"Goodbye, Eric."
"Goodbye."
The sun had just set when he finished work, but Fog City's reputation for gloomy weather was certainly well earned.
Withered yellow leaves lined the roadside. As Xie Zhitan stepped on them, even their crisp crunch sounded inexplicably lonely.
Suddenly, his ears pricked up. He turned his head slightly, then strode onward.
It wasn't far from campus to the apartment Xie Zhitan rented.
After rounding a corner, he could still hear the sounds behind him. His gaze shifted slightly, and he stopped against the wall.
Soon, a rather short figure hurried after him.
"Ah!"
"I'm sorry, Eric. I wasn't following you on purpose."
The boy's soft voice was anxious and urgent.
He had a Chinese face and fair, clean-cut features. When Xie Zhitan caught him following him, he immediately flushed with embarrassment and scrambled to explain.
"Are you a student nearby? You were hiding nearby the last time I called the police. I remember you."
Xie Zhitan's expression was indifferent when he saw him.
"Eric, you actually remember me!"
The boy failed to notice Xie Zhitan's displeasure and irritation at all.
"I really like you, Eric. Please give me a chance!"
As he spoke, he took a step toward Xie Zhitan. At the word "like," intense disgust filled Xie Zhitan's eyes.
"I know plenty of lawyers here. If you don't want me to press stalking charges and have you deported for breaking the law, don't ever show up in front of me again."
With that, Xie Zhitan turned and left without giving him another glance.
The boy went deathly pale. Eric's expression just now had been terrifying.
He knew Eric had meant every word.
Inside the apartment.
Running at night in Fog City was risky, so Xie Zhitan could only maintain the habit on a treadmill.
After