The two stayed at the night market until after nine o’clock. Most of the nearby schools had a curfew at ten, and soon the students scattered. Only a few scattered tables remained, still drinking beer.

Yu Zi also felt a bit tired and got up to leave. Xie Dongcheng quickly grabbed the car keys and followed behind him.

Soon, the two got into the car. Xie Dongcheng started the car and turned onto the nearby return road.

Yu Zi’s head leaned against the car window, swaying almost to the point of falling asleep, his eyelids gradually drooping.

From the university town to Xie Dongcheng’s house required passing through a long uphill road.

Suddenly came a “buzz,” and the car stopped.

“Hmm?” Yu Zi, half-awake, opened his eyes and looked at Xie Dongcheng in the driver’s seat. “What’s wrong?”

Xie Dongcheng tried the ignition several times, but the car showed no response. He looked embarrassed. “I guess it broke down.”

“How could it break down for no reason?” Yu Zi rubbed his eyes, “Didn’t you just go for an inspection this afternoon?”

“I don’t know.” Xie Dongcheng looked outside, and the car happened to stop on an uphill road.

This crappy car could throw out two parts just by shaking, and who knew when it would develop a problem.

Xie Dongcheng opened the car window. The late-night road was deserted, let alone a repair shop.

Xie Dongcheng made a call for roadside assistance, but this place was a bit remote, and the tow truck wouldn’t arrive for an hour.

But leaving the car parked on the uphill road was dangerous. If there were pedestrians behind, and the car suddenly slipped, the consequences would be unimaginable.

“We have to push the car down. We can’t stay here.”

“Damn it.” Yu Zi cursed. He hadn’t slept well, and now in the middle of the night, he had to push this broken car.

A few seconds later, he still opened the car door and got out.

He took off his windbreaker and threw it onto the back seat, revealing the shirt underneath, then rolled up his sleeves.

“Let’s do it.” Xie Dongcheng patted the car’s rear end and motioned for him to join.

“One—two—” Xie Dongcheng shouted the slogan. Yu Zi followed his rhythm and pushed the car forward with all his strength.

This uphill was indeed a bit steep. After a lot of effort, the car moved less than two meters forward.

And Yu Zi’s arms had already started to ache.

“Keep pushing, hold on a bit longer. We’re almost at the top,” Xie Dongcheng encouraged him.

Yu Zi could only grit his teeth and continue pushing.

The late-night autumn wind became even more bone-chilling, and Yu Zi felt like a balloon, filled with cold air.

There was a layer of sweat on his forehead, and his upper arms were almost numb from the buildup of lactic acid.

Finally, the car successfully reached the top of the slope.

Pushing downhill was much easier, and Yu Zi finally relaxed his grip.

In the last ten meters, they half ran and half walked, pushing it to the bottom. Yu Zi breathed a sigh of relief, and his steps became lighter.

But the roads in this suburb were very uneven, full of potholes. Just as the car slid downhill, a pit about half an arm’s length appeared in front of them.

Yu Zi couldn’t brake in time and was tripped over.

Bang! he fell sideways, his knees scraping against the asphalt, causing a sharp pain.

Xie Dongcheng saw him fall, but couldn’t reach out to grab him in time.

Yu Zi curled up on the cement ground, holding onto his leg, with only one thought in his mind:

It seemed like his life was really over.

Xie Dongcheng hurried over, bending down to support his body.

Yu Zi tried to use his hand to get up, but he was sternly stopped by Xie Dongcheng: “Don’t move.”

“Let’s make sure there’s no fracture first. Does it hurt here?” Xie Dongcheng tapped his shin.

“No pain,” Yu Zi shook his head.

Xie Dongcheng gently lifted his leg and examined it for a while before sighing in relief.

Fortunately, it didn’t look like a fracture.

Supporting Yu Zi’s leg, he continued, “Where exactly does it hurt?”

Yu Zi reached out and touched his ankle. “Here.”

Xie Dongcheng helped him roll up his pant leg, exposing his ankle to the cold air, where it was already visibly swollen.

Looking up at him, Xie Dongcheng said, “It’s a sprain. Not a big problem, but you’ll probably need to rest for a week.”

Yu Zi frowned tightly, finally easing from the intense pain: “As long as it’s not fractured, let’s go.”

“Go where?” Yu Zi looked back, and the old car was silently parked in place.

“The tow truck should be here in about half an hour,” Xie Dongcheng said, taking out his phone to check the time.

Looking up, Xie Dongcheng saw dark clouds gathering, indicating that it might rain.

He lifted his hand and picked up Yu Zi’s thigh, lifting him up from the ground.

Yu Zi was startled: “What are you doing?”

“Going to wait in the car.”

Arriving at the car, Xie Dongcheng held onto his leg with one hand and opened the back door with the other.

Yu Zi almost leaned his whole body against him, and Xie Dongcheng, wearing only a thin T-shirt, pressed tightly against Yu Zi’s arms.

Thump thump —

Yu Zi seemed to hear his strong heartbeat.

Carefully, he stuffed Yu Zi into the back seat and warned before closing the door, “Don’t move.”

Yu Zi touched his own arms, still feeling the warmth from the contact just now.

Hmm, young people really don’t understand the dangers of the world.

Clearly, he had come out to him two hours ago, and the guy had looked like he’d seen a ghost. But now, he could carry him into the car without any reservations.

This guy wasn’t just dense; he was practically impenetrable.

Half an hour later, the rescue tow truck arrived on time, and it started to rain for real. The raindrops hit the car windows, quickly forming streams flowing down.

The cold wind blew the rain sideways, adding to the chill of the late night.

“This autumn, there’s so much rain,” Yu Zi sighed.

“I brought an umbrella,” Xie Dongcheng said, taking out a large black umbrella from the trunk.

After opening the umbrella, he reached out to carry Yu Zi again.

But Yu Zi refused: “No need, I just sprained my ankle, I’m not crippled.”

Xie Dongcheng scratched his head. “Sorry, I…”

Seeing his expression, Yu Zi found it amusing: “Save your energy.”

In no time, Xie Dongcheng hailed a taxi, holding the umbrella with his left hand and supporting Yu Zi with his right.

The two got into the car one after the other. The rescue tow truck had left earlier, taking the Corolla to the repair shop.

The late-night streets were deserted, but the taxi driver drove fast, and in less than half an hour, they arrived at the entrance of the residential area. Xie Dongcheng thought for a moment and asked the driver to drive to the building.

After getting out of the car, Yu Zi suddenly realized that Xie Dongcheng’s home was on the fifth floor and there was no elevator.

The hallway lights in the old residential building were also dim, flickering on and off.

With his arm around Xie Dongcheng’s shoulder, Yu Zi lifted one foot and hopped up a few steps. But after less than half a minute, he felt exhausted.

And it was difficult for the two to synchronize their steps, making it easy to fall down accidentally.

Xie Dongcheng also realized this.

He stopped, turned around, bent down, and patted his back, “I’ll carry you. It’s too slow to walk like this.”

Yu Zi thought for two seconds, realizing that this would indeed be faster.

Naturally, he went along with it, raised one foot, and leaned onto the person in front of him.

Yu Zi’s chin touched his hair. The rough and short hair in front of him was a bit prickly, so Yu Zi tilted his head, pressing his cheek against Xie Dongcheng’s neck.

However, in almost an instant, he saw Xie Dongcheng’s ears turn red, and even the temperature between his neck rose.

Interesting. Just now, he had hugged him righteously, but now that he was carrying him on his back, he seemed shy?

“What’s wrong?” Yu Zi deliberately asked him by his neck, “It’s quite cold here.”

Xie Dongcheng’s arms, dragging him, even became a little stiff: “Nothing.”

“Oh—” Seeing that he was still being stubborn, Yu Zi tightened his arms around his neck, pressing his whole body tightly against his back.

The two’s skin, separated by thin fabric, seemed to be breathing in harmony.

“Let’s go,” he patted Xie Dongcheng’s shoulder.