Cheng Yue was not wearing a helmet, and the wind cutting across his face felt like a blade. His vision was bloodshot, and after several turns, he had lost all sense of direction.
“Stop! Are you out of your mind?”
A stranger’s voice suddenly startled Cheng Yue, making his grip on the handlebars falter.
“Damn it!” Bai Zhe, seeing the motorcycle swerving to one side, immediately accelerated, catching up and yelling almost directly in his ear, “Lower your body! Slow down slowly!”
Cheng Yue followed the voice, gradually lowering his upright body and slackening his grip on the throttle.
As the speed decreased, Cheng Yue blinked his dry eyes, looked at the empty road in front of him, and stopped the bike. When he got off, his legs felt unsteady and weak.
Bai Zhe parked his bike and, panting heavily, threw his helmet aside. He quickly walked over, grabbed Cheng Yue off the motorcycle, and yelled with a hoarse voice, “Are you trying to die? Are you crazy? Do you not care about how dangerous that was?”
Cheng Yue furrowed his brows and stared at the guy holding his collar. After a while, he still couldn’t recognize him. His already bad mood flared up, and he kicked at the man’s legs, shouting, “Who the hell are you? Whether I live or die is none of your damn business!”
“Fuck…” Bai Zhe jumped back from the kick, his anger shifting to confusion.
He wasn’t sure when he had started following this guy, but when he saw Cheng Yue, with red eyes, riding the almost racing-standard motorcycle onto the street, he instinctively followed.
“Fuck you!” Cheng Yue glared at him and adjusted his collar.
“Damn it…” Bai Zhe was so angry he couldn’t even remember why he had followed this stranger down the street.
He couldn’t understand why he was so mad, and with nowhere to vent his frustration, he kicked the motorcycle, saying, “Yeah, it’s none of my business. You can die if you want.”
Seeing the scuff mark left by the kick on his motorcycle, Cheng Yue’s anger flared up again. He raised his hand and punched the man in the face.
Bai Zhe was stunned by the punch and, without thinking, kicked back at Cheng Yue.
Cheng Yue was already furious, his punches and kicks were aimless, and he fought fiercely while shouting.
As the two fought back and forth, a sudden loud horn startled them, making them stop fighting.
Cheng Yue’s head was pinned under Bai Zhe’s arm, so he couldn’t see what was happening. Bai Zhe didn’t release him, so Cheng Yue’s hand gripping his collar remained in place.
Bai Zhe saw the approaching vehicle and was about to figure out what was happening when Cheng Yue bit his arm. Bai Zhe sucked in a breath and cursed, “Fuck…”
Before he could finish, he felt himself being lifted and then thrown out.
Cheng Yue’s bite on Bai Zhe’s arm nearly pulled him out as well, but he was pulled back and held in place.
“Son of a bitch…” Cheng Yue was about to continue cursing when he saw Ji Xu, who suddenly appeared with a very grim expression, and immediately fell silent.
Ji Xu glanced at Bai Zhe, who was thrown aside, then looked at Cheng Yue, whose clothes were in disarray and whose mouth was full of curses. His eyes then shifted to the racing-standard motorcycle, and the suppressed anger within him flared up even more.
He grabbed Cheng Yue’s face, his voice low and squeezed out word by word, “Are you out of your mind? Who gave you permission to ride a motorcycle? Who allowed you to ride on the street? Do you want to die?”
Cheng Yue swallowed, forced to look up at Ji Xu because his face was being held.
Cheng Yue dared not look into Ji Xu’s eyes and tried to turn his head, but Ji Xu quickly turned it back.
“I’m asking you a question. Do you want to die?” Ji Xu stared at him, his grip on Cheng Yue’s face tightening, turning white at the edges.
Cheng Yue’s face was painfully squeezed, and seeing Ji Xu’s disappointed eyes, his nose suddenly felt sore.
“Speak.” Ji Xu asked in a deep voice.
Cheng Yue’s eyes turned red. He didn’t want to speak; he knew he was being foolish, and he was just foolish, so what?
Ji Xu was infuriated by Cheng Yue’s indifference. He released his grip on Cheng Yue’s face, his face darkening as he said, “If you want to kill yourself, no one can stop you. Next time, don’t fucking do it on the street. If you’re going to die, at least don’t drag others down with you.”
Cheng Yue lowered his head, biting his lip, desperately trying to keep his tears from falling.
Ji Xu looked at the top of his head and sighed deeply, “Forget it… Think it over yourself.”
When Cheng Yue heard Ji Xu’s sudden sigh, his heart skipped a beat.
Then he heard Ji Xu say “forget it.”
What does “forget it” mean?
Cheng Yue looked at the road beneath him, and tears started to fall uncontrollably.
What does “forget it” mean? Does it mean he’s giving up on him?
Cheng Yue bit his lip and just as he was about to raise his head to explain, he saw only Ji Xu’s retreating back.
For a while, Cheng Yue’s ears were filled with a harsh, garbled noise, unable to hear anything clearly, until Ji Xu drove away.
“Who was that guy?” Bai Zhe rubbed his sore arm and looked pained. “Crazy bastard, too strong.”
“You’re the crazy one,” Cheng Yue said, wiping his face, then slowly walked to the roadside, leaning on his legs as he squatted down, his legs too weak to support him.
“Damn you…” Bai Zhe was about to say something, but as he approached, he noticed Cheng Yue’s pale and strange complexion.
Cheng Yue’s face was several shades paler than before, with a hint of green, and his breathing was off. Seeing the empty road around him, Bai Zhe became anxious. “What… What’s wrong? Asthma? Don’t die here.”
Cheng Yue pursed his lips, thinking, what if he did die? Being alive only brings trouble; death would be peaceful.
“Don’t stay silent…”
Bai Zhe, trembling as he spoke, rushed over and picked Cheng Yue up, “What’s wrong with you? Hang on, I’m calling an ambulance.”
Cheng Yue was actually fine; he was just exhausted. It felt like all his strength had been drained in an instant. He wanted to lie down, and as he lay there, he felt like he could fall asleep, but the unfamiliar crazy guy beside him kept trying to pry his eyes open.
Cheng Yue was too lazy to push him away and closed his eyes, reflecting on Ji Xu’s words about not dragging others down if he wanted to die and being told he was lacking in morals.
He thought carefully about the route he had taken from the street. Except for the first street, he had turned into empty, unoccupied streets.
He had been aware and knew that if he had collided with someone, it would have destroyed a family.
He knew this because he had experienced it himself; his parents died in a car accident. So he thought that if he saw someone in front…
Ji Xu, halfway through driving, looked at the red light and, irritated, pounded on the steering wheel before quickly adjusting the controls.
He had originally intended to explain things to Cheng Yue calmly later, but whether Cheng Yue could calm down was another issue.
Ji Xu himself couldn’t calm down, as he kept seeing Cheng Yue’s red, bloodshot eyes.
When Ji Xu drove back quickly and stopped at the initial road, he saw only two motorcycles by the roadside but no sign of Cheng Yue. He immediately got out of the car.
Walking to the other side of the car, Ji Xu saw the two people by the roadside.
One person was kneeling on the ground, urgently talking on the phone, while the other lay on the ground with eyes closed.
Ji Xu’s steps halted abruptly, then he quickly ran over.
As he approached, he could finally hear the kneeling guy’s words.
“Are you deaf? I said someone here has fainted! Send an ambulance immediately!” Bai Zhe was patting the unconscious Cheng Yue’s face while talking to the person on the phone, not noticing Ji Xu running over.
“Cheng Yue!” Ji Xu furrowed his brows and slapped Cheng Yue’s face, “What’s wrong? Wake up!”
“Who the hell are you? Stop messing around!” Bai Zhe pushed him but couldn’t move him.
Ji Xu shot him a dark look and bent down to pick Cheng Yue up, rushing toward his car and shouting, “Cheng Yue, wake up, Cheng Yue!”
In his dazed state, Cheng Yue heard his name being called and focused on it, realizing it was Ji Xu.
Ji Xu?
Is Ji Xu back?
Cheng Yue suddenly felt very happy, but he became anxious when he realized he couldn’t open his eyes.
He didn’t know when Ji Xu would leave again. He wanted to tell him that it wasn’t intentional, that he wouldn’t have hit anyone. He wanted to say he would be obedient, he wanted to explain to Ji Xu.
But he couldn’t say anything.
Ji Xu put Cheng Yue in the back seat and checked him for injuries. When he felt Cheng Yue’s burning skin, he stopped looking for other injuries, grabbed a bottle of mineral water, and used a small towel to cool Cheng Yue’s forehead.
He then turned to shout at Bai Zhe, who was still standing by the roadside, “Can you drive?”
Bai Zhe, feeling frustrated and rubbing his leg, rolled his eyes at the shout.
“Come here.” Ji Xu called out, then turned to adjust the towel on Cheng Yue’s forehead. As he reached out, Cheng Yue grabbed his hand.
Seeing Cheng Yue still unconscious, Ji Xu carefully tried to pull his hand away but saw Cheng Yue’s eyes closed, frowning, and mumbling something.
“What are you saying?” Ji Xu leaned in to listen.
“I’ll be obedient… Don’t leave… You’re all I have…”
Cheng Yue spoke in broken, unclear words, but Ji Xu understood immediately.
Ji Xu suddenly regretted why he had left so quickly, why he couldn’t have been more patient.
Why couldn’t he have listened until the end?
