As Shen Moyu listened to the vile insults, he clenched his fists tighter and tighter at his sides, his nails digging into his flesh and stinging his palms.
"Hey, you're right, but I like this one!" Amid the noise and laughter, the blond-haired man lifted Shen Moyu's chin and examined her closely, as if he were admiring a prostitute in a brothel: "She's quite pretty, it's just a pity she's gay."
"I told you, we're not!" Shen Moyu forcefully shook off his hand.
"Damn it, you actually hit me?" In a fit of anger, the blond-haired man slapped him hard across the face.
Shen Moyu felt a sudden darkness before his eyes, followed by a burning pain on his face. After a ringing in his ears, he lost all feeling on that side of his face.
"Mo Yu!" Gu Junxiao exclaimed anxiously and quickly pulled Shen Mo Yu's shoulder over.
"Ouch~" A jeering chorus rang out, and eyes that seemed to look at animals being violated were mercilessly hurled at the two of them.
Shen Moyu was dazed from the beating and shook his head vigorously to regain consciousness. He licked his lips, a metallic sweetness exploding in his mouth. Even then, he patted Gu Junxiao's hand as if to comfort him.
"I didn't expect you to be so worried about him." The blond-haired guy chuckled and patted Gu Junxiao's cheek again. Seeing that Gu Junxiao didn't dare to dodge, he laughed even more unrestrainedly, as if his interest had been ignited.
"Hey, let's play a game." The blond guy stood up and looked at the two people snuggling together in the corner. "You two love each other so much, right? I'm being generous today, I'll only take one hit. Come on, you two discuss it yourselves, who stays and who runs?"
"Let's see how long they can keep up this act."
"What kind of relationship do two guys have? It's disgusting to look at."
Shen Moyu closed his eyes. Right now, they were like sparrows locked in a cage for people to watch. Even if they had wings, they couldn't fly away from this place full of thorns.
"Hurry up and choose, stop dawdling!" The blond-haired guy kicked Gu Junxiao.
"Hiss..." Gu Junxiao clutched his stomach, his nose stung, and he almost cried from the pain.
Shen Moyu lowered his head to protect Gu Junxiao, his long eyelashes trembling twice. Suddenly, he smiled, turned around, and asked softly, "Are you scared?"
His words were so calm that Gu Junxiao was startled. He nodded, then slowly shook his head. He was clearly much taller than Shen Moyu, but at this moment he seemed as timid as a child who needed protection.
Shen Moyu knew how important Gu Junxiao was to him; he was his only friend, his only treasure, and the only light in his world.
Gu Junxiao was always aloof, but he was always gentle to Shen Moyu, and that alone was enough for Shen Moyu to rely on. No matter how nasty the rumors were, Shen Moyu believed that as long as they were innocent and as long as Gu Junxiao was still around, it wasn't the worst that could happen.
Rumors say they are lovers, but only Shen Moyu knows that Gu Junxiao is a family member who is more important than a lover.
Shen Moyu squeezed his hand, even though their hands, intertwined, were already covered in sweat.
"Let me go..."
Shen Moyu was silenced by Gu Junxiao's sudden shout. He stared blankly at the ground in the distance.
That moment was suffocating...
"Oh?" The blond-haired man looked at the two of them incredulously, then looked at Gu Junxiao's nervous face and smiled sluggishly: "What you said is a bit hurtful."
"Tch, this is so boring." The thug next to him looked at the timid Gu Junxiao with a deflated expression.
"I thought their relationship was really good, but it's nothing special." Someone shouted from behind, and the others started to cheer again.
"I knew it would be like this. You coward."
The blond-haired guy didn't have time for all that. He clicked his tongue twice and said, "Well, there's nothing I can do then, Shen, you academic genius. It's not like I wanted to hit you."
What was originally meant as a joke by Huang Mao unexpectedly brought tears to Shen Moyu's eyes.
A sour taste rose from my nose, and my vision suddenly blurred.
Shen Moyu had long been prepared to fall into the abyss alone, but this felt different from being pushed down by someone else.
He turned his head and stared blankly at Gu Junxiao, who had suddenly become a stranger beside him, his eyes completely dimming.
He hoped that Gu Junxiao would turn around and look at him apologetically, but what he got was Gu Junxiao hurriedly standing up, pushing through the crowd and running away.
Panic, composure, decisiveness...
He was like a sunflower waiting for the sun to rise, but in the end, he unwillingly fell into an endless slumber in the darkness...
A dozen or so people slowly surrounded them, and the gap that Gu Junxiao had hurriedly squeezed open was gradually buried by endless laughter.
Darkness enveloped everything, silencing even breathing.
Under the indiscriminate beating, Shen Moyu struggled desperately, his trembling legs slightly bent at the knees, his body covered in mud. Conspicuous bloodstains were left on his exposed pale skin.
He refused to be buried alive by the sudden darkness, until he suffocated. But he knew that when the sun was determined to leave, what could those sunflowers, barely clinging to life, do?
He was filled with regret. How could his light be handed over to darkness by his own hands?
Crystalline tears, like pearls from a broken string, rolled down her cheeks one after another, finally soaking into the wound, mingling with the blood, and flowing into her heart.
He gazed at the scattered fallen leaves on the ground in the distance and suddenly felt that winter seemed to have come earlier than usual, as a biting wind swept through the air.
It turns out that the sun will eventually set, and sunflowers will wither in the cold winter.
Chapter 39 Will You Hate Me Too?
"What did I do wrong?" Shen Moyu looked up at Gu Junxiao, her eyes empty, as if questioning him.
Gu Junxiao closed his eyes: "You're not wrong, it's my fault..." His fault, he was too cowardly, too slow-witted, it was his fault.
He betrayed his feelings for Shen Moyu.
Gu Junxiao said heavily, "I'm sorry..."
"I'm sorry?" Shen Moyu looked at him, his gaze seeming to pierce through him. He smiled coldly: "Should I say it's okay? It's all in the past? I forgive you?"
Gu Junxiao bit his lip hard, letting the wind tousle his hair. He could only say softly, "I didn't run away. I went to get help. I didn't want to see you get hurt..."
Everything he said was true, but it did nothing to help.
"Your liking is disgusting enough." Shen Moyu looked at him sharply and said, word by word, completely ignoring Gu Junxiao's nonsense.
"If you hadn't confessed to me back then and been overheard, there might not have been any rumors at all." Shen Moyu forced a smile, saying those hurtful words against his will.