Chapter 66 I'm True "I'm also afraid of the dark, this alley, I..."

Jiang Yueming slowly squatted down on the ground. He looked helplessly at the empty street, feeling as if his heart was broken.

Why would Li Leshan think that way?

How could he possibly pity Li Leshan? Jiang Yueming truly, from beginning to end, only wanted to be kind to one person. But in that person's heart, his kindness was seen as charity and pity.

But I also said some harsh words to him. Jiang Yueming thought to himself. He really didn't know what he had done wrong. He had been very careful and considerate towards Li Leshan. He knew Li Leshan wouldn't accept him, so he tried many different methods. But why did it end up like this? He just wanted to be good to him, was that not enough? Then what should he do?

Li Leshan ultimately didn't take the money. It's unclear how he told Sister Xiuli; perhaps he wrote it down, since Sister Xiuli couldn't read sign language either. What were his feelings when he wrote it? Jiang Yueming didn't know.

“You don’t think I’m good enough at all…” Li Leshan’s expression and gestures kept replaying in Jiang Yueming’s mind. His injured expression and departing figure were things he had never seen before.

The words, "In your eyes, I am first a mute, and then Li Leshan," pierced Jiang Yueming's heart like a thousand wounds. He truly had never thought of it that way.

After that day, Li Leshan continued working at the Zhonghua Market as usual. Jiang Yueming did the same; he had been so determined to work, he couldn't just turn around and tell Cuicui he was quitting. Occasionally they would bump into each other, but they wouldn't exchange a single word.

Jiang Yueming watched his retreating figure from a short distance away, and recalled the image of him leaving alone that night, so resolute and heavy.

The supermarket provides meals, boxed lunches, which is quite good these days for summer jobs. I bought mine from a stall outside the market; it was a big pot of stew, about five or six yuan a serving.

Jiang Yueming squatted far away to eat, and for a moment he didn't see Li Leshan's figure. He wondered if Li Leshan had eaten. He subconsciously looked around and felt that the pickled vegetables tasted bland.

Upon closer reflection, there is indeed some bitterness.

If it weren't for what happened that day, he would be sitting and eating with Li Leshan right now, and the two of them would be laughing and talking...

"Xiao Jiang, are you eating?" Sister Xiuli walked over and greeted him. "I was just about to tell you to move a new batch of goods into the warehouse, but you're eating, so there's no rush."

“It’s okay, sis,” Jiang Yueming said, putting down the lunchbox with a quick and efficient motion. He was decisive when it came to work. “I’ll move it first, so it won’t block the way.”

He hurriedly put down his lunchbox and dashed to the supermarket entrance. It was rush hour, and vehicles like tricycles and trailers were all used for transporting goods. With so much cargo piled up on the roadside, it wasn't a good solution; it was blocking people's way.

"Can you handle this by yourself?" Xiuli's voice came from behind.

"Yes, I can!" Jiang Yueming said, showing he had the strength. These dozen or so boxes weren't a lot; it was just a matter of making a few more trips.

After two trips, he continued to carry three more cases of mineral water, which, when stacked up, reached just to his chest.

The next second, Li Leshan suddenly appeared in front of him. He silently moved the water tank from the cart and walked towards the warehouse without even glancing at him.

Jiang Yueming was stunned, and for a moment he forgot about the three boxes of water. He hurriedly put down the water and was about to chase after them when, before he could even call out "Lele," he suddenly tripped on the steps with his left foot and fell hard onto the concrete ground.

My arm collided squarely with the concrete, immediately scraping and drawing blood.

"Oh dear! Xiao Jiang, are you alright?" Sister Xiuli heard the sound and came over. When she saw Jiang Yueming sitting on the ground, her voice rose with concern, "Where did you fall?"

Before he could even think about his own pain, his gaze met Li Leshan's, who was standing nearby, and he was caught off guard.

"N-nothing." Jiang Yueming looked into Li Leshan's eyes, and he then remembered to get up from the ground. He casually patted his bleeding arm and smiled apologetically, "I... I didn't see the road clearly."

"Leshan...Leshan!" Sister Xiuli hurriedly called out to Li Leshan, "There's a pharmacy on the corner of the alley next to the Zhonghua Market, go buy some iodine, alcohol, and Yunnan Baiyao..."

Before she could finish speaking, and before Jiang Yueming could even finish saying "It's not that bad," Li Leshan ran out without another word. His retreating figure seemed so hurried, as if it were something extremely important.

"Hey, there's a tram! Let's ride there..." Sister Xiuli called out, but she couldn't call him back. By the time she finished speaking, Li Leshan had already run far away.

"You're so careless. Luckily, you didn't get any bruises or bumps on your face, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to explain it to Cuiqin," Sister Xiuli couldn't help but scold him.

"It has nothing to do with you, it's my own fault for being careless." Jiang Yueming wanted to continue moving the remaining boxes of water to the warehouse, but was firmly refused by Sister Xiuli.

About seven or eight minutes later, Li Leshan returned carrying a bag of medicine. His bangs were soaked with sweat, as was his short-sleeved shirt. It was midday outside, and the sun was blazing.

Jiang Yueming felt extremely guilty. He didn't dare to look Li Leshan in the eye, keeping his head down and staring intently at the cement floor.

Li Leshan deftly squatted down next to him and placed the medicine on the ground.

Jiang Yueming suddenly felt a little nervous, and her throat involuntarily went dry.

“I…I can do it myself…” Jiang Yueming said.

Li Leshan paused for a moment while holding the cotton swabs, then readily placed the small bag of swabs on the ground. His eyes lingered on the abrasion on Jiang Yueming's arm for a while, but he made no further move and turned to leave.

Watching Li Leshan's departing figure, Jiang Yueming finally felt a dull ache in his wound. The scraped area on the ground burned, but for some reason, it seemed to tug at his heartstrings as well. Was there some connection between them? Jiang Yueming didn't know; he only felt a throbbing pain in his heart.

As darkness fell, the Zhonghua Market gradually emptied out. Jiang Yueming sat on a stool, glancing occasionally at the cashier area. There were no customers now, and Li Leshan was taking off his vest.

He took off his coat, neatly folded it on the cash register, checked the lock on the counter one last time, and then he could go home.

Seeing that he was moving, Jiang Yueming quickly stood up. He also hurriedly took off his vest, ignoring the chafing on his arm, and quickly took a few steps to catch up with Li Leshan.

The Zhonghua Market is several kilometers away from Sanxiang. Two-thirds of the way is only illuminated by a few dim streetlights. The first time he parted ways with Li Leshan, he didn't feel any fear as he looked at the pitch-black night road. At that time, his heart probably couldn't accommodate any other feelings.

But now, the further he went outside the Zhonghua Market, the more his heart trembled.

Why is he still afraid of the dark after all these years? Did he think he was no longer afraid because Li Leshan always accompanied him on night walks in the past? So Jiang Yueming mistakenly thought he was no longer afraid?

He dared not get too close to Li Leshan, and could only follow at a distance, like a thief, but probably no thief would be as timid. The wound on his arm, which he had carelessly treated, was now aching again.

When a person is under high tension, they see danger everywhere. Even a stray cat that randomly darted out of the bushes startled Jiang Yueming so much that he wanted to run away. But he couldn't run; Li Leshan was still ahead, and he couldn't very well run up to him.

"Lele, wait for me." Jiang Yueming thought to herself as she watched his retreating figure.

But even if you call him now, he probably won't wait.

Gradually, Jiang Yueming slowed his pace. He had probably given up entirely; let whatever ghosts come, bring it on, he didn't care anymore. What was there to be afraid of now? If ghosts came, it would save him from overthinking.

It would be best if the ghost chased after him. A little excitement might just help him break the long-distance running record.

Dark, dim, dark, dim. Jiang Yueming looked at the road ahead, but Li Leshan was nowhere to be seen. He took a few more steps forward and finally stopped at the entrance of a narrow alley.

The power lines crisscrossed overhead, casting long shadows on the ground. The alley was just over a meter wide, and looking ahead, it was pitch black, giving the impression that it would never end. Jiang Yueming felt a little apprehensive. He stopped at the alley entrance, feeling as if lead had been poured into his legs, making it impossible for him to take another step.

What should he do? Should he grit his teeth and keep going? Jiang Yueming tried desperately to move, but even lifting a foot was difficult. Should he count to three, two, one, and charge forward?

Why couldn't he lift his foot? A nameless fear welled up inside him. Staring at the dark alley, Jiang Yueming's hands trembled involuntarily.

In a daze, Jiang Yueming heard a rustling sound. He stood there, staring at the empty alleyway, closed his eyes, and called out Li Leshan's name resignedly with a slightly trembling voice.

"Happy, happy..."

But he also knew that no matter how much he called, Li Leshan wouldn't appear before him. It turned out that from beginning to end, he couldn't walk this dark and empty road alone. Even though Jiang Yueming had grown from a tiny little boy to a six-foot-tall man, he was still incredibly timid.

Finally, the sound grew closer and closer, and Jiang Yueming could clearly hear her own heartbeat, which became more and more intense with each footstep.

The sound gradually stopped. Jiang Yueming opened his eyes. It was nothing like the long-haired female or male ghost he had imagined. To be honest, it had nothing to do with it at all.

Li Leshan stood quietly under the dim light, with darkness still behind him. But the moment Jiang Yueming saw him, her heart stopped beating so fast.

In an instant, all the fear, grievances, and self-blame surged into his heart like a tidal wave. Jiang Yueming's voice trembled slightly, and he finally couldn't hold back any longer, choking out, "Lele, I... I really care about you. It's not because I pity you... I really... really care."

"I'm just afraid you're too far away from me, I'm afraid you won't tell me anything, I'm afraid you're too tired..."

"I'm also afraid of the dark. I don't dare to walk alone in this alley."

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Author's Note: Updates should be faster later on. I will try to merge two chapters together whenever possible. I was looking at the draft late at night and thinking deeply. At this rate of update, I have a feeling that I don't know when I will finish updating... It's completely beyond my imagination!

I'm so afraid of being told my writing is awful and long-winded TvT I'm reflecting on it! I'm admitting my mistake! I'm outta here! (runs away at top speed)