《Divorced》


 CH 1

    The first rain of Fall came, washing away all the stubborn humidity and heat of late summer, and crushing the fallen golden ginkgo leaves downstairs from the old house into the mud.


    Chen Yuchuan, who was wearing only a white shirt, stepped over a puddle and walked downstairs. Standing under the eaves, he grabbed hold of the gate and looked back. The figure who had just dropped him off had disappeared.


    He shook his numb and swollen hand and cursed loudly in the direction of the entrance of the community. ¡°Fuck, trying to take advantage of me. See if I don¡¯t fucking kick your crotch into mush. Fuck¡­¡±


    After scolding, he grumbled a few more times, looked up at the dark steps, and coughed twice when the cold wind swept past him.


    The dim, damp light was on, revealing wet steps.


    He took two steps forward and grabbed onto the stair railing, his body swaying.


    When he reached the fifth floor and stood in front of the door to his place, he took the key out from his pocket and was suddenly stunned.


    Although he¡¯d drank a bit more than usual today, he hadn¡¯t reached the point of forgetfulness. He had always had the habit of checking the door lock before going out and after returning home, so that he still clearly remembered that when he had locked the door in the morning, he had turned the key two times.


    After drinking, his reaction was a bit slow. In the past, he would have thought that a thief had entered the house, but now, the first thing that popped into his mind was that Lu Yang had returned from his business trip.


    The moment this possibility appeared, he became a little surprised, and the corners of his eyes curled. He hadn¡¯t seen Lu Yang in a week.


    He¡¯d missed him a little. No, not a little, he¡¯d missed him a lot.


    But once the dullness had dissipated, the happiness and joy of Lu Yang¡¯s return abruptly sank, and loneliness rose little by little.


    Sneering at himself, he opened the door. Once inside, he stood on the carpet in front of the door and swept his gaze around. The lights in the house were all on.


    He had guessed correctly. It was Lu Yang.


    Lu Yang stood at the door of the bedroom, his left shoulder leaning against the doorframe, standing on long legs.


    They hadn¡¯t seen each other for a week, but Chen Yuchuan could still easily see that Lu Yang had lost a little weight, his hair had grown a little, and dark circles clung underneath his eyes.


    In the past two years, Lu Yang had been becoming increasingly busier and busier. Before this business trip to City A, he had been working overtime for half a month straight, and when he left the house a week ago, he still had to call his assistant to confirm his itinerary.


    It was clear that he hadn¡¯t slept well this week. His entire person looked a little tired, and his eyes had a bit of impatience in them.


    But Lu Yang was Lu Yang after all. No matter what, these little peculiarities had no effect on him at all, as he still looked as dignified and refined as before.


    Lu Yang¡¯s expression was detached, his eyelids slightly lowered. He was wearing a pressed, textured black suit, and his tie was tied meticulously around his neck.


    There were several places under construction downstairs, and there were many puddles, but Lu Yang¡¯s pants were still spotless.


    Chen Yuchuan looked away after a moment and his gaze dropped down to the open suitcase at Lu Yang¡¯s feet. Many of Lu Yang¡¯s things were neatly organized inside, all of which were things that had once been stored in the wardrobe and drawers inside the bedroom.


    He then recalled that Lu Yang had sent him a WeChat message three days ago, saying that he would come back to collect some things.


    Chen Yuchuan closed the door behind him, and no longer looking at Lu Yang, he lowered his head to take off his shoes.


    Compared to Lu Yang, Chen Yuchuan looked the worst for wear.


    When he went out in the morning, he had discovered that it was still raining, but he was too lazy to go back and get an umbrella. Earlier, he¡¯d gotten caught in the rain as he walked from the parking space to the stairway, and still had even fought the taxi driver.


    Now, his shirt collar was wrinkled, and his hair in front clung wetly to his forehead, still dripping water down his cheeks. His shoulders and back were also wet, and his wet clothes were sticking to his skin, making him uncomfortable.


    His shirt cuffs were rolled up a few times, revealing forearms that looked cold under the light. There were mud spots on the cuffs of his pants and ankles, as well as on his leather shoes.


    The back of his hand was still hurting, and there was a small scrape on his knuckles.


    He¡¯d accidentally scratched it against the rough bark of a tree next to him when he was fighting the taxi driver.


    Even though Chen Yuchuan was still by the doorway, Lu Yang could smell the strong stench of alcohol on his body and see that eye-catching redness and swelling at the back of his hand. He could also vaguely make out the smooth lines of muscle on his lower abdomen through his wet shirt.


    His eyes darkened, and his lips thinned. He asked in a deep voice, ¡°You came so late? Have you been drinking outside?¡±


    Chen Yuchuan snorted coldly through his nose and didn¡¯t respond. He leaned on one hand against the wall and used the other hand to unbutton his wet shirt. His fingers weren¡¯t as flexible as usual, and with two buttons left, he became impatient. Using brute force, he directly ripped the shirt, sending the two buttons scattering to the floor and rolling a few times before stopping quietly at the bottom of the entrance cabinet.


    After taking off his shirt, he dropped it to the carpet, took off his shoes, and walked to the bathroom door barefooted¡­


    Shirtless, he walked in front of Lu Yang like so, whistling. But before entering the bathroom, he squinted at Lu Yang with the corners of his lips hooked up.


    Lu Yang watched everything from beginning to end, the gray tones in his pupils getting thicker and thicker. But he remained standing at the bedroom door and didn¡¯t move. Once the door was closed, he stared at the figure behind the frosted glass.


    As cold water crashed down over the top of his head, Chen Yuchuan shivered from the cold and sucked in a breath, goosebump rising all over his body.


    As he washed with cold water, he cursed, ¡°Fuck, it¡¯s so cold in October, and there¡¯s still winter left.¡±


    The sound of rushing water mixed with low cursing sounded from the glass door. Lu Yang heard Chen Yuchuan¡¯s muffled voice, but the water was so loud that he couldn¡¯t hear what he¡¯d said clearly.


    But, in the end, he had lived with Chen Yuchuan for so many years, and just by listening to his tone, he knew that those were not good words.


    It took a long time for the cold water to turn hot. Chen Yuchuan closed his eyes and lifted his head, letting the hot water wash over his face. He exhaled comfortably and washed away the broken barks at the back of his hand.


    Now that the back of his hand was drenched in water, it became a little painful and a little itchy. He turned the water up as much as possible. After washing his hand, he ran the hot water for half an hour before turning off the shower.


    Chen Yuchuan pulled a towel off the shelf and casually wiped himself down, not knowing whether the towel was his or Lu Yang¡¯s.


    After wiping off the water from his body, he wrapped the towel around his waist and crossed over to the bathroom mirror. The mirror was covered in mist, reflecting his vague outline.


    He turned on the faucet, took two handfuls of water, and splashed them at the bathroom mirror. Once the water had washed away the mist, he looked at himself in the mirror with red eyes. After a long pause, he finally picked up the toothbrush on the countertop.


    The items in the bathroom were for two people.The couple¡¯s toothbrush holder had two toothbrushes and a tube of toothpaste, though the tube was already deflated. Chen Yuchuan squeezed for a long time before managing to squeeze out a little bit of toothpaste to brush his teeth.


    Lu Yang was usually the one who prepared the daily necessities at home. Chen Yuchuan had never bothered. Before the toothpaste was completely gone, Lu Yang would change it. Suddenly, Chen Yuchuan felt uneasy.


    After brushing his teeth, he propped his hands on the edge of the sink, a little dizzy. He hadn¡¯t had a drink in a long time, and he¡¯d drank three times today, once at noon and twice at night.


    Although his alcohol tolerance had always been good, Lu Yang had been very strict in prohibiting him from smoking and drinking. In the past, he¡¯d always been very obedient, but now he had indeed been overindulging.


    When he came back at night, he¡¯d called for a driver. He sat in the back seat, feeling nauseated. Once out of the door, he promptly leaned over the trash can and vomited.


    The driver was a man, and Chen Yuchuan didn¡¯t even remember what he had looked like. After the man got out of the car, he handed him a bottle of water, patted him on the back, and asked him if he wanted him to take him upstairs.


    Chen Yuchuan deliberately twisted the bottle cap to make sure that the bottle cap had not been opened beforehand. Then he raised his head and rinsed his mouth. After a while, he vaguely said ¡°No.¡±


    But before he could finish his words, he felt the hand on his back patting further and further down until it finally touched his butt.


    Chen Yuchuan was already unhappy at heart. He immediately turned and splashed the mineral water on the driver¡¯s face, raised a fist, and punched him a few times in the stomach. Then he raised his foot and kicked him in the crotch.


    He¡¯d been practicing boxing and Sanda with Lu Yang for several years, and he¡¯d even fought a few times with professionals. It was more than enough to deal with a man who looked like a weak chicken.


    What¡¯s more, he didn¡¯t hold back his strength in those two moves, and only stopped when he heard the male driver crying like a ghost and howling like a wolf, making him want to quickly get away.


    ¡°Fuck, calling for a driver can even result in sexual harrassment,¡± Chen Yuchuan cursed again in front of the mirror.


    Chen Yuchuan took a long time taking a shower. The bathroom was very small and the water vapors made him feel a little nauseous.


    When he tried to brush his teeth again, he could not squeeze out any toothpaste, and so he had to throw the empty tube into the trash can beside the toilet. He shouted outside through the bathroom door, ¡°Lu Yang, the toothpaste is all used up. Do we have any more toothpaste left?¡±


    After a moment, Chen Yuchuan heard Lu Yang¡¯s reply, ¡°In the next cabinet, on the top shelf.¡±


    Chen Yuchaun opened the cabinet next to him and saw the toothpaste.


    Habits were really scary things. The cabinet was next to him, but Chen Yuchuan¡¯s first reaction was to call for Lu Yang.


    It used to be, what time is it, Lu Yang; where is my phone, Lu Yang; what should I wear today, Lu Yang; what will the weather be like today, Lu Yang; I didn¡¯t bring an umbrella, Lu Yang¡­


    Lu Yang, Lu Yang, Lu Yang¡­


    The words that Chen Yuchuan spoke the most was Lu Yang.


    He silently called Lu Yang¡¯s name several times in his heart, and began to brush his teeth once more. When he finally came out of the bathroom, Lu Yang still hadn¡¯t left.


    This time, Lu Yang was sitting on the sofa, leaning slightly against the back. Next to the sofa was the suitcase he¡¯d neatly arranged.


    Chen Yuchuan, with only a bath towel around his waist, wiped his wet hair with a hand towel.


    He walked to the sofa and sat directly beside Lu Yang. Crossing his legs, he asked, ¡°You are done? Is there anything missing?¡±


    With his legs crossed, the bath towel rode up one thigh.


    Lu Yang glanced at the bath towel around his waist and half-narrowed his eyes a little coldly at Chen Yuchuan. ¡°Smoking, drinking, and not going home at night, you have been living a good life these days.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan raised his eyebrows. ¡°I have been smoking and drinking, but how do you know that I haven¡¯t been coming home at night?¡±


    ¡°Ling Qun mentioned it,¡± Lu Yang said.


    Chen Yuchuan leaned closer. ¡°Ling Qun likes to give you small reports, so I won¡¯t play with him anymore next time.¡±


    Lu Yang didn¡¯t speak. He leaned back, raised his chin a little, and looked straight at him.


    Chen Yuchuan had never been able to resist a Lu Yang like this. Every time he saw Lu Yang swearing this expression, he wanted to tear off his tie and rip open his shirt.


    Chen Yuchuan thought so, and acted on it. He casually wiped the hand towel twice over his hair, raised his hand, and dropped it to the floor.


    The moment he lifted his leg, he rolled over and overwhelmed Lu Yang. Pushing him back onto the sofa, with one leg standing on the side of the sofa while the other kneeling on the cushion, he sat on Lu Yang¡¯s lap.


    The bath towel around his waist opened a little but didn¡¯t loosen and was still covering him.


    Lu Yang didn¡¯t expect that Chen Yuchuan would suddenly come up. His head leaned back against the sofa and it took him a long time to sluggishly regain his control back. He lifted one hand to pinch Chen Yuchuan¡¯s chin, and his tone was a little fierce and cruel as he said, ¡°Chen Yuchuan, have you gone crazy?¡±


    Chen Yuchuan slapped away the hand pinching his chin, hooked the corners of his lips, and looked down at Lu Yang. ¡°I¡¯m not crazy. Right now, I don¡¯t want to do anything else¡­¡±


    When he was done speaking, he licked the bottom of his lips with the tip of his tongue, and then watched Lu Yang, all the while smiling with white teeth showing.


    Although he was 34 this year, as long as he smiled at Lu Yang like this, he would always be that good-natured, innocent, and harmless.


    But this was all an illusion. Chen Yuchuan pulled Lu Yang¡¯s suit jacket apart with both hands and pulled his tie down.


    He had been with Lu Yang for 16 years, and he naturally knew how to quickly stir Lu Yang up. He simply slipped his fingers underneath Lu Yang¡¯s shirt and gently scratched his waist a few times.


    Sure enough, Lu Yang¡¯s eyelashes began to tremble violently, but Chen Yuchuan knew all too well that Lu Yang was reacting.


    Lu Yang¡¯s arms were tense and visible flames spread through his eyes.


    ¡°Do you know what you¡¯re doing?¡± Lu Yang asked.


    Chen Yuchuan felt the change in Lu Yang¡¯s body and knew that it was nearly done. He quickly got up from Lu Yang¡¯s waist and secured the bath towel that was about to fall off his waist. He also didn¡¯t forget to lean over to give Lu Yang¡¯s tie another playful pull.


    When he retracted his hand, he shook his still-wet hair, and water droplets fell on Lu Yang¡¯s face.


    Grinning, Chen Yuchaun said in a lazy tone, ¡°I do¡­After drinking a little wine, I almost forgot that you¡¯re no longer my husband. Since you¡¯re no longer my husband, you can¡¯t ride anymore. Boss Lu, get up.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-


    Xixi: This is a short novel, with less than 50 chapters. Prepare for a little angst and some heartbreak, but rest assured that we will eventually end up with a HE filled with dog food. Be warned, if you¡¯re looking for mindless fluff, then stop now.

 CH 2

    Chen Yuchuan did it on purpose. He knew it was because he¡¯d drunk too much. Even though they¡¯re already divorced, he still teased Lu Yang. But, he only had the courage to tease, and nothing more.


    Lu Yang was lying on the soda, the blue veins on the side of his neck bulging. Finally, he exhaled heavily. Then he sat up with his legs spread a little and his arms resting on his knees.


    The collar of his shirt had been wrinkled by Chen Yuchuan, and his tie was also a little loose and crooked. The strands of hair over his forehead were messy, and suddenly, the bluish black under his eyes made him look a lot less dignified.


    The original desire and heat in Lu Yang¡¯s eyes had now turned into pure fire. After a moment, he slowly adjusted his shirt collar and tie. Then, after buttoning his suit jacket, he crossed his fingers and rested his elbows on his knees. He stared straight at Chen Yuchuan, as if Chen Yuchuan¡¯s face had a hole in it that he wanted to see through first before being willing to give up.


    Chen Yichuan knew from Lu Yang¡¯s expression that he¡¯d made him a little angry, but he was quite frank with himself. He was still telling himself¨C


    Chen Yuchuan, you are so fucking bad and dificient.


    After complaining about himself in his heart, he smiled at Lu Yang and said, ¡°Lu Yang, don¡¯t look at me like that. If you look at me like that, I might think that you have other ideas. But now that we¡¯re divorced, with your current identity, even if I stripped off today, stood in front of you, and rubbed myself off, you can only watch and not touch.¡±


    After he¡¯d finished speaking, he looked up at the clock on the wall, and added, ¡°Have you finished packing your things? Just leave if you¡¯re done. It¡¯s already one o¡¯clock, and it¡¯s getting very late.¡±


    Lu Yang stood up from the sofa, took a step with his long legs, and grabbed the handle of his rolling suitcase.


    But he didn¡¯t leave in a hurry. He stood there for two seconds, glanced around the house, adjusted his mood, and slowly said, ¡°The day after tomorrow, I¡¯ll ask my assistant to bring Chubby over. Chubby¡¯s vaccine card is stored inside the second drawer of the bedside table in the bedroom. Next week, he needs to be dewormed. When I entered the house today, I smelled gas. If you¡¯re not cooking at home, don¡¯t turn on the fire. It isn¡¯t safe to forget to turn off the gas stove¡­¡±


    Lu Yang was still talking, but Chen Yuchuan¡¯s eyes were pinned on the ring finger of Lu Yang¡¯s left hand holding the suitcase handle.


    Lu Yang¡¯s fingers are very long, and the knuckles in the middle aren¡¯t as obvious compared to the rest. The palm of his hand was always warm, even in winter, still giving a sense of security.


    Chen Yuchuan¡¯s fingers, which were hanging at his sides, curled up. His gaze was fixed on Lu Yang¡¯s ring finger. Originally, Lu Yang wore a ring on the ring finger of his left hand.


    It was part of their wedding rings, a pair of plain, silver rings.


    Now, the ring was gone, leaving a circle of white marks that was the result of having worn the ring for many years. That circle of white was very obvious.


    Chen Yuchuan frowned and looked down at his own left hand. At this moment, the ring still on his finger suddenly looked a little laughable. The reflection of light on it was even more dazzling than the circle of white on Lu Yang¡¯s finger.


    Chen Yuchuan silently put his hands behind his back, placed his left hand in his right, and tried to take off the ring.


    Since the moment he¡¯d put on the ring 12 years ago, Chen Yuchuan had not once taken the ring off. Now, the ring seemed to have become a part of his skin, and he couldn¡¯t take it off no matter how much he tried.


    He gritted his teeth, made one final effort, and the ring finally slipped off, leaving the back of his finger red and raw.


    Lu Yang said something else, but Chen Yuchuan didn¡¯t listen.


    When Lu Yang stopped talking, Chen Yuchuan snorted lightly, laughing at Lu Yang, but also at himself.


    Holding the ring tightly in his hand, Chen Yuchuan took two steps to the side, bent down and picked up the pants he had thrown onto the ground. He took out the cigarette case and lighter from the pants pocket.


    Pulling out a cigarette, he placed it in his mouth and pressed the lighter to light the cigarette. He narrowed his eyes and sucked in a breath, letting the bitter and spicy nicotine penetrate his throat. When it finally reached his nose, the smell of cigarette smoke made his forehead throbbed painfully.


    He thought, maybe it was because he¡¯d been drinking.


    Smoking, he leaned back against the sofa behind him, standing on one foot with the other resting on the sofa. His clenched right hand tightened over the ring even more, for fear that he might reveal a little joke to Lu Yang.


    They were divorced now, so there was really no need to wear the ring anymore, he thought. Lu Yang probably took his off a long time ago, so if he was still wearing his, it might seem like he still had something in his heart.


    Although he did have something in his heart before, he was reluctant to admit it now.


    Lu Yang went silent for a few seconds, staring at Chen Yuchuan smoking. After the pause, he continued to speak more trivial things about domestic life.


    How often the flowers on the balcony should be watered, the location of the medicine box and the umbrella, the winter clothes stored in the second bedroom¡­


    Chen Yuchuan smoked while listening to Lu Yang talking about the little things in life, and finally, he snorted a little coldly through his nose and raised the corners of his mouth.


    When he spoke again, his voice had the hoarseness that came with having smoked. ¡°Lu Yang, we¡¯re both already divorced. Don¡¯t pretend to be a good husband in front of me. There¡¯s no need.¡±


    After he¡¯d finished speaking, he held the cigarette to his mouth and sucked in a breath, making the red light burning on the cigarette end flickered forcefully. After two seconds, he blew out a puff of smoke in Lu Yang¡¯s direction.


    I¡¯m being so fucking bad again, Chen Yuchuan complained about himself again in his heart.


    But when he looked at Lu Yang¡¯s darkening face through the lingering smoke, he felt relieved.


    For an entire week, Chen Yuchuan had been holding back the fire burning inside him. He had to find an outlet. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t sleep well. He hadn¡¯t slept well at all this week.


    ¡°I just told you, don¡¯t look at me like that. I don¡¯t like that look on your face.¡±


    Lu Yang hated Chen Yuchuan smoking. With the smoke between them, their appearance looked a little blurry in each other¡¯s eyes.


    He said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so angry with me. We can be considered as a peaceful breakup.¡±


    ¡°Then why are you being so long-winded? Hurry up and go,¡± Chen Yuchuan said, blowing a breath of smoke at Lu Yang¡¯s face once more. ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, then hurry and leave. Otherwise, I¡¯ll blow up even more.¡±


    Lu Yang tightened his fingers on the suitcase handle, stood still, and said coldly, ¡°Put out the cigarette.¡±


    ¡°What if I don¡¯t?¡± Chen Yuchuan straightened and said with a smile, ¡°With your current status, you have no right to control me. Even if I blow up the roof tonight, there¡¯s nothing you can do about it.¡±

 CH 3

    Lu Yang knew that Chen Yuchuan had drunk too much and was speaking in anger. He tried to calm down as much as possible and said in a calm voice, ¡°In the future, drink less at bars.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan snorted and knocked his thumb on the butt of the cigarette, causing burnt-gray ash to float down. Finally, he laughed, his voice particularly clear despite the smoke, filled with a bit of displeasure.


    ¡°Lu Yang, divorce is divorce. We¡¯re like strangers now, and in the future, we won¡¯t have anything to do with each other anymore. Legally, we used to be the closest, but now we aren¡¯t. Don¡¯t talk nonsense in front of me. Don¡¯t come at me and say ¡®We can continue to be good friends after breaking up.¡¯ We¡¯ve slept together for 16 years. Can we be friends again? Is it possible? Do you think it¡¯s possible?¡±


    Having said his piece, Chen Yuchuan held the cigarette to his mouth again, biting down hard with his teeth. The tip of his tongue became quickly soaked with bitterness, and he pulled out the cigarette.


    Pinching the cigarette butt that he¡¯d crushed, he shoved the red end of the cigarette into the ashtray on the coffee table, so that the clean blue ashtray now smelled of ashes.


    When he lit another cigarette, Lu Yang took two steps forward with his luggage, the wheels making a muffled sound as they rolled against the floor.


    His shoulder brushed against Chen Yuchuan as he snatched the cigarette from him and put it out in the ashtray.


    Lu Yang said, ¡°Although we¡¯re divorced, there¡¯s no need to make fun of your body. After all, you¡¯re not young anymore.


    Chen Yuchuan felt the empty space between his fingers and shouted back, ¡°I know I¡¯m fucking old. You¡¯re four fucking years older than me. What? Compared to you, I¡¯m much younger. I haven¡¯t even said it, but you¡¯ve got the nerve to say it first?!¡±


    Lu Yang was so furious with him that he nearly completely crushed the handle of his suitcase. After so many years of quarreling with Chen Yuchuan, he¡¯d never won against him. His tongue had never been as nimble as Chen Yuchuan¡¯s.


    Chen Yuchuan was different from him. He could speak sweetly and sarcastically, kindly and recklessly. Now matter what, he would casually say whatever came to mind. All he had to do was open his mouth.


    Lu Yang took a deep breath, pressed his tongue against the inside of his cheek, took a few more deep breaths, and said in a low voice, ¡°Xiao Chuan, curb your temper more in the future.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan didn¡¯t intend to explode. But after hearing Lu Yang¡¯s words, he exploded anyway.


    He grabbed Lu Yang¡¯s shirt collar, his fists tight against Lu Yang¡¯s throat, his eyes red. ¡°Lu Yang, what are you trying to say? My temper has always been like this. You¡¯ve been with me for 16 years, but you¡¯re just finding this out? Now that we¡¯re separated, you want to educate me?¡±


    Lu Yang¡¯s throat began to ache. With tense jaw, he wrapped his hands over Chen Yuchuan¡¯s fists and pried his fingers open one at a time.


    But after Chen Yuchuan¡¯s fingers were completely separated, a silver circle of light slipped from his palm, spun twice in the air, and landed on the wooden floor.


    It was the ring that Chen Yuchuan had been holding tightly in his palm. He didn¡¯t even know how he¡¯d managed to open his hand and grabbed Lu Yang¡¯s collar.


    Then he recalled that he¡¯d been holding the ring too tightly, and it¡¯d slipped into the tip of his ring finger, hooked just like that.


    In the sudden silence, there were only a few loud and quiet dings as the ring rolled away.


    Chen Yuchuan¡¯s eye followed the ring, and he watched it stop by the sofa, smeared with a little soot.


    He stood there in a daze for a long time. Finally, he rubbed his face, and his expression became a little cold. The little ring that had fallen onto the ground had pierced his momentum a little.


    And now, he was like a deflated balloon.


    Lu Yang¡¯s eyes moved, but he continued to gaze fixedly at Chen Yuchuan.


    Chen Yuchuan said weakly, ¡°Lu Yang, really, you don¡¯t have to look at me like that. Don¡¯t think that I think that you still love me.¡±


    Seeing how laughable he was now, Chen Yuchuan smiled bitterly. ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m not unaware, like I didn¡¯t know that you still have that Ye Guanghe in your heart, right? As soon as he returned to China, were you so anxious to get rid of me?¡±


    He paused, then added, ¡°Have you ever loved me at all in the past 16 years?¡±


    Chen Yuchuan really drank too much tonight. If he was completely sober, he wouldn¡¯t have spoken like that. He could become angry and blow up, but he would never ask whether Lu Yang had loved him at all.


    He blamed alcohol for the ring that had just fallen on the ground, causing him to be discovered by Lu Yang. And he also blamed himself.


    He regretted his action.


    Sure enough, when he grabbed Lu Yang¡¯s by the collar, Lu Yang wasn¡¯t angry. But after he said those words, he saw storm clouds start to gather in Lu Yang¡¯s eyes.


    Chen Yuchuan knew that the storm clouds came not because he¡¯d heard Ye Guanghe¡¯s name, but because of his last words.


    Not to mention Ye Guanghe, whether Lu Yang loved him (Chen Yuchuan) or not, Chen Yuchuan, the person involved, knew best.


    Lu Yang had loved him like he loved life.


    In the past, whenever he made Lu Yang angry by saying the wrong thing, he would start playing tricks in the next second. He would cling onto Lu Yang, calling him husband or brother, so that Lu Yang¡¯s anger wouldn¡¯t even last until the next day.


    These 16 years of habits and muscle memory still made Chen Yuchaun open his mouth and move his arms subconsciously.


    But in the end, he just swallowed, and then leaned back, his body feeling empty, and his hands propped on the sofa.


    Just looking at Lu Yang.


    Lu Yang took a few steps forward, stopped in front of Chen Yuchuan, and looked back at him with hooded eyes.


    Chen Yuchuan was 1.8 meters tall, but Lu Yang was half a head taller than him and his shoulders were wider than his.


    In the end, Lu Yang didn¡¯t say anything. He simply looked at Chen Yuchuan for a few seconds, and once the storm in his eyes subsided a little, he tore off the tie around his neck.


    When he opened the door with suitcase in hand, the cold wind blew in from outside, making Chen Yuchuan shiver.


    After vomiting, his throat was sore and itchy, and it became worse with the wind. He leaned bent over on the sofa, coughing for a long time. He coughed so much that gold stars began to swim in front of his vision, and the corners of his eyes grew red.


    When he was finally able to sit on the sofa, he saw a bottle of iodine and some cotton balls on the coffee table.


    He looked down at the wound on the back of his hand, then he raised his hands and rubbed his eyes. He wanted to sweep the bottle of iodine off the table, but when his fingers touched the red bottle, he stopped and held it instead.


    The originally peaceful divorce seemed to have suddenly become less peaceful.


    But what was the use of peace? Divorce was divorce. What was the fucking use of peace?

 CH 4

    Chen Yuchuan opened the bottle and used a clip to sterilize the back of his hand with a cotton ball dipped in iodine. When he closed the lid, he remembered that there was a blue medicine box at home and thought about putting the iodine away in the medicine box.


    He thought for a long time about the location of the medicine box that Lu Yang had just told him about. In the end, he didn¡¯t bother to look for the box. Instead, he directly opened the drawer under the coffee table and threw the bottle of iodine inside.


    Then he picked up the ring on the ground and also put it in the drawer along with the sterile cotton balls.


    Feeling a little cold due to being shirtless, he got up and entered the bedroom to look for something to wear.


    Upon opening the closet, he saw that half of it was empty. Lu Yang¡¯s clothes were all gone.


    It had been a week since they¡¯d gotten a divorce, but it was only now, when Chen Yuchuan was looking at the half-emptied closet, that it truly hit him that they were really divorced.


    He slammed the closet door shut, turned around, and stood with his back against it for a long, long time.


    The rain outside the window was still falling, raindrops hitting the glass window in low pitter patters.


    Chen Yuchuan suddenly remembered what he¡¯d said to Lu Yang in the past. He¡¯d said, Lu Yang, I will rely on you for the rest of my life. You won¡¯t be able to drive me away.


    But this time, he didn¡¯t rely on Lu Yang as he¡¯d said before.


    The person he had wanted to live with for the rest of his life had nearly shattered the door when he left with his suitcase.


    Chen Yuchuan leaned against the cabinet door in a daze, and when he looked up, he suddenly caught a glimpse of Lu Yang¡¯s coat on the chair beside the bedside table.


    ¡°Fuck, he don¡¯t even finish packing up,¡± Chen Yuchuan complained to the coat.


    After standing there for a long time, he finally laid down on the bed. But sleep wouldn¡¯t come.


    Chen Yuchuan knew that if he told his friends that he had sleep problems, they wouldn¡¯t have believed him. In fact, they would tease him, saying that even someone with such a big personality would still have insomnia.


    He¡¯d never had issues with his sleep before. In fact, he used to be the kind of person that would fall asleep the moment his head touched the pillow. What¡¯s more, the quality of his sleep had always been extremely good. Sometimes he would fall asleep even when Lu Yang was in the middle of talking to him.


    His sleep problems started half a year ago. It first started with occasional insomnia, but when it became serious, it got to the point where he wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep all night.


    In these past six months, Lu Yang had been traveling frequently for work and so he hadn¡¯t discovered his sleep problems.


    And the amazing thing was that, once Lu Yang was back, as long as he hugged him, Chen Yuchuan would sleep very well.


    Chen Yuchuan opted not to tell Lu Yang about his insomnia. Instead, he went to the doctor for sleeping pills and told Lu Yang that they were just vitamins.


    Finally, Chen Yuchuan got up, put on clothes, and walked over to the window and opened it. He¡¯d originally wanted to smoke a cigarette, but when he looked down, he saw Lu Yang¡¯s car parked downstairs.


    When he¡¯d been driven in earlier, he¡¯d been drunk and hadn¡¯t paid attention to anything outside. It turned out that Lu Yang¡¯s car was parked downstairs this whole time. Now he saw it at a glance.


    Chen Yuchuan attributed the fact that he saw Lu Yang¡¯s car at a glance to his good eyesight. Although he had completed nine years of compulsory education, he hadn¡¯t read any books in a few years, and so he¡¯d never been nearsighted.


    He was only in his thirties now, and he hadn¡¯t reached the age of farsightedness yet either and so his eyesight was quite good.


    The rain outside had lightened into a drizzle, but with the wind blowing them on his face, he still felt his cheeks sting from those raindrops.


    Small, wet drops dripped down his neck, and so he raised his hands and wrapped the coat tighter around himself.


    As Chen Yuchuan skrank in his neck, his calf suddenly throbbed, not because he was in pain himself, but because he¡¯d thought of Lu Yang¡¯s leg.


    Lu Yang¡¯s calf had been injured in the past, and so it would hurt whenever it rains. In the past, whenever Lu Yang¡¯s leg started to hurt, he would massage him or apply a warm towel.


    Chen Yuchuan felt that there was something wrong with him. He¡¯d become pathetic, still feeling bad for Lu Yang¡¯s legs.


    But then he reconsidered this thought. Hadn¡¯t Lu Yang pathetically find him a sterile cotton ball?


    They were two sides of the same coin.


    If this wasn¡¯t being pathetic, then what was it? Could it be love?


    If it was love, then why get a divorce?


    But what could it be if not love?


    Chen Yuchuan couldn¡¯t figure it out. He scratched his head and finally attributed it to habit.


    Lu Yang¡¯s headlights were on, casting a small patch of light in the rainy night.


    Chen Yuchuan didn¡¯t know what Lu Yang was waiting for, but after another ten minutes, the car finally left.


    It wasn¡¯t until Chen Yuchuan could no longer see Lu Yang¡¯s car did he finally close the window and pulled the curtains shut. Then he took a sleeping pill and went straight to bed.


    When they got divorced a week ago, Lu Yang had said that he would leave him the house and give him half the company.


    But Chen Yuchuan didn¡¯t want anything. He was the one who¡¯d bought the house and so Lu Yang was the one who moved out. He only wanted Chubby. To be precise, he wanted half of Chubby.


    Chubby was a little stray dog ??they had adopted a few years ago. He was Chubby¡¯s dad and Lu Yang was Chubby¡¯s mom.


    At the beginning, they had fought over the question of how Chubby would address them. It was Chen Yuchuan who made the move first by straddling Lu Yang.


    Naturally, he won, and so he became Chubby¡¯s daddy and Lu Yang became Chubby¡¯s mommy.


    When they got the divorce, they had agreed they would have alternating weeks with Chubby.


    Thinking of Chubby, Chen Yuchuan thought that he and Lu Yang really wouldn¡¯t be able to break up cleanly.


    After all, there was the entanglement of a furry child.


    He and Lu Yang had ended four years of dating and 12 years of marriage one morning a week ago.


    After 16 years together, the person who had been by his side since he was 18 could never matter again.


    After 16 years.


    It wasn¡¯t 16 months, 16 days, 16 hours¡­


    16 years was a long time. If their love was a movie, it would last for 16 years.


    Chen Yuchuan did the math. He was thirty-four this year, and he would be fifty by the time he¡¯d finished watching a film lasting 16 years. It was too terrible. By that time, half of him would have already been buried in the ground.


    But no matter how long, no matter how heavy or thick those 16 years were, it didn¡¯t matter. Because when it ended, it was as simple as that. Broken within seconds, leaving nothing.


    The reason for their divorce seemed simple enough, having been due to two bunches Sichuan peppercorns, but in fact, it was simply an outbreak of things that had accumulated for too long.


    The main reason started half a month ago. Lu Yang had worked extra shifts for a week straight and so he couldn¡¯t come back for dinner that day.


    Chen Yuchuan wasn¡¯t feeling well and so, on the way home from work, he had stopped by a restaurant he and Lu Yang often patronized to pick up some pork belly soup.


    As a result, he saw Lu Yang and Ye Guanghe sitting and eating together in the hall. Half an hour ago, Lu Yang had called him to say that he would be having dinner with a client that night.


    Chen Yuchuan stood at the front desk and watched them for a long time. On that rare occasion, he¡¯d managed to suppress his hot temper. Watching them eating and laughing, he didn¡¯t have the impulse to go directly to Lu Yang.


    Because he knew that as long as he walked over, because of his temper, he would start a fight with Lu Yang.


    It had been a long time since he¡¯d fought with Lu Yang. They rarely argued now, and it wasn¡¯t because they no longer had conflicts. It was because their conflicts weren¡¯t the same as before, where things could be settled just like that.


    Chen Yuchuan held back for a week and observed Lu Yang for a week, but Lu Yang continued to act normally. He still continued to kiss him on the head every morning when he woke up, and still hugged him at night.


    This made Chen Yuchuan, who wanted to settle accounts afterwards, never find an outlet to vent, until it broke out completely over the Sichuan peppercorn fish Lu Yang had cooked.


    Because Lu Yang had put two bunches of black Sichuan peppercorns in the boiled fish.


    In all the years they had been together, Chen Yuchuan had never been willing to eat Sichuan peppercorns, and Lu Yang had never put Sichuan peppercorns in his cooking.


    That day, he had already thought up a good pretext and was going to use it to air out his feelings.


    That day, Chen Yuchuan had talked over a plate of Sichuan peppercorn fish for half an hour. From Sichuan peppercorns, he moved to their wedding anniversary last month, when Lu Yang didn¡¯t come back due to a company¡¯s project. Chen Yuchuan had waited for him all night, but he didn¡¯t come back.


    After talking about their wedding anniversary, Chen Yuchuan brought up the incident six months ago, then three years ago, when they temporarily broke up, then ten years ago¡­15 years ago¡­16 years ago¡­


    The sesame seeds at the bottom of the barrel were all pulled out one by one.


    In fact, Chen Yuchuan was not one to turn over old accounts. He wasn¡¯t the kind of person who would hold on to the nonsense of the past. The past was the past, and it would only hurt their current feelings for one another. He understood this truth.


    That day, he was just using them as an excuse, and all that bullshit was just to pave the way for airing his emotions.


    After stopping at 16 years ago, he would then naturally shift the topic to Ye Guanghe.


    He really wanted to know what Lu Yang was thinking, and he also wanted to know what his relationship with Ye Guanghe was.


    It was over a year ago when Chen Yuchuan first heard about Ye Guanghe from Ling Qun.


    Ling Qun and Lu Yang went to the same primary school. They had always been classmates, from elementary school to high school.


    Ling Qun was unhappy that day, so he took him out to drink. After drinking too much, he began to reminisce about his childhood. He talked a lot about his high school days because he had his first love in his second year of high school.


    Later, after Ling Qun told the story of his first love, he wiped a tear and the topic came to Lu Yang.


    Ling Qun had said a name, Ye Guanghe. Ye Guanghe was a transfer student, and he¡¯d sat at the same table as Lu Yang. He said that Ye Guanghe and Lu Yang had a good relationship, so much so that they were often together, from playing basketballl to leaving school to eat together.


    Ling Qun had said that their relationship must be very good at the time, but after Ye Guanghe went abroad, they lost contact with one another.


    Later, Ling Qun even showed him a picture of Ye Guanghe, who looked handsome and gentle.


    At that time, Chen Yuchuan had felt awkward for about two seconds, but then it quickly passed.


    16 to 17-year-old kids in high school don¡¯t understand shit. That kind of thing was nothing.


    But he forgot one thing. He was only 18 when he got together with Lu Yang.


    Moreover, when Lu Yang took him to bed that year, it was the first time for them both.


    Even if Ye Guanghe really liked Lu Yang, the two of them would at most hold hands and kiss each other.


    Since Lu Yang had never mentioned Ye Guanghe to him, there was no need for him to pull that person out to block their feelings.


    But after seeing them together in the restaurant that day, Chen Yuchuan no longer thought so.


    Damn. If what Ling Qun said was true, would Ye Quanghe be Lu Yang¡¯s white moonlight, or maybe the white moonlight that was cut off halfway before it could take? If their relationship hadn¡¯t even reached that point yet, then would Ye Guanghe¡¯s white moonlight be even whiter?


    Chen Yuchuan had heard about couples splitting up, all because of a white moonlight¡¯s sudden appearance.


    The power of a white moonlight could not be underestimated.


    In Chen Yuchuan¡¯s eyes, a white moonlight should be just like what it said. A white moonlight should be shining up in the sky. If it came down to the ground, would it still be called a white moonlight?


    If it was a white moonlight when it was far away, would it still be white when it was up close?


    After that restaurant incident, Chen Yuchuan suddenly felt a sense of crisis. He felt that this kind of problem could not arise between him and Lu Yang, because Lu Yang belonged to him.


    Previously, Ling Qun¡¯s words had only placed a small thorn in his heart. But after the restaurant, the small thorn grew into a large thorn.


    Chen Yuchuan treated their love, treated Lu Yang, with a strong sense of possessiveness. The past was over, so he could leave it alone, but now, no one could come between them.

 CH 5

    That day, Chen Yuchuan had already made up his mind and everything was all set up. He sat in the chair for a moment and took in a breath to ask, but in the end, he couldn¡¯t even bring up Ye Guanghe.


    Lu Yang¡¯s back was very straight. He sat down opposite him, looked at him coldly, and asked, ¡°Xiao Chuan¡¯er, after so many years, do you have such a big problem with me?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Chen Yuchuan threw up his hands and said, ¡°I can¡¯t go on like this.¡±


    Lu Yang stared at Chen Yuchuan for half a minute and then slowly said, ¡°Okay then. The household registration book and the marriage certificate are in the drawer next to the bed.¡±


    After he said this, he raised his wrist and looked at his watch. ¡°The Civil Affairs Bureau is still open right now.¡±


    When he heard this, Chen Yuchuan was stunned. In fact, it wasn¡¯t that they had never broken up before. They had broken up so many times that he¡¯d lost count.


    But at that moment, a thought suddenly popped into Chen Yuchuan¡¯s mind. This time, it was different.


    In fact, apart from the matter of Ye Guanghe, Chen Yuchuan didn¡¯t want to admit that, since half a year ago, something had gone wrong between him and Lu Yang.


    They would still hug and sleep together, but they hadn¡¯t quarreled, and it had been a long time since they had sat down for a meal and chatted properly.


    He often saw Lu Yang returning from work with exhaustion written in his eyes. What was in his eyes was not only exhaustion from high-intensity work, there was also a pale sense of powerlessness.


    And he, himself, had stopped bothering Lu Yang like he used to. They still minded about each other. In fact, they minded more about each other than before and rarely talked about themselves.


    They seemed to be fine, better than before.


    But Chen Yuchuan knew that nothing was the same as before.


    They used to argue a lot. Two big men have been together for 16 years, so it would be a lie to say that they don¡¯t quarrel.


    When they first got together, there was a period of time when they would argue almost every day. The longest time that they had gone no contact was half a month, both equally ignoring the other.


    In that half month, Chen Yuchuan didn¡¯t go home. He stayed at a friend¡¯s house every day until he couldn¡¯t stay anymore and decided to go home.


    At first, he thought that Lu Yang wouldn¡¯t be at home. But when he opened the door and went in, he immediately saw Lu Yang lying on the sofa.


    Lu Yang, still neatly dressed in a suit, had thrown one arm over his forehead. He was still wearing leather shoes, and his briefcase was placed on the coffee table, as if he¡¯d just gotten home from work.


    Chen Yuchuan called his name but heard no response. When he got nearer, he discovered that Lu Yang¡¯s lips were tightly pursed and his cheeks were abnormally red.


    He pulled Lu Yang¡¯s arm away from his forehead. The moment he touched Lu Yang¡¯s burning forehead, his palms shrank away and his chest tightened.


    He was so distressed that he jumped up and bit Lu Yang¡¯s arm through his suit jacket. But even though he¡¯d bitten him hard, Lu Yang still didn¡¯t wake up.


    Chen Yuchuan sent Lu Yang to the hospital. Lu Yang laid in the hospital for three days, and in those three days, Chen Yuchuan went unshaven, so focused was he on taking care of him. He became so obedient that he would listen to whatever Lu Yang said.


    After that, they stopped for a long time, to the point where they went for nearly half a year without arguing once.


    But in the end, they still argued. The only difference was that Chen Yuchuan would no longer go to his friend¡¯s house after quarreling with Lu Yang. Their argument would last for one night at most and they would hug each other when they woke up the next day.


    Whenever they had a particularly bad argument, someone would mention breaking up. Chen Yuchuan had said it, and Lu Yang had said it, though the one who said it the most was Chen Yuchuan.


    And without fail, the moment Chen Yuchuan had finished saying it, Lu Yang would throw him over his shoulder, carry him legs kicking to the bedroom, and throw him onto the big bed to do him.


    When Lu Yang was the one to say it, Chen Yuchuan would become angry and scold him.


    Like hell we¡¯ll break up. I won¡¯t leave. You can never get rid of me. I¡¯ll stick to you for the rest of my life.


    Every time, his various, colorful curses would make Lu Yang not know whether to laugh or cry. So in the end, when he could no longer listen, he would raise his hand and cover Chen Yuchuan¡¯s mouth.


    The moment Lu Yang covered his mouth, Chen Yuchuan would stop cussing, and instead, he would stick out his tongue and lick Lu Yang¡¯s palm.


    So, every time they broke up, it always ended in bedroom activities.


    But just now, when Lu Yang had said that the Civil Affairs Bureau was still open, Chen Yuchuan looked at the expression on his face, and there was only one thought in his heart:


    Lu Yang might not love him anymore.


    Maybe, he still loved him, but not as much as before.


    That was how people are. He had loved you for 16 years, but as long as he made you feel for one second that he doesn¡¯t love you anymore, suddenly you couldn¡¯t help but suspect that his 16 years of love for you was fake.


    Even if Chen Yuchuan knew this to be true, it was useless. At that moment, he felt his legs go weak and the chair he was sitting on suddenly became unstable.


    But he didn¡¯t curse to smooth this matter over.


    Because at that moment, he himself had considered whether it would be better if they did separate.


    Chen Yuchuan thought that many things become habits, but only love was like a plaything used to pass the time. It was easy to get used to, but may disappear all of a sudden. Eventually, it would be consumed bit by bit until you abruptly realize that the thing was gone.


    Chen Yuchuan didn¡¯t know if he and Lu Yang were like that, whether he still loved him or not, and thinking about it made his head hurt.


    Thinking about it now, he felt that he really was such a hypocrite at the time. In order to ask about Ye Guanghe, he was prepared to talk so much.


    In fact, at the time, he was a little scared, as if, if he didn¡¯t set up the emotions in advance, his heart would not be at ease.


    He no longer had confidence in himself, and he no longer had confidence in Lu Yang.


    Lu Yang didn¡¯t take the initiative to mention Ye Guanghe to him, but neither did he mention his insomnia to Lu Yang. It wasn¡¯t because he feared that Lu Yang might worry, but that he simply wanted Lu Yang to find out for himself.


    He stared at Lu Yang for a long time in front of the plate of Sichuan peppercorn fish. He thought about many things, until they all became jumbled in his head.


    His and Lu Yang¡¯s friends were basically all married. They were all the same age as them, in their thirties.


    In their circles of friends, there were also many same-sex couples like them. But in the end, these couples eventually separated, and even if they were still together, they lived as if they were separated.


    Their friends had always said that they would definitely experience the third-year pain and the seven year itch. If they survived through it, they would live like relatives. If they couldn¡¯t survive, they would break up and divorce.


    The third-year pain and the seven year itch, Chen Yuchuan didn¡¯t know what they were like.


    But then again, maybe they were like now.


    Their friends also said that only Lu Yang and Chen Yuchuan could not split up. They were the last line of defense in this camp.


    If they split up, this proved that love doesn¡¯t exist.


    Every time Chen Yuchuan heard them say this, he would always bump Lu Yang with his shoulder and say, ¡°Did you hear that? We¡¯re the last line of defense. We have to guard it well, otherwise love would no longer exist. Only when we stay together will this prove that love does exist.¡±


    Lu Yang would then raise his eyebrows and ask, ¡°Am I just guarding it by myself?¡±


    Chen Yuchuan would look at him and say, ¡°You guard, and I will follow right beside you, so that we won¡¯t lose it.¡±


    But in the end, Lu Yang didn¡¯t hold on and neither did he.


    After Chen Yuchuan came back to his senses, he found that the string of Sichuan peppercorns was still on his chopsticks. His fingers shook, and the string of peppercorns fell on the table.


    On that same day, they went to the Civil Affairs Bureau to get a divorce. When they came out, the sun was still high in the sky. The sun was like poison, and Chen Yuchuan didn¡¯t feel that the sun was necessary at all.


    Before he could even ask about Ye Guanghe, their marriage was already over.


    When they got home, the string of peppercorns were still lying on the table. Chen Yuchuan threw it into the trash, and when Lu Yang went downstairs, he took the bag of garbage with him.


    After Lu Yang left, Chen Yuchuan stared at the clock on the wall and listened to the second hand ticking forward.


    He looked at it for a long time and began to feel irritated. Finally, he moved a chair over, stood on it, took the clock off the wall, and pulled out the battery.


    Without the battery, the second hand no longer ticked. Feeling that it had become a lot quieter, he hung the clock back up, sans battery.


    He remembered that the time on the clock was fixed on October 8th.


    At that time, he had also looked at the calendar, and it was a cold dew.


    Chen Yuchuan turned over on the bed, thinking of the clock in the living room. Suddenly, his eyes snapped open and he felt around the bedside, but couldn¡¯t find his cell phone.


    That day, when he removed the battery from the clock, it was one in the afternoon, and it was also one when he drove Lu Yang away.


    So, what was the fucking time?


    Chen Yuchuan got out of bed, found his cell phone in the pocket of the pants on the floor in the living room, and pressed on the screen to check.


    Shit, it was almost four o¡¯clock.


    The sleeping pills didn¡¯t seem to be working.

 CH 6

    ¡°Lu Yang, what time is it now?¡± Chen Yuchuan covered his face with the cover, his eyes still closed, calling Lu Yang while half asleep.


    When he heard no response, he raised his voice a little higher and shouted, ¡°Lu Yang, is it still raining outside?¡±


    He buried his face in the pillow, rubbed against it, and began to call husband, Yang ge, gege¡­


    But he never heard Lu Yang¡¯s voice respond. Chen Yichuan reached out to touch the spot beside him on the bed, and when he felt coldness, he woke up with a start


    . Opening his eyes, he shivered on the bed.


    He sucked in a breath and sat upright, propped up with his arms on either side of his pillow. Then he rubbed his eyes and looked around.


    The curtains were still drawn, and sunlight leaked in through the gaps in the middle, casting a small, diffused ray of bright light on the foot of the bed and on the floor.


    The rain must have stopped. There was no sound of rain beating against the window, leaving only the rustling sound of sycamore leaves blown by the wind.


    Through the open bedroom door, Chen Yuchuan saw the clothes scattered on the floor in the living room.


    Only then did he determine that he was really the only one in the house.


    After confirming, he thought, what are you dreaming about? Lu Yang had already left¡­


    He was still hungover. His forehead felt as if it was stabbed with a needle. As he rubbed his temple with his thumb, he licked his dry and cracked lips. Then he looked at the phone on the bedside table and saw that it was nearly 10 o¡¯clock. His phone displayed a missed call that came in about half an hour ago.


    Chen Yuchuan called back and was startled when he heard himself speaking. His voice sounded like it was squeezed out of a crack in stone, like gravel that was about to break and crumble away.


    The call was made by the water heater delivery man and he asked him if there would be anyone at home in the morning.


    Chen Yuchuan rubbed his neck with his hand and said in a hoarse voice that there was someone at home.


    The delivery man said he would deliver the water heater later.


    Chen Yuchuan responded with a hum, unmuted the phone, and turned on the ringtone.


    After hanging up the phone, Chen Yuchuan got out of bed in bare feet. It wasn¡¯t until he drank two more glasses of water did he feel the dryness in his throat ease up. When he entered the bathroom to wash, he saw that Lu Yang hadn¡¯t taken his things in the bathroom.


    After washing up, he picked up the clothes he¡¯d scattered on the floor last night and threw them into the washing machine.


    As the washing machine rumbled, Chen Yuchuan leaned back on the balcony and lit a cigarette.


    While smoking, he looked through the smoke at the house where he had lived in for nearly ten years.


    After smoking half a cigarette, Chen Yuchuan smiled bitterly, thinking that Lu Yang would not need to live in this small house with him anymore.


    The house was a six-story old building constructed in the 1990s, with two bedrooms and two halls, less than 80 square meters large. Chen Yuchuan bought it almost ten years ago, and he and Lu Yang had lived in it for just as long. The voice-activated lights on the stairs were broken. The facilities downstairs were old, and the road had potholes when it rains. It had to be repaired all the time, but it seemed useless.


    What¡¯s more, Lu Yang¡¯s family was enormously wealthy, so much so that the number of houses they owned may be uncountable. This was what he was born with.


    Of course, even if Lu Yang had come from an ordinary background, based on his ability alone, it wasn¡¯t impossible for him to be able to reach his current level.


    Just that, such a young master who was used to being pampered, he was willing to live here for so many years.


    It seemed inconceivable when Chen Yuchuan thought about it.


    As for the reason why they lived in this small house, Chen Yuchuan could admit now that he had felt too ashamed of his own background and was too foolish


    When he first started with Lu Yang, many people had said that he was following Lu Yang for money.


    When he was young, Chen Yuchuan was a little ruffian. Every day, though he had no sense of shame, he still had a bit of his own poor self-esteem. Although others didn¡¯t say it in front of him, every time they looked at him, it directly stimulated his sensitive, fragile self-esteem.


    At first, he lived with Lu Yang in Lu Yang¡¯s big house. But he later vowed to make money to buy a house for himself, and he boasted about raising Lu Yang.


    And every time, to help him save face, Lu Yang would agree to be supported by him. As a result, Lu Yang would often ask him for money, but it was always a small amount, just enough to buy a few drinks and beer at the supermarket.


    Later, Chen Yuchuan spent two to three years saving up. Then he took out a loan to buy this old place, deliberately settling on a location close to Lu Yang¡¯s company. He even refused to allow Lu Yang to help him pay the mortgage.


    After getting a house, Chen Yuchuan wanted to decorate it, but by then, he had used up all his money. Therefore, Li Yang said he would be responsible for decorating the house. And so, Lu Yang ended up paying for the decorations.


    When Lu Yang decorated the house, he hired a famous designer whose appearance fee was probably more expensive than the house itself.


    Later, they also thought about moving, but they were simply too lazy to move. Day by day, life carried on and they always ended up delaying the move. After all, they had lived here for so many years, and although it was very small, they were used to it.


    Lu Yang had lived with him for so many years in this small house full of his lack of self-esteem.


    In fact, Chen Yichuan already realized a few years into living here that he was a big fool. Lu Yang was his husband, and his husband was willing to spend money on him. Anything that belonged to his husband was his.


    Those who said that he was with Lu Yang for the sake of money were all fucking jealous of him, jealous that he had such a tall, handsome and dedicated husband. Those people were big idiots.


    Thinking of this, Chen Yuchuan also put a layer of gold on his own face.


    That group of idiots also saw that he was tall, handsome and dedicated, and they couldn¡¯t find any shortcomings, so they said that he was with Lu Yang for his money.


    However, Chen Yuchuan himself knew that his shortcomings were plenty.


    He muttered about his own shortcomings for a long time while smoking.


    After he was done muttering about himself, his thoughts returned to last night.


    Chen Yuchuan scolded himself again in his heart, calling himself a big idiot who was even more of an idiot than those big idiots.


    The water heater arrived half an hour later. Two men carried the water heater all the way to the fifth floor, and so after knocking on his door and carrying the thing in, they were so exhausted that they stood in his living room, panting.


    Chen Yuchuan poured them two glasses of water. One of them was older and looked to be in his 40s or 50s, while the other looked very young, at most 20, still with childishness on his face.


    The older one waved his hand and said no need, but the younger one took the water with a smile and said to Chen Yuchuan, ¡°Thank you, big brother.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan exhaled the cigarette smoke and asked again, ¡°You guys delivered the package, do you install it too?¡±


    ¡°It includes installation, big brother.¡± The child took two more gulps of water and then handed the cup back to Chen Yuchuan. ¡°Thank you, big brother. I¡¯m done drinking. Where¡¯s the bathroom? We¡¯ll take care of it for you.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan took the glass cup and pointed to the bathroom door with his cigarette. ¡°It¡¯s there. Do you need help?¡±


    The older one said no, and then he turned his head and asked, ¡°Do you want to dismantle the original water heater yourself, or do you want us to dismantle it for you?¡±


    Chen Yuchuan said, ¡°Can you help me dismantle it?¡±


    Twice, he asked if they wanted help but they both said no.


    It took less than half an hour for them to dismantle and install the water heater. They even let Chen Yuchuan try out the water heater first, and the older man went over some safety precautions.


    Chen Yuchuan nodded to indicate that he had heard it. He went over to test the water temperature and said, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan thought this was the end of the matter. Just as he was about to see them off, the older man took out a receipt booklet, filled it in, and handed a receipt to Chen Yuchuan. ¡°A total of 30 yuan.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan was taken aback, ¡°Hold on. Didn¡¯t you say that the package installation is free?¡±


    ¡°Package installation, yes,¡± he said, ¡°but not for disassembly.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan folded his arms and said, ¡°So that¡¯s why you asked me if I wanted to disassemble it myself or if I wanted you to. If you dismantle it, this means an extra charge.¡±


    The man nodded and said, ¡°There is a fee for dismantling, which is stipulated by the company. If you dismantle it yourself, you will not be charged.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan didn¡¯t say anything, particularly since it wasn¡¯t easy for them to disassemble and assemble. He found his wallet, gave them 30 yuan, and accepted the receipt.


    He waited for them to leave, and then went to take a shower. While taking a shower, his stomach began to growl, which was very annoying.


    He¡¯d spent most of last night drinking and hadn¡¯t eaten much before falling asleep into a night of dreams.


    He had dreamed that he was looking for a restaurant, but all the restaurants in his dreams were either closed down or the doors were locked, refusing to open no matter how much he pushed them.


    Later, he finally entered a steam bun shop and ordered two meat buns, but he couldn¡¯t eat them. One fell to the ground and the other was incredibly slippery, as if smeared with wax oil, that he couldn¡¯t grip it in his chopsticks no matter how much he tried. In the dream, he was practically dying of anxiety.


    Therefore, now that he was awake, Chen Yuchuan decided to eat the meat buns he couldn¡¯t eat in his dreams. He went directly to the nearby bun shop that he usually frequented and ordered five large meat buns in one go.


    It was a little after breakfast, and so there weren¡¯t many people in the shop. The boss¡¯s steamed buns were nearly sold out. There were only two left in the basket, and so the boss gave him those two first.


    Chen Yuchuan ordered a bowl of millet porridge and a tea egg. He ate the steamed buns first, and then after a few mouthfuls of porridge, his empty stomach felt better.


    The owner of the steamed bun shop was from the Northeast. He spoke in a very interesting manner and had a loud voice. When he came up with the other three steamed buns, he asked him, ¡°Why are you here alone today?¡±


    Chen Yuchuan said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯ll be coming on my own in the future.¡±


    The boss asked with a laugh, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did you have a fight with your family?¡±


    Chen Yuchuan didn¡¯t say anything more. He took two more sips of porridge and nodded along with the boss¡¯s words. He said, ¡°Mmn. We had a fight. Now it¡¯s over.¡±


    The boss snorted and said, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with quarreling? It¡¯s normal for couples to fight. My wife still beats me up a lot and makes me want to run away from home.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan raised his gaze and scanned the boss from head to toe. The boss from the Northeast was 1.8 meters tall and weighed nearly 200 pounds. Meanwhile, his wife, who was standing at the cash register behind him, was thin and small, at most about 1.6 meters tall.


    ¡°Boss, you¡¯re showing off to me.¡± Chen Yuchuan was a little envious now.


    The boss was aggrieved when he heard this, and his fat face twisted. He said, ¡°I¡¯m not showing off, believe me. She gets mad at me on a daily basis. If it wasn¡¯t for this bun shop, I would definitely take my son and run away from home.¡±


    After the boss finished speaking, he laughed and said in a low voice, ¡°Don¡¯t let her hear me. I need to get busy so enjoy your meal.


    Chen Yuchuan looked at the boss¡¯s fat physique and watched as he trotted to his wife¡¯s side. As he ran, the flesh on his waist trembled with each step.


    He lowered his head and glanced at the steamed buns that were just served. After taking a bite, he discovered that he didn¡¯t want to eat as much as he had dreamed about.


    He and Lu Yang would often come to this steamed bun shop, especially during times when they didn¡¯t want to get up in the morning after tossing around all night. Even if they hadn¡¯t, Chen Yuchuan would sometimes simply not want to get up in the morning.


    So he stayed in bed and would often pull Lu Yang to stay in with him.


    Chen Yuchuan often told Lu Yang that he didn¡¯t like being alone in bed when he woke up in the morning. It left him with an empty feeling, as if he¡¯d slept alone all night.


    Lu Yang knew this habit, so even if he woke up, he would always wait in bed for him to wake up and then tell him that he was getting up. If he was really in a hurry to go to work or to go on a business trip, he would wake Chen Yuchuan up and tell him before he left.


    So they seldom cooked breakfast at home, and would often come to this bun shop to eat buns before going to work.


    The restaurant was always full of people at breakfast time, and when there was no seat, they would take the buns away and eat in the car.


    Lu Yang ate more than him. Lu Yang would eat three, while he ate only two. Add a cup of soy milk or porridge and he would be full.


    They each had their own car, but they would sit in the same car and have breakfast together before separating for work.


    At that time, he felt very satisfied every morning after eating the two buns, and he would feel very happy all day.


    Now that he had eaten three buns, he was full, but he didn¡¯t feel very happy at all.

 CH 7

    In the afternoon, when Ling Qun called Chen Yuchuan to ask him out for drinks, he refused.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going. Drinking too much would turn us into useless wastes. I¡¯ve accompanied you to drink for an entire week. I think it¡¯s time to take a break .¡±


    ¡°You really won¡¯t come?¡± Ling Qun owned a bar and loved to hang out. Chen Yuchuan hadn¡¯t gone often before, but now, after going there for a week, Ling Qun would call him every day and invite him out.


    Ling Qun added, ¡°Bo Xue, they¡¯re all here.¡±


    ¡°You can all drink together, then. I¡¯m not coming.¡± Chen Yuchuan didn¡¯t say anything more. He hung up the phone, turned around, found boxing gloves from the second bedroom, and went out.


    His heart was still heavy, and he had to let it out.


    He and Lu Yang had lived together for many years, and they would often quarrel over trivial things. Although they fought frequently, they made it a point not to fight at home. His small living room wasn¡¯t large enough for two long-legged and long-armed gentlemen to fight in.


    Instead, they fought in a boxing gym. Lu Yang had a friend who had opened a boxing gym, and so the two of them got a lifetime membership.


    No matter who had angered whom, or whenever they encountered a conflict that could not be easily resolved, they would go to the boxing gym to settle it. Whoever wins would be in the right.


    Lu Yang had been practicing boxing and sanda since he was a teenager, and so later, he taught Chen Yuchuan in a little bit of sparring.


    In Chen Yuchuan¡¯s eyes, Lu Yang looked like a social elite when he wore a suit. But the moment he took off his suit and wore only a sleeveless vest and boxing gloves, he became so handsome that he could enthrall Chen Yuchuan into stupidity.


    The first time they went to the boxing gym was because Chen Yuchuan had fought with others and had lost.


    He had already forgotten the reason for the fight. He only remembered that it was three against one and he had suffered a lot in the end.


    Lu Yang was on a business trip that day and so he had told Chen Yuchuan that he would not return that night. Chen Yuchuan had lost his cell phone during the fight so he had to use the office phone to call Lu Yang. He was too lazy to go back home and so he slept in the office lounge.


    But when he opened the door the next morning, he saw Lu Yang, still out of breath, standing at the door of the office with red eyes, ready to kick the door down.


    Only then did Chen Yuchuan know that Lu Yang had been looking for him all night. Lu Yang had called his office several times, but he was so tired that he hadn¡¯t heard the phone ringing. Since he didn¡¯t answer the phone, Lu Yang thought he wasn¡¯t in the office and had checked many other places instead. He also called the police.


    Lu Yang wanted to beat him that day, but seeing his bruised face, he pulled his arm and asked him who did it.


    When Chen Yuchuan lied to Lu Yang that he had accidentally fallen on the street, Lu Yang grabbed him by the collar, dragged him down to the street, and asked him if he should drop him again on it.


    Chen Yuchuan seriously considered letting him drop him on the street. But in the end, he threw himself on Lu Yang and clung to him as he admitted his mistake. He finally confessed that he had gotten into a fight, and it was three against one.


    Lu Yang grabbed him by the collar again and dragged him to the boxing gym.


    At that time, Lu Yang had taken off his suit jacket, changed into a sleeveless black sweatshirt, and put on boxing gloves with his arm muscles exposed. Chen Yuchuan was immediately stunned senseless and he grabbed Lu Yang¡¯s arm and said, ¡°Husband, I¡¯m not fighting you.¡±


    Lu Yang looked at the bruises on his face, and his anger dimmed. He told him, ¡°We¡¯re not fighting. I¡¯m just teaching you boxing. We¡¯re not going home until you can beat me.¡±


    As a result, Chen Yuchuan was beaten up by Lu Yang that day. It was clear that Lu Yang had let him win the last round, and when they got back home that evening, he had even tossed him all night.


    Later, the boxing gym became one of the places, aside from the bedroom, where they most frequently went to resolve their conflicts.


    After fighting it out, no matter what the issue was, they would let it pass and would no longer talk about it, regardless of who was right and who was wrong.


    This was their tacit understanding.


    But Chen Yuchuan knew very well that, except for the first time they met, if Lu Yang really wanted to beat him, he could. Because, if Lu Yang really wanted to make a real move, he wasn¡¯t his opponent at all.


    However, he and Lu Yang hadn¡¯t gone to the boxing gym in a long time. He calculated that it had been half a year since they last went.


    When Chen Yuchuan arrived at the boxing gym, the front desk staff saw him and greeted him in a familiar way. ¡°Brother Chuan, long time no see.¡±


    ¡°Long time no see, Xiao Yang.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan raised his chin in greeting to Xiao Yang. He still remembered this staff member. He had heard the others called this clean-looking boy in his 20s by the name ¡°Xiao Yang.¡± Therefore, since he didn¡¯t know this child¡¯s name, he also opted to call him ¡°Xiao Yang¡± as well.


    After saying hello, Chen Yuchuan took out the card from his pocket and put it on the counter, ¡°Please help me to swipe it.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Brother Chuan, wait a moment.¡± Xiao Yang took his card, and while swiping it, he asked, ¡°Has Brother Chuan been very busy recently? Why did you come today?¡±


    Chen Yuchuan had boxing gloves hanging from his neck. With his arms resting on the counter, he leaned the upper half of his body forward lazily and said, ¡°I¡¯m not too busy. In fact, I¡¯m quite free. It¡¯s been too boring these past few days, so I came here to play for a bit.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good to play and relax. Just punch and vent.¡± Xiao Yang finished swiping his card for him and handed him the key to the locker in the lounge. He said, ¡°I heard Brother Yang say you¡¯ve been very busy recently. By the way, why didn¡¯t you come with Brother Yang today?¡±


    ¡°Lu Yang?¡± Chen Yuchuan immediately straightened. ¡°Has he been here recently?¡±


    Xiao Yang was taken aback by this question. He scratched his head, looked at the serious expression on Chen Yuchuan¡¯s face, thought he had said something wrong, and hesitated, not knowing how to respond.


    Chen Yuchuan asked again, ¡°Have Lu Yang been here previously?¡±


    After hesitating, Xiao Yang said, ¡°Brother Yang often comes by himself. I also asked him why you didn¡¯t come with him, and he said that you¡¯ve been very busy lately. He¡¯s here today, right in the innermost arena, fighting with Brother He¡­¡±


    Before Xiao Yang had even finished speaking, Chen Yuchuan picked up the card and the key on the counter table, and strode away. He quickly entered the lounge, changed his clothes, put away his mobile phone, and walked to the innermost ring, wearing boxing gloves.


    But he stopped before he reached the innermost arena. He stood frozen at the corner of a large pillar, and from a distance, he could see Lu Yang in the middle of punching someone in the boxing ring.


    Lu Yang was wearing a sleeveless sweatshirt and had bare feet. Except for the bandages on his wrists and ankles, he wasn¡¯t wearing any other protective gears. He raised his fists in front of his eyes, his body jumping and moving to attack.


    Chen Yuchuan knew Lu Yang¡¯s opponent. His name was He Jun, and he was a professional boxer who had won many awards.


    Chen Yuchuan stood beside the pillar, and his hands in the boxing gloves tightened unconsciously as his gaze landed on Lu Yang¡¯s left leg. After watching for a while, his eyes moved up and stopped at Lu Yang¡¯s chest again.


    Hearing the muffled sound of fists hitting body in the arena, Chen Yuchuan came back to his senses. When he was about to walk over, he realized that the two people on the stage were not really competing, but were simply practicing a few moves against each other.


    Lu Yang and He Jun should have been practicing for quite some time. Lu Yang¡¯s hair was soaked with sweat, and his clothes were clinging to his body, vaguely tracing the outlines of strong muscles.


    Someone came and called out to He Jun. He Jun said a few words to the person, took off his gloves, turned his head, and told Lu Yang, ¡°Brother Yang, I have something to do so I¡¯ll go back first. We can make an appointment for another day.¡±


    Lu Yang nodded to him, and they both raised their hands to say goodbye.


    As Lu Yang was about to take off his gloves and step down, he turned around and saw Chen Yuchuan wearing boxing gloves and standing next to the pillar.


    They looked at each other for a while.


    Lu Yang looked away first. Taking off his gloves, he began to walk toward the ropes. Chen Yuchuan ran over. Lifting the rope fence, he lifted his leg and jumped onto the stage, blocking Lu Yang.


    Chen Yuchuan hooked his lips and said, ¡°Mr. Lu, what a coincidence. Now that we¡¯ve seen each other, it¡¯s impossible to leave without a fight. It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve played, and my hands are a little itchy. How about we have a round?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have time today. Perhaps we can do it another day.¡± Lu Yang stepped to the side and tried to bypass Chen Yuchuan.


    But the moment he moved a step, Chen Yuchuan also raised his leg and followed a step, blocking him. ¡°No time? You have no time, but you still always come by yourself?¡±


    As he spoke, the corners of Chen Yuchuan¡¯s mouth lifted into a grin, but his eyes were not smiling. They were like cold water, making everyone who looked at him feel a biting chill.


    Lu Yang no longer tried to go around him. He knew that if he didn¡¯t fight Chen Yuchuan today, he wouldn¡¯t be able to leave.


    Since he couldn¡¯t walk away, then he had no choice but to fight. Lu Yang put his gloves back on and stepped back to the center of the boxing ring. He knocked his boxing gloves against Chen Yuchuan¡¯s and said, ¡°Come on then. You haven¡¯t practiced in a long time, are you sure you¡¯ll be okay?¡±


    Chen Yuchuan rubbed the corner of his mouth with his glove and snorted coldly. He adjusted his posture, stepped strategically in front of Lu Yang, and launched an attack.


    Lu Yang easily blocked Chen Yuchuan¡¯s punch. While Chen Yuchuan attacked, Lu Yang defended.


    Lu Yang was the one who had taught Chen Yuchuan how to box. Of course, he knew where Chen Yuchuan¡¯s strengths and weaknesses were. After a few minutes, he gradually shifted from defense to offense.


    Chen Yuchuan saw that Lu Yang was fighting seriously. He took a deep breath, resumed his defensive posture, and began to watch Lu Yang¡¯s movements.


    He hadn¡¯t fought in a long time, and so it took a while for him to ease back into the flow of it. Therefore, he fell behind and was soon suppressed by Lu Yang.


    A few minutes later, Lu Yang made a wrong judgment and landed a wrong punch.


    Chen Yuchuan took advantage of this opportunity, raised his leg, and directly kicked Lu Yang¡¯s chest.


    Lu Yang fell back two steps but didn¡¯t fall.


    However, Chen Yuchuan no longer attacked. He stopped in a panicked daze.


    Seeing that he¡¯d stopped, Lu Yang raised his hand at Chen Yuchuan and shouted loudly, ¡°That¡¯s it? Come again¡­¡±


    But Chen Yuchuan¡¯s eyes were still fixed on Lu Yang¡¯s chest. His offense gradually weakened and his defense became a thorough mess.


    It didn¡¯t take long at all for Lu Yang to suppress him. Lu Yang¡¯s elbow pressed into Chen Yuchuan¡¯s back, while most of his body weight held him down.


    Chen Yuchuan lay on the ground, panting heavily. Sweat dropped into his eyes, bitter and painful. He blinked and struggled a few times.


    But Lu Yang pressed down so hard on him that he couldn¡¯t move at all. Knowing that he¡¯d lost, his face flushed red and he turned his head to look at Lu Yang.


    Beads of sweat from Lu Yang¡¯s hair fell onto his forehead, slid across the bridge of his nose, and landed onto Chen Yuchuan¡¯s neck.


    Chen Yuchuan¡¯s neck shrank back, immediately followed by the rise of old flames in his eyes.


    Lu Yang was still pressing down on Chen Yuchuan. He gazed at the blush spreading over the side of Chen Yuchuan¡¯s neck, leaned in closer until his lips grazed against his earlobe, and he said in a voice that only they could hear, ¡°Chen Yuchuan, it¡¯s only a little injury. You really don¡¯t have to treat me like an invalid. Even if you resist, I can still hold you down, whether it¡¯s in bed or in the boxing ring. So are you going to continue or not?¡±

 CH 8

    Chen Yuchuan was a man who could blow up three meters high with just a little bit of fire. However, Lu Yang could always handle him at his worst. At the most appropriate time, he would smooth down Chen Yuchuan¡¯s hair with a few touches.


    And as soon as he touched his hair, Chen Yuchuan would immediately stop.


    But today, he didn¡¯t touch Chen Yuchuan¡¯s hair. Instead, he deliberately poked at Chen Yuchuan¡¯s explosive point.


    Chen Yuchuan was even more incensed. He turned his head and stared at Lu Yang, shouting, ¡°Again¡­¡±


    Lu Yang let go of him, and he took a breath and stood up with arms raised. Facing Lu Yang, he attacked once more.


    They fought three more rounds. This time, Chen Yuchuan didn¡¯t hold back at all, showing his best state. But without exceptions, all three rounds ended with him being pressed down by Lu Yang.


    In the end, Chen Yuchuan was lying on his back in the ring, breathing heavily through parted lips. His clothes were soaked with sweat, and he was dizzy due to excessive physical exertion. Above his head was an advertisement for a certain sports equipment, the billboard seeming to sway chaotically.


    ¡°Still continuing?¡± Lu Yang, who was lying on his back next to Chen Yuchuan, turned his head and asked him.


    ¡°Fuck¡­¡± Chen Yuchaun cussed. ¡°Lu Yang, just you wait¡­¡±


    Lu Yang got up. Standing behind Chen Yuchuan¡¯s head, he looked down at him and said, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll wait¡­¡±


    The moment he finished speaking, he took off his boxing gloves, turned around, and stepped off the stage.


    This time, Chen Yuchuan didn¡¯t call out to stop him. He laid on his back for a long time, until he heard Xiao Yang calling him.


    ¡°Brother Chuan, are you alright?¡±


    When Chen Yuchuan heard Xiao Yang¡¯s voice, he turned over, got up, and raised his arm to wipe away the sweat on his forehead and eyelids. Letting out a breath, he said, ¡°I¡¯m alright.¡±


    Xiao Yang handed him a bottle of energy drink. Chen Yuchuan accepted the drink, said thank you, unscrewed the bottle cap, and drank down most of the content.


    After a shower and a change of clothes, Chen Yuchuan left the lounge and discovered that it was already dark outside. The neon lights outside the window kept changing colors.


    When he reached the front desk, he didn¡¯t leave directly. He stopped in front of the counter and asked Xiao Yang, ¡°Can you show me the record of Lu Yang coming here?¡±


    Xiao Yang became a little embarrassed. He¡¯d watched Chen Yuchuan and Lu Yang boxing in the rings, and he realized that he might have said the wrong thing earlier. He hesitated for a long time before finally saying, ¡°Brother Chuan, we have regulations that members¡¯ records could not be shown to others.¡±


    But Chen Yuchuan didn¡¯t give up. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Xiao Yang. I promised Lu Yang won¡¯t come to make trouble, and we¡¯re also pretty close with Brother Qi.¡±


    Brother Qi was the owner of the boxing gym.


    Xiao Yang hesitated for a while, but in the end, he pulled up Lu Yang¡¯s records for the last six months on the computer. Then he asked Chen Yuchaun to enter behind the counter and look at it himself.


    Chen Yuchuan glanced at the screen. There were at least 5 pages, with 30 records listed on each page.


    He clicked from page to page, until he reached the last entry, which showed the time when Lu Yang entered the boxing gym and swiped his card.


    Chen Yuchuan calculated silently. Except for the times when Lu Yang was on a business trip, he would come almost every night, mostly after he got off work.


    Chen Yuchuan thought that, it turns out that the reason why Lu Yang would return so late every night was because he came here to fight.


    An idea suddenly popped into his heart and he hesitated for a long time. But in the end, he still asked Xiao Yang, ¡°He, every time he came here, did he come by himself?¡±


    Xiao Yang hurriedly nodded. ¡°Brother Chuan, don¡¯t worry. Brother Yang has never brought anyone here before. Every time he came, he was by himself. I always work in the afternoon, and except for the few times when I took leave, I was the one who swiped his card for him.¡±


    Laughing at himself, Chen Yuchuan closed the computer page and thanked Xiao Yang. After bidding him farewell, he turned and walked away.


    Lu Yang came here every night. This was how much he didn¡¯t want to go home, how much he didn¡¯t want to see him.


    Chen Yuchuan left the boxing gym and drove straight to Ling Qun¡¯s bar.


    There were four people sitting in a box, and when Chen Yuchuan pushed open the door, Ling Qun whistled at him.


    ¡°Quick. Look, look, who¡¯s this? Not too bad looking. You came just in time. Come over here and accompany us little young masters.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan closed the door and ribbed him, ¡°Want me to drink with you? I¡¯m afraid you wouldn¡¯t be able to afford my price.¡±


    Hua Boxue interjected, ¡°If Ling Qun can¡¯t afford it, who can afford it? It is only Lu Yang who can afford it?¡±


    Ling Qun laughed with the others and asked him why he didn¡¯t bring Lu Yang along with him.


    ¡°Now, Lu Yang can¡¯t afford it either,¡± Chen Yuchuan said.


    Chen Yuchuan walked in, stood by the seats, and scanned the people in the box. He had known these people for over ten years. When he saw them like this, he knew that they were nearly drunk and would bend their tongue when they spoke.


    In truth, all these people weren¡¯t his friends initially. They were all Lu Yang¡¯s friends.


    Lu Yang had many friends, but he stopped communicating with the ¡°friends¡± that couldn¡¯t get along with Chen Yuchuan.


    What was left were all these people in this room. They were either Lu Yang¡¯s childhood friends or they had experienced many things together with the both of them, and so they all got along very well.


    Now, when there was nothing to do, even if they didn¡¯t call Lu Yang, they would still call Chen Yuchuan.


    Chen Yuchuan walked over to Hua Boxue and squeezed in between him and Ling Qun. Then he asked Hua Boxue for a cigarette.


    As soon as Chen Yuchuan sat down and got close, Hua Boxue saw that the corners of his mouth were a little blue. He took out a lighter and lit up Chen Yuchuan¡¯s cigarette, asking, ¡°You went to the boxing gym to fight again?¡±


    ¡°Fight.¡± Chen Yuchuan remembered the few rounds he¡¯d played with Lu Yang. He knew that Lu Yang had been holding back a little. Although he lost every time, the corners of his mouth was just a little blue.


    Meanwhile, Lu Yang had been punched several times in the face by him. Lu Yang¡¯s face was much uglier than his.


    ¡°I¡¯ve said before that the two of you have such strange tastes, really not something ordinary people can do,¡± Hua Boxue said.


    Chen Yuchuan exhaled and said, ¡°It¡¯s fun to be in love.¡±


    Hua Boxue asked again, ¡°It¡¯s been a week, and you always came by yourself. Lu Yang is willing to let you out to fool around with us for an entire week?¡±


    Chen Yuchuan leaned back against the sofa, closed his eyes, and said, ¡°We separated a week ago.¡±


    His voice wasn¡¯t very loud, and only Hua Boxue and Ling Qun heard him. They didn¡¯t believe him. Ling Qun poured him a glass of alcohol and said, ¡°What nonsense are you speaking here? How can you and Lu Yang be separated?¡±


    Chen Yuchuan straightened, grabbed the wine glass with his cigarette hand, shook it at him, and said, ¡°If we didn¡¯t separate, do you think I could come out and drink with you guys for an entire week? When Lu Yang and I were still together, when did you see me drinking and smoking with you? In the past, when we do get together, didn¡¯t we usually get together in Boxue¡¯s teahouse?¡±


    When they heard this, Ling Qun and Hua Boxue looked at each other, and then looked at Chen Yuchuan, who was drinking while seated between them.


    Ling Qun leaned back and said loudly, ¡°You¡¯ve really split up?¡±


    Ling Qun¡¯s voice was so loud that the other two heard it and turned to look at them.


    You Jiarong was the first to ask, ¡°Who split up? Ling Qun, you got a divorce?¡±


    Ling Qun kicked the talking You Jiarong. ¡°I¡¯m not even fucking married yet, who am I going to split up with?¡±


    You Jiarong lifted his foot and kicked him back. ¡°Then hurry up and tie the knot. Why are you venting your anger here?¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s separated?¡± asked Huang Jiang, who was sitting next to You Jiarong. He pointed to You Jiarong and Chen Yuchuan. ¡°Of the people in this room, the three of us are married.¡±


    Right after saying this, he asked You Jiarong, ¡°You¡¯ve separated?¡±


    You Jiarong was notoriously afraid of his wife. His wife was like his god.


    ¡°It¡¯s me. I¡¯ve separated¡­¡± Chen Yuchuan downed the alcohol in his glass, squinted his eyes, and focused on stretching his mouth into a grin. His voice was weak but it wasn¡¯t small, and everyone in the box could hear it clearly.


    The box suddenly became quiet. No one believed it at first, but looking at Chen Yuchuan¡¯s current reaction, it didn¡¯t seem to be fake.


    Ling Qun thought for a while and then said, ¡°You two are just kidding around.¡±


    After hearing what Ling Qun said, the rest of them thought that it was quite reasonable, and they all began to tease Chen Yuchuan.


    You Jiarong and Huang Jiang were called away early by their wife, leaving Chen Yuchuan, Ling Qun, and Hua Boxue to get drunk.


    In the end, Ling Qun said that he¡¯ll get a cab for Chen Yuchuan, but as soon as Chen Yuchuan heard cab, he started scolding him and said that he was unwilling to let him call a driver for himself.


    As a result, Ling Qun called Lu Yang directly, and Lu Yang answered the call quickly.


    ¡°Lu Yang, hurry up and take your spouse home. He drank too much and refused to let me call a driver for him. We all drank and so no one could send him home.¡±


    In fact, there were other people in Ling Qun¡¯s bar, and they all knew Chen Yuchuan. He called Lu Yang on purpose. It was his spouse and so he had to take care of him himself.


    Lu Yang soon arrived at Ling Qun¡¯s bar, and when Hua Boxue saw the bruises at the corners of Lu Yang¡¯s eyes and mouth, he patted him on the shoulder, and repeated what he had said to Chen Yuchuan.


    ¡°As I said, the two of you have unique tastes¡­¡±


    Lu Yang didn¡¯t say anything, and Huo Boxue also didn¡¯t say much. He just greeted him and left.


    Chen Yuchuan was lying on the sofa, mumbling incoherently to himself. From time to time, he would clench his fist and wave it hard, throwing his fist against the air until he landed a hard punch on the sofa.


    ¡°This drunk is still boxing,¡± Ling Qun said next to him. ¡°Lu Yang, take your person away.¡±


    Lu Yang walked to the sofa and gently kicked the calf that was slumped by the sofa. ¡°Chen Yuchuan, get up.¡±


    ¡°Dammit, I can¡¯t do it. I can¡¯t do it today.¡±


    Ling Qun looked at them like this and was unconcerned so he left directly. As he was leaving, he turned back and threw a key to Lu Yang.


    ¡°The room upstairs is still empty. I don¡¯t care what you do, I have a headache. If you can¡¯t take him back, you can stay upstairs tonight.¡±


    Lu Yang took the key with one hand and looked at Chen Yuchuan. Finally, he nodded and said, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll take him upstairs.¡±


    Before Ling Qun left, he wanted to ask Lu Yang about their divorce, but seeing that Lu Yang already had his arms around Chen Yuchuan, he felt that this question was redundant.


    Even if they were really separated, it was just idle farts. They were just making trouble. After tossing for a bit, they would make up.


    In the week after the divorce, although Chen Yuchuan came out every day and seemed quite relaxed, he only drank moderately. It was only tonight that he was smashed drunk.


    He hadn¡¯t recovered from the divorce, and his heart was still heavy. But today, when he saw the records of Lu Yang¡¯s visits to the boxing gym, he felt a sense of desolation in his heart.


    Chen Yuchuan was dizzy when he was on the sofa, and he became even dizzier when he was carried away by Lu Yang.


    But his fists had not been idle. He had been swinging, punching Lu Yang¡¯s chest for a bit before punching his shoulders, and then finally clipping Lu Yang¡¯s chin.


    He also scolded, ¡°Lu Yang, I¡¯m going to beat you to the ground today. I¡¯m going to press you down¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll beat you next time.¡±


    ¡°Lu Yang, you self-centered show-off (1).¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have an uncle.¡±


    ¡°Lu Yang, I¡¯m going to beat you.¡± Chen Yuchuan threw a few more punches.


    ¡°If you want to beat me, you have to practice hard,¡± Lu Yang said in a fierce voice. ¡°You¡¯re completely wasted. If you keep flailing, I¡¯ll throw you down.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan was drunk and was chatting with Lu Yang sentence by sentence. He thought he was dreaming and he was still fighting with Lu Yang in the dream.


    Lu Yang didn¡¯t know if Chen Yuchuan heard him or not, but after what he¡¯d said about throwing him down, he no longer moved. He finally took a deep breath.


    Lu Yang carried Chen Yuchuan to the room and put him on the bed. Chen Yuchuan immediately turned over, grabbed the bedcover beside him, raised one leg, and threw it over the bedcover. He curled up and muttered, ¡°Let¡¯s keep fighting.¡±


    For half the night, Chen Yuchuan dreamed that he was fighting with Lu Yang. In the dream, he was sore all over, and later, he dreamed that he was fighting with someone. He wasn¡¯t fighting Lu Yang. Rather, he and Lu Yang were fighting together.


    That was the year he¡¯d met Lu Yang, and at that time, he was only 18 years old.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Translation Notes:


    (1) Self-centered show-off: The words used here was ´óÒ¯, which could be d¨¤ y¨¦ (self-centered show-off) or d¨¤ ye (uncle). This explains Lu Yang¡¯s response about not having an uncle.

 CH 9

    Chen Yuchuan¡¯s father died when he was 13 years old. His father was working at a construction site when he was accidentally killed by a falling object. Every day after, his mother would go to the construction site with a sign asking for compensation. As a result, her arm was broken, and with no money for the hospital, her left hand became disabled.


    On the first day of the new year, Chen Yuchuan held the sign his mother had been holding. He found a local media company and stood at the door of the newspaper every day until they finally took a photo of him and wrote an article.


    His parents¡¯ story made the news, and after it gained momentum, his father¡¯s compensation was quickly dispensed to them.


    However, good things don¡¯t come in pairs. Bad luck trailed them again and again. In the third year, his mother was diagnosed with uremia and all of his father¡¯s compensation money was spent on her treatment.


    As a result, at the age of 16, Chen Yuchuan dropped out of school in order to work various kinds of odd jobs. He was a little hooligan all day long, and he had no shame in it. All he wanted was to make money to pay for his mother¡¯s dialysis.


    When he was 18 years old, he worked as an apprentice at a car garage during the day and as a security guard in a bar at night.


    Later, as he watched the going-ons in the bar, he discovered that the waiters actually made a lot of money, and even some people could earn hundreds of thousands of dollars a night.


    Chen Yuchuan was so moved that he became a waiter selling wine.


    The day he met Lu Yang, it was Lu Yang¡¯s 22nd birthday, and his friends were celebrating his birthday at the bar.


    Chen Yuchuan was the waiter in their box, responsible for taking their orders and serving them wine.


    There were more than a dozen people in the box, and they played from 7pm to 11pm. Among them, Lu Yang was undoubtedly the most conspicuous person.


    It wasn¡¯t just because he was the protagonist of the night. Even if he wasn¡¯t the protagonist, he would still be the most conspicuous person there. Well-dressed in a suit, with neat, short hair, deep eyebrows, and a sharp profile, he was very unforgettable.


    His appearance was too outstanding, with a temperament that Chen Yuchuan himself couldn¡¯t put a finger on.


    Chen Yuchuan only knew his name because he had heard others address him as Brother Yang or Lu Yang.


    But in Chen Yuchuan¡¯s eyes, no matter how outstanding Lu Yang was, he was no different from last night¡¯s, the night before last, and tomorrow¡¯s customers.


    The only difference was that Chen Yuchuan would often encounter customers who would try to harass him, but for the first time in that box that night, he was able to work smoothly from start to finish.


    No one yelled at him, no one drank too much, and there was no wretched man with a fat belly trying to take advantage of him.


    No matter what kind of wine Chen Yuchuan tried to promote, Lu Yang would always say yes.


    Later, Chen Yuchuan chose more expensive wines, and still Lu Yang didn¡¯t resist. Whatever he tried to promote, Lu Yang would order.


    It got to the point where Chen Yuchuan began to feel a little sorry. He felt that he shouldn¡¯t take advantage of others. In the end, he no longer tried to promote any more wines.


    He did the math that night. He should have gotten 2000 yuan, which was the most he had ever earned in a single night. This would be enough to cover dialysis a few times, and so he felt pretty good as he got off work.


    He was paid at the end of the work day. When he went to see the boss to settle the amount, the boss deducted 500 yuan and only gave him 1500 on the grounds that an ashtray was broken in the box.


    Of course, Chen Yuchuan naturally couldn¡¯t accept this. He chased the boss from his office all the way to his car, until the boss told him to either scram or lose his job.


    By that point, he was already holding a brick he¡¯d picked up from the roadside. He wanted to smash the boss¡¯s car window, but after thinking about the 1500 in his pocket, he finally endured. This bar was the only place that would allow him to make quick money.


    After the boss drove off, he threw the brick away and tucked his hands in his pockets, fingers wrapping around the 1500. He scolded his boss up to the 18th generation for nearly half an hour. It wasn¡¯t until his mouth was so dry that he couldn¡¯t scold anymore did he think about going home. In order to shorten the walk home, he took a shortcut through a small alleyway.


    The moment Chen Yuchuan stepped into the small alley, he heard the sounds of fighting and cursing. He stood at the entrance of the alleyway for a moment. He could see that the fight was one against four, and that one person wasn¡¯t lagging either.


    Chen Yuchuan wasn¡¯t a good young man who was nosy and helpful. Usually, he would just pat his butt and walk away. At most, he would find a public phone booth and call the police.


    But that day, his heart was still on fire from having 500 yuan deducted. What¡¯s more, he recognized the one person fighting against four; it was Lu Yang, who was the guest of honor in the box he¡¯d served that night.


    And the 1500 in his pocket now was all due to this Lu Yang in the alley.


    Chen Yuchuan took out the 1500 and secured the money in the innermost pocket of his jacket. This pocket had buttons so he needn¡¯t have to worry about the money falling out.


    After securing the money, he clenched his fist and rushed in. What was originally one against four turned into two against four.


    Chen Yuchuan had been in frequent fights since he was a child, but he only knew how to use the brute force in his body. On the other hand, Lu Yang, who was next to him, fought with power and skill. He knew at a glance that Lu Yang was a practiced fighter.


    However, he didn¡¯t expect that one of their opponents would have a knife. When the four were about to be overpowered, the bald-headed one pulled out a dagger from his pocket.


    In the darkened alley, the blade flashed a cold light, and Baldie shouted that he was going to cut off Lu Yang¡¯s leg.


    When Lu Yang saw the knife in Baldie¡¯s hand, he told Chen Yuchuan to leave first.


    At the time, Chen Yuchuan was actually quite frightened. He wasn¡¯t a hero who would put himself on the line for a stranger, and he regretted not finding a phone booth and calling the police instead. But since he had already joined in on the fight, there was no reason to retreat halfway.


    Baldie held the dagger, and when Lu Yang was too engaged to watch his side, the man dashed forward and tried to stab him in the side. Chen Yuchuan kicked Baldie¡¯s wrist, sending the dagger flying out into the trash can.


    With a low roar, Lu Yang directly slammed Baldie¡¯s head to the ground. Seeing that he was almost on the verge of killing Baldie, Chen Yuchuan feared for his life and pulled him away.


    The other three dragged Baldie and ran away.


    Chen Yuchuan slumped down with his back leaning against the crumbling alley wall. After a long time, he patted Lu Yang, who was sitting beside him with red eyes.


    Chen Yuchuan asked, ¡°I say, big brother, who did you provoke? Someone even wanted to stab you and cut your leg off.¡±


    Lu Yang didn¡¯t answer, because he wasn¡¯t certain who those people were. He rolled his wrist and said, ¡°Thank you for helping me.¡±


    ¡°You definitely have to thank me, or you would have been stabbed in the stomach today.¡±


    Lu Yang repeated, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    After thanking him, he asked, ¡°What do you want?¡±


    Chen Yuchuan tilted his head to look at him. Lu Yang had recovered a lot and no longer looked so angry.


    When they were in the box, he could tell with a single glance that Lu Yang was quite rich, and not the ordinary kind of rich either.


    He wasn¡¯t a saint, and if someone cheated him, he would take revenge. This time, although he only helped this person because he wanted to relieve his anger, no matter what his original intention was, the end result was that he¡¯d still helped him.


    With Lu Yang rushing to thank him, he couldn¡¯t pretend and say, ¡°You¡¯re welcome, you¡¯re welcome. I¡¯m a living Lei Feng(1).¡±


    Chen Yuchuan wasn¡¯t the kind of person to just say you¡¯re welcome and leave it at that. What he lacked most now was money, but he refused to open his mouth and ask people for money. He still reserved a little self-esteem for himself.


    He leaned against the wall with his arms folded, and when he kicked the wall subconsciously with his heel, a large piece of the wall crumbled down once more.


    He thought about it and said, ¡°If you ever come to the bar next time, just write down my number when you order wine.¡±


    Lu Yang nodded happily. ¡°No. 26, Chen Yuchuan, right?¡±


    At first, Chen Yuchuan wanted to ask him how he knew his name, but he suddenly remembered that his waiter¡¯s shirt had a badge with his number and his name on it.


    He hummed, indicating that Lu Yang was correct.


    ¡°How old are you this year?¡± Lu Yang asked.


    Chen Yuchuan replied, ¡°18.¡±


    ¡°18,¡± Lu Yang repeated. Then he added, ¡°I¡¯m four years older than you. I¡¯m 22, and today is actually my birthday.¡±


    Internally, Chen Yuchuan was thinking, your 22nd birthday is none of my business, but outwardly, he casually said, ¡°Happy Birthday, then.¡±


    Then he heard Lu Yang introduce himself. ¡°My name is Lu Yang. The lu from road, the yang from sunshine.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan made an ¡°oh¡± to indicate that he understood. Since Lu Yang already knew his name, he didn¡¯t think he needed to introduce himself.


    In his heart, he felt that it was very stupid for two men to stay in an alley at night and introduce themselves after the tailend of a fight.


    They stood silently against the wall of the alley for a long time.


    Chen Yuchuan¡¯s anger was almost extinguished. He stood up and was about to leave when he suddenly remembered something. He said, ¡°By the way, do you have a car?¡±


    Lu Yang thought that he wanted him to give him a ride home, and so he nodded and said, ¡°I do have a car. Where are you going? I¡¯ll take you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going anymore, and I don¡¯t need you to take me,¡± Chen Yuchuan said. Then he asked, ¡°Do you know Yuansheng Garage?¡±


    After asking this, he felt a little regretful. The garage was tucked in a little corner and very few people knew about it.


    Sure enough, Lu Yang shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know where it is. What about it?¡±


    ¡°Forget it. I¡¯ll just tell you where it is directly.¡± Chen Yuchuan waved his hand. ¡°It¡¯s on Qingyang Road. Go east all the way to the end of the road and there will be a small garage in the right corner. If you need a carwash, or car maintenance or something, go there and sign up under my name.¡±


    Lu Yang thought he would say something like ¡°signing up under my name will get you a discount.¡±


    Unexpectedly, Chen Yuchuan said, ¡°If you sign up under my name, I¡¯ll get a commission.¡±


    Lu Yang let out a surprised laugh, not expecting that Chen Yuchuan would be so direct.


    Chen Yuchuan didn¡¯t know what Lu Yang was laughing about, but he didn¡¯t care. So he asked again, ¡°Do you remember the address?¡±


    Lu Yang nodded. ¡°I remember. Qingyang Road, go east all the way to the end, on the right-hand corner is Yuangsheng Garage?¡±


    Chen Yuchuan snapped his fingers. ¡°Yes. You have a pretty good memory.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I have remembered it.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget to register my name when you go,¡± Chen Yuchuan directed again.


    ¡°I won¡¯t forget.¡± Lu Yang paused for a few seconds and said his name, ¡°Chen Yuchuan¡­¡±


    Lu Yang¡¯s voice was slightly lower now, and he sounded serious when he said Chen Yuchuan¡¯s name.


    Chen Yuchuan didn¡¯t think much of it at the time, and he said, ¡°Yes, my name is Chen Yuchuan.¡±


    A cold night wind blew across the alleyway and into his face, making him feel a little cold.


    He pulled his hoodie over his head, tucked his hands into his pockets, shrank his neck down for warmth, said goodbye to Lu Yang, and left.


    Later, although Chen Yuchuan wasn¡¯t being casual when he had mentioned the garage, he didn¡¯t really expect that Lu Yang would actually come.


    Even more, he didn¡¯t expect that Lu Yang would directly drive over the next morning.


    When Lu Yang got out of his car and found Chen Yuchuan, he was lying under the belly of a car, a wrench in his hand. His face and overalls were covered with black oil spots, and only his eyes were bright and clear.


    When Chen Yuchuan looked at people seriously, it would make them feel as if he had no one else in his eyes but them.


    This was what Lu Yang saw inside the box in the bar, in the alley, and now.


    Lu Yang saw him only three times, and he fell for him just like that.


    From under the bottom of the car, Chen Yuchuan could see that Lu Yang was still wearing a suit. The only difference was that the suit last night was gray, while this suit was black with a very white dress shirt.


    Looking up at Lu Yang from his position below, he felt that Lu Yang was very tall and had very long legs.


    Of course, he already knew that Lu Yang was tall with long legs. Last night, he was the tallest one in the entire box, and he was more than half a head taller than Chen Yuchuan himself.


    Chen Yuchuan felt a little uncomfortable being stared at by Lu Yang. To be precise, he felt that when Lu Yang looked at him, his eyes seemed to be on fire. After being looked at by him for a long time, it was easy to feel burning hot.


    Chen Yuchuan turned his gaze away and focused on repairing the car.


    Lu Yang squatted down in front of the car, lowered his head, and followed Chen Yuchuan¡¯s movements from underneath the car with his eyes. He asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with this car?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s something wrong with the oil seal, causing the oil to leak. It won¡¯t take too long to fix. I¡¯ll be done soon.¡±


    As Chen Yuchuan continued to work on the car, Lu Yang continued to squat beside him and would ask from time to time if he needed help.


    Chen Yuchuan stopped his movements and glanced at him, ¡°Do you know how to fix cars?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Then how can you help?¡±


    ¡°You look a little thirsty. Maybe I can get you a glass of water or something?¡±


    Chen Yuchuan was indeed really thirsty. He licked his dry lips and wasn¡¯t polite. He pointed with the wrench at the shelf next to him. ¡°My water¡¯s over there, the blue thermal insulation cup. You can help get it for me.¡±


    Lu Yang said ok and stood up to get Chen Yuchuan his water.


    Seeing that he was coming back, Chen Yuchuan got out from underneath the car. When Lu Yang reached out to help him, he directly placed his dirty hand on Lu Yang¡¯s palm.


    Lu Yang¡¯s hand was very hot, creating a thin layer of fine sweat. Chen Yuchuan gripped Lu Yang¡¯s hand and Lu Yang pulled him up.


    Letting go of Lu Yang¡¯s hand, Chen Yuchuan took the thermo and said, ¡°Thanks.¡±


    After he¡¯d drank some water, he noticed that he¡¯d left dark smudges on Lu Yang¡¯s palm. He held up the thermo and pointed it to the faucet. ¡°There¡¯s water over there. You can wash your hands.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Lu Yang said.


    It was his choice and so Chen Yichuan said no more. He patted the dirt off his back, stomped his feet, and asked, ¡°I didn¡¯t think you would come. Did you come to get a carwash or is it for repair?¡±


    ¡°A carwash and car maintenance.¡± Lu Yang pointed to the black car parked by the entrance.


    Chen Yuchuan went over to look at the car, opened the hood to check, and said, ¡°Your car is well maintained.¡±


    ¡°It is usually maintained on time.¡±


    ¡°Okay, you go to the counter over there and place an order first,¡± Chen Yuchuan said.


    As he was billed, Lu Yang reported Chen Yuchuan¡¯s name and asked, ¡°How much commission can he get?¡±


    ¡°5 yuan for a car wash and 50 yuan for maintenance.¡±


    ¡°So little?¡± Lu Yang asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s quite a lot. It¡¯s already half and half,¡± said the owner¡¯s wife.


    Lu Yang didn¡¯t say anything more. He took out his wallet, paid, and accepted the receipt.


    Chen Yuchuan thought that Lu Yang would leave, but he didn¡¯t expect him to stay in the store, standing and occasionally handing him tools.


    ¡°Boss Lu isn¡¯t busy today?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not busy,¡± Lu Yang said. ¡°You can call me Lu Yang directly, you don¡¯t need to call me Boss Lu.¡±


    ¡°Okay then, Lu Yang.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan looked at the clothes he was wearing, and told him several times that he should go and sit down.


    Lu Yang just hummed in acknowledgement, but he didn¡¯t leave. It wasn¡¯t until he received a call did he finally say that he was leaving.


    At one point in the morning, Lu Yang had handed Chen Yuchuan a wrench, and later, had also handed him the engine oil. No matter how clean he had initially been, it could not withstand these. When he left, his white shirt had two buttons undone and his leather shoes were splattered with black spots.


    When Yu Lang turned to leave, Chen Yuchuan saw the spots of oil on his shoes and couldn¡¯t help but tease, ¡°Coming back tomorrow?¡±


    Lu Yang got into his car and leaned his arm on the edge of the open window. ¡°Yes. If I don¡¯t come, I¡¯m afraid you might not be able to find the wrench.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan let out an ¡°ahh¡± and said, ¡°Indeed, if not for you, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to find the wrench.¡±


    He thought that Lu Yang was only joking, and so he was surprised when he saw Lu Yang again that night.


    After getting off work, Lu Yang went directly to the bar where Chen Yuchuan was working and ordered many expensive wines. He rented a box by himself and requested that Chen Yuchuan be his server.


    Chen Yuchuan kept serving him wine, and yet Lu Yang would not drink and would instead just leave them on the table.


    Finally, when Lu Yang ordered another bottle of expensive wine, Chen Yuchuan became a little anxious. ¡°You don¡¯t need to order so much and waste your money. These same brands are cheaper at the supermarkets.¡±


    When Chen Yuchuan said this, he¡¯d forgotten that last night, he¡¯d told someone to record his server number.


    Lu Yang said, ¡°It¡¯s okay, since you helped me yesterday.¡±


    Lu Yang said it very lightly, but Chen Yuchuan didn¡¯t relax. He held the serving plate with both hands, took a deep breath, and said, ¡°You already went to get a car wash today and now you¡¯ve ordered so much wine. We¡¯re even now.¡±


    Now that he¡¯d said this, he thought Lu Yang would not return again. But he still came every day, seven nights in a row. During the day, he would drive a different car to the garage, and all of the car had to be washed and maintained. At night, he would patronize the bar and order all kinds of expensive wine.


    ¡°Boss Lu, don¡¯t waste money like this. Don¡¯t order any more wines. The wine here sucks. As I¡¯ve said before, we¡¯re even now, and so you really don¡¯t need to do this.¡±


    When Lu Yang came and ordered wine on the seventh day, Chen Yuchuan refused to budge. ¡°I won¡¯t give it to you today, even if you ordered it.¡±


    Lu Yang just smiled and said, ¡°Okay, then I won¡¯t be here tomorrow.¡±


    One the eight day, Lu Yang really didn¡¯t come. Chen Yuchuan washed a few cars during the day and repaired two more cars with his master.


    Seeing him so absent-minded and continuously glancing at the door, the master finally asked, ¡°Who are you looking for? Waiting for Boss Lu?¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s waiting for him?¡± Chen Yuchuan denied. Then he added, ¡°What makes you think I¡¯m waiting for him?¡±


    The master smiled at him and didn¡¯t say anything.


    That night, Lu Yang didn¡¯t come to the bar either, and neither did he come the night after that.


    On the eleventh day, when Lu Yang finally showed up at the garage, Chen Yuchuan was resting his arm on the shelf, seemingly fascinated by the wrench in his hand. When he heard ¡°Chen Yuchuan,¡± the wrench fell from his hand and nearly smashed him in the foot.


    Lu Yang reacted quickly and caught the wrench as it fell.


    Putting the wrench on the shelf next to him, Lu Yang said, ¡°Are you busy today? I brought a car that needs to be washed. I already put your name down.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan just stood there, looking at Lu Yang with lowered eyebrows. ¡°I¡¯ve already told you that we¡¯re even now. Your car is still good. You don¡¯t need to come and get it washed by me. And our maintenance isn¡¯t as good as a 4S shop.¡±


    Lu Yang stood next to Chen Yuchuan and said, ¡°That¡¯s fine. I¡¯m not really here to get a carwash or to get maintenance done on my car.¡±


    ¡°Then what are you doing here?¡±


    Lu Yang didn¡¯t speak and just looked at him.


    Chen Yuchuan wasn¡¯t a fool. Lu Yang¡¯s words were obvious enough to make him realize that Lu Yang liked him.


    He raised his eyebrows and said, ¡°So what, you came not to wash your car but to try to woo me?¡±


    Lu Yang didn¡¯t deny it. Instead, he leaned against the shelf with Chen Yuchuan and asked, ¡°Have you ever been in love before?¡±


    Feeling a little confused, Chen Yuchuan lit up a cigarette and put it in his mouth.


    Lu Yang looked at the skillful way in which Chen Yuchuan had lit up his cigarette. Just as Chen Yuchuan was about to start smoking, he directly took the cigarette from his mouth and stubbed it out on the wall.


    ¡°Hey, why did you take my cigarette?¡± Chen Yuchuan cried.


    ¡°Do you want to try?¡± Lu Yang asked.


    ¡°Try, what nonsense. Try¡­¡± With his cigarette gone, so was Chen Yuchuan¡¯s calm.


    ¡°Fall in love with me, date me, do you want to try it?¡± Lu Yang took away the cigarette case and the lighter from Chen Yuchuan¡¯s hands. ¡°At 18, you¡¯re already smoking. How old are you?¡±


    As he listened to him, Chen Yuchuan no longer tried to take back his cigarettes. He crossed his arms and said, ¡°Then why don¡¯t you tell me? I¡¯m only 18, but you want to date me?¡±


    Lu Yang laughed. ¡°At 18, you¡¯re an adult. You can date.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan raised an arm and rested his palm on the shelf support. He turned his head and looked out into the distance.


    At the end of his line of sight was the sunset on the horizon, with a few red clouds gathering quietly. He said, ¡°I won¡¯t try.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Chen Yuchuan turned his head, and his eyes seemed to also be stained with a little bit of red by those red clouds. ¡°What does it mean to try? If you just want to hook up with me, then that won¡¯t do. Don¡¯t fool me because I am young. If you want to date, then I don¡¯t want to just try, I want to date seriously.¡±

 CH 10

    It was noon when Chen Yuchuan woke up. He lay on the bed and turned several times, rolling from the head of the bed to the end of the bed, only to realize that he was sleeping in the room above Ling Qun¡¯s bar.


    In the past, when he and Lu Yang had gathered for a drink at Ling Qun¡¯s bar and it had ended too late, they would stay in this room.


    Chen Yuchuan got up and sat cross-legged with one leg drooping under the edge of the bed, toes pressed to the floor.


    The chill of the floor shot up from his toes to his throat, and he swallowed, suddenly more awake now.


    He ran a hand through his messy bed-hair and looked down at himself.


    He was wearing only a pair of underwear. Rubbing his throbbing temple, he thought for a long time but could not remember how he got here yesterday or how he took off his clothes.


    He stretched his neck and looked at the clothes scattered all over the floor. The way the clothes were scattered was very similar to his style.


    He lowered his head and sniffed himself, but there was no scent of alcohol on his body. He didn¡¯t remember taking a bath last night.


    His shoulders were a little bruised from his fight with Lu Yang in the boxing gym yesterday, and it hurted when he pressed it with the tip of his index finger.


    Chen Yuchuan heaved a sigh of relief and scolded, Lu Yang, you self-centered show-off, I¡¯ll definitely beat you next time.


    After he was done scolding, he remembered the dream he¡¯d had last night and he felt happy again.


    In the dream, he was 18 and Lu Yang was 22, a decent, gentle, and successful person. When they were dating, they each tentatively stretched out their hands until their two hands touched.


    But he refused to dwell too much on memories, because doing so would make it extremely easy to feel melancholic.


    Chen Yuchuan had a splitting headache, and he rubbed his throbbing forehead for a long time.


    Once he felt better, he jumped off the bed on bare feet and went to take a shower.


    After washing up, he picked up the clothes on the ground and put them back on with no small measure of disgust. He sniffed the collar of his shirt and could easily smell the strong stench of alcohol.


    He grabbed his phone and car keys on the bedside table and decided to go home, take another shower, and change into a new set of clothes.


    He didn¡¯t even think about why his clothes were scattered so messily but his cell phone and car keys were neatly stacked.


    Ling Qun¡¯s bar was closed in the early hours of the morning. Chen Yuchuan knew that Ling Qun was still sleeping so he didn¡¯t bother him. He only sent a text message to say that he was leaving and that the room key was in the cabinet drawer in the front desk.


    Chen Yuchuan drove home in a hurry, and by the time he reached the fifth floor, he was already starting to unbutton the top of his shirt.


    But just as he had just finished undoing the first button and was still muttering irritably, he saw a woman standing at the door of the house, holding a dog leash in her hand. His mouth snapped shut and his hands began to subconsciously redo the button and smooth down his clothes.


    The woman standing at his door was about to open the door with the key in her hand. Attached to the leash on her other hand was the fat dog that he and Lu Yang had raised.


    Chubby was very excited to see Chen Yuchuan. After all, he hadn¡¯t seen his father in a week, and so he jumped on Chen Yuchuan several times. Finally, he placed his two paws on Chen Yuchuan¡¯s thighs and barked with his tongue lolling.


    Chen Yuchuan raised his hand and touched Chubby¡¯s neck. Straightening, he opened his mouth at the woman and laughed loudly, calling out, ¡°Mom, why are you here? Why didn¡¯t you tell me that you¡¯re coming?¡±


    The woman in front of him, Man Yunxin, was Lu Yang¡¯s mother and his mother-in-law.


    Man Yunxin was wearing an elegant black dress. She was nearly sixty years old but looked only forty years old. The makeup on her face was elegant and delicate, and her hair was pulled back, adding to the unmatched temperament that she exuded.


    Chen Yuchuan wasn¡¯t afraid of much, but what he was most afraid of was his mother-in-law. To be honest, it wasn¡¯t that he was afraid of her, but that he just took her as his mother.


    If he had to say who Lu Yang looked like, he would definitely say that he looked like his mother, both in appearance and in personality.


    Chen Yuchuan¡¯s mother-in-law was a pianist, and she came from a famous scholarly family. Whenever Chen Yuchuan got close to her, he felt that he could smell the scent of books and musical notes, which was the temperament and heritage that she radiated from inside out.


    Man Yunxin stood at the door and looked Chen Yuchuan up and down. She asked in a warm voice, ¡°Xiao Chun, why is the collar of your shirt so wrinkled? I knocked on the door for a long time but no one answered, so I took out the key to open the door myself. I just sent you a text message.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan lowered his head and smoothed out his shirt again. Then he took out his mobile phone and looked at it. Man Yunxin really did send him a text message ten minutes ago, saying that she and Lu Yang¡¯s father were going on vacation and wanted to bring Chubby back.


    Chen Yuchuan put the phone back in his pocket, took Chubby¡¯s leash, walked over, and hooked Men Yunxin¡¯s arm. He said with a smile, ¡°Mom, I was driving just now and didn¡¯t see it.¡±


    The reason Chen Yuchuan was afraid of his mother-in-law wasn¡¯t because she was too fierce. No, no matter what she said, she would always be gentle and soft-spoken.


    Such a woman seemed to know quite well how to handle a bastard like Chen Yuchuan.


    At the beginning of his and Lu Yang¡¯s relationship, Lu Yang¡¯s parents didn¡¯t like him at all, and so they strongly opposed their relationship.


    Chen Yuchuan didn¡¯t fear harshness, didn¡¯t fear being ignored, didn¡¯t fear angry words, didn¡¯t fear being beatened unreasonably, but he was initially at a loss about how to deal with such a mother-in-law.


    Because, she wouldn¡¯t mess with you, wouldn¡¯t quarrel with you, wouldn¡¯t lose her temper and wouldn¡¯t beat you like a shrew.


    She would stand right in front of you, her expression gentle and mild, as if she didn¡¯t care very much. First, she would nod politely at you, a gentle smile gracing the corners of her mouth, and then she would say, ¡°Xiao Chuan¡¯er, I know you¡¯ve both been together for a while, and that it¡¯s not easy for you. But I just don¡¯t quite agree with your relationship. You and Lu Yang are from different worlds.¡±


    Those were the heaviest words he¡¯d ever heard from Man Yunxin over the years.


    On the other hand, Lu Yang¡¯s father, Mr. Lu Xianfeng, had a hot temper that was more in line with his own.


    The way he handled it was different from Man Yunxin. Lu Xianfeng had worked hard in the shopping malls business all his life, and so his way of dealing with it was rude and simple. He directly threw 5 million to Chen Yuchuan to leave his son.


    Chen Yuchuan accepted the check with a smile, and said thank you before leaving the house.


    If someone were to take a check like that, it would be equivalent to disappearing by default.


    But Chen Yuchaun wasn¡¯t typical at all. He took the 5 million check and shook it in front of Lu Yang, showing it off for a long time.


    The next day, he flew himself and Lu Yang to a small island in the Pacific Ocean for a vacation. He took that 5 million as a red envelope given to him by his father-in-law.


    This incident made Lu Xianfeng jump with anger. After they¡¯d had their fun outside and returned, Lu Xianfeng pointed a finger at Chen Yuchuan and said that he did not keep his words.


    However, Chen Yuchuan only half listened. Before he married Lu Yang, Lu Xianfeng had him thoroughly investigated, to the point that even the matter of his grandfather stealing two chickens in the village was picked up.


    Chen Yuchuan stood in front of the civil affairs bureau with Lu Yang¡¯s arm around his back, and he said, ¡°Don¡¯t say that my grandfather stole two chickens, even if I stole two chickens, my marriage with Lu Yang is already settled.¡±


    Facing such difficult parents-in-laws, Chen Yuchuan had his own set of methods.


    Since his mother-in-law and Lu Yang were of the same temperament, the fact that his mother-in-law didn¡¯t play tricks was great for Chen Yuchuan.


    He was the best at acting coquettish, like a spoiled brat. As soon as they meet, he would act like a spoiled child with his mother-in-law, clinging to her.


    His father-in-law had the same temper as his, and when he saw his father-in-law, he would have two meals with him, two glasses of wine, and utter two sweet words. The moment they started with each other, they would chat quite happily.


    He eventually realized that both his father-in-law and his mother-in-law quite enjoyed his treatment of them.


    His supposition was that, based on Lu Yang¡¯s temperament, Lu Yang had probably never acted coquettish with his parents, even as a child. In this way, Chen Yuchuan was making up for their regret in not being closer to their child as parents.


    After a long time of trying, even if there was no emotion initially, emotions would eventually be grinded out.


    Later, Lu Xianfeng and Man Yuxin began to treat him no differently than Lu Yang, and indeed, they both liked him very much.


    He had heard Lu Yang¡¯s so-called friend teased about this before, saying, ¡°Chen Yuchuan licked Lu Yang¡¯s parents like a pug.¡±


    That bullshit, Lu Yang heard it when they were out drinking, and so he directly beat the man under the table. After that, Lu Yang dropped that man as a friend, the first friend that he¡¯d dropped for Chen Yuchuan.


    At the time, Chen Yuchuan was next to him and he¡¯d tried to pull Lu Yang back. Lu Yang was worried about Chen Yuchuan¡¯s temper, but he didn¡¯t take that bullshit to heart at all.


    Because those were Lu Yang¡¯s parents, and he was Lu Yang¡¯s lover. Of course, he would bow his head to Lu Yang¡¯s parents and coax them.


    He loved Lu Yang, and naturally, he also loved his parents.


    Chubby¡¯s front paws were still on Chen Yuchuan¡¯s pants, his claws scratching him.


    ¡°Mom, isn¡¯t Chubby at fucking¡­¡± Chen Yuchaun said while holding the key, but he caught himself at the last minute and made a smooth turn. ¡°Isn¡¯t Chubby at Lu Yang¡¯s place? Why are you the one bringing him back?¡±


    Chubby¡¯s front paws began to scratch at the door, barking a bit harshly. Chen Yuchuan hurriedly opened the door and Chubby shot through the crack in the door.


    Chubby had been away from home for several days and he¡¯d missed his own home.


    After entering the door, Man Yunxin changed her shoes, walked to the sofa, and sat down. Then she said, ¡°I went to Lu Yang¡¯s office the day before yesterday, and Chubby was with him in his office. He said that you weren¡¯t at home so that¡¯s why he brought Chubby to the office. So, I took Chubby home with me for a few days.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan observed for a moment and found that there were no changes to his mother-in-law¡¯s behavior. He asked tentatively, ¡°Mom¡­Lu Yang didn¡¯t tell you and Dad anything?¡±


    When Man Yunxin heard this, she was a little puzzled at first. Then she thought about it and asked him with a smile, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Did you have a quarrel with Lu Yang?¡±


    As soon as his mother-in-law spoke, Chen Yuchuan knew that Lu Yang hadn¡¯t told his parents that they had gotten a divorce.


    He thought again that it would be better for Lu Yang to tell his parents himself, and so he decided not to say anything. Instead, he just shook his head and said, ¡°Mom, we didn¡¯t quarrel.¡±


    Man Yunxin said, ¡°It¡¯s good that you didn¡¯t have a fight. By the way, Dad and I are going out to play for a week and we won¡¯t be back until next Friday. You and Yangyang haven¡¯t come back home to eat in several weeks now. Come home for dinner next weekend.


    Chen Yuchuan wanted to refuse, but he held the words back. He¡¯d just said that they hadn¡¯t fought, and so he couldn¡¯t think of a good excuse to refuse the elders. In the end, he nodded and said, ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll return home with Lu Yang for dinner next weekend.¡±

 CH 11

    Man Yunxin sat on the sofa and looked at the bruises at the corner of Chen Yuchuan¡¯s eyes. She asked, ¡°Did you go to the boxing gym with Lu Yang again?¡±


    Smiling, Chen Yuchuan hummed in assent. Then he scratched his head and said that he did.


    After this, Man Yunxin no longer bothered with it. Young people¡¯s hobbies and lifestyles were their own business.


    But looking at the thin shirt Chen Yuchuan was wearing, she still felt some concern. She said, ¡°Xiao Chun, it¡¯s already autumn. It¡¯s getting colder and colder. You should wear more clothes. Your shirt is too thin. You may still be young, but you still have to take good care of yourself.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan hurriedly nodded along with his mother-in-law¡¯s words and responded with a smile, ¡°I¡¯ll listen to mom. I¡¯ll go into my room and change clothes now.¡±


    Afterward, he poured Man Yunxin a glass of water and entered his bedroom.


    Earlier, he had been trying to think of a good excuse to go into the bedroom and change this shirt of his that smelled of alcohol.


    He felt like a rebellious son who¡¯d stayed out all night and was afraid of being caught by his mother when he finally came home the next day.


    Chen Yuchuan¡¯s mother had the same temperament as his, and so she was the kind of mother that would chase him down ten streets with a feather duster.


    He¡¯d been beaten by his mother since he was a child.


    However, after his mother got uremia, her health had deteriorated significantly, and so she no longer chased after him with a feather duster. Although Lu Yang had taken her to see the best doctor at the best hospital, and she even underwent a kidney transplant, his mother still died three years after he and Lu Yang got married.


    Man Yunxin cared for him, just like she cared for Lu Yang, and so Chen Yuchuan didn¡¯t think it was troublesome at all.


    He felt very warm. In his thirties, he still had elders who cared for him. How wonderful that was. This was something that many people would envy.


    Although he and Lu Yang had gotten a divorce, his relationship with Lu Yang¡¯s parents of more than ten years wasn¡¯t fake. He still regarded Lu Xiangfeng and Man Yunxin as his parents.


    If Lu Yang found himself a new partner in the future¡­


    Chen Yuchuan no longer wanted to follow this train of thought.


    He knew that he and Lu Yang would have nothing to do with each other in the future.


    Even if Lu Yang had a new lover¡­


    Fuck!


    Fuck that new lover!


    When Chen Yuchuan changed his clothes and came out of the bedroom, Man Yunxin praised him, saying that he was getting more and more handsome.


    Amused by his mother-in-law, Chen Yuchuan sat on the sofa and entertained his mother-in-law with a lot of interesting stories.


    Chubby rubbed against Chen Yuchuan¡¯s knees and jumped around beside him, tail wagging.


    Chen Yuchuan coaxed Chubby while chatting with Man Yunxin about family affairs.


    Seeing that the time was almost up, Man Yunxin took out two concert tickets from her bag and handed them to Chen Yuchuan before leaving.


    ¡°It¡¯s Hua Song¡¯s piano concert. He invited Dad and I, but it¡¯s at eight o¡¯clock on Wednesday night. Our trip was pre-booked, and we couldn¡¯t go. You go with Lu Yang. No matter how busy you and Lu Yang are at work, take some time to relax.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan had agreed to the family dinner next weekend, thinking at the time that he still had some time left. He could communicate with Lu Yang later and they would find a suitable opportunity to tell them about their divorce.


    He looked at the concert tickets in front of him, but didn¡¯t answer right away. Finally, he ambiguously said, ¡°Mom, I¡¯ll have to check with Lu Yang first. If he has time, I¡¯ll go with him. He has been very busy recently.¡±


    Man Yunxin said, ¡°He said he had time, I asked him on the phone yesterday.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan was a little surprised, and asked again, ¡°Then did you ask him if he wanted to go with me?¡±


    ¡°Child,¡± Man Yunxin said with a smile, ¡°if he isn¡¯t going with you, then who else can he go with?¡±


    Chen Yuchuan bit the bullet and took the concert tickets, thinking, they¡¯ve slept together for 16 years, isn¡¯t this just watching a concert together?


    After Man Yunxin left, Chen Yuchuan played with Chubby for a while. He hadn¡¯t seen his son for a week, and so one person and one dog had fun in the house, rolling around on the ground together.


    Holding Chubby, Chen Yuhuan weighed him, then rubbed his belly and asked, ¡°What delicious food did grandma and grandpa give you? You¡¯ve gained a little weight.¡±


    Chubby barked at him twice, meaning that the food was very good.


    Although Chubby was named Chubby, he was actually a very thin little dog with a small body. They named him Chubby because they wanted him to be fatter.


    Judging from appearance alone, Chubby should come from a line of golden retrievers and small native dogs. He was small, with long, golden hair all over his body, and he had long, drooping ears.


    Five years ago, on a rainy day, Lu Yang had found Chubby hiding under his car. The puppy was injured and was on the brink of freezing to death.


    Chen Yuchuan carried the puppy into the car, and the puppy later became their son. This son was very attached to his dad and would follow his dad around.


    Lu Yang always had a straight face, and it was only when his father wasn¡¯t around that Chubby would look for his mother.


    Chen Yuchuan and Chubby made a lot of noises in the living room. As he sat on the carpet beside the sofa, rubbing Chubby¡¯s belly, he said, ¡°In the future, you will be with Dad for a week and with Mom for a week. When you go to your mother¡¯s place, if you see your mother bring home a little stepfather for you, you must come back and tell me that the little stepfather isn¡¯t a good thing. Only your own father, me, is the best for you, do you hear?¡±


    After Chen Yuchuan finished speaking, he pinched the back of Chubby¡¯s neck.


    Chubby looked at his father and felt that this phrase was familiar, because his mother also warned him.


    His mother had also told him to keep an eye on his father and not let his father find a little stepmother, saying that little stepmothers are not good things, and only his own mother is best for him.


    Chubby stuck out his tongue and licked Chen Yuchuan¡¯s palm, snorting softly, indicating that he understood and would help his father look after his mother.


    Quite satisfied, Chen Yuchuan rewarded Chubby with a bone.


    He thought to himself, sure enough this child really was a good child. He didn¡¯t raise him for nothing.


    After preparing dog food and water for Chubby, Chen Yuchuan took a shower, changed his clothes, and drove to work.


    He¡¯d been indulging for a week, and it would be unreasonable not to go to work, even though he was the boss.


    He now owned several hotels and a resort on the outskirts of the city. Of course, this was all thanks to Lu Yang.


    Chen Yuchuan¡¯s mantra in the past had been, ¡°Lu Yang is my husband, and I can depend entirely on my husband. After that, how my husband is, is how my husband is¡­¡±


    When he started his first hotel, Lu Yang had invested in him. But he had no experience and soon went bankrupt.


    Seeing that he was not reconciled, Lu Yang got him another hotel. After gaining some experience, Chen Yuchuan quickly became bigger and stronger, and was able to open several hotel chains in a row.


    When Chen Yuchuan strode to the company with his hands in his pockets, the girl at the front desk greeted him from afar.


    Chen Yuchuan thought that this girl seemed fine last week, why was her facial muscles so¡­developed this week?


    But he quickly understood why the girl winked at him.


    There was a figure standing at the corner of the counter. Chen Yuchuan only had to glance over once and see a single strand of hair to recognize him. The man standing at the corner was his ex-husband, Lu Yang.


    There was a man standing beside Lu Yang. It was the company¡¯s finance director.


    The girl at the front desk covered her mouth with her hands, lowered her voice and said to Chen Yuchuan, ¡°Boss, the lady boss came to check the accounts at 8 in the morning today. When he came out to pour himself a glass of water, he called the finance director over. Boss, be careful. The lady boss doesn¡¯t seem to be in a good mood today.¡±


    After saying this, the girl added, asking for gossip, ¡°Boss, did you have a fight with the lady boss?¡±


    Chen Yuchuan didn¡¯t answer her and only told her to gossip less.


    He raised the wrist of his left hand and placed it in the palm of his right hand, subconsciously trying to pinch the ring around his ring finger and turn it around a few times, only to realize that the ring was no longer there.


    He squeezed his ring finger and began to button the cuff of his sleeves. Afterward, he rolled the sleeves up a few times, exposing his forearms.


    Chen Yuchuan had forgotten that the company¡¯s major shareholder was still Lu Yang.


    When he finished rolling up his sleeves, he walked over and saw that Lu Yang was holding a thick folder in his hand. He knew immediately that it was a financial statement.


    When he walked over, Lu Yang looked back at him, and so they simply looked at one another.


    The green bruises on Lu Yang¡¯s face had improved by quite a lot. There was only a hint of green left at that corner of his mouth. Seeing that Chen Yuchuan hadn¡¯t said a word of nonsense, he asked directly, ¡°Mr. Chen, are you finally willing to come to the company?¡±


    Chen Yuchuan released his wrist and supported himself with his arm resting on the wall next to the water dispenser. He asked, ¡°How come the big boss is free to come to the company today?¡±


    ¡°To look at the quarterly report. Has Mr. Chen finished last month-end quarterly report?¡±


    Chen Yuchuan had really finished it.


    Lu Yang said, ¡°Since it¡¯s finished, let¡¯s go to President Chen¡¯s office and have a look. We can discuss and formulate a plan for next quarter¡­¡±


    The finance director saw their two smiling faces and tried to find a gap to slip away like a cat.


    When a couple gets into a fight, innocent people can easily get hurt.


    Lu Yang followed Chen Yuchuan to his office. When they got there, Chen Yuchuan sat on the boss¡¯s chair with his legs crossed.


    Lu Yang was very businesslike and talked a lot.


    Chen Yuchuan didn¡¯t care what Lu Yang said. After Lu Yang stopped talking, he scratched his ears and asked, ¡°Mom came to my place this morning to drop off Chubby, and she gave me two concert tickets. She told me that she asked you and you said the two of us will go to this concert together this Wednesday?¡±


    ¡°I did agree,¡± Lu Yang said.


    ¡°Mom also asked me to go home for dinner with you next weekend. They didn¡¯t know about our divorce, right? You haven¡¯t told your parents about our divorce, have you?¡±


    Lu Yang¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change. With his gaze on Chen Yuchuan, he said, ¡°Dad has been having high blood pressure recently, and he¡¯d told me that his chest hurts a little bit. I¡¯ll tell them in a few days.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan stopped turning in circles, and asked with a frown, ¡°Wasn¡¯t his physical examination okay before?¡±


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because he felt too much pressure recently.¡± Lu Yang lowered his head, still looking at the documents in his hand, and said, ¡°If you don¡¯t want to go, you don¡¯t have to force yourself. You don¡¯t have to cooperate with me in acting if you don¡¯t want to. If you don¡¯t want to go to the concert and don¡¯t want to go home and eat, then don¡¯t. I¡¯ll pick a suitable opportunity to tell them about our divorce, so you don¡¯t need to feel embarrassed.¡±


    After Lu Yang finished speaking, he closed the folder in his hands.


    Chen Yuchuan wanted to ask something, but he suddenly saw the gauze wrapped around Lu Yang¡¯s palm. His eyebrows jumped, and he blurted out, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with your hand?¡±


    ¡°When I was packing my luggage and leaving that night, I accidentally squeezed the luggage handle¡­¡±


    Chen Yuchuan suddenly had a picture in his mind. Before opening the door and leaving, Lu Yang had pulled off his tie and wrapped it around his palm a few times. It turned out that it was because he¡¯d crushed the luggage handle.

 CH 12

    Lu Yang interlaced his fingers, put his arms on the desk, and asked indifferently, ¡°What? Are you caring about me now?¡±


    With a sneer, Chen Yuchuan crossed his long legs and closed his eyes. With his head tipped back so that his neck was pressed on the back of the seat, he swiveled in the chair and said, ¡°I thought you got injured by boxing with me yesterday. If that was the case, I just couldn¡¯t turn a blind eye. After all, we were together for so many years.¡±


    Lu Yang tapped the table with his index finger, making a few soft thumps, following the rhythm of Chen Yuchuan turning in his chair. ¡°Do you think you can hurt me?¡±


    Straightening, Chen Yuchuan opened his eyes, and turning around, he impatiently said, ¡°Big boss, let¡¯s talk about work.¡±


    Lu Yang stopped tapping, nodded, opened the folder on the table, and began to talk to Chen Yuchuan about only matters relating to work.


    But Chen Yuchuan didn¡¯t want to stay in the same room with Lu Yang at all. He felt uncomfortable looking at how calm Lu Yang was, and this made him want to make trouble.


    So, no matter what Lu Yang told him, he wasn¡¯t earnest in his reply and wouldn¡¯t seriously focus on work.


    Normally, Chen Yuchuan wasn¡¯t the kind of person that wouldn¡¯t be serious about his work. If he wasn¡¯t so serious, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to accomplish so much. It was just that he didn¡¯t want to talk to Lu Yang at all right now, and so he couldn¡¯t force himself to talk properly.


    As Lu Yang analyzed the reports from last month one by one, Chen Yuchuan would drop his pen in one moment, scratch his ears and suck in a breath the next, or would cough a few times to interrupt him.


    After interrupting him, he wouldn¡¯t engage with the conversation properly, and when he was tired of swiveling in his chair, he would stand up and stretch, then clench his fists and hit the air a few times, stomping his feet loudly.


    Lu Yang was perceptive enough to see that Chen Yuchuan didn¡¯t want to talk to him at all, and so he no longer said anything. He stood up from his chair, propped himself on the table with one hand, and said, ¡°I¡¯ll be back next week¡­¡±


    Chen Yuchuan stretched his waist and said, ¡°You¡¯re the big boss. You can come and leave as you please, I can¡¯t stop you.¡±


    When Lu Yang opened the door and left, he turned his head and threw back a sentence, ¡°Don¡¯t forget to take Chubby for his deworming.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan replied coldly, ¡°I still remember this little thing. I¡¯m Chubby¡¯s father, not his stepfather¡­¡±


    When Lu Yang came out of Chen Yuchuan¡¯s office with a dark face, the eyes of the staff in the company were transfixed on him.


    They then soon discovered that the moment the lady boss left, the boss¡¯s face would immediately turn bad. The air pressure was so heavy that anyone coming within a radius of ten meters could be crushed to death. Even the assistant that had knocked on the door and entered to deliver a file couldn¡¯t help but run for his life.


    It was very rare for both bosses to have a fight, and not only a fight, but a fight in the company. One by one, they all discussed it in a low voice, even starting to make bets on when the bosses would reconcile.


    Someone pressed down 20 yuan and said three days, another pressed down 50 and said a week. The girl at the front desk pressed down 100 and said that since they¡¯re arguing in the company, it would take at least a month.


    After a meeting in the evening, Chen Yuchuan got off work and directly settled his dinner at a fast food restaurant near the company. He knew that he would arrive home to a cold pot and a cold stove, and he didn¡¯t want to have to go back out for dinner.


    After dinner, he went to the boxing gym again. Sure enough, Lu Yang was there.


    He didn¡¯t know the person who was practicing with Lu Yang this time, but the man was mixed race and was about the same height as Lu Yang. He looked very strong.


    Xiao Yang told him that the foreigner was new here today and that he wasn¡¯t familiar with him either.


    As he put on his boxing gloves, Chen Yuchuan kept a close eye on the session. The foreigner had yellow hair with letters shaved close to his scalp and short sideburns.


    In fact, Chen Yuchuan didn¡¯t see it at first until yellow hair turned around and he realized that there was a letter S shaved on his left temple and a B on his right.


    He looked at the lettered-head and let out a short laugh, wondering which Mr. Tony would shave his head like this.


    Shaving into a idiot head.


    But as he continued watching, he could no longer laugh. At first, he thought they were just practicing, but after watching for a few minutes, he discovered that yellow hair¡¯s punches were fierce and ruthless, and that he looked at Lu Yang with disdain.


    Chen Yuchuan didn¡¯t know when Lu Yang had offended his person, and so he stood below and watched them guardedly.


    Lu Yang wasn¡¯t wearing protective gears, but he still quickly gained the upper hand. When he was about to win, the yellow hair jumped on his feet, wiping his mouth with a glove. When he punched again, he used a dirty trick.


    As a result, the yellow hair was able to land a few punches on Lu Yang, and these punches all hit him in the chest, causing Lu Yang to fall back a few steps.


    Gritting his teeth in fury, Chen Yuchuan strode over. Just as he was about to take the stage, Lu Yang had already launched a counterattack.


    Lu Yang had also seen Chen Yuchuan, and his eyes were deep and dark.


    Seeing this, Chen Yuchuan knew that Lu Yang was angry, and sure enough, Lu Yang beat the yellow hair to the ground in two strokes and pressed down on his shoulders, not giving him a chance to move.


    It wasn¡¯t until the yellow hair had tapped the ground a few times with both hands, admitting defeat, did Lu Yang release him. Then Lu Yang promptly turned around, stepped off the stage, and went to the lounge.


    When Lu Yand came out of the lounge after having taken a shower and changing his clothes, he saw Chen Yuchuan fighting the yellow hair in the ring. Chen Yuchuan¡¯s posture wasn¡¯t like he was boxing at all, but more like he was venting his anger.


    Chen Yuchuan had his knee pressed into yellow hair¡¯s stomach, his fists slamming into the man¡¯s chest. Two staff members were beside him, pulling at his shoulders in an attempt to pull him off.


    Lu Yang shouted from a distance below, ¡°Chen Yuchuan, let him go¡­¡±


    Chen Yuchuan¡¯s eyes were red with fury; he didn¡¯t hear Lu Yang¡¯s words at all. Even the two people next to him couldn¡¯t pull him back, and his punches continued to land on yellow hair.


    Lu Yang ran over and jumped onto the stage. He wrapped his arms around Chen Yuchuan¡¯s waist, directly picked him up and hoisted him on his shoulder. He immediately stepped off the stage and carried him into the lounge.


    ¡°Lu Yang, let me down.¡± As he was being carried top-heavy on Lu Yang¡¯s shoulder, Chen Yuchuan punched Lu Yang on the shoulder a few times. ¡°Let me down¡­¡±


    When they got into the lounge, Lu Yang closed the door with the back of his feet. As the door closed with a loud bang, he patted Chen Yuchuan¡¯s struggling thighs a few times and directly threw him on the sofa.


    Chen Yuchuan immediately jumped up to stand directly on the sofa. He yelled, ¡°Why did you stop me? I¡¯m going to beat that idiot to death¡­¡±


    After he said this, Chen Yuchuan tried to jump off the sofa, knocking his fists still encased in boxing gloves together.


    Lu Yang grabbed his arm, looked up at him, and was silent for a moment before finally opening his mouth to say, ¡°Chen Yuchuan, didn¡¯t you say before that we¡¯re divorced now, and that we no longer have anything to do with each other? Why are you venting your anger for me?¡±


    Chen Yuchuan was still full of anger, so much anger that he felt as if his lungs were about to explode. But the moment Lu Yang said this, the fire in his heart was completely extinguished. Even his anger had disappeared.


    When he went to look for the foreigner, he hadn¡¯t thought much about it. But after listening to Lu Yang¡¯s words, he suddenly felt like he was being a meddlesome spouse, fighting someone over this. He was like a joke.


    He and Lu Yang were already divorced, and it didn¡¯t matter anymore. Why did he keep fucking pestering him again and again?


    It was no longer needed!


    He didn¡¯t need to ask about what had happened to Lu Yang¡¯s hand, and he didn¡¯t need to rush up to avenge him like a fool.


    Chen Yuchuan stood on the sofa silently for a while and suddenly felt that the sofa was a little too high. He shook off Lu Yang¡¯s hand, jumped off the sofa, and took off the boxing gloves. Turning his neck to look at Lu Yang, he hooked up the corners of his mouth and said, ¡°Mr. Lu is quite right. What I just did was really superfluous. Mr. Lu and I had nothing to do with each other anymore¡­¡±


    A knock sounded on the door of the lounge, and Chen Yuchuan walked over to open it. It was Xiao Yang, who was afraid of what might be going on inside so he came to check.


    Chen Yuchuan asked, ¡°Where¡¯s the idiot head?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s gone,¡± Xiao Yang said.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I started the fight first, and I¡¯ll go and apologize to Brother Qi¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Brother Chuan. We all saw what happened, and it¡¯s that idiot¡­¡± In that moment, Xiao Yang recalled that he was a staff member and so he couldn¡¯t follow Chen Yuchuan¡¯s example and called that guy an idiot head. He immediately changed his words and continued, ¡°It was the foreigner that used dirty tricks to try to deal with Brother Yang first. You couldn¡¯t stand idly by and watch and so you did what you did. Though, even if he was looking for trouble, Boss Qi also has a way¡­¡±


    Chen Yuchuan shook the boxing gloves and denied Xiao Yang¡¯s words with a smile, saying, ¡°I didn¡¯t start with him because of Lu Yang. I just didn¡¯t like that idiot and it has nothing to do with anyone else¡­¡±


    After this, he didn¡¯t say anymore and turned around with the boxing gloves. He took his clothes out from his locket and went into the changing room to change his clothes. When he came out, he avoided looking at Lu Yang, who was still standing in the lounge, and promptly opened the door and left.


    As he left the boxing gym, Chen Yuchuan¡¯s hair was still dripping with sweat, the wet tips clinging to his skin.


    Autumn nights were always prone to wind, and this was no exception.


    The yellow sycamore leaves on the roadside twirled down day by day, blown by the wind across one¡¯s body, bringing a cold chill.

 CH 13

    When Chen Yuchuan got home, he saw a few more small advertisements on the door for repairing electrical appliances, and his heart was full of fire again.


    No one cared about entering or leaving the old community, and stickers were posted every day. Chen Yuchuan put the key in his pocket and raised his hand to tear off the sticker, but only half of the sticker came off.


    Cursing, he scrapped at it with his nails, and it took a long time for it to become completely clean. When he pulled his fingers away, the area underneath his nails were full of sticky paper fibers.


    Chubby had heard Chen Yuchuan¡¯s voice at the door and was scratching at the door from the inside. As soon as he opened the door, Chubby threw himself on him, wanting to lick his fingers.


    But Chen Yuchuan raised his hands, refusing to let Chubby lick it. ¡°Let me wash my hands first, and then I¡¯ll get you food and water.¡±


    There was still a son at home, making him feel a lot better. At least the house wouldn¡¯t be as deserted as last week.


    Chubby wagged his tail and followed Chen Yuchuan into the bathroom.


    As he washed his hands, he talked to Chubby and kept scolding the idiot head. Chubby agreed with him, grunting in response to his words.


    After Chen Yuchuan finished washing his hands, he stopped cursing. But when he turned around, he felt a wrenching pain in his lower back. He dried his hands with a towel, unbuttoned his shirt, turned to his side, lifted away his shirt, and looked in the mirror. The right back side of his waist was blue.


    When he was fighting that yellow hair earlier, he didn¡¯t avoid a punch and so it landed on his lower back ribs.


    Chen Yuchuan tilted his head, clasped his waist with one hand, and pressed the other hand into the blue skin, evoking a little pain.


    He usually wasn¡¯t someone who was afraid of pain. A little bruise was nothing, but just now, he felt a great deal of pain. And once that flash of pain was over, it didn¡¯t dissipate but linger even more painfully, so much so that the bridge of his nose and his fingertips began to ache.


    He put his shirt back down, covering up the patch of bruises and no longer looked at it.


    If he didn¡¯t look at it, it wouldn¡¯t ache so much. He didn¡¯t bother to completely redo the buttons on his shirt, leaving the last three open to reveal a large swatch of red skin on his chest.


    Although Chen Yuchuan had been talking to Chubby, once the pain was over, he suddenly felt a little empty. No, his entire person felt empty.


    Chubby followed after him, barking a few times until he finally reacted. He changed the dog food and water for Chubby, turned on the TV, and changed it to a random channel.


    Then he laid on the sofa and closed his eyes. After a few minutes, he scratched his head and got up. After walking around the room with his lower back burning, he found that he seemed to be a little too degrading and passive.


    The flowers on the balcony were all wilted, and the clothes he¡¯d put in the washing machine were still in the drum since yesterday morning. He hadn¡¯t dried them at all, and when he tried to smoke a cigarette, the lighter wouldn¡¯t catch.


    In the past, when Lu Yang was home, Chen Yuchuan wouldn¡¯t do any housework at all. He would laze around, not wanting to move. But when Lu Yang wasn¡¯t home, he would take the initiative to clean up the house himself.


    But recently, he seemed to have lost his mind. He didn¡¯t know whether to water the flower plants first, wash the clothes in the washing machine again, or go downstairs to buy a new lighter.


    In the end, Chen Yuchuan decided to pack up Lu Yang¡¯s things first.


    When Lu Yang came back to pack up the things he¡¯d left behind, he took only the clothes in his closet and some of his own daily necessities. It wasn¡¯t like a family split at all and more like a business trip.


    Now, there were still traces of Lu Yang everywhere in the house. His toothbrush and towels were still in the bathroom; his slippers were in the shoe cabinet; a pair of socks were hanging in the balcony; there were two ties in the drawer; and then there was a watch, a pen¡­


    Chen Yuchuan found a large cardboard box from the second bedroom, put in all the things Lu Yang hadn¡¯t taken away, and sealed the box a few times with tape. Finally, he put the cardboard box in the closet of the second bedroom, and after making sure the closet door was firmly closed, he locked the second bedroom door and threw the key at the bottom of the drawer.


    Out of sight, out of mind.


    After he packed up Lu Yang¡¯s things, he first watered the flowers, then he washed his clothes and waited until the clothes were washed and dried before finally going downstairs to buy a lighter.


    By this time, it was midnight, and Chubby was already asleep, and so Chen Yuchuan lay down on the sofa again.


    The TV had been playing the midnight news, and it finally ended with the weather forecast.


    The wind outside was stronger than when he had left the boxing gym, and now it was loudly tearing at the windows.


    Chen Yuchuan was so irritated that he got up, turned off the TV, and closed all the windows. He took a sleeping pill in preparation for bed, and as he put the sleeping pill box in the drawer, he saw the picture frame on the bedside table.


    He picked up the picture frame. It was a photo of him and Lu Yang.


    This picture had been on the bedside table for 16 years, and he still remembered the photo had been secretly taken by the master of his garage.


    That day was the 15th day after he and Lu Yang had met for the first time, and the fourth day they had established their relationship.


    That day, Lu Yang came to the garage in the morning to find him and they were walking side by side.


    At the time, his master had claimed that he just wanted to take a picture of the scenery outside the garage and had accidentally captured them on camera.


    But Chen Yuchuan knew that outside the garage was wasteland, and who would want to photograph that scenery.


    Later, he¡¯d asked for the photo, and after developing it, he¡¯d put it in the picture frame and kept it at their bedside table. That picture had captured their beginning.


    The people in the photos were really good-looking. Chen Yuchuan looked at his own youthful face. At the time, he was very thin, carrying the slender, thin feeling of a teenager.


    He hadn¡¯t changed into work clothes yet and so his face was still clean and he was wearing a shirt that had been washed so much, it¡¯d turned a little yellow.


    He¡¯d never liked taking pictures very much and had only taken a few pictures as a child. He seemed to have realized that his master was secretly taking a photo, and so he was stubbornly frowning as he looked at the camera, lips pursed tightly, as if he was angry.


    But really, he was just feeling a little awkward and a little confused.


    Because Lu Yang was standing beside him, their shoulders pressed together. His head was tilted down a little as he looked at Chen Yuchuan, his eyes soft. The three-quarters of his profile that was captured on camera revealed a very gentle expression.


    Ever since he¡¯d told Lu Yang that he didn¡¯t want to just try but to date seriously, Lu Yang had been going to see him every day, dawdling every morning in the garage until someone had to call him and urge him to leave.


    In the afternoon, he would meet up with him, and later in the evening, he would follow him to the bar.


    On the 15th day, when Chen Yuchuan finally got off work from his job at the bar, Lu Yang was sending him home and he¡¯d asked him in the car, ¡°Can you stop working at the bar?¡±


    He had been carefully counting the night¡¯s wages at least three times, and after slipping them into the innermost pocket of his clothes, he turned slightly to the side and looked at the street lights slipping by outside the window. He said, ¡°My father is dead, and my mother has uremia. She has to go to the hospital for dialysis every few days. I have to work to make money for her.¡±


    After he¡¯d dropped out of school to work, he had no shame when facing others. He would even sell misery, saying that his father had died too early, and his mother had uremia. He alone had to shoulder the responsibility of taking care of his family, and his family was so poor that it was even hard to eat.


    As a result, he sold alcohol in the bar night, trying to sell more and faster, and at the end of the month, he would try to wear down the owner of the garage, just to get more overtime pay.


    But when Chen Yuchuan was sitting in the car and telling Lu Yang this, he not only didn¡¯t try to embellish, he didn¡¯t even dare to look at him.


    He had lived for 18 years, and he had never been thin-skinned, but at this moment, it seemed to suddenly emerge from his bones.


    Lu Yang was different from everyone else. Chen Yuchuan had seen a lot of wealthy people, and they always looked down on people like him. He himself knew that he wasn¡¯t on the same level as those people.


    So, 18 years old Chen Yuchuan was afraid. He was afraid that he and Lu Yang would never have an equal relationship, but he didn¡¯t hide anything; he told him the barebone truth.


    When Lu Yang said that he wanted to try, and Chen Yuchuan had replied that he wanted to try seriously, he hadn¡¯t truly thought of what this meant.


    At the time, his idea was really quite simple. He¡¯d fallen in love with Lu Yang. He thought that Lu Yang was very handsome, and when he was with him, he felt warm and comfortable.


    The days when Lu Yang would come to find him, he would inexplicably feel at ease.


    Later, even though he¡¯d told Lu Yang not to come anymore, his eyes would always look out for him, seemingly wrapped in a trance.


    It was only after Chen Yuchuan had dated Lu Yang for a few days that he truly began to realize how big of a gap there was between himself and Lu Yang.


    As he drove, Lu Yang was quiet for a few seconds, seeming to be thinking.


    In those few seconds, Chen Yuchuan mentally prepared himself¨C


    His first love might end after only four days.


    At the time, he did have the thought of covering it up. But the moment that thought rose up, he scolded himself as a coward. Before, he¡¯d talked so confidently and so easily, but now he was afraid to move forward.


    At the traffic light intersection, Lu Yang stepped on the brakes.


    The red long was very long, and Chen Yuchuan kept his face toward the car window, his chin tense. He counted silently in his heart, following the countdown second by second with the red light.


    At ten seconds left, he felt a warm touch at the top of his head. It was Lu Yang¡¯s palm.


    Lu Yang pressed his palm down on the top of Chen Yuchuan¡¯s head.


    His hair in front was pushed down, covering his eyes, a little itchy when the hair touched his eyelashes.


    Chen Yuchuan moved his neck, turning his gaze away from the red light to look at Lu Yang.


    The red light turned green and Lu Yang put his hand back on the steering wheel. As he stepped on the accelerator, he said, ¡°I¡¯m rich, so you have to hold on tighter in the future and don¡¯t let go¡­¡±

 CH 14

    When Lu Yang finished speaking, Chen Yuchuan felt as if Li Yang was tugging at his heartstrings.


    Dirty words, nonsense, ridicule, contempt, sympathy, and scorn, those were what Chen Yuchuan had heard the most.


    At first, he¡¯d minded it, but after constantly having to listen to such words, his skin had thickened over time and he got used to it. And once he became used to it, he no longer cared about it.


    But no one had ever said such a thing to him before, until Lu Yang. It wasn¡¯t sympathy. Instead, it was full of softness, like Lu Yang was soaking him in warm water and carefully wrapping him up.


    For the remaining half of the journey home, Chen Yuchuan¡¯s head was tilted to look at Lu Yang, his eyes turning red without blinking.


    At the time, what Chen Yuchuan had thought was that, for the rest of his life, he would hold on to Lu Yang tightly and never let go. Since he had met such a person, he would never let go even if he had to die.


    He and his mother had been living in an old bungalow. Although the rent was cheap, it was a little far from the city, and so it took Lu Yang half an hour to arrive.


    Lu Yang parked his car next to Chen Yuchuan¡¯s rental house, which was at a small intersection with no street lights.


    He had just turned off the car engine when Chen Yuchuan unfastened his seat belt and moved over. He put his hands on the sides of Lu Yang¡¯s neck and kneeled on the seat with one leg while stepping over with his left leg. Then he lifted his head and kissed Lu Yang.


    They had been together for a few days, and in all those days, Li Yang had been coming to pick him up in the morning, waiting for him to get off work in the evening, and then taking him home.


    Although they hadn¡¯t slept together yet, they had done a lot of things that couples would usually do, especially in a dark place like a bar, where it was easy for emotions to be stirred up under the influence of alcohol.


    Chen Yuchuan was not a person easily ashamed. After staring at Lu Yang for a long time, he would want to kiss him.


    He was inexperienced, and at the age of 18, he was also impulsive. The first time they had kissed was the day they had just established their relationship.


    In the evening, Lu Yang came to the bar to pick Chen Yuchuan up from work. That day, he had parked his car at the back of the bar. When they both came out, Chen Yuchuan suddenly stopped by the tree. He tucked his hands into his pockets, turned his head, and said to Lu Yang:


    ¡°Hey, boyfriend¡­¡±


    With a smile, Lu Yang turned to look at him and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    To Chen Yuchuan, Lu Yang¡¯s lips were incredibly sexy. The upper lip was thinner than the bottom. His lips were a light red color, the shape of them distinctly outlined with the corners of his mouth slightly tilted upward.


    Chen Yuchuan didn¡¯t know how long he¡¯d gazed at Lu Yang¡¯s mouth, until he finally turned slightly. He was a little shorter than Lu Yang, and so he rose on tiptoes, wrapped his arms around Lu Yang¡¯s neck, and said to his lips, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I just wanted to kiss you.¡±


    At once, he kissed those lips, very fast, separating as soon as they touched. But he still couldn¡¯t help but stick out his tongue to lick Lu Yang¡¯s lips.


    Lu Yang hadn¡¯t been drinking that night, but because he¡¯d stayed in the bar for a while, the slight scent of alcohol clung to his clothes.


    After quickly stealing a kiss, Chen Yuchuan was just about to release Lu Yang, when the man directly caught his waist and pressed his retreating form back against his body.


    They kissed for a long time. Although Chen Yuchuan was inexperienced, he had seen kissing done on the small screen. After a few kisses, he began to respond enthusiastically. Lu Yang¡¯s kisses were very domineering, and Chen Yuchuan was not to be outdone.


    Chen Yuchuan liked kissing Lu Yang very much. Every time he touched Lu Yang, Lu Yang would capture his waist and pull him in, kissing him until he was breathless, dizzy, and melting. And so he would be kissed until he begged for mercy.


    Right now, after they¡¯d kissed, Chen Yuchuan pretended to be more experienced than he was. He made a serious evaluation and then licked the corners of his lips afterward. There was still the smell of Lu Yang on his lips, which made him a little obsessed.


    No, not a little.Very obsessed.


    Lu Yang had long felt Chen Yichuan¡¯s hot gaze on him while he was driving. He didn¡¯t need to look over to know that Chen Yuchuan was watching him.


    Therefore, the moment the car stopped and Chen Yuchuan hooked his arms around Lu Yang¡¯s neck, he immediately and easily adjusted the driver¡¯s seat. Chen Yuchuan¡¯s clothes weren¡¯t thick, allowing them to easily feel each other¡¯s reaction.


    By the time Chen Yuchuan pushed Lu Yang away, he was breathless from the kiss. He took a few breaths, pressed his forehead against Lu Yang¡¯s, rubbed the tip of their noses, lowered his head and asked, ¡°Lu Yang, what to do now?¡±


    ¡°Come with me?¡± Lu Yang¡¯s voice was very low. He pressed a kiss to Chen Yuchuan¡¯s still wet lips and asked again, ¡°Xiao Chuan¡¯er, will you come with me today?¡±


    Fastening his seat belt, Chen Yuchuan exhaled and said, ¡°Lu Yang, you¡¯d better drive quickly.¡±


    Lu Yang drove to the nearest hotel.


    The moment they left the elevator, Chen Yuchuan directly jumped onto Lu Yang, who carried him toward their room.


    In the hallway, there were many people looking at them, and some were even whispering.


    Chen Yuchuan stared back at them and said, ¡°What are you looking at? Haven¡¯t you seen a couple open a room before?¡±


    At the door of their hotel room, Lu Yang hugged Chen Yuchuan and opened the door. As he closed the door with his feet, Chen Yuchuan slipped down and entered the bathroom.


    Even though hot water was pouring down on him, Chen Yuchuan was shivering all over. When he realized that he¡¯d liked men a few years ago, he hadn¡¯t thought much about what two men would do when engaging in sexual intercourse.


    But later, as he sat on the bed, hesitating about the next step, he was directly pressed down onto the bed.


    The back of Chen Yuchuan¡¯s head slammed against the large, soft bed, making him dizzy for a moment. Then he felt as if it should be like this, and so he very calmly accepted the question of who was bottom and who was top.


    His memory that night was very messy. He remembered that the bathroom was a bit hot and that the bed was large and soft. He remembered the small lamp at the head of the bed, the temperature of the air conditioner, and his own low voice, crying out.


    It was the first time for both of them, and although Lu Yang was very careful, Chen Yuchuan still developed a fever the next day.


    He had a fever, but that didn¡¯t hinder him at all in scolding Lu Yang. ¡°Lu Yang, you¡¯re not human. It¡¯s the first time and you¡¯re so cruel¡­¡±


    Lu Yang gave him water and medicine, and after ten minutes Chen Yuchuan became sleepy. Even then, he was still scolding Lu Yang.


    Lu Yang tucked him into the comforter and asked him, ¡°Still scolding me?¡±


    Chen Yuchuan stopped.


    He said, ¡°I¡¯ll stop. Just take good care of me.¡±


    After saying this, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.


    Lu Yang looked at Chen Yuchuan, sleeping with his mouth open. Occasionally, he would blush, would frown, would mutter low in his throat. He was probably still scolding him in his dreams.


    Lu Yang lightly smoothed out Chen Yuchun¡¯s twitching eyebrows and whispered, ¡°Sleep well. I won¡¯t let you get hurt next time.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Chen Yuchuan swallowed the sleeping pill, recalled this memory, let out a curse, and got up from the bed. After taking a shower, he crawled back into bed to try to sleep.


    This time, he fell asleep quickly, and he slept well. The next morning, Chubby stood by his bedside, finally succeeding in waking him after a long time of barking.


    Chen Yuchuan rubbed Chubby¡¯s head, buried his face in the pillow, and said in a loud voice, ¡°Chubby, let your father sleep for a little bit longer¡­¡±


    Chubby wasn¡¯t happy and barked out twice more. Chen Yuchuan rubbed at his own hair, got up, and took Chubby downstairs for a walk.


    He spent the day peacefully at work, then he took Chubby for his deworming. At night, he went to the boxing gym after work but didn¡¯t see Lu Yang.


    It wasn¡¯t until Wednesday morning did he learn that Lu Yang had taken a business trip to S City.


    Ling Qun knew that Lu Yang was on a business trip and so he had called Chen Yuchuan that morning to ask him out to play.


    Chen Yuchuan didn¡¯t agree, saying that he had plans that night.


    ¡°Lu Yang is away at night. What are you planning on doing?¡± Ling Qun asked.


    ¡°If he¡¯s not here, I¡¯m not allowed to make trouble?¡±


    Ling Qun laughed at him over the phone.


    Chen Yuchuan did have something to do. When he got up that morning, he¡¯d received a WeChat message from Man Yunxin, reminding him about the concert he was supposed to attend with Lu Yang in the evening. She told him that it was at 8 o¡¯clock in the evening and for them to get there on time.


    Chen Yuchuan returned a message to his mother-in-law, saying that Lu Yang was on a business trip and that they wouldn¡¯t be able to go together.


    Man Yunxin responded back and suggested that he go with a friend instead of wasting tickets.


    Chen Yuchuan stared at the two concert tickets on his desk in a daze, not knowing what to do with the other one.


    He opened his WeChat again, scrolled up and down several times on his address book, looking for someone to go with. In the end, he asked Ling Qun.


    As soon as Ling Qun heard that he was going to a concert, he directly replied, ¡°How can a concert be more fun than a drinking party?¡±


    Then he promptly came to a firm decision. ¡°No.¡±


    In the end, Chen Yuchuan didn¡¯t look for anyone else. He took the two tickets and went by himself. After eating near the company at 7 o¡¯clock, he bought a bouquet of flowers and arrived at the concert promptly at 8.


    Chen Yuchuan sat in the VIP seats in the front row and listened carefully to the piano music.


    He didn¡¯t have any musical skills, but his mother-in-law was a pianist after all. She often played piano at home. He couldn¡¯t appreciate it the first or second time, but after more than ten years, he would be a pig indeed if he still couldn¡¯t appreciate it.


    The performer on the stage was Hua Song, a student of Man Yunxin. He knew Lu Yang and was now a famous pianist. Before, when the whole family would come to his concerts, they would all have a meal together, and so he had a fairly good relationship with them.


    The concert started at 8 and ended at 10. At the end of curtain call, Chen Yuchuan went to the stage to give out the bouquet of flowers.


    Tickets for Hua Song¡¯s concert was hard to come by, and the audience was full.


    From the beginning to end, the seat next to Chen Yuchuan remained empty.


    Now that the show was completely over, Chen Yuchuan got up from his seat, and with the two tickets in hand, he passed through the empty seat on his right and followed the noisy crowd out.

 CH 15

    When Chen Yuchuan walked out of the concert hall by himself, he took out his mobile phone and checked the time.


    Just as he was about to press the lock screen button, his finger suddenly paused, and he stared at the screensaver on his phone.


    Maybe it was because he¡¯d gotten used to the picture after having it as a screensaver for so long that he¡¯d forgotten that he hadn¡¯t changed the screensaver photo.


    It was a photo of himself and Lu Yang, which he¡¯d taken casually.


    Chen Yuchuan counted the time. It was about seven to eight years ago, but he couldn¡¯t remember exactly when it was taken.


    He just remembered that it was a very ordinary morning. The night before, Lu Yang had drunk too much at a party, and so he had asked Chen Yuchuan to pick him up.


    When they got off the taxi, it got a little awkward because Chen Yuchuan didn¡¯t immediately help Lu Yang.


    Lu Yang was different from Chen Yuchuan. When Chen Yuchuan drank too much, he became noisy and energetic. Meanwhile, when Lu Yang drank too much, he became very quiet, but his temper was like a sullen child. He had to be coaxed to bed, he had to be coaxed for everything.


    When Lu Yang went upstairs, he was still angry with Chen Yuchuan. Chen Yuchuan followed behind and stretched out his hand twice, but it was thrown away.


    Chen Yuchuan was also hot-tempered. Halfway up, he grabbed Lu Yang¡¯s arm and hugged him. In the end, Lu Yang stood on the steps of the second floor, refusing to move at all. As a result, Chen Yuchuan had to coax him to go up one step at a time.


    The next day, Lu Yang woke up later than Chen Yuchuan, which was a rare event in itself. He woke up with his shoulders exposed and the comforter drawn up to his chest. He found himself squinting at a camera, which made him a little unhappy.


    Chen Yuchuan held up his mobile phone, bumped shoulders with him, and said, ¡°Hubby, smile. I¡¯ll take a picture to use as a screensaver and as a background for our chat.¡±


    Lu Yang didn¡¯t smile, but turned to look at him very seriously. On the screen, Chen Yuchuan¡¯s head was tilted so that it was resting on Lu Yang¡¯s shoulder. He was grinning widely at the camera, his index and middle fingers stretched out to compare them to the camera.


    Chen Yuchuan frowned at the screensaver, and after unlocking it, he rummaged through his album.


    There were almost no pictures in his album that could be used as a screensaver. He wasn¡¯t in the habit of taking pictures of himself. Basically, everything in his album was either pictures of himself and Lu Yang or pictures of just Lu Yang. There were also a few work pictures sent by the company¡¯s employees.


    He searched from beginning to end but could not find a replacement.


    In the end, he decided to give up. Exiting the album, he turned off the screen, put his phone back in his pants pocket, and took out the cigarette case and lighter stored in there.


    The weather forecast said that it would be chilly, and indeed that temperature had dropped a lot in the past few days. Thick and low dark clouds hung in the sky all day long, and the cold wind was persistently fierce.


    With the cigarette in his mouth, Chen Yuchuan put on his long, camel windbreaker and walked to the stone pillar beside the hall to get out of the wind.


    He leaned against the stone pillar and used his hand to block the wind from putting out the lighter as he lit his cigarette.


    Chen Yuchuan had only taken two sips when he heard someone calling his name.


    ¡°Brother Chuan, there you are. I was just asking my assistant to look for you.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan raised his head and greeted Hua Song. With the cigarette held between his fingers, he stretched out the other hand and shook hands with him. He said, ¡°Tonight¡¯s concert was a success. Congratulations.¡±


    Hua Song was still quite young. Chen Yuchuan recalled hearing Man Yunxin saying that he was just 28 this year. He was wearing the same black tuxedo he¡¯d worn for his performances, and in his arms was Chen Yuchuan¡¯s flowers.


    ¡°Thank you, Brother Chuan.¡± Hua Song looked down at the flowers in his arms and added, ¡°Thank you, Brother Chuan, for giving me flowers.¡±


    After saying this, he asked, ¡°By the way, did you come by yourself tonight? I thought teacher said that you¡¯ll come with Brother Yang.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s on a business trip,¡± Chen Yuchuan said.


    ¡°Are you leaving? Shall I take you back?¡± Hua Song said and made a gesture of invitation to Chen Yuchuan. ¡°My car is parked in the parking lot over there.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan waved the hand that was holding his cigarette and said, ¡°Don¡¯t bother, don¡¯t bother. Your concert has just ended, and you should have a lot of work still to do. I drove here by myself.¡±


    Hua Song retracted his hand, said oh regretfully, and then added with a smile, ¡°When Brother Chuan have time, I¡¯ll invite you again¡­I¡¯ll take you out for dinner with Brother Yang.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan responded casually, ¡°Later, when there¡¯s time.¡±


    Afterward, he tugged his collar closer to his neck, said goodbye to Hua Song, and turned to walk toward the parking lot.


    As soon as Chen Yuchuan opened the car door and sat in, his phone rang. He took it out and saw that it was a call from Xiao Lei, Lu Yang¡¯s driver.


    He hesitated for a few seconds but still pressed the answer button. After saying hello, he asked, ¡°Xiao Lei, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    No one spoke, so Chen Yuchuan asked again, ¡°Xiao Lei?¡±


    ¡°Sister-in-law, it¡¯s me.¡± This time Xiao Lei responded, his voice sounded small amidst the noisy background.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Chen Yuchuan asked.


    Xiao Lei replied, ¡°Sister-in-law, boss and I are blocked on the expressway. There¡¯s a multi-car accident up ahead and the expressway is blocked. I was afraid that you might be worried about boss, so I just wanted to give you a call to let you know.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to call me, I don¡¯t care.¡± Chen Yuchuan turned on the engine, but he merely held the steering wheel, unmoving.


    As soon as Xiao Lei heard Chen Yuchuan¡¯s words, he looked into the rearview mirror at Lu Yang, who was sitting in the back seat with his eyes closed, and knew that there was something wrong between the two of them.


    He quickly said, ¡°Boss was socializing today and he ended up drinking a lot of alcohol, so he fell asleep in the back seat.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan held the phone for a few seconds, but in the end, he didn¡¯t say a word and instead hung up directly.


    Xiao Lei thought that Chen Yuchuan would care to say a few words, but he didn¡¯t. He looked at the phone that had been hung up on so suddenly, and then raised his gaze to look at his boss through the rearview mirror. This time, Lu Yang¡¯s eyes were half-opened.


    ¡°Who told you to call?¡± Lu Yang asked in a deep voice.


    Xiao Lei replied, ¡°Boss, I was afraid my sister-in-law will worry about you.¡±


    Lu Yang closed his eyes again and asked vaguely, ¡°What did he say?¡±


    ¡°He said¡­¡± Xiao Lei thought of Chen Yuchuan¡¯s words, but chose not to convey them. ¡°Sister-in-law said to send you home safely.¡±


    Lu Yang¡¯s eyes were a little red after drinking and they felt sore and swollen when opened. He closed his eyes again and asked with obvious disbelief, ¡°Did he say that?¡±


    Xiao Lei nodded. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s what he said.¡±


    ¡°Was he angry?¡± Lu Yang asked.


    Xiao Lei was stunned by this question. Chen Yuchuan¡¯s tone was clearly fiery, so much so that he could tell right away.


    But listening to boss now, it was as if he was expecting him to be angry.


    Xiao Lei couldn¡¯t figure it out and so he didn¡¯t know how to answer this question. Luckily, Lu Yang didn¡¯t continue to ask and simply closed his eyes, seeming to have fallen asleep again.


    It was after 12 o¡¯clock when Chen Yuchuan got home. When he drove back, he accidentally got on the wrong elevated highway, and it took him a long time to realize this. When he realized this, he wanted to turn back, but by that time, the car was just about to merge onto the Huancheng Expressway.


    Finally, the car ran out of gas and he had to refuel before driving it back.


    But when he opened the door, he became somewhat puzzled. Chubby wasn¡¯t waiting for him. He didn¡¯t hear Cubby¡¯s excited barks or scratching at the door. However, he quickly realized that there was someone at home and that he was familiar with this person.


    Sure enough, when he opened the door, the light in the living room was on, and Chubby was already asleep in his dog bed.


    Lu Yang was lying on his side on the sofa, and Xiao Lei was sitting on the single sofa next to him with his head resting on the backseat, snoring with his mouth open.


    Xiao Lei hadn¡¯t fallen asleep for long when he heard the sound of the door opening and footsteps entering. He came awake, and when he saw that Chen Yuchuan was back, he stood up and rubbed his eyes.


    ¡°Sister-in-law, you¡¯re back.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan took off his coat and threw it on the sofa, half of it covering Lu Yang¡¯s calf.


    He took two steps toward the sofa, glanced at the still sleeping Lu Yang, and turned his head to ask Xiao Lei, ¡°Why did you bring him here?¡±


    Xiao Lei was still disoriented. Not knowing what was wrong, he said, ¡°Sister-in-law, the boss drank too much. When we got off the expressway, I sent him home. If I don¡¯t send him here, where would I send him?¡±


    Chen Yuchuan looked at Xiao Lei, who was still disoriented from sleep, and gritted his teeth to prevent himself from scolding. His chest rose and fell, and finally he said, ¡°It¡¯s alright. It¡¯s getting late so you should go home and rest. Your wife and children are still waiting for you at home.¡±


    Xiao Lei heard Chen Yuchuan¡¯s words and didn¡¯t even wait for a second. He raised his legs and ran away, but before leaving, he said, ¡°Sister-in-law, the boss has a meeting tomorrow morning. I¡¯ll come back and pick him up in the morning.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan wanted to say, ¡°Don¡¯t bother coming to pick him up here,¡± but before he could say anything, Xiao Lei had already left.


    ¡°It¡¯s a pity to be a driver at your speed,¡± Chen Yuchuan muttered while looking at the closed door.


    Not bothering to change his shoes, Chen Yuchuan walked around the sofa several times. The sounds of his leather shoes on the wooden floor were especially loud at night.


    Chen Yuchuan was tired from walking. Standing beside the sofa, he lifted his leg and nudged Lu Yang¡¯s calf with the toes of his shoe, calling him loudly, ¡°Lu Yang, Lu Yang, wake up. Hurry and get up.¡±


    Lu Yang turned over, but didn¡¯t wake up. He¡¯d originally been lying on his side, facing the back of the sofa, but now he was lying flat on his back, his hand raised to cover his forehead and eyes.


    Chen Yuchuan¡¯s coat on Lu Yang¡¯s calf slid down a little. A large corner had slid to the floor, but it didn¡¯t fall off completely.


    Seeing that he hadn¡¯t woken up yet, Chen Yuchuan bent down and shook his legs forcefully. Raising his voice, he shouted, ¡°Lu Yang, get up. This is my house. If you want to sleep, go back to your own house and sleep.¡±


    Lu Yang moved his arm over his eyes, so that only his lips and chin were exposed. Chen Yuchuan noted that Lu Yang¡¯s chin was tense and so he thought that he was awake. Just as he was about to let Lu Yang go, he saw that Lu Yang¡¯s other arm was covering his chest. His chin was still tense, but he didn¡¯t seem to have woken up.


    Discouraged all of a sudden, Chen Yuchuan no longer shouted and urged Lu Yang. He stood beside him silently, looking at him for a long time.


    Lu Yang was too tall. Although the sofa wasn¡¯t small, he still had to sleep with his legs bent. His shoes had been taken off, and he was wearing only socks.


    Chen Yuchuan guessed that Xiao Lei had taken off Lu Yang¡¯s shoes for him.


    After watching Lu Yang for a while, he went into the bathroom to take a shower and then entered the bedroom to sleep.


    But he wasn¡¯t able to fall asleep. The sound of his breathing when he turned over was louder than the rustling of the fabric.


    He was awake until past three in the morning, when he suddenly heard a little noise in the living room. First, it was the sound of bare feet walking on the floor, followed by the sound of the refrigerator opening and closing. A few seconds later, there was the sound of the bottle cap being twisted, and then again, came the sound of light footsteps on the floor.


    Chen Yuchuan kicked away the comforter, jumped off the bed, opened the door, and stood at the doorway with his arms folded, looking into the living room.


    Lu Yang was sitting on the sofa, drinking from a bottle of cold water. The water in the bottle was halfway gone, and as he drank, he was looking back at him.


    Chen Yuchuan waited for him to put down the water bottle before asking, ¡°President Lu, is my sofa comfortable to sleep on?¡±


    Lu Yang moved his stiff neck, obviously not feeling well. He didn¡¯t speak, but just looked at him.


    Chen Yuchuan asked again, ¡°Do you remember how you got here?¡±


    Lu Yang said, ¡°Xiao Lei sent me here.¡±


    ¡°So you remember.¡± Chen Yuchuan took two steps into the living room. ¡°You remember, but you still came to my house?¡±


    ¡°Xiao Lei didn¡¯t know we were divorced, so he sent me over.¡± Lu Yang pulled his tie loose. After a while, he stood up and said, ¡°I¡¯m here to find a document.¡±


    Lu Yang swept a glance around the house and said, ¡°My things seem to be gone. I was waiting for you to come back so I could ask you and ended up falling asleep.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan thought about it, but he couldn¡¯t recall any documents among the things he had put away. He said, ¡°Don¡¯t be so certain. Now that we¡¯re divorced, why would I keep your things?¡±


    ¡°This document is very important. I¡¯ll leave as soon as I find it,¡± Lu Yang said. Then he asked again, ¡°You threw all my things away?¡±


    Chen Yuchuan directly strode to the sofa and stopped in front of Lu Yang. Frowning, he said, ¡°I said that there¡¯s no documents and so there¡¯s no documents. This matter of our divorce, others don¡¯t seem to know. Do you not know yourself?¡±


    Lu Yang released his tie and said, ¡°I know. I always knew.¡±


    After he finished speaking, he turned around and walked toward the door. After putting on his shoes, he turned and said, ¡°I¡¯ll come and pick up Chubby this weekend. I¡¯ll make an appointment with you in advance to pick you up. The family dinner next weekend is the last time I promised my parents, and then I¡¯ll find a suitable opportunity to tell my parents and friends. Something like tonight won¡¯t happen again.¡±


    ¡°It had better not happen again, President Lu¡­¡±


    ¡°Did you go to the concert?¡± Lu Yang asked suddenly.


    Chen Yuchuan didn¡¯t answer, but his eyes were fierce. He went to the concert by himself, and so the fire in his heart was reflected in his eyes, as if wanting to burn Lu Yang.


    Lu Yang continued, ¡°I couldn¡¯t go to the concert because I was stuck on the expressway. I sent you a WeChat, but you had blocked me.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan remembered that two days ago he had indeed blocked Lu Yang on his WeChat.


    After Lu Yang finished speaking, he kept looking at Chen Yuchuan standing in the living room. The ice-cold water he¡¯d just drank washed away the dryness at the base of his tongue.


    His eyes, red from drinking, looked extremely serious as he gazed at Chen Yuchuan, so serious that it made people fall straight into it with unsteady legs.


    Lu Yang pulled his tie again and said slowly, ¡°Xiao Chuan¡¯er, I¡¯ve been thinking, after suddenly separating from the person we¡¯ve been with for 16 years, what would I become, what would you become? But now, I suddenly feel that divorcing seemed to be the right thing to do¡­You¡¯ve become the same as you were before, becoming fierce when you¡¯re angry. Not at all like how you¡¯d been the past 6 months, when you would yield to me in everything, as if you¡¯re enduring me. Xiao Chuan¡¯er, all that time, I¡¯ve been watching it and it really made me weary¡­¡±


    As Chen Yuchuan listened to Lu Yang¡¯s words, the fire in his eyes suddenly disappeared. But his eyes weren¡¯t anxious. He seemed to be looking at Lu Yang and yet not looking at him, as if not understanding what Lu Yang was trying to say.


    But Lu Yang didn¡¯t wait for Chen Yuchuan to speak. He turned and left.

 CH 16

    The sound of Lu Yang closing the door woke Chubby. Chubby got up from his dog bed and walked to the door with his tail wagging. He raised his head to listen to the familiar footsteps outside and barked at the door a few times.


    Chen Yuchuan stood in the living room and called Chubby, ¡°Come here, Chubby. Your mother is gone.¡±


    Chubby heard Chen Yuchuan calling him. He turned and ran to his father, feeling that his father was particularly sad. Tilting his head, he rubbed against his father¡¯s leg and barked twice, as if to comfort him.


    The floor was a little cold, seeming to send chills straight through the bottom of Chen Yuchuan¡¯s feet.


    Chen Yuchuan sat on the sofa with his legs pulled up cross-legged. He glanced at the jacket on the sofa and pulled it over to cover his legs and feet. Then as he subconsciously rubbed Chubby¡¯s beck, he thought about what Lu Yang had just said.


    Lu Yang had said, there will be no next time.


    Lu Yang had said, divorcing seems to be the right thing¡­


    Chen Yuchuan sat on the sofa and thought about it for a long time. He thought about things from a long time ago, and he thought about the current state of things.


    He thought for a whie and then he would stop for a while, and this cycle of thinking would repeat.


    In fact, he and Lu Yang had always known how to communicate effectively. In the past, if they had any problems, they would resolve them quickly with an agreed-upon method, regardless of whatever that may be.


    If they could communicate, then they would communicate. If they couldn¡¯t, they would quarrel. And if they were unable to resolve, they would take it to the boxing gym.


    Contradictions and problems piled up until it became unbearable. Inevitably, one day, even a small ant and a small hole can cause their seemingly indestructible relationship to crumble.


    This kind of problem still appeared in the end.


    Chen Yuchuan knew that his relationship with Lu Yang had changed a lot in the past six months.


    They rarely quarreled. His temper seemed to have vanished. When facing Lu Yang, he always followed in whatever he said. Whatever Lu Yang said, he would say yes. No matter what Lu Yang did, there would be no fight.


    On the surface, their relationship seemed to be very good.


    But was it good though? If it was so good, then why did he suffer from insomnia? Why would Lu Yang prefer to go to the boxing gym rather than come home straight away?


    In fact, their relationship wasn¡¯t good at all¡­


    It was just that Chen Yuchuan himself didn¡¯t want to admit it. During that time, he had tried so hard and so carefully to manage their relationship.


    As Chen Yuchuan thought about it, his mind began to grow confused again. When he continued to probe bit by bit, he arrived at the crux of the problem in their relationship half a year ago, and a few scattered images flashed across his mind.


    His vision blurred for a moment. His body swayed, and even his breathing seemed to have hitched to a stop. His thin pajamas outlined the curve of his back and the slump of his shoulders.


    He absolutely did not want to continue this train of thought. And so, his thoughts came to a complete halt as he forcibly shut down those memories and thoughts that were like entangling ropes.


    He looked down at Chubby, touched him, and asked in a low voice, ¡°I treated him better than ever before. I learned to cook soup. I no longer made trouble, no longer tormented him. I no longer got angry, and I also stopped being deliberately provocative. These were all wrong, weren¡¯t they?¡±


    Chubby couldn¡¯t give Chen Yuchuan an answer, but just rubbed against his palm.


    ¡­¡­..


    As Lu Yang was walking downstairs, he heard Chubby barking after him. He stopped at the corner of the fourth floor. Leaning on the railing, he turned to look back. It wasn¡¯t until Chubby stopped barking did he continue making his way downstairs.


    The sound-activated lights in the stairwell were completely broken, and even though the sound of Lu Yang¡¯s footsteps going downstairs was rather heavy, it never came on.


    He took a taxi directly to the gate of his community and returned to his house in Jade Lake.


    When he and Chen Yuchian first started living together, they had lived here for a time.


    After Chen Yuchuan purchased the apartment, everything was repurchased for that place, and all their old things were left here. Whenever they had errands nearby, and it ran too late, they would stay here for the night.


    Lu Yang stood in front of the door for a while, rubbing his throbbing temple. Then he entered the lock password.


    He opened the door, took off his shoes, threw his coat on the sofa, and entered the bathroom. He turned on the shower and let the water ran over his body, even as he shed his clothes.


    Soon, all the soaked clothes on his body was discarded at his feet, and the sounds of water falling on his clothes was different from the sounds of water falling on tiled floor.


    So suffocating.


    ¡­¡­¡­


    When Xiao Lei arrived the next day, he knocked on the door for a long time, until Chubby entered the bedroom and woke Chen Yuchuan up.


    When Chen Yuchuan opened the door, Xiao Lei was startled. He looked at Chen Yuchuan¡¯s messy hair and the heavy dark circles underneath his empty eyes, and for a brief moment, he thought that he¡¯d knocked on the wrong door.


    ¡°Sister-in-law, sister-in-law¡­¡± Xiao Lei stammered, ¡°You, you didn¡¯t sleep well last night?¡±


    With the door opened, the wind blew in from outside and the cold completely woke Chen Yuchuan up. Looking at Xiao Lei, he asked, ¡°Xiao Lei, why are you here? What time is it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s half past six. The boss has a meeting in the morning. Last night, I said that I would pick him up in the morning. I parked the car downstairs, but when I called Boss, he didn¡¯t answer so I came up and knocked on the door,¡± Xiao Lei said, looking into the room. He asked, ¡°Is Boss still up?¡±


    Chen Yuchuan said, ¡°He¡¯s not here.¡±


    ¡°President Lu left?¡±


    ¡°He left last night.¡±


    ¡°Sister-in-law, Boss ran away from home?¡± Xiao Lei asked in surprise.


    He¡¯d been Lu Yang¡¯s driver for six years, and he¡¯d seen the boss quarreled with the lady boss, but there had never been a situation where the boss actually ran away from home in the middle of the night.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a quarrel.¡± Chen Yuchuan waved his hand, not wanting to say much. ¡°He¡¯s in the house over at Jade Lake. Go and pick him up over there.¡±


    When Chen Yuchuan was saying this, he didn¡¯t feel that it was anything. But when he closed the door, he felt that he¡¯d said it with too much certainty.


    Lu Yang had so many houses. The house over at Jade Lake was the farthest from the company, and so he may not necessarily be staying there.


    That night, when Chen Yuchuan went to the boxing gym, he didn¡¯t see Lu Yang. The front desk staff also wasn¡¯t Xiao Yang. After swiping his card, he asked casually, ¡°Where¡¯s Xiao Yang? Is he off work today?¡±


    ¡°Xiao Yang is in Mr. Qi¡¯s office. Do you need him for something?¡± the staff replied.


    ¡°Brother Qi is here today?¡±


    ¡°He arrived this afternoon.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan thanked the staff and went straight to Qi Yun¡¯s office, while carrying boxing gloves. He didn¡¯t know if that idiot had returned to the gym to make trouble.


    Qi Yun¡¯s office was on the second floor. When Chen Yuchuan stopped at the door and lightly knocked on it, he heard a small sound coming from the office.


    The moment he heard what that sound was, he regretted that he¡¯d come at this time.


    Just as he was about to turn away, Qi Yun¡¯s office door opened and Xiao Yang appeared, his shirt a little wrinkled, his face unnaturally red. Pale-lipped and nervous, he avoided looking at Chen Yuchuan.


    Embarrassed, Chen Yuchuan didn¡¯t know how to react. But Xiao Yang said hello first. ¡°Chuan, Brother Chuan.¡±


    ¡°Is he inside?¡± Chen Yuchuan turned his body sideways and scratched his head. ¡°Is Qi Yun inside?¡±


    Xiao Yang nodded, blushing.


    Qi Yun¡¯s voice came from inside. ¡°Xiao Yang, you can return to work.¡±


    Xiao Yang walked out with his head lowered.


    After entering, Chen Yuchuan said, ¡°Damn.¡± He walked over to Qi Yun¡¯s desk, put his boxing gloves down on the desk, and said, ¡°Brother Qi, I really didn¡¯t mean to disturb you. I didn¡¯t realize it before. Brother Qi, when did you get together with Xiao Yang?¡±


    Qi Yun sat on the office chair with a cigarette in his mouth. His clothes were neat and tidy, and not even a button was crooked. Except for his eyes, his demeanor was much calmer than Xiao Yang¡¯s.


    Qi Yun was two years older than Lu Yang and had turned forty this year. In their circle of friends, his was a notorious playboy and had always been single. The person with him would change one after another and would no longer be seen but once.


    Qi Yun loved to play. He liked exciting sports, and so in the past, he would play in the mountains and sea nearly every day. In recent years, he had stopped going as much and would stay home more often.


    Removing the cigarette from his mouth, Qi Yun shook his head and said, ¡°We¡¯re not together. We¡¯re just sleeping with each other. Why are you here today?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been here a lot lately,¡± Chen Yuchuan said, no longer commenting on Qi Yun¡¯s love life. He dragged a chair from the side and sat across from Qi Yun at his desk. He said, ¡°I had a fight with someone here two days ago. I don¡¯t know if that person came back or not.¡±


    ¡°It was the fool who made trouble first, so he didn¡¯t dare come back to make trouble again. If he did come again, I would definitely kick him out. I don¡¯t accept that kind of person here,¡± Qi Yun said.


    Chen Yuchuan was relieved. ¡°It¡¯s good that he didn¡¯t come back to make trouble.¡±


    He sat on the chair with his long legs crossed. Watching Qi Yun smoke, his addiction to smoking flared up and he touched his pockets, only to find it empty. He pointed a finger at Qi Yun and said, ¡°Brother Qi, give me a cigarette.¡±


    Qi Yun played with the lighter in his hands and said, ¡°Before, when I offered it to you, you told me you don¡¯t smoke¡­¡±


    Having said this, he pointed to the case of cigarettes on his desk and said, ¡°Help yourself.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan picked up the cigarette case and lighter on the table, lit one, and joined Qi Yun in smoking.


    He was glad Qi Yun wasn¡¯t someone prone to nosiness, because he really didn¡¯t want to talk about his and Lu Yang¡¯s divorce.


    As long as one of their mutual friends knew about this kind of thing, it was impossible for the rest to not find out. It was just a matter of time. Qi Yun obviously knew about it.


    When Chen Yuchuan was done smoking his cigarette, Qi Yun asked, ¡°Since you¡¯ve come here, do you want to go out and practice together?¡±


    Chen Yuchuan put out the cigarette butt in the ashtray, stood up, and picked up his boxing gloves on the table. Waving his hand weakly, he said, ¡°Maybe some other day. Brother Qi, after smoking this cigarette, I¡¯ve discovered that all the strengths I had when I first came in have now floated away. I really don¡¯t have the strength today¡­¡±


    Qi Yun wasn¡¯t a talkative person, but he still said, ¡°I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re tormenting yourself.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan was silent for a while, and his heart silently said: After so many years of tormenting each other, instead of continuing on, we  gave up¡­

 CH 17

    Chen Yuchuan always had strength in his body, a strength that would never be extinguished, bursting and flamboyant.


    But everyone had moments of weaknesses, fatigue, and complacency.


    His strength required that someone stand firmly beside him, and no matter how much he exerted force, that person would stand steadfastly next to him. In the past, this person was Lu Yang.


    The cigarette in Qi Yun¡¯s office completely wiped out Chen Yuchuan¡¯s energy.


    Looking further back, it was more accurately what Lu Yang had said before he left:


    Divorcing was the right thing to do.


    When Lu Yang said this, he wanted to be the same as he was before. He wanted to immediately rush up to Lu Yang and threaten to break up with him.


    Because, with those words, in addition to the half past year, he also denied everything in the previous 16 years.


    Chen Yuchuan had been with Lu Yang since he was 18 years old. At the age of 18, he was still thinking about how to solve his three meals a day, and nothing was certain.


    After 18 years old, Lu Yang¡¯s name was branded everywhere on his body. In these 16 years, he was already scalded from skin to meat to bone.


    So what would Chen Yuchuan be like with Lu Yang? What was the real him?


    That wasn¡¯t something Lu Yang could decide, unless he tore off all the marks he¡¯d placed on Chen Yuchuan¡¯s body and then melted him and reshaped him anew.


    Now, without Lu Yang by his side, Chen Yuchuan was like a balloon drifting in the sky, continuously leaking air, deflated and negligent.


    He stayed home the entire weekend. He had already released Lu Yang¡¯s phone number and WeChat from the blacklist.


    On Friday afternoon, Lu Yang sent a message saying that he would pick Chubby up at 3 in the afternoon on the weekend.


    On Saturday, Chen Yuchuan got up at noon, had an afternoon meal, and went back to bed.


    On Saturday night, Hua Song called him. He had almost never had contact with Hua Song alone, and so he was a little puzzled. However, Hua Song only asked him if he had time the next day and invited him to go to his small, solo concert.


    However, Chen Yuchuan refused. He didn¡¯t want to go out, didn¡¯t want to move, and didn¡¯t want to listen to any concerts.


    On Sunday, Lu Yang arrived on time at 3 pm. The TV was on and Chen Yuchuan was lying on the sofa with his eyes closed, resting on one arm like it was a pillow and the blanket pulled over his body. Hewas extremely lazy and fatigue, not wanting to move, to talk, to open his eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m here to pick up Chubby.¡± Lu Yang started knocking on the door, and when no one answered, he took out his key and opened the door by himself. When he entered, the first thing he saw was Chen Yuchuan showing his profile to the door.


    Without opening his eyes, Chen Yuchuan opened his mouth, only to discover that his throat was dry and sour. He swallowed and called out to Chubby. ¡°Come here and give Dad a hug. Go with your mother, and I¡¯ll pick you up next week.¡±


    Chubby ran to the sofa and barked a few times at Chen Yuchuan.


    Chen Yuchuan pushed himself up on his elbows, shook the blanket on his body and stretched out a hand from underneath the blanket. His hand felt in the air a few times before finally locating Chubby. After patting him, he retracted his arms back into the blanket and said in Chubby¡¯s general direction, ¡°Go with your mother. Dad won¡¯t see you off.¡±


    Lu Yang strode over to the sofa, bent down, and placed his hand on Chen Yuchuan¡¯s forehead. The moment his hand made contact, his face twisted.


    ¡°You have a fever. Don¡¯t you know it yourself?¡±


    Chen Yuchuan only knew that he was exhausted and didn¡¯t want to move at all. He thought that he was just lazy and had no idea that he was feverish. No wonder he felt a little cold and his head was dizzy.


    Lu Yang moved his hand away from Chen Yuchuan¡¯s forehead and slid it down to his face, only to discover that his face was also hot.


    Chen Yuchuan frowned and lightly patted Lu Yang¡¯s hand away. Then, pulling the blanket up to cover half of his chin, he murmured. ¡°Okay, yes. I know now.¡±


    Lu Yang let out a soft sigh. He walked over to the cabinet by the TV, took out the medicine box, and located the antipyretic and cold medicine.


    With his eyes closed, Chen Yuchuan could hear Lu Yang¡¯s footsteps. First, he determined that Lu Yang must have found the medicine, then he entered the kitchen and began to boil water.


    He wanted to say, ¡°Lu Yang, don¡¯t worry about me. I can do all this by myself. Anyway, I¡¯m on my own now.¡± But he really didn¡¯t want to talk at all, and so he just continued to lie down and made himself more comfortable.


    His physique had always been very good, and he rarely had a fever or caught a cold.


    Chubby was lying on the carpet next to the sofa, looking at him. Then, he stood up and ran into the kitchen to see his mother.


    Once the water was boiled, the kettle began to screech. Feeling that the sound was particularly harsh, Chen Yuchuan pulled the blanket over his ears. Fortunately, Lu Yang quickly turned the stove off.


    As he waited for Lu Yang to deliver the medicine and the warm water, Chen Yuchuan nearly fell asleep.


    ¡°Get up and take some medicine.¡±


    Half asleep, Chen Yuchuan heard Lu Yang¡¯s voice near his ears. Judging by the sound that was neither too close nor too far, he determined that Lu Yang must be squatting by the sofa.


    It wasn¡¯t until Lu Yang had called out to him three times did Chen Yuchuan finally let out a nasally ¡°mmmn.¡±


    At first, Lu Yang thought that Chen Yuchuan would follow his typical behavior and say that he didn¡¯t want to take medicine. To his surprise, Chen Yuchuan quickly sat up from the sofa, still covered with the blanket. Wrapping the blanket tighter around his neck with one hand, he grabbed the pills on the coffee table with the other hand. Then, raising his head, he swallowed the pills and followed it with drinking down a whole cup of warm water.


    After putting down the glass of water, Chen Yuchuan didn¡¯t look at Lu Yang. He simply sniffed, stood up still wrapped in the blanket, and began to walk to the bedroom, saying, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ve finished the medicine and drank the warm water. I¡¯ll burn the fever off in a while. You can go back now. I¡¯ll just go to my room to sleep and I¡¯ll be fine when I wake up.¡±


    In his bedroom, Chen Yuchuan closed the door. The cold medicine was the kind to induce sleep, and Chen Yuchuan had hardly slept well these past few days. As a result, he fell asleep shortly after lying down.


    When he finally woke up, the room was completely dark. The curtains were drawn tightly, but he could still hear the slight sound of the wind gently blowing against the glass windows.


    Lying in bed, he stared at the heavy darkness in front of him for several minutes before he finally remembered what happened right before he went to sleep.


    He had a fever, and when Lu Yang came to pick up Chubby, he boiled water for him and gave him medicine.


    The medicine box should be inside the drawer on the right side of the TV stand. From the sounds of it, it was in the second drawer, because the screws on the first drawer were a little loose. When you pulled it out, it would create a harsh screeching sound. Therefore, he rarely used that drawer himself.


    Last month, he¡¯d told Lu Yang that he had time, they should go to a furniture store together to get a new cabinet.


    He¡¯d told Lu Yang that the color of the cabinet was too dark now, and he wanted a beige one.


    When Chen Yuchuan got out of bed, he touched his forehead. After taking the medicine, the fever had subsided. Now, his forehead was even a little cold. He¡¯d been sweating in his sleep, and so he felt sticky and uncomfortable.


    He¡¯d just touched the lamp and was just about to press on the switch to turn it on, when the bedroom door suddenly opened, letting a block of light from the living room inside. Chen Yuchuan saw the shadow of Lu Yang¡¯s figure outlined by that bright light.


    Since Lu Yang¡¯s back was to the light, Chen Yuchuan couldn¡¯t see his expression clearly.


    ¡°Lu Yang, why haven¡¯t you left yet?¡± Chen Yuchuan asked.


    Lu Yang didn¡¯t answer. He walked over to the bed and touched Chen Yuchuan¡¯s forehead, then he quickly removed his hand and said, ¡°Come out and eat.¡±


    After Lu Yang finished speaking, he turned around and walked out.


    Chen Yuchuan didn¡¯t say anything this time. Although the fever had subsided, he didn¡¯t feel much better. He was still top-heavy, and he was starving.


    First, he took a shower, and after rinsing off the sweat on his body, he felt much refreshed.


    The three dishes and two bowls of porridge on the table were still steaming hot, and Lu Yang sat in the position he used to sit.


    Seeing this, Chen Yuchuan felt a little dazed, as if this was no different from the usual weekend routine. He pulled out the chair opposite Lu Yang and sat down. Then he picked up the bowl of porridge and a spoon and began to drink the porridge.


    Lu Yang ate very gently. He made no sound at all when drinking the porridge, and only occasionally would there be the sounds of his spoon knocking against the edge of the bowl.


    Chen Yuchuan raised his head and drank a small bowl. Feeling that his stomach was not so empty before he said, ¡°Lu Yang, I¡¯ll give you the ¡®Best Ex-Husband¡¯ award. You can take care of me and even cook for me when I¡¯m sick. You really are a good man¡­¡±


    Lu Yang didn¡¯t answer Chen Yuchuan¡¯s words at all, and lowered his head to continue eating the porridge in his bowl.


    Chen Yuchuan didn¡¯t continue the topic and instead finished his remaining half bowl of porridge. Then he stretched his neck and glanced at the kitchen.


    When Lu Yang said, ¡°There¡¯s more,¡± Chen Yuchuan took his bowl into the kitchen and went to refill it. The porridge was too hot, and he couldn¡¯t eat it even after stirring it with a spoon for a long time. In the end, he simply pushed the bowl aside so that it could cool down naturally.


    He was quiet for two seconds, then he opened his mouth and said, ¡°Brother Yang¡­¡±


    When Chen Yuchuan called out Brother Yang, he did so very seriously. He was no longer angry, not like in the past few days. His words no longer carried thorns, as if the moment he saw Lu Yang, he would want to stab him.


    The impulse to stab people had passed, and he still had to walk back calmly, no matter what his identity and their relationship were.


    Chen Yuchuan really wanted to have a good chat with Lu Yang now, although he still hadn¡¯t figured anything out.


    ¡°Brother Yang, although saying this now is a bit like¡­taking off your pants and farting. It¡¯s superfluous, but I still want to ask. What do you think I should be like? Like you said, whenever I get angry, I won¡¯t hide it and can still burst out fire three meters high, right? So, that makes it right for us to divorce?¡±


    Lu Yang put down his spoon, wiped his mouth and hands with a napkin, and straightened his body.


    The light over the dining table was slightly bluish, and it covered them with a layer of gray blues.


    Instead of directly answering Chen Yuchuan¡¯s question, Lu Yang asked, ¡°What if it¡¯s not the right thing to do? If getting a divorce is wrong, what are you going to do? Remarry me?¡±


    The things Chen Yuchuan wanted to ask became disrupted by these words. If getting a divorce was the wrong thing to do, could they remarry?


    But before he could figure it out, his phone on the sofa rang, interrupting their conversation.


    He walked to the sofa and picked up his mobile phone to answer the call. It was the manager of the resort, Jian Yongyan.


    Jian Yongyan waited for Chen Yuchuan to answer the phone, and then he hurriedly said, ¡°President Chen, there was an accident in the resort on the mountain, and a large part of Area B under construction had collapsed.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan quickly asked, ¡°Is anyone injured?¡±


    ¡°No one was injured.¡±


    ¡°Make absolutely sure no one was injured. Call the police immediately. I¡¯ll head over right now.¡±


    Lu Yang received the call almost at the same time. Chen Yuchuan picked up the car key on the coffee table and threw it directly to Lu Yang. ¡°Brother Yang, you drive¡­¡±

 CH 18

    ()x14-17 minutes 17.05.2022


    Chen Yuchuan had already impatiently opened the front door to leave. But Lu Yang changed the dog food and added water for Chubby. Before going out, he grabbed the two coats hanging on the hanger with one hand. One was his own suit jacket and the other was Chen Yuchuan¡¯s windbreaker.


    Chen Yuchuan was leaning against the passenger door. Now that the cold wind had passed, the temperature outside was slightly warming up. Even so, it was still cold at night.


    Lu Yang glanced at the thin clothes on Chen Yuchuan¡¯s body and threw the windbreaker to him. ¡°Put it on.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan caught the windbreaker and put it on. Once Lu Yang had unlocked the door, he opened it and sat in the passenger seat.


    Lu Yang drove out of the community, turned right onto the main road, and continued heading east.


    Chen Yuchuan had owned a small resort on the eastern suburbs for many years.


    However, he now had another resort under construction on Wuling Mountain positioned at an altitude of 500 meters above ground. It had only been two weeks ago that he¡¯d gone to see the construction, and it had now reached the follow-up finishing stage. Everything was going as planned, and it was expected to officially open next summer. But now, there was suddenly a collapse.


    Two minutes after Lu Yang got into the car, their phones dinged one after another. Since Lu Yang was driving, Chen Yuchuan checked the phones. It was the person in charge of the resort reporting the progress of the accident to them.


    While driving, Lu Yang said, ¡°Xiao Chuan¡¯er, please confirm with Jian Yongxin again whether anyone is injured.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll ask.¡± Chen Yuchuan continued holding onto the two mobile phones. Just as he was done, Lu Yang¡¯s phone dinged again.


    He read the message Jian Yongxin sent. ¡°It¡¯s all been checked. No one was injured.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good that no one¡¯s injured,¡± Lu Yang said. ¡°As for the cause of the collapse, as well as other ensuing problems and losses, we can talk about them later.¡±


    It was 8 o¡¯clock in the evening on a weekend, and naturally, the urban roads were a bit congested.


    Jian Yongxin sent another message and Chen Yuchuan told Lu Yang, ¡°Many reporters have arrived.¡±


    Lu Yang¡¯s eyebrows rose. ¡°So soon?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s also possible that someone had tipped them very early on.¡± Chen Yuchuan quickly aired the problem.


    The Lu family had a large enterprise, and they must contend with a great many competitors that operated both in the open and in secret. Even though the owner of Wuling Mountain¡¯s resort was Chen Yuchuan.


    He naturally didn¡¯t think that he had the ability to make a business specifically target him. He believed it was likely the people he was dealing with or the people around him.


    At the time, when Lu Yang took the land for the resort project, many people were interested.


    Wuling Mountain was a tourist attraction, and the daily flow of people was huge during the tourist season. If a large-scale resort could be developed there, the subsequent profits could clearly be imagined.


    Once they left the city, there were fewer and fewer cars. Chen Yuchuan kept answering the phones. When he looked up, he caught a glimpse of the sign on the side of the road, showing that there was a tunnel ahead.


    ¡°Brother Yang,¡± he said, subconsciously clenching the phones in his hands. ¡°Let¡¯s take another route. We can take a detour from the rural road in front.¡±


    Lu Yang didn¡¯t speak. His eyes were fixed on the road in front of him, his hands still holding the steering wheel in position. The car moved forward steadily.


    ¡°Brother Yang, shall we change paths?¡± Chen Yuchuan raised his voice a little, and there was a begging undertone in his voice.


    ¡°This is the closest route.¡± Lu Yang didn¡¯t change direction; he kept driving forward. He didn¡¯t turn at the fork and quickly drove into the tunnel.


    The moment the car entered the tunnel, Chen Yuchuan¡¯s vision suddenly darkened. The two-lane tunnel was very narrow, with the wall lamps at the top of the tunnel emitting bright white lights one after another.


    A wind blew against the glass window, and Chen Yuchuan heard a low and deep echo buzzing in his ears. He didn¡¯t know if it was his hallucination, but the echo became louder and louder, making panic bloom in his chest.


    The tunnel wasn¡¯t short, and he stared without blinking, looking for the exit ahead that he was unable to see.


    After what seemed like a long time, he suddenly felt warmth on the back of his hand. Yu Lang held his trembling hand and said in a voice lower than the wind in the tunnel. But it was enough to calm him down.


    ¡°Xiao Chuan¡¯er, close your eyes. It¡¯s okay. We¡¯ll be out soon.¡±


    Lu Yang¡¯s voice fell like magic, and Chen Yuchuan closed his eyes obediently. The psychological and physical discomfort he felt early was blown away.


    Once the car drove out of the tunnel, Lu Yang withdrew his hand. ¡°We¡¯re out.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan didn¡¯t open his eyes. He turned his shoulders slightly so that he was facing out the window. Pulling up the collar of his coat, he lowered his chin and said, ¡°Brother Yang, if at that time¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no ifs,¡± Lu Yang interrupted. ¡°You can¡¯t always be afraid, and you can¡¯t always make a detour around it. You can¡¯t always avoid it. Sometimes, when you drive through these roads, you will have no choice but to go through it. What¡¯s more, it¡¯s already in the past.¡±


    ¡°How long ago?¡± Chen Yuchuan asked himself, eyes still closed. ¡°It¡¯s only been a little over half a year ago¡­¡±


    It took another hour until they finally reached Wuling Mountain and drove up the winding road around the mountain.


    As they approached the entrance of the resort, Chen Yuchuan lowered the passenger window, placed his arm on the edge of the opened window, and stretched out his neck to glance out.


    There were many cars with flashing lights parked at the entrance of the resort, including police cars and fire trucks, as well as several cars with signs of the Tourism Bureau. People in uniform came in and out, and there were also many reporters with cameras and microphones.


    ¡°Brother Yang, do we want to take a detour and enter through the back entrance?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just go through the front gate,¡± Lu Yang said. ¡°If we hide, it will give people one more thing to latch onto and make a fuss about. When I¡¯m interviewed later, I¡¯ll explain the problem that should be explained.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the person in charge. I¡¯ll go with you,¡± Chen Yuchuan said.


    Lu Yang didn¡¯t argue. Chen Yuchuan also knew that he wasn¡¯t very good at facing a camera, and Lu Yang would do a better job at speaking.


    When the car stopped, Chen Yuchuan left the car first. He leaned against the passenger door, took out a cigarette case from his pocket, and pulled out a cigarette. But soon, he felt his fingers go empty. Even his palm was empty.


    Lu Yang took away the cigarette in his hand, along with the cigarette case and the lighter.


    Chen Yuchuan¡¯s empty fingers twitched, and he looked at Lu Yang with a smile. ¡°I won¡¯t smoke.¡±


    First, they went to find out more about the current situation. Once the problem was cleared, Lu Yang turned around and walked towards the reporters.


    The moment he lifted his foot, Chen Yuchuan grabbed his wrist.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Lu Yang asked.


    Chen Yuchuan held onto Lu Yang¡¯s wrist. His fingers rested on Lu Yang¡¯s pulse, feeling the slight throbbing through the layer of his sleeve. Then he raised his other hand and straightened the slightly crooked tie around Lu Yang¡¯s neck.


    ¡°Your tie is a little crooked,¡± Chen Yuchuan said. He took another step forward, and he could hear Lu Yang¡¯s breathing with the shortened distance.


    Lu Yang looked down at Chen Yuchuan. Chen Yuchuan¡¯s eyelashes were very thick and very long, and when he blinked and lifted his lids to look attentively at Lu Yang, Lu Yang couldn¡¯t help but feel himself tremble slightly.


    In fact, it was Lu Yang who had taught Chen Yuchuan how to tie a tie, and this happened not long after they started officially living together.


    Once he¡¯d learned how to tie a tie, he was always keen to tie Lu Yang¡¯s tie for him. It was a rare, quiet time between the two of them.


    Sometimes, after Lu Yang had already tied his tie himself in the morning, Chen Yuchuan would untie it on purpose and redo it for him.


    Seeing them, some reporters began to walk over with microphones. Chen Yuchuan let go of Lu Yang¡¯s wrist and tie and moved silently to a place not far behind him.


    Lu Yang was soon surrounded by a group of reporters, and a female reporter in a black trench coat took the lead to stretch out her microphone. ¡°Excuse me, President Lu, are there any casualties in this accident? What was the cause of the accident? Was there a problem with the quality of the project materials? With such an accident, will the resort still be able to officially open on time?¡±


    ¡°There are no casualties, and the cause of the accident is still under investigation. We will apply for a third-party investigation. We will take this accident seriously and resolve it just as seriously. As for the official opening time, we¡¯ll decide based on the actual situation at the time.¡±


    After Lu Yang calmly answered the female reporter¡¯s question, another male reporter asked, ¡°President Lu, if there are casualties, how will you explain it to the tourists who are already planning to visit the resort?¡±


    Lu Yang fixed his gaze on the male reporter who had asked this question. His expression was calm, but the look in his eyes made the male reporter subconsciously take a step back.


    ¡°As a reporter, it is your responsibility to supervise and seek truthful reporting, not to make malicious speculations and incite public panic for something that hasn¡¯t happened.¡±


    Once he was done speaking, Lu Yang faced the camera once more and said, ¡°We will fully cooperate with the investigation to find out the specific reason for the accident, and once the investigation is done, we will issue a statement as soon as possible to give an explanation to the concerned public¡­¡±


    After answering the reporter¡¯s questions, Lu Yang held several urgent meetings. It wasn¡¯t until two in the morning, when all preliminary issues had been dealt with, that the fire fighters, the police officers, and the reporters all finally left.


    Chen Yuchuan and Lu Yang had always had their own fixed room in the resort and so Jian Yongxin naturally made no other arrangements.


    Their room was a suite with a study room and a conference room. The moment they entered their room, Lu Yang head straight to the study. He asked the company¡¯s public relations department to send out a statement about the accident and called a few friends who had connections with various newspapers.


    Meanwhile, the phone on Chen Yuchuan¡¯s side also wasn¡¯t silent. When his phone was completely out of power and turned off, he finally entered the study, only to find that Lu Yang was still looking through some documents.


    Chen Yuchuan asked, ¡°Brother Yang, what do you think?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll wait for the quality inspection report and the geological inspection report from a third-party investigator. Fortunately, it happened at night when there¡¯s no one on the construction site. If it had happened during the dayment, the consequences would be unimaginable.¡± After saying this, Lu Yang rubbed his temples. ¡°We¡¯ve managed to get here tonight, and we¡¯ve done everything we can.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s sleep.¡± Chen Yuchuan turned and walked out.


    ¡°You sleep on the bed, I¡¯ll sleep on the sofa,¡± Lu Yang said behind him.


    The sofa here wasn¡¯t as large as the one at home. Chen Yuchuan folded his arms and turned his head to say with a smile, ¡°Brother Yang, we¡¯ve slept together for 16 years. Why are you afraid of me now?¡±


    Lu Yang was silent for a moment before saying, ¡°Xiao Chuan¡¯er, am I afraid of you, or are you afraid of me?¡±


    The corners of Chen Yuchuan¡¯s mouth lifted up. ¡°Brother Yang, why should I be afraid of you? You¡¯re not a tiger, so what is there to be afraid of?¡±


    As if to prove his words, Chen Yuchuan walked back. He didn¡¯t stop until he¡¯d crossed the desk to stand between the desk and Lu Yang. Leaning against the edge of the desk, he kicked Lu Yang¡¯s chair and then brushed his toes across the hem of his suit pants.


    Lu Yang let Chen Yuchuan play, until he became more and more arrogant and even took a step forward to shorten the distance between them.


    Chen Yuchuan grabbed the tie he¡¯d just arranged for Lu Yang and wrapped it a few times around his fingers. Then he lifted the tie, which caused Lu Yang¡¯s chin to tip up, and he stared at his lips.


    He was still the same as he¡¯d been before, unable to stare too long at Lu Yangs lips without wanting to kiss him.


    Lu Yang watched as Chen Yuchuan¡¯s face was getting closer and closer and his fingers gripping the desk tightened little by little. It wasn¡¯t until Chen Yuchuan came close enough did Lu Yang finally speak, his voice obviously rough with need.


    ¡°Chen Yuchuan, the first time you teased me after our divorce, it was because you drank too much, so I didn¡¯t mind. This is the second time. If you continue, it will be at your own risk¡­¡±


    Chen Yuchuan watched as Lu Yang¡¯s sexy and seductive lips moved, watching them open and close as they spoke those threatening words.


    He smiled and no longer moved forward. His fingers released Lu Yang¡¯s tie and he stepped back, putting some distance between them. Then he looked into Lu Yang¡¯s eyes and said without hesitation, ¡°Yes, Brother Yang is right. I¡¯m afraid of you. I¡¯m really afraid¡­¡±


    He was just done speaking when he suddenly noticed that there was a little line at the corner of Lu Yang¡¯s eye. It wasn¡¯t deep and was, in fact, quite thin and light. If one didn¡¯t look carefully, one wouldn¡¯t have noticed it at all.


    Chen Yuchuan no longer acted wildly. Instead, he brushed a fingertip lightly across the corner of Lu Yang¡¯s eye.


    It was as if, if he brushed over it lightly, he could smooth out the wrinkle at the corner of Lu Yang¡¯s eyes.


    Obviously, this was impossible.


    Only then did Chen Yuchuan seriously remember that Lu Yang was already 38 years old this year, and they weren¡¯t young anymore. The cruelty of time would often catch you unaware. For a moment you¡¯ll panic, but in due time, you¡¯ll have no choice but to accept it out of sheer desperation.


    Although the lines at the end of Lu Yang¡¯s eyes did not affect his charm at all, it added a bit of wisdom given by the years.


    But Chen Yuchuan still felt as if his chest was being pinched and turned around.


    Those fine lines were not recent, but he had never noticed them.


    It seemed that he hadn¡¯t looked at Lu Yang seriously for a long time.

 CH 19

    ()x15-19 minutes 23.05.2022


    It was raining quite hard in the mountain, and the air was humid. Chen Yuchuan stood by the window, freshly showered and wearing a bathrobe. The dark rain and thick fog outside gave the window a heavy sense of oppression.


    The sound insulation in the room was very good, such that Chen Yuchuan could not hear the rain from outside the window at all. However, he could still hear the sound of running water coming from the bathroom.


    Later, Lu Yang laid down beside Chen Yuchuan on the bed, leaving a small night light to brighten the hallway. The gap between their two bodies lying on the bed was so large that an entire person could fit between them.


    Chen Yuchuan felt the mattress beside him shift, causing his body to sway and move along with the motion.


    When Lu Yang finally stopped moving, Chen Yuchuan turned over. Resting his head on his arm, he asked, ¡°Brother Yang, it¡¯s still raining outside. Does your leg hurt?¡±


    Lu Yang didn¡¯t speak and continued to lay on his back. Not hearing an answer, Chen Yuchuan lifted the comforter and got out of bed.


    ¡°Come back,¡± Lu Yang said suddenly. ¡°Come back and sleep.¡±


    Not listening, Chen Yuchuan went straight to the bathroom and ran a towel under hot water. When he returned with the hot towel, Lu Yang pressed down on the comforter.


    Chen Yuchuan directly lifted the comforter away and shifted Lu Yang¡¯s left leg closer to himself. ¡°Don¡¯t dawdle.¡±


    Lu Yang didn¡¯t move. He only let out a sigh and allowed Chen Yuchuan to do as he wished.


    Lu Yang¡¯s bathrobe was opened a little, with the hem lifted to below his thigh, revealing the sloping scar on his exposed calf. The scar ran from the inside of his calf all the way up to his knee.


    The scar was a little darker than the surrounding skin, and when Chen Yuchuan touched it, he still felt the hard bulge of the trauma despite the fact that it had happened a long time ago.


    He folded the hot towel and placed it over the scar. Then he began to press down lightly over the hot towel with his fingers.


    In the past, on rainy days, he would put a hot towel on Lu Yang¡¯s leg and message it until Lu Yang fell asleep. It was the same this time too. When Chen Yuchuan changed the hot towel, he heard Lu Yang¡¯s deep, even breathing.


    The scar on Lu Yang¡¯s leg had been there for more than ten years. It had happened when he and Chen Yuchuan were together for a little over a year and he¡¯d blocked a blow meant for Chen Yuchuan.


    Before meeting Lu Yang, Chen Yuchuan¡¯s friends were all gangsters. They were said to be friends, but truthfully, they were just nodding acquaintances.


    But soon after he found steady work at the garage and at the bar, he slowly cut off contact with those people.


    In fact, he knew very well in his heart who he should communicate with and who he shouldn¡¯t.


    But the only person he could not break contact with was Guang Haobo. Guang Haobo was the only person who had helped Chen Yuchuan and lent him money when his mother became hospitalized.


    Guang Haobo had suffered a head injury when he was a child and so his intelligence was a bit low. He was slow to respond and he alway followed his cousin Hong San around.


    In fact, Chen Yuchuan had met Hong San first before he later met Guang Haobo.


    At the beginning, Chen Yuchuan didn¡¯t bother much about Guang Haobo, who was always foolishly smacking his lips and looking at people with such silly cheerfulness. But after a long time, he could no longer stand watching people bully Guang Haobo and cheat him out of his hard-earned money.


    Therefore, when Guang Haobo was once again cheated of his money, Chen Yuchuan told him not to give his money to others and to keep it only for himself.


    Guang Haobo might be a little foolish, but even fools could tell the difference between good people and bad people. Since then, Guang Haobo had begun to call him Brother Chuan, even though he himself was two years older than Chen Yuchuan.


    Chen Yuchuan quite liked being called Brother Chuan, and so he always protected Guang Haobo. At the time, Chen Yuchuan had fought horribly and desperately, such that people became afraid of him and no longer dared to bully Guang Haobo.


    When Chen Yuchuan¡¯s mother became hospitalized and he was in desperate need of money, he asked around to borrow money. It was only Guang Haobo who did not reject him and gave him all the 2,000 yuan he had on his person. After handing over his savings, he smiled broadly at Chen Yuchuan.


    He said, ¡°Brother Chuan, I¡¯ll give you all the money I have so that your mother will have a good treatment.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan was very grateful. As soon as he made enough money, he paid him back, but Guang Haobo didn¡¯t want it. It wasn¡¯t until Chen Yuchuan scolded him did he reluctantly put the money away.


    Soon after Chen Yuchaun got together with Lu Yang, Lu Yang found the best doctor and the best hospital for his mother, who finally was able to receive a kidney transplant.


    A month before the kidney transplant, Chen Yuchuan suddenly received a call from Guang Haobo.


    Chen Yuchaun thought that Guang Haobo was in trouble, but when he got to his house, Guang Haobo took out 5,000 yuan from underneath his mattress, gave it to him, and said, ¡°For the surgery.¡±


    Of course, Chen Yuchuan rejected him, saying that he now had a very good boyfriend and his boyfriend had made all the arrangements for his mother¡¯s operation.


    Guang Haobo didn¡¯t believe him and insisted on giving him the 5,000 yuan.


    No matter how Chen Yuchuan tried to convince him, Guang Haobo would not believe him. When the fool was stuck in his ways, he would become angry when obstructed. In the end, Chen Yuchuan had no choice but to take the money, thinking that he would return it in a few days and say that his money¡¯s surgery was completed.


    Three days later, he took Lu Yang to Guang Haobo¡¯s place to repay the money and introduce them.


    They had just walked into the courtyard when they heard beating and cursing. Chen Yuchuan rushed to open the door and saw several people in the room, the house a complete and utter mess.


    These people had cheated money out of Guang Haobo before in the past.


    Without a word, Chen Yuchuan kicked the two people holding Guang Haobo in the head. Fighting ensued.


    Later, someone grabbed a long, thick iron rod from the bottom of Guang Haobo¡¯s bed and swung it at the back of Chen Yuchuan¡¯s head.


    By the time Lu Yang saw this, it was already too late to stop it. He could only knock Chen Yuchuan out of the way. As they hit the floor, the iron rod smashed directly onto Lu Yang¡¯s leg.


    Chen Yuchuan could hardly remember how Lu Yang got to the hospital. His memory of that moment was chaotic and confusing. Later, Guang Haobo told him that he¡¯d grabbed the iron rod and swung at those people like a complete maniac until they ran away.


    Lu Yang was operated on under general anesthesia. Before he entered the operating room, he looked at Chen Yuchuan standing beside his bed in a daze and told him not to worry.


    But when Lu Yang left the operating room, only his parents were there. Man Yunxin¡¯s eyes were red and Lu Xianfeng looked angry.


    Lu Yang comforted his parents, ¡°Dad, Mom, it¡¯s alright.¡±


    Man Yunxin looked at Lu Yang¡¯s leg and asked if it hurted. Lu Yang said it didn¡¯t hurt, then he looked around the ward and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Xiao Chuan¡¯er?¡±


    ¡°I drove him away. If it weren¡¯t for him, you wouldn¡¯t be here now.¡± Lu Xianfeng snorted coldly. ¡°Such a ruffian, you don¡¯t have to deal with him anymore.¡±


    Lu Yang¡¯s anesthetic had just passed, and he was still a little weak, but he still said seriously, ¡°Dad, he¡¯s my boyfriend. You absolutely can¡¯t do this.¡±


    Lu Xiangfeng wanted to say something else, but Man Yunxin stopped him with a hand. ¡°Okay, okay. Lu Yang just woke up but you¡¯re already being fierce with him. We¡¯ll talk about this later. Right now, the most important thing is to take care of Lu Yang¡¯s leg.¡±


    Man Yunxin hired two nurses to look after Lu Yang. He laid in bed for three days and still hadn¡¯t seen a peek of Chen Yuchuan. He wasn¡¯t used to being bed bound, nor was he used to being taken care of by the nurses. However, he could not move nor get off the bed by himself, so he had no choice but to give in


    On the afternoon of the third day, Lu Xianfeng had to stay at the company and did not come to the hospital. Man Yunxin had stayed in the hospital for three days and nights and so Lu Yang insisted that she go back home and have a good rest.


    The nurse brought over lunch, and Lu Yang only took two bites before telling the nurse to take it away. He was permitted to walk around his ward and to make a telephone call.


    During those three days, he¡¯d called Chen Yuchuan, but after no one answered, he did not insist on calling anymore. Instead, he sent Chen Yuchuan a text message, asking him where he was. He did not receive a reply.


    One phone call, one text message, and then no more.


    Therefore, at noon on that third day, a big sun was hanging in the glass window of the ward, and as Lu Yang was dozing off, he heard the sound of the door opening very softly.


    A head peeked in through the crack of the door, took a look around first, and then the rest of the body followed.


    Lu Yang opened his eyes and took a look. It was a male doctor in a white coat. His eyes closed again and then snapped open.


    The male doctor in a white coat had thick, somewhat messy hair. He wore black-framed glasses, a mask covered most of his face, and he held a blue book in his hands.


    ¡°Just making the rounds¡­¡± The doctor¡¯s voice was a little hoarse, as if he¡¯d caught a cold.


    Lu Yang kept staring at him with bloodshot eyes. The doctor raised his hand and pushed the glasses up higher on the bridge of his nose. Then he took out a pen from the pocket of his white coat and asked, ¡°Do you feel uncomfortable today?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Lu Yang said, eyes still locked on him.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Where does it hurt? Is it your leg? Do you have a fever?¡± the doctor¡¯s hoarse voice changed in tone.


    ¡°I don¡¯t feel well anywhere. My leg hurts, my head hurts, and I don¡¯t know if I have a fever or not,¡± Lu Yang replied.


    The doctor placed his palm on Lu Yang¡¯s warm forehead. Although he was unable to tell whether Lu Yang had a fever or not, he didn¡¯t move his hand away. ¡°Your leg hurts? Does it hurt a lot?¡±


    ¡°It hurts very much,¡± Lu Yang said. ¡°I have dizziness and tinnitus, and I can¡¯t see clearly. I keep hearing a humming sound.¡±


    ¡°Only your leg was operated on, why can¡¯t you see clearing and your ears can¡¯t hear?¡± The doctor sounded as if he was on the verge of tears.


    Lu Yang shifted his body and said, ¡°You have to ask your doctors.¡±


    The doctor tore off the mask on his face and looked at Lu Yang. ¡°Then can you see me clearly?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t see clearly. Your face is blurred.¡± Lu Yang stared at Chen Yuchuan for a few seconds, and he knew that if he continued to look, Chen Yuchuan would definitely cry.


    He turned his head away and asked, ¡°Doctor, it seems like this is your first time making the rounds?¡±


    ¡°I, I¡¯m an intern. Today is my first day¡­¡± Chen Yuchuan put his face mask back on and said hesitantly. He scratched his head with the pen in his hand, making his messy hair a little more messier. Then he carefully lifted the bedcover and looked at Lu Yang¡¯s legs.


    Lu Yang¡¯s leg was still wrapped in gauze, the edges of which were stained with blood. Chen Yuchuan reached out and carefully touched it before retracting his hand once more.


    The door to the ward opened, revealing the nurse who was here to do the rounds. Chen Yuchuan put the pen and notebook in his pocket and whispered, ¡°I¡¯ll go first and will return to check on you at night.¡±


    After speaking, he hurried out. The nurse felt a gust of wind rushing past her.


    She looked back a few times and muttered, ¡°This isn¡¯t a doctor at our hospital.¡±


    Seeing that the man had run away, Lu Yang told the nurse, ¡°That¡¯s my boyfriend. He likes to role-play and has always wanted to wear a doctor¡¯s white coat. He hasn¡¯t had a chance before, but now he finally did.¡±


    The nurse pursed her lips and smiled. ¡°You guys are pretty good at playing.¡±


    By the time Chen Yuchuan came back that night, Lu Yang had already asked his parents to go home and so he was alone in his ward. Chen Yuchuan was still in the same costume he¡¯d worn at noon.


    ¡°Does it still hurt?¡± Chen Yuchuan asked.


    ¡°It hurts.¡±


    ¡°Can you see clearly?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take a look after you take off the mask,¡± Lu Yang said.


    Chen Yuchuan tore off the mask and bent closer to Lu Yang¡¯s eyes.


    Lu Yang¡¯s expression was a little serious at first, but then he smiled at Chen Yuchuan. Raising his hand, he touched the tip of Chen Yuchuan¡¯s nose and said, ¡°Xiao Chuan¡¯er, haven¡¯t you slept in a while? Your eyes are so red.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan¡¯s nose was already sour. When Lu Yang touched him, he sniffed and two drops of tears rolled down.


    He straightened and tilted his head to look away from Lu Yang. Then, taking off his glasses, he rubbed his eyes with his sleeves and pressed his fingers hard to the sockets.


    Seeing him rubbing his eyes so hard, Lu Yang felt a little pained. He took his hand away and asked, ¡°Why are you crying?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not crying¡­¡± Chen Yuchuan was still stubborn. That was the fourth time he¡¯d ever cried.


    The first time he cried was when his father died, the second time was when his mother was diagnosed, the third time was when he and Lu Yang had sex for the first time, and the fourth time was now.


    ¡°Why are you dressed like this?¡± Lu Yang asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid of being kicked out by your dad again.¡± Chen Yuchuan rubbed his eyes with his sleeve again.


    ¡°You¡¯re not afraid of my dad. Are you afraid of me?¡± Lu Yang immediately pointed out Chen Yuchuan¡¯s lie.


    When Chen Yuchuan didn¡¯t speak, Lu Yang asked again, ¡°We¡¯ve been together for over a year, what kind of you have I not seen? Wearing a white coat, a wig and glasses, you think I won¡¯t know you anymore?¡±


    Chen Yuchuan really had no idea. He¡¯d been kicked away by Lu Xiangeng several times already, and he¡¯d been hovering near the ward for the past three days. During the day, he would go see his mother,and at night, he would sleep in the hallway outside Lu Yang¡¯s ward.


    In fact, he had come in to see him several times already when he fell asleep at night. Then, after figuring out Lu Yang¡¯s parent¡¯s normal visitation hours, he came up with this trick.


    But really, he was somewhat fearful to come in and see Lu Yang when he was awake.


    At first, when he really thought that Lu Yang wasn¡¯t able to see him clearly, like a contradictory fool he really wanted him to be able to see him.


    Lu Yang wasn¡¯t willing to drop the topic and so he asked, ¡°You saw that I am injured because of you and so you wanted to run away, right? You wanted to retreat?¡±


    Chen Yuchuan pulled the wig off his head, took off the white coat and placed it on the edge of the bed, and then pulled the stool and sat by the head of the bed. Without saying a word, he lightly placed his hand over the back of Lu Yang¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Brother Yang, don¡¯t block it for me next time.¡± Chen Yuchuan had been holding back this sentence for a long time.


    ¡°Next time?¡± Lu Yang asked, raising his eyebrows.


    ¡°No, no,¡± Chen Yuchuan said quickly. ¡°There won¡¯t be a next time.¡±


    After pausing for a few seconds, he repeated, ¡°I¡¯m serious, Brother Yang. Next time there¡¯s danger, don¡¯t block it for me. I¡¯m rough and thick, I¡¯ll be alright.¡±


    ¡°Look at your thin arms and legs, where are you thick?¡±


    Chen Yuchuan was only wearing a short sleeve shirt under the white coat. He rolled the sleeve up to his shoulder, raised his arm, and tensed his muscles, making it budge. Touching the muscles on his arm, he said, ¡°See? Isn¡¯t this strong? I¡¯m a strong guy.¡±


    Lu Yang said with a laugh. ¡°Okay. Strong man won¡¯t dodge so take good care of me.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan rolled down his sleeve, blinked, and said, ¡°I¡¯ll take good care of you.¡±


    Lu Yang added, ¡°Don¡¯t even think about running if something happens.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan sniffed. ¡°Brother Yang, I definitely won¡¯t run. I¡¯m reluctant to¡­¡±

 CH 20

    ()x11-13 minutes 25.05.2022


    The rain in the mountain did not stop the next day and only grew heavier and heavier. With the rain, the mountain road became slippery and difficult to traverse. As a result, the car could not go down the mountain and so Chen Yuchuan and Lu Yang ended up temporarily staying longer.


    The area that had collapsed was the guest auditorium still under construction, which was also the last construction project. It was also associated with several surrounding leisure and entertainment venues.


    In fact, Lu Yang and Chen Yuchuan had already made guesses in their hearts. The reason for the collapse was likely due to material quality. The other projects did not have such problems, but this last project did.


    There was a lot of rain on the mountain, filling it with heavy moisture. and this prolonged build-up resulted in the collapse.


    Among the people in charge of this project, two people¡¯s mouths had loosened with the promise of money and said that they had lost contact with the two people in charge of purchasing materials and conducting safety testing. Jian Yongxin had told them this last night, and so they promptly informed the police of this newest development.


    Lu Yang has already dispatched some people to investigate the movements of these two people. Disappearing right after such a problem was very obvious and clumsy, and this showed that they were not afraid of being exposed at all. Unless they could really hide in the cracks in the ground, they would be found.


    ¡°Blame me. I didn¡¯t notice any problems when I visited some time ago,¡± Chen Yuchuan said.


    ¡°I¡¯m also responsible,¡± Lu Yang said. ¡°I¡¯ve been a little slack during this time. I won¡¯t talk about it now. I¡¯ll solve the current problem first, and I¡¯ll make a statement after the results of the specific investigative report come out. I have already made a copy, and we can discuss plans for the follow-up development later.¡±


    Lu Xianfeng called Lu Yang when he saw the news in the morning and asked him about the resort.


    Lu Yang and Chen Yuchuan were having breakfast in the dining room in their suite.


    Lu Yang picked up his dad¡¯s call and briefly explained the matter.


    ¡°Do you want me to go back and deal with it?¡± Lu Xianfeng asked.


    ¡°Dad, we don¡¯t need you to come back,¡±Lu Yang said. ¡°You and mom enjoy yourself on the island. Have fun. Xiao Chuan¡¯er and I can handle this. It¡¯s basically almost over.¡±


    Lu Xianfeng said ok, and Lu Yang listened carefully as he made some suggestions on the phone.


    After Lu Xianfeng finished his business, Man Yunxin took over the call. She wanted to speak to Chen Yuchuan too so Lu Yang put the phone on the table and turned on the speakerphone.


    ¡°Xiao Yang, Xiao Chuan, I read on the weather forecast that there is rain. Youmust pay attention to safety on the mountain,¡± Man Yunxin said.


    ¡°Okay mom, you don¡¯t have to worry about us. Lu Yang and I will pay attention.¡±


    Man Yunxin reminded them on the phone to pay attention to their health and to eat well. Chen Yuchuan responded obediently. She then asked them if there are any gifts they want.


    Chen Yuchuan said, ¡°Mom, you don¡¯t have to worry about us. You and Dad just have a good time.¡±


    Man Yunxin laughed and said yes, and then hung up the phone after a few words.


    Phone call over, the two of them continued to eat quietly.


    As he was eating, Chen Yuchuan suddenly remembered what happened last night. Yet, he couldn¡¯t recall how he¡¯d fallen asleep. His last memory was of himself lying on the edge of the bed, messaging Lu Yang¡¯s leg. But later, when he suddenly woke up, he found himself lying on the bed with his head on Lu Yang¡¯s shoulder.


    Chen Yuchuan naturally didn¡¯t think that he would climb onto the bed by himself in his sleep. There was no one else there but Lu Yang.


    After he was finished eating, Lu Yang went to the bathroom. When his cell phone rang, Chen Yuchuan looked toward the bathroom but didn¡¯t wait for Lu Yang to come out.


    He picked up Lu Yang¡¯s phone and saw that there was no caller ID. Fearing that it might be an important call, he directly answered.


    He¡¯d just barely answered the call when a strange, clearly male¡¯s voice sounded.


    ¡°Lu Yang, good morning. I just saw the news this morning. How are you doing?¡±


    Chen Yuchuan glanced at the closed bathroom door from the corner of his eyes, hesitated, and asked, ¡°May I ask who this is?¡±


    The voice was quiet for two seconds before saying, ¡°You are Lu Yang¡¯s lover, Mr. Chen?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m Chen Yuchuan,¡± Chen Yuchuan said. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°My name is Ye Guanghe,¡± the man introduced himself. ¡°I was Lu Yang¡¯s old classmate.¡±


    ¡°Hello¡­¡±


    As soon as he said this, he heard the sound of the bathroom door opening and Lu Yang came out.


    His thumb on the edge of the phone rubbed it up and down, but when Li Yang came over, he still handed it over to him.


    ¡°It¡¯s your old classmate.¡±


    Lu Yang took the phone, glanced at the incoming call on the screen and said ¡°hello¡± into the phone.


    The person on the other end must have said something but Chen Yuchuan could no longer hear it. Lu Yang sat down and asked, ¡°Guanghe, what¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Chen Yichuan picked up the glass of warm milk from the dining table and took a large mouthful. When he put the cup down, there was a bit of force as the bottom of the cup slammed onto the dining table. With a bang, the milk sloshed over the edge of the cup onto the back of his hand and dripped down from his hand onto the white dining table.


    Lu Yang looked up at Chen Yuchuan, who immediately grabbed a napkin and began to wipe away the milk. He said with a smile, ¡°The cup is too slippery, so I couldn¡¯t hold it in my hand. You continue.¡±


    Lu Yang spoke intermittently into the phone.


    ¡°Thank you, it¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t have a big problem here.¡±


    ¡°The dinner appointment for tomorrow night will have to be canceled.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll reschedule for some other time.¡±


    Five minutes later, when Lu Yang put down his phone, Chen Yuchuan grabbed the milk and gulped it down.


    There were milk stains on his mouth, with a drop of white liquid hanging from the corner. Seeing that Lu Yang was looking at him, he stuck out his tongue and ran the tip of his tongue over his lips. Then, retracting his tongue, he gave Lu Yang a half smile.


    ¡°Lu Yang, when was Ye Guanghe your classmate?¡± Chen Yuchuan asked in a seemingly casual way.


    ¡°High school.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your classmate¡¯s name? Gunaghe?¡±


    ¡°Ye Guanghe.¡±


    ¡°I heard you call him Guanghe, so I thought his surname is Guang,¡± Chen Yuchuan said. ¡°I was just thinking earlier, does the Book of Family Names have this name listed as a surname? This surname is quite rare.¡±


    This time, Lu Yang didn¡¯t answer, and kept his head down as he continued to eat.


    Chen Yuchuan picked up the egg pancake, took a large bite, and after swallowing, said, ¡°Why haven¡¯t I heard you mention this classmate before?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t been in contact with him since high school,¡± Lu Yang said. ¡°He just returned to China some time ago.¡±


    ¡°Do you both have work connections?¡± Chen Yuchuan said, sounding him out. ¡°I¡¯m just asking casually. I heard that you made an appointment with him for dinner.¡±


    ¡°Yes, he¡¯s an architect now and several of our designs are from his firm.¡±


    ¡°Then you should have a good relationship, right? Listening to the way you¡¯re addressing him, it seems that you¡¯re both quite close.¡± Chen Yuchuan took another bite of the egg cake, as if it was particularly delicious.


    Finished with eating, Lu Yang put his chopsticks down, slowly wiped his mouth with a napkin, and just as Chen Yuchuan was thinking that he wasn¡¯t going to continue chatting with him, he heard him ask, ¡°You¡¯ve been asking for so long. What is it that you really want to ask?¡±


    Chen Yuchuan said, ¡°I was just asking casually.¡±


    On the day of the divorce, Chen Yuchuan still had a reason to ask, but now, there was no longer any reason to. If he hadn¡¯t asked that day, then all the more reason now not to ask.


    The room was deathly quiet, except for the sound of Chen Yuchuan¡¯s chopsticks hitting the edge of dishes and bowls.


    He thought that Lu Yang was done with this topic, but Lu Yang suddenly spoke again, ¡°We sat at the same table in high school, and our relationship wasn¡¯t too bad at the time.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan put his chopsticks down, prepared to listen carefully. However, Lu Yang only said this, and then he stood up and entered the study.


    Chen Yuchuan had said that he was just asking casually, and so Lu Yang also answered casually.


    He was simply answering Chen Yuchuan¡¯s last question.


    But this was Chen Yuchuan. Lu Yang¡¯s words were no different from as if he¡¯d stopped speaking halfway through. There was a hook at the end of his words, hooking onto Chen Yuchuan¡¯s chest, not ready to make him feel better.


    The study door was open, and when Chen Yuchuan turned his head, he could see Lu Yang sitting upright in front of the computer. From this angle, the computer only covered half of Lu Yang¡¯s face.


    You have no fucking reason, Chen Yuchuan scolded himself in his head. But after holding back this question for so long, he now finally had an opportunity and so he couldn¡¯t hold back any longer. He couldn¡¯t hold back now.


    He rubbed his nose, got up, and strode into the study. Walking straight up to the desk, he put his hands on the desk, leaned forward, and asked, ¡°Brother Yang, are you busy right now?¡±


    ¡°Just looking at emails,¡± Lu Yang said. ¡°It¡¯s not very important.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan asked directly, ¡°You and your classmate, Ye Guanghe who just called you, did you two date in high school?¡±


    Still looking at the computer screen, Lu Yang answered, ¡°What do you think?¡±


    Chen Yuchuan scratched his head. ¡°Lu Yang, can you stop wasting time? Didn¡¯t I just ask? Is it really that hard to answer? It¡¯s either two words, we did, or three words, we did not.¡±


    Lu Yang finally looked up from the computer. Turning to the side to face Chen Yuchuan full on, he put his hands on the table and said, ¡°We did not.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan sat down. ¡°Then that¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°Chen Yuchuan, how long have you been holding this in?¡± Lu Yang could ask questions accurately every time.


    Chen Yuchuan snapped his fingers. ¡°A week before the divorce, I saw you having dinner with him. I knew about him from Ling Qun before, and I also saw him in your high school class photo. Ye Guanghe was really handsome, so I wanted to ask now.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you ask at that time?¡± Lu Yang asked.


    ¡°At the time, I didn¡¯t ask, and later, I just couldn¡¯t find an opportunity,¡± Chen Yuchuan replied.


    After finding an opportunity, before he could even open his mouth, the opportunity was gone, Chen Yuchuan added in his heart.


    Lu Yang said indifferently, ¡°Although we¡¯ve never dated, he confessed to me in high school.¡±


    When Chen Yuchuan heard Lu Yang¡¯s words, his heart that had just risen, fell once more.


    ¡°He¡¯s married now,¡± Lu Yang added indifferently, ¡°Just now, he was using his lover¡¯s phone to call.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan¡¯s heart that had just landed on the ground again with a thud, was finally stabilized

 CH 21

    ()x13-16 minutes 30.05.2022


    ¡°You¡¯ve finished your questions, and I¡¯ve answered them too. Is there anything else you want to talk about?¡± Lu Yang¡¯s tone of voice this time was rather serious.


    Chen Yuchuan was still playing with his fingers, and after a while, he answered, ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°No?¡± Lu Yang asked again.


    Chen Yuchuan rubbed his face, discovering that his heartbeat, which had just stabilized, wasn¡¯t very relaxed. It appeared to be stable at first, but in fact, it was still suspended.


    But he still murmured ¡°no¡± again, his voice quite small.


    It rained for two days, and so they stayed on the mountain for two days. That was the only conversation they had other than work. Even if they talked about other things, they only talked about Chubby.


    Lu Yang had already called Xiao Lei early on and asked him to grab the spare key and take Chubby in for two days. Therefore, Chen Yuchuan would sometimes have video calls with Xiao Lei so that he could watch Chubby.


    The investigation report on the collapse came out, and as they had previously speculated, the collapse of the auditorium was due to the use of poor material.


    Lu Yang¡¯s investigation also revealed that the two people who ran away had several contacts with the Lu family¡¯s nemesis, the Zhengsheng Group.


    During the fight in the alley on the day that Chen Yuchuan and Lu Yang first met, the gangster who had shouted to break his leg was Sun Hui, the son of the Zhengsheng Group¡¯s owner.


    At that time, the two companies were competing for a piece of land. Sun Hui was a brainless second-generation and was always pulling some despicable moves. After he had provoked Lu Yang enough, Lu Yang put together enough evidence to send him to jail for five years.


    However, this time, the two people who had run away refused to rat him out, only saying that they did it of their own accord because they wanted money. Therefore, there was no evidence that they had been bribed and by whom.


    ¡°Fuck, that stupid Sun Hui, sooner or later, we¡¯ll get him,¡± Chen Yuchuan cursed angrily.


    When Lu Yang glanced over, Chen Yuchuan rubbed the top of his head and no longer cussed. He said, ¡°If I don¡¯t take the initiative to settle this matter, then are we just going to suffer this loss?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll deal with it later,¡± was the only thing Lu Yang said.


    By the time Man Yunxin and Lu Xianfeng came back from their island vacation, Lu Yang and Chen Yuchuan had already taken care of the incident at the resort. Although they had recuperated a small part of their losses, the rest could not be recovered.


    Li Yang released the inspection reports of all the resort projects and said that, aside from the collapsed project, there were no problems with the other buildings. Although the news wasn¡¯t widely spread, it still resulted in a lot of damage to their reputation. This could only be repaired a little bit at a time.


    He issued an announcement that once the resort opens, reservations for the first month are free, and then they will be half-price for a whole year after that.


    On Friday night, Lu Yang and Chen Yuchuan took Chubby and went to their parent¡¯s house for dinner. Lu Xianfeng took this opportunity to call the two of them to his study for a chat, and finally said, ¡°Recently, I feel that you both don¡¯t seem right. Did something happen?¡±


    Just as Chen Yuchuan was about to speak, Lu Yang opened his mouth and said, ¡°Dad, it¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s my negligence. Next time, we won¡¯t have this kind of problem again. I¡¯ll keep a better eye on it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good then. Let¡¯s go out and eat.¡±


    The atmosphere at the dining table was much more relaxed. Man Yunxin regaled them with many interesting things from her vacation. She had even bought them a pair of expensive couple watches.


    When Chen Yuchuan saw Lu Yang put his watch directly on his wrist, he also put his own on. The metal wrist chain was cold against his skin.


    After the meal, Man Yunxin received a call from Hua Song, who had heard that they had returned from vacation and said that he would come to see her.


    Once he got there, Hua Song began discussing music with Man Yunxin. He talked about his concert next month and asked Man Yunxin and Lu Xianfeng, ¡°Teacher, Uncle Lu, do you have time next month?¡±


    Man Yunxin said yes, but Lu Xianfeng refused on the grounds that he was going on a business trip.


    Hua Song looked at Chen Yuchuan and Lu Yang and asked, ¡°Brother Chuan, Brother Yang, do you have time?¡±


    Chen Yuchuan recalled going to a concert by himself not so long ago, and so he refused directly, ¡°There are too many things at the company recently, and so next month I will be busy.¡±


    Lu Yang didn¡¯t say anything, acquiescing to Chen Yuchuan¡¯s statement.


    Hua Song just smiled and nodded in agreement, not saying anything else.


    After they all had some after-dinner wine, Lu Xianfeng took Chubby to play in his study. Chen Yuchuan took advantage of Lu Yang going upstairs and slipped through the back door, wanting to smoke a cigarette to slow down his drinking.


    He felt a little despondent. It wasn¡¯t because of the two elders; he was happy to have dinner with them.


    What made him dazed was that Lu Yang had looked at him at the dinner table and treated him with some of the same intimate, habitual actions as before.


    As he was mulling it over and smoking a cigarette halfway through, he suddenly heard footsteps behind him. Thinking that it was Lu Yang, he hurriedly tried to put out the cigarette, only to discover that it was Hua Song.


    Immediately, his action of wanting to put out the cigarette was replaced by continuing to smoke.


    ¡°Brother Chuan, why are you smoking here by yourself?¡± Hua Song asked. ¡°Are you in a bad mood?¡±


    Chen Yuchuan didn¡¯t want to talk to other people. He held the cigarette between his fingers and said, ¡°I¡¯m tired of drinking so I came out for some air. Since Lu Yang wouldn¡¯t let me smoke, I¡¯m secretly smoking.¡±


    Hua Song said ¡°Oh¡± in an extended tone and then added, ¡°I thought it was because, even though you were both divorced, you still needed to pretend to be affectionate in front of your elders, which puts you in a bad mood.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan inhaled, and then exhaled. ¡°How did you know?¡±


    ¡°I accidentally heard it from a friend,¡± Hua Song replied.


    Chen Yuchuan didn¡¯t ask which friend it was. Hua Song continued, ¡°Brother Chuan, in addition to the concert next month, I have a small private concert next week. Do you have time to attend?¡±


    Chen Yuchuan¡¯s drowsy state was immediately blown away by the wind in the yard, and his mind quickly cleared. Previously, when Hua Song had asked him to a private concert, he had wondered why, since they didn¡¯t have that much interaction with one another.


    But now, as Hua Song was looking at him with naked eyes, he couldn¡¯t help but feel disgust. Even though Hua Song already knew that he and Lu Yang were divorced, he was still once married to Lu Yang, after all, and Hua Song was Man Yunxin¡¯s student.


    Chen Yuchuan took another puff of the cigarette and walked half a step towards Hua Song. He spit out the cigarette smoke at him, leaned a little bit closer to his ears, and said in a cold voice, ¡°Little brother, don¡¯t hit on me. Even though we¡¯re separated, Lu Yang will still beat you up¡­¡±


    Hua Song opened his mouth to speak, but Chen Yuchuan had no intentions of staying any longer. He threw the cigarette butt on the ground and crushed it with the sole of his shoe, and then turned to head back.


    Man Yunxin was still playing the piano in the living room. Chen Yuchuan went over and hugged her shoulders and said, ¡°Mom, it¡¯s getting late, you go upstairs to rest early.¡±


    ¡°Both of you drank a lot tonight. I¡¯ve already asked someone to cook sobering soup, and I¡¯ll have them serve it to you later.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go take a look at Brother Yang first.¡± Chen Yuchuan¡¯s tensed heart loosened and he turned around. He trotted up to the second floor, turned right, and caught sight of Hua Song downstairs talking to Man Yunxin, probably saying goodbye.


    Chen Yuchuan didn¡¯t think about Hua Song anymore. If it was in the past, the incident in the back garden would be a particularly insignificant episode for him.


    But he felt uneasy now. He knew this uneasiness stemmed from the fact that he no longer felt a sense of belonging.


    In all the years he¡¯d been married to Lu Yang, there weren¡¯t many people who had jumped out and wanted to intervene halfway. When he told Hua Song that Lu Yang would beat him, he was just bluffing. He had no clue what Lu Yang would do.


    In the past, as soon as someone confessed to Chen Yuchuan, he would run to Lu Yang to show off. He would say, ¡°Lu Yang, do you see? Don¡¯t let my age blind you. There are still a lot of young people who want to chase after me. You have to keep an eye on me, maintain a little sense of crisis, and always be nice to me.¡±


    And every time this happened, Lu Yang would toss him on the bed so vigorously that his back would be sore for several days.


    Such episodes were like glue, bringing their relationship a little bit closer.


    Of course, there were a lot of people who had confessed to Lu Yang. There was a long queue of people who wanted him. After all, Lu Yang was tall, handsome, and rich, so many people naturally wanted to pounce on him.


    But Chen Yuchuan never paid attention to it. He didn¡¯t think it was necessary. If Lu Yang really wanted to do something, Chen Yuchuan wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything about it. Therefore, he opted to just trust Lu Yang.


    As he was thinking about it, he entered the room he shared with Lu Yang, only to find that the room was still dark. The light was still off and the curtains were drawn so tightly that not even the moonlight could find a way inside.


    He pressed on the light switch but the light did not come on. He called out, ¡°Brother Yang? Are you here?¡±


    He waited for a few seconds, but didn¡¯t hear an answer. Touching the wall to guide himself, he entered the room to check whether Lu Yang was in bed.


    But as he walked past the bathroom door, he heard the rustle of clothes coming from inside.


    He acted on habit, eagerly trying to find a sense of belonging. When he smelled Lu Yang¡¯s familiar scent in the bathroom, he was suddenly flooded with relief.


    ¡°Brother Yang, are you taking a shower?¡± Chen Yuchuan asked.


    Lu Yang let out a small ¡°mmn¡± but didn¡¯t speak, though his breathing was heavy due to excessive drinking.


    ¡°The electricity¡¯s out.¡± Chen Yuchuan stood at the door. ¡°I¡¯ll go downstairs and check if the circuit breaker has tripped, since there¡¯s still electricity downstairs.¡±


    Just as he was about to leave, something pulled on his arm, causing him to stagger two steps into a warm chest.


    His back was pressed against Lu Yang¡¯s chest, and he could feel the bathrobe that hung loose and half-opened on Lu Yang¡¯s body.


    Lu Yang¡¯s body wasn¡¯t completely wiped clean of water and Chen Yuchuan¡¯s shirt soon became wet. Even the water dripping from Lu Yang¡¯s hair fell onto his face, wetting it.


    Unsteadily, Chen Yuchuan asked in a low voice, ¡°Why did you pull me?¡±


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± Lu Yang was still holding onto Chen Yuchuan. Pushing him against the sink, Lu Yang wrapped him from behind, with one hand on his waist and the other on the counter, encircling him.


    Chen Yuchuan could feel how domineering Lu Yang¡¯s body was, not leaving any gap for him to escape at all.


    The smell of alcohol on Lu Yang¡¯s body mixed with the scent of shower gel rushed to Chen Yuchuan¡¯s nose, rendering his legs a little weak.


    ¡°Brother Yang¡­¡± He spoke in a soft voice, and when he tried to turn around, Lu Yang tightened his hold on him, preventing him from moving.


    Lu Yang brushed his lips against Chen Yuchuan¡¯s ear and said in a low voice, ¡°Chen Yuchuan, so capable. After just a few days, he¡¯s already starting to flirt with others¡­¡±


    ¡°Lu Yang, what the hell are you saying?¡± Chen Yuchuan cried, turning his head. ¡°Fucking let me go.¡±


    He knew that he wouldn¡¯t fall when Lu Yang held him like this, yet he still raised his hands to grip the counter, temper flaring.


    ¡°Who? Who did you talk to? Just a moment ago, you were with Hua Song in the back garden. You forgot so soon?¡± Lu Yang tightened his grip on Chen Yuchuan¡¯s arm. ¡°Didn¡¯t you blow a smoke at him?¡±


    Chen Yuchuan groaned in pain. Knowing Lu Yang¡¯s strength, his arm would definitely be bruised tomorrow.


    He tried to move his arm, but the more he moved, the harder Lu Yang held him.


    He had forgotten that the back garden faced their bedroom, and so his every move could be seen clearly from upstairs.


    Chen Yuchuan¡¯s chest heaved violently and his voice became unstable. With a short laugh, he said, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did you see me getting close to others and now you¡¯re jealous?¡±


    Lu Yang covered his mouth with his hand, as if holding his entire body within his grasp. But when Lu Yang spoke again, his voice sounded ragged and broken.


    ¡°Chen Yuchuan, in the past six months, you couldn¡¯t get hard when you see me naked. Is it possible that you can get hard now with someone new and fresh?¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C


    Xida: Just gotta say, when Lu Yang and Chen Yuchuan made prior agreements to work out their differences with violence, that¡¯s one thing, because that¡¯s consent and that works for them. To each their own. But in this instance, Chen Yuchuan doesn¡¯t seem too keen on Lu Yang hurting him. I get that he¡¯s drunk and feeling hurt, but it¡¯s still not acceptable.

 CH 22

    ()x12-15 minutes 02.06.2022


    With his mouth covered by Lu Yang, Chen Yuchuan could only make a humming nasal sound, like a small animal. Lu Yang¡¯s breathing became more ragged.


    Chen Yuchuan moved his neck, but Lu Yang didn¡¯t let go. Therefore, he grabbed Lu Yang¡¯s wrist and shook it.


    In the past, Lu Yang always liked to cover his mouth, usually when he made Lu Yang angry, or when they were in bed.


    Chen Yuchuan also had a trick. Every time this happened, he would lick Lu Yang¡¯s palm and Lu Yang would immediately let go. It was the same this time. Chen Yuchuan dragged the tip of his tongue across the palm of Lu Yang¡¯s hand.


    Lu Yang¡¯s hand over his mouth loosened, but he didn¡¯t completely let go.


    Chen Yuchuan took a few deep breaths. Although Lu Yang was only covering his mouth and not his nose, Chen Yichuan felt as if he was suffocating.


    ¡°Brother Yang, whether I can get hard with him or not, it has nothing to do with you,¡± Chen Yuchuan said with a laugh, wanting to avoid this topic. He added, ¡°You want to know what Hua Song and I were talking about earlier?¡±


    Without waiting for a response, he answered, ¡°He told me that he will be holding a private concert next week and he invited me to attend. Brother Yang, do you think I should go?¡±


    The sound of breathing close to his ear became a little heavier, and there was a little pressure on his neck, but it soon loosened.


    Another drop of water fell on Chen Yuchuan¡¯s forehead, and he guessed that it should be water from Lu Yang¡¯s hair. Or maybe it was sweat, because he was sweating all over himself, and his shirt was soaked.


    He patted Lu Yang¡¯s arm on his neck and said, ¡°Brother Yang, not so tight. Are you trying to strangle me? If you strangle me, I definitely won¡¯t be able to go.¡±


    ¡°You dare? You dare go?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t agree to go.¡± Chen Yuchuan smiled, ¡°I told him, if you dare hit on me, Lu Yang will definitely hit you. Brother Yang, will you hit him?¡±


    Lu Yang didn¡¯t speak, and Chen Yuchuan continued to ask, ¡°Did you divorce me because I could no longer respond to you once you take your clothes off? You can wear your clothes during sex. It¡¯s not like we haven¡¯t done that before. But you always insisted on taking your clothes off¡­¡±


    ¡°Chen Yuchuan, do you think that¡¯s why I want to divorce you?¡± Lu Yang seemed to be using all his strength to hold onto him. His voice sounded fierce, but his exhaustion could still be heard.


    Chen Yuchuan didn¡¯t speak. He knew that he could not escape today.


    The shower seemed to not have been turned off tightly enough, because water was still dripping in a dull background noise.


    Lu Yang¡¯s hand holding Chen Yuchuan¡¯s arm loosened, but Chen Yuchuan no longer struggled. His back was still pressed against Lu Yang¡¯s hot body, both their hearts beating at the same frequency.


    ¡°Brother Yang, do you still love me quite a bit?¡± Chen Yuchuan rubbed his chin against Lu Yang¡¯s arm. ¡°If you still love me quite a bit, we¡¯ll get remarried, right?¡±


    After he said this, Chen Yuchuan laughed, and finally began to cry.


    ¡°Remarriage? Chen Yuchuan, it¡¯s been so long, but you won¡¯t even look at it, and you don¡¯t even dare touch it. And yet, you still want to talk about remarriage?¡± Lu Yang was still standing behind Chen Yuchuan, hugging him, as if not planning to ever let him go. ¡°Didn¡¯t I just block it for you? Why are you so afraid?¡±


    Chen Yuchuan sniffed twice and said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m afraid, I¡¯m very, very afraid. I dare not think about it. It hurts when I think about it. I¡¯ve told you before, not to block anything for me.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve talked a lot,¡± Lu Yang interrupted him. ¡°Do you want me to count it for you?¡±


    ¡°You said, you don¡¯t want to just try, you want to be serious in our relationship.¡±


    ¡°You said you wouldn¡¯t let go¡­¡±


    Before Lu Yang could finish speaking, the bathroom light suddenly turned on, and the originally dark space suddenly became bright. They, who had become used to the darkness, were suddenly blinded by the light.


    Lu Yang quickly adapted to the light and opened his eyes first. His red eyes and unsteady breathing were reflected in the mirror, but Chen Yuchuan¡¯s eyes were still closed.


    Lu Yang spread his palms, dragging Chen Yuchuan¡¯s chin up, forcing him to raise his head and look in the mirror. With his mouth still close to his ear, he said, ¡°Xiao Chuan¡¯er, do you still want to get remarried? You want to, but you don¡¯t dare to open your eyes, right?¡±


    ¡°Brother Yang¡­¡± Chen Yuchuan¡¯s eyelashes trembled a few times, and he slowly lifted his eyelids. In the mirror, the redness in Chen Yuchuan¡¯s eyes was deeper than Lu Yang¡¯s.


    Lu Yang dragged Chen Yuchuan¡¯s chin, making him face the mirror. ¡°In those six months, have you never looked in the mirror to see what you are like? Every day you see me, you tried so hard to pull out a smile, but you couldn¡¯t hide the gray in your eyes. You said you want us to get remarried, but have you thought about what would happen after the remarriage?


    Chen Yuchuan shook his head, and a few drops of cold sweat fell from his hair.


    Lu Yang continued, ¡°You didn¡¯t think about it, but I¡¯ve thought about it. I¡¯ll tell you.¡±


    ¡°Every time I come back from work, you would always be hiding in the balcony of the second bedroom and smoke, so that you can see me from upstairs. As I am parking my car, you would wave your arms vigorously to fan the cigarette smoke away, then close the window. You would run into the bathroom to take a shower, brush your teeth, and change your clothes that smelled of cigarette smoke.¡±


    ¡°You would wake up earlier than me, and breakfast would be hot and ready by the time I¡¯m up. Before, you didn¡¯t even know how to cut a potato, but you have suddenly learned how to make soup and even how to knit sweaters. You can do these things, I know, because you are very capable.¡±


    ¡°When you saw me eating with Ye Guanghe, you held yourself back and didn¡¯t even mention a word of it to me.¡±


    ¡°You never told me about your insomnia, about the fact that you couldn¡¯t sleep all night. You secretly went to the doctor for sleeping pills, but when I asked, you told me it was vitamins.¡±


    ¡°The moment I take off my clothes, you would want to hide from me, and as soon as I hug you, you would tell me that you¡¯re tired. In fact, the fucking truth was that you couldn¡¯t get hard.¡±


    ¡°Every time I want to talk to you, you would run away.¡±


    ¡°I said I would take you to see a psychiatrist, and I even went with you. As a result, you changed four doctors in one month. You cheated every time. In the end, you didn¡¯t even say anything to them.¡±


    Lu Yang paused and then said, ¡°Chen Yuchuan, you are fine, you are fine, because you want to run away. You want to withdraw again¡­¡±


    Chen Yuchuan¡¯s tongue was a little bitter. He wanted to open his mouth to say something, just say anything to interrupt Lu Yang¡¯s words, but in the end he didn¡¯t say anything except move the base of his bitter tongue.


    Seeing that he did not refute, Lu Yang continued, ¡°You¡¯re not afraid to drive through the tunnel when you¡¯re alone, but you become afraid when you¡¯re with me. You¡¯re only afraid of me. Chen Yuchuan, you¡¯re a coward. You¡¯re not afraid of anything, you just want to let go. If you want to let go, then I¡¯ll let you go¡­¡±


    ¡°Brother Yang, I don¡¯t want to let go¡­¡± Chen Yuchuan protested in a low voice, the sound very small. After he spoke, he knew that this sentence was quite unconvincing, and even he himself didn¡¯t believe it.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to let go?¡± Lu Yang said aggressively. ¡°Chen Yuchuan, ask yourself, have you really thought about it?¡±


    Chen Yuchuan admitted that he had thought about it. Before today, he¡¯d been very conflicted about it. But he had thought about divorce.


    He wanted to run away, he wanted to retreat, he wanted to be a shriveled turtle hiding in its shell.


    He wanted to let go.


    ¡°You thought about it, right?!¡± Lu Yang asked again.


    Chen Yuchuan in the mirror finally opened his mouth, ¡°Brother Yang, don¡¯t say anything¡­¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t stand it if I just say a few words, right?¡± Lu Yang pushed Chen Yuchuan forward a little, moving them closer to the mirror.


    Their chaotic breaths were intertwined. Lu Yang¡¯s breathing was pressing on Chen Yuchuan, and Chen Yuchuan could not move.


    Lu Yang¡¯s bathrobe covered half of his chest, and when he tore off the strap of the bathrobe, the front completely unraveled. Without the cover of the bathrobe to separate them, Chen Yuchuan shrank away from Lu Yang¡¯s chest, his body visibly trembling.


    Lu Yang took a half-step to the side, so that most of his left chest was exposed in the mirror. He grabbed Chen Yuchuan¡¯s hand and raised it, stretching it out toward the mirror. Chen Yuchuan resisted, forcefully pulling his hand back.


    ¡°You don¡¯t even dare touch it across the mirror?¡± Lu Yang was much stronger than Chen Yuchuan and so Chen Yuchuan¡¯s fingers inched closer and closer to the mirror.


    In the mirror, Lu Yang¡¯s skin was full of unwiped water droplets and fine sweat, glowing coldly under the light.


    On Lu Yang¡¯s left chest, near the heart, was a round, puckered scar with wide and irregular edges. The scar was still fresh, only half a year old, and so it was still dark red.


    Chen Yuchuan¡¯s fingertips were completely white, as if there was no blood left at all. Lu Yang forced him to touch that scar in the mirror, and he could feel the obvious bulge of the scar, even in the mirror. Chen Yuchuan¡¯s legs had gone so soft that he could barely stand and had to lean into Lu Yang¡¯s arms.


    When his fingers touched Lu Yang¡¯s chest in the mirror, he sobbed hard in pain.


    Lu Yang was still holding Chen Yuchuan¡¯s hand, his thumb rubbing across Chen Yichuan¡¯s palm. ¡°We haven¡¯t talked about that day, and now I¡¯ll tell you.¡±


    ¡°Brother Yang, don¡¯t say anything. I already know it¡­I know it¡­¡± Chen Yuchuan tried to stop him.


    ¡°The tunnel had only two lanes, and it wasn¡¯t too wide. There are walls on both sides. Because of the approval of one of the resort¡¯s projects, you offended a leader by saying something wrong and so I said a few words to you. After that, you decided to go and have a drink with the group by yourself. You never told me. When you got too drunk, you called me and asked me to pick you up. On the way back, you were sleeping soundly in the passenger seat. A truck lost control and the tunnel was so narrow that, no matter how I tried to avoid it, I still hit it anyway. I wasn¡¯t thinking about the steel bar passing through the windshield, I just wanted to protect you¡­¡±


    Lu Yang pressed Chen Yuchuan¡¯s fingers on his chest through the glass.


    ¡°Xiao Chuan¡¯er, do you know what I was thinking at that time? I was thinking that the fool in the passenger seat wouldn¡¯t sleep well¡­¡± Lu Yang pinched Chen Yuchuan¡¯s fingers, rubbing them across the cold mirror surface. ¡°At that time, when the steel bar went through my body, I didn¡¯t feel how painful it was. But thinking about it now, it was very painful, incredibly painful¡­¡±


    Chen Yuchuan¡¯s fingers and wrist shook. He rested his chin on Lu Yang¡¯s arm, tears streaming down his face. For a moment, the figure in the mirror became blurred but then soon cleared. He whimpered, ¡°Brother Yang, I¡¯m not worth your hard work for me.¡±


    Lu Yang wiped the tears from Chen Yuchuan¡¯s face with his free hand and said, ¡°Then tell me, what¡¯s worth it and what¡¯s not? You are indeed not worth my hard work. I did my best not for you, but for myself. We¡¯ve been together for 16 years, and you¡¯ve long been a part of my life¡­¡±


    ¡°Brother Yang¡­¡± Chen Yuchuan took a deep breath, his breathing louder than his voice. ¡°I have been with you for 16 years, and there are only two spots on your body that I can¡¯t wipe off. These scars¡­I¡¯m afraid. I dare not look at you. Just thinking about it hurts¡­¡±


    ¡°Does it hurt? Since it hurts, do you still want to live the same life you¡¯d lived this past six months?¡± Lu Yang said. ¡°Since you¡¯re afraid, do you still want to marry me again?¡±


    Chen Yuchuan covered his face with his hands, unable to look at the mirror any longer. His voice leaked from his fingers, ¡°No more, Brother Yang, no more¡­¡±


    ¡°Chen Yuchuan, I¡¯ll ask you one last time. This time, you¡¯ll answer me after you¡¯ve made up your mind. Do you still want to marry me again?¡±

 CH 23

    ()x11-13 minutes 05.06.2022


    Man Yunxin knocked on the door a few times with the hangover soup, but heard no answer, and so she knocked again.


    Lu Yang looked at Chen Yuchuan, who was staring blankly at the mirror. Then he took a step back, releasing him. As Chen Yuchuan grabbed the sink with both hands to prevent himself from falling, Lu Yang put on his bathrobe and went out to open the door.


    Man Yunxin was startled when he saw Lu Yang¡¯s eyes. ¡°Lu Yang, what¡¯s wrong with your eyes? Why are they so red?¡±


    Lu Yang took the tray from Man Yunxin¡¯s hand and said, ¡°I just drank some wine. They¡¯re a little uncomfortable and so I rubbed them a few times.¡±


    ¡°Should I get some medicine for you?¡±


    Man Yunxin wanted to go downstairs, but Lu Yang grabbed her arm. ¡°Mom, no. I¡¯m going to sleep after drinking the sobering soup. I¡¯ll be fine after some rest, then I won¡¯t need to rub my eyes so much anymore.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Man Yunxin gave him a puzzled look. ¡°Did you get into a fight with Xiao Chuan¡¯er?¡±


    ¡°Everything is fine¡­¡± Lu Yang said.


    Man Yunxin reminded him to drink more water, and Lu Yang responded to her concerns one by one. Then Man Yunxin asked again, ¡°Where¡¯s Xiao Chuan¡¯er?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s already asleep.¡± Lu Yang looked back at the bathroom door, which was still open but there was no sound coming from inside.


    ¡°Then I won¡¯t disturb your rest,¡± Man Yunxin said. Tell Xiao Chuan¡¯er drink the soup first before going to sleep.¡±


    Lu Yang said ok. After Man Yunxin went downstairs, he closed the door and put the tray with the two bowls of sobering soup on the table. He stood by the bedside for a while, then turned around and entered the bathroom.


    Chen Yuchuan was still leaning against the sink, his head drooping very low. His neck bone was slightly raised, making it unclear what he was looking at.


    Lu Yang didn¡¯t go in. He leaned one shoulder on the doorframe, regaining his calm appearance.


    ¡°Xiao Chuan¡¯er, the period of our divorce wasn¡¯t like a divorce but more like a quarrel. It may be that we haven¡¯t quite figured out where the boundary is. When I asked you for a divorce, I was ready to let you go for the rest of my life. I¡¯ll explain it to my parents tomorrow. Next week, I¡¯ll be leaving to inspect various branches, and so you¡¯ll have to keep an eye on the resort project.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan¡¯s fingers were still shaking. What Lu Yang said just now sounded both far and near. He seemed to be listening, but he couldn¡¯t process his words. In the end, there was only one sentence in his mind ¨C


    When I asked you for a divorce, I was ready to let you go for the rest of my life.


    ¡°I¡¯ll sleep in the next room. I¡¯ve put the sobering soup on the table. Go to sleep after drinking it.¡± Lu Yang left after speaking, closing the bathroom door behind him. This was soon followed by the sound of the bedroom door opening and closing.


    Chen Yuchuan didn¡¯t know how he took a shower or how he got into bed, but he remembered that he had finished the big bowl of sobering soup.


    He gulped it down without tasting it, but the sobering soup didn¡¯t seem to be very effective. He still felt as if his whole body was still shaking as he laid in bed.


    That night, he didn¡¯t know whether he¡¯d fallen asleep or stayed awake all night. Maybe he¡¯d been dreaming, or maybe he was thinking too much.


    The words Lu Yang said in the bathroom kept playing on a loop in his mind.


    Xiao Chuan¡¯er, after thinking about it, it was really painful¡­


    It¡¯s been sixteen years, and you¡¯ve been a part of my life for a long time.


    When I asked for a divorce, I was ready to let you go for the rest of my life¡­


    The next morning, despite taking a shower, Chen Yuchuan still wasn¡¯t fully awake. Lu Yang took him to Man Yunxin and Lu Xianfeng and told them about the divorce.


    Lu Xianfeng didn¡¯t say a word. He was so angry that he simply picked up the baseball bat nearby and raised it at them. ¡°Divorce is such a big deal, why didn¡¯t you discuss it with us first? Is marriage child¡¯s play? What are you messing around for?¡±


    Lu Yang blocked Lu Xianfeng¡¯s stick and said, ¡°Dad, Mom, the divorce was already decided by the two of us. We think that maybe it would be better for us to separate¡­¡±


    Chen Yuchuan was silent the whole time Lu Yang spoke. He was still the same as he¡¯d been last night. He was all wooden, unable to react to anything, as if he had yet to recover. He just lowered his head and silently listened to Lu Yang¡¯s words. Whenever Lu Xianfeng asked him something, he would dully repeat Lu Yang¡¯s words.


    But when Lu Xianfeng hit Lu Yang with the bat, he reacted instantly and subconsciously, blocking the hit for Lu Yang.


    The baseball bat in Lu Xianfeng¡¯s hand fell on Chen Yuchuan¡¯s back, and Man Yunxin pulled Lu Xianfeng away. ¡°Why are you really hitting?¡±


    Lu Xianfeng was so angry that he pointed at them with the baseball bat and scolded them for a long time.


    Chen Yuchuan had been hit but it actually didn¡¯t hurt much. However, the flesh pain pulled at his chest, and he suddenly woke up.


    After the dullness and the numbness faded a little, he felt pain all over his body, like a needle stick at first, and then like a knife falling on his body.


    In the end, when Lu Yang wanted to take Chubby away, Man Yunxin asked who was keeping Chubby.


    Chen Yuchuan answered that they take turns keeping Chubby in alternating weeks. Lu Xiangfeng directly pulled Chubby¡¯s rope away from Lu Yang¡¯s hand. ¡°It¡¯s still alternating weeks. If you want to mess around, mess around, but don¡¯t bring Chubby into it.¡±


    After the family dinner, Chen Yuchuan didn¡¯t see Lu Yang for an entire month. Meanwhile, Chubby was left with Lu Xianfeng and Man Yunxin.


    The two elders were so angry with them that they ignored them that entire month. Chen Yuchuan knew that they were angry, and fearing that would really remain angry, he would run over there to jokingly coax them, trying to cheer them up.


    The first two times Lu Xianfeng saw him, he grabbed the bat. If Lu Yang was there, the two of them would probably have been beaten together.


    Lu Xianfeng scolded him and threatened to beat him, but Chen Yuchuan suffered through it. What¡¯s more, there was still Man Yunxin to stop him. In truth, Lu Xianfeng didn¡¯t really beat him; he was just bluffing. Chen Yuchuan knew that he just had to let out the gas in his heart.


    Man Yunxin never understood why they got divorced. Several times, she¡¯d asked for the reason, but each time, Chen Yuchuan didn¡¯t say anything. He didn¡¯t know how to answer this question.


    In the end, Lu Xianfeng waved to Man Yunxin, saying that they don¡¯t care, they (LY and CYC) will do whatever they like.


    The weather was getting colder and colder. As November came to a close, the first snow finally arrived, ushering in with whirling snowflakes.


    The stairs were always cold and wet, with snowy footprints imprinted on them, and the voice-activated lights never came back on after they broke.


    Lu Yang really did leave behind a palm print on Chen Yuchuan¡¯s arm. He looked in the mirror every day when he took a shower, and it took a week for the palm print to completely fade.


    With the ending of the year, there were many things to do. Chen Yuchuan was busy every day. In addition to often going to the resort to observe the progress, there were also things he must do in the company.


    However, he had returned to how he normally was. He always had a particularly big smile at the corners of his mouth, and he often joked with the people in the company. The low pressure hanging over the company had finally ended.


    Everyone in the company assumed that the boss and the boss¡¯ spouse must have reconciled. The girl at the front desk proudly said to the other bettors, ¡°Look, I told you it¡¯ll take a month. And I was right.¡±


    Every time Chen Yuchuan heard them whisper about him and Lou Yang, he would just silently smile.


    Ling Qun called several times to ask Chen Yuchuan to go out playing at his bar. Sometimes, Chen Yuchuan would go and something he wouldn¡¯t. But he never drank again and only chatted with them.


    They would still ask about him and Lu Yang, and he would say a few brief sentences and then change the subject.


    After a few times, no one asked anymore, opting to just wait for them to announce it themselves.


    Ling Qun handed Chen Yuchuan a cigarette, but Chen Yuchuan didn¡¯t take it. ¡°Now that you¡¯ve stopped smoking, we won¡¯t need to ask about you guys anymore. Everything will be fine.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan didn¡¯t answer, as if tacitly agreeing.


    Hua Boxue tried to pour him a glass of alcohol again, but he also refused. As he pushed away the glass, he suddenly stared at Hua Boxue, remembering his surname. He asked, ¡°Your surname is Hua?¡±


    ¡°Of course my surname is Hua.¡± Hua Boxue thought that Chen Yuchuan had gone stupid and looked at him like he was a fool.


    ¡°Then do you know Hua Song?¡± Chen Yuchuan asked.


    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s my uncle¡¯s younger brother. What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you fucking tell me?¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t fucking ask.¡± Hua Boxue didn¡¯t know why he was asking about it. ¡°Besides, I don¡¯t know anything about music and I can¡¯t really speak on what he¡¯s doing.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan now knew why Hua Song knew about his divorce.


    After a while, Hua Boxue nudged his shoulder and asked, ¡°Is Lu Yang still on a business trip? He¡¯s not back yet?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡± Chen Yuchuan wanted to say more, but he really didn¡¯t know whether Lu Yang had returned or not.


    It may be that he had come back but just didn¡¯t tell him.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t go looking for him?¡±


    Chen Yuchuan put his hand in his pocket and touched the phone placed in there. He said, ¡°I didn¡¯t. I might not be able to find him even if I went.¡±


    ¡°If you didn¡¯t go, then how would you know? Why wouldn¡¯t you be able to find him?¡± Hua Boxue said. ¡°Can Lu Yang really hide from you?¡±


    Chen Yuchuan thought that Lu Yang really could be hiding from him. He took his phone out, unlocked it, and opened it to Lu Yang¡¯s WeChat. In the chat records, in addition to the old message containing the appointment date that Lu Yang had sent him about picking up Chubby, there were two new ones. Both of them were messages he had sent to Lu Yang.


    On the first day of Lu Yang¡¯s business trip, Chen Yuchuan had estimated the time he would be getting off the plane and sent him a message.


    Brother Yang, did you get off the plane?


    Lu Yang did not respond.


    The second message Chen Yuchuan sent was a week ago, reminding him to pay attention to safety.


    Lu Yang still did not respond.


    Hua Boxue looked at Chen Yuchuan, who had fallen into a daze, and he shook his glass in front of him and asked, ¡°What are you thinking? Your eyes are looking straight, and there¡¯s no light in them.¡±


    Hua Boxue had barely finished speaking when Chen Yuchuan abruptly stood up to leave.


    Hua Boxue looked at his nervous appearance and called out to him from behind, ¡°It¡¯s so late, where are you going in such a hurry? If something happens to you, we won¡¯t be able to find a new Chen Yuchuan for Lu Yang.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan walked to the door and pulled it open. Then he picked up his coat, which had fallen on the sofa, and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to find Lu Yang¡­¡±

 CH 24

    ()x9-11 minutes 11.06.2022


    Chen Yuchuan drove for three hours and arrived at his destination at 2 past midnight. He stood at the door of Lu Yang¡¯s fixed hotel suite and knocked on the door for a long time. After a long time, he realized that it was empty, so he finally contacted Xiao Lei, only to find out that they had already flown to another city that afternoon.


    As Chen Yuchuan stood in front of the door and looked at the message Xiao Lei had sent him, he began to feel that his behavior of running over in the middle of the night was a little impulsive.


    He felt like a fool. He wasn¡¯t a 17-to-18-year-old young man anymore, but he still pulled a surprise attack, only to have nothing to show for it. And now, like a 17-to-18-year-old young man, he felt a little lost at not seeing the person he¡¯d been expecting to see.


    This also made him fully realize the difference between divorce and having a fight.


    Lu Yang had been right. At the beginning, their divorce had no boundaries, and now there was a clear line put in place.


    That night, Lu Yang had peeled off their skins and hung them up for each other to see. Chen Yuchuan couldn¡¯t help covering the wounds that hurt, that made him pensive, that were moldy, that he wanted hidden. Lu Yang uncovered them all, and there was nothing left.


    He had wanted to escape, to hide, but now he finally realized that he had nowhere else to go; he had already run out of the safest place in the world.


    Lu Yang had said it hurt, he also hurt too. And it was only after the pain had dulled did he realize that Lu Yang had left.


    He was the one who had originally wanted to leave, but when the leaving was done and over with, he discovered how truly uncomfortable it was.


    He was really fucking troublesome. After laughing at himself, he thought that Lu Yang must have gotten used to these stinky shortcomings.


    If their identities were exchanged, and it was Lu Yang who wanted to run away, Chen Yuchuan knew that he would definitely have blown the roof up, not leaving a single tile for Lu Yang.


    And what about now? After tossing around so much?


    In the end, after all the tossing, he realized that he had tossed the most important person away.


    When Chen Yuchuan was driving back, he received a call from Xiao Lei. In an anxious voice, Xiao Lei said, ¡°Brother-in-law, are you looking for President Lu?¡±


    Chen Yuchuan told the truth, ¡°I arrived half an hour ago and knocked on the door for a long time, but no one opened the door, so now I¡¯m driving back.¡±


    Xiao Lei let out a surprised ¡°ah¡± and said, ¡°Brother-in-law, why didn¡¯t you tell me earlier? We just left in the afternoon. If only we had left a little later or if you got here a little earlier.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I didn¡¯t think too much about it when I came. I drove over on impulse, and since he¡¯s not there, I¡¯ll just drive back.¡± Chen Yuchuan hung up without waiting for Xiao Lei¡¯s reply.


    He drove for three hours in the middle of the night to find Lu Yang, but his failure resulted in some people laughing at him for several days.


    Although Xiao Lei later sent Chen Yuchan Lu Yang¡¯s schedule for the week, he never pulled a midnight surprise visit again.


    However, Chen Yuchaun sent Lu Yang a message on WeChat, telling him that he¡¯d become a laughingstock.


    He told him that they¡¯d teased him, saying that he was like a silent idiot, acting on his own wishful thinking.


    Lu Yang still didn¡¯t reply, but Chen Yuchuan¡¯s unilateral sharing of information never stopped. He didn¡¯t care whether Lu Yang saw it or not, and didn¡¯t care whether he replied or not.


    During breakfast, he sent Lu Yang a picture of himself sitting hunched over at a steamed bun shop, eating buns. He¡¯d asked the shop boss to take the photo, showing him eating with unspeakable loneliness.


    Afterward, he gave the boss a thumbs up, saying, ¡°Boss, you¡¯re so good at taking pictures, no question about it.¡±


    The 200 pounds owner of the steamed bun shop slapped Chen Yuchuan on the back, nearly knocking him over. Quite proud of the steamed buns he¡¯d just eaten, the boss said, ¡°I take pictures of my wife everyday. Of course, I¡¯m good¡­¡±


    Chen Yuchuan smiled and asked the boss to take two more pictures. After he himself took a picture of him taking a bite out of the bun, he sent the pictures over to Lu Yang and said, ¡°Steamed buns are tasteless without you.¡±


    He also took a picture of the noon meeting at the company and sent it to Lu Yang.


    Two days later, he went to the resort and sent Lu Yang a lot of videos from morning to night, sometimes while at work, sometimes just casually capturing the sceneries outside the window and sending them over. In those videos, he would say a few words, or show a profile or a chin


    The last video he¡¯d sent was when the sun was setting and he was walking on a bluestone road up the mountain. There was a little snow on the side of the road, and he had rubbed his hands and sighed, saying that it was really cold on the mountain.


    There was another small incident in the middle of the resort project, and so Chen Yuchuan stayed in the mountain for three days. It wasn¡¯t until after he¡¯d stayed up for two nights did he finally come up with a solution on how to resolve it.


    Once he was done with work, he sent Lu Yang a selfie of his unshaven beard. He deliberately chose an angle that made him appear a little rough and haggarded with the vicissitudes of life. In the photo, he was naked, showing one shoulder and a little pectoral muscle. Everything was just right.


    He took many photos before he was satisfied.


    But Lu Yang still did not reply.


    In December, it was even colder. The wind was like a knife, and snow came, hunkering down for three to five days at a time.


    Chen Yuchuan heard from Xiao Lei that Lu Yang had been back for several days and was staying in the house over at Jade Lake. He had gone to see his parents twice and had even picked Chubby up.


    But Chen Yuchuan didn¡¯t ask Lu Yang about it. He still continued to send information frequently, about the snowflakes on the windowsill, about the dark stairs, about his cold fingers.


    And Lu Yang was still the same as before, not returning a single message.


    When it became too cold, Chen Yuchuan would run over to Hua Boxue¡¯s teahouse. It was very comfortable to drink hot tea while the wind blew outside.


    Hua Boxue¡¯s name may mean erudite, but he was just like Chen Yuchaun. He didn¡¯t like to read and wasn¡¯t very knowledgeable about literature. They were birds of a feather, unable to stifle anything, but they still sympathize and support each other.


    In the past, Lu Yang had kept a strict eye on Chen Yuchuan, not allowing him to drink or smoke. He had nowhere to go and so he would go to the tea house. As a result, they would often meet at Hua Boxue¡¯s teahouse.


    Hua Boxue held the small teacup and teased him, ¡°Have you been looking for Lu Yang in the middle of the night recently?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t,¡± Chen Yuchuan said, and then he promptly sent Lu Yang a complaint that Hua Boxue was making fun of him.


    After drinking three cups in a row, his stomach was full and so he put his arms lazily on the back of the chair behind him, squinted his eyes, and let out a long sigh of relief.


    Hua Boxue looked at the dark bags under his eyes and said, ¡°Without Lu Yang here, you¡¯re unable to satisfy your desires or what?¡±


    Chen Yuchuan shook his long legs and retorted, ¡°Which one of your eyes can see that I¡¯m unable to satisfy my desires? I¡¯m working overtime and staying up late.¡±


    When Hua Boxue laughed at him again, Chen Yuchuan took a sip of his tea, took out his phone and sent Hua Boxue¡¯s words to Lu Yang.


    Brother Yang, Boxue said that my desires aren¡¯t being satisfied.


    After he sent this to Lu Yang, he scrolled through WeChat for a long time until he found a contact and sent the picture to Lu Yang.


    Brother Yang, I have too many people on WeChat. Why don¡¯t you help me pick? This one is a fitness coach. He¡¯s 1.9 meters tall. His chest and abs are no joke.


    He scrolled through his address book again until he got to a doctor¡¯s WeChat, whose profile picture was a close-up of a hand, and sent it to Lu Yang.


    I added him when I went to the hospital last week. With a white coat on, he looked damn cold, but with it off, he must be wild.


    He posted several more and tagged each with a comment.


    And this, his eyes are very gentle, but when he speaks, so deep¡­that voice though.


    And this, this little college student, just 22 years old¡­


    And this¡­.


    As Chen Yuchuan was typing, Hua Boxue saw a man walking in behind Chen Yuchuan. He rolled his eyes, put his fist to his mouth and coughed twice, gesturing to him.


    When Chen Yuchuan heard Hua Boxue coughing, he put down his phone and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Got a cold?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡± Hua Boxue winked at him and coughed again.


    Chen Yuchuan didn¡¯t pick up on his hint and was about to continue his typing when he heard two strong ¡°da-da¡± sounds of leather shoes stepping on the wooden floor.


    After all, he¡¯d been with Lu Yang for a long time, and when he heard these footsteps, he didn¡¯t need to look behind him to know who it was.

 CH 25

    Lu Yang walked two more steps to the table. When Chen Yuchuan turned his head, his gaze met a pair of unreadable eyes. The snowflakes on Lu Yang¡¯s shoulders still had not dissipated under the indoor heating, giving the impression that he¡¯d just gone outside for a moment.


    Chen Yuchuan hadn¡¯t seen Lu Yang for nearly two months. Lu Yang¡¯s hair was a little shorter than before, looking very neat and seeming to have been recently cut.


    Meanwhile, Chen Yuchuan was still holding the phone in his hand, but his thumb had already turned the screen off. He¡¯d just sent some messages to Lu Yang, and now he really saw him. Unable to process this change, he only smiled and greeted him, ¡°Yang ge.¡±


    Lu Yang put his briefcase next to the tea table. Seeing the state of them both, Hua Boxue grabbed a chair and placed it next to Chen Yuchuan at a distance that was neither too close nor too far.


    ¡°Lu Yang, what kind of wind is blowing today that it brought you here?¡± Hua Boxue glanced at Chen Yuchuan as he spoke.


    Hua Boxue¡¯s spoke the thoughts in Chen Yuchuan¡¯s mind. The moment Lu Yang came in, Chen Yuchuan hadn¡¯t taken his eyes off of him.


    Lu Yang sat down and said, ¡°I just had a meal with a client nearby. Since I was passing through on the way back, I figured I should stop by to have some tea.¡±


    ¡°What do you want to drink?¡± Hua Boxue pointed to the cabinet with tea leaves beside it.


    ¡°Anything will do,¡± Lu Yang said casually.


    Lu Yang had never been too keen on drinking tea. However, after getting to know Hua Boxue, Chen Yuchuan began to enjoy drinking tea and so he would always bring Lu Yang with him. He was usually the most diligent tea drinker during the winter.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll pour you the pot Xiao Chuan¡¯er is drinking.¡± Hua Boxue poured a cup of tea for Lu Yang, and then filled Chen Yuchuan¡¯s empty cup for him.


    Chen Yuchuan moved his chair closer to Lu Yang¡¯s side and pushed the cup aside. Once Lu Yang had taken a sip from his own cup, Chen Yuchuan leaned over and asked, ¡°Is the tea good?¡±


    The white porcelain teacup wasn¡¯t big. Lu Yang turned around while holding the teacup and said, ¡°It¡¯s very good.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan smiled, and Hua Boxue interjected, ¡°How about a few of us brothers get together tonight at the same old place?¡±


    Lu Yang took another sip of tea, put down the teacup, and said, ¡°No gathering. I have a business trip early tomorrow morning, and my flight is at 8.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s 8 o¡¯clock tomorrow, not 8 o¡¯clock today. Tonight won¡¯t delay you, just don¡¯t drink,¡± Hua Boxue said.


    ¡°I really don¡¯t have time,¡± Lu Yang refused again.


    ¡°Nope,¡± Hua Boxue said with a ¡°tsk.¡± ¡°Lu Yang, have some fun. If you say no again, then we¡¯ll think that you¡¯re avoiding Xiao Chuan¡¯er.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan leaned closer to Lu Yang and tilted his head to whisper, ¡°Yang ge, I still have something I need you for. Just go.¡±


    Their old stomping ground was at the outskirts of Hua Boxue¡¯s family courtyard. In the past, they would frequently come here to drink and barbecue.


    It was still snowing a little. The small courtyard had a large, glass room, and not only was it not cold, but two small windows had to be opened to let in some air.


    Looking up, Chen Yuchuan could see the slowly falling snowflakes. It wasn¡¯t dark yet when they arrived, and they could see that a thin layer of snow had accumulated in some places on the glass roof, making everything looked indescribably comfortable. In short, he felt quite good, because he had met the person he¡¯d wanted to see for a long time.


    It was a little crowded, but there were no outsiders. The long, wooden rectangular table was more than enough for five to six people, and Chen Yuchuan was always next to Lu Yang, constantly chattering, asking him this and that.


    Whatever he asked, Lu Yang would answer, and within a few minutes, he had already learned everything he wanted to know.


    Lu Yang came back half a month ago, and he had, in fact, returned several times before, so that he was only able to finish his business up to now.


    In previous years, Lu Yang would visit the branches toward the end of the year, but this year, he went a little bit earlier. In the past, Chen Yuchuan would tag along whenever he was free.


    Chen Yuchuan counted the time, and concluded that he and Lu Yang had never been separated for this long. These two months of separation was the longest time they¡¯d ever been apart.


    Everyone else wasn¡¯t idle. They kept making fun of Chen Yuchuan and Lu Yang. Ling Qun even asked them when are they going to stop messing around and get remarried.


    Lu Yang didn¡¯t speak, but Chen Yuchuan opened his mouth to respond.


    He put one hand on Lu Yang¡¯s chair, took a drink of water, and sighed before saying, ¡°You all know that I made a midnight drive some time ago, but ended up returning with nothing to show for it. It took me three hours to get there, and three hours to get back. By the time I got back, it was already dawn. That night was like a dream. When I woke up, I had to eat steamed buns alone.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan made fun of himself first, and the other people teased Lu Yang. However, Lu Yang either ignored their questions completely or didn¡¯t answer them directly, and so the topic was easily bypassed within two to three sentences.


    Ling Qin joked, ¡°Lu Yang, with you two like this, it couldn¡¯t be that you¡¯ll end up wanting to accept more of our wedding gift money, right?¡±


    Other people agreed, echoing that if the two of them married the same person the second time around, it would simply be a money lost for them.


    The people at the table laughed for a while, but they no longer pursued the topic.


    Once the grill was ready, Hua Boxue handed an apron to Chen Yuchuan, saying, ¡°It¡¯s time to grill.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan took the apron, and as he put it on, he said, ¡°I¡¯ll grill. When they grill, it¡¯s really unpalatable.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan and Hua Boxue were usually the ones in charge of grilling. Although Chen Yuchuan wasn¡¯t particularly good at cooking, his kebab grilling skills were really good. The meat kebabs had already been marinated and prepared by the chef and the charcoal had already been prepped. All he needed to do was master the time and the ingredients.


    The grill was five to six meters away beside the wooden table. Chen Yuchuan moved the grill a little so he could see the back of Lu Yang, who was still talking to Ling Qun.


    Ling Qun kept glancing at the grill behind Lu Yang, and every time Lu Yang glanced back with him, he was always met with Chen Yuchuan¡¯s very direct gaze.


    The scent of grilled meat filled the yard, and after a while, Ling Qun came over to see if the food was ready.


    Hua Boxue still had a cigarette in his mouth, and he said indistinctly, ¡°Why are you in such a hurry?¡±


    ¡°After waking up at noon, I just ate a quick breakfast and rushed over. Now I¡¯m so hungry that my chest is practically on my back,¡± Ling Qun said, touching his stomach. ¡°Don¡¯t drop the cigarette ashes when you smoke.¡±


    Hua Boxue turned the cigarette in his hand, and muttered, ¡°What are you afraid of with this little ash?¡±


    Ling Qin also didn¡¯t either care too much, and just said what the eye doesn¡¯t see, the heart doesn¡¯t grieve over.


    Hua Boxue held the cigarette between his fingers, and abruptly said, ¡°Ling Qun, you¡¯re too troublesome. Just because you haven¡¯t eaten enough, you have the nerve to talk.¡±


    Ling Qun wasn¡¯t happy when he heard this, and pulling Lu Yang up, he said they¡¯ll grill it themselves.


    Hua Boxue didn¡¯t argue with him. He stepped aside and said, ¡°You and Lu Yang, you both grill your own food, and I eat Xiao Chuan¡¯er¡¯s.¡±


    The other two people on the table also said, ¡°Me too. I¡¯ll eat whatever Xiao Chuan¡¯er grills.¡±


    Since Lu Yang¡¯s grilling skills weren¡¯t good, other people wanted to eat Xiao Chuan¡¯er¡¯s grilled kebabs. But Xiao Chuan¡¯er still grilled for Lu Yang first.


    Lu Yang stood between Chen Yuchuan and Ling Qun, and so Chen Yuchuan asked him to help pass the condiment bottle. After a while, Ling Qun left, leaving them alone.


    Chen Yuchuan took the opportunity to ask again, ¡°Why did you suddenly come to the teahouse today. Is it because of the messages I sent you?¡±


    ¡°I was just passing by,¡± Lu Yang replied as before.


    Chen Yuchuan smiled, knowing that this time, he couldn¡¯t fool around ineffectively like in the past. If he didn¡¯t deal with it clearly, Lu Yang wouldn¡¯t yield.


    He didn¡¯t ask anymore and continued to grill the skewers. Lu Yang didn¡¯t eat spicy food, and so Chen Yuchuan grilled some non-spicy ones on a separate tray.


    The kebabs hadn¡¯t finished grilling yet, so alcohol was put out on the table. The original agreement was that there wouldn¡¯t be any drinking. Now that there was alcohol on the table, it was impossible not to drink. However, although Lu Yang didn¡¯t drink, the others made Chen Yuchuan drink a few glasses.


    By the time the get-together was over, it was already past ten o¡¯clock. Lu Yang left first, and Chen Yuchuan followed him out, just a small half-step behind.


    Outside, it had stopped snowing, but there was still snow at the door of the courtyard, making a crunching sound with every step they took.


    The wind blew Chen Yuchuan¡¯s ears and nose a little red as he followed Lu Yang to his car.


    ¡°Why are you following me?¡± Lu Yang asked from the side of the car.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you before? I have business with you.¡± Chen Yuchuan hadn¡¯t pulled up the zipper of his coat. With his nose a little windblown, he stomped his feet and added, ¡°It¡¯s too cold. Open the door. I¡¯ve been drinking and can¡¯t drive. You¡¯ll have to drive me.¡±


    He thought it would take a while to convince Lu Yang, but Lu Yang quickly took out his key and unlocked the car.


    After getting in the car, Lu Yang asked him, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s a serious matter. I sent you so many photos in the afternoon. You will help me choose a good one, right?¡±


    Lu Yang gripped the steering wheel and said, ¡°Chen Yuchuan, if you have nothing else to say, get out of the car.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan fastened his seatbelt and leaned against the car. With a smile, he changed his words, ¡°Yang ge, I¡¯m just joking. The north wind is blowing outside and it¡¯s too cold.¡±


    Winter nights were the coldest, and even the street lights outside the car window cast a cold light. Lu Yang turned the heater on, stepped on the gas, and slowly drove away.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go to your place,¡± Chen Yuchuan answered before Lu Yang could ask him.


    When Lu Yang didn¡¯t respond, Chen Yuchuan asked, ¡°Is that convenient for you?¡±


    Then, without waiting for Lu Yang to reply, he continued, ¡°If it¡¯s inconvenient, just leave me outside. The cold wind will sober me right up.¡±


    But he didn¡¯t expect that Lu Yang would actually move his car to the side of the road and step on the brake.


    No longer messing around, Chen Yuchuan honestly said, ¡°It¡¯s so cold outside. There¡¯s no one around, and you¡¯ve already driven so far that it would be impossible for me to walk back. You definitely can¡¯t chase me off your car.¡±


    ¡°Chen Yuchuan, what are you trying to do?¡± Lu Yang said, a little angrily.


    Chen Yuchuan pinched the tip of his red nose, and this time, he was very serious when he said, ¡°Yang ge, what I¡¯ve told you on WeChat about working for several days straight is true. I didn¡¯t lie to you. My sleep problem seems to be getting worse now. I just wanted to go to your place and have a good sleep, is that okay?¡±

 CH 26

    Lu Yang turned the engine back, turned the steering wheel, and continued to drive forward.


    There was no car in the oncoming lane, so Lu Yang turned on his high beam so that the headlights could shine a long distance ahead. The middle of the road was snowy, but the road was cleared of snow, having been melted by previous car tires. The poplar trees on the side of the road swayed in the wind.


    Chen Yuchuan looked ahead, his eyes a little tired. Finally, he simply laid back, his body sanking softly into the seat, closed his eyes and rested.


    Lu Yang was silent, and although Chen Yuchuan¡¯s eyes were closed, his mouth wasn¡¯t idle. He kept talking to Lu Yang. Although he¡¯d told Lu Yang a lot on WeChat, he wanted to say it again, because there was no response on WeChat.


    ¡°Yang ge, it¡¯s been really cold these days. The floor heating at home is broken, and I haven¡¯t found anyone to fix it yet. It was too cold in the living room, and so I can only stay in the bedroom with the heater on.¡±


    ¡°By the way, a few days ago, something happened to one of our hotels. An old man quarreled with the girl at the front desk when he was checking in. The girl said that the old man touched her hand, but the old man won¡¯t admit it. The angle of the surveillance camera was blurry. It only showed that when the old man handed his ID card over and took the room card, they were really close. Later, the old man stayed for two days and made an appointment with a woman on the internet. As a result, he suddenly had a heart attack while in bed and the woman just ran away without saying anything. Luckily, the cleaning aunt found that the door was open, and when she went in and saw him, she called 120. They arrived in time and so no one died.¡±


    ¡°Because of that, I had to work for two days straight, and the rules of the hotel were changed. The regulation system is now updated, the security and monitoring system has been strengthened, and looking at the Chinese New Year, it was a great mess.¡±


    ¡°Also, a few days ago, something humiliating happened. You hadn¡¯t come back at that time, and it was already late when I got back home from working overtime. The stairs were very wet and slippery, and as I walked upstairs, I wasn¡¯t paying attention and so my foot slipped. I fell and hit my thigh against something.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan opened his eyes when he said this. He hadn¡¯t told Lu Yang about this on WeChat. He took off his coat and threw it backward to the back seat. After sitting up, he patted his left leg and touched the green patch on his thigh that was still a little sore.


    ¡°It¡¯s still blue now, and recently, even walking still hurts. You say, I¡¯m an old man now with an old man¡¯s leg, when I fell, it really hurted to the point of death. Not only does it hurt a lot, it even took several days to heal.¡±


    Lu Yang drove in a stable manner, but when Chen Yuchuan finished speaking, the car suddenly swerved, and when Chen Yuchuan finally took his gaze off of his legs, he found that Lu Yang was looking at him. To be precise, looking at his leg.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Yang ge?¡± Chen Yuchuan asked with a smile. ¡°Keep your eye on the road.¡±


    ¡°There was a put on the road just now,¡± Lu Yang said, turning his attention to the road.


    ¡°The name makes it hard to see,¡± Chen Yuchuan agreed. He stopped rubbing his legs and closed his eyes again. ¡°I don¡¯t know if it will snow at night, and your flight at 8 o¡¯clock in the morning won¡¯t be canceled right?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Lu Yang said.


    ¡°Where are you going tomorrow?¡± Chen Yuchuan asked.


    ¡°City B,¡± Lu Yang replied.


    Chen Yuchuan counted the time silently in his heart and said, ¡°Then it¡¯s too far. You can¡¯t go there by car and will have to take a plane.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan recalled the last time he drove to find Lu Yang in the middle of the night. ¡°Last time, when I drove over to find you in the middle of the night, I actually wanted to tell you in advance. But when I got in the car, I took out my phone and looked at messages I sent that you never replied to, and I became afraid that you would reject my idea. So then I drove over straight away. I thought that, once I¡¯m there, you won¡¯t drive me out or throw me out the door. I didn¡¯t expect you to not even be there at all. I should have thought of it, but even then, I would still want to give it a try¡­¡±


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    Lu Yang drove the car directly to Jade Lake, and because he had to drive slowly, it took an hour and a half for them to arrive.


    At some point along the way, Chen Yuchuan had fallen asleep. Maybe, he¡¯d annoyed himself into falling asleep.


    But when Lu Yang parked the car in the underground parking garage, Chen Yuchuan felt it all at once. The moment Lu Yang pulled the handbrake, he opened his eyes.


    ¡°We¡¯ve arrived?¡± he asked. Having just woken up, his eyes were still a little tired.


    ¡°We¡¯re here. Come on.¡± Lu Yang turned off the engine, grabbed his car keys, and got out of the car.


    Chen Yuchuan followed suit. He stood beside the car for a long time but Lu Yang hadn¡¯t moved.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s your coat?¡± Lu Yang asked.


    Chen Yuchuan remembered that he¡¯d thrown his coat into the backseat and so he opened the back door and grabbed his coat.


    It wasn¡¯t until Lu Yang saw that Chen Yuchuan had put his coat back on did he begin walking toward the elevator entrance. This time, Chen Yuchaun walked directly next to Lu Yang, thoroughly enjoying himself as he walked.


    The house had a combination lock, and since Chen Yuchuan got out of the elevator before Lu Yang, he walked to the door, intending to enter in the password. However, Lu Yang stopped him.


    ¡°The password has been changed,¡± Lu Yang took a step forward. ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan¡¯s finger was already on the password keypad, and when he heard Lu Yang¡¯s words, he dully withdrew his hand, put it in his coat pocket, and rubbed his fingers together.


    His joy from being here had disappeared. This was Lu Yang¡¯s house. Naturally, if Lu Yang wanted to change the password, it was his freedom to do so. In the pass, the door lock passcode was the combination of their birthdays, with him in front and Lu Yang behind.


    When Chen Yuchuan heard from Xiao Lei that Lu Yang had returned, he¡¯d wanted to run over in the middle of night and take a look. Fortunately, he didn¡¯t come. If Lu Yang wasn¡¯t home, he wouldn¡¯t even be able to get in.


    He suddenly remembered that there was one instance where he had to stay outside for several hours. At that time, it wasn¡¯t that Lu Yang had changed the password, but that they¡¯d just moved in and he¡¯d forgotten what the password was.


    They had both gone to work during the day, but Chen Yuchuan felt dizzy and unwell and so he¡¯d left work early. He¡¯d even forgotten to take his phone when he went home.


    Too lazy to go back and get his phone, he simply sat directly at the door and waited for Lu Yang to come home.


    When Lu Yang got home from work, he saw Chen Yuchuan sitting at the door with his head down, sleeping. He shook him awake and changed the passcode to their birthdays right in front of him. It¡¯d been used for so many years, and although the combination lock had been changed several times, the password had never changed.


    Chen Yuchuan didn¡¯t look as Lu Yang punched in the new password. When the door opened, he stood there and didn¡¯t move.


    Lu Yang walked in and, still holding the door open, he looked back at him, asking, ¡°You¡¯re not coming in?¡±


    Chen Yuchuan waited for two seconds and finally went in with a smile. He called out, ¡°Chubby, dad is here to see you.¡±


    He called twice without waiting for a response. Lu Yang closed the door and said, ¡°I sent him to my parents yesterday, since I won¡¯t be home. When I get back from the business trip, I¡¯ll pick him up.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan rubbed the tip of his nose with the back of his hand. ¡°I thought Chubby was here and wanted to come and see him.¡±


    After he said this, he laughed. Avoiding Lu Yang¡¯s eyes, he scratched his head and said, ¡°I slept all the way here, and now I¡¯m wide awake.¡±


    Although the password may have been changed, the things in the house were still the same. The shoes in the cabinet were still theirs.


    After changing into slippers, he turned around in the living room and asked, ¡°Have you been living here all this time?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    There was plenty of heat in the room, Chen Yuchuan took off his coat, and touched his pocket when hanging his clothes. He didn¡¯t find his mobile phone, so he took out his trousers pocket, but still nothing.


    ¡°Where¡¯s my cell phone? Did it fall out of my pocket when I threw my coat into the backseat?¡±


    Lu Yang went back to the bedroom and brought out a pair of pajamas. It looked like he was going to take a shower. Such a scene used to happen every day at home.


    If Lu Yang had nothing else to do when he came back from outside, he would take a bath as soon as he got home.


    He raised his finger and pointed to the entrance, ¡°¡±The car keys are on the cabinet. You can go down to find your phone, I¡¯ll take a shower first.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan took one more look at Lu Yang before turning around and walking out. His phone really did fall onto the backseat.


    He grabbed his phone and went upstairs. He knocked on the door for a long time, but no one opened it. He called out for Lu Yang, but no one answered. Then he remembered that Lu Yang had said he was going to take a shower.


    He leaned back against the door, lowered his head, and took a breath. He checked the time and estimated that it would be another ten more minutes, since Lu Yang usually took a half hour shower.


    Ten minutes was a bit difficult. Several times, he had the idea of going back home, but then he looked at the car keys in his hand and opted to continue to wait. Finally, thinking that it was nearly time, he knocked on the door, and it didn¡¯t take long for the door to open.


    Lu Yang was wearing only a bathrobe with the belt tied around his waist. After Chen Yuchuan entered, he asked, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you punch in the password yourself?¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t read the password when I entered it earlier?¡±


    ¡°You changed the password, and so looking would be wrong.¡± Chen Yuchuan put the car key on the cabinet and said with a smile, ¡°Yang ge, I¡¯ll come back when I can read the password¡­I¡¯ll¡­¡±


    ¡°040912,¡± Lu Yang interrupted, gaze fixed on him,


    ¡°What?¡± Chen Yuchuan didn¡¯t react right away, and after asking, he realized that Lu Yang had told him the new password.


    Lu Yang repeated it again, ¡°040912.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan nodded, indicating that he understood. He went over the password silently in his heart, and then suddenly raised his head to look at Lu Yang. That was the day he and Lu Yang had gotten married.


    ¡°A while back, it seemed as if someone had messed with the door lock. That was when I changed the password,¡± Lu Yang said as he walked toward the bedroom. ¡°Go take a shower. I¡¯ll sleep in the guest room tonight.¡±


    This time, Chen Yuchuan understood quickly. Lu Yang was explaining why he¡¯d changed the door look passcode. He looked at Lu Yang¡¯s retreating back and grinning. Raising his voice, he asked, ¡°Yang ge, can I sleep with you in the same room?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Lu Yang had already passed through the door and so the voice of refusal came from the door.


    Chen Yuchuan didn¡¯t care at all. He walked to the master bedroom, but he didn¡¯t go in. Standing at the door, he watched as Lu Yang stood in front of the wardrobe looking for clothes.


    Faced with Lu Yang¡¯s back, he said all the words he¡¯d held in his heart.


    ¡°Yang ge, I came with you today because I want to answer the question you asked me last time. You asked me if I wanted us to get remarried, and you wanted me to think about it seriously before answering you. I¡¯ve thought about it for two months. I¡¯ve thought about it for days and nights. I¡¯ve figured it out now. I still want to marry you. I especially still want to marry you.¡±


    He paused and watched as Lu Yang closed the cabinet door and turned around to look at him.


    He continued, ¡°But I also know your temper. This time, if we don¡¯t work out our problems, it would be useless to get remarried. Even if we got remarried, it wouldn¡¯t last long, especially since I unexpectedly escaped from you for half a year. We used to be together, and I still want to be together again. But we need to work out our problems bit by bit, and then we can talk about remarriage¡­¡±


    After he¡¯d said this, Chen Yuchuan didn¡¯t wait for Lu Yang to respond. He walked to the closet, quickly found his pajamas, and said, ¡°I¡¯ll take a shower.¡±

 CH 27

    ()x9-11 minutes 22.06.2022


    After Chen Yuchuan went into the bathroom and took off his clothes, he didn¡¯t rush to take a shower. There was still a little water vapor in the bathroom from Lu Yang¡¯s shower, and the mirror was still coated with a light layer of fog.


    He hadn¡¯t been here for a long time, but the things in the bathroom were still the same as before. He and Lu Yang had couples toiletries, with the same style but different color toothbrushes, cups, towels, and razors.


    Chen Yuchuan poked around in the bathroom for a long time, like a small animal marking its territory. As long as he poked and touched, those things would smell like him again.


    After touching the items in view, he opened the cabinet next to the sink and looked inside. There were some unpacked replacement toiletries inside.


    He glanced at the cabinet door just as he was about to close it, and suddenly saw a blue box in the gap on the right side of the bottom compartment. It was a box of condoms he had put there a long ago and forgotten about.


    He took it out for a look and saw that the box hadn¡¯t been opened yet. The expiration date was over 2 years ago.


    He and Lu Yang used to store condoms in various places. Not to mention the bathroom, there was also a box of condoms in the bedside table, the second bedroom, and sometimes the coffee table cabinet.


    Even a few days ago, he was cleaning the house and came across two boxes in the cracks of the sofa. He remembered putting them there, probably almost a year ago.


    In the first few years when they were living together and there was no Chubby, they could start a strong fire at any time, and that fire would be so high that it would take a long time to extinguish.


    He especially liked to stick to Lu Yang when it was cold in winter, and would walk step by step with him when he was home. Although there was heating, it felt different when they were close to one another.


    Sometimes he would lean on Lu Yang as they watched a movie. One second, he was discussing the plot with Lu Yang, and in the next second, the back of his hand would accidentally brush against the back of Lu Yang¡¯s thigh. Even through the pants, he could still feel the strong muscle of Lu Yang¡¯s leg.


    Naturally, after encountering something like this, however inadvertent, he wasn¡¯t ready to let it go. He leaned on Lu Yang¡¯s shoulder, then turned over and straddled his waist. Later, the sun in the west had already set, and it was dark, but the two of them were still busy on the sofa.


    The first few years when they were together was also the time when they quarreled the most. The best glue after the quarrel was to do it at least once. When they just reconciled, they would roll without any ending and beginning. Every time, Chen Yuchaun would be exhausted by Lu Yang.


    Later, when Chen Yuchuan thought back to that time, he felt that they were crazy in those years. But, although they didn¡¯t do it as often as in the first few years, the two of them had always been very harmonious in bed and never had any problems.


    Holding the box, he looked down at himself, and said with a click of his tongue, ¡°When will you stop dropping the ball?¡±


    Lu Yang aroused him; it was impossible not to be aroused. Sometimes, in the dead of night, he would react, while impulsively thinking about their craziness in the past.


    But, in the past six months, the moment Lu Yang took his clothes off, he felt a sense of pressure in his chest, so uncomfortable that he couldn¡¯t think of anything else, couldn¡¯t do anything else. This became a pattern, but instead of trying to solve the problem, his first thought was to escape.


    At first, it was because he didn¡¯t want Lu Yang to know. He kept pushing him away, using various excuses and pretenses:


    Yang ge, I¡¯m a little tired today. Yang ge, I¡¯m too sleepy. Yang ge, I have to get up early for work. Yang ge, I¡¯m going on a business trip. Yang ge, I have to attend a meeting.


    The first few times, he thought that he might have been able to fool Lu Yang, because Lu Yang didn¡¯t say anything. But this happened many times, and what¡¯s more, his excuses were so clumsy that even he himself wouldn¡¯t believe it, much less Li Yang. The truth was, Lu Yang had never believed it, from the very beginning.


    Lu Yang just didn¡¯t want to push Chen Yuchuan, he didn¡¯t want to. And so he didn¡¯t force it, until the day of Chen Yuchuan¡¯s birthday.


    July was the hottest season, and the two of them agreed to have dinner together that night. They both finished their work early and got off work, and Chubby got picked up by his grandparents.


    Lu Yang booked a restaurant half a month before that, and carefully prepared gifts for Chen Yuchuan. Because the restaurant wasn¡¯t far from where they lived, they didn¡¯t drive. They had dinner, drank wine, and then held hands. Shoulder to shoulder, they walked home slowly, arrived at their community, went upstairs, and opened the door.


    The moment the door was closed, Lu Yang wrapped his arms around Chen Yuchuan¡¯s waist and pressed him against the wall. Without pausing or waiting for Chen Yuchuan to react, his palms clasped the back of Chen Yuchuan¡¯s head, fingers buried in his hair, and he kissed him. And while Lu Yang was kissing him senseless, he took off his clothes.


    At that time, all the emotions were just right, and Chen Yuchuan was reacting, responding to Lu Yang very forcefully.


    But when they entered the bedroom, when Lu Yang pressed Chen Yuchuan onto the bed, and when he turned on the lights and finished taking off his clothes, Chen Yuchuan¡¯s gaze was at eye-level with his chest. His reaction disappeared in an instant.


    Chen Yuchuan was very impatient at that moment. It was like someone had grabbed hold of his entire body, making it impossible for him to break away no matter how hard he tried. He tried not to think about it, but in the end, it had the opposite effect. The more he tried to restrain himself, the more he thought about it.


    Naturally, Lu Yang also felt Chen Yuchuan¡¯s sudden lack of vigor. He quickly released him, put his hands on his side, took a few deep breaths, and asked him, ¡°Xiao Chuan¡¯er, what is going on? You¡¯re unresponsive?¡±


    Lu Yang¡¯s voice was hoarse, looking at Chen Yuchuan with a little hurt in his eyes, so that Chen Yuchuan dared not look back at him.


    Chen Yuchuan wanted to say something, but he didn¡¯t know what to say. So he raised his hand and turned off the light. He picked up the comforter next to him and stuffed it between the two of them, covering himself tightly.


    ¡°Yang ge, I may¡­I am, I am a little tired recently,¡± he finally said something quite unbelievable.


    Lu Yang didn¡¯t say anything else. He just made a ¡°mmn¡± above his head, and Chen Yuchuan didn¡¯t hear any other emotions.


    Lu Yang rolled over, got off the bed, and went to the bathroom. When he came back after more than half an hour later, he still didn¡¯t turn on the light. He got into the bed in the dark, lay behind Chen Yuchuan and hugged him tightly. .


    Chen Yuchuan felt the obvious cold chill on Lu Yang¡¯s body. He knew that Lu Yang had just taken a cold shower. But he laid on his side and did not dare to open his eyes.


    Lu Yang buried his face on the back of Chen Yuchuan¡¯s neck, kissed his shoulder, and rubbed the tip of his nose back and forth on his shoulder.


    At that moment, Chen Yuchuan felt the emotions that Lu Yang was conveying to him. It was sadness. His nose became sour and astringent, and his Adam¡¯s apple rolled twice before he could barely open his mouth to say, ¡°Yang ge, you don¡¯t really need to worry about me. It, it can still be used¡­¡±


    Before Chen Yuchuan could finish speaking, Lu Yang pinched his belly and said, ¡°Since you¡¯re tired, sleep well. We¡¯ll talk when you¡¯re rested.¡±


    After that, Chen Yuchuan became depressed for a long time. For a while, he even had the idea of ??sleeping in a separate room from Lu Yang, but Lu Yang refused to even entertain the notion.


    They had tried several times after that day, and finally Lu Yang tried to do it with him wearing clothes. Although they had also done it while wearing clothes before, it was different that time. That time, it was a test, and so it didn¡¯t feel good and ended hastily.


    ¡­¡­¡­


    Chen Yuchuan retracted his thoughts, sighed while looking at the box in his hand, and stuffed it back into the cabinet.


    He couldn¡¯t figure himself out. When he and Lu Yang just got divorced, he dared to use this matter to tease Lu Yang. Looking back now, Lu Yang should have been mad at him at that time.


    It would be strange not to become angry!


    It was estimated that Lu Yang had only used half of his anger to crush the handle of his luggage.


    Chen Yichuan laughed at himself. He also knew that he needed to take it slow, but he was still a little anxious. He lowered his head and muttered, ¡°You hurry up. If you¡¯re okay, I can just stay in Lu Yang¡¯s room¡­.¡±

 CH 28

    ()x11-14 minutes 24.06.2022


    When Chen Yuchuan came out of the shower, the second bedroom door was closed. Meanwhile, the master bedroom door was open with the lights on.


    He knew that Lu Yang was sleeping in the second bedroom, so as he was wiping his dry hair with a towel, he walked to the door of the second bedroom


    Knocking on the door, he asked, ¡°Yang ge, are you asleep?¡±


    He waited quietly for a while, but when he didn¡¯t hear an answer, he went back to the master bedroom and began to poke around.


    He discovered that Lu Yang had changed the sheets and the comforter. When he went out just now, the sheets were a light gray, but now they were a foggy blue. He sat on the edge of the bed and waited for his hair to dry before lying down. The sheets were very clean. He and Lu Yang have used the same brand of laundry detergent for many years, and their clothes also smelled like this.


    Chen Yuchuan rolled back and forth in the bed a few times. Just as he was about to turn off the lights and go to sleep, his phone rang. He picked it up and looked at it. It was a WeChat message sent to him by Lu Yang.


    Before, the chat page between the two of them was full of messages sent unilaterally by Chen Yuchuan, all full of the outgoing green frames. Now, when he opened it, it finally showed an incoming message framed in white.


    ¡°There¡¯s medicine on the bedside table, one pill a night.¡±


    After reading this information, Chen Yuchuan found a dark green bottle on the bedside table. He picked it up and looked at it. It wasn¡¯t sleeping pills but was more like a sleep aid. He unscrewed the bottle cap and discovered that it had never been opened.


    When did Lu Yang buy this? He muttered silently to himself, feeling quite happy. He got out of bed, poured himself a glass of water, and ate a pill once he got back to the room.


    After eating, he laid back down and sent a message back to Lu Yang. ¡°When did you buy this for me?¡±


    As he laid on his side, holding the phone, and wondering if this sleeping pill will be more effective than his own, he fell asleep. He didn¡¯t wait for Lu Yang to reply, and instead, had a nice dream where he was lying on top of thick, soft grass under the sun. The sun¡¯s rays were cast on his face, making him felt very comfortable.


    When he woke up the next morning, he recalled the sweet dream. The curtains had not been drawn last night, and when he glanced out the window, he saw that it was still snowing, turning the glass window a blue-gray.


    Although the sky outside was extremely gloomy, he knew that it was definitely past 8 o¡¯clock. He¡¯d forgotten to set the alarm before going to bed last night.


    He looked at his phone, and sure enough, it was already 8:20.


    Lu Yang¡¯s plane was at 8 o¡¯clock. Had he left yet? He directly called Lu Yang¡¯s phone, only to hear the familiar ringtone coming from the living room.


    Holding his phone, he opened the door and called, ¡°Yang ge?¡±


    Even as he was shouting this, he saw Lu Yang standing by the sofa in the living room, wearing a black apron. He had one hand in his pants pocket while the other was holding his cell phone. He hung up the phone and put it back in his pocket.


    ¡°I thought you left already,¡± Chen Yuchuan said, walking out.


    ¡°It¡¯s snowing, so the signing has been changed to next Monday,¡± Lu Yang said and entered the kitchen.


    Chen Yuchuan followed, asking, ¡°Where did you buy the medicine I took last night? It¡¯s really easy to use. I fell asleep after taking it, and didn¡¯t wake up until now.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s recommended by a doctor friend,¡± Lu Yang said.


    Chen Yuchuan stood next to Lu Yang and looked at the pot. Small wontons were boiling in the pot, and the white soup base was bubbling and blowing hot steam on his face.


    He took in the smell, but couldn¡¯t determine what the wontons were filled with.


    ¡°Shepherd¡¯s purse meat,¡± Lu Yang said.


    Chen Yuchuan smiled. He picked up the soup spoon next, but when he wanted to take a taste from the pot, Lu Yang patted the back of his hand very lightly.


    ¡°I just put it in. It¡¯s not cooked yet.¡± Lu Yang took the spoon from Chen Yuchuan¡¯s hand and used it to stir the pot. He said, ¡°I made an appointment with a doctor at 3 in the afternoon.¡±


    This time, Chen Yuchuan didn¡¯t avoid going to the doctor as before. He nodded happily and said, ¡°Okay, the doctor I saw before really wasn¡¯t that good. After so long, I took a lot of medicine, but I still had a hard time falling asleep. I don¡¯t have much planned today. I only have a meeting in the morning, and so I should be done by one.¡±


    After Chen Yuchuan finished speaking, he leaned closer to the pot, inching closer to Lu Yang, ¡°Yang ge, I left my car at Boxue last night. It¡¯s snowing outside, so I guess it won¡¯t be easy to take a taxi. You can take me to work later. Also, will you accompany me to the hospital in the afternoon? I¡¯m afraid of getting blood drawn and some doctors are so fierce. I saw a new doctor last week, and he was very fierce. With you next to me, I could bear it more.¡±


    Lu Yang knew that Chen Yuchuan was just talking nonsense. It wasn¡¯t until they were eating the wontons that he finally asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t you send me a message yesterday saying that the doctor you added last week was very cold when he was wearing a white coat but really wild when he took it off? Why is he suddenly so fierce now?


    Lu Yang said this in the same tone as if he was just commenting, ¡°It¡¯s snowing outside.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan had just swallowed a wonton, and after listening to Lu Yang¡¯s words, he held it in his mouth for two seconds, before realizing that Lu Yang was responding to the words he¡¯d said in the kitchen, as well as the message he sent on WeChat yesterday.


    If Lu Yang hadn¡¯t mentioned this, he would have forgotten. Obviously, Lu Yang hadn¡¯t forgotten about it and was worried.


    He swallowed the wonton in his mouth whole, and his expression twisted in pain.


    Lu Yang frowned and said, ¡°Eat well.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan pushed the bowl of wontons to the side, got up, walked around the table, and sat next to Lu Yang. After dragging the chair closer to Lu Yang, he leaned toward him and pulled out his cell phone. Then he opened WeChat.


    ¡°I¡¯m not familiar with the people I sent yesterday.¡± He located all the photos he¡¯d sent to Lu Yang. ¡°This fitness coach, I added him during class when we went to the gym and he wanted to sell himself as a personal trainer. Later, because the gym was too far away, we stopped going there.¡±


    After he said this, he deleted the fitness coach¡¯s WeChat account.


    Once the account was deleted, he glanced at Lu Yang and noticed that his expression was much lighter than before.


    Delighted, Chen Yuchuan found the doctor¡¯s WeChat. ¡°He gave me sleep medicine for a week, but it didn¡¯t make any difference at all. It¡¯s not as good as the one you told me to take last night. Delete.¡±


    ¡°Also, this person, I added him at Ling Qun¡¯s bar. We went there together one time, and I noticed that he kept looking at you. Although he was sitting in the innermost booth, his eyes were fixed on you. Later, when you went to the restroom, he came up to me and asked me what my relationship was with you. I saw that he was interested in you, so I told him I was your husband. He added me, just to prevent others from prying as he did. Also deleting¡­¡±


    ¡°This 22-year-old college student, delete it¡­¡±


    ¡°How did you know this person?¡± Lu Yang asked lightly.


    Chen Yuchuan glanced at his remarks and said, ¡°He used to be an intern at the hotel.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a new regulation at our hotels that says interns need to be added to the boss¡¯s WeChat now?¡±


    Chen Yuchuan tilted his head to think about it, scratching his ear as he did so. After thinking about it for a long time, he couldn¡¯t remember when or why he added that intern.


    It wasn¡¯t his habit to delete people. The only time anything remotely like that happened was when they got divorced and he¡¯d angrily blocked Lu Yang. Otherwise, Lu Yang was always at the top of his list.


    His notes for the intern were simply his name, age, and the word intern. He had a habit of adding notes like this. If it was a customer, it would be the customer¡¯s name plus the company name plus the title.


    But no matter how hard he thought about it, he still couldn¡¯t remember. If he hadn¡¯t glanced a few more times on WeChat yesterday, he wouldn¡¯t even remember that there was such a person.


    ¡°I really can¡¯t remember¡­¡± He was still scratching his ears.


    He had the habit of scratching his ears whenever he was trying hard to recall something. In public, he would rub his fingers in his pockets. He would only scratch his ears when he was at home and in front of Lu Yang.


    He himself had determined that scratching his ears while outside would make him look very stupid, and so he would only do it at home.


    Even after thinking about it for a long time, he still couldn¡¯t remember. He habitually became a little anxious again.


    Li Yang pulled Chen Yuchuan¡¯s hand down, preventing him from scratching his ear. Removing his hand, he said, ¡°Stop scratching and eat.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan sat back down in his own seat. Straightening his body, he picked up the spoon and continued to happily eat wontons.


    Lu Yang didn¡¯t particularly like eating wontons very much, so he only served half a bow for himself. As such, it didn¡¯t take long for him to finish and put his chopsticks down.


    Chen Yuchuan saw that he ate so little and asked, ¡°Yang ge, are you full? Do you want to eat something else? Is there anything else in the fridge?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Lu Yang wiped his mouth with a napkin. ¡°I¡¯m done.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan subconsciously accelerated his speed of eating. Lu Yang kept sending messages with his mobile phone. Hearing Chen Yuchuan gobbling his meal, he tilted his head and asked him, ¡°Are you in a hurry?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not in a hurry,¡± Chen Yuchuan said, swallowing the wontons in his mouth. ¡°I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re in a hurry.¡±


    ¡°I have nothing to do this morning.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan slowed down the speed of eating, and waited until Lu Yang hung up the phone before saying, ¡°You don¡¯t have to make me wontons next time, I can eat anything.¡±


    Lu Yang didn¡¯t speak, and was still sending messages. Chen Yuchuan added, ¡°Actually, in the past six months, although I was not the same as before, I began to accommodate you in a lot of things, making you the most important person. But it wasn¡¯t all because I was constraining myself. Just like how you don¡¯t like to eat wontons, I naturally won¡¯t find it a burden, and I also don¡¯t feel constrained¡­¡±


    Chen Yuchuan ate two more bites of wontons and said, ¡°Of course sometimes I felt a little tired, but it¡¯s not because of these things that I feel tired. Therefore, I deliberately wanted to change myself quickly to cater to you, and I want to avoid many problems. I thought that if I change, I would be able to avoid them. It became a vicious circle, and I didn¡¯t know what to do. It was because of this that I began to feel more drained¡­¡±


    Lu Yang put down his phone and looked at Chen Yuchuan.


    Chen Yuchuan tilted his head and grinned at Lu Yang, looking stupid. After laughing, he took a big gulp of the wonton broth. The broth was hot, warming his stomach.

 CH 29

    Lu Yang took Chen Yuchuan to a private hospital that he¡¯d never been to before.


    As they entered through the hospital door, Lu Yang told him, ¡°A friend introduced me to a very good doctor from this hospital. But he¡¯d been abroad and had only returned to China last month. I made an appointment for next week, but last night, I rescheduled it to today instead.¡±


    ¡°When did you make the appointment?¡± Chen Yuchuan asked.


    ¡°That time when you drove out in the middle of the night to find me.¡±


    The elevator opened on the first floor, and many people came out. They were the only ones waiting for the elevator. Once they were inside and the elevator doors were closed, Chen Yuchuan whispered, ¡°So at that time, you knew I was finally going to listen, right?¡±


    Lu Yang didn¡¯t say anything, acquiescing to his statement.


    He asked again, ¡°I didn¡¯t tell you about my insomnia before, how did you know?¡±


    ¡°Did you think you were covering it up well? Long term use of sleeping pills will inevitably result in unpleasant side effects. You will become addicted. Once I found out, I changed your pills to vitamins.¡±


    The elevator arrived at their floor, and they stepped off. As he walked, Chen Yuchuan said, ¡°No wonder my sleeping pills were a little sweet. I thought there was something wrong with my sense of taste.¡±


    They met Dr. Lin, who looked to be in his 40s. They chatted briefly before Lu Yang left him alone with Dr. Lin in the consultation room.


    When Lu Yang walked out, Chen Yuchuan nervously looked back several times. However, he wasn¡¯t uncooperative, as he¡¯d been in the past.


    Lu Yang waited in the lounge across from the consultation room. An hour later, Chen Yuchuan came out and Dr. Lin invited Lu Yang in for a private discussion.


    ¡°Mr. Lu, I briefly chatted with Mr. Chen today, and he was very cooperative. However, in that hour, he checked the time on his phone three times and looked back five times. He was looking for you. I could tell from his actions that you¡¯re the dominant one in the relationship, and that he is somewhat dependent on you. Mr. Chen is a little impatient; he really wanted to solve his problem as soon as possible. But it will be counterproductive if he is too impatient. Mr. Chen trusts you more than he will ever trust me as his doctor, so I want to encourage you to be supportive and to guide him.


    Dr. Lin didn¡¯t chat with Lu Yang for long. When Lu Yang came out, he found Chen Yuchuan waiting for him in the hallway.


    ¡°What did the doctor tell you? Is my problem very serious?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Lu Yang said. ¡°The doctor said that you were very cooperative, and the problem isn¡¯t too big.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Really.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan grinned. ¡°I was very cooperative. I feel much better now.¡±


    As they went out, Lu Yang said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much about it. Just take your time. You can come once a week or once every other week. If there are times when you don¡¯t feel like coming, you don¡¯t have to. We can always reschedule.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan retorted a little anxiously, ¡°I do want to come. I don¡¯t not want to come¡­¡±


    In the elevator, Chen Yuchuan told Lu Yang about what Dr. Lin had told him in the consultation room. He was no longer as nervous as before. But as they passed the payment window, he heard someone calling his name.


    ¡°Brother Chuan.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan looked for the voice and looked over. It was Guang Haobo, who was wearing a hospital gown and was standing in line at the payment window.


    Seeing that it really was Chen Yuchuan, Guang Haobo became excited. He left the line and walked over in slippers. ¡°Brother Chuan, Brother Yang, why are you here?¡±


    ¡°I came to see a doctor,¡± Chen Yuchuan answered.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you sick?¡±


    ¡°Just a small problem, it¡¯s nothing.¡± Chen Yuchuan waved his hand. ¡°How about you? Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been hospitalized for a few days due to acute gastritis. I¡¯m nearly better now and will be discharged in two days.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan glanced around but didn¡¯t see anyone else. ¡°Where¡¯s Chu Rui? Why didn¡¯t he accompany you?¡±


    ¡°He, he¡¯s too busy with meetings at his company¡­¡± Guang Haobo had never been able to lie well. Wenever he lied, his eyebrows would scrunch up. He¡¯d been holding his medical records and hospital card in his hands, but now he silently hid them behind his back so that they couldn¡¯t be seen.


    Seeing him faltering and hesitating, Chen Yuchuan knew that he was lying. As he was about to speak, he felt Lu Yang¡¯s arm brushed against his, and he even heard the light sound of Lu Yang breathing.


    Chen Yuchuan grabbed Lu Yang¡¯s hand, tucking his index finger into Lu Yang¡¯s palm and scratching him.


    Chen Yuchuan and Guang Haobo had always had a good relationship. However, Lu Yang became wary of Guang Haobo once he found out that he also liked men. It wasn¡¯t until he got married a few years ago that Lu Yang¡¯s hostility gradually declined.


    ¡°Did Chu Rui treat you badly?¡± Chen Yuchuan asked directly.


    ¡°No, no,¡± Guang Haobo repeatedly denied, ¡°He¡¯s just too busy. He hired a nurse for me.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan didn¡¯t pursue the topic. He pointed to the seat nearby and said, ¡°Go sit. We¡¯ll get in line for you.¡±


    The moment Chen Yuchuan finished speaking, he felt a gust of wind, and when he turned to look, he saw that it was Chu Rui, gasping for breath.


    Chu Rui put his hands on Guang Haobo¡¯s shoulders and moved in front of him. ¡°We¡¯ll make our own arrangements. We won¡¯t bother you. Thank you!¡±


    Guang Haobo wanted to say something to Chen Yuchuan, but Chu Rui pulled him hard. In the end, he only waved at them and left with Chu Rui.


    Chen Yuchuan raised his foot and kicked in the air at Chu Rui¡¯s back, until Lu Yang finally pulled him away.


    He had always looked down on Chu Rui, who was 8 years younger than Guang Haobo. Chu Rui was only 28 this year, and he had an irascible temper. He was also a massive vinegar jar. Therefore, in recent years, Chen Yuchuan hadn¡¯t been in much contact with Guang Haobo.


    ¡°Look how Chu Rui was just now.¡±


    ¡°Guang Haobo, that fool probably wouldn¡¯t know it even if he was bullied. Even if he knew, he would just only lie and cover it up. When they got married only a month after knowing each other, I thought it was too fast. They need to figure it out because they tie the knot.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s so easy for a flash marriage to go wrong. It¡¯s only been a few years since they got married¡­¡±


    Chen Yuchuan was still mumbling when they reached the parking lot.


    After getting into the car, Lu Yang said, ¡°We got together pretty quickly.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan retorted, ¡°We dated for four years before we got married, and it was after everything had been settled.¡±


    He happily added, ¡°Besides, we were in love with each other. We¡¯ve been together since 11 days of knowing each other. Do you think we¡¯re dating again? It was you who took the initiative, but this time, I¡¯m the one taking the initiative.¡±


    Then, without waiting for Lu Yang to reply, he answered his own question, ¡°No, you didn¡¯t provoke it.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan dared to say this now because he had a bottom line. He knew that Lu Yang still loved him. It was because he had always known, so he dared to be like this now.


    After they left the hospital, Lu Yang went back to work. He still had a dinner party to attend in the evening. Chen Yuchuan had nothing to do, so he drove his car back. After buying some things, he hummed a little tune as he drove out to see Lu Xianfeng and Man Yunxin.


    Lu Xianfeng was sitting on the sofa, reading a book and teasing Chubby. When Chubby saw Chen Yuchuan, he jumped up and danced around him.


    Chen Yuchuan chatted with Old Lu, who was the same as the past few times. He ignored him and just snorted through his nose.


    But Chen Yuchuan didn¡¯t care. After playing with Chubby, he went to find Man Yunxin. Man Yunxin was playing the piano, and when she finished, she discovered that Chen Yuchuan seemed really happy.


    ¡°What has happened to Xiao Chuan¡¯er recently?¡±


    Chen Yuchuan sat next to Man Yunxin, took her arm, and said, ¡°Mom, Lu Yang and I got together again. When we get remarried, you and Dad will have to give me a red envelope.¡±


    Before Man Yunxin could speak, Lu Xianfeng put his book down and snorted, ¡°I give you a red envelope? I¡¯ll give you two a stick¡­¡±


    Although Lu Xianfeng¡¯s face still looked unhappy, his tone was much better than before. Man Yunxin didn¡¯t truly think they would really separate and so she didn¡¯t ask many questions.


    Laughing, Chen Yuchuan coaxed them and accompanied them for dinner. When it was time, he drove out to pick Lu Yang up.


    After that, he went to the hospital twice, and Lu Yang accompanied him each time.


    At the end of the month, Chen Yuchuan¡¯s mother¡¯s death anniversary arrived. Lu Yang was on a business trip overbroad, and so this would be the first time Chen Yuchuan would have to go see his mother alone.


    On that day, Lu Yang was still out of town, and so Chen Yuchuan woke up early and headed out to see his mother. His mother was buried with his father in his father¡¯s hometown.


    He bought two wreaths, some joss paper, a bottle of wine, two bouquets of flowers, and many other things to show his love to his parents.


    By the time he arrived at the cemetery, it was already noon. The snow in his hometown was heavy, piling up on the mountain road that led to the cemetery and blocking the path for cars. Therefore, he parked his car on the side of the road and walked to the cemetery with his things.


    The approaching New Year brought new flowers to many of the graves in the cemetery. He also changed the flowers on his parents¡¯ grave before kneeling on the ground and kowtowing a few times. Then he began to burn the joss paper and poured two glasses of wine.


    The wind was strong, blowing soot on him. But he merely squinted and continued chatting with them. When on the subject of Lu Yang, he began to talk more and more.


    ¡°Lu Yang is on a business trip, so he can¡¯t come with me this time.¡±


    ¡°Mom, we¡¯re fine. Don¡¯t worry¡­:


    As he spoke, he burned another stack of joss paper. ¡°Well, it wasn¡¯t too great before. We separated for a little over two months. But don¡¯t worry. We got back together. In the past, whenever Lu Yang and I came to see you, he would always complain that I smoke secretly, that I was disobedient. This time, since he didn¡¯t come, I can also complain about him. He was the one that brought up divorce¡­¡±


    He was only able to say a few words when he heard a deep voice from nearby.


    ¡°I¡¯m not here, so you¡¯re starting to complain?¡±


    Chen Yuchuan had been too focused on burning the paper, and so he wasn¡¯t paying attention to his surroundings. When he heard Lu Yang¡¯s voice, he looked up and said with a laugh, ¡°Why are you here? Let me tell you, you came just in time. Come and admit your mistake¡­¡±


    ¡°I finished up my work so I came over.¡± Lu Yang knelt beside Chen Yuchuan. He placed the bouquets he was carrying in front of the gravestones and began to burn paper with Chen Yuchaun.


    This time, it became two people talking, mentioning you and I.


    After all the papers had been burnt, they left. As they walked back alongside the difficult mountain path, Chen Yuchuan suddenly stopped on the side of the upward slope and stood still.


    Sensing that Chen Yuchuan had fallen behind and was no longer following, Lu Yang also stopped.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± He turned to ask. ¡°Why did you stop?¡±


    Chen Yuchuan¡¯s shoes were covered in snow, and so he stomped his feet. But the more he stomped, the more snow covered his feet.


    ¡°Yang ge, it¡¯s a little cold¡­¡± When he spoke, white mist from his breath curled around his mouth. He took his hands out of his pocket and breathed on them to warm them up. His nose and cheeks were blown red by the wind.


    Lu Yang walked back and stopped in front of Chen Yuchuan. He unbuttoned his coat, and Chen Yuchuan stretched out his arms and wrapped them around Lu Yang¡¯s waist underneath his coat, directly hugging him.


    He pressed his face to Lu Yang¡¯s chest, listening to his heartbeat. ¡°I lied to you. I¡¯m not really that cold.¡±


    Lu Yang wrapped his coat around Chen Yuchuan¡¯s back.


    Chen Yuchuan hugged him tighter. ¡°Yang ge, I missed my mother a little. I dreamed of her last night. If she was alive and knew that I had agreed to divorce you, she would definitely chase after me with a feather duster. I couldn¡¯t hug her anymore. Except for my mother, you are the closest person in my world, and I haven¡¯t hugged you in a long time. Just let me hug you¡­¡±


    Xida: Fyi, it¡¯s not okay to change out people¡¯s medicine without their consent.

 CH 30

    A gust of north wind blew past the snow-covered winter branches on the side of the road, causing some snow to fall on Chen Yuchuan¡¯s shoulders.


    Lu Yang lightly patted the snow off his shoulders, patting away the lonely coldness from his body little by little.


    Chen Yuchuan hugged him until he was satisfied and then finally let him go. Lu Yang¡¯s heartbeat moved further from his ear, but he could still hear it if he listened carefully enough.


    He was like a normal person again, as if the pitiful person who said that he had no father or mother just now had been hugged out by Lu Yang.


    Chen Yuchuan had always been a person who was very easy to satisfy. Before meeting Lu Yang, he never had much. After meeting Lu Yang, everything he had was given by him. All these years, Lu Yang had always indulged him. If he wanted an apple, Lu Yang would offer him a basket full, and he could pick as many as he pleased. And yet, he always chose one, because one was enough.


    So when Lu Yang worked hard for him and he was still the same as before, he became afraid. He was afraid that he wanted too much, and Lu Yang would be taken away from him. He just wanted Lu Yang to be okay.


    But now, his thinking had changed. Since Lu Yang was willing to offer these things to him, he would hold on to them and take good care of them.


    Chen Yuchuan kept his hands in Lu Yang¡¯s pockets, his clenched fists wrapped in Lu Yang¡¯s palms. He asked, ¡°How did you get here?¡±


    ¡°I saw your car.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me earlier that you¡¯ll be coming?¡±


    ¡°When you messaged me this morning, I guessed that you would come here. So, of course, I will definitely come to meet you.¡±


    ¡°What if we missed each other?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t we end up meeting?¡±


    Indeed, they did end up meeting each other. There was no need to ask anything more. All that mattered was that they met.


    Chen Yuchuan raised his head to look at the sinking sun in the west. In the cold of winter, the afternoon was the weakest, shining its rays on them from a distance.


    Once they arrived at the side of the car, Chen Yuchuan directly gave Lu Yang the car keys and got into the passenger seat.


    He had gotten up too early this morning, and now that he saw Lu Yang, he suddenly felt too tired to drive back.


    As Lu Yang drove, Chen Yuchuan leaned against the back seat and closed his eyes. He thought that he¡¯d just closed his eyes for a moment, but when he opened his eyes, he found that they had entered the city.


    When they were passing by a local restaurant, he pointed out the window and said, ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡±


    Lu Yang saw where Chen Yuchuan was looking at and pulled up to the restaurant.


    They had a tacit understanding that could only be polished with time. Although there were many places to eat on the street, Lu Yang knew exactly which one Chen Yuchuan wanted without asking.


    When they sat down and looked at the menu, Lu Yang asked, ¡°What do you want to eat?¡±


    ¡°I want to eat¡­fish¡­¡± His voice trailed off.


    They both knew that he was thinking about the boiled fish with the peppercorns on the day of their divorce.


    He liked spicy food, but he never liked hemp.


    Lu Yang ordered sweet and sour pork loin, scrambled egg with courgette, and three fresh soups. Finally, he ordered boiled fish. When he handed the menu to the waiter, he added, ¡°Without peppercorn, please. Thank you.¡±


    The waiter confirmed their orders, took the menu, and went to the back kitchen.


    When Chen Yuchuan was pouring himself a glass of water, he accidentally spilled a little. It was only after he had wiped away the spilled water, did he finally put his arms on the table, leaned forward, and asked Lu Yang, ¡°At that time, why did you put peppercorn on the fish?¡±


    ¡°You only noticed the peppercorn but you didn¡¯t notice the fish at all.¡± Lu Yang took a sip of water. ¡°You didn¡¯t even notice that I didn¡¯t make the fish. That day, you were secretly smoking on the balcony of the second bedroom. I ordered the fish, and yes, I didn¡¯t tell the store not to put peppercorn. In the past, you wouldn¡¯t have to even look at the dish to smell the peppercorn. But this time, you didn¡¯t notice it at all.¡±


    As Lu Yang spoke, Chen Yuchuan could hear the resentment in his voice.


    He smiled, crinkling his eyes. ¡°Smoking must have ruined my sense of smell. I won¡¯t smoke again in the future. I thought I hid it so well.¡±


    ¡°Actually, it was very obvious,¡± Lu Yang said.


    Chen Yuchuan scratched his ear again. Remembering that he was out in public, he put his hand down, tilted his head, and asked, ¡°Is it really that obvious?¡±


    It didn¡¯t matter now. No matter what, he knew that nothing would escape Lu Yang¡¯s notice.


    When visiting his mother¡¯s grave in his hometown, he would always reminisce about the past, especially when his mother was still alive.


    When Chen Yuchuan and Lu Yang got together, the person who opposed them the most actually wasn¡¯t Lu Xianfeng and Man Yunxin, but Chen Yuchuan¡¯s mother, Cui Xiujun.


    Cui Xiujun used to be a very open-minded person and normally wouldn¡¯t take anything to heart. However, after his father died and she became ill, she changed. She became prone to worrying, particularly about Chen Yuchuan.


    When she found out she was sick, Cui Xiujun didn¡¯t even want to treat the disease. She didn¡¯t tell Chen Yuchuan, opting to hide her medical records.


    The reason she didn¡¯t want to treat her disease was because she knew that it would cost a lot of money. The compensation for Chen Yuchuan¡¯s father¡¯s death really wasn¡¯t very much, just enough for Chen Yuchuan to go to school and for their daily expenses.


    She didn¡¯t want to spend any money, so she looked at the bill the next day and insisted on being discharged from the hospital. Chen Yuchuan sat directly at the door of the ward, blocking her, and even dragging her and not allowing her to be discharged.


    They weren¡¯t afraid of making a scene, with one insisting on leaving and the other insisting that she stay. At that time, many people tried to persuade Cui Xiujun, and they struggled in the hospital for a long time. In the end, Chen Yuchuan said some harsh words, vowing that if she refused to stay in the hospital then he would go on a hunger strike.


    Although he wasn¡¯t eating three meals a day, he didn¡¯t actually go on a hunger strike. If he did, there would be no one to take care of his mother.


    Therefore, whenever he went out for hot water, he would secretly eat the bread or biscuit that he¡¯d stuffed into his pocket earlier in the day. After he was done, he made sure his mouth was clean, and when he returned, he deliberately slumped his shoulders, walking very slowly and trying to look weak and malnourished.


    In the end, Cui Xiujun compromised. She would try to go for dialysis as little as possible, but when Chen Yuchuan went on another hunger strike, she gave in.


    When Chen Yuchuan brought Lu Yang home for the first time and said he was his boyfriend, Cui Xiujun¡¯s first reaction was disbelief.


    An 18-year-old boy who had not yet grown into a full-length man, at an age where he had nothing but a uremic mother at home, suddenly brought home a boyfriend. Anyone who heard this would not believe it.


    At first, Cui Xiujun thought that Chen Yuchuan had hired Lu Yang because the doctor said some time ago that her condition wasn¡¯t very good, and so Chen Yuchuan simply brought Lu Yang to reassure her.


    Later, she saw that Lu Yang didn¡¯t seem to be hired by Chen Yuchuan. Lu Yang¡¯s gestures revealed the wealthy upbringing etched in his bones. It wasn¡¯t a performance at all.


    When Lu Yang arranged for a hospital and found a knowledgeable expert for her, she suspected that Chen Yuchuan might have allowed himself to become the boytoy of some rich scion, just so her illness could be treated.


    She even made up her mind that this rich boy must have some special and shameful hobbies.


    This speculation broke out when Cui Xiujun saw the bruises on Chen Yuchuan¡¯s knee. She told him that he wasn¡¯t allowed to abuse himself like this in order to cure her.


    Hearing this, Chen Yuchuan wasn¡¯t happy, ¡°Mom, what kind of person do you think your son is? And do you think Lu Yang looks like a pervert? How good is he? He is very good, he is the best in the world.¡±


    Cui Xiujun still didn¡¯t believe it. She persuaded him bitterly, ¡°Although our family conditions aren¡¯t very good, and especially with me ill too, at least be serious about finding a partner. Lu Yang is so rich, we can¡¯t afford to climb so high. My illness will one day not matter anymore, and you only have one life to live. You can¡¯t make a mess of your own affairs just because of me.¡±


    ¡°He took the initiative,¡± Chen Yuchuan said confidently.


    ¡°Since he took the initiative, all the more reason for you to be careful. Maybe he¡¯s just playing with you.¡±


    By that time, Chen Yuchuan had already realized how lucky he was to meet Lu Yang.


    But Cui Xiujun still refused to believe him. She even pretended to have intermittent amnesia, and everytime she met Lu Yang, she acted like it was the first time.


    Since she liked to pretend to have amnesia so much, Chen Yuchuan played along with her, and she played happily. He was very cooperative and acted as the best supporting role.


    But eventually, he became tired of playing along with her. In order to expose her, he deliberately said, ¡°Mom, my relationship with Lu Yang is fake.¡±


    Cui Xiujun sat on the sofa and patted her thigh. ¡°I knew it, I knew it. You lied to me.¡±


    He only said this to expose her fake amnesia, but who would have thought that Lu Yang would be standing outside.


    Someone¡¯s dog had ran into the yard, knocked over the clothes drying pole, and barked a few times after a few bamboo poles fell to the ground.


    When Chen Yuchuan and Cui Xiujun came out of the house to check on the noise, they only saw a big black dog running by the open gate.


    Standing in the middle of the yard, Lu Yang¡¯s face was particularly ugly, staring at Chen Yuchuan.


    When Chen Yuchuan ran out to Lu Yang, he smelled the heavy scent of alcohol on his body.


    Lu Yang originally told him that he would be busy tonight, so Chen Yuchuan thought he would not come.


    He had only a few words in his mind at the time: He was done for.


    Lu Yang was angry.


    Lu Yang was really angry. He dropped the thing in his hands directly to the ground, turned around and left.


    Chen Yuchuan chased after him, shouting, ¡°Lu Yang, Lu Yang¡­wait.¡±


    Lu Yang walked very fast. When he got to the side of the road, he stopped a taxi and Chen Yuchuan followed, climbing into the backseat with him.


    After getting in the car, Chen Yuchuan stuck close to Lu Yang, holding his arm, as if he was afraid that he would run away.


    The driver turned around and asked them where they were going, and Lu Yang reported the address, not to his home, but to the lake.


    ¡°Yang ge, why are you going to the lake?¡±


    Lu Yang ignored him. With the driver in the car, Chen Yuchuan didn¡¯t try to explain himself right away. However, he held onto Lu Yang, his index finger scratching the back of Lu Yang¡¯s hand. He would touch his fingertips for a while, then he would pinch his knuckles for a while. These small movements never stopped, and neither did Lu Yang shake him off, though his face was still unsightly.


    The driver pulled up to the lake. After Lu Yang paid, he opened the car door. But before he got out, Chen Yuchuan rushed to say, ¡°What I said isn¡¯t true.¡±


    Lu Yang got out of the car first and asked from the side of the road, ¡°What isn¡¯t true? My relationship with you isn¡¯t true?¡±


    ¡°No, no. What I told my mother isn¡¯t true.¡± After getting out of the car, Chen Yuchuan grabbed Lu Yang¡¯s hand again. ¡°My relationship with you is real, more real than anything else. It is the most real. We are serious partners, the most serious. More serious than anything¡­¡±


    As they walked along the path by the lake, Chen Yuchuan knew that Lu Yang was no longer so angry, but he still had to be coaxed.


    After drinking too much, Lu Yang would become a bit childish. This was what Chen Yuchuan had concluded after seeing him get drunk for the first time. He always had to be coaxed.


    Lu Yang walked fast, so Chen Yuchuan had to follow his pace, such that his shoelaces came undone.


    ¡°Yang ge, don¡¯t be angry. You¡¯re too hard to coax when you¡¯re angry.¡±


    Lu Yang saw Chen Yuchuan walking strangely and looked down at his feet. Finally, he stopped on the small stone pavement. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to coax, then don¡¯t coax.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll coax.¡± Chen Yuchuan stood in front of him and opened his hand to stop him. ¡°I am most especially willing to coax you.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan stood too close, and so Lu Yang took a step back, only for Chen Yuchuan to follow.


    Lu Yang took another step back, and Chen Yuchuan followed another step forward.


    In the end, Lu Yang no longer retreated. His voice was harsh when he said, ¡°Stand still and don¡¯t move.¡±


    ¡°I will move. I have to follow you.¡± Chen Yuchuan grabbed his hands. ¡°I won¡¯t let you go.¡±


    In the end, Lu Yang took another half step back, knelt down, let go of Chen Yuchuan¡¯s hand, and tied his shoelaces for him.


    The moment Lu Yang stood up, Chen Yuchuan wrapped his arms around his neck and kissed him. Lu Yang held the back of his head and kissed him back.


    The summer night breeze blew across the sparkling lake, stirring up a layer of lake water and shaking the magnolia flowers above their heads. But nothing could disturbed them as they kissed.


    Lu Yang felt Chen Yuchuan¡¯s heart beating faster and faster. Finally he let go of him, causing Chen Yuchuan to sway a little, still drowsy from the kiss. He leaned half of his body against Lu Yang¡¯s shoulder, licked the corners of his hot lips, and said, ¡°I won¡¯t make you angry anymore.¡±


    Lu Yang glanced at him in obvious disbelief.


    Chen Yuchuan licked the corner of his mouth again. ¡°Really, I really won¡¯t make you angry anymore.¡±


    Lu Yang¡¯s eyes were still full of disbelief.


    ¡°I know you don¡¯t believe me.¡± Chen Yuchuan kissed Lu Yang again. ¡°I really won¡¯t make you angry. If I ever make you angry again, I¡¯ll call you husband.


    This was a bedroom request that Lu Yang had made, but that Chen Yuchuan had never complied. Of course, Lu Yang was interested in this proposal, and there was even a faint expectations in his eyes.

 CH 31

    Chen Yuchuan promised happily, saying that he would never make Lu Yang angry again, and he would make sure to make it right later.


    But when it came to being called husband, Lu Yang wasn¡¯t going to wait. When they got home, Chen Yuchuan had to call him husband in bed.


    That night, Chen Yuchuan knelt on the bed, looking back at Lu Yang with reddened eyes. He pursed his lips and said, ¡°Last time, I got a bruise on my knees because of you. My mother saw it and thought you were a pervert who had been mistreating me¡­¡±


    ¡°When did I abuse you?¡± Lu Yang lightly rubbed Chen Yuchuan¡¯s neck a few times. ¡°This is a bed, not a floor, so there won¡¯t be any bruises.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s change position,¡± Chen Yuchuan said.


    Lu Yang took a breath and turned Chen Yuchuan around so that he was flat on his back.


    He then proceeded to torture Chen Yuchuan all night, forcing him to call him husband again and again.


    ¡°Call me husband.¡±


    ¡°Yang, Yang ge¡­¡± Chen Yuchuan closed his eyes and moaned.


    ¡°No, that¡¯s wrong. Call me husband,¡± Lu Yang corrected.


    ¡°Yang¡­¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡± Lu Yang¡¯s breath was heavy. ¡°Try again.¡±


    ¡°Hus¡­¡± With just that sound, Chen Yuchuan¡¯s scalp went numb. Then finally, he opened his mouth and cried, ¡°Husband.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan¡¯s voice was very low so Lu Yang made him say it again.


    Twice, thrice¡­.


    Until late into the night.


    The next day Chen Yuchuan woke up with a hoarse voice, but Lu Yang happily prepared breakfast with a bright face.


    When Chen Yuchuan finished eating wontons, he suddenly said, ¡°Husband¡­¡±


    Lu Yang, sitting across from him, choked on his coffee. He tilted his head and coughed several times.


    Chen Yuchuan moved to the seat next to Lu Yang and gave him a napkin. ¡°If you like to listen to me calling you husband, then I¡¯ll call you that every day.¡±


    Lu Yang wiped his mouth with the napkin and then coughed a few times. He raised his eyebrows and looked at the grinning Chen Yuchuan.


    ¡°Okay, call me that every day.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan didn¡¯t come home until that afternoon, and so Cui Xiujun had no choice but to believe him. Lu Yang¡¯s reaction last night didn¡¯t seem fake at all.


    She finally acknowledged that her son and Lu Yang were really in love.


    The reason she opposed them wasn¡¯t because she disliked Lu Yang. People like Lu Yang were hard to dislike.


    She just felt that Chen Yuchuan and Lu Yang were not from the same world at all. No matter whether their background or their growing environment, they looked like two people who had no intersections at all.


    How could they be together?


    But these two, it seemed that no matter how long the line that extended from each other may be, with no interactions, they would still inevitably end up together.


    Even after being with Lu Yang for a long time, Chen Yuchuan was still pondering this question, but he still couldn¡¯t figure it out. He only remembered that, when Lu Yang asked him to try dating, he had already really liked him. Thinking about it, if one were to ask him why they were able to get together, he couldn¡¯t really say.


    He couldn¡¯t figure out such a complicated question, and one day, he finally asked Lu Yang directly.


    At that time, Lu Yang was silent for a moment. Finally, he gave Chen Yuchuan a very mysterious word.


    Fate.


    The word fate resolved Chen Yuchuan¡¯s doubts, and he began to believe in this word, fate. The fate between him and Lu Yang was the fate of his life.


    It was as if there was an invisible rope, one end pulling Chen Yuchuan and the other end pulling Lu Yang. At the beginning, their rope was loose, and the distance was very long. But slowly, they were being pulled together.


    Sooner or later, they would always meet at the intersection called ¡°Fate¡± at a certain moment.


    ¡ª¡ª


    On the four hours drive back, Lu Yang and Chen Yuchuan switched seats halfway. The snowy road was slippery and so they drove slowly. By the time they got home, it was already dark.


    When Chen Yuchuan got out of the car, he suddenly asked, ¡°Do you think it was our fate to separate?¡±


    ¡°Do you think our fate is broken?¡± Lu Yang asked, leaning back against the car.


    Chen Yuchuan shook his head quickly, his expression a little serious. ¡°It¡¯s not broken. If it does break, I¡¯ll re-tie it again, and I¡¯ll even tie a dead knot so that it won¡¯t break again in the future¡­¡±


    After Chen Yuchuan finished speaking, he no longer bothered about these mysterious questions. He simply put his hands in his pockets, whistling as he walked upstairs.


    ¡°Has the floor heating been fixed?¡± Lu Yang asked.


    ¡°Yeah. I had someone come and checked. It¡¯s because the air filter was clogged, and after it was unclogged, everything worked fine.¡±


    As he was unlocking the door, Chen Yuchuan bent down to check the lock cylinder. When he went out that morning, he¡¯d turned the lock twice to ensure it was properly locked. But now he could open it with one turn.


    ¡°The parents have been here?¡± he muttered.


    ¡°Maybe. Ask them when you go visit,¡± Lu Yang said.


    Inside the house, Chen Yuchuan asked, ¡°Are you hungry?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not hungry,¡± Lu Yang replied.


    Chen Yuchuan found the boxing gloves from the second bedroom and knocked the two gloves against one another a few times. ¡°If you¡¯re not hungry, let¡¯s go to the gym. I haven¡¯t been there in a while.¡±


    ¡°My boxing gloves are still here?¡± Lu Yang glanced at him from the living room. ¡°Didn¡¯t you already throw all my things away?¡±


    ¡°No, I packed them in a box and put them in the second bedroom.¡± Chen Yuchuan took out Lu Yang¡¯s boxing gloves.


    When Chen Yuchuan and Lu Yang arrived at the boxing gym, there was a girl at the front desk instead of Xiao Yang.


    Chen Yuchuan took out his member card, put it on the counter, and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Xiao Yang?¡±


    The girl at the front desk replied, ¡°He resigned.¡±


    ¡°Why did he resign?¡±


    The girl shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know, I¡¯m new here.¡±


    After his card was swiped, Chen Yuchuan put the card back in his pocket, dragged Lu Yang two steps forward, and then turned around to ask, ¡°Is Brother Qi there?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± the girl replied. ¡°Mr. Qi is in his office.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan nodded, indicating that he understood, and thanked the girl again.


    After the embarrassing incident last time, he no longer rashly visited Qi Yun¡¯s office. Instead, they entered the lounge, changed their clothes, and then chose an empty ring.


    ¡°Why did you suddenly ask about Xiao Yang?¡± Lu Yang asked as he put on his gloves.


    Chen Yuchuan told him about seeing Qi Yun and Xiao Yang in Qi Yun¡¯s office. ¡°It was so embarrassing. I shouldn¡¯t have just walked in.¡±


    He then confessed, ¡°I asked Xiao Yang to show me the record of your visits to the boxing gym.¡±


    ¡°Mmn, I came here almost every day during that time period.¡±


    Hear this, Chen Yuchuan no longer pursued the topic. After warming up, he raised his chin at Lu Yang. ¡°Are you ready?¡±


    Lu Yang took a few bouncing steps and waved at him. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s start.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan was in a hurry. He was usually the one taking the offensive, using all his strength from the very beginning.


    Lu Yang kept letting him go. They advanced and retreated, retreated and advanced, and fought evenly for over half an hour.


    Seeing that there was no progress, Chen Yuchuan made a gesture for a timeout. He stood with his hands on his waist and took a deep breath. He shook his hair and lifted the hem of his shirt to wipe away the sweat on his forehead and cheeks.


    As he bent down slightly, his lower abdomen tightened, causing the muscle lines to become more taut. Beads of sweat slid slowly down the contours of his stomach.


    After he¡¯d wiped his sweat and dropped his shirt, he said, ¡°Yang ge, we can¡¯t always be tied. Let¡¯s have a serious game.¡±


    Lu Yang rolled his wrists and asked, ¡°How serious?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t go easy on me today. Let¡¯s play a good game. If I win, you¡¯ll sleep on the same bed with me today,¡± he said, smiling. After saying this, he licked the corner of his lips.


    Before the game had even started, the person who had just said to make the game more serious was no longer serious.


    Lu Yang stared at the corner of Chen Yuchuan¡¯s mouth and took two steps toward him. Chen Yuchuan launched another offensive, which Lu Yang easily blocked.


    This time, Lu Yang didn¡¯t go easy on Chen Yuchuan. He stopped defending blindly, and ten minutes later, Chen Yuchuan gradually fell into a disadvantage. It seemed difficult to both attack and defend.


    Sweat fell into Chen Yuchuan¡¯s eyes, stinging them. He blinked and raised his arms to wipe the sweat from his eyes.


    Lu Yang didn¡¯t continue and walked to Chen Yuchuan¡¯s side. Chen Yuchuan lowered his head and rubbed his forehead against Lu Yang¡¯s shoulder, wiping away the sweat. Afterward, he pressed his mouth close to Lu Yang¡¯s ear and said, ¡°Yang ge, you really won¡¯t let me win? It seems that I won¡¯t be able to sleep with you in the same room tonight?¡±


    After saying this, he straightened up and added, ¡°I¡¯ll end it here this time. Next time, I¡¯ll fight you again and maybe I¡¯ll win.¡±


    He was tired of fighting, so he didn¡¯t want to continue. Instead, they headed to the lounge.


    After taking a shower and changing their clothes, they saw Qi Yun walking toward them. Qi Yun had been waiting for them, and he raised his hand to greet them.


    ¡°Brother Qi.¡± Chen Yuchuan waved hello, and Lu Yang also said a few words of greeting.


    As Qi Yun got closer, Chen Yuchuan teased, ¡°I knew you were here today, but I didn¡¯t dare go upstairs to find you.¡±


    Qi Yun still had a cigarette between his fingers, and after taking a smoke, he walked to the counter and put it out on the ashtray.


    After returning to them, he took out a red invitation card from his pocket and shook it in front of them. ¡°I¡¯ll be getting married on the eighth of the first lunar month. Here¡¯s an invitation card. There won¡¯t be many people there.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan and Lu Yang were both surprised. Qi Yun had always been opposed to marriage, and now he was suddenly getting married.


    Lu Yang took the invitation card from Qi Yun and looked at it. It had his and Chen Yuchuan¡¯s name written on it, and the signed couple¡¯s names were Qi Yun and Yang Ruo.


    ¡°Yang Ruo?¡± Chen Yuchuan asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s Xiao Yang,¡± Qi Yun explained.


    ¡°Congratulations.¡± Lu Yang slipped the invitation into his pocket.


    Chen Yuchuan also followed with, ¡°Congratulations, congratulations to Brother Qi. We¡¯ll definitely go, and I¡¯ll have to grab your bouquet to show your and Xiao Yang¡¯s joy.¡±

 CH 32

    ¡°Today is Chinese New Year, and there are many things to do at home. You just stay home. Don¡¯t go out and certainly don¡¯t go and see that Chen Yuchuan again.¡±


    Lu Xianfeng was sitting on the sofa with Man Yunxin sitting next to him. They¡¯ve been watching a music program. When Lu Xianfeng said this, she tugged at him and said, ¡°It¡¯s Chinese New Year. Let¡¯s talk about this later.¡±


    Lu Yang and Chen Yuchuan had been together for over three years, but Lu Xianfeng still blamed Chen Yuchuan for Lu Yang¡¯s leg injury.


    Every year, during the Chinese New Year, Lu Yang would go and accompany Chen Yuchuan after having lunch or dinner with his parents.


    Lu Yang was looking at a picture that Chen Yuchuan had just sent him. It was a photo of Chen Yuchuan with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, his thin fingers and arms coated with flours. There was also flour all over the basin.


    Lu Yang typed in a message and finally responded to Lu Xianfeng, ¡°Dad, we¡¯ve been together for three years. If you¡¯ll just accept Xiao Chuan¡¯er, we can both accompany you at home for the New Year.¡±


    Lu Xianfeng said in a raised voice, ¡°What do you mean? If we don¡¯t accept him, you won¡¯t come back for the New Year?¡±


    ¡°I will still celebrate New Year at home, like now, but I can only do lunch or dinner,¡± Lu Yang said.


    ¡°What¡¯s so good about a little ruffian like him?¡± Lu Xianfeng said more and more angrily.


    ¡°Dad, don¡¯t talk about him like that,¡± Lu Yang said seriously. ¡°To me, he¡¯s good everywhere.¡±


    ¡°Good? I gave him five millions to leave you, and after he accepted it, he should have left you. But what happened? He took it as a red envelope and went on vacation. Later, when he saw me, he even had the audacity to smile at me so mischievously. He¡¯s a ruffian through and through.¡±


    Remembering this, Lu Yang wanted to laugh, but seeing Lu Xianfeng¡¯s ugly face, he could only hold back his smile and said, ¡°That money was spent on his own family anyway. He took me on vacation, and there were no other outsiders.¡±


    ¡°What family? If you don¡¯t want someone of equal status, at least choose someone with a gentler temperament. Even if you have opted to study for a few more years, it would be more reasonable.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t we quite complementary like this? And, Xiao Chuan¡¯er is also quite reasonable.¡±


    No matter what Lu Xianfeng said, Lu Yang always had reasons to refute.


    ¡°You¡¯re just being rebellious. Even if your parents don¡¯t agree, you won¡¯t listen.¡±


    Lu Yang knew that his father was so angry that, not knowing what else to say, he was now even resorting to accusing him of being rebellious. Yet, he still patiently explained, ¡°Dad, I¡¯m not a rebellious teen anymore. I¡¯m 25 years old. I know what I want. I¡¯ve been with Xiao Chuan¡¯er for over three years. I¡¯ve always been serious about him.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re becoming more and more like Chen Yuchuan. You would have never talked to us like that before,¡± Lu Xianfeng said.


    Lu Yang smiled. ¡°Am I?¡±


    He¡¯d heard that after a couple have lived together for a while, they will become more and more like each other. Lu Yang thought that this was a wonderful thing. They would have a little bit of their own characteristics melting into the other¡¯s body, so that they reflected each other.


    He attributed this to another form of belonging. He was now contaminated by Chen Yuchuan, and of course, Chen Yuchuan by him.


    After dinner, Lu Yang returned to his home where he lived with Chen Yuchuan.


    But before leaving, he told his parents in no uncertain terms, ¡°Mom, Dad, this is the last year we¡¯re celebrating New Years separately.¡±


    Lu Xianfeng was overjoyed. ¡°You finally got it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I got it.¡± Lu Yang continued to put on his coat. ¡°Next year, I¡¯ll bring Xiao Chuan¡¯er with me for New Year. It¡¯s not good for families to be separated.¡±


    When he got back home, he found Chen Yuchuan and Cui Xiujun making dumplings in the kitchen.


    Cui Xiujun was rolling out the dumpling wrappers, while Chen Yuchuan was wrapping the dumpling filling with his fingers. A small piece of dough came apart in his hands, and even after he¡¯d finished pinching the edges together, there was still a little bit of dumpling filling on the outside.


    On the side were dumplings he¡¯d finished, all of them arranged crookedly and wrapped in all kinds of strange shapes and sizes.


    Chen Yuchuan wasn¡¯t very good at this kind of work. When making dumplings, his cheeks would bulge, and his face and hair would become covered with white flour. If you look closely, you can even see that the tip of his nose was sweating.


    ¡°Lu Yang, you¡¯re back. Did you finish your New Year dinner with your parents?¡± Cui Xiujun asked him, putting down his rolling pin.


    ¡°I did, Auntie.¡± Lu Yang rolled up his sleeves and walked to the faucet to wash his hands. ¡°I¡¯ll wrap it with you.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan was still carefully wrapping the dumplings in his hand, but he took two steps to Lu Yang¡¯s side and nudged him. ¡°Isn¡¯t it good? I made it for you. I put some coins in it. After eating these dumplings, you will have a safe and smooth next year.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t as thin as he had been when they first met each other. He stood next to Lu Yang¡¯s arm, speaking in a proud tone.


    Lu Yang turned off the faucet, dried his hands, and rubbed his thumb on Chen Yuchuan¡¯s cheek. He carefully wiped off the white flour on his face and nose, and then on the corner of his mouth.


    ¡°You eat it yourself.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan¡¯s face collapsed, ¡°Lu Yang, what do you mean? Are you despising me? I¡¯m willing to give you all the food, and you don¡¯t want any of it¡­¡±


    They quarreled for a while, and Cui Xiujun looked on with a smile.


    But in the end, in front of his mother, Chen Yuchuan wasn¡¯t too rambunctious. He finally grabbed Lu Yang¡¯s hand, scratched his wrist, and rubbed the flour on his hand onto Lu Yang¡¯s hand.


    When eating dumplings, all three of them ate coin dumplings. Lu Yang knew that Chen Yuchuan was looking for these coin dumplings on purpose. As he was serving dumplings, he dragged on for a long time, before finally managing to fish out one for his mother, one for Lu Yang, and one for himself.


    When Lu Yang ate the coin dumpling, Chen Yuchuan raised his eyebrows at him proudly.


    Cui Xiujun didn¡¯t live with them, and so after they finished eating dumplings, she gave them each a red envelope for the New Year and said that she was going back to rest.


    It was only after ten when Lu Yang and Chen Yuchuan got back from sending her home. They snuggled together on the sofa and watched the Spring Festival Gala.


    After watching a reunion sketch, Chen Yuchuan asked Lu Yang, ¡°Yang ge, did your parents give you a hard time again?¡±


    Lu Yang looked at Chen Yuchuan, and was just about to say no, when Chen Yuchuan pursed his lips and continued, ¡°Actually, it¡¯s fine. Anyway, we¡¯re together every day. It¡¯s not bad to be separated a little for this day. We¡¯ll have a lot of time in the future. After a long time, they will definitely accept me.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan was a little cautious when he said this. Actually, Lu Yang knew that he really wanted to get his parents approval. In recent years, whenever he followed Lu Yang home, although Lu Xianfeng wouldn¡¯t even give him a good face, he kept smiling and laughing. So after that, Lu Yang no longer took him back as much. He didn¡¯t want to see Chen Yuchuan upset, and so he thought that he would take him back once he¡¯d resolved the problem with his parents.


    Someone had told Lu Yang before that he didn¡¯t understand why Lu Yang would stay so long with Chen Yuchuan.


    It wasn¡¯t difficult to understand. Emotional matters were inherently complicated. Love was love. After a few years of love, it did not decrease but increased instead. This was another kind of luck.


    These three years were considered their breaking-in period. Their personalities were very different, and naturally, there would be many conflicts. But whether good or bad, awkward or easy, they inexplicably fit.


    Whether it was the anger in the noise or the warmth in the sourness, every time Lu Yang thought of the Chen Yuchuan in that moment, there was always a smile on the corner of his mouth.


    To others, Chen Yuchuan seemed like a person with a quick temper. When he became mad, he would smell like gunpowder, blowing up or stabbing others at any time.


    But to Lu Yang, Chen Yuchuan, who loved to get angry, actually had a soft belly, which was a side that he wouldn¡¯t show to the outside world, but would only expose to Lu Yang.


    In the past three years, Lu Yang had figured out a set of methods to effectively deal with Chen Yuchuan¡¯s frequent temper. Sometimes, the moment he got close, he could easily feel Chen Yuchuan¡¯s emotions. Before Chen Yuchuan could reach his explosion point, Lu Yang would touch his soft spot twice, and he would immediately put away his irritability, turn his head, and smile at him.


    Like that, Chen Yuchuan seemed to have lost his temper.


    And Lu Yang also knew that Chen Yuchuan was always on the offensive, like a reckless little wolf, but his mind was sensitive and soft.


    It was that sensitive and soft side that often faced Lu Yang.


    For the people he cared about, Chen Yuchuan would not hesitate to peel off the hard outer shell of his body that was wrapped around his soft and bright, red heartbeat.


    Lu Yang couldn¡¯t refuse.


    ¡°Xiao Chuan¡¯er¡­¡± Lu Yang hooked his arm around Chen Yuchuan¡¯s neck, lightly pinched his ear, and said, ¡°How long have we been together?¡±


    ¡°Three years and eight months,¡± Chen Yuchuan calculated.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time,¡± Lu Yang said.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time.¡±


    Lu Yang retracted his hand and took a small, black box out from his pocket. He opened it and held it up to Chen Yuchuan.


    There were two plain, silver rings inside the box. Chen Yuchuan wasn¡¯t expecting Lu Yang to have these rings on him, and he didn¡¯t even know when Lu Yang had bought the rings.


    He stared at the rings for a long time. Finally, he picked up one of the rings and held it to the light above his head. The silver ring gleamed under the light.


    Pretending to be relaxed, Chen Yuchuan said, ¡°This ring is pretty good-looking.¡±


    He put the ring directly on his finger, but when he realized that the size was slightly bigger, he took it off again.


    Lu Yang took the other ring out from the box and said, ¡°That¡¯s mine. This is yours.¡±


    Lu Yang slipped the ring on Chen Yuchuan¡¯s ring finger and turned it. ¡°Xiao Chuan¡¯er, Happy New Year. We have completed three years with love, and now it¡¯s nearly four years. Would you like to try marrying me?¡±


    Feeling the cold ring around his finger, Chen Yuchuan wasn¡¯t used to it. It wasn¡¯t until the ring had become warmer did he feel better.


    He curled his fingers that were still held in Lu Yang¡¯s hand. ¡°Yang ge, I¡¯m not eighteen anymore, and it won¡¯t be easy to fool me. If you want to tie the knot, then do it seriously. I don¡¯t want to just try.¡±

 CH 33

    As the Chinese New Year approached, Chen Yuchuan was very obedient and always went to the hospital on time. And every time, Lu Yang accompanied him.


    Chen Yuchuan felt that his sleep condition had improved a lot. He continued to take the medicine that was prescribed by the doctor Lu Yang had found.


    However, he didn¡¯t think that the improvement in his sleep had anything to do with the medicine. Because, as long as Lu Yang was traveling for business, he would suffer from insomnia.


    Lu Yang tried to reduce the number of business trips he had to take as much as possible and any problems that could be resolved remotely would be done so.


    When Lu Yang did have to go on a business trip, Chen Yuchuan¡¯s sleep would become poor again. Sometimes, he wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep until late into the night. Sometimes he would wake up after only a few hours of sleep and would have to take medicine again.


    Lu Yang¡¯s current business trip was outside of China. He¡¯d been gone for five days, and it would be another three days before he returned.


    When Chen Yuchuan woke up again at 1 am that night, he took another pill. But even after closing his eyes for a long time, he still couldn¡¯t sleep. He looked at his phone and saw that u Yang had sent him a short 15-second video.


    He clicked on the video. The video Xiao Lei had taken revealed three quarters of Lu Yang¡¯s profile while he was in the middle of a meeting.


    Lu Yang was looking down at the documents in his hand, and when he looked up, he began talking in English to the foreigner on the opposite side. From time to time, he would pick up the pen and write on the document.


    Although Chen Yuchuan couldn¡¯t understand what Lu Yang was saying, he still thought that Lu Yang looked incredibly handsome and his speaking voice was very nice.


    Chen Yuchuan knew that Lu Yang knew many things that he himself didn¡¯t know. Every time something unfamiliar would come up, he would ask Lu Yang, and every time, Lu Yang would answer him very patiently.


    Right now, on Lu Yang¡¯s side, it would still be daytime.


    In the video, the sunlight streamed in from the window behind Lu Yang, and there were a few white clouds floating in the blue sky.


    Chen Yuchuan watched the video several times and finally fell asleep in the middle of watching it.


    Half asleep, he seemed to hear very light footsteps walking around in the living room, and finally, there came the sounds of the bedroom door opening.


    At first, he thought he was dreaming, so he didn¡¯t wake up and didn¡¯t open his eyes. But then, he felt the familiar breath on the top of his head, and his phone was taken away.


    Opening his eyes, Chen Yuchuan turned over. Knowing it was Lu Yang, he whispered, ¡°Yang ge? Why are you back already?¡±


    ¡°I just got home.¡± Lu Yang took off his coat and put it on the bedside.


    Chen Yuchuan rubbed his eyes and sat up, leaning his head against the headboard. The bedroom light wasn¡¯t turned on, but the door was open, allowing the light from the living room to stream in. He could see that Lu Yang hadn¡¯t changed his clothes yet. Only his coat was off, and his hair was a little messy.


    ¡°Did I wake you up? Or are you having trouble sleeping again?¡± Lu Yang asked.


    Chen Yuchuan sat up even more and rubbed his face. ¡°I seemed to be asleep and yet not asleep. I heard a little noise and thought I was dreaming. Since you¡¯re not at home, I haven¡¯t been sleeping very well and always woke up periodically. Why are you back? Don¡¯t you have three days left?¡±


    ¡°The matter is settled so I came back. Go back to sleep. I¡¯ll take a shower first.¡±


    When Lu Yang turned around, Chen Yuchuan grabbed the cuff of his shirt. His index finger slipped through the slit of Lu Yang¡¯s cuff, and he scratched Lu Yang¡¯s wrist with his nails. ¡°Yang ge, why don¡¯t we fight again now? Maybe I can win this time.¡±


    Lu Yang smiled and turned back to lightly pinch Chen Yuchuan¡¯s mouth. ¡°We¡¯re not fighting. Go to sleep.¡±


    With a laugh, Chen Yuchuan let go of Lu Yang¡¯s cuff and laid back down. Pulling the comforter over his face, he said, ¡°Yang ge, go to sleep early after taking a shower. Good night.¡±


    They were still sleeping in separate rooms, with Chen Yuchuan in the master bedroom and Lu Yang in the spare bedroom.


    They had gone to the boxing gym together several times already, but Lu Yang had not once gone easy on him, and so he had not won yet.


    Fearing that Chen Yuchuan would feel suffocated, Lu Yang pulled the comforter away from his face. ¡°Don¡¯t sleep with your face covered.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan responded with a nasal hum to indicate that he heard and then promptly turned over so that his back was to Lu Yang and the door.


    There was the sound of Lu Yang walking to the door, followed by the click of the door as it closed, turning the room pitched back once more.


    Chen Yuchuan twisted and turned a few times. Finally, he got up, put on the coat that Lu Yang had just taken off, took a pack of cigarettes and a lighter out from the nightstand drawer, and stepped out onto the balcony.


    He had put the cigarette case in there more than a month ago. At first, there were five cigarettes left in it, and now there are still five.


    Taking out a cigarette, he held it in his mouth and continuously pressed on the gear of the lighter with his other hand. The lighter clicked, and a small flame flickered to life, the heat burning Chen Yuchuan¡¯s thumb.


    But he did not light the cigarette in his mouth. He was just playing around, not really intending to smoke, even though he was addicted to smoking.


    Since he¡¯d promised Lu Yang that he would stop smoking, he fully intended to do so. He also knew that if he didn¡¯t quit now, it wouldn¡¯t be as easy to quit later.


    He opened a small slit in the balcony window, and when the wind slipped in through the crack, he shrank back, shivered, and promptly closed the window again.


    As soon as he closed the window, he heard footsteps behind him and turned with the cigarette still in his mouth.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you¡¯ll stop smoking?¡± The light in the bedroom came on, showing Lu Yang dressed in pajamas with his hair half-dry.


    Chen Yuchuan, still holding the cigarette in his mouth, grinned at Lu Yang. He removed the cigarette, took two steps forward, and said, ¡°I¡¯m not smoking. I was just playing with it, since I couldn¡¯t sleep and am addicted to cigarettes. I¡¯ll go back to bed now.¡±


    After saying this, he tried to go back into the bedroom, but as he brushed past Lu Yang¡¯s shoulder, Lu Yang held his arm and pulled him closer.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Chen Yuchuan asked.


    Lu Yang turned slightly so that his body was at Chen Yuchuan¡¯s side. Lowering his head, he smelled Chen Yuchuan¡¯s neck.


    Feeling Lu Yang¡¯s warm breath on the side of his neck, Chen Yuchuan¡¯s neck tingled a little, and he tilted his head and rubbed his neck on his shoulder.


    ¡°There¡¯s no smell of smoke, right? I¡¯m really not smoking,¡± Chen Yuchuan repeated.


    Lu Yang raised his head, and holding Chen Yuchuan¡¯s chin in his palm, he lowered his head again. The tip of his nose brushed against Chen Yuchuan¡¯s lips.


    Chen Yuchuan lowered his eyelids. He deliberately raised his neck and rubbed his lips against the tip of Lu Yang¡¯s nose. ¡°There¡¯s no smell of smoke, right?¡±


    ¡°Mmn,¡± Lu Yang responded and let go of Chen Yuchuan¡¯s arm.


    In the bedroom, Chen Yuchaun threw away the cigarette and the lighter, took off the coat, and got into bed.


    As soon as he lay down, he felt the comforter on his body being lightly lifted, and a warm, slightly damp chest pressed against his back.


    Lu Yang hugged Chen Yuchuan from behind, pressing his palm against his belly. ¡°Sleep well.¡±


    It had been a long time since Chen Yuchuan slept in the same bed with Lu Yang. But with Lu Yang lying next to him and telling him to sleep well, he became more awake than ever.


    He directly turned over and buried himself into Lu Yang¡¯s arms. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you sleeping next door today?¡±


    ¡°Because I¡¯m sleeping with you.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan pressed his ear against Lu Yang¡¯s chest, listening to the sound of his heart beating rhythmically in the silence of the night.


    ¡°Yang ge, whenever I think about it, I still feel so terrified.¡±


    As he spoke, he listened to Lu Yang¡¯s heartbeat, and his voice seemed to have reached inside Lu Yang¡¯s chest and wrapped around his heartbeat, before being reverberated back to his ears.


    Lu Yang patted Chen Yuchuan¡¯s back. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan raised his head and said, ¡°I really cooperated with the doctor, so why am I not all better yet.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Lu Yang comforted. ¡°It¡¯s only been less than two months. If you don¡¯t want to go next time, you don¡¯t have to go.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go,¡± Chen Yuchuan insisted. ¡°I still have to go. What if I don¡¯t get better?¡±


    Lu Yang held Chen Yuchuan¡¯s hand underneath the comforter and pressed it against his chest. This time, Chen Yuchuan didn¡¯t struggle or recoil.


    ¡°Look, it is effective. You¡¯re actually not that scared anymore.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Chen Yuchuan rubbed Lu Yang¡¯s chest twice through his pajamas. Finally, he lifted Lu Yang¡¯s pajama shirt and placed his hand directly against his chest. He felt the shape of the scar and traced his fingers back and forth along the raised edges. The more he touched, the more sour his fingertips felt.


    ¡°When you fell unconscious, and I woke up,¡± Chen Yuchuan recalled with his eyes closed, ¡°I smelled the overpowering scent of gasoline. Suddenly, there was the sound of many people talking, and of steel pipes falling to the ground. Mixed together, these sounds were especially harsh. When I opened my eyes, all I saw was red. It was everywhere. I didn¡¯t know what was wrong. My head was hurting, and my arms were hurting. And blood, blood was dripping on my body, on my hair, on my face, on my eyelids, into my eyes. My body was full of your blood. No matter how much I called for you, you would not wake up. I called you and I called you, and still you didn¡¯t wake up. And I thought¡­¡±


    Chen Yuchuan paused here, unable to follow that thought. He turned his body around.


    ¡°Later, I heard the sound of an ambulance and saw a doctor wearing a red coat. I knew it was white, but there was so much blood in my eyes. I asked them to save you first. I called them, but they didn¡¯t seem to hear me. Someone said that, because of the location I was in, I must be dragged out first. They put me on a stretcher, and I tried to climb off, but they held me down. I could only watch helplessly as you were carried into another ambulance. There were so many red coats surrounding you that I couldn¡¯t even see you anymore¡­¡±


    ¡°The doctor examined me, and I was only slightly injured. Our parents and I waited outside the door of the operating room. I didn¡¯t know how long it was. I just remembered doctors and nurses running in and out of the room, asking us to sign several critical illness forms. At the time, my mind was completely empty. I didn¡¯t know what this meant until the second form. You know, I had never believed in ghosts or gods, but in that moment in my heart, I begged all the gods that I knew. I begged them, I begged that I was willing to die directly as long as you are well. I would exchange my life for yours¡­¡±


    Lu Yang patted his back. Chen Yuchuan didn¡¯t continue and only said, ¡°Pei, pei, pei. It¡¯s New Year¡¯s Eve. It¡¯s better not to talk about dying.¡±


    This was the first time Chen Yuchuan had taken the initiative to talk to Lu Yang about this, and so this was also the first time he¡¯d heard about what happened from Chen Yuchuan¡¯s perspective. He continued patting Chen Yuchuan on the back, saying, ¡°Everything is alright now.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright now, but you were in the hospital for a month. During that whole time, I hadn¡¯t been able to sleep. I was afraid that the moment I closed my eyes, you would disappear. Even when I did sleep, my dreams were colored in red. Now that I think about it, my sleep problems seemed to have started at that time.¡±


    After saying this, he added, ¡°I feel that Dr. Lin¡¯s medicine isn¡¯t as good as you. When you¡¯re here, I no longer seem to have insomnia.¡±


    ¡°Then take me as medicine,¡± Lu Yang said.


    Chen Yuchuan laughed. ¡°Before eating, wait for me for a few more days¡­¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-


    Xixi: Wow. No wonder Chen Yuchuan was traumatized. Dude was probably suffering from PTSD.

 CH 34

    In fact, Chen Yuchuan really wanted to try again with Lu Yang. He never found a chance before, but now, they just weren¡¯t in the mood.


    Although they had lived together for half a year, even if there weren¡¯t any martial dissensions, the above matters were still too serious.


    Indeed, the topic of life and death was too heavy. Before the accident, he¡¯d only dealt directly with deaths three times. The first two times were when his parents died.


    Then there was the time he¡¯d suffered from food poisoning. It was the seventh year of their marriage, and it was so long ago that he couldn¡¯t even remember what he¡¯d eaten.


    It was just incredibly uncomfortable, making him so dizzy that he had no strength to open his eyes. He lay on the hospital bed, pale faced, breathing with difficulties, though his mouth was not idle.


    ¡°Lu Yang, if I die, find someone to calculate a good time for me, and then bury me in a good place. I don¡¯t care about having good Feng Shui, just let me meet you again in my next life. I won¡¯t drink Meng Po¡¯s soup, so I will definitely still remember you and will look for you again in the next life.¡±


    He shook his head dizzily, thinking that what he said was very touching. But in fact, his stomach was in agonizing pain, and his teeth were chattering so much that his voice shook as he spoke.


    Lu Yang directly covered his mouth, and his voice was particularly fierce when he said, ¡°Chen Yuchuan, shut your crow¡¯s mouth.¡±


    The corners of Chen Yuchuan¡¯s mouth lifted, and he stuck out his tongue and licked Lu Yang¡¯s palm. Lu Yang let go of his mouth and brushed a finger over his eyelashes.


    Chen Yuchuan blinked and then looked up in Lu Yang¡¯s direction ¡°Lu Yang, what I said is true. I don¡¯t think a lifetime is enough.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t a pessimistic person, but he really did think about what would happen if he¡¯d died. But even then, he didn¡¯t dare think about it too deeply. At first, he thought about the next life, but didn¡¯t want to think about what would happen to Lu Yang if he¡¯d died first. Just thinking about that made it difficult for him to continue following that train of thought.


    When a person dies, the living remembers.


    Those who continued to live will remember those who are dead.


    For the living, this was especially sad, a cruelty in itself.


    When Lu Yang was lying in that intensive care operating room, Chen Yuchuan realized that this possibility might come true for them. The fact that the living person might end up being him, he was very resistant to the idea of it. Continuing to live would have been too damn hard.


    If something had happened to Lu Yang¡­


    He didn¡¯t want to think about it any further.


    Lu Yang felt his breathing become heavy and touched the back of his head, asking, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What do you remember?¡±


    ¡°Nothing,¡± he said. ¡°I wasn¡¯t thinking about anything much. I was just thinking that right now, it seems like the two of us are nearing the next lifetime.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan thought about it for a moment. ¡°It is nonsense. If this is regarded as a lifetime, then it¡¯s too terrible. It¡¯s not enough. It is better that another lifetime will follow this lifetime.¡±


    Lu Yang hummed and said yes.


    Chen Yuchaun became silent. He could feel that Lu Yang was very tired, having just returned from his business trip abroad. He also knew that he¡¯d finished eight days of work in five days, just so he could return earlier.


    He asked, ¡°Yang ge, did you come back early because you¡¯re afraid I wouldn¡¯t sleep well?¡±


    ¡°Mmmn.¡±


    ¡°Are you tried?¡±


    ¡°Tired. I haven¡¯t slept all day and night, and have layovers in two separate cities.¡±


    He felt distressed. ¡°Let¡¯s sleep. Good night, Yang ge.¡±


    ¡°Good night.¡±


    Hearing Lu Yang¡¯s steady breathing, Chen Yuchuan asked, ¡°Yang ge, wait for a bit. Once I¡¯m completely fine, we¡¯ll get married again.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    When Lu Yang said yes, his voice was barely a mumble, and Chen Yuchuan didn¡¯t know whether he¡¯d heard what he¡¯d said or whether he was just responding subconsciously.


    Chen Yuchuan pressed himself deeper into Lu Yang¡¯s arms.


    He often slept in Lu Yang¡¯s arms and he¡¯d never been honest when sleeping, constantly resting his arms and legs on Lu Yang.


    In the past, he used to be a very deep sleeper. After he fell asleep, he would hold onto Lu Yang tightly.


    He remembered having a nightmare once. When he woke up in the middle of the night, he was in a cold sweat. He was sleeping in the middle of the bed and was kicking his legs. His heel happened to slam into the edge of the bed, and the pain woke him up.


    Lu Yang woke up when he heard him hissing in pain and cursing. He inexplicably got mad at Lu Yang and turned on the light so that Lu Yang could look at his feet.


    ¡°It¡¯s because you didn¡¯t hold me to sleep that I had a nightmare. I woke up from the nightmare only to end up kicking my foot on the edge of the bed. Now my foot hurts so much that even my scalp hurts.¡±


    After making this unfair accusation, he stretched his foot over. ¡°You rub it for me, it hurts.¡±


    Lu Yang held Chen Yuchuan¡¯s ankle, sat cross-legged on the bed, and put his foot in his lap. ¡°Where does it hurt?¡±


    ¡°The instep, toes, ankle and heel all hurt,¡± Chen Yuchuan said through gritted teeth.


    When it first happened, the pain was real. But it soon passed. Yet, Chen Yuchuan still shook his foot and said, ¡°Rub it for me.¡±


    Lu Yang was obviously still very sleepy, but he still held his foot and rubbed it carefully.


    Chen Yuchuan laid in bed with his eyes closed. Lu Yang¡¯s movements were very light. Even though his foot was no longer in pain, he still deliberately acted as if he was in pain.


    Lu Yang wasn¡¯t wearing a shirt and as he continued rubbing his foot, Chen Yuchuan moved a little so that his toes were scratching Lu Yang¡¯s lower abdomen, making Lu Yang¡¯s lower abdomen tense up.


    He didn¡¯t move away and instead focused on touching the muscles on Lu Yang¡¯s stomach. The soles of his foot was pressed directly against Lu Yang¡¯s skin, and he continued to instruct him to rub lightly here, rub lightly there, go a little to the left, and a little to the right.


    Lu Yang rubbed Chen Yuchuan¡¯s foot for more than ten minutes, and though Chen Yuchuam hummed comfortably, his toes were not idle. He kept rubbing against Lu Yang, moving up and down.


    Just as he was about to fall asleep, he suddenly felt his body sink. Opening his eyes, he met the fire in Lu Yang¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Chen Yuchuan asked.


    ¡°You stroked a fire. What do you have to say about that? You have to extinguish it¡­¡± Lu Yang wrapped one arm around Chen Yuchuan¡¯s waist and dragged him down. ¡°Does your foot still hurt?¡±


    Chen Yuchuan felt his back protesting, and so he wanted to fight back and said that his foot was still hurting. But it was too late. He¡¯d just opened his mouth, but Lu Yang was already pressing up against him, nibbling on his lips with sharp teeth. He had no choice but to swallow what he had wanted to say.


    Because the next day was a rest day, they didn¡¯t stop until it was nearly dawn. Finally, Lu Yang took him to take a shower.


    As Chen Yuchuan remembered this, he felt his body responding. He lifted the comforter and glanced down, but it was too dark to see anything.


    Feeling a little uncomfortable, he licked his lips, raised his head and pressed a kiss to Lu Yang¡¯s chin. Lu Yang was sleeping very deeply, and not wanting to bother him, he waited until his body¡¯s reaction had subsided a little before he finally fell asleep.


    When he woke up at noon the next day, Lu Yang was still asleep.


    He got up first. Lu Yang frowned when he felt his arms go empty, but he did not wake up.


    When breakfast was ready, he woke him up.


    After breakfast, they went to Lu Yang parent¡¯s house to have dinner with them and to pick up Chubby.


    They had been so busy and preoccupied that Chubby had ended up staying with Lu Xianfeng and Man Yunxin the majority of this time period.


    Lu Xianfeng was now in a semi-retired state, having already handed almost everything in the business over to Lu Yang. Occasionally, he would drop in on the company whenever he felt like it. However, he had already made plans to take Man Yunxin out on vacation for the new year.


    Man Yunxin loved warm islands, and so Lu Xianfeng usually took her to vacation on various islands.


    When we were having dinner together in the evening, Chen Yuchuan suddenly remembered that he came back from his hometown a few days ago and felt that the lock had been messed with. He asked, ¡°Mom and Dad, did you guys recently go to our place?¡±


    Man Yunxin said, ¡°The last time I went was when I was sending Chubby over and bumped into you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s weird,¡± Chen Yuchuan said.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Man Yunxin asked.


    ¡°A few days ago, I went to visit my parent¡¯s grave and locked the door twice before I left. But when I came back, it opened as soon as I unlocked it.¡±


    Lu Xianfeng reminded them, ¡°Be careful. There¡¯s no entry or exit in the old community. There are fewer people in charge and so they do very little monitoring. A lot of theft often happens during the New Year.¡±


    Their house had once been robbed before. At the time, they hadn¡¯t even bought the house for very long. After the lock was picked, they renovated the house, and this was when Chen Yuchuan picked up the habit of checking the lock whenever he leaves.


    He wasn¡¯t sure if he¡¯d simply forgotten to check the lock because he¡¯d been in a hurry to leave that day. The reason he was more inclined to think this was mostly because everything in the house seemed perfectly fine and nothing had gone missing.


    ¡°Mom, we¡¯re not staying there anymore. Right now, we¡¯re staying at the house in Jade Lake,¡± he said. ¡°When the weather warms up, I¡¯ll pack up and put that old house up for rent instead of letting it sit empty. I¡¯ll install a security camera at the door, so don¡¯t worry.¡±

 CH 35

    The family dinner was joyous and harmonious. Unfortunately, it was interrupted by something.


    It was unknown whether it was intentional or not, but Hua Song ended up visiting. When he arrived, Lu Yang and Lu Xianfeng happened to be in the study, talking about a business project.


    When Lu Yang came out of the study and reached the stairs, he saw Hua Song sitting on the sofa with Man Yunxin between him and Chen Yuchuan.


    Chen Yuchuan was sitting at the end of the sofa, holding a toy and playing with Chubby. He looked bored, clearly unable to participate in the conversation between Man Yunxin and Hua Song.


    Lu Yang quickly headed downstairs and directly sat next to Chen Yuchuan. He wrapped one arm around his waist and pulled him to his side, pressing their shoulders together.


    Chen Yuchuan leaned close to his ear and whispered, ¡°Yang ge, Hua Song didn¡¯t invite me to a concert this time.¡±


    Hua Song¡¯s manners were consistently respectful. He was mostly chatting with Man Yunxin, and from time to time, he would turn the most common topic to Chen Yuchuan and Lu Yang. He made no other action. And before Chen Yuchuan could even open his mouth, Lu Yang would answer with a few sentences in such a way that there was no way to continue on the topic.


    Chen Yuchuan didn¡¯t care about the presence of other people. He kept nuzzling Lu Yang¡¯s ear, saying this and that. He wasn¡¯t ashamed, and although Man Yunxin was a little embarrassed to hear it, and had even coughed a few times, he didn¡¯t care at all. Clearly, it put Lu Yang in a great mood.


    This time, Hua Song didn¡¯t stay long, and Lu Yang offered to see him off outside the door. When he looked up at the second floor, he saw Chen Yuchuan resting his arms on the railing by the window, looking down at them.


    Hua Song followed Lu Yang¡¯s gaze up, but before he saw Chen Yuchuan, Lu Yang took half a step and blocked his view. ¡°I heard you wanted to invite Xiao Chuan¡¯er to a private concert?¡±


    Hua Song didn¡¯t hide it. He nodded. ¡°I did invite Brother Chuan. I think I have the freedom to pursue him now.¡±


    ¡°You have the freedom, but he doesn¡¯t have the freedom,¡± Lu Yang interrupted. ¡°I didn¡¯t give him the freedom.¡±


    ¡°But you left,¡± Hua Song said directly.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t give him the freedom when I left, not from the beginning and not at the end. Not even a little bit.¡± Lu Yang nodded to Hua Song, not wanting to talk nonsense. ¡°Take care. I won¡¯t see you off.¡±


    When Lu Yang got back, Chen Yuchuan was already back downstairs and was chatting with Man Yunxin.


    Hearing footsteps, he turned and asked, ¡°Yang ge, when you saw Hua Song off, what did you say to him?¡±


    ¡°I just reminded him to drive safely,¡± Lu Yang said casually.


    When they finally left, they took Chubby with them. They stopped by their old apartment to pick up Chubby¡¯s things, as well as some things that Chen Yuchuan wanted, such as the photo of the two of them on the bedside table, the flowers on the balcony, and their boxing gloves.


    Chubby hadn¡¯t lived with his parents in a while, and he seemed very excited. In the back seat, he kept trying to rush toward Chen Yuchuan.


    ¡°Chubby, you¡¯re so fat¡± Chen Yuchuan said, while rubbing the dog¡¯s neck.


    With a bark, Chubby stuck out his tongue and whined twice, his two long ears drooping and dangling. He placed his head on Chen Yuchuan¡¯s arm.


    ¡°Little obedient child.¡± Chen Yuchuan played with Chubby for a while. ¡°Later in the evening, your mom and I will take you out for a walk.¡±


    Their life seemed to have returned to normal.


    Between friends, relatives, and work, they were so busy that their feet barely touched the ground.


    Lu Xianfeng and Man Yunxin had already gone on vacation. With two days left in the holiday, Chen Yuchuan and Lu Yang canceled all activities, opting to quietly stay at home together.


    In the past two years, they had been so busy that it wasn¡¯t easy to find time to relax together. Usually, either he was busy or Lu Yang was busy.


    Now, they were both free, with nothing else planned. They simply lazed comfortably on the sofa, watching TV and eating a bowl of clear noodle soup.


    They had been together for such a long time that things would inevitably change to some extent.


    At the beginning, they went through a period of turbulence and chaos. And, suddenly, they ushered into a period of peace.


    During that short period of time, they didn¡¯t quarrel or make things difficult. It started when Lu Yang had had a bad cold and his throat was seriously inflamed. As a result, they tacitly didn¡¯t speak very much for an entire week.


    When Chen Yuchuan realized this, he frowned and took Lu Yang¡¯s hand. ¡°Lu Yang, we seem to have become old men.¡±


    Lu Yang nodded. Then Chen Yuchuan said, ¡°I¡¯m 28 this year. We¡¯ve been together for ten years now.¡±


    Lu Yang hummed again, and Chen Yuchuan said, ¡°After another ten years, will the passion between us disappear? Just like others had said, will holding your left hand be like holding my own right hand?¡±


    He didn¡¯t know if they would lose their passion for each after an additional decade, and would come to find one another dull.


    Lu Yang didn¡¯t answer his question, but that night he proved with practical actions that they were particularly passionate in their tenth year, no less than ten years ago.


    After that, Chen Yuchuan no longer thought about how their relationship would change after another decade. He felt that it was unnecessary.


    It hadn¡¯t even been another decade. Only six years had passed since then.


    As he watched the morning news, Chen Yuchuan turned his head and said to Lu Yang, who was in the middle of pouring dog food for Chubby, ¡°Yang ge, our mentality, body, and psychology had changed in ten years. This is inevitable and inescapable. But I think that, no matter the length of the passing time, some things will only become heavier and heavier. Even as time vanishes little by little, these things are also accumulating in minute degrees.¡±


    After saying this, he turned his head and went back to watching TV. Although he didn¡¯t explain, Lu Yang understood what he meant.


    He watched TV for a while before suddenly turning sideways. Putting his arm on the sofa, he said, ¡°Yang ge, our parents always go on vacation, but we haven¡¯t really gone out together for a long time.¡±


    ¡°Last time we went out together was the year before. Is there anywhere you want to go?¡± Lu Yang asked.


    Chen Yuchuan thought about it and said, ¡°Not yet. I¡¯ll tell you once I think of something.¡±


    ¡°Mmn. Tell me once you think of something,¡± Lu Yang said. ¡°By the way, there¡¯s not much groceries left in the fridge. Let¡¯s go to the supermarket later.¡±


    Hearing Lu Yang talk about going to the supermarket together made Chen Yuchuan even more excited than when thinking about going on vacation.


    It had been a while since they had done such a common thing as going to the supermarket together.


    In the recent past, whoever got off work first would go and shop for groceries. In the half year before the divorce, it had always been Chen Yuchuan who took care of everything, unwilling to let Lu Yang do anything.


    At that time, he would also get up more than an hour earlier than usual, and so by the time Lu Yang got up, he would have already made breakfast and soup.


    He also went to the supermarket many times, and even got to know a group of aunties quite well. So much so that for two days, one of the elderly ladies taught him how to knit sweaters. It didn¡¯t seem too hard, and it even looked quite good. But when he bought all the yarns and needles himself, he completely forgot how to do it.


    In the end, he had no choice but to watch a lot of videos and self-study. After having failed to knit a sweater, he opted to knit a scarf for Lu Yang to wear in the winter. However, it was only half-completed when they got divorced, and so he¡¯d stuffed the unfinished product somewhere in the closet.


    He also knew that his patience for knitting wouldn¡¯t last long.


    Therefore, when they went to the supermarket later that morning, as Lu Yang was pushing the shopping cart past the daily necessities, Chen Yuchuan stopped to browse for a scarf. He ended up selecting one for Lu Yang and one for himself.


    They spent most of the remaining morning shopping. It wasn¡¯t until their cart was practically overflowing did they finally go to check out.


    When it was their turn, Chen Yuchuan looked at the rows of small shelves on the counter, all full of various kinds of colorful boxes.


    He reached out and grabbed a tube of lube and a box of condoms. The condoms they had at home were probably too old.


    He chose the brand that they often used. Once the cashier had scanned the code at checkout, he picked up the two items and stuffed them directly into Lu Yang¡¯s coat pocket.


    As they were walking out of the supermarket side by side, carrying large shopping bags, Chen Yuchuan nudged Lu Yang and whispered, ¡°Do you want to try again?¡±


    As he was speaking, a man quickly brushed past him, talking on the phone. Lu Yang had to pull him closer so that the man wouldn¡¯t bump into him.


    Chen Yuchuan¡¯s voice had been at a whisper, and only the ending reached Lu Yang¡¯s ears.


    Chen Yuchuan slipped his free hand into Lu Yang¡¯s pocket, and when he grabbed one of the boxes and was about to take it out, Lu Yang pressed down on his hand through the fabric.


    ¡°Chen Yuchuan, we¡¯re outside. Don¡¯t make mischief.¡± Lu Yang reached his hand into his pocket and held Chen Yuchuan¡¯s hand, not letting him move.


    Chen Yuchuan actually didn¡¯t intend to take his hand out. When they reached an open space with fewer people, he raised his head to the sky and laughed a few times, saying, ¡°Even if I take it out now, we can¡¯t use it, right? Don¡¯t be so nervous.¡±


    In truth, the one who was really nervous was Chen Yuchuan. On the night when Lu Yang came back from his business trip, he knew for certain that he could respond to Lu Yang. But, he still wasn¡¯t confident that there wouldn¡¯t be any issues when they¡¯re in the thick of it.


    He¡¯d thought about it many times before, and sometimes he thought that even if he couldn¡¯t fucking respond, he could still forget it and enjoy the ride.


    All this time, he¡¯d been trying to find a good opportunity. If he kept dragging it out, would it ever get better?

 CH 36

    When they got home, the items in Lu Yang¡¯s pocket were temporarily thrown at the bottom of a drawer. Because Chubby was ill, he began to vomit after dinner, and he kept making whining sounds as he laid in his dog bed, unwilling to move.


    It started when Chen Yuchuan and Lu Yang were in the kitchen, cooking dinner. When he heard something strange, he ran out and saw Chubby vomiting with his eyes closed.


    ¡°Fuck. Yang ge, Chubby is throwing up¡­¡±


    Chubby had never been a healthy dog. He used to have gastrointestinal problems and would often vomit as a result of that.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Lu Yang took off his apron and turned the stove off. After taking a look at Chubby, he said, ¡°Let¡¯s take him to the hospital first.¡±


    They took Chubby to the nearest pet hospital, where the culprit was determined to indeed be gastrointestinal problems. The veterinarian prescribed some medicine and instructed them to take good care of Chubby for the next two days.


    Chen Yuchuan wrote a memo on his phone, carefully recording the precautions the veterinarian had told them to take, such as what Chubby could eat and could not eat. They were told that if Chubby didn¡¯t improve in the next few days, to bring him back to the hospital.


    By the time they got home, it was already midnight. Chen Yuchuan gave Chubby his medicine and waited for him to fall asleep before going to bed.


    They languished with Chubby at home for two days. When they started work on the third day, Chubby was doing somewhat better. He was finally able to eat and drink, and had become more playful and active, much to Chen Yuchuan¡¯s relief.


    Before they went to Qi Yun¡¯s wedding, they went to see the psychiatrist again. Chen Yuchuan felt that he¡¯d gotten better. Although he was still impatient sometimes, he could see that he¡¯d improved.


    Whenever he became impatient, Lu Yang would easily find out and quickly put him at ease again.


    Knowing that Lu Yang was always by his side gave him peace of mind.


    Qi Yun and Yang Ruo had a grand wedding. On that day, one of them was wearing a black suit and the other was wearing a white suit. Chen Yuchuan and Lu Yang sat in the guest seats and agreed that they looked like a perfect match.


    During the bouquet tossing, Chen Yuchuan was particularly enthusiastic among the group of people who wanted to catch the flowers.


    Holding the flowers, Yang Ruo turned his back to the crowd. But before he threw the flowers, he looked back and his gaze found Chen Yuchuan.


    Chen Yuchuan and Yang Ruo looked at each other. Yang Ruo understood his silent message, smiled at him, and threw the bouquet in Chen Yuchuan¡¯s direction.


    Lu Yang was standing behind him, and while everyone¡¯s eyes were on the couple all night, only his eyes lingered on one person. Wherever Chen Yuchuan was, his eyes would follow.


    Although Chen Yuchuan wanted to grab the bouquet of flowers, he just wanted to be lively and happy. There were many females in the crowd. When the bouquet was thrown out, he raised his hands a few times symbolically. As a man, he wasn¡¯t going to fight with these girls. In the end, the bouquet fell into the hands of a girl in a white dress.


    A wedding was a particularly infectious environment, and at the end, the girl¡¯s boyfriend pulled out his ring and proposed.


    Chen Yuchuan stood next to Lu Yang and applauded, and when the man who proposed marriage reached into his pocket to take out the ring, he touched his own ring finger.


    When he first took off the ring, there was a clear circle of white around his ring finger. It was the same for Lu Yang. But after so many months, the white bands around their fingers had mostly disappeared.


    Before he had time to feel sad, he felt his left hand being wrapped in a warm palm.


    Lu Yang held Chen Yuchuan¡¯s hand, his thumb and forefinger pinching the base of his ring finger and rubbing it a few times.


    Chen Yuchuan asked, ¡°Yang ge, where¡¯s your ring?¡±


    ¡°At home,¡± Lu Yang said.


    ¡°When did you take it off?¡±


    ¡°After the divorce, the day I came back to pack,¡± Lu Yang said. ¡°The ring was in my pocket that day.¡±


    Lu Yang pinched Chen Yuchuan¡¯s finger. ¡°Do you still want to wear it?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Chen Yuchuan answered frankly and directly.


    When they got back from the wedding, he carefully observed Chubby for a while. Chubby was so much better and had not vomited since the visit to the veterinarian.


    After playing with Chubby for a while, he took a shower and entered the bedroom. Lu Yang was in the study, working.


    When Lu Yang finally finished with work and hurriedly opened the bedroom door, he saw Chen Yuchuan lying on the bed with his phone in his hands, texting. He was wearing only a pair of underwear, with one leg lying flat on the bed and the other bent, shaking. He was humming a song from Qi Yun¡¯s wedding.


    On the way back from the wedding, he kept humming that song. It was just that he couldn¡¯t remember the lyrics or the tune, and so every time he hummed the song, the tune would change and the words would become different.


    ¡°Yang ge, are you done?¡± Chen Yuchuan stopped humming and glanced up at Lu Yang. Then he lowered his head and continued to send messages. ¡°If you¡¯re done, then go take a shower. ¡±


    ¡°Be careful not to catch a cold.¡± Lu Yang picked up Chen Yuchuan¡¯s pajamas and threw it over. The pajamas landed on Chen Yuchuan¡¯s lower abdomen and thighs. Lu Yang¡¯s Adam¡¯s apple moved, but he didn¡¯t look at Chen Yuchuan again. He quickly turned around to find a change of clothing from the closet and left the bedroom.


    When Lu Yang returned from his shower, he opened the bedroom door and directly bumped into Chen Yuchuan.


    Chen Yuchuan wrapped his arms around Lu Yang¡¯s neck. Then he directly jumped up and wrapped his legs around Lu Yang¡¯s waist.


    Lu Yang instinctively held Chen Yuchuan¡¯s thighs with both hands, pulling him up higher on his body. With narrowed eyes, he said, ¡°Xiao Chuan¡¯er¡­¡±


    Only a small lamp was on in the bedroom, casting a faint blue light and giving just the perfect amount of lighting.


    Lu Yang¡¯s tone when he called ¡°Xiao Chuan¡¯er¡± was filled with rising desire. Seeing that the water droplets from his hair had run down his cheeks to the corners of his mouth, Chen Yuchuan turned his head and licked off the cold water droplets from the corner of Lu Yang¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°Yang ge.¡± Chen Yuchuan stretched out the tip of his tongue again and licked Lu Yang¡¯s upper lip. ¡°Do you want to?¡±


    Lu Yang had always considered himself to be a person with very strong self-control. But the moment he met Chen Yuchuan, his self-control seemed to constantly fly out the window.


    All his patience with Chen Yuchuan had already been spent this year.


    Dr. Lin suggested before that he should accompany Chen Yuchuan as much as possible, but for a while, he still endured sleeping in separate rooms. He would ignore Chen Yuchuan¡¯s reaction, which left a bad impression and deepened the pressure.


    He was reluctant to lose control.


    But recently, the two of them had been sleeping in the same bedroom every day, and the fact that he¡¯d continued to endure for this long was frankly a little incredible.


    Chen Yuchuan kissed his chin, before moving his mouth over to nibble on his ear, all the while whispering his name.


    Lu Yang turned his head so that his nose brushed against Chen Yuchuan¡¯s. He captured his mouth in a deep kiss, and while holding his thighs, he walked over and promptly dropped them both onto the large bed.


    The light breathing that filled the room soon turned heavy.


    At first, Lu Yang was lying on top of Chen Yuchuan. But Chen Yuchuan wrapped his arms around Lu Yang¡¯s neck and turned them over, so that their posture became him sitting on Lu Yang¡¯s lap.


    Chen Yuchuan let out a breath and forced his breathing to calm down a bit. When he touched Lu Yang¡¯s shirt, intending to promptly disrobe him, Lu Yang grabbed his wrist, stopping him.


    ¡°Do you want me to keep it on?¡± Lu Yang asked tentatively.


    Chen Yuchuan didn¡¯t listen. He closed his eyes and continued to disrobe Lu Yang. Once Lu Yang¡¯s shirt was off, he slid his fingers down Lu Yang¡¯s neck, stopping at his chest.


    ¡°Does it hurt?¡±


    Lu Yang put his arms around Chen Yuchuan¡¯s waist and squeezed him a few times in comfort. ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt anymore.¡±


    ¡°But I still hurt.¡± Chen Yuchuan lowered his head and kissed Lu Yang¡¯s chest a few times. He first kissed around the scar, and then moved to the middle a little bit. Each kiss was very careful, as if unwilling to hurt him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t feel hurt.¡± Lu Yang¡¯s palm dragged on Chen Yuchuan¡¯s waist. ¡°Xiao Chuan¡¯er, don¡¯t feel hurt anymore.¡±


    Chen Yuchuan¡¯s eyes were still closed. Lu Yang gently patted his back and said, ¡°Do you want to stop?¡±


    Chen Yuchuan shook his head and slowly opened his eyes. He stared at Lu Yang¡¯s chest, and said seriously, ¡°I think I can do it.¡±


    Lu Yang wrapped his arm around Chen Yuchaun¡¯s waist and pulled him back down so that he was lying underneath him. Propping himself up with his elbows, he started with kissing Chen Yuchuan¡¯s forehead, then his cheek, his chin, his neck, and further down¡­.


    When Chen Yuchuan finally realized what Lu Yang wanted to do, he put his hands on his shoulder, ¡°Yang ge, don¡¯t¡­¡±


    But before he could finish his words, there was emptiness in front of him. His muscles tensed, and his waist lifted off the bed a little before falling back heavily on an exhalation that was half gasp, half moan.


    ¡°Yang ge¡ª¡° His voice stretched. He buried his left hand in Lu Yang¡¯s hair, while his right hand clung to Lu Yang¡¯s shoulder, nails curling into the flesh.


    The winter night was long and slow, even as a storm brewed inside their room.


    After the storm ended, Chen Yuchuan almost forgot how they started. His eyelids were heavy and it hurt to blink. He felt as if his entire body had been put together after being dismantled by Lu Yang.


    ¡°Yang ge, touch my arm,¡± Chen Yuchuan lay with his head on Lu Yang¡¯s chest, his voice trembling from physical exhaustion.


    Lu Yang touched Chen Yuchuan¡¯s arm.


    Chen Yuchuan didn¡¯t feel anything, and said, ¡°Now touch my waist.¡±


    Lu Yang touched Chen Yuchuan¡¯s waist.


    ¡°Use a little force, squeeze hard,¡± Chen Yuchuan directed.


    This time, Lu Yang didn¡¯t move. He asked him, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°My arms and legs don¡¯t feel like they¡¯re mine. I just wanted to make sure if they are¡­¡±


    Chen Yuchuan couldn¡¯t remember how many times they did it. Maybe four times, but he felt that it was more than four times.


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t you save the other¡¯s for tomorrow?¡± Chen Yuchuan kissed Lu Yang¡¯s neck, and promptly put his head back down.


    ¡°You were the one who hooked me first.¡± Lu Yang put his palm against Chen Yuchuan¡¯s waist and gently rubbed him.


    ¡°But I begged you later.¡± Chen Yuchuan¡¯s anger turned pitiful. ¡°I begged you. I sat on top of you, and I couldn¡¯t even sit still. You didn¡¯t stop, you didn¡¯t stop, you didn¡¯t stop¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m stopping now.¡± Lu Yang continued to rub Chen Yuchuan¡¯s waist.


    Chen Yuchuan had a sore throat from making so much noises. He raised his head. Lu Yang felt his movement, lowered his head and kissed his Adam¡¯s apple, which was a small gesture they usually made after sex..


    In this way, they were more intimate than ever, more fragile and unreserved.


    ¡°Are we quite harmonious now?¡± Chen Yuchuan paused for a while and couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Lu Yang said. ¡°We¡¯re so harmonious that we¡¯ll continue tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow¡­¡± Chen Yuchuan was about to say that he couldn¡¯t do it tomorrow, but Lu Yang had already kissed him, unwilling to let him finish his sentence.