Chapter 66 Cherish Him
The night was deep, the moon was full and hung high in the sky, casting a soft light that enveloped the silent earth. Everything was quiet, except for the sound of the wind.
Although Shen Jin left Yan Yu's villa in the middle of the night with a few clothes, he had no idea where he was going next.
"What should I do? It's so dark all around..." Shen Jin silently touched the backpack on his back, walking aimlessly down the deserted street, looking around. "Is everyone asleep? There's no one here."
There are very few people around Yan Yu's villa to begin with, and it used to be very quiet during the day. Now, on this dark and windy night, apart from the occasional chirping of insects in the grass, there is nothing else.
"Woof woof woof—"
As he was wandering aimlessly, not knowing which way was east or west, a dog suddenly barked from a house ahead, startling him. He instinctively hid in the bushes.
After barking a few times, it calmed down, and Shen Jin belatedly realized what was happening, muttering somewhat dejectedly, "No, no, dogs only bite bad people. I'm not a bad person, so why should I hide?"
If anyone's going to bite, it'll be a big bad guy like Yan Yu. He gets upset at the drop of a hat, but when he's happy he likes to hug him, and when he's unhappy he likes to yell at him and give him a hard time. And he's especially, especially nice to Ali...
Every time he saw Yan Yu being especially nice to Ali, he felt extremely painful and uncomfortable, as if he didn't like seeing the two of them together. Now that he could finally slip away and not see the two of them anymore, he would probably be fine.
After thinking about it, Shen Jin smiled foolishly again, then slowly crawled out of the grass, carrying his bag and continuing to walk forward. He vaguely saw a pair of dark eyes staring at him from ahead.
As he approached, its round eyes darted around, then it bared its fangs and barked, "Woof woof woof—"
"Hey, you haven't left yet?" Shen Jin spotted a black dog in the bright moonlight. Curious, he walked up to the dog, half-squatted down, and looked at its fierce appearance. He chuckled, "Don't bark, I'm a good person!"
Unfortunately, the dog didn't seem to understand him and continued to bark fiercely, but Shen Jin wasn't afraid of it at all. Instead, he laughed happily and reached out to pat its head: "Are you alone too? Me too."
The puppy froze for a moment when he patted its head, then stopped barking fiercely and let him stroke its head, seemingly enjoying it, affectionately rubbing against his palm: "Woof~"
"Haha," Shen Jin laughed as it tickled him, pinching its head before suddenly saying, "I remember now, you're what they call a stray dog, right? No owner wants you, and you have no home to go back to..."
The puppy rubbed against his hand pitifully and barked, as if responding to him, its dark eyes exceptionally clear.
Shen Jin felt that the puppy was particularly sad, so he continued to rub its head comfortingly, showing a bright smile, and said in a very soft voice, "It's okay, don't be sad. I'm alone too, and sometimes being alone is also very happy."
After saying that, Shen Jin remembered something and immediately laughed, saying happily, "Why don't you just come with me? That way you'll have company!"
The puppy nuzzled his palm in response, "Woof~"
"Okay, it's settled then." Shen Jin smiled, pinched its head, picked it up, rubbed it in his arms, and continued walking forward. "Now I have another dog, so I'm not alone anymore!"
Shen Jin thought of Bai Yujin, but he had no idea where he lived or how to find him. He was completely lost and could only wander around aimlessly.
He wandered alone through the empty streets, eventually walking along the main roads, watching the bustling traffic, not knowing where to go, as if there was nowhere left for him to live.
Chen Jin stood before a great river, watching the ripples on the water reflecting the full moon in the sky. He couldn't help but stroke the puppy in his arms, a faint smile playing on his lips: "Oh, right, there's one more place..."
He remembered that he had another place he could go, although it might not be a good place, or even be described as very dilapidated, but at least there wouldn't be so many sad and upsetting things there, and it seemed like he could be quite happy there...
Like his safe haven, even after witnessing the dazzling world outside, that place remained the warmest, safest, and most familiar place, and the place he could return to now.
Even though he had almost no memories left, Shen Jin felt that he could still find his way back. He believed that following his instincts would always lead him to the right path.
As the night deepened, the evening breeze grew even cooler.
"It's so cold..." When Shen Jin returned to the eastern end, it was already past midnight. The place was at the foot of the mountain, and it was extremely cold there, causing his thin body to shiver slightly.
The eastern end of the town becomes especially quiet at night. The small households have already turned off their lights and gone to sleep, with only the dogs outside their doors still standing guard, barking a few times when they encounter unfamiliar passersby.
"Little puppy, are you cold?" Shen Jin looked down at the little dog huddled in his arms, gently stroked its fur, and hugged it even tighter. "You won't be cold now, right?"
Bai Yujin had brought Shen Jin here before and told him which place was his home. At that time, he had just been discharged from the hospital and didn't think much about it, but now he felt particularly nostalgic.
He carried a bag and held a dog, walking alone on the bumpy path. The surrounding area was covered with lush green grass. When he passed a house or two, the dogs would peek out and look at him. Then, feeling familiar with him, they would stop barking and instead come up to him and rub against his trouser leg, making Shen Jin laugh very happily.
He passed through other people's homes and returned to his dilapidated rented room.
Standing before the rusted, ageless iron gate, Chen Jin seemed to recall a fragment of memory that made him laugh foolishly: "I'm back..."
Even though he has no memory of it now, he has lived in this place for so many years and has developed feelings for it. Some things, even if he can't remember them, are deeply engraved in his heart.
For example, he doesn't have a key to open the door, but he has a feeling that he usually hides the key somewhere.
Shen Jin looked around, his gaze landing on a cement basin in front of the iron gate, where several plants were growing. He smiled and said, "Hmm... there!"
Sure enough, he walked to the plant, reached inside, and finally felt a bumpy spot. When he reached further inside, he finally found the key.
"Hehe, I'm so smart!" Shen Jin proudly shook the key a few times, then happily opened the door with the key.
He carefully entered, fumbled to turn on the light, then closed the door tightly. He put the puppy down from his arms and said with a smile, "From now on, consider this your home. Although it looks a bit run-down, you can live here however you want!"
The house had been uninhabited for a long time, and was covered in soot and cobwebs. So Chen Jin picked up a broom and burlap and began to sweep. After working for a while, it was finally much cleaner.
"Hoo..." Shen Jin took a deep breath. He was covered in sweat, which made him feel uncomfortable. So he took a piece of clothing from the closet and went into the bathroom to take a shower.
Shen Jin rolled around on his bed for a while, his mind drifting back to the days he spent with Yan Yu. It all seemed so hazy and unreal.
"What would he do if he saw that I was gone..." Shen Jin couldn't help but think, then laughed again, pulled the quilt up and patted it a few times, then quietly closed his eyes, wanting to have a sweet dream.
Never mind, I won't think about it too much. This is fine...
The next morning, Xie Li groggily opened his eyes. He originally planned to go downstairs to pick a fight with Shen Jin and torment him to vent his anger, but he found no one around and the door to the room was not closed.
After searching everywhere without finding him, Xie Li rubbed his hair in bewilderment and asked, somewhat puzzled, "Where did he go? Did he hide? Did he think he could get away with not doing anything?"
"Tsk, damn it." Xie Li cursed under his breath and called out towards the outside of the villa, "Shen Jin! Shen Jin! Where are you? Come out here! I need to talk to you!"
After calling out several times without receiving a response, Xie Li returned to Chen Jin's room and found that a bag and some clothes were missing, and the surroundings were in a mess, as if the person had secretly slipped away.
"Gone?" Xie Li belatedly realized what was happening, then instantly beamed with joy. "Good riddance! Good riddance! That's wonderful!"
Last night he was thinking about how to torment him, kick him out, and preferably sever all ties with Yan Yu. He never expected that this fool would be so sensible and know to slip away!
Yesterday, Xie Li inquired with his brother and learned that his brother had originally entrusted the task of teaching Shen Jin a lesson to Qing Yan, whom he often toyed with. However, for some reason, Qing Yan hesitated to make a move, which angered Xie Li so much that his brother beat him so badly that he ended up in the hospital, half-dead.
Xie Li dialed Qing Yan's number directly and said succinctly, "Chen Jin is missing. Go find him immediately. If you find him, find a way to make him leave this city completely. Find a man to take care of him! Take him away! In short, don't let him ever appear in front of Yan Yu again!"
Qing Yan was beaten and hospitalized by Xie Cheng for failing to complete a mission. Her body was covered in wounds. When she received Xie Li's call, her eyes were lifeless, and she weakly asked, "Wh...what?"
Xie Li gritted his teeth, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. He smiled sinisterly, then said in a gentle voice, "Find Shen Jin and find someone to pamper him... Otherwise, I'll have my brother find someone to torture you to death..."
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