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Yu Yan relaxed and fell asleep again.
Moonlight streamed in through the gap in the curtains, flowing along He Shuliu’s thick black hair. It was as if the darkness swallowed it whole, unable to reflect even a sliver of light.
He Shuliu slowly lifted his lashes, his gaze lowering to rest on Yu Yan’s delicate, luminous profile.
She was probably having a nightmare; she suddenly woke up, her breathing quick and shallow, and even reached out to feel for him.
Was it a nightmare about him?
Maybe the things he said last night were too frightening and accidentally scared her.
29th Anniversary
● Jinjiang Literature City
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He knew she’d spent the whole night looking up information about Parasitic Worms, reading countless Real Cases, from transmission to fatality, thorough and meticulous.
She probably really thought he’d been bitten by a Parasitic Worm, and that it was the contagious kind.
Although it felt really nice to have her worry about him, he didn’t want her to worry too much.
It seemed he’d have to go to the hospital tomorrow.
He Shuliu stared at Yu Yan without blinking, lowered his head slightly, and placed a gentle, silent kiss on her forehead. It was as light as a drifting feather, leaving no trace of its presence.
Yu Yan’s lashes fluttered twice, and she unconsciously burrowed her face into his chest, continuing to sleep peacefully.
He Shuliu slowly tightened his embrace around her, his long, strong arms encircling her thin shoulders and back, holding her captive in his arms, and finally closing his eyes in contentment.
The next day, Yu Yan left the house together with He Shuliu.
She went to work, and He Shuliu went to the hospital.
Not long after she arrived at her desk, He Shuliu sent her a selfie taken in front of the hospital.
[Here.]
In the photo, He Shuliu flashed a peace sign, his smile bright, teeth white, and his slightly upturned eyes as dark and luminous as gems, sparkling in the sunlight.
In the background of the photo, a few young women could be seen lingering, and though they were blurry, it was clear they were secretly taking pictures.
They probably mistook He Shuliu for some minor celebrity.
Sitting in front of her computer, Yu Yan calmly snapped a photo of her clean and tidy desk.
[I’m here too.]
After sending her reply, she glanced up to see her department head walking in her direction, and quickly locked her phone screen.
Fortunately, He Shuliu didn’t message her again after that, and she was busy with work, barely checking her phone.
It wasn’t until lunchtime that her good friend Song Jianing called.
“How’s it going now? Did you find your ex-boyfriend?”
Yu Yan found a quiet spot to answer the call. “I found him.”
Song Jianing was one of her few close friends. They’d played together since childhood and even got into the same university.
Even though they no longer lived in the same city, they still kept in touch, calling and meeting up from time to time to check in on each other.
Aside from the Police, Song Jianing was the only person Yu Yan had told about He Shuliu’s disappearance.
Of course, it wasn’t that Yu Yan had told her proactively, but because Song Jianing had seen the missing person notice Yu Yan posted online and called to ask about it. That’s when Yu Yan told her what was going on.
Song Jianing’s husband was a Lawyer, and he’d also given Yu Yan some advice on how to file a report more efficiently.
“You found him?” Song Jianing’s surprised voice came through the phone. “Is he okay? Is he missing any arms or legs?”
“No, he’s fine. His mental state is good too,” Yu Yan didn’t go into too much detail, so as not to worry her. “I already went to the Police Station and closed the case.”
“That’s great…” Song Jianing was genuinely happy for her. “Did you ask him where he’s been all this time? Why did he suddenly disappear for so long?”
“I asked. He said he went up the mountain, and his phone ran out of battery with nowhere to charge it, so he didn’t see my messages.”
“Yeah, right. What era are we in? How hard is it to charge a phone?” Song Jianing said. “He was probably just sulking, right? After all, you just dumped him, and it’s normal for him to have trouble swallowing his pride.”
Hearing this, Yu Yan looked a little troubled.
“I think… he might not care much about pride.”
“How so?” Song Jianing asked.
Yu Yan sighed. “After he came back, he came straight to see me, and acted just like before. He never even mentioned the breakup.”
“Hm… that just means he doesn’t want to break up with you.” Song Jianing said. “Isn’t that good? He doesn’t hold grudges, doesn’t need you to support him, and even cooks for you. If you don’t dislike him, just keep dating!”
“I don’t dislike him, but the problem is…” Yu Yan looked helpless, “I don’t like him.”
“Don’t like him? What do you mean?” Song Jianing pressed curiously. “Is it that you don’t like him now, or you never liked him?”
Yu Yan thought for a moment and answered, “Never liked him.”
“Ah??” Song Jianing made a confused sound. “If you never liked him, how did you two get together in the first place?”
That was a difficult question to answer.
Yu Yan didn’t respond immediately. Her thoughts drifted back to the first day she met He Shuliu.
That day, the weather was terrible—a heavy rainstorm.
Yu Yan usually didn’t go home at noon, but by coincidence, she’d left an important document at home that she needed that afternoon, so she braved the rain to fetch it.
After finding the document, she didn’t have time for lunch. She bought a box of Sour Milk and a Sandwich from a nearby convenience store and was about to head back to the office. But the rain was pouring so hard, it was impossible to get a taxi, and she was too impatient to wait, so she opened a ride-hailing app and started walking while waiting for a driver to accept her order.
The sky was gray, rain pouring nonstop, and there were hardly any people on the street.
Yu Yan walked alone under her umbrella, breathing in the damp air. She’d felt a bit annoyed at first, but after walking in the rain for ten minutes or so, her mood gradually calmed.
Since graduating from university, she’d rarely walked aimlessly like this.
After becoming a corporate drone, she was always busy, always planning, always anxious. Even on her days off, she was unwilling to waste a single moment of leisure.
After all, time is money, capital, the thing you can least afford to waste.
But at that moment, Yu Yan suddenly felt that, once in a while, it wasn’t so bad to waste a little time like this.
Anyway, her life didn’t have much meaning.
With that not-so-optimistic thought, she walked a bit further, passing by the familiar Qingxi Park and glimpsing the old, worn-out amusement rides.
The park had been abandoned for a long time, too old and dilapidated. Yu Yan passed by it every day on her way to and from work, but rarely saw anyone there.
So when she saw those empty rides, she didn’t think much of it—just gave them a habitual glance.
Then she noticed someone sitting on the bench under the tree.
That person had no umbrella, was soaked through, and sat alone, quietly watching the amusement rides, who knew what for.
Did they forget to bring an umbrella? Or were they in trouble and couldn’t move?
Yu Yan was a bit curious and walked closer. Maybe sensing her gaze, the person looked up at her.
Yu Yan suddenly stopped in her tracks.
The rain was heavy and there was some distance between them; she couldn’t actually see his face clearly.
But she saw his hair was drenched, his bangs messy, and his vaguely desolate expression felt inexplicably familiar.
He looked a lot like the little dog she’d had as a child.
It was a plain yellow Chinese Rural Dog, lively and mischievous, utterly ordinary, the kind no one would spare a second glance at on the street.
But Yu Yan had loved it dearly.
The little dog had accompanied her through her entire adolescence, through those oppressive and endless days. She’d planned to take it with her after graduation, but it fell ill and left her before she could graduate.
It took her a long time to recover from the grief, and she gradually forgot what the little dog looked like.
But now… she saw a trace of her little dog in this stranger?
She must have been overworked.
Even as she found it unbelievable, Yu Yan couldn’t help but walk over to him.
The person didn’t move, just quietly watched her approach.
Even when Yu Yan stopped in front of him, he didn’t get up to leave.
Yu Yan held her umbrella, finally getting a good look at his face.
He seemed tall; even sitting, his long legs were obvious. The bench’s height restricted him, but he didn’t seem to mind.
His nose was high, features well-defined, with sharp yet gentle looks—very striking, nothing like her little mutt.
But he still reminded her of her dog.
Yu Yan guessed it was because of his slightly drooping eyes, the pupils large and dark, just like a puppy’s, which gave her that illusion.
Even now, as he lifted his lashes and silently looked at her, she felt as if her old dog was watching her.
“Are you alright?” Yu Yan worried he’d think she was crazy, so she tried to speak, “I saw you sitting here, not moving. Are you feeling unwell?”
The rain-soaked young man blinked, quietly studying her, then smiled a little.
“I’m fine,” he said, “I’m just hungry.”
Hungry? Was it a blood sugar issue?
Yu Yan had experienced low blood sugar before and knew how awful it felt.
She thought for a moment, pulled out the Sandwich and Sour Milk she’d just bought, and after rummaging a bit, found two pieces of Chocolate—the only ones she had.
She couldn’t even remember when she’d put those chocolates in her bag, but luckily, they hadn’t melted.
Yu Yan tilted her umbrella forward to shield the young man’s head, then handed him the Chocolate.
“Eat these two pieces of Chocolate first. You’ll feel better after.”
The young man looked at her in surprise, seemingly not understanding her kindness.
But he didn’t say anything, just reached out, took the Chocolate, tore open the wrapper, and ate it neatly.
Yu Yan thought he was way too trusting—probably a naïve and silly college student.
After he finished the Chocolate, Yu Yan handed him the Sandwich and Sour Milk.
“Take these too. They’re cold now, but I just bought them.”
This time, the young man didn’t take them. He tilted his head and looked at her, saying directly, “I don’t have any money.”
Yu Yan was stunned for a moment. “I didn’t ask for money.”
The young man looked into her eyes for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled, his eyes curving.
“Then thank you.”
He took the Sandwich and Sour Milk, poked the straw into the Sour Milk box, showing no trace of politeness.
Yu Yan wanted to watch him finish eating, but her phone rang. Looking down, she saw the taxi she’d ordered had arrived.
“I think I see you. Are you the girl with the umbrella under the tree?”
“Yes, could you drive a bit further? I don’t want to get wet.”
“Sure, but hurry up. You can’t park here.”
“Alright.”
After hanging up with the Taxi Driver, Yu Yan saw the young man watching her and apologized, “Sorry, I have to get to work.”
The young man blinked. “Now?”
“Mm.”
The taxi honked as it pulled up. Yu Yan didn’t have time to say more, so she stuffed the umbrella handle into his hand. “Take this umbrella too. When you finish eating and feel better, head home quickly. If the rain gets heavier, it’ll be harder to walk.”
The young man looked puzzled. “If you give me the umbrella, what will you use?”
“I have another one at my company.”
Not wanting the driver to rush her, Yu Yan said this and walked toward the taxi. As she opened the door, she waved to him, then ducked into the back seat.
Once inside, the driver asked gossipy, “Miss, is that your boyfriend?”
“No.”
Yu Yan shook her head.
The driver tsked, “He kept looking at you, though!”
Hearing this, Yu Yan turned to glance out the window.
The young man’s figure grew more and more blurred in the rain. She couldn’t see his face, only that he was holding the umbrella and hadn’t moved from his spot.
Like a lost puppy.
After that day, Yu Yan started seeing He Shuliu often in Qingxi Park.
Sometimes he’d be slouched on the bench, sometimes lying on the grass with his knees up, sometimes lazily sprawled on the seesaw, with a plump Orange Tabby Cat sitting opposite him.
This park had been abandoned for so long that even on sunny days, few people lingered. His presence among the broken rides was especially eye-catching.
At first, Yu Yan just assumed he liked hanging around the area. Plus, she was always either going to or coming from work, not convenient to get out of the car, so she never greeted him.
That went on for more than half a month. One day, she got off early near the park to shop.
She’d barely walked a few steps when someone tapped her shoulder.
Yu Yan turned around in surprise and saw the young man who was always hanging around the old park, his smile bright and refreshing.
“I finally caught you.”
Strictly speaking, this was their second meeting.
And it was during this meeting that Yu Yan learned He Shuliu didn’t actually like Qingxi Park—he’d just been waiting for her.
He didn’t know her name or where she lived, so he could only wander around the park every day, hoping to run into her again.
When Yu Yan heard this explanation, she was silent for a while. “Didn’t you ever think I might never pass by here again?”
“This is the road you have to take to work, isn’t it?” He Shuliu’s tone was light, but there was a seriousness in it. “As long as you don’t quit your job, I’ll always be able to wait for you.”
That was the first time Yu Yan vaguely realized that He Shuliu was an incredibly persistent person.
After that, their interactions gradually increased, and Yu Yan learned more and more about He Shuliu.
It turned out that the day he sat alone on the bench in a daze, it wasn’t because he felt unwell, but simply because he was in a bad mood.
That day was his parents’ death anniversary.
He’d once been from a wealthy family, his parents loving, a picture-perfect home. When he was sixteen, his parents died in a car accident. His grandparents didn’t care for him, his maternal grandparents had passed away early, and with no one to take him in, he started living alone.
When He Shuliu was little, the three of them often strolled through Qingxi Park together. He’d played on every ride there countless times.
After his parents died, he never went to Qingxi Park again, not even pausing when he passed by.
When Yu Yan saw him, he’d already been sitting there a long time.
The rain that day had come suddenly. He hadn’t brought an umbrella, and couldn’t be bothered to go home, so he just sat there waiting for the rain to stop.
“Good thing the rain didn’t stop.” Later, He Shuliu grinned at her. “Otherwise, you wouldn’t have noticed me, right?”
Yu Yan couldn’t remember what she’d said in reply.
But she thought, if she’d known things would turn out like this, she never would have walked up to him, let alone given him Chocolate.
Dogs aren’t supposed to eat Chocolate—she knew that perfectly well.
And now, she was getting her retribution.