The moment Yu Yan saw Gu Xichao, the anguish he had suppressed for so long finally broke free. He wept without making a sound, unable to force out more than a few words. Tears blurred his vision until all he could see were scattered rings of white light.
Gu Xichao had rarely seen him in such a state. His heart aching and his mind in disarray, he hurriedly took Yu Yan’s hand.
“What happened? Come inside, quickly!”
Clinging tightly to his hand, Yu Yan forced himself into the room. It was as warm as spring inside, and the hand holding his was warm and strong. The numbness in his limbs gradually began to fade.
Gu Xichao made him sit on the bed and wrapped a blanket around him, leaving only his small, pitiful, tear-streaked face exposed.
He held Yu Yan’s hand, but it felt like a block of ice that could never be warmed. They had been apart for only one day, yet Gu Xichao could barely recognize the child before him. That adorable face, forever trying to look aloof and imposing, had become gaunt overnight.
“What happened to you? How did you end up like this? Did someone bully you?”
Gu Xichao sat beside him and handed him some warm water.
Yu Yan did not know where to begin. He simply stared blankly at Gu Xichao and choked out between sobs,
“Help me… I can’t get out anymore…”
Gu Xichao’s heart ached. He gently drew Yu Yan’s head onto his shoulder and patted him soothingly.
“Don’t rush. Tell me slowly. Don’t cry—please don’t cry. Everything will be all right…”
Each broken sob pierced his heart like a needle.
Yu Yan pulled a small envelope from inside his close-fitting clothes. The instant Gu Xichao saw it, his heart gave a sudden jolt.
“Gege, can you help me deliver this outside? I can’t get out of here…”
Gu Xichao did not answer immediately.
He had no idea that an untouchable secret lay hidden behind Yu Yan. The adults in the family were all exceedingly discreet and rarely revealed anything to him. They had only vaguely warned him not to meddle in matters that did not concern him. After asking Yu Yan about it once, Gu Xichao had silently understood that he should never bring it up again.
This fear went far beyond anything a child should casually question.
It was an intensely private secret belonging to the Yu family. He had no right to interfere.
Only then did Gu Xichao understand where the strange sense of distance and danger surrounding Yu Yan had come from. The darkness the boy carried had already stretched out its tendrils and wrapped them around his ankles.
“I’m not Yu Wei’s maternal cousin, and I’m not some illegitimate child from outside the family either.”
Sensing Gu Xichao’s hesitation, Yu Yan spoke through his sobs.
“Yu Zhenhong is my biological father. My mother isn’t mentally ill either. He locked her away in the corner tower, and she has never appeared before anyone… That’s why everyone thinks Aunt Qin is the mistress of the Yu household and that I’m the illegitimate child… But Yu Wei is the real bastard from outside the family!”
By the end, Yu Yan was gritting his teeth so hard they nearly cracked, his eyes bloodshot with hatred.
Gu Xichao was shaken by the depth of fury in his gaze. This was a Yu Yan he had never seen before—utterly different from the shy, well-behaved, quick-witted little friend he knew.
He could not help recalling the first time he had seen Yu Yan at the stables. Back then, the boy had stood before the chestnut horse and let out a laugh filled with unbearable sorrow.
But then… Gu Xichao also remembered Yu Yan carefully wiping down the riding equipment with his injured hands, grinning at him with all his teeth showing.
Yu Yan suddenly came back to himself and immediately regretted what he had just revealed.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to tell you all of this… I only want to save my mother.”
Gu Xichao frowned. Now that he knew the truth, he could no longer pretend ignorance or turn a blind eye.
What troubled him even more was this: in what capacity could he intervene? Since childhood, he had been taught that every word and action of his represented his family. Moreover, he was the eldest among the children. Feuds too complicated for a child like Yu Yan to understand had even less reason to become entangled with him.
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