Chapter 47: “It’s Me Touching You!”

When they returned home, the two tacitly acknowledged each other but retreated to their respective territories with their own thoughts.

Twenty minutes later, Jiang Yao, holding his pajamas, knocked on the bedroom door next to his own.

“The bathroom in my room isn’t producing hot water. Can I use your bathroom?”

There was the sound of footsteps from inside the bedroom. Immediately afterward, the door was opened from the inside, and Jiang Yao, caught off guard, was suddenly confronted with a steaming, bare chest in his field of vision.

Jiang Yao’s breath caught, and instinctively lowered his gaze.

Fortunately, he was wearing pants.

He had originally planned to shower in the bathroom on the first floor and had already gone halfway down the stairs when he remembered that he and Duan Zhuxian had just broken the ice. He decided to seize this opportunity to strengthen their relationship, so he turned back to find Duan Zhuxian.

But at this moment, standing in front of him was his former friend with benefits who was bare chested, with the bed where they had messed around countless times behind him. In such a situation, borrowing the bathroom for a shower inexplicably seemed to imply something else…

Jiang Yao suddenly focused his thoughts—

They are just buddies now.

How could he think of such unhealthy things?

Sleeping with a buddy would surely bring divine retribution!

“Go ahead and use it. I need to go to the office for a bit. I was just about to tell you,” Duan Zhuxian said calmly. After opening the door for him, he walked to the wardrobe to continue selecting his clothes. When he turned around, his shoulder blades, back muscles, and waistline were fully exposed.

It had been a while since they’d last met, and it seemed that Duan Zhuxian’s physique had improved a bit. Jiang Yao stood at the door, able to see the smooth and firm back not far away.

His gaze wavered instantly, his eyes bouncing back and forth as if they were elastic, landing, bouncing away, landing again, and bouncing away.

During the time when they had just started their relationship, they lacked self-restraint. Whenever someone bullied him severely, he would vent his frustration by leaving marks on the other person’s back. Often, before the old marks had faded, new ones appeared.

But now, that skin had returned to its original state, as if nothing had happened…

“Aren’t you going to use the bathroom?”

Duan Zhuxian’s voice brought him back to reality, and Jiang Yao, waking up as if from a dream, climbed out of the heap of yellowish waste in his mind. With the tips of his ears tinged red, he darted into the bathroom.

The shower took a bit longer than usual.

Afterward, Jiang Yao wrapped himself tightly in his winter pajamas, buttoning them all the way up to the top.

He pushed the door open a crack and peeked out half his body like a thief, to make sure Duan Zhuxian had left. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief and straighten up to return to his own room.

*

Lying on the bed, Jiang Yao called Chen Yiqi online to play games together.

“How has Duan Zhuxian been behaving lately? Has he been bothering you?” Chen Yiqi still remembered their cold war.

“He’s fine.” Jiang Yao tossed out three words quickly, then warned in a low voice, “I see you. Watch out, there’s someone coming from the southwest.”

After a tough fight, they finally met up in a warehouse and scavenged some supplies. Chen Yiqi suddenly teased in a strange voice, “You’re getting more and more tolerant of Duan Zhuxian. Are you guys playing the ‘marriage first, love later’ game?”

“Get lost.” Jiang Yao couldn’t be bothered with Chen Yiqi. “Back in school, we had some misunderstandings. We’ve cleared them up now.”

Chen Yiqi was surprised. “So you two are back to being friends?”

Jiang Yao replied indifferently, “I wouldn’t say back to how it was, but we’ve temporarily put it behind us.”

After all, those things that Duan Zhuxian did later—changing his college preference, mocking him for his failed crush, and so on—were real. It’s just that Jiang Yao, being magnanimous, decided not to hold a grudge anymore.

After the first match ended and the results popped up, Chen Yiqi remained silent for a long time before speaking in a chilly voice, “You’re not Jiang Yao. Bring the real Jiang Yao to team up with me.”

Seeing the dismal win-loss rate, Jiang Yao couldn’t help but pinch the bridge of his nose.

His frequent mistakes were entirely due to the large bouquet of roses on the desk distracting him.

Every time he held his breath to aim, a flash of bright red would catch his eye, causing him to miss the shot.

During a break to restock equipment, Jiang Yao asked, “Let me ask you something. What does it mean when someone sends red roses?”

Chen Yiqi replied, “You got red roses?”

Jiang Yao said, “Yes.”

Chen Yiqi’s tone suddenly turned excited, “Someone wants to cuckold Duan Zhuxian!”

Jiang Yao paused and asked, “Is it common for friends to give each other red roses?”

Chen Yiqi became even more excited, “Someone wants to cuckold Duan Zhuxian under the guise of friendship!”

Jiang Yao pondered, “Is it possible that the person who sent the flowers doesn’t know the meaning of red roses?”

“Impossible,” Chen Yiqi said decisively. “Unless this person never received nine years of compulsory education.”

Jiang Yao was at a loss for words.

Unfortunately, this person not only received compulsory education but also got into the country’s top university, went on to study at a world-renowned school, and was an elite among elites with exceptional intelligence.

Chen Yiqi said, “You have a lot of admirers. It’s normal not to distinguish genuine feelings from false ones. Just don’t get fooled by those scheming little green teas^[1]“綠茶”(lǜchá) = green tea, in this context is refers to someone, typically a woman, who appears innocent and sweet but is actually manipulative and deceitful. It’s often used to … Continue reading out there.”

*

Late at night, Jiang Yao tossed and turned, unable to sleep, staring at the ceiling.

About an hour ago, he heard the sound of a car engine from downstairs, but after all this time, there was still no sound from the room next door.

Driven by a strange impulse, Jiang Yao got out of bed.

The first floor had only two small wall lamps lit in the living room. The light was weak but enough for an ordinary person to see. However, for Jiang Yao, it was slightly dim, barely allowing him to see a figure lying on the sofa about two meters away.

He took a few steps forward, but suddenly stepped on something, slipping and falling awkwardly onto a warm, human cushion.

A soft, unconscious grunt sounded in his ear, followed by a stream of hot breath landing on his ear: “Waking up to find you in my arms.”

The tone was calm, betraying no emotion, yet the voice carried a bit of hoarse laziness, the words slightly slurred, as if deliberately scratching at his eardrum, sounding particularly improper.

“In your arms? Dream on!”

Jiang Yao immediately straightened his upper body, kneeling on the carpet with a huff, and glancing to the side.

He had stepped on a file folder, open to a page, apparently having fallen during reading.

Just as he was about to pick it up, a hot palm grabbed his wrist and pulled him toward the sofa.

Losing his balance again, Jiang Yao fell back beside Duan Zhuxian.

Startled, he looked embarrassedly at those eyes, which had lost their usual depth and seemed a bit frivolous. Remembering Duan Zhuxian’s past beastly behavior, alarms went off in his head.

Making a move on a good buddy in the middle of the night in the living room—did this person have no shame?

His heart was pounding.

But he just froze there, not resisting.

However, unlike what he had imagined, after pulling him back, Duan Zhuxian didn’t continue to grope him. Instead, he gently stroked his wrist, as if seeking comfort, and the warmth from his palm continuously seeped into Jiang Yao’s skin and blood vessels.

Jiang Yao finally realized something was wrong. Duan Zhuxian, who was strict with himself and had a slight obsession with cleanliness, would never allow himself to sleep on the sofa, wrinkled and disheveled.

He immediately called out to the smart lights.

The main lights turned on, and Jiang Yao’s vision was filled with brightness. Before he could adjust, he looked down to check Duan Zhuxian’s condition.

Duan Zhuxian seemed unaware that the lights had been turned on, his eyes half-closed, and an abnormal flush spread across his pale face.

Jiang Yao frowned, pried Duan Zhuxian’s fingers off his wrist, that surprisingly easily.

The long, slender hand, now without support, fell limply to the edge of the sofa, its weak state startling Jiang Yao.

He immediately felt Duan Zhuxian’s forehead, finding it alarmingly hot. “You’re running a fever?”

“I don’t know,” Duan Zhuxian replied sluggishly.

“So there are things even Mr. Duan doesn’t know.”

Jiang Yao couldn’t resist a snarky comment, but he still hurried over in a few quick steps to fetch a thermometer.

Sure enough, it read 39.6°C.

“As soon as it snows, something bad happens. How true.”

Jiang Yao muttered as he stared at the thermometer, his tone carrying a hint of light mockery, the corners of his lips twitching up and then down.

But in just a few seconds, he turned around three times, each turn without a clear purpose.

From Duan Zhuxian’s perspective, Jiang Yao’s face, which was trying to appear calm, was written all over with “lost.”

Finally, Jiang Yao found some clarity in his confusion. “I’ll go get the car, we’re going to the hospital.”

Duan Zhuxian said, “A fever can be brought down with antipyretics, there’s no need to go to the hospital.”

Jiang Yao, who had never had a fever since he could remember, wasn’t convinced. “Really? With such a high temperature, I’m afraid you might get brain damage.”

“It won’t happen.” Seeing Jiang Yao’s slightly panicked expression, Duan Zhuxian couldn’t resist teasing him, “Don’t worry, even if I do get brain damage, it’ll be me, not you.”

Jiang Yao’s face darkened, and a genuine flicker of worry passed through his eyes.

He grabbed Duan Zhuxian’s chin forcefully and threatened, “You’d better get well soon. If you get brain damage, I’ll kick you out immediately. Who wants to spend their life with an idiot?”

Those beautiful, full lips spat out fierce words, but they sounded as sweet as honey.

So Jiang Yao wanted to spend his life with him.

Duan Zhuxian’s lips curved into a slight smile that Jiang Yao didn’t notice.

Not knowing what it felt like to have such a high fever, Jiang Yao decided to help Duan Zhuxian back to his room, since sleeping on the sofa would definitely be uncomfortable.

Duan Zhuxian didn’t have much strength and leaned heavily on Jiang Yao while going upstairs. His burning body felt even hotter than a summer furnace.

After getting him into bed, Jiang Yao didn’t have time to wipe the sweat off his forehead and quickly searched online for fever reduction methods. Then he rolled up his sleeves, filled a basin with cold water, added ice cubes, and soaked a towel in the icy water. He wrung it out and placed it on Duan Zhuxian’s forehead.

Once Duan Zhuxian was temporarily settled, Jiang Yao went to the balcony and called Duan Zhuxian’s family doctor.

The doctor explained that Duan Zhuxian had been overworking himself recently, with insufficient rest. He had already caught a mild cold a few days ago, but given Duan Zhuxian’s constitution, he should have recovered quickly. The doctor hadn’t expected it to develop into a high fever.

Jiang Yao was momentarily stunned, and realized how this high fever had come about.

Clearly, he was sick himself, yet on that freezing day, he gave his coat to Jiang Yao and accompanied him in the snow for half an hour.

Idiot.

Jiang Yao cursed silently, and consulted the family doctor on other precautions. After receiving the reply, “He can rest at home and monitor the situation,” he felt somewhat relieved and went to prepare fever medicine for Duan Zhuxian.

When the balcony door opened, Duan Zhuxian saw Jiang Yao holding his phone, rushing in without even glancing at him before leaving the bedroom in big strides. He swept in and out like a whirlwind.

He had never seen Jiang Yao in such a hurry before.

Jiang Yao, who usually lived so carefree and unrestrained, was now completely thrown off balance because of him. It had been this way for the past ten years, and it was still the case now.

A sudden wave of softness and sorrow washed over him.

Such a good Jiang Yao, and he had been mischievously teasing him earlier, deliberately making that proud, beautiful face full of worry for him. It just showed how shameless he was.

A few minutes later, Jiang Yao returned to the bedroom with a glass of water and some pills, and noticed Duan Zhuxian had his eyes closed, obviously pretending to sleep. He leaned in close to his ear and whispered, “Da Lang, it’s time to take your medicine.^[2]“大郎，該吃藥了。” (dàláng ， gāi chīyào le) = Da Lang, it’s time to take your medicine. This is a popular Internet phrase. It comes from Pan Jinlian’s quote in 《Water … Continue reading”

Duan Zhuxian opened his eyes, his dry lips moving slightly. “Has my wife found someone else?”

Jiang Yao raised an eyebrow, “Just tell me if you’re going to take it.”

“I’ll take it,” Duan Zhuxian said, sitting up. He took the pills from Jiang Yao’s hand and swallowed them with a few sips of warm water. “I’d even take poison if you gave it to me.”

Jiang Yao rolled his eyes. “You’re sick.”

But those words had no effect on Duan Zhuxian, as he was indeed quite ill at the moment.

Following Jiang Yao’s instructions, Duan Zhuxian lay back down. “Don’t worry about me. Go rest.”

Jiang Yao responded with an “Mm.” “I’ll leave once you’re asleep.”

The fever medicine had a sedative component, and soon, Duan Zhuxian fell into a light sleep.

The high fever had caused Duan Zhuxian’s lips to become chapped and dry. His already pale lip color looked even more alarming. Jiang Yao couldn’t stand it, so he used a cotton swab dipped in water to moisten Duan Zhuxian’s lips.

However, having been spoiled by his family since childhood, Jiang Yao had no experience in taking care of others, especially the sick.

Several times, he soaked the swab too much, and water droplets ran down Duan Zhuxian’s chin to his collar. Jiang Yao frantically wiped them off, worried that Duan Zhuxian might catch a chill again.

After finishing up, Jiang Yao brought a chair over and sat by the bed, propping his chin with one hand, and his gaze falling on Duan Zhuxian’s face.

This person had always been aloof and indifferent, usually looking as cold as ice, as if everyone owed him money. He never seemed very lively, and now with his skin drained of color, he looked even more like a statue.

Cold, perfect, but lacking vitality, a side of him Jiang Yao had never seen before.

Even the sharpest ice sculpture is fragile when it melts. How did such a cold, strong person suddenly fall ill?

In the morning, Duan Zhuxian had been effortlessly showing off in front of the entire school. Just a few hours ago, he had been speaking sweetly to Jiang Yao in the middle of a heavy snowfall. And now, he lay there looking so fragile that Jiang Yao felt he could knock him over with a single finger.

This sequence of events had undeniably moved Jiang Yao, but it was more than just being touched.

The feeling was like being bewitched, his heart seemed to be pulled by something, losing its basic judgment. It wasn’t a good feeling.

He couldn’t help but suspect that if Duan Zhuxian, in his current half-dead state, were to ask for reconciliation, he might instantly forgive him for all of his wrongdoings.

So Duan Zhuxian needed to get better immediately.

Jiang Yao had changed the towel on Duan Zhuxian’s forehead over ten times. He meticulously observed Duan Zhuxian’s sleeping state, almost neurotically. Every few minutes, he reached out to check Duan Zhuxian’s forehead, cheeks, earlobes, and the hollow of his neck, afraid that Duan Zhuxian might disappear right under his watch.

As time ticked by, Jiang Yao lost track of it. By the early hours of the morning, Duan Zhuxian’s fever had finally dropped below 38 degrees.

Feeling like he had completed a mission, Jiang Yao’s previously alert mind was suddenly overtaken by exhaustion.

He couldn’t hold on any longer and fell asleep within seconds, lying on the edge of Duan Zhuxian’s bed.

When he opened his eyes again, he found himself drowsily staring into Duan Zhuxian’s focused gaze, then he immediately woke up.

Jiang Yao sat up straight, rubbing his eyes. “How are you feeling? Did you sleep well last night?”

Duan Zhuxian, leaning against the headboard, stared at the red hair sticking out from the back of Jiang Yao’s head and said calmly, “I slept okay, but in my dreams, someone kept touching me.”

Jiang Yao’s face heated up, and he swallowed hard, mumbling, “Who touched you?”

Duan Zhuxian said, “Someone I like.”

Jiang Yao’s eyes widened, the breath he had been holding almost escaping in a rush.

He had taken care of Duan Zhuxian all night, and this guy was dreaming about Shen Tang?

The more Jiang Yao thought about it, the angrier he got. He didn’t even have time to consider whether to use a stick or his fists, to steam or braise him. He just grabbed Duan Zhuxian by the collar and pushed him down onto the bed. His knuckles turned white from gripping so hard, and he growled, “You listen to me, it was me touching you last night!”

One curse wasn’t enough to vent his anger at Duan Zhuxian’s behavior. Jiang Yao gritted his teeth and added, “You ungrateful bastard!”

The man’s chest heaved violently, his eyelashes trembled, and his eyes were rimmed with red, glittering with emotion. It was unclear whether he was tired or angry.

Duan Zhuxian nodded. “Yes, I was talking about you.”

Jiang Yao: “?”