On a sweltering summer night, a sudden downpour brought much-needed relief to people suffering from the heat, and smiles that had not been seen for a long time appeared on their faces.

As night fell and darkness deepened, Lu Huai, who was only eight or nine years old at the time, returned home with the two yuan he had received from the empty bottle in his hand...

"mom?"

Where are you going?

Seeing his mother carrying large bags and small packages, looking like she was about to go on a long trip, Lu Huai immediately became anxious and rushed forward to hug his mother's waist, refusing to let go.

"Lu Huai, please take good care of yourself. Your mother is truly powerless to help you."

After saying that, Lu's mother cruelly pulled Lu Huai's hand away and pushed him hard, letting the young boy fall to the ground, his arm even scraped and bleeding slightly.

"mom!"

"Don't leave me!"

"don't want!"

Seeing his mother run into the heavy rain without looking back, Lu Huai staggered to his feet and chased after her departing figure.

"mom……"

"don't want……"

"Don't leave me..."

In the pouring rain, Lu Huai could only watch helplessly as his mother rushed into a man's umbrella, was embraced by him, got into a car, and drove away...

Throughout the entire process, Lu's mother never turned around to look at him.

Not even a single one...

The scene then shifts again.

A familiar, staggering figure appeared in the rain, carrying a bottle of liquor as he walked towards Lu Huai.

"You little bastard?"

"Why aren't you at home? What are you doing lying here?"

As he spoke, the man reached out and grabbed Lu Huai by the collar, lifting him up.

"Clap clap clap!"

The man's large, resounding slaps landed on his face, one after another, each blow extremely heavy...

"You little bastard! Are you mute? I'm asking you a question!"

Lu Huai, however, seemed to be in a daze, staring blankly in a certain direction...

"Bang!"

The drunk man angrily kicked Lu Huai.

The boy's thin, frail body collapsed helplessly in the heavy rain. He curled up in pain, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

"mom……"

The boy's faint murmurs began.

"No...no...leave me..."

"You little bastard!"

"Just like your bitch mother, always trying to provoke me!"

"If it weren't for you two unlucky guys, I wouldn't always lose at gambling!"

"You bitch!"

"Bastard!"

"Bang!"

"Bang bang bang!"

The man was clearly drunk, his face flushed an unnatural red, and his eyes were glazed but filled with a fierce look.

He continued to swing his fists, one after another, raining down on Lu Huai's thin, eight- or nine-year-old body like a storm...

Lu Huai neither struggled nor dodged, letting him vent until his vision became increasingly blurry and his consciousness completely disappeared into darkness.

"No, no!"

"don't want!!!"

Lu Huai suddenly opened his eyes and sat up, his eyes still filled with a bright look of terror.

"What's wrong?"

Qin Wan was startled awake by his sudden large movement and looked at him with concern.

Upon seeing Qin Wan, the confusion and unease in Lu Huai's eyes gradually faded...

He grabbed Qin Wan and hugged her tightly, his arms tightening around her...

The image of him lying in a hospital ward, surrounded by doctors performing emergency treatment, gradually faded from his mind...

very nice.

He is still alive.

very nice.

He met her.

"do not leave Me……"

"OK……"

"OK?"

Lu Huai pleaded desperately, again and again.

From childhood to adulthood, he has had almost no obsessions or attachments.

Apart from Lu's mother's departure back then, only Qin Wan remains today.

Over the years, many people have been interested in him and tried to get close to him, but he has never really cared about anyone.

Only Qin Wan...

He didn't know why, but even though they had only known each other for a short time, it felt like an eternity had passed in a single glance, and he had decided on her at first sight.

"good."

"I will not leave."

"I will never leave."

As she spoke, Qin Wan hugged him tightly back, trying to give him the sense of security he needed in this way.

Lu Huai's breathing and emotions gradually calmed down...

A few minutes later, he released his grip on Qin Wan and cupped her face in his hands.

To Qin Wan's astonishment, Lu Huai lowered his head and sealed her rosy lips with his, pulling her down and pressing his weight onto her...

Qin Wan: "..." I'll let it slide since you're so fragile!

Upon noticing Qin Wan's response, the extraneous emotions in Lu Huai's eyes gradually faded, leaving only deep love for Qin Wan and a strange sense of peace.

very nice……

He was fortunate to meet her.

"Qin Wan..."

"I love you……"

"I love you too……"

In this way, they give each other the sense of security and happiness they desire through the most intimate way that couples do.

-

He Liunian returned a week later.

He Liunian stared blankly for several seconds before he came to his senses, looking at Qin Wan and Lu Huai's hands clasped tightly together.

"Bless you."

"Thank you." Before Qin Wan could speak, Lu Huai replied politely.

He Liunian glanced at him indifferently, ignored him, and returned his gaze to Qin Wan.

Seeing this, Lu Huai narrowed his eyes dangerously.

This man is as annoying as ever...

"Why did you suddenly come back?"

"Is Aunt He feeling any better?"

"What do doctors abroad say?" Qin Wan ignored the confrontation between the two men and looked at He Liunian with concern.

"He needs long-term chemotherapy and won't be able to recover in the short term."

"I came back to China this time to take care of some work at the hospital, and also... to see you."

When he said the last sentence, He Liunian paused noticeably, and his eyes looked at Qin Wan with a very complicated expression.

Clearly, he originally intended to say more than just that...

However, because Qin Wan and Lu Huai were already dating, there were some things he shouldn't have said, and he ultimately didn't say them.

"This trip abroad, barring any unforeseen circumstances, means we probably won't see each other for several years." As he spoke, He Liunian's gaze lingered greedily on Qin Wan's features...

I don't know when we'll meet again.

However, before leaving, he could at least feel at ease knowing that she had found happiness and was being taken care of.

Her parents are no longer alive, and now he and his mother have left her and gone abroad.

Fortunately, Lu Huai's appearance gave her companionship and a sense of belonging, so she was no longer alone.

"Let's have a meal together then."

"Lu Huai knew you were coming back, so he specially prepared a table full of delicious food," Qin Wan said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, He Liunian looked at Lu Huai with surprise.

"You are Wanwan's brother, which means you are my brother."

“My brother has traveled a long way to return to his hometown, so Wanwan and I naturally want to treat him well.”

He Liunian: "..."

Originally, He Liunian's complexion was quite good.

Hearing Lu Huai call him "brother" repeatedly, he instantly felt terrible.

"Lu Huai's cooking skills are excellent; I guarantee you won't be disappointed."

In the end, it was Qin Wan who stepped in to smooth things over, barely managing to save the suffocatingly awkward atmosphere...

Lu Huai and He Liunian exchanged a glance. For Qin Wan's sake, the two men tacitly chose to compromise and ignore each other's presence.

——

Let me explain Lu Huai's childhood: his father gambled and beat him and his mother.

Then his mother eloped with someone, leaving him behind, and he was beaten to the point of near death by his father.

He was considered an illegitimate child by his own father...

He lived his entire life under the constant beatings and kicks of his biological father, and was on the verge of death many times...

Lu Huai's paranoia and pathological behavior have their reasons.

His imprisonment of Qin Wan wasn't simply out of jealousy; it was more because the familiar late night and heavy rain, the embrace between Qin Wan and He Liunian, triggered him, making him uncontrollably recall the scene years ago when his biological mother ruthlessly abandoned him.

Therefore, Lu Huai was afraid that Qin Wan would also abandon him and choose to leave with He Liunian.

Lu Huai was in a state of extreme emotional turmoil at the time...

Perhaps I didn't write it well enough, and I didn't fully capture Lu Huai's tragic childhood trauma, which disappointed everyone. I feel really guilty.