Zhai Yao made his way around the hospital and had just ascended the stairs based on his memory, arriving outside Shen Ziyao’s hospital room. Then, he heard a “clang” from within.
His hand, in the process of pulling the door open, abruptly froze.
“What exactly do you want?!” A familiar, slightly deep voice, laden with a simmering anger, spat out a heated rebuke. The one who responded back was Shen Ziyao, naturally and expectedly refuting him with words cutting through the charged air, “I don’t know you, and I won’t eat the food you cook. Where’s my grandson? Didn’t you say you’d bring him to see me?”
The room fell silent. Just as Zhai Yao felt it might be better to leave, the door was suddenly flung open.
—Out stepped Shen Heng, carrying a stainless-steel lunch box, his body splattered with tomato egg drop soup.
Upon seeing Zhai Yao, a flicker of surprise traversed the cool, unwavering gaze of Shen Heng. However, he quickly averted his eyes from the other party’s scrutinizing gaze, raising his hand to wipe the soup from his face with his sleeve.
“I’ll go wash up. You keep him company.” Shen Heng sidestepped Zhai Yao, took a few quick steps forward, and then halted. “Thank you.”
After Shen Heng left, Zhai Yao glanced once more into the hospital room before stepping inside.
Shen Ziyao, who had been pouting and grumbling to himself, suddenly spotted Zhai Yao, and his eyes instantly sparkled with joy. “You little rascal, you’re back from school already? Come, come over here, quickly!”
Approaching the bedside, Zhai Yao cast a glance at the spilled egg drop soup on the floor. After a brief pause, he rolled up his sleeves and seized a mop from the side, swiftly cleaning up the mess.
“Feeling hungry? Come on, let’s head back home for a meal,” Shen Ziyao said, attempting to rise from the bed, only to be stopped by Zhai Yao’s hand on his shoulder.
“Not hungry, I’ll eat later.”
Shen Ziyao nodded. “Okay! Then, you sit down. I’ll continue telling you the story of Pavel Korchagin! Do you remember where we left off…”
Zhai Yao knew Pavel Korchagin as the male protagonist from “How the Steel Was Tempered.”
Sitting on a stool beside the hospital bed, Zhai Yao watched as Shen Ziyao passionately narrated the story in a vivid and animated manner. During a lull in the narrative when the old man paused for a breath, Zhai Yao took the opportunity and indifferently asked, “Why did you splash the soup at him?”
Shen Ziyao quickly waved his hands. “It wasn’t intentional! I just wanted to see my grandson.”
Zhai Yao wore a serious expression as he firmly held the old man’s wrinkled hand. “That person just now is your grandson.”
“He’s not. Don’t try to deceive me,” Shen Ziyao shook his head, muttering. “My grandson has bright eyes, is lively, and loves to smile. He also enjoys listening to my stories. Unlike that person who always wears a lifeless face. You’re the one who’s my grandson!”
Zhai Yao felt a twinge of helplessness; even though he also wasn’t lively and didn’t love to smile, why did the old man insist he was his grandson?
Patting the back of Shen Ziyao’s hand, Zhai Yao said, “Be good, stay here and wait for me. Don’t wander around.”
“Alrighty, I’ll listen to you!”
…
*
At the far end of the lengthy corridor, the echoes of rushing water reverberated from the restroom. Shen Heng had initially intended to merely clean the dirty spots on his shirt, but as he washed, he felt it was completely hopeless to rid those stubborn stains. As such, he decided to simply take off his shirt and vigorously scrub it under the running water.
Droplets of water splashed onto Shen Heng in the midst of washing. Seizing the opportunity, he decided to rinse his reddened face and chest that were scalded by the hot egg drop soup. Just as he twisted the water pipe shut, he sensed an observing gaze lingering just behind him.
Turning around, the darkness in his eyes had yet to dissipate. If anyone else were to witness such an intense gaze, fear would undoubtedly grip them, but the onlooker in this instance happened to be Zhai Yao.
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.
Zhai Yao unabashedly sized up Shen Heng without any reservation. At last, he understood why the latter consistently donned long sleeves even in sweltering weather.
On the side of Shen Heng’s right upper arm, there was a conspicuous patch of burn scars. The colour had almost approached that of normal skin, indicating that it was not something recent. Nevertheless, the ferocity of the past could still be discerned from the lingering scars that remained.
After a while, Zhai Yao redirected his gaze back to Shen Heng’s face.
“How did you get those?” he asked, bluntly exposing his awareness of the scars.
Shen Heng turned his head and continue scrubbing his clothes. “Don’t concern yourself.”
Zhai Yao thought to himself: As if I care about you. I just wanna jab you a bit.
“Hurry up and get something for your grandpa to eat.”
…
Later, Shen Heng went to a nearby congee shop and ordered a bowl of lean meat and vegetable congee. He gently blew the steaming congee to cool it down and fed it to Shen Ziyao spoonful by spoonful.
With Zhai Yao by his side, Shen Ziyao behaved much better this time, quickly finishing the entire bowl of congee.
Leaning against the wall, Zhai Yao watched as Shen Heng used a paper napkin to wipe Shen Ziyao’s mouth.
Throughout this entire process, Shen Heng still wore the thoroughly drenched shirt. The thin fabric clung to Shen Heng’s skin, outlining the well-defined contours of his muscles.
Zhai Yao couldn’t help but ask, “Isn’t it damn uncomfortable dressing like this?”
Shen Ziyao rolled his eyes, aligning his thoughts with Zhai Yao. “What a nutjob.”
Shen Heng maintained silence, took the bowl and spoon, and stood up to wash them. Seeing that the visiting time was almost over, Zhai Yao told Shen Ziyao that he would come to see him again tomorrow. After reassuring Shen Ziyao and repeatedly affirming his own promise, he exited the hospital room with Shen Heng.
“I don’t want my old man to see my arm,” Shen Heng said to Zhai Yao after they left. “It’s better if he forgets.”
Zhai Yao fell into a momentary silence, then said, “Oh.”
The phone rang; it was Zhai Bing on the line, asking Zhai Yao why he hadn’t returned home yet.
She seldom concerned herself with Zhai Yao’s affairs, usually asking only when she was bored or in an exceptionally good mood. Zhai Yao could tell from her tone that it was the latter this time.
“Come back quickly; your brother-in-law bought barbecue and beer to apologize to you!” Zhai Bing’s voice was loud, almost piercing through the receiver.
“Tell him to f*ck off.” Right as the words left Zhai Yao’s mouth, Zhai Bing had already hung up.
Zhai Yao cursed at the “beep” sound from the other end and subconsciously reached for a cigarette, only to find the pack empty.
“We’re in a hospital,” Shen Heng reminded.
Zhai Yao looked up to see the other person still standing there and asked impatiently, “Why haven’t you left yet?”
Shen Heng didn’t say much. After a moment, he took out a cigarette box from his pocket and tossed it to Zhai Yao. “Go outside and smoke.”
…
*
That night, Zhai Yao didn’t return home; he spent the night at an internet café near the school. As he settled the bill in the early hours of the morning, the sky was just beginning to shine its first glimmer of light.
The morning air was humid, leaving his hair slightly damp. He bought the cheapest toothbrush from a convenience shop, used the owner’s restroom to freshen up, and then went to a breakfast stall for a basket of steamed buns and a cup of soy milk. Seated on the roadside, he savoured his breakfast.
His phone, which had been turned off the night before, was now powered on, revealing a string of missed calls and messages, all from Zhai Bing.
Zhai Yao didn’t open the messages, only glanced at the latest one displayed: 【I’m gonna go Guangdong with Liang Hao. Look after the skating rink. Remember to pick up Xiao Lajiao.】
Zhai Yao pocketed his phone, efficiently finishing the steamed buns and soy milk in quick succession bites.
Since there was no one at home, he had initially planned to return to catch up on sleep after eating. However, fate had other plans, and he coincidentally encountered Hou-ge, who was also there to buy breakfast.
Hou-ge, at a glance, clearly seemed to have overslept; the hair at the back of his head was sticking up, the buttons of his shirt were misaligned, and half of the collar was tucked inside.
The auntie selling at the breakfast stall, seemingly familiar with Hou-ge, warmly greeted him and quickly packed a bag of buns and tea eggs, and handed them over to him.
Hou-ge hurriedly accepted them, hanging them on the handlebars of his bicycle, and shouted at Zhai Yao on the side, “Hey, don’t dillydally, I have a meeting later!”
Zhai Yao paused before saying, “If you have something on, go ahead first.”
Hou-ge: “Drop it! If I leave now, won’t you be leaving elsewhere instead? Hurry and catch up.”
Seeing Hou-ge waiting for him with an agitated look, Zhai Yao thought it wouldn’t be great to just immediately run away, so he could only follow behind as they headed towards 9th High School.
Once inside the school, Hou-ge instructed Zhai Yao to return to the classroom, and the two went their separate ways.
The bell at 9th High School was never a strict indicator of the beginning or end of class. When Zhai Yao entered the classroom to the sound of the bell, it was still a chaotic mess.
Class monitor Song Kai, tearing open the first packet of spicy strips of the morning, called out, “Hey, Yao-ge!”
Zhai Yao stopped.
Song Kai reached into a drawer and pulled out a pink envelope, saying, “Uh, someone asked me to give this to you.”
A few individuals in the class initially wanted to tease, but suddenly realized the recipient was Zhai Yao, so they held back their comments.
Zhai Yao didn’t take it, not even sparing a glance, and walked straight towards the back row.
Shen Heng, clad in a white shirt today, sat by the window and still held the book “Steel” in his hand. His gaze remained lightly fixed on the book, seemingly oblivious to Zhai Yao’s presence throughout.
Zhai Yao felt an unexplainable sense of irritation.
On the other side, “Ning-jie” aka Yang Ning, who had whistled at Zhai Yao on the first day, stowed away her makeup mirror. She signalled Song Kai with her eyes.
Sighing internally, Song Kai stuffed the last bite of the spicy strip into his mouth, licked his fingers, and moved step by step with a heavy tread towards Zhai Yao while holding the pink envelope in his hand.
The previous night, he had been intercepted by Yang Ning at the school gate and forced into promising to deliver the love letter to Zhai Yao. The cost was Yang Ning agreeing to buy him spicy strips for the entire semester.
Though, it wasn’t really all about getting spicy strips. Primarily, he and Yang Ning had been childhood friends, and he was always afraid of this female devil since young. Comparing the possibility of facing a beating from Zhai Yao for delivering the letter and the potential consequences of failing to do so, the latter could likely result in an even more serious repercussion—that was death for him.
Song Kai approached Zhai Yao, braced himself, and bravely handed over the letter again. “Yao-ge, wouldn’t you want to have a look? Just a quick look!”
Zhai Yao showed no reaction; Song Kai’s legs trembled even more violently. He sighed, turned around, and instantly met Yang Ning’s fierce gaze again.
Yang Ning placed her hand on her neck with a devilish expression.
Song Kai turned back once more.
“Yao-ge…” Song Kai struggled to get the words out, “May I venture to ask you again, what’s your ideal type of—?”
“I don’t like girls,” Zhai Yao said without lifting his head.
As this statement was uttered, Shen Heng, who was sitting adjacently, suddenly cast a silent glance at him.
Song Kai stood with his mouth half-open, shifting his gaze to Shen Heng.
Zhai Yao frowned, thinking: Laozi said he doesn’t like girls; why are you looking at him?
Song Kai scratched his head and, after a while, awkwardly chuckled. “You see, isn’t this a coincidence? Boss also said the same thing yesterday.”
Zhai Yao: “……”
His claim of not liking women was mainly because he found Song Kai annoying. To be precise, he had never liked anyone. Glancing at the guy next to him, who had a face that seemed heartless and unfaithful, he was probably just cooking up some nonsense too.
“Anything else?” Zhai Yao asked Song Kai.
“Nothing, nothing!” Song Kai completed his mission and quickly ran back to his own seat like a disappearing wisp of smoke.
The following class, as usual, was spent collectively slacking off with the silent agreement of all students and teachers. Zhai Yao, who had pulled an all-nighter the previous night, enjoyed a rare deep sleep this time.
In a half-asleep state, he suddenly felt a poke on the back of his hand. His conditioned reflex made him grab it, opening his eyes with annoyance. Upon doing so, he found himself tightly clasping onto Shen Heng’s finger.
Shen Heng glanced down at the hand that was holding onto his, furrowed his brows slightly, and pulled back. “Don’t touch.” He paused and added, “I don’t like guys either.”
“?”
Zhai Yao took a few seconds to react, then cursed out a “f*ck.” Who the f*ck are you calling “gay!”
He forcefully shook off Shen Heng’s hand and vigorously wiped his hand on his own clothes.
“If you dare touch me sneakily in class again, I’ll break your fingers!” Zhai Yao’s tone was as if he was ready to murder someone.
Shen Heng returned his indifferent gaze to the book. “Your phone’s been ringing for the duration of one class session.”
Sure enough, there was a motion of vibration from the drawer.
Zhai Yao coldly took out his phone, and as soon as he saw the caller ID, his expression turned serious. He quickly answered the call.
“Hello, is this Liang Qiao’s guardian?”
Liang Qiao was Xiao Lajiao’s real name. Zhai Yao turned his head away. “I’m her uncle.”
“Oh, I see. Xiao Lajiao twisted her foot during dance class. Currently, it doesn’t seem serious; our school doctor has already treated her. But I suggest you take her to the hospital for an X-ray after school.”
Zhai Yao’s suspended heart slightly relaxed, but he still spoke in a heavy voice, “I’ll come right away.”
…
Suddenly a lot of names to remember 😅 so they don’t like girls, as for boys it’s ‘not yet’ 😁