Chapter 73: Tonight, I want to take a bath with you.

Chapter 73: Tonight, I want to take a bath with you.

In the emergency department designated for the crew, a patient lay on a bed receiving an IV drip. Qi Xie could only sit on a chair, his long legs bent awkwardly.

Fearing recognition, Ying Li and he both wore masks.

This was the second time Ying Li had accompanied him to the hospital. When Song Ji Mo said he was coming with Qi Xie, Ying Li could have chosen to remain silent.

Amidst the crowd on the beach showing concern for him, his eyes, unfamiliar and fragile, welled up with tears when they met Ying Li's gaze. For a moment, Ying Li inexplicably felt Qi Xie might be in desperate need of him.

The doctor examined him, re-dressed the wound, gave him an injection, and then prescribed some anti-inflammatory medicine: "You got treated in time; there's nothing serious. Just ensure the wound doesn't get infected. Pay and collect your medicine from the counter on the left in the outpatient department."

The staff member took the bill and said to Ying Li, "I'll handle this. Could you please watch over things here?"

Ying Li nodded and replied, "It's alright."

At that moment, another patient was brought in—a sudden epilepsy case. Several doctors rushed over, making the small room chaotic. It wasn't suitable for them to remain inside any longer.

Ying Li pressed his lips together, looking down at the bandage on Qi Xie's foot, he softly asked, "Can you walk?"

His voice was so low that he could barely hear himself.

Qi Xie hummed in acknowledgment, standing up from his seat. As Ying Li instinctively reached out to help him, his hand was brushed away.

His outreached hand paused mid-air, and Ying Li was momentarily stunned. By the time he regained his senses, Qi Xie had already left, walking without any limping, steady on his feet.

Ying Li's pale fingers trembled slightly before relaxing and dropping down. He watched Qi Xie's receding figure for a moment before leaving the room himself.

Instead of heading towards the main exit, Qi Xie turned in a different direction.

Ying Li took a few steps and furrowed his brow, "Where are you going?"

"Restroom."

His voice had a unique raspiness to it.

Ying Li didn't follow, choosing instead to sit patiently in the waiting area for Qi Xie's return.

The coat he wore was the same one he had lent to Qi Xie earlier. It was slightly long on him, so he had rolled up the sleeves. With his nose and chin buried into the collar, he unconsciously inhaled the faint fragrance from it.

It was only five o'clock, and the hospital was quite empty. Besides the doctors and nurses making their rounds, there were hardly any other people in sight.

The staff member returned with the medication and, seeing only Ying Li in the waiting area, asked, "Where's Qi Xie?"

Ying Li looked up and said, "He went to the restroom."

However, after about five minutes, he still hadn't returned, so Ying Li cast a glance in that direction.

The staff member rustled the bag in his hands, suddenly smacking his forehead and exclaiming, "Oh no."

Ying Li: "What's the matter?"

"I think I forgot a box of medicine. I'll have to go back," the staff member said with an apologetic look. "Could you check on him? He might be having some difficulty."

Ying Li sighed softly, "Alright."

The restroom was on the first floor, to the right of the corridor. As Ying Li approached the entrance, he saw Qi Xie standing by the sink. Due to the angle, he could only see Qi Xie's profile.

Qi Xie was looking down, having just washed his face. His wet black hair clung to his forehead. His eyes were tightly closed, and his long eyelashes quivered slightly with each breath. The hand gripping the sink was strained, the veins prominently visible, betraying his discomfort.

Ying Li didn't enter, opting to wait outside, but with a blink of his eyes, he noticed Qi Xie pouring a handful of pills onto his palm.

The pills rattled as they fell into his hand. Images raced through Ying Li's mind, sending a chilling shiver down his spine.

In a daze, Ying Li noticed Qi Xie's hand trembling, with two pills falling to the floor. He snapped back to reality.

He strode over and grabbed Qi Xie's hand, which was inching towards his mouth.

Qi Xie turned to look at him, an expression of surprise evident. His eyes, red and bloodshot, looked pained.

Ying Li, voice trembling, asked, "Do you really need to take that many pills?"

Qi Xie's face was pale, and he managed a shaky nod, uttering softly, "Yes."

Staring at the pile of white pills, Ying Li's heart clenched painfully, "Weren't you supposed to take just two before?"

Qi Xie replied, "Two don't work."

"Do you always take this many?" Ying Li asked, thinking of the times he hadn't witnessed.

Ying Li continued, "If this medicine isn't effective, isn't there another option? Won't there be side effects from taking so many?"

His tone was frantic, and his slender chest heaved rapidly from the pace of his words.

Qi Xie's thin lips pressed together, his gaze heavy. Only then did Ying Li realize he was still holding Qi Xie's hand. He quickly let go, but the burning sensation in his palm lingered.

He took a deep breath, realizing that his reaction might have been a tad excessive.

A rustling sound echoed beside him as Qi Xie poured the pills back into the bottle.

Ying Li's eyes widened, confusion evident in his clear gaze, "Why aren't you taking them?"

"I don't need them," Qi Xie said, looking directly at him.

Ying Li's brow furrowed deeply, "Why not now? You haven't taken your medication this morning and skipped breakfast too."

Qi Xie lowered his eyes, settling on Ying Li's flustered, reddened cheeks. After a moment, he asked, "Are you concerned about me?"

Ying Li, caught off-guard, found his breathing irregular and his heart rate picking up, "I was just asking..."

"You're worried about me." Qi Xie's voice was soft, yet his tone was unwavering and assertive.

As Ying Li met those profound, dark eyes, a shiver ran through him. Under Qi Xie's gaze, he felt disconcerted. His usually sharp mind felt sluggish, searching desperately for a retort.

"Your ears are so red; I must be right."

Heat surged throughout Ying Li's body, not just his ears, but his entire face beneath the mask reddened. And yet, Qi Xie's current words had more impact than anything else he had said before.

The sound of his own heartbeat was deafening. As much as Ying Li hated to admit it, seeing Qi Xie hurt did tug at his heartstrings.

Ying Li, feeling both resigned and exasperated, stammered, "Yes, I'm concerned about you. But I'd feel the same for anyone else, and I'd accompany them to the hospital too."

"You're not special or unique."

Yet, Qi Xie seemed to disregard the latter part, subtly closing the distance between them, "If you dislike me so much, why care? Are you always this compassionate?"

Ying Li's delicate eyebrows knit together, eyes lowered to his toes, he murmured, "Yes, which is why it's so easy for you to take advantage of me."

Ying Li reflected on the truth that he was too soft-hearted, letting himself be deceived repeatedly. Every time he was tricked, he still chose to trust. He even suspected Qi Xie intentionally hurt himself. Yet, when he saw the hint of red in Qi Xie's eyes, his resolve wavered.

He was indeed too tender-hearted, melting at both Qi Xie's vulnerability and any slight kindness.

Ying Li initially thought Qi Xie would mock or bully him further after admitting his feelings. However, Qi Xie merely gazed at him for a moment and asked, "Is there still time?"

Ying Li lifted his head slightly, a misty look in his eyes, "What do you mean?"

Qi Xie inquired, "Is it possible to make amends for past mistakes in time?"

"What do you mean by 'making amends'? I don't understand."

Before Ying Li realized it, Qi Xie had closed the gap between them, making him feel uneasy. Ying Li quickly turned to leave.

"Don't go." Qi Xie pulled him back, holding him tightly in his embrace.

The arm wrapped around his waist tightened. Ying Li pounded at Qi Xie's arm, his composure shattered, a mix of fear and anger in his voice, "What are you doing? I told you not to touch me..."

From behind, Qi Xie held Ying Li close, burying his face into the nape of Ying Li's neck, murmuring weakly, "Just one minute."

His head throbbed, as if someone were chiseling inside his skull. Only the scent of Ying Li seemed to ease the pain slightly.

The warmth of Qi Xie's breath tinted Ying Li's neck a rosy hue. With Qi Xie's forehead pressed against his chin, even through the mask, Ying Li could sense the heat. Qi Xie might have a fever.

Closing his eyes briefly, Ying Li sternly said, "Let go."

Suddenly, a cough echoed from the restroom twice, casting a heavy silence in the air.

Ying Li shot Qi Xie a sidelong glance, his face, whether from embarrassment or anger, flushed even redder than a rose.

The voice commented, "Sorry, I'll be a moment longer. Continue."

Qi Xie, looking innocent, whispered, "I didn't know someone was there."

Ying Li broke free and walked away. Qi Xie, pulling his mask up, chased after him, cornering him in the hallway, much like a school bully.

Blocked by the human barrier in front of him, Ying Li stopped. The stifling feeling in his chest grew, causing great discomfort. He wanted to argue with Qi Xie, but he felt drained.

After an awkward pause, Qi Xie lowered his head and said, "The minute isn't up yet."

Ying Li found him unreasonable, "I never agreed to it."

Under the bright hallway lights, they were so close that even the fine peach fuzz on each other's faces was visible. Ying Li's eyelashes fluttered like a rabbit that had spotted a tiger, reflecting pure panic.

Seeing Ying Li's evident fear, Qi Xie didn't try to hold him again, just gazing at him intently.

Ying Li remarked, "Thirty seconds left."

Qi Xie, suppressing the urge to get closer, focused on Ying Li's evasive eyes, "What can I do to make you dislike me a little less?"

"After all you've done to me, you expect me to despise you any less? Isn't that a bit much?" A warm breath brushed against her face, and Ying Li's brows furrowed, her amber eyes misting with unshed tears. "You even took liberties with me just now..."

His voice was raspy yet tender.

It was an accusation, yet it sounded like a plea.

Qi Xie's throat felt dry, he lowered his head even more, looking at Ying Li's reddening eyes, admitting, "I went too far. I want to make amends."

Ying Li remained silent, attempting to push him away and move forward.

Qi Xie said, "Give me a chance, Teacher Ying."

The hand she was about to extend suddenly pulled back. With her dampened lashes lifted, Ying Li stared fixedly at Qi Xie, too stunned to move or even avoid him as he leaned in.

"May I, Teacher Ying?"

His voice, gentle and pleading, brushed past her ear, causing Ying Li to shudder, a tingling sensation along her earlobe. Qi Xie's voice had always beguiled her; it was his voice that had initially deceived her into thinking he was a kind-hearted person.

Ying Li took a moment to calm her racing heart and then pursed her lips, "I'm not a teacher. Don't call me that."

Qi Xie replied, "But isn't it what you want to become? Get used to it ahead of time."

That's way too premature. He still has half a year until graduation; things aren't even set in stone yet.

"May I?"

Ying Li still didn't answer. She was conflicted. Last night, she pondered much. She disliked Qi Xie, but not entirely. At times, she even wondered if he might have feelings for her. Otherwise, why would he want to get so close? But she'd never been in love or liked anyone, so her understanding of such feelings was limited.

"There's no need," Ying Li took a couple of deep breaths, "I made it clear yesterday. Just stop bullying me, and I won't despise you anymore."

Qi Xie paused, taken aback.

"I'm leaving." Ying Li didn't wait for his reaction and awkwardly pushed him aside.

Qi Xie took long strides forward, pacing himself to walk alongside her. Ying Li slowed down, deliberately increasing the distance between them.

Perhaps sensing the absence beside him, Qi Xie suddenly turned around, causing Ying Li to stop in her tracks.

Qi Xie merely glanced at her before continuing on his way.

Just as Ying Li's tense posture began to relax, Qi Xie turned around again.

Every couple of steps, Qi Xie would glance back, as if ensuring they maintained a certain distance, or perhaps fearing that Ying Li might get lost.

The repeated glances irritated Ying Li. "Why do you keep looking back?" she snapped.

"Checking if you're watching me."

Ying Li awkwardly diverted her gaze to a nearby white wall, "I wasn't."

With that, she moved ahead of him. Qi Xie quickly caught up, showing no signs of the foot injury he had earlier.

As Ying Li looked down at his foot, Qi Xie remarked with a poker face, "It hurts a lot."

Ying Li wanted to retort with 'serves you right', but bit her tongue, instead saying after a pause, "I applied medicine just now. Bear with it."

Qi Xie nodded and hummed in agreement.

As they neared the end of the corridor with staff waiting outside, Ying Li hesitated before asking, "Didn't you come back last night? Shen Yao said you spent the entire night on the rooftop."

"I didn't."

The revelation stunned Ying Li. Did her words wound him so deeply that he avoided returning for the night? A pang of guilt surged within her.

Fluttering her dense lashes, she caught sight of a scar on his index finger, "What happened to your hand? Did you scratch yourself again?"

Qi Xie replied, "No."

An awkward silence followed.

"Why do you answer so tersely?" Ying Li stopped, frowning at him, her tone somber, "Can't you just tell me what you did last night and how you injured your hand?"

"I didn't spend the night on the rooftop. I got the cut while fixing something," Qi Xie paused, emphasizing, "I didn't hurt myself intentionally."

The explanation conjured various scenarios in Ying Li's mind, making her heart ache, "What were you fixing that caused such a cut?"

She brazenly examined his hand, noting a relatively long gash that had broken the skin, though it wasn't too severe.

Qi Xie replied, "A faucet."

A moment of confusion ensued before Ying Li queried, "The bathroom faucet?"

The faucets in their room's washbasin worked perfectly. Only the two faucets in the first-floor bathroom were malfunctioning.

"Mhm."

"Why did you fix that one?"

A twitch formed at the corner of Ying Li's forehead. The idea of Qi Xie fixing a faucet in the dead of night was baffling to her.

Qi Xie's gaze darkened considerably. "Are you sure you want to know?"

A shiver ran through Ying Li as if someone had grasped her scalp. Covering her ears, she pressed forward, "I don't want to know. Don’t say it."

In a hushed tone, Qi Xie whispered, "I wanted to take a bath with you that night."

A note from the author:

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