After entering his home, Yu Nian only grabbed a glass of milk from the fridge. He had just eaten an onigiri at the “Morning Ten” restaurant and wasn’t very hungry.

He took a book from the bookshelf and began taking notes while sipping his milk and watching instructional videos.

The book he was reading was a professional book on clothing fabrics.

Before he ran away from home, he had a big argument with his sister, one of the reasons being that he didn’t want to choose a finance major and didn’t want to study law or business management either.

He wanted to study fashion design.

Regardless of whether his family agreed or not, he had no interest in working for the family group in the future.

But his sister hoped that he would return after completing his studies and gradually take over part of the family business.

In other families, this would probably be considered a great opportunity. The three siblings, however, came from a complex family. His elder brother Pei Zhao and sister Yu Xinli had no blood relation; one followed their father, Pei Wenmiao, and the other followed their mother, Yu Suan. They were products of their parents’ previous marriages.

A few years after their remarriage, Pei Wenmiao and Yu Suan had another son, Yu Nian.

Since their parents’ death, there had been many rumors outside, saying that Pei Zhao and Yu Xinli were the crown prince and heiress of the Pei and Yu families, respectively. As for Yu Nian, being the youngest and with his parents gone suddenly, he might not get much of the family fortune, maybe just a small portion.

But the reality was that over the years, his brother and sister had taken good care of him, and he hadn’t missed out on any property that should have been in his name. They even planned to give him real power in the future.

Honestly speaking, Yu Nian couldn’t find anyone more responsible than his siblings in their circle.

Yu Nian stared at the words in the book, lost in thought.

He might as well be naive, but he really didn’t care how much property he would inherit from the family or whether he could dominate in the future.

Everything from the Yu and Pei families could be handed over to his brother and sister. In his opinion, they were much more suitable for the decision-maker position than himself.

He didn’t want to be a parasite, but entering the design industry and creating his own brand in the future was his biggest wish so far.

So even though he ran away from home, he was still self-studying university content.

He didn’t really intend to work in this small restaurant for the rest of his life. It was more about taking a breather from home and school and showing his determination to his sister.

One day, he would walk the path he had chosen.

As Yu Nian took notes in his book, he thought idly that maybe one day, his sister would attend events wearing clothes he designed.

He wondered if his sister would feel proud of him on that day.

He smiled at the thought, but soon, his smile faded.

He remembered the conflicts with his family, and it wasn’t just about choosing a major.

In fact, that was the less important issue.

He remembered Yu Xinli’s pale face, looking at him incomprehensibly, and he felt a twinge in his stomach.

There was more…

By the school’s swimming pool, people he thought were his friends sneered at him, a group of them casually mocking him, their words cutting like knives.

All eyes were on him, yet it felt like everyone was avoiding him.

Mockery, coldness, and cutting laughter came from all directions.

The ballpoint pen scratched a long line on the page, leaving a mark.

The light reflected on Yu Nian’s face.

He was only eighteen, usually smiling like a sunny little sun.

But now he felt like a moon drowning in water, unable to be scooped up, only shattering on the surface of the lake.

---

Yu Nian continued to study until after midnight before stretching lazily and sitting up.

He glanced at his watch and muttered to himself, “Damn, it’s this late already.”

Leaning back, he rested on the chair. The light from the ceiling lamp shone down, making him squint.

He felt a bit sleepy, but after studying for so long, his stomach was also a bit hungry.

After considering for a moment, he ultimately opened a food delivery app and ordered some takeout.

While waiting for his food, he took a shower. By the time he finished blow-drying his hair, the delivery had arrived.

However, the delivery guy wasn’t very familiar with his neighborhood, and it was late at night, so he couldn’t find the building.

“Alright, thanks.”

Yu Nian took his congee and rice rolls and leisurely walked back along the route he had come.

But as he reached the door of 0317, he noticed that the lights in the hallway were on.

And he could hear the sound of rushing water.

He hesitated for a moment, knowing that Qi Wang had returned. Their shared apartment had three rooms in total, and besides his room, there was a communal bathroom outside.

Qi Wang usually used that one.

Yu Nian had seen Qi Wang washing up there one or two times when he left in the morning.

Holding his own late-night snack, he passed by the bathroom door. He certainly had no peeping hobby, but after being neighbors for so many days, it was the first time he had seen Qi Wang return so late at night.

Previously, except for possibly bumping into each other in the morning, Qi Wang seemed to only come back in the middle of the night, which made Yu Nian once suspect what Qi Wang was up to.

If he was doing part-time work, was this part-time job legal?

With these thoughts in mind, Yu Nian glanced at the bathroom. The bathroom door was inexplicably not fully closed, leaving a gap, and steam was emanating from inside.

Just as Yu Nian was about to pass by, he suddenly heard a heavy “thud”.

It was too loud.

And it was accompanied by the sound of something falling.

Yu Nian’s footsteps halted.

He was startled, even a bit unnerved.

What was Qi Wang doing? Did he slip and fall while showering?

He almost reached out to knock on the door and ask if Qi Wang needed help.

But remembering his previous “overreaction,” he immediately put his hand back down.

There was no movement from the bathroom for a while.

Only the sound of the shower head gushing water could be heard.

Yu Nian stood there stiffly, unsure whether to go or stay.

He muttered to himself, hoping Qi Wang hadn’t hit his head. If he hit the wall or the floor, that would be troublesome.

After some thought, he couldn’t bring himself to pretend nothing happened and walk away.

He cleared his throat, knocked on the door, and raised his voice a bit. “Qi Wang, are you in there?”

No response.

Yu Nian furrowed his brow and called out again, “Qi Wang? If you’re alive, say something. Did you fall somewhere?”

Finally, there was some movement inside.

“…I’m fine,” Qi Wang replied.

But his tone was different from his usual indifferent voice, sounding somewhat suppressed and weak.

Yu Nian hesitated.

Since Qi Wang was awake, he probably wasn’t in mortal danger anymore, so it wasn’t his concern.

He didn’t say anything more, slowly releasing the hand that was on the doorknob, intending to leave.

But the next moment, he lowered his head and saw water seeping out from under the door.

In these old buildings, there were always various issues, and this equally old bathroom was prone to blockages. If stagnant water wasn’t cleaned up promptly, it could spread.

But that wasn’t the important part.

What was important was that there were streaks of red mixed in the stagnant water, unmistakably blood.

Yu Nian cursed inwardly.

Damn it.

He just couldn’t stop meddling wherever he went.

He tossed aside his late-night snack, ignoring the grievances between him and Qi Wang, knocked on the door again, and spoke with a hint of firmness in his tone.

“Did you injure yourself? I’m coming in.”

With that, he pushed the door open.

As the door opened, Yu Nian saw the scene inside the bathroom and froze in place.

Under the harsh white light of the bathroom, Qi Wang was leaning against the stainless steel rack on the wall with one hand. He was wearing a white shirt, completely soaked by the water, with most of the buttons below the collar undone, revealing a sturdy waistline.

On his back, somewhere was injured, only a crimson patch was visible, staining his back red. The fallen shower head was still spraying water, and his blood mixed with the water, making the bathroom look like a crime scene.