Stop fooling around

Chu Sinian's face darkened instantly, and his ears turned slightly red. "Why aren't you wearing clothes!" he said, throwing his clothes at him.

Chen Chi took it, saying, "The clothes are dirty."

Chu Sinian had his back to him. "That's no excuse for you not wearing clothes."

Chen Chi looked down at his slightly reddened ear tips and said, "Are you embarrassed? Why? Do you have a reaction to a boy's body?"

Chu Sinian turned around abruptly, his face turning cold. "I don't like you."

"I know."

Chu Sinian pursed his lips. "I'm not interested in men."

"What about the girl?" Chen Chi leaned closer to him.

Chu Sinian turned his head away, "I don't feel anything."

He closed the door to the walk-in closet: "I'll go back to your place after I'm done washing up."

Chen Chi looked at the closed door, turned and went to the bathroom, saying in a low but not loud voice, "Are you kicking people out as soon as they're done with their work?"

Chu Sinian gripped the doorknob on the other side, his hand tightening unintentionally causing a slight pain in the wound on his palm.

The pain vaguely brought him back to his scattered reason.

Why did he go home with Chen Chi?

Are he and Chen Chi considered friends now?

Can you be friends with someone you've confessed your feelings to?

Chu Sinian had many friends and confessed his feelings to quite a few people, both men and women, but they all became insignificant traces in his life.

He was used to it, so much so that it was as natural as eating.

But he never thought about whether they could be friends. He wasn't a child; he didn't believe life had to be black and white.

But Chen Chi likes... him?

He thought about this a lot while he was hospitalized.

Chen Chi liked him, liked him terribly, undeniably.

But what about him?

Chu Sinian released his grip, and the scene in Chu Zhuang's study suddenly flashed before his eyes, causing a sharp pain in his throat.

He suppressed his racing heart, gritted his teeth, found himself a set of pajamas, and went to the sofa to continue writing his thesis.

Chu Sinian had lived alone for a long time, and few people stayed there; most of his houses only had one bathroom.

The intermittent sound of running water from the bathroom kept interrupting Chu Sinian's thoughts as he wrote. His fingertips hovered over the keyboard for a long time before he suddenly shut down the computer and glared fiercely at the bathroom.

It's so noisy. It wasn't this noisy when Yu Shi used to take a shower here.

The water pressure is too high!

Chu Sinian hugged his clothes sullenly, pulled his legs back, and leaned against the sofa.

Let him leave after he finishes showering.

Okay, I'll get out of here after I wash.

Is it too cold outside? Is it too late?

No, he's tough.

But it's not right to kick him out in the evening after he's cleaned the house for me all afternoon.

So what? So what if I'm bad?

Wouldn't he be too pitiful?

What's it to me?

Why aren't they out yet? Why is taking so long to take a shower?

While Chu Sinian was absentmindedly playing on his phone, the sound of water in the bathroom finally stopped.

Chu Sinian judged from the sound that the footsteps had left the bathroom, then he took his pajamas and walked around the bathroom without looking to the side.

The figure was hiding too obviously, so Chen Chi strode forward and blocked his way. "Your injuries haven't healed yet, you can't wash."

Chu Sinian looked directly at his prominent Adam's apple, glanced to one side, and a familiar cool fragrance wafted into his nostrils.

It was his own scent, now completely tainted onto Chen Chi. He pursed his lips and said, "It's scabbed over, it's nothing to worry about."

Chen Chi took a half step forward, and Chu Sinian took a step back.

He looked up at Chen Chi with an unfriendly expression, his gaze sweeping over Chen Chi's wet brows and landing on his pair of cold, dark eyes. The black pupils stared silently, giving off a sense of being bound by a snake.

Before he could say anything, Chen Chi pulled the clothes out of his arms. "It's winter, it's okay not to wash for a day."

Chu Sinian smiled at him, "How could I not shower after coming back from the hospital?"

Chen Chi lowered his eyebrows slightly, his eyes sharpening. "I'll help you."

Chu Sinian scoffed, "If you're sick, go home and get treatment. Don't block my way."

Chen Chimei lowered her head even further, "A caregiver is fine, but I'm not?"

Seeing that he seemed genuinely puzzled, Chu Sinian really wanted to crack open his head to see what he was thinking. "I'm going to take a shower and go to bed."

Seeing that Chu Sinian had no intention of compromising, Chen Chi grabbed both of his wrists and half-carried him into the master bedroom.

Chu Sinian's eyes widened in disbelief, and he staggered, "Chen Chi, let me go."

Chen Chi quickly led him to the room, slammed the door shut with his long leg, and carefully pressed Chu Sinian onto the bed. "Don't move."

Chu Sinian immediately turned red with anger, unable to believe that he was being pinned to the bed with his hands tied behind his back.

The sensation on his body was too strange; his neck turned bright red. He struggled to turn his head to look at Chen Chi, "Let me go!"

Chen Chi ignored him, restraining his hands while adjusting his position to make him more comfortable, pressing him to the side on the bed.

He frowned, tilted his head slightly, braced one leg against his knees, and pressed down on his wrist with the other. "Stop fooling around."

Chu Sinian paused for a second, then buried his head and ignored him.

Chen Chi loosened his grip a little, still with a serious face, and massaged his wrist, which was red from gripping it. "You can't wash it even if you're angry."

Chu Sinian felt the restraints on his wrists were gone. He stopped struggling. The feeling of his wrists being kneaded was very comfortable. He said in a muffled voice, "Get out of here."

Chen Chi's heart skipped a beat. He immediately bent down, brushed aside the hair on Chen Chi's forehead, and gently pulled the face back from under the covers, following the curve of the hair.

Chu Sinian's eyes were a little red, but his expression was cold. He was very beautiful, very... cute.

Chen Chi gently rubbed the corner of his eye with his fingertip. "Why are you crying?"

Chu Sinian glared at him, "You're the one who cried."

Chen Chi stared at him, his eyes swirling with emotions, like the churning, rolling sea of ​​night.

After a long silence, his voice became deep, "You really want to take a shower that badly?"

Chu Sinian buried his head in his work again.

Chen Chi leaned close to his ear, looking at the tiny ring of downy hair and the reddened earlobe. He licked his back teeth and patiently asked, "Why are you unhappy?"

Chu Sinian hid far away again, this time even his ears were hidden.

Chen Chi was still rubbing his wrist. "Did I hurt you? Are you unhappy?"

Chu Sinian peeked out with half an eye at him, its curve naturally curved and its tail slightly upturned.

His eyes were devoid of emotion, calm and composed. "Chen Chi."

He called his name earnestly, clearly and distinctly, in a slightly lower tone, "I hate you."

Chen Chi's eyes flickered twice, his gaze sweeping up and down slightly as he leaned closer to him. "How can I make you stop hating me?"

Chu Sinian didn't say anything, but slowly moved his body and sat up halfway.

The two moved further apart, but their legs remained touching.

Chu Sinian nudged him with his knee. "I'm not washing anymore. Get out."

Chen Chi didn't move. After a while, he watched him stand up, leave a "Go to sleep early" message, and then close the door and leave.

Chu Sinian lost his strength, lay back on the bed, stared at the snow-white ceiling, and blinked.

The warmth lingered in the corners of his eyes and on his wrists, slightly hot, creating a subtle sense of dependence.

The night seemed less dark; small patches of stars appeared on the winter night, twinkling and breathing.

—

It snowed for two days and two nights in Dong'an, and the whole city fell into a quiet slumber. The streets and alleys were filled with the desolate snow vapor, the steel forest stood solemnly, and the city's vegetation was completely withered.

Chu Sinian, dressed in an elegantly tailored overcoat and carrying a pure white backpack on one shoulder, walked toward the School of Astronomy.

His face was red from the cold, and his breath brought warmth to his skin, making his fingertips, which were gripping his backpack, red as well.

Chen Chi caught up with him in a few steps, saying as they walked, "Put the scarf on."

Chu Sinian refused decisively, "No, I won't take it."

Chen Chi was still following him when, without saying a word, he stuffed the scarf and gloves into his arms, saying, "You take these, I'm going back to class."

Chu Sinian had no choice but to stop and, holding the pile of things, said, "You're not coming home with me today."

Chen Chi said, "Okay."

Chu Sinian raised an eyebrow, surprised that he was so easy to talk to. He patted his shoulder in a good mood and said, "Don't worry, I won't forget you. I'll go to the wine cabinet and get you the best bottle to treat you."

Chen Chi's lips twitched slightly. "So, I'm more important than your best wine."

Don't say anymore. Actually, he felt a little heartbroken, because he wouldn't have the money to collect good wines from all over the world in the future.

Despite the pain, he smiled generously and said, "Of course, you are my benefactor."

Chen Chi hummed in agreement, "I'll take you home after class."

Chu Sinian did not refuse, "Okay, I'll go first."

He walked without looking back, pretending not to notice the undeniable, burning gaze fixed on the back of his neck.

Chu Sinian entered the classroom as the bell rang. The spacious classroom was filled with vibrant students. He slowed his pace and suddenly felt a sense of déjà vu.

He exhaled and smiled as he searched for Kong Bo's face.

Kong Bo sat in the middle row, looking at him with a somewhat surprised expression.

Chu Sinian walked over and sat down next to him. "Did you miss me?"

Kong Bo looked him up and down. "You didn't tell us you were being discharged from the hospital. Ning Zicheng and the others were so worried about you."

“I told Yu Shi that if Ning Zicheng knew I was discharged from the hospital, he’d throw a recovery banquet, given his personality.” Chu Sinian opened his book, sunlight falling on the pages.

"You're right, how's your injury healing?"

"It's scabbed over, it'll be fine in a few days."

"Chen Chi has taken such good care of you."

"Huh?" Chu Sinian moved his lips to refute, but then thought that what he said was indeed true.

"Speechless now, huh? No matter how much Uncle Huang kept an eye on you, he couldn't stop you from drinking yourself into the hospital. Now that Chen Chi is here, at least someone can keep an eye on you. It's true what they say, one thing can subdue another." Kong Bo's expression was somewhat wistful, leaving Chu Sinian speechless.

"Why wasn't it me who subdued him?"

"You even have to compare this? No wonder you've been at odds with me for so many years."

Chu Sinian was amused and covered his face to hide his laughter. He looked at the professor who was giving a serious lecture on the blackboard and said, "Thinking about it, you really have been watching us fight our way here."

“Sigh, at that birthday party that year…” Kong Bo stopped speaking, seeing Chu Sinian’s slightly suppressed smile, and said, “I’m sorry.”

Chu Sinian calmed down and said nonchalantly, "What's there to apologize for? It's all in the past." He looked at Kong Bo with his eyes crinkled in a smile. "My dad's in jail, what else could I possibly be upset about?"

This was the first time they had talked about it since the incident. Kong Bo turned to look at his textbook. "To be honest, I'm very happy."

“I sincerely hope you can let go. It’s a good thing that someone is watching over you now. I used to worry from time to time that you might do something rash. After all, we’ve known each other for so many years, and I know your personality better than anyone else.”

Kong Bo opened the pen cap, glanced at him sideways, and said, "I can tell that Chen Chi likes you."

“He’s just as stubborn as you, once he’s made up his mind, he won’t let go. I’m actually quite at ease with you two being together.”

Chu Sinian smiled with his eyes lowered, "I have no expectations for relationships, so your hopes have been dashed."

Kong Bo remained silent. He saw the dappled sunlight falling on his profile, yet his desolation persisted.

"Past perspectives can't measure the present; after all, as you said, everything is in the past."

Kong Bo's clear gaze reflected a faint light through his glasses.