Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Seeing Feng Chen had taken his medicine, Yan Bubu reached into his bulging chest pocket and rustled out the bread.

The bread was squashed out of shape, the bag smeared with cheese. He tore and bit the package open, offering it to Feng Chen.

"Young master, eat something," Yan Bubu's face peeked from behind the bread, "Eating bread will help you recover faster."

Feng Chen, already feeling unwell, had no appetite and instinctively turned his head away. Yet, Yan Bubu persisted in offering the bread, "Young master, eat. The medicine is bitter; have something sweet. This bread is really good."

His cheeks were streaked with mud, his eyes astonishingly bright and black, lashes wet, sticking together at the corners.

"Young master, please eat."

Urged earnestly by Yan Bubu, Feng Chen unconsciously opened his mouth and bit into the bread, allowing the faint sweetness to spread in his mouth.

"Am I good to you?" Yan Bubu leaned in closer, whispering, "I am quite capable, aren’t I? I can find medicine and food. Don't leave me behind; I'll keep taking care of you like this, feeding you."

Feng Chen glanced at him, continuing to chew the bread. However, still feverish, he only ate a little before stopping. Yan Bubu then had to finish the rest himself.

Feng Chen watched him the entire time, leaning against the wall. Seeing Yan Bubu finishing the bread eagerly and about to lick his fingers, Feng Chen weakly intervened.

"...Don't lick your fingers."

"Um, okay, I won't. How are you feeling? Did the medicine make you better?" Yan Bubu leaned in close to Feng Chen's face, even pressing his forehead against Feng Chen's.

"Why are you still so hot? Didn't you just take the medicine?" Yan Bubu mumbled, somewhat bewildered, "Maybe it wasn't enough; should we take a few more?"

"...No, it's enough," Feng Chen shook his head, "Just wait... it's already enough."

"Oh, right, when I'm sick, it also takes a few days to get better after taking medicine," Yan Bubu realized.

At that moment, Feng Chen couldn't feel the cold. His body felt alien to him, but seeing Yan Bubu shivering, he struggled to look around.

Behind the bus stop was a showroom. Several large display cabinets, shattered and broken, lay under bricks and stones. One large cabinet was relatively intact, lying on its side with the door half-open and the glass unbroken.

"Go, pull out the velvet cloth inside," he instructed Yan Bubu.

"Okay."

The cabinet was lined with red velvet cloth, which Yan Bubu quickly tore out in one go, returning with a large bundle.

"Take off the wet clothes," Feng Chen said.

Yan Bubu stepped forward to remove Feng Chen's jacket.

"Your own clothes... take them all off," Feng Chen corrected.

Yan Bubu began undressing, but his corduroy overalls, soaked with water, were difficult to unbutton, and he struggled violently with them.

Feng Chen called him over to help with the buttons.

Just undoing the buttons nearly drained all of Feng Chen’s energy, so when he saw Yan Bubu not only removing his T-shirt and overalls but also starting to take off his underwear, he was too weak to stop him.

Yan Bubu stripped bare, not waiting for Feng Chen’s instruction, and climbed onto the bench, wrapping the velvet cloth around himself.

Feng Chen, barely holding on until now, could no longer stay conscious. The sound of Yan Bubu's voice reached him faintly, as if through deep water, muffled and indistinct.

"This is so warm, young master. It's comfortable wrapped in this."

"You should take off your wet clothes too. I’ll help you."

He vaguely saw Yan Bubu, cocooned like a caterpillar, inching closer, before slipping back into unconsciousness.

……

Feng Chen opened his eyes to a blinding white expanse. He raised his hand to shield his eyes, gradually adjusting to the sudden brightness before surveying his surroundings.

He found himself in a snowfield, a world of endless white with no other objects in sight, no boundaries, just snowflakes whirling and dancing in the wind.

He caught a snowflake in his hand, its crystalline hexagonal shape lying still in his palm, never melting, nor feeling cold.

Feng Chen felt he must be dreaming, for how else could he suddenly be in this scene? Yet, if it was a dream, he was too lucid, lacking the haziness typical of dreams.

Despite the limitless snowfield, he didn’t feel panicked but rather safe, as if this was where he belonged, his haven.

He wandered aimlessly through the snowfield until he spotted a peculiar object.

It was an oval-shaped, floating object, like a giant cocoon, emitting a soft white glow. As he approached, he saw the cocoon’s shell was semi-transparent, enclosing a dark mass.

Everything was strange, yet he felt no fear, only a sense of familiarity and comfort.

He stood next to the giant cocoon, reaching out to touch its translucent shell.

The shell wasn’t as cold or hard as he expected; it was warm and pliant like human skin. His hand slightly depressed it, like the membrane around an egg white.

He could feel something responding gently under his palm, pulsing in sync with his heartbeat.

Thump-thump, thump-thump…

Feng Chen, feeling peaceful and content, leaned his head against the cocoon and slowly closed his eyes.

。

Yan Bubu had a difficult night.

Feng Chen had fallen into a deep slumber and couldn't be awakened, so Yan Bubu struggled to remove his clothes and wrapped him in the velvet cloth. Thankfully, the cloth was large and long enough to cover both of them snugly.

The fire in the nearby shop finally extinguished, plunging the surroundings into complete darkness, occasionally lit starkly by flashes of lightning.

Listening to the relentless rain, Yan Bubu clung to Feng Chen, unnerved by his unsettling stillness.

Worried that Feng Chen might no longer be alive, Yan Bubu would periodically reach out to feel his chest, checking for a heartbeat.

Exhausted and in pain from the day's events, and with his bruised elbows and knees aching, Yan Bubu drifted in and out of sleep, only to be startled awake as Feng Chen began to shiver violently.

Feng Chen's shivering was intense, his body convulsing into a tight ball, his jaws clenched shut.

With no other option, Yan Bubu held him tightly, repeatedly whispering pleas, "Young master, please stop shaking, don't shake, I'm so scared..."

Fortunately, Feng Chen eventually calmed down and fell into a deep sleep, allowing the frightened and exhausted Yan Bubu to also fall asleep.

When Feng Chen woke up, the rain had stopped, and the sun was directly overhead. He first checked the backpack for the password box, then looked at his watch, which showed it was ten in the morning.

He no longer had a fever, just some soreness in his body. Turning to Yan Bubu, he saw him lying bare on the bench, having kicked off the velvet cloth, with only his curly black hair visible from under the tightly wrapped cloth.

If not for the slight rise and fall of his small chest, Feng Chen might have feared Yan Bubu had suffocated.

Feng Chen realized he was completely naked and hurriedly looked for his clothes.

His clothes, draped over the back of the bench, were now dry but terribly wrinkled.

Yan Bubu's clothes, thrown haphazardly at the end of the bench, were stiff and almost unrecognizable. Feng Chen picked them up and shook them, dislodging clumps of dried mud.

Yan Bubu, dreaming of being smothered by a spider web, was jolted awake to find Feng Chen's handsome face before him.

"Young master, the spider web... pull it off..."

Feng Chen, not quite understanding, leaned down and patted Yan Bubu’s face, "Stop sleeping, it's time to get up."

Yan Bubu grumbled as he sat up, rubbing his eyes. Rolls of baby fat piled up on his stomach, almost hiding his belly button.

"Young master, why are you here? My mom—"

Yan Bubu suddenly stopped, as if remembering something abruptly.

Feng Chen, acting as if he hadn't heard, went to gather the backpack. After organizing it, he turned back to see Yan Bubu still sitting with his head down.

"Put on your shoes. After you’re dressed, we'll find something to eat."

Yan Bubu softly hummed in acknowledgment, rubbed his eyes again, and turned to look for his clothes. Feng Chen, however, advised, "You can’t wear those clothes now, just put on your shoes."

Yan Bubu put on his shoes, struggling with the laces and finally tying them loosely.

As he stood up bare, Feng Chen draped his suit jacket over him and crouched to fasten each button.

The suit was far too big for Yan Bubu, covering him down to his feet like a sack. As Feng Chen shouldered the backpack, Yan Bubu, playing with the overly long sleeves, hesitantly said, "Young master, maybe I should just wear my own clothes."

Feng Chen turned and, seeing his appearance, paused before saying, "No, you can’t wear your clothes; they’re covered in mud."

Yan Bubu looked uncomfortable, scratching his face but unable to fit his fingers through.

Feng Chen instructed, "Come here."

Yan Bubu obediently approached, and Feng Chen rolled up his sleeves several times and retied his shoelaces. Looking up, he asked, "Is that better?"

Yan Bubu nodded reluctantly.

"Can we go now?"

"Yes, we can."

Yan Bubu slung his 'Daily Supermarket' canvas bag over his shoulder and, holding Feng Chen's hand, walked out of the bus station.

Despite the bright sun, the ground was still wet, with mud forming a thick sludge. Each step they took made a squelching sound.

A rumbling overhead made Yan Bubu look up to see a low-flying helicopter, with someone sitting on the side, shouting through a megaphone at the ground below.

"...At every street corner, the Western Alliance is distributing food and water. Everyone should find the nearest distribution point..."

After the helicopter had gone, Feng Chen led Yan Bubu to the nearest street corner, asking as they walked, "Where did you go last night to find medicine for me?"

Yan Bubu pointed ahead, "Right up there, there's a pharmacy."

Feng Chen asked, "Did you get the medicine yourself?"

"No, a kind uncle in the pharmacy gave it to me. He was stocking up on medicine, and I asked if he could spare some for me since my brother was very ill, and he gave it to me."

Feng Chen hummed in acknowledgment.

Approaching a pile of stones, Yan Bubu moved closer to Feng Chen, nervously reminding him, "Over there, there's a dead person we have to step over. But don’t be scared, I’ve covered him up."

Feng Chen observed the bulge in the stone pile pathway covered with cardboard, pausing to ask, "Did you step over him by yourself last night?"

"Yeah... I was alone coming back, but there was a cat with me on the way there," Yan Bubu shuddered at the memory.

Feng Chen said nothing more, shifted the backpack to his front, and crouched in front of Yan Bubu, "I’ll carry you."

"I can—"

"Hurry up."

Yan Bubu, not daring to refuse further, carefully climbed onto Feng Chen’s back.

It was the first time Feng Chen had carried him, and Yan Bubu felt both honored and nervous. His mother often said he was heavy, and fearing he might burden Feng Chen, he took a deep breath, hoping it would somehow make him lighter.

Feng Chen, however, didn't take the path through the stones but instead climbed up a different stone pile to the left. Carrying Yan Bubu was challenging, but he moved steadily.

"Young master, am I very heavy? Maybe you should let me down and I can walk," Yan Bubu whispered into his ear.

Feng Chen lifted him slightly, "It’s fine, don’t get down."

Hearing only 'it's fine' and not a denial of his weight, Yan Bubu felt more uneasy and took another deep breath.

Feng Chen’s shoulders and back were slender, the collar of his shirt stretched slightly, revealing the tense muscles of his neck.

Yan Bubu rested his chin on Feng Chen’s shoulder, thinking if Feng Chen objected, he would quickly lift his head. But since Feng Chen didn’t react, he kept his chin there.

"Young master, you are really nice, I really like you," Yan Bubu said sincerely.

Feng Chen started to feel goosebumps again, "Shut up."

After crossing the pile of stones, Yan Bubu got off the ground, while Feng Chen lifted his wrist to his multifunctional watch, speaking softly to record his physical condition.

This was a requirement from his instructor, and he had never failed to keep these records.

"...According to monitoring data, body temperature reached 41 degrees, no medication taken in between—"

Yan Bubu suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Feng Chen glanced at him and continued, "—medication was taken later, vitamin C and a digestive aid. The medication was effective, fever subsided within an hour."

Yan Bubu, satisfied, resumed walking.