The crew-cut server finally found time to take a few puffs of his cigarette in the men’s bathroom. Turning his head, he saw Li Jinyu enter and cheerfully offered him a cigarette.

At first, Li Jinyu didn’t accept it and refused.

Li Jinyu stood at the doorway wearing the same work uniform as them, immediately giving the crew cut man a sense of inferiority. Suddenly he felt that the saying “clothes make the man, the saddle makes the horse” must have been invented to deceive horses.

Thinking this, the crew cut man sheepishly tucked the cigarette behind his ear and said: “Handsome, are you a police officer?”

This was probably the funniest description Li Jinyu had ever heard. No one had ever said he looked like a police officer. Not only did he now look like a hoodlum, but even when he had been a good boy before, no one had ever said he had the demeanor of a police officer.

Most commonly, people called him naive and innocent. He used to be quite naive and sweet. Occasionally, he would call pretty girls “sisters” to make them happy.

Li Jinyu shook his head and took the cigarette tucked behind the crew cut man’s ear, “Brother, can I get a light?”

The crew-cut man smiled and lit it for him.

Li Jinyu loosely held the cigarette between his teeth, lowered his head, and gently inhaled to light it. The spark flashed slightly, and he lowered his eyes a bit.

As the tobacco slowly entered his mouth, the thousands of ants in his lungs seemed to gradually awaken, moving through his bloodstream. The feeling was too intense; he couldn’t bear it and coughed sharply.

“Never smoked before?” the crew-cut man asked, but from the corner of his eye, he noticed Li Jinyu’s habit of holding the cigarette with his distinct knuckled fingers, which had a slightly uneven shade compared to the rest of his skin—he was an old smoker.

Li Jinyu absentmindedly tapped the ash and said in a flat voice: “My lungs aren’t good. I quit. Rarely smoke now.”

The crew cut man said “oh” twice. He’d heard that people who quit smoking and then start again end up smoking even more heavily. He silently calculated that he had taken a hundred yuan from him earlier, and this cigarette would cost two yuan… The crew cut man was alarmed, feeling this business would be unprofitable. Afraid Li Jinyu might ask for another cigarette, he quickly tucked his small amount of money into his pocket and quietly found an excuse to slip away.

Li Jinyu had quit smoking to keep his grandmother company. He had stopped, but surprisingly, she hadn’t, though she had never really intended to quit—she was just humoring him.

Li Jinyu had been smoking for a long time and heavily. He started smoking in middle school in America. From that time, he understood that deep down he had never been a good boy. To please Li Lingbai and let her know he wouldn’t compete with his brother for anything, he pretended to be gentle and kind to everyone in public, as sweet as an angel. But in reality, during those years in America—fighting, smoking, drinking, nightclubs, bars—he did it all. Only he knew just how wild he truly was.

It seemed his grandmother knew as well.

That seemingly blunt and rough old lady understood him the best.

The old lady’s health wasn’t recovering well. Her hip bone hadn’t healed properly even after three months. She had probably been secretly smoking quite a bit behind his back. Yang Tianwei couldn’t keep an eye on her, and the caretaker was even less effective. When he wasn’t around, no one could control her. He was busy running around like a spinning top every day to earn money for her medical expenses, but the old lady didn’t appreciate his efforts at all.

His mood was very bad today. He had just had another argument with the old lady.

They argued almost every day, so they were used to it. But this time, the old lady was especially determined. She refused to stay in the hospital anymore, shouting that hospitalization was useless since her bone was still in this condition. She insisted on going home, come what may. But at home, he would have even less time to take care of her.

Later, the doctor found him.

That’s when he discovered why the old lady was so eager to return home.

The old lady had been coughing up blood recently. A few days ago, during a follow-up examination for her hip fracture, the doctor had also taken a CT scan of her lungs. The results weren’t good, so they immediately performed a biopsy, which had now confirmed the diagnosis. The doctor had wanted to notify him immediately, but the old lady had consistently refused, saying he was busy. Only after he had sent Ye Meng back to the hospital did they inform him of the results. It was confirmed to be lung cancer, though fortunately still in its early stages.

He had been mentally prepared for this outcome. His grandmother’s uncontrollable smoking addiction, coupled with her age, already put her in a high-risk category. He also knew that sooner or later, his grandmother would leave him, but he wanted to do everything possible to keep her for a few more years.

The treatment plan recommended by the doctor was very sensible: chemotherapy, which would cost a lot of money and time, and the patient would have to endure some suffering, but the outcome would be better than the current situation. Because it was caught early, with good recovery, she could live with the tumor for ten years or so without issue.

Abandoning treatment would save money and convenience, and the elderly person wouldn’t have to suffer, but she would have at most two years. Generally, doctors are reluctant to give patients such definitive numbers, but because it was Li Jinyu, the doctor still gave him a timeframe based on his experience, so he could make a decision.

He knew his grandmother was worried about the money. The better-off relatives in the family had cut ties with them long ago when his father married into the family, finding it disgraceful. People in this town cared a lot about face and looked down on men who married into their wives’ families.

He had barely over ten thousand yuan in his bank account, not even enough for one round of chemotherapy.

Li Jinyu bit the cigarette, not inhaling for a long time. The ash had accumulated halfway and was now falling off. He leaned against the sink, flipping his phone between two fingers, not knowing who to call.

He flipped through his contact list from top to bottom, but there wasn’t a single person he could borrow money from.

He lowered his head, dropped his eyes, and his finger slowly stopped on the name Li Lingbai.

His whole body trembled slightly as if he could barely hold the phone. His thumb quivered in the air, his entire body like a heavy piece of iron, unable to press down on the name.

“Li Jinyu?” The men’s bathroom door was unexpectedly pushed open.

Startled, he took a moment to react before hurriedly hanging up.

When he looked up, he saw Ye Meng directly pushing open the men’s bathroom door, sneaking her head in. Her face was truly beautiful, and her eyes seemed to speak, blinking curiously and shining as she looked at him and said: “Are you hiding in here smoking?”

Uncharacteristically, he stared at her, holding the cigarette to his lips. He looked at her, took a deep drag, and exhaled lazily with a smile: “It’s not like you haven’t seen me smoke before.”

Ye Meng was momentarily stunned. She looked back, then quietly squeezed in, closed the door, and leaned her back against it, looking at him and saying softly: “Cheng Kairan has finished talking with that fat monk. He wants us to find a place and meet up with him later.”

The bathroom actually had a very unpleasant smell, which was now shrouded in smoke. With his alluring appearance, one might have mistaken it for some heavenly realm, but in reality, it stank terribly.

However, the meeting place was set at Li Jinyu’s home.

Since there weren’t many places to talk near the hospital—coffee shops, tea houses, any public place wasn’t very safe—home would be safer. So, they could only go to Li Jinyu’s place. The old lady was in the hospital, so he was the only one living at home now, which was quite convenient.

Li Jinyu’s home was on Three Water Tower Old Street. Most of the residents on this street were elderly people living alone in this town. The gray, low, dilapidated buildings had weathered eaves, peeling wall paint, and walls covered with ivy and morning glories. At the entrance of the alley was a pile of kitchen waste rotted to eternity, with the dense atmosphere of daily life everywhere…

The elderly with palm-leaf fans, the elderly practicing swords, Go boards, chess stands, breakfast pancakes, and bun stalls—everything was available. Ye Meng followed Li Jinyu into the alley. Because all she could see were slowly moving elderly people, she felt that time had slowed down, but there was little vitality. It was originally a retirement neighborhood, and for young people living here, it felt somewhat depressing.

Passing through the alley, there was a lush, statuesque old phoenix tree at the entrance, which marked his home.

The door was very old, with two layers—an iron gate outside and a wooden door inside. The corners of the door were a bit moldy, and when pushed open, it creaked loudly, more effective than a doorbell.

Li Jinyu didn’t close the door, but went directly inside and moved the old lady’s wheelchair to the side. Ye Meng stood at the doorway without moving, secretly observing the layout of the old house. It was actually quite similar to her old ancestral home—three rooms and a living room. Though small, it had everything one needed. There was also a small courtyard in the back with some flowers and plants, and a small yellow dog waiting to be fed.

The inside was very dark, with the curtains closed. The layout was simple and clean. Several of his jackets were casually thrown on the sofa, including the Adidas sports jacket he had worn when they first met by the lake. It felt strange.

That night when she asked for his number, she thought it was a pity that such a handsome guy would have no connection with her. She never imagined they would later experience so much together.

There was something unusual in her heart.

Li Jinyu showed no such feelings, casually collecting the clothes on the sofa and throwing them into the inner room.

“Is that your room?” Ye Meng asked.

Li Jinyu glanced at it, gave an affirmative sound, and said, either jokingly or seriously: “Want to take a look? There’s nothing much to see, just a bed and a few cabinets. Feel free to sit anywhere.”

“I see an electronic keyboard,” Ye Meng looked and said, “You play quite a few instruments?”

He took a bottle of cold water from the refrigerator, handed it to her, closed the refrigerator door, and said, “I learned a bit of everything when I was young, but never mastered anything. Didn’t you say my singing is terrible? I don’t play that well either.”

Just as he finished speaking, he pulled the water back and asked: “Can you drink this?”

Ye Meng felt her face inexplicably warm but didn’t answer. She grabbed it back, proving her point with action.

Li Jinyu hooked the corner of his mouth in a slight smile.

The two sat for a while, and Cheng Kairan soon arrived, dusty and travel-worn as he entered. With a wave of his hand, he left his two subordinates guarding outside the door. Cheng Kairan glanced at the two of them and sat down on the sofa opposite. Li Jinyu and Ye Meng were sitting side by side, a sight so damn pleasing to the eye that it made Cheng Kairan uncomfortable. Nevertheless, he got straight to the point: “How did you find me today?”

Ye Meng said: “The town is just this big. He guessed.”

Cheng Kairan looked at Li Jinyu, pondered for a moment, and then said to Ye Meng, “Did you recognize that jade-inlaid gold thumb ring?”

Ye Meng nodded, “You recognized it too?”

“During those years you were in Beijing, your mother often helped me to atone for your sins. She would occasionally bring me home to cook for me. Later, a man with a thumb ring visited her several times. It was just before your mother’s death, during National Day week, the thumb ring man you encountered. I’ve been investigating this man’s whereabouts but have found nothing so far. Later, someone gave me information that they had found the owner of the thumb ring, but this ring had been passed on to today’s fat man several years ago.”

“What does this fat man do?”

“He deals in antiques. So, I found a way to contact him, hoping to find some clues from him,” saying this, Cheng Kairan added, “I’m not doing this for you but for your mother.”

Ye Meng smiled, “I didn’t think otherwise.”

As they spoke, Li Jinyu’s phone on the table rang. He leaned over to pick it up, “I’m going to take a call.”

After saying this, he closed the dividing door and turned to enter the small courtyard.

Ye Meng kept her eyes on his back, but her words were directed at Cheng Kairan, “Has that Beijing man left?”

“He’s gone. I said what you taught me to,” Cheng Kairan lit a cigarette, “I told him that it’s my mother’s birthday next week, and if I can’t see that antique ring, I don’t want it anymore. I had no intention of actually buying it; I just wanted to see what kinds of antique goods he had access to, hoping to find that man from years ago. He didn’t say much and didn’t seem to suspect me anymore.”

Given Cheng Kairan’s intelligence level, Ye Meng felt it was quite impressive that he had managed to get this far. Li Jinyu finished his call and returned, and she said to Cheng Kairan: “Kaikai, thank you.”

Cheng Kairan grunted, ignoring her.

The atmosphere became awkward in an instant. Looking at this pair before him, skilled actors with inexplicable chemistry, he felt angry from every angle and couldn’t stay for even a minute longer. “Forget it, I’m leaving. Are you coming?”

Ye Meng glanced at Li Jinyu, wanting to ask if she could stay a bit longer.

Li Jinyu directly gave his marching orders, lazily leaning back on the sofa and saying to Cheng Kairan: “Take your girl with you.”

Li Jinyu turned on some music and sat alone in the room for a while. The curtains were drawn even tighter than when Ye Meng and the others were there. He had never been comfortable in very bright environments.

Low-tempo rock music pounded in the room. He quite liked this kind of depressing heavy metal with its strong rhythm and high release of emotions. But afraid of disturbing the neighbors, he kept the volume low, making it sound somewhat dull and oppressive. Yet it truly filled every corner of the room, and the emptiness in his heart finally seemed to be filled a little.

He sat behind the electronic keyboard in the room, headphones around his neck, head leaning back against the wall, one leg bent on the stool, hand resting on it, his pose even more lazy.

The hospital had just called him, asking if he had made a decision.

He barely needed to think; he immediately said they definitely would pursue treatment. The doctor replied that if they were to treat her, his grandmother would need to be transferred to a different ward, requiring an advance payment to change departments. His grandmother insisted on seeing him and adamantly refused to be transferred.

He smiled bitterly. He could only be depressed for this short while; later he would have to go to the hospital to coax the old lady. After coaxing the old lady, he would still need to earn money for medical bills. Once upon a time, money had been his least concern, but how had he managed to mess up his life like this?

Had he known, he would have gritted his teeth and completed university, at least obtaining A University diploma first. He’d heard that with a 985 university diploma, you could get a civil service job in town without taking exams or interviews.

But at that time, he would tremble at the sight of Li Lingbai and had no way to live with her. He couldn’t even stay in Beijing.

His life seemed to have become like this, and what change could occur?

He laughed weakly. Thinking of this, he lowered his head and ran his hand haphazardly through the hair that was resting on his knee.

A thought emerged in his mind that made him sneer at himself.

—Maybe he should sleep with Ye Meng and blackmail her for a hundred or two hundred thousand.

You are a bastard deep down, Li Jinyu.

He smiled self-mockingly, hooking the corner of his mouth.

Suddenly, there came two heavy knocks on the door.

“Bang bang! Bang bang!”

He went to open the door and was stunned—the little lamb had delivered herself to his doorstep. He frowned impatiently, “Why did you come back?”

“I forgot my bag.”

Ye Meng pointed to the sofa. Li Jinyu looked back, slightly stepping aside to let her in.

At this moment, without Cheng Kairan, there were only the two of them, plus the heavy, deep heavy metal music. The atmosphere suddenly became somewhat decadent. Li Jinyu had headphones around his neck, arms crossed, leaning obliquely against the doorframe, saying nothing, seemingly waiting for her to take her bag and leave.

The music was low and slow. Ye Meng pointed at the bathroom: “May I use the bathroom?”

Li Jinyu leaned against the door, took his hand out of his arms, and vaguely pointed in that direction with four fingers, inviting her to go ahead.

“Whoosh—” Soon, the sound of flushing came from the bathroom.

Ye Meng came out. Li Jinyu had his hands in his pockets, still leaning obliquely against the doorframe. This house was low and cramped, and he was tall and broad, yet with the slenderness of youth, creating a contrasting cuteness. Ye Meng felt that his head was almost touching the ceiling, and he looked dejected and pitiful.

Ye Meng walked over and stood in front of him, looking up at him steadily, wanting to ask if he had encountered some problem again, and why he looked so sad. She had noticed his abnormal state earlier, but her mother’s matter had distracted her, and she didn’t have the energy to take care of this younger brother.

Li Jinyu became irritated by her gaze. From his position, he could see outside the courtyard on the first floor where Cheng Kairan was standing under the old phoenix tree, smoking a cigarette and waiting for her. Two subordinates stood beside him. The three men’s gazes were fixed directly in this direction.

“Aren’t you leaving yet?” He slightly hunched his back, pointed his chin toward the door, and said mockingly: “Your ‘brother’ Cheng Kairan is still waiting for you outside—”

Is it appropriate for you to stare at me like this?

Before he could finish his sentence, his lips were captured by hers.

Li Jinyu’s mind exploded, and musical notes danced vividly. The low, roaring, depressing music around him seemed to gradually disappear from his world. Those experiences he had never had before seemed to break through the soil. In his barren heart, new sprouts seemed to emerge, something growing frantically. The dying little deer finally stopped licking its wounds alone.

That desolate world, in this moment, everything stopped, in silence.

Ye Meng picked up her bag that had been accidentally dropped when she lunged forward, patted it, and said expressionlessly—

“If you say I’m his girl again, big sister will take you.”