Chapter 35: Boyfriend

Chapter 35: Boyfriend

Cen Wu shuddered violently the moment he admitted he was cold, his arm around Xie Guiluan’s neck weakening. The physical discomfort made it hard for him to hold on.

It was too cold.

Xie Guiluan’s throat tightened with concern. He held Cen Wu, raising his hand to wipe the rain from Cen Wu’s pale cheeks, but Cen Wu was shivering violently from the cold, trembling badly in his arms.

The mountain was being hit by an increasingly heavy downpour. Xie Guiluan was wearing a waterproof racing suit, so he wasn’t very wet. In contrast, Cen Wu had come in his school uniform, and now he was soaked to the bone.

Xie Guiluan took off his jacket and wrapped it around Cen Wu, then wiped his face once more. He took Cen Wu’s arm and told him to hold tight around his neck, before hooking his leg and lifting Cen Wu onto his back.

He had barely started up the mountain road when Cen Wu stopped him. From there, it would take about half an hour to reach a place where there were people.

Cen Wu tried to hold the umbrella for Xie Guiluan, but his stiff, weak fingers struggled to grip it after several attempts.

He didn’t know how fast he had been riding just now, but he had pushed the motorcycle almost to its limit. Even being a passenger on such a ride would leave your legs weak, let alone riding for half an hour by himself.

Xie Guiluan held onto the backs of his knees, carrying him. His legs had lost almost all sensation, numb from the cold.

Cen Wu lay against Xie Guiluan’s back. The mountain road was slippery, and it would be easy to fall, but the young man’s shoulders were broad and strong. His back muscles felt solid and firm, his body radiating warmth and reassurance, making Cen Wu feel secure.

Xie Guiluan was getting wet, and he tried to move the umbrella forward to shield more of Xie Guiluan, but Xie Guiluan gently guided his wrist back, so Cen Wu could only shield himself.

He lowered his head, his lips accidentally brushing against Xie Guiluan’s cold ear bone. He quickly pressed his lips together and moved away, then tightly wrapped his arms around Xie Guiluan’s neck. He asked, "Why don’t you take me down on the motorcycle?"

"..." Xie Guiluan paused, then said, "It’s too dangerous."

He wasn’t willing to take that risk.

He had considered the possibility of his own death tonight, perhaps falling off a cliff. He had no particular feelings about his own demise, but now, with Cen Wu on his back...

Cen Wu’s breathing had become weak, a frail nasal breath brushing against his neck, growing colder. Xie Guiluan felt his heartbeat quicken in response.

A kind of panic he had never experienced before surged within him.

Cen Wu hung his head, barely able to hold onto Xie Guiluan’s neck or keep the umbrella steady. But he forced himself not to collapse, gripping the umbrella tightly against the storm.

He let out a low breath, and once he had somewhat recovered, he lifted his school uniform sleeve to wipe the rain from Xie Guiluan’s face.

Xie Guiluan’s brow bone was sharp, and the rain rolled down it. Even disheveled, his face retained its handsomeness. The kind that, if you looked at him a few more times, would really make your anger dissipate.

The stormy night was dark everywhere. Xie Guiluan found a flashlight from Chu Zijian’s car, which barely illuminated the mountain road ahead. Cen Wu, taking advantage of the light, stared at Xie Guiluan’s face and murmured softly, "I thought you didn’t know."

But it wasn’t surprising that Xie Guiluan would act this way.

Accepting someone else’s charity or help was a difficult thing for Xie Guiluan. Song Lingwei’s illness was a bottomless pit, no amount of money could ever fill it.

Most of the money he borrowed was impossible to repay. Two or three thousand, maybe he could manage, but anything more, and before he could repay it, Song Lingwei would need another surgery.

Cen Wu knew the taste of debt; he had carried it too. It could crush a person’s self-esteem entirely.

Otherwise, if Xie Guiluan were willing, even if no one could afford Song Lingwei’s medical bills for life, at least the money for the heart surgery could have been gathered by a few teachers in the class. Meng Liangping and the others had wanted to help Xie Guiluan.

And they didn’t even expect him to repay it.

The rain grew heavier, and Cen Wu felt a fever coming on, his body burning hot yet feeling extremely cold, shivering uncontrollably. His consciousness was already fading, his eyelids heavy and almost unable to stay open.

"Cen Wu," Xie Guiluan’s voice was hoarse, and it was the first time he had called his name, "don’t sleep yet, wait until we get to the hospital."

Falling asleep during such a heavy rainstorm, Cen Wu would only lose body heat even faster.

Xie Guiluan tightened his grip again, afraid that Cen Wu might slip. His fingers dug into Cen Wu's thigh, holding him more steadily, then he quickened his pace, heading towards the race track.

Cen Wu had his phone with him. Once they reached an area with signal, Xie Guiluan called a car and then took him to the hospital.

Hypothermia from the rain could be fatal. It was too far from the city center, so Xie Guiluan took him to the nearest hospital.

When they reached the hospital, Cen Wu was already delirious with fever, his muscles limp, both soft and sore. His knee had been scraped at some point, and blood trickled down his calf.

His legs were numb from the cold, so he didn’t feel it. It was too dark on the mountain, and Xie Guiluan hadn't noticed either. It was only when he put Cen Wu down that Xie Guiluan saw the blood on his pants.

The hospital was quite busy that rainy night, with people either stranded by the rain or involved in accidents.

Xie Guiluan wiped the rain off his jacket and put it on Cen Wu, then asked the nurse for a blanket to wrap him in. He then held him in his arms.

Cen Wu's face was pressed against Xie Guiluan’s chest—undeniably, Xie Guiluan's chest muscles were scorching hot and hard.

Actually, when relaxed, the chest muscles were soft, but Xie Guiluan was far from relaxed. He held Cen Wu's hand, rubbing it, then cupped it and blew warm air onto it, trying to restore his body temperature.

Those dark, intense eyes still reflected the storm, but his palm was burning hot, firmly gripping Cen Wu's hand.

So tense that his chest muscles were a bit stiff, which wasn’t very comfortable. Cen Wu poked him, and Xie Guiluan stiffened, then finally relaxed a little, allowing Cen Wu to lean on him again.

Xie Guiluan: "..."

"Time for the IV drip," the nurse said, walking over with a tray.

Xie Guiluan still didn’t let go of Cen Wu. He held his shoulder and pressed his lips to Cen Wu's rain-soaked hair, waiting for the nurse to insert the IV needle and start cleaning the wound on Cen Wu's leg before he loosened his hold slightly and helped roll up his pants.

Cen Wu's already pale legs were now devoid of any color, and blood was trickling down his calf. His knee was badly scraped, quite bloody and raw.

The nurse couldn’t help but hiss softly, then carefully applied medicine and bandaged it.

Cen Wu couldn’t even remember how he had fallen. Now that the cold had subsided and feeling had returned to his body, the pain gradually set in.

Especially when the medicine was applied, his knee burned fiercely, his calf trembling violently as cold sweat broke out on his back.

Xie Guiluan held him tightly, gently patting his back. The young man's hoarse voice sounded much gentler as he pressed Cen Wu's head against him and said, "Don't be afraid. If it hurts, bite me."

Cen Wu looked up, his lips just brushing against Xie Guiluan's cold, straight collarbone, but he couldn’t bring himself to bite. He just hugged Xie Guiluan's waist and shivered in his arms.

Cen Wu was so feverish that he couldn’t hold on any longer and fell asleep mid-fever before the nurse had even finished treating him. When he opened his eyes again, he was wrapped in a blanket, lying on a bench in the corridor.

Xie Guiluan was gone.

Only the nurse was there, replacing the IV drip.

Cen Wu shivered, his lips turning pale, and he tried to get up to look for him, but the nurse pressed his shoulder down.

The nurse shook her head, unable to help but smile and said, "Your boyfriend went to pay the fees. There wasn’t anyone at the payment counter, he’ll be back soon. Don’t worry, he’s not going anywhere."

"..."

What?

Cen Wu was confused for a moment before realizing what she was talking about. His already fever-flushed cheeks grew even hotter, and he stammered, trying to explain, "He's not my... he's not..."

The nurse thought he was just embarrassed, but didn’t say anything more, just smiled and continued replacing the IV drip.

Xie Guiluan returned from paying the fees and received a glare filled with embarrassment and anger. His eyebrow quirked up, puzzled by what he might have done wrong.

Cen Wu was not shivering as much as before, but his body was still trembling. Xie Guiluan reached out and hugged him again.

Cen Wu hesitated for a moment before wrapping his arms around Xie Guiluan's waist. It had been many years since he’d last been held like this, aside from when he was a child. On such a stormy night, he had an illusion of dependence.

There were many patients there that night, and it was a small hospital at the foot of a mountain. With a shortage of beds, younger patients or those who could manage were treated in the hallway.

Across from Cen Wu was a little girl who also had a fever. A fever patch was stuck to her forehead, and she was sitting on her father's lap.

Cen Wu’s mind was blank, though he wasn’t sleepy. He lay in Xie Guiluan's arms, wrapped in a blanket, half of his pale cheek buried in Xie Guiluan's chest, only his eyes wandering aimlessly.

His snow-white cheek was smudged with a bit of dirt, and his foggy, beautiful eyes made him look wilted, like a child who couldn't find his way home.

The little girl opened her big eyes and stared at Cen Wu.

Cen Wu suddenly felt a bout of social anxiety and buried his head in Xie Guiluan's chest. Then he heard Xie Guiluan chuckle softly above him, teasingly. "Young Master, do you want to be held like this?"

"Who... who wants to?" Cen Wu's cheeks burned.

But as soon as he raised his head, Xie Guiluan scooped him up, as if he really was going to hold him on his lap.

Cen Wu panicked. His eyelids were flushed from fever, and he didn’t understand what this man was doing. He pushed Xie Guiluan away, his face red, and whispered, "Are you crazy? What are you doing?"

It was already a bit unclear, and being held like this would make it even more so. Actually, just being held was already inappropriate enough. Even if Zhang Fei had a fever, Guan Yu wouldn’t hold him in his arms.

Let alone on his lap.

Cen Wu, who had been feeling a bit homesick and lost, had those feelings completely dissipated by Xie Guiluan's sudden action.

Xie Guiluan, with his crimson lips curved, held onto Cen Wu to keep him still. He had gone to buy a towel, soaked it in hot water, and wiped Cen Wu's face.

The dusty little mushroom looked fresh and lively again.

"Xie Guiluan," Cen Wu was very compliant, lifting his head when asked. Xie Guiluan pinched the flesh on his cheek, and Cen Wu didn’t resist. His eyelashes fluttered, and he opened his eyes to speak softly to Xie Guiluan, "I'll help you. You don't need to feel burdened. You'll understand why in the future. You can use me to do anything you need."

Xie Guiluan paused and looked up. Cen Wu's eyelashes fluttered, and his eyes were too moist. They always reflected light—moonlight, starlight, and the lights he had once seen.

His pretty eyes, like a little mountain bird, curved like a crescent moon, and when they widened slightly, they resembled the moon that had disappeared tonight.

The world seemed to totter in the storm, and Cen Wu looked at him as if he were the moon that had come just for him.