Although the crowd had loosened somewhat.

But the glass shards fell on the people nearby, causing a small chaos.

But the person holding onto Yu Nian continued to protect him tightly, preventing Yu Nian from being hit by the crowd.

But he himself was hit by the falling glass lantern, with blood dripping from his forehead, staining his pale face.

“You…”

Yu Nian’s voice was dry, unsure of what to say.

The square was noisy, with the sound of people calling for help, arguing, and maintaining order mixed together.

Although the police had arrived quickly, it still wasn’t completely safe.

By all accounts, he should be afraid.

But seeing Qi Wang’s face clearly, Yu Nian felt a moment of silence in his heart, and even a sharp ringing in his ears.

He felt absurd.

Impossible.

How could Qi Wang be here, in a place thousands of miles away from A City?

He stared at the black string on the person’s wrist, one hand gripping the person’s arm, slowly raising his head.

Amidst the bright lights of New Year’s Eve.

He met a cold and distant face, the left cheek scratched by glass shards, blood dripping down his forehead, staining the other’s pale face.

“How…?”

Yu Nian uttered a few syllables, but was quickly drowned out by the chaos of the crowd.

“Let’s talk outside first.”

Qi Wang didn’t even listen to what Yu Nian was saying.

The injury on his forehead was not light, blood flowing down, his left eye was a bit blurry, and he felt dizzy from being hit by the glass lantern just now.

But he was born on the streets, and despite the luxurious life for so many years, it hadn’t worn away his rough edges.

He casually wiped the wound on his forehead with a scarf and then ignored it, holding Yu Nian and walking along with the loosened crowd.

Yu Nian was trapped in his arms, almost unable to move. Eight years had passed, and he had grown taller, but he still felt powerless in front of Qi Wang.

He saw Qi Wang’s forehead bleeding again, wanting to help him wipe it, but he couldn’t even lift his arm in the crowd. In the end, he had to give up.

Thanks to the police quickly arriving at the scene to control the situation, this chaos ultimately didn’t result in any terrible casualties, but some people were lightly injured, including Qi Wang.

But there were quite a few injured people on the scene, and the situation was chaotic.

Qi Wang was not among the most seriously injured.

Yu Nian looked at the wound on his forehead, made a quick decision, didn’t wait for rescue, and instead took Qi Wang to his car and drove to a private hospital.

In the private hospital, he sat and waited for Qi Wang to be bandaged.

From escaping the square to now, he had hardly communicated with Qi Wang. At most, he said, “Get in the car,” “Are you feeling dizzy now? Are you bleeding badly?”

He didn’t ask Qi Wang why he appeared here.

Qi Wang didn’t explain much to him either.

He accompanied Qi Wang to the hospital, paid for the examination, but all the way, he looked indifferent, like just a passing caregiver, so much so that even the doctor couldn’t figure out their relationship.

He saw glass shards stuck in Qi Wang’s wound, picked out by the doctor with tweezers.

The blurry wound, flesh and blood, made Yu Nian’s stomach ache.

He turned his face slightly away, but a few seconds later, he turned back.

He stared at Qi Wang’s face, which remained calm, but couldn’t help asking softly, “Does it hurt?”

He only asked these simple three words.

But for some reason, Qi Wang’s face seemed to show a hint of happiness.

“Not really,” Qi Wang said, but the doctor beside him interjected, “Young man, isn’t it painful? You didn’t get anesthesia. Many people cry out in pain when their wounds are cleaned, unlike you, who remain silent. Don’t force yourself. Pain is normal. I’ll be gentle.”

Qi Wang still insisted, “It’s fine.”

Yu Nian hugged his arms and watched the doctor bandage Qi Wang’s wound.

Since Qi Wang’s arms weren’t injured, the doctor didn’t notice how riddled with wounds the left arm was under Qi Wang’s clothes.

He thought, perhaps Qi Wang wasn’t just enduring it.

Since they were young, Qi Wang had always been able to endure pain. The first time their relationship softened was when he accompanied Qi Wang to the clinic in the middle of the night.

Since they met, it seemed like they were always either going to the hospital or coming from one. In more serious cases, they were practically incompatible.

He remembered that day was the same, the clinic was white and cold, with a pungent smell of disinfectant.

The doctor was chattering as he bandaged Qi Wang, blood almost dyeing Qi Wang’s clothes red. But Qi Wang remained silent, as if he didn’t care about his own body at all.

He had always been able to endure pain, as if this body was not worth cherishing at all, so it didn’t matter how hastily it was treated.

Yu Nian lowered his eyes, and for some reason, for a moment, the face of the twenty-year-old Qi Wang overlapped with the person in front of him.

The doctor was skillful, and Qi Wang didn’t have any other issues found during the examination, so he could leave the hospital soon.

Having rescued him once again, Qi Wang was injured because of him. Yu Nian drove Qi Wang back to his apartment in the City.

The journey was very quiet.

Perhaps because of blood loss, Qi Wang’s complexion was paler than usual.

He obediently sat in the passenger seat. Clearly, it was because of Yu Nian, but he didn’t speak or boast about it. Such a tall person, wearing his own black coat, now seemed a bit thin.

Yu Nian gripped the steering wheel tightly.

He couldn’t explain the feeling in his heart.

Since that night’s spring breeze, for the past month, he hadn’t contacted Qi Wang.

But life was so dramatic. On the first day of the new year, he met Qi Wang again on the street, in the New Year’s Eve square.

To put it bluntly, Qi Wang even saved him.

If Qi Wang had made some requests because of this, he might have felt better.

But Qi Wang didn’t say anything.

Despite sending hundreds of messages and actually meeting in person, being injured to the point of bleeding, Qi Wang remained silent.

How dull.

Yu Nian thought.

Whether it was eight years ago or now, Qi Wang was always like a rock on a snowy mountain, solitary and depressed.

He couldn’t understand Qi Wang’s thoughts when he was young, and it was the same now.

As the car was about to reach its destination, Yu Nian casually asked, as if casually, “How did you come to Rong City today and happen to appear in the same square as me?”

He didn’t think it was a coincidence.

Qi Wang hesitated for a moment, not sure if he should tell Yu Nian the truth.

But in the end, he didn’t hide it and gave an unexpected answer, “I came here to the temple to pray. I’ve been coming here for the past few years. I just came out of the temple this afternoon and saw you on the street. At first, I thought I was mistaken, but soon I realized it was true, so I…”

Qi Wang paused, realizing that his behavior was somewhat subtle.

“I’ve been following you all the time.”

He followed Yu Nian not too far away. When Yu Nian entered the small tavern, he was also in the café opposite.

To put it harshly, this was tracking, dark and despicable, not suitable for the public.

But at this moment, he was very fortunate that he had followed.

Yu Nian sneered.

“Wow, you really…I could have you arrested for this.”

But Qi Wang had indeed saved him, so he didn’t make any sarcastic remarks. He was just still somewhat surprised by this answer.

He glanced at Qi Wang, unable to believe that the person next to him was here to pray to the gods.

He knew that Ling Mountain Temple in Rong City was very famous, attracting many people every year, but Qi Wang didn’t seem like someone who belonged here.

He casually asked, “What did you come to pray for?”

Qi Wang blinked, his lips pale from the blood loss.

He glanced at Yu Nian, a thousand words hidden in his eyes.

For years, he had been coming to Ling Mountain Temple annually, with only the gods able to respond to his prayers.

He prayed for Yu Nian’s safety, happiness, and longevity.

He used to be someone who didn’t believe in these things.

But from some year onwards, he suddenly started believing. As the wisps of incense rose, he would gaze at the dignified and compassionate deity, feeling a hint of solace, as if secretly establishing a connection with Yu Nian.

And now he thought that praying to the gods might not be in vain after all.

He was not a devout believer, just going with the flow among the crowd, seeking some spiritual solace.

Yet, the gods still listened to his prayers, allowing him to meet Yu Nian on the streets.

He said, “When I prayed in front of the deity this afternoon, my last wish was to see you.”

“I didn’t expect it to come true.”

With a screech, Yu Nian slammed on the brakes, stopping at the entrance of the Cuiyu Mansion villa area.