Gu Sheng took another long sick leave.

After that day, Gu Sheng never came back to school. Only the homework assigned by teachers and the handed-out test papers were collected by someone each day, otherwise Gu Sheng’s desk would have been piled into a small mountain of papers.

He Yanqing, because of his excellent grades, received praise from the teachers.

Classmates also noticed that He Yanqing was approachable; when they had questions, he would patiently explain them to them.

Zhou Shiyi also drew some attention, but they found that after he cut his hair short, his brows and eyes looked sharp and aggressive, making him seem very unapproachable.

It was also at this time that they realized Zhou Shiyi actually looked pretty good.

But he just seemed very unapproachable.

So no one dared to go to Zhou Shiyi with questions.

That day, the math teacher brought in a set of exam papers—apparently from a previous competition—and anyone interested could take a copy from the teacher.

The students in Class 2-1 all had solid foundations, so quite a few of them picked the contest-level problems.

But even for them, the contest problems were still challenging.

He Yanqing was stuck on that question for a long time and had no idea how to proceed; when someone asked him, he frankly said he needed to think it over more.

He turned his head and watched Zhou Shiyi working through problems — that set of contest questions seemed to pose little difficulty for him, and he didn’t linger long on any single problem.

He took the test paper and walked over to Zhou Shiyi.

The other students also noticed He Yanqing’s move, worrying about what would happen if the ace student got rejected.

To their surprise, He Yanqing waited until Zhou Shiyi finished the problem in his hand, then took the initiative to ask a question.

Zhou Shiyi actually took the problem and the scrap paper, scribbled on the paper, and said a few sentences to He Yanqing.

He Yanqing brightened up as soon as he heard the opening—Zhou Shiyi’s explanation was concise but hit all the key points; after that it was just a matter of computation.

He’d always wanted to spar a bit with the top student a year above him, but he’d heard Zhou Shiyi was hard to approach. When he asked classmates, they all made some indescribable expression whenever Zhou’s name came up.

Listening to Zhou Shiyi’s calm, unhurried answers, He Yanqing’s eyes grew ever brighter.

The protagonist-see?—truly a child of Heaven: not only did he grasp things at a glance, he could also extend one example to understand others. Zhou Shiyi couldn’t help but explain more and more, going deeper and deeper.

He Yanqing lived up to expectations, periodically coming up with new solution approaches. While explaining problems to He Yanqing, Zhou Shiyi also sparked fresh ideas; both felt as if they’d met too late.

When the class bell rang, the two were left wanting more.

So when they parted, He Yanqing took the initiative to suggest meeting at the library over the weekend, and Zhou Shiyi, a little hesitant, agreed.

That weekend, the two met on the steps in front of the library.

They each brought the set of problems they were most confident in and entered the library one after the other.

Gu Sheng sat in the car, frowning as he looked through the window at the two of them moving into the library in perfect sync.

He had just passed by and happened to see Zhou Shiyi on the steps; at first he thought he was mistaken. After stopping the car, he realized Zhou Shiyi seemed to be waiting for someone.

Zhou Shiyi was indeed waiting for someone, and the person who arrived was also very familiar to Gu Sheng.

If it wasn’t He Yanqing, then who else?

Gu Sheng had wanted to open the car door and get out, to interrupt their conversation, but when he saw the appointment confirmation number on his phone screen he calmed himself.

He closed his eyes and forced down his impulse, telling the driver to head to the hospital.

This was his third time seeing a psychologist; this visit was to undergo hypnosis.

Hypnosis isn’t as miraculous as it’s portrayed in films and novels. It merely lets a person distance themselves from the memories that cause them pain; when they think of those memories, it’s as if there’s a layer between them and the memory, more like watching the memory as an observer.

The psychiatrist told him he had severe post-traumatic stress disorder, and that the usual approach for this condition was to avoid people or things that triggered his psychological trauma.

The psychiatrist’s surname was Li — a slightly plump woman with soft features and a gentle, refined air who naturally inspired goodwill at first sight.

Dr. Li spoke at a measured pace, neither hurried nor slow, which made people unconsciously relax in her presence while still catching every word she said.

She asked Gu Sheng to think about when his stress reactions occurred, whether there was any pattern to them.

Right now the most important thing was to separate Gu Sheng from his triggers, then gradually reintroduce appropriate stimuli so he could live a normal life.

Gu Sheng was silent for a moment; he knew what his trigger was.

It was Zhou Shiyi.

He thought again that he couldn’t live forever in Zhou Shiyi’s shadow. He had been reborn, and there were still decades waiting for him — it was time to let go of the past and start a new life.

After thinking it over several times, Gu Sheng decided to accept the hypnosis.

He lay on the bed in the therapy room, hands crossed over his abdomen, eyes half-closed.

“Relax. Imagine you’re lying on a vast grassland right now, a gentle breeze blowing, and you can almost smell the scent of grass.”

With Dr. Li’s words, Gu Sheng seemed to actually see that stretch of grassland.

There was nothing but an endless prairie; tender green grass swayed gently with the breeze. He lay on the grass, blue sky and a few white clouds overhead, soft, thick grass beneath him.

He smelled the scent of fresh grass of the great outdoors.

……

Zhou Shiyi came out of the library; it was already raining outside.

He still had to get ready for work, so he could only say goodbye to He Yanqing. He Yanqing felt a twinge of regret but couldn’t keep him from leaving.

After seeing it start to rain, He Yanqing even asked the librarian to lend Zhou Shiyi an umbrella.

He Yanqing looked obedient and sensible—the kind of face elders liked—and with his sweet tongue, he effortlessly borrowed two transparent umbrellas.

These umbrellas were kept for people studying in the library who suddenly encountered heavy rain and couldn’t go home.

Zhou Shiyi and He Yanqing parted ways in front of the library.

He Yanqing came from a well-off family and had a driver to pick him up.

Zhou Shiyi, on the other hand, had to go to work, so the two went different ways.

Zhou Shiyi opened his umbrella and walked on the rain-soaked ground.

The place where he worked was two kilometers away from here; his best option was to take the bus.

In front of the library bus stop, across the street, he walked past a patch of greenery and caught sight of what looked like a person there.

The rain came on suddenly—just a moment ago the sky had been clear, and now dark clouds swarmed overhead and a torrential downpour was falling.

Everyone on the street was looking for shelter from the rain; only under the tree someone was curled up there, motionless.

The rain fell on him, but he seemed unable to feel it.

Zhou Shiyi looked up and glanced around; though there wasn’t thunder yet, even elementary school kids knew you shouldn’t stand under a tree in the rain.

Nobody knew when the lightning struck.

Passersby hurried by; it seemed like no one noticed there was a person there.

Not sure if he had fainted, Zhou Shiyi walked over a little helplessly: “Are you feeling unwell? Do you need help? It’s dangerous to shelter under a tree in the rain.”

Up close, he saw the person wearing a thin white shirt. Maybe he was cold; he was squatting under the tree, his face buried in his knees, his arms wrapped around his legs, trapping himself in place.

It seemed that upon hearing his voice, the man trembled as he raised his head, his eyes looking at him in a dazed confusion.

Zhou Shiyi looked astonished — it was Gu Sheng.

He had no idea what had happened; how could Gu Sheng appear here looking so disheveled.

Gu Sheng’s eyes glazed over; he seemed to recognize Zhou Shiyi. “Zhou Shiyi, Zhou Shiyi…”

A strange vitality suddenly burst across his face; he gave Zhou Shiyi a nervous smile. He wanted to lunge forward, but his own hands held him frozen in place.

Zhou Shiyi’s eye twitched: “Don’t move yet. Are your legs numb? Where are your family?”

Seeing Gu Sheng still looking at him with pleading eyes, Zhou Shiyi could only helplessly go over and free him from his self-restraint.

Zhou Shiyi helped Gu Sheng up from the ground. Who knew how long he’d been squatting there—unsurprisingly, Gu Sheng’s legs were numb.

Gu Sheng went limp and collapsed onto Zhou Shiyi, who hurriedly caught him. Gu Sheng still seemed semi-conscious, his hand instinctively clinging to Zhou Shiyi’s.

“Can you still walk?”

It took Gu Sheng a long moment to react and understand what Zhou Shiyi was asking. He shook his head. “My legs are numb.”

Zhou Shiyi looked helpless. He helped Gu Sheng to his feet. “Get out of here first, even if your legs are numb, bear with it.”

After saying that, regardless of what Gu Sheng wanted to say, he slipped one arm under Gu Sheng’s armpit. The hand that Gu Sheng had been gripping tightly, holding the umbrella, hauled Gu Sheng out from under the tree.

Gu Sheng struggled weakly a few times, but didn’t break free. He went along with Zhou Shiyi’s strength, leaving that spot Zhou Shiyi had regarded as a potential threat.

Having dragged him out from under the tree, Zhou Shiyi suddenly didn’t know what to do next. He wanted to ask, Gu Sheng, where are your family? How did they end up here?

But Gu Sheng clung to him like someone grabbing a lifeline, holding on desperately.

The two of them stood under the umbrella, tugging at each other; the rain grew heavier and passersby holding umbrellas shot them several odd glances.

“I’ll take you to the hospital.”

For some reason the word hospital hit a nerve—Gu Sheng panicked. “N-no, I won’t go to the hospital, I…”

Zhou Shiyi didn’t catch the rest of what he said; his instinct told him he’d picked up a huge problem.

Gu Sheng couldn’t answer anything in his current state, but at the very least he couldn’t be left here alone, so Zhou Shiyi had no choice but to take him home.

Once on the bus, the two of them drew the attention of everyone aboard.

Gu Sheng seemed terrified of seeing people—maybe it was also because the rain had soaked his clothes—because once inside the carriage he kept trembling.

Zhou Shiyi sighed inwardly, found two empty seats, set Gu Sheng down toward the window, sat on the aisle side himself, took off his jacket, and draped it over Gu Sheng’s head, who clearly wasn’t in a normal state.

Gu Sheng really did stop shaking.

Zhou Shiyi braced himself against the various stares from others, feeling a bit irritated.

He took out that old phone; it was slow to respond and took a moment before the chat window refreshed. He had asked his boss for leave—he couldn’t go to work today.

Suddenly, a weight fell onto his shoulder.

He turned his head slightly; it was Gu Sheng.

Gu Sheng was soaked through, only Zhou Shiyi’s jacket over his head remained dry, which looked oddly comical.

He leaned against Zhou Shiyi’s shoulder, half his body pressed against him.

The two boys’ bodies, separated by several layers of fabric, transmitted each other’s warmth; on this damp, chilly rainy day, it felt somewhat comforting.

Gu Sheng was awake, but judging by his dilated pupils, he wasn’t entirely lucid.

All the way home Zhou Shiyi half-supported, half-carried him, and finally brought him back.

Click.

Zhou Shiyi took out his keys, opened the door, and helped Gu Sheng inside.

It was still pouring outside. Zhou Shiyi led him to the bathroom, told Gu Sheng to take a shower, and even brought him a fresh set of clothes to change into.

Gu Sheng stood under the shower, dazed, letting the water soak his clothes for a while.

The water in the bathroom was just the right temperature; his body gradually warmed, but the aftereffects of the forced sleep left his mind not yet fully clear.

When he heard Zhou Shiyi knocking outside, Gu Sheng stiffly opened the door a crack, reached out a hand, and pulled the clothes inside.

After a moment, Gu Sheng began undressing, took a hasty shower, and came out wearing Zhou Shiyi’s clothes.

When he opened the door, the warm steam from the bathroom billowed out.

Zhou Shiyi in the kitchen heard a sound and poked his head out.

The outfit was something Zhou Shiyi had recently bought, worn only once or twice before; now it fit Gu Sheng perfectly.

“Finished washing? Sit on the sofa for a bit, it’ll be ready soon.”

Gu Sheng sat on the sofa, staring into who-knows-what.

By the time Zhou Shiyi carried out two bowls of ginger soup, Gu Sheng had already fallen asleep on the sofa.

Seventeen- or eighteen-year-old boys, though you could still see traces of thinness in their frames, already had the height of an adult.

At one meter eighty he’d folded himself into a tiny bundle, arms wrapped around his torso, curled up on the single sofa and asleep.

📘 The complete novel is available for download via the link below.