Xi Yu had indeed suffered a great deal during his childhood. Fatherless and motherless, he was raised by his grandfather in the village until he was ten years old. Life was extremely difficult, but Xi Yu had always been very obedient.
While other children were still acting spoiled in their parents’ laps and asking for candy, Xi Yu had already lugged several bundles of firewood back from the mountain. The firewood chafed his young shoulders until the skin broke and bled, yet Xi Yu never uttered a single word of complaint.
His grandfather had no one else and raising him was already very hard; Xi Yu only wanted to share some of the burden to the best of his ability.
Yet even though he was so sensible and obedient, fate seemed to have never favored him. One day, when he returned home after finishing work in the fields, his grandfather suddenly lay in bed, gasping for breath. Terrified and pale, he rushed to fetch a neighbor for help.
Xi Yu could hardly remember the events that followed; he only remembered that the dilapidated house leaked continuously, with raindrops falling on his face like endless tears.
Grandfather was gone, and he was regarded by the villagers as a bringer of bad luck. Those looks of contempt, anger, and disgust stabbed at the ten-year-old Xi Yu like knives, and he kept his head bowed, letting his tears sink into the dirt.
After that came the endless shuffling between welfare institutions. No sooner was he adopted by a family than, within half a year, he would be sent to another.
Various reasons were given, such as the adoptive parents suddenly having a child of their own, or their marriage no longer being able to sustain itself.
Yet it was never Xi Yu’s fault. He was always very obedient, always trying his hardest to do his best.
And yet they still chose to abandon him time and time again!
The one thing Xi Yu never gave up on was his education. No matter how difficult it was, no matter how low he had to bow and plead, he pushed through high school all the way until he was accepted into a very prestigious university.
After receiving his university acceptance letter, Xi Yu returned to the village and kowtowed heavily several times at his grandfather’s grave, stopping only when his forehead scraped and bled.
He had even come secretly in the middle of the night; Xi Yu dared not let anyone know, because ever since his grandfather died, everyone in the village regarded him as a harbinger of bad luck, unwilling to even tell him where his grandfather was buried.
“Grandfather…” Xi Yu’s voice choked with emotion, all his words melting into the heavy moonlight and evening breeze of that day, like unspoken, heavy thoughts.
Therefore, he inevitably felt a sense of sympathy for Ye Weifeng. In him, it felt as though he were seeing his own younger self.
“What can I do to take you away?” Xi Yu asked him, his brow furrowing as though he were pondering the matter with utmost seriousness.
A trace of surprise flickered across Ye Weifeng’s face, but it vanished in an instant. He masked the emotion masterfully, and when he looked up again, his expression was once more the pitiful one Xi Yu was familiar with.
“I don’t know what to do for now either, but Xi Yu, could you help me fix the house first? It keeps leaking, and it’s very uncomfortable,” Ye Weifeng said.
Xi Yu nodded. He knew how uncomfortable it felt to have raindrops trickling down the back of one’s neck. Following Ye Weifeng’s instructions, he tapped a button on the house, and a payment QR code popped up, indicating a top-up prompt.
Xi Yu paused slightly, recognizing a somewhat familiar routine.
Ye Weifeng was still looking at him with pitiful eyes. “As long as you top up a little money, I’ll feel a bit better. The house will be fixed, and it won’t leak anymore, Xi Yu.”
Ever since learning his name, Ye Weifeng seemed very fond of calling Xi Yu’s name, and he did so with a lingering, affectionate cadence that easily made the person being called experience emotional ripples.
Seeing that Xi Yu remained silent and made no further move, Ye Weifeng grew somewhat anxious. “Xi Yu, do you want me to keep suffering?”
Xi Yu remained unmoved, until Ye Weifeng talked until his mouth was dry and he almost wanted to give up, as this wasn’t an easy player to hook; he might as well switch to the next one.
Then Xi Yu finally spoke: “If I don’t top up, will you get beaten today?”
Ye Weifeng was slightly startled, as if he hadn’t expected Xi Yu to be so sharp.
“The wounds on your body came from that, didn’t they? Guiding players to spend money; if they fail, you receive punishment and abuse.”
Xi Yu looked at him, his demeanor pure and serene like jade. Ye Weifeng even saw a trace of divinity in his eyes, like a compassionate jade Buddha, which inexplicably made him want to confess.
Ye Weifeng nodded, then shook his head. “Yes and no. If the tasks aren’t completed, I do get beaten, but these wounds are mostly caused by the players. They top up money and exchange it for props, leaving wounds on my body to vent the frustrations of their real lives.”
“The more I cry out in pain, the more excited those people get, leading them to top up even more money. As long as they keep having money, they can keep hurting me. I can’t fight back, nor can I leave.”
If his previous pitifulness had been somewhat feigned to win sympathy, this current appearance genuinely seemed to stem from the heart.
Xi Yu’s heart softened. He scanned the code and paid. It wasn’t that he didn’t know this was a game scam, but knowing it, he simply couldn’t stand by and do nothing.
“Is topping up this much enough? At least you won’t get beaten today, right?” Xi Yu asked him.
Ye Weifeng nodded, looking somewhat perplexed, as if he couldn’t quite figure out this handsome man before him.
Yet Xi Yu knew. Every taste of a beating, whether it was a stick, a whip, or simply bare hands, he knew every single one of them.
He knew even better what it felt like to live under someone else’s roof, unable to fight back or leave, forced to endure those sufferings.
“Thank you.” This time, Ye Weifeng’s words sounded heartfelt. “At least today, I won’t have any new wounds on my body.”
Xi Yu offered a gentle smile, causing Ye Weifeng to notice for the first time that the other had dimples. When he smiled, it melted away the slight chill of his striking features, resembling snow melting with the arrival of spring, a sight impossible to look away from.
“It’s already nine in the morning. I have to go to class, and after class, I have a part-time job. I can only come to see you tonight,” Xi Yu said.
Ye Weifeng murmured, “Night?”
Xi Yu nodded. Suddenly, Ye Weifeng lowered his head, obscuring his expression, before looking up again to reveal a complex look in his eyes. “Alright, I’ll wait for you, Xi Yu.”
Xi Yu’s grades had always been excellent, placing near the top of his department. With his eye-catching appearance, it was impossible for someone like him not to attract attention. Many people wanted to be friends with him, but Xi Yu was always very busy.
The ones he could exchange a few words with were still his dormitory roommates from the start of the semester, though later on, as his part-time jobs often ran very late, he moved out and rented a place to avoid disturbing them.
“Xi Yu, heading off to work again?” One of Xi Yu’s roommates asked as he saw him sling his backpack over his shoulder right after class.
Xi Yu nodded. Another roommate, deeply immersed in a mobile game, heard he was leaving and hastily looked up amidst his busy schedule to greet him.
Yet just because of that brief glance, his in-game operation slowed down, and Xi Yu heard the game over sound effect from the other’s phone.
“Damn, gotta top up and restart again. I really give up on my trash skills.” The gaming roommate lamented in annoyance.
Another roommate next to him disapproved and said, “Still topping up? How many times have you topped up today? Is it really worth it?”
The gaming roommate sighed mournfully. “What can I do? I’m trash at it, but I love playing! Besides, spending a little money can buy me happiness, isn’t that worth it?”
The other roommate shook his head, looking exasperated. He stood up and grabbed Xi Yu. “Xi Yu, come persuade him. All his money goes into the virtual world, how is he supposed to live his real life?”
“Xi Yu, someone like you definitely wouldn’t top up money in games, right?”
The persuasive roommate waited for Xi Yu to nod and join him in the lecture, but was instead astonished to see Xi Yu shake his head. “I just topped up today!”
“What?!” Both roommates looked at him in shock, finding it hard to imagine that someone with Xi Yu’s otherworldly looks would enjoy gaming and spend real money on microtransactions in games.
There was a moment of silence, until Xi Yu opened his mouth. “It’s just hard to remain indifferent, that’s all.”
Seeing that both roommates still looked perplexed, Xi Yu smiled, revealing his shallow dimples. “I need to head over to work now. See you later.”
Xi Yu shouldered his bag and walked out the door, heading straight for his part-time job.
This part-time job was grueling, involving the night shift that often lasted until the wee hours of the morning. Because of this, many college students were unwilling to take it, so the hourly wage offered was relatively high, which was why Xi Yu persisted.
When he finally finished work and returned home, he collapsed onto the carpet like a corpse, feeling completely exhausted and too tired to move a muscle, reaching the point where he could fall asleep the moment he closed his eyes.
Yet seeing the faint glow of his computer screen, he suddenly remembered something. He poured a glass of water and reopened the computer webpage.
“You’re here!” The familiar voice sounded somewhat excited.
Xi Yu’s first instinct was to check the exposed areas of the character’s skin for new wounds. Seeing no new injuries, he felt a slight wave of relief.
“Yeah, I’m here!” His voice was somewhat weary and slightly hoarse, sounding intoxicatingly mellow in the quiet night.
The other party seemed very enthusiastic toward Xi Yu, at least much warmer than during the day. Xi Yu frowned, could it be because he topped up money?
The little figure leaned forward, observing Xi Yu closely. “You seem very tired.”
Amber eyes magnified right in front of Xi Yu, looking clearer and more distinct in the night than they had during the day. Xi Yu suddenly couldn’t quite remember what those eyes looked like in the daytime.
Yet the little paper figure at night seemed even more considerate and heartwarming. Xi Yu took a sip of water and smiled. “I got scolded by my boss today because I was almost late. When he was yelling, his mouth opened this wide.”
Xi Yu demonstrated with his hand, and the little figure chuckled at his comical gesture. “Is it really that exaggerated?”
Xi Yu laughed along with him, finally driving away a shred of loneliness in the quiet night. Having someone accompany and talk to him late at night seemed to make things a little easier to bear, Xi Yu thought, even if he wasn’t a real person, but just a paper cutout.
“It is a bit exaggerated, but his mouth really is bigger than most people’s, especially when he’s yelling.”
Noticing the exhaustion in Xi Yu’s eyes, the little paper figure leaned forward another step. He raised his hand and clumsily patted Xi Yu’s head.
“Xi Yu, you’ve worked hard!”
All his exhaustion vanished instantly, like countless hearth lights suddenly turning on inside Xi Yu’s home at that very moment.