Time is the best medicine for healing wounds.
In the blink of an eye, Yu Chuci had already been back in his apartment for a year.
Over this year, his art studio had reopened, and business was even more booming than before.
Lu Yanchen still lived next door, but he was very respectful of boundaries. Aside from occasionally coming over to help Yu Chuci carry things, or silently delivering medicine when Yu Chuci was sick, he never overstepped.
This sense of perfectly appropriate distance finally loosened a tiny crack in Yu Chuci’s tightly closed heart.
Today was Yu Chuci’s birthday.
He had originally planned to spend it quietly alone, but unexpectedly, Shen Qingcheng suddenly returned to the country.
“Chuci, happy birthday.”
Shen Qingcheng stood at the doorway holding a large bouquet of lilies, his smile still as gentle as it had been in the past.
He had established himself abroad, and this time he had returned with the intention of taking Yu Chuci away with him.
“Come with me, Chuci.” Shen Qingcheng looked at him sincerely. “I’ve already contacted the best gallery over there for you. You can start over.”
Yu Chuci looked at his senior before him, his heart full of gratitude, but even more so, a sense of relief.
“Senior, thank you.”
He softly refused. “But I’ve already found the place I want to stay.”
Shen Qingcheng was stunned for a moment. His gaze swept past the tightly closed door next door, and then a knowing smile appeared on his face.
“I understand. As long as you’re happy, it doesn’t matter where you are.”
After seeing Shen Qingcheng off, Yu Chuci was about to close the door when he noticed Lu Yanchen standing in the hallway. He was holding an exquisite cake box, his expression somewhat tense.
Clearly, he had overheard their conversation.
“Are you going to leave with him?”
Lu Yanchen’s voice trembled slightly, his eyes filled with panic.
Even though he had appeared calm and collected over the past year, the humble fear in the depths of his heart had never disappeared.
Yu Chuci looked at him and suddenly sighed.
He walked over and took the cake box from his hands. “Come inside.”
Lu Yanchen’s head snapped up, an astonishing joy bursting in his eyes.
This was the first time in a year that Yu Chuci had actively invited him inside.
Dinner was simple, but the atmosphere was exceptionally warm.
Under the candlelight, Yu Chuci looked at Lu Yanchen’s handsome yet somewhat haggard face, a tumult of emotions in his heart.
“Lu Yanchen.”
“Hmm?” Lu Yanchen immediately sat up straight, like a soldier awaiting orders.
“Let’s give it a try.”
Yu Chuci lowered his gaze, his voice soft yet firm and resolute.
Lu Yanchen froze completely, even suspecting he was hearing things.
“You… what did you say?”
“I said, we can try to start over.”
Yu Chuci raised his head, looking at him with a frank gaze. “Not the same sick relationship as before, but equal, normal interaction.”
Lu Yanchen’s eyes instantly reddened.
He abruptly stood up, wanting to hug him, but forcefully stopped himself.
He was afraid this was just a beautiful dream, and even more afraid that his own roughness would scare away the person who had finally turned back.
“Chuci… thank you… thank you for still being willing to give me a chance.”
His voice choked up, tears sliding down his cheeks.
Yu Chuci actively stood up, opened his arms, and gently hugged him.
This time, there was no coercion, no despair, only two broken souls redeeming each other.
“Lu Yanchen, don’t let me down again.”
“Never.”
Lu Yanchen hugged him back tightly, as if holding the most important treasure in the world.
In the days that followed, they truly managed it.
Lu Yanchen reined in all his harshness and obsession, learning how to respect and love someone.
And Yu Chuci, with his companionship, completely walked out of the shadows.
His paintings began winning international awards. The theme of every painting revolved around “hope” and “redemption.”
At the opening ceremony of one art exhibition, Yu Chuci stood on the stage, looking at the man in the audience who was always waiting in the front row, whose gaze never left him. A happy smile curled at the corner of his mouth.
Once, he had thought he could never escape that nightmare in this lifetime.
But now he understood that the end of a nightmare could also be a vista of blooming flowers.
As long as it’s you for the rest of my life, yearning for yearly togetherness is the best ending.