Doctor Ji had just hung up the phone when he noticed Bo Xinghang walking toward him. Instinctively, he reached out and held the boy’s hand, feeling its coolness. Frowning, he asked, “Why are your hands so cold?”
Bo Xinghang, sensing the warmth of Doctor Ji’s palm, suddenly felt a sense of peace settle over his previously restless heart. He squeezed the hand tighter, smiling sweetly. “My Doctor Ji is so handsome.”
The sudden compliment caught Doctor Ji off guard, and the boy’s softened tone sounded almost as if he were acting cute.
Doctor Ji didn’t ask why he said that, nor did he inquire about the conversation that had taken place in the room. Instead, he gently pulled Bo Xinghang into his arms.
Bo Xinghang leaned against him, enveloped in the familiar, comforting scent. Rarely feeling this way, he decided to act a little spoiled, drawing out his words like a child, “Gege~”
The unique sound of the young man’s voice echoed in Doctor Ji’s mind, like walking barefoot through a cool forest after rain.
As expected, Doctor Ji tightened his arm around Bo Xinghang’s waist before loosening it slightly. He then brought his lips close to the boy’s ear, his husky voice resonating deeply. “What did you say?”
But Doctor Ji didn’t get the answer he was hoping for. Bo Xinghang tried to ignore the heat spreading in his ears and feigned calm. “I didn’t say anything.”
In truth, he had greatly overestimated his composure. He had started this playful exchange, yet he was the one feeling embarrassed in the end. His heart pounded rapidly as he buried his face in Doctor Ji’s chest, refusing to say another word.
Doctor Ji, sensing an opportunity, asked mischievously, “Hmm? I didn’t hear you clearly. Can you repeat that?”
Bo Xinghang stubbornly refused to respond.
Doctor Ji chuckled softly. “Xiao Xing, is my Xiao Xing here?”
“…” The boy in his arms remained silent.
Undeterred, Doctor Ji persisted. Even through their clothes, he could feel the heat radiating from Bo Xinghang’s flushed face. The closeness between them made it easy to notice the boy’s quickening heartbeat.
“Hey, Xiao Xing, Hang-ge, are you there?”
“Hang-ge?… Xiao Xing baby?”
Doctor Ji was clearly teasing him now, and his playful nicknames grew bolder. Bo Xinghang felt his ears burning at the final term and didn’t dare let him continue.
Flushing, he interrupted, “…Stop, stop talking.”
His voice was muffled, and the warmth of his breath spread across Doctor Ji’s chest, sending a shiver through his body. Unaware of the effect he was having, Bo Xinghang softened his voice as he provoked, “Xiao Xing and Hang-ge aren’t here.”
“Oh? Then where’s my Xiao Xing ba…”
“Not here either!”
Bo Xinghang could hardly believe what he was hearing. Was Doctor Ji really saying these things? He quickly cut him off, afraid that if he didn’t, the word might slip out again.
He couldn’t understand his own feelings. The way Doctor Ji’s cool, clear voice pronounced those terms, each inflection tinged with both allure and chill, left him feeling restless and parched.
“Ah, not here?”
“Not here.”
Bo Xinghang glanced up at him briefly before quickly lowering his head again, only the tips of his ears betraying his embarrassment.
Noticing this, Doctor Ji felt an overwhelming urge to kiss him.
But the moment wasn’t right, so he took a deep breath and restrained himself, placing a gentle kiss on the top of the boy’s head instead.
Bo Xinghang looked up, unsure of what he had just felt. His amber eyes, filled with curiosity, gazed at Doctor Ji’s sharp jawline.
“Doctor Ji?” He was unsure if what he felt was really a kiss.
Doctor Ji didn’t answer. He simply patted Bo Xinghang’s head. He wasn’t sure he could maintain control if he kept teasing, so he said in a gentle, restrained voice, “Let’s go see Grandma.”
The mention of his grandmother immediately shifted Bo Xinghang’s focus. No longer dwelling on the earlier kiss, he nodded.
Doctor Ji’s eyes darkened. “So obedient?”
“…” Bo Xinghang’s eyes were tinged with red from the teasing, but he still defended himself with conviction, “I’ve always listened to you.”
Had Xu Yi been there to witness this, he probably would have been shocked to death. But Doctor Ji had seen this obedient and gentle side of the boy many times before. He simply tilted his head and smiled. “Mm, you’re very good.”
Once the two of them disappeared down the corridor, the hospital floor returned to its usual quiet.
No one would ever know that just moments ago, two people with perfect figures had been here, bantering about nothing of importance, their hearts fluttering.
In the hospital room where Grandma slept, they sat close together, their knees almost touching as they watched her peaceful expression.
The night breeze was fiercer than the morning’s, blowing into the room like shaved ice with double the ice. It was cold but not unbearable. It felt like the changes that had entangled them for years—turbulent waves that ultimately ended as quietly and unremarkably as they began.
Doctor Ji recalled how cold Bo Xinghang’s hands had been earlier in the day. Worried he might still be cold, he took Bo Xinghang’s hand while Grandma slept, warming it and shielding him from the wind.
Bo Xinghang rested his head on Doctor Ji’s shoulder, fidgeting as he gazed at Doctor Ji’s jawline. As he stared, he couldn’t help but wonder how someone could have such an attractive jaw, so appealing it made his face flush with warmth and filled him with an irresistible urge to kiss it.
Acting on impulse, he did.
Doctor Ji felt a tickle on his chin and looked down, seeing the bright gleam in Bo Xinghang’s eyes, filled with uncontainable joy from his little victory.
This playful side of Bo Xinghang only emerged around Doctor Ji. At these times, he seemed like a true teenager—mischievous and playful, with childish antics that were so endearing they made Doctor Ji’s heart tremble.
Pretending not to notice, Doctor Ji tightened his grip on Bo Xinghang’s hand, causing the boy to quickly turn his gaze toward the window.
Feeling pleased with his small success, Bo Xinghang used his free hand to twirl his silver earring, which sparkled in the sunlight. He thought to himself that life never fully goes the way you want, but every little blessing is a gift.
At that moment, a leaf lazily drifted down outside the window, twirling once, then again, before finally settling out of sight, no longer fluttering.
It was as if everything had finally settled down, the dust cleared.
–
A rare heavy rainstorm arrived with great force, knocking over small trees by the roadside and bicycles leaning against the school perimeter.
The rain had been pouring for two days straight, and the news was filled with reports of the severe conditions outside.
As a senior in high school, Bo Xinghang was unexpectedly given a day off. Even though there was a mountain of homework and a half-day of online classes, the students were ecstatic, their shouts of joy practically breaking through the roof.
After finishing his homework and classes early, Bo Xinghang comfortably nestled into the sofa, eating snacks Doctor Ji had bought. He was so relaxed that it wasn’t until the third ring that he noticed his phone was ringing.
As soon as the call connected, a boisterous voice came through the other end. “Hang-ge! Are you home?”
Bo Xinghang looked out at the torrential rain, the raindrops pounding against the window as if they were about to break through. He suddenly questioned his friend’s IQ and replied sarcastically, “What do you think? It’s pouring outside.”
“Oh! So you’re at home?” Xu Yi ignored the sarcasm and got straight to the point. “Then send me your address. I want to come over and mooch off your homework~~~”
Bo Xinghang fell silent for once in response to Xu Yi’s request.
It wasn’t that he minded Xu Yi coming over, but as he glanced around the apartment and saw Doctor Ji emerging from the kitchen, he didn’t know what to say.
Due to the heavy rain after school last night, Doctor Ji, concerned for him and with a rare day off, had decided to take Bo Xinghang to his home. He’d even conveniently used the excuse, “My place is closer to the school.”
At the time, Bo Xinghang had stared at Doctor Ji’s serious expression and barely managed to hold back his laughter, pretending to think it over before agreeing.
In truth, he was returning to his own house less and less often. Most of his personal belongings had gradually moved to Doctor Ji’s place, and over time, he had become accustomed to going to Doctor Ji’s home after school.
Noticing the boy’s gaze, Doctor Ji set down the fruit platter and sat beside him, his expression soft. Bo Xinghang instinctively rested his head on Doctor Ji’s shoulder, gesturing to his ear and mouthing, “It’s Xu Yi.”
Doctor Ji understood, picking up a large strawberry and popping it into Bo Xinghang’s mouth.
“Hello? Hello, Hang-ge, can you hear me? Is my signal bad?”
Bo Xinghang bit into the strawberry, the sweet juice filling his mouth. Playing with Doctor Ji’s long fingers, he mumbled, “Yeah, I can hear you.”
“Oh.” Xu Yi repeated his request. “So, can I come over? My house is so boring.”
“Sure, but the address isn’t the same as before.”
Xu Yi didn’t think much of it. “Oh, no worries. As long as it’s not too far, I’ll manage. Just send me the address on WeChat, and I’ll call a ride right away.”
Bo Xinghang decided to give him a heads-up. “I will. But just so you know, there’s someone else here too.”
“Damn. Someone beat me to your place?”
“…You could say that,” Bo Xinghang replied vaguely, quickly swallowing the fruit. He then opened his mouth wide, leaning toward Doctor Ji, silently asking for more.
Doctor Ji’s eyes lingered on his moist lips, slightly parted as he spoke. Now, they were open obediently, waiting to be fed.
Who could resist such temptation?
Doctor Ji’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he picked up a strawberry, but instead of feeding it to the boy, he placed it in his own mouth. Seeing Bo Xinghang’s confused expression, he leaned in and kissed him.
Bo Xinghang wasn’t prepared. His lips were parted just enough for Doctor Ji to take full advantage, his warm tongue slipping inside. The hastily bitten fruit burst with juice, most of it pushed into Bo Xinghang’s mouth.
“Mmm…”
Their heads tilted at slightly different heights, creating the perfect posture for a kiss.
Doctor Ji kissed him deeply, his tongue exploring thoroughly. With the taste of the fruit, Bo Xinghang felt a profound sense of breathlessness for the first time. He couldn’t make a sound. The voice on the other end of the call faded from his mind. He was too overwhelmed to care, his tongue going numb from the intensity, his body weakening until Doctor Ji had to hold him up.
Meanwhile, Xu Yi’s voice crackled through the phone. “Hello, hello? Can you hear me? Is my signal bad again? Hang-ge, are you there?”
“…Hmm.”
Doctor Ji gently bit his tongue—not hard, but just enough to send shivers through Bo Xinghang’s body. A soft, breathy sound escaped his lips.
“…” There was a pause on the other end, before Xu Yi’s voice returned, this time tentative and cautious. “Hang-ge? You… you can hear me, right?”
Doctor Ji loosened his grip. The fruit had been pushed in too roughly, leaving juice smeared on Bo Xinghang’s lips and chin. Doctor Ji patiently and thoroughly licked it off, his tongue tracing the path.
Bo Xinghang, regaining his ability to speak, tried to ignore the warmth on his lips and chin. He swallowed the remaining juice and quickly replied, “Yeah, I can hear you. I was just eating a strawberry.”
The person on the other end still seemed suspicious, but since Hang-ge had explained, he brushed off his earlier thoughts and asked. “Oh. By the way, the person with you—is it a guy or a girl?”
“…A guy,” Bo Xinghang managed to say.
“Oh.” Xu Yi sounded relieved and ended the call cheerfully, “Alright then, I’ll wait for your address on WeChat. See you soon~~~”
Doctor Ji licked the last of the juice from his lips before pressing forward, initiating another deep kiss.
Bo Xinghang felt like he was losing his mind, starting to suspect that Doctor Ji was doing this on purpose. But he had no chance to question, his body going weak as he leaned into Doctor Ji, feeling the growing intensity between them.
In the end, Bo Xinghang couldn’t remember what Xu Yi had said or when the call ended. The only thing he could feel was the searing heat of their entwined tongues.
Author’s note:
Bo Xinghang (blushing): Y-you did that on purpose, didn’t you?
Doctor Ji (innocent): Xiao Xing, you were the one who made the first move.
Xu Yi: Something’s off! In capital letters OFF! … (A while later) Oh, it’s a guy.
Rice cub1This is the author. The author’s name translates to “rice porridge”: Naive.
