HL 30

Time turned back to that afternoon. Ying Yusheng had finally, through a roundabout way, delivered the fake experimental drug into Lu Yingjie’s hands.

He waited for the right moment, hypnotized Xu Nanxiao once again, and planted a command deep in his mind—

[If someone tries to take off your clothes, you will wake up.]

Though eliminating rivals was necessary, Ying Yusheng always had to have a safeguard. He could not tolerate anyone else touching what was his.

No—that wasn’t right.

Before that, there was something Lu Yingjie would absolutely do during the hypnosis, something that would happen even earlier…

Ying Yusheng changed the command—

[If someone says “I love you,” you will wake up.]

The deafening pounding at the door grew more intense. Receiving no response, the sound of a key turning in the lock came from the other side.

Lu Yingjie was still dazed when a punch sent him sprawling to the floor. His head cracked hard against the coffee table, a sharp burst of pain exploding from his temple, followed by a searing aftershock that nearly made his vision go white. When the white spots faded back into focus, he saw Xu Nanxiao’s furious, savage face.

The blood in Lu Yingjie’s veins ran cold.

“Ge, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to… I never meant to…” He scrambled forward on his knees, stammering, staring at him.

Xu Nanxiao lunged to beat him again, but Ying Yusheng grabbed him from behind, holding him tight. “Nanxiao, calm down. Calm down.”

“Lu Yingjie! How the fuck could you?!”

“It wasn’t me!” Lu Yingjie’s tears began to fall as he spoke. “Ge, the hooded man isn’t me! I’ve been framed! Please, just believe me this once! It’s Ying Yu—”

“How can I believe you?! Why should I believe you?!” Xu Nanxiao’s roar cut off Lu Yingjie’s plea, choking the excuse in his throat. “Years ago, when Liu Qingyang did that to me while I was drunk, you knew how much I hated it! Lu Yingjie, don’t you know how much I hate it?! And now you go and do the exact same thing that bastard did, and you still expect me to believe you?! Have you no shame?! All these years of brotherhood—I might as well have fed it to the dogs!”

Lu Yingjie opened his mouth, but not a single word came out.

It’s over. Completely over.

There’s no going back.

Because of his own selfish desires, he had crossed the one line Xu Nanxiao could never tolerate. He and his ge were done.

“I fucking regret ever sticking my nose in your business! All those meals I fed you—I should have just let you starve!!!”

“Ge…” Lu Yingjie froze, staring at him in disbelief, tears streaming down his face. “Ge!!”

“GET OUT!!!!” Xu Nanxiao slapped him hard across the face.

The furious shout exploded through the air. Lu Yingjie’s head snapped to the side, his pale skin quickly swelling into a large red mark.

Lu Yingjie sniffled, but the tears wouldn’t stop. He finally staggered to his feet, falling twice along the way. He cast one last look at Ying Yusheng, who gazed back at him calmly.

Lu Yingjie clenched his jaw, lowered his head, and turned to run out the door.

Ying Yusheng thought to himself, As expected, things always go the way I plan. It’s a little boring, really.

But that was fine—the obstacle had been thoroughly cleared. From here on, the road was smooth.

He finally turned to Xu Nanxiao. “Nanxiao, are you al—”

Before he could finish, Xu Nanxiao wrapped his arms around him in a crushing embrace. His grip was so strong it felt as if he were trying to fuse Ying Yusheng into his very bones.

It was basic psychology—when people are emotionally fragile, they become dependent on others. Ying Yusheng was pleased. He hugged Xu Nanxiao back and was about to say something comforting when he felt a dampness on his shoulder.

Xu Nanxiao’s tears had soaked through his shirt.

Xu Nanxiao’s back trembled as he sobbed silently. It was as if he wasn’t holding Ying Yusheng—as if he wasn’t holding a person, not even a living thing—but the only piece of driftwood in an endless ocean.

Ying Yusheng had expected Xu Nanxiao to rage, to curse, to smash everything in sight. He hadn’t expected him to cry.

Even the first time they met, when Xu Nanxiao had been vomiting by the bushes—having just taken a life, seeing his future go up in flames, terrified of what came next—even then, he’d only reddened at the eyes. He never actually cried.

Why is he crying now? For Lu Yingjie?

Stop crying. Stop it.

Don’t cry for anyone but me.

Ying Yusheng found it hard to describe what he felt in that moment—it was as foreign to him as anything in his twenty-nine years of life.

It was as if he had been nailed to a cross, with a bonfire lit beneath him, his skin blistering and cracking under the flames. His schemes hadn’t been exposed; his plan was flawless—and yet Xu Nanxiao’s tears silently judged him.

“It’s okay, it’s okay. I’m here.” Ying Yusheng patted Xu Nanxiao’s back, soothing him with a gentleness he himself wasn’t fully aware of. “Yingjie isn’t worth it, but you still have me. I’ll always, always be with you.”

…

Twelve-year-old Xu Nanxiao was bouncing a ball in the stairwell when his ear twitched—he heard someone coming up.

He hugged the ball and peered into the darkness.

Before the person appeared, the sharp stench of alcohol flooded the air, announcing who it was.

The next second, a pair of large hands grabbed Xu Nanxiao by the collar and dragged him home like a chick. The ball bounced a few times and rolled into a corner.

His father had come home drunk. As usual, a beating followed. Xu Nanxiao instinctively curled up, protecting his head. Fists rained down like hailstones. First came a numbness in his back, then a searing pain exploded—like a red-hot iron rod buried beneath his skin.

Under normal circumstances, this was routine—nothing worth mentioning. But today was different.

Maybe his father had been slighted outside, maybe he’d drunk too much and lost all reason—he went too far. He grabbed Xu Nanxiao by the throat with both hands, strangling him. Oxygen drained away, and Xu Nanxiao felt the terror of death closing in.

“Ugh…”

His survival instinct kicked in. Xu Nanxiao kicked and thrashed wildly, his hands clawing at the floor. In a panic, his fingers found a chair leg. He grabbed it and brought it down hard on his father’s head. He didn’t hold back—a loud crack, and his biological father collapsed to the floor, motionless.

Xu Nanxiao scrambled backward, sitting up, coughing violently, his chest heaving. His face had turned purple from lack of oxygen. Terrified, he pushed at his father’s shoulder—but the fallen man wasn’t breathing.

Dead?

Had he killed someone?!

Xu Nanxiao instinctively looked toward his mother’s door. With all that noise, she had definitely woken up—she just didn’t dare come out.

At that moment, only one thought crossed Xu Nanxiao’s mind—

Killing means paying with your life. He had to escape before dawn.

He frantically stuffed a few Ultraman cards, some glass marbles, and a toy car into his pockets. That was all he owned.

Sniffling, he thought he’d better say goodbye to his little dog. He found the key to Lu Yingjie’s house from the milk box across the hall, crept into Lu Yingjie’s bedroom in the dark, and woke him up.

Lu Yingjie, half-asleep, saw a figure standing by his bed and nearly shot up in fright. But when he saw it was Xu Nanxiao, he relaxed immediately.

“Ge, what’s wrong?” He rubbed his eyes.

“I killed someone,” Xu Nanxiao said bluntly.

“Huh?” Lu Yingjie was instantly wide awake, staring at him with round, shocked eyes.

“So I’m leaving. I’m not coming back.”

“Where are you going?” Lu Yingjie sat up anxiously.

“I don’t know. I’ll just go wherever I end up.” Xu Nanxiao fought back the heat in his eyes, gripping the strap of his small bag. “Goodbye. Find another big brother to look after you.”

“No! I’m coming too!” Lu Yingjie suddenly threw his arms around him, sobbing. “I’ll go with you!”

“Don’t be stupid!” Xu Nanxiao pried his fingers off. “If you come with me, you can’t come home—you won’t see your mom and dad again! No house, no bed, no good food!”

“I don’t care—I’m still coming with you!” Lu Yingjie wailed. “Ge, don’t leave me behind!”

Afraid Lu Yingjie’s crying would wake the adults, Xu Nanxiao covered his mouth and agreed to take him along. So the two children fled that very night, boarding a train to a distant place.

The carriage rocked gently to the rhythmic clatter of the tracks, like a cradle—but it couldn’t soothe the panic in the two children’s hearts.

Outside the window lay endless, boundless darkness. Occasional specks of light shot past like shooting stars—gone before they could illuminate anything, swallowed by the deeper night.

Their future was just as heavy as the darkness outside. Xu Nanxiao didn’t know where he was going, didn’t know what tomorrow would bring, didn’t even know if the police would catch him at dawn.

The carriage was so empty. A few scattered passengers dozed off; no one cared about these two frightened children.

Thinking of his uncertain fate, of the fact that he’d killed his father, Xu Nanxiao couldn’t hold back his tears. His quiet sobs echoed through the carriage.

Then, a warm hand tentatively reached over and covered his clenched fist.

Xu Nanxiao turned and saw Lu Yingjie’s worried eyes.

Feeling that his “leader” dignity was at stake, he stopped crying. He roughly wiped his face and scolded Lu Yingjie: “You cry all the time, so why aren’t you crying now?”

“I don’t like crying. I only cry because you like seeing me cry,” Lu Yingjie defended himself.

“Liar! You’re just a crybaby!” Xu Nanxiao didn’t believe him and shoved his hand away.

“Really.” Lu Yingjie rubbed his hand, then suddenly said with excitement, “Ge, don’t cry. We made it out. From now on, I’ll protect you—I won’t let anyone hit you ever again. We’ll stay together forever and ever.”

Lu Yingjie didn’t understand anything!

He had no idea what it meant to kill someone. He probably just thought it was an adventure, following him without a second thought—leaving his warm bed, his parents, stepping onto a road full of unknowns.

So stupid!

But in the end, Xu Nanxiao held Lu Yingjie’s hand tightly.

He realized that with Lu Yingjie being this foolish, the only person he could rely on was him. At the same time, his luggage was no longer just a few Ultraman cards, some glass marbles, and a toy car.

He had gained a younger brother.

He now had a weakness—and thus, armor.

The two children held hands, their hearts full of worries. The train clattered on, roaring forward, carrying Xu Nanxiao’s entire world toward a tomorrow that might not even exist.