walk
Qi Zui's job search was not smooth, with his educational background being a major hurdle.
After repeatedly hitting a wall, Qi finally accepted Wen Xubai's suggestion and prepared to take the adult self-study exam.
For "Mr. Qi," who had been out of high school for who knows how many years, picking up his long-forgotten high school knowledge again was no less difficult than dealing with difficult customers.
Watching Qi Zui, who was constantly biting his pen under the desk lamp with his brows furrowed into a "川" shape, Wen Xubai silently put down the documents in his hand, walked straight behind the man, and bent down.
Qi, engrossed in her studies, hadn't noticed his presence until, after what seemed like the umpteenth time, she turned around and was suddenly startled!
Wen Xubai raised an eyebrow, straightened up with his arms crossed, and looked at the function problem behind him, tilting his head and saying, "Is it that difficult?"
At least half of the questions on the entire test paper were blank.
Upon hearing this, as if all his energy had been drained, Qi Zui slumped into his chair, weakly saying, "Don't mock me... I know it's a piece of cake for you..."
He had been under Wen Xubai's watchful eye all day, from morning till night. Except for eating, drinking, and going to the toilet, he had hardly left the chair. If he even slightly lost focus, Wen Xubai would scare him back to reality with a glare.
Wen Xubai lowered his head, looking at the man's raised face. His deep eyes were closed in pain, and his already sculpted and strong features were now even more angular.
During this period, he went to school on weekdays and helped out at the noodle shop on weekends. In the evenings, Wen Xubai would watch over him as he did his homework and memorized his lessons. He did lose a lot of weight and looked like a wilted daylily, sighing all day long.
Wen Xubai pondered for a moment, then cupped the man's face in his hands and slowly leaned down.
The moment he touched the other's soft lips, the man, whose eyes had been tightly closed, suddenly opened them, then grabbed Wen Xubai's neck with his large hand and pulled him down, deepening the kiss.
After their lips parted, Qi Zui smiled slyly and said, "Received supplies, now fully recovered!"
With that, he used his abdominal muscles to spring back to the table, picked up his pen, and resumed working on the problem.
Then, not long after, it "wilted" again...
Seeing Qi Zui's listless expression, Wen Xubai thought for a moment, then went over and took his pen away.
He casually capped his pen, and seeing Qi Zui's puzzled look, Wen Xubai said calmly, "I'm not writing today. I want to go for a walk..."
"real?!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Qi Zui jumped up from his chair, as if he wanted to leap onto the roof!
His eyes lit up instantly, and Qi Zui, like a koala, scooped Wen Xubai into his arms and kissed him several times.
Wen Xubai wiped the drool off his face with disgust, pushed the man away with his firm chest, and issued a curt ultimatum: "Five minutes to change your clothes, or I won't come downstairs."
Before he could finish speaking, Qi Zui had already rushed to the wardrobe, quickly opened it, put on his clothes, and then "whoosh—" flashed to the entrance, excitedly saying while putting on his shoes, "Let's go, let's go, I'm ready!"
Wen Xubai: "·······"
The allotted time was too long; next time one minute will suffice.
Seeing Qi Zui's messy hair, which he had just styled into a "bird's nest," Wen Xubai rubbed his forehead and couldn't resist taking the initiative to fix it for him.
The tall man sensed his intention, obediently lowered his head, and let him "manipulate" him, staring at him with bright eyes and a smile on his face.
Wen Xubai couldn't help but touch his head after finishing his haircut.
Qi's smile widened even more.
The man whispered in his ear, "Don't you feel that we look like a young couple who have been married for many years?"
The wife helped her husband fix his hair as he was about to leave, while the husband looked at his wife with a beaming smile.
Wen Xubai paused, suddenly feeling a flush on his cheeks. He quickly lowered his head to cover it up and focused on putting on his shoes.
Qi stared at him for a long time, and just as he got up to leave, he suddenly said, "Wait a minute!" and then rushed back to the bedroom!
When he returned, he was carrying a khaki trench coat.
Wen Xubai: "?"
Looking at Qi Zui's black trench coat, Wen Xubai asked curiously, "Didn't you already put on a coat?"
The man blinked innocently and said, "I have my own uses."
"Fine," Wen Xubai said, pursing his lips.
But soon, Wen Xubai realized what this "having its own use" meant.
Walking along a tree-lined path, the evening breeze gently caressed him. At first, he felt the wind was quite refreshing, but he had clearly underestimated the intensity of early autumn. After being caught in a sudden gust of wind and rubbing his hands in frustration, his khaki jacket was already on his shoulders.
"The temperature difference between day and night in Jiangcheng is huge."
Wen Xubai was a little surprised. He had just returned from abroad and hadn't fully adapted to the temperature in Jiangcheng yet, so he obediently reached out and let Qi Zui help him adjust his coat.
As Qi Zui smoothed out the wrinkles, she gave him a smug wink.
His face practically screamed, "See? I was so prescient."
Wen Xubai couldn't help but chuckle and teased, "If only you could use this quick thinking ability on your studies."
Qi Zui immediately pouted, looking aggrieved, and said, "You're just like my mom..."
Wen Xubai chuckled softly, looked at the yellowing maple trees by the roadside, and suddenly realized something.
It turns out they'd known each other for almost three months...
However, when it came to Qi's mother, Wen Xubai looked at the person next to him and asked, "You've been doing much better lately."
In the beginning, although Qi Zui didn't say anything, Wen Xubai could sense that the other party was in a very low mood, and even woke up from nightmares many times at night, which would also wake up Wen Xubai, who was a light sleeper.
Whenever this happened, Wen Xubai would not ask him what he had dreamed about. He would simply hug the other's trembling body silently, their foreheads, covered in cold sweat, pressed together, their hearts pounding wildly, before slowly calming down.
Then they spent the whole night sleeping in each other's arms.
It seemed that only by feeling each other's body temperature could their unease dissipate.
Qi Zui nodded: "People always have to look forward. I used to be very afraid, afraid of having no friends, no family, afraid of being all alone in this vast world, but now I'm not afraid anymore, because I have you."
As he spoke, the man gently placed their intertwined hands to his lips and kissed them passionately.
Wen Xubai lowered his eyes, seemingly lost in thought.
After a while, the man said again, "Your condition has improved a lot."
Upon hearing this, he was taken aback and asked in surprise, "My condition?"
"Hmm." Qi Zui nodded, his gaze fixed on the street not far away. "You may not know, but when I first met you, your brows were always furrowed whenever you fell asleep."
Wen Xubai was taken aback; he genuinely knew nothing about this. After all, unless it could be filmed, very few people know what they look like when they're asleep.
"In the period immediately following my mother's passing, I felt terrified and helpless. Fortunately, you were there for me, helping and comforting me. But sometimes I wonder... were you in just as much pain when you lost both your parents?"
But at that time, you were all alone...
A flicker of pain flashed in Qi's deepest eyes.
Wen Xubai stood there, stunned, and even forgot to continue walking forward.
A gentle breeze blew, lifting the hems of their coats. Their matching black and brown trench coats mingled together, and the rustling of the maple leaves by the roadside was crystal clear.
A maple leaf drifted down slowly and landed gently on Wen Xubai's shoulder.
Amidst the whistling wind, in the vast, empty street, where few passersby had already departed, only the two remained, gazing at each other.
Wen Xubai never imagined that Qi Zui would think of these things.
He knew Qi was in the most pain, that he grieved from the loss of his loved ones, that he suffered from loneliness, but he didn't know that Qi was also suffering for his own pain...
“Qi Zui…” he couldn’t help but call out softly.
The man looked at him gently, slowly smoothing his furrowed brow, and chuckled, "I'm here."
Wen Xubai said with difficulty, "Actually... you don't need to do this..."
But the man's eyes grew increasingly desolate, as if he understood. He gripped Wen Xubai's hand again and said, word by word, "I know, but I can't help it."
When you care about someone, you can't help but think from their perspective and feel their emotions. You may not fully empathize, but you strive to understand at least one aspect of their feelings.
The only gift that people who grow up like them possess is an incredibly sensitive perception of the emotions of others.
Qi Zui chuckled softly, his gaze suddenly drifting to the maple leaves fluttering about to fall on Wen Xubai's shoulder.
The maple leaves at this time of year are not yet fully red; the leaves, half red and half green, which should still be absorbing nutrients from the branches, are clearly driven down by a tremendous external force.
Qi Zui slowly pinched the maple leaf and solemnly placed it in Wen Xubai's palm.
“Ah Che, I don’t know what you’re worried about, what you’re troubled about, or what you’re uneasy about. If one day you’re willing to open your heart to me, I, Qi Zui, will definitely listen attentively.”
"But... if you don't want to tell me, that's okay. But please remember, I'll always be by your side. I'll study hard, work hard, earn money hard, and try my best to be your safe haven. I just ask you... give me a little more time..."
He could wait until the day Wen Xubai was willing to completely trust him.
Wen Xubai's heart skipped a beat when he saw the man's dejected expression.
It turns out that Qi Zui had always known that he was hiding something from him.
He didn't know how to answer, so he could only lower his head.
The man, however, smiled knowingly, his roguish grin returning, and pulled him along as they continued walking.
"It's okay, A-Che, we'll have plenty of time in the future."
The man's hands were warm, and holding his palm felt firm and strong.
Wen Xubai lingered close to Qi Zui, breathing in the man's scent, watching the increasing number of falling leaves on the horizon, and smiled, "Yes, there's plenty of time."
"I'm giving you a day off tomorrow, you don't need to do any homework."
"Really?!"
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