My father's inheritance is my mortal enemy.

Zhou Yanshao looked at Li Bo with some surprise. After a while, he said casually, "It's not serious."

"You were sick six years ago?" Li Bo asked. "Why didn't you say so then?"

"There's not much to say."

Anyway, Li Bo didn't care. Six years ago, the things Li Bo said most often were, "When are you going back to Northern Europe?" and "Train hard," and nothing else.

Li Bo had no interest in Zhou Yanshao's life abroad during those two years.

As a man, Zhou Yanshao wasn't someone who couldn't handle even the smallest things and needed to seek comfort everywhere. His mental illness would worry his father and grandfather, and he tried his best to cooperate with the treatment, thinking that he would get better eventually. However, his father's unexpected death caught him off guard.

For Zhou Yanshao, the most important people left were Li Bo and Wan Gong.

One is too old to handle the workload. The other hasn't replied to messages for two years; we keep urging him to return to Northern Europe.

No one talks about Zhou Yanshao, and there's no way to talk about him.

After Zhou's father's funeral, Zhou Yanshao was injured. When he returned to the training base, he was actually very resistant to training, but he didn't tell Deman or the coach. He just kept trying to control his trembling limbs and continued training.

Zhou Yanshao wanted to win a trophy for Li Bo as a perfect way to conclude their two years of training at the Nordic base. He wanted to bring the trophy back home, bring glory to the country, achieve success in his career… and then, with the ability and assurance, propose to Li Bo.

But Zhou Yanshao was thinking too far ahead.

Li Bo broke up with him after less than a month of dating. Li Bo didn't want a long-distance relationship; more accurately, she didn't want to wait for him.

Li Bo felt exhausted, and Zhou Yanshao had no choice but to accept it. It would be more than a month before he could return to Beijing after the competition ended.

As a result, Li Bo did not wait.

Zhou Yanshao tried to persuade Li Bo to stay, but practical issues prevented him from making any demands on Li Bo. He thought that in a month... a month later, Li Bo agreed to come and watch his match. If Li Bo came, he would apply to be transferred back to Beijing.

Before he could even submit his application, Li Bo reunited with his childhood friend, and they were inseparable...

Zhou Yanshao was angry, but Li Bo didn't seem to care.

Li Bo said that if someone doesn't try to appease you, it means they're not important and you don't like them.

Li Bo never tried to coax him.

Zhou Yanshao understood everything. Sure enough, he didn't see Li Bo during the competition.

Li Bo simply didn't care. He didn't care about anything related to himself. He wouldn't come to the competition, and he didn't want Li Bo to return to the capital.

So Zhou Yanshao stayed in the cold Nordic countries for six years.

Six years later, Li Bo asked him why he hadn't told him.

This question came too late, so late that Zhou Yanshao no longer wanted to answer or explain it.

"Zhou Yanshao," Li Bo called softly, his eyes stinging, "Is it because I didn't reply to your messages that you got sick?"

"no."

Li Bo frowned slightly when he saw Zhou Yanshao lower his head.

"I didn't take good care of you before." Li Bo felt a little guilty. He and Zhou Yanshao were not on the same path. Li Bo thought that his existence was insignificant. He thought that as long as he dealt with all the troubles, Zhou Yanshao could marry someone new and have a happy family.

The truth is, for a full eight years, no one else appeared in Zhou Yanshao's life.

Li Bo never asked how hard Zhou Yanshao had worked during his years at the base. For Li Bo, living was the greatest luxury, to the point that he overlooked the fact that living like a walking corpse was no different from being dead.

He repeatedly ignored and treated Zhou Yanshao's emotions with indifference, causing him indelible harm time and time again.

Li Bo hoped that Zhou Yanshao would hate him, even more.

Hatred can be smoothed over by time. A person will encounter many things in life, but love will not. Even across thousands of kilometers, it will not easily disappear.

Zhou Yanshao's love for him far outweighed his hatred.

There can only be hate between them if there is love.

Zhou Yanshao rubbed his broad hands together. "It's alright, it's all in the past."

Seeing that he didn't want to talk, Li Bo stood up and sneezed.

Zhou Yanshao didn't move, but sat on the sofa looking up at Li Bo, hesitant to speak.

Li Bo pointed to the bedroom: "Is that the bedroom?"

"Um."

Li Bo received an affirmative reply, then stepped into the bedroom. The bed was very tidy, and there was a small balcony outside the bedroom. On the balcony was a table with an ashtray full of cigarette butts.

Li Bo turned to look at Zhou Yanshao on the sofa: "Can I stay here?"

"...?"

"I'm fine with sleeping on the floor," Li Bo said. "My bed in the dorm is dirty."

Li Bo's dormitory was dirty not only because of his bed, but also because of his sofa and the door.

Zhou Yanshao is the culprit and should be held responsible for Li Bo's accommodations, since it was Zhou Yanshao who insisted on squeezing in last night because it was too cramped.

Li Bo lost his way; he could no longer stay in his room.

After a few seconds of pause, Zhou Yanshao said, "No."

"Okay, I'll ask the others later."

"?"

Li Bo rubbed his temples. "I haven't been sleeping well lately, and I'm prone to sleepwalking."

"..."

Li Bo turned and came out of the bedroom. Zhou Yanshao stood up from the sofa, his tall figure blocking Li Bo's way. "I don't have any extra blankets here."

"It's okay, as long as there's a place to sleep."

"..." Zhou Yanshao said "oh", went back to his bedroom to tidy up, threw away the cigarette butts on the balcony, and cleaned up the entire room inside and out after leaving the bedroom.

Li Bo took off his coat without any qualms and lay down on the bed.

Zhou Yanshao took a shower, lay down, and turned off the light. In the dark bedroom, Li Bo glanced out the window and said, "It seems like you can see my dorm from here."

"cannot."

"Can't it?" Li Bo calculated the distance, thinking it was possible.

"have no idea."

"Okay, I'll check tomorrow morning."

"oh."

"Zhou Yanshao, have these past six years been tough?"

"Won't."

"Hmm." Li Bo's nose stung with tears. He turned back and looked at Zhou Yanshao in the darkness, his emotions well-hidden. "Have you ever hated me?"

Zhou Yanshao remained silent.

It took about a minute before he answered Li Bo: "Yes."

"What do you hate me for?"

"You're only interested in self-interest." He resented Li Bo for his poor judgment in judging people, for running off with someone at the slightest sign of kindness. He resented Li Bo for disappearing from the capital for the sake of his pride, and he also resented Li Bo for not going to watch the game six years ago and for never coming to see him.

Li Bo turned over to face Zhou Yanshao.

My chest felt tight, and there were many things I couldn't tell Zhou Yanshao.

Li Bo can't very well say, "I'm a pawn left to you by your father." Actually, your parents didn't die a natural death; they were poisoned. Your family has been torn apart for years, and you've also made enemies with the Li family. Beset by internal and external troubles, in order to save your life, I had no choice but to have everyone point their arrows at me, which is why I pushed you away time and time again.

Li Bo could have chosen not to do these things.

He chose to stay in the capital for Zhou Yanshao's sake.

Zhou Yanshao knew that Li Bo had originally planned to leave after graduating from high school.

Li Bo didn't leave; he stayed and even used his part-time job earnings to buy Zhou Yanshao a pair of shoes.

Zhou Yanshao had no idea that his self-perceived "good deeds" and promises from years ago would be accompanied by so many consequences.

If Zhou Yanshao knew the truth, he would feel very guilty.

Li Bo smiled and promised, "I won't do that again."