Chapter 22: Back

Chapter 22: The Return

Wen Yu struggled to open his eyes, but the world before him remained pitch black.

His vision was obscured by a silk cloth wrapped tightly around his eyes, so he couldn't see a thing.

He climbed down from the bed.

The bell swayed and jingled with every move.

The carpet was thick beneath his feet. His hands trembling, he tried to muffle the silver bell with his palm, but the sound still slipped out between his fingers.

"Jingle..."

Wen Yu's fingertips touched the cold door handle. With a soft "click," the door was unlocked.

He was so thrilled he didn't even care he was just wearing a baggy shirt. He pulled the door open and stumbled out in a hurry.

The hallway had thick carpet and was dimly lit.

Wen Yu pulled off the blindfold.

What he saw was horrifying: the hallway seemed overgrown with roses, their color like blood gushing from a torn neck—creepy and unsettling.

The bell around his neck swung wildly with each step. In this confusing place, he couldn't find the way out no matter what.

Not knowing someone was behind him, Wen Yu was suddenly covered by a large hand over his eyes. He spilled the beans without being asked.

"I... I wasn't trying to escape!" Wen Yu's body trembled like a sieve.

His excuses fell apart under the man's hand. "So what's my little Yu up to?" a warm voice whispered against his ear. "Wearing your husband's shirt—you playing some kind of game?"

The blindfold went back on.

Like whiskey on the rocks, slowly melting away.

Birds chirped and flowers bloomed—for three whole days, Wen Yu was like a ghost.

The school called the emergency contact Wen Yu had listed.

Gu Junhan sat in his study, the lights off.

A cigar burned in front of him, smoke drifting into his eyes, but his eyes never landed on the mountain of paperwork in front of him.

The screen lit up Gu Junhan's face—hauntingly handsome, with a soft edge. The pungent smoke circled through his lungs, a hint of red flashing in his eyes.

The phone on the desk vibrated.

He crushed the cigar into the ashtray, calm and graceful.

Gu Junhan glanced at it—a number that looked vaguely familiar. He turned off the screen, done with it.

"Mr. Gu, I didn't expect you to be Wen Yu's emergency contact," the voice on the other end was obviously the school principal.

Gu Junhan caught the meaning. The principal was a smart man—if something happened to one of Gu Junhan's people, it wasn't the principal's place to butt in.

"Mr. Gu, are you still there?" the voice said respectfully. "Is Wen Yu with you?"

Gu Junhan said flatly, "How could he be with me?"

"Well, Mr. Gu, Wen Yu participated in a wilderness survival activity and has gone missing. Rescue teams are searching for him."

"Don't you own that island? And you have an estate there too—what if the kid went to find you?"

Gu Junhan let out a sudden cold laugh. "He's too scared for that. Would he even dare to come find me?"

"The crocs on my land could bite his head off."

The principal was stumped, pausing before speaking again. "Mr. Gu, Wen Yu is also a student of our school. Our reputation means a lot to us."

"Besides, you helped him switch dorms before. Mr. Gu should know where he might be."

"Could you send some people to look for him?"

Gu Junhan was getting annoyed, but then a thought hit him. "He put me down as his emergency contact?"

The principal swallowed hard on the other end, his nerves obvious even over the phone.

Until the principal heard the voice on the other end say, "I'll send some people. If we move fast, we'll have news in a day."

The principal didn't expect that—six hours after the call, Wen Yu was found.

Wen Yu's injuries were almost healed, but Gu Junhan still checked him into a VIP room.

Wen Yu barely saw light, then a white ceiling came into view. His body ached terribly, after taking three days of "punishment."

"The patient's a bit dehydrated," the nurse standing nearby said to Gu Junhan.

Gu Junhan wore a white shirt with a loose collar, showing a hint of his solid chest. He wore glasses, looking polished and bookish—totally different from how Wen Yu had seen him before.

Wen Yu stared blankly, but Gu Junhan was drawn to those eyes—full of panic yet sparkling with stars.

Wen Yu was finally back, but no one knew how he'd gotten there. It was all too confusing.

Gu Junhan's eyes, once cold as ice, now looked strangely soft. The corners of his eyes drooped a little, less sharp, more "innocent."

Innocent...

It was a bit off.

But that's how Wen Yu saw him.

"Baby," Gu Junhan's voice was low and tender, like a regular husband worried about his partner. "Are you alright?"

Wen Yu looked up dazedly, his gaze passing through disheveled hair and landing on the man's handsome face.

He suddenly felt that Gu Junhan seemed so unfamiliar—it even stirred a sense of panic in him.

When Gu Junhan leaned closer,

Wen Yu instinctively shrank back, pulling the collar of his hospital gown high, wishing he could wrap himself up entirely.

"Don't... don't look..."

Wen Yu's voice was like a mermaid singing by the shore, shaky and tearful.

The ambiguous red marks on the young man's collarbones—he didn't want anyone to see them.

This body, like a gift that had been torn open, was covered in the marks that maniac had left behind.

Gu Junhan felt a sharp pang in his chest, and he slowly sat down by the bedside.

"I won't look," Gu Junhan coaxed softly, reaching out a hand but stopping midair, afraid to touch rashly. "Xiaobao, I won't look. I'm just worried about you. When I heard you were awake, I... I was so glad."

The man's gaze fell on Wen Yu's hands, which were clutching his collar in a death grip. His eyes darkened for a moment, then quickly softened back to tenderness.

"Let go of your hand, okay? The clothes pressing against your wounds will hurt."

Wen Yu's eyes welled up with tears, and he didn't dare let go.

"Please..." he choked out, "Don't touch me... I'm filthy..."

Gu Junhan leaned down, pressing his forehead gently against the back of Wen Yu's hand, which was still gripping his collar.

"You're clean, Wen Yu. You're the cleanest person in this world."

Gu Junhan's voice was hoarse, carrying a repentance that bordered on reverence. "It took me too long to find you. As your friend, I failed you."

"I never thought you'd make me your emergency contact." A flicker of pity crossed Gu Junhan's eyes.

Wen Yu looked away, only then realizing he had gotten out of that place. "I'm sorry you had to save me again."

"Can you tell me, how did you find me?"

Gu Junhan watched Wen Yu, who was desperate for an answer, and his mind raged: Tell you what? Are you afraid I saw you like that?

"You were in a run-down house," Gu Junhan said, patting his back, hiding the darkness inside. "An abandoned place. What happened to you?"

Wen Yu shook his head in panic, his eyes darting away. "N-nothing..."

"I just got hurt," Wen Yu stammered, the best excuse he could muster. "I-I tripped by accident."

A hint of helplessness crept into Gu Junhan's voice. "How could my Xiaobao be so careless?"

The man picked up a thermos from beside the bed. "How about some porridge?"

Wen Yu looked at the porridge before him and was reminded of that ordeal.

That maniac had made him do more than just drink porridge.