At first, Chen Zhou thought he was seeing things, but after walking closer and looking carefully, he realized it was indeed Xu Nian.
Chen Zhou suddenly found himself unable to move. He crouched by the roadside to watch Xu Nian.
After entering the small shop, Xu Nian looked around with a solemn expression. Not finding what he wanted, he began talking to the shopkeeper.
With a cold face as usual, looking hard to approach, Xu Nian spoke a few words to the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper shook his head, and Xu Nian lowered his gaze, looking somewhat disappointed.
Having failed to find what he was looking for, he waited for a moment before negotiating something else with the shopkeeper. His expression softened slightly, and his hands were clenched into fists, looking a bit nervous.
Finally, getting an affirmative answer, Xu Nian left with peace of mind. Chen Zhou watched his back disappear around the corner.
[Host, what’s wrong with you?] 126 asked, sounding confused when Chen Zhou lingered without moving.
[Oh, nothing.]
Watching Xu Nian’s figure vanish, Chen Zhou finally came to his senses and slowly walked back, carrying the pot of flowers. He wondered silently what Xu Nian had been looking for, certain it must be something very important to him.
When he returned to the restaurant, Xu Nian was already there. Feeling a sudden, inexplicable panic over whether he should give the item to Xu Nian right now, Chen Zhou hurried upstairs without stopping to say hello.
126 wondered aloud, [Host, why didn’t you give it to him?]
Stammering, Chen Zhou replied, [You don’t understand, I need to find the right timing.]
Running upstairs, Chen Zhou placed the flower pot in his room. Feeling strangely nervous for no apparent reason, he calmed himself down for a moment before heading back downstairs.
Right at that moment, the restaurant staff were discussing a shortage of kitchen hands. Hearing this, Chen Zhou felt he needed to do something.
Frowning, Xu Nian looked worried about the situation.
“Um… Brother, I can give it a try,” Chen Zhou spoke up under everyone’s gaze. “I know how to cook, please let me try. Even if I can’t be the head chef, helping out in the back kitchen is fine. With Brother Wang Qi keeping an eye on the front, there won’t be any issues.”
As soon as Chen Zhou finished speaking, the room fell silent for a moment before everyone turned their gaze back to Xu Nian.
Xu Nian looked surprised upon hearing Chen Zhou’s words, but his frown deepened almost immediately. He glanced at Chen Zhou’s hands, and finally making up his mind, said in a deep voice, “No.”
That was the final verdict. Chen Zhou was both surprised and reluctant. He only wanted to help out, never expecting Xu Nian to flat-out refuse. He knew the kitchen wasn’t an easy place to work in, but Xu Nian’s rejection left him feeling somewhat uncomfortable.
Perhaps it was because he had wanted Xu Nian’s support the most, only to have it instantly denied.
Things didn’t go the way he wanted after all. Chen Zhou curled his lip and had no choice but to drop the matter.
After a busy day, Chen Zhou went back to his room early in the evening, staring blankly at the ceiling. Tomorrow was the day of Aunt Wang’s surgery. He had promised Xu Nian he would go along; it hadn’t seemed like a big deal at the time, but now he felt exceptionally nervous.
The pot of jasmine flowers sat on the windowsill of Chen Zhou’s room, its white petals looking exceptionally lovely.
His mind wandering for unknown reasons, Chen Zhou eventually decided that going to sleep was the best option. He sat up to take off his clothes and turned his head to see Xu Nian, looking surprised.
His back was bare, his butterfly shoulder blades standing out sharply due to the movement of his arms.
Seeing him, Xu Nian suddenly grew unnatural and hurried to back away, crashing clumsily into a row of stools in the process. “I, I’ll wait outside.”
Before Chen Zhou could even react, Xu Nian had already retreated and slammed the door shut with a bang.
Left standing in place in a daze, it took him a moment to slowly put his clothes back on and shuffle to the door. “Brother, you can come in.”
Outside the door, Xu Nian had already regained his composure.
“Brother, what did you need me for?” Chen Zhou asked him.
Xu Nian sat down without speaking for a moment, hesitating before saying, “Can’t I look for you if nothing’s wrong?”
“Of course you can.” Chen Zhou sat down and poured a glass of water for Xu Nian. “Have some water, Brother.”
“Are we heading to the hospital tomorrow?”
Distractedly taking a sip from the cup, Xu Nian answered, “Yeah. If you’re coming with me tomorrow, you’ll need to get up early to head to the hospital.”
Knowing how crucial the surgery was, Chen Zhou nodded repeatedly without hesitation. “Don’t worry, Brother, I’ll definitely go with you.”
After a brief silence, Xu Nian suddenly asked, “Are you mad?”
Taking a small sip of water, Chen Zhou blinked in bewilderment. “Huh? Mad about what?”
Seeing his expression, it was clear that Chen Zhou hadn’t given the earlier incident a second thought. Xu Nian’s face darkened, so much for coming over to comfort someone.
“Nothing.”
“Oh,” Chen Zhou said. “Then what time should I get up tomorrow, Brother?”
“Four or five.” Xu Nian threw out a vague answer.
“So early?” Chen Zhou began to worry. “What if I can’t wake up, Brother? Why don’t you come wake me?”
Thinking of something, Xu Nian decisively refused. “No.”
Muttering to himself, Chen Zhou mused, “Forget it then. Maybe I should go ask Brother Wang Qi to…”
Without a word, Xu Nian was suddenly reminded of the scene from earlier and immediately interrupted, “You are not allowed to.”
Confused, Chen Zhou opened his mouth to ask, but Xu Nian cut him off with, “Don’t bother other people.”
“Then what should I do?” Chen Zhou thought to himself. “How about I sleep in your room tonight? That way when you wake up, I’ll wake up too.”
Xu Nian gritted his teeth, biting down hard on the cigarette that was already at his lips. Exactly what kind of torture did this kid intend to put him through?
Yet Chen Zhou looked completely innocent. Since his brother wouldn’t agree to wake him up, this was his only option.
“I can sleep on the floor, Brother.”
Xu Nian squeezed his cigarette box completely out of shape. “Fine, do whatever you want.”
With that, he walked away, leaving Chen Zhou feeling that his brother’s expression didn’t look too good.
After thinking it over, Chen Zhou packed his things, grabbed the pot of flowers along the way, and quietly slipped into Xu Nian’s room.
The door was unlocked. While Xu Nian was washing up, Chen Zhou took the flowers to the windowsill and set the pot down. The curtains framed the flowers just right, making them clearly visible while nicely decorating the space.
[Is this what the host meant by the right timing?] 126 asked sincerely.
Ignoring the voice, Chen Zhou went about tidying his things. The simple bedding on the floor was quickly laid out. He had slept on floor mats before and didn’t mind the hard ground, quickly lying down to sleep.
When Xu Nian came out, he saw that Chen Zhou was already drifting off to sleep. His mouth twitched, the kid certainly wasn’t picky about where he slept, taking a casual remark completely to heart.
With a helpless sigh, Xu Nian realized he had just been talking nonsense; of course he was going to wake the kid up.
He watched as Chen Zhou curled the quilt into a tight bundle and hugged it tightly, leaving his stomach exposed. After hesitating for a long time, he carefully picked the person up, placed him on the bed, and moved his own spot down to the floor.
And so Xu Nian went to sleep.
Thinking he and the kid would spend the night in peace, Chen Zhou unexpectedly got up in the middle of the night to use the restroom, and upon returning, lay right down next to Xu Nian.
Xu Nian: “…”
Chen Zhou had terrible sleeping habits, clinging to Xu Nian like an octopus, probably mistaking him for a quilt. It was already hot, and now it was sweltering. Xu Nian could feel the body heat of the person beside him radiating through the blanket, at first just warm, then turning into an itchy sensation, as if something was gnawing at him. Chen Zhou’s breath brushed against his ear, making his heartbeat pound harder and harder, yet he didn’t dare move an inch.
He had managed to build a barrier between himself and the young man, thinking they could peacefully coexist, but a single tiny movement from the other person was enough to utterly defeat him.
Xu Nian lay awake the entire night.
When Chen Zhou woke up the next morning, Xu Nian was already gone. He had slept in a chaotic heap, nearly rolling right off the bed.
“Brother?” Chen Zhou asked sleepily, but received no answer.
Not daring to waste any time, Chen Zhou hurriedly got dressed and ran downstairs. Xu Nian was already eating, dark circles under his eyes making him look like he hadn’t slept well.
Checking the clock, it was already six o’clock. Panicking, Chen Zhou rushed over. “Brother, why didn’t you wake me up? Am I late?”
Without looking at him, Xu Nian replied flatly, “Not late. Eat your breakfast.”
Not daring to delay, Chen Zhou wolfed down some food and followed Xu Nian out.
Driving to the hospital, Chen Zhou started feeling drowsy again in the back seat and dozed off. Lighting a cigarette to keep himself awake, Xu Nian caught a glimpse of the fellow in the back through the rearview mirror.
The cigarette had just been lit. He took a deep drag to force himself to calm down, then stubbed it out immediately and didn’t light another one.
When they arrived at the hospital, Chen Zhou instantly snapped awake. The level of the town hospital was only slightly better than the village clinic, but the environment still fell far short of what Chen Zhou understood a hospital to be.
It was filled with the smell of disinfectant, punctuated by the occasional sounds of patients in pain. Doctors in white coats hurried back and forth, making Chen Zhou feel somewhat scared. His impression of hospitals had always been poor.
Aunt Wang’s surgery was scheduled for the morning. Chen Zhou and Xu Nian sat side by side on the chairs outside the operating room, both remaining silent.
During the wait, a patient’s family member, who had apparently just experienced a bereavement, knelt on the ground, begging the doctors to save their family member one more time. All they received, however, was a shake of the head and a helpless look.
Eventually, the person stopped crying and sat blankly on the floor, eyes bloodshot, muttering incoherently to themselves.
Chen Zhou’s heart clenched tightly, and he involuntarily shrank backward, wanting to find a shred of safety beside Xu Nian while trembling uncontrollably.
Without a word, Xu Nian reached out and covered Chen Zhou’s eyes. “Don’t be afraid.”
Blinking, Chen Zhou’s eyelashes brushed against Xu Nian’s palm. Catching the scent of Xu Nian once more, he finally felt a sense of security.
After a moment, he heard Xu Nian’s voice again. “Don’t be afraid. I’m here.”
Exhausted, Chen Zhou eventually drifted off to sleep, his hand still firmly clutching Xu Nian’s while his head rested against Xu Nian’s shoulder.
Slowly retracting his hand, Xu Nian stared at the doors of the operating room, unable to relax no matter what, for his mother, and for himself.
A slight tilt of his head right now would let him kiss the crown of the person beside him; he could see the other’s eyelashes, cheeks, and hands that had grown slightly rough from recent busyness. His mind began to wander, thinking of himself, thinking of Cao Ying, thinking of…
He thought that he was nearly ten years older than the kid, maybe the kid only saw him as a brother, maybe the kid was still in love with someone else, maybe his own loss of control was just temporary…
Closing his eyes, Xu Nian’s Adam’s apple bobbed. Finally, he gently turned his head, catching the faint scent of shower gel belonging to the other person and the familiar fragrance of jasmine flowers.
At the very end, he pressed a kiss to that soft crown of hair.
“Idiot.”