On the morning of New Year's Day, the streets were deserted, like a ghost town. Only a handful of cars passed by, and there were certainly no taxis. Not a single one had passed since he'd stepped out.
Li Yu stubbornly draped his coat over him and held him tightly.
"Don't move, Brother Jian... don't move."
Truthfully, the one most deserving of blame was Li Yu himself.
Jian Suiying, unable to muster strength, could only whisper, "Let go..."
Sorry?
Jian Suiying almost laughed. There were indeed countless people in this world who owed him, but what he needed least was an apology
Jian Suiying grabbed his hand and wrenched it free. "I don't care. Get the hell out of here." Li Yu protested, "At least put your clothes on..."
Jian Suiying spun around and kicked him, her eyes red and wide as she roared, "I'm fucking sick of this! Get the hell out now! Li Yu, you disgust me. Don't ever let me see you again!"
The pain on Li Yu's face froze. Staring at the prickly Jian Suiying, his throat felt like it was being squeezed by an invisible hand. He couldn't utter a word.
He spun around and strode quickly toward the main road.
It was disgusting. These people were fucking disgusting. He wished he never had to see them again for the rest of his life. He'd had enough. He was fucking sick of it all.
Jian Suiying sprinted all the way to the main road and finally spotted a taxi passing by.
He hailed it, jumped in without hesitation, and slammed the door shut, leaving Li Yu, who had been following him, locked out in the cold.
He quickly returned to Xiao Zhu's place.
At that moment, how he wished he could open the door and see that pretty little boy smiling as he let him in, asking what he wanted to eat for dinner.
. But all that greeted him now was a cold, empty room.
He kicked off his shoes, climbed into bed, wrapped himself tightly in the quilt, closed his eyes, and fell asleep.
He slept until afternoon, awakened by his grandfather's call asking what time he'd arrive. Only then did he recall his promise to visit Qinhuangdao on the first day of the new semester.
His voice was already hoarse, and still half-asleep, his excuse that he was sick and couldn't go sounded surprisingly convincing.
The old man said he was going to Beijing to see him.
When the old man got stubborn, no one could persuade him. Jian Suiying had no choice but to agree, giving him Xiao Zhu's address.
After being roused by that call, sleep eluded him completely.
He knew he wasn't sleep-deprived, but with nothing else to do, sleep was the only way to temporarily
from dwelling on everything that had happened these past days.
He knew this wasn't the right time, yet he couldn't help but piece together, step by step, where exactly he had gone wrong
that had led him to this point. Perhaps everything had been predetermined from the day he met Li Yu—someone waiting for him to fall into the pit, someone else crouched nearby ready to throw stones in.
The more he thought about it, the more his head ached. His vision blurred, as if the air around him had melted,
leaving him with the illusion of suffocation.
Suddenly, he realized he was genuinely ill.
Jian Suiying opened his mouth, a sharp sting burning his nose.
Not a trace of the festive atmosphere had penetrated this dim, cramped bedroom. He felt as though he were already cut off from the entire world,
, hiding in a corner, evading everything he refused to confront. Jian Suiying, why are you becoming weaker with each passing day?
Betrayed by his lover, cheated out of most of his fortune, and then taken advantage of by his own brother—what a mess
Jian Suiying, you've hit rock bottom. You've lost all dignity. Are you even a man?
"Young Master Jian? Can you hear me?"
Jian Suiying bit his lip hard, then cleared his throat and said in a calm voice, "Happy New Year."
Xiao Zhu replied cheerfully, "It's too noisy here. Did you go to Qinhuangdao? I've never been there, but it's super lively at my place too. Have a great holiday!"
"When are you coming back?"
"Didn't you book my flight for the seventh day of the New Year?" "Come back sooner."
"Huh?"
"Come back sooner. I miss you."
Xiao Zhu fell silent for a moment, then her voice trembled slightly. "Alright... Alright, I'll come back sooner."
After hanging up, Jian Suiying tossed her phone aside, collapsed onto the bed, and stared blankly at the snow-white ceiling.
ceiling.
He didn't know how long it had been when the doorbell rang.
Judging by the time, he knew it must be Old Wu delivering something. But he couldn't be bothered to get up and answer the door—he couldn't even be bothered to move a finger.
The doorbell rang several more times before suddenly falling silent. Then he heard the sound of the door handle turning.
Jian Suiying strained to recall whether he'd locked the door after entering, but he couldn't remember. He only knew
Old Wu had entered and was heading toward the bedroom.
He pulled the blanket over his head and muffled, "Old Wu, just leave it in the kitchen."
But the other person showed no sign of leaving. Instead, he placed the items on the bedside table and called out with a strong, resonant voice, "Brother."
Jian Suiying yanked the covers off his head.
Then, upon seeing the visitor, he froze.
Our little white guy has returned, completely transformed. Military service really toughens people up. Any unruly kids who can't be disciplined? Just send them to the army.