Chu Shichen opened and closed his thin lips, exhaling lightly a thin white breath, but he could not utter a single word. From the moment he looked up and saw Xiang Mingzhang, all his thoughts came to nothing. He was blank and had no memory of anything.
They were hugging each other in a busy street in a foreign country, in an inappropriately intimate posture, but Chu Shichen couldn't push her away, couldn't hide away, he had a fever, he hadn't eaten for a day and a night, he was exhausted.
Chu Shichen found all kinds of excuses for himself, trying to rationalize the hug, attempting to feel at ease in Xiang Mingzhang's arms.
"How did it become like this?" Xiang Mingzhang bumped Chu Shichen's forehead, and after coaxing him, he couldn't help but lecture him, "Is this how you do things?"
Chu Shichen said: "It's not done well enough, I'm sorry to embarrass you."
He was usually very elegant, but unfortunately with this frail look, he looked obedient. Xiang Mingzhang said, "Do you think I came all the way here just to laugh at you?"
Chu Shichen said with emotion: "No matter what it is, thank you."
The wind was cold and bleak. Xiang Mingzhang half hugged and half embraced Chu Shichen to get him into the car. When they were very close, their cheeks rubbed against each other. He tilted his head and breathed into Chu Shichen's ears: "Words don't count. You will thank me someday."
Chu Shichen's heartbeat quickened for no reason. He fell into the car, staring at the windshield in a daze.
An off-road vehicle drove up and stalled. Zhou Kesen got out of the driver's seat. After meeting the client, he went to buy a down jacket and snow boots for Chu Shichen.
Turning around with his things in hand, Zhou Kesen saw Chu Shichen sitting in a taxi. There was a tall stranger standing next to the door. He walked over quickly: "You..."
Xiang Mingzhang guessed who it was and took the initiative to say, "Mr. Zhou, I am Xiang Mingzhang."
Zhou Kesen was surprised and asked, "Are you Xiang Mingzhang?"
"It's absolutely genuine." Xiang Mingzhang said, "This trip is not official business, so I didn't bring a business card holder, but I did bring my ID card."
Zhou Kesen waved his hand: "Mr. Xiang, you are joking. Why did you come to Harbin?"
Xiang Mingzhang was honest and tactful: "If I came here two days ago, it was for Mr. Zhou. I came here today for Secretary Chu."
Zhou Kesen bent down to look at Chu Shichen and said anxiously, "Your face is red, you must have a fever."
Xiang Mingzhang didn't want to waste any more time, so he said, "Please Mr. Zhou, let's lead the way directly to the hospital."
Zhou Kesen returned to drive the car, with the newly bought clothes packed tightly. Xiang Mingzhang got into the car, took off his down jacket and covered Chu Shichen with it, then held him close to him.
Chu Shichen let it be, feeling uncomfortable and half-closed his eyes. Outside the window was the night scene of Harbin. He caught a glimpse of a tiny silver light among the bright and mottled light passing by.
Xiang Mingzhang was wearing a three-piece suit with a long chain hanging from the vest pocket inside his lapel. Chu Shichen glanced at him and said, "You're wearing a pocket watch."
Xiang Mingzhang said, "Hmm," "I was in a hurry and forgot to take it off."
Chu Shichen asked: "How urgent is it?"
The call suddenly went silent at noon and there was no response no matter how he called. Xiang Mingzhang immediately booked the nearest flight, did not pack his luggage, did not tell his work, went back to his apartment, got a down jacket, left his things behind and came here.
After getting off the plane, Xiang Mingzhang looked up the room's phone number on the way and confirmed the hotel. When he was about to contact the front desk, Chu Shichen called him first.
As for how urgent it was, Xiang Mingzhang replied: "I was so anxious that I didn't even have time to bring you a bottle of vodka."
Chu Shichen almost forgot that he was the one who spoke so arrogantly first. It was a bit embarrassing. He pulled up his down jacket to cover half of his face and smelled the scent of cologne on his collar.
He sniffed quietly, and the turbidity of the river water and the saltiness of the sea were diluted in his memory.
When they arrived at the hospital emergency room, more than half of the patients had fever and colds. Xiang Mingzhang took Chu Shichen into the clinic, and their temperature was 39.5 degrees.
The doctor asked, "You have such a high fever. Have you taken medicine at home?"
Chu Shichen replied: "No."
"You're from the south, right?" The doctor said from experience, "You have to wear thicker clothes when you come to Harbin. People get sick from the cold every day."
Zhou Kesen asked worriedly, "Is it serious? The child stood outside all night last night."
The doctor was surprised and said, "What nonsense! Are you trying to kill yourself?"
Xiang Mingzhang's face changed, but he couldn't get angry in front of others, so he grabbed Chu Shichen's shoulder and squeezed it hard.
Chu Shichen took a deep breath, not knowing who he was talking to: "I'm wearing quite thick clothes, it's nothing serious."
"That won't work either." The doctor asked, "How was it during the day? When did you feel uncomfortable?"
Zhou Kesen said: "That morning, he—"
"Uncle Sen." Chu Shichen hurriedly stopped him, otherwise he would have to go to the orthopedics department to check his shoulder.
Xiang Mingzhang asked coldly: "What did you do in the morning?"
Zhou Kesen finished speaking, half angry at Chu Shichen and half angry at himself, and said with full energy: "… He jumped into the river!"
The doctor slapped the ballpoint pen on the table and said, "Don't you want to live? Are you running to Heilongjiang to commit suicide? You are so young, cherish your life, don't you understand?"
Chu Shichen was startled: "I understand..."
Xiang Mingzhang's face was colder than the floating ice on the river, and he spoke eight degrees lower: "Doctor, help him reduce his fever first, and arrange for him to have a detailed full-body examination tomorrow."
Chu Shichen said: "I—"
Xiang Mingzhang interrupted directly: "You don't have the right to speak for now, just listen to me."
He had to stay in the hospital for observation at night, and was given a single room which was very clean. Chu Shichen went to the bathroom and changed into a hospital gown. His skin felt scorching hot against the light-colored fabric.
After the infusion, Chu Shichen lay flat on the hospital bed, completely exhausted.
Zhou Kesen said: "It's tiring to fly. Mr. Xiang, you go to the hotel to rest. I'll accompany him."
Xiang Mingzhang said in a tone that was not at all negotiating, "No, I'll stay here and watch him. Mr. Zhou, please do as you please."
Zhou Kesen originally thought that he had watched Chu Shichen grow up, and their relationship was closer than that of a boss and a subordinate. However, Xiang Mingzhang flew here specially and was visibly concerned, so he might have a deeper friendship with Chu Shichen.
The point is, Xiang Mingzhang is used to being the boss, and even in unfamiliar territory, he won't follow the host's wishes.
It was late at night and there was no time to waste, so Zhou Kesen agreed to Xiang Mingzhang's arrangement.
The only sound in the ward was the dripping of the infusion. Xiang Mingzhang took off his suit, untied his tie, rolled up his shirt cuffs, and went to the bathroom to wet a towel.
He sat beside the bed and wiped Chu Shichen's face. His cheeks and gills, which were originally thin with three-dimensional bones, became thinner in less than three days.
The temperature dropped below zero late at night, and Xiang Mingzhang couldn't imagine what it would feel like to stand outside all night.
In the middle of summer, Chu Shichen still wore formal clothes, never showing even his arms, and always drank hot coffee, but in order to achieve his goal, he even dared to jump into the river in Harbin.
How brave, how wonderful, how heroic.
As soon as he was touched, Chu Shichen's eyelashes trembled in pain and he woke up.
Xiang Mingzhang leaned over and asked, "What do you want?"
Chu Shichen's throat hurt from the fever, and he said slowly, "I heard you scold me."
Xiang Mingzhang raised his eyebrows: "I didn't say anything, can you read my mind?"
Chu Shichen said: "I tricked you, and you really scolded me?"
"You shouldn't curse?" Xiang Mingzhang said, "I asked you to find Zhou Kesen and ask for forgiveness, but he only slapped you a few times. Why did you do that?"
Chu Shichen said: "I dare not compare myself to Lian Po."
Xiang Mingzhang said: "Lian Po is old, but he can still eat three bowls of rice at a meal. When you are old, you will get rheumatism and arthritis."
Chu Shichen: “…”
"I'm not kidding you." Xiang Mingzhang said, "If Zhou Kesen is hard-hearted enough and abandons you, you might freeze to death in the river. Do you understand that it could cost lives?"
Chu Shichen's fever hadn't subsided yet, and in his confusion, he said with a hint of profoundness: "It's not that easy for me to die."
Xiang Mingzhang inexplicably sensed a sense of superiority, as if the speaker knew some unique martial arts.
After a while, Chu Shichen fell asleep again, and this time he slept until dawn.
After his fever subsided, he immediately arranged for a full-body check-up, the results of which would take at least a day to come out. He received two bottles of fluids in the afternoon, and he looked extremely haggard from the exhaustion.
Zhou Kesen brought some light porridge and side dishes from home. Chu Shichen hadn't eaten for two days and barely drank half a bowl of porridge. It tasted bitter in his mouth and was difficult to swallow.
He wants to eat something sweet.
The hospital bed was too hard, so he wanted to sleep on a thick mattress. The hospital was filled with the smell of medicine, so he wanted some Canaan incense to help him sleep.
People are really greedy. After fainting alone in the hotel, they got up and became like a spoiled brat when someone was taking care of them.
Xiang Mingzhang was with him all the time, running around. Chu Shichen kept track of the accounts in the bank in his heart and could calculate the expenses clearly, but there was too much friendship, like a bottomless pit.
After spending two nights in the ward, the examination results showed that there was nothing serious. Chu Shichen returned to the hotel after the infusion on the third day. His room was checked out by Xiang Mingzhang, who rebooked a luxury suite.
Chu Shichen confirmed: "We're staying in the same room?"
Xiang Mingzhang said: "During the ski season, there are not many vacancies."
Chu Shichen said: "It hasn't snowed yet."
"When it snows, we can only book the Northwest Wind." Xiang Mingzhang held the room card, occupying the moral high ground. "Besides, this makes it easier for me to take care of you. I'm not tired yet. Do you have any objection?"
How could Chu Shichen dare to do that
The superior suite has an additional living room and dining room, a large bathroom, but only one bed.
Chu Shichen took a comfortable hot bath and came out with wet hair. Xiang Mingzhang was sitting on the sofa talking on the phone with the department director. He glanced at him, stood up and took Chu Shichen back to the bathroom.
After the call ended, Xiang Mingzhang ordered: "Blow dry your hair."
Chu Shichen said: "I never brag."
Xiang Mingzhang said: "Then start correcting it from today. It's easy to catch a cold if your hair is wet."
Chu Shichen said in a serious tone: "Before hair dryers were invented, everyone was like me, and they also came here, right?"
Xiang Mingzhang choked and felt something was strange. He was too lazy to talk nonsense and just turned on the hair dryer. When the sound came out, Chu Shichen leaned back and dodged.
Xiang Mingzhang lost his patience, and he grabbed Chu Shichen's waist with one hand, and gently carried him to the sink, using the same method as when he carried him to the desk.
Chu Shichen was caught off guard and knocked over the perfume bottle before he reacted. He was tall and was about to fall to the ground with his legs, but Xiang Mingzhang was half a step faster and spread his knees apart to block in front of him.
The hot wind, the humid water vapor, the fragrant scent of lavender... The chaotic substances rushed towards him, and Chu Shichen could vaguely distinguish which one was Xiang Mingzhang's breath.
He didn't move, his palms clasped on the marble table, his black hair being ruffled by Xiang Mingzhang.
After his hair was dried, he turned off the hair dryer and Chu Shichen's slippers fell to the ground with a click.
Xiang Mingzhang looked down at Chu Shichen's instep, which was thin, narrow, and very fair. He said, "The redness and swelling of your hands and feet have healed."
Chu Shichen: “Yeah.”
Xiang Mingzhang asked: "Are you frostbitten?"
Chu Shichen replied: "No."
Xiang Mingzhang asked again: "Are you still dizzy?"
Chu Shichen said: "I'm not dizzy anymore."
After confirming everything, Xiang Mingzhang suddenly asked, "There's only one bed, how are we going to sleep at night?"
Chu Shichen tilted his face slightly and gave an ambiguous answer: "All is fine."
"Anything is fine?" Xiang Mingzhang smiled, "It's fine if I talk in my sleep? It's fine if I grind my teeth? It's fine if I take up too much space?"
Chu Shichen accommodatingly said: "It doesn't matter."
Xiang Mingzhang asked in a deep voice: "Is it okay if I can't help touching you? Is it okay if I take advantage of your misfortune?"
Chu Shichen raised his eyes suddenly. They were two adults who had been intimate before. His concealed modesty was blatantly exposed. He couldn't pretend not to understand.
He couldn't help but panic: "That's not what I meant."
"I know." Xiang Mingzhang looked at him, "Then my thoughts are so obvious, do you know?"
Chu Shichen's heart was beating like a drum, and it seemed as if his heart had skipped a beat.
Xiang Mingzhang blocked him, squeezed him, wrapped his strength in tenderness, and spoke every word carefully.
He didn't fall for it, but he couldn't resist the trap: "... I know."
Xiang Mingzhang smiled, seemingly unintentionally, but he had actually been restraining himself for who knows how long: "Chu Shichen, do you like me?"
(End of this chapter)