The thin, underdeveloped boy had his eyes completely blocked when he lowered his eyes. He was shrouded in the shadow of a tree, illuminated by the broken sunlight. He stood quietly in front of Chu Yigui, as if he was an inconspicuous piece of gravel that could be kicked at will.

Sitting in the car, Chu Yigui kept an eye on the movements of Wan Qiu and Yang Xiaoyu, and did not miss the hideous purple bruises on Wan Qiu's abdomen.

Now his slender arms loosely covered his lower abdomen, which was the boy's last means of self-protection. He closed his eyes slightly as if waiting for something.

Wan Qiu’s words made Chu Yigui completely stunned.

Wan Qiu was implying that he was ready to be beaten and that he was prepared to accept the pain that might come.

But no one knows whether the gravel is willing to be kicked, and humans are not stones. Pain is the body's warning and a sign of being rejected.

"I'm sorry, I don't understand what you mean. What do you mean by 'don't hit here'?" Chu Yigui thought there was a deviation in their communication.

Wan Qiu pursed his lips: "It hurts more than usual when you hit here."

Wan Qiu blinked, realizing he had misunderstood. He gave up even his last futile resistance. He lowered his hands to protect himself, leaving himself defenseless.

Chu Yigui half bent down and looked straight into Wan Qiu's eyes.

"Why would I hit you?" Chu Yigui's voice was gentle, with subtle induction, trying to find out the meaning behind this action, "What words or actions of mine made you feel that I wanted to hit you?"

Wan Qiu stared into Chu Yigui's eyes and opened his mouth: "You are unhappy."

For Wan Qiu, it was difficult to use more complex words to describe the emotions displayed by Chu Yigui.

At this moment, Chu Yigui seemed to understand something.

Even though Chu Yigui's smile still remained on the corner of his mouth, his gaze towards Wan Qiu was already somewhat complicated.

Chu Yigui was very smart and immediately understood that the fleeting emotion that could not be hidden just now was captured by Wan Qiu.

Chu Yigui concealed his surprise at Wan Qiu's sharpness and spoke in a slightly lower voice than before: "Why should I hit you just because I'm unhappy?"

Wan Qiu lowered his eyes, his shoulders were more hunched than before, his body was tense, and his head was lowered, as if he would not be noticed even if he was trampled into dust by the crowd.

Chu Yigui couldn’t see Wan Qiu’s eyes, perhaps Wan Qiu didn’t want him to see them. He straightened up and looked down at the whorl of Wan Qiu’s slightly long hair.

Wan Qiu refused to answer his question.

Even though they were the same age, Chu Yigui saw a weak child who did not match his actual age, trying to protect the evildoer with silence.

"If you're unhappy, you'll be beaten." Chu Yigui thought carefully, trying to understand the logic, "Did someone do this to you?"

Wan Qiu's body was stiff, and his fingers subconsciously grasped the hem of his clothes. Perhaps because he was too thin, any slight body language would be magnified.

Chu Yigui frowned. Wan Qiu's shrinking made Chu Yigui realize that the logic that if you are unhappy, you will be beaten is probably engraved into Wan Qiu's instinct.

"Can you look up at me?" Chu Yigui found a more convenient way to ask questions, the way a child who is not good at hiding, or does not understand how to hide, should communicate.

Wan Qiu was very obedient. He raised his head, a hint of fear still lingering in his clear eyes, framing Chu Yi in them.

"Who is doing this? Who is going to hit you because he is angry?" Chu Yigui asked.

Wan Qiu looked away.

But a hand touched Wan Qiu's cheek, causing Wan Qiu's pupils to reflect Chu Yigui's shadow again.

Chu Yigui captured Wan Qiu's sight again and stared into his eyes seriously: "Who is doing this here? Dad? Mom? Grandma? Relatives? Elders? Classmates? Friends? Neighbors?"

Every time Chu Yigui read out a name, he would pause, and from Wan Qiu's unconcealed expression, he was sure of at least the first three.

Chu Yigui took a deep breath, and the fingertips that were touching Wan Qiu's cheek seemed to feel a slight pain.

In the not-so-cool summer, my fingertips feel icy cold.

"Are you just going to let people beat you?" You have hands and feet, you're not disabled, you can run, you can't fight back but at least you have to know how to run.

Wan Qiu shook his head: "I can run."

“Then why don’t you run?” Chu Yigui heard the answer, but the confusion that gradually filled him did not dissipate. If he would run, why did he still stand here when he thought he was unhappy?

"We are friends." Wan Qiu said.

Chu Yigui opened his mouth, but just asked: "If we are friends, then you won't run away?"

Wan Qiu nodded: "Friends should be together."

Chu Yigui frowned slightly: "Are you like this to all your friends?"

Wan Qiu shook his head.

"Only me?" Today was the first time Wan Qiu met Chu Yigui, and this was only the second time Wan Qiu had a real conversation with him.

"Yes." Wan Qiu replied.

"Why?"

"You are my only friend." Wan Qiu looked at Chu Yigui's clear and bright eyes. When this sentence came out, Chu Yigui saw Wan Qiu's emotions for the first time.

It was as if I had witnessed a calm, transparent and clear lake, and suddenly a little red fish named joy jumped up.

Chu Yigui suddenly fell silent.

My heart felt as if it was pierced by a swaying fish tail, it was itchy and uncomfortable.

Chu Yigui felt something pinching his neck, blocking his voice.

Chu Yigui thought, hesitated, and tried before speaking again.

"I'm not unhappy, and I won't hit you. I just have something I want to do, but I'm a little embarrassed and don't know how to tell you."

"What's the matter?" Wan Qiu suddenly relaxed his whole body and believed it without any doubt or precautions.

Chu Yigui couldn't look at the completely trusting eyes, so he looked away and said, "I want to go to your house, is that okay? Don't friends always go to other people's houses?"

This was the first time Wan Qiu heard such a request.

It was also the first time that someone asked him to be friends.

What should friends be like? There are many different kinds of friends among classmates. Dad has his friends, and mom has her friends.

Dad would bring his friends home to eat and drink, and Mom would also bring her friends home to chat and drink.

Mom didn’t say he couldn’t bring friends home. So can he do it?

He can do everything that his parents do.

Bring your friends home.

"Okay." Wan Qiu sorted out his logic about friends and said, "I'm going home now. I'll take you home."

Although the language was strange, Chu Yigui got approval.

"Thanks."

When Wan Qiu turned around, Chu Yigui saw Wan Qiu's profile.

He is actually very beautiful.

Faintly, Chu Yigui saw the even more beautiful Wan Qiu at that moment. His lips were pursed, with the corners of his mouth slightly raised.

But Chu Yigui couldn’t tell whether that fleeting happiness was imaginary or real.