The thirty-year-old dilapidated old house had been uninhabited for a long time, and the water heater had been broken for ages, making taking a shower a major problem.
Xu Yizhu found himself in a bit of a dilemma. He glanced over at Ji Xie, who was standing leisurely on the balcony smoking a cigarette, and called out, “Go sleep at a hotel.”
Hearing this, Ji Xie, leaning against the balcony railing, turned his head. The swirling white smoke obscured his face, making Xu Yizhu unable to see him clearly.
“Together with you?”
The night breeze carried a hint of chill, and Ji Xie’s voice turned cool with it.
Xu Yizhu: “You go.”
Ji Xie flicked away the ash and replied indifferently, “Then I’ll stay here.”
Xu Yizhu ground his back molars, looking at him with an icy tone: “There’s no way to take a shower here, and besides…”
He paused and said, “I don’t want to sleep with you.”
Ji Xie chuckled, raising an eyebrow slightly as he bantered back, “Did I say I wanted to sleep with you?”
He stubbed out the cigarette butt, tossing it into a nearby trash can, and with his long legs covering the short distance in just a few strides, he arrived right in front of Xu Yizhu. Leaning down close to him, he spoke in an ambiguous tone, “Were you anticipating me—”
“Not at all!” Xu Yizhu’s face burned hot as he cut him off. “The sofa or the floor, pick one yourself.”
With that, he retreated into the bedroom in a fit of anger and shame, pulling the door shut behind him to deny Ji Xie a chance to follow.
He sat on the edge of the bed, his eyes fixed on the doorway, waiting for Ji Xie’s next move.
One minute, two minutes…
Ji Xie didn’t follow him in, nor did he knock on the door to disturb him.
A heavy, stuffy feeling weighed down Xu Yizhu’s chest, trapping a breath inside that he couldn’t quite place—was it anger, or something else? In any case, he desperately needed an outlet to vent.
He pushed open the bedroom door and walked out, intending to pick a fight with Ji Xie over nothing just to vent his displeasure.
Huh?
The living room was empty.
The sound of burning gas drifted from the kitchen. Following the noise, Xu Yizhu walked up to the kitchen doorway.
Ji Xie stood with his back to him in front of the stove, head lowered, revealing his slender neck and prominent cervical vertebrae.
Water was heating in a pot, and instead of playing on his phone, he just stood there motionless.
For some inexplicable reason, a large part of the stuffy anger in Xu Yizhu’s heart evaporated.
“What are you doing?” Asking the obvious, just looking for something to say.
Ji Xie turned his head to look at him and said, “The water heater is broken. I’m boiling some hot water so you can wipe yourself down.”
Xu Yizhu: “Oh.”
Seeing him standing there looking foolish, Ji Xie smiled and gestured for him to come over, “Get over here.”
Xu Yizhu walked over in a daze, his eyes darting restlessly as he replied in a muffled voice, “What, boiling water doesn’t need two people.”
Ji Xie’s palm brushed past his earlobe, resting on his cheek to give it a light pinch as he said, “Boiling water doesn’t, but I wanted your company.”
Xu Yizhu rolled his eyes at him, scoffing, “Ji Xie, you are too clingy.”
Ji Xie took his hand and kissed the back of it with a smile, “Can’t help it. The person I like is hard to chase after, I have to play a few more tricks.”
Xu Yizhu gave a soft hum of amusement, all his frustration completely vanished.
Xu Yizhu: “Fine then, I’ll keep you company for a little while.”
Bubbles rose steadily in the boiling pot, and Xu Yizhu felt as though tiny, delicate bubbles were rising in his heart as well.
Not blazing, but never stopping either.
In the end, he didn’t have the heart to make Ji Xie sleep on the sofa.
Xu Yizhu got into bed first, crawling to the inner side and acting awkwardly as he said, “Considering you boiled hot water, I’ll share half my bed with you.”
Ji Xie had long since figured out his soft-hearted, stubborn-shelled personality and simply nodded, “Alright, thank you, Teacher Xu.”
Xu Yizhu turned around, presenting his back to him.
“Teacher Xu,” Ji Xie called out. “I left in such a rush I didn’t bring any clothes. Do you have a clean pair I can borrow?”
“There’s a pair of board shorts in the closet, you can make do with those, they should fit,” Xu Yizhu said without looking at him, burying himself deeper into the covers.
“Alright.”
After a short while, Ji Xie asked again, “Is it this black pair?”
“Yes.”
Ji Xie pushed open the bedroom door and stepped outside. Curious, Xu Yizhu poked his head out from under the blanket, straining his ears to listen to the movements.
Ji Xie opened the bathroom door. Ji Xie went inside.
Ji Xie turned on the faucet, and Xu Yizhu heard the rushing sound of water.
Fifteen minutes later, the bathroom door opened.
Xu Yizhu snapped back under the covers in a flash to pretend to be asleep.
Ji Xie was wiping the moisture from his hair with a towel, his upper body bare to reveal a lean, sculpted physique.
It was obvious he worked out regularly, though not in that bulky, hulking way. His muscle lines were smooth and hit just the right proportions.
On his lower half, he wore Xu Yizhu’s board shorts, the loose and comfortable cut looking somewhat snug on him.
He lifted the blanket and slid into bed.
The sudden closeness brought a wave of cool air radiating from Ji Xie’s body, causing Xu Yizhu to shiver slightly.
“Why didn’t you use hot water?” Xu Yizhu quietly scooted to the side, making more space for him.
“It’s hot,” Ji Xie looked at him. “Did I chill you? I’ll go down and warm back up.” He made a move to get out of bed.
Xu Yizhu grabbed his forearm, “No need, go to sleep.”
Ji Xie settled back down, pulling the covers over them both, “Sleep then. Should I turn off the light?”
“Just leave the bedside lamp on my side on.” Xu Yizhu wasn’t used to falling asleep in a pitch-black room.
Ji Xie: “Got it.”
Xu Yizhu was afraid of the dark—something Ji Xie had known since the very first day they met. Ji Xie had never seen anyone so terrified of the dark that they would shake all over and lose all color in their face.
Yet since Xu Yizhu never brought it up, Ji Xie never proactively asked either.
Draping one arm across Xu Yizhu’s waist, Ji Xie asked thoughtfully, “Do you want me to hold you while we sleep?”
Xu Yizhu exposed a flushed earlobe and murmured softly, “Whatever.”
Ji Xie understood completely: that meant yes.
He inched his body closer to Xu Yizhu, tightening his arm to scoop Xu Yizhu securely into his embrace.
Shifting slightly to find a more comfortable position, Xu Yizhu pressed his back against Ji Xie’s warm chest and drifted off to sleep.
“Sleep well,” Ji Xie pressed a gentle kiss to his hair, whispering softly, “Good night, Teacher Xu.”
In the early autumn of August and September, the nights were already starting to turn cool. Sleeping wrapped in each other’s arms didn’t feel stuffy at all.
Outside the window, the wind rustled the leaves into a soft, steady whisper, occasionally sending a stray yellowed leaf spinning down to land beside the trunk, mixing back into the soil.
Perhaps having Ji Xie beside him was what gave him such peace of mind. When he woke up the next morning, Xu Yizhu felt a lightness in both body and soul like never before.
Hearing him wake up, Ji Xie walked in to greet him.
“Good morning, Teacher Xu,” Ji Xie smiled, his eyes half-closed in amusement.
Xu Yizhu’s brain was still rebooting…
“Get up, wash up, and have breakfast.” Seeing him looking all dazed and sleepy, Ji Xie couldn’t resist leaning down to steal a kiss.
“Oh.”
Stumbling out of bed and heading toward the bathroom, Xu Yizhu found that Ji Xie had already prepared a basin of warm water, filled his mouthwash cup, and even thoughtfully squeezed toothpaste onto his toothbrush.
Xu Yizhu’s gaze drifted elsewhere, landing on the drying rack where two pairs of washed underwear hung.
One black, one blue.
The blue pair was his, so the black one… Xu Yizhu snuck another glance; it was two sizes larger than his own.
No wonder every time… he felt stretched and sore.
A blush of abnormal heat rushed up Xu Yizhu’s face, burning fiercely as his heartbeat scrambled out of rhythm.
Cupping a handful of cold water, Xu Yizhu splashed it straight onto his face, desperately trying to chase away the unwholesome images swirling in his head.
Xu Yizhu’s mood turned wonderfully subtle… equal parts panic and honeyed sweetness.
Breakfast had been bought by Ji Xie early in the morning. Who knew how someone unfamiliar with the area dared to wander out like that without worrying about getting lost.
Oh, right.
Ji Xie wasn’t him; Ji Xie wasn’t directionally challenged.
“Taste it, I have no idea if it’s any good,” Ji Xie said, sitting across from him and watching.
Xu Yizhu picked up a steamed bun and took a bite.
Mhm… shredded turnip and vermicelli filling.
Looking expectant, Ji Xie asked, “How is it?”
“It’s fine,” Xu Yizhu swallowed the food in his mouth and replied.
“Edible is enough.” Ji Xie didn’t dare hope for any praise out of him.
Their return trip was booked for the morning. After finishing breakfast and tidying up the house briefly, the two of them headed to the high-speed rail station.
Suddenly remembering that he had asked the convenience store owner to help call the police yesterday, Xu Yizhu decided to stop by once more.
Stepping inside, Xu Yizhu spotted the man organizing the shelves and called out, “Boss.”
“It’s you. You’re alright now. When you didn’t come back yesterday, I called the police, and they told me officers had already been dispatched over there,” the convenience store owner said eagerly as he hurried over upon recognizing him.
Xu Yizhu smiled faintly and said, “Yeah, everything’s fine. Thank you, Boss.”
“Hey! As long as you’re okay. Don’t mention it!” the owner laughed good-naturedly, looking slightly embarrassed.
The two of them arrived back in Xinshi just in time for lunch. Xu Yizhu called Zhou Yi to report that he was safe, taking the opportunity to invite him out for a midday meal.
Zhou Yi asked with a worried expression, “That woman didn’t give you a hard time, did she?”
“No, it’s all resolved,” Xu Yizhu said. “Was it you who reached out to Ji Xie first?”
Zhou Yi replied, “I was panicking at the time and couldn’t find anyone else to help you, so I figured I’d give it a try.”
Leaning in close to Xu Yizhu’s phone, Ji Xie chimed in, “You made the right call.”
Hearing Ji Xie’s voice suddenly break in, Zhou Yi paused before laughing, “Boss Ji is righteous!”
Giving the intruder a glare, Xu Yizhu switched ears and asked, “Are you free in a bit then? Want to grab lunch together?”
Zhou Yi answered, “Not at noon, I promised Xiao Jing we’d go try out that restaurant downstairs from her company. I heard couples get a sixty percent discount.”
Xu Yizhu: “Right then, another time.”
Hanging up, Xu Yizhu caught Ji Xie staring at him with a look that screamed he had something to say.
Guardedly, Xu Yizhu asked, “What are you doing?”
Ji Xie blinked his eyes and said in a gentle tone, “I want to go.”
“Go where?”
“That restaurant Zhou Yi mentioned.”
Xu Yizhu: “…”
Looking full of eager anticipation, Ji Xie pressed, “There’s a sixty percent discount, you’re really not going?”
Xu Yizhu felt his back teeth itching, wanting to bite something: “If you want to go, go yourself. I’m not going.”
Sighing dramatically, Ji Xie put on a mournful look: “Yesterday, to come find you, I left my business partner hanging at the venue, and then I took care of you all day long. Is it really too much to ask to share a meal with you?”
The sorrow was fake, but the points he raised were all facts, and Xu Yizhu didn’t want to owe him favors.
Silently deliberating for a moment, Xu Yizhu dialed Zhou Yi’s number back, gritting his teeth as he asked, “That restaurant your wife mentioned, where is it exactly? Text me the address.”
Zhou Yi: “Huh? You guys are coming?”
Xu Yizhu: “Never mind that, just text me the address.”
Zhou Yi: “Oh, alright.”
Hanging up, Xu Yizhu cast a sideways glance.
Ji Xie was beaming at him with sunny smiles. The brightness was almost blinding, and Xu Yizhu’s tightly clenched fists slowly loosened their grip.
Damn dog…