Translator: Lynn
Cheng Ke felt warmth emanating from Jiang Yuduo’s body as he hugged him. It was like hugging a large heater, not a frozen popsicle. This unique quality was one of the main reasons why Cheng Ke held onto him even after being scolded. He felt shame for this behavior but also wanted to continue hugging him.
Cheng Ke had always thought he had thick skin, having endured the label of “trash” in the past, but now he felt vulnerable and couldn’t let go of Jiang Yuduo.
“Are you some kind of internal martial arts master?” Cheng Ke asked.
Jiang Yuduo was confused, “What do you mean?”
“I mean, your body is warm, aren’t you cold?” Cheng Ke clarified.
“I’ve always been like this. Chen Qing said I have a fire body,” Jiang Yuduo replied.
Cheng Ke grinned, “A fire body? Do you have to run around naked in the summer?”
“I also run naked in the winter,” Jiang Yuduo said matter-of-factly.
Cheng Ke suddenly remembered the time when Jiang Yuduo opened the door naked, and he felt his body getting hot and itchy as if he was about to get a heat rash.
Cheng Ke couldn’t bear it any longer.
“Aren’t you cold?” Jiang Yuduo asked.
“Yes,” Cheng Ke replied.
“Then go inside and sleep,” Jiang Yuduo suggested.
“You… don’t have to stand here,” Cheng Ke looked outside and noticed how dark it was. The nearby residential buildings were all dark, while the commercial buildings in the distance were still lit, creating a feeling of loneliness in the dark night. He subconsciously withdrew his arms.
When he hung out at the nightclub, he only played until two or three o’clock. Even if he didn’t sleep until five o’clock, he never had the chance to look outside like this. It was almost like looking at the city at five o’clock for the first time, very strange and distant, nothing like what he remembered.
“I’ll stay a little longer,” Jiang Yuduo said.
“There’s no one outside, it’s such a cold day,” Cheng Ke put his arms around him and gently pulled him back, “No one can stand outside in the snow for hours. As long as there’s no new car parked, there won’t be anyone.”
Jiang Yuduo remained silent.
“Has the car below moved?” Cheng Ke asked.
“Three vehicles have gone,” Jiang Yuduo said, “There are still twenty-six vehicles that can be seen.”
“Did they move?” Cheng Ke asked again.
“It was here before it snowed,” Jiang Yuduo said, “the snow on the roof of the car is almost thick.”
“That’s it,” Cheng Ke continued to slowly pull him towards the door, “It’s safe now. I’m safe now, and you’re safe now.”
“You’re safe now,” he repeated.
Jiang Yuduo hadn’t heard that sentence in many years, and it felt just as strange as experiencing a hug for the first time. Cheng Ke held him tightly, and although it was initially terrifying, his body reacted faster than his brain. He had never experienced a hug before and had never considered what it would feel like to be hugged so tightly. But when Cheng Ke hugged him, he realized that he had longed for it for a long time. It was different from the comforting hug when he woke up from a nightmare, and different from when he hugged Cheng Ke on the street before. It made him feel weak and as though some support had been taken away.
He felt sleepy.
Cheng Ke led Jiang Yuduo back inside and glanced down at the street through the railing before following him in. The room was cozy and carried the subtle scent of Cheng Ke’s cologne lingering from the closet.
“I’ll go to the sofa…” Jiang Yuduo hesitated.
“Don’t worry about it, I’ll grab some bedding,” Cheng Ke assured him, letting go of Jiang Yuduo and pulling out a small blanket from the cabinet. “Just sleep on the bed.”
Jiang Yuduo eyed the blanket, which didn’t have a cover. “No blanket?”
“Just sleep for a bit!” Cheng Ke nudged him forward.
Jiang Yuduo fell onto the bed, burying his face in the pillow. The soothing lightheadedness, the cozy and secure envelopment, the gentle waft of the cologne – there was no need to remain tense for the moment…
“Jiang Yuduo?” Jiang Yuduo stirred. “Please get up and change your clothes!”
Jiang Yuduo buried himself deeper into the pillow, closed his eyes, and stayed still.
“Hey, don’t forget about changing your clothes,” Cheng Ke nudged him again. “You’ve been wearing those pants all day, remember?”
Jiang Yuduo remained unresponsive.
Several seconds later, a barely audible snoring sound escaped from him.
“What the fuck?” Cheng Ke was shocked.
He had never witnessed someone fall asleep so quickly before. If he wasn’t certain that his push was ineffective, he might have questioned whether Jiang Yuduo was knocked out by his hand. After being surprised, he remained motionless for a long time before sighing.
Jiang Yuduo’s ability to stand still for hours or even days without moving or sleeping was probably due to his nervous system and willpower. Once he relaxes, it’s like passing out. Cheng Ke stood by the bed and observed Jiang Yuduo for a while, ensuring that his breathing was normal.
After a few seconds of hesitation, Cheng Ke reached out and patted Jiang Yuduo’s lower back, saying, “Hey, let me help you take them off.”
Cheng Ke wasn’t particularly tidy, but he couldn’t bear to sleep in his outer pants for a day or two, especially not with Jiang Yuduo, who smoked in bed and left ash on the floor. He still remembers the previous time he spent the night at Jiang Yuduo’s house, where he was asked to remove his pants. Fortunately, this time Jiang Yuduo was wearing sweatpants.
Cheng Ke cleared his throat.
…why clear your throat?
He cleared his throat and proceeded to pull down Jiang Yuduo’s trousers by grabbing its waistband.
This revealed Jiang Yuduo’s black underwear, which he found to be quite uncivilized.
He quickly pulled the trousers back up to Jiang Yuduo’s legs and noticed the scars all over his body.
However, Cheng Ke was once again taken aback when he realized that Jiang Yuduo was only wearing a pair of sweatpants on such a cold day, despite the fact that they were made of thick fleece. Even though he was a young man, he still had the firework stamp from the chief protector, which seemed a bit too much for a snowy day without even wearing long johns.
He clicked his tongue and walked over to grab Jiang Yuduo’s trouser legs, snapping them off in the process. He then proceeded to shake the small quilt and cover Jiang Yuduo with it.
However, as he was about to cover Jiang Yuduo with the quilt, his gaze lingered on the scars on his buttocks and legs for a while.
After some time, he gritted his teeth and covered Jiang Yuduo with the small quilt. As soon as it was covered, Jiang Yuduo snorted, turned over, grabbed the quilt, and rolled sideways, causing Cheng Ke to curse under his breath.
“Fuck.”
Cheng Ke experienced a sudden wave of relief, causing the desire he had been feeling to dissipate. He realized that Jiang Yuduo’s sleep was much lighter than he had originally assumed. If he had tried to make a move, he likely would have been pummeled by a fully awakened Jiang Yuduo.
It was only just past 5 am, and Cheng Ke found himself feeling drowsy again after he had calmed down. He pushed aside his lewd thoughts and got into bed, but he couldn’t resist the urge to snuggle up behind Jiang Yuduo and sneak his arms under the other man’s quilt. He hesitated before poking Jiang Yuduo’s back waist with his finger.
Jiang Yuduo’s body was indeed hot, proving that he had a “fire body”. Despite his various thoughts, Cheng Ke fell asleep easily and didn’t wake up until morning. He found himself in the same position he had fallen asleep in, with his arms still under Jiang Yuduo’s quilt.
The only difference was that his middle finger was now bent and pressed underneath Jiang Yuduo’s body. Cheng Ke tried to extract his hand, but found it difficult to do so due to the soreness and numbness that had taken over his arm. He cursed silently to himself as the pain continued to radiate from his finger. “Fuck, it hurts. It hurts.”
Without concern for whether Jiang Yuduo was awake, Cheng Ke hastily withdrew his hand. However, Jiang Yuduo unexpectedly reacted and caught hold of it before he could fully retreat under his quilt. His instinctual reflex was truly remarkable.
As soon as Jiang Yuduo had grasped his hand, he leaped up with such force that Cheng Ke felt his eyes snap open, as Jiang Yuduo pinned his arms with his knees.
“It’s me! It’s Cheng Ke, Cheng Ke, Cheng Ke!” Cheng Ke bellowed frantically.
With one hand still gripping his wrist and one knee pinning his elbow, Jiang Yuduo glared at him for a long moment before asking, “What were you doing just now?”
“Let go!” Cheng Ke winced as he moved his middle finger, “You’re going to break my finger!”
“I’m holding onto your wrist,” Jiang Yuduo retorted, continuing to hold his gaze.
“You pressed my finger just now!” Cheng Ke protested, his brow furrowing.
“Why would I press your finger?” Jiang Yuduo turned his head to look at the spot where he had been sleeping, “I didn’t sleep much.”
In embarrassment, Cheng Ke remained silent.
Jiang Yuduo turned back and fixed his gaze on Cheng Ke’s hand in his quilt. “Why is your hand in my quilt?” he asked.
Cheng Ke shrugged. “How do I know? I’m used to sleeping alone. I can put my hands wherever I want and stretch them wherever I want.”
Jiang Yuduo sighed and let go of Cheng Ke’s hand. “You scared me out of my sleepiness,” he said.
“Scared you?” Cheng Ke asked.
“Yeah, I fell asleep and suddenly felt someone touch me,” Jiang Yuduo said. He sat on the bed and rubbed his head a few times. “Are your fingers okay?” he asked Cheng Ke.
Cheng Ke squeezed his middle finger and rubbed it. “It’s okay,” he said.
“What time is it?” Jiang Yuduo asked.
Cheng Ke looked at the alarm clock by the bed. “It’s ten forty,” he said.
Jiang Yuduo turned his head in surprise. “I’ve been asleep until now?” he asked.
“Yeah, you didn’t go to bed until five o’clock,” Cheng Ke said. “You’ve only slept for less than six hours.”
“No matter what time I go to bed, I wake up at about seven o’clock,” Jiang Yuduo said.
“You didn’t call it sleeping yesterday,” Cheng Ke said as he sat up and shook his hands. “You called it fainting or lethargy.”
Jiang Yuduo smiled but then looked down at his legs. After a long pause, he raised his head and asked, “Did you take off my pants?”
Cheng Ke nodded. “Yeah, I took them off.”
After a moment of silence, Jiang Yuduo sighed and got out of bed, putting on his pants. “Do you still have the toothbrush I used to wash up last time?” he asked Cheng Ke.
“Yes, I left it there,” Cheng Ke replied.
Jiang Yuduo nodded and headed towards the bedroom door. “I’m going to wash up,” he said.
Cheng Ke touched his phone. “I’ll order takeout to come early. After washing up, it will be delivered. It’s too cold to go out to eat,” he said.
Jiang Yuduo responded with a simple “yeah” before turning back and staring at Cheng Ke.
Cheng Ke was terrified of being stared at by him. “Why?” he asked.
“Did you sneak up on me in the middle of the night?” Jiang Yuduo asked with a frown.
Cheng Ke’s embarrassment skyrocketed. He thought he had gotten away with it, but Jiang Yuduo had caught him again. “You think you’re such a beautiful cutie that even in my sleep, I still have time to touch you?” he retorted, annoyed.
Jiang Yuduo still frowned for a moment before clicking his tongue and turning away.
Cheng Ke cursed under his breath and fell onto the bed with the quilt in his arms. “Fuck, too embarrassing,” he thought to himself.
Jiang Yuduo hurried into the bathroom and turned on the cold water to wash his face. He felt a little lightheaded, not the kind of dizziness from lack of sleep or vertigo. After splashing cold water on his face, he still felt uncomfortable from the stimulation. He wondered if he had a fever and touched his forehead but couldn’t feel anything. He then went to the living room, opened the drawer, and grabbed the thermometer that Cheng Ke had intended to use to measure the water temperature the day before.
Cheng Ke just walked out of the bedroom with his phone and asked, “Do you have a fever?”
“No,” Jiang Yuduo responded as he flicked the thermometer, “I’ll just play for a while.”
Cheng Ke didn’t answer but approached and slapped him on the forehead, and although the slap was heavy, Jiang Yuduo didn’t react, so Cheng Ke didn’t retract his hand and pressed Jiang Yuduo’s forehead for two seconds.
It was burning hot.
Cheng Ke should have realized it last night. When he poked Jiang Yuduo’s back, he could feel the heat radiating from him. “You idiot, you have a fever!” he scolded.
“…I usually have high temperature,” Jiang Yuduo clutched the thermometer, “It just doesn’t feel that hot.”
Cheng Ke asked Jiang Yuduo, “What should I do when you have a fever? Boil ginger in brown sugar or something?”
Jiang Yuduo hesitated before replying, “I don’t know. Isn’t that for dysmenorrhea?”
Cheng Ke was surprised. “Really? Then what can you drink to sweat? Aren’t you an expert in life? There are times when you don’t know anything like a waste?”
Jiang Yuduo sat on the sofa and explained, “I haven’t had a fever in many years.”
Curious, Cheng Ke asked, “What about when you had a fever many years ago?”
“I just toughed it out,” Jiang Yuduo replied calmly.
Cheng Ke paused and then picked up his phone. “Let’s take your temperature first and see how high it is,” he suggested.
“Okay,” Jiang Yuduo nodded in agreement.
Cheng Ke searched online for what to do if you have a fever and found suggestions such as drinking lots of warm water and rubbing your whole body with alcohol. “Oh, and drinking ginger syrup and taking antipyretics,” he added.
“Ginger syrup is a good idea,” Cheng Ke suggested. “You can drink it.”
Jiang Yuduo asked, “Do you have ginger?”
Cheng Ke shook his head. “No, I don’t. But we can drink water and wipe our whole bodies with alcohol,” he said, omitting any mention of taking medicine. Jiang Yuduo didn’t want to go to the hospital, so Cheng Ke wasn’t sure if he would be willing to take any medication.
Jiang Yuduo smiled and remarked. “You only have water here.”
Cheng Ke responded, “There is alcohol, but…”
“It’s okay,” Jiang Yuduo reassured him, “It’s just a fever. I’ll go back and sleep it off later. When I was younger, I never cared about it.”
“Okay,” Cheng Ke agreed, taking a seat, “The food will arrive in about half an hour. Can you eat when you have a fever?”
“Yes,” Jiang Yuduo replied, “I can eat anything.”
After taking Jiang Yuduo’s temperature, Cheng Ke checked the thermometer, “It’s 38 degrees138°C = 100.4°F, is that considered a high fever?”
Jiang Yuduo confidently replied, “It’s not considered high.”
“When I had a fever of 38 degrees, I had to be hospitalized for infusion,” Cheng Ke shared.
Jiang Yuduo asked, “Do you get hospitalized for every cough?”
Cheng Ke shook his head and replied, “Anyway, it’s not me who has 38 degrees fever, so you can do whatever you want.”
Jiang Yuduo had been living with Cheng Ke for so many years, and minor ailments like fever were common. Jiang Yuduo appeared to be his usual self, and Cheng Ke wouldn’t have realized he had a fever if he hadn’t touched his forehead.
People really are different, Cheng Ke observed.
The food delivery arrived, and Cheng Ke picked up the phone to answer it and get the food.
Jiang Yuduo hurriedly walked to the door, checked through the peephole, and opened the door for Cheng Ke.
Cheng Ke placed the food on the table, saying, “It’s what I ordered. I don’t know if you’ll like it or not.”
Jiang Yuduo looked at the food on the table and asked, “Pancakes and soy milk?”
Cheng Ke replied while taking a bite of the pancake, “I used to have a Western-style breakfast, which my dad and Cheng Yi loved.”
Jiang Yuduo sighed and said, “As a young master, can’t you just have a single serving of what these people eat?”
“Forget it,” Cheng Ke said, “It’s too much trouble. Just eat it now.”
Jiang Yuduo suggested, “One day, I’ll take you to Lu Qiang’s for dinner. She makes delicious pancakes. Her mother used to sell them, and people would line up to buy them.”
Cheng Ke became interested, “Really? Is it easy to get there?”
Jiang Yuduo was confused, “What do you mean by easy?”
Cheng Ke gave up and took a bite of his pancake, then asked, “When are we going?”
“In two days, when her mother returns from out of town,” Jiang Yuduo replied.
“Okay,” Cheng Ke nodded.
After breakfast, Jiang Yuduo got ready to leave. Cheng Ke suddenly felt a bit lonely. He had been in a good mood all morning, even when he was embarrassed, upset, or unhappy. But now, with Jiang Yuduo about to leave, he couldn’t help but feel lonely.
“I’ll bring over the cat and its belongings later,” Jiang Yuduo said, “The old lady is coming over this afternoon.”
“Sure,” Cheng Ke replied, feeling his spirits lift again, “How about I go over and pick it up? You have a fever, after all.”
Jiang Yuduo remained silent as he looked at Cheng Ke.
“What’s the matter?” Cheng Ke asked, feeling a bit uneasy.
“What are you smiling at?” Jiang Yuduo inquired.
“Smiling?” Cheng Ke was taken aback, quickly touching his face, “Was I smiling? I didn’t think I was.”
“You didn’t smile, but I could sense that you were,” Jiang Yuduo replied.
“Don’t act like a fairy,” Cheng Ke joked as he grabbed his coat, “Let’s go. Is there a lot of stuff to pick up?”
“Not really. Just a cage, water and rice bowls, a litter box, canned food, and a towel it likes to sleep with,” Jiang Yuduo said with a hint of embarrassment, “but it’s only for two days.”
“It’s fine,” Cheng Ke assured him.
Jiang Yuduo hailed a car and pulled Cheng Ke into the security room where two guards were stationed. Despite the cold temperature, the security room was not much warmer than the first floor’s elevator hall.
Cheng Ke understood that this was likely for safety reasons.
When the car arrived, they bid farewell to the security guards and got into the car.
As they drove, Cheng Ke struggled to say what was on his mind, feeling embarrassed that it was so obvious. He was dismayed by how restless he was over someone like Jiang Yuduo, a street thug with an unknown background who had only known him for a few months and who may have mental health issues.
He was aware of his tendency to do whatever he pleased, which his father had criticized him for. He lacked perseverance, determination, and self-control, and made poor choices. He knew that he was unable to manage himself well.
Jiang Yuduo’s house was clean and tidy, and everything for the cat was packed. “That’s everything,” he said as he picked up the items. “You take the cat.”
Cheng Ke took the cat and hesitated before stuffing it into his coat. “Why don’t you stay with me?” He suddenly asked as Jiang Yuduo was about to open the door.
“What?” Jiang Yuduo looked at him.
Cheng Ke asked, rubbing the cat’s ears. “Just for safety,” he added quickly.
Jiang Yuduo frowned and stared at Cheng Ke. “Do you have… feelings for me?”
Cheng Ke was furious and felt like kicking Jiang Yuduo in the face.
Can you be more reserved?
Can you be more reserved?!
“Are you a bit too narcissistic?” Cheng Ke gave him a look.
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