± Lin Yuyan took a sip to himself, then hurriedly cut a piece of steak and stuffed it into his mouth, covering the bitter taste of the wine.


    Gu Yaoyang shook his glass, looked at him for a few seconds, and then said, ¡°Drink less, you¡¯re still a minor.¡±


    Lin Yuyan retorted, ¡°You¡¯re only a few months older than me, so what qualifications do you have to scold me?¡±


    Then, he didn¡¯t say anything else, merely thinking in his heart silently.


    After taking a few more sips, he seemed to get used to the taste. Gradually, he could even taste a little bit of sweetness?


    Lin Yuyan seemed to have discovered a new world. He blinked and poured another glass. After drinking, he forgot his original intention. He tilted his head, thought about it, and then couldn¡¯t remember why he clinked glasses with Gu Yaoyang.


    He seemed to drink really well, his face was not red nor was his heart beating fast. He ate the steak cleanly. Gu Yaoyang didn¡¯t care about him anymore and chatted with him.


    It wasn¡¯t until he finished eating that he realized that something was wrong. Lin Yuyan followed him wherever he went. He took the plate, and Lin Yuyan also followed.


    ¡°I won¡¯t wash it today, I¡¯ll be resting early.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang took the tableware and chopsticks in his hand and put it on the cupboard. He looked at Lin Yuyan, who nodded dully, and said, ¡°Good night, then I¡¯m going to wash up.¡±


    After speaking, he raised his hand to turn on the kitchen faucet. After waiting a while, he suddenly stuck his head in!


    ¡°Hey!¡± Exclaimed Gu Yaoyang, who was startled by his abrupt actions. He hurriedly pulled him out, found a clean towel, and put it on his head to help him dry.


    Lin Yuyan looked at the faucet, then looked up at Gu Yaoyang as he aggrievedly said, ¡°Wanna wash, but why is the bath water so cold¡­¡±

 CH 25

    ¡°This is no place to take a bath.¡± Gu Yaoyang said as he stared into the other¡¯s eyes, immediately seeing that the other had drunk too much. He did drink a good amount of that wine and it turns out he only looked sober.


    ¡°Then¡­ Where¡¯s the bathing place?¡± Lin Yuyan asked as he circled around in a daze.


    Gu Yaoyang held his head and turned him around, taking the other upstairs.


    There were two rooms upstairs. One of them was a bathroom. This bathroom was larger than the one on Wenchang street, and there was a huge bathtub inside as well, it looked very comfortable.


    Gu Yaoyang never used it, but Lin Yuyan was very interested in the bathtub. Before he filled the tub with water, he laid himself down in the tub but was soon forcibly carried out by Gu Yaoyang.


    Gu Yaoyang helped him fill the tub with hot water, but was afraid he¡¯d have an accident because he drank too much, so he stood by the door and didn¡¯t leave to watch over his drunk friend.


    Lin Yuyan¡¯s attention was attracted by the sound of running water. He squatted in front of the bathtub obediently, and occasionally tested the water temperature. He looked normal when he did that. When the water was almost full, he took the initiative to close the tap, stand up, and slowly start to take off his clothes.


    After trying to take his clothes off for a while, he grabbed his collar with one hand and twisted the other hand against the air, as if he was unbuttoning the buttons on his shirt.


    Gu Yaoyang raised his eyebrows and watched, he had no intention of helping. Lighting a cigarette, he watched the other busy himself in a hurry.


    Two minutes later, Lin Yuyan still hadn¡¯t taken his clothes off. He turned his head to look for help. When he saw Gu Yaoyang, he hurriedly walked over to him and asked, ¡°Could you please help me undress?¡±


    He dragged the round-neck pullover on his body and said with a bitter face, ¡°I can¡¯t find the button.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang ignored his plea.


    Lin Yuyan took his hand and said, ¡°Please, I want to take a bath¡­¡±


    Gu Yaoyang slowly chewed on the cigarette and squinted at him.


    After staring at him for a while, he rubbed his hair and helped him take off his sweater. There was a buttoned shirt underneath the sweater, so he helped him unbutton the shirt before puffing out a long smoke ring into his face.


    Lin Yuyan didn¡¯t dodge. He took in a whiff of the smoke, probably because of the alcohol, before raising his hand and taking the cigarette away from Gu Yaoyang¡¯s mouth as he solemnly said, ¡°Smoke less.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang glanced at him and dropped the cigarette to the ground. He stepped on the cigarette butt as he smiled and said, ¡°You¡¯re quite broad with your management.¡±


    Lin Yuyan didn¡¯t have time to refute as he took off the clothes on his upper body. He lowered his head and seemed to think for a while before taking his pants off. Not feeling any shame, he was about to run downstairs naked to grab his toiletries.


    Gu Yaoyang grabbed him and asked, ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Lin Yuyan answered, ¡°My toiletries are still in the suitcase.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang said, ¡°You wait here, I¡¯ll get it for you.¡±


    Lin Yuyan didn¡¯t refuse his help and thanked him. He turned his head in a daze and stumbled on his left foot, falling to the ground with a ¡°plop.¡±


    ¡°Ow¡­¡±


    Gu Yaoyang had taken two steps down when he heard him fall. He immediately ran back, pulled Lin Yuyan up, checked him and made sure that he wasn¡¯t seriously injured before exhaling in relief.


    Lin Yuyan¡¯s lips trembled from the pain, but he didn¡¯t forget about wanting to take a bath. He eagerly looked at the bathtub, wanting to immediately jump inside.


    Gu Yaoyang had no choice but to pick him up horizontally and place him in the tub first. After telling him not to move around, he then quickly went down and grabbed some stuff before quickly running back upstairs, fearing the other would accidentally sleep in the water.


    Fortunately, this time Lin Yuyan was obedient and kept his head down, not making noise or making trouble.


    ¡°Does your leg hurt?¡± Asked Gu Yaoyang as he pulled a small stool and sat in front of the tub. When he saw the other¡¯s swollen knee, he rubbed it and brought Lin Yuyan¡¯s wash bag, pouring some shower gel onto the other.


    Lin Yuyan said it didn¡¯t hurt, but he still lowered his head and silently cried as if he was enduring something painful.


    Gu Yaoyang disliked him for being such a crybaby, but the strength in his hands was obviously light and gentle as it rubbed him. However, Lin Yuyan continued to sob even more, as it seemed that it had nothing to do with the pain in his knees. Gu Yaoyang suspiciously asked, ¡°Why are you crying?¡±


    Lin Yuyan raised his eyes to meet his and pointed at something between his legs, whimpering as he said, ¡°It¡­why is it so small¡­¡±


    Gu Yaoyang was startled. He looked in the direction of his fingers and burst into laughter.


    Lin Yuyan still felt sad in his heart, but for some reason, he was a little happy to hear him laugh.


    His emotions were complicated, and his brain was still sluggish due to the alcohol. His tears kept falling down with a ¡°drip-drip¡± sound into the water. At this moment, he didn¡¯t care if the person near him was his friend or enemy as he wrapped around Gu Yaoyang¡¯s neck in an attempt to seek comfort in the other¡¯s embrace. He leaned on the other¡¯s shoulder and complained, ¡°I can¡¯t even wear your underwear¡­ it would just fall down¡­¡±


    Actually, this situation did not give away how drunk the other was. He said what he thought as he clutched onto Gu Yaoyang, refusing to let go. He sobbed profusely, complaining that the sofa was too tiny and narrow and that he preferred to sleep on the bed. He didn¡¯t want to sleep on the floor, it was so hard and his whole body hurt when he slept there. He didn¡¯t want to watch the horror movie either, he wanted to watch a romance movie! He complained as he rubbed against the other¡¯s shoulder and acted like a spoiled child.


    Gu Yaoyang replied as he washed the other clean then took him out of the water before grabbing a bath towel.


    Lin Yuyan seemed to have cried enough. He thought about another thing and asked, ¡°Why do you always tease me?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang carried him to the second bedroom and wiped his hair for him, ¡°I already told you that there¡¯s no reason.¡±


    Lin Yuyan: ¡°There must be.¡± After thinking about it, he asked, ¡°Do you hate me?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang asked him to lie down, pulled another quilt over him, tapped his nose, and said, ¡°I like you.¡±


    Lin Yuyan: ¡°I don¡¯t believe it.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Gu Yaoyang responded casually without explaining too much.


    After listening to Lin Yuyan talking nonsense for a while, he waited for him to fall asleep peacefully before picking up his phone that was running out of battery. There were a few missed calls from Sister Ling.


    Sister Ling had come to play for a few days before feeling bored, so she went to the airport again to prepare to return to China. She said to Gu Yaoyang, ¡°I asked Shao Zheng to stay to have him be a sparring coach here. You can take care of each other if you run into any trouble.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang was in a good mood, so he responded with a few more words than usual.


    Sister Ling: ¡°You too, pay more attention to yourself.¡± After a few seconds, she asked, ¡°I really want to know why you suddenly agreed to join the club.¡±


    Whether he¡¯s a player or a coach, at least he now had a decent path to walk on. She actually had a guess in her heart, but she still wanted to hear Gu Yaoyang say it himself.


    ¡°For the ear studs.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang stood at the door of the bedroom and didn¡¯t move for a long time. He looked at the little alcoholic tossing and turning on the bed and said, ¡°After all, something so beautiful shouldn¡¯t be stuck in the mud.¡±


    It needs to be replaced with something worthy of his attention, after all

 CH 26

    The next day, Lin Yuyan woke up on time.


    He opened his eyes and realized he didn¡¯t know where he was. He was in an unfamiliar room. He looked at the time and found out it was 10:30 in the morning. He raised his hands to open the curtains, vaguely remembering what had happened yesterday; but his memories were too confusing for him to understand anything. He shook his hungover head and stepped out of the door wearing a pair of slippers on his feet.


    After walking around on the second floor a few times, he still had no impression of what happened last night. He couldn¡¯t even remember how he got up and changed into his pajamas.


    He only remembered that he drank a little bit of wine yesterday. He thought that his throat was uncomfortable, was it because he drank too much yesterday?


    Gu Yaoyang had already left, it was obvious from how the bedroom opposite him was wide open. Lin Yuyan leaned on the door and looked in before going to the bathroom. He brushed his teeth and washed his face before changing his clothes.


    He came here recklessly, so he didn¡¯t have any plans for himself even though he came here to play. Although Gu Yaoyang wasn¡¯t at home, he still wanted to go shopping at the nearby market.


    As soon as he stepped downstairs, he saw a bag of toast and a small bread machine on the dining table.


    It wasn¡¯t here yesterday, Gu Yaoyang had probably bought it this morning to allow Lin Yuyan make breakfast himself.


    It was simple. No matter how rich young master Lin was, he could still bake a few slices of bread according to the instructions. Although his first slice was burnt and was barely edible, he remembered he bought some milk yesterday and opened a box of milk and warmed it using hot water. He didn¡¯t like drinking milk before, but after he came back from Wenchang street, he had been drinking a cup every day. After all, he was a growing boy.


    After Lin Yuyan finished eating, he received a call from Gu Yaoyang, who asked him, ¡°Are you sober?¡±


    Sure enough¡­


    Lin Yuyan was a little embarrassed, ¡°Last night, did I cause you any trouble?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang: ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­ Then, I didn¡¯t do anything weird, right?¡± Although he couldn¡¯t remember clearly, he knew that some people who drink too much could go crazy, cry, make trouble, and even run around butt naked.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang replied, ¡°You can drink pretty well.¡±


    Lin Yuyan immediately relaxed and wanted to end the call, but then Gu Yaoyang continued, ¡°It¡¯s just that you cried a bit and made a little bit of a fuss. You also dangled around with your bare buttocks.¡±


    Boom-


    ¡°!¡± Lin Yuyan was bewildered and felt as if the sky was collapsing.


    He paused for a while, he didn¡¯t quite believe it. After all, Gu Yaoyang had always lied to him, so maybe he was teasing him this time?


    After thinking about it, he was still not relieved. When it was almost afternoon, he put on his coat and grabbed his backpack and walked to the club.


    Light3 only accepts 50 players for special training every year. In addition to boxing, there are other series of martial arts events such as judo, sanda, and taekwondo.


    Lin Yuyan didn¡¯t have the chance to come in yesterday, but now he was standing inside the first-floor lobby looking around. It was a little different from what he had imagined. He thought that this place would mostly be made out of reinforced concrete and iron. He didn¡¯t expect the many different styles of art hanging on the walls. A romantic oil painting style felt somewhat familiar to him. It reminded him of Mr. Zeng, who he had met not a long time ago, but it wasn¡¯t exactly the same. There was a slight difference if one looked closely.


    Still wanting to take a closer look, he was about to step forward and observe it when the beautiful lady at the front desk smiled and said, ¡°G is on the third floor, the elevator is on the left, you can just go straight up.¡±


    Lin Yuyan thanked her and glanced at the painting on the wall before getting in the elevator.


    The third floor was very large, having four or five arenas on it. Some sandbags and soft rubber pads were hanging around which should be to prevent the players from falling.


    Gu Yaoyang was teaching the contestants a lesson, still in his close-fitting vest, overalls, and black half boots.


    Lin Yuyan didn¡¯t come forward so as not to disturb him. Instead, he took off his coat and stood by and waited quietly. He had seen Gu Yaoyang numerous times, but this was the first time he¡¯d seen him acting so seriously.


    He looked really fierce. Although his face was expressionless, one look could make a player dare not speak out. Lin Yuyan had also experienced it once, but he still thought it was much gentler than this.


    He thought for a while, tried to copy Gu Yaoyang¡¯s expression, and glanced at the mirror on the wall. Before others were shocked, he made himself laugh.


    The training ground was going through a one-on-one lesson. Suddenly a tall and buff-looking contestant walked up to Gu Yaoyang and challenged him.


    The player was nearly two meters wide and twice as wide as Gu Yaoyang. Without saying a word, he directly waved his fist at him.


    Lin Yuyan immediately stood up from the rest area, his heart practically stuck in his throat as he watched. Fortunately, Gu Yaoyang dodged in time, kneed the man¡¯s jaw, and kicked the player out.


    ¡°I guess he can knock this person down in a few seconds?¡± At this moment, someone was talking beside Lin Yuyan.


    Lin Yuyan didn¡¯t turn his head, fearing that Gu Yaoyang would get hit or make a mistake. Even if he knew that the other was good at fighting, he still clenched his hand and broke out in a cold sweat as he worriedly looked at the other.


    Fortunately, that player was not Gu Yaoyang¡¯s opponent. In just four or five seconds, he was thrown to the ground with a neat over-the-shoulder, and he couldn¡¯t even get up.


    Lin Yuyan sighed in relief once it was over. He turned his head to look at the man standing next to him when he nearly collapsed on the ground in shock.


    ¡°Zeng- Mr. Zeng?!¡±


    The person who talked to him was Mr. Zeng, the painter he met at the exhibition some time ago. He also glanced at Lin Yuyan before saying with a smile on his face, ¡°What a coincidence.¡±


    ¨C


    Ten minutes later, Gu Yaoyang finished the class and went to the lounge to change clothes before walking to Lin Yuyan¡¯s side. He waved his hands at him and said, ¡°Hey.¡± Lin Yuyan abruptly grabbed Gu Yaoyang¡¯s clothes and excitedly said, ¡°You- Do you know who I just saw.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang asked, ¡°Who is it?¡±


    Lin Yuyan happily ran to him as he exclaimed, ¡°It¡¯s Mr. Zeng! He¡¯s a famous painter, do you know that?¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Gu Yaoyang said lazily, ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°And he¡¯s actually the boss of light3!¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡± Gu Yaoyang plugged his ears and perfunctorily said, ¡°How amazing.¡±


    ¡°Yeah! I like him very much. He¡¯s one of my favorite painters. I met him once in China before, but I forgot to ask for his signature.¡± Lin Yuyan stopped and pulled Gu Yaoyang¡¯s wrist away from his ears and continued to excitedly say, ¡°This time, I¡¯ll definitely get it!¡±


    Gu Yaoyang asked, ¡°Where¡¯s the signature?¡±


    Lin Yuyan took the schoolbag off of him. He grabbed something, brought it to Gu Yaoyang, and pointed at a string of big characters, ¡°Here!¡±


    Gu Yaoyang took out a cigarette but didn¡¯t light it, and asked, ¡°Are you this happy to get the autograph?¡±


    Lin Yuyan nodded, again and again, the corners of his mouth cracking to the back of his head.


    Gu Yaoyang looked at his useless appearance, raised his eyebrows, and asked, ¡°Then why don¡¯t you ask him to teach you how to draw?¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?¡± Lin Yuyan¡¯s eyes widened, and he hurriedly lifed his schoolbag back, ¡°But, is it alright? ¡°


    ¡°He should be free, I could ask for you.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    Lin Yuyan asked, ¡°Are you familiar with Mr. Zeng?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang said, ¡°I guess? He is more familiar with me unilaterally.¡±


    With a foul face, Lin Yuyan raised his head and asked worriedly, ¡°What if he doesn¡¯t agree? He¡¯s so famous, and it looks like he never accepted an apprentice. I want to learn from him, but I¡¯ll probably get rejected.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang said, ¡°Then hit him.¡±


    Lin Yuyan was stunned: ¡°This- This is not a good idea.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang knew he was going to say that, but he didn¡¯t admonish him. He seemed to think for a while before saying in embarrassment, ¡°Then¡­ You could just hit him lightly¡­ Mr. Zeng is in his fifties. If he got hit too hard, it¡¯ll be bad if he couldn¡¯t recover.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang glanced at him. Seeing how eager he was to try, he almost laughed out loud. He poked him in the forehead and said, ¡°B*stard.¡± Then he asked, ¡°What are you doing at the club today?¡±


    ¡°Ah, that¡­¡± Lin Yuyan remembered his purpose for coming before being star-struck. His ears started ringing as he loosened his hold on Gu Yaoyang, he cautiously asked, ¡°Did I really cry, make trouble and run around naked yesterday?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang answered, ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°You- do you have any evidence?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang said, ¡°Of course there is.¡±


    Lin Yuyan was horrified, ¡°You didn¡¯t record videos, did you!?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang asked, ¡°What am I? A pervert?¡±


    Lin Yuyan boldly said, ¡°You don¡¯t have any evidence, so why did you say I ran around naked?¡±


    ¡°Hah.¡± Gu Yaoyang put his hands in the pockets of his coat and wanted to tease him when he saw his expression of not knowing to cry without seeing the coffin.


    He curled his lips into a smirk, leaned into his ear, and whispered something.


    Lin Yuyan was stunned after hearing this, and immediately straightened his body and covered his butt. Gu Yaoyang had already walked back, but he was still stunned. He exclaimed as he hurriedly chased after him, asking with a pitiful face, ¡°You- Could you please forget it?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang waved his hand and refused indifferently, ¡°It¡¯s too late, it¡¯s already engraved in my mind. ¡°

 CH 27

    It wasn¡¯t clear when Gu Yaoyang will forget about it, but on the way back to the dormitory, Lin Yuyan forgot all about it first.


    He was busy thinking about learning how to paint with Mr. Cao, and after struggling for a while, he temporarily placed Gu Yaoyang¡¯s words in the back of his mind.


    The two went back to have a simple meal and went out together again.


    Mr. Cao lived in the club to the north, a bit far from the dormitory. Along the way, Lin Yuyan kept talking about Mr. Cao¡¯s achievements many years ago and his international reputation as well. Moreover, it was rumoured that he had a quirky temper and rarely showed up to events. He was already lucky enough to meet him in an art exhibition, so it would be really difficult for him to ask for some advice.


    Lin Yuyan spoke for a long time, but Gu Yaoyang never responded. Instead, he was smoking a cigarette as he walked by his side, selectively deaf to his chatters.


    ¡°Gu Yaoyang.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Lin Yuyan suddenly fell silent and quietly asked, ¡°Do you not like listening to me chattering about this?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang answered, ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± It would be better if he could say less about Mr. Zeng.


    Lin Yuyan hesitated, but after he thought for a bit, he continued, ¡°I really like his paintings and he is also a very respectable painter in my heart. If I can get his advice, I can be happy for three days without falling asleep.¡±


    ¡°I- I don¡¯t know why, but I just want to share this feeling with you¡­ But if you don¡¯t like listening to me¡­¡±


    ¡°Then.. I¡¯ll stop.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang responded, ¡°No, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t like listening to you; it¡¯s just that I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re talking about, so I can¡¯t give a response.¡±


    Lin Yuyan said, ¡°Then let¡¯s talk about something you know, shall we?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang responded with a grunt.


    Lin Yuyan grinned and asked, ¡°Why did Mr. Zeng open a fighting club?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang: ¡°Still talking about him?¡±


    Lin Yuyan blinked: ¡°He- what happened to him?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang squinted his eyes and coldly said, ¡°I just don¡¯t understand him.¡±


    At this time, the incomprehensible Mr. Cao was brushing his teeth. He heard someone knocking on the door just after rinsing his mouth. He wiped his mouth and walked out with a shower cap. Seeing Gu Yaoyang, he covered the crack of the door and said, ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang: ¡°Open the door.¡±


    Mr. Cao: ¡°You¡¯re here to resign?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang answered, ¡°I¡¯ve just signed in and I came here not too long ago, is there something wrong with your brain?¡±


    Mr. Cao was relieved, he opened the door a little wider, saw Lin Yuyan again, and said in surprise, ¡°What a coincidence!¡±


    Lin Yuyan hurriedly bowed and smiled at him.


    Speaking of which, the two people did have some fate. This time not counted, the first two were coincidences. Mr. Zeng lived alone, with the messy style of an artist. He may look like a gentleman when he went out, but he was like a beggar at home. Dried paint was stained on the walls and floors and not cleaned in time, they became brand marks of his works.


    Only the small bar was slightly cleaner, just barely clean enough to entertain guests. He poured a glass of red wine for Lin Yuyan, and Gu Yaoyang replaced it with mineral water in an instant.


    Mr. Zeng was dissatisfied with the other, ¡°So bossy.¡±


    Lin Yuyan quickly waved his hand and explained for Gu Yaoyang, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I don¡¯t drink much and still have a hangover from yesterday.¡±


    Lin Yuyan then realized that Mr. Zeng had taken out a pack of instant coffee and handed it to him, ¡°Then go boil some water and drink this.¡± There are also a lot of expensive coffee beans in the wine cabinet, but none of them had been opened. He¡¯s probably too lazy to grind them down, so he probably usually drank this instant coffee instead.


    Mr. Zeng then turned his head and asked Gu Yaoyang, ¡°Visiting me so late at night, what¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang got straight to the point, ¡°Teach him how to draw.¡±


    Lin Yuyan hurriedly stood up and introduced himself nervously. He was afraid that Mr. Zeng would not agree, and he felt uneasy in his heart. He said that he was joking, but he didn¡¯t know how to impress Mr. Zeng.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    Mr. Zeng asked, ¡°How¡¯s the foundation?¡±


    Lin Yuyan: ¡°Beginner, foundation is okay.¡±


    ¡°Have you only liked painting recently?¡±


    ¡°I liked it since I was a child¡­but I don¡¯t have any talent, and I don¡¯t work hard enough¡­¡±


    Mr. Zeng laughed and said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you quite honest?¡±


    Lin Yu shamefully said, ¡°Although there are some external factors, my own problem is still bigger.¡±


    Mr. Zeng really liked his straightforward character and asked. ¡°Are you here to play? How many days are you going to stay?¡±


    Lin Yuyan: ¡°There are 20 days left before school starts, so I might leave before school starts.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s fine. ¡°Mr. Zeng said: ¡°If you have nothing to do, let¡¯s start tomorrow.¡±


    Lin Yuyan was completely stunned, he didn¡¯t expect things to go so smoothly. Until he sat in Mr. Zeng¡¯s studio with a palette in hand, he thought he was in a dream.


    ¡°The foundation is really good, but there are still some small problems.¡± Mr. Zeng changed into a set of pajamas today and took a look at what Lin Yuyan just drew. He didn¡¯t ask Lin Yuyan too much about his previous experience. Since he was asked to teach, he had to start from scratch. Mr. Zeng looked a little sloppy, but he was never perfunctory about painting.


    It was the first time in so many years that someone taught him this way. His father was not supportive, his teacher was perfunctory, and his mother was not around all year round.


    ¡°Ah?¡± Mr. Zeng stood beside him and asked, ¡°Why are your eyes red?¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡± Lin Yuyan lowered his head, wiped his eyes and hurriedly said, ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯m a little excited to be taught by you.¡±


    ¡°Haha.¡± Mr. Zeng patted him on the head lovingly: ¡°It seems that teaching you is right. I have taught two people in my life. The last one was a bit talented, but his ego basically flipped me to the sky.¡±


    Lin Yuyan asked curiously, ¡°You taught other students?¡±


    Mr. Zeng: ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡±


    Lin Yuyan shook his head.


    ¡°It¡¯s Gu Yaoyang.¡±


    Lin Yuyan was surprised: ¡°He¡­he learned painting from you?¡±


    Mr. Zeng took a pen and sat beside Lin Yuyan and painted with him, ¡°It seems that you are not very familiar with each other?¡±


    Lin Yuyan nodded. After thinking about it, he continued, ¡°Actually¡­ I really want to know him, can you tell me about him?


    Mr. Zeng¡¯s hands didn¡¯t stop, and he was silent for a while before saying: ¡°His business is a bit complicated. Are you sure you won¡¯t be scared away after listening to it?¡±


    ¡°Why would I be scared? Did he do something bad? ¡°


    ¡°It has nothing to do with him, mainly his parents.¡±


    Lin Yuyan said, ¡°No, as long as he didn¡¯t do bad things.¡±


    ¡°His father, to a certain extent, is a friend of mine. At that time, Yaoyang was still young. After living in his house for a few months, I taught him a few things


    along the way. His father¡¯s background¡­ to you, it may be a little far away.¡± Mr. Zeng explained everything he knew, including Gu Yaoyang¡¯s family background, the scar on his body, his dead parents, and the fact that he had been alone all these years.


    He would be lying if he said he wasn¡¯t shocked. Lin Yuyan asked in a daze, ¡°Then, is the ¡°ring¡± you painted also Gu Yaoyang?¡±


    Mr. Zeng: ¡°Yes. I told you before that I like fighting. A long time ago when I started this club, I just met Xiao Lingzi and met Yaoyang from Xiao Lingzi. After all, we¡¯re friends in this circle, so they couldn¡¯t escape my notice.¡±


    Lin Yuyan asked, ¡°Then you invited him to join the club because you wanted to help him?¡±


    Stroking his beard, Mr. Zeng pointed to Lin Yuyan¡¯s writing and said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m not that kind, I just wanted to see him throw punches. He¡¯s so magnificent, how can he not stand in a high place? Wouldn¡¯t it be a waste?¡±


    Lin Yuyan agreed with this, ¡°He seems to be interested in the professional boxing ring¡­¡±


    Mr. Zeng seemed to know what he wanted to say, ¡°This is his problem.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at the dumb look on his face. It doesn¡¯t matter whether he¡¯s dead or alive, in fact, he cares more about the past than anyone. I guess he looks down on himself more or less, and he is not really a carefree and easy person.¡±


    So that¡¯s why he dejectedly said that he wasn¡¯t worthy of standing in such a high place? Lin Yuyan was stunned for a few seconds. He looked out the window and saw that it was already dark. He said goodbye to Mr. Zeng before turning around and walking out the door.


    Sure enough, snowflakes floated outside again, landing on the ground. It made a rustling sound every time he stepped on it, and his footprints were immediately covered in more snow. A man stood under a street lamp not far away, looking over.


    It was Gu Yaoyang.


    Lin Yuyan hurriedly ran over and asked, ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang: ¡°Waiting for you.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you come in?¡± He must be watching for a long time. One of Gu Yaoyang¡¯s hands was in his pocket, and the other was red from the cold, probably smoking.


    Gu Yaoyang didn¡¯t speak and turned to leave.


    Lin Yuyan guessed: ¡°You staying outside¡­were you afraid of disturbing me?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang glanced at him, but did not deny it, ¡°You can read minds?¡± Then he asked, ¡°How was your lesson?¡±


    Lin Yuyan: ¡± Mr. Zeng is really good, what I have learned today is almost catching up to the previous ten years of missing experience¡­¡±


    But before he even finished speaking, Gu Yaoyang didn¡¯t want to continue listening to him, ¡°How are you going to thank me?¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve helped you find a teacher, shouldn¡¯t you thank me?¡±


    This request was not too much.


    Lin Yuyan thought about it for a while and suddenly held his cold palm, holding it to his mouth. He blew at his cold palms. His warm breath caressed his cold hands as a faint ¡°ha¡± sound came out.


    He smiled and said, ¡°Thank you, Gu Yaoyang, you¡¯re so kind.¡±

 CH 28

    The word ¡®inferiority complex¡¯ often appeared in Lin Yuyan¡¯s mind. He doesn¡¯t always feel inferior to others, but it does happen from time to time. The things he usually felt inferior about were painting. Second was being timid and prone to crying, and the last thing was being too thin and not fit enough.


    He felt that anyone could feel inferior, but Gu Yaoyang couldn¡¯t.


    It was obvious he was amazing, and at many points, he was much better than him.


    ¡°How¡­ to help others regain their confidence¡­¡± Lin Yuyan laid on the bed and typed out a question.


    Mr. Zeng said that the reason why Gu Yaoyang would look down on himself should be related to his family. He had witnessed too many dark things when he was young, and when he finally had the chance to live under the sun, he couldn¡¯t open his eyes due to the brightness.


    He didn¡¯t know how to talk to strangers or how to get along with others. Although he had improved a lot over the years, he still felt that he didn¡¯t belong to this peaceful world.


    So he hid in Sister Ling¡¯s black market bar. Because it was the closest thing to his previous life. He just wanted to rot there, not caring about what would happen to him at all.


    ¡°Really rebellious.¡± Lin Yuyan flipped through his phone, but couldn¡¯t find any valuable information. He sighed and then laid on his side. Although he couldn¡¯t usually see it, the words Gu Yaoyang accidentally said revealed his heart.


    Lin Yuyan asked Mr. Zeng, is there any way to help him or save him? The other answered no.


    After all, Gu Yaoyang was not weak and did not need anyone¡¯s help. Even if he was not free and easy, his heart was strong enough, all his decisions were his own choice, and every step he took depended on whether he wanted to or not.


    In the next few days, Lin Yuyan went to Mr. Zeng¡¯s house two hours earlier to study.


    He was afraid that he¡¯d make Gu Yaoyang wait if he came to pick him up again. The wind was blowing ice and snow around and the temperature was much colder than before.


    He didn¡¯t forget the purpose of this trip, but now that he can see Gu Yaoyang every day, all those messy thoughts in his heart were gone. He stuck to him every day, talking to him. Even when Gu Yaoyang took a shower, he would stop at the door and say : ¡°Mr. Zeng praised me today and he said that I¡¯m actually pretty good!¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°He also said that I¡¯m progressing very fast and it was all because I didn¡¯t have a professional teacher to teach me before!¡±


    ¡°Oh-¡±


    ¡°Gu Yaoyang? Did you hear me?¡± Lin Yuyan didn¡¯t get a response.


    The bathroom door slammed open, and Gu Yaoyang came out with a bath towel around his waist. He blankly asked, ¡°Are you a voyeur?¡±


    Lin Yuyan secretly scanned his chest muscles before looking down at himself. He was overjoyed and sad for a moment, his emotions also fluctuating.


    Gu Yaoyang asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Lin Yuyan asked humbly, ¡°How do your, your muscles grow?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang: ¡°Do you want to know?¡± Lin Yuyan nodded again and again and listened attentively, he was about to find a small notebook to record the other¡¯s teachings.


    Gu Yaoyang thought for a while, his expression was quite serious as if he was sorting out his thoughts.


    Lin Yuyan waited anxiously, but he was too embarrassed to urge him.


    Five minutes later, Gu Yaoyang patted him on the shoulder and shamefully said, ¡°It came from my genes, so just give up.¡±


    ¡ª


    Poof!


    Lin Yuyan jumped in anger, pulled out his phone, and angrily deleted the question ¡°How to help others regain confidence¡±.


    Sure enough, anyone can feel inferior, but Gu Yaoyang will not feel inferior.


    The next day, Lin Yuyan went to class at Mr. Zeng¡¯s house as usual, but before he could reach the door of his house, his vision suddenly became dark and he was brought into a narrow alley.


    According to the voices around him, there were about three or four people with great strength. Through the paper bag over his head that was tightly covering his mouth, Lin Yuyan struggled hard and found a chance to step on the back of the man¡¯s leg. The man exclaimed before he quickly let him go. Just as Lin Yuyan freed his mouth and was about to shout for help, he heard the other party hurriedly ask him not to make a sound.


    He hurriedly tore off the bag for him and knelt on the ground with a ¡°plop¡±.


    The situation reversed so quickly that it made Lin Yuyan take a few steps back in shock, unable to comprehend what was happening around him.


    ¡°It¡¯s over.¡± The man who spoke had a blue bruise at the corner of his mouth. He had a wide forehead and mouth. This was his first time coming here, and after experiencing the hellish training here, he was practically hugging his teammates and crying about the champion of the District League A. His name was Meng Hu.


    The other one was a pink-haired and black-skinned man who was on his knees. He had a rather easy-to-remember and unpretentious Chinese name, Sun Zi.


    He asked Meng Hu, ¡°Is this not in line with your country¡¯s etiquette?¡±


    Meng Hu muttered, ¡°It¡¯s over.¡± But after he thought for a bit, he replied, ¡°But your name is suitable for kneeling.¡±


    Lin Yuyan calmed down and had an idea of what was going on. He stammered as he asked, ¡°You- Are you looking for me? What do you want?¡±


    Meng Hu apologized, ¡°I¡¯m very sorry Mr. Lin. We¡¯re sorry we have to meet you this way, but we were afraid of being too blunt and scaring you away.¡±


    Lin Yuyan was confused but didn¡¯t forget to complain. He couldn¡¯t escape this way, but if he were a little less daring, he might have been scared to death.


    ¡°¡­what do you want from me?¡±


    Sun Zi was still kneeling. Lin Yuyan quickly got him up first as Meng Hu said, ¡°You are our coach¡¯s boyfriend, right?¡±


    Lin Yuyan immediately waved his hand, ¡°No, no, no, I-  We are just ordinary friends.¡±


    ¡®They don¡¯t want to make it public yet huh?¡¯ Meng Hu understood in an instant. He followed the other and said, ¡°Ordinary friends are good too. That¡¯s right, we came here today to ask you for a favor.¡±


    Lin Yuyan pointed to the tip of his nose, ¡°Me? How can I help you?¡±


    Sun Zi immediately cried: ¡°Can you give our coach a day off? Just one day. He¡¯s been here for almost two weeks, and he hasn¡¯t had a day off. It doesn¡¯t matter if he doesn¡¯t rest, but don¡¯t we need to take a break? Although we¡¯re older than him, we¡¯re also still in our youth. My girlfriend is still waiting for me to watch a movie, and she¡¯s still waiting for me to take a day off.¡±


    Meng Hu interjected, ¡°His girlfriend¡¯s name is Sun Xifu.¡±


    Lin Yuyan couldn¡¯t hold back. With a sudden ¡°Puchi-¡± he laughed. These people didn¡¯t have any ill will towards him, so he let go of the grudge in his heart. He regretfully said, ¡°I may not be able to help you.¡±


    Meng Hu asked, ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t say anything about Gu Yaoyang¡¯s business, and the relationship between us is not as good as you think.¡±


    After he said this, Lin Yuyan felt somewhat uncomfortable. He pursed his lips and fell silent.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to say it yourself.¡± Meng Hu said, ¡°We have all figured out some plans, you just need to cooperate with us.¡±


    Lin Yuyan blinked and looked at him suspiciously.


    Meng Hu bowed solemnly, bending nearly 120 degrees, with a sincere attitude, ¡°Please, can I ask you to pretend to be sick?¡±


    ¡°Pre, pretend to be sick?¡± Lin Yuyan was stunned for a few seconds. He understood what he meant, and quickly said: ¡°No, no, this will definitely not work. He will never rest just because I am sick.¡±


    Meng Hu said, ¡°He definitely will, you just need to believe me.¡±


    Lin Yuyan still wanted to refuse, but Sun Zi was about to kneel again, so he hurriedly said, ¡°I, I really can¡¯t help you, and I have to go to Mr. Zeng¡¯s class today.¡±


    Meng Hu might have a brutish look, but his mind was very meticulous. He had actually arranged some stuff for the plan to work early this morning, ¡°The boss has agreed to this matter, and said that he will make it up to you another day.¡±


    ¡­


    Lin Yuyan couldn¡¯t shirk down now. He had to bite the bullet and agree. Meng Hu gave him a warm water bag before he walked back to the dormitory to change into his pajamas. He felt that this plan would definitely fail, and Gu Yaoyang would never do it because of him. If he¡¯s sick, he¡¯ll probably just rush back home after work.


    He sighed before placing the warm water bag on his forehead to warm it up and quietly looked out of the window.


    Strange¡­why is he feeling a little upset?


    It would¡¯ve been normal for Gu Yaoyang to not come back. But if he does come back, it would¡¯ve been¡­ a little abnormal of him to do so right?


    As he thought about it, someone seemed to open the door downstairs. A series of rapid footsteps resounded in the quiet villa. The other probably didn¡¯t even change his shoe as he ran to his room.


    Lin Yuyan was stunned for a few seconds, and his heart beat quickly. He hurriedly hid the warm water bag under the covers and closed his eyes nervously.


    The next second, the door opened wide, and Gu Yaoyang ran in with a chill, standing beside his bed.


    The footsteps had stopped, but Lin Yuyan¡¯s heart was still pounding. He noticed Gu Yaoyang¡¯s rapid breathing approaching slowly, then finally he put his hands on the bed against his hot forehead.

 CH 29

    ¡°Why are you so hot?¡±


    Lin Yuyan heard Gu Yaoyang¡¯s voice and slowly opened his eyes. He was rendered speechless for a while. This was the first time he saw Gu Yaoyang wearing a concerned expression. He was frowning at him as his eyes furrowed with worry.


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you uncomfortable?¡± Seeing him awake, Gu Yaoyang touched his forehead with his hand again as his expression became more solemn.


    Lin Yuyan was stunned before he gently shook his head and whispered, ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang obviously didn¡¯t believe him. Lin Yuyan watched as he took out his phone and prepared to call a cab. He asked, ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang replied, ¡°Your temperature is too high, you¡¯ll have to go to the hospital.¡± It was so cold outside, he definitely couldn¡¯t carry the other to the hospital; otherwise, he¡¯ll only worsen his condition with how cold the weather is.


    ¡®There¡¯s no need.¡± Lin Yuyan immediately said, ¡°I¡¯ll just lie down for a while.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Gu Yaoyang was stubborn and didn¡¯t even give him the chance to refuse.


    ¡°Really, I¡¯m fine, I don¡¯t need to go to the hospital.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang glanced at him and motioned him to lie down. Seeing that he was almost finished dialing the phone number, he immediately sat up and grabbed his fingers as he said, ¡°Please. I really don¡¯t want to go to the hospital, it¡¯s not that serious.¡±


    He looked pitiful as he said that, and he seemed to really hate going to the hospital. Gu Yaoyang looked down at him for a few seconds until Lin Yuyan avoided his gaze. His eyes slightly trembled in panic as he asked, ¡°Why do you not want to go?¡±


    Lin Yuyan answered, ¡°I- I¡¯m afraid of pain. I don¡¯t want to get an injection¡­¡± After speaking, he covered his mouth and coughed twice before saying, ¡°Please. It¡¯s really just a small problem. As long as you stay home with me, I¡¯ll be fine in no time.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang affirmed his words, ¡°Will you really be okay?¡±


    Lin Yuyan nodded as he guiltily said, ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll go get a towel.¡± After saying that, he ordered him to lie down and carefully covered him with the quilt before going to the bathroom.


    Lin Yuyan instantly breathed a sigh of relief and moved the warm water bag under the quilt to the pillow. He opened his phone to text a message to Meng Hu, they exchanged their contact information earlier to make it easier for them to communicate. Meng Hu repeatedly told him to keep this secret, and to not let the coach come back in the middle of the plan. If the coach knew about their plan to get a day off, it¡¯s guaranteed they¡¯d suffer in the near future.


    Lin Yuyan was worried, but he agreed to do so because he thought that Gu Yaoyang would never come back. He didn¡¯t know how to act at all, he didn¡¯t prepare for this, and he didn¡¯t dare to appear too sickly in case Gu Yaoyang would really send him straight to the hospital.


    As he thought about this, Gu Yaoyang opened the door and came in. He sat beside his bed before he gently placed a warm towel on his forehead.


    Lin Yuyan was afraid he¡¯d return to the club, so he grabbed his hand again and said, ¡°You- Could you please stay with me for a while?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang nodded in agreement without saying anything else. He sat a bit awkwardly in the room. Lin Yuyan thought for a bit before lifting the corners of his quilt to make room for him, ¡°You- you can sit here, I won¡¯t infect you.¡±


    Gu Yaoynag did as he was asked. He took off his shoes and leaned on the bed with him.


    The two were silent for a while and the atmosphere became slightly awkward. Lin Yuyan couldn¡¯t act sick, so he tried to remember how he acted when he was sick last time. He thought about it long and hard before letting out a sigh.


    Gu Yaoyang asked, ¡°What?¡±


    Lin Yuyan: ¡°Do you often get sick?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang was bored and answered as he turned the lights on, ¡°No.¡± He had lived in a harsh environment since he was a child. Weakness was deadly, so he couldn¡¯t allow himself to be frail.


    Lin Yuyan replied, ¡°I was often sick when I was a child. There was a period of time when I¡¯d fall sick on purpose. I endured the discomfort from the sickness and the pain from the medicine injections. The medicine was particularly bitter, and the syringe needles were also pretty painful.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang asked, ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because of my parents.¡± Lin Yuyan grinned and said, ¡°You know their jobs, they¡¯re busy all the time. I was brought up by a nanny and servants when I was young, and I rarely saw them.¡±


    ¡°I realized that whenever I was sick, my mother would suddenly appear for me, and my father would take some time off from his busy schedule to look after me.¡± Lin Yuyan¡¯s fingers twitched as he continued, ¡°I only wanted to have their attention. So when the weather¡¯s cold, I¡¯d deliberately take off a few clothes to get sick. But in the end, I¡¯m still pretty timid, being afraid of this and that. Even if I wanted to make myself sick, I don¡¯t have the courage to take a cold shower to make myself look more pitiful.¡±


    ¡°Gradually, they stopped coming back and felt that it¡¯s normal for a little kid to get a cold or fever now and then. So they left me to the nanny and let them take care of me.¡±


    ¡°Afterwards, I didn¡¯t like getting sick anymore, because no one comes to see me when I am sick. Although my aunt is really good to me and was very meticulous when she took care of me, she doesn¡¯t really care about me. It was just her job.¡±


    He glanced at Gu Yaoyang again. His eyes were a little red as he said, ¡°Thank you for today. It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve had somebody taking care of me of their own volition.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang was silent for a few seconds before he rubbed his hair and put his arms around his shoulders, letting him lean against his arms.


    He laughed as he said, ¡°So, turns out the squeamish sack is a pitiful worm?¡±


    Lin Yuyan retorted, ¡°I¡¯m not pitiful, I¡¯m just¡­¡±


    Gu Yaoyang asked, ¡°Just what?


    ¡°It¡¯s just that¡­ I suddenly had this thought, this¡­ feeling.¡± He added, ¡°Besides, I¡¯m rarely sick now and my health is pretty good.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang reminded him, ¡°Then why is your temperature so hot today?¡±


    Lin Yuyan thought for a moment before sitting up. Remembering that he was acting sick, he hurriedly coughed a few times before weakly saying, ¡°Maybe the temperature here is too different from home, so¡­ I got sick by accident.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Gu Yaoyang patted his shoulder lightly before continuing, ¡°So that¡¯s why.¡±


    After that, they continued to chat. Gu Yaoyang didn¡¯t tease him as he¡¯d usually do, it¡¯s as if he really felt bad that he got sick. Even his voice was softer than usual, making Lin Yuyan feel soft in his heart as he listened to the other¡¯s voice and fell asleep.


    He also had a dream in which somebody played a lullaby on the gramophone as they quietly coaxed him to sleep.


    Lin Yuyan only opened his eyes at around 3 o¡¯clock in the afternoon. After sitting in a trance for a while, he realized that he was alone in bed. It¡¯s been so long, he didn¡¯t know if Gu Yaoyang left for the club. He should call Meng Hu first, but if Gu Yaoyang really left, he probably won¡¯t be able to answer his phone.


    Lin Yuyan secretly opened the door and looked around on the second floor. He took two steps and looked down. Gu Yaoyang was sitting on the sofa and flipping through his mobile phone. There weren¡¯t any signs of him going out.


    He breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to go back to his room silently. As he stepped into his room and was about to continue to pretend to be sick, he suddenly heard Gu Yaoyang¡¯s voice lazily ask, ¡°Are you going back to sleep?¡±


    Lin Yuyan¡¯s body tensed before he coughed twice and limped downstairs. He suddenly remembered that he was supposed to pretend to be sick, not crippled. He went back to looking listless as he asked, ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang said, ¡°Looking for recipes.¡±


    Lin Yuyan sat next to him and looked at him: ¡°Do you want to make soup?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang replied, ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Lin Yuyan asked, ¡°For me to drink?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang replied with another, ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Lin Yuyan softly said, ¡°Thank you.¡± Afraid that he was not behaving like a sick patient, he coughed hard, but he coughed too hard and made his throat uncomfortable. It was painful and itchy, making him unable to stop hammering his chest as his face flushed with how hard he was coughing.


    Gu Yaoyang looked a little disgusted as he helped him get a glass of water. He handed the water to him and said, ¡°Don¡¯t cough so hard. Does your throat hurt?¡±


    Lin Yuyan hurriedly held the cup to moisten his throat, blinked, and said, ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t hurt. ¡°


    Gu Yaoyang flicked his forehead before continuing to swipe his phone and flipped a page: ¡°Are you going to have a fever tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°If you are, then remember to adjust the temperature. If a normal person had the same temperature as you, they would have begun to lose consciousness.¡±


    Lin Yuyan was stunned for a few seconds, and then said a little embarrassedly: ¡°You, when did you find out¡­ I was pretending?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang gave him a look, ¡°When you sat up, the water bag leaked out.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Lin Yuyan moved his fingers and clenched his fist lightly, his thumb was exposed for a while before it was clenched into his fist again. He didn¡¯t have the expected shock or embarrassment after being exposed, instead, he asked, ¡°Then¡­ were you acting with me today?¡±


    No wonder the cooling towel was warm, so he had discovered it long ago¡­


    ¡°Then, then¡­why didn¡¯t you expose me?¡± Lin Yuyan looked at his side profile, and his eyes fell on the blue ear stud on his ear, which he seemed to wear all the time and never took off.


    ¡°Because I like it.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Because I like you.¡± So I want to watch you fool around.


    Gu Yaoyang didn¡¯t raise his eyes, he was still studying the recipe; he had said this many times.


    The first time Lin Yuyan didn¡¯t take it to heart, the second time he was drunk, and he couldn¡¯t remember clearly, but he had some vague impressions.


    But no matter which time, Lin Yuyan thought it was fake, until this time. He really fell silent and stared at him for a long time.

 CH 30

    The next day, at Light3 club¡¯s third floor.


    Fifty players were neatly lined up in the training hall.


    Lin Yuyan also came. He raised his trembling hand to greet Meng Hu, who was reluctantly standing in the middle of the group, covering his eyes in despair.


    Yesterday, Lin Yuyan sent him a message telling him that their plan was busted. He originally had a glimmer of hope, believing that Gu Yaoyang couldn¡¯t guess that they were related to the plan, but in the end, he found out about everything.


    Standing at the front of the team, Gu Yaoyang was tying a bandage around his hands. He glanced at the frightened players before turning his head to glance at Lin Yuyan, who was bustling around and preparing to sneak away if he hadn¡¯t managed to pull him over.


    Mr. Zeng also came. All the people who participated in Meng Hu¡¯s plan yesterday were there.


    Gu Yaoyang glanced at Meng Hu and asked coldly, ¡°Is your training very hard?¡±


    Meng Hu didn¡¯t dare to say a word.


    He looked at Fen Mao and asked, ¡°Was the movie good?¡±


    Fen Mao flatteringly smiled, ¡°It was good, very good.¡±


    Then he asked Lin Yuyan, ¡°Do you know them well?¡±


    Lin Yuyan hurriedly shook his head and answered, ¡°No, we¡¯re not familiar.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang still kept a blank face, which looked very serious. He glanced at the time on his watch before placing his hands behind his back, ¡°There are still two months until the league competition. I came here to test your skills, and none of them met the recommended standards. ¡°


    ¡°Even if I reluctantly write a letter of recommendation for you, you¡¯ll still have to roll back to me one by one in the qualifiers.¡±


    ¡°Forget competing internationally, you can¡¯t even win a district championship in Linzhou!¡±


    The training hall fell silent as everyone obediently bowed their heads. Lin Yuyan stared at the backs of the team in a daze. Only now did he realize that he still didn¡¯t know much about Gu Yaoyang. He didn¡¯t expect Gu Yaoyang to take his role as a coach so seriously. Even though he was young, he could still speak and act around these players as if he were an old coach with plenty of experience.


    Last night¡¯s confession also gave him a new understanding of the other. Although he didn¡¯t know the reason, he was sure that Gu Yaoyang seemed to really like him. He wanted to respond, but he couldn¡¯t, after all, until now, he still hadn¡¯t sorted out his mind.


    Does he also like Gu Yaoyang?


    ¡°Why are you still stupidly standing there?¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡±


    He turned his head and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Lin Yuyan asked, ¡°Is it your first time as a coach?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang raised his eyebrows, ¡°Why?¡±


    Lin Yuyan said, ¡°I thought you¡¯ll only teach them how to fight. I didn¡¯t expect you to¡­¡±


    Gu Yaoyang replied, ¡°Fighting is indeed the main thing I¡¯m teaching them, but what should be said should still be said. You go back and pack your luggage first.¡±


    Lin Yuyan asked, ¡°Why should I pack my luggage? I¡¯m not about to leave anytime soon¡­¡±


    Gu Yaoyang crossed his arms in front of his chest as he said, ¡°Then what were you thinking about when I was talking just now?¡±


    Lin Yuyan honestly admitted his thought, ¡°Nothing, I was just in a daze.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang glanced at him and said, ¡°Tomorrow, we¡¯ll go out to play. There happens to be a scenic spot nearby, you can play there. Zeng Yi will also go.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gu Yaoyang touched the box of cigarettes he hadn¡¯t smoked for two days before pouring one out, ¡°By the way, take mine too, will you?¡±


    Lin Yuyan nodded his head, ¡°Of course, I will, don¡¯t look down on me.¡± He turned around and started to walk before stopping again. He abruptly turned around and embarrassedly said, ¡°Just now¡­ You were amazing.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Yeah- You look cool when you¡¯re coaching them!¡± After saying that, Lin Yuyan¡¯s face became red as he hurried away.


    After he left, Mr. Zeng came over and borrowed a cigarette. With a dog-like gentleman¡¯s crutch in his hand, he called Gu Yaoyang to the window and looked downstairs with a smile.


    Looking down, they saw Lin Yuyan exiting the building and walked on the snow with brisk steps, ¡°He¡¯s a good boy.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang gave a casual response.


    Mr. Zeng asked, ¡°Do you like him?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang replied as he stared at Lin Yuyan¡¯s back, ¡°You can¡¯t see it, right?¡±


    Mr. Zeng was gossiping like Sister Ling, as he asked, ¡°Why do you like him? You didn¡¯t have much time to go to school, right?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang had always been straightforward in dealing with relationships, ¡°I liked to tease him and ended up developing feelings, is it so difficult to understand?¡±


    Mr. Zeng asked, ¡°Then he to you¡­¡±


    Gu Yaoyang exhaled a smoke ring: ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether he likes me or not. We are not from the same world, and nothing good will come out of it.¡±


    Mr. Zeng already knew about Lin Yuyan¡¯s background and got to know him further when he taught him how to draw these last few days, so he continued, ¡°Are you sure? What if he wants to be with you?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang shook his head. He gazed at the figure that seemed to slip away from him as he said, ¡°He won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°He is stupid, timid, and slow, and dares not resist all the decisions his father made for him. His family cannot accept me, so he will not have this idea.¡±


    Mr. Zeng replied, ¡°Are you eighteen or eighty-one? How could you think so far into the future? You even thought about the ending before you even started?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang raised his eyebrows, ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll think about it in the long run. If he can bear a child, I¡¯ll even probably think about the name of the child.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that there is no result?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang glanced at him, ¡°So I can¡¯t think about this if we can¡¯t bear any result?¡±


    Mr. Zeng smiled, ¡°But I think you may be too decisive. Did he give you a response?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang said, ¡°It¡¯s impossible.¡±


    ¡°So sure?¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t have that courage.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re underestimating him too much.¡± Mr. Zeng said, ¡°Let¡¯s suppose he really gave you a response then?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang chuckled, ¡°Then it would be me who¡¯s timid.¡±


    Mr. Zeng understood everything: ¡°So in the end, it is you who is timid.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang didn¡¯t deny his statement and merely hummed in response.


    ¡°Let¡¯s make a bet.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Mr. Zeng said, ¡°Just bet on whether he has the courage to be with you.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang said, ¡°No bet.¡±


    Mr. Zeng said, ¡°So cowardly?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang wasn¡¯t affected as he nodded, ¡°He won¡¯t give me a response, and I haven¡¯t thought about that kind of future.¡± That¡¯s why he confessed unscrupulously, because he knew that there would be no result at all.


    Mr. Zeng said, ¡°I think people should still have a little bit of hope and imagination about their future.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang said: ¡°I¡¯m not an artist.¡±


    ¡°Just bet 5 years of work in the professional ring competition.¡± Mr. Zeng said to himself, and after he finished speaking, he took his crutches and walked away.


    Gu Yaoyang didn¡¯t respond, he stared at Lin Yuyan¡¯s figure getting smaller before saying, ¡°Okay.¡±


    The place they¡¯re going today was located in the northernmost part of Mostin, where there is a very remote small fishing village. There wasn¡¯t a single tourist there, basically no one even if it was peak tourist season. There were only a few homestays and one or two restaurants that were average and perfunctory.


    Lin Yuyan had already prepared for this trip for a while. In addition to toiletries, he went to the supermarket to buy lots of snacks, just in case they¡¯d want some on their trip.


    Just after packing, the bus to the club came. Lin Yuyan dragged his luggage to the driver and jumped into the car happily. He didn¡¯t see Gu Yaoyang at first glance, but after searching carefully, he found that he was sitting in the middle by the window. Just when he was about to move, he didn¡¯t expect somebody to already be sitting beside him.


    Looking at the other¡¯s yellow hair, he seemed to be Shao Zheng.


    Lin Yuyan was stunned and raised his hand to say hello to him. Shao Zheng nodded slightly but said nothing.


    ¡°Hey, this way.¡± Meng Hu saw him standing alone and waved his hand enthusiastically. Lin Yuyan glanced at Gu Yaoyang again and walked over with pursed lips.


    It takes about four to five hours to travel from the city to the fishing village. Meng Hu was quite the chatterbox, and he was also a fellow countryman from Linzhou. After the man opened his mouth, there would be no end to his chatter. At first, Lin Yuyan listened carefully, but after a while, he couldn¡¯t help his mind from drifting away from the conversation.


    Every now and then, he would look around the bus. Gu Yaoyang had already hung up his phone and was talking to Shao Zheng. The other was listening to him with his ears sideways, and he seemed to lean closer to him to listen more clearly. Although he didn¡¯t put his head against the other, the distance was at most fifteen centimeters.


    Aren¡¯t you a bit too close? They should keep their distance even if they¡¯re friends.


    ¡°Xiao Yan Xiao Yan, have you ever eaten ice candy from Ruifeng Old Street? It¡¯s really my childhood memory. It tastes amazing. My mother brought me two packs before, but I ate them before I got to the airport¡­Eh- Where are you going?¡±


    Before Meng Hu finished speaking, Lin Yuyan stood up, thought about it, and said, ¡°I, I¡¯ll go get a bottle of water.¡±


    The mineral water was placed in front of the bus, and Lin Yuyan slowly walked toward it.


    Suddenly a bottle of water was handed to him by Gu Yaoyang. He paused for a few seconds and saw Gu Yaoyang look up at him. He told him to go back and sit down, and not to casually walk around.


    Lin Yuyan said ¡°oh¡±, then returned to his seat and sat down, handing the mineral water to Meng Hu.


    ¡°You brought it for me?¡± Meng Hu quickly thanked him before chatting more vigorously.


    After five minutes, Lin Yuyan stood up again. Meng Hu asked, ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    Lin Yuyan¡¯s eyes fell to the back of Gu Yaoyang¡¯s head, ¡°I- I¡¯ll go get water.¡±


    When he came back, he deliberately stood in front of Gu Yaoyang. After a few more seconds, Gu Yaoyang was still talking to Shao Zheng. The distance was close to ten centimeters. He glanced at Lin Yuyan and said a little sternly, ¡°Go back and sit down.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Lin Yuyan frowned slightly and walked away reluctantly. He went back and handed the water to Meng Hu. Meng Hu said, ¡°I have one.¡±


    Lin Yuyan didn¡¯t look at him, and said embarrassedly, ¡°Then, then you drink more.¡±


    Meng Hu blinked, ¡°I don¡¯t have a place to go to the toilet after drinking too much.¡± Just as he was about to continue the previous topic, Lin Yuyan actually stood up again, ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°I, I¡¯ll go get it¡­¡±


    ¡°Lin Yuyan.¡±


    At this time, Gu Yaoyang turned to call him, Lin Yuyan immediately gave a ¡°huh¡± and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°Come and sit.¡±


    Lin Yuyan said, ¡°Then, what about Shao Zheng?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang said, ¡°Will change his position with you.¡±


    Lin Yuyan asked, ¡°Why?¡±


    The man had quickly moved to Shao Zheng, eagerly waiting for him to leave.


    Shao Zheng coughed and stood up to give him a place. Gu Yaoyang also moved outside to let Lin Yuyan lean against the window. He helped him fasten his seat belt, and asked, ¡°Do you have ADHD?¡±


    Lin Yuyan quickly shook his head and said with a smile: ¡°Meng Hu is thirsty, I- I was helping him get some water.¡±

 CH 31

    Chapter 31


    After switching seats, Lin Yuyan didn¡¯t move around and obediently sat next to Gu Yaoyang. He felt that the distance between them was a little bit too far, so he leaned a bit closer to him.


    Hmm¡­ It¡¯s still a bit too far, he needs to move a bit closer.


    Gu Yaoyang was flipping through the roster when he noticed that he was rubbing against him. He raised his hand to touch his head before guiding it to his shoulder and letting him lean on him.


    ¡°Go to sleep.¡±


    ¡°I- I¡¯m not sleepy.¡±


    ¡°Then what are you doing?¡±


    Lin Yuyan thought about it as he clenched his fingers. He hesitated for a while before saying, ¡°I just want to be closer to you.¡±


    It seemed that after Gu Yaoyang¡¯s second confession, he became bolder.


    Gu Yaoyang paused when he was in the middle of turning a page. He lowered his eyes and asked, ¡°Are you a sticky person?¡±


    Lin Yuyan found a suitable position and no longer refuted. He leaned on his shoulder and joined Gu Yaoyang to read the roster.


    ¡°Who helped choose Sun Zi¡¯s name?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang said, ¡°A friend?¡±


    Lin Yuyan said, ¡°They took it too far.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang said, ¡°Indeed.¡±


    Lin Yuyan asked, ¡°What do you call him when you¡¯re training him?¡±


    ¡°Charlie.¡±


    ¡°Then tell me, should I tell him that his name is not very good? Although it¡¯s just a homonym, people who can understand it will definitely laugh at him.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang asked, ¡°Are you asking for my opinion?¡±


    Lin Yuyan said, ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m afraid that if I rashly told him this, it would affect our friendship. If it were you, what would you do?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang was expressionless, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t care about this kind of thing.¡±


    Lin Yuyan looked up at him, snorted softly, and leaned back on his shoulder, ¡°That¡¯s right, after all, you are someone who likes to assign people nicknames.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang raised the corners of his mouth, ¡°I only give them to you. I used to have another nickname for you, Miss Lin.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Lin Yuyan might have been a little angry in the past, but now, he didn¡¯t feel infuriated anymore, ¡°Do you really think I¡¯m similar to a girl?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang said, ¡°In some aspects.¡±


    ¡°For example? Crying?¡±


    ¡°A bit.¡±


    ¡°But I cry for a reason. If I don¡¯t cry when I feel wronged, isn¡¯t it more uncomfortable to endure it? Just like last time, my father told me¡­¡±


    ¡°Lin Yuyan.¡± Gu Yaoyang abruptly interrupted him, his eyes randomly falling on a certain name on the roster.


    ¡°Your father won¡¯t let you go to art school.¡±


    Lin Yuyan felt a little depressed for a moment and nodded.


    ¡°Then what are you going to do?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Lin Yuyan said, ¡°He has already helped me choose a school¡­ But my mother should help me, so don¡¯t worry too much.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang said, ¡°And if your mom won¡¯t help?¡±


    ¡°No, my mom would definitely¡­¡±


    ¡°I mean- What if your mom also objected you to going to an art school?¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ Then there¡¯s no way for me to go.¡± Lin Yuyan sighed.


    Gu Yaoyang unconsciously tapped his fingers on the roster, ¡°Don¡¯t you like painting?¡±


    Lin Yuyan answered, ¡°Yeah, but if they don¡¯t agree, I don¡¯t know what I¡¯ll do. My father is very strict, and I¡¯ve always been afraid of him.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Lin Yuyan seemed to realize the problem. He abruptly sat up and anxiously asked, ¡°What if they all don¡¯t agree?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang looked at him for a few seconds, making his expression change again. He then returned to normal. With raised eyebrows, he continued to flip through the roster.


    The road was slippery, and the bus had been driving relatively smoothly. It was already dark when they arrived at the small fishing village. The club booked this place in advance, and according to the group, the players got off the bus one by one and looked for their own rooms.


    In the end, only a few people were left. Mr. Zeng, Gu Yaoyang, Lin Yuyan, Shao Zheng, and a manager who led the team. They stayed in a single-family size wooden house scattered in the village. The distance between each wooden house was tens of meters. The room was not big and was divided into upper and lower floors.


    There was only one sofa and a table in the living room, and also a TV hanging on the wall with a small bookshelf squeezed in the corner. There was an introductory book to the small fishing village on the bookshelf. Occasionally, there would be aurora passing by, but today¡¯s weather was cloudy, so they couldn¡¯t see it today.


    Lin Yuyan climbed to the second floor along the small ladder in the room. There was only a thick mattress and a small triangular window in it.


    Although he had already guessed that he would sleep in a room, he didn¡¯t expect he would really sleep in a bed. He couldn¡¯t tell what he was feeling. He secretly felt happy, and a little bit expectant and shy.


    Lin Yuyan thought that he was really finished this time.


    He seemed to be having bad ideas about Gu Yaoyang.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to find Shao Zheng, you clean up yourself.¡± Gu Yaoyang seemed to be busy, so he went out.


    Lin Yuyan hung on the ladder and nodded to the other. He opened his suitcase, took out the toiletries, and put away the pajamas for the two of them


    Gu Yaoyang didn¡¯t like to wear pajamas when he slept. Most of the time, he¡¯ll wear a pair of home trousers and sleep either topless or with a loose T-shirt. Lin Yuyan saw that he had worn them twice, so he brought them together for him, and let him decide if he wanted to wear them or not.


    But if he doesn¡¯t wear them¡­


    Lin Yuyan thought about it, his face turned red, he quickly took out all the snacks and put them on the table, turned on the TV, and looked for a movie to distract his thoughts.


    After an hour, Gu Yaoyang hadn¡¯t come back to the house.


    When it was nearing the end of the movie, Lin Yuyan watched it for a bit before taking out his phone and checking the time.


    His body froze on the sofa as his mind raced through many thoughts.


    Is Shao Zheng living with the manager¡­ Or is he with Mr. Zeng? Is he by himself?


    Are they alone together now?


    What¡¯s the big deal with being alone with a friend?


    He¡¯s often alone with Zhuo Hang. After pondering for a while, his head began nodding into sleepiness.


    After another hour, Gu Yaoyang still hadn¡¯t come back. Lin Yuyan couldn¡¯t sit still. He wasn¡¯t worried about anything happening between them, he just¡­ wanted to be with him, and it¡¯s been two hours¡­ why didn¡¯t he come back to sleep?


    He felt a little sullen inside his heart. He wanted to ask, but he was afraid of being too nosy.


    He glanced at the snacks on the table, and a flash of inspiration went through his mind. He put on his coat and left while carrying a few of the snacks with him.


    ¡°Meng Hu¡¯s technique is fine, but he is not heavy enough. Domestic organizations generally do not have strict professional standards. In addition, he used to go to the black market to practice boxing, and there are too many wild movements.¡±


    Shao Zheng was stayinng with himself and the manager. The manager was with him but left because he seemed to have something to discuss with Mr. Zeng, so he was changed to a single room. The layout of the room was the same, but it was slightly smaller. Gu Yaoyang sat on the sofa and studied Meng Hu¡¯s data.


    ¡°Charlie and Liu Tong are better. Charlie already has some pedigree advantages. In addition, he has participated in many local professional competitions before, so you should not worry about violations. Liu Tong is of mixed caucasian blood, but he is weaker, he can only win by skill.¡±


    Shao Zheng¡¯s yellow hair had grown out some black roots, but he hadn¡¯t had time to cut it. It¡¯s obvious how busy he had been in the past two weeks. Just as he was about to continue talking, Gu Yaoyang motioned him to pause and went to the door. When he opened the door, he found Lin Yuyan leaning on the door, sneaking a peek of the room through the crack.


    ¡°Hey¡­¡±


    Gu Yaoyang crossed his arms and looked at him condescendingly, ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    Lin Yuyan nervously held a plastic bag in his hand, his eyes were darting around as he tilted his head and spotted Shao Zheng in the room. He greeted him with a smile and said, ¡°Nothing. Everything¡¯s fine¡­ I was just gonna give Shao Zheng some snacks, I was afraid he¡¯d be hungry.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang asked: ¡°When did you become so familiar with Shao Zheng?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± It¡¯s true that they didn¡¯t know each other well, they barely spoke.


    Little liar.


    Gu Yaoyang saw through his thoughts at a glance, rubbed his head, and said, ¡°Come in. Don¡¯t give him snacks next time, he doesn¡¯t like to eat.¡±

 CH 32

    After Gu Yaoyang finished his sentence, Shao Zheng squeezed his rumbling stomach. Although he was hungry, he didn¡¯t dare to reach out for the snacks inside the bag.


    Lin Yuyan¡¯s sudden visit didn¡¯t affect their discussion about the players, so they proceeded to talk. Lin Yuyan sat next to Gu Yaoyang and listened. Although he didn¡¯t understand much, he kept quiet during their chat.


    ¡°Cole is too hostile, probably because of some family issues. I think he needs to do some psychological counseling, otherwise, he¡¯ll easily get out of control once he¡¯s inside the ring¡­¡±


    ¡°Shh¡­¡± After a few minutes, Gu Yaoyang felt a weight sinking onto his shoulders as a small round head slowly leaned toward him. He waited for a while until Lin Yuyan fell asleep completely before gently moving him to his lap and asking Shou Zheng for a blanket to cover him with.


    Tonight¡¯s work must be finished. They must analyze each player¡¯s characteristics, advantages, and disadvantages so that tomorrow¡¯s training will significantly improve them.


    Gu Yaoyang was still expressionless, but the movement of his hands was very gentle. He had long legs, which made a slope on the short sofa. To make Lin Yuyan lie more comfortably, he sat in a half-stretched-out posture on the ground, which looked very awkward to sit in.


    Shao Zheng had known him for many years, yet he had never seen this gentle side of him. After he thought about it, he asked, ¡°Does he¡­ know about your feelings?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang answered, ¡°Maybe.¡±


    ¡°Then.. does he feel the same about you?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang picked up a pen and wrote a question mark on Cole¡¯s name. With the corners of his mouth hooked, he said, ¡°Maybe.¡±


    ¡°Then you¡¯re now¡­¡±


    ¡°Shao Zheng.¡± Gu Yaoyang lowered his eyes. He looked at Lin Yuyan¡¯s delicate nose and asked, ¡°What do you think about being a hidden lover?¡±


    ¡°Wh- What?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Gu Yaoyang looked at the roster again and said, ¡°Cole needs to train alone. As for you, you need to improve your speaking, so you better hurry up and improve.¡±


    Shao Zheng collapsed and asked, ¡°Yaoyang, are we really going to continue to do this in the future?¡±


    ¡°Otherwise?¡± Gu Yaoyang asked, ¡°Do you still want to go back to the black market?¡±


    Shao Zheng answered, ¡°Not really. After all, this is such a rare opportunity for us. I also want to live a better life in the future.¡± After he thought for a bit he continued, ¡°Forget it. For now, I¡¯ll improve my speaking¡­ I¡¯ll work harder.¡±


    ¡ª


    In his half-dreaming and half-awakened state, Lin Yuyan realized that he seemed to be on someone¡¯s back. A cool breeze blew over him and sobered him up from his groggy state a little. He rubbed himself against Gu Yaoyang and vaguely asked, ¡°Are you done with your work?¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    ¡°What time is it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s two o¡¯clock.¡±


    In a daze, Lin Yuyan wanted to get off of him, but Gu Yaoyang refused and told him to lie down instead.


    Lin Yuyan asked, ¡°Why is it so late?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang didn¡¯t answer and merely hummed a response.


    Lin Yuyan smirked, ¡°Fortunately, I came here to find you. Otherwise, I¡¯ll have to wait until tomorrow for you to come back.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang raised his eyebrows, ¡°Weren¡¯t you here to bring some snacks for Shao Zheng?¡±


    Lin Yuyan realized he had forgotten his lie. He muttered, ¡°I came here to find you.¡± Then he inexplicably asked, ¡°Are you wearing your pajamas?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang asked, ¡°Did you bring it?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Then wear it.¡±


    After a while, Gu Yaoyang still hadn¡¯t heard Lin Yuyan¡¯s response and thought that he had fallen asleep again. He picked up his pace when he heard him say, ¡°Then I¡¯ll send it back now¡­ Or is it too late for that?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang instantly responded and asked with a smile, ¡°Are you a hooligan?¡±


    Lin Yuyan pouted and said, ¡°I¡¯m not.¡±


    It was already the next day but it wasn¡¯t morning yet when Gu Yaoyang left again. The club members were scheduled to gather at five o¡¯clock. When they came back last night, he had just taken off his jacket and slept for a while before rushing out again.


    Lin Yuyan woke up and realized that there was no one around him. He covered his head and sighed. He couldn¡¯t sleep without his pajamas, and he didn¡¯t even take off his clothes. He secretly complained about his shamelessness for a while when he heard someone knocking on the door.


    Lin Yuyan told them to wait as he climbed down the ladder. When he opened the door, he saw Mr. Zeng standing in front of him carrying some painting tools.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, I¡¯ll take you to sketch.¡± Mr. Zeng had rented a car out of nowhere and took Lin Yuyan to the seaside four or five kilometers away from where they were staying.


    The seaside scenery was good, there were dilapidated boats, abandoned beer houses, and a transparent house made of glass. The temperature inside was just right, and one could enjoy the scenery outside. It seemed to be a place specially used for taking pictures or painting.


    Lin Yuyan held up his easel and asked, ¡°Is Gu Yaoyang busy with training today?¡±


    Mr. Zeng nodded and answered with a short, ¡°Yes.¡± He then smiled and continued to say, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect him to be so responsible.¡±


    Lin Yuyan said with a smile, ¡°I used to think that too.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±  Mr. Zeng sat down and asked, ¡°What did you think of him before?¡±


    ¡°I used to think he was awful, but after I got acquainted with him, I think he¡¯s pretty good.¡± Lin Yuyan said as he adjusted his paint. The corners of his mouth rose as if mentioning Gu Yaoyang made him happy. His mood was obvious to everyone. If he couldn¡¯t figure it out himself, then he was a fool.


    After he thought for a while, he asked, ¡°Teacher¡­ Is it okay if I call you ¡®teacher¡¯?¡±


    Mr. Zeng said, ¡°Yes, I am your teacher now.¡±


    Lin Yuyan laughed and called him teacher again before asking, ¡°Say, what does it feel like to like someone?¡±


    Mr. Zeng found out early on that something was wrong. The child never left Gu Yaoyang¡¯s side, he would mention him in their conversation from time to time, and now that he¡¯s asking this question, it seems like there¡¯s hope for his bet this time.


    ¡°It¡¯s like any other emotion. You¡¯ll think about him all the time, want to know what he¡¯s doing, want to know all about him, constantly have him in your mind, wanting to talk to him, and share all your joys and sorrows with him.¡±


    Lin Yuyan asked, ¡°Teacher, do you have someone you like?¡±


    Mr. Zeng said, ¡°Of course I do. I¡¯m in my fifties, so of course, I have someone I like.¡±


    ¡°Then, why don¡¯t you live together?¡¯ Having said this, Mr. Zeng¡¯s expression changed. Lin Yuyan immediately realized that he had said something wrong, and hurriedly apologized, ¡°I¡¯m sorry teacher, I¡­¡±


    Mr. Zeng took a pen and dipped a little bit of paint in it. He smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s alright, we¡­ missed the chance more than 30 years ago.¡±


    ¡°M- missed?¡±


    ¡°Yes, her son is already married.¡± Mr. Zeng seemed to be lost in his memories. There was a little flash of resignation in his eyes as he said, ¡°The two of us were also classmates, and we liked each other at that time. She knew that I liked her, and I also knew that she had a crush on me. But at that time, she was young, and vigorous. No one said anything, just waiting for the other to speak first. I always felt that the first person who confessed first was the loser, but now that I think about it, the person who doesn¡¯t confess is the real loser.¡±


    ¡°It dragged on for seven or eight years. Everyone was tired. When she wanted to confess, she realised that things had changed. She already had people around her who were actively pursuing her, and she didn¡¯t want to waste any more time with me. In the end, she took the initiative to say that she liked me, but her words also meant goodbye.¡±


    Lin Yuyan was stunned, ¡°Then you- you didn¡¯t try to keep her?¡±


    ¡°How could I? We both missed the time, so how could I retain her? Do I have to travel back in time to start all over again?¡± Mr. Zeng glanced at Lin Yuyan¡¯s drawing board. He was clearly looking at the boundless sea ahead of him, but he drew Gu Yaoyang¡¯s figure in the paper.


    ¡°So, if you like someone, you have to bravely tell them your feelings. No matter what the outcome is, at least you won¡¯t have any regrets.¡±


    Everyone¡¯s emotional experience is different. What Mr. Zeng said was also different between him and Gu Yaoyang.


    The only thing in common was that they liked each other¡­


    Yeah, since they liked each other, what was he waiting for? Lin Yuyan looked at the figure on his drawing board and suddenly came to a realization.


    He likes Gu Yaoyang.


    It turns out that he really¡­ likes Gu Yaoyang.


    Does Gu Yaoyang know? Lin Yuyan suddenly stood up and smacked his forehead. He didn¡¯t confess, how could Gu Yaoyang know?!


    ¡°Teacher, I want to ask for leave first!¡±


    Mr. Zeng asked, ¡°Why are you leaving?¡±


    Lin Yuyan said, ¡°I, I¡¯ll go make a confession first! I¡¯ll be back in a while! I¡¯ll be back soon!¡± After speaking, he put on his coat. He turned around and ran away. He was afraid of following in Mr. Zeng¡¯s footsteps and dying alone with regret.

 CH 33

    But sometimes, the more urgent the matter is, the more delays there will be.


    Lin Yuyan desperately ran to the three-story building that the club rented for training, but the door was closed.


    He got told to wait until eight o clock in the evening to enter since nobody could casually go in and out of the building during training sessions.


    Lin Yuyan ran back to the beach in despair. He had ran back and forth for nearly ten kilometers, and now his legs and feet were so tired, he directly collapsed on the ground.


    But the saddest thing was yet to come. Mr. Zeng had drawn a bright red cross on his paper with a comment that said ¡®You should be painting a scenery, not a person.¡¯


    Lin Yuyan covered his face and said, ¡°Ow!¡± before getting up and changing the paper into a new one. He faced the sea and sketched out the scenery.


    He felt that time moved very slowly when he had something in his mind. Although he had been trying to immerse himself in his drawing process and Mr. Zeng also gave out some pointers that he carefully remembered, as long as he had some free time, he would check the time and feel his heartbeat speed up bit by bit as the time moved forward.


    ¡°Maybe we¡¯ll have dinner together in the evening.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Mr. Zeng explained, ¡°After Yaoyang comes over, we should have dinner together. He has worked hard with those boys, so we should let them relax and hold a small banquet.¡±


    At 8:30 in the evening, the team manager set up a bonfire near the homestay¡¯s door by the sea, but it was still too cold outside, so it only acted as decoration, and they still ate in the living room. This homestay was very large, there was a party hall especially prepared for tour groups. There was a row of long tables in the middle of the hall, and the floor was covered in thick carpets. There were also several sofas, which would be a convenient spot for the players to relax.


    When Gu Yaoyang brought the players over, Lin Yuyan was wearing a chef¡¯s hat and was helping the manager prepare the turkey¡¯s side dishes. The manager was in his thirties this year, he said that he used to work as a chef in a five-star hotel before working in the club. Lin Yuyan learned a lot from him. He was carefully cutting the potatoes when he heard someone say, ¡°Whose little boy is this? Chef?¡±


    Lin Yuyan raised his eyes and saw Gu Yaoyang shaking his chef¡¯s hat in his hand. He smiled happily, and while the manager turned back to adjust the oven temperature, he grabbed a small piece of ham and stuffed it into Gu Yaoyang¡¯s hand.


    Gu Yaoyang took a look at the ham, before placing it into his mouth with his fingers and commented, ¡°Not bad.¡±


    Lin Yuyan smiled embarrassedly and looked a little nervous. He took a deep breath and adjusted his expression as he placed his knife down. After deliberating for a little he said, ¡°Gu Yaoyang, I want to tell you-¡±


    ¡°Hey! G, can you help me read this rule?¡± At this time, someone ran over with a document and said, ¡°I don¡¯t think this is very reasonable. If the opponent launched a fatal attack on me on stage, why should I still follow these rules¡­¡±


    Gu Yaoyang told him to shut up, before looking at Lin Yuyan again and asking, ¡°What did you want to say?¡±


    Lin Yuyan said, ¡°It¡¯s fine, you should go and help him first.¡± He hurriedly breathed a sigh of relief and expelled his nervousness before continuing, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you later.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang nodded and followed the players to the side.


    As soon as they left, Meng Hu and Charlie walked over, shoulder to shoulder, and sat on a nearby cushion. Lin Yuyan helped bring a turkey and sat with them. Meng Hu tasted the chicken and complained that it wasn¡¯t good and that he missed his hometown¡¯s food.


    Lin Yuyan thought that it was okay. He looked at charlie and hesitated for a while before he asked, ¡°Say, who gave you your Chinese name?¡±


    Charlie said, ¡°Meng Hu.¡±


    Lin Yuyan said, ¡°oh¡± and found that Meng Hu was blinking frantically at him. Charlie asked, ¡°Is there a problem with my name?¡±


    Lin Yuyan didn¡¯t know if he should tell him or not, but Meng Hu immediately answered for him, ¡°Nope, no problem, what could be wrong with the name I gave you?¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Charlie seemed to have suspected something since a long time ago and asked, ¡°Then why did the people from your country always laugh weirdly whenever I introduce myself?¡±


    Meng Hu said, ¡°Did the coach laugh?¡±


    Charlie pointed to Lin Yuyan and said, ¡°The coach will only laugh at this gentleman.¡±


    Meng Hu coughed and tried to quibble, ¡°I don¡¯t think you should doubt me, there is nothing wrong with the name I gave you.¡±


    Charlie suspiciously looked at him before asking Lin Yuyan again.


    Lin Yuyan avoided his gaze for a moment, and said, ¡°I- I¡¯m going to the bathroom.¡±


    The bathroom wasn¡¯t indoors. Lin Yuyan wanted to stand at the door and wait for a few minutes to avoid the limelight, but he didn¡¯t expect Meng Hu to follow him secretly to say thank you.


    Lin Yuyan advised, ¡°You know you could just give him a new name. It really isn¡¯t good to call him that, it¡¯s practically bullying him.¡±


    Meng Hu replied, ¡°I¡¯m only teasing him a bit. You don¡¯t know how badly I was beaten by him on the first day I came here. Of course, I want to find a chance to take revenge.¡±


    ¡°You should take your vengeance in a fair and upright way.¡± Lin Yuyan disagreed with him and continued, ¡°And isn¡¯t your relationship with him pretty good now?¡±


    Meng Hu said, ¡°It¡¯s one thing to have a good relationship with him, teasing him is another matter. I couldn¡¯t beat him, so can¡¯t I be a little bit cheap? Anyway, he¡¯ll be my grandson in the future, and I can¡¯t change it.¡±


    Lin Yuyan still thought he should persuade him to be better in time, but he glanced at his side and found that Charlie had already aggressively rushed over here with a suspicious Mr. Zeng standing beside him with a teasing face, he clearly had the intention of watching a good show.


    D*mn it! Meng Hu cursed under his breath as he turned around and ran away, not forgetting to call Lin Yuyan out. Lin Yuyan trembled and said, ¡°I- I didn¡¯t do anything, ah?¡±


    Meng Hu said, ¡°You are an accomplice! Don¡¯t report what you know!¡±


    Lin Yuyan thought about it and realized that he really was an accomplice. He was so frightened that the chef¡¯s hat fell on the ground and he ran after Meng Hu like a rabbit.


    But he didn¡¯t have any athletic abilities. He usually slipped around and fell when he walks on snow, let alone running. He slipped three times for each step and he nearly fell onto the ground.


    ¡°Hurry up and make some snowballs!¡±


    After Meng Hu finished speaking, he threw a huge snowball at Charlie. It landed right between his forehead, his aim was very accurate. He shouted, ¡°Bullseye!¡± before launching his second round of snowballs.


    Lin Yuyan¡¯s aim was inaccurate. but it still hindered Charlie¡¯s vision.


    Meng Hu rolled and crawled into a new position. Lin Yuyan also wanted to follow after him but as soon as he stood up, he saw a large snowball flying towards him.


    He was so frightened that he quickly closed his eyes, ¡°Idiot! Did you think if you close your eyes the snowball would magically disappear?!¡±


    He didn¡¯t know when Gu Yaoyang arrived and helped block the snowball for him. He grabbed his hand and led him to the back of the homestay, not far away. Lin Yuyan asked in surprise, ¡°Why did you come out?¡± Gu Yaoyang patted the snow on his body then poked him in the forehead and said, ¡°I was afraid you¡¯ll get buried in the snow. Say, who was bullying you?¡±


    Lin Yuyan just got hit a few times and said excitedly: ¡°Are you going to avenge me?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang answered, ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°That one, wearing a blue down jacket.¡± Their position was quite hidden, and it was impossible for him to find them if he didn¡¯t look carefully.


    Gu Yaoyang made a snowball and threw it at the person wearing the blue jacket with a ¡°Whoosh!-¡±


    ¡°Dang it! Who the h*ll hit me!¡±


    ¡°Oh! And that one, with blonde hair and green eyes!¡±


    Gu Yaoyang casually responded as he made another snowball and aimed it at the back of the blonde head. With a ¡°Whoosh!-¡± the snowball hit his target again. ¡°Damn! Who the h*ll snuck up on me?¡±


    ¡°Hah hah!¡± Lin Yuyan quickly covered his mouth and said, ¡°Charlie! He managed to hit me twice!¡±


    Gu Yaoyang glanced at him while collecting snow, ¡°I never thought you¡¯d have a vengeful personality. How could you remember how many times a person managed to hit you?¡± Before he even finished speaking, his snowballs already hit Charlie¡¯s head from the back twice. After a few miserable howls, Charlie turned his head and found Lin Yuyan¡¯s white jacket exposed right outside the edge.


    ¡°It¡¯s coach G! He¡¯s the one sneaking up on us!¡±


    ¡°D*mn! Coach is playing! He has the ability to fight!¡±


    Some people became timid, ¡°G- Is the coach playing?¡±


    Someone shouted, ¡°Fight? So what if he¡¯s fighting ah?! Just for today! Today¡¯s the chance for us to get our revenge, revenge for those who have grievances! Don¡¯t forget how he hit us before!¡±


    ¡°Tsk.¡± Gu Yaoyang squinted his eyes, looking a little dangerous.


    Lin Yuyan was nervous and excited at the same time, ¡°Wh- what should we do? Can you beat them?¡±


    ¡°Guess?¡±


    ¡°Can you?¡± After speaking, Gu Yaoyang took off his coat and covered their heads.


    Lin Yuyan asked, ¡°How are you going to fight? There are so many of them.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang supported his clothes with one hand and dragged him up with the other. He pragmatically said, ¡°Hit and run.¡±


    There was a slope next to them, and while he climbed up the slope, he also managed to dodge a player¡¯s snowball. Lin Yuyan¡¯s face turned red when he ran, and he kept laughing. He had never played like this before. Even with Zhuo Hang and the others, he had never experienced such a feeling.


    There was snow along the way and because it belonged to a scenic area, dim yellow street lights were erected every few meters, so one can see the road clearly.


    Lin Yuyan said, ¡°I thought you could knock them all down.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang took his last cigarette from his cigarette case and asked, ¡°What am I? Superman?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    He seemed to be getting bolder, and the clearer his mind was, the more he felt that he had nothing he couldn¡¯t say, but his voice was a little small, and Gu Yaoyang didn¡¯t seem to hear him.


    As Gu Yaoyang was smoking his freshly lit cigarette he heard Lin Yuyan call him, ¡°Gu Yaoyang!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Gu Yaoyang turned back when he heard the voice. A loose snowball smashed towards him, and fell at his feet with a ¡°plup¡±.


    ¡°Ha¡­haha.¡± Lin Yuyan laughed dryly, and just as he was about to get away with it, he saw Gu Yaoyang snort at him, then bend down and grab a handful of snow. Lin Yuyan was so frightened that he turned his head and ran.


    But when he took two steps forward he felt a big hand wrapping itself around his waist as he got pulled into a half hug.


    Lin Yuyan bent his eyes and begged for mercy, but he was pushed against the lamppost, waiting for his punishment.


    After waiting for a few seconds, the expected pain did not come, and Gu Yaoyang flicked at his nose, only a few snowflakes fell off.


    It was nothing but a little chill.


    ¡°Where are you going, bad guy?¡±


    Lin Yuyan didn¡¯t say anything, just looked at him with a smile. A few ribbon-shaped aurora faintly appeared in the night sky. He had been looking forward to it for a long time, but he didn¡¯t feel like watching it. He closed the distance between them and gave a quick kiss on Gu Yaoyang¡¯s lips.


    The kiss was a bit sudden, and even he was frightened. He quickly lowered his head and said with a blushing face, ¡°Gu Yaoyang.¡±


    ¡°I, I seem to¡­ like you.¡±

 CH 34

    ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°You said you liked me!¡± Lin Yuyan was afraid that he would refuse, and hurriedly said, ¡°You- you can¡¯t go back on your word.¡±


    Under the lamp, he could see his blushing face and slightly trembling lips. His eyes looked a little flustered, but he pretended to be calm as he looked at him and continued, ¡°Well- Anyways, you said you like me¡­ So¡­¡±


    Gu Yaoyang asked, ¡°So what?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Lin Yuyan was stunned.


    Gu Yaoyang said, ¡°I like you, so what do you want me to do?¡±


    Lin Yuyan replied, ¡°We like each other, so¡­¡±


    ¡°So what do you want?¡±


    ¡°We like each other right? So, shouldn¡¯t we be together?¡±


    At that moment, Lin Yuyan didn¡¯t think too much, he just mustered up all his courage and said this sentence.


    He didn¡¯t need to think about the result, and he grew up in an environment where he didn¡¯t need to think about the outcome before doing anything. His family was rich. He had everything he liked, and he could get whatever he wanted.


    Even when he was facing difficulties to reach his dream to become a painter, his father may not agree with him, but his mother who loved and spoiled him stood by his side. He was more carefree than most normal seventeen-year-old boys, and his feelings for Gu Yaoyang were simple and straightforward.


    He hated him, so he only wanted to be a stranger to him.


    He likes him, so now he wants to be his boyfriend.


    He didn¡¯t have any complicated thoughts in his mind, and he felt that they should be together after confessing their feelings to each other.


    It was the simple truth he believed in, and he was right.


    The corners of Gu Yaoyang¡¯s mouth twitched for a moment as he stared at him for a long time. Finally, he smiled and took his hand. He lightly kissed the back of his hand and softly said, ¡°Alright.¡±


    Back at their villa, Lin Yuyan¡¯s mood still hadn¡¯t calmed down yet. He was rolling around on the mattress, trying to hug Gu Yaoyang, but he felt that he was being too active and became a little embarrassed.


    Gu Yaoyang seemed to see through this little thought of his, and hugged him in his arms, letting him get his wish.


    Lin Yuyan tossed for a while, then laid on his chest and asked, ¡°Are we lovers now?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gu Yaoyang lowered his eyes, just in time to meet his smiling eyes.


    Lin Yuyan asked, ¡°What should lovers do?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang said, ¡°I don¡¯t know. This is the first time I fell in love.¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡± Lin Yuyan raised his hand and touched his chin and felt some stubble. He then sat up and touched his own chin, which was smooth with no hairs on it.


    Gu Yaoyang hugged him back by the waist, letting him continue to lie on top of him, and then said, ¡°Of course, I could try it with somebody else first.¡±


    Lin Yuyan asked, ¡°Try what?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang answered, ¡°Dating. Once I have some experience, I¡¯ll come back and tell you.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Lin Yuyan immediately wrapped his arms around his waist and continued, ¡°You can¡¯t ask somebody else to try it. You¡¯re my boyfriend now, so you can only try it with me.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang seemed to like the word ¡°boyfriend¡± very much. He pressed their foreheads together, and asked in a low voice, ¡°Try what?¡±


    The distance between them was so close that they could feel each other¡¯s warm breath against their faces. Lin Yuyan licked his dry lips and with a voice as small as a mosquito, he answered, ¡°Well, do you want to try kissing?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Gu Yaoyang raised the corners of his mouth. He didn¡¯t expect him to be so enthusiastic, so he said, ¡°Then close your eyes.¡±


    Lin Yuyan immediately closed his eyes, his eyelashes twitched, and he swallowed nervously. Although he was a little shy, since the two of them had confirmed their relationship, they should be open and do what lovers do.


    Gu Yaoyang seemed to be still talking in his ear. His voice sounded a little bit more unique today, a bit hoarse but still very pleasant, like a fine yet rough sandpaper incessantly rubbing against his heart, making him feel a little itchy inside.


    Lin Yuyan waited quietly, not knowing what preparations he should make. For his first official kiss, should he pout his lips? Or is it better to keep it as it is?


    Gu Yaoyang changed his movements and pressed him on the mattress. As the sound of breathing got closer, he felt the tip of their noses slightly press together.


    Lin Yuyan hesitated for a while, but still pouted his lips slightly, then with a ¡°click¡±, he was so shocked he pulled his mouth back again.


    Gu Yaoyang rested on the mattress with one hand and held the phone with the other. Lin Yuyan opened his eyes and just saw a photo on the screen.


    In the photo, a young man was pouting his lips for a kiss with a confused expression on his face. He looked a little anxious, but he seemed to have an inexpressible expectation as well.


    ¡°You!¡±


    ¡°Hahahah!¡± Gu Yaoyang snapped another picture of him in a state of anger and ran down the ladder and into the living room.


    The room was originally small, and the two big boys couldn¡¯t run around freely at all. Gu Yaoyang teased him to run around before hiding in the bathroom behind the ladder.


    It was a bathroom, but there was no door at all. They only blocked the shower with plastic curtains and made small barriers with a height of seven to eight centimeters with log-colored tiles to prevent water from pouring out.


    Lin Yuyan soon pinpointed his position and rushed over. Before he opened the curtain, he was wrapped around in circles by the curtain, leaving only his head out.


    Gu Yaoyang hugged him from the inside with a smirk on his face. Without giving him the chance to speak, he kissed his lips without a warning.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Lin Yuyan didn¡¯t expect him to kiss him like this at all. He didn¡¯t make any preparations, and could only blankly stare at him. He even felt his chest vibrate with how nervous he was.


    With a ¡°crash¡±, the shower curtain¡¯s grip hook quickly squeezed together as Lin Yuyan got pushed against the wall while looking like a silkworm chrysalis. In addition to the deafening heartbeat he was hearing in his ears, there was also the faint sound of thick and slimy water. He wanted to struggle, but his body was limp and tied up, he was unable to move one bit.


    It turns out that the kissing scenes played in movies were real. When kissing, people actually make this shy sound.  Lin Yuyan curled his toes, his brain was a little deprived of oxygen, and when he came back to his senses, he found a sharp tiger tooth pulling out of his mouth and biting his lower lip to help him ground himself.


    ¡°You¡­you have tiger teeth.¡± Lin Yuyan said in surprise as if he had discovered a little secret. He was still tangled in the shower curtains, his eyes were wet, and his lips were red with light water stains on them.


    Gu Yaoyang said, ¡°There¡¯s two.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°But I only found one.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang raised his eyebrows and said, ¡°You can find more, it¡¯s in the deeper part of my mouth.¡±


    Lin Yuyan was curious, so he went to kiss his mouth again and checked each of his teeth before coming to a conclusion, ¡°There is only one.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang said, ¡°Two. How could I not know my own teeth?¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Lin Yuyan began to doubt himself, and just as he was about to check it again, he met Gu Yaoyang¡¯s smiling eyes.


    This look was so familiar to him that he regained his IQ in an instant. He shouted that the other was a villain and slammed his forehead on his forehead, and grimaced in pain as he added with a smile, ¡°You¡¯re a big liar!¡±

 CH 35

    The outreach training only took one and a half days. In the afternoon of the second day, everyone returned back home by bus.


    As the qualifiers of the professional league was approaching, Gu Yaoyang gradually became busy. He returned to the dormitory at eight or nine o¡¯clock every day and had to call Shao Zheng and the club manager to discuss work matters.


    Compared to Gu Yaoyang, Lin Yuyan¡¯s days were much more relaxed. Although he was in his third year of high school, he had good grades and wasn¡¯t worried about entering college. He originally wanted to go to an art school, so he took this opportunity to study under Mr. Zeng. He was receiving the best help he could get. He was actively working hard to prepare a piece that his father would approve of, hoping that his father could see his progress and hard work and would support his dreams.


    Lin Yuyan came back earlier than Gu Yaoyang. He had helped order takeaway for the two of them and also started to learn how to cook again.


    He was making soup in the kitchen at the moment, and he carefully added some salt to the soup pot. Just as he was about to taste it, somebody hugged him from behind. Lin Yuyan turned his head around as he fed the spoon to Gu Yaoyang¡¯s mouth and asked, ¡°How does it taste? Is it too salty?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang hadn¡¯t even spoken when Lin Yuyan immediately said, ¡°Tell the truth! You¡¯re not allowed to lie!¡±


    Gu Yaoyang said, ¡°Have I ever lied to you?¡±


    Lin Yuyan curled his lips: ¡°You lied to me a lot.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s bland.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    Lin Yuyan didn¡¯t believe him and he tasted the soup himself. It really turned out to be a little bland. He added a little salt before feeding it to Gu Yaoyang¡¯s mouth again.


    Coach Gu refused to drink. He leaned against his shoulder with a pitiful look and lightly said, ¡°You don¡¯t trust me.¡±


    Lin Yuyan blinked his eyes before putting the spoon back and turning off the stove. He broke away from Gu Yaoyang¡¯s arms that was wrapped around his waist. Turning around, he asked, ¡°You- Are you acting like a baby?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang placed his arms on the cupboard and leaned into it, trapping Lin Yuyan in his arms. He said in a dissatisfied manner, ¡°As long as you hug me every day, can¡¯t I be coquettish to you?¡±


    Lin Yuyan had never seen such a cute side of him. He cupped his face and kissed him, then said with his eyes bent, ¡°Sure!¡±


    Before dinner, Gu Yaoyang cooked another dish. Lin Yuyan still hasn¡¯t had a good grasp on controlling the fire while cooking, so he still needed to slowly practice it. While eating, Coach Gu¡¯s phone rang again. He simply answered it with a few words before hanging up and preparing to go out again.


    Lin Yuyan asked, ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang said, ¡°A player has been in a bad mood recently. He beat Shao Zheng during training at night and ran away.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Lin Yuyan put down his bowl and chopsticks and walked to the door: ¡°Are you going to look for him?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang nodded: ¡°I think I know where he is, so I¡¯m going to try and find him.¡±


    Lin Yuyan said, ¡°Can I go?¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Lin Yuyan said, ¡°I know I can¡¯t help you if there¡¯s going to be a fight, I just want to be with you¡­¡± He picked up his phone and continued, ¡°No, maybe I could help you by calling the police as soon as possible.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang looked at him and suddenly recalled that time on Wenchang street. When he clearly reminded the other not to follow him, the small thing still sneaked around and disobeyed his orders.


    Forget it, it¡¯s safer to bring him around.


    So he helped him get his coat and sternly warned him, ¡°You can come, but you have to be obedient.¡±


    Lin Yuyan immediately nodded. He joyfully hugged him before putting his coat on.


    The player who beat Shao Zheng was Cole who was mentioned in a discussion during the outreach training. He was born in the slums in the southernmost part of Mostin and was discriminated against because of his mixed blood. His father was an alcoholic and his mother was a gambler, he was a sneaky punk before he joined the club.


    Mr. Zeng once saw him fighting in the streets, so he recruited him and wanted to train him to be a boxer.


    He was successfully recruited, but his arrogance and disobedience gave Mr. Zeng a headache.


    ¡°Then why did Mr. Zeng still recruit him?¡± Lin Yuyan followed Gu Yaoyang to a bustling commercial street, where many people came and went. There was a wandering musician playing the piano by the side of the road. Lin Yuyan turned his head and looked at the musician before taking out some money from his pocket and placing it in the hat the musician used to collect money.


    The player was a white-haired old man who nodded and smiled at him.


    Gu Yaoyang stood there and waited until Lin Yuyan followed, before continuing to say, ¡°Because he is a pervert.¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡± Lin Yuyan said, ¡°Who is the pervert?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang said, ¡°Zeng Yi.¡±


    ¡°How come?¡± Lin Yuyan said: ¡°Don¡¯t slander my teacher.¡±


    Coach Gu took out a cigarette that had just been opened. He seemed to be very dissatisfied with the word ¡°my teacher¡±, and replied, ¡°If he wasn¡¯t a pervert, he wouldn¡¯t have opened a fighting club.¡±


    Lin Yuyan said, ¡°He opened the club because he likes fighting. If he doesn¡¯t have a good physique, can¡¯t he contribute to his dreams in another way?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang coldly said, ¡°What dream? He only likes to watch other people fight. The violent impact of those punches could stimulate the abnormal factors in his body.¡±


    Lin Yuyan stated, ¡°Teacher is not that kind of person.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang glanced at him: ¡°Haven¡¯t you only known him for a few days? From the fact that he knows me, it¡¯s obvious that he isn¡¯t a good person.¡±


    Lin Yuyan frowned and stopped.


    Gu Yaoyang asked, ¡°What?¡±


    Lin Yuyan unhappily said, ¡°Why would you say that my boyfriend isn¡¯t a good person?¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Gu Yaoyang was stunned, he was rarely shocked by his words. Instead of being angry, the corners of his mouth rose. He rubbed his head as a compromise and said, ¡°Okay, okay, your teacher isn¡¯t bad.¡±


    Lin Yuyan snorted softly, and was about to continue chatting with him when someone behind him shouted, ¡°Thief! Catch the thief!¡±


    He and Gu Yaoyang turned around at the same time and saw a tall figure running out of a bakery. He was wearing a certain club¡¯s uniform as he rampaged through the crowd, knocking down several passersby on his way.


    ¡°Cole.¡± Gu Yaoyang narrowed his eyes and said to Lin Yuyan, ¡°Stand here and don¡¯t move, wait for me to come back.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Be obedient.¡± After speaking, he stepped towards Cole¡¯s direction and chased after him.


    Lin Yuyan knew he couldn¡¯t help him, so he quickly took out his mobile phone and called the police. He looked at Gu Yaoyang¡¯s back with worry and kept rationally reminding himself that nothing bad would happen. He had seen Cole, and he was not Gu Yaoyang¡¯s opponent.


    But he couldn¡¯t control himself emotionally. After pacing around the place two times, he saw the old man who played the piano just now fall to the ground. The coins in his hat were spilled to the ground. He was trying to crawl away and collect the money he dropped.


    Lin Yuyan hurried over to help him and found that the back of his hand was bleeding, it seemed that Cole pushed him when he rushed out and injured him.


    There happened to be a pharmacy nearby, so Lin Yuyan wanted to send him there, but he shook his head and said that he wanted to sit in front of the piano to play. After further questioning, he learned that the old man¡¯s wife was sick in bed and he was raising money to pay for her medicine for tomorrow. He was almost able to gather the amount of money he needed.


    Lin Yuyan immediately took out his wallet and wanted to give the money to him, but the old man refused, saying that he had just collected the entrance fee and could not ask for more.


    After thinking about it, Lin Yuyan realized that the old man regarded the charity given to him by passers-by as tickets to the concert.


    ¡°Then, do you need a guest?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Lin Yuyan had just gone to the nearby pharmacy to buy some medicine that would stop the bleeding and handed it to the old man. He looked at the endless number of passersby on the streets. He thought for a while and said, ¡°You should rest for a bit and wait until the bleeding stops before performing again. During this period, I will be your guest and help you attract the audience, okay?¡±


    The old man¡¯s injury was indeed a little serious, and after thinking for a while he said thank you and took a break.


    Lin Yuyan sat in front of the piano and took a deep breath. It was the first time he performed on the side of the road. He took several piano lessons when he was a child, so he knew how to play the piano. Although he did not study for a long time, he had a good sense of music and played well. Zhuo Hang often said that if he chose the path of music, he might already be a little famous pianist. Unlike painting where he probably couldn¡¯t make a name even after painting for a long time, wasting so much time.


    But Lin Yuyan just liked painting more. Even if he can do other things better, it still couldn¡¯t change his passion for painting.


    In a way, he was a bit silly and stubborn.


    After calming down for a while, he was still a little nervous, but the words had been spoken, so he couldn¡¯t back down. He opened the old man¡¯s music score, found a piece of music he had learned, and put his hands on the keys.


    Compared to the old man¡¯s deep and mournful tune, Lin Yuyan chose a tune, which was much lighter. The melodious notes flowed from his fingers. While playing, he looked in the direction Gu Yaoyang left, wondering if he was coming back soon.


    The winter breeze was very cold.  Lin Yuyan¡¯s hands were about to freeze before he finished the song. He didn¡¯t know how the old man could survive playing in such a cold world. He just wanted to finish playing this song as soon as possible to warm his hands. Suddenly, somebody sat next to him and covered the back of his hand with a warm palm.


    It was Gu Yaoyang.


    He ran after Cole and caught up to him. He had tied him like a rice dumpling and thrown him on the side of the road, leaving him behind without any shame.


    The brisk piano melody didn¡¯t stop. Gu Yaoyang sat beside Lin Yuyan. He helped keep him warm as he performed for the crowd.


    Lin Yuyan didn¡¯t expect Gu Yaoyang to know how to play the piano, but after he thought about it carefully, he felt that there was nothing to be shocked about. Gu Yaoyang was smart and he could do everything. One song after another, Lin Yuyan¡¯s frozen fingers were warmed up. He slipped out of Gu Yaoyang¡¯s generous palms quietly and played together with him.


    Maybe most people liked brisk music, so gradually more and more passers-by watched the two boys with raised lips, huddled together, playing the piano as they secretly talked.


    ¡°Gu Yaoyang¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Do you think you could like a person more and more with time?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I think so too.¡± Lin Yuyan lowered his head, looking at two people intersecting and touching fingers. He distressedly said, ¡°When I confessed to you, my heart could still hold on to my love for you.¡±


    ¡°But now, I don¡¯t think it could hold on anymore. It looks like it¡¯s full and it¡¯s about to explode.¡±

 CH 36

    Cole¡¯s matter didn¡¯t end there. The bakery owner had refused to settle an agreement and forcibly took him to the police station. Mr. Zeng came in person when he received the news to fish Cole out of jail. He sat in the police station hall and had a good talk with them before he managed to bail Cole out.


    Cole is in his mid-twenties, he had nobody to care for him all his life, so when Mr. Zeng sincerely and faithfully helped him, he felt grateful inside his heart and after he learned from his previous mistakes in the past he decided to change and start a new life.


    Two people stood in the corner, watching the whole process.


    Lin Yuyan had just finished playing the piano outside, so his nose was slightly red from the cold. Gu Yaoyang told him to wear a hat, held his hand, and placed it into his pocket. He clasped a cigarette in one hand, occasionally taking a puff, and turned his head away when he breathed out so that he wouldn¡¯t blow the smoke toward Lin Yuyan¡¯s face.


    ¡°You kept on slandering teacher today even though it¡¯s obvious that he¡¯s a kind man with high morals.¡± Said Lin Yuyan when he became a little moved after seeing Mr. Zeng hugging Cole with reddening eyes.


    Gu Yaoyang glanced at him and laughed disdainfully.


    Lin Yuyan asked, ¡°What are you laughing at?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang said, ¡°He followed us in as soon as we arrived here. Isn¡¯t his house far away from this police station?¡±


    Lin Yuyan said, ¡°Maybe he was nearby?¡±


    ¡°Are you sure? He usually doesn¡¯t even go out.¡±


    Lin Yuyan replied, ¡°Even if he doesn¡¯t usually go out, it doesn¡¯t mean that he wouldn¡¯t go out at all. Moreover, Mostine is so small that it wouldn¡¯t have taken him even a few minutes to drive over immediately after he received the news.¡±


    ¡°Lin Yuyan.¡± Gu Yaoyang narrowed his eyes.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Why haven¡¯t I seen you speak so neatly to me before? Is it because you¡¯re defending your teacher?¡±


    Lin Yuyan could sense that he was a little angry, so he confusedly asked, ¡°We¡¯re only having a discussion about this issue, why are you losing your temper over this?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang asked, ¡°When did I lose my temper?¡±


    ¡°You just did.¡± Lin Yuyan said, ¡°Your voice is two degrees higher than usual.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Gu Yaoyang didn¡¯t say anything anymore. He took out his cigarette and pulled Lin Yuyan out. Lin Yuyan asked, ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang answered, ¡°Let me show you your teacher¡¯s true face.¡±


    After eleven o¡¯clock in the evening, there was barely anyone walking in the street. The old man who played the piano had saved enough for tomorrow¡¯s medical bills. He left the piano in a nearby store and went back with his injured hand. The whole street was dark, except for the bakery that got robbed.


    In these cases, the staff would usually hold a meeting about security issues and to be more vigilant against future robberies, so it was understandable that they¡¯ll leave work late, but there was no one inside the store. Even the store manager who yelled at Cole not too long ago was nowhere to be seen.


    Gu Yaoyang and Lin Yuyan stood across the road and waited for more than ten minutes and saw Mr. Zeng walking over again with his dog-like cane.


    Lin Yuyan blinked and asked innocently, ¡°Is teacher here to help Cole apologize to the shopkeeper?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang said indifferently, ¡°How is that possible?¡±


    The owner, who never showed up during the robbery, came out of the store and warmly greeted Mr. Zeng with a hug.


    Lin Yuyan was stunned, watching the two eagerly chatting, he said in surprise, ¡°Could it be that Cole was¡­ framed?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang answered, ¡°No, but the shopkeeper must have deliberately guided him to steal.¡±


    Lin Yuyan made a guess, ¡°In other words, this was planned by teacher?¡±


    Gu Yaoyan nodded, ¡°If Cole hadn¡¯t stolen from this bakery, it probably had nothing to do with him. But if it¡¯s this bakery, then Zeng Yi must have had something to do with it.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°This bakery was opened by his friend.¡± After Gu Yaoyang finished speaking, Lin Yuyan suddenly had a realization and looked at Mr. Zeng with complicated eyes.


    Gu Yaoyang raised his eyebrows and expressionlessly said, ¡°I told you a long time ago that he wasn¡¯t a good person. He induced Cole to commit a crime and sent him to the police station. He then came out to bail him in person and tolerated his flaws and mistakes. He made him completely open his heart and willingly devote his life to him.¡± He then coldly continued, ¡°Don¡¯t think he¡¯s a good person just because he can paint.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t just blindly worship someone. Even your teacher has a shameless and dirty side to him.¡±


    The more Lin Yuyan listened, the more he felt that something was wrong. He looked at Gu Yaoyang and asked, ¡°Do you have a good opinion of Mr. Zeng?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang lazily answered, ¡°No. ¡°


    No wonder.


    Lin Yuyan thought about it carefully, it seems that every time he mentioned Mr. Zeng, Gu Yaoyang always had the same attitude. He would ignore his words and keep on slandering the other. He hesitantly began, ¡°You weren¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh?


    Lin Yuyan hesitated for a few seconds, and  tentatively asked, ¡°You aren¡¯t jealous of teacher, are you?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang took out a cigarette, snorted, and replied, ¡°Do I look sick? Why would I be jealous of him?¡±


    He pressed the lighter too quickly and couldn¡¯t light it up. He pressed it again and again with a frown on his face.


    Lin Yuyan discovered the hidden emotion in his eyes. He slowly opened his mouth and asked with a smile, ¡°You¡¯re not actually jealous, are you? Is it because I always praise him?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang said flatly: ¡°Am I crazy? ¡°


    ¡°Hahaha!¡± Lin Yuyan laughed even more happily, ¡°You are and very childish too.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang ignored him. He lit up his cigarette, turned around, and left. Lin Yuyan followed behind him, continuing to laugh. He had discovered this childish side of Gu Yaoyang, who could be jealous, coquettish, and unhappy just because he praised other people. He was very excited about these major discoveries and laughed at Gu Yaoyang as being childish all the way back home. But he got too carried away, and before he got home, he got pushed by Gu Yaoyang at a phone booth by the roadside.


    ¡°You, what are you doing?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang¡¯s strength was much stronger than usual. He pushed his knees away and grabbed his wrist. Lin Yuyan was a little flustered when he met his narrowed eyes. Just as he was about to speak, his mouth was blocked. He couldn¡¯t get a word out.


    Today¡¯s kiss was a bit brutish, with a strong smell of tobacco lingering on the base of his tongue. He was also biting him as if he was punishing him.


    Lin Yuyan was not very proficient at kissing, so after reluctantly responding a few times, he couldn¡¯t keep up with Gu Yaoyang.


    He felt as if he couldn¡¯t stand up straight anymore. He thought to himself, ¡®It¡¯s so strange, it¡¯s obviously just a kiss, why does it feel as if my waist is about to collapse?¡¯


    His mouth also hurts, but there¡¯s no way to stop the kiss. He urgently needed to breathe and control the drool that was about to flow down from the corners of his mouth. Their lips and teeth kept on grinding together, it seemed as though it was on fire on the cold winter night.


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Lin Yuyan clambered on Gu Yaoyang¡¯s shoulders weakly, his feet even slightly off the ground as he half sat on his knees. He was speechless until Gu Yaoyang finally left his mouth and allowed him to breathe smoothly.


    ¡°Who¡¯s childish?¡± Gu Yaoyang bit his ear and asked slightly threateningly.


    Lin Yuyan refused to surrender, but his ear was ravaged by his mouth, and his whole body trembled every time they touched. There was even a subtle change of atmosphere in the booth, so he could only blush and shamefully surrender. He guiltily said, ¡°I¡­ I am¡­¡±

 CH 37

    Gu Yaoyang didn¡¯t want to admit it, so Lin Yuyan didn¡¯t mention it again. He thought that Gu Yaoyang was shy and secretly kept this matter inside his heart. He was secretly happy inside.


    The next day, he went to Mr. Zeng¡¯s place to draw as usual. Although Gu Yaoyang had slandered him all over the place yesterday, Lin Yuyan still respected his teacher very much.


    However, Mr. Zeng has been very busy recently. He would go to the club in the morning and return to give him pointers in the afternoon. Mr. Zeng received an email and opened it. He looked at the contents before asking, ¡°Yuyan, do you have anything to do these days?¡±


    Lin Yuyan put down his pen and answered, ¡± No, what¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Mr. Zeng replied, ¡°That¡¯s great, I¡¯m going to hold a solo exhibition in the south next weekend. I need you to help me.¡±


    Lin Yuyan had seen many art exhibitions, but this was his first time holding an exhibition himself. The showroom wasn¡¯t ready-made either. Mr. Zeng had bought a small wooden house at the foot of the mountain in the suburbs some time ago. He plans to renovate it and use it as his showroom and studio.


    He usually paints at home, but now that he has a studio, he¡¯ll probably paint there. He might be getting bored of staying at home.


    The weather in Mostine was getting warmer recently, and Lin Yuyan was wearing a thick sweater and a floral apron that was covered in paint. He stood on the ladder and helped Mr. Zeng paint the walls. On the wall are the sceneries painted by Mr. Zeng. There were spring, summer, autumn, and winter sceneries.


    ¡°How are you and Yaoyang?¡±


    Mr. Zeng was dressed similarly to his little apprentice. He was holding a palette in one hand and a brush in the other and was sketching the falling leaves on the autumn view.


    Lin Yuyan didn¡¯t know much about this work yet. He climbed down the ladder with a colorful face and answered with a smile, ¡°We¡¯re doing pretty good.¡±


    After all, they¡¯re couples who have just confirmed their relationship and were happy every day. Lin Yuyan was so happy that he always had a smile on his face, he was only short of putting a few large characters on his forehead that says, ¡°I¡¯m in love¡±


    Mr. Zeng followed suit with a smile. His black and white mustache twitched left and right and made him look like he had a mischievous thought.


    ¡°Apprentice, ah. Can I call you that?¡±


    Lin Yuyan answered, ¡°Of course, you can call me anything you want.¡±


    Mr. Zeng nodded in satisfaction, and asked from the corner, ¡°How much do you know about professional ring games?¡±


    Lin Yuyan replied, ¡°I¡¯m not very clear about it, but I searched for some information when Gu Yaoyang was going to join the club.¡±


    ¡°So you know a few things?¡±


    ¡°Mhn.¡±


    Mr. Zeng said, ¡°Actually, several agencies contacted me a while ago. They were hoping that I could transfer Yaoyang to them.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because he is very sought after. Many clubs rushed to recruit him before he joined me. He didn¡¯t intend to become a professional player, but you know, I want to see him participate in professional competitions.¡±


    Mr. Zeng sighed and continued, ¡°Besides, the quality of the players who participated in training this year isn¡¯t very good. I have three recommendation spots, and there¡¯s still one empty spot left.¡±


    Lin Yuyan knew that Mr. Zeng had always wanted Gu Yaoyang to play professionally, but Gu Yaoyang had his vision. They were related to his past, and nobody could easily change them.


    ¡°But he doesn¡¯t want to¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I came to you.¡± Mr. Zeng continued, ¡°You already knew why Gu Yaoyang didn¡¯t want to participate right?¡±


    Lin Yuyan nodded.


    Mr. Zeng glanced at his apprentice and spoke with a tone akin to a human trafficker, ¡°But his parents died a long time ago, and those situations in his family have nothing to do with him now. He shouldn¡¯t bear his parents¡¯ crimes. He¡¯s too stuck in the past. He has to look forward, to have a bright future.¡±


    Mr. Zeng placed his palette down and patted Lin Yuyan on the shoulder. He earnestly said, ¡°Do you want to see him live in the past for the rest of his life?¡±


    Lin Yuyan shook his head.


    ¡°So, you have to help him.¡±


    ¡°Me? Didn¡¯t you say that he doesn¡¯t need¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s you.¡± Mr. Zeng continued, ¡°I did tell you that he doesn¡¯t need someone to come save him.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°But he needs a future, and you are his future.¡±


    The word ¡®future; seemed too far away. It was so far that Lin Yuyan hadn¡¯t even thought about it that deeply.


    But Mr. Zeng mentioned it today, so he began to think about it. The four seasons on the wall seem to alternate. When he looked around, it felt that year after year have passed. It also seemed that from this moment onward, Lin Yuyan¡¯s future would always have a shadow of Gu Yaoyang, and he would be by his side every day in the future.


    Today¡¯s weather is good, and the surrounding snow has melted a lot. Lunch was settled in the empty exhibition hall. Besides Lin Yuyan, Mr. Zeng had also called several other people to help him.


    In the afternoon, Gu Yaoyang also came.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it cold?


    Lin Yuyan was squatting in the yard to help clean up the weeds. He was wearing a pair of dirty white gloves and his face was dripping with sweat. Gu Yaoyang squatted beside him and helped him wipe the paint off his face before joining him in cleaning the yard.


    Lin Yuyan hasn¡¯t met him for a long time. He tilted his head intimately and rubbed against him. He smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s not cold. It feels like the temperature has risen recently.¡± He then asked, ¡°Did Mr. Zeng ask you to come?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang responded with a, ¡°Hmn.¡±


    Lin Yuyan said: ¡°He seems to have something to talk to you about.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve talked about it with him a long time ago, but he kept on mentioning it.¡± Gu Yaoyang took out a cigarette but Lin Yuyan snatched it away. Holding a handful of weed, he seriously said, ¡°Go back and smoke in a different place, It¡¯s easy to catch a fire here.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang glanced at him, ¡°How lenient.¡±


    Lin Yuyan snorted. He helped him put away the cigarette and asked, ¡°Then what do you think?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang asked back, ¡°What about your thoughts?¡±


    Lin Yuyan replied, ¡°Of course, I respect your choices. Although playing in the professional arena would be great, I still think that the most important thing is for you to be happy.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t Zeng Yi ask you to be a middleman? Why are you betraying him?¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± Lin Yuyan asked, ¡°How did you know that teacher is going to use me?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang answered, ¡°What other purpose would he have for calling me here now?¡±


    Lin Yuyan rubbed against him again and praised with a smile, ¡°You¡¯re so smart.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang replied, ¡°You¡¯re not bad either. You could also see that he intends to take advantage of me by using you.¡±


    After a short pause, he asked again, ¡°What about you? Put aside my thoughts, do you think I should play professionally?¡±


    Lin Yuyan nodded and answered honestly, ¡°I hope you can stand on a higher ground and be in a better position. You¡¯re great at it, maybe you could even become a boxing star.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang raised his eyebrows, ¡°Do you like stars?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Lin Yuyan turned his head and kissed him on his cheeks. After a moment, he smiled and said, ¡°I like you.¡±


    The two cleaned up the weeds at the door and found a flower hidden in a pile of snow. Although it was withered, the petals were still in good shape. Lin Yuyan picked a handful of it, he then found a red rope nearby and tied them together.


    After tidying up, the two sat on the wooden steps to bask in the sun. The room behind the door was buzzing with activity. Mr. Zeng was instructing the workers to measure the size and prepare to make a few new cabinets.


    Lin Yuyan leaned on Gu Yaoyang¡¯s shoulder. He held his hand and traced the lines on his palms. They were a bit rough, but his fingers are slender and beautiful. If he wasn¡¯t born into such a family, he would¡¯ve been a pampered young master. Even if he wasn¡¯t one, he would¡¯ve been a naughty, sunny, and bright boy.


    ¡°Will you leave me?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang asked suddenly, ¡°Will you leave me?¡±


    Lin Yuyan answered, ¡°Of course not.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not only sure of it, I can even swear it.¡±


    After Lin Yuyan finished the sentence, he held up two fingers and seriously said, ¡°I swear, I will never leave you. Although we may be separated for a while in the last of high school, we could video call every day, and I will come back to you as soon as I graduate.¡±


    He placed his hand down and leaned into Gu Yaoyang¡¯s shoulders again. He talked about everything that happened today and the possibilities that could happen in the future, ¡°If you choose to play professionally, I would choose to study at the university closest to you. This way, I could go to school with a peaceful mind. It would be better if we could live in the same city, or even live together. We could also raise a small pet, like a kitten, or maybe a puppy, or even a parrot. I¡¯ll learn to cook when you¡¯re away. I¡¯ll try to make some healthy recipes, professional players need to eat nutritious meals, right? When I learn it, I¡¯ll prepare a super rich meal for you. We could also grow some plants and flowers and put them on the balcony like Uncle Zhou. I could also put my easel on the balcony, and place your sandbag in the study.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang shook his hand and asked, ¡°Why do you want a balcony?¡± Lin Yuyan answered, ¡°Because I¡¯m younger than you and need to absorb sunlight to grow.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang laughed, ¡°How are you younger than me?¡±


    Lin Yuyan knew that he was thinking in the wrong direction, so he immediately answered, ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious from my age? my height?!¡±


    He answered so adorably, just listening to him could make people¡¯s heart flutter. Gu Yaoyang still wanted to ask him a question but swallowed the question back down. He was afraid of reminding Lin Yuyan of his own situation, afraid that he would shrink back after hearing it.


    ¡°Then say it again, say that you won¡¯t leave me.¡±


    Lin Yuyan raised the corners of his mouth and said word by word right into his ear, ¡°I will definitely never leave you, no matter what happens, I will never leave you. He spoke so firmly and earnestly. Gu Yaoyang became silent for a long time and replied with the corners of his mouth curled up, ¡°Well then, I could try to participate in the professional competition.¡±


    Lin Yuyan didn¡¯t expect him to make such a decision, he asked in surprise, ¡°Really?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang answered, ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°No reason, maybe it¡¯s because I want to raise a little parrot.¡±


    Lin Yuyan asked with a smile, ¡°Then you¡¯ll become a boxing star?¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡±


    ¡°Great!¡± Lin Yuyan kissed him again. He held the bouquet of dried flowers beside him and handed it to Gu Yaoyang with a big smile, ¡°From now on, You¡¯ll be a big star, and I¡¯ll be your little painter.¡±

 CH 38

    The process of turning Gu Yaoyang into a professional player was quite simple. He wasn¡¯t a regular coach at first, and everything he did was only a matter of Mr. Zeng¡¯s words.


    But the content of his work didn¡¯t change much. He still coached the players and trained himself along the way. Now, he returned to his dormitory even later than before.


    Lin Yuyan had also been busy recently. He had the most fulfilling summer vacation ever. He would work with Mr. Zeng every day to prepare for the art exhibition, and at night he had to prepare his pieces to show his father the fruits of his hard work. He was improving at painting, and the foundation he had laid over the years hadn¡¯t gone to waste. With his teacher¡¯s careful guidance, he could pave his path to fulfill his dreams of becoming an artist.


    ¡°In a few years, you¡¯ll be able to hold your own small exhibition.¡± Standing behind Lin Yuyan, Mr. Zeng nodded with satisfaction and continued with a smile, ¡°Sure enough, you¡¯re an apprentice I personally taught, so your skill level will be different from the rest.¡±


    Lin Yuyan¡¯s gratitude toward Mr. Zeng couldn¡¯t be described with just words. He bowed several times to his teacher to express his gratefulness before leaving his house and heading to the club.


    Gu Yaoyang finished his training at around ten o¡¯clock in the evening. He changed his clothes and went downstairs when he saw Lin Yuyan sitting in the lobby on the first floor waiting for him. The black lady at the front desk hadn¡¯t gotten off work yet, she had her arms crossed around her chest and was chatting with him, ¡°G is very strong. If he participates in professional competitions, I would be his most loyal fan.¡±


    Lin Yuyan was happy with her words and nodded as he replied, ¡°He is really great. Mr. Zeng said that nobody could beat him in a professional competition.¡±


    The black lady said, ¡°The boss is right. G¡¯s overall strength should be the strongest in the circle. Although he hasn¡¯t participated in a formal competition, I know he will win. But when the time comes, you have to be careful.¡±


    Lin Yuyan asked, ¡°Be careful of what?¡±


    The black lady winked at him ambiguously, ¡°He¡¯s a handsome young man full of charm, there would be many suitors chasing after him. I could only imagine how many people would be fascinated by G when he enters the ring. He¡¯s perfect, every inch of his muscles looks as if they were carved by a skilled sculptor¡¯s knife. Not to mention his eyes, his deep eyes are like beautiful black gemstones. They¡¯re the most beautiful eyes I¡¯ve ever seen. He¡¯s very suitable to stand in the spotlight for the people to see.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯ll have to be careful Lin. Don¡¯t let him be taken away by those people.¡±


    Lin Yuyan took a sip of his coffee and confidently said, ¡°He likes me, he won¡¯t get stolen away by other people.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang happened to hear these words when he arrived. He rubbed his hair affectionately and felt very relieved, but that wasn¡¯t the case later that night.


    The two of them had been sleeping separately since they came back from the small fishing village. After all, at the age of seventeen and eighteen, it is very easy to have a minor incident that sparks a war. Lin Yuyan was not yet an adult, and Gu Yaoyang also respected him. Every time they kissed, he would always stop at that point.


    The two tacitly agreed to this behavior. They would hug and kiss for a while at night before going back to their rooms to sleep. Gu Yaoyang lay down on his bed to sleep, but Lin Yuyan thought about the black lady¡¯s words over and over again and had a hard time sleeping that night.


    He will start school in another two or three days, and after that, he¡¯ll spend a whole year in high school as a third-year student, and they would not be able to meet each other until winter vacation at the earliest. But during the winter vacation, Gu Yaoyang¡¯s preliminaries will also start by then. So there¡¯s probably not much time to spend together. When he finally finished his studies and graduated from high school, by then, Gu Yaoayang would have finished finals. He would definitely become a hit if he won the championships.


    Wouldn¡¯t the black lady¡¯s words become a prophecy if it went like that? Then how could they adopt pets and parrots and live in a house together?


    Lin Yuyan jumped off the bed and walked around the room with his hand holding his chin. He lifted his pajamas and pinched his dry and soft stomach before gritting his teeth as he made a bold decision.


    Gu Yaoyang had always been sensitive to sound. As soon as he closed his eyes, he heard the door of the room next to him open. He thought that Lin Yuyan was going to the bathroom to relieve himself, but then he heard the sound of running water. It sounded as if he wanted to take a bath.


    Didn¡¯t he already take a bath when they got back from the club? And it was already half past twelve. What was he going to do?


    Gu Yaoyang thought for a while but didn¡¯t plan to bother him. He laid on the bed with an unlit cigarette dangling in his mouth and felt a bit uncomfortable. It¡¯s hard for him to quit smoking, but he had been strictly smoking three or four cigarettes a day recently, so it should be okay for him to reward himself for his discipline, right?


    The thought of Lin Yuyan¡¯s carefree expression made his mouth curl up into a smile. Just as he was about to throw away the cigarette, he heard someone coming out of the bathroom and knocking on his door.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Gu Yaoyang asked as he opened the door, inhaling a strong fragrance that streamed toward him. There were no perfumes at home. Except for the soap, which was a shower gel Lin Yuyan bought himself, there was no other item that could give out this scent. If he remembered correctly, it should be an orange-scented shower gel, and it was usually faint, but now Lin Yuyan smelled like he fell into a pit of orange.


    Gu Yaoyang squinted his eyes and crossed his arms around his chest as he looked at the person standing in front of him.


    Lin Yuyan¡¯s hair was wet, his face was a little red, and he was wearing the black shirt that he stole from Gu Yaoyang a few days ago. He¡¯d worn the shirt as pajamas before, and it looked too big and loose around his body. Today, the two buttons on the top of the shirt were unbuttoned, revealing his white collarbone. Gu Yaoyang didn¡¯t even know if he was even wearing a boxer underneath his shirt. He could only see his two thin milky white legs and bare feet standing on the ground. His toes were pink and white, unconsciously squirming around the ground.


    He had also worn his shirt like this before, but his neckline was buttoned up, which was completely different from today¡¯s look.


    ¡°You- You haven¡¯t slept yet?¡± Lin Yuyan asked as he poked his head around to look inside his bedroom.


    Gu Yaoyang asked back, ¡°Why haven¡¯t you slept yet?¡±


    Lin Yuyan thought for a while before lowering his head and answering him, ¡°I- I¡¯m a little cold.¡±


    ¡°Cold?¡± Gu Yaoyang raised his eye at just the right angle to see the thermometer fixed on the wall. He raised his chin and read the temperature, ¡°Indoors, 28 degrees.¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡± Lin Yuyan turned his head. After living for so many days, he didn¡¯t notice the item hanging on the wall. He lightly coughed and switched excuses, ¡°Well- I¡¯m a little scared.¡± He attempted to squeeze into Gu Yaoyang¡¯s room as he said that, but Gu Yaoyang blocked him from entering the door, not giving him any chance to enter his room.


    ¡°What are you afraid of?¡±


    Lin Yuyan answered, ¡°Afraid of the dark.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang said, ¡°You¡¯ve been sleeping in the dark for more than ten days by now, and you¡¯re only afraid of it now?¡±


    ¡°I just had a nightmare and got afraid of it now. Can¡¯t I be afraid now?¡± Lin Yuyan stuck his neck in and took advantage of the little gap between Gu Yaoyang and the doorframe. He almost succeeded in breaking inside but got trapped by Gu Yaoyang¡¯s waist. He looked as the other asked with a smile, ¡°Say, what are you trying to do dressing up like this?¡±


    Lin Yuyan said, ¡°You- can¡¯t you see?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang said: ¡°I can¡¯t see it.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t pretend to be stupid. I-  I have been so obvious.¡±


    A few days ago, he was constantly shy and flustered because of their physical affection. But today, he suddenly took the initiative. There must be a reason for this change.


    Gu Yaoyang thought for a while before coming to the conclusion that it had something to do with his conversation with the black lady.


    He was so confident in front of those outsiders but was actually insecure when he came back?


    Gu Yaoyang knew what he was thinking. He hugged him and threw him directly on his bed. Lin Yuyan really wasn¡¯t wearing anything underneath his shirt. Since he was sitting on the bed, his shirt couldn¡¯t fully cover his lower parts, so he had to stretch the hem of his shirt with his hands as the roots of his ears quickly turned red in embarrassment.


    He was obviously not ready for this, but for himself cut off all means of escape.


    ¡°Is it because of what the front desk lady said?¡± Gu Yaoyang stood at the end of the bed and asked as he leaned against the wall.


    Lin Yuyan hesitated for a while, then nodded.


    Gu Yaoyang raised his eyebrows at his answer. He unconsciously took out a cigarette and lit it as he continued, ¡°So, you dressed like this to seduce me, climb into my bed, and make me take responsibility?¡±


    Lin Yuyan blinked, ¡°You- you How do you know?¡±


    ¡°Idiot.¡± Gu Yaoyang exhaled a ring of smoke, his voice was a little hoarse as he said that.


    Lin Yuyan¡¯s legs were still bare, hanging at the edge of his bed, and he began to feel embarrassed for being so exposed, ¡°Then what should I do? I¡¯m not very good. If you¡¯re going to be pursued by many people in the future, I¡¯m afraid¡­¡±


    ¡°Lin Yuyan.¡± Gu Yaoyang glanced at him, interrupting his sentence, and rubbed his brows, ¡°I¡¯ll only say this once, so I hope you¡¯ll go find a notebook later to write this down.¡±


    Lin Yuyan also knew that his behavior was incorrect, but he couldn¡¯t think of a better solution. He could only obediently listen to Gu Yaoyang attentively.


    ¡°I want to be responsible to you. Even if it¡¯s only holding hands and kissing your mouth, I will be responsible for you to the end, and I will love you forever.¡±


    ¡°But if I don¡¯t want to, even if I already f*cked you thousands of times before, I won¡¯t have any extra feelings for you.¡±


    ¡°So, you don¡¯t need to resort to these methods to hold on to me, restrain me, or lower yourself like this lest I get stolen away by some other people.¡±


    ¡°I like you now, and I will like you for the rest of my life.¡±


    ¡°So it doesn¡¯t matter whether you¡¯re great or not, whether you¡¯re excellent or not.¡±

 CH 39

    Lin Yuyan listened to him in a daze. The corners of his shirt were wrinkled because he pulled and twisted them as he listened to Gu Yaoyang. Gu Yaoyang stubbed out his cigarette and abruptly said, ¡°Okay, let¡¯s get started.¡±


    ¡°Get- Get started?¡±


    ¡®Start what?¡¯


    ¡°You want to back off now?¡± Gu Yaoyang raised the corners of his mouth as he leaned forward and continued, ¡°You¡¯re dangling like this on my bed, dressed like that, do you think I¡¯m dead and unfeeling?¡±


    Lin Yuyan was then squeezed into the corner of the bed. His Adam¡¯s apple rolled up and down a few times as his hands kept covering his key parts in embarrassment. He blinked his big clear eyes, making him look very nervous.


    Gu Yaoyang thought he would back off when he figured it out, but who would¡¯ve thought he would take the initiative and hook his arms around his neck after staying silent for a while, and ask in a low voice, ¡°What? Why aren¡¯t you starting?¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Lin Yuyan seemed to know that he wanted to ask something, so he rushed to speak first, ¡°Our relationship is that of lovers, so isn¡¯t it normal for us to do this kind of thing? I admit that my initial intention just then wasn¡¯t good, but since I could think of this method, it means that I really want to do this with you. I like you¡­ I¡¯m willing to go to bed with you¡­ To sleep with you.¡± He stammered as he explained himself. ¡°I didn¡¯t do this to tie you to me, or to threaten you to take responsibility. I just want to be your most intimate person through it¡­¡±


    ¡°Because, I thought that if I do this, you won¡¯t get stolen away by other people. But when I think about it carefully, you are right.¡± Lin Yuyan continued to mutter, ¡°You can¡¯t really guarantee anything just by doing intimate things together. The most important thing is to trust each other.¡±


    He leaned against Gu Yaoyang¡¯s forehead and sincerely apologized, ¡°I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t trust you enough, and that I couldn¡¯t even trust myself enough-?¡±


    Before his words fell, the world seemed to spin around for a while, and before he even realized it, Gu Yaoyang had already pressed him down and blocked his mouth. He was so sudden every time he did this, and Lin Yuyan would be so shocked he couldn¡¯t respond in time. Additionally, his clothes today were a bit special. He was almost naked, with his shirt barely covering his private parts. A flick of the wrist was all it took to see nearly all his private parts. He wondered how Gu Yaoyang¡¯s hand looks now. They¡¯re thick and rough, and they¡¯re currently rubbing his waistline back and forth.


    Lin Yuyan had delicate skin and tender muscles, he couldn¡¯t stand this stimulation at all, and he was afraid of pain and getting tickled, so he hid as he laughed with tears in his eyes. He tried to crawl away but got dragged back before Gu Yaoyang continued to bully him. He giggled as he begged for mercy and grabbed onto Gu Yaoyang¡¯s shoulders. Before he could stop laughing, Gu Yaoyang kissed the corners of his mouth, and he responded eagerly to the kiss.


    This was all planned. Lin Yuyan seemed to have forgotten what he was there for until he slowly raised his head from Gu Yaoyang¡¯s sports pajamas and widened his eyes as if he was facing a dangerous enemy as he came to a realization.


    He wasn¡¯t ready at all. He only climbed his boyfriend¡¯s bed on impulse.


    Gu Yaoyang knew this would be the result. He had a belly full of evil tricks, and now, it was getting worse. He bit his neck in retaliation, and the movement of his hands was getting bolder. It slid all the way down to his waistline, sometimes grazing lightly, and other times it purposely rubbed him heavily and tickled his itch.


    Lin Yuyan was like a fish on a chopping board. He couldn¡¯t hide, but he couldn¡¯t give a proper response. His eyes were red, and his voice was trembling. He wanted to reach his hand out and cover his face, but Gu Yaoyang was a step further than him and took the lead.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Lin Yuyan immediately flinched. Gu Yaoyang raised his head from his red-stained neck and looked at him with half-lidded eyes. He asked with the corners of his mouth curled up, ¡°What? Am I doing something wrong?¡±


    His tone wasn¡¯t any different from the one he would usually use when he talks, except this time, his voice was hoarse and rough. It was like he was lazily playing with something in his hands.


    Lin Yuyan usually couldn¡¯t even bear a kiss, let alone being held in his warm hands that also roamed freely on his body.


    He felt like he had become the lighter lying on the cabinet. Trapped in Gu Yaoyang¡¯s hands, allowing him to open and close him up, slowly rolling the pulley at will, but wouldn¡¯t light him up. All his thoughts were forcefully pulled away from him, and he kept on ¡®whimpering¡¯ without knowing exactly what he was talking about. Gu Yaoyang ignored him and kept placing pressure on him. His body was like a closed box. He felt his airflow constantly expanding and rolling inside him, and when it was about to rush to the peak and burst, there was a ¡®click¡¯.


    It came to an abrupt end.


    Lin Yuyan slowly opened his eyes. Gu Yaoyang had already stood up with a cigarette dangling from his mouth, and he had just finished lighting it up.


    He was smoking a bit frequently tonight, it was as if he was deliberately suppressing something.


    ¡°You¡­ Where are you going?¡± Lin Yuyan asked. He looked embarrassed. The shirt hanging onto his body was a mess, and a certain place was still holding on.


    Gu Yaoyang admired him condescendingly for a while before answering with a smile, ¡°To the bathroom.¡±


    Lin Yuyan was at a loss, ¡°What are you going to do in the bathroom?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang raised his eyebrows and held up his five fingers as he answered, ¡°I will solve this myself, obviously.¡±


    ¡°Then what about me?¡± Lin Yuyan hadn¡¯t come yet, he was still stuck in the middle.


    Gu Yaoyang chuckled and said, ¡°You¡¯re holding back.¡±


    Lin Yuyan was shocked, ¡°What? Why?!¡±


    Gu Yaoyang answered, ¡°You came here to seduce me before you were even ready.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡°You dare to deny that?¡±


    ¡°But¡­ This¡­¡± Lin Yuyan didn¡¯t expect Gu Yaoyang to wait for him. He immediately felt himself getting dizzy with anger and said, ¡°Even if I¡¯m not ready, you could still f*ck me!¡± After saying that, he threw a pillow at him to express his vexation.


    Gu Yaoyang easily dodged the pillow. He waved his hands with a smile and politely said, ¡°Not today, come back another day.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no other day, you big b*stard!¡± Lin Yuyan jumped out of bed and went back to his room. He was secretly complaining inside his heart, they had already reached this point, but he had pissed him off again. It was just too much! He looked down at the wimpy little thing and suddenly remembered what he had just said earlier. His face flushed as he collapsed onto his bed.


    He wanted to close his eyes and sleep, but he couldn¡¯t fall asleep immediately. He idly flipped through his phone and softly sighed when he saw the date written on his screen.


    Ten minutes later, Gu Yaoyang came out of the bathroom. He glanced at the door opposite to his, thinking that a certain idiot is probably feeling very angry right now.


    Although his behavior just now was a bit outrageous, if he didn¡¯t stop in time, he would probably be unable to control himself. They say that the first time would be very painful, especially between men, and there would be a risk of tearing since they don¡¯t have any lube.


    Lin Yuyan was afraid of pain, and Gu Yaoyang was afraid of him being in pain.


    He casually closed the door and thought that he would make him happy tomorrow when he heard Lin Yuyan knocking on his door again.


    He changed into a neat set of pajamas that covered himself tightly. His hair was still disheveled though, and the blush on his face hadn¡¯t faded.


    Gu Yaoyang asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Lin Yuyan hugged his pillow and seriously said, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you apologize to me?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang asked, ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re asking why? Don¡¯t you think your behavior just now was too much? Although I know you¡¯re probably afraid¡­ Afraid that I won¡¯t be able to bear it until the end, but- You shouldn¡¯t have left me hanging! What if it doesn¡¯t work in the future?!¡±


    ¡°Pfft!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re still laughing?!¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay. Won¡¯t laugh.¡± Gu Yaoyang noticed that there was something wrong with his expression. He stretched his hands to hold him in his arms and apologized in a low voice, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I was wrong. Won¡¯t you forgive me?¡±


    Lin Yuyan was silent for a few seconds before answering, ¡°Okay.¡± He hugged him tightly as he lay on his arms and sullenly said, ¡°I- I want to sleep with you tonight.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m starting school soon.¡±


    ¡°Mmm.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t want to go.¡±

 CH 40

    Even though he said he didn¡¯t want to go, when the day comes, he still has to leave eventually.


    On the day of his departure, Gu Yaoyang wanted to go to the airport to see him off, but Lin Yuyan pushed him out of the door as soon as he opened his eyes, telling him to train hard and not waste time because of trivial things. He also assured him that he was only going back to school and would come over during winter vacation, so there was no need to make his departure so grand.


    Gu Yaoyang stood at the door and asked, ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t need me to send you off?¡±


    Lin Yuyan answered with a smile, ¡°No, really, I can come here by myself, so why can¡¯t I leave on my own?¡±


    He looked very natural as he said that. He was obviously holding onto Gu Yaoyang two days ago and kept on chattering, saying that he didn¡¯t want to leave. In the end, when he was really about to leave, he was uncharacteristically happy, wishing he could immediately board the plane in the next second.


    Gu Yaoyang watched his shifty eyes, nodding before saying, ¡°Call me when you arrive at the airport.¡±


    Lin Yuyan responded, ¡°Okay. Lets go now, you¡¯re going to be late for training.¡±


    Lin Yuyan waited until he was completely out of sight before letting out a long breath of relief and went back to his room to pack his luggage.


    It was past nine o¡¯clock in the morning, and there were still a few hours left before takeoff. The airport wasn¡¯t too far from the dormitory, and there was still some time before he had to go.


    Lin Yuyan walked around the room, humming a song in a rare manner. The tone of his humming changed a little before he hurriedly stopped and slowed down. He ran downstairs with his head up again, looking through the refrigerator, and saw that there was nothing inside before running outside with his wallet.


    He had to find something to do or else he was going to cry.


    He knew he was useless, so he didn¡¯t dare let Gu Yaoyang send him off.


    There was no one in the supermarket. Lin Yuyan pushed his cart around several times and bought some vegetables, not daring to buy anymore because he was afraid that Gu Yaoyang wouldn¡¯t eat them.


    After they got together, Lin Yuyan found out that Gu Yaoyang had a little unruly problem. He would never eat when he was alone. If the club is in charge of the meal, he would just eat something casually. It seems that eating is a troublesome thing for him. He¡¯d just eat a bit and call it a day, it was enough as long as he doesn¡¯t starve to death.


    Although he slacked off and turned into a professional player, Mr. Zeng arranged for the best management team he could find to take care of his diet. But occasionally, in those few days when he returned home early, Lin Yuyan would also happen to be busy with his teacher¡¯s art exhibition, and he would skip his meals two times in a row without even opening the kitchen door.


    Not only did he not like to eat, but he also slept very lightly. He would always wake up if there was a little noise. He didn¡¯t know this before, but he only vaguely noticed it after sleeping together these past few days. He would cuddle him all night without closing his eyes, and there would be faint dark circles under his eyes the next day.


    ¡°Excuse me, sir?¡± Someone suddenly patted him on the shoulder.


    Lin Yuyan turned around and saw a shopping guide with curly hair standing behind him, looking at him sympathetically, handing him a pack of tissues, and softly said, ¡°Although I don¡¯t know what¡¯s troubling you, please believe that everything will be fine eventually. I will pray for you and wish you all the best.¡±


    Lin Yuyan blinked, he was about to ask what was wrong when he suddenly noticed that the back of his hands was slightly wet. He glanced at it and quickly picked up his phone to look at his reflection. It turned out he was wiping tears from his eyes?


    Him- When did he cry? Lin Yuyan took the tissue from the shopping guide in embarrassment and said, ¡°Thank you.¡± He thought to himself that luckily he drove Gu Yaoyang away earlier, otherwise he would definitely get laughed at to death.


    He didn¡¯t want to cry, but he really¡­ didn¡¯t want to go.


    Once the emotions came up, it was difficult to put them under control again. He had endured it for several days by now. At this moment, he paid the bill and found a place with no one around to sit for a while. The more he thought about it, the more sad he felt.


    ¡°What did you buy?¡± At this moment, somebody opened his shopping bag after they sat on the steps next to him, igniting the lighter in their hand.


    Lin Yuyan raised his head before quickly wiping his eyes. He whispered in a nasally voice, ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang didn¡¯t go to training. He discreetly followed him, watched him shed tears for no apparent reason, watched as he listlessly bought things all over the supermarket, useful and useless things. He bought two bags filled with items from the supermarket, and at one point he almost threw a bag of women¡¯s products into the bag.


    Without answering his question, he dug out a box of fruit candies from the bag and asked, ¡°What are you buying this for?¡±


    ¡°To help you quit smoking.¡± Lin Yuyan said, ¡°Smoking is harmful to your health.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang smiled. He found a bottle of essential oil from his bag and asked, ¡°What about this?¡±


    Lin Yuyan answered with red eyes, ¡°To help you sleep. You could put a little on your temples when you sleep. You¡¯re a light sleeper, so you need to adjust quickly. I don¡¯t want to sleep separately when we live together in the future.


    Gu Yaoyang rubbed his hair and found another little item in the bag. This thing is a bit unique, it¡¯s a small human doll with a yellow sun hat and a small school bag on it, ¡°This?¡±


    Lin Yuyan hesitated for a while, his face was a little red as he took the doll with a dry cough. He took a pack of sticky notes and a pen from the shopping bag, and wrote a couple of words before pasting it on the puppet¡¯s head.


    ¡°This is Lin Yuyan. You have to put him next to your pillow and hug him to sleep every day.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang compared the looks of the two, and said in a gentle voice, ¡°They look similar.¡±


    Of course they do. Lin Yuyan deliberately chose a black-haired one, and then hummed, ¡°Do you think I¡¯m being immature?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang answered, ¡°No.¡± He looked at the doll for a while before raising his hand to hold the doll in his arms. He asked in a deep voice, ¡°Are you coming back?¡±


    ¡°Of course I will.¡± Lin Yuyan gasped for breath and pressed his chin on Gu Yaoyang¡¯s shoulder. He hugged him too tightly, as if he wanted to fuse the person in his arms into his bones so they wouldn¡¯t separate.


    Although he only said a few words, Lin Yuyan could still hear the strong reluctance in his voice. He was instantly at a loss, not knowing what to say. Gu Yaoyang had never shown such strong feelings in front of him, whether it was a confession or finally agreeing to be with him, they were all flat, and his occasional teasing was also cynical.


    He knew that Gu Yaoyang liked him, but he didn¡¯t know that Gu Yaoyang liked him that much.


    ¡°I¡­ I will come back. I will definitely come back.¡± Lin Yuyan hurriedly comforted him.


    Gu Yaoyang said: ¡°You can¡¯t lie to me.¡±


    ¡°I- I swear.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to swear as long as you come back.¡±


    Lin Yuyan didn¡¯t know why he was so fixated on this. They¡¯ll only separate for a short while, although they were reluctant, it was not a permanent farewell. He wanted to make a joke and relax the atmosphere, but Gu Yaoyang hugged him tighter, so he solemnly said, ¡°Okay.¡±


    The two sat for a while before they each stood up with a bag in hand. Lin Yuyan stepped down the stairs first. After he took a few more steps, Gu Yaoyang stopped him.


    Standing in front of the abandoned building near the supermarket, he flatly said, ¡°Lin Yuyan.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Why is it that when you are only one meter away from me¡­¡±


    ¡°I started to miss you.¡±

 CH 41

    No matter how hard their parting is, they must face it.


    Lin Yuyan returned from the cold winters of Mostine to the midsummer of Linzhou, starting his new busy senior year in high school. He and Gu Yaoyang made an appointment to have a video call daily and would talk about the interesting things that happened around them. Gu Yaoyang had already started to prepare for the competition. The work Lin Yuyan completed will be carefully framed by Mr. Zeng, covered in a dust proof cloth, and sent back to China. He¡¯s planning to show it to his parents when they come over together.


    On days when they couldn¡¯t video call each other, they would still make time to voice call through their phones. Lin Yuyan was so clingy he would watch Gu Yaoyang training while he laid on his bed. Sometimes when it was too late into the night, he¡¯d fall asleep with his phone in his arms. Gu Yaoyang could see his sleeping face when he finished his training. Lin Yuyan¡¯s eyelashes were brushed against the screen, and his mouth would open slightly as drool dripped over his lips. He¡¯d take a screenshot and send it to him the next morning with a drawing of a pig¡¯s nose he drew with his own hands. Lin Yuyan was so angry that he took a picture of his face, that he especially prepared into a mask and planned to wear it before going to bed.


    ¡°Are you going to have closed training the day after tomorrow?¡± Lin Yuyan asked as he laid on his bed. His fingers ran through the beads of sweat on Gu Yaoyang¡¯s body on the screen, stopping on the other¡¯s collarbone.


    Gu Yaoyang nodded as he took off his bandage and asked, ¡°How do you know?¡± The most powerful boxing organization, headquartered in NASCAR, will hold a world-class fighting competition every two years. Gu Yaoyang is about to participate in this event, and there will be a closed pre-match pre-selection next month. They¡¯ll have less time to contact each other.


    Gu Yaoyang asked, ¡°Do you want to come over and see?¡± The first match of the promotion match just happened to be at the same time as his winter vacation. Lin Yuyan answered, ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll go. I did say I¡¯ll visit you during winter vacation, and I meant what I said. I also told the teacher that I have an appointment, and I¡¯ll be going on the set to cheer you on!¡±


    Gu Yaoyang asked, ¡°Do you dare to watch the game?¡±


    Lin Yuyan answered with distress, ¡°I don¡¯t.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang said, ¡°Then how will you cheer for me?¡±


    Lin Yuyan said, ¡°I can close my eyes and cheer for you.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll be waiting for you.¡± Gu Yaoyang smiled and flicked the camera. He had something to discuss with Mr. Zeng, so he ended the video call ahead of time.


    Lin Yuyan glanced at the time, it was around eight o¡¯clock in the evening. He was actually planning to talk for a while after he finished his homework, even though he had nothing interesting to say. He felt at ease when he was on a call with Gu Yaoyang, even if he could only listen to his breathing. Today, the aunt who took care of him had asked to take a leave because of a matter. Lin Yuyan placed his phone down and went downstairs to get a drink. Just as he was about to return upstairs, he heard someone rustling a bunch of keys outside and opening the door.


    ¡°Mom?¡±


    Lin Yuyan turned his head around and instantly burst into a bright smile once he saw the person standing at the doorway. Standing by the door was an elegant and beautiful woman in a well-tailored light blue suit. She was Lin Yuyan¡¯s mother, Xu Jinglan.


    ¡°Why are you back?¡± Lin Yuyan rushed over to hug her, happily bouncing on the spot as he asked that question. He looked up and saw Lin Zhiyuan standing outside the door, asking in disbelief, ¡± Could it be my birthday today? No, there are  two days left until then.¡±


    Xu Jinglan was initially faintly smiling as she looked at her son, but she felt sad when she heard this sentence. She stroked his back as she said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, baby.¡± Lin Yuyan hurriedly shook his head, letting go of his mother¡¯s embrace to make way for Lin Zhiyuan. His father looked serious as always, Lin Yuyan didn¡¯t think much of it and pulled his mother to sit on the sofa.


    ¡°By the way, I have something to show you!¡± After saying that, he couldn¡¯t even wait to hear his parents¡¯ reply before jumping up the sofa and hurrying upstairs.


    Lin Zhiyuan frowned and looked at his back, leaving the extra newspaper on the table.


    ¡°If you have anything to say, please say it gently.¡± Xu Jinglan said as she flipped through the news from six or seven years ago, sighing softly at the end.


    ¡°How should I?¡± Lin Zhiyuan was suppressing his anger as he continued, ¡°It was you who indulged him all these years. If you hadn¡¯t promised him that we¡¯ll go out and play, would he have caused such a mess?¡±


    Xu Jinglan frowned and lowered her voice as much as possible, ¡± What? I indulged him?  Have you ever taken care of him all this time? What else are you thinking about besides work? Me? Our son? You¡¯ll just order a nanny to take care of him and monitor him around. You¡¯re such a great father.¡±


    ¡°You have the face to criticize Me?¡± Lin Zhiyuan said, ¡°Don¡¯t forget, you were the one who gave up on him because of work¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Xu Jinglan fell silent for few a moments and calmed herself down after a few seconds, ¡°This matter could wait until he becomes an adult, besides¡­¡±


    When Lin Yuyan returned downstairs with his painting in his arms, he noticed that the atmosphere between his parents wasn¡¯t right. Just when he was about to ask what was wrong, his father coldly asked, ¡°Who¡¯s Gu Yaoyang?¡±


    He didn¡¯t seem to want to waste any time, getting straight to the point.


    Lin Yuyan was startled by his question, almost dropping his painting to the ground.


    ¡°Talk.¡±


    ¡°He¡­¡±


    ¡°Who is it?¡±


    ¡°He- he is my¡­¡±


    ¡°Boyfriend?¡± Lin Zhiyuan took out an envelope containing a thick stack of photos that weren¡¯t taken on the spot. They were taken by street cameras, many of which are photos of him and Gu Yaoyang hugging and kissing abroad. There¡¯s also a long series of communication records, which are his and Gu Yaoyang¡¯s contact records during their dating period.


    His father is rich, so it¡¯s very easy for him to collect these information.


    Lin Yuyan¡¯s face was pale, he never thought that his father would find out about this. He was completely unprepared, and he didn¡¯t even have time to think about how his parents would react to his relationship with Gu Yaoyang.


    Right now, he could only ask Xu Jinglan for help. He thought that his mother was open-minded since there were many homosexuals in contact with her, so she¡¯ll definitely help him.


    But unexpectedly, Xu Jinglan stepped forwards, taking his hands in hers as she asked, ¡°Yanyan, mother has no objections to you liking boys, but this classmate of yours, Gu Yaoyang. Do you know about his background?¡±


    Lin Yuyan answered, ¡°I- I know.¡±


    ¡°You know?¡± Lin Zhiyuan threw the newspaper on the table in front of him and growled, ¡°Do you know what his father did?¡±


    The newspaper fell onto the ground in front of Lin Yuyan, it was a piece of old news about the suppression of black dens, and it filled the large pages.


    ¡°Smuggling, drug trafficking, the biggest black force in Linzhou City is the Gu family! You know yet you still dare to hang out with him?! Are you crazy?!¡±


    Lin Yuyan had never seen his father lose his temper. He was so frightened that he couldn¡¯t help but back up a few steps. A corner of the newspaper had been drawn to his face. At that moment he reddened and tremblingly said, ¡°But- but his father is long gone, and Gu Yaoyang has never been involved in their affairs. Even if his father is wrong, he¡¯s innocent¡­¡±


    ¡°He is not innocent! The offspring of such a dangerous person should not exist! I¡¯m warning you, Lin Yuyan. Cut off all contact with him immediately.¡± Lin Yuyan hastily shook his head, ¡°I- I don¡¯t want to.¡±


    He said to his mother with reddening eyes, ¡°Mom, he¡¯s a good person. He¡¯s been out of that background for a long time. He¡¯s just an ordinary person now¡­¡±


    Xu Jinglan replied, ¡°Yanyan, it¡¯s not that mother disagrees, but this classmate is very dangerous.¡± Lin Yuyan hastily said, ¡°He¡¯s not dangerous, he¡¯s really good.¡±


    Holding the painting in his hand, he said, ¡°This is him, He¡¯d climb trees to rescue injured kittens, and gently bandage kittens, and he¡¯s really¡­¡±


    Before he could even finish his words, his painting suddenly got snatched by his father. Lin Zhiyuan smashed it on the ground. With a loud crash, the glass on the frame was shattered, and the wooden frame was also broken.  Lin Zhiyuan stepped on the painting with his leather shoes, and said in a stern voice, ¡°I don¡¯t care what happens to him. Good or bad. From now on you can no longer have any contact with him.¡±


    After he finished talking with Mr. Zeng, Gu Yaoyang sent a few videos to Lin Yuyan, but none of them got through. He guessed that Lin Yuyan might¡¯ve gone to take a shower, so he decided to call again later. Mr. Zeng came over and said, ¡°Are you really planning to back right now? It takes more than 20 hours to fly back and forth, and you only have less than half an hour to meet up. Isn¡¯t this too rushed?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang replied, ¡°It¡¯s fine as long as I don¡¯t delay my training.¡±


    Mr. Zeng asked in a gossipy tone, ¡°Can I ask what you¡¯re going to do when you get back? What¡¯s the big emergency?¡± Gu Yaoyang took an exquisite small box from his suitcase. Mr. Zeng saw the box and asked, ¡°A gift? Is it his birthday?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang answered with a short, ¡°Yes.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang raised his eyebrows as he looked at Mr, Zeng, he said with a faint smile on his lips, ¡°Going back and saying happy birthday to him is a big emergency.¡±

 CH 42

    He had just arrived back home in his country.


    At the northern gate of the villa near Linzhou High school stood a fit security guard. He looked to be in his fifties and had sunken eye sockets. He was on duty, holding an electric baton in his hand, and was about to light a cigarette to refresh himself when he suddenly saw a person approaching not far away from his position. He exclaimed in surprise, ¡°Yaoyang? You¡¯re back?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang had just got off the plane. He looked tired, responding to the security guard with a soundless nod.


    The security guard looked familiar, his eyebrows resembled Shao Zheng¡¯s. Sure enough, he asked, ¡°Did Shao Zheng return with you?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang answered, ¡°No, he has a job.¡±


    ¡°Aih.¡± The security guard¡¯s eyes squinted as he smiled, ¡°Well, It¡¯s good to be busy. Our family is thankful to Xiao Ling, otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t be able to guard the gates of such a good community.¡±


    His surname is also Shao, and his full name is Shao Weidong. He is Shao Zheng¡¯s father. Every time Gu Yaoyang visited this place, he also enters through him, and it was no exception this time.


    Shao Weidong opened the door and said, ¡°Lady Hu made me some pickles last time. I placed them in the workroom, you can get some for yourself later when you come out.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang responded before walking to Lin Yuyan¡¯s house with the birthday present. He hadn¡¯t been in contact with Lin Yuyan in ten hours, even though their phones were still connected last night, but the other had turned off his phone after he got off the plane.


    Gu Yaoyang pursed his lips expressionlessly, and his emotions weren¡¯t visible on his face. He looked like he may or may not be thinking about anything.


    The door of Lin Yuyan¡¯s house was closed. Usually, he¡¯d throw a stone to call Lin Yuyan out, but Gu Yaoyang didn¡¯t want to waste time, so he raised his hand and rang the doorbell.


    A few minutes later, someone came out. It was not Lin Yuyan, nor the nanny, but a tall middle-aged man, Lin Zhiyuan.


    Gu Yaoyang knew him. He had looked through Lin Yuyan¡¯s information and seen his father¡¯s photo before.


    He knows.


    Gu Yaoyang met his eyes and confirmed that he was not unfamiliar to him too.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Lin Yuyan?¡±


    ¡°He won¡¯t be seeing you.¡± Lin Zhiyuan walked up to him. They were equal in height. He coldly continued, ¡°You don¡¯t need to come back here again.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang ignored him and asked, ¡°Did something happen to him?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Gu Yaoyang, ¡°He hasn¡¯t answered my call. I want to make sure if something happened to him.¡±


    Lin Zhiyuan answered, ¡°He¡¯s fine.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang¡¯s adam¡¯s apple bobbed as he swallowed. He held the gift in his hand as he lightly asked, ¡°Where is he?¡±


    ¡°He is not here, and he will never live here again in the future.¡± Lin Zhiyuan pushed the bridge of his glasses on his nose as he continued, ¡°I already know about you, and I believe you should already know who I am without my introduction.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang remained silent, still staring at Father Lin. He didn¡¯t have a single ounce of fright even though he was standing in front of a shrewd businessman with an oppressive aura. He did not back down.


    On the contrary, Lin Zhiyuan frowned: ¡°I don¡¯t know what kind of tricks you used to deceive my son¡¯s feelings. But from now on, you will no longer have any relationship.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang said: ¡°This is between me and him. I want to hear from him personally.¡±


    Lin Zhiyuan sneered, ¡°I said he won¡¯t be seeing you. He won¡¯t dare to see you again.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang asked, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Since you¡¯ve been with him, you should already know about this. He has never dared to disobey me, and of course, it will be the same case this time.¡± Lin Zhiyuan looked distressed as he continued, ¡°For a long time I¡¯ve also wondered if he would symbolically fight for the things he likes. But alas, no.¡±


    He looked at him and continued, ¡°You¡¯re not the person he¡¯s looking for, so stop wasting your time.¡± Lin Zhiyuan left after he finished speaking. Dragging the suitcase in his hand, he closed the door and locked it from the inside.


    The house was empty, Lin Yuyan had already moved out.


    In fact, Gu Yaoyang had expected this outcome a long time ago, but he didn¡¯t expect it to come so soon.


    He seemed very calm about this, as if there were no aggravation inside his heart.


    He turned around and walked to the gate, passing by the trash can in the process. He clutched the deformed gift box in his hand, wanting to throw it away, but he closed his eyes before placing it in his pocket again.


    Shao Weidong had prepared the pickles and told him that Wenchang Street had finally got a street sign and that it would be a place with face in the future.


    Hu Dongdong scored 100 points on the exam at the end of the semester, and everyone in the street was happy, saying that he is a promising man. He will be able to do great things in the future, not stepping into the same path as his parents did.


    The nanny he found for uncle Zhou before he left was very capable, and he could now go bask in the sun in his backyard.


    And Fang Jie, one of his neighbors, turns out to be a policeman. He¡¯s been one for a long time and still lives in their neighborhood as an undercover agent. But he seems to have been criticized and was taught a lesson a while ago. He didn¡¯t know what mistakes he committed for him to be punished like that.


    Gu Yaoyang listened to his rambles as he lit a cigarette. His phone rang, it was sister Ling. When he answered the call, he heard her incredulously say, ¡°Crazy, that old bastard Gu Hong died in prison because of a heart attack! This end is too cheap for him.¡± She then laughed before she happily said, ¡°Yaoyang, now, you really have nothing to do with their past at all.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang responded lightly as he took the items Shao Weidong gave him. He looked at Lin Yuyan¡¯s house before directly leaving for Nazca.

 CH 43

    The players who participated in the pre-match WCE training broke through three digits, which is much more than the previous years. They are all fighting professionals from all over the world. They needed to pass a short one-month period to earn a place in the advanced competition and to compete in the finals.


    There are only thirty spots, and the competition is extremely fierce.


    The three players recommended by Light3 are Meng Hu, Cole, and Gu Yaoyang.


    The locker room was full of people from many parts of the world, and none of them looked kind. Meng Hu pulled Cole to hide in the corner. Looking at the young man  leaning at the wall not far away from them with his eyes closed, he said, ¡°Hey, have you noticed that there¡¯s something wrong with G?¡±


    Cole is usually rowdy and unafraid of anyone, but now he is hugging his shoulders and shivering as he answered Meng Hu¡¯s question, ¡°Yeah. He seems different after he came back from your country. He looks scary. I really want to change dorms.¡±


    The three of them lived together in the same dorm. Meng Hu  agreed, ¡°Sure, let¡¯s change together.¡±


    He glanced at Gu Yaoyang¡¯s sports backpack lying on the chair. There¡¯s a conspicuous human doll hanging on the keychain, which doesn¡¯t match his cold temperament and the environment around him. It was particularly eye-catching.


    ¡°Oh please,¡± Meng Hu saw a burly contestant walking toward Gu Yaoyang, he silently said, ¡°Please, don¡¯t provoke him.¡±


    But some people just like to find trouble. They casually tore the doll off the bag and sneered, ¡°Does your mom still wean you? Little boy.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang lifted his eyelids and glanced at him, but he didn¡¯t make a sound.


    The person standing in front of him thought he was scared. He vigorously raised his middle finger as Meng Hu covered his eyes and asked, ¡°Who is this short-sighted person?¡±


    Cole flipped through the files before answering, ¡°The last runner-up, Chris. He has great pain resistance and extremely fast speed. It¡¯s said that he has won 30 games in a row, and his results are the same as G. There¡¯s going to be a match between them tomorrow.¡±


    Fighting competitions don¡¯t shy away from pre-match provocations, and many organizations will encourage this kind of behavior. After all, the more anger they felt the stronger they¡¯ll be. Their fighting spirit will be aroused in the field, and they could display their capabilities.


    ¡°I¡¯m a little worried.¡± Cole softened after being influenced by Mr. Zeng. ¡°Worried about G? You should be worried that he might as well buy a bouquet of flowers in advance and prepare them for Chris who¡¯s about to lie down injured on a stretcher- Dont!¡± Meng Hu growled in a low voice as he stretched out his hands in grief to prevent somebody from doing something stupid. Cole looked up just in time to see Chris unceremoniously tearing off the doll¡¯s head from its body.


    ¡°Ugh!¡± After a loud crash, the iron cabinet in the dressing room immediately collapsed to the ground. Chris spat out two white teeth as his face twitched after he fell onto the rusty and sunken iron door.


    The doll on the ground has been split into two. Gu Yaoyang bent down to pick it up, his face still expressionless.


    He became silent for a while. He wanted to throw the useless doll away, but inside the small schoolbag hanging on the doll¡¯s body, he found a note dense with words written on it. It was small and crowded the empty spaces on the paper.


    ¡°Did you expect me to hide a little letter here? Let me guess, you must be missing me very much right now, right? Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll return soon. I know that you¡¯re a great person, but there¡¯s a small coward hidden inside your heart. But you have to believe me when I say that I really, really like you. You¡¯re the first person I fell in love with and you¡¯ll be my last. So don¡¯t be afraid. No matter what, I will always come back to you! And I want to remind you¡­ No smoking,  no drinking, and stay safe. I want to live a long prosperous life with you. This isn¡¯t a lie.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang silently read the paper, and after he read it twice, he raised the corners of his mouth after a while before connecting the doll¡¯s head.


    Time passed quickly. After the preliminaries, Gu Yaoyang successfully got the promotion spot. Meng Hu and Cole were not strong enough, so they went back home and squatted in the club all day to watch the game with everyone else.


    Today is the last match of the final rounds.  Gu Yaoyang performed brilliantly and has never lost since the promotion.


    One of the players commented, ¡°I suspect that G didn¡¯t go all out with us.¡±


    Another player added, ¡°I think so too. He only took 18 seconds to KO Chris, the last runner-up. He could¡¯ve picked me up with one finger, but he actually knocked me down with only one punch. I even doubt Chris is acting!¡±


    ¡°It couldn¡¯t have been an act. G directly knocked out Chris¡¯s life, and it¡¯s practically a direct KO.¡±


    ¡°I watched the replay, and that deadly high sweep is way too powerful. Have G ever fought us seriously?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen such a solid flip-spinning kick, and Chris¡¯s newly inlaid gold tooth got kicked out again.¡±


    The black lady also joined them, ¡°Don¡¯t you think the bandages on G¡¯s upper body look very hot? Oh my god, I really want to be embraced by him. Those steel-like arms would trap me tightly against his body. It would leave me breathless.¡±


    Meng Hu replied, ¡°Give it up, don¡¯t forget that he already has his Xiao Yan.¡±


    The black lady was just casually making a joke, she asked, ¡°Is Lin busy with his studies? The last time G came back to rest, why didn¡¯t he come over and see him? And he didn¡¯t come to the game to cheer him on either.¡±


    Meng Hu answered, ¡°I don¡¯t know. He seems to have changed his phone number. I couldn¡¯t contact him.¡±


    The black lady asked, ¡°G didn¡¯t get dumped, did he?¡±


    Meng Hu replied, ¡°He shouldn¡¯t have?¡±


    ¡°How is that possible? G stood at the door of the club alone several times as if he was waiting for somebody to appear. He looked very sad.¡±


    ¡°Ahhhhh! G¡ª¡ªwon again!¡±


    The club broke out into a burst of cheers as Gu Yaoyang ended the


    competition in NASCAR and won the championship of the 18th WCE.


    At this time, he and Lin Yuyan had been separated for half a year.


    After the match, various invitational tournaments were sent to him one after another as the media at home and abroad squeezed onto Light3¡¯s gates. Since the promotion match, Gu Yaoyang has become the focus of heated discussions in the circle. Winning the championship has made him one of the most dazzling boxing stars in one fell swoop. He is the youngest and lightest champion in history.


    The blue diamond earring on his ear was covered in sweat, attracting countless people¡¯s attention.


    Mr. Zeng has been sitting in the club for interviews these days, and his manager was also rushing to go. The health assistant brought a nutritious meal for him but he couldn¡¯t find the champion. He ran to the front desk and asked the black lady, but the black lady merely shrugged and said that she wasn¡¯t sure either.


    Mostine has a rare few months of good weather. In these times, there would be no snow, and it was warm with fresh blooming flowers. Gu Yaoyang was wearing blue and white sportswear. He was leaning against the back door of the club, and was on a call with sister Ling, ¡°Did you find it?¡±


    Sister Ling answered, ¡°No, he never went to school. He went to your teacher Li and said he¡¯s transferring.¡±


    ¡°He transferred from high school?¡± Gu Yaoyang took a piece of fruit candy from his pocket and threw it into his mouth. It smelled like orange, and like the shower gel on a certain someone¡¯s body.


    Sister Ling said, ¡°Yeah, but I¡¯ve asked all the high schools in Lonzhous for you, but there¡¯s no information about him at all.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang asked, ¡°What about travel records?¡±


    Sister Ling replied, ¡°I checked it a few days ago, he should still be in China.¡± She then continued to say, ¡°Do you really think my hands and eyes could reach the whole country? I¡¯m just a bar owner, and the kid¡¯s dad isn¡¯t a good person. If he wants to hide him, you might not be able to find him even if you searched the entire country.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Sister Ling asked, ¡°What do you want to do? You can¡¯t just wait like this forever.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang lowered his eyes and responded, ¡°He told me to wait for him.¡±


    Nobody knows how long the wait will be. It may be a year or two, or it might be eight or ten years. Gu Yaoyang doesn¡¯t care about time, he just wished to get some news about Lin Yuyan, and hoped he will be safe. It¡¯s just that he wasn¡¯t able to get through his phone, and now it has become an empty number.


    A month later, he went to NASCAR to participate in an invitational competition. Every circle is basically the same, they have their own superstars and their economic chains. As a professional player, Gu Yaoyang has gradually gotten on the right track.


    The manager sat in the co-pilot seat as he flipped through the game records in his hand and asked, ¡°If we¡¯re not short on money, we should take a break for a while. Although you didn¡¯t suffer any injury, frequent competitions will reduce your physical fitness.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang was leaning at the armrest of his seat with one hand. He looked through the window and flatly replied, ¡°No need.¡±


    Shao Zheng drove the car and glanced at Gu Yaoyang through the rearview mirror. They had just got off the plane, had a week of rest, and were about to rush to the next city. Gu Yaoyang had been more silent these days. He would sarcastically say something to him when he was happy, but since then, he has basically kept silent except for official business.


    He vaguely knew what happened, but Gu Yaoyang didn¡¯t say anything, and he didn¡¯t want to wildly guess what was wrong. He just hoped the person he was waiting for would quickly return. The people who killed his parents and hurt him were all dead, and he managed to escape the past. Now he¡¯s only waiting to open the bright new future ahead of him.


    Shao Zheng parked the car at the door of Gu Yaoyang¡¯s dormitory and was just about to go down to help him with his luggage when he heard the door behind him slam open. Gu Yaoyang slowly stumbled out of the car and his eyes turned red.


    A person was standing at the door of the dormitory, wearing a white crew-neck sweater, peeking through the window furtively to look inside. He seemed to have heard their footsteps and was startled for a few seconds before turning his head slowly.


    It was Lin Yuyan, who he hadn¡¯t seen for a very long time.


    He had obviously lost a lot of weight. When he saw Gu Yaoyang, he wanted to show his long-lost smile, but when he met his gaze, he couldn¡¯t help curling his lips. He wanted to step forward to wipe the red corners of his eyes, but he stretched his hands out and pulled him into his arms to tightly embrace him.


    ¡°Where have you been?¡± Gu Yaoyang asked hoarsely.


    Lin Yuyan didn¡¯t answer his question, but whispered, ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m late.¡±

 CH 44

    Apart from apologizing, Lin Yuyan didn¡¯t say a word about what happened in the past six months. He didn¡¯t seem to want to say anything about it, so Gu Yaoyang didn¡¯t ask further. Although he¡¯s trying his best, Lin Yuyan¡¯s condition doesn¡¯t look good. His body is incredibly skinny. He didn¡¯t weigh much initially, but now he felt a lot more skinnier when they hugged.


    What the hell happened to him?


    Gu Yaoyang leaned against the bathroom door, slightly frowning when he heard the sound of splashing water. The national exams are over n ow, had he chosen a school yet? When the time comes, will Lin Zhiyuan agree to their relationship?


    But if he did agree, Lin Yuyan wouldn¡¯t have run over immediately and would¡¯ve called him to tell him he was safe. During this period, he has been asking sister Ling to help find Lin Yuyan¡¯s whereabouts. If father Lin really did let him go, it¡¯s impossible for sister Ling¡¯s connection to not find him.


    As he was thinking, there was a muffled noise in the bathroom. Gu Yaoyang hurried in and saw Lin Yuyan lying on the ground, moaning in pain.


    He wanted to hug him immediately, but he accidentally saw a conspicuous scar on Lin Yuyan¡¯s right leg. Lin Yuyan didn¡¯t expect him to come in so soon, and hurriedly pulled a bath towel to cover it up, but Gu Yaoyang had already seen the scar and was shocked in place.


    Lin Yuyan took advantage of his momentary daze and hurriedly got himself up and put his clothes on. He smiled awkwardly and said, ¡°My foot, it just slipped.¡±


    He fell heavily earlier, so Lin  Yuyan limped as he wiped his hair with a towel when he suddenly got carried to the bedroom by Gu Yaoyang, who gently placed him on the bed.


    ¡°How did you get hurt?¡± Gu Yaoyang squatted beside the bed and rolled up his trouser. He¡¯s currently at a closer distance, so he can now see the scar more clearly.


    It¡¯s a little bit under his knee, and it¡¯s about seven to eight centimeters long. There are still some severe bruises around the scar. Although it looks fine now, with how the scars were carved into his body, he could only imagine the tragedy that happened before Lin Yuyan arrived.


    Gu Yaoyang frowned and rolled up his left trouser. The left side looked clean and fine.


    ¡°How did you get hurt?¡± He asked again. Lin Yuyan wanted to hide it, but now he couldn¡¯t hide it any longer. He smiled lightly and raised his hand to caress Gu Yaoyang¡¯s brow, trying to smooth it out for him, but he furrowed his brows too deeply, so he stretched his fingers slightly forward. It looked like it¡¯ll get pinched off if he doesn¡¯t stop soon.


    ¡°There was a small car accident.¡±


    ¡°A car accident?¡± Gu Yaoyang¡¯s voice became hoarse again as if he had smoked two packs of cigarettes in a row. He couldn¡¯t even speak clearly.


    Lin Yuyan initially repressed his emotions well, but when he heard his tone, he began to feel sad again. His throat choked up, making him swallow several times, but he still couldn¡¯t say a word.


    Gu Yaoyang asked in a daze, ¡°Are¡­ they coming back to find me?¡±


    Lin Yuyan answered, ¡°No, this has nothing to do with you.¡± He was afraid that Gu Yaoyang would start to blame himself. so he hurriedly hugged him and kissed the corners of his eyes before continuing, ¡°It¡¯s because of my family¡¯s matters.¡±


    In all the years Lin Yuyan has lived, he has never experienced a single storm. In his opinion, his life is perfect. He has loving parents, and the person he likes also liked him. Although there may be some obstacles in their relationship. He felt that his parents were reasonable people, as long as he could nicely tell them, they would eventually agree.


    That night, he was sent back to his villa on the outskirts of the city by Lin Zhiyuan, and his mother always stayed by his side. He kept telling his mother how he felt when he fell in love, hoping that his mother could empathize with him and help him to resolve the predicament.


    He thought that his mother¡¯s words would be helpful, and as long as he can get his mother on his side, he will have no problem dissuading his father. But he didn¡¯t expect that he would be stuck at home for the whole winter break, and his father cut off all his contact methods. He couldn¡¯t even contact Zhuo Hang. But it doesn¡¯t matter, as long as there¡¯s a chance, he will work harder to be with Gu Yaoyang. He wants to get his parent¡¯s blessings and take Gu Yaoyang home when they agree.


    That day, he wanted to talk to his mother again, but when he went downstairs, he heard his parents fiercely arguing.  Lin Yuyan had never seen such a scene before. He hurried over to them but heard a piece of information he couldn¡¯t accept.


    Lin Zhiyuan and Xu Jinglan divorced a long time ago. They¡¯ve only been putting up a front for him, saying that they¡¯re afraid he¡¯ll be sad and that it¡¯s for his own good.


    ¡°And then?¡± Gu Yaoyang leaned on the bed, and Lin Yuyan leaned on his arms, he sullenly continued, ¡°I was very sad then. I saw that the gates were open, so I ran out alone and accidentally got into a car accident.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang kissed the top of his head, and said in a deep voice: ¡°Does it hurt?¡±


    Lin Yuyan aggrievedly replied as he hugged him tightly, ¡°It hurts to death.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang gently coaxed him before asking again, ¡°So you¡¯ve been in the hospital this whole time?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°What about the exam?¡±


    Lin Yuyan answered, ¡°Didn¡¯t take it.¡± He sat up and sadly said, ¡°Even if I took the exam, father wouldn¡¯t allow me to apply for art school. He never considered my feelings. Even when I was uncomfortably lying in the hospital, he still didn¡¯t agree with us being together. My mother also left, she felt sorry for me but I don¡¯t blame her at all. I can understand that she and her father have been separated for many years and have no feelings for each other. I hoped that she could spend more time with me, but she just left.¡±


    Lin Yuyan became sad as he spoke, tears uncontrollably falling from his red eyes.


    Gu Yaoyang wiped them off for him before holding him in his arms again. Lin Yuyan choked up and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ve worked hard for so long, but I still can¡¯t get them to accept it. Do you think¡­ I¡¯m useless.¡±


    Gu Yaoyang said, ¡°No.¡±


    Lin Yuyan said, ¡°I missed you so much. I wanted to see you as soon as possible every day, and I know you went back to find me. I was afraid that you will be worried, that you will be sad. I never compromised with my father, never thought of giving up on you either.¡±


    He seems to know what Gu Yaoyang has been worrying about all this time, crying to comfort him not to be afraid, to not be worried. He came back, and he will not leave him again.


    Lin Yuyan wanted to act a little bit stronger, to be stronger, but he eventually returned to the embrace he hadn¡¯t felt for a very long time. He wanted to vent all the grievances he had suffered for the past half year, trembling and unable to stop himself from sobbing. His eyes became swollen from crying.


    Gu Yaoyang stood up and went to fetch a warm towel. Lin Yuyan chased him to the bathroom like an idiot. He had no choice but to pick him up and place him on the sink, letting him sit there.


    ¡°Then how did you come back?¡±


    Lin Yuyan raised his face, allowing Gu Yaoyang to wipe his face with a warm towel as he answered his question, ¡°Zhuo Hang helped me. He has a cousin who happened to be working in that hospital. I sneaked over to see him while my father was away. He stole all my documents for me, then I ran back when I was discharged from the hospital.¡± Gu Yaoyang nodded and wiped him with the towel. He carried him back to the bedroom once he finished cleaning his face.


    Lin Yuyan had enough of crying and rolled around on the bed in embarrassment. Just as he was about to drag Gu Yaoyang to sleep, he suddenly saw a sports backpack on the chair next to the bed, with the doll he gave him hanging on the bag, and his heart skipped a beat. Feeling happy inside, he ran over to take a look at it.


    When he took a closer look, he saw that the doll was slightly deformed. It had a crooked neck with rough stitching around it. He took another look and confirmed that it didn¡¯t look like that when he bought it, he asked in shock, ¡°Why is my neck broken?¡±