CWITAR Chapter 8

“Do you want me to talk to your class teacher?”

 

“Tongxue, is your Laoshi asking if you’re feeling better?” The school doctor walked in while listening to the phone, and seeing the chaotic scene, she involuntarily exclaimed, rubbing her temples as she continued to speak into the receiver, “This Xuesheng¹ Xuesheng = Student in your class has vomited again, and he looks like he’s in a lot of trouble. Let’s not let him attend the evening study session. Huh? Tongxue?” 

 

Qi Juan forced himself to cover his mouth, got up from the bed, and rushed to the bathroom.

 

As he closed the door, he couldn’t hold it back and vomited some of the dissolved wasabi along with a little leftover milk. His fingertips even pressed into his upper abdomen.

 

He held onto the sink and vomited intermittently for quite a while. He wasn’t sure if it was due to being hungry for too long and experiencing a sudden drop in blood sugar, or because of the cramped and stuffy space, but his head felt a bit dizzy and heavy.

 

The rushing water quickly washed everything away, and some water splashed onto his arms, feeling cool and moist when the wind blew.

 

The small window above his head depicted the evening sky that had not yet completely darkened. The dim yellowish light from outside streamed in, with only a few beams falling on his face.

 

Staring at his reflection in the bathroom mirror, Qi Juan’s face seemed sharply divided into two distinct blocks of colors, making him suddenly feel very unfamiliar.

 

Outside, the two people couldn’t hear what they were saying. Chi Yin’s voice was low, and nothing could be distinguished. However, the doctor’s voice was loud enough that they could barely make out a few phrases like “go and take a look.”

 

After the footsteps faded away, a hand came over and started rubbing Chi Yin’s loose short T-shirt. Chi Yin turned his face and leaned against Qijuan’s back, and his hot breath warmed Qijuan’s spine.

 

Qi Juan’s narrow and slender waist was tightly embraced by Chi Yin’s warm touch, and he swayed slightly, supporting himself against the sink.

 

“Is your stomach still hurting?” Chi Yin asked.

 

For a moment, Qi Juan felt a bit dazed, and after a while, he smiled and said, “I don’t know.”

 

In reality, he could only breathe in small gasps, and his stomach felt like it was being twisted like a towel, causing his voice to be low and weak when he spoke.

 

Qi Juan leaned against the edge of the sink, feeling somewhat unsteady. Since he was much taller than Chi Yin, when he slid down, Chi Yin couldn’t support him and ended up falling down together with him. Chi Yin kept muttering, “It’s just a pity, one month is too short.”

 

Qijuan hunched his body, cold sweat dripping down his cheeks, and his arms hung weakly on his knees. He didn’t want to say anything anymore, wishing he could just dig out the troublesome and painful organ from his body.

 

The wind blew the clothes, causing them to billow and then settle down. The thin layer of sweat turned cool, bringing a cold sensation that seemed to penetrate beneath the skin.

 

After calming down for a while, he finally stood up with a rustling sound, took out a cigarette from his pocket, and lit it up. His fingers trembled, and he struggled to light it up several times, but in the end, Chi Yin couldn’t bear watching and helped him light the cigarette.

 

Chi Yin said, “I really can’t believe you. Your hands are shaking like you have Parkinson’s.”²just in case someone don’t know, Parkinson is a disorder of the central nervous system that affects the movements.

 

“Stop standing around here,” Qi Juan didn’t want to talk much with him. He leaned against the wall, smoking the cigarette. Unusually, he didn’t stand up straight, giving off a somewhat desolate feeling.

 

“You know I hate it when people smoke, and yet you still smoke,” Chi Yin said, “It’s so damn unpleasant. The doctor even asked me to bring you some medicine, but you know what, I don’t think you should take it. Just live your life with cigarettes, it suits you just fine.”

 

Qi Juan squinted his eyes and replied, “I couldn’t ask for more.”

 

Chi Yin pursed his lips and casually threw a box of stomach medicine out of the window, saying, “You can handle yourself here, I’ll wait for you outside.”

 

As he waited for the door to close, Qi Juan bent down and pressed his stomach hard with his knuckles. After taking a moment to recover, he flicked the cigarette ash and took another deep drag of the cigarette.

 

Once the nicotine entered his lungs, his throat felt dry and scratchy, as if it had been tickled by feathers.

 

The narrow space was filled with the pungent smell of smoke, and coupled with the fact that he had been smoking a lot these past two days, Qijuan felt uncomfortable. He raised his hand and threw the remaining half of the cigarette butt into the sink and flushed it away.

 

Hesitating for a moment while looking at the blurry figure on the glass, he finally pushed the door open. When he raised his thin eyelids and looked over, he noticed that the person leaning outside was not Chi Yin.

 

“Smoking?” Yu Yue Sheng asked.

 

“Yeah, it helps with the pain,” Qi Juan lazily smiled, his slightly narrowed eyes devoid of any luster.

 

He was then horizontally lifted up by Yu Yue Sheng.

 

Qi Juan didn’t resist, he just leaned in his arms and let out a low and subtle groan of pain, almost imperceptible.

 

As soon as the young boy got on the bed, he curled up in pain, resembling a plant that hastily retracts its branches and leaves when exposed to light, enclosing himself and not allowing anyone to approach.

 

It was only the second day of school, and they had already met three times in the medical room. The boy’s stomach problem seemed to be getting worse each time, and Yu Yue Sheng didn’t know how to handle the situation.

 

Although Qi Juan was quite tall, even a few centimeters taller than Yu Yue Sheng, there were times when he would stand up and make people subconsciously overlook the fact that he was only in his early teens.

 

But when he was in discomfort, he would curl up like a small creature, making people feel that he was very lonely and fragile.

 

The trash can at the foot of the bed still emitted a faint milk smell, and it was unclear whether it had spilled or if the person had vomited. Yu Yue Sheng lowered his eyelashes and lifted his foot to kick the things into the bed.

 

“I’ll give you a massage.” He sat down beside Qi Juan’s bed and rubbed his hands before reaching under the covers.

 

Chi Yin stood nearby, looking as if he had something to say but was holding back. Yu Yue Sheng glanced at him and asked, “Haven’t you gone to the evening self-study?”

 

Chi Yin licked his lips and replied, “Laoshi, I asked for leave to accompany my partner.”

 

Yu Yue Sheng said, “Are you from Class 8? Do you want me to talk to your class teacher?”

 

Chi Yin touched the back of his neck and hesitated, “No need, I just remembered that I have a test next class, so I’ll go back now. You two can talk.”

 

After Chi Yin left, Qi Juan couldn’t help but chuckle. He imitated Yu Yue Sheng’s tone and said, “Do you want me to talk to your class teacher?”

 

Yu Yue Sheng: “…”

 

Qi Juan laughed so hard that his shoulders shook. “Hahaha. It would be great if I had that power too.”

 

Clutching his stomach, he gasped for breath, making small gasping sounds like a little dog that had been spiced.

 

Yu Yue Sheng: “…”

 

He had a bewildered expression on his face, as if looking at a fool.

 

“Okay, let’s stop joking,” Qi Juan snuggled into Yu Yue Sheng’s arms and rubbed against him. His ice-cold little hand covered Yu Yue Sheng’s hand as they both rubbed together. He licked his chapped lips and looked at him with bright, sparkling eyes. “But, why did the Laoshi come back? Are you worried about me?”

 

Yu Yue Sheng hesitated for a moment and then withdrew his hand as if escaping. “You can rub it yourself.”

 

“No, no, no,” Qi Juan quickly moved his hand away and curled up under the blanket, frowning in a pitiful manner. “It hurts a lot, and I can’t do it properly myself. I heard the nurse calling you just now. I didn’t expect you to come so quickly. After seeing Laoshi , my mood improved.”

 

Yu Yue Sheng: “I have something to ask you.”

 

Qi Juan stopped pretending to be pitiful and hugged the blanket, asking, “What is it?”

 

“I met Han Xiao, and he talked about what happened back then.”

 

“Mm,” Qi Juan fell silent for a moment.

 

Although he really wanted Yu Yue Sheng to understand the whole situation and the reasons behind his actions, he was reluctant to expose his vulnerable side forced upon him to Yu Yue Sheng. Getting beaten up was not a glorious thing, and Qi Juan felt quite embarrassed about it. That’s why he didn’t explain it to Yu Yue Sheng right away.

 

Yu Yue Sheng: “What he said to Chen Geou and the others was slightly different. I can’t judge right now, so you tell me about the situation back then.”

 

Qi Juan bit his lip and replied, “It was Chen Geou and the others who started it first. I only defended myself. Besides, there was no need for me to pick a fight when they outnumbered me. It would have been pointless and troublesome.”

 

“Oh.”

 

“Do you believe what I said?”

 

Yu Yue Sheng looked at him but didn’t give a definite answer. He only said, “Qi Juan, you also resorted to violence. As for the early romantic relationship issue, I will have to talk to your parents about it.”

 

“This, let’s not talk about it. I’ve broken up with him, it’s true. I’m a genuine student of your class, please don’t be biased against me…” Qi Juan said, but then he let out a “hiss” sound and slowly buried himself under the blanket.

 

The aftereffect of eating the wasabi seemed to kick in again. His stomach was stinging, and cold sweat dripped from his slightly pointed chin.

 

Helplessly, Yu Yue Sheng gently stroked Qi Juan’s back, feeling the small raised spine lying obediently in his hand. If it weren’t for the slight trembling of the slender shoulders, it would have been hard to tell that he was enduring pain.

 

“Did you not eat at night?” Yu Yue Sheng asked him.

 

“I don’t eat dinner. I don’t have that habit.” A slightly hoarse voice slipped out from the gap where Qi Juan had buried his head.

 

“You don’t even know how your stomach is doing? If you keep alternating between starving and overeating like this, no one can save you.” Yu Yue Sheng angrily took out his phone and scrolled through it. “I ordered porridge, I’ll have it delivered later, you should eat something.”

 

“Mhm.” Despite being scolded, Qi Juan felt happy in his heart. He lowered his head, appearing to be somewhat pitiful, but there was a faint smile in his eyes. 

 

He seems… to be concerned about me?

 

Yu Yue Sheng continued scrolling through his phone, and it seemed like he dialed a number as Qi Juan faintly heard the sound of a busy line from the other side. 

 

“Why can’t I get through to your parents’ phone?” Yu Yue Sheng asked.

 

“My parents—” Before Qi Juan could finish his sentence, he quickly fell off the bed, his hands trembling as he reached for the trash bin under the bed.

 

Yu Yue Sheng was about to help him, but Qi Juan had already plopped down on the floor, holding the trash bin with his back to Yu Yue Sheng, silently retching, and only the sound of water in the bag could be heard.

 

Perhaps because he was bending his body, the protrusion of his spine was too evident, thin and a little heartrending.

 

Why a teenager in his teens could end up like this?

 

Qi Juan quickly pushed the trash bin inside. Leaning against the bedside table, he slowly picked at his fingernails and forced a smile, “My parents work outside, they can only come back during the Chinese New Year, so it’s hard to contact them usually.”

 

Yu Yue Sheng frowned and continued to ask, “Then who do you live with? Your grandfather and grandmother?”

 

Qi Juan replied, “I live with my aunt. She’s also quite busy, working at the factory, and she can only come home once every few days. I can give you her number.” His eyelashes drooped, looking quite dejected, and he added, “I don’t know when she’ll be able to come back.”

 

So, he’s living alone. What can a young boy who hasn’t experienced much in life know? He probably faced hardships growing up.

 

Other kids go home to warm and cozy lights, but this child goes home and probably doesn’t even have a warm meal. He must have been fending for himself for a long time.

 

“I’ll get in touch with her,” Yu Yue Sheng said, feeling that Qi Juan’s family situation was quite difficult. He could only respond, “You don’t need to come for the evening self-study. I’ll ask the class monitor to send you the homework. If your stomach feels better when you get back, you can do it, but if you’re still not feeling well, just forget about it. I’ll talk to the other teachers.”

 

–

 

The moonlight was deep, and a gentle evening breeze brushed through the open window on the balcony. Qi Juan didn’t turn on the lights, just slowly took a puff of his cigarette.

 

Standing in his position, he could look up and see distant high-rise buildings and the twinkling lights of thousands of households. His slender fingers rested on the windowsill as he casually flicked the cigarette ash, creating a flicker of stars that soon vanished into the wind.

 

His phone vibrated in his pocket, and Qi Juan waited until he finished smoking before turning back into the room.

 

It was his aunt who sent him a message: [What’s going on, you little brat? Your class teacher called me and asked me to go over on Friday.]

 

Qi Juan thought, “Wow, they called so quickly.” His fingers had just pressed the keyboard, and he hadn’t typed even two characters yet.

 

To his surprise, what his aunt said was not what Qi Juan had anticipated: [Your Laoshi said your stomach is acting up? Are you okay? Does it still hurt? Should you go to the hospital to get it checked?]

 

[Also, you little rascal, are you tired of living? How dare you still smoke?!]

 

[I came home this afternoon to get some stuff, and I heated up some porridge for you in the pot. If you get hungry while doing your homework tonight, eat some. If I catch you smoking again, I’ll beat you to death, do you hear me?]

 

Upon seeing the message, Qu Jian chuckled and replied,【It’s nothing, it stopped hurting earlier. Thanks, my beautiful lady.】

 

Casually wearing his slippers, he walked to the kitchen and turned on the light.

 

The electric rice cooker emitted a misty hot steam, accompanied by the refreshing aroma of rice porridge spreading all around. Qu Jian scooped two spoonfuls of red bean porridge into a bowl and carried it back to his room. He sat on the chair, slowly stirring the spoon in the bowl with one hand, while the other hand lazily flipped through his phone placed on the table.

 

As soon as school started, the class group chat resumed its lively and chatty state. Several girls were also asking what happened to Qijuan today, wondering why he had disappeared since the beginning of classes.

 

Quijuan casually replied with, “Not interested, don’t want to go.” He noticed that someone had messaged him on WeChat.

 

While stirring the hot porridge, his hand paused when he saw the content of the message.

 

Two striking pictures: one of him spilling milk, and another of half of his face.

Quijuan’s slightly raised lips immediately turned serious.

 

Zuo Ziming: “Is this you? Who took the video? What were you guys doing?”

Quijuan had just finished typing slowly: “?? Where did you get these from?”

 

The messages from the other person popped up urgently: [Quijuan! Don’t tell me you didn’t know you’re lactose intolerant? Why did you drink milk? Are you trying to kill yourself?]

 

[Don’t worry about where I got them from.] 

 

[Is it that annoying kid, Chiyin? Have you been in contact with him again?!]

 

[He’s just crazy; don’t bother with him.]

 

[No, I can’t take it. I’m going to confront him tomorrow.]

 

Quijuan’s reply came after a long pause:[Don’t go looking for him. Just tell me where you got them from, and I’ll ask him to delete them.]

 

The person on the other side was “typing” for quite a while before finally replying: “I saw it on a foreign website. It had a high click rate. Fortunately, it was me who found it. If someone else saw it, I wouldn’t know what to think.”

 

Qi Juan let out a sigh of relief, scooped a spoonful of hot porridge, and drank it: [It’s alright. I’ll ask him to delete it. Who the heck has nothing better to do than to climb over the wall just to find information about me.]

 

Zuo Ziming: [I did.]

 

Qi Juan: “…” 

 

Just as he was thinking about how to explain it to Chi Yin, he heard the sound of the door opening. It couldn’t be his aunt returning at this time. So, who could it be?

 

“How did you come here?”

 

“I came to see if you were okay. Your aunt told me that you were sick, so as a ‘good friend,’ I felt obligated to come and take care of you,” Chi Yin said as he walked in.

 

“Give you the Best Actor Award,” Qi Juan said leaning against the wall, speaking slowly.

“I’m just worried about you,” Chi Yin said, unloading his backpack onto a chair and taking out some clean clothes.

 

“There’s no one else here, why act like this? Do we need to pretend whether we’re concerned or not?” Qi Juan retorted.

 

“Fine, so I came to see if you were dead or not. Are you satisfied now? Is that what you want to hear for you to be happy?” Chi Yin angrily stuffed the clothes back into the bag and, holding the backpack, walked into the room.

 

Qi Juan couldn’t be bothered with him and just sat on the sofa, lighting a cigarette. After a few minutes, Chi Yin came out, holding the porridge that Qi Juan had left in the room, and placed it on the coffee table.

 

Chi Yin squatted on the opposite side of the coffee table, nudging the hot porridge toward Qi Juan’s direction, and said in a pleasing tone, “I’m sorry, Qi Juan. Are you still not feeling well? Look, I brought the porridge out for you. Have it while it’s hot, don’t be angry with yourself.”

 

Qi Juan was annoyed by his interference, but looking at Chi Yin’s pitiful appearance, he reluctantly said, “Later.”

 

“Alright. Remember not to let it cool down,” Chi Yin reminded repeatedly before returning to the room.

 

As Qi Juan was finishing his cigarette, he heard Chi Yin talking on the phone inside and then saw him coming out again.

 

Qi Juan felt like he had been watching Chi Yin run back and forth for a while, so he decided to ignore him and instead picked up the bowl and took a sip of the porridge.

 

After that, they heard the sound of the front door opening and closing. Qi Juan glanced over and saw Chi Yin coming back with a bag of takeout.

 

“Clay pot rice. I didn’t eat dinner either. Do you want to eat? Want to join me?” Chi Yin raised the bag in his hand and asked him cheerfully.

 

“Not interested,” Qi Juan said.

 

“Alright.” Chi Yin dragged a chair to the dining table and sat down. “If you want to eat, just let me know.”

 

“Okay,” Qi Juan replied.

 

Qi Juan noticed there was still about half a bowl of porridge left in his bowl, so he picked it up and drank while walking towards the kitchen to wash the bowl.

 

Unexpectedly, as he took a sip, a spicy taste spread across his lips. He quickly crouched down and spit everything from his throat into the trash can.

 

！

 

It was a rotten, soft capsule that had burst open, and there were a few mouthfuls of yellow-green mustard!

 

In Qi Juan’s eyes, this thing was like suddenly stepping on a burst poisonous insect, with sticky juice rolling out, it was almost unbearable!!

 

Qi Juan spat disgustingly several times, but still couldn’t suppress the nausea, so he rushed to the bathroom and vomited out the porridge he had eaten in the evening.

 

He rinsed his mouth with tap water for a long time, but that pungent taste seemed to take root in his mind and wouldn’t go away.

 

When he came out of the bathroom, Chi Yin was still acting as if nothing had happened, sitting there playing with his phone and eating the clay pot rice. The greasy smell of the food almost made Qi Juan vomit again.

 

Qi Juan leaned against the wall and said, “Chi Yin, how many times is this now? Aren’t you afraid that I’ll report to the police? Don’t turn my tolerance for you into a sharp blade to stab me in the back, okay? If it weren’t for…”

 

“Why stop now? Keep going,” Chi Yin lifted his head, a small smirk forming on his lips. “Hehe, I don’t think it’s a big deal. What’s next? Are you going to tell me you like me? Or maybe you’ll bring up how my family lent your dad some money when he was sick?”

 

Qi Juan kept his eyes lowered, seemingly lost in thought.

 

Chi Yin continued to twist the knife, “You still remember, right? Remembering is enough. No matter how harshly you speak now, I know you can’t bring yourself to be truly cruel. Without my family’s help, your dad would have died a long time ago, and he wouldn’t have held on for so long.”

 

Qi Juan remained silent.

 

“One month,” Chi Yin clenched his teeth, forcing the words out, “That’s what you said. Then we’re even.”

 

Qi Juan stayed silent for a few seconds, “Fine.”

 

Upon hearing this, Chi Yin breathed a sigh of relief.

 

“What’s the deal with the photos online? Why did you include my face in them?” Qi Juan stared at Chi Yin, feeling an urge to punch him for some reason. After enduring for a few seconds, Qi Juan felt a sharp pain in his stomach, rendering him unable to speak. His eyes lost their luster, a sign of his desolation.

 

He walked over to the sofa, hugging a cushion as he curled up. He endured the pouring sweat and the explosion of fireworks in his stomach, feeling the intense pain.

 

Chi Yin muttered, “You suddenly pulled me down, and I hadn’t even reacted yet. It was probably at that moment when my hand accidentally included you in the frame.”

 

Through the cabinet, Chi Yin kept talking non-stop, “I deleted the video long ago. I told them not to spread it around. Those screenshots were taken by netizens, and I can’t do anything about it. I can’t go to each person’s home to stop them. It’ll be fine in a couple of days. People will forget about it soon, and who can recognize you from just half of your face?”

 

Qi Juan pressed the pillow against his stomach, taking some time to recover before speaking coldly, “Don’t bother me. You can have the bed, I’ll sleep on the sofa.”

 

“Oh,” Chi Yin responded. It seemed like he had finished eating, as the sound of rustling plastic bags came from his side. After a while, he came over with a cup, placing it obediently in front of Qi Juan. “I poured hot water for you, drink some.”

 

Qi Juan turned over, facing away from him indifferently, “Thank you, but I’m afraid you might poison me.”

 

“Whatever,” Chi Yin didn’t mind, “I’m going to take a shower and go to bed. You should rest early too.”

 

After waiting for Chi Yin to go far away, Qi Juan finally opened the drawer under the coffee table. He remembered that the stomach medicine and painkillers were all kept inside. However, when he looked inside the drawer, every box was empty. Even the medicine blister packs were gone, as if someone had taken them all away. Only a note with a smiling face drawing remained, and at the bottom-right corner, it was neatly written “DAY1.” He recalled Chi Yin’s words, “Let’s start from today.”

 

Qi Juan crumpled the note and threw it far away, curling up on the sofa. Unfortunately, at this moment, his phone started ringing.

“What’s going on? Are they all in a hurry to be reincarnated? Why are they contacting me at this time?”

 

Qi Juan thought, clutching his hands over his stomach. He was in so much pain that he felt weak all over and didn’t dare to move. He could only quietly listen to the ringing on the coffee table and the rushing water sound coming from the bathroom.

 

• 1
  Xuesheng = Student
• 2
  just in case someone don’t know, Parkinson is a disorder of the central nervous system that affects the movements.