Chapter 180: You Are My Medicine (5)
Xiao Ji didn’t take Chen Yinnian’s casual “I like you” to heart.
He randomly found a table and sat down. His noble and cold appearance was completely out of place in this noisy and bustling food stall.
Chen Yinnian sat down beside him, took the menu, and ordered a bunch of skewers. While eating, his little mouth didn’t stop chattering.
He talked about the grasslands and snow-capped mountains he had visited, then about the racing in the mountainous suburbs of Hong Kong last month, and then about how Chen Ni did nothing but work and date various women. He said his brother was incredibly boring but thought himself witty and humorous.
Finally, he said to Xiao Ji:
“If only Chen Ni could be like you. Then I wouldn’t have to run to the casino alone in the middle of the night.”
Xiao Ji’s eyelids twitched as he listened.
Originally, he had been thinking about what topics to find during the meal to communicate with Chen Yinnian.
But in fact, Chen Yinnian didn’t need anyone else to find topics; he was incredibly talkative and didn’t leave any room for Xiao Ji to interject.
When he got excited, he wished he could stand on the chair and perform a skit.
After finishing the meal, before Xiao Ji could pay the bill, Chen Yinnian was one step ahead. He scanned the QR code on the table and casually entered a few numbers to pay without blinking.
Just as he was about to get up, he suddenly called the boss over and asked if the food stall was for sale. He wanted to buy it.
He was grabbed by the back of the collar and hauled back to the motorcycle by Xiao Ji.
When they returned to the casino, a black Bentley was parked outside the main entrance. A man in an iron-gray suit wearing glasses was leaning against the front of the car with a cigarette between his fingers.
Just looking at his face, he was fifty percent similar to Chen Yinnian. His temperament couldn’t be called steady; rather, it held a hint of a mature man’s rare playfulness.
Lin He stood not far from the man, looking dejected like a frost-bitten eggplant.
Seeing Xiao Ji return on the motorcycle with Chen Yinnian, Chen Ni was clearly a bit surprised. After Xiao Ji tossed the helmet to Lin He, Chen Ni raised an eyebrow and said:
“I didn’t expect you and Chen Yinnian to have common interests.”
Xiao Ji said faintly: “Interests can be cultivated. Children aren’t that easy to raise.”
Chen Ni chuckled, pulled two paper bags out of the car, and handed them to Xiao Ji:
“Local specialties. My mom made them personally and asked me to bring them to you.”
Xiao Ji took the two bags: “Thank you. It was hard on Auntie Chen.”
Chen Ni waved his hand, stubbed out his cigarette, gave Chen Yinnian a look, and opened the car door: “Let’s go back.”
Chen Yinnian didn’t really want to go.
He had no desire to sleep.
If he followed Chen Ni back at this time, Chen Ni would definitely shower and go straight to bed.
Leaving him alone in the lonely night with nothing to do—he didn’t even know what he would do.
He said somewhat resistantly: “I’m not going back.”
Chen Ni looked at Chen Yinnian: “Did you take your medicine today?”
Chen Yinnian licked the corner of his mouth: “I did. It didn’t work. I can’t sleep. I want to go mountain climbing.”
He pointed at the stars in the sky: “The weather is good tonight; we’ll definitely be able to see the sunrise tomorrow.”
Hearing this, Chen Ni’s face darkened:
“Chen Yinnian, I’m busy. I came to Jinsha to handle business. We agreed before we came that you would be well-behaved. I have to wake up early tomorrow and don’t have the energy for nonsense.”
Chen Yinnian never pulled his punches when exposing others. When his brain wasn’t right, he spoke without filtering:
“You don’t have the energy for nonsense, or you don’t have the energy to deal with me? Last week you went diving with that actress surnamed Du in the middle of the night—why didn’t you say you lacked energy then? Just because she lets you sleep with her?”
Chen Ni indeed wasn’t a “proper” person.
But one couldn’t call his private life chaotic either.
It was just that he currently didn’t have a suitable marriage partner and wasn’t willing to put too much energy into dating, so he simply supported mistresses.
He had fixed bed partners; the shorter ones changed every six months, while some had stayed with him for two or three years.
But hearing this from Chen Yinnian made him seem particularly unscrupulous.
Chen Ni said with a dark face: “Chen Yinnian, we’re on the road, not at home. Watch your language.”
Chen Yinnian didn’t know what he wanted to do. He just wanted to argue with Chen Ni, preferably to get into a fight.
Perhaps if he had a good fight with Chen Ni, he wouldn’t want to go mountain climbing anymore and could get a good night’s sleep.
But he also knew that Chen Ni wouldn’t fight with him.
So he just sat there with a foul face, leaning against his motorcycle and staring at Chen Ni, competing with him.
It was already two in the morning.
Chen Ni had business to discuss at eight in the morning. If he went back to the hotel now, he would have at most three hours of sleep.
Just thinking about it made him feel physically and mentally exhausted.
Xiao Ji watched the two brothers competing and said faintly:
“For Auntie Chen’s sake—if you feel comfortable, you can let him stay with me.”
The moment he spoke, Chen Ni and Chen Yinnian spoke at the same time:
“No way, you don’t know how much he can ruin a person.”
“Okay! Thanks, Brother Xiao~”
Xiao Ji stopped talking.
Seeing this, Chen Yinnian immediately clung to Xiao Ji, looking at him expectantly: “Brother, you’re willing to stay with me, right?”
Xiao Ji ignored him and only said to Chen Ni:
“Go back. Handle your business.”
Chen Ni was still a bit hesitant, but if he had to think of someone in all of Jinsha more reliable than Xiao Ji, he couldn’t think of a better candidate.
So he ultimately compromised, saying to Xiao Ji: “If anything happens, call me.”
After sending Chen Ni off and dismissing Lin He, who had been yawning all night, Chen Yinnian turned his gaze to Xiao Ji and whispered:
“If I sneak away tonight, will you tell my brother?”
Xiao Ji looked at him: “Where to? Mountain climbing?”
Chen Yinnian nodded.
Xiao Ji then opened the door to his black sedan and said to Chen Yinnian: “I want to go too. Let’s go together.”
Chen Yinnian was stunned.
Over the years, his emotional excitement had been a frequent occurrence. Everyone—including Father and Mother Chen and Chen Ni—had avoided him like the plague.
Only Lin He, whenever he had a sudden impulse, would say:
“Brother Nian, I’ll go with you.”
But Xiao Ji didn’t do that.
He said, “I want to go too.”
Chen Yinnian grinned: “Do you really want to go?”
Xiao Ji hummed: “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a sunrise.”
Having said that, he said to the driver waiting on the side: “Go back. No need to wait. I’ll do it myself.”
The driver responded and reminded Xiao Ji to be safe before leaving.
Because of that one sentence, Chen Yinnian directly abandoned his motorcycle and whooshed into Xiao Ji’s passenger seat, saying excitedly:
“You ride a bike so well; do you also drive like a beast? Don’t let me down.”
Xiao Ji didn’t answer Chen Yinnian’s question and drove him all the way to the foot of the mountains in the suburbs.
Xiao Ji’s driving was very steady.
It was like he was a completely different person from when he was riding the motorcycle.
Although the speed wasn’t fast in the city, as Chen Yinnian leaned against the door and turned his body to face Xiao Ji—watching him drive—the agitation in his heart was no longer so difficult to suppress.
He actually felt a rare sense of calm.
He stared at Xiao Ji’s profile, swallowed, and asked:
“You know I’m sick, right?”
Chen Yinnian’s illness had never been made public.
Not many people knew, and no one would go around publicizing such a thing, lest they offend the Chen family and bring trouble upon themselves.
But Chen Yinnian felt that Xiao Ji should know.
Xiao Ji didn’t deny it either. He just tilted his head to glance at Chen Yinnian:
“Aren’t you fine right now?”
Hearing this, Chen Yinnian suddenly became excited: “Holy sh*t! You have taste, Brother Xiao! I think I’m fine, too.”
He knew he was sick.
But usually, this awareness only existed during depressive phases. During manic phases, Chen Yinnian felt he was omnipotent and in excellent condition—the people who said he was sick were the ones who were truly ill.
Xiao Ji hummed: “Young people shouldn’t be so lifeless. Having vitality is a good thing.”
Chen Yinnian felt that Xiao Ji was a great person, and for the whole journey, he babbled incessantly.
Xiao Ji didn’t order him to shut up; he just listened, occasionally responding with words like “Is that so?”, “I see,” “What else?”, “And then?”, or “I haven’t heard of that.”
Then Chen Yinnian could continue talking non-stop.
The more he talked, the less he knew what he was saying. One second he was talking about lions on the African savannah, and the next he was suddenly saying his childhood nanny would secretly pinch him.
Xiao Ji neither searched for the lost topics nor interrupted his nonsensical talk.
After arriving at the foot of the mountain, Xiao Ji parked the car by the road, took two bottles of water from the trunk, tossed one to Chen Yinnian, and started walking up the mountain path.
In the pitch black, Chen Yinnian wasn’t afraid. He turned on the flashlight on his phone and insisted on racing Xiao Ji.
At first, Xiao Ji just followed him slowly up the mountain. Chen Yinnian would suddenly run ahead and then run back, saying Xiao Ji was too slow.
Being so active and restless, Xiao Ji was a bit curious about his state and asked:
“Don’t you feel tired?”
Chen Yinnian said: “What’s this? It’s no big deal to easily climb back and forth three or five times.”
Xiao Ji then praised him for being impressive and having great stamina.
There were no high-altitude mountains in Jinsha, but hiking to the summit at night wasn’t an easy task.
An hour’s drive and two and a half hours on the mountain path—by the time Xiao Ji and Chen Yinnian reached the summit, it was just in time for the sunrise in the east.
The morning glow pierced through the cloud layer, revealing a round, orange sun.
Chen Yinnian gulped down an entire bottle of water. Looking at the sunrise, his face was full of smiles, as happy as if there were no troubles in the world that could bother him.
After a long while, once the sun had risen high enough that it was impossible to look at with the naked eye, Chen Yinnian squinted and said to Xiao Ji:
“Brother Xiao, do you know? You’re the first person who didn’t sleep in the middle of the night to accompany me to see the sunrise. Thank you.”
Xiao Ji stood behind Chen Yinnian, looking at the golden, fluffy top of his head illuminated by the sunlight, and asked:
“What about your little follower?”
Chen Yinnian looked back: “Lin He?”
Xiao Ji hummed.
Chen Yinnian waved his hand: “He’s a good person, but his stamina is no good. He climbed with me once two years ago. By the time we reached the halfway point, he couldn’t climb anymore. He pulled a sleeping bag out of his pack and said he’d wait for me there.”
“When I finished watching the sunrise and came down the mountain to find him, he was snoring away in the bushes next to the steps.”
“I was the only one who saw the sunrise.”
Xiao Ji checked the time: “Let’s go back. You should rest.”
Chen Yinnian claimed he wasn’t sleepy.
On the way down the mountain, he was lively and bouncing around like a little monkey.
But once he got into the car, he finally began to yawn.
“Are you sleepy?” Xiao Ji asked him.
Chen Yinnian denied it: “Not sleepy at all.”
However, within three minutes of saying that, when Xiao Ji looked at him again, he saw the boy leaning against the seat with his eyes closed and his mouth open, clearly already asleep.
Xiao Ji didn’t return to the casino but, following 037’s navigation, drove to the original host’s home.
The host lived alone in a quiet and spacious villa in the most famous affluent area of Jinsha.
The house had a maid who specifically handled the yard and cleaning, living in the side building of the villa courtyard.
Aside from that, it was so quiet it seemed as if no one lived there.
Xiao Ji parked the car in the garage, carried Chen Yinnian in his arms back to the guest room, placed him on the bed, knelt on the floor to remove his shoes and socks, covered him with a quilt, and returned to his own room.
Without using special abilities, he was still made of flesh and blood. After pulling an all-nighter, Xiao Ji was inevitably a bit tired. He took a quick shower and fell asleep.
He left his bedroom door ajar so he could hear any movement from Chen Yinnian at any time.
And not long after Xiao Ji fell asleep, the movement came.
First, he heard the guest room door open, and then it sounded like a mouse scurrying around the house.
After scurrying for a while, it became quiet. Then it seemed like someone was standing at his bedroom door peeking for a bit before gently pushing the door open and sneaking in.
And getting closer and closer to Xiao Ji.
It wasn’t until Xiao Ji could almost feel warm breath on his face that he opened his eyes and met Chen Yinnian’s face.
Chen Yinnian was very close to him. Seeing Xiao Ji suddenly open his eyes and stare at him with pitch-black pupils, he couldn’t help but be startled, frowning:
“If you’re sleeping, then sleep properly. Why did you suddenly open your eyes? You scared me.”
Xiao Ji locked eyes with him:
“Peeking at me?”
Chen Yinnian denied it: “I woke up and had nothing to do, so I wanted to see what you were doing. I’m looking at you openly and honestly.”
Xiao Ji: “And if I hadn’t opened my eyes?”
“Then I probably could have watched for another two hours,” Chen Yinnian said.
Xiao Ji sighed: “Are you like this at home, too?”
Chen Yinnian shook his head: “My parents lock their door when they sleep. Chen Ni is nothing to look at, unlike you. You’re actually quite good-looking. Do you usually go to beauty parlors for skincare?”
Xiao Ji sat halfway up: “I don’t.”
Chen Yinnian touched his own face: “Then do you have any skincare products to recommend?”
He was a bit rough and had never cared much about his appearance. Although he was someone who naturally didn’t tan, he was clearly a bit rougher than Xiao Ji.
At the very least, he had small blackheads on his nose, and the pores near the bridge of his nose were visible.
But Xiao Ji was incredibly fine-skinned.
As he spoke, he even reached out a finger and scraped Xiao Ji’s cheek, then looked closely at it using the light filtering through the curtain gap:
“No makeup, either.”
Xiao Ji just watched him without a word.
Chen Yinnian withdrew his finger, stared at Xiao Ji, got closer and closer, and then stuck out the tip of his tongue.
Xiao Ji pressed his index finger against the boy’s forehead: “What are you doing?”
Chen Yinnian said: “Can you let me lick you once? I want to taste the texture.”
Xiao Ji’s brow jumped. He pushed the boy away:
“I won’t comment on whether you’re ill or not, but I think you’re at least a bit perverted.”
As soon as he spoke, Chen Yinnian suddenly began to laugh, laughing so hard he could barely catch his breath:
“Brother Xiao, you’re so interesting. I was joking.”
As he spoke, he suddenly pulled back his smile and said with a dark face:
“But what if I really am a pervert? Will you still play with me?”
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