The time of the city

Mo Yu came back from shopping in the supermarket. As soon as she entered the door, she saw a camel-colored shadow curled up on the sofa.

Ni Jiamu was wrapped in a gray lambskin cotton coat and a plush hat of the same color. He was holding a stack of information in his hand and was looking at it intently.

Ni Jiamu's appearance surprised Mo Yu a little, but more than that, she was astonished. She had never seen Ni Jiamu dressed so warmly in winter, let alone autumn.

"Brother, are you back?"

Ni Jiamu raised his eyes only after hearing the voice. Behind his glasses, his gaze was filled with a look of interruption. He pushed his glasses up and whispered a response.

Mo Yu sat down next to Ni Jiamu, "Brother, why are you thinner again? You are wearing so many clothes. Are you sick? I will take you to the hospital."

After saying that, she grabbed Ni Jiamu's hand, but found that the hand under his sleeve had become skinny and bony, which hurt her.

Mo Yu stood there in a daze, her eyes instantly moist. Seeing this, Ni Jiamu shook off her hand and moved to the side.

"What are you making such a fuss about? You look like I have some terminal illness. I'm just tired from work and have a cold."

Afraid she wouldn't believe him, he showed her the needle marks on the back of his hand. "I went to the hospital and it was just a cold. I even got an IV."

Mo Yu's heart was relieved. "Brother, why didn't you ask me to accompany you to the hospital? Don't go to the company these few days. Stay at home and recuperate, okay?"

"You can't even cook properly, why should I ask you to do it? Are you going to cause me trouble?"

The sudden loud voice startled Mo Yu. Ni Jiamu pursed his lips and handed the information to Mo Yu. "Take a look."

Mo Yu took it and saw the pictures and descriptions of the various room types on the paper. She shook her head. "I don't understand."

"Like that one?"

"Are we moving?"

Ni Jiamu's Adam's apple moved, and he reached out to straighten the hem of Mo Yu's rolled-up skirt. The autumn sun outside the window slanted into the living room, casting a blue-gray shadow under his eyes, and even his eyelashes trembled into tiny shadows behind the lenses.

"It's not us, it's you. Lin Xiao and Qiao Mu are moving to City B to settle down. I've picked out a few houses for you near where they live. Take a look and see which one you like. I've also picked out a few shops for you. Take a look together."

Mo Yu's fingers gripping the document suddenly tightened, causing wrinkles on the edge of the paper in her palm.

The sycamore leaves outside the window rustled against the glass.

"Why do you want me to move out? You said we would be together forever, and we would be the only ones left in this house."

Ni Jiamu turned his face away with his Adam's apple rolling, his gold-rimmed glasses slid to the tip of his nose, revealing the dark blood vessels under his eyes.

"I want to live alone now. Besides, you've always wanted to leave, so now I'm giving you the chance to leave."

Mo Yu looked at Ni Jiamu, but couldn't say anything.

"Please choose carefully. Once you've made your choice, tell me and I'll get someone to move your luggage for you."

Mo Yu's tears finally flowed. She stood up and knocked over the glass on the coffee table with her knee. The clear water spread into dark marks on the carpet.

"Brother, I won't leave. You must be reluctant to leave me. You helped Brother Daqiang and took me to treat my leg. You are so good to me. It is impossible for you to change your mind just like that."

After saying that, Mo Yu ran upstairs back to her room. Ni Jiamu heard the sound of the door closing upstairs. He sighed and squatted on the ground, absorbing the water on the carpet bit by bit with a towel.

"Xiaoyu, you're right. I really can't bear to leave you."

After saying that, Ni Jiamu coughed violently. He curled up and covered his mouth. Drops of blood seeped from between his fingers and fell onto the carpet before slowly spreading out.

Ni Jiamu hurriedly wiped it with his sleeve, "But I have to do this, Xiaoyu, forgive me."

Mo Yu lay on the bed, rolling from one end to the other, "What happened to my brother? Why is this happening?"

She turned her head to look at the tree outside the window. The leaves had turned yellow, and when the wind blew, the leaves began to fall.

"Another year is almost over, and this New Year's Eve I'm the only one left with my brother."

Somehow, Ni Jiamu's sickly appearance suddenly appeared in Mo Yu's mind.

"I can't leave my brother downstairs alone."

As soon as she went downstairs, she saw the two people who had tattooed her and Ni Jiamu sitting in the living room.

Just as Mo Yu was about to ask, Ni Jiamu said, "Mo Yu, come here."

Mo Yu walked obediently to Ni Jiamu's side.

"We can begin now." Ni Jiamu had just finished speaking when two tattoo artists came over to Mo Yu. "Miss Mo, we are going to remove your tattoo. Please take a seat. We will give you anesthesia first. It won't hurt."

Mo Yu turned her head and looked at Ni Jiamu, "Do as they say." Ni Jiamu said without looking at Mo Yu's face.

"Brother, what's wrong with you? You asked me to get this tattoo, and now you want to wash it off. You're so weird."

Ni Jiamu said indifferently, "You didn't want to get the tattoo when Mo Yu got it, didn't you? I said at the time that this would be a mark, and no one could remove it as long as it was there. Now that I've removed the mark, you're free and won't be bound by me anymore."

Mo Yu remembered that she had promised Ni Jiamu to get a tattoo, but she ran away before the tattoo had been done for long, and she suddenly felt ashamed.

She looked at the tattoo written by Ni Jiamu on her wrist, and her heart was filled with ripples. Her intuition told her that she didn't want to wash it off.

"Brother, I was wrong. I won't run away again."

Ni Jiamu raised his head. "Moyu, do you love me? Do you love Ni Jiamu as a person?"

Mo Yu blushed instantly and was speechless. In her mind was the scene of Ni Jiamu carrying her out of the private room amidst the laughter.

"Wash yourself, Mo Yu. I won't force you this time. Since you've never liked me, it's time for me to give up on you."

Mo Yu sat down blankly, watching the tattoo artist remove the tattoo on her wrist bit by bit. Somehow, she felt so empty inside.

After washing, Mo Yu choked up and said, "Then you wash it off too."

Ni Jiamu's breath was choked, and he covered his chest and said, "I'm not feeling well now. I'll go take a shower when my cold is better. You can choose a house carefully. I have something to go out for and won't be back tonight."

Mo Yu looked at her wrist, which was now red and swollen, and asked, "Why does my heart feel so empty?"