Chapter Eighty-One

With that, You Yi patted Xiao Zhou on the shoulder. “The rest’s up to you. Let me be clear: if you try anything stupid, I’ll beat you to a pulp.” He swaggered off toward his own home.

Xiao Zhou was still holding the gift he had bought for Chu You. As he gazed at the slowly opening apartment door, his heart leapt into his throat.

The door opened.

“Xiao You, I—”

Bang!

It had barely been open two seconds before it slammed shut.

Xiao Zhou stepped forward and knocked. “Xiao You, I... I miss you. I just want to see you, just once...”

Chu You yanked the door open. “Fine. One look. Have you seen enough?”

Xiao Zhou sheepishly handed the gift to Chu You. “I bought this for you.”

Chu You took the gift without fuss and began to close the door. Xiao Zhou hurriedly pressed his hand against it, his voice anxious, “Just one more look. I miss you. Let me see you again...”

Chu You stood still, fixing him with a cold stare.

Xiao Zhou’s guilty eyes darted away. He pursed his lips, and before he could react, Chu You shut the door with a snap.

“Xiao You, I haven’t had enough. Can I come in for a glass of water? Just a glass of water.”

This stubbornness was something he’d learned from You Yi. He pleaded for a long time with no response from inside. Left with no other choice, he squatted by the door and took out a cigarette.

“If you won’t let me in for water, I’m not leaving your doorstep.”

When You Yi and Yi Xiaoyu returned from dinner, they passed by Chu You’s apartment. With his arm around Xiaoyu, You Yi glanced nonchalantly at the pitiful figure squatting by the door and tsked, shaking his wife’s arm. “Look, Xiaoyu—Chu You doesn’t even need a dog. Xiao Zhou is guarding the door so diligently.”

Xiao Zhou looked up, on the verge of tears, at the couple before him. “Boss, you’re kicking me while I’m down.”

Yi Xiaoyu adjusted his glasses. “If you’d known it would come to this, you should’ve acted differently in the first place. Fatty, let’s not bother with him. Time for dinner.”

“Hey, honey, what should we eat tonight? There’s a new restaurant, and their signature dish is—”

Watching their figures disappear into the distance, Xiao Zhou suddenly felt a sharp pang of heartache.

Two or three hours passed before Yi Xiaoyu and You Yi returned.

“Oh, you’re still here,” You Yi said, patting his full stomach and strolling leisurely with his wife. “Hungry? Cold?”

Xiao Zhou had just opened his mouth to reply when Yi Xiaoyu tugged You Yi’s arm and said coldly, “He brought this on himself. Let’s go get cleaned up.”

“A couple’s bath?”

“Shut up.”

“Let me give you a massage, sweetheart.”

“Massage? You never get the right spot. All you do is grope.”

“Mmm, but you always seem to enjoy it.”

“Shut up. Get inside and we’ll talk.”

“Alright, alright—tonight I’ll make you cry again.”

Watching their retreating figures once more, Xiao Zhou sniffled and hugged his arms tighter around his chest.

This corridor really was cold.

(YawnBro: Already bleeding myself dry to get this chapter out, but it’s still not finished. I admit I’m a liar. I’ll keep pushing through tomorrow night until it’s done, even if it kills me.)