I Almost Killed You (Part 2)
It was already eleven o'clock when the plane landed. Xie Mo gently woke Li Huaizhou and helped him take off his headphones: "We're here, wake up." Li Huaizhou slowly opened his eyes, stretched, and his face finally regained some color: "Are we here?"
"Yeah." Xie Mo helped him take the coat, "It's a bit hot outside, just wear a thin coat." Li Huaizhou took the coat, put it on obediently, and followed Xie Mo off the plane. When he walked out of the airport, the sunlight was a bit dazzling, and he subconsciously squinted his eyes and stretched out his hands to block the sunlight. Seeing this, Xie Mo naturally pulled him into his shadow to prevent him from being exposed to the sun. "Let's go to the hotel to put the luggage first, walk around nearby in the afternoon, and go to Huding Mountain tomorrow." Xie Mo lowered his head to discuss with him "Okay." Li Huaizhou nodded, reached out to hold Xie Mo's hand, and gently hooked his fingertips
A few of us took a taxi to the B&B we had booked in advance. The apartment building was near Huding Mountain. There were several osmanthus trees planted downstairs, and the air was filled with a faint fragrance of osmanthus. When we checked in, the owner smiled and said, "You are lucky, it has been beautiful here these days."
The four of them booked three rooms: one for Xie Mo and Li Huaizhou, one for Ji Jiancheng, and one each for Shen Qitang. When putting their luggage away, Li Huaizhou spread it out on the floor, rummaging through it, muttering, "Oh my god, Xie Mo, did you forget your toothpaste?" Xie Mo squatted beside him and helped him search, but there was no sign of toothpaste. "Maybe he forgot. There's a supermarket downstairs. Let's go buy some. Want to join us?"
"Okay." Li Huaizhou stood up, patted the dust off his pants, and followed Xie Mo downstairs.
The supermarket was right next to the B&B. It wasn't big, but it had a complete range of goods. Li Huaizhou pushed the shopping cart, grabbing a bag of chips, a bottle of Coke, and even a few packets of cat strips, saying he'd "send them to my cat sons when I get home." Finally, he walked to the shelf and picked up a pack of cigarettes. Just as he was about to put it in the cart, he saw Xie Mo standing in the candy section not far away, staring blankly at a pile of Alps lollipops.
"What's wrong?" Li Huaizhou walked over and patted him on the shoulder.
Xie Mo came back to his senses and pointed at the lollipops on the shelf. "Nothing special, just the flavor I used to buy you. I've been back for so long, and I can't find it in any supermarket." Li Huaizhou followed his finger and looked over. The shelf was filled with Alps lollipops of various flavors: strawberry, orange, chocolate, but not pear and milk. He was stunned for a moment, and a complex emotion suddenly surged in his heart. In high school, Xie Mo would pull out a pear and milk lollipop from his pocket after every make-up class, hand it to him with a smile, and say it was "a reward for your hard work today." At that time, he always thought it was too sweet, but he would still eat it obediently because it was given by Xie Mo.
"That..." Li Huaizhou's voice was a little low, "It was discontinued six years ago and is no longer available."
Xie Mo's eyes darkened instantly. Li Huaizhou saw this and quickly grabbed his hand, saying with a smile, "Okay, it's no big deal. I don't really like sweets anymore. Let's go and pay the bill."
Xie Mo looked at his smiling face, feeling a little bitter in his heart, but he nodded and let him pull him towards the cashier. After paying, the two walked hand in hand towards the B&B. The sunlight shone through the gaps in the leaves, casting mottled shadows on the ground, just like the tree-lined path they walked together in high school.
In the afternoon, the four of them strolled around the B&B. Ji Jiancheng was chattering all the way, sometimes saying "this looks delicious", and sometimes saying "Oh my god, this shrimp dumpling is really delicious." Shen Qitang followed beside him, lowering his head and messaging someone. Xie Mo and Li Huaizhou walked behind, strolling slowly, occasionally stopping to look at the scenery along the road. Occasionally, Li Huaizhou acted like a spoiled child and made a fuss with Xie Mo, saying that he wanted to eat this and that. The atmosphere was warm and comfortable. In the evening, several people had dinner at a restaurant near the B&B. Ji Jiancheng insisted on having a few drinks with him. Li Huaizhou couldn't refuse his kindness, so he drank some beer, and soon his face flushed, and his eyes became blurred. Seeing this, Xie Mo quickly helped him block the wine: "He can't drink much, don't let him drink."
Ji Jiancheng curled his lips: "Stingy guy, you can't even drink a little."
Chen Qitang smiled and tried to smooth things over: "Okay, stop it. We're going out to play tomorrow, so drink less." After dinner, Xie Mo helped Li Huaizhou back to the room. As soon as he closed the door, Li Huaizhou leaned against the wall, looking at Xie Mo with a dazed look in his eyes. Xie Mo walked over, put his hand on his waist, and said with a little worry in his tone: "Are you drunk?"
"I'm not drunk." Li Huaizhou shook his head, put his arms around Xie Mo's neck, and buried his face in his neck. "I'm just a little dizzy."
Xie Mo held him, patting his back gently, his movements as gentle as if he were soothing a kitten. After a while, he suddenly pressed Li Huaizhou against the wall with a serious expression, his eyes filled with mixed emotions: "Baby, did you really have a good time during those years?" Li Huaizhou was stunned for a moment, then looked up at him with a hint of doubt in his eyes: "It was...good. I had Ji Jiancheng and Shen Qitang by my side, and my cat sons, so it was pretty good."
But just as he finished speaking, he saw Xie Mo's eyes red. Xie Mo reached out and hugged him, so tightly that he almost rubbed him into his bones and blood. Warm tears slid down his neck into his clothes, burning Li Huaizhou's heart.
"Liar..." Xie Mo's voice was choked with sobs, "Chen Qitang told me that you are not doing well at all...very badly..."
Li Huaizhou's body froze instantly, and the smile on his face slowly disappeared. He finally understood why Xie Mo suddenly asked this question. The past that he had deliberately buried was like spilled ink, instantly staining the tenderness of the moment. He reached out and gently patted Xie Mo's back, his voice trembling a little: "No... It's not as exaggerated as he said. I'm fine, right?"
Xie Mo hugged him even tighter, tears pouring out, soaking Li Huaizhou's collar. His voice trembled uncontrollably, "You've lost so much weight, and your stomach is not good. Are these all good? He said you refused to take medicine at that time, saying you..." He could no longer finish the rest of the sentence. The heartache overwhelmed him like a tide, almost making him breathless.
Li Huaizhou was silent. He leaned in Xie Mo's arms, and could clearly feel the trembling of his body, and could smell the faint mint scent on him mixed with the salty taste of tears. Those difficult days came to mind again. He hugged the white down jacket left by Xie Mo at night, and worked hard during the day so that he had no time to think about other things; countless sleepless nights, he sat by the window, looking at the empty streets downstairs, always feeling that in the next second Xie Mo would smile and wave at him like before; until the snow pear and milk flavored lollipops suddenly stopped production one day. He found out because the remaining stock had been sold out. It disappeared very suddenly, just like Xie Mo. That night, Li Huaizhou held the expired lollipop that Xie Mo had given him before, and suddenly felt that he had lost Xie Mo once. Later, he thought about self-harm and did it. The wound on his wrist was not deep, but it made Ji Jiancheng, who came to Li Huaizhou for dinner unexpectedly, red-eyed. When he dragged him to the hospital, he was still cursing, "Li Huaizhou, are you crazy?"
"It's all over." Li Huaizhou reached out and gently stroked Xie Mo's back, trying to comfort him. "Look, I have my cat sons, my friends, and you now. It's all over."
Xie Mo slowly let go of him, his eyes red, filled with guilt and heartache. He reached out and cupped Li Huaizhou's face, his fingertips gently stroking his cheeks and jaw, finally stopping at his wrist. There was no obvious scar there, but it was like an invisible mark, engraved on Xie Mo's heart. "Am I too selfish?" His voice was filled with self-blame. "Back then, I broke into your life without permission, and then left without a trace. I almost killed you..."
"That's not the case." Li Huaizhou interrupted him, his eyes so serious that Xie Mo's heart trembled. "No one can blame anyone for what happened back then. I was too timid and felt that I was not worthy of you. I was the one who pushed you away first and broke up." He paused, reached out and held Xie Mo's hand, his fingertips gently rubbing his palm. "You helped me with my homework, which made me feel that I could be excellent. Your kindness to me and your confession of love gave me the courage to reject Wen Juzhi for the first time. Now, it's you who helped me solve the problem with Wen Juzhi, allowing me to run the cat cafe with peace of mind. I am very lucky to have you enter my world, and I have become a better person."
Xie Mo looked at his serious eyes, and the guilt in his heart was slowly replaced by warmth. He lowered his head and placed a gentle kiss on the corner of Li Huaizhou's mouth, which tasted salty with tears but was particularly sincere. "I'm going to call you Teacher Li now. You're quite good at guiding people." Li Huaizhou was amused by him and reached out to push his chest: "Yes, I'm great."
Xie Mo smiled and hugged him in his arms, resting his chin on the top of his head, feeling the warmth and weight of the person in his arms. After a while, he whispered, "From now on, let me take care of you, make you fat, make your stomach healthy, and let you sleep well every day."
Li Huaizhou leaned in his arms and hummed, his voice a little sleepy. The wine he had just drunk was slowly taking over, and after an afternoon of strolling around, his eyelids were getting heavier, and his breathing was gradually becoming steady. Xie Mo felt the change in the person in his arms, and when he looked down, he saw that Li Huaizhou had fallen asleep in his arms, with a faint smile on his lips.
Xie Mo carefully picked him up, walked to the bed, and gently placed him on the bed. He helped Li Huaizhou take off his shoes, covered him with the quilt, and sat on the bed again, reaching out to gently stroke his hair. Moonlight poured in through the window, falling on Li Huaizhou's face, giving him a soft halo. Xie Mo looked at him sleeping soundly, his heart filled with peace - this time, he would not let go.
After an unknown amount of time, Xie Mo finally got up and walked quietly to the bathroom to wash up. When he came out, he saw Li Huaizhou turned over, mumbling "Xie Mo...", and reaching out to touch his side. Xie Mo quickly walked over, lay down beside him, and reached out to hug him in his arms. "I'm here." Li Huaizhou felt the familiar warmth and breath, and he nestled into his arms at ease and fell asleep again.
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