After finishing their late-night snack, Yu Nian and Qi Wang took the subway home together.

Although it was already past ten o’clock, the subway was still crowded, with no seats available.

Qi Wang was tall, easily reaching for the handrail with one hand, but Yu Nian, being shorter, found it a bit challenging. The car was crowded, and he was being pushed around.

In the end, Qi Wang reached out and held him, letting him lean against him.

Yu Nian was startled, then shivered a bit, his voice trembling, “No need, I can hold onto the handrail, and I’m not that short…”

But Qi Wang didn’t listen to his nonsense. He dumped the bag of art supplies he had just bought into Yu Nian’s arms and said two words, “Hold on.”

With one arm around Yu Nian, no matter how crowded the train was or how many times it stopped and started, he firmly held Yu Nian against his chest.

Yu Nian stared at their reflections in the window, and his face unknowingly turned red.

The subway was warm, but the air was a bit thin. His cheeks were flushed, more obvious than the blush on the girl’s face next to him.

“Feeling hot?” Qi Wang asked him.

Yu Nian shook his head desperately.

Holding the art supplies, he bowed his head, feeling a bit overwhelmed, and grumbled, “Don’t mind me, I suddenly feel a bit dizzy, I’ll be fine in a while.”

Qi Wang didn’t say anything more.

Yu Nian leaned against Qi Wang’s shoulder, and when he glanced up, he saw a girl across from them leaning against her boyfriend in the same way.

The young couple was intimate, their heads close together, the boy gently brushing the girl’s bangs aside.

Looking at himself and Qi Wang…

Yu Nian couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

It’s really annoying.

Qi Wang was calm and composed, unrelated to the wind and the moon.

But he wasn’t.

His heart was like a drum, with ten thousand little frogs jumping around chaotically, turning his heart into a disco dance floor.

Right in front of his nose was Qi Wang’s chest, a gray-blue sweater emitting the faint smell of orchid fabric softener. A slight nudge, and he could feel the rough texture of the sweater against his cheek.

And if he lifted his head a bit more, his lips could touch Qi Wang’s chin.

The distance between them was too close.

So close that he could even count Qi Wang’s eyelashes, and if they weren’t different in height, he could even kiss Qi Wang’s lips if the train suddenly stopped.

Thinking of this scene, the temperature on Yu Nian’s face rose even higher, but he also felt a bit dejected.

He was thinking all sorts of things, but he couldn’t rein in his thoughts.

But this was only his own earth-shattering revelation.

It was his own unrequited love, bitter and sleepless.

Qi Wang knew nothing about it.

His gaze was clear and pure, and he was just a close neighbor to Qi Wang, someone he could go home with after work, go shopping, exchange some daily gossip and chatter, and it was too early to even consider confiding in each other.

Thinking of this, the heat on Yu Nian’s face subsided a little.

He looked up at Qi Wang, who had one hand on the handrail, his body relaxed, an earbud in one ear, his eyes closed as if he were meditating.

Surrounded by noise, tired commuters filled the train.

But Qi Wang seemed as calm and detached as a bamboo joint, with a sense of aloofness emanating from his bones, isolating him from the hustle and bustle around him.

Yu Nian thought, he actually didn’t understand Qi Wang at all.

He remembered what Song Yunchun had said before leaving work today—”Qi Wang used to have good grades.”

He was surprised because he had assumed, given Qi Wang’s age of less than twenty, his job outside and his lack of parents, that he probably didn’t go to school properly.

But Song Yunchun said that Qi Wang’s grades were quite good.

This indicated that this was something that happened in the last year or two because if it were earlier, Song Yunchun probably wouldn’t know.

So why didn’t Qi Wang go to college?

And the art supply store they just visited, the boss’s familiar attitude, Qi Wang’s skill in drawing, the art teacher who taught him before, and even… the scar on Qi Wang’s arm.

All these things, which constituted Qi Wang as a person, he knew nothing about.

Qi Wang was like a fog, elusive.

No origin, no destination.

Just wandering pale and lonely in the world, the only thing touchable was a name.

Qi Wang.

But he still liked him like this.

…

The subway arrived at their stop, and Yu Nian followed Qi Wang home slowly.

Outside the subway station, the bag of art supplies was back in Qi Wang’s hand.

Inside the house, Yu Nian awkwardly took off the scarf and handed it to Qi Wang, while at the same time wanting to transfer the cost of the art supplies Qi Wang paid for back.

“How much is it?” He took out his phone from his pocket. “I’ll transfer it to you.”

But Qi Wang shook his head.

“No need,”

Yu Nian was taken aback, “But…”

Before he could say anything else, Qi Wang took the paints he had bought from the shopping bag and placed them in Yu Nian’s palm.

“It’s not much money, you don’t need to pay,” Qi Wang said.

He looked at Yu Nian, who looked utterly bewildered, holding the paints in one hand and the scarf in the other, still struggling to lift his phone to split the cost they had just incurred.

Qi Wang took the scarf from his hand, feeling its soft cashmere texture, light and warm in his hand.

His voice was low, like casual conversation but with a hint of scolding, “You only earn this little salary normally, save some for yourself and don’t spend it recklessly. You bought me a scarf before, do you even still have money left for meals?”

He looked at Yu Nian, half of his face obscured in the shadow of the corridor, his eyelashes drooping slightly, hiding the complexity in his expression.

But Yu Nian still looked puzzled.

meals?

The scarf he bought for Qi Wang was paid for with the last bit of scholarship money left on his card when he ran away from home.

But then he reacted. Oh right, a scarf costing several thousand yuan would indeed be a luxury for a small part-timer like him.

But for his former self, it wasn’t even worth considering. When he was choosing a scarf for Qi Wang, he had eyed a watch in the cabinet with a six-figure price tag for quite some time.

If his bank balance hadn’t been so dire, he might have bought that watch.

Qi Wang sighed. He didn’t care about clothing, food, shelter, or transportation at all. It was only when he saw the familiar logo in a fashion magazine the other day that he remembered to check the price of that scarf.

Given Yu Nian’s salary, buying it should have been quite a stretch.

This silly kid bought it for him, not knowing how he would manage with the remaining money.

After some thought, he couldn’t help but say, “I know you’ve encountered some changes at home. You’re probably still used to your previous spending habits, but you’re all grown up now, save your salary for yourself and don’t always think about spending it all.”

This was his first birthday present, and he was touched by Yu Nian’s thoughtfulness. But when he thought about Yu Nian tightening his finances because of this, he also felt a headache.

Yu Nian stood still, not saying a word, but his mind was in turmoil.

He started working at a young age, and people in the restaurant would often ask about his family and background. To avoid attracting attention, he spared no effort in fabricating his background.

His parents had passed away, that was true.

His older siblings doted on him but were also very strict, that was half true.

His family had fallen on hard times, so he worked hard to save up some living expenses, that was simply false.

He had said it so smoothly at the time, and he strictly adhered to his fabricated background when chatting with Qi Wang. But he never thought about the consequences.

Clearly, Qi Wang seemed indifferent at the time, just casually responding, but in fact, he quietly remembered Yu Nian’s nonsense.

Yu Nian couldn’t help but feel a bit of a headache. In Qi Wang’s eyes, he probably appeared to be someone who had fallen out with his family, fallen on hard times, a bit spoiled but had to put down his pride and work hard to support himself.

But he couldn’t tell Qi Wang, “Sorry, I made it all up.”

“I’m not pitiful at all. I’m just a pampered little boy who has been doted on since childhood and has never suffered any loss.”

If he said that, Qi Wang would either not believe him or would be angry.

Yu Nian suddenly became at a loss for words, not knowing what to say to salvage the situation.

But soon he felt his cheek being pinched.

He raised his head to find Qi Wang bending over, their eyes meeting.

“It’s almost time to change seasons, and you’re still wearing shirts and vests every day. Aren’t you cold?”

Yu Nian made a soft sound and leaned back, feeling uncomfortable with Qi Wang’s boundaryless actions.

“Not cold,” he mumbled vaguely.

Qi Wang’s gaze swept over Yu Nian’s wrist. “If you’re not cold, why are your hands so cold just now?” He didn’t believe Yu Nian’s words at all and straightened up. “This weekend, I’ll accompany you to buy clothes, consider it…”

Qi Wang paused. There weren’t really any appropriate holidays coming up, Halloween didn’t seem right either, so he could only say, “Consider it an early Christmas gift from me to you.”

Yu Nian blinked, and his muddled brain finally understood Qi Wang’s meaning.

Oh.

Qi Wang felt sorry for him, a little unfortunate guy who needed to work hard to save money, and wanted to indirectly solve some of his financial problems.

“No, I…” Yu Nian was about to laugh, “Isn’t it too early for Christmas?”

And besides, was he ever short of money?

No.

Only Qi Wang, who didn’t know the truth, could be so sincerely concerned about him.

But Qi Wang didn’t wait for him to say anything else. He opened the door with one hand and picked up his shopping bag from the ground.

“Alright, enough talking, go inside the room,” Qi Wang said.

He looked at Yu Nian, thought for a moment, and then whispered, “Don’t overthink it, it’s normal for seniors to give gifts to juniors, and besides, I’ve been working for a few years, so there are a few more digits in my bank account than yours.”

With a bang, Qi Wang’s door closed.

Leaving Yu Nian standing alone in the empty corridor.

The cold white light shone down, casting Yu Nian’s shadow long and thin.

Richer than me?

Yu Nian almost laughed out loud.

He glanced helplessly at Qi Wang’s door and thought, do you even know who I am?

Even if he rebelled now and ran away from home, he still owned shares in the Science and Culture Group, estates, stud farms, antiques, jewelry, and so on.

The assets he had owned since birth had accumulated into a terrifying number.

He walked back to his room slowly, entered the password at the door, and chuckled softly.

“Really silly,”

He thought.

“How could there be someone as silly as Qi Wang, clearly he is also an orphan, clearly he is also drifting without support.”

“But still, he will hold an umbrella for the people around him.

Taking care of a neighbor like him, who carries the burden of a fallen family reputation.

Yu Nian leaned against the door, sliding down slowly along the door, not caring whether the floor was dirty.

His face was now redder than it was on the subway just now.

It’s really too much, he thought, Qi Wang is just despicable in this regard.

Clearly, he has a face suitable for a villain, but he unconsciously reveals tenderness.

This strand of tenderness gradually extended, like a pervasive spider web, layer by layer forming a dense net, trapping him within.

Clearly, in Qi Wang’s eyes, he has no halo, just a reckless, ordinary, clumsy young man, yet Qi Wang still reaches out to hold his hand.

How could he not fall for Qi Wang?

This is too difficult.