Chapter 32
The next morning, the sun pierced through the iron bars of the window and hit Li Ruiyuan's eyelids. He frowned and tried to turn over, but he felt a soreness in his waist and a secret pain coming from a place he couldn't speak of.
"Fuck..." He cursed in a hoarse voice and raised his foot to kick the person next to him off the bed.
His ankle was gently held by a warm hand. Wu Ye had already woken up and was looking at him with his head tilted to his side, his eyes as clear as morning dew. "Are you awake? Do you want some water?"
Li Ruiyuan glared at him, but unfortunately, the corners of his eyes were still red, making the glare completely intimidating. Wu Ye chuckled softly and stood up to pour water. His naked back stretched in the morning light, and his shoulder blades rose and fell with his movements, like the fluttering wings of a butterfly.
While Mama Li was stewing soup in the kitchen, she heard a muffled sound from the next room, like a pillow hitting the wall, followed by her son's hoarse curse:
"Wu Ye, you fucking...don't touch my waist!"
She paused holding the spoon and sighed softly. The faint sobs that came through the wall last night had lasted most of the night, and as a mother, she felt a mixture of emotions.
What's more, she always thought her son was in control, but she didn't expect that he was still below...
The soup pot bubbled, the rich aroma of herbs filling the air. She added another handful of wolfberries to the pot, remembering the old herbal medicine vendor's smile when she'd asked her at the market this morning, "Mrs. Li, are you buying some Eucommia ulmoides? It'll help your son, Yuan, stay healthy."
She responded vaguely at the time, but now that she thought about it, the whole street might have guessed it.
"Mom." Li Ruiyuan shuffled into the kitchen, his voice still hoarse from the aftermath. He wore a loose vest, and faint red marks were visible on his collarbone.
Wu Ye followed behind him, like a big dog that had done something wrong, even breathing lightly.
Mother Li didn't look back, concentrating on stirring the soup: "Sit down, the soup will be ready soon."
The two young men exchanged a glance and sat down at the table. Li Ruiyuan hissed as he sat down, his brows furrowed. Wu Ye immediately leaned over nervously: "Does it hurt? I..."
"Shut the fuck up and don't talk." Li Ruiyuan's cheeks flushed and he glared at him fiercely.
Mother Li turned around with the soup pot and saw this scene. Her eyes lingered on her son's awkward sitting position for a moment, then fell on the scratches on Wu Ye's neck. In the end, she said nothing and just silently served the soup.
"Auntie, let me do it." Wu Ye quickly stood up and took the spoon.
The first bowl of soup was placed in front of Li Ruiyuan. Red dates and wolfberries floated in the dark soup, and a few slices of Eucommia ulmoides sank to the bottom of the bowl. Li Ruiyuan stared at the bowl with a complicated expression.
"Mom," he began tentatively, "this soup..."
"It's good for the kidneys," Mother Li said calmly, and poured another bowl for Wu Ye. "You all drink some."
The restaurant suddenly became silent, with only the clink of the spoon against the bowl. Wu Ye's ears flushed red as he lowered his head to slurp down his soup, gasping from the burn. Li Ruiyuan's fingers tightened around the spoon, their knuckles turning white.
"Ahem...and you guys last night..." Mother Li suddenly spoke, and the two young men froze at the same time.
She looked at the sheets drying outside the window and whispered, "Be careful next time. The sound insulation is not good."
"Puff!" Li Ruixueyuan choked on a mouthful of soup and coughed violently. Wu Ye patted his back, his own ears reddening.
"Mom," Li Ruiyuan said suddenly, "I'm going to buy some goods today."
Mother Li raised an eyebrow: "Didn't you say your waist hurts?"
The teasing in his words was so obvious that even Wu Ye could hear it, and he choked even harder. Li Ruiyuan gritted his teeth, and when he stood up, his movements were still awkward, but he insisted, "I can do it."
Looking at his stubborn back, Mother Li shook her head gently. This child has been like this since he was little, always trying to save face but suffering in vain.
Wu Ye quickly followed: "Auntie, I'll go help him."
The two young men walked out of the supermarket, one in front of the other, their shadows lengthened by the sunlight. Mother Li stood by the window, observing the slight hesitation in her son's steps, seeing Wu Ye's constant watchful eye, and seeing Wu Ye quietly reach out to hold Li Ruiyuan's waist at the alley entrance.
She suddenly smiled, turned around and poured the remaining soup into the thermos.
…………
The supermarket was quiet in the afternoon. Wu Ye sat behind the cashier, checking Li Xuan's math homework, but his mind wandered elsewhere.
"Brother Ye, how do I solve this problem?" Li Xuan asked while biting the tip of her pen.
Wu Ye came back to his senses and glanced at the question: "This requires trigonometric functions..."
He explained patiently, but Li Xuan was distracted. When he finished, the girl suddenly asked, "Brother Ye, are you and my brother...in love?"
The pen that was still spinning in Wu Ye's hand stopped instantly.
Li Xuan blinked her eyes. "Mom said you two are really good brothers, but I don't think so. The way my brother looks at you is like the way our class monitor looks at the study committee member."
"...Your class monitor and study committee member?"
"They are a couple!" Li Xuan said proudly, "The whole class knows, except the teacher."
Wu Ye didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He chose his words carefully: "Your brother and I... are indeed together."
"I knew it!" Li Xuan clapped her hands excitedly. "I saw it the day you got into Tsinghua! My brother looked like he'd gotten in himself!"
He couldn't help laughing.
"You two need to be good." Li Xuan suddenly became serious. "My brother may look fierce, but he's actually very sentimental. Once he makes up his mind, even ten oxen can't change his mind."
Wu Ye nodded: "I know."
In the evening, Li Ruiyuan returned from shopping. He walked into the supermarket carrying a cardboard box, sweat on his forehead. Wu Ye immediately stood up and took the box, wiping the sweat off him with his sleeve.
The action was so natural that neither of them noticed anything wrong. It wasn't until they heard Li Xuan's snickering laughter that they reacted.
Mother Li came out from the inner room, looked at them, and sighed again, but this time, her sigh was tinged with a hint of helpless smile.
"Are you going back to stay at night?" she asked.
Li Ruiyuan glanced at Wu Ye and said, "Yeah."
"Then take this pot of soup back home." Mother Li handed over the thermos bucket. "Remember to heat it up before drinking."
“…Drink again?”
"Just drink if you're told to. It's good for your health." Mother Li threatened
On the way back to the rental house, Li Ruiyuan was holding the thermos bucket with a complicated expression. "Hey, do you want some?"
Wu Ye held his hand: "Drink."
The setting sun stretched their shadows very long. Li Ruiyuan looked at the gentle profile of the young man beside him, and suddenly felt that his waist was not so sore.
"You sleep on the sofa tonight," he said.
Wu Ye looked at him aggrievedly: "A Yuan..."
"There's no point in pretending to be pitiful."
But that night, Wu Ye still managed to climb onto the bed. However, this time, he simply hugged Li Ruiyuan gently and kissed him goodnight on the back of his neck.
"Go to sleep," he said. "I'll make you some porridge tomorrow."
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