Chapter 5 Changing Bandages

Chapter 5 Changing the Bandages

If you don’t tell me, I’m coming in…

The next morning, both men emerged from their rooms simultaneously. Noticing the dark circles under each other’s eyes, they knew neither had slept well. Kahn was the first to speak: "I'm sorry, I—"

"You can stay and live with me. I’ll be your landlord, and you can find a job to pay rent on time," Bai Suizhi interjected, cutting Kahn off.

Bai Suizhi didn’t need Kahn’s rent money; he simply wanted Kahn to have a normal job and a normal life. Someone who’d follow anyone for a scrap was easily exploited, and Bai Suizhi couldn’t bear the thought of the "dog" he’d nurtured being taken in by someone else. Besides, having an extra roommate was hardly a big deal, and there was no need to be awkward about it. Once he’d made up his mind, Bai Suizhi felt a great sense of relief.

Kahn’s weary eyes, heavy from lack of sleep, instantly lit up. "Really?!"

"Mm, really."

Kahn’s heart began to pound so fast he felt he might drop dead any second. But now, he didn’t want to die—not yet. So he took deep, deliberate breaths, trying to calm his racing heart.

Bai Suizhi chuckled softly. "So easily excited," he remarked, then headed to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

Kahn followed him to the kitchen, asking again with a hint of disbelief, "Really?"

"Really."

"Really?"

"Really," Bai Suizhi patiently repeated the same answer, again and again.

After breakfast, Bai Suizhi asked Kahn if there was anything he enjoyed doing, intending to help him with his career path.

"Something I enjoy doing?" The question felt utterly foreign to Kahn. No one had ever asked him that before, and he’d never considered it himself—just getting through each day was exhausting enough.

Bai Suizhi gently prompted him, "Like, when you were a kid, was there anything you dreamed of doing?"

"When I was a kid?"

Kahn still couldn’t formulate an answer. Bai Suizhi wasn’t in a hurry and let him take his time. Kahn sat on the living room sofa, hugging a cushion, lost in thought until he eventually drifted off to sleep.

In his dream, Kahn found himself standing before a shabby little hut with a sign that read: "Kahn’s Childhood Hut."

He pushed the door open, and a musty, moldy smell hit him first, followed by a cloud of dust that made him cough. He didn’t really want to go in, but even in his dream, he remembered Bai Suizhi’s question, knowing there was something inside Bai Suizhi needed. So, he waved his hand to clear the dust, furrowed his brow, and stepped inside.

The room was sparse: a yellowed gland examination report, a slip of paper with the name "Kahn Sunderland," and that seemed to be it—everything visible at a glance. Just as Kahn was about to leave with this disappointing result, he caught sight of a small plastic rose tucked away in a corner...

Kahn woke up, his mind still hazy. The dream’s imagery resurfaced, and he recalled the plastic rose. He had found it on the roadside once after running away from the orphanage. Later, the flower was broken, and he was beaten so badly by the director for escaping that he couldn’t get out of bed for half a month.

"Flower..." Kahn murmured.

"Flower? Do you want to open a flower shop? Do you like flowers?" Bai Suizhi, who had been reading on the nearby sofa, naturally overheard Kahn’s sleep-talking.

Kahn was fully awake now. Hearing Bai Suizhi’s question, he hesitated but nodded.

Bai Suizhi was surprised that Kahn liked flowers. After a moment’s thought, he said, "That’s nice."

He then got up, fetched a tablet, tapped on it a few times, and handed it to Kahn. "You can start by learning how to grow flowers from these videos. Once the lockdown is lifted, you can work at a flower shop, or I can loan you the money to open one."

Kahn took the tablet—it was filled with gardening tips and tutorials.

Bai Suizhi asked curiously, "So, what kind of flowers do you like?"

Kahn replied, "Roses." The plastic flower had been a rose. That day must have been a special holiday.

Bai Suizhi asked, "What kind of roses?"

Kahn said, "Red roses."

Bai Suizhi nodded, though he personally felt that pure, solemn white roses suited Kahn better than red ones.

In the afternoon, Kahn curled up on the sofa with the tablet, studying intently. Bai Suizhi went to the gym to run. He preferred outdoor running, but with the outdoors overrun by zombies, he wasn’t reckless enough to challenge them to a life-or-death race.

Each occupied with their own tasks, the two felt neither awkward nor uncomfortable, maintaining an atmosphere of peaceful harmony.

Kahn spent the entire afternoon seriously watching educational videos. Midway through, he even borrowed paper and pen from Bai Suizhi to diligently take notes. Seeing how focused Kahn was, Bai Suizhi didn’t dare disturb him, only occasionally bringing him some fruit and snacks.

After dinner, while Kahn was showering, Bai Suizhi, feeling pleased, flipped through Kahn’s notebook, which he hadn’t put away yet...

But what were those messy, chicken-scratch words and strange symbols mixed in between?

For the sake of his eyes, Bai Suizhi silently closed the notebook.

While searching online for handwriting practice videos, Bai Suizhi suddenly heard the sound of breaking glass from the bathroom, accompanied by a pained grunt.

His face fell, and he rushed to the bathroom door, asking urgently, "What happened?"

Kahn’s strained voice replied, "It’s nothing..."

Bai Suizhi knew from his tone that something was wrong. "What’s going on?"

"I accidentally knocked over a cup..."

"Who cares about the cup? If you don’t tell me, I’m coming in."

Seeing that Kahn was still beating around the bush, Bai Suizhi pushed the door open in frustration. Inside, Kahn was bent over in pain, facing away from the door. The position accentuated the curve of his back, which tapered down to his tailbone. His hand trembled as he clutched his abdomen, and a long cut from broken glass ran down his bare calf, blood trickling down and blending with the water on the floor.

Bai Suizhi stepped forward, wrapped Kahn in a towel, and carried him out of the chaotic bathroom. Kahn was startled. "I’m fine, I can walk."

Bai Suizhi didn’t respond. After placing Kahn on the guest room bed, he turned and left. Watching his retreating figure, Kahn thought, *He’s angry.*

Kahn’s wound hurt, but upsetting Bai Suizhi made him feel even worse. He tried to get up and find him, but before his feet touched the floor, Bai Suizhi returned. Seeing Kahn about to get out of bed, Bai Suizhi couldn’t hold back his anger. "Trying to lose that foot?"

"You didn’t leave?"

"Leave? I went to get the first-aid kit."

Bai Suizhi carried the kit over, knelt beside Kahn, and held his ankle to examine the cut on his calf. Fortunately, it wasn’t deep. He took out tweezers to remove the glass fragments embedded in it. "Bear with it, it’ll be over soon," he said softly.

Kahn watched the man kneeling to tend to his wound, an inexplicable mix of emotions swirling inside him, finally coalescing into a thought that had crossed his mind countless times: *How can there be someone as good as Bai Suizhi?*

After removing the glass, Bai Suizhi gently blew on the wound and disinfected it with iodine. "What happened earlier?" he asked, recalling how Kahn had been clutching his abdomen.

"Nothing."

After bandaging the calf, Bai Suizhi stood up, pulled aside Kahn’s towel, and his gaze fell on his abdomen—the site of the whip marks, still wrapped in bandages, now oozing blood. "What’s going on? Did the wound reopen?"

Kahn had no choice but to admit, "I don’t know, it suddenly hurt a lot. It’s fine now."

Seeing Kahn’s pale face, Bai Suizhi didn’t believe him. "I’ll change the bandage. It might have gotten infected from water during your shower."

Without thinking, Bai Suizhi pulled the towel off completely. Since they were both men and seeing Kahn in clear distress, he saw no need for him to change clothes first—he just wanted to replace the soiled bandages quickly.

As the towel fell, Bai Suizhi’s gaze inadvertently landed on Kahn’s legs, and a thought flashed through his mind: *Damn, he’s so pale.* In the bathroom, the urgency of the situation had prevented him from noticing, but now the slick feeling from holding Kahn’s ankle resurfaced. He forced himself not to let his eyes wander and quietly picked up the towel he’d just removed, draping it over Kahn’s lower body again.

Kahn looked at him in confusion. Bai Suizhi cleared his throat awkwardly and said, "Don't catch a cold."

Bai Suizhi picked up the scissors and cut away the gauze wrapped around Kahn, revealing the gaping wounds beneath. Bai Suizhi froze for a second while staring at the wounds. Kahn noticed his gaze and instinctively tried to cover them with his hand, but Bai Suizhi stopped him, saying, "Don't move."

Kahn lowered his hand and said, "They look awful, don't they?"

Bai Suizhi replied calmly, "Yes."

Hearing this response, a dull, aching pain spread through Kahn's chest. He wanted to cover the ugly wounds again.

Bai Suizhi added, "So don't let yourself get hurt." Then, gently, he dabbed iodine around the wounds.

Kahn's eyes began to sting. He blinked hard, suppressing the moisture.

After rewrapping the gauze, Bai Suizhi said to Kahn, "If any spot bothers you, tell me. And be careful when bathing—don't let water get in."

Kahn nodded and said earnestly, "Bai Suizhi, thank you."

Bai Suizhi smiled and tousled Kahn's hair. "You're welcome, Comrade Kahn. Good night."

"Good night."

After tidying up the bathroom, Bai Suizhi went to bed. He felt he might be caring too much about Kahn. He worried when Kahn was hurt and got angry when he saw him suffering in silence. Bai Suizhi then wondered how he would react if the same thing happened to Shi Mingshan...

Well, if that guy got hurt, he would probably announce it to the whole world. Bai Suizhi didn't dwell on it too much—it wasn't like he was doing anything wrong.

It was another peaceful night, and the neighborhood had peacefully gotten through another day.