Chapter 117 Come on, kid, I'm rooting for you

His eyes were too clear, and the surprise was too obvious. Gu Nan laughed immediately, "Why are you looking at me like that? I'm serious."

"Money can't buy what you love. Many people never find something they truly love in their entire lives. They just drift with the flow, working hard but not seeing the future, never living for themselves. That's what makes people miserable."

No matter what era it is, people living at the bottom of society have a hard time. It would be fine if they were ignorant and confused all their lives, but what is terrible is that after seeing the world, they are sober and are dragged down into depravity by the people around them.

In the dilapidated buildings of the slums, liking someone is not just liking them, it is also the burning fire and hope in the young man's heart.

A person in trouble is like a ship in the waves. Only with an anchor and a goal can he find a way out in the vast ocean.

Gu Nan was very glad that he had not turned into the inhumane murderer in the later part of the original novel. He was also very glad that the scarred boy still had hope and yearned for sunshine.

Gu Nan patted his shoulder in a good mood and said, "If you can get into Tsinghua University, then you can definitely realize your dream. Come on, kid, I believe in you."

The touch under my hands was hard, and even through the sweater and school uniform, I could still clearly feel the thin and bony shoulders, which were gaunt and thin.

Qi Yan was frightened by Gu Nan's sudden physical contact. He subconsciously leaned back and put his hands in front of him in a vigilant protective posture.

Most of the remaining half of the tea spilled on his body because of this action, and the soaked tea leaves stuck to his clothes, like a ball of gray-brown rotten leaves.

Gu Nan was stunned, and his hand, which had not yet been retracted, stopped in mid-air.

I didn't expect his reaction to be so intense.

Did he think she was going to hit him? Was it the psychological trauma of domestic violence?

When Qi Yan made that move, it was completely instinctive. When he reacted, he couldn't help but hold his breath.

The warm air seemed to compress rapidly in an instant, making his chest stuffy and unable to breathe.

The nightmare of the beating followed him everywhere, and the suffocating cruelty had unconsciously affected his social life.

Qi Yan put down his hand stiffly, bent down and placed the cup on the coffee table.

“Boom.”

After a crisp collision, he stood up suddenly, lowered his head, and left in a hurry.

He walked so fast that his right leg limp was particularly obvious, and his tall and thin figure looked very disheveled.

Gu Nan wanted to call him, but he had no good reason, so he could only watch him open the door and leave.

The old elevator door opened, and the creaking sound echoed throughout the entire floor.

He left.

The short conversation ended in such an absurd way that Gu Nan fell on the sofa feeling a little sad.

She looked at the dirty water stains on the ceiling and couldn't help but sigh.

What a sin.

＊

As soon as he opened the door, biting cold air rushed in from all directions. He couldn't help but shiver, but he didn't stop and walked towards the elevator with a clear goal.

It was not until he walked in and the elevator door closed that Qi Yan leaned against the wall and let out a whimpering moan.

He held his head with both hands, his slender pale fingers entangled in the thick black hair, which activated the wounds caused by Qi Feng's scratching at night. The unbearable pain continued to stimulate his fragile nerves.

This was not the first time he had behaved strangely in front of others, but no matter how many times it happened, it was still a devastating blow to him.

He could accept his humble origins, poor family circumstances, and distorted parent-child relationship, but he could not accept that his body, mind, and even soul were branded with violence.

He would rather have nothing than have Qi Feng leave those ugly and dirty things in his bones.

He didn't want to, but he was forced to accept the nightmares and cowardice that Qi Feng gave him under repeated beatings.

He hated himself for being like this, but he was powerless to change.

Qi Yan scratched the red, swollen and itchy chilblains on his fingers hard, as if to vent his anger, and he did not stop even when the skin was broken and bleeding.

It was not until the elevator arrived with a "ding" sound and the last wave of residents getting off work at night poured into the narrow cabin, and the dilapidated elevator groaned under the heavy load, that he woke up from his dream and limped out.

He stood at the door and looked back. The people who had just finished their night shift all had tired faces. Even if they had dressed up brightly before going out, they were now covered in dust and dirt, and their eyes were dull and lifeless as they stared straight ahead. They were squeezed in the elevator like sardines, and looked at Qi Yan who was standing outside the elevator, with the same numb and hopeless expressions.

Qi Yan looked at them and seemed to see himself a few years later.

He entered the society at a loss, and was exploited by his boss. He had no extra effort and time to nurture his dreams, and the final outcome was only failure.

People living in slums are those who have been filtered by poverty. They are vicious and snobbish, busy and idle, but still continue this numb and miserable life.

But some people are born standing in the clouds. They look down at the humble ants on the ground and laugh: the poor are lazy pigs.

The elevator door closed, ending the sparkless eye contact between the two sides.

The biting cold wind was like a surging tide, washing away the remaining warmth in his body wave by wave.

Qi Yan stood at the entrance of the dark corridor, looking up at the tall buildings in the distance that looked like giant beasts. It was grinding its teeth and claws in the darkness, with its bloody mouth, waiting for him to feed it.

Further up, some low clouds reflected the colorful halo of the holographic projection, which was even more beautiful than the aurora near the Arctic Circle.

He stared blankly for a while, then moved his inconvenient right foot and slowly walked into the dark alley.

Every time he was kicked out, he would go to the nearby alleys to rummage through the trash cans. If he could find some cans, plastic bottles, or other metal products, he would collect them and sell them.

If you are luckier, you may pick up a bottle of the "Warm Winter" beverage, the latest product launched by Vicostar. Each bottle can be sold for 5 yuan and can be exchanged for money in any convenience store or supermarket.

He was lucky enough to pick one up two days ago, but it was snatched away and he couldn't keep it.

He has to be more careful today and exchange the money immediately if he finds anything.

But he was not lucky today. He walked around outside for most of the night and didn't see a single thing. He didn't even pick up many cans.

He was a little sleepy, but he knew that Qi Feng and Xu Yuelian either went to the card room to play cards all night or went to sleep, and would not open the door for him. If Qi Jiang wanted to play games, the door would not be opened for him either.

Qi Yan was carrying a bag of bottles and staggering towards home.

The heavy snow was still falling, landing on the gray and dilapidated streets, covering the gray buildings with a layer of pure white putty, making them much more eye-catching.

However, the other snowflakes that did not fall on the buildings were not so lucky. The moment they fell, they melted in the dirty puddles and were polluted into black and smelly water.

He carefully avoided puddles and took every step carefully, but he was still splashed with mud.

Gradually, he stopped being picky and just went wherever he wanted, and it was clean.

He flattened the bottle downstairs, walked to the door, spread the bag on the ground, sat on it, curled up his legs, hugged his chest with his hands under his armpits, closed his eyes and was about to fall asleep.