Chapter 18: He Didnât Want to be Abandoned by Xiansheng
The nurse naturally knew who he was talking about and replied: “Master Yu has already left with Mister Su.”
Hearing this news, a heavy “boom” echoed in Shen Yuanâs head. His entire body felt weak and powerless. The discharge certificate in his hand fell to the floor because he was shaking too much.
How could Xiansheng abandon him and leave secretly?!
The little fool wouldn’t believe it. He sobbed and shook his head. Without even taking his things, he ran out stumbling.
Because he was usually accompanied by Xiansheng or the butler, this was his first time facing the world alone. His fragile heart was taut, on the verge of collapsing.
People were coming and going in the vast hospital corridor. Shen Yuan bit his lip. He couldn’t find the stairs or the elevator. Because he was too socially anxious, he didn’t dare speak. He could only blindly follow a nurse pushing a medicine cart into the elevator.
The enclosed space and the several unfamiliar strangers made him feel inexplicably panicked and oppressed.
But at a time like this, he could only endure.
Shen Yuan nervously gripped his clothes, not daring to press the floor buttons. It wasn’t until the elevator door opened that he breathed a sigh of relief and walked out cautiously.
Unfortunately, the nurse and the strangers weren’t going down; he had followed them up to the twentieth floor.
Looking at the unfamiliar environment outside, the terror in Shen Yuanâs eyes grew. His small face turned deathly pale. He pouted his lips, his long eyelashes covered in tears.
He knew he couldn’t cry right now. He had to be strong to find his way home.
The little fool wiped his tears with the back of his hand. Then he saw a dark stairwell not far away. He felt a surge of joy.
But the dark stairwell was like a monster with its mouth wide open, exuding an indescribable gloom.
Shen Yuan swallowed hard, shrinking his body in fear. Then he straightened his back. He told himself he didn’t want to be abandoned by Xianshengâdidn’t want to become an unwanted child…
Ultimately, he suppressed the fear in his heart. He took a step and ran stumbling toward it. With one hand on the railing, he ran through the lightless stairwell.
The pain from his lower body made him gasp, but he didn’t dare stop. He kept running.
Twenty full floors. He ran for a very long time before he finally walked out of the hospital entrance, panting.
Shen Yuan took in large gulps of air, his small face red. He braced his hands on his knees for a long time before looking up.
But the busy traffic outside made him dizzy. He had no idea which direction was the way home.
He wanted to take a taxi, but he didn’t have a cent on him.
Usually, he left in Yu Xiuqingâs private car. Now, standing alone by the road, he could only stare blankly at the passing taxis. His extremely uneasy heart desperately hoped to see Xianshengâs car coming for him.
But he waited for over half an hour. The sky gradually grew dark, and he still didn’t see a single familiar car pass by.
Xiansheng wasn’t coming.
Shen Yuan let out a heavy sigh. He walked down the sidewalk dejectedly, one foot aimlessly kicking a small stone.
Where was he supposed to go now…
Would he be like those homeless people, sleeping by the road? Or on a cold park bench?
Shen Yuanâs nose felt sore. As he lowered his head to rub his eyes, he suddenly saw a rabbit plush lying next to a trash can.
He walked over, bent down to pick it up, and carefully patted the dust off the plush. The rabbit’s eyes were blueâbeautiful like sapphires.
“Were you abandoned too…”
Shen Yuan touched the soft fur of the plush, looking sad. Then he clutched the toy tightly in his arms.
The next second, a pair of tattooed hands suddenly emerged from a dark alleyway and dragged him inside!
The little rabbit plush fell to the ground.
Before Shen Yuan could react, his mouth and nose were covered, and he was pulled into the alley.
Then, he was pinned down by a large body. With the help of the other’s faint phone light, he saw clearlyâit was a fat man!
His clothes were very dirty; he was definitely a local vagrant.
“Ah! Who… who are you?! Let… let go of me! Help!” Shen Yuan shouted in terror.
“Stop shouting, little girl. You think there are police here?” the man said in a coarse voice. A grubby hand reached into his clothes, roaming restlessly across his chest.
Shen Yuan struggled with all his might, but his strength was too small. His kicking legs were soon pinned down.
He stared at the man with terrified eyes, his lips trembling: “Don’t… don’t touch me! Get away! I beg you, let me go! Yu… Xiansheng! Save me!”
the man laughed wickedly: “Shouting until your throat is hoarse won’t work! Big brother will make you feel like you’re in heaven in a moment.”
“Go away! Get away…!”
Shen Yuan shook his head violently. Hearing the man’s words become increasingly lewd, the terror in his heart grew. He hurriedly cried out:
“I… I can’t be touched. Xiansheng will be very angry if he finds out… please let me go…”
But the man, driven by lust, didn’t care about the youth’s breathless shouting. He tore the boy’s clothes open.
Shen Yuan felt a chill on his chest, and his heart felt as though it had died. A pungent, choking smell of alcohol washed over him.
He closed his eyes in despair, thinking he was about to be violated by a stranger…
Mister Yu would want him even less now; he was dirty…
But the heart-wrenching pain he imagined didn’t come. Instead, he heard a heavy thud, and the man pinning him down suddenly collapsed.
Shen Yuan tremblingly opened one eye. He glanced at the vagrant beside him and immediately crawled up in terror.
He kept his eyes fixed on the unconscious man, fearing he would stand up. His trembling legs kept moving backward.
The next second, the little fool bumped straight into a solid wall of flesh, nearly falling over.
“Careful.”
The person behind him caught him in time. The voice was a bit deep. In such a silent night, it sounded exceptionally tender, giving Shen Yuan a moment of security.
But facing another sudden stranger, Shen Yuan acted panicked and afraid. He kept bowing and apologizing:
“I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to!”
Zhou Xuyan looked at the beautiful boy before himâhis face was dirty, but his skin was as white as porcelain. Especially those misty, deer-like eyes; they made his heart race violently.
“Shen Yuan? Is it you?!”
His voice was trembling with excitement.
Shen Yuan looked up at him, his large, dark eyes blinking. He looked incredibly innocent and cute.
“Are you… Guitar-gege?”
He asked in disbelief. His small hands gripped his clothes, looking very nervous.
“Mm! It’s me!”
Zhou Xuyan nodded, his body shaking violently. Then he stepped forward joyfully and hugged him tightly.
“I didn’t expect to actually see you here!”
Perhaps because he was too happy, his grip was very strong. The corners of his eyes were slightly red; he wished he could crush the youth into his embrace.
Shen Yuan was squeezed until he could barely breathe. He could only pull at the man’s hands, his soft face turning beet red.
“Waah… it hurts…”
His clear, dark eyes were filled with tears. He looked as piteous as could be.
Zhou Xuyan realized he had lost his composure and immediately let go of the youth, one hand awkwardly scratching the back of his head:
“Ah, sorry. I was too excited.”
Shen Yuan coughed weakly a few times and shook his head, not blaming him at all. “It’s fine…”
The man suddenly crouched in front of Shen Yuan. Seeing the dust on the dirty little face, he couldn’t help but reach out to wipe the smudge from the corner of the boy’s mouth. He asked:
“Why are you here alone? You nearly let that vagrant… what happened?”
“I…”
Shen Yuan lowered his head, hesitating. But then he remembered something more important and began to look around anxiously. His eyes lit up when he found the plush in the corner.
He hurriedly picked it up, patted the dirt off the rabbit’s head, and rubbed against it lovingly, soothing it:
“I found you. Iâll protect you well.”
The dim yellow streetlight shone on the youth. His clothes were thin, he was swaying as if he might fall, and a layer of dust covered his cheeksâlike a toy forgotten by its owner.
Zhou Xuyanâs memory of him remained at a year agoâthe fool who was the only one among thousands of audience members to appreciate his music. But he never thought Shen Yuan was a fool.
Shen Yuan had more musical talent than anyone.
When he had first wandered the streets with his guitar, questioned by everyone for having no artistic talent and being unsuitable for music, Shen Yuan had been his only listener.
He had sat beside him, accompanying him until dark.
Looking at him again now, the person no longer had any of the youthful energy a young man should have.
He didn’t know what the other had been through this past year.
Looking at Shen Yuan like this, he felt sad for some reason. A protective urge arose within him.
Shen Yuan clutched the rabbit plush in his arms. He wiped his cheek with the back of his hand, not realizing he was just making it more of a mess. He simply looked at the man and said, “Thank you, Guitar-gege. Now I have to go home…”
Zhou Xuyan was struck by how cute he looked. He took out a wet wipe and gently wiped the dust from the boy’s cheek:
“Iâll take you back. It’s so dark now, and there are many bad people. It’s not safe for you alone.”
Hearing he could go home immediately, Shen Yuan originally wanted to nod happily. But thinking of Yu Xiuqingâs dark, cold face, he hesitated. His fingers nervously pinched the plush as he said softly:
“But… Xiansheng doesn’t allow me to get close to other men. Heâll be angry… heâll punish me…”
Zhou Xuyan instantly knew the “Xiansheng” he spoke of was Yu Xiuqing. He felt an inexplicable surge of anger.
It was this man who had made him lose face on a music talent show a year agoâdismissing him completely with just one vote and sneering at his compositions.
Nandgangâs noble and arrogant Yu Sanye had crushed this guitarist, who was just starting out and full of hope for the future, in the cradle. It had made it very hard for him to break into the entertainment industry.
He had earned Yu Xiuqingâs hostility simply because Shen Yuan had stood up in the audience back then to acknowledge his music score.
A professional art student with a Grade 10 guitar level was now reduced to earning money at KTVs or bars to support himself.
At this thought, Zhou Xuyan couldn’t help but clench his fists.
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