CH 37

Before long, the new year would arrive.

The streets and alleys had become lively early on, with red lanterns hanging on the roadside and families pasting “Fu” characters and poetries on their doors.

The streets were crowded with people, and the old man next door selling malt sugar had a loud voice as usual. It was not yet lunchtime, and people gathered on the roadside with bags of vegetables, chatting casually.

The sound of bicycle bells and car horns collided, creating a chaotic mix, like a pot of stew.

The world was bustling with activity, voices filled the air.

Only Lin Yuxing was alone.

He had only one shoe on his left foot, stepping unevenly on the road.

The sock on his right foot had been torn by the stones on the ground, and his feet were freezing cold. Even though his wounds were bleeding, he felt numb and couldn’t feel any pain.

He had run a long way, not daring to stop for a moment. Until he couldn’t run anymore, his whole body aching as if it had been beaten, he slowly stopped his footsteps.

He trembled, his beautiful eyes seemed dull and lacked radiance, replaced by endless confusion. How afraid he was that someone would take him back to that cramped room, afraid that he would never be able to return to C City, afraid that he would end up becoming another Lin Xiufeng.

The cold wind blew into Lin Yuxing’s thin turtleneck, and he was not wearing a jacket. He lowered his head and found a tear at the hem of his clothes, with the threads tangled messily together.

A few children ran past him with windmills, bringing a gust of cold wind.

Lin Yuxing felt a metallic taste in his mouth, a bitter and bloody taste.

He aimlessly continued walking forward, a prominent bruise visible at the corner of his eye, especially noticeable in the crowd. 

He touched his pocket and found some loose change, then went to the pharmacy to buy some disinfectant.

The pharmacy owner saw his miserable appearance and let him sit in the store for a while, helping him treat the cuts on his arm. “Should I apply some medicine to your face as well?”

Lin Yuxing thanked her in a low voice, his throat already hoarse.

After everything was done, the owner took out a pair of old slippers from the storage room and casually placed them by Lin Yuxing’s feet. ” You can wear these, they’re clean.”

Lin Yuxing retracted his bare feet and said once again, “Thank you.”

“Did you injure the soles of your feet too?”

“Yes, I’ll take care of that myself, thank you.”

The owner, a kind-hearted female Omega, guessed what was happening and understood the suffering. She knew that in that small town, an Omega’s fate couldn’t be compared to an Alpha or Beta.

The bell on the shop door rang, and customers came in one after another to buy medicine, with the injured Lin Yuxing becoming the focus of attention.

Lin Yuxing knew that that wasn’t a shelter, and he shouldn’t linger there. But now he had nowhere to go, his ID and phone were not with him, and it was almost impossible to return to C City.

However, Lin Yuxing didn’t plan to sit and wait for his fate.

He was certain that Ah Shan and the others wouldn’t dare report to the police, so he needed to find a way to survive outside for a few days and then quietly find an opportunity to meet with Cheng Shaohua.

Although Cheng Shaohua was simple-minded, while Cheng Rong was drunk, he could secretly help him retrieve his ID and phone, which shouldn’t be a big problem.

Currently, what Lin Yuxing needed to worry about the most was finding a place to stay and what to eat.

From the fear he experienced earlier to his current worries, every moment felt isolated and helpless.

Gu Zhongyi’s image kept appearing in his mind, despite his best efforts to push it away. He never expected that their time together would make him, unconsciously, rely on Gu Zhongyi’s care and yearn for the warmth of his touch.

Even without practical help from Gu Zhongyi, just a gentle pat on his head and a word of encouragement would instantly fill him with energy.

However, Lin Yuxing hadn’t even dared to tell Gu Zhongyi the truth.

he thought, well… Gu Zhongyi doesn’t even know what’s going on with him. Maybe he could just make a casual phone call and listen to his voice. Otherwise, the coming days without Gu Zhongyi would be too difficult to endure.

But for some reason, Gu Zhongyi’s words, “Yuxing, friends are meant to rely on each other,” echoed in his mind countless times, hypnotizing him and shattering his stubborn determination.

He felt utterly helpless and pitifully alone. Under extreme pressure, he even began to have lowly illusions.

“Yuxing.”

“Yuxing—”

He heard Gu Zhongyi’s gentle tone calling out to him repeatedly, like a warm color blooming in the winter. “Yuxing, you can rely on me.”

Lin Yuxing suddenly snapped out of it, inexplicably looking towards the landline on the counter. His eyes became moist, and internally he debated with himself.

Finally, he managed to convince himself and limped over to the counter, involuntarily approaching the landline.

His desire had transformed from simply wanting to hear Gu Zhongyi’s voice to wondering, if he told him, would Gu Zhongyi come get him immediately?

Lin Yuxing’s mind was in chaos, unable to tell between reality and illusion in his anxiety.

In a hoarse voice, he pleaded with the store owner, “Excuse me… I don’t have any money on me, could I make a free phone call?” He quickly added, “Or I can come back later and pay you!”

The store owner was kind-hearted. “No problem, go ahead and make the call.”

“Thank you!”

Since Gu Zhongyi was his employer, Lin Yuxing had memorized Gu Zhongyi’s phone number. Unexpectedly, that unnecessary action became a lifeline for his drowning.

Lin Yuxing’s fingertips were covered in cold sweat as he pressed the numbers one by one.

It felt like he was gambling.

……..

At 9:40 in the morning, Gu Zhongyi was still at the police station checking the surveillance footage.

With limited power and resources, he still had to seek help from Gu Zhuang’s secretary, Chen Hua. In that remote small town, having money alone wasn’t enough for Gu Zhongyi; he needed connections.

Otherwise, Gu Zhongyi wouldn’t be able to find Lin Yuxing quickly.

Time passed by second by second, and the person arranged by Chen Hua still hadn’t arrived, causing Gu Zhongyi’s emotions to become restless.

Aware that he had acted inappropriately, the officer quickly brought him a cup of tea. “Our facilities here are old, so it’s a bit difficult to find someone quickly. Please don’t worry, have some tea.”

“He’s hurt and I know he’s scared.” Gu Zhongyi’s voice was cold, but he didn’t want to show his displeasure. He shifted the topic and asked, “What about those two Alphas?”

He was referring to Ashan and Cheng Rong.

“You might not know, but Ashan is a regular here. He insisted that Lin Yuxing was aware of and agreed to this marriage. He even claimed that Cheng Rong’s family received a dowry.”

“A marriage?” Gu Zhongyi clenched his teeth and suppressed his anger. “If he was aware and agreed, then why did he run away?”

Gu Zhongyi believed that the evidence of Lin Yuxing’s forced resistance in the room was enough, and he didn’t think Lin Yuxing should bear such kind of injustice.

Feeling uneasy about his words, the officer quickly added, “We are aware Ashan and Cheng Rong are not good people. Their words are not very reliable. We’re not ignoring the situation; we just need some time.”

It was also due to the underdeveloped nature of that town that even the surveillance in the streets and alleys wasn’t reliable, and Lin Yuxing, familiar with the area, deliberately ran through small alleys and paths.

As Gu Zhongyi’s phone buzzed, displaying an unknown number, he furrowed his brows. He then raised his hand, signaling everyone to be quiet.

He answered the call, his heart beating nervously in his throat.

There was silence on the other end of the line.

Gu Zhongyi called out, “Yuxing?”

“… “

The phone call was abruptly disconnected.

Gu Zhongyi dialed again, but there was no answer.

Gu Zhongyi said, “Trace the location of this number for me!”

………

Li Yuan acted swiftly and said, “Young Master Gu, I brought the car. This town is small; if we go now, the person shouldn’t be too far.”

In the pharmacy, the store owner watched Lin Yuxing, whose face was filled with tears, in confusion. Anxiously, she pulled out a few tissues and handed them over. She didn’t understand why he didn’t cry when he was injured, but was suddenly bursting into tears now.

And he was crying silently, tears streaming down his face without a sound.

“Where does it hurt?” She was clearly concerned as she said, “Wait here, I’ll get you a painkiller.”

Lin Yuxing shook his head.

She said, “It’s on the house.”

But Lin Yuxing still shook his head. It wasn’t physical pain.

It was the moment he heard Gu Zhongyi’s voice that he fell into a deep sense of grievances and self-blame.

He had never received anything from anyone after being abandoned time and time again. But Gu Zhongyi, he wanted him, wanted to immediately run into his warm embrace.

He was infatuated with Gu Zhongyi’s tenderness, deeply immersed in his kindness and adoration for him.

He foolishly fell in love with Gu Zhongyi, who didn’t belong to him.

The two short words coming from the other end of the phone didn’t relieve his aching heart, but instead spread longing like a river, flowing in his heart, impossible to detach.

Lin Yuxing understood that Gu Zhongyi was a sunny day, while he himself was a dark night trapped in a quagmire. How could he burden Gu Zhongyi?

Once a person has experienced sunlight, the scorching warmth becomes unforgettable.

Lin Yuxing had experienced it many times, and each time, that warmth burned him and left him scarred.

He couldn’t gamble anymore, and didn’t want to be cruelly abandoned each time. No one would want to accept him; he shouldn’t place hope in anyone.

Just like when he was five years old, his father left them at the doorstep of an orphanage; like when he was eight, his twin brother followed their adoptive parents and left; like when he was ten, A Yi never appeared again.

Just like now, even if Gu Zhongyi received the call, so what?

The distance between City C and City D was so far that it would take a whole day, and it was almost the New Year.

Would he actually come?

Could friends reach such a level?

A heavy rain poured down.

The rain soaked the small town, like sealing them inside a glass jar. Lin Yuxing hammered on the transparent bottle, peering at the outside world with loneliness.

He silently shed tears, not knowing how long he had been crying.

Long enough for a small stream to form outside the pharmacy, where rainwater splashed into a misty haze.

Long enough for Gu Zhongyi’s shoulders to be drenched as he opened the glass door of the pharmacy.

“Yuxing!”

Lin Yuxing turned around, stunned, as a voice echoed in his heart.

—He came.

Lin Yuxing ran towards Gu Zhongyi.

Before he even realized it, he clumsily crashed into Gu Zhongyi’s arms. He didn’t dare to reach out and embrace Gu Zhongyi; he could only lean against him, listening to the accelerating heartbeat, silently shedding tears.

Even his tears were restrained.

Gu Zhongyi’s breath became hurried, and without hesitation, he tightly held Lin Yuxing.

The scent of bitter oranges immediately surrounded Lin Yuxing. It was like honey that had seeped into his bones, tears of bitterness, his first love that he wanted to quit but remained deeply entangled in.