Zhang Bo doesn’t like to force people.

He only said it once, and when Jian Yang refused, he didn’t bring it up again.

But Jian Yang, lying on the sofa, felt his energy slowly draining away. The quiet solitude, the company of Xiao Taiyang, and the delicious food he ate didn’t bring any comfort. His state was still stuck in the moment of struggling with Guan Jingyu.

He was very tired.

The clock on the wall ticked, and the gray sky turned into a pitch-black curtain. The strong wind bent the branches of the magnolia tree outside the window.

Xiao Taiyang cozily curled up beside him, getting rounder by the day from being pampered. Its spine no longer poked as it did when Jian Yang first found it.

Jian Yang opened his eyes, looked out the window, and absentmindedly petted Xiao Taiyang.

It felt too quiet.

Wasn’t Guan Ciyan used to yelling at him by now?

Tsk.

Jian Yang turned over.

Unconsciously, his gaze fell on the clock on the wall.

Guan Ciyan wasn’t the traditional kind of boss; his sense of urgency about time was even less than Jian Yang’s. Whenever there was work the next day, Jian Yang would always get up early to prepare, but Guan Ciyan would almost always wake up at a fixed time, work out, eat, and return home early.

There were rarely late nights.

He would sometimes mess around for a long time making tea or taking his dog for a walk.

To be honest, Jian Yang couldn’t figure out how he made his money.

It didn’t seem like he was too tired or under much pressure.

Tonight was the first time Zhang Bo spoke up, and the food prepared at the dinner table had already been replaced twice. Jian Yang stood up to look for Zhang Bo. “Zhang Bo, where did Mr. Guan go?”

Zhang Bo replied, “To the back mountain.”

“Ah, is it fun?”

Zhang Bo was serious, “Mr. Guan should find it interesting.”

“Then I’ll go have a look too,” Jian Yang said, feeling frustrated, and decided to go out for a walk.

Zhang Bo couldn’t stop Guan Ciyan, but he could stop Jian Yang. “Let the driver take you.”

“I told him to go rest. I’ll drive myself, it’s fine.” Jian Yang pushed Zhang Bo back into his seat. “Eat first if you’re hungry. I’ll take care of him when he returns.”

The back mountain was still within the villa grounds. Jian Yang went to the door but realized he hadn’t brought his phone. He didn’t go back to get it, grabbed the car keys, and went to the underground parking lot.

He had driven a few times before.

Everything went smoothly from the underground parking lot to the foot of the mountain, but as soon as he got on the mountain road, Jian Yang felt like it was all over.

The entrance was deceiving. The road seemed fine at first but kept narrowing, with no guardrail on the cliffside. The night visibility was poor, and the lighting wasn’t bright. He could barely see the outside road. The car didn’t have assisted driving, and there were curves one after another. He could only judge the position of the tires by feel. Jian Yang had only driven within the city and rarely had experience on highways. His foot stayed on the brake the whole time.

“Dammit, this damn thing,” Jian Yang muttered, feeling frustrated. Why hadn’t he brought the driver?

As he turned a corner, a beam of light came down from the mountain, casting the fog into a mist. Guan Ciyan’s car tires brushed against the road edge, narrowly missing Jian Yang’s car. Summer jumped down from the slope, its back legs pushing off the ground as it chased after a motorcycle.

In the blink of an eye, Jian Yang didn’t even have time to speak. The motorcycle turned a corner and disappeared. Jian Yang’s vision darkened. “It’s over, completely over.”

He quickly opened the car door and jumped out, shouting towards the bottom of the mountain, “Mr. Guan! I can’t turn around!!!”

The echo bounced around the mountain, full of his frustration.

The only thing pushing Jian Yang forward was the fact that, when he met Guan Ciyan, he could sit in the passenger seat and let Guan Ciyan drive—his driving skills were definitely a hundred times better than his. Now, left alone without a phone, Jian Yang didn’t even know how to turn the car around on this narrow road and get the car down.

Guan Ciyan continued to drive for a while, gripping the handlebars and slowing down.

The sound came again, “Mr. Guan!!! I don’t want to walk back!!!”

Guan Ciyan got off the motorcycle, supporting himself with one leg, sitting on the ground, and called Summer back. “How is he more stupid than you?”

Summer barked twice and lay down beside Guan Ciyan.

“Are you tired too?” Guan Ciyan said as if Summer could understand. “You still need practice, getting tired over such a little thing.”

Summer rested its head on Guan Ciyan’s other leg, rubbing against him in a spoiled manner.

“Guan Ciyan!!!” Jian Yang’s voice rang out again.

Guan Ciyan patted Summer’s head. “He’s getting braver.”

“You think we should go pick him up?”

Summer pressed its body heavily to the ground, indicating that it was too tired to move.

The echo in the mountains was loud, and Jian Yang was sure Guan Ciyan had heard him. He wasn’t even wearing a helmet or protective gear.

This damn thing never thought to come pick him up.

Guan Ciyan wasn’t there. There was no point in going up the mountain anymore, and he couldn’t turn around.

The sky was pitch black, with scattered stars like coins falling out of a poor person’s wallet—small and few.

Jian Yang threw the car onto the road and started walking down the mountain.

He walked and cursed.

“I was just worrying too much! Can he die out here?”

Walking down the mountain was hard on the knees. The mountain wind was much colder than in the city, and Jian Yang shivered with each breath, his chest tightening and his throat aching.

In less than twenty minutes, his hands and feet felt stiff.

Isn’t this how people die while walking? Jian Yang thought. Why is it so cold?

Guan Ciyan was teasing Summer by the roadside, ruffling its fur. “You think he still hasn’t come? He’s so slow.”

“Could he still be waiting for me to pick him up?”

Guan Ciyan briefly had this thought but quickly dismissed it.

Even though Jian Yang wasn’t very competent, he didn’t often rely on others. If something happened, he wouldn’t wait for someone to come and help him. Guan Ciyan wouldn’t waste so much effort on him either.

Guan Ciyan slapped Summer’s butt, “Go, bring the person back.”

Summer received the order, regained his composure, and ran up the mountain.

Jian Yang saw a white shadow rush toward him and immediately blocked his chest with a branch he picked up. When he saw it was Summer, he rubbed the dog’s head, “Woo woo woo, the dog is so good.”

With Summer around, the terrifying feeling of tree shadows and autumn winds faded a bit. Jian Yang slowed his pace and started walking down. Guan Ciyan waited for a long time but still didn’t see either the person or the dog. He whistled, and Summer, hearing the sound, started running toward him.

Jian Yang was caught off guard, “Summer, don’t leave me behind!”

The dog ran ahead, and Jian Yang chased behind.

His blood flowed faster, his stiff limbs began to warm up, and his chest felt tighter. His breathing grew more rapid, and he unzipped his jacket, letting the cool wind in and pushing out the heat from his back.

Turning a corner, Jian Yang saw a figure sitting under dim lighting. His brain lagged behind his body, and before he could react, he quickly braked, letting inertia fling him forward.

“Ah—”

Guan Ciyan turned his head, pushed off his bent leg, stood up quickly, and caught Jian Yang in his arms.

Their chests collided, and Guan Ciyan’s cool body was enveloped in Jian Yang’s warmth. The muscles around his waist didn’t stiffen from running; they were still soft, like a ball of dough, sinking into Guan Ciyan’s palm. His arms felt the same, soft and sticky like steamed sticky rice.

Leaning against Guan Ciyan’s chest, Jian Yang wasn’t aware of it at all, “Wait a minute, wait a minute, take it slow.”

Jian Yang’s chest heaved visibly, resting in his bent posture, “I can’t run anymore, not even a step.”

Guan Ciyan muttered, “Useless, it’s only been a few steps.”

But his body didn’t move. With Jian Yang’s chin on his shoulder, they waited until Jian Yang’s breathing calmed down before Guan Ciyan said, “Get up.”

“Are you waiting for me, sir?” Jian Yang’s lips curved slightly, and his warm breath hit Guan Ciyan’s ear.

Maybe it was just Guan Ciyan’s illusion, but Jian Yang’s round lips grazed his ear, and a warm sensation brushed against his cool skin.

Under the golden-eyed, dark blue sky, brighter than the stars, Guan Ciyan forgot he hadn’t gone to pick him up. With his eyes wide open and sparkling, he muttered, “I’m really going to die from exhaustion.”

Guan Ciyan realized another trait of Jian Yang: he remembers food but not scolding.

No wonder he never learned his lesson after being scolded so many times.

Guan Ciyan was probably about to scold him again, but he opened his mouth and said, “Get in the car.”

Jian Yang remembered how Guan Ciyan had driven down the mountain, the tires brushing against the curb in a daring move, and silently took two steps back. “The car, the car is still up there. We need to drive it back.”

His fear and timidity were clear to Guan Ciyan, who smugly said, “Alright, let’s walk up then.”

Jian Yang deflated.

Riding up and driving the car back—what’s the difference?!

Damn dog!

He realized he couldn’t walk any further.

“Hold on tight.”

The motorcycle shot forward like an arrow from a bow.

“Ah—” Jian Yang gripped the sides of Guan Ciyan’s short sleeves and tightened his hold around his waist.

Guan Ciyan’s firm waist felt reassuring, and Jian Yang gradually relaxed as they took the turns.

The night wind made Guan Ciyan’s exposed arms feel cold. Under the dim light of the streetlamp, Jian Yang noticed the cuts on his right arm, some oozing blood, others just red marks. Jian Yang gently touched them with his fingertips.

Unlike his cold arms, Guan Ciyan’s entire waist and back emitted heat, their bodies pressed close together, both resisting the autumn night’s chill. Jian Yang rested his forehead on Guan Ciyan’s shoulder. When he saw him earlier at the turn, that was the moment Jian Yang truly accepted who he was: Jian Yang.

He had entered another world. Guan Ciyan was not just a paper figure in his mind; he was real, alive, with flesh and blood.

Under the night sky, his eyes, once wandering and empty, were the real soul of a villain as written by the author.

Jian Yang had no parents. He couldn’t empathize with Guan Ciyan’s experience of growing up with a father who abused him and being separated from his mother.

Before he saw that vacant look in Guan Ciyan’s eyes, Jian Yang always thought he had the perspective of a god, that he could break free of the plot. He had overlooked the fact that he had nowhere to run. This was the world he existed in, with fixed rules and real people, with real emotions.

Guan Ciyan’s voice came with the wind, “Do you know that riding a motorcycle requires controlling the strength of both arms?”

Jian Yang: “I didn’t know.”

“You really didn’t know, because you suddenly touched my wound, causing an imbalance in the strength of both my arms, and then we’d both fall off the cliff together. If you want to kill me, you don’t have to risk your own life.”

Jian Yang thought about how Guan Ciyan had come down the mountain earlier, and he truly didn’t care for his life. He covered his mouth and hugged him tighter. “Just drive well.”

“I don’t want to die yet.”