DCHHLT Chapter 20

Twenty minutes later, Jiang Chun pulled up and parked the car at the entrance of Ankang Residential Area.

He was the first to push the car door open. His face held indescribable emotions. He silently rolled over to the trunk, lifted the lid, and started moving things out without a word.

In all his years, having experienced so many disgusting and horrifying scenes, Jiang Chun encountered for the first time a situation he simply couldn’t bear.

He simply couldn’t imagine Chu Junshan tolerating another stranger fussing over him with concern.

If Jiang Chun were to dream of it, then the category of that dream would definitely be a nightmare—

In his imagination, Chu Junshan should have chopped off the other person’s hand the very first second that clueless guy got close…

But the reality was this.

Liang Xingyuan took Chu Junshan’s hand. He even started interlacing their fingers as if no one else was around. All in all, it was utterly excessive!

A scene like this was as unbearable to him as seeing the strictest bald discipline director from high school heading to a bar street after work to wildly dance the samba.

Jiang Chun began to regret coming out with them today.

The silence lifted only when he, loaded with large and small bags, rushed through the door of the Chu family home first.

Chen Wei adored this child, who was practically a son though not by blood. She beamed like a loving mother: “Xiao Chun’s here. You look a lot thinner. Have you been working overtime a lot and not eating properly?”

Jiang Chun, as if seeing a lifesaver, hid behind Chen Wei and said affectionately: “Oh, it’s nothing, Auntie. I’ve just taken on a few big projects, so I’ve been a bit busy. That’s why I’m here to freeload a meal at your place!

Chu Yangqing also came out carrying dishes, barely hiding his excitement. He kept glancing toward the door in what he thought was a discreet manner: “Is Chuchu back? And… that one?”

When Chu Junshan told them yesterday that he was bringing his boyfriend home, both he and Chen Wei were scared stiff.

Beyond the initial surprise, what Chu Yangqing felt most, as a father, was anticipation.

After all, this was Chu Junshan’s first serious relationship, and the first time he said he was bringing someone home.

Although Chu Junshan seemed a bit rebellious in some ways, he was usually extremely reliable.

And they had been looking forward to meeting Liang Xingyuan for a long time.

Chen Wei was wearing a white dress today, clearly carefully prepared, and was also a bit nervous: “Right, has Xiao Liang arrived?”

“He’s here, Mom.” Chu Junshan’s voice came from the doorway, as cold as usual: “He’s right here.”

Liang Xingyuan walked out with a gentle voice and that extremely approachable smile on his face: “Hello, Uncle and Auntie. I’ve arrived. Hope this first meeting won’t seem too abrupt.”

He placed the gift boxes he was carrying on the coffee table: “These are just a small token of my appreciation. I hope you like them.”

How could Chu Yangqing and Chen Wei possibly not like them?

Chen Wei said gently: “You shouldn’t have gone to all this trouble. Just coming is enough. This is too formal.”

Chu Yangqing seemed extremely satisfied with this future son-in-law, nodding repeatedly: “It’s good that you’re here. It’s good that you’re here.”

The ignored Chu Junshan had no complaints: “Just take it.”

Liang Xingyuan understood that this meant Chu Junshan’s parents accepted him.

But for some reason, he still felt an inexplicable nervousness.

“Come on, let’s eat.” Chu Yangqing timely brought up the next topic, “I made some signature dishes. Xiao Liang, where are you originally from? Give them a try and see if they’re good.”

Liang Xingyuan’s heart tightened, but he maintained a calm exterior on the surface and answered honestly: “I’m originally from Beicheng. After coming here for work, I found the people in this city to be very friendly, so I stayed.”

“Then how come you never found a partner?” Chen Wei served him a piece of glutinous rice steamed pork and asked with concern, “Couldn’t find the right one?”

Liang Xingyuan said with a hint of shyness: “Well… Mr. Chu is actually my first love.”

Such words made the three adults present, besides Chu Junshan, freeze for a moment—

Someone like Liang Xingyuan should be highly sought after in the marriage market. He’s good-looking, has a stable job, and has a great personality and social connections, so he should have no shortage of pursuers.

But why, at almost thirty years old, did Chu Junshan become his first romantic partner?

Could it be that he, like Chu Junshan, also had trouble finding a partner?

Chen Wei paused for a moment, then tentatively asked: “Don’t Mr. Liang’s parents push him?”

“Well… no, they don’t.” Liang Xingyuan composed himself and spoke as calmly as possible, “My parents are no longer in this world.”

This statement of his wasn’t a lie. After all, Liang Xingyuan wasn’t born into this world.

Liang Xingyuan was a monster from another world, born from the filthiest mire. He fought his way out of the dark abyss and finally escaped that world. Step by step, he slowly but steadily walked toward Chu Junshan’s side.

He had no parents. If he did, they’d be in the abyss, far away in another world.

As his words fell, Chen Wei’s expression changed. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but Chu Yangqing, sitting beside her, gently touched her arm with the back of his hand.

Chen Li sighed, a faint hint of pity and sympathy in her eyes: “So that’s how it is… All these years alone, it must have been hard on you.”

So the Liang Xingyuan who had seemed so flawless to her was actually an orphan.

That explained why, over so many years, Liang Xingyuan hadn’t found a partner. He probably wasn’t ready to join a new family yet.

Chen Wei and Chu Yangqing, as a couple, didn’t particularly look down on orphans. After all, Jiang Chun’s parents had also passed away long ago. Over the years, their interactions had never felt awkward.

It was just… a bit of heartache.

This faint expression, as it fell into Liang Xingyuan’s eyes, was like a stone cast into a calm lake, stirring tiny ripples one after another.

His mind stirred faintly. His empty chest warmed up, a subtle heat spreading through it.

For the first time, he felt what it was like to truly have a home.

This was also the first time someone, as an elder, cherished his existence.

If the timing hadn’t been wrong, he might even have been on the verge of tears.

Chu Yangqing smoothly changed the subject: “It’s alright. From now on we’re one family.”

Chen Wei and Jiang Chun also casually steered the conversation elsewhere. The group began discussing Liang Xingyuan and Chu Junshan’s work.

Once they moved onto familiar territory, Liang Xingyuan finally seemed to relax a little. He steadily displayed his normal social skills, delighting Chu Yangqing and Chen Wei.

Soon, the conversation at the dinner table moved to the next stage.

Chu Junshan greeted them and then went back to his own room.

“It’s fine. That’s just how he is.” Chu Yangqing said cheerfully. “Being with Chuchu, most people probably find it pretty boring, right?”

“Not at all.” Liang Xingyuan’s eyes, when speaking of his beloved, held a light as bright and clear as amber. “Junshan is a wonderful person. I can assure you, he is the best person in the world, without a doubt.”

“Well…” Chen Wei sighed, falling silent for a moment before speaking. “Sometimes, as parents, we don’t understand his thoughts either. Xiao Liang, we consider you family, so we want to share some heartfelt words. We raised Chuchu from childhood. We’ve witnessed every milestone in his growth. Before his first year of work, he was still an outstanding person by conventional standards—smart, sincere, hardworking. But three years ago, he seemed to change into a different person.”

These words seemed to drain all of Chen Wei’s energy. Her face turned pale. Seeing this, Chu Yangqing, sitting beside her, took over: “Yes, Chuchu may have suffered some unknown shock. We still don’t know what caused such a big change in him. From a certain day on, he gradually became withdrawn and very cold, refused to socialize, and locked himself in his room. He wouldn’t see a psychiatrist either. We truly trust you, Xiao Liang. If possible, we’d really like you to find out what was wrong with him back then.”

Liang Xingyuan was taken aback. He hadn’t expected Chu Junshan to have gone through such a period.

He frowned slightly, fell silent for a long time, then nodded solemnly and answered, “Uncle, Auntie, I promise I will take good care of Junshan. Please trust me. I will value him more than my own life.”

“Mm!” After all, he was her own child. Chen Wei’s voice was still tinged with heartache and emotion as she spoke, slightly unsteady. “We trust you.”

Jiang Chun quickly brushed aside this complicated topic, frantically signaling Liang Xingyuan with his eyes. The conversation returned to normal.

The four of them began an animated discussion about when to hold Liang Xingyuan and Chu Junshan’s wedding.

Chu Junshan, who seemed to be standing apart from it all, had finally come back to his parents’ home to pick up some documents he hadn’t taken last time.

The weather was nice today, and the temperature wasn’t low. As soon as he entered, Chu Junshan took off his coat, revealing a thin, light gray sweater underneath. When his eyes dropped slightly, his expression softened inexplicably: “When are you all planning to finish discussing?”

Chu Yangqing was momentarily stunned, then was the first to react: “Chuchu, do you have work to do? It’s fine, we’re almost done discussing. If you need to go, you can leave. Just let Xiao Liang stay…”

“No need.” Chu Junshan said very naturally. “I don’t have anything else to do. I was just asking. I’ll leave with Liang Xingyuan later.”

Liang Xingyuan sat beside them without saying a word. Inexplicably, his heart felt warm, carrying a hint of intriguing sweetness.

Chu Junshan thought of them as being together.

Ever since falling in love with Chu Junshan at first sight, Liang Xingyuan seemed to have developed a kind of insecurity.

He was always so anxious and uncertain. Even after Chu Junshan had expressed affection and even said “I like you” in the dead of night or in the silent moments after driving away monsters, he couldn’t help but imagine—

What if Chu Junshan didn’t want him anymore?

He didn’t know when it started, but his world had become completely filled with traces of Chu Junshan.

It seemed that without Chu Junshan, this world he had once praised so highly would lose all meaning. And naturally, he would no longer want to stay here as before.

Because the only person who truly made him feel he had a home was Chu Junshan.

Being with Chu Junshan is home.

These thoughts entangled him relentlessly. Fortunately, Chu Junshan seemed to perceive his feelings and told him firmly yet calmly, time and again: We are together.

These messy emotions swirled in Liang Xingyuan’s mind a couple of times, then slipped away with Chu Junshan’s voice: “Where have we gotten to now?”

“I know this one!” Jiang Chun raised his hand, like an immature elementary school student. “We just finished discussing the wedding design. Now, it’s time to talk about getting the marriage certificate.”

“Wednesday works.” Chu Junshan said calmly, as if it had nothing to do with him. “I happen to be free that day. Is it convenient for you, Teacher Liang?”

Liang Xingyuan: “!”

Chu Junshan suddenly called out to him. He was like a puppet awakened by a spell. He subconsciously nodded and answered unconditionally: “Mm! Of course it’s convenient…”

Before Liang Xingyuan had finished speaking, he felt the gazes around him suddenly turn a bit strange.

…It seemed like there was a hint of pity? Not sure, let’s take another look?

He pressed his lips together, held back for a long time, and finally couldn’t help but ask in a low voice: “What’s wrong? Is there… something dirty on my face? Why is everyone looking at me like this?”

Chen Wei’s expression was odd. She held back the twitching corners of her mouth: “Is this… how you two usually get along?”

Liang Xingyuan didn’t understand what she meant by “getting along”, but he still replied good-naturedly: “Hm?”

“You seem… to agree to everything Chuchu wants.” Chu Yangqing carefully chose his words. After a moment, he said cautiously, “Don’t spoil him too much. His temper is a bit odd…”

“Uncle, you’ve misunderstood!” Liang Xingyuan raised his eyebrows, looking slightly startled by their assumption. “Actually… in daily life, it’s Mr. Chu who accommodates me more. When people live together, how can they not understand each other? Besides, in my heart, Mr. Chu’s decisions are always right. I just need to offer unconditional trust. That shouldn’t be called spoiling him.”

Liang Xingyuan quickly realized that his explanation seemed unnecessary.

Everyone else present looked at him with even stranger expressions.

“As long as you’re happy.”

Jiang Chun held his forehead, turned away silently, and pretended to admire the bottom of a blue-and-white porcelain teacup from Chu Yangqing’s collection.

“Well, that’s true, too. Couples are bound to understand each other.”

Chu Yangqing stood up, pretending to be very busy watering the small plant by the dining table.

Chen Wei… Chen Wei muttered, “You two decide,” and silently slipped away from the scene.

Not until the earlier tea gathering had dispersed did Liang Xingyuan realize what he had done.

At that moment, only he and Chu Junshan remained. Finally, he could lift his head and cast a bewildered, confused look toward Chu Junshan.

He fell into Chu Junshan’s eyes, clear as a lake, but saw only a faint smile, the corners of his eyes crinkling with barely visible laugh lines.

“It’s nothing.”

This smile was like a ray of sunlight, dispelling the confusion that had just shrouded Liang Xingyuan’s head.

He immediately brightened up and returned Chu Junshan a radiant smile: “Okay.”

“Since we’ve settled it, let’s head back first.” Chu Junshan said. “I need to go to the studio this afternoon to revise a document.”

Since it involved Chu Junshan’s work, Liang Xingyuan didn’t hesitate to nod and reply: “Okay. Shall I take you?”

“I’ll take a taxi.” Chu Junshan said. “I’m not sure when I’ll be done with overtime. Just wait for me at home.”

After saying this, his gaze swept over Liang Xingyuan in front of him, then fixed on a certain spot. He squinted slightly, as if he had discovered something novel.

It seemed that some keyword in his own words had triggered something in Liang Xingyuan, who suddenly underwent a subtle change.

He was still the same person, but his entire demeanor had shifted, as if something had moved him. His eyes seemed about to speak, or to cry, like a dark rain-soaked eave.

“…” Chu Junshan pretended not to notice, ignoring Liang Xingyuan’s show of sentiment. “I’ve called two taxis. When one arrives, I’ll leave first.”

“Okay.” Though Liang Xingyuan wished he could spend a little more time with Chu Junshan, he had to understand and agreed readily. “I’ll cook dinner tonight.”

Because he had been going to “overtime” after work lately, it had been a long time since he cooked a meal for Chu Junshan with his own hands. Often, they just made do with takeout.

Today was truly a good day. Liang Xingyuan felt that this was his chance to shine!

As he thought this, they had already walked to the roadside outside the neighborhood. It wasn’t a holiday, so traffic was light, with only a few pedestrians passing by them.

A gentle breeze stirred the treetops, rustling softly. Sunlight filtered through the green leaves, casting scattered, dappled shadows on the ground in small, round patches of light.

Chu Junshan stood among the dancing tree shadows. His thick eyelids were slightly lowered. His demeanor was elegant and gentle, like a statue that would never stop for anyone or anything, never linger.

For some reason, Liang Xingyuan suddenly remembered the words Chu Junshan’s parents had said to him earlier.

Liang Xingyuan really couldn’t imagine that someone like Chu Junshan could ever break down to the point of shutting himself in, locking himself in his room.

And such a situation seemed quite serious.

He was about to marry Chu Junshan, meaning Chu Junshan’s remaining years would be bound to him. Of course, he had to take good care of Chu Junshan, whether it was his scarred past or his bright future. He would hold Chu Junshan’s hand tightly and walk through every difficulty with him.

He would take good care of him. If only Chu Junshan were willing to tell him what exactly had happened during those dark days. That would be even better.

However, given Chu Junshan’s reserved nature, he probably wouldn’t tell him directly about what happened during those days. This matter needed careful handling. For now, he’d better verify his conjecture through indirect hints.

Liang Xingyuan pondered for a moment, then asked, “Do you often feel unhappy?”

“…” Chu Junshan was silent for a moment, then turned his head to look at Liang Xingyuan. “Did my parents say something to you?”

Liang Xingyuan hadn’t expected his carefully crafted question to be seen through so quickly. He admitted somewhat reluctantly, “Yes. They said you weren’t very happy for a while. But I’m not really sure what it was that made you so unhappy, to the point of hurting yourself?”

Chu Junshan didn’t want to bring up that topic with Liang Xingyuan right now. His gaze passed over Liang Xingyuan’s sincere eyes and landed on the hazy green in the distance. “You can take a guess.”

“I can’t guess.” Liang Xingyuan still showed no intention of looking away. He stared persistently into Chu Junshan’s calm, unruffled eyes and said honestly, “Even if I guessed, I’d still rather hear with my own ears the version of yourself that you recognize. That’s the truest self, the you that you know. Junshan, can I get to know the real you?”

Chu Junshan stared fixedly into Liang Xingyuan’s eyes. After a long moment, he let out a soft laugh. “Actually, during that time, I worked as a butcher. I saw a lot of bloody scenes, so I wasn’t happy.”

Liang Xingyuan frowned slightly, trying to find any clue on Chu Junshan’s face, which was so flawless it was almost impossible to fault. But he failed.

But before he asked, he had already mentally prepared himself: Chu Junshan didn’t intend to tell him so soon.

After all, those wounds had been buried in his heart for many years. They couldn’t be dug out and shown to others in an instant. Liang Xingyuan said he fully understood.

He was willing to wait.

Wait for the day when Chu Junshan was willing to tell him everything, everything.

Tell him about the scars he once had, and the days he spent healing.

“I’m leaving now.”

Without waiting for Liang Xingyuan to react, Chu Junshan opened the back door of the taxi that had just pulled up. “See you tonight.”

Liang Xingyuan returned to his usual gentle, virtuous demeanor. He nodded and waved with a warm, thoughtful smile. “Take care.”

…

However, over the next few days, Liang Xingyuan tried several times to learn about the past from Chu Junshan, but failed every time.

With the wedding date approaching, he no longer had the heart to focus urgently on that matter. Even his daily essential “overtime work” was put off temporarily.

After he and Chu Junshan got their marriage certificate on Wednesday, he would go back to cleaning up those monsters that seemed impossible to eliminate.

In recent days, Liang Xingyuan had figured out some patterns.

The monsters always reappeared in the contaminated areas, punctual and precise, like NPCs respawning on a map as time passed.

So, his earlier guess must have been somewhat wrong.

These monsters weren’t, as he had imagined, merely beings that had crossed over from another world like him.

Those clues, one by one, pointed to an even worse possibility.

This world, too, had an “abyss” capable of producing monsters.

They were released at fixed times and locations into various breeding grounds, growing and spreading quietly in these contaminated areas. Once they matured to a certain extent, they would act like those “Dadas” that had crawled onto his balcony before.

If the “human” living inside wasn’t him, the “Dadas” would devour the human inside, wear the human’s skin, and transform into a new “human”.

He let out a soft sigh, still having no idea how to solve this matter for now.

Perhaps, when it came down to it, he would have to reactivate the power sealed within his body. But by then, this world might explode from the immense energy he carried.

What Liang Xingyuan worried about even more was that by then, his beloved Chu Junshan would be utterly unable to accept that he was an evil god.

With that thought, he set down the cake mold in his hand—

Today was Tuesday. Tomorrow morning, they would go to the civil affairs bureau to get their marriage certificate as planned.

Liang Xingyuan had given up searching for the monsters polluting this world over the past two days. Instead, he stayed at home to prepare for the wedding.

Like today, for example.

He had found a new cake tutorial online—a rum red velvet cake. Before making it, he carefully adjusted the quantities of each ingredient in the recipe for Chu Junshan.

He let out a soft sigh as a thought surfaced.

He still had to go check those places.

After all, he hadn’t been there in a long time. He wondered just how far that “abyss”, which endlessly churned out countless monsters, had evolved.

If the monsters it produced were still the low- and mid-level ones he’d seen before, they posed no threat to Liang Xingyuan.

He just feared…

Liang Xingyuan stopped thinking. He set the things down, untied the apron around his waist, walked to the coat rack in the living room, and reached for a dove-gray jacket.

His thoughts spread out like an unending tide. His gaze wandered aimlessly and landed on the balcony, which had been completely empty. The next moment, his sight froze. His jet-black pupils contracted into tiny points, trembling slightly.

The balcony’s transparent glass was already covered in black-gray slime. Pairs of golden eyes, clustered together like grapes, squeezed out of the pus with great difficulty, rolling around frantically.

Countless tiny tentacles, representing high-level monsters, grew out of the slime. Like a giant centipede, they writhed on what had once been the spotless floor-to-ceiling window, sending chills up one’s spine.

Finally, those constantly rolling eyes seemed to have found his presence. In an instant, they gathered together and opened bright red mouths toward Liang Xingyuan.

Sha, sha—

Sha, sha, sha—

They laughed heartily and hysterically—

Our dearest king.

We’ve finally found you.

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