Chen Hui, Li Jia’s mother, was angry to the extreme after all. Chen Chen was cooped up in his room for several days, not even catching a glimpse of Xu Nian, and spent his days in a daze.
126 initially offered to help Chen Chen out, but was rejected. At this point, 126 was not entirely sure what his host was thinking either.
Just when everything seemed to be going completely wrong, an unexpected turn of events occurred.
Chen Hui suddenly fell ill. When she collapsed on the floor that day, Chen Chen immediately rushed her to the town hospital.
Perhaps because they shared some sort of destiny with this hospital, Chen Chen found himself back here once again.
He had not seen Xu Nian for a long time now. He did not know what Xu Nian looked like at the moment, whether he was eating and sleeping well, or whether he had given up.
However, he now needed to take care of his mother and truly could not get away.
Chen Hui’s condition was not exceptionally severe, but she needed to stay in the hospital to rest and recuperate for a period of time. Chen Chen stayed by her side to take care of her.
During this time, Li Jia’s father, Li Guoqing, came to visit. He was an honest, hardworking man who deferred to Chen Hui in everything; Chen Hui called all the shots at home.
Later, Li Guoqing had to leave for work elsewhere, leaving Chen Chen to care for his mother by himself.
At first, Chen Hui was unwilling to speak, as if thinking of what she had witnessed gave her a headache, but after all, Chen Chen was her son. Eventually, she began to speak a few words here and there, though she remained tight-lipped and avoided mentioning that incident altogether.
Chen Chen knew that this was also her way of forcing him to face reality.
It would be a lie to say his heart did not ache. Every moment, he could not help but think of Xu Nian, longing for the days they had spent clinging to each other just recently.
“Xiao Jia, come here. Let Mom take a look at you.”
Sitting by the hospital bed, Chen Hui suddenly reached out and called him over.
Chen Chen walked over and obediently turned around in a circle. He was wearing brand-new clothes that still carried the clean, soapy fragrance of a fresh wash.
“My son is still as handsome as ever. You will certainly find a good young woman to settle down with in the future.” Chen Hui’s tone was filled with pride, but her words sent a chill straight through Chen Chen’s heart.
Unable to hold it in any longer, he blurted out, “Mom, I really only like Brother Xu Nian. Mom, I…”
Chen Hui’s expression instantly darkened. “Enough! Say no more. Go take a walk outside; Mom is going to rest now.”
With no other choice, Chen Chen left the room, temporarily leaving Chen Hui to get some rest.
The street still bustled with its usual lively scene, people coming and going, yet no matter how he looked around, he could not spot the one person he longed to see.
Not knowing where else to go, Chen Chen simply walked in the direction of the restaurant.
He figured Xu Nian definitely would not be there, but he still held onto a glimmer of hope and wanted to take a look.
The restaurant indeed looked just the same as before, except this time it was not crowded and seemed to have closed early. Peeking inside, Chen Chen could not see Wang Qi or anyone else.
Just as he was about to leave, he caught sight of a figure near the back kitchen door beside the restaurant.
The person was squatting on the ground, surrounded by a scatter of cigarette butts.
Chen Chen froze in his tracks. It was Xu Nian. There was no mistaking it; it was definitely Xu Nian.
Catching the scent of smoke in the air, Chen Chen did not dare to walk over, fearing it might just be an illusion. Xu Nian had actually come here.
A wave of stinging heat washed over Chen Chen’s eyes. He walked over and stood right beside him.
“Brother…”
Xu Nian was squatting on the ground, his movement of flicking cigarette ash suddenly freezing. He remained motionless for a long time, until Chen Chen choked back a sob behind him and called out to him again as Brother.
Chen Chen said, “Brother, I have missed you so much. I am sorry for only coming to find you now.”
Standing up and turning around, Xu Nian saw the tears streaming down Chen Chen’s face.
He rushed forward and pulled Chen Chen tightly into his arms. “You fool, what are you apologizing for? It is your brother who did not come to find you sooner.”
“I am sorry, Brother. I wanted to come see you, but I could not get away. I…” By this point, Chen Chen was letting out all the emotions he had bottled up for days. “I…”
Chen Chen closed his eyes. “I missed you.”
Her eyes stinging with emotion and words failing him, Xu Nian pulled Chen Chen tightly into his embrace once more, burying his face in Chen Chen’s shoulder as he finally breathed in that familiar scent.
Truth be told, Xu Nian had not had an easy time of it lately either.
Whatever Li Xin had said to Wang Yulin, at least she had not continued forcing Xu Nian to do things he did not want to do these past few days.
Yet Chen Hui’s attitude that day had hit Xu Nian like a bucket of cold water, making him realize just how much he needed to do.
The future felt impossibly far away, but Xu Nian had seriously pondered for a long time how he could secure a future for the person he cherished.
From daylight to dark, Xu Nian looked at the pot of jasmine flowers by his window and realized that he truly, deeply loved the smiling young man.
Actually, there was not much to think about.
No matter how difficult things got, he would never give up. That much would never change.
Xu Nian brought Chen Chen upstairs. Having barely eaten properly for several days, Chen Chen was starving. Xu Nian cooked him a bowl of noodles, and Chen Chen polished off the large bowl without a second thought.
Xu Nian was acting a bit strangely, staring intently at Chen Chen the whole time, which made Chen Chen feel a bit self-conscious.
“Brother, why do you keep looking at me?”
With delicious food right in front of him, Chen Chen temporarily pushed his sorrow aside.
Noticing the bloodshot veins in Xu Nian’s eyes, Xu Nian shook his head at the question and said, “Eat.”
After finishing the meal, Chen Chen did not want to go back just yet, so he curled up with Xu Nian in the upstairs room.
By now, it was late in the evening. Xu Nian turned on the television for Chen Chen to watch while he went to take a shower.
The picture quality of the old television set was not very clear, but it had a vintage, cinematic charm. Sitting on the sofa and leaning against it, Chen Chen watched the images on screen and began to grow drowsy.
He was not actually fully asleep, though.
The room was dim, with only the glow of the television casting light onto the wall, accompanied by the gentle, melodious sounds playing from the screen. This was the scene Xu Nian walked out to find.
Chen Chen was half-reclining, still clutching a book in his arms. The collar of his shirt was slightly askew, and because the clothes did not quite fit him right, it revealed his collarbone and a small mole on the crook of his neck.
Xu Nian’s gaze locked onto that spot, and he clenched his jaw.
After watching for a moment, he walked over unhurriedly and bent down to kiss the person pretending to be asleep.
It was not until his lips were sealed that Chen Chen realized he could not fool Xu Nian at all. His lips were captured, and when they finally parted, he burst into laughter because of Xu Nian’s mischievous hands.
Xu Nian watched him for a second before pressing him back down into the sofa.
Kissing and caressing him all at once, Chen Chen was driven to distraction. With nowhere left to retreat, he had to plead for mercy, “Brother, it tickles.”
After kissing him a little longer, Xu Nian suggested watching a film disc.
With no objections, Chen Chen casually reached over and picked one up.
“Brother, how about this one?” Chen Chen asked, holding up a random choice. “I just picked it at random.”
“Alright. That is the one Li Xin mailed over a few days ago.”
Chen Chen blinked in surprise. “Ah? Why did she mail this?”
Xu Nian replied, “Who knows. Let us just watch it.”
With an obedient “Oh,” Chen Chen settled back down and snuggled comfortably against Xu Nian.
It was a foreign film, filmed in black and white with a lingering musical score, and the plot felt somewhat protracted.
Chen Chen watched with drooping eyelids until the imagery on the screen shifted.
When two young men on the screen kissed, Chen Chen suddenly realized this was a love story.
He shifted uncomfortably, intending to sit up straight, but the next second he was pulled right back down, landing securely on top of Xu Nian.
Chen Chen could feel every rise and fall of Xu Nian’s breathing, absorbing his warmth as he watched the two people on screen dancing hand in hand in the dark.
Suddenly, Xu Nian pulled Chen Chen up. Wrapping an arm around his waist and pressing forehead to forehead, Xu Nian whispered in a low voice, “Let us dance.”
With his mind in a daze, Chen Chen could only move mechanically along with Xu Nian.
The scene on screen grew even darker as the film’s protagonists kissed and fell onto the bed, the sounds they made leaving much to the imagination.
With his throat dry, Chen Chen stole a glance at Xu Nian, but he could not make out his expression in the dim light.
Finally, as the characters on screen could no longer suppress their emotions and their voices carried across, Xu Nian scooped Chen Chen up and laid him down on the bed.
Xu Nian’s voice sounded like the final, seductive refrain of a song: “Try it with your brother, alright?”
Chen Chen had no chance to refuse. Cradled tenderly by Xu Nian, he bared himself to the other man, right up until the evening chill blew in through the window and was chased away by Xu Nian’s body heat.
Xu Nian’s movements were gentle, kissing him unhurriedly as if afraid of disturbing his beloved.
Yet as things progressed further, the pacing inevitably grew uncontrolled. When Chen Chen finally let out a soft cry, Xu Nian did not stop, instead kissing away his tears one by one.
Xu Nian kissed him, desperately trying to memorize his face, his collarbone, that little mole, and everything about him.
Looking up at the ceiling, Chen Chen felt as though it drifted near and far away in turns. He felt like a boat tossed upon the ocean waves, pushed higher and higher time after time before falling back down.
Yet through the ache, he embraced the sweetness willingly.
The pot of jasmine flowers by the window, carefully tended and brought along by Xu Nian, filled the air with a lingering fragrance that drifted around their fingertips.
Right before losing consciousness, Xu Nian kept moving while reaching out to pluck a petal from the jasmine plant by the window. He placed it right beside Chen Chen’s ear, kissing him in broken, halting breaths.
Though drowsy to the point of haze, Chen Chen felt those rough hands brushing past his ear and heard Xu Nian murmur beside him, “So beautiful…”
“Baby…”
Chen Chen had been thoroughly worn out. By the end of it, Xu Nian completely shed his initial gentleness, tossing and turning him every which way.
Chen Chen slept all the way until the sun was high in the sky. When he woke up, Xu Nian was not by his side, but he felt clean and refreshed. Xu Nian must have cleaned him up.
Recalling everything from the previous night, Chen Chen’s face burned with heat. His voice was hoarse, and when he tried to move, he almost cried out in pain.
“!”
He could not help muttering a quiet complaint, “Old man, you really have quite a bit of stamina.”
Before he could even finish his sentence, the door pushed open. “What are you saying?”
Xu Nian walked into the room carrying some takeout food.
Feeling a sudden pang of guilt, Chen Chen instantly shut his mouth. “Nothing…”
Xu Nian looked a bit tired. As he walked over with the food, Chen Chen observed him more closely and noticed a slight bruise on his face, as if something had struck him.
“Brother, what happened to your face?”
Without answering, Xu Nian walked over and handed the food to Chen Chen.
“Brother…”
“I went to see Auntie Chen.”
Chen Chen stared in surprise. “You did you say something to her?”
With a serious expression that showed he was not joking, Xu Nian leaned in close to Chen Chen’s ear and said, “I told her that I have already turned Li Jia upside down and tossed him around a few times. I need to take responsibility for him.”
Chen Chen turned pale with shock. “Ah?!”
Xu Nian burst into laughter, pinching Chen Chen’s cheek as he chuckled.
“You fool, I am just teasing you.”
“What I actually said was that after thinking about it for a long time, I realized I probably really, truly love your son.”
Looking right at him, Xu Nian said every word with absolute clarity, “Will you give me a chance? If he ever changes his mind in the future, I promise I will never pester him again.”