Fu Yuhan looked up, his eyes surprisingly bright.
When entering, for some unknown reason, Wen Yu had hesitated for half a second and didn’t turn on the lights. At this moment, there was only a bit of light coming through the window in the living room, but Wen Yu could see him very clearly.
The short distance made their breaths intertwine, body heat transmitted through brief contact of palms and wrists.
Wen Yu lowered his eyes, his Adam’s apple bobbing.
There was a vague impulse in his heart that was foreign to him. He couldn’t lie to himself—for half a second, he wanted to kiss him.
Kiss him, bite at those perfectly shaped thin lips, preferably drawing some blood, letting the sting and metallic taste wake up this drunk’s brain, so he’d know how impolite it was to tear off someone’s disguise to their face.
But Wen Yu… didn’t want to follow this impulse.
“Indulging in pleasure makes people lose their minds. Your time should be spent on more meaningful things.”
For some reason, this sentence flashed through his mind. In that instant, Wen Yu could even imagine his father’s expression, tone, and gestures when saying this. As if startled, he suddenly released Fu Yuhan’s arms and stepped back half a step.
A bit of self-mocking smile changed midway into a gentle smile. Like he had done countless times before, Wen Yu put his hands in his pockets and said lightly: “How am I not being human?”
“Liking someone is a very serious matter.” Fu Yuhan looked at him.
Instead, it was Wen Yu who avoided eye contact. His gaze dropped, not knowing where he was looking: “But there are many people who change partners like changing clothes, aren’t there? Can you say they’re all not human?”
“What do they have to do with me?”
It was cold at night. Fu Yuhan’s head felt heavy, and he unconsciously sniffled. “Originally, this kind of thing is a person’s subjective feeling. Even if two people get together and separate quickly, as long as you know you were once serious, then it was serious.”
“Wen Yu, when you truly love someone, being hurt really hurts.”
As Fu Yuhan spoke, he suddenly remembered long ago.
Children also have expectations of their parents, but family happiness is something you can encounter but not seek.
Disappointment makes the heart ache dully.
Like today, on the day Yang Fan finally found a girlfriend, Fu Yuhan watched from afar the joy Yang Fan couldn’t hide in his eyes when facing Zhao Tong, and it felt like an extra hand had grown inside his body, tightly gripping his throat.
It was very uncomfortable, but he couldn’t make a sound.
But he thought, there was nothing wrong with that.
“…It will hurt a lot, but even bloody wounds will grow new flesh. I’m not afraid of these things. I’ll have a day when I can let Yang Fan go, and before that day comes, I’m willing to wait like this.”
Fu Yuhan spoke softly, his voice somewhat cold and hard, but in this atmosphere, it had a power that could calm people down.
Wen Yu’s rising thoughts gradually settled.
“People will be deceived, will be betrayed; expectations will fall through, will disappoint… but if you hide yourself because of these things, it’s really too…” He frowned, trying to think of appropriate wording, “just… backwards.”
“You mean putting the cart before the horse?”
“Oh, right, I forgot. Exactly, putting the cart before the horse.” Fu Yuhan closed his eyes, then opened them again. “People who have never truly opened their hearts can’t experience that kind of happiness. I don’t know whether to call you cowardly or pitiful.”
“…”
“If I had your literary talent, my essays could score three to five points higher.” Wen Yu lowered his head and chuckled, not knowing what he was thinking. He didn’t pick up on this topic, instead asking: “Can’t you hold on anymore?”
“I’m fine.”
That’s what he said, but Fu Yuhan’s eyelids were already about to close.
“Then go take a shower and sleep first.”
“I won’t go… what does staying at your house now mean? I’d rather sleep on the street.” Fu Yuhan said vaguely, feeling the sofa back behind him as he slowly stood up. “Are you done with what you wanted to say? Then I’m leaving.”
He started walking out.
His steps looked steady, but it was just a paper tiger. With a light push from Wen Yu, he stumbled and fell back onto the sofa.
“Did you ask me before wanting to leave? This isn’t a hotel where you can come and go as you please.” Wen Yu raised an eyebrow.
Fu Yuhan squinted and frowned: “Didn’t you… ask me to come?”
His words got stuck in his throat.
Because Wen Yu reached out and grabbed his chin, forcing him to look up.
“I have a plan…” Wen Yu said in a low voice. “Tonight, if you agree to me, I’ll let you stay here; if you don’t agree to me, I’ll lock you up here.”
Fu Yuhan: “…”
“My head hurts,” Fu Yuhan was getting impatient, “don’t force me to fight you—”
Before he could say “fight,” Wen Yu interrupted him first: “You only have one choice, which is to take a shower, because I don’t really like people getting into bed without washing—last time was an accident—after showering, you go into the room and sleep.” He paused, and before Fu Yuhan could actually throw a punch, he added the last half sentence, “Don’t worry, I’ll sleep next door.”
Next door?
Fu Yuhan was stunned. His brain, somewhat muddled by alcohol, took a few seconds to realize that this “next door” probably didn’t mean the neighboring household.
His gaze swept over that tightly locked door.
There?
Wen Yu chuckled softly: “What, think I’m being a hooligan? If you don’t agree, I can slowly pursue you, or go find a new target. What’s the point of being a hooligan?”
If he wanted to be a hooligan, with that face of his, people wanting to be taken advantage of by him could line up from his house to Third High’s entrance.
“You should thank me.” He tapped Fu Yuhan’s shoulder. “Otherwise, if you can’t stay here and can’t go home, where else would you sleep?”
“It’s not that I can’t go home, going home would just mean a few arguments…” Fu Yuhan said irritably.
The alcohol’s aftereffects had long since kicked in. His head was swollen and aching, and he was too lazy to ponder Wen Yu’s strange attitude. He should have said what needed to be said. Fu Yuhan felt his attitude was quite clear—he still wanted to go back, at least he couldn’t stay here.
Maintain boundaries with people you don’t plan to pursue, and cut ties with people you don’t plan to accept.
This was his principle.
…Originally, that was correct.
However, in the next second, Fu Yuhan heard Wen Yu’s voice suddenly drop, saying very softly: “Stay.”
That tone vaguely sounded like pleading, but listening carefully, it seemed like it wasn’t.
Fu Yuhan opened his eyes, as if suddenly sobering up.
“Your toothbrush and towel are still here…” Wen Yu kept his eyes down. “Will you lose a piece of flesh from taking a shower and sleeping?”
Fu Yuhan glanced at him.
“Still leaving?” Wen Yu asked.
“I remember you said last time that your house only has one bed,” Fu Yuhan looked at him, “so what’s in that room?”
Wen Yu was stunned, then smiled: “Be with me and I’ll tell you.”
“…Forget it, I’ll go shower.” Fu Yuhan resignedly walked toward the bathroom.
This actually violated his principles, but…
But Fu Yuhan had to admit, his heart softened because of Wen Yu’s “stay.”
Drowning people will grab onto the first piece of driftwood that appears.
They will also want to extend a helping hand to the next person calling for help.
Just for tonight… he’d accommodate him once.
After all, he had helped him before.
–
This shower didn’t go very smoothly. The hot water intensified his dizziness, and Fu Yuhan almost slipped inside. He barely managed to finish washing and came out of the bathroom to find the living room empty.
That room door was still locked, but there was no one in the open master bedroom. Wen Yu had probably already gone in.
“…Wen Yu?” He yawned, fighting drowsiness as he knocked on the door. “Aren’t you going to shower? Wen Yu?”
No response.
Fu Yuhan leaned his head against the door frame, eyes closed, knocking on the door like a wooden fish: “Wen—”
The door suddenly opened a crack from inside, and Fu Yuhan’s finger froze in mid-air.
Wen Yu showed one eye through the crack, saying in a low voice: “Go sleep. If you keep knocking, I’ll assume you have ulterior motives toward me.”
Behind him was a faint blue light, the whole scene very much like something from a horror movie.
Fu Yuhan: “…”
“Or did you change your mind and really plan to ‘have ulterior motives’ toward me?” The horror movie male lead unexpectedly made a dirty joke.
“…” Fu Yuhan turned and walked away. “I was really bored to care whether you shower or not.”
He walked into the master bedroom in two steps and closed the door behind him.
“Bang”—the sound was loud, his anger very obvious.
Wen Yu was silent for two minutes, confirming there were no signs of him running out of the room again, before closing the door again.
He hadn’t lied—there really was only one bed in the house, but in the center of this room without even lights, there was an ocean ball pit that occupied most of the room.
The blue light came from a powered computer case.
This room was smaller than the master bedroom next door, but was filled with toys—an ocean ball pit that could be used as a water bed, computers, gaming consoles, figure shelves, projectors… everything you could think of, packed full, even chaotic.
This place was like another world, completely different from the cold living room and bedroom outside the door.
Only one wall was empty, with a half-person-high photo of a beautiful woman hanging there. In front of the photo was a low table with a placemat laid across it, as if someone would eat there.
Wen Yu turned around and fell backward into the pool. He closed his eyes and sank himself down further until a pile of balls rolled onto his face.
Cool and refreshing.
Fu Yuhan was right about one thing—maybe he really was… cowardly.
Only when hiding in this room did he feel a sense of relief.
–
Fu Yuhan thought he would have trouble falling asleep, but unexpectedly, as soon as his head touched the pillow, he was already in dreamland.
When he opened his eyes again, the sun was high. He struggled to find his phone and pulled it in front of his eyes, discovering it was almost noon.
In the past, to avoid running into his mom and Uncle Qin, Fu Yuhan had developed the habit of getting up at 5 AM every day. It was rare for him to sleep until noon.
His head still felt heavy, and his breath carried the lingering smell of alcohol. Fu Yuhan sat up and struggled for five minutes before finally forcing himself to leave the covers.
His eyes only opened halfway through brushing his teeth. He was stunned and stared at the mirror for three seconds.
Memories from last night suddenly returned, making Fu Yuhan feel a bit embarrassed.
He blinked, and his reflection in the mirror blinked too. He belatedly wondered where Wen Yu was. Was he still not up?
The house was so quiet it seemed like he was the only living thing. He quickly finished brushing his teeth and washing his face, then walked around from the bedroom to the kitchen, finally stopping in front of the locked room door.
His raised finger was about to knock—
Wen Yu’s words “What do you think about us keeping it in the family?” and his expression and tone when saying it suddenly appeared before his eyes without warning, the words deafening and making his head ache.
Fu Yuhan had been dizzy from drinking last night and had instinctively lashed out at Wen Yu. Some of his words were so pretentious that even he blushed thinking about them now.
Although he really did think that way—he looked down on this behavior of treating feelings as a game—at least when sober he couldn’t say it out loud.
His hand that was about to knock suddenly couldn’t go through with it.
(advanced chapters available on kofi)
