Lin Fengzhi stood frozen for a long while before he reacted. He turned to chase the car. "I'm not looking for him, I'm..."
Thud!
He lost his footing and fell. The gift box in his arms went flying too, its lid coming off and a red scarf spilling out.
"..." Lin Fengzhi's eyes immediately reddened with hurt. He stayed sprawled on the ground, took out his phone, and made a call.
The moment it connected, Lin Fengzhi burst into tears. "Lu Muchi! Come out drinking!"
Meanwhile, Yan Heqing arrived home.
Twenty branches of wintersweet were too many to fit in the vase made from a drink bottle. Yan Heqing took out his fishing bucket, filled it a third of the way with water, and set the armful of wintersweet inside.
Before long, a delicate fragrance drifted through the room. Yan Heqing sniffed gently.
It was an exceptionally elegant scent.
He showered and got into bed.
Before turning off the light, Yan Heqing checked the time. 4:12 a.m.
In the original story, this was when Lu Muchi was about to learn that Lin Fengzhi had someone he liked.
Though he still wouldn't know that person was Lu Lin.
Yan Heqing's eyelashes stirred slightly. He turned off the light and went to sleep.
Chapter 11: 011
In the noisy bar, quite a few men were eyeing Lin Fengzhi. He had picked a random bar by the roadside.
Lu Lin hadn't even remembered his name. He was going to numb himself with alcohol!
He ordered a bottle, took a whole table to himself, poured a glass, and gulped it down.
"Cough, cough..." It made him choke, bringing tears to his eyes.
"Drowning your sorrows alone? Feeling down?" Someone suddenly draped an arm over his shoulders and sat beside him.
Lin Fengzhi turned his head. Through his watery vision, he saw an unfamiliar face. He grinned. "Who are you?"
The man could smell wafts of delicate fragrance coming from Lin Fengzhi. His hand slowly slid down to Lin Fengzhi's waist and slipped beneath his clothes. The young man's skin was soft and smooth.
Excitement surged through the man. He lowered his head toward Lin Fengzhi, his lips barely brushing his earlobe. "Who do you want me to be?"
The man's hand squeezed his soft waist with moderate pressure. Dazed, Lin Fengzhi found it a little ticklish, and his words began to slur. "You, what... what are you saying? I don't understand."
The man leaned closer to Lin Fengzhi. "How about I take you somewhere fun?"
Lin Fengzhi shook his head, pushing against the man with both hands. "You're too close. I..." His head felt terribly heavy. "Where's Lu Muchi? Get him."
"Little beauty." The man's hand traveled upward. His breathing grew rapid, and his lips had already moved to the corner of Lin Fengzhi's mouth, planting light kisses there. "I'll keep you company-"
The next second, someone yanked the man up.
Lu Muchi's eyes had gone red. Seeing a strange man holding Lin Fengzhi tightly and kissing him, he grabbed the man's head, hauled it up, and smashed it straight into the glass tabletop.
"Fuck! You fucking asking to die?!"
The impact split the man's head open, and blood flowed out. He struggled to fight back, only for Lu Muchi to lift his head and slam it hard against the table again.
Lu Muchi even freed one hand to grab a bottle and smash it, pressing the broken glass against the neck of the man who was still trying to struggle.
Feeling the sharp, icy edge, the man immediately stopped moving.
Lu Muchi was like a rabid dog. He treasured Lin Fengzhi so much he didn't even dare touch him, yet this man had dared lay his hands on him! He leaned coldly toward the man's ear. "Enjoy kissing him?"
Blood had matted the man's eyelashes. He kept begging for mercy. "Bro, I was wrong. I won't do it again..."
The commotion immediately sent the bar into an uproar. The manager and security guards rushed over to break up the fight.
On the sofa, Lin Fengzhi still sat in a daze, one corner of his shirt pushed up as he stared blankly at the chaos before him.
His eyelids kept drooping. Then he curled up and fell asleep.
When Lin Fengzhi woke again, he was in a car.
He sat up and remained dazed for a while before noticing the silent Lu Muchi beside him.
"Lu Muchi?" Lin Fengzhi was bewildered. "Where are we?" He knocked on his head. "My head hurts so much."
Lu Muchi was both angry and distressed, but his stern expression gave way in an instant.
He turned and ruffled Lin Fengzhi's slightly mussed black hair. "You can't hold your liquor, and you still ordered strong beer. You'll be suffering tomorrow."
Lin Fengzhi blinked. "What's strong beer?"
"..." Lu Muchi was momentarily speechless. The image of that man kissing Lin Fengzhi rose in his mind again, and he suddenly grew irritated. "You don't know anything, so why did you go wandering into a bar? You almost..."
Lin Fengzhi stared at him wide-eyed. Lu Muchi couldn't go on. He withdrew his hand and said, "I'll take you home."
Lin Fengzhi nodded, then suddenly began anxiously patting himself all over. "Where's my scarf?"
Lu Muchi picked up the folded scarf. "I took it off so you wouldn't get hot."
"Not that one." Lin Fengzhi was frantic. "It's a red wool scarf. I knitted it myself!" He immediately looked at the driver. "Go back to the bar. I might have left it there!"
Lu Muchi asked suspiciously, "Who did you knit a scarf for?"
Lin Fengzhi's heart skipped a beat. His feelings for Lu Lin were his secret.
His gaze shifted evasively as he mumbled, "Just... someone I like."
Lu Muchi's mind instantly went blank.
The next day, Yan Heqing slept in for once. After getting up, he made lunch, cleaned up after eating, then put on thick clothes and headed out.
He needed to buy a vase.
There was a flower and bird market nearby. Yan Heqing browsed inside and came out carrying a clear glass vase and several pots of succulents.
He didn't go straight home. After spending the afternoon browsing, it was dinnertime, so he ate a bowl of beef noodles at the entrance to the flower and bird market.
By the time he finished his noodles, it was completely dark, and light snow was drifting down. Carrying his purchases, Yan Heqing slowly walked home.
As he neared his apartment building, Yan Heqing caught sight of a familiar car. Lu Muchi's car.
Having learned that Lin Fengzhi liked someone, he had come to take his madness out on him.
On this night in the original story, Yan Heqing had nearly been tormented to death.
Yan Heqing turned and went to the security office.
The guard was particularly fond of this polite young man. He took the items with a smile. "Don't worry. I'll keep them safe. I guarantee nothing will get chipped or broken!"