Chapter 3: Hug me

Yu Yan stared at the young man in front of her, so shocked she couldn’t speak.

It really was He Shuliu.

He actually came back on his own.

Yu Yan stared at him blankly, seeing that he was drenched from head to toe by the rain, yet those bright, clear eyes still looked at her eagerly. For some reason, her nose stung with a sudden ache.

She must have been too scared.

He Shuliu’s gaze roamed over her face—intense and deep, brimming with the yearning of regaining what was lost.

His lips parted, as if he wanted to say something, but then his eyes caught sight of the kitchen knife in her hand.

Yu Yan noticed his gaze and immediately put the kitchen knife down: “This is just to guard against bad people.”

The implication being, he wasn’t a bad person.

He Shuliu smiled, droplets of water trailing down his chin: “Did I scare you?”

Yu Yan noticed his voice wasn’t as clear as usual, a little hoarse and rough, like someone who’d been thirsty for a long time.

“No.” She shook her head. “It’s cold outside, come in first.”

In truth, she had been startled by him, but not because he appeared suddenly—rather, it was because he had disappeared. Thankfully, he finally came back—and came back alive.

Yu Yan quietly breathed a sigh of relief and stepped aside to let He Shuliu in.

He must have been caught in the rain for a long time; when he entered, a faint chill drifted in with him, cool and biting.

Yu Yan couldn’t help but glance at him again.

They hadn’t seen each other for three weeks; his hair seemed a bit longer, and he looked thinner, making the lines of his jaw even sharper and more defined.

His pants and shoes were the same as the ones he wore the night they broke up, but his top was a brown jacket, now covered in mottled mud stains.

Yu Yan had never seen him wear that jacket before.

Was it an old piece from before? Or did he just buy it recently?

Yu Yan didn’t keep guessing—her mind wasn’t in the mood for that now.

“Go take a shower first.” She said to He Shuliu, “Your clothes are where they used to be, and you can grab a clean bath towel too.”

“Okay.” He Shuliu replied softly and obediently went to the bedroom for his clothes.

Yu Yan felt a tangle of emotions.

She’d originally planned to pack up He Shuliu’s clothes and mail them to him. After all, things had ended so badly, anyone would want to avoid another meeting.

But before she could even start packing, He Shuliu disappeared, and that plan was left on hold.

Who would have thought it’d actually come in handy now.

While He Shuliu showered, Yu Yan tidied up the guest room a bit and brought out a clean quilt.

Back when she and He Shuliu lived together, they always slept in the same bed at night, so the guest room had never been used.

But now that they’d broken up, it’d be awkward to keep sharing a room—it was better to sleep separately.

Still, He Shuliu might not even stay the night…

Just as Yu Yan was mulling this over, the bathroom door opened.

“Yan Yan?” She heard He Shuliu calling for her.

“I’m here.”

Yu Yan put down the quilt and turned, about to walk out, when a shadow suddenly fell over her.

Startled, Yu Yan almost bumped into him.

“Careful.” He Shuliu caught her wrist, his fingertips damp and cold, with traces of lingering moisture.

Yu Yan, still a bit shaken, looked up at him.

Why did he walk so quietly??

Maybe it was because she only had a desk lamp on—the guest room was dim, making He Shuliu’s figure appear especially tall, like a dark silhouette, giving off a vague sense of pressure.

Yu Yan: …“Why didn’t you dry your hair?”

Against the light, He Shuliu’s hair looked pitch-black, slightly curled from the damp, clinging wetly to his cheeks. Droplets traced winding paths down the side of his face.

“I heard the door open, thought you went out.”

He Shuliu looked down at her, his long, strong fingers still resting on her wrist, showing no sign of letting go.

“So you didn’t even dry your hair before coming out to look for me?” Yu Yan was a bit exasperated. “Did you even check what time it is? It’s pouring outside—where could I possibly go?”

He Shuliu didn’t answer, just kept staring at her.

His gaze was so direct that Yu Yan gradually felt uncomfortable.

It felt like… his separation anxiety had gotten even worse.

Did something happen?

Yu Yan pressed her lips together: “Go dry your hair first, I’m not going anywhere.”

With that reassurance, He Shuliu finally let go.

His lingering gaze drifted over Yu Yan’s face before he turned and left the guest room. That almost oppressive feeling faded away with him.

Yu Yan couldn’t help rubbing her faintly aching wrist bone.

He must have gone through something unusual—that’s why he was so tense.

Could he really have been kidnapped?

It’s totally possible—he’s healthy, good-looking…

The more Yu Yan thought about it, the worse it seemed. She even started considering whether she should book a consultant for He Shuliu.

Five minutes later, He Shuliu came out of the bathroom with his hair dry.

Yu Yan was sitting on the sofa. Their eyes met, and he walked straight over.

Yu Yan scooted to the left side of the sofa.

She hadn’t forgotten that they’d already broken up, so she deliberately left him plenty of space.

But He Shuliu didn’t seem to notice.

He sat right next to her, their shoulders touching, just as intimately as before.

Yu Yan hesitated, but in the end, didn’t remind him.

Forget it—he’d just been soaked to the bone; he probably hadn’t recovered yet. No need to fuss over it.

“……”

Yu Yan paused, wondering where to start asking questions, but He Shuliu spoke first.

“Hmm?” He looked at the mug on the coffee table, puzzled. “Wasn’t this mug broken?”

Yu Yan:

She should’ve put it away earlier.

“I saw it was still usable, so I got someone to fix it.” She lied without batting an eye.

She couldn’t possibly admit she glued it back together out of guilt—that would be too embarrassing.

Hearing this, He Shuliu’s lips curled up, his eyes sparkling with joy.

Did he think she fixed the mug because she wanted to get back together?

Yu Yan almost explained, but then thought better of it. He Shuliu had just come back—if she accidentally upset him again, she couldn’t bear the consequences.

To be safe, it was best not to mention the breakup for now.

Yu Yan glanced at the mobile phone next to the mug and probed, “Did you get the messages I sent you?”

“Messages?” He Shuliu paused, as if recalling, then shook his head regretfully. “No, my mobile phone ran out of battery.”

Yu Yan found it odd: “I messaged you a week ago. Your mobile phone’s been dead this whole time?”

“I went somewhere with bad signal,” He Shuliu said simply. “Couldn’t charge it there.”

“Where?” Yu Yan was even more puzzled. “Up in the mountains?”

She couldn’t imagine anywhere in modern society where you couldn’t even charge a mobile phone.

He Shuliu looked thoughtful: “You could say that.”

Yu Yan stared at him.

He had a pair of innocent, puppy-like eyes, long lashes, pupils darker than most, so clear they seemed utterly pure.

Often, even if he did nothing, those eyes alone could easily earn others’ trust.

But Yu Yan knew—he wasn’t as “innocent” as he looked.

When he didn’t want to be honest, he’d lower his lashes and give you a vague answer.

Just like now.

It seemed he wasn’t planning to tell her where he’d been.

Realizing this, Yu Yan didn’t get angry.

She didn’t like prying into others’ privacy. As long as He Shuliu was safe, she didn’t mind if he kept his distance.

Yu Yan felt more at ease and continued, “So why did you come back in the middle of the night, and in that state?”

She’d noticed when he came in—he was soaked, his pants smeared with mud and unidentifiable stains. She couldn’t figure out how he got like that.

“The rain kept getting heavier. I was afraid it’d be unsafe to stay on the mountain, so I came back early.”

Though he said it was dangerous, He Shuliu’s expression was calm, even a little careless.

Yu Yan: “And those mud stains on you…?”

“It’s nothing, I just slipped coming down the mountain.” He Shuliu smiled carelessly, then turned to look at her, his eyes shining with a moist gleam.

“Are you worried about me?”

Yu Yan fell silent for a moment: “I thought something happened to you.”

He Shuliu blinked: “Something happened?”

“Yeah.” Yu Yan said seriously, “You didn’t reply to my messages, and you didn’t renew for the online foster kitten. I thought something happened to you.”

Hearing this, He Shuliu’s gaze softened: “If something really happened to me, what would you do?”

Yu Yan: “I’d call the police.”

In fact, she already had—twice.

“That’s it?” He Shuliu sighed in mock disappointment. “I thought you’d come looking for me.”

She really had been planning to go out and look for him just now.

Yu Yan replied calmly: “It’s better to leave things like that to professionals.”

“But I wanted to see you.” He Shuliu looked straight at her. “While we were apart, I wanted to see you every moment.”

Yu Yan said nothing.

He Shuliu tilted his head slightly, his voice soft: “Are you still mad at me?”

Yu Yan didn’t know how to answer so he’d understand.

Honestly, she hadn’t been angry for a long time—but not being angry didn’t mean they could get back together.

They really weren’t suited for each other. She’d realized that clearly the first week after the breakup.

She believed He Shuliu would realize it soon, too.

“Let’s not talk about this. Get some rest.”

Yu Yan got up, “We have work tomorrow.”

He Shuliu looked disappointed.

Yu Yan pretended not to see it and was about to head to the bedroom when He Shuliu suddenly grabbed her hand.

“I’m a bit cold. Can I sleep with you?” He looked up at her, eyes full of pleading. “I won’t bother you.”

Yu Yan had thought he just wanted to stay over, but hadn’t expected his request to go even further.

Whether or not it was appropriate, if they slept together, how could it not be a bother?

Yu Yan wanted to say so, but seeing He Shuliu’s pitiful look, she just couldn’t bring herself to refuse.

“Alright.”

“

With her answer, He Shuliu’s eyes curved into a satisfied smile.

…She couldn’t help feeling like she’d fallen into his trap.

Yu Yan ignored him, grabbed her pajamas, and went to shower.

By the time she finished and got into bed, it was already 3 a.m. It was still raining outside. He Shuliu drew the curtains and lay down beside her.

When she felt him pull up the covers, Yu Yan turned off the lamp and lay on her side, back to him.

The room was pitch-dark.

Yu Yan closed her eyes, trying to summon sleepiness, when a hand suddenly settled on her waist.

Lightly, coolly. She didn’t need to guess who it was.

So much for not bothering her.

Yu Yan was about to remove his hand when He Shuliu, lying behind her, suddenly spoke.

“I almost thought I’d die today.”

His voice was gentle, blending with the patter of rain outside, unexpectedly soothing.

Yu Yan’s hand paused, then she let it fall back.

“What, did you run into a mudslide?”

“No.” He Shuliu seemed to smile. “Just got hit by something.”

“Hit by what?”

“Someone.”

Yu Yan:

What’s so scary about being bumped by someone? Unless the person who hit him was Superman?

“Were you hurt?”

Maybe it was because He Shuliu’s voice was so soft, or maybe because her worries had finally eased, but Yu Yan started to drift off.

“No,” He Shuliu’s voice dropped even lower, “it just hurt a bit.”

Yu Yan mumbled sleepily, “Where does it hurt?”

He Shuliu didn’t answer. In the darkness, he silently moved closer, resting his chin on the top of her soft hair.

“Yan Yan,” he murmured, “hold me, please.”

He was pushing his luck again.

Thinking this, Yu Yan slowly turned over, wrapped her arms around his waist, and buried her head in his chest.

His body was cold, as if he’d been soaking in rain for a long time.

Yu Yan vaguely heard him let out a low sigh.

Did she touch a sore spot?

Yu Yan loosened her grip uncertainly, but He Shuliu pressed her back.

He hugged her tightly, back slightly arched, every part of his body pressed close to hers.

Yu Yan even felt it was a bit too tight.

But she didn’t push him away.

She was too tired, too sleepy.

As her consciousness blurred, she caught a faint metallic scent from He Shuliu’s body.

Hidden beneath the scent of shower gel, it was like rain mixed with earth, and also a rusty, bloody smell.

Yu Yan subconsciously sniffed again, a hazy question flashing through her drowsy mind.

He Shuliu wasn’t hurt, so where was the smell of blood coming from?