TA •Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Jiang Yuduo turned around and lunged back to the door. He grabbed the knob and shook it a few times, but the door didn’t budge at all. It was clearly one of those very high-quality doors.

"It’s locked." Jiang Yuduo looked back at him.

"No shit," Cheng Ke said. "If you shook it any harder, it wouldn’t just stay locked. It’d probably smash the glass too."

"Fuck," Jiang Yuduo muttered, a little frustrated, and kept shaking the knob like crazy. After a while, he suddenly turned back. "Did you turn off the gas stove!"

"I did," Cheng Ke said.

Jiang Yuduo let out a breath of relief and started shaking the knob frantically again.

"Are you trying to shock yourself or something?" Cheng Ke saw the gauze on his hand, already seeping a little blood, and was speechless. He couldn’t help wondering if Jiang Yuduo even felt pain at all. "If you break the lock, I’m not paying for it."

Jiang Yuduo stopped and leaned against the door, letting out a sigh.

By now, Cheng Ke didn’t even know what he was feeling anymore. He was so furious he wanted to grab somebody and beat them, but he was also so frustrated he had no strength left in his whole body, not even enough to lift his hands.

He didn’t want to move at all. He just stared at the elevator doors, feeling like he could stay in that position until tomorrow morning.

The elevator doors opened.

"Go back," Cheng Ke said.

"I’m going to get your key," Jiang Yuduo said.

Cheng Ke didn’t answer. Right now, he didn’t want to think about anything at all.

Jiang Yuduo stepped into the elevator and looked at him.

The doors closed, then opened again two seconds later, and Jiang Yuduo came back out.

"Put on my jacket." He took off his coat and handed it over.

Only then did Cheng Ke remember that he was wearing just a thin wool sweater, with nothing underneath.

He hadn’t felt much before, but the second Jiang Yuduo said that, he suddenly felt the cold.

God, it was cold.

Then he started shivering as if he’d been shocked, unable to control it no matter what.

Normally, if it were really this cold, he wouldn’t have been shaking this badly. Today, though, maybe because he was so pissed off, he felt like he was trembling like an idiot.

"Fuck," Jiang Yuduo hurriedly draped the jacket over him. "You really don’t handle the cold well at all. You’re shaking like crazy."

"Get lost…" Cheng Ke’s teeth were chattering so hard that the word "get lost" came out in pieces.

But just as Jiang Yuduo was about to get into the elevator, Cheng Ke came back to himself and grabbed his arm.

Jiang Yuduo always wore a long-sleeved T-shirt under a down jacket. Now that he’d taken off his coat, he only had that one long-sleeved T-shirt on. No matter how cold-resistant he was, he couldn’t handle this temperature.

"Call Chen Qing and have him drive over with a piece of clothing," Cheng Ke said.

"Mm." Jiang Yuduo nodded and pulled out his phone to make the call.

After he finished talking to Chen Qing, the hallway was completely silent.

Cheng Ke reached into Jiang Yuduo’s coat pocket, took out the cigarettes and lighter, and went into the stairwell. By the window, he lit a cigarette and clamped it between his lips.

It was already pitch-dark outside. Under the lights, tiny black shapes could be seen fluttering through the air.

It was snowing, of all things.

Cheng Ke exhaled a mouthful of smoke. The smoke mixed with his breath, twisting wildly for a moment at the window before disappearing.

He exhaled again, and it vanished.

Again, and it vanished again.

"Give me a cigarette." Jiang Yuduo poked his head out from the fire door.

"Don’t smoke in the hallway." Cheng Ke handed him the pack and lighter.

"Mm." Jiang Yuduo lit a cigarette, but he didn’t even go into the stairwell. He just leaned his head over. "I’ll smoke like this."

"…Would it kill you if your neck got snapped?" Cheng Ke said. "Do you really have to do it like that?"

"No shit," Jiang Yuduo said. "It’s warmer in the hallway anyway. It’s freezing here, the wind’s howling, and I’m only wearing a T-shirt…"

Only then did Cheng Ke realize that the reason he could stand so comfortably by the window was because Jiang Yuduo’s jacket was on him. He hurriedly took it off. "You wear it. I’ll stay in the hallway."

Jiang Yuduo hesitated for a moment, then took the jacket. "Let’s go downstairs in a bit. The security room has heating."

"Does it?" Cheng Ke asked.

"How would the guard do his shift if there was no heat?" Jiang Yuduo looked at him.

"Oh." Cheng Ke nodded.

The security room did have heating, though it wasn’t especially strong. Still, the guard had also lit a stove, so it was very warm.

By the time Cheng Ke went in, he let out a long breath of relief.

The guard was brewing tea over the stove. It smelled great. If it weren’t for the fact that the enamel mug looked downright terrifying, Cheng Ke would’ve wanted a sip too.

Jiang Yuduo clearly wasn’t nearly as picky as he was. When the guard handed him the mug, he took it and drank two mouthfuls right away, even wiping his mouth with a pleased look. "You put sugar in this tea?"

"I did. English black tea, they all put sugar in it. I used osmanthus sugar," the guard said. "Pretty fragrant, right?"

"Yeah," Jiang Yuduo said, nodding.

Cheng Ke had never tasted this kind of "English black tea" before. He couldn’t help himself. Right before the guard took a drink, he said, "Let me try it."

"Here." The guard handed him the cup very generously.

Osmanthus-sweetened Pu'er.

This was the strangest tea Cheng Ke had ever drunk in his life.

"How is it? My English black tea isn’t bad, right?" the guard asked.

Cheng Ke gave him a thumbs-up.

It was hard to say where Chen Qing worked, but about an hour after Jiang Yuduo called him, they finally saw a car pull up in front of the building.

By the time he ran toward the elevator, Cheng Ke couldn’t even see a person, only a huge bundle of clothes.

"Over here!" Jiang Yuduo shouted.

The huge bundle of clothes turned and ran back toward the security room.

"Here, hurry up and put it on." As soon as Chen Qing entered the security room, the already tiny space seemed to lose even the last bit of breathing room.

"What the hell did you bring?" Jiang Yuduo frowned.

"My dad’s sheepskin coat," Chen Qing said. "There’s no way my clothes would fit you two. Mine are all tailored, probably two or three sizes off from yours, right?"

Cheng Ke looked at the sheepskin coat he’d brought. It was the real deal, top quality. The leather on the outside looked good, and the fur inside was thick and soft… The coat looked sturdier than a person.

Jiang Yuduo glanced at him, and he quickly took Jiang Yuduo’s down jacket and put it on. "This one’s enough for me."

"Is this really the only winter coat your dad has? What the hell, did he wear this hunting in the mountains?" Jiang Yuduo said helplessly as he put on the sheepskin coat. "Didn’t he have anything else?"

"This one’s the warmest," Chen Qing answered, considerate to the point of being flawless.

Jiang Yuduo put on the coat and walked out of the security room.

Cheng Ke followed him out and took a look. The coat actually looked very… fitting on Jiang Yuduo. Change the background, and he could’ve passed for a bandit chief.

"Let’s go," Jiang Yuduo said. "Go to Lu Xi’s place to get the key."

"No need," Chen Qing said, taking a ring of keys from his pocket. "I just went to Sister Xi’s place and got the keys."

Cheng Ke froze.

The moment he saw the keys, he suddenly felt annoyed.

Yes, very annoyed.

He hadn’t noticed it before. Only when he saw the keys did he realize that he felt… a little disappointed.

"Fuck," Jiang Yuduo snatched the keys out of his hand and glared at Chen Qing. "If you already had the keys, why the hell did you bring clothes? You could’ve just brought the keys over!"

"You told me to bring clothes," Chen Qing said.

"I told you to bring clothes because I was going over there to get the keys!" Jiang Yuduo said.

"Anyway, the keys are here," Chen Qing said, glancing at his phone. "Wear the clothes, give them back to me tomorrow. I’ve got to go back to the shop and drop off the car now, and I’ve got nowhere to put the clothes."

"Get lost," Jiang Yuduo said.

Chen Qing turned and ran off.

"Here." Jiang Yuduo handed the keys over.

Cheng Ke took them and hesitated for a moment. Then he unzipped his coat.

"Take it off after we get upstairs," Jiang Yuduo said as he walked toward the elevator.

Cheng Ke followed him into the elevator and opened the apartment door.

"You should really switch to a fingerprint lock," Jiang Yuduo said.

"Mm." Cheng Ke took off his coat. "Are you still eating instant noodles?"

"…Yeah." Jiang Yuduo pressed a hand to his stomach. "Can I have two bowls?"

Cheng Ke looked at him. "Sure."

Once they got into the kitchen, Cheng Ke looked at the two opened packs of instant noodles on the counter and immediately felt another surge of irritation.

His mother had just wandered around the apartment. She hadn’t gone into the bedroom or the other room, but she definitely had passed by the kitchen door, and she definitely would’ve seen the two packs of instant noodles here.

He and the landlord, whose story didn’t even line up with his, were about to have dinner together, and not just any dinner, but instant noodles, the kind of meal only people who were already familiar with each other would throw together. Anyone could tell at a glance that his mother would come up with all kinds of ideas about it. As for whether she’d go back and complain to his father, he had no idea.

His father didn’t care about his sexuality and dismissed it with contempt, but if his mother mentioned these things, his father’s opinion of him as a useless failure would only gain another tally.

After he turned ten, Cheng Ke had stopped hoping for anyone’s approval. However his father judged him didn’t affect his mood. The only thing that could really hurt him was a judgment based on some misunderstanding, with no one caring about his explanation.

Cheng Yi was a lot like their father in that respect. Once he decided something, it was almost impossible to change his mind.

"Want me to do it?" Jiang Yuduo came into the kitchen.

"Get out," Cheng Ke said.

"You’ve been standing here for several minutes," Jiang Yuduo said. "If you’re not hungry, I am. I’m so hungry my eyes are turning green."

Cheng Ke glanced at him and turned to leave the kitchen.

He sat curled up on the sofa without moving until Jiang Yuduo came out carrying two large bowls.

"All right, you can eat now," Jiang Yuduo said.

Cheng Ke stood and sat down at the dining table. "Thanks."

Jiang Yuduo ignored him, sat down, and lowered his head to start eating.

"Why did you pour the noodles out too?" Cheng Ke frowned. The inexplicable irritation still hadn’t gone away, and it flared up if he was careless even once. "Now we’ll have two more bowls to wash."

Jiang Yuduo looked at him, then slapped his chopsticks down on the table.

The crack was loud.

Cheng Ke looked at him.

"There are still two pairs of chopsticks," Jiang Yuduo said. "You think washing them would tire you out to death or something?"

Cheng Ke didn’t say anything and lowered his head to eat.

"I don’t know what bullshit your family has going on," Jiang Yuduo said, glaring at him. "But if you ever blow up at me like that again, I guarantee you won’t be able to stand up for the rest of this month!"

Cheng Ke picked out a little cube of meat from the instant noodles, looked at it, then put it in his mouth and chewed slowly.

For some reason, the meat cubes in the instant noodles didn’t taste like meat at all. It was especially pointless to eat.

"Your temper’s a little too good," Jiang Yuduo said while eating. "If it were your little brother, and it were me, ten years ago I would’ve beaten him so badly that he’d have to kneel and crawl whenever he saw me."

"Ever since I was two," Cheng Ke said, "my mom and dad have kept saying, this is your younger brother, you need to let him have things, he’s younger than you, be a little more considerate, you’re older, why can’t you be more sensible… I really hated hearing that. I was disgusted by it. I was only two years older than him, not twenty years older… But when you’re little, you don’t really think that much. You just get annoyed."

"Mm." Jiang Yuduo responded.

"But after a long time, you realize that even though you’re disgusted by it, you still end up doing what they said. I don’t know why," Cheng Ke said. "It’s like brainwashing. Do you know what I mean?"

"Brainwashing?" Jiang Yuduo looked at him.

"Yeah." Cheng Ke nodded.

"I get it," Jiang Yuduo said, lowering his head to pick up a bite of noodles. It looked like he wanted to say something, but in the end he didn’t. He only repeated, "I get it."

"Cheng Yi’s smarter than me," Cheng Ke said with a sigh. "To everyone else, it always looks like I’m the one bullying him."

"That’s called being sly," Jiang Yuduo said. "And yeah, that’s something you really can’t compare to him."

"Actually, after I left home," Cheng Ke said, staring at the noodles in his bowl, "I felt pretty happy. I was thinking, from now on we wouldn’t have to see each other anymore, we’d each go our own way. I couldn’t help my family with anything, and I didn’t need my family to help me with anything anymore."

"Mm." Jiang Yuduo responded. He picked up his bowl and tipped his head back, drinking all the soup in one go.

Cheng Ke stared at the empty bowl he set back on the table, a little shocked. "You finished it? Both servings?"

"I already said I was starving," Jiang Yuduo said. "When your mom and the others were still here, I was already thinking about going into the kitchen and eating first."

Cheng Ke looked at him and suddenly laughed.

"What?" Jiang Yuduo clicked his tongue.

"You were so rude just now," Cheng Ke said with a smile. "You didn’t even stand up when you saw an elder."

"If it had only been your mom, I definitely would’ve stood up," Jiang Yuduo said, waving a hand. "But the problem is your brother was there too. I was so annoyed just looking at him that I wasn’t standing up for anything. Not lying down was already pretty good of me."

Cheng Ke didn’t say anything, just watched him laugh for a while.

"Are you okay?" Jiang Yuduo frowned. "You were furious like an idiot a second ago, and now you can’t stop laughing."

"No," Cheng Ke said, rubbing his nose. "I just feel like laughing."

After eating a couple of bites of noodles, he set down his chopsticks and sighed. "I don’t have much appetite. I can’t finish it."

"…You only ate three bites total," Jiang Yuduo said. "Your appetite is way too damn girly. I can always eat no matter what."

Cheng Ke looked at him.

"You’re not eating anymore?" Jiang Yuduo asked.

"The girly guy really can’t eat anymore," Cheng Ke said.

"Give it here." Jiang Yuduo reached over and took the bowl. "I was too embarrassed to say it earlier, but I actually still wasn’t full…"

"You really don’t care about anything, huh." Cheng Ke froze.

"You’re not exactly the picky type either," Jiang Yuduo said with a smile. "You were so disgusted by the guard’s cup, and still drank his tea anyway."

"Damn it." Cheng Ke thought again of that osmanthus-sugar Pu'er.

Jiang Yuduo quickly finished the rest of his half bowl of instant noodles too, then leaned back in his chair and let out a breath. "Full."

Cheng Ke stood up and carried the bowls to the kitchen.

"If you don’t want to wash them, just leave them there. I’ll do it," Jiang Yuduo said. "Don’t find another excuse to blow up at me."

Cheng Ke ignored him and washed the bowls.

When he came out of the kitchen, Jiang Yuduo had already stood up and was about to get his coat.

"I’m heading out," he said, looking at Cheng Ke. "Give me Lu Xi’s key."

Cheng Ke tossed him the key.

As he watched Jiang Yuduo put on his coat and walk toward the door, he suddenly felt a little panicked.

He couldn’t explain why, but he didn’t want to be alone.

Even if Chen Qing were sitting here right now, it would make him feel more at ease.

"Lao San." Cheng Ke called out to Jiang Yuduo.

"Mm?" Jiang Yuduo turned back.

"Stay here tonight," Cheng Ke said. "With me."

"What’s wrong?" Jiang Yuduo froze.

"I don’t want to be alone," Cheng Ke said. "It’s too empty."

Jiang Yuduo looked at him, and after a long moment, he nodded.

"You sleep in the bed," Cheng Ke said immediately. "I’ll sleep on the sofa."

"Mm." Jiang Yuduo took off his coat, walked to the bedroom door, and pushed it open to look inside.

If this had been before, Cheng Ke would have definitely stopped him on the spot without giving him any face at all. But now, watching Jiang Yuduo open his bedroom door, he didn’t feel anything at all.

When people were vulnerable, they really did have astonishing tolerance.

"Actually, I can sleep on the sofa…" Jiang Yuduo said, looking inside. Halfway through, he turned back to glance at him. "Young master, you still have the nerve to let someone sleep in a bed like this?"

"What’s wrong with the bed?" Cheng Ke was stunned. For Jiang Yuduo, who smoked in bed and flicked ash onto the floor, to actually have the nerve to criticize his bed?

"You can’t even put on a duvet cover properly, fine," Jiang Yuduo said. "But you seriously can’t even get the pillowcase on?"