1.
In a cramped, dark rental apartment, Chen Ran sent Sheng Chuan a breakup message. The phone signal was poor, and he stared at the screen until his eyes ached before the reply finally arrived: From now on, don't say you ever dated me. I don't want to be caught up in rumors with a mute.
Chen Ran was silent for a moment, then slowly typed: Okay.
Before he could send it, the phone lagged. Another message popped up: You can keep that apartment.
Chen Ran: I'll move out.
An exclamation mark appeared on his phone. He'd been blocked again.
2.
Sheng Chuan didn't believe Chen Ran would break up with him. This was just Chen Ran throwing a little tantrum. Sheng Chuan only had to crook a finger and Chen Ran would come back to him, just like before.
That was until he saw the little mute cornered in a repair shop by a man with a familiar build, and heard the little mute's familiar, helpless sobs.
3.
Zhou Jin happened to overhear his roommate Sheng Chuan having a video call on the dorm balcony. The person on the other end didn't say a word. The only thing in the balcony was Sheng Chuan's impatient voice: "Don't come to the campus to see me next time."
Zhou Jin had good eyesight. He saw the man on the screen gesture with his hands, and Sheng Chuan say, "You can eat that little bit yourself." Then, "I'm hanging up. Don't bother me again."
Blurb written on 2025/5/25 and archived. Excerpt 3 added on 2025/5/31.
Theme: Being battered and broken doesn't mean you can stand by unmoved.
