Chu Yigui took Wan Qiu to the hospital for a check-up. The doctor looked at the X-ray and said it was just a sprain. He advised her to go home and apply ice, and to rest carefully during the recovery period and avoid heavy lifting.

Zhou Peiyu stayed close to Wan Qiu, anxiously running to the doctor's side to listen, but even though the results showed no problems, she was still full of worry.

Wanqiu was in the same dance class as her, but she sprained her ankle.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I really…” Zhou Peiyu apologized to Wan Qiu repeatedly. “Is there anything I can do? Just tell me and I will do it.”

Zhou Peiyu felt uneasy. Wan Qiu hadn't said a word. Was it because he was angry with her?

Are you unhappy because your mistake caused Wanqiu to get injured?

"I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention, I'm really sorry."

Even though Zhou Peiyu had apologized countless times, no matter how he apologized, the unease in his heart remained like a tangled vine that he could not shake off.

Zhou Peiyu faced Wan Qiu, but dared not look at Wan Qiu's silence any longer.

Suddenly, a hand appeared in her field of vision, slowly reaching out towards her.

Those beautiful fingers tugged at her sleeve, pulling her out of her chaotic anxiety. Zhou Peiyu immediately looked up and was suddenly met with eyes that held no blame.

The thin boy in the wheelchair said his first words to her upon arriving at the hospital: "I'm sorry."

For a moment, Zhou Peiyu froze, and asked blankly, "Sorry for what?"

"I twisted my ankle." Wan Qiu's fingers seemed to be trying to grip Zhou Peiyu's sleeve tightly, but in the end they let go. Wan Qiu lowered his head. "I couldn't join the party until the end."

At that moment, Zhou Peiyu felt it was absurd.

Why are you apologizing? It's clearly my fault!

Zhou Peiyu still remembers that Wan Qiu cushioned her fall; it was Wan Qiu protecting her.

"It's not like we can't have another party. Even if you're in a wheelchair, we can still get together. But an injury takes a long time. Don't you have any concept of what an injury is? You don't know that you can't dance anymore because you're injured!?"

Chu Yigui watched quietly from the side, without saying a word.

"It's alright," Wan Qiu replied. "Being injured is fine, it doesn't hurt."

Zhou Peiyu was utterly shocked. Wan Qiu's tone and expression were completely taken for granted!

Zhou Peiyu's guilt and absurdity were completely intertwined, making her words increasingly incoherent.

"That's so strange! How can you not feel pain when you're injured?! Don't you know how to take care of yourself?" Zhou Peiyu's anger was ignited by the absurdity.

“I’m used to it…” Wan Qiu murmured, her eyes wide.

"Habit? What did you get used to? Tell me how you got used to it?"

Zhou Peiyu's mind was filled with thoughts like "Can I get used to the pain?" Was he just teasing her?

It would be better to just blame her directly!

“My parents used to beat me a lot…” Wan Qiu lowered her head, hesitated for a moment, and then answered Zhou Peiyu’s question very honestly, “They beat me so much that I got used to it.”

Chu Yigui's eyelashes trembled slightly.

"Your parents still hit you? And often? Isn't that domestic violence? If they abuse you, you can call the police and have them arrested. Why are you using this as an example?" Zhou Peiyu's voice rose.

However, this time it seemed that her parents were mentioned, and Wanqiu actually felt a little rebellious compared to before.

"No, why call the police?" Wan Qiu's voice was trembling with rapid breathing.

“Because hitting someone is wrong!” Zhou Peiyu’s words instantly made Wan Qiu’s eyes widen.

Having become accustomed to speaking, understanding, and conversing, how could Wanqiu not understand the meaning behind these words?

For Wan Qiu, being beaten was a normal thing.

He had spent his entire life like this before.

But now, why should we talk about his past, which is all inappropriate?

To Wan Qiu, Zhou Peiyu's words sounded like a denial of his parents and of him.

Something he had deliberately ignored seemed to be drawn back into the beginning.

Zhou Peiyu's firm denial became the final straw that forced Wanqiu to face reality.

"Haven't you ever been beaten before?" Zhou Peiyu actually stirred a small spark in Wan Qiu's heart, a burning sadness that left Wan Qiu at a loss, and some words slipped out.

“No, my parents never hit me! Only your parents hit you!!” Zhou Peiyu said firmly.

Wan Qiu's eyes widened.

“Other parents don’t hit their children either, you’re wrong! Your parents are wrong!” Zhou Peiyu said firmly, giving Wan Qiu no room to avoid the matter again.

Chu Yigui looked at it, his expression slightly somber.

Should we stop it?

Perhaps... it would be better not to stop it?

Is Wanqiu in a suitable position to receive this kind of information right now?

Or is it already too late?

Chu Yigui tried to assess the situation, but Zhou Peiyu's voice reached Wan Qiu's ears even faster.

“I hit him because of love…” In Wanqiu’s mind, this was the most basic equation.

It's just that I'm different from others, so I get beaten up more often.

“They love me very much,” Wan Qiu emphasized loudly, a rare occurrence for him.

Zhou Peiyu failed to see the panic in Wan Qiu's eyes, and she couldn't understand Wan Qiu's current thoughts.

However, he said to Wanqiu again, "You still think you love me after I keep hitting you? If you love me, would you really hit me like this? Why don't you go ask other people and see who acts like you?"

"Your younger brother brought you to the hospital because he was afraid you would be in pain, but your family beat you even more severely and got used to it without taking you to the hospital? Don't you know which is more serious?"

"My God, don't you have some common sense issues?!"

Suddenly, Wan Qiu reached out and grabbed Zhou Peiyu's wrist hard. This was an emotion Wan Qiu had never felt before.

These words completely overturned Wanqiu's understanding.

An unprecedented sense of fear almost completely blocked Wanqiu's thoughts.

Zhou Peiyu's wrist was gripped by Wan Qiu, and it hurt a lot, so he subconsciously cried out in pain.

Wan Qiu was a boy, and no matter how thin and small he was, he was still a boy. His strength terrified Zhou Peiyu.

Suddenly, Wanqiu's view was blocked.

Chu Yigui stood behind Wan Qiu and covered Wan Qiu's eyes with one hand.

Wanqiu felt his hand being grasped by an even larger hand, enveloped in a familiar warmth.

"Brother, calm down."

Chu Yigui repeated these words in Wanqiu's ear.

"Calm down, calm down, let go, she's in a lot of pain."

Under Chu Yigui's reassurance, Wan Qiu released his grip.

In the darkness, nothing could be seen, yet Zhou Peiyu's words kept repeating in Wanqiu's ears.

Zhou Peiyu withdrew her hand; her wrist was already red and painful.

“Wanqiu…” Even though Zhou Peiyu didn’t know what Wanqiu was thinking, she could see very clearly that Wanqiu was trembling.

Did she say something wrong?

Did she do something wrong?

"You..." Zhou Peiyu tried to say something more, but Chu Yigui interrupted her.

"I'm sorry, my brother isn't feeling well today. Could you please go home first?"

Zhou Peiyu was taken aback: "But..."

“Brother’s injury is nothing serious, he just needs to rest more, don’t worry.” Chu Yigui still covered Wanqiu’s eyes. “I will contact you again later. Can you let brother have some peace and quiet now? Our mother will be here soon.”

"But his mother isn't..." Will she hit him?

When Zhou Peiyu met Chu Yigui's gaze, he was unable to finish his sentence.

“Our family situation is rather complicated. My brother will tell you when there’s a chance.”

Chu Yigui embraced Wanqiu like an eagle protecting her under its wings, his sharp gaze making her dare not resist.

"Thank you for your help today, goodbye."

Zhou Peiyu took two steps back: "I...I understand. If anything happens, you must tell me."

Zhou Peiyu left, turning back every few steps, clearly still very worried.

But Chu Yigui didn't look at her again.

Chu Yigui could easily imagine how chaotic Wanqiu was right now.

After nearly half a year of study, Wanqiu is adapting quickly.

Gradually, he also came into contact with some things that he had never thought about or paid attention to before.

Although the Chu family members were revealing some things to Wanqiu, they didn't expose Wanqiu's fantasies about the past as bluntly as Zhou Peiyu did.

But sooner or later Wanqiu will find out that his past was not full of love.

He'll find out sooner or later that the person he loves doesn't love him back.

Chu Yigui knew very well that she had done something that was not in line with her personality today.

He went against Wanqiu's own wishes.

This stemmed largely from his personal concern for Wanqiu.

Perhaps Zhou Peiyu should have been stopped, but Chu Yigui did not.

Isn't it too early?

Should we deceive Wanqiu one more time?

Or should we just let him understand?

Chu Yigui's judgment was clouded by her own emotions.

But from that moment on, Wan Qiu went from trembling to calm, and never uttered another word.

When Yang Xiaoyu arrived, she immediately examined Wan Qiu's injuries.

Fortunately, just as they said on the phone, it was just swelling, and there were no other problems.

Yang Xiaoyu's worries eased a little, but when she looked up to comfort Wan Qiu, she suddenly saw a look in Wan Qiu's eyes that she had never seen before.

That is...

Yang Xiaoyu stared blankly, her beautiful eyes filled with an empty gaze.

"Mom, can you come with me for a moment?" Chu Yigui said to Yang Xiaoyu. "It's just a short distance away where you can see my brother. As long as we can't hear each other talking, it's fine."

Yang Xiaoyu frowned, handed Wan Qiu over to her assistant Zhao Jingyue and the driver, and followed Chu Yigui to the side.

Chu Yigui briefly recounted the conversation between Wan Qiu and Zhou Peiyu.

Yang Xiaoyu's brows furrowed even more after hearing this.

"How could it have turned out like this?" Yang Xiaoyu's head throbbed with pain.

Although I knew long ago that letting Wanqiu come into contact with other people would inevitably bring these problems to the forefront.

Since Wan Qiu and Zhou Peiyu started getting to know each other, they have gradually begun to discover some anomalies that were not usually noticeable.

And now we've finally touched on the most sensitive topic.

If possible, Yang Xiaoyu would like Wan Qiu to know what kind of people Ning Qiaozhen, Ning Hai, and even Wan Xiaohua are.

But she was always worried about whether Wanqiu could accept this fact.

Chu Yigui wanted to know what Yang Xiaoyu would do.

It means postponing the problem.

We should just face this issue head-on.

Chu Yigui recalled Wan Qiu's expression at that time.

That wasn't the look of shock after being completely unaware of the situation.

It was more like a breakdown from not daring to admit that their conjecture had finally been confirmed.

He probably sensed something was wrong.

Now Wanqiu has to face the filth that covers him.

Wan Qiu remained silent.

More silent than ever.

Even with Yang Xiaoyu by his side, Wan Qiu was less affectionate than usual.

"Mom, my brother must be very confused. Whatever we do now will only make him more confused."

Yang Xiaoyu sat in the car, rubbing her temples. Chu Yigui's words echoed in her ears, leaving her unable to do anything.

When Wanqiu knew nothing, he could face him directly and was willing to get close to him.

But now that Wanqiu understands everything, what should we do to be in Wanqiu's best interest?

When Wanqiu returned home, he sat in the family's wheelchair.

She still eats well as always, and even finishes the fruit salad after meals. She washes herself and goes to bed on time.

They continued living their normal lives as if nothing had happened.

But Yang Xiaoyu didn't dare leave Wanqiu alone, so she stayed by Wanqiu's side.

Because Wanqiu did not communicate with anyone.

Wanqiu, who could only focus on one thing, was completely caught up in his own chaos.

Those tiny, everyday details completely overwhelmed Wanqiu.

What he ignored, what he didn't want to remember, kept resurfacing in his mind.

Zhou Peiyu's words extinguished Wan Qiu's subconscious self-deception.

It was as if they were frozen in cold ice and thrown into the deep sea.

Unable to move, he could only watch the light recede further and further away from him.

Unable to put up any struggle.

Wanqiu didn't know how she fell asleep.

But he had a dream again that he hadn't had for a long time.

The last time was on the day Ning Qiaozhen abandoned him.

This time, those scattered fragments, completely buried in the corners of memory, shed their dark shadows and were clearly revealed before Wan Qiu's eyes.

He was forced to recall vague, forgotten memories.

Those words that I couldn't understand in my dreams before, I can understand clearly this time.

Wan Qiu sat in the empty space, yet the words from the book kept appearing before his eyes.

He saw everything he had experienced with his grandmother and parents.

But this time, the words in the book trembled rapidly, filled with a black, malevolent aura that seemed about to overflow from them.

"Why did I have to go through this? It's clearly their fault! Why am I the only one getting beaten? Why do I have such a family? I'm disgusted to have crawled out of their stomachs!"

"You don't want to be my friend? Just because my grandma is mentally ill? Do you want to be her grandson?"

"Do you think I'd want to be friends with you? If you dare to insult me ​​again, believe me, I'll bite you to death!"

In Wanqiu's memory, he was abandoned when he stood beside his playful friends.

Wan Qiu remained on the sidelines the whole time, doing nothing.

However, in his writing, he actually had a fierce fight with the friend who abandoned and despised him.

The villagers who used to occasionally give him some vegetables or a meal now express their utter disgust with malice in the book, and harsh words constantly surround him.

"Is that mentally ill person's child crazy? He bit my son's ear until it bled."

"It must be a hereditary mental illness. It's terrifying. We can't let our children play with him in the future."

“He actually stole my son’s food, and when my son tried to take it back, he threw all the food to the dog.”

Everything Wanqiu experienced in her memories is presented from fragments of those memories.

It was completely different from what Wanqiu knew.

What is presented in the words is another, unfamiliar version of myself.

In Ninghai and Ning Qiaozhen's rented apartment, the home he cherished.

"You old bastard, do you believe I'll kill you? I'm not even an adult yet, so even if I kill you, it won't affect me."

"Give me the money, or I'll call the police!"

Finally, Wan Qiu saw the names of Yang Xiaoyu and Chu Jianshu.

"You lost me? All those years of living a shitty life were because you lost me?! You think you can make it up to me now? Whatever you do want to make it up to me is what you should do!"

"Second brother? You have the nerve to call yourself my second brother? Don't you feel ashamed? I'm in this state because of you all!"

"Chu Yigui, you've stolen the trash from my life, I'll make sure you never have a good time!"

"Love? The only person in this world who loves me is myself!"

Countless, pitch-black liquids, reeking of decay, made Wanqiu feel as if he were in the center of a garbage dump.

All around were abandoned, and some were even maliciously damaged, garbage.

The hostility, curses, and anger emanating from those words poured forth across the world of Wanqiu.

Memories that were once considered beautiful are now being stripped of their sweet coating, revealing a nauseating stench amidst these curses.

That's incorrect.

These are things that will be hated.

He must have learned to react this way.

Filled with countless acts of malice, Wanqiu was unable to resist the emotions emanating from these words.

They seemed to be rotting fish and shrimp, brimming with malice, wanting to touch Wanqiu and forever stain it with an inescapable, pungent odor.

—I curse you.

Wanqiu hugged himself and covered his ears.

I dare not look at those words again, nor dare I listen to any sound.

Despite her best efforts, she was powerless to resist. Wan Qiu wanted to refuse, but she couldn't break free no matter what she did.

The agonizing, suffocating world tightened little by little, trying to tear his soul apart.

Don't come any closer.

The world silently prays.

Don't come any closer.

This time, however, Wanqiu didn't know who to pray to.

——

Wanqiu has a fever.

Yang Xiaoyu noticed it in the middle of the night and immediately took him to the hospital.

Despite their best efforts in treatment, Wanqiu remained asleep.

It was more like a coma than sleeping.

Wanqiu slept for two days straight and couldn't wake up.

The entire Chu family was alarmed. Wan Qiu's condition was too strange, and they couldn't figure out the cause no matter what they did.

Yang Xiaoyu looked worried; she had become too haggard. She had been by Wan Qiu's side the whole time, and her once exquisite appearance was gone.

Wanqiu's vital signs remained within the normal range, yet he remained asleep.

Apart from Yang Xiaoyu, most of the Chu family members were in the hospital room, waiting for any problems that might arise at any time.

No one could have predicted that this event would have such a huge impact on Wanqiu.

Yang Xiaoyu was in very poor mental condition. Chu Jianshu forcibly fed her medicine and made her sleep next to Wan Qiu.

Chu Yigui, who was already on winter break, did not leave Wan Qiu's side.

She took care of Wan Qiu, and she also took care of Yang Xiaoyu.

Chu Yigui gazed at Wan Qiu, who was in a semi-conscious state, but felt an even more indescribable emotion.

He indulged his feelings of worry for Wanqiu, which led to trouble.

He should perhaps have gone along with Wanqiu's wishes and let the gathering pass by unscathed.

Or, upon discovering the anomaly, guide Wanqiu once again to ignore the matter.

Why didn't you do anything?

Chu Yigui never knew what his intentions were in letting this happen.

Chu Yigui sat by Wan Qiu's bedside, her little finger secretly hooking into Wan Qiu's finger.

Calm.

But Chu Yigui felt as if he were in the midst of the clamor, with those chaotic and rebuking words constantly echoing in his ears.

Suddenly, Wan Qiu's finger twitched.

It was like a twitch in a dream, but this tiny touch suddenly made Chu Yigui perk up and pay attention to Wan Qiu.

Wan Qiu opened his eyes.

The warm morning sun shone into the snow-white ward, casting a soft halo over Wanqiu's entire body.

Wanqiu's pupils were unfocused, filled with confusion, as if he were still immersed in a dream.

Chu Yigui held his breath and focused intently, paying close attention to the slightest changes in Wanqiu.

Wan Qiu's eyes slowly moved, looking at Chu Yigui.

At this moment, Chu Yigui even forgot to breathe.

Those eyes seemed to have weathered a storm, yet they still retained the clearest light, like sunlight breaking through the clouds after a storm, illuminating a faint rainbow.

Chu Yigui unconsciously tightened her grip on Wan Qiu's hand.

Wanqiu opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

But Chu Yigui understood.

They were using familiar words.

But these were words that Chu Yigui did not understand.

--sorry.

In Wanqiu's eyes, it was as if a frozen, transparent water bottle had returned to a warm, sun-drenched world, and an unseen chill was emanating from within.

As the moisture accumulated, it eventually slid down Wanqiu's cheeks.

Tears kept falling, as if releasing the icy coldness that had been frozen deep in Wanqiu's eyes.

Chu Yigui simply watched, unable to react in any way.

"Baby? Is baby awake?" Suddenly, Yang Xiaoyu, propping herself up on the cot next to her, saw Wan Qiu's open eyes.

Wan Qiu looked at Yang Xiaoyu.

"Baby, you scared Mommy to death!" Yang Xiaoyu rushed to Wan Qiu's side, cupping Wan Qiu's cheeks in her hands and looking at her over and over again, as if afraid that this was just her imagination.

Chu Yigui stepped aside and stood to the side, but looked at Wan Qiu.

"Don't cry, why are you crying, baby? Don't be afraid, Mommy is here."

Yang Xiaoyu kept comforting Wan Qiu, stroking his cheeks, touching his forehead, and kissing away his tears.

But Wanqiu had no sad expression; her eyes were calm, yet she couldn't stop the tears from flowing.

It seemed as if it wasn't Wanqiu who was crying.

Wan Qiu cried for a long time, and no matter how much Yang Xiaoyu wiped away her tears, she didn't stop.

Wanqiu, who had recovered much of his vitality thanks to the efforts of everyone in the Chu family, seemed to have his soul torn apart, returning to his most ignorant state.

Wanqiu's tears took a long time to stop. Her eyes were red, and she was as quiet as a toy that needed to be wound up, unable to move on her own.

Chu Yigui stood aside, pondering repeatedly.

But no matter what, he couldn't understand why Wanqiu's first words upon opening his eyes were "I'm sorry."