Zhai Yao felt as though he had been walking for a long time, yet he couldn’t seem to walk out of the dimly lit and secluded alley, which appeared to stretch endlessly before him.
Two drunk men stumbled towards Zhai Yao, their arms wrapped around each other’s shoulders for support. Suddenly, one of them vomited with a resounding “barfff” as they approached him.
Fortunately, Zhai Yao reacted just in time and avoided the nauseating expulsion.
One of the drunkards boisterously hailed Zhai Yao, “Hey buddy, had dinner yet? If not, let’s grab a bite together?”
Zhai Yao felt that he probably didn’t look any better than the two of them now. With a cigarette dangling from his mouth, he perfunctorily responded, “I did. Just had something at your place. Forgotten about it already?”
“Oh, right, right!” The drunkard smacked his forehead. “Hope you eat and drink well, alright? After all, we’re practically brothers!”
Zhai Yao signalled for them to move along with a wave of his hand, then continued to wander aimlessly in the late night, adrift like a lost soul.
Somehow, he found himself by the side of the underground passage with railway tracks again.
He lifted his gaze—darkened remnants of abandoned railway tracks lay hidden amidst the overgrown weeds, stretching into unseen territories.
Zhai Yao climbed up the embankment and hopped onto the railway tracks, dusted off his hands, and began trekking along them.
The wind whispered through the swaying grass and trees on both sides, occasionally accompanied by distant stray dogs’ howls.
Zhai Yao’s vision began to blur, prompting him to shake his head as he wondered when his tolerance for alcohol had become so poor.
In due time, a protruding flat ground emerged; its presence looming in the distance—it was the abandoned railway platform.
As Zhai Yao approached, he noticed a stray cat perched on the window sill of the duty room, its emerald eyes staring straight at him.
Zhai Yao beckoned to it with a finger and called out, “Come.”
The cat meowed and fled into a nearby underbrush.
Zhai Yao chuckled, a self-deprecating smile quirking his lips.
Indeed, dogs and cats don’t get along with each other.
He scanned the vicinity once more, then stooped to pick up an empty beer bottle, smashing it against the ground before retrieving a sharp shard and heading towards the duty room door.
The useful and valuable things inside the duty room had long been removed, leaving behind only an empty shell of a dilapidated room. As a result, instead of being properly secured or having its lock replaced, the door now was just loosely secured with a nylon rope.
Zhai Yao effortlessly cut the rope with the glass shard and entered the room.
He turned on the flashlight on his phone and found that the interior was actually neater than he had imagined.
There was a lampshade hanging overhead without a bulb, while the walls were adorned with aged calendars and posters. A wooden table occupied the space directly beneath the window, accompanied by an old-fashioned wicker chair. The rest of the room was cluttered with stacks of old newspapers.
Zhai Yao approached the window, peering outside through a hole in the broken glass pane.
The window glass pane, despite its damage, was rather unique; adorned with the trendiest multicoloured faux-stained glass film of its time. Zhai Yao’s family had once used it for their windows too; once layered with the film, the window would cast a kaleidoscope of colours when hit by sunlight.
He brushed the dust off the wicker chair before settling by the window, feeling sheltered from the wind and rain. Except for the room being a bit dirty, everything else seemed pretty fine.
Let’s just stay here until tomorrow, I guess.
Having made up his mind, Zhai Yao simply stretched out his long legs, resting them on the table, and relaxed his body.
While resting, he briefly entertained the thought of whether a homeless might suddenly charge at him, wielding a beer bottle. But upon second thought, wasn’t he also a homeless himself now?
All in the same boat; worst case scenario, they could just anchor halfway through the journey and exchange blows.
As drowsiness slowly engulfed him, he faintly discerned the distant rumble of a passing train outside the window.
Light filtered through the coloured glass film, casting its glow upon his eyelids. Though he was too tired to open his eyes, he still knew just how vivid and vibrant the colours were.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
From the passing train, two seated figures waved to Zhai Yao through the carriage window.
Zhai Yao wanted to chase after them, but he couldn’t move.
The features of those two individuals had become blurred, yet Zhai Yao could still recognize them. Just like that, they drifted away along with the train whistle’s echoing “choo—” as it steamed towards the distant horizon, leaving Zhai Yao behind on the abandoned platform, returning him to the darkness once more.
At that juncture, a hand extended towards Zhai Yao and shook him.
Perhaps it was Zhai Yao’s subconscious reluctance to wake up; he furrowed his brow, impatiently swatting away the hand.
A low sigh sounded in his ears, seeming to have said something, but Zhai Yao failed to catch it.
Immediately afterwards, he felt his entire body being lifted, floating in mid-air for what seemed like an eternity until he landed on a pile of soft cotton.
…
*
Shen Heng hadn’t initially planned to concern himself with Zhai Yao. He assumed that even if Zhai Yao had drunk a lot, given his condition, he should still be able to call a taxi or book a hotel room for accommodation.
However, as he walked home, his pace gradually slowed until he finally stopped, pulled out his phone, and silently checked the time.
At such a late hour, it would likely be difficult to hail a taxi, right?
If Zhai Yao didn’t bring enough money, then he’d have no choice but to sleep on the streets.
Although the public security was fairly good now, along with his temperament akin to a vicious dog, he probably wouldn’t let himself suffer any losses either.
But… what if a fugitive happened to pass by here, armed with a syringe filled with anaesthetics, and was coincidentally in desperate need of cash?
Then, the possibility of Zhai Yao having his kidney cut off and sold on the black market for cash wasn’t entirely non-existent.
Pursing his lips, Shen Heng’s shoulders slumped slightly. After a moment’s hesitation, he turned back and retraced his steps along the same path.
Sure enough, he found Zhai Yao asleep in the duty room by the platform with an utterly defenseless expression. He probably wouldn’t even need to be anaesthetized if someone did intend to steal his kidney.
Knitting his brows, Shen Heng reached out to shake him awake.
But Zhai Yao wouldn’t budge.
Shen Heng had no choice but to lift him horizontally, carrying him and walking down the railway tracks. He then switched to carrying Zhai Yao on his back and walked quite a distance until he flagged down a taxi that had just completed a long-distance intercity trip.
By the time they arrived home, it was nearly dawn, and the senior caregiver and Shen Ziyao were both sound asleep in their respective rooms.
Shen Heng opened the door to his bedroom and carried Zhai Yao inside. Seeing the dirt on the other party’s clothes, he hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to lay him on the bed.
Ultimately, a sense of kindness overcame his rationality. He removed Zhai Yao’s shoes, socks, and trousers, then fetched a basin of water to wash his face and hands. Once he was washed up, Shen Heng tucked him into bed, covering him with a blanket.
Bathed in the dim light of dawn, Shen Heng cast a gaze upon the sleeping figure, his eyes lowered in silent observation.
After a while, he reached out and pinched the soft flesh on Zhai Yao’s cheek, pulling it gently upward.
He let go.
And then he pulled again.
Soft—so much softer than the temperament of the man before him.
All this while Zhai Yao didn’t react at all.
It truly made one wonder whether what he consumed was Niulanshan Er’guotou or if it was knockout drops.
Fortunately, his breathing could be considered steady. Probably because his face was pinched, Zhai Yao furrowed his brows, muttered something, and rolled over in annoyance.
Shen Heng straightened up and fetched a thin blanket from the wardrobe. Then, he quietly left the room, closing the door behind him for Zhai Yao, and headed to the bathroom for a shower.
After emerging damp from the shower, he lay on the sofa, intending to seize the opportunity for a quick nap.
It wouldn’t be long before it was time for Shen Ziyao to wake up.
Occasionally, a bird’s chirp or two drifted in from outside the windows, coupled with a faint ray of light seeping through the curtain gaps, coincidentally casting a beam directly onto Shen Heng’s face.
He got up to draw the curtains tightly shut.
Shen Heng tend to have trouble sleeping and couldn’t stand any light while he slept.
The living room dimmed once again, but no matter how Shen Heng tried to get comfortable, he couldn’t fall asleep.
The drowsiness he felt earlier slowly faded away, and each time he tried to doze off, the song “Dull-Ice Flower” he had heard tonight at the dumpling restaurant would start playing in his mind.
Shen Heng lifted the blanket and sat back up on the sofa. Moments later, he reached under the coffee table and took out a pack of cigarettes, unwrapping it.
The lighter made a “click” sound, sounding particularly clear in the dark and empty living room.
As the flame flickered to life, shadows danced along intermittently across the room.
Shen Heng’s posture was somewhat slouched. Because he had just showered, he didn’t immediately put on his freshly washed shirt blouse; instead, he was only wearing a T-shirt.
The cigarette was held between his fingers, occasionally brought to his lips for a drag.
The hand holding the cigarette was gracefully slender, with well-defined knuckles—truly the epitome of saving grace for any hand worshippers. However, the upper arm—right above the elbow—bore a network of gruesome burns, ruining the perfection that was meant to exist.
After finishing one cigarette, Shen Heng rose again and approached the television. Bending down, he opened the TV cabinet and selected a disc from among the neatly arranged DVDs, inserting it into the DVD player. Then, he returned to the sofa, settled back down, and turned on the television with the remote control.
The blue screen flickered before turning into a flurry of white static.
Shen Heng didn’t rush to “fast-forward” the scene. Instead, he patiently waited as the screen of white static gradually transformed into a low-quality image.
—A scene of a woman sitting beside a piano appeared on the television screen. Upon noticing someone was recording her, she turned towards the camera, smiling sweetly in the sunlight.
Shen Heng silently gazed at the screen as the azure light flickered and danced on his face, penetrating his dark eyes, yet revealing nothing of their depths.
The screen darkened, transitioning to another scene.
Under the green dome of the Cultural Palace stood a massive poster, featuring the same woman as before.
The camera trembled slightly, shifting focus to the host.
“Ms. Shen Lai, may I ask how are you feeling now?”
“Very happy!” The woman in the poster, clad in a black dress, appeared on the screen. “My dad and son will be here today, and I will do my best to make this musical performance a success!”
“Wow, then let’s get ready together to enjoy this musical feast!”
Shen Heng reached for another cigarette from the pack, placed it between his lips, and polished his lighter.
Before he could light it, he heard the bedroom door creaked suddenly.
Almost simultaneously, Shen Heng switched off the television and turned towards the sound, his gaze tinged with a hint of displeasure at the sudden disturbance.
There stood Zhai Yao at the bedroom door, staring at him motionlessly with an indifferent expression.
Without even waiting for Shen Heng to speak up, Zhai Yao stepped barefoot onto the floor and approached him step by step. Standing in front of the sofa, just as he did the first time they met, he looked down at Shen Heng from a towering position.
“Awake?” Shen Heng paused for a moment before casually offering a brief explanation. “You drank too much, so I brought you back.”
“……”
Zhai Yao remained silent, still gazing coldly at him.
Only then did Shen Heng notice Zhai Yao’s vacant gaze, seeming not fully conscious.
“Zhai Yao,” Shen Heng called out, but there was still no response.
His gaze grew heavy. He’s… sleepwalking?
Just as Shen Heng was unsure of what Zhai Yao was up to, the latter suddenly grabbed his collar.
Zhai Yao bent down and leaned in close to Shen Heng, almost touching nose to nose.
“You…” Even with slurred speech, Zhai Yao still didn’t forget to issue a menacing threat. “If you don’t get out of my house, Laozi will kill you…”
Shen Heng was now certain that this person was sleepwalking.
He pried Zhai Yao’s hand away from his collar, finger by finger, then stood up, intending to carry him back.
However, even in his slumber, Zhai Yao’s fighting spirit was surprisingly formidable, as he forcefully shoved Shen Heng backward.
Caught off guard for a moment, Shen Heng was pushed back onto the sofa, and then Zhai Yao’s entire body collapsed straight on top of him.
With a “thud,” Zhao Yao’s forehead bumped against Shen Heng’s chin.
“Ouch…” Shen Heng hissed in pain, inhaling sharply as a metallic tang flooded his mouth.
Shen Heng disliked having close physical contact with people. With a cold expression, he grabbed the fabric on Zhai Yao’s back, intending to pull him away. However, Zhai Yao, like an octopus, used all his limbs to cling firmly onto him before slipping back into slumber.
Perhaps due to intoxication, Zhai Yao’s body temperature seemed higher than usual, and his breath also felt warmer.
His face was nestled just right into the crook of Shen Heng’s neck, each breath brushing against his nape.
Shen Heng cupped and lifted the back of Zhai Yao’s neck, forcing him to look up.
“Get up.” He ordered softly, then fell silent briefly. “I’m going to beat you.”
What answered him was Zhai Yao’s steady breathing.
After some unknown time, Shen Heng’s grip on Zhai Yao’s neck gradually loosened.
Zhai Yao’s head softly drooped down again, returning to its original resting place.
Shen Heng closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and attempted to move his body again, but still couldn’t manage to.
In the end, he could only rest one hand behind his head, while the other hand firmly anchored at Zhai Yao’s waist, ensuring he wouldn’t tumble to the floor.
Just like that, Shen Heng remained in the exact posture throughout, silently staring at the ceiling without moving a muscle.
Until the curtains could no longer shield the light outside, and the living room gradually brightened…
The author has something to say:
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Is what he did possible when sleepwalking ? 🤔 Not sure we can speak nor see people ?
First night together even if it’s not romantic 😅