He wouldn't refuse Yu Tan's basic requests. After all, it wouldn't last much longer.
Yu Tan's dark eyes slid over Hu Xiaoyu's beautiful, obedient features: "Liu Luanzhou is always generous with his lovers. Judging by the way you look, I'm sure you've been treated well. But let me remind you, he's quite a flirt. How long do you think you can enjoy it by his side?"
Hu Xiaoyu wasn't great at arguing, nor could he come up with words that would make things awkward.
He wasn't surprised by Yu Tan's attitude. After all, Yu Tan had once arranged for people like Xu Feng to harm him. What couldn't he do?
But between them, there was still a bond of gratitude, so Yu Tan could say whatever he wanted, even mentioning Liu Luanzhou—it didn't matter.
He corrected him, "Brother Liu is a good person, Yu Tan. Please don't speak ill of him. He's just helping me. We don't have any other relationship."
Yu Tan took a deep breath, but he couldn't hold it in anymore.
Standing up, nearly a head taller than Hu Xiaoyu, he advanced toward him like an enraged beast, slowly pushing Hu Xiaoyu into the corner: "Say my name."
Hu Xiaoyu lowered his head and took the check from his pocket: "One million. Here, take it."
This check was the one his father had given him.
The Yu family was no longer his home, nor was the Hu family. He had no place to stay in the human world.
With a casual flick, Yu Tan took the check, didn't even look at it, and ripped it up, tossing it on the floor with a cold laugh: "Liu Luanzhou gave this to you? He's generous, huh? Did he touch you?"
In fact, Yu Tan knew Hu Xiaoyu's whereabouts every day and was aware that this little fox hadn't been touched by anyone else yet.
If it had been otherwise, he would have been jealous enough to want to kill someone. He would have already bound Hu Xiaoyu and locked him up at home.
Hu Xiaoyu couldn't keep up with Yu Tan's thought process, or rather, he didn't want to.
"Whatever," he thought, seriously emphasizing, "I've given you the money, it's what you rejected. As for the studio... please don't come back here anymore."
Yu Tan watched as Hu Xiaoyu, with an indifferent expression, drew a clear line between them. It was painful for him, like a sharp blade piercing his chest.
The growing clarity that Hu Xiaoyu truly wanted to sever ties with him overwhelmed Yu Tan with both fear and helplessness. His instincts urged him to control the boy in front of him, to pull him back, and to rekindle the intimacy they once shared without hesitation.
But of course, Yu Tan had already been hit once before, and this time, he instinctively braced himself.
He grabbed the boy's hand as it tried to push him away, pinning it to the wall before leaning in.
The kiss was forceful, but then he tasted something salty.
It was the taste of his own blood from his tongue being bitten, and the tears of the boy in his arms.
Hu Xiaoyu's normally clear, expressive fox eyes were now filled with tears, each drop falling silently. To Yu Tan, it felt like a heavy stone had crushed his heart.
Yu Tan's movements faltered, his fierce expression softening into confusion: "Why are you crying? Does it hurt? I..."
Hu Xiaoyu pushed Yu Tan away, curling into a tight ball in the corner of the wall.
The grievances and frustration that had been building up in the darkness of the night erupted at that moment.
How could he not be upset? This was Yu Tan! How could he treat him like this?
Hu Xiaoyu had never been this heartbroken.
If a demon's sadness was measured by tears, then he truly felt heartbroken to the core.
He cried, kicking and pushing Yu Tan as the man came closer.
It was hard to say how long it had passed, but when his emotions finally settled, Hu Xiaoyu stood up.
Yu Tan's black casual pants were covered in footprints, beaten to the point of being helpless.
He didn't dare to take matters into his own hands and wipe the tears away. Instead, he kept offering tissues: "Let's go home, okay? I was wrong. I promise, from now on, I won't touch anyone except you. Xiaoyu, please... I was wrong... Do you want to kick me again? Kick me a few more times, and maybe you'll cry less, okay?"
He had never lowered his head like this before. Even when apologizing, he stumbled over his words, but it was the most sincere and resigned apology he had ever made.
At this moment, even the dullest person would realize what he felt.
Yu Tan was not dull, and in fact, he was very clever. He had never felt this strongly towards anyone. It wasn't just liking—it was something deeper, something that had seeped into his bones. Watching the boy cry was like having his heart squeezed. It hurt more than when a sharp iron rod had pierced his lung.
Hu Xiaoyu took the tissue and wiped his wet face.
This was so embarrassing, he thought. It was Yu Tan's fault, yet why was he the one crying?
As for what Yu Tan said, Hu Xiaoyu didn't believe a single word of it.
He had promised not to interfere with his life, yet turned around and arranged for Xu Feng to harm him, and then there was that photo...
Hu Xiaoyu wiped his face and then raised his eyes to look at Yu Tan's deep, dark eyes—eyes that seemed as endless as a bottomless pit.
He shook his head: "The Yu family is not my home. I'm not going back. Yu Tan, I don't blame you for the past, but in the future... please don't come looking for me. I don't want to see you."
Yu Tan clenched his fists: "Where did I go wrong? Tell me... I'll change."
Under the cold, distant gaze of the boy, he couldn't bring himself to say the words "I like you" or "I love you." He only instinctively wanted to keep the boy, to lower his head and try to regain the closeness they once had, even if it felt awkward and stubborn.
Hu Xiaoyu frowned, recalling the things that made him uncomfortable.
Eventually, he said: "I know everything. About Xu Feng... I know it all."
Yu Tan thought for a moment, then remembered who Xu Feng was. Even though Xu Feng's hand had been broken, he was kicked out of the city, realizing what the boy meant by that statement made Yu Tan freeze.
Hu Xiaoyu, not looking at him, spoke slowly, word by word: "When he said he wanted to sleep with me, when he tried to touch my face, you were in that club, right? You knew he would bully me, but you still arranged for him to get close to me, didn't you?"
Yu Tan was left speechless by this question. He stammered, "He won't hurt you, A-Jiu..."
He trailed off, unable to finish his sentence.
It was clear that even A-Jiu, who couldn't handle Hu Xiaoyu when he was drunk, could have easily taken advantage of him.
If Yu Tan had arrived a little later, if it hadn't been for Liu Luanzhou being there, who knew what would have happened?
Hu Xiaoyu didn't bring up the matter of the photo. In the end, all the events added up to one conclusion: to stay far, far away from Yu Tan.
He opened the door to leave, hearing Yu Tan's voice, weak and almost pleading: "Xiaoyu, I'm sorry, can you..."
Hu Xiaoyu answered firmly: "No," and then closed the door.