Finding his phone, he couldn't contain his excitement. He looked up at Lu Lin, his light-colored eyes shining in the dim light. " Lu Lin, I checked, Sunrise at 5:21 tomorrow morning."
After saying that, he lowered his head and carefully adjusted the alarm clock.
Even though he was drunk, he still accurately set his alarm for 5 a. m., muttering to himself as he did so, "5:21 a. m. tomorrow..."
This adorable sight was a rare treat, and Lu Lin couldn't help but chuckle. He stepped forward, patted Yan Heqing's burning eyes, saying, "If you don't sleep now, you won't be able to see the Sunrise tomorrow morning."
Yan Heqing stopped moving, obediently closing his eyes. But after only two seconds, he opened them again, staring intently at Lu Lin, seemingly drunk yet not so drunk. Lu Lin was completely powerless against Yan Heqing, especially being stared at like that. He couldn't help but lower his head and lean closer, "If you're not sleepy—"
The rest of the words were drowned out by Yan Heqing's sudden, proactive embrace.
Yan Heqing wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, nestling securely against his chest, her burning cheeks pressed against his chest, and murmured softly, " Lu Lin, it's so good to have you with me today."
Lu Lin instantly snapped out of it and pressed, "What's wrong today?"
He waited for a while, but there was no response from his arms. He tilted his head to look at Yan Heqing. The young man's eyes were closed, and his breathing was even. He was already asleep.
Lu Lin watched quietly for a while, then silently smiled, pulled the person tightly into his arms, rested his chin on Yan Heqing's head, and closed his eyes to sleep.
After a long while, in a hazy state, Lu Lin heard a sound.
Today was the anniversary of my death.
*
Lu Lin was dreaming.
The senses, however, have a tangible realism: the incessant, annoying sound of rain, and the dampness beneath your feet.
Lu Lin hated this sticky feeling. Rainy days used to always make him feel sticky, like the texture of okra.
He opened his eyes, but his arms were empty; Yan Heqing was nowhere to be seen.
As the view gradually came into focus, it revealed a steep, narrow staircase.
Lu Lin immediately recognized it as the abandoned old building of the Rainbow Bridge Welfare Home. Yet, it was slightly different. He looked around; it wasn't as dilapidated, and there was a poster wall with several large characters prominently displayed—Happy New Year!
It was pitch black outside, and you couldn't tell east from west, only the increasingly loud sound of rain.
New Year's Day...
Lu Lin's eyelids twitched suddenly, and he ran upstairs.
Aside from the sound of rain, the only sound in the stairwell was his hurried footsteps. There were no motion-sensor lights, and the stairs were completely dark. Relying on his memory, Lu Lin rushed to the top floor.
There was no light at all, but Lu Lin's gaze accurately locked onto the second room on the left.
The storage room where Yan Heqing once hid.
Unsure if Yan Heqing was inside, Lu Lin treaded lightly, afraid of startling the possible little Yan Heqing.
He walked very slowly along the short distance. When he reached the door, his hand went to the doorknob, and he tried to turn it.
The door wasn't open, but he went through it.
Lu Lin was perfectly conscious. He knew clearly that this was a dream, that he was dreaming, but his heart was still pounding. Looking around, he saw that the storage room was slightly brighter than the corridor, with a little light shining in through the small window.
Below the window, a little boy sat against the wall, his head buried in his knees, sobbing softly.
His body recognized Yan Heqing before his mind could react. Lu Lin stepped forward and knelt down to check on Yan Heqing's condition, but his five fingers passed right through Yan Heqing's body, Yan Heqing did not react at all.
Lu Lin clenched his fingers, his face pale, but he was helpless and could only let Yan Heqing cry in fear, staying with him from the heavy rain until it stopped.
Footsteps were heard outside late at night.
The door wouldn't open, but the clear sound of a key ring made Yan Heqing finally look up, and Lu Lin finally saw his face.
Not much different from his adult self, Yan Heqing's features were like those of a child. His eyes were already red from crying, and his long eyelashes were wet with tears, making them look like fly legs. He quietly looked at the door, then raised his hand and wiped the tears off his face with his sleeve.
The door opened, and he stood up, pressed against the wall, not even as tall as the window, looking down at his toes, tears streaming down his face again.
The person outside sighed heavily, entered the house without scolding Yan Heqing, and gently picked him up and carried him out, saying, "Are you hungry? Tell Auntie what you want to eat."
Yan Heqing's first words were, "Auntie, my brother..." He couldn't hold back his tears again, "Will he come back?"
The woman paused for a moment, then laughed very gently, "It definitely will."
The woman carried Yan Heqing out of the storage room, and Lu Lin followed. He went through the door and arrived at another place.
On the familiar balcony, a boy was curled up on a narrow bed, sleeping restlessly and muttering something to himself.
Lu Lin squatted down and leaned closer to listen.
I finally heard it clearly.
"Mommy, it hurts so much..."
Only when he got closer did Lu Lin see the speckled marks on the pillow. The moonlight shone through the window, making it appear black, but Lu Lin knew it was blood.
Yan Heqing had only casually put a band-aid on his left ear. After he fell asleep, the band-aid rubbed off and was half-stuck in his hair. Although his left ear was pressed down and the wound was not visible, the No. 1 Primary School gauze on the band-aid that was completely stained red showed that it was the year Yan Feng had cut his earlobe with a knife.
Lu Lin remembers clearly that Yan Heqing was only 11 years old at that time.
A bittersweet feeling spread from the depths of his heart. Even though Lu Lin knew his hands would pass right through Yan Heqing, he still kept trying to embrace Yan Heqing.
Knock knock knock!
Suddenly someone was banging on the door.
Lu Lin saw Yan Heqing reflexively open his eyes, jump out of bed, and run barefoot to open the door without even putting on his shoes.
Lu Lin quickly followed.
Yan Heqing opened the door as fast as he could, and a strong smell of alcohol hit him. He was about to speak when Yan Shengbing kicked him in the stomach, and he collapsed to the ground, sweating profusely and gasping for breath.
Yan Shengbing cursed, "You damn bastard! Ever since I started supporting you, I've lost money every single time! And you still don't want to open the door for me, you ungrateful wretch!"
Yan Heqing shut his mouth tightly, swallowing back his cries of pain. Yan Shengbing, seeing that he was silent, was satisfied. He hiccuped and smiled as he went back to the bedroom, "Wife, I'm home!"