At half past six on the morning of his twenty-third birthday, Tang Zhi was woken up by the alarm clock.
His throat hurt as if it had been scratched by a razor blade, and his head seemed to be scattered and unable to condense. The first thought that could be called an idea was that he shouldn't have smoked that cigarette while burning the appraisal report last night.
Tang Zhi opened his eyes. It was not bright outside yet, and his vision was blurry. He adjusted the focus, sat up, put his hands on the soft quilt, and lowered his head.
After a while, Tang Zhi struggled to get up and wash up.
He walked to the bathroom, his legs seemed even more sore than when he woke up yesterday.
Tang Zhi first thought that Xu Sheng's strength was too great, and hoped that he would be gentler next time. He walked to the mirror, sobered up again, and immediately changed his mind, thinking: It's best not to have a next time.
After washing, Tang Zhi was still weak and weak. He sat on the sofa for a while, pulled his backpack over, found the leftover antipyretic medicine from yesterday in the side pocket, stood up unsteadily, and planned to go downstairs to get some water. After swallowing, he didn't expect that when he opened the door, Xu Sheng was standing outside the door in well-dressed clothes.
He raised his hand in the air, as if he was about to knock on the door. When he saw Tang Zhi, he was startled briefly, and then put down his hand.
"Mr. Xu." Tang Zhi subconsciously called him.
Xu Sheng looked at Tang Zhi but said nothing. Tang Zhi noticed that Xu Sheng was dressed very formally, so formally that it seemed that he should not appear at home at seven in the morning.
However, Xu Sheng must have had his own arrangements, and it was none of Tang Zhi's business, so Tang Zhi just asked Xu Sheng, "What do you want from me?"
Xu Sheng didn't speak immediately. He stared at Tang Zhi's face. After a moment, he stretched out his hand and opened his palm. Tang Zhi saw the little electric penguin in his palm.
"Can't find it?" Xu Sheng told Tang Zhi, "You forgot to take it when you got off the car yesterday."
The electric penguin didn't look particularly small when it was placed on the display stand. It was only when it was lying in Xu Sheng's hand that it looked so compact.
But it's not exquisite, just small.
Tang Zhi raised his head, looked at Xu Sheng again, said "thank you" with some hesitation, and took the little penguin from Xu Sheng's hand.
The penguin seemed to have been in Xu Sheng's hands for a long time, and the entire plastic shell was warmed by Xu Sheng's body temperature.
"No need," Xu Sheng said to Tang Zhi, and then said to himself, "If you can't find it, you'll be anxious, so I'll bring it to you by the way."
He came in a suit and tie to deliver toys to Tang Zhi, but he always felt that Tang Zhi would be panicked because the toys were missing, which made Tang Zhi feel that the little penguin Xu Sheng gave him was a rare treasure.
Tang Zhi grabbed the penguin in his hand and said "thank you" again with some hesitation, "Mr. Xu gave it to me for your hard work." He suddenly remembered that the card he borrowed from Xu Sheng yesterday had not been returned yet, so he said to Xu Sheng: "Mr. Xu, Hold on."
Then he walked back to the room, first put the little penguin on the coffee table, then rummaged in his bag for a while, and found the thin and small metal charge card in the mezzanine.
The card was gray and black, with a circular picture of a centurion printed in the middle. It felt cold to the touch. Tang Zhi walked to the door and handed the card to Xu Sheng.
Although Xu Sheng probably didn't care at all, Tang Zhi still added: "Pay the keychain and fare." Then he instinctively smiled at Xu Sheng and said, "Thank you, Mr. Xu."
Tang Zhi's hand was stretched out in the air, but Xu Sheng didn't take it for a long time. Tang Zhi looked up at him and found that Xu Sheng was looking at him with no expression on his face. After looking at each other for a while, Xu Sheng spoke and whispered to Tang Zhi: "You don't have to pay me back."
"Take it," he said.
Tang Zhi didn't want Xu Sheng's card. He shook his head and said "No need." He stretched out his hand to put the card into Xu Sheng's hand. Xu Sheng stepped aside and raised his hand to grab Tang Zhi's wrist.
Tang Zhi had a fever, so Xu Sheng's hand made him feel a little cool, which was very comfortable.
For some reason, Xu Sheng pulled him, paused for a few seconds, and then pulled him into his arms.
Xu Sheng hugged Tang Zhi gently and put his chin on Tang Zhi's cheek. Tang Zhi smelled the smell of aftershave and cologne.
They hugged at the door of Tang Zhi's room. Xu Sheng remained silent. Tang Zhi didn't know what he wanted to do. He stood blankly and let him hug him for a while. Then he heard Xu Sheng say to him: "Happy birthday."
Xu Sheng's voice was very low and he spoke close to Tang Zhi's ear. Tang Zhi looked at the dark corridor and it took him a while to react.
He turned his face to look at Xu Sheng. Xu Sheng looked into his eyes, strangely, almost as if he couldn't help it, and quickly kissed Tang Zhi's lips.
Xu Sheng closed his eyes, kissed Tang Zhi's lips that were hot due to the high fever, pushed Tang Zhi inside, closed the door with his backhand, then moved a little bit, pressed Tang Zhi's shoulders, and pressed Tang Zhi against the hard On the cold wooden door.
"Tang Zhi." Xu Sheng raised his hand and touched Tang Zhi's cheek.
He looked at Tang Zhi with his naturally affectionate eyes that made Tang Zhi feel a little foul. He slid his fingertips down Tang Zhi's face, pressed Tang Zhi's collarbone, and pushed aside the edge of his nightgown, gently and sometimes heavily. Pressing Tang Zhi's skin, he said to Tang Zhi: "You are a little hot."
"..." Tang Zhi felt helpless and didn't understand that Xu Sheng came to the door of his room dressed so neatly, and now he looked like he was planning to go to bed with him right away.
In the end, Tang Zhi told Xu Sheng: "Because I have a fever."
Xu Sheng's fingers touching Tang Zhi's body stopped. He was stunned for a moment, frowned, put the back of his hand on Tang Zhi's forehead, and asked a question without common sense: "Why do you have a fever?"
"I'm looking for a doctor." He took out his cell phone.
Tang Zhi disliked seeing a doctor the most. He stretched out his hand to stop Xu Sheng. He held the back of Xu Sheng's hand and said, "No." He explained, "I have antipyretic medicine. Take one more now and you will be fine soon."
Xu Sheng's brows furrowed even more tightly: "When did you start having a fever?"
"... Yesterday," Tang Zhi said.
Xu Sheng thought for a while, and suddenly seemed to have found the reason, and said to Tang Zhi: "You stayed in the Antarctic region for too long yesterday. It was very cold there."
Tang Zhi was stunned for a moment, and then he felt that he would be angry to death because of Xu Sheng's lack of common sense. He looked at Xu Sheng and tried his best to patiently educate him: "Fever does not only occur when you are cold."
"It was because you took too long the day before yesterday." Tang Zhi said.
Xu Sheng was silent, as if he had never heard of such a thing.
Tang Zhi didn't want to look at Xu Sheng anymore and lowered his eyes. After waiting for a few more seconds, he felt that he could no longer stand. He walked around Xu Sheng and walked to the sofa to sit down.
Xu Sheng stood by the door and looked at him for a while, then picked up his phone, as if he wanted to call a doctor again. Tang Zhi immediately stopped him: "Don't call the doctor, I'll take medicine right away."
Xu Sheng seemed to hesitate, finally put down his phone, walked to Tang Zhi's side, leaned over again and touched Tang Zhi's forehead. For some reason, he leaned over and kissed Tang Zhi gently, and asked Tang Zhi: "Where's the medicine?"
Tang Zhi pointed to the pills wrapped in tin foil on the coffee table: "I just wanted to go downstairs and pour some water."
Xu Sheng called the inside line for him and had the water brought up. He didn't let the maid in, so he brought it for him personally.
Tang Zhi took the medicine with water, said "thank you" to Xu Sheng, and jokingly asked him, "Is this a birthday privilege?"
Xu Sheng paused, as if he wanted to say something, but didn't say anything. He sat down not far from Tang Zhi, as if he wasn't ready to leave.
Tang Zhi held the cup and took a few more sips. Suddenly he heard Xu Sheng say: "I originally wanted to take you to the aquarium again today and then have dinner."
Tang Zhi turned his face sideways and glanced at Xu Sheng. Xu Sheng didn't look at him, as if he was embarrassed.
"But aren't we going back to Xicheng at two o'clock in the afternoon?" Tang Zhi asked truthfully.
He memorized Xu Sheng's itinerary much better than his own birthday. If Xu Keyu hadn't reminded him, he wouldn't have remembered his birthday this year.
"The itinerary can be changed," Xu Sheng said, then looked at Tang Zhi and said seriously, "But you have a fever."
Tang Zhi suddenly didn't want to look into Xu Sheng's eyes, so he looked away, said "hmm" and said to Xu Sheng, "It's better not to change the itinerary."
He went to the aquarium yesterday and didn't want to go again today. If he went there in the future, he actually didn't want to go shopping with Xu Sheng.
Tang Zhi felt that he did not need to go through the VIP aisle. When he was in good health, he could just take a look around alone.
And Tang Zhi prefers Xicheng to Bingang. Xicheng has tall trees, lots of green vegetation, canals tumbling through the city like silver and black crystal, comfortable communities, and no bad memories.
If Xi Manxiang is released from prison, Tang Zhi wants to move to Xicheng with her and take her to visit first.
Bingang was not Xi Manxiang's home originally, and Tang Zhi knew that she didn't like Bingang either.
Thinking of this, Tang Zhi asked Xu Sheng again: "Mr. Xu, can I visit my mother again in the morning?"
Xu Sheng nodded, and Tang Zhi finally felt that birthdays are sometimes good.
The strange thing is that when Tang Zhi went to the hospital, Xu Sheng also got in the car.
The two get along weirdly in the car.
Xu Sheng asked Tang Zhi to sit behind him and hold a forehead thermometer to measure Tang Zhi's temperature.
When he took Tang Zhi's temperature, he turned his upper body slightly and leaned towards Tang Zhi, his eyes serious. Tang Zhi looked at Xu Sheng's chin, and secretly flashed through his mind the photos of Xu Sheng he saw last night when he was a child.
Xu Sheng in the photo may be still very young, his cheeks even have a little baby fat, and his eyes are very proud, which is very different from now.
Tang Zhi heard the thermometer on his forehead make a beeping sound.
Xu Sheng took it over and looked at it. Tang Zhi couldn't help but stretched out his hand to touch Xu Sheng's cheek. Xu Sheng raised his head and glanced at him in slight surprise. Tang Zhi smiled at him. Xu Sheng was stunned again, as if subconsciously. He said to Tang Zhi: "Thirty-eight degrees two."
The next second, he reached out to press up the partition between the front seat and the front seat, then lowered his head and kissed Tang Zhi's lips very gently.
Just like a particularly naughty little boy stroking a small and fragile pet, Xu Sheng touched Tang Zhi's face with some caution and said "be good" to Tang Zhi.
Tang Zhi stayed in his mother's ward upstairs in the hospital for half an hour. His mother was in a very stable condition, but she was sleeping, and Tang Zhi did not wake her up.
He happily and empty-headedly spent half an hour in the hospital like a birthday present. When he returned to the car, he received a bouquet of flowers made of strawberries that had been popular many years ago.