The midday sun was pleasant, its golden rays crossing the withered branches of the Ji family garden. Like magnificent silk, the light poured into the living room, flowing over Ji Tan. His clear, glass-like eyes shimmered in harmony with the bright sunlight, making him look as beautiful and exquisite as the finest work of art dazzling yet cold, devoid of the slightest emotion.
Zhou Wenbai noticed Ji Tan was lost in thought, and his tightening heart slowly began to relax.
“Didn’t you complain of being hungry on the way here?” Zhou Wenbai picked up the Emperor banana Ji Tan had only taken one bite of. “Why didn’t you finish it?”
Ji Tan’s slender, curled lashes trembled. Life sparked in his beautiful, quiet eyes, and he wrinkled his nose slightly. “I don’t like it.”
Zhou Wenbai watched Ji Tan’s picky and delicate behavior with a smile in his eyes. He leisurely peeled the remaining Emperor banana Ji Tan had left and finished the soft,textured, sugar-rich fruit in two bites. He tossed the peel into the trash can, and a pristine wet wipe appeared before him.
Zhou Wenbai turned his head, his gaze falling on Ji Tan’s pale pink fingertips.
“It’s sticky, wipe your hands.” Ji Tan placed the tissue, which smelled faintly of alcohol, into Zhou Wenbai’s palm.
Zhou Wenbai paused for a moment before using the wet tissue Ji Tan had given him to carefully wipe the sticky fruit juice from his fingers. As his peripheral vision caught Ji Tan’s beautiful, slender fingers reaching toward him, Zhou Wenbai involuntarily softened his breathing. Ji Tan’s slightly cool fingertips touched Zhou Wenbai’s still-damp palm, and Zhou Wenbai subconsciously tightened his grip.
Zhou Wenbai’s expression remained refined, though the stillness in his eyes was clear and faint. Ji Tan looked up at him for a while, then pursed his lips.
“Let’s go. We’ll go back and have Zhou She add another dish.” Zhou Wenbai stood up, pulling Ji Tan from the sofa.
The hand Zhou Wenbai held was warm and soft, like a cloud that might float away at any moment, always in danger of slipping through his fingers. When Ji Tan stood still, Zhou Wenbai sensed it keenly and stopped walking.
“Are we not eating here today?” Ji Tan hesitated.
Zhou Wenbai paused imperceptibly. He turned back and hugged Ji Tan tightly, as if trying to merge him into his own bones and blood, his voice hoarse and filled with a deep sense of powerlessness. “I am sorry, Tuan Tuan. The wedding date has to be postponed. I want you to wait for me a little longer.”
Ji Tan slowly processed the information in these two sentences. He stood like a beautiful doll, quietly held in Zhou Wenbai’s arms, his chest compressed by the tightness of the embrace. Only when the last breath was about to be exhausted did Ji Tan slowly wrap his arms around Zhou Wenbai’s waist. “Then let’s go back and eat. I am hungry.”
Zhou Wenbai closed his eyes tightly, as if he had only just been saved in that moment.
Zhou She had not yet untied his apron when he went to open the door. He was slightly startled to see the two who had only just left. Ji Tan squeezed inside first. Zhou She glanced at Zhou Wenbai’s trembling fingers at his sides, looked away, and turned to stop Ji Tan, who was trying to slip into the kitchen. “Go wash your hands.”
Ji Tan turned his path and obediently went to the sink to wash his hands. Zhou She turned back and made a path for Zhou Wenbai, who was in a poor state. “Come in first.”
As Zhou Wenbai passed by, Zhou She suddenly asked, “Did you smoke?”
“Has it not dissipated yet?” Zhou Wenbai pressed his temples firmly. “I will go upstairs and freshen up. Tuan Tuan does not like the smell of smoke.”
It hadn’t dissipated yet; Ji Tan must have been forced to smell it the entire way back. Zhou She said nothing more. He watched Zhou Wenbai head upstairs, absent-minded, and his brow furrowed. What happened?
Zhou She took off his apron, lowered his eyes, and walked into the kitchen, hanging it back up before bringing out the stir-fried dishes.
Ji Tan washed his hands and sat down. “Why is it stir-fried alfalfa again? Even if it’s delicious, you shouldn’t eat it every day.”
“Even sheep love to eat it.” Zhou She sat across from Ji Tan and served him half a bowl of white rice.
Ji Tan poked at the rice and grumbled, “I am not a sheep. You are not respecting me.”
Zhou She used serving chopsticks to put a different dish into Ji Tan’s bowl. “I will change the menu tonight.”
Ji Tan quieted down.
He scooped a few spoonfuls of the tomato and beef brisket onto the white rice, eating it in small bites. Zhou Wenbai didn’t come down until he had showered and changed his clothes. After Zhou Wenbai sat down, he glanced at the rice soaked in soup in Ji Tan’s bowl and disapproved. “Tuan Tuan, I have told you many times, you are not allowed to eat like this. It will cause a stomach perforation.”
Ji Tan swallowed the rice soaked in tomato and beef brisket sauce, his small face turning pale. Zhou She glanced at Ji Tan’s fingers, which were gripping the spoon, afraid to move, and his brows twisted. “Why are you scaring him? He hasn’t done it many times.”
Zhou Wenbai regained a bit of his rationality. Seeing Ji Tan so frightened by him that he dared not eat, his heart was filled with a complex bitterness. “I am sorry, Tuan Tuan, I didn’t mean to scare you.” Zhou Wenbai placed his palm on Ji Tan’s cheek, kissed his eyes as he looked over, and softened his tone. “Eat your meal properly. I have work to do, so I won’t be eating with you.”
The warm sensation on Ji Tan’s eyelids disappeared, and the seat beside him became vacant. Ji Tan was somewhat dazed. Zhou She went to the kitchen, took out new empty bowls, and served Ji Tan half a bowl of white rice, replacing the rice soaked in soup. “Eat this instead.”
Ji Tan took the fresh white rice and buried his head, eating his vegetables and rice in an orderly fashion.
“Why are you back so quickly?” Zhou She asked, as he poured the leftover rice from Ji Tan’s previous bowl into his own. “Weren’t you supposed to cross-check the schedule for tomorrow today?”
Ji Tan raised half of his snow-white face. “Dr. Zhou said it was to be postponed.”
Zhou She’s chopsticks paused. “Postponed?”
Ji Tan nodded and continued eating. “That is what Dr. Zhou said.”
Zhou She’s thin lips pressed together. “Did he give a reason?”
Ji Tan did not know; everyone’s tune had suddenly changed. Everything had been fine yesterday. Today, Zhong Peiyi’s venomous gaze, Ji Yunxin’s smug face, and Zhou Wenbai’s evasive attitude all flooded into his mind. The white rice in his mouth choked Ji Tan, making his throat feel nauseous. Ji Tan blinked uncomfortably, and his eyelashes became damp. Ji Tan frowned in discomfort, unable to swallow the rice ball in his mouth.
The chair made a harsh scraping sound against the floor.
“Spit it out, Ji Tan.”
Ji Tan kept his mouth tightly shut, like an infant who did not understand and could not cooperate.
“Ji Tan, open your mouth.”
Ji Tan’s thin back was covered by a broad, hot palm, and the low, deep voice that traveled to his ears revealed an uneasy urgency. “Behave, Tuan Tuan, be good. Open your mouth.”
With his back being patted by an open palm, the feeling of nausea became even more severe. Ji Tan blinked in confusion. His chin was forced open by Zhou She’s grip, and Ji Tan opened his mouth. Wah, the food in his mouth and stomach was all vomited onto the floor.
Ji Tan inevitably felt dizzy, his body soft and limp, but he was held firmly in Zhou She’s arms.
“Drink some water.” Zhou She pressed the glass of warm water to Ji Tan’s lips, helping him drink a few sips. “Do not swallow. Rinse your mouth and spit it on the floor.”
Ji Tan was like a puppet at the mercy of others, following every instruction. Zhou She fed Ji Tan more warm water. Seeing Ji Tan’s expression soften, his tense nerves finally began to settle.
“I will take you upstairs to rest.” Zhou She picked up Ji Tan, stepped over the vomit on the floor, and went upstairs to the second floor. Ji Tan lay in Zhou She’s arms, his slender, soft arms draped weakly over Zhou She’s shoulders.
Zhou She placed Ji Tan on the bed, took off his shoes, and let him take an afternoon nap. Zhou She did not leave the room until Ji Tan had fallen asleep, then went to the living room to clean up Ji Tan’s vomit. Zhou She left a meal for Zhou Wenbai, washed the other dishes, and went to the third floor.
“Knock, knock.” Zhou She knocked on Zhou Wenbai’s door and was choked by the smoke filling the room.
“Are you going crazy?” Zhou She walked straight into Zhou Wenbai’s room and opened the window to let the air in. “Ji Tan just threw up.”
“What happened?” Zhou Wenbai looked up in astonishment through the smoke he had created. His blood reversed in his body, and he instinctively wanted to see Ji Tan. “How is he?”
Zhou She frowned and stopped him. “Do not go yet. You are covered in the smell of smoke; do you want him to throw up a second time?”
“He is asleep now.”
Hearing that Ji Tan was fine, Zhou Wenbai, clutching the half-burned cigarette butt, leaned dejectedly against the wall.
“What exactly happened?” Zhou She asked. “Weren’t you fine when you went out?”
Zhou Wenbai did not hide it from Zhou She. Looking over with cold eyes filled with a few bloodshot filaments, he said calmly, “Zhong Peiyi found out.”
“It was Ji Yunxin who leaked it.”
Zhou She was stunned, looking at Zhou Wenbai’s cold, dead eyes, and moved his lips.
“I am sorry.”
“It has nothing to do with you.” Zhou Wenbai crushed the cigarette butt. “I was the one who took the axe from your hand; I made the decision myself, and I will bear all the consequences.”
“Besides,” Zhou Wenbai paused, “you were the one who told the police and Zhong Peiyi afterward that you were the accomplice to the homicide; you haven’t had it easy these past eighteen years, either.”
Zhou She looked away.
“Does Ji Tan know?” Zhou She thought of what Ji Tan had said before, and hesitated to comfort him. “You do not need to be like this; Ji Tan may not necessarily mind this matter as much as Zhong Peiyi and the others.”
The law had declared them not guilty. Morality held a grudge against them. But Ji Tan was different; Ji Tan had no law or morality in his heart, could not distinguish right from wrong, and trampled on worldly views. He would not feel that Zhou Wenbai was at fault or was a bloody executioner.
“He does not know yet.” Zhou Wenbai seemed even more exhausted, shaking his head. “Zhou She, you do not understand.”
Zhou She could only keep his unsaid words to himself.
Zhou Wenbai said, “You go out; I want to calm down by myself.”
Before Zhou She left Zhou Wenbai’s room, he heard Zhou Wenbai’s voice, blurred by the smoke. “Help me take care of Tuan Tuan for a few days.”
Zhou She’s brow twitched heavily. The second-floor room was quiet, protecting the sleeping Ji Tan. In his dreams, a pair of hands seemed to be fiddling with his soft limbs. There was no discomfort, and Ji Tan’s consciousness struggled for a moment before he surrendered and fell into the net. Ji Tan shrank into the quilt, and the weariness of his body brought him back into his dreams.
Ji Tan did not know how long he had slept before someone woke him up.
“Drink some rice soup.” Zhou She, having finished his work at the law firm in the study, could not find Zhou Wenbai, who should have been in the room taking care of Ji Tan. So, he cooked rice soup to settle his stomach and brought it to Ji Tan.
Ji Tan’s room was blocked by heavy curtains; Zhou She turned on the orange nightlight by Ji Tan’s bed. Ji Tan rubbed his sleepy eyes and was helped up by Zhou She. Zhou She, taking advantage of the dim light, discovered that Ji Tan had changed into comfortable, soft pajamas before he went to sleep.
Zhou Wenbai had been here.
Zhou She shifted his gaze away, handed the warm, sweet rice soup over, and hesitated when Ji Tan reached for it. “Can you drink it yourself?”
Hearing this, Ji Tan blinked his eyes, quickly withdrew his hand, and leaned in with a sickly, weak, but still beautiful and bright little face, shaking his head coquettishly. “I cannot.”