"On the phone, Li Danxia's voice roared like a resounding bell.

　　At first, Gu Pan was puzzled. He quieted his mind and carefully distinguished the background noise on the other end. Instantly, "he realized that his mother was putting all her energy into containing the laughter and the sound of cards being shuffled and slapped during the game of mahjong."

　　Li Danxia, with her expert multitasking skills and swift finger movements, embarked on a mission to seek justice.

　　As the first user of Bluetooth earphones in a ten-mile radius, Li Danxia undeniably possessed foresight. It seemed that two years ago, while making a payment at the service counter, she had a miraculous anticipation of this very moment.

　　With divided attention, she freed her hands to continue pursuing her personal interests, while simultaneously controlling her son from afar with just a touch of her thin lips. Indignant, she exclaimed, ""You're not that old, yet you act all high and mighty." "She extends kindness to you, but you respond with indifference. Who do you think you are? Such disrespect..."

　　With a soft sigh, Gu Pan chose not to respond. Li Danxia's concise words vividly expressed her contrasting opinions of the two girls.

　　"How much my mother detests Yu Yan!" Gu Pan thought to himself. "She points fingers and berates her face-to-face, and even when she can't see her, she relentlessly carries ill intentions in pursuit."

　　Holding his phone tightly, he felt a surge of thick, dark, and acrid atmosphere bursting out of the receiver,.It shook his wrist, causing slight pain.

　　As for the Lu family girl, how much of Li Danxia's care and goodwill stems from her obsession with the so-called family principles?

　　Gu Pan wanted to hang up the phone, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Helpless, he switched to speakerphone. In this way, Li Danxia's forceful admonishments filled the room, and their intensity dispersed, sparing his eardrums from too much suffering.

　　Li Danxia noticed that her son's intermittent "uh-huh" responses were getting more distant, so she paused her shuffling and thought for a moment. She made up her mind to summarize her arguments: "Son, listen carefully. When Yitong called me yesterday, she was on the verge of tears, poor girl. She has to continue giving tours at the art gallery for the next week, but they changed the schedule to afternoon shifts, so she can get off work at seven. Since you're on vacation anyway, go pick her up..."

　　Oh, a week! Gu Pan, amidst this lengthy and relentless barrage of instructions, highlighted the key point - one week. This brought him some relief, akin to being informed by the trackside PE teacher during a long-distance race that only one lap remained. The finish line beckoned, and the parched throat and heavy, aching legs became bearable.

　　2

　　At exactly 7:00 PM the next afternoon, Gu Pan, following Li Danxia's arrangement, arrived at the front entrance of the art gallery. His mother had instructed him to play the role of a chivalrous escort.

　　From a distance, Lu Yitong spotted Gu Pan and hurriedly approached with quick and brisk steps. Her knee-length skirt restricted her stride, so she had to increase her pace to shorten the distance. The heels of her shoes anxiously clacked on the stone pavement. Gu Pan felt a twinge of guilt upon seeing her, though he couldn't pinpoint its source.

　　Even before Lu Yitong reached him, Gu Pan had already pulled out his phone and opened the ride-hailing app. But as soon as the girl stood in front of him, she tugged at his sleeve and suggested, "Let's walk! It's not far."

　　"But isn't your school quite far away? It would take a long time to walk there. I'd better call a taxi!" Gu Pan wasn't ready to abandon his preconceived plan of a quick in-and-out trip.

　　"No need. Actually, the dormitories have already been emptied, and I didn't apply for an extended stay... I've been staying at a friend's place since the break, and it's not far from here."

　　"But my mom said..."

　　"Yes, your mom asked me if my school was far from the art gallery, and I said it was far. Because it really is far, that's the truth. She asked a question, and I answered it. I didn't say much else!" Lu Yitong remained calm.

　　"But you made my mom think you still live on campus and have a long commute to work..."

　　"Your mom said she wanted you to pick me up from work every day because she was worried about me being alone and in danger. I was too happy and didn't correct her..."

　　"You!" Gu Pan stuffed his phone back into his pocket and kept his hand in his pocket, maintaining a silent stance.

　　"Gu Pan brother, are you really upset?" Lu Yitong held onto the edge of Gu Pan's sleeve with two fingers and shook it gently. The force was just right as if she understood that the fragile emotional connection between them could be easily broken. （Brother here means showing intimacy. ）

　　"What's wrong, brother?" Gu Pan took his hand out of his pocket, lifted his forearm, and ran his fingers through his hair. However, this subconscious gesture did not alleviate the awkwardness in the slightest.

　　"Is there something wrong? We're the same age, you're just two months older than me. I don't think it's a disadvantage to call you 'brother.' Besides our age, I know that you're 182 centimeters tall, you like reading, and you're not fond of sports... That's all I know for now. There will be more things you'll tell me in the future, right?" Lu Yitong moved in front of Gu Pan, facing him directly and looking into his vacant eyes.

　　Gu Pan realized that after he zoned out from the immediate surroundings, he could see several blocks away. Despite lacking the natural conditions for a mirage, he was clearly being comforted by a distant scene. It flickered intermittently, occasionally swaying, revealing a balcony partially covered by the tops of the paulownia trees. On one side of the balcony's clothesline, flesh-colored stockings, bras, and underwear were swaying...

　　This made him suddenly alert, realizing he couldn't unabashedly keep looking into the distance. "Well then, let's go. I'll walk you to your classmate's house!"

　　In front of the art gallery, there was a small green space. People were scattered in small groups, taking leisurely walks and chatting. After a short stroll, they reached the edge of the road in less than two minutes. And just across the street, within arm's reach, was the building where Lu Yitong was temporarily staying.

　　"I won't accompany you upstairs," Gu Pan felt relieved as if he had accomplished his mission. It was akin to a wandering office worker finally anticipating the end of the workday. "Take your time going up!"

　　"Alright. Is your rented place far from here?"

　　"It takes about a twenty-minute taxi ride," Gu Pan discreetly shifted his foot half a step backward. "But it's not too far, actually."

　　"Oh no, I made a mistake. It's actually quite far. Please don't be mad. I was so happy when Auntie mentioned it, and I forgot to explain. Don't come over for the next few days. Let's stay in touch from now on!"

　　"Haha, I'm not mad. Goodbye!" Gu Pan's initial sense of dissatisfaction was completely dissolved by the sudden joy of reaching the finish line. He waved his hand, turned around, and without looking back, he dashed into the bustling traffic and city lights.

　　3

　　Outside Green Garden Community, Gu Pan once again went the extra mile. He navigated the familiar route and arrived beneath Ling Hanlu's balcony.

　　Just half an hour ago, this balcony had faintly appeared before his eyes. It shielded him from the impatience that was difficult to contain within his heart at that moment. At the same time, it planted a simmering and surging feeling deep within him. The young man didn't know whether he should feel ashamed.

　　Gu Pan recalled the abandoned factory in his hometown, and he remembered Yu Yan''s "Yugong Mansion." The room on the western side of the fifth floor, with its worn-out and dusty sofa. When sixteen-year-old Yu Yan straddled his lap, when the young girl, with a drunken haze, wrapped her arms around his neck when the soft and elastic bosoms pressed against his chest... The rush of heat surging from the base of his legs made his face flush. It left him feeling overwhelmed.

　　And at this moment, facing the empty balcony, Gu Pan once again felt the scorching heat on his skin, the bone-chilling torment, and the surging expansion of his intimate parts...

　　Ever since his "insomnia" started, Gu Pan had always regarded the arrival of the night with hostility. However, at this moment, he was clearly saved by the darkness. The young man, carrying a sense of "shame" between his legs, escaped back home.

　　He lunged into the bedroom, collapsing onto the large bed, frantically struggling to remove his pants. The cool breeze from the air conditioning took away the sweatiness from his skin, but his mind couldn't immediately calm down. Inside his chest, there was a chaotic pounding, not only fueled by the young man's fervent desires but also by a complex mix of emotions that he couldn't untangle. His life, manipulated by an invisible conductor, had evolved from an initial sense of simple confinement and resistance into thick, suffocating guilt.

　　The more he yearned to let go and live freely, the more he felt powerless. He wanted to call Su Chiyuan and tell him that his words about "hurting others" in the Mind oxygen bar were not mere fantasies or exaggerated complaints. But could Su Chiyuan help him? Could someone who didn't believe he was already "ill" truly assist him?

　　Gu Pan abruptly sat up and pounced on the desk. The blue soft-cover notebook in the drawer seemed to have been waiting patiently. He opened it. The last page marked with colored pens was still vivid and bright.

　　It exuded a mesmerizing and enchanting allure, captivating and entrancing under the dimly lit night. The insufficient illumination cast a disturbingly seductive hue.

　　Its fingertips were slender and its skin deathly pale, constantly performing enticing and spellbinding gestures.

　　It toyed with the edges of the notebook, causing ripples in the smooth pages.

　　Once, twice, it exerted every effort to overcome the resistance coming from an unknown direction. It flicked the pages with an eerie sound.

　　That sound warned the young man not to attempt surrender.

　　The next page, eagerly awaiting its appearance, was waiting for the young man to perfect it. To embellish it with bold and vibrant strokes.