The old-fashioned street lamps were dim. Small advertisements for drugs, locks, and medicine were plastered all over the metal pillars. The rain and wind had turned the paper yellow.

The posters for "Harmonious Neighborhood" were not glued to the gray cement wall and were rustling in the wind.

They entered the building through the low door. There was a narrow corridor and a staircase railing that had almost lost all of its green paint.

The voice-activated lights were alarmed and lit up with an orange light.

Chu Yu was in a daze. He looked around with half-opened eyes and asked in a soft voice, "Where are we going?"

"My house."

They stopped in front of the door. Lu Shi held him in his arms with one hand and opened the door with the other hand with the key.

Chu Yu's brain worked slowly. After sucking the blood, his whole body felt weak and weak.

He only realized that he had arrived at Lu Shi's house when he heard the door close.

The lights were turned on.

It was neat, clean, and empty.

Chu Yu looked at the furnishings and decorations in the room and felt a little cold.

Other than the necessary furniture, there were no other decorations in the house.

In the narrow living room, the walls were painted white. There was just enough space for a wooden table and a two-seater sofa. It was spotless.

The bedroom door was open. He could see a lot of exercise books and teaching materials piled on the old-fashioned desk.

Chu Yu was a person who liked to enjoy life. He was used to decorating the place he lived in to be exquisite, warm, and comfortable.

The floor was carpeted, and beautiful paintings were hung on the white walls.

The bookshelves were not just for books. There were also all kinds of small decorations and gadgets.

As for the table, there were a lot of small things scattered around.

After that, he would also put green plants in the room to add vitality and greenery.

Sitting on the sofa, Chu Yu held the glass of water that Lu Shi handed him. He suddenly felt that Lu Shi had almost eliminated all the feelings of indulgence in material desires.

Like an ascetic monk, he abandoned all the things around him that would sway his mind.

He remembered that Zhu Zhifei had once told him that Lu Shi had moved to Qingchuan Road alone more than a year ago during the summer vacation.

And this was his mother's house.

"Chu Yu."

Chu Yu looked up and answered without thinking, "Here."

There was a hint of a smile in Lu Shi's eyes.

"Sit down and finish the water. I'm going to take a shower."

Chu Yu held the glass of water and nodded. "Okay."

Lu Shi finished speaking and walked to the bathroom.

As he walked, he crossed his arms and pulled up his shirt to take off his black T-shirt.

His figure was thin, but after taking off his clothes, one could see his taut muscles, which were extremely toned.

Black trousers wrapped around his long legs, and the waistband of the trousers wrapped around his skinny waist, accentuating the coldness of his skin. It was mesmerizing.

Chu Yu's eyes.

He even forgot to drink the water..

As if he knew that Chu Yu was looking at him, Lu Shi turned sideways and asked, "How long do you want to look?" His voice rose slightly, carrying an inexplicable meaning.

........................

Then he walked into the bathroom.

When Lu Shi came out of the bathroom with his hair half-wet, Chu Yu was already asleep on the sofa.

His head was tilted and his breathing was even. His hair fell naturally and covered his eyebrows.

He had finished drinking the water in the glass and was holding it loosely with both hands.

It was October and the temperature had started to drop. The night was chilly and he curled up a little in fear of the cold.

Lu Shi stood there for a while.

He realized that the sound of another person's breathing in the house was not as repulsive as he had imagined.

Lu Shi walked closer and did not try to wake Chu Yu up. Instead, he bent down and picked him up.

It was very light.

After putting him on the bed in the bedroom, Lu Shi took out a clean blanket from the cabinet and covered Chu Yu with it.

Lu Shi turned off the lights and lay down next to Chu Yu. He closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Chu Yu had a dream.

The clock in the world seemed to slow down and every second was infinitely long.

In the enclosed meeting room, he stood there and watched as his mother's brows gradually furrowed. Her eyes were full of impatience as she said, "I've completely given up on you a long time ago."

Every syllable was dragged out very, very long.

Finally, it turned into an icicle.

The scene changed. When he was young, he skipped tutor classes and secretly ran to the garden to look at ants.

He even plucked a flower and prepared to give it to his mother.

He turned around and saw Shi Yaling standing on the lawn. She instructed, "Other than etiquette, you don't have to arrange any other classes for Chu Yu in the future."

He did not notice anything at all. He handed the flower in his hand to Shi Yaling and smiled. "Mom, this is for you —"

"Chu Yu, I've completely given up on you."

The flower in his hand quickly withered and scattered like ashes. He panicked. "Mom, why did you give up on me?"

The scene changed. His sister, Chu Xi, walked over. "Mom only cares about people who are useful to her. She's stingy with spending any energy or attention on others.

Chu Yu, don't you understand? "

'I understand.'

'I understand now.'

After waking up from the dream, Chu Yu closed his eyes. He felt as if he had broken out in a layer of cold sweat and his forehead was cold.

His temples were swollen and uncomfortable. He also felt a little palpitating when he woke up.

When he opened his eyes, his vision was pitch-black. There was no light.

He realized that something was not right.

The bed was very hard. The thin blanket covering him was soft and had a familiar clean smell.

"Did you have a nightmare?"

A soft and hoarse voice was right next to his ear. It was very low and sounded a little displeased that he had woken up.

Chu Yu's breathing stagnated. He turned his head in the direction of the voice. He was not very sure. "… Lu Shi?"

"Yeah."

Lu Shi seemed to have turned her body sideways and asked again, "What dream did you have?"

Chu Yu did not want to talk about it.

In the darkness, a finger touched the tip of his nose. Then, it moved to his eyes and wiped away the wetness at the corners of his eyes.

There was a warmth on the fingertip. Chu Yu shivered slightly. He felt as if he had been burned by a spark.

Lu Shi's voice was very soft.

"I heard you calling for your mother and asking her why she gave up on you. You even cried."

Sure enough, he was a little crybaby.

The emotions that were the most difficult to reveal were exposed without any hesitation.

Lu Shi was like a sharp sword and a long spear. She used the sharp blade to open the bloodiest wound and did not give Chu Yu any chance to dodge or breathe.

Chu Yu did not say anything.

He lay on his side. His legs were bent and curled up. It was a position where he did not feel safe.

After a long time, Chu Yu said softly, "Are you laughing at me in your heart? I was so focused and devoted that I did so much useless work for so long."

"I thought that by proving to her that I'm very capable, she would change her view of me.

But in fact, she had already judged me from above and completely given up on me before I realized it.

She won't even look at me again. "

He suppressed his voice. He was confused and self-deprecating.

"But I was so full of myself that I had to rush to the wall in one breath. Only when my head was broken and bleeding did I wake up and recognize reality."

"It's like a joke. It's really too funny."

"Do you think you're funny?"

Lu Shi asked him, "Do you still remember what I told you?"

"Yes."

No matter what the outcome is, you're not allowed to cry.

In the darkness, Lu Shi's voice was like an ice spring. It hit his eardrums coldly.

"Since you've set a goal and are willing to do it, you have to recognize the risks involved.

There are some things that can't be achieved just because you do it and do your best to do it. "

Lu Shi stopped talking. Her voice was as deep as a pool. "Getting an answer and ending is, after all, better than walking on a dark road. No matter what you do, the exit is still out of reach. That feeling of hopelessness and powerlessness is better."

Chu Yu felt that Lu Shi seemed to be talking about himself.

This was the first time he heard Lu Shi use such a tone.

He didn't dare to ask further.

Chu Yu instinctively realized that this was Lu Shi's forbidden area. No one was allowed to enter.

Chu Yu turned over and lay flat on the bed. He looked at the ceiling and could vaguely see the outline of the ceiling lamp.

His chest rose and fell as he took a deep breath.

"Actually, this isn't a big deal. It's not a big deal, right?"

"Yes."

"I thought that compared to being abandoned, it would be more difficult for you to accept that you've suddenly become a monster that needs to drink human blood."

Chu Yu was strangely comforted.

That's right. I have to rely on drinking blood to survive. What's the big deal?

He hadn't had a good night's sleep during this period. Once he convinced himself for the time being, Chu Yu yawned.

He wrapped himself in the thin blanket and quickly fell asleep.

Early the next morning, Wei Guanglei knocked on Lu Shi's door before the hustle and bustle downstairs could be heard.

After a while, the door opened. Lu Shi stood at the door, his brows furrowed in annoyance.

Knowing that he was grumpy when he woke up, Wei Guanglei hurriedly showed him the things in his hands. "My mom boiled some soup for the whole night. It's especially fragrant.

She asked me to bring it to you immediately. She didn't want you to miss out on this steaming hot delicacy! "

Lu Shi stepped aside.

Wei Guanglei entered the door. "You —"

He had just said one word when Lu Shi interrupted him. "Don't say anything."

"Huh?" Wei Guanglei didn't understand. He felt that Lu Ge's grumpiness was getting worse.

Lu Shi couldn't be bothered to explain and pointed to the bedroom.

Wei Guanglei was puzzled. He took two steps forward and glanced at the door.

There was a bulge on the bed. A person was buried in the soft pillow, half of his face exposed. He was sleeping soundly, wrapped in the blanket.

It was Chu Yu.

Good-looking people looked good even when they were asleep. Wei Guanglei thought that if he filmed this scene and threw it on TV, it could probably be used to advertise mattresses and pillows.

He was just about to ask Lu Shi why the Young Master was sleeping here when his retreating gaze suddenly froze.

"F * ck."

Wei Guanglei cursed silently.

His gaze stopped at Chu Yu's exposed hand.

Her fair fingers were clutching a grey piece of clothing.

Lu Shi didn't have many clothes, so he wore them one by one.

Wei Guanglei remembered clearly that Lu Ge had two gray T-shirts made of pure cotton. They had bought them together and were used by Lu Shi as pajamas.

Now, one of them was hanging on the balcony to dry and was being blown around by the wind.

As for the other one, Chu Yu was clutching it as he slept.

Turning back to look at the white T-shirt Lu Shi was wearing, Wei Guanglei had an idea in his mind, but it wasn't very clear.

Wei Guanglei leaned over and lowered his voice. He asked Lu Shi carefully, "Lu Ge, the thing in the Young Master's hand seems to be your shirt?"

"Yes."

Lu Shi's eyes were faint, and there was a hint of restlessness in them.

"He was in a deep sleep and wouldn't let go of my shirt, so I took it off and gave it to him."