DTTCM Chapter 96

Sheng Yuan looked at the pale yellow envelope. Its contents made the paper corners stick out, giving the otherwise smooth surface a sharp edge.

Huang Anchong rushed to stuff the envelope into his hand without any explanation.

“Sheng Yuan, here’s to us never seeing each other again.”

With that, he turned and got into the car. The vehicle drove all the way to the airport, and the driver helped him with his heavy luggage, sending him off to the overseas flight.

Huang Anchong sat alone on the plane, looking at the clouds outside the window.

He was going to another country to start his new life.

But before he left, he also had to make himself feel at ease.

Sheng Yuan stood in front of the gate of No. 1 Middle School. He tore the paper seal sealed with glue open, inside was a stack of thick photos, with at least twenty of them stacked together.

The people in each photo were the same, intimate and carefree. Whether on the dark streets, in front of the school gate, or in a small restaurant, it was always the two of them.

He and Yu Zuojin.

Sheng Yuan looked at the photos, not knowing the significance behind Huang Anchong’s actions, but a dreadful feeling spread in his heart.

It wasn’t until he saw the back of the last photo that everything became clear.

“Give the other person a chance. You taught me this before, so this time, it’s my turn to give you some leeway. I haven’t told your parents, but it would be such a shame if only I knew that you are a disgusting gay.”

Sheng Yuan’s gaze lowered, his pupils contracting. He held the envelope tightly and turned around, rushing towards the gymnasium.

The gentle breeze lifted his clothes as he ran into the gymnasium. While the sports meet outside was bustling with excitement, the changing room was empty. He quickly walked to Yu Zuojin’s locker, which was wide open, and inside, there was still his school uniform.

Yu Zuojin said he’d come over after changing clothes, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Sheng Yuan took out his phone and called him, but it kept ringing with no answer.

He didn’t linger in the changing room for long and hurriedly went to the dormitory.

As he pushed open the door, he was stunned by what he saw. Yu Zuojin’s spot was empty, and only the bare bed board remained. The small balcony was half-open with Yu Zuojin’s purple scarf hanging on it, swaying with the breeze.

Sheng Yuan stood in front of Room 408.

The words written on the back of the last photo continued to haunt him.

“So, Sheng Yuan, I told his parents.”

————

Bang—

Bang—

Bang—

The sound of the white door panel reverberated, and the door frame embedded in the wall couldn’t hold it steady.

The door was violently smashed, one hit after another, without any rhythm. The resounding impact was like the accompaniment of a bloody scene in a horror movie, continuously unsettling and shaking one’s heart. It was louder and more thunderous than the sound of thunder during a thunderstorm, each hit striking at the core of one’s soul, causing palpitations and panic.

It was as if the person inside had gone mad.

Yu Zuojin stared at the closed door, his restlessness and anger growing. His eyes were bloodshot, and his arm and neck were bulging with veins. He swung his arms with all his might, hitting again and again, with increasing force. His fists were bleeding, but he had no sensation. It seemed he had an endless supply of energy. Looking at the unmoving door before him, his eyes became even more fierce.

He took two steps back, lifted his long leg, and kicked forcefully. Hoarse roars came from his throat, his pronunciation too indistinct to be understood.

Tang Jing trembled outside the door, feeling the vibrations of the door panel. She was shaking.

“Why are you keeping Zuojin locked up?! Let him out!”

Yu Fengren hadn’t recovered from the shock of the photos he saw in the morning. He never imagined that one day someone would send him a letter telling him his son was gay.

He threw a photo in front of Tang Jing, suppressing his anger.

“Take a look for yourself.”

“Look at what he’s been doing at school!”

There was only one photo left; he had thrown away the rest.

In the photo, Yu Zuojin was kissing Sheng Yuan’s cheek.

Tang Jing stumbled for a moment, unable to believe what she was seeing. She quickly picked up the photo and examined it carefully, waves of emotions surged in her heart.

The Yu Zuojin here continued to pound on the door, while the boy in the photo looked extremely happy.

Her mind went blank, unable to think. She quickly adjusted her emotions.

“Let Zuojin out first, let’s talk properly. Maybe… maybe it was just a passing phase.”

She couldn’t accept it at the moment either.

Yu Fengren’s decision to bring Yu Zuojin back home had surprised her, but she didn’t expect it to be just the beginning of today’s events.

Seeing Yu Fengren remain silent, Tang Jing shouted, “Our child was never close to us, what’s the point of keeping him locked up like this?! How can we have a proper conversation with him like this?”

After hearing Tang Jing’s words, Yu Fengren finally had someone open the door.

Click.

The door lock was released, and the door panel, free from its confinement, slammed against the wall almost instantly. Yu Zuojin emerged without saying a word, consumed by anger.

Yu Fengren stood up from the leather sofa, and flung the photo at the enraged Yu Zuojin.

“What is this? I’m asking you, what is this?”

“You haven’t been home for so long and engaging in homosexuality outside. Why are you sickening?”

“What are you doing?!”

Tang Jing quickly stood between the father and son. “Let’s talk calmly, can’t you understand?”

“Talk calmly, and then let him say he’s gay?!”

Yu Zuojin stared at him fiercely, his eyes pitch black and terrifying. He said nothing, his jaw clenched, and his fists tightly gripped. All he wanted now was to leave.

“My phone.”

He demanded for his belongings.

Sheng Yuan must be worried because he couldn’t find him.

He didn’t want to stay here. Despite the grand villa, luxurious furnishings, genuine leather sofa, and expensive handmade carpet under his feet, Yu Zuojin couldn’t stand a single moment in this place. He longed to return to Room 408, a small dormitory of just over ten square meters.

Heat surged through his entire body, making him panic. The fire in his heart continued to be fueled, and his eyes turned crimson.

“My phone!”

He asked once again, his voice hoarse and unpleasant.

He wanted his phone.

Yu Fengren watched him in uncontrollable anger. He wouldn’t let Yu Zuojin return to school.

At that moment, a ringtone came from the sofa.

The screen lit up, displaying a call from Sheng Yuan, with the label “boyfriend” attached to it.

Yu Fengren saw the incoming call on the bright screen, and his eyes widened. Yu Zuojin stepped forward to take it, but he snatched it away first. Raising his arm high above his head, he fiercely threw it to the ground.

Bang!

The phone screen instantly shattered, the call was unanswered, and the call screen ended. It was followed by Sheng Yuan’s face appearing on the screen, fractured along with the cracks on the screen.

After a loud sound, everything around seemed to freeze.

The phone’s screensaver was a photo of Sheng Yuan in his magnificent attire during a play, resembling a little prince from a distant beautiful kingdom.

Yu Zuojin gazed at the shattered Sheng Yuan on the broken phone, and the last thread of sanity snapped completely. He hastily tried to pick it up, but the leaking liquid from the screen blocked Sheng Yuan’s face first. His clothes were no longer magnificent; and his body was covered in cracks from the screen.

Yu Zuojin stared at the shattered screen, his breathing becoming heavier and a roar came out of his throat. He slowly turned his head to stare at Yu Fengren, then went mad and charged at him, grabbing Yu Fengren like a deranged monster and ruthlessly smashing him onto the wine cabinet.

The tremendous force caused the glass display cabinet to shatter, sending sharp fragments flying.

In an instant, blood gushed from his head.

“Ah! Ahhhh!!!”

Tang Jing screamed.

Yu Zuojin’s arm was covered in blood from the sharp glass, and he swung his arm like a robot following orders, punching Yu Fengren relentlessly.

Sheng Yuan’s shattered face still lingered in his mind. His eyes were bloodshot as if blood was flowing through them. He roared and continued to strike even after Yu Fengren beneath him.

He howled over and over again.

“You ruined me, and now you want to destroy him too!”

“Why?!”

“Why?!”

Tang Jing and the bodyguard rushed forward to intervene, but they were pushed aside. Tang Jing reached into the glass fragments with a trembling hand, and looked at Yu Fengren on the ground.

Yu Fengren was covered in blood and almost unconscious. After the bodyguard arrived, Yu Zuojin shifted his target and initiated another round of violence.

Tang Jing’s hands were stained with blood as she shakily took out her phone to contact the ambulance and the family doctor.

It was not until the doctor arrived and forcibly administered a sedative injection to Yu Zuojin that the madness subsided.

“Madam, are you okay?”

Tang Jing sat among the red wine and broken glass, her skirt soaked. Her gaze was vacant as she sat there for a long time.

“I’m fine.”

She was helped to her feet, concerned about her child and husband.

The outcome was better than she had imagined, but also more unfortunate.

Yu Fengren’s injuries were not serious, nothing significant.

But the same couldn’t be said for Yu Zuojin.

Tang Jing held the examination report and looked at the words on it.

She seemed to have lost her soul as she murmured, “Mental illness.”

The doctor replied, “Yes, according to his age, it should be a mild case of manic disorder, but…”

“But what?” Tang Jing asked.

“Based on our understanding, his condition has already progressed to indiscriminate attacks on people and destruction of surrounding objects, regardless of the situation. It is now classified as a severe level three mental illness.”

Tang Jing instantly collapsed to the ground.

“The situation is not optimistic now. Does your family have a history of mental illness?”

“No.”

“It’s best to start treatment as soon as possible. The treatment duration will be no less than two years. Prior to the onset of the illness, there were clear signs of self-restraint. He must have been aware of his condition, and his body and brain subconsciously developed defense mechanisms. However, when he completely loses control, the difficulty of treatment…”

The doctor didn’t continue, leaving her to ponder the rest.

“Moreover, he has obvious congenital disabilities and is emotionally more sensitive than an average person.”

The doctor left.

By the time Yu Zuojin woke up from the hospital bed, Tang Jing had been sitting by his side, watching him for a long time.

They had never truly accompanied him when he was a child.

Seeing him wake up, Tang Jing couldn’t hold back her tears.

“I’m sorry, Zuojin, I’m sorry for not being there for you when you were little.”

“I’m sorry, Mom couldn’t give you a healthy body.”

The back of Yu Zuojin’s hand and forearm were wrapped in bandages. The sedatives made him exceptionally calm as he lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling with his black pupils.

The next day, when Yu Fengren woke up and heard about Yu Zuojin’s condition, he sat alone by the window for a long time. In the following days, the two of them visited Yu Zuojin together, but his response was indifferent.

They never mentioned his sexuality to him again.

Tang Jing placed a peeled apple in his hand. “Zuojin, your father and I are remarrying.”

Yu Zuojin’s hand holding the apple loosened.

That was what he had longed for the most in the past, to live together as a family, it was one of his obsessions.

Tang Jing looked at him. “Zuojin, you’re sick. Would you like Mom and Dad to take you abroad for treatment?”

“What about Sheng Yuan?”

This was the first time he had spoken in days.

What about his beloved?

He no longer longed for the fantasy of a happy family of three. He only wanted to be with Sheng Yuan. Even if Tang Jing and Yu Fengren didn’t want him, even if the whole world rejected him, as long as Sheng Yuan was willing to be by his side, everything else didn’t matter.

Tang Jing was stunned.

“He’s not here?”

Yu Zuojin grew agitated. “You want me to leave without him?”

He got up angrily.

“Where are you taking me?!”

“Where is he?!”

“Where is he?!”

The doctor and assistant rushed in and restrained him. Tang Jing emerged from the ward and saw Yu Fengren rushing over after work.

He always in a hurry, always like this.

Tang Jing looked at Yu Fengren, who still held some documents in his hand, and completely lost control of her emotions. She rushed over and threw the things on the ground.

“You still know how to come!”

“Zuojin is like this, yet you go to work every day. Yu Fengren, do you have any heart left?!”

Tang Jing was on the verge of a breakdown. The briefcase fell on the floor and the forms for the mayoral election scattered all over. They were all empty and yet to be filled.

If Yu Fengren ran for mayor, the result would be a 95% chance of his re-election, starting another five years.

Tang Jing shouted at him, “Mayor! Mayor! Is being a lousy mayor more important to you than our child?!”

Yu Fengren wanted to calm her down but Tang Jing’s world had already collapsed.

“I divorced you because you were always like this. We are family, not colleagues. It’s all work, work, work all the time!”

“If work is so important, why did you interfere with Zuojin’s relationship? What right do you have to meddle! What right do you have to force him!!”

Yu Fengren looked through the window glass at the suffering Yu Zuojin in the hospital room, and closed his eyes in pain.

Sheng Yuan’s name was like a huge treasure chest, but inside the chest, there was nothing. Yu Zuojin stopped eating and drinking. He even smashed the cup when water was given to him.

He had only one demand: to see Sheng Yuan.

He missed him.

He wanted to see him.

Tang Jing realized this couldn’t go on. She agreed, and the driver stopped the car at the entrance of the school. Tang Jing asked if she should accompany him, but Yu Zuojin ignored her and got out of the car.

It was noon, and Sheng Yuan should be resting in his dormitory.

With his hat covering his eyes, he hurriedly walked towards the dormitory building. He missed him. Every minute he couldn’t see him, day and night, he thought of him.

But when he reached Room 408, he saw Sheng Yuan packing his things.

Yu Zuojin had been gone for a week, and during that time, Sheng Yuan made countless phone calls that went unanswered. At first, the mechanical voice told him that no one was answering, and then the phone was turned off and couldn’t be reached at all. Every day, Sheng Yuan would go to Class Ten to see if Yu Zuojin had come back. He would check during every break and wait at the back door of the barbecue shop in the evening after school, but Yu Zuojin never showed up.

He sought out the headmaster, and Iron Head told him that Yu Zuojin’s family had granted him leave, but he knew that Yu Zuojin didn’t have a good relationship with his family.

As he was leaving, Iron Head called him.

“Sheng Yuan, your acceptance letter for university is here.”

Iron Head placed the acceptance letter in his hand, but Sheng Yuan couldn’t feel any happiness. If Yu Zuojin hadn’t left, he would have run to him now with the acceptance letter, sharing the joy and then urging him to study. Even if they couldn’t attend the same school, they could be in the same city, together. Otherwise, if they were too far apart and couldn’t see each other, he would miss him, just like now.

He returned home with the acceptance letter, and his family celebrated for him, but he always felt something was missing.

Sheng Chenggong asked him if there was anything he wanted, but Sheng Yuan didn’t answer. However, that night, he finally told them that he was gay, and Sheng Chenggong fainted on the spot.

But fortunately, after the shock wore off, he didn’t oppose it.

Sheng Yuan asked why.

Sheng Chenggong fell silent for a long time before saying, “You have rebelled for the first time, how can I not allow it?”

Though he didn’t say much, Sheng Yuan could sense the helplessness in his words.

If he couldn’t change it, then he would try to accept it.

Sheng Chenggong accepted it, but he didn’t expect that there would be even more extreme changes to come.

“Can I bring him to our house?” Sheng Yuan asked.

Sheng Chenggong gritted his teeth and smiled, “Sure, where will he sleep?”

“On the floor,” Sheng Yuan replied.

“That’s not good. He’s your boyfriend. Your mother and I will stay at the shop, and let him stay in the master bedroom.”

Truly Ambitious perked up upon hearing this.

[System: He’s really easygoing.]

Sheng Yuan hadn’t expected this either, and his eyes lit up. “Really?”

Sheng Chenggong was so angry that he hit him on the head. “Why don’t you just let him sleep on your dad’s head?!!!”

Sheng Yuan: “…”

Truly Ambitious: “…”

We jumped over the wall too quickly.

Sheng Chenggong asked curiously, “What does your partner look like?”

Sheng Yuan took out a photo, it was the picture they took during their promotional shoot.

Sheng Chenggong looked at the photo of Yu Zuojin.

Wasn’t this his dreamy child that he saw at the police station?!

Sheng Chenggong: “…”

Damn it, suddenly, he didn’t want him anymore.

This brat has completely captivated his son and made him want to bring him home even if it meant making them sleep at the shop.

He carefully examined the photo, “What’s so good about him?”

Brat, when he comes over, he’ll show him who’s boss.

A week passed, and Yu Zuojin still hadn’t returned. Sheng Yuan persisted in calling him and visiting his class and workplace.

When he left in the morning, Feng Juan gave him a bag.

“It’s already spring, and the weather is getting warmer. It will be uncomfortable for you to sleep with a quilt during your afternoon nap. Inside the bag, there is an air-conditioned quilt and a bedsheet. Bring the quilt and a fresh bedsheet back today.”

Sheng Yuan took the bag and left the house. After having lunch, he returned to Room 408 and started packing. He placed the air-conditioned quilt on the table near the door and began tidying up the beds. He had also brought back many things from the dormitory over the past few days, mostly winter items that were no longer needed.

However, when Yu Zuojin returned, all he saw was the empty scene in Room 408. Both beds were reduced to bare boards, and many things were missing. He looked at the bag beside Sheng Yuan’s feet, and his mind went blank.

Sheng Yuan stuffed the quilt into the bag, and from the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a person at the door. His eyes widened.

“Yu Zuojin!”

He was ecstatic and dropped everything in his hands in an instant.

Yu Zuojin had returned.

“Where have you been these past few days? Why didn’t you answer the phone!”

After the joy came anger. He was angry at Yu Zuojin’s sudden departure and not answering his calls.

Yu Zuojin’s mind was in chaos. He stared at the bag Sheng Yuan was packing, his hoarse voice filled with disbelief, “Are you leaving too?”

Sheng Yuan furrowed his brow. “What?”

As usual, Yu Zuojin approached him eagerly, but this time, his expression was off.

Yu Zuojin’s aura suddenly intensified, and he forcefully pushed Sheng Yuan into the dormitory, slamming the door shut.

“So, you’re leaving too!”

“Where are you going?!”

“You don’t want me anymore!”

He closed in step by step. Everyone else in the world could abandon him, but not Sheng Yuan. Sheng Yuan was all he had.

Sheng Yuan was trapped in his grip, and he slapped his arms in a panic.

“Yu Zuojin,” he struggled to speak, “Yu Zuojin, what’s wrong with you?”

Yu Zuojin’s eyes turned crimson, and his hands tightened their grip. “Where are you going? Why are you abandoning me?”

“Why are you packing up?”

“You’re scared of me too, and you don’t want me anymore, right?”

“Sheng Yuan! You can’t leave me!”

He didn’t know why Sheng Yuan was packing, but subconsciously, there was a voice screaming incessantly. He was afraid of being abandoned, and his immediate reaction was that Sheng Yuan wanted to leave him too.

From desperate roars to pleading, he begged, “Please, don’t abandon me.”

He begged like a desperate and pleading stray dog, Sheng Yuan was all he had. However, when he looked at Sheng Yuan’s face, his pupils contracted.

He saw Sheng Yuan’s face filled with pain, and his hand was gripping his neck.

Yu Zuojin froze, swiftly retracting his hand. Sheng Yuan was somewhat weak, and he looked at Yu Zuojin in a state of panic.

Seeing that something was wrong with his emotions, he tried to approach, but Yu Zuojin repeatedly stepped back, avoiding him. For the first time, fear and terror appeared on his cold face as he stared at the marks on Sheng Yuan’s neck, unable to believe what he had done.

The thing he had always feared finally happened.

He looked at his trembling hands.

How could this be?

How could… it be like this…

Sheng Yuan approached, but he retreated and fell to the ground, his head hitting the wall. He looked at Sheng Yuan, who was trying to comfort him while holding his neck, but he ignored the pain, got up, and rushed out of the door.

“Yu Zuojin!”

Sheng Yuan chased after him, but he recklessly disappeared once again.

They were separated once more.

Yu Zuojin returned home, locked himself in his room, and refused to go out. His big frame huddled under the table, sobbed hoarsely as he clutched a photograph in his hand. It was a picture of him and Sheng Yuan holding hands at the school gate.

With tear-filled eyes, he repeatedly looked at Sheng Yuan in the photo, unable to speak. His crying voice was hoarse and unpleasant, yet incredibly pitiful.

He was like a monster that had finally crawled out of a cave, glimpsing the light of day, only to crawl back in after realizing his own ugliness.

Trembling hands gripped the photograph, repeatedly tracing the image of Sheng Yuan with utmost care, and then slowly tearing himself away from it.

In the end, only Sheng Yuan remained in the picture.

He wailed, his voice like a terrifying monster. He vented, but the desire to see Sheng Yuan was gone.

He should never go see him, even if he couldn’t bear to let go.

In March, the spring is warm and flowers blossomed outside.

But he curled up in a corner, weeping uncontrollably.

Why did it turn out like this, Yu Zuojin?

Spring had clearly arrived.