Chapter 129: I’ll Be Fine if You Just Hold Me
But he didn’t know Wang Lei’s phone number either. These days, few people bothered to memorize phone numbers anymore.
Cheng Ge thought for a moment. Those two kidnappers had either destroyed their phones or left them in the house near the alley as a diversion. Judging by how they had used Wen Ling as bait, the latter seemed more likely.
If so, the phones were either with Wang Lei or the police.
With that in mind, Cheng Ge finished his meal and asked his grandfather for his old-style mobile phone.
“I’m going to make a call to let my classmates know weāre safe.”
“Good, good. You should let them know so they don’t worry.” Grandpa handed the phone to Cheng Ge. “Iāll take the dishes out first. You two have a good chat with your friends.”
Cheng Ge smiled, playing the good boy. “Thank you for your hard work, Grandpa.”
The call went through for about ten seconds before someone finally answered. A cool, crisp female voice, sounding very efficient, came from the other end.
Wen Ling leaned in close, pressing his head against Cheng Ge’s so they could listen together. Cheng Ge put an arm around him, telling him not to wiggle.
Cheng Ge gave a brief account of what happened. The police would handle the rest of the investigation. As for whether they could trace it back to Lin Yuchen, they could only wait.
However, according to the information from 001, something had happened to the plane Lin Yuchen took to go abroad. It wasn’t a “swapping a cat for a prince” situation like before; the one involved was definitely Lin Yuchen himself, though the final outcome was still unknown.
The police informed him that local officers would come by later to take a formal statement. Cheng Ge said a few more words, leaving a message for Wang Lei and his group along with a contact number, before the other side hung up.
As Cheng Ge put the phone down, the space between him and Wen Ling vanished. Wen Lingās face naturally pressed against Cheng Geās.
“What did you say?” Wen Ling had only been pretending to listen for the sake of the excitement; nothing Cheng Ge said to the person had actually registered in his brain.
His original intention had indeed been to hear how Cheng Ge reported their safety. But as soon as he was pressed against Cheng Ge, with Cheng Geās arm around his shoulder in a soothing embrace, all of Wen Lingās sensory attention shifted entirely to the shoulder where Cheng Geās palm rested. It was as if all his cells were rushing toward Cheng Ge.
Cheng Ge saw that Wen Ling had worked so hard to eavesdrop only to hear absolutely nothing. He couldn’t help but pat Wen Lingās shoulder and laugh, nuzzling his cheek against the other’s.
“What kind of ears do you have? If the enemy sent you as a spy, it would be my honor.”
Wen Ling didn’t understand Cheng Ge’s trolling. He asked where this “enemy country” was that sent him as a spy. He knitted his brows, taking it as seriously as if heād been wrongly accused. “I am not a spy.”
“Yes, you are.”
“I’m not!”
“Yes, youāow! Okay, okay, my mistake!”
Cheng Ge, unsurprisingly, was bitten.
In truth, Cheng Ge just liked Wen Ling this way. He loved teasing him, pushing him just a bit too far, and then coaxing him back. Being all lovey-dovey like this made his heart feel sweet.
Once theyād played enough, Cheng Ge pressed his forehead against Wen Lingās. Feeling the heat, he frowned slightly. “How are you still a bit warm? This fever is really stubborn.”
“Do you feel unwell?”
Wen Ling was currently running a low-grade fever. Since the heat hadn’t fully dissipated, he felt a bit listless, but it wasn’t a major issue.
“You’ll be fine if you just hold me,” Wen Ling said, acting sweet.
“Aren’t I holding you right now?” Cheng Geās posture was a half-embrace. Given the state of his leg, this was the maximum amount of physical contact he could manage.
Wen Ling quieted down and let himself be held. Cheng Ge patted him rhythmically, saying casually, “Our Xiao Wen looked a bit unhappy during dinner.”
“A little unhappy,” Wen Ling admitted.
“And why is that?” Cheng Ge had noticed it during the meal. At some point, Wen Lingās mood had turned sullen. Cheng Ge had a faint feeling that Wen Ling was bottling something up.
Wen Ling didn’t want to talk. His eyelashes drooped, and though he remained clingy, he no longer looked at Cheng Ge.
Cheng Ge kissed the corner of Wen Lingās eye. “Itās okay. Think about it yourself first. If you can’t figure it out, tell me. I want you to tell me.”
Wen Ling mumbled some nonsensical things against Cheng Geās shoulder; he was likely still in the stage of internal conflict.
He was prone to strange thoughts and worries, having many little secrets. Sometimes, a bit of thinking or a few words from Cheng Ge would clear things up. Other times, he would get stuck in a dead end, refusing to listen to anyone.
Cheng Ge stayed with Wen Ling quietly. After a while, Wen Ling suddenly said, “I should have helped you wash your hair and take a bath.”
Cheng Ge: “How did your mind jump to that?”
Wen Ling: “Hmm?”
“Itās nothing,” Cheng Ge shook his head. “But I already did a quick wash earlier. You should just focus on your own bath.”
Wen Ling frowned. “When?”
Cheng Ge: “While you were sleeping.”
Wen Ling had slept for a very long time. Cheng Ge had intended to stay with him the whole time, but Grandpa had insisted on applying medicinal wine to Cheng Ge’s injuries. With Grandpa’s help, Cheng Ge had taken a quick bath and washed his hair.
“Ah… the medicinal wine smell is too strong. I couldn’t even tell.”
Cheng Ge laughed helplessly. The look on Wen Lingās face was basically asking, “How does Cheng Ge still smell bad even after a bath?”
Wen Ling was very sensitive to smells. Cheng Ge himself hated that he now smelled like a pungent jar of medicinal wine, but there was no way around it.
“Do you find me repulsive?” Cheng Ge asked with a smile, teasing him on purpose.
Wen Ling held up a hand, using his fingers to show a tiny gap. “Just a little bit. Not Cheng Geājust the smell.”
“Just the smell,” Cheng Ge mimicked him playfully.
Wen Ling actually nodded seriously. If the two of them kept playing like this, it would never end.
Finally, Cheng Ge urged Wen Ling to take a shower, promising they would sleep together afterward. Only then did Wen Ling head into the bathroom, looking back three times with every step.
Wen Ling was just about to help Cheng Ge into bed when Grandpa knocked and came in with a cotton quilt.
Grandpa was still worried about Cheng Geās leg. “Maybe itās better for Wen-zai to sleep in my room. The bed there is bigger, and an old man like me doesn’t take up much space.”
Grandpa’s home was a single-story house with only two rooms. Worried about Cheng Geās leg, he had planned to sleep on the floor himself so the two boys could have the bed.
But Cheng Ge firmly rejected the idea, telling Grandpa not to trouble himself. He said it was perfectly fine for him to sleep with Wen Ling and that Wen Ling was a very quiet sleeper.
“No, no! Really, Grandpa, there’s no need. Iāll just sleep with Wen-zai. My leg won’t have any problems.”
As if heād ever let Wen Ling sleep with anyone else. If that happened, the other person might not see the sun tomorrow.
Grandpa was still a bit worried but always deferred to his grandson. He placed the quilt on the bed. “Alright then. Wen-zai, if anything happens at night, just call for me. I’m right next door, so don’t be afraid to bother me.”
Wen Ling looked at Cheng Ge and blinked. Cheng Ge gave his hand a secret squeeze, and Wen Ling nodded. “Okay. Thank you, Grandpa.”
“Hahaha, no need for thanks. Weāre all family.”
Cheng Ge laughed along, agreeing that they were all family.
After Grandpa finished making the bed, he closed the door and left. With one hand braced against the bed and the other supported by Wen Ling, Cheng Ge sat down and then hoisted his leg onto the mattress.
Cheng Ge’s left leg was the one that was broken. To prevent Wen Ling from “launching a sneak attack” in his sleep, Cheng Ge had Wen Ling sleep on the right side.
It wasn’t that late yet, but since both had slept for a while during the day, it was hard to drift off. With no phones to kill time, they could only lie in bed and space out, observing the room.
The original hostās room wasn’t large. The furniture was a bit old, but very clean, likely because Grandpa cleaned it often.
There were a few notebooks on a small shelf by the bed. Cheng Ge didn’t dare touch them recklessly; he only picked up a worn-out storybook from the top to flip through. He looked at the front and back covers before putting it back.
Cheng Ge glanced at the person leaning lightly against his shoulder.
Wen Ling was expressionless, his eyes only blinking once in a long while.
Cheng Ge suddenly asked, “Do you want to hear a story?”
Wen Lingās eyelashes curved up. “I do.”
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