Lu Yingchi walked closer, looking at Jian Song, who was carrying his backpack and looking dejected. “Brother Jian, why are you here?”
Jian Song saw hope for the night. “That is a question I should be asking you, is it not?”
Lu Yingchi would never tell Jian Song that he had been thinking about him and, while out for a walk, had unconsciously ended up here. He had originally just wanted to glance at the room on the third floor, but he had not expected to find a hidden treasure here. Lu Yingchi chuckled to himself.
“I live nearby. I went for a walk after dinner,” he replied.
Jian Song was conflicted about whether to ask Lu Yingchi to take him in. He looked at the night sky and said with some hesitation, “My father is not home, and I did not bring my keys when I came out.”
After speaking, Jian Song looked at Lu Yingchi, feeling nervous and unsure if Lu Yingchi believed him. Lu Yingchi met Jian Song’s eyes and knew perfectly well that this was nothing more than a lie. To protect the self-esteem of an adolescent boy, Lu Yingchi considerately chose not to expose him.
He took the initiative: “Then do you want to come to my house and sit for a while?”
Jian Song’s eyes brightened. Lu Yingchi could smell the chocolate scent in the air turning joyous and becoming even sweeter. Lu Yingchi’s gaze darkened, and he walked in front to lead the way.
The two walked side by side, chatting aimlessly.
“Is your father home?” Jian Song asked first, not wanting to disturb Lu Yingchi’s family.
Lu Yingchi nodded: “They are home. Both my fathers are home, but at this hour, they are usually in their own world, so you do not need to worry about disturbing them.”
Jian Song breathed a sigh of relief: “That is good.”
Lu Yingchi’s house was a bit of a distance from Jian Song’s. Walking at a leisurely pace took over ten minutes. Jian Song breathed in the fresh air, never having felt so relaxed and liberated. Once he spoke to his teacher tomorrow, he would have to consider how to make money.
His father’s pension was only three thousand per month, all of which had been saved for Jian Song’s school fees. Since this year’s tuition was already paid, he did not need to worry about that, but he did need to worry about his living expenses. Jian Song’s past living expenses did not come from the Lu family; he had saved them bit by bit through odd jobs. To earn money, Jian Song had worked at construction sites and sorted packages; as long as it paid, he would try anything. However, the construction site he usually went to had finished its project and was no longer hiring, and the courier sorting facility no longer wanted temporary workers. It seemed he would have to find a job this weekend.
He pulled at his backpack. Sigh, what I am carrying on my back is not just a bag; it is life itself. Jian Song sighed in his heart, feeling prematurely old.
Just as they were about to reach Lu Yingchi’s house, a panting voice sounded from behind them.
“Songsong!”
Jian Song heard the voice and turned back. It was Lu Xing. Jian Song stopped and frowned as he looked at him: “Lu Xing? Why are you out here? Did Lu Jian’an let you come out too?”
Lu Xing panted heavily: “I, I jumped out of the second-floor window.”
Jian Song looked at Lu Xing, who seemed like he was about to stop breathing, with a frown: “What are you looking for me for? Are you not afraid your father will break your legs?”
After Lu Xing caught his breath, he stood straight and looked at Jian Song: “Songsong, stop being stubborn with my father. My father is just tough on the outside and soft on the inside.”
Listening to Lu Xing, Jian Song felt as if he had heard a massive joke. He could not help but burst into laughter, which grew more intense until he had to lean on Lu Yingchi to keep from collapsing.
Jian Song reached up to wipe the corner of his eye: “Damn, that made me laugh until I cried. You say your father is tough on the outside and soft on the inside? That man has a heart of iron. Lu Xing, do you want to take a look at my back right now?”
Lu Xing pressed his lips together. Jian Song continued: “Since I have already left that place, I will absolutely never go back. No matter who called you here, please go back. In the future, if we meet, let us act like strangers.”
Jian Song did not want to say more in front of Lu Yingchi, fearing Lu Yingchi might notice something. He pulled Lu Yingchi and tried to leave, but the action deeply stung Lu Xing. Seeing Jian Song reject him and then immediately drag a strange man away, a wave of bitter jealousy surged through him. A bitter tea scent, laced with aggression, attacked them from behind.
Lu Yingchi reacted faster than Jian Song; his red wine pheromones fought back without hesitation. The collision of bitter tea and red wine in the air created ripples that forced Jian Song to stumble backward a few steps.
Jian Song’s chocolate pheromones arrived late, but they inserted themselves between the bitter tea and the red wine with an overbearing presence. Jian Song stood in front of Lu Yingchi, his brows locked as he looked at Lu Xing.
He asked, completely baffled: “Lu Xing, what exactly are you trying to do? What do you people want? You wanted me to leave, so I left. What are you still dissatisfied about?”
Jian Song truly did not understand. In his view, the Lu family consisted of creatures without brain cells—what they had inside their heads was not a brain, but a lump of foul, hardened excrement. Their brains seemed like flour mixed with water; every time they spoke, it shook and turned into mush, and the things they said were incredibly stupid.
Jian Song’s words caused Lu Xing to freeze. It took a long while for him to squeeze out: “I did not want you to leave.”
Jian Song was amused by his own anger: “Oh, right, you and your father are not the same person. I forgot. Parasites are independent entities, too.”
Jian Song looked Lu Xing up and down: “Tsk, tsk, tsk. You have eaten so many good things in vain. Go back, Lu Xing. If your father finds out you came to chase after me, you, the parasite, might be kicked out too.”
Lu Xing stood where he was, watching Jian Song and Lu Yingchi turn and leave. His feet moved to follow, but he was stopped by a vicious glare from Jian Song. The sweet chocolate scent suddenly turned bitter.
“Do not follow me anymore, Lu Xing. Do not make me hate you.”
That one sentence pinned Lu Xing to the spot; he could not move a single centimeter. Lu Xing did not want Jian Song to hate him; he wanted Jian Song to like him. So, he would listen to Jian Song—if he said not to follow, then he would not.
Jian Song and Lu Yingchi took a long detour to make sure Lu Xing would not follow. Under the bright, clear moonlight, Jian Song cautiously looked up at Lu Yingchi. After a long silence, Lu Yingchi broke the atmosphere.
Seeing Jian Song’s struggle, he said considerately: “Brother Jian, if you do not want to say it, you do not have to.”
Jian Song was startled, his steps slowing down. After a few seconds of silence, he said: “Even if I did not say it, with your clever brain, you would have figured it out anyway.”
Lu Yingchi chuckled: “That is true.”
Jian Song was amused by Lu Yingchi’s lack of modesty: “Talking up your own goods, self-praising how shameless.”