The car traveled a while before merging into the evening rush-hour traffic.
Li Jichuan had just finished replying to two emails on his phone when he finally couldn’t ignore the burning stare from the seat beside him.
“Do you need something?”
He couldn’t hold back anymore.
A phone immediately slid into view—of course the little furnace was prepared.
【Can you drop me off at the next intersection? I need to go home and change. We’re meeting Grandpa tonight. I really don’t look good dressed like this…】
He was still thinking about meeting the family tonight.
Li Jichuan froze for a second before remembering that was indeed happening. He closed his eyes briefly to steady himself.
“Your address.”
Su Pu blinked, baffled, and typed: 【?】
Li Jichuan repeated, “Your home address.”
“Give it to the driver. We’ll drop you off first.”
Su Pu: !!!
Su Pu’s rented place was on the first floor of an old, dingy apartment block—one of those cramped partitioned units.
The bathroom and kitchen were shared with four other tenants, perpetually grimy and reeking in different ways.
His cheeks flush, Su Pu pushed open the bathroom door—creak—and immediately stepped aside from the narrow frame.
The hallway was tight and dim. He gestured for Li Jichuan to go ahead, responding to the sudden request: “I need to use your restroom.”
Sure enough, Li Jichuan’s expression was full of obvious distaste; he had probably never seen a place this messy.
Su Pu had only been gone a day, and the place was already too filthy to step into.
He wanted to crawl into a hole.
Would Li Jichuan think he was dirty too? Sloppy? Smelly?
Su Pu didn’t dare let his thoughts go further.
“I’m… not actually in a rush,” Li Jichuan said, clearing his throat. “Go change. I’ll wait in the car. You can take your—”
Before he could finish, the front door slammed open. A burst of laughter and slurred voices flooded in.
One of Su Pu’s roommates—the difficult one—was back.
Judging by the noise, he’d brought home a bunch of rowdy friends.
He already liked to make jokes about Su Pu’s inability to speak; if he saw the man in the wheelchair, who knew what garbage he’d spew?
Su Pu didn’t want Li Jichuan upset, didn’t want him hearing any filth. Acting on instinct before thought, he grabbed both handles of the wheelchair and pushed him straight into his room.
He shut the door and locked it behind them, pretending no one was home.
Caught off guard, Li Jichuan found his chair wedged into the only pathway of the tiny ten-square-meter room. But at least the space was clean and orderly—
A completely different world from outside.
“Su Pu, we—”
Su Pu rolled across his little bed and landed in front of him, raising a finger to his lips: Shhh.
Li Jichuan immediately fell silent, mouthing, “Who is it?”
【My roommate】
Li Jichuan played along, taking out his phone so they could communicate quietly.
【What are you afraid of your roommate for?】
Su Pu: 【I’m not afraid…】
The group passed through the hallway, fingers dragging intentionally along the wooden door, knocking lightly—annoyingly—on the panel.
“Hey, Da Zhang, the mute’s not home today?”
“Quit talking crap,” Da Zhang grunted, kicking open his own door.
“Oho, Da Zhang’s protective now?”
His buddies cackled, refusing to let up.
“What, you’ve chased him for half a year and still haven’t gotten anywhere?”
“Watch your mouth. My bro’s just showing pity—too soft-hearted to force it.”
“So what if he forced it? The guy’s mute. What’s he gonna do, scream his lungs out?”
Disgusting laughter and filth spilled through the walls, every word landing clearly in Li Jichuan and Su Pu’s ears.
“That’s enough!” Li Jichuan snapped, maneuvering his wheelchair toward the door.
Su Pu grabbed the armrests, bracing with all his strength, shaking his head hard—pleading for him not to go.
“You’re just going to let them talk about you like that?”
Su Pu kept shaking his head. One hand typed a reply; the other refused to release the wheelchair, terrified he’d march out there.
【It’s fine. Let them talk. Confronting them won’t change anything.】
Li Jichuan’s brow tightened into a dark, sharp line.
Su Pu’s expression wavered with difficulty.
Thankfully, the guys next door got distracted again, hyping each other up to start a game. A moment later, bass-heavy music boomed through the thin walls—loud enough to swallow everything.
Looking exasperated, Li Jichuan asked, “Can I go back to the car now?”
If he stayed, he really wouldn’t be able to stop himself from lecturing those bastards.
He wasn’t the type to meddle, but his spouse couldn’t speak—how could he not step in?
And what baffled him even more: why did Su Pu put up with this? Why let people bully him, harass him, and knock on his door every time?
They didn’t bother the other rooms.
Just his.
Li Jichuan realized—
Su Pu wasn’t only submissive toward him. He was submissive toward the entire world.
No wonder life had treated him so unfairly.
Contrast that with himself—no one had ever dared bully Li Jichuan.
Partly because of his powerful family, yes. But also because he’d always built hard boundaries.
He put up walls. Told the world “Do not cross.” Protected those lines fiercely until others learned instinctively to respect him.
He wasn’t lacking empathy. He knew his confidence came from the support behind him—something not everyone had.
But someone like Su Pu, who had no boundaries at all, who never fought back… he had never seen that before.
His roommate. His customers. Anyone could step on him.
Just what kind of past created a person like this?
He couldn’t help it—he was getting curious.
Meanwhile, as Su Pu prepared to sneak him out, the bathroom door next door opened, and someone stepped inside.
Right after that, a shout came from the bathroom.
“Damn, Zhang, how long has it been since you cleaned this place? It’s all ash in here!”
“Hey, the ‘snail boy’ isn’t home, right? No wonder you’ve been sulking all day.”
“Zhang bro, did the mute kid find someone else or what?”
Silence stretched for a moment before Zhang Da finally snapped.
“Shut the hell up, all of you! Just use it if you’re using it—if you can’t, then hold it in. Quit running your damn mouths!”
The guy in the bathroom finally shut the door. More jeering drifted over from the room next door.
Su Pu met Li Jichuan’s eyes—his eyes were too pretty.
So pretty they could carry a feeling all on their own.
I’ll change, then we can leave together.
Before Li Jichuan could respond, Su Pu turned away first, dove toward the fabric wardrobe, and yanked the zipper open.
Inside were a few neatly folded sets of clean clothes. He picked out the nicest one and held it to his chest.
Then he climbed back over the small bed again and slipped behind Li Jichuan’s wheelchair.
The blasting bass from next door thumped through the walls, the heavy beat vibrating right through their chests.
It was so loud—yet Li Jichuan still caught the faint rustle of clothes being taken off behind him.
Such a subtle sound, yet somehow… arresting.
He felt a sudden warmth rise.
A moment later, Su Pu smoothly stepped out of his pants.