Xia Yu · Chat

The sound of fingertips knocking on the door was very soft, almost lost in the continuous patter of rain, yet it hit his tense heart like a heavy blow. Only a few seconds passed before steady, approaching footsteps sounded from within the courtyard. The next second, the front door was pulled open from the inside. Warm indoor light suddenly spilled out, falling onto him without hindrance, exposing all of his wretchedness to the open air. The person who opened the door wore soft, comfortable loungewear—the fabric clean and warm, his expression calm and relaxed, possessing the gentle warmth of someone carefully nurtured by a peaceful life. Meeting again after years apart... Their gazes collided unexpectedly. The other person paused slightly in opening the door, visibly stunned. The figure before him was drenched from head to toe, dark wet hair clinging to pale cheeks with water constantly dripping from the ends, his entire face turned a chilling pale blue from the cold late-autumn rain. Drenched clothes clung tightly to his frame—slender and upright, yet bearing a fragility that seemed as if a gust of wind could shatter it. A misty dampness clouded his eyes, where layers of exhaustion, embarrassment, and humiliation were exposed with nowhere to hide. It was already late autumn, and the evening breeze carried a bone-chilling, icy rain. He was soaked through, as cold as if he had trudged through the depths of a bitter autumn. The moment their eyes met, the air fell dead silent. The rain continued to linger softly by their ears. Outside the door, the wind and rain blew desolate and cold with autumn chill; inside, all was warm, tranquil, and peaceful. One was high above, safe and without a care; the other had fallen into the mud, driven to a dead end. The stark gap lay exposed nakedly between the two of them. He instinctively lowered his eyes slightly to avoid the other's surprised gaze, his long eyelashes trembling gently as he fought down all the surging bitterness and humiliation beneath them. The very person who had once calmly and proudly turned the other down now stood at his doorstep in complete ruin, lacking even the courage to look him in the eye. His throat tightened. After a long silence, he managed to squeeze out a rasping, dry voice, so faint in the sound of rain it was nearly unheard. "I...."