“How long are you two planning to stay this time?” Lu Nanyang asked.
“Depends on him—could be a few days, could be a few weeks,” Fu Qi replied as he sipped on his milk tea. “Anyway, I’ve taken my annual leave, so I’m just treating it like a little vacation. He’s been way too busy recently, hasn’t had any time to relax. Staying here for a few days is kind of like a getaway.”
“How’s Aunt Qian doing these days?” Lu Nanyang asked.
“She’s doing pretty well. It’s just that she overworked herself when running the shop before, so now she has some lingering back and leg problems,” Fu Qi said. “That’s why Jiang Lianxiao went to get her some medicine.”
“That’s good to hear.” Lu Nanyang leaned his arm on the railing and nodded.
Fu Qi was a senior from the English department that Lu Nanyang had met during his freshman year. He was one of the few people who knew about his orientation.
The two were similar in a way—they didn’t look like the “type” from the outside.
But Fu Qi was different. He had already had a partner when he entered university and had gained some popularity after performing at a music festival with his boyfriend. For a while, the two were considered a power couple at Yuncheng University.
Time really flies—before they knew it, that well-known couple had already graduated two years ago.
What amazed Lu Nanyang the most was that, even after two years, their relationship was still as close and harmonious as it had been back then.
According to Fu Qi, they had been together since their second year of high school—so it had been seven or eight years by now. Among all the people Lu Nanyang knew, even the straight couples hadn’t managed to maintain such a long and strong relationship.
This clearly proved that true love did exist in this world.
It just wasn’t something that would ever happen to him.
“Why do I feel like you’re not in a good mood today?” Fu Qi looked Lu Nanyang up and down. “We haven’t seen each other in so long—aren’t you happy to hang out?”
“I am.” Lu Nanyang smiled. “I’m happy.”
“Still single?” Fu Qi asked.
“I haven’t turned into a dog, if that’s what you’re asking,” Lu Nanyang joked.
“You never know.” Fu Qi clicked his tongue. “You do look like an extremely depressed, brooding dog.”
Lu Nanyang laughed. “Is it that bad?”
“Pretty bad,” Fu Qi said honestly.
Lu Nanyang sighed and instinctively reached into his pocket for a cigarette, then paused—remembering that Fu Qi didn’t smoke.
There was a time when he didn’t either.
“If someone did something that crossed your bottom line,” Lu Nanyang asked, “do you think you could ever forgive them?”
Fu Qi thought for a moment, just about to respond when his phone suddenly rang. He leaned casually against the railing and answered.
“Where the hell did you go? Planning to spend the night at the hospital and snag another free patient meal or what?”
Whatever the person on the other end said made Fu Qi laugh. “Shut up. There’s someone next to me.”
A few seconds later, Fu Qi changed his grip on the phone. “Yeah, it’s the side piece. A hot junior from third year… Damn, getting bold now, huh? Learning to threaten me?”
Fu Qi turned slightly away from Lu Nanyang, but it was obvious—his shoulders were shaking from laughter.
“Alright, we’ll talk when I get back. I’ll let you complain all you want when I’m home.”
He hung up and gave Lu Nanyang an apologetic smile. “He’s back. I should probably go.”
“Yeah, go quick—before Lian-ge thinks I’m stealing his man,” Lu Nanyang said with a click of his tongue.
“He’s just like that—loves to run his mouth.” Fu Qi chuckled, tossing his empty cup into the trash. Just as he was about to leave, he paused and looked back.
“As for that question you asked just now,” Fu Qi said, “I think… the moment you ask it, you already know the answer. Don’t you?”
Lu Nanyang leaned against the railing and watched as Fu Qi disappeared from sight.
Silence returned. Moths circled the lampshade over the streetlight in endless loops. The commercial street buzzed with nightlife—crowds of young people out having fun—but none of it had anything to do with him.
Since the day his biological parents died in a car crash, Lu Nanyang knew—his connection to the world had been severed.
From that day on, no one would love him unconditionally again. There would never be a place where he could be spoiled and selfish like other kids.
From that day on, everything good came with a price tag.
He had to be obedient and well-behaved to earn Mrs. Lu’s approval. He had to be warm and kind to gain his classmates’ friendship. He had to constantly watch and fulfill everyone’s needs to be worthy of the title “Young Master Lu.”
He had lots of friends, lots of loud, lively parties one after another—but after they ended, none of it had anything to do with him.
No one ever asked if he had fun. No one cared what time he got home. Some people, after a few drinks, would throw an arm around him and insist they had to hang out again—but then he’d never hear from them again.
But it was fine. He could be friends with anyone. He could party until sunrise with complete strangers.
They didn’t understand him, but at least they were easygoing, polite, and wouldn’t fight with him or pick on him for no reason.
That was how he’d always lived. And he was fine with it.
He even knew—it was only after he met Xie Quan that all this chaos started: the pain, the sadness, the heart-wrenching betrayal.
Maybe if Xie Quan had never appeared, he would’ve been better off.
But… was that really true?
Without Xie Quan, all those secrets he could never tell anyone, those ugly, festering wounds he kept hidden—who would he share them with?
Loneliness is like a black dog. On moonless nights, it quietly follows behind. Its fur is so perfectly dark it blends into any shadow. After a while, you might even forget it’s there.
Until one day—when you think it’s gone, when you’re at your weakest—it suddenly leaps out of the dark and sinks its teeth into you, refusing to let go.
Fu Qi said he already had the answer.
Did he have the answer?
Lu Nanyang crushed the empty milk tea cup in his hand and tossed it toward the trash can. It hit the divider in the middle and bounced off in the opposite direction.
How did Fu Qi manage to get it in so easily earlier?
A strange, irrational sense of competitiveness surged up. Lu Nanyang walked over to pick up the plastic cup, ready to step back and try again—when out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a nearby bar.
It was ten o’clock at night. It wasn’t unusual to see drunk people lying around outside the bar.
But the figure in his peripheral vision looked familiar. Lu Nanyang did a double-take, not quite believing it.
No way…
No, it is him.
Xie Quan sat slumped outside the bar, clothes disheveled, his long legs awkwardly curled up, cheeks flushed red. His glasses had slipped all the way down to the tip of his nose. Maybe he was hot, or just drunk—but his shirt was unbuttoned all the way down, almost to the point of indecency.
Lu Nanyang stood frozen for several seconds, completely stunned.
What the hell was he doing?
Drunk like this, all alone out here?
Did he not realize how dangerous that was?!
Just as the thought crossed his mind, a few burly, tattooed men—clearly not the friendly type—stumbled out of the bar, arms slung around each other.
Their eyes immediately landed on Xie Quan.
The men exchanged glances and surrounded Xie Quan with ill intent.
The one leading them squatted down and patted Xie Quan’s cheek, speaking in a sleazy tone, “Hey little bro, aren’t you afraid of catching a cold sleeping in a place like this?”
Xie Quan frowned and unwillingly opened his eyes. “Get lost.”
Even though he didn’t look particularly tough, he was tall and carried an intimidating aura. Under normal circumstances, lowlifes like these wouldn’t dare mess with him.
But now was different—he was so drunk he couldn’t summon any strength, and his stomach ached faintly from the alcohol. Even his “get lost” sounded soft and powerless, more like a half-hearted rejection.
That kind of feeble resistance didn’t pose any threat. The man grinned as he pinched Xie Quan’s chin, the sweaty pad of his thumb rubbing over his lips. “Come on now, don’t be like that. We’re all out here to have a good time. Why keep the fun to yourself when you can share it around, right?”
The stench of sweat invaded Xie Quan’s nose, making him nauseous. Without thinking, he raised a foot to kick the man in the crotch. But it was too weak and was easily intercepted.
“Whoa, this kitten’s got claws,” the man mocked, and the others behind him burst into laughter.
Laughter surrounded Xie Quan from all sides. People passed by occasionally, but at most they glanced over before quickly walking away.
Disgusting. He wanted to vomit.
He could feel his limbs being lifted and shoved roughly against a wall.
A wave of nausea rose so sharply that he couldn’t breathe. A blurry thought crossed his mind—he might actually get gang-raped here by this group of bastards.
With that realization, Xie Quan gave up struggling.
So be it.
What was the point in resisting, anyway?
It’s not like he was some pristine, untouchable person.
Just as he gave up and closed his eyes, the sound of joints twisting and a chorus of pained screams rang out next to his ears.
Then the pressure on his wrists vanished, and his unsupported body slid down the wall.
Xie Quan forced his eyes open and saw the man who had slapped his face earlier now pinned, his arms twisted behind his back, screaming and cursing loudly, “F*** your damn ancestors! Who the hell are you, you bastard—”
Then Lu Nanyang’s cold voice rang out: “Try touching him again and see what happens.”
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Author’s Note:
Fu Qi and Jiang Lianxiao’s story is in the previous book Wild Lotus (《野莲》). Feel free to check it out if you’re interested.
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