Today, the restaurant was quite busy. The waiter's shouts came one after another, calling out to "heroes" and "heroines," blending with various martial arts movie theme songs playing in the background, creating a lively atmosphere.

Cheng Boyan didn’t eat much. After having a fever for a few days, he still felt weak, and his throat hadn’t fully recovered. On top of that, he had to talk constantly from morning until night. Fortunately, Lin He and Song Yi were understanding. They knew that since school, Cheng Boyan had never been interested in social gatherings, so tonight, they didn’t push him to drink. Their main purpose was to eat and chat for a bit. By around eight o’clock, they were just about done.

When paying the bill, Cheng Boyan glanced toward the kitchen. In just the short time they had been eating, Xiang Xi had run back and forth countless times, cleaning, wiping tables, and collecting dishes.

Xiang Xi’s leg was functional for daily life, but this kind of job, constantly running around, would require several hours of non-stop movement. That wasn’t going to work for him.

After settling the bill and walking out of the restaurant, Cheng Boyan didn’t see Xiang Xi. Lin He pulled up in his car, but Cheng Boyan hesitated. “You two go ahead. I have something to do.”

“Huh?” Song Yi was surprised. “Weren’t you feeling unwell and in a hurry to get back to sleep?”

“I…” Cheng Boyan pointed back at the restaurant. “I need to talk to someone.”

“Who?” Lin He lowered the car window. “Someone from the restaurant?”

“Yeah, a… patient,” Cheng Boyan hesitated. “The kid I mentioned before.”

“The one who calls you ‘brother’?” Lin He was a bit shocked. “He’s here? Working?”

“Yeah,” Cheng Boyan nodded. “His leg still has steel pins in it, and I saw him running back and forth. This workload is too much for him… You guys go ahead, I’ll take a cab home later.”

“A doctor’s compassionate heart!” Song Yi opened the car door. “You really don’t look like the type to care about this stuff. Just from your appearance, you seem like a ‘not my problem’ kind of guy.”

“He really is that kind of guy,” Lin He smirked. “Back in high school, he was already like this. Didn’t I tell you? We were hiking once, and this old guy slipped and ended up covered in blood. Everyone was panicking, but Boyan carried him all the way down the mountain. Afterward, he was so exhausted he couldn’t walk for half an hour.”

“Damn, really…” Song Yi sighed.

“I was the only guy there. If I didn’t carry him, who would?” Cheng Boyan sighed, then pushed Song Yi into the car and shut the door. “Alright, you two go home and chat.”

*

Xiang Xi had always thought having a proper job was great. He just wanted stable work. But right now, this job was proving difficult to adjust to.

Behind the restaurant, several large trash bins stood in a row. He had to move the collected garbage over, pouring soup, water, and leftover food into the slop bucket while separating the rest into other bins. One wrong move, and his pants and shoes were covered in filth. Tan Xiaokang had given him a pair of gloves, but after a couple of trips, they were already lost somewhere.

As he was busy by the bins, he heard someone walking up beside him. Figuring it was just another customer who had taken a wrong turn on their way to the restroom, he didn’t even look up and casually said, “Oh, great hero, are you here for secluded training? The meditation room is—”

Before he could finish, the approaching person stepped into a puddle and let out an annoyed “Ah! What training?”

“Brother?” Xiang Xi turned his head in surprise, seeing Cheng Boyan frowning down at his now-wet shoe. He quickly grabbed a rag and ran over. “Let me wipe that for you… What are you doing here? The bathroom’s inside!”

“I’ll do it myself.” Cheng Boyan backed away as Xiang Xi squatted down to clean his shoe. He reached for the rag but immediately recoiled. “Wait, hey—!”

“I said I’ll wipe it for you.” Xiang Xi laughed when he saw Cheng Boyan shrink back as soon as he touched the rag. “There’s no disinfectant here, you know.”

“Forget it, get up.” Cheng Boyan grabbed his arm and pulled him to his feet. “You shouldn’t be putting this much strain on your leg. Didn’t I tell you to rest properly at home?”

“You told me not to run for my life or take sketchy jobs, and I’ve done exactly that.” Xiang Xi grinned, tossing the rag aside. “This is just work.”

“You need to rest before going back to work. This job has you running around for hours on end—there’s no way that’s good for your leg.” Cheng Boyan frowned. “How long have you been working here? This isn’t going to work. You need to get an X-ray at the hospital tomorrow.”

“Brother, Dr. Cheng,” Xiang Xi cut him off with a smile. “Thanks. Seriously, I never expected you’d come all this way just to talk to me about my leg.”

“Cut the nonsense. No need to thank me.” Cheng Boyan sighed. “Any doctor who saw their patient like this would be worried.”

“I need to work. If I don’t, how am I supposed to eat? I still owe you money.” Xiang Xi said.

“No!” Cheng Boyan immediately pointed at him. “I never forced you to pay me back. That’s not an excuse.”

“Brother, my situation is different from other patients.” Xiang Xi sighed, feeling like he couldn’t explain it to Cheng Boyan properly. “I don’t have much money. If I don’t work, I won’t last long. Who’s going to support me?”

“Your… Where’s your dad? You really don’t have a mom?” Cheng Boyan hesitated. Xiang Xi had told a lot of lies before—how much of it was true? How much was false?

“I’ve always been alone. I never had parents.” Xiang Xi leaned against the wall. “If I don’t steal, cheat, or rob, then this is the only way I can survive.”

"You leaned on that rag." Cheng Boyan initially wanted to say something else, but when Xiang Xi leaned back, he landed right on the rag that had been placed on the windowsill behind him. Cheng Boyan simply couldn't tolerate it.

"Huh? Dr. Cheng, sometimes I really..." Xiang Xi reached behind to pull the rag away and move it aside. "I really can't stand your obsessive cleanliness."

"I can't stand any of the mess on you," Cheng Boyan frowned. After a brief pause, he tried to say, "How about... you claim that pendant as yours? If you’re sure it's yours, I can find someone to appraise it for you—"

"No! No, no, no, no, no," Xiang Xi immediately panicked, shaking his hands frantically. "Brother, no! No, no, no, don't touch the pendant! The pendant can't be touched!"

"Fine, fine, fine, I won’t touch it," Cheng Boyan, seeing how anxious he was, quickly repeated himself. "If you don’t agree, I won’t do anything with your pendant. I was just making a suggestion."

"That pendant really can't be touched. It’s... a very important thing to me." Xiang Xi lowered his head.

Cheng Boyan didn’t say anything. He genuinely cared about his patients, but Xiang Xi was giving him quite the headache. From the moment he appeared, it had been a tangled web of truths and lies. His facial expressions and body language revealed nothing—it was always so sincere.

Cheng Boyan wanted to believe that the Xiang Xi in front of him was telling the truth—so long as he didn’t dwell on the fact that Xiang Xi had once worn the same heart-wrenching expression while telling him about his supposedly critically ill father.

"I'll be careful," Xiang Xi finally looked up after a moment of silence. "I'll try not to run. I'll walk while working. I will definitely be careful. To be honest, no one has ever cared about me like this before. I really appreciate it, Dr. Cheng. I will be careful."

Cheng Boyan stared at him for a while. "If you feel any discomfort—pain, soreness—come to the hospital to find me. Or give me a call... Actually, never mind. Just come find me in person. Your phone is unbearable. Did you pick it up from somewhere?"

"A friend didn’t want it anymore and gave it to me," Xiang Xi grinned. "Once I get my paycheck this month, I'll buy a new one. It’s only a few days away."

After Cheng Boyan left, Xiang Xi stood by the trash bins for a long time before finally finishing his task and heading back to the kitchen to see if there was anything else he could help with.

He was really touched.

Cheng Boyan was a good person.

Even though Cheng Boyan was likely only acting out of professional duty—or perhaps a doctor’s compulsion—just having someone specifically come to remind him to take care of his leg made Xiang Xi feel incredibly warm inside.

Even when the supervisor scolded him multiple times for being too slow while cleaning up that night, he didn’t mind at all.

By the time he returned to Tan Xiaokang’s place, it was nearly midnight. He felt both exhausted and sleepy, but his leg didn’t feel too bad. Normally, he would run up the stairs, but today, he walked up step by step—just as Cheng Boyan had told him to.

Tan Xiaokang had never given him a key, so every time he came back, he had to knock and wait for Tan Xiaokang to get out of bed and open the door for him.

He never asked for a key either. He was only staying temporarily. But in a few days, he might have to discuss the possibility of staying longer with Tan Xiaokang.

This area was an old residential neighbourhood with cheap rent. Originally, he had planned to settle in and then look around for a suitable place to rent on his own.

However, after casually checking the area over the past few days, Xiang Xi realized with some dismay that even a small studio apartment cost several hundred a month—something he simply couldn’t afford.

As much as he hated the idea, he had to consider sharing rent with Tan Xiaokang. Of course, that was only if Tan Xiaokang was willing.

"Need to discuss something with you." After taking a shower, Xiang Xi changed into a pair of sweatpants and walked into the bedroom. The sweatpants were given to him by Cheng Boyan—soft and thick, incredibly comfortable. He changed into them every night after getting home.

"Go on, what is it?" Tan Xiaokang sat up in bed, scanning him from head to toe.

"So... uh, how much do you pay for rent here?" Xiang Xi asked. "I checked the area these past couple of days, but there’s nothing suitable..."

"Thinking about staying?" Tan Xiaokang stretched and yawned. "This place is a sublease. The original tenant rented it early and paid for two years upfront, so it’s cheap."

"Well..." Xiang Xi hesitated. Truthfully, he had never discussed something like this with anyone before. This was practically asking for a favour, and he never asked for favours. Even when he was conning people, he threw the word "please" around easily, but this was different.

"You can stay if you want," Tan Xiaokang chuckled, reaching out to pat Xiang Xi on the back. "No need for formalities between us. Just stay."

"I mean, how much is the rent? We can split it equally," Xiang Xi dodged slightly—he hated how Tan Xiaokang always had to be touching someone when he talked.

"Don’t worry about the rent. I just paid for six months," Tan Xiaokang said, patting the bed. "You not sleeping?"

"Yeah, I am." Xiang Xi got into bed, taking the spot closer to the wall. "But if I stay, it won’t be short-term. Rent, utilities—"

"Xiao Zhan," Tan Xiaokang moved closer, rubbing Xiang Xi’s arm. "You’re not exactly rolling in cash right now. Forget about the money for now. If it were someone else, I wouldn’t be so generous, but with you, it’s different. We have a special connection, don’t we?"

"What special connection?" Xiang Xi lifted his arm—Tan Xiaokang’s touch was giving him goosebumps. "We’re just neighbours."

"That’s way too distant." Tan Xiaokang clicked his tongue, turning sideways, half his body practically draped over Xiang Xi. "Xiao Zhan..."

"Tan Xiaokang!" Xiang Xi abruptly sat up, grabbing Tan Xiaokang’s hand as it tried to sneak under his blanket. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

Tan Xiaokang froze, then chuckled, flipping his grip to hold onto Xiang Xi’s hand. "What? I like you—is that a problem?"

"Fuck off." Xiang Xi yanked his hand back, throwing off the blanket to jump off the bed.

"Go ahead and fuck off then," Tan Xiaokang’s smile disappeared. He lifted his leg to block Xiang Xi’s way, then grabbed his arm and dragged him back. "Let’s see how you plan to ‘fuck off’ now."

Even though Xiang Xi had thought his arms and legs were fine while working earlier, the sudden force from Tan Xiaokang made him realize that his body was still recovering from months of bed rest—he was easily pulled down onto the bed.

Before he could get up again, Tan Xiaokang had already stepped over him, pinning him down.

"I just want to touch you," Tan Xiaokang held down his arms, lowering his face to Xiang Xi’s neck, his voice low and hurried. "Let me touch you. I got you this job and let you stay here. You can’t expect me to do all that for free."

"Fuck you, asshole!" Xiang Xi roared, struggling, but Tan Xiaokang was stronger. He pressed down hard, his breath heavy in Xiang Xi’s ear, making his blood boil with rage. "Taking advantage of people in need, huh? Look at yourself in the mirror, you disgusting piece of shit!"

"You think I’m scared of you?" Tan Xiaokang sneered.

"If you’re not, then go ahead and try," Xiang Xi narrowed his eyes. "I don’t make empty threats."

Tan Xiaokang stared at him for a long moment before finally backing off.

With a cold laugh, he grabbed Xiang Xi’s phone off the table, stuffed it into his pocket, and stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

Xiang Xi followed by jumping off the bed and rushed to the door, only to hear the bedroom door lock click, locking from the outside.

As he turned around to grab a stool to smash the door, he heard the sound of the iron gate outside the bedroom closing as well.

"Fuck your mother," Xiang Xi cursed through gritted teeth.

The apartment Tan Xiaokang rented was a two-bedroom unit. One room was used by Tan Xiaokang as his bedroom, while the other was filled with the landlord's miscellaneous items. Since it was previously rented to two people, both rooms had separate anti-theft iron gates, the kind that were welded like iron bars.

With this iron gate closed, even if Xiang Xi managed to break open the bedroom door, he still couldn’t open the outer iron gate.

"Tonight, you’ll sleep alone on the bed. Since you don’t like squeezing in with me, you can stay by yourself," Tan Xiaokang said from outside.

Xiang Xi didn’t respond. He turned and walked to the window, which also had an anti-theft grille—old-fashioned iron bars welded firmly in place. He opened the window and shook the grille; it was quite sturdy.

"You still dare to challenge me?" Tan Xiaokang continued outside. "You’re an undocumented person, someone the police doesn’t even know exists! I could starve you to death in this room, and no one would come looking for you! Fuck!"

Xiang Xi stood in the room for a while, then walked back to the bed and lay down.

Tan Xiaokang cursed for a while longer in the living room before falling silent, likely having fallen asleep on the sofa.

Xiang Xi stared at the ceiling and suddenly felt calm.

How ridiculous.

Is this your new life, Xiang Xi? Your new path?

Every step, every step, carries traces of your past life. Those dark days are like roots that have burrowed deep into your body, permeating every inch of the air around you, inescapable and ever-present.

The kind of person you are determines the kind of people you interact with, and the kind of people you’re with determines the kind of life you’ll have.

Xiang Xi laughed.

How amusing. It’s like a dead-end alley—no matter how you walk, you can’t get out.

Because you’re that kind of person, only fit to be entangled with this kind of life.

Xiang Xi fell asleep. His ability to adapt to life and reality probably manifested in these ways. In this room, he had no way out until Tan Xiaokang opened the door again.

So he stopped overthinking and decided to sleep first, at least to regain some energy.

When he woke up in the morning, he felt like he had slept well, without even dreaming, comfortably sleeping through until dawn.

There was movement in the living room; Tan Xiaokang was also up. Xiang Xi got out of bed and stood behind the door, listening to Tan Xiaokang’s every move outside. Estimating that Tan Xiaokang had already put on his coat, Xiang Xi knocked on the bedroom door: "I need some water."

Tan Xiaokang was silent for a moment, then opened the wooden bedroom door through the iron bars.

Xiang Xi stood inside the door, looking at Tan Xiaokang’s livid face: "Give me some water."

Tan Xiaokang turned around to pour a glass of water and handed it through the iron bars.

"Thanks," Xiang Xi said, taking the water.

As Tan Xiaokang was about to pull his arm back, Xiang Xi suddenly splashed the water in Tan Xiaokang’s face, then grabbed his hand, twisted it against the bars, and yanked it downward.

"Ah—!" Tan Xiaokang howled in pain.

Xiang Xi gritted his teeth and kept pressing, not letting go. His hand reached out through the lower bars, grabbing Tan Xiaokang’s clothes and searching his body.

A few seconds later, Tan Xiaokang pulled his arm back, shaking it and pointing at Xiang Xi: "You’re fucking dead! Just wait and see!"

Xiang Xi didn’t say a word and returned to sit on the bed.

"Looking for the keys, huh?" Tan Xiaokang walked to the door, jingling a set of keys in his hand. "They’re right here!"

Xiang Xi kept his hands in his pockets, still silent and not looking at Tan Xiaokang.

Who the fuck wants the keys? Trying to snatch them like that would be idiotic.

Xiang Xi felt the phone in his hand.

"Xiang Xi! I kindly took you in, and you’ve been giving me attitude the whole time. I touched you a couple of times, and you acted like some chaste martyr," Tan Xiaokang said. "Believe me, I’ll call Ping Shu right now, and we’ll see who won’t be able to leave this door!"

Xiang Xi raised an eyebrow but remained silent.

Tan Xiaokang wouldn’t call Ping Shu. There were people who would pull a knife on you just for a glance, but Tan Xiaokang wasn’t one of them. He wasn’t ruthless enough to kill someone over a failed attempt at harassment.

But with his clingy, somewhat irritable, and face-conscious personality, it wouldn’t be easy for Xiang Xi to escape either.

Tan Xiaokang cursed and kicked the chairs and tables in the living room before slamming the door and leaving.

*

For some reason, the parrot in the opposite building had died, and its owner buried it in a flowerpot on the balcony. A little girl stood by the flowerpot and cried for over half an hour.

Cheng Boyan, holding a cup of Luo Han Guo tea, sighed and thought of his niece, Xiao Xi. His cousin had casually planted some onion bulbs on the balcony, and they grew into green onions. When Xiao Xi found out her mom had picked them to cook, she stood by the flowerpot and cried for a long time.

The phone rang in the living room. Cheng Boyan put down his cup and quickly walked over to pick it up.

He was off duty today, but if the hospital needed him, he could be called in to help at any time.

The number on the phone looked somewhat familiar—it had called before. Xiang Xi?

"Hello." Cheng Boyan picked up the phone.

"Brother!" On the other end, amid a crackling noise, came Xiang Xi's voice. "Brother, you're at work... I... if you're not busy..."

"What?" Cheng Boyan frowned. "Is your leg bothering you? I'm off today, you can go directly to Dr. Liu at the hospital, I'll let him know."

"It's not my leg! I've been locked... no..." Xiang Xi's voice was unclear, but his tone was frantic. "Brother, help me..."

"What happened?" Cheng Boyan immediately stood up straight. The words "locked" and "help" made him instantly anxious. "Where are you? What happened?"

 

Translator : DarNan