TA •Chapter 53

Chapter 53

Cheng Ke felt that life was being especially unkind to him. It was bad enough that his right hand was unusable, but on top of that, he still had so much to do.

He had called a car. Normally it could drive all the way to the building entrance before stopping, but today, with only a hundred or two meters left, it could go no farther. Two residents had somehow scraped their cars, and were now arguing.

Cheng Ke had lived here for so long that he only knew of two routes that led down to his place, this one, and the one that came in from the east gate. There was no way he could ask the driver to back out and come in through the east gate now, so he could only open the door and get out.

At times like this, he would feel that having Jiang Yuduo by his side was a very good thing. No matter what Jiang Yuduo’s goals or habits in life were, he knew the layout of many places where he stayed for any length of time. In a situation like this, he probably could have given the driver at least two more ways around it.

After getting out, he had barely taken a few steps when the jacket he had only half-armed himself into, the one he had left unzipped, slid backward. The wind immediately blew half his body numb.

He twisted around for ages, trying to use his left hand to reach behind him and pull the jacket back into place, but it didn’t work. In the end, he had to use his left hand to grab the jacket from the right side and drag it around to the front. He looked like he was wearing a monk’s robe, and before he could freeze solid, he ran all the way into the building entrance.

Luckily, the security room was on the left, and the guard was on the phone. When he saw Cheng Ke come in, he only called out, “Mr. Cheng is back?”

“Yeah, busy,” Cheng Ke said, clutching his jacket as he hurried past and got into the elevator.

The moment he got home, he irritably threw the jacket on the floor, then stood in the middle of the living room with no idea what to do next.

This apartment had been empty for a month, and now that he had to come back and stay for one night, he actually felt a little lost.

Should he dust first, boil some water first, or make the bed first…

After standing there for a while and sorting out his plan, he finally started. He put the water on first, then turned on the robot vacuum, and only then did he tear off a rag and start wiping dust.

Dusting was probably the easiest thing of all. Every flat surface only needed a quick swipe or two, and there was no difficulty at all for his left hand.

Once all that was done, it hadn’t taken much time, but when he walked into the bedroom, all the little sense of accomplishment he had felt earlier vanished completely.

After the vacuum had gone over the mattress once, he opened the closet and suddenly had the urge to call Jiang Yuduo right then and there to come help him make the bed and put on the duvet cover.

But he gritted his teeth and held back. Not only had Jiang Yuduo once told him to endure it, he had also told Jiang Yuduo not to be too considerate. The words had only just left his mouth, and if he turned around and immediately called the man over to make the bed for him, no matter how he looked at it, it would be embarrassing.

In the end, he used the sandwich method. He shook the bedsheet twice at random, and since making it perfectly flat was impossible, he just made sure it covered an area he could sleep on. Then he flung the duvet cover on top, took out the quilt and pressed it down. That was good enough.

It looked a little miserable, but once he was asleep, he wouldn’t feel it anyway.

He couldn’t be bothered to admire his handiwork for even a second. After walking out of the bedroom, he planned to wash up, watch some TV, and then go to sleep.

His phone rang once.

He picked it up and looked. It was from Jiang Yuduo.

"Done unpacking?"

Cheng Ke sent back a voice message. "Done."

He hadn’t even put the phone down before Jiang Yuduo called.

"Didn’t I say I was done unpacking?" Cheng Ke answered.

"You made the bed too?" Jiang Yuduo sounded a little surprised. "You can make a bed?"

"Yeah, it’s done. Anyway, it’s just…" Cheng Ke thought about it. "It’s made, anyway."

"You stacked it up layer by layer, didn’t you," Jiang Yuduo said.

"…Yeah." Cheng Ke glanced at the pile of bedding on the bed. "But it doesn’t affect sleeping."

"I wanted to tell you," Jiang Yuduo said, "you can… just crawl through the opening in the duvet cover, then put the quilt on top of it. That way it won’t slide off, and it won’t bunch up either."

"Like a sleeping bag?" Cheng Ke blinked.

"Yeah," Jiang Yuduo said.

Cheng Ke felt as if enlightenment had struck him all at once. He was clear-headed all the way through. "Third Brother, you’re such a clever little guy!"

"You nearly scared me to death. I thought you were about to call me a little cutie," Jiang Yuduo sighed. "I’m coming over tomorrow. I’ll go with you to the hotel to get your stuff?"

Cheng Ke was in a great mood, and he didn’t have time to react to the pretty little cutie line. He also completely forgot that he still hadn’t worked out whether he was actually moving back right away. He just answered at once, "Okay."

Only after hanging up did he come to his senses. But the words had already been said, so he could only move back first and think about the rest later.

Compared with whether he should move back, the most painful thing right now was how to shower. He definitely wasn’t showering today, but while washing up, he still stood under the showerhead and simulated it. He tried hard to lift his right arm and brace it against the wall, holding the showerhead in his left hand. That should be enough to wash…

Satisfied, he nodded. But just as he put the showerhead back, a scene suddenly flashed through his mind of Jiang Yuduo helping him bathe.

And not the serious, proper kind of bath scene where they were just good friends.

It was simply indecent.

He quickly turned around and grabbed his toothbrush, staring at himself in the mirror and repeatedly reminding himself, Mr. Cheng Ke, please show some restraint.

But honestly, it didn’t work very well, especially since the image had not yet gone away. Then he thought of the kiss Jiang Yuduo had left on the tip of his nose.

Although there wasn’t really any feeling to it, yes, no feeling at all, the action itself was already explosive enough. Once the actual sensation was combined with his imagination…

Mr. Cheng Ke was not very capable of restraint anymore.

Luckily, reason reminded him that his left hand was not his dominant one, and he stopped himself in time.

Jiang Yuduo stood behind the curtains and looked outside. One of the streetlights outside had gone out during the New Year and still hadn’t been repaired. The corner diagonally across from him was even darker than before, and he couldn’t see whether anyone was there.

If it had been before, and he had felt someone was there, he would have waited patiently or gone out to check. But not today. After standing behind the curtain for a few minutes, he turned and walked away.

Sister Luo had once said that when you felt you couldn’t shake them off, try ignoring them.

Although that sentence was built on the premise that he was "sick," under the condition that the other side had not taken any further action and that he could probably handle it if anything sudden happened, he decided to try it.

Try ignoring it.

That was somewhat dangerous for him. Once they appeared again and slipped out of his sight, anything could happen.

…Or maybe nothing would happen.

Jiang Yuduo lowered his head and looked at the scar in his palm.

How the scar had come to be, maybe he knew, maybe he didn’t. Sometimes he couldn’t judge what kind of thing he had actually run into.

Maybe anything could happen, maybe nothing would happen.

Most of the time, the only thing he could be sure of was his own fear.

He could ignore many things, even ignore the truth.

But fear was the one thing he couldn’t ignore.

Fear was a real thing. It didn’t come from so-called imagination or emotion, but from reality.

In all the time since this past month, Jiang Yuduo had never wanted so badly to become a "normal person."

The life he had lived all along seemed normal to him. His friends, his younger brothers, every interaction between them had been natural and normal.

Those who had once doubted and wavered eventually disappeared, and his world remained undisturbed.

Until Cheng Ke showed up.

The state he was in when he was with Cheng Ke was something he had never experienced. Maybe it was because he had never seen such a miserable young master before, nor had he ever seen someone who couldn’t even get a gas stove or water heater to light. From the very beginning, his attention to Cheng Ke had already gone beyond that of a normal stranger who posed no danger.

Cheng Ke, with the waste-of-space image Jiang Yuduo had never seen before, had drawn an intense sense of presence out of him.

The way they got along afterward seemed natural, but it was also outside his usual range.

He had never interacted like this with someone like that, someone outside his world. A sand art master whom people would spend a lot of money to invite to perform, someone whose sleep-talk could include poetry beyond "the sun sets behind the hills"…

And when Cheng Ke faced him, he also had absolutely none of the awareness he should have had facing "Third Brother." In many people’s eyes, that might have counted as disrespect, but to him, it felt like relaxation.

When he was in front of Cheng Ke, he would, without even realizing it, let down certain masks, give the most natural reactions, and say the most unconsidered words.

Maybe it was because of all this that he wanted this friend, who made his world feel more real, to stay forever.

He was afraid Cheng Ke would disappear.

Even though Cheng Ke had never said a single word directly, not even suspicion, and had rarely shown it, every question Cheng Ke asked had hit precisely on the most sensitive part of his heart.

He had no choice but to start trying to be a "normal person."

It was tiring, but for now, he still didn’t regret it.

That night, the cat jumped onto and off the bed several times. Once, it even sat on his head. He knew that several cars had passed outside, and when the rooster crowed, a young couple was quietly arguing outside the back courtyard.

The man was very long-winded, repeatedly questioning whether the girl was involved with a male colleague. Jiang Yuduo even listened seriously for a while. The fact that the male colleague had given every female coworker a chocolate on Valentine’s Day had also been counted in.

So damn boring, idiot.

The girl probably had pretty much the same thought. The argument ended with a slap.

From the footsteps, the two of them still left together.

Jiang Yuduo felt a little like laughing.

Dating was way too troublesome… if it was two men?

Jiang Yuduo thought of Cheng Ke. Cheng Ke was already 30, no, 28, a pre-middle-aged man in reserve, and he had definitely dated before. If it was with another man, would he be just as stupid?

He probably wouldn’t, right? When Cheng Ke was in work mode, he gave off a very calm, decisive feeling. If he dated, he probably wouldn’t be this annoying either.

Then if the pretty… little cutie was the annoying one, how would Cheng Ke handle it?

Tsk.

He really had nothing better to do, lying awake in bed in the middle of the night worrying about whether Cheng Ke would turn stupid when dating.

He rolled over, hauled the cat over, and buried his face in its belly. Since he couldn’t sleep, he might as well doze for a while, at least let his body have the illusion that it had already slept once.

Today was Lantern Festival, and early in the morning Cheng Ke was woken by the sound of firecrackers from downstairs.

Although notices banning fireworks and firecrackers were posted all over the residential complex, the noise was still much livelier than over at the hotel.

Cheng Ke yawned. With this racket, things would only get livelier. There was no way he was going back to sleep.

He was getting up. Today Jiang Yuduo would accompany him to the hotel to get his luggage, but he still had to go to the shop. The most important leisure area was going to have tile laid on the wall today, and some of the plants would be delivered too. He had to arrange for people to put them in place first…

When he sat up, he habitually stretched out his right hand to support himself on the bed.

The moment the cast hit the mattress, the numb feeling in his hand made him react violently.

Ahhhhhh! His wrist, his wrist, his wrist was fucking broken!

He didn’t dare use any force. He could only immediately relax the strength in his hand, letting himself flop sideways back onto the bed like a dog eating shit, then use his left hand to prop himself up and sit back up.

"Fuck." He looked at his right hand. Good thing he’d reacted in time.

When Jiang Yuduo called, Cheng Ke had just finished washing up. He picked up and heard Jiang Yuduo’s bright, lively voice.

"Up yet? Don’t eat breakfast. I’ll bring it over," Jiang Yuduo sounded like a grade-school kid about to go on a spring outing. "Do you still want those glutinous rice balls from last time?"

Even though Cheng Ke didn’t think there was anything especially pleasant about such an early morning, he still got infected by that mood. "Sure. Can you make them a little bigger? The last ones weren’t enough."

"I’ll buy you two. The big ones aren’t as tasty as the small ones," Jiang Yuduo said.

"Okay," Cheng Ke said.

"Did you brush your teeth?" Jiang Yuduo asked again.

"…I did," Cheng Ke said. "I may not have showered, but brushing and washing my face are still fine."

"Can you brush with your left hand?" Jiang Yuduo asked.

"Electric toothbrush. Just stick it in my mouth," Cheng Ke sighed. "You’re not planning to help me brush my teeth, are you, Third Brother?"

"No. I was wondering whether I should bring you a pack of mouthwash," Jiang Yuduo said.

"No need. Just bring the two glutinous rice balls over," Cheng Ke said.

Only after hanging up did he remember that he had forgotten to tell Jiang Yuduo he still had a bunch of things to do today and couldn’t just take the luggage and leave.

He frowned. This reunion after a long separation was probably a bit too stimulating. He seemed to keep following Jiang Yuduo’s train of thought, and as they talked, he could forget things completely.

He didn’t know whether he was doing it on purpose, or whether deep down he actually wanted to.

"Is that enough?" Jiang Yuduo asked, pulling out two glutinous rice balls from inside his clothes after he came in.

"Enough," Cheng Ke took them. They were still a little hot. "Did you eat?"

"No. We’ll eat together. If I’d already finished and then had to watch you eat, how miserable would that be?" Jiang Yuduo also pulled out three more glutinous rice balls and two bags of soy milk. "And soy milk."

Cheng Ke looked at him. "You stuffed all that in there. It won’t fall out?"

"I hold it against my body with my hand in my pocket," Jiang Yuduo said. "What, you couldn’t figure that out?"

"Why are you eating three?" Cheng Ke changed the subject.

"Because I want to eat three. You yourself said you wanted two, and one second ago you said it was enough," Jiang Yuduo stepped back a pace. "You’re not planning to snatch them, are you?"

"Not necessarily." Cheng Ke bit into one of the rice balls. "If two aren’t enough, then I’ll…"

Before he could finish, he looked up and found that one of the rice balls in Jiang Yuduo’s hand was already half gone.

"Was that really necessary?" he was utterly speechless.

"Who knows. If you really do snatch them, I can’t exactly beat up a cripple," Jiang Yuduo said as he ate in big bites.

"When you go back and see that three-and-a-half-year-old, remember to call him big brother," Cheng Ke said, drinking some soy milk.

"He’s four," Jiang Yuduo said.

"Oh, then you have to call him uncle," Cheng Ke said.

Jiang Yuduo laughed for a long time.

After breakfast and going downstairs, once they saw the taxi arrive, Cheng Ke finally remembered that he still hadn’t discussed today’s schedule with Jiang Yuduo.

He suddenly had the feeling that he was doing it on purpose. Even though he had already said he didn’t want Jiang Yuduo to be that considerate, he only remembered to tell him, right up until they were about to get in the car, that today he might have to spend most of the day with him.

"I forgot to tell you," he said quickly, looking at Jiang Yuduo. "I can’t leave right away later. I still have to go to the shop. The renovation workers aren’t taking the day off today, and the plants are being delivered too."

"Mm." Jiang Yuduo answered.

Cheng Ke didn’t understand that reaction, so he could only add, "Do you want to wait until I’m done before we go over?"

"Then why the fuck didn’t you say so earlier? I already came all the way here to bring you two glutinous rice balls, and then I’m leaving," Jiang Yuduo glared at him. "You’re a grown-ass young man and you still lie to get somebody to bring you breakfast? Who the fuck are you fooling!"

Cheng Ke looked at him and suddenly felt very happy.

Jiang Yuduo’s instant Third Brother mode was very… cute, and also very… sexy.

"So we’re going together?" Cheng Ke asked.

"Yeah." Jiang Yuduo walked toward the taxi. "I’m off today."

"You even have days off?" Cheng Ke asked softly after getting in the car.

"Otherwise what," Jiang Yuduo said just as softly. "For big holidays like this, we don’t collect rent, don’t chase rent, and don’t fight. That’s how we’ve always been."

"Oh." Cheng Ke nodded.

"You’ll be done tonight, right?" Jiang Yuduo asked.

"It’ll definitely be finished by the afternoon," Cheng Ke said. "The workers are going home to celebrate."

"Then that’s good." Jiang Yuduo nodded, then asked a little hesitantly, "Then… well, Chen Qing, Chen Qing said to ask you to come eat with us, at his place."

"For Lantern Festival?" Cheng Ke asked.

"Mm. At first I didn’t want to call you. I was worried you wouldn’t be used to it. Chen Qing’s parents, they’re like us too, all pretty… rough and loud," Jiang Yuduo looked at him. "But then I thought, if I didn’t call you, you’d be pretty miserable, spending New Year with nobody paying attention to you."

"Can you even speak properly?" Cheng Ke said.

"So, are you going?" Jiang Yuduo asked.

"I’ll go. I’m already this miserable, from New Year’s Eve all alone until Lantern Festival. At least somebody’s finally taking pity on me," Cheng Ke clicked his tongue.

Jiang Yuduo laughed and turned his head to look out the window.

The taxi reached the hotel first. Jiang Yuduo helped Cheng Ke pack up all his things. Although he didn’t look all that practiced either, he was still much more efficient than an one-armed useless cripple.

"I see you really are kind of prodigal," Jiang Yuduo said after closing both suitcases and glancing around the room. "Living by yourself and you still want a suite."

"There weren’t any singles or standard rooms when I booked," Cheng Ke said. "I canceled once in the middle, then used Xu Ting’s membership card to book again. Got a discount."

Jiang Yuduo didn’t say anything else, only sighed.

After packing up the luggage and taking it to the shop, the timing was about right. By the time they arrived, the workers had just gotten there.

"Thanks for your hard work today, master," Cheng Ke said.

"It’s nothing, we’ll probably finish by noon," the worker said. "If you guys hadn’t been so demanding about quality, I could’ve gone even faster."

"Quality first, no rush," Cheng Ke said with a smile.

Jiang Yuduo carried the two suitcases to the back room on the first floor and put them down, then came back out and wandered around the shop a few times.

"How is it?" Cheng Ke asked.

"Looks good," Jiang Yuduo nodded. "Feels really high-end."

"I’m going to have a set of tables and chairs made upstairs in a few days," Cheng Ke said. "But my hand’s injured now, so… could you come help then?"

"You can do carpentry too?" Jiang Yuduo was a little surprised.

"It’s not made of wood, it’s made of cement…" Cheng Ke said.

"You can do masonry too?" Jiang Yuduo was even more surprised.

"No," Cheng Ke thought about it, and finally gave up. "You’ll understand when you see it."

"I still can’t do it," Jiang Yuduo frowned. "How am I supposed to help?"

"I’ll tell you what to do. It’s simple," Cheng Ke said.

"Okay." Jiang Yuduo nodded.

Just as he was about to ask more, a horn sounded at the entrance.

Jiang Yuduo turned to look outside and saw a small truck driving up to the door.

"I’ll go take a look," Cheng Ke said, walking out. "Maybe the plants have been delivered."

Jiang Yuduo couldn’t see the driver clearly. He was blocked by the passenger seat. Delivering a few pots of plants needed two people? He immediately followed. By rights, he should have walked in front of Cheng Ke, but he still chose to stay behind him.

As soon as they got outside, the passenger door opened and the person inside jumped out, greeting Cheng Ke, "Brother Cheng."

"Lin Xu?" Cheng Ke was startled. "Why are you…"

"I’ve got a friend who runs a nursery," Lin Xu said with a smile. "Last time when Brother Xu saw the photos on my social media, he said the plants at his place were pretty distinctive and asked me to help pick some out."

"Oh." Cheng Ke nodded.

When Lin Xu’s gaze met Jiang Yuduo’s, he clearly froze.

Jiang Yuduo also felt like he didn’t have a suitable expression to put on his face, so he could only just look at him like that.

"Third Brother." After freezing for two seconds, Lin Xu smiled and nodded at him.

Jiang Yuduo tugged at the corner of his mouth.

He couldn’t quite smile.

By rights, Lin Xu should have been fine. After all, in the month Cheng Ke had been away from his protection, Lin Xu had had plenty of chances to get close to Cheng Ke, but Cheng Ke had never been in any danger.

But even so, though in theory he should have been lining up behind Lin Xu, he still couldn’t smile.

But there was one thing he had to say.

"About last time," he said, looking at Lin Xu. "Sorry."

"Ah," Lin Xu said with a smile, waving it off. "It’s fine, it’s fine. It was just a small misunderstanding. Don’t take it to heart, Third Brother."

Fuck your smile.

Jiang Yuduo stared at him with a cold face, tugged at the corner of his mouth again, but couldn’t even force out a fake smile for appearances.