Bo Xinghang hadn’t wanted to talk about it because his dad’s actions were so disgusting, so fucking inhumane, that he resisted recalling those memories, even unintentionally.
Now that he had calmed down and reflected on the past, each scene was vividly clear. He could recall his own heavy breathing from fear, his father’s flustered demeanor, and his mother’s near-manic laughter.
It was the day his high school entrance exams had ended.
The moment he opened the door, all his happiness plunged into an abyss.
Bo Xinghang had always been clever. Though he wasn’t the type to settle down and study, his grades were consistently among the best. After the exams, he estimated his scores on the way home and felt excited. Even with a conservative estimate, he was sure he’d get into the top provincial school, so he was bubbling with energy the entire way.
“Mom! I’m back! Guess how I did—” He opened the door, only to freeze in place, mouth agape. “Mom… why are you…”
“Disgusting—”
His mother suddenly shouted, dropping her gentle demeanor and transforming into a frenzied, vicious woman. She grabbed a wine glass and hurled it at his father. Unable to dodge, his father was cut by the glass and began to bleed.
Bo Xinghang then noticed that the once clean and cozy home had turned into a complete mess. Clothes were strewn across the sofa, including a man’s suit he had never seen before. The white plush carpet was stained with mysterious sticky smudges, and shards of glass were scattered everywhere.
He stared blankly toward the corner and saw… something unspeakably filthy.
He wasn’t a child anymore. He was more mature than other kids his age, so when he saw it, his first thought was that his father had cheated.
He just didn’t expect that he was only half right.
His mother’s body trembled, and she didn’t even notice her baby boy had returned. She was breathing heavily, like a deranged lunatic, and pointed at the man in front of her, laughing hysterically.
“Just you wait. Just you wait… He’ll get what he deserves.”
The “he” she referred to was the man who had just fled in a hurry. But Bo Xinghang, hearing her voice, mistakenly thought it was a woman with a seductive figure.1He and she sound the same in Chinese
To his surprise, his father, who had been silent with his head down, suddenly looked up when he heard this. His voice was hoarse. “Whatever it is, take it out on me. Leave Nan Ming out of this!”
…Nan Ming?2This name is more common for men
Bo Xinghang’s mind went blank, as if his brain had crashed. His body felt cold, and he suddenly had a bad feeling. Before he could process it, he heard his mother confirm his suspicion.
“What? You can’t say it just because he’s a man? Are you afraid of losing face?”
Clang—
It was as if a hammer had struck him hard in the brain. He mechanically turned to look at his father.
When Bo Xinghang had just come in, he hadn’t noticed. Now, he saw that his father’s clothes were wrinkled, obviously thrown on in a hurry.
And just a moment ago, perhaps right here in this room, the two men… were entangled.
“Bo Xinghang.”
“Kid?”
“Hang-ge?”
…
“Xiao Xing.”3Xiao as in “little”, used for younger people as a nickname affectionately
“Huh?” Bo Xinghang looked up, staring blankly at Doctor Ji, who was just an arm’s length away. “What?”
Doctor Ji lifted his long eyelashes slightly and said calmly, “You were zoning out.”
“…Oh.” Halfway through speaking, Bo Xinghang had almost fallen into a trance, unaware of when he had frozen. If Doctor Ji hadn’t called him back… Wait, called him back?
Bo Xinghang’s eyes widened. “Doctor Ji, what did you just call me?!”
Doctor Ji raised an eyebrow and replied, “Bo Xinghang?”
“Not that one!” Bo Xinghang shook his head. “I mean the last one you used!”
“Oh.”
Ji Wenzhen shifted his position, his arm feeling a bit sore from resting on the desk. He lifted it and rotated it, switching to using the other arm for support.
Bo Xinghang was sure he hadn’t misheard, but Doctor Ji seemed deliberately mischievous, unwilling to admit it outright.
The rebellious spirit that had flared up when he had first persuaded Ji Wenzhen to drink reemerged. The more Doctor Ji remained silent, the more Bo Xinghang wanted an answer.
Bo Xinghang grabbed a pen and tapped it hard on the desk. “Say it. If you don’t, I’ll—”
Doctor Ji raised an eyebrow. “You’ll what?”
“I will!” Suddenly, he was at a loss.
He will? What could he do?
How could he be impressive?
Bo Xinghang’s mind was in turmoil, feeling extremely frustrated. Yet he didn’t want to admit it, stubbornly trying to come up with a threat against Doctor Ji.
He glanced around and saw the test paper pushed far away, along with a pile of practice problems.
Without thinking, Bo Xinghang blurted out, “If you don’t say it, I won’t study anymore!”
He regretted it immediately after speaking.
Look how impressive he was. Studying was his own business, and Doctor Ji didn’t benefit from it. It sounded as if he was studying for Doctor Ji.
How shameless.
Bo Xinghang kept his gaze downwards, not daring to look at Doctor Ji.
Doctor Ji chuckled, seemingly amused rather than angry. His hand rested on the practice problems, tapping them in a slow rhythm. From Bo Xinghang’s angle, he could only see the well-defined joints tapping on the paper.
Why were his hands even beautiful?
Doctor Ji tapped a few more times before stopping, his voice still tinged with amusement: “Alright, you’re impressive.”
Yes, he was impressive, even with this threat…
“Xiao Xing.”
Bo Xinghang was stunned.
Doctor Ji’s soft and hoarse voice exploded in his ears like fireworks crackling and bursting with life. Bo Xinghang’s heartbeat quickened at Doctor Ji’s two words.
Xiao Xing.
He had once had a family and had been called that before.
Doctor Ji had used a simple term of endearment, but it struck him right at his soft spot.
The memories he had just recalled were too oppressive. The dark periods had been too difficult. He thought he’d reject anything related to the past, but hearing that long-forgotten nickname again made him acutely aware of his racing heartbeat.
He often joked with Xu Yi about being called Hang-ge.
Hang-ge, Hang-ge. After getting used to it, even he thought he was a big brother, fearless of anything, leaving exam papers blank without hesitation, and still feeling so damn cool.
Yeah, he was pretty cool.
Cool enough to lose his mind and suddenly say, “Say it again.”
Doctor Ji’s eyes flickered with a hint of surprise, and he raised his slender eyebrows. “Do you like being called that?”
Bo Xinghang: “… It’s alright.”
Alright, my ass! He was absolutely smitten with it!
“Oh.” Doctor Ji seemed to understand the boy’s personality and didn’t dwell on the matter. He sifted through a pile of papers and quickly pulled out a booklet, placing it in front of Bo Xinghang. “Complete this, and I’ll keep calling you that for the rest of the day.”
“…”
Doctor Ji seemed to have found Bo Xinghang’s Achilles’ heel.
Bo Xinghang pursed his lips and said nothing.
Doctor Ji raised the stakes. “I’ll keep calling you that in the future, and I’ll even change your name in my WeChat contacts.”
Fine.
Bo Xinghang felt defeated. He knew he couldn’t compete with Doctor Ji, not in any way. He admitted defeat.
Fortunately, Doctor Ji showed some mercy. He marked the simpler parts of the test paper and didn’t rush him to write. First, he explained the basic knowledge points, then walked him through a few example problems. Once Bo Xinghang had a solid grasp of the concepts, Doctor Ji let him tackle the highlighted questions.
Even though Bo Xinghang was initially resistant to writing, once he started learning, he took it very seriously. As Doctor Ji taught him, he studied diligently.
Luckily, he had a good foundation from middle school, and he occasionally listened to high school classes out of boredom. After a few rounds, his accuracy rate was surprisingly decent.
He was quite surprised and focused even more on the exercises.
The night deepened.
Bo Xinghang flexed his stiff fingers and found studying quite enjoyable. He pulled out a test paper, and just as he lowered his head, Doctor Ji’s fair hand reached over and took the paper from the desk.
“Take a break.” Doctor Ji glanced at the time. His demeanor was commanding, but his voice was gentle. “Be good and go to sleep.”
Bo Xinghang instinctively shook his head.
He had finally gotten into the groove of studying, and besides, it wasn’t late for him yet. As a night owl who worked at a bar, he was used to staying up late and was feeling energized.
After refusing, he felt his response was too harsh and added, “… Just one more.”
Compromising a little was the best arrangement for both of them.
Doctor Ji furrowed his brows but eventually relented under Bo Xinghang’s pitiful gaze.
“Alright, but go to bed early. I’ll take you to school tomorrow.”
After saying that, Doctor Ji got up to wash up, turning without the slightest hesitation.
Doctor Ji had a very regular routine. Except when work forced him to stay up late, he always went to bed according to his schedule.
In fact, it was already 7.5 minutes past his planned time, so he had deviated from his schedule. Doctor Ji finished his night routine, closed the door, and went to bed.
A very disciplined routine.
After watching Doctor Ji’s series of actions, Bo Xinghang retracted his gaze, pulled out a test paper from the side, and buried his head in it. Doctor Ji had already marked the problems by difficulty, so he continued working on them.
The world of math was fascinating and mysterious. Bo Xinghang, who had said he’d just do “one more sheet,” broke his promise. He didn’t pay attention to the time and only stopped when he felt the onset of fatigue.
Bo Xinghang stretched out his arms and lazily yawned. He hadn’t noticed the discomfort earlier, but after putting down the pen, he felt sore all over. He moved his neck, and it cracked twice.
He was shocked. “Fuck… Is my body this weak?”
Just as Bo Xinghang was about to stand up, someone pressed down on his shoulder. It was the middle of the night, and such a sudden move could startle anyone. He almost screamed but then heard a familiar voice behind him.
“Don’t move.”
He immediately froze, obediently staying still, but he couldn’t resist glancing back at Doctor Ji.
It was already the early hours of the morning. Doctor Ji had a touch of laziness about him. The warm light from the lamp on the side table cast a glow over him, and his profile stood tall, his sharply defined features bathed in a gentle, soft light.
Doctor Ji’s neck curved elegantly as he spoke.
His hand rested lightly on Bo Xinghang’s shoulder with a slight pressure. Though unfamiliar with such tasks due to a lack of practice, he seriously massaged the boy’s shoulders.
The earnest expression in Doctor Ji’s eyes was visible as he lowered his gaze. The light in his eyes shone directly into Bo Xinghang’s gaze.
He said, “Don’t move. Let me give you a massage.”
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