Chapter 53: Absurd — Baby is Shy
At 4:30 in the morning, the sky was covered with a layer of ink-blue curtain. Jiang Yunian lay limp on the bed, his bangs sweaty and clumped into small tufts. His sleeping eyes were closed, and dried tear stains still hung on his fair cheeks. Covered by a cotton quilt, one of his legs was bent awkwardly, evidently maintained for a long time; his rounded knee exposed outside faintly showed little crescent bruises.
Birdsong came vaguely from outside the window, mixed with the sound of the whistling wind. The lingering charm inside the room had not yet settled. Jiang Yan lay over the person who had fainted, cupping his neck with both hands, incessantly sucking on the only remaining clean patch, leaving a deep brand. Only when the sky brightened slightly did he carefully pick up the person who had passed out and walk into his own bedroom.
He wiped his brother’s body meticulously with a wet towel, his movements gentle to the point of reverence. After cleaning up, he opened a tattered green shoe box deep in the closet and carefully placed the used towel inside.
Locking the cabinet door, his phone screen suddenly lit up, and a new message popped up: [Qi Liangji has taken action.]
Jiang Yan’s slightly tired eyes turned cold. His fingertips tapped a few times before he stuffed the phone back into the pocket of his coat, lay back on the bed, pulled the person into his arms, and gradually drifted into dreamland.
This sleep lasted until the afternoon. Jiang Yunian woke up in a daze. The soreness all over his body brought the memories of last night flooding back like a tide. He, a straight man who had lived well for twenty years, was actually treated like that… He covered his face in shame and buried himself in the quilt, exposing only a pink ear tip, and began to regret.
The sound of splashing water came from the bathroom. Originally, he wanted to wash last night too, but he couldn’t push Jiang Yan away no matter what. He was made to wait again and again. Unknown how long passed, shaking his sweat-drenched head, his eyes barely able to open, he still didn’t receive the demon’s mercy. Jiang Yan was simply too excessive last night, like a terrifying tyrant. If he hadn’t fainted at the end, he feared the other wouldn’t have stopped at all.
Jiang Yunian touched the floor with his toes, trying to get out of bed to get clothes, but he underestimated Jiang Yan’s night of cultivation. His legs had no strength at all. If he hadn’t grabbed the nightstand, he would have nearly taken a big tumble. Holding the wall, he barely straightened up. Moving like a turtle, his calves trembling, he dawdled and finally reached the cabinet door, but couldn’t open it no matter what.
“It’s not locked…”
Probably the wooden cabinet was too old, and the two pieces of wood were stuck dead tight; it hadn’t been opened for a long time. Inside were mostly his parents’ old clothes, piled up for many years. It seemed he had to clean it up another day, lest it attract bugs.
In his condition, he didn’t have extra strength to pull it open, so he had to move to the other end of the bed and take Jiang Yan’s worn coat from the hanger. As soon as he took it down, his hand shook a bit, and something accidentally fell out of the pocket, making a crisp sound as it hit the ground.
Looking closely, a mobile phone was lying impressively by his feet. It looked very new, obviously an expensive item. Jiang Yunian’s heart skipped a beat. He squatted down and just touched the edge when a hand suddenly reached over from the side and snatched it from him. The other party’s movement was a bit rough, dragging his wrist forward. Jiang Yunian, having just engaged in the most intimate act with his lover, was particularly sensitive to slight sensations. Before he could even have a proper tender moment, Jiang Yan lost patience, actually caring about the phone first and nearly knocking him over.
Jiang Yunian curled his knuckles, retracting his hand in grievance, asking when he bought the new phone. Seeing the brand was Apple, something he couldn’t bear to buy himself.
“The old one broke,” Jiang Yan responded casually, stuffing the phone into his pants pocket. Looking up, he saw Jiang Yunian draped only in a large coat, looking like he was about to collapse, his eyes still red, staring at him resentfully. His heart jumped, and his expression softened instantly. He hurriedly picked the person up horizontally, put him back on the bed, and wrapped him carefully in the quilt. Hugging him, he coaxed him with a few words, saying the new model comes out next week and he’d get one for Ge too.
Coaxed by him, the sourness in Jiang Yunian’s heart melted away. He started complaining about his lavish spending; buying such an expensive phone just like that. He must have hung out with Zhou Shu too much and didn’t treat money as money.
He refused, saying his own phone was fine, advising him not to spend recklessly. He didn’t earn much to begin with, so he should learn to be thrifty and manage the household. His appearance of solemnly lecturing was truly cute; saving money for him before even marrying in. Jiang Yan couldn’t help laughing low, following kindness like a flow: “Listen to Wi…”
He paused, correcting himself: “Listen to Ge.”
Jiang Yunian caught that word almost immediately. Knowing what he wanted to call him, he buried his small face in his shoulder, blushing and muttering, “Don’t call me that randomly…”
Being unaccustomed was one thing, but more so because the LG incident still left him with lingering fears. Jiang Yan simply didn’t mention it further. Instead, he hugged his arm and pressed for details about last night, asking if he was comfortable. He even deliberately mentioned details Jiang Yunian couldn’t remember himself: Ge screamed so loud, was it real or fake? Could it be pretending? I heard online that many act it out. Don’t lie to me, or it will blow my self-esteem.
Who? Blow his self-esteem?
His self-esteem was the one blown, okay?
Someone was really too much!
Jiang Yunian tearfully accused him of his atrocious behavior last night. All his pleading couldn’t exchange for a shred of pity. Later on, Jiang Yan played deaf directly; pushing and pulling were like tickling to him. Sometimes when the screams weren’t what he wanted to hear, he even used his fingers to plug his mouth, preventing him from making sound, until his brain was chaotic and he could no longer stay awake.
Just thinking about it was scary.
In the heat of passion, the two were absurd for several days, almost inseparable. Basically, Jiang Yan was in a neurotic state when facing him. With just one look from him, Jiang Yunian could read the meaning, and then he would suffer. If this went on, he really couldn’t take it. To fight for his rights, he made a three-chapter agreement with Jiang Yan: maximum twice a day, and only if both returned early. Before this, he actually proposed twice a week, but was pressed down and “taught a lesson” by Jiang Yan in a certain special way before dropping it. Jiang Yan was unusually stubborn in this regard, not giving an inch. All of Jiang Yunian’s resistance was ruthlessly suppressed, and he signed the unequal treaty with grievances.
At home, he had no way to deal with Jiang Yan. So, he chose to confine the “battlefield” to the campus, hiding when he could.
A few minutes before class ended, the afterglow of the setting sun shone through the classroom window, casting dazzling spots on the blackboard. Hao Meng walked onto the podium and gently knocked on the desk: “The department is organizing a study tour to Yun Mountain to see maple leaves, camping at night to watch stars. Anyone want to sign up?”
She blinked. “Family members can be brought along.”
There were few responders below. Those who went last year had lost the sense of novelty, and more people were preparing for the upcoming CET-6 exam. A lazy atmosphere permeated the classroom. Jiang Yunian, who was napping on the table, slowly lifted his head, blinking sleepily. He hadn’t been to Yun Mountain, and playing a bit wouldn’t hurt. Seeing Hao Meng facing the cold response alone was unbearable, so he raised his hand.
The dismissal bell rang, and students left the classroom in twos and threes. Jiang Yunian asked Hao Meng, “Eat together?”
Hao Meng raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Not with your brother today?” She looked around the door; indeed, she didn’t see that figure that usually followed like a shadow.
Mentioning Jiang Yan, Jiang Yunian’s legs went weak unconsciously. Because of a loophole in the three-chapter agreement, he was ordered to go home early these days, otherwise Jiang Yan would come to the classroom to capture him. For a jackal, being trapped in territory meant spending time in the den. Jiang Yan was simply not human; every time he had to torture him until he begged for mercy to stop. As a result, he couldn’t help dozing off in every class, and his notes were incomplete. If they had to stick together even at school, he really couldn’t guarantee Jiang Yan could hold back. Distance produces beauty.
“Freshman year has many clubs; he’s making new friends,” Jiang Yunian found a random excuse.
Hao Meng understood. “He should socialize properly. Always clinging to his brother is improper; it delays you finding a partner.”
It was a casual tease, but Jiang Yunian suddenly became serious: “Not looking anymore.”
Hao Meng was stunned. “Why not looking anymore?”
Jiang Yunian hemmed and hawed, unable to explain why, nor could he go into detail, so he equivocated and dropped a sentence: “Studying is important.”
Hao Meng followed behind, scratching her head in confusion. “There aren’t many classes this semester…”
After dinner, Jiang Yunian went to the library. The study room was quiet, with only the sound of turning pages occasionally mixed with keyboard typing. Staying for the whole afternoon, he finally made up for the coursework he had missed before. When he walked out of the study room, the setting sun was just right. Golden light shone through the glass window, sprinkling on the exhibition area in the first-floor lobby.
Several blackboard-sized display boards stood in the center, surrounded by many students. It turned out to be the exhibition of winning works from the student calligraphy and painting competition. Jiang Yunian walked over leisurely, skimming past painting after painting, finally stopping in front of a “Zi Jin” poem written in small regular script (lower-case calligraphy).
The signature was Lu Yuanbai.
Lu Yuanbai came from a scholarly family; his mother was a well-known writer in the provincial writers’ association. Immersed in the charm of books and ink since childhood, it wasn’t surprising he wrote good calligraphy. What Jiang Yunian truly admired was that Lu Yuanbai excelled in every field yet never showed off, always humble and focused.
Jiang Yunian stopped at this work for a little longer. A clear, moist voice suddenly rang out beside him, drifting low into his ear.
“Like it?”
Lu Yuanbai stood quietly, their shoulders only a few inches apart. The words were spoken to him, but his eyes didn’t look at him, still lingering on that piece of calligraphy.
Green is your collar, worry is my heart.
Even if I do not go, why do you not send word?
…
He turned his head, his brows and eyes flowing like mountain spring water, carrying a shallow smile. “Giving it to you.”
Probably no one didn’t know this poem. It spoke of a poet missing their sweetheart—an appointment not kept, the resentment under anxious waiting. Put in modern times, it was no different from a confession. Jiang Yunian lifted his chin slightly, making a half-joke: “Senior better wait to give it away. Giving such good calligraphy away, maybe you’ll become someone else’s boyfriend.”
Lu Yuanbai looked at him fixedly for a few seconds. The corners of his brows drooped slowly, the smile fading. Finally, he just pulled the corner of his lips slightly and didn’t reply.
Jiang Yunian glimpsed the depression in his eyes, remembering the Senior once said he had a crush. Perhaps this calligraphy was originally intended for that person, but for some reason, it wasn’t sent. Although he couldn’t figure out how anyone could reject such an excellent man, he sensibly shut his mouth.
A brief silence fell between the two. Lu Yuanbai looked at the verses on the display board, wondering what he was thinking, and suddenly asked him, “Do you think I’m suitable to be a qualified boyfriend?”
“Of course,” Jiang Yunian answered without thinking. “No one wouldn’t like Senior.”
Once upon a time, Lu Yuanbai was his ideal image. Excellence was just one of his many virtues; his conduct made Jiang Yunian admire him sincerely. He thought he probably could never become such a person, but he was also satisfied with his current self.
“Is that so?” Under Lu Yuanbai’s impeccable smile, a rare flaw appeared. “Then why, when it’s so obvious, does he still not know?”
Facing relationship problems, Jiang Yunian, a newbie who just entered the novice village, really couldn’t give any empirical advice. He thought for a while and guessed very straight-man-ly: “Is there a possibility… she has a boyfriend?”
Recommended Reads
