AS CH 3

Chapter 3

Lü Chenyue burst out of the house, his bloodless face pale with terror, as if the person behind him might catch up at any moment. All he knew was that he had to escape—desperately and completely. It didn’t matter where he ran, as long as he could get away from that person.

He had had enough of that house. Even if he died right now, he just wanted to get away. That desperate, all-consuming thought filled him: he would rather die than stay in that nightmare of a home another night.

He kept running—again and again—until his legs could no longer carry him. Gasping for breath, he finally slowed to a stop and collapsed onto the cold asphalt.

It was a bitter winter night. The empty park was wide and desolate, and the wind bit sharply at his body. He’d run out in such a panic, with only a thin layer of clothing and not even enough time to put on shoes.

Lü Chenyue didn’t know where he could go tonight. He had no destination, no plan—just lingering aimlessly in the park. Suddenly, a shadow blocked the light above him. Instinctively looking up, he saw a middle-aged man, probably in his fifties, leering down at him with a sleazy grin.

“How much for one night?” the man asked, his eyes crawling over Lü Chenyue’s face with lewd intent.

Lü Chenyue’s eyes widened in horror as he frantically shook his head. “I’m not—” But before he could finish, he realized his body wouldn’t move.

“You’re so pretty. Just be a good boy and let me have you once. You’ll even get paid—what’s so bad about that?” The man chuckled filthily, stepping closer.

Lü Chenyue trembled all over, terrified and repulsed. He had just managed to escape the horror of home—why did he have to run into someone like this?

“I don’t want to. Go find someone else…” He shook his head desperately, backing away inch by inch.

Without warning, the man slapped him hard across the face. In the icy winter air, the pain exploded across his cheek like fire, disorienting him so badly that a ringing filled his ears and the world went black for a moment—he almost passed out.

“Aren’t you out here selling yourself? Just do what you’re told and I won’t hurt you…” The man’s blurred gaze and sinister smile were like a ghost from hell. His hand reached toward Lü Chenyue’s face.

Even as the left side of his face throbbed, blood pooling at the corner of his mouth, tears welling in his eyes, and nausea roiling in his gut, he glared at the man with hatred. But no matter how strong his will was, his body wouldn’t respond.

The man kept advancing. Lü Chenyue kept retreating—until his back hit something solid. Only then did he realize he was cornered. There was nowhere left to run. His legs shook uncontrollably, and his mind went blank.

His face was as pale as death, his eyes hollow, and his heart numb. He was like a lifeless puppet, drowning in despair—powerless to resist whatever was about to happen.

“Good boy. I’ll be gentle. I’ll make you feel like heaven,” the man said, his disgusting voice full of obscene promise. His hungry eyes were like a starving beast staring at the most delicious prey—how could he possibly let him go?

That park was usually deserted at night. Someone who passed by it every evening had already noticed the curled-up figure in the distance. Curious, they approached—only to find a beautiful boy, wearing nothing but thin clothes, barefoot, and clearly having run away from home.

He specifically targeted runaway boys and girls—but it was his first time encountering one as beautiful as this.

The perverted man became so aroused that he was already painfully hard. Without hesitation, he shoved his right hand into his pants and began fondling himself, while his left hand reached toward Lü Chenyue’s body—Suddenly, a figure emerged behind the man and intervened, swiftly pulling him away and throwing him to the ground.

The pervert howled in pain, completely panicked by the imposing man now standing over him. The lewd expression from earlier had vanished without a trace. He clutched his head and trembled in fear.

“Get lost!” the man growled sharply.

The pervert scrambled to his feet, stumbling as if some monster was chasing him, then fled in a panic, disappearing into the darkness.

Gao Junting walked over to Lü Chenyue and helped him up from the ground. Seeing the boy in thin clothing and barefoot in the freezing winter night, he looked at him with deep concern.

“Little brother, what are you doing here all alone this late? Don’t you know how dangerous this area is at night?”

Lü Chenyue kept his head down, saying nothing.

Gao Junting took off his coat and draped it over the boy’s shoulders. He leaned down slightly, trying to see if the boy had been too frightened to speak. Patting him gently on the back, he comforted him, “It’s okay now. That guy’s gone. Where do you live? Do you want me to take you home?”

The moment Lü Chenyue heard the word “home,” his head shot up in terror. He stared at Gao Junting with wide, pale eyes, violently shaking his head, his whole body trembling even more.

“I don’t want to go home… I don’t want to go home…”

Gao Junting heard the boy mutter the same sentence over and over. He guessed the boy might’ve done something wrong and was afraid of being punished by his family. After all, he looked to be at that rebellious age when running away from home wasn’t uncommon.

With a soft sigh, Gao Junting tried again with patience and gentleness. “But little brother, if you don’t go home, your family will be worried about you.”

But it was as if Lü Chenyue couldn’t even hear him. His face was pale as paper, and the look of terror in his eyes sent a chill down Gao Junting’s spine.

Suddenly, Lü Chenyue clung tightly to Gao Junting’s arm, as though the man was his only lifeline. This big brother had just saved him from that pervert—maybe he could also help him escape from that house?

“Big brother, please take me with you. I don’t want to go back. Anywhere is fine—just don’t take me home… Please…”

The trembling in Lü Chenyue’s hands was real, and his panicked voice and fearful eyes made Gao Junting uneasy.

“Little brother, I can’t just take you with me.” He had only saved this boy because he happened to be passing by and saw him being targeted. Now, the boy’s fear seemed even worse than before.

“Please, big brother… I’ll do anything you want… just please take me away…”

As if terrified that Gao Junting would really bring him back to that dreadful home, Lü Chenyue kept begging, tears streaming down his face.

With no other choice, Gao Junting rubbed his face in frustration and sighed. He reluctantly led Lü Chenyue out of the park, opened the car door for him, rolled his eyes, and walked around to the driver’s side.

He glanced at the boy in the passenger seat, already regretting saving him. Even if he had helped, he hadn’t expected this much trouble.

Screw it, he thought. Let’s just call it a good deed. First, he needed to get them away from this place.

He turned his attention back to the road, started the engine, and slowly drove off into the night.

***

Lü Chenyue jolted awake from the nightmare, his body drenched in a thin layer of cold sweat.

How much longer will this torment me?

How long must I endure these inescapable nightmares?

Every night, he relived the same dream—again and again. That was why he dreaded the coming of darkness.

He got out of bed and walked into the bathroom, hoping to wash the sweat from his body.

It looked like tonight would be another sleepless night… waiting for morning with his eyes wide open.

(To be continued…)