Xiao Yu locked the door of the small apartment that Ya Se was helping him rent. He quickly adjusted his clothes before he walked down the stairs and off to his part time job. As soon as he exited the building, he felt drops of water pour over his head and he realised that it was raining. He headed back up to his apartment to fetch an umbrella before he scurried back down the streets.

The streets were fairly empty that morning as it was still very early and it was a rainy and windy start to the day. He pulled up the zip of his jacket as he shivered under the chilling wind. As he waited at the bus stop, he rubbed his hands together and looked around. He saw someone struggling to walk on the other side of the road. They were emerging from an alley and were dragging themselves against the wall to keep them standing. A trail of blood followed them and blood painted the walls as they pushed themselves forwards. Looks like they've had it rough… Xiao Yu thought before he squinted his eyes to see the person clearer.

Yu Yan coughed. Her whole body screamed out in pain and she could barely keep herself upright. Her father had punished her the night before for disobeying him. She thought he would heal her previous wounds but he did not. To teach her a lesson, he had abused her even more and broke her bones. Yu Yan used her better arm to support herself against the wall even though it was fractured. However, her other arm was completely broken and it was numb - she had no feeling in her fingers and couldn't move them. Her chest agonised her and her broken ribs stopped her from breathing effectively. Every breath she took in caused her to shut her eyes tightly as she tried to suppress the sensation of agony. Her legs were unstable and she could barely even put one foot in front of the other. Her senses became ineffective and she didn't know where she was going. She couldn't see or feeling anything and her echolocation was getting worse by the second. Suddenly, her foot slipped and she fell forwards into a large puddle of water. As soon as she landed on the ground, she fell unconscious.

Xiao Yu gasped as he crossed the road. "Jiang Yu Yan!" he exclaimed as he dropped his umbrella and fell onto his knees beside her. His umbrella was blown away by the wind but that was the least of his worries. Xiao Yu stared at Yu Yan's lifeless body that was battered more than it had been the night before. He watched the puddle that she lay in turn a crimson red and his blood ran cold as he panicked. He quickly lifted her up into his lap and he tried to wake her up but she did not respond.

As the rain hammered down on them, Xiao Yu swiftly took off his jacket and wrapped it around her body to shield her from the rain. Then he brought out his phone to contact an ambulance. As he dialled the number, he remembered what she had said the previous night.

"And next time if I get hurt, don't bring me to the hospital. I hate the hospital; don't ever bring me here again."

He bit his lip, "I need to bring you to the hospital," he mumbled, wiping away his soaked hair from his eyes. Deciding against it, he stood up and lifted Yu Yan bridal style. Splashing through the rain, he ran with her towards his apartment. "Yu Yan, hang on a bit longer," he whispered. His clothes became drenched and dragged him down but he still fought through the heavy rain. As soon as he reached his block, he rushed up the stairs and into his apartment.

Despite being soaked to the skin, the only thing on his mind was to treat Yu Yan's wounds. He gently placed her down on his bed before rapidly searching through his drawers and cabinets for his first aid kit. As soon as he found it, he began tending to her wounds. As soon as he finished wrapping her broken bones with bandages and dressing her wounds, he used a wet face towel to wipe her face. He wiped away all the dirt and dried blood on her face and arms, leaving the rest of her body. Once this was done, he rummaged through his wardrobe and brought out a white shirt with long black sleeves. He then carefully put it on Yu Yan, over her ripped clothing. Using a towel, he then dried her hair carefully before tucking her into his bed.

He sighed as he stood up, feeling exhausted. He ran his hand through his saturated hair and sighed. He touched his damp clothes that were starting to smell. As he walked over to his kitchen to prepare some food for Yu Yan, he sneezed and sniffled multiple times but he didn't care - looking after Yu Yan was his top priority. "I wonder how she ended up like that..." he muttered.

Yu Yan slowly opened her eyes. Though she couldn't see anything, her body pained her less and she felt herself lying on something soft. "Where... am I?" she mumbled before a strong scent wafted into her nostrils. "Little Fish...?" she whispered as she began to sit up. She then realised she was sitting in a bed that smelled a lot like Ding Xiao Yu. She then slapped herself, Yu Yan why are you thinking of that fish? Why would you even be in his bed? You're probably at home! Father must have found you and brought you home and healed you! She smiled confidently at that thought before she heard the ping of a microwave and footsteps. The door then opened and Xiao Yu walked with a tray that contained a bowl of porridge, a glass of milk and some painkillers.

"Yu Yan, you're awake!" he said with a sigh of relief, "I was so worried," he continued as he placed the tray down on his bedside table. He then sat at her bedside.
Yu Yan's smile fell, "...Little Fish? What happened?" she muttered.
"You collapsed on the streets all battered and bruised. I just happened to find you." he explained.
"Then where are we now?" she asked slowly.
"At my apartment," he replied.
Her eyelids widened and she began to stutter, "I... want to go home," she said as she turned to get up.

Xiao Yu gently pushed her back onto his bed, "Where do you think you're going with all those injuries?" he questioned, "We can talk about what happened later, right now just eat something warm," he commanded as he picked up the bowl of porridge and stirred it.
"I don't want to talk," she snapped, "And I don't want to e-mmfff!" She was cut off when Xiao Yu forcefully stuck a spoonful of porridge in . After she swallowed, she faced him, "I can eat by myself," she barked.
Xiao Yu smiled, "Your arms are both broken and injured, let me feed you. Come on, ahhh~" he replied held up another spoonful by .
"This is so embarrassing," Yu Yan grumbled as she let Xiao Yu feed her. She felt a blush rise onto her cheeks which made her keep a scowl on her face. A chuckle escaped Xiao Yu's lips as he continued to feed her and help her drink the milk.

"Open your mouth," Xiao Yu instructed a few minutes later.
"No, I don't want to eat anymore," Yu Yan refused.
"Have some painkillers," he told her but she shook her head. "Yu Yan," he insisted, "You'll feel less pain. Please?" He then stood up and lifted her chin gently, before using his other hand to slip a tablet in through her lips. He then helped her drink some water.
"You should rest some more," he said.
"I don't want to," she grumbled, "I'm not tired."
Xiao Yu slowly nodded, "Okay... well then I'll go have a shower. Don't get up or you'll fall over. I'll be back in a couple of minutes."

Once Xiao Yu had left the room, Yu Yan sighed. How had things come to this? After returning home from the hospital the previous night, instead of healing her, her father had punished her straight away by abusing her. The abuse lasted at least 3 hours before she was thrown out of their house and into the park. After that, she had passed out in the rain and woke up a few hours later. She had gathered all her strength to drag herself around until she collapsed again and was found by Xiao Yu. She had to admit that she was thankful that Xiao Yu had taken her in as she knew that her father wasn't feeling merciful and who knew when he would take her back. After all, she had committed an act of betrayal which was like treason to her father.

She blinked back a few tears and sighed again before she realised that she was wearing different clothes - well a different shirt atleast. Blood rushed to her cheeks as she touched the buttons that ran down the front of the shirt she was wearing. She faced down and smelt her shoulder, confirming that she was wearing Xiao Yu's clothes. She blushed, feeling embarrassed. Did he... change my clothes...? She lifted her weak hands and started feeling her body under his shirt, realising that he had just put another layer over her own clothes. She then released a breath that she didn't know she was holding.

Jiang Yu Yan carefully swung her legs over the side of the bed to stand up and she listened to the noise of Xiao Yu showering. She listened to the rush of water and sat back down when she heard him singing.

"Wo ting zhe ni shuo ai wo
gan jue que ru ci ji mo
xiao rong zhi wei chi ji miao jiu bian suan le
ci ke wo zhi xiang zhao yi ge chu kou
tao li zhe hun luan huang miu
ai bu ai gai tian zai shuo"

I listened to you when you said you love me
But the feeling was so lonely
The smile only maintained for a few seconds, then it turned sour
This moment, I just want to find an exit
To leave these chaos and mess
Love or not, let’s talk about it next time

Yu Yan felt a smile creep onto her face, "He sings really well."


"Wo xiang ni zhen de ai wo
dan wo ye zhen de hen tong
bu ran bu hui lian qin wen dou ku ku de
na li cai hui you li jai ni de chu kou
ke shi wo likai yi hou neng wang na li zou"

I think you really love me
But I’m feeling very painful too
Or else, it wouldn’t have felt bitter when we kissed
Where can I find the exit to leave you?
But where else can I go after I leave?

[Exit/Chu Kou by Fahrenheit]

Her smile then turned bitter, "But it's another sad song," she added. Putting that aside, she smiled again and listened to him sing. "If time could stop at any time, I wish it would stop now. I like this feeling of security when I'm with him - I feel at ease despite all the chaos and darkness in my life," she muttered quietly as her eyes fluttered shut.

After his shower, Xiao Yu went through whatever clothes he had left after the fire and some of his newly bought clothing. He picked up a pair of tracksuit bottoms and then handed it to Yu Yan who sat on his bed, "Keep the shirt and change into these, they're more comfortable," he told her.
Yu Yan accepted them and stood up slowly with his help, "I'm not staying here any longer. I'll wash your clothes and return them to you at school," she informed him.
Xiao Yu smiled, "It's okay, keep them," he said, "You can stay here if you don't have anywhere else to go," he blurted out.

Yu Yan faced him, "Why wouldn't I have anywhere else to go?" she snapped at him.
Xiao Yu scratched the back of his head, "Uh... I don't know after yesterday... maybe your father-" he stammered nervously before Yu Yan cut him off.
She flared up, "What's it to you if my father did something?" she barked, "Yes he did. Yes. He punished me for getting into a fight but why is it any of your business?" she yelled, not knowing why she was angry all of a sudden, "Just because I got kicked out doesn't mean that I'm helpless and need to leach off someone else!" After realising that she had blurted everything out, she shut quickly before turning to him, "Get out! I want to change!" she hissed at him and Xiao Yu did exactly that.

Once the door was shut, Yu Yan leaned against it before sliding down it into a sitting position."It's all because of him that I got into this situation," she grumbled, "For him I went against my father and got punished," she huffed. "But he's treating me really well," she sighed. "Should I stay with him... or should I leave? I don't have anywhere to go but if I stay with father's enemy, won't I be punished further?" she mumbled to herself, "But what's my reason to stay? We're not even friends so how can I stay?"

"He's going through tough times right now so please don't let him be alone. Even if he chooses to remain quiet, please remain by his side,"

A light bulb flashed in her mind after remembering An Qi's words, That's it! That is going to be my excuse. Da Dong has instructed me to spy on Little Fish because he's worried something's up with him - if I think like that then I can accept staying with him. She smirked, "Yu Yan, you really are so smart," she laughed to herself. But then her mood fell.

"But after accepting that I do actually care about this loser, why do I want to be around him more even though the idea sickens me...?" She brought her stiff knees to her chest and buried her head into them, "...we can never be real friends so why does my heart hold such feelings for him? I've never cared for anyone in my life except for father and Yu Ting, so how did I come to accept him? One month ago I wouldn't have had any problem killing him myself... but now, I don't want him to get hurt because of me," she said sadly. "He's going to die especially because of his connection to me, nothing good will come from being close to me. Even dying with ignorance is better than dying with the feeling of betrayal."

She winced as she began to change her clothes, deciding to bury her head in the sand: Let me enjoy this time with him now and be happy. I'll bear the consequences later. And by then, I'll leave him so I don't bring him any pain.

A single tear rolled down her cheek as she touched her heart. Her heart was now free from any walls and was now dripping with water. This wall that I had worked so hard to build... has been broken by Ding Xiao Yu so easily...

~*~*~

Xiao Yu entered his room once Yu Yan had finished changing and as soon as he saw her he could help but laugh at her appearance. "Oi, who do you think you're laughing at?!" Yu Yan barked as she threw his pillow at him.
Xiao Yu smiled, "I'm sorry, I'm just not used to seeing you in oversized male clothing," he replied. He then walked closer to her once he noticed that the top button of her shirt was undone. "Here, let me help you." he said and picked up both sides of the shirt to fasten the button. But then something on her skin caught his eye. He bent the flap backwards to have a closer look. Just beneath Yu Yan's collar bone was a code of numbers and letters engraved onto her skin, "JY1988.0113.6" he read aloud, "Yu Yan, what's this?"

Horrified, Yu Yan grabbed the shirt and fastened the button herself before turning her back to him quickly. Crap, he found my clone code... Since all my sisters and I are just clones of our mother, my father had to give us a code to identify us since he's created thousands of us... "Why is it any of your business?!" she snapped at him, "Can't I get a tattoo without you commenting on everything?!" she lied.
A corner of Xiao Yu's lips turned upwards, "Oh so that's what it is," he replied as he sat down on his bed.

Yu Yan then turned her back to him and began raking her fingers through her hair, "I want to comb my hair," she announced, "Do you have a comb or a hair brush?"
Xiao Yu nodded, "Sit here, I'll do it for you," he patted a spot on his bed before he went to pick up a comb from his drawer.
"Look, I don't need you to do everything for me! Don't look down on me!" Yu Yan exclaimed but Xiao Yu just put his hands on her shoulders and gently sat her own on his bed.
"It's no problem," he replied as he began running the comb through her hair, "I have a lot of time."
"Then spend that time away from me," she grumbled as she felt Xiao Yu run the comb through her tangled hair.
"If I do that," he began quietly, "how will I take care of you?"

Yu Yan went quiet and didn't say anything. She sighed after a couple of seconds before going for the kind approach, "Little Fish," she started slowly, "You don't have to do this. I'm an independent person."
Xiao Yu smiled as he used his fingers to gently move her bangs from her eyes, "I know you are. But I don't want you to move around much or you'll be in pain," he answered her.
"If you take me in, you'll have the burden of me put onto your shoulders. Don't you already have enough problems already?" Yu Yan asked him.
"Friends aren't burdens," he said.
"When did we become friends?" she asked, turning her head slightly to face him.
"I see you as a friend." Xiao Yu replied.
"But do I see you as a friend?" Yu Yan questioned.
"You don't have to. Just let me treat you like one," he told her before running his hand down her short but soft black hair. "Your hair's all done."

Yu Yan smiled to herself before she touched her hair. "Do you have any hair bands? I want to tie my hair up," she asked, standing up.
Xiao Yu tucked away the comb in his drawer, "You look prettier with your hair out," he commented before walking out of the room after hearing a ding from the oven. "I made us some egg tarts. I'll be right back."
Yu Yan's eyes widened in surprise and she faced the direction Xiao Yu had just gone in. She felt her heart pound in her ribcage and she felt her cheeks warm up. She touched her chest, "Such a big reaction to such a small comment," she muttered before the corners of her lips turned upwards and her face brightened.