Translator: Lynn
Sponsored chapter (2/2)
This late-night meal went on for longer than usual. In the past, Jiang Yuduo would have left early if he wanted to, letting his brothers finish quickly. But today, he sat there silently, observing the excited people around him.
It was rare for this group of people to gather a few times a year. Their bond wasn’t particularly deep, but when they got together, they knew how to have fun. Some of them might not have met each other more than a few times, but they easily became acquainted in this setting. They formed a “group.”
Cheng Ke had been drinking while listening to the conversations around him, occasionally laughing and sharing a few sips with Jiang Yuduo. He had been drinking a lot all night, yet he didn’t seem to feel disgusted or bored.
That’s fine, they could leave later.
Suddenly, Jiang Yuduo didn’t know how to face the time alone with Cheng Ke after everyone dispersed. He had grown up so much, and he had never thought or considered that he would have to think about this issue. However, a certain corner of his mind was faintly disturbing him.
“Alright, let’s go,” Chen Qing stood up and shouted, “We’re all going home to rest.”
The store was filled with shouts, making it difficult to hear any individual word clearly.
“I’ve had a lot to drink today, so I’ll go straight home. Calm down and don’t cause any trouble for me!” Chen Qing yelled again.
“Don’t worry, Brother Qing!” someone responded loudly.
Jiang Yuduo handed his wallet to Chen Qing, who insisted on finishing the plate of barbecued meat in front of him before taking the wallet to pay the bill.
“Have you had too much to drink?” Jiang Yuduo asked Cheng Ke.
“I’m a little dizzy, but I’ll be fine,” Cheng Ke yawned. “Anyway, I can just fall asleep for a while.”
“Okay,” Jiang Yuduo replied.
After Chen Qing settled the bill, he approached them and returned the wallet. “San-ge, please drive my car and take the savings… and send Brother Ke back home.”
“Let’s take a taxi,” Jiang Yuduo waved his hand. “I’ve had a lot to drink, so I can’t drive right now.”
“But aren’t there plenty of cars around here?” Chen Qing pondered for a moment, then raised his voice and shouted outside, “Someone, call a car!”
“Brother Qing needs a car!” someone outside immediately responded.
Within a few minutes, a taxi arrived. Jiang Yuduo stood up and followed Cheng Ke outside. However, he stumbled as soon as he took a step, accidentally hitting the back of Cheng Ke’s head with his forehead.
“What happened?” Cheng Ke turned his head. “Did you faint?”
“No,” Jiang Yuduo felt embarrassed. He picked up a chair from beside him and tossed it aside. “It was the chair leg.”
Cheng Ke smiled and said nothing, continuing to walk forward. Jiang Yuduo realized he wasn’t doing much better, taking unsteady steps and holding his flickering lamp, which didn’t emit much light.
Fortunately, he wasn’t stumbling like Jiang Yuduo.
Cheng Ke had claimed to be able to handle his alcohol well, and it seemed he wasn’t exaggerating.
The taxi driver appeared relieved when he saw the two of them get into the car with Chen Qing. He swiftly drove off after confirming the destination.
“Did we startle you?” Chen Qing asked with a smile from the passenger seat.
“A little bit,” the driver replied. “As soon as I arrived, more than a dozen people shouted together… I thought there was a fight.”
“Who would fight on Chinese New Year’s Eve?” Chen Qing laughed cheerfully.
“That’s right, it’s Lunar New Year’s Eve. But we won’t be as lively during New Year’s Eve. We have to work hard,” the driver commented.
“We’re here to spend money, while you’re here to make money,” Chen Qing said. “You’re the impressive one.”
The driver laughed for a while.
The car first dropped off Cheng Ke at the entrance of his apartment building. Cheng Ke got out of the car, while Jiang Yuduo hesitated for a moment. The bed was already made, and everything was put away. Cheng Ke was going to sleep now, so he probably didn’t need any more assistance…
“San-ge?” Chen Qing turned around.
“Hmm?” Jiang Yuduo responded.
“Get out of the car,” Chen Qing said.
“Huh?” Jiang Yuduo was taken aback.
“Come on, I’m really tired. I want to go home and sleep,” Chen Qing urged.
“Damn it.” Jiang Yuduo cursed under his breath as he got out of the car.
After the taxi drove away, he looked at Cheng Ke. “Can I… can you let me..?”
“Couldn’t you have asked before getting out of the car?” Cheng Ke glanced in the direction where the taxi disappeared. “If I say no, can you walk back?”
Jiang Yuduo cleared his throat, not knowing what to say.
“Is Chen Qing paralyzed or something?” Cheng Ke walked towards the elevator. “He probably needs a caretaker to help him walk every day.”
Jiang Yuduo followed behind, smiling.
“Don’t go back just yet. It’s late,” Cheng Ke pressed the elevator button and turned around.
“Okay,” Jiang Yuduo nodded.
“Meow, is it okay?” Cheng Ke entered the elevator.
“It’ll eat from the cat food bag by itself,” Jiang Yuduo said. “If only it could open the can, it would finish all the cans in a day.”
Cheng Ke laughed, looking at the bag of cat food in his hand. “It’ll probably grow bigger than this lamp in the future.”
“I’ll take care of it,” Jiang Yuduo said. “Let’s see if it can surpass the lamp someday.”
Cheng Ke didn’t say anything, and Jiang Yuduo had nothing to add. He felt a bit dizzy, and once he stepped into the elevator, he felt like he might faint.
Upon entering the apartment, he slowed down a bit.
“Want some water?” Cheng Ke asked.
“Leave me alone,” Jiang Yuduo sprawled on the sofa. “If I want water, I’ll pour it myself.”
“Sure,” Cheng Ke poured a glass of water for himself, drank it, and then went into the bedroom.
Jiang Yuduo stared blankly at the black screen of the TV.
Cheng Ke took longer than expected inside the bedroom. Jiang Yuduo began to feel dazed. Did Cheng Ke already fall asleep? He didn’t even wash his face after supper, not even bothering to do so. Is the young master so carefree now?
…Could it be that he fainted?
Jiang Yuduo quickly stood up.
The bedroom door wasn’t fully closed, so he could see Cheng Ke after taking a couple of steps.
Cheng Ke was standing in front of the open wardrobe, tearing at the clothes with his hands and sniffing them.
“What are you smelling?” Jiang Yuduo watched for a while and couldn’t help but ask, feeling quite puzzled. Cheng Ke had spent a long time searching for something earlier, even knocking on the door for a while, but he couldn’t find it.
“Damn it!” Cheng Ke was taken aback. He quickly loosened his collar. “Why didn’t you say anything? Are you mute?”
“Why didn’t you say you were blind?” Jiang Yuduo retorted. “I’ve been standing here for a long time.”
“Really?” Cheng Ke was stunned. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing,” Jiang Yuduo replied. “It’s just that it’s the first time someone has sniffed me so enthusiastically.”
“No,” Cheng Ke smiled, shook his clothes, and approached him. “Why do I smell like cumin all over?”
“And you smell like alcohol,” Jiang Yuduo said.
Cheng Ke had indeed consumed a lot of alcohol today, so the first thing he smelled was the scent of alcohol… Of course, it could be lingering on his clothes since he had been splashed with half a glass by Chen Qing in his excitement…
“That’s on you…” Cheng Ke leaned in to sniff his collar.
Possibly due to dizziness, his movement was a little abrupt, causing his forehead to collide with Jiang Yuduo’s nose.
Jiang Yuduo’s nose suddenly felt sore, and he almost couldn’t control himself from swinging his arm to push Cheng Ke away.
But Cheng Ke quickly regained his balance by grabbing onto the door frame.
“You not only smell of cumin on your clothes,” Jiang Yuduo rubbed his nose. “Your hair smells like cumin too.”
“Damn it,” Cheng Ke tugged at his hair a few times. “What am I supposed to do now?”
“What should you do?” Jiang Yuduo looked at him. “Take a shower!”
There was a few seconds of silence.
Then Cheng Ke nodded. “Yes, I’m going to take a shower.”
“Can you handle it?” Jiang Yuduo asked, somewhat hesitantly.
As soon as he asked, he regretted it. He remembered that Cheng Ke had mentioned before that he wasn’t like Chen Qing.
Cheng Ke turned his head and glanced at him. “I should be able to. I practiced it the other day. I just need to raise one arm and hold the showerhead.”
“Ah,” Jiang Yuduo nodded.
He was about to say something about applying shower gel, but he held back and kept it to himself
He suddenly felt a bit embarrassed. When he was with Cheng Ke before, he didn’t have this feeling. He was only cautious, afraid of inadvertently scaring Cheng Ke.
He wondered what had happened today.
After he mentioned not having a girl he liked while they were drinking, he couldn’t shake off that feeling.
It was true that he didn’t have a girl he liked. After spending so many years on the streets, there were always girls who would cling to him. But he never made eye contact with any of them, finding it bothersome. He wanted to hide, even if they had big breasts and long legs.
Yes, even if he liked that type, he didn’t like every girl with big breasts and long legs. He believed in fate… But fate never came.
It never came once, never passed by.
This realization made him feel a bit awkward.
Especially in front of the thoughtful gaze of the gay young master, he felt even more uncomfortable.
Although he didn’t ask that question.
But he felt that if he wasn’t a fool, he might be able to guess what Cheng Ke wanted to ask.
No, Chen Qing probably couldn’t guess it.
But Cheng Ke wasn’t Chen Qing.
Cheng Ke emerged from the bedroom with a change of clothes. As he walked past Jiang Yuduo, he turned his head and hesitantly followed him to the bathroom door.
He didn’t mind lending a hand. Cheng Ke wasn’t drunk, but he was probably feeling a bit dizzy and might stumble again… However, he was worried that Cheng Ke might take offense.
“Brave man, please stay,” Cheng Ke pushed open the bathroom door, turned around, and clenched his fist at Jiang Yuduo. “I will escort you for a thousand miles and bid you farewell…” I must have had too much to drink…
Jiang Yuduo turned and walked back to the living room, taking a seat on the sofa. Cheng Ke entered the bathroom and closed the door.
Now, in the dead of night, there was silence all around, except for the slight ringing in their ears caused by the excessive wine and the noise from earlier.
This feeling was a bit uncomfortable like being suffocated under a blanket—not that there was no sound, but rather, a complete absence of sound.
Jiang Yuduo got up to pour himself a glass of water. As he turned on the faucet and heard the sound of water flowing into the glass, the surroundings seemed to suddenly become clearer.
He sipped the water slowly, making some fizzing noises, waiting for the sound of water from the bathroom where Cheng Ke had started bathing to catch up.
But after drinking a glass of water, there was no movement from the bathroom.
He grew a bit worried, and when he was about to knock on the door, a crash echoed from the bathroom, followed by the sound of something falling over.
“Cheng Ke?” He rushed to the bathroom door and knocked twice. “Did you fucking fall?”
“No,” Cheng Ke’s voice sounded strained. “I just pretended to.”
“How did you knock over the shelf if you didn’t fall?” Jiang Yuduo patted the door again, unconcerned about whether Cheng Ke was Chen Qing or not. “Open the door, I’ll help you wash up!”
“No need,” Cheng Ke replied simply.
Then came another sound—a clear indication of a physical body hitting the wall, accompanied by a “thud” sound. To produce such a sound, the contact area must have been the wall when hitting it.
“I’ve unlocked the door!” Jiang Yuduo twisted the doorknob.
Cheng Ke didn’t answer his question, but cursed angrily, “Fuck these clothes!”
Jiang Yuduo breathed a sigh of relief and took out a bunch of keys from his pocket. Cheng Ke was still wearing clothes, so he shouldn’t scold him for helping.
He randomly selected a key and inserted it into the keyhole, twisting it a few times until the lock popped open with a snap.
Jiang Yuduo was taken aback when he pushed the door open. Cheng Ke was in an awkward position.
He had already removed his outer pants, only wearing his underwear. He was bent over towards the door, as if bowing, with half of his shirt taken off, and his head and arms tangled in the fabric.
“Don’t you still have one arm? You can bend your right arm too,” Jiang Yuduo was speechless. He grabbed the sleeve of Cheng Ke’s clothes and tore it off his left hand first. “Why can’t you even take off your clothes properly?”
“I can’t take off my right arm!” Cheng Ke held onto the hair sticking out from his clothes. “I can only take off my left arm first! But I can’t use my right hand, and I can’t pull off the sleeve on my left arm! Damn it, someone helps me!”
“I told you, I’ll help you,” Jiang Yuduo sighed and helped Cheng Ke remove his cuff, allowing his plastered hand to be freed. “You’ve been wearing this for two days. Shouldn’t you have taken it off?”
“Yes, if I had known earlier, I would have brought scissors,” Cheng Ke said.
“A wool sweater, should I just cut it off?” Jiang Yuduo suggested.
“If you had come a little later, I would have torn it apart,” Cheng Ke frowned.
Jiang Yuduo picked up the fallen shelf from the ground and put back all the shampoo and shower gel that had fallen onto the floor. As he turned his gaze, he suddenly noticed a bottle in the toilet.
Just as he was about to reach out and take it, Cheng Ke shouted, “What are you doing!”
Jiang Yuduo was taken aback and turned to look at him. “What’s wrong? Did you flush the toilet after peeing?”
“Get out! I flushed,” Cheng Ke replied.
“You’d shout like that even if I did come rushing over,” Jiang Yuduo retorted.
“This is the bathroom,” Cheng Ke said.
“And what else?” Jiang Yuduo stared at him. “Do you want me to flush this bottle of facial cleanser as well?”
Cheng Ke remained silent.
Jiang Yuduo reached out and took the bottle.
“No, please throw it away for me. Thank you,” Cheng Ke said.
Jiang Yuduo threw the bottle into the nearby trash can, then stood there unsure of what to do.
In truth, Cheng Ke being shirtless and wearing shorts wasn’t a big deal, but at this moment, Jiang Yuduo felt a bit at a loss. On one hand, he wanted to help Cheng Ke, but on the other hand, he was afraid of making Cheng Ke feel embarrassed.
Besides, he couldn’t help Cheng Ke bathe as nonchalantly as he helped Chen Qing bathe.
After a few seconds of stunned silence, Cheng Ke nodded. “Alright, thank you.”
Before Jiang Yuduo could react, Cheng Ke had already turned on the showerhead.
The showerhead hung loosely, slightly askew. As the water was turned on, it suddenly jutted upwards and sprayed cold water onto Jiang Yuduo’s face.
Cheng Ke quickly turned off the water. “Damn, I didn’t know the showerhead was crooked…”
“Even if it wasn’t crooked,” Jiang Yuduo wiped the water off his face, “wait until I take off my clothes. I’m not wearing rain gear.”
Cheng Ke looked at him, turned around after a while, and leaned his right arm against the wall. “Let’s keep it simple. Just apply some shower gel on my back. I can manage the rest.”
Jiang Yuduo furrowed his brow. Cheng Ke didn’t seem to want to wait for him to undress. He stared at Cheng Ke’s back for a moment, then reluctantly said, “Okay.”
Jiang Yuduo grabbed the showerhead and turned on the water. Once the water was warm, he began rinsing Cheng Ke’s back. “Don’t you need to wash your hair? It smells like roasted cumin.”
“Did you just eat cumin?” Cheng Ke snapped without elaborating. “I can wash my hair with one hand.”
“Alright,” Jiang Yuduo replied, without further comment. He continued rinsing Cheng Ke’s back with water, then squeezed some shower gel onto his hand from the bottle. “Do you want me to rub your back with a towel?”
“No, just wipe it a few times,” Cheng Ke said.
“Okay.” Jiang Yuduo set the bottle aside, used his hand to apply the shower gel, and began gently rubbing Cheng Ke’s back.
After a couple of circular motions, Cheng Ke suddenly moved forward, avoiding his touch.
“Huh?” Jiang Yuduo stopped. “Are my hands cold?”
“Not cold, but…” Cheng Ke turned his head and cleared his throat. “Take a towel and rub it with the blue one.”
“Okay.” Jiang Yuduo grabbed the towel, wrapped it around his hands, pressed it against Cheng Ke’s back, and started rubbing.
With a smooth motion from shoulder to waist, Cheng Ke took a breath and said, “San-ge.”
“What for?” Jiang Yuduo swiped his back again with agility.
“Did you rub Chen Qing’s back and kill him like this?” Cheng Ke asked.
“I rub him much harder. He enjoys being rubbed vigorously,” Jiang Yuduo paused. “Do you think I’m stronger now?”
“It’s too hard,” Cheng Ke turned his face away, frowning. “The main reason is that I don’t want to scream.”
“Alright, I’ll be gentle,” Jiang Yuduo sighed. “So, how about you go to the bathhouse to have your hands rubbed? Can the master do it in one stroke? Or did you pass out?”
“I’ve never had someone scrub me,” Cheng Ke said. “I’ve never been to a bathhouse.”
Jiang Yuduo glanced at him. “Then let me scrub you. So what?”
Cheng Ke stared at the wall, silent.
Jiang Yuduo waited for a while, seeing that Cheng Ke had no intention of speaking, so he continued to rub his back with the same vigor he usually used to comb a cat’s fur.
If Cheng Ke couldn’t endure it like this, he could only wipe his back with his hands.
He paused.
At that moment, he suddenly remembered what Cheng Ke had said before.
“If you help Chen Qing take a bath, would Chen Qing get turned on?”
As those words echoed in his ears, he suddenly realized why Cheng Ke insisted on using a towel… Oh, fuck!
Jiang Yuduo was shocked.
“Hurry up,” Cheng Ke urged him. “What are you frozen for?”
Jiang Yuduo quickly swiped his back a few times, and Cheng Ke took a breath but remained silent.
He eased his movements and continued swiping.
When he swiped down to the waist, he became slightly curious.
Would Cheng Ke…
Embarrassed by his curiosity, he couldn’t resist it due to his drunken state.
With a swipe that left Cheng Ke’s waist slightly red, he finally made up his mind.
He leaned slightly forward from Cheng Ke’s side and quickly glanced. Although Cheng Ke was wearing underwear, it was easy to see if there was any reaction.
… It seemed like nothing had changed?
Just as Jiang Yuduo was about to pull away, Cheng Ke cleared his throat next to his ear.
Jiang Yuduo looked up and met Cheng Ke’s gaze. Cheng Ke was looking at him, his head turned.
This time, he was so startled that he almost hit Cheng Ke’s face with the towel.
“What!” he exclaimed.
“There’s no reaction,” Cheng Ke looked at him. “Just rubbing your back like you’re skinning me won’t turn me on. Even if you fucking tried.”
“I…” Jiang Yuduo opened his mouth but couldn’t find the right words. He felt quite embarrassed, but he didn’t know how to regain his dignity. In the end, all he managed to say was, “You have a mole on your waist.”
“Well,” Cheng Ke raised his arm and glanced at his waist. “It used to be a birthmark, and it was quite large when I was a child, but it gradually turned into a mole.”
“Oh,” Jiang Yuduo responded with a sound and continued to rub his back.
“Alright, let’s rinse now,” Cheng Ke said. “My skin feels almost worn out from your rubbing.”
“You need to rub until it turns red to feel comfortable and improve blood circulation,” Jiang Yuduo put down the towel, picked up the nozzle, and sprayed water on Cheng Ke’s back.
“Are your clothes wet?” Cheng Ke asked.
“Obviously.” Jiang Yuduo replied.
“Go change your clothes. Take a set from my closet and change first,” Cheng Ke suggested. “I can handle washing up on my own.”
“…Alright,” Jiang Yuduo agreed. He turned off the water, handed Cheng Ke the nozzle, and quickly left the bathroom.
As Cheng Ke closed the bathroom door, Jiang Yuduo stood in the living room, letting out a long sigh of relief. He stood there for a moment before entering the bedroom, where he randomly grabbed a set of sportswear from Cheng Ke’s closet and changed into it.
Returning to the living room, he collapsed onto the sofa and stared blankly at the ceiling.
Something felt off.
But he didn’t dare to dwell on it.
If he didn’t want to acknowledge something, then it didn’t exist.
Washing his hair with one hand must have been a bit challenging for Cheng Ke. After about half an hour, Jiang Yuduo heard the bathroom door open, and Cheng Ke emerged.
Perhaps finding it difficult to dress himself, Cheng Ke only had on a pair of underwear and his hair was still dripping wet.
“Do you want me to help you get dressed…” Before Jiang Yuduo could sit up, Cheng Ke had already walked over to the side of the sofa, lifted his right leg, stepped over him, and knelt on the sofa with one leg.
“Why?” Jiang Yuduo was taken aback.
Cheng Ke looked down at him for a moment, water droplets falling from his hair onto his face. He wiped his face and said, “You’re asking me, why? Don’t move,” Cheng Ke pointed at him. “My wrist is broken.”
“Huh?” Jiang Yuduo looked at his fingertips.
Cheng Ke quickly moved his fingertips away from Jiang Yuduo’s eyes, pressed his hand against his forehead, and then abruptly lowered his head.
It wasn’t until Cheng Ke’s lips forcefully pressed against his own that Jiang Yuduo realized his breath had stopped.
Please let me know if there are typos/mistakes in the chapter.
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