Ye Wenyu filled the bathtub with water and came out to call Yan Chen. “It’s ready. Come in.”
The bathroom floor was still dry. Yan Chen walked in, took off his shirt and tossed it into the nearby laundry basket. He confirmed once more, asking Ye Wenyu, “You’re really going to help me?”
Ye Wenyu asked, “Are you still dizzy right now?”
Yan Chen nodded slightly.
Ye Wenyu: “Is it any better than before?”
Yan Chen: “No.”
Ye Wenyu understood. “Go in. I’ll help you wash your hair first.”
Yan Chen sat in the bathtub wearing only shorts, and tilted his head back to rest on the platform at one end.
Ye Wenyu adjusted the showerhead to the right temperature and wet his hair, avoiding his face. “Is it too hot?”
Perhaps the light was too bright, because Yan Chen closed his eyes and turned his head slightly, leaning a bit toward Ye Wenyu’s hand. “No, it’s fine.”
It was Ye Wenyu’s first time washing someone’s hair.
Although he was unskilled, he did it very carefully. Even though he always kept his nails trimmed short, he still lightened his touch out of worry he might hurt him.
“If it hurts, just tell me,” he said.
But Yan Chen seemed to have fallen asleep. After a few seconds, he lazily hummed a response through his nose. “Mm.”
Once he finished rinsing off the foam, Ye Wenyu immediately grabbed the dry towel he had prepared earlier and carefully began drying his hair.
He didn’t worry about the hair tips for now, what mattered was drying the scalp in time.
Yan Chen’s hair wasn’t long, but it wasn’t quite a buzz cut either. After wiping for a while, Ye Wenyu checked his expression and asked, “Is your head feeling any dizzier?”
Yan Chen: “No.”
Ye Wenyu was relieved. As long as it wasn’t worse.
He set the towel aside, grabbed the body wash and placed it within reach, ready to help him wash.
Normally it wasn’t obvious with clothes on, but once the clothes were off, the difference in physical activity became clear.
Yan Chen had broad shoulders and beautifully defined muscles. The same goes for his back…just putting a hand on it, one could feel the restrained power waiting to burst forth.
It’d be a lie to say he wasn’t envious. But now clearly wasn’t the time to admire.
Ye Wenyu quickly washed his shoulders and back, then moved to the front, his hands covered in foam, carefully scrubbing his neck.
When he passed over the Adam’s apple, he could clearly feel it roll beneath his palm.
It was a feeling that was hard to describe. Ye Wenyu looked up at him and found that Yan Chen had turned his head to look at him too, his eyes unreadable.
“What’s wrong?” Ye Wenyu asked.
Yan Chen shook his head.
Ye Wenyu looked away and continued to move downward patiently, from the front of the shoulders to the collarbones, then to the chest.
His hands were already small, and against such a muscular build, they looked even smaller. Soaked in water and covered in foam, they looked pale and reflective under the light, so delicate they were like finely carved figurines.
Such hands moving back and forth across honey-colored skin made for an indescribably suggestive sight.
After a while, Yan Chen leaned his head back and closed his eyes.
Now that he couldn’t see, his other senses quickly sharpened. Those hands seemed to carry a faint current or sparks, and had a presence that was impossible to ignore.
Everything below the chest was submerged in water. Unlike the back, the abdomen was fragile, sensitive, and in a different sense…private.
When the progress bar reached this point, Ye Wenyu hesitated.
But he didn’t hesitate for long. Since he had promised to help him, there was no reason to give up halfway.
Besides, Yan Chen was still sick. He had to act quickly and time couldn’t be wasted on struggling with unimportant things.
He pushed aside his distracting thoughts and focused, letting his hand move downward.
But just as his hand touched the well-defined abs, there was a splash of water, and his wrist was suddenly gripped tightly by a strong hand.
Ye Wenyu subconsciously looked up.
Their eyes met again. This time, Yan Chen’s gaze was deep, so deep it was impossible to see the bottom.
“Go rest.” After a moment, Yan Chen seemed to exhale, his voice very low. “I’ll handle the rest myself.”
Ye Wenyu: “Can you manage?”
Yan Chen gave a soft hum. “Don’t worry. After soaking in the hot water, my head isn’t as dizzy.”
After confirming that he was okay on his own, and that it would indeed be easier for him to do it himself, Ye Wenyu didn’t insist and stood up. “Then I’ll step out. Call me anytime if you need help.”
The bathroom door opened, then closed, leaving only one person in the steam-filled space.
Yan Chen raised his hand and pressed the wet back of it against his forehead. Then, as if losing all strength, he leaned back.
The water in the bathtub was slowly cooling down, but the sparks lingering on his body still hadn’t faded.
Ye Wenyu came out of the bathroom. After a moment of thought, he couldn’t help reaching through his clothes to touch his own stomach.
The difference was huge.
He let out a silent sigh, put down his hand, and headed toward the living room. Halfway there, he suddenly paused.
Just now, when Yan Chen spoke, his voice had been so low it was almost hoarse. It must be that the cold had caused tonsillitis, making his throat uncomfortable.
He turned and walked toward the kitchen. After rummaging through the fridge for a while, he took out a pear, some red dates, and a small bag of rock sugar.
When Yan Chen came out, he didn’t see anyone in the living room. He frowned and immediately looked toward the shoe rack by the door. Once he confirmed that the pair of white sneakers was still there, he relaxed again.
“Wenyu?” he called out. Hearing the response from the kitchen, he turned and walked over.
Just in time, Ye Wenyu had finished preparing the snow pear soup. He served it in a small container and handed it to him. “Drink this, your throat should feel better.”
Yan Chen immediately saw the messily dug-out pear core, clearly the result of poor knife skills.
He took a bite with a spoon. It was sweet, so sweet it made his throat tighten.
Yan Chen: “…”
Ye Wenyu was well aware of his cooking skills, though clearly not too aware. “I think I might’ve added too little rock sugar. Is it not sweet enough?”
“No, it’s just right.”
Yan Chen quickly finished the snow pear soup. After putting the bowl down, he casually grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. As he twisted the cap, he asked Ye Wenyu, “Did you have dinner before coming over?”
Ye Wenyu said no, and of course he wasn’t about to let a sick person cook: “I’ll order takeout. What do you feel like eating? But it’s best to keep it light.”
Yan Chen took a few gulps of water. He waited for Ye Wenyu to finish speaking before lowering the bottle. “No need. Let’s go out to eat.”
They went to a private home-style restaurant. The dishes were unique and delicious, and they were flavors Ye Wenyu had never tried before.
Of course, the price was also quite unique, uniquely high.
Ye Wenyu felt uneasy and wanted to transfer the money to Yan Chen. But Yan Chen said, “If we’re going to be so meticulous about money, then should I first calculate how much I owe you for coming over to take care of me?”
Ye Wenyu definitely wasn’t going to take any sort of caretaker’s fee, but eating such an expensive meal made him feel guilty.
Yan Chen handed him the two candies the staff had given: “Did you see the takoyaki stand on the way here?”
Ye Wenyu took them and saw they were both orange-flavored fruit candies. “I did. Why?”
Yan Chen: “It looked pretty good. Can you treat me to some?”
Ye Wenyu almost wanted to cover the cost of the meal immediately, not to mention just a serving of takoyaki.
They retraced their steps to find the stand, but there were two or three people in line ahead of them, so they had to wait a bit.
Ye Wenyu unwrapped one of the candies and popped it into his mouth. The orange flavor quickly spread, even filling his nose with its fragrance.
After swallowing the candy, he asked Yan Chen, “Were those dishes tonight part of Xuan City’s local cuisine?”
“No.” Yan Chen crossed his arms. “The owner’s from Hai City. Most of the dishes are from there.”
The sweet scent of orange drifted over. He twitched his nose slightly, turned his head, and looked at Ye Wenyu. “Your home isn’t in Xuan City?”
“Mm.” Ye Wenyu tossed the candy wrapper into a trash bin. “I’m from Wu City.”
Wu City was quite far. It took about two hours by plane from Xuan City.
Yan Chen estimated the distance in his mind. A flash of light appeared in his peripheral vision, and he frowned, stepping back half a step to block Ye Wenyu while coldly turning to the source.
It was a girl, holding her phone and looking apologetic. She probably forgot her camera flash was on.
Startled by Yan Chen’s expression, she shrank back slightly in guilt. “Sorry, I didn’t mean anything. I just…”
“Don’t take random photos.” Yan Chen’s tone was cold.
The girl quickly nodded. Just then, the vendor finished her order. She paid and hurried off with her takoyaki.
“What did you say?” Ye Wenyu hadn’t been paying attention just now.
“Nothing.” Facing Ye Wenyu, Yan Chen’s expression once again softened into a lazy and relaxed one. “I was just wondering if you want ketchup or salad dressing?”
Ye Wenyu didn’t mind. “Either’s fine.”
Yan Chen: “Then both.”
Unfortunately, there was only one freshly made portion left. The vendor packed it and handed it to them. The other portion would need to be made from scratch.
Yan Chen casually handed the paper box to Ye Wenyu. But Ye Wenyu said, “You eat first.”
He’d eaten this kind of street food countless times back in high school, so he didn’t have much interest now.
The steaming takoyaki were sprinkled with meat floss and seaweed, and drizzled with bright ketchup. It could easily awaken anyone’s appetite.
Originally, he only said he wanted to eat to make Ye Wenyu feel at ease, but now he really did want to try this snack he hadn’t had in years.
The vendor was stuffing freshly made takoyaki with octopus chunks.
The orange flavor in Ye Wenyu’s mouth faded, replaced by the warm scent of this little street stall.
He suddenly felt it was really quite amazing that two people who were complete strangers could quickly end up walking through a night market and eating snacks together.
Thinking this, he couldn’t help but look up at Yan Chen.
The latter’s takoyaki had already lost two pieces. He must’ve noticed Ye Wenyu from the corner of his eye, so he turned to meet his gaze.
Yan Chen: “What’s wrong?”
Ye Wenyu shook his head, but his eyes were suddenly drawn to the corner of Yan Chen’s lower lip, where there was still an inconspicuous smear of ketchup.
The warmth of the food had made his lip color more vivid than usual. With the residue of ketchup on top, Ye Wenyu found it incredibly captivating to look at.
After appreciating it for a moment, Ye Wenyu finally spoke to remind him.
“Really?” Yan Chen had one hand holding his phone and the other the takoyaki, so he casually used the back of his hand to wipe the corner of his mouth.
“Not there.” Ye Wenyu couldn’t help wanting to point it out to him.
But just as he habitually raised his hand, Yan Chen lowered his head slightly, as if thinking Ye Wenyu wanted to help him and was willing to let him.
Ye Wenyu froze.
Letting him wipe his mouth, that meant…
His wish came true too suddenly.
This time he wasn’t blindfolded, and there wasn’t a crowd watching. Compared to last time, he could act with even more justification. If he really did reach out, Yan Chen wouldn’t suspect a thing.
Only an idiot would refuse.
Under Yan Chen’s silent gaze, he quietly regulated his breathing. His hand hovered in midair for a few seconds, nervously and cautiously moving closer.
The blood beneath the surface of his fingertips seemed to quietly heat up. He pursed his lips with uncertainty and hope.
‘I can manage this.’
He had to control the pressure, wipe it clean, and withdraw immediately. He mustn’t linger too long.
In any case, he couldn’t let the other person become suspicious. Even a brief touch was a win…
“Hey, did the sauce get on your face?”
The vendor suddenly looked up and noticed them. He reached down and pulled out two napkins from under the counter. “Here, here, wipe with these. It’s sticky and uncomfortable if it gets on your hands too.”
Ye Wenyu: “…”
Seeing he didn’t take it, the vendor even gave the napkins a shake: “Hurry, take them, don’t be shy!”
Ye Wenyu was speechless. He could only thank him and take the napkins, then used them to help Yan Chen wipe away the ketchup.
The second serving was done quickly. They took it and started heading back. Ye Wenyu tried one and said it tasted pretty good.
Yan Chen: “Really.”
Ye Wenyu: “You don’t like it?”
Yan Chen: “It’s average.”
He wouldn’t come again.
Ye Wenyu asked, “Do you like eating this?”
As they passed a trash bin, Yan Chen tossed the box in and casually replied, “Yeah.”
“My high school had a really good one near the gate,” Ye Wenyu said. “It’s better than this one. If we get the chance, I’ll take you to try it. You’d probably like it.”
Yan Chen looked at him: “Wu City?”
Ye Wenyu nodded: “Yeah.”
Yan Chen: “You only go back during winter and summer break?”
Ye Wenyu: “More or less.”
Summer vacation had already ended, so that meant only winter break was left.
Yan Chen: “Does it snow in Wu City during winter?”
Ye Wenyu: “Sometimes. It snowed quite a bit during the Great Cold period last year. For a few days, almost every car in Wu City had a little snowman on top.”
He asked Yan Chen, “Do you want to see snow?”
Yan Chen: “I haven’t seen the snow in Wu City.”
Ye Wenyu’s heart stirred. He slowed his pace and looked at Yan Chen a bit more: “Then… do you want to go to Wu City this winter?”
After a pause, he added, “But Wu City doesn’t get snow every year.”
Yan Chen gave an ambiguous answer: “If I have time, I’ll go.”
Ye Wenyu nodded. He was too full to eat the rest of the takoyaki, so he closed the lid on the paper box: “If you can’t make it, that’s fine. If it snows this year, I’ll send you a video.”
But Yan Chen asked, “Can we video call instead? I’d rather see it live.”
Ye Wenyu didn’t hesitate: “Of course.”
They chatted casually as they walked back. When they reached the villa gate, Ye Wenyu stopped: “I…”
“You’re going back to school?” Yan Chen asked.
Ye Wenyu nodded: “If I’m too late, the dorm will lock up.”
Yan Chen frowned slightly, his mouth drawn into a straight line.
Ye Wenyu was about to ask what was wrong, when he suddenly remembered Yan Chen had said earlier that he couldn’t be in the wind or he’d get dizzy.
And they’d just walked all the way back in the wind.
How could he forget that?
The light at the entrance was a cool hue. When it hit Yan Chen’s face, Ye Wenyu thought he looked even more sickly.
Ye Wenyu asked with concern, “Are you feeling dizzy again?”
Yan Chen raised his hand to rub his temples, clearly uncomfortable: “It’s nothing. Go on back. I’ll take some medicine when I get in. If I can’t get up tomorrow, I’ll ask my roommate to call in sick for me.”
Ye Wenyu felt uncomfortable hearing that.
Such a big house, and he was all alone. He was sick, and if he wanted water at night, he’d have to get up and fetch it himself. If he had a fever and fainted in the middle of the night, no one would even notice.
He really couldn’t bring himself to leave Yan Chen alone like this.
“Forget it,” he said. “I’m not going back to the dorm tonight.”
Ye Wenyu hadn’t brought clothes with him, so after showering at the villa, he could only wear Yan Chen’s.
The pajamas were loose, even larger than the training uniform from last time. The collar hung lower, and when he bent over, nothing was covered.
The TV was playing a recently released movie. Yan Chen was sitting on the sofa. Hearing the sound of Ye Wenyu’s footsteps approaching in slippers, he raised his head and looked at him.
The house had a very typical cool-toned decor, with black, white, and gray dominating the space. Every corner felt rigid and proper. It was indeed clean and tidy, but also undeniably cold and heavy.
Ye Wenyu was like a deer that had accidentally wandered deep into the forest, completely out of place with everything around him.
There was a quiet softness in his cool demeanor, making everything around him seem like a backdrop to his presence.
“Come sit,” Yan Chen said as he scooted to the side.
As soon as Ye Wenyu sat down, Yan Chen leaned his head back against the sofa. On the coffee table was a cup of warm water, next to the cold medicine he had brought.
It would take some time for the medicine to take effect. Right now, Yan Chen looked really uncomfortable. Ye Wenyu had had colds and headaches before so he knew how miserable it could be.
“Let me massage you a bit,” he said. “Once the medicine kicks in, it won’t feel this bad.”
He had intended to move behind the sofa and help Yan Chen from there in his current lying position.
Unexpectedly, Yan Chen had a different interpretation. After agreeing, he naturally turned and rested his head on Ye Wenyu’s lap.
Ye Wenyu stiffened for a moment.
Meanwhile, Yan Chen had already settled into the most comfortable position and closed his eyes.
It felt a bit awkward, not exactly wrong, but just unfamiliar. After all, Ye Wenyu had never been this physically close to anyone before.
He tried to recall the gestures and amount of pressure his mother used to massage him in the past, and then pressed his fingertips gently to Yan Chen’s temples, massaging with moderate force.
The movie playing on the screen couldn’t hold his attention, so he focused entirely on massaging Yan Chen.
But the repetitive motion didn’t require much thought. Once muscle memory kicked in, his mind started to wander.
He had always known Yan Chen was good-looking, but right now, he looked different from usual.
There was less of that sharp-edged intensity, and more of a quiet obedience and softness.
Or rather, he looked very well-behaved.
Though that word felt oddly out of place for someone like Yan Chen, it was Ye Wenyu’s truest, most instinctive impression at that moment.
So the things he never understood made even less sense now. How could anyone think Yan Chen was fierce?
His gaze moved from the smooth forehead, slowly down to the deep, sculpted brows and eyes, to the straight nose bridge, then the tip of the nose, and further down to lips gently closed, the corners slightly curved in a relaxed way.
His eyes lingered there helplessly.
In the silent night, with no one around, desire was too easily amplified, making his heart stir uncontrollably.
Whether it was the branches tapping against the window in the wind, the flickering light from the TV, or the steady rhythm of Yan Chen’s breathing…it all felt like encouragement.
It seemed like Yan Chen had fallen asleep, so he slowed his hands down.
If he touched him now, no one would know…except for himself.
Just one touch. That should be fine.
Besides, earlier at the night market, if the vendor hadn’t been so enthusiastic, he would have touched him already.
And Yan Chen had “allowed” it, hadn’t he?
His fingertips quietly left Yan Chen’s temples and slowly moved toward another destination.
Just one touch, he wasn’t greedy, just one.
He really wanted to know what Yan Chen’s lips felt like…what temperature they were. Just imagining it made his fingertips feel weak.
The movie had ended. Only the credits were rolling now, and the black screen made the entire living room seem dimmer.
Ye Wenyu noticed none of it.
Ten centimeters. Five centimeters. Three centimeters…
He nearly held his breath, half-afraid Yan Chen would suddenly wake up and open his eyes, but at the same time unable to resist the temptation.
Almost there.
A little closer, just a little more…
But just as his fingertips were about to make contact, Yan Chen’s eyelashes suddenly trembled slightly.
His wrist was immediately grabbed, and Ye Wenyu’s heart jumped.
He was caught red-handed in the act of doing something sneaky.
But before he even had time to panic, the other party had already taken his hand and, without a word, naturally pressed it to his own face.
Unexpectedly, the lips he had longed for ended up pressed to his palm like a kiss.
They were soft and gentle, with the same faint warmth as the breath brushing against his skin.
Tick. Tick. Tick.
The old-fashioned wall clock moved forward diligently, steady and unhurried.
But for Ye Wenyu, time had come to a complete stop.
His eyes widened slightly, as if frozen in place by an invisible talisman, staring blankly at the person resting on his lap with eyes still closed.
After a moment, he finally seemed to remember how to breathe. His nearly boiling blood surged through his body, and his heart pounded wildly…thump thump, thump thump, thump thump…
Just before his heart felt like it was going to explode, he suddenly pulled his hand back.
His palm suddenly empty, Yan Chen finally opened his eyes, which were clear and alert.
“The medicine should be working now.”
Ye Wenyu tried hard to appear calm and composed. “Go get some rest. You’ll feel much better after a nap.”
Yan Chen lowered his eyes and slowly sat up.
As soon as the weight lifted from his lap, Ye Wenyu immediately stood. “I have class tomorrow morning, so I’ll go rest first.”
He quickly walked toward the stairs, but then paused, turned back to look at him from a distance. “If you need anything tonight, you can come to me directly. I won’t lock the door.”
Yan Chen gave a soft “okay”, sitting quietly as he watched Ye Wenyu turn and go upstairs.
Only when the slender figure disappeared at the end of the second floor did he withdraw his gaze and fall back into the sofa, raising one hand to cover his face just like before.
But this time, there was no faint scent of body wash. The gap was too big. The rough, calloused hand had nothing in common with the slender, soft one from earlier.
No fun at all.
He closed his eyes and buried all the emotions in them.
