The time of the city

It was late at night, and the sky was dark, as if painted thickly with endless ink, without even the faintest glimmer of a star. Such a night tempted people to commit crimes, such a night seemed to erase all traces, such a night was terrifying.

Ni Jiamu drove to all the places where Mo Yu might have gone, but he couldn't find her anywhere.

At Mo Yu's insistence, the boy decided to let Mo Yu take him home.

"My home is nearby. You've heard of the chaotic area, right? If you're scared, you can always change your mind."

"I won't regret it. I will be responsible for you to the end." Mo Yu's eyes were firm and pure, as if she was ready to die.

The night was dark, and a light rain had begun to fall, leaving a thin layer of mist on the car windows. Ni Jiamu's fear grew even more intense. It was the first time in his life he had ever felt this frightened. It felt like his heart was about to leap out of his throat, and he felt extremely uncomfortable.

"It's raining, let's walk faster." They passed a bus stop, walked through an alley, and saw a row of compact and low houses.

Mo Yu had only heard of this place from his classmates but had never been there. He only knew that the people in this area were desperately trying to survive, but were at the same time effortlessly abandoned by the world.

Ni Jiamu had also told her to stay away from this place, saying that the people there were committing all kinds of crimes, such as arson, murder, and looting, and that they were a cancer of society. But after seeing the boy who had saved her from the fire, her opinion of this place changed.

There are good people even in the dirtiest places. They just live in the gutter, but they also yearn for light.

Hundreds of homeless people slept here every day. Of course, those who owed gambling debts or were on the run would also choose this place because it was very inclusive. But why this boy in front of her also lived here, Mo Yu didn't know, and she couldn't guess.

"My home is at the innermost part," the boy pointed to the iron gate at the deepest part of a row of houses.

As he approached, the boy reached out and took the key from the door to open it. "Aren't you afraid of losing something?"

"There's nothing to steal from me. If a mouse gets in, it will starve to death."

After entering the room, Mo Yu's first impression was that it was too small. It was so small that it could not accommodate anything except a single bed, a cabinet and a few chairs. However, it was also very tidy.

The two people made the room even more crowded, and Mo Yu stood at the door with nowhere to step.

"Just sit down somewhere. I'll apply some medicine on you." Mo Yu then remembered that her face was swollen and red from being beaten by the thugs. It would have been fine if she hadn't said it, but once she did, it really hurt.

"No, I'm fine. I'll bandage you first."

"Be careful not to get disfigured." The boy took out a medicine box from under the bed, opened it, found the medicine and applied it on Mo Yu's face. His movements were very gentle, so gentle that it was over before Mo Yu could react.

"Okay, don't press on it when you sleep." After saying that, the boy untied the clothes that Mo Yu had bandaged on his arm, and the hideous wound was instantly exposed. Mo Yu looked up and saw that the knife wound on the boy's arm had scabbed over, but it still looked very scary. Mo Yu subconsciously withdrew her gaze.

The boy picked up an unopened bottle of alcohol and poured the whole bottle on her. He bit his lower lip tightly in pain, and the joints of his fingers had turned white from clenching his fist so hard.

"Really, we don't need to go to the hospital?"

"It's okay, it's a daily routine for me."

"What's your name? I don't even know the name of my savior."

"Xiao Hecheng"

The boy was cleaning up the garbage. Mo Yu caught a glimpse of several paintings placed next to the wardrobe. The colors were very bright. He could feel the boy's love for life.

"Do you like painting too?"

The boy put the painting into the closet. "I'm self-taught. I'm not a good painter."

"I think it's great, you're amazing."

Mo Yu praised the boy in front of her from the bottom of her heart. She also found that each of his paintings ended with a sun.

Our life cannot be without the sun, it gives us light, heat and brightness. People like Xiao Hecheng will yearn for light even more. Life is like finding candy in a pile of broken glass. Xiao Hecheng puts all his hopes for life in his paintings.

Mo Yu silently complained to Xiao Hecheng about the unfairness of the world. In this vast world, some people spend money in nightclubs, just like everyone else, but he, who loves life so much, has to work so hard just to make ends meet, yet his life is still unsatisfactory.

"It's getting late, go to bed early. You sleep on the bed and I'll sleep on the floor. I'll turn on the light if you're scared." Xiao Hecheng lay directly on the ground and closed his eyes as if he was isolated from the world.

Ni Jiamu found out in the middle of the night that there was still no news from Mo Yu. His mind was filled with boredom, impatience and pain.

"Jia Mu, I sent you a video. Your sister may..." K didn't continue and hung up the phone.

Ni Jiamu clicked on the video, which was a surveillance camera at the door of a bar in Beicheng District. Mo Yu was harassed by two thugs and then ran forward.

"Jiamu, I checked the surveillance camera on the street where your sister ran, but it broke down a few days ago." K sent a message afterwards.

Ni Jiamu was almost going crazy. He was like a drowning man struggling desperately, looking for hope, but he could not see any hope at all.

When I closed my eyes, I saw Hanhan lying in a pool of blood. Memories came to my mind again and again: the cold concrete floor, the crowd of onlookers, and the glaring red.

He repeatedly doubted whether he was not worthy of having a sister. If he had not insisted on taking her abroad, would she be lying safely in her bed at home, dreaming beautiful dreams?

He even had the idea that if Mo Yu met with an accident, he would not want to live either.

At four o'clock in the morning, K found Ni Jiamu collapsed on the roadside exhausted. He did not look like a decisive president at this moment, but rather a poor child who had lost his most beloved thing.

"Jiamu, you need to rest. I've sent someone to look for you. If Moyu doesn't see you when she gets home, she'll be worried."

"Yes, Xiaoyu will be fine. I will wait for her to come back home." Ni Jiamu's eyes were bloodshot and his expression was confused.

It was dawn and Xiao Hecheng woke up early. The floor was very hard and he slept very unsteadily. On the contrary, the girl on the bed slept very soundly with a slight smile on her lips. She must have had a beautiful dream, Xiao Hecheng guessed.

Ni Jiamu hadn't slept all night, and dark circles covered his face. Xiaoxue seemed to know what had happened and stayed by Ni Jiamu's side without making any noise.

Mo Yu had a dream. In the dream, she was playing on a trampoline. She jumped up with all her strength. With a loud "bang", the bed collapsed and Mo Yu woke up.

"Are you not hurt?" Xiao Hecheng dropped the paintbrush in his hand and pulled Mo Yu up from the collapsed place.

"I'm sorry, I broke your bed." Mo Yu scratched her head, and she looked very pretty with sleepy eyes.

"It's okay, I'll fix it in a minute. I'll take you home first. I'm sorry you can't wash up for the time being."

"Okay." Mo Yu was about to step out of the room when Xiao Hecheng pulled her back. "Put this on. Your skirt is ruined." He handed her a pair of sweatpants.

Mo Yu looked down at her lower body. Her skirt was torn into pieces, and she could even see her thighs. "Okay, thank you." Mo Yu blushed as she took the sweatpants from Xiao Hecheng's hand and put them on.

Xiao Hecheng also consciously closed the door and waited outside.

"Okay," Mo Yu poked her head out like a penguin. "Your pants are too long." She rolled up the hem of her pants several times before it was the right length.

"Just make do with it, let's go." The two of them didn't say a word throughout the whole process and arrived at Mo Yu's house quietly.

"This is my home, come in and sit down." Mo Yu pointed to the villa in front.

"Just get home, I'm leaving." Xiao Hecheng turned around and ran away without waiting for Mo Yu to answer.

He knew full well that he and someone like Mo Yu would never have any contact in the future. Maybe she was grateful to him now, but it wouldn't be long before she forgot him. That's right, how could someone like him long to be remembered?

Mo Yu stepped into the yard. Ni Jiamu in the house heard the noise, opened the door, and the two looked at each other.

Ni Jiamu rushed over and hugged Mo Yu tightly, while Xiaoxue wagged her tail and circled around them.

"Xiaoyu, where have you been? Do you know how scared I am? I'm afraid I'll never see you again."

"Brother, I'm back safely. You hugged me so tightly that I couldn't breathe."

"What's wrong with your face?" Mo Yu's face was no longer swollen, but the palm print was still clearly visible.

Mo Yu told Ni Jiamu everything that had happened, but she concealed the fact that she and Xiao Hecheng were alone in the same room.

After this incident, Ni Jiamu clearly realized how important Mo Yu was to him. He used to have great ambitions and passion, but now he just wanted to stay by Mo Yu's side and accompany her year after year.