Zhu Tong’s shirts were buttoned at the front, so it wasn’t troublesome to take them off. Zhu Tong sat on the sofa sideways, bowed his head slightly, and completely exposed his nape and a part of his back.
He watched Shao Ming take out the medicine from the medicine box, and hesitantly stretched out his hand. “I’ll do it myself.”
Shao Ming jokingly said, “Are you afraid that I will take advantage of you? Don’t worry, I will only touch you with a cotton swab.”
Zhu Tong: “…”
He didn’t mean it that way.
After a moment of bafflement, he finally felt the cold touch of the cotton swab dipped in medication.
Shao Ming looked at the redness that spread from the back of his neck to his back, and couldn’t help frowning, “Why didn’t you say anything?”
Zhu Tong paused, then said, “It’s really okay.”
Shao Ming: “…”
He dipped a little more medication on his back and rubbed it lightly. Once the redness became more severe, the shorter youth finally trembled.
Shao Ming stopped immediately and asked, “Does it hurt?”
Zhu Tong subconsciously wanted to shake his head, but he instead nodded honestly. “A little bit.”
Shao Ming: “…then I’ll be gentler.”
He eased his movements again, turning the cotton swab gently, letting the burn medicine dripped on his scalded skin.
The back of his neck was red, so was his back, but thankfully it wasn’t as red. It should be only scalded a little because of the hot steam, making his cold white skin look a little warmer than usual. (P.S: steam can burn your skin even more. It has better heat transfer properties. Take it from my experience.)
‘–He’s just too thin.’
Shao Ming rubbed his head up subconsciously and looked at Zhu Tong’s slightly lowered profile. He seemed a little nervous, his body tense. But he didn’t resist either.
From the very beginning, Shao Ming felt that he was different to himself and others.
But Zhu Tong stressed several times that he had no other intentions for him… He also believed this. Because if he had such thoughts, Zhu Tong would definitely not be able to hide.
Zhu Tong was a completely different person from him.
Happiness, anger, sadness, joy… all those emotions were painted clearly on his face. He was also frank with his thoughts. Although he was not in good health, he could still live freely.
He came to him inexplicably, and he should have been someone he could not avoid.
But inexplicably, their life suddenly intersected, then intertwined altogether.
Zhu Tong seemed to care more about how to maintain a “safe distance” between them, even more than Shao Ming.
–In truth, it was Shao Ming who, somehow, wanted to shorten that distance.
He wanted them to become even closer.
Shao Ming couldn’t explain why he suddenly let Zhu Tong move back to this homestay. He just knew that the youth was still silent despite the unimaginable pain he had. But after lying on the hospital bed, he hugged him without letting go and shouted in pain. Shao Ming thinks… he can’t leave Zhu Tong alone.
Even if his intention was unclear, even if there were many things in him that cannot be explained clearly, Shao Ming cannot ignore the absolute truth:
–He wants to take care of Zhu Tong.
This flimsy thought made him pause. He questioned himself, ‘Take care of him?’
He looked at the large red mark on Zhu Tong’s back and smiled bitterly.
On the first day of taking care of him, he got burned. If the shorter youth knew what he was thinking, he would have to run away immediately.
He collected his straying thoughts and concentrated on applying medicine.
Zhu Tong didn’t know what kind of medicine he was rubbing, but it was cold and soothing, which effectively relieved the stinging pain.
As the pain subsided, other sensations increased.
The tiny cotton swabs were gently rolled on his skin, causing a ticklish sensation. Especially when it rubbed around his nape area. Since it was an especially sensitive area, he always shrank his neck subconsciously.
“D-done?” he couldn’t help but asked.
Shao Ming wiped the excess burn medication on the cotton swab and reaffirmed, “Done.”
Zhu Tong couldn’t wait to get dressed.
“Wait a minute,” Shao Ming stopped him, “Don’t rush to put on your clothes, the medicine will run into your clothes… also, is your front area also scalded?”
He suddenly straightened Zhu Tong’s body that was sitting on his side, and the moment they faced each other, the two were startled at the same time.
Zhu Tong took off his clothes, so naturally of course his front was exposed. Under his slender neck, Shao Ming could see the beautifully shaped collarbone.
Shao Ming’s eyes were fixed onto that.
Purefly by reflex, he grabbed his clothes and dressed at a record speed. “…I didn’t get scalded there.”
Shao Ming: “…”
Shao Ming was a little embarrassed at first, but Zhu Tong reacted ahead of him. He quickly calmed down, even though his gaze was still fixated on his neck area. “Did anyone tell you that your neck is very nice?”
Zhu Tong has already started to button up. “No.”
He thought, ‘Why would anyone compliment a sickly person for their good looks?’
It simply doesn’t make sense.
Probably only Shao Ming did that.
Thinking about it, he looked up at Shao Ming, and said “thank you” first, then looked at his neck, and said seriously, “Your neck is beautiful too.”
His Adam’s apples were especially protruding, and it should be the object of envy of many boys.
Shao Ming smiled and said, “Of course my body would look good, why wouldn’t it be?”
After speaking, he turned his head to dispose of the used cotton swab and put the medicine back in the first-aid kit.
Zhu Tong: “…”
‘There should be no “modesty” in his life dictionary.’
After a lot of tossing around at noon, there was not much time left for the lunch break. The two of them didn’t take a nap at all. After cleaning up, they went straight back to school.
Although there was no nap break, Zhu Tong didn’t feel sleepy at all, probably because of the burn medication on his nape that helped him to feel refreshed.
He was in a good mood originally, but when he returned to his seat and saw an extra gift box on his desk, he was in a bad mood again.
He had never seen such a shameless person in his life!
As he turned his mind over what to do with this gift box, Luo Suo suddenly rushed into the back of the classroom. Once he stood next to their desk, he slammed it down and said, “You two, I worked so hard to go to the restaurant to reserve a table, but you guys actually went back with me on your back. I waited in the restaurant for half an hour, you guys… eh? Who brought this gift box?”
His 500-words complaint was immediately distracted by the gift box.
Zhu Tong said without raising his head, “An idiot.”
Luo Suo was shocked. “You can call yourself an idiot?”
After having known each other for so long, he had never heard such an uncouth word come out of Zhu Tong’s mouth.
With a curious look on his face, he looked down at a card in the gift box, and immediately pouted, “It’s really an idiot.”
Zhu Tong: “…”
The gift box was delivered by Zhou Sui.
This time the card says “apology”.
[I was reckless before, but I’m really your older brother’s friend, and I think he has told you.]
Zhu Tong felt that he was sloppy in blocking Qin Junhong, and he should block it after the first time he received the news.
Shao Ming glanced at the gift box, picked it up and handed it to Luo Suo. “Go and deal with it, I’ll reimburse you double the money for the reservation.”
Luo Suo was instantly refreshed. “Alrighty Dad.”
Zhu Tong: “…”
The desk became clean again, and Zhu Tong breathed a sigh of relief.
However, dealing with “gifts” was only a temporary solution, not treating the root cause. Zhou Sui’s high-profile pursuit of Zhu Tong quickly spread in the school.
There was talk everywhere at dinner time.
“Zhou Sui pursues Zhu Tong? When did it happen?”
“Just today he has sent several gifts to him, but they have all been rejected.”
“Didn’t Zhou Sui only chase girls before? Since when did he start chasing boys?”
“Maybe for variety? For excitement? Ever since homosexuality got legalized a few years before, hasn’t this kind of thing been on the rise lately? Plus, Zhu Tong is so good-looking, probably it nullifies his gender in Zhou Sui’s eyes!”
“But Zhu Tong looks down on him, right? I heard that the things he sent were thrown into the trash can.”
“Well, even an iron pestle can be sharpened into a needle. So, who knows?”
In the classroom of 2nd Year Class 3, this was the third time he received the task of “disposing of garbage”, so Luo Suo was no longer enthusiastic at the beginning. He looked at Zhu Tong and Shao Ming with a strange expression, and said with emotion, “You and Ming-ge are really of the same ilk. He’s entangled by Xia Yang, and you now have this abhorrent admirer. You pair of deskmates are specially attracting dog-skin plaster.” (someone who is very attached to somebody.)
Zhu Tong: “…”
Shao Ming looked at him with a smile. Luo Suo immediately shut up.
Then he said, “Go and deal with it. Then, please ask Lao Er if he wants to take a new job, I have a new one lined up.”
Luo Suo turned his head to look at Lu Zheyu, who was not distracted by the gossip. He nodded his head. “Okay, no problem.”
After Luo Suo left, Zhu Tong looked at Shao Ming and said, “Why are you looking for Lu Zheyu?”
Shao Ming said: “There is something.”
“…”
Zhu Tong didn’t even bother to ask him what that “something” is. He was very annoyed now. He had to figure out a way to end this annoyance once and for all.
After the evening self-study, Zhu Tong followed Shao Ming out of the teaching building, but met Zhou Sui downstairs.
Zhou Sui also got a bicycle from nowhere. He looked at him and asked, “Zhu Tong, can I have the honor to send you back?”
Zhu Tong: “…”
‘I’m really haunted.’
He was too lazy to answer, and followed Shao Ming to the place where he parked his bike. He was making it clear that he’s treating Zhou Sui as air.
Zhou Sui’s eyes darkened, but his face was still gentle. “I said that I’m your older brother’s friend, why don’t you believe it? Although he’s not related to you by blood, he is your legal brother after all. If he doesn’t rob you of your property, you don’t need to be so unhappy with him, right?”
He deliberately raised his voice, and suddenly many eyes on the playground looked at them with gossip on their faces.
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