Late autumn was approaching.
Chen Miao rode his bicycle around the corner onto the street where he lived in low-rent housing. The area was eerily quiet.
The only sound was the creaking of his bicycle. He had bought it second-hand for just over a hundred yuan. On the first day he rode it, the tire burst, and by the second week, he had to replace the brake. In total, he’d spent nearly two hundred yuan on it.
Although Chen Miao’s vigilance had sharpened over the years, this time, he was still caught off guard.
Perhaps life had become too comfortable recently. Even though Lu Lianning was difficult to please, the pay was good. Chen Miao had returned the shoe polish he’d borrowed to the wife of a migrant worker neighbor and was diligent in his work for Lu Lianning.
The balance in his bank account had even grown enough to give him a small sigh of relief, albeit just a little. He thought things were finally starting to go in the right direction.
Then, at least five or six strong men surrounded him on both sides of the road. Before Chen Miao could react, he was struck with a club and thrown off his bicycle.
His head buzzed as though hundreds of bees were swarming around it.
Instinctively, he covered his head. The dull thuds of metal rods striking his body sounded especially terrifying in the silence of the deserted alley.
Chen Miao curled up, clutching his head, trying not to make a sound. He knew that crying out would only fuel their attack.
His limbs were numb, and it felt like his internal organs had shifted. Even breathing was painful. When one of them kicked him in the stomach, a metallic taste filled his mouth, and he forced himself to swallow it down. In a broken voice, he managed to say, “Don’t… don’t hit me… cough… if you beat me to death, you won’t get a penny.”
The Alpha, who had been standing aside the whole time, wearing a black T-shirt and holding a half-smoked cigarette, finally spoke in a low voice, “Enough.”
The group stopped and stepped back slightly. The man walked over slowly. Chen Miao’s vision was blurred; he could only make out a vague silhouette and the red glow of the cigarette flickering in the darkness.
The man raised his foot and kicked Chen Miao, who lay motionless like a corpse. “You ran? You think coming here means we can’t find you?”
Chen Miao let out a suppressed hiss as he inhaled. Even though the man’s kick was lighter than the others, it still aggravated his injuries.
Struggling, Chen Miao said, “No… I wasn’t trying to run. I just came to the big city because there are more opportunities to make money…” He coughed, gasping for breath. “Then… then I could pay you back sooner.”
The man chuckled at Chen Miao’s crafty excuse. Squatting down, he yanked Chen Miao’s hair and blew smoke into his face. “I don’t care about your excuses. Just remember, we can find you wherever you go. I’ll give you three more months. Don’t blame us for being ruthless if you still can’t pay up.”
As they walked away, the sound of metal rods dragging on the ground echoed in Chen Miao’s ears. He blinked, and the flickering streetlight above finally went out.
He lay there, his limbs almost entirely numb.
Chen Miao took three days off from work, claiming he wasn’t feeling well.
Lu Lianning didn’t respond to the message. However, before the three days had passed, Chen Miao received a message from Lu Lianning on the evening of the second day.
He was asked to buy a box of condoms and deliver them.
At 3 PM, dark clouds gathered outside the window. The air felt heavy, and the sky was gloomy.
Perhaps because it was autumn, the wind carried a cool chill.
Most of Chen Miao’s injuries were on his body. His face only had a few scratches, as he had tightly protected his head during the beating. His darker complexion made the wounds less noticeable.
Now, he was more experienced. Compared to the first time this group caught and beat him—leaving him bedridden for a week—he had learned how to take a beating with less damage.
He went to a convenience store, bought a box of condoms, and headed to Lu Lianning’s place.
As Chen Miao entered, he saw Lu Lianning and Xiao Ming kissing. Xiao Ming was limp in Lu Lianning’s arms, his clothes half undone, exposing his delicate, pale back directly in Chen Miao’s line of sight.
Upon hearing the noise, Lu Lianning glanced at Chen Miao, his hand moving inside Xiao Ming’s clothes, causing Xiao Ming to let out a moan that would make anyone blush.
Chen Miao quickly handed over the condoms and was about to exit.
But before he could close the door, the box of condoms was tossed at his feet. “Too small.”
A cloying floral scent filled the air. Chen Miao sniffed, noticing Xiao Ming wasn’t wearing a blocker patch on the back of his neck. Xiao Ming’s eyes were watery as he clung to Lu Lianning’s neck. “Lu-ge, don’t use them… just go in directly…” He leaned in, kissing Lu Lianning’s cheek in a fawning manner.
Lu Lianning seemed unfazed by Xiao Ming’s pheromones, likely because his own pheromone level was much higher.
Still, hearing this, Lu Lianning chuckled and pushed him away. “Forget it. Just use your mouth. By the time this idiot goes to buy another box, I’ll have lost interest.”
Xiao Ming’s heart skipped at the sound of that ambiguous chuckle. He obediently knelt between Lu Lianning’s legs, acting all well-behaved and sensible.
At that moment, Chen Miao slipped out, closing the door tightly behind him.
But then he heard Lu Lianning shout again, “Did I tell you to leave? Make dinner!”
The sweet scent inside grew even stronger. Lu Lianning narrowed his eyes, realizing that Xiao Ming’s heat was approaching.
Xiao Ming had been with him for nearly half a year now. It seemed a bit too long.
Chen Miao stood outside, the cold wind blowing, while all the sensuality remained sealed behind the door.
His legs were bruised and swollen in places. He wasn’t sure whether to crouch down, fearing it would hurt even more when he tried to stand up again.
He could only silently pray that Lu Lianning would finish quickly.
But clearly, Lu Lianning didn’t hear his unspoken plea. By the time the door finally opened and he was called back in, Chen Miao’s legs had gone numb.
When he re-entered, Lu Lianning seemed calmer. He had vented his frustrations and didn’t bring up Chen Miao’s earlier failure.
Chen Miao was decent at cooking, and because Lu Lianning was so picky, he had put a lot of effort into this area.
Seeing that Xiao Ming was still there, Chen Miao prepared a meal for him as well.
Chen Miao didn’t sit at the table to eat. After serving the food, he began mopping the floor near the sofa, taking the chance to tidy up the coffee table, which had become cluttered again in the two days since his last visit.
It seemed that Xiao Ming was trying to lighten the mood after Lu Lianning’s earlier displeasure by intentionally introducing a new topic. “Your new assistant is good at cooking. The fish is perfect.”
Lu Lianning didn’t touch the fish. His gaze briefly flicked to Chen Miao before shifting away.
Normally, Chen Miao would have picked out the fish bones for him, but today he had no intention of doing so.
Lu Lianning replied dismissively, “Of course. Out of all the people Gu Chen found, he’s the only one who knows how to serve others.”
In truth, Lu Lianning was quite satisfied with Chen Miao. He was quiet, efficient, and though a bit dull, he was low-maintenance and worry-free.
Xiao Ming continued laughing and making small talk to fill the silence, but Lu Lianning remained mostly unresponsive. He eventually asked Chen Miao to open two bottles of wine.
After a while, Lu Lianning handed Xiao Ming a credit card and said in a detached tone, “You’ve been with me for almost half a year, right? Next month, I’ll be heading out to film a new movie and won’t be back in City H for a while. Don’t come over anymore; I’ll contact you when I have time to return.”
Xiao Ming’s smile gradually became forced. “I’ll contact you when I have time to return” was just a polite way to avoid embarrassing him.
But he had already mentally prepared for this. It wasn’t unexpected, just a matter of time.
Among those who knew him, anyone who had stayed with Lu Lianning for more than three months was considered a rarity. The fact that he had lasted this long was already quite an achievement.
He took a deep breath, forcing his smile to stay, and accepted the card. “Thank you, Lu-ge. I’ll be waiting for your call. If you ever miss me, don’t forget to find me.”
At the dining table, one person was immersed in a sense of loss, trying to appear indifferent but still slightly affected. The other frowned, picked up a piece of fish to eat a couple of bites, and then put it down in annoyance. However, he didn’t want to call Chen Miao over to remove the bones, as that would make him seem incapable of handling the fish himself.
Neither noticed that Chen Miao, who had been mopping the floor nearby, had paused, his gaze lingering on the card for a long time.
