Unable to see Yan Chen, An Ya felt a bit disappointed, but quickly cheered up and showed the books and clothes under her pillow to An Yi.

An Yi felt warm in his heart, “Were they all sent by Yan Chen?”

“They were delivered last night. The clothes are nice, right?” An Ya would turn 14 next month, an age when girls love to look beautiful and dress up. “Ge, how about wearing this when I’m discharged from the hospital?”

“Okay, if you like it, wear it,” An Yi raised the head of the bed to make her more comfortable to lean against, “Let’s eat first, the food will be cold in a while.”

An Ya was in a good mood and almost finished all the food on her plate, but within half an hour, she was holding onto the trash can, vomiting violently.

An Yi patted her back with one hand and gathered her hair with the other, trying to prevent any mess, although he was being as gentle as possible, his palm was still full of hair.

He continued to pat her back calmly, but his fingertips trembled uncontrollably.

An Ya was almost throwing up bile, her breathing was rapid as she leaned back on the bed, her thin cheeks flushed from coughing.

An Yi was worried and wanted to call the doctor, but An Ya held his hand weakly and smiled, “It’s okay, I’m fine, I’m used to it, don’t worry, ge.”

“Are you really okay?” An Yi wiped the cold sweat from her forehead and nose.

“I’m really fine,” An Ya patted the bed to ask him to sit down, “Ge, talk to me for a while. Aren’t you going to the studio this afternoon?”

“Yeah, today’s classes are not many, but there are a few customized pottery pieces to fire.”

An Yi worked as a teacher in a pottery studio, mainly responsible for teaching students pottery painting and designing and making ceramic products for customers.

His work mostly concentrated on weekends, relatively less busy during weekdays, which made it convenient for him to come to the hospital to take care of his sister. However, there were still a few rounds of chemotherapy to go, and if there was a chance for transplantation later, the need for money would only increase. He didn’t want to rely on Yan Chen to bail him out all the time, so he planned to find a few more part-time jobs.

But in doing so, the time he spent with his sister would be significantly reduced.

An Ya’s pale face showed a hint of guilt, “Ge, if it weren’t for me being a burden to you, you wouldn’t have to work so hard.”

“What nonsense,” An Yi feared her overthinking, “You just focus on getting better, and leave the rest to me.”

An Ya suddenly hugged him, “I’ve looked up the data, the cure rate for leukemia is quite high,” she looked up at him for confirmation, “I will get better, right?”

“Of course,” An Yi’s eyes teared up, “You will definitely get better.”

“Then, ge, hold on a little longer, and endure a little longer. When I grow up, I will take good care of you too.”

“…Okay,” An Yi hugged her tightly, “Ge will wait for you to grow up.”

Coming out of the hospital, his spirit was instantly drained.

He walked heavily, his back slightly hunched, his tall and thin figure seemed like it could be blown away by a passing breeze.

An Yi got on the bus and browsed through job recruitment websites.

He dropped out of high school, except for knowing a bit about pottery, he was clueless about everything else, the result could be imagined. Otherwise, he could do food delivery, but considering he would need to spend some money to buy an electric bike, he hesitated.

It was a stage where money was needed, and every penny saved was important.

Or he could do late-night chauffeur service, the hours wouldn’t conflict with his regular job, which might be more suitable for him.

Because he was constantly struggling, An Yi’s concentration at work was not very good. When he took out the pottery from the electric kiln, he burned his hand and instantly got blisters on his fingertips.

Fortunately, nothing was dropped, otherwise, his performance for this month would be greatly discounted.

Dragging his exhausted body home, he noticed a light leaking from under the door. When he touched the door, it slipped twice before opening.

Just as he entered, Yan Chen’s interrogation came crashing down on him: “Where have you been? It’s so late.”

Seeing that it was indeed him, An Yi couldn’t hide his surprise: “How come you’re here?”

He thought that their disagreement in the morning would at least make Yan Chen ignore him for a few days.

“Do I need your permission to come over?” Yan Chen hooked his arm and pulled him into his embrace, complaining, “I’m starving waiting for you, and I couldn’t reach you on your phone.”

An Yi smiled apologetically, “I forgot to charge my phone yesterday. Let me make you something to eat first.”

Yan Chen held onto his waist, not letting him move. “I want something else now.” With that, he lifted the hem of An Yi’s shirt and slipped his hand inside.

An Yi’s skin felt cool like deep autumn, smooth and comfortable to the touch.

An Yi quickly responded to his touch. He hooked Yan Chen’s neck, but the man wrinkled his nose disdainfully. “You smell like disinfectant. Did you go to the hospital?”

“Yeah,” An Yi said, “An Ya was feeling uncomfortable today, so I stayed with her for a while longer.”

“I’ve already asked someone to find a match for her as soon as possible, and two foreign institutions are also inquiring.” Yan Chen’s family business was involved in the medical industry, so he had some connections. An Yi was particularly grateful for this, but he also understood that this matter depended on fate and couldn’t be rushed.

An Yi moved away from Yan Chen and took off his coat. “I’m going to take a shower.”

Yan Chen’s gaze followed him all the way into the bathroom. An Yi undressed and stood under the shower, meticulously washing his body with shower gel, feeling a bit embarrassed as he reached behind himself.

Last night’s activities were a bit excessive, and today he had been feeling uncomfortable in that area the whole day. As he touched it, it seemed a bit swollen.

If he didn’t prepare properly, he was afraid it would be disappointing later.

He wanted to please Yan Chen, paying attention to every detail, even if it meant enduring pain silently, just to ensure the other wouldn’t be displeased in the slightest.

Although he had done this many times before, he still felt embarrassed.

He leaned his face against the tiles covered in water droplets, trying to cool down. Just then, a cold draft blew in from outside. An Yi opened his eyes and, through a layer of mist, met Yan Chen’s teasing gaze.

“I was wondering why you hadn’t come out yet. Turns out, you were secretly up to something naughty.”

Yan Chen opened the glass door of the shower, his gaze blatantly landing on An Yi’s body.

The shower sprinkled down, forming a small stream in the deep groove of An Yi’s spine, passing through two shallow dimples at his waist, then overflowing and soaking into his butt, wetting the forest and submerging the grassland.

Such an enticing view.

An Yi leaned against the wall, voluntarily making space, “Come in and shower together.”

Yan Chen raised an eyebrow at him. “You go on.”

As the mist rose, An Yi looked into his dark, deep eyes and inexplicably felt a moment of trance. He remembered the rainy day ten years ago when he had looked into the playful eyes of teenage Yan Chen through the thin mist, just like this.

The first thing Yan Chen had said to him back then was also, “You go on.”

He had just turned 18 that year, in the second half of his senior year of high school. His father had committed suicide by jumping off a building due to a failed investment, leaving behind a mess of unresolved debts.

His mother, who had been a full-time housewife, had never been involved in the business and also had to take care of An Ya, who was only 4 years old at the time. Being a widow with a child wasn’t easy, and the creditors kept a close eye on An Yi, the only male in the family.

He was ambushed in the alley, beaten and cursed at, threatened with baseball bats poking at his ribs, always adding new injuries to old ones. Life was shrouded in the shadow of violent intimidation, and he had tried to resist and run away, but the struggle only made things worse.

That rainy day, he was beaten up again.

His right hand was injured in the resistance, his finger was broken by someone stepping on it with a shoe, he couldn’t even hold a pen, and he reluctantly gave up on his exam test.

He ran to the school rooftop, rushed into the rain, and hysterically cried and screamed.

He was angry, scared, and more worried that if things continued like this, it would affect his college entrance examination which was not far away. But as an ordinary high school student, faced with the sudden change in family circumstances, what else could he do?

Those debts were astronomical figures to him. According to his mother, even if they sold all their properties and assets, it wouldn’t be enough to cover the hole.

The more An Yi thought about it, the more desperate he felt.

A normally quiet and introverted person, that day he picked up a piece of stool leg and smashed it to the ground frantically.

The wood chips flew everywhere, his hand shook with pain and numbness, the wound burst open, blood splattered as he smashed the stool leg until it broke forcefully in his hands.

The rain mixed with tears blurred his vision. An Yi wiped his face, leaving a striking blood mark.

It seemed he had found a way to release his emotions, so he glanced at the miscellaneous items piled in the southeast corner of the rooftop, but inadvertently met a playful gaze.

Standing under the eaves of the stairwell was a teenager, looking at him with interest.

It was unclear how long they had been looking at each other.

Normally, people would choose to avoid eye contact in such situations to avoid embarrassment, but the other person’s dark, intense eyes remained fixed on him.

An Yi was stunned.

The person was wearing a school uniform, most likely a first-year student based on the color. The zipper was pulled up all the way, the collar was crookedly popped up, and he held the zipper, looking mischievous as he raised an eyebrow at An Yi.

“You go on.”

Clearly, he saw An Yi as entertainment.

The boiling tide of anger receded like a tsunami, and An Yi, silent, quickened his pace and disappeared into the rain-soaked rooftop.

After that, he often met Yan Chen on the rooftop.

Sometimes Yan Chen would be alone, smoking under the water tank, and sometimes he would be playing cards or games with friends. When Yan Chen saw him, he would just raise an eyebrow in greeting.

Fortunately, the rooftop was spacious enough, and the corner An Yi needed was very small.

All he needed to do was to gaze at the sky, feel the cold wind for a moment, and the bad luck and gloominess on his body would temporarily disappear, at least enough to get through the day.

So, that corner of the rooftop became his spiritual refuge.

One afternoon not long after, An Yi was resting on his desk.

In the classroom, groups of students were either working on assignments or discussing problems and chatting quietly.

An Yi felt like he was drowning, the buzzing noise in the classroom gradually isolated from his consciousness until it disappeared completely.

His chest felt tight, his breathing was difficult, but he couldn’t open his eyes or move his body.

Suddenly, two close “thud thud” sounds painfully pierced his eardrums. He “popped” up, and the legs of the chair made a sharp squeak on the floor.

An Yi’s heart was beating extremely fast, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

After two seconds, his scattered gaze focused on the person who appeared next to his desk.

There was a hint of confusion in the deep brown eyes.

Was he still half-asleep? This clearly wasn’t the rooftop.

Yan Chen stood with his hands in his pockets, tilting his head casually at him, then turned and left.

As he reached the door, he turned back to see An Yi still standing there, his stern eyebrows furrowing in annoyance, “Why are you standing there dumbly? Come out.”

An Yi followed him in a daze. As he stepped out of the door, he heard the classroom erupting in discussion behind him.

“…Do you have something to tell me?”

Following Yan Chen to the stairwell, An Yi didn’t want to go downstairs anymore. His legs hurt, his head was dizzy, and he just wanted to go back to sleep.

Yan Chen didn’t say anything, but looked him up and down from head to toe.

An Yi felt uneasy under his gaze, lowered his head, but then the person grabbed his chin and forced him to look up. Immediately, his forehead was flicked roughly, causing pain.

He stepped back in pain, pushing away Yan Chen’s hand.

“What are you doing?”

Yan Chen mocked, “You’re beaten up like this every day. You’re too weak. Can’t you fight back?”

“It’s none of your business,” An Yi said coldly.

Turning to leave, he was grabbed by Yan Chen’s wrist and forcibly dragged downstairs.

At that time, most people were heading to the cafeteria to eat, and they stood out against the crowd going upstairs.

An Yi couldn’t bear the scrutiny of others, wishing he could dig a hole and hide in it. He buried his head very low, his voice muffled and almost on the verge of tears: “Let go of me.”

Yan Chen turned a deaf ear, holding his head high like a proud peacock, with his handsome and rebellious face, amidst the stares of passersby, he forcibly dragged him to the school clinic.

Many years later, An Yi still remembered the strength of that hand, squeezing him so tightly, causing him so much pain, and giving him a different kind of support and warmth at the turbulent age of 18.

And now, his hand was once again held by Yan Chen, lifted above his head, pressed against the wall, and placed in even hotter and harder places.