Past Events

Li Yu heard this, and his grip on the wineglass tightened. The expression on his face faded considerably.

Of course, he had not forgotten about it. It was from that day onward that he came to know Shen Zhonglou.

That day, four people had come looking for trouble, forcing Li Yu into a small alley. No one knew what they intended to do next.

Li Yu was not one to bow his head either. A single disagreement, and he immediately started fighting one of their leaders.

But clearly, Li Yu could not take on four people. Shen Zhonglou had happened to pass by and helped him out.

Li Yu did not want to owe anyone a favor, so afterward, he asked for Shen Zhonglou's contact information and said he would treat him to a meal in a few days. That was supposed to settle the matter.

Li Yu had forgotten exactly what Shen Zhonglou said then. In any case, he agreed in the end.

Shen Zhonglou attended the neighboring school and was one grade above Li Yu. His family background was about the same as Li Yu's. After Li Yu added him, Shen Zhonglou messaged him every day, sharing bits and pieces of his life.

Li Yu was fairly interested in certain topics and would reply to him. Back and forth like that, the two began chatting.

As they gradually became more familiar, Shen Zhonglou introduced Li Yu to people in his circle. Whenever Li Yu was in a bad mood, Shen Zhonglou would even take him street racing with the sports car club he had founded.

Back then, Li Yu had thought Shen Zhonglou was a pretty good person. He was free-spirited and easygoing, bringing a great deal of joy to Li Yu's otherwise dull life.

On the night Li Yu attended his graduation party, Shen Zhonglou confessed to him.

Li Yu remembered that night especially clearly. Shen Zhonglou got out of his sports car holding a huge bouquet of red roses, then asked him with utter sincerity whether he wanted to be with him.

Shen Zhonglou said that he liked Li Yu very, very much, so he could not wait any longer. The moment Li Yu graduated, he came to confess.

And what had Li Yu been thinking at the time?

Li Yu was not too sure anymore. Maybe the alcohol had gone to his head, or maybe his past life had lacked too much love. In the end, Li Yu nodded and agreed.

But Li Yu actually knew that Shen Zhonglou's only appeal had come from Li Yu's own imagination.

He had thought Shen Zhonglou was wonderful, but he had been wrong. Shen Zhonglou quickly grew tired of him after they got together. By the moment Shen Zhonglou stood before him holding Xie Jingming's hand, every illusion Li Yu had held about him had shattered.

After getting together with Shen Zhonglou, Li Yu had always played the role of a dutiful boyfriend. He did not actually have much feeling for Shen Zhonglou; he merely wanted to do his best.

But he could not accept being deceived, let alone abandoned. What right did Shen Zhonglou have to do this to him?

Whenever Li Yu recalled the sweet words Shen Zhonglou had once spoken, they made him feel a little sick.

In his previous life, he had grown tired and wanted to end the relationship.

But Shen Zhonglou had not let him go, and neither had public opinion online.

The pain of flesh and bone being crushed beneath the wheels seemed to still linger. A faint red gradually crept into the corners of Li Yu's eyes.

The shadow cast by his baseball cap obscured most of his brows and eyes. Li Yu simply sat there, never moving again.

"Hey? Why's Little Yu so quiet? Did he fall asleep?"

"Could he be drunk? Some people get really quiet when they're drunk. They don't make a sound."

"That's possible. He drank the most out of all of us just now."

"Then what do we do? I was thinking we could go sing karaoke and get some late-night snacks afterward."

"Let's call someone to take him home first? How can he go anywhere if he's drunk?"

Hearing this, the class monitor picked up Li Yu's phone from the table. Li Yu's phone was unlocked by fingerprint, and it unlocked as soon as it was pressed against Li Yu's thumb.

"But who should I call?"

Although the lock screen had been opened, the class monitor stared at Li Yu's contacts and fell into thought.

"This one. Call this Brother Chi. He's Li Yu's pinned contact, so they should be close. Maybe he's a cousin or something," someone beside him suggested.

Hearing that, Li Yu raised his lowered eyes and looked at the phone screen.

He was not actually that drunk. He was still conscious enough to call a cab home himself.

But when he learned that the class monitor was going to call Chi Yan, Li Yu did not stop him. He leaned against the sofa and closed his eyes again.

Forget it. He would just pretend he was drunk.

The call was answered quickly. The class monitor had put it on speaker, and Chi Yan's rich, magnetic voice came through. "Little Fish? What's the matter, calling me so late?"

Upon hearing that, everyone inwardly sighed. Wow, Li Yu's cousin had a really nice voice.

The class monitor cleared his throat and said, "It's like this. Are you Li Yu's cousin? We're having a class reunion today, and Li Yu seems to be drunk. Do you have time? If you do, could you take him home?"

"Sure. Where is he now? I'm free, and I'll come pick him up right away."

Chi Yan ignored everything before that, catching only the part about Li Yu being drunk.

"Oh, we're at 52 Hertz Bar, private room 202. Just come straight in when you get here."

"Okay."

With that, Chi Yan hung up.

The class monitor turned off the phone and slipped it back into Li Yu's pocket.

Then he raised his glass again. "Come on, there's no problem here anymore. Let's keep drinking."

When Chi Yan arrived, he spotted Li Yu at once, quietly leaning in the corner of the sofa.

The others were all stunned when they saw Chi Yan. His clothes and bearing alone made it obvious that he was no ordinary person.

One or two people who had watched the livestream of A Day to See All the Flowers were even more bewildered.

Holy shit?

Was the Brother Chi in Li Yu's contacts actually Chi Yan?

Had they become this close after appearing on a show together?

Chi Yan approached Li Yu and, without even pausing to think, scooped him up in a bridal carry.

Li Yu's head rested against Chi Yan's neck. His eyes beneath the baseball cap were clearly open, yet he did not say a word.

"I'll take Little Fish home first. Thank you for looking after him."

The class monitor waved his hand. "It's nothing, it's nothing. We're all classmates!"

As they watched Chi Yan leave with Li Yu, the entire private room erupted.

Before leaving the private room, Chi Yan had been unable to find Li Yu's mask. He could only press Li Yu close against his chest so no one would see his face.

Li Yu was actually a little embarrassed. He was a grown man, yet he was being carried in this position in full view of everyone...

But Li Yu suddenly wanted to be willful for once. Besides, no one else knew who he was anyway.

He reached up and wrapped his arms around Chi Yan's neck. The heat of his breath, carrying the scent of alcohol, brushed against Chi Yan's cheek.

Chi Yan did not dare look at Li Yu. He merely tightened his throat.

Once they left the bar, Li Yu spoke. "Brother Chi, I'm not actually that drunk. You don't need to carry me anymore."

Chi Yan did not listen. He continued carrying Li Yu toward where he had parked, saying, "Drunk people always say they aren't drunk."

Li Yu burst out laughing. His voice was different from usual, a little hoarse.

Li Yu added, "Brother Chi, actually... last night, I missed you a little."