TA •Chapter 68

When he walked into the hospital, Cheng Ke kept an eye on Jiang Yuduo's condition.

Jiang Yuduo looked fairly calm. It was already past the hospital's normal working hours, so there were fewer people than usual. As soon as he went in, he quickly threaded through the crowd and, before Cheng Ke could even tell him where the emergency room was or where to register, he strode straight up to the inquiry desk.

Then he blurted out, "Where’s the emergency room?"

The guide nurse behind the desk glanced at Cheng Ke’s hand and pointed him in the right direction. "Over there. Go register for the emergency room first."

Jiang Yuduo nodded. "Where do I register?"

"…Right next to you," the guide nurse said, pointing at the registration window. "There aren’t many people right now, hurry up."

Jiang Yuduo turned and headed over there. Cheng Ke nodded at the guide nurse. "Thanks."

"You should go to the emergency room for that hand first, don’t keep following around!" the guide nurse said, pointing at his hand.

"Oh, thanks." Cheng Ke lowered his head and glanced at his own hand. The sight of the mess there made the splitting pain, which had already been pushed aside while he focused on Jiang Yuduo, finally find a chance to flare up.

He frowned and sucked in a breath, quickly looking away and landing on Jiang Yuduo, who was already lining up at the registration window.

Jiang Yuduo turned back, and Cheng Ke hurried over.

"You should go over to the emergency room first," Jiang Yuduo said. "If you’re standing here, I’m afraid someone’ll bump into you."

"It’s fine," Cheng Ke said with a smile. "I’ll stay with you."

"…Does it hurt?" Jiang Yuduo looked at his hand.

Cheng Ke did not follow his gaze back to his own hand, swollen like a ball. "It doesn’t hurt."

"You…" Jiang Yuduo supported his arm with a hand underneath. "You hit way too hard. Didn’t you know your own hand was injured?"

"I was too angry to care about much else." Cheng Ke said.

Jiang Yuduo said nothing else. He turned back and stared at the people in front of them registering.

Cheng Ke could feel his tension. Saying those few sentences was probably meant to distract himself from being nervous, but in this situation, even talking probably felt like work.

Just as Cheng Ke was starting to worry, Chen Qing came running up from behind, panting and shouting, "I’m here, I’m here, Third Brother, I’m here…"

"Line up." Jiang Yuduo said simply, and gave up his place.

"You two should go sit over there in the emergency room first," Chen Qing said. "There are too many people coming and going here, don’t get bumped again."

There were quite a lot of people in the emergency room too. Cheng Ke and Jiang Yuduo stood by the wall in the corridor outside the emergency room.

Jiang Yuduo held up his arm with one hand, his eyes fixed on the doctors and nurses busily moving inside. A few minutes earlier, a man covered in blood on his leg had just been wheeled in.

"Jiang Yuduo." Cheng Ke called him.

"Mm?" Jiang Yuduo turned his head. "What, are you afraid of blood?"

"…No." Cheng Ke looked at him. "You… are you okay?"

"I’m fine," Jiang Yuduo said. "I just don’t like this kind of… environment."

"I don’t like it either. People are either sick or injured," Cheng Ke said with a smile. "You’ll be fine soon. Why don’t you go wait in the car?"

"No." Jiang Yuduo shook his head. "I’ll stay here."

Cheng Ke did not keep persuading him. Jiang Yuduo’s attitude was very firm, maybe because he was worried about his injury, or maybe because of Cheng Yi’s words about him being mentally ill.

At the thought of that, Cheng Ke immediately felt anger rising again.

The shocked, bewildered, helpless look in Jiang Yuduo’s eyes at the time had kept flashing through his mind. Every time he thought of it, it felt as if a chainsaw were dragging back and forth inside his chest.

But only now did Cheng Ke really notice what Cheng Yi had said.

Jiang Yuduo had run out of a mental hospital?

A mental hospital?

He could not tell whether it was true or false.

By now, whether it was true or false did not seem to matter much anymore.

Jiang Yuduo clearly had some kind of mental issue. That much was certain. Even if Cheng Yi wanted to provoke him, he could not have made up such a reason out of thin air. He must have found out something.

Cheng Ke thought of the "Sister Luo" Jiang Yuduo had mentioned. He had not originally planned to find that psychologist right away, but now Jiang Yuduo had been brutally stripped of his disguise by Cheng Yi, in front of everyone he needed to hide from.

In front of Cheng Ke, in front of Chen Qing, in front of his brothers…

Right now, he needed to know what Jiang Yuduo would do, and what should be done, when facing such an unexpected change.

"Third Brother," Chen Qing said as he came back after registering, "I just asked. The doctor’ll deal with that guy, then it’ll be Jiji’s turn."

"Mm." Jiang Yuduo answered.

Chen Qing stared at him for a while, probably checking whether Third Brother, who normally avoided hospitals like the plague, was emotionally normal while sitting in one.

After deciding Jiang Yuduo was fine, Chen Qing turned to Cheng Ke. "I found out you were hiding things pretty deep too."

"What?" Cheng Ke blinked.

"Your younger brother even leased a shop and gave it to you?" Chen Qing asked. "I never heard you mention it. No wonder you didn’t worry about money at all… That’s not right of you. Do you think we’d scheme against you? You’ve got a shop and didn’t even say so! Third Brother! Tell me I’m right!"

Jiang Yuduo said nothing, his gaze slightly unfocused.

With Chen Qing there, Cheng Ke could not do anything too intimate, like putting an arm around Jiang Yuduo or patting his head, something that might help relax Jiang Yuduo, who already looked noticeably tense.

Right now, he could only grit his teeth and endure the pain while lightly scratching his fingers against the hand Jiang Yuduo had under his arm.

It took Jiang Yuduo two seconds before he turned and glanced at him, the corner of his mouth tugging into a smile.

Chen Qing still had his mouth half-open, waiting for an answer. Cheng Ke had no choice but to smile. "That shop… actually isn’t mine."

"Huh?" Chen Qing looked at him.

Jiang Yuduo also tilted his head. "Then whose is it?"

"Who the hell knows whose it is," Cheng Ke frowned. "All those friends of mine knew he leased a shop for me, but I was the only one who didn’t know."

"Damn? What kind of move is that?" Chen Qing stared for a moment, then finally exclaimed in disbelief.

"But since everyone knows that shop is mine," Cheng Ke said, "then it’s mine, I guess."

Chen Qing froze again. "I underestimated you, Jiji."

"What if he won’t let you sell it?" Jiang Yuduo asked.

"He won’t," Cheng Ke said. "At most, he won’t buy it, and he won’t let those friends take it over either."

"Then don’t sell it," Chen Qing said. "If that’s the case, just take it over and run it yourself."

Cheng Ke looked at Chen Qing but did not speak.

When he had said he wanted to sell the shop earlier today, he had not really thought it through. He had only wanted to vent. If that little bar was just an ordinary small pub, it would be nothing to Cheng Yi. It had to be a shop that cost a fair amount of money. Whether he forced it onto Cheng Yi or forced it onto someone else, it would make Cheng Yi unhappy for once.

Now that Chen Qing had said that, and he looked at Jiang Yuduo, he suddenly felt that maybe it was not impossible after all.

After the previous emergency patient had been treated, the nurse called Cheng Ke in.

The doctor frowned at the injury. "You look pretty refined, so how did you end up like this? Your wrist was only fixed a couple of days ago, right? And you managed to do this to it! You don’t want it to heal anymore, is that it!"

Cheng Ke was a little embarrassed and smiled without speaking.

"It was a sudden incident, the bastard started it first!" Chen Qing said from the side.

The doctor looked at him but said nothing.

"You go outside and wait," Jiang Yuduo said.

Chen Qing clicked his tongue, then turned and went back out to the corridor.

Cheng Ke knew exactly how the last injury had been handled and what shape it had been in, so this time he did not pay much attention. He had x-rays taken, got examined, then was fixed up again. When the doctor explained things to him, he did not really listen carefully, because all his attention was on Jiang Yuduo.

At first Jiang Yuduo had still been following beside him, but later he sat down on a chair in the corridor, elbows propped on his knees, eyes fixed on the floor. He never changed that posture until Cheng Ke’s injury had been completely treated.

"Don’t hurt this hand again. If you end up with another open fracture, you’ll need surgery," the doctor instructed. "Go back and rest properly."

"Thank you." Cheng Ke nodded. "I’ll be careful."

After coming out of the consultation room, he quickly walked up to Jiang Yuduo, who seemed to be in a trance, and gently ruffled his hair twice. "Third Brother."

"Mm!" Jiang Yuduo jerked his head up, as if he had just woken up. After a second of blank staring, he sprang up from the chair and shouted, "You’re done?"

"Done," Cheng Ke said, startled by him. People around them all turned to look. He lowered his voice. "We can go now."

Only after they walked out of the hospital entrance and into the parking lot did Jiang Yuduo ask again, "Why was your hand wrapped up completely this time? Last time it was only fixed up to the thumb, wasn’t it?"

"I don’t know, maybe it was worse than last time." Cheng Ke looked at the cast on his hand. It did seem quite a bit bulkier than before.

"Should we eat something before heading back, or go straight home?" Chen Qing asked as he pulled open the car door.

"Go straight back," Jiang Yuduo said. After thinking it over, he added, "Back to my place."

"Okay." Chen Qing got in the car.

Cheng Ke asked softly, "I’m staying at your place?"

"Mm," Jiang Yuduo nodded. "I’ve got something to do at home today, and you can’t even get your clothes off by yourself, so stay at my place."

"Oh." Cheng Ke responded.

Chen Qing drove back. He did not say much the entire way. Probably after being tossed around like this all day, even a chatterbox was tired by now.

But just before they reached Jiang Yuduo’s place, while waiting at a red light, Chen Qing suddenly gripped the steering wheel and shouted, "Fuck!"

"What is it?" Jiang Yuduo asked immediately.

"I just remembered something, fuck! I only just realized it!" Chen Qing slowly turned around, his face full of disbelief, incredulity, and shock all at once.

The moment Cheng Ke saw that expression, he knew this had to be Chen Qing’s reaction, delayed by several hours after Cheng Yi’s earlier "boyfriend."

"Did your younger brother say today that Third Brother was your boyfriend?" Chen Qing asked exactly that, as expected.

Jiang Yuduo had already straightened up, but at that, he immediately leaned back again, his face cold and giving no response at all.

Cheng Ke did not speak either. He did not know what Chen Qing’s attitude toward this kind of thing was, and he did not know how to answer.

"Fuck!" Chen Qing repeated. "I…"

"Watch the light." Jiang Yuduo cut him off.

Chen Qing turned and saw the light had turned green, so he drove on. A few seconds later, he shouted again, "Fuck!"

Jiang Yuduo sprang up from his seat and smacked the back of his head. "Shut up. If you want to fuck someone, go fuck them. Stop verbally simulating it in here forever, damn it!"

Chen Qing shut up. After the car stopped in front of Jiang Yuduo’s house, he seemed to wake up again and pulled out his phone in an exaggerated panic. "Damn, I need to call Da Bin and the others! Who the hell dares run their mouth outside, I’ll fucking kill them."

"They won’t say anything." Jiang Yuduo opened the car door and got out, then helped Cheng Ke down.

"Even so, I still have to warn them. What if?" Chen Qing said. "If word about this really gets out, in at most two days trouble will come knocking."

"What trouble?" Cheng Ke asked.

"Freaks, obviously!" Chen Qing looked at him. "To those idiots, this kind of thing is just… Cheng Ke, did you bring this on?"

"Bring what on?" Cheng Ke was stunned.

"You led Third Brother into playing with this trendy stuff," Chen Qing frowned. "You rich young masters…"

"Are you coming back or not? If not, then stand guard here." Jiang Yuduo said.

"I’ll come find you and get this straight when I have time," Chen Qing said, then stuck his head out again before driving off to look at Cheng Ke. "You fucking… awesome."

After they entered the house and heard Chen Qing’s car drive away, Cheng Ke sat down on the sofa and let out a soft breath, watching Jiang Yuduo silently busy himself.

He tidied up the mess Mao had made, then fed Mao and changed the litter. Finally, he poured a cup of hot water and set it in front of Cheng Ke before sitting down.

"Is Chen Qing angry?" Cheng Ke asked. He felt Chen Qing probably was, but Chen Qing did not show it too clearly.

"Mm." Jiang Yuduo lit a cigarette. "You could tell?"

"More or less," Cheng Ke sighed. "He was so angry he even said my name correctly."

Jiang Yuduo smiled.

"Do you mind?" Cheng Ke asked. "If you do, I can think of an excuse and smooth it over."

"…Smooth over what? No need." Jiang Yuduo said.

Cheng Ke looked at him, but Jiang Yuduo still would not meet his gaze. After a while, Cheng Ke reached out. "Give me a cigarette."

Jiang Yuduo put the one he had in his mouth into Cheng Ke’s hand.

"That’s fine with my friends," Cheng Ke took a drag. "But in front of Chen Qing and the others… they’re all your little brothers. If this thing…"

"Actually, when your younger brother said that… that thing," Jiang Yuduo turned his head and looked at him, "I suddenly thought… it was pretty good."

"Mm?" Cheng Ke looked at him too.

"Very special," Jiang Yuduo said after thinking it over. "There are so many people, family, friends, classmates, coworkers, clients, tenants… so many. Under every kind of title, there are so many people."

Cheng Ke said nothing.

"But there’s only one boyfriend, right?" Jiang Yuduo said. "At least during a certain stage, Jiang Yuduo is Cheng Ke’s boyfriend, and Cheng Ke’s boyfriend is Jiang Yuduo. Only that one, right?"

"Yes." Cheng Ke said.

"Pretty good." Jiang Yuduo said.

Cheng Ke was silent for a long time. After finishing the cigarette, he pressed the butt out in the ashtray. "Jiang Yuduo."

"Mm." Jiang Yuduo answered.

"If you want an identity that belongs only to you," Cheng Ke said, "you’re my most special and best friend. Only you, and that will never change. It doesn’t have to be boyfriend."

"What do you mean?" Jiang Yuduo asked.

"The title boyfriend isn’t something you just slap onto someone’s head so casually," Cheng Ke said. "I like you, and you have to like me the same way, for us to be boyfriends."

Jiang Yuduo said nothing.

"I like you very much, but I don’t want a boyfriend that exists only in name, and that wouldn’t be fair to you either," Cheng Ke said. "Do you understand what I mean?"

"Do you like me?" Jiang Yuduo asked.

"Yes." Cheng Ke said.

"I… if I… they all say I…" Jiang Yuduo bit his lip. After hesitating for a long time, he finally pointed to his own head. His voice was very soft and a little shaky. "Do you like this too?"