You Fu hailed a taxi by the roadside and carefully helped Ji An into the car. The driver immediately wrinkled his nose and exclaimed, “How much did he drink? Just a heads up, kid, if he throws up in the car, it’s a two hundred fee.”
“Whatever,” You Fu replied, placing Ji An’s legs over his own and unbuttoning his shirt to help him cool down. He pressed a bottle of cold water against Ji An’s face.
The driver, trying to be considerate, switched the audio from a dramatic story to soothing instrumental music. But his attempt at thoughtfulness was unnecessary, as he soon grew bored and started chatting with You Fu.
“Kid, judging by your uniform, you’re from City No. 1 High School, right? My daughter graduated from there a few years back, went on to a top provincial college. She’s the only college graduate in our family, makes us so proud…”
The driver couldn’t hide his joy, and his voice grew louder with excitement.
You Fu, who had been silent, finally spoke up to stop him: “Could you keep it down a bit? My brother’s asleep.”
“Sorry about that.” The driver quieted down like a deflated balloon but couldn’t help asking after a while, “I thought you guys weren’t out of school yet at this time.”
You Fu covered Ji An’s ears: “We took the day off.”
“Your brother really shouldn’t have you picking him up like this, it’s bound to interfere with your studies. When my daughter was in high school, I wouldn’t even let her do laundry, just wanted her to focus on her studies.”
“Driver, could you stop the car up ahead?”
The driver was puzzled: “But we’re still far from your destination.”
“It’s too noisy.”
The driver smacked his lips, offering an awkward smile: “Old habits die hard, I’ll stop talking now, really.”
The car fell into a peaceful silence, the neon lights outside flashing by, contrasting with the calm inside the vehicle.
As they neared their destination, Ji An began to feel uncomfortable, clutching onto You Fu and accidentally bumping his forehead against You Fu’s chin: “Where’s You Fu…? Ouch… it hurts…”
You Fu ignored the pain, gently rubbing Ji An’s forehead: “I’m right here.”
“Have him take me home…”
“Wait, let’s go to the hospital first.”
Ji An nuzzled against You Fu’s face, his thoughts a jumbled mess, and his words even more so: “But he hasn’t eaten yet… have him make me honey water… with lots and lots of sugar… You Fu doesn’t like sweet things… make it bitter instead… I like spicy boiled sour milk…”
You Fu couldn’t help but chuckle, using his knuckles to gently tap Ji An’s flushed face, wiping the sweat from his nose.
Feeling You Fu’s breath, Ji An instinctively leaned closer.
Afraid Ji An might lose control in the car, You Fu turned his head away, soothingly saying, “Just hold on.”
The driver glanced in the rearview mirror at the commotion, and what he saw startled him: Ji An had pulled open You Fu’s collar, burying his face in his neck.
The driver’s mouth formed a perfect O shape.
“Stop messing around,” You Fu said helplessly, ruffling Ji An’s hair.
The driver, holding back his curiosity, finally asked, “Is he really your brother?”
You Fu nodded: “Any problem with that?”
The driver: “…” There’s a big problem.
The driver hesitated, then asked, “Don’t your parents care about you two?”
“Are you asking about the one in jail or the one who left?” You Fu held Ji An tightly in his arms, “It’s just me and my brother against the world.”
“………………” The driver, usually cheerful and talkative, felt like he’d been fed a mouthful of dirt, his face turning green. He just wanted to complete this ride and escape from these two troublemakers. Fortunately, You Fu kept a tight hold on Ji An, preventing any further antics in front of the driver.
Ji An managed to hold on until they reached the hospital. Sitting on the hospital bed, he grabbed You Fu’s hand and pressed it to his waist, the coolness of You Fu’s palm providing some relief: “It’s so hot… is it summer already? You know, You Fu doesn’t eat ice cream in the summer… how boring…”
You Fu ruffled his hair: “He eats your leftovers, that’s pretty interesting.”
“But he’s always cooped up, no friends, no one likes him… what does he do at home every day? Life seems so monotonous, so monotonous, so monotonous.” Ji An rambled, his eyes dazed, trying to undress in front of the doctor. You Fu had to hold his hands firmly.
He started crying, saying he felt terrible, accusing You Fu of being mean for not helping him.
You Fu patiently comforted him: “It’ll be over soon, be good, it’ll be okay soon, don’t cry, alright?”
He held Ji An’s wrists with one hand, gently wiping away his tears and soothing the redness at the corners of his eyes.
After the doctor gave Ji An an injection, he finally calmed down, going from whimpering to clutching You Fu’s clothes and falling into a deep sleep.
You Fu felt Ji An’s temperature drop significantly, and he relaxed.
As the night wore on, the temperature outside suddenly dropped, and a chilly wind rustled the trees, their branches making crackling sounds.
You Fu took off his school jacket and wrapped it tightly around Ji An, ensuring he was snug and warm. He needed to return home before Ji An woke up, to act as if nothing had happened, so that even if Ji An remembered the day’s events, it wouldn’t be too awkward.
This could become their unspoken secret, a seed planted for breaking the ice.
As for the fool who drugged him, Ji An was never one to be easily manipulated. Would he allow such a person to continue causing trouble in front of him?
Back at home, Ji An was dressed in pajamas, curled up like a cat, his face nestled in You Fu’s embrace, covered with a soft blanket, only his pale neck exposed.
You Fu, now only in his undershirt, had removed his jacket, fearing the zipper might scratch Ji An’s sleeping face, and he gently caressed a mole.
After a while, Ji An’s face tilted upward, his mouth brushing against You Fu’s chin as he asked, “Why haven’t you let You Fu take me home yet…”
“You Fu is right here with you.”
Ji An, eyes still closed, said, “You’re not…”
You Fu gently patted his back, coaxing him to sleep, and softly asked, “Then who am I?”
“Gu Ziyu.”
You Fu’s face tightened, his heart clenching: “What did you call me? Open your eyes and look at me.”
Ji An forced his eyes open, blinking slowly, thinking for a long time before saying, “Xun Yi.”
“…” You Fu pinched his face, his eyes darkening with a storm brewing, “Wrong, try again.”
“Xiao Lin.”
“Wrong.”
“Xu Zai.”
“Wrong.”
“Ah Xie.”
“Wrong.”
“Chai Chai.”
Ji An was forced to list a bunch of names, even mentioning the newlyweds they met today, but never once did he say You Fu’s name. His cheeks were pinched into little mounds, as he mumbled, “Who are you, anyway? You don’t look like any of them.”
You Fu licked his lips, his voice low and trembling: “Why won’t you call me You Fu?”
“Are you stupid?” Ji An got angry, pulling at the flesh on You Fu’s face, “You Fu is my younger brother, brothers can’t turn into octopuses and squids, can’t drop anchors, can’t eat small fish, can’t swat mosquitoes, and can’t hide from pirates.”
“…?” You Fu pondered for a moment, translating his words, pointing to himself, “Squid?”
Ji An nodded.
You Fu pointed at him: “Octopus?”
Ji An nodded again.
You Fu curiously asked, “Why aren’t you a carp?”
Ji An thought he was being silly, his eyelids drooping: “Do carp live in the sea?”
You Fu roughly understood what he meant, but the more he understood, the worse his expression became. Those intimate things, Ji An would reject them all.
“Why aren’t you happy?” Ji An, still not fully conscious, couldn’t stand seeing that sad expression on his face, and tried to cheer him up by shaking his face.
You Fu turned his head to avoid his hands, keeping a stern face but not pushing Ji An away.
Ji An took the opportunity to snuggle closer, lying on top of him: “What will make you happy?”
You Fu said coolly, “Call me You Fu.”
Ji An shook his head, clinging to a shred of reason: “No, You Fu is my younger brother.”
You Fu stubbornly repeated, “Call me You Fu.”
Ji An didn’t want to, but looking at his moving lips and hearing his dejected voice, he felt uncomfortable.
You Fu’s expression grew colder: “Call me, You Fu.”
“But You Fu is…”
Before Ji An could finish, You Fu covered his mouth.
Ji An bit his hand, so You Fu wiped the moisture from his hand onto Ji An’s reddened eyes, his thumb brushing over Ji An’s dew-like eyes.
“Call me You Fu, brother.”
The boy’s tone was commanding, yet pleading, his lashes fluttering like butterfly wings, casting a shimmering light over his usually lifeless eyes.
Ji An was stunned, his breath catching, as he touched You Fu’s face, not wanting to see him upset: “You Fu.”
The ice in You Fu’s eyes melted a little: “Who am I?”
“You’re You Fu,” Ji An said dreamily.
You Fu’s eyes curved, tapping his nose as a reward: “Who took you to the hospital when you felt sick?”
Seeing him happy, Ji An’s blocked breath eased: “You Fu.”
You Fu continued to guide him: “Can brothers and younger brothers drop anchors, eat small fish, swat mosquitoes, and hide from pirates?”
Ji An: “Yes, younger brother, You Fu.”
You Fu pressed his forehead against Ji An’s, holding the back of his head: “Since we can, what does brother want to do now?”
“Eat small fish!”
…
Ji An lay on the bed asleep, his long lashes fluttering with his dreams.
You Fu dipped a cloth in warm water, crouching by the bed to gently wipe Ji An’s face. Ji An cracked open his eyes, a hint of clarity in them.
After all the commotion, Ji An’s drunkenness should have worn off by now.
You Fu paused, waiting for him to say “get lost” and kick him out.
Ji An raised his hand, but instead of pushing him away, he smiled softly, gently patting You Fu’s head.
You Fu’s tightly wound heart relaxed, though it still bore creases that couldn’t be smoothed out.
Ji An treating him like this meant he wasn’t fully sober yet.
Having a crush on Ji An was a one-man show of self-satisfaction.
He had thought Ji An liked obedient people, and in this world, only he would unconditionally comply with Ji An, making him the special one.
But it turned out Ji An just wanted him to stay by his side as a younger brother.
You Fu lay down on the bed, his arm around Ji An’s waist tightening, as if to meld him into his body: “What a pity, brother, I’m insatiably greedy.”