Why?
The next day, Mu Han woke up dazed on the sofa. The sofa was not spacious to begin with, and he had curled up there all night, his bones aching and swollen, and he hadn't slept well.
He propped himself up on the sofa, rubbed his stiff neck, and headed straight for the kitchen. He found the ingredients from memory and slowly brewed a bowl of hangover soup. After sipping it, he rested in the living room for a while, waiting for the slight stagnation in his stomach to dissipate before getting up to clean the room. He put the empty bottles and scattered pillows on the floor back in their places. In just half an hour, the room was back to its former tidiness.
Mu Han walked to the mirror and looked at the person inside. His eyes were dark blue, his face was exhausted, and his mouth was tightly pursed, not even the slightest smile could be summoned. He raised his hand and pressed his cheek, trying to force a calm expression. As soon as his fingertips touched his cheek, his phone suddenly rang.
The word "Dad" was jumping on the screen. Mu Han stared at it for a few seconds. His fingertips hovered on the answer button and hesitated for a moment, but finally he slid open it.
"Did you...promise him?" My father's weak voice came from the other end of the phone, trembling with difficulty.
Mu Han opened his mouth, but his throat seemed to be blocked by something and he couldn't utter a complete sentence for a long time.
My father sighed softly on the other end, and his voice became even lower: "Here... now I'm alone."
"Yes." Mu Han finally squeezed out a word, his voice as light as a feather.
The other end of the phone fell into dead silence. After a long while, the father's choked voice of self-blame could be heard: "It's all my fault. I'm useless and not a competent father..."
"I don't blame you." Mu Han forced a smile, trying to sound more relaxed. "I volunteered. Don't tell Mom about this first. We signed a contract, it's only for three years."
"I understand..." His father's voice was full of weakness. "Come and see me when you have time."
"Okay," Mu Han agreed. Just as he was about to say something, he heard his mother's voice on the other end of the line, and then the call was hastily hung up. He stood there, holding the phone, his mind in turmoil—what should he say to his mother? And then there was Han Yi, who was always running around for the company...
Just as I was lost in thought, my phone vibrated. It was a message from Han Yi: [Hanhan, there's good news! I don't know what's wrong with Lu Zhizhi, he's actually willing to help us! Why didn't you reply?]
Mu Han stared at the message for a long time, his fingertips hesitating on the screen for a long time before slowly typing: [Nothing, I have something to do today, so I won't be going to the company.]
Han Yi replied "OK" almost instantly, but Mu Han didn't reply. He put his phone back in his pocket and turned to pack his luggage. It was just a few changes of clothes, and he packed them quickly. He was just about to sit down and rest for a while when Lu Zhizhi called.
"I'll pick you up right away, almost there." Lu Zhizhi's lazy voice came from the other end of the phone, a little hoarse from just waking up.
Mu Han said "hmm" casually, and they both hung up the phone. A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door.
He walked over slowly and opened the door. Lu Zhizhi, who was standing outside the door, no longer had the indifference on his face. Instead, he had a little imperceptible excitement and his eyes were sparkling.
"Please do as you please. I'll go upstairs to get something." Mu Han stepped aside to let him in, speaking as politely as if he were treating a stranger.
"Let me help you." Lu Zhizhi's tone was unusually gentle.
Mu Han didn't respond and turned to walk upstairs, but Lu Zhizhi followed him naturally. When they entered the room, there was a small suitcase next to the bed. Mu Han just reached out to take it, but Lu Zhizhi had already picked it up. He looked up at Lu Zhizhi, but he didn't look at him and walked straight out with the suitcase.
Mu Han followed silently, watching Lu Zhizhi put the suitcase into the trunk, then walked around to the passenger seat and opened the door for him. He sat in slowly, and Lu Zhizhi then walked around to the driver's seat and sat in.
The moment the car started, Mu Han's thoughts suddenly drifted away. In his previous life, he had begged and pleaded for a place to live in Lu Zhizhi's house, giving his all, and finally got his wish. But after moving in, he slept in the guest room for the first year, and was only allowed into the master bedroom a year later. Looking back now, that so-called "home" was clearly a purgatory that imprisoned him...
"We're here." Lu Zhizhi's voice pulled him out of his memories.
Mu Han came back to his senses and found that the car had stopped in front of a familiar villa. Lu Zhizhi opened the door and got out, and he followed suit.
Lu Zhizhi walked in front carrying the suitcase, and Mu Han followed behind, crossing the courtyard, entering the villa, and stopping at the door of a room on the second floor.
"I live here, where do you live?" Mu Han looked at the familiar door and asked first.
Lu Zhizhi turned around, a smile on his face, his tone so gentle that water could drip out: "We are husband and wife now, so of course we sleep together."
"Can't I sleep in another room?" There was a hint of subtle resistance in Mu Han's voice.
"No." Lu Zhizhi looked at him with a determined look, "You can only sleep with me."
After saying that, he took out the key and opened the door. The layout of the room was almost exactly the same as he remembered, so familiar that Mu Han's heart tightened. Lu Zhizhi put the suitcase in the corner, walked up to him, and looked at him with his head slightly lowered. Mu Han didn't dare to look up, his eyes fell on the buttons on his shirt, and his fingertips unconsciously curled up.
"I'll take you to familiarize yourself with the environment here." Lu Zhizhi's voice sounded above his head, unspeakably gentle.
Mu Han was about to speak when his wrist was gently grasped. Then, Lu Zhizhi led him outside. He tried to pull his hand away, but the grip tightened. He gave up struggling and let him lead him around the villa. Most places remained largely unchanged, overlapping with his memories, leaving him feeling a bit dazed.
When they reached the door of a room, Lu Zhizhi paused, his finger pausing on the doorknob, as if hesitating. Mu Han looked up, his heart skipping a beat—wasn't this the room Bai Zihan had lived in? He stared at Lu Zhizhi, unable to guess what he was up to.
The next second, he was pulled in by Lu Zhizhi. The expected bedroom furnishings did not appear. What came into view was a studio that was almost identical to his studio - easel, paint, palette, even the several unfinished works hanging on the wall, the style was exactly the same as his preference.
"I don't know if you like it or not, so I just made it according to your studio." Lu Zhizhi turned to look at him, with a hint of subtle nervousness in his tone, but his eyes were full of anticipation.
Mu Han froze in place, unable to react for a moment. How could he...remember what he liked? It wasn't until Lu Zhizhi gently called him that he snapped back to reality. It felt like something had gently bumped into his chest, a sensation he couldn't quite describe.
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