Half a year has passed without anyone realizing it.

“Xiao Qing!” Xu Ling shouted wildly as he ran over. “Look at what I brought you!”

In these six months, Xu Ling’s body had grown a lot and gained flash, possibly due to no longer being bullied.

He had grown to be as tall as Xiao Qing.

Xiao Qing glanced at the sheet Xu Ling was holding and saw that it was an application form for the sports festival host.

“You want me to join?” Xiao Qing furrowed his brows and asked, “Why?”

If he remembered correctly, wasn’t this another opportunity for the protagonist to develop feelings for attacker 1?

The protagonist group hadn’t bothered him in the past month, making his life comfortable.

“Please~” Xu Ling nudged Xiao Qing, “If you go… I’ll take over the dishwashing task for a week!”

Xiao Qing:…

Xiao Qing: Well, it’s not a bad deal.

“Okay, keep your word.”

“What? That’s great!”

Honestly, Xiao Qing didn’t believe he would be chosen.

But a week off from doing dishwashing tasks was worth a try.

Xu Ling smiled and looked at Xiao Qing. The wind blew, lightly ruffling his golden hair.

Like a golden retriever.

Xiao Qing thought.

But what people didn’t notice was that behind his sunny smile were unhealed wounds.

…

When Xiao Qing actually became the sports festival host, he felt completely depressed.

After all, no one enjoys standing in the heat for hours.

It was already eight o’clock at night, and Xu Ling hadn’t returned home yet.

He’d said he had something to do around six o’clock, but Xiao Qing had no idea where he went.

Upholding his status as a good classmate and roommate, Xiao Qing put on a coat and went out.

Just before leaving, Xiao Qing remembered that his roommate had rushed out without taking a coat.

He turned back to grab it.

It was already very late, and an eerie atmosphere lingered everywhere.

When Xiao Qing passed by the place where he had originally crossed over, he paused.

His intuition told him that there was someone inside.

“Xu Ling?” Xiao Qing held the coat. “Are you there?”

The response was a deafening silence.

As he moved deeper, a stench from the garbage cans filled his nostrils.

Unfazed, he walked straight toward the child abandoned by the world.

The  man’s features were unclear in the darkness. “Why are you here?”

“To take you home,” Xiao Qing calmly replied. “But of course, if you don’t want to go back, you don’t have to.”

“You’re not ‘Xiao Qing,’ are you?” The man in the darkness suddenly questioned, catching Xiao Qing off guard.

“And you?” Xiao Qing reciprocated by admitting he wasn’t the original Xiao Qing. “You’re not ‘Xu Ling,’ are you?”

“No, I am.” Xu Ling chuckled softly. “But that ‘Xu Ling’ is already dead.”

“Do you believe that dead people can be reborn in this world? If so, is it a gift or a punishment?”

“I think it’s a gift.” Xiao Qing looked up, facing the man in the darkness. “Some things, as long as they give you a chance, you should give them a try.”

“Regardless of whether you fail or not, you should let the sunlight from outside enter your world.”

“The world is not black or white, but a beautiful gray.”

Xu Ling was now quiet, having already fallen into a deep sleep.

By the moonlight, Xiao Qing draped the coat over Xu Ling.

Under the moonlight were two young and naive youths. They were each other’s only source of reliance and mutual salvation.