Cheng Zhou’s personality is stubborn, he won’t turn back until he hits a wall.

He feels this way about himself, others, and relationships.

He never took Cheng Yuze seriously, but everyone he cares about treats that illegitimate child like treasure. Sometimes he thinks that maybe Cheng Yuze was sent by heaven just to oppose him.

Cheng Zhou believes he was originally a charming young man, attractive and stylish, and he should be more likable than the sensitive Cheng Yuze, who always seems to be brooding yet tries to appear humble and polite.

However, reality is harsh, and he has become accustomed to questioning the meaning of life.

Cheng Zhou smiled openly, but Nie Shanglin remained still, staring at him intently. After a while, Cheng Zhou felt bored and turned to leave; he still had plenty of photos to take.

As soon as he turned, Nie Shanglin caught his wrist in a firm grip, pulling him back. The strength was so intense that Cheng Zhou’s wrist hurt, and he stumbled a bit, almost losing his balance. He struggled to pull away but couldn’t, and feeling annoyed, he said, “What are you doing?!”

“Come with me.”

Hearing Nie Shanglin’s tone, which left no room for refusal, Cheng Zhou felt even more annoyed. He shook off Nie Shanglin’s hand forcefully and asked, “Go? Where to?”

Nie Shanglin stared at his own hand, which had just been pushed away, looking confused. After a moment, he replied decisively, “Home.”

Cheng Zhou scoffed, “I’m going home soon.”

Nie Shanglin said, “To our home.”

Cheng Zhou was taken aback, and when he understood what Nie Shanglin meant, he laughed: “Don’t joke around. Where is this ‘our’ coming from?”

After saying that, he turned his back to Nie Shanglin and waved his hand dismissively. “I have things to do, so I’m off. Bye now!”

After taking just a couple of steps, he was forcibly grabbed by Nie Shanglin again. “Come back with me.”

Cheng Zhou turned around and asked, “What do you mean? I can go anywhere, but what does it mean to go home with you? I’m not bothering you anymore. Didn’t you say I was annoying? Now we can just go our separate ways and ignore each other.”

Nie Shanglin said calmly, “We’re getting back together.”

Cheng Zhou couldn’t help but feel angry, and he let out a mocking laugh. As he did, his eyes began to sting a bit, he thought maybe he just hadn’t woken up properly. “Do you even know what you’re saying?”

“I know.”

“Okay, okay, you know. Let me ask you this instead: did you forget to take your meds today?”

“Come with me.” Nie Shanglin didn’t answer and just kept repeating his request.

Now Cheng Zhou was really angry. He felt like he had completely lost it today, just like that troublesome dog from Mr. Zhang’s house at the entrance of the neighborhood.

With so many people coming and going at the art exhibition, it looked ridiculous for two grown men to be pulling and tugging at each other like this. He swung his arm again, but Nie Shanglin’s grip remained tight. Seeing that many onlookers had stopped to watch them with curiosity made Cheng Zhou feel uneasy. Unable to think of another option, he grabbed Nie Shanglin’s arm and pulled him toward the restroom.

The restroom was empty, and Cheng Zhou finally managed to break free from Nie Shanglin’s grip. He pushed Nie Shanglin inside, then leaned casually against the door with his arms crossed, asking in a nonchalant tone, “So, what’s your purpose in all this?”

Nie Shanglin frowned and asked, “How did you become like this?”

Cheng Zhoule replied, “I’ve always been this way. It just shows that you, big brother, have such a high opinion of yourself that you can’t see others.”

Nie Shanglin was taken aback and struggled to respond. He had never realized that Cheng Zhou could be so eloquent. In nearly ten years, Cheng Zhou had transformed from a cheerful youth into a mature man.

“Alright, I don’t have time to chat. I need to leave first.”

“Don’t go!” As soon as he heard Cheng Zhou was leaving, Nie Shanglin glared and stepped forward, trapping Cheng Zhou between his arms and the door.

After being stopped repeatedly without reason, Cheng Zhou put away his playful expression and looked at Nie Shanglin with indifference. The calmness in Cheng Zhou’s eyes pierced Nie Shanglin’s heart, making him instinctively reach out to cover Cheng Zhou’s eyes.

“Come back with me.”

“What? You want me to go back with you and get back together?” Cheng Zhou suddenly laughed. “Have you developed feelings for me?”

Feelings? Nie Shanglin stayed silent; he didn’t know.

Cheng Zhou could tell what his answer was. It wasn’t like he had just left yesterday or the day before. If Nie Shanglin really wanted him back, he wouldn’t have waited until today to accidentally see him and then hold on so tightly.

Cheng Zhou looked down and scoffed, “Hey, big brother, don’t you want to know why I won’t go back with you?”

Nie Shanglin asked, “Why?”

Cheng Zhou mischievously blinked and smiled charmingly, “Come closer, and I’ll tell you.”

At his words, Nie Shanglin instinctively leaned down.

“I’m telling you, it’s because…” Cheng Zhou paused dramatically, then suddenly bumped his head hard against Nie Shanglin’s, saying, “Because you’re so annoying!”

Taking advantage of Nie Shanglin’s dizziness, Cheng Zhou delivered a spinning kick and quickly ran away. By the time Nie Shanglin came to his senses and tried to chase after him, he had already vanished.

On the other side, by the roadside, Cheng Zhou was panting and rubbing his forehead—it really hurt.

Then he thought about it and realized that Nie Shanglin had also taken a loss this time. Unable to contain himself, he squatted on the ground and laughed heartily, not caring about the strange looks from passersby. By the end, he was laughing so hard that tears streamed down his face.

Guess why I won’t go back with you.

——

There’s a legend about the Potala Palace: when you walk while crying, never look back, because if you do, you’ll see the truth.

If you remember that I’ve been to Tibet, don’t ask me why I had to turn back with every step while circling the Potala Palace.

Everyone in the world is a liar.

They say that looking back will reveal the truth.

I turned back thousands of times, but in the end, I still didn’t see you.