Chapter 37: Budget Hotel

Lucian dragged his suitcase along the street for a long time. He didn't know where he was going; he just walked.

The streetlights stretched his shadow long, then shrunk it short, then stretched it again.

Finally, he stopped in front of a budget hotel. He glanced up at the sign and walked inside.

"Standard room, one night."

The receptionist gave him a look but didn't pry. She took his money and handed over a key card.

The room was on the third floor. It was tiny—one bed, one TV, one bathroom. The curtains were dark; when pulled shut, the room became as dim as the dead of night.

Lucian tossed his suitcase into the corner and collapsed onto the bed, staring at the ceiling.

Irritated.

The next morning, he was woken by his phone alarm.

7:30 AM.

He opened his eyes, lay there for a while, and slowly sat up. His shoulder was still aching, and the corner of his mouth had scabbed over; it stung the moment he moved it. He rubbed his face, stood up, and walked into the bathroom.

The face in the mirror was a mess of blue and purple bruises, and his eye was still slightly swollen. He stared at himself for a long moment, then turned on the tap and began to wash up.

Once finished, he changed into clean clothes and stuffed yesterday's outfit into the suitcase.

He headed out.

...

At school.

When Lucian walked into the classroom, Chen was there scrolling through his phone.

Seeing him, Chen froze.

"Holy crap, what happened to your face?"

Lucian sat down beside him.

"Nothing."

"You call that nothing?" Chen leaned in to inspect. "Who hit you?"

Lucian certainly wasn't going to tell him it was Sebastian.

Chen stared at him for a good while, and then a look of realization dawned on his face. "Fine, I won't ask."

He pulled a sandwich out from somewhere and handed it to Lucian. "Want some?"

Lucian took it.

"Thanks."

During the morning lectures, he was completely absent-minded.

Whatever the professor was saying at the front, not a single word registered. His mind was a chaotic mess—one moment remembering the way Sebastian kicked the door last night, the next thinking of his threat to "replace him tomorrow," and then back to the image of himself walking away with his suitcase.

He rubbed his temples.

Stop thinking about it, stop it, stop it, stop it...

he told himself. The selection was this afternoon; he needed to get his head in the game.

At noon, he found an empty classroom and leaned on a desk to catch up on sleep.

He slept for less than an hour before being woken by Chen.

"Let's go, let's go! To the gym!"

He opened his eyes, rubbed his face, and stood up.

...

The gym was packed.

Rows of male and female students stood for the selection, each tall and poised, their faces brimming with youthful confidence.

Lucian stood in the lineup, half a head taller than those around him. The bruises on his face didn't detract from his appearance; if anything, they added a certain rugged story-like quality to his look.

Chen, having withdrawn temporarily, was cheering him on from the sidelines.

"With your looks, you could pass this with your eyes closed!"

Lucian didn't feel like talking. He was confident enough in his appearance; winning a prize in a competition like this was usually a given.

But his mind was entirely occupied by Sebastian. Unlike before, it was now filled with resentment. He felt he had finally seen the truth—that old man was just playing him. Love was all bullshit.

He took a deep breath.

Stop thinking about it.

the judge called his name.

He stepped forward.

——

Meanwhile, back at the villa.

Sebastian stood at the entrance of Lucian’s bedroom. The door was open, and the room was hollow.

The duvet on the bed was bunched into a ball, left unmade in Lucian’s rush to leave last night. The closet door stood open, half-empty, and two stray socks lay forgotten on the floor.

He pulled on a pair of gloves, picked up the socks with a look of disdain, and threw them into the trash. Then, he began to clear the room out.

Shirts, pants, shoes, books, chargers, the water bottle he always used...

Piece by piece, everything was shoved into trash bags.

When one bag was full, he grabbed another.

The duvet, pillows, and sheets were all stripped and rolled into a bundle.

As he did this, his face remained expressionless, but his movements were swift and forceful.

Once the last bag was packed, he lugged the heavy trash bags downstairs, opened the front door, and hurled them into the outdoor bin.

Bang.

The lid slammed shut.

He turned sharply, walked back inside, and closed the door.

He went upstairs, entered the study, sat down, and opened his laptop, staring at the screen.

But he couldn't take anything in.

He remembered the day Lucian first arrived.

He remembered him standing in the foyer, dragging his suitcase with a defiant look on his face; remembered the way he'd intentionally put too much salt in the food; remembered the way he’d cry after being scolded but keep on cooking; remembered the way he’d held him and said, "You’re suited for me to top"...

He closed his eyes, fighting to push the thoughts away.

The phone rang.

He picked it up; it was the law firm.

"Counselor, a client wants a consultation. Can you come in this afternoon?"

He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I can."

A moment later, he stood up, walked into the dressing room, and began to change.

Shirt, suit, overcoat.

The person in the mirror was neat, his clothes crisp, his face a mask of indifference.

Work was more important. A person like that wasn't worth his lingering thoughts.

——

At the law firm.

When Sebastian entered his office, Joe was already waiting for him.

"Counselor, the client will be here in a moment. Another divorce case—female client, good financial standing."

Sebastian nodded and sat behind his desk.

Joe looked at him and asked cautiously, "Counselor, you don't look very well. Is everything okay?"

Sebastian didn't look up, his tone level. "I'm fine."

Joe didn't dare ask further and quietly exited, leaving the office in silence.

Sebastian sat there, staring at the case files in front of him. He felt restless, and the words on the pages seemed to be conspiring against him, refusing to enter his mind.

He took a deep breath.

There was a knock at the door.

"Come in."

A middle-aged woman walked in, well-dressed and meticulously made up, though her eyes were slightly red.

"Counselor Sebastian?"

Sebastian stood and extended his hand. "Hello. Please, have a seat."

The woman sat opposite him and began to explain her situation.

Sebastian listened, nodding occasionally and asking the odd question.

——

That night, Lucian returned to the hotel. He hadn't found a reliable place to stay yet, so he decided to simply extend his rental.

That man really was cold-hearted enough to truly stop caring about him. A whole day had passed without a single phone call, though that behavior certainly fit his temperament.

He lay on the bed, and images of Sebastian with a new partner kept floating into his mind. It made him feel physically sick. That man was going to be forty in a few years; even if he found someone younger, he wouldn't have the stamina!

The phone vibrated.

He picked it up; it was a message from Chen.

[Chen: You passed! Third place! Sick!]

He looked at the message with relative calm. He had actually expected to take first! He replied with an emoji and set the phone down, returning to his vigil of staring at the ceiling.