The Way You Beg on Your Knees for My Forgiveness, You Look Just Like a Dog

In 1990s Hong Kong, neon lights cast shifting shadows over people’s hearts, and the air was thick with money and scheming.

When they first met:

Zhao Guannan leaned against the entrance of a street food stall, a cigarette between his lips as he watched someone washing dishes. He grinned. “Young Master Chi, how much do they pay you a day to scrub dishes?”

Chi Suiyu clutched a sudsy rag, his voice as cold as ice. “Zhao Guannan, get lost.”

“Get lost?” Zhao Guannan stubbed out his cigarette and walked over, lifting Chi’s chin with a fingertip. His tone was mocking and domineering. “Sign an agreement and come with me. I’ll cover your dad’s medical bills. Remember, you’re just a ‘toy’ I picked up off the street.”

Chi Suiyu slapped his hand away, suppressed emotions roiling in his eyes. “I’d rather die on the street than be your plaything!”

Later:

In the pouring rain at midnight, Zhao Guannan knelt outside the door, soaked through. His voice trembled. “Suiyu, open the door. I was a bastard before. I was afraid you’d leave, so I used those awful tricks to force you…”

Inside, Chi Suiyu gripped a bottle of antidepressants, his fingertips icy.

“I know you’re sick. I know you’re afraid of being abandoned…”

Zhao Guannan’s voice broke with sobs as he dropped every pretense for the first time. “I’m scared too. I’m scared you won’t want me. Please, give me one more chance. Let me learn how to treat you right, okay?”

The door cracked open, and Chi Suiyu’s voice was as faint as a sigh. “Zhao Guannan, you didn’t say that before.”

“I’ll change. I’ll change everything…”

Zhao Guannan grabbed that cold hand as if it were the last lifeline he had. “As long as you stay, I’ll change anything.”

Note: [Slightly alternate setting + amnesia + chasing-his-husband-to-the-crematorium + Hong Kong vibes + working-class life + mutual salvation]