Sweetie, sleep with me tonight.

Zhao Yuan frowned: "What text message?"

He Zhuo calmly gave me his phone number: "A year ago, this number started sending me a lot of offensive text messages every day."

"I really didn't know. My phone was lost a year ago and I still haven't found it." Perhaps worried that he would misunderstand, Zhao Yuan explained somewhat hastily, "I didn't send those text messages, I swear."

He Zhuo stared intently at his face.

It's been ten years since we last met. Even though we've all grown up, we can still see glimpses of our childhood selves in every little thing we do.

He Zhuo lowered his gaze, which fell on his half-eaten hands and feet.

His thin lips were pressed tightly together. He neither questioned nor believed, and remained silent, simply standing there quietly, as if he had fallen into a world where time had stopped.

Seeing that he didn't speak, Zhao Yuan explained again: "Chi Kuo, you know what kind of person I am. I would never do such a dirty thing, especially not to you."

"Okay, I understand."

"..."

Zhao Yuan froze, staring at the man in front of him.

His expression was calm, his eyes expressionless, making it impossible for anyone to discern his true thoughts at that moment.

Just as he was about to say something, He Zhuo added, "It's late, let's go back."

After saying that, he pulled Jiang Youxi and turned to go into the house.

Back in her room, Jiang Youxi walked to the window and looked at the man in the courtyard.

He sat in his wheelchair, head bowed, shoulders hunched, motionless, like a lifeless stone statue.

As night slowly fell, he gradually merged with the darkness until he was erased by it.

The streetlights came on one after another, illuminating the courtyard and restoring its light.

The wheelchair finally started moving and slowly drove away from the Meng family courtyard.

-

Jiang Youxi turned back to the hall and happened to see He Zhuo standing by the window, staring blankly at the courtyard.

His arms hung naturally at his sides, a cigarette between his fingers, but he didn't smoke it, letting the cigarette burn little by little until it burned to the end, scorching his fingers.

Jiang Youxi was startled and quickly snatched the cigarette from his hand and stubbed it out.

He Zhuo then snapped out of his daze and looked at her: "What's wrong?"

Jiang Youxi threw the cigarette butt into the ashtray, took his hand in her hands, and carefully examined his burned fingers: "You burned your fingers with the cigarette, didn't you feel it?"

He Zhuo's gaze fell on his fingers.

My fingers were burned red, and the skin felt numb and painful.

He forced a smile: "It's okay, let's cut the cake first, otherwise we'll miss our turn."

He turned to leave, but the little girl stopped him.

"What's wrong?"

"He Zhuo, are you happy?"

He Zhuo didn't understand, but still hummed in agreement: "Happy."

"No," Jiang Youxi shook her head, "He Zhuo, you seem very down and unhappy."

He Zhuo looked slightly taken aback and couldn't help but look at her.

"He Zhuo, you're struggling with something," Jiang Youxi guided him. "Or rather, you don't know how to face Zhao Yuan, right?"

Just as Zhao Yuan said.

He wanted to talk to He Zhuo.

Similarly, He Zhuo also wanted to talk to him.

However, due to what happened back then and the fact that they hadn't seen each other for many years, an unavoidable estrangement and distance arose between them.

I want to talk, but I don't know where to begin.

Therefore, they were both stuck in a stalemate, neither daring to nor knowing how to take that step.

"Yes, I really don't know how to face him comfortably," He Zhuo said, looking at the empty courtyard. "Xi Xi, we can't go back to the way things were."

"Do you believe what he said?"

"What did you say?"

"He didn't send those text messages."

"I never believed it was him who posted it."

Why?

"He has no hands or feet, how can he send it?"

"Is that really all there is to it?"

He Zhuo looked at her.

Jiang Youxi said firmly, "He Zhuo, you still consider him your best friend, right?"

Childhood friendships are pure and passionate; how could they possibly be severed overnight?

He Zhuo's gaze faltered slightly, and his eyelids drooped.

"He Zhuo, do you still think of yourself as the same Chi Kuo you were when you were a child?"

"Yes."

"Then Zhao Yuan is the same." Jiang Youxi encouraged him, "Azhuo, you can see it too, right? He's still the Zhao Yuan you knew when you were a child, he hasn't changed at all."

She could tell that He Zhuo's feelings were very complicated when facing Zhao Yuan.

He knew it wasn't his fault, but every time he saw Zhao Yuan's hands and feet, he couldn't remain indifferent, stand aside, and calmly say that none of this had anything to do with him.

He Zhuo couldn't do it.

This is the human heart—complex and ever-changing, without reason, and difficult to determine right or wrong.

Therefore, Jiang Youxi could understand his feelings.

Jiang Youxi gently patted his hand: "He Zhuo, go find him and have a good talk with him. Don't let your worries and hesitations cause you to miss this opportunity and leave you with lifelong regrets."

He Zhuo stared at her blankly.

The girl smiled gently but firmly: "We'll wait for you to come home so we can cut the cake together, okay?"

-

Zhao Yuangang had just returned to his doorstep when he happened to see Zhao Fei talking to Wang Han.

"Brother Fei, the matter is settled, as for the money..."

"Has everything been taken care of?"

"If it weren't for your brother's sudden appearance, we would also..."

He had barely finished speaking when he was kicked in the chest and fell to the ground.

Zhao Fei stubbed out his cigarette and threw it viciously at him: "You haven't even finished the job, and you still want money? You fucking think money is so easy to earn?!"

"You—" Wang Han clutched his chest as he stood up, "You're not going to pay, are you?"

"Give it to your mother! Get out!"

Zhao Fei's face was ferocious and he was full of murderous intent. Wang Han was ultimately wary of him and left reluctantly, suppressing his anger.

Zhao Fei pursed his lips, turned around, and went back into the house.

"Did you instigate those people to cause trouble at the Meng family's house?"

Zhao Fei paused, then turned around.

Upon seeing Zhao Yuan, he grinned and said, "Brother, where have you been? I've been looking everywhere for you."

He strode over and offered to help push his wheelchair.

Zhao Yuan pressed the brake button with his elbow, and no matter how much Zhao Fei pushed, the wheelchair did not budge.

Zhao Fei's face showed impatience: "Zhao Yuan, what do you mean?"

Zhao Yuan met his angry eyes and asked, word by word, "I'll ask you one more time, did you order those people to come?"

Zhao Fei sneered and released his grip: "I did it, so what? Shouldn't that Chi Kuo compensate you, compensate our Zhao family?"

"So you sent those text messages too?"