When Liang Xiao returned, both of his hands were full, carrying several bags. Lu Ze and he had only recently become acquainted, so they weren’t that familiar. Despite feeling unwell, Lu Ze instinctively sat up and asked, “Why… so many things?”
Liang Xiao placed several bags on the nearby small table and took out a small water bottle.
Lu Ze paused, and Liang Xiao explained, “I live nearby; the water bottle and power bank are from my home, they’re clean.”
He plugged in the water bottle, took the power bank, and walked to the bedside. Just as Lu Ze was about to reach for it, Liang Xiao had already bent over to pick up his phone.
The charging alert sounded, and Liang Xiao put the phone and power bank back, saying, “Alright, should we eat first or check your temperature?”
“Let’s check the temperature first…” Lu Ze said, holding onto a glimmer of hope that if his temperature wasn’t too high, he might not have to eat anything.
Liang Xiao nodded and took out a newly bought mercury thermometer, gently shaking it twice before handing it to Lu Ze.
As Lu Ze took it, Liang Xiao stood quietly by the bed, watching him. Lu Ze had to muster the courage to open his shirt and quickly place the thermometer in his armpit.
Between him and other guys, there was never any awkwardness; it was normal to be shirtless in the dorm. However, with Liang Xiao, they had just met, and Lu Ze had rented him out without the chance to interact like normal friends, making everything feel uneasy.
Not wanting these five minutes of temperature measurement to be too awkward, Lu Ze was about to find a topic when he started, “You…”
“You’re not gay, are you?” Liang Xiao interrupted, asking directly.
Lu Ze hadn’t expected him to ask this question so directly, hesitated for two seconds, and then nodded, “Yeah, I’ve never liked guys. I’m just…”
Lu Ze was contemplating how to explain that despite not liking men, he still rented a boyfriend. However, Liang Xiao seemed to be completely indifferent to the reasons. He casually said, “Then you don’t have to consider me as a boyfriend. Just think of it as finding someone to take care of you.”
Lu Ze looked up at Liang Xiao and couldn’t help asking, “You also don’t like men, right? You haven’t had any male clients before. Don’t you find it awkward?”
“Earning money has nothing to do with feeling awkward,” Liang Xiao said. “I don’t mind; it’s the same whether it’s a man or a woman.”
Lu Ze felt that Liang Xiao’s perspective was different from what he had expected. He thought Liang Xiao was the type of handsome guy with a strong personality who did this for fun, but it seemed like Liang Xiao was genuinely doing it for the money.
However, after the conversation opened up, it didn’t feel as awkward. Lu Ze took out the thermometer, held it up, and looked at it for a long time, unable to see where the mercury line was, whether it was an issue with the thermometer or with him.
Liang Xiao reached out, “Give it to me.”
Lu Ze handed him the thermometer, and Liang Xiao glanced at it in the light and immediately read out the temperature, “Around 38 degrees, you still need to take medicine. Let’s have lunch first. Do you want to eat in bed?”
Lu Ze waved his hands repeatedly, “No need, I’ll go down to eat.”
There’s no bed table in the hotel room, and is Liang Xiao planning to feed him in bed? That would be too dedicated.
Liang Xiao bought him meat-filled steamed buns, millet porridge, and pickled vegetables. They smelled appetizing, but Lu Ze felt too unwell to have an appetite. Stirring the porridge with a spoon, he asked, “Have you eaten? Let’s eat together.”
“I’ve eaten.” Liang Xiao replied. He poured hot water into a disposable paper cup and set it aside to cool. Then, he picked up the box of fever-reducing medicine and examined it for a moment. “You can take one fifteen minutes after eating. Let’s eat the meal first.”
Lu Ze nodded, “You can sit, no need to worry about me.”
Liang Xiao looked at him without moving. After a moment, Lu Ze smiled and said, “Sorry, my brain isn’t working well with the fever. What I mean is, even though I paid, I don’t need you to be my boyfriend. Just…you don’t have to be too…”
After just a few sentences, Lu Ze found it challenging to express himself. In the end, he seemed impatient with his own words, “Damn, I don’t even know what I’m saying. Just forget what I said.”
Liang Xiao seemed amused by him. Although he had been caring and attentive like a boyfriend, his face had remained expressionless. Now, a faint smile appeared.
He said, “Let’s make it a discount, one hundred and twenty per hour.”
Lu Ze snapped his fingers with his left hand, “Deal.”
Liang Xiao responded with a snap, louder than Lu Ze.
Knowing it wasn’t intentional, Lu Ze put down the spoon in his right hand and snapped again.
This time, Liang Xiao used his left hand and still snapped louder.
Lu Ze frowned, saying, “Enough, you’re bullying a sick person, and I don’t have the strength.”
Liang Xiao nudged the cup of water he had prepared toward Lu Ze, “If you’re weak, drink more water and eat more.”
In the end, Lu Ze didn’t eat much. He only had two out of the four small buns and consumed half a bowl of porridge. Liang Xiao didn’t say anything, just handed him the medicine when it was time. “Take one for now.”
After taking the medicine and lying back down, Lu Ze soon felt drowsy. With a hoarse voice, he joked with Liang Xiao, “Hey handsome, your job is quite easy. You can earn 120 just by watching me sleep for an hour.”
“Sleep, it doesn’t count as work hours,” Liang Xiao replied.
“Hey, don’t go… I was just joking. Besides, you can’t take other jobs during this time…”
Liang Xiao replied, and not knowing what, Lu Ze, his eyelids grew heavy, and he fell asleep.
After Lu Ze fell asleep, Liang Xiao sat on the nearby bed. Notifications popped up on both phones, and he replied to each one.
An old customer messaged: [Handsome Xiao Da, do you have time for dinner? Two hours, treat you to a feast.]
Liang Xiao glanced at the time in the upper right corner, unsure how long Lu Ze would sleep. Among the unread messages, there was someone available for chat. Liang Xiao declined the old customer, replying: [Sorry, no time tonight.]
Old customer: [How about tomorrow or the day after? I’m flexible; check your schedule.]
Liang Xiao: [Tomorrow night works.]
Old customer: [Great, 6 p.m. tomorrow.]
Liang Xiao: [OK]
After replying to the messages, Liang Xiao found the chat avatar of the companion, a pink rabbit: [We can start now.]
Pink rabbit: [You’re so busy, little brother.]
Pink rabbit: [I’ve been trying to find you for a while before you had time.]
Liang Xiao usually doesn’t respond to such messages; if the other person sees that he doesn’t reply, they naturally won’t waste time.
Pink Rabbit: ［I had a fight with a friend today, I’m so sad（crying loudly）］
Liang Xiao, with a cold and stoic expression, skillfully sends comforting words: ［Sweetheart, don’t cry. Why did you have a fight?］
Pink Rabbit: ［I told my friend about chatting with you. She thinks it’s not serious, as if I haven’t found a boyfriend. I just want to experience what it feels like to have a boyfriend…］
Liang Xiao changes the subject for her: ［What does it feel like?］
Pink Rabbit: ［（Shy）］
Pink Rabbit: ［It feels super nice; you’re so gentle. That’s why I came back to you]
The person next to them turned around, and Liang Xiao glanced to the side. Lu Ze’s face had become considerably redder than before.
He continued chatting with the Pink Rabbit, keeping an eye on Lu Ze. About an hour and a half later, Lu Ze frowned, kicked the blanket, and his forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat.
Liang Xiao directly sent a message: ［Sorry, I have to end it now.］
The Pink Rabbit was somewhat disappointed: ［It’s only been a little over an hour; I haven’t chatted enough.］
Liang Xiao: ［I’ll count it as one hour for you.］
Pink Rabbit: ［No need, no need. I’ll find you again next time.］
She directly sent the remaining payment and waved goodbye. Liang Xiao replied with an emoji, put away his phone, and got off the bed.
He walked over to Lu Ze’s bed, covered him neatly with the blanket, and then took out a new towel from his bag. After soaking it, he wiped the sweat from Lu Ze’s forehead and neck.
Lu Ze raised his hand and grabbed Liang Xiao’s wrist, looking at him half-awake. Liang Xiao whispered, “Wiping off your sweat for you.”
Lu Ze nodded again in a daze and fell back asleep.
