The weather in midsummer was unpredictable, and it rained for two days in a row. Shou caught a chill in the evening and immediately got a cold.
The rain outside the window didn’t stop, and it was pattering down. He reluctantly made a phone call to ask for leave, took a few cold medicines, and felt weak all over. He went back to bed, covered himself with a quilt, and fell asleep in a daze.
He slept soundly, and when he woke up again, he was awakened by a series of knocks on the door.
The other party was knocking so fiercely, as if he wouldn’t stop if he didn’t open the door.
He propped himself up, his eyes still unable to open, and he thought groggily: Who would have come to see him? It has been almost ten years since he left home at the age of sixteen, and he has thought countless times that maybe one day he will rot in a corner of the city and no one will know.
Somehow, the shou thought of the high school student. He rubbed his face, which was still having a low fever, and got out of bed with one step deep and one step shallow[footnote]staggeringly[/footnote].
Sure enough, it was the high school student.
He stood outside the door with a gloomy face and a bit of anxiety between his eyebrows. He was holding a mobile phone, as if he were talking to someone, and he knocked on the door a few times from time to time.
The shou was stunned for a moment, and when he opened the door, the high school student suddenly turned his head and stared at him. The shou opened his mouth and said in a hoarse voice, “What’s the matter?”
The high school student stared at him for a while without saying a word. A female voice came from the phone, and he said, “It’s okay. I’ll call you back later.”
Even when the high school student spoke on the phone, his eyes were still on the shou’s face. As soon as he hung up the phone, he reached out to touch the shou’s forehead. Taken aback, the shou took a step back and looked at the high school student blankly. The high school student pressed his palm firmly on the shou’s smooth forehead and said in a somewhat unhappy tone, “Why don’t you go to the hospital if you are sick?”
The shou pursued his bloodless lips. His hair was messy, his face was pale, and he looked a bit sick and haggard. The shou whispered, “How did you know?”
The high school student didn’t say anything. He had gone to the supermarket where the shou worked after school and heard it from that talkative girl. She said that the shou had taken a leave because of a cold. When the high school student heard this, he went home and knocked on the shou’s door.
Unexpectedly, after knocking for a long time, the shou didn’t show up, and the high school student almost kicked down the door directly.
The high school student said, “Let’s go to the hospital.”
The shou suddenly grabbed the door and said softly, “No, I slept for a while, and I feel much better.”
The high school student frowned, “What’s wrong?
He raised his voice by two points. Shou widened his eyes, shook his head, his fingers digging into the doorframe, and said softly, “It’s just a low fever. There’s no need for all this trouble. I’ll be fine after taking medicine.”
The high school student frowned even tightly, looked at his tense appearance, tried to soften his tone, and said, “Are you really okay?”
He nodded hurriedly.
“……” The high school student reached out and touched the shou’s forehead again. Shou had become a little more awake, and his whole body stiffened. He then realized that the high school student’s clothes were actually wet. Shou remembered belatedly that it was still raining outside, and he ran back.
— — Because of me? When this thought came up, the shou felt that the temperature of his cheeks had risen.
During this period of time, they occasionally went out to eat together. The high school student would go to the supermarket, sometimes do homework in the supermarket, and then go home with the shou. They became familiar with each other. The high school student didn’t act as aggressively as his face suggested. This person didn’t talk much and seemed to take everything he did for granted, as if it were only natural. Shou didn’t feel any aversion, only unease and a bit of flattered surprise.
The high school student was tall with broad palms that covered Shou’s entire forehead, his fingertips brushing against the soft, fine hair.
The shou swallowed dryly, took a step back, and said softly, “Your clothes are all wet. Go back and change your clothes first.”
But the high school student said, “It’s okay.” He thought for a moment, took back his hand, looked at the shou, and said, “You go back and rest first. I’ll go out for a while and come back later.”
“Give me your phone number.”
After hesitating for a second, shou still reported his mobile phone number. After a while, his mobile phone rang in the bedroom.
The high school student exhorted, “Call me as soon as you feel uncomfortable.”
He was a little dazed, thinking to himself that he just had a small cold. So he didn’t have to be so nervous.
Seeing the serious and solemn appearance of the high school student, the tip of shou’s nose was sore, and he couldn’t even say a word of rejection.
Translator’s corner
Thank you so much for reading the chapter. If you liked my translation and wanna support me, you can comment down your thoughts or send me a Kofi.
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