After finishing his shower, Yu Zi came out of the bathroom with damp hair.

Xie Dongcheng was on the balcony, collecting clothes.

Yu Zi didn’t speak to him and went straight into the bedroom. Even though he had applied ice, his ankle was still swollen and red. It would probably start bruising by tomorrow.

Yu Zi carefully sat down on the bed and propped his legs up on the bed frame.

The rain outside not only hadn’t stopped but had also grown heavier. The large raindrops beat against the windows of the old residential building, making a rhythmic sound.

The rain washed the dried leaves from the trees beside the building, and they slapped against the window with a slap.

Yu Zi didn’t turn on the light; the curtains were pulled open, allowing a little natural light into the room.

Knock knock.

The door was knocked. Yu Zi turned his head and called out, “Come in.”

Xie Dongcheng slowly pushed open the door, holding a spray bottle in his hand, and waved it towards him. “Spray.”

Yu Zi nodded and moved over, making space for him on the bed.

Xie Dongcheng sat down beside the bed and reached out to him. “Foot.”

Yu Zi extended his foot, and Xie Dongcheng gently held his ankle.

Boom—

Thunder rumbled in the distance through the glass.

“This rain is really heavy,” Xie Dongcheng commented, looking out the window.

Yu Zi didn’t reply, watching as Xie Dongcheng sprayed the mist, tiny droplets falling onto his skin.

On this damp rainy night, in the dimly lit room, every small movement seemed somewhat ambiguous.

Unfortunately, the person in front of him had a very upright appearance, sitting straight and not looking around, as if he were braising pig’s trotters in a market.

“I’ve put it by your bedside. Spray it three times a day,” Xie Dongcheng put the bottle into the bedside drawer and then stood up to leave.

As he walked out of the room, Yu Zi’s phone rang.

It was almost midnight; who would contact him at this hour?

Yu Zi picked up his phone, swiped to answer, and then answered the call.

Xie Dongcheng paused for a few seconds but still continued walking out.

It was the rental agency calling.

A few days ago, when Yu Zi had just moved into Xie Dongcheng’s house, he contacted an agency through the flyers on the street, thinking he could stay here for a few days as a temporary arrangement.

Unfortunately, his requirements were too demanding, and his budget was too low. The rental agency had never gotten back to him.

Unexpectedly, after waiting for a few days, he finally received a call from a desperate landlord. The agency asked if Yu Zi could spare some time to go and see the house in the next couple of days.

Yu Zi glanced at his foot and hesitated for a moment. “Can we make it three days later?”

The agent’s tone turned somewhat reluctant. “Sir, this apartment is in high demand. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be calling you so late. At this price, it could be rented out by tomorrow. I can’t guarantee that the apartment will still be available for you in three days.”

Yu Zi was about to respond when the door was suddenly pushed open again.

“Are you looking for an apartment?” Xie Dongcheng walked into the room, only realizing afterward that Yu Zi hadn’t hung up the phone yet.

Yu Zi could only give a couple of perfunctory responses before hanging up the call. “What’s up?”

“If you want, you don’t have to rush to find an apartment,” Xie Dongcheng said, looking at him before averting his gaze.

“I don’t want to keep living at your place.” Yu Zi spoke the truth, although Xie Dongcheng was honest and didn’t have any bad habits, he just wasn’t comfortable staying at someone else’s house all the time.

“Then let’s wait until your foot heals. By then, my car will be fixed, and I’ll take you to look at apartments.”

One hand washes the other. There wasn’t much else for Yu Zi to say.

After Xie Dongcheng left the room, Yu Zi’s phone lit up again. He thought it might be another message from the agency, but when he opened it, it was a notification from a vacation hotel’s public account.

Yu Zi used to be a VIP member at this vacation hotel, staying there for ten days to half a month every autumn. The hotel even reserved a fixed suite for him during the off-season, not available to the public.

He opened the service notification, which said: “Dear VIP member, you can now enjoy double points for your stay.”

Yu Zi chuckled self-deprecatingly. He didn’t have enough money now to stay there for a night.

He made a firm decision and unsubscribed from the message.

He didn’t sleep well that night; the sound of rain outside didn’t stop. Just as he was about to fall asleep, the stray cats downstairs started fighting again.

It wasn’t even spring, why were the stray cats more active than ever?

The next morning, he woke up early.

As he was about to get out of bed and tiptoed, he felt a sharp pain.

Damn. He thought the sprain from yesterday was painful enough, but he didn’t expect it to hurt even more the next day.

The bruising around the joint hadn’t subsided, and even a slight movement was excruciatingly painful.

The person in the living room heard the movement and knocked on his door. “Are you up?”

Yu Zi grimaced for a while before responding, “Yeah.”

Xie Dongcheng opened the door and saw him clutching his leg with a pained expression. “Is it worse?”

Yu Zi took a sharp breath. “Yeah.”

Xie Dongcheng sighed and then left the room.

But two minutes later, he came back with a black brace in hand.

He sat on the edge of the bed and reached for Yu Zi’s leg.

“What’s this for?” Yu Zi asked.

“It’s for stabilizing your ankle and reducing weight on the affected area.” Xie Dongcheng explained as he carefully secured it for him.

Yu Zi didn’t respond, just looking at the buzz cut on Xie Dongcheng’s head.

Seeing him silent, Xie Dongcheng quickly explained, “It’s new; I haven’t used it before.”

Yu Zi’s bad mood from early in the morning was lifted by this statement. It was amazing how every word from this guy made him want to laugh.

“I didn’t ask.” Yu Zi said dryly.

Xie Dongcheng bit his lip, avoiding his gaze. “I was afraid you’ll find it smelly.”

“I’ve slept in your bed, and you’re worried about this?” Yu Zi retorted.

With that, Xie Dongcheng became even more embarrassed, almost scratching his head.

With the ankle stabilized, Yu Zi could now walk a few steps with some effort, though he still couldn’t put too much weight on it.

He walked into the bathroom without closing the door. Xie Dongcheng saw him struggling and asked, “Um, can you use the toilet?”

Yu Zi turned to look at him. “Help me.”

Xie Dongcheng’s eyes froze, somewhat surprised. “Is that…appropriate?”

Yu Zi was speechless for a moment, urging him, “Just help me.”

Xie Dongcheng gritted his teeth. “Fine.”

Then he reached out and unzipped his pants.

“Hey?! Where are you helping?” Yu Zi quickly stepped aside, “I asked you to help me with my arm!”

He sighed inwardly at the incomprehensible thought process of straight men.

With the car gone for repairs, Xie Dongcheng didn’t have to go out all day, spending his time either taking care of his fish or doing household chores.

After Yu Zi finished washing up, he leaned on the sofa, wearing the T-shirt and pants Xie Dongcheng had given him, watching the man pacing back and forth in the living room.

“Don’t you have any hobbies?” Yu Zi asked.

“What hobbies?”

“Playing games or something, don’t all guys like that?” Yu Zi expressed his doubt.

Xie Dongcheng turned around, rare disagreement evident in his response to Yu Zi’s words. “What guys? I’m about the same age as you.”

“That’s not the point.”

“I don’t play those. It’s a waste of money.”

“You live alone, what do you need so much money for? Saving up to get married?” Yu Zi teased him.

“No.” Xie Dongcheng shook his head without elaborating.

Seeing that the conversation wasn’t going anywhere, Yu Zi stopped talking to him and opened his phone to check WeChat.

But as soon as he checked, he almost passed out from anger.

“Damn!”

“What’s wrong?” Xie Dongcheng looked up from the fish tank to see him.

“The apartment’s been rented out.”

The agency had just told him last night that he could view the apartment, but he received a message early in the morning saying it had already been rented out.

What rotten luck.

Since his family went bankrupt, Yu Zi felt like he hadn’t experienced a single satisfying thing. Everyone seemed to be against him.

Xie Dongcheng paused for a moment before speaking. “Then there’s no need to rush to find one. Wait until you… find a job.”

Yu Zi nodded on the surface, but sighed deeply inside. He didn’t know when he would find a job.

In the afternoon, Xie Dongcheng went out for a while and came back with some food.

He didn’t cook that day, instead opting to buy ready-made meals from nearby restaurants.

When he got home, Yu Zi was looking at his phone, his expression not particularly good.

Passing behind him, Xie Dongcheng put down the takeout box and saw him open a picture, enlarging it and staring at it for several seconds.

Yu Zi didn’t mind being seen and held up his phone to Xie Dongcheng’s face. “Do you recognize him?”

The photo showed a boy who looked about ten years old, wearing sportswear and holding a tennis racket.

Xie Dongcheng shook his head. “I haven’t seen him before. But he looks somewhat familiar.”

“What do you think of his looks?” Yu Zi asked.

“He’s alright, quite handsome.”

The boy had big eyes and a straight nose. There was a certain inexplicable familiarity about him.

Yu Zi clicked his tongue and pointed at the person’s face with his finger. “Yu Ziheng, my unlucky younger brother.”

Xie Dongcheng’s mind couldn’t catch up. “Your brother?”

“Half-brother.”

“Oh…” Xie Dongcheng then remembered that Yu Qing’s current wife was a remarried woman, but he hadn’t seen this younger master in the suburban villa before. He had only heard that he seemed to be studying at an international school and didn’t live around here.

Seeing Yu Zi’s sour expression, Xie Dongcheng added hastily, “Not as handsome as you, not as handsome.”

To be honest, this young master did indeed seem a bit inferior to Yu Zi. Perhaps it was because of his young age and not yet fully developed features; he looked decent enough. But when all the features were put together, he didn’t have the same harmony as Yu Zi, nor did he exude the same aura. He was somewhat lacking.

After saying this, Yu Zi still didn’t improve his expression.

“Being handsome doesn’t matter. He’s now following a foreign coach to play tennis. And here I am, worrying about this little rental fee.” He turned off the screen of his phone, let his arm fall down, and threw it onto the floor.

Xie Dongcheng pulled over a stool and sat opposite him, rubbing his knees with his palms.

“However, we did discuss it with Lao Chen back then.”

Yu Zi raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Lao Chen?”

“The butler, Lao Chen,” Xie Dongcheng explained.

Lao Chen was the butler of Yu Zi’s suburban villa, and it was he who brought Xie Dongcheng in as a driver at the time.

“What did you discuss with him?” Yu Zi asked.

Xie Dongcheng chuckled. “At that time, reality shows were popular on TV. We said you didn’t look worse than those on TV, why not join an entertainment company and become a star?”

Yu Zi sneered disdainfully. “I don’t want to go and suck up to those fat-headed bosses and earn that little money that disgusts me.”

Xie Dongcheng didn’t know how to respond. Just then, his phone lit up, and he checked it to find a reminder message.

“The Mid-Autumn Festival is coming soon.”

Yu Zi’s eyes flickered for a moment, then quickly looked away.

Not seeing his expression, Xie Dongcheng asked, “Do you have any plans? How about going out for dinner?”

Yu Zi swallowed hard. “I don’t celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival.”

Xie Dongcheng didn’t know what he said wrong, as if he had touched a nerve again.

He racked his brains and remembered something after a while. “Did something happen? You didn’t seem very happy that Mid-Autumn Festival that year either.”

Yu Zi didn’t reply.

Xie Dongcheng recalled some details. The year he started driving for Yu Zi, it happened to be a Mid-Autumn Festival with a sudden drop in temperature.

Originally, he had the afternoon off that day, but he received a message from Yu Zi saying he wanted to go to a clubhouse in the suburbs.

Yu Zi didn’t say much along the way, then he received a phone call, and his expression became even worse, cursing at the person on the other end.

However, a few minutes later, he saw Yu Zi quickly wipe away a tear with the back of his hand through the rearview mirror, and then he didn’t make any more noise.

Later, when he parked the car in front of the suburban clubhouse, Yu Zi went in for a long time and didn’t say what he was doing inside.

As he recalled this, he accidentally asked what was on his mind, “Why were you crying that day?”

Yu Zi’s eyes, which had been vacant, suddenly narrowed. He straightened up, and his fingers rubbed the hem of his T-shirt. “You remembered it wrong. I never cried.”