Take your clothes to take a shower

"Where are you? I need to talk to you." This was the first time in so many days that Song Zicheng had taken the initiative to send a message to Lu Zhiyan.

The reply came quickly, right after Lu Zhiyan's message: "Come find me here, 1101."

When Song Zicheng clicked on it, he saw that it was the address of a high-end residential area, which was some distance from the school.

Song Zicheng, who would take the bus or subway whenever possible, hailed a taxi at the door. The moment the car door closed, he felt like he was losing himself.

Even though it was several degrees below zero and the cold was making people's teeth chatter, Song Zicheng was sweating profusely. He rolled down the car window a little and leaned his head slightly closer to the window. The icy wind blew in through the narrow gap, making Song Zicheng shiver. His feverish head suddenly became much clearer.

He stared blankly at the bare trees by the roadside, their leaves all fallen. Spring, summer, autumn, and winter—the four seasons cycled through the year. When spring came again, these trees would sprout new buds and become lush and vibrant once more.

He felt like a tree in late autumn, with few leaves left, facing only the long winter, all alone, enduring the cold wind and blizzard.

As they got closer to their destination, Song Zicheng grew increasingly anxious. Even though he was usually calm and composed in the face of adversity, he felt somewhat lost and uneasy at this moment.

Since his parents passed away, Song Zicheng has never uttered a word of complaint or hardship in the past three years. He has always dealt with problems as they arose, but now he still harbors a sliver of hope.

"Sir, we've arrived."

"arrive".

The driver had to repeat himself several times before Song Zicheng came to his senses. Before he knew it, so many minutes had passed. As soon as he got off the bus, a gust of wind blew by, making him sneeze.

It's so cold!

With such a strong wind, pedestrians on the street were all bundled up tightly, but Song Zicheng pulled his down jacket zipper down a bit. He looked up at the gate of this upscale residential area, his eyes filled with utter despair.

How ironic!

Suddenly, he seemed to remember something, opened his phone and sent a voice message: "Zi'an, your brother has something to do at noon and won't be back. There are dumplings and wontons in the refrigerator. Cook whatever you want to eat. Be careful when you cook. If anything happens, send your brother a message."

"I understand, brother. Don't worry."

Song Zicheng looked at Song Zian in the chat background, smiled from the bottom of his heart, then stepped into this upscale residential area that might "eat people" with a determined look in his eyes.

He stood in front of room 1101 for several minutes, struggling, before finally raising his hand to knock. Although he had mentally prepared himself for the journey, his anger still erupted the moment he saw Lu Zhiyan dressed in casual home clothes.

"Go to hell, Lu Zhiyan, you bastard!" Song Zicheng cursed as he raised his arm and swung it at Lu Zhiyan.

Clearly anticipating this scene, Song Zicheng's fist was grabbed by Lu Zhiyan. Lu Zhiyan was very strong, and with a little force, Song Zicheng's hand was reddened.

Lu Zhiyan stared at Song Zicheng, whose face was flushed with anger, and said in a playful tone, "Oh, what's going on? You're going to beat me up right away?"

Hearing Lu Zhiyan's insincere and hypocritical words, Song Zicheng chuckled, raised his head, stared at him fiercely, and said angrily, "Why did you do this?"

"Why else? Because of you." Lu Zhiyan pulled Song Zicheng forward a step, bringing them very close, almost touching. Lu Zhiyan looked down at Song Zicheng's trembling eyelashes, breathed into his ear, and chuckled softly.

“I want to sleep with you. If you let me sleep with you, I will not only not take back those things, but I will also ask someone to find a matching bone marrow for your brother.”

Song Zicheng's hands, which had been resisting, gradually lost strength. His face turned pale, and he looked as if his life force had been drained. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and said in a surrendering manner, "Okay, I promise you, as long as you keep your promise."

"That's natural."

"It's cold outside, come in and sit down."

For some reason, as soon as Song Zicheng stepped into Lu Zhiyan's house, he felt as if he had entered a wolf's den, or rather, a wolf in sheep's clothing.

The large living room was cold and deserted, with only black, white and gray colors at a glance. The lonely sofa and dining table were extremely conspicuous, as was the old-fashioned retro clock on the wall that kept turning, which formed a stark contrast with the cold decoration.

"Can you cook?" Lu Zhiyan asked.

"meeting".

"I'm hungry, I haven't eaten lunch yet."

"Okay, I'll do it right away."

After finishing his sentence, Song Zicheng walked towards the kitchen. When he opened the refrigerator, he let out a speechless "uh"—there was nothing there, just like a brand new refrigerator.

Lu Zhiyan leaned against the kitchen door with his arms crossed. "I forgot to tell you, we don't have any ingredients at home."

Song Zicheng closed the refrigerator and said, "I'll go buy it now," before heading out.

"Wait, I'll have someone bring it over, you don't need to go down."

Song Zicheng paused for a moment, then nodded, standing there somewhat at a loss.

Lu Zhiyan leaned back on the sofa, legs crossed, his loungewear loosely draped over his body, only the bottom two or three buttons of his shirt fastened, the neckline wide open, his bare chest exposed to the air.

He patted the sofa next to him and said to Song Zicheng, who was still standing there, "Come and sit down."

Several seconds had passed since he finished speaking before Song Zicheng finally moved his heels, taking slow and heavy steps. Lu Zhiyan wasn't in a hurry; he just stared at him, watching with interest as he walked towards him step by step.

As they approached, Lu Zhiyan reached out and pulled Song Zicheng to sit beside him. Looking at Song Zicheng's serious posture, he asked in confusion, "Why are you so scared? I'm not going to eat you."

Song Zicheng remained silent and did not reply. Lu Zhiyan was not annoyed and said again, "I looked at your schedule. You don't have any classes this afternoon. Don't leave after you finish eating."

After Lu Zhiyan finished speaking, he saw that Song Zicheng's already pale face darkened even more. Song Zicheng lowered his eyes and stared at his toes. Of course, he knew what Lu Zhiyan's words meant, but what choice did he have?

There was no other choice.

After a long while, he seemed to hear himself make that "hmm" sound.

The glimmer of light deep within him had been extinguished. No matter how many difficulties or setbacks he had encountered in the past three years, he had never felt so disheartened as he did now.

He hated himself, hated himself for meddling, hated himself for calling to save Lu Zhiyan. Now, there was no turning back.

"Ding ding ding"

A doorbell rang, interrupting Song Zicheng's thoughts. He immediately stood up, opened the door, and took the delivered groceries into the kitchen.

He was washing the vegetables absentmindedly when he suddenly remembered and opened the kitchen door, asking, "What do you want to eat?"

Lu Zhiyan, who had been staring at the computer and looking at the documents, paused for a moment, then looked up and thought for a moment, "Just do it as you see fit, just don't put in any chili peppers."

The kitchen utensils and tableware were brand new and shiny, without any signs of use. When Song Zicheng wiped his finger on the countertop, there wasn't a speck of dust.

He looked at the large bags of incredibly fresh vegetables and fruits without any hesitation; he was the kind of person who never hesitated or procrastinated in doing things.

In just half an hour, the three dishes and one soup were ready.

Actually, the aroma of food from the kitchen had already wafted into the living room more than ten minutes earlier. Lu Zhiyan, who was working diligently, was momentarily dazed by the smell. He looked at his clothes and his surroundings before realizing that he was indeed at home.

As his gaze swept across the kitchen, his eyes were unconsciously drawn to the busy figure inside. He saw him close his laptop, a smile on his face, and watch Song Zicheng without making a sound.

"Dinner is ready," Song Zicheng said as he carried the dishes out of the kitchen.

Lu Zhiyan smiled and sat down. Song Zicheng had already placed the chicken soup in front of him.

Lu Zhiyan picked up the spoon, lowered his head and took a sip, then scooped up another spoonful and said, "Delicious."

Song Zicheng stood motionless to the side, his face expressionless, until Lu Zhiyan told him to sit down and eat, at which point he moved slightly.

The two sat close together. Song Zicheng looked at the dishes on the table but had no appetite at all. He drank a small bowl of soup but still had some left in his mouth. "Why aren't you eating?" Lu Zhiyan asked, looking at Song Zicheng who wasn't touching his chopsticks.

I'm not hungry.

"Really?" Lu Zhiyan knew perfectly well why he wasn't eating, yet he still asked this question knowing the answer already, which was truly disgusting.

Perhaps it was because he hadn't had such satisfying food in a long time, or perhaps it was because it was his first time eating in this apartment and he found it novel, but Lu Zhiyan ate a lot, finishing a bowl of rice. He casually grabbed a napkin that Song Zicheng had just placed on the table, wiped his mouth, and said, "If you don't eat, will you have any energy this afternoon? In order not to faint, I advise you to eat something."

As soon as he finished speaking, Song Zicheng felt like he was going to throw up the soup he had just drunk. He endured the nausea, without saying a word or looking up, until Lu Zhiyan returned to his room, at which point he couldn't hold it in anymore and dry heaved a few times.

After clearing away the dishes, Song Zicheng sat quietly in his chair, watching the time tick by. He felt like a piece of meat on a chopping board, at the mercy of others.

After sitting restlessly and feeling anxious for over an hour, Lu Zhiyan, who had just finished his work, came out of the room and handed Song Zicheng his pajamas: "Go take a shower."

Song Zicheng froze, his outstretched hand hesitating to take it, as if it were a hot potato, no, it was clearly a piece of boiling lava.

Lu Zhiyan lost his patience and repeated in a cold and sharp voice, "Take your clothes and go take a shower."

"Okay," Song Zicheng said, taking the clothes and following Lu Zhiyan into the bedroom bathroom with his head down.

The cleaning tools by the bathroom door came into Song Zicheng's view so clearly that he unconsciously frowned and his hand holding the clothes clenched even tighter without him noticing.

"You know how to use it, right? If you really don't know, search online; there are tutorials online."

Song Zicheng didn't speak, but just nodded slightly. Before Lu Zhiyan left, Song Zicheng seemed to hear him say a few words, but he couldn't hear them clearly. Perhaps he was confused at the time, or perhaps Lu Zhiyan's words were too vulgar and explicit, so Song Zicheng automatically ignored them.

When Song Zicheng became sexually aware during puberty, he knew that he liked boys, and naturally he was also very clear about what was going on between men.